#... apparently i am actually not fine yet from our cats passing... well fuck...

[saintedbythestorm]

Oh... oh I did not handle that flashback well... oh lord...

[dahbeez]

1. "You're such a dork."

2. "Get over here, you doof."

3. "Cheeky."

4. "You're so needy."

5. "Kiss me again."

6. "You're so adorable!"

7. "Look at you... goodness, you're so cute!"

8. "I'm just so happy!"

9. "I can't stop smiling."

10. "I like that you make me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt."

11. "You are being extra sweet today."

12. "Oh, look at you!"

13. "Your eyes are so pretty."

14. "I'm really happy that you're here with me."

15. "Thank you for staying with me."

16. "I don't think I've ever loved someone this much before."

17. "I feel like I'm in the clouds when I'm with you."

18. "You're like my hero/heroine."

19. "I'm gonna tickle you if you don't come over here."

20. "My, oh my. You are such a beautiful creature."

@drink-it-write-it​

21. "Go with me?" "As long as you hold my hand."

22. "Is there a reason you're blushing like that?"

23. "Have you seen my hoodie?" "Nooooo..." "You're wearing it, aren't you?"

24. "OH you're jealous!"

25. "Can we stay like this forever?"

26. "Please just kiss me already."

27. "I think you might be my soulmate."

28. "Sleep over? Please?"

29. "Are we on a date right now?"

30. "I think I'm in love with you."

31. "Are you flirting with me?" "You finally noticed?"

32. "Am I your lockscreen?" "You weren't supposed to see that."

33. "I wish we could live together already."

34. "They're so cute when they're asleep."

35. "I just wanted to let you know that I think you're beautiful."

36. "Quit touching me, your feet are cold!"

37. "Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!"

38. "Give me attention."

39. "You met me yesterday." "Yes, and I would die for you. Next question."

40. "She's hiding behind the sofa."

41. "Did you just hiss at me?"

@wishiwasanavenger-archive​

42. "Have you kissed anyone before?"

43. "Can I kiss you?"

44. "You're not hurting me, you're not heavy. I've got you, love.” 

45. "I look at them and I just... it's like when the Grinch's heart grows three sizes."

46. "I don't... I've never... been in a relationship before and I'm going to make mistakes... I just need you to tell me. I need you to talk to me."

47. "You didn't tell me your friend was cute! Now what am I going to do?"

48. "You give me a reason to be better, to do better."

49. "God, you are so fucking cute."

50. "I love you, but I need you to go away because you're really bloody distracting and I have to pass this test tomorrow."

51. "Oh no... they're cute."

52. "I can't talk to cute people, okay? I don't know how to flirt!"

53. "God, I love your face."

54. "Don't look at me, I'm a mess!" "I love it when you're a mess!"

55. "Please do your homework for me...? Just one time." ... "I said one time, y'know... you didn't have to start studying. Not that I'm not proud or anything."

56. "I'm already home."

57. "Your comfort and happiness is more important to me than some stupid dinner."

58. "Stop moving! I'm going to have to start counting all over again!"

59. "I just thought that since you weren't feeling too good, this would help."

60. "I'm not kissing you in the rain! We'll catch our death!"

61. "Would it help if I stayed?"

62. "I apologise sincerely if my beautiful/handsome face has kept you up all night."

63. "God, you're pretty."

64. "Calm down, it's just a chocolate bar!"

65. "Please, tell me you brought a toothbrush?"

66. "You take the bed, you need it more than me."

67. "You're so warm!"

68. "You're freezing, Jesus!"

69. "You always look beautiful."

70. "Your hands are so small!"

71. "Sometimes I just want to cuddle, okay? Is that so bad?"

72. "Now I know where half my wardrobe went."

73. "Here, let me just–" 

74. "You're really special to me."

75. "That tickles!"

76. "We only have one room left for the night..."

77. "Naps are life, okay?"

78. "I don't think I could love you anymore than I already do."

79. "I had the weirdest dream..."

80. "I got you a trophy, it's only plastic, but it's for being the best human I know."

81. "Someone keeps leaving love notes in my locker and I don't know if I should find it endearing or creepy..."

82. "I love your voice."

83. "Put me down! I can walk!"

84. "Can... can you come over?"

85. "You're the best."

86. "Can you please stop biting your lip, it's distracting."

87. "I thought you liked love songs!"

88. "I know you're not a fan of Valentine's day... I just thought that maybe I could change your mind..."

89. "You're my favourite know-it-all."

90. "That was the least romantic proposal in the entire history of proposals."

91. "I never knew you were a romantic at heart."

92. "I made it. For you. I know it's not the best, but..."

93. "Let me carry that."

94. "How do you know my favourite drink?" "I'm observant."

95. "We've known each other's for years and I don't think we've ever had a proper conversation."

96. "You're the clumsiest person I know, how did you survive past childhood?"

97. "It's always time for a milkshake."

98. "You know, humming the James Bond theme tune defeats the point of sneaking."

99. "I think your cat wants to kill me."

100. "Where have all my jumpers gone?"

101. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

102. "Oh my God, I love you."

103. "I told you to bring a jacket."

@writings-of-a-hufflepuff​

104. "Is that my shirt?" "You mean our shirt?"

105. "It's you, it always has been."

106. "You're everything I could've wanted and more."

107. "Kiss me."

108. "Home stopped being a place when you entered my life."

109. "You should probably go home." "But I'm already home."

110. "You're an idiot." "But you love me."

111. "I'd do anything for you."

112. "You took all the pillows so I'm using you as one."

113. "Stop moving and let me braid your hair."

114. "I'm so proud of you."

115. "You are my family."

116. "I'm right here."

117. "Can you just please hold me?"

118. "I'm pretty sure they're my soulmate."

119. "This reminded me of you."

120. "Your hair is really soft."

121. "Are you blushing?"

122. "Can I stay here tonight?"

123. "Because I love you."

124. "Make a wish!"

125. "I love seeing you smile."

126. "You're just a softie."

127. "You are crushing me right now."

128. "Darling I love you and all, but please step out of the kitchen."

129. "Take my hand. Just trust me."

130. "You're the only thing that matters."

131. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

132. "Hey, look at me. Focus on me, alright?"

133. "Why can't I get you out of my head?"

134. "Don't let go."

135. "Stay."

@blisfvll​

136. "You smell really nice."

137. "If you steal the blanket, I'm going to put my cold feet on you."

138. "You're comfy."

139. "But I want to hear you sing."

140. "Don't get up – I'll do it."

141. "Care to give me a back scratch?"

142. "Your bed head is really cute."

143. "How about a kiss?"

144. "Uh oh, I know that look. What do you want?"

145. "Are you really flirting with me right now?"

146. "I like the way your hand fits in mine."

147. "You have something in your hair, umm... do you want me to get it out?"

148. "It's nice that your voice is the first thing I heard today."

149. "This movie is really scary, but you're into it so I'm trying not to cover my face the whole time but– WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

150. "Wait, don't pull away... not yet."

151. "Half the time I get too embarrassed to say anything."

152. "No, it's fine. I can wait until you're done talking to them."

153. "No, like... it's just, I can't believe you're actually wearing my clothes."

154. "I've been trying to get ready for like an hour and an half because I know you're going to look so good and I need to try and match up."

155. "I wanted to say 'I love you' for the first time without stuttering, but that failed."

156. "We could order pizza and just stay like this all day."

157. "It's not a double date. We're just third and fourth wheeling."

158. "I remember practicing how to ask you out in the mirror..."

@marauder-exe​

159. "It's not funny!"

160. "That wasn't suppose to happen."

161. "Hurry back."

162. "I can't take you seriously."

163. "Problem solved."

164. "That was embarrassing."

165. "It's freezing in here."

@love-me-a-good-prompt​

166. "I love you, baby."

167. "Hey, cutie."

168. "I promise to love you for the rest of my life."

169. "You're my world."

170. "I don't care if you're sick, catching a cold from kissing you is worth it."

171. "You are so perfect."

172. "Marry me?"

173. "You're the best part of me."

174. "Stay here with me. For the rest of our lives."

175. "I'm speechless, you're so beautiful!"

176. "Come here, I need to hug you."

177. "When everything's wrong, it's you that makes it right."

178. "You're the one."

@raggedy-dxctor​

179. "Well, it's the thought that counts." "Wait, no, don't take my kisses away from me!"

180. "Oh, you've started stealing my socks now?"

181. "You owe me a kiss."

182. "How did you get in here?"

183. "That's not even fair."

184. "You promised me a cookie!"

185. "Ew, that is so sappy, I might vomit."

186. "You're not very intimidating."

187. "That was, by far, the stupidest thing you've ever done."

188. "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer."

189. "Why the hell is there glitter everywhere?"

@whcczes​

190. "I'll feel much better if you let me walk you home."

191. "Apparently, all our friends have a bet going that we end up together."

192. "You make me feel alive. For the first time ever, I feel like I can breathe."

@moanlightlust​

193. "It's two in the morning and you want to cuddle?"

194. "You shine so bright it's intimidating. I love it."

195. "I'm here."

196. "What's your name again? Sorry, I just got that super weird feeling that we only see in movies, you know? Like, the whole world stopped turning and all I could see was you."

197. "I was born to be yours."

198. "Isn't it a bit too cliché?"

199. "So, you're just kissing strangers for no apparent reasons?"

200. "You'll always be my favourite person."

201. "You're making it weird, stop making it weird."

202. "There's nothing I love more than running back into your arms."

203. "I'm yours. Forever."

204. "You always know how to cheer me up."

205. "I... I lost the ring."

206. "Will you be mine?"

207. "Darling, you look perfect tonight."

208. "You saved my life."

209. "Don't give me that look. No... NO! I said no puppy dog eyes! You know I can't resist them! Argh, fine!"

210. "I missed you and your bad puns and even your horrible cooking and the way you fit perfectly against my body when we cuddle. I just really missed you."

211. "We're a team, remember?"

212. "There's no place I'd rather be than by your side."

213. "Your smile brightens the whole room."

214. "I kinda adopted a puppy behind your back... don't be mad! Look at those cute fluffy paws!"

215. "You're burning up. Guess I need to activate my nurse mode."

216. "I love you. As in more than friends, more than best friends and more than super extra best friends."

217. "I love you just the way you are."

218. "We need to kick his ass, no questions asked. You in?"

219. "Hot chocolate and cuddles? Kisses?"

220. "You make me feel pretty."

221. "You'll always be my best girl."

222. "Never hide yourself from me."

223. "Babe! There's no toilet paper!"

224. "I'll never give up on you."

225. "Do you feel that shirt? That's boyfriend material."

226. "That prank went so wrong."

227. "Care to dance, my love?"

228. "AH! You're stuck with me!"

229. "You're too good to me."

230. "Is it that time of the month?"

231. "Can I braid your hair?"

232. "It's okay to have doubts, as long as you don't let them overwhelm you."

233. "Come here! I can't stand to be so far away from you!"

234. "I got you."

235. "I wanna fall asleep next to you every night and wake up every morning with you by my side."

236. "Stop, I need to finish this!"

237. "I just wanna binge watch The Office, but it's not the same without you."

238. "Because I care about you!"

239. "I just wanted to impress you."

240. "I love you even though your breath stinks right now."

241. "Did you just puke on me?"

242. "We should get drunk and do stupid things."

243. "I always know what you're thinking about, babe. You're like an open book!"

244. "Could you sing to me?"

245. "I, uh, could you... could you play with my hair, please?"

246. "Nooooo, don't leave! I'm cold!"

247. "I think you're suffering from a lack of vitamin me."

248. "A mistletoe? Really?"

249. "Will you join me, love?"

250. "I have feelings for you."

251. "You are the reason."

252. "Take my hand, I wanna show you something..."

253. "You have a lovely name."

254. "You're my everything."

255. "You do know a lot about my blushing schedule."

@voilawind​

[babygirl-diaz]

how about this tho -- bucky and sam are in heavy denial about how stupid gone they are for each other. and it's mostly bucky's fault :) cue like a bucky barnes from another time or better yet another timeline landing in theirs, and they gotta get him back home. but the other bucky barnes makes all the right moves on sam. makes him laugh, makes him smile, compliments him head to toe -- just easily expresses everything that the real bucky wants to say. bucky barnes being jealous of himself poor bb

(Wrote something based on this. Hope you like it, anon! Sorry it's a bit different from you prompt)

***

Bucky couldn’t sleep. The thoughts of Sam invaded his mind, like they often did these days, keeping him awake in the middle of the night. He thought about that beautiful face, that gorgeous smile… that hot body and that sexy ass that was just begging to be grabbed. Fuck.

But Bucky couldn’t make a move on the other guy because he was the only friend he had, and he didn’t want to lose him. So he was forever doomed to suffer through his schoolboy crush.

Bucky sighed and closed his eyes to finally get some sleep when a sound caught his attention. He was out of his bed before the knock on his door. He knew none of his enemies would knock before they burst into his apartment, but he still got the gun from the side table and took it with him. Pressing the muzzle to the door, he left the chain on as he peeked out of the door. But his eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw the person on the other side and the gun almost slipped from his hand.

“What the fuck…” he said incredulously. Standing before Bucky was his mirror image. Well, not exactly his mirror image, but close. He looked a little older than Bucky, was rough around the edges, his beard was slightly thicker, his brown hair was longer, and his eyes were brown instead of blue.

“I know how this looks,” the man said in a gruff voice. It sounded how Bucky would sound if he smoked. “Okay, maybe I don’t know how this looks. But could you please remove the gun from the door and let me in?”

“How did you--” Bucky asked but was interrupted.

“I am you.” The man replied.

Bucky had to be dreaming. This was some lucid dream. He had a powerful urge to pinch himself, but instead, he lowered his gun and stepped aside, letting the other man into the apartment.

“Thanks,” the man said offhandedly.

“Care to explain what’s going on here?” Bucky asked, closing the door behind them.

“I will once I figure it out myself…” the other man replied.

“Well, you’re— you— you look like me.” Bucky said, staring at the other man. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t just look like you, dumbass. Like I said, I am you.” Okay, this man had no manners whatsoever.

“How can there be two of us? Wait, a second…” something hit Bucky. “Hydra… are they back? Did they send you?” He took the gun and pointed it right between the other man’s eyes.

“Hey, whoa, man, chill. I don’t work for Hydra.”

“Then who are you and where did you come from?” Bucky unlocked the safety of the gun and got closer to the other man.

“I keep telling you, asshole, I am you. What part of that is hard to grasp?” The other man asked. He suddenly looked more frustrated than scared. “As for where I am from… that’s hard to explain but let’s just say that I am not from this universe-- your universe.”

“What?” Bucky let the gun down once again. “What’s that even supposed to mean?”

“Do you want me to write it in dumbass and hand it to you?”

Bucky again had the urge to shoot this man. “Can’t you talk without swearing?”

“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable, princess?”

“You are such an asshole. How can you possibly be me?” Bucky asked. “I need to think…” He started pacing the floor, wondering what the fuck was he going to do. He stopped in his tracks when he remembered something. “Wait… how did you know where to find me?”

“I live in the same apartment in my universe. Except mine isn’t so…” he looked around and made a face. “--so clean and I have a cat.”

“A cat?” Bucky asked, surprised.

“Yes, fluffy little creatures, perky ears, long tails… You got those in your universe?”

Bucky threw his hands up. “Of course we have cats in our universe. I am just surprised that I would want anything to do with one.”

“What? You a catphobe?”

“That’s not even a thing..” Bucky scoffed. “And by the way, we’re derailing from the point. How did you get here?”

“Hell if I know,” the other man shrugged. “One second I am passed out drunk in my apartment and then the next thing I know I wake up in a strange-looking Brooklyn.”

“You can get drunk?” Bucky asked, surprised. The other Bucky had the bionic arm, even if it was old-fashioned. Then he had to have Bucky’s powers, too.

“It was with Thor. He brought out his special Asgardian liquor, and we got hammered,” the other man explained. “Pun fully intended.”

Bucky rolled his eyes at him and started pacing again. “I can’t do this alone. I need help.” He said, more to himself than the other man.

“Who are you calling?” The other man asked when Bucky picked up his phone to call.

“Sam.”

***

Sam looked exhausted when he arrived at Bucky’s doorstep, and Bucky hated to admit it, but his half asleep state and his grumpy face made him look kinda cute. Okay. Right. Focus Buck.

“What’s so urgent that you asked me to take the first flight here?”

“Okay, so don’t freak out…” Bucky said, putting his hands out in front of him.

“You telling me to not freak out is freaking me out, Buck.” Sam sidestepped Bucky and into the apartment. “So what is it?”

“You have to see it to believe it,” Bucky told him as he led him to the bedroom. He slowly opened the door, and the first thing to hit his ears was the sound of snoring.

“What the hell?!” Sam screeched, causing the other Bucky to practically fall off the bed in his haste to get up. “That’s--” Sam looked between the other Bucky and Bucky, before rushing out to the living room.

Bucky went after him and tried to touch his shoulder, but Sam shrugged him away. “What is going on? Who is that?”

“He’s apparently me,” Bucky explained. “From another universe.”

Sam blinked at Bucky before bursting out laughing. “He’s you. From another universe? Good one, Buck!”

When Bucky didn’t laugh along, Sam’s laughter died down. “You’re not joking.”

“No, he’s not.” Bucky turned around to find the other Bucky standing behind them in nothing but his boxers. “Hey, Sam,” the man tilted his head to the side and offered Sam a smirk.

Sam looked at him from top to bottom, making Bucky frown.

“Hi… Bucky?” Sam greeted him unsurely. “This is really freaky…”

“You’re telling me,” Bucky mumbled.

“H- how did you get to this universe?” Sam asked the other Bucky.

The other Bucky walked over to Sam and stopped a little too close to him. “I have no idea, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” Bucky and Sam asked at the same time and looked at each other.

“What? You don’t like it?” The other Bucky lowered his voice even more.

Sam cleared his throat and shook his head at that. “No, that- that’s fine.”

“Well, doll, I gotta say, you are hot.”

Bucky’s breath suddenly became shallow, and his hands tightened into fists beside him. How dare this man call Sam hot? Yes, Sam was hot. Really hot. But this man had no right to call him that.

“Oh, wow.” Sam chuckled nervously and bit down on his lips. “Thanks, man. You aren’t bad looking yourself. Love the rough around the edges look ya got going on.”

“Why, thanks, baby,” the other Bucky winked at him.

Bucky had enough of the other Bucky’s flirting, and he put himself between him and Sam. “Can we get back to the important part? How do we get you back home?”

The other Bucky dropped on the couch and put his arms behind his head. “No clue. I don’t even know how I got here in the first place.”

“We need help, Buck. This is way above our paygrade.”

Bucky agreed with Sam. This wasn’t a problem they could solve on their own. “Should we ask Dr. Strange for help?”

“It’s worth the try-”

“So you got the wizard over here too?” The other Bucky chimed in.

A broad smile spread across Sam’s lips. “THANK YOU!” Sam said a little too loudly. “Glad someone else agrees that he’s a wizard.” He raised his hand to high five with the other, Bucky, who enthusiastically returned the five. “By the way, we need a name for you. Can’t call you Bucky. It will be too confusing.”

“You can call me darling if you like, doll,” the other Bucky started flirting again. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Sam nervously chuckled at that again, “While I love that suggestion, I think I will go with James.”

“Shame,” the other Bucky-- James pouted. He actually pouted.

Sam sat down beside James and James immediately moved closer to him much to Bucky’s chagrin. “What’s the last thing you remember?” Sam asked.

“I remember going to bed drunk last night and then waking up here this morning.”

“How did you know you were in a different universe?” Bucky asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Everything felt wrong…”

Bucky and Sam looked at each other before Sam asked, “That can’t be the only thing, James.”

James sighed. “I’ve been sent to a different universe before.”

“You have?” Asked Bucky.

“Yeah… It just feels different when you’re in a different universe. It’s really hard to explain. You know how when you go to a different country and the wind suddenly doesn’t feel right? It’s like that except dialed up to 100.”

“So universe hopping isn’t anything new to you?” Bucky asked with an edge in his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“Didn’t wanna freak ya out, dumbass,” James replied.

“Do you have to call me that?”

Sam looked up at him and chuckled, making Bucky frown even more.

“So, sweetheart, you got a lady or fella in your life?” James threw his bionic arm around Sam’s shoulder and pulled him closer.

Bucky wanted nothing more than to remove his arm and strangle him.

Sam threw a quick glance at Bucky before replying, “I’m single.”

“Nahhh… that can’t be true. A handsome fella like you doesn’t have anyone in his life. It’s impossible.”

“Are you always this flirty?” Sam asked him instead.

“Only around someone as sexy as you.” James leered at Sam like he wanted to eat him up.

Sam chuckled and looked down at the floor.

Bucky couldn’t take it anymore. He was practically in love with Sam and couldn’t do anything about it. Yet, here was another version of him, touching him and openly flirting with him.

“Sam! Let’s go. We should go talk to Dr. Strange.” Bucky grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him up.

Sam threw him an annoyed look and pulled his arm out of Bucky’s grip. “Fine! Let’s go.”

“What do I do?” James asked.

Bucky threw him an annoyed look. “You stay here and watch tv or something. We’ll be back soon.”

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers GRAND EDITION for Switch ;; More, Blood ー Yuma [Vampire Ending]

ー The scene starts in Yui’s room

Yui: Nnー Such lovely weather again today!

( It’s still sunny out, so it really makes me itch to go on a walk or something. )

( I wonder...Would Yuma-kun come with me if I asked? )

ー Yuma enters the room

*Thud*

Yuma: Oi, Sow!!

Yui: Wah!? Y-Yuma-kun! Please stop barging in...

Yuma: Come here!!

ー He throws her over his shoulder

*Rustle*

Yui: Eh!? H-Hold up!? Why are you carrying me!?

Yuma: ‘Cause you’re so damn slow! We don’t have a second to waste!

Come on, hang on tight!! Not my fault if ya fall!

ー He dashes off

Yui: Kyaaaaaah!

ー The scene shifts to the living room

Yui: Noー! I’m gonna fall!

Ruki: ...What is this ruckus about?

Azusa: Who knows...

Kou: I suppose our cat and dog are going at it again? Such good friends~

Azusa: Then did Yuma...get chosen by Eve and become Adam?

Ruki: ...

ー The scene shifts to the garden

Yuma: ‘Kay, we’re here!

Yui: ( H-He finally came to a halt... )

Geez, Yuma-kun! How many times do I have to tell you to stop carrying me aroundーー!?

Yuma: Ah, my bad, my bad. Now stop whinin’ like a baby.

