#Ao3 did went down for 10 minutes right after I posted

[zeivira]

I just opened the zine pdf and like automatically got the email for Theatrics of a Witch. Clearly this is the work of you setting up a magical email spell using the super secret Art of Timing

Either Hogwarts scammed me and and that's why i never got my letter— or I'm actually the FBI agent assigned to you and when i saw you opening the zine thought "haha wouldn't it be funny if she received the email now."

Ok maybe the second one isn't true, but I would totally do that, yes

[melancholy-of-nadia]

Thursday Night (m) | jjk

title: Thursday Night (Boba & Ride) pairing: jungkook x f. reader rating/genre: m ; smut ; SEVEN alt. AU, college / university au, friends to lovers summary: Just another day of Jeon Jungkook waking you up in the middle of the night to get boba tea with him across town at your favorite late-night spot, Pekoe. Turns out, this is not just another nightly outing to get boba, but also a chance for the two of you to finally get out of this sexually-charged friend-zone and fuck in his Mercedes Benz G-Wagon. warnings:  car sex, vaginal fingering, edging, multiple orgasms, breast play, nipple licking, unprotected sex (well, reader is on the pill), RIDING, slight choking, creampie, body worship, Jungkook is wearing SWEATS, implied that jk vapes, awkward positions in the car bc they are HORNY and don’t care note: okay, so i originally wrote the first part of the wholesome boba date a year ago after Left & Right came out (and made it kinda based on my late night boba runs with friends in college pre-pandemic). But I never finished it, until Seven came out a few days ago and SUDDENLY I WENT BACK TO THIS AND DID A 180 AND SLAMMED SOME SMUT ON IT. VERY SPICY. Thank you for the whore thoughts, Jungkook. Thank you @daegudrama for editing and fixing the messy smut. Stream Seven!! and FEEDBACK & Comments are much appreciated !!

total word count: 4.5k drop date: july 17th, 2023, 10:30am PST CROSS POSTED ON AO3 (honeyjamjoon is my user on there) - -

Dozing off slowly as your mind wanders through the stages of sleep to reach REM, you’re suddenly interrupted by a distant ringing sound in the distance.

It sounds like… your phone? You recognize the familiar “Shooky Shooky” theme song of your favorite cartoon cookie and his 7 pals you set as a ringtone weeks ago.

Waking up with eyes still heavy from sleep, you reach your hand out to grab your phone from your bedside dresser. You squint at the bright screen seeing who the random caller is that is getting in the way of your slumber before you wake up later for another dreaded day of uni classes..

Jeon Jungkook. 

Of course it was him, you think. He’s the friend you made at the beginning of the semester in your Japanese class, where he found out that both of you took the class to be able to watch anime without subtitles. Just a pair of total weebs.

Then you kept running into him at university club events, specifically the Korean Student Association Curry & Karaoke night where both of you fangirled (fanboyed?) over IU and spent an entire night singing her discography while taking soju shots together. At this point, you knew he was just destined to be your bestie for life.

However, Jungkook has a terrible sleep schedule where he sometimes stays up until crackhead hours to do random things like late night drives (yes, he is paying the ridiculous parking permit fee to have his car on campus). He had previously invited you to get some In-N-Out with him and his upperclassmen friend Namjoon which resulted in a late night drive where you ended up on top of a mountain about 40 minutes away from campus at 1am.

While the view of the city down below was nice, you couldn’t stop freaking out about how to get back to your uni with the terrible data reception showing no map directions. Namjoon did his best to help you remain calm from a pending panic attack while Jungkook giggled, but reassured you that everything would be fine and he would figure it out. And he did. Never had you been so glad to be back on campus with some leftover animal style fries in hand.

Not many drives with Jungkook were that adventurous, but they were all late at night. Which you didn’t like due to the fact that you liked to sleep early and wake up early for your morning classes. Very contrasting dynamics being best friends with a night owl.

You answer the phone in a raspy, sleepy voice, “Hey Jungkook, what’s up.”

 “Hey— were you asleep? Sorry, I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out and get some boba, but—”

“NO!” You answer immediately. “I was taking a power nap, I AM UP! I WILL GO GET BOBA WITH YOU!”

Your voice is suddenly loud with excitement through Jungkook’s phone speaker. You’re glad you live in a single room in your 4 bedroom dorm apartment where loud sounds aren’t as easily heard by your roommates.

 “REALLY? OKAY! Let’s meet in front of my dorm building. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Boba will really get you to do anything, especially when it might be the spot Jungkook loves to take you to that is across town. It closes at 1:30am and also has a club-like aesthetic where a lot of people go to hang out at night. There are gaming consoles and a pool table, but the drinks are sadly non-alcoholic. Still good though.

 Wearing a black hoodie and your old black volleyball shorts, you head out to the front of the building next door where you find Jungkook sitting on a bench under a streetlight’s glow. He is wearing a black t-shirt and jacket, contrasting his white pants. 

 He looks good, you think as you walk up to him. He’s texting someone before he looks up at you.

 “So are we getting boba or should I head back to sleep?” You giggle pointing to the parking lot to signal him to get up from the bench.

 “Oh, we’re getting boba for sure and you won’t be sleeping anytime soon.” He speaks starting to head towards his black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon in the parking lot while you follow behind him. Suspicious phrasing, but you brush it off. You have a dirty mind after all.

 “So, we’re going where exactly?” "Pekoe! My favorite boba spot in town," Jungkook replies with a mischievous grin. "I've been craving their Taro Taro. It's like drinking a purple cloud!" He exclaims excitedly. 

 You laugh at his description, knowing he has a knack for making even the simplest things sound exciting. As you hop into the passenger seat of his car, you fasten your seatbelt.  "And what about you? What's your drink choice tonight?"

 He glances at you, his eyes sparkling with amusement. 

 "Well tonight, I'm getting my fav from there! Pretty in Pink! Jasmine milk tea with strawberry sounds like the perfect combination of sweet and floral."

He nods in approval. It was just another testament to how well you knew each other's preferences. The car roars to life as Jungkook starts the engine, the soft purr resonating through the vehicle. I love being the passenger princess when Jungkook is driving.

As the two of you drive through the city streets, the night envelopes you in a sense of tranquility. The familiar sights pass by, but tonight they seem different. There is an undercurrent of excitement, a subtle shift in the air that mirrors the budding emotions in your heart.

Jungkook, always one to fill the silence, begins cracking jokes and making silly comments, aiming to make you laugh. And laugh you do, your genuine giggles filling the car with warmth and joy. You can’t help but be drawn to his infectious laughter and the way he effortlessly brings a smile to your face.

As you approach Pekoe, the neon sign glows in the night, welcoming you to its cozy embrace. The two of you step out of the car, the scent of freshly brewed tea swirling around you. Inside, the ambiance is lively, with people chatting, sipping their drinks, and enjoying each other's company.

You join the line, eagerly waiting for your turn to order. As you reach the counter, the friendly barista takes your requests, preparing the Taro Taro and Pretty in Pink with skillful hands. The drinks are handed to you in their signature, vibrantly lit cups, and you can't help but admire the aesthetic.

With your boba in hand, you find a cozy corner in the café, settling into plush seats. The first sip of your Pretty in Pink sends a burst of flavors dancing on your tongue, the sweet strawberry complementing the fragrant jasmine tea perfectly. Jungkook's eyes widen in delight as he takes his first sip of the Taro Taro, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.

As you sit there, enjoying your drinks and engaging in light-hearted banter, you can't ignore the subtle change in your feelings as of late. The laughter, the shared moments, and the genuine connection you have formed with Jungkook begin tugging at your heartstrings. The thought of him being more than just a best friend dances at the edges of your mind, like a gentle melody waiting to be fully embraced.

But for now, you cherish the present moment, savoring the boba and the company of the person who has become such an important part of your life. The night is young, and as you exchange playful glances with Jungkook, you can't help but wonder what other adventures await the two of you in the days and nights to come.

Leaving Pekoe behind, your boba-induced bliss carries you as Jungkook suggests going to one of your favorite lookout points—a hidden spot where you can see the entire city spread out below. The mere thought of it ignites a sense of anticipation within you, and you nod eagerly in agreement.

Driving through the winding roads, the city lights twinkling like a sea of stars, the atmosphere inside the car begins to shift. A subtle, sensually charged energy envelopes the space, like an unspoken understanding between two souls on the precipice of something new.

As you arrive at the lookout point, Jungkook parks the car, and you both stay inside, cocooning yourselves in the comfortable silence that only close friends can share. The dimly lit interior creates an intimate ambiance, casting soft shadows across Jungkook's face, and highlighting his features in a way that makes your heart skip a beat.

 Leaning back against the seat, you gaze out at the breathtaking view before you. The cityscape stretched out like a living breathing entity, its pulsating energy matching the intensity of the emotions brewing inside you.

 The silence between you feels charged with unspoken desires, the air thick with anticipation. You steal glances at Jungkook, his eyes fixed on the mesmerizing city lights. The soft glow plays on his features, highlighting the curve of his lips and the gentle slope of his jawline. In moments like these, you can't help but admire the kindness that resides within him.

 Lost in your thoughts, you feel a gentle brush of Jungkook's hand against yours, sending a jolt of electricity through your veins. The touch was innocent, yet it carries an unspoken invitation, daring you to explore the uncharted territories of your friendship.

You turn to him, your eyes meeting in a silent conversation that spoke volumes. The unspoken question hangs heavy in the air, begging to be acknowledged. With a hesitant yet determined smile, you reach out, intertwining your fingers with his, intertwining your destinies in that single act.

The connection between you deepens as time seems to stand still. His touch sends a rush of warmth coursing through your body, awakening a dormant desire that had been slowly bubbling beneath the surface. The intensity of the moment was undeniable, drawing you closer, your hearts beating in sync.

Neither of you speaks a word, for words seem inadequate to capture the raw emotions coursing through your veins. Instead, you find solace in the silence, in the electric current that flows between you, igniting a flame that burns brighter with every passing second.

As time passes, your relationship with Jungkook was left to simmer and reduce to being only friends. Holding his flirty gazes or even his hands has become part of the fun. A challenge of sorts.

Despite that, there will still come a point where you will finally lose your footing and can no longer stand your ground. You just can’t just be friends with Jungkook, and neither can he.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” He says, refastening his gaze on you.

“You should,” you say, without blinking. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Crossing the line you’ve been afraid to cross with him.

The lump in your throat twitches, but he reaches over from the driver seat and caresses your jaw with his hand anyways. Determining again to hold his stare, you stroke his cheek with your thumb. But his eyes close on their own as his lips move unhurriedly towards yours, they’re as soft as his approach.

At this moment, it may have seemed like you were hesitating, uncertain in this newfound situation, but in fact, it was quite the opposite. Since you two can’t stay here forever – returning to campus is rather inevitable – the lightness in his tread is completely deliberate. You both want, no, need to savor every millisecond.

You feel the heave of his exhale when he kisses you with a little more intensity. Cupping his face in both of your hands, you feel your pulse drop aggressively into your pelvis and fall further in towards him. Your hands snake back behind his head and grasp his hair to pull his face closer to yours. Your lips only part briefly to make room for your tongues to slip back and forth.

Jungkook grasps a handful of your hair and cranes your neck back while simultaneously pulling your body in closer. Jungkook's lips trailed a path of featherlight kisses along your neck, his touch sending shivers cascading down your spine, igniting a symphony of tingling sensations that left them craving for more. He pulls away quickly, greedily drinking in the stale cold air like he has forgotten to breathe that whole time. His eyes follow the trail of his fingers as he thumbs the bare skin of your outer thigh.

“I always like seeing you dress casually, in your cute shorts and oversized hoodies.”

You follow his gaze and smile. “It’s what I feel most comfortable with. But I don’t let many people see me like this because I look so bummy.”

Jungkook looks up once again to meet your eyes and mirrors your smile back to you. “But you still look so beautiful.”

In unison, both your lips draw back together. Without breaking your chain of kisses, you climb over to the driver’s seat to straddle him. Your restricted position prevents you from feeling his likely erection hiding underneath his sweatpants to press against you. But you are actually too preoccupied with devouring him through the kisses to worry about that yet.

His hands move down the length of your torso past your waist, over your shorts, onto your thighs. He slips one hand under your oversized hoodie, cupping your ass and giving it a gentle squeeze. Your hips swivel and thrust towards him, causing the top of your head to rub against the ceiling of his G-Wagon.

“At this rate, I am definitely going to look like a hot mess when we go back,” You say, feeling around for stray hairs that may have been charged with static electricity.

“Here.” Jungkook invites you to lie across the passenger’s side of the vehicle. “This might be better for you then.”

You recline slowly lifting your hips to rest your butt on the center console before lying your head on the passenger door’s armrest. Your knees fall apart to reveal your short skin-tight shorts to him. He leans over you moving between your legs and running the back of his hand up your inner thigh. Still lost in the darkness of your eyes, he rests his head on your knee and squeezes the fleshiness of your thigh. As Jungkook's fingers gently squeezed, another heat surges through your body, accompanied by a swarm of delicate butterflies fluttering in your stomach. The innocent yet electrifying touch sparked a wave of anticipation and desire, leaving you yearning for more. You also realize that even the simplest gestures from Jungkook have the power to awaken a new deep and undeniable lust within you. 

 You sit up to meet his face and kiss him again. You can taste the taro black tea boba and a slight smoky strawberry-watermelon nicotine on his tongue. Lips locked, you pull him down with you and wrap your arms around his neck. The position is awkward but stubbornly tolerated, all the same, both of you unwilling to pull apart. Both of you are like a couple of desperate teenagers fighting through the objective discomfort to exhaust every last second before curfew.

 Finally, Jungkook leans back in his seat again. You stay where you were, hoodie hiked up past your belly button and legs spread out. He uses his hands to gently pull down your shorts, like pulling away the curtain to reveal the main stage.

 Then he stops, planting that poignant gaze of his on you. A street lamp painting a streak across your torso to expose his mental photograph.

 “You really are absolutely gorgeous tonight, Bunny,” he says, which has you awestruck at this moment. 

 Bunny is the nickname he gave you a while back because you are a massive Sailor Moon fan. You both make fun of the cringey 90s dub of the show where Usagi is nicknamed Bunny. He likes to call you that when you have space buns.

 “Thank you,” You say with genuine gratitude, your knees swaying with an imaginary breeze caused by giddiness. You love how he speaks endearingly to you.

 With the back of his fingers, Jungkook gently caresses your inner thigh from knee to groin. The tingling trail he leaves in his wake triggers a shiver from the backs of your knees. He flips his hand over to fuse the warmth from his palm with the heat radiating from your vulva. Your clit is begging for attention and your your pussy clenches around the air desperate for something to fill it. Jungkook grins. You like to imagine that it’s because he too realizes all that potential he holds in the palm of his hand.

 He runs one finger along the hem of your underwear. When his hand turns around to go back the way he came, he gently slides his fingertip to the underside of the hemline rubbing the back of his finger against the skin. You lean your head back and shut your eyes, letting out a long sigh of relief.

 "I have waited so long for you to touch me like this," You whisper.

 Though yours are closed, you imagine that he never takes his intense eyes off you. He moves your panties to one side. He spreads his fingers down again over your vulva. You hear his lips smack gently as he licks his thumb. He brings his hand back down to you, gently pressing the pad of his thumb against your swollen clit. Remaining there for a moment, he faintly increases the pressure and finally begins to rub gentle circles around it.

 You feel yourself squirm in the seat, simultaneously moving closer to him and trying to pull away. Jungkook’s arm stretches out to the back to grab his Squishmallow pillow in the back seat to use as a cushion underneath you for comfort. He claims he has these pillows here since he takes naps in between classes in his car.

 Your lower back arches and your hips pressed into the cushion beneath you. But as quickly as you had been overcome with nervous tension, your body relaxed into this space, back into the seat.

 The circles turn to an up-and-down motion as you grow squirmy under the delicate burden of his touch. With two fingers on his other hand, Jungkook teases at your opening. When he finally enters, you inhale sharply in approval. His fingers are just barely inside, but it is all you need. He massages you gently from within. He slots his thumb partially inside to coat his thumb in your wetness and leads it to make persistent strokes over your clit. 

You feel yourself contract and squeeze around his fingers. He moves them in a little further, intensifying his come-hither curl deeper inside.

 A chill rises behind your ears and at the nape of your neck, heating up as it trickles down your spine toward your tailbone. One knee presses into the back of the seat as the other reaches for the dash. Tension swells in the fronts of your thighs as your heels try to dig into the seat cushion beneath him. Your hips rise, begging Jungkook to continue.

 Your breaths are craving, yet distended, and all your focus shifts inward, concentrating on the movement of his fingers, inside and out. Forgetting everything else. Really feeling it at the point of contact. Your eyes are still closed when you drink in a long inhalation, and release it with equal intention, feeling the intensity of your pleasure growing with every subsequent breath.

 “We…” Exhilaration forces the words back down your throat. Try again. “We should drive back…”

Strong thumb still resting on your clit, his other hand rises to hush you with your own wetness. “Not yet, love.” Love?! You couldn’t question the new nickname bubbling out from his lips because your mind was consumed in total stimulation. You’d talk about this sometime after, you thought.

 His burgeoning arousal was becoming more apparent in that confined space. You can hear his breath grow huskier as he resumes his rhythmic stimulation of your clit. You can smell the rising excitement dripping all over the cadence of his fingers.

 Your mouth falls open to usher forth a silent scream. Your pussy clenches around his fingers and your pulse throbs into the pad of his thumb. Your head presses back into the armrest and you worry momentarily that you might push right through the door, but your worries are wiped clean before you can finish that thought. Vision turning all white and shaky.

 Jungkook slowly slides his fingers out as your body goes limp. He leans back to watch you bask in the fallout of your body quake. Your head falls limply to one side while your body struggles to recalibrate – slowed breathing, relaxed pulse, fallen temperature, faded bliss.

 “Just truly stunning…” he repeats.

 You are caught somewhere between pleasure-induced paralysis and a voracious desire to continue and make hungry love to this man. You reach up, grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him down towards you, forcing him to meet you at eye level.

 “Thank you,” You whisper softly into his ear. You kiss his neck, feeling the echoes of his hammering heart press into your lips.

 He breaks the kiss and rests his head on your shoulder. He shyly hides his face, hesitant to bring up his next request, “I want you to ride me. Think you could last through another orgasm?”

 You giggle at how needy he is being. “Honestly, yes.” 

 Jungkook tries to refrain himself from squealing and gets up from his position. He sits to adjust his seat back and partially slides off his sweats and boxer briefs.

 His dick is a blush shade, long and hard. “Wow…” You mindlessly speak your amusement leading him to giggle in response.

  You get up from laying on the passenger seat and climb over the center console to sit on his lap. Your lips meet in a passionate kiss yet again, while you pull his shirt off. You slide your hands slowly down his chest and abs, your small cold fingers send a shiver through his body. You lightly touch his tattooed arm, tracing each intricate design. 

 Jungkook lifts your hoodie in response to your actions and giggles upon seeing the sight underneath it. “Hehe, you’re not wearing anything under. So scandalous, Bunny,” Before you can refute his teasing, Jungkook buries his face in your breasts. 

 His soft lips slowly kiss up your cleavage to your neck. Jungkook gently sucks the sensitive spot on your neck, causing you to moan. You thread your fingers through his long black hair and tug. Jungkook winces submissively at your actions.

 “I thought you said you wanted me to ride you?” You taunt, teasing him by rubbing your wet folds along his hard dick.

Jungkook groans and grabs your hips, lifting you above him. He tugs the thin fabric of your panties to the side again before lining up his cock to your entrance and lowering you slowly onto his cock. You moan, tilting your head back in pleasure and enjoying the sensation of him filling you up.

 “Shit. You’re so tight.” Jungkook stills inside you, letting you adjust to his dick inside you.

 You experimentally lift yourself up, using his shoulders as leverage, then sink back down. Jungkook inhales sharply, biting his bottom lip as he watches you fuck yourself on his cock.  He keeps his left hand on your waist, strong fingers keeping you steady. He pushes the hoodie above your chest and massages your left breast. His tongue circles your right nipple, the sensation causing you to clench around his dick.

 “Fuck, feels so good.” he moans softly. He’s so cute, your fucked out brain thinks.

 You grab Jungkook’s hand from your left breast and slide it up to your neck, giving it a light squeeze to indicate what you want from him. He shakes his head and you halt your movement.

“No, Bunny, not today. Today, I’m going to make you scream so loud that you’re going to come back every day for more.” He feels your pussy involuntarily tighten around his cock, sucking him further into your tight walls. “You’d like it if someone caught us like this, wouldn’t you? Let them see how I ruin you,” Jungkook snickers as he teases you.

“You’re so-” You can’t even finish your sentence as Jungkook thrust deep inside of you. This causes you to lose your balance and rest your head on Jungkook’s shoulder, giving him full control over your body. He bounces you on his thick cock until you can feel your high approaching.

“I’m gonna cum, Jungkook.” You announce after a series of muffled moans, your voice barely coming out as a whisper. He tightens his grip on your ass and slides one hand down to rub your clit for added stimulation to the impending time bomb of pleasure.

 “Let go, love.” As his movements quicken, soon, he feels your pussy clenching tightly around his dick. 

“Jungkook!” You scream as you come. You kiss his neck while coming down from your high. Feeling spent, you collapse on Jungkook’s body, relishing the feeling of his muscular body moving against yours.

 Jungkook knows he can’t hold out much longer when he feels your pussy pulsate around his dick. “You can cum inside me, I’m on the pill.” You whisper in his ear shyly, feeling his erratic movements inside you. 

 He digs his fingers into your hips thrusting deeper and more erratically before he comes inside you. He thrusts a few more times to ride out his orgasm before he leans back in his seat in exhaustion.

 You both lay there in his car while you catch your breaths and pepper tiny kisses on each other’s bodies. Afterward, Jungkook lifts you up and removes his cock from inside you. You shiver from the emptiness and feel his come slowly drip out from inside you. You quickly slide up your panties into place, pull up your shorts and then readjust your hoodie before collapsing onto the passenger seat.

You watch Jungkook quickly pull up his boxer briefs and sweats. You both look at each other in your fucked out states, all messy and laugh. 

“I THINK we should go home now. It’s like almost 3am,” You laugh nervously looking at the time on your phone. 

“We should!” He chuckles. “So Bunny…tomorrow…boba, same time?”

“Just come over to my dorm tomorrow. The roomies are out, so we can watch Chainsaw Man and do this again. My wallet can’t deal with more boba runs, and then bonking and losing sleep when I have a 9am class.”

 “I’ll be the one treating you to boba from now on,” He smirks at you curiously. God, you really found someone amazing in your life.

As the night sky embraces the city with its velvet darkness, Jungkook drives back to campus. The cool breeze whispers through the open windows, sending shivers down their spines as you two reveled in the afterglow.

Your fingers intertwine on the center console, a tangible connection that symbolizes the bond you share. The radio softly plays Keshi, providing a soothing soundtrack to the journey. You two glance at each other, smiles dancing on your lips, eyes filled with a mixture of contentment and desire to keep doing this again. Maybe boba and riding every day from now on.

[ironwoman359]

Our Own Villain Ch. 9

Prologue, Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.7, Ch.8, Ch.9, Ch.10

Word Count: 5,570

Chapter Summary: Everything Roman has worked for threatens to crumble around him as Logan puts his plan to save his friends into motion.

Pairings: Logicality, could be read as romantic or platonic, platonic Moxiety

Chapter Warnings: Anxiety, guilt, isolation and anger, overworking, fantasy violence, just generally unhealthy thought patterns going on for Roman.

Check the reblogs for a link to read on AO3!

AN: IT'S HERE! As always, I cannot post this story without acknowledging the incredible @theinvisiblespoon, who helped me edit this and resulted in over 400 extra words of flavor for this chapter. They're the absolute best! Also, shout out to @teacupfulofstarshine for helping me get over some writers block with a few of these passages, she's an absolute darling <3

— — —

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

The captain of the guard bowed low before Roman, a faint tremor in his posture betraying his nerves.

“I’ve had my men up all night, searching the city from top to bottom,” the captain continued, “but there’s been no sign of the fugitive.” 

The man kept his head low, glancing tentatively up at Roman who paced back and forth across the floor of the throne room, arms crossed across his chest. He barely noticed the captain’s discomfort, lost entirely in thought. 

Where could Logan be? There was no way he could have left the Imagination, so how had the guards not found him yet? Roman supposed he could have snuck out of the city somehow, but there was nothing for him out there but wilderness, and it was cruel, even for Logan, to run away without even trying to rescue Patton and Virgil. No, he had to be hidden somewhere, somewhere that he thought was clever enough to escape Roman’s notice. 

“Keep searching, Captain,” he ordered. “He must be somewhere in the city. Perhaps he has enlisted the help of one of the townspeople and is being kept out of sight. Issue a decree that anyone found to be harboring criminals will face charges of treason. I want every-”

“Your Highness!” a new guard burst into the room, and Roman spun around with a glare. 

“What is it now? Are you men so utterly incompetent that you’re incapable of following the most simple of commands? I said that I was not to be disturbed!”

“It’s just, your highness,” the guard stammered, cowering in the face of Roman’s rage. “There’s an attack at the gates–” 

“What on earth makes you think I care about the gates right now?” Roman exclaimed. “There is a traitor loose in the city, corrupting the people and conspiring against me. Nothing at the gates could possibly be more important than finding–”

A roar pierced the air, and Roman went rigid, his hand automatically gripping the hilt of his sword. 

“Dragon Witch,” he hissed, and the guard nodded frantically. 

“She was spotted flying down from the mountains, your highness. The gate guard sent me to warn of her attack.” 

Roman slammed his fist down on the table. 

“Of course she would strike now, when we are distracted and unprepared. Captain, send criers through the streets to order your men to mobilize at the main gate. And bring me my armor! We must not let her take the city!” 

The soldiers scrambled from the room, and for a moment, Roman stood alone. After everything he’d done, everything he’d worked for, he now was faced with this. His oldest and strongest enemy, coming to challenge him when he was at his weakest. Did she think he would simply cave before her might? He was Roman, Prince of the Imagination, Thomas’s Hero, the last bastion of goodness left for the entire mindscape. He wouldn’t be overthrown by a mere construct. He laughed to himself. No one was around to hear it.

The next several minutes were a flurry of activity, and soon Roman was on his horse, his silver breastplate glinting in the first red rays of sunrise poking over the horizon as he cantered through the city streets.  

The thought of Logan somehow escaping the city during the battle briefly crossed his mind, but he pushed the idea away. They would find the logical side eventually; after all, there was nowhere for him to run. 

Outside the city wall, the Dragon Witch let out another roar, and Roman urged his horse forward, drawing his sword. 

Right now, Logan didn’t matter. 

What did matter was making sure that his realm did not fall. He was Roman, Creativity, creator of this realm and Prince of the mindscape. He was a hero, the only hero Thomas had left after all the others had fallen prey to the wicked machinations of those accursed Dark Sides. 

And nothing, not the others, not the Dragon Witch, nothing, was going to stand in his way.

— — — 

Screams rang out through the streets as another of the Dragon Witch’s roars shook the city. Seth pressed himself up against the wall of the alleyway, peering out from behind a corner. The palace drawbridge lowered and Prince Roman and his guards in full armor appeared. The thunder of the horse’s hooves on the cobblestone and with the blare of the soldiers’ warhorns echoed all around Seth, and he ducked out of the way as the battalion rode past his hiding spot. 

The market was quickly emptying as merchants and shoppers fled the streets, and he intended to take full advantage of the chaos. Now that he had secured a place by the square, he hoped to pilfer enough foodstuffs from the merchants to be set for at least a week. Seth waited until the last terrified shopkeeper had disappeared from sight, then he crept out from the alleyway into the square. 

