#[inhale] [seagull screech] | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

makerofmadness · 3 years ago

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i’ve decided to keep making incorrect fnaf quotes because it’s fun

Michael Afton: Do you take constructive criticism? Fazbear Entertainment: No, only cash or credit.

Freddy, watching Chica and Bonnie fight: Are you sure they should be fighting? What if they get hurt? The Puppet, not bothered by the chaos: It’s fine. They’re too evenly matched to hurt each other. Freddy: Then... who’s the strongest out of you three? Chica: The Puppet. Bonnie: The Puppet. The Puppet: Me.

Gregory: Please could you go to the shop and get a carton of milk, if they have avocados get six. Glamrock Freddy, coming back from the store with six cartons of milk: They had avocados!

Michael Afton: When I said bring me something back from the beach I meant like a conch shell! Ennard: *Struggling to hold a seagull* Fucking say that next time!

Henry Emily: I saw you fall, saw the sinners lay on your corpses... Spring Bonnie: Hey, what’s up with Henry? Henry Emily: I created you, made the pieces perfect, others marveled at your beauty… their gazes may have held envy, though, for none are perfect but you. I was only looking away for a moment, but you were gone. I had failed you. And I fell into despair. The only way to save myself was to create, but I knew… this time I knew I was only making you to die. And I apologize. For I will undoubtedly fail you again. For a short time, there will be peace and beauty, but none in the face of us shall lay undisturbed. The greatest have fallen, and will continue to fall, and I weep for you for being born unto this place, where brother eats brother, and the undeserving rise to fame. Those that have gone against you know they’ve wronged you, and they will stand before the creator, knowing they have sinned. Do not worry, little ones, you will be avenged. Fredbear: ...He made some rock towers and went somewhere else for twenty minutes and when he came back the rock towers were destroyed and people were sitting where the towers once were, so he was sad and made more rock towers. Fredbear, to Henry Emily: Hey, who even is the creator? I thought you were an atheist! Henry Emily: SHUT THE HELL UP, FREDBEAR! I’M TRYING TO BE DRAMATIC AND MYSTERIOUS!

Sun: I'm hot, I’m tall, I'm gay, and I'm on my theatre kid arc.

Roxy: If looking good was a crime, you’d be a law abiding citizen.

Balloon Boy: I know what a prism is! It's where you put bad people.

Michael Afton: Are you a cuddler? Freddy: I'm a machine of death and destruction. Michael Afton: Freddy: ...Yeah, I'm a cuddler.

Gregory: You can't wake up if you never got to sleep.

Freddy: That's not funny. Golden Freddy: I thought it was funny. Freddy: You don't count. You started laughing in the middle of a funeral because you started thinking of a meme you saw on Facebook.

William Afton: I could kill you if I wanted. Michael Afton: Yeah? So could any other human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special.

Golden Freddy: Oh, so when crows remember people who wronged them and hold grudges, its “intelligent” and “really cool”. Golden Freddy: But when I do it, I’m “petty” and “need to let it go”.

The Puppet: You need to be more careful! Freddy, who was dragged into the Puppet’s issue: Careful? CAREFUL?! I'LL CAREFULLY WRAP MY HANDS AROUND YOUR THROAT-

Henry Emily: What do you have? William Afton: A KNIFE! Henry Emily: NO!

The Puppet: Ugh, there’s always that weak bitch in the group who isn’t down with murder. The Puppet: *glares at Endo-02* Endo-02: Well, sorry I have morals!

Roxy: You're pathetic! Gregory: You're pathetic-er! Moon: You're both losers.

Roxy: Do you even know what an amulet is? Glamrock Chica: Of course I do! I eat amulets sometimes. I like the ones with cheese and onions! Roxy: Chica, those are omelettes. Glamrock Chica: Oh. Then I’ve got nothing.

Chica: *Gasp* Bonnie: wHAT?? Chica: What if soy milk is just milk introducing itself in Spanish? Bonnie: *inhales* Freddy, in another room with Foxy: Why can I hear screeching?

Glamrock Freddy: The odds of this happening by coincidence are vanishingly small. Vanessa: I would say infinitesimally. Daycare Attendant (either/both): And I'd say teenily-weenily. We all know words.

Michael Afton with a gun to Scrap Baby’s head: What happens if I pull this trigger? Heaven? Scrap Baby: Bold of you to assume I'll go to Heaven.

- William Afton: They don’t make them like me no more. I’m the last of my kind. Michael Afton: Thank god.

Phone Dude: War is heck!

Monty: What? I'm not aggressive! Gregory: Last Tuesday, you wacked me with a pair of crocs and stole my chocolate chips? Monty: Survival of the fittest, bitch.

Phone Dude: I really like Eminem. Phone Guy: I prefer skittles. Michael Afton: He’s talking about the rapper. Phone Guy: Why would he eat the wrapper?

Foxy: I lost Balloon Boy. Mangle: How did you LOSE Balloon Boy?! Foxy: To be fair, he is very small.

Circus Baby: I feel awful about killing you.

Michael Afton:

Circus Baby: Even though technically you never even died, so I don’t know what you’re bitching about.

William Afton: Why are you always trying to aggravate me? The Puppet: To relax.

Gregory: You look mentally ill. Vanny: I am. Let’s go.

The Puppet: Some people are like slinkies. Bonnie: What? The Puppet: Not really good for much but bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs. Bonnie: Bonnie: Please don't push Freddy down the stairs. The Puppet, pushing Freddy down the stairs: Too late.

Michael Afton: *pitches an idea* Henry Emily, impressed: Huh, there might be something here! Helpy, under his breath: Yeah, a lawsuit.

Freddy: Golden Freddy doesn’t look very happy. Chica: That's their happy. They're just a bitch.

Monty: Okay, if we can't do it by sheer force, we'll do it my way. Roxy: But your way is sheer force!

Toy Chica: You seem familiar... have I threatened you before?

Spring Bonnie: Am I a boy? Am I a girl? It doesn't matter. I'm going to burn your house down.

The Puppet, looking at a dead phone: How do we bring this thing back to life? Magic? Live sacrifice? I know a guy in town-

Gregory:

You look like a corpse that was just pulled out of the river.

Roxy (”shattered”):

Wrong. I look like a cool rock star who just OD'd in their own pool. Big difference.

William Afton, shooing Henry Emily away: Can you go be depressed over there? You’re bumming out my whole area.

Michael Afton: Hello, my name is Failure, and you're watching my life crumble into pieces. Michael Afton: *waves his finger and sings like he’s in a Disney Channel intro*

Michael Afton: You're alive. Scraptrap: There's no need to sound so disappointed.

Foxy: *looks at Balloon Boy* Foxy: Baby boy. Baby. Foxy: *looks at Jeremy Fitzgerald* Foxy: Evil.

Jeremy Fitzgerald: Frtiz has no survival skills, his need to win has replaced them. Phone Guy: That can't be true! Jeremy Fitzgerald: Watch this. Jeremy Fitzgerald: Hey Fritz, race you to the bottom of the stairs! Fritz Smith: *Throws himself out a window*

The Puppet: Given the circumstances, I will let you hug me for four to five seconds. Freddy: Forty five seconds?!? The Puppet: No! I said four TO five seconds. Freddy, hugging the Puppet: Too late.

Golden Freddy: No thanks. Golden Freddy: I'm god.

William Afton: And then they ran into my knife. They ran into my knife ten times. Henry Emily: You mean you stabbed them? William Afton: They ran into my knife.

Foxy: WHOEVER CAUSED THIS MESS IS GOING TO- Balloon Boy: It was me... Foxy: ...Is going to be forgiven because everyone deserves a second chance.

Funtime Foxy, knocking on the door: Eggs Benedict, open up! Michael Afton: It all started when I was a kid. Funtime Foxy: That’s not what I- Funtime Freddy: Let him finish!

Glamrock Chica: Where are your parents? Gregory: What are parents? Glamrock Chica: That’s just about the saddest thing I've ever heard.

Gregory: I’m sick and tired of being called 'mortal' like, you don’t know that. Neither do I. I have never died even ONCE. Nothing has been proven yet. Stop making assumptions. It’s rude.

Henry Emily, at William Afton’s funeral: I need a moment with him. Everyone: Of course. *They leave* Henry Emily, leaning over William Afton′s coffin: Okay, listen here you little shit. I know you’re not dead. William Afton: Yeah, no shit.

Happy Frog: Ah ready for another fantastic day of being better than Freddy Fazbear.

Henry Emily: The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was changing his name to William Afton.

Bonnie: Damn, the power went out. Freddy: Don’t worry, I got this. Freddy: *shakes rapidly and starts to light up* Bonnie: What-? Freddy: I swallowed a glow stick! Bonnie, on the verge of tears: WHY WOULD YOU-

Freddy: Hey besties- The Puppet: Die. Freddy: What did I do to you-

Gregory: Get in, loser, we’re committing vehicular manslaughter!

#fnaf #incorrect quotes #incorrect fnaf quotes

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 3 years ago

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Hello! This is my first time sending a request umm kinda nervous. May I request headcanons of first year gang spending summer holiday with MC/Yuu? Thank you very much!

🏖 Beach time...!! 🏝

Curiouser and Curiouser...

Ace is the kind of guy that’ll mercilessly splash you with water when you step in the sea. And if you refuse to? Well, that’s what water guns and water balloons are for, right? He’ll lure you close by claiming he has “something cool” he wants to show you, then attack when your guard is down!!

He brings along a beach ball, and the first years bop it around to see who can keep it in the air the longest! Ace cheats a bit by using his wind magic to send the ball afloat again just as it’s about to touch the sand—

Ace innocently buries his friends’ feet in sand for fun. He waits until Deuce has fallen asleep on his beach towel before burying his entire body (excluding the head!) in sand, all while snickering to himself.

Ace likes to make his own fun! He finds a few scallop shells, still intact, along with a shiny pebble or washed up pearl, and decides to make a guessing game out of it! He tucks the pebble or pearl under a shell and mixes the shells up, then asks you to try and find the pebble/pearl! If you do, you can keep it—and if not, you owe him lunch!

When he spots a wild crab at the beach, Ace will take a stick and try provoking it! “Why does Floyd even call me a crab anyway, I don’t get it,” he’ll grumble—until he screeches because that darn crab pinched him...!! Ace tries yanking the crab off, but it’s so stubborn! He eventually does, but he follows it up with a vow to hunt down all crabs and eat them to show them what for!

Hop onto Deuce’s Magical Wheel for a ride to the beach! (He drives kind of like a mad man, so hold on tight!!) As you race down the road and toward the sand and sparkling waters, the beachy breeze whips through your hair and welcomes you.

Despite how serious Deuce looks, all his beach gear is cute--especially his towel! It’s nice and fluffy, with a bunch of baby chicks on it. You can’t help but let Deuce know how fitting the design is for him.

He reminds the other first years (mainly Ace and Epel) to respect the rules of the beach! Every so often, you’ll see Deuce apologizing to the lifeguard for some minor thing he has done which might have violated the rules. Other times, you’ll see Deuce trying to copy the lifeguard’s gestures and mannerisms—after all, lifeguards are basically beach police! Now’s a good time to learn from them.

Deuce finds an anemone washed up to the shore and guiltily nudges it back into the sea. He’s eager to avoid any and all reminders of his unsavory deal with Octavinelle...!! Besides, Deuce is sure the anemone would be happier to be with its family again.

He loves lighting up sparklers! He’ll crouch on the sand and light them for hours on end with this amazed look on his face. Deuce just thinks there’s something really magical about how they burn. Someday, he wants to have strength like sparklers—magic that provide warmth and light in the darkness.

Jack enjoys being in the water! He’s the first to dive into the ocean to cool off. When the time comes to get out, it’s fun to see Jack shaking off water from his fluffy ears and tail! You can help him dry off the excess with a towel, too (but getting the sand out of his fur can be a hassle)!

He has the tendency to bark and chase off seagulls when they try to land nearby. Part of it is they give him “the same vibes as Rook-senpai”, and part of it is that the nice guy in him worries the seagulls might eat something they aren’t supposed to by accident. If you tell Jack he’s being so considerate, he’ll brush it off with an embarrassed blush.

He likes to take long walks along the beach and see what washes up! You’re free to join him, as long as you’re not disruptive. If Jack finds a cool shell, piece of glass, or rock, he’ll pocket it to use as a decorative piece for his cacti back in his dorm room.

Jack excels in watermelon smashing! He has the strength to crack them open in one swing, and the senses to locate the fruit’s location every time, even when blindfolded or with his eyes closed (Ace cries foul, but Jack can’t really help his heightened beastman senses)!

He acts like kind of the disappointed parent of the group, trying to keep everyone together and under control even though they’re hyped up on the excitement of being at the beach. It’s like Jack has invisible child leashes on the other first years!

Before Epel’s allowed to hang out with you, Vil has to make sure he has put on his sunscreen! Epel gets called away every few hours to reapply sunscreen, no matter what activity you’re in the middle of. He grumbles about Vil under his breath, but don’t let his Dorm Leader know!

He likes to make mounds of sand and then pretend he’s a big monster or an Overblot as he kicks the sand piles over. It’s even more fun when you or Deuce join in--more sand piles, and more stomping!

Leave the grilling to him! Epel’s not that skilled at making fancy food, but grilling’s quick and simple to grasp. He likes to use applewood to impart a slightly sweet, smoky flavor in everything he grills—meat, veggies, even marshmallows!

Epel drags everyone into a bunch of competitive games! Volleyball (Sebek and Jack aggressively spiking the ball back and forth, resulting in a tie), beach flag races (Deuce comes close, but Jack cinches the win) water basketball (Ace kills the competition)...!! Though Epel’s a little salty he won nothing, he ends up rolling in the sand with laughter by the end of it all.

Epel wears a swimming parka over himself (Vil’s orders to protect his delicate skin), so many other beachgoers mistake him as a girl covering up her swimsuit! He tries to contain his temper despite all the catcalls and whistles he gets, but Epel eventually blows up, strips his parka off to reveal his trunks, and shouts, “I’M A MAN, A M-A-N!!” to everyone, just to make it crystal clear.

If you ever lose Ace, Deuce, or Epel, you can count on Sebek to call out loud enough to part the beachgoing crowd for you to find your missing kids! He’ll nag them for going astray, too.

Sebek’s no artist, but he’ll happily take a stick and draw pictures in the sand while boasting about the young master’s accomplishments! He can throw in some stories about Lilia-sama’s triumphs in combat too, if you wish!!

He also tries his hand at making a sand sculpture in Malleus’s name, but almost has a heart attack when the tide comes in and attacks his monument for the young master (his words, not yours)! Sebek stands guard and shouts at the sea to ward it off when the tide returns.

Like an idiot, Sebek decides to inhale as much food as he can (he wants to enjoy this experience!!). Unfortunately, he also makes the poor choice of including shaved ice on the menu, so he ends up with a terrible brain freeze. Everyone consoles him as he recovers over time...

Sebek’s a huge dork when it comes to fireworks! He audibly “oohs”, “aahs”, and claps whenever colorful displays light up the night sky. When he sees a particularly impressive firework, he’ll point it out to you and the other first years, begging you guys to look at it too!

#twst #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcanons #Ace Trappola #Deuce Spade #Epel Felmier #Jack Howl #Sebek Zigvolt #curiouser and curiouser #disney twisted wonderland #Reader #self insert

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ahatintimepieces · 3 years ago

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It Comes Down in Buckets

Before Luka and Hattie ended up in Subcon, they faced many challenges on the road as they adjusted to Luka’s curse. This is a lil gift for Mak, @doodledrawsthings, and their “””Coffeeshop au””” where Luka pushes himself a bit too hard while trying to make the day special for Hattie. Please enjoy!

Word Count: 7,678

The rolling waves tumbled against the velvet sand and the morning sunlight skipped across the foaming crests, painting them gold. Hattie’s grip tightened around the old bucket she had found as she inhaled the salty, fishy air. Standing at the patches of grass that separated the edge of the forest from the beach, she gazed out at the shore. Her sketchbook waited in her backpack, begging her to pull it out and to memorialize the look of the sea and snapshot the ebb and flow of surging waves, but she had work to do.

She had to find the prettiest seashells before anyone else so she could sell them for some extra cash. Every little bit helped.

Weaving down to the beach, the warming sand caught between her toes and kicked up with each flop and flip of her flipflops. She swung the dented bucket with rust stains as she hurried to the lapping tide. She stepped into the water and immediately squealed before jumping back from the cold. The foam receded, as if teasing her, and an impish grin spread across her features.

As the water crawled back up the shore, Hattie fixed her old baseball cap and then leapt into the ankle-deep wave. Her initial screech dissolved into laughter. Splashing around, her flipflops tossed clouds of murky dust up and the sloshing, icy water splattered against her leg. She placed her hands on her hips and struck a pose as she gazed out at the sliver of light where the sky paralleled the ocean. With the cascading crackles of the snapping sea rumbling around her, it was hard not to let her mind wander into daydreams.

She could picture it perfectly. A calm day at the beach. No time limits for her dad, no worrying about money, and he could finally rest. He could finally be happy again. And she could play in the surf and chase crabs, pretend to be a pirate finding buried treasure, or draw and paint next to her dad as he napped. She could picture it so perfectly.

But she glanced down at the bucket as it bumped against her hip. Its creaking handle brought her back to reality.

Hattie let out a huff before shuffling out of the grasp of the waves, where it would be easier to spot shells. But before she did, a playful crest rolled back to reveal the tip of a fancy looking shell. Gasping, Hattie knelt and carefully tugged the shell free and revealed what she always thought of as a mini conch, though her dad would probably tell her that it was whelk of some kind since it had a rounder top and thinner end.

After checking the inside cavity for any snail or sea critter by poking a cautious finger around to confirm it was empty, she held the whelk to her ear.

She grinned when she heard the ocean. But she was also standing in it so the shell could still potentially be a dud. Nevertheless, she placed it into the bucket, and it slid around as she went searching for more.

As Hattie combed the beach, a couple people showed up to lounge on the sand or wade in the surf. It didn’t get crowded, since it was a workday, but when she wandered towards the opposite side of the long beach, where the sand was cut off by rounded boulders that jutted out into the sea, she ran into a tourist screaming at a seagull.

“What’s wrong?” Hattie called as she hoisted her bucket overflowing with shells to the side to make it easier to sprint forward.

“That darn seagull took my stuff!” The tourist gestured angrily towards a seagull perched on one of the rocks surrounded by water. It bobbed its head around as it stood proudly over a grey camera. Sunlight glinted against the lens.

“I’ll get it,” Hattie offered without hesitation. She placed the bucket down and scrambled up the boulders.

“Wait, kid, you don’t have to!” He waved his hands across his chest, trying to get her to stop, but it was too late. She didn’t listen as she assessed the slippery boulders and slowly navigated her way across.

She came to the edge of the final boulder and eyed the gap between it and the one in the waves. The seagull cocked its head towards her and let out a squawk. Pausing, Hattie glanced around, trying to figure out how to distract the seagull.

Before she could, the seagull snapped its beak towards something behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to find the tourist was waving a sandwich around. The seagull swooped over her, and she belatedly ducked as it soared over to the tourist. He yelped and turned on his heels before sprinting from the squawking bird.

Hattie tugged her cap down in determination before turning back towards the rock. She took a cautious step back before lunging from the boulder and vaulting onto the next. Grunting after she smacked against the rock, she scrambled up and grabbed the camera. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and nestled the camera between her sketchbook and Professor Popcorn. For good measure, she tucked her dad’s hoodie around it to keep it extra safe.

Once her backpack was zipped, she looped her arms through the straps and got ready to jump back.

The tourist had returned to his spot, hunched over and panting with his cap askew and white and grey feathers stuck to his vibrant orange shirt. She inhaled a steadying breath and leapt back towards shore.

She misjudged the distance.

Nearly sliding over the side of the rock, she scraped her knee against stone as she clambered and clawed. Panic squeezed her chest until she could finally find her grip.

“Careful, now!” the tourist called as she hoisted herself up with her heart pounding. She glanced towards the worried man and gave him a thumbs up before crawling forward.

Her stinging knee threatened to buckle when she first stood, but she gritted her teeth and pushed onward. She navigated back to the beach and dropped down onto the sand.

“Geez, kid, that was dangerous!” the tourist sighed as Hattie pulled out his camera.

“But I got it!” She beamed, holding it out proudly. Her smile faltered when she noticed the identical camera that hung around his neck. His chin tilted down as he followed her gaze.

“I was trying to tell you, I have a spare,” he said apologetically. “But, hey! Since you got it, why don’t you keep it? It’s great for preserving memories!”

Hattie pulled the camera back, appraising the contraption.

Preserving memories? No matter how much she sketched all the places she and her father had been, it might be nice to be able to just take a picture to quickly capture everything. She could take a picture of the sea, in fact. But she stared into the curved lens with growing dismay.

Flashes of headlights and blinding snaps. Posters with blurry images of her shadowy dad offering money for anyone who could capture the pictured creature, dead or alive. And, even when he shapeshifted, he was still so jumpy around cameras.

Maybe she could sell it at a pawn shop for a little extra cash? In the meantime, it might not hurt to keep it on hand…

“Oh, hold on,” the tourist exclaimed, startling her out of her thoughts. She tucked the camera back into her backpack and blinked up at him with wide blue eyes. “You got quite the scrape there, let me help.” He motioned her over to his set up on the beach, complete with a towel and umbrella.

After the tourist helped her clean up and shared back-up sandwiches he had prepared, she let him choose one of the shells to take as thanks and set off to sell the rest.

She set up a little area at the top of the beach, halfway between the rest of the city and the parking lot for beach goers. After doodling a cute sign declaring her wares were ready, she caught the eyes of passersby and wove imaginative tales about the shells for anyone who came near. Since this wasn’t the first time that she had sold items that she salvaged while her dad worked, she had developed a good enough sense to get a read on personalities and how to appeal to them. Parents with children were easily swayed by silly stories about the shells. She even managed to convince a businessman walking by to purchase one since her wares were far cheaper than the nearby souvenir shops that sold the same shells. And, after all, hers were higher quality and, really, didn’t he want to support an aspiring entrepreneur? (It probably helped her chances that she practiced that word a few times prior to make sure she was pronouncing it right).