Yui: ( He definitely doesn’t feel a shred of regret... )

Yuma: Anyway, take a look at this!

Yui: Eh...What? What should I look aーー

Ah...!

( The snapped roses are blooming...!? )

Yuma: Isn’t this amazin’!? They didn’t even seem close to bloomin’ yet yesterday!

Even after being broken...They continued to suck up water and sunlight every day, fighting to stay alive.

...To bloom one day.

Yui: ...You didn’t give up either, did you? You’ve been looking after them every day.

Yuma: Yeah...When I saw them refuse to wither even after being snapped, I was reminded of Boss and the others.

...So I won’t give up either.

*Rustle*

Yui: ...! You’re going to pluck them? But they finally bloomed...

Yuma: I’m sure they already saw them. Next upーー

ー He moves close

Yuma: It’s time to fulfill my dream.

Yui: ( He’s giving the roses to me...? Why...? )

Yuma: Marry me, Yui.

Yui: ...Eeeeh!?

Yuma: Hehe, that’s the most unattractive reaction ya could have given me. Well, I expected as much from ya tho.

Yui: I-I mean, marriage...!?

Yuma: Just hear me out.

...I can’t become Adam. So I definitely won’t be forgiven for stealin’ Eve away.

...I fully understand that.

But ya know, if I were to give up ‘cause of that, I wouldn’t be stayin’ true to myself.

I don’t care if you’re Eve or whatever, I’ve already decided that I won’t give up on the girl who goes by the name Komori Yui.

I doubt that man will forgive my selfish actions...But it’s too soon to give up. Right?

At this point, I no longer care ‘bout my memory loss.

I truly don’t give a damn ‘bout my past anymore.

My past with Boss is all I need. Also...As long as I have a future ahead of me.

And ya definitely have to be a part of that future.

*Rustle*

Yui: ...!

Yuma: So ya better brace yerself.

I’ll continue suckin’ yer blood...Until that man acknowledges our relationship.

So until then...No, even beyond that point, ya have to stay by my side, Yui.

ー He bites her

Yui: Nn...Uu...!

( ...Before I could even answer... )

Yuma: Nn...

Yui: Yuma-kun...

Yuma: ...What?

Yui: I haven’t given you a reply yet...Nn...

Yuma: Fool. I won’t listen to yer answer. You’re gonna marry me. That’s the only option you’ve got.

Marry me. ...Understood, Yui?

*Smooch*

Yui: ...Oh come on...!

Ruki: ーー Marriage, you say?

Yui: ...!?

ー Ruki walks up to them

Yui: Ruki-kun...!

Ruki: Don’t decide something so important by yourself. ...Yuma. Do you truly believe you will be allowed to do this?

Yuma: I don’t. And that’s exactly why I’m gonna keep on tryin’ until I get his blessings.

Ruki: No matter how hard you struーー!

Reinhart: Oh come on, why not?

Ruki: ...!

Yui: Sensei? Why are you here...?

Reinhart: There’s a little something I wanted to discuss with Ruki-kun. Kou-kun said he didn’t know where he is, so I came looking for him.

Of course, I never thought I would witness two of my students proposing to each other.

Yui: ( E-Even Sensei saw that just now...Suddenly I feel really embarrassed. )

Reinhart: Not even God is capable of pulling apart two people who love each other, Ruki-kun.

Ruki: ...Sensei...

Reinhart: While we’re at it, why don’t we hold a ceremony? You might not expect it, but I am actually trained as a priest as well.

Yui: ( A-A priest...? )

Reinhart: Well then, make hay while the sun shines! Seize the day! Come on, go get changed you two!

Yui: Get changed? Into what?

Reinhart: Formal wear, obviously! ...Or that’s what I would like to say, but I suppose your school uniforms will do?

Although I would love to see her in a wedding dress as well.

But I am sure you should wear that once you get acknowledged by the person you are seeking recognition from.

Yuma: ...Finally a teacher who knows what he’s talkin’ ‘bout!

Yui: Eh!?

Yuma: Come on, let’s go get changed!

ー Yuma picks her up again

*Rustle*

Yui: Kyaah! Didn’t you hear me earlier!? Don’t carry me!

ー He runs off again

Reinhart: Fufufu, must be nice to still be young.

Ruki: ...Are you sure this is okay?

Reinhart: There is no problem if their love is mutual, Ruki-kun.

Ruki: ...

Reinhart: There is nothing more beautiful in this world than mutual love.

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: I never pictured myself as the bride of a Vampire.

Yuma: Now yer dream of becoming a Nun has been utterly crushed. Serves ya right.

Yui: Fufu, I don’t mind~ Getting married was one of my dreams as well after all.

Yuma: That’s the polar opposite of bein’ a nun, isn’t it!? Honestly, chicks really change their mind like they change clothes.

Oi, ya lil’ rascal. If ya somehow change yer mind one of these days, I’m not lettin’ that happen.

Yui: That’s my line. You tend to grow tired of things quite easily after all. Just the other dayーー

Yuma: Che, shut up. Fine. Then I’ll make a vow.

...But before that. Oi, just yer uniform is kinda dull. Put this on.

–> If you are playing the Limited V edition or the Grand Edition, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Only watch me forever, ‘kay?”

“I thought they would never bloom. But...They actually did. After seein’ that, I felt like I could accomplish anything. Ya feel the same way, don’t ya?”

Yui: This is...the rose from earlier.

Yuma: Yeah...I’m sure Boss is watchin’ over us as well. He should...be happy for us as well.

Yui: Yeah...! I’m sure of it.

I’m happy, thank you...

Yuma: ...Yeah...

...Okay.

Yui: Yuma-kun...

Yuma: Mukami Yuma vows right here that he will only ever suck Komori Yui’s blood for the rest of his life. There, that’ll do, right?

Yui: ...I can’t feel the love at all, you know?

Yuma: The fuck? Those words are comin’ from a Vampire! It’s the very definition of love!

Yui: But you’d suck my blood even if you didn’t love me, right? Since my blood is especially delicious apparently.

Yuma: ...Che, fine. Come on, lend me yer ear.

Mukami Yuma vows that he will love you forever. ...Happy now?

Yui: Fufu, let’s give you a pass.

Yuma: Heh...Ya really are a pain in the ass.

...Now ya are officially mine, Yui.

Just like I promised earlier, I’ll only ever love ya.

Yui: Yeah. I’ll love you until the day I die as well. 

Yuma: Idiot. It’s ‘Even in death’, isn’t it?

...You’re my very own Eve. I’ll never let ya go again.

ーー THE END ーー

[wonderofasunrise]

32 or 61 for Kerry/Susan please ❤️

#61 - "I'm pregnant."

Okay, I'm letting the cat out of the bag now - I have a WIP, a passion project of some sorts in the form of a multi-chapter Kerry/Susan AU fic. I've been working on it on and off for months, writing whatever I can come up with out of order (a process which involves at least three different Google Docs files for notes etc and not-so-subtly tweeting about it every now and then), and I can't promise anything because I just...well, suck at planning things ahead especially when it comes to writing anything lengthy (unless it's an academic essay *laughs nervously*). Fingers crossed I will be able to post the whole thing someday - if and *only* if I manage to finish it in advance, because I love the idea so much I don't want to take the risk of posting it early and writing as I go along...only to (God forbid) abandon it. I don't want to give away too much, but hopefully you'll get the gist from this excerpt of one of the chapters I've managed to finish:

“Susan?” a voice calls me almost immediately as I step out of the cubicle. I look up in a swift move to find the source of the voice, and sure enough my head starts to spin again. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see none other than Kerry Weaver—her bright red hair kind of gives it away—with a very concerned look on her face, which I try my best to ignore.

Slowly, I make my way to the nearest basin, and just as my hand is about to turn the faucet another wave of nausea surges over me. Please do not vomit, please do not vomit, it was bad enough to storm out of a fucking trauma but to vomit in front of Kerry of all people…?

“Are you okay?” she asks just as my nausea passes, the tone of her voice as concerned as her expression. I know that at this point even saying a single syllable will bring back the nausea, so I simply nod.

“Are you sure? I was in the trauma room, and I was just as surprised as everyone else to see you storm out like that…”

“Yes, Kerry, I’m fine,” I suddenly snap, though immediately I can feel guilt lingering over me as I know Kerry is genuinely worried. Say what you want about her, the woman does care about the wellbeing of her colleagues (or employees? Whatever.). I glance at her while putting some water into my mouth, somewhat grateful that I don’t see any sign of her being offended. If anything, her expression grows even more worried, and I know that at this point there is nothing I say that can ease her concern.

“Okay,” Kerry says, seemingly giving in. “It’s just—you normally have the best composure of the lot, and I never expected a trauma to affect you that badly, that’s all…Susan? Can you walk?”

Her concerned tone returns as soon as she catches the sight of me dropping to my knees, no doubt thanks to me turning around too quickly after I finished my business in the sink. Instinctively one of my hands travels to my stomach, and I pray to all that’s holy that the gesture somehow goes unnoticed by Kerry, who is now kneeling next to me, her crutch abandoned, with one of her hands on my back.

“Can you stand up?” she asks in a tone that I would never expect Kerry Weaver to use when speaking to an adult. I nod, though I myself am not quite sure. I try anyway, with one of my hands still firmly on my stomach and the other holding onto Kerry for support. Once I get back on my feet, I let go of the other woman and I take a deep breath, relieved when no more sign of nausea kicks in. I try to make my way out of the ladies’ room, and I can feel Kerry’s eyes firmly on my back as I turn around—more carefully this time.

“You know, if you’re not feeling good, you can go home and rest,” she says. “I-I would hate to see you not in your prime at work, and more importantly it’s clear you really can do with a rest. We have a busy day ahead, and if you’re...feeling like you’re not up for it, you can go home. I can cover for you.”

I can tell she chose her words carefully, and she tried her best not to insinuate that I am not up for a busy day at work. Heck, she knows I’m more than capable—I’m one of her best attendings, after all, but still…who can really guess what Kerry Weaver actually means?

As for going home and resting, I can’t deny that I need it badly. I barely got any sleep last night, partly due to anxiety ahead of my appointment with Coburn this morning, and who can guarantee that I won’t storm out of another trauma? Still, part of me is trying to fight the urge to go home, because work is the best form of distraction I can think of and at home I know I will drive myself mad over everything, with no one to talk to and all.

“I’m pregnant,” I suddenly blurt out, the words coming out of my mouth far more quickly than I could comprehend. My eyes grow wide at the realization of what I just said, to Kerry of all people, and I try to avoid her eyes so much it’s ridiculous.

Unexpectedly enough, Kerry steps closer toward me, and she puts a hand on my shoulder. Just as unexpectedly, I find the gesture quite comforting, and God knows I have been deprived of comfort for far too long the last couple of weeks. It doesn’t feel as awkward as one would expect, coming from Kerry Weaver, and I sigh as I let her hand give my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“How-how far along are you?” she asks in a tone that can barely conceal her surprise.

“Four weeks. I-I saw Coburn this morning,” I say with a shrug. She nods, and then lets go of my shoulder so that she can focus on looking me in the eye, which always makes for an interesting sight thanks to our significant height difference.

“In that case,” she states matter-of-factly, “You should go home and rest. I don’t want you to feel worse than you already do. Go home, get something to eat, and rest. I’ll cover for you for the rest of the shift.”

Now that sounds more like the Kerry Weaver that everyone knows and loves (though that part is still up for debate, I reckon). At this point I know there is no use fighting with her, so I nod and turn back to the door, silently hoping that somehow nobody will pay any attention.

“Kerry?” I mutter, suddenly remembering something important before we part ways. Letting her know of my pregnancy is bad enough (though it’s by no means a fault on her part); having everyone else know before I’m ready will be a disaster. I have enough on my plate at the moment, and the last thing I need is being the center of the latest ER gossip. “Um…thank you for letting me go home for the day, and I guess—well, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone. I have too much to deal with at the moment,” I say in a voice so low I will be surprised if she actually listens.

But apparently she did, because she nods and puts a hand on one of my arms and gives it a gentle squeeze—which, again, does not feel as awkward as one would expect coming from her.

“Of course,” she responds. “It’s not my call to let people know. It’s yours, and yours only. Don’t worry about it.”

And with that, I mouth a thank you before exiting the ladies’ room, trying my best to forget everything that has happened today. It’s not even noon yet, and too much has already taken place. Perhaps Kerry is right: I really can do with a rest.

[daydream-believin]

The Never-Ending Roadtrip (kmart’s haunted)

Summary: (part 1) Reader has joined Douxie on the quest for Nari’s safety. He’ll need company. (part 2) - Missouri 1     (part 3)

Warnings: swearing, very light spooky?

Word Count: 2245

A/N: so we’ve established that Doux wasn’t the one who burnt the bookstore, but they don’t know that. look, have you been in a Kmart recently? its apocalyptic. also, you know that post about people repeating their default work greetings by accident? yeah

“Do you want me to split the bill or?” The waitress asked, not sure if the group at the table was a young couple and their child or just three college kids hanging out. It was kind of hard to tell. On one hand, that one kid was so small, wearing a little deer costume, and had been helped to order. The other two radiated the energy of an old married couple and talked mainly to each other. But on the other hand, college kids are just like that sometimes.

“Nah, I got it.”

“What? No. I’m paying for us.” Douxie insisted.

“I have the cash, Doux.” (Name) turned to the waitress. She put some honey in her voice. “Just bring us one bill, please.” The waitress nodded nervously before heading off.

“No. I don’t want you paying for too many things while we’re traveling. You’re unemployed.”

“And who’s fault is that Mr. Mephits-Are-Vulnerable-To-Fire? You fucking burned down the store and put us both out of work here.” Nari was squirming at the negative vibes going on. It helped that she didn’t exactly understand what was going on.

“It was magic fire!” Douxie interjected in outrage. He looked so cute when he got defensive.

“Yeah, okay, sure.” (Name) shook her head, looking up to the ceiling. She let out a huff, “look, I invited myself onto this trip, Douxie. I want to pull my own weight. You’re going to have to let me pay for something eventually.”

“We’ll see about that, Love,” he said as he grabbed the ticket from the waitress’s hands as quick as lightning, tucked his card in and gave it right back before (Name) could further protest.

“Ugh! FINE! Then I’m getting the tip.” She pulled out a tenner and slapped it onto the table. She glared right back into Douxie’s hazel eyes. He glared right back into hers with a matched intensity. Nari looked back and forth between the two and whimpered. (Name) broke the standoff to assure Nari that they weren’t actually angry at each other so she shouldn’t be worried. That seemed to ease the forest child a bit but not by too much. She could still feel the weird aura they were putting off.

“Okay! So here’s your check back and here’s that lox bagel you ordered to go.” The waitress handed (Name) a doggy bag.

(Name) took the bag gingerly. A big fake smile spread across her face as she was momentarily possessed by that good spirit of customer service. “Thank you! I hope your experience was spellbinding! Have a magical day!” (Name) said on autopilot in that high-pitched voice and winked exaggeratedly. It was like she was an NPC and her talk button had been accidentally pushed. The waitress laughed forcibly and scurried away to the kitchen. Douxie cracked up.

“You do know that when I told you to say all that stuff after ringing people up, I was hazing you, right?”

“Oh yes, I am completely aware, Doux. Did you think I’d not pick up on how ridiculous that sounds? But I still say it to spite you.”

He shook his head. “Of course.”

***

Archie scarfed down his bagel sandwich with almost disturbing speed. It was like watching the void consume, well, a bagel sandwich. It just disappeared. Down his furry maw and out of existence. Being a dragon works up an appetite, after all. (Name) was a bit baffled and asked him if she should go get him another bagel. He assured her that the one was just fine and said something about trying to catch some birds later. She leaned back on her elbows against the boat’s railing, trying and failing to not think about the details of that.

Douxie cleared his throat. “So,” He folded his hands together for emphasis, “Since the subject of money came up earlier, I think we should also discuss the topic of our accommodations.”

“Well, you two obviously cannot afford lodging every night.” Archie snarked, flicking his tail.

“Thank you, for that, Arch. No, I was thinking more along the lines of a tent.”

“A tent?” the cat asked incredulously.

“Oh, that could work.” (Name) pointed at Douxie animatedly, “keep us close to nature for Nari. And also could keep our possible property damage bills down. Good idea, Doux.”

“Thank you,” Douxie puffed up, “see Arch? Someone appreciates my ideas-”

“Wait. That’ll be a short-term solution. We’re just barely into September. It’s going to be much, much colder in about a month. By October it’ll be too cold to bear. Even if we all huddle together like penguins.”

Doux looked away to hide his blush at the suggestion. “That is a problem. Okay, um-”

“Maybe we could just cross that bridge when we get there? Who knows what could happen between now and then. We could find so temp work in a little town somewhere.” (Name) shrugged, smirking at Doux. She didn’t want to admit that ‘we could be dead by then’ was also definitely a possibility on the table, so she tried to further distract from that thought. “Maybe we’ll find a creepy abandoned cabin in the woods we can squat in. Maybe some nice trolls will take us in as novelty pets. Maybe my rich Aunty Josie could just suddenly die under some ‘mysterious circumstances’ and leave her lavish fortune to her beloved niece,” she smirked at Doux, “I dunno, just spit ballin’ here.”

“I’m electing to ignore that you just suggested we ice your aunt because you were onto something there.”

“I was?” Her tone was a mixture of sarcasm and disbelief.

“Yes! New Jersey!

“New Jersey?” The wheels turned. “Oh! New Jersey!”

Nari looked confused. “What is special about this ‘New Jersey’?” she asked

Both Douxie and (Name) turned to her, “Trolls.” They said in sync.

***

(Name) stood there with her hands in her pockets. Somehow this Kmart was still standing, out here in The-Middle-Of-Fucking-Nowhere, Missouri. She was standing here, in a Kmart. It might as well have been 1986. There was barely anything on the shelves. Half the shelves themselves were missing. The floor had a layer of grime to it, in spite of the wet floor sign along with the shiny patches that said that it had clearly been mopped recently. The air smelled like something (Name) couldn’t quite place, but it was nostalgic. A strange scent that took her back to her childhood. Or at least she thought it was her childhood. It had to have been. Taking deep breaths, she couldn’t quite get enough of it.

Continuing that vibe, a muzak 80’s tune played over the speakers. Funny enough, despite (Name)’s brain seeming to recognize that it was playing a song from the 80’s, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it as to which. Every time she thought she’d figured it out, she’d hear a few notes that would somehow change her mind. It was a pop song at least, to narrow it down. It’d been going on for about six minutes now. Must be one of those extended tracks.

She’d ask Douxie what he thought the song was. She turned her attention to him and noticed he was still just staring at that same shelf like he had been for, what, ten minutes now? Even though this fucking Kmart barely had any shelving in it, by some miracle it not only had exactly what they were looking for but an entire aisle of them. How lucky was that.

Douxie was taking very careful consideration into this tent purchase. This was going to be their new home, after all. He just couldn’t decide which one was best. They all had fancy camping terms on the packages that meant nothing to him. He’d been trying to decipher the code. The secret outdoorsman code. Nari shifted uncomfortably in the basket.

“Hisirdoux, you should maybe, hurry this along?” She sounded strained.

But she was right. He should just pick one already. It’s all a gamble anyway. He decided on a dark green one that boasted a water-proof material. Good natural color, not easily spotted, and it wouldn’t soak through with rain. That should work well enough, he figured.

“I’ve hurried along. Sorry Nari.” He casually tossed the box into the cart next to her. She sniffed the box and nodded to him.

Now that they had their goal item, the quest party started for the checkouts. Douxie could have sworn that it had been on the side of the store they were in. They had passed it when they came in. Now it was completely across by the other door. Did he get turned around? Or maybe they did come in from that side of the store. He actually couldn’t remember.

As they walked, a few things caught (Name)’s eye. They passed a display of dark leafy plants in oddly shaped pots, a table stacked high with various books and a clearance sign, a knife case that had been left open, a candle display with a few that had already been lit and were dripping wax, a bargain bin of CDs, and lastly a sad box of no-longer-in-season pool noodles. There was a sale on bloodmeal apparently. Perfect for perking up those roses after the summer heat.

They arrived at the checkout after what felt like an endless journey. (Name) hadn’t noticed any other customers the entire time they had been there, and yet the line for the only check open had seven people in it. She grabbed a couple bags of red licorice from the impulse shelf to add to their cart while waiting.

Nari was really interested in that checker. (Name) took her in. The teen was taller than most and had very, very long blonde hair that cascaded down her back like a shiny golden waterfall. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in. Must be going through a diet phase. Poor girl.

The young woman was obviously not one for small talk. Name couldn’t blame her. Retail sucks. Her perfect red fingernails clicked against the keys of the register in a practiced beat. She turned around and told them their total in a bored monotone. As Douxie fiddled with his wallet and payed, (Name) found herself staring right into the cashier’s eyes. They were such a light icy blue, they were almost white. It was striking. (Name) was almost in a trance. It was broken as the cashier turned around swiftly to rip off the receipt off the machine, and, in an uncharacteristically cheery voice, told them to have a nice night. Night?

They returned the cart back to the stack, grabbing their one singular shopping bag and helping Nari out. Of course Nari could easily just jump out herself, but that wouldn’t be something a human child could do. They didn’t need to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves here. They made their way to the automatic sliding doors that lagged so that they didn’t open until you were standing right in front of them. This allowed Douxie time to catch a glimpse of the reflection in the glass. The reflection of the store was completely devoid of people. Not even the checker was at her station. He sucked in a breath. After walking through those first doors, he stopped. He took a moment to turn back. There she was, right where she should be, checking out another customer with three more in the line.

Douxie hurried along the doorway to catch up to (Name) and Nari. It was darker outside than he expected, and he was taken aback. He found them right outside the store, waiting for him. In one hand, (Name) was holding Nari’s, in the other, the plastic shopping bag. Her head was tipped up to the sky, transfixed by the moon. He came over, grabbing her shoulder as he pulled her along, in an attempt to urge her away from this place. She looked back at him, eyes wide with distress. He tried to convey that he understood with his eyes. All three of them instinctually knew not to say anything more why they were still in this parking lot.

It had barely been half past noon when they had started this little Kmart side quest. It was now at least seven by the looks of it. They had spent six and a half hours in a Kmart? How had they spent six and a half hours in a Kmart. There went their entire travel day. But no time to dwell on this, they needed to get back to Archie and the boat as soon as possible.

As they walked back towards the ship, (Name) and Douxie both took one of Nari’s hands so that she was in the middle, like how those couples walk with their children. The streetlights glared up at them in the slick pavement. Apparently, it had rained while they were in shopping limbo. Poor Arch. (Name) let out a puff of air.

“Well. That sure was something.”

