#ALSO THIS KINDA MAKES BLAZE EXACTLY ONE YEAR OLDER THAN BLAZE??

[emioliravioli]

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME BLAZE'S BIRTHDAY WAS TODAY

[pahrak-the-sinnoh-slizer]

Game Night: Sonic X Shadow Generations

This being a game all about touring memory lane, I ask you indulge me a bit while I reflect.  When I was a kid my sisters and I were given our older cousins’ Sega Genesis as a sort of hand-me-down, and among the included library of games were several featuring a very distinct spiky blue creature.  This many years later it’s hard to remember exactly why, but I’d estimate at least 85% of the time my we spent playing the Genesis was dedicated to these games in particular—and considering they were competing with a Jurassic Park game for a dinosaur-obsessed kid’s attention, that’s certainly no small feat.  Not long after that, the combination of Sonic X’s English dub and Sonic Heroes turning the games multi-plat solidified this affinity, and a Sonic fan was born!  I followed the franchise quite closely throughout what’s now known as “the Dark Age”—yes, even including Shadow the Hedgehog (2005). (Especially Shadow the Hedgehog (2005).) Alas, when I picked up Colors…I guess you could say things just didn’t click?  So while I was somewhat excited by the announcement of Generations, I didn’t play it.  Following that, I’m ashamed to say I fell prey to the cultural mindset of “Sonic = bad”, and I tried to put the hedgehog behind me.  However, seeing Mania getting rave reviews piqued my curiosity, so I slowly waded my way back in and was in the exact right spot for the announcement of Frontiers to get me psyched.  I’ve already shared my thoughts on that game, but suffice to say it scratched my very specific itch.  I’m hooked once again.

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) was one of my favorite games as a kid.  I haven’t played a single second of Sonic Generations before now.  Sonic Frontiers felt to me like a joyous homecoming.  And now, you’re telling me that this Generations remaster comes bundled with a Shadow the Hedgehog 2 that iterates on Frontiers?  Sign me the fuck up.

Spoiler-free tl;dr: Shadow Generations may be brief, but it’s also unbelievably sick, proving that short games can still be great and that edge can in fact be used for good.

While I dove straight into Shadow Generations, I feel like for this post I should go over Sonic Generations first.  This game was a HUGE deal when it first released, and it kinda never stopped being a huge deal: I already had a good grasp of what I was getting into, and I guess my expectations were high.  Perhaps too high.  Make no mistake, I am aware that I am very bad at video games, and I do want to emphasize that my expectations were working against me, not to mention playing Shadow Generations first probably skewed my muscle memory and I was kind of exhausted whenever I was able to play.  All that being said.  I didn’t really have a great time.  There were quite a few obstacles and deaths that didn’t feel entirely fair—Boost was riskier to use than I thought it would be, and the Homing Attack lock-on felt very finicky.  Even when the Homing Attack did work I still ended up taking damage from the enemies I was killing a bit too often.  Part of this is down to the controls: I know they changed which button executes the Homing Attack, but while playing it seemed like both buttons worked?  So I hit the wrong button twice as often, I guess.  Again, I’m under no illusions there’s a huge skill issue here, and there were still things I liked about the game!  Classic Sonic using R2 for a one-button Spin Dash felt really nice, and even with my spotty Sonic history I experienced a healthy dose of nostalgia.  I was surprised to see just how many Challenge Acts involved Sonic’s friends—they weren’t all fantastic stages, but I was glad to see these characters had just a bit more of a presence than I previously thought.  I remember liking the challenge where you had to switch between the three elemental shields, as well as the one where Vector picks up and throws Classic. (Did not enjoy either Blaze stage I played, sadly.) But I mean, by now there’s loads and loads that’s been said about this game, and if you were considering playing it you’ve probably already decided if you will or not.  I don’t have anything new to say.  These are just thoughts on my personal experience with it.

In any case, let’s move on to the main event.

Shadow Generations has several unique additions to your basic Sonic gameplay, to the point where it can almost feel overwhelming.  To its credit, the game carefully eases you into these mechanics, first introducing your basic Homing Attack (more akin to Chaos Snap from 06) and Boost, then the first tier of Shadow’s specific kit with his Chaos Powers.  Chaos Spear is a quick and easy shot able to activate switches and stun enemies, though it doesn’t actually damage them and is thus more of a utility move than a long-range offense option.  Chaos Control sort of merges both of its functions from Shadow 05: time freezes (including the in-game timer!), and while it’s in effect you can use special energy ribbons to perform a Chaos Dash and zip ahead at blistering speeds.  I love that Control is far more accessible this time around; Dash can be handy, but it’s very situational, and the shortcuts it provides in the hub world kept surprising me with where they spat me out.  Then there’s the heavily-advertised Doom Powers, which are unlocked in a specific order as you make your way through the game and have a nicely subtle progression to them.  Doom Spears is a relatively minor upgrade to Chaos Spear (locks onto 5 targets), Doom Blast is an upgraded Homing Attack (great for movement when you can find an enemy tough enough to actually take the hits), Doom Surf sees the corruption building and Shadow forcing it all out of his body to form a manta ray thing (I found this one unwieldy, not being able to stop is irritating), Doom Morph sees the corruption completely envelop Shadow’s body (definitely tricky and a bit situational, but I actually had a lot of fun navigating goop with this), and while Doom Wings might not escalate it still gives you a big power-high, with the balanced visual design showing Shadow’s control over his new abilities.  I wasn’t expecting the Doom Wings to be this game’s stand-in for Super Shadow: you need at least 50 Rings and they drain quickly, but you’re invincible, faster, and jump higher, plus you have nearly unlimited Boost that can be used in midair to glide extended distances!  This being usable in the hub world is perhaps an iteration on Knuckles and Tails’ flying abilities from Frontiers, and I suspect a more targeted experiment on how to integrate on-demand Super Sonic into the Open Zone design.  Big fan of this skillset.

The hub world is another big feature I was excited to see, and it does not disappoint!  The Frontiers influence is on full display, turning Shadow’s side of White Space into a mini-Starfall Island that expands outward as you progress and gain new abilities, which you then utilize to gather collectibles.  It’s somewhat Metroidvania-esque in that sense.  You’re also constantly watched over by the Black Moon, essentially a cross between Black Doom and a biblically accurate angel.  Super creepy!  Everything you can do in stages, you can do in White Space, and the plethora of rings, enemies, and mini-challenges make it a lot of fun to just run around aimlessly.  Primarily you’ll be searching for those collectibles: nearly 100 chests containing art and music and such (unlocked using keys you find in stages a la Red Rings), 80 machine parts used for a certain sidequest, and 13 excerpts from Gerald Robotnik’s journal.  Wait—this game has secret reports?!  Fuck yeah!  I love that shit!  They can actually be a bit tricky: they’re in pods carried by a trio of flying robots, and when you notice a set flying around you need to get high enough to shoot them down, and it seemed they were always just a bit higher than I expected.  Noticing and successfully claiming one is a nice rush, though.  They can be viewed in Shadow’s Collection Room (which has surprisingly nice décor), alongside artwork, movies, music, game summaries, and character profiles.  What surprised me was how few profiles there are: notably, neither Rogue nor Black Doom have entries.  Also Sonic Heroes is placed after Shadow 05 for some reason and that’s really bothering me.  That aside, overall the Collection Room is a very satisfying little side mode for you to enjoy the fruits of your collectible hunting.

But let’s talk more about that journal!  A physical version was actually included as a pre-order bonus, taking the form of a little booklet inside the game case, and I read through it right away.  A little difficult with the handwriting, but in-game you have an option to display all the text in standard format.  I’m told that this compiles everything from the games that has been attributed to Gerald, including the excerpts from SA2, Sonic Battle, even Sonic Rivals 2!  Additionally, it gives deeper insight into his character and the Robotnik family tree, which is the really juicy stuff.  What probably shocked me most was the reveal that Maria has a younger sister.  In other words, Eggman has another cousin, one who could easily still be around in the present day.  That’s got to be a hint or something.  There’s no way they’d tease something like that and not follow up on it, right?  Right?!  …Well anyway.  The journal also has a few “snapshot” illustrations that add a lot of charm, and, somewhat oddly, contains numerous redacted elements that have been blacked out.  This is explained diegetically by a note in the inside cover: the journal was recovered from one of Eggman’s bases and delivered to G.U.N. Commander Abraham Tower, with the implication that Eggman defaced the journal to keep its secrets hidden.  Or, maybe the Commander made the redactions for some reason?  Come to think of it, this journal most likely passed through G.U.N.’s hands after they executed Gerald, and the note does talk about the previous Commander covering-up the incident, so maybe that’s when it happened…whoever it was, it makes sense canonically.  Most of it can be inferred using context clues, though I’m amused that they used it to hide the names of Gerald’s sons.  Guess they weren’t ready to commit to anything just yet!  Even funnier, though, is that one of Gerald’s explanations of how he Scienced a solution to a problem is just smudged over rather than being redacted.  How did he do it?  We don’t know!  Fact-check us now, nerds!

In a similar vein to Sonic saving a new friend each time you clear a stage, new NPCs show up each time you clear one of Shadow’s stages.  You can talk to them.  That’s…pretty much it, not even any character-specific Challenge Acts like on Sonic’s side.  Still, the only one of these who really feels underutilized is Omega—granted, I’m biased, but bro shows up after the very first stage and doesn’t get a single thing to do, despite being a member of Team Dark!  Utterly appalling.  But, regardless, I’m happy these characters are around to give Shadow someone to bounce off of (even if silently).  After the second stage you get Orbot and Cubot…strange additions to be sure, but I guess they couldn’t overlap with anyone Sonic rescues and pickings were rather slim.  These two are trying to build a rocket to escape, and will give you artwork in exchange for those machine parts hidden around White Space.  Third is the one and only Big the Cat—another bizarre choice, but Big needs no justification, especially since it’s just…kinda nice to see him and Shadow chat casually?  I enjoyed having him around.  Fourth stage gets you important NPCs we’ll discuss later, and fifth brings Rogue onboard for some last-minute involvement in the plot. (Okay one overlap, but y’all would riot if she wasn’t here.) Only five stages then?  Well there is a sixth and final level, but clearing that beats the game.  Maybe it’s time we start getting into those stages and the story tying them together…

Fittingly, Shadow begins aboard the ARK.  As advertised, this stage combines aspects of ARK stages from SA2 and Shadow 05, a sizable pool to draw from and, rather shockingly, the only Shadow 05 level representation.  Sure, it’s something, and plenty of the artwork and music you can collect is from that game so it isn’t being ignored, but I would have expected at least one dedicated full level adapted from Shadow’s first solo outing.  Eh, not a dealbreaker by any means.  You then drop into White Space, where you’re initially restricted to a small area with just the ARK level entrance, Omega, a few level assets you can scale to find a few chests, and an ominous pod next to a sealed door.  Clearing the ARK earns you a “Doom’s Gear”, which is used much like a Portal Gear to unlock that weird pod…a “Power Sealing Device”.  Lame.  Like, it doesn’t matter, I know it doesn’t, but that’s just such a lame name.  Give it some flavor!  Just call it a “Doom Capsule”, there, that’s an easy one!  You might have already guessed, but these are what give you your Doom Powers.  Opening the door reveals a short pathway leading to the next level: Rail Canyon from Heroes.  Honestly, this is probably the inclusion that warmed my heart the most since Heroes was my first 3D Sonic game…not that I ever fully beat it.  Ironically, I recall Rail Canyon/Bullet Station being the farthest I managed to get with Team Dark, so this feels like a chance to resolve some unfinished business!  I even flung myself into the void just trying to change rails—that’s what really made this an authentic experience! (It only happened once, though, the physics here are far more polished than those in Heroes.)

And here’s where we encounter the first Boss Gate.  Interacting with the Gate causes Challenge Acts to spawn, and clearing those will get you Boss Keys—the basic structure of Sonic Generations, with a few tweaks such as there being fewer challenges and needing to (eventually) clear all of them to access all the bosses.  These all seem pretty straightforward: collect a certain number of rings, defeat a certain number of enemies, stages built specifically around one of Shadow’s abilities…I had fun with them.  I will say that it’s a little weird that you need to interact with the Boss Gate before these spawn, if only because the second and third Boss Gates are tucked away in their own areas you have to navigate to get to them—definitely cool, but feels a bit more like a chore when you have to go back after leaving to get the keys.  It’s no surprise that the first boss is the Biolizard, which starts with familiar patterns before shaking things up in its later phases.  I had a bit of trouble, but it wasn’t too difficult a fight; it makes a point of utilizing Chaos/Doom Spears and ending with Chaos Control, both of which you’re expected to know your way around before moving on to the mid-game.  It’s after this that Black Doom makes his first real appearance after taunting Shadow through Doom’s Eye across the preceding stages.  He’s a bit cryptic, but notes that the temporal anomaly caused by the Time Eater has allowed him to accelerate his pre-formulated plan to revive himself.  For whatever reason, I like that the thing “connecting” Black Doom and the Time Eater is nothing but sheer happenstance: Doom saw an opportunity and seized it, that’s all.  Certainly makes it easier to write around Sonic Generations and not interfere with its established plot!

With the Biolizard defeated, the hub world expands to include a new area across a big lake.  This is where you get Doom Surf, and again, this one proved difficult for me; despite that, I appreciate how the next few stages and upcoming boss are designed to incorporate it, rewarding players able to master the move for their skill.  Speaking of stages, we now get access to two: Kingdom Valley from 06 and Sunset Heights from Forces.  I wonder if there’s something to said about this juxtaposition.  But in all seriousness, these levels are just as good as the rest—my knowledge of and ability to analyze Sonic level design may be lacking, but even I can feel the difference between this Sunset Heights and Forces itself.  It’s around Kingdom Valley that Big hangs out!  He says he’s visited Soleanna to fish before, which makes sense, and he even mentions meeting Elise! (Not by name, but it’s still nice to see.) Sunset Heights, on the other hand, is home to two NPCs…Maria and Gerald Robotnik.

I mean, y’all saw it in the trailer.  And it’d be a missed opportunity to NOT do this.  But uh, still hits pretty damn hard.  They’re from a point in time before the ARK incident, obviously, lacing their every word with potent dramatic irony.  Shadow reacts to this as one might expect, which…is actually kind of a big deal!  If you cared enough to read this far I probably don’t need to tell you that Shadow’s characterization has been quite a hot topic (heh) in recent years, and his portrayal here could easily make or break the game.  Without getting too ahead of myself, I want to say that—at least in my opinion—it’s good news.  I remain a bit unsure about some of the pacing, perhaps necessarily due to the length of the game, but Shadow is fleshed out remarkably well and with appropriate nuance, and is once again recognizable as the character we all came to love during his debut.  Not to get controversial, but maybe this’ll help to convince more people that Ian Flynn kinda sorta knows what he’s doing?  Anyway.  Time to fight Metal Overlord!  Again, never actually beat Heroes so I can’t properly compare this fight to his original, but this one seems pretty good.  You spend the whole fight using Doom Surf (ah…), hitting rubble and projectiles at Metal while he tries to blow you to bits.  His tail swipe attack felt unfair at the end, when you have to jump twice in quick succession—Doom Surf is NOT built for that.  One cool thing is that if you use Chaos Control, Metal will be unaffected and gloat about how he has the same power.  It's a neat attention to detail that actually comes back into play later on!

With Doom Morph now acquired you can navigate some goop to reach Chaos Island, which, yeah, does feel like a weird inclusion since Shadow wasn’t in Frontiers.  That it and Sunset Heights come from the future is actually something I like, something you’d expect in a scenario about breaking the timeline but can only be done in a situation like a rerelease for obvious reasons.  This is around where things really began to get tough for me: early on I was at least getting B Ranks, but from here on it was all Cs and Ds.  Difficulty is a tricky thing, of course, but I think it progressed pretty well here.  This is also where we begin to enter the endgame, with some pretty big things happening after beating Chaos Island and around doing the Mephiles boss fight. (Very fun and frantic, built around using Doom Morph and Doom Blast, honestly might be my favorite boss in the game!  Shadow also ends things off with a badass one-liner about Mephiles not having a future. “Ever.”) One of the first is a cutscene where Shadow ends up in Sonic’s area of White Space.  They bump into each other, have a race as a stand-in for the rival battle you fight while playing as Sonic, and Shadow goes to use Doom Spears but decides against it because he only wants to beat Sonic if it’s on equal terms.  Rad.  Of course, this loss of focus leads to Sonic beating him and taking the Chaos Emerald he’s been carrying, and this is when Rouge shows up to ask how the hell he could let himself lose.  This scene is great, maybe the best example of how this game is careful about precisely maintaining continuity and making it look easy.  See, Shadow’s been carrying an Emerald around because it’s been established he needs one to use Chaos Control.  Okay, gameplay mechanic justified.  At the start of the game, while exploring the ARK, he comes across the fake Chaos Emerald Tails made in SA2, actually sort of compliments Tails saying that even he has a hard time telling which one’s a fake.  Huh, okay, neat callback I guess?  So now, problem: if Shadow Generations takes place at the same time as Sonic Generations, then Sonic has to be the one to take the Chaos Emerald, that result has already been established.  Does that mean Shadow loses Chaos Control past this point?  Nope!  Because the Emerald he dropped was actually the fake Emerald!  He even asks Rouge to swap it out for the real one as soon as he’s done with it, so the two Sonics going Super against the Time Eater still works!  I’ve seen it mentioned that this even explains why you can’t use Super Sonic before that point despite having all seven Emeralds, because you’re unknowingly carrying a fake!  That’s awesome!

The next big thing: Shadow goes to check in with Gerald and Maria, only for Black Doom to show up.  Shadow immediately gets between them and him (he protecc!), and Black Doom assures him that he’s learned from his past defeat and won’t make any mistakes this time.  We also get to see Maria shout at Black Doom that Shadow’s nothing like him, points there for sure.  I believe it’s here the game states that Black Doom is using his connection with Shadow to grow stronger as he does, allowing him to revive faster and simultaneously corrupt him so that he can possess his body and become the Ultimate Lifeform himself.  It seems to be working, too, since Shadow gets pissed off and starts shouting about how he’s going to wipe out all the Black Arms.  However, Maria steps in to calm him down, saying she can’t bear to see him driven by hatred like this, that Black Doom isn’t his real family, that she and Gerald love him and just want him to be happy.  Shadow doesn’t really know how to respond and runs off.  His next stop is the last Power Sealing Device…I think an extra scene or two might’ve helped here?  Just so he doesn’t go straight from nearly giving in to corruption to absorbing even more corruption.  Whatever the case, this is where you finally get Doom Wing (after a small taste all the way back in the ARK stage), and now that Shadow has his full set of powers, Black Doom enters the final stage of his plan and turns White Space red while calling Shadow to come and finally face him.  Shadow goes to Maria first, and tells her that while he has let go of his anger, he will continue to fight with her wish in his heart.  The change in White Space causes it to shake and throw Maria off her feet, but Shadow stoops down to help her up—which is such a great way of showing that he’s still in control of himself, love it.  One short platforming challenge later, it’s on to the final stage…

Radical Highway!  Yep, SA2 gets a full stage in addition to contributing to the ARK stage.  Both Acts are built in a way that encourages you to test out the Doom Wings, but can be cleared without them.  Also these Acts are HARD.  I died repeatedly here, really driving home how happy I am that lives are no longer a thing.  Eventually you reach Black Doom, and after exchanging some final words, he goes straight to Devil Doom form and the battle begins!  You start out using Doom Surf, but after getting his health down to half, he changes the arena and you need to use Doom Morph to take out the other half.  Then Doom transforms AGAIN, becoming Neo Devil Doom, and you enter the traditional “fly around in Super Form” type of final boss using a modified Doom Wing while a new version of “All Hail Shadow” plays in the background.  Not really one of my all-time favorite Sonic songs but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was hype as fuck.  Once you finish off the second health bar, Doom uses Chaos Control to freeze Shadow and goes in for the kill…but, hey, remember how Metal Overlord could cancel out your Chaos Control?  Now YOU get to cancel out DOOM’S Chaos Control!  And Shadow finishes him off with a volley of giant Chaos Spears followed by blasting through his chest Goku-style!  It’s such a good final fight—I may love Frontiers but Supreme was a pushover, this is leagues better.  After the fight Shadow’s wings shrivel up, so he probably won’t be using them again any time soon (sad…), and he hands his Chaos Emerald off to Rouge before going to say goodbye to Gerald and Maria.  When they start to fade away, returning to their time, Shadow says he can stop Rouge and use Chaos Control to keep them in this moment, but Maria doesn’t want that.  He tries to argue that they don’t know what’s going to happen, but she tells him that even if they’re pulled apart from each other, her love will always be in his heart.  Shadow leaves, and as he runs past Rouge, a single tears flies off.  They let him cry!  Not on-camera maybe but they let Shadow cry at seeing his family ripped away from him again!  This is the good shit!

You know, I worry that in these posts I spend too much time summarizing and not enough actually commenting.  But in a case like this, what is there really to say?  Shadow’s in-character.  That’s best demonstrated through example.  After the way he’s been written through the 10s (as well as his previous solo outing), that alone is worth the price of admission for quite a few of us.  Let’s see, what else did I want to bring up:

-Shadow’s first thought upon seeing Maria and Gerald is that he might be able to change their fate, but I felt like this wasn’t really followed up on.  There is the scene at the end where he considers Chaos Control, but by itself I’m not sure it’s enough?  Plus, this game is about Shadow defying the destiny Black Doom chose for him, so seeing him successfully do that while not being able to change Maria’s fate feels a little at odds.  But the former is about the future and the latter is about the past, I suppose.

-There are points where the dialogue very clearly echoes some familiar Shadow lines like “This is who I am” and “I will fight like I always have”, but do so without directly quoting those lines.  I may not be part of the faction that seems to view call-backs as a grave sin, but even still, this approach definitely feels superior to direct quotes.

-In contrast…the Shadow vs Sonic scene repeats that one exchange from SA2, and even a line from the Team Battle in Heroes.  These felt forced to me, especially the latter.

-This is probably the most Maria’s illness has actually been focused on?  We see her getting weak and fainting, and there’s even a picture in Gerald’s Journal of her in a wheelchair.  Part of me wonders if this is an attempt to make Maria better representation for people with chronic illness; I don’t feel qualified to evaluate that if true, but as a writer I’m very curious to see if it does or doesn’t work for people so that I can learn from it.

-It’s been confirmed we’re getting at least one DLC level based on Movie 3, though I don’t know if it’s been stated whether it will be free or paid?  I have to wonder if there will be any other DLC; it could certainly help combat dissatisfaction with how short the game is, and I know I’d be willing to pay money for an excuse to keep playing.  Although Frontiers did give us a LOT through free updates, and I’d be ecstatic if that were to become the norm.

Sonic Team has always experimented, something I think they should be commended for even if it hasn’t always worked out.  Shadow Generations, however, feels more like a culmination of lessons learned from Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), Sonic Generations, and Sonic Frontiers—the fully-realized fruit of all those experiments, if you will—and it’s definitely stronger for it.  As someone with vivid and fond memories of that road’s starting point, not caring or even realizing I was playing a “bad game” because I just fucking LOVED Shadow, my heart’s telling me that nearly 20 years was more than worth the wait to experience its endpoint.  If you have the chance, I absolutely recommend you try Shadow Generations and behold the ultimate power for yourself.

[thebestofoneshots]

About a Girl

Paring: Dean x reader

Prompt: Reader turns into a small kid after a witch puts a spell on her and the boys need to figure out a way to fix it before she grows down into nothing. While Sammy investigates, Dean has to take care of her.

Warnings: none

“Did you hear what she said?” You asked Sam as you walked out of the witch house “before Dean shot her?”

Sam thought about it for a second “I don’t think she said anything...”

“No... no... I’m sure she did! She said something... juvelin? Juven... juven-something... didn’t you hear Dean?” You asked turning towards him, he was rather distraught packing things up on the trunk of the impala.

“Maybe? But I don’t think is anything to worry about (Y/N).”

You were still unconvinced, but the brothers thought it was nothing, and they had more experience with witches than you did so you decided to ignore your uneasiness. “Maybe I’m just tired... We’re going home now, right?”

Dean nodded. You got on the back seat of the impala and the boys got in the front. You hung out with them for a while, sitting on the middle seat and jamming to Dean’s tunes. But sooner than later Dean played one of his soft rock music and even if you loved most of them, they knocked you out since you were a child, since your dad would listen to it while road tripping.

Dean smiled when he saw you soundly asleep as he reached out for a drink from the cooler. Sammy was awake still and the three of you arrived home around 7 pm. Once the impala was on the garage and the boys were about to leave the car Sam called you to wake “Hey (Y/N), we’re at the bunker!”

There was no answer, so he turned to wake you up. His eyes opened wildly when he saw what laid on the back seat. He quickly motioned Dean to turn too. Both of the boys stared for a bit, for where their friend was supposed to lay a little girl was instead.

Dean was about to speak up when the little girl started to open her eyes. She slowly sat and looked at the two boys confused. “Are you dad’s friends? Did he go on a hunting trip again?” She asked as she yawned.

“Yes?” Answered Sam.

The little girl sighed “nice to meet you then, I’m (Y/N). Who are you?”

Dean gave Sam a look. Was this little girl really you turned back in time? It certainly looked like so. “ I am Dean Winchester.”

She giggled “No, you’re not. I know Dean Winchester, he’s about this height,” she said placing her hand at eye height “he’s a year older but I’m taller. Daddy says it’s because I eat all my vegetables and he’s a picky eater, only likes pie.”

Sam snorted from the side and Dean gave him a look before turning back to you.

“All through,” you said standing up and getting close to him “you do look a little like my Dean,” you said after grabbing the sides of his face with your now small hands “especially the eyes,” you stared at his eyes, those definitely looked like Dean’s eyes, you would know, even at five years of age you knew those eyes were special, you quickly separated from him and stood back on the leather chair of the car “are you related to John?”

“Yes,” replied Sam, “he’s uh... our cousin.”

“So you’re Sam and Dean’s uncles. Nice to meet you,” she smiled.

Dean had already gotten out of the car and opened the door for you to come out. “What is your name?” You asked Sam before he came out.

“I’m... I’m Henry Winchester,” he replied. Dean gave him a look and he just shrugged, if he said he was Sam little (Y/N) would think they were messing with her.

“All right (Y/N) time to go in,”

“Where are we?” She asked as she followed the boys through the big concrete walls.

“This is the men of letters bunker. Where we live,”

“I wish I lived in a place like this,” you spoke as you looked in awe all around “maybe one day,” you said hopefully. A small knowing smile grew on Dean as he heard those words, they had invited you in when they bumped into you on a hunt a few years back, you’d been with them ever since, and you always called the bunker your home.

“So... Not-my-Dean-Winchester, what are we going to do?” You wondered “some of dad’s friends just leave me in the corner and tell me to behave, some others are really nice, Bobby once took me to the movies... You guys seem really nice, but also very tired. Did you just finish a hunt? You have that look in your eyes dad has when he finishes a hunt.

Yes, that’s how he remembered you, a very talkative little girl who used to play with him and Sam when you were together. And very clever too, you seemed to always know what the adults were about.

“We are actually getting home from a hunt,” Sam answered. You looked at him expectantly “A witch.”

“Oooo, dad’s never faced a witch before”, she said. “Are they very dangerous?”

“Some are, this one was just... weird, she put a spell on our friend,”

“I’m sorry, are they all right?” You asked with concern.

“She seems to be,” Sam replied “but we need to contact a friend that is a witch to help us. Dean, keep an eye on her while I contact Rowena,”

“But I don’t know how to take care of children,”

“Do what you’d wanted to have when someone took care of us,” Sam shrugged and turned on the corner opposite to where you and Dean did.

“Woah,” you exclaimed excitedly “this place is amazing! Look that table,” you said as you ran to stand on one of the chairs around the war room table “this whole bunker is amazing, you are very lucky to live here,” you told Dean as you admired the whole place. “Are you guys rich?”

“No... we ugh... sort of inherited it.”

“So... will you tell me to shut up and sit in the corner?” You wondered, it wasn’t uncommon and you were used to it “because I can, but I’d be happier if you allowed me to take a book at least, you have plenty of them. I promise I wouldn’t damage it. Just look at the pretty pictures. But if being quite in the corner is the order I’ll take it, sir.”

“Of course not!” He scoffed “I was going to ask you if you wanted to watch a movie,” he asked, “we would make popcorns and stuff.”

“I’d like that a lot,” you nodded excitedly.

Jack entered the room just a few seconds before that and tried to figure out what was happening “who is that?” He questioned.

“Jack, this is (Y/N),” he furrowed his brows, that was (Y/N), she looked just like (Y/N) but at least 25 years younger. “(Y/N), this is Jack... my son...”

“You don’t look old enough to have a son that old,” you said turning your head back and forth between the two of them. Dean had a little smirk drawn on his face, finally someone recognized he wasn’t old,

“I’m actually four,” stated Jack.

You frowned and turned to Dean.

“It’s a long story, magic.” he explained.