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder and roughly pulled him back into the shadows. He spun with a cry, his fists up in an instant ready to strike, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who had attacked him. 

“Maddie?”

“We had a deal, Seth,” the girl said, glaring at him. 

“But I saw you…the Arachnids…”

“Show me the servant’s entrance, please,” Maddie interrupted, folding her arms. 

“What, now? We’re in the middle of a siege! Come on, let’s comb through the market and see if we can get any–” 

“Seth, if you don’t show me that servant’s entrance right now, I will ensure that you spend every waking moment for the rest of your life fighting tooth and nail for that market spot. I said it was yours once you showed me the entrance, and unless you take me right this second–” 

“Okay, okay!” Seth said, raising his hands in surrender. “Sheesh, Maddie, what’s gotten into you?” 

“It is vitally important that I gain access to the palace. The reason why doesn’t concern you,” Maddie said as Seth led her up the street towards the palace walls. 

Luckily, the entire city guard had ridden out to the gates with the Prince to fight the Dragon Witch, and the barred gate where Seth met his contact on the palace staff stood unprotected. 

“There’s a door on the other side of the garden that the servants use,” he said, pointing through the courtyard. “Though I don’t know why that would matter to you, it’s not like you could get in. There are easier places to steal food from, especially since the city is under attack right now?” 

Maddie didn’t bother answering, she just pushed past him and pulled experimentally on the gate. It was locked and didn’t budge, but she didn’t seem put off by that fact. 

“Thank you, Seth. Our deal is complete. The spot by the market is yours. Now, I suggest you take cover; as you so aptly pointed out, the city is under attack.” 

“What about you?” Seth asked.

“I have something I need to do,” Maddie answered, pulling a small glass vial from her dress pocket. She uncorked the bottle and poured a few drops of its contents on the gate’s lock, and Seth stared in awe as the metal melted away like ice on a summer’s day. 

“Now go,” Maddie ordered. “I’ll explain later…if we ever manage to resolve this whole ordeal.” 

Part of Seth wanted to stay and see what on earth the girl was up to, but just then the very sky seemed to explode, bright purple lightning and blue streaks of light flashing all around as the ground shook. Seth became overwhelmed with nausea, and he fell to his knees, retching. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maddie still standing, seemingly unaffected by whatever strange spell had caused the world to fall apart around them. He tried to call out to her, but she slipped through the gate and disappeared into the palace grounds before he could force his mouth to form words.

As soon as it began, the lightning stopped, and after a moment of gasping, Seth regained his bearings. He looked at the open palace gate, but then another roar rang out, and he turned and ran back through the city towards his new market spot. Maybe after he scavenged what food he could, he’d risk the gangs and take cover in the sewers until this was all over. Whatever had Maddie acting all weird, he didn’t want to know about it. He’d have a hard enough time surviving the Red Sun as it was. 

The Dragon Witch’s roar echoed through the streets and Seth stumbled as he skidded around a corner. 

When would this madness end?

— — — 

“Prince Roman!” the Dragon Witch called out, her voice reverberating through the city. “Show yourself and face me!” 

She hurled a spell at the city walls, and they buckled and folded beneath the weight of her magic. She stretched out her wings and roared, the very sound of her fury sending a squad of guards who were approaching to draw back in fear. A few of the gate guards tried to stand their ground, but she batted them away easily with a swing of her tail. 

Slowly, she stalked into the city, giving the peasants in the streets plenty of time to run screaming from her mighty presence. The slower and more dramatic she was in her approach, the more time it would give Prince Roman to muster his entire guard and ride out to face her. 

After a few minutes of her lazy destruction, the sound of battle horns rang out in the distance, and the Dragon Witch smiled. Looking up, she caught sight of Prince Roman’s black and red banner fluttering in the breeze, signaling that her quarry was coming within her grasp.

“Ready, little hero?” she asked quietly. She felt the grip of the human sitting on her back tighten. 

“As I’ll ever be,” came the answer, and the Dragon Witch chuckled. 

“Don’t worry,” she reassured. “Just stick to the script we practiced and you’ll be fine.” 

Prince Roman came into view then, and she had to give him credit where it was due. Even in this mindset, when the very fabric of her reality was changed because of his pain and anger and frustration, he was personally leading the charge against her. How many tyrant kings would send their armies out to die in a battle that they wouldn’t dare to risk themselves?

He wants so badly to be good, she thought as the prince stared up at her, his face twisted in a look of disgust. Not just good. Perfect. If only he could see the truth. 

“So it comes down to this!” Roman called up in a loud, clear voice. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you capable of this level of betrayal, Logan.”

He spat the name out like it was poison, and the Dragon Witch felt her passenger tense. 

You can do this, little hero, she thought. Save us all. 

“Prince Roman!” Logan’s voice was firm and unwavering, and the Dragon Witch couldn’t help the small swell of pride she felt at the sound. 

“Release your prisoners and surrender, or see your realm destroyed!” 

— — — 

Roman stared up in disbelief as the Dragon Witch sneered down at him. Of all the possible outcomes, of all the ways that he’d expected a confrontation with the last remaining free Light Side to go, he’d never expected this. 

Logan sat on the Dragon Witch’s back, staring down at Roman with a determined expression on his face. He looked almost comical, in his simple polo shirt, tie, and glasses while riding atop such a majestic and mighty beast, but Roman wasn’t in the mood to find humor in the situation. 

“Release my prisoners?” Roman repeated. “And why, exactly, would I do that?”

“Because if you don’t, we will destroy the realm,” Logan repeated simply. 

“If you think that I and my forces won’t be able to defeat the Dragon Witch before she destroys the city, let alone the realm, then you’re sorely mistaken.” 

Logan frowned, tilting his head. 

“You would risk your entire world’s existence, rather than accept defeat?”

“I’ve not been defeated yet!” Roman shot back. “Besides, I made this world. If it is destroyed, then I will simply make it again. Your threat is meaningless!”

“And the lives of the people living in it?” Logan demanded. “Are they meaningless too?”

Roman opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, the world split apart. Purple lightning filled the sky, and he let out a cry of anguish as a wave of emotion slammed into the walls he’d placed up between his realm and Thomas. 

There was the same fear and anxiety from Virgil as there had been before, but there was also sadness, doubt, and guilt, manifesting in bright blue flashes throughout the storm. The guilt was somehow even more debilitating than the fear, and as he fought to keep the emotions from reaching Thomas, he could feel his grip on the realm itself slipping. 

No… he thought, desperately trying to hold on to his composure. No, no, no… 

— — — 

It has to be perfect. If it’s not perfect, then I’m just a fraud, I’ve basically been lying to my fans this entire time, and I can’t let that be true, I won’t let them down like that, it has to be perfect.

Thomas let out a gasp as his creative flow slammed to a halt, replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread. 

“It will be good enough,” he said aloud to his empty room, but the swirling thoughts of dread and despair only grew stronger. 

But what if it isn’t? What if you’ll never make anything worth watching again and all the sacrifices you’ve made, all the friendships you’ve harmed along the way, all of that will have been for nothing? Your dreams will never come true and your friends will all abandon you. You’ve never really been that good a person anyway, why on earth would they stay? You’ll end up all alone for the rest of your life, and it will be your fault.

“What is going on?” 

Thomas started to reach out for his sides, but he wasn’t sure who exactly to summon. Who could be responsible for this type of thinking? He’d never felt like this before, as though his thoughts were being forcibly pulled out of his control, except…

Except for that time when Virgil had ducked out. He hadn’t been as aware of it, but his thoughts had felt just like this: foreign and strange and fully divorced from what he was directly experiencing.

Thomas frowned, and decided that the best thing to do would be to summon all the sides together. He started to reach out with his mind, but before he could contact anyone specific, somebody appeared in the corner of his vision. 

Unfortunately, it was the last side he wanted to see. 

“Janus?” he asked. “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“I think you should take a break, Thomas,” Janus said quietly. “Put the laptop away and try to get some rest.”

“What? No,” Thomas said, shaking his head. “I need to keep working on this, it’s my best idea ever. It could completely change the course of my creative career, I just have to get these feelings under control and then I’ll–” 

“Thomas,” Janus interrupted sharply. “You’ve been working for fifteen hours straight.” 

Thomas glanced at the time on his laptop and was startled to see that Janus was right; it was nearly three in the morning, and he couldn’t recall the last time he’d stopped to take a break. 

“You need to stop,” Janus said, his voice firm. “Your magnum opus can wait until tomorrow.” 

“I guess…” Thomas said slowly. “But what’s going on with the others? I felt…strange, just now.” 

“Get some sleep,” Janus said. “If everything goes right, you’ll feel better in the morning.” 

Thomas frowned, giving Janus a skeptical look. 

“Is that my Deceitful side lying to me, or is it the truth?”

“At the end of the day, does that really matter?” Janus asked with a tight smile. “Either way, you need the rest.” 

“I suppose,” Thomas said, stifling a yawn even as he spoke. 

Janus watched as he closed his laptop and got up, a strange expression on his face. Thomas tried not to pay him much attention, quickly swapping his jeans out for some pajama pants before falling into bed. 

“Summon the others tomorrow,” Janus said as Thomas closed his eyes. “By then, they should have things straightened out.”

Thomas was already drifting off, and he felt more than heard Janus’s final words. 

“I hope.”

— — — 

Roman was losing his control. He looked up, and he could see the imagination around him beginning to crumble away. He noticed bits and pieces from his room, the bright white of his bedspread, the shine of the lights around his mirror, the blood red of his sash where he’d thrown it on the floor. The fantasy around him– his soldiers, his city, the Dragon Witch, even Logan himself– it was all flickering in and out of existence as the mental barrage continued. 

“NO!” 

Roman stopped trying to channel the emotions away and instead closed his eyes and pushed, forcing his mental walls back up, stronger and better than before. 

“You won’t take this from me!”  

He opened his eyes, only to see that the outburst of energy had reverted the Dragon Witch into her human form. She stood before him, leaning heavily against her magic staff, Logan now on his hands and knees at her side. Roman drew his sword, pointing it at the pair with a shaking hand. 

“You. Can’t. Take this from me!” 

Logan’s entire body was trembling, but he looked up and met Roman’s gaze, glaring at him even as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“You’re insane,” he whispered. 

Roman let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

“If you just now figured that out, then you’re…” he trailed off, looking down at the shaking side. 

He had begun to fade away as Roman’s control over the imagination loosened, but he was fully solid again now. His breath was ragged and his skin was pale, as though he’d just attempted to run a marathon while running a fever.  

“You’re…not part of this realm,” Roman said slowly. “You’re part of Thomas. You shouldn’t have disappeared.” 

Logan still looked ill, but at Roman’s words he pushed himself to his feet. 

“What was that word he used?” Logan asked, looking over at the Dragon Witch, and a small, triumphant smile spread across his face as he looked back to Roman. “Checkmate.”

Roman’s eyes widened, then the Dragon Witch lashed out suddenly, her staff glowing as she swung it towards him in a wide arc. Roman threw his sword up and blocked her strike, and her spell went ricocheting off through the city.

For a moment, all his attention was on the fight, on blocking and parrying and counter attacking, but he’d sparred with the Dragon Witch dozens of times, in both of her forms. By the third strike from the witch, he’d settled into a familiar rhythm, and turned his attention back to Logan…or what he’d thought was Logan.

“Who are you?” he shrieked. “You can’t be him! He shouldn’t have disappeared! So you must be–” 

“Meaningless?” asked a voice he’d never heard before.

Roman pushed the Dragon Witch away and took a step back, staring in disbelief as Logan’s form began to flicker, just like the rest of the imagination had, just like all the other characters Roman had designed to fill his vast fantasy world had done when he was losing his control over the scene. But he was back in control now; this shifting had another cause. He’d barely had enough time to form the thought before the image of Logan was gone. 

In his place stood a barefoot girl in a tattered dress, her hair a wild mass of curls and her fists clenched at her sides. She looked somehow…familiar, and Roman tilted his head. 

“Do I know you?” 

The girl didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to. He remembered now, for the longer he looked at her the more he recognized where she’d come from. When he’d first created the town surrounding the castle, he’d decided it needed citizens to make it feel more lived in. He’d made soldiers, peasants, shopkeepers, tradesmen and artisans, and then, to make the place more realistic, he’d made a handful of street urchins. 

He’d scarcely given the creations any thought after forming them and setting them loose in the city, and why would he? They weren’t meant to be important; the girl had no family, no backstory, no real role to play in his realm. So how on earth had she ended up here, fighting alongside the Dragon Witch and impersonating one of Thomas’s sides?

She looked up at him and he could see fear in her eyes, but there was a quiet strength too. The girl folded her arms and took a step towards him, and the Dragon Witch held out an arm, as if to shield her.

“Careful, little hero,”she murmured, and Roman looked back and forth between the two in disbelief. The girl ignored the witch and took another step, looking up at Roman with a determined expression.

“Like I said,” she repeated. “Checkmate.”

Roman turned and ran, knowing even as he did so that he’d never make it back to the palace in time. 

Stupid, stupid, stupid, he should have known something was wrong! Why else would the Dragon Witch attack now when she’d never attacked during the Red Sun before? Why else, except to draw him and all his guards away from the palace, leaving the castle vulnerable to an unseen enemy, a more crafty enemy… 

A shadow fell over him, and he glanced up as he ran to see the witch in her dragon form flying along above him, the little girl on her back once more. She quickly overtook him, and landed in the market square, spreading her wings out and blocking his path to the castle. 

“You’re too late, Prince Roman,” the Dragon Witch declared.

“I’ve defeated you before,” Roman cried, shifting into a fighting stance. “I can defeat you again!”

“You can defeat me all you like,” the Dragon Witch replied, her mocking voice echoing his own inner thoughts. “But you’ll never be able to outsmart him.” 

— — — 

Logan had no idea what was causing Roman’s realm to fall apart, but he was exceptionally grateful for it. 

The few remaining guards inside the castle were too overwhelmed by the effects of their very fabric of reality unraveling around them to notice a small girl running through the corridors searching for the dungeons. 

He found the correct door after only a few minutes of searching; Roman’s penchant for the dramatic meant the one door that very obviously looked as though it led to a dungeon did in fact lead to a dungeon, and he pulled the vial of acid the Dragon Witch had given him out of his pocket. Technically, the Dragon Witch had described the liquid inside as a magical potion that would dissolve any substance besides its own container, but the ‘potion’ was functionally identical to a freakishly effective vial of hydrochloric acid. 

Tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, Logan thought as he poured a few drops onto the door handle of the dungeon. After a moment of sizzling, the lock dissolved away and he pushed the door open. 

The room was dark, faint torchlight flickering ominously off the stone walls. Six cells lined the room, and the two at the end of the row were occupied. 

“Patton?” he called. “Virgil?” 

The prisoners looked up, and relief flooded through him when he saw their faces. 

“Maddie?” Patton cried, jumping to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Who is that?” Virgil whispered to Patton, but Logan ignored the question. 

“Not Maddie,” he said breathlessly. “It’s me.” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out another vial, downing its contents in a single gulp. A strange tingling sensation enveloped his body, and he had to admit that in this case, he didn’t have a scientific explanation for the shapeshifting potion that the Dragon Witch had given him.

“Logan?” Virgil asked in disbelief. 

“Watch your hands,” Logan said, stepping forward to pour the remainder of the acid on the locks on their cell doors. 

“I knew you’d figure something out,” Patton said, his eyes shining with pride. “I just knew it.” 

In a moment, both cells were open, and Patton rushed out, pulling Logan and Virgil both into a bone crushing hug. For once, Logan didn’t think, didn’t analyze or worry, he just wrapped his arms around his friends and let himself slump into them. 

They were all safe, and they were all together. For one, shining moment, that was all that mattered.

“Are the two of you alright?” he asked when he eventually pulled back. “You’re not injured, are you?”

Patton shook his head. 

“We’re fine, Logan,” he said, and Virgil nodded in agreement. 

“My head will be a bit sore for a few days, but I’ll live. What about you? We heard the Dragon Witch attacking…” 

“I’m fine,” Logan reassured him. “In fact, the Dragon Witch attack is my own doing.”

“What?” Virgil exclaimed. 

“The potion…” Patton said, his eyes widening. “That’s where you got that potion that made you look like Maddie, isn’t it?” 

“Technically, the potion made me look like myself, as it was an antidote to the spell that she cast to make me look like Maddie–” 

“Hang on, where is Maddie?” Patton interrupted. 

“She’s with the Dragon Witch…pretending to be me.” Patton’s jaw dropped open, and Logan grimaced. “I know! I tried to tell her that it would be safer if she stayed behind in the cave, but she insisted. She said that the distraction would hold Roman’s attention for longer if I appeared to be aiding the Dragon Witch directly in her assault.”

“Back up,” Virgil said, holding up his hands. “You let the Dragon Witch cast a spell on you?” 

“She is Roman’s biggest villain,” Logan said simply. “Asking her to help us defeat him was the only logical choice left.”

“To be fair,” Patton admitted, “It’s not that much crazier than what we tried to do.” 

Logan frowned. 

“What you tried to do?” 

“We’ll tell you on the way out,” Virgil said. “Right now, we should move, before the guards come back.” 

Logan nodded, and the three turned and began making their way out of the dungeon. 

“Remember what happened on the bridge?” Patton asked as they climbed the stairs, and Logan nodded. “Well, I had a feeling that it wasn’t Roman who caused it…I thought it might have been Virgil. And it turns out I was right!” 

“You caused the Imagination to fall apart?” Logan asked, looking back at Virgil. “How?”

Virgil shrugged.

“I’m not exactly sure. I had an overload of anxiety, but something was blocking me from channeling it away the way I normally do.” 

“Roman’s cutting off our access to Thomas,” Patton added. “I think that’s also why we can’t sink out. Reach out for him now; you can’t feel him, can you?” 

They’d reached the top of the stairs, and Logan paused. Normally, he was at least subconsciously aware of whatever external stimuli Thomas was experiencing, so that he could filter through the information and assist with decision making. He’d been so distracted by the quest to save Virgil and Patton that he hadn’t even noticed the lack of that awareness.

“I can’t,” he said aloud, and Patton nodded. 

“I can’t either. Whatever Roman’s done, it’s making him our only access point to Thomas. So we’ve been waiting for the right time to try overloading that access point.” 

“When we heard the Dragon Witch attacking, we thought it would be our best shot,” Virgil said. “And for a minute there I thought we would actually do it, but just before we could break through, the wall went back up again. Somehow, Roman was still stronger than the two of us put together.”

“Perhaps…” Logan mused. “But nonetheless, the two of you did have a strong effect on the Imagination. I wonder…would it be successful if all three of us tried to breach that barrier?” 

As they spoke, Logan led them outside and through the palace gardens to the servants’ gate in the side of the wall. The three stepped out onto the street, and Virgil looked around hesitantly. 

“So…now what?” he asked. 

Logan opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by a familiar roar sounding from the market square. He grimaced, and looked back at his companions.

“Our original plan was to try and sneak out of the city. But simply escaping from Roman isn’t actually going to solve this problem.” 

Patton glanced at Virgil, and at a small tilt of the anxious side’s head, he locked eyes with Logan and nodded. 

“You’re right,” he said firmly. “This whole thing happened because we’ve been ignoring this problem. The only way we’re going to bring an end to this is if we confront it head on.”

“Guess we’ll get a chance to test out your hypothesis, Logan,” Virgil added as they hurried towards the square.  

“If it comes to that,” Logan agreed. “I do still hope that we’ll be able to use reason with Roman, though after all we’ve done to reach this point, I don’t know if that will be effective.” 

“Probably not,” Patton said quietly, and Logan glanced at him. 

Patton met his eyes for a moment, and Logan was surprised at the amount of melancholy he saw there. All through their ordeal, Patton had maintained a level of optimism that bordered on recklessness. As much as Logan had found that to be unrealistic, he also had relied on it for strength more than he’d realized. That Roman had somehow managed to dampen that was almost more offensive than the fact that he’d locked Patton and Virgil up.

Before Logan could think of an appropriate response, the trio rounded the corner into the square, then immediately skidded to a halt. Patton let out a gasp and Virgil swore under his breath; all Logan could do was stand there blankly and take in the scene.

Guards in full regalia lined the square, blocking off every possible avenue of escape. The Dragon Witch lay sprawled out on the ground, a deep wound in her side causing her breath to come in quick, pained gasps. 

Roman stood over her fallen body, and the red sunlight shining down on his silver breastplate made it look as if he was bathed in blood. His face was twisted in a terrible mix of fury and triumph, and he brandished his sword at his defeated foe, as though daring her to stand and challenge him again. 

She was in her dragon form, but as her wound spilled blood down onto the cobblestones, that body fizzled away, revealing the humanoid woman Logan had first met outside her lair. Her robes were torn and bloody and her face was deathly pale, but her eyes still blazed with a defiant fire as she stared up at her opponent.

“Any final words, Witch?” Roman asked in a steely voice.  

The Dragon Witch opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a high pitched cry rang out through the square.

“Stay back!” 

Maddie darted forward, putting herself between Roman and the witch’s body, gripping Dragon Witch’s staff tightly in both hands. The thing was nearly twice her height and she brandished it clumsily, but Roman still paused in his advance. 

“Out of my way, girl,” he said, but Maddie shook her head.

“I said back!” she insisted, shaking the staff towards him. 

“Run along now, little hero,” the Dragon Witch coughed, reaching weakly towards the girl as if to pull her back. “Your part is done.” 

Maddie shook her head again, and Roman frowned. 

“I won’t tell you again. Stand. Down,” he said coldly. 

Maddie shifted her feet and gripped the staff more tightly, but she did not move, and Roman sighed, raising his sword. 

“Enough!” Logan shouted before he could bring the blade down.

Roman looked up, his eyes flashing with hatred as they landed on his three fellow sides. Logan’s confidence faltered as the full force of that glare landed on him and he swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. 

What if it doesn’t work? What if it’s not enough? I have no more tricks up my sleeve…if this plan fails, then what are we going to do?

Logan’s racing thoughts were pulled to a stop with a sudden, simple touch. He looked down and saw that Patton had stepped forward and intertwined their fingers. The moral side glanced up at him and nodded, a slight waver in his smile the only sign betraying his own nerves. Virgil stepped up beside them, locking eyes with Logan as he wordlessly took Patton’s other hand. An understanding passed between them, and Logan smiled, giving Patton’s hand an encouraging squeeze. He looked back to the square, and took a deep breath.“Enough, Roman!” he repeated, his voice steady and strong. “This ends now!” 

— — —

AN: So I know that LAST time I updated I said I wanted to update the fic more and then almost 5 years passed, but I can say with confidence that THIS YEAR chapter 10 at least will be released, if not the entire end of the fic (I won't actually know whether the conclusion takes one or two chapters to write until I, you know, write it, but it's outlined, I promise). I've been trying to finish this story for so long, and I know it looks like nothing happened between these updates, but rest assured, I thought about this story and how much I wanted to finish it often during these past few years. Thank you so much for being patient with me, and thank you to anyone who still has stuck around to read this, even after all this time. I love each and every one of y'all <3

(If you were on the Our Own Villain taglist, I will be tagging you in a reblog, tagging has changed so much in four years that my taglist copy-paste doesn't even work anymore)

[hollyethecurious]

CS AU: Pan Says... (10/13)

Summary: After waking up in a strange room with a naked stranger, Emma and Killian must endure the twisted game their kidnapper insists they play in order to gain provisions and avoid punishments.

A/N: You read that right! I have a final chapter count! We are nearing the end, and I can't thank y'all enough! I hope you enjoy these concluding chapters (they'll be updating on Mondays and Thursdays) and don't yell at me too much. (Actually, go ahead. I kinda like it 😘)

Much love to my @kmomof4 and @ultraluckycatnd for being amazing cheerleaders and betas! Love you, ladies!

Rated E / Also available on ao3 and ff.net / buy me a coffee / add to tag list / Curious? Come Ask Me!  

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six  / Part Seven / Part Eight / Part Nine

Part Ten

“What sort of game is he playing at now, do you think?” Killian murmured as he and Emma made their way to the showers.

“Who the hell knows,” Emma groused. “I’ve given up trying to understand him or even attempt to stay ahead of his demented games.”

“Aye.” Killian sighed and gestured Emma towards the working showerhead, allowing her to go first.

“Not that I’m not relieved that our fears seem to have been… premature,” she said, stepping into the spray and wetting her long tresses.

Killian swallowed past the bolt of lust that always manifested when he saw her like this and added, “It is hard to enjoy the current peace and quiet, knowing there is likely a sword of Damocles hanging over us, though.”

Emma swiped the cascades of water from her face and gave him the look she usually employed whenever his “nerd side” came out, complete with an eye roll and stifled grin.

They spent the next few minutes in silence while Emma lathered, conditioned, shaved, and rinsed. In an effort to keep his libido in check, Killian let his mind wander over the past two plus weeks since he and Emma entertained Pan’s guests.

They’d gone to sleep that night with the worry of what Pan might have in store for them next and Killian’s dreams had been nightmarish reflections of those fears. None of which had come to fruition these past weeks. In fact, Pan had demanded very little of them at all, leaving them to their own devices much of the time whilst lavishing them with unearned gifts.

It was downright unsettling.

Killian’s eyes drifted down to his Swan’s lower abdomen and his jaw tightened from the equally unsettling knowledge that their recent activities may have already begun to bear their natural consequences, yet there was no way for him to know for certain. He knew she had not yet had a period, but he did not know whether that was unusual after the removal of an IUD. Of course, Emma was completely unaware that she was no longer protected from an unwanted pregnancy, therefore a lack of period was of no concern for her. He wondered, should they be fortunate enough to dodge the bullet of conception, what her reaction would be if and when her period did occur. Would Pan expect him to continue the charade of not knowing?

The continued deceit and knowledge that every aspect of their lovemaking wasn't completely consensual caused Killian’s stomach to tighten and churn painfully with guilt. He hated keeping it from her, but what other choice did he have?

“Your turn,” Emma said, pulling him from his tormented thoughts. His eyes snapped up and met the concern expressing itself through her furrowed brow and curious expression. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, love,” he replied, waving off her scrutiny with a quipped bit of sass that wasn’t entirely untrue. “Just a bit vexed by our esteemed host.”

Emma hummed her understanding and agreement, rubbing her hand down his arm affectionately as they traded places.

Once back in their now very cramped room, given the number of ‘luxuries’ Pan had provided them in the wake of their exhibition, they went through their normal, post-shower routines before settling back on their bed.

“Do you think he’d let us visit the terrace again without having to complete a ‘Pan Says’?” Emma inquired softly, tucking her legs beneath her in an attempt to get comfortable. “Like he did with the shower?”

Killian pondered her question. He knew they had both been surprised at the lack of quid pro quo when they’d finally broken down and begged Pan for an opportunity to shower. After all, it had been over two weeks since they’d been given leave to go and have a proper wash-up, and there was only so much a rinsed and reused washcloth, a small sink, and a vanishing bar of soap could do at this point. Killian had braced himself for the expected, unpleasant demand of a Pan Says in response to his and Emma’s request, but when Pan had simply agreed and opened the cell door with a reminder to not stray off the blue line, they’d both found themselves unnerved. Begrudgingly grateful, but mostly unnerved.

“Might be best to not push our luck,” Killian replied.

Emma’s shoulder sagged in disappointment, but the action was followed with a relenting nod of concession that he was probably right. He hated to dishearten her, especially when he’d love nothing more than to go out and breathe fresh air whilst basking in some sunshine. However, until Pan showed his cards and revealed what this new round of the game would entail, he didn’t want them lured into a false sense of security or led into a trap of their own making.

“So,” Emma said, changing the subject. “What will it be? Reading? A movie? Board game? What do you wanna do today?”

