#And this is right before he saves her in return from falling into lava like I-

[sinning-23]

Socket Wrench: Chapt. 4

so ladies and germssss this is the final chapter...uhhh I'm very much not 1000% happy with the end so I may end up tweaking it more. ANYWHO after this will be someeee oneshots so keep those eyes peeled! ENjoy btw!

Chapter 3 found here

Chapter 4: Shitty Finale

Your idea worked, the rocket managed to shoot out of the eel's mouth and head back in the direction of the Mushroom Kingdom. You were left gripping onto DK’s waist for dear life, his fur soft beneath your fingers as you buried your face into his back. 

“You alright back there?” He shouts, knowing that the height was somewhat bothering you based on how tightly you had him in a grip. He wasn't complaining though, he rather liked having you this close to him. 

“Just steer.” You groan, trying to distract yourself as the rocket whizzes past, various mushrooms beginning to show up on your path.

Bowser's castle was hovering now, the cloud of darkness it brought trying to spread. 

“So what’s the plan? Fly up there, kick-ass, and the day is saved?” You question, the silence following making your once jokey smile drop. 

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” You groan, preparing to jump from the rocket once you reached a good enough point above the debris.

 You manage to land almost slipping, but DK grabs your hand, pulling you forward. A flurry of blue flashes of light appears from the top of the floating structure. The princess must be fighting back like the bad bitch she is. You return your focus to the scene in front of you, various Koopa troops taking items from the kingdom, trying to store them for later.

Maybe it was time to put all that par core you did in high school to use. DK and Mario were already headed towards the soldiers, dodging attacks from shells all the while grabbing any power-ups they could find. You sprint forward, hopping up on one of the blocks, and using shells you grabbed to throw in any direction. 

“DK!” You call out, sliding under the mystery box two of the shoulders happened to be carrying, your legs beginning to burn. 

He turns his attention to you as you throw a power up to him, sending a wink his way before sliding into another tunnel. He chuckles, following your lead as Mario does the same. You pause, looking to see if the pair was following close behind and sure enough, they were. The next step was to get to the Princess. You hit one of the mystery boxes, eyes brightening at the power-up. 

You climb the chains latched to the kingdom's foundation, just barely making it to the top to see the Princess standing from the stairs, her power up now gone. You wave to her, running towards the mechanisms dropping what looked like dozens of prisoners into lava, you try pulling but it was no use. Finally following behind was DK and upon seeing you struggle DK quickly runs over trying to reverse the chains. 

You were able to grab each prisoner and melt the bars with the fire flower you’d scored, trying to work quickly at setting them free. Mario scooped up Luigi, and they share and embrace, happy to be united again. You climb back up to meet the group, the rest of the newly freed prisoners following you. 

And right when everything seemed to be fine, Bowser broke free of the ice he was trapped in, the single command he spoke launching a bomb into the air and setting direction for the Mushroom Kingdom. 

Mario follows it, trying his best to redirect its attention. Sure enough, the bomb is hot on Mario’s tail (literally) as he tries to guide it as far from the kingdom as possible. 

“What’s he doing?” You whisper out, seeing the bomb head straight for the tunnel where this mess has started. 

You walk forward a bit, DK only a few steps behind as you feel the world shake, a low rumble soon sounding into the aftershock of the bomb. You stumble a bit, falling to your knees, DK quickly finds himself hovering over you to try and keep you out of harms way. 

“Get down! We're getting sucked in!” You explain the gust of wind that began pulling the large mushrooms off the ground and into the void was beginning to do the same to Bowser’s Castle. 

You hold onto his arm, trying to figure out what the next step was. The pipe had sucked the remainder of the castle in, Brooklyn waiting patiently on the other side as you warp through it. In a flash of light, you were transported right back to where this had all started, the manhole right above The sewer system, or at least what was left of it. 

Rubble crushed cars and businesses to dust as streets were destroyed. The power star that Bowser had been holding onto was now begging for help from what could only be described as his henchman while the group was surrounded by Koopa troops, yourself included. 

“What do we do? I don't know what that star does and I’m not tryna find out either.” You whisper, still feeling DK close behind you. Speaking of which he hadn't left your side since before you left the Mushroom Kingdom. 

What was there even left to do? There was really no saving the situation and if Bowser really wanted to he could take over the city. Hell, he had gotten this far. Mario of course was taking the fall now, seeing how Bowser was on a rampage since his surprise wedding was ruined and his plan somewhat foiled.

This wasn't working in anyone's favor, Luigi now stepping in to try and save his brother. Maybe…. You glance at Peach who seemed like she was also trying to come up with a solution. You tap her shoulder, passing a nice-sized boulder and motioning to the star with your eyes. 

“Throw this as hard as you can, it should give them a chance to use it and turn this whole situation around.” You speak, just below a whisper. 

She nods, following your instruction as you push past the troops, using one of the shells discarded to launch the star even more forward towards the brothers. Bowser'sgaze is threatening, eyes glowing red as he grabs you by your shirt and throws you aside, the wind leaving your lungs as you gasp for air when you hit the rubble behind you.

It was instant when DK came to your aid, throwing a punch at Bowser while the brothers reached the power star.  Trying to get to you was easier said than done when Bowser had in him a chokehold as he struggled to break free. You try to stand again, wobbling at first but quickly letting your legs move on their own. You manage to grab what looked like part of a discarded pole and slam it into Bowser's stomach, making him flinch only slightly and drop DK.

 His attention was back on you and before you could dodge, another backhand sent you flying into a car. DK rushed to you, seeing you wince when he went to pull you up, the bruises and cuts over your body filling him with dread. Despite gaining these earlier in the beetle he still hates seeing you even mildly injured. 

“Are you okay?”He huffs, not sure where to put his hand as you wheeze out a groan, trying to get yourself steady. 

“Oh, yeah I just got thrown across the street, no biggie.” You try and joke, leaning against him to steady yourself. He's warm, and inviting even when he guides you closer to him. You can’t help but stare upward considering how much taller he was. 

“Thank you.” You hum breathlessly gaze trailing from his eyes, then to his lips, and back again.

“Wanna call it even?” He sighs in relief, at least you were conscious. Maybe a bit delirious but conscious. 

“What? For saving your ass from drowning earlier AND just now from getting choked out? No way baby.” You test, leaning more upward, a coy smile parting your lips. 

He chuckles a bit, swallowing hard at what you were trying to get at. This was hardly the time but he didn’t care. After fighting off this feeling for 3 days you knew you both needed some kind of confession. Something, anything, to break this growing tension. But before his lips could meet yours you press your finger to them, smirking. 

“Save it for after the fight, yeah? Then we’ll call it even.” You wink, slipping out of his grip to help fight. 

He went to reach for you but ended up joining you and fighting by your side, having your back when you were turned, and you do the same. There was a rhythm between the two of you, your punches being thrown just as he followed close behind, he pulls you from any attacks you may not be able to doge and you take the chance to save his ass when he was too busy saving yours.

The brothes on the other hand managed to land one final blow on Bowser as he was finally knocked down, captured by the princess, and placed into a jar, courtesy of a blue mushroom. The fight was over! You’d all won! 

The fight was over….

Your smile of relief and victory was replaced with a soft frown. DK of course was excited to soak up the attention, standing beside the Princess and the two brothers who were also celebrating. You decided to push that empty feeling aside and celebrate with them, taking a stance next to DK who smiles and throws his arm over your shoulder. 

“I know that look on your face, I told you that line was gonna become permanent.” He hums, stepping aside with you to talk, even if it meant just for a minute. 

You avoid his eyes, only to have him frown and turn your face to his gently. Well, you were home now, and at this point… the end goal was complete.

“Welcome to Brooklyn. Sorry, the reveal wasn’t under better circumstances.” You try joking, swallowing hard at his previous gesture. 

“Is that what really bothers you? How we got here? C’mon, I can see right through you.” He explains, arms folded now.

“I-I just ended up getting home faster than I thought. I don’t wanna leave you behind.” You whisper out, dread filling you as you realize that not only him but Peach too, would have to leave and go back to their realm. 

“Then come home with me…us. We can fix the pipe and you can just…I don’t know visit somehow.” He corrects, biting his lip as he gauges your reaction. 

“How would that even work DK? I have a business here and I worked my ass off for it but…”  Your eyes are beginning to burn now, one of the toughest decisions you’d have to make leading to you creeping closer and closer to tears.

“I can’t leave you behind…I can’t. I haven’t been on an adventure like that ever in my life. And I haven’t felt so comfortable around someone in so long and so fast. And don’t look at me like that either because you’re making it hard to say no. Shit dude, why did you have to make me like you so much!” You ramble, wiping your face as the frustration of the situation had made you cry.

He pauses for a bit, unsure as to what to do. He wasn't used to seeing people cry, especially not one that had managed to make him fall so hopelessly for them. He knew he didn't like it though, any of your current state. You're sad, stressed, beat up, and bruised. How could someone so sweet and witty feel so helpless…

“Hey hey, take a breath. We’ll figure it out! And everything will work out fine. Just, please don't cry.” He comforts you, giving you that goofy smile you loved. 

“This is so stupid.” You huff, letting your head fall onto his chest as he hesitates a bit to pull you into a secure hug. 

“No it's not, listen let's just get this figured out first, and then we can work on visiting, sound good?” He suggests, motioning to the damage from the battle that had taken place. 

___________________________________________________________

It had been about 6 months since your surprise adventure in the Mushroom and Jungle Kingdom. Bowser's castle was transported back to the Darklands through the tunnel where the whole mess started in the first place. Apparently, the tunnels had connected back to their paths between kingdoms and everything was somewhat restored.

Toads had managed to work together to clean up any other damage done and the city was good as new! Of course, the press had questions galore all of which were answered quickly and closed out to keep others from feeling as if they could just go back and forth between the two realms as they please

It's summer now, and the heat getting to you a bit as you tighten the nuts and bolts on the rims of the tires. This was the final step in your rebuild process, the rest of the vehicle looking almost identical to how it looked before. You step back admiring your work, mostly the painted lipstick print on the front left rim. 

“Good as new right?” You hum, falling back into DK’s arms as he smiles and presses a quick kiss to your lips. 

“It's perfect. Looks exactly like how it did before. You’re too good to me, how’d I get so lucky?” He questions, kissing you again, this time more playfully as he spins you in a hug. 

You only giggle in response, stretching a bit as he releases you from his grip. 

“I don't know you're just sooooo charming I couldn't help but fall for you.” You tease, placing the socket wrench you’d previously used back in its place.

Moving to the Jungle Kindom had to be one of the best decisions you'd made, and moving your business here was also on that list. Best of both worlds, fortunately. The transition wasn't the smoothest, but being here was bliss in its purest form.

The two of you weren’t exactly official but, you were definitely sticking to just each other. You both established the growing feeling between the two of you but never really addressed whether or not you were TOGETHER. It didn't matter though, you were happy,' and that's what did matter. 

Maybe one day youd be bold enough to pop the question but for now, this was perfect.

OKAY YAL THTS IT THATS ALL LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS IF YALLLLL WANT ANY OTHER X READERS OR HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTSSS. LOVE YA AND THATS FOR READING!

[kaesaaurelia]

off-model

For @whumptober day 29, for the prompts "troubled past resurfacing" and "what happened to me?"

Continued from Day 5, wherein Aziraphale returns to Earth, has a big fight with some archangels, and is horribly injured, Day 8, wherein one of Aziraphale’s angelic allies while Crowley scrambles to save Aziraphale, and they all manage to get away, Day 15, wherein Aziraphale reveals that he’s stolen the Book of Life, and Crowley reveals that one of Aziraphale’s wounds means he’s probably going to Fall, Day 16, wherein Crowley makes peace with a former demonic coworker, treats Aziraphale’s wounds a bit more, and they enjoy each other’s company knowing they might not have much time together, Day 23, wherein the former Archangel Michael shows up at the bookshop, clearly Falling, and tensions arise between the various celestial beings gathered at the bookshop over what should actually be done with her, Day 26, wherein Aziraphale comes down on the side of “Michael, figure your shit out,” and also, incidentally, he might be turning into a lizard or something, and he's very hungry, so he and Crowley have an enjoyable evening eating pastries and watching pastries be eaten (respectively), and Day 27, wherein Aziraphale is probably turning into a dragon and he has mixed feelings about this but one of those feelings is extremely horny, which he and Crowley figure is probably part of Falling, and Crowley sets off on a quest to find someone who knows a little bit more about Lucifer's Fall. He finds Beelzebub, who has just arrived at the bookshop with Gabriel, and drags them off to a corner to ask his questions.

Content note for explicit sexual content which includes: xeno, involuntary and fairly extreme transformation with sex pollen-y side effects and mild body horror/dysmorphic thoughts, and references to extreme size difference. Content note also, in case I got your hopes up, for the fact that the sexual content is just a short masturbation scene, and most of this installment is people theorizing about wtf is happening to Aziraphale.

Crowley caught Beelzebub by the elbow and dragged them off to a quiet corner where Nisroc's recitation of ancient injuries was only a distant fury. "It's about Aziraphale," he said, after he checked to be sure no one was listening in. "He's Falling."

"Oh. Well, obviously I don't have any sway with the Dark Council anym--"

"No, he's not Falling like us," said Crowley, "he's Falling like.... Well, he was still Supreme Archangel when he Fell."

"Oh," said Beelzebub, and they looked unaccountably sad.

"What was it like when Lucifer Fell? I mean, for him," said Crowley. "He didn't -- I spent most of that time in a queue, I only ssaw the lava coming out of him."

"That wazz a terrible time," said Beelzebub. "He uzzed to be different, you know. He waz kinder. More --"

"No he wasn't," said Crowley. Beelzebub blinked. "You didn't have him as a supervisor, you were peers. He was awful to the rest of us. I just didn't realize it until later because he was so charming about it."

"But..." Beelzebub frowned. "Well. But he." They considered this. "Maybe I didn't realizze what he waz like," they said.

"Yeah. Well. Look, I don't care about that anymore," said Crowley, "he's not my problem anymore and he isn't yours, either. I want to know about the processs, though. I'm -- Aziraphale's --" Was he really admitting this to his boss?

His former boss, who had somehow fallen in love with Gabriel, and who was giving him the most sympathetic look he'd ever seen from another demon, maybe. He took a deep breath.

"He's having a hard time of it," Crowley said. "All the -- the changes in form, and. Other things." He was all right talking about the rest of it but he was absolutely not going to talk about the sex.

Beelzebub considered this for a moment. "Well. Lucifer became... like he izz now, only moreso. Maybe more like he wazz alwayz, if what you said iz true. But. He never wanted worship from us, not before. And I remember thinking, Well, what can it hurt? We're all dying."

Crowley swallowed. "But he was remaking us," he said. "I remember, we all queued up and --"

"The queue didn't actually move at all for the firzzt few dayzz, we juzzt... moved the poor bastard at the front of it every few hourzz. I told Dagon not to tell anybody he waz so... incapacitated. We kept having to hollow out more cavern for him and he kept getting angry at uzz for every little thing, and I wazz falling apart into little piecezz and --" They grimaced, baring sharp teeth. "If your angel izz asking you to do anything cruel, don't do it juzt becauze he'zz Falling. The pity'zz not worth it."

"He's not," said Crowley. "He's been... er." He immediately regretted saying anything about how Aziraphale had been, because pretty affectionate did not cover it and was an obvious euphemism besides. "He's been fine. Was Lucifer -- did he turn into a dragon, or...?"

"Oh! Yes, that wazz part of it," said Beelzebub. "Nasty business. That'zz why we had to keep making the cavern bigger."

"How long did it take?"

Beelzebub shrugged. "I don't remember. Time runz different in Hell and it hadn't even really started yet. Not very long, though."

"Was he less... intensse after that?" He didn't want Beelzebub to think Aziraphale was being cruel, but he could certainly understand why Aziraphale didn't want to be ravenous and horny for the rest of eternity.

"Oh, yes," said Beelzebub. "I never thought he waz quite the same, but... once there waz more suffering going on, I think he felt better." They shook their head. "Crowley, wazz I... awful?"

"It was your job," Crowley pointed out.

"It wazz." They frowned. "I don't think I want to keep being awful. Except maybe for special occasionzz."

"I hear it's traditional for one of the couple to be awful during wedding planning," said Crowley, "although I sort of assumed that would be Gabriel. Maybe Nisroc knows as much about that as she does about chairs?"

"Well. If it'zz traditional," said Beelzebub, doubtfully. "I'll have to azk."

"Anyway, thanks for the, er. Whatever this was," said Crowley, because advice sounded too Emotionally Honest and Vulnerable. He made an appalled face. "I've got to go order heaps and heaps of carryout." They tilted their head. "Food."

"Oh?" He'd forgot one of Beelzebub's things was Gluttony. Which was why they'd had Nisroc as their private chef and all. "I haven't had Earth food. Juzzt the heartz of the damned."

"Well, you can get your own, this is for Aziraphale and he's got much better taste," said Crowley. "He's very hungry. Was Lucifer hungry?"

"Just angry," said Beelzebub. "A more irritating sort of gry."

Crowley had to agree. "Right, well. Got to find some menus and a human called Sid." That was his name, wasn't it? The bicycle messenger one, who Heaven had hired instead of dispatching an actual angel to do their work?

"Weirdly specific request," said Beelzebub, "but I think there'z one of them in there." They gestured at the door to the backroom.

"In the bookshop backroom?" Crowley asked. "With Michael?"

"They're watching... televizzzion," said Beelzebub.

Well. This he had to see.

Cautiously, Crowley unlocked the door to the backroom and peered in. There was Sid, he of the full sleeve tattoo and grubby visage, and Michael, who had gone almost entirely mantis-shaped, sitting together on the sofa. The television was playing a familiar warbling tune over credits. "But why would reversing the polarity of the neutron flow do anything?" she asked.

"It's sci-fi, it doesn't have to make sense," said Sid. "God, you should see the antimatter shit they do on Star Trek, it's even more --"

"But they're neutrons, they don't even have charge, why would --"

Crowley cleared his throat. "While I'd love to hear an American explain the stupider points of ancient Doctor Who episodes to an archangel, I need you." Michael looked at him. "No, not you, him." Michael folded her weird mantis arms and looked away, presumably because she could no longer roll her eyes.

"Me?" Sid asked.

"Didn't you used to be a bike messenger or something?" Crowley asked.

"Yeah," said Sid. "I mean, also I have a Master's in --"

"I don't care about that," said Crowley, "I just need someone to run and fetch a lot of food, and I don't want human -- er, regular human -- you know what I mean, I don't want to involve... humans who aren't... whatever you are, but you also won't draw the attention of Heaven and Hell, because you're just... a human named Sid."

"Yeah, sure," said Sid, following this surprisingly convoluted reasoning with ease. "But I don't have my bike."

Crowley snapped his fingers. "It's outside. I'll give you the list of restaurants, come on."

"The list of --"

"It's going to be a lot of food," said Crowley.

--

The particularly irritating thing about this transformation, Aziraphale decided, was that he couldn't get comfortable once; he had to keep accounting for a lot of little changes that added up to extremely large changes. The Book of Life was fascinating, but it seemed like every time he was on the verge of working something out, he would realize that he'd sprouted extra arms or a tail or his wings just felt wrong if he didn't have them out, and he'd have to reposition himself. The outfit Crowley had miracled up for him adjusted perfectly well to all of this, but his comfortable spot in front of the ever-burning fireplace kept getting less and less comfortable as he found himself accidentally knocking over his tea with his tail, or realizing he could no longer quite read his notes from two hours ago properly because the notebook he'd been using was now not much bigger than the palm of his hand.

He went to the bath for a bit of a break, and that had been a whole process of realizations, too. Oh, I can't quite stand up in this room became Well, that's fine, actually, everything about that's fine, because it turns out I can't walk on two feet anymore anyway. Better go on all fours. All sixes? Some fours? to realizing that clicking noise on the bathroom tiles was the sound of his claws hitting them, and then finally finding he couldn't quite submerge himself fully anymore, when this morning the water had gone up to his chest when he stood. (On two feet. Which he couldn't do anymore. Which was fine.)

He glowered at the old full-length mirror, which had been in his old bathroom, and had served him well until now, but it was low enough (well, Aziraphale's head was high enough) that he hadn't been able to see his face in it until he'd tried to submerge himself in the sunken bath. He had a definite snout, and, oh dear, his teeth were getting rather sharp, weren't they? He ran his tongue over them unhappily, and in doing so, found his tongue was rather longer than it had been, and weirdly pointy.

Suddenly all he could think about was Crowley's cock in his mouth -- heavy and a bit of a mouthful as it had been last night, or a lovely little morsel that made him deliciously incoherent this morning, or bulbous and doubled a bit later that morning, because Aziraphale had heard that snakes had two and he'd been struck by the utter decadence of sucking two cocks at once. The teeth might've ruined that, but now he wanted to bury his face -- snout? -- in Crowley's wet cunt and take as deep a taste of it as he could. He wanted to see how many times he could make Crowley come, and how long Crowley could keep up with him.

So he lay on his back in the too-shallow bath and masturbated furiously, and actually the second pair of arms was sort of convenient for that, because he could put one set behind his head and rest against the side of the bath without interrupting his wank -- and also, he found, the tongue was -- the tongue was very long, goodness -- and he tried to appreciate that and not notice that his cock didn't even look the same as it had before. It was some variety of mammalian, but he didn't know what. As long as Crowley didn't mind he was certain he could avoid caring all that much how it looked, and as long as he kept thrusting up into his hand or running his own tongue along the length of his cock, there really wasn't room in his head for caring about anything other than the urgency of the next orgasm.

He didn't know how much time he lost to indulging in his own mindless, useless, animal pleasure before he was interrupted by a knock at the door to the bedroom.

"Hang on!" said Aziraphale, wishing he had his miracles back. How did humans dry themselves off so easily with towels? Well, they also didn't have... manes or fur, or whatever this was, or big stupid horns in the way (although, Crowley had liked the horns -- no, he wasn't thinking of that now) and they were usually in a space they could turn around in more easily. Grumbling to himself, Aziraphale pulled on Crowley's miracled clothes once more. He might be damned (although damned to what, he was not entirely clear) but he could at least make sure he looked decent when receiving visitors.

He click-click-clicked over to the door and opened it enough to look out of with one eye, and perked up when he saw that it was Crowley. "Oh! Hello, my dear."

"Hey, so... I've got food," said Crowley. "And, er. I also have the Archangel Raphael." He seemed a bit regretful about this. "I mentioned your... situation, and he offered to have a look at you, in a medical capacity, I guess. Only if you like, though. If you don't want him looking at you, I'm going to tell him to fuck off."

Aziraphale loved him so terribly much. "Are you coming in too?" he asked, hopefully.

"Do you... want that? Because of, er..."

Aziraphale felt that if he could manage his absurd hair-trigger arousal at any point, now seemed like it ought to be the point. After all, he had just --

Not thinking about that. Aziraphale found he was Not Thinking About an awful lot of things today. "I'd like you here with me," he said, and Crowley smiled, and a lovely warmth blossomed in Aziraphale's chest as he opened the door.

He had been prepared for lust to hit him like a tidal wave as soon as Crowley swaggered in, and that certainly did happen, but what he hadn't been prepared for at all was the love. It took him a few moments to realize that he was sensing Crowley's love, something he'd never been able to do, because he was an angel and Crowley was a demon, but it felt like him, or sounded like him, or something. Because now he wasn't an angel, he was... he was a Something Else that could sense love, but hadn't been cut off from demons.

Crowley, of course, was a demon who could sense sins and vices, including lust, but he'd been cut off from angels. He hadn't been cut off from Whatever Aziraphale Was Now, though, so he almost certainly got hit with that tidal wave of Aziraphale's lust without having expected it. Aziraphale heard him make a sort of hoarse whimpering noise, and watched as he put out a hand to steady himself against the wall. Goodness, those trousers left very little to the imagination, didn't they? Although Aziraphale's was rather more vivid than usual these days.

Crowley looked at Aziraphale, dazed -- well, he had his glasses on, but those were his dazed eyebrows. "Fuck, angel," he said, roughly. "You're..." He swallowed.

"Not an angel anymore, certainly," said Raphael, who Aziraphale had entirely forgot about. "When did this start?"

"Er." Aziraphale decided to lay sphinxlike on the floor so that they didn't have to crane their necks so much, and also so that nobody noticed how hard he was. Yes. That looked very dignified, or it had in Egypt, anyway. Perhaps less dignified now that he was shifting uncomfortably and trying not to look at Crowley. (Unfortunately, Raphael was also fairly attractive, or at least, his body was -- Aziraphale might have a thing for redheads, now that he thought about it -- but at least he wasn't wearing Those Trousers, and Aziraphale didn't particularly like him or trust him, and he certainly hadn't had thousands of years of fantasies about him. He can't unhinge his jaw either, Aziraphale reminded himself.) "I... that is..." He tried to remember the question. "When did it start? Er... the day I left Heaven?"

