#COULD HAVE JUST CUT IT OUT OR REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE BUT NAW

[todayisafridaynight]

I THINK AB THE SAEJIMA SCENE SO OFTEN BC ITS SO WRONG IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE and then its never ever touched again . ever. not only does it utterly flay kiryu's character and outright ruin saejima for some people, but the way it was Designed forces the player to partake in the scenario..........

like, for all intents and purposes, saejima doesnt Do anything. his eyes don't follow where the camera tracks to and aren't seen to return from it either. his big crime is stumbling and then pausing for too long. this sorta camera movement would imply a focused character to be looking in the same way, but without them even Bothering to move saejima's eyes before nor after it feels more like the audience was pushed into partaking in the Actually Creepy parts of the scene than anything else. like can u imagine how less weird itd be without the audio cues and if the camera just stayed flat and still elsewhere in the room?

its just so...... it makes me feel rotten but not because saejima's a creep, moreso like, the devs are creeps. theyre the ones who wanted a lingering shot of haruka's legs. the ppl who designed and made and greenlit this scene, are creeps, and just Watching The Cutscene puts me in the role of a creep. n i think this feeling is why its so talked about.....

yknow, beyond making a beloved protagonist out to be on some pred shit. saejima is certainly not the only rgg good-guy to have been tainted by this (￣ ￣|| )

yeah no that that shit that gets me the most, like rgg why you settin ME up to be a freak alone on this- like if you're gonna make The Scene Ever dont make me a lone criminal in this ☠️

[rohad93]

Moonlit Masquerade: Turning Pages

Enjoy~

It was a warm, early summer day as Luz flew through the air back toward the owl house, grinning giddily to herself as the wind whipped through the long hair that laid over her undercut on the left side, her cloak flapping wildly behind her off her shoulders as the wind tugged at the short sleeves of her dark purple tunic.

She did a giddy spin and the leather pouches that held her glyphs and various other things flapped against the legs of her black pants.

The twenty-one-year-old zipped between the trees on her staff, she was so excited, she couldn't wait to show her mom and Lilith what she had bought today after packing up her stuff at the market.

"Luz, your home!" Hooty screeched the moment she burst through the tree line.

"Hey, Hooty." She smiled hopping off the staff with a flourish as he opened the door for her and she ran inside, dropping her satchel by the stairs.

"Mom, Lily!?" she called.

"In the kitchen!" Eda's voice called back.

She hurried into the kitchen where the two sisters were sitting at the table talking. It always surprised Luz at the wrinkles that had begun to line their faces over the last six years, though they both still looked great. Eda claimed hers were from Luz, and Lilith claimed hers were from Eda, which always made the young woman laugh, and Eda make a face.

Before she could think to say anything, Owlbrt was hooting at her from the counter.

"Hey buddy, you wanna play with Mochuelo?" She asked the small owl, who hooted wildly at her.

"Okay, okay, Owlbert, I know you missed your pal," she laughed.

She unscrewed the wooden tawny owl palisman from the top of her staff and set him on the counter next to a hooting Owlbert. Her palisman,  Mochuelo, gave himself a shake, fluffing his dark brown and white speckled feathers, golden-brown eyes blinking up at her.

She scratched both their heads and left the two to palisman play as she laid the empty staff against the counter.

"You're back early, already sell out all your potions in the market?" Eda cocked her head.

"Yup, not a thing left. I'll work on some more tomorrow, but forget about that, I have something to show you!" She stopped, looking around. "Is Amity here?"

"No, she hasn't come home yet, why?" Lilith cocked a brow at her and Luz grinned, digging something out of her pocket.

"This is why!" she exclaimed, pulling a small black box from her pocket.

"A box?" Eda asked. Luz rolled her eyes.

"No! Look!" She popped it open to reveal a bright gold ring inlaid with a deep, square-cut, magenta gemstone and two smaller, clear stones on either side of it.

The sisters both gasped.

"Luz is this…?" Lilith started.

"An engagement ring!?" Eda finished, looking up at Luz with wide eyes.

"Yup, I'm going to ask Amity to marry me," she declared proudly. "I mean, we've been living together for three years now and dating for six. I know there's no one else I want to be with."

"That's wonderful, Luz." Lilith stood and hugged her.

"Yeah, that's great!" Eda wrapped her up in a tight hug as soon as Lilith let go. Luz squeezed her back just as tight before finally pulling back. "Does this mean you two are finally moving out?" she asked with a grin as Luz blinked, wide-eyed.

"I mean… we can if you want us…" she started with a frown, but Eda just laughed.