She bolted when she spotted some cops patrolling the area, though.

By the end of the day, she successfully sold more than half of her shells. She tucked the coins and cash safely into an inside pocket in her backpack, where her secret stash would help her buy food for whenever her dad inevitably got stuck in noddle form and couldn’t work. She had tried giving her earnings to him directly before, but he had only gotten upset, insisting she didn’t need to worry about money and it was his job to take care of her, not the other way around. But they both knew that he often pushed himself past his limits, and he couldn’t do everything himself.

She was just beginning to collect firewood close to their camp when footsteps tracked through the grass. Hattie froze, turning towards the sound and holding her breath. Golden light flickered between the trees and an approaching shadow broke into the small clearing.

“Hey, kiddo!” Her dad, still in his human form, which surprised her, jumped forward with a wide grin and his hands behind his back. Wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes, but he was alert with enthusiasm as he straightened. A plastic bag crinkled noisily as it swayed behind him. “Guess what I got for our most important celebration tonight?”

“Celebration?” Hattie tilted her head, though his energy was infectious, and she cracked a smile.

“Don’t tell me you forgot what day it is,” he teased, bringing his hand forward and adjusting the delivery cap he wore for his morning job of delivering papers.

“Payday?” she guessed, crossing over to their firepit and dropping the dry twigs and branches she found.

“N-no, kiddo,” he faltered, quirking a brow as he revealed a plastic bag with local dollar store logo. “It’s your birthday!”

“Oh.” She blinked up at him.

“Did you really forget?” His features fell and the worn creases on his face highlighted the underlining fatigue. “We talked about it, right? When we were-when we were moving.”

“Y-yeah,” Hattie said. She did sort of remember now that he mentioned it, but she hadn’t thought too much about it since they had other things to worry about. “I just forgot what day of the week it is.”

He didn’t seem to believe her but he accepted the excuse.

“Well, I got hot dogs and marshmallows,” he added quickly, pulling out a bag of large marshmallows for emphasis. If he sensed how she tensed, he ignored it and gestured towards the direction of the beach. “I thought we could start a fire at one of the communal firepits and have a cookout!”

“What about our camp?” Hattie gestured to the little circle of rocks they had set up a few days ago when they first decided to settle in this city.

“It’ll still be here,” he promised. After tucking the marshmallows back into the bag, he walked over to her pile of wood and searched for the longest and cleanest sticks.

“But the beach is out in the open,” she pressed, nervously fiddling with the edge of her shirt. “Don’t you need to change back?”

“Of course not!” he insisted with a little more force than he probably intended. In a lighter tone, he waved his hand dismissively with a smile plastered across his face. “I can hold it together long enough for your birthday. Come on! Let’s have fun!”

He placed a few sticks he deemed worthy for hot dog and marshmallow roasting into the plastic bag and then motioned for her to follow.

“But—” she hesitated.

“You know, I used to do this when I was a kid,” he jumped enthusiastically into the memory, not giving her a chance to argue. She frowned but grabbed her backpack and the bucket that still had the leftover seashells.

Hey, if they were going to be on the beach, she might as well keep an eye out for more.

“Any time we went camping, we would grab a bunch of hot dogs and marshmallows. Of course,” he added a bit quietly as they walked through the woods, “usually we had buns and graham crackers and chocolate. But I did snag some ketchup packets from the restaurant!” He beamed proudly.

Hattie forced a smile, though guilt gnawed at the reminder that he had worked two jobs that day, trying to get enough money together so that they could find a motel to stay at sooner than later. She considered giving him the money she had saved, but she didn’t want to cause him more grief especially since she could tell he was masking his exhaustion. Maybe she could hide the money where he would find it with his things? She could pass it off as him misplacing the bills!

Though, both of them had become increasingly vigilant when dealing with money in the past couple years. He would have noticed if that much went missing in the first place.

“Here we are,” he gestured to the firepit closest to the forest the second they walked onto the sand. “Sit tight while I get the fire going.” There was wrapped firewood next to the pit, all ready for them and their cookout. His water bottle was also leaning against one of the logs, indicating that he had stopped by before running to get her. While he finished setting up, Hattie gazed out at the sea.

The water mirrored the stretch of twilight. Orange-pink rays of dwindling sunlight lingered on the horizon and the occasional star twinkled in the darkening sky. Crackles and pops that came from the growing fire behind her mingled with the surging waves before her. And when her dad joined her side and held out his hand, she smiled as she took it, keeping her gaze locked on the horizon.

“It’s like that one picture in the book at the library in the last town,” she whispered, craning her neck back to meet his warm golden gaze. “The one with the watercolor illustrations!”

“It is!” he agreed, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

“I want to paint something like this one day,” she admitted, turning back to the sea.

“I bet you can, and sooner than you think.” His smile permeated his voice. He gently tugged her hand and nodded towards the firepit. Despite the lines under his eyes, he did seem happy, and that was good enough for Hattie.

“Okay!” She joined him on a log, and eagerly waited for him to pass her a stick he doused with water to keep it from burning.

Her dad filled her in on his day as they roasted the hot dogs. He got her laughing with a few jokes his coworkers shared, and she nodded knowingly when he told her about some of the customers he had worked with. When he asked about her day as he broke open the bag of marshmallows, she explained that she was looking for seashells and presented the bucket with her findings.

“Quick, if you have twenty seashells and I take five, how many do you have left?” he quizzed.

“F-fifteen!” Hattie blinked, hesitating only a moment as she registered the question.

“Good girl,” he praised, passing over a marshmallow.

“If you bought one bag of marshmallows for tonight, how many marshmallows will you have tomorrow morning?” She blinked up at him, trying and failing to conceal her growing smirk.

“Hmm.” He speared his own marshmallow as he gave her a wry grin. “That’s a tough one, why don��t you give me a hint?”

“Zero!” She pulled her burning marshmallow out of the fire and quickly blew on it.

The flames dissipated into a plume of smoke, leaving a burnt crust behind on the marshmallow. Without waiting, she popped it into her mouth and the gooey burst of molten sugar melted on her tongue.

“Becath I’ll eat ‘em all!” she declared through her sticky mouthful.

“Just don’t choke!” He chuckled before putting his arm around her and giving her a side squeeze. She immediately snuggled into his side, comforted by his warmth.

As they worked through the marshmallows and the night cloaked the beach, Hattie pulled out the hoodie and tugged it over herself. The hoodie was far too big since it was her dad’s but despite the floppy sleeves and how it was more like a dress on her, it was cozy and kept the night chill away. She became even cozier when her dad plucked her up and enveloped her in a hug.

“Happy birthday, princess,” he whispered as he nuzzled his cheek against hers.

“Hap—erm,” her cheeks flushed since she had almost wished him a happy birthday back. “Thank you.”

He chuckled and gave her a tight squeeze.

“Okay, I have one more surprise,” he said, arching back and stretching his arm maybe a bit farther than a human arm should, and rummaged around the plastic bag.

She leaned over, trying to peek and his other hand moved over her eyes.

“Don’t look!” He shifted around a bit before Hattie felt something lower into her lap. “Alright, now you can.” He pulled his hand away and she immediately glanced down.

Watercolors. A plastic palette of watercolors rested in her lap with a tiny brush snuggly tucked into a divot on the side. A single golden ribbon was taped on for the birthday wrapping. Her chest tightened as she imagined all the things she could paint, all the things she wanted to bring to life with water-soaked pigments.

But how much did he spend on her?

“Well?” he prompted with an edge of nervousness. “Is it okay?”

“I love it.” In one swift movement, she hugged the palette before swiveling around and burying her face into his chest. A lump threatened to lodge in her throat, but she swallowed it as she hugged her dad.

“Oh, Hattie.” He leaned over her and held her tightly. “I’m glad. I know it’s not much.”

“It’s perfect,” she promised, grasping his shirt.

He did so much for her, sacrificed so much just to take care of her, and now this? She wished she could do more to help.

After a few moments of lingering in his embrace, she pulled back while rubbing at her eyes.

“Everything oh-ahem.” Her dad suddenly pulled his hand away from his task of brushing her hair back. She wrinkled her nose as she blinked up at him.

He held his hand behind his back and his nervous, forced smile revealed his growing fangs.

“Dad,” she shuffled out of his lap, “you need to change back.”

She glanced around the beach quickly, relieved that there was no one nearby to see him.

“No!” He winced when an edge of a reverb tainted his voice. He cleared his throat and waved his other hand dismissively. It had completely turned ebony-violet. “I’m fine! I can hold it for a little long—” he stalled as he glimpsed his other hand and snapped it behind his back too, “—longer.”

Hattie frowned with her brows drooping. His irises radiated golden light as his pupils faded.

“Please. I know I can—” he faltered, pulling his hands back and holding them out before himself. His fingers trembled as they dripped, trying to reconnect. He bit his lip and grimaced when his lengthening fangs jabbed him. The familiar, purple-singed shadows spread from the expanding tips of his chestnut hair.

“It’s okay,” she insisted, turning around and rolling up the sleeves of the hoodie to start cleaning up so that they could head back to camp. She knew he was probably more exhausted than he let on.

“But it’s your birthday,” he whispered in such a broken voice that she felt a world of guilt press against her shoulders.

“And I can still spend it with you as a noodle!” She kept her tone light, giving him a smile strained from her concern.

The gold had encased his eyes and his teeth became backlit by a surging light in his throat. He considered her with tight dismay before scowling.

“No!” He pushed to his feet. “No, I can do this!”

“But, Dad,” Hattie called anxiously, unable to do anything but watch as he paced by the bonfire.

He held his hands out in front of himself, clenching them as he stared daggers into his purple palms. During his pacing, his legs began to quiver, and he paused, hunching as his hair began to drip. His fingers merged into mittens, taking on a gloopy appearance and Hattie thought that that was it, that he would just start getting bigger. She opened her mouth to try and get him to focus on saving his clothes, but the words died in her throat.

“Stop changing,” he wheezed in a wavering voice. He doubled over, clutching his stomach as he strained to keep a human shape. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, snuffing out his golden light. The flickering fire cast twisting shadows against his trembling form. His arms lost all pretense of having bones and flopped down like limp noodles. His legs buckled and he thrust out his hand to catch himself.

“Something’s wrong!” Hattie hurried to his side, reaching out as his mitten hand clenching the sand lost its shape entirely and expanded into a puddle.

“N-no,” his reverberating voice gurgled behind globs of dripping purple that stretched across his mouth when he parted his lips. “I can do this!” But just as he said that, he grunted and lurched forward. Viscous liquid oozed from his shoes as his legs melted.

But they didn’t form a tail.

They just pooled out uselessly behind him.

“Dad!” Hattie placed a hand on his arm, but it collapsed under her touch. He let out a strangled cry as his whole arm gave away and he slammed against the beach.

He continued to melt despite his groaning and straining. The trembling shadows spilled from his clothes and into the sand. Panic seized Hattie’s chest as she feared she was going to lose him to the beach. Glancing around frantically, her gaze fell onto the bucket, and she lunged for it.

“Hold on!” Hattie called as she dumped the shells out and slid over to her father, who had gone eerily silent as the pooling liquid oozed and spread.

She dropped the bucket into the sand and quickly tried to shove waves of the viscous liquid inside, catching particles of sand with it. Once half of him filled the rusted bucket and kept spilling out, she righted it before scooping up purple globs. She tossed handful after handful of the soupy remains of her father into the bucket. The trembling sludge sputtered and splashed. Tears stung the corners of her eyes when she saw some liquid darkening and fading into intangible shadows that disappeared into the sand, gone for good.

“Stay with me,” she whispered in a cracking voice as she scooped up every last bit that she could.

After wringing purple from his shirt, pants, and the edges of her sleeves which had tumbled into the puddle a few times, Hattie searched for any of her father’s features in the goop squelching against the edges of the bucket.

“Dad?” She lightly prodded the thick surface of the liquid and it shivered. A muffled groan bubbled up, though no golden light from his eyes or mouth followed. Hattie sighed, sitting back in the sand as she convinced herself that the fact that he had groaned meant he was still there. But now just as soup. In a bucket.

They’ve been through worse, right? This, too, should pass?

“Okay, you just sleep while I clean up,” she muttered as she pushed to her feet.

She collected their things and put out the fire, all the while glancing at the bucket as the goop settled. Once she had the plastic bag slung over her shoulder and her birthday gift tucked into her backpack, she slowly picked up the bucket.

“Oof,” she huffed as she heaved the bucket up, wincing when droplets splashed over the side. “Why is magic goop so heavy? That’s stupid,” she grumbled as she slowly made her way across the dark beach and back to their camping area. As she paused multiple times to give her arms a break and catch her breath, she swallowed the rising lump in her throat and pushed onward.

Luka groaned and on top of the usual reverb that came with his noodle body it sounded oddly like the gurgle of a garbage disposal choking on water. He blinked tired eyes and the golden glow rebounded against the daffodil-yellow inside of Hattie’s baseball cap.

Oh. Had he shrunk down and dozed while Hattie was shopping? That didn’t seem right. Actually, what had he been doing before this?

A surge of panic bubbled up as he recalled trying to hold onto his humanity at the beach. He remembered the tighter he held the form, the more it slipped through his clenched fingers. He heard a slosh of thick liquid when he tried to lift his hand.

He couldn’t lift his hand.

He couldn’t even turn his head! His eyes darted around frantically, catching the rim of some sort of curving, metal wall in the corners of his vision but he could only really look straight up at Hattie’s cap.

“K-ki—” he sputtered as some sort of gunk trickled into his mouth. Expelling wet coughs only caused more of the viscous goop to slip in. His anxious attempts to move coupled with his hyperventilating only increased the panicked sloshing that sounded like puddles disrupted by pricks of rain.

“Dad?” Hattie’s sleepy voice responded.

“H-help I’m—” he gagged on a particularly large glob.

“Hold on!”

He tried to spit out the gunk and a heavy droplet plunked against him. He shivered from the sensation but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Relief swelled when the cap was removed and Hattie looked down at him, with sunlight filtering through the trees. Squinting at the sudden light, he tried to squirm around.

While not happy, she at least looked safe and sound. She wore his delivery cap, and he could see the dangling strings of his hoodie. If the sunlight was any indication, he must have slept through the night. He grimaced, hoping she hadn’t been too uncomfortable or cold without his coil to protect her from the elements.

“What’s going on?” he forced out, feeling like he was talking through a wad of bubblegum.

Hattie sat back, making it harder for him to see her at his angle. He twisted to try to get closer.

“You’re in a bucket,” she answered tiredly. When she glanced up and realized she was wearing his delivery cap, she jolted and swiftly took it off.

“A bucket?” he echoed in distress. His eyes shifted around as he glimpsed the walls and the occasional splash of purple-black goop if he moved too quickly. He blinked.

“Oh my god, I melted.”

“Yeah,” Hattie sighed as she rubbed her eyes with the baggy, purple sleeve. “Are you okay?”

“Um.”

No.

“I’ve been better.” He winced, realizing all the gunk that was getting caught in his mouth was himself. Fantastic.

“Do you need anything?” she prompted with hesitation as she glanced around. “Like water or something?”

“I need to get out of this bucket!” He pushed his eye against the rim, and he felt himself ripple. “Here, dump me out! I can try to—” he coughed, “—pull myself back together.”

“I lost so much of you on the beach though,” Hattie objected. “And y-you just disappeared, like the goopy stuff turned all shadowy.”

He caught the crack in her voice, and frowned, both from hearing how part of him just up and evaporated—okay, a lot of him if what was left of his monstrous noodle form could fit inside a tiny bucket—and from how much he had frightened her.

“I can’t stay like this, though,” he argued. “I have work! And you can’t stay in the woods on your own!” He shifted around, trying to figure out how to stretch his neck or anything but his neck and everything was gone! First, he lost his body and now he lost his monster body? This wasn’t fair! He couldn’t live like this!

In his frustration, he tried to will himself to have arms or hands or even his tail would work. The goop bubbled and frothed, and he grunted from the strain, but he could do it! He could pull himself together!

“Stop!” Hattie commanded. He yelped as he felt small hands jut into the goop and scoop up his features.

He felt himself spread out and winced as strands dripped back down into the bucket with heavy plops. It was like the world and his body were spinning around him, disconnected and far from his grasp as his head remained stagnant but stuck. After blinking and spotting Hattie’s thumb acting as a barrier as trickles of him slipped through the cracks of her fingers, he grounded himself in her frustrated blue gaze.

“If you keep hurting yourself, you’ll just make it worse!” Her nose scrunched up into a hard scowl, but he heard the lump in her throat underneath her irate bite. “Just stop!”

“Sorry,” he gurgled quietly. Her brows furrowed even more, and he added as gently as he could, “I’ll rest, kiddo. I’ll take it easy.”

“Promise?” She stared him down.

“Promise,” he breathed out, slumping.

She lowered him back into the bucket and a soft bloop sound was followed by flickers of drops as she pulled her hands out. He hummed to relieve some distress as he tried to force himself to relax.

“Maybe you just need sleep,” Hattie offered. She grumbled a bit, but he could tell she was trying to soften her tone.

“That’s usually all it is,” he agreed.

He did feel a similar exhaustion to all the times he pushed his time limit and got stuck in noodle form. Only this was much worse. Even when he was a human, he wasn’t sure he could ever remember a time he was so tired that he couldn’t move his muscles.

Leaning his eyes against the rim of the bucket for some semblance of security, he desperately hoped he wouldn’t be stuck like this. But even if he did eventually turn back to monster-normal, he had a sneaking suspicion he really screwed over his already sparse shapeshifting time.

“Do you want me to put the hat back over?” Hattie lifted her cap into his view. “To help you sleep?”

“No,” he said a little quickly. She lowered the hat and he added, sheepishly, “I know I can’t see much from here, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Okay. Go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything.” She scooted over to their campfire, and he heard the click of the lighter.

He sighed but tried to let the distant crackle of flame and the low tap of Hattie sketching on paper lull him into a semi-relaxed state. His eyes closed into tiny slits and as he dozed, a gentle and continuous rumble bubbled up from within.

“Dad?” Hattie whispered after a stretch of time, scooting back into view and looking down with her hair slipping from behind her ear.

“Hmm?” His eyes cracked open, slowly registering the rumbling sound. In his peripheral vision, the surface of the ebony-violet goop rippled steadily.

Hattie cracked a grin.

“You’re purring!” she said in slight disbelief before exploding into giggles.

“I’m—?” he began before he recognized the familiar and involuntary purr. A dusting of faint gold emanated from beneath the surface of the goop as he blushed.

“The whole bucket is shaking!” Hattie covered her mouth as her laugh trickled out in mirthful chimes.

Despite himself, Luka smiled, glad to hear her laugh.

“I guess it looks pretty silly,” he admitted, imagining the bucket wiggling around. Though now that he was becoming more alert, the rumbling slowed to a stop. In their absence, he realized how comforting the vibrations had been.

Hmm. Maybe the purring was a way to pull himself back together? It wasn’t something he could force or speed up, though. Typical.

“Do you want any food?” Hattie perked after she calmed down from laughing. “I was roasting some hot dogs.”

“I’ll try a bite,” his eyes and mouth shifted up and down in an affirmative nod that sent tiny waves splashing against the side of the bucket.

He couldn’t really tell if he was hungry, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to eat but he would do anything that would help him replenish some energy.

When Hattie returned with a torn piece of a hot dog, Luka opened his mouth and let out a gurgling, “ah.”

With a giggle, she gently lowered the hot dog as close as she could before dropping it. He felt the hot dog plop down and coughed. Hattie winced in apology as he closed his mouth and pensively chewed.

“I’m fine,” he said after a thick swallow. He couldn’t feel the lump of the hot dog anymore but in the past few years of dealing with his magic, goopy body, he learned to not ask questions he couldn’t answer and near the top of that list was wondering what the heck replaced his melted digestive track.

Hattie fed him a few more pieces and he swallowed the dismay of not being able to feed himself. Even though he had grown accustomed to relying on Hattie for help when his chameleon paws couldn’t work with delicate silverware, the familiar sorrow from the early days returned now that he didn’t even have hands.

After what he was certain was a late lunch, he napped on and off as Hattie remained nearby. When he would check in with her, she would present her latest sketches proudly, and even had one completed work in watercolor. It was a scene of the ocean, and while her sketchbook paper wasn’t meant to hold so much moisture, causing it to crinkle and warp when it dried, she excitedly explained that she was going to do other paintings exactly like it, but all showcasing the ocean at different times of the day. He told her that he was eager to see them, overjoyed that she was having fun with her gift like he had hoped she would.

If only he had been able to save up enough for a motel in time for her birthday, or at the very least, if only he hadn’t melted on her. But that was really his fault for pushing himself so hard.

He had just so badly wanted to make it special. She hadn’t even remembered her own birthday! What else was he supposed to do? Let himself turn into a monster? She deserved to have her actual dad on her birthday.

“Hey, Dad?” Her voice drew him out of his sinking despair.

“What’s up, kiddo?” he shifted his eyes in the bucket, trying to find a position that best allowed him to see her.

“What should I tell your boss?” She held out his phone, which was lit up with messages with letters in all caps.

Luka groaned.

“Can you read the messages for me?” He mentally prepared for the nerve-wracking ordeal of trying to explain himself without admitting to his boss that the reason he couldn’t make it to work was because he turned into a bucket of silly putty.

With Luka directing her, Hattie responded to the understandably angry but maybe harsher than necessary texts from his boss at the restaurant. Once that was done, he let out a heavy sigh, accidentally blowing a bubble in the goop, which shortly popped and splattered. He flinched when a drop landed in his eye.

“Do I have anything from the newspaper office?” Luka asked, dreading the thought of not only the manager getting upset when he found out no one had delivered newspapers in the morning, but of all the people who would no doubt call to complain about empty doorsteps.

“No,” Hattie replied slowly.