"Which was...?" Raphael asked.

"How out of the loop are you?" Crowley demanded.

"Well, apparently one of my only reasonably intelligent colleagues has been a demon for millennia, so... extremely," said Raphael, looking faintly guilty. "Does explain why they weren't around much, though. Assume I've been deliberately kept uninformed, because that's certainly my assumption."

"Reasonably intelligent?" Crowley asked, in disbelief. Raphael chose to ignore him.

Aziraphale would have to ask about it later. "If it's any comfort, you weren't the only one," he said. "I was gravely misled as to what the job entailed, personally. I left... goodness, was it only yesterday?"

"Hmm." Raphael considered this. "And that's when your corporation got to be so... off-model?"

That was one way of putting it. "No! That was today. Well. Late yesterday. It's been gradual," he said. "It's very awkward."

"And it's on-going?" Raphael asked.

"He basically looked like he usually does this morning," said Crowley, "just, you know." He made an expansive gesture. "Bit more of him."

"And there were the scales," said Aziraphale, because they had been very itchy. He thought, or at least hoped, they were mostly done coming in. They were less itchy, anyway.

"Right, yeah, but scales aren't really -- oh, there were the horns, though," said Crowley. "And the tail."

"I didn't have a tail this morning," said Aziraphale.

"You did!" said Crowley. "But it was barely a tail." Crowley's tone was dismissive, but Aziraphale felt a surge of affection from him, as if Aziraphale's slowness to acquire a proper tail was an endearing quirk of his.

"Right." Raphael sighed to himself, and rubbed his eyes. He looked around the room aimlessly, and then appeared suddenly taken aback. "Is that the Book of Life?" he asked.

Aziraphale was on his feet at once, and moved between Raphael and the book, claws digging into the wood floor, teeth bared. "Leave it be," he snapped. Distantly he realized that this was extremely rude behavior, but he could not bring himself to care.

"He's not here for that, angel," said Crowley, in placating tones.

"I'm really not," said Raphael. "I don't trust anyone Up There with it. I mean, I don't entirely trust you with it either, but I certainly don't want it, and you're smarter than what remains of those idiots Upstairs. Or at least you were before this all started."

He seemed like he was telling the truth. Aziraphale shook his head, reminding himself that he'd been fine with Raphael before, and there was no reason to be so worried. "Right. Yes. Sorry," he said.

"Anyway. The Book of Life's irrelevant," said Raphael, which would have shocked nearly anyone familiar with the concept. "But looking around here, this room's not nearly big enough. You've still got some connection to God," he said, gesturing at Aziraphale, and who looked down and realized he was referring to the faintly glowing gold line where the tip of Michael's sword had got him. "So you're not done with the -- well, I don't know exactly how the process works, I've never seen it in person, but you're not done gathering whatever power you're going to need, and the more of it you have, the more physical space your corporation will have to take up to hold it, until you... sort of embody that power, at which point I would assume you can do whatever you like with your corporation, same as everyone else. Do you know what it is, by the way?"

"What?" Aziraphale asked.

"Whatever power you've been using," said Raphael. "You've clearly had access to a lot of it, but you're going to need much more. I get the impression emotions are most effective, but any strong concept ought to be workable, in theory."

Aziraphale and Crowley exchanged a look.

"Got a few guesses on that," said Crowley, turning faintly pink.

"Really?" For the first time in all the millennia Aziraphale had known him, Raphael looked interested in what someone else was going to say. "What are your guesses?"

Aziraphale winced. "Gluttony and, er, well --"

"Enjoyment," said Crowley. "Or pleasure. Ssomething like that, anyway."

Aziraphale blinked. "Do you think?" he asked Crowley.

"I mean, when you've got your nose in that book you're fine, I think," said Crowley, "especially once I set you up with the little fireplace and the tea and your fussy little bowtie and your whole -- your whole thing, you know." He made an all-encompassing sort of gesture, and Aziraphale did not know what that meant, exactly, but the love coming off Crowley was overwhelming and he wanted to close his eyes and bask in it. "Probably ought to bring other booksss up for you, more fun ones, maybe. Or take you to a concert, or --"

"Like this?" Aziraphale asked.

"I could make you invisible," said Crowley.

"I don't know if that's quite adequate," said Aziraphale, "given all of the... circumstances."

Crowley turned to Raphael. "The circumsss-- cssir-- you pick these words on purpossse, angel, I know you do. The conditions are," he said, "that he feels, er. Compelled, ssort of, to do, thingsss, er. That are going to create... immediate pleasure?"

"Compelled?" Raphael asked.

"Not like he can't stop himself," said Crowley, "more like... he getsss hungry. Becausse Aziraphale loves food, so he enjoys it, so, you know, if he feels like he's got to eat -- you know? Sort of a clumsy way of getting at it, there's loads of other things he loves doing, but it workss." He turned to Aziraphale. "And if you weren't, you know, really badly hurt, you'd probably have been enjoying all these annoying angels who've started hanging around the bookshop --"

"Not all of them," said Aziraphale.

"Well, ssome of them, anyway, and you'd be pleased as punch because they're keeping all the customers away, and you'd be playing your records and, and, you know, doing that thing where you wiggle around in your chair all grinning and, and, ridiculous, because you like the music so much," said Crowley, emitting so much love Aziraphale didn't know how he could stand it, "and you'd be fine, but you're up here, and you feel trapped --"

"I am trapped," Aziraphale pointed out. "I can't get through that door anymore." And also, he really, really did not want to be fighting his insatiable lust in public. Having this conversation with Raphael present was bad enough.

"Pff, I could get you through that door easy," said Crowley. "Come on, angel, let'ss do ssomething fun."

"Oh, trust me, I would very much like to," said Aziraphale, looking him up and down and feeling slightly desperate.

"Yeah, well... maybe... not jusst now," said Crowley. "Anyway. Look. I think it'd work. I think you'd feel better. Less hungry. A normal-er amount of... er, hungry."

"I'd still be a dragon, though," said Aziraphale.

"Yeah but that's all -- that'll be over once you get all charged up with your magic whatsits," said Crowley. "I mean, unless... unless maybe you want to be a dragon sometimes, obviously." He shrugged. "Up to you. What, er. What happens after he gets all charged up with his magic whatsits?" he asked Raphael.

Raphael shrugged. "You'd know better than I would; I haven't seen Lucifer since before the war. But I've always assumed, you know, the Good and Evil thing was probably just... a way to avoid competition. We built something similar into Creation, you see -- every organism's got a niche, a place they live and a thing they eat, but you'd never find two things that had the same exact niche, because one of them might die out, and that would be very irritating, bureaucratically."

Aziraphale remembered well how many times he'd come up with a perfectly nice benthic organism only to find that they already had one of those, only Ba'al Zebul had got around to it first. (At least until Ba'al Zebul had been assigned permanent beetle design duty, to their despair. God had really liked beetles.)

"Lucifer's is... well, I don't know if it's evil, but it's things Heaven's designated as Evil," said Raphael. "Yours is... this 'enjoyment' stuff, maybe?" He sounded skeptical that such a thing even existed. "Anyway, Lucifer, in his very sad and edgy way, has arranged things so that he's got a legion of idiots to make more Evil in the world. Or maybe it's the suffering and the punishment of the damned that he runs on? I've thought about that one for a while -- I mean, what is the point of Hell, otherwise? Surely no one enjoys it." He looked to Crowley for confirmation.

"Ehh," said Crowley. "There's a few weirdos who do. Get them in every bunch, though. Mostly people just clock in for torture duty and... yeah. Got so many people now that the damned clock in for torture victim duty, too."

Raphael shook his head. "Ridiculous. Anyway, I suppose you could start building yourself up a legion of idiots to make the world more enjoyable, instead of... good, or evil. But frankly, you shouldn't need them if you don't have military ambitions like Lucifer had. They'd run off of you, so they'd have to earn their keep or they might not be worth it, but you can really just... exist, probably. Eating and going to concerts, I guess. Whatever a concert is."

That sounded... nice, actually. Presuming any of it was true. Surely it couldn't be that easy, though. "How much of this is complete speculation?" Aziraphale asked.

"Oh, most of it," said Raphael, shrugging. "Unfortunately Michael never let me have a better look at that sword, and obviously Luce and I aren't talking anymore, which is fine with me, he was always such an arse, but I do miss out on the data. This really is a fascinating case, actually," he said, eyes glowing, "so it's very exciting to be able to see it firsthand. Until now there wasn't much more I could work out about the process on my own."

"Other than having yourself appointed Supreme Archangel," said Crowley, "and then Falling."

"Ooh. Never thought of that," said Raphael. "Things to ponder. Anyway, I'll leave you to your... food, I suppose. Get a bigger, er." He motioned at the bedroom. "Enclosure? Or go outside. Let me know if there's anything I can do; I'm not particularly planning to go back Up There while things are still being sorted out down here. It's a mess."

And he left.

"You know, I always thought he was so unpleasant," said Aziraphale. "Apparently he's just mad as a bag of cats."

[princecoolkid]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT JAAAAAAAAAAAACKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE HELPING MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[gracesimp]

Lost Spirit

tenth doctor x fem!reader

SUMMARY: y/n is a lost spirit - quite literally. She passed away on Earth but somehow found herself inside a blue box floating around in outer space. Can the Doctor save her?

warning: mention of death

Y/n awoke with a loud and deep intake of breath, her body shooting upwards. She brought a frail hand to her head, attempting to rub away the agonising pain, which seemed to help as gradually the pain dulled from unbearable to mild.

Her mind was foggy. All memories had faded away. With furrowed brows, she took a look around and absorbed the unfamiliar surroundings of dimmed lights. Where on Earth was she?

Gingerly, she bent her knees coming to a stand, then cautiously placed a foot forwards. Her balance was wobbly and she almost tripped over her two feet, right hand immediately gripping onto the nearest surface to stabilise herself. She mumbled critical curses under her breath, risking to remove her hand from the weird circular table with buttons and leavers embedded in it.

"Who the hell are you?"

Y/n gasped, noticeably jumping out of her skin and spun around, only to be greeted by a tall man in a suit.

Hot rage began to course through her veins like lava and she straightened her shoulders in an effort to seem more intimidating - which ultimately didn't work since she couldn't conceal the pure terror painted abundantly on her face.

"Who am I?" She scoffed, walking towards the man. "Who are you?" Y/n demanded, poking her index finger on his chest. He raised an eyebrow, neither moving from the finger jab nor bothering to answer. "What do you want with me?"

"What makes you think that I want anything to do with you?" Man with no name huffed.

"Well, why else would you kidnap me?" Y/n's arms flailed in the air and the stranger began to sputter.

"What?! Kidnap you? I haven't kidnapped you! You - you've hijacked my ship or something!" He accused.

Y/n's mouth flew open. The audacity of this strange, albeit handsome, man. "I have not!" She defended. In return he just rolled his eyes, turning away and focusing on some monitor.

"Yeah, sure. Look, whatever petty invasion you planned obviously went wrong," Y/n reduced his voice to background noise and looked around the room, seeking sanctuary. In front of her, she spotted a door and went running, ignoring the yells of protest from the man and flinging the doors open wide for her salvation, only to instead be met by darkness.

A hand on her waist prevented her from falling out. The man must have been fast on his feet in order to get to her so quickly. He allowed her to regain her balance before taking his hand away.

Stars shone bright and ahead she could see a planet. Not Earth. Not Mars. Not any planet she had ever learned about before. Breathing fast, her head reluctantly turned to the man beside her. She gulped, unsure of whether or not to ask the obvious. "Where am I?"

The man studied her for a few seconds. Clothes from 21st century Earth, no obvious alien technology apparent. She was. She truly was human. Baffled, he spoke "You're in space." He watched as she gasped, eyes once again fixated on the stars. "in my spaceship" He continued. "...And time machine." Y/n nodded slowly, trying to accept this as fact, with her eyes still, very literally, starstruck.

"And you are?"

"I'm the Doctor...An Alien." This, for obvious reasons, caught her attention and she looked at him sharply.

"Are you winding me up?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled and shook his head. Her eyes ran down his body, lingering briefly, before meeting his eyes again. "You look human." She concluded.

"Nah, we came first. You look timelord." She muttered a soft 'oh' then went back to looking outside. It was just so beautiful she couldn't keep her eyes off it. Almost like the stars were calling her name, tempting her in. "Who are you?"

"I'm.." Her mouth closed prematurely, eyes narrowing in confusion. She tried again. "I'm.." Very obviously alarmed, she began to stumble backwards. The doctor, picking up on her panicked state, slammed the doors closed and held onto her arm, guiding her to the pilot seat.

"Hey, hey," he hushed. "It's okay, calm down."

"I don't know who I am. Why don't I know who I am?" She cried.

The Doctor just shook his head, offering soft words of comfort. "I'm not sure why but I promise you that we'll find out." He turned his back, hopping over to the over side of the console as the woman slowed her breathing. "Can you come and stand here for me, please?" He asked gently. She barely visibly bobbed her head, making an attempt to slide down from the seat he had placed her in.

He held out his hand, which she gratefully took ahold of, and lead her to a screen that was producing a strange light. "This can scan you. It will tell me the basics : your name, age, family, things like that.." He explained then asked for her consent to be scanned, which she saved her words for and replied with her signature head nod.

A bright green light chased down her face, causing her to squint, then followed down the rest of her body. It stayed still for a moment, almost like it was calculating, then disappeared. Almost immediately after, the blank screen switched on, presenting an honestly not-so-flattering picture of her with basic information to the left.

"Y/n Y/l/n," The Doctor muttered, dragging his fingers down the corner of his mouth. Y/n jumped up, like her name had instantaneously triggered her memory.

"Yes!" She clapped her hands together, smiling wide. "That's me! I'm Y/n!" The doctor faced her, returning the toothy grin and placed his hand out for her to shake.

"Very nice to meet you, Y/n Y/l/n." to which she gleefully reciprocated.

Silence between the two returned as he placed his attention back to the monitor, reading under his breath. Y/n took the time to watch him. She looked as his tongue found itself slightly slipping out of the corner of his mouth; she highly doubted that this was an uncommon occurrence. She could picture him having this exact face many a time when he had been enveloped deeply in concentration.

She observed patiently when his fingers tousseled his gelled hair, causing many pieces to stick in awkward directions. Yet somehow it still looked good.

The sound of footsteps made y/n look up and she hid behind the man. It was weird. Two minutes ago she was convinced he had captured and imprisoned her, now he was her only source of safety. A strange bond of unspoken trust had mutually formed between them.

"Oh, it's okay, it's just Donna." He said, squeezing her shoulder. Y/n peeked her head from behind him, seeing a redhead woman enter the room. "She's my friend. She travels with me." He further clarified. Upon hearing these words, she decided it was safe to go back to her previous spot beside him.

Donna squinted her eyes. Clearly confused, she folded her arms across her chest. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh, sorry. Donna, this is Y/n." The Doctor spoke, veiny hands gesturing to the woman next to him. Y/n gave a soft smile and waved a hand of her own. "We've got a bit of an issue that we're trying to fix. She just randomly popped up in the TARDIS, like how you did! Except she's got no memory - "

"No, sorry. Are you messing with me or have you actually finally lost it?" Donna scoffed, moving so that she was now face to face with the Doctor, looking like she was examining him.

"What you on about?"

Concern began to flood Donna's eyes and she placed the back of her hand onto his forehead. "Doctor, are you feeling alright?"

Smacking her hand away, he pulled back and stepped a few feet back. "Am I feeling alright?" He repeated, bewildered. "Why are you acting strange? Well, stranger than usual. C'mon, are you gonna help me and Y/n, or what?"

Pulling her lips together, Donna searched the room. She sighed. "Doctor...There's nobody there."

The Doctor looked next to him, Y/n already watching him in confusion. Could Donna genuinely not see her?

"Yes there is..."

"No," the redhead shook her head. "There isn't."

With wide eyes, he turned back to Y/n. "Y/n, say something - anything."

Panicked, she looked around the room. "Uh...I don't know... oh! Weird monitor scanny thingy!"

Smirking in amusement, he laughed. "Really?"

"Well I don't know! You put me on the spot!"Y/n deflated.

They both turned their attention back to Donna, who honestly was getting more perplexed. "Did you hear that?" He asked.

Shrugging, she replied. "Hear what?"

"Okay, now I'm getting worried." The Doctor countered, reaching into his pocket and dragging out his trusty sonic screwdriver.

Flinching a little when it began to make a noise and produce a blue light, Y/n scurried backwards. "What is that thing?"

"No, it's okay. It's just a screwdriver. It will help me get more indepth answers about this whole situation."

"Okay." Y/n said, not sounding completely convinced but fearing there were no other ways to solve this. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt like she believed it was going to. It just tickled a little which made her laugh.

Finally getting a reading, the Doctor stopped scanning her and read his device. Y/n saw as a deep frown began to morph on his lips. "Cosmic energy, life readings zero, spiritual...energy." He read aloud to the group, his voice growing quieter towards the end of his sentence.

"Spiritual energy?" Donna chined. "Does that mean-"

Holding out his hand to silence her, a regretful doctor turned on his heel to face Y/n.

"Doctor?" She asked. He was still looking down, sorrowfully returning the screwdriver to his blazer pocket. "Okay," Y/n gulped. "I'm assuming whatever you read isn't good." She muttered.

"Y/n," he began, shifting so he was now looking into her eyes. "Oh, Y/n, I'm sorry. Really, I'm so sorry." He whispered. "But you're dead."

She gasped. Breathing in air, which she didn't even need. "No," she deinied, shaking her head profusely. She tumbled backwards and almost slipped, but the Doctor was quick to secure her. "You're wrong." She ripped his arm away from her waist and looked around the room, vision fastly becoming hazy.

Then she saw it. The big console room had been replaced with her landing. She was at the bottom of the stairs at her own home. She was reliving the moment she died.

She heard footsteps in her bedroom and everything came back to her. Looking onwards, she could see herself at the top of the stairs. She was humming a song softly as she shoved her hand into her pyjama bottoms. It was dark, past midnight, and the light where she was wasn't working. She dug around in her pocket before retrieving her phone.

Now Y/n remembered. She was trying to get her phone, ironically, to turn on the torch. She didn't succeed. Her phone slipped from her palm and her ankle buckled when her body made an attempt to catch it.

Past Y/n and ghost Y/n screamed together. All Ghost Y/n had the ability of doing was watching as she hurtled down the stairs, hitting her head harshly on the floor.

Then, everything began to fade away. She was again inside the tardis. She was sobbing now, her hand rubbing the sore spot on her head. "I remember." She broke down. "I remember."

The Doctor held her in his arms, cooing her and stroking her hair. He needed her to calm down. He couldn't imagine how strange this looked to Donna- who wasn't able to see Y/n - but he didn't care.

Eventually, after the doctor had subtly beckoned his companion to place herself elsewhere, Y/n calmed down. She moved her head from where it had been resting on his chest and sank to the ground. The doctor followed so that they were both sitting comfortably, criss-cross, on the ship's floor.

He didn't want to speak. She needed to process this. So, he allowed the quietness to fill the hole around them despite his thoughts overlapping, theories and solutions piling up in his head.

Sniffling, Y/n looked up. "Is this why Donna couldn't see me?" She asked, the Doctor answering with a head nod. "So how can you? If I'm... a ghost..." another pregnant pause. The words felt foreign on her tongue. They tasted bitter. She physically had to force it out of her mouth, like she was spitting out lemon juice. "Shouldn't I be invisible to everyone?"

"No," He shook his head. "I think I've figured it out." He grinned. Y/n raised a questioning brow. "I think that I can save you, Y/n."

"What?"

"Yes!" He yelled in glee, like he had found the answer he was searching for. "If I can see you, that means you're visible to alien life. Because you, yourself, are now on our spectrum!" He concluded in a series of fast talking.

"If I'm right, and God I hope I'm right, you're not fully dead. Meaning, there's enough of you left, meaning.." He trailed off, beginning to mutter under his breath again.

"Meaning what, Doctor?" The spirit urged.

"I've heard of it before. Everyone's heard of it. Where does a ghost go? Not here." He rambled quickly. "So why are you here? Here, in the tardis of all places. Youre resonating back to me. Why? Because I can do it."

He snapped his head to look at her, smug smile slowly forming. "I can wish you back into existence, Y/n."

"Really?" She asked hopefully. "I mean, like, is that even possible?"

"Oh, just you watch me!"

______

Months passed by and Y/n was still with the Doctor. True to his word, he was doing everything in his power to help her.

And, most surprisingly, it was working! Donna could now see Y/n. So far only the Doctor, other aliens with dual heartbeats and Donna, but it was an improvement. One that she would be forever thankful for.

As it turns out, there were actually multiple pros to being invisible to other species. The Doctor always took Y/n on every adventure. He showed her different cultures and lives. And in return, Y/n would use her invisibility to save them when he inevitably got himself and Donna into trouble.

Since Donna could now see and hear her, the two girls had connected. They were best friends. Donna acting like her older sister. One who would offer Y/n advice, comfort her when she was down. Oh, and often tease her about the undeniable tension between the ghost and timelord.

It was fact to everyone on board that the Doctor had cheered up immensely these last few months. And it wasn't exactly hidden as to why.

He was completely infatued with Y/n.

Donna was the first one to mention it, obviously fed up with travelling with two lovesick idiots, both too scared to act on their fantasies. She pulled a smiling Doctor into the kitchen as Y/n retreated into her room for the night.

"When are you going to tell her?" Subtlety was never her strong suit, but abrupt seemed to be the only way to actually get through to the doctor, so her lack of grace didn't necessarily feel like a bad trait at this very moment.

His smile dimmed and he looked down at his shoes, exhaling through his nose, pinching the bridge. "You know that I can't." His words were so quiet that they were barely audible.

"But why not? You're both clearly head over heels for each other -"

"Look at me, Donna!" He whisper yelled, not wanting a certain someone to hear this conversation. "Look what happens every time I get close to someone. Look at what happened to Rose."

Now he was beginning to tear up. Rose had been trapped in a parallel world for years, yet the mention still felt like pouring salt into a fresh wound. Donna rubbed a hand on his arm in sympathy.He shifted uncomfortably and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Besides, Y/n is a ghost."

"And you're an alien with two hearts," His best friend retorted. "What's your point?"

"That it's too risky."

"What? It's too risky to be happy?" She objected. "Doctor Y/n is becoming more alive every day - you said so yourself!"

"That doesn't mean things can't take a turn for the worst-"

"And what if they don't? Will you really deprive yourself of being in love, of being actually, genuinely happy because you're too scared? I never had you down as a coward, Doctor."

"You don't understand." He muttered, shaking his head.

"What don't I understand?"

"Donna, I have never felt this way about anyone before. Not even Rose. So yeah, maybe I am more than a little bit scared. I'm petrified. And not because I love Y/n.. But because I know that at some point, something bad is going to happen. Everyone that I love gets ripped away from me somehow. And I'm not going to let that happen to Y/n."

Shaking her head, she began to exit the room. Though she halted at the door, back still facing the brunette. "And if something bad does happen, you'll kick yourself that you never said those words to her. It will haunt you with every passing day, Doctor. So...please, for all our sake's...just do the right thing." With that, her footsteps echoed through the hallway and her shadow disappeared.

The Doctor allowed her words to sink in. Maybe they held some truth. He had only felt a quarter of the love he felt for Y/n, for Rose, yet his inability to complete his declaration stuck with him and ate at him.

And his mind kept pondering on that thought for the next couple of weeks. He and Y/n had been getting closer so that there was no denying it anymore.

He was going to tell her.

Donna cheered and provided encouragement; he didn't ask for it and tried to act nonchalant, though when his companion's back had turned, he'd allow a smile to settle on his lips, projecting his true gratitude for his supportive best friend.

_______

Y/n laughed fondly at his joke, sipping on her wine, arm occasionally brushing against the timelord's.

The two were sat together, on a planet famous for its natural beauty and theme of romance, eating a picnic and watching the stars.

The Doctor offered her a grape, to which Y/n accepted. He plopped it into her mouth, his brown eyes drifting to her lips. He let his thumb drag her bottom lip down, briefly revealing her lower teeth. Y/n struggled to fight the heat building in her cheeks as he held it there for a few seconds before releasing it, observing as her lip bounced back up to its regular position.

Y/n stayed still for a moment, mind still processing what had just happened. She cleared her throat and turned her head so that her hair was covering her cheeks, and took another drink from her glass, this gulp being less elegant than her prior sips.

"Y/n," He began, shifting on his side so his body was facing her, being supported by his arm. "We need to talk."

She followed his example and moved so that they were close to each other. "Isn't that what we've been doing all evening?" She giggled, but stopped upon viewing his face. He looked nervous. She had never seen him hold an expression like this before. Honestly, she may have even been naive enough to assume, because he was an alien, he didn't experience anxiety the same as humans. Evidently, though, he does.

"No," He shook his head, swallowing. "I wanted to.. talk to you about something that's been eating at me for a while."

She nodded her head, giving him her full attention. "Okay." She responded, agog.