"Naw, it'd be too quiet without you two. You two don't have to go anywhere unless you want to… and so long as you keep your bedroom door closed," she said seriously, making Luz chuckle.

How far they had come, from Eda being adamant that the bedroom door stay open when they were kids, to now demanding that it stay closed, lest she hear or see something she really didn't want to… again.

"Right, I'll talk to Amity about it later. I'm going to take her out to dinner tonight and pop the question." She grinned.

As if summoned by magic, the front door opened.

"I'm home!" A voice called from the living room.

Amity!

Luz shoved the box back into her pocket as her girlfriend of six years walked into the kitchen with a few bags in one hand and her staff in the other.

Her long auburn hair fell down against her back in a smooth curtain, except the longer sides she still kept pulled back, no longer in a ponytail, but in a neat braid that also fell against her neck.

Her white cloak was hanging from her neck and one shoulder to partially expose the sleeveless black shirt she wore beneath, tucked into her pants and the arm warmers that covered from her fingers to elbow in the customary dark pink of someone of the abominations track, and even after all this time, her nails were still painted black.

"Oh, Luz, you're home from the market already." She looked at her, surprised.

"Yup, sold out of everything pretty quick today, so I figured I'd come home. How was your day, mi amor?" She asked, leaning forward to give her a quick kiss.

"Busy, there's no shortage of problems that need straightening out since they finally put the new coven system in place," she sighed. "I'm exhausted…"

"You probably don't feel like going out tonight then, eh? She frowned.

"I don't think so..." She shook her head as she twisted the wooden dragon off her staff and let the long, golden lizard crawl up her shoulder to wrap his long, scaled body around her neck, beneath the curtain of auburn hair.

"Hey, Calliban." Luz smiled as Amity scratched under his chin. The dragon's long whiskers twitched happily, a puff of smoke coming from his nostrils, his long tufted tail twitched.

"Was there something you wanted to do tonight?" Amity looked down at her as she scratched the palisman.

"Uh… no. We can go out another night." Luz shook her head, she could see how tired Amity was, and it wasn't like she couldn't propose at any time.

Amity nodded and set her bags on the counter.

"If you're sure, I just want to lay down and never get back up," she mumbled.

"I'm sure that can be arranged, mi amor" Luz smiled, wrapping her arms around her waist and setting her chin on her shoulder, though only barely, the witch stood a good five inches taller than her. Amity smiled, leaning back into her.

"Just close the damn door…," Eda mumbled. Luz stuck her tongue out at her and Amity rolled her eyes.

Luz pulled her close, letting the taller woman relax against her for a few moments before she pulled free with a sigh.

"I need to go shower," she mumbled and carefully set Calliban on Luz's shoulders before kissing her cheek and walking out of the kitchen.

Luz hummed, petting his smooth scaly body, his tiny claws pricked at her skin as he settled himself around her neck. His horns poking her under the chin.

"Guess it's not gonna happen tonight?" Eda looked at her.

"No, but it's okay, there's no rush," Luz said and dug the box out of her pocket.

"Will you hang onto this for me? I'd hate for her to find it in our room and ruin the surprise," she asked, holding the box out to Lilith.

"Of course, Luz." She nodded, taking the ring and slipping it into the pocket of her dress.

"Hey, why not me?" Eda sat up, frowning.

"You lost King just yesterday…" Luz frowned.

"He found his way home eventually," she mumbled.

"I think I'd feel better if Lily held onto it. That's three weeks of potions sales I'd really rather not have to replace…"

Eda crossed her arms, pouting while Lilith gave her a smug look.

"I guess I'll just get started on brewing some stuff before dinner." She pulled off her cloak and laid it over a chair as she walked over to the counter, crowded with her and Eda's brewing stuff.

~

"So, you've been trying to propose for a week now?" Willow asked as she sat across from Luz in the Redstone bakery sipping on her tea.

Luz sighed, nodding.

"I just want it to be perfect but we've both been so busy, if I'm not out helping with the reconstruction or selling potions in the market, Amity is attending council meetings and helping sort out the kinks in the new coven system. We're exhausted half the time…I'm not even sure when the last time we had s-.."

"Stop! You're both very busy. I know what you mean..."

"TMI, sorry," Luz chuckled sheepishly.

But Willow just nodded.

"There's still a lot to do and a vacuum to fill since we did away with Belos, but you know, maybe you're trying too hard for the perfect moment?"

"Hmm?" Luz hummed, blinking at her oldest friend.

"We both know Amity doesn't really want the big over the top gestures, so long as you're you, she'd never said no."

"I know… I just wanted to make it special, ya know?

"I'm sure it will be, you'll find that 'Luz' way of doing it." She smiled and Luz snorted, the fact that her name had become some kind of verb her friends liked to use amused her.