“WelI guess it makes sense,” you said as you shrugged “we will still watch a movie right?”

Dean nodded, by then you had already jumped over the table and walked towards Jack, you handed him your small hand “nice to meet you Jack.”

“How did this happen?” He asked Dean as he looked at you.

“Well my dad asked them to take care of me,” you replied.

“A witch,” Dean signed from behind.

“Oh...” acknowledged Jack “maybe I could try?”

“No, we don’t want Chuck noticing anything,”

“Who is Chuck?”

“God,” replied Jack matter of factly.

“What?” You asked confused.

“My granddad, not God, that would ridiculous,” replied Jack.

“It would,” you giggled.

“So, what do you want to watch? I’m sure they must have princess movies or something on Netflix,”

“Netflix?” You shrugged “I was thinking maybe we could watch “The adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad”

Dean licked his lip on that particular way of his “is that the headless horseman movie?”

You nodded energetically “I will hunt him down one day!”

“But the movie terrified you,”

“Before I knew I could take him down like dad does all the time with other monsters, he’s like a superhero.”

Dean smiled, he remembered, way back when, his dad was his superhero too.

“Jack, find the movie, I’ll go make some popcorns with (Y/N),” as the two of you walked in the kitchen Sam was sitting there FaceTiming Rowena.

“Hi, Henry!” You smiled “why are you talking to your computer?”

“That’s her? Wee little thing was adorable,” said the person from the computer.

“Is the computer talking to me?” You asked confused.

“It’s ugh, kinda like a phone call, but with video,” explained Dean.

“Like in Star Trek?” You asked.

“Yeah exactly,” replied Sam.

“Cool, didn’t know that excited. Maybe it’s because you guys are rich.”

Rowena chuckled from the other side of the screen. “I’m sorry darling, but I can’t do anything unless I know the spell they used.”

“On your friend?” You asked turning to Dean.

He nodded and started making the popcorns on the stovetop.

“Hey Henry,” you said to Sam “Do you want to come watch headless horseman with us?”

“He doesn’t like that movie,” Dean replied.

“Do you wanna change it?” You asked Sam, who you thought was called Henry.

“No, don’t worry (Y/N), I have a lot of research to do.”

You shrugged and walked beside Dean. You could barely see the stovetop but it was fun to hear the little kernels pop.

As the popcorns were ready the two of you walked towards the tv room, or Dean Cave as he liked to call it. Jack was already sitting on the sofa and the movie was just a click from starting.

“Your TV looks so weird,” you said trying to find the rest of it, but it seemed to only be a screen “looks like a cinema...”

“Yeah, it works like that,” answered Dean, how would he explain that this wasn’t the same world you remembered. Everything changed so much in a couple of decades it would be hard to explain a little kid such things.

As the darkest scene of the movie approached, right when the horseman followed Ichabot’s through the dark forest you were playing full attention. Taking in everything that happened in the movie and analyzing all the possible outcomes, even as a small 5-year-old your mind was blazing with “what ifs” and “whatnots”. You needed to know, “how could you save Ichabot?”.

“What would you do?” You asked turning to Dean.

“What?” He questioned, right after losing his focus on the film.

“How would you get out of it if you were Ichabot?”

“I’d look for the body, salt and burn.”

“But no one knows where it is, besides the head is somewhere else...”

“I’d do my homework prior, and I’d have Sam, Cas and (Y/N) to cover my back,”

“Me?” You questioned.

“No, a different (Y/N), she’s uh... much older than you,”

“And she would help you hunt down the headless horseman?”

“She’d probably figure out a solution for the problem before we realized we were in trouble.”

“She sounds like a cool person,” you smiled “I’d like to be like her when I grow older, there aren’t many girl hunters out there.”

“Oh, there will be, lot’s of them. You’d be among the best.”

“Well you don’t even know me but thank you Not-My-Dean-Winchester”

As Jack found another movie and clicked play, the three of you continued watching the TV attentively. But halfway through the film, your interest in it had faded and you started paying attention to everything around you. The strange-looking TV, the bright little boxes that Dean checked whenever they would beep, he’d said that it was his phone but it didn’t look like any phone you’d seen. As you kept taking in all the new things you started drifting asleep on the couch.

As the movie finished and Dean and Jack noticed, Dean motion the younger boy to be silent and he lift you up to bring you to your room. Your face was hiding on the crook of his neck and your small arms hugging his neck. Halfway asleep you mumbled, “you know, it’s funny Not-My-DeanWinchester, that you smell exactly like my Dean Winchester”.

He frowned, yes, you had always been close, even as children, but noticing the way someone smelled, you, your adult version had never mentioned anything similar. “I quite like that smell,” was the last thing you said before drifting so deep into sleep that not even when he laid you on the bed a little too abruptly did you notice.

He went back to his room. And did some research on his laptop before sleeping himself. Neither him, not Sam had found the spell yet.

The next morning, as the boys went to check out on you their hearts almost fell to the floor. Instead of a very talkative little 5-year-old, they had a way smaller kid in your room. A version of you that most have been 2 or 3.

“Where’s mom and dad?” You asked. They didn’t know how to respond. You’d grown down at least 2 years in a night, if this kept going you would be unborn in less than a week.

“Hey!” Sam approached you “they went to work, we’ll take care of you today, my name is Sam,” he said pointing at himself, when you were three your mom was still alive and you hadn’t met the Winchesters “that’s Dean,” he pointed at his bother.

You took a deep breath, even kids know when they're in danger, and you felt safe enough to trust these two unknown men “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll uh... let’s make some breakfast all right?” Smiled Dean and he motioned for you follow him. Once you got to the kitchen he sat you on the counter to be able to keep an eye on you while Sam called Rowena again.

“Samuel, you need to stop ringing me whenever you...” she stopped complying as he saw the smaller girl sitting on the counter dangling her feet “oh, don’t tell me that’s (Y/N).”

Sammy nodded.

“Yes I am, thas my name,” you said with a smile, “I’m twhree yeahrs old” you showed your hand, with 4 fingers up.

Dean got close and lowered one of the “three,” he said softly.

“Thank you, Dean.”

“We need to find a cure,”

As the day passed by, the boys got more and more desperate, Rowena had travelled to the bunker to see you in person and try to understand the spell.

“I think I have it!” Said Sam after hours sitting in the library, “(Y/N) said something about juvenile, I found a spell, juvenillis juvinale a puero usque ad senem,” it’s something like form old to young.

“Oh I know this spell,” smiled Rowena “I just need a few things and we’ll be able to fix (Y/N).

“Fix me, why?” You asked Dean as you munched on some cereal.

“A different (Y/N),” he replied absentmindedly.

After the three of them found all the stuff they would need Rowena started with her reversion spell. “a puero usque ad senem, a puero usque ad senem, redde id leve et quod suus 'non est verum” she said, and then threw some dust to a vase, a little explosion made a noise and green smoke came out from it but you were still toddler.

“It didn’t work!” Exclaimed Dean angrily.

“No, it takes time for her to grow up again, she should be back to normal in the morning,” stated Rowena “pleasure to see you boys, but I’ve got business to run, demons to keep in line, all that hell business, so goodbye”.

As Rowena left the bunker after packing her stuff the boys sat back in the library still worried. You were quietly sitting on the main table playing with Dean’s phone. Who would have thought angry birds would keep your three-year-old version entertained for hours.

As Dean took you to bed, you started to be wary of your surroundings, you wanted to see your mom and dad. “I don’t like it here,” you said as he sat you in the bed, “it’s scary I want to see my momma,” you cried shyly.

“I know,” replied Dean in the most understating way “I get it, but it’s all right, you’ll see her soon. The sooner you fall asleep the better.”

As he stood up and walked towards the light switch you stopped him “NO!”

“Lights on?”

“I don’t want to be alone, I never sleep alone, always with mom and dad.”

“But I’d be right next door,” he tried to reason but you only denied with your head.

“Won’t sleep, I will stay awake all night if I’m alone.” Dean drew a deep breath but sat beside you on the bed. “Can you tell me a story?”

“A story?” He questioned.

“Yes! A story before bed,”

“I don’t know any...” he said sadly.

“A song?”

“Can’t sing.”

“Plweeeease?”

“Hey Jude, don't be afraid” he started to mumble the so-known lyrics, “You were made to go out and get her, The minute you let her under your skin, Then you begin to make it better”.

Before either of you realized you were both half asleep. As you opened your eyes in the morning, you felt your bed being occupied by someone. And that someone was cuddling you. You hadn’t been cuddled in years. So naturally, you opened your eyes and jumped backwards when you realized how close Dean’s face was to yours, you even distinguished his small freckles. The bed was small, so that jump led you to the floor. Hitting yourself in the head with the side table in the process.

“Auch,” you complained once on the floor rubbing your head where it had collided with your side table.

Dean’s head popped from the side of the bed, half-sleep at first, but when he saw you, your regular aged self a giant smile grew on his face “You’re back!” He said with content “She’s back!” He screamed so the boys could hear.

“Back? From where?” You asked as you got up from the floor and crawled back inside the bed, yes Dean was there. But it was so cold you didn’t even care, you just wanted your covers on top of you.

“You turned 5, and then 3.”

“Five what?” You asked frowning.

“Years old.”

“I was a kid?”

“Oh, and a very adorable one. You made us watch frozen,”

“Bullshit! I would never! Didn’t even exist when I was a kid.”

He chuckled “Well I guess you do know yourself, we watched the headless horseman animated movie when you were 5, when you were three you basically played angry birds on my phone all day,”

“And why are you in my bed?” you asked after your brain started to process everything Dean was telling you.

“Well, your three-year-old version didn’t want to be alone, threatened to stay awake all night if I didn’t.”

If I’d know that was all it took I would have done it ages ago, you thought to yourself. “Well, then, that sounds like a fever dream, heck maybe I’m still dreaming,” you sad as you dragged Dean from his sitting position to lay back down, “whichever it is, you are now my personal heater”.

“I mean, I knew I was hot but—”

“—Shut up Winchester! I’m trying to sleep,” you mumbled as you cuddled into him. Yes, you were so sure you were dreaming because you only cuddled Dean Winchester in your dreams.

“Hey (Y/N)?” He questioned as he looked at the ceiling and drew small circles on your back.

“Mhm?”

“Why did 5 years old you knew that I smelled like, and I quote, ‘her Dean Winchester’?”

“I’d know it was you no matter my age Dean. I could have been 50 and still recognized you. Besides, you’ve always smelled so nice...” you replied half asleep.

A small smiled appeared on Dean’s face. You thought he smelled nice, and you were cuddling him, even if you were probably still being affected by the spell, he would cherish this moment for as long as it lasted.

Permanent Dean taglist: @akshi8278 @hobby27

Find more Dean fluff here

Feedback is always apreciated ✨

[mischiefthedreamerx]

To Be Glorious & Free

Synopsis: Lady Loki visits young (kid) Loki in a dream, he feels lost and ashamed of who he is but she has a few words of wisdom to be shared.

A/N: Just an idea, nothing that’s logical but it’s a fanfic so it doesn't have to make sense 😂 Also Ik nothing about Loki in the comics, this fic doesn't really fit in the mcu either so just take it as it is. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I kinda imagine Lady Loki as Eva Green XD

- - -

Radiant white light blinded his vision. Young Loki placed a hand to cover over his squinted eyes. The radiance was warm and comforting. Though the feeling quickly faded when a thought entered his mind;

Was this Valhalla? At least he was grateful to have died a peaceful death in his sleep.

Loki still felt the rise and fall of his chest, the soft texture of grass between his fingers, the sound of soft winds. He pulled himself up to a sitting position, the mysterious light was the blazing sun. Loki rubbed his eyes; he was in a field. The sky was the perfect shade of blue, in fact, the whole place seemed too perfect to be real.

He studied his surroundings in hopes of finding a way out. Instead he saw a large beech tree in the distance. A darkened figure sat against it, hidden in the shade. If this was a dream, his dream, surely he'd remain safe from any potential threat. He hoped so anyway.

Loki began his walk towards the giant tree that swayed gently with the wind. The figure was shadowed by a hood that covered most of their facial features. Loki kept a few metres away to analyse this guest in his dream.

Young Loki struggled to keep his composure in order to stay calm.

The firmly built figure was dressed in some kind of green leather dress with golden armoured plates on the arms, accessorised with a black corset. The dress had a long slit on each side of the hips to reveal tight black trousers and boots underneath.

Loki felt his heart hammer in his chest.

The finely dressed female let out an amused laugh of the richest honey. The dark hood was was removed.

Waves of long black hair fell in place accompanied with piercing blue eyes painted in thin layers of black. A small horned headband rested around the forehead.

"I was expecting something more glamours than a field. But this shall do." She said, looking around at the view. Her voice spoke in confidence that demanded to be heard.

Loki attempted to swallow down his anxiety. "W-who are you?" He asked.

This..version of Loki rolled her eyes. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to.” She patted the ground next to her underneath the tree.

"Sit. You're wasting time." She commanded. Loki obeyed silently and sat down. He felt captivated and almost jealous at this future version of himself. She began to inspect him, eyes moving up and down.

"You still have such a long way to go." Her voice sounded like Mother's, though it was lightly edged with darkness.

"Are you from the future?" He asked.

"Yes and no. I'm just one of the many version of who you'd wish to become one day." She responded. Loki pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them.

"Of someone I can never become." Young Loki said in small voice.

"Nonsense. You can become whoever or whatever you wish to be, you know you have the power to do so. The only thing stopping you is your own fear." Lady Loki said, she made it sound like an easy thing to overcome.

Loki felt his chest tighten. "Fear of what others may think of me." Though still so young, there were whispers of what many thought of him. A growing shadow amongst warriors.

"It's too late to fear what others may think of you, they have already decided." A hint of sadness laced her voice. "You are not responsible for how others perceive you. Show everyone you are better than them. They are the weak minded fools who follow what they have been taught, never having the courage to think for themselves."

Loki locked eyes with his female self, he could feel the confidence radiate from her.

"They are not free." He said, both of their lips mirrored a smirk.

"You are learning well. The world follows their little pathetic paths that are controlled by others. But you, us, are glorious and free." Lady Loki brushed a gentle hand along her younger self's cheek. "We make up our own rules.”

Loki closed his eyes, savouring this strange moment. These were the words he needed to hear for so long. A part of him did not wish to wake up. A brief pause of silence fell between them as Lady Loki waited for a response.

"But it's.. it's not natural to be..." Loki wasn't sure how to word this correctly

"To be both, or neither, somewhere in between." His female self shrugged. Loki nodded.

Lady Loki let out a chuckle. "Says who? There are many unnatural things in this world. Take our idiotic brother for example, " She joked. "It is only considered unnatural because others find it uncomfortable. Many tend to fear those who are different. I find being normal rather tedious."

"That is true." He mumbled to himself.

"We are not the only ones who feel this way. There's a realm that is more..progressive and accepting, a realm of those who are similar to us."

Loki turned, appearing surprised. Surprised that he was not the only one. It brought him a sense of comfort that a world so far away lived beings similar to him.

"Where is this realm?" He asked.

"On Midgard. They are only mortal, they live such short lives."

"I've heard of that realm." Though he did not know much about it. It shocked him that mortals seemed to be more accepting than those who lived far far longer.

"Believe me, it's not a very exciting place to visit. I've had my fair share of fun with them” Well she wouldn’t exactly have called it a fun time...

"If they are more accepting then I'd much rather be there anyway.." Loki sighed.

Lady Loki's eyes widened. "No." She pointed a finger at him. Loki let himself laugh at her response.

"I see they do not like you very much?" He dared to ask.

Lady Loki moved in closer and smirked. "Not quite. They just couldn't handle all of my glory." She spoke proudly, twisting a strand of long hair with her finger. Young Loki let himself freely smile.

This.. dream gave him some hope but the fear still remained strong underneath.

"Let me ask you something." She said in deep thought. Loki nodded.

"Do you believe women are weak creatures in need of protecting?" She asked.

Loki frowned. "No, of course not!" He said in dismay. He knew many strong women, his mother especially. Her magic was something to truly admire and even fear at times.

"Good. Do you believe their appearance dictates their worth?"

Loki shook his head. "No that's completely absurd!"

Lady Loki chuckled. "If only you could see the look on your face, young one.”

Loki felt slightly embarrassed. "Why ask me this?"

She let out a soft sigh. "Because it is what many people believe. It's something that has been ingrained in us since we were children, in story books, in legends, when we are young it is easy to subconsciously believe these ridiculous ideation." She tapped the side of her head. "We both believed this without even realising it.” It took a great amount of years to break away from it all, she only wished it hadn't taken so long.

“Oh and also, it’s possible to be both beautiful and strong at the same time.” She added with a wink.

This had never come to Loki's attention before, it was a lot to take in in such a short amount of time. He realised how much the idea of fear truly controlled everyone so easily, even him.

She continued; "No matter how hard you try, you'll never stop others from judging you no matter what you do, it's inevitable. You could pretend to fit in to avoid it all but that isn't who we are. Not when we were born for greatness. "

Lady Loki's prideful speech soon began to loose its confidence. "My only advice is to not strive for too much, it will only leave you disappointed."

Loki could see the hint of sorrow in those ancient eyes.

"Power is addictive." He commented, he was afraid of asking what sort of things had happened to her. Or maybe he did not wish to know at all.

With a frail smile, Lady Loki replied; "If only I knew that before it was all too late."

"It's never too late to start over." The words that left his lips sounded rather naive, though perhaps it was true in some ways. ".. are you happy?"

Happiness seemed like such a childish word.

Lady Loki tried to suppress a laugh for the sake of her younger self.

"Is anyone ever truly happy?" She responded.

A question in response to another question. Typical. Loki wasn't surprised.

"You're avoiding my question."

"It's one of our many talents." She replied, but Loki wanted an answer.

"It's my dream, I deserve answers. Skip the fancy philosophical responses for once."

Lady Loki raised an eyebrow, she should at least have the courage to be honest with her younger self, right?

She leaned back against the tree, eyes lost into the distance of the vast field, struggling to come up with a response.

"For awhile I forgot what it even meant to be happy, I was lost within myself, consumed by rage, never satisfied with what I had. Some people are just cursed to never feel satisfied and I've come to accept that as a part of my life... but now, after many years, you ask if I am happy... then yes, I am happy." She risked turning her head to meet her younger self's curious eyes.

"Liar." He whispered. Lady Loki's face tightened with anguish, a hidden fist began to clench but nevertheless, she smirked. She was unsure if it really was a lie or the truth.

"Guilty as charged." She said. "Lying may be our native tongue but we have yet to believe the lies we tell ourselves." She then began to stand up. "Looks like our time is up."

“Why so soon?” Loki stood up too. "Please don't go. I still have so many questions." Eyes pleading upwards to his older self. She was truly a beautiful sight to behold, so much power with a single look.

"All in due time. You'll find all the answer you seek soon. Don't forgot what I have told you or this would all have been for nothing." Would he even remember this dream when he woke up?

"Then can you promise me one thing before you go?" He asked. Promises weren't exactly her forte but she'd try to make an exception.

"Go on." She urged him.

Loki fiddled with his fingers. "Promise me you'll be happy one day." He said in a quiet voice, he knew how silly this sounded.

Lady Loki fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I promise." She said, though they were both not satisfied with her response but it would be enough.

Then she spoke again; "A promise for a promise then; promise me you won’t give up. Your story has only just began."

Loki nodded.

Lady Loki closed her eyes and began to fade away. He wanted to reach out to stay for awhile longer but it was no use. They shared a smile together before she had completely vanished away, a trail of glistening sparks flew up with the wind.

Sleep soon arrived to take Loki back home.

Loki drifted off and fell backwards thinking he'd fall on the grass but within an instant, his eyes opened wide as he awoke on his bed. He pulled himself up, moving his legs out to the side, feet touching the cold floor. A slow and steady sigh exhaled from his lips. He remembered.

He would not tell anyone, it would be his little secret. Though like all dreams, they are soon forgotten.

Loki got up and walked to his full length mirror, looking at his reflection. Placing a hand against the glass and holding his head up high, Loki spoke these words like a sacred prayer;

"Your story has only just began."

- - - -

A/N: As a trasguy who likes feminine clothes but is often scared to wear them, this felt really nice to write 🥺💚

[sykilik101]

Take Two

“You guys, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

Brock waved his hand dismissively, that annoying grin he’d worn for the past half hour still plastered on his face.  “You’re worrying too much, Ash. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Getting sent flying from here all the way to the other side of Kanto?”

Tracey reached across the table to place a hand on Ash’s shoulder, his face much more relaxed and friendly but no doubt hiding the same level of mischief as the breeder next to him. “Trust me, I think this is gonna go great.”

“I’m sure you think so, since you’re not the one who has to...” His tongue turned to knots as he failed to complete his sentence, though the blooming shade of pink on his cheeks spoke on his behalf. “Why do I even have to do this?”

Brock’s smirk grew in amusement, however impossible that seemed. “Well, you’re the one who said-”

“I know what I said,” Ash interrupted, irritation melding with his fluster, “and I’m starting to regret it.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Ash, I called this back when we were traveling together.” Tracey’s voice seemed filled with a genuine sense of care, despite not having objected to this idea at all.

“I’m feeling better already,” Ash replied with a roll of his eyes before turning to look out the window of the Pokémon Center. At the behest of his two older friends, the group had all decided to come to Cerulean City to meet up with a certain redhead Ash was more than fond of. “Besides, I didn’t even really know back then, so how could you?”

"Call it a watcher’s intuition." Tracey added a thumbs up to emphasize his point, though Ash was less than impressed at the boy’s enthusiasm.

"Next you'll tell me that everyone else knew, too.” Crossing his arms, Ash glanced out the window momentarily before turning back to his friends. The two boys looked at each other, exchanging a nervous chuckle. Ash raised an eyebrow before realization slowly kicked in, a blend of horror and humiliation forming on his face. “Y...You two are the only ones who know, right?”

“W-well, we’re pretty sure that she definitely doesn’t know, and as far as we can tell, we’re the only ones you told,” Brock responded, suddenly avoiding eye contact.

“But beyond that, well...let’s just say there’s a good chance that I’m not the only one who, well, called it,” Tracey finished, also finding his gaze drawn to something other than Ash.

The boy in question placed his face into his hands, processing his friends’ admissions. It was true that people over the years had egged him on about his romantic status with her, but he’d always just dismissed it as harmless teasing. The idea that these other people had actually noticed, that he’d been that obvious, was more than he wanted to believe.

The scariest part, however, was that she was a smart girl. “I’m sensitive to others’ feelings.” That’s what she’d said back during their first battle when he was trying to win the Cascade Badge. If everyone else could see it, there was no way she couldn’t see it, right? For all he knew, despite what Brock had said, she was fully aware of how he felt.

But he hadn’t known how he felt, at least not right away. Something about the possibility of Misty recognizing his feelings before him made his head spin. It wasn’t as if things ever became awkward between them because of some potential romance, nor had he gotten any vibes that he’d made her feel uncomfortable in any real way. Maybe she knew, but she was able to continue their best friendship going in spite of that; it wasn’t as if he’d ever treated her differently. Or, maybe she actually didn’t know and he was just overthinking all of this.

He shook his head, taking a breath to try and calm himself down. He couldn’t believe he was really about to-

“I think I see Misty!”

Tracey’s voice broke him from his trance, his gaze snapping to the window. He caught sight of a blaze of red hair making its way towards the center. The gears in his brain went into overdrive, his body buzzing as he watched her viridian eyes slowly coming into focus. Under any other circumstances, he would feel elated to see her, but all he could focus on was the tension in his chest.

I guess this is it.

The glass doors of the Pokémon Center slid open as Misty made her way inside. She looked around for a moment before her eyes eventually landed on the group, a bubbly glee immediately growing on her face. “Hey, you guys!”

“Hi, Misty!” Brock and Tracey replied in unison.

Satisfied at the other two’s greetings, Misty turned to Ash, a playful grin etching itself onto her lips. “What’s wrong, Ash, aren’t you gonna say hi, too?”

“Uh…” The gravity of his situation pulled at his stomach, his mouth dry as his brain tried to recover from hearing her voice in person again. “H-hey, Misty, what’s up?”

Her eyes slowly narrowed suspiciously, leaning towards him. “Is something the matter, Ash?”

Images of what he was supposed to do flashed through his mind, and her face being so close made them much clearer than he wanted them to be. His racing thoughts and rapidly shrinking throat, combined with the sudden increase in temperature, shattered his remaining composure. Without a word he passed Misty and grabbed hold of Brock’s wrist, pulling the boy to the other side of the Pokémon Center.

“Ash, what are you-” Brock started, having managed to pry his hand away, but Ash interrupted him before he could finish.

“Brock, I don’t think I can do this after all.”

A look of confusion grew on Brock’s face, and Ash was grateful it wasn’t the jestful one the breeder had worn before. “Why not?”

“Because she’s so…” He glanced back over at a clearly confused and ever-so-slightly agitated Misty, seemingly trying to force answers out of a distraught Tracey. A fresh coat of pink tinted his cheeks as he stared at her for a few extra moments before turning back to Brock. “...she’s so different now.”

“Different?” Brock took a glance at the girl as well, wincing as Misty took a menacing step towards the watcher. His face relaxed for a moment before that annoying grin returned. “Oh, you mean she’s pretty? Are you absolutely smitten by her, Ash?”

“Brock!” Ash fought to keep his voice hushed, too embarrassed by Brock’s words to even give him the satisfaction of looking back in Misty’s direction.

“Ash, it’s totally fine to think your crush is pretty. In fact, you can tell her you think so after you-”

“I told you, I don’t wanna do this anymore!”

“Do what anymore?”

Ash suddenly found himself practically cheek to cheek with Misty, who’d wrapped her arms around the pair’s shoulders while aiming a leery gaze at him. “What exactly is going on?”

Ash tried to invoke an answer from his chest, but all that came out was silence, his mouth hanging open as he tried to keep calm at Misty’s proximity. Annoyed with his lack of a response, Misty turned to Brock, who flinched before holding a hand up.

“Trust me, I’m not up to anything. It’s all Ash this time.”

Traitor.

Misty once again directed her attention to Ash, who backed away enough to remove her arm from around him. “You’re always up to something, aren’t you, Ash?”

“No, I’m not, and trust me, you’d know if I was!” There was a moment of bliss as he was able to articulate something to her, but that vanished just as quickly when Misty put her hands on her hips expectantly. Brock’s presence as a third wheel seemingly clicked in his head as he discreetly made his way back over to Tracey. Suddenly alone with Misty and irritated at Brock’s retreat, Ash’s gaze went to the floor, along with any semblance of confidence he had. He pursed his lips, working past the lump in his throat. “I was just…I just wanted to…”

He waited for Misty’s usual interrogation tactics, but she didn’t move, didn’t utter a word. Sneaking a look at her face, he found not annoyance but confusion. “What did you want, Ash?”

The softness of her voice coursed through his mind and down into his heart. He stood motionless, realizing that all his daydreaming and planning hadn't truly prepared him for this. It seemed so easy in every mental replay and imagining of this moment, but now he could only falter as Misty stood before him with that trademark pout on her face. He bit his lip, trying with all his might for his body to allow him to just speak to her. “I mean, I...I was just…”

Misty leaned in until she was less than a foot away. “Ash, are you okay? You look kinda red.”

He was, of course, not okay. Ash knew that if they continued to talk, he’d only make a bigger fool of himself, not to mention risk annoying Misty with his barrage of syllables rather than actual words. He decided to do what he’d always done in the past, which was to rely on his gut. He just wished it wasn’t telling him to do this.

Ignoring the stares of the two boys in the background, the confused gaze of the girl in his foreground, and the overcharged beating of his heart, Ash removed his hat, closed his eyes, and gently pressed his mouth to hers.

He'd been given enough kisses from his mom and various girls throughout his journeys, so he thought he had an idea of how to give one himself, but the sensation of her lips on his threw any expectations he had out the window. His body's need to breathe was at odds with his desire to not move a muscle and he wasn't sure which side he wanted to take. The only thing keeping him grounded in reality was the miniscule sensation of her lips shivering against his, though he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

With the faintest smacking sound he eased away from her. Misty had a temper whenever he did anything stupid, and this was certainly a contender for one of the dumbest things he’d ever done. He bit his lip, still able to recall the way hers had felt on his. She made a noise, like a small gasp, and that was enough to give him the fortitude to meet her gaze.

Utter shock.

He’d expected many different emotions, planned for every potential visit to the emergency room, but the expression she wore now meant that this turn of events wasn’t one she expected. He stood ready for Misty to scream at him, hit him, or any other ideas she could concoct to make him pay for what he’d done.

It was a surprise to him, then, when she suddenly turned on her heel and bolted out of the Pokémon Center.

“M-Misty, wait!” He called, but the glass doors had already started to close. A wave of guilt crashed over him, his blood running cold as he watched her back moving further away. He stood motionless for a moment before a flicker of determination coursed through him, clenching his hands into fists.

I knew this was a bad idea.