"Okay, uh.. Where do I start?" Sweat was beginning to form on the top of his brow and slowly Y/n was growing more concerned. "Uh, Okay, alright. I'll just come out and say it." The Doctor was a stuttering mess. Internally, he was yelling gallifreyan swears at himself. This was not how he had been imagining this to go.

He had even written and practiced a speech beforehand. Clearly he forgot every word he had revised.

"Uhm, Okay. Just gonna say it-"

"Doctor?"

"Yea-oo-" Y/n pressed her lips onto his, their mouths moving together. She trailed an arm up the back of his neck, diving into his hair. She gave a small tug, just to test the waters, and smiled into his lips when he let out a low groan.

Y/n pulled away first, keeping their faces only inches apart. She smiled widely at the blush that had imposed on his cheeks. "Was that okay?" She asked, sincere.

The Doctor stuttered for a few seconds, making random noises, unable to produce a real word. He bobbed his head up and down rapidly, squeaking out a "Y-yeah."

"Good." Y/n whispered, brushing her thumb on his jaw, touch so delicate, acting like he was the most rawest and beautiful painting she had ever seen, too scared to feel too hard and smudge.

"That's pretty much what I was going to say anyway." He shrugged, placing his fingers under her chin, gripping softly and pulling her in for another kiss.

"I love you, Y/n Y/l/n."

"I love you, Doctor. Forever and always." She mumbled, stroking the back of his neck, smiling to herself as goosebumps arose.

Her smile, though, dulled and her hand paused midstroke. Her eyes drifted from the Doctor, who was talking away, to behind him.

"Oh." Y/n gasped, the exhale releasing a mixture of relief and regret. "Quite right, too."

"Y/n?" The Doctor panicked. "Y/n, you're turning transparent!"

His attempts to get her attention were useless, her eyes still remained glued behind him. He turned his head, curious as to what she was looking at.

And there stood a lone door.

A door that hadn't been there a minute ago. One that was standing with no wall for guidance.

"No." The Doctor mumbled, tears filling in his eyes. "Don't."

His true love looked back to him, her own hot tears dripping down her flamed cheeks. She desperately took ahold of both his hands, gripping them tightly and holding them to her chest. "I have to." She explained.

"I thought I was saving you!" The Doctor sobbed, unable to look at the woman he loved fade away.

"You did." She comforted quickly. "You have saved me. You gave me all these extra months." She cried back, moving so that she was on her knees, forcing his eyes to meet hers. "And you gave me the greatest gift of all."

He cried loudly, shoving his head into her shoulder, breathing in her scent for the last time.

"You gave me love."

"Don't go." He pleaded, squeezing her hands in the grip she maintained on his.

"Don't ask me to do that because if you ask then I won't." She whispered.

And they both know, in the end, she'd have to leave.

It was either walk through the door and leave this plane of life, or stay in this world and fade away until she ceased to exist at all.

More tears dropped from his eyes. "I love you."

"And I love you." She repeated, bringing up their joined hands and kissing his, before softly letting them go and standing up. "My doctor."

If she looked back, she would stay. So, she didn't. Her legs moved, slow but eager. She placed a hand on the white door, the Doctor watching heartbroken, but weirdly happy.

He wanted her to stay with him forever. He wanted an eternity with her. But this was the best outcome. He was a fool for promising her life again. He was more foolish in believing himself when he said he could bring her back.

"Goodbye, my Doctor." Y/n sniffed, opening the door. A bright light invaded the area they were in, causing the doctor to squint and move his arm over his eyes.

By the time the light had gone, so was Y/n.

His ghost had departed. Now she could be in peace.

The Doctor rocked on the blanket, crying to himself for a while.

Then, he slowly walked over to the door. It was beginning to fade, just like Y/n. He placed his palm where she had placed hers. "Until we meet again." He spoke, voice thick.

The door eventually turned into nothingness, and the Doctor took a step back. He sniffed, wiping away his tears. He ignored the blanket and food, lifting his shoulders and walking back to the tardis, this time alone.

hii, hope you enjoyed. I might not be posting much cos obviously it's the holidays! But I've been working on this piece for weeks but I kinda lost the motivation lmao. ahh I hope you liked it, anyway!

[darkdevasofdestruction]

An Angel and A Demon ~ Pyramid Head x Reader

Update 2: My laptop restarted when I was in the middle of writing this, and trust me when I say it, I am positively pissed off, and I want to end my days, that's how bad of a day this was.

And I didn't leave the house.

That says a lot about today...

Update 1: But, without further ado, I was half-way writing this story, and I received this ask, and let me tell you...

helloooo, i absolutely adored the fanfics you wrote about kazan and danny🥺 could i request one where pyramid head is just really whipped for and in love with the survivor! reader but he doesnt know how to announce it to them so he brings her random ,,gifts" in and outside the trials and protecting her bc well, im pretty sure he cant speak so he doesnt really have any other options on how to express his feelings??

I live for it.

Bless you for sending me this, it's the reason I'm still sane right now.

I love you, baby-cakes.

Update 3: I want to kill myself so bad. Just smash my head on a wall until it explodes or sth. I was so happy with how this imagine turned out, only fuck fucking tumblr to just fucking delete EVERYTHING just as I was about to put the last gif and hit POST NOW.

--------

For the 5th time writing this :

FUCKMEDADDY - but this time - FUCKMYBRAINSOUTPLEASEIWANNADIE

Thanks.

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Hell - What was that place, anyway?

Some would describe it as an infinite ocean of flames and lava, where it's eternally melting-hot, and a bunch of hooved, horned, tailed red demons torture you with acid, with their red pitch forks, or boil you alive in their cauldron for soup. Or maybe you just get tortured by Stalin, who knows?

But never would have anyone thought that 'Hell' could look so...Normal. Well, normal in a very demolished, desolate, ravished way, but still...Normal, by human standards. Albeit, the never-ending loop of madness, anguish, agony and desperation of getting killed in different gruesome ways or fleeing for their lives and feeling a myriad of emotions pumping adrenaline through their veins so badly that their anxiety-meter skyrocketed to abnormal levels.

All this darkness, this hatred, this...Everything...It changed all the survivors. They became selfish, stubborn, rude, some even went as far as to sacrifice their fellow survivors in trials, just so they could survive. It was a complete mayhem that defied all kinds of reason, normality, morality or even ethics. Everyone became devoid of any laws that used to bind them to their humane sides, and now, you weren't sure if the killers were saner than the survivors or not.

But even in this abyss where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your very eyes, there was a little star - A beautiful angel radiating brightness and warmth, someone who was somehow able to guide everyone's straying souls with her benevolence.

In reality, she was merely a survivor, not the little lantern from an angler fish's head, but she treated everyone with such an untainted kindness...It was beautiful, and yet, unrequited for most parts. Everyone was still putting their own lives above all - And who could condemn them? - Perhaps their cowardice, for the girl preferred to save her fellow survivors as much as possible, even if that oftentimes assured her place on the hook, to be a sacrificial lamb for the Entity.

On the other hand, she rarely ended up on the hook - Most killers prefer to kill her themselves, instead of letting her become pray for the horrible Entity who tortured so many of them for refusing to cooperate - The Trapper, Evan MacMillan - He knew the best, with those hooks digging into his flesh, impossible to extract. He was the first to protect this girl. It wasn't much, but if he had to, he'd rather give her a swift, painless death, than seeing her without that serene, angelic smile on her face, as the Entity feeds on the last bits of her soul's beauty, the last parts of her humanity.

The other Killers were confused at the Trapper's actions, but little by little, they began to understand why this girl was so precious and special - And this domino effect hit Rin Yamaoka next, with Y/N stopping in the middle of a chase and taking off her jacket, just as Rin was about to butcher her with her katana, and she smiled, extending it to her. 'You must be cold' she said, realising that the Spirit was merely wearing a few bandages, not even her school uniform, or her kimono.

The ghost girl was shaken up by this, and told the others at the killer camp, but they just shrugged it off - Rin was a little girl who faced close to no kindness, they weren't surprised she was so taken aback by such a feat. That is, until Adiris, in a particularly terrible day, when everyone at the camp was staying away from her, as her profane censer wasn't able to cover the stench of rotting flesh - Y/N came over, taking out a small yet elegant glass bottle with pink liquid on it, spraying some on her - And now, The Plague smelled of roses and vanilla - 'You can come to me for perfume whenever you want, I always carry some with me!' she grinned at the Babylonian High Priestess, before leaving back to the survivor's camp site, leaving the ancient God symbol to stare with her mouth agape at the girl.

These words began to spread, and it was no surprise when the killers saw Susie clinging and begging her Legion friends to spare Y/N, for she was there to hug away her worries more than once, to tell her sweet words, to play with her hair and play the guitar whatever songs she wanted to hear, to get reminded of her home - She was so home sick that she freaked out, but now she was better, thanks to Y/N - 'I know you miss home, but sometimes, home is where your best friends are, and all three of them are here!' she tried to encourage the cute pink-haired girl who could only squeal and hug her new friend.

Even Ghostface wasn't exempt from falling to her charms, and they would often take silly selfies and mess around, making fun of the old horror movie tropes and doing lots of puns and pranks - So much that she even got his trust to be told about the Danny/Jed thing, and how he began his killer profession - 'You're a very talented photographer, Danny! You deserved all that recognition you got, both as a journalist, and as a killer!'

And very soon, Y/N found herself in the crushing arms of an overprotective Anna, humming her mother's lullaby together with walking through the forest, Y/N making flower crows for all the female killers at the camp site, and little by little, she somehow managed to worm her way under everyone's skins.

Y/N was the survivor with the highest survivability percentage, and maybe the Entity sometimes got pissed off, but at least she still got killed sometimes, so who cares? Well, that was soon to change as soon as a new Killer was added to this sick game - Pyramid Head, the terror of Silent Hill, as Cheryl, the new Survivor, called him - or The Executioner, as he was known now. He was ruthless, merciless, grotesque - He had his own criteria of killing, his own moral compass, ethics, conscience and understanding of the concept of life and death. Nothing that could compare to the visions of humans, clearly - Everything was gravitating around Divine Retribution and Justice, but the from the outside, he was nothing but a killing machine.

He would kill everyone and anyone that crosses his path, without fail.

Y/N felt like her fortune ended completely the second she found herself in the new, overly cramped map, with Pyramid Head as the killer - She couldn't help but run around like a spazzic meerkat, trying to find and fix as many generators as possible, without having to get face to face with the walking hazard...

Only to run past a stuck Pyramid Head.

Slowly backtracing her steps, she saw the mountain of a man with his metal pyramid stuck in the frames a low window which he tried to walk over. He was trashing like a raged bull trying to attack a matador, but it was clear he was getting nowhere with this.

"H-Hey, u-uhm...Need some help?" she asked in a soft, careful voice, almost like a meek cat trying to test the waters, but in return, he started groaning even louder from the wrath he wanted to unleash upon the whole world. "Okay, uhm...I think I saw a can of vaseline in one of the chests around. I'll go fetch it and I'll come back for you. Don't move." she said, only to then realise how horrible that sounded, considering the situation, and it only seemed to anger the killer. "...I'm sorry, ignore me, I'm an idiot." she slapped herself pretty harshly before bolting out of there trying to find the chest.

However, Y/N cursed herself for not having perfectly memorised the whole map by heart already, since she found the vaseline can after the 3rd chest, and then, it took quite a while to find the bloody window that got the killer stuck - And by the time she got there, she was dead tired. "Okay, I'm here, I found the vaseline! Let's try to get you out of here." Y/N muttered as she put her feet on the low window pane to get to his level. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please hold onto me? I can't balance myself with both hands occupied, and I'd rather not fall." she explained as she opened the vaseline can, only to shiver as she felt two big, strong hands getting a firm grip on her hips. It was almost...Endearing, were she not too busy trying to get the killer unstuck. She kept massaging the metal edge, trying to push and pull, also praying to whatever deity that existed in her human world that she had her tetanus shot done on time - Until finally, she was able to get hear a loud screech, like a pop, and the killer got unstuck, and in the process, he stumbled backwards, while Y/N fell down on her butt.

"Ouchie..." she muttered, rubbing her back and sides to take away the pain surging through her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost intuitively, without realising it at first, until she heart a low grunt that brought her back to reality. "O-Oh...! You have glass shards stuck in your side! And you're bleeding too! Hold up, let me help." she hurried to his side, while the killer merely stiffened, feeling her delicate, slender fingers tracing his body, while he heaved and slouched his shoulders from the repressed wrath. "It may sting a bit, and I'm really sorry, but I promise it will be better soon." her voice was so motherly and warm, which also resonated in her actions, as she gingerly took a water bottle and imbued some tissues with it, to wipe away the blood smearing down his skin as she extracted the glass shards, and then..."This is grandma's marigold ointment. It's really good, and it smells nice." she explained as she carefully smeared a thick layer of the yellow ointment on the biggest wounds, while the little ones were covered by smiley-flower patterned plasters. They were cute, and colourful, and they never failed to make her smile. "Okay, there we go, all better! I hope you'll feel better very soon!" her voice got a tiny bit more cheerful and upbeat.

It made the Killer think about a trillion things, as he stepped in front of her, towering over her like the Empire states building next to a smiling pomeranian. What was with this girl? Why did she help a killer? And why did he feel so...Warm inside? He could sense a foreign kind of luminosity, a naivite and innocence that he only witnessed in children and animals. This woman in front of him was untainted by the darkness and evil of the world.

It didn't matter how many hardships she's been through, or how much sadness she had to endure - Her soul remained as pure as any snowdrop, as the first snow of winter, as the fleece of a baby lamb who let out its first 'meeeeh' to its mamma sheep.

He couldn't allow this human to be maimed in any way - Not by the world, not by the Entity, and certainly not by him. - Screw the Entity, Pyramind Head kills by his own rules, and now, he was blessed to be faced with a human who bore no real hatred for her peers, or for the world, despite the horrible situation she was thrown into.

He didn't understand, obviously, especially as he remembered the myriad of abominations that lurked through Silent Hill, all of them created by the torment of humans - The very torment that distorted their own reality, which resulted in him needing to solve the purpose as The Executioner - Eradicating the world of all evil.

"Th-This sword is so heavy...H-How can you carry this around like that...?! Your muscles must be so strained and sore...Y-You really need a massage, I'm sure." she stuttered as she tried to lift the much taller and heavier sword from the ground, only for the brute to simply bend and pick it up with extreme ease, putting the girl to shame with her complete lack of strength. "Hehe...You're really strong. I'm embarrassed now." she chuckled softly, scratching the back of her neck.

Before she could leave or do anything else, Pyramid Head picked her up by the throat, careful not to hurt her or restrict her air intake - I mean, how else was he supposed to carry her so he wouldn't hurt her with his metal head or sword? - and it was pretty clear she didn't feel any malevolence from him, as she clinged on his forearm, trying to keep herself up, only to be dumped on top of the hatch, as the killer pointed towards it, so she would leave.

"O-Oh...! Thank you so much! You're really kind! I really appreciate this...I-I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, since you'll be doing this over and over again with all the survivors...But I really appreciate you for your kind gesture, and I appreciate you for being so nice with me. Thank you. Take care!" her dazzling smile lit the whole place up, but he couldn't talk, nor could he tell her how he should be the one thanking her for showing him that, despite the hundreds and thousands of years he had to roam the 'Earth' and execute the injust, miracles still existed.

As soon as she reached the survivor's camp, everyone cheered for her, asking how in the world could she have escaped the wrath of the butcher. "Oh, but he wasn't that bad. In fact, he's much more humane than I anticipated! I think he has a beautiful, blooming heart!" okay, she's lost it - the other survivors thought - but even so, she's always been a bit...Out of it, so who cares?

It took quite a while for the other three survivors to reach the camp, all bloody, in fact, like the new killer, who dragged himself with the same menace to the Killers' camp. "How the hell did you manage to survive?!" they yelled at her in utter shock, seeing that she got out of there unscratched. "Oh, you see...I found the hatch." she shrugged simply, not wanting to give away that the person who massacred those three was a soft one and he basically threw her down the hatch to her safety.

As she took a twig to roast a marshmallows, she noticed how Pyramid Head was standing much farther away from the rest of the killers - She knew that silent killers were bound to stay away from the more obnoxious one, remembering how Michael Myers almost killed Ghostface and The Legion at least a dozen times - But this time...He seemed kinda...Lonely? So Y/N took the matters into her own hands, roasted another marshmallow in another twig, and when it was done, she went to the killer's camp, calling out the lonely one's name - She has no idea why, but he actually followed her, pushing her further deep into the forest, until he was sure nobody was going to hear, see or interrupt them...

"Hey. You seemed pretty lonely out there...I thought you could use a friend. Thank you again for what you did at the trial...Here, this is a marshmallow. I don't think you've had many before...Cheryl told me of that horrible place you had to live in...So I hope this will make your day a bit better!" Y/N extended one of her hands towards him, so he could take the marshmallow - And a long, black tongue erupted from underneath the pyramid, snatching away the fluffy marshmallow and gulping it in one go.

What the hell was he turning into?

A towering man built of pure muscle, wrath and divine justice, with a pyramid representing the evil of humanity burdening his body, and a sword taller and heavier than the average human being constantly dragged in one of his hand...He now was a slave to a cute, innocent girl who was putting flower plasters on his minuscule wounds that would heal in a heartbeat regardless - He saved this girl who was now offering his these soft, squishy things that tasted overly sugarly, just like her upbeat and cheerful personality - If he could eat her, he was sure she would taste even sweeter than this - A sickish kind of sweet, that is.

She was indeed a beautiful angel in this tragic hell. But he didn't wait to snatch the second marshmallow either.

"Ah...! You liked it, didn't you? Well...Next time, I promise I'll give you more!" she grinned at him the same way a princess would to her chivalrous knight who saved her. The since he couldn't talk, silence took over them - It wasn't an uncomfortable one, per se, but it made it feel as if the conversation was over. "W-Well...I'll guess I'll see you around! Take care and I hope to see you again soon!" she waved cutely, trying to turn around back to her camp, only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder, turning her around and urging her to stop and wait for him and he went deep into the forest, leaving her alone and undefended by the potential malevolent forces of the forest.

When he returned, however, he stepped right in front of her, creating the perfect shade as he towered over her - Then he kneeled in front of her, so he would reach her eye sight, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put a beautiful pink flower - As pink as the blush that started creeping on her face - He wanted to see her luminous face better, to highlight her dazzling smile and her glimmering eyes as the warm, silver light of the mother moon caressed her face.

Y/N felt her heart picking up the pace - It was beating so much faster than ever before - But this time, it wasn't out of fear or anything negative...It was something good. Something she never felt in her life, especially with her human acquaintances from back home. None was as chivalrous and gentle with her as this butcher of tormented souls - The bringer of justice, the merciless Executioner who was supposed to end the life of every living being that would cross his path.

It was insane how every Yin finds its Yang, even if that comes in the form of a little lamb of a small, frail girl, and a huge abomination of a brute man who knows nothing but death, bloodshed and carnage. It was truly crazy how opposites attract, and here she was, holding the killers large hands and gingerly putting them on her face, leaning into his touch - She felt safer now than ever in her life - Now, in the arms of an ancient killer.

An Angel and A Demon brought together in a perfect union.

As she leaned down, she touched the metal of the pyramid where she anticipated his forehead would be with her own forehead, and closing her eyes, she finally felt herself calming down. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder than anything, and she appreciated it...She appreciated him.

"Thank you." she whispered to him, knowing that yes, even though nobody else would hear it anyway, it was much more intimate than anything she ever experienced.

She was hooked.

Hope you liked my completely shameless pun, I couldn't stop it, especially after the pain I went through trying to write this...3 freaking times.

Yay.

[thatmultifandomhoe]

Wish Upon a Star

Our childhoods began with the magic that was found within these movies. Whether it be Disney, Pixar, or Studio Ghibli, our love has not once wavered. We’ve grown, and dare we say that we’ve matured, but there’s still a special place in our hearts for our favorite movies.

Except, these movies now have a twist.

We are no longer kids.

Welcome to Wish Upon a Star, where your favorite childhood movie finally grew up.

Disclaimer: The following stories are a combination of SFW, NSFW, or a combination of both.

Wish Upon A Star is collaboration of works containing stories based on some of our favorite movies from Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli.

Writers from both the BTS Fic Hub and BTS Smut Hub servers (founded by @gukyi​​) have come together to write stories for the month of January. While this event is not directly affiliated with these servers, please feel free to check them out!

Name of the Game by @ggukcangetit​​​​

Movie: Anastasia

Starring: Seokjin and Reader

Summary: The Hotel - Strange, The Manager - Far Too Charming, The Situation - Dire, The One in Trouble - You.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 9th.

Two Birds, One Cake: by @pajaritojin​​

Movie: Brave

Starring: Prince Seokjin and Witch Reader

Summary: After Seokjin fails to return his mother to her human state because Y/N gave him the wrong spell, he is forced to release the Queen into the wilderness whilst he tracks down Y/N.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 20th.

That Famous Happy Ending by: @jinpanman​​

Movie: Enchanted

Starring: Seokjin and Reader

Summary: You don't know what you expected when you followed the Prince to Andalasia... but of all things, you didn't expect to fall for him and his kingdom so quickly.

Rating: SFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 21st.

The Medallion Calls by: @pajaritojin​​

Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean

Starring: Captain Seokjin and Governor Reader

Summary: Upon Seokjin’s wash up to shore after months of being lost in a wrecked boat, the town is attacked by a crew of pirates. Kidnapping Governor Y/L/N Y/N, the crew of pirates flee — leaving her friends and Seokjin to rescue her and keep the town at peace.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 29th.

The End of the Fucking World (or: the Alpacalypse) by: @hauntedlilies​

Movie: The Emperor's New Groove

Starring: Seokjin and Reader

Summary: Over the past few years your life has been slowly falling apart. You didn't think it could get any worse — until your father comes home with a talking llama alpaca who claims he's the emperor of a lost civilization. But is he really who he says he is?

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 22nd.

The Ghosts of Daegu Town by: @cremeandsuga​​

Movie: Monsters Inc.

Starring: Ghost Yoongi and Phasmophobic Reader

Summary: For the last 18 years, Min Yoongi had been appointed Resident Ghoul for his Scare Ratings. He managed to scare the life out of everyone…except when your door came down before him.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 24th.

Second Star to the Right by: @thatlongspringnight​​

Movie: Peter Pan

Starring: Yoongi and Reader

Summary: Min Yoongi never believed in magic, but all it takes is a found shadow and one very frustrating girl to turn his world upside down. The real question remains: Will he keep that magic in his heart and choose to stay in Neverland, or will he abandon this magical world and the girl he's grown to love?

Rating: Combo

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 3rd.

Basil & Beliefs by: @cremeandsuga​​

Movie: Ratatouille

Starring: Sous Chef Yoongi and Heir Reader

Summary: When the long lost daughter of Gusteau reappears and gets hired at his restaurant, she is expected to stay quiet and stay out of the spotlight — but her and her server friend Seokjin can’t do anything to stay out of the eyes of the sous chef, Min Yoongi.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 14th.

A Restless Slumber by: @wwilloww​​

Movie: Sleeping Beauty

Starring: Yoongi and Reader

Summary: When one of you is always asleep, spending quality time together becomes easier to do in dreamworld.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 1st.

Coral Subconscious by: @hermosohoseok​​

Movie: Finding Nemo

Starring: Mermaid Hoseok and Mermaid Reader

Summary: When Y/L/N Y/N swims past Hoseok’s reef and saves his mother from the teeth of their terrorizing resident barracuda, he can’t help but feel indebted.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 15th.

Cactus by @hesperantha​​​

Movie: Fantasia

Starring: Hoseok and Reader

Summary: Meeting a stranger at the club turns into an adventure. Starring Mickey!Hoseok, featuring Yensid!Namjoon.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 2nd

Bare Necessities by: @hermosohoseok​​

Movie: Jungle book

Starring: Bear Aspect Hoseok and Adult Mowgli Reader

Summary: After Y/N’s life is threatened by resident Tiger Aspects Yoongi and Taehyung, Y/N is forced to vacate the jungle and leave behind her friends. Along the way, she finds the bear that saved her as a baby.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 27th.

Smutocchio by @jinpanman​​

Movie: Pinocchio

Starring: Hoseok and Reader

Summary: You didn’t mean to fall for the growing dick man.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 13th.

A little less than 101 Meetings to fall in love: by @thatlongspringnight​​

Movie: 101 Dalmatians

Starring: Namjoon and Reader

Summary: Kim Namjoon has seen enough of the world to know two thing, dogs always look like their owners, and he's going to be perennially single. A chance meeting at the park changes at least one of those ideas forever.

Rating: Combo

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 10th.

The Aftermath: by @queridonamjoon​​

Movie: Big Hero 6

Starring: Engineer Namjoon and Friend Version Tadashi Reader

Summary: After Y/N dies in an attempt to save Namjoon, his dreams are nothing more than memories of her and their adventures together — so he builds Y/N prototypes for every scenario, in which he will always be able to save her.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 26th.