"Yeah, I'll think of something… ya ready to head into town?" she asked. Willow nodded and they stood, leaving some snails on the table as they left.

They spent the rest of the day checking on things in Bonesburough.

It had been a year since Belos had been defeated and the old coven system and regime had been dismantled, and things were still being reconstructed in town where some of the heaviest fighting had taken place between the rebels and the loyalists.

Luz hummed as she walked along the streets with Willow, in some ways the town had changed a lot in the last year, but in others had remained just the same

Without the coven system that bonded people to only one type of magic, the covens looked totally different. They still existed, only now rather than only being able to perform one type of magic, people could do it all no matter what coven they were in, but many still choose to join the covens so they could work with other like-minded witches in the types of magic they specialized in. They were more brotherhood's than forced chains pulled by the Emperor, some people often belonging to more than one coven at a time. Luz herself, for her part in the rebellion, was welcome in all nine of the major coven houses, though she didn't actively participate in any of their politics or meetings.

She usually visited to get advice about certain spells from the more experienced witches of the discipline's. They were always glad to see her in their midsts.

The downside to it no longer being against the law to not join a coven was that crime had gone up some, with the less unsavory members of society now having access to all types of magic. The night market was still quite robust, especially during the rebellion when a host of unsavory things have been going on. Luz tried not to think about those days too much.

The new governing system, a council of the new nine coven leaders, was still getting to its feet in controlling stuff, so a lot of things flew under the radar as they dealt with the bigger, more pressing issues, like any remaining pockets of loyalists. It was a work in progress, one Luz was happy to help with when she could. She'd actually gotten pretty good at playing bounty hunter, though Amity didn't like it at all. She didn't go out of her way hunting down criminal witches, they just showed up a lot in the market when she happened to be there, and Luz had never been one to stand idly by.

Things seemed pretty quiet today.

As they walked past the library Luz took notice of a poster pasted to its wall and suddenly she had a brilliant idea.

"Hey, I think I know what I wanna do." She turned to Willow with a bright grin. “I’m gonna need your help.”

"Sure, that was quick…," she laughed and Luz shrugged.

"I just remembered something. I think Amity would appreciate it…" She smiled and Willow nodded. "You think Gus would be my best man?" she asked.

"He'd beg you… not that I won't pretend I'm not a little insulted that you don't want to ask me." She pouted, crossing her arms and making Luz laugh.

"Like Amity would want anyone but you to be her maid of honor." Luz grinned, making the plant witch smile. "Though you might have to fight Em for it," she warned.

"She can bring it on." Willow grinned, making Luz laugh.

~

"Hey, tonight's the night," Luz announced to the living room as she walked down the stairs.

"You're proposing tonight?" Eda looked up at her daughter's grinning face.

"Yup, I know exactly what I want to do and it has to be tonight. I gotta get some stuff ready, you've got the ring right?" she asked Lilith, who nodded.

"Of course."

"Great, I'm going to come back and get it from you in a little bit!" Luz said as she hurried out the front door, staff in one hand, and a dark green book in the other.

The door slammed and Eda shook her head, grinning.

"I can't believe she's really going to do it…," she chuckled. When there was no response she turned to her sister who was sitting on the other side of the couch, frowning, her fingers tapping nervously on her knees.

"What?" Eda cocked a brow at her.

"I...may have... misplaced Amity's ring…," she mumbled, biting her lip. There was a long moment of silence.

"Ha! Now, who's irresponsible?!" Eda laughed, jumping up with a grin.

"Are you serious right now?!" Lilith jumped up, scowling as Eda did that stupid 'moonwalk' dance Luz had taught them.

"I'm not the one who lost the kid’s engagement ring…," Eda sang smugly, dancing across the living room.

Lilith groaned.

"Yes, fine, I lost it, now help me find it before Luz comes back!" She stomped.

"And why would I do that?" Eda crossed her arms.

"Because she's your daughter, and she's going to be devastated that she can't propose because the ring was lost!" Lilith growled, and Eda frowned. Her sister had a point, as much as she liked getting one over on her older sister she wasn't going to do it at her kid's expense. She also knew what Luz sold her potions for, three weeks profit on one ring was nothing to sneeze at

"Alright, alright, where did you have it last?"

"It was sitting on my dresser last night, but when I woke up, it was gone." Lilith sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Well it can't have gotten too far then, let's check your room." The two hurried up the stairs.

They tear Lilith's room apart for over an hour searching for the ring and only find the box, sitting underneath the edge of her bed.

"It's not here!" Eda growls. Lilith sits on her bed, head in her hands.