Choosing an activity - from the myriad of options their host had provided them over the past fortnight - that might keep them occupied, they spent the rest of the day, and the subsequent days afterward, in relative peace.

Too bad that peace couldn’t last.

“Pan says, you two are going on a field trip.”

Killian balked and noted the way Pan’s unexpected announcement had caught Emma off guard as well.

“A field trip where?” Emma asked warily.

“To another part of the compound,” Pan replied. “There’s something I wish to show you, so…” The cell door screeched open and revealed two Lost Ones standing at the ready. “Pan says, follow the orange line until my Lost Ones indicate you’ve arrived at your destination.”

~/~

Emma was probably going to end up with a crick in her neck from the way she kept craning it to look over her shoulder. The distraction of attempting to ascertain whether these were their original Lost Ones - the ones who seemed to have a connection to her and Killian - had her stumbling over her feet a number of times on the way to their mysterious destination. It was no use, though. Pan had changed their outfits, including their masks. Where before an opening had remained at their mouths and eyes, this new mask covered their faces completely. Emma doubted she’d be able to tell for sure, so she returned her focus to the new areas of the compound the new line led them through.

The orange line had run parallel to the green line, the one that led to the garden terrace, but branched off at the stairwell that led to the upper level. Killian had been silent since they’d left the room and hadn’t glanced her way once since the lines had split off. She knew it was because he was taking in every detail he could and adding the new information to the map in his head. He did finally peer over at her when the Lost Ones ushered them into an elevator, his hand still wrapped firmly around her own as they squeezed in beside the Lost Ones.

“So…” Killian drawled, startling Emma with the way he broke the silence within the elevator. “Are you them? The Lost Ones responsible for us being in this nightmare?”

“Killian,” Emma hissed in admonishment.

His eyes cut down to hers and met her incredulous expression. Why would he ask such a thing now?

“It’s not as though it’s a secret,” he said, turning his attention back to their guards. “Nothing escapes Pan’s attention, so I’m certain he’s well aware of the information one of you gave Emma. So let’s stop pretending we don’t all know you two are the reason Emma and I are here in the first place.”

Neither of them responded, though Emma did notice the guilty shift in one of the Lost One’s stances. Given the raise of his brow, Killian did, too.

Before he could question them again, the elevator lurched to a stop and the doors opened. The first Lost One exited as the second gestured for her and Killian to follow, dropping in behind them both as they continued down the orange lined hallway. They hadn’t gone far when the Lost One stopped and punched in a code into a numbered keypad mounted to the wall. The click of a lock releasing echoed through the hallway and the door swung open, revealing an entryway one might see in a swanky city apartment.

“Come in! Come in!” Pan’s voice crowed excitedly from the speakers in the room beyond. Squeezing her hand, Killian led them through the door and entryway, until they were standing in a naturally lit, warm and inviting living room, lavishly furnished and a sight more welcoming than the cell they’d been inhabiting for the past six weeks.

“What…? Where are we? Who… Who lives here?” Emma stammered, trying to take in not only the spacious living room but the other spaces connected to it as well.

“That will depend entirely on the two of you,” Pan supplied with a familiar note in his tone that alerted them both of an impending Pan Says on the tip of his tongue.

“Let me guess,” Killian snarked in reply before Pan could issue the edict. “Pan says this will be our new home if… we agree to whatever depraved, humiliating, new heights of degradation he has planned for us now?”

Again, Emma stared slack-jawed at Killian. What on earth had gotten into him today?

“Actually,” Pan began, his words carrying a hard edge that was difficult to miss despite the light tone he was attempting to keep. “It’s nothing new. In fact, my request is for you to do a Pan Says you’ve already completed for me once. Rather successfully, as a matter of fact.”

Ripples of dread cascaded down Emma’s spine as she exhaled on a panicked breath, “You want us to do it again. You want us to… entertain them again.”

Killian stiffened at her side, his posture becoming even more menacing than it had in the elevator. “Absolutely not. Separate us if you must, but I’ll not have Emma endure that again!”

“Separate you?” Pan parroted in mocked inquiry. “Why on earth would I separate you?”

“But…” Emma began, a myriad of emotions sweeping through her all at once. “Last time you said if we didn’t, you would--”

“Well, that was before you proved to be such a smashing success with my guests,” Pan told them. “You wouldn’t believe the praise I received for delighting them with such a feast for their debauched tastes… or the amount they’ve offered to pay for a repeat performance.”

“And if we say no?” Killian questioned.

“If you say no, then my guests won’t get a repeat performance… they’ll get an entirely new experience with the two of you.”

“What does that mean?”

Pan paused, allowing the tension and dread to build before explaining, “I’ve never been very good at sharing my toys with others, which is why my monthly exhibitions have always been just that. Exhibitions. Performances. Looky, but no touchy. However…” Another pregnant pause stretched through the room and Emma met Killian’s anxious eyes with panicked ones of her own, both of them now deducing what Pan was about to reveal. “If you will not allow my guests the voyeuristic experience they’ve already paid for, then perhaps I’ll give in to the obscene amount they’ve offered to allow them a more… hands-on role this month.”

“No,” Killian grit out from between his clenched teeth.

“Oh, yes,” Pan oiled in reply. “You can either allow my guests to watch you ravage each other for one night, then have the freedom and luxury of this apartment to dwell in afterward, or I can have you tied down and give my guests what they truly desire. The opportunity to ravage each of you for themselves - in some cases several at a time - for All. Three. Nights. The choice is yours.”

Emma wrapped her arms around her waist and doubled over, a mournful cry catching in the back of her throat as Killian roared next to her, picked up a vase from one of the end tables and chucked it at the wall, shattering it into oblivion.

“Now, now,” Pan tsked over the speakers. “I’ll give you some time to mull it over. We’ve another week before my guests arrive. Pan says to have a look around and talk it over. You can let me know what you decide before my Lost Ones take you back to your quarters.”

Feedback rang through the speakers, but it was nothing in comparison to the ringing in her ears. Reaching up, Emma placed her hands against her hot, flushed face, wet from tears yet also clammy to the touch.

“Swan,” Killian said, somewhere off to her right, his words a mixture of apology and commiseration. His hand ran a soothing caress down her spine, but it did not have the calming effect he intended. Instead, Emma felt her stomach lurch.

“Swan, I’m so--”

“I’m gonna be sick!” Darting through the living room, she just managed to make it to the sink in the kitchen beyond before emptying the contents of her stomach through a series of retches.

“Emma!” Killian cried out in concern, making his way to her in time to hold her hair back for her. She wished he wouldn’t. Wished he didn’t have to see her like this. Wished… so many things, actually.

“I’m sorry, love,” Killian continued to apologize. “I shouldn’t have let my anger get out of control like that. I didn’t… I didn’t mean to make things worse. I--”

“It’s okay,” Emma said, clearing her throat and reaching for a paper towel to wipe her mouth with. “Could you find me a glass?” she asked him. “I need some water.”

“Of course!” He tore open cabinets until he found one with drinking glasses. Handing it over to her, she could feel his scrutiny as she filled it from the tap and took small sips.

“I’m sorry,” she said, taking a turn to apologize for her own lack of ability in keeping it together. “I don’t know why I responded like…” Her words trailed off as something occurred to her. Something that nearly made her heart stop as she instinctively began to reach down towards her abdomen then thought better of it at the last minute, hopefully before Killian noticed.

No. Surely it would be too soon for that if I were…

“You’ve no need to apologize, love,” Killian soothed, though his voice was tight and strained. Glancing up at him, she noted how he only held her gaze for a moment before cutting his eyes away. His Adam’s apple bobbed and the muscle at his jaw flickered. When Emma followed the path of his eyes, she saw the shards of the vase littering the floor.

“You don’t need to beat yourself up either,” she told him. “I don’t think either of us was expecting…”

Killian slammed his hand against the counter, causing her to jump. “That’s just it!” he hollered. “We never expect it! We’re always several steps behind when it comes to his schemes! I’m tired of never knowing what’s next! Of always being on the defensive, never letting our guard down! I thought… I thought we might have the upper hand for once! I thought this might have been our chance to thwart him, but now…”

“What do you mean? Thwart him how?”

Killian ran his hand through his hair and forced himself to take a calming breath. “I thought he might threaten to separate us, like he did the last time. I thought… even though I’d hate being parted from you and having someone else… I thought it would at least mean we could keep one another safe from…”

“I know,” she said, placing a hand on his chest. “I was thinking the same thing.” His eyes snapped to hers and his lips parted in surprise. “As much as I don’t want for us to be separated, I couldn’t help but think how choosing to do so would mess with his plan.”

“Aye,” Killian said on a heavy breath. “Instead, he’s backed us into a corner once again. Leaving us no option but to comply.”

“At least we know what to expect this time,” she said, offering up that small consolation as she looked around the apartment. “And unlike the last one, this prison cell has windows,” gesturing towards a glass door at the back of the kitchen, she quipped, “and a balcony we can throw ourselves off of if it all gets to be too much.”

“Not funny,” Killian clipped even as a smile twitched at his lips. Releasing another heavy sigh, he took her hand. “I suppose we ought to take the full tour,” he groused, nodding towards the big screen tv in the corner of the living room with Pan’s most recent edict scrolling across, “before our jailers come to fetch us.”

~/~

Begrudgingly, Killian had to give it to Pan. The flat was magnificent. Several times he had to remind himself that a gilded cage was still a cage, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t eager to share the space, and the sense of normalcy it might provide, with his Swan.

The kitchen was state-of-the-art and fully stocked with all their favorites. It opened to a balcony that stretched the full expanse of the flat, giving access to the bedroom, bathroom, and…an additional room.

The bedroom was outfitted with a king sized bed, lush linens, a reading nook, and a spacious closet already filled with garments more keeping to their life before their incarceration. Adjoining, there was a luxurious, spa-like bathroom with a shower large enough for both of them to bathe at the same time, as well as a two person soaking tub. The room next to the bedroom was a bit perplexing, however.

“What do you think this space is meant for?” Emma asked after they’d swung the door wide to reveal a cozy, not yet furnished bedroom.

Killian swallowed thickly and shrugged his shoulders, hoping Emma would not take notice of his sudden change in demeanor. He had a pretty good idea what potential use Pan may have had in mind for the small room only steps away from the main suite, but just as he had when his suspicions had run rampant in response to Emma becoming violently ill earlier, he tamped them down and put on his best poker face. Fortunately - or unfortunately - he was spared from having to bluff further.

“Well?” Pan’s voice echoed in from the living room. “What’s the verdict?”

Making their way back to where the obvious camera was, though Killian knew there had to be many more hidden throughout the space, he and Emma glanced at one another with an affirming look before Emma sighed and said, “When do we move in?”

Pan practically crowed in response to their answer. “How about now?”

Killian and Emma both balked. “Now?” Killian said, incredulously.

“Why not?” Pan replied. “Call it a token of my gratitude and a reminder of how generous I can be.”

Killian wasn’t certain how to respond and found himself murmuring an astounded thank you alongside his Swan.

“Just remember my benevolence this weekend when it comes time to entertain my guests,” Pan commented with a slight warning in his voice. “Oh! And I have a few notes to go over with you later this week in preparation.”

“Goody,” Killian grumbled under his breath, earning him an elbow in his ribs.

“Until then… enjoy your new home.”

Killian shuddered and huffed out an exhale. Turning towards Emma, he was met with a stern look and disapproving hands on her hips.

“What has gotten into you?” she demanded.

“What are you--”

“Don’t give me that,” she countered. “You’ve been off all day. Earlier in the shower, then confronting the Lost Ones in the elevator, sassing Pan, smashing vases… Killian,” her expression softened as she reached up to cup his cheek. His face nuzzled into her touch as it was prone to do. “What is going on with you? Talk to me.”

Killian opened his mouth, but the words kept getting stuck in the back of his throat. He didn’t want to lie to her, didn’t want to keep this secret from her, but the alternative…

“I’m scared,” he choked out in no more than a whisper. “Scared I can’t… protect you. Scared that there will come a time when we are truly faced with an impossible choice, or that I’ll have to betray you in some way in order to protect you. Scared that I might be forced to do something you could never forgive. Something I could never forgive myself for.”

“That isn’t going to happen,” she said in an attempt to assuage his fears.

“You don’t know--”

“Yes, I do.” Her tone left no room for argument, but she continued on just the same. “Do you know how I know?” Killian shook his head. “Because I have the same fears. Because I know all of the terrible things you have imagined us having to endure and I have already forgiven you for each and every one of them.” Pressing her forehead against his, she closed her eyes and wet her lips before flicking her gaze up to his once more. “There is nothing - NOTHING - you could ever do in response to Pan’s insanity that I would not forgive you for, just as I hope you would be willing and able to forgive me for--”

“Always,” he said, cutting her off. “There is nothing I would not forgive, love. Nothing.”

A smile ghosted over her lips and she pressed in closer to him. “Then what do you say we get the broken vase cleaned up then make ourselves something to eat, hmm?”

“I suppose I could eat,” he said, pulling back slightly so he could gaze down at her. “Any requests?”

Emma’s brows shot up her forehead and surprise colored her features. “Don’t tell me you can cook.”

“I’ll have you know I am quite deft in the kitchen, Swan.” Waggling his brows, he added, “Almost as much as I am in the bedroom.”

Emma giggled and pulled him in for a kiss, but not before she murmured a final, affirming, “Yep. Total. Forgiveness.”

Part Eleven

[sack-thing]

A Bad Dream

A little scribble, 1,654 words. Not new actually, but I edited it slightly and it's time to repost it!

It's a bonus that would happen during chapter 10 of Year 3, focusing on Luu Kah's pov (I wanted to write him breaking down alright) but Weylin's in it too.

I wonder if I should post it on AO3? Anyway there we go~

---

The past two days felt like they had no end. Luu Kah went and checked on Délia one last time before leaving for the night. Only Roy would stay in the room, at her side, in case something went wrong; he had volunteered for that even though the doctor said things should be fine.

Délia was asleep, but she seemed to be in a stable state indeed. It felt better to see her resting like that than breaking down in the desert like the day before because of her injury. And because of the news that Ramsey had been petrified by a basilisk—a monster apparently known in Leuda to turn its victims into stone forever.

Luu Kah left the medical house, leaving Roy with Délia, and decided to go for a walk in the village. The rare Selkies he saw on his path seemed to look at him in curious ways. But whatever the reason was, he didn’t have time to bother with them.

He was thinking about what Délia had said when they were still in the Lynari desert. Before she fainted, she wanted to go and look for Ramsey, even if his body was currently turned into stone. She argued that they couldn’t leave him like that, that he’d be left alone in the middle of the miasma if the petrifaction was to dissolve. At that point, Luu Kah reluctantly said that it wasn’t supposed to… But if it did, the thought was actually terrible. He wouldn’t survive. The team chose to go back to Leuda because Délia’s state was critical, but they did leave Ramsey like that after all. He was still in the middle of that damned desert, all by himself, surrounded by miasma and probably monsters.

Luu Kah reached the end of his walk path and stood there at the top of a cliff, facing the ocean, only half paying attention to his surroundings.

Délia was right. They needed to get Ramsey out of there. Délia couldn’t do that in her current state, but he… He could do it. The thought of leaving Ramsey like that was unbearable. Now that they had made sure Délia would be fine, Luu Kah could do it and, at the very least, bring Ramsey’s body back to a safe place.

- - -

Luu Kah was sharing a tent with Weylin that night. There was no way he could fall asleep even if he wanted to, which was convenient since he was about to leave anyway. He had waited for a good hour to make sure Weylin was asleep; she hadn’t moved nor made any sound in a while now. Luu Kah set into motion. He grabbed the crystal pendant, the desert’s map, his clothes and his weapon with as little sound and friction as possible. He was ready within a minute and left the tent.

The air was surprisingly cold at this hour compared to the heat they had to endure during the day, but he could bear with it. It was time to go back to the Lynari desert. He wasn’t with Ramsey when he got petrified, but he remembered Weylin and Linitaa’s explanations and would find the place again thanks to the map. For now, his first destination was the village’s exit. There he would wake their papaopamus, Sally, and maybe he could borrow a cart or something to have her drag it. He was going to have a day of travel before reaching the desert, and he needed something to carry Ramsey when going back.

Luu Kah made it to the caravan and Sally near the village’s exit. He put a hand on the animal’s head and stroked her fur gently to wake her up.

“Sorry girl, I’m gonna need you for a while.”

He barely started to get her ready that he heard steps coming close. He knew those steps and didn’t bother to look back.

“Where are you going like this?”

It was Weylin’s voice. Of course. It would’ve been too easy. Luu Kah closed his eyes; he knew she already had the answer to her question.

“Please, don’t tell me not to go.”

“Do you really think I can simply let you go and have you too turn into stone?” Weylin asked.

Luu Kah shook his head. “I’m not gonna get petrified. If I get there tomorrow night, maybe the monster won’t be around.”

“You don’t know about that. I’ve never heard of monsters leaving their usual area at night.”

Luu Kah gritted his teeth before turning to face her. “What I know is I can’t leave Ramsey there like that!”

Weylin clenched her fists. The gesture sent back a few memories to his mind, of when he was a new caravanner with Ramsey and they sneaked out at night one time, only to get into serious trouble against some monsters.

“I am not happy with that either,” she retorted, “but what are you planning to do? Drag a stone body, in the middle of a desert, surrounded by monsters? There’s no way you’ll be fast enough to avoid the countless threats there.” Luu Kah couldn’t see her face under the helmet, but he was pretty sure she was sending him a death glare. She raised her voice. “That desert is dangerous enough as it is. Letting you go there and take the risk to end the same way as Ramsey is out of the question. We have nothing to protect us from that curse.”

Luu Kah felt himself boiling. “Who cares what happens to me, it doesn’t matter! Right now, just as we're having this useless conversation, Ramsey is—“

Before he could finish his sentence, Weylin stepped toward him to grab his shoulders and shake him. “Stop that, Luu Kah! What do you think you can do if something happens to you? You won’t save anyone like that!”

He froze, as if she’d just made a point on something he hadn’t thought about. He didn’t like that. Sometimes he hated Weylin’s rationality. And apparently, she wasn’t finished.

“Do you hear yourself talk? I’ve already told you before: your life is your priority! And what about Ramsey, what would he think? Do you think he’d be happy to hear you say that? Would he be happy if you sacrificed yourself for nothing?!”

Weylin was yelling. It was unusual. That’s right, she was the caravan’s captain. And as she had told them in the past, she had responsibility over their lives, at least to some extent. What happened to Ramsey probably shook her more than Luu Kah thought.

Weylin was still holding him as he stared at the ground and felt his eyes becoming hot and wet, despite the cold air blowing on his face. He tried to mutter a response. “But… I just wanna bring him back to a safe place… What if we never saw him aga—“

Luu Kah suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak. He could barely manage to bring his shaking hands to his face, even though he didn’t know what he wanted to do with them. He didn’t get what was going on. It felt like he wasn’t there anymore.

A monster that turns its victims into stone forever. He had tried to block the thought so hard. Or rather, his brain understood the words, but that was it. He hadn’t truly registered them within their current situation, and he realized it was for a good reason. Now that he just said what it meant out loud…

It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Ramsey was always with them, always with him. They couldn’t lose him like that.

“Luu Kah… Breathe,” Weylin said, her tone softer than before. “Focus on your breath. Slowly.”

He heard her voice. Maybe she already tried to talk to him before and he didn’t hear. He was breathing again now, but it was fast and unsteady, and he still couldn’t properly take in enough air as sobs made their way into his breath. Weylin made some space between them but still held him, hands on his shoulders. Tears rolled down on Luu Kah’s cheeks as he hid his face in his hands.

It was awful. That wasn’t part of his plan. He’d never wanted Weylin to see him like that. He’d never seen himself in that state either, actually.

“It’s going to be fine, Luu Kah…”

He didn’t know what to do with those words. It wasn’t fine. Not if Ramsey was gone.

Weylin gently moved him until his back rested against a rocky wall, and now held him with only one hand. His whole body was shaking along with his sobs.

“Listen… Even if we’re not looking for Ramsey right now, I promise that we aren’t giving up on him.” Weylin said. “Monsters won’t have interest in him as long as he’s in that state.” Luu Kah felt her hand grab his shoulder with a little more strength before she resumed. “And then… Surely a cure must exist, even if no one around here has discovered it yet.”

Luu Kah wasn’t sure if it took a few minutes or an eternity before he managed to stop crying and somewhat find a regular breath again. After that, he felt completely empty and weak. Weylin didn’t speak much more; she just stood by him. Then after a while—he didn’t know how much time had passed again—she placed a hand behind his back to make him walk to the tent with her.

Once they got there, Luu Kah was exhausted and crashed on his cot. His mind was still blank and he couldn’t process coherent thoughts anymore. Weylin said a few words, something about how he should rest, before she turned off the oil lamp.

Luu Kah couldn’t stay awake even if he wanted to. Before falling asleep, the only coherent thing that crossed his mind was his wish that those past two days were only a very bad dream.

[machiroads]

anirevo 2024 con report belooooooow

THURSDAY NIGHT, AUGUST 8TH

Left my office at 4:30. Took the bus to the ferry straight from work except the GODDAMN BUS DIDN'T ACTUALLY STOP TO PICK ME UP so I had to wait for the next one and missed the 6:00 ferry so I didn't get to my hotel in Vancouver until after 10pm oof

The slow bus was very nice once i got over being mad about the fast bus leaving me on read by way of listening to linkin park. It goes through some very quaint rural areas.

I purchased a can of wine on the ferry which was like $15 for 8.5oz. I don't know how I feel about this but I do feel like I got ripped off because the wine was only ok

I edited and posted ch2 of WTBL&W entirely on my phone which may or may not have been a mistake. Getting the html formatting right wasn't too bad, but editing the splash image for twitter and bsky on photopea was uhhhhhhhhh a mistake. FAFO

FRIDAY AUGUST 9TH

My hotel had one of those fancy toto washlets so you bet your ass my butt was squeaky clean all weekend

My hotel also had a room service menu that had a bowl of oatmeal for $14 as an offering. Which. No.

I got an actual breakfast at a tiny hole in the wall crepe place staffed by a single old man, then trundled over to the con to pick up my badge at like 10ish. I was in line behind a cute couple in horimiya cosplay

The first panel I actually wanted to see wasn't until like 12 so I sat on the seawalk, finished my coffee, watched floatplanes, and replied to AO3 comments. 11/10 banger morning.

I watched an improv comedy D&D skit, which was fun, then traipsed down to the exhibition hall to do Some Shopping

MERCH REPORT: nobody really had heroaca stuff? Or if they did it was just the main kids. Still lots of people with HQ stuff, which I'm encouraged to see years after its ending. I'm happy with the pin selection this year tho, I picked up some nice stuff (but I think i will need to find additional capacity on my button collection because it's p much full oops)

BONUS COSPLAY REPORT: There also weren't really any heroaca cosplayers either, i saw like 1 shinsou, a couple bkgs, and a handful of people in nonspecific UA gym uniforms. Very strange. I did, however, see like 3 Nanamis within the span of 2 minutes on Saturday. (i don't even go here re jjk but he was the basic white boy cosplay of the year)

I spent like 2 hours in the exhibition hall and my brain hurt so I got poke for lunch, went back to the hotel to eat it, then took a nap

I went back for another couple panels on Friday night (a panel with vancouver VA graham hamilton, and another improv advice panel)

SATURDAY AUGUST 10TH

I went bra shopping on saturday morning because i accidentally overstuffed my backpack last week and zipped my bra into the zipper and tore the liner whilst trying to extract it. This is not relevant to the con, however it was an important part of my weekend

There wasn't anything I wanted to see at the con in the morning so I didn't get there until like 2:00 so I could line up for the cosplay contest. I'd never been to one before, and I don't really cosplay mself, but I've recently been watching some sarah spaceman videos, so I thought it would be fun to go see a contest for the first time.

On the schedule the contest is supposed to start at 2:30. There's like 6 down-and-backs of queueing space for people waiting to get in. When I got there around 2ish there were people milling about saying they'd cut the line. I loitered a bit longer until some admin looking folk went around telling people to disperse because queueing outside of the taped off area was a "fire hazard", and to come back at 3:00 when the event started. At this point, the line of people illicitly queued for this event wrapped probably halfway around the building, and the VCC is a Large Building.

I assume the delayed start time was probably due to pre-judging going long (thank u sarah spaceman for this education i now know how cosplay contests work), so i wasn't too fussy about that, but the fire hazard thing was a little silly to me because I'd been in the exhibition hall already which to me seemed like waaaaaay more of a fire hazard than a generally orderly line. Regardless. I bummed around on the seawalk for a bit and then went back just before 3 and managed to snag a seat. The contest itself ended up being really fun, and I'm glad i stuck around for it.

I went to another 3 panels on Saturday night, all 3 of which had similar queue capacity issues, and all 3 of which started late. Again, when the panels themselves started, they were all really fun, but logistically it seemed like they had some challenges. It does feel a bit silly to complain about though when I have literally nothing else to do that weekend tho haha

I attended the Philosophy of Science in FMA and Dr Stone (TIL epistemology is a word), a panel about adaptations that are superior to the source material, and...............yaoi bedtime stories. Which was a hoot.

SUNDAY AUGUST 11TH

Kind of a chill morning. Got some goodies at a bakery for breakfast / lunch / to bring home, checked out of the hotel, then trundled over to the con.

I went to a panel that was just a bunch of tables set up with colouring sheets and books and stuff and that was super what I needed. I coloured the eeveelutions from memory (and only forgot half of their colour schemes), and then there was a little time left so I also coloured in a cardcaptor sakura.

I thought about attending cosplay life drawing afterwards but ended up just heading home after colouring since I was kind of Done after a full weekend. There was another improv dragon ball tribute scheduled, but not until like 6:30pm and if I stuck around for that I wouldn't have gotten home today lol

No bus mishaps on the way home fortunately

ANYWAYS that's all folks thanks for reading about my dramatization of what was actually a pretty chill weekend.

[aelitaslittlereminders]

Was it a Trap? - An Aelita fanfic

I did not rewatch the episode this is based on so went off of several years old memory. Why did I feel compelled to write this? Will I post it on Ao3? Dunno. Anyway, enjoy!

Was it a trap? Probably. 

In fact I was 90% certain this was a trap. But just in case we were in the universe that fell into that 10% I had to check.

“See you in a minute, my dear.” The last words he spoke to me on Earth. They stared back at me as text on a now glitching screen.

90% chance Xana was using my emotions to manipulate me.

10% chance I got to see my father again.

I got up and walked to the factory. 

It was cold out. I didn’t really get where the idea of cold being “biting” came from but it sure did sting a little. I realized, partway out the door, that I forgot my coat in my hurry. Oops. It was fine. I could deal with it.

Everyone was going to have such a nice time on their winter breaks, with their families, and… Well, anyways, it made the campus very quiet. I could hear my footsteps echoing out, like I was doing something wrong and I was going to get caught. I actually looked over my shoulder a few times to make sure Jim, or, for some reason, Jeremie, wasn’t around to catch me.

I could handle myself. I could do things on my own. I wasn’t going to bother them.

If that message was the real deal, there wasn’t much time. It was risky to send a communication like that. That was the sort of thing Xana would find and use to track dad down. Into the sewer, into the factory, delayed virtualization and into the inviting scanner.

This was a bad idea. This was probably a trap. I had to do it anyway.

I landed on Lyoko. Ice sector. It had been…quite a while since I’d been here alone. The time I called this place my one and only home felt so far away. As I approached the coordinates I was given, nostalgia of things both remembered and not wracked my brain.

Any second, I expected Jeremie to get on his headset and tell me to turn back, that I was being stupid. I found myself looking over my shoulders more than usual, in case any of the others virtualized here to come after me. And to see if any monsters were around, of course.

No monsters, no friends.