One Cube At A Time: by @queridonamjoon​​

Movie: Wall-E

Starring: Cyborg Namjoon and Cyborg Reader

Summary: Namjoon is the only functioning being left on planet Earth — imagine his surprise when he is made aware of a completely different world just a few galaxies away.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 11th.

Otherworldly Lovin’ by @thatmultifandomhoe​​

Movie: Flubber

Starring: Alien Taehyung and Human Reader

Summary: Not only did he crash land into you yard, but he also crashed right into your heart...among other places.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 6th.

In The Doghouse: by @mariposatae​​

Movie: Lady & the Tramp

Starring: Dog Hybrid Taehyung and Dog Hybrid Reader

Summary: After Y/N finds herself in some hot water with Jungkook and her housemates, she must trust from afar as they find a mate for her in a serial monogamist with a knack for knocking up.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 25th.

Bad Stitch 2.0: by @jinpanman​​

Movie: Lilo and Stitch

Starring: Taehyung and Reader

Summary: You and Taehyung finally get the house to yourselves and you’re not going to let it go to waste.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 5th.

Blood from The Emperor: by @mariposatae​​

Movie: Mulan

Starring: Solider Taehyung and Solider/Princess Reader.

Summary: Y/L/N Y/N is the only daughter to The Emperor, and when she escapes her luxurious life in the palace to join the military, Kim Taehyung is the one to discover her.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 12th.

Had it Been Another Day by @ggukcangetit​​

Movie: The Princess and the Frog

Starring: Taehyung and Reader

Summary: When the universe hated you enough to pair you with the most obnoxious guy in your class, for a project that would decide your future but had no such implications for him.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 16th

Fairy Wings: by @ezralia-writes​​

Movie: Tinkerbell

Starring: Taehyung and Reader

Summary: "You should have never crossed the border," he choked out, "I should've known better to stop this before it even began."

Rating: SFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 30th.

Unholy Lightning: by @sunnydelightjimin​​

Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

Starring: Lightfury Hybrid Jimin and Nightfury Hybrid Reader

Summary: Y/L/N Y/N was taught to soar in the clearest of skies and attack in the deadliest situations — crazy how she has a tendency to flip those in her mind.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 17th.

Chasing Waves by @magicalcrwn​​

Movie: The Little Mermaid

Starring: Jimin and Reader

Summary: From a young age, their curiosity grows stronger. For the human princess who has always been interested in the ocean’s secrets, for the merprince who has always been interested in the surface’s life. What would happen once they finally chase the waves to sate their curiosity?

Rating: SFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 18th.

Lava In The Afternoon: by @sunnydelightjimin​​

Movie: The Incredibles

Starring: Immortal Superhero Jimin and Immortal Villain Reader

Summary: Y/L/N Y/N has terrorized the City of Seoul for generations alongside her friends — and Jimin has been tired of fighting her time and time again.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 28th.

The First Snow: by @carinojungkook​​

Movie: Bambi

Starring: Rabbit Aspect Jungkook and Deer Aspect Reader

Summary: When the daughter of The Great Prince is presented before the forest on the day of the First Snow, Jungkook finds himself enamored with the doe eyes filled with fire.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 19th.

The Fourth Unforgivable by @ggukcangetit​​

Movie: The Lion King

Starring: Jungkook and Reader

Summary: Seven years is a long time. Enough to bring about many changes - new laws, dangerous associations, and the return of the one you had forced yourself to forget.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 23rd

Moves Like An Ape, Looks Like a Man by @carinojungkook​​​

Movie: Tarzan

Starring: Tarzan Jungkook, and Animal Researcher Reader,

Summary: When animal researcher best friends Y/L/N Y/N and Kim Namjoon are sent on an expedition to gather information on the gorillas of West Africa, they aren’t expecting anything but — and yet, are met with none other than Jeon Jungkook.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 8th.

Abstract Thought: by @milktbaby​​

Movie: Inside Out

Starring: Emotion OT7 and Student Reader

Summary: When Y/L/N Y/N is leaving her hometown of Busan for university, she is faced with a series of unexpected events that make her realize she’s not where she needs to be.

Rating: NSFW

Being Released to a Theater Near You: January 31st.

You’re never too old to find yourself wishing upon a star.

[winxwannabe]

Roll Here In Our Ashes Ch 5a

So last time I posted part of a chapter early it was on Google Docs, but I had some people tell me it was being difficult on mobile. So along with a link, I have the section posted under the readmore so you don't have to leave the site! Pick whichever, there's no difference in the content. Thanks again for the follows and love for this fic, and I'll do my best to get it out this weekend!

Chapter 5a Doc Link

Forty-two.

Forty-two hours. How had things already gone so sideways?

Though she’d been exhausted when they got back to the rental, Bloom couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind jumped between worrying about what a day of waiting around in a small house with Baltor would bring (probably more drinking), and what would happen the day after, meeting another (in all likelihood) shady individual in a group that was somehow managing to steal energy from the stars of the universe. A shady individual in a group Bloom now realized Baltor knew very little about. A shady individual who could ask her to do god knew what to prove her loyalty, and Bloom would more than likely have to do it to keep herself alive.

And of course that line of thinking led her right back to thinking of Ayin. Bloom hated how clear it was in her mind, and she had a sinking feeling it would stay that way for a long time.

When she did finally fall asleep, her dreams held the same kind of chaos her thoughts had. One minute she and the Winx were running through the streets of Gardenia fighting a lava monster, and the next she found herself in the gardens of Solaria, drinking tea with Stella and her mother without a care in the world. It was nice to be worrying about normal things for a while - or at least, things that seemed normal in Bloom’s world of universe saving - though there were threads of her current situation running she kept picking up on. The Winx in her dreams seemed to pick up on her unease, and whether it was Bloom’s own subconscious or knowing how they would act in real life, they stayed at her side until the dream morphed, taking them away.

Instead of the Winx, Sky walked alongside her, leading her off bustling city streets and into an apartment Bloom didn’t recognize but knew was fine to be in. It was simple and comfortable and so unlike the last few days that Bloom sank into it without any hesitancy, losing the threads that reminded her she was dreaming. Her mind seemed to reward her for that, and before she knew it Sky was leaning in close and kissing her.

It was surprising what little details her mind could recall; how soft Sky’s skin was when his fingers brushed against her face, the way his hair felt when she threaded her fingers through it, or the muscles in his arms that dug into her as he pulled Bloom close. She savored the slow build of both the kiss and the sensuous feeling in her chest, spreading out and making her limbs tingle in anticipation.

She sighed as his hands finally reached up to pull her shirt off. Bloom reached out to return the favor but Sky refused, spinning her in his arms before reaching up to unclasp her bra, his lips trailing open-mouthed kisses along her neck. She moaned, lost in the familiar sensations that had been so close as of late, but so different without him.

So lost that she didn’t realize the fingers that came back to trace her spine were longer and more callused. Or that the back she was pulled against was broader and more lean. Bloom didn’t care - if anything she liked it more. When the lips at her neck disappeared she reached back blindly, desperate for more contact and moaning when she found him, already hard, pressing against her through the fabric of his dark jeans.

And then a voice, far too deep to be Sky’s murmured into her ear; “That’s it, good girl, Bloom -”

Bloom jerked awake, wincing at the sunlight streaming in from the bedroom window - late morning based on the shadows being cast. There were a few blissful moments of confusion before she realized where she was and what she had just awoken from. Bloom groaned, pulling the covers over her head and waving a finger. The curtains pulled themselves over the windows, blocking most of the sunlight out, though it did little to help her pounding head.

She laid in bed for several minutes, cursing every deity she could think of and debating whether she should punish her mind for betraying her like this or continue down the path her dreams had been so keen on to try and take the edge off things.

I’m perfectly comfortable with you going back over those memories, should you find yourself with the desire to.

In the end she decided on a cold shower, not trusting where the alternative would take her.

After changing into comfortable clothes and gnawing on one of the energy bars she’d stashed in her suitcase, Bloom found her headache was lingering. She couldn’t tell if it was a result of stress, alcohol, bad sleep, or (most likely) a combination of all three, but it was enough to force her out of her room to look for alleviation.

“Have you found any aspirin here?” Bloom asked Baltor in lieu of a greeting as she shuffled into the kitchen. She didn’t even bother to look over to the living room couch first, an assured feeling telling her he was there.

Sure enough, the man in question glanced up from whatever he was reading. It gave Bloom pause - something about the look was far too pleasant considering the previous night’s events. “Top drawer by the sink.”

She followed the directions, coming up with a bottle of ibuprofen (or whatever it was called here - so long as it worked Bloom would call it anything). “Magic release capsules, thank god. I’m starting to think that Leonnates creep spiked my drink.”

“More than likely he just poured heavy. Vallistan alcohol can be rather inebriating to people who aren’t used to it. It’s the highest proof in the dimension next to Popularus.”

“I see you spent a lot of time raiding spell vaults and liquor cabinets,” Bloom deadpanned, filling a glass from the kitchen faucet to swallow the pills. “You’re not hungover?”

“I am not,” he replied, and the bounce in his voice added to her unease.

Bloom finally stopped ignoring her intuition and wandered into the living room. The first thing she noticed was the coffee table, now covered in packets and official papers she didn’t recognize. Certainly none of it had been there the night before. “Whoa. Where did all this come from?”

Her gaze shifted to Baltor himself, and she was immediately concerned with the look he gave her. Namely that sly, shit-eating grin Bloom had come to recognize meant bad things for her. “This was delivered this morning,” Baltor motioned to the open box on the floor. “Postmarked Magix - not surprising, since everything comes through there. I figured it was some sort of supply order you’d put in last night.”

Bloom could only guess how mortified she looked. It must have been very, because the smirk got wider. “Imagine my surprise when I found this instead,” he continued, holding up the book he had been reading. The one Bloom had last seen buried under lecture notes on her desk at Alfea. “Understanding Demonic Forces From the Universe’s Creation. Not what one would call light reading.”

“Give me that,” Bloom surged forward, but not fast enough. Baltor was up and across the room before she was within three feet of the couch.

“Nor was the other included book - Symbiosis With Dark Magical Energy. Now, I didn’t spend very much time in Alfea’s library, but Cloud Tower’s? That collection is one I’m very familiar with. What’s a goody two-shoes fairy like you doing with two of my personal favorites?”

“None of your business.”

“Oh you may think that, but there are quite a few people who think it is my business. Or so they said to your higher-up friends.”

The implication wasn’t lost on Bloom. She turned back to the coffee table and picked up the nearest file, hoping she was wrong. Inside was an official complaint filed with the Magix Council five years ago. But unlike the redaction-filled photocopy of a photocopy she had been given after months of hounding Faragonda and the Council liaison, this was a pristine page devoid of black lines.

While we respect the crown princess of the (former) planet Sparx, it is not difficult to believe she would align herself with the only other living being from said world, regardless of his status. Therefore, we demand a full investigation....

Bloom stared at the words she had read dozens of times before, then up at the information box. The complatiantant had been from Solaria, somehow the most surprising piece of new information. She always thought Diaspro had written this one. “They’re all here?” Bloom found herself asking, even though she already knew they were.

“The nine complaints filed against you when I broke out of Omega, and the sixteen filed over the last year. All citing concerns that you were in league with me.”

Well, she had asked Tom to send all the relevant files. She just hadn’t realized all relevant files included hers.

“Of course all of my information is here as well,” Baltor sauntered past her back to the couch once he realized she wasn’t going to go for him again. “Arrest records, interviews, letters from planetary governments demanding my execution, ecterta. But in the middle, almost as if it was thrown in at the last minute, those books. Which of course piqued my curiosity enough to go digging until I came across the files regarding both of us. Really, I’m flattered. I had no idea we were so deeply intertwined.”

His tone snapped Bloom out of her own self-pity. She expected the embarrassment, maybe even the biting remarks that started forming in her mind. What surprised her, though, was the anger that quickly bubbled up from her chest. “You had no right.”

Baltor just scoffed at her. “Oh no? Whose name is on the front of eighty percent of these documents?”

“Which means you should have left the other twenty percent alone.”

“Call it creating an even battleground.”

“Oh no, we are not even in any sense of the word. That’s why I have this,” Bloom held up the red stone necklace, “And you are going back to Omega at the end of the week. Remember?”

“How could I forget, considering how often you bring it up? Isn’t there a saying that people who constantly have to remind you how powerful they are aren’t actually powerful at all? Maybe the current situation is a bit more even-keeled than I realized.”

Blood rushed to her cheeks, but Bloom refused to acknowledge it. She grabbed the nearest complaint from the table. “I’m powerful enough to defeat you twice. And unlike you, I didn’t do any of the things people accused me of in their complaints! I wasn’t a spy or a puppet, and I never helped you.”

“You’re helping me now.”

The cool composure in Baltor’s voice caught Bloom off guard. “This is different.”

“Is it?” Baltor stood up in a single fluid motion, grabbing a different file from the table. “You were chosen to accompany me because in the mind of the Council, you are the person closest to understanding me. They decided we would work well together. And haven’t we so far?”

If Bloom wasn’t blushing before, she certainly was now.

“And if these are anything to go by,” Baltor waved the file in his hand pointedly in her direction. “They were not the only people to think that.”

“They’re wrong.”

“Not anymore.”

He was right, on a literal level if nothing else, and it matured her anger into a borderline rage. “Screw you,” Bloom spat, turning on her heels and walking towards the kitchen. Upon seeing the small crystal resting on the sill above the sink, she was hit with an idea that at the moment seemed necessary.

“Don’t go undoing any spells,” Baltor said dryly as she picked the crystal up. She could feel his eyes on her. “Wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong impression.”

“Who said anything about undoing?” Bloom recited a spell in her head, nodding when the crystal flashed and powered up.

“Then humor me, what are you doing?”

“Taking myself out of the equation. Before I do something I regret.”

Baltor looked unimpressed. “You’re Princess Bloom, gifted hero of the Magic Dimension. You don’t kill people.”

She ignored the comment, stalking past Baltor to the door. She slipped her shoes on. “What I did was hone the barrier around the house to only let me in or out. If you try to leave before I get back, it’s ten thousand volts of electricity to the heart.”

He sat up at that, looking more concerned than he’d been all morning. “And what do you expect me to do?”

“Not my problem. But look on the bright side - this is way roomier than your cell in Magix was. Or your ice block in Omega is going to be. If I were you, I’d enjoy it while I had the chance.”

The look Baltor gave her was deadly, but before he could retort Bloom was out the door. She didn’t even bother locking it behind her.

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Twelve)

Summary: Din and (Y/N) grow closer after opening up about their pasts, and they begin their search for the Jedi Ahsoka Tano on Corvus.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Reader

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings/Disclaimers: Brief discussion of panic attacks and trauma

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Twelve The Past (Previous Chapter)

Since bringing (Y/N) on as his partner, Din had slowly grown used to having someone around to fill the deafening silence; if she wasn’t striking up a conversation with him, the captain was talking to the child or humming to herself while she piloted and worked on her sewing projects. But since leaving Nevarro the day before, she’d been unusually quiet and he suspected that her silence had something to do with what happened inside the Imperial base.

She’s always so considerate when it comes to the feelings of others, Din thought to himself as he recalled how understanding she’d been whenever he opened up to her and how kind she always was towards others, but maybe it’s time someone returns the favor. He switched the ship’s controls onto autopilot before making his way down to the cargo hold; (Y/N) was sitting cross-legged on her makeshift cot and absentmindedly cleaning her blaster, her (Y/E/C) eyes unfocused as she stared off into nothing.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

(Y/N) jumped a little, quickly looking over to where Din was standing and offering him a small smile. “My blaster saw a lot of action yesterday; I wanted to make sure it was ready for whatever we come across on Corvus.”

Din nodded. “Good idea.” He walked over to the open armory, grabbing his pulse rifle and a rag before taking a seat on one of the loose storage containers; they both worked on cleaning their weapons for several quiet moments before Din finally spoke. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

He kept his gaze trained on his work, but he could hear her set aside her blaster and sigh. “You might’ve already figured it out but in the Rebellion, I was one of a few dozen smugglers who was tasked with smuggling civilians off of Imperial-controlled planets and past their blockades. We would visit the cities and villages that were the hardest hit and get as many people off-planet that we could, and the majority of the time our missions succeeded. But…”

When he glanced up, the captain was staring down at the floor with a hardened expression on her face. “But?”

“Sometimes, the Imps would catch wind that we were coming and rather than see civilians fall under the protection of the Rebel Alliance, they’d raze their homesteads and slaughter everyone in them. It’s been years, but I can still remember all those times I’d arrive too late; Stormtroopers used flamethrowers to burn down homes while a battalion shot down anyone who was left standing. As long as I live, I’ll never forget just how bright those flames were.” She looked up at him and he was struck by how weary her eyes looked. He recognized that they were the eyes of someone who’d seen far too many horrors in their lifetime, because they were the same eyes he saw whenever he looked into his battered mirror.

“So when you saw the lava in the heat shaft, all those memories came rushing back.” (Y/N) nodded once before glancing away. “…I know what that’s like.” She quickly turned her attention back to him and he took a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. “When I was a child, the village my parents and I lived in was attacked by Separatist battle droids; I was saved by the Mandalorians but everyone else…I was the only one who survived. The memories of that day – the explosions, the screams, seeing my mother and father for the last time – would always play through my mind whenever I had new armor forged by my Covert’s Armorer. It’s something I’ve learned to live with, but only because I try focusing on the good; the Mandalorians took me in when I needed a home and they raised me as a foundling, and without their kindness I would’ve died a long time ago.” The damning words of Bo-Katan came to mind but Din quickly pushed them aside; no matter what Creed they followed, the Mandalorians who took him in had helped him survive. “You saved innocent lives during the Rebellion. Thousands of people are alive because of you, alor’ad, and that is what’s important.”

After taking a moment to absorb his words, (Y/N) slowly began to smile; she didn’t say anything, but he could see the understanding in her eyes and he couldn’t help but return her smile beneath his helmet. The sound of his sleeping compartment opening broke the spell and they both turned to see the child blinking the sleep out of his wide eyes.

“Did you have a good nap, little guy?” (Y/N) asked, standing up and making her way over to the compartment; the child responded with a small coo and the captain chuckled, picking him up and glancing over at Din with a widening smile. “Well, I don’t know about you, Mando, but I could do with another sparring session right about now. What do you say?”

Getting to his feet, Din rested his hands on his hips and tilted his helmet as he met her challenging gaze. “Sure, why not? I’m always ready to take on cocky ex-smugglers and win.”

She rolled her eyes and looked down at the child in her arms. “You think I can beat Mando, right?” The child giggled and wrapped a clawed hand around the finger she was tapping his tiny nose with. “That’s what I thought! Mando doesn’t stand a chance, does he, little guy?”

Din watched their interaction with a fond smile on his face and in that moment, he made a decision. “Din.”

“Hmm?” (Y/N) distractedly asked as she glanced up at him. “What was that?”

“My name is Din. Din Djarin.”

While interacting with different cultures on his travels throughout the galaxy, Din had heard his fair share of fairytales and superstitions and although he respected the differing beliefs, he never put much stock in any of them. But in that moment, while he watched the blinding smile stretch across (Y/N)’s face, he could honestly say that he believed in the existence of angels.

“Well, Din Djarin, are you ready to get your ass kicked or what?”

Din couldn’t remember the last time he laughed as hard as he did at that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, they dropped out of hyperspace and Din piloted the ship towards Corvus while (Y/N) went down to the cargo hold to pack up their supplies. The child sat on top of one of the nearby control panels, staring out the viewport at the stars with widened eyes, and Din couldn’t help but smile sadly when he glanced over at him; if Bo-Katan’s lead on Ahsoka Tano’s correct, then this’ll be the kid’s last ride in the Razor Crest, he thought to himself.

“Corvus. This is the place; I’ve detected a beacon. I’m starting the landing cycle, so you’d better get back in your seat,” Din ordered as he began flicking switches and pressing buttons, looking over and frowning when he saw that the child hadn’t moved. “Hey, what did I tell you?” He gestured with his helmeted head to the passenger seat behind him. “Back in your seat.” With a disgruntled coo, the child clambered off the control panel and over to the passenger seat, and Din tried not to think about how much he was going to miss having the stubborn kid around.

The ship flew through the upper atmosphere and into the smog-filled air of the planet, and they soon landed on the outskirts of the small walled-off city of Calodan. Din and the child climbed down into the cargo hold just as (Y/N) was slinging a knapsack over her shoulders; since they didn’t know what to expect on Corvus, the captain’s blaster was concealed beneath a long-hooded coat and a vibroblade was tucked into her boot.

“Ready to go, alor’ad?”

(Y/N) looked over at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes; he knew that she’d grown attached to the child in the short time she’d been with them and it was obvious that she was trying her best to hide her conflicted feelings for the sake of their quest. “Yep! Let’s go find ourselves a Jedi.”

They lowered the ramp of the ship and walked out onto the planet’s surface, Din’s hand resting on the blaster holstered at his hip as he glanced around. The yellow-tinted smog filled the air and surrounding them was a forest of dying trees, among which a couple of creatures were slowly moving. When he turned back to (Y/N), his words died on his lips and his brow furrowed in concern as he took in her stiff expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Something feels…off about this place, Din.” She bit her lip and gave a decisive nod. “I’m gonna go get the little guy’s satchel.”

(Y/N) made her way back into the ship while Din stayed where he was; the longer he looked around, the more uneasy he felt about the planet. The sound of tiny footsteps behind him made him turn around to see the child sitting down on the ramp, his favorite silver sphere clutched in his hands, and he sighed in exasperation. “What did I say about that?” He knelt down and took the sphere from the cooing child, tucking it into the pouch at his waist with a firm head-shake. “This needs to stay on the ship.”

The captain returned a moment later with the satchel in hand and once Din slung it over his head, she helped him place the child in it. “You won’t be in here too long, little guy, just until we know that everything’s safe.” She ran a hand over the child’s wrinkled head and looked up at Din, a small crease forming between her brows. “You feel it too, right?”

Din nodded, resting a comforting hand on the small of his partner’s back as he urged her forward. “Let’s head into town, alor’ad, see if we can pick up a lead.”

As they started towards the city of Calodan, Din’s gloved hand dropped back to his side and he found himself clenching and unclenching it, silently wishing that he could’ve left it where it was. His impulsive decision to place her hand on the skin of his face back on Nevarro had plagued him; he tried focusing on other things, but all he could truly think of was the feeling of her soft hand on his cheek. Her touch had ignited something within him, and he’d quickly come to realize that he wanted nothing more than to be close to (Y/N); it was torture, especially during their sparring sessions, but he tried his damnedest to keep his hands to himself and remain focused on their quest.

They neared the gates of Calodan and Din’s eyes were instantly drawn to the three guards standing on the wall above; stopping in front of the gate, they both looked up as one of the guards stepped forward and called down, “State your business.”

“Been tracking for a few days,” Din called back, careful to keep the child hidden behind his cape. “We’re looking for a layover.”

The guard who’d addressed them raised his brows, seemingly impressed at the sight of them. “Nice armor. You a hunter, then?”

Din nodded once. “That’s right.”

“Guild?”

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Din replied, “Last I checked.”

The guard’s eyes flicked over to (Y/N). “And you?”

“I’m his pilot,” (Y/N) confidently called back. “And his business partner.”

After several tense moments, the guard nodded and glanced over at one of his companions. “Open the gate.”

The gates slowly opened and the two of them walked inside, acutely aware that the gate had been closed behind them. Beside him, (Y/N) adjusted her fingerless gloves and mumbled under her breath, “Not exactly keen on strangers, are they?”

Din didn’t answer but he silently agreed; the further they traveled into the city, the more apparent it became that something wasn’t right. The people they passed on the street ducked their heads to avoid eye contact, some even darting into their homes before they could walk by, and the few vendors there were eyed the two them with caged expressions on their faces. This doesn’t seem like the sort of place a Jedi would live, he thought to himself as his brow furrowed.

Gesturing for the captain to follow, Din slowly approached a vendor on his right. “Pardon me, vendor, have you heard of anyone…” His words died in his throat when the vendor abruptly walked away and he turned to (Y/N), who’s frown had only deepened as her eyes looked past him towards the alleyway. Confused, he turned to see an older man and two small children in the shadows of the alley; the man was giving the children food and quietly speaking to them, and Din figured that he might be easier to speak to. “You there, we need some information.” He and (Y/N) stepped closer to the man as he got to his feet. “My partner and I are looking for someone.”

The man frowned in displeasure, turning to say something to the two children and watching them run off before turning back to them with a frightened look in his eyes. “Please, do not speak to them, or to any of us.”