"Luz and Amity are never going to speak to me again…," she moans.

"Yea…  not sure even Luz can forgive this one…," Eda mumbled and Lilith groaned louder.

"What's up witches?"

They look up at King, standing in the doorway.

"Lily lost Luz's engagement ring…," Eda sighed, hand on her hip.

"How irresponsible. She should have given it to me." He laid a clawed hand on his chest and there was a glint, drawing both sisters' eyes.

There, hanging on the tip of one of his claws was the ring.

Lilith and Eda tackled the small demon, who squealed as they jumped him, trying to wriggle out of their grasp.

"You took this from my room!" Lilith scowled, holding up the ring out of King's reach as he jumped up, trying to grab it.

"Oh, is that Luz's ring? I thought it was an offering." He crossed his arms.

Eda rolled her eyes and Lilith growled.

"Do you know how mad Luz will be if we tell her you stole her ring?" Eda looked down at him with a frown.

King hunched down at that, eyes turning fearful.

Then they heard the front door open downstairs.

"Guys?"

"Up here, kid," Eda called as Lilith quickly slipped the ring back into its box and closed it.

Luz poked her head in the room.

"Oh, what's everyone doing in here?"

They all glanced at each other.

"Nothing!"

"Uhuh… I don't believe that but I don't have time to question it. The ring?" she asked.

“Right here!” Lilith handed over the box.

"Great, thanks. Wish me luck!" She smiled before taking off back down the stairs. They all waited until they heard the door open and shut before sighing in relief.

~ ~

It was dark when Amity hopped off her staff outside the library. The tall building stood empty and dark, it was well after closing time after all.

She wasn't sure why Luz wanted her to meet her here, but she'd gotten pretty used to just rolling with her girlfriend's eccentric ways for the most part over the years. It was easier to not question it. She spun a finger and her staff vanished.

She walked up the steps heels clicking quietly on the stone as she looked around. The building had remained unchanged over the years, it had luckily been one of the few large buildings to be spared during the fighting, for which she was glad. She had many fond memories of the library, it was, for a long time, her only place of safety and solitude from her sometimes, over the top siblings, but more importantly, from her always overbearing and controlling mother, and then had been her and Luz’s secret place for the first some odd months of their relationship, until they had been allowed to be public about it.

The secret room in the romance section had all but been abandoned after her eighteenth birthday when she moved out of Blight Manor and into the owl house with Luz.

She stood at the top near the door, looking around. Now, where was her adorable doofus?

She felt the tingle of familiar magic pull at the back of her mind and turned in time to see Luz become visible, leaning against one of the library pillars as the glow of her palisman’s eyes faded, but her bright grin did not as she slipped the staff into the holster beneath her cloak.

“Buenas noches, mi amor. ¿Cómo estás esta noche?” She took a step forward to stand in front of her and Amity grinned back.

“Mejor, ahora que estás aquí, querida," She mumbled, taking hold of the collar of Luz’s cloak and pulling her in for a kiss, making Luz grin. “Now, are you going to tell me why we’re here?”  she asked, stepping back.

“I just felt like a walk down memory lane,” she shrugged, smiling. “Also considering what tonight is...”

“Tonight?” Amity blinked. Luz jerked her thumb at a poster on the wall and Amity’s eyes widened.

“The wailing star…” How long had it been since she’d thought about that? At least six years, since the time the twins had tried to take her diary as a kid.

“Come on, it’s about to start!” Luz walked over to the door, she flipped open one of her pouches and leafed through the many different papers before pulling out the one she wanted and pressed it to the library door. It dissolved in a flash of pale blue and the door made a quiet click and she pushed it open.

Amity smiled and followed her. When you considered all the trouble Luz could and had gotten into over the years, walking around the library at night wasn’t even worth the breath to protest, not that she really wanted to.

She closed the door behind her and as they walked into the main entry room of the library just as the large stained glass window above them lit up with the light of the passing star, the green glow settled over the books and Luz quickly grabbed a book off the shelf and opened it. Snakes slithered out, making her grin.

“I didn’t really get to enjoy this last time we were here during the wailing star... being too busy trying not to get killed by my favorite childhood book character and all," she chuckled and Luz grinned.

“Same,” she laughed as they moved up and down the aisles, picking up books. Luz saw a familiar book and grinned, pulling it off the shelf and whipping around to Amity.

“Hey, babe!”

Amity looked up just in time to be blasted in the face with a deluge of snowballs.

“You are so dead!” She yelled at her girlfriend’s back as she took off down the aisles, half screaming, half laughing as Amity gave chase, snatching her own copy of ‘A History of Snowballs’ off the shelf.

They chased each other around the bookshelves for a while before finally calling a truce.