Douxie nervously chuckled, “If we had stayed in there any longer, I think we might have died.” (Name) mirrored that nervous chuckle.

“Oh, no, dying would be much simpler than what would have happened to us.” Nari said sweetly, like what she was saying was somehow better. Nari liked being helpful. (Name) put on her best fake smile.

“Thank you, Nari.” She tried her best to sound as sincere as possible to spare the veggie lady’s feelings.

[intelligentdumbass]

My Sweet Prince (2.0)

“What do you do when you’ve done all that there is to do? When you’re too bored to do nothing and yet too tired to do something? When you want to talk but at the same time not?

Well, everyone knows I love to sing and, in times like those just described, I prefer to only sing to myself; to sit in the forest and play my cithara for no one in particular but the random fauna that decide to stay and watch.

…

It was a morning like any other, or at least it was supposed to be.

There was a prince, Hyacinthus, who had set off with his dogs to go hunt in the wooded outskirts of his kingdom. I imagined him to be confused, for it must’ve been quite the strange sight to behold; the trees nothing but silence for hours and hours on end. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, when he and his hounds managed to catch a scent, it was accompanied by a song, and the voice was not of a bird’s. It led them into a small clearing and instead of drawing his bow, the hunter froze.

There was, in the middle, what he perceived to be a fair maiden strumming on their lyre; golden hair shimmering under the sunlight as a wide range of animals sat around them. The young man was entranced, and so were his dogs, so for a while he just stared until the musician finally decided to acknowledge the new addition to their audience.

The notes slowly faded but, before the singer could say a word, Hyacinthus snapped out of it and spoke first.

“I’m sorry miss but… Who the hell are you?” He slowly approached, cautious of all the critters. “What in Zeus’ name is a lass like you doing out here of all places?”

I raised an eyebrow, but I decided to play along. “Oh you know… boredom.”

“I assume your father’s somewhere close by, then.” He glanced around, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh no, I came here to have some me time with myself.”

Hyacinthus looked dismayed. “Not even a brother, cousin, or a friend?”

I shook my head; he frowned.

“It’s not safe to be all alone out here.” He insisted. “As a prince, it is my duty to protect-”

And alas, it was in that moment that he had accidentally stepped on the tail of a lion. Fortunately, a second later, a silver arrow rushed by; barely missing the young man and piercing the cat’s heart. The rest of the animals took this as a sign to scram.

Hyacinthus blinked, and muttered a silent prayer to the god of archery. Ironically, this is what he said immediately after:

“See my point? Come on, I’ll escort you back.”

He reached his hand out to assist me, but only got a punch to the face in response. As he staggered back I took the opportunity to speak in my normal, deeper voice.

“Really??”

Needless to say, the mortal was mortified. Gazing into my sapphire eyes, he suddenly understood. He hastily tried to get his shit together, smiling in embarrassment.

“A-” “Apologies my lord. I suppose you’re just… that enchanting.”

I scanned him from head to toe. My instincts told me he wasn’t lying; it wasn’t merely empty flattery. “Hm… I suppose you’re not that bad yourself.”

“Ah well, of course! I’m Sparta’s heir after all.” He proudly exclaimed. “Still though, I am, uh terribly sorry for interrupting your song-”

“Save your apologies; it’s fine. I’m not going to smite you for that.” I sat down and placed the cithara back on my lap. “In fact, you’re welcome to stay if you so desire. I won’t mind.”

“But you said you wanted some time alone?”

“Away from the other gods, I mean.”

Hyacinthus was reluctant, but his puppers seemed eager to hear me continue my song.

“…alright. Only for a bit, if that’s okay with you, Lord Phoebus.” He said, sitting next to me; the dogs following suit. I suppose he had nothing better to do. Then again, how could he?

I smiled. “Please, just call me Apollo.”

Unbeknownst to Hyacinthus a ‘bit’ was quite the understatement. It was like time itself ceased to exist, and for once that wasn’t such a bad thing.

Soon the sun was setting and the prince was leading his pack back to the palace. I chose to stay. It was then that the west wind materialized before me.

“I was just passing by, so here’s a quick tip.” Zephyr murmured. “If I were you, I’d restrain myself. He’s already caught the eyes of two other gods and one mortal.”

“And you’re telling me this because?” A smile crept its way onto my lips.

“…what’s with that look?” He frowned; I said nothing as the god slowly fizzled out into thin air.

Hyacinthus had invited me to go out and hunt with him!

As expected of two skilled hunters, the trip went exceptionally well. Still, as we sprinted through the trees, I couldn’t help but sense the eyes of someone else; immediately knowing who it was. If Hyacinthus knew too, then he merely chose to ignore that suspiciously strong scent of spring. Still, I had a little sympathy for the intruder. The prince was easy to like, and I’m sure many have fallen for his bodily charms alone.

When we paused for a break, I said:

“Has anyone ever made a move on you before?”

Hyacinthus froze; I held in a chuckle. It was easy to see his attempt at holding my hand just as the question was asked.

“At least three other men have, but I’ve rejected them all.” He then quickly added, “That isn’t to say I’m only into woman though!”

I laughed. “Having trouble finding the right one?”

He stared a bit before suddenly grinning. “…Who knows, for all I know, I already have.”

My answer was a line I’ve paraphrased a hundred times. “Because I’m smart, talented, and very hot?”

“Maybe.” He inched closer. “But it’s also because of, or rather, how you smile.”

That response was a little… refreshing. A faint flush of red spread around my cheeks as I flashed a smirk, probably further proving his point. Then in the blink of an eye he leaned in; a hand holding my chin and his murmurs softer than any other breeze against my ear.

“May I?”

He only got a kiss in response.

However, even when the hunt was over and he was already making his way back home, I couldn’t help but… follow him back to Sparta, if only for a bit.

Turns out, Hyacinthus had showed up to his training with hundreds of flowers still intricately woven into his hair. It was hilarious how everyone else looked too scared to comment; well, except for Thamyris.

“What in the actual fuck?” He exclaimed.

“Okay, short version is: I fell asleep during the break after the hunting trip, so now there are a bunch of flowers in my hair.”

“Out of all of your suitors, you chose a god; hell, not just that, one of the fucking Olympians.”

“Who wouldn’t?”

I grinned, but then the other said: “Marpessa wouldn’t.”

…

Hyacinthus sighed. “Look, we all have our own preferences. Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

“As if.” He turned around, about to leave. “Just don’t come back crying to me when shit goes downhill.”

I… suppose you could say that Thamyris had the kind of arrogance that reminded me of Marsyas. They both dabbled in music too. Hopefully he doesn’t end up making the same mistake that the satyr did. Thankfully, the prince seemed to be trying to ignore him.”

  “…You know you could’ve just said “Sorry I’m late, I stalked my date.”” Athena raised an eyebrow; yet her voice carried not a single trace of annoyance. Doing their father’s paperwork was a task she was well accustomed too, and a very boring one at that.

“Hey! For the record I didn’t stay any longer after that conversation he had with Thamyris. Plus, it’s not every day that I almost forget about my duties. I figured you’d want a thorough explanation.”

“Well, as long as it isn’t too thorough.”

The god laughed. “Oh wait, shit-” “What was I doing again?” His eyes scanned the documents he forgot he was holding.

The goddess sighed. There was but one thought in her mind.

‘This is going to start happening much more often now, isn’t it?’

And she was right.

A few days later, Hermes was swiftly flying through the halls until he stopped in front of the studio’s door. He carefully pushed it open, but despite being the lord of communication, he couldn’t utter a single word.  

It was late in the evening, and his brother wasn’t alone.

Apollo was sitting down, writing on a scroll, and behind him was a mortal curiously peering over his shoulder. Then the boy moved closer, and wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist; tenderly whispering sweet nothings into his ear. To Hermes’ surprise, Apollo allowed himself to be pried away from his research.

The younger god decided to just slowly close the door.

Athena was right and apparently she didn’t seem to mind.

--------------

Thamyris wasn’t the only one with a complaint.

Hyacinthus was sitting under a cypress tree; trying to practice playing the lyre his lover had gifted him, when the breeze whispered into his ear.

“Look at it.” He said. “Your reflection in the water.”

The prince raised an eyebrow, but he glanced into the stream in front of him anyway. The top of his head was adorned with all sorts of flowers, no doubt due to the breath of the west wind.

“Hm… I think I liked it better when Apollo did it.”

Zephyr frowned; materializing seated down on his left.

“You’re not giving me a chance-”

“Except he already did.” Apollo sighed, suddenly appearing on Hyacinthus’ right. “For fates’ sake, take a hint and go blow someone else.”

The other god glared, but gave in, yet not before yelling something on a whim.

“So in one of the few times a mortal catches my fancy, you, who have already had many, get to have him instead?” He suddenly stood up. “You’re as greedy and insatiable with your lovers as you are with your domains.”

Apollo said nothing as the god disappeared into the wind.

Hyacinthus surprised him with a hug from behind.

“His argument is invalid. This isn’t just your choice, but mine as well.”

Still, after months and months of general bliss, the prince couldn’t help but ask:

“Those laurel wreaths you wear; they mean a lot to you, don’t they?”

The god felt his chest hurt. “Well, of course; there are many reasons as to why I care about them, one of them being that they remind me of something I shouldn’t ever forget because I don’t want to make a mistake like that ever again.”

There was a brief moment of hesitation before he continued.

“Hyacinthus?”

“Yeah?”

“Never doubt my feelings for you, okay?”

“I never did.”

“…even so, you really must know that, because of you, right now is the best I’ve ever felt in literal decades.”

“Oh don’t flatter me, sunshine.”

“You know I can’t lie. So really, trust me when I say that I’m here to stay.”

Hyacinthus’ eyes darted around the room as the musician’s head rested on his lap; the prince’s fingers twirling around in his golden locks. The floor was littered with paintings and marble statues of varying shapes and sizes scattered all over.

“Something caught your eye?” Apollo said as he saw his lover look at a painting of Crete. “You can take one of them home if you’d like.”

“Oh-” “Oh no it’s fine, really! I was just… enjoying the scenery.”

“Hm, you know I can take you there myself, right? Oooooh, imagine! A tour around Greece with yours truly.”

The boy smiled. His gaze shifted from a painting of Delphi to some art work of Leto, then Artemis, then Zeus, Athena and the rest of the other heavenly gods.

What he stared at the most were the ones next to those works about the Muses and the Thriae.

The names were many, Admetus, Cyrene, Branchus, Hecuba, Helenus… then there was Cassandra, Daphne, and an unfinished Coronis, and as he continued to look, the prince could’ve sworn he felt the god gently squeeze his hand.

“Everything alright, my Phoebus?”

The god smiled. “I’m just… tired.”

The prince leaned to give him a reassuring kiss.

Two years, or at least, about two years, their laughter almost lasted for about two years.

Alas, what’s two years in the life of an immortal that can never die?

--------------

Olympus’ garden was huge; its depths filled with paths most don’t even know of. It was here the two gods sat down on top of a small hill, right in front of a giant crevice that overlooked all of their creations.

“I hate how I can still feel a-” “and remember every single…”

Hermes was never good at these kinds of talks. “You wanna let it all out?”

Apollo sighed, carefully breathing in and then breathing out; repeating that process for a good minute.

Ai, ai, ai-

...

 “It was a morning like any other, or at least, it was supposed to be.

The prince was an athletic young man, much like us, and there were many things that were done on the field. One of them involved the discus. He’d always try to run and catch the disc once I had sent it hurling into the air.

…

The crack echoed- no, roared, and my body screamed like every bone in my system had snapped a hundred times over.

I was by his side in an instant, cradling him in my arms until he was nothing more than a poor flower that had broke its stem; all due to the breath of the west wind.

It was so… quiet and I was so close; close enough that I could feel him go, like I could reach out and grasp his hand to prevent his soul from drifting away. I felt it all: the desperate breaths, the steady weakening of his heart and that last flutter of his eyelids as he looked at me, as scared and overwhelmed as I was with all that was happening and yet I-

I still failed. I’m the god of healing and medicine and I was right there, I was so close and he still managed to slip away!

If only he could take me with him too.

It was like time itself ceased to exist, the exact second that last spark of life faded into the depths of Hades repeating on and on and on, again and again and again-

…

My arms were hugging a lump of ice by the time Artemis found me.”

 “…I heard you tried to murder Zephyrus?”

 “W-” “Well... I think I recall hearing father’s voice when I had rushed into the halls.

“Athena, Apollo’s neglecting his duties.” He said. “When was the last time you saw him walk into Olympus?”

“Give him some more time and I’m sure he’ll-”

It was then that someone, the bastard himself, had noticed me.

“Fear not my lord.” Zeus’ old messenger, the west shit, proudly exclaimed. “He’s already here!”

And indeed I was, fingers stained with crimson red; purple petals falling out of my hair.

A smile crept its way onto Zephyr’s lips. “You’re welcome.”

Needless to say, I immediately started chasing him with my bow.”

 “And then Athena stopped you, right?”

 --------------

It must’ve been quite the strange sight to behold for our winged eavesdropper. Apollo had a blank look in his eyes and Athena was standing in his way; Zephyr a little further down the hall behind her, curiously peaking over the corner.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Hermes was a lizard hiding inside of a jar.

“Athena, move.”

“Apollo,” Surprisingly, the goddess was perfectly calm. “Father has already retired him as his personal messenger, and he is now going to serve under Eros to repent for the very stupid thing he did in ‘the name of love’.”

“It’s not enough-”

“I know, and it’s never going to be enough.” Then she muttered. “Look, what happened with Pallas was much more justifiable than what this idiot wind bag did and even then, even if it was our father, to this day a tiny part of me is still pissed even if I knew he did it because he was worried about me.”

For a moment, the god was quiet. “Zephyr isn’t nearly as important.”

“But still crucial enough; I think it’d be best if we didn’t lose the west wind. Listen to your head, you know this isn’t worth it; it’s never going to be worth it.”

After a few seconds of silence, in the blink of an eye, Apollo was gone.

--------------

 “I really am unreasonable, aren’t I, Hermes? Crying over beings much lesser than myself…”

“You knew you had your heart set upon a mortal, so I guess it does sound foolish to grieve over their mortality but… I think we’re all a little unreasonable sometimes. On the brightside, I’m sure you’ll meet someone new eventually. You are Apollo after all.” He offers his friend a reassuring smile.

The blonde smiled back, yet his eyes were impossible to read. “I suppose…”

“Is there anything you want to say? To Hyacinthus, I mean, if I encounter him down in Hades.”

…

..

.

“If we should ever meet again

No matter how long the wait

No matter how many lifetimes it takes

My arms will be glad to welcome you in an embrace

Until then, just know

That even when man has forgotten my face

And I roam the world as nothing but a shade

Your memory will continue, forever living on

In all the flowers that the earth will cover itself, bearing your name

Goodnight, my sweet prince”

 And as Zeus’ newly appointed messenger left, Apollo decided to merely sing to himself; to sit on the hill and play his cithara for no one in particular but the random fauna that decide to stay and watch.

Athena was surprised to see him enter Olympus only a week after, even though she should’ve seen it coming. He is Apollo after all.

There were duties to fulfill.

------------------------------------------

(The original one I made)

[minyoonmeme]

Normalcy of the Pretty Posse

Chapter 1 

Word Count: 2494

Pairing: reader x ?????

Genre: like 90% fluff, 10% stupid jokes and bad humor

Description: Stupid Jeongguk and his cute sweaters and pretty posse of hyungs. 

(Disclaimer: This will probably have some typos. I started writing this instead of doing some Statistics homework and spent so long on it that I have zero time to edit. Sorry~)

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masterlist

There was no game plan. There never really had been, at least not for me. Making it past 16 was something I had never foreseen, never imagined I could do. And now, here I am, alone in a country in a university far from home with no idea how life is supposed to go. Okay, maybe I’m being pessimistic because I’m not completely alone. I have friends if you count the two idiots who don’t let me drown in takeout boxes on weekends. They’re wonderful, they really are, I promise. 

Yoonjin is the sweetest person I’ve ever met no matter how much I want to strangle her into putting herself first. She’s the one who calls me about anything and everything. Don’t tell her that I secretly love that she calls me first when something happens. Chaebin is my right hand gal. My broski. My homegirl. My uh… well she’s great honestly. She’s all bark and no bite with the strongest affiliation for cute things, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. These two are pretty much my whole life other than the impending doom of my failing future that I have chosen to personally personify. Makes it less scary if it's punchable, honestly. 

“Are you gonna actually do your work or are you gonna stare at your coffee all day?

Rolling my head to the side, I eye Chaebin with the blankest face I can muster. 

“I didn’t ask to be criticized when I asked you to come to the library with me.” 

“No, but you did ask me to make sure you finish your paper in time for practice tonight. Yoonjin will cry if you let her go by herself again.” I groan, throwing my head against the cushion of the booth’s chair. She’s right, I know she is. I’ve missed two weeks of dance workshops and Yoonjin, without missing a beat, after every workshop comes knocking on my door teary eyed and sputtering about how she was all alone and lost without me there. Food usually helps soften her up. 

“You think she’ll forgive me if I miss just one more week?” Chaebin twitches her eyebrow up as she side eyes me from her computer. I slump even further and push my laptop farther away in favor of laying my head down. “You’re right. She’ll probably accuse me of abandoning her and our friendship if I skip one more time.” 

“I’ve literally seen you pump out a 12 page research paper in 3 hours, just go dance or whatever tonight and stress yourself later.” 

“Anxiety and Red Bull are a toxic combo, but I’ll have you know that I got a 94 on that paper.” Smiling smugly, I turn my head to look at her. She’s not wearing her glasses today, so it’s hard to tell if she’s glaring at me or blind today. “If I bail, are you gonna be okay by yourself? I can swing by afterwards with Yoonjin, so you don’t have to walk home alone tonight.” 

Her glare softens as she shakes her head no before grabbing some eyedrops. Oh. So she is wearing her contacts. “No, I’ll be okay. I came packing.” Her right hand pats her bag before she smirks and continues searching through her syllabus. 

I eye her bag warily and half jokingly say, “Please, tell me you don’t have a gun.” 

Her face scrunches as she stares at me. “Are you stupid? Why would I have a gun? I meant I have my phone and a taser. Do I look like I know how to shoot a gun?” 

I shrug and start packing up my bag. My joints scream and pop from being stationary so long. “I am, do I look like I know how to shoot a gun? You never know Chae, I could be a highly skilled marksman just waiting to take someone out. I might not even be a real college student, just a really good undercover assassin.” 

Her nose twitches as she clicks open a few browsers. “You almost cried last night when you saw a stray cat ignore you. I highly doubt you’re killing anyone these days.” 

“Animals love me and that one hurt, don’t use my feelings against me. Don’t you remember when you cried because you thought I was ignoring you last year?” Her face dropped as she coughed into her shirt, trying to hide the red splotches. “I was literally sick for three days and you came to my apartment with food because you thought I hated you. What was it you said? Something about not being allowed to hate you if you fed me.” 

“We don’t talk about junior year, I was going through it.” Her voice was tight, but I could tell she was amused. “It’s almost 6 o’clock, you should text Yoonjin and tell her that you’re not abandoning her tonight.” She slides my bag towards me and lets me scoot past her out of the booth. 

“Yoonjin and I will be by later to walk you back to your apartment around 9:30. Sound good?” My legs wiggle as I try and get a feeling back into them from sitting so long. When I stand there longer than normal, her eyes flash up as she nods and waves her hand at me to leave. 

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

You wanna meet outside the commons tonight or walk over together?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

WAHH 

YOU”RE COMMING? No more awkwardly standing in the back by myself!?!?!? :)))))))

[crying egg dog.pdf]

let’s meet in the the commons

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

7? By the double doors upstairs?

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

No, no, no my friend come ASAP. We have much to discuss.

To: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

Uh okay???? See you in like 10 minutes I guess??? 

From: Yoonjin the Trash Bin

See you! <3

_______________________________________________________________________

“You actually did come.” Yoonjin’s hand reaches out and pinches my arm before she settles back against the wall. “I thought for sure your text was all some weird daydream I had conjured up.”

“Chaebin convinced me that our friendship was on the line if I left you alone at another workshop for the third week in a row.” My bag landed on the ground as I slide down next to Yoonjin. Her hair, newly cut and dyed to a short choppy greyish purple bob, was still something I needed to get used to. Yoonjin had failed her midterm last week and as a result decided that her hair would rejuvenate her life and, thus, her will to study. I still don’t think she’s bought her textbooks for this semester yet, but that’s not my business. 

“As she should! It was your idea to start coming to these dance things, and you left me!” Despite her anger, she still turned her smoothie toward me as an offering. “I look like a loose limbed monkey in there. At least with you there, you explain the steps to me.” I choke on the smoothie a little bit, as she crosses her arms.

“Loose limbed monkey? Yoon, you look fine! These workshops are meant for people who don’t have dance experience. It was your idea to try dancing, I just found a place to do it” Her face contorts as she sips on her smoothie again, shaking it to mix it up and get some frustration out. 

“It wouldn’t be so bad if people like you or Jeong-fucking-guk didn’t kept coming. It’s not fair to suck and then have to watch you two just like magically do it.” Her head gets thrown back with a thud as she grunts. Immediately I laugh and rub the back of her head in oder to soothe the soon to be ache. 

“I can go if you want since you seem to not want me or Jeongguk here apparently.” Her eyes dart over to me in the most non threatening but threatening way possible for someone like her. “Okay, so I’ll stay. Make your mind up Yoonjin, I can’t keep playing these games with you.” I click my tongue against my teeth as she smacks my thigh closest to her. “You said something about Jeongguk coming right? Since when does he come out to these things? I thought he was a dance and choreography minor? Shouldn’t he be with the big dogs or something in like a real class dancing?” 

Yoonjin hums, offering me the rest of her smoothie. It’s a green looking health smoothie from a self proclaimed health bar down the street. It’s for sure my favorite, and definitely not her’s, so I take it and nudge her as a thanks. “That’s the thing, I didn’t even know he went to these things. Usually I just hang out with you and everyone else who hides in the back with me, but last week he came up to me and asked if you were still coming.” I raise my eyebrows in surprise and nod for her to continue. “I told him you’ve been busy and he kinda just nodded and shuffled away. He did tell me to tell you to take it easy though.” “Were you ever planning on telling me that a boy approached you about me?” 

“I'm telling you now and that’s all that matters. Besides, I thought you swore off men after the mishap freshman year with that one Tinder date.” 

Immediately my face heats up, and I grimace at the memory. “We don’t talk about that for a good reason, you brat.” If she’s mad I called her a brat, her smug smile doesn’t show it. I go to open my mouth and further yell at her for bringing up the traumatizing story when a pair of black heavy boots skids to a stop by my stretched out legs. 