“Look, we just need to know-”

(Y/N)’s gentle words were interrupted by a gruff voice. “The Magistrate wants to see you.” They both turned to see two masked guards behind them, whose hands were clutching their blasters as they stared them down. Clenching his jaw tightly, Din followed one of the guards down the city’s main road and he was mindful of the guard trailing close behind them. At the end of the road was a large guarded gate and flanking each side of the road were elevated cages, inside which were people groaning out in pain. Their cries were punctuated by the distinct sounds of electric shocks and Din averted his gaze from the sickening sight.

“Help us!”

“She’ll kill us all!”

Beside him, (Y/N) stopped dead in her tracks and stared up at the prisoners nearest to her; the captain’s horrified expression instantly reminded Din of the look that had come across her face just before her panic attack back on Nevarro, so he was quick to get her attention. “(Y/N)? Alor’ad, c’mon…” He urged, and her eyes lingered on the prisoners for a moment before she looked forward and fell in step with him.

The guards opened the gate and allowed them to walk through into a beautiful garden; they stood on a narrow stone walkway over a large pond that was surrounded by countless trees and plants, a stark contrast to the dilapidated city that they’d just walked through. Near the end of the walkway stood a woman dressed in the robes of a magistrate; a droid guard stood several steps away as she tossed food into the calm waters of the pond for an unknown creature.

“Come forward,” The woman called out, and Din and (Y/N) exchanged a look before complying. They came to a stop closer to her, but she didn’t look up from her work as she continued. “You are a Mandalorian?”

“Yes.”

“And the woman?”

A fiery look in her eyes, (Y/N) snapped back, “I’m his partner. What business do you have with us?” In any other circumstance, Din would’ve been captivated by the captain’s authoritative tone but he was concerned that her aggression would only serve to raise tensions.

The magistrate looked over at the pair, her brow raised in curiosity as her eyes examined them. “I have a proposition that may interest you two.”

Din’s eyes narrowed underneath his helmet. “Our price is high.”

“This target is priceless.” The magistrate countered. “A Jedi plagues me. I want you to kill her.”

Ahsoka Tano, Din thought to himself, an unsettling feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. (Y/N) stiffened beside him and he found himself slowly replying, “That’s…a difficult task.”

“One that you’re well-suited for. The Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore.”

Din suppressed his sigh of frustration and shrugged. “As I said, our price is high.”

The magistrate gestured for the droid guard to come closer, accepting the long metal spear from it and holding it out towards Din. “What do you make of this?”

Together, Din and (Y/N) stepped forward and he hesitated a moment before accepting the spear; it was lighter than it appeared and when he tapped it against his vambrace, a familiar ringing echo filled the garden. “Beskar.”

“Pure beskar, like your armor. Kill the Jedi and it’s yours.”

He bit his bottom lip, a trait seemingly picked up from his partner, before gruffly replying, “Where do we find this Jedi?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two of them were escorted back through the city to the main gate, their eyes trained on the guard in front of them while they walked past the caged prisoners and frightened residents. Once at the gate, the guard stood beside them and wrinkled his nose when he spotted the child’s head poking out of his satchel.

“What is that thing?”

Din’s nostrils flared in anger but he kept his voice level as he replied, “I keep it around for luck.”

The guard shrugged his shoulder. “Well, you’re gonna need it where you’re headed.” His eyes drifted away from Din to focus on (Y/N). “You got a good luck charm too, sweetheart?”

“I make my own luck,” The captain answered tersely and Din urged her forward before either of them could do anything to the guard that they’d end up regretting later. Once they were far enough away from the city’s gate, (Y/N) heaved a frustrated sigh. “Nice wordplay back there; you got the Jedi’s last known location without agreeing to the deal. But that magistrate…I don’t know if she’s Imperial or not but as soon as we find Ahsoka Tano, I’m going back and helping those people.”

Looking over at (Y/N), Din gave her a firm nod. “You won’t be alone.”

The three of them slowly made their way through the barren landscape of Corvus; Din’s pulse rifle was clutched in his hand and (Y/N) had drawn her blaster, but neither of them spotted any signs of the elusive Jedi. After about an hour of hunting, Din detected a faint rustling in the distance and was quick to place his free hand on the captain’s arm to halt her; he gestured towards the line of dead trees before them and she silently nodded, taking his pulse rifle and slinging it over her shoulder. Din took the child out of his satchel, setting him down on a nearby boulder before pulling out his scope and scanning the horizon. He didn’t spot anything at first but when he looked harder, he finally noticed the two large creatures peacefully grazing in the distance.

“False alarm,” Din sighed, lowering his scope and tucking it back into his pouch. “I-”

(Y/N)’s warning shout mixed with a loud electric hum made him spin around, reflexively bringing up his arm to deflect the two laser swords that were bearing down on his helmeted head. The laser sword-wielding Togruta continued attacking and it was all Din could do to block her strikes with his vambraces; the moment he found an opening, he activated his flamethrower and aimed it at the Jedi, watching as she blocked the flames with her cloak and flipped out of the way. Just as her feet touched the ground, he shot his grappling hook at her and bound her arms to her sides, but the Jedi merely smiled and jumped straight into the air. She flipped over a tree branch high above and pulled him up with her, forcing him to quickly cut himself loose.

Din drew his blaster and turned, bringing his free hand up in a placating gesture as he shouted, “Ahsoka Tano!” The Jedi froze, her laser swords still raised. “Bo-Katan sent me. We need to talk.”

Ahsoka’s blue eyes looked past him and her brow furrowed as she deactivated her laser swords. She slowly straightened her posture, and Din decided it was safe to holster his blaster when she glanced back at him with the ghost of a smile on her lips. “I hope it’s about him.”

He turned, following her gaze to where the child sat atop the boulder and hurrying forward when he spotted (Y/N) clambering to her feet beside it. “You okay, alor’ad?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” With a smile of thanks, (Y/N) accepted his hand and stood, wincing a little as she rubbed the small of her back. “Some kind of force pushed me back before I could draw my blaster…”

“Sorry about that,” The Jedi walked up to them and held out her hand towards the captain. “Ahsoka Tano.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N).” The two women shook hands and (Y/N) glanced over at Din with a melancholy look in her eyes. “It looks like our quest’s just about over.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading!

Mando'a Translations: Alor'ad-Captain

Chapter Thirteen

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty @sinon36 @seninjakitey @thatonedindjarinfan @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mostclevermiss @momc95​ @welcometothepedroverse​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @zukoyonce​ @itsnottilly​

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E113 (Oct. 27, 2020)

Good evening and good night, lovely people of the world! We’re on the internet and ready to go. Tonight’s guests are Travis Willingham and Sam Riegel. This will be calm, controlled, and sane, I can feel it. Brian points out it’s been seven months since either of them were on Talks. Oof. (Sam asks if it’s been going the whole time without him. Bigger oof.) Travis keeps sneaking bites out of an acai bowl or something and tries to look sneaky about it, and I laugh every time because he’s just...so big. He’s such a big person.

(Brian is wearing a lobstrosity shirt. He and Travis talk about Dark Tower for a bit; then Sam tries to get into the conversation: “Is that the thing from It?” Brian: “Is what the thing from It?” Sam: “Is that lobster the clown from It? I’m not very literate. Is that a Langolier? Is that a Shawshank?”)

Announcements: none! Maybe they just forgot. We’ve been talking about Sam’s spooky skeleton decorations for like five minutes. Brian suggests taking them to Travis’s house. Travis: “That’s the fastest way to get to the smell of burning plastic.” Brian: “Speaking of your girlfriend...”

On Avantika: Fjord wouldn’t call it a relationship as much as a casual sexual interaction. Not official! Super not official!!

The first sea voyage wasn’t great for Fjord, but he tried to be thoughtful about preparing for this one before they left: praying, kneeling at the bow of the ship, etc. He’s a little disappointed the Wildmother didn’t even throw him a “yo, fam” heads up.

They weren’t sure how to resolve the conflict at first, since Avantika went for Fjord rather than the crystal. No one expected it to get exposed in that way. Travis thought the necklace was a pocket dimension and was alarmed to learn it wasn’t. Travis wants it destroyed along with the third gateway, so until they are he won’t rest easy.

Everyone enjoyed watching them all fail on the battlefield again. (Sam: “You used [Counterspell] so effectively!”) Travis thought he’d said Thunder Step, which would imply Avantika was running, rather than Thunder Wave. Sam says it’s fine since none of them have that spell and he wouldn’t know it anyway.

It’s very difficult for Veth to find reasons to stay with the M9. She loves the adventures and making a difference, but she also wants to come home and have weekends and have a husband and life. “She’s a career girl!” He’s very excited about the possibilities of Caleb’s transportation effectively creating an easy commute for her. He also, as a player, doesn’t want to be the person who’s always leaving the party. “My characters wanna roam!”

Travis was fully tilted that Avantika might have gotten away right before the break. He doesn’t think he could have focused on Vess DeRogna’s task knowing Avantika had gotten away; he was seriously working out how Fjord would leave the party to go make a last stand at the third gate if she’d escaped.

Sam looooves how Matt plays Yeza, but it honestly makes him feel a little worse at how encouraging he is for Veth to chase her dreams. “He’s always like - go shine! Go blossom!” He wants to have the conversation about Yeza feeling a little ignored. It’s fun to share the tales of adventures with Luc & Yeza. 

Travis says there’s no way it’s Molly--it’s all Lucien. They don’t know if it was a resurrection, if he’s undead, possessed, etc. Everyone--everyone--rags on Taliesin’s accent work. Brian surreptitiously claims Ashly was brought on to relieve him of the burden of the accent. Poor Ashly, ha!

Initially, Travis landed on the Oath of the Ancients, but it had more nature & pacifism in it than he felt fit Fjord very well. Many of them also had a focus on good & lawfulness, which also didn’t feel quite right; he also wasn’t that vengeful for some of the others. He & Matt got together and discussed options. Matt asked what Travis liked about Fjord; Fjord’s love for the ocean was a huge part of it, since Travis himself also loves the ocean & scuba diving, and so Matt created a custom oath for him. Travis does not plan to post its details, but he thinks Matt will at some point.

Cosplay of the Week! a lovely Scanlan by Air Bubbles Cosplay! Sam tells us the “canon” Scanlan cosplay was actually borrowed hodgepodge, and the boots were falling off all day.

It was really cool to see how Yeza & Luc have made a home in Nicodranas. Felderwin was okay, but kind of your basic D&D fishing village, and she likes the Nicodranas is much better. She’s confident & comfortable knowing her family is safe and sound.

Why is Fjord so interested in finding Sabian? To him, post-orphanage, his time with Vandren was the best of his life & the most love he’d ever received, because he mattered & had worth. It was taken by someone he’d known basically his whole life, so Fjord is not going to let that go. “That fuckin’ bill needs to be paid, my friend.”

Sam acknowledges that he should NOT have looked at his phone in re: the Vilya reveal, but it was pretty surprising! He can’t believe none of them recognized it! Travis points out the M9 had never met, heard of, or known anything about Vilya, so it’s not that surprising. Brian points out Matt has also done a really good job keeping the two campaigns separate, so any references were tasteful. Sam marvels that it was so well done: it was tasteful, had emotional and story impact... “That Matt. He’s getting better!”

Liam texted Sam back something like “oh SHIT.”

Knowing Veth had a chance to help someone else return to her child made Veth feel almost karmically forgiven for being away from her kid, but it also made Veth a little guilty--”this lady wants to desperately return home, shouldn’t I want to go home too?” Caleb’s teleportation spell couldn’t have come a better time.

Sam wants Caleb & Astrid to get back together (well, he says “hump each other”), and Dani’s eyebrows climb off her forehead. Veth/Nott really thinks Caleb needs to have a roll in ze hay, and feels like after meeting her that there is a kindness or vulnerability to her that could be worthwhile. Travis thinks she feels like someone tethered, that it feels like she has a bomb or something in her chest that’ll explode if she tries to leave. Sam thinks Eadwulf is super cool. None of these names are spelled like I think.

Travis found the dinner super frustrating, because he felt Caleb was trying to walk a diplomatic line and he just wanted to backhand Trent. 

Fjord is still coming to terms with his feelings for Jester, and the feelings are definitely real, but there’s a lot of timing that he’s considering and he also wants to figure out what the relationship is like outside of constant tension and battle. Fjord is also having trouble figuring out how to exercise the ability to display affection as well since he’s never received them, and is feeling out how to give and receive them. “It’s fine now, because he’s feeling it, but once you say it out loud, or once you come to a point where you make it known to the other side, then what happens? It might be ruined. It might be broken. Or it might not be!” The moment with the porcelain unicorn was too good not to try. Travis also sighs that he’s not a romance D&D guy, “but now I am! Fuckin’ Laura Bailey!” He’s definitely feeling it out and will see how it unfolds in the game.

If Jester hadn’t let go of the Traveler, Fjord would have either attacked the Traveler or the Moonweaver and tried to kick them both off.

Sam doesn’t think the Traveler’s realized yet what a dick he is. Brian thinks it may not happen in this campaign, but agrees the full weight of what he deserves hasn’t been felt yet. Travis: “Yeah, he came to the edge, but it didn’t cost him anything.” Brian: “Yeah, he’s a real edgelord.”

Fanart of the Week! a beautiful portrait of Molly in the snow by @claygryphon on twitter.

Veth acknowledges that they work for shady people with shady pasts, so Vess DeRogna isn’t her first rodeo, but this time it’s personal. It’s Jaws 2: Electric Boogaloo. Sam can’t commit to actual actions, since Vess is like level 20 or something, but “I will get some kinda revenge. Be it petty or significant, I will get revenge.”

How are they feeling about being in Eiselcross? They’ve only just landed, so not sure yet. The cold is intimidating. They’re excited to explore a new island that’s part of Wildemount, especially with the river of lava running through it. “It’s icy with lava? Sounds like a Dairy Queen.”

There’s still a ton of unknowns regarding the Tombtakers, Vess, the nature of their job, and who’s here on whose orders. They’re excited to see how it’s all going to play out. Travis laughs that he doesn’t take notes, he’s just here to fight things. It just washes over him when Matt starts talking about names and places. “It’ll reveal itself in time. [...] I don’t write those notes down. I don’t even know how to spell it off the bat.” I have never identified more with Travis. Sam actually does pay attention and take notes and was really impressed by Marisha’s dive.

Veth became interested in branding her own spellcraft as soon as she saw Caleb doing it. “That’s what the influencer agents are gonna be looking at. It would be nice to leave the world better than we found it, but also with some branded spells.”

What were Fjord’s thoughts on dropping so much money on the ring & the Ioun stone? It wasn’t about money for Fjord, it was about a cool thing to acquire. It’s why he saves money in his campaign. Caleb needs “as much of a flak jacket as he can get.” He also REJECTS the idea of buyer’s remorse on the ring and touts the effectiveness it’ll have on the lava river.

Travis talks about his old coins - a 340AD coin he bought at a ren faire and a 120BC coin that was a gift from a friend.

Sam marvels at the love and thought that Caleb put into the tower. Sam points out they forgot to go to the top two floors altogether. Travis: “Did the mansion get as much careful planning from Scanlan as the tower did from Caleb?” Sam: Absolutely not. But they were still thinking small in C1, figuring out how things went, and they didn’t have as much detail in their heads yet.

And that’s all the time we have for tonight! We end on everyone whispering way too close into their mics and tapping fingernails on mason jars. A fitting end to this crazy episode, I think.

Is it Thursday yet?

[daisylore-au]

RED DREAMS EVENT - PART 2 (7)

didn't count the votes but a vast majority of them were to keep walking and ignore karl, so let's go with that !! let's see daisy, shall we? :D

warnings: bug imagery (brief), horror themes, implications of past torture/abuse, guilt

You don't turn around. You don't dare to. You can tell the difference between Daisy's dreams and this reality now - you can hear the musical artificiality in Karl's voice, know that's not your Karl, or any version of Karl you want to run into. His voice skitters like spiders over the hairs on the back of your neck and makes your head hurt. Instead of turning round, you tighten your hands into fists, and stay close to Darian, who walks by figments of fragmented spiders and skeletons without flinching.

“That’s not Karl behind you, by the way,” he tells you matter-of-factly, “that’s who you hear, right?”

You frown. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

“I hear someone else,” Darian admits, and something bitter changes his voice, “and the person I hear is long dead. Don’t turn around. It’ll attack you, and even I can’t save you from that.”

You swallow your protests, ignore the urge to turn around, and pretend you don’t hear the guttural snarl that comes from behind you when you get further away. Fuck. Fuck, you miss Karl and Sapnap. You miss Helga and James. You miss your own time.

 "Can't you find anywhere else to keep Daisy?" You ask, but it comes out quiet. "Look at this place. This isn't any place to keep a kid."

"It isn't any place to keep anyone," Darian returns casually, dark eyes flitting to you knowingly in a way that makes you squirm, "but she doesn't even know where she is. She's too deeply asleep."

He pulls a lever to lower an iron wall - there used to be lava there, you reminisce tiredly, you're too fucking old for this - and it creaks down inch by inch, revealing the same little cell, glitching now, and overgrown with ivy and dream flowers, barred up on all four sides. Your heart squeezes in your chest. You remember how small Dream used to look in there, back in the old days. You wonder how George is coping, knowing his kid is in the same place his best friend had been.

"Cross with the bridge," Darian instructs patiently, "and yell me when you want out. Remember, don't pay attention to any memories, and-" He pauses, looking deeper into you, so deep that you're not sure he's even talking to you. "Chat, don't do anything stupid."

He turns away with a wry smile, twisting another lever.

"Easier said than done for you guys, I guess."

And then before you can ask what that means you're moving, stumbling to stay on the platform and feeling remarkably out of practise for someone who had done this for two straight years. Dizzy and nauseous, you get off the other end and see stairs leading up to the top of the cell - without the lava, it's safe to head up them, brushing off vines that snake round your legs and flowers that wind in your hair. They're dreams, you remind yourself, Daisy's dreams: they can’t hurt you. Daisy won’t hurt you.

(Right?)

You’re not prepared for what you find inside.

There's a bed in the prison now. A red one, red blanket draped over a small, unmoving figure in the bed, chest shallowly rising and falling. The room is filled with withered plants and dying flowers, and the lingering smell of roses is strong enough to make you cover your mouth and nose to avoid breathing it in. It burns the back of your throat like poison.

“Daisy?” You murmur.

(You barely recognise her.)

She won’t wake, you know that, but you can’t help but hope. Heart hammering thickly in your chest, you take a couple of tentative steps into the room, aware of the blinking red light in the corner that tracks your every move. Darian is being careful. Focusing back on Daisy, you try to force a smile on your face, pained, uncertain.

“Daisy,” you call out, “Daisy, c’mon, it’s time to wake up. You have to wake up.”

She doesn’t move. For all intents and purposes, ignoring the faint shallow breathing, Daisy looks dead - everything around the cell is dying, from dying plants to withered objects to bloodied weapons and the bubbling of lava that no longer exists. You force yourself to take a deep, deep breath: freaking out and getting trapped in the past isn’t going to help anyone. You need to calm down.

The room glitches violently around you, and you and Daisy are the only things that don’t. It hurts, though - your body cries out in protest as the ground cracks under your feet, and the hiss and snarl of someone (something) nearby tells you Daisy’s dreams are very quickly morphing into nightmares the longer you stay - and despite that, you can’t bring yourself to leave.

Fuck, it’s been so long since you’ve been back in the prison. Everything about it feels so wrong - you’d sworn never to set foot in another prison, and here you are in the one you started with. The prison seems to sense it too: with every breath you take, you feel the walls closing in on you, claustrophobia worming around inside your mind. You can’t let this happen. You have to stop it from happening.

What had happened to turn Daisy into this? And what the hell can you do to stop it?

A rumble sounds across the room. The red light on the camera glitches and disappears. Out of the corner of your eye, a figure appears, hovering ominously at the very edges of your vision. Its wings span the length of the cell.

...Somehow, it looks even more real than you do.

[ you have 15 minutes (until 7:30pm bst) to decide what to do !! ]

1. FOCUS ON DAISY.

2. FOCUS ON THE RUMBLING.

3. FOCUS ON THE FIGURE.

4. YELL TO GET OUT.

[phykios]

volcano kiss scene but make it medieval, for @perseannabeth 💙 note that this is little more than a fancy rewrite, but... marble king verse is too good to be done with completely

***🌊***🌊***🌊***

June, 1446

As Percy led his little band of adventurers through the tunnels of the Labyrinth, himself, his questing partner Ana Zabeta, his childhood companion Aegidius, and his half-brother, the cyclops Tison, following a marvelously clever creation of the god of fire, he allowed himself, for a brief moment, to feel a small sense of pride. They had finally located a deity who not only did not appear to have any negative designs on their characters, but had also promised them his help--after they had performed him a small favor, of course. 

Hephaestus had fashioned for them a little spider made of metal, who moved about as though it had a beating heart, darting this way and that, nearly invisible, were it not for their torchlight flickering off its shiny, shiny legs. Though he would never speak it aloud, Percy felt a particular kind of pride on Annabeth’s behalf, as she followed the eight-legged creature with neither complaint nor fear. He knew full well just how totally she detested the beasts, her eternal and forsworn enemies, just as their mother had been an enemy of Athena. 

They rounded a corner, moving from a passageway lined with a strange, shiny substance which felt cool to the touch to one of crudely-cut stone, when he spotted a tunnel off to the side, dug from raw earth, wrapped in thick roots which pried their way through the holes in the stones. Aegidius had noticed it as well, slowing his pace until he stopped entirely in front of the dark, gaping maw in the wall. “Aegidius,” Percy said, stopping as well. “What is it?”

It was as if he had not heard him. The satyr merely gazed into the black tunnel, his curly hair rustling in an impossible breeze.

“We cannot delay!” said Annabeth. “We must keep moving!”

“This is the way,” Aegidius muttered, hushed and reverent. “It is here.”

He couldn’t possibly mean… “The way to Pan?”

But Aegidius ignored him, turning instead to Tison, the creature whose very nature often rendered him speechless with fear. “Do you not smell it, too?”

“Yes,” said Tison. “Earth. The forest.”

Before them, the spider skittered further down the stone corridor. If they delayed any further, the trail would be lost to them. 

“Once we have finished our errand for Hephaestus,” said Annabeth, “then we can return for Pan, I swear it.”

“The tunnel will have gone by then,” said Aegidius, with a confidence Percy had rarely seen before. “A door such as this will not remain open for long--and I must enter it.”

“But,” she said, desperate, “the forges!”

He looked at her sadly, but firmly. “I cannot go with you this time, Annabeth.”

Percy had forgotten--Aegidius was not only his companion. He had been Annabeth’s as well. He had been responsible for seeing her safely over the magical boundary in Sigeion. But the spider was nearly out of sight, and they could not tarry any longer before the gateway to the god. “We will continue to the forges,” he decided. “Aegidius, you go on to seek Pan.”

“No!” she gasped. “It is far too dangerous. If we part ways, we might never find each other again! And I cannot let you go alone.”

It was then that Tison, gentle creature he was, put his hand on Aegidius’ shoulder. As much fear as satyrs held for cyclops, Tison, for some odd reason, held just as much, if not more, for the satyrs. They had made an amusing pair at times, two of the sweetest, kindest people Percy had ever known, cowering in fear at the other. But Tison showed no fear now. Now, he was brave. “I shall go with him.”

Percy could not believe his ears. “You will?”

He nodded. “The satyr needs help. We shall find the god of the wild--together.”

Aegidius took a deep, steadying breath. “I wish I could see this through to the end with you, but--”

“I understand,” said Percy. The search for Pan was his life’s goal, the final prize in a quest which had taken his father, his father’s father, and so many searchers before him. If he did not succeed on this journey, the Council of Cloven Elders would never give him another chance. “I pray that you are right.”

Shoulders square, suddenly possessed of a confidence Percy had rarely ever seen from him, save for when he deliberated on how keftedes paled in comparison to spanakopita, he grinned. “I know that I am.”

Percy took a heartbeat to gaze on him one last time, imprinting him in his memory--just in case. “Be careful,” he told him. Then, he looked towards Tison, and opened his arms to his half-brother, who went into them willingly, squeezing Percy so strongly his eyes just about burst from his sockets. 

Tison and Aegidius then disappeared into the darkness of the tree roots, lost to the wild. 

“This was a mistake,” said Annabeth, her voice trembling. “We should not have let them go.”

“We will see them again,” Percy replied, attempting to summon Aegidius’ confidence. “Now, come on. The spider will not wait for us any longer.”

“Do not remind me,” she said, shuddering.

Before very long, the tunnel grew warmer, the stone walls red and glowing. The air felt as though they were walking through a giant oven, as though they had been transported into one of the forges beneath the villa for Hephaestus’ children, and he supposed, in a way, that they had. The tunnel sloped down, deeper into the earth, the spider nearly tripping over itself to reach the bottom, Annabeth right behind it.

Percy jogged to catch up. “Annabeth!” he called. “A moment?”

She glanced back at him, but did not cease her quick pace, forcing Percy to match her. “Yes?”

“I have a… question,” he panted, “regarding what Hephaestus… said, about your mother.” 