“Really?” Luka wasn’t sure if he should count that as good or bad. Either way, he was probably out of a job. “I’ll need to start looking for something else.”

“Why?” Hattie scooted closer, hugging her knees to her chest as she looked down at him.

“They’ve probably already decided to fire me,” he lamented with his mouth sinking and gurgling in the gunk.

“Nah.” She glanced away, tapping around on his phone.

He blinked up at her.

“Nah?” he repeated. When Hattie kept her gaze down and her lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowed. “Hattie? What did you do?”

“I maybe did your deliveries for you?” she offered guiltily.

He stared at her.

“You what?” he sputtered, causing his sludge to ripple as panic seized him. “By yourself? Hattie! You just turned eight! My route is a couple miles long, and you would have had to bike before dawn! There are child labor laws! What do you mean you did my deliveries?”

“I had help!” Hattie hurried to explain. “I ran into a nice tourist I met yesterday, and he gave me a map and delivered half of the newspapers for me.”

“You worked with a stranger?” Luka demanded, shifting around in the bucket. “Harriet Princeton, you are not supposed to talk to strangers!”

“So, I’m only supposed to talk to you?” She threw her hands up in the air.

“No! I mean—that’s not the point!” he faltered, sloshing around as the bite in her words stung. Bits of goop splattered over the rim and Hattie jolted.

“Stop freaking out!” She helplessly tried to grasp at the stray droplets. “I can’t lose you again!”

He paused, tensing. Well, tensing as much as he could as a viscous liquid.

“Wh-what do you mean lose me again?” he pressed tightly.

“I thought you were gone when you melted,” she said with a cracking voice. She hugged her legs and rest her chin on her knees. “I thought I didn’t get all of you in time and you were gone, and I just wanted to help because you’re so tired all time but—” she trailed off in a squeak as tears filled her eyes.

“Hattie—” he shifted towards her, but the goop sputtered as he instinctively tried to reach out to his daughter. Liquid stung his eyes and he blinked rapidly. “Hattie, look at me please.”

She turned and revealed tears streaming down her cheeks.

Gold blurred his vision, but he pressed on.

“I’m sorry,” he began in a congested voice, thick with gunk and reverb. “I know you were just trying to help, and I appreciate it! But I don’t want you worrying about my jobs or money. You shouldn’t have to.”

His voice cracked and all too late, he realized that the reason he sounded so congested was partly because of the golden tears filling the bucket. They glittered in the goop, separated like oil drops in water. His breath hitched and the goop swelled.

“But I can—” he tried to continue as the tears slipped out and the goop splashed up when he instinctively tried to wipe them away with a hand that wasn’t there.

“You’re spilling!” Hattie interrupted, jolting upward and hurrying over, placing her arms around the rim but the added tears were causing his anxious sloshing to spill over. “Stop crying!”

“What?” He jolted, shifting his eyes around and catching glimpses of purple and gold staining her sleeves. Her dismayed features above him only encouraged his tears and he made a muffled sniffling noise as panic surged and his tears swelled.

“Dad!” she yelped. But her own distraught features cleaved through his squishy, melted chest.

“I-I can’t! Give me a moment!” Twisting away, he tried to lock his eyes on something to ground himself, but in his panic, he kept attempting to turn and wipe his tears. The spilling goop sloshed uncontrollably.

“Try to laugh!” Hattie begged. “Tell me a stupid joke!”

“Ah, uh.” He pressed his lips into a tight line as he struggled to think of something. “Um. You know what? This situation really pails in comparison to—uh—that one time we teleported into that bear den!”

“What?” Hattie furrowed her brows. But it looked like her tears halted in confusion.

“P-pails, like a pun? It’s a joke. It’s supposed to be funny. Please laugh,” he said weakly. He blinked and let out a tight exhale as he felt himself calm and the rest of the goop start to settle.

“That’s a stupid joke.” Hattie sniffled as she leaned back and slowly lifted her arms, revealing sleeves soaked with purple sludge.

“I got buckets of them.” He added a sardonic, “ha,” as the gold ebbed. While a few dancing droplets of tears wiggled in his goop, now that he was calmer, trembling splashes no longer spilled over the rim.

Hattie wrung out the sleeves. He flinched at the droplets that pelted his face and sent ripples along the surface.

“That’s even worse,” she sighed, though a small smile found its way onto her features. She tugged up one of her sleeves and gingerly reached over and wiped at the edge of his eye.

He grunted, squeezing it shut but when she pulled away, he watched her flick a golden droplet towards the grass. He sighed, blowing a few bubbles.

“Please don’t do my job tomorrow,” he said quietly. “We’ll be okay.”

She nodded slowly before thinking better of it.

“Only if you promise not to push yourself, okay?”

“Okay,” he said tiredly before he yawned. Sludge dribbled into his mouth, and he sputtered.

“Sleep.” She poked the goop. He shifted his eyes next to her finger, which was the closest he could come to giving her an encouraging nuzzle.

“What about you?” he asked, staring up at the canopy of leaves. There was still sunlight trickling down, but it seemed fainter.

“I can eat soon,” she shrugged.

“Wake me if you need anything,” he muttered, feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

Did he even have eyelids at this point? Maybe it was more that his eyes were sinking. Might be more apt.

Hattie promised to, but he had a feeling they both knew she would deal with any problem on her own before waking him. Frowning, he supposed the best thing he could do for her would be to recover as swiftly as possible.

He settled into the bucket, and soon enough, the sludge began to ripple as he automatically purred. He caught Hattie’s stifled snort at the vibrating bucket before he fell asleep.

Night blanketed the forest by the time he woke up again. Still purring, he blinked as he felt something shift. The rippling rumbles of goop seemed to be tightening and when he moved to lift his head, he peeked over the rim of the bucket. Relief swelled inside as he spotted Hattie’s back. She was drawing by the fire, safe and sound.

Edging backward, he tilted his head down, blinking at the vibrating goop as it slowly re-solidified into shape. After a moment, he lifted his noodle arms and wiggled his chameleon paws. Funny, he was actually relieved to see them for once. Once his tail formed, he heaved out a sigh. There wasn’t a drop of him left behind in the bucket, but now he took up less volume.

“Kiddo,” he called softly, floating up to the rim of the bucket and placing his hands on the edge, curling his tail beneath himself.

“Dad!” Hattie gasped when she saw his familiar form. Scrambling around, she darted over, and he flew up into her embrace.

“You’re tiny,” she muttered into the plush fluff around his neck. His tail waved back and forth as he returned her firm hug.

“I’m sure I’ll get back to normal size,” he guessed. Probably. After a long enough rest without using his shapeshifting.

Moments passed until he caught a low grumble coming from Hattie’s stomach. He craned his neck with a smirk.

“In the meantime, are there anymore marshmallows to share?”

“I ate them all. Remember our math quiz? Zero left.” Hattie said without missing a beat as she turned back around and brought him to the fireside. “Just kidding, I saved you some.”

“That’s my girl!” His tail waved harder as he chuckled.

He extended an arm towards the bag, noting that he couldn’t really stretch it like usual, and made a grasping motion. Hattie plopped the bag into her lap, still using an arm to hug him, and they both took turns popping the confections into their mouths.

Yes, after a week’s worth of rest, he would grow to his usual massive size and when he could shapeshift again, he would have to deal with the consequences of missing so much work. But until then, he and Hattie would take it day by day and one marshmallow at a time.

#ahit coffee shop au #doodledrawsthings #ahit prince #ahit hat kid #my writing #*kickflips into ur tumblr experience wearing rubber fishing suspenders and a cap that says 'words want me. ghost dads fear me'*#Me: Bucket's haunted #You probably: What?#Me not breaking eye contact as i grab a pail and head for the exit: Bucket's haunted #this got very long whoops #but i hope its a fun read!#thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

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revoleotion · 3 years ago

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Licht inhales the air of the town he was not born in. He has no connection to the smell of the water, to the soft noise the waves make when they crash against the riverbed. He has never been here before, so this bench, the stone beneath his feet, are a stranger to him. Licht can hear a seagull screech above his head. The air is colder now that the sun dares to set.

His hands are in his lap, sprawled out like his thighs are a piano keyboard, waiting for him to make a sound. He tests it out, his pinkie and ring finger imitating the notes that belong to him like they're a part of his body. Of course, nothing.

The waves are louder than the melody inside Licht's head. He smiles to himself and lifts his hands back up like he's just performed the most important concert for nobody but himself to hear.

#wip #licht jekylland todoroki #no context just vibes #servamp

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willow-salix · 4 years ago

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FabFiveFeb Alan!

Finally got this bugger edited, so here it is, my offering for Alan week of @gumnut-logic FabFiveFeb. Once again I’ve written what my daughter plotted with a few of my own tweaks thrown in.

“Is there really nothing else to do around here?” Alan whispered to Selene, jolting her awake from the sleepy doze she was enjoying stretched out on a sun lounger. “How can you just lay around here all day?”

“Like you don’t do the same every day at home?” she grumbled, stretching out in an effort to wake up. She'd never admit it, but she was getting a bit bored with having nothing to do, hence the impromptu nap time.

“That’s different, I’ve got things there to do.”

“You mean you have technology?” Selene grinned evilly. “Whereas here it’s-”

“Like I’ve gone back in time to 2015 and the graphics suck, " he groaned.

“Come on, it’s not that bad, don’t you like the peace and quiet?” Selene’s family home was indeed very quiet, set apart from the other houses on the street, it backed out into a small but flower filled garden that held nothing but the sun loungers they were currently occupying, the picnic table their drinks were on, a slightly rusted BBQ, some yoga mats and a bird bath in the shape of a frog on a lily pad.

Alan looked towards Selene's cool, but rather weird, younger brother who was currently doing some kind of yoga crossed with Tai Chi that seemed to have a little of that 1970’s disco type of dancing thrown in for good measure.

“Adam, help me,” he begged, trying to invoke the bro code.

“Chill out, little dude, it’s all good," Adam said, his sleepy tone the perfect accompaniment to his snail like movements.

“Nothing about this is good,” Alan huffed, feeling dismissed and beyond frustrated. He was seriously regretting offering to go with her for a visit under the mistaken belief that time spent away from his brothers with his cool sister-in-law would be awesome. But no, he’d been stuck there for three days and they’d done nothing but talk about boring things that he couldn’t really join in with because he didn’t share the same memories that they did and watch TV in the evenings. The only positive thing was the quality of the food on offer.

“How did you grow up like this and not die of boredom?”

“We made our own fun, we’d read, draw, do arts and crafts, go on days out and-”

“Days out? Where did you go?” Alan jumped on that information like John on a double cheeseburger after a month in space.

Selene thought about it for a moment or two. “The seaside?” she offered. "That was always our favourite place to go and somewhere we always looked forward to, a rare treat really."

“The beach? Yes! Can we go?” he gave her his best pleading puppy eyes and she was, as he well knew, powerless to resist.

“Well…” she dithered, caught between spending time in her family home with her mum as it came up to what would have been her parents 30th wedding anniversary and the need to do more than sit around and mope, especially if that moping meant that her littlest love had a crap time. “Ad’s, are you up for a road trip to Southend?”

Her brother paused in his Night Fevering to look at her. He seemed to think about it for far longer than was necessary before nodding.

“I could go for that. Wanna take my car?”

***

“I’m never getting in a car with your brother again,” Alan shuddered, still looking a little stressed out by the whole experience.

“Yet you’ll get in a jet with Scott?”

“Scott goes faster than 25 mph and he knows what road signs are,” Alan explained in the same tone that John adopted whenever he was explaining to her why she actually needed an investment portfolio.

“Road signs are all part of the conspiracy, man, they just want you to follow blindly and never question where they are sending you.”

“To the beach, they were sending us to the beach,” Alan continued to bitch. Selene couldn’t blame him, two hours in a car with her brother's sitar music, cloud of vape smoke and tendency to lose track of their destination was enough to make anyone a little antsy. Maybe now he'd stop complaining when she took too long to fly them to her flat.

They left the car park and headed towards the seafront. Thankfully, with it being a weekday and term time, there weren't too many people about. As always the sea was a dirty grey colour, nothing like the clear blue they were used to on the island and Selene could tell that Alan was looking at it with thinly veiled disgust.

Southend had been promoted to a historic seaside town back in 2038 and hadn’t changed since. The lights of the out of date arcades still flashed in welcome, drawing Alan’s attention almost immediately, the little beach huts still offered deck chair rental and the amusement park with its clanking, clunking kiddy rides and its ancient roller-coaster still drew some crowds.

“See that there?” she pointed out towards the sea. “That’s still the longest pleasure pier in the world.”

“Pleasure Pier? Did you have to make that sound so dirty?” Alan groaned.

“Sorry, but that’s what it’s called, there are different classifications and one that has no purpose but for leisure activities like this one, is known as a pleasure pier.”

“I didn't know that, but it still doesn’t make it any better,” he muttered as she slipped one arm through his and the other through Adam’s to tow them across the road.

The air was filled with a mixture of freshly fried donuts, fish and chips and the unmistakable scent of the sea and Selene was immediately hungry.

“It’s been such a long time since I’ve been here,” she sighed happily, relaxing into the atmosphere of what had once been one of her favourite places in the world. She could vividly remember how exciting it had been to hear the announcement that they were going to the seaside for the day. That meant an afternoon spent playing on the beach, splashing in the sea, eating dinner out of a paper tray with a little wooden fork and, if you were really lucky, a trip around the sealife center and a floaty helium filled balloon to take home with you.

Looking out down the length of the beach she easily conjured up images of childhood days gone by, seeing her father chasing Adam down the beach as he attempted to make a break for freedom or tried to eat a clump of seaweed while her mother screeched at Rufus to run faster and catch him.

Maybe coming here had been a good idea in other ways too, she pondered. Her mother tended to favour being miserable if it was an option, and often when it wasn't, and had been mooching around the house sighing like she was a Victorian ghost haunting the place. She’d gone out to visit friends for the day, leaving them alone and that had been when Alan had seized his chance. And Selene for one was glad he had, he was always good at sensing when she was in need of cheering up and this time had been no exception.

“Can we start at the arcades?” Alan asked, looking more excited than he had in days. Who was she to disappoint him?

“Sure, lead the way!”

***

Two hours later and Selene had finally dragged her brothers away from the bleepy, shiny, flashy machines and back into the fresh air. Alan, it transpired, was almost as good on a claw machine as John and she was now lugging along a whole new family of stuffed toys, all slightly moth eaten and smelling a little suspect but cute nonetheless.

“I’m hungry,” Alan announced.

“Good call, little dude.” Adam, surprising Alan no end, had joined in rather enthusiastically at the arcade, being more active and alert than he’d ever seen him before, displaying a competitive streak that rivaled a Tracy's. But, now that the excitement of gaming had died down, he was back to his chilled and slightly lethargic self.

“Fancy some donuts?” Selene suggested.

“Sis…” Adam drawled.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Selene giggled, shoving the stuffed toys into her brother’s arms as she headed to the donut stalls. “I'll get them, you two meet me on the beach.”

Her arms now free of their burden Selene quickly ordered three dozen of the delectable little morsels, something the English called Dinky Donuts, small little ring donuts, freshly fried and drenched in a sprinkling of sugar. Knowing that they’d need them she bought some drinks too and took her bounty back to the boys, proudly displaying her prize.

“I got them!” she yodeled, but no excited sounds were heard in return. “What’s up?” she asked, nudging Alan as she reached his side.

“What the heck is this?”

“The beach, duh. What else could it be?"

He scuffed a toe into the stones at his feet. “This is not a beach, this is all stones. Where's the sand?”

“It’s a pebble beach, most of the British coast is,” she shrugged.

“It’s wrong.”

“If you say so,” she wasn’t in the mood to argue or defend the virtue of their beaches, she had hot donuts to eat.

“This is not a beach, there’s no surfers, no sand, no lifeguards, no nothing.”

“This is England, we take things at a more chilled pace,” she soothed, dumping a bag on each of the boys' laps.

She took her own and opened it, inhaling the rich scent. Oooh yeah, that hit the spot. She reached in to pluck one out, studying it from all angles, marveling at it's perfection. She lifted it to her mouth prepared for the taste explosion that was about to assault her mouth in the very best of ways…

“Sel!” A sharp Alan elbow embedded itself in her side, making her drop the donut. She watched in horror as it hit the pebbles and rolled away.

“You had better have a good reason for making me sacrifice a donut,” she warned him.

“Over there!”

Selene turned, following the direction in which Alan was pointing.

“What? I don’t see anything?” All she saw was the relatively empty beach, nothing but a few seagulls pecking around hopefully, one coming close enough to snag her lost donut, racing off in triumph with it in its mouth.

“Them,” he pointed again.

“Them? What about them?” The them in question turned out to be a small group of school age boys, the oldest no more than ten years old. They were all holding a number of balloons from the pier, which were bobbing along above their heads and looked perfectly innocent. “They’re just having a day out, could be an inset day or something at school.”

“No, look what that one's holding,” Alan insisted, nodding towards the oldest looking boy who was carrying a small box with holes in it.

Selene squinted closer. “Is that an animal box?” She was amazed that Alan had even noticed such a thing, she hadn’t looked twice at the boys, just seeing a happy group of friends at the seaside on a rare day off school. Alan always seemed like he was paying little attention to anything, more absorbed in his games or phone, but here was the undeniable proof that he was just as good as his brothers and had inherited their danger seeking sense.

“Looks that way,” Alan agreed.

“It could be innocent,” Selene argued lamely. “Maybe they are just taking their pet on a day out too?"

“Sure, that’s what it’ll be,” Alan said, rolling his eyes.

“Honestly, it’s something I’d do,” she retorted, feeling the need to defend herself and her wish to believe that there was good in everyone.

“We’ll keep an eye on them,” Alan decided, finally reaching into his own bag for a donut.

As was usually the case, Selene was easily distracted by talking to her brother and just enjoying the novelty of being in a different place to one she was used to. She’d finally grown accustomed to hearing the sound of the ocean at all times of the day and night after so long in a city where traffic was the only ambient noise. b

But here the sound was different to the island, here the waves lapped gently over the pebbles rather than crashing against rocks and she was surprised that she could tell the difference.

She’d worried, when Alan had suggested going out, that this little beach from her childhood which stood out so bright and shiny in her memories, would look pale and dull in reality. Life was often that way, your memories and imagination creating a perfect picture that was rarely obtainable in the real world and she didn't want her memories tainted by the truth. Thankfully she had been worried over nothing and was finding it just as charming as she had remembered it to be.

“Not bad are they?” she asked, turning to Alan to see how he was enjoying his donut feast but the space next to her was empty.

“Allie?” she called, looking around like he might suddenly pop out of nowhere. Surely she hadn't ignored him for too long?

“Alan!” she yelled, trying again. He was a big boy now, an adult in his own right, but she got just as panicked when she lost Scott, which was actually easier if you could believe that. Alan was usually happy to hang near her and chill, Scott was always dashing off to look at something or other and would just vanish into the ether without a second thought.

“Ad’s, have you seen Alan?”

“Yeah, little dude, cool shirt, strange hair.”

“Thanks for that lovely description. I meant did you see where he went?”

Adam nodded, pointing further down the beach to where the small group of school boys stood, Alan beside them, waving his arms violently, clearly yelling at them though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“Shit!” Selene was up in a second, grabbing Adam's arm and towing him along in the process, forcing him to abandon his stuffed animal squad to the mercy of the seagulls as they barreled down the beach after Alan.

"Al," she panted, finally catching up, "what…doing?"

In answer the small box that the boy had been carrying was thrust into her hands, a disgruntled rustling noise along with a manic scrabbling, coming from inside.

"Oi! Give that back!" a boy yelled, his piggy nose turned up to the sky in indignation. "We 'ad ta catch that thing ourselves. Ain't no way you're gonna snatch it."

"You're not getting it back," Alan insisted, his arms folded as he firmly stood his ground.

Selene passed the box on to Adam who was standing there doing absolutely nothing to help, his attention on the balloons floating above them. Once her hands were free she immediately flanked her little brother, knowing that he wouldn't be doing this without a very good reason.

"What's going on?" she demanded to know, her hands on her hips. "What are you boys up to?"

"This idiot won't give us it back," the oldest boy and apparently the mouthpiece of the little hoodlum brigade, continued to yell. Selene had seen boys like him before, usually ones with overly aggressive parents that taught their kids that you got what you wanted in life by being obnoxious, rude and threatening. Well not on her watch and apparently not on Alan's either.

"You're right , I won't," Alan agreed. "Because that is a living creature that you were about to tie to a bunch of balloons."

"Weren't doin' nothin' of the sort. Yer lyin'."

"You were what?" Selene hissed, her attention fully engaged now that there was the potential for injury of an animal. "You were going to send an innocent animal into the sky on the end of some balloons?"

"Nah, we weren't," the little bully boy continued to argue, elbowing one of his friends when they opened their mouth to speak.

"We ain't doing nothin' wrong, were we lads? Nothin' at all. Just a little experiment for school, jus' like teacher said."

"Experiment? What kind of experiment?" Selene asked, narrowing her eyes in warning.

"Why should we tell you?" the mouthy one sneered. "You ain't nothin'."

"We were just seeing if he could reach space, like. Teacher said that people would send monkeys up in rockets a hundred years ago," another boy piped up, sounding pleased with himself. "Figured we'd try the same out ta sea like a note in a bottle."

"You are so not doing that!" Selene yelped.

"Yeah, 'ow you gonna stop us?"

"You wanna say that to the police?" Alan threatened.

"Police? Yeah righ', like yer gonna jus' call up the police like they actually care. An' then wot, 'ave em come running on the say so of a nobody? Fer this? I don't think so, mate. They don't give a crap."

"Listen up you little shit," Selene started, rapidly losing patience. "You're not getting that…Whatever that is-"

"Rat," one of the kids helpfully offered.

"Rat," Selene continued with a little shudder of horror at the fact that they had gone to all the trouble of capturing a dirty rat off the street just to do something cruel to it. "You're not getting it back and you're not going to hurt it. What's wrong with you all?"