But just ahead, the simulation bubble. I slowed to a stop just short of the bubble’s threshold. There was a lot of vulnerability in stepping into a simulation bubble. You let someone else hijack your senses and decide what it is you experience.

It was ok. I had my wits. I had my exit strategy. It was going to be ok. It was going to really be him.

A new sensation of anxiety. I’d been thinking so hard about “what if it isn’t really him” that I didn’t consider “what if it actually is him?” The idea of my father, the memories of him…what I saw in his video diary. They painted a very strange picture. Of course I wanted to see him…I wanted to see who I remembered. Would he be that? Was I the person he wanted to see?

Would we both just end up disappointed?

I stepped inside.

Snow. The cabin in the mountains where I grew up, before mom…yeah. I looked behind me. I knew there was a wall, but right now it just looked like a continuation of a snowy path. Ahead was the cabin. The snow crunched under my feet with uncomfortable accuracy, and my footprints stayed put as I plodded on toward the cabin.

The music floated toward me, the same song that played on my computer, along with the message to come here. My heart rate spiked, why could I feel my heart here? I broke into a run and flung the door open. I couldn’t help myself. Daddy!

He sat at the piano, back to me, like in so many of my nightmares. He finished the measure and turned, disturbed by the noise. We looked at each other for a moment, and then a warm smile spread across his face and he crossed the room to embrace me.

I froze, for a moment, my breath caught in my throat. Then I melted, I hugged him back and felt tears streaming down my face. That was being simulated, too? After what felt like a long time, but not long enough, he pulled back, hands on my shoulders, and took a long look at me.

“We have much to discuss, my dear.”

“We do.” Of course. This was. We had to discuss strategy while the opportunity presented itself. We couldn’t just. We couldn’t just spend time together.

“Please, take a seat. I made some hot chocolate. Your favorite, if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, that’s right. Thank you.” I managed a smile and sat on the soft white couch where she once sat, and flashes of memory lit up my synapses. Christmas presents, playing the piano, late nights waiting up for dad to come home, early mornings seeing him off with a hug and a cup of coffee and…

Well.

There weren’t a lot of good memories to remember. The ones that really stood out were the bad ones, the big dramatic ones. Most of the other stuff was just…gone.

“Aelita?” dad asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.

“Yes?”

“You seemed distracted.” He handed me a mug of hot chocolate. I took a sip. It was strange, it wasn’t the taste of hot chocolate, but the memory of the taste. I guessed it was too hard to simulate taste dynamically.

“There’s a lot. Do you mind if I ask before we…talk strategy, are you alright?”

Daddy took a pause, holding his own mug in his hands. Like he was trying to decide how he wanted to answer that question.

“Xana is a dangerous and crafty enemy. It takes all of my intellect just to stay alive. I’m as alright as one can be in that situation. But seeing you, in front of me, alive and safe, is a weight off my shoulders.” I shifted my weight uncomfortably. “Are you alright?”

“I’m about the same.” I said, but then perked up a little. “But! I have my friends. We help each other a lot. Oh, speaking of friends. William-”

“Yes, your friend William. It’s a real shame, what happened to him. How goes your progress in recovering him?”

“Well, right now we’re using our virtual submarine the Skidbladnir to try and track down his location in the digital sea.” I smiled, I was sure he would appreciate that we named the ship after a precious memory.

“The Skidbladnir. What a strange name.” he mused. My heart sank.

“It’s the name of the mythical ship you used to read me stories about.”

“Ah, yes, of course. I must have just forgotten.”

95% chance Xana was using my emotions to manipulate me.

5% chance this was my father.

I had to think and had to think quick. There had to be a way I could check. What was something my dad would know that Xana would not? It would have to be something from before Xana was created that wasn’t in the diary.

Then it came to me! My mother. He avoided talking about her in his video diary. It was probably too much for him. I took in a deep breath, and noticed that there was no scent.

“You know…everything here is perfect, down to the last detail.” I started.

“Why, thank you, I made this all for you.” He gestured around.

“Except for one thing.” I cut him off. He furrowed his brow.

“What would that be?”

“My mother.” That gave him pause, so I continued. “You should know better than anyone how much I want to see her again.” There. If this was Xana, it would back him into a corner, he would make some sort of mistake. Franz frowned, was it really? I didn’t want to be right about it being a trap, but-

“Aelita. You’re asking me to puppet around a hollow image of my wife? Don’t you think that’s a little cruel?”

Oh.

“I’m sorry…” I said, without thinking. I looked over at him. Maybe he really did just forget about the Skidbladnir. It had been a long time since those bedtime stories. I really wanted him to be the real deal. But before I could relax, before I could really and truly talk to him, I had to be sure.

“...Then maybe, instead, you could let me see my big pink teddy bear? You know, the one I always slept with and greeted you at the door with and had tea parties with?”

Another slight hesitation before he spoke,

“Yes. Of course, if that would make you happy. Forgive me if some of the details are incorrect. It has been quite some time.” And he pulled a big pink stuffed teddy bear out from behind the chair he was sitting on and he smiled, satisfied. “There. Now, if we could talk about-”

But there never was a pink teddy bear, and there never were any tea parties. I made it up.

99% chance this was Xana’s trap.

1% chance this was still my father…

“There never was a pink teddy bear.” I said, standing up. “I think I should go.”

I rushed over to the door, and opened it. On the other side, William was waiting. He smirked, grabbing my wrist. From behind, I could hear distorted laughter.

0% chance.

[quollstar]

Like Animals; ch1

billy butcher (the boys) x reader

warnings: this fic makes use of the sex pollen trope later on, as well as including some the boys-typical violence/language. i'm not going to post the whole thing here because to be honest i really don't know tumblr's layout or rules that well so i'll drop the first chapter and then a link to the whole thing on my ao3 if anyone is interested!

notes: reader/you is a member of the team, an ex-vought supe introduced by annie. now you work with them to take down any supe you can (this is somewhere in between szn2 and szn3!)

The job was simple– well, as simple as it gets when you take down superpowered assholes for a living. Hughie had given your group the green light to take out some low-level supe after he gave a speech at an animal rights event. According to your digging, the supposed animal liberator was actually as fake as the rest, dealing in black market pelt and meat trading on the down-low and peddling the 'vegan, fish are friends, save all the creatures' story to the public the whole while. He got shipments of V to his zoos disguised as animal feed, then presumably used it on the animals in question, the 'why' of that was unclear. What was really fucked about it was the guy could understand and speak to animals. You weren't a crunchy vegan yourself, but damn, that was cold.

It was you, Butcher and MM in the field, while Frenchie and Kimiko did surveillance in the van a few blocks away; close enough that they could come in if things went sideways and you needed another supe. So far it didn't seem like you'd be needing them, but you never know. Butcher and MM spread out through the crowd, taking care to avoid the cameras above the outside venue so they wouldn't get tagged. You, on the other hand, were fairly new to the job, and thus hadn't had your face put up on any of the criminal databases yet, and since you were a rather unknown supe there was little chance of someone recognizing you. You got to claim front row seats. Hooray.

The event itself was cheesy. You were surprised at how many people showed up, considering how bland and boring it had been so far, but you figured any big event with Vought tied to the name was bound to attract a crowd, even if the main speaker- your target- had less charisma than the longhorn bull he was on stage with. You weren't sure which of the pair smelled worse. Internally, you cursed the fact that you were essentially untraceable, because you would have loved to be in the back like Butcher.

Subtly, you looked over your shoulder to find him in the crowd. He was already looking your way, and when you met his eyes you rolled yours, glaring. He sent you one of his patented cocksure grins and gestured back towards the stage.

"Keep your eye on the prize, love," came his accented voice through your earpiece (disguised to look like a regular hearing aid). "They'll be bringing the monkeys out next, ain't that exciting?"

As quietly as you could, you snarked back: "I'm thrilled." When all this was done, you were going to tear into him for insisting you showed up for the whole show, when you could have gotten in for the last 10 minutes and then done your damn job.

His responding chuckle sounded in your right ear and something in your lower gut twisted not-unpleasantly.

You just couldn't help it. The man was attractive, and his deep voice didn't help. When you'd first joined up with the boys, introduced to their movement by Annie, he'd gotten on your nerves immensely. Actually, he still did (all the damn time) but he was a lot more bearable after getting to know him. You realized that his rudeness was usually just a way to deflect positive attention off himself and that, while he called the boys 'cunts' every other day, he would do anything to keep them safe in the field. When you felt those feelings stirring in you the first time, you swore you wouldn't get attached, but it was no use. You really loved a misunderstood bad boy type.

Nowadays, when you caught yourself feeling things for him, you didn't try to tamp it down. You just reminded yourself that he was clearly not one for new commitments. He was torn up over his late wife and on a path of rage after what Homelander had done. He didn't need some 20-something d-lister supe pining after him on top of that. You were pretty sure he would be disgusted at the idea of the two of you together.

So you kept that shit to yourself. You were used to quiet pining, anyway, always being the single friend from the moment you realized you even cared about that. You could get over it. You could be content just to admire him from afar when he wasn't looking.

Your attention was drawn back to the gaudily decorated stage when, just as Butcher had said, they carted out some chimpanzees. You weren't even entirely sure what they were doing, having tuned out most of the things Monty Montgomery had been saying about his various animal guests up until this point. Your guess was some sort of informational show, but god was it bland, and you usually liked shit like this.

You checked your watch; 2:42. The show was set to end at 3:00, and then you'd follow Monty backstage and grill him on his sketchy side hustle before finally following Butcher's precise plan to take him out. You couldn't actually kill him- Hughie would have a fit- but knocking him out would be fun. You were considering giving him an extra kick in the nuts just for making you sit through this god awful stage show. Nearly 20 minutes left. Fuck.

The remaining time could not have gone slower, dragging on as the celebrity supe went on and on about how intelligent most animals actually were. Normally you'd find that to be a lovely sentiment, but knowing what Monty does after hours just made the whole presentation seem so fake. You weren't sad when it ended and you got swept up in the crowd of people leaving the clearing to wander around the booths or stand around in groups talking about whatever it was supe fans talked about. You made to follow the crowd, then broke off away from them at the last second to head towards the backstage area. Butcher and MM would be heading that way, too, and you could finally get to the fun part of your job.

You strutted past the security stationed outside the back of the stage, flashing them the ID badge you'd nicked from another guard earlier on in the day before sweeping past them into the much quieter halls of the building behind the stage. Nobody was around and you breathed a sigh of relief; standing among the throngs of chattering people for so long had left you socially exhausted. It was nice to have a moment of quiet.

Right on time, Butcher and MM entered through the door at the other end of the hall, spotting you and making their way over. You met them in the middle.

"You sure he's in?" you asked, placing your hands on your hips.

MM nodded. "We kept on eye on him after the show, he came right back to the room. You ready?"

You huffed. "Only been waiting for this for two hours, so yeah. Jesus, why did we have to watch the whole show?"

Butcher only grinned, amused at your annoyance. "What, you don't like animals, y/n? I'm surprised. I thought you were one of them sensitive blokes."

You bit your tongue to keep from getting pissed and saying something stupid. Your feet hurt, damnit, you were ready to go home. Exactly when you started seeing the dank cellar that was your base as 'home', you didn't know, but the dark concrete walls and suspiciously wet floors were sounding really welcoming about now.

Shutting your eyes, you dropped your hands from your hips and splayed your fingers out, using the dark and quiet to hone your supe ability. As powers went, it wasn't that amazing, but it was mighty useful for missions like this, where you didn't want to be seen. You felt out mentally, searching for cameras and anything else giving out an electronic pulse from behind the door marked "STAR". When you apprehended Monty, you didn't want it to be for an audience.

"Three cameras, and one shitty desktop computer- probably also has some sort of webcam on it. Plus his phone, I think," you muttered, eyes still closed.

"Fry 'em," Butcher said.

You clenched your fists. "Done." You opened your eyes in time to catch a look from Butcher that was almost, almost admiring. It could just have easily been mocking, but you'd like to let yourself believe for one minute that he found your powers useful. The prospect brought a little smile to your face.

MM leveled you with a knowing look, then took the lead, putting his ear up to the door for just a moment before throwing it in, catching the supe inside by surprise.

Monty Montgomery had been laying on a couch inside, worn out from talking for so long (you didn't blame him there; you were worn out from listening to him talk) but quickly shot up when the three of you rushed in, the guys holding their guns and you with your hands cockily stuffed in your jean pockets.

"What the fuck??" he sputtered, looking between the three of you angrily. "Who the fuck are you?"

Butcher smiled, taking a step forward, still pointing his gun at the supe. "We're your biggest fans, mate! We wanna ask you a few questions about your job- the other one. You ever feel bad sending your little buddies to their deaths so you can sell their hides on eBay or what have you?"

Monty balked. "I- I don't know what you're talking about, psycho. How did you get in here?"

While Butcher had his attention upwards, you noticed Monty's hand inching towards his back pocket. Whether it was a gun or a phone he was reaching for, you weren't having it. Your hand lifted calmly, and you pulled, the object ripping out of the target's pants and flying into your hand. A phone. Figures. He didn't know it was useless anyways after your powers got to it.

"Really? Who're you gonna call? You have an elephant on speed dial?" You glared, making a show of using your powers to crush his phone. It was overkill, but you liked the shocked look on his face. As it fell to the ground, Monty's eyes narrowed.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, tone guarded.

"Already said. We want to ask you about your side hustle, and what exactly you're doing with the Compound V you have sent to your place every month," Butcher said, gesturing towards the couch with his gun. "Now sit down."

end of chapter one!

please see here if you'd like to keep reading:

[silkendandelion]

Mirage In The Desert - Chapter 11

Summary: Operation Utopia is tomorrow. All sides take their positions, and Vivi understands exactly what kind of pirate she hired.

Rated Teen and Up Audiences for language, violence. Cross-posted to Ao3, same username. Send me a DM: yell at me, send flowers. Cheers.

~*~

Days to Operation Utopia: 2

“Food… Food, water… Mercy,” Luffy said to no one as they trudged along. Getting from Nanohana to Yuba on foot seemed easy as an idea, though it melted their brains in practice.

“You drank all your water in the first 10 minutes, of course you’re thirsty,” Nami said, though she was in no better shape.

Luffy just groaned at the sky, squinting his eyes free of sweat as the horizon began to ripple. “I see… I see—”

“You’re hallucinating.” Zoro wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

“I see a man!”

“Definitely hallucinating,” Usopp sighed.

“A man with a… a backpack, big one. Maybe he has food!”

His friends cried after him, “LUFFY NO!”, though none of them had a prayer (or the strength) to do anything over than watch him tear over the dunes and up the trail of a very real man with a pack on his shoulders bigger than a camel.

“Hey! Share some of your food!” Luffy yelled, more of a war cry as he rocketed over the last dune, into the air on a snap of his rubbery legs and down onto the top of the enormous backpack. So large, in fact, that the wearer went unaware he had a visitor, who now gnawed on the flap and strap to attempt to burgle some of the provisions within.

He did notice, however, when his owl circled back to dive towards the top of his pack.

“What is it, girl?” He called up, only answered by the knock-knock-knock of her beak hitting something hard over and over, and the far away yells of a person.

‘Ow! Hey! Get your own! This is my food!’

Luffy grunted when the pack was set down in the sand, holding his hands over his head and waving to shoo away the guard owl that tried to peck a hole in the top of his skull.

“Come down from there, thief.” The man tilted the pack to knock him off, and he fell to the sand with a thud.

“Watch out! That owl’s mean!” He pointed, and the brindled owl glided down to land silently on the man’s outstretched arm.

“She’s not mean, she’s meant to help me. With thieves, or otherwise.”

“My bad,” Luffy laid back in the sand, still rubbing his smarting scalp. “I’m just so hungry. Can I have some food? Water? But like, preferably food? Please.”

“Luffy!” Chopper called as the friends finally came over the dune. “Oh, Luffy was right. it is a man.”

“With a big backpack,” Nami blinked at him.

“Are you all hungry?” The man called out to them and his first smile touched his lips, all white teeth against his dark skin. He took a quick inventory of the crew’s members, believing himself to be lucky that Ace had already separated from them, lest his identity be compromised by someone else who did most of their work in the New World.

“… well, yeah!” Usopp called back, cheerfully, when no one else spoke up.

The man lifted the owl to coax her to fly. “Then let’s eat. Rinai, if you please.”

She gave an obedient flap of her wings up to the top of the enormous pack, and picked the latch to let it fall open, unrolling to reveal a massive spread of dried meat, fish, and local fruits, all arranged carefully around a barrel of water.

Luffy, Chopper and Usopp’s eyes nearly left their heads as they fell to their knees. “G-God, he must be a god. Stranger! You’ve saved our lives!”

“A stranger, indeed,” Vivi and Nami looked at each other.

“We don’t have to be. My name is Aurelio.” He took a seat next to the impromptu picnic, content to eat without anymore questions, whether the strangers joined him or not.

“It’s all high quality ingredients. And if he’s eating it, it probably isn’t a trick.” Sanji sat down next to Zoro, though he watched carefully the way the stranger—Aurelio—ate politely across the blanket.

“Maybe.” Zoro felt his stomach growl, even as he tried to be suspicious. “Shit.”

A few of the boys wrestled to pry the water barrel open with clumsy fingers, and the owl fluttered over to sit gently on the rim.

“Cups, we needs cups—” The owl reached under her wing to offer a little tin cup, the handle in her beak.

“Oh! Thank you.” Usopp smiled at her. “Eh—did you understand me?”

“That’s Rinai. She’s very intelligent,” Aurelio said.

Zoro swallowed his bite of fish before he spoke. “I just don’t like birds.”

“Mm?” Chopper leaned to hear her better, giggling suddenly. “She said she doesn’t like you either.”

“Sorry about before, you know,” Luffy said from where he ate beside her, cheeks full of food, and she reached under her wing to offer him a band-aid.

“Haha! I guess that means you forgive me.” He smiled, and she pretended to peck his hand just to hear him laugh again.

Aurelio picked apart a few pieces of fresh fish to give them to her one by one. “She ate the Pocket-Pocket fruit, and now she’s my best friend. A near infinite amount of non-living things can be stored in her dimension through the pockets under her wings.”

“Wow…” Usopp chewed and sipped while he watched her. “What does she keep in there?”

“Mostly mice,” Aurelio said, and the seriousness of his delivery had all of them giggling or choking to various degrees.

“What are you doing out here, Aurelio?” Vivi asked, her cup in her lap. “In the middle of the desert?”

“Being more prepared than you all, apparently,” he said, though his smile implied he was joking. “Seriously, who walks across the desert without food and water?”

“It’s our first time.” Nami sighed.

He took another sip to give himself time to formulate a reply. “I’m actually on my way to Yuba. The rebel army is expecting me.”

Vivi sat up straighter, leaning over and almost spilling her cup. “Really? So are we!”

“Are you with the Revolutionary Army?” Sanji asked, ever perceptive and searching for a reason why a foreigner would be called to a civil war.

“Kind of. The rebels sent a message to the RA but it traveled so far that most of it was destroyed by the time it arrived. Dragon has sent me to investigate.”

“They were so close…” Vivi said quietly, mostly to herself, as she realized any aid that Aurelio could call for would arrive too late for the war that was at their door. Whether it was more bad luck or sabotage didn’t matter now, only that they were on their own.

At most, they had one more ally: a strange, jovial man with a devil fruit eating owl and a shadow to his face that didn’t let his smile quite reach his eyes.

“Would you like to walk with us to Yuba?” She said.

The smile ran from his face to be replaced by genuine confusion, startlingly young for his heavy brown eyes, and a reflexive suspicion that felt more akin to an animal instinct than rudeness.

“… Okay. It’s still several more hours away, so please, eat your fill. And I will carry the leftovers until we get hungry again.”

“He thinks there’s gonna be leftovers,” Nami said into her cup while she looked over at Luffy, who was still going strong. ____ ___ __ _

Days to Operation Utopia: 1

At Raindinners, Robin found Crocodile admiring the Bananawani tank as he always did when his poet was nowhere in sight. He had watched the beasts a lot over the past weeks.

“The Billions in Nanohana were defeated by pirates.”

He turned to acknowledge her, letting the curtain fall shut. “It doesn’t matter, not now. Replace them.”

“The lizard runners are already dispatched. And the officers are on their way.”

Silence stretched between them except for the quiet rumble of the tank, and Crocodile reflected on the empty seat in front of his desk, an open letter beside the lamp that read ‘I will return before the meeting’ across the footnote in a loopy scribble.

“He’s late.”

Her unburdened smile threatened to create a headache in the front of his apathetic face, both of them so careful to never give too much away.

“That’s just how he is.”

“No, he’s not, Miss All Sunday. And you know that.”

They didn’t know that he was arriving as they spoke. Through the lobby and upstairs faster than he could manage without stumbling out of the elevator, and right to his room.

Sweat drenched clothes form a pile beside the door, and he wrenches the suitcase from under his bed to let it bounce on the mattress. The lid is getting dirty from so much handling, latch weak from rough treatment, and the envelope he deposits inside seems like it might be the last straw for the straining suitcase.

No time for anything more than a bath, he decides, not when the officers would arrive any moment, and he was meant to be among them. Another performance, to act surprised until the very end. All in a day’s work—these days, at least.

A knock at the door startled him to almost drop his brush, suddenly frozen except for the drips of his hair onto his dressing gown, and his eyes darting back to the suitcase on the duvet.

“Who is it?”

“May I come in?”, came Crocodile’s muffled voice.

He stared down at him through the tiny sliver that appeared between the door and the frame, like he would wait forever even as a cloud of perfumed bathwater drifted out into the hall, tempting his nose and his memory. But he no longer had permission to intrude.

“I’m getting ready for the meeting,” River said, though the lock slips free. Crocodile finds a seat on the edge of the unmade bed, denied anywhere else to sit with the outfits piled over the back of the couch and books in stacks on the chairs beside his table.

He notices the empty cartons of cigarettes in the wastebasket, none in the bed this time, and the sun setting outside the window almost obscures the fading dark circles under the violet eyes that scrutinize him so gently.

“Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” Crocodile gestures to a hanging suit, black, with a green waistcoat. “It will bring out your eyes—”

“We’ve already said goodbye, Crocodile.” The curls of his bangs, damp against his cheek, nearly obscure his face. “Why have you come here?”

He stands to reach out to him, cup his cheek and touch the bags under his eyes with a gentle thumb. Long lashes flutter closed, perhaps taken by a daydream he would kiss him. If fate was kinder, he might open his eyes to a warm bed and a warmer sunrise coming in the window.

“I don’t want you to sit at the table tonight.”

His eyes flick open, confused, and he almost follows the hand that leaves his cheek. “What do you mean?”

“The table is for my subordinates.” He goes to fetch the suit that hangs waiting, and lays it across the bed to begin unwrapping the outfit.

“Not for you.”

“… Crocodile.” They had already said goodbye to what they once were, agreed to work together once more, purely professional, and yet the fondness in the warlord’s eyes as he arranged the pieces of the silk suit made his chest tight.

“I’m perfectly aware of what we are, where we stand.” He goes to the closet to riffle through River’s pretty things, choose a pair of boots and some earrings, always gold.

“But you will never be one of them. Stand beside me.”

River considered the offer, unaware how long he stared to think, though he felt the brush of fingers on his neck as he pulled the dressing gown aside was wholly unfair. “After everything? When there is so little left between us?”

But he couldn’t manage to sound angry, not anything more than lovesick, an ache behind his eyes to press his nose to the space between his ear and neck, scent his cologne on warm skin.

“Oh,” Crocodile pondered gently as he allowed it, helpless to not scent him back for the starfruit in his shampoo. “… If you refuse, all you have to do is tell me to go.”

He dresses the Oasin like a parting gift, slowly and silent, content to fasten each button with care and iron his edges until he shines. The intimacy fills River’s face with heat, wondering if Crocodile has ever given such a subservient gesture to anyone before, whether he ever will again.

Get away. Don’t you know you polish a Judas to stand beside you at this critical moment?

Do you not care?

A wordless request passes between them, understood, and River moves his hair to allow him to hang sapphires from his ears, drape his neck in gold as he touches a tiny bruise on the front of his neck.

The Pirate Hunter couldn’t manage to scratch him, though the mottled spot was evidence of their meeting.

And Crocodile almost asked if he was all right, feeling silly for stopping to rub a mark smaller than a coin.

“You’re ready.” The quiet of his voice startled River back from where he stared out the window.

“Am I?” He stands to admire himself in the mirror, as laced up as ever, pity that the light of his jewels can’t reach his eyes.

“Look at me.” Spoken not like a warlord’s command, but a man wanting to see his love up close one more time.

The world continues to be cruel to me, that you are the poet and I am the one who wishes to write verses about your face.

You were never mine. But I will never forget you.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

River scoffs, the moisture in his eyes chased away by the absurdity of a man in love, and replaced by a bubble of a laugh. Just a little at first, until he’s smiling so hard his cheeks hurt, out of breath and eyes wet again as they find Crocodile’s own smile.

“More than anything.” ____ ___ __ _

Downstairs, the officers were already gathered, doomed to bicker when left alone with only each other’s company and the bubbling of the wani tank along the wall.

“This is ridiculous, how much longer are we meant to wait?” Mr. 2 said, hands slapping the table to demand seafood desserts or at least a beverage for their trouble.

“Please be quiet, Mr. 2, or at least complain about things that matter. Like your missing partner,” Miss Double-finger said from across the table.

“Why do you think I’m so hungry? I’ve worried myself sick!” They looked all around, hoping to find River in a chair or at least in the room, but no sign.

In another part of the house, the sound of leather-soled loafers approach the luxury hall.

“I suppose I can’t hope to have you all get along,” came Miss All Sunday’s voice from the stairs. “Though it’s not necessary anyway. Welcome to Rainbase, a city of dreams in a desert such as this.”

She descended the stairs to her captive audience, the officers mostly unimpressed and too impatient to be complaint.

“Can we skip the formalities and get to the point?” Mr. 1 spoke up finally.

“Of course. You all were summoned here regarding the identity of our boss, whose face you have never seen. Mr. i, the door, if you please.”

River stepped from a shadow at the back of the room, all eyes turning wide to see him go to a door on the wall.

“… you—” Mr. 2 found they couldn’t speak, nothing more than a grunt of surprise among the table’s shocked murmurs, some more spiteful than others.

But as River turned the golden handle, the footfalls now on the other side of the door, he met their eyes.

I’m sorry.

Crocodile’s appearance needed no introduction, and he ignored them to extend his hand to River and escort him to the table. Though all the officers gawked, struck speechless, Mr. 2 felt the shock behind their ribs turn sharp, stuck on a vein and stinging when Crocodile took his seat and River stood beside his chair. The perfect posture of a soldier, even as he bends to offer his lighter to the warlord’s lips, and the realization flushed Mr. 2’s face scarlet when they identified the intimate air between them.

I suppose it was always impossible for me to know all of your secrets, River. But aren’t we friends?

They felt possessed to rip the lighter from his hands, force the two apart and shield him with their body from the famously cruel warlord. To grip his shoulders, demand an answer, first to “Why?”, then “How long?”, and “Did he hurt you?”

But Mr. 2 didn’t move. And Crocodile commanded the room.

“The time has come for Baroque Work’s final mission: Operation Utopia.”

“Wait a moment, I have questions. What is a warlord doing with a company like this?” Miss Double-finger said.

“Right? What a big-shot.” Miss Merry Christmas agreed.

His ruthless glare was enough to silence their protests. “Dissatisfied?”

They all looked down at their laps, obedient while he smoked. An explanation was owed, he decided, and he took the time to outline both the purpose of their organization, and how his plans for the fate of Alabasta had to do with the secret buried beneath the sand. By the time he was finished, a neat pile of cigars smoldered in the ashtray.

“Mr. i.” His voice startled River from where he had been watching the wani pass by the window.