“She swore never to marry,” Annabeth said, easily. Curses, Annabeth did not appear to be even remotely out of breath. He felt like such a fool compared to her, always. “She is one of the maiden goddesses, alongside Artemis and Hestia.”

Percy frowned. He had not recalled that detail about the war goddess--though, he was rather infamous for nodding off during lessons. Perhaps he had simply slept through that particular lesson. “But, if she is a maiden goddess, then--”

“How is it she came to have demigod children?”

Blushing, he nodded. 

Now, this was not at all appropriate conversation, he knew. Young boys and girls were not meant to discuss such things with each other--not yet anyway. But Percy was nearly a man, and besides, he had spent enough time with Carlos and the older boys at the agoge to pick up a few pieces of knowledge here or there. Hopefully, Annabeth would think the flush on his cheeks was due to the heat of the cavern. 

“Do you know how Athena was born?” she asked him. 

“She was born from… the head of Zeus? In armor?”

“Precisely. She was literally born from his thoughts--and thus, her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love with a mortal partner, it is a purely intellectual affair, just as it was with Odysseus in the epic tales. Our mother says that it is the truest kind of love.”

“So,” said Percy, frowning. “Your father and Athena… you were not--”

“I was born from their minds,” she interrupted, quickly. “Sprung from the divine thoughts of my mother and the mortal ingenuity of my father. Her children are gifts, blessings on the mortals she favors.”

“But--”

She turned to him, exasperated. “Percy, the spider has nearly vanished. Do you really wish for me to explain the precise details of my birth?”

Flushing even harder, he snapped his jaw shut.

Victorious again, she smirked. “I thought not.”

Running ahead to catch their guide, Percy followed, very neatly put in his place, and not certain he would ever be able to look at his friend the same way ever again. Some things, he decided, were perhaps better left as mysteries.

After another few minutes or so, they emerged into a cavern, larger than any stadium Percy had ever seen. It felt to be five times the size of the mighty Colosseum. There was no floor, just miles of bubbling lava beneath their feet. Standing on a rock ride which encircled the cavern, Percy saw a complex, overlapping network of metal bridges spanning the width of it, meeting on a huge platform in the center which housed the largest anvil he had ever seen, a block of iron the size of a villa. Dark, strange shapes moved about them, like formless shadows, too far away to discern what manner of creature they might be. 

“We cannot sneak up on them,” said Percy, noting the distinct lack of places to hide with some despair. 

With a slight grimace, Annabeth picked up their metal guide, its form having changed to a small ball, and slipped it into a fold in her dress. “I can. Wait here.”

“Hang on--” But Percy was too late, as Annabeth put on her magical cap, a gift from her mother, and vanished from his sight. 

Percy cursed. He did not dare call after her, not willing to draw attention to her tactics, but nor did he appreciate the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those creatures could repel the likes of Hephaestus, what hope did Annabeth have? It was not safe. She was their leader--they could not risk her life. Percy would not risk her life. 

Alas, he could never sit still for very long. Creeping along the outer rim of the lake of molten rock, he darted from stalagmite to stalagmite as best he could, hoping to find a better vantage point. Really, Annabeth should have known better.

The heat was horrendous, heavy and oppressive. Drenched in sweat, and eyes stinging with smoke, he moved along, staying as far from the edge as was physically possible, until he found his way stopped by a large metal box, fitted on wheels. Peering inside, he saw it was full scrapped metal, bits and bobs of broken swords and lumpy shields, piled on top of one another. Nothing he could reasonably use for an extra weapon, or even some kind of defense. Making to squeeze himself around it, he suddenly heard from up ahead a voice, rough and grating, speaking an ancient language which no man alive had heard for a thousand years. 

Monsters, he knew. 

There was no time to run away, no place to hide… except for the box. Leaping inside, covering himself with a dented aspis, he curled his fingers around his father’s sword, that blade Anaklusmos, hissing as the sharp metal of his bed cut between the soft parts of his armor, biting his tongue so no curse could escape. 

With any luck, the monsters would pass him by, and he could continue along unmolested. 

That was when, of course, that the box lurched forward, pushed along by the monsters, carrying Percy along with it. Malaka! Was he about to be tipped into a smelting pot?

All around him, he heard the chatter of terrible beasts. He was not so skilled in the ancient tongue as Annabeth, but even he could recognize a few words here or there, “weapon” and “cyclopes” and “furnace,” and some names as well: Zena, hissed with scorn, Posidaota, spat with bile, and, most chillingly of all, Kronos, spoken with reverence and awe.

Percy blinked against the sudden light as his cover was removed from his person, revealing himself to the monster, who was so taken aback by his presence, that it blinked back at him in return. For a few moments, neither of them moved, so shocked were they by the other’s sudden appearance. Then, springing into action, Percy slashed upwards, dissolving the beast in a cloud of golden smoke. Snatching up another shield and leaping from his bed of spikes, he saw with his preternatural vision a small army of at least twenty monsters, black like dogs, but with sleek, shiny skin, and legs which looked to be more suited for swimming than scrambling around the rocks of Aitne.

With a hearty battle-cry and another wide swipe, he repelled the front row of these creatures, carving himself some space to jump, sprinting for the mouth of the tunnel. The monsters followed after him, baying and growling as a pack of ravenous wolves, and they would have caught him, tearing him to pieces, had they been but a little bit faster. Thinking quickly, at the top of the tunnel, Percy hurled his shield into a column, the rocks crumbling upon impact, burying the monsters and blocking off the path with a great, noisy cave-in. 

He doubted it would keep them trapped for very long. Not only that, he very much doubted that they had been the only monsters in the cavern. Percy had just announced his presence to anyone who might have been listening, destroying their chance for any sort of subtle reconnaissance.

And Annabeth was still out there, somewhere, invisible.

“Annabeth!” He yelled, running towards the platform at the center of the ocean of lava. “Annabe--!”

An invisible hand clamped over his mouth, wrestling him down behind a large, bronze cauldron. “Silence! Do you mean to have us killed?”

Arms flailing, he managed to locate her head, slipping off her cap of invisibility. She shimmered into view as an island emerging from the mist, scowling and covered in ash and grime. “It’s far too late for that,” he said, grimly. “I came upon a group of monsters, and brought the roof crashing down on them.”

Hissing curses, her hands clenched, as though she meant to strangle him, before she visibly managed to control her temper. “You said there were monsters?”

He nodded. “I know not what kind. I had thought they may have been dogs, were it not for their flippered feet and human hands, adorned with claws. They spoke of furnaces and weapons, making arms for the first Titanomachy.”

“Telkhines,” she gasped, eyes wide. “Of course! I should have known. I had wondered when I saw… well, look.” 

Together they peered over the lip of the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four of these demons, larger than any Percy had seen before, standing at least the size of a fully grown man. Their black, scaly skin glistened in the light of the fire as they labored, sparks flying between mighty hammer strikes on a long piece of glowing, hot metal, hissing to each other in the ancient language. “What are they saying?” he whispered to her. If he could not understand them, Annabeth surely would. 

“They are talking of fusing metals,” she said, frowning. “Other than that, I--I cannot say.”

“Is that bad?”

She stared at him, incredulous. “The telkhines betrayed the gods,” she said, “for practicing dark magics. For their transgressions, Zeus banished them to Tartaros.”

“Alongside Kronos.”

She nodded. “We must return to Hephaestus at once--”

But no sooner had she spoken than a sharp, clawed hand pierced its way through the rubble of Percy’s cave-in, pushing aside the rocks which blocked its path, followed closely by its snout, teeth long and sharp and dripping with saliva. “You must return to the god,” Percy said, moving into a crouch. “Leave me here.”

“What?” she shrieked. “No! I will not leave you!”

At any other time, he would have praised her for her courage, but not now. “You must! Let me distract the monsters, and perhaps the spider can lead you back through the Labyrinth. You are the leader of this quest--you must take the message back to Hephaestus.”

“But you’ll be killed!”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, turning to face her. “As well, there is no other choice.”

She glared at him, her lips pulled back almost in a snarl worthy of one of the monsters. He knew this look of hers well--it was the one she wore whenever she considered hitting him for his foolishness. 

But rather than hit him, she did something which shocked him even more.

She grasped the collar of his tunic, pulled him close, and kissed him. “Be careful, phykios,” she murmured against his lips, breath hot. Then she put on her cap, and vanished. 

Percy couldn’t breathe, and not for the smoke. Had it not been for the lava, the monsters, the weapon, the quest, he would have been quite content to sit there all day, thinking of nothing but the softness of her mouth and the way her eyes sparkled in the firelight, unable to even recall his own name. 

A sea demon screamed, jolting him back into reality. 

The horde of monsters, freed from their prison, charged across the bridge towards him. Percy scrambled up from the ground, running for the middle of the platform, startling the large monsters so thoroughly that they dropped the red-hot blade over which they labored. It was as long as they were tall, curved like a crescent moon, its shape burning into his vision, sending shivers down his spine. 

Unfortunately for Percy, the monsters recovered quickly from their shock. Every which way he turned, his exit was blocked by a small army, surrounding him. Cutting him off. 

Raising Anaklusmos, he prayed that they could not see the blade shaking. 

“Son of Poseidon,” rasped a demon, speaking Percy’s own language now. “We are honored by your visit, fish-blood.” 

He spread his senses, casting about for an escape, but there was none. He was trapped. 

“Will you strike us down, half-blood?” asked another one. “An you try, the rest of us shall tear you to shreds.” Licking its lips, it advanced on him, claws glinting in the glow of the forge. “Perhaps we shall deliver you to your father in pieces--an omen of the horror we shall visit upon him, and all the rest of the twelve, for their betrayal.”

Annabeth would not have allowed herself to be cornered this way, but Percy was no strategist. If the gods favored him at all, they would have seen to Annabeth’s escape, leaving him to his doom. 

Was this to be his doom, he wondered? Trapped in the heart of a volcano, overrun by monsters which would use his bones to pick their teeth? 

The tallest of the demons plunged its hand into the furnace, scooping a handful of molten rock. “Let us see the might of Olympus,” it said, grinning. “Let us see how long it takes him to burn!” And it threw the lava at Percy.

Dropping his sword, he swatted at his clothes which had been set alight, as though he had merely had an unfortunate run-in with the lava trap at the agoge, but it was not nearly enough, the fire engulfing him with each passing second. At first, oddly, it had only felt warm, though it grew hotter and hotter with every heartbeat. 

“Your father’s nature protects you,” one monster sneered. “Makes you hard to burn. But not impossible, fish-blood. Not impossible.”

Later, Percy would struggle to remember the particulars. He would recall only the fire, and the pain. He would not remember how he crumpled to the floor in deepest agony, the sea demons howling in delight at his terror. 

Nor would he remember the voice of the naiad at the farm of the giant Geryon. The water is within me, she had said. 

Between waves of torment, there was a tugging sensation in his gut, calling vainly for water where there was none: not a river, nor a stream, nor even a petrified seashell. Percy called for the sea, the towering waves which could wash away villages, the currents which could destroy ships in a single blow, the endless power of the ocean, and he called for these things inside of himself, letting it loose in one terrible, horrible scream.

Fire and water collided, a typhoon of unearthly power shooting him up from the beating heart of Aitne on wings of superheated steam, peeling his skin away, another piece of flotsam flung from the earth by the force of the blast. Higher and higher he flew, further than Icarus, than Bellerophon, than Zeus himself, so high that the lord of the heavens would not be able to reach him--and then he fell, a shooting star, hurtling towards the sea which would not save him. Not this time.

[im-a-star-boy]

Dream’s Missing

So this isn’t parksborn. I know, this never happens. It’s dreamteam instead. Boss Mob AU by @qyukie

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

Summary: Dream hasn’t shown up to their hangouts in a few days

Word Count: 3,263

Date of Completion: Tuesday, August 4th, 2020

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The moon shone above the three bosses as they chatted cheerfully, one of many routines amongst them. 

“You know, I’ve heard rumors of some pretty powerful new players going around,” Sapnap spoke up as the conversation began to fall flat.

Dream glanced up. “New players? We haven’t had new players around here in ages! Who are they?”

Sapnap shrugged. “I’ve heard a few names floating around, but the ones that seem to stick are Alex and Steve.” Dream hummed curiously. “Well, I’m interested.”

“Are they nice?” George asked.

“As far as I’ve heard they haven’t been causing any trouble.” Sapnap hummed. “But I’ve also heard they’re pretty brutal to mobs, even when they’re neutral.”

Dream made a face as Sapnap chugged down a bit of lava and flicked a spare cinder away. “I mean, I get where they’re coming from. If you’re getting attacked, fight back, you know?”

George nodded in agreement. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve never killed mobs,”

“Well yeah but it’s not like we go searching for mobs to kill for sport, and most players don’t unless they’re trying to enchant. Risk is too high,” Sapnap continued.

Dream shrugged. “Well, if they don’t bother me, I won’t bother them.”

The others nodded to his sentiment. After all, it’s just a few players, how dangerous could they be?

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

For the following weeks, the bosses seemed to forget about the players, continuing with their routines as usual. One day, Dream failed to show up to the meeting. 

“George, relax. It’s probably just one of his End Crystals messing up or something.”

“The End Crystals don’t just, ‘mess up’, Sapnap. He could be hurt!”

“Dream’s probably the strongest of us what with that End Crystal inside him always healing him. I’m sure he’s fine, George.”

“But what if he isn’t?”

Sapnap grabbed his shoulders. “Let’s give him a few days, he could be running off to do some weird challenge he heard about. You know how he is, if he isn’t back within a few days, we’ll go to the End to get him.”

George swallowed before nodding. “Okay,”

.oOo.oO.oOo.

Several days passed with no sign of Dream and the two bosses were becoming fearful. While both of them were hesitant to go to the End, if Dream was hurt, they had to go. They met up at dawn in the ever-so-familiar plains biome, before descending into the Stronghold. As they looked, something felt off. “Is the Stronghold looking a little… I don’t know, cleaner to you?”

George looked around and realized Sapnap was right. The library was clear of webs, give or take a few. There were fewer cracked and mossy bricks lining the walls, gaps in the floor were filled in, and there were less Silverfish scurrying about. It almost made him uneasy. “Either Dream’s finally redecorating or something’s wrong, Sapnap…” 

The black-haired boss was quiet before leading him down the halls to the portal room. “Come on,”

The two were quick to jump into the portal, anxious to see their friend. As they got through, they were met with the entry room being slightly messier than they were used to. There were a few chests that, when checked, contained blocks of cobblestone, dirt, endstone, weapons, and potions. It… confused the two, to say the least. 

Sapnap made his way up the stairs first and George was quick to abandon the chest to join him. The two were met with a startling display. The end was covered in towers of dirt, cobblestone, and netherrack piled up the side of the pillars. There were a few gaping holes in the ground here and there and the portal’s torches were missing. It was a messy display, to say the least as the two stared around them. “What… what happened here?”

“I have no idea…”

The Enderman were a bit more scattered than usual, watching the visitors as they walked through the terrain. George stopped to examine one of the holes. “It looks like someone used TNT and a lot of it. Dream wouldn’t do this, something’s wrong.” He pressed, his voice wavering with fear.

The two continued to look around when Sapnap froze. “Oh my god,”

George looked up. “What?”

“George- look!”

He followed Sapnap’s gaze and his heart dropped as he realized what he was pointing to. “The End Crystals are gone…”

Sapnap was immediately hovering up to check the taller pillars. After a few moments, he landed looking pale. “They’re all gone, George. Every one of them,”

George stared at him, mouth agape. “You… you’re lying…”

“They’re gone.”

He looked down, his eyes wide, before swallowing. “Come on, there’s an End City nearby, right? Let’s go there, maybe Dream’s hiding out there.”

Sapnap looked pained before nodding and turning to go. He carried George across the abyss to the floating island that the End City was on. They were quick to enter the large building and search, calling for Dream. The Shulkers watched them idly as they looked through, calling for their friend.

There was no response.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

After hours of searching, they were left with no choice but to return home and wait. They had tracked down a few people, asking if any of them had seen Dream, and had come up empty-handed. There were limited villages they could ask, as most were afraid of them and sicced their Iron Golems on them. The response was justified however, as centuries before, the three’s ancestors had been less than kind to the Overworld. They still searched relentlessly, finding little clues as to their friends’ whereabouts. 

“We need to ask new villages.” George persisted.

“As much as I’d like to, you know how they’re gonna respond to us!”

“Sapnap, we need to find Dream! We’ve used all the resources we have, we need to expand out.”

“They’ll kill us!”

“We can get disguises!”

Sapnap hesitated and sighed, looking down. “For Dream,”

George nodded with a forced smile. “For Dream.”

The two were quick to don black cloaks to hide their faces and leave. They needed to find a village. Sapnap carried two buckets of lava for himself while George brought fish and a few water bottles so he could stay hydrated. The two searched for a few hours before coming across one. It was fairly large and there were several players who seemed to call the place home. They entered and walked through, curious. 

It was a quaint village, houses ranging in sizes from a few blocks wide to several stories high. In the center of the town by an old fashioned well near the plaza was a small stand where two players were boasting about. A rather large group of players and villagers were gathered around, listening to the two, rather plain-looking players, talk. George approached to listen while Sapnap continued looking around the village. 

The two were gloating loudly, claiming to be the strongest being in all of Minecraft, which was something of a taboo. Most people didn’t say that, as the bosses look very similar to regular players, boasting about being stronger than them was a very quick way to irritate them. George was probably the least affected by it, while Dream would almost immediately smite anyone who dared make a claim like that.

He watched the two players boast and nudged a nearby villager. “Hey, who are they?”

The villager turned. “You don’t know? Those two are Steve and Alex,”

George raised an eyebrow and looked up at them. “Huh, I expected the two to be a bit more… I don’t know, memorable?”

The villager didn’t reply as George took them in. Steve seemed to have a light blue shirt and dark blue pants. He was clad in iron armor, save for his diamond chest plate, and had an enchanted diamond sword hilted on his belt with an enchanted bow around his shoulders. On his arm was a shield with a blue and black pattern. Alex had a green shirt and brown pants and the same armor as Steve, though her boots were also enchanted. She seemed to have the same gear as well. She watched in seemingly fond amusement as Steve gloated about his adventures and strengths. 

“No mob can stand up to me! I’ll take down anything that tries!”

Sapnap joined him in the crowd. “Who’re these jokers?”

“Steve and Alex.”

Sapnap looked up. “Really?”

George nodded mutely.

“Huh, little underwhelming, don’t you think?”

“That’s what I was thinking!”

The two looked up and Sapnap frowned. “These two need to get off their high horses.” He grumbled. “I should teach em’ a lesson.” He growled, his hands beginning to smolder.

George put his arm in front of him. “Don’t, we’re undercover.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a player nearby shouting. “What makes you think you’re better than the rest of us?”

A small chorus of voices joined in and Steve put his hands out, laughing. “Alright, alright. You all want proof? I’ll give you proof!”

He reached into his bag and the crowd fell silent as he pulled out a white object. It took George a few moments to realize what it was when Steve held it up, but when he made the connection, his heart dropped into his stomach. “Oh my god…”

“Now this, my fellow players, is what the boss in the End, Dream, dropped when I killed him!” He announced, holding the white Mask with the Enderman’s eye on the left.

The crowd went silent for a few seconds before one player regained himself. “PUT THAT AWAY!” He shouted, horrified.

Steve jumped, slightly startled by his outburst. “What?”

The player jumped onto his platform and shoved the Mask back into Steve’s bag. “Don’t you know?! If you kill one boss, the other two will be after you!”

Both Steve and Alex perked up at the prospect of two other bosses. “Other two?”

George stopped listening as he looked down, covering his mouth. “Oh my god… oh my god…” Tears filled his eyes and began streaming down his face. “Oh god… Dream’s dead… he’s… I…” 

He felt heat barreling into him in waves and turned to see Sapnap, though crying, but also looking pissed to all hell. A few players and villagers backed away at the heat. “You killed him?” He shouted.

Steve, Alex, and the other player looked at him. “What?”

Sapnap took a step closer as the others moved away from him. “Did you kill Dream?” He snarled, heat coming off him even hotter as he emphasized each word.

Steve narrowed his eyes. “Yes?”

Sapnap’s breathing picked up and he let out a pained whimper, before taking a sharp breath and letting out an agonized cry as flames came off of him, burning the cloak and anyone who stood too close. It was enough to get several players and villagers fleeing as Sapnap choked. He looked up, his eyes blazing as tears fell down his face. “I’ll kill you for that,”

“Oh my god it’s one of the other bosses,” The player beside Steve whimpered.

Before Steve or Alex could respond, Sapnap was in front of him in an instant, gripping Steve’s throat with a smoldering hand. Steve let out a pained cry as Sapnap’s hand burned into his throat. The player scrambled away, letting out horrified cries as he went, and Alex was quick to take her bow and shoot at him. Sapnap let out a pained cry and dropped him as Alex shot him with another arrow. He turned his attention to her and threw a fireball at her, tears still streaming down his face as he attacked. “YOU KILLED HIM!” He screamed, his voice breaking with emotion.

Steve drew his sword. “He was a mob, just like you are!” He scowled.

“HE WAS MY FRIEND!”

Sapnap felt… pain. Dream was gone… Mobs aren’t like players; when they die, they don’t get the luxury of respawning. Dream’s gone, Dream’s gone, Dream’s gone… The thought killed him as it began sprinkling. It wasn’t long before the small droplets became a downpour as he continued to attack the two players. While he was still far from weak, his powers were significantly reduced in the rain without the added danger of his targets burning. He struggled to continue his attacks as lightning flashed above them. Combating two enemies with the added bonus of his emotional distress and the slippery ground beneath him was difficult. The deafening crack and flash of lightning striking nearby startled him, causing him to slip.

He let out a shout as he fell on his back in the mud as Steve stood above him looking smug. “Didn’t you hear me? No mob can stand up to me.”

Steve raised his sword and, while Sapnap knew the blow wouldn’t nearly be enough to kill him, it wouldn’t feel nice. Sapnap braced himself for impact when the sound of metal breaking made him look up. Steve was standing there still for a moment. There were three small bloodied spikes coming out of the middle of his chest plate. He looked down, bewildered when a breaking voice spoke up. “You’ve already killed one of my friends, I won’t let you kill another.”

Sapnap looked behind Steve to see George standing there, the cloak off and crying as the trident was yanked out of Steve and into George’s hand, the spikes drenched in Steve’s blood and quickly getting washed off in the rain. Steve turned to him, wide-eyed before dying and presumably respawning somewhere. Alex looked between the two bosses, horrified, before running off. 

Sapnap stood up and began brushing the mud off his back as George slowly walked over to Steve’s belongings and reaching down to pick up Dream’s heavily cracked mask. He stared at it for a moment as a few players began gathering around, watching the bosses quietly. Sapnap approached, tears still streaming down his face and joined him in looking at the mask. It was only for a few moments before he looked up. “George, George we gotta go,” He whispered, looking at the players who had their weapons drawn.

George nodded mutely and looked at his trident. “This has Riptide, let’s go.”

Sapnap nodded and quickly began hovering before flying away as George threw his trident, pulling him along, and the two were off.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

George sat in the stronghold, staring at the mask in his hands while Sapnap sat across from him. “What are we gonna do..?”

Sapnap shook his head while shaking. “I don’t know…”

George curled up and buried his face in his legs. “I… I can’t… He’s gone, Sapnap… He’s actually gone… I can’t believe this…” He whispered.

Sapnap looked up mutely, tears streaming down his face, before sighing and standing up, moving to sit beside George. “Cm’ere.” He sighed, wrapping an arm around George.

He hiccuped softly and broke down, tears streaming down his face. “What are we gonna do?” He repeated, sobbing.

“I don’t know, George. We’ll… we’ll figure it out…”

The two stayed there for a long time, crying softly, when footsteps filled the hallway. The two looked up to see Sylvee walking down the hallway, looking somber. “Sylvee,” Sapnap greeted quietly.

Sylvee looked at the two and smiled softly. “Hey, you guys.”

George swallowed. “You heard the news?”

Sylvee looked down and nodded. “Yeah.”

The group was quiet for a moment before Sylvee took a breath. “Don’t look so down, we might have a chance.”

George looked up again. “A chance?”

Sylvee nodded. “It was something Dream told me a while back, a way to bring him back.”

George and Sapnap took a small breath. “We can… bring him back?”

Sylvee hesitated. “I don’t know, it might work, it might not, but hell is it worth a shot.” 

George wiped his face and stood up. “What do we need?”

“We need four Ghast tears, four Eyes of Ender, and twenty-eight glass.”

George smiled weakly and forced a chuckle. “That’s a lot of glass,”

Sylvee smiled softly back. “Yep, now chop chop you two.”

The two were off, not wanting to wait any longer.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The two were back within a day with all the necessary items. Sylvee smiled at them. “Help me make these into the End Crystals, you have his mask, right?”