Luz giggled as she closed the book and the remnants of snow vanished from Amity’s hair.

“Come on, I know somewhere we haven’t been in a while…” she slid her book back on the shelf.

“I have a pretty good idea of where we’re going.” Amity smiled, walking beside her to the romance section of the library.

“Maybe…” She smiled.

Amity chuckled as they stopped in the romance section and she reached up to pull at a familiar book.

The bookcase slid aside to reveal what once had been such an important place to her, then to them, and now stood dusty and empty, with cobwebs hanging off the candlesticks and rafters. She’d long moved all her books and more important things out of the room and into her and Luz’s room at the owl house.

“It’s dusty…," Amity hummed, running her fingers over the empty shelves inside.

“A bit…, I don't think we've really been here in three years,” Luz agreed.

Amity glanced around before she saw a book sitting in the middle of her old desk, it wasn't dull or covered in dust like everything else in the room.

She walked forward and picked it up, Luz watching her with a knowing smile.

It’s dark green, leather-bound cover was soft in her hands. She blinked down at the title, written in her girlfriend’s familiar looping writing.

‘The Tale of Luz & Amity’

She looked over her shoulder at her girlfriend who was watching her with a grin.

“What is this?”

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” she retorted, still smiling. Amity cocked a brow but turned her attention back to the book and flipped open its cover.

The first page had a memory picture pasted to its pages, one she immediately recognized as the magic of the wailing star worked on it and a small, fourteen-year-old version of her and her girlfriend materialized on the pages.

Them in the cafeteria at Hexside, Amity on her knees on the table, and her hands wrapped around Luz’s collar.

“I know you’re in there! Who are you, what are you? I want answers!”

“Blughhh...

Amity chuckled to herself, watching a younger her shake an abomination goo covered Luz like a ragdoll.

She smiled over her shoulder at Luz, who was looking at her with both brows raised encouragingly.

The next page was their meeting at the covention.

'Oh, it's you, Willow's abomination… thing.'

'Heyyyy Amity…. so, funny story, Not, an abomination, sorry for the confusion last week. I'm Luz, the human, hi.'

'Ugh, put that away.'

Amity shook her head at her younger self. If only she knew then what she knew now.

She flipped the page and this time the little figures of the two of them were partially sewed into a book, running from Odabin in this very library..

‘Now what?’

‘I don’t know! I didn’t even think that would work, I was all like ‘arghh!’

She still smirked at the sheer dumbness of that plan.

The next page held another familiar scene.

'Azura book club? Azura book club!?' an excited Luz bounced.

'As long as it's a secret club, okay?' Amity whispered, cheeks pinking.

She turned the page and watched as the next memory photo popped up, the two of them in Willow’s memories, just after sliding the flaming inner Willow into the lake.

‘Whoo, teamwork, baby!’ The younger Luz wrapped her arms around younger Amity and squeezed her.

She smiled to herself as she turned the page to watch the next scene play out in its entirety.

‘Well, if that’s settled, may I have this dance?’ she held out her hand, and Luz’s filled it.

She grinned at the next one, Luz scooping up her and her broken foot after playing grudgby against Boscha.

Then, pasted to the next page was one of the letters Luz had written to her as her secret admirer. She smiled down at it, though in the back of her mind she wondered how Luz had found it, she kept them all in a special box in their closet.

A younger and bashful looking Luz rose up from the paper with a handful of Blood-Blossoms.

‘These flowers could never be as beautiful as you, but I hope you like them anyway...”

There were also a couple of memories from the Masquerade, their dancing, and after the party had ended in her bedroom. Luz stood behind her, quietly, watching, waiting.

She flipped through its many pages, trying not to get too teary-eyed at some, like the night under the grom tree on their one month anniversary, their first fall shower, or her fifteenth birthday. Of course, Luz also included their fight with the illusion track upperclassmen, their first fight, her first numberry tripout when they were camping and that first, awkward dinner with her parents, as well as another first time she quickly flipped past, cheeks red and Luz, snickered behind her as she rolled her eyes.

Of course, she would add that...

She grinned, eyes glazed over with unshed tears at their second grom, graduation when she'd moved into the owl house, and a host of all the other things in between them were brought to life by the wailing stars' magic.

She turned the page about halfway through the book to find the last page with nothing on it.

This one did not contain a memory photo, instead, stuck inside it was a sticky note with a simple single line of text, the magic of the wailing star made the small magic copy of her girlfriend appear on the page, looking up at her.  

‘Will you help make the next one by saying yes?’

Amity blinked.

“What? Say yes to wh-” she turned and dropped the book, hands shooting up to cover her mouth as she looked down at Luz on one knee, holding up a small box with a sparkling ring sitting in it.