A series of envelopes were produced from his breast pocket, the final orders of the officers, and passed around the table according to rank.

“These are your last orders. In a single night, Alabasta will fall to us. Failure is not an option.”

But a voice interrupted their meeting from the stairs.

“Ahem. I hope you’ll excuse my interruption. But you must put a hold on this Operation Utopia.”

“Mr. 3.” River gasped. The mission to eliminate him had failed when the wax man went missing, now suddenly standing before them. Injured, worse for the wear, but alive.

“How did you get down here?” Miss All Sunday asked, and he was happy to ignore her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, boss. I’ve humbly come to ask for another chance... I failed my mission, after all.”

Crocodile set his tea down to give him his attention. “What are you talking about?”

“Well…” The candle-man began to sweat. “Letting the Strawhats go, of course.”

His teacup shattered under his grip and River managed not to flinch. So that’s the assignment Mr. 3 disappeared from.

“You said you took care of them. On the phone.”

“I… I didn’t. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He swallowed when Crocodile stood to his full height. “The—the intel was wrong! The Princess had four pirate escorts!”

“Them?” A stack of sketches slid across the table, all beside a photo of a small Vivi, presumably the last time she publicly appeared.

Mr. 2 paled, suddenly ill as they touched the drawings. “I met them.”

“You what?” Crocodile demanded.

“Him! Him! And her!” He flipped through their faces and looked to River. “It was before you stopped in Nanohana. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“… You didn’t tell me you were in Nanohana.” His rumble sent a shiver of fear up River’s spine, feeling eyes on the side of his face as he struggled to find an untruth that would bide his time.

Calm down. Don’t give away too much. To him or them.

But of all the Rivers scrambling to retain control in the terrifying final hour, the brat is the one who answered. The first mistake.

“I don’t tell you most of my business.” The thik of River lighting a cigarette plucked at the last string of his patience, almost as much as the tick of his hip in his bored posture.

Around the table, the officers were satisfied with his answer, familiar with the River that didn’t speak until spoken to, with a sharp tongue and unapproachable silhouette, but Crocodile knew better. And he was still the one in control.

“Of course.” A cruel smile slid across his face as he turned back to Mr. 3.

“Mr. 3, do you know why you’re ranked as high as you are? Despite the fact that even Mr. 4 outranks you in combat abilities?”

“W-Well, I—” He choked when Crocodile grabbed him around the throat, and River’s cigarette wobbled.

“Crocodile—!” The hook silenced him, a powerful gesture in just it’s appearance.

“Your intelligence has always been useful, and that underhanded tenacity. But letting those kids get away is inexcusable.”

Mr. 3’s skin shriveled faster than anyone could react, the officers around the table visibly nauseous to see him sucked dry by Crocodile’s hand, flung away into a fragile heap.

River’s cigarette fell to the floor, the only movement as a cold dread sunk into his belly.

He was staring at a warning.

To everyone in this room: failure will not be tolerated, and neither will any contact with the Strawhats that didn’t end in their demise.

“W-water…” Mr. 3 looked up at the person closest to him, his eyeballs wrinkling and limbs unable to hold him up with only crumbling, rubbery fibers attached to his bones. “M-Mr. i—”

“Have all the water you like.”

The press of a button sent him plummeting to the Bananawani tank below. Whimpers echoed up the metal of the chute, cutoff screams the last of the noise in the room when the hatch slid shut.

“Miss All Sunday?”

“Sir.”

“Give the order: kill the Princess and the Strawhats on sight. At the very least they can bring confusion to the rebel army, and I want no further issues.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Mr. i.”

He acknowledged him only by the flicker of his eyes, his cigarette burning out black beside his shoes.

“Hold the casino with Miss All Sunday.” He didn’t bother to meet his gaze. “And you will answer me.”

“… Yes, Sir.”

Mr. 2 watched the shadow pass over his face, an ache in their chest for a friend but no will to challenge his oppressor. Not yet.

“The rest of you have your orders. Go, enjoy yourselves. This time tomorrow, this country will be ours.” ____ ___ __ _

Nearby, in Yuba, the Strawhats trudged over the last dune to find no rebel base or army waiting for them. What had previously been an oasis seemed to crumble with the weight of it’s own shell, lined with decrepit buildings and abandoned even by the wildlife.

Vivi’s knees wobbled, threatening to collapse as she looked out over the remains of the city and the choking, desiccated fruit of their long walk.

Aurelio held up his hand to shield his eyes from the sunset. “They might have been gone before I made land.”

“… I don’t understand.” Her voice quivered.

“Hello? Is someone there? Welcome!” They heard from a hole in the center of town, sand flying up and over the side in shovel-fulls.

An old man climbed out as quick as he could, which wasn’t fast at all, brushing the dust off the holey rags of his clothes and his smile beaming despite the sand clinging to the wrinkles of his face.

“You—”, he stopped when he saw the blue-haired girl among them. “Miss Vivi?”

Luffy jumped to distract him, hands waving. “You’re wrong, that is NOT the Princess Vivi—”

“You moron!” Zoro bonked the still-sore top of his head.

“It… It’s really you, isn’t it? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t recognize me, I’ve lost a lot of weight.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

She stared at him for a long moment, this weathered man whose smile never faulted even as he dug until his hands bled, threadbare bandages catching on the dry skin around his face. Memories flooded back to her, warm in her heart but heavy on her stomach, of the jolly, overweight man that was her friend, Koza’s father.

She ran to hug him, almost pushing them both into the hole as he held her. “I thought I’d never see you again, Mr. Toto.”

“I’ll always be here… I know it’s not much, but you all can rest here for the night. The inns are Yuba’s pride, after all.”

“Where did the rebels go?” Aurelio said from where he gazed into a crumbling fountain.

Suddenly no longer welcoming, the old man bristled and braced to yell at him. “What do you want with them, anyway? You’re not stupid enough to join them too, are you?”

“I’m hoping to talk them down,” he said, and the wind rushed out of the old man’s tired anger.

“… well, they haven’t been here for weeks. They moved their operation to Katorea.”

“K-Katorea?” Vivi cried. “But we were just there!”

“It would have been only a few hours walk from Nanohana,” Nami said.

“We… we were just there.” Vivi wiped at her eyes, the weight of their journey finally taking it’s toll.

“Well, no sense wasting time,” Aurelio looked to the sky for due north. “Thanks for the info, old man,” he said and began walking in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?!” The teenagers all cried.

“Hm? You all are going to rest here, aren’t you? I can travel faster if I’m alone, I’ll be back to Katorea before morning.”

“Let him go,” Zoro said.

“You’re not going to change Luffy’s mind. He’s tired, we’re all tired.” He jerked his thumb to where Luffy was already inspecting the old man’s trenches, half because he was curious, and half because the air was cooler at the bottom of a hole.

“It was nice to meet you all.” Aurelio waved.

“Bye, Mr. Revolutionary!”

“Bye-bye, Aurelio!” They waved back with various intensity, all too preoccupied with the idea of beds and shelter to worry that they didn’t have dinner, or water. Luffy had, predictably, eaten the last of Aurelio’s stash, and the young man walked out of sight with his owl on his shoulder and a goal on his mind.

“He was nice.” Usopp said to Chopper at his side.

“He’s going to beat us there… Maybe it’s too optimistic to think that by the time we arrive, this might all be over,” Vivi said, more to herself than any of her friends.

They just needed time.

Time, that marches equally for the Baroque Works agents drawing up plans, and the rebels who struggle to sleep because they were given orders to march out at dawn. The Strawhats, exhausted beyond their bones, sleep easily because they don’t know they won’t follow Aurelio to Katorea in the morning. They don’t know that by noon they’ll be in Rainbase to face a Warlord of the Sea with only their friends and an unlikely marine captain for an ally.

So they sleep well.

And when Luffy’s patience runs out moments after leaving the drought-stricken town, Vivi will realize they never had to look for the rebels at all.

[sunshine-vx]

Across Space, Time and Dreams (ASTaD) (Ch. 18)

(Blankshippers DNI)

(Please refer to beginning of chapter 1 post for complete list of CWs/TWs)

(Extra notes: Woo, a new chapter out already! Glad I could get another chapter out sooner than later like I said! :] That being said, though, I'm gonna let yall know that, unfortunately, the next chapter will probably take a while to be posted. I've already gotten it written, but basically ever since the idea for that chapter came into my head, I've told myself I'd make an animation for it. It's going to be about 1 minute and 10 seconds long, and if I get help, it will only be from one person. I'm out for summer break, so hopefully I'll be able to get it done faster, but I can't promise it will be as fast as I'd hope. I hope yall can understand, and I sincerely hope that whatever the result is will be worth it! I've been challenging myself with this fic ever since I started it, and I'm glad to tackle a new challenge! That aside, I hope yall enjoy! This one's a bit shorter compared to the previous two, hahah.)

(This chapter's illustrations done by @moonlightalpha666 !)

(Read it on Ao3 here! (Not yet uploaded to Ao3, link will be here when it is!))

(Reblogs are appreciated!)

-

Emmet woke up before Ingo did. That was expected, although it made Emmet happy, as well as slightly amused him, that Ingo's sleeping habits seemed to not change much, even in a place like this. Emmet got up to look at the old-fashioned clock on the windowsill- The time read 7:30 AM; An hour and a half to prepare and get to the Temple.

Emmet went back over to the pallet and sat down by his brother, shaking him gently by the shoulders a few times.

"Ingo. Ingo, come on." Emmet stated, "It is time to get up."

After a few shakes, Ingo mumbled something incomprehensible before his eyes opened. "Huh..? Emmet..?"

"Ingo, brother, it is three-thirty in the morning." Emmet explained, "We must be at the Temple of Sinnoh around nine so that I can summon Dialga and Palkia."

Ingo was silent for a moment, seeming delirious, before he jumped and his eyes opened wide.

"Oh, right!" Ingo exclaimed, quickly, standing up, followed by Emmet, "Yes, let us begin preparing at once!"

Now that they were both awake, the twins quickly got dressed into their uniforms, beginning the gather what they needed for the trip and a possible trip to their origin world after that. 

"Ingo. Dialga and Palkia may bring us home, so make sure not to forget anything you will need." Emmet stated, putting his Pokéballs into his coat.

Ingo was also gathering his Pokéballs into his coat as well, "Regarding items, I have everything; I just need to bid my farewells to those I feel it's necessary to do so, first."

Emmet nodded, "Yup. Of course."

Emmet and Ingo exited the house, Ingo spotting Zisu making her way for the village's gates. Ingo jogged up to her, Emmet following suit.

"Lady Zisu! Are you headed for the Temple of Sinnoh?" Ingo questioned, "Do you know where Akari and Rei are? They told us they'd be waiting at the village gates for us."

Zisu nodded, carrying a bag with one of her arms, "I sure am! And Akari and Rei are right where they said they'd be, so we can just walk together."

Ingo responded, "Thank you."

"That is good." Emmet commented. 

Zisu gave a friendly smile, and the three made haste for the village gates. Akari and Rei stood some ways outside them, just as was promised.

Zisu waved as she continued walking past Akari and Rei, heading for the Temple on her own, the others returning the gesture, before Ingo and Emmet turned to face Akari and Rei. 

"So, you will be helping us to the Temple of Sinnoh, and our stops before that?" Emmet asked.

Akari nodded, "Indeed, we thought you guys would benefit from a bit of help."

"Besides, safety in numbers, right?" Rei added. 

Emmet voiced, "Yes. Thank you verrry much."

"Excellent! You both have our thanks!" Ingo exclaimed, "I planned on making way for the Coronet Highlands first, to meet with Hectar and Lady Sneasler. How is that?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Akari replied, "Ingo, you lead the way and I'll be right at your side if you need help. Emmet and Rei must also be on the look-out, of course."

"I will stay by you. And keep watch." Emmet spoke to Ingo.

Ingo nodded and smiled, then stepped forward, the others preparing to follow, "Bravo! Yes, we will stay and work together! Now then- full speed ahead!"

After some trecking, the group made their way to the Coronet Highlands. Thanks to Akari's vast collection of Pokémon and the group's combined knowledge, they were able to get there quicker than a usual trip between the lands. 

While Akari had become accustomed to the ins and outs of the Highlands, Ingo knew the Highlands like the back of his hand; He knew just what shortcuts to use, when and how to use them, and most importantly, where Lady Sneasler's seat was located.

As Ingo led the quartet up the path to Lady Sneasler's seat, they were suddenly met with Lady Sneasler herself hopping down in the middle of the path in front of them, Hectar emerging from a turn close behind the Noble.

The group stopped in their tracks, taken aback.

"Woah!" Rei vocalized.

Lady Sneasler made a hissing sound that almost sounded like laughter, flicking her feather away with her claw.

Ingo chuckled and waved to Sneasler, "Good morning, my Lady!"

Hectar approached the group, laughing a bit as well. 

"Lady Sneasler has been waiting to see you, Ingo." Hectar explained "She wants to go to the Temple with us."

"Oh, really?" Ingo responded, "Well, let us get to her seat first. We can discuss things there."

Hectar nodded, Sneasler making a purring noise, Ingo initiating the rest of the walk to Lady Sneasler's seat.

"So you want to come to the Temple?" Ingo spoke to Sneasler, Hectar standing by the Noble.

Sneasler made some clicking and trilling sounds. She did. She wanted to be there for whatever happened.

"Alright. I have nothing against that idea!" Ingo conveyed, "But will your kits be safe?"

Sneasler made more clicking noises, Hectar piping in.

"I've been training my team in preparation for situations like these! They'll stay here to protect the kits- and I'll bring my Alakazam with me, in case they need to call for help!"

Ingo nodded, showing approval of Hectar's plan. "That sounds great!"

"Well, then I see no reason why you can't come!" Ingo said as he turned back to his Lord, raising his arm to give the Noble some pets. Sneasler purred, a silly looking grin on her face.

Ingo lowered his hand and spoke again, "Well, we've got some time to spare, lucky for us, as I hoped to be able to do a few things before heading to the Temple, first."

"What would that be?" Hectar wondered. Sneasler cocked her head to the side, also curious.

Ingo took a bag out from one of his coat's large pockets

"My Lady, we made your favorite again; But with a twist!" Ingo exclaimed.

Sneasler made a curious clicking noise. 

"I helped," Emmet added, "I hope that is okay…my Lady." 

Ingo approached the bowl at the seat and poured the contents of the bag inside, "Yes, Emmet helped me make your dish for this morning, my Lady! He did his best and I'm sure it'll be excellent! Is that okay?"

Lady Sneasler approached the bowl and looked at the food. It was still very recognizable as her favorite dish Ingo had perfected, but it certainly was different this time.

Sneasler sniffed the bowl and hesitantly took a bite of the food. Then, her eyes lit up, and she began eating quicker while purring could be heard coming from her.

Hectar smiled and Emmet sighed with relief, Ingo clapping his hands.

"Bravo, Emmet! She loves it!"

Emmet smiled and turned to Sneasler,

"I am glad I was able to make an enjoyable dish for you."

Lady Sneasler made a trilling noise before taking another bite. 

"My Lady, I don't mean to bother you, but I would like to see the kits and eggs before we leave to the Temple," Ingo stated, "could Emmet see the eggs with us? He is very gentle and loving to little ones."

Lady Sneasler, almost done with her food, thought for a moment. Then, she made a content hissing noise, nodding. She was sure Ingo would take care of Emmet if he did anything, and Emmet had proved to be nothing but friendly so far. 

"Excellent! You have our thanks, Lady Sneasler!" Ingo replied.

Emmet nodded, "Thank you, Lady Sneasler. I appreciate it a lot."

Sneasler replied with trills and clicks. She would follow them soon. 

Ingo turned to Hectar, "Hectar, would you like to come with us?"

Hectar nodded, "Of course!"

Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar made their way into the den. Emmet seemed struck by adorableness by the sight of the kits. 

"They are so cute!"

"I know, right?" Rei agreed.

"Indeed, they are!" Ingo chuckled, and even though the eggs may not have been able to hear them, Ingo spoke, "Little ones! You may have heard news of a new person here! He is my brother, and he is very kind! He's here to see you all with me, so don't be afraid to say hi!"

Emmet smiled. The group took some more steps in the cave.

"Look, Ingo, this is the egg I told you about!" Hectar commented suddenly, walking towards an egg snuggled in a bed made of some grass and other soft materials. It was almost the same as the other eggs, but looked a tiny bit different.

Emmet and Ingo followed Hectar, Akari and Rei looking from a few paces away.

"Is this the egg you told me Lady Sneasler had recently?"

"Yes, sir! It seems healthy overall, but it seems just a bit different from the others."

Ingo thought for a moment. Then, he got an idea!

"Well! I think I'd be able to tell just fine, but my brother here is especially knowledgeable in care of baby Pokémon!" Ingo exclaimed, "Emmet, how about you help me take a look at this egg?"

Emmet seemed surprised, but was glad to take the offer. "Of course I can do that."

With that, the twins examined the egg for some moments, before speaking to each other for another.

"So?" Hectar asked.

"It is hard to tell; It may be a bit more fragile than the others, or be a little weaker, but we would only really be able to tell when it is born." Emmet explained.

"Lady Sneasler will probably be able to tell when the egg is a bit more developed." Ingo added.

"But it's not bad?"

"No, nothing necessarily bad."

Hectar nodded, "That's good"

"Well, I'm going to say my farewells to the other little ones." Ingo commented. He smiled and gave the egg a few pats, "I'll see you again, little one!"

Emmet laughed a little and also gave the egg a few pats. Ingo stood up, Emmet following.

As promised, Ingo walked around the cave, giving each egg and kit some pets and kind words. Emmet followed suite, wanting to let the little ones know he meant no harm- plus, they were pretty cute! He gave them a few pets and a few nice words. Some kits were a bit hesitant to let Emmet pet them, but he at least got one or two pets, and he made sure not to push their comfort levels.

A lot of them didn't have nearly as much trust in him as Ingo, but he thought he was doing well.

Soon, it was time to go.

"It's about time to get going now." Ingo stated.

Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar walked to the exit of the den, where Lady Sneasler had been standing for a bit now.

Irida vocalized, "When we get to the Pearl Clan, we should perform a short ceremony to set Hectar's new role in stone. Is that alright with you all?"

Ingo nodded, Sneasler making a trilling sound of agreement. Hectar seemed shocked at first, but encouraged by the approval of the other two, he beamed, giving Irida a small bow, "I would be forever blessed."

The others only nodded- they were not part of the Pearl Clan, and they had no reason to object.

Irida smiled at Hectar's enthusiasm, "Then it is settled."

With that, Hectar and the others then turned back to look into the den.

"Goodbye, little ones! I'll be back soon, and Hectar will do his very best to take care of you all!" Ingo announced, "Don't worry, he is a great warden!"

"Goodbye! Thank you for meeting me!" Emmet added.

"I'll be back later today!" Hectar said.

"See you all some other time!" Akari exclaimed.

"Byyee!" Rei chimed in.

"Do keep an eye on that egg." Ingo told Lady Sneasler and Hectar as they left. Sneasler made some clicking noises in response, as she understood. Hectar nodded.

Once they were outside, they stopped at the exit of Sneasler's seat.

"So, you're coming with us to the Temple? For sure?" Ingo asked the Noble.

Sneasler made a trilling noise. She was sure.

Ingo smiled and nodded, "Alright then! We need to visit clan grounds in the Alabaster Icelands first, and then we will make haste for the Temple? Everyone on board?"

Sneasler trilled. 

"Yes, sir!" Hectar answered.

"Absolutely!" Akari replied

"Of course!" Rei responded.

"Yup!" Emmet said simply.

"Good!" Ingo stated, "Let's go!"

Soon, the group made it to the Pearl Settlement in the Alabaster Icelands. Sneasler was certainly helpful in getting them there faster. 

Irida was waiting at the entrance of the Settlement. She waved at Ingo and the others when they gave into view, the group returning the gesture.

"Good morning, Lady Irida. Thank you for waiting for us!" Ingo spoke.

"No need to thank me," Irida replied, "I have the people gathered if you wish to make any announcements. I'll at least be making a few."

"That's great, actually! I would like to make a few announcements, as well." Ingo turned to the others.

"Is it okay if you all accompany us in the announcements? If needed?"

All of them seemed to respond in the affirmative.

Ingo nodded, before turning back to Irida.

"We're ready."

Irida nodded and walked into the Settlement. Ingo and the others heard mumbling and whispering as they followed Irida towards the hot springs, where the announcements would be held. 

Irida stepped onto one of the rocks by the hotsprings, Ingo, Emmet, Akari, Rei and Hectar standing to the side.

"Attention! Thank you all for gathering here today." Irida spoke, "We're here this morning because I have important news, and there are things you must hear from a few others as well."

"As you all know, Warden Ingo appeared here mysteriously one day. Warden Ingo has been looking into his origins more lately. As you may also know, his brother, Emmet, appeared here just yesterday by similar means." Irida continued, "Emmet has made claims that he got help from Dialga and Palkia to come here, and wishes to bring Ingo to their origin world. Ingo has agreed to go temporarily. Emmet will soon be tested when we leave for the Temple of Sinnoh. Warden Ingo will now make an announcement regarding these important manners and their details."

Irida stepped down, Ingo stepping up after her. Ingo waved up Emmet, Hectar and Lady Sneasler, who stepped up beside him. Ingo faced the crowd before him.

"Greetings, everyone! Thank you for coming to listen to me today. As Irida said, I have a few important things to say." Ingo explained, gesturing to Emmet, "As you all have been told, this is my twin brother, Emmet. He wishes to bring me home to my origin world, and I wish to go for a while. My trip will not be permanent– if change occurs, I will do my best to make sure it goes smoothly! In my origin world, I will be recovering my memories and learning about my origin world and myself."

Ingo glanced at Hectar and Lady Sneasler. He continued.

"It may also be known that I have been training a successor to my role as Lady Sneasler's Warden. As far as I have planned, I will not be giving up my role as Warden any time soon, but I need someone to help me in situations like this- and there's no harm in preparing for things early, right?"

Ingo turned and nodded at Hectar, who nodded back and turned to the crowd. 

"Thank you all. It is an honor to be Warden Ingo's predecessor, and one of Lady Sneasler's caretakers."

Lady Sneasler made content trilling and clicking noises, flicking her feather away. 

Ingo once again faced the crowd. He began speaking once more.

"I will say, that I believe that this announcement is the last time I will be here at the clan for a while. I believe Emmet is telling the truth. And if not..then I will face the consequences of my actions." Ingo stated, "But! I will treat the end of this announcement true to my beliefs. Everything will be well; I hope you can trust me and my words. So I end this announcement with a farewell until I return and take care. All of you have our thanks!"

"Emmet, can you step down for a few moments? We are about to perform the ceremony." Ingo said

"Of course." Emmet replied with a nod before stepping down and off of the rocks, Irida stepping back up onto them.

"With that, let us perform a short ceremony to celebrate Hectar's newfound status as Warden Ingo's successor."

Ingo, Hectar and Lady Sneasler stepped onto the rocks with Irida. The crowd, along with Emmet, watched intently as the ceremony was performed. It consisted of a few small rituals, mostly symbolic vows important to the completion of the ceremony. 

At the very end, Ingo placed a small bracelet on Hectar's wrist. It wasn't as patterned or large as Ingo's, but it definitely served as an indicator of Hectar's new role.

And with that, Hectar, Irida, Ingo, and even Lady Sneasler all took a bow.

"It is done. We all welcome Hectar as Ingo's successor, and our dear Noble Sneasler's future Warden." Irida stated.

After another exchange of words– including Hectar's thanks– him, Ingo and Sneasler dispersed back off the rocks.

Irida turned to once again face the crowd,

"And there you have it. Warden Ingo will be leaving now, and I must accompany him. I will not be gone for long." Irida stated, "Do not worry. You can trust us, as Warden and Leader. Take care of yourselves. You may all go now."

The crowd murmured again, but seemed mostly content. They slowly dispersed from the hot springs. 

Irida stepped down and faced the others. 

"Thank you for letting me say what I wanted, even if you didn't necessarily like it." Ingo spoke to Irida.

"I am not mad, or disappointed," Irida replied, "I suppose I'm just..worried."

"You don't have to worry. I know I have no proof of that but..I'll say it anyway."

"I appreciate that. Truly, I do."

"I would like to thank you, as well, Miss Irida." Emmet stated.

Irida gave Emmet a smile and simply nodded.

Rei commented, "Do we have anything else to do? Or should we finally make our way to the Temple of Sinnoh?"

Nobody objected to the idea.

"Alright then, we should get going." Irida said, "Akari, why don't you lead the way?"

Akari smiled and nodded, "To the Temple of Sinnoh we go! Is everybody ready?"

The others all answered in the positive.

With that, Akari turned to face the direction they would walk, then announced;

"Let's go!"

Eventually, the group finally got to the Temple of Sinnoh. It was high up on the mountains, the structure broken and worn after the arrival of Palkia and Dialga while they were frenzied.

Now, it was a silent place, its pillars piercing the sky.

Everyone else was already waiting; Adaman, Zisu and Cyllene.

They stood near the center, Akari and the others approaching them. 

"So, shall we begin? There's not much to say." Cyllene remarked, "We all know why we're here."

Irida conveyed, "Hectar, Lady Sneasler, follow me, please."

Hectar and Lady Sneasler did as they were told, walking with Irida to stand near a broken pillar opposite of where Adaman stood, Cyllene and Zisu near yet another.

Rei and Akari decided to approach Zisu and Cyllene; They were more used to Jubilife Village, after all.

"I'm going to stay near Emmet." Ingo proclaimed. No one objected, although Ingo felt as if they weren't the fondest of his decision.

"Emmet needs the Orbs to summon Dialga and Palkia." Rei exclaimed. 

"Right." Akari replied, facing Adaman and Irida, who nodded in approval. Akari nodded back and approached Emmet, reaching in her satchel and taking out the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs. Emmet's heart began racing upon the sight of them; This was it.

"Here. Now it's time to let Dialga and Palkia decide what should happen next." Akari spoke as she handed the Orbs to Emmet.

Emmet nodded and took the Orbs, "Yup. Thank you verrry much."

Akari stepped back and returned to the pillar she had been standing at before. 

Ingo stuck to his word and stood beside Emmet, although making sure to take a few steps back, as he was unsure what would happen.

"I will begin now." Emmet stated. No one objected.

In response to that, Emmet carefully placed the Orbs on the ground in front of the center, to the left and the right. He then returned to the center.

Emmet then spoke, loud and clear.

"Dialga and Palkia! I have arrived in Hisui, just as I said I would, and as you sent me to! Not only that, I have found my brother, Ingo! Not everything is as I thought it would be; Some good, some bad." Emmet exclaimed, "Ingo and I wish to go home, for a temporary amount of time. The people of Hisui are skeptical of me and my claims of your aid to me- and so I am summoning you here, both to prove myself and ask something of you!"

Emmet's speech echoed through the air before vanishing. His heart rate went up. Ingo stiffened. For a moment, they both felt fear; What if they didn't show up at all?

Then, the ground and sky began to rumble. Yelps and other sounds of surprise came from everyone standing at the Temple. Then, two massive portals formed in front of the Orbs, which now began to vanish. Emmet smiled wide and Ingo's eyes sparkled. 

And then, the gods of Space and Time stepped through the portals, making their appearance onto the Temple. The portals closed behind them.

Everyone stared in awe. Adaman, Irida, and Hectar got on their knees, bowing to their lords. 

"..Humans." The voices of Palkia and Dialga echoed in Emmet and everyone else's heads. 

"You have summoned the Gods of Space and Time to this Temple."

Before anyone could speak, the legends' voices boomed again.

"Emmet. You have summoned us here."

"Yes. I told you why, but I ask that you allow some of the others to speak."