George hesitated before reaching into his satchel under his faded grey and lilac cloak and pulling it out. “Yeah, it’s here.”

He glanced at it and practically whimpered when he saw small blood splotches. Sapnap saw the dried blood and licked his thumb before wiping it off. There new cracks in the mask that made the two bosses wince. Sylvee nodded. “Let’s go,”

The two helped carry the End Crystals into the End. As they got into the small room, Sapnap scowled. “Hang on,” He muttered, setting the Crystals down, before lighting the chest and it’s contents on fire.

The three watched the chest burn for a few moments before continuing up the stairs mutely. It was a comfortable but unsettling silence as they hopefully made their way up and into the End, just wanting their friend back.

They walked towards the bedrock portal and Sylvee turned to them. “Sapnap, put Dream’s mask on the pillar in the center.” She ordered.

Sapnap nodded and did so as George placed the first End Crystal. Sylvee placed the second, while Sapnap placed the third. They all glanced at each other as Sylvee grabbed the final End Crystal and took a deep breath. “Please work,” She whispered to herself, before stepping forward and placing the last one.

For a moment, nothing happened and Sylvee felt her heart drop, when suddenly, from above, the three heard a loud, ground-shaking roar. The Endermen looked up hopefully as the three stared up when Sapnap took a step back. “Crystal’s glowing- crystal’s glowing!” 

George immediately stumbled backward as Sylvee took a hopeful breath. The four Crystals shot a beam akin to the one that healed Dream when he was in the End into the air. The three stared up wide-eyed as the earth-shattering roar filled the air again. Then, the beams began shooting to each of the towers, shining onto where the former End Crystals floated. The three watched in amazement as the top of the towers exploded and brand new End Crystals took their place, the same beam shining straight into the sky where the four on the portal had before. This repeated with the other 9 pillars. 

They all stared up wide-eyed as tears filled George’s eyes. “Dream…” He whimpered.

The beams began shooting down to Dream’s mask. The three stared wide-eyed as all the cracks that once existed in his mask were sealed. One final rumbling roar filled the air before there was a blast from the mask, sending all three flying. Sapnap caught himself midair by floating, George dug his trident into the ground, stopping him from flying far, and Sylvee managed to land on her feet. The three returned their gazes to the portal. On the center pillar, there stood Dream, alive and well.

George’s breath caught in his throat as Dream looked over them, before turning to Sylvee with a grin. “Good to hear you listen to me when I’m talking.”

Sapnap stared for a moment, before bursting into tears and flying full speed at his friend, knocking him off the pillar and onto the endstone beneath him. “DREAM!”

George regained himself and ran to him. “OH MY GOD- DREAM!”

Dream laughed loudly as the two hugged Dream tightly. 

He was alive.

[chenziee]

Dine and Dash (chapter 1)

[Read on AO3 or under the cut]

Can you believe it's been 11 years since Ace was saved from Marineford? Yeah, me neither. Still feels like fucking yesterday. So happy they managed save him in the end :) #ForeverInDenial

I took the opportinity of the anniversary of chapter 574 being published to finally write the obligatory Everybody is alive and nothing hurts AU that we all deserve, especially a certain beautiful, precious fire boy <3 (And yes, I know the anniversary was yesterday, I fucked up but shhh)

----------

Relationships: ASL brothers, Law/Luffy

Rating: Teen and Up

Words: 1894

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Nothing Hurts, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, lawlu being cute, Protective Sabo (One Piece), Protective Portgas D. Ace, best big bros protective of their innocent baby bro, ASL Brothers, what else uhhh, i might add more as i go, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante Lives

Summary: When the three brothers who had once terrorized the Grey Terminal as well as the Goa Capital come together, nothing good can come of it. Even though they're not children anymore. Or maybe especially since they're not children anymore.

Or; the obligatory Everybody Is Alive And Nothing Hurts AU

---------

When Ace jumped from his raft up onto the railing of Luffy’s ship, he honestly didn’t expect someone to be standing right where he landed. He couldn’t blame Nami for screaming like she did in favor of a normal greeting, and it was also no surprise when Luffy’s voice came only a second later, asking what was wrong in a voice full of alarm. What was surprising, however, was when Luffy’s head popped out from behind what looked like a large polar bear sleeping right on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Seriously, Luffy and his tendency to pick up the weirdest things.

"Hey, Luffy," Ace greeted, waving at his brother.

A bright smile appeared on Luffy's face when he realized just who the intruder was, scrambling to his feet and immediately falling over, nearly landing face first onto the lawn. Ace just had to laugh at the sight, but his amusement soon died down. Instead, he had to frown at the pained groan and cursing in a voice that was decidedly not Luffy's, and neither did it seem to have come from the polar bear who was still snoozing away without care.

"Sorry, Torao," Luffy apologized with a sheepish smile directed at the person he had apparently tripped over.

Who the hell was ‘Torao?’ Who was the person Ace could only assume his baby brother was napping with? Seemed like an interrogation was in order. Later though, there were arrangements to be made first. After all, having back up on this couldn't hurt and he had the best back up just waiting for him on the next island.

Picking himself up and running over, Luffy nearly crashed into Nami in his hurry this time, but his navigator managed to side step him at the last second, probably expecting something like this to happen. Luffy only shot her a crooked smile and a half-hearted apology, prompting her to shake her head at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a scolding manner.“Honestly, how is your entire family like this? One of you is going to give me a heart attack one day.”

“Sorry,” Ace and Luffy apologized in unison, the both of them bowing to her for good measure. After all, they both knew all too well that Nami’s wrath was scarier than anything they had ever witnessed on the Grand Line so far.

Nami huffed, shooting one last unhappy glare at them before she turned around and said, “We should be arriving at the next island in a few hours, I’m going to check what we need and get things ready.”

Ace sighed in relief; it seemed like they had somehow managed to avoid the worst.

"Ace, what are you doing here?" Luffy asked as soon as Nami walked away.

Ace grinned, finally jumping off of the railing he had been perching on. “Can’t I just come visit my favourite baby bro?”

“Of course you can,” Luffy said, sticking his tongue out at him. “I just didn’t expect you. Weren’t you going to Wano to see Tama?”

“Yeah, but there was a change of plans. Sabo’s actually on the island you’re heading to so I took a detour,” Ace explained with a shrug.

The reaction was immediate. Just as Ace expected, Luffy perked up even more, his smile going impossibly wide and Ace could swear there were stars in his eyes. He was also basically vibrating in place and Ace had to chuckle at the sight. He understood Luffy’s excitement, neither of them got to see the revolutionary nearly as often as they would have liked for obvious reasons, but Luffy was just too cute when he got like this. How he even did the… bright all over thing was something beyond Ace’s understanding but he loved seeing it every single time regardless.

“Sabo’s there?! Why didn’t he tell me?” Luffy cried out, grabbing onto Ace’s arm in his eagerness.

Before Ace could reply, the other person who had been hidden behind the polar bear until then stood up, muttering seemingly to himself, but loud enough for both Ace and Luffy to hear, “Oh great, there’s going to be three of them.”

“Torao~,” Luffy whined, turning to look at the grumpy man with a pout. “Don’t say it as if it’s a bad thing,” he finished, bouncing away from Ace to stand in front of the other man instead.

Ace scowled at the sight of Luffy peeking up at ‘Torao,’ who only stared back impassively as if he wasn’t bothered in the least by Luffy’s puppy eyes. Ace didn’t think that was even possible. Not to mention they were standing way too close to each other for Ace’s tastes.

“It is a bad thing. There’s way too much energy just with you, Luffy-ya. I don’t need more of it around me,” Torao told him, finishing with a light flick to Luffy’s forehad. An action that nearly had Ace toss a fireball at him if only Luffy didn’t start giggling over it.

Suddenly, Luffy stepped even closer to the man, wrapping his arms around his waist and grinning up at him. “You love it,” he announced, sounding all too proud of himself.

“In very small doses,” Torao admitted before leaning down and kissing the top of Luffy’s head.  

Oh, Sabo was so hearing about this.

Ace cleared his throat loudly, raising his hand to make sure the fire crackling threateningly in his palm was the first thing Torao would see when he looked in his direction.

“Nice to see you again, too, Fire Fist-ya,” the man said flatly, one eyebrow raised.

Ace smiled at him, making sure it look as fake as he could make it. “Trafalgar Law. What do you think you’re doing to my little brother?”

“What does it look like?” Law shot back, showing a smirk that only managed to irk Ace further. If Luffy wasn’t standing right there, he would really have thrown that fireball at him.

“Ace?” Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion as he looked at the fire dancing angrily under Ace’s command.

Ace sighed at that, reluctantly putting the flames out. That asshole was seriously so lucky Luffy was there. He and Sabo would have to corner him later and threaten him when Luffy wasn’t looking. “Anyway, as I was saying—” Ace shook his head, trying to make himself focus on the matter at hand— “I don’t think Sabo knew you were this close to the island. He said he only had one afternoon free and absolutely needed to see me for some reason. So, Luffy. Want to come with us to get something to eat?” he asked, even though he knew the answer. As if Luffy would ever say no to that.  

“Let’s get meat!” Luffy exclaimed loudly, full of enthusiasm and throwing both arms in the air. He nearly punched Law in the face.

Sadly, it really was only nearly but Ace still took great pleasure in returning the smirk Law had given him earlier. He quickly turned back to Luffy, however, and replied, “Well, Sabo seemed like he had something in mind already so let’s just go and see.”

Luffy nodded at his words, a bright, happy smile that looked just the same as it did all those years ago at Mt. Colubo on his face, and Ace felt his previous smirk melt into a fond smile in return. There was warmth in his chest at the sight, the knowledge that his little brother was still the same even after everything that had happened over the years making him incredibly happy.

Without even realizing, Ace’s hand came to touch his own exposed chest, his fingers tracing the rough, large burn scar that Akainu had left there during the war four years ago. It was honestly a miracle he was even alive. He had fully accepted death back on the execution scaffold but then Luffy crashed in, just as loud, just as unexpected as always, bringing so much chaos with him that it changed the entire course of the whole ordeal. And then he accepted it once more when he threw himself in Akainu’s way to protect Luffy.

But now here they were, both of them miraculously alive—thanks to Jinbe, Marco, Vista, and, as much as it pained him to admit it given the very recent circumstances, mostly thanks to Trafalgar Law’s incredible timing and medical skill—and both bearing lava burn scars on their chests as a reminder of what could have happened; what was so incredibly close to happening. It was incredible how much the experience had changed them, yet somehow, how they were still the same as they used to be when playing pirates in their little tree house base.

And when Sabo had appeared in front of them again, with tears and apologies and so very alive, it felt almost inevitable.

Ace shook his head at his own thoughts. This was no time to get all sentimental. “Okay, Sabo’s waiting. Are you ready to go? Striker isn’t really a two person boat but it should be okay,” Ace said, gesturing towards his fire powered raft.

“Yes!” Luffy shouted like he had just won something. “Your boat always seems so fun to play with,” he sang, running over to look down at the slim, sleek raft that was gently swaying along the Sunny.

“Glad you’re so excited,” Ace chuckled.

He went to jump back down on Striker immediately, but Luffy stopped him when he spoke up next, “Oh wait. Do you think we could take the Mini Merry? Torao is meeting his dad on the island, too.”

Ace paused, looking at Luffy with a slight frown. What the hell was a ‘mini merry?’ But more importantly, did they really have to take Trafalgar with them?

Thankfully, Law had saved Ace from having to deal with either of those questions when he spoke up instead, “Thanks but I’ll stay here, Cora-san won’t be there until evening anyway. Plus, I’m not going to risk your brother drowning me on the way.” He shot Ace another one of those smirks when he finished and Ace almost wanted to burn it off of his face but…

“Fair point,” he admitted instead, surprised at the laughter that bubbled out of his chest. He shuddered in horror at the idea of this asshole growing on him.  

“I have no idea what you two are talking about,” Luffy mumbled in annoyance, but perked back up a second later when he announced he was going to let the crew know he was going on ahead.

Ace and Law looked at each other, Ace trying to convey with his eyes the threat of bodily harm that he was thinking in regards to the man standing in front of him. He could only assume he had succeeded when the corners of Law’s mouth twitched up slightly, followed by the surgeon flipping Ace off before he turned around and walked off, sitting down and making himself comfortable with his back resting against the somehow still asleep polar bear.

He was seriously pissing Ace off.

He did have to give it to him, though; if nothing else, this asshole had guts. Reluctantly, Ace had to admit that was probably the most important qualification to pass as Luffy’s boyfriend. He was still not getting out of that interrogation though.

---------

[chapter 2 coming...... as soon as I can finish it]

[writeyouin]

oho Bet. Guy from The Croods x Gender Neutral Reader where they were childhood friends/neighbors and they meet again at the "new world". (instead of Guy and Eek falling for each other they become friends) Sorry if it's weird to read, it's 3:30 am.

Guy Crood X Reader – The New World

A/N – Writing this fic was the only way I ever found out that there’s a Croods sequel in the works.

Warnings – None.

Rating – T

You hid in the bushes, cautiously watching the family before you as they violently tore hunks of meat of a huge bird. The speed and ferocity with which they ate was sickening, not to mention the gristle and fat that dripped grotesquely down their fronts. You had thought that you would be safe in the New World, never suspecting that cavemen would also find the way to it, unevolved as they were. Only one of the females looked anything closer to the evolution that had taken place in your tribe generations ago, but you doubted her intelligence was any better than theirs.

You wondered whether you ought to kill them; you had tried to communicate with cavemen in the past and it never ended well. Then again, it might not even be possible to take on all six of them. You were sure that you could kill the Alpha male with your speed against his strength. The other male would probably die of a self-inflicted injury in the heat of combat; he certainly looked dim enough. The alpha’s mate would hopefully be preoccupied with the fate of her son. It was the last three that worried you. The elder might look frail but she had to be tough to have survived so long. The young girl was clearly fast and strong, a combination of her parent’s best traits. That left the worst one of all; the baby. You had seen her bite the head clean off a lizard only seconds ago; she was clearly the most dangerous member of the pack.

Regretfully, you decided to abandon any thought of fighting, as well as that area of the New World. Perhaps you could make your home elsewhere, with the hopes that the cavemen wouldn’t find you.

“Ugh, that was delicious,” The alpha-male belched.

You slung your bow over your shoulder, tiptoeing quietly away, only stopping when you heard the girl speak. “Hey… where’s the leg I saved for Guy?”

‘Guy!’ Your breath hitched in your throat as you remembered your childhood friend. It couldn’t be him, could it? Was Guy a common name nowadays? The Guy you knew was as afraid of cavemen as you were. He wouldn’t travel with them, right?

On the slim chance that it was your Guy that the cavemen knew, you decided to stay and wait for him to come back to the pack. Coating yourself in mud to camouflage yourself and hide your scent, you hunkered down, clutching your bow tightly in case a fight should occur.

You continued observing the family, bemused when a fight broke out over who had eaten the last bird leg. You soon learnt that their names were Grug, Ugga, Eep, Sandy, Thunk and Gran, and together they were the Croods. Should a confrontation arise, their names might come in useful to diffuse the situation.

As the night drifted on and the Croods occupied themselves with stories for Sandy, you thought back, losing yourself in memories of when you and Guy were children.

“Help.” A sniffly voice on the verge of crying called from the bottom of a steep slope.

You poked your head over the edge, finding the new boy, whose family had just moved into the cave next door to yours.

“Hey,” Guy said upon seeing you. “Please, help me.”

You giggled upon seeing him fail to scale the shale wall, trying to reach you.

“You’re not supposed to play there, new boy,” You grinned.

“Okay, I won’t ever again. Now, get me out of here.”

“What’s your name?”

Guy stared up at you exasperatedly, “Come on, get me out.”

“I will, if you tell me your name.”

“It’s Guy.”

“Hi Guy, I’m (Y/N).”

“That’s not a name.”

“Neither is Guy,” You pouted.

“Yes it is, and you promised to help me if I told you, so there.”

“Uh huh,” You replied non-committedly, looking around for anything that might aid Guy. You lowered a long, withered stick down into the pit for him to grab hold of. Gratefully, he began climbing it, trying his best to be quick.

“You’re heavy,” You whined. “Hurry up before I drop you.”

Guy did his best to speed up, but with no footholds in the shale, he had only his arms to work with.

“How old are you?” You grunted through gritted teeth.

“Seven,” Guy groaned.

“No way. I’m seven and I’m not nearly as heavy as you are. You must be…” You paused, trying to think of the highest number you knew, “Twelve.”

“I’m not twelve! I’m seven, like you,” Guy insisted, finally reaching the top and dragging himself out.

You let him catch his breath before asking, “Now what?”

“I’ve gotta go home or my parents will worry. Are you coming?”

“I guess.”

With that, the two of you walked back to your adjacent caves within the tribe, talking the entire way back. Afterwards, the two of you became fast friends. Growing up together, Guy always shared his best ideas with you; his family seemed to be full of great thinkers. In return, you taught him the tribe’s way of hunting, camouflage, and how to mentally map out the terrain. You asked him once why he hadn’t learnt such important things from his old tribe, only to find out that he and his parents had been loners living in the wilderness until they came across your tribe.

In your early teenage years, Guy invented puppet shows, explaining the concept to you so the two of you could tell a story at the nightly gathering.

You giggled as you made a tiny old woman puppet on your hand bow. “The tribe will love this.”

“Yeah… The tribe will,” Guy said, thinking of how he had invented the puppets as a way to get closer to you than he normally would.

That night was one of merriment and wonder for the entire tribe. While you kept peeking around the boulder that acted as a stage to enjoy the audience’s reactions, Guy was watching you, preparing to ask you out before some other, braver tribesman did. After the show, when everyone was preparing to sleep, Guy finally plucked up the courage to ask you out, an action that led to what was simultaneously the best and worst night of your lives.

“You what?” You asked, trying to make sense of the rushed invitation Guy asked moments prior.

“Sometime, I mean, anytime you’re free, I was wondering if you uh, might want to go out with me,” Guy said slowly.

A grin spread across your face, “We could go now.”

“Now?! But it’s night time. There’s- There’s no light.”

“We’ll take torches.”

Uncertain about going, yet unwilling to lose his chance with you, Guy borrowed two torches from the communal fire pit. The two of you walked far beyond the edge of the tribe, into the wilderness where you could be alone together.

When the two of you reached the cliff, the two of you sat with your legs hanging over the edge. In a comfortable silence, bathed in moonlight you gazed up at the stars. Guy kept his eyes on you, smiling boyishly.

“(Y/N),” Guy murmured, drawing your gaze to his face.

Instead of speaking, he leaned forwards. You mirrored his action, relishing the way your foreheads touched, then your noses. Everything felt so intimate under the moon’s watchful gaze. Any second now and your lips would meet his, or at least they would have, had the ground not started shaking.  The two of you jumped up, backing away from the edge of the cliff.

“What’s going on?” You gasped.

“I don’t know. I-” Guy was interrupted by the distant screams that echoed through the previously peaceful night air.

“THE TRIBE!” You cried out.

You broke into a run with Guy close behind you, each of you struggling to keep your balance on the unstable ground. Trees began uprooting themselves as large fissures opened in the earth below.

You were nearing the screaming tribe when Guy roared, “(Y/N), LOOK OUT!”

He had warned you just in time for you to leap out of the way of a newly formed chasm that swallowed the earth where you were standing only moments before. Guy morosely called your name, painfully aware that the two of you were now separated.

“Don’t worry about me,” You called back. “Get back home, I’ll find another way to get there, I promise.”

Guy nodded assent and ran towards the tribe just in time to watch his family slowly die in tar and hear their last goodbyes. You, on the other hand, never got to keep your promise. The new terrain provided no way back to the only home you had ever known, and eventually you were forced to flee as fire, lava, and tar pursued you.

In the years of isolation that followed, whilst searching for a place safe from The End, you often thought of Guy, hoping that he had survived that terrible night. Now, you had been provided a chance to see if it was your Guy travelling with these Croods. You desperately hoped it was him, so you could finally know that your friend was safe, and maybe even put an end to the solitary life that fate had forced upon you.

The rancid smell of bog water intermingled with wet fur drew you out of your reverie. Suddenly on edge about a possible animal attack, you squatted into a fighting stance and readied your bow. A large carnivorous cat pounced through the surrounding foliage, launching itself at Grug. You prepared yourself to watch a bloody massacre that would lead to the Croods’ demise, but instead found yourself watching the creature affectionately groom Grug, purring the entire time.

Soon enough, more animals followed, one for each Crood so it seemed. You scowled, thinking that perhaps Guy was the name of Eep’s pet, but your expression quickly transformed into one of radiant joy as a man followed the animals. He was older, his hair longer, and there was some kind of odd creature hugging his waist, but there was no mistaking it; that was your Guy.

“Next time, it’s Thunk’s turn to walk the pets,” Guy said bemusedly. “There’s just no keeping them out of that stagnant water.”

Shouldering your bow, you wasted no time in getting up. You were still afraid of the cavemen, but if worst came to worst, you could always grab Guy and run.

“Uh hi, room for one more?” You asked awkwardly.

You immediately began to regret your choice not to get Guy alone as you were grabbed by several pairs of hands.

“WHO ARE YOU?” Eep demanded, pulling you in one direction.

“EEP, I’LL ASK THE QUESTIONS,” Grug reminded her, pulling you in the opposite direction. “WHO ARE YOU?”

“Can we all ask?” Thunk grinned. “Who are you?”

“Sweetie, this isn’t a game,” Ugga warned Thunk. “Hold onto Sandy before she eats the intruder.”

“I SAY WE RELEASE THE BABY,” Gran cackled wickedly.

Throughout the interaction, Guy had been entirely too shocked to say anything, but he finally stepped in, pushing himself between you and the Croods.

“Everyone, wait. This is (Y/N), the two of us grew up together. We- We know each-other.”

Reluctantly, Grug let you go, but Eep’s grip only tightened and you were faced with a barrage of ecstatic questions. “You knew Guy? What was it like growing up? Do you have ideas too? Do you make fire? How well do you know him? What’s the curvy string stick on your back for? Do you have a pet too? Were you being chased by The End? How did you find your way here? What do you-”

“Eep,” Ugga said quietly. “I think that Guy may want some time to catch up with his old friend.”

Eep fell silent, looking up at Guy, finding an expression of sadness and awe written on his face. “Oh, right, yeah. We’ll just leave you too it. Uh… C’mon Croods, let’s go for another pet walk.”

All of the group left except Gran who took a seat, waiting for the show to start. Grug quickly came back and put her over his shoulder; she grumbled cantankerously as he carried her away.

“So…” You said awkwardly, unaccustomed to talking to others after so long alone.

“So…” Guy parroted, having been caught completely off-guard.

“Cavemen?”

“Yeah,” Guy laughed nervously. “But they’re good ones.”

“And…our tribe?” You asked, hoping that Guy wasn’t the only one who had made it out.

He shook his head, “Gone. We’re all that’s left.”

“Oh…”

“(Y/N), I never stopped looking for you. I always hoped… I mean- and now you’re here and I don’t know what to say.”

“I know what you mean. I kept hoping if I travelled far enough, I would find you and now I have. So much has changed, where do we even begin?”

“Well… I suppose we could begin where we left off,” Guy said thoughtfully. “We tell each other everything that’s happened, no matter how long it takes and we learn who we’ve both become.”

Guy sat down on a log, offering you the space next to him. You sat down tentatively,

“Okay,” You said quietly. “That sounds good. You go first. Tell me your story Guy.”

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[the-evil-authoress]

GX Month Day 4: “Swing of Memories”

Ah, yes, those sweet, precious memories shared with siblings...and a few you’d rather forget. Explore the bond between Asuka Tenjoin/Alexis Rhodes and Fubuki Tenjoin/Atticus Rhodes today! A sweet sibling hug? A heated argument? Show us!

Yes, I summarized and skipped over parts of the actual duel. This thing would have been so much longer if I hadn’t. Cheese and crackers this monster. O_O

This is not how Alexis expected this night to go. She almost regrets her idea for all of them to crash together when they are now standing on a magic platform above lava that will destabilize with every turn that passes. Syrus already looks ready to pass out, clinging to the back of Jaden’s jacket for dear life.

“Isn’t this counterproductive for you?!” Alexis yells at the shadowy creep. The way the darkness clings to him makes it impossible to distinguish any features, beyond the fact he wears black and that creepy mask. Even his voice sounds distorted. “If we die, you can’t duel us for the keys!”

A dark laugh like shadows on the walls. “Do you know why the Keys cannot simply be taken?” the man asks instead of answering.

“Because the Keys form a bond with whomever holds them,” Bastion snaps. Of course they already asked the important questions when Chancellor Sheppard told them about this crazy shadow war. “Therefore that bond must be broken through ritual combat.”

“Mmm, well you’re half right.” The man tilts his head, sounding smug under the layers of shadows that mask his real voice. “There’s more than one way to break a bond. A Key holder could give their Key to another- a simple, painless transfer. But I don’t expect you lot to do that. You’re far too good.” For a moment his voice is viscous, deadly, and sends a shiver down Alexis’ spine. The next he returns to almost mockingly light-hearted teasing. “However, if a Key holder dies, there’s nothing for the Key to bond to, now is there? A Key without an owner is free for the taking.”