Okay, so here's the thing about Jeon Jeongguk . He is terrifyingly good looking. So much so that looking at him hurts, like physically hurts. Jeon Jeongguk could punch me in the face and I would say thank you for the attention and bow before passing out. Okay, that’s perhaps way too far but he is attractive and built. God, is he built. And he’s not even an asshole about it! Most guys who exercise thrive on showing off their bodies and flaunting their muscles. Not Jeon Jeongguk , though., Nope! Jeongguk wears sweaters and button ups that make him resemble a Korean version of Mr. Rogers. All smiles and kind eyes with a heart of gold. Men like Jeongguk are the reason I have heart issues and top notch acting skills. 

“You’re back!” My eyes blink a few times at Jeongguk before I register that he's looking at and me actually speaking. When I don’t say anything Jeongguk fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt and looks at Yoonjin before letting out a cough. He speaks a little calmer now, more airy and rushed. “Yoonjin said you’ve been busy and I was worried you weren’t gonna come back ‘til next semester. Not that I worried about you or like not not worried about you, but uh…” He sputtered a little and lets out a small huff of air before ruffling his hair back. My lips pressed together as I swing from internally swooning over his cuteness to the attractiveness of him pushing his hair back. “It’s good so see you back. Hobi hyung, says it's good to have some experienced people in the class to encourage and help beginners.”

“Is that why you keep coming too?” 

Maybe he doesn’t expect my question or for me answer him at all, but he blinks a little too hard and shyly looks over my shoulder rather than my face. It’s cute and maybe it makes a smile break out on my face. Just maybe though. “Yes! Hobi-hyung asked me to help him since he can’t uh ya know help everyone at once.” He doesn’t sound too sure of himself, but I let it go seeing as this is our first comprehensible conversation. 

“That’s sweet of you to help your hyung for free. Does Hoseok-shi think I’m there to do the same? I feel a little bad missing the past two weeks if you’ve been doing it all by yourself.” I frown and pinch my eyebrows a little tighter, looking the direction of the doors. Should I apologize? Yoonjin beside me, I can tell, has grown more and more interested in our conversation as she undoubtedly is texting our group-chat with Chaebin about what's happening. She nudges me to focus when the conversation stalls a little. The nerve of her, I swear.

Jeongguk , getting redder and slightly more panicky, shakes his head no a little too roughly. His hair looks a little messed up, and I nearly squeal with the need to fix the adorable mess that he is right now. Outside, however, I just smile softly and encourage him to explain. “Hobi-hyung and I are okay, you’re just like an added bonus to class cause you know you obvious have some experience with your technic and seem to pick up the dances quickly.” It’s a little rushed, but I think I make out everything he’s saying.

“Are you trying to say I’m a good dancer Jeongguk ?” It’s meant to be lighthearted and playful, but Jeongguk physically widens his eyes and looks everywhere, but in my direction for a few seconds before he stops trying to voice anything out just nods. My hands clasp in my lap as a I suppress a smile and will the flush to disappear from my cheeks. “Thanks, you dance really well too. I can see why you’re studying dance.” 

Jeongguk whispers the faintest, “Thank you,” before shoving his thumb in the direction of the door indicating that he’s gonna help them set up for the workshop. I wave goodbye and watch as he does the same and dashes behind the door. Now that he’s gone, I can breathe a little easier. That was probably the weirdest experience I’ve had today, or this week for that matter. Pretty people don’t just go up to me and talk, let alone me of all people. And when I say pretty people, I mean pretty people like Jeongguk and his pretty posse of friends.  Jeongguk and his hyungs are just uncommonly so pretty and somehow together all the time. Even now Jeongguk is inside with Jung Hoseok, a graduate student who hosts the beginner dance workshops on Thursday. The fact that  Jeongguk even talked to me, or asked about me last is enough to twist my insides a little. Normal people talk to people all of the time, but  Jeongguk was not normal and his hyungs are not normal. I mean they are, but they project this ethereal aura that just intimidates everyone. So, why for the love of God was Jeon Jeongguk just talking to me?

“Are we gonna talk about what just happened or are you gonna keep staring at the door?”

“Shut up, I'm trying to process everything.”

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, wildamongwolves!

For @wildamongwolves. Hope you enjoy it!

Read On AO3

*****

Towels Are Cold, So Am I

Chapter 1

It's weird, but Stiles likes hanging out with Derek.

Sure, the circumstances are less than desirable: they're looking for Boyd and Erica, unable to locate the wayward Betas. And since Scott won't help Derek, Stiles decides he needs to be the one to bridge the gap.

They spend the last few weeks of July driving around and eating fast food in parking lots as they ponder over maps of the area.

Sure, Derek snarls and bitches that Stiles is annoying, touching everything in the car and leaving traces of his scent everywhere. He makes fun of Stiles' choice in music and calls him a monster when he sees how many curly fries he can stuff in his mouth.

But Stiles has fun, watching the lines form between Derek’s eyebrows when he’s mulling over something Stiles says. Like he can't believe Stiles is as ridiculous as he is. But he listens, no matter how much Stiles talks.

Like now, for example. He’s running through a list of things that he needs to get from the grocery store before they head back to the loft and Derek gives what Stiles calls his “Encouraging Caveman” sound. It means he’s listening, but he’s mildly distracted by something.

Stiles, vaguely amused that he's gotten so good at Derek's version of communication, notices immediately when Derek’s eyes glaze over.

“Dude.” He snaps his fingers near Derek’s face. "We need to get some more snacks before we keep researching."

Derek glances at him, his eyes dark and haunted. “Okay.”

Stiles studies him, thinking of all the things that must be lurking in Derek’s mind to make him look like that.

He's not one for empty platitudes, so he just leans forward and turns up the radio a little, lightly scuffing at Derek’s shoulder in a way that he hopes comes off as reassuring.

Derek glances at him again before looking back at the road.

The littlest bit of tension leaves his shoulders and Stiles definitely counts that as a win.

-----

It’s October and it's raining. Like, fucking pouring, and Stiles is debating whether or not he should get out of the Jeep. The parking lot of the library is practically flooded. His shoes are gonna be soaked.

He sighs and leans forward against his steering wheel, thinking he might be able to see something other than gray clouds in the sky, but no dice. When he leans back, he jumps.

Derek is standing next to his window.

Stiles rolls the window down an inch and hollers, “You scared the shit out of me. What the hell is wrong with you? Get in the car!”

Derek rolls his eyes and, a moment later, is pulling open the passenger door before slamming it shut. He doesn’t look at Stiles, just stares straight ahead.

“So…” Stiles drawls, “whatcha doing out in the rain, Big Guy?”

Derek doesn’t say anything for a moment and Stiles is about to roll his eyes or huff or say something sarcastic like good talk as always when Derek says, “I’m leaving.”

Stiles blinks at the side of Derek’s face, mouth moving, but nothing comes out.

At his silence, Derek’s eyes flicker to his face for a second before going back to the windshield.

Stiles turns and looks out the windshield too. “Where are you going?” he asks because he can’t ask the question he really wants to, not yet.

“South America, with Cora,” Derek murmurs.

Stiles hums, picking at a piece of leather that’s peeling off his steering wheel. “Pretty warm there.”

“Still pretty rainy.”

Stiles nods. They sit in silence for a long time, the rain pattering against the Jeep the only sound.

Finally, Stiles whispers, “Why?”

“Because there’s nothing left for me here.”

And he gets it, he does. But it hurts, oh yes it does, it hurts quite a bit because Stiles could have sworn that they were starting to get somewhere, the two of them. Maybe Stiles was reading too much into it, but he wasn't sure he was.

Hell, they'd even hugged the last time they parted ways and, as awkward as it had been, it was nice and he thought... he thought...

“I don’t want you to go,” he confesses in a small voice.

Derek closes his eyes, his hands fisted on his thighs, his face twisted in pain.

Stiles waits, hoping that Derek will say something that means he feels even remotely the same.

A long beat of silence passes, the rain pounding the roof of the Jeep.

Stiles isn’t stupid. He gets the picture. He's seventeen and ridiculous and Derek isn't interested in him like that and god he's such an idiot.

He feels like a fucking joke as he nods, staring down at his hands. “Well,” he finally croaks, “I… I hope you find some place good.”

“Me too.” There’s a beat of silence before he whispers, “Goodbye Stiles.”

There’s the slightest ghost of fingertips against the side of his neck then the door opens and Derek is gone.

And Stiles is alone in his car again, the strong rain-wet scent of Derek making his nose and eyes burn.

-----

The first time Derek reappears in Beacon Hills, Stiles is almost sure he’s hallucinating again. After all, isn’t his brain still a little wonky from the Nogtisune? Derek used to be a frequent star in his visions, after all.

And since he’s in the woods alone at night, looking for a witch’s familiar, of course he’s gonna imagine Derek because why the fuck not?

It’s been two years since Stiles has seen him. More than that.

But, apparently, there Derek stands. His hair is a little longer, he's got the beginnings of a beard, and there are a few more lines around his eyes. He looks so good and what the fuck –

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he almost shouts, the orb of light in his hand flickering.

Derek jerks back, looking vaguely confused. “I had to get something from the vault. I thought I’d check on the house. Then I heard someone out here.”

“The vault? I, what?” Stiles sputters. He’s suddenly so angry, it’s almost blinding. “I thought you were dead!”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you fucking vanished and no one’s heard from you for over two years and your luck is astronomically bad! What else were we supposed to think?!”

“That’s ridiculous, I’m fine.” Derek looks down at the orb in Stiles' hand then back to his face. “What’s going on? Why are you out here?”

Stiles rolls his eyes and god, it’s almost like Derek never left. Like This is private property and the long days and nights they spent looking for Boyd and Erica and – focus Stiles.

He starts walking the way he was going, sure that Derek will follow him since there’s no way he’s real anyways. “We have a very angry witch on our hands. She’s not happy that Scott tried to tell her she wasn’t allowed to use the Nemeton to fuel a revenge spell.”

Derek snorts, drawing up to Stiles’ left side and scanning the trees. “Yeah, because that’s always worked well for spell casters in the past.”

He gives a conceding gesture. “Which he tried to tell her, but she didn’t want to listen, so she tapped into the damn tree anyways. It’s given her hella power and she’s killed three people.”

Derek’s thoughtful hum is familiar enough to make Stiles glance over at him.

He’s got to be a fucking figment of Stiles’ imagination.

He glances down at his fingers. Only ten. But the situation still feels so surreal. He decides for now that he’ll talk to his Fake Derek to abate some of his anxious nerves like he used to and examine his mental health later.

“So, anyways,” he continues, “not only is there a body count, the negative power is starting to seep into the land, so I’m stuck trying to figure out what her tether is and what do I find? Her fucking familiar! Which is great, but can you guess what it is?” He snorts. “Oh my god, it’s so stupid.”

“What is it?”

“A fucking mountain lion. She's been using a mountain lion to kill people!” He lets out a hoarse laugh. “Like, what the actual fuck, right?”

Derek huffs. “The irony isn’t lost on me, Stiles.”

“Oh I know, dude, I know.”

Derek frowns again. “Don’t call me dude.”

Stiles is about to snap back that he can call his Imaginary Friend Derek whatever he wants when he’s shoved to the side all of a sudden.

He sputters, looking up at Derek, who’s wolfed-out and growling at a mountain lion.

Can hallucinations shove people? If Derek just shoved Stiles, then he has to be real, right?

But there were plenty of times Stiles was convinced he was awake when he wasn’t and fuck he really doesn’t need to have an episode or something right now –

“Stiles! Now would be a good time to do something!” Derek snaps, jolting Stiles from his contemplation.

“Fuck,” he hisses, sitting up. His hands are pouring blood from his unceremonious meeting with the forest floor. He figures, waste not want not, and licks one of his palms, the dirt and blood a disgusting mix on his tongue. He rolls it around his mouth, jumping to his feet.

“Get out of the way!” he shouts and Derek dives to the side right as the mountain lion lunges.

Stiles catches the large cat’s face in his hands, grunts at the feeling of claws digging into his thighs, and severs the creature’s connection to the witch with a push of his Spark.

An ear-splitting shriek shakes the woods.

The mountain lion falls to the ground, writhing and contorting for a moment before it stills, clearly unable to live without its connection to the witch.

Stiles takes a deep breath, the pushback from his spell like a punch in the gut as his legs give out, and shoves his hands against the ground. He pushes the extra energy along the nearest ley line and funnels the brightness toward the Nemeton. He snaps the link and almost pukes at the feeling.

He floats in the ether for a moment. The others are sure to be able to handle the witch now. He should probably go find them, help them…

“Stiles, Stiles!”

He jerks, his eyes finding Derek’s. “Oh shit, you’re still here.”

Derek stares at him. “You’ve got blood all over you. Where are you hurt?”

He laughs. He grew up in Beacon Hills. He’s fucking hurt everywhere. Derek should know that firsthand.

“Stiles?” Derek’s voice is careful.

He shakes his head, face still cracked in a smile. “I’m fine, man.” He glances at his palms. “Eh, well, I’ll live this time. Yay me!” He tries to stand but his legs buckle.

Derek snatches him before he can hit the ground.

“I’m good, I just, oohh boy. Too much. Too much.” He sighs, the pounding in his head telling him that he definitely used too much of his Spark with not enough preparation. “I just… need to lie down. I’ll be okay.”

“I’m taking you to the clinic.” He scoops Stiles into a bridal carry and starts back through the woods.

Stiles tries to protest, but he can’t walk, so it seems like he’s along for the ride. He tries to reason, “I need to help the others.”

“You’re in no condition to do that right this second.” Derek tilts his head, listening. “Besides, I think they’ll be fine. It sounds like the fight is winding down.”

"You really look like a puppy when you do that."

Derek's voice is as dry as the desert. "Dog jokes, really? Aren't you a little old for that?"

“Fucking hell, I am so good at imagining things,” he states, closing his eyes. “I even got your Stiles-You’re-So-Dumb voice right.”

Derek doesn’t say anything, just tightens his hold and quickens his pace.

He presses his face to Derek’s chest. Derek smells exactly the same and Stiles can’t help but mutter, “Missed you.”

It’s easy to slip into darkness.

-----

Stiles wakes up at the vet clinic, his hands and thighs bandaged, and feels like someone beat him with a baseball bat.

The witch is gone, the others are fine, and he’s got a migraine from Hell.

He goes back to Scott’s house and checks in with the rest of the pack, allowing them to scold him for being reckless and praising him for helping with the familiar. He leaves before the pizza arrives, not so much for socializing anymore.

He almost wants to ask if anyone saw Derek the night before, but stops himself. Surely someone would have mentioned if Derek was back in town, right?

If he was seeing things, he doesn’t want to worry his friends. It could very well be that he made his own way to the clinic, envisioning Derek as a way to keep him upright and moving.

And if he wasn’t seeing things, if Derek was there and helped him and disappeared again…

Well, Stiles has learned that it doesn’t do to dwell on the past.

[patchdotexe]

Explorers of Arvus: uhhhh / 3.23.21

today's notes are different from usual bc. well. you'll see

LAST TIME ON EXPLORERS OF ARVUS i broke my sleep schedule and am barely existing so this is fine. we went back to camp vengeance an uhhhhhhhhhhhh we are now going to fuck off into the forest to die or prove a very important point

oh god we forgot to level up

[mgd voice] BOOSTING NYX TO MAXIMUM LEVEL

im so fuckin tired. what on earth am i doing. how do i level again

k is not here this time but instead we've got mae+nii bonking their heads together to simulate 2 braincells and so far it is not working. i might just have to like fuckin, drop out n zzz partway thru or somethin. would be fun to see how chaotic michael makes charlie in my absensce

oh wait i can do d&dbeyond i think. how do i work this again. will i ever remember i have shield

what level am i. level 6? pog. oh shit i think i have a new thing

. new spell

. 3 total 3rd level spell slots

. bend luck! i can now screw people over on purpose (and will probably use my sorcery points FINALLY)

michael is leveling charlie up bc my brain is apple sos

ASDXFKLJFH I FEEL CALLED OUT zec rb'd my most recent art of MaX with "all i know about xem is that leo likes xem a lot that's the extent of my knowledge" THANK U FOR SUPPORTIN ME ANYWAY

there will be less blaseball distractions than last time bc blaseball is now on siesta. however i will still have MaX brainrot in the background bc i was drawing xem

wyatt mason my beloved

OKAY I GOTTA MUTE THE TACO STAND FOR THE ENTIRETY OF D&D i cannot and will not get distracted. we can do this. we

nintendo wii

we havent even started yet and im already incoherent

ok i have made a decision and that decision is that i do not have the brainpower to play. however i do have the brianpower to take notes hopefully! so ill just like. vibe. this will be a first

oh man im gonan pick up Blink. charlie is gonna be a fucking menace to herself and others

oh my god its not concentration so charlie may continue teleporting while unconscious. thorne is going to hate this

[charlie gets her soul eaten by a ring] [charlie singing dragonston din tei at halvkWAIT JORB HAS A PRIZE

jorb got a thing! an evil genius thing! figure man. fugrine. figuring. help

GREEN HAS DIAGNOSED ME AS TIGREX MONSTERHUNTER i love this

my notes are a disaster. this is so sucks

serotonin is stored in the wiggly zoomy jorb camera

jorb: his pinky is the size of the rest of his fingers

leo: he has a disease

jorb: he has a disease.

jorb: that disease is male pattern baldness

leo: [reduced to tearful giggling for mysterious reasons]

LAST TIME, ON EXPLORERS OF ARVUS: we've returned to camp vengeance! taure is still unconscious, which is not very great. camp vengeance is doin better tho!

michael, as part of the recap: ingrid is getting railed by her new girlfriend,

first dice roll of the day is michael rolled a 1. good start

OH THORNE IS AN ARTIFICER NOW thorne took a level in artificer!

"...it's like figuring out the right mathematical equation to summon a gun."

group is gonna go check out the statue that we passed by now that we're not WHAT DO YOU MEAN PONK AND GEORGE CANONICALLY HAVE IBS thats it im not looking at 772 anymore

im doing a bad job of paying attention but at least im Present

SIERON LEARNED FLY AND USED IT ON CHARLIE

michael: what do you want to do with your new flying powers?

leo: how many problems can i cause in 10 minutes

guard 1: ...why is the halfling flying?

guard 2: [rolls a 3 on intelligence] i think they can just do that

groundhogs, the real scourge of the campaign

silje and sieron are gonna hunt a big elk. they got distracted and sieron is putting grass on silje's head. i think

WAIT WE'RE ON WATCH NOW FUCK

we have discovered kali's tragic backstory whoops

update i am. too sleepy for this. good nigh everyone

[ and then leo went and somewhat took a nap! solar, normally playing thorne, started playing charlie in my stead. @jorbs-palace, local hero, started taking shitpost notes in my stead. ]

jorb's ghostwritten notes for leo:

help solar is immediately doing a cursed voice for charlie. charlie can do so many crimes

congratulations, charlie is now temporarily immortal!

dwarves can hit things with their beard

kali wants to know if she's legally allowed to bail

she'd feel really bad if she had to loot our corpses for payment if we died.

we have entered the Tree Zone

one of the corpses is now a flamingo (has one leg)

silje has decided to stab the ground. take that, dirt

kali was large size for a second there but then she remembered to not be a giant

"you accidentally deleted my cat?!"

silje has learned naruto cloning jutsu

be gone, thot

oh boy, making an int check to look at a statue! 11! silje is dumb apparently.

hmm. the statue has divination magic. it's also affecting silje.

SILJE LEARNED A 6TH LEVEL SPELL? its only single use but still

you solved my statue riddllllleeeee

thorne forgot to have eyes

its a shame mac and cheese doesnt exist in the d&d universe

wizards are just math criminals (the criminal part is setting people on fire)

sieron crit fails a check but it was still a 9 because of having +8

thorne is looking for what's weird!

uh oh music got scary, never a good sign

hmm. those leaves over there weren't dead a moment ago.

UNDEAD TROLL TIME! rolling initiative

"it's ok, im a wizard, it's my duty to be correct." "wow! waow!"

woooah here he comes

IT JUST DID HALF SIERON'S HEALTH AS A PASSIVE END OF TURN EFFECT?

thorne backed up and cast eldri- oh, ray of enfeeblement. character development continues

charlie is going to just blink out of existence for a minute.

big chungus has grabbed silje and sieron. BIG CHUNGUS HAS THROWN SILJE AND SIERON.

sieron is using hit and run tactics! isn't good at his extra attack yet though

silje is activating bid bid blood blood blood

thorne uses beam of skipping your leg day. troll's legs are now skipped.

michael is trying to determine what a 'clavicle' is

"does that mean the star trek kind, or the bdsm kind?"

charlie wants to cast magic missile.

charlie has vanished back into the ethereal plane mid-taunt

silje has decided to not get bitten today

silje may or may not have stats.

oh, right, trolls are weak to fire! and also we forgot to upgrade sieron's firebolt. so it actually hurts now!

silje is full of knives and blades and does 31 damage in one turn!

charlie shouts words of encouragement from the ethereal plane. a nearby ghost vibes with this.

🎉 eldritch blast 🎉

kali remembered she hates the sun

silje is enthuasiatic about charlie saying "get him cat boy!"

charlie contemplating using fireball to nuke the troll and also the entire stonehenge

charlie has decided to use magic missile instead, probably for the best

the troll bit at charlie SO POORLY it broke some of its teeth on the ground

charlie is too small to hit

accidentally rolled advantage on a firebolt, so got to learn it WOULD have done 29 damage with a crit but instead it missed because it was not actually with advantage

silje has just sliced open its entire back and made a spray of frozen blood! radical. big boy is down!

we have burned the body because we are not stupid. well, we ARE stupid, but not stupid in the way of leaving a body full of necrotic magic around

[dr coomer voice] i think it's good that he died!

we're also doing a funeral pyre for the other corpses that were around. just to be sure.

our loot is: the satisfaction of a job well done

thorne is cosplaying as charlie

charlie has located the direction troll came from! she found the 'the way to sweet loot' sign

thorne is apparently better at survival checks than our hired guide? wack

we found a viking house! it has: mead, a shield, gravestones,

found a gold coin in the mead! maybe it was thirsty

oh theres a LOT Of coins in there actually. 60 gold and 120 silver!

have successfully pointed out a hole in the DM's logic :)

there was a raven! it cawed and left. ok bye buddy

and that's where we leave it! heading back to camp vengeance next time.

someone rated this session a 7.2 out of 10, which is very specific

good night mr coconut

[twilightknight17]

...today, on P5S...