“Ash, you should-”

Before Brock could finish Ash had already raced through the front doors, willing his feet to move as fast as they could carry him. She had a decent lead on him, as she was just barely staying within his sight as he chased her, but even if he lost her he had a good feeling about where she was going.

The roads of Cerulean eventually revealed the gym, and Ash caught a glimpse of Misty entering it before the doors closed. Making his way to the entrance he slowed to a halt, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He wiped his forehead and glanced at the doors, thinking that Misty was inside, the same Misty that he’d kissed. His lips contorted meekly, standing up fully and taking one last breath. Hopefully he could find her and make her understand what he felt.

Making his way inside he glanced around, hoping to find some trace of her. Unsurprised at not seeing her anywhere, he began scouring the halls, pondering where she could be. If she were trying to hide from him, she’d probably find one of the various rooms within the gym to hide in. However, given the look on her face before she’d fled, it was more likely that she was trying to find somewhere for comfort, and if that was the case, there was one place in the gym he was sure she’d be.

It took less than a minute to find the door to the gym’s pool. Standing before the entrance Ash rested his hand on his overcharged heart. In a voice almost too quiet to hear, something was telling him that once he entered the pool area, everything would be different between them. He could only hope it would be for the better.

Easing his way inside, he immediately saw the Cerulean City mermaid sitting along the edge of the pool, her legs submerged beneath the water. The noise caught her attention, her cheeks turning a shade of red he could make out from the entrance. She just as soon turned her gaze back downwards, though made no attempt to escape. His internal dictionary was going haywire, trying to find the right words to put together as he made his way towards her.

Standing by her side he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, suddenly finding the same fascination for the pool water she seemed to have. “H-hey, Misty.”

Her silence only heightened the buzzing in his mind as he desperately tried to replace the memory of his lips on hers with ways to get a conversation going. He cleared his throat, considering that maybe she hadn’t heard him, despite the quiet of the large room. “So I, uh…”

His voice seemed to get her attention, as her head tilted in his direction. He could just barely make out her eyes gazing at him, though the red sear across her face was more than visible. Hers was an expression of confusion and vulnerability, and it sent another guilty shock through him. “Misty, I-”

“Why?”

It echoed through the room and reverberated into Ash’s chest. He watched the corner of her jaw clench and relax, recognizing it as how she'd hold her tongue from saying something she'd rather not. He wanted to hear what she had to say, reigning in his explanation in favor of awaiting her reply.

She turned her head away, hiding her gaze from his. “Why did…why did you kiss me?”

Hope and hesitation permeated her words. Though her eyes were hidden from him, the way her fingers jittered in her folded hands said more than enough to him how she must be feeling. She let out a shaky exhale and Ash suddenly found himself scrambling to find an answer for her. “Misty, I kissed you because...I, the reason I kissed you-”

“ASH!”

He’d been the recipient of her screams many times throughout the years, but the look of seething venom dripping from her face was wholly new to him. She appeared to be just barely controlling her words, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the pool. She let out another exhale, her voice dropping hauntingly low. “Why did you kiss me?”

Deciding that his fear wasn’t worth the potential trip to an emergency room, Ash clenched his fists, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to think about it. “Because Brock and Tracey said it would be a good idea!”

Ash was worried that her response would be a terrifying one. In reality, it was the silence that followed that gripped at his heart. With his eyes closed, he could only hear the gentle hum of the air conditioner up along the ceiling. However, next came the sound of something leaving the water, though uncertainty kept his eyes closed.

It was the sudden slap to his cheek that forced them open.

Misty looked as if she were on the verge of a mental explosion. Her face was flushed, the bashful pink she’d worn in the Pokémon Center having morphed into a wrathful red that absolutely terrified him. With every passing second he grew more and more regretful, along with swearing off ever listening to his two closest male friends again. All the same, Misty’s assault jolted Ash’s familiar flare. “What did you do that for?”

“You mean to tell me you kissed me because they said it was- why would it possibly be a good idea, Ash?!”

“Because they said I was better with my actions than my words!”

He’d spoken before he’d had the chance to think about what to say to her, which he felt only solidified their point. All the same, he expected that his remark would only anger her further, so he was pleasantly surprised when some of her irritation seemed to dissipate and be replaced by suspicion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Though her voice was still low and tinted with irritation, the fire in her irises had lessened the smallest bit. Words swam through his head as he pondered what he could say to even answer that correctly. The most obvious was the truth, but even attempting to form the syllables was enough to make his vocal chords seemingly vanish. However, he grinned in exasperation; maybe that wasn’t the answer. If his actions worked better than his words, then maybe going down that route would suit him better.

He took a step forward, closing the gap to less than a foot between each other. Her body tensed up, but she remained in place. Thankful for her inaction, he extended his hand forward, curling his fingers around hers. His thumb ran along her knuckles, unbidden glee rising in his chest as he savored the softness against his skin. He’d held her hand before, but this was more intimate than any other time. In spite of the hesitation written all over her face, she seemed to agree, her grip tightening as a reflex before loosening.

The atmosphere cleared the fog in his brain, and words which were previously scrambled now seemed to form into something coherent. Staring into her eyes, he swallowed his fears and took a breath. “Well, when you kiss someone, it’s ‘cause, I mean, you know…” If Misty was the smart girl he thought her to be, she’d be able to finish the statement on her own.

At this point the fire had dwindled to a flicker, but his words seemed to restore the soft oceanic waves in her irises. All of his prior apprehension and fear gave way to relief and excitement. The fact that she wasn’t immediately dismissing him or acting awkward told him that his earlier concept of an alternative option was no longer just a possibility, but a certainty.

Misty inhaled a shaky breath, her eyes darting back and forth between his. “So...you mean, you…”

Ash nodded, a giddiness bubbling within him as that redness in her face went soft again. She also appeared to be at a loss of words, likely processing that this was really happening between them. She turned away slightly, clearing her throat. “W-well, kissing me out of the blue like that was still a dumb idea, Ash.”

He shrugged and nodded somberly, a tint of remorse blemishing his previous elation. “I know, but after I told Brock and Tracey, they sort of insisted.”

Misty rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’ll have to have a talk with them later, but more importantly, Ash…” At this some of her former flare returned, though it had lost all its malice. “That was my first kiss you took without thinking.”

Her first kiss.

In all his excitement and anxiety he hadn’t even given the notion any thought. Guilt permeated his every thought and he immediately scrambled for a way to fix the damage. “I-I didn’t mean to! I was just, I only wanted…” He put his hands in front of him, lowering his head. “I’m sorry, Misty, I’ll do anything to make it up to you!”

She didn’t respond right away, her arms crossed as her gaze went sideways. Her mouth fidgeted as she bit the inside of her bottom lip. Ash watched her fingers piano on her arm as her eyes flickered to him, then to the water, back and forth in rapid succession. He waited with bated breath, anxious at whatever could be going through her mind.

“One condition.”

Misty’s voice was almost too quiet to hear, and Ash probably wouldn’t have heard her if not for the hollow pool room. She was looking back at him now, anxiety showcasing itself all over her face. Ash slowly raised his head back up, his hands falling to his side.

“I’ll forgive you under one condition.”

“S-sure, okay.”

Her hands clasped together, once again tensing and relaxing against each other. She took a deep breath, surprising Ash as her blush somehow grew to match her hair. “So...I’ll pretend that...that the first one didn’t count, but...you have to…”

Hesitation filled her eyes as she stared into his. There was something she really wanted, he could tell, but she was afraid to say it. “It’s okay, Misty. I’ll do whatever you ask. Y’know, as long as you don’t make me give up Pokémon training or something.” He chuckled in spite of himself, somehow thinking that maybe a joke would lighten the mood.

He couldn’t tell if she found it funny, but something about what he’d said softened the tension on her face. She clasped her hands behind her back, closing her eyes with a shake of her head. When they opened, he found a newfound relief in them, as if something had clicked in her that had eliminated whatever was worrying her.

“Ash, I want you to give me a first kiss that does count.”

The cheery sweetness that so blatantly belied her previous nervousness was enough to paint a stroke of ruby across Ash’s cheeks. Confidence that he’d seen in Misty multiple times before had returned, and though the sudden switch in their emotional states caught him off guard, the familiarity of this side of Misty brought with it more of the reason why he’d fallen for her in the first place.

“So, you mean that…”

Misty nodded, her lips pursing bashfully. “It’s like you said, Ash, you only kiss someone you, y’know…” The return of that familiar smirk of hers was enough to send a flutter through his stomach.

He grinned cheekily, reaching up and removing his hat. “So I know I kissed you already, but to be honest, I don’t really know what I’m doin’ as far as kissing goes.”

Misty rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m not surprised. All your kissing experience comes from random girls and possibly a Pokémon, and none of those were on the mouth.” She pointed at her lips for emphasis, which only served to remind Ash of how they’d felt against his and how he’d be savoring that sensation again shortly.

“At least it’s still more experience than you.”

“I’m sure I could’ve gotten kissed if I really wanted to!”

“Maybe in your dreams, Misty!”

“I mean it! Plenty of guys would have been happy to kiss me! I was just saving my first one for-” Her retort came to a screeching halt as she processed what it was she was about to say. The implication alone was enough to light up their faces, though Misty was quick to look away, scratching at her cheek. “I-I mean, y’know…” She fiddled with a strand of her hair for a moment before she looked back at him, nervous elation flooding her eyes. “I guess I’ve kinda, sorta thought about this for a while now.”

Part of Ash was happy that she still seemed to have a semblance of awkwardness around this situation to match his own. He’d known for a good while that he felt something for her, but her words implied that she’d probably felt the same about him for the same length of time, perhaps longer. All those long walks between cities he’d spent daydreaming of hugging her, holding her hand, kissing her...if she was being truthful with him, she’d done the same as well.

With a breath that didn’t seem to carry enough oxygen, he held his hand out to her. If her request was a first kiss that truly counted, he was going to do everything in his power to deliver. She placed her fingertips in his palm, anticipation in her eyes. Even if he was more sure of how she felt now than he was with the first kiss, the expectation of this second one made it feel just as difficult.

“Should I...should we close our eyes?”

The question sounded dumber aloud than in his head, and for a brief moment Misty seemed to feel the same. To her credit she resisted her desire to retort, smiling with a shake of her head. “Ash, you already kissed me, so you should know what to do, right?”

Ash pouted, ducking his head slightly. “Well, I just kind of...did it. I didn’t have much of an idea of what I was doing.” He grinned sheepishly, grateful that Misty didn’t look too annoyed. “But you want this kiss to count, and I do, too; I want to make sure it’s perfect.”

Misty’s eyes went wide, a new flush rising to her cheeks. She was frozen for a moment before her gaze danced about. An awkward smile grew on her lips, her fingers twirling a loose strand of her hair. “I’m not used to you being this sweet.”

Ash chuckled. “And I’m not used to you not being that mad at me for something.”

Misty rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t that mad.”

He pointed at his cheek. “That slap says otherwise.”

Misty’s eyes clouded over for a moment, and Ash swore he saw regret somewhere in there. In an instant, though, her expression relaxed once more, and she appeared as though an idea sparked in her mind. Without a word she leaned forward, pressing her lips to the spot she’d smacked. Ash froze, wondering if the sudden smell of chlorine was from the water or Misty. After a moment she moved back, a sheepish grin decorating her face.

“Better?”

Ash pressed his fingers to where her lips had been, his heart still replaying how soft it had felt. It had only been twice that Misty’s mouth had been on him, but he could tell it was an addiction he now had to live with. His face was on fire and he suddenly found the pool to look especially appealing. Clearing his throat he returned her grin. “Better.”

She returned her hands behind her back, looking especially pleased with herself. “So, are you gonna kiss me or not?”

Despite his elation, a bundle of nerves still took residence in his stomach. He’d thought about this for ages now, but the reality was scarier than he’d anticipated. This rapid heart beat wasn’t new to him; he’d felt it numerous times over his journeys, but it was always something related to some goal he had. This time the girl he liked was involved, and the quiet of the room seemed to make the fear in his head louder. This wasn’t like a battle where he could train to prepare for-

A light bulb lit up in his head and he grinned to himself. Maybe if he warmed himself up, it would go much smoother. He placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her momentarily go tense before relaxing. Her breathing was shaky, that tender shade of pink cradling her eyes. If nothing else, he was happy to see she was as nervous as he was. He nibbled at his bottom lip, letting out a small exhale.

Here goes nothing.

Leaning forward he planted his lips on her cheek, his mind racing to process how soft it was. He allowed himself to remain there, savoring her smell and the way he could feel her blush against his mouth. His mind kept reminding him that he was kissing Misty and it was all he could do to keep his composure.

Fighting against his nerves, he finally moved away, taking a glance at Misty’s face. Glimpses of bliss shone in her eyes, but confusion muddled her expression. Slowly she smiled a bit meekly.

“Ash, that was nice, but that’s not where you’re supposed to be kissing.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m just kinda nervous, so I thought I would practice.”

Misty cocked her head gently to the side. “Practice?”

Ash nodded, his tongue tying as he knew what would come next. Calling upon the bravery that had aided him for years, he placed another kiss on her cheek, this time just above where the last one was. With each passing second he placed one after another on her, slowly moving from her cheek to her temple, and then to her forehead. Between kisses he could hear his mind reminding him that this was Misty, that he was really doing this with her. None of his previous daydreams prepared him for this, but the adrenaline coursing through him was doing well enough to keep him going.

He eventually placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, at which she finally reacted with a soft giggle. The sound sent a flutter through his stomach, moving back to look her in the eyes. “Ticklish?”

She shook her head, her lips quivering. “Just happy, and still not believing this is really happening.” Her voice was tight, as if she were doing everything in her power to keep her composure from breaking. The cusp of tears hung along the bottom of her eyes and it was enough to tug at Ash’s heart.

He reflexively pulled her into his arms, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other rubbing her back. She returned the hug, leaning into him and nuzzling her face into the nape of his neck. The sensation of her exhales on his skin sent shivers down his spine. “I just want your first real kiss to be special.”

Misty hummed into him, pulling him closer. “Ash, my first real kiss is all yours. I’m sure it will be.”

Her offered ownership sent a thrill through his body, pulling away to look into her eyes. In all the years he’d known her, he’d never seen the expression she wore now. Hope and affection permeated every fiber of her gaze and he found himself being slowly drawn in. And yet, he held his place, serenely content with the view. This was the side of Misty he’d been wanting to see for as long as he could remember, and the fact that she was here showing him meant more than any words he could come up with. He settled for softly smiling to himself, an act which invoked a puzzled look on Misty.

“What is it, Ash?”

Watching her mouth create words was hypnotizing, though he was able to pull himself out of the trance. “I was just thinking that I can’t believe I get to kiss you.”

Misty grinned bashfully, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Well, you kind of owe me one anyway, so…”

There it was, that smart sass of hers that had pulled him in and never let him go. There was always something between them, some argument or contest that stirred up a confrontation, no matter how harmless. It always thrilled him, kept things exciting. She both pushed and tested him, always encouraging him to be better than he was. The fantasy of always having this girl by his side gave him that familiar flutter inside, the kind that spurred him on to be brave against whatever odds were in front of him.

“Mist, I’m not doing this just because I owe you.”

He pulled her closer to him, watching the way her eyes dilated from being less than a foot away from his. He heard the faintest gasp escape her lips before they curved upwards, quickly gaining a sheen as Misty ran her tongue along them. She moved even closer until her mouth was mere inches away from his.

“Then hurry up and kiss me, Ash.”

Her whisper was intoxicating and inviting, and any semblance of apprehension Ash had left evaporated. As if on instinct, his hands moved to her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks for support and his own satiation. For a moment he found himself frozen in place, once more mesmerized by the color in her eyes. The growing excitement in his stomach pushed through his paralysis, pulling her mouth towards his. He started drawing in a breath to control his heart, but before he could finish he’d already pressed his lips to hers.

The first time he’d kissed her, it had been to confess, a way to convey how he felt about her. Second-guessing thoughts had whirred in his brain, and he hadn’t been able to savor it in the mutually loving way he’d hoped for. As Misty exhaled the tiniest bit, her mouth gently opening before closing around his bottom lip, a warm rush surged through him and it took all of his self-control to keep from grinning like an idiot.

Misty apparently lacked that willpower as he felt her warming cheeks pull upwards in his palms. She leaned further into him with a hum, the hold on his neck tightening as she brought him closer. Their lips had scarcely moved, but it was enough of a sensation to send his heart flying across his chest in random directions. His body couldn’t decide between staying in hesitation or succumbing to its impulses, but the way her mouth nudged his gave him his answer.

He pulled away slightly, taking in another breath before pressing back into the kiss. Her arms relaxed around him, and if he didn’t know any better the way she began to slouch against him was almost like she was melting. Releasing his hold on her face his hands found her hips, his fingertips resting on the fabric of her shorts as his thumb grazed her skin. She arched towards him, her sudden inhale becoming his new favorite sound.

Like a light going off in his head, Misty suddenly felt too far away, and he craved her closeness in a way that was novel to him. A moment of exploration later and he’d found the belt loops of her shorts, hooking his fingers inside them and pulling her against him. This earned him a gasp, another addition to the reactions he was evoking out of her, reactions that were becoming more and more addicting. That smirk that had been nagging at him finally broke through his overthinking, elation and excitement bubbling away inside him.

It wasn’t until Misty finally eased back that he realized how out of breath he was. Their foreheads rested against each other as they gasped for air, their exhales echoing through the room. As his heart rate began to slow, Ash opened his eyes to the sight of Misty’s staring back at him. Every syllable of giddy pumped through his veins, staving off the sudden urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“So...was that a good first kiss?”

Her smile went a mile wide, her giggle making his heart flutter. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

He chuckled in response, running his hand along the back of his neck. “I’m glad.”

“But you know…”

Her lingering voice hinted at any number of the possibilities he’d imagined in his head over the years, and the expression she wore was all of those feelings made tangible. “Yeah?”

“I want the second kiss to be special, too. And the third, and the fourth, and all the other ones after that.”

It was amazing how her sass could even find its way into their moments of sweetness, but it only emboldened the joy speeding through him. A heavy degree of self-control was the only reason he hadn’t devolved into a fit of laughter at the surrealness of it all, but he was willing to match her banter with his own. “What if I lose count, then?”

She pecked him on the cheek, clearly sharing in his jubilation. “Then you’ll have to start over, including making the first one extra special.”

He brought his hands back up to her face, absorbed in the warm softness of her cheeks and the glistening of her eyes. This was it. It was her, and he always wanted it to be. He pressed his lips to hers once more, savoring how soft they were and how tenderly she returned the kiss. Taking action had gotten him to this point, but maybe a few choice words wouldn’t hurt the intimacy. Easing away he knew she’d catch his sheepish smirk, but in his bliss he wasn’t inclined to care.

“Sorry, I’ve already lost count.”

Fun fact: the original idea for this story was for Misty to be the one to randomly kiss Ash. However, the more I kept developing and thinking about this story, the more sense it made for it to be Ash who did the kissing. In fact, once I reached the halfway point, the story went in a very different direction than I first imagined, but I decided to roll with it. This ended up having a bit more depth than the original, cutesy idea I had for it, but hopefully you enjoyed it all the same.

[dystovian]

The Last of Us: How to Disappear Completely.

Chapter 1: Lost and Found.

Summary: 5 years have gone and passed. And with your new settlement with your sister in a cabin, she goes to search for more food. Only, she doesn’t return, and under unfortunate circumstances you’re forced to leave. But find something new, and better.

Pairing: Joel/Reader, Joel x Reader (eventually!)

Warning(s): Talks of Death, as well as graphic (but very brief) talk of Suicide. Fire, Violence.

A/N: quick side note, your character is 19 during the Prologue, so you’re around 24 during this chapter. Your sister is only 3 years older than you! also sorry these chapters are kinda short, once i get towards the main storyline i promise they’ll be longer!! also i am terrible at descriptions 😔

Tags: @hrk-fic-recs

2 0 1 8.

Pennsylvania.

Your food is running low. You know it. Yet you don’t have the energy to go out and search. Don’t have the energy to draw your bow and go hunting. Don’t even have the energy to search for your sister who hasn’t returned in over two weeks.

She said it’d be a long trip, one that would in fact last around two to three weeks. But you rarely trusted a thing that came from that girls mouth. You wanted to search for her, you really did, but your mind wouldn’t allow you. Told you to stay put in case she returns. Stay where you are, and eventually that door would open, and she’d waltz in with so much food you wouldn’t have to leave the cabin again.

So you did. You stayed exactly where you were, but after another few days with no signs of her coming back, you went out to hunt and scavenge. Returning with enough to last you another two weeks, and with a newfound feeling that she was back. She had to be, right?

Wrong.

You entered that cabin with hope, and stayed in it with despair. Nothing was moved, nothing was changed. Just dust settled on shelves and fly’s buzzing by the windows. She’s dead, gone. Never to return. Or perhaps she abandoned you, left you behind. And now you were alone, forced to fight and fend for yourself with no help from the only person you had left.

From then on, you were by yourself, staying in that cabin until eventually, during a tough fist fight with an infected, the house lights up in a blazing flame, smoke billowing into the sky. Once again, you are left with nothing. Nothing to comfort you or make you feel safe, and most definitely nothing in your heart to keep you happy.

As you lay several feet away from that burning cabin, flames only an arms length or two away from grabbing your ankles, you cry. Absolutely bawl your eyes out on the ground of that forest, seeming to lose all care for any straggler or infected that came your way. Let them, you thought, let them take me, bite me, kill me. But, unfortunately for you and your careless brain, nothing, nobody came. Not a runner, not a hunter, and certainly not your sister.

You wanted to disappear, fall off the face of the Earth and never see the light of day again. And yet, despite your wishes, you could never bring yourself to putting that cold end of your pistol to your dome. Never get close to a rope, and never get close to that high cliff nearby, and plummet to your certain death.

But, with some newly brewing emotion, one you can’t quite place your finger upon, you stand. Rise from the leaves and walk away from the flames, far far away, maybe until you find a home, or maybe it’s to find your sister, you’re not quite certain. What you are certain about, is that you just lost most of your food and supplies, and didn’t exactly care what happened to you.

Not until them.

Two kids. Ryan, around 14, and her sibling, Sawyer, a 17 year old with a spitfire attitude and one strong as hell swing. Which you knew, what with the way they swung their bat at your skull and nearly took off your head if you hadn’t seen it coming. Two kids, all alone. Just like you.

This was good, this was ok. You found others. Ones that you could trust and confide in, and ones that could trust and confide in you. All you had to do was keep them and yourself safe. Easy.

Until it wasn’t.

[thegreatobsesso]

OC Intro: Digvastra Akash

“Aha, but the Bible was written by men,” Dig countered. “Flawed creatures as they are, and even if you remove any bias from the equation, even if you assume they heard the actual word of God, you have to understand even they were translating. Even if they did their best there would’ve still been interpretation involved, and then the Bible got translated from one language of men to the next to the next.”

“Well, if you don’t believe anything the Bible says what’s the point of even being a Christian?”

Dig looked at her with a distinct twinkle in his eye that reminded her he was actually twenty years older than her, or something close. It was easy to forget that, with his weird-colored hair and the way he always smelled like pot.

“I love that question,” he said. “I don’t know the answer and I’m not about to try and pagansplain Christianity to you. All I know is, my husband’s God loves him, despite all his flaws. And He loves me too.”

“And you believe in Him?” she asked, stunned. “In God?”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Dig said, swooping up his cards with a tinkly jingle of his sleeve, “I believe in all the gods.” He winked. “They don’t give me much of a choice in the matter."

Name: Digvastra Akash (But he prefers you call him Dig.)

Age: Like 55 ?

Magic: Focused Divine. 

(Which, some people say, isn’t a real thing. Dig used to get fired up about it when he was younger, but now, he finds himself pretty dang untroubled by it. He knows his own reality and that’s good enough for him.)

Dig’s Story:

Dig’s very conservative, successful parents were not so much concerned about Dig being gay as they were the magic business. A gay son could still find a loving partner, get married, and go on to be a blazing success in the field of his choice, hopefully medicine like his father or academia like this mother.

It was when he announced his intention to leave home and go on a vision quest that things got... well, uncomfortable.

Dig can see Spirit’s intention for him like a shining gold thread, weaving and winding into the horizon in the direction he’s supposed to go.

Sometimes.

And when it happens, it doesn’t always make the most sense. It took him his whole childhood to learn to trust it. 

Regardless, the shining gold thread took him a lot of kooky places. He actually did end up in academia, albeit a sort of academia his mother never quite imagined. He taught at Nazindah for a decade plus, one of the six main magic schools. 

(Nazindah is [for me, The Great Obsesso] a utopia and an unabashed exercise in wish fulfillment. It’s a magic school rooted in a single principle: that magic comes from a higher power. It doesn’t get one iota more specific about which higher power that is, exactly, and magicians of ALL faiths exist harmoniously within its walls, practicing their faiths in peace and a mutual understanding in and appreciation of each other.)

While there, he met his husband. A non-magician, Jake was just coming to visit his sister, also a teacher there. A golden thread unfurled at the sight of him, swirled around Jake and sunk into his chest. It bound him and Dig, and Dig knew in that moment what their future would be.

But then he had to play it cool, you know. You can’t just walk up to someone and tell them they’ve just entered into an arranged marriage organized by Spirit. He let it unfold exactly the way it was supposed to.

(Except that one night, four or five years in, where he kinda spilled the beans when he was very, very high. He doesn’t remember doing this, Jake only told him about it the next day, and he��ll deny it to anyone else but his husband.)

Dig and Jake came to Delaney together because of pure geography - Delaney is closer to Jake’s family but Dig and his highly specialized skillset can still get a job there. Years into his tenure at Delaney School for Magicians, Dig is granted a mentee - a young man, and powerful telepath, in the middle of a crisis Dig can hardly begin to fathom.

Dig meets Simon under these circumstances - Simon’s just lost his best friend, and the current headmaster, Dorian Page, thinks it best to keep him close.

Simon’s got a million paths of light coming off him, the likes of which Dig’s never seen, and so does the alleged murderer who’s vanished without a trace. The two of them are practically bound together, and based on nothing else, Dig knows this guy’s gonna need someone in his corner for what’s to come.

Personality:

Dig’s the kind of dude who’ll throw down some runes and clarify your deepest issues but then forget it’s the weekend and show up to work. He is perpetually barefoot despite the terrain, uses magic to infuse his dark hair with different colors, and will occasionally spout prophecies in the middle of department head meetings.

He’s chill as hell and capable of diffusing almost any tension with sarcasm or silliness. He’s calm and wise, even when he’s not channeling. He’s fond of reminding people he’s merely a vessel and he doesn’t own any crystal balls, thank you very much, but someday he plans to, purely for Dat Aesthetic™.

♫ Dig Playlist: Spotify ♫

Veridia - Mystery of the Invisible

MC Yogi - Heaven is Here

Imogen Heap - Minds Without Fear

Wendy Rule - From Great Above to Great Below

Loreena McKennitt - The Mystic’s Dream

Abbi Spinner McBride - Behold

S.J. Tucker - In the Name of the Dance

Omnia - Alive Until We Die

MC Yogi - Shanti (Peace Out)

[idontworkforsega]

Wow, how many did I scavenged?