Luz’s heart was beating in her chest so hard she thought for sure it was about to break some of her ribs. Her mouth was dry, but she somehow managed to speak.

“Amity Blight, will you continue our story with me and marry me?” she asked.

What was in reality only a few seconds felt like an eternity as Luz watched the tears well up in her eyes and drip down her cheeks, her mouth working soundlessly.

“Yes!” she finally managed to shout when she could speak again.

Luz broke out into a bright smile and jumped up, pulling the ring out of the box and taking hold of her girlfriend's shaking left hand, and slipping the ring on her finger.

As soon as it was in place Amity practically flung herself on her, kissing her, even as tears slid down her cheeks.

Luz couldn't stop grinning even as her own eyes welled with tears, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around while Amity squeezed her neck.

She finally set her down but Amity didn't let go.

"I love you," She choked, face buried in her neck.

"Yo también te amo, Amity" she mumbled, squeezing her.

After several long minutes, she finally pulled back and Luz grinned at her, wiping the tears from her pale cheeks before she reached down to pick up the book and handing it to Amity.

"Try not to set these on fire…" Luz grinned and Amity gave her a gentle shove.

"Never," she promised as she really looked at the ring now sitting on her finger and tears threatened to fall again.

"It's beautiful, Luz…" she sniffled, and looked up at her, smiling, and Luz smiled back at her.

It was late when they finally left the library and headed home on Luz's staff.

All the lights were still on in the owl house when they arrived.

Lilith and Eda were both sitting in the living room, along with Gus and Willow when they walked in.

They were looking at them, trying not to appear expectant in case Luz hadn't asked but she grinned at them and held up Amity's hand.

"She said yes!" she declares and the living room erupted with cheers and congratulations.

"I'm going to get the good apple blood!" Eda grinned, disappearing into the kitchen, Lilith following behind her to help.

"Dibs on best man!" Gus called, jumping up.

"You got it." Luz laughed.

"So, was it everything you dreamed it would be?" Willow asked, sliding up to Amity, who smiled at her before glancing at her new fiancée as she talked excitedly with Gus and held the precious leather book in her hands.

"It was perfect."

~~

Before anyone absolutely loses their minds, no, this isn't the end, but a secondary plotline that will take place between their adventures as teenagers in the past.

[babbushka]

Biting Dust - Ch.2

Life ain’t too easy for a woman, ‘specially not a woman on the run like you. With a bounty on your head and gunpowder in your nose, you’ve grown adjusted to a life of solitude away from the hustle and bustle of civilization. That is, until you meet one particular man who’s got a face you’d only ever seen in your dreams – or on wanted posters. And when he offers you a proposition that sounds too good to be true, well. You don’t think your life will ever be the same again…

Outlaw!Kylo Ren x Reader

Tumblr Masterlist | Available on AO3

4.7k ; Content warnings: Mild angst (old west existentialism, mentions of hanging lol)

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

The shock of the sight in front of you has you starin’ at this man with your mouth agape, with just one question running through your head – how? How is he still alive?

He’s clearly swingin’, or no, maybe he isn’t, you realize as you ask Agnes to trot over with urgency. This man, the thief, is precariously balanced on the hide of his horse just so, just so that he must be alleviating some of the pressure around his throat where the noose is wrapped tight. You can’t quit starin’, Agnes coming up beside the great black horse who chuffs and whinnies softly at the strange new presence in front of her.

“Good evening ma’am,” The man uses what little purchase he has to spin himself around on the noose to face you, small grunts of his struggle wrenching out of his chest as he tries not to choke himself any more than he already is, “Could you do a fellow a favor and reach into the knapsack on my horse, use the knife that’s in the left pocket, and cut me down?”

It’s absurd, you think as your eyebrows shoot up, the way that he manages to seem so nonchalant, given his predicament. But the moment he manages to turn and face you fully, any amused notions of his calm vanish, replaced only by the weight of the features which you’re now confronted with.

He’s a collection of pieces that don’t make no sense, shouldn’t go together the way they do. His hair is long and dark as it waves and curls, but his ears stick out beyond the locks. His nose juts out strongly, but it looks like it’s been broken once or twice. A pink tongue darts out to lick plush plump lips, framed by a soft looking goatee, sharp cheeks, but a weak chin. Most of all though, are his eyes. They’re somehow both beady and cunning, calculating and warm, or well…his left eye is.

He’s got a scarred over gash that practically splits his face, something between a burn wound and a cut, halfway in the middle. Whatever it was that gave that to him, took his eye with it, or at least tried to. It’s still there, but it’s milky white, whereas the other one glows a liquid chocolate as the light of the setting sun hits it.  