Great, just great! So much for ‘can only be won in a duel’. If this wackjob figured out a loophole, then how many of the other Shadow Riders know about it?

Bastion inhales sharply, eyes darting back to the dark platform under their feet as Christina snarls a curse and Syrus and Chumley wail.

“Of fucking course!”

“I don’t wanna die~!”

“Don’t you worry about that.” That shadows-on-the-wall laugh again. “I’ll win this match long before you can fall. I want the pleasure of taking you all out myself.”

“Certainly confident,” Bastion grumbles, but there’s genuine fear in his eyes.

“Not gonna happen!” Jaden yells with all of his usual bravado; Alexis shouldn’t be surprised.

The duel starts to everyone’s dismay but it’s not like they actually have a way off this volcano. Alexis still doesn’t know how they got here beyond falling through the magical darkness that overtook Jaden’s dorm room. The first round isn’t anything special, the most excitement comes from Chumley’s leg falling through the platform as he tries to convince himself it’s still stable. Syrus and Chumley both scream as they all yank him back up and stare in horror at the brand new hole in the only thing between them and certain death.

“-Red-Eyes Black Dragon!”

What?

Alexis’ attention snaps back to the duel as the familiar monster takes the field in a blaze of glory and proceeds to blast Jaden back several feet. Syrus goes tumbling with him, and Christina shrieks as they come dangerously close to the edge, but Jaden skids to stop with a foot to spare, one hand braced against the platform and the other fisted in Syrus’ jacket.

Barely able to breathe, Alexis turns back to Nightshroud and Red-Eyes Black Dragon. “Why do you have that card? What did you do to my brother?!”

“Your brother?” Bastion yelps but Alexis can’t focus on anything but the man in front of her.

Nightshroud pauses, head tilting. “Who? Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This card has always been mine.”

“Liar!” Alexis screams, voice raw, chest heavy. “That card is a tournament exclusive!” Atticus gushed over it for weeks, showed it off at school, more excited about the card than winning the tournament. This is the first sign she’s seen of her brother in two years! This man has to know something!

“You dare call me a liar?” A dark bolt darts out at Nightshroud’s command and sends Alexis careening back. Her foot slips off the edge.

“ALEXIS!”

Jaden yanks her back by the arm with a grip hard enough to bruise, and Alexis startles at the absolute terror in his eyes. “Hey, not cool!” He swings back around to face Nightshroud, the bravado back in full force, but this time Alexis knows what it hides. “You’re dueling me! Leave them out of this!”

Nightshroud only snorts, a derisive sound. “Then duel me, since you want to save them so badly.”

Alexis is still close enough to see the cards as Jaden draws Polymerization and fusion summons Rampart Blaster to deal Nightshroud damage even from defense position. The shadows shiver as Nightshroud suffers the pain of his own shadow game, momentarily revealing brown hair.

“Feel like talking now, buddy?” Jaden taunts with a grin.

Nightshroud’s legs shake before he stands tall once again. “I already told you! This card has always been mine! I don’t know anything about the girl’s brother!” For a moment, the shadows obscuring his voice part and it sounds almost familiar.

Rampart Blaster’s defense proves futile as Nightshroud hits Jaden directly with the spell Inferno Fire Blast. The flames that engulf Jaden are far too real for any hologram, and Jaden sinks to his knees and nearly through the platform as it gives way beneath him. Christina and Syrus scramble to drag him back up as Bastion checks him over for serious injury.

“‘M fine.” Jaden tries to brush them off and stand on his own but immediately winces and sways.

“Fine my ass!” Christina hisses.

“I’m inclined to agree!” Bastion pushes up Jaden’s sleeve to reveal an angry red splotch. “You’re covered in blisters if not more severe burns!”

“We can worry about that later!” Jaden pries his hand free with another wince as Nightshroud uses his next monster to force Rampart Blaster into attack mode.

“Wait. No.” A cold spot appears in Alexis’ chest as she takes a step back. She recognizes more than one card Nightshroud has played. “It’s not just Red-Eyes... I think he has Atticus’ whole deck.”

“What?” Christina spins from where she stands to act as Jaden’s support.

“But how is that possible?” Chumley stammers.

“I don’t know!” Alexis snaps, shaking. She has this horrible, horrible feeling. No matter what Nightshroud claims, he must have done something to her brother and taken his deck. She never once let herself consider the possibility, because it meant giving up, it meant letting her grief win, but what if... “I-”

Syrus shrieks as the platform gives way underneath him, stumbling forward as Chumley catches and hauls him back to safety. Their safe places to stand are dwindling quickly. Jaden finishes his combo by fusion summoning Thunder Giant. The two monsters’ clash ends in a draw as both are destroyed, setting up Burstinatrix for a direct attack.

“Let’s see how you like it!”

Nightshroud barely flinches against the assault of flame as the shadows around him flicker and swell as if fending off the attack. Pouting, Jaden moves onto his next play then passes the turn to Nightshroud. Mirage Dragon takes the field and Alexis startles as Nightshroud refers to the dragon with feminine pronouns. That’s how Atticus always referred to that card. Most duelists default to masculine pronouns unless the card art is obviously feminine, but Atticus was different.

-“She just gives me, ‘cranky old lady’ vibes, ya know?”- Atticus said when Alexis asked. She hadn’t known, not all, what Atticus meant.

Atticus’ deck was one thing, but this particular quirk... It couldn’t be.

Jaden goes down again as Mirage Dragon takes out Burstinatrix; Christina drags him back to his feet and away as a new hole opens up in the platform. His next turn sees Elemental Hero Tempest take the field and obliterate Mirage Dragon. This time, Nightshroud flinches as the shadows scatter off his form; and even with that mask on his face, Alexis knows what she sees.

“ATTICUS?!”

“Hold on whut?” Jaden jerks, gaping at her.

Alexis starts forward and stumbles as her foot falls through another hole.

“And who the hell is that supposed to be?” Nightshroud growls, and it’s Atticus’ voice now that the shadowy echo no longer obscures it.

“You!” Pulling herself upright, Alexis watches the floor for holes as she continues forward. Her friends call after her but she ignores them. “I know that’s you, Atticus! You really think a dumb mask would make me not recognize my own brother?!”

“My name is Nightshroud-”

“Why are you doing this? Why are you a Shadow Rider? What happened to you, Atticus?!”

“Lexi!!”

She manages to duck this time before the darkness strikes her, elbows banging hard against the platform. The breath shudders out of her and she realizes she’s crying.

“I don’t know you, little girl.”

It hurts. It hurts so much. She found him but like this and he doesn’t even know who she is. A hand on her shoulder alerts her to one of her friends, unsurprised to find Christina kneeling next to her. “It’s him...” Alexis whispers brokenly as Christina pulls her up.

“I know.”

“Why is he...” she hiccups, unable to finish the sentence. Christina squeezes her finger as she leads Alexis safely back to their friends.

Atticus summons Red-Eyes back to the field with Red-Eyes Chick’s ability then trades it in for a card Alexis has never seen before - Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. Darkness. Nightshroud. That thing has her brother and she needs to figure out how to get him back from its clutches. Jaden ends the turn with Negate Attack, surviving to the next round. He hesitates as he draws his next card, then plays Wroughtweiler in defense and switches Tempest to defense.

“Jay?” Christina sends him a look.

“I honestly don’t have any other plays right now,” Jaden says, voice low as he glances back at her. “Besides, if that’s Lexi’s brother... Doesn’t the loser of this duel die?”

Alexis breathes in sharply. Christina hisses through her teeth.

“But what if winning gets rid of whatever is controlling him,” Bastions says. “Assuming he’s been possessed by some sort of dark power.”

“Yeah, maybe, but-”

“Jaden.” Alexis forces the words out as he turns to look at her, those eyes so full of compassion and concern. “If you lose, we all die. We can worry about the rest of it later.”

Jaden flinches. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m not!” Alexis loses the battle against her emotions as a fresh wave of tears overtakes her. “But what other choice do we have?”

Jaden stares at her a moment longer before turning back to face his opponent as Atticus attacks Wroughtweiler with Spear Dragon. He activates Wroughtweiler’s effect and goes down with a scream as his Life Points drop because Spear Dragon deals damage even if the monster it battles is in defense. Still, Jaden gets to add Sparkman and Polymerization back to his hand and gets back to his feet with a little help. Not that it does much good. The force of Tempest’s destruction sends him reeling back into Bastion, and Bastion yelps as the ground threatens to cave under their combined weight. Between the four of them, they manage to keep their friends on stable ground, but Jaden looks like he’s barely conscious at this point. With 600 Life Points left and their safety net looking like swiss cheese, Alexis glances at the lava below and turns back to her brother.

“Enough! Enough, Atticus! This duel is over!” she declares with all the fire she can muster. “You want a Spirit Key so badly, then you can have mine!” Ignoring the startled outburst from her friends, she pulls the object from its place around her neck and holds it out. “You said it works if it’s given freely, right? Let my friends go, and you can have it!”

“Alexis...” Jaden rasps, held upright by Christina’s arm. Alexis never looks away from her brother.

Atticus scoffs. “While I’m flattered that you’d give me your Key willingly, I’m afraid just one Key won’t do. I want them all.” His voice darkens, distorts into something unrecognizable again as the shadows rise up and cling to him. “Wait your turn, little girl. I’ll duel you next.”

“Atticus!” Alexis pleads, except this time she knows she’s not talking to her brother anymore - if she ever was - but this thing that’s taken over him.

“Make your move, Key keeper. If you can.”

Pulling his arm off Christina’s shoulders, Jaden glares his opponent down. “Oh, I can. And I’m winning this duel!”

“But you can barely sta-AAAAAA!” Syrus screams as he falls entirely through the platform. Alexis dives, catching his hand as Bastion grabs the other. Together they haul him back up while Jaden watches, pale as a sheet.

“Whatever you’re about to do, do it fast!” Chumley clasps his hand together, legs shaking so hard Alexis is surprised he still stands.

“Right!” With Christina’s hand on his shoulder, Jaden draws his card.

The combo he gets off next is a spectacular comeback. Atticus hits his knees with a scream as darkness rolls off his form in waves, and Alexis runs for him without a second thought. She doesn’t get far before the dark platform vanishes completely from beneath her feet. She has a single terrifying moment to think, This is how we die, before a bright golden light engulfs her.

When she opens her eyes again, she pushes herself off the cold, rocky ground of the mountainside while Syrus and Chumley cry over not being dead.

"What was that light? It looked like it came from your deck," Bastion murmurs, and something glows faintly as Christina shuffles through her cards with a frown, Jaden slumped against her.

Alexis spares them only a glance as she continues straight for her brother, collapsed face down on the ground feet in front of her. “Atticus!” She drops to her knees and rolls him to face her.

His eyes flutter briefly open. “Who...?” he mumbles weakly before his head lulls again, and Alexis fears the worst as she searches for his pulse. It flutters under her fingers, slow but strong, and she finally releases the breath she’d be holding. It comes out a sob.

“Is he...?” Bastion ventures closer, not daring to finish the inquiry.

“He’s alive...” Alexis breathes, cradling her brother close as another voice breaches the mountain air.

“Heeeey! What’s going on over here?!”

Alexis looks up as Zane and Chazz come running. “Zane. Zane!” she calls, heedless to how broken her voice is and doesn’t miss the way Zane immediately speeds up. “It’s him! It’s Atticus!” She holds her brother closer as Zane freezes in his tracks, face flooding with shock. “I found him...”

“What-” Zane croaks as he kneels next to them slowly, and reaches out like he expects Atticus to disappear under his fingers. The emotions that play out over his face when his hand lands on Atticus’ shoulder are too complicated to name. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

They sit in silence like that for another moment, just soaking in that Atticus is back. Then Zane shifts to slide his arms under Atticus’ limp form. “Here.” Nodding, Alexis moves aside to let Zane lift Atticus into his arms. Some distance away, her friends hoist an unconscious Jaden onto Chumley’s back.

“If he looks this bad after winning, I don’t wanna know what losing looks like,” Chazz gripes.

“That?” Syrus points hesitantly at Atticus.

“What?”

Zane sends Alexis a sharp look. “He was a Shadow Rider,” Alexis whispers, and glances away as Zane’s expression breaks again. “He didn’t recognize me. That’s all I know.”

“Okay,” Zane says at length and they begin the long trek down the mountain.

Alexis still has so many questions...and fears. She once thought finding her brother would make everything okay again, but now... Now she’s scared this is only the beginning rather than the end she sought. What if he wakes up and still doesn’t recognize her? Can she handle that? Can she handle learning what turned him into a Shadow Rider? Her hand fists itself into Zane’s coat tail. If he notices, he doesn’t comment.

[mrslilyrogers]

Betrayal Part 2

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: (AU) Set in New York. You and Bucky have been married for 5 years. He’s the love of your life and you are his. At least, you thought you were until he started slipping away from you, coming home late and smelling of another woman’s perfume? You are in denial. Are you just losing your mind or are you really losing him?

Author’s Notes: Thank you to those who read Part 1! Please let me know if you wanna be tagged in this series! Bucky feels a little more guilty here :/ Hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think :) **my work is only posted here or my ao3, mrslilyrogers 

Warnings: ANGST, CHEATING

Part 1

Hoots of laughter sounded from the living room as Y/N entered the apartment. Her heart sang at the thought of Bucky spending time with his daughter, maybe their marriage was salvageable, maybe she was overreacting and Bucky has really just been busy lately, maybe he realized he’s been ignoring---  her thoughts ended abruptly when she saw Steve and Lizzie on the couch, popcorn in between them, and watching Lizzie’s favorite movie, clearly Steve’s attempt at trying to cheer her up from her father being too busy to pick her up from school. Never mind that both Bucky and Steve had the same jobs -both managing directors for the world’s largest investment banking company, Shield- which meant that if Steve could afford to pick Lizzie up, then Bucky sure as hell could too. 

“Y/N!” Steve said rising from his seat.

“Mommy!” Lizzie rushed to greet her mom with the biggest hug she could muster and Y/N immediately scooped her up, hugging her back,

“Hey, you!”

Steve stood behind them and waited until the little monkey suddenly shifted from her mother, opened her arms and clung to him instead. He took her from Y/N with one arm as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

“You spoil her too much, Rogers” Y/N said as she rolled her eyes, ignoring the barely concealed concerned look on his face.

“And how are you too, Y/N? How’s your meeting with Stark?” Steve asked teasingly, trying to lighten her mood.

“Oh you know,” She pretended to hedge around her answer before she excitedly exclaimed, “I got it!”

Steve’s smile suddenly lit up like a christmas tree, grinning from ear to ear as he enveloped her into a bear hug with Lizzie still in his arm. When he let go, he saw the flash of sadness cross her eyes before she beamed up at him again and recounted her meeting with the Tony Stark. How come Steve remembered her big meeting and Bucky couldn’t? The question nagged at the back of her mind as she chose to ignore it, focusing on her win for the day.

“Bucky couldn’t leave work, he has a meeting. But he said he’ll see you at dinner,” Steve said apologetically bringing her daughter down as she scrambled back to her movie.

“Right, and he couldn’t have texted that huh,” As soon as the words left  her lips, she felt bad. It wasn’t Steve’s fault. The guy was practically an angel, leaving work early to pick her daughter up, proving that even though he and Bucky were not blood related, they were brothers in every sense of the word.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring you into this, Thanks for bringing Lizzie home,” she apologized quickly.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s fine. Are you guys alright?”

“Steve, will you be honest with me?” Y/N wrung her hands as she guided Steve to the staircase, bringing them away from her daughter.

“Do you know what’s going on with Bucky?” She asked, finally letting it out in the open. Steve is Bucky’s best friend since childhood and it would be stupid of her to ask her husband’s best friend if it were any other guy, but it was Steve, and he was the noblest person she knew. Loyalty to Bucky or no, he would tell her the truth.

“What do you mean? I haven’t really seen him lately, I’ve been in California for the past week…”

That’s when she stopped listening, California in the past week? Bucky couldn’t even have formed a better lie for last night. Did he really think she wouldn’t find out? Was that how little he thought of her, he didn’t even try his best not to be caught. A dry laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head. Unbelievable.

“Hey, Y/N, are you okay?” Steve asked, bringing her back to reality.

“Oh yeah just fine, Steve, sorry, do you wanna stay for dinner? I’m gonna start cooking,”

Steve shifted his weight between both feet, clearly uncomfortable by her change in mood.

“Uh, I don’t know, it’s alright--”

“Stay for dinner,” Y/N said since surely she’d be making too much food for just two people again.

“Lizzie would sure love to have her favorite uncle to annoy the whole time,” she suggested teasingly to which he exhaled in relief, glad that the tension left and they were back on safer topics.

“Well if you put it that way, then of course, who says no to your cooking anyway?” He replied jokingly while she laughed bitterly and headed to the kitchen with Steve jogging back to the sofa to finish the movie. Well, my husband apparently.

_______________________________________________________________________

Steve, Lizzie and Y/N were all huddled at the dining table, each enjoying Y/N’s famous molten lava cake as Steve regaled Lizzie of his and Bucky’s childhood exploits, telling her how he used to be picked on a lot and how Bucky was always the one who saved him. One in particular involved a pretty girl, Steve losing his inhaler, and Bucky walking home missing a shoe had Lizzie in a fit of giggles.

“But Uncle Steve, you’re the best!” Lizzie explained with chocolate all over her mouth, laughing and shaking her head as if not believing his tale.

Bucky heard the shouts and laughter from the kitchen, his daughter practically worshipping her Uncle Steve as he entered the apartment. His brows immediately shot up, Steve stayed? He didn’t know what to expect when he decided to come home earlier than usual and told Celeste he couldn’t stay the night. If he were honest, shouts and laughter were the last thing on his mind. He had expected them to wait up on him and his daughter running up to greet him as he went through the door as she usually did before. Before he met Celeste, before he got bored of his family. God, he was such an ass. He told himself it would only be one night then one night turned into another and another and next thing he knew, he was more excited to see her than to see his wife.

He entered the kitchen with flowers in his hand, intending to make it up to Y/N but the sight that greeted him cut him short. There they were looking like a family, Steve at the head of the table, his seat, with his wife and daughter on either side of him, enjoying their desert while Lizzie stood on her chair, arms extended, regaling them of her dance class at school. Y/N immediately shot her hand out to Lizzie’s arm, sitting her back down as Steve laughed at them.

“Lizzie, you’re going to fall,” She tried to reprimand seriously but couldn’t hold in her laugh. He hadn’t seen her laugh like that in a long while.

“Steve, see? I told you we shouldn’t have given her desert,” she huffed out.

“Well, you can’t invite me for dinner and not feed me one of your delicious cakes, besides, there’s a cause for celebration!” It was impossible not to get infected by Steve’s bright smile, and she immediately found herself smiling in return until they heard someone clear his throat.

“Daddy!” Lizzie exclaimed as she jumped from her seat, running to give her dad a hug.

“Bucky? You’re home?” Y/N said dumbfoundedly.

“How are you, Princess?” Bucky ignored Y/N’s shocked expression as he picked his daughter up, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Uncle Steve is here!”

“Hey Buck,” Steve greeted from his seat as he scooped out the last bits of his cake before he stood up.

“I should probably get going, Y/N thanks so much for dinner, haven’t had a good home cooked meal for a while and your cooking is always the best,” he said with a genuine smile but Y/N saw right through it.

“You want to bring home the leftovers, don’t you?”

“Yes, definitely!” Steve said, chuckling, as Y/N went to kitchen, presumably to grab containers for Steve, without acknowledging Bucky.

“Hey man, how was the office?” Steve asked a little too suspiciously. He always knew when something was up with Bucky and now he looked at him assessingly as if he found something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

“Just had to finish the report I told you about,”

“Uncle Steve, why are you leaving so early?” Lizzie whined from her position on her father’s arm. Her head resting on his chest as her arms wrapped around him.

“It’s almost your bedtime, little lady,” He booped her nose as he replied while she giggled and buried her head in her father’s shoulder.

“Lizzie, you’re spreading chocolate over daddy’s shirt,” Bucky watched as his daughter shifted her face around his shoulder, trying find a comfortable position as her eyelids grew heavy. It brought a smile to his face, his daughter was beyond adorable.

“What chocolate?”

“The one on your face,”

“Do not have chocolate on my face,” She argued sleepily.

“Sweetie, you do it’s all over,”

“Do not,”

“Do too!”

“Do not!” This time she huffed angrily with her eyes closed, it was the cutest thing in the world to Bucky which made both him and Steve chuckle.

“Here you go Steve,” Y/N came back, handing him the bags of leftover.

“Aww, Y/N, you’re an angel,” Steve tried to inconspicuously look for something in the bags but failed in his friend’s eyes. It still bothered Y/N how, for a guy who commands so much attention from any room he walks in, with his golden brown hair, baby blue eyes and perfect skin, he still tries to be subtle. There was nothing subtle about his looks and the way he moves gives the impression that he had no idea the effect he has on others, or simply that he didn’t care. The girls, Nat, Wanda and Y/N always teased him about it, especially in college, when he had been oblivious with the way women stared at him left and right. To them, he was simply Steve Rogers but other people looked up to him, with his commanding voice and gentle advice. He was the best friend any girl could ever ask for and Y/N was thankful for him especially tonight when she didn’t know if she should celebrate for her business’ success or cry for Bucky.

“Yes, there’s a lava cake in there too. Just pop that in the oven before you eat it,” Y/N had made sure to make extra for him, knowing it was his favorite.

“Oh Bucky, your wife’s the best!” Steve replied, giving him a clap to the shoulder. If only he’d notice, Y/N thought bitterly to herself before Steve gave her a side hug and kissed her cheek.

“Bye Y/N, thanks for the food again! See you tomorrow, Bucky,”

“Bye, man,”

“Bye, Uncle Steve,” Lizzie mumbled, as she waved blindly around, clearly, fighting her sleep to say bye to her favorite uncle.

“Bye sweetheart,” Steve said as he gently patted her head and left.

As soon as the door closed and they were left alone, the awkwardness settled in. Bucky looked to her, flowers still in one hand, with Lizzie sleeping on his arm.

“How was your day?” Bucky asked, breaking the silence.

“I got it, Tony loved the red velvet,”

“Wow! First name basis now huh, I knew you’d get it, I got these for you,” He gave her a genuine smile as he handed her the tulips, her favorite. She should’ve loved it, but she hated it now, it was a reminder of how awkward they had become. Back then, whenever he came home from work with her tulips, she would’ve jumped on him and gave him a kiss, telling him she missed him and how her day went without his prompting. He would’ve said he missed her too and told her about work but now, here they were, standing feet apart from each other, not knowing what to say. She didn’t have it in her to act like the wife she was. How could she hug him knowing where he’d been?

“Thank you. Are you hungry? I left some food on the table,”

Bucky clenched his jaw, knowing he was late, Celeste had unexpectedly shown up at his office even though she knew it was off-limits and he had to get rid of her. The whole day he’d been looking forward to spend time with his family and even ordered Y/N’s flowers in the morning for tonight but lately, Celeste had gotten clingy and needy, expecting more than he could give her when she knew from the start, their relationship was only ever going to be a purely physical one.

“Yes, I thought I said I’d go home for dinner,” he replied grudgingly.

“Uhm, no Steve told me you’d go home for dinner. Why couldn’t you have given me a call anyway? Or even a text?” Y/N felt her hackles rise, he didn’t have the right to be annoyed right now.

“Does it matter? She got picked up, she’s here, and it looks like you and Steve started without me anyway,”

“Bucky, you came home at 8:30, you do know your daughter is just 4,” She explained exasperatedly, pointing at the sleeping Lizzie on his arm to prove her point.

He let out a defeated sigh, “I got caught up at work, I’ll tuck her in,”

“Uh huh,” She watched as he walked up the stairs of their two-floor apartment and her heart broke again at that stupid lie he kept telling her and that she kept accepting.

When Bucky went back down, she just finished loading the dishwasher and washing the pots and pans.

“Would you just add your plates when you’re done and start it? I’m gonna head up,”

“Of course,” Bucky replied as he watched her walk up the stairs to their room, thinking, where the hell had they gone wrong. He missed her, he really did. The old Y/N would’ve fought and argued with him as soon as he finished tucking Lizzie in and he would’ve relented, accepted his fault and apologized, then she would’ve accompanied him for dinner and told him excitedly how her meeting went. He would’ve told her just how proud he is of her. He got lost in his thoughts as he stared down at his food. Damn, she even made Steve’s favorite pot roast. He knew she had been trying to fix things for a while, but now, she seemed distant and cold like she was finally giving up on him and it was his fault, he knew that too. He just didn’t know what to do, how to fix things. So as usual, he did what he did best, took a swig of his beer, and buried himself in denial.

Part 3