And also, I should’ve done this in the first place (silly me)

“Sonic!Boom head canon: Sonic, with Valentines’ Day approaching, asks Sticks if Amy has mentioned anything to her about wanting Sonic to do something for her (and of course she has). Sticks, however, mixes up what Amy has said, and chaos ensues. (What do you think?)” | “Could you do a knuckles-and-sticks headcanon: possibly sticks needs someone to go on a hunt/chase after something whacky, and the others are too grounded to believe her? I’m intrigued as to how sticks will get along with the others ;) thanks!” | “For the prompt meme: #1 with SonAmy, please? And could I please have it in the cyborg Sonic AU I explained to you in message? Thank you <3” | “for a promp, how about the Sonic Boom Picnic? How did Amy convince Sonic(or maybe Sonic was the one to ask but wanted to act cool about it) to go on it? What happened before Orbot ruined it and after?” | “May I request something like Boom!Amy on the spotlight? Or anything that involves Amy taking the attention away. Believe me, we all had that phase where we want a character to be on the center stage. Your fics are awesome btw! :-)” | “Hi! I have a prompt, however it’s a little different than the ones you have been given. Here it goes: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy venture to Blaze’s world to help her and Silver with something (you can feel free to be creative in regards to what this something is) It isn’t necessarily a SonAmy prompt, but some hints would be appreciated ;) Have fun with it! 😊” | “Oh, you’re doing a prompt! It’s really hard to choose, but I would ask for sonamy in #4 (amy is the angry one ofc haha) or #5 (sonic is saying that)? I can imagine a situation like those! :D and thanks!” | “Soooo I was wondering, maybe you could write a kinda story about Sonic and Amy being a lil bit older (so amy is not 12 lol, maybe shes 16?) and being secret lovers? I dont mind if they’re actually dating or not, but it would be so cool if they had these "make up sessions” in secret or something. If you can set it up in Modern, please? Thanks!“ | "ok ok hun, sweetie, you… you have to continue that prompt! please!!! you know the one with the new character in Sonic Forces and is evil and Amy Rose and Sonic coming for her BUT SHE IS NOT THERE HE TOOK HER WAY omg I need more of that!!! PLEASE I’LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING </3” | “What’s your ideal Sonamy hint that could be in Forces? Not like a love confession, something that is actually somewhat feasible to see in a Sonic game. Love your blog!” | “Can you do a boom sonamy prompt? Like sonic realizing he likes amy? And she is kinda like "whaaaats goin on?” just a collection of sonic acting adorable and embarassed around her is good for me :)“ | "I’ve had this idea for a while but imagine a more mature sonamy (& by mature i mean older like in their early adulthood or something xD) , like sonic coming to terms with his feelings for amy and deciding to do something about it perhaps? i trust you fully with this and your amazing capability to write! (You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to but i would just loveeeee to see it) You’re the best my pal !” | “Hi! If you aren’t too busy, would you mind writing a modern or classic (your pick) sonamy prompt? So, a new hedgehog arrives, and *somehow* falls madly in love with Amy. And Amy, being the person she is, is flustered, but is still loyal to Sonic. You know. 😅 And during this, Sonic is annoyed and maybe even a biy jelly. Again, please write this whenever you feel like, because I wouldn’t mind, and don’t want to be a burden. Thank you! :)” | “Ok, are you still doing Sonamy prompts? ‘cause if you are, here’s a 'silly’ one: Remember how you said you wanted to do an actual GOOD SonamyShad love triangle? Ok. Now, have you heard 'Satisfied’ from the Hamilton musical? There, see. Eliza is Amy, but if you want to, you can switch Sonic and Shadow for Alexander or Angelica, you can make Shadow the outcast or you can do a platonic/romantic Sonamy where he is the outcast! (not sonadow) IDK, I just love the feels. :’) You’re the best!” | “Hey this is kinda random, but how would Amy react to the custom character asking for love advice or something?” | “Here’s a sad Sonamy AU: Years later, Amy has move on from Sonic and only sees him as a close friend. While he just does his own thing, he ends up falling for her, but nobody knows this and he fakes his way through. He helps Amy and she ends up marrying, He’s sad but still can pull off a smile. She asks him to dance but he despises slow dances, she offers to teach him and he gives up. Some blushy moments later and he accidently confesses his love for her. What’s next is up to you. ;) (Not Boom)” | “Do you know that thing where people say if you ignore a guy they’ll notice you more? Do you think you could do a prompt of someone telling Amy that and she attempts it on Sonic, only to take it too far and have Sonic go in a downward spiral of longing?” | “Hey! I really love your prompts! They make my day! I was thinking…have you seen that boom!sonamy comic where they’re in a cave on a mission and Sonic is expecting Amy to maybe try to flirt with him? Could it be something along those lines? It’s ok if you don’t do this, I’m sure you have plenty other requests too lol I’ve been craving some good sonamy fics and who better to go to than you? ;)” | “If you’re still doing prompts off of pictures I was wondering if you could do one with this? It doesn’t have to follow it exactly, just the idea of Amy going super would be great ^^” (Art Prompt Trade from @mangaanonymous) | “OK so I need you to find some prompt memes that I can pick from for you to write shadamy and sonamy to cuz I got a craving now thanks to you 😃” | “Amy kicked and squirmed, being held perfectly horizontal in the clutches of the giant robot…” <- first sentence of the prompt | “Tryin’ to keep it Canon” | “Can I have some more jealous boom!Sonic please? I like seeing him fuss over Amy, it’s quite adorable xD (btw your Sly Cooper au’s are the best things to happen to me :D)” | “Can you do a boom!sonamy prompt about sonic and amy raising a child? I don’t think you have done this before, have you?” | “Modern Amy: Just tell me! ~ Boom!Amy: I-pfft! I have no idea what you’re even talking about! -shifts in seat-” Does chats like this also counts? | “Could you maybe write a Boom!sonamy prompt where Sonic and Amy are flirting or arguing and knuckles and Tails are getting quite annoyed and so one of them yells "just start dating already” and things get awkward? Thank you!!“ | "Sonic: Tails? What even is Sonamy, anyway?” | “Maybe you could do a prompt of everyone playing a board game that Amy has." 

That’s all I got…

~For now *sneers

Stay awesome Miss Marya <3

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

My dear, you are amazing, thank you!

However, can you please send me these in small turns? I’m afraid it’s too much and I can’t just go through Mayra’s stuff and find all these prompts and come back to this and remember which ones I have found and which I haven’t... I lose my spot.

If any of you wonderful Cuties (What Mayra call her followers) find any of these prompts and check the notes to see that ‘Idontworkforsega’ (Me) hasn’t reblogged them yet, could you please send a link or a way to search the prompt to me? I would be very grateful!

I know there are many prompts out there I haven’t gotten to yet, and your help means the world to me and Cutegirlmayra! But I just need help in sorting these out in smaller submissions or asks instead of all at once. And an easier way to find them would be appreciated!

Thank you for your hard work, you’re amazing, it truly shows we all want Mayra’s handiwork safe and sound somewhere. I’m hard at work right there with you!

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Last night I got to thinking, for no real reason, about how the AA6 portion of the Bullshit Defense AU doesn’t have a climactic plot. Like, the AA1 segment doesn’t either - there’s no equivalent to Turnabout Goodbyes, of course - but it’s just really funny after the AA4 and AA5 bits, where they expose Kristoph as the bastard he is, and catch the Phantom, that after all that, the only mildly interesting thing that happens is Trucy gets arrested for murder and Nahyuta has to prosecute his brother’s half-sister and Thalassa calls Retinz a bitch in front of the entire courtroom. 

Like the revolution happened ~14 years ago, Amara’s been back on the throne since, Nahyuta and Apollo have spent half their lives as royalty and Rayfa has never known anything but growing up in the palace a princess with two older brothers and Amara and Dhurke as her parents.

Except then I was like “wait, what if I can figure out drama to happen in Khura’in anyway?” and of course that’s exactly what I’ve done. And it’s too detailed in some parts and broad-strokes in others because, yknow, I worked through it last night and have other fic to write even though I spent all day so far on this uhhh 3.6k “summary”.

-

Ga’ran was not a popular queen for the ~9 or so years of her rule. Really, she’d be outright hated if she wasn’t playing the “my sister was assassinated” card for sympathy. Her criminal justice ““reforms”” are swift and brutal and not only send every defense attorney underground into the rebellion, but also some prosecutors as well, the ones who have concerns beyond simply winning. Among the prosecutors that stay, it’s a free-for-all of making shit up, calling retrials when things don’t go their way, etc etc - hey, if Ga’ran did it in her trial with Dhurke, then they can too!

Plus, Dhurke was quite popular in his own right, not just “Amara was a well-loved queen so people liked her husband as well.” He successfully defended himself from the charges that he was Amara’s assassin - it was Ga’ran calling a retrial, claiming that he forged evidence, that sent him running. And while Ga’ran tried to claim that Dhurke’s disappearance was suspicious, that if he was truly innocent he’d have nothing to fear from a retrial, and while some people accepted that, there were others who thought that Dhurke’s disappearance was actually Ga’ran disappearing him, and her claims that he was still out there leading a resistance were entirely fabricated to justify Ga’ran claiming extra power and cracking down on all defense attorneys and everything else. Which I mean, Dhurke is still out there, but point being, lots and lots of people aren’t buying Ga’ran’s story.

Plus, Inga is embezzling millions of the people’s tax dollars, and that’s not helping this new regime be popular, either.

This is all background to say, when Amara announced that she was alive, that Ga’ran framed Dhurke for the fire, that the people of Khura’in welcomed her back to the throne with open arms, even if she was no longer a goddess in their eyes, having admitted that she had been fooled, that she had been wrong, and that she made a terrible mistake in trusting her sister and not just her family had suffered for it, but the whole of the country had.

As part of their legal reforms, to clean up the mess that Ga’ran made of the courts and the country, Amara eliminated the death penalty. After Inga signing off on every execution warrant without caring, after Ga’ran wielding death sentences to defendants as a weapon against defense attorneys who she saw as threats to her political power - how could she continue to allow it, no matter the crime, no matter how clear the evidence and proof, when her people, because of the cruelty experienced within their living memory, will always be wondering, fearing, that their queen allowed the execution of an innocent? 

Which means that Ga’ran was not executed. Some of people of Khura’in were understandably crying out for Ga’ran’s blood, and treason is a capital crime, but Amara’s kind heart never wanted to see her sister dead at her word. And outlawing such a punishment, no exceptions, means that she could point to that and say - “I am not allowing my sister to escape justice. What I am doing is not adhering to her kind of justice that so ruined this country and so many lives. No more of that, ever.”

(Amara knows, of course, that Ga’ran was not trying to murder her; because Amara knows that Ga’ran cannot channel spirits. And Amara knows, of course, that if Ga’ran was capable of channeling, Amara would have burned to death in that blaze. Ga’ran kept her alive because she needed her. It wasn’t love. It was necessity. But in Amara’s heart of hearts, down in the core that still hurts no matter how many years have passed, she still loves her sister. Her own sister. Her little sister. How could she sentence her to death? How could she see that through?)

-

And this is all not to say also, that there weren’t a handful of people who had preferred Ga’ran’s rule. They were corrupt and power-hungry prosecutors, or grifters also involved in embezzling tax dollars, or so on and forth. That kind of people. And while Amara and Dhurke and Datz try their hardest to root out those people, get them properly punished, return what they’ve stolen from the country, they’re also busy with, like, everything else, fixing and reforming the justice system, reinvestigating every case Ga’ran oversaw to exonerate every innocent convicted under her rule, making reparations to the families of any innocents executed. Some of the people who were profiting most from Ga’ran’s rule slip through the cracks because of what Amara prioritizes. And they aren’t exactly happy at all about Amara being queen again.

But it’s pretty hard to get anyone else on your side when the country is just relieved that they’re not going to be convicted of a crime after a sham of a trial where they have no defense and the prosecution is making up evidence, so life in Khura’in goes along well and peacefully for more than a decade, with only the briefest, barest whispers of discontent from the sort of people who honestly deserve to be discontent because they’re greedy assholes.

-

Trouble begins to kick in after Rayfa’s fourteenth birthday. (This is, by the way, her worst birthday ever because Apollo always comes home for her birthday and Nahyuta is always around, except Apollo got blown up a week before, and his best friend is in the hospital in a coma from being stabbed, and Nahyuta ran off to LA after him to make sure he’s alive, and they’re still there, Nahyuta trying to help Apollo and friends wrap their heads around the absolute catastrophe that began with the Space Center bombing and is still happening.)

She’s been doing the Divination Seances for over a year, though rather sparsely and only on trials where either Nahyuta and/or Dhurke is there. But now she’s performing them more frequently, and also Nahyuta isn’t around because he’s planning to spend the short long-term in LA. (“Everything Apollo has told you about how fucked up the American legal system is true, and then some,” Nahyuta says. “They need all the help I can give and also a lot more.”)

Rayfa becoming more of a public figure, though, is something of a catalyst. It’s been so long that most of Ga’ran’s supporters have either left the country for somewhere they can be corrupt without the Queen’s right-hand man personally showing up in their houses to casually threaten them with a knife, or just given up. Except Ga’ran, languishing in prison, certainly has not given up, and her first real plan in fourteen years is to begin undermining her sister’s rule simply with rumors. Put some cracks in the foundation. Ga’ran is good at getting into people’s heads, and she hasn’t really managed to sway some of her guards to her side, but she has instilled some doubt in Amara in them, and she can work with that. She’ll create more doubt about Amara’s capacities as queen.

Whispers start going around the capital, and then out of it, that Rayfa isn’t actually Amara and Dhurke’s daughter, that Dhurke is a blight on the bloodline and no daughter of his could channel, and Rayfa is Ga’ran’s daughter, stolen from her when Amara reclaimed the throne. Critically, Ga’ran was never exposed as not being able to channel spirits; she was already guilty of arson, prosecutorial misconduct, and high treason, and that’s just from the time of the fire to when she was crowned, not even getting into everything she did as queen. She’d done enough to rot in prison for life without Amara announcing that she’s also an illegitimate queen. She was an illegitimate queen enough because Amara was still alive and the crown belongs to the eldest sister. Amara, at times too kindhearted, keeps her little sister’s secret.

So Ga’ran’s still in contention for the throne, technically, kinda, if she can pin the fire and Jove’s death on someone else again, if she can throw someone under the bus for her decisions as queen with the DC Act - ah! Inga! You’re still alive, too, rotting in a different prison! You’re a good scapegoat! There, another step of the plan figured out.

Ga’ran’s not planning on asking anyone to assassinate Amara, not yet. She wants to get her hands on the Founder’s Orb first, get that spiritual power, and then she can take out Amara, secure in the knowledge that she can prove herself a valid queen.

For now, she’s just testing the waters by claiming that Amara is a daughter-stealing whore who’s been taken in by Dhurke’s wily defense attorney lies just like the rest of the country. And probably other, increasingly outlandish rumors, that no matter how ridiculous they are, are enough to set Amara on the defensive and make people start to wonder about the functionality of the royal family. That she had Nahyuta exiled for [insert any number of stupid reasons here] and the “he went to America to visit his brother” is a cover story so that nobody realizes how much turmoil there is in the palace. That Apollo isn’t an adopted orphan but is Amara’s illegitimate son with Datz and that’s why he so rarely comes back from abroad, because Dhurke doesn’t want him around.

(“Listen,” Dhurke says, and everyone knows whatever he’s about to say is gonna be stupid as hell. “If Amara wanted to cheat on me with Datz that’s her prerogative because I’m pretty sure I’ve probably cheated on her with Datz?”)

(Amara sighs. Datz starts laughing and nearly chokes on a bite of apple.)

Then they find out that the Founder’s Orb has been stolen, and this crop of sudden, weird rumors comes into perfect clarity. Certainly they have an idea that Ga’ran was behind it in some way, especially given the claim about Rayfa, but they couldn’t figure out why beyond her being bored. Now they know what they’re seeing. Death by a thousand lashes, or a thousand little rumors adding up with this very big Founder’s Orb matter to paint a picture of Amara being an idiot and a fool and untrustworthy and a backstabber, and her rule as ineffective, if Khura’in’s greatest treasure went missing under her. And they know what they say about the Founder’s Orb, its ability to grant spiritual power to anyone, and they know that yes, yes, this is Ga’ran having bided her time, finally striking back.

But they don’t know how she’s getting word to her people - they don’t know who “her people” are - they don’t know where the Founder’s Orb is. They have nothing to tie back to Ga’ran, nothing but their very logical suspicions, but they don’t know what to do with that. They can’t make another case against her just on that, not without being hypocritical to the ideals and principles they’ve reformed their legal system on. And Datz would go and personally guard Ga’ran himself and put her in solitary where he’s her only contact to the outside, to know for sure no one can talk with her, but that would mean leaving Rayfa and Amara, and he also doesn’t trust anyone besides himself to properly bodyguard them, now, so it’s just a fucking mess.

Helping them investigate the stolen Orb are Maya and Misty - Maya, who’s been back for a few months after going home when the courthouse bombing happened, and Misty who came to visit her daughter what felt like 10 seconds before this shit started. Maya can play the bumbling tourist really well, and she understands Khura’inese much better than she speaks it, while Misty feigns not being able to understand or speak anything - she’s rusty, certainly, since it’s been so long since she herself visited Khura’in for her training, but she knows much more than she lets on.

Then Beh’leeb Inmee, who in her free time was looking into the Founder’s Orb matter along with her husband, is accused of murdering a monk, and everything really starts spiraling to shit. Beh’leeb, with investigation assistance from Maya and Dhurke, successfully proves that it was self-defense, and her attacker was someone else who’s been caught up in this Founder’s Orb theft and what’s looking more and more like it’s gonna be an attempted coup. And probably sooner rather than later.

Misty returns to LA, with Rayfa who is using a forged American passport - Datz has a fuckton of contingency plans, let no one ever say he’s only an idiot - under a fake name with the surname “Fey”, posing as Misty’s niece. With the situation in Khura’in becoming more dangerous for the royal family and their closest friends, Amara and Dhurke and Datz decide the best thing to do is get Rayfa the hell out. She doesn’t want to go, which is why Misty goes too - both to make sure she does in fact leave, and to protect her if it comes to it. Maya absolutely refuses to leave, though; come hell or high water she wants to help her distant cousins sort this out, and Misty can’t physically drag her away. So Maya stays.

Apollo and Nahyuta, meanwhile, know that it’s getting to be a mess back home, but they don’t realize how much of one until Rayfa shows up on the doorstep, jet-lagged and exhausted but still absolutely livid that she’s been dragged all this way. She wanted to visit LA but not like this, dammit!

Meanwhile, back in Khura’in, two very important things happen. Ga’ran escapes from jail. And Datz finds out where the Founder’s Orb went: to Kurain Village. Maya immediately tells Mia, who tells Apollo and Nahyuta and Rayfa, and when Misty tries to stop them Mia’s like “hey Mom remember the time that instead of talking to me you nearly got yourself killed for Maya’s sake? Yeah you aren’t allowed to tell us what’s good or safe for me or them. We’re going up to the village to get that Orb, see you later.”

So Mia, Apollo, Nahyuta, and Rayfa go on a family bonding train ride up to Kurain Village. There, they find the same canonical situation - the Orb hidden and Dr Buff dead. Nahyuta and Apollo go spelunking and nearly drown again; Rayfa hangs out with Pearl and gets more quality bonding time with another of her distant cousins; and when the boys get back thoroughly waterlogged but with the Orb, Atishon shows up to tell them that they’ll see him in court for the Orb - they’ll see him and his attorney. Mia.

The royal siblings understandably demand to know why Mia has turned on them. Atishon says it’s because she’s seen the light and knows what’s best for both her village and their kingdom. Mia doesn’t look them in the eyes. Rayfa curses out Atishon in Khura’inese, and watching his reaction, Apollo realizes: he doesn’t understand a word of it. He tries to catch Mia’s eye, tries to indicate in some, any, way, and then he asks her again, “Why?”

And she answers, with a very broken pronunciation and accent, but still understandable Khura’inese: “My sister.”

“What did you say?” Atishon demands, and Mia lies, “I told them to fuck off, since they aren’t getting the mesage in English.”

They know Maya; Apollo least, but Nahyuta got to know her pretty well on their trip to LA from Khura’in back in December, and Rayfa was, just a week or two ago, seeing her investigate the missing Orb, and vehemently protest returning to LA when she could help find the Orb and help her family, the ones here with the crown, being undermined by a sister. (It hits close to home for Maya, still.) They know Maya is on their side. They know something’s damn wrong. They call Datz and ask him to find Maya because something’s happened.

In court the next day, it’s Apollo and Nahyuta, with Rayfa in the gallery behind them sometimes shouting at them, up against Mia and Diego. Someone casually observing could be forgiven for thinking Diego doesn’t have a clue what’s happening and is accidentally undermining Mia’s case. He actually does know what’s happening and is actively undermining Mia’s case, per her request, because he can play the idiot better than she can, drag this out longer without Atishon getting suspicious, give a little more time for Maya to be rescued. And they don’t hear back about Maya, but they do prove that the Orb needs a spirit medium, and Rayfa knows Ga’ran’s secret, that she can’t channel. Amara’s the only other medium in the country; Maya’s got to be safe.

Atishon gets arrested for murder, and Apollo, Nahyuta, Rayfa, Mia, Diego, and Misty rush off on a plane Franziska gets for them to Khura’in. Mia is biting her tongue the whole time trying not to make a jab about what happened the last time Diego and Misty banded together to save Maya. (She’s really, really trying.

“What’s the plan? Get stabbed and stranded on top of a mountain again?”

Fuck, she was trying.

Instead of answering, Diego takes out his phone and starts sending a message. “Lana and I bet on how long it would take you to say something.”

“I’m going to break your fucking neck, Diego.”

“Not hers?”

“She’s not the one who stabbed my mother on a snowy mountaintop and spent 36 hours feeding my little cousin snow and cold gravy.”

“That’s because she was in prison at the time!!”

“Why is every family I’m part of so fucked up?” asks Apollo, who neither knows this story nor wants to know.)

And honestly I don’t have details that worked out of what goes down when they get back to Khura’in. Maya is rescued. Ga’ran tries some bullshit, but in this universe the only thing she really has going for her is charisma and a handful of supporters. She doesn’t have the throne, she doesn’t have murders to frame Dhurke and Amara for. (Unless she had one of her people murder Inga in jail and tried to blame it on Datz. Ooh, actually that could be a fun plot.) She’s been proven to have committed murder (Jove). If she can be queen, it’s only as a tyrant, having killed everyone in her way, but she’s still got a handful of people who are willing to kill for her. They can put her back in jail, as they should, but she’ll still have her people. They have to get rid of that factor, soundly ruin her so that no one would ever believe her whispers of temptation for power and riches.

So Apollo and Mia realize that the way to take her down is still with the Founder’s Orb. She can’t channel. If they just announce that fact, her supporters aren’t going to believe them. If Amara announces it, same thing. But what they can do is bait her with the Orb and the Holy Mother’s face, forcing her to completely humiliate herself in front of the whole country, proving once again that she has absolutely nothing to offer anyone.

(Also side note, this would be the first time that Apollo and Nahyuta and Rayfa have ever met their aunt, and it’s to find that yeah, she’s as awful as all of Datz’s stories that Amara claimed were slightly exaggerated.)

The Orb goes back where it belongs; Ga’ran also goes back to where she belongs, which is jail, along with everyone who was willing to do murder for her and break her out of jail. The rumors about how the royal family is actually a dysfunctional shitshow are soundly quashed by seeing Apollo and Nahyuta and Rayfa return with the Orb to support their mother and stop their aunt. (Actually  the stupid rumor about Apollo being Datz and Amara’s kid doesn’t quite die, but the fact that they’re no longer under siege and struggling to plug the holes and expose Ga’ran’s plotting means that it’s honestly kinda funny now, to most of them. Apollo’s mortified and wishes that Dhurke and Datz would stop joking about it. They will not.)

Anyway after that, everything calms down in Khura’in again and Pearl and Trucy and Thalassa fly out to Khura’in so that they can all meet the rest of their family, and the biggest problem anyone has is Nahyuta has to decide whether he wants to stay home and help prosecute the people involved in this shitshow, or return to LA and help his new friends there with their perpetual shitshow.

[modreduscycle]

Uther and Merlin Pt. 1

Aka Uther is a Terrible Influence

Just as a bit of framing, this happens way before Arthur’s born, even before Uther’s actually king. Also, yes I am going to be adding subtitles under every part.

Uther was bored. His servants tended to avoid him when he was bored. To be fair, most people did. Family, nobles, knights, peasants, pretty much anyone who knew better stayed far away, lest he draw them into some plot or other excursion to quench the ennui.

Right now, all he could do was idly practice his archery at an apple tree, trying to shoot the fruits off the tree. The sun blazed hot overhead, making him wish from something juicy. It also made him wish he could just hit one. Damned. Apple!

As if summoned by his thoughts, one of the apples glew purple and flew over his head. He fell back, startled, then looked over his shoulder. Another man, a few years older than him, about twenty years of age if he had to guess, sat on the fence behind him. The blond held out his hand expectantly as the apple fell into it. He took a bite before noticing Uther looking. “Oh? Did you want one?” He stretched out his hand and another apple flew off the tree, this one falling into Uther’s lap.

“You can use magic?” Uther asked, his previous frustration completely forgotten.

“Primal magic,” the man corrected, taking another bite of his apple. “It’s purple, that’s how you can tell.”

“So different types of magic have different colors?” inquired Uther, feeling boredom slowly ebbing away.

“Some do, but some variations share colors or don’t have any at all. Most variations aren’t that different, though, and the ones that are don’t share any colors, so I guess the answer is functionally yes,” the man replied.

“What can you do with magic?” Uther pressed.

“Well, it’s magic.” The man shrugged. “Of course there are limitations. Can’t bring people back to life— well, I guess, sometimes you kinda can under certain circumstances if you have enough power and do it just right, but even then it’s rarely what most people think of bringing someone back. I guess almost anything, now that I think about it, just not how you always want.”

“Like you can live forever, but in the sense that you’ll want to die if you do it?” Uther asked.

“Maybe, or maybe not. I’m sure there are some ways to do that without too many drawbacks,” the man mused. “Not that I know of any… yet.”

“Do you want to live forever?” Uther had turned around and leaned forward, enraptured by the discussion.

“Not sure,” admitted the man. “I guess I’ll figure that out when I get closer to death. I just want to learn how to.”

“So what do you know how to do?” Uther got up and moved closer to the man.

“A lot,” the man replied, beaming. “Mostly to do with magic and other intellectual pursuits.”

“What about politics?” Uther asked.

The man waggled his hand from side to side. “I’m no expert, but yes, I know the current ins and outs of the courts.”

“Hm…” Uther frowned, trying to think of something they could do. “Know any spells that could turn certain members of the court into birds?”

“I do,” the man agreed.

Uther waited for him to continue, and when it became clear he wasn’t, rolled his eyes. “Then let’s do it.”

“Oh! No, that’d be a really bad idea,” the man quickly backtracked. “It takes a lot of power and gets you labelled as evil. Seriously, people have been burned alive for less.”

“Then don’t let people know it was you. In fact…” He grinned evilly. “I know a certain usurper of the throne who’d be a perfect scapegoat.”

“I don’t—”

“It doesn’t have to be permanent,” Uther whispered. “Just a quick spell, let me spin some rumors and accusations, then come in and fix everything. You get famous, we get some more support. I’ll even point out some people who really deserve it. If anything goes wrong, I’ll let everyone know it was just a prank, nothing more.”

“Well, I mean, there is a transformation spell I’ve wanted to try out… and if I’m just using it on bad people… I suppose it’d be okay,” the man agreed slowly.

“Wonderful!” Uther clapped his hands together, then offered one of them to the man in a handshake. “Prince Uther, and you are…?”

Surprisingly, and most amusingly to Uther, the man didn’t get down on one knee and start gushing. Instead, he smiled and shook the offered hand without missing a beat. “Merlin.”

…

Against all odds, everything went perfectly. Anyone who had ever looked down on Uther or abused power had quite a nasty shock, and he was actually a bit upset Merlin refused to keep any of them that way. Speaking of the wizard, he was given the privilege to eat dinner with Uther, having earned a truly staggering amount of favor with the court. He was quiet, clearly still feeling a bit guilty, but Uther was sure he’d get over it.

After a few more minutes, Uther leaned over the table, grinning at the wizard. “So, Merlin, where do you live?”

The blond shrugged. “Around.”

“Around?” Uther raised an eyebrow.

“I just wander place to place,” Merlin explained. “Vagrants aren’t exactly welcome for long.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t have a house? A family? A place to stay?” Uther demanded. His indignation for his new friend soon started turning wheels in his head. With a self-satisfied smirk, he leaned back in his seat, tipping the chair up on two legs. “Well then, we can’t have that, now can we? After all, it’d be a disgrace for the powerful wizard who saved so many of our oh-so-honorable nobles to just be thrown out in the rain. How about you stay with me? Help out, keep me company, read as many books as you want, eat good food, and have a nice, warm bed, what do you say?”

The way Merlin’s eyes lit up told Uther all he needed to know.

[artpharos]

Antumbra Chapter 1: Morning Sun

So uhhh I posted this fic’s prologue a while back, thinking that I would wing it... it didn’t happen and I have spent the better part of two weeks plotting out the fic because of course i would   ANYWAY. Now that I’ve written Chapter 1 for realsies I feel more comfortable sharing it with everyone now :D  ...and I guess I should probably publicize it since I’m probably going to be sinking years into this thing...

Summary:  The survivor of a ravaged world, Moon is flung to an Alola blessed by sunlight. But in order to stop the Ultra Beasts coming after her and return home, the girl who never started her Island Challenge needs to get her act together. It's a good thing Gladion's there to help.

You can read the Prologue here on AO3 CH 1: Read on AO3 

Flashes of light burst through the dark. The smell of ozone stung her nostrils as Nebby carried them through the endless nothingness. It was cold, and she wanted to wrap her arms around herself, if not for the fact that she'd fall if she tried. Moon wanted nothing more than to turn back, back where the bright sun shone and the Wingulls flew happily along the beaches. Wanted nothing more than to return home.

Then, she woke. Bright light scorched her eyes, and a wave of nausea swept through her. Her head hurt, her vision blurred, and her body ached. She flung her hands out, grasping for anything to stabilize the spinning world. Coughing, retching, to expel the taste of ozone that still sat thick on her tongue.

But the air no longer flew by her ears, and gone was the endless darkness. It was still. Calm. Light, and warm.

She breathed, her eyes adjusting to the light. There was a window nearby, letting in warm sunlight that cascaded gently down her shoulders. Beyond the treeline, she could make out the Hau'oli coast. The chirps of Pikipek made up a familiar birdsong, and the remaining fear that clung to the edge of her consciousness faded away.