He’s handsome, utterly and completely handsome.

He’s also still hanging by that noose, and you still don’t know how he ain’t dead, so despite all of that, you can’t help but blurt out,

“What the fuck is this?”

The man clearly was not expecting such a question, because he almost loses his footing on the black horse’s hide, and goes sputterin’ for a moment as he tries to right himself.

“Excuse me?” He’s got some sense of humor, you think, because he’s frowning at you, scowlin’, when he steadies himself once more.

“How are you doin’ that?” You clarify, gesturing with one hand to the fact that he’s alive, how he must’ve been hanging here for two whole days, and is still alive.

“Well,” The man sighs, and you can imagine that were his hands not bound behind his back, he might’ve scratched at his chin or his scalp. “I think my old girl Sam here is trying to teach me a lesson. She won’t come close enough to make this easy for me, but I figured if she were really sick and tired of my bullshit, she’d’ve rode off and let me hang. You know how horses get sometimes.”

Who is this person, who is so seemingly confident and sure of himself, and simultaneously must be the most lucky motherfucker to ever live? You can’t tell if you wanted to smack him or kiss him. Maybe both, but that decision can stay safely locked inside your brain. Even after the two minutes that you’ve known this man, something tells you that his ego would go through the roof if you gave him the satisfaction of a kiss.

“Oh do I.” You bite back a raised brow. While his presumptions may be correct, you were taken slightly aback with how freely he was willing to give them.

“Yes ma’am, I can tell by the way your horse is lookin’ up at you. Sam gives me those same looks, well, when she ain’t bein’ so difficult, of course.” He grumbles, and the black horse, Sam, seems to chuff in exasperation.

The sun is setting faster now, and you start to feel anxious. Surely folks would be still eatin’ dinner by now, surely no one would start walkin’ out and about at night, aside from those who take some comfort in the music and beer in the saloon. Surely no one would see you, see you talking to the hanged man, but…but suppose they did.

What would they do then?

What would you do?

You frown, wanting to get this whole interaction over with. You’ve resolved to cut him loose, but first, you’d like the honor at least bein’ introduced to this strange wonder of a man. You’d like to know just whose life you’re saving.

It ain’t often, that you go around saving lives instead of taking them.

“Quit calling me ma’am.” It’s too formal, too proper for the kind of woman that you are, somethin’ about it reminds you of your mother and – you nip that in the bud real fuckin’ quick.

“Yes sir.” The man offers with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes, and you wonder if he ever smiles. He’s certainly got the humor for it, but as far as his face has moved, those lips are held firmly in a scowl, even as his eyes sparkle.

Without getting off of Agnes, you reach into a knapsack of your own and pull out a knife. It’s nothing too fancy, but the blade is sharp and it should do the trick.

“I have a couple questions.” You begin sawing at the thick rope which binds his hands together, carefully twisting him so that you can have a better angle. You don’t want to accidentally cut his flesh, don’t want to do anything other than get some information and be on your way.

“Please, ask away.” The man is sarcastic, and the thought of stabbing him clean through the chest flits across your mind like a smooth stone over a pond. Although, as you brace yourself against his back with one hand to keep yourself steady when you cut through the rope, you’re not surprised at all to find he’s made of nothin’ but hard muscle.

“What’s your name?” The rope gives way and immediately he wastes no time rubbing at the chafed skin around his wrists, cracking the joints that had gone so stiff.  

“I ain’t so sure you’d’ve ever heard of me, but I go by the name of Kylo Ren.” He says quietly, gauging your reaction.

It isn’t one that he expects.

Something inside you lights up like the flickering flare of a candle, and before you know it, you’re reaching for your gun and holding it steady in his direction. Immediately, his newly freed hands go up in a display of surrender, but you don’t dare waver, not one inch. After all you were willin’ to do for him, you’d take it back in a heartbeat – you ain’t got no desire to go helpin’ a lying man.

“Bullshit.” You spit, drawing the word out into two different syllables, scowling at him.

He wasn’t Kylo Ren, he couldn’t be. Kylo Ren was a legend, a myth of epic proportions. They’d be singin’ songs about him and his gang until kingdom come, they’d be tellin’ stories about his escapades and adventures ‘til the cows came home. Kylo Ren was uncatchable, he was elusive, no one had ever met his wrath and walked away -- there was no way that here he was caught in front of you. Just because this man was blind in the same eye didn’t mean nothin’, lots of folks had injuries like that, and it makes you mad to know he’s hidin’ behind someone else’s identity.

“Beg pardon?” He almost sounds offended that you don’t believe him, and that only makes you more angry.