Emmet faced Ingo, who blinked, surprised. But then he nodded, seemingly knowing what he would say.

Ingo stepped forward, beside Emmet.

"Dialga, Palkia. My brother summoned you here for two reasons; But first things first…" Ingo continued, "Emmet has claimed to all of us that he had your aid to come here and search for me. I believe him with all my heart and soul, but others want your confirmation of his truth. Please, I ask you to give us your answer."

Dialga and Palkia were quiet for a moment, scanning the people who stood upon the Temple. Ingo became nervous, but tried to shake it off. Surely, they were thinking of what to say.

Then, they heard their voices again.

"..The truth he speaks indeed. And it seems his determination has not wavered between different spaces and times."

Emmet and Ingo felt multiple tons of weights lift off their shoulders. The others looked shocked.

"So it's true!" Rei exclaimed, "I knew I could believe in you guys!"

Ingo smiled at Emmet, who smiled back at him. They were both immensely happy.

"You have summoned us here," Dialga and Palkia spoke again, "you said, for two reasons. You have spoken one- what is the other?"

"Dialga and Palkia, much of my memory is missing, but my heart still remembers; Even without the memories, I know that Emmet is my brother, and I know I have a home from where and when he came." Ingo explained, "He wants to bring me there, and I wish to go, for a temporary amount of time. After that time is over, we both wish to return here."

Finally, Irida spoke up, "..Can that be arranged?"

"It can," Dialga and Palkia answered, "we can bring Emmet and Ingo to their world of origin, and when their amount of time is over, we will pull them back here. How much time do they request?"

"Two months and a half." Cyllene answered.

"That can be done."

Suddenly, the Temple shook again, and a single portal opened in front of Ingo and Emmet.

"This is your way home."

"It's that easy, huh…?" Irida articulated, "So I guess you won't be having to go back."

Ingo shook his head, "No. But��before I go forward; Thank you, all of you. Some people would be cruel, and not let me go at all…I thank you for giving Emmet and I a chance."

"Yup, yup!" Emmet exclaimed, "Thank you all so, so verrry much!"

He sounded genuine.

The others replied with their affirmations in response to the brothers' gratefulness.

Akari and Rei ran up to Ingo and hugged him, Ingo laughing. He returned the gesture, glancing at Lady Sneasler and Irida, smiling. Sneasler trilled, Irida smiling in return as they walked over to Ingo, Akari and Rei stepping back. Ingo and Irida shared a hug, Irida stepping away after a moment, before Lady Sneasler licked Ingo on his forehead and patted him with her claws, Ingo laughing and giving her a hug as well, along with some pats on her head. 

Ingo and Sneasler ended their gestures to each other before stepping back.

"I will be going now. Once again, thank you all so much. We're both eternally grateful."

"The trip through the portal will cause unconsciousness." Dialga and Palkia spoke to Ingo and Emmet alone, "Do not worry. You will awaken in a familiar place, and no damage will occur. Do you both still wish to go?"

Ingo then turned to Emmet. They both nodded at each other, then at the legendary Pokémon.

"Then, take your step."

Ingo turned to Emmet again, who turned back to Ingo.

-

"Ready?" Ingo asked.

"Ready as I will ever be!" Emmet replied.

Emmet reached out his hand. Ingo smiled and took it.

Emmet started, "On one.."

"Two.." Ingo continued,

"Three!"

In sync, the twin brothers jumped into the portal that would lead them to home, which closed behind them. And as they drifted off into unconsciousness almost immediately, for some reason they wondered.

What would the realm of dreams offer them this time?

Chapter 17 (part 2 of 2)

Chapter 19 (part 1 of 2)

[starsoforionwrites]

So, I'm finally back to writing Nature of Purity after.... fuck me, 7 months without an update. And I thought I'd take a moment to talk a little bit about why I stopped updating it.

The Setup

When I started posting NoP it was, I thought, mostly done. I'd originally intended it to be about 20k words. I had a sketch for the the overall plan, and I'd written what at the time felt like about 75% of it. In fact, I'd been sitting on those chapters for a few months already, working on them here and there as the whim took me.

One of the reasons I started posting it on AO3 was to try and push myself to complete it. I'd never finished a fic before. NoP was actually the first thing I'd written in years.

So I jumped in and started posting, knowing that if I stuck to a weekly update schedule I had a twelve week buffer to finish it off. That's ages! So much time! And I only had a few more chapters to write really!

Things went fine for a while, although I was still really struggling to stick to a schedule. I mostly managed though. I know some of you sit down and write in huge swathes, working steadily for hours and churning out 20k words at a time. That ain't me. I flit in and out of my fics, working for 20 minutes here, adding 150 words there. I'll get tired of the section I'm writing and move down a few pages, adding a section title with a couple of bulletpoints of things that will happen.

If I work at it, I can hit 1500 words in an hour-ish. I'm quite lucky in that once I start writing, I don't get stuck. Staring at an empty page means sometimes I never start, but if I put words to paper then I can keep going, flow of consciousness, pretty easily.

But usually, 2 hours is about my absolute maximum for a session, and I pretty much max out at 2 sessions a week.

Anyway, around June of '21, THINGS started to happen in my life. Here's a fun list.

I got a promotion at work

My mortgage came up for renewal

I ended up buying a new house instead

I had to buy a new car

I had a trivial argument with some close friends that got blown out of all proportion

This literally all took place in a period of about two months, which is right about the time I stopped writing. I kept posting chapters, but I couldn't bring myself to write any more. I ran out of chapters to post in August '22 (although I had been checked out mentally for a long time beforehand), and then I fucked off into the darkness never to be seen again.

So yes this is obviously a mental health post

I've always really struggled with depression. It's been a constant in my life ever since I can remember. I was sent home from school several times when I was around 10-12 because I was inconsolable over nothing. Or had been laughing hysterically for hours. Or I'd been staring at a wall for hours.

Eventually they sent me to counselling, which I did not handle well either.

Things got really bad for me around 16-20, and then slowly I started to level out a bit. Eventually I mostly got a handle on it as I learned to live with myself.

That said, I still find it really, really easy to fall into depression. Days when I wake up and just think "no" and go back to bed are still not uncommon.

This is all a precursor to say that, that bullet-point list above? Yeah, I didn't handle it too well.

The promotion at work came with huge amounts of new stress. I was now a client-facing, team-leading, systems-architecting badass, and my workload roughly quadrupled.

Buying a new house is also, it turns out, ridiculously stressful. This is the second time I've been through the process, although the first time round I had a partner to do it with. This time, it was just me, and on top of that I was having to deal with the transfer of assets due to my prior mortgage being in both our names, along with a wildly fluctuating market value of property. I'm aware this is not a particularly relatable thing to bitch about (oh no, poor me, my hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of material assets), but at several points in the process it genuinely looked like it would all fall through and I would be left homeless in one way or another.

The new car was a fucking ridiculous situation. I previously had a company car, as a perk because they didn't want to give me a raise. This meant I could sell my car and was very cool! Then covid. The company decided to cancel the car policy, and I no longer had one at all. Then the chip shortage! Remember that? The price of second hand cars skyrocketed. Again, very stressful.

And then the nail in the cake, my friends situation. I'm not gonna go into it, but it was ridiculous. Like, a genuinely stupid argument over absolutely nothing important. These are people I've known IRL for fifteen years. But the upshot was, I didn't feel welcome around them anymore, so I just stopped showing up on discord.

I haven't spoken to any of them since.

Sooooo, all this shit combined together to leave me a barely functioning person. I just about held things together enough to get moved in. I unpacked. And then I more or less fell apart.

Don't call it a comeback

Eventually I crawled my way back out of my pit.

This is, genuinely, in no small part thanks to the wonderful comments I received while still posting NoP. I have saved many of these comments. The fact that people were engaging with the stuff I was writing brought me so much happiness, I actually don't know how to describe it.

Reading the comments from you guys, who are out there reading my work, literally makes me cry almost every time. I get weepy over it. I have to go and have a little sit down. I can't stop smiling. It uplifts me, even if the comment is something small and throw-away for you. And Christ, some of you write such beautiful things. My God. Are you for real? I want to hug you so fucking badly.

But I was left in a bit of a pickle. I couldn't face going back to NoP. I'd sit in front of it, and I just couldn't find the voice anymore. The exact state of mind I'd been in when I was writing Hermione and Draco bitching away at each other in the library was eluding me. I'd sit staring at an empty chapter, which just had headers in it like "Talking to Luna" and "Nott a problem" and I was like who the fuck wrote this what does it mean??

But I wanted to write again.

And I had so many WIPs. Like no lie I have about thirty, that range from one-sentence descriptions of a vibe, to heres-a-complete-first-chapter-and-nothing-else-lol-figure-it-out.

And one of those WIP's was actually fun, and breezy, and easy to write. Epistolaries are so fucking easy my guy. Like they're so easy. You don't have to worry about any of that other shit! You don't need a plot, or to set the scene! You don't need to force yourself to describe what people are doing as they talk. They aren't doing anything! They're just writing letters! So easy!

For reference, I find dialogue absolutely trivial to write. It's everything else that fucks me up. So heck yeah epistolaries.

And it was a LOT of fun. Especially those first few easy-breezy chapters. Especially when you can leverage the fact that everyone reading knows EXACTLY what's happening in the background, so you can just drop allusions to it here and there in dialogue.

So I began posting The Penpal Program. And, because it was mostly canon-compliant, it got heavier and darker towards the end, but still stayed pretty light and fluffy. I had a few hiccups here and there where I (as I am wont to do) did no writing at all for three weeks and then had to have a massive catch-up session in the 11th hour, BUT I completed it.

And again, the comments throughout the whole process kept me going. It's actually crazy how much it makes my day to read a comment.

And, throughout all of this, I've been conscious of not updating NoP. I've had a couple of comments here and there asking for updates, and they've made me feel guilty. I've looked back at one specific comment made on the last chapter I wrote, letting me know they had faith in my storytelling. That they couldn't wait to see what happened.

And I feel like I let them down personally. Like I've just been the most useless, selfish, worthless asshole for seven fucking months. And I know that's crazy and depression and etc. etc. (I do know that), but still. I want to finish the fic. For them. And for the rest of you, who have commented, or not. Who hit the kudos or the like button or the bookmark or who didn't do any of these things and just kept the tab open and refresh it once every month or so. And also, for me. So it's done. Because it's not the longest fic ever written, or the fluffiest, or the darkest or the most realistic. But it's mine, and I'm proud of it. I've loved writing it. I love reading it back, because I'm a slut for reading my own stories. I love the way I feel every time I see someone else like it. I love sharing it with you guys.

And so, I'm writing it again. And I'm going to finish it. As I write this I have two chapters left to go and then it will be complete. I'm going to complete it before I start posting it again. I don't want to throw a single chapter up and then lose control again and disappear.

I said there would be four chapters to go, but there will actually be five. Three of them are written.

I also have a couple of "scenes from the cutting room floor", which I think I'll just chuck on here for you pack of reprobates to read. Or maybe I'll put them on AO3 as part of a series, loosely affiliated.

Either way, The Nature of Purity will be complete, and should be updating on AO3 within the next few weeks.

Sorry for wasting almost 10k words (fuck me) on this explanation of why I've not been writing, but I figured fuck it, you might wanna know.

Anyway as a little treat for reading so far have a little snippet form the next chapter of NoP.

"Merlin Hermione," George said, interrupting her. "I don't give a shit about your exams! Tell me about Draco dearest. I mean, when he stormed in here at Christmas and read Harry the riot act... Honestly, he got me all hot and bothered!"

"George!"

"Oh come on babe, I'm only human! Besides, I was only looking at him."

"Well keep your bloody eyes to yourself you git!" she snarled, as George and Ginny both giggled and exchanged significant looks.

"Relax love, he's not really my type you know? He was just all... I dunno. Commanding!"

"Oooh yeah," Ginny cut in. "I know what you mean. He's a bit... angular for me really, but he looked very.... stern didn't he Georgie?"

Hermione resumed drinking her tea, tuning out the background of Weasleys singing the praises of her betrothed. For Merlin's sake, Draco was right. They had no bloody decorum.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 38

Sorry for the delay. Real life gets out of hand. But here it is! The antepenultimate chapter.

Shout out to @asongeverlasting for beta reading for me and making sure I actually got this out.

Check her writing out on AO3 as Ramblingwren

(Master post)

(Read the fic in a more condensed on Ao3)

(The latest chapter will be up on there once this reaches over 500 notes on tumblr)

Hope you all enjoy

_____________________________________________________________

“I shouldn’t have let her go out there.”

Fu watched the school nurse, Angela, fret as she paced back and forth.

“I understand your concern, but I believe that it will all be alright. Ladybug and Chat Noir haven’t failed in handling an akuma yet,” he explained. “The girl will be okay.”

The nurse stopped pacing.

“I appreciate your optimism but… I am really not used to this,” She said as she gestured to the air.

Fu blinked at the statement.

“Oh?”

“This! This whole thing! Super villains that appear whenever someone gets sad, teenagers with superpowers! This is all new to me! I just moved to Paris a month ago from the countryside. All I wanted was to further my education and get work in the medical field. It… It boggles my mind that everyone in this city is so okay with all of this! Even my new boyfriend Curtis is able to shrug off an akuma attack like a sudden drizzle. This isn’t normal!”

The guardian could tell the young woman was distressed, and he couldn’t blame her. In a way, he envied her. This was all foreign for her, but to him, this was his entire life.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. I've had a lot to deal with, and this whole situation is just so…”

Fu moved to her and helped her sit down.

“It’s alright, this is by no means a good situation. Your concerns are very understandable. I can tell that deep down that your frustration and fear come from compassion and empathy. You will make a wonderful doctor one day.”

She took a deep breath.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much I really needed to hear that today.”

“How about I teach you a medication technique that will help you calm down?”

“Meditation? I'm not really one for that kind of stuff.”

“If one wants to be a doctor, being able to calm down and handle an emergency situation is a must.”

The school nurse agreed that he had a good point, and that this may help get her mind off of things.

“Okay, I guess I'll give it a shot.”

Fu smiled.

“Good. Let us start simple. Close your eyes and put your hands together.”

Angela felt the action was a bit odd but complied.

“Now, take a deep breath. Count to 5 in your head and then breathe out.”

She took her breath and followed the order.

“Whenever you feel a thought come to your head, simply picture yourself putting it out of your mind and into a bucket.”

She tried her best to comply.

As she did this, Fu moved behind her and quickly pinched a nerve on her neck, causing the young woman to seize up for a moment before losing consciousness.

“That will help her relax.”

He carefully moved her to the cot and laid a sheet over her like a blanket.

Once it was clear that she was asleep, a turtle kwami flew out of hiding.

“So, what do we do now, Master?”

Fu took a moment to consider.

His plan was already in motion. Ladybug and Chat Noir had plenty of allies to help fight the akuma. All that needed to be done was to sit down and wait.

But as he thought about it more, he couldn’t help but think that he should go in personally. It was what he'd initially planned to do with akuma, after all. Listening to this young woman’s fears made him really see how his inaction has led to such fear and uncertainty.

For once, it was time for him to go on the offensive.

“Now we head out and find this akuma.”

“Master, you already sent out three miraculous. Let the other heroes handle this,” Wayzz insisted.

“The people of Paris should not have to become used to this. I have been far too lax with this situation. Right now, Ladybug and Chat Noir are facing their most dangerous akuma yet. For decades I have always remained passive in order to avoid making another mistake, but I have already made so many with my inaction. It's time I stop letting my actions be dictated by fear.”

“But Master, you can’t transform! Your body is too old to handle it!”

“Fear not, Wayzz. I have been exercising and restoring my vitality with the techniques of the guardians. By my estimation, I should be able to maintain the transformation without too much issue for 10 minutes,” Fu assured.

“That is not a lot of time, Master!” Wayzz pointed out.

“True, but it is better than nothing. We will head out and wait for the moment we need it. Be ready, Wayzz.”

The old guardian started heading to the door.

“But Master, what if you get captured? What if the akuma does succeed and you are unable to step in?”

Fu paused at the door.

“I know you are concerned for me. I appreciate your care. But I need to go out there. I have lived a long life, Wayzz, far longer than most humans. One day I may not be here to be the guardian.”

Wayzz felt a pang of sorrow hearing his Master talk about how he would no longer be around.

“But that’s okay. I know that when that time comes… I have two young heroes that will be ready to stand up and fight. The best thing an old man like me can do is pave the road for them.” The guardian said with certainty. He went to open the door.

“Fu…”

The old man stopped. Turning around, he saw the turtle kwami he had known for most of his life smile at him.

“I know you think of yourself as a failure of a guardian… but Su Han and the others were wrong. You are a great one. You are the most caring guardian that has ever held the title. And I will be by your side to the end.”

The old man felt his eyes well up at the sweet comment.

“Then let’s go, Partner.”

___________________________________________________________________________

The dragon heroine grabbed the confused snake hero and moved him to the closest room before closing the door.

“Okay we should be safe here,” she said as she looked over to her comrade. It was clear that Viperion was still very confused. It did not help that both his and her miraculous were beeping. They didn't have much time.

“Thanks… ummm,” Viperion started as he tried to rack his brain for a name. Part of him felt like he should know her. But his mind is blank.

“Ryuuko. You can call me Ryuuko. And you are Viperion.”

“Okay… weird name for me, but I guess it works.”

Ryuuko realized that the bubble Viperion had been put in wasn’t just to keep him frozen in place. One of the side effects must have been leaving him without any memory of who he was. Had her partner been aware of that risk when he took the bubble for her? She couldn’t know for sure. But right now, she needed to focus on the task at hand. Shehad to take charge since her partner was out of sorts.

“Okay, 'll try to explain this as quickly as possible.”

“Your real name is Luka. But when you are in your hero form, you go by Viperion.”

“Hero form...”

He looked down.

“Well, that does explain the costumes. I thought it was some sort of weird costume party.”

Ryuuko decided to ignore that.

“Okay, so I'm a hero. And you're one too?”

“Yes. We are both heroes picked by Ladybug to help her fight villains. Right now, we're fighting a bunch of them, and you got your memory wiped by one of their attacks. That’s why you are confused. Any questions?”

The boy took a moment to look himself over and then look at her. This was a lot of information to take in. Ryuuko was half expecting him to call her crazy. Which, given how bizarre the circumstances were, she wouldn’t blame him.

“Okay, I think if it was anyone else telling me this, I would have called it a load of bull. But… I don’t know why but I feel like I can trust you. You sound sincere,” Viperion responded.

“Okay great, now let's…”

“I still have a few questions.”

Ryuuko sighs.

“Look, we really don’t have much time. We need to hurry and get out there to help…”

And just before she finished the statement, both of their transformations wore off. Revealing their civilian forms.

“Oh no.” Kagami muttered in horror.

“What happened? Where am I… What am I?” The snake kwami questioned as he looked at himself.

“It appears that Sass was also impacted by the amnesia.” The dragon kwami that popped out of her necklace commented.

Luka stared wide eyed at the creature.

“Are you a snake?”

“A snake? I suppose?”

“A snake with limbs? That is very rock and roll.”

The two fistbumped. Thankfully they seemed to get along.

Longg looked at them.

“This is quite a predicament.”

“We need to hurry back in. Longg! Bring the….”

“Hold on a moment. Both Sass and I will not be able to do that yet.”

Kagami stopped.

“How come?”

“We need to refuel. The energy of transforming AND using our unique powers drains a lot out of us. We need some food to continue.”

“Food… Okay.”

The snake Kwami grabbed his stomach.

“I find myself rather famished,” he commented.

Luka looked at him.

“Let me see if I can help you out.”

The teen took off the backpack he was wearing to go through it. Thankfully there was a bag lunch in there. For some reason he felt that was important. But decided that if it could help the little guy out, he was sure it wouldn’t be a big deal.

He opened the bag lunch and pulled out a bag of apple slices. Opening it to grab a piece.

“I know snakes usually are carnivores, but how about some fruit?”

“Ooo! It smells divine!”

Luka handed the floating kwami a piece of the apple.

He takes a bite.

“Oh! It's delicious! Juicy and sweet!”

The snake quickly devours the apple piece.

As that happens, Kagami looked through her bag.

“I don’t have fruit but I do have some onigiri. It was my afternoon snack… but since this is a dire situation.”

“Rice? Yes please!” Longg exclaimed as he dive bombed right into the delicious rice ball.

“It’s Umeboshi, it’s not to everyone’s taste but It is one of my favorites.”

“It’s the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. The sour plum really brings a new dimension of flavor.”

Kagami smiled a bit at her kwami companion, happy that she could help.

The two Kwami finished their food and were ready for action.

“Okay, Sass. You need to help Luka transform.”

“Sass? Is that my name?” the snake inquired.

“So, he helps me transform into Viperman?”

“Viperion, and yes,” Kagami responded.

“All you need to do is say. Sass, Scales Slither. And to activate your special power just pull your bracelet back and say second chance. Then pull it back when you want to use it. But be sure not to use it right away,” Longg instructed.

“Okay seems easy enough. Are you okay with this?” Luka asked as he turned his attention to his snake pal.

“The floating horn snake seems fine with it so I say let’s give it a try”

Longg decided for the sake of his friendship with Sass to ignore the comment.

“Alright! Let's do this!” Kagami exclaimed as she prepared to transform.

“One last question.”

Kagami was starting to get antsy. She wanted to be back out there fighting. But she held back her annoyance, considering how he sacrificed his memories for her.

“Make it quick, we need to hurry.”

Luka scratches the back of his head.

“Are we a couple?”

If Kagami was drinking water she would have done a massive spit take. Her cheeks turned red.

“What?!”

“You know… together? You seem to know a lot about me, and I just feel this connection... like I can trust you even though I don’t remember anything. I don’t know how or why, but I feel like you matter to me.”

Kagami’s eyes went wide at the comment. It felt surprisingly bold of the musician to say. She had to admit that the statement made her heart skip a beat.

“No, we had just recently become friends.” Kagami responded.

“Oh…” Luka was saddened by the response.

“But, I have thought about the possibility it could be more than that one day," Kagami continued. "But that is something to discuss when you have your memory back. Maybe.”

The fencer felt her mind scream at her.

‘WHY DID YOU SAY THAT! Well, at least he won't remember.’

Luka smiled at that.

“Well, that must mean I must be a good guy, if I could have such a great friend like you.”

The teen prepared himself.

“Alright then! Sass! Scales Slither.”

The musician shifted into his hero form.

“Let’s go save the day.”

Kagami looked at her hero partner and smiled.

“Longg, Bring the storm.

______________________________________________________________________

“Well, that might be a problem.”

Chat Noir and Ladybug looked to see a stone giant guarding the front door of the classroom. The two had hidden just out of the goliath’s view.

“Any ideas on how to take down Mount Akuma?” Chat Noir questioned.

Ladybug looked at the giant from their hiding spot and began formulating a plan.

“Stoneheart grows bigger when he gets mad. These akuma aren’t really able to express their emotions. That means we don’t need to worry about him getting bigger. We just need to find a way to incapacitate him.”

“We could ask Mayura,” Chat Noir pointed out.

“We could ask… wait WHA…”

Chat Noir covered his partner’s mouth and ducked down.

“Shhhh! She’s right there,” Chat Noir hushed.

Ladybug removed the cat’s hand from her mouth and looked from the spot to see that her partner was right. Mayura was in the building!

“She actually showed up?” Oh, this is a lot more serious than we thought. Hawkmoth is really playing it serious with this one.”

“To the butterfly man’s credit, he really has been throwing out some tough ones.”

“I will not give our worst villain credit for anything except this headache,” Ladybug retorted with annoyance.

“So, what do we do? Mayura is in the building and she is talking with the giant.”

Ladybug felt like the situation couldn’t get worse.

“Not so fast, Feather Freak!”

Ladybug recognized that voice.

“Chloé?”

Chat Noir and Ladybug glanced to see a familiar blonde strutting down the hallway. But their expressions of shock shifted to bewilderment when they noticed what she was wearing.

“So are you and that purple fashion blunder here? Or is it just you? I am guessing it's just you. Your boss doesn’t really like to show his face unless he thinks he is sure to win. No wonder Ladybug always kicks his…” The bee themed heroine confidently quipped.

“Queen Bee. Now that is a surprise. I thought Ladybug was done giving you a miraculous.” The peacock villainess commented. She had no interest in dealing with the bee heroine at this time.

“Well, you would be surprised by a lot of things. So how about we settle this. My fist really misses your face.”

Mayura rolled her eyes.

“Fortunately for you, I don’t have the time to deal with you. Stoneheart, I am sure Masquerade would love for you to take care of this pesky bee.”

“Oh don’t think you can walk away! You and that purple cockroach are the same. Both cowards that can’t even face children.” She jeered as she walked forward.

The stone giant moved forward, allowing Mayura to walk to the door and enter.

“Too scared to face me! Typical. I'll beat your pet rock as a warm up and then your butt will meet my foot!” Queen Bee exclaimed with confidence. “Because I am a real heroine!”

Queen Bee got into a stance and prepared to trade blows with the colossus of rock.

Chat Noir looked to Ladybug.

“Did you give her a miraculous?” He whispered in surprise.

“I don’t have any additional miraculous. I thought she had been captured with the rest of the class.”

“Wait… if it wasn’t you… you don’t think…”

“Either Master Fu is in the building and saw how dire the situation was or Chloé snuck away and had a Queen Bee costume stowed away in her locker.”

The two look at each other and immediately come to the same conclusion.

“We need to save her before she gets crushed!”

______________________________________________________________________

Mayura walked into the classroom.

She managed to keep a straight face, but internally she had a lot going through her mind.

What was once a standard classroom now looked like an elaborate throne room. The amazing curtains, the high ceilings. The steps leading up to an elaborate throne. The portraits of Masquerade really brought together the utter decadence and vanity of the akuma persona. It reminds Mayura of Gabriel’s obsession with Emilie in the worst way possible.

Despite finding the décor off-putting, she had to admit it was impressive how Masquerade had been able to change the room into something completely unrecognizable. A testament to her vanity.

She took a moment to see what akuma servants she still had in the room. The Gamer, Reflekta with around 12 copies, Princess Fragrance, Robostus, Zombizou and Horificator. While the white masks obscured their expressions, it was clear that all of them were watching her. It greatly unnerved her.

She kept these thoughts to herself as the masked akuma that was running the school took notice of her.

“Mayura. I've been expecting you.”

Mayura looked up to see Masquerade sitting on the throne.

“Please, come in.”

She approached confidently. Though in the back of her mind something seemed off.

Masquerade stood up from the throne and walked down the steps, a smile of certainty on her face.

“Masquerade. Your Sentimonster gave me the basics of your plan. Securing the school as your base of operations was a good first step. Your plan of creating a video to lower the spirits of those in Paris was also a nice touch,” Mayura praised.

“But of course! My plan is flawless,” Masquerade boasted. “Not even Ladybug and Chat Noir will be able to stop me.”

“Getting ahead of yourself aren’t you?” Mayura cut her ego trip.

Masquerade’s mood soured as her smile faltered.

“What do you mean by that?”

“You have yet to face the two heroes. Not to mention there's a pesky bee flying around.”

“A bee?” Masquerade was very confused by the comment.

“Yes, Chloé Bourgeois, or Queen Bee, to be precise. Seems that Ladybug and Chat Noir went and got back up."

“It doesn’t matter if they have one additional hero or three. This plan won't fail.”

‘Something isn’t right here. I need to leave now!’ Mayura’s mind screamed.

She wasn’t sure why, but something felt incredibly off.

“Speaking of heroes, your plan never really specified how you will deal with them. Care to elaborate?”

Masquerade’s smile grew more sinister.

“I am glad you asked. After Simularé relayed to me that you were here. I finally figured out the perfect way of dealing with those arrogant heroes,” the masked woman stated with certainty, moving forward.