She let out a sigh of relief. Alola was exactly as it should be. Not ruined, no tear in the sky in sight. It was just a nightmare, chased away by the dawn of day.

But... she stiffened when she glanced around. Gone were the Pokemon plush toys in her room, and her favorite books and posters- replaced by sterile white walls and a single potted plant. The only thing that was hers were her backpack and Rowlet's pokeball, by her bedside. Gone were the morning sounds of her mother, cooking breakfast, or the local boys from Iki laughing as they ran to school.

And on the other side of the bed, a boy no older than her stared at her, watching.

Her breath caught. Partly out of surprise, but also partly because of how close he was. He looked young, around her age. His face was framed by blond, jaggedly cut hair, accented by the piercings he wore on his ear. She could make out the muscular definition of his body underneath his dark clothes, and the pokeballs on his belt. But it was his eyes that caught her attention- a familiar shade of green, with a sharp coldness that sent a chill down her spine.

He didn't speak, didn't so much as flinch, eyes wide and just as surprised as she was.

A memory ghosted through her mind. "You," she breathed.

He didn't blink, remained as still as a statue. He opened his mouth, one hand moving towards her-

Moon lunged for Rowlet's pokeball, stumbling from the bed. Her ankle struck something, pain bursting in her leg. She yelped, crashing into the table, before tumbling onto the floor. She kicked at his hands, turning her body to face him-

"WAIT!" The strange boy had gotten up, and now he took a step towards her.

But she had gotten what she needed. "Rowlet!"

A burst of light, and separating her from the stranger was her trusted, beloved Pokemon. Rowlet hooted angrily, wings flapping and razor talons primed. Surprise flickered in the stranger's eyes.

"Who are you?" Moon asked, clutching her backpack to her chest. "Where am I? What did you do to me?"

He glared at her. Even in the warmth of the sun, his eyes remained cold, sending chills travelling down her spine. He folded his arms, unperturbed by the Rowlet right in his face. "My name is Gladion," he said tersely. "You're in Hau'oli Hospital. I saved your life."

Moon frowned. "Saved?"

"When you fell from the sky. From the Ultra Wormhole."

The words made no sense, but before she could say so, her head throbbed.

Fire rained down from the sky. A shining pokemon, descending from the heavens. Blasts of scorched air and blazing light. Lillie, smiling in goodbye- then a cold, interminable dark.

Moon gasped, a shiver running down her body.

"Hey," he began.

The shiver turned into panic. It was cold- so cold, never-ending. And Nebby, Nebby was slipping from her grasp, and panic was rising so much that she couldn't think-

"Hey!"

It was loud, the voice, the silence. So loud, so deafening, like the bright light that had consumed her world. Flashes of light, an aura that stilled the wind. That had been launched at her friend-

Lillie.

Her chest hurt. She shook her head, but the nausea didn't fade. Her lungs burned. Almost like she was back there, in that empty space, that nothingness that stretched on forever-

"Look at me!"

Suddenly, everything snapped back into focus. The first thing she was aware of was Rowlet, perched on her chest, her big, round eyes peering worriedly at her as she hooted. The second thing was the tears, streaming down her face, and the heaviness of each breath she took.

The third was that Gladion was holding her, bracing her. Gone was the cold expression. Now, he was watching her with a frown, mouth agape. Eyes not so cold but still as intense, still as unsettling.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

He swallowed. Hesitantly, he answered, "You fell."

Up close, the mesmerizing green of his eyes pierced through her. His breath echoed softly in the space between them, and she was all-too-conscious of the warmth of his body, of his hand against her back.

Cheeks suddenly flushed, Moon punched him in the face.

He yelped, falling backwards as he clutched his nose. Moon grabbed Rowlet and scrambled away, struggled to a stand.

"What was that for?" He glared at her, one hand resting on the pokeballs at his hip. "I was trying to help!"

Maybe he was. He certainly hadn't done any harm to her, but still! Lifting a trembling finger, Moon retorted, "I didn't ask for your help!"

He stared at her, mouth agape. His brow furrowed, his mouth curled with annoyance.

And then a helpless laughter that rang out through the room. One that was definitely not from Gladion. Stiffening, Moon lifted her head.

They were not alone. There, standing halfway through the open door, was a boy with warm, slate-gray eyes. He looked completely normal. He wore a striped t-shirt and his messy hair, kept under a cap, looked as if he hadn't bothered combing it properly. Pokeballs sat on his belt, and when she met his gaze, he smiled.

"Hello," he said at last. "My name's Sun. What's yours?"

It could be said that Sun was charming. That he was warm. He exuded an aura of someone who was confident that he could get what he wanted, that everything would follow his lead and fall into place.

But what struck Moon about Sun was that he felt safe. Only two minutes into meeting him, and he had gotten her to sit down, offered her a malasada, and managed to get her to not punch him in the face. Rowlet had immediately taken a liking to him, deciding to snuggle against him before inspecting his backpack.

"Sorry about Gladion," Sun said, thumbing to his friend, now safely three feet away from her.

"Sorry about punching his nose," she murmured back, picking Rowlet up from her investigation and into her lap.

"Eh, it'll heal." Sun grinned. "Didn't even bleed, right, Gladion?"

Gladion, for his part, glowered at her as he leaned against the wall. The boy hadn't spoken or moved ever since Sun entered the room, as if he was more than willing to relinquish all responsibility of her. Which was fine by Moon, all things considered. Still, his unnerving stare remained fixed on her, as if waiting for her to slip up somehow.

She glanced away from him and took in a deep breath. "So... how did I get here? Who are you? What did he mean by I fell from the sky?" She ended the last one pointing towards Gladion, though she withered somewhat under his stare.

"Easy, easy." Sun patted the bed, waiting for her to sit before he continued. "First thing's first- what's your name?"

"My name?" Moon frowned. Her mom often told her not to tell her name to strangers but...

Rowlet, settled safely in her arms, gave a reassuring hoot.

"It's Moon."

"Hey, what do you know, we're a matching pair." Sun grinned. "And people tease me all the time for a ridiculous name."

Moon flushed. "It was my mom's idea. She thought it was cool."

"Don't all parents?" Sun rolled his eyes. "I get ya, though. Wasn't easy going through life with a name like 'Sun', let me tell you that."

"You don't look much older than me." Moon snorted. "You think it was easier being called 'Moon'?"

"If the two of you are done?"

Gladion didn't even shrink when both of them turned to look at him. In fact, Moon was sure his glower just intensified.

"He's pouting," Sun muttered, soft enough that only she could hear. "I don't think he liked you punching him in the face."

"H-he was holding me!" Moon bit back. "Without permission!"

"I'm not saying it wasn't justified, but it's kinda hilarious." Sun flashed her a conspiratorial grin, before settling back in the chair, arms crossed behind his head. "So, you have questions."

Moon nodded slowly. "I get that you guys saved me, but... from what? From when? Where's my mom? The doctors?"

Sun thumbed his lip. "Well, I asked the doctors to hold back until I got to talk to you."

Moon frowned. "And they actually listened to you?"

"Perks of being the Champion." Sun grinned.

Champion? Moon arched an eyebrow. It was an ostentatious title for someone no older than she was, she figured, but the way he said it made it sound as if it was supposed to mean something.

Catching on to her disbelief, Sun sighed and waved his hands. "Anyway, the docs are trying to get in contact with your family right now. You local?"

Moon nodded.

"Right, well. Shouldn't be long till they get her running down here, then. In the meantime..." Sun sucked in a deep breath. He played with his thumbs, his eyes rolling the ceiling as he muttered under his breath. Finally, his gaze snapped back to her, and he leaned in close. "How much do you know about Ultra Space?"

"Ultra... what now?" Moon frowned.

"Ultra Space." Sun's smile dimmed, the look on his face completely serious. "It's an interdimensional realm, connecting multitudes of worlds together."

"That... sounds impossible," Moon said flatly. "Or insane. Like something out of a science fiction movie."

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Sun sighed. He rubbed his head. "I'm not really good with all the science-y stuff, but basically, there's this huge space where a million different worlds exist together."

"Right." Moon arched an eyebrow. "And you're going to tell me that it's possible for people to travel across these worlds."

Sun arched his eyebrow in return.

She swallowed. "Y-you're joking, right?"

"Look, I totally wouldn't believe me if I heard me right now either," Sun said. "But trust me, it exists. I've seen it, with my own eyes."

"What do you mean, you've seen it?" Rowlet gave her a reproachful hoot when she tightened her grip unconsciously, and Moon winced. She ran a reassuring hand down her Pokemon's feathers.

"So like, there are some Pokemon, yeah?"

Moon nodded cautiously.

"And they can kinda travel through the Ultra Space, and all these worlds, using wormholes."

A suspicious chill ran down her spine. A flash of her nightmare- "You don't mean- No. That's impossible." She got up, turning away from Sun. Paced a few steps away, before he spoke again.

"One of them dropped you here."

She turned, hoping to see some teasing glint in his eye. But the look on Sun's face was completely serious, completely sincere.

"You came from Ultra Space, Moon. You fell from the sky, and we found you."

Something clicked. A realization.

"No," she whispered. "No, that can't be right."

"Moon?" Sun's voice was gentle, his brow furrowed with worry.

She looked out the window. At the passerby down by the familiar Hau'oli City streets, at the Pikipek and Wingull flying through the air. At the familiar landscape she once knew.

Before the holes appeared, bringing destruction and chaos. Before she ran, and her mother, and Hau and Lilie and everyone...

Moon swayed, her arms trembling. Rowlet watched her worriedly as a deep cold settled in the pit of her stomach. The memories ghosted to the surface of her mind, no longer in pieces, but in whole.

An acrid taste lingered on her tongue. It tasted of ozone, of fear. And the image of the light pokemon, its visage terrifying and so beautiful, remained emblazoned in her mind.

Her Hau'oli City was gone.

"Moon." This time it was Gladion who spoke.

She blinked back the tears, one hand gripping tight on the window sill. Rowlet hooted softly, and she nodded.

Turning back to Sun, she asked, "I'm... I'm from another world, aren't I?"

Sun frowned. "I mean, that's possible, but you could also be from this world-"

"No." She breathed. "I... I remember. There were Pokemon, attacking us from holes in the sky. They destroyed everything. The city, the streets." She lowered her head. "I hoped it was just a nightmare."

There was a heavy silence. Rowlet nibbled her fingers comfortingly. Drawing in a deep breath, Moon lifted her head. "How... did you find me, anyway?"

"My company has Ultra Wormhole tech." Gladion spoke coolly from his corner of the room. He exchanged a glance with Sun, before continuing, "We sensed a wormhole forming, and I asked Sun to come with me to check it out. We expected it to be an Ultra Beast- a Pokemon from Ultra Space. But all we found was you."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you." Moon shivered, steadfastly refusing to look at either of them.

"Nobody's disappointed." There was a shuffle of footsteps. Glancing up, the warmth in Sun's eyes caught her, chased the chill away. "We're just glad you're safe. I mean, Gladion's practically the one who saved you! Granted, it was Silvally who actually caught you, but if he hadn't spotted you coming out of the wormhole-"

Moon winced. Lifting her gaze back to Gladion, she muttered. "Guess I owe you my thanks."

He stared at her, nonplussed, before arching an eyebrow. "You can thank me by telling us how you came here."

Moon breathed, her fingernails biting into her palm. Her memories were vague, but she remembered the light pokemon, and Lillie and-

"Nebby." She hadn't thought about it till now, but it had to be. The Pokemon had been the one who carried her through Ultra Space, had been the last thing she remembered before everything had gone dark.

"Did you say 'Nebby'?"

Sun's voice was quiet. Moon was suddenly aware of Gladion and Sun's expressions- how they both mirrored shock. Sun, slack-mouthed, eyes wide. Gladion, leaning forward on crossed arms, the hostile glower gone, if only for now.

"Y-yes." She swallowed, hating their eyes on her. Hated how they exchanged a glance, as if they knew something she didn't. "My friend, she asked her Pokemon to save me. She called it Nebby."

The tension hung thick in the air, so thick that Moon dared not move. Then, cautiously, Gladion stepped forward. "Your friend. What... what's her name?"

His gaze held her, even across the room. Filled with intent, as if daring her not to lie. The green of his eyes was so familiar, that for a moment, Moon could glimpse her in his face.

"Lillie," she breathed. "Her name's Lillie."

When Sun and Gladion left her room, she heard them engage in a heated, whispered discussion right outside the door. Well, it sounded more like Gladion being heated and Sun responding to his words, but really, she didn't care.

There was too much for her to wrap her mind about. Other worlds? Interdimensional space? Nebby, and Lillie, and the nightmare-that-wasn't-a-nightmare. What happened to her world? To her home? Part of her longed to know, but another part wanted to believe this was all a horrible, incredibly detailed dream.

Even if she was in another world, what did that mean? She'd have no home, no family. She wouldn't even exist in any record. All she had was Rowlet, her hastily packed backpack, and a zillion questions that nobody gave straight answers to. She didn't even know where she'd spend the night.

Thankfully, that particular question was solved when Sun and Gladion returned. Tossing her backpack into her arms, Gladion didn't even spare her a glance when he said, "We're going."

"Going?" She frowned, Rowlet perched on her shoulder. "Going where?"

Sun huffed, rolling his eyes. "He's going home to his fancy little island in the middle of the sea. You're coming with me. Doctors couldn't find your family, as we expected, so I figured I'm the next best thing."

Moon bristled. "What makes you think I'd want to go with you?"

Sun stared at her, before he burst into a laugh. "Relax, I'm not making any moves on you." He smiled reassuringly. "But! I live with my Mom, who's a great cook, and we have a spare room, and a hot shower. I'm sure she's fine with putting you up for the night."

Moon hesitated. It did sound like a good deal, and it wasn't like she had any better plans. But the idea of trusting Sun, a complete stranger...

"Are we going or not?" Gladion groused, impatiently shifting from foot to foot.

Sun flashed her a warm smile.

Swallowing her reservations, Moon nodded.

As it turned out, Sun lived right there on Melemele Island. Right in the Hau'oli Outskirts, even.

Moon sighed in relief as they passed through a familiar landscape. It was hard remembering that she was in a different world- the sights, the scents, the people... it was all just as she remembered, barring a few differences here and there. If not for the lingering thought at the back of her mind that home was gone, she'd have almost imagined...

"Is it hard?"

"Huh?" She glanced up from her musings, towards Sun. The boy had been cheerful, but quiet for most of the trek, trotting a few paces in front of her. Now, he hadn't even turned to look at her when he spoke.

"Thinking about home. It... it's not easy, yeah? I can only imagine."

Moon swallowed. "I guess." She wasn't trying to think about it. About the destruction and chaos, the terror that had swallowed her breath. About everyone she had left behind.

"Do you want to go back?

She hesitated. Sun's voice was calm and mellow, reassuring.

"I'm not sure I have anything to go back to." She chuckled miserably. "And even if I wanted to... I don't know how to go back. You said Nebby's missing?"

"We haven't spotted it ever since it dropped you off." Sun nodded. "But we could find it, and-"

"I don't know, Sun."

He sighed softly. Gently, he reached over and tugged her hand. "Come on, we're almost there."

Some part of her was relieved as he led her down the same old routes that she'd taken every day of her life in Alola. But there was also another part, a suspicious part, that whispered that something wasn't quite right- or maybe, that it was too right.

Sun walked without hesitation, skipping along with a spring in his step. Tugged her along the way until they reached a house that Moon could never mistake.

And there, a familiar brown-haired woman swept the porch with a Meowth lazing on the banister. She smiled as they approached, that warm, all-accepting smile that Moon knew so well.

"Welcome home, Sun," she called, placing the broom aside and stepping down the steps to greet them. "And who's this?"

She turned kind eyes onto her, and Moon gasped, blinking back the tears she'd been trying so hard to hold back. But then the woman frowned and reached towards her, one hand grazing over her cheek. Her resolve snapped. The familiar scent, the familiar face, the familiar warmth of a mother's touch...

Moon threw her arms around her, buried her face in her shoulders like she had done her whole life. Cried, like she had always done.

A hesitant hand braced her head. Comfortingly, the woman rubbed her back, letting her cry. "Shhh," she crooned soothingly. Gently.

Moon cried, a shaking sob wrecking her.

"Mom," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

[fortheloveofcringe]

Dear Taylor Swift,

I wasn’t one of the fans who started during your first album, but I’m a Swiftie 4 lyf. You taught me lots of things and if you have time, kindly read this. I’m Hambert, I live in the Philippines and because of you, I honed my very own way of painting pictures through words because of your dedication to create an experience through literature and music. Back then, I was just a gay kid who loved K-pop music and wanted to just be in my own comfortable space, but I had so much to say, and was afraid of being ridiculed for it. I listened to your songs from your self-titled album and Fearless but I wasn’t a big fan, yet. But I appreciated the fact that no matter what you crafted, you always made sure that you focused on little things that made us excited and happy to be alive, plus the vivid scenes that you painted in my mind as a listener, it made me feel that no matter how limited my experience was in my subjective reality as a poor single mom’s child, you made me understand that words written from the heart will have more power than the words written in fear and hate.

I started becoming in love with your sweet careful storytelling during the Speak Now Era. I remember the cold day when someone shared online the prologue from the insert and  that day changed the way I think about messages and the process of communication.

I started becoming serious with writing after reading these words  from you, “There is a time for silence. There is a time waiting your turn. But if you know how you feel, and you clearly know what you need to say, you’ll know it. I don’t think you should wait, I think you should speak now.”

However, I am not proud to admit this but due to poverty, the only way for me to listen to your music back then was to download every track on YouTube that was uploaded on a random channel, obtained through a video downloader, played through a knock-off $3 iPod sold on the streets of our city and somehow, it was a sick pleasure.

That time was the first time you came to our country too, and I remember being spiteful of my truth, for being poor, that I was not able to attend such things and support you the way I wanted to support you in terms of artistic value. I felt ill knowing that this was how I was consuming your hardwork. So at an early age, I made sure I was able to find little jobs here and there to ensure stability, not just to support your craft but this circumstance also catapulted my belief in smart work and ensuring that my dreams wont be stuck in my head.

I was able to earn and make a living because of the drive I had, wherein that drive, that fire was sparked by your multi-colored lyric matchsticks, that lead to a rainbow blaze of desire to love my life despite being depressed at the same time for several circumstances, I can’t believe that was possible, to be able to still stand with bleeding feet.

When Red came out, I was already able to purchase your music and help my family, and you will never know how proud I was to be able to hold your Cd’s. It just felt so liberating to hold cold cash in my hands, too, for the first time in my life I felt so powerful. But it compromised my studies, I never liked being in school anyway, and I never was happy because the weird thing about life is that nothing will save you from yourself no matter how strong you think you are, and all I had was music to make me feel less alone and weak. Music stayed when people left me. When my father had 7 gunshots on his neck, my older brother, dark and frozen in his bed after cardiac arrest and my dear grandma who died in front of me because of complications caused by age.

The pain was so quick, but forgetting was so long. I have many red memories from different timelines, it made me guarded and when you released RED, I could have not been more thankful to you for being the boat that carried me through the oceans of pain and led me to a shore of peace, and acceptance.

I resigned from jobs that time, however. I’m not going to lie to you and say everything was fine by listening to you, but you helped to ease the pain I was going through. This was, as I call it my “Red light” moment, like in the traffic lights, I had to be still and re-assess.

Then Typhoon Yolanda (or Haiyan) was the worst thing that happened next in my reality. It took away a lot love and life from people around me, I remember my walk around the city after the deluge and I saw zombie-like people with no direction, I was heartbroken to see that, and it took your music away from me. I remember a rotten ache inside of me, a scream of useless anger when your cover inserts were covered in mud and the CD’s were flaking iridescent cracks. It’s crazy that no matter how much you value and protect things, there will always be occurrences when they will be taken away, just like that. My family was lucky that none of us got hurt, though, the scenes in my head from that storm, made me bitter. To see how these can just happen. My heart was turning to stone at every turn. I worked in different islands to recover. I had jobs where I was helping people out but nothing inside was healing.

You released 1989 and somehow, it started a culture of meditation in me. I made a deal with myself that if I recover what I lost, I would treat it with, let say, a sacred treatment. My way of listening to your music has changed. I never had actual fellow Swifties around me, so when you release an album and it gets delivered to me, I have a party for one. This party doesn’t start until I clean the WHOLE HOUSE, I read the lyrics and the notes you share, and then I take a long bath to make sure I’m ready to consume the gourmet of sonic cohesiveness.  What I’m saying is that these practices, induced by your art, has made me reconnect with my peaceful, artistic self, the one who I almost lost because of everything that has happened and also because of the changes. To tell you frankly I just love a clean house, now! kinda helps you with thinking when the insides are a mess.

When I saved enough and when my aunts and mother were able to support me, I went back to school. When you started the Reputation Era, I was already in my 2nd year in college and I became an Editor-In-Chief in the student publication office. I worked hard day and night, I won a gold medal at the Tertiary Schools Press Conference for it and I was so proud of myself. I became somebody for a hot minute, but you were right, people do throw rocks at things that shine and it made my life hard. I had the power to publish anything over anyone at school, even the corruption and the malpractices and it became a threat to the people above me. People started fighting me, accusing me of things, putting me in situations that I felt so trapped I couldn’t do anything but just stay at home. What I built from hard work, crumbled down because of crab-mentality. They dismantled my reputation. I had no explanation to anyone. I felt weak even If I knew I can fight, I know it’ll just make things worse. I had a full scholarship at that time, friends and student staff who adored me, but for my sake, I dropped everything.

I stopped studying. You release Reputation. You made an album of what exactly what I was facing. The lonely anger and the brimming flame of revenge raged, but that album came as an expression of healing for me. I didn’t feel so alone with what I was going through because of that. Reputation was the rain I needed to soften up and turn flames to smoke and disappear in the dew of a new day.

I met a lover too, for the first time in my life, and after six months he broke my heart. I made hundreds of poems out of it, because you taught me that no matter what you go through, prose, poetry and music will always be my friend. I am no longer a captive of my own darkness, now I just see iridescent skies. NOW, I just know, that the love and the kindness I give to myself will help me live longer. I don’t know what experiences will occur for me during the Lover Era but I can guarantee you I am brimming with hope and happiness now that it has begun, and oh, I’m back in college ma’am!

I met a Lover from myself and thank you for sharing such a wonderful, dawn of an album to us. Thank you for Lover.

I am not hoping for this to reach your attention, but I have faith with the way our universe works, especially when it comes to love. Thank you Taylor.

A Lover,

-Hambert

[whatdoyouthinkmyjobis]

Hunters on the Hellmouth

masterlist

first chapter

previous chapter

TW: Inspired by events in BTVS 7.16 “Storyteller” and BTVS 7.22 “Chosen.” Discussions of miscarriage and abortion. Here’s a cheat sheet for keeping track of the Potentials.

Chapter 41: The Witch

DAY 1

Giles had seen Buffy’s heart break many times, but when Dean disappeared mid-kiss, Giles knew this time she might break in two.

Go to her. Go to her. Despite the urging of his heart, Giles did not break from the crowd gathered on Buffy’s front stoop. Shame froze him. He had been afraid to chase her when she had withdrawn weeks ago, apparently burdened by her secret pregnancy. Afraid to ask. And when the whole house had turned their backs on her, he’d gone along with them.

There Buffy stood -- barely a day post-demon possession -- suddenly alone.

Go to her. Go to her.

Dawn brushed past Giles and the Potentials to hold her sister’s hand and whisper in her ear.

Buffy, dry-eyed with her face set firm, turned to them and said, “Let’s hit the books. We need to focus on Caleb.”

“Excuse me?” asked Dani. “Dean was in charge, and now he’s gone. We should hold a vote.”

“No need,” said Giles, enjoying the flutter of rage across the girl’s face. “Buffy’s in charge.”

“I didn’t hear Dean say that,” she retorted.

“He didn't have to,” said Dawn with her chin held high.

“Buffy’s in charge,” repeated Betje as other voices joined the chorus.

Giles turned back into the house with a knot of Potentials in his wake. He had no idea what to do about Caleb or even if he was still alive after the fire, but Buffy needed focus. He was halfway up the stairs to grab research materials when he came barrelling back, nearly running Spike over.

“Oi! Watch it. Don’t damage the goods,” Spike said, rubbing his chest suggestively.

“It’s you! You’re the key!” Giles said, eagerly.

“Key? ‘Aven’t ‘eard that in a while.”

Ideas and memories flashed in Giles’ head faster than he could capture them. The First -- Lucifer -- had been chasing them for months because the first creature it had met in this world was Spike. But why did an archangel care about what a vampire thought was important? “The First spent weeks with you. What did it want?”

A twinge around Spike’s eyes betrayed his feelings about that time. “Information. Basic Sunnydale Who’s Who and What’s What.”

“But did it try to get in you? Read your mind or possess you?” Gabriel and Castiel had traveled through dimensions in their vessels; Lucifer had not.

“Night I ran into it ‘twas just a light, but it shot through me, jumped out looking like ‘er,” he said, pointing at Buffy as she entered the house.

“Got an idea?” Buffy asked. She still held her sister’s hand while Xander and Anya flanked her.

“Vessels,” said Giles. “It’s literally been staring us in the face this entire time. Lucifer needs a vessel. He wants Sam. He tried Astrid. There are very few options here for demons, let alone an archangel.”

“So he tried to use Spike,” she said with a quiet horror.

“But Spike didn’t give his permission--”

“--so Lucifer was ejected.”

“I ‘ad an angel in me?!” Spike curled his lip in disgust. “Now I need to shower.”

The idea seized Giles, his voice loud as he paced in the foyer. “What if, Lucifer found another vessel? Inferior, but enough to give him some form. Not a vampire because they are already possessed by demons, and obviously not the Slayer.”

“A witch!” Xander exclaimed with a giant smile. “They’re the only other group that can be possessed!”

Dawn raised an eyebrow at him. “You’d think you’d be less excited with your best friend being a witch and all.”

“Not possessable!” he cheered, pointing at himself with his thumbs. “For once, the Zeppo has the superpower!”

“Maybe that’s why he didn’t die,” Buffy muttered.

“What?”

“I, um, I got to Caleb at the winery,” she explained, the tiredness settling into her eyes. “Shoved my sword in and did not take home a prize.”

“I had the same reaction when you stabbed me,” Anya stated proudly, “and that was after Sam shot me in the head.”

“You two,” said Giles pointing at Buffy and Spike, “tell me everything about your interactions with Lucifer and Caleb. We’ll go back through everything again. If we want to kill Caleb, we need to cut off the power source.”

Barely half and hour back in her house without Dean, and between the walls, the air, and the constant jostling of bodies, Buffy was going to explode. “I’m going to check on Will and our new  guests. Dawn, Anya, see if the girls need anything, and I’ll do a supply run.”

“You mean ‘we,’ oh carless one,” said Xander, happily closing his book.

“You, me, and vampire-infested buildings.” She flashed a lucky us grin. Just like old times. “Grab a couple of the better fighters to go with us. ”

Upstairs, she cracked open Willow’s door to find her still sleeping off her possession by Hecate. Buffy sneaked inside, hoping to find a few of Tara’s clothes for Ellen.

Willow stirred and muttered, “Sam?”

Crouching by the bed, Buffy brushed her friend’s hair from her eyes. “Just me.”

“Where’s Sam?” Her voice was soft and small. Tender, sleepy Will without a hint of terrifying goddess.

Buffy smiled tightly. “He came down after you fell asleep.” Willow needed to rest; she would break the news about the Winchesters later.

Jo was considering changing into a skirt when her mother, wrapped in a towel, ducked into the bedroom. “I don’t think anything in here will fit you, Mom.” Jo pointed at the flood-high hem of the jeans she’d put on.

Ellen smiled, a far away look in her eye. “Not sure my skin could handle clothes right now anyway.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Jo had turned the water up as hot as she could, but it still felt icy. The flannel she’d found barely helped.

Ellen nodded and sat on the bed. “Everything just kinda feels… sharp. Hard.”

Jo sat beside her. She knew exactly what her mother meant. Only a little noise from downstairs breached the quiet bedroom, but Jo had felt a roar in her ears since they’d arrived. She remembered holding her own guts in with her hands, growing cold and numb as blood gushed from her body. Her brave mother had offered to set off an explosion to save the Winchesters, their only hope at killing the Devil. Jo didn’t remember the explosion. Then nothing. Only it wasn’t nothing, but she was having a bitch of a time remembering what had happened. Then suddenly they were in someone’s backyard in the blazing sun.

“I died, didn’t I?” Jo whispered.

Ellen squeezed her hand. “We both did, baby.”

Jo let the words dissipate in the air. She couldn’t think about them now. Maybe not even later. So she looked around the room, trying to figure out what sort of person it belonged to.

Brown floral wallpaper and crochet pillows gave it the feel of an older woman’s room. The tangles of cheap jewelry on the dressing table, clothes strewn across the floor, and posters -- reproductions of Waterhouse paintings -- screamed college student.