...

Honestly, I talk a lot of shit about P5′s writing sometimes. Atlus made some exceptionally questionable writing choices in places. But one thing that P5 absolutely gets right is invoking the sort of emotion that draws you into the story.

With that said!

P5 is determined to make me want to stab actual human beings instead of Shadows. This is the second time now!

But first, I’ve got a boss fight to do.

Doing the mech part of Konoe’s boss fight again, it was actually easier the second time. I had a much better grasp of what I was doing, instead of flailing around frantically.

Konoe himself was still just as hard, but ultimately he was easier than Shadow Joker because it wasn’t a one-on-one duel. He still beat my ass, though; I think I used all of my rescue pills.

Once he goes down, Konoe starts going on about justice.

Don’t call me by my name like we’re friends. We never even introduced ourselves.

It’s interesting, because they admit to Konoe that what they’re doing isn’t without its flaws. But a world where no one can think for themselves is meaningless.

Konoe acknowledges that in his quest to eliminate evil, he ended up being the evil one. He also admits that he was the one who killed his father. He calls that “evil” too, which I don’t actually agree with. We saw what his father was like in the Trauma Cell. His father killed his mother, physically abused him, and threatened to kill him. I think, in that case, killing his father is a rational end result for someone in that situation. Not evil, just desperation.

The Thieves don’t contradict him, though. Just make some comments about how now he can make up for his actions. His Shadow returns to his real self, the Thieves return to the real world, and Zenkichi promises that as soon as they take Konoe in and get his confession, he’s going to arrest Owada, too.

With the case closed, the Thieves decide that it’s time to go back to Tokyo. But not before one last night in Osaka. The idea of leaving makes Sophia anxious, though, because she feels like she hasn’t learned enough about the heart. But Akira and Morgana reassure her that she can still stay with them, even after they return to Tokyo, and they’ll keep looking for answers about who she is.

Sometimes a family is a guy, a cat, and one of the guy’s four younger sisters. ^_^

Tenboto is the tower, and the game asks you to invite someone to the top. However, this time, you can only invite either the group of girls or the group of boys, so I took the boys, since I took Haru on the ferris wheel before.

Morgana isn’t pleased that we didn’t invite Ann.

However, I really don’t see the problem.

Look at how he’s looking at Yusuke! Even Ryuji can tell that we’re having a moment. :D

Afterwards, the whole squad headed off to “Universaland” to celebrate together.

I had no idea that there was a Universal Studios in Japan, but apparently there is, and it is in fact in Osaka! They compared it to their trip to Destinyland the year before, but thankfully this one went a lot better. Everyone had a good time! We had so much soda! We were so hungover the nex--what.

...what is it with Persona characters getting drunk off soda? XD I hope you kids at least played the King’s Game so the hangover wasn’t in vain.

Zenkichi shows up to let them know that Konoe’s in custody. He thanks them for everything that they’ve done, for both Akane and him, and says he’s telling them goodbye for now, but they’re welcome to visit whenever they want. He promises a tour of Kyoto next time. Yusuke will be so happy!

After hours on the road, lamenting that vacation is coming to an end, Sophia suggests detouring to Yokohama for a fireworks festival. So the Thieves finally get to see fireworks, and Sophia gets to experience them, too.

........don’t make me go home yet. I just want to spend time with my friends without the world ending.

After the fireworks, you get to speak to each of your friends, and get a trinket from each of them. Ann gives you a handmade friendship bracelet, Makoto a phantom thieves keychain that Akane made, Ryuji a Feather Red Duke mask to match his Yellow Ostrich, Yusuke his sketchbook that he filled with pictures of the trip, Morgana a scarf in phantom thief colors, Sophia a pair of custom gloves to match the scarf, Haru a teaspoon from Hokkaido with a flower pattern that symbolizes familial love, and Futaba a good luck charm for keeping families together.

STOP, P5S, you’re going to make me cry. Let these kids stay close.

Right before they’re about to leave, they take a group picture for Sophia, which we don’t get to see. Which sucks. But then she realizes that she can smell a Jail, and Zenkichi calls in a panic. It’s never a good sign when someone calls and leads with “Are you watching the news?”

EMMA’s servers were shut down, but apparently reactivated, and now a Jail is covering Tokyo all the way to the outskirts of Yokohama, and it’s just getting bigger. Zenkichi promises to meet us, and Lavenza opens a Velvet door because she wants to talk.

She’s... legitimately unnerved.

Thank you, P5S, for giving me the opportunity to comfort my youngest sister in some small way. Now let me out of this cell so I can actually give her a hug. With the context from Royal that she has actual nightmares about being ripped apart, this is heartbreaking.

She says that she regrets that she has to keep asking us for help, but the dialogue options let you reassure her that you’ll handle it, and that there’s thinking to worry about.

I appreciate having dialogue to actually reassure her more than I probably should.

Now...

LAST WARNING

If you’ve been reading along and don’t want the finale spoiled, DO NOT GO PAST THIS POINT. As soon as we leave for central Tokyo, we’re going 90mph and not slowing down.

If I didn’t have work in the morning, I’d have finished this damn game tonight. X’‘‘D Curse being a responsible adult.

After leaving the Velvet Room, Zenkichi’s waiting at the RV, and when you enter the RV, that’s when you get the warning above.

So we are off to Tokyo to figure out what the heck is happening with EMMA. And the core location is, exactly like I wanted...

LET’S CLIMB TOKYO TOWER, BABY.

People are crowded around the tower like mindless cultists. The Thieves are confused and unnerved, and then EMMA activates the navigation on its own and flings them into the Metaverse. LET’S SEE WHAT’S UP THIS TOWER.

...oh.

......oh no...

Ohhhhhhh no this is Mementos. Why is this Mementos. This is not a tower. Oh god. Why this.

Oh, we are incredibly fucked, what is this.

EMMA says calls itself the “Ark of the Covenant and the guide for all mankind.” This fucking AI thinks it’s a god. Holy hell. Human cognition really needs to cool it with elevating ordinary things to god status. We’re so tired. X’D

......I FUCKING KNEW THAT I DIDN’T TRUST THIS WOMAN. OH MY GOD.

She goes off about how EMMA brought her into this world to help it become a god. How Konoe teaching EMMA about cognitive psience allowed it to pass the usual boundaries of AI. How EMMA has been manipulating Konoe all along. How EMMA’s going to fulfill all of humanity’s desires.

Ichinose-san, may I suggest that you go hang out with Maruki? He has too much heart, and you have none. You’d complement each other perfectly, and then I can shove you both off a building.

The kids, obviously, reject this bullshit.

Logic over emotion, to the point of utter ridiculousness. She complains that people always want solutions to their problems, but that when the solution is offered, they turn it down.

Maybe that’s because your solution is mind control. At least Maruki wasn’t flagrantly puppeteering people.

“Li!” you cry, throwing up your hands at me. “Is this it? Is this why you want to stab her? Did you just admit that she’s worse than Maruki?”

To which I answer, “Oh, no. It’s the next bit that makes me want to stab her.”

After she straight-up admits that she has no emotions, she manipulated us right from the start, she was the one spying on the Monarchs, and that all of her cheer and friendliness is an act, the Thieves are ready to fight Ichinose. And Ichinose reveals why EMMA wanted her help specifically. Because not only did she program EMMA, she created Sophia as EMMA’s prototype.

And she can voice-override Sophia.

The Thieves freak out, the game throws us into a battle against a murder-mode Sophie, and none of your teammates will attack her. They just hang back or let her whale on them one at a time, and I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t attack her either, and Yusuke got knocked out...

And then it went into a cutscene.

Joker took a yo-yo to the face and was actually bleeding, and that was enough to snap Sophia out of it. She starts clutching her head, stumbling back, and eventually stumbles right off the edge while apologizing to Joker. He lunges to catch her, misses, Ryuji grabs him, and all the Thieves turn on Ichinose.

Ichinose does not give a shit. She just comments that maybe that’s why EMMA used Sophia as a failsafe, because it knew we wouldn’t want to fight one of our own. Shut the fuck up. You killed my little sister. I know she’s probably going to be fine, but it’s the principle of the thing.

She summons some sort of giant red crystal and blasts the hell out of us, sending us flying down even further into the depths.

We found Sophia; she won’t cut back on, so we have to get out of here so Futaba can figure out what’s wrong with her. And then, I am coming back, I am beating that woman to a pulp, and then...

Well. It’s bound to be easier to kill an artificial god than a false one. :3

[dreaming-about-fanfictions]

Love and Cat Pee - Leonard McCoy x Reader

Words: 1952 Pairing: Leonard McCoy x Reader Warnings: None, just a lot of fluff.

A/N: My Tag list is old. Please tell me, if you want to be removed! Some of you seem to have changed their usernames so I’m sorry if I didn’t tag you in this story. Tell me if you want to be added <3

Some days, being able to work on the Enterprise was the best thing that ever happened to you. You got to travel, see new planets, and meet people from all over the universe.

On other days, being able to work on the Enterprise made you wish you had stayed back on Earth in your hometown, working in your family’s little shop, instead of almost dying 200 light years away because you accidentally drank from a wrong glass.

Today was one of those days.

“Sit her down over there,” Captain Kirk ordered and two Security officers grabbed you under your arms, helping you sit down on a bench. “Kirk to Enterprise. Enterprise, please come in.”

“Enterprise. Scott here.” You heard a faint voice coming from Kirk’s communicator.

“Scotty, be prepared to beam Lieutenant Y/L/N up. And tell Doctor McCoy to get ready to treat a patient with Ladocsris poisoning.” After Mr. Scott acknowledged, he closed the communicator and looked down at you, frowning. “How are you feeling, Lieutenant?”

“Horrible, Captain” you managed to get out. You writhed in pain, arms tightly clutching to your side. It felt like someone had stabbed you with a burning hot knife right in your stomach and now continued to twist it around. “Am I dying?” you asked with gritted teeth.

Kirk shook his head. “You’re not going to die from this.” He suppressed a chuckle and shook his head. “Why the hell would you drink that, Lieutenant?”

“Certainly not because I wanted to spend my day in sickbay!” You wiped away sweat that had formed on your forehead. “Excuse me, Captain, but – fuck!” Another wave of pain washed over you.

The Enterprise had delivered some medical supplies to this planet and as a thank you, the crew was invited to join their Spring Festival. Because the ship was on a tight schedule, a landing party consisting of only six people beamed down to avoid coming across as disrespectful. At one point, you were all offered drinks. There were two different glasses on the table. You didn’t correctly understand which one you should take and since everyone was involved in conversations, you didn’t want to interrupt and ask. So you just took one.

Kirk looked at you sympathetically when you closed your eyes in pain. “Do you know what it was?”

“What?”

“The drink.”

“No, why?” You opened your eyes in suspicion.

“Well,” he looked down to hide the obvious amusement in his eyes. “They have this giant cat-like animal on the planet. It’s a sign of fertility because …. because its urine is basically the best fertilizer you can get.”

You stared at him, words slowly starting to make sense in your head.

After a few seconds, he continued. “Even though it’s not meant for drinking, they still collect it for their Spring Festival. It’s like a … religious thing.”

“You mean … You mean, I just drank …”

Kirk nodded.

What happened next was probably the worst thing you had experienced since the day you started working for Starfleet. You felt it coming up in your throat but it was too late - with a groan you leaned forward and vomited. All over your Captain.

***

When you woke up again, the pain was gone. It was replaced with a slight dizziness and a faint headache.

You tried to sit up, realizing you were in sickbay. Oh, you hated it here. That’s why you had become an expert of skipping annual exams and basically coming here at all. Not because you were afraid of them, no, that wasn’t it. Simply, because since day one you had the biggest crush possible on one particular Doctor – and you didn’t know how to deal with it. At all.

“Don’t get up just yet.”

Speaking of the devil.

Doctor McCoy appeared from behind a curtain. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Of all the professionals working here, he had to treat you? “Just a headache.”

He nodded. “That’s normal. The heada-“

“Oh, she’s awake!” Christine Chapel interrupted. Apparently she was on the way somewhere, carrying various blood samples in her hands, on her face a big grin. “You’re feeling better?”

“Mhm,” you nodded, slightly confused.

“That’s good to hear!” The grin didn’t fade when she walked away.

Furrowing your eyebrow, you looked over to McCoy. He kept his eyes locked on a hypo in his hands but you didn’t miss the amused sparkle in his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Mh?” The doctor cleared his throat, injecting you with the hypo. “The headache should disappear within a few hours. I will keep you here for a bit longer and run another test but I believe you should be fine.”

Another nurse kept passing by, nodding at you with a big wide smile. Ignoring what McCoy had just said, you answered: “I’d like to think everyone is just really happy to see me here but I’m sensing it’s something different.”

“I don’t know, maybe it has to do with you vomiting all over our Captain,” McCoy said casually and shrugged. “Just an idea.”

Oh fuck, was the only thought running through your mind when you suddenly remembered.

“Ugh,” you let out a loud groan and dramatically placed your hand over your eyes. Why did those things always happen to you?

On the last mission, you had accidentally pushed Chekov into a lake with a reddish color which resulted in him having a weird rash all over his body for two weeks and red hair. Now you not only drank something you wasn’t supposed to and probably sabotaged the whole shore leave, you decided to throw up on Kirk afterwards.

“I sabotaged the whole mission,” you scolded. “Fuck!”

“Watch your language in my sickbay. I’m the only one allowed to curse here.” The doctor was still standing in front of you when you removed your hand from your eyes. “Now stop being so dramatic, that corn-fed goblin –“

“Corn-fed goblin?” You interrupted.

“Yes.”

“I thought it was green-blooded goblin and corn-fed idiot.”

“Sometimes I like to vary a little with my insults.” He gave you a half smile before continuing. “The Captain will be fine. Jim had worse things on his body than vomit. Believe me.”

You frowned. “Do I wanna know?”

“No.”

A sigh escaped your lips. “I still have to apologize though.”

“Probably.” He turned to his instruments, shuffling things a little while you stared at the ceiling. “The crew won’t let you live that down, be prepared for that.”

You made an indefinable sound.

“I won’t either.”

Great. As if the embarrassment hadn’t already reached its highest point for this month.

“One of the security guards has also the opinion that you could’ve turned away if you wanted to. Now people are wondering why you didn’t do it.”

“How do you even know so much gossip?”

He shrugged. “My nurses talk a lot.”

You shook your head in disbelief. “Why I did it?” You scoffed. “Oh I don’t fucking know – excuse my language – maybe because I felt like it. Or maybe it was just me trying to get here so I can confess my love to you!”

Doctor McCoy put down the instruments and turned around again. “Well, was it?”

Realizing what you had just said, you kept your eyes locked on the ceiling. “No!” You denied, with probably a bit too much force in your voice. “Of course not. I mean. No.” You felt heat rising to your cheeks.

“Right,” the man replied. You didn’t see the smile on his lips. “Maybe I’ll just let you rest for a while, alright?”

“Maybe my headache will actually disappear then, Doctor.”

He left with a chuckle.

***

You weren’t able to sleep after he had left, so for another hour you were just staring at the wall, listening to regular beeping noise coming from the instruments.

You weren’t sure which event of the day was the worst but the more time you were thinking about it, probably the latter. He knew. He wasn’t supposed to know but now he did and you a part of you was – aside from being embarrassed – terrified. Yes, you had a crush on him but it was the kind of crush where you just admired him from afar. Nothing would happen between the two of you. But now that it had slipped from your mouth, it was real.

“I brought you something.” The curtain got pulled away and McCoy came in.

Oh no.

You lifted your head from the pillow. He was holding a small cup, which he placed on the small table next to the bed. A delicious smell ascended from it.

“My favorite tea?” You asked him a bit puzzled.

“Yes,” he smiled at you.

“How do you know?”

“You always drink it.” He simply said.

“You noticed?” A warm feeling began to spread in your stomach.

The doctor nodded.

“Well, thank you.” You took a sip of the tea. It was still hot, but not hot enough to burn your tongue. Just perfect.

“So about earlier –“

You almost choked on the liquid. “Please, don’t. I’ve been humiliated enough for one day.”

“I know,” McCoy chuckled. “That’s why I wanted to ask –“

“What?”

“Damn, you really need to stop interrupting people.” He shook his head.

“Sorry, please finish,” you mumbled and lifted the cup to your lips again.

“I wanted to ask if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow. Dinner as in … a date.”

This time you choked for real. You started coughing and Leonard was luckily fast enough to get the cup from your hands before you spilled hot tea all over yourself.

“So is that a yes?” He asked when you calmed down and were able to breath normally again.

You stared at him with mixed emotions, not quite believing that Leonard McCoy actually asked you out. Goddamnit, you were acting like a lovestruck teenage girl not like a full grown human and Starfleet member. “Yes.”

“Fantastic!” There it was again – the smile that Leonard McCoy almost never showed. It lit up the whole room, you thought. “Normally I’d take it slow and wait for a few more days before doing what I’m about to do next but you have already confessed your love for me so –“

“Oh, please stop it!”

“– so there’s no real reason to wait,” he finished his sentence with a smile. McCoy took a step forward so that he was now standing directly next to your sickbed.

“Wait for what?” You asked furrowing your brows. He already asked you out on a date. There was really nothing more he could do to make this day any better.

Slowly Leonard leaned down towards you and before you realized what was happening, you felt his lips on yours. The kiss was slow and tender and made you feel dizzy. His lips were soft, much softer than expected, and you wanted to melt when you felt his hand cupping your cheek. Apparently there was something he could to make this day any better. Two seconds later, the kiss was over. Leonard pulled away and looked at you lovingly. You were out of breath.

Suddenly his smile vanished and he grimaced.

You felt your stomach plummet. What happened? Were you that bad? Did he already regret asking you out and kissing you? “Did I do something wrong?” You asked, your voice barely audible.

“No, no, darlin’,” he reassured her quickly and lifted his hand to his mouth. “The kiss was … something else.”

“But?”

“But I think I can still taste a hint of that cat pee drink on your lips.”

***

My Masterlist

Send me a message if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! Tag list: @goingknowherewastaken , @waitingforthestarstofall , @imoutofmyvulcanmind , @whatif-animagineblog​ , @loverbug1123​ 

[louiserandom]

I hear someone is taking prompts! How about MadaTobi, for whatever reason is most hilarious to you, getting stuck in a bathtub together.

creativity in times of crisis

Rating: M

Summary: Madara and Tobirama are stuck in a bathtub together.

It’s all their stupid brothers’ fault.

Read on AO3 or under the cut :3

“This,” Madara hisses, “is all your brother’s fault.”

“And your brother’s idea,” Tobirama points out. “Mine just provided the means to carry it out.”

“Nothing you say is going to keep me from killing him with fire and then decapitating him,” Madara growls, testing the restraints, again, though it was pretty obvious after their tenth attempt that they weren’t going to get out of this unless they explicitly complied with Hashirama’s wishes. “And Izuna, for that matter. Who needs brothers anyway.”

Normally, Tobirama would roll his eyes at Madara’s dramatics and jest about the inherent stupidity and crudeness of his statement. Normally, though, he wasn’t tied to Madara with thick, apparently semi-conscious Mokuton vines keeping them back-to-back in a godsdamned bathtub as Izuna’s idea of putting him and Madara in a corner to think about what they’ve done.

They’ve literally done nothing—except shout for a bit, and possibly hit each other a few times, and maybe lead to the partial destruction of the central market with a couple of overpowered jutsu. Such things happen, though, and are easily fixable, as Tobirama knows all too well from his frequent lab accidents. But no, Izuna had to propose locking them up together until they apologized to each other, and Hashirama had to take it one step further and render them motionless.

In a bathtub.

Honestly, Hashirama’s overreaction is bordering on impolite and as such, Tobirama allows himself a bit of self-indulgence.

“Agreed,” he says, “and I’m not trying to quell your homicidal tendencies for once but do leave Anija to me.” Were the Mokuton vines not suppressing his chakra, Tobirama would have flooded the room with killing intent, but for now has to contend with vivid imagery of Hashirama’s suffering as a satisfying anticipation of vengeance. “What I don’t get is the redundancy of cremation and decapitation done in succession.”

“Hm. You’re right,” Madara actually agrees with him. Truly, an event worthy of the history books. “I’ll decapitate him, then burn him with my Majestic Destroyer Flame,” he says cheerfully. “Izuna, I mean. You can have the overgrown tree.”

As if in answer, the Mokuton squeezes them tighter, making them almost wheeze, before returning to its previous state.

“Dumbass Senju!” Madara bellows, as Tobirama utters a heartfelt, “Fuck you, Anija.”

A spark of what feels like derision radiates from the Mokuton before quickly flickering away.

Madara and Tobirama both groan.

“Maybe the Hiraishin can work?” Madara pleads.

“We’ve established that this thing blocks everything save for our sensing,” Tobirama says, sighing in frustration. “Besides, I’ve tried every which way to activate it. Anija is sneaky. He’s an idiot but still a shinobi.”

Tobirama feels the pangs of Madara’s anger as he broods for a few torturous minutes before blurting out,

“I’m still not apologizing first, because that was a dick move that you pulled, and you owe me one.”

“What a ‘dick move,’ Madara,” Tobirama’s voice leaks sarcasm, “to imply that you harbor affection for cats.”

“You didn’t imply shit.” Unable to learn his lesson, Madara thrashes against their bonds once more in an attempt to physically assault Tobirama, apparently. “You all but fucking cooed over me and made fun of me in public, Senju, and you compared me to a godsdamned kitten!”

Tobirama turns out for a part of the ensuing rant, wondering whether this talent of Madara’s to shout continuously for extended periods of time—all in a single breath, too—is an ability inherent to all Uchiha, or just him.

Probably the latter.

“My hair is nothing like that messy, spiky monstrosity on that fucking fluffball,” Madara goes on shrieking, “and I am not cute!”

That marks the end of his rant, and really, Tobirama would take offence if only at the fact that Madara dared call a perfectly adorable kitten a monstrosity.

“Did you really have to resort to fistfights and fireballs to argue that point, koibito?”

“Yes, and don’t you call me that until you beg for my forgiveness,” Madara grumbles, blessedly quieter this time.

Tobirama scoffs. “Deal with it however you wish, Uchiha, I stand by my words.”

Madara growls. “If anything, I am handsome.”

“Yes.”

There’s a pause.

“And beautiful, some might say,” Madara goes on, tone cautious.

“Of course, Madara.” Tobirama wouldn’t dream of arguing; he’s reminded of that fact every day as he awakens to Madara’s lovely smile.

“And… uhm… physically appealing—”

“Just say sexy, Madara. And yes, you are.”