"He's been to space," Adam suddenly piped up, like he was only just catching up to the conversation but still missing the main point, pointing at Alan helpfully.

"Space, yeah right," another of the boys, a weedy looking string bean that had previously been hiding near the back of the pack, looking at Alan judgingly. None of the boys looked particularly bothered by their threats or the fact that Selene was practically spitting, she was so angry.

"Al," she demanded, determined to win the little shits respect. "Show them that clip you took last Saturday, the one on your board."

"We can all board, you ain't nothing special," the mouthpiece sneered, not impressed in the slightest.

Alan pulled out his phone, fiddled with it for a second then showed them the screen where a video was playing, taken from his vlogging drone as he boogied around outside Five on his astroboard. The dark heavens were clearly visible all around him while the earth spun quietly below, and there, if you looked closely, was John, in the background, sitting on the outside of the gravity ring, clearly doing all the work while Alan filmed for Brandon’s channel. The Alan on screen zoomed in a loop the loop, the drone following, the camera angle changing to show Three securely docked to Five.

“That actually is space!” one kid gasped.

“And that’s...that’s…” another stuttered.

“Thunderbird THREE!” someone screamed in excitement.

“Still think I’m a nobody that the police won’t listen to?” Alan asked casually as he pocketed his phone. "Maybe I should skip the police and go straight to the GDF? What do you think, Sel?"

"Yep, sounds like a plan to me. They take animal cruelty very seriously, you know."

The ring leader visibly deflated before their eyes, but he valiantly tried to hold on to his ‘couldn’t give a shit’ attitude.

“So you know some people, what’s that got ta do with anythin’? You ain’t the boss here.”

“Knock it off, Wendle, it’s over,” one boy ordered, rolling his eyes.

"Wendle?" Alan mouthed to Selene who shrugged in return. Never had a kid looked less like a Wendle in the entire world.

“Yeah, I never wanted to do this in the first place,” another joined in.

The first one to have spoken walked away, followed by another, then the other that had spoken. Others trailing after them until the small group had dispersed as if it had never existed, all of them hurrying off down the beach with calls for getting donuts or having to head home.

Wendle managed to stand his ground for less than a minute before he gave in.

“Keep the stupid rat then!” he yelled, taking off after his friends.

Adam, being Adam, waved goodbye like it was the most normal thing in the world, still holding the rat filled box.

Alan let out the breath he’d been holding, visibly shaking, either from anger or adrenaline. He had never been one for confrontation no matter what form it took or who it involved.

“You did good, babe,” Selene praised, giving him a hug.

“Yeah, good, little dude,” Adam agreed, “here, have this, I insist,” he handed him the box with the rat in it like it was some great prize.

“Erm, thanks,” Alan said, gingerly accepting the box of rat, which rustled as the creature inside shifted around. He held the box for a second, looking completely bemused and a little disgusted, suddenly having a very real feeling of compassion for John when he walked in on Selene and Scott doing something weird.

“What are we going to do with the rat?” he finally asked Selene, who was the only one there since Adam had wandered off to rescue the stuffed animals they had abandoned, snatching up Alan’s dropped bag of donuts and picking one out to munch on.

“I don’t know,” Selene admitted, “I guess we should take it somewhere to release it. Not around here though, maybe back at Mum’s.”

“I guess,” Alan reluctantly agreed, not liking the idea of sitting in a car with a wild rat in a box.

Since they had gained another tag along, even if it was in a box, they decided to cut the day short, knowing they couldn't drag the rat around with them all day. It had clearly suffered enough, what with being caught and stuffed in a box and having survived a narrow brush with death. It would be better for them to take it straight home and let it go in the relative safety of the garden before it got even more stressed out.

"I'll drive," Selene insisted, leaving Alan to hold the rat in the back seats, Adam calling shotgun so he could 'pick the tunes, man'.

With Selene in the driving seat it was a far shorter, not to mention less frustrating, journey back to Casa de Tempest.

To Selene's intense relief their mother was still out when they got back. She would have pitched a fit if she'd seen them releasing a rat into her garden, she'd never go out there again.

Adam wandered off the second they got home, muttering something about a tofu log, leaving them alone to release the beast.

"You can do the honours," Selene smiled, nodding at the box he still held. "Since you were the one to perform the daring rescue. Seriously, you did good today, sweetheart, but I'm really starting to think that I need to stop taking a Tracy with me whenever I go places, you're all the same, nothing but trouble."

Alan blushed at the praise, as always finding it slightly uncomfortable to be the center of attention in such a way, but still happy to get the validation that he'd done the right thing. With so many big brothers who had all been there and done that before he had a lot to live up to and often felt like he couldn't quite match up to them.

Taking the box over to the bushes near the fence where Selene had indicated, he opened the flaps and stepped back to give the little guy some room.

The rat didn't move at first, staying inside the box, obviously scared by its experiences. They stayed quiet, giving it time to make up its mind. Finally they saw the box wobble as the rat made its tentative way out.

"Shit!" Selene yelped, launching herself off her seat so fast Alan barely saw her move.

"Sel, what are you…doing," he finished, stunned to see her hit the ground, the rat cradled protectively against her chest.

"Help me up," she wheezed and he did as she bid, helping her to her feet as her hands were occupied.

"What's wrong? Why did you catch it?"

"Allie, look," she carefully opened her hands, just a little. A small, pink nose poked out, followed by a pure white snout, a grey face and perfect pink petal ears.

"Is that…?"

"A domestic rat, yes. This was either someone's pet or it's come from a store. We can't let him go, he'll never survive in the wild."

"Wow, he's so cute. Can I hold him? He won't bite me will he?"

"I don't know, he seems tame enough but he's had a fright today so I can't promise anything." She carefully placed the rat in Alan's outstretched hands.

The rat, far from looking terrified, seemed to be perfectly fine now it was out of the box. It sat down on its haunches and began to wash its face with its little paws, one grey, one white.

"Aww, he's great," Alan cooed, cupping the rat in one hand so he could stroke it gently with the other. "I've always wanted a pet."

Selene sighed, knowing exactly what was coming next, there was no escaping it, it was going to happen…

"Can I keep him?"

***

"We gotta move fast," Selene instructed. "I've got the cage and the bedding. Have you got the food?"

"Yep," Alan held up the bag with the food, treats and water bottle they had purchased on their way home. The rat was curled up in his new travel bag, which was hanging from Alan's shoulder.

"Right, we make a break for it, we go straight to your room, don't look back no matter what happens and avoid John and Scott at all costs. Got it?"

"Got it," he nodded, grinning happily.

"They're gonna kill me," she sighed, not that there was much she could do about it. "OK, let's go!"

They raced up the back stairs from the hangars, straight to the upper floors of the villa where the bedrooms were situated, bypassing the more populated communal areas and managing to avoid any and all Tracys.

They dived into Alan's room, Selene struggling a little, burdened as she was with a three storey cage. Alan cleared a space on his desk and took the cage from her.

While Alan set up the cage, filling it with fresh bedding and tasty foods, Selene made herself at home on Alan's bed, the rat happily perched on her chest, enjoying an ear fondle.

"I didn't know you were back," a voice called from the hallway, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Selene and Alan both jumped, their heads turning guilty towards the door they had neglected to shut where a suspicious looking spaceman stood.

"Hey, gorgeous husband of mine, I've missed you!" Selene chirped, trying to divert his attention as she quickly grabbed the rat and stuffed it in the pocket of the hoodie she'd stolen from Adam.

John gave her a look that said he'd seen everything.

"What's that?"

"What's what?" she answered, trying to look innocent.

"That tail sticking out of your pocket."

"Tail? What tail?" she poked the tail gently back inside.

"Why does Alan have a cage on his desk that he's trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to hide by standing in front of it?"

"To put Gordon in?"

One sleek ginger eyebrow rose and they both knew they were wasting their time. They were well and truly busted.

Alan held out his hand and Selene passed over the rat, who was none the worse for its impromptu expedition into the depths of her pocket. It sat quietly in his hands, happily nibbling on a piece of cereal bar that had already been occupying his hiding place.

"Where did that come from?" John's foot tapped out a rhythm as he waited for them to spill the beans, leaning against the door frame, his arms folded.

"Have I told you how hot you look when you're all grumpy and intense like this?" Selene tried.

"Where did you get the rat?" he repeated ignoring her blatant attempts at distraction.

"The beach," Alan admitted, caving immediately under the big bro gaze.

"The beach?"

"Yep," Alan looked at Selene for backup, cradling the rat who didn't seem to care about any of the drama he was causing.

"Some boys had him in a box and they were going to tie it to some balloons and let it go but Alan spotted them and stopped them," she explained.

John glanced at the rat, who was looking very adorable and fat.

Ever the master of managing her husband, Selene got to her feet and crossed the room to wrap her arms around John's middle.

"Alan was great, he sprung into action before I even knew what was going on. He rescued him, and really, isn't that what International Rescue does? Rescue people?"

"That's not a person, that's a rat," John argued, but she could tell he was weakening.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" she grinned, standing on tiptoes to place a little kiss on his chin.

John's sigh of surrender was epic.

"I'm banning you from ever leaving the house again with any of my brothers. What next, a dolphin with Gordon?

"No, don't be silly. We couldn't bring a dolphin home in my car."

John rolled his eyes ignoring his wife to face his brother.

"Does that thing have a name?"

"Yep," Alan answered, grinning proudly as he moved closer, holding the rat out for inspection.

"John, meet Fuzz Aldrin."

#alan tracy #selene tempest #adam tempest #John Tracy #fabfivefeb #seaside #day out #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirdsarego #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fanfiction

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kpophours · 4 years ago

Text

Summer Time

➵ The Boyz: Kevin x fem. reader / one shot, summer trip AU, college AU / fluff

➵ warnings: none

➵ word count: 2.6k

Gentle wind sweeps over you, and almost immediately, goosebumps rise all over your body. You just smile contently, and turn your head towards the sky, inhaling deeply and enjoying the soft sound of the waves. You taste the salt of the ocean on your lips when your tongue darts out to wet them. It’s already quite warm for late Spring, so you’re barefooted, able to bury your toes in the cool sand underneath your feet. You had been surprised yet pleased when Kevin had asked you to join him and some of his friends on a day trip to the beach, and being here now, you’re more than happy he did.

The day has been great so far - filled with lots of fun, laughter and sunshine, even though you were sadly unable to go swimming, the sea still being too cold to do so. So instead, you had resorted to basking in the sun, playing beach volleyball and building sand castles. Together with Jacob, you had spent almost an hour under the blindingly bright midday sun, searching for pretty seashells to take back to your dorm as a small souvenir. That was, until you had been interrupted by Younghoon’s horrified high-pitched screech when a seagull had suddenly decided to chase him. The tall boy had sprinted up and down the beach, trying to shake off the bird, and making you laugh until your belly hurt - thankfully, the seagull had finally decided to let him be, and simply flown off into the sky again.

Now that the sun has slowly begun to set, you’re all searching for driftwood, wanting to build a bonfire and to make some s’mores, something you’ve been really looking forward to. Kevin walks a few feet ahead of you, wearing a ridiculously big straw hat - which he still somehow makes work though -, and bending over from time to time to pick up another piece of driftwood, all while humming a soft, familiar tune under his breath. You can’t help but smile when you listen to his voice, and close your eyes for a few seconds while continuing to walk. When you open your eyes again, you squeal - Kevin has come to a sudden halt, and is now standing directly in front of you, his dark eyes softly boring into yours. He giggles at your surprised expression and playfully pinches your cheek. “Never walk with your eyes closed, silly. Knowing you, you’ll just stumble and probably hurt yourself.”, he says affectionately, and you blush and roll your eyes at him, but nod nevertheless. He is right, after all. “Can you take this back to the others? I’ll search for some more and will join you guys shortly.”, he then asks, and, after you nod again, drops some pieces of driftwood into your arms. You stagger under the weight, but give him a soft smile. He returns it, gives you a mock salute, and continues to tramp towards some sand dunes not too far away. You just sigh and turn around to walk back towards your little camp, joining the small group of Kevin’s friends again.

“Oh here, let me help you.”, Juyeon offers the second he spots you staggering towards him, and you thank him when he takes the driftwood out of your arms. “Y/N, come join me!”, Marie, Juyeon’s girlfriend, says, waving at you. You smile and fall down beside her, stretching your legs out in front of you and wiggling your toes. She smiles as well, and hands you a bottle of water. “You should drink something, you’ve been in the sun all day. I hope you put on enough sunscreen this morning!”, she says, and you chuckle. “Thanks, mom.”, you just say playfully, but her worried words actually warm your heart. You take the bottle from her, and she grins at you, before turning around to watch Juyeon stacking the driftwood, a dreamy expression crossing her face. Without wanting to, your eyes wander towards Kevin, who’s currently trying to climb one of the sand dunes, but almost failing to do so as the soft sand continues to slip away under his feet, making it almost impossible to walk on. You press your lips into a tight line to stifle a giggle, and jump when Marie suddenly pokes your side. “You like him, don’t you?”, she whispers, low enough so no one except you can hear it, and you shoot her a surprised look. Her face is open and inviting, eyes kind, but you just shrug, averting your eyes and taking some sand into your left hand, letting it run through your fingers - you don’t really like talking about your feelings, especially not with someone you’ve only just met. “He likes you too.”, Marie just says, and you whip your head around to face her again. She just winks at you and leans back on her elbows, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. “What makes you say that?”, you finally ask, and she chuckles. “I’ve known Kevin for a long time now. He’s never asked a girl to join one of our trips before, because he’s usually too shy to do so. That can only mean you are someone special to him.” You don’t answer and simply look back to watch Kevin, who has finally managed to climb up the sand dune and is now busy picking up some more driftwood. You gnaw on your lower lip, thinking about what Marie just said.

You and Kevin have gotten to know each other thanks to a shared class, both of you being enrolled at the same college. For some reason, he had chosen to sit beside you on the first day of said class, striking up a conversation and complimenting some of your doodles he had seen you draw into your notebook, showing you some of his own in return. Even on that first day, you had already noticed that talking to him was just... easy. And by now, you can’t deny that your heart always skips a beat when you see his small smile or hear his soft giggle. You’re also definitely thinking way too much about how it would feel like to run your fingers through his soft looking, dark hair. You truly like him and enjoy his company, and all his friends have been very nice and welcoming today too. But you yourself are too shy to say anything about this to him - you’re not brave enough to make the first move. Knowing Kevin though, he’s probably never going to make the first move either... You shake your head at that thought, sigh and empty your bottle of water, leaning back on your elbows and closing your eyes as well.

You must have nodded off, because the next thing you know is someone softly chuckling beside you, brushing a few strands of hair out of your face. You scrunch up your nose and slowly open your eyes, blinking a few times until Kevin comes into focus, sitting cross legged beside you and looking at you, amusement written all over his face. He grins when he sees your sleepy expression, and shakes his head in mock disappointment. “Unbelievable - everyone is working so hard for the bonfire and what are you doing? Taking a nap!”, he jokes, and you just stick out your tongue at him, before standing up to stretch and brush the sand off your clothes. Kevin jumps up as well, helping you get rid of the sand on the back of your shirt, his hand lingering a bit longer on the small of your back than necessary. You feel your whole body heat up under his touch, and quickly clear your throat, feeling a bit awkward, but giving your friend a shy smile nevertheless, which he immediately returns. He seems to be wanting to say something to you, but before he can do so, he gets interrupted by Hyunjae: “Does anyone know how to build a fire?” Everyone looks at one another, expression clueless and questioning, until you chuckle. “I can try, I was a scout once.”, you offer, deciding not to tell them that your scouting experience was not only very brief, but also quite some time ago.

You begin to build a cone-like structure with some small pieces of driftwood, Kevin standing beside you looking quite impressed by your skills while Hyunjae just observes you critically. “First of all, we need to use the smallest pieces of wood as kindling, then we can slowly add some bigger pieces to fuel the flames and afterwards, we can finally use the big logs you guys found.”, you explain after you’ve finished stacking the smaller pieces, taking the matches from Hyunjae and lighting one, carefully holding it to the kindling and patiently waiting for it to catch fire. Afterwards, you do exactly what you’ve just told the others, and soon, the bonfire is burning bright and high. “Our fiery queen.”, Jacob says, shooting you an angelic smile and giving you a high five, while Younghoon just stares at the flames, his big puppy eyes wide and round while his mouth hangs slightly open. “Bear Grylls is shaking right now.”, Kevin murmurs, and you just grin and playfully roll your eyes at him.

Suddenly, he slips his hand into yours to pull you with him towards some of the pillows Marie has placed on the ground around the fire pit to make sitting on the ground a bit more comfortable. As soon as you’ve sat down, Kevin lets go of your hand again, finally taking off his ridiculous straw hat and beginning to fiddle with it, probably trying to keep his hands busy. You’re both silent, but it’s a very comfortable silence, you don’t really feel the need to make conversation right now. Jacob has begun to strum his guitar and is playing a soft tune, while the others are talking in low voices. Juyeon and Marie are laying on their backs, staring into the sky - observing how its colors slowly shift from hues of purple and red to soft blues -, their hands intertwined, sharing secret smiles and giggles. Younghoon and Hyunjae are deep in conversation, the latter one’s loud laugh piercing the quiet atmosphere from time to time. You can’t help but smile while you observe the others, curling your toes into the cool sand.

“I- uhm, I just wanted to thank you for coming today, I truly had a great time with you.”, Kevin suddenly says, and you whip your head around to look at him. His eyes are trained on the straw hat in his hands, as if he’s afraid to look at you. Your lips twitch and you tilt your head to one side. “I’m glad you asked me to come. It was a fun day, your friends are really nice.”, you answer softly, and he finally looks up, locking eyes with you and giving you a relieved smile. “I’m happy you think so. I know meeting lots of new people can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, especially if you’re not really much of an extrovert.”, he says, and you nod in agreement, tucking your legs up to your chest and resting your chin on your knees. “Why did you ask me to come with you, by the way? I’ve been wondering, we only share one class and haven’t really hung out outside of it yet, and we only really talk via text…”, you drift off, biting your lower lip, and look at Kevin in anticipation. His gaze darts from you to the bonfire and back again, the flames softly illuminating his face. “I- uhm... I just… well, I think you are really… nice.”, he says, scratching his ear and ducking his head. You suppress a smile and raise both eyebrows. “I am nice?”, you can’t help but chuckle, and he laughs, a tad embarrassed by his own lame answer. “Well, I just… I like you. Every time we talk, I really enjoy it - you’re fun to talk to. So, I just wanted to get to know you better, I guess.”, he finally explains, apparently feeling a bit bolder now, and shrugs. You avert your eyes, a shy yet pleased smile gracing your lips. “I like you too.”, you mumble, and duck your head when you see a smile bloom on his face at your words. There’s the lightest of touches on your hand, and suddenly, Kevin intertwines his fingers with yours again. You look up, surprise written all over your face, and he gives you a soft smile which you return. “You want to take a little stroll?”, he asks, voice low, and you nod, letting yourself be pulled to your feet by him, your hand still securely held in his. The others don’t say anything, but you can feel their eyes following your every step - you decide to just ignore them for now.

Dusk has fully settled in by now and night is falling, the first stars already lazily twinkling down at you. Kevin gently swings your intertwined hands between your bodies and you grin, following him towards where the sea meets the land. The soft sound of the waves drowns out the sound of Jacob’s guitar as well as the laughter of the others, and it feels like you’re truly alone right now. Your heart begins to speed up, hammering fast inside your chest, and you feel your hands get clammy. You jump and yelp when one of the waves suddenly comes close enough to lap at your naked feet, the coolness of the water making you shiver. Kevin breaks into loud laughter at your shocked expression, and you shove him playfully. He loses his balance, falling onto his back and pulling you down with him. You land in a pile of scrambling arms and legs, giggling uncontrollably until suddenly, Kevin’s lips are on yours.

You inhale sharply, before you melt against him. He wraps his arms around your back to pull you even closer, while you push both hands into his dark hair - it feels just as silky as you’ve always imagined. After a few seconds, you pull back to catch your breath, staring down at Kevin, who’s looking at you with soft, dark eyes and a happy expression on his face. You break into a smile and nuzzle his nose, and he pulls you even closer, playfully kissing both your cheeks and nose before nipping on your lower lip. “I guess that’s one way of getting to know me better.”, you finally mumble, and he chuckles, pushing some of your hair back behind your left ear and nodding in agreement. “Absolutely. It might even be my favorite way, actually.” You can’t help but grin at his cheekiness, before diving in for another kiss. He just smiles against your lips and hums appreciatively.

Suddenly, there’s a yell coming from the bonfire: “Y/N, KEVIN, WE’RE MAKING S’MORES NOW! ARE YOU COMING OR SHOULD WE LEAVE YOU ALONE AND EAT ALL THE S’MORES WITHOUT YOU?” Before either of you can answer, there’s a slapping sound followed by a yelp, and a second later, Maria yells: “DON’T WORRY, HYUN IS JUST BEING STUPID, AS ALWAYS! WE WON’T EAT EVERYTHING, SO DON’T WORRY! JUST TAKE YOUR TIME AND COME BACK... WHENEVER!”

Kevin and you freeze for a few seconds, before you both break into loud laughter. You bury your face into his neck and he chuckles, one of his hands rubbing gentle circles against the small of your back. “Let’s stay here a little longer, before we join the others again.”, he murmurs, and you just nod in agreement, deeply inhaling the salty night air and Kevin’s unique scent.

For now, you’re just happy to be in his arms and to bask in the warmth of his body - the s’mores can definitely wait a bit longer.

[masterlist] | [requests]

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brelione · 4 years ago

Text

Field Trip With A Rich Bitch lll

Part One Part Two

Warnings:Swearing,Ward Cameron,very boring/dumb.