She now stood only a few feet from the peacock villainess.

“Wait a moment, something is wrong here,” Mayura commented as she tried to focus. She couldn’t ignore the warnings in her head.

“What do you mean?” The mask akuma looked with confusion at the blue villainess.

Mayura looked around. Frantically trying to find something but it was fruitless. This distress caused Masquerade to smile.

“I can't sense it,” Mayura spoke with slight worry.

“Sense what?” Masquerade inquired further.

“Where is your amok? It should be on your person but I can't sense it.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Yes. If you don’t have the amok in your possession then that sentimonster will go out of control!” Mayura explained.

“Can’t you just rip the amok out?”

“If it's nearby and I sense it, yes. But I can’t do that if it’s out of my range.”

“So you’re saying you have no power over me right now.” A devilish grin appeared on Masquerade’s face.

“No, I am saying I don’t have any power over the senti…”

Mayura felt a chill as she realized that the masquerade in front of her was not an akumatized Lila.

“Horrificator, block the door,” the Faux Masquerade commanded.

The pink and purple monster quickly moved to block the door with her large form.

The controlled akuma started circling around her as Simularé undid the illusion and morphed into its true specter form, Simularé.

“You ungrateful little monster. You think your master will be okay with you attacking one of the ones that gave her power?”

“My master doesn’t care about you or Hawkmoth. You are a means to an end. And she gave me special permission to take your miraculous from you.”

“Well if your master isn’t here, then no one is jamming the signal. I can contact Hawkmoth and put this little coup to an end.”

Simularé shifted into Lady Wifi.

“I have access to every power my master does. You are trapped with no options.” The sentimonster mocked.

Mayura looked around as she was circled by the controlled akuma. She needed to get out of there.

She felt a pain rush to her head.

‘F*** not now’ She mentally cursed.

The odds were indeed not in her favor.

______________________________________________________________________________

Stoneheart began charging at the bee themed heroine, and just as Queen Bee was about to move, a yo-yo wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from the monster.

The stone giant had expected his charge to make contact but forced himself to stop when he noticed the bee was gone.

“Sorry tiny, but I’m your playmate now,” called a cat-themed hero.

The mindless akuma didn’t visibly react to the change in foe and simply charged at the cat hero.

Queen Bee found herself near Ladybug.

“Chloé! What are you doing?!”

“Uh… Saving the day? I got the jewelry box that you sent out because you needed my help.”

“Jewelry box… wait a minute that means. You are wearing a miraculous.”

“Yep! Don’t worry LB, I will show you that I am worthy of being Queen Bee. And not to boast, but I totally saved someone. But right now, we gotta go beat that ugly pile of rubble.”

Ladybug looked at Chloé for a moment. With the situation as hectic as it was, Queen Bee has shown some competence when there is real danger. Ladybug knew that right now, all hands that could help would be appreciated, and Queen Bee’s appearance could mean that Fu may be closer than she expected. So maybe there were more reinforcements. So if this was the case. She would trust Fu’s judgement.

“Alright, just be ready to return the bee after all of this is over.”

“Right, right, but just know I will probably change your mind about that after this is over!” the bee exclaimed confidently as she jumped back into the fray.

Ladybug shook her head. Whether she was Queen Bee or Chloé, she was still a handful.

“Are you finished gossiping? Because I could REALLY use a hand!” Chat Noir shouted as he held his staff up to hold back the rock monster’s boulder of a fist.

Queen Bee and Ladybug jumped into view and noticed the situation.

“Don’t worry you stray cat, The Queen Bee will put that rock in his place. Ve…”

Ladybug covered Queen Bee’s mouth before she could.

“Hold it. We might need your power for later.”

“I think it would be useful now!” Chat Noir shouted as he struggled to hold the weight of the giant’s rocky hand.

“Okay if my powers are a no no right now, what is the plan?”

Ladybug looked around. She found her attention drawn to a fire extinguisher, Queen Bee, a rubber band, and a discarded backpack.

“Okay, I have a plan.”

______________________________________________________________________

Gabriel had made a decision.

He hurried out of the lair in his civilian form. He was going to head to the school. Now he would just need to get his chauffeur and go…

Gabriel’s eyes went wide as he saw his son’s bodyguard and chauffeur fall to the floor at the steps of the main entrance, a white mask adorning his face that he was desperately trying to get off.

“What is the meaning of this?” Gabriel asked aloud in shock and anger.

He looked to see the mask akuma he created standing at the door.

“Well, if it isn’t Gabriel Agreste. Fashion mogul, and master manipulator.”

Gabriel’s visible anger faded as he stared at the akuma.

“Lila, is that you?”

“Oh quite astute! An amazing deduction. Was it that observational skill that made you the fashion success you are now?” the akumatized Lila inquired. “Though I go by Masquerade now.”

Gabriel knew very well the girl’s powers. He was the one that gave it to her. She was trying to antagonize him, get him angry. But that would not work.

“Well Masquerade, what brings you to my home at this time?” Gabriel asked calmly. Doing his best to keep his tone and mannerisms calm.

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood, finding more people to join my little army and I notice my charm glowing as I was getting near.”

Gabriel’s eyes went wide as he realized something. The charm bracelet was configured to locate anyone that has ever been akumatized. That included him. His ploy to ward suspicion off of himself was now biting him in the butt. And of course, Lila was likely holding a grudge with how he pushed her with his words about his son and his classmate.

“My bodyguard was akumatized. What of it?”

The silent action figure enthusiast stopped resisting and his body began growing. Gabriel noticed the man was transforming into the gorilla akuma. Gorizilla! And he rushed up the steps as the akuma moved and pounded his chest.

“Gorizilla, go gather up anyone who has been akumatized that you know of. I will handle Mr. Agreste myself.”

The giant akuma nodded at its master and headed off, leaving the agreste mansion with a giant hole that was once the front of the mansion.

“Handle me? And what do you plan to do?”

Masquerade’s necklace began to glow.

“Oh! Well that is very interesting,” Masquerade mused aloud as she learned from the glowing charm.

“What do you mean, interesting?” Gabriel asked. He knew that the charm had the bonus effect of pointing out the emotional weak points of those that had been akumatized. But he had PRETENDED to be angry and wasn’t actually emotional when the akuma took over. Did the charm still impact him the same way it did everyone else?

Masquerade started walking up the steps.

“You blame yourself for your wife’s passing.”

The statement was a blade pointed right at his throat. But Gabriel refused to react. He would not let himself be taken advantage of by his own akuma. He has been on the receiving end one too many times and he would be damned if he let that psychopath have control of him.

Masquerade saw that Gabriel was not reacting to the statement.

“I have never seen a man more miserable and pathetic,” Masquerade said. Her words sounded genuine and cutting.

Gabriel tried to turn around and walk away. But Masquerade jumped high with her superhuman agility and landed right in front of him, continuing her tearing down of his emotional state.

“All of this wealth and yet you are obsessed with what you don’t have. You are so blinded by the grief of losing your wife that everything else in your life may as well not exist. You locked yourself away, desperately trying to find something, anything that would bring her back. But now you are finding that color is starting to return in your life. You feel guilt over hiding the truth from your son, you loathe the attraction that you have been developing for another woman. You hate that you can’t dedicate every second to your lost wife and any speck of joy you feel without her here feels like treason since she is not here with you. You are a man so blind with his obsession that you fail to see the world doesn’t revolve around you. It's disgusting.”

“You know nothing of my life,” Gabriel dismissed.

But Masquerade knew he would say that. She only smiled. The truth was right in front of her. And she was ready to bring it home.

“You are actually terrified of facing her again.”

That shook Gabriel.

“What?”

“You are afraid of seeing her again. Whether it’s a year or 10 years, you feel that even if you could bring her back, she would be here and realize how much of a shell you had become without her. You are afraid that your obsession with her will be the very thing that drives her away once you see her again.”

“That isn’t true.”

“Then why haven’t you brought her back yet? Don’t you love her?”

Gabriel felt like his heart was being repeatedly punched.

“How dare you question my love for my wife!”

“Then why isn’t she here? If you loved her she wouldn’t have been taken from you and Adrien. But you were far too pathetic to do it. You failed her, and you are still failing her. You will never be with her again, and deep down. You know it to be true,” Masquerade answered coldly.

Those words were enough to get him down. That is what finally did him in.

Gabriel fell to his knees.

“No…”

Gabriel had broken. Masquerade knew she had him.

He was emotionally devastated, to the point where couldn’t even react to the mask coming his way.

____________________________________________________________

Well now things are now hitting their highest points of drama!

Will Ladybug and other heroes be able to stand up to Masquerade?

Will Mayura fall to Simularé's double cross?

Will I EVER update in time?

Tell me your thoughts on the chapter. Your support keeps it alive

[lin-nin]

Tribulation & Tenderness - Chapter 14

Ship: Main Technoblade x Reader, some Dream x Reader Plot: You're a princess in a Kingdom suffering a years long famine. In a     desperate attempt to help your people, you accept one simple offer: Marriage to the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom. Anything to help your people survive. Surely it can't be too bad, can it? Chapter List: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Disclaimer:   Cross-posted on Wattpad (discontinued) and Ao3. This is based off of everyone's CHARACTERS. I do not write fanfic based off the actual people.

--

Chapter 14: From Home to Home

< | Previous Chapter

After Techno had left you in your room, you managed to strip out of your wedding dress. You were almost reluctant to have done more than lay down and sleep but you knew you needed to do more. You cleaned up, and then when you did finally manage to lay down, you gave into unconsciousness easily.

  When you were younger you always thought your world would change when you got married. That you would spend every morning waking up to the person you loved. Yet your first morning after being married, you woke to your own bed with no one else to yourself. Not that you minded entirely, it just was never what you imagined. You would go to breakfast, train with the boys, hide out in the library, or spend time with Dream or George. It was nearly identical to life beforehand.

  This routine went on for the next few days. You even expressed to Techno himself concerns about it. About how people would perceive the pair of you for not sharing a room, or spending less time together. He had simply ruffled your hair, despite your own protests, assuring you it was fine. That so long as you were comfortable with the way it was now, that it didn’t matter what everyone else thought. He didn’t really seem interested in the thoughts of others.

  Something about it didn’t settle well with you.

  You were raised making sure your public appearance was favorable. You had expectations. That felt almost nonexistent here. That stress of your public appearance, paired with the looming sadness that you weren’t married to someone you loved- just a prince you married to save Kinoko from starvation- made your days sluggish. You knew it showed on your face. In your actions. In the way you lagged behind in your training.

  It was the third time in maybe ten minutes you had landed onto your back, the clouds above rolling across the sky. You huffed, pushing yourself into a sitting position. You looked towards Techno, the frustrated set of his jaw. Philza had set a hand on his shoulder, saying something low enough you couldn’t hear. It caused your husband to glance at you for a moment, before sighing and nodding. Before you could question it, Philza was offering a hand out to help you up.

  “Walk with me, Dandelion,” he prompted. You took his hand and let him pull you to your feet, throwing a curious glance towards Techno. He just nodded, turning to motion towards one of his brothers instead. You scurried after Philza, waiting for him to talk. “What’s been bothering you?”

  He was leading you towards the garden, and something about it was so familiar you couldn’t help but feel at ease. Even though these weren’t the gardens of Kinoko, you still felt at ease. “Philza, are you married?” You spoke after a few moments of sifting through your thoughts. It was so hard to pick out where to begin with everything. You looked to him, watching as his face softened and a smile came to his face.

  “I am. She’s attending to her family right now. Why?” Even a fool could see the absolute affection in his eyes at just the brief mention of his wife. Something about it was heartwarming.

  “Was the beginning of your marriage… complicated?” It wasn’t quite the right word, you supposed. Not what you wanted, but you couldn’t think of the word you did want. What word would even describe such a situation? A soft laugh came from beside you, a kind smile pointed at you. At least it seemed he wasn’t making fun of you.

  “A little. We had been betrothed much longer than you and Technoblade- since we were young. We had a long while to get to know each other and have the chance to fall in love. I wasn’t rushed into marriage. It wasn’t everything I had expected it to be, though. What’s bothering you about it?” You listened intently as he spoke. He was lucky, then. So was his wife, it seemed. You couldn’t help but wonder if she was as in love with Philza as he seemed to be.

  “My mother always told me what a husband typically expects of a wife- I worry that I am disappointing Technoblade despite his words. Worse, I worry about the view our people would have on us.” Of me, your mind softly supplied. Unwelcome, and you resisted the urge to grimace at this.

  Philza, however, chuckled beside you. “Techno doesn’t say things to make people feel better, if he was disappointed you would know. I think the only disappointment he finds from you now is from you being inattentive. Don’t fret, little dandelion. It will work out in time. You have only been married for a handful of days.” The words soothed you. You couldn’t help but wonder if that was just the effect Philza had. If it was just what he did.

  It gave you relief, though. The stress dying down to a mere worry. Nothing more. For now, at least. “Thank you,” you said with a smile. It was a smile returned to you, and you felt comfort again. You often did in Praelicentiam. You, for the moment, felt as if there was nothing to worry about. You had been married to a crown prince- a good one, from what you were able to tell- in a flourishing kingdom and helped your own in the process. It almost felt as if there was nothing better. The peace was something you would relish in. It was wholly different from that of the peace Kinoko knew.

  ------

Dream's POV

  He paced in the storage room, fingers curling into fists before relaxing. He was frustrated. Their stay in Praelicentiam could only last for so long. They had just a few days before they would inevitably return to Kinoko. He had hoped Sapnap to make a move the night they arrived, yet nearly a week had passed and there had yet to be anything. Which is why he now stood in the spare room he had found, impatiently waiting for the other man.

  The door creaked to announce his arrival, dim light briefly shining into the otherwise dark room. Dream didn't wait, instead whirling to stare at Sapnap with a scowl. "Why haven't you done anything yet?" His voice was rough, but kept low. He didn't want to be overheard. Not now, at least.

  "These things take time Dream. She's not exactly easy to get to. Besides, she hasn't even been in Technoblade's room. What am I supposed to do with that? That's where I was planning to make the move," The shorter man hissed back. He could barely make out his narrowed eyes in the darkness.

  "I'm not paying you to sit on your ass. I'm paying you to get her back to Kinoko- back to me- where she actually belongs. Not in a kingdom filled with brutes who are turning her into a monster." He had seen the look in her eyes when the discussion of her sparring was brought up. He hadn't missed the pretty flush on her cheeks when Technoblade would best her, or when she came in exhausted and covered in dust. A look that didn't befit her.

  Sapnap had mumbled something that he hadn't caught. Dream narrowed his eyes down at him. "What?" he snarled, resisting the urge to reach out and grab him by the collar.

  "I said, she seems perfectly happy here. I'm only doing this because of how much you're paying me. You're lucky." Sapnap tilted his head as he spoke. Sapnap was prideful, but not one to turn down coin for a job. As one would often expect from a family of mercanaries.

  "Well you better hurry up, because my patience is starting to wear. We leave in only a few days."

  Beyond the door, he could hear her laughter. A bright sound, followed by the laughter that he recognized as that of the King's brother. More of a father to the princes than their true father, he had noticed.

  "She sounds lovely, Philza. I cannot wait to meet her. Tell Kristin I say hello- even if she doesn't know me proper yet- and that I look forward to her return next time you write."

  "Of course, Dandelion. She'll be excited to meet you. Another woman among the royals, she'll be so pleased." A hush had fallen over the room. Dream waited with bated breath while their voices faded. Only then did he turn back to Sapnap.

  "The longer you take, the less I pay. She is already getting too comfortable here." With those final words, he marched towards the door and out of the room.

[stephreynaart]

Gravity Falls - “Waiting”

Pop-Pop AU

Stan sits in a hospital waiting room, thinking about his life and the people he loves.

- - - -

This is kinda old, but I realized I never posted it on tumblr. Hope ya like it!

Lots of fluff, the only ships are Soos and Melody.

AO3 LINK

- - - -

It had a square aspect ratio. Ink pen and watercolor on white heat pressed cotton paper in a bland white frame. One single blue flower in a red vase with what looks like a yellowish shadow. One shadow going left, the other going right. The lack of confidence and inexperience was obvious, the lines were unfocused and jagged, the color plainly filled the shapes and gave no other visual interest to the image.

Below the frame was a small white card that read “Painting donated by Jessica Blaise from Gravity Falls Elementary School”

Stan scanned the painting at least 20 times while sitting in that chair. The too rough and too soft at the same time chair that had similar copies populating the almost white room he sat in. The wallpaper bouncing off light pinks and blues with tiny ducklings as a makeshift wainscoting was starting to irritate the old man. It was too bright, and the consistent buzz of the fluorescent lights seemed so loud. Stan adjusted himself in his chair, switching his crossed legs to a wider spread and leaned his head against the wall.

The only other stimulus in the room were a few posters promoting proper hand washing techniques, the play area with a small table and chairs with large blocks, crayons and that weird “game” with the metal wiring and wooden beads that’s in every waiting room Stan’s ever sat in. He played with the toys to give himself something to do after he read all the magazines. The novelty wore off fast.

The television mounted on the wall was airing some cooking channel with no sound and no subtitles. Looking at food when you haven’t eaten in a few hours was practically torture, so Stan had been averting his eyes.

There were other paintings on the wall, one was less of a painting, but instead a print of a painting. He doubted that the artist got any compensation from it, if they were still alive. The other was a charcoal drawing done by a student from the community college a town away. Another square, but the entire image was black, the brightest thing on the page was an intruding infant hand coming from the left with the arm fading into the dark background. The fingers seemingly mid-twitch and grabbing at something. The lighting was dynamic and interesting. Stan swore it was a drawing of a penis the first time he glanced at it, which resulted in his brother’s laughter. Stanley smiled at the memory, it was only a few hours ago, but he relishes any time he can make Stanford laugh.

Stan’s eyes darted at the door in the far corner when it opened suddenly. He eased back into his chair when the nurse crossed the room to talk with the receptionist. He couldn’t hear the conversation very well, but could tell they were just gossiping and making jokes. Nothing that was of his interest. So he looked back to the elementary school child’s painting and analyzed it again. His eyes were dry and he was tired. He wished he could sleep, the chair wasn’t comfortable enough and when he did managed to sleep, his neck was sore when he woke up. He was only lucky Ford let him use his shoulder as a pillow for a while. He looked to his left and noted the book his brother placed in the seat. It seemed thick and in what looked like Hebrew. Stan wasn’t very surprised Ford was fluent in the language they were acquainted with as children. Their grandparents on their father’s side were the last to be fully fluent in Hebrew. It was like his brother to be curious of their heritage, but Stan only remembered a few phrases and words he learned from holidays and special event when he had to recite anything in Temple.

Stan crossed his arms and glanced at the clock on the wall and let out an exasperated sigh. It had only been 10 minutes since he last checked the time. He wanted to be at home, be in his soft warm bed and getting ready to eat pancakes at this time in the morning.

He and Ford were on the porch of The Mystery Shack when Soos rushed them off to the hospital the yesterday afternoon. What he originally thought would be a couple of hours of waiting turned into almost twelve. Apparently labour can last a long time.

Stan wished he could be a witness for Soos and Melody like he was when Dipper and Mabel were born, but Melody wanted her privacy, which Stan could respect, but Soos wanted him there…..so he and Ford waited in this bright, annoyingly pastel waiting room, twiddling his thumbs awaiting the arrival of the new member of the mystery family. He was glad he was in at least comfortable clothes, some gray sweatpants and a sweater Mabel knitted for him that read “godfather”.

He was never clear on what the title entailed, but it was mentioned a few times by Soos’ grandmother and the kids insisted that Soos was intending to ask him. He hadn’t, but he didn’t protest Stan wearing the sweater. Whatever job godfathers had, he was willing to play the part if Soos were to ask him.

Stan looked at the double doors a few feet away that lead out of the waiting room and into the halls. His brother left to find something for them to eat, but was taking his sweet time. The turkey being basted on the television was no help in aiding his growling stomach.

He distracted himself by returning his thoughts to Soos and Melody. Just down the hall they were experiencing the strange and beautiful phenomenon that was witnessing the arrival of a brand new person. Stan remembered the feeling so clearly. His entire life he’s felt the presence of human beings. It’s inherent in most people to feel when someone is in the room with you, the other soul sharing the same space as you. Imagine being in a room with a set amount of people and someone else comes in, but imagine they came in without using a doorway. Just appearing seemingly out of thin air. Suddenly another person is with you, and they’re brand new to the world, a life full of potential and power. Yes, today is indeed a happy day, but no amount of positive thinking would ease Stan’s nerves. His foot began to bounce and his hands unconsciously began to fiddle with each other. He didn’t want to think anything would go wrong with Soos’ baby, but anything can happen and life is so fragile, especially at the start of it.

He recalled his nephew’s nervousness the day Dipper and Mabel were born. His hands were shaking and he was constantly checking on his wife and asking the doctors loads of questions. He didn’t fully understand the twins’ father’s behavior until the end of that day.

Mabel’s birth was swift and easy. Her mother only needed to push one and a half times before she was here. It was as if she was eager to meet everyone waiting for her. She cried like most babies do, but Stan could’ve sworn they were tears of joy. While Mabel was greeted with, “hello, beautiful”, “hi, sweetie” and “she’s perfect”, Her brother’s introduction to world started with, “what’s wrong?”, “wait, let me hold him”, and “he’s not moving”. Dipper was rushed out of the room before his mother got a chance to look at him. Stan managed to catch a glimpse of the horrifyingly blue tint on his great nephew’s tiny face. The memory still gave him chills. He remembered how much he wanted to hold Mabel, who began to fuss and cry, obviously missing her brother. He was terrified at the prospect of another incomplete set of twins in their family. After the longest 30 minute of his life, Stan’s great-nephew returned with a bright pink face, wailing with all the power his little lungs could produce. Once the twins were reunited in their mother’s arms, they settled down almost instantly. The doctors told their parents Dipper was significantly lighter in weight than his sister, but both were very strong and healthy. Every so often Stan thinks about Dipper and how much he has impacted his life. His thoughts lead to darker places and he questions if Ford would be here if Dipper wasn’t there to find the third journal. He shook his head as a cold shiver went up his spine.

Stan did his best to distract himself from revisiting the scare that Dipper caused him 16 years ago.

16 years…..17 in August

Stan blinked. The squishy, bright faces that stayed with him that first summer had changed significantly. They stayed in contact all year round and visited every summer since they were 12. But every in-person meeting was always a shock. Dipper was developing the square jaw Stan, both his brothers and nephew shared. He started to regularly wear glasses their second summer with the Stans. Poor kid will grow up looking like Filbrick like the rest of the Pines men. He reminded Stan of Ford at that age.

And Mabel…..

Stan will never get over how much she looks like his mother. It didn’t strike him until Soos and Melody’s wedding and she put her hair in a bun. She’s calmed her hyperactivity down a bit, but not by a lot, she still brightens his day with her wit and creativity. They’ve both matured physically, but not much has changed personality wise and they still acted like big children when they’re around each other. Stan loved them very much, and wished he could see them more often. He wondered what the future held for all of them. Would they still visit town after going to college? Would they move here? Or somewhere else?

He’s had several conversations with them to see how they’re managing the prospect of separating. They’re much better at communicating than he and Ford were and they seem actually excited to have some independence. It made Stan nervous, but he was sure their close relationship wouldn’t suffer.

Wendy chose to be elsewhere for the next few years. She and her friends booked a plane ticket and plan to backpack and hitchhike around Europe and the UK. Stan hopes they stay safe and watch out for each other. Lotta weirdos in Amsterdam. She was set to leave in the coming days, Wendy wanted to wait until today arrived so she could meet Soos and Melody’s kid before going away for who knows how long.

A tap on the shoulder woke Stan from his deep thoughts. His brother arrived with some warm sub sandwiches and coffee.

“Any word yet?, he asked Stan

“Nothin’ yet”, Stan felt helpless not having any clue how Soos and Melody were doing.

Stanford took his seat next to Stanley and they both silently enjoyed their late breakfast. Since arriving they’ve witnessed families reuniting and going past the door in the far corner to meet their children, grandchildren or siblings. Stan looked at the clock again. How has it only been another 5 minutes? He sighed, leaned back and finished the rest of his sub. One hand holding the sandwich, the other went back to gripping the arm rest, then a six fingered hand went down to rest on top of it. Stan let go of the armrest and tangled his fingers between Ford’s and held onto it with a, hopefully not too tight, grip. It was like an anchor to reality, much better at easing his anxieties than any words could. Over the past 4 years, Stan and Ford’s bond grew stronger. Stan still feared one day he would wake up and find himself still in that basement surrounded by broken machinery and languages he didn’t understand. He hasn’t yet, and was enjoying the time he had left with his twin. Stan took a moment to look at his brother again, Ford made eye contact and smiled then continued to read his book. Hands still intertwined

Stans thoughts went back to Soos…

It amazed Stan how much he had grown and it still baffled him that Soos idolized him as much as he does. Before Soos, Stan had no one. His brother was….gone, the rest of the family didn’t talk to him much outside of the holidays and special occasion. There hadn’t been any sense of consistency in Stan’s life for years, decades even, until he hired the chubby little kid he barely glanced at one random Saturday. Soos always arrived to work early, sometimes with breakfast for both of them. Stan didn’t know how much he needed a reliable companion until he had it and he enjoyed the 10 years he had with that kid… or man he should say. Here he was…a few rooms away, becoming a father.

Stan used to daydream a lot about the prospect of having kids when he was younger. He’s was always good with them when he had the chance to babysit his nephew, then later Dipper and Mabel when they were toddlers. He loved having kids in his house that first summer. He loved the energy and the sense of adventure the twins brought. They gave him a sense of purpose and belonging he hadn’t felt in years. He wished he was brave enough to have his own children. Not that he was ever with anyone long enough to want to have kids with him. He supposed it was for the best that he didn’t subject a child to homelessness or an unhappy marriage. He was also terrified at the idea. His dad used to say having kids ruined his life. He wondered who his father was before his older brother was born. Did they really ruin his life? Stan often wondered if he would be like his own dad if he has children of his own. Would he change and become that annoyed parent that resenting his children?

He thought about Soos again

That was probably the closest to parenthood he ever experienced. The first time he felt like one was when Soos asked him for homework help after closing. He initially told Soos no, he wasn’t exactly smart and didn’t think he would be any help. It apparently upset the kid, so Stan sighed and gave it a try. It was fairly simple middle school math, he didn’t remember everything, but helped Soos do more than half of it. Soos thanked him and went home happy. Stan felt weirdly proud, he was glad he made a small difference and managed to teach Soos something he didn’t even know he knew.

The second time was when Soos was a teenager. His grandmother wasn’t able to teach Soos to drive, since she had forgotten how and her late husband used to do the driving, she mostly walked everywhere. Soos offered to work for free so Stan could teach him. Stan loved driving and found teaching Soos cathartic. He was a fast and eager learner, he only bumped Stan’s car once while trying to figure out parallel parking. Little did Soos know that he was getting paid for his normal work hours. Stan just put it away long enough to help buy the kid some old used truck in the junkyard for getting his license. They fixed the truck up and in only a few weeks it was ready to be on the road. Soos has taken good care of it and it’s still his ride to this day

Stan was very proud of Soos. He taught the kid some basic self defense and managed to be a decent influence in his life. Soos at least has his priorities straight.

Stan was even glad to see that Soos was willing to question him. When the portal was reaching the final countdown, he didn’t hesitate to protect the kids from him when he thought Stan was dangerous. He didn’t know, none of them did, so he didn’t blame Soos for distrusting him. He hoped he never had to betray him again. They both had crappy dads, and Stan knew how Soos saw him. Stan was never really sure if he reciprocated those feelings. It felt natural to act the part, but to put a label as important as “dad” on Stan was daunting. Soos definitely deserves better than what he was given, Stan wasn’t sure if he was it.