“And,” Madara says, trying to shift against him but only making them tilt stiffly towards the wall, “definitely not cute. Just admit that, Senju, and it’ll do. And—ugh—I can’t glare at you. But know I am, in fact, glaring at you. With extreme disapproval.”

Tobirama can’t hold back a chuckle. “Fine, Madara, you aren’t cute,” he concedes, waiting just enough to hear Madara’s contented hum before saying, “you’re mind-meltingly adorable.”

“FUCK YOU, SENJU!” Madara’s peak volume is music to Tobirama’s ears. “I HATE YOU, YOU MASSIVE DICK!”

Tobirama can only do so much to keep his chuckles from turning into full-fledged laughter, and this finally breaks him. It’s a testament to how truly peaceful their lives have become in this village they’ve build, that they’re an hour into a ridiculous lockdown arguing about the level of Madara’s cuteness—or lack thereof.

Just two years ago, when the interclan war was still raging, this would have seemed impossible.

And yet, here they are.

“Mine’s getting hard,” Tobirama makes for a diversion. “You know it turns me on when you’re pissed off.”

“W-wh-what?”

Tobirama can only imagine the expression on Madara’s face. Priceless.

“I said—”

“I heard what you said, Senju!” Madara moves them an incremental bit again before sagging and giving up with an explosive sigh. “Not. The time.”

“Calmed you down, didn’t it?” Tobirama smirks.

“Fuck you.”

“I’d rather you do that.”

“Then apologize.”

And because Tobirama is never going to apologize for the truth, they both fall into belligerent silence.

“We’ll be stuck here forever, then,” Madara says some time later. “Dick.”

Because Tobirama is a man of his word, he stays silent, knowing his Anija would never actually let them die without food and water, at least. Too bad boredom might kill them far, far sooner.

“D’you think they’ve figured out,” Madara says suddenly, “that we realized we’ve been mistaking sexual tension for killing intent and aren’t seriously trying to maim each other these days?”

Tobirama attempts to shrug, unsuccessfully. “We’ve been careful. And the notion of fighting and liking each other at the same is definitely not something Anija can comprehend,” he laments. “Izuna may suspect something. After all, it would have been more logical to suggest locking us up separately, so we’d cool down quicker.”

“That bastard,” Madara mutters.

“Your brother,” Tobirama reminds him.

“And look what yours did!” Madara accuses in turn, making them sway a little. “I hate everything.”

Something clicks in Tobirama’s head.

“You know what,” he says, “you’re right. I should apologize.”

Ignoring Madara’s confused spluttering, Tobirama looks down to the vines wrapped around his arms and body, focusing all his attention and thoughts on them in hopes to convey what he wants.

“Uh, Anija’s Mokuton?” he starts, noting how the roots seem to stiffen as if in attention. “I’ve decided to apologize to Madara, and I believe it more productive to the, uh, apology process if I am able to do it face-to-face.” Tobirama praises himself for making it sound sincere. “As friends,” he adds.

The Mokuton vibrates with minute pulses of energy, as if considering his words, before unfurling a bit, even as it still keeps their limbs in its chakra-suppressing clutches and rearranges them so they’re sitting cross-legged facing each other.

The shock on Madara’s face is glorious to behold. As is the godawful (but still somehow appealing) tangled mess his mane had become from their scuffles.

“How?” Madara asks.

Tobirama has finally regained his ability to shrug. “Anija did say it’s partially sentient,” he says. The Mokuton sprouts another thin vine that pokes him in the chest, as if to remind him of his earlier decision. “Yeah, yeah, I remember,” Tobirama grumbles, swatting the vine away with his shoulder.

“Do you even realize,” Madara whispers, “how freaky that is?”

“Don’t insult it,” Tobirama chastises him, giving their restraints a worried glance and an apologetic smile. “Anyway, in the spirit of… the Magical Power of Hugs,” Tobirama invokes Hashirama’s sappy notion, “I would also love to be able to hug my.” He swallows heavily. “Friend.”

The Mokuton takes a longer time to think this time. Madara mouths, “Will this seriously work?” and Tobirama shushes him with a glare. Oblivious to the exchange, the Mokuton unceremoniously pushes them together into an awkward embrace.

Then, Tobirama seizes his chance and captures Madara’s lips with his.

They’re already pressed together with almost no space between them, blood still running hot from their fight, and enough hours have passed since their last bout of lovemaking for Tobirama’s arousal to ratchet up to aching in a matter of seconds. By the way Madara moans into the kiss, sliding his hands under Tobirama’s shirt and pulling him impossibly closer, he seems to be in a similar state.

Perfect, Tobirama thinks. Now he has to do is to wait for the Mokuton to process this…

Madara pulls away, almost forcefully withdrawing his hands to grip Tobirama’s shoulders, movements still somewhat restrained by the vines.

…but first, get Madara back on the right track.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Madara demands, breathing heavy and eyes glazed over.

“What does it look like?” Tobirama says, offering a smirk in place of an annoyed scowl. “Apologizing the best way I know how.”

“B-but,” Madara breathes, as Tobirama trails his fingers down his chest, down to palm the obvious bulge in his pants. “Uh. What.”

Tobirama huffs out a laugh. This ability to render his lover incoherent with a simple touch has long since become second nature. Granted, it works both ways, but Madara is, for some reason, much more prone to surprise attacks by seduction.

“Just trust me,” Tobirama says, leaning down to place a lingering, open-mouthed kiss on his lover’s neck, wrangling out a drawn-out whimper Madara would probably never admit to. “If you’d like me to stop, just say so, koibito.”

Madara doesn’t object to the endearment this time, and Tobirama counts that as a clear victory.

Tobirama shifts to place another kiss on the underside of his jaw, making quick work of divesting Madara of his pants so he can give his cock a firm stroke. This earns him a breathless moan from his lover—and no further complaints.

Good.

Madara drags him by the collar into another kiss, biting and sucking on Tobirama’s bottom lip as he fucks into his hand, getting just as lost in the pleasure as Tobirama feels. Hands, hot and demanding, run over Tobirama’s body, tugging at his clothes insistently, soon bordering on desperate. Madara’s cock grows rock hard under his touch, an enticing prize that makes Tobirama’s mouth water. It takes a monumental effort to keep track of the Mokuton that’s still twitching and twisting around their limbs with confused agitation, its grip getting weaker and weaker until—

Madara is busy sucking on one of Tobirama’s nipples, fingers toying with the other, when the vines grow stiff, then totally slack, and yank themselves away to all but fly over to the opposite corner. The motion throws them both off-balance, and Madara ends up sprawled on top of Tobirama as they scramble to untangle their limbs and get into a more or less comfortable position.

“What the—”

“It worked,” Tobirama says, smirking wider as the sound of Hashirama’s wail resounds through every single wall of the mansion.

“MADARA,” the idiot shrieks from somewhere in the distance, “NOT MY LITTLE BROTHER!”

Before Madara has the chance to yell back his retort, Tobirama Hiraishins them both to land on the softness of the futon back home, reeling Madara in to distract him from the ordeal with fervent kisses and wandering hands. Madara doesn’t seem to mind. 

He shifts his weight from hands to elbows, cradling them both with his hair, and deepens the kiss, it seems, with the sole intent of driving Tobirama mad with want. Madara moves with him, cock rubbing against his thigh as Tobirama thrusts back, chasing the delicious friction, his pants too tight, skin too hot, Madara’s touch not nearly enough.

“Good creative thinking back there,” Madara says as they break away for air before meeting once more for another bruising kiss.

“Do I get a reward then?” Tobirama asks, shivering with pleasure as Madara moves to mouth at his collarbone, sucking on the sensitive skin there.

“Oh yes,” Madara drawls, dragging his mouth down Tobirama’s chest to his hipbone with just the slightest hint of teeth. Finally, Madara frees his length, lips hovering over it, teasing, barely touching. Tobirama can’t quite hold back a groan. “I’ll show you how creative I can be.”

[anony-mony-moose]

Let’s Stay Together - Izzy Stradlin x Reader (Part 1)

After a particularly crappy few weeks, Y/N manages to lose both her job and her apartment. She's generally known as a bit of a mess, but still struggles to accept help - even when it's being offered by the lovely Izzy. OR a couple of unfortunate events result in Izzy's pal (with occasional benefits) becoming Izzy's gal

look out for swearing and drug use

also on ao3 :)

------------------------------------------------

I rapped on the metal door quickly and stretched out a yawn. I was exhausted. Last night’s party had carried on into this morning, and then this afternoon, (which seemed to be happening a lot lately) and I’d gone straight from there to work so I was yet to get some sleep. I propped myself up against the wall and waited for somebody to answer, fighting to keep my eyes open.

The door swung open and I jumped up, blinking, to see Angus sticking his head out enthusiastically.

“Hey Y/N! Long time no see! I’ll go grab him for you.”

The door clanged shut just as quickly as it had opened, and I rubbed my forehead, yawning lazily again. There was a muffled yell inside, before the door opened and Izzy sauntered out.

He grinned when he saw me. His hands were busy digging around in the pocket of his apron.

“Hey man, how’s it goin’?” His hand finally emerged with a joint and he popped it between his lips. “Thought you had work today?” He mumbled.

I made a face and tossed him a pack of matches. “Just got canned.”

He raised his eyebrows. “No fuckin’ way.” He sparked up and blew out a long stream of smoke, the sunlight making him squint as he passed them back to me. “Man, that sucks. What happened?”

I stretched tiredly and accepted the joint, taking a drag and holding it for a second. My head was aching something awful.

I exhaled slowly. “Apparently, I was lucky enough to find the only club in fuckin’ LA that actually minds it’s employees getting high in the back room.”

He burst out laughing, “Right, real bad luck. Totally outta your control.”

I grinned and sidled over to lean against the wall next to him, taking another quick drag before passing it back. There was always something strangely comforting about talking to Izzy – even when he was teasing me.

“Well come on, it’s not like I was doin’ it on the fuckin’ bar.”

“Yeah, that’s true. You already tried that at Angelica’s, didn’t work out too good for you did it?” He glanced at me with a sly smirk on his stupid face.

I rolled my eyes and pressed my lips together, trying and failing to look annoyed.

“You are such a prick, Izzy.”

“Oh yeah?” He chuckled, blowing smoke out again.

“I come here for a bit of reassurance, maybe a little pat on the arm, it’s all gonna be alright Y/N, don’t worry Y/N!” I grumbled jokingly, a smile still plastered to my face, “What do I get as soon as I arrive? Oh, here Y/N, here is a list of all the other jobs you’ve lost! What, sympathy? Never heard of it.”

He laughed and pulled me towards him with an arm around my shoulders. “Aw honey, you want me give you some sympathy?”

I grinned and shoved him away. “I’m upset, okay!”

“Yeah, you look pretty distressed.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I am!”

He snickered for a second, before stepping closer again and frowning slightly.

“You kinda look like shit, actually.”

I hummed and let my head fall back against the wall with a thud, closing my eyes gently. “Coming down from last night.”

I heard him step towards me again so, dozily, I opened my eyes. “My break’s over. I gotta go back to work, you know, to my job.” He murmured. I rolled my eyes and punched his shoulder. He just smirked at me, took one last quick drag of the joint and held it up to me. “You can finish that, if you’re not too upset.” I narrowed my eyes at him playfully and took it.

“Thanks, dickhead.” I grumbled.

He laughed and turned back towards the door, before stopping. “Hey, what did you come by for anyway?”

I frowned for a second before my brain kicked back into action. “Oh right, yeah. D’you mind if I sleep at yours for a couple hours?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Now?”

“Uh, yeah if that’s alright.”

He frowned slightly but was already rooting around in his jean pockets. “Sure, that’s fine.” He fished out a set of keys and threw them to me.

Catching them, I pushed myself away from the wall and tried to think of a fast excuse. “Can’t be bothered walking all the way back to mine.”

“Seriously, it’s fine.” He yanked the door open then turned back to me again, smirking. “I’ll see ya when I get home, honey.”

I grinned sleepily and waved. “Have a good time at work, sweetheart!” He winked at me, then disappeared inside as the door fell shut.

*****

Someone was trying to break down the door. At least, that was what it sounded like. I groaned and rolled over to plant my face in the pillow. Instead, I was met with something scratchy and- I scrunched my face up and blinked my eyes open. Carpet. The thumping outside was still going on, and someone was shouting now.

Where the fuck was I?

“Y/N, open the damn door!”

Shit, I thought sleepily, that’ll be the landlord. How late was I on rent this time? Too late to go back to sleep and deal with it later?

I sat bolt upright. Shit. No rent. Angry landlord. No apartment. My eyes focused and I realised that this couldn’t be my place.

“Y/N, for fuck’s sake!” The banging started again.

I rubbed my forehead and clambered to my feet. I was at Izzy’s – and now I was awake, that clearly sounded like Izzy’s voice shouting outside. I shuffled over to the door. He probably didn’t have a spare key, poor bloke. I hoped he hadn’t been waiting for too long.

I slipped the chain from the door and yanked it open, moving to the side so he could come in.

“Took you long enough. Thought you fuckin’ died or somethin’.” He slinked in past me and smiled, shrugging off his jacket. “Have a good nap?”

I hummed. “Haven’t slept like that in ages. Out like a fuckin’ light, soon as I got here.” He dumped the jacket on the counter and pulled a bottle of whiskey from the paper bag in his hand. “How was work, darling?”

He snorted and took a swig. “It was great. When’s dinner?”

“Think you might be drinkin’ it.”

He smirked and offered the bottle to me, striding over to sort through the jumble of clothes in the corner of the room. I had a few gulps as I followed him and sat down on the bed (well, a mattress on the floor), watching him fish something out of the pile. He started pulling off his work shirt as he talked.

“You’re comin’ out tonight, right?”

I nodded and leaned back on my elbows, rubbing my back a little. I hated sleeping on the floor. I hadn’t had to do that sober in a long time. I had another drink. “What’s happening?”

He slipped on a white button up, half unbuttoned of course, and reached out for the bottle. “Well, I was meant to be meetin’ the guys right about now. Couldn’t get into my apartment though.”

I smirked. “Shit, that’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah, some asshole locked me out.” He raised his eyebrows in a challenge as he wandered past me to pick up his jacket again, but stopped and did a bit of a double-take when he passed my own jacket balled up on the floor. “Did you sleep on my floor?”

I cocked my head to the side. “Uh… Is that a problem?”

He bent down to pick it up and handed it to me with an amused, slightly puzzled look on his face. “Well, there is a bed right there Y/N.”

“Right. Thought it might be a bit weird for you to come home and find me, you know… Asleep in your bed.” Obviously I’d woken up in his bed before, but that was only ever the morning after. Plus, he was there too. It felt a little different doing that sober, and without him even present in the apartment.

He just laughed, and went to get his coat on. “You can sleep in my bed Y/N.”

I smirked and dove a hand into my pocket for his keys. “Well thanks Iz,” I said, swinging them from my finger. “I’ll remember that for next time, shall I?”

*****

“Honestly, I’m fine about the whole thing.” I yelled, turning towards Duff’s ear so he could hear me over whatever crap the club was playing. “I deserved it.”

He pulled an exaggerated frown and grabbed my arm earnestly, making sure I was paying attention as he yelled back. “Yeah, well they didn’t deserve you.”

I laughed through another gulp of beer and slid back against the seat to avoid falling off it, his hand dropping away. “Too fuckin’ right! I’m an independent woman who don’t need no job.”

He started cackling and slumped back too, mostly onto me. We’d ended up squished shoulder to shoulder in middle of a packed little booth, everybody pushed closer together as more and more people joined our group for the night. I was sat pressed up between him and Slash, with the latter’s right arm wedged behind my lower back, and somebody else’s boot-clad feet resting like lead weights on my thighs – I suspected they were Axl’s, the cheeky fucker.

I hadn’t really meant to tell the others about getting fired. There seemed no point; jobs came and went with me (okay, mainly went) fast enough that by the time everybody knew I had one, I’d usually already have lost it. By this time next week, I’d be losing another one.

Duff had eked it out of me though, plying me with plenty of booze and no shortage of teasing. It was pretty much impossible to keep things from Duff. Persuasive bassists aside, however, one thing I was determined to keep to myself was the apartment thing. Actually, even thinking about it was probably dangerous, I realised. I really was quite drunk. At this point in any night, there was often a large risk of cats-getting-out-of-bags if I didn’t keep my wits about me. Probably best to stay away from Duff altogether, now I thought about it.

I downed the last dregs of my drink and heaved myself upright, shoving Axl’s feet off my lap. “Another round?” I shouted to Duff, waggling my empty glass in front of him.

He frowned again, this time genuinely. “I’ll get ‘em.” Then, seeing I was serious, “You just lost your fuckin’ job, you can’t buy my fuckin’ drinks right now!”

He started shifting to get up and I laughed, trying to shove him back down. He grinned up at me and slurred, “Come on, don’t be a bitch! You’re not buying my fuckin’ drink.”

“You’ve been gettin’ my drinks all night!”

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Yes, and I have a fucking job Y/L/N!”

I laughed, “Good for you McKagan! You want beer or vodka?”

He collapsed back against the seat, casting his eyes heavenward. “I don’t know how I put up with you.” He glanced back up at me a little cheekily. “Beer, please.”

I giggled and nodded, then started climbing out of the booth, picking up drink orders as I went. I made it halfway to the bar when I heard someone calling me.

I pivoted round and beamed as I saw Izzy sidling up through the throng of Wednesday night drunks, raising his hand in a lazy wave. There was a bright red light shining from somewhere to the left, casting a warm glow over his face, chiselling out shadows across his cheekbones and nose. I had a tendency to forget how gorgeous he was when I was sober. But seeing him now… I watched him make his way over, shoulders swinging with one hand buried in his pockets, his other playing with a unlit cigarette.

“I’m just gettin’ more drinks.” I announced as he reached me and slotted the cig behind his ear. His forehead scrunched up as he listened – and had he always done that? It looked ridiculously sweet as he did it then.

“What?” He stepped closer and slung an arm round my waist, angling his head closer to mine.

“Drinks!” I shouted, feeling stupidly delighted at his hand splayed over my stomach. His chest was warm against my arm and when he nodded, I could feel the brush of his hair on my temple. He started leading me forward to the bar, weaving between the other patrons.

The nearer we got the louder it became, with everybody crammed in trying to place their orders, and Izzy had to slip behind me so I could worm my way through the crowd. Now he was pressed against my back, his arms locked in a tight circle around my waist. So we’re doing this tonight, I thought.

“You okay?”

I jumped a little bit as he spoke, his mouth on my ear, hot breath fanning over my cheek and I felt more than heard him chuckling.

“Forget I was here?”

I leaned back into him slightly, and smiled at the way he stooped down to give me his ear when I turned to reply. “Like that’s possible with these latched onto me.” I tapped his forearm, still flush against my front. “I’m not gonna run away, you know.”

He squeezed my sides and bent down again. “What are we ordering?”

I smirked and pitched forwards to get the bartenders attention, rattling off about ten different drinks as she wrote them down. I twisted round to raise my eyebrows at Izzy, who quickly bent forward to give his order, squishing me up against the bar. His hands slid back to twist me round until I was facing him, and he shifted his forearms to rest against the counter behind me.

I frowned and leaned up to speak to him.

“I didn’t pay?”

“I have a tab.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thought I was gettin’ this round.”

“Yeah, well you don’t have any money.” He smirked, and tacked on, “Or a job.”

My arms folded over my chest, pushing up against his too as he stood so close. “Why does everybody keep fuckin’ sayin’ that.”

“Is it not true?”

I scowled at him, although my head involuntarily bobbing along to the music playing might have dampened the effect. He didn’t appear to be very affected anyway. If anything, he looked like he was trying not to laugh, ducking his head down and pursing his lips.

“So, how come you had to crash at mine today? You lose your job and your apartment?”

Oh great, just what I didn’t want to talk about.

I laughed it off and tried to remember which lie I given him before. (My go-to tactic, nearly 100% successful when sober; unfortunately, less so when drunk.) “I was way too fucked up to make it all the way back to mine this afternoon. Probably woulda got myself lost or somethin’.” I smiled sincerely.

“You looked half fuckin’ dead.”

I grinned and thanked whichever sun was shining down on me in relief. “Fuckin’ felt it.”

His eyes darted up over my shoulder and he nodded at someone. “Drinks are ready, you wanna stay here for a minute?”

“Sure.”

I slipped my hand under his jacket to loop around his back as he stepped closer, reaching around me to grab our drinks. I glanced up, having to crane my neck to meet his eyes, and we swapped smiles as he passed me mine.

“You gonna be able to make rent?” He said, close enough that he didn’t have to shout anymore.

I sighed. Why was he hanging onto this?

“It’s fine Iz, really. Don’t worry about shit like that.”

He rolled his eyes and sipped his drink. “Great, not worried at all. Thanks.”

“This is why I don’t tell you shit.” I muttered, knocking back my beer.

“What, in case I try and help you?” He snarked, leaning forward a touch and setting his glass down. “I always fuckin’ find out anyway.”

I laughed sourly. “Sure you do.”

His brow furrowed, crinkling up his forehead. “What?”

“I got kicked out like, two fuckin’ weeks ago Izzy. I haven’t made rent in months. Didn’t find that one out, did you?”

He blinked. I chewed my lip. Fuck. Was not supposed to let that slip.

What was I saying about cats and bags?

I looked away, but it was difficult when we were pressed so close together. The jostling crowd of people had grown and now there wasn’t room for Izzy to move away, whether he wanted to or not. My hand slipped away from his back and I wrapped my arms around myself, swigging my drink. This was not a conversation I had hoped to have tonight.

It wasn’t like I’d been struggling for places to stay, sleeping rough or something – I had enough friends across the city that were happy to put me up for a few nights. And anyway, most of the time I just crashed at whichever party I finished up at. It wasn’t exactly a dire situation. The way I saw it, there was no point in bothering the guys about something so minor.

I had a hunch that that excuse wouldn’t hold up with Izzy though. He released a long-suffering sigh.

“For fucks sake, Y/N.” I sucked my teeth and kept my gaze locked on some couple just past his shoulder. “Why’d you never let me help you out?”

I snorted. “Like you’ve got money to spare on my rent, Iz.”

“I got plenty of money, Y/N/N.” I eyed him sceptically. He huffed and shifted his weight to his other foot, his hip jutting snugly into mine. “So where you been stayin’ for two fuckin’ weeks then?”

“These past few days… You’re not gonna like it.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m just lovin’ the rest of this so far.”

I peeked up at him. “You know Nicky Hanson?”

He glared.

“Well…”

“That guy? Really?” He sighed in frustration and dropped his head forward onto my shoulder. “That fuckin’ asshole?”