Then Jo spotted an unbelievable picture from the nightstand. Dean Winchester in sunglasses and a t-shirt, his radiant smile highlighted by the sun, stood on a boardwalk, ocean behind him, with his arms around the blonde they’d spoken to.

“Mom, what was that girl’s name again?”

“Buffy? Bitty? One of those country club names.”

“She doesn’t seem like Dean’s type,” she said, handing the picture to her mom.

Ellen beamed. “They look happy.”

Jo snickered. Dean Winchester was the handsomest, cockiest hunter she’d ever met, and she had spent years pining after him. Nothing obvious. Sneaking glances when he’d come in the bar. Calling every few months to check in on him, his husky rumble making her melt as she kept the conversation light and friendly.

Trouble was, Dean was like most hunters. Emotionally distant. Messiah complex. Can’t-get-close-to-people bullshit. Jo wanted him, but she wanted him to settle down. She wanted his big heart to find a home, to trade in the revolving door of women for one woman who knew his life and his worries.

Even though he had often checked out her ass, Dean hadn’t had the guts to make a move until the day before she died. Even then, knowing it may be her last opportunity to sleep with that beautiful man, she couldn’t bring herself to be a desperate pity fuck.

It took her dying for him to be real with her. She had no idea how long she’d been dead, but his soft, warm lips gently apologizing for her fate as he finally kissed her was practically yesterday.

“Happy? Mom, we’re talking about Dean Winchester. Didn’t you say he was trouble to the core?”

“I said he was troubled. Boy ain’t had an easy life.” Ellen pushed her damp hair back and squinted at her daughter. “I also said he wasn’t for you.”

Ellen wrapped her arm around her daughter, combing her hair with her fingers. It felt familiar and surreal at the same time, like discovering everything in your house had been painted the same shade of sickly pink.

“You okay, baby girl?”

“I will be. I don’t remember living being so exhausting.”

There was small knock at the door before Bitty/Buffy came in with an unconvincing smile on her face. She handed Ellen a green skirt. “I hope it fits. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty damn good for a dead woman,” said Ellen. “That don’t seem to phase you any.”

“Read the book and saw the movie.” The blonde scanned Jo. Her eyes lit up for a brief second when she saw the ill-fitting flannel. “Well, that’s a look. I could see if one of the taller girls has pants you could wear, but pickin’s are slim. Probably best we head to the mall. You can join us if you feel up to fighting.”

Jo did feel like fighting. Something in her felt caged and angry, but she didn’t know why. Although she doubted patrons at a crowded mall would appreciate her need to punch something. “Pants would be great, but cash is not so great.”

“Oh, oh yeah. Quick recap, (because my sister has this whole ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ speech, and I don’t want to step on her thing): Welcome to Sunnydale, California. This town sits on a Hellmouth, which I guess you call a Devil’s Gate. Lucifer and his minions have driven out the entire town save for a few people on my team. Anyone else who stayed has been turned into a vampire.” She breezed through all of this lightly, as if it was a rundown of what she’d done over the summer.

“So we’re less about the shopping and more about the pillaging supplies from a vampire-infested abandoned mall. Which is where the do-you-feel-like fighting thing comes in. Bobby Singer is downstairs if you have more questions. Let me know in an hour if you want to go.”

Bitty/Buffy stopped her hasty exit when Jo asked, “Where are Dean and Sam? Things are kinda fuzzy, but I swear I saw them.”

“They had to go,” the blonde said without looking back.

Spike was confused. He hated being confused. The Winchesters (and the angels) were gone, caught a feathery red eye to destiny. He’d seen it happen.

But who were the new people?

Granted, he was used to new faces showing up out of the blue, but Potentials were not generally grizzled long-haul truckers. The man was mostly interested in the books and Giles, but he still gave Spike that sleeps-with-a-gun feel that Dean had. By the time Buffy came downstairs with two women who were probably and certainly not Potentials, he was ready for some answers.

Abandoning Giles and his endless questions, Spike followed the three women, Xander, and some Potentials outside. “Where we going?”

Buffy turned to look at him. Suddenly, he was reminded what it felt like to have your heart thrill so much, it forgets its beat. Only a day before, she’d appeared as a demon and beaten him soft. Now, she was practically radiating light.

“You up for some shopping?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Could do with some new boots.”

“So could some of the girls. Plus, Jo and Ellen are going to need some clothes.”

Spike nodded at the mysterious Jo and Ellen. “I’ll drive.” He held up the Impala keys he’d nabbed from the key tray.

Although Spike longed to drive Dean’s Impala since first laying eyes on it, he’d mostly picked up the keys as a gag. Show Buffy the keys. See what she did.

A disproportionate panic swept over her face. Eyes wide, she shook her head in tight nos.

She doesn’t think he’s coming back.

Before Buffy could protest and before Spike could toss her the keys, Xander butted in. “Drive what?”

Buffy crossed her arms. “He thinks he’s driving Dean’s car.”

“Funny,” said the blonde -- Jo or Ellen? “You’re not what I would have expected Dean’s best friend to look like. I mean, he barely let’s Sam drive that thing.”

The stranger scratched at her arm like the very air bothered her and squinted at the sun with disapproval. She had a nervous, trapped energy about her. It felt familiar to Spike.

Xander laughed. “Dean and Spike get along like oil and water if oil and water were trying to murder each other.”

“Yet you’re the one with a Winchester wallop.” Spike pointed at the purple bruise on Xander’s jaw.

“I can fit four.” Xander slinked away, tail between his legs.

Having no desire to stress Buffy out, Spike tossed her the keys. “Just ‘aving a laugh, pet.”

Buffy tenderly held the keys for a heartbeat before handing them to the older woman. “Ellen? We just need to follow the other cars.”

“Sure, honey. Something normal sounds pretty good right now.”

The four of them silently piled into the Impala -- Ellen and Buffy in the front. Jo shooting Spike curious side-eye across the expanse of the backseat. It was mid-April, yet Ellen cranked up the heat.

After a few turns, Buffy cracked her window. “It fades after a while. The cold.”

Jo peeled her dark eyes off of Spike. “What are you talking about.”

“It was warm, wasn’t it?” Buffy sounded far away. “It was warm and quiet. Now everything feels cold and loud and painfully bright. I won’t motivational poster you and say it gets better, but the intensity fades.”

“How do you know?” Jo asked.

“It’s been two years for me,” Buffy replied. “More for Spike.”

Recently resurrected then? Seeing Jo’s twitching discomfort in the daylight had thrown him. Since they knew the Winchesters, they must have been resurrected and brought here by the angels. The trucker-looking fellow was probably the same story. Sam and Dean’s parents? They had never mentioned a sister; although they’d dropped the news of another brother like a bomb only a couple days before.

Jo’s body loosened a bit, as if the intense fight or flight warring in her brain had finally settled on sitting. She looked out the window on the abandoned town. A few buildings here and there had been damaged by vampires, who were no doubt nesting inside during the day, but most were simply abandoned. “A lot of people die here?”

“Part of the human condition,” Spike said. “Only, sometimes it doesn’t take.”

They pulled up to the mall. Ellen, examining the smashed glass doors, said, “Mind if I just play getaway driver? This skirt ain’t exactly made for kickin’ ass.”

Buffy shrugged. “There’s a learning curve, but sure. We won’t be long.”

Buffy issued orders to the small band of Potentials who’d arrived in the two other cars. “There are probably dozens of vampires hiding in there, but lucky for us most of them are asleep. So stay quiet and don’t wander off. We’re in and out. Remember,” she said, handing a stake to Jo, “anyone who’s not us gets a stake through the heart.”

With a small grin, Jo twirled the stake in her fingers. “A stake? Next you’re going to tell me they’re repelled by garlic and crosses.”

“They are,” said one of the Potentials, eagerly.

“I just feel extra stabby today, though,” said Buffy.

“I can get behind that,” Jo muttered.

Inside, there was a shoe store immediately to their right. Buffy pointed at Xander and his carload to break off while she led Jo, Spike and the rest to The Gap.

With no concern for style or sizes, everyone began to shove clothes into their bags. Jo was pulling jeans from the shelf when a man walked out of the dressing room.

“Want to try something on?” he asked with a hungry smile.

Buffy lept between them. One, two kicks in the face. Suddenly, he was snarling and yellow-eyed. Buffy hooked his head with her heel, yanking him to the ground. She plunged the stake into his heart.

Jo seemed most surprised when the vampire turned to dust.

“Makes clean up easy, doesn’t it?” Spike whispered in Jo’s ear. “Think we got time to hit up the food court?”

DAY 2

Dean rolled over, seeking out Buffy’s warmth, and curled his body around hers. His morning hardness grew firmer as he pressed against her backside. Barely awake, he nibbled her neck, his fingers stumbling to find a way under her pajamas.

Buffy sighed, “We don’t have time, baby.”

“I miss touching you.”

“You don't want to be late for our big day.”

Everyone in the Winchesters’ apartment was up just before sunrise. Buffy could feel the reason for her sleeplessness flipping in her stomach and pounding behind her eyes. With barely a word between them, the group stumbled to Dean’s Impala and drove back to the Summers’ house.

Willow sat on the back porch with a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. Dean’s family and Dawn headed inside while Buffy grabbed a chair by her friend.

“Here to rouse the troops? We’re fresh outta bugles.”

“Nah. Let ‘em sleep.” Buffy had pushed them to the breaking point the last time they attacked Caleb, and they still failed. A few more hours of sleep wouldn’t be the deciding factor next time.

“Feeling better, Will?”

“You mean, do I not feel like I’m made of lightning, or am I okay with this being the vessel for the goddess of witchcraft thing?”

“The former, the latter will be...latter.”

“Just Willow here. Singular and non-floaty.” She gulped the last of her coffee and stared at the bottom of the cup, divining nothing. “I think that happened before. The vessel gig.”

The only time Buffy had seen anything close to that was when black-eyed, veiny, dark Willow tried to destroy the world after Tara’s death. She hoped that wasn’t one of Hecate’s faces.

“Remember the night Dawn was attacked in the house, and Lucifer came to me dressed up as Tara?”

Buffy nodded.

“I blacked out. Whited out? The last thing I remember was this growing light. Then I woke up in a burned circle of grass. I had no idea what happened, but I think since Lucifer was trying to get me to kill myself, Hecate came to my rescue.”

“Maybe that’s why he targeted you?”

Willow’s doe-eyes were heavy with thought. “Maybe. I’m not sure how I feel about housing something the Devil is scared of. That’s not usually the plot in a rom com or plucky musical.”

With a sleeping goddess in her and her boyfriend capable of hosting an archangel, this was the only topic that could direct Buffy away from her concern for Dean. “Maybe don’t think of it as being taken over. What if Hecate is like Cinderella, and you’re her slipper?”

“No one wants to grow up to be the shoe in that story.”

Buffy shrugged. “More terrible metaphors are in the works. They’re my favorite past time as of yesterday.”

Willow eyed her with a frown. “You miss him?”

Snuggled in his t-shirt in his bed, she’d lain awake reminding herself Dean was the best hunter alive. Alive. The few moments she managed to sleep, she had dreamed of his fingers in her hair, his breath tickling her skin. “Of course!”

“‘Cause you guys were kinda on the outs for a while, then one possession and you’re back to being joined at the hip.”

Buffy picked at some flaking paint on her chair, and mulled over how much she was willing to expose. Everyone save Giles was probably just as confused, but her pain wasn’t a balm to soothe a itch of curiosity.

“I was going through something, and I didn’t know how to talk with him about it.”

“You know who is always up for a talk? Your neighborhood Willow, located conveniently down the hall. We’ve been through a ton of stuff, Buffy. I don’t understand why you didn’t think you could talk to me.”

Willow liked Buffy’s relationship with Angel when it was a crush, but had turned against it and her once it became deadly serious. Her friend didn’t understand how being alive again was a curse and how that despair drove her to Spike. How could she expect Willow, in the midst of both mourning and sorting out her sexuality, to carry any of the pregnancy weight?

“I don’t think we fixed us,” Buffy said.

“What?”

“You went dark, Willow. Really dark. By the time you came back, Dean and Sam were here, and it felt easy to just move on. I did the eggshell walk for a little bit, but mostly I was wrapped up in Dean. Maybe I never got off the eggshells, because it didn’t feel right to dump this on you.”

Tears welled in Willow’s eyes. “I know we can’t go back. I can never make it up to you--”

“You don’t have to make up!” Buffy grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed. “What we need is time. You and me. Maybe Xander, but definitely you and me. Hey, how about we do some sort of road trip, huh? The three of us? After we bag the Devil, the girls deal with things while we have much needed friend time.”

Willow nodded and offered a weak smile. “Will you ever tell me what happened?”

“Later. Now is for coffee,” Buffy said as she headed inside.

Bobby was used to research. Piles of yellowing books, strong coffee, and a sore back were his preferred methods of learning. Much better than the knock-in-the-teeth experience style. Although, Andrew and Dawn’s “Welcome to Sunnydale” basement conference has been some of the most informative hours of his life.

For instance, everyone was making their fight harder by not differentiating demons from monsters. Anya -- defensive in a way that people with secrets are -- had insisted that a creature born on earth and with no dealings with the soul or Hell was still a demon. Bobby had some theories he wanted to test before he took her word. He’d picked up from Andrew’s nervousness and constant invocation of heroic stories that the boy felt he needed to redeem himself for something. Dawn’s swings between pride and shame when talking about her sister -- Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- had tipped him off that something was wrong. Later, when Buffy gently insisted they all travel back to the Winchesters’ apartment at night instead of staying in her own, or one of the nearby houses, made it evident that everyone in that house had betrayed her.

Recently.

Bobby would get to the bottom of everything eventually, but first, he had to survive the Apocalypse. As luck would have it, he had a book for that.

While Bobby knew better than anyone that this fight turned fresh-faced kids into battle-scarred husks faster than anything, he struggled to call anyone in the Summers’ house an adult. Anyone but Giles.

Thankfully, Bobby didn’t have to venture far into the house before finding Giles. Propped over a book at the dining table, the Watcher was either completely engrossed or had fallen asleep. With only the smallest twinge of guilt for robbing Giles of his respite, Bobby tossed a book on the table, causing Giles to jump in his seat. Asleep.

“Rough night?” Ellen asked, settling into the chair beside Giles.

Giles rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Relatively calm until the screaming began around three. A couple of the girls had rather vivid nightmares.”

“Don't know why,” said Jo, picking up a book and making a face. “Lucifer is out to get them. No big deal.”

Ellen snatched the book from her hands. “Coffee, Little Miss. Get some for Bobby, too.”

For a second, Jo’s face flushed with teenage exasperation before she headed to the kitchen.

Redirecting her attention, Ellen asked, “Where are the girls now?” She glanced at the knot of girls lounging around the living room. “The screaming ones?”

“We moved them to Buffy’s room so they’d stop disturbing the others. I haven’t heard them in a while, so I assume they’re still asleep.” Giles checked his watch. “Is that really the time?”

“Sorry, Rupert. We thought we’d get right to business today.” Ellen offered an apologetic smile. “Speakin’ of, point me at those girls when they’re up. I don’t understand a lot about wherever the hell we are, but I’m sure mothering is still the same.”

A small smile broke free on Giles’ lips. “No doubt they need that. Some of these girls haven’t seen their families for six months.”

Bobby cleared his throat. “The squeaky blond boy said they’re here because they're the next vessel for Artemis, who is currently asleep inside of Buffy, and that’s why she’s a super-powered vampire-killing machine. Right?”

Giles nodded. “In short.”

Bobby pushed the slim book he’d dropped on the table toward Giles. He’d gotten it from a book dealer probably two decades before, as a ‘thank you’ for saving her son from a poltergeist. The book, Huntress Bound by The Order of the Oracle, contained a ludicrous story about how the goddess of witches captured and enslaved the goddess of the hunt. It was warped from years of propping up the nightstand in Bobby’s bedroom. “Archangel Asshole insisted I bring this.”

Giles was agape as he flipped through the pages, muttering, “Yes,” over and over. Finally, he looked up. “Bobby, are you any good at research?”

“Good at it? My research is the only thing that’s been keeping those idjits alive all this time.”

DAY 3

She straightened his tie. Dean looked even more impossibly handsome in his grey three-piece suit. His mossy green eyes sparkled in the late morning sun. Would it be bad luck to kiss him now?

“You are beautiful,” he said, skimming his hands over her waist and down her hips. The sequins on her gown clattered under his fingers.

“You don't think it's too much?”

“You're perfect.”

Holding hands, they turned to look at the ivy covered church. It was now or never. “Ready?” she asked.

Dean flashed his machete in reply.

Buffy kicked in the doors.

Buffy unlocked the apartment door. Sunnydale was only occupied by her people and vampires, but locking the door felt good.

She had been itching to patrol. Fresh air. Time alone. Violence. She didn’t need to go far from the apartment. Though they turned it off at sunset, the generator on the roof was a rumbling call that tasty humans lived inside. She’d dusted six vampires just on her street, each kill softening the anxious needles in her brain. Maybe tonight, she wouldn’t have that nightmare again.

She tiptoed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before bed, only to find Jo with a bottle of whiskey, pictures scattered around her on the floor.

Gently, Buffy removed the whiskey from her hands, and gave Jo a bottle of water. “Rough day?”

“I wanted to know if getting drunk felt the same.”

“Does it?”

“Feels pretty good.” Jo grinned at her. “I’m not usually a mess like this, I swear. But I come back from the dead to ‘The Pantheon Realm’ where my friend is dating ‘a slayer’ which totally sounds like something he would have killed when I was alive.” She used finger quotes around her words. “Although my life did involve cities laid to waste by Lucifer and his demons, so at least one thing’s consistent.”

“You think I’m a monster?”

“No! But you’re freaking me out! Everything is familiar, yet not familiar. Bonus! Now that I’m alive again, it looks like I’m going to die. Blaze of glory round two!”

Buffy understood. Heaven was rest. Hell was coming back to a fate-packed to-do. “You’ve been alive for three days. If you want to stay here tomorrow and chill, that’s fine. Maybe drive off into the sunset? You don’t have to help fight Lucifer.”

“Hey, I died helping fight Lucifer!” Her eyes were ablaze as she pointed at Buffy. Soon, she slumped back against a cabinet and ran her finger over the pictures of the floor. Jo chuckled and held a picture too close to Buffy’s face. “What is this?”

It was from Buffy and Dean’s vacation to San Francisco on Halloween. They’d stopped to watch a parade where a drag queen was affronted by their lack of costume. The queen’s solution was to dump a bag of hot pink glitter on Dean. In the picture, Buffy was laughing as he tried to rub the glitter on her. It was Sam’s favorite picture, and he made sure it was prominently displayed on the refrigerator.

“On Halloween, Dean and I took a little vacation--”

“That! That crazy, opposite day stuff is what I’m talking about.” Jo’s voice was loud and slurred. “‘Went on a vacation’, with Dean Fucking Winchester? He’s not the guy anyone goes on vacation with! He’s the guy who finds you crying in your beer after your boyfriend dumps you on vacation. He’s the guy who promises you one night of great sex before running away from any feelings he may have stirred up. Dean Winchester is much more interested in sluts than girlfriends.”

Dean had barely talked about Jo. Ellen yes. Bobby at length. Jo got short statements. She was “a kid” who was “in over her head.” “Somethin’ to prove.” He’d spoken of her death once.

Yet, on more than one occasion, Lucifer referred to Jo and Dean in much more intimate terms. Buffy hated it when they’d had to discuss her relationship with Spike, so she never asked about Jo. She was the past. She was buried.

“Sounds like you spent a lot of time with him,” Buffy replied.

Jo waved her bottle of water dismissively. “I’m happy for him. I am. God knows that man needs more people than Sam.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s just that...well...I don’t have superpowers. Is that all it took to get noticed?”

Buffy’s heart broke for Jo. Jo, ripped from death to be dealt a crappy life. Aching from the newness and unfairness of it all. Pining for the right man met at the wrong time.

“Will you girls quit yer snivlin’ and git to bed?” growled Bobby from the couch.

DAY 5

Their friends and family waited quietly in the pews while the choir of Potentials sang:

    There are many here among us

    Who feel that life is but a joke

    But you and I we've been through that

    And this is not our fate

    So let us not talk falsely now

    The hour's getting late.

At the head of the church stood Caleb in his vestments, clapping along with the music. With each slap of his hands, one of the Potentials exploded in a puff of blood. He was flanked by a pus-pocked corpse on a fly-riddled green horse and a white robed creature with huge black wings astride a pale horse.

Pestilence charged them. Buffy grabbed the bridle and swung up, kicking the rider off. “I got him. Go!” Dean shouted as she galloped toward the priest.

Death was missing.

“Do you think this is far enough from the house?” Anya asked, tightening her grip on her axe. “You said you burned stuff that one time.”

“Because my life was being threatened by an archangel. This is just a friendly chat between frenemies,” Willow said. “Besides, I’m much more concerned about the vampires.”

At an intersection down the street, she and Buffy sat holding hands inside of Hecate’s symbol drawn in sand. According to the books, the goddess could be summoned under a full moon with appropriate sacrifices of food; they were surrounded by bottles of wine and honey bears.

Snarls drifted past the double ring of Potentials surrounding them.

The idea was that Buffy’s spirit would be able to use Willow’s vessel state to call Hecate. Then Buffy just had to convince the resentful, former friend of the goddess within Willow that she hadn’t been betrayed, and maybe she could use her powers to help a little. “Easy peasy,” Buffy grumbled.

Willow began, “Hecate! Crone Goddess of the Moon! Power, great power. Grant me this boon.”

One of the Potentials stepped back, knocking over a candle.

“Give us some room, girls! This could get weird...er.”” Buffy righted the candle and wiped some warm wax from a honey bear. “I hope mildly melty is still goddess approved.”

“Half step out!” Jo shouted. The group shuffled.

Willow tried again. “Mistress with three faces, I accept my role. Lead me to the path. Your name writ on my soul. Hi, it’s Willow Rosenberg again. Remember? You were in my body a week or so ago yelling at some --”

Everything went deathly silent. Before Willow’s eyes, the Potentials transformed into gnarled black trees. Mist and moonlight shot through their twisted branches. Buffy, still in her meditative pose, crumbled into an ash heap; in the middle of the ashes, lay a single golden pebble.

Willow didn’t dare to breathe.

The glow of a light appeared to her left. A naked, torch-bearing figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. Her skin was as dark as the night and freckled with stars. She phased in and out of three faces -- one screaming, one old, and one calm. Her pearl eyes fixed on Willow.

“You have summoned me more than any other vessel.” Her voice was musical and animal. A whisper and a cry.

Willow wasn’t sure how to respond. Hecate hadn’t asked a question, and Willow wasn’t sure if the declaration was surprised or annoyed. Willow bowed her head to the ground, arms open wide in reverence, and waited.

A chill snaked from the top of Willow's head to the tips of her toes.

“Rise, girl. What do you want?”

Willow stood, but didn’t dare look up. “Lucifer is here. His brother Michael is coming.”

Hecate lifted Willow’s chin with her hand, forcing her to look in her glowing eyes. “Why does this worry you?”

“They’re going to destroy the world.”

“Not the whole world. Only part.”

Fear rushed out of Willow’s body. “Only part! Only! Part! Do you hear yourself?”

“My concerns are not human concerns. The world is ancient. It burns and floods and freezes in the span of my heartbeat. The world will change, but I will remain.”

“Why do you think the angels would leave you alive?” Willow asked. “Lucifer is trying to wipe out Artemis’ vessels. Why not yours next?”

Something like surprise flitted over the goddess’ calm face. “I am witchcraft itself. I will remain.”

“Oh, you got an army up your, uh -- No sleeves, okay. Have you been busy calling all witches? Huh? No, you haven’t. Meanwhile, Artemis is still locked up and --”

“Do not speak to me of the Huntress!” Hecate thundered. The stars on her skin grew as if they might supernova with her rage.

Willow put her hands on her hips. “Artemis was your friend.”

“The Huntress was closer to me than a sister. She turned her back on me! How could a mortal like you understand the pain of that break?

Willow didn’t just remember skinning Warren. She remembered trying to kill Buffy. Trying to kill Giles. And those memories haunted her with each hug, each encouraging word, each smile. “I know how rare true friends are. I know every moment of pain is worth it.

“My friends and I are prepared to fight the angels, but we haven’t even been able to get past his creepy priest groupie. But we’ll keep fighting. We’ll die fighting. Saving the world is worth it.”

The calm face did not change. “Then I shall again prepare myself to search for another vessel.”

An idea popped into Willow’s head. “Why me? Why are you using me as your vessel?”

“You had the potential to be the strongest witch in the world. A lesser witch could not contain me.”

Hecate was eternal. Witches may live long lives, but not that long. Besides, Willow was born in the 80s. “What happened to your vessel before me?”

“He...disappointed me.”

“Did he have a name?”

Hecate blew out her torch and stepped back into the rapidly shrinking trees. “Gregor Skrivanek.”

Buffy, in a meditation pose across from Willow, looked at her quizzically. “Gesundheit?”

There was a twang and a wizz as one of the girls fired a crossbow. “If we’re finished being freaky, I’d kinda like to go back inside,” said Jo.

DAY 9

Before she reached the steps to trample Caleb, Buffy tumbled and bounced down the rest of the aisle. Her horse had turned into a toy. Likewise, she was small and limp, unable to move on her own. Caleb, scooped her up in his giant hands. “Did you think this was about you?”

He turned her toward her friends and family. With the snap of his fingers, they were ablaze. “Did you think you could save them?”

“The blame is on me,” he continued. “I let that vampire’s obsession with you trick me into thinking you mattered, but you don’t. You’re empty. You try to fill it with school, with shopping, with any man who is desperate enough to fuck you, but you’re a little doll who needs other people to pose her.”

He turned her away from him, toward Death at the end of the aisle, his scythe and robes spattered with blood, and dangling from his hand -- Dean’s head.

In a weird way, it was comforting to have all the Scoobies gathered around the dining table researching monsters. Almost homey, if it was even possible to feel at home in her own house again. Of course, Buffy’s semi-fond memories of high school slaying didn’t involve Spike sitting next to her as they researched monsters, or Andrew Wells fiddling with a camcorder. They didn’t involve researching how to kill a human either.

Xander’s eyes were practically cartoon hearts locked on Ellen as she replaced his empty plate with a second helping of sloppy joe, cornbread and green beans. “You’re just the most amazing, Ellen.”

Smiling, she tousled his hair before checking on the Potentials in the other room.

Xander ravenously tucked into his food.

“Xander, you got a little.” Dawn wiped at the corner of her mouth.

Anya glanced at the sauce smeared on Xander’s face. “It's just pride.”

Xander mock laughed before taking a giant bite of cornbread.

“It’s been a long, dark time since we’ve had seconds,” Andrew declared, zooming his lens in on Xander. “But Ellen knows all sorts of recipes. Tomorrow, she’s going to teach me to --”

Dawn paused from note-taking. “Andrew, what are you doing?”  

“I’m making a documentary of our gallant heroes. My redemption arc heavily features. I’m, like, the Vader of the group.”

“Don’t show interest, or he’ll think you care.” Anya slammed her book closed. “Why can’t we just set him on fire again?”

“I don’t want to be on fire,” replied Andrew, meekly.

“Not you. Caleb,” she clarified. “Fire is the traditional, time-respected way to off a witch.”

Willow scrunched her face in disgust. “One, I’m generally not a fan of the burned-at-the-stake scene. Had a close call once. A singeing, if you will. Two, I have a theory--”

Buffy tuned out while Willow explained again. The goal was to kill Caleb, but to kill him, they had to return him to a much more human state. When Dean had asked her if she was ready to kill a person, she’d bristled. While it wasn’t the Slayer’s job to deliver justice in the human sense, Caleb had clearly chosen the path of evil. She’d plunged her sword in him without hesitation. However, in light of Willow’s plan, Buffy couldn’t help but wonder if Caleb -- once separated from the archangel controlling him -- could be saved. Was he simply another victim of Lucifer?

Ellen drifted back into the room, her eyes on the windows. She sucked on the insides of her cheeks when she was nervous, and she’d been nervous ever since Jo, Bobby and Giles left town two days ago to follow some leads.

“Has she called?” Spike asked, gently reaching out to touch Ellen’s arm.

Ellen smiled and patted his hand. “A few times. Thought they’d’ve been back by now.”

“Don’t tell him I told you,” Spike lowered his voice to a whisper, “but stodgy ol’ Giles is right decent in a fight. She’s in good hands if it comes to that.”

Before Ellen could respond, the Impala pulled up outside. She smiled at Jo, still in her bland detective suit, coming up the walk with the Winchester's green cooler. Buffy recognized the relieved mom look. Ellen was doing a good job not steamrolling everyone between her and her daughter’s embrace.

Jo arrived with a triumphant smile. “Not even rusty.” She handed her mom the cooler. “Stopped for food before Apocalypse-zone. Got some fresh stuff!”

“Thanks, hon.” Ellen set the cooler on the table and wrapped Jo in a bear hug.

Bobby, tie loose and trucker cap back on his head, set a box of files on the table. “Had a minor setback, but we got it.”