“We both hate Ward and he doesn't want me around pogues.What if we fake date?I can get you into my house and into his office and we can mess him up,ruin him from the inside out.”He spoke in a voice right above a whisper.You blinked,your eyes hurting. “You want to fake date?”You asked.He nodded. “Think about it,you can come around and we’ll pretend like you've never heard of him and you don't know what he did.We can eventually get him to confess and get a recording of it and then get him put in prison.”He ran his fingers through your hair,not really thinking about it.You gulped,eyes still locked on him. “He’ll know who I am when he hears my name.”You sighed.He smirked. “Right,but we dont let him know that you know.It’ll all work out.”He mumbled,rubbing the material of your shirt between his fingers. “That’s a terrible idea.”You laughed.He frowned. “I think it's a great idea.”He mumbled,a bit offended.

“Well,you’ve never been the smartest.”You smiled,twirling a chain between your pointer finger and thumb. “But I don't have a better idea.You’re the easiest way in the house,I guess.You really think we can get him to confess?”You asked.A smile tugged at his lips. “I've heard you’re the queen of manipulation,why don't you prove it?”He challenged you.You let go of him,looking to the gravestones.Four of your dead families members six feet under the ground,probably listening to this conversation.You hoped they were listening to your conversation at least,it didn't matter if they approved what you were doing or not.It just made you feel better to think that maybe they were all vibing in the afterlife.You lifted your knees up to prevent yourself from sinking all the way into the mud.He had given you his phone so you could create a new contact,typing your phone number in.He followed you back to the garage.

He was a lot more calm on the way back,knowing where all the branches and large roots were on the path.He had swatted away a butterfly which caused you to turn and laugh at him. “Dude,chill,it's just a butterfly.”You giggled.He frowned. “Okay well you didn't have it flying at your face.”He argued.You grinned,biting your lip slightly. “Fuckin pussy.”You mumbled,turning your feet so you could slide down the dirt hill.He had a more difficult time,nearly falling on his ass as he held on to tree branches to help himself out.He jumped,grabbing onto your arm when he saw a small snake. “DOnt act like you’ve never seen a garden snake before.”You grinned,watching the small reptilian creature as it twirled its body around a twig.He shook his head. “You’ve never seen a garden snake?Damn,rich bitch,you really are a pussy.”You laughed,dragging him along.You used a key to unlock the garage door,pulling the door back up and ducking under the door.You went to your table,grabbing a piece of gum and folding it into your mouth.He stood by his bike,watching you while you fixed the hole in the seat. “It's done.Pay up,rich bitch.”You sighed quietly,rubbing the leather seat with your thumb.

He pulled out his thick brown wallet,handing over two hundred dollar bills.You took them,looking into his blue eyes. “Twenty dollars too much.”You told him.He put his wallet back in his pocket,shrugging his shoulders. “My dad murdered your parents,you deserve a little extra.”He smiled.You nodded,folding the money and placing the bills into your pocket. “I’ll text you later.”HE mumbled.You nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”You replied. “You know you should wear a helmet,right?”You asked.He rolled his eyes. “I know,I know.”He replied,grabbing the handle bars and walking out from the garage.He swung his leg over the seat,gripping the handle bars before driving off,leaving a cloud of dirt in his path.You chewed your gum,watching as he left.You restarted your work on another car that was covered in dents,scratches and missing half of a window.

Rafe zoomed out of The Cut,not wanting any witnesses that could possibly tell his dad that he was driving around the area.He pulled up to his house,seeing Sarah swatting away seagulls with a giant leaf.He parked his bike,leaning it on his kickstand and swinging his leg off and standing up straight.He let out a few shaky breaths,preparing himself to deal with his father’s interrogation.He placed a hand on the door handle,inhaling again to calm his nerves before opening the door and stepping into the cool,air conditioned mansion. “Where were you?”Ward asked,holding a cup of water and taking a sip from it. “I was with a friend.”He replied.Ward’s eyes narrowed. “What friend?”Ward asked,knuckles turning white as he squeezed the glass in his hand. “New friend.”Rafe squeaked out,avoiding his father's gaze. “Come here.”Ward demanded.Rafe gulped,looking up at him. “Rafe.Come.Here.”Ward repeated,reaching a hand into his pocket and taking out a small flashlight.

Rafe slowly stepped forward,avoiding Ward’s gaze.He set his glass down on the table,flicking his flashlight on.He raised his hand,gripping Rafe’s jaw to keep his attention,lifting the flashlight up to Rafe’s face and pointing it directly over his eye.Rafe blinked,trying to pull his head away.Ward squeezed his jaw,keeping the light on his pupils. “What’s this guy's name?”Ward asked,letting go of his son's jaw.Rafe cleared his throat. “She.”He mumbled.Ward furrowed his eyebrows. “Where does she live?”Ward asked.Rafe shrugged. “Far away.”He replied.Ward shook his head. “What’s her name?”Ward asked. “(Y/N).”Rafe replied,backing away a few steps from his father.He didn't miss the way that Ward’s face paled,his eyes getting a bit wide as his nose wrinkled. “How do I know you were really with her?”Ward asked.Rafe sighed. “You want me to call her or something?”Rafe asked,exasperated. “Call her,do it.”Ward demanded.

Rafe bit his tongue,taking out his phone.Ward watched him like a hawk as he scrambled through his contacts,eventually finding your name.He pressed it,choosing audio call.He lifted his phone to his ear,waiting for you to answer. “Put it on speaker phone.”Ward told him.Rafe glared down at the older man,pulling the phone away and changing it to speaker so he could hear the ringing loudly. “Dude-it literally has not even been an hour since ive seen you.What the fuck do you want?”Your voice spoke,the screeching of metal on metal in the background.Rafe smiled. “(Y/N) you're on speaker phone,my dad is also in the room.”He held back a laugh as he listened to the absolute silence on your end. “So did you want something?”You asked.Ward cleared his throat. “Can you confirm that you were with Rafe all of this afternoon?”He asked.You let out a loud sigh. “Yeah.”You replied,the annoyance clear in your voice even over the phone. “What were you guys doing?”Ward asked,staring at Rafe.

“He visited me at work and brought me food.What were you doing while he was gone?”You asked.Ward frowned as a smirk spread across Rafe’s face. “I was waiting for him to get home.How long have you and Rafe been friends?”Ward continued his questions.You sighed. “A while,I dont know.Rafe,I gotta go, I'm still at work.I’ll talk to you later.”You spoke quickly.Rafe took you off speaker phone,pressing the phone back to his ear. “Alright,Love you.”He grinned before hanging up.He watched his father’s expressions,the way his face sunk when he realized he had been defeated.It was a far too wonderful sight.Rafe couldn't imagine the expression that would go across the man's face when he was busted for a double homicide. “She’s your girlfriend?”Ward asked.Rafe nodded,twisting the ring on his finger and waiting for this conversation to be over. “Yeah.”Rafe replied,his voice low and angry.Ward nodded. “You should invite her to have dinner with us tomorrow night.”He suggested.Rafe rolled his eyes,jogging up the stairs. “You’ve got a girlfriend?”Wheezie asked,coming out of her room.Rafe sighed,walking past her and into his room,locking the door behind him and flopping down onto his bed.

It was seven.You knew cause you had set a timer.You grabbed your backpack that you kept on a hook,changing your clothes behind a truck.You now wore a bikini with denim shorts that were tight against your thighs.You stuffed your overalls into your bag along with your yellow shirt.You put you container of sugar in with the gum that you had left,half a bag of doritos and the other lemons you had into your backpack,forcing it to zip shut.Your phone dinged in your pocket.You huffed,betting in your mind that it was Rafe Cameron.You were correct,a text from a random phone number coming across your screen.My Dad wanted me to ask you to come over for dinner tomorrow night.You wanna come?You stared down at the text,considering leaving him on delivered.You were not exactly sure you were ready to face the homicidal liar that was Ward Cameron.But then again it was free expensive food in a huge mansion.It wasn't like Ward could kill you in front of his wife and children.Sure.You replied,watching as the three dots blinked as he typed a response.I’ll pick you up tomorrow.Text me your address.You read the message before turning your phone off.You locked up the garage,stretching your arms.

You spent your evening swaying back and forth in John.B’s hammock while you played a tune from a ukelele that John.B had laying around his house. “How was work today?”JJ had asked you,laying down next to you in the hammock.You sighed dramatically. “Shitty.”You replied,dragging your fingernail along the cords.He nodded,running his fingers through your hair.JJ was one of your closest friends,one that Rafe had beaten before.He was one of three boys that weren't terrified of you,that didn't bow down to you like you were their queen.You were the Pogue Princess.Of course Kiara was a Pogue Princess but you...you were the Pogue Princess.The other two boys were Pope and John.B.They knew your friendly,bubbly side that joked about death and baked lemon muffins.They also knew your bitchy side,the one everyone else knew.JJ always loved how easily you could switch between the two and how you could steal things so easily.It was kind of just your job in life. “Oof.”JJ had replied. “Are you hanging out with us tomorrow?”Kiara asked.You sighed. “Unfortunately I have plans after work so I cannot.”You replied.JJ’s eyebrows furrowed. “Plans without us?Who are you?”He asked.

You yawned. “I’ve got other friends,you know.”You grinned,letting the ukulele rest against the bark of the tree. “I should probably head home soon and shower.I’ll see you guys this weekend though.”You smiled,getting out of the hammock and grabbing your backpack.They booed you and you flipped them off as you walked around John.B’s house and down the road.Your house was only a ten minute walk so you didnt really care or ask anyone to walk you home.When you got to your house you tossed your backpack on the floor,hearing the doritos crunch.Your phone rang.You looked down at it.Rafe was trying to facetime you.You accepted the call. “What?”You asked.He laughed. “Wow...I cant just call you to call you?”He asked.You sighed,waiting for him to get to the point. “You never texted me your address.”He explained himself.You set your phone down on the counter top. “Correct.I’ll just walk to your house.”You yawned,pouring yourself a cup of water and mixing cinnamon into it.He frowned.

“But like...you live over a mile away.That’s just dumb.”He grumbled.You rolled your eyes,chugging the spicy liquid. “What do I even wear?We gotta make this bullshit believable.”You pulled your hair up into a bun.He smiled,only half of his face visible across your phone screen. “It doesnt really matter what you wear.You’ll look cute no matter what.”His face turned red as he waited for your response. “Whatever you say,pussy.”You replied,glancing at your phone screen. “I’ll text you my address in the morning,ive got work until three.”you told him,sitting on your counter with your phone now in your hand.He nodded. “We have dinner at like five so that works.”He grinned. “Cool.Im gonna go cause ive got shit to do.See you tomorrow,rich bitch.”You hung up before he could respond.You took a cold shower,pulling on an old t shirt and clean underwear.You looked through your dresser,finding a dark green shirt and light pants.That would work.Now all you had to do was fake date Rafe Cameron without letting your friends know while simultaneously destroying Ward Cameron psychologically until he admitted to murder.That sounded simple enough.

@gabbismith

#rafe cameron #rafe obx #rafe x reader #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron x you #sarah cameron #obx #kiara carrera #jj maybank #pope heyward #ward cameron

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billyhargroveinaponytail · 4 years ago

Photo

Good Ole Dacre Montgomery.

Chapter 9: Call Me Friend But Keep Me Closer.

Songs for this chapter:

All I Wanna Say- Lontalius

You Were Good To Me- Jeremy Zucker

Consequences. - Camila Cabello

When The Party is Over. -Billie Eilish

_____________________________________________________________ Thank you to everyone who sent kind words during my rough patch but we’re back and there is only one chapter left!

@dreamin-of-dacre

@speedmetalqueen _________________________________________________

The crowd echoed through the large empty mall while large crates were carried in and cameras were put into place.

"Battle time?" Paisley glanced to Joe. "Battle time!" He nodded, he was covered in fake dried blood and wearing a dirty Scoops uniform. "I can't get over how great those shorts look on you!" she pinched his rear causing him to jump a little.

They erupted with laughter, when the mall doors swung open and in walked Liv with a large smile splattered across her face. "Hi everyone!" She rang.

"I didn't know she would be here." Paisley spoke up. "Neither did I." Myra mumbled flipping through her notes. She glanced around the court looking for Dacre but he was nowhere to be seen.

The others began filing in, decked out in their 80s wear. "Everyone get together we need to get started as soon as possible." The director yelled finding his position behind the camera. Myra took a seat in her usual chair and Paisley joined her side.

"Hi ladies! Are you excited for this?" Liv joined them in the seat beside Paisley.

"Oh yes super excited!" Paisley spoke in the most fake high pitched voice. Max,Will and El stood by the door waiting for their next directions. Myra kept herself focused on the paperwork. Sylvia quickly took her seat before the director yelled, "Quiet on set! And Action!" He shouted, the three kids took off running down an empty hallway. Mike and Max both had arm around their shoulders and they were trying their best to carry El. The lights sporadically flickered throughout the vacant hallway.

"In here,in here!" Mike spoke as they turned another corner. "Okay come on, come on, come on." He repeated, smashing the buttons on the elevator. A door at the opposite end swung open and there stood Dacre. He wore a white tank top and jeans, his entire body was covered in makeup and his hair was a sweaty mess hanging all around his face. Max turned to face her set brother as he limped his way down the hallway with an evil expression.

"Billy. Billy, you don't have to do this."

"Billy. Your name's Billy. Billy Hargrove." Max spoke in a fear filled voice. Dacre only moved closer stomping his feet with every step.

"You live on 4819 Cherry Lane. Billy, please, I'm Max, I'm your-" Before Max was able to finish her sentence Dacre's hand swiftly shot across her face dropping her to the ground. A loud scream came from El who coward behind Mike. Mike then charged forward trying to push Dacre away, Mike's body was then flung against some old pipes while Dacre went for El, the person he had came for. El reached her hand up but Dacre was quicker he grabbed her wrist and twisted it backwards,shoving the palm of his hand against her face banging her head off the wall behind them, he then pushed her to the floor and towered over her body.

El laid unconscious, while Dacre grabbed her arm fling her over his shoulder. He charged down the hallway, he took multiple turns before reaching the back door of Scoops Ahoy, he kicked his foot threw the door, stomped through the ice cream parlor and reached for the gate ripping it up.

They now stood in the center court of the mall, every neon light around them flickered intensely. Dacre lowered El to the floor leaning in close to her ear. "Don't be afraid. It'll be over soon." He whispered. "Just try and stay...very still."

The snarling of a large creature came from the roof of the mall, El's eyes turned in that location. Her vision somewhat hazy. large legs began entering, a loud echoing bang with each one.

From the actors and crews point of view it was nothing but a large beach ball but to the viewers it would be a large monster made of flesh and blood of all the flayed people.

El whimpered trying to back away from the creature, while Dacre stood still watching it's controller move towards them.

A large bang lit up the sky causing Dacre to curl over in pain, the large monster let out a screech.

"Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" Lucas shouted from the top floor of the center court, tossing another firework in the direction of the monster. Johnathan and Nancy then joined along hurdling large fireworks over the edge.

"Hey asshole, over here!" Steve shouted throwing one in the monster's direction as well. Dacre yelled,arching forward in pain with each explosive thrown. He dropped to the ground flailing his body around, El noticed his pain and tried to quickly get away. Dacre noticed and snatched her ankle yanking her back to the place she was resting before.

"We're almost out!" Will yelled to Lucas.

"I know!" Lucas replied to him tossing over the last couple fireworks.

"Dustin! We're out of time!"

Max flickered her eyes she was now waking up. An unconscious Mike laid across the room from her. "Mike,Mike! Get up. Mike, can you hear me?"

Mike came to, looking up to Max. "Hey, come on." She took his hand, helping him stand.

"You okay?" Max asked him as he looked aimlessly around the room. "Where's El?"

El laid under Dacre, his hands holding her shoulders down. With every explosion he winced,pain and anger across his face.

"Seven...feet." El spoke out with a gasp. "You told her the wave was seven feet. You ran to her, on the beach." Both of them now had tear filled eyes. "There was seagulls. She wore a hat..with a blue ribbon. A long dress with a blue and red flower. Yell-yellow sandals," She chocked on her words. "Covered in sand."

"She was pretty." Dacre's lower lip quivered listening to El describe his mother, he closed his eyes imagining the moment.

"She was really pretty," El spoke threw the tears pouring down her face. "And you, you were happy.

"We're out!" Will now yelled to his friend holding up the empty basket.

"Damn it!" Lucas spat,looking over the balcony to the creature.

The large monster now turned it's focus back on Eleven, Dacre stood to its command, now staring face to face with it. Mike and Max ran around the corner to see their girlfriend and stepbrother standing in reach of the creature. Dacre's face showed nothing but fear as a large arm reaching out for Eleven, Dacre caught it in his grasp stopping it.

"No!" Dacre yelled, Eleven pushed herself backwards in shock. Dacre screamed even louder pushing the creature away. Two other hands came out piercing into the side of him. He began screaming even more this time in agonizing pain. Dacre dropped to his knees, black sludge now leaving his mouth. One final arm reached out slamming into his chest.

"Billy!" Max screamed, watching her step brother drop to the floor lifeless.

Mike rushed over to Eleven's side. "El!" He spoke rapping his arms around her. Max walked right past time to standing beside Dacre.

"Billy?" She spoke down to him. He choked on the fluids leaving his body.

"Billy, get up please. Billy, get up, please,please."

"I'm sorry." He forced out, before taking a deep inhale.

"Billy, wake up. Billy, get up. Please, Billy." She roughly shook his shoulders. She began sniffling trying to help him gain consciousness again.

"I'm sorry!" Eleven spoke to her cradling her friend in her arms.

"It's okay. It's ok." She patted her back trying to calm her.

"Cut!" The director yelled, the room fell silent, everyone was in shock. Paisley looked to see Myra's reaction and she was a mess. She had about 9 tissues scattered across her lap and her face was now swollen and scattered with tears.

"That was amazing!" Liv took off from her seat running to Dacre's side. She sat down beside him, took his hand in hers and placed a big kiss on his lips. "You did so amazing babe!"

"Did Paisley know? Did she know Billy was going to die? She seems completely unfazed. While on the other hand Myra is sitting over here in a ball of tears." Sylvia sat forward in her chair stretching her back.

Paisley shrugged, she wasn't even sure that Joe knew about it.

Myra wanted nothing more than to run over to Dacre wrap her arms around him and give him the biggest hug, but his arms were currently occupied with someone else.

"Wasn't that amazing guys?" Liv held Dacre's hand pulling him over to the others. Paisley rolled her eyes at Liv's overuse of the word.

"Yes that was great. You did a great job." Myra gathered herself, trying to hide the evidence of her crying.

Dacre gave a soft smile to Myra.

"Thank you!" His face was still covered in filth and sludge dripped from his smile but it was still heart felt.

"Well what about me? I didn't die but I threw one hell of a firework huh?" Joe walked down the steps, coming up behind Paisley placing a kiss on her cheek.

"You did great too babe!" She wrapped her arm around him.

"Yes! Everyone did amazing!" Liv giggled, still holding a tight grip on Dacre's hand.

"Hopefully none of you forgot the dinner tonight!" Sylvia broke the silence that started to grow over the group. "I made my famous homemade macaroni and cheese!"

"Of course we didn't forget! I'm starving!" Joe chimed in, looking over to Paisley. "I'm going to go shower and change, you coming with me?" He raised a brow.

"Actually I was going to help Myra, I can meet you at the diner hall!" She returned the kiss to his cheek.

Liv was eye locked with Dacre, mumbling something about how nice he looked. Myra just sighed and gathered her bag.

"I will be there Sylvia, don't worry. I wouldn't miss out on your home cooking!" Myra walked away from them Paisley in tow.

"You feeling ok?" Paisley nudged her elbow against Myra.

"I'm ok. It's just hard. I want to be the one to congratulate him and be all affectionate with him in public but I obviously can't."

"I'm sorry MJ, just remember he likes you, she's just contracted to like him." Paisley held the large stage door open for the both of them and they made their way to Myra's trailer again.

"That's the problem, Pais. I think she actually likes him, maybe the whole Jake thing is a ploy to get jobs or what not."

Paisley stopped in her track and glanced to Myra. "You think someone would actually do that?" She shrugged, reaching for her keys.

"It's possible. I guess. Who knows it might just be the jealousy speaking."

The entered into the trailer and Myra headed straight to the bathroom, splashing cold water into her face. Paisley dug through her bags searching for something to wear. She ended up choosing a lose fitting white top and dark navy jeans. Myra spent about 20 minutes deciding on something, and finally with help she was able to find something perfect. A short light pink dress with a small cut out in the back.

"We're running late, so you better hurry." Paisley yelled into the bedroom, pacing the front door.

"I'm ready, I'm ready let's go." Myra left the room throwing her phone into her small hand bag.

The dining hall was completely different now. The tables had all been joined together to make one large buffet area. The lighting was low with twinkle lights scattered all over. Large groups sat together at the tables, Paisley searched for Joe. He had been seated towards the end of the table and of course in front of him sat Dacre and Liv fingers intertwined exactly how they were when Myra left them earlier.

"You look gorgeous!" Joe reached out for Paisley's hand, pulling out her chair for her.

"Thank you! You look very handsome yourself!" She took a seat, placing a hand on his leg. Myra looked for an empty seat and the only one available was one directly in front of Dacre. She sighed pulling her seat out and joining the others.

"Myra, I love that dress on you!" Liv spoke in her high pitched voice. She reached out with her free hand taking ahold of her wine glass.

"Thank you! You look beautiful as well, liv!" Myra clenched her jaw, hoping the evening would not be as awkward as it was already starting off. Appetizers were brought around to everyone along with a beverage cart. Joe and Paisley both ordered a glass of wine but Myra need something stronger.

"I'll take a jack and coke!" She smiled to the waitress. Myra took her drink and quickly gulped down the first half of it. Paisley kept an eye on Myra hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself. She had a tough time handling her liquor. Liv had about 6 more glasses of wine, before the entrees had even been handed out. Her hands were all over Dacre, and since Myra was seated in front of him she had the worst seat in the building.

"Why don't you two get a room?" Mary yelled down the table noticing Liv smother Dacre with affection. The table roared in laughter, causing Dacre to intensely blush.