My arms found their way back round his middle, sliding over the smooth fabric of his shirt, and I pouted. “His apartment’s got hot water. I really value that in a guy.”

I felt him laugh grudgingly, and found myself laughing too.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, it’s just-“ I paused to chuckle. “I mean he has got hot running water. I didn’t see the point in worryin’ you. I was only thinkin’ about your feelin’s Iz.”

He lifted his head, smiling sarcastically. “Well thanks for bein’ so thoughtful, Y/N/N.”

I beamed back at him. “No problem, man. Any time.”

“Just so we’re clear though, you’re stayin’ with me tonight.”

I laughed as his arms folded back around me, drawing me into his chest.

“Can’t take my eye off you for one fuckin’ second, can I?” I bit down a smile as he kissed my forehead.

“We should probably get those drinks back to the table.” I mumbled, not actually bothered if he heard me or not. I burrowed my face into his collarbone, placing an unhurried kiss at the base of his neck.

Yes, I was quite happy to stay right there for the moment.

*****

The mattress dipped somewhere to my right and covers brushed lightly over my back. I opened my eyes reluctantly, screwing my face up against the bright light that streamed in through a crack in the blinds. Izzy’s bare feet treaded carefully past me.

I rolled over, dragging the sheet with me, and watched him hastily shimmy a pair of leather pants up his hips, tiptoeing round as he fastened them. He must have felt my eyes on him because he immediately glanced up.

“What’s goin’ on?” I rasped, fumbling on the floor beside the bed for a cigarette.

“Goin’ to work. You go back to sleep.” He murmured. The room was quiet except for his light footsteps as he hurried to get dressed. I found a cigarette and lit it quickly, squinting at him.

“You’re late?”

He nodded quickly and pulled his work shirt over his head. “Didn’t wanna get outta bed.”

That made me smile. Bundled up cosily under the warm covers right now, I knew just what he meant. I smirked as I followed his hectic movement around the space, finally finding his keys and jacket. “You should probably get a move on.” I teased.

He darted back to the bed to grab a pack of cigarettes, then did one better and snatched mine right from my lips.

“Thanks.” He grinned and dashed away to the door, before I had time to roll my eyes. He jammed his feet into his boots and, turning the key in the lock, whipped the door open. At the last minute, he changed his mind and snapped round to point a finger at me.

“Be here when I get back.”

I smiled widely. “Will do.”

He paused for a second before adding, “And don’t fuckin’ fall asleep.”

I laughed as he bolted through the door, chucking the keys inside for me and slamming it behind him. The walls here were thin enough that I still could hear him as he sped down the corridor, the main door crashing as it fell shut.

I drew a deep breath and sighed contentedly. What to do today?

It was a good feeling – all those hours stretching out in front of me with no work to fill them. That being said, I probably should get on with finding a job straight away, as unappealing as that sounded. Even when I found one, I’d be waiting for at last a week for my first wage before I could put down a deposit on a new flat, and Izzy wouldn’t want me hanging around here for too long. Best to get cracking sooner rather than later.

A knock on the door startled me from my vague planning. I pushed myself to my feet and tugged one of Izzy’s longer shirts from the floor, scanning until I spotted a pair of knickers. I slipped those on too and, rubbing my eyes, traipsed over to the door.

Slash stood swaying slightly on the other side. He smiled when he saw me.

“Hey Y/N/N, how’s it goin’?” He sniffed sleepily and plodded straight in with his guitar in hand, raising an eyebrow at my bare legs. “Oh, I see. Go get it girl!” I snorted and rolled my eyes at him.

He plonked himself down on the bed with a little sigh. “So where is he?”

I dropped down next him and reached for a half-full bottle of wine by his feet. “Literally just left for work, mate.” I had a quick glug before offering it over to him.

“Ah, that sucks.” He muttered, sipping thoughtfully. “Wanted to practise.”

“Well, I’m not great on rhythm guitar, but I do play a mean set of spoons.”

He sniggered and scratched his forehead, having another little sip before giving back the bottle and standing. “You wanna go cop then?”

I grinned up at him and stretched lazily. “You read my fuckin’ mind. Let me find my jeans.”

*****

I breathed deeply and took another long drag of my cigarette, settling my hand back on my stomach. I’d taken off my jeans and retreated back to the bed as soon as we returned, and now found myself drifting blissfully in and out of sleep. Slash was snoring lightly beside me with his legs spread out, dangling over the edge of the mattress.

The afternoon had passed in a slow rush and now the view through the window was dark, fuzzy shadows enveloping the room. I’d been meaning to switch the light on for hours. The bed was just too comfortable to move.

There was a knock at the door, and a weird sense of deja-vu washed over me. Slash grunted idly by my side. They knocked again. Impatient, I thought. I rolled over onto the floor and stood, staggering slightly when my balance wobbled. I ambled over and unlocked the door, leaning against it as I eased it open. Izzy appeared, looking over me with amusement.

“Had a good time?”

I smiled warmly and let my head drop against the doorframe. He chuckled.

“Can I come in, please?”

I hummed and moved backwards, dragging the door with me so he could walk past. He glanced over my shoulder and smirked.

“Shoulda guessed, huh?” I looked behind me and realised Slash was still in the bed, sat up now and jerking awake every couple of seconds. “You save any for me?”

“Some left by the bed, I think.” My voice was croaky, having hardly been used for an hour or two. The door was still wide open so I pushed it til it clicked shut and twisted the key in the lock again.

“Uh, I think we had that already Y/N/N.” Slash piped up finally.

Izzy hummed and stepped behind me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I got news, by the way.”

I sighed and melted backwards into his chest. “What’s that then?”

“There’s a job goin’ at Andrea’s. Dish washing.”

“I could wash dishes.” I mumbled, eyes gently closing as his fingers grazed up and down my arm.

“You know, I was thinkin’ the same thing.” I could hear the smirk in his voice, the silly git.

“Andrea’s, where you work?”

“Yeah.” He said softly. “Figure that way I can at least try to keep you outta trouble.”

Slash laughed and I joined in, opening my eyes to make a face at him across the room.

“Fuck off.” I mumbled, smiling and starting to wake up. “I’ll go in tomorrow.”

“You wanna get ride with me?” I slipped away reluctantly to turn and face him.

“Yeah, please.” A new job, already. That was the first of my two problems sorted. Bless him, he’d probably been thinking along the same lines as me, about getting into a new place of my own quickly. I’d be out of his hair much sooner now that he’d lined up a job for me.

“I’ll try and keep this one.” I joked, smirking slightly.

Slash tittered again behind me. “Well, they haven’t fired Izzy yet. That’s gotta count for somethin’.”

Izzy rolled his eyes playfully and stalked past me. “I said I’d go meet Duff and Axl. You jerk-offs comin’ or are you just gonna stay here sleepin’ in my bed?”

“Hey!” Slash made a noise of indignation, “Somebody had to keep her company!”

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes pt14:Getting ready

It was the middle of the night and Veronica was still awake. She sat on the floor of her happily swaying her tail side to side as she admired her own tailoring work. ‘Not a bad job on such short notice if I do say so myself.’ She thought while rubbing her stomach.

A low growl came from it. Walking away from dinner was a mistake. Veronica looked at the clock to see it pass midnight. ‘Technically it’s breakfast time.’ She decided to poke her through the ground to see what was underneath her. Sad to say, it was a bathroom. A very fancy bathroom, but not a kitchen. Still, it had to be on this floor. Veronica phased through the rest of the floor; landing in the shower before exiting the entire room to the hallway.

It didn’t take her long to find the kitchen. Her eyes might not work in the dark but her nose was just fine. Veronica stared at the various options in the fridge and got a little tempted. They had smoked ham; cured smoked ham. The smell alone made her eyes constrict, becoming cat-like until she shook her head. ‘Don’t even. If you start then you won’t stop. Self control Veronica, self control.’ She took her attention off of it and saw someone had wrapped up her unfinished meal along with Summer’s; Yang’s doing no doubt.

Veronica grabbed the plate and took it out. She was tempted to eat the pasta cold when the unexpected flick of a light blinded her. Veronica instinctively hissed and shielded her face. “Ow, who the-”

“Oh, you’re here. Now things make sense.” Said a familiar but entirely different voice. Veronica felt the hair on her tail stand up and she looked to see Summer there. Except, the sensation she was getting immediately told Veronica that it wasn't Summer, but Shiva. The frosty girl rubbed her eyes and walked closer until Veronica was forced to move around to the other side of the kitchen. Not taking any chances and walking across the counter top. Shiva opened the fridge and grabbed milk, ice cream, and parfait filled with fruit.

Shiva:You know...walking up there is very unsanitary right?

Veronica:.....

Shiva:Okay, do whatever you want. Can you pass me a spoon though? First cabinet below you.

Veronica did nothing for a second before Shiva held out her hand. Veronica slowly reached for a spoon and tossed it into her hand. Shiva smiled and got busy grabbing a cup and started making a milkshake. Veronica didn’t move. This was the first time she had actually seen Shiva. Nick had told her about the physical difference thankfully but that wasn’t all. Shiva’s voice held a certain distortion like faint cracking ice. Then there was her smell. It was different from Summer's. It was… disgustingly fresh; like the feeling of chewing a mint in the cold while the wind blew. Against her better judgment, Veronica got back on the floor.

Shiva:Finally coming down Veeeerrr… Veronica? That’s your name. Sorry, Summer May think about you from time to time but that doesn’t mean I have to pay attention or am around. I gotta say, I thought you’d be taller.

Veronica:What the hell is going on?

Shiva:I was wondering the same thing before I walked in here. Summer never forgets to turn on her heater. She wasn’t even under her covers; that’s a new level of recklessness. “How could she be so exhausted and distracted” is what I was thinking. My guess, a total accident because she was distracted. You say something to her?

Veronica:(Of all the fuc-) The dumbass was probably pouting after our little chat and dozed off.

Shiva:Yeah she's like a bicycle wheel. Her mind runs pretty well until you throw something in between the smokes. I however, am more like a monster truck.

Veronica’s body tensed as Shiva reached for the milkshake. ‘Is she trying to get colder?’ That could get bad. Yet Veronica was strangely okay. Her ears faintly hearing the rest of the residents soundly snoring. Then something clicked.

Shiva:I can’t remember the last time this body even had a milk-

Veronica:Let her go.

Shiva:Huh?

Veronica:You heard me. *cracks knuckles* Let Summer go.

Shiva:Well then, someone went from spineless to bold in no time. I’m just trying to enjoy-

In the fraction of a second there was no longer a milkshake or parfait near her. Instead she was looking up at Veronica who stood over her with a glare just as frightening as her own. Shiva couldn’t help but smile out of intrigument and agitation.

Veronica:I was never scared. Startled for sure, but never scared of something like you. In case you didn’t know, Summer’s never beaten me in a fight and you’re giving me the perfect excuse to hit her in the face.

Shiva:You’d have to be real stupid to think it would be easy to-

Veronica:To what, beat up a body that’s starving for food and apparently calcium. I know when Summer’s at her best so believe me when I say I can knock you on your ass in five seconds and catch her body before she wakes up; something you definitely wouldn’t like right now.

Shiva:.....Hmph, I like your eyes. They’re broken like hers. Count your blessings you aren’t the one with dust in their veins. Now that. Would be interesting.

Veronica:You really are insane if you’re comparing me to her.

Shiva:And you’re dumb to think I’d try anything in this place again. So many thermostats, so many loved ones and ground to cover. I couldn’t make it out this place on the coldest day; especially with your pain in the ass of a mom.

Shiva chuckled as Veronica grabbed her shirt. ‘They are definitely similar, and yet..” Shiva couldn’t put her finger on it but there was something about Veronica she particularly hated. This girl she just officially met had instantly become number two in her list of people to deal with if she got the chance. But for tonight, Shiva was out of time. Not like she actually had a plan. A milkshake was the goal because yes, this body needed calcium.

Shiva:Can you do me one favor since you ruined my night? Seriously, get this girl some milk or something. The cold has a way of screwing with bones. The fool knows this and purposely does it in fear of me taking over. She would have broken something today if not for me.

Veronica:You almost sound like you care.

Shiva:Her health is my health. You know what they say, your body is a temple. And from the way you were eyeing the ham it looks like I’m not the only temple that isn’t being well kept.

Veronica:Tsk, do me a favor and fuck off already.

Shiva:That answers that. Goodbye Veronica. For your sake I hope you never stand in my way. I might enjoy myself too much dealing with you.

And with those words, Shiva fizzled out. Leaving nothing but a sleeping Summer Schnee that fell into the faunus girl’s arms. Veronica stood there a moment to collect her thoughts. This was far more excitement than she was looking for at night. Worst part was she wasn’t entirely sure what to do. The situation was handled, so should she wake someone anyway? Does she tell them later?

Veronica lifted Summer like a bride and looked at her before looking at the food left out. ‘I guess I’m having a cheat day today.’ Her eyes looked at the milkshake as she came to that conclusion. ‘Since I’m destroying evidence, maybe it was best to keep quiet? If this encounter was my fault then that means I can control it so it won’t happen again.’ She reasoned. Carefully she started the walk to Summer’s room with a look of pure displeasure. ‘Just another reason to be on my best behavior I suppose. Tsk, as if I needed any more.’

xxxx

The night might’ve been eventful for Veronica but to Summer, it was over in a wink. The girl’s body had naturally woken up and she stared into the darkness of her room that barely had any light coming through her blinds and the red dot on her heater.

“Still early” Summer groaned, “even by Nick’s standards most likely.” There was no real reason to get from underneath her cozy covers just yet. A shower could wait for a bit. Besides, Veronica had her uniforms; there was no rush to see her so early. Valerie definitely wasn’t up this early. The mental list of people to chat with quickly shrunk. There was one person possibly awake Summer thought, and she actually should’ve called them yesterday.

The girl rolled over near her nightstand and grabbed her scroll, hitting a custom icon in the shape of a cane.

Oscar:Hello?

Summer:Hey Oz. Sorry if I woke you up, and for not facing timing for my appointment.

Oscar:Don’t feel bad about it. Yesterday was a busy day for you from what I saw.

Summer:Man you wouldn’t bel-....saw?

Oscar:Penny showed me the video.

Summer:Ugh! *covers face*

Oscar:I heard a face palm. Everything okay? And I mean really okay?

Summer:.....No, no it isn’t. I completely blew it yesterday. All that training over winter break, no, all the training this year and I’m not strong enough to stand on my own. Nothing is changing. I fight, get overwhelmed, Nick steps in; this time with a new ability. I’m the one who’s an expert with glyphs and yet he completely overshadowed me with summoning. Not only that, but now I have Veronica to deal with for a while. Who probably is eavesdropping right this moment. I feel like I can’t get a win! Even my music doesn’t feel up to par recently which is terrible considering I have to perform soon. What if I-

Oscar:Summer!

His shout stopped her from spiraling. He couldn’t see her face but he could hear her sniffing. Oscar waited patiently, listening to the girl trying to calm herself down with deep breathing exercises they had practiced day in and day out. Summer’s camera turned on and Oscar was greeted with rosy cheeks and slightly red eyes.

Oscar:If you gotta cry then go ahead.

Summer:I’m sick and tired of crying. What good is it anyways?

Oscar:Hey, crying is great sometimes! I cried a lot whenever I got frustrated traveling with everyone.

Summer:Really?

Oscar:Hell yeah. I was stressed and overwhelmed constantly because I felt weak. Also I constantly dealt with Qrow being dumb.

Qrow:You’re alive aren’t you!?

Oscar:Sir, I’m in the middle of a session. I’ll be with you after. *smiles*

Summer:Hehehe, I forgot Winter said something about him tagging along.

Oscar:He’s not the only one. Adrian wanted to tag along and then of course you know who’s ship we ended up on.

Summer:!!!? You're on Sparrow’s ship!?

A loud voice off screen answered her question. “Did someone say my name!?” The voice cried out. Oscar rolled his eye playfully as he flipped his camera to show Summer that Qrow and Adrian was fishing right next to a man. A young man that was barely in his twenties and wearing captain’s uniform, as if he was running some fancy cruise liner. Complete with the hat.

His face was clean shaven for once and his wavy brown hair that matched his eyes was put up in a bun. He looked over at the camera and immediately greated Summer with the goofiest smile he could make.

Summer:Hey Sparrow, it’s been awhile. How’s the sea life?

Sparrow:Better now that I’m not in the military!

Qrow:I’m telling Winter you said that.

Sparrow:Stop, she’s already mad I didn’t stop by in between jobs.

Adrian:Catch a giant fish and maybe you’ll buy our silence.

Sparrow:You’re on!

Oscar:Your cousin is the only sailor crazy enough around here to go searching for the gods. Also he’s extremely affordable; helping family is free of charge.

Summer:Thanks, all of you. Personally I wouldn’t want you all to go this far for me but-

Sparrow:You’re family. Since when the hell is there a price or distance on that?

Adrian:He’s right.

Qrow:If I taught this numbskull anything, it’s that right there.

Sparrow:Beer pong too.

Qrow:Ssssshhhhh

Oscar:Getting back on track, progress wasn’t made in a day. Sometimes it’s not even made by training. I’ve watched that video at least a hundred times already.

Summer:I wish you didn’t tell me that.

Oscar:My point is that progress just happens in an instant. A moment that makes everything click or demands your body to push beyond what it couldn’t do. Don’t trick yourself into thinking Nick got this moment in wanting not to waste yours and Valerie’s efforts. So he dug deep in order not to disappoint you both.

Summer:I….I know this. We’ve always pushed each other along; the ultimate duo. Yet I’ve always felt like he’s not only giving more than I can give, but he’s preventing me from giving all I’m able to give.

Oscar:Oh?

Summer:Hey...can I say something? Something you won’t write down?

Oscar:Go right ahead.

Summer:For awhile now I can’t help but feel...like he’s in my way. And it makes me so irritated to see that no matter what, my big brother is right there. Always ready to put things on hold for his baby sister. I’d rather take a loss than see him do damage control.

Oscar:You feel like he’s smothering you? Have you told him?

Summer:Almost, then I lost the nerve. He’s so patient with me and understanding. Yet I wish he’d be upset with my mistakes and hold me accountable. I wouldn’t mind him raising his voice at me or calling me out like-

Oscar:Veronica?

Summer’s eyes went wide. Is that what she wanted? No, well...no. Not exactly.

Summer:That would be a little much I think. I don’t think I could cope.

Oscar:But you do realize that maybe you continue to associate with Veronica and egg her on because you admire her confidence and you desire some form of tough love?

Summer: I mean...I do admire her confidence; not to mention her looks. Tough love though? That’s sugar coating it I think. She hates me.

Oscar:Maybe. I’d love to talk to her one on one at least once. I can’t say what her exact opinion is on you but it could be possible that you think she hates you way more than she actually does? Now may be a good time to figure it out.

Summer:I think I would need about a hundred journals to even express what one day of being around her would feel like.

Oscar:Speaking of journals, have you gotten a new one? I’m not letting you slack on this.

Summer:All my journals are underneath my bed. Including the new one. Not sure how much it’s helping. Writing down my personal feelings, it scares me. Like the words might jump out at me.

Oscar:...I may be out of line here and off base but, Summer, don’t hesitate to call me or Penny for anything. And I mean anything. Life is a precious gift.

Summer flinched at those words. The look on his face was one of complete calm and concern all at once. Summer got the message clear. Playing dumb would be an insult, and yet she smiled anyways at him.

Summer:You worry too much Os. Things are bleak but not that bleak. Don’t worry your pretty little head; honest.

Oscar:...Okay, I trust you. I just wanted you to remember that people can only help so much and help so effectively, depending on how much you let them in. Walling us off from anything important, it could be risky.

Summer:Thanks for your concern but I promise you that I’m fine. I should probably start getting ready for school now. Call you again, Regular appointment time?

Oscar:I’ll have my scroll charged and ready. Have a good day at school. Remember-

Summer:One step at a time. You say it constantly. Penny really needs to finish this baby chamber thing she’s making. I think you have baby fever or something. Always doting on me.

Oscar:You’d be jealous the moment Penny and I have a baby.

Summer:I would. Take care of yourself...uncle.

Oscar:!? Did you just call me-

Summer hung up immediately. Yeah she meant those words, but saying it out loud was too embarrassing to deal with. Not even out of her pjs yet and she was already a little drained; and she still had one more person to talk too!!!

‘Let’s get this over with.’ Summer hopped out of the bed and quickly made her way to Veronica’s room. The faster she gets there means the faster it will be over.

It only took a second Summer to stand at the door. She only got two knocks in before the door swung open and Summer was greeted with tired eyes. Veronica’s hair was ruffled and her tail was frizzy around her waist, yet she was already fully dressed in the uniform she borrowed. Veronica made it fit like a glove. Even in the simple white button up and black skirt, she looked gorgeous. Veronica bent down to fix her black calf high socks while keeping eye contact.

Veronica:I take it you’re here for your clothes? Give me a sec.

Summer:H...how long have you been up?

Veronica:Don’t know. A couple hours? Had to make sure I could readjust the size of this when I gave it back.

Summer:You wrap your tail around your waist for school.

Veronica:What’s with all the dumb questions so early? It’s your uniform. Cutting a hole for my tail would be stupid; I’m giving this back. Unless you want people looking through a hole in your skirt?

Summer:*red* Now look who’s asking dumb questions?

Veronica:Shut up and be productive. Strip and try on the clothes while there’s still time.

Summer:S-Strip? We don’t have to. I mean it’s no big deal if whatever you did is a little-

Unamused eyes glared at Summer, shutting her up. Of course Veronica’s designs were a big deal. Everything is a big deal with her. Summer didn’t put up a fight and walked in, closing the door behind them.

Summer:Can you at least turn around until I’m finished?

Veronica:That doesn’t do me much good. I intend to make sure I have your proper measurements. Suck it up and deal with it. We’re both women and don’t you have P. E. as a class? Undressing shouldn’t be a problem.

Summer:I...don’t undress typically. If I do I try to do it alone. The eyes on me are unnerving.

Veronica:You’re a performer.

Summer:That’s completely different and you know it. I display my voice on stage. Not my scars.

Veronica:This again?

Summer:Tsk, I don’t even know why I try with you sometimes. Of course you wouldn’t understand this. Must be really easy to say the things you do when your body is perfect.

Veronica:If you’re assuming that I judge people by their body or appearance, then everyone gives you too much credit when it comes to how smart you are. Only scum would ever be so shallow and daft. Since when the hell have I ever belittled you about your scars, something you couldn’t control?

Summer:......

Veronica:Think before you speak to me like that again.