“What happened?” Buffy asked.

“I’m afraid I am not a convincing FBI agent,” Giles said with a sigh. He glared at Andrew. “What is he doing?”

Undeterred, Andrew zoomed in. “Set the scene for us, Giles. You’re sweating bullets in the FBI office, surrounded by men in black who’ve been trained to sniff out a lie. What do you do?”

Bewildered, Giles again looked to the group. “What is he doing?”

“‘E’s keeping calm.” Spike reached into the box for a handful of files. He handed one to Buffy.

“Meet Gregor Skrivanek,” Bobby said. “Box one.”

“Of how many?” whined Anya.

“Three more in the trunk,” Jo said with a smirk.

Anya closed her book and left the room.

“Did you get the mementos we need for the spell?” Willow asked.

“That’s box four.” Jo smiled. “It’s in the backseat. Although they’re less mementos and more burnables.”

“Burning is the goal!” Willow smiled.

Buffy opened her folder, a thick police file from Boston. It contained three coroner reports and photos of three different teenage girls. Two slashed at the throat. One was just a head. All were bloated and distorted from floating in water.

“Get it all,” Buffy said. I’m ready.

DAY 12

On yesterday’s patrol, Buffy had captured a vampire minion and gave him a message for Caleb.

Highway 1 bridge at 10. Alone.

Caleb was cocky. He’d show.

The wind whipped around Buffy as she stood high above the ravine on the bridge headed out of town. She pulled her coat tighter -- not tight enough to outline the ax hanging from her belt -- and passed the time by watching Orion, Dean’s favorite constellation. Willow had told her Orion the Hunter was the only man Artemis loved. (“Later she maybe killed him, but that’s totally not your story! Not a blueprint!”) It was a cute bit of trivia, but it didn’t matter.

Dean was no more Orion than he was Michael’s toy. She was more than a holding cell. If they were anything, they were masters of their own fate.

“You came,” Caleb shouted down the bridge. “I’m surprised after the beating I handed you last time, but then you are an arrogant bitch.”

She bit back a grin. It was almost too easy. “Don’t pretend you know me.”

“Don’t I? Buffy Summers became the Slayer without any training because who would have guessed such a shallow waste of space could be anything? Certainly not her daddy who ran away in terror. Now she tries to fill the hole by spreading her legs for any old guy who shows an interest.”

He smirked at her with the hungry glare of a middle-aged man parked outside a middle school. “People think Lucifer has Daddy issues, but he’s not still trying to gain approval. He can flex his own power.”

“Kind of a crappy story,” said Buffy. “Not very accurate either. I give it two stars, but one of those is a pity star.”

She slowly walked toward him. “Here’s a story I heard recently. About thirty-five years ago, a boy named Gregor was born with the most powerful magic skills history had ever seen. Of course, floating objects over his crib frightened his parents, so they dropped him off at an orphanage. He grew to despise the nuns who ran the place. Conveniently for him, he was the lone survivor of a fire at the orphanage when he was six. By the time he was thirteen, every orphanage and foster home he went to after that found a girl dead within six months of his arrival. He was never tied to the deaths though, because he was using magic.”

Snarls echoed from underneath the bridge. Buffy had expected Caleb to bring backup; although, she tried to not dwell on what could be climbing so high above the ravine.

“Are you trying to appeal to my humanity?” Caleb sneered. “This is more nostalgia than anything.”

Buffy continued. “Murder. Murder. Murder. Always girls. Probably misplaced mommy issues over being given up. But when Gregor turned sixteen, he was caught strangling a girl and sent to a juvenile detention center where he supposedly found God. When he got out, he changed his name and became a priest. And a serial killer.”

“Nice story--”

“I wasn’t finished.” The power of her voice stopped him in his tracks. “If this boy had been a powerful warlock, why did he start choking girls. Why did he get caught?”

Caleb cocked his head to the side, clearly desperate to know.

Two pairs of feet thudded behind her at the entrance to the bridge. She couldn’t deal with them now. Caleb had to be first or the spell wouldn’t work.

“It’s because Hecate cut him off. He was supposed to be her star, her vessel to move about the Earth when needed, but he was too maggot-riddled for her.” Hecate's sense of morality may be different from theirs, but it was clear she held women in higher regard than men.

Shots zipped through the air. Whatever was behind her roared.

With Caleb distracted, Buffy closed the gap between them and slapped him across the cheek, leaving an ashen handprint. The contact of their skin blazed white hot as his body, no longer a vessel, ejected the bit of Lucifer’s grace that could fit inside.

Doubled over on his knees, Caleb growled. “What did you do, you bitch?!”

“Magic,” she replied as she swung her axe down on his neck.

One swing for her. One for Dawn. For Grace. For Vi, Sophia, and every Potential he’d killed. Buffy, whose personal code was to never kill a human, chopped him to bits for every girl he’d murdered.

She spun around. Two Turok-Han were heading up the highway towards the tall trees where Bobby, Jo, and Ellen were perched with rifles and blessed bullets. Bobby had been right. The bullets hadn’t killed the vampires, but they had slowed and distracted Caleb’s minions.   

Buffy took a deep, stuttering breath over the bloody mess in the road, grabbed a chunk of his hair, and tossed Caleb’s head into the ravine below.

“Hey!” she barked. The vampires stopped to consider who to kill first. “Miffed about being shot? Don’t lose your head over it.”

With a running start and two hand springs, Buffy was between them. She twirled her ax above her head. The vampires’ heads popped off, and they crumbled to dust.

Buffy rose. Her grin to the stars. Blood dripping from her ax, from her fingertips.

Bobby and the Harvelle’s stumbled out from the brush.

“Well that went off without a hitch.” Ellen wrapped her arm around Buffy’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

“Yeah, Will’s spell turned off his vesselness.” Buffy’s hand had been covered in the ashes of some objects Caleb had owned. After Willow wrote the spell in the ash, all they needed to make it work was skin-to-skin contact.

They all began the trek back to where the Impala was hidden. Buffy resisted the urge to bounce. “God, I wish Sunnydale wasn’t shuttered up. I’d kill for a burger.”

“Nothin’ like the Apocalypse to make you miss the little things,” said Bobby.

Buffy missed one thing that wasn’t so little, but she wouldn’t let her mind drift there. The dream would come again, for sure. Tonight, however, she would live in the moment. She’d beaten back the Devil.

next chapter

[sassyshoulderangel319]

Imprint

“Faren. I need your help,” Onwee said.

Faren glanced up from the motorcycle she was fixing. “With what?”

“I can’t... I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Who?” Faren asked.

“The, uh, the girl from the... beach...”

Faren dropped her wrench and stood up. “Did you kiss her?!” she demanded.

“Uh...”

“Onwee, answer me!”

“Maybe?”

“Sgant above, Onwee!” She threw her hands in the air. “There’s a reason kissing is saved for marriage on Noq!”

“I don’t remember Noq, Faren! I was too young to remember it when we left! Maybe if you told me more about it this wouldn’t have happened!” He paused. “Why is kissing saved for marriage?”

“Noqians imprint, Onwee.”

“Meaning what?”

“Once you kiss her, you’re tied to her for life. You’ll never fall for another person---human, Noqian, otherwise. And humans are fragile!”

“Not her,” Onwee said, shaking his head. “She’s... she’s different.”

Faren scoffed. “She’s not. I assure you. All humans are the same.”

“Listen to me, Faren. She’s not like normal humans. She’s... she’s got powers. Kinda like us.”

“Sgant,” Faren muttered. “Like what?”

“Pyrokinesis, she called it? She can control fire.”

“Great. So you’ve imprinted on a human who’s been exposed to the radiation of a Noqian ship. Sometimes, certain humans gain strange powers when they get too close to our technology. Great. Just great, Onwee.” Faren clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. “It could be worse. Noqian-exposed humans are tougher than normal ones. But... we don’t stick around, remember? Imprinting means you’re tied to her till you die. You’ll be hung up on her forever. So you either have to leave her behind and miss her for the rest of your life, or tell her the truth and bring her with us.”

“No way in Taw she’d believe me!”

“She trusted you with her powers. She’ll trust you with this. Give her two touches of proof and she’ll have to.”

Onwee sighed. “Fine. I’ll try telling her the truth.”

“Hey, Blaze!” a familiar voice called. I grinned and turned slowly.

“Hi Liam. What’s up?” I asked as he jogged up to me. He stared at me for several seconds, making me a little concerned. Did I have something on my face? What was he staring at?

He slowed to a stop and smiled. It was a lazy, sweet smile. “Do you have a minute? There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Apparently he saw the anxiety cross my face because he amended, “There’s nothing wrong. It’s just private.”

I glanced around and rubbed my nose. “Sure,” I said. “I’ve got time.”

Gently he cupped my elbow and led me around a corner to an alley where no one was.

“So what’s this about?” I asked curiously, tugging my jacket tighter around me as a chilly breeze blew down the alley.

“Me,” Liam said. “It’s about me. But it’s also about you. And... well... us. The other night on the beach... I really liked, uh... I really liked kissing you.” He blushed a little and looked down. His hand slid down from my elbow to my hand, taking it.

I giggled. “I liked it too,” I said.

He gave me a small melancholy grin. “I’m, uh... I’m glad. But this is the part where I come clean.”

“You’re not married are you?”

“Sgant! No,” he replied. He’d said that before, Sgant, and I’d never known what it meant.

“Girlfriend?” I pressed. “Boyfriend? Datemate?”

“No. No, no, no, no, no,” he said, brushing his messy black bangs out of his eyes. Again I was as struck by their amber color---so unusual. “No. It’s got nothing to do with that.” The insistence in his voice was so genuine that I believed him.

“Okay,” I said. “So what’s up?”

He huffed a sigh. “Okay. You’re not going to believe this, but you need to. I need you to trust me, okay?”

“Okaaay...” I bit my lip for a second. “Liam what’s going on?”

“Well, first off, my name’s not Liam...”

“You’re an alien?!” I hissed. “Geez. My mother always said I had strange taste in men.”

Liam---Onwee---actually chuckled. “Yeah.”

“And you did what to me?”

“I imprinted on you. According to an older... companion of mine, we can fall in love multiple times, but if we kiss someone... we imprint on them. We’re theirs forever.”

“So... with what happened at the beach...”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Whether you like it or not... I’m yours forever. And... we move around a lot. So I either move around without you and miss you like mad the entire time or... you come with me.” He reached out and took both of my hands in his. “And I know you probably don’t feel as deeply as I do because to you it was probably just for fun and... noncommittal, but I’ve spent every day since the beach with you in my head and I can’t get you out. It doesn’t work like that with my species. I’ll understand if you don’t want... to ever see me again. Or come with me. But...”

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Everywhere. We tend to stick to the States for now, but we’re going to branch out when we have nowhere else in the States to go.”

This is it, Blaze, I thought. The opportunity to go and keep going. To keep mobile so no one finds out about your powers. To get out of this small town and have new experiences. Who knows? Maybe you’ll really fall for him.

I cleared my throat. “Liam---Onwee, whatever---I, uh... I’d like to go with you,” I said.

He was so startled he dropped my hands. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I want to go. I want to get out of this town and see the country and maybe even the world. I just don’t want to be here anymore. I stay much longer and I won’t be able to keep my powers a secret.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Dating an alien sounds exactly like something I’d do,” I muttered in amusement.

Oh heck. If Amy was still in town she’d roll on the floor with laughter at how “me” that was.

But Amy had skipped town with her boyfriend when we graduated high school. I hadn’t seen her in years.

I reached out and took Liam’s hands. “Let’s go. Next time you move, I’m coming with you.”

“What about your friends? Family? Your life?”

“My parents will understand. They’ve been wary around me because of my powers since I got them. My real friends have all left by now. It’s about time I got out too.”

Liam smiled. “Okay,” he said. “When Faren and I get ready to leave, you’re coming with us.”

I smiled too. “Thank you.”

“No. Thank you,” he said. “This will make it a lot easier on me, having you with me. But... I apologize in advance if I get overprotective. I don’t know how imprinting works. I can already feel the urge to keep you safe and it’s only been a couple of days.”

I couldn’t help but snicker. “About time someone did,” I joked.

Someone appeared at the alley opening. “Either-a you folks gotta lighter?” a familiar voice asked. Every voice in town was familiar.

“Smokin’ is bad for you, Alex,” I said, letting go of Liam’s hands to shove my own in the pockets of my shorts to keep my hands from glowing noticeably. It happened sometimes.

“Aw c’mon, Heather Be Tethered,” he complained. “I know you got a lighter on you.”

“Is that so?” I retorted, clenching my jaw.

“Heather?” Liam asked. “I thought your name was Blaze.”

“It is,” I ground out. “My middle name is Heather. But when I was in middle school my records got screwed up so my name said Heather B. Tether instead of Blaze H. Tether. That nickname still hasn’t gone away. Ten years later.”

Alex laughed. “‘Ey, new guy, first thing you need to know about Heather Be Tethered here, is that she’s tethered to this town. She ain’t goin’ anywhere. Now c’mon, hand your lighter over.” He held his out for my nonexistent lighter, palm up.

“What makes you assume I have a lighter?” I asked.

Alex scoffed. “You have everything on you, all the time. Pen, mirror, laser pointer. You have to have a lighter.”

“I don’t. But I should tell your mother that you’re smoking.”

Alex’s expression dropped. “You wouldn’t,” he said.

I cocked an eyebrow. “Wanna try me?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

Alex scrambled backward and rushed out of the alley. I put my phone back in my pocket.

“I hate the smell of cigarettes,” I muttered, a bit grumpy. I should have called Alex’s mom anyway. Liam watched me for a moment, a grin tilting up the corner of his lips.

I turned my attention back to Liam. “What were we talking about?”

“I’m an alien who’s imprinted on you,” he said.

“Right, right,” I said.

“And you’re going to come with me when we leave.”

“Right. That’s it.”

“Are you busy for the rest of the night? I could take you back to my place and introduce you to Faren.”

“I was heading back to the beach for the bonfire, but afterward maybe? Wanna join me on the beach?”

“Uh... sure.”

“And if anyone asks, just say we’re dating now,” I said.

“Right,” Liam agreed.

“Blaze! There you are! I was beginning to think you were ditching!”

I laughed. “Nah. Just got a little side-tracked, promise! I wasn’t going to miss the last party of the summer!”

“Ooh! You two dating now?” Rachel pointed at where Liam was holding my hand.

“Yeah.”

“About time! You two have been making goo-goo eyes at each other since he and his sister showed up here!”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “C’mon Rae. I don’t make goo-goo eyes.”

“Not for guys we grew up with, no,” she teased. “But new, handsome, hunks? Mmm... I pretty well think you do!”

“Rae. Stop,” I said.

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.” But there was a smile on her face like she had no intention of stopping at any point in the foreseeable future. A headache started to form under my temples at the very thought of it. But she got distracted. “Hey Joey! You bring the sound system?” she shouted, rushing away from where Quinten and George were trying to get the bonfire lit.

I let go of Liam’s hand and went over to them. “Problem, boys?” I joked.

“Stupid wind keeps blowing the matches out.”

I scoffed and elbowed them out of the way. “Watch and learn, boys.” I struck a match on a rock, using my powers to sustain it in a way they wouldn’t notice, and caught the tinder. I used my powers more than anything to encourage the fire to keep going. Quinten and George didn’t notice. 

No one would notice except Liam.

Once the bonfire was burning, I got up. “Take it from the master, boys, fire’s got a mind of its own.” I bowed and ducked back over to Liam. Joey started blasting music from the speakers he’d brought. I took Liam’s hand. “So, do aliens dance on your planet?” I called over the noise.

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “I can’t remember it. I left when I was too young.”

“Sorry,” I said.

He shrugged. “Earth is home,” he said.

“Okay. Well, Earthling, dance with me!”

He smiled, rolled his eyes in amusement, and began to dance with me. We laughed and definitely had a hard time dancing in sand, but we enjoyed ourselves. Everyone stared at us---the new guy and the nice nerd, having a blast---but we didn’t care.

We left when the alcohol was brought out. I’d decided a long time ago to never drink and I was sticking to that.

“C’mon,” Liam said. “Let me introduce you to Faren.”

“I’m Faren. For lack of a better word, I’m Onwee’s sister. But we’re not actually related,” the woman said. Her eyes were blue, like a human’s, but her hair was a metallic pale green. She was tall and elegant. “And you’re Blaze, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Blaze Tether.”

“Pleasure,” she said, sticking her hand out to shake. I shook it. She blinked, glanced at our hands, and let me go. She turned to Liam---Onwee. “Still can’t believe you imprinted on a human. Even a Noqian-hybridized one.”

“I’m not a hybrid,” I said. “I’m one-hundred-percent human.”

“Not anymore you’re not,” Faren said. “The moment you got your powers your DNA was transformed enough to become a partial hybrid Noqian. Speaking of, when and how did you get your powers?”

“I was twelve,” I said. “We went on a trip to Louisiana. New Orleans for a couple of days and then Dad wanted to see the bayou. We were on one of those fan boats at dusk when the sky lit up blue---like a lightning strike that didn’t go away. This meteor streaked overhead and crashed nearby. I’m guessing it wasn’t a meteor now.”

“No. It was a Noqian ship. And your exposure to its radiation and power source are what gave you your powers. Some humans transform a little when exposed to it. Most don’t.”

“Does that mean I’m special?” I joked sarcastically.

“It means you’re genetically lucky,” Faren corrected. “Adaptable.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Faren, she’s coming with us,” Liam said.

“Good. Because Sgant knows I don’t need you pining after her for the rest of your life,” Faren said.

“Is Sgant, like, the deity of your home-world?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Liam said. I nodded in understanding. That much I could get my head around.

“We’re here for another few weeks but once we get ready to leave, we’ll let you know. A fair note of warning: you might never come back,” Faren said. I glanced at Liam and then back at Faren.

“I can live with that,” I said. “It’s easier to keep my powers a secret if I’m moving around all the time. And my parents and I... we have a rather strained relationship.” Mostly since I got my powers but I didn’t say that out loud. The aliens would find that out eventually.

“Heard you’re leavin’ with the new boyfriend and his sister,” Alex said as I tried to ignore him. The town was small enough that news traveled fast and it was impossible to escape someone asking you about any rumors. He was skateboarding next to me. I was on the sidewalk and he was in the gutter. There was a, thankfully unlit, cigarette behind his ear.

“Whether I am or not is none of your business, Alex,” I said.

“C’mon, Blaze. Talk to me. Whatever happened to us?” Alex pressed.

I hissed out a sigh through ground teeth. “You turned into a jerk,” I grumbled.

“Excuse me?” he snapped.

“Well look at you, Al!” I retorted. “Smoking and skateboarding and feeling like you’re all rebellious and punk when really you’re just as stuck as everyone else in this forsaken town! I broke up with you for good reason and who I date and what I do is none of your business!”

“Is there a problem, Blaze?” a new voice asked. Liam stepped out of nowhere, one arm encircling my waist protectively, the other hanging at his side. He was significantly taller and more muscular than Alex.

“No,” I replied tightly. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Hmm,” Liam grunted, eyes sweeping Alex up and down. “Sure?”

“Yes, Liam,” I said. “I’m not scared of Alex.”

“You have no right to take her away,” Alex snarled. “She belongs in this town.”

“She belongs where she chooses to belong, you imagine-less walnut,” Liam snapped. “She’s choosing to belong to the world.”

“And to you,” I added to Liam. It was a bit of an odd thing to say, but it got the point across.

“And to me,” he said thoughtfully, as if my saying that was the best thing he’d ever heard. If I had to guess, imprinting was a powerful force. I wondered how much was real and how much was just his brain chemistry imprinting me in his feelings and keeping him “in love” with me.

Alex dropped off his skateboard and grabbed my arm. “Blaze, please. Don’t leave. This town will never be the same without you!”

“Good,” I said. “I don’t want to be in this town anymore. I’m done.” I tilted onto my tiptoes and brushed a light kiss on Liam’s jaw. He gave me a soft smile and then gave Alex a hard look.

“Let her go,” he snarled. His other hand grabbed Alex’s wrist---the one that was holding onto me---and forced it off. “And if you want to keep your hand---”

“Liam,” I warned, putting one hand on his chest. “Don’t.”

He didn’t say anything.

I put my other hand on his chest and pushed. “Liam. Let him go. He’s not worth it.”

Alex was making vague noises of pain behind me as I tried to push Liam off.

“Onwee,” I whispered.

That caught his attention. He looked down at me.

“Please. Let him go.”

He released Alex’s hand and gently brushed his lips over my forehead. “My apologies, Blaze,” he said. He took my hand and started to walk off in the direction I’d been going in before Alex interrupted me. Once my ex was out of earshot, Liam’s grip loosened somewhat. “I’m sorry, Blaze. I shouldn’t have lost it like that.”

“It’s alright,” I said with a shrug, shoving my hand in my other pocket. “You didn’t seriously hurt him. Just... try not to let it happen again.”

“I don’t know if I’ll always be able to help that,” he said. “When it comes to you... you’re my whole world now.”

“I... I’m sorry,” I said.

“For... what?” Liam asked.

“For doing this to you. For... imprinting myself on you.”

He shook his head. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine. I initiated the kiss, didn’t I?”

I pursed my lips and remembered the night on the beach last week.

^^^^^

Bonfires on the beach weren’t uncommon. Even in autumn when it was cold outside. The dying summer was a bit chilly, but nothing the heat of the bonfire couldn’t amend.

I kept it burning merrily, partially with my powers, partially with the help of lots of logs. Some of them were driftwood that added a bluish hue to the flames from the salt soaked in them. My friends trusted me with the fire because I paid it more attention than they did. I noticed when it started burning low.

“Hey, Blaze,” Millie whispered, nudging me.

“Hmm?” I asked, tearing my gaze from the fire.

“That new guy is staring at you.”

I glanced over. Liam Wesson’s eyes were on me. His sister, Leanne, was nowhere to be seen. I’d only caught sight of her once at the grocery store the day they’d moved in. They’d been in town for about a week.

I shrugged at Millie. “Firelight is very flattering on me,” I joked.

She nudged me again. “Go talk to him! He’s cute!” she hissed.

That he was. Standing alone at the edge of the party. Like he always seemed to do everywhere---even if there wasn’t an edge to stand on. Tall with lean muscle, he had thick black hair that caught the firelight with amber glints---the same glints as his eyes. He had a sharp jawline with a narrow face. I snuck him another glance. Black leather jacket, green shirt underneath, jeans slung low on his hips, black boots. It was not fair how handsome he looked.

I gave Millie a look. “Fine,” I muttered. “But only because I’ve talked to him before.”

A couple times. On a few dates. That no one knew we’d gone on. Somehow. Even in a small town where everyone knew everything. No idea how that worked. Maybe Liam had pulled some alien woo-doo to keep us hidden from the rest of the people in my town. That wouldn’t have surprised me.

I marched over to him. “Millie’s telling me to come over here and talk to you,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah?” he asked, a small grin of his own forming.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“She know?”

“Nobody does. I don’t know how, but somehow, no one knows.”

“Wanna go for a walk? The beach at night is gorgeous and the moon’s comin’ out.” He held his elbow out for me.

I took it. “Sure,” I said.

We wandered away from the party, arm-in-arm and quiet until the party noise faded behind us. “They’re gonna notice,” Liam remarked. “When you vanish and don’t come to tend to the fire.”

I shrugged. “Let ‘em. I like hanging out with you,” I said.

“But we haven’t said anything to anyone thus far. I thought you wanted to keep it a secret.” He glanced over at me as the last vestiges of firelight faded from his hair, moonlight taking over. It caught his unnaturally amber eyes and gave them a metallic glimmer.

“It doesn’t need to be a total secret,” I said. “I just thought, at the beginning, it’d be safer to not say anything. Avoid the rumors.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Small town, remember? Everyone knows everyone and everything too.”

“And now?”

“Now I don’t care if they know I like you.”

“Oh---you---” His voice broke. “---you like me?”

I rubbed the tip of my nose. “Well, I... uh... yeah,” I said. “Not very, uh, smooth at admitting stuff like that. Not very good at timing either.”

Liam shook his head. “No, it’s... it’s endearing.”

I blushed. “Thanks.”

There was a pause between us. “Paos you’re beautiful in this light.” He clapped his hand over his mouth. “Sgant. I’m sorry.”

I laughed, ignoring the strange words. “Don’t be. It’s... endearing.” I bit my tongue and grinned with a little giggle. 

Liam chuckled as we stopped, overlooking the sea. “I, uh... I like you too, by the way.”

“Really?” I asked. “I think that’s a first.”

“What?” Liam asked.

“Requited crush,” I said.

“How is that a first? You’re incredible, Blaze.”

“Wish everyone else thought that. To them I’m just the girl they grew up with. Nothing special.”

“That’s not true.”

“To them it is,” I said.

Liam turned toward me and brushed my hair out of my face. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” he said quietly.

“And how do you see me?” I asked, half-desolate, half-playful.

He brushed my hair out of my face a little firmer as it fell back over my eye. “You’re starlight, Blaze,” he whispered, leaning closer. Like a magnet, I was pulled to him.

Breathing heavily, both of us, he bent down, pressing his lips to mine. I threw my arms around his neck and held onto him, kissing him back enthusiastically.

^^^^^

I should have known everything would change after that.

I looked over at Liam. “Yeah. Yeah you did initiate the kiss, but I wasn’t exactly prudish about it either.”

“What-ish?”

“Prudish. You know, like... Puritan... or... never mind.” I shook my head. “So... when are we getting out of here?”

“Soon. Promise.” We kept walking. “By the way, that kiss you gave me, just now when your friend was being a ghaun---you don’t have to do that. Play like you like me when really you’re not sure yet.”

“Maybe I don’t have to, but I want to,” I said. “I do like you. That’s why I kissed you back, remember?”

He bit his lower lip and grinned at me. “For sure?”

“For sure.” I grinned back at him.

We ducked into the grocery store.

“Thanks for saving me from a really awkward conversation with Alex, by the way.”

He shrugged. “My pleasure.”

“Just... don’t rip anyone’s arms off.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I woke up with a gasp. Liam’s arms were around me, warm and strong and secure. It’d be impossible to wriggle out of his embrace without waking him up---I know, I’d tried---so I just laid there.

Didn’t stop him from waking up and threading his fingers into my hair. “What’s wrong?” he murmured lowly. Not that Faren would wake up on the other side of the wall anyway. His other arm pulled me closer to his bare chest as he buried his nose in my hair and inhaled.

I panted, reaching around his back and holding onto him, feeling his solidarity. “Nothing. Just a bad dream,” I said.

Gosh falling in love with an alien was so something I’d do.

He stroked my hair. “Wanna tell me about it?”

I shook my head against his chest. “Not really.”

“You can trust me with anything. I’m all yours, faithfully. You can trust the one who you’ve imprinted.”

“I know. I just... I don’t want to talk about it.” I snuggled my forehead against his chest.

“What was it about?”

“The night I got my powers. Magnified a hundred times worse.” My breath shook as I exhaled. “Go back to sleep. It’s late,” I said. His fingers pressed against my scalp firmer.

“Blaze...”

“I’m fine. Promise.”

He held me close and sighed back into sleep, his breath fluttering the hair on the top of my head.

One of the things I was jealous of about Noqians? They could fall asleep on command. They also didn’t need quite as much as humans so Liam and Faren were always awake before I was. It wasn’t uncommon for me to fall asleep in the motel room and wake up in the car.

The dream replayed in my head. Bright and loud and more vivid than the actual night had to have been. I’d always rather liked my powers, but the night I got them nearly destroyed my life. My relationship with my parents had never recovered. I’d been keeping a massive secret since I was twelve. And it strained my friendships---and every other kind of relationship I had.

I sighed and pressed my forehead against Liam’s chest. I could smell the motel’s soap on his skin. Under it was a musky scent that I recognized as him. It was calming.

“I love you, Liam Wesson,” I whispered, not even caring that Liam Wesson wasn’t his real name. Who cared?

Closing my eyes, I fell back to sleep.

^^^^^

“Blaze!” Dad shouted, reaching out for me as the boat rocked. The blue meteor hurtled past, heat coming off of it making the water of the bayou steam around us and our skin turn red. Mom grabbed my arm and hauled me closer so I wouldn’t fall overboard.

“That was close,” she said, holding me close.

Somewhere several miles away, the bright light of the meteor vanished as it crashed.

The heat didn’t dissipate. It built and built---inside me. Not externally.

Mom let me go with a sharp hiss. “Blaze, you’re burning up!”

I looked down. My hands were glowing. I shrieked and looked up at my parents. “What’s happening?” I demanded.

“I don’t know, honey, but you need to calm down, okay? Just breathe. Come on, baby. Breathe,” Mom said soothingly. I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. My heart was racing and I was terrified.

“My skin is burning!” I exclaimed, panting. The glowing grew brighter.

“Blaze, Blaze calm down. Please.”

Fire erupted on my hands. I screamed.

Thinking fast, my brother made the smartest decision possible: he pushed me off the boat. I landed in the swamp water with a splash. When I surfaced, spluttering and suddenly freezing, steam was curling off the surface. My parents pulled me back into the boat and wrapped me up in a towel.