"I wouldn't mind that." Liv slurred a little, running her hands under his shirt.

Paisley tried multiple times to change the subject, none of them were successful until she brought up college.

"I can't believe you only have one more week left here MJ!" Dacre looked to her a little shocked. "Only one more week?"

"Aw Dacre's upset about losing his assistant! Poor babe! I could always help you!" Liv ran her hand through his hair and down his back.

Myra nodded taking another drink trying to ignore Liv's reply. "Yeah, only one more week. Then it's back to our dorms to finish out the last month of college." Joe put on a fake pout looking to Paisley. "Why can't you just stay here? It'll be much more fun."

"I wish I could but I have things to finish up if I want to graduate." Paisley giggled a little at his pout. "After graduation though I am all yours!" She placed a kiss to his nose. Myra was happy for them but she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"What about you Myra? What's in store for you after graduation?" Dacre glanced over at her, she was distracted by the straw inside her cup.

"Oh uh me? I was hoping maybe something in film. Maybe some place would be willing to hire me. Not saying I don't love this place but to actually get paid doing something I love would be a dream come true." The directors walked back checking on everyone making sure they were enjoying their food.

The next hour was the slowest hour in Myra's life. The drink cart ran it's final trip around the table, while the dessert plates were being taken away.

"You wanna take me home?" Liv looked up at Dacre placing a kiss on his shoulder.

"Sure!" He nodded placing a kiss on her forehead. "I think it is time for us to turn in guys. It was nice seeing all of you. I will see you guys in the morning." Dacre waved goodbye to the group, wrapping his arm around Liv's waist.

"I have to be honest, Myra. That was the most awkward thing!" Joe took a swig from his glass. Myra and Paisley laughed at his comment.

"That is what we have been saying all along." Paisley finished off her glass and checked her phone. "We should head back too! This wine is making me light headed!" She smirked at him, trying to lead him on.

"Oh right, lightheaded." He laughed, wiggling his brow at her.

"You gonna be ok alone,MJ?" Paisley asked worrying about her friend. Myra stood from the table pushing her chair in.

"I'll be just fine, I'm taking a shower then heading straight to bed." Myra hugged Paisley goodbye, before her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Dacre: Meet me at the pool? :)

Myra shoved her phone back into her pocket and wrapped her jacket around her, walking to the trailers.

It was dark and the smell of cigarettes lingered in the air. A few stragglers walked through the streets, going home from the dinner as well. Myra had forgotten to leave a light on so searching around for her keys was a struggle. After finally locating them she opened her door and went inside. She also decided to reply to Dacre.

Myra: The pool? What about Liv?

Dacre was extremely fast to reply.

Dacre: Liv passed out as soon as we got back to the trailer. I'd like to spend some time with you. So the pool? :)

Myra: Give me 20 minutes and I will be there. :)

Myra had packed a bathing suit luckily, it wasn't her prettiest but it was dark outside and it would be fine for tonight. She changed into it while throwing her dress back on over top. She shoved a towel and her keys into her bag and took off walking to the pool.

Dacre was already there by the time she had arrived, he was out in the middle of the pool floating on his back. Myra pushed open the gate,closing it behind her. She walked over to an empty chair setting her things down.

"How's the water feel?" She removed her dress stepping over to the edge of the pool.

"Guess you'll have to get in to find out." Dacre swam closer to her. Myra rolled her eyes, sitting her toes into the surprising warm water. "Are you getting in or do I have to throw you in?" Dacre yelled up to her. Without warning Myra jumped in beside him, splashing him.

She came up from the water pushing her hair back. "Well? How's it feel?" Dacre laughed wiping the water from his face.

"It feels amazing!" She spoke in a mocking voice. Dacre pulled her in close to him wrapping his arms around her. It was nice to have his warmth against her.

"Were you crying earlier?" He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Of course I was crying, Billy died. That was so sad seeing you like that." Myra sobbed a little thinking about it.

Dacre brushed his thumb across her cheek. "It was sweet, I can't tell you how badly I wanted to kiss you." Paisley's comment earlier echoed in her head even louder then before.

"What's going to happen next week when I have to leave?" Myra stepped back from him, wondering his answer.

"What's going to happen with what? Us?" Dacre pushed back his damp hair, his accent going heavy. "I don't know,M. I want to say everything will be perfect and we'll be madly in love somewhere together. But I can't, and I don't know what's going to happen to us."

Myra nodded, knowing this would be his answer, but she knew, she knew where they would be a week from now. She would be working towards graduating and Dacre and Liv would be at some fancy party or beach madly in love. She didn't want to think about that right now, she wanted to just enjoy this moment and worry about next week when it came.

"Dacre?" A familiar high pitched voice rang through the parking lot. "Dacre? Where are you?"

Dacre quickly got out of the water going to Liv's side. "Liv? What're you doing? I thought you were asleep." He grabbed onto her intoxicated body stumbling through the gate.

"I was s-sleeping." She slurred. "I woke up to find you and you were gone I thought maybe you went to Joe's trailer but here you are!" She looked over to the pool still not noticing Myra floating inside.

"Swimming? How come you didn't invite me." She fumbled around with her top trying to pull it off. "I wanna swim!" She slurred even more.

"Liv, honey. Why don't we just go back to bed? I'll put a movie on." Dacre pushed her shirt back down.

"A movie! Awesome!" She wrapped both arms around Dacre's neck.

"Take a seat here let me get my things." Dacre sat her down on an empty lawn chair and grabbed his shoes and shirt from the side of the pool. He looked down at a confused Myra waiting in the water.

"I know what'll happen next week," She spoke softly to him. "We'll be strangers. It'll be like we never met. Until then we will just be friends. Thank you so much for everything Dacre." She gave a sincere smile and waited in the pool for them to leave.

"No," Dacre stopped her. "I don't want that,Myra. I don't want to be strangers." Liv called out to him, "I have to go, Myra please just let me tell you tomorrow ok?" Myra nodded watching the two of them walk away.

After a few more laps in the pool Myra gathered her clothes,wrapped her body in the towel and left the pool area.

Her trailer was still dark and quiet when she returned. She took a quick shower and then put herself to bed. "Goodnight." She mumbled to herself quickly falling asleep.

The next morning Myra woke up early, she went and spoke to Jake and discussed her next week her on set. She filled out some paperwork and then headed off to the cafeteria to get herself a cup of coffee. She sat at an empty table and scrolled through social media on her phone. It had been a while since she had checked everything but there was nothing important she had missed.

"Mornin' M." Paisley sweetly spoke joining her at the table. "Mornin' Pais. How was your night?"

"It was great! How about you?" Paisley intertwined her fingers around her cup looking over to her. "Did you do anything fun or just go to bed?"

"Just bed for me, I was too tired for anything else." Myra lied,taking in another drink from her cup.

Paisley knew something was wrong, Myra was not acting herself.

"I should head back to the trailer, I have a lot of laundry to get done." Myra stood up, throwing away her still half full cup.

"You need some help?" Paisley questioned her. Myra only shook her head and walked off to her temporary home.

It was so hard for Myra to lie to Paisley but she didn't want to involve her anymore. Paisley was happy and had a good life she didn't need to stress over Myra's nonsense.

Dacre searched the set and cafeteria but was unable to find Myra. Luckily he did find Paisley leaving the dining area. "Hey you seen Myra today?" He stopped her, hoping she had seen her friend.

"Yeah she was headed to do some laundry, she must be sick or something. She wasn't acting like herself." Paisley looked concerned, considering following Myra to her trailer.

"Well I am needed on set but if you run into her could you have her come by and see me, I wanna talk about last night." Dacre adjusted the buttons on his shirt, before turning away from her.

"Last night? Myra said she went to bed last night." Paisley instantly knew her friend was lying and rushed to her trailer.

"Myra James!" She loudly banged on the door. "Myra James!" She yelled again before the door was swung open.

"What's wrong?"

"So now we're lying to each other huh?"

Myra sat Paisley down and explained everything to her, everything from the very beginning. She didn't want to hurt Paisley and she believed she deserved to know.

"M..I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Paisley held tightly onto her friend's hand.

"I don't know, I'm sorry. It's all going to change I promise." They both exchanged a meaningful hug and Myra returned to her room going through her laundry.

The evening had come and Dacre had left set on a break, he made his way over to Myra's trailer hoping they could finally talk. Paisley answered the door, Joe standing behind her.

"Hey where is Myra? I'd really like to talk to her now." Dacre stepped up the first couple steps.

"Myra's not here." Paisley spoke sadly.

"Not here? Is she still in the laundry room?" Dacre leaned against the step railing.

"No, Dacre. Myra went home."

#dacre montgomery #dacre x reader #dacre montgomery imagine #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stanger things #joe keery #steve harrington #fanfic #wattpad

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meet-me-in-the-kitchen · 4 years ago

Note

hello! how was your day? what about your new classes? where's estrella? are you excited for 1989 (tv) and the possible vault tracks?

hiiiiiii. it was an emotional rollercoaster. classes started online very early and i was up all night getting readings done because i had an exam, like, right after.

i had a dream where i was a hooker trying to get a driver’s license and a lady dressed like a real estate agent had to come to my house and verify my ID to give me the license, but for my ID she looked through my Spotify and I’m like shit and run downstairs to the basement, because that’s where my hooker music is and then she finds it and throws my phone and her sunglasses at my face and calls my parents and tells them i’m a hooker and i’m sad about it, but then it shifts to me falling at the real estate agent/DMV lady’s feet and being like “PLEASE, I NEED MONEY FOR MED SCHOOL” and i woke up in a sweat

my stem classes are interesting, and my more lit/humanity based classes are heating up very quickly, & AAA. i cried at some point this morning studying for the mcat and was dehydrated but too tired to trek downstairs and eat something, so i wept about being hungry until i fell asleep then woke up to satan’s sacrificial waterfall & felt better after inhaling my dorm’s mini fridge’s contents. i went and TAd/tutored students for a while, and my best friend did my CS homework tonight for no reason, and it has actually saved me SO much time

estrella could have been run over at this point i don’t know LMAO. @hayloraddiction ??? she started a new uni, though, and is v busy reinventing herself. it’s hard to keep in touch, just because we’re both very busy and i’d honestly rather text her a few times very deeply rather than just scratch the surface/small talk over texts everyday, you know? it’s not enough and it hurts.

1989 tv is giving me heart palpitations. i’m excited, but also nervousssss. i’m too emotionally invested in haylor to survive anything big. i can’t imagine what the reception will be from Harry and i’m scared to find out. things like taylor’s heartbeat in WD, and if we’ll get a ballad type song (maybe) keep me up at night. and Harry inspired more songs than the rest of her exes, judging by what she’s said in the past, so thinking about how many vault songs there could be is terrifying to me. in a very sexy way. it’s very late and words are hard right now, but in summation: *seagull screech*

#how are you??

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jojosbizarreblog · 4 years ago

Text

Let Down Your Crystal Walls

4 // 5 // 6

Chapter 5: Swimming with Sharks

Song inspiration: None

Just as Mr. Joestar said earlier, Avdol finished the match with no trouble. Polnareff’s Stand was destroyed by Avdol’s flames, and now the French laid immobile on the ground. Kyogen was unnerved at the man's still form. It reminded her too much. Too much of bad memories.

“He won’t be able to stand for three months,” the Kakyoin said, beginning to descend down the stairs. “His Stand is destroyed and unable to fight.”

Three months… three months…

Kyogen shut her eyes tight and inhaled deeply. Her hand gripped at her backpack strap tightly as she turned to follow Kakyoin.

A loud explosion stopped the group and Kyogen turned around to see bits of Silver Chariot rocketing through the air. Polnareff’s lying body flew into the air, where the French man arched back to make eye contact with the group. “Bravo! Bravo!” He clapped.

Kyogen flinched. “H-how is he conscious?!”

Silver Chariot began appearing underneath Polnareff and the male landed back on his feet with his Stand at his side. “Yes, this is it. My Stand with its armor off!”

Kyogen never knew that such a thing was possible, but then again, she didn’t even know what to call Sharpnote two days ago.

The French smirked as Avdol walked forward. He then launched into a lengthy explanation of Silver Chariot. The two went back and forth in heated debate before Silver Chariot split up into seven replicas. “How is this possible?!” Kakyoin asked. “There should only be one Stand to each user!”

Kyogen pulled Joseph and Kakyoin back down the stairs as the Silver Chariots began rushing at Avdol. “Be careful,” she warned them. Summoning her own Stand, Sharpnote readied itself in case something went wrong. The two tensed as Avdol was pushed back by Silver Chariot’s attacks, blood spurting out of his wounds.

Avdol straightened up and Sharpnote moved in front of Kyogen as a ring of fire formed around the Egyptian. Several flaming ankhs shot at the Chariot clones, colliding with them and sending off large explosions. Thankfully Kyogen’s Stand moved to cover the group with a large wall of crystals. Sharpnote let the walls drop and Kyogen saw Avdol walking away from a burning Polnareff.

Kyogen saw a flash of a knife within the fire and she started moving to the French man. Avdol turned and with a snap of a finger the fire on Polnareff went out. Kyogen reached Avdol as he hefted the still French into his arms. She saw Avdol searching through Polnareff’s hair as she squatted down beside him, mindful of her skirt.

“There must be a reason behind his actions…” Avdol mused. The reason was revealed when she saw a fleshy object embedded into Polnareff’s head.

Kyogen grimaced as it wriggled. “Is that the flesh bud you guys told me about?”

Avdol nodded. “Jotaro!” He called the teen.

Star Platinum appeared behind Jotaro and Kyogen and Sharpnote stepped back to let them do the work, staring in horrified fascination as the flesh bud’s tentacles flailed as it was being removed. The bud turned into ash as Star Platinum yanked it out of Polnareff’s head and into the sunlight.

Kyogen called back Sharpnote as Joseph moved to prop up Polnareff. “Good! Now that the flesh bud is gone, we can be buddies!” The man said to the unconscious man.

Was that… was that a pun? A short, started snort escaped Kyogen and she turned her face away from everyone. She didn’t expect that, it has been a while since something caught her so delightfully unprepared and Kyogen didn’t want the others to see her red cheeks. It was strange… this warmth filling her.

Joseph stood up and turned to them. He pointed to the sun—when did it get so low—and said, “Polnareff should be fine. However, we need to go and book our hotel! I would like nothing more than to go to the harbor right now. But setting out in the dark is a recipe for a disaster.” Joseph marched past them after he said that. Kyogen blinked and followed along.

***

“Two rooms!” Joseph announced, holding the keys up in the air. “Pick your partners!”

“Mr. Joestar…” Kyogen began tentatively. “We have five people.”

“Hm, you’re right…” Joseph stroked his chin. He brightened up and said, “You three kids can share a room!”

Jotaro caught the keys as Joseph tossed it to him. “Yare yare daze, it better be a big room.”

“Don’t worry! Two beds and I believe a couch! You’ll make do!”

Kyogen blearily followed the others. With a total of three hours of sleep on the plane, the beetle incident, then Polnareff, she was beginning to feel the exhaustion weighing her down. Joseph stopped the teens before they entered the room. “Avdol and I will be across the hall,” he said. “We will leave tomorrow at six o’clock, sharp.”

Kyogen let out a noise of confirmation with the other two teens. She waited until Jotaro opened the hotel door and entered the room with Kakyoin in tow. As Joseph had said, two beds and a couch greeted them. Before the males could say anything, Kyogen moved past them and dumped her backpack on the couch. She collapsed face down on it. ��Take the beds,” she mumbled, waving to Jotaro and Kakyoin. “I don’t need it.”

Jotaro simply huffed and put his bag on the bed closest to the door.

“Wind, are you sure you don’t want the bed? I can take the couch if you want,” Kakyoin offered.

Kyogen sat up and began rummaging through the rolled-up outfits of clothes, somewhere in there were a pair of pajamas. “Take it. You’re too tall to be comfortable on the couch. I’ve slept in worse places.” Ah-ha, there they were.

Kakyoin gave her a concerned look. “Alright, you should take the shower first though. Are you okay with that Jotaro?”

“I don’t care, don’t use up all the hot water.”

Kyogen paused. “I can wait, you know.”

“Hurry up and go,” Jotaro grunted.

“Fine.” It wasn’t too hard to figure out how to work the shower and after a brief space out, Kyogen found herself on the couch in a plain white sleep shirt and matching pants, brushing through her stubborn hair. The two males had quickly finished their showers too and were now settling down in their respective beds.

“Hey Wind,” Kakyoin said softly. “Can I ask you a few questions?”

Oh boy. “Sure,” Kyogen said, putting away her brush.

“Your Stand seems pretty autonomous, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. I just keep an eye out for him so he doesn’t get in trouble or anything.”

“I see. What is your Stand’s range?”

Kyogen laid down and pulled the borrowed blanket over her form, contemplating this question. “Range? Sharpnote just roams around wherever he pleases, I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

“Avdol said a Stand’s range is a certain distance your Stand can be from you while maintaining their full powers and capabilities,” Kakyoin explained. “Most can be classified as either close-range Stands, like Jotaro’s Star Platinum or long-distance Stands, like my Hierophant Green.”

“Close-ranged Stands need to stay closer to their users for optimal power, while long-distance ones can be controlled at a further distance,” Jotaro supplied.

“Hm,” Kyogen said, slowly digesting this new information. What would Sharpnote classify as? She never gave her Stand much thought and just let go about as it pleases, as long as it didn’t make any trouble. “I’m not sure.”

“Alright. Hopefully, we’ll be able to figure out your Stand’s range later on. I’m going to sleep now. Good night you two.”

“Night.”

“Goodnight,” Kyogen sighed.

***

Seagulls screeched overhead as Kyogen navigated through the shipping containers with the group. The weak morning sun shone down upon her as she eyed the towering structures.

“The boat we chartered yesterday should be harbored now,” Joseph said as he led them closer to the docks.

Kyogen was surprised to see Polnareff step out in front of the group. She thought that the French man would have left already and wondered how he found them.

“What’s wrong,” Avdol asked. “Is there something else you need?”

Polnareff said, “I haven’t thanked you for freeing me from Dio’s spell yet.”

“You’ll need to thank Jotaro for that.”

“Don’t need it,” Jotaro grunted.

Kyogen huffed in amusement as Avdol chuckled and said, “It appears there’s no one to accept your kind thanks.”

“All right, I’ll accept that,” Polnareff said. He held up a finger and began approaching the group. “But there is something else. Monsieur Joestar, I’d like to ask you a very bizarre question.”

Kyogen internally sighed. Almost everything on this trip had been bizarre. She split off from the group and went to where the dock cut off to the sparkling sea, keeping an ear out for the conversation behind her.

“Forgive my curiosity, but even while eating, you didn’t take off your gloves. Your left arm wouldn’t happen to be a right arm, would it?”

A bizarre question indeed, Kyogen mused as she fiddled with the chain-link barrier beneath her hands. Her heart couldn’t help but lurch in sadness when Polnareff said that he was looking for his sister's murderer. Tragedy and injustices ran ripe in this world, didn’t it? Kyogen knew that Joseph had a prosthetic underneath that glove, she saw it when she was eating dinner with Seiko-sama and the others.

Seiko-sama… Kyogen wondered how the woman was faring. She hoped that the woman would be alright in the time that they were gone. A brief thought of how her mother was faring flashed across her mind but she shoved it down. Kyogen knew that the woman deserved no sympathy from her, but she couldn’t help but think about her. Maybe it was remnants of the love she had for the woman before it was torn out and stomped on.

The sky was clear and beautiful, so Kyogen took the camera out of her bag and aimed it at the skyline, adjusting until a crisp view of the ocean and ships greeted her through the lenses. She was still listening to the conversation behind her.

“I’ve decided to go to Egypt with all of you!” Polnareff said. “If I go after Dio, I’ll be able to find the one who took my sister’s life!”

“I don’t find any problems with that,” Avdol said. The others agreed.

Kyogen turned to the French man and gave a nod. “I hope you’ll find your justice with us.” An idea struck her

“It’s an honor,” Polnareff replied to all of them.

None of them noticed the shutter of her Polaroid as it captured the moment. A photo slid out of the exit slot of Polnareff and the group. Perfect.

Two ladies approached Jotaro, camera in hand as Kyogen turned to the group. “Excuse me!” One of them said, tapping on the male’s shoulders. “Can you take a picture of us, please?”

Kyogen squinted at them disbelievingly, full of questions. She wondered if they ignored the one person who had an actual camera in hand or if they missed her because all these men were so goddamn tall. Shaking her head, Kyogen sighed as the ladies continued pestering Jotaro.

***

It was soothing, the wind blowing past her as she leaned on the railing to watch the sea pass. Kakyoin and Jotaro were reclined on the lounge chairs behind her with Joseph nearby while Polnareff and Avdol were leaning on the railing like her, albeit facing towards the others. Joseph was hassling the boys about their choice of clothing and Kyogen remembered her own.

“So this must be bushido…”Avdol marveled. “Once you clear your mind, even fire seems cool.”

Kyogen turned around, a hand gripping the handle of her backpack. “Well, I’m not too much for bushido,” she stated. “Mr. Joestar, where is the restroom?”

Joseph pointed to a door. “The third left through that door.”

Kyogen tipped her head. “Thank you.”

She followed Joseph’s directions and pushed the door open, nodding respectfully to the sailors as she brushed past them. Pushing the restroom door open, Kyogen dropped her bag on the sink counter and locked the door behind her. Having knee-length tights underneath was convenient but the skirt was too constricting. Kyogen took out her dagger, hoping it would be sharp enough. Some well-placed cuts and a shirt change later, Kyogen walked back out with her old uniform shirt underneath her hand, fixing her low ponytail. The puffy sleeves of the blouse were airier than the stifling uniform shirt and the large droopy bow in front securing her collar was a nice, signature touch. Those fabric ribbons were useful after all.

The cuts on her skirt allowed her to move much better, and she didn’t need to worry about flashing anyone with her tights underneath. Stuffing the rolled-up uniform shirt into her backpack, Kyogen opened the door to some semblance of peace on the deck. Joseph looked at her and gave a thumbs up. “See? Wind has it down! A much-improved outfit.”