Stan looked up at the familiar voices running towards him from the double doors.

“Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!” Mabel waved to them

The two teenagers and Wendy walked in holding a balloon and various toys. They took some seats across from the Stans and asked how everyone was doing and if the baby arrived yet.

“Not yet, hopefully soon” Ford answered

Stan relaxed and silently enjoyed his family’s company. He laid his head back and leaned slightly on Ford to rest for a minute. His eyes shut as he listened to the kids joke around and talk amongst themselves. He squeezed Ford’s hand one more time before drifting off.

He knew he should’ve tried sleeping earlier, he wasn’t out for more than 15 minutes when Soos came into the waiting room. Stan’s eyes shot open and he was on his feet faster than he did when he was being chased by angry costumers as a door to door salesman. Soos’ red eyes sagged and he seemed exhausted, but carried a proud, wide smile across his face. He sniffed and wiped his eyes.

“It’s a boy”, he squeaked, “mom and baby are okay”

Dipper and Mabel were first to start the hugs, and the room filled with cheers of congratulations and love. Stan felt light as a feather giving Soos a hug and joking about child labor.

“Can we see him?”, Mabel bounced with anticipation

“Yeah, dudes!”, Soos gestured everyone past the corner door and into the suite. “But only for a little while, Melody has to sleep”

The room was small, dimly lit and warm. The Pines crew collectively lowered their voices as Melody came into view on the bedding holding a bundle of blankets decorated with small yellow ducklings. She was leaned back on a large pillow, covered in blankets and toted a soft smile on her face. Soos stroked her hair and picked up his little son to show to the Pines’. The younger twins got a look at him first,

Mabel squealed and cooed at the tiny infant. Then Wendy, who said hi to the baby and told Soos she’d make sure to send him gifts while she was away

“What’s his name?”, Mabel asked Melody

“I named him after my dad”, Melody replied, “Jacob”. She smiled sadly at the memory of the father she lost the year before.

Soos approached the Stans, Ford smiled and complimented the couple on a having such beautiful little boy, but shot Soos a look, who silently replied with another one. Something was up.

Finally Stan got a look at baby Jacob. “Wow” Stan smiled, patting Soos’ arm. “He looks exactly like you”

Soos laughed, “really? I think he looks like Melody”, there was a short silence before Soos spoke up again.

“Do you want to hold him, Mr Pines?”

Stan looked at Soos and smiled, “heh, sure”. He held his arms out. Soos lowered his arms to pass the baby to Stan, who scrunched his face up and started to fuss. Stan took the infant and managed to hold him with one arm. He bounced and shushed little Jacob until he calmed down. “Heya kid”, He’s held babies dozens of times, but something felt different about this one. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but Stan felt an almost magnetic pull towards him. Jacob settled comfortably against Stan and continued his rest. Stan softly beamed at the tiny person in his arms.

“Hey, Stan?”

Stan lifted an eyebrow and looked at Soos, who was fidgeting with his hands and nervously smiling.

“Uh..”, he paused, taking in the sight of Stan holding his child. “You know about my dad”, Soos looked at Ford again, who shrugged and nodded. Stan studied Ford’s face, who’s eyes strayed away as he hid a small smile. Soos got his attention again.

“You uh…he wasn’t…”, Soos choked up, his voice strained a bit, “I met you when I was probably the loneliest I ever was in my entire life”. Stan pictured the little boy he hired on the spot, he didn’t remember him until Soos showed up at his door step the next day ready to work. He didn’t know how much that quick, thoughtless decision would change his life.

Soos perked up and walked across the room to a table and picked up the piece of paper sitting on it. Soos glanced at it, then at Stan and smiled, gaining some emotional strength it seemed.

“You mean a lot me”, Soos, “you were there when I really needed it, you gave me a job, taught me just about everything I know. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that”

Stan got a bit nervous, Was this him asking to be the godfather?Everyone was silent and curiously watching. Soos held his hand out and handed the paper to Stan. He adjusted his arm to properly hold Jacob in his arm and took it. Stan flipped the page and noticed it was the baby’s birth certificate. Stan eyes bounced off the page and read the various information: birthdate, weight, parents, but he froze when he read the full name. Stan’s wide eyes questioningly studied Soos’ face.

“Are you…”, Stan felt his own throat tightening, crap. Come on, not in front of everyone “really?”, he asked. Soos gave a genuine nod and sniffed.

“I uh” Soos cleared his throat, “I was wondering, since Jacob doesn’t have one…if you wanted to be…. his grandpa?

There it was

Stan felt dizzy and took a small step back before remembering who was in his hands and regained his balance. Ford came to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Stan decide not to look at his brother and chose to stare forward, then his eyes went back to Soos, who look deflated. Oh man. Stan was terrified, he didn’t want to say no and hurt Soos, but if he said yes….he wasn’t sure what made him so nervous. The entire concept sounded so alien to him, like he didn’t deserve the title. He always considered Soos, Melody and their son a part of his family. But to bare a title like “grandpa”, had to mean he had children that that children. That he was already a parent without his knowledge. It all felt so natural to want to lean into this and become part of this family like Soos wanted.

He heard something make a noise from beneath himself. Stan looked down at little Jacob, who was mid yawn. The baby’s mouth grew wide opens and inhaled, scrunching up his face and suddenly shut. Suddenly two tiny eyes opened for just a few seconds, enough time for Stan to make eye contact before Jacob shut them and got comfortable again

Everything was different now.

Stan didn’t notice how quiet the room had gotten nor the tears forming in his eyes. Stunned by beauty and overcome with pride and a sense of purpose. The pride he felt teaching Soos math, how to drive and attending his graduation all combined just looking at the perfect being in his arms. If he said yes, he would want everything that came with it. Stan lifted the birth certificate up to read the name again.

Jacob Stanley Ramirez

“Y-Yes”, he heard a shaken voice say, almost not realizing it was his own “of course”. He looked at Soos, tears in his eyes and a bright smile on his face. He still wasn’t sure if he deserved this, but Stan wanted it. He wanted it all. Why not indulge just this once? He gave the certificate to Ford and used his now free hand to pull Soos into a hug. Gently sandwiching his…..grandson in between him……and his son.

[iloveaustinbutlerlol]

The Unmistake - Part Eight

(Little bit of an emo Austin in here tonight guys. Will be posting as often as I can. Should have another part out by tomorrow, fingers crossed! Also like I said, now posted on ao3 if you prefer, under the same username.)

After wandering around for a while and looking at all the incredible decorations Baz had furnished the place with, Austin shouted “Let’s get a drink, babe.” He led me over to the crowded bar area. The flashing lights were headache inducing and the music was too loud to hear each other. Everyone looked tipsy and happy as they were dancing. God knows how many people were here, the huge warehouse was packed. Austin handed me a glass of lemonade and took his drink from the barman, nodding gratefully as he did. When we turned back around to face the crowd, Austin began shouting and pointed to a girl dancing freely. “Olivia! Olivia!” His attempts were futile over the raging music.

When we reached this girl, Austin tapped her shoulder lightly and she paused her dancing to face him. She threw her hands up delightedly and embraced him tightly. Austin kissed her cheek in greeting, and I tried to not stand too awkwardly.  “Austin! How have you been?” she exclaimed. “I’ve been great. And yourself?” Austin released himself from the hug. “Oh I’ve been brilliant. Nice to have a bit of time off with the family.” Austin noncommittedly nodded. He turned to me and snaked his hand round my waist. “This is Lottie.” She looked to Austin wide mouthed, “Aus! You didn’t make clear how gorgeous she was.” I smiled quietly to my feet. Austin huffed out a laugh. “Your dress is absolutely stunning as well!” Olivia continued. “Thank you,” I shouted, “Your dress is lovely too, the colour really suits you.” Olivia giggled and did a half curtsey, “Why thank you.” I laughed. Austin rubbed my hip and I turned to look at him. “Do you want to head up to the viewing deck now? It’s five to 12.” I nodded and we waved goodbye to Olivia before heading upstairs.

The deck was just a large balcony mounted on the side of the warehouse roof. A few other people came and greeted Austin and he introduced me. No one I could particularly see because of the low light of only scattered fairy lights. Austin found us a spot right at the railing to stand. “They start after 12. I think Baz said they’re setting them off at 12 but we will see.” “Where are they setting them off from?” I asked. “Oh, I think from a neighbouring warehouse roof.” He glanced to his watch again. A call from a man somewhere on the balcony, “One minute!” The music from inside was muted up there and Austin and I didn’t have to shout to hear one another. “So Lottie, what’s your new year’s wish.” I paused and dropped a hand to my stomach. “I think I got enough wishes for years with this.” Austin smiled sweetly. “And yourself?” “Well, like you said,” he covered my hand with his, “I couldn’t wish for anything more. And Lottie I just-“ “10…9” What was he going to say? Couldn’t be known now. I smally shook my head and joined in with the counting. “7…6…5” “Lottie,” he tried again.  “4…3” What could it possibly be? “2…” “I just-“ “1…Happy New Year!” I saw Austin’s mouth make the shape of words, but they were drowned out by the shout of people and the explosions of fireworks. “Happy New Year.” I said to Austin, my eyes quickly flitting to the sky. The fireworks were phenomenal; Austin was not joking when he said Baz went all out. All around us couples were kissing and cheering, pointing to the fireworks in wonder. I think fireworks are such a strange but wonderful thing. The destruction of one thing to create another, bursts of colourful flames that no matter how old you get are still mesmerizing. “Happy New Year, Lottie.” I glanced back to Austin smiling. He leaned against the railing, body positioned towards me, I shuffled to match him. “Austin?” His eyes flitted down from my eyes. He moved in closer. The fireworks intermittently lighting his face, giving me glimpses of his shocking blue eyes. “Yes?” he said leaning closer. He looked to me one last time before closing his eyes. I looked to the heavens and let him lean into me. As our faces met, I closed my eyes. I turned my cheek. He kissed my cheek gently. His eyes shot open, and I shuffled slightly away. Austin cleared his throat. “I’m gasping, think I’ll go get a drink.” The words flew out of me, and I was already on my way back into the warehouse, leaving Austin there wide eyed in the moonlight.

I practically ran into the toilets and locked myself into a cubicle. I just swerved my fucking baby daddy! Jeez. My foot tapped loudly as I raked my hands through my hair. I closed the toilet lid and sat down. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t wanted to kiss him. No, it wasn’t, I confirmed silently to myself. My eyes watered a little. If anything, I had really wanted to. I put some respect on the Lottie from two minutes before for her self-control though. If I’d known the betrayed face of his I was going to see then, I wouldn’t have been able to. I had to do it though. If I’d let him kiss me then I’d be terrified of wanting something out of him, I’d never get. I’d seen it happen. My parents married young, and I when I was a child, I saw no love as perfect as theirs. But as I grew up, seeing the flaws there, the fragile pieces, it wasn’t like I had thought. And they were stuck together because of me and my brothers. Not unhappy but not happy either. They just stayed together now it seemed for convenience. I couldn’t do that to myself or put that on Austin. I just couldn’t. It seemed too selfish.  

I rubbed my eyes harshly but disregarded the black smudge it left upon them. I walked out of the stool and faced my self in the mirror. I slightly resembled a racoon. “Oh for gods sake.” I murmured and turned on the tap. The girl at the sink next to me looked up. I caught her face in the mirror, and our eyes met. Olivia. Her once neutral expression dropped to a pout when she realized it was me standing there in the toilets, looking as though I’d just had a big cry. “What has he done?” she asked accusingly. I shook my head, “Nothing, he’s not done anything.” Her eyebrows rose disbelievingly, and she took out a makeup wipe pack from her bag. She handed one to me silently. A pause. “Okay, well. He tried to kiss me.” Olivia hummed quietly “But I swerved him.” I finished. A pause. Olivia cocked her head as she considered me. A lady entered the toilets and went into a stall. “Okay, what did you say to him after?” “Well, I didn’t say anything! I just came and hid in here.” Olivia’s eyebrows rose again. “And now he’s probably waiting out there for me immensely pissed off.” I pointed to the toilet doors. “No, no Austin won’t be pissed off. Maybe a little hurt, but not pissed off.” I sucked in a shaky breath. “Come back out with me, we can just get you a cab and you can just leave him for a couple of days to forget about it.” I nodded gratefully as I headed for the door. “Yes, great idea.” I paused for a moment to think. “Only one slight issue though.” “Oh, what is it?” Olivia asked. “Well we’re kind of living together.”

“You’re living together? Haven’t you two only known each other a couple of months? The way he talks about you all seemed very new puppy love. Like you two had only just started kind of dating.” I took a breath in. “Yeah because of the baby. But he talks about me?” Olivia’s brow furrowed then her mouth dropped. “The baby?! You’re pregnant!” My mouth formed an O shape. “Well yeah didn’t you know?” I muttered quietly. I let my hair fall in my face. “No I didn’t know! Aus sure kept that one quiet.” “Well Baz knew so I just assumed he’d told everyone,” I rambled. “Baz knew!” she exclaimed. “That little fucker, why didn’t he tell me.” I couldn’t help myself smiling slightly. She took my arm firmly, “Come on I need to tell him what I think of him!” I almost let her drag me out of the toilets before remembering. “No! We can’t go and see him, what am I supposed to do about, you know, ‘the incident’” “Well we can deal with ‘the incident’ later” She copied my action of putting ‘the incident’ in quotation marks. “Come on Lottie, you’ve got to go back and see him at some point anyway. I mean you said you live with him for god’s sakes. Can’t just hide in the toilets forever.”

                                                                                 ~~~

When we eventually spotted Austin around twenty minutes later, he was sitting at the bar slowly sipping a glass of whiskey. He looked a bit out it, hunched over the bar and looking dazedly at his surroundings. Olivia grimaced a little before approaching him. “Hi Aus.” she said. He spun around on his barstool. He looked me up and down slowly before turning back to the bar. He guzzled the last of his drink then tapped the bar for the barman to refill it, which he readily did. He took a small sip. “Olivia.” His tone was curt and slightly slurred. As he picked up his drink from the place on the bar, Olivia gently pushed his arm down, and took a seat beside him. I stood quietly behind the two. I suppose Olivia was wrong about him not being pissed off.

“You didn’t tell me you and Lottie were having a baby.” she said gently. Austin picked up his drink again and took a large gulp. Olivia bit her lip. “Well,” he paused, “we are.” “That’s wonderful news I’m so happy for you.” she said. Austin hummed and took another gulp. A long awkward pause. Austin glanced behind his shoulder to me for just a second, then sighed. Olivia waited a moment for him to say something, but when he didn’t said, “Well if she’s a pregnant lady, don’t you think you should get her home before everyone gets too drunk?” Olivia was talking slightly as she may to a child, but Austin didn’t seem to notice. “Home? No, she wouldn’t want that. She doesn’t want me there. She doesn’t like me, I can tell.” I inhaled deeply and held my breathe. “Aus, that’s not true and you know it.” Olivia sighed. Austin drained his cup and tapped the bar for another refill. He turned fully to face Olivia and cocked his head. “Really?” he drawled sarcastically. He turned to me and repeated himself, “Really?”. For the first time I felt uncomfortable under his eye. Oh, he was definitely pissed off. Olivia touched his arm and showed him her phone, “Look I’ve ordered you two a cab and it’s coming in 4 minutes, just outside.” Austin huffed, impressively drained his new glass of drink, then stood up a little shakily. “Come on then,” he slurred and started walking towards the door. I looked worriedly to Olivia, she waved a dismissive hand, “He’ll sleep it off.” “I really hope so.” “He will, I promise. It was lovely to meet you, Lottie.” “And yourself Olivia. Goodnight.” I turned to follow Austin, who was just reaching the doors, “Oh and Lottie?” I looked back to her. “Congratulations.” I smiled smally.

(Previous part: https://www.tumblr.com/iloveaustinbutlerlol/695228842358587392/the-unmistake-part-seven?source=share)

(Next part: https://at.tumblr.com/iloveaustinbutlerlol/the-unmistake-part-nine/v04a7b7jx0te)

[raisinghellonstarbug]

Stumbled Into Laughter, Stumbled Into You - A James Acaster x Reader Story

Basic plot: The year is 2019, and life has been quite dull for you since working in a job that you hate for the past two years after graduating from university. You used to do stand up comedy at uni, but you’ve been putting off pursuing it due to lack of confidence and motivation. Your best mates decide to encourage you to try a comedy mic night for the first time ever and while there you incidentally run into an old mate of yours, comedian Rhys James. That’s when your life gets turned around as you end up diving into the world of the comedy circuit and becoming close with other famous British comedians. In the midst of it all, you end up meeting a particularly distinctive red headed fellow who might end up being the very thing that brings meaning to your life again.

*

A/N: Hello Acaster fans!

So this was an idea I have had in mind for the last few months and I finally finished the first chapter of my story!

Just so you know, the first chapter does not include James, but be patient as he will appear soon (but maybe not quite as soon as you hope). I do reckon it will be worth the wait for his appearance, or at least I hope the story is still enjoyable! It is a slow burn so if you are an inpatient person, then this story might not be for you ;)

You can read this chapter below or if you prefer, there is also the link to the chapter posted on Ao3 right here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33748507

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Rating: M

Chapter 1 word length: 2326

Characters: James Acaster (duh), Original Female Characters(s), Original Male Character(s), Rhys James, Ed Gamble, Nish Kumar, Josh Widdicombe

Relationships: James Acaster x Reader/you, Original female character/Original Male character

Story tags: Romantic comedy, domestic fluff, slow burn, fluff and smut, British comedy, eventual relationships

Tagging: @laurabeech @rilannon @jasclearwaters @marklily @queensantiagoofthe99

Chapter 1 - Summer 2019

You were sitting at your desk at your mundane job, practically ready to blow your brains out on the usual, dull Thursday afternoon. It was really warm and stuffy inside the fifteen story office block building situated in Canary Wharf. This was a place you found yourself five days a week, doing the typical 9 to 5 hours. A usual day for a usual person.

Your job wasn’t a particularly riveting one. As an underwriter for an insurance company, some days could get especially boring. You knew how to do the job well, but it was not something you really loved. It involved all kinds of clients and claims in paperwork and it sometimes felt tedious and unfulfilling. But hey, it still paid your share of rent and bills. At least you could say you could manage in the hustle and bustle of the London lifestyle.

It was nearly hometime and you were itching to get home and relax. But before that could happen, there were those last set of insurance cover forms you had to copy to get sent to the HR department. And so you typed away on your laptop, clickety clack, clickety clack… the minutes went by like a chalk on a blackboard, scraping away at a snail’s pace.

You put your full force of concentration on the documents on the screen until it was finally done. A sense of achievement was necessary in these moments despite your lack of enthusiasm. It was in the little victories you reminded yourself. You rubbed the sweat from the July heat off your forehead.

* * *

The last 2 hours eventually passed by and it was soon the rush to get out of the door before you got held up by your colleagues. They were nice enough, but sometimes they could hold you back for half an hour chatting when you just wanted to get home, or your manager might try and get you to stay an hour overtime.

Thankfully you did get out promptly, and as you ran and dashed out of the office building saying brisk goodbyes to coworkers, you managed to make it to the tube with the train just arriving on time. But not without being moderately sweaty and hot though. Bloody stuffy platforms.

As expected it was still a busy train with plenty of 5pm finishers getting themselves situated on the half crowded carriages, but as it was only 10 past, it wasn't the worst time of day for commuting yet.

You perched yourself on one of the tube’s seats and let your shoulders drop, having held the tension in your body from sitting at a desk all day. You placed your head slightly back, balancing it on the window of the train. You looked up momentarily above you and then lifted your head back up to look at your phone and choose a song to listen to on Spotify through your wireless earphones.

The streams of sound from one of your favourite songs began to play softly in your ears and you smiled, knowing that the song gave you a little bit of wistful joy. You started mouthing the words.

Call it all for nothing, but I'd rather be nothing to you. Than be a part of something, something that I didn’t do (Best to You - Blood Orange).

The words half mean something but not necessarily anything. You began to wonder about being part of something that you’re not.

I just wish I could float away from my unexciting existence… you thought to yourself.

It sometimes occurred to you that you might have wanted something more out of life, but weren’t entirely sure what. It doesn’t make you dreadfully sad, but you know that life for you hasn’t exactly been the best it could be, and that perhaps something was missing. You wish you knew what it was.

You sighed, ignoring the feeling of sorrow wash over you momentarily and propped yourself back up in the uncomfortable seat of the train. You tried to keep yourself awake so that you wouldn’t miss your stop. The music continued through your ears.

* * *

You opened the door of the three bedroom flat that you had been residing in for the last two years with your flatmates and sighed with relief that you had finally reached home. You hurried to get your handbag off your shoulder and your shoes off, placing them on the rack next to the front door and walked through the hallway.

The minute you poked your head through to the lounge, bellowing a faint hello to whoever was around, you were suddenly greeted by one of your best friends and flatmates, Grace.

“Ahh Y/n! You’re home. Thank christ!”

She grabbed you and reached her arms around to embrace you tightly. You were perplexed by this gesture as it was so random and unusual given that Grace lived with you and saw you everyday of the week. You frowned and reluctantly placed your arms around her to return the hug.

As she then let go, she looked at you with urgency in her eyes and shrieked with excitement, “Oh Y/n guess what? It looks like I’m up for a promotion! Can you believe it?”

Now processing the reason for such an embrace, you raised your eyebrows in glee and smiled proudly, gushing back to your best mate who was obviously chuffed by the matter.

“Oh wow Grace, that's fantastic! I mean, finally. It is about bloody time!”

She smiled, “Yes I guess it is. But I mustn't get too excited. I haven’t officially got the promotion yet.”

“Ah but no. I’m not having any of that. You will get that promotion. It is a guarantee. They would be idiots to not give it to you.” Grace rolled her eyes and bit her lip. She reluctantly nodded and agreed.

The smell of food distracted you momentarily from the conversation. It was a particularly appetising smell.

Grace uttered, “Yes that smell is good isn’t it? Theo insisted on cooking us a nice meal for me as a celebration.”

You smiled knowingly, having known about how Grace and Theo had been in relationship limbo ever since you three became close friends at university. You knew they both had feelings for each other but often danced around the subject, completely oblivious to one another’s obvious attraction to the other. You reckoned they had to do something about it one day.

“Thank fuck. I wasn’t prepared to make dinner tonight. I am too tired for that.”

Grace then had her worried face on. She instantly knew, as she knew you too well, but funnily enough never picked up on Theo’s emotions despite constantly wondering about them, that something was wrong.

“Are you ok babe?” she asked with a look of pity that you scornfully resented.

You sighed, half lying, “Yes. I’m fine. Just tired is all.”

You made a beeline for the couch knowing full well that you were going to talk about it whether you liked it or not. You knew that Grace would see right through your dishonesty and insist that you told her the problem.

So you waited until Grace inevitably sat next to you and gave you that sympathy look she always gave you before coming out with the concerns that were floating around your brain.

“OK fine. I know you won’t leave me alone unless I tell you.”

“Ahh, you know me so well…”

“Yes, just as you know me. I’m just- I’m fed up. Work was slow. I don’t really feel like I’m associated with my life. I feel... disconnected, I guess.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

You shrugged and looked down at the floor and then back at Grace smiling sheepishly, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m not- not fulfilled? I just don’t thoroughly enjoy my life right now.”

Grace nodded and put a hand on your leg. You twitched your face in slight discomfort. You hated it when you were given sympathy for something that seemed so miniscule. It wasn’t like you were dying.

It was times like this when you just wanted to curl up in your bed, eat a tub of ice cream and watch your favourite comedy programmes. 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown sprang to mind.

As you sat in momentary silence for a bit, Theo came waltzing through from the kitchen with his silly apron on that had a naked man’s body printed on it, and a spatula in his hand. He smiled at you.

“I thought I heard your voice. I hope meatballs for dinner are good tonight. Not mine of course,” gesturing to the apron as he said it.

You shook your head at Theo’s poor dad joke and stood up to hug him. You realised that you must be really down in the dumps to be hugging Theo. It was his turn to be confused. He looked towards Grace wide eyed.

“She’s had a particularly tough day. But mind you babe, you’ve kinda been like this for weeks now.”

You let go of Theo and turned to Grace, frowning and feeling slightly defensive. You placed a hand on your hip.

“Been like what? I’ve just been a bit fed up, that's all.”

“Yes but it’s not just a bit fed up. You said so yourself you feel disconnected. We’ve been waiting for you to say it.”

You looked to Theo and he nodded gently in agreement.

“Ok… but, nothing is really wrong exactly. My life is fine.”

“Fine, yes. But not amazing. We know it’s getting you down. And the job is the problem.”

“But I’m good at it. And it pays the bills. What else am I supposed to do?”

Grace then looked away from your eyes then, twitching her lip and looking as though she was holding something back. She then sighed and began to admit something you had not been expecting.

“OK look. We know what you can do. Theo and I have figured it out. We can manage money wise. It will be tight, but if you quit your job we should be able to help you out for a little bit.”

Your eyes grew wider than large saucepans. You were totally bewildered and your mouth slightly agape.

“What? Quit my job? Why? What work would I get instead?”

“Well, maybe you won't quit your job yet. Maybe you’re right, that's too hasty. Perhaps what I’m trying to say is-”

Theo then chimed in, “-what Grace is trying to say is…”

You smirked to yourself. How do they not realise that they’re already a couple but without the sex? They’re practically married for christ sake.

“...we reckon that you need to pursue your passion. Perhaps stop wasting your talents in an office job that you hate.”

Grace continued, “yes exactly. We have had an idea in mind. See, we want you to go to this thing… it’s no biggie but well, we’ve already booked it for you.”

Your mind was racing. You couldn’t understand anything that they were saying to you. It was all too much for you to manage.

“Booked what for me? What the hell are you both going on about?”

They both looked at each other with reluctance, pondering the moment and whether to tell you the whole truth. They both shrugged and Grace was then pulling her phone out, this whole conversation beginning to appear as though they had been trying to practice it.

Suddenly Grace’s phone screen was wavering in your face. You moved your head closer to see a photo on the screen. It was a comedy club night poster. Incidentally, it was an open mic night event happening on Saturday night. You began to then put the puzzle pieces together. You folded your arms and frowned heavily.

“What the fuck have you two done now?”

Theo softly spoke, “We… booked you a slot to do that comedy open mic event thing, on Saturday night.”

“Wait. As in to perform? You can’t be serious-”

Grace tried to reassure you and grabbed your arm.

“Look, we know it might seem daunting, but we just wanted to see you happy again. It’s been two years since we graduated and you haven’t performed since then. We thought it might be good to encourage you to perform again. You were always funny to us. And people at uni thought so too. You have the stand up talent, Y/n.”

You could not process anymore. You shook your head in disbelief and placed your head in your hands, rubbing your eyes from sudden exhaustion. You then threw your hands up in exasperation. It was not possible. You could not do that again.

Fucking no way. I can’t be on stage again! It’s too scary. University pub nights are one thing but a comedy club?

You shook your head again and placed your hands on your hips. Grace tried to speak up again seeing the frustration painted across your face. In fact it was anger that your friends chose to do this without your say so.

“Y/n…”

“No. Nope. I’m not doing it. No.”

“But Y/n, we were also going to tell you that Theo is also thinking of doing the same thing! He wants to do his music again. What harm would it be for you to rejuvenate your comedy skills? Surely you can write a quick couple of gags. Nothing strenuous. You have your old material from university, right?”

You had to get out of the room. Nothing that they were saying to you could be fully accepted at that moment.

You then gave them no choice but to let you go with your head in a flurry. They both watched you leave the room, mumbling something along the lines of I’m not really hungry anymore, I’m going to bed. Soon after, you darted across the other end of the hallway, ill-tempered and almost seething, and slammed your bedroom door shut.