“We have to go home,” Mom said to Dad. “Find out what’s happening.”

“Right,” Dad agreed.

^^^^^

Onwee woke silently to Blaze trembling in his arms. She was still asleep. Her pajama shirt was silky against his bare skin, her hair soft under his lips. He held her tighter to him until her shaking quieted.

Sgant, he loved her. And it wasn’t just the imprint.

Granted, most of it was probably the imprint, but he’d liked her before he imprinted on her. She was bright in more ways than one---smart, happy, compassionate---and so beautiful. To him. He’d never met another human quite like her. He knew humans were all unique in their own ways but she was the first human he’d felt that with.

“I love you, Blaze Tether,” he whispered.

“Either-a you kids got a light?” a man in the bar asked. Liam’s hand tightened in mine, warning me not to do anything.

“Nope, sorry,” I said with a friendly half-grin and smile.

“Where’re you from? ‘Cause, uh, the accent,” the man said. He was clearly drunk. Too drunk to remember much in the morning.

I shrugged. “Podunk beach town you’ve never heard of,” I replied. I reached out with my free hand, snapped, and lit my thumb, lighting his cigar while no one else paid us any attention. “Have a good night now.”

“What are you doing?” Liam hissed.

“He’s too drunk. Even if he remembers me, no one will believe him.” I smirked. “Let’s go, babe,” I said. “Faren will be expecting us.”

He pulled me out of the bar with more force than necessary after snatching the drink we’d gotten for Faren. She was holding the rag to her shoulder. “Ugh. Thank Sgant,” she muttered when Liam passed her the bottle. She downed half of it in one go as we drove off.

Liam didn’t say a word for several miles. “Okay,” I said. “You’re mad.”

He glanced at me, amber eyes flashing the way they often did when he was suppressing a superpower outburst. “You know better than to use your powers out in the open like that!” he said quietly.

“So I lit his cigar with my thumb. So what?” I retorted.

“I’m trying to keep you safe, Blaze,” Liam said.

“You don’t need to. No one’s after me. I came with you to be with you. Not because I needed to run.” I rubbed his arm as his hand on the steering wheel tightened. “I love you, Liam.”

“Love you too,” he said tightly. He shot me a quick look. “You ever wonder what your life would have turned out like if I hadn’t imprinted on you?”

I shrugged. “Not really,” I said. “It’s better this way. Being mobile. Easier to keep my powers a secret. I’d have them whether we met or not. But I like it this way. Even if you’re overprotective sometimes.” I grinned.

Faren groaned in the backseat.

“Fare, I can cauterize that,” I said.

“You can’t get hot enough,” Faren said. “My skin is denser than yours.”

“I think I can,” I said. “Might as well let me try.”

Faren grunted. “Fine. Onwee, pull over somewhere private when we get out of this town.” She took another chug. “That is the last time I try something you humans call fun,” she said.

“It was an accident,” I reminded her.

“You say that like I care,” she muttered.

“Don’t mind her. She’s grumpy when she’s in pain,” Liam said.

“I know,” I said.

We drove for what felt like an hour before Liam pulled over on the side of the road. There were trees on both sides of the road. He helped Faren out of the car and onto the ground. Thankfully it was dirt so the grass wouldn’t catch and burn down the woods.

Liam held the rag while I tore her shirt off her shoulder so it wouldn’t catch either.

“Go as hot as you can,” Faren said. I nodded.

“I will. But tell me if it’s too much,” I replied.

“Doubt it.” Clenching her jaw, she gave me a nod.

I put my hand on her wound, trying not to gag at the blood even if it was violet, and channeled fire into my hand, as much heat as I could muster. My hand glowed red, then orange, then yellow, then white, and then blue-white. The air around us sizzled with heat as Faren cried out in pain, arching her back. Liam helped pin her down until I felt the wound cauterize.

Once it did, I stopped---

And fell to the side, totally wiped out.

Liam caught me before I could hit the dirt. “You alright?” he asked.

“Tired,” I said. “Faren...”

“I’m fine, Blaze,” Faren said, sitting up in my peripheral vision, her good hand gingerly feeling at her shoulder. “You did it. Thank you.”

I nodded.

Liam helped me to my feet. My knees were wobbly and my legs trembled with the effort of staying up. “Paos. You really overdid it,” Liam muttered, scooping me up into his arms to set me in the car. I shrugged weakly.

“Your skin’s denser than mine,” I said.

He went back for Faren. She grouched a bit but got in the car on her own after Liam helped her to her feet. “Y’okay, Blaze?” she asked as she buckled up.

“Yeah. Just overexerted my powers,” I said, shutting my eyes and leaning on Liam’s shoulder as he turned the car back on and we drove off. He didn’t seem to mind and it didn’t seem to hinder his driving ability so I stayed there as the car sped down the road.

“You’re gonna have to burn that rag too,” he said quietly. “We don’t want to leave... any of our blood behind.”

I nodded. “Right,” I said. “But...” I yawned. “Nap first.”

Liam chuckled. “Sweetheart, you’re going to go to sleep and get some good rest. Worry about the rag later, okay?”

I grunted in assent. “Mmhmm.”

“Wait a minute...! Blaze?!” a familiar voice demanded.

I whirled around. “Amy!” I exclaimed, rushing down the sidewalk and tackling my best friend into a hug. “How are you?!”

“I’m fine. Geez. Never thought I’d see you away from home.”

“Me too! It’s so good to see you!”

“You too, B. What’s going on? What are you doing here? Are you alone?”

“No. My boyfriend and his sister are in that store over there,” I said, gesturing to where Liam and Faren had gone into. “We’re just traveling. Seeing the country a little, you know what I mean?”

“Yeah I do. We’re doing the same thing. Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

“Since a couple months ago,” I said. Wow. Had it been that long already? Summer was long gone and winter would be sweeping in any day now. “He and his sister moved to our town and we started to really like each other and hit it off from there. So... we decided to travel.”

“I’m so proud of you!” Amy said, hugging me.

“Thanks. How’s your boyfriend?” I asked. In a teasing tone, I added, “Y’know, the one you abandoned me for?”

She laughed---she knew I bore her no ill will about Harrison. “He’s fine. He’s just picking up the takeout we ordered. We actually live in this town,” she replied. I looked around. “It’s bigger than home, but not so big that I feel anxious about it.”

I nodded. “Yeah. This seems like a nice place,” I agreed.

“Blaze?” Liam called. He jogged over. “Who’s th---Amy right?”

“That’s me. How did you know?”

“Blaze has photos of you on her phone.”

“Oh. Right,” Amy said.

“Amy this is Liam Wesson, my boyfriend. Liam, this is Amelia Grady, my best friend from home,” I introduced them. Liam shook her hand with a charming smile.

“Dang, B. You know how to pick ‘em, don’t you?” she teased.

“You could say that,” I agreed.

Harrison appeared down the sidewalk, leaving a restaurant. “Amy?”

“Over here, babe!” she called, waving Harrison over. “Come meet Blaze’s boyfriend!”

“Blaze got a boyfriend?”

“Yes. She did,” Amy said.

“Liam Wesson,” Liam said, sticking his hand out.

“Harrison. Tyler. Harrison Tyler,” Harrison replied, shaking his hand. “Whoa. Quite a grip you got there, dude.”

Liam let him go. “Op. Sorry.”

“No, no. It’s... fine. Just unexpected,” Harrison said. I leaned into Liam’s side. He wrapped an arm around my waist subconsciously. I put my arm around his waist too. I didn’t have to absorb his body heat since I made plenty of my own with my powers, but that didn’t mean I didn’t appreciate being surrounded by his heat.

“Well, keep in touch, okay? I want to hear about all of it!” Amy said.

I nodded. “You got it. Promise.”

Amy beamed. “Yes!”

“Detain both of them. Immediately,” the man in the military uniform ordered. He had three stars on his shoulders. A general maybe? I couldn’t remember.

Soldiers grabbed me and yanked me and Liam apart.

“Liam!” I shrieked. “LIAM!”

“Blaze!” he shouted, wrenching two guards off of him.

“LIAM!” I cried.

Anger and fear surged through me. I channeled it directly down my arms, burning at the skin of the soldiers holding onto me. “Let go of me!” I growled, shoving them off. Three more guards were trying to restrain Liam.

I threw out my hands in their direction and let off pillars of flame, hitting them in the chests. The force of the fire carried them away from him while I ran toward him. I cut off the fire as I reached him, throwing my arms around him. He wrapped his around me. “We need to go,” he said.

“Ya think?” I muttered. “I told you getting too close to Area Fifty-One was a bad idea.”

“You can gloat later, babe,” Liam said, grabbing my hand. We ran through the building, ignoring the flashing lights and wailing alarms.

“No way we’re gonna make it out of here!” I shouted. “Not alive! They’ll catch us!”

“They won’t,” Liam said. I wished I could share his confidence. “Hold onto me.”

“I am,” I said.

“Good.” As we ran down a long, loud concrete hallway, I started to feel a bit... light. Like I was running on clouds.

A step ahead of me, Liam was growing... transparent? What?

“What’s going on?” I called.

“Hang on!” Liam shouted over the alarms.

I must have blinked or something because suddenly we were outside, running away. “What the Taw just happened?!” I asked.

I’d been around him and Faren long enough that I started talking like them.

“Occasionally we can teleport,” Liam said. “It’s difficult and exhausting so it doesn’t happen very often but I figured now would be a good time.” We slowed to a stop, panting.

“Should... find... Faren.”

“She can take care of herself. Right now we need to worry about us.” Liam looked around. “We really are in the middle of nowhere out here, huh?”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“Let’s get going.”

As we started to trudge through the desert, I glanced around. “How did they even find us?”

“Well... Faren and I are Noqian. You’re a hybrid, technically. I’m guessing we give off some sort of different energy. Maybe our thermal or infrared spectrum is different from a human’s.”

“Maybe,” I said.

I curled up against Liam. He held me protectively. “I love you,” I whispered in the darkness.

“I love you,” he replied. He glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. “Hey, happy birthday, Blaze.”

I smiled. “Thanks baby.”

“Y’know... it wasn’t me and Faren crashing that gave you your powers.”

“I figured as much.”

“But that means there are Noqians who fled to Earth after Faren and I---and the others---did.”

“You never told me why you did come here,” I said.

“Global civil war. Most of us who ran were targets. All Noqians have powers. It’s just how we adapted to our environment. But those of us who fled are stronger than average. Faren is a high-ranking warrior---even at a young age.”

“Let me guess: supposed to protect you?”

“Partially. When I was a kid. Her other jobs were to train me to control my powers and to teach me about Noq. When we fled, I was too young to have permanent memory. Equivalent to a human two-year-old. In humans permanent long-term memory begins at about three.”

“Why Earth?”

Liam shrugged. “It’s as good a place as any. The weather’s somewhat stable, it can sustain life, the gravity isn’t quite as strong as on Noq and the atmosphere is richer in oxygen and nitrogen, and the people are relatively nice as long as they don’t know you’re an alien. Americans are a little abrasive, but there are lots of decent ones. Like present company.”

“Aw thanks. Would you be saying that if you hadn’t imprinted on me?”

“Of course. I liked you before we kissed,” Liam said, pulling me closer.

“Fair enough. So if more Noqians have come here... can you and Faren find them?”

He hummed in thought. “I don’t know. Faren probably could in the blink of an eye. Especially if she knew where to look but it’s been ten years since that ship crashed so it’ll be hard to track them now.”

“Are you ever... going back?”

“Probably not. Unless we can take you with us.”

“I wouldn’t survive on Noq,” I said. “If your atmosphere doesn’t have as much oxygen and the gravity is stronger, I’d die.”

“Yeah I probably would too, if I’m honest. I’ve lived the vast majority of my life here. My body’s adapted to Earth’s conditions. Hence why I’m not going back. Faren could. She’s old enough that she can return without too many bad repercussions, but not me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not unless they want me back. Which I doubt. I don’t even know what’s happened on Noq since we left. The war could be over, but it could still be raging. Who knows? I have no way of contacting them. Faren might, but she’s never trusted me with it. Which is probably safe given I really don’t have any love for Noq. Earth is my home. You are my home.”

“Don’t let Faren hear you say that,” I joked.

Liam chuckled. “She cleaves to Noq because she remembers it. She grew up there. Lived... not quite most of her life there. Me? Earth is all I remember. We fled the civil war but... those of us who left lost a lot in being so young.”

“Mm,” I hummed.

Liam stroked my hair. “Get some rest, Blaze. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave.”

“No you won’t,” I teased. “I’ll wake up in the car, the same as I always do.”

Liam smiled---I could feel it more than see it. “Fair point,” he said. “Sleep well, sana.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Easiest English translation? ‘My love.’ More complicated one could be, ‘My one and only who I have imprinted on.’”

I giggled.

“Listen, Blaze, I shouldn’t be saying this, but there might be a way for you to imprint on Onwee as well. You might be Noqian enough with your powers and the exposure to our technology for it to work,” Faren said. “But there’s no guarantee and if it doesn’t work you could end up...”

“Dead?” I suggested.

“Mm... Close enough to it that you’d wish you were.” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t have to matter. Just... if you want to imprint on him too, you can.”

“I’m already in love with him,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but the majority of your DNA is human. The Noqian transformations haven’t changed the way you love. And humans’ love it a fickle thing,” Faren said.

“Not if you really commit to it and work hard at it. There’s a reason married couples who really love each other stay together and love each other till the day they die.”

“But there’s no reason to believe that you will be one of those.”

I clenched my jaw. “Not for you. You don’t know me that well yet. But a life-long marriage is something I’ve always aspired to. That being said... tell me how to imprint on Liam. If I think I can handle it, maybe I’ll try.” I rubbed under my nose---more out of habit than any real need.

Faren gave me a look. “Okay,” she said. “You’re not going to like it, but it is possible.”

I shrugged. “Tell me,” I said. “I’m willing to try---if I can.”

“It’s dangerous,” Liam said, stepping in.

“We’re just talking it out first,” I said. “No one’s making any promises. Nothing’s certain. I just wanna hear how it might work and then we’ll make a decision.”

Faren closed her eyes. “I didn’t want you to hear us talking,” she said.

“Well, I did,” Liam said, a little snarky about it. “Blaze, don’t. It’s dangerous.”

“Tell me how it’s done. Then I’ll decide. If you’re that opposed, maybe I won’t.”

“Just want you to be safe, sana.”

“I know, Liam,” I said. “Just tell me.”

“Alright fine.” He huffed a sigh. “Faren?” With a sweeping gesture, he indicated for Faren to tell me. She gave me a small grin of reassurance.

[fantasticworksandwheretofindthem]

Baby Troubles

Summary: [Name] seeks out advice from Tom without giving him all the details of the problem.

Notes: mentions of abortion, slight smut, assumed masterbation

Prompt: “Does he know about the baby?”

It was a nice Saturday morning. The sun was smiling down on all the blooming flowers, and the birds were singing their happy little songs. Dogs were barking cheerfully, and cats were napping peacefully as always.

Wrong. All of that was so wrong. This was Georgia we’re talking about, for Christ’s sake. The sun was blazing hot, almost as if he found satisfaction in ruining people’s makeup and hair with the sweat and humidity. Nature’s songs were just a less violent way for male birds to tell other males, “Back off, this bitch is mine.” The dogs in the neighborhood were barking, just not cheerfully. They were either chasing the cars that passed by every few seconds on their way to work, scratching the front door and whining to be let in, or they were growling at the cats who were supposed to be sleeping.

Of course, this was the norm for you. You were used to Southern life. You were raised here [ignore this if you’d rather not prefer this] and you’d worked here for God knows how long. This was a typical Saturday, you thought as you hopped in your car and drove to Starbucks. You ordered the usual for yourself and Alaysia. After paying, you resumed your journey and stopped by the dollar store, picking up every flavor of Ben & Jerry’s in stock, double-stuffed Oreos, and a ton of sour candies.

“Tough breakup?” the cashier asked with an apologetic smile as you went to checkout.

You smiled sadly at the college-looking brunette. “My best friend’s having a tough time. Neither of them wanted it.”

She nodded sympathetically. “I figured it was somethin’ like that, since you’re the one buyin’ everything. Last serious breakup I had, I refused to leave my bed for a month.”

“Sounds about like my best friend.” You paid and grabbed the bag.

“I hope she feels better soon.”

“Thank you.” It was instances like this that kept your faith in humanity intact.

You continued on your way to Alaysia’s house. You two had a whole comfort day planned. She and Harrison had just broken up about two weeks ago, so the day was going to be filled with junk food, sappy movies, and soppy, tear-soaked cuddles. You would’ve scheduled this day earlier, but she had shut herself away from everything, even working from home after she talked herself out of taking more sick days.

“Honey, I’m home!” you called after you expertly opened the door while holding the drinks between your arm and waist while the Dollar General bag rested on your forearm.

Suzie, your best friend’s fourteen-year-old mutt, waddled her way to the living room as quickly as she could to greet you. Judging by the loud thud prior to her entrance and the way she was limping, you assumed the near-blind dog had fallen off the bed in her excited stupor and rushed attempt to see you.

“Hi, sweetie.” You bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before she licked your cheek (to which you grimaced in disgust) and led you to your best friend’s room.

“Alaysia?” you called, setting the drinks on the nightstand and the bag on the bed when you didn’t see your best friend. “Where are you?”

You heard sobs and sniffles coming from the bathroom, so you made your way there. To say you were shocked at the scene would be an understatement. There were about four or five pregnancy tests lying on the wooden floor all around Alaysia, and she had another in her hand, just staring at it as she bawled. You stood, frozen as if you had looked into Medusa’s eyes, until your body kicked into Best Friend Mode, where you tore your feet from the ground and hurried to her, dropping down beside her. You pulled her into a hug, rubbing her shoulder and arm while she soaked the front of your (Tom’s) T-shirt with salty tears and snot. Any other time, you would have asked her to explain what happened, but in this case, it was pretty obvious. While you didn’t know all of the details, you had taken Sex Ed in school.

After what felt like a decade, which was really probably a half hour, Alaysia seemed to not have any more tears left in her (for now). She pulled away, wiping away her tears.

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered. Your smartass self wanted to say that Trump had also won the presidential election, but you figured it would be best to bite it back.

Instead, you opted out for, “When did you realize?”

“My lady week was late,” she said quietly, almost as in a daze, like she couldn’t believe this was happening. In all honesty, she probably couldn’t. “And not by just a few days, but a whole week. So I got worried, and I got Blythe to buy me a few. The first one was positive, but then the second was negative, so she bought some more.”

“Wait, where is she now?” You hadn’t remembered seeing her little, green Bug in the driveway.

“She went to her house to get her I Love Lucy collection.”

Alaysia loved I Love Lucy. It was always nice to know that when you weren’t here for your best friend, her older sister was.

“Does he know about the baby?” You asked tentatively.

“Harrison?” she sniffled and wiped her nose with the long sleeve of her Marvel shirt, which you recognized now was Harrison’s. “No. You and Blythe are the only ones I’ve told.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know!” Alaysia exclaimed, suddenly very snappy. Wow, these mood swings were coming quickly. “It’s not like I have many options. I’m not gonna sentence this poor, innocent thing to a horrible life of bouncing around in the foster care system because no one deserves that, but I can’t give up Ireland! I can’t stay here, I won’t. This is a huge deal for me!”

Alaysia had pretty much had her life planned out since she was sixteen. Having a kid before marriage and right as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came up for her was not anywhere in the agenda.

“You could always –”

“If you say abortion, I swear to freakin’ Athena, [Name]! I may be pregnant, but I am not afraid to kick your ass!”

You held your hands up in defense. “I wasn’t going to say that, I swear!”Alaysia was very pro-choice, but you knew abortion would never be a choice she herself would make. She’d rather die than kill a baby who hadn’t even gotten a chance to prove itself yet.

“Oh,” your best friend said, her anger visibly seeping away. “What were you gonna say?”

“You could have the baby and let Harrison raise it,” you said quietly.

“I can’t dump this much responsibility on him,” she pouted. You suppressed a sigh. She was making this so much more difficult. “This is a baby. It’s a whole lifetime.”

“Okay, well, let’s take a breather,” you suggested. “When are you gonna tell people?”

She shrugged. “I was kinda hoping I could keep this to myself until I know exactly what to do.”

You suppressed another sigh. You heard the door open and close, followed by Suzie’s slow, heavy feet hitting the floor. “Well, let’s watch I Love Lucy and get fat on ice cream and candy.”

–

It had been a week since you had gone over to Alaysia’s house. She had still not told anyone else, and she and Harrison were still in their own heartbroken stupors. No one had caught on to her secret yet, dismissing her increasing mood swings as a result of the breakup and stress of leaving the place she’d always known to live in a foreign place that she’d never even visited.

Tom was home for the weekend. Monday he’d have to leave and continue the promotional tours for the new Marvel movies. You were currently curled up on the couch, reading Simon vs. the Homosapien’s Agenda when he crawled over to you, peppering your stomach with soft, lingering kisses. His lips began to trail up to your collarbone, but you pushed him away.

Pouting, he pulled away and sat back on his legs. “What’s wrong, love?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Eggsy.” You peered over your book at him, giving him a forced smile. Truthfully, you weren’t even paying attention to the words on the page. You were just so stressed about Alaysia that your mind would literally not let you think about anything else. It had been the main reason you’d buried yourself at work and hadn’t left the office until after ten at night. (That, and because you missed Tom and didn’t like to stay at your shared home alone any more than you had to.)

“That’s a lie, and you and I both know it.” Tom plucked the book from your hands, dog-earing the page he suspected you were on (which he was wrong; he folded the left one when you were on the right one) before tossing it on the coffee table and looking back down at you. “Ever since I got in Friday, you’ve barely said two sentences to me, and have given me even less physical action. So either you’re cheating on me, you want to break up and don’t want to tell me, or something else entirely is stressing you out.”

“Cheating and breaking up are, like, the top of the list of things that I never wanna do.” You tugged on his sweatpants to pull him downwards, pressing your lips to his to assure him. Part of your plan was to distract him so he wouldn’t keep asking you questions about what was bothering you. So far, your plan was working as Tom had now removed his lips from yours and was attacking your neck with his tongue and teeth. He began tugging down your plaid pajama shorts when suddenly he stopped and pulled away.

You stuck your bottom lip out in a pout and whined, trying to pull Tom back, but he stayed sitting up, seemingly regretfully and with all the strength he could muster. “No. Tell me what’s wrong.”

You sighed and pushed yourself up into a sitting position, crossing your legs applesauce style. Part of you hated Tom for not letting the two of you get started, but the rest of you loved him for wanting to get through the problem first.

“I need some advice,” you said, trying to think about how to word this dilemma. “This girl I know.. She and her boyfriend got a little careless, and she got pregnant.”

“Am I allowed to ask who the girl is?” Tom asked, to which you shook your head. “Worth a shot. Alright, continue.”

“Well, she doesn’t want the baby, but she refuses to put it up for adoption, and it would kill her if she had an abortion.” You bit your lip, fiddling with the strings of your shorts.

“Has she told her boyfriend?” Tom asked. When you shook your head, he asked why.

“She found out after they broke up.” Tom made an ‘Oh’ sound, and you nodded your head, your lips pressed together tightly. “And she doesn’t wanna put all the responsibility of the baby on the guy because she thinks it wouldn’t be fair.”

“Well, yeah, it wouldn’t,” Tom said.

“So what should she do?” The more you left out names, the more you were worried Tom would think you were talking about yourself.

“You said they’re broken up, right? As of right now, they’re no longer together?” You got the feeling your worries had some truth behind them based on Tom’s questions and slightly panicked expression.

“Yes, they’re already broken up,” you repeated. “They’ve been broken up for a while now.”

“The first thing she needs to do is tell the guy,” Tom answered, visibly more relaxed than before. “Then they both need to talk with both of their families, instead of stressing out my poor love bug.”

Tom ‘booped’ your nose, and you giggled. “Thank you.”

“Now let’s say you and me practice havin’ a baby of our own, eh?” He cocked a smirk and leaned in to finish what you two had started earlier, but you quickly shut that down.

“Later, babe, I promise,” you said as you pecked his cheek and hopped off the couch like a box spring. “I have to go give your awesome advice to someone who desperately needs it.”

And with that, Tom was left all by his lonesome, with only himself to take care of his needs. ;)

[skulduggerypleasant]

Facebook Q&A (2012)

Continuing with my archival of older interviews and content, here’s a collection of answers from Derek himself, taken from a Facebook live chat. Sentences in bold are the questions asked by fans, and everything else is from Derek. Big thanks to Kribu for initially archiving these answers! Be aware that because this is an old interview (following the release of Kingdom of the Wicked earlier that year), some of these answers are severely outdated, and in fact, rather amusing in hindsight. But, anyway, without further ado:

Do any of your family members inspire your bad guys?

My family members are LOVELY! They could never inspire villains!

If a remnant possesses a vampire, at night when the inner vampire is released, does the remnant within remain sane, or do they taken on the same characteristics as an unpossessed vampire?

Wow—good question. Not entirely sure. I’ve got it written down in the rules somewhere, but I forget...

What is the book in the series that you are the most proud of?

The book I’m proudest of is probably Kingdom of the Wicked, maybe. Or Death Bringer, perhaps... Oh, god. I don’t know.

I wanted to know if there is any way for Tanith to “come back,” or if she is absolutely 100% turned.

She is bonded to the remnant completely—whether there is any way to separate them, I don’t know yet...

Vegemite or Marmite? ;-)

Neither! I’m staying away from both!

I was wondering, what books did you love at the age of ten?

The Three Investigators series. Loved it so much...

Will there be any more Skulduggery books after Book 9?

Nope! It was always gonna be nine books in total, and then, y’know, end in a blaze of glory (or explosion of blood...)

Do you ever talk out loud to your characters, such as Skulduggery or Valkyrie? Do you think that’s a mad idea, talking to people you’ve created?

That is a mad idea! I sometimes talk aloud as the characters—does that count?

I think it should count, because it sounds so entertaining! Do you ever put on voices for each character you imitate?

Ahem... Maybe!

Did you always want to be an author when you grew up, or something else?

Either a writer or an artist. Or a superhero. I’m still waiting on my powers...

Is meditating necessary for Skulduggery to recharge, however infrequent?

Not necessary for his “health,” but necessary for his sanity. The human mind needs time to calm down and process, and that’s what he uses that time for.

When Valkyrie slashed Sanguine across the belly, how did that affect his magic? Also, what type of mage was he? Adept?

Yep, he’s an Adept, and the wound basically tore him up so that it hurt to use his power.

Will the ninth book concern the prophecy about Darquesse (the one seen in Dark Days), or has that future been changed entirely?

That’s exactly what it’ll be about!

Apart from Skulduggery and Valkyrie, who is your favourite character?

Hmm... My favourite would be Scapegrace. He’s an idiot!

Can you write more than nine books, please?!

Nine books is what I planned for! And how can I write more Skulduggery books if everyone is dead after the ninth book? (Not saying that they will be...)

Why Valkyrie? like, why a female character? As a kids book specialist, I think it’s a great way to encourage boys to read about female characters, but was it a deliberate choice or did the dynamic feel best when you came up with Valkyrie?

The natural partner for Skulduggery turned out to be a girl, it just happened that way. My publishers were delighted at the dynamic, because of the cross-gender appeal, but I had no idea that’s what I was doing when I started.

What kind of sorcerer is Mr Bliss?

Adept!

What happens if you make your taken name the same as your true name?

Well, that’ll mean you’ve found out your true name, so you’ll be all powerful!

What video games do you enjoy? Did they inspire you at all?

Oh, god... everything. Every book, game, movie, comic, TV show...

I love Skulduggery Pleasant. Where did you come up with an idea for that?

It was in 2005, and I don’t know how I thought of it, it just popped into my head. Kinda weird...

On the Skulduggery Pleasant forums (we know you go on them!), what’s your favourite thread to read?

You KNOW what my favourite is! Ahem... Sounds like “malfuddery”... 

Would the books make an amazing movie series?

Oh, they would. They would indeed.

Do you think they’ll become a movie series?

I’m writing the script, so hopefully it’ll be made!

Can Skulduggery feel any sensations apart from pain? Cold or heat, for example?

He can’t feel cold or heat, he just feels how the air behaves differently. As for what else he can feel... well, if he feels pain, it should follow that he can feel pleasure, right?

How long does it take to write a book, approximately?

Usually, six months!

Do you take a big holiday after you finish a book?

I try, but I never have the time!

Are we going to see any more of Dexter Vex? He was so awesome!

Dexter rocks; he’ll return!

Does Springheeled Jack come back?

He’ll be back in one of the next books.

Will the other dimension be revisited in the future?

Unknown! I wasn't planning on it, but then I wasn’t planning on enjoying that other dimension as much as I did, so... I dunno!

How did you get into writing? And who’s your favourite character to write about?

Val’s my fave to write about, and Darquesse; she’s so much fun to write. I was always into writing, from an early age into my teens...