Jotaro looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “What took you so long?” He asked.

Kyogen lifted a segment of her skirt. “I had to do a few adjustments. She stated simply.

Joseph threw his head back and laughed. “Wow! You’re pretty handy, kid! Can you sew, Wind?”

“Yes.” Kyogen jabbed a thumb to her backpack. “I have a small kit I packed myself in there.”

“Practical and functional, I like it!”

“Your shirt looks like something a Pilgrim would wear,” Jotaro said.

Kyogen huffed when she heard Jotaro say that. Certainly a creative comment, for sure. “You really can’t say anything, Kujo.” Considering the large golden chain hanging from his collar.

The door behind her burst open and Kyogen moved as a sailor dragged out a kid in overalls. Eh? She thought that Joseph said that this boat was reserved only for them. “Let go of me, you big lug!” The kid yelled, flailing in the sailor’s grip.

A kid… they looked young, about twelve or so, maybe a boy.

“I thought we agreed there’d be no passengers on this ship!” Joseph said.

The sailor turned to him and apologized above the kid’s yelling. “It’s a stowaway. This brat was hiding in the storage down below.”

Threats flew from the kid’s mouth as Kyogen tentatively approached them. The sailor picked him up by the scruff of his shirt. “Shut up! I’ll turn you over to the naval police!”

The kid managed to worm out of the sailor’s grip, backing away from him. “P-Please! Let me go! I just want to go see my dad in Singapore. I’ll do anything! I’ll work as hard as you want!”

Kyogen’s heart hurt to hear the desperation in the kid’s voice. She wasn’t sure of him accompanying the group though. Things could get dangerous. She frowned as the sailor pulled the kid’s cheek cruelly, mocking him even as he begged. It seemed like the kid got sick of his mockery, biting the sailor in the arm and leaping overboard.

“What the—!” Kyogen yelled, running to where the kid leaped off.

Kakyoin leaned out next to her. “Is he planning to swim to land from here? What should we do?”

“This isn’t good!” The sailor yelled, “Sharks gather around these parts!”

Kyogen cussed and backed away from the railing, pulling out a dagger and bringing it to her mouth. She bit down sideways on the handle. No time to waste, that kid needed help. She tossed her backpack and took a running dive over the side of the sea.

“Kid! Get back—WIND!”

She hit the water before the bag hit the floor. Resurfacing, Kyogen quickly began swimming to the kid. Kid first, worry later.

“Shark! Behind you!”

Sharpnote burst out of her and landed on the said animal. Kyogen flipped on her back and took the knife from her mouth. It was meant to be a last resort, in case the shark came too close. Her Stand placed its palms on the shark and crystals erupted out of it, pushing the shark underwater as Sharpnote leaped off and went back to Kyogen. The shark resurfaced, dead, a few feet away from the kid as Kyogen reached him.

“Climb on to my back, I can swim better with two hands,” Kyogen grunted. The kid quickly paddled to her and wrapped his—wait, no—her arms around her neck. There was no time to ponder this new change as Kyogen put her dagger back in her mouth and began stroking her way back to the ship. With the added weight, it was taking longer than Kyogen liked to get back.

Kyogen glanced up at where the group was when they began yelling about something behind her.

“Behind you! Something is following you!” Joseph yelled. A glance back revealed the shark carcass split in half and a shadowed form following her and the girl. Oh no no no. Kyogen pushed herself to swim faster to get closer to the life preserver. Ten feet, five feet, two feet. Her heart hammered in her chest.

“I got you, Wind!” Kakyoin yelled above her.

A hand grabbed the back of her blouse and hauled her and the kid out of the water as the creature erupted out from underneath, shredding the life preserver. Kyogen landed harshly back on deck with the kid on top of her. The rough landing knocked the cap off the kid’s head and loose locks of hair fell out, confirming what she felt as the kid clung to her. Kyogen wheezed and wiped the salt water from her eyes. The kid slid off her as she got to her hands and knees and hacked up some saltwater accidentally ingested in the panic.

“Wind, are you alright?” Kakyoin asked.

“That was stupid of you,” Jotaro stated. “You could have died.”

Kyogen simply gave them a thumbs up from her position.

Whatever that tried to attack her, it must have been a Stand. Kakyoin and the rest of the males were eyeing the girl next to her and Kyogen picked up her dropped dagger. The girl flinched away and unfolded a switchblade as Kyogen got to her feet. “W-What’s with you jerks, all glaring at me like that?!? I don’t know what’s going on, but do you all want a fight?!?” She brandished the blade threateningly in the air. “Don’t underestimate me, I’ll take you on!”

Kyogen pushed back the dripping wet hair from her face. At least her hair tie didn’t fall off, but she had to take it off to wring out some saltwater from her hair. She was frankly amused and irritated by the girl’s antics. This girl certainly had a mouth on her.

Avdol interrupted her yelling. “How’s Dio?” The fortune-teller asked.

“Dio? What the hell is that?”

Polnareff took a threatening step forward. “You little brat! Don’t act like you don’t know!”

“You damn punks! Do you wanna talk or do you wanna get stabbed?”

Alright, most of the water was out of her hair now. Time to end the fun. Something told her that this kid was just a kid, albeit a loud one. “Guys, I have a feeling she isn’t our Stand user,” Kyogen said. “If that was true, I would be looking like that shark.” Kyogen pointed to the bloodied corpse still floating in the water.

She stepped up and leaned closer to the girl and whispered, “Kid, you’re gonna get yourself hurt bad mouthing other people. Plus,” Kyogen revealed the dagger in her hand, the peachy-pink crystals glimmering as water droplets slid off its shiny surface. “When bringing a knife to a fistfight, you don’t show it until the time is right. It could get you in a lot of trouble.” Kyogen straightened, leaving the kid in stunned silence. “Just a heart-to-heart between us ladies, each one those guys back there can beat the both of us combined, knives or not.”

Kyogen walked back to where her backpack dropped and picked it up with a hand. She was too wet to wear it. Even though it was waterproof, it wouldn’t do to get salt all over the bag. Footsteps approached the group and a shadow fell over them.

“So, this girl is our stowaway?”

The newcomer, who Kyogen assumed was the captain seized the girl by the shoulders. He picked her up and Kyogen frowned as he squeezed the girl’s arm until she dropped the knife.

“Captain, I’d like to ask you something,” Joseph said. “You verified the identities of the ten men on board, right?”

“Of course. All of them are veterans who have been on this boat for over ten years. By the way,” The captain handed the girl over to another sailor. Kyogen watched as he crossed the deck to where Jotaro was, swiping the male’s cigarette in a swift move. “I request that you refrain from smoking on board this ship, where were you going to dispose of the butt when you were done? Were you planning to throw it into the beautiful ocean?” The cigarette sizzled as the captain extinguished it on one of Jotaro’s hat pins.

This man… he sure was fearless.

The captain dropped the butt into Jotaro’s pocket and turned to walk away. “Hold it,” Jotaro said. “You didn’t need to be a condescending prick, you jackass.”

Joseph began scolding him.

“I’m very well aware that I’m being rude,” Jotaro stated. “He isn’t the captain, I figured it out.”

Kyogen tilted her head. “What do you mean Kujo?” She asked. The captain was giving them a confused look as the group began to send questions at Jotaro.

“I’ve found a way to differentiate Stand users from other people,” Jotaro tapped his nose, “If a Stand user inhales even a little bit of cigarette smoke, a vein pops up on the tip of their nose.”

Vein??? Kyogen touched her nose, only to feel smooth skin.

“You can’t be serious, Jotaro!” Polnareff yelled.

“Yeah, I’m lying. But it looks like we found the idiot.”

Kyogen turned to see the captain with his fingers on his nose. Caught red-handed, the man chuckled and took off his hat. “Damn you’re cold,” the captain shrugged, “You’re right though, I’m not the captain. The real one is already sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean back in Hong Kong.”

Jotaro pointed a finger at the man. “Then you can sleep at the bottom of Hell!”

A scaly beast lunged up and seized the stowaway girl, restraining her against its chest. Kyogen’s hand tightened on her dagger. Shit.

“If I tried to take on six of you at once, I would end up with broken bones, so I was going to pick you off one by one. I guess I have no choice now but to take on all of you!”

Kyogen dropped her bag and readied her dagger. It wouldn't be good to rush at him right now, he had the girl.

“I’m going to jump into these shark-infested waters with her,” he gloated. “And of course, you’ll end up following. My Dark Blue Moon is pretty fast underwater, why don’t we test it out? Follow me if you’re prepared to choke to death on all the seawater you’re about to swallow.”

Kyogen rushed at him as he jumped overboard but Star Platinum got to them first, sending a barrage of punches at the Stand as she peered overboard. Star Platinum managed to grab the girl’s hand. “Kid! Kyogen yelled, extending an arm to her. “Can you reach me?”

They had inches between their fingers even as Kyogen leaned as far as she could. She growled and Sharpnote phased out of her, the Stand extending its hand out to grab the girl’s other free hand. An invisible force pulled her to the railing and Kyogen had to drop her dagger and brace herself against the metal bars to prevent herself from going overboard. “FUCK!” Kyogen yelled. Jotaro seemed to be in a similar predicament next to her, leaning dangerously far overboard.

“What’s wrong you two? Why is it so hard to lift the girl up?”

Not the time to panic. Not the time to panic.

She was starting to panic. “Mr. Joestar there’s something wrong, I can’t pull my Stand back.”

“Me either,” Jotaro grunted.

Barnacles began growing on Sharpnote’s hand where it was holding the girl. Star Platinum had a similar problem. Next to her, Jotaro grunted as wounds appeared on his hands. Kyogen was unharmed but another jerk nearly pulled her overboard. Kakyoin came to her aid as he wrapped an arm around her waist to anchor her. Joseph and Avdol were doing the same for Jotaro. Kyogen was the first to go, losing her grip on the railing and plunging overboard. Jotaro followed seconds later, managing to toss the stowaway kid up to Hierophant Green.

Dark Blue Moon and the captain greeted Jotaro and her as they plunged underneath the water. Star Platinum tried to punch him but the captain smirked and simply sent a jet of water at them. Kyogen lost some of her precious air as she hit the ocean floor. Sharpnote was beside her with barnacles still creeping up its hands.

The false captain’s voice projected from his Stand as she righted herself. “Welcome, Welcome! You’ve finally come to where Dark Blue Moon reigns supreme. Even in the ocean, Stands can still communicate, so go ahead. Try to sound cocky like you did earlier.”

Jotaro turned to her. “What do you think, Wind?” He asked through Star Platinum. “Should he become fish cakes? Or maybe sashimi… what fish dish do you think would work?”

“You fool, you’re trying to sound tough boy. Why don’t you be nice and quiet like that girl over there?”

Kyogen bared her teeth at the fake captain in a snarl when he motioned at her.

He laughed. “Both of you act so tough, but on the inside, you’re thinking ‘how long can he stay underwater?’ Let me tell you, my lung capacity is three times the normal human!”

Jotaro nearly choked next to her. This won’t do, they needed to get up. She nudged him and pointed to the surface. The male nodded and thus they began swimming to it. She could see blood flowing from his hands and arms as more and more barnacles grew on the Stands. Sharpnote had some too but Kyogen didn’t have any visible injuries. Perhaps it was the hard nature of the crystals making up the Stand that prevented any damage from registering. Kyogen was getting dizzy, holding her breath for so long, but it didn’t seem like they were making any progress.

“Trying to run away now?” The captain said. “It’s useless! Dark Blue Moon has been creating an underwater whirlpool this whole time!”

Kyogen struggled as they were sucked into the vortex.

“Swim! Swim! It’s only getting harder to breathe! It’s still too early to kill a self-absorbed brat like you yet, but I can make you watch your friend die a watery death!”

He was talking about her… Black-spots were appearing in Kyogen’s vision as she continued struggling against the current. Razor-sharp scales sliced into her skin. Thankfully the scales harmlessly glanced off of Sharpnote next to her. She couldn’t see where Jotaro was through all this chaos and hoped that he and Star Platinum were faring better than her and Sharpnote.

Kyogen could feel herself going weak, the black spots in her vision growing larger. Sharpnote, sensing her weakening resolve, wrapped its arms around her and tried to swim out. Something hard slammed into her head.

The girl went limp.

#jojo x oc #jjba fanfic #jjba x oc #jjba oc insert #oc insert #noriaki kakyoin x oc #jotaro kujo x oc #part 3 oc insert #stardust crusaders oc insert #jojo oc

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steebharringt0n · 5 years ago

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Can I have a Billy hargrove imagine where it's exactly that scene in S3 ep8 where he is over eleven and she's telling him memories of his mum but instead it's the reader. Can you eleven say the same things like "you were happy" and "she was really pretty" but instead of talking about the mum it will be about the readers features like the clothes or that her and Billy are on a date at the beach ?

Sorry this took so long - I was out of town visiting my fiancee’s family and I’ve finaly had time to sit down and write this - hope you enjoy!

—

“Seven … feet”

Billy freezes. He could feel the mind-flayer coursing through his veins, screaming at him to bring him Eleven, but he instantly freezes at the thought of you. He stares at the girl he currently has pinned down on the ground. She’s crying, scared, but she continues to speak softly to him.

“You told her … the wave was seven feet”

His breath hitches as he remembers that day. The day he was able to ride the seven feet wave. He was being stubborn, frustrated at the fact that you both had been at the beach all day and he had not been successful in riding out a wave. But you were relentless. You had pushed him all day to get back up and to keep trying.

And when he finally did it, you were there.

“You ran to her, on the beach … there were seagulls”

He remembers you standing by shoreline, the seagulls squawking loudly as you cheered for him excitedly. Your hair blowing wildly in the wind, your eyes twinkling brightly as the sun hit you, illuminating you in all the right places.

“She wore a hat … with a blue ribbon”

Billy swallows harshly, his jaw clenching tightly. He had dropped his surfboard and engulfed you in his arms. Picking you up, spinning you around wildly as you cheered for him. Your right hand clenched a sun hat, with a dainty blue ribbon in the middle, waving it crazily in the air, as he spun you around.

“A long dress … with a blue and red flower”

He loved that white dress on you, it was his favorite piece of clothing of yours. How it hugged you in all the right places, how beautiful it made you look. He placed you down, you were all covered in water and sand, but you didn’t care. You were proud of him, no one was ever proud of him. But here you were, supporting him, cheering for him, just being there for him.

“Ye - yellow sandals, covered in sand”

Next to both your towels were the yellow sandals you had worn all that summer. it was the same yellow sandals you had wore on your diasterous first date with him, the same yellow sandals you wore when he confessed his love for you, the same yellow sandals you wore whenever you two would go to the beach. Billy suddenly feels himself become more tranquil, his grip on Eleven becoming weak as she continued to sob through the memory.

“She was pretty”

Billy closes his eyes, inhaling deeply as he feels the mindflayer start to lose his grip on himself. He remembers your face. Oh that face of yours. He loved the way you would scrunch up that nose of yours, the way your cheeks would become flushed after a night of love making, the long lashes that covered your deep-set eyes. Your sun kissed skin that would melt with his under the sheets every night. The same face that would kiss playfully kiss his nose. You were his and he was yours and the universe felt like it was all in order.

“She was really pretty”

He had placed you down, and you were beaming proudly at him. You raised your small hand and placed it on his cheek, stroking it softly with your thumb. He leaned down to your touch with his eyes closed and placed a soft kiss on your lips. You breathe out an I love you and he swears, he swears that at that exact moment, everything in his life was perfect.

“And you … you were happy”

Billy nods silently, a single tear trickling down his cheek as he relives the memory. His body was completely wrecked, but his mind was elsewhere, far away from the bloodied battle at the Starcourt Mall, far away from Hawkins, Indiana. His heart aches at the memory, yearning for your touch one last time. Eleven hesistantly reaches up and places her hand on his cheek, the same cheek you had placed your hand on. Billy leans into her touch, feeling the warmth of her hand, pretending that just for one second, it was you touching his cheek.

The mindflayer has completely lost control of Billy.

He hears the howl, the loud screech of the monster, but he’s done, he’s done being a puppet. He’s done being a pawn in it’s little game. He remembers you, and he remembers how proud you were of that day.

He knows what he has to do, he was going to make you proud of him one last time.

Even if it meant never seeing you again.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove fanfiction #Anonymous

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daydreamingfics · 5 years ago

Text

When We Collide - Chapter One

Word Count: 2,535

Chapters Released: 1 - Masterlist

Warnings: Slow Burn (this story won’t be going from 0-100. Hopefully, ya’ll won’t find it to be a complete snooze-fest. Other than that, this chapter really just introduces characters. There may be a swear word or two, but that’s it.

Authors Note: This is the first piece that I’ve written in a very long time, and though I’m nervous about releasing it into the world... I’m also very excited to share this little story that I’ve concocted in my head. I have so many stories that I think up and never post out of fear, and I decided that it ends now. I’m also slowly getting back into second-person style writing as it’s not my favorite, so any feedback on how I can improve is much appreciated! I hope that ya’ll enjoy this story!

*This story is inspired by the song ‘When We Collide’ by Jon Foreman. I would definitely recommend giving the song a listen. Thank you so much for checking out this story!

Ten-minutes into the trek back to Downtown Los Angeles you started seeing signs for Paradise Cove. You had never ventured out to this particular beach mainly because you never really had a reason to be in Malibu, to begin with. But after seeing numerous signs for the location, you decided that a quick pit-stop was worth making time for. Plus, after the shit show morning that you had- the last thing you were in the mood for was the hours of editing that awaited you back in the office. With the exit rapidly approaching, you looked over at your videographer, Reggie, who was operating the wheel.

“Hey Reg, do you mind dropping me off up here at Paradise Cove? I just need a minute to breathe before we attempt to salvage any useful material out of the interview footage.’

Taking a quick glance from the road over to you, Reggie let out a chuckle in understanding. Reggie was an older gentleman, most-likely early fifties, but he’d holler out that he didn’t feel a day over thirty if you were to ask him. The topic of Reggie’s age was often a running joke throughout the office, as no one but the man in question knew of his real age. He had a heart of gold and years of experience in the business. You were thrilled when the two of you had been paired-up for assignments. If there was anything that you didn’t entirely understand or if an interviewee got a little cross with you, Reggie, always had your back. Over time, the two of you had developed a sort of father-daughter type of relationship. Having grown up in a single-mother household, Reggie indeed was the closest thing you’d ever had to a father.

“Sure thing, Y/N. Need me to stick around the area to pick you back up after a while?” Reggie questioned, knocking you out of the momentary daydream that you had fallen into.

Shaking your head, you sent Reggie a small smile. “No, you can go ahead back to the office. I don’t want to keep you. I won’t be long, though, wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun editing ahead of us. I’ll just get an Uber back.” Once the shoreline came into view, you knew that you had made the right decision. It's as if the day's stress was already melting away.

”Here, take this for your ride back. And call me if you need anything.” Reggie voiced as he held out a twenty.

”Reg, I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I may not get any worthwhile assignments, but I do still get a paycheck.” you laughed.

”You know that I won't take no for an answer, Y/N, so just take it.” Reggie replied while placing the crumpled bill into your hand. ”Now go, enjoy yourself! Be safe. Don't talk to strangers! And be home before the street lights come on. It's all types of crazies out in Malibu!”

”Yes, dad. I got it. I got it! Don't worry.” you snickered dramatically as you sent Reggie a wave while exiting the vehicle.

Paradise Cove was precisely that, a picturesque beach situated just off of the Pacific Coast Highway with towering sandstone cliffs that made it feel as if you were in a whole other world. Given that it was a Tuesday afternoon, the beach was virtually vacant, which was precisely what you had desired. You needed a few moments to decompress and rid some of the clutter that had taken up residence inside of your head. Slipping out of your patent leather pumps, you relished in the warmth that surrounded your toes as you took your first steps onto the golden sand. Your hometown was a small coastal community so, naturally, you were a sea lover by heart. It saddened you that in the year and a half since moving out to California, you could count on one hand how many times you got to have a beach day. Making a mental note to work on actually having a life outside of the office, you gathered your shoes in one hand and followed the sound of the waves crashing against the shore until you were right where the land and sea meet. Tilting your head towards the infinite blue sky, you inhaled the salty air and allowed the warm breeze to cascade all around you. Nothing but the sound of the waves and the seagulls screeching as you shut your eyes and lived in the moment.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as you walked along the pristine shoreline. Nearly an hour had passed since Reggie dropped you off, yet you couldn't get enough. Every way you veered, your eyes discovered something new. A few more people had wandered out by this point, yet the calmness remained. You watched as children created sandcastles, and splashed to their heart's content in the majestic blue waters. Not wanting to wander too deep into the unknown, you decided to turn around and go back the way you came. It was then that your eyes landed on him. You didn't recall seeing him previously, so you figured that he couldn't have been sat there long. He looked to be about your age with grey, almost silver-hued hair that was fashioned in an odd cut. In all honesty, the style would likely look hideous on anyone else, but he pulled it off. From your view, you also happened to notice that he had a multitude of piercings adorning his ears, and some type of slit going through one eyebrow it appeared. Again, you thought of just how unflattering that would look on anyone else. Yet, here, this guy was making it work. Really making it work. You contemplated getting closer to where he sat, maybe even striking up a conversation, but what would you even say. ’Nice weather we’re having?’

Aside from that, the fact that he was alone was a good indication that he had come out here with intentions similar to your own. For peace or quite, perhaps, both. He appeared to be rooted in thought and clearly focused on what he was doing. A notebook was his primary focal point, and you watched as he scribbled word after word inside of the book. He seemed to be on a roll, and the last thing you wanted was to be some random chick disturbing his focus. So, you decided that you’d just continue to admire from afar until you passed him. No harm in just looking, right? As long as you kept it discrete and didn't give off any grade-A creeper vibes, it’d be fine. You just couldn’t shake the feeling that, for some reason, this complete stranger felt familiar to you. He had this aura about him, and you racked your brain trying to place his face but kept coming up blank. As your feet drew you closer to where he sat, you struggled to fix your eyes on something else. Anything else. But, nothing quite caught your attention like him. Deciding that you had about one more quick look left before you would appear completely stalker-ish, you glimpsed back at the boy one final time, only this time he was gazing right back with a knowing smile.