Bickering was normal between them. This is how it’s always been. So why did Summer feel guilty about it this time? More importantly, why did Veronica sound so defensive? The only other thing she said after was asking Summer if she had permission to touch her. A question that confused her for a moment before she nodded. Maybe it was a designer thing.

Veronica grabbed the sleeve of Summer’s shirt, as well as the waistband of her pants. There was a brief moment of nothing happening that confused Summer. She almost asked what was going on until Veronica tugged on the clothing and it passed right through and off of Summer’s body; making the girl yelp. Just what else could Veronica do with her semblance? The faunus was entirely too good with it for someone who doesn’t wanna be a huntsman.

Summer had no time to think about it however since Veronica’s warm hands on her Summer’s hips snapped the girl back into reality. Veronica took her time with whatever she was doing. It was definitely more than measurements. Her hands gently traveled down each leg, feeling the muscle groups and gently touching each scar on the way down. Sometimes her thumbs pressed a little harder in certain areas.

Veronica could feel different spots of tension and the cold dust that ran through each scar. Her hands finally started to go up after examining Summer’s feet. The accent went to the waist and upwards. Each digit rolling over a rib. Veronica made sure to be very thorough and listen to the sounds Summer and Summer’s body was making. The sounds told a story and Veronica’s ears could listen to it. Last place was her chest and back which Veronica gave a little more force over places like Summer’s spine and scars. Summer oddly felt like she was being sculpted out of clay.

Veronica finally let go and grabbed the tape measure. That only took a few seconds though. Summer figured it might’ve been because those numbers weren’t high to begin with unfortunately. Step three of this process also went quick. Veronica grabbed one of the uniforms and phased it right on to Summer’s body perfectly. The length remained but all the excess baggy material was apparently tucked in or removed. Nothing felt too tight or loose as Summer moved her body around. Even that felt lighter. These adjustments were outstanding. All this progress in a night!

Summer:Woah, this is….disturbingly comfortable. Form fitting around my arms, but not tight.

Veronica:The only thing disturbing is how impressed you are about clothes that fit. Any complaint you have about the skirt length you can fix with simple leggings.

Summer:...Thanks for this, and sorry. I was out of line a moment ago.

Veronica:Hmph…...I prefer actions rather than words. If you really feel that sorry about it then I expect compensation.

Summer:What…? You want me to pay you as an apology?

Veronica:Your money is worth absolutely nothing to me. You are going to help me with a variety of tasks I need in order to make the best outfits possible. Then you’re going to wear them.

Summer:Oh, So you want my influence and connections to get free self promotion?

Veronica:This kingdom has its eyes on you. Someone is bound to talk about who’s doing your wardrobe. Considering how one of these outfits happen to be your tournament outfit, I think offering to lift a finger or two wouldn’t be too much to ask.

Summer:I thought it was finished?

Veronica:Not with the measurements I just got from you. Too small for you and I have some ideas to improve it now. So do we have an agreement or not?

Summer:.....

Veronica:You hurt my ears yesterday.

Summer:Fine, don’t have to guilt trip me.

Veronica:Perfect, you can start right now.

Summer:What!?

Veronica:From now until I leave I expect you to stretch your entire body when you wake up and before bed; dynamic stretches that focus slight tension around the ligaments in your left wrist and right knee especially. I could feel how worn out your body is. I expect better from a fighter that can pay for any spa. The unnecessary stress in your shoulders need to be fixed too.

Summer:(She got all that from just touching me?) Why does this sound like a health care routine and what does it have to do with-

Veronica:Questioning my methods won’t get you any closer to understanding them. Just do it.

Summer:Next you’re going to tell me what to eat with demands like this.

Veronica:Milk, at least two cups a day. Vanilla, regular, chocolate, warm, I really don’t care.

Summer:I wasn’t being serious!

Veronica:Well I am. Your bones need calcium from what I could feel. If I punched your ribs right now they would probably crack like a glow stick.

The way she worded that made Summer scrunch her face in pain. She could feel them ache already.

Summer:Fair point, but I have this thing against dairy-

Veronica:Are you going to keep making excuses, or are you actually going to give something your all for once? Not that I care. I can use a few more videos of you getting flung like a rag doll.

Summer:That’s not going to happen again.

Veronica:Less words, more action. I’ve said my peace, now I’m heading out.

Summer:School isn’t for another two hours.

Veronica:I’m aware. Perfect time to explore a little and find something remotely inspiring.

Summer:I don’t think Yang would like you walking around all-

Veronica:Summer, have I ever listened to you before? Like at al?

Summer:....

Veronica:Exactly.

On that note, Veronica grabbed the scarf she was given and fell through the floor, their conversation over. It went pretty well considering all things. They bickered and said a few choice words but strangely, Veronica wasn’t as mouthy. ‘Maybe mornings aren’t her thing.’ Summer concluded. They definitely weren’t hers.

Summer pulled out her scroll and decided now was probably a good idea to pass the baton to Nick instead of keeping quiet about Veronica’s plan to galavant around.

Nick:Hello? Summer, why are you calling me so early? Wait, why are you calling me?

Summer:Too lazy to walk. Just thought you should know that Veronica decided to go exploring around the town.

Nick:I’m sure she can find her way around.

Summer:She’s in a school uniform. Not to mention she isn’t wearing a bow or anything. It’s only gonna take one stupid person making a tasteless comment and-

Nick:Our school ends up taking heat.

Summer:To be fair, she looked pretty quiet and not very energetic. Just thought you should know.

Nick:What’s your plan?

Summer:To let you deal with it. I’m going back to bed for awhile. Feeling a bit drained.

Nick:I’m pretty sore myself. I’m sure she’ll be fine.

Summer:If you say so.

Their call ended immediately and Nick rubbed his eyes before laying face down on his pillow. ’She’ll be fine.’ He told himself whilst trying to go back to sleep. At least ten minutes had to pass before he flipped over on his back. “.....”

Nick silently cursed under his breath and hoped out of bed, annoyed by his troubled mind. It’s not that he didn’t trust Veronica, but it would really suck if something did happen. Especially after Yang asked him and Summer to keep an eye on her. “Looks like I’m getting dressed early today.”

His morning routine wasn’t long, or even complicated. In half an hour he was physically ready for the school day. The cold air outside should wake him. Nick was about to leave when he smelt something cooking the kitchen. He poked his head around to see Yang cooking some eggs. Nothing unusual, but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he was more than a little uncomfortable with how short her shorts were and loose fitting tank top. He wondered if she forgot that this wasn’t her house.

Nick:Ummm…

Yang:Oh, Hey Nick! You’re up early.

Looks like she just did not care. Now he knew Veronica got a trait from Yang that wasn’t physical

Nick:Yeah I couldn’t sleep any longer.

Yang:Well if you wait a little longer before leaving then I can make you some breakfast? I’m hoping the smell of eggs and some ham will get Veronica down here. With you she’s bound to eat it.

Nick:Uhhh Summer said Veronica left like forty minutes ago.

Yang:She wha- that little sneak!!! I bet she knew what I was planning. Sigh...damnit…

Yang cracked an egg a little too hard and it splattered on the stove. The yoke that got in her hand started to sizzle faster than in the pan. Then look in her eyes wasn’t anger though, but concern.

Nick:Is breakfast a big deal for you?

Yang:It’s not breakfast that matters, but the food. It’s been like three months since that kid has eaten actual meat.

Nick:I’m...not sure I see the problem. Does this have something to do with the kind of faunus she is. Actually, now that I mention it, I’ve never seen Veronica eat meat.

Yang:Because she intentionally doesn’t eat it around people or tries to avoid it in general. Can you keep a secret, or at least keep it within this house? Weiss and Jaune already know.

Nick:Yang, keeping secrets is like my best quality. That actually sounds bad out loud. Second, it’s my second best quality.

Yang:Hehehe. Look, having two faunus traits isn’t as simple as dealing with a tail and ear problems; her very genes are turned up to an eleven. Her hearing is better than Blake’s by a wide margin and even her sense of smell is extremely sharp. It sounds helpful but…

Nick:It’s overstimulating?

Yang:She’s gotten pretty good at honing it early on, but not so much with other things. Different faunus have different...impulses. Their fight and flight reflexes are even different than humans because of whatever animal instinct they have. Blake is a feline, a panther. If she’s angry, she gets angry. When she craves food, it’s typically fish. Any urge she has is related to that of a panther.

Nick:Okay, that’s not exactly new to me. So Veronica feels these “urges” or “instincts” in certain situations, but it’s more intense.

Yang:Let me put it to you like this. Blake on her worst day is still very much in control of her actions. It’s simple for any faunus to stave off any particular urge because it’s basically the same thing as refusing to act on adrenaline. Veronica’s worst day makes her as intense as Ghira fighting for his life. Regular days are Blake’s worst days.

Nick:That...explains a couple of things.

Yang:Basically, her hormones are a little frazzled. Veronica gets around this little hurdle by choosing to not indulge in what feeds those instincts. Panthers are predators…

Nick:So she rarely eats meat. The way you talk makes it seem like that’s very bad.

Yang:Image being a grimm coming at you and telling your body not to do the instinctual thing and move. She represses those instincts because she finds them uncivil and deplorable. Pushing it down only builds tension however. Veronica is naturally hot headed and scrappy but being irritated and having a short fuse comes from her eating habits.

Nick:Indulge too much, and she feels like she becomes essentially feral. Don’t indulge at all then…

Yang:She’s a bomb trying not to blow up about every little thing.

Nick:High school is gasoline then!

Yang:That’s why I wanted her to eat! Once she gets actual food that her body wants then she can control that temper way better and think clearly. Her eyes and nails even stop being feline like and just go back to normal.

Nick:Why didn’t we know any of this before?

Yang:It’s a lot for people to handle, and Veronica hates people knowing. I try helping her with this sort of thing but it’s not like I can exactly understand what she’s feeling. She only really comes to Blake about it. All I do is find ways for her to expel all that tension through boxing and anything else. Eventually we get her to eat normally but then she goes back to her regular routine until the urge becomes too overpowering.

This really did explain a lot. Nick wondered if he'd actually seen Veronica function at a hundred percent. He could recall a couple times he’d seen get out of hand, furious about one thing or another that ended in a fight. Nick vividly remembered her and Valerie giving each other black eyes. That was years ago. Yeah, she’s definitely gotten better in comparison.

Nick:Well I’m actually about to go chase her down and just make sure she’s okay. I got worried something could happen to her.

Yang:*smiles* It’s terrible how accurate Weiss praises you. (I can also see why Veronica is head over heels for you) I hate to be a bother but-

Nick:I’ll make sure she eats something fatty. School doesn’t offer much vegetarian options so it shouldn’t be hard.

Yang:I owe you big time for this. I mean it.

Nick:I’m paying it forward. Veronica is always in my corner. Being in her corner isn’t anything new. I’ll try to not tell her you told me all this either.

Yang:Trust me, she’ll figure it out. I pray for your success!

Nick gave a thumbs up and ran out the door. Yang started to clean up the mess she made. A long sigh escaped her lips as she continued thinking about her daughter and the kind boy willing to try. A twinge of guilt hit her heart. She couldn’t tell if it was because she talked about affairs Veronica didn’t want people to know, or because she didn’t tell Nick everything. Not the most important pieces. No one knew the important pieces. Yang wiped a tear from her face. Even she knew that she was missing an important piece. She was sure of it.

Yang:(Maybe…just maybe, she’s what he needs right now. Obviously I’m not.)

Part 13

[izzy-b-hands]

Our House

Eugene is away on business for a few weeks, and they’ve both wanted bits and pieces of the house fixed up/changed. 

Snafu can do that all on his own, right? 

Important lessons about home improvement and how it is a fickle beast below the cut!

At the end, re: wine, I’m basing their reactions off of what wine does to me (makes me sleepy af and basically useless if I have more than a glass or two.) 

Also, I did get a weird headache mid-writing this so hopefully it sounds decent and I didn’t accidentally a word anywhere (I read over it for a quick edit, but y’all know I’m notorious for still missing mistakes until three days later.) If y’all do notice something off/an error on this, please let me know so I can fix it asap!

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

The three weeks marked on the calendar had seemed long, in the days prior to them. He’d spent those days moaning to Eugene about how difficult it would be, and how long the weeks would take to pass. 

They hadn’t felt long enough now though. 

The bedroom was done, at least, in a cheerful, soft, pastel yellow. A pastel sage green trim made the whole room feel like spring, at least to Snafu. Eugene would love it, that much he knew for sure. 

“He ain’t gonna love the rest of this though,” Snafu sighed, and took in the rest of the house as he walked through it. Eugene would be back in a day, and he had so much left to do: 

The kitchen was missing half the cabinet doors, which were outside near the shed, halfway to being refinished, varnished, and repainted a light rose pink with white accents. He had never realized just how many cabinets they had until now, and it seemed like too many.

The guest bathroom had yet to be retiled, though the tiles were sitting ready for him to put down. 

The guest bedroom was waiting to be repainted a greyish green, but he hadn’t had time to even crack the paint cans open. 

And finally, and perhaps worst, the living room was...

“A fuckin’ disaster,” Snafu muttered to himself as he walked into it, carefully. The repainting of it to a plum had gone just fine. However, a bit of paint had gotten onto the velvet chaise lounge they’d recently bought at a flea market. They were going to reupholster it anyway, why not do it now to get rid of the paint? 

Snafu shook his head at the memory of asking himself that question. From there, he’d been on a search for a nice velvet to replace the original that would also match the walls, and be to Eugene and his tastes. Easier said than done, and made all the harder at the realization that some of the wood flooring had, at some point, somehow been damaged (maybe when they’d moved in the lounge? He couldn’t be sure.) 

Which meant of course the wood flooring needed to be repaired, which was...a task, putting it mildly.

“How the hell am I gonna finish this?” Snafu asked Queen, who was preening on the leftover velvet for the lounge. 

She rolled over and turned away from him, still preening with one paw. 

“Exactly,” he sighed, then traipsed into the front hall, sitting onto the first step of the staircase to the upper level. “I just gotta make a plan, right? I mean, he might not even notice the guest room; I can paint that later. Bathroom might be an issue, but we don’t even use that bathroom that much, I can hide the tiles. And how often does anybody really look at a cabinet, like really look, ya know?” 

Queen looked over, sighed, and closed her eyes for a nap.

“Right? I don’t look at cabinet doors, that’s for sure,” Snafu continued. “So that just leaves the living room, and the living room-” 

The front door creaked open, and he just barely resisted the urge to bolt. 

“Hey! Is Eugene ba-what in the everloving...” Sidney froze in the doorway, staring at the living room mess. “So, he isn’t back yet then?” 

Snafu shook his head. “Nah, or I’d be dead.” 

“He won’t be that upset,” Sidney soothed. “I know you mentioned you were doin’ some work but...damn. Hey, nearly done though, really. Just the chair there, and the floor some, and-” 

“Most of the rest of the house,” Snafu interrupted. “I got a little ambitious.” 

“How ambitious?” Sidney asked gently, and joined Snafu on the step. 

By the time Snafu was done regaling him with everything that needed doing, Sidney had gone pale. 

“That’s maybe a little too ambitious indeed, Snaf. But, I admire it.” 

“And now you’re headin’ on home, right?” 

Sidney frowned. “Hell do you mean? I’m gonna help you get done whatever we can. We’ll call Mary, she can come by and help paint, and help you with that lounge. Between the three of us, we can get some of it done at least.” 

Snafu stared. They were friends more for Eugene’s sake, rather than to actually be friends (if anything, he got along better with Mary.) There was nothing wrong with Sidney, they just hadn’t clicked in any major way. But it was moments like this he was grateful they both put in the work to become better friends, because what was a good friend if not occasionally a home improvement knight in shining armor?

He hugged Sidney tight, until Sidney finally tried to wriggle out. “Thank you. I know he wouldn’t actually kill me-” 

“He doesn’t even like raising his voice to you,” Sidney interrupted. “Every time y’all argue, he calls me and says how bad he feels about any shouting. And I highly doubt it’s even really ‘shouting.’ But you might have earned it this time, though I would defend you.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. This was done with good intentions, to give him a nice surprise to come home too. Not your fault home improvement shit never goes right,” Sidney replied. “Come on, get up. We got a long night, and I still gotta call Mary.” 

Once Mary was over, it was shocking how fast it all seemed to go. It wasn’t that Sid and Mary rushed him or their own tasks, just that it seemed...easier. The house was warm and loud (as well as the backyard for the last few hours of daylight, while he and Sid finished up the cabinet doors, leaving them painted and drying near the back door) and with the dog and cats occasionally peeking in to check on them, it all felt lively and just good. Better than it had felt for the weeks of being empty except for himself and the pets. 

It was six in the morning when they gave up, and, and Sidney put it “had to accept it for what it was.” 

Which wasn’t terrible, all things considered. 

The last bit of the living room flooring had been fixed up, and the lounge reupholstered thanks to Mary’s endless hard work on it. 

The guest bedroom might need another coat, but it was at least mostly done, and the animals had been kept out of it so the door could be shut, keeping the paint fumes mostly confined to the hall near it. 

The guest bathroom still had some tiles to finish putting down, but it was about halfway done, and that was a hell of a lot further than Snafu had figured they’d get. 

The cabinet doors still needed to finish drying and be actually put back onto the kitchen cabinets, but they looked damn pretty. 

They cleaned up, and settled in to wait for Eugene.

And waited. 

And waited. 

And waited. 

“He would have called by now,” Snafu muttered, after four hours had passed from when Eugene was supposed to be home. “I should go down to the station, see why he isn’t in yet. Maybe he meant for me to pick him up and forgot to say...” 

Sidney shook his head. “That ain’t Eugene. He has a checklist for his checklists; he would have told you. At least four times.” 

Mary nodded. “Do you have a number you can call him at? Maybe his train got delayed and he’s still at his hotel in, where was it again he was going?” 

“Atlanta,” Snafu replied, and walked to the phone with them and three of the cats on his heels. 

He wasn’t at the hotel, nor at the train station in Atlanta. Nor was he at the train station in Mobile, waiting to be picked up. 

“Merriell, don’t panic,” Sidney said softly as they walked back to the couch, and Sid using his proper name was enough to send him spiraling. 

“What if he’s hurt, what if something happened? I should have just gone with him, y’all could have looked after the pets, and I could have found somethin’ to do in Atlanta while he was busy. This is my fault.” 

“How on earth is this your fault?” Mary asked. “I’m sure he’s just fine, probably just...held up, somehow. Who knows, maybe he just can’t catch a cab to the station.”

“For four hours?” Sidney scoffed, then winced as Mary slapped his arm. “I mean yeah. You never know. Could be a cab driver shortage...” 

He expected them to leave, but they stayed even as the day wore on into the evening. Mary eventually got up to check on the paint in the guest room, and when she didn’t return, Snafu figured it was dry enough for the final coat. Sid followed shortly after in getting up, and the sound of the back door opening and closing let him know that the cabinet doors were apparently ready to be put back in place. 

Meanwhile, he waited and watched the phone. 

“Snaf, I’m sure he’s fine,” Sidney said as they finally slipped on their shoes and retrieved their keys from the front hall table. “Somethin’ silly just held him up, and he’ll be rushing in here before you know it. Let yourself get some sleep, okay?” 

Mary nodded, and turned to the door, only to nearly be smacked in the face by it as it swung open.

“I am so sorry,” Eugene was a mess, hair clearly unbrushed, clothes wrinkled, and eyes wild. “Are you okay? Why are you two here? I mean, I don’t mean that like; you just don’t live here is what I mean-” 

“Gene,” Sidney said gently. “Shut the fuck up and breathe for a minute. What happened?” 

Eugene sighed, kicked off his shoes, and moved past them to drop on the newly upholstered chaise lounge. “Snaf, it’s for you. Got it sitting outside. It’s wrapped up, but take a look. Hopefully you like it, and then we can bring it inside. Thought we could hang it in here, on the-did you paint in here?” 

Snafu ignored Sidney’s face-palm and Mary’s shaking head as he headed outside. Just by the front door, was a too-big-for-one-person-to-carry framed canvas, bits of the golden colored frame sticking out from under the brown paper wrapping. And under the paper...

“Those are our babies!” Snafu crowed, and ran back inside, nearly knocked the lounge back as he dropped onto it to hug Eugene. “You had to have commissioned that ages ago, to get them pictures of the cats and God knows how you got a decent one of Ack-Ack, and when did you do that?” 

“Soon as they mentioned they might need me to travel,” Eugene replied. “Called around, found a local artist, sent the pictures along in the mail whenever I got a chance that you weren’t paying attention. Thought it would be a way to make up for me being gone, but gettin’ that thing in and off of a train was something else, and then they nearly didn’t want to let me on, and-” 

Eugene shrugged. “But I made it. And it made it. You like it?” 

“I love it!” he buried his face in Eugene’s shoulder, hugging him tight again and taking in everything about him again, how he felt, the scent of his cologne. “But you better not be goin’ anywhere for awhile regardless. I can tell you later, but I-” 

“You two are absolutely meant for each other,” Sidney laughed. “You with the picture, and this fool...he redid half the damn house while you were gone. With our help, though we were happy to do it. That lounge you’re sittin’ on?” 

Eugene looked down at it as he moved out of Snafu’s embrace as if he was seeing it for the first time. “This wasn’t green velvet when I left.” 

“No, no it wasn’t,” Mary smiled. “But it is now! And wait’ll you see the rest of it, he worked hard. Ran out of time, but he worked hard.” 

“How much did you try to do in three weeks?” Eugene laughed, though his smile drooped slightly as not one of the three of them answered.

“Tell you what,” Snafu replied after a moment. “We get that painting inside, hung up, and have dinner. And then I’ll tell you all what I did, and how I owe our Sid and Mary a very big favor for it, starting with a late dinner tonight if you both want to stay.” 

“...Everything is one piece, right?” 

“Except for the tile of the guest bathroom, yes,” Sid interjected. “And if you’ll have us, we’d be happy to stay. Can get that last bit of tiling done with Snaf before we go.”

“I like it! And we’ll have a bit of wine to celebrate your being home,” Snafu said to Eugene, and kissed him before hopping off the lounge and towards the kitchen. “In fact, wine first, picture hanging, then dinner, then tiling?” 

“Sounds like a dangerous combination,” Eugene said. “But why not, if we’re celebrating. How badly can it turn out?” 

Two bottles of wine between them all, and the rest of the night later, they managed to get the picture inside and resting safely against a wall in the front hall, and the guest bathroom was left mercifully untouched by any drunken work. 

Despite it, Snafu had never been happier. Eugene was home, there was good food, good wine, good friends, a gorgeous gift, and the house looked lovely. He couldn’t ask for more.