You completely stopped moving at the sight as if somehow standing still would make you invisible, but no. Red leaked into your cheeks as you nervously mirrored his captivating smile, and even braved casting a small wave in this direction, to which he thankfully returned. How embarrassing would it have been if he were looking at someone else? You mused as your mind became momentarily distracted, thinking up all types of worse case scenarios. Peering over at the boy once more, you were shocked to see that he had shifted his positioning slightly and made just enough space on the beach towel for one more. For the second time in mere minutes, the two of you locked eyes as he motioned for you to come and join him. Were you really going to just waltz on over and sit near a man that you knew absolutely nothing about? Yes, that was precisely what you were going to do. The image of Reggie giving you his ‘don’t talk to strangers’ lecture replayed in your head on a loop as you made your way over to the boy. You cautiously sat down beside the stranger, attempting to keep as much distance in-between the two of you as possible, which proved to be no small feat considering that the beach towel was intended for one. You could feel the awkward level rising as neither of you spoke a word, just sat there staring at each other with matching smiles and curious features.

“I’m Hongjoong.” he finally voiced after a few more seconds of silence. The sound of his voice was even better than you had thought it would be. You could sense that English wasn’t his native tongue, but at that moment, you could have sworn that the boy had invented the entire English language all by himself.

“I’m Y/N. It’s really nice to meet you, Hongjoong,” you uttered nervously. Being this close to him was making you feel all mushy inside, and it was taking every fiber in your being to keep your shit together. The last thing you wanted was to create a complete fool of yourself.

After the initial awkwardness had worn off, the conversation between the two of you flowed seamlessly. Hongjoong was so animated and passionate with his words, and you quickly found yourself hanging onto every single one. Though you hadn’t known the man for long, you had already reached one conclusion, he was magnificent. You opened up and shared parts of yourself that had been locked away for years with Hongjoong because, for some reason, you felt as if you’d known him your entire life. He assured you that the feeling was mutual as you both revealed more than you probably should have considering you’d just met. Hongjoong had even let you in on why he had chosen to spend his day off at the beach, stating that he was in search of inspiration. Though the two of you never discussed your careers, you did discover that the notebook you’d seen him writing in were lyrics that he had composed. He briefly mentioned that his reasoning for being in the US was for business, so you just assumed that he was a songwriter or something along those lines. The sound of your phone ringing interrupted your conversation with Hongjoong, and you cast an apologetic look his way as you searched your purse for the device.

[ 1 Missed Call - Reg (Papa Bear) ]

“Wow, the time. Have we really been talking for over two hours? My co-worker probably thinks that I got swept away at sea by now.” you giggled.

The comment elicited a chorus of cackles from Hongjoong, and it was at that moment you realized just how much you adored his laugh.

“I can’t believe it either. Time goes fast when you’re in the best company!” Hongjoong proclaimed while pulling out his own device and checking the time.

“I was wondering if-” he started but then stopped just as quickly with his eyebrows furrowing slightly. You could sense that he was perhaps anxious about something, but you weren’t sure what it could be. He laughed somewhat and subtly scratched the back of his neck with one hand while outstretching his other that contained his cell phone to you. Oh, that explains the sudden rush of nervousness. You knew that you wanted to see Hongjoong again, but you didn’t want to be the one who initiated the whole number exchange, so you were more than thrilled that he went for it. With an even more full grin, you grabbed the device and handed over yours so that he could do the same. The minute your device was back in your hands, it started ringing again. You were seriously going to blast Reggie later on for cockblocking you not once, but twice. Not wanting your time with Hongjoong to come to an end you ignored the call and slipped your phone back into your purse, Reggie was going to have to wait for a little longer. When you looked back up, Hongjoong’s eyes were already fixed on you. A few moments of silence passed, but unlike the beginning of your conversation, this silence was comfortable. When your phone began blaring once again, you knew that, unfortunately, you would have to leave and rejoin the real world. Sitting along the shore with the wind in your hair conversing with the most attractive man you’d ever encountered, felt like a dream. One that you never wanted to wake up from. The look in his eyes mimicked your own, and you prayed to all the gods that this wouldn’t be the end of your story with Hongjoong.

“That’s work that keeps calling... I was meant to be back awhile ago, but I- I honestly didn’t want this moment to end. Thank you for this Hongjoong, it’s just what I needed. I’ve enjoyed getting to know snippets about you.” you expressed. The vibrant smile that etched its way upon his features let you know that your words were well received and reciprocated.

“No, thank you. Y/N. I came here hoping for inspiration, and now I have more than I could imagine. All because of you. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit and talk with someone about all different things. Things that I don’t usually share.” Hongjoong cooed as he cautiously reached for your hand and lifted it up to his lips. He then proceeded to place a feather-light kiss upon the back of your hand, all while never breaking eye contact. This man was going to ruin you, and you were completely okay with that.

“I have a hectic schedule coming up, but I will call, okay? I’ll find the time.” Hongjoong expressed while pulling you in for an embrace. You weren’t expecting the hug but welcomed it gladly as you wrapped your arms around his frame and simply just took pleasure in the final moments that you two would share until the next time. God, you hoped for the next time to come sooner rather than later. You simply nodded along as he spoke the words directly into your ear and squeezed you a little tighter as his tongue rolled over each syllable. You knew from past experiences how daft it was to put so much faith in a man, especially one that you had just met, but the words didn’t seem contrived or untrue coming from Hongjoong. He said he’d call, and you believed him.

Even if all you and Hongjoong were meant to have was this moment, the memory of being in his arms and the incredibly unexpected yet unusual time that the two of you had shared would never leave you.

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strugglingtoast · 6 years ago

Text

Into the Woods

I missed the LU prompt discord- Music. But I am proud of this work. It was a bit difficult to get it at 3k words, but I managed to do it, somehow.

Song used: Into the Woods by Cilla Jane. I absolutely loved the animation this person did for it.

. It had been a long day of traveling for the band of heroes. Nothing eventful had happened, other than a few monsters here and there. An expanse of grass laid before them as they trudged through. Many began to speculate that they were in Wild’s Hyrule, yet the scarred hero denied it as there was nothing to tie the land to him. No familiar landmarks. Not even the grass was the same, or so what Wild believed. Eyes rolled and words were mumbled as the boys trudged tiredly along.

Tired eyes could see that the land was ever so constant, yet ever changing. It would be subtle changes, such as the color of the grass, or the color of the trees. Many speculated it to tricks of the mind or simply the exhaustion that was ever creeping in from the long walk. But the heroes could not deny that something was amiss when the sky darkened so suddenly, the sun vanishing and the sky letting out stars as a sign that it was way passed into the night.

Exhaustion hit everyone like a harsh blow. It was no question that camp needed to be set and now. No one argued. No one asked for dinner. Sleep was demanded and sleep was given. The cool night air was blissfully delicious that the boys didn’t bother to properly roll out their blankets. And soon, all was quiet. Wind was the first to drift off. The grass felt surprisingly soft as it cradled around his head. The crickets sang their song and his thoughts were sent to an abyss of dreams.

—–

The cry of seagulls was the first thing Wind heard. Begrudgingly, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and he awoke with a start. He did a stretch that made his body feel satisfied as his muscles pulled and joints popped. Scratching his head and lightly smacking his lips, Wind looked around to an empty camp. It was the shock that woke up his sleep addled brain as he cautiously spoke out.

“Guys?”

No answer.All quiet.

“Hey, guys?” he tried once more.

Again. Silence.

A cold dread began to settle as he stood up and looked for his companions.Sadly, it was just him.

Alone.

He ran. In a desperate attempt, he ran in search and then he felt nothing.

—-

Wind woke up to the screeching of seagulls once again. Grabbing at his head, he quickly looked around and felt a sense of relief wash over him. The others had left their things in place of their absence. Now it was up to Wind to find his fellow friends. Maybe they were looking for cooking supplies. Or probably they went some place to practice their fighting. Whatever thought that was about to be expressed, it was soon cut off as his name was called.

Looking to the direction of where his name was called, Wind felt a sense of excitement as he quickly stood up and ran towards the tree line.

Every step that was taken, the grass had seem to grow taller. Every breath taken, a giggle escaped as Wind believed he was playing a game of hide and seek. Soon, he was barely looking over the wisps of grass, each blade tickling his face.

Peeking over, Wind could have sworn the treeline would have been there, not hundreds of feet away. He was taken aback when he blinked to see the treeline several steps away. He blinked several times to absolutely make sure that the treeline would not move so suddenly.

Satisfied, he reached to part the grass and walk through when a hand caught his attention.

The hand was small. Chubby. As if it belonged to a small child.

Horror seeped into his soul when he realized that that small, chubby hand belonged to none other than himself. Wind grabbed at his face. Pudgy cheeks slightly squeezed from between his fingers.

He wanted to scream, and he did. Nothing but a dying sound escaped past his lips. It was a grand shock as Wind could not get his mind to wrap around this strange occurrence. It had to be some sort of dark magic. Yes. It just had to be.

If this was the case, Wind had to find his friends quickly before they befell the same fate. Or worse. The voices he heard calling his name came from the direction of the forest.

Taking a step from the tall grass, he suddenly became afraid. The trees no longer felt welcoming. A fog shrouded the woods curling and shifting around as a breeze pushed them along.

“Wind.”

Gazing beyond the trees, he tried to listen ever so closely.

“Wind.”

Was that… Hyrule?

“Wind.”

No. Now it sounded just like… just like him.

How?

None of this was making any sense. How could it?

Whatever this dark force was, it really is succeeding in messing with his head. Nothing was sounding right.

The cries of seagulls sounded so near, yet so far. How is this possible? An ocean was nowhere near him; or so he thought. The fog obscured anything and everything, and the breeze… Oh Hylia, the breeze, although cool, did not carry the scent of salt, rather the scent of some sweet smelling herbs. If Wind paid attention to the scent, inhaled even more, the breeze would have carried a hint of salt. But he would never know. The scent of herbs just felt overpowering. He traced it back to the woods.

Eyes squinted at the treeline. Searching for a sign, anything, really.

Wind could feel himself suddenly slipping into a dark void. Everything wanted to swallow him whole.

“Hey.”

And everything stopped. Wind gathered his bearings and glanced around. The seagulls still seemed to screech far off. A slight breeze gently touching his face as if it were caressing it.

“Wind.”

“Hey.”

Who was speaking?

The breeze seemed to die down as the overpowering scent of herbs came at him. He wanted to turn back. Maybe his friends were already back at camp. Maybe everything was- but something was beckoning him to come into the woods.

The woods were eerily silent.What if the others were in there? How could he know? He felt so alone in this moment. Wind just wanted to cry. What if something happened to his friends and he wasted time? What if they were hurt and hopefully waiting for him to find them? To bring help? What if-

All thoughts were abruptly cut off when a soft voice sang out.

I went into the woods today to see what I could find

That sounded just like… his own voice.

Wind looked around. No one but him was there. Wind was about to call out but when nothing came, he remembered that for some odd reason, he was mute. Just little gasps and noises could escape. If this was the strange magic, it truly was something of greater power. What if it was the dark shadows? A shiver ran down his spine at that thought. Again, that voice sang out.

I went into the woods today to see what I could find

Wind felt a pull as he stepped away from the safety of the tall grass and towards the woods. Fog began to envelop him as the tall grass disappeared from view and the trees loomed over. There was quiet as the voice sat in silence.

The only thing preventing a total silence was the sounds of grass being stepped on. Gazing up from what the trees could be hiding, Wind halted his steps

I saw an owl and he told me that he was wise

There goes the voice again.

And what does he know, an actual owl was sitting amongst the branches. It held itself with poise. Upon further inspection, the owl had a slight golden glow with markings that strongly resembled Time. An airless laugh escaped. What a funny thought.

Wind was brought out of his musings when the owl spoke.

“Hello, little one.”

Its voice sounded burdened. Tired. Yet…it was filled with such a fondness that Wind could not stop himself from stepping closer to the base of the tree.

Picking a soft spot in the grass, Wind sat and listened to what the owl had to say. He heard the tales and legends of the heroes before his time. The owl shared his words of wisdom. Some were fighting techniques, while others were a slice of life.

Wind just soaked it up. The owl looked around and glanced down at the little boy by the base of the tree.

“My time is up, I must go.”

Wind could only widen his eyes as he saw the owl fly away and disappear into the fog, but not before dropping a joy pendant into his hand. Wind could only stare at it sadly, clutching it gently in small hands before wearing the necklace around his neck. A moment of silence was given until it was broken by the sing-song voice

I went into the woods today to see what I could find

And in he went further into the woods.

I saw a fox and he told me to run away and hide

The fog seemed to dissipate as Wind neared a small clearing. Mushroom and blue flowers overran the clearing with a slight glow to them. But what made Wind gasp in child-like wonder was the little blue fox smack dab in the middle. It’s whole being glowed blue in what little light the fog filtered through. This fox looked so much like what Wild would always describe. Wind was even shown a picture of one. A… blurpee? No, blupee. Sounds about right.

A snap of a twig made two eyes connect.

Those blue eyes… Wild?

No. Just like the owl, this was another funny thought. But Wind stopped his train of thought as he noticed the fox visibly relax after fighting a fight or flight response. Taking one tentative step, Wind finally came into the clearing.

“Wind.”

The fox spoke, it was barely above a whisper, a gentle caress to his ears that held so much love and care.

Wind couldn’t help but take the fox in his arms and spin round and round in circles. A breeze blew through, carrying a hidden mixture of salt and herbs, but Wind paid no mind. He just held this tiny fox. It felt… right.

Finally holding it at arm’s length, Wind looked into its eyes. There was so much pain in them. He wondered briefly what the poor thing had experienced before a growl reached his ears. Wind looked at the fox. Tiny fangs peered through as a snarl threatened to spill out. The fox was no longer looking at Wind, instead, it was looking past him. A chill ran through his spine as Wind also looked in the general direction the fox was looking at.

Finally, the fox broke free from the young boy’s grasp as he came to defend him. Fur bristled and snarls were released.

“Wind. Run and hide.”

He said take your chances run and hide

Whatever was within the trees, it was big. A dark presence within the shadows screamed danger and the surrounding plant life began to wilt and die.

As much as he tried, Wind was rooted to the spot. His legs would not move, he could not bolt. Fear gripped his heart and his breathing began to quicken.

“Wind!”

He looked down as the tiny fox pulled his pant leg with all its might. The dark being was coming ever so closely, stalking towards him. Red eyes and jagged teeth appeared. Long claw like hands came up, ready to deliver a deadly blow. Taking a huge gulp of what he felt like would be his last breath, the stench of death hit him.

“WIND! RUN AND HIDE!”

He said take your chances run and hide

A switch flipped in his brain as his legs finally gave in to the harsh tugging of the fox. And he ran. The fox ran alongside.

“Wind!”

“Hey, Wind!”

“Hurry!”

By some act of the goddess, Wind found his voice.

“I’m c-coming! I’m coming!”

It was said with such desperation. His friends were in need of him. He was coming. He was coming. Whatever was chasing him was still hot on his heels. Low branches and brushes swiped and scratched at his legs and face, threatening to slow him down. Goddess be damned if he was caught. He pushed through; he was coming for them. Each and every one of his dearest companions. He was coming. He was-

He was getting tired.

His pacing began to slow down as the fox sped up. The thing chasing still not giving up. Black was beginning to seep through. The fog began to get intense and Wind saw the fox disappear just like the owl. The dark beast roared once as it pushed and lunged to capture the young boy, drag him down into the void. Wind cried and gasped out, only to find his voice leaving him once again. He wanted to scream. A far away growl resounded as the beast seemed to finally give up.

Relief came like a flood to Wind. He finally slowed down and collapsed. Exhaustion was evident as it pulled at his mind. He just wanted to sleep. Oh Hylia. The grass felt great. The fog enveloped his small form like a blanket, the scent of herbs finally wafting through, cleansing the air of death. Wind closed his eyes as his own voice sweetly echoed around.

I went into the woods today to see what I could see

Blinking bleary eyes, Wind looked at the setting. It was weird. Where was…

“Friends!”

It sounded dry, weird.

Wind thought he was alone but the sight before him proved him wrong.

I saw a deer and she told me that she was free

The lyric just spilled out of his lips. The deer before him was perched on a small hill. He wanted to question how he knew the song, but he just accepted it. It was weird. Everything was weird. He was nowhere near finding his friends, and here was this deer glowing like the other two animal encounters, and spouting how she was free. Exactly how?

Something about this deer felt so familiar to Wind. Her ethereal glow resembled a golden purity. He did not feel worthy to be in her presence; yet, it felt so right.

A sense of righteous fear overcame him. It finally dawned on him that this deer was of pure essence. A goddess. Hylia, herself.One step back was taken, towards the foggy woods. And that was it. She stood up and bowed her head as the voice, his own voice sang

She said stay a while don’t be afraid

The second lyric made a confidence spring forth as he slowly approached the deer. Dearly afraid that if one wrong move was made, the deer would flee, taking her warm essence and leaving Wind alone.

When she made no motion of running away, Wind stepped closer and closer. He went to one knee to pray and pay his respects but was stopped as the deer nudged him. He felt such love from her. She did not speak, but her eyes did. They held such fondness for him. But they also held regret and pain. Why so?

Wind looked to his hand and noticed that the triforce of courage glowed steadily as it pulsed in rhythm to the glow of the holy being in front. He held it out. The deer nosed at his hand. Everything became brighter. It became warm. A flash of light and a change of scene.

Wind walk out of the woods with the triforce of courage glowing brightly. The Joy pendant steadily swinging to his rhythm and the scrapes and cuts all but gone. He no longer was a small boy. He was Link, Hero of Wind. With renewed strength given to him by the encounter with the goddess, he set out to go find and save his friends.

The voice sang the final lyric as it was carried away by the breeze.

I went into the woods today to see what I could find.

——-

Seagulls screeched once more. The breeze filtered through an open window. Sounds of gentle waves crashing along with gentle snores intermingled.

Snores?

Forcing his eyes to open caused a sound of regret to leave his lips. Touching his head, Wind felt a damp rag. Grabbing it, he sniffed it tentatively. He couldn’t help but scrunch his nose as he inhaled the heavy scent of herbs.

Groggily taking the time, Wind looked at his surroundings. They were not familiar. He could have sworn that he just came out from the woods. He was on his way to find the other…

“The others!”

Wind hissed as a slight headache pounded his ears. Goddess, what kind of beating did he take? He looked around as he saw two people in the room with him.

Mumbling came out from the figure that slept at the foot of his bed.Realization dawned on him that it was Hyrule. To his left, Wild was passed out on a small couch, hands barely holding on to a near empty bowl.

Footsteps drew Wind to look at the door as Warriors came in.

A slight gasp left his lips, and he called for the others to come as their friend was awake. It also prompted the two sleeping heroes to awaken with a start.

“Hey buddy!” gentle arms wrapped around him, warm just like the goddess deer.

“We thought we lost you there.”

Confusion crowded Wind’s face, as the others finally came into the room, gathering all around him as smiles went all around.

“W-what do you mean? I was… we were walking Hyrule field and then… and then you all disappeared and I was-”

“Wind?” Sky called. “We never came close to Hyrule Field. We were in Four’s Hyrule when suddenly we found ourselves close to the outskirts of Faron Woods in Wild’s world.”

“Everything was great, but suddenly you fell terribly ill. It was a strange occurrence. We couldn’t tell if it was something you ate or were exposed to.”

Touching Legend’s shoulder, Twilight continued, “We thought you would be okay if we let you rest as we ventured to the nearest village. You finally seemed like you were coming around once we checked in at the inn. But, it was only the beginning of your condition.”

“You actually started to become delirious. We tried calling out to you, but you became unresponsive.”

“Gave us a quite a scare there, punk.”

“Wild and I worked around the clock to make sure you got proper care since you started to develop a high fever.”

“You kept on going from delirious to unconscious. Words were tumbling from your mouth but we could only understand you saying woods.”

“Stubborn fever would not go down. In fact, it actually almost claimed your life.”

“The goddess must have heard our prayers though. Slowly, it came down and completely broke.”

“How long was I out for?”

“Two days.”

“And I got sick. With a fever?”

“Yes.”

“That explains everything!”

Confused looks were directed at one another as they all settled on Wind’s beaming smile.

“Are we sure the fever is gone? He’s too bright for someone who almost died from a fever.”

“Really, Legend?”

A head was smacked and the seagulls screeched along the laughter the other heroes let out.

——

“I could have sworn Time! That owl looked so much like you! It spoke like you too!” Wind did a terrible attempt of Time’s deep voice. It only earned him a small smile from the older hero as the younger beamed with pride at his voice over.

“But I was a kid in those woods. And Wild was there as a fox! He looked so adorable! I could not help but spin him around and around.”

A laugh was ripped from Time as he envisioned the whole ordeal.

“But you would not believe who else I saw in my dream?”

“Who else?”“The goddess herself! She was this really cool deer and I just felt so safe and warm and I got such renewed strength from her to find you guys!”

A fond smile graced Time’s face as he saw the boy animatedly talking about his fever dream. It was a fantastic breath of fresh air that fitted the boy wonderfully.

Wind walked amongst the sandy shores of Lurelin Village with Time. He slowed down for a brief moment as a sudden glow caught his eye. He smiled at the familiarity of it all. Gazing behind him, Time noticed Wind smiling at something that was not visible to him. He had a feeling of who it could have been. He ruffled Wind’s hair.

“Let’s be quick on our feet, Wind. Wild mentioned that there was treasure in these waters.”

Glancing towards Time, he sent another smile as he nodded and began walking, glancing down at his hand. Catching up to Time, Wind began to hum.

I went into the woods today to see what I could find.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #toast writes #i am so proud of this work #lu discord prompt

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