What, did he think you were stupid? Did he think you were so easily swayed by pretty falsehoods? Naw, you might’ve been easy on the eyes but you had a mind sharp as a tack, and he wasn’t going to make a fool out of it.

“There ain’t no way Kylo Ren would get himself strung up and left in a tree to die. So I’m going to ask again, and you’re going to tell me, otherwise I’ll shoot you clean through the gut and then you’ll have wished they hanged you right.” The gun doesn’t move, and instead of growing angry or brash or violent in the way you might expect a man to act while he’s starin’ down a barrel, he flushes a deep red.

“You’re mighty quick with that, I have to admit I’m impressed.” He chews on his lip, eyes crinkling up at the corners while he blushes and mumbles softly, “I like a woman who can handle her steel.”

“I like an honest man.” You counter, cocking the trigger. His reaction to bein’ held at gunpoint was nothin’ like you’d ever seen before, you’d never in your wildest dreams imagined you’d meet someone who thought being threatened like this was a turn-on.

“Kylo Ren’s the most honest answer I can give you.” He shrugs simply. He speaks with a sincerity that you still have a hard time believing, but there ain’t much you can do about it, you’ve done too much already, wasted too much time.  

You’ve wasted so much time, here with this man already.

“If you’re Kylo Ren, then I’m Angel Eyes.” You huff, wondering how he might feel about that, if he’d ever heard of you in return.

You’re countin’ on him thinkin’ that you’re bluffing, countin’ on him to throw his head back and laugh, to underestimate you. He doesn’t, instead of all of that, he only blushes a little harder, looking away from your gun and straight into your soul. Whether he’s heard of you or not, his eyes are wide and hopeful, starin’ at you like you put the stars in the sky.

“Won’t you cut me down, Angel?” Kylo asks, voice velvety and deep. The sun gleams off his teeth in a glint that has you realizing most of the ones on the bottom are made of gold, as the last slips of light make one last hurrah over the canyons.

He’s charming, too charming. Even with the noose around his neck, even still balancing like a moron on the back of his horse, he’s charming. A man like that is bound to be nothing but trouble, you think. You don’t know why, but something deep in your bones tells you that he won’t be leaving you alone so easily, once you cut him free.

If you cut him free.

But the sun is setting faster faster faster, and the last of the orangeredyellow is gone from the sky, leaving only the dusky blues and purples of twilight. There’s no more time for games, and you both know it.

“God dammit.” You sigh in aggravation, eventually giving in and holstering your gun once more.

You nudge Agnes to move a little closer, and she obliges warily. The rope around his neck requires a bit of elbow grease to saw through with your knife, but it only takes a couple of minutes before it too gives way, like the rope around his wrists had.

As soon as the tension around his neck disappears, Kylo loses his balance and falls off his horse with a great big thud, and you roll your eyes. Putting the knife back in your own knapsack, you don’t really pay much attention to whatever the hell he’s doing on the floor, trying to get his footing after two whole days of being stretched out. His muscles are probably on fire, burning from the effort to not succumb to strangulation, but that’s ain’t really your problem.

“Alright Ren, you’re free to go. I suggest you find some salve for that nasty burn you’ve got – hold it right the fuck there.” When you do eventually look up, it’s to see Kylo standing too close.

Far too close.

Your gun is back, and you jab it straight in the hollow of his scarred cheekbone. For having such good reflexes that you do, he caught you completely off-guard by popping up the way he just had. How was he so tall? He didn’t look that tall up in the tree, the man must be over six heads high. Once again, his hands are up over his head in surrender, and you’re confused, jumpy. You don’t like strange men gettin’ too close to you, don’t like it one bit.

“I ain’t gonna hurt you! I swear.” He rushes to say with a shake of his head, “You saved my life, I’m in grateful service to you. Wherever you go I’ll follow, and keep you safe from harm, until the day my debt can be repaid.”

Kylo realizes then, that he must’ve messed up, said the wrong thing. You can see it in his eyes, or at least, the one good eye he’s got, the one that ain’t scarred over and milky white. You can tell he didn’t mean to go causin’ no offence by offering you his protection, not at all.

“I don’t need any help, not from you, or from anyone.” Your tone softens just a little when you regard him, lowering the gun that you’d had held firmly against his cheek. You decide that there’s no use in blowin’ his head off, no point in wastin’ a bullet when you could’a just let him hang.

Kylo seems to know this, and when your gun isn’t digging into his cheekbone any longer, he takes a hesitant step towards you, so close, too close.

“Well then,” Kylo’s voice is equally soft, soft and deep in a way that’s almost unnerving, how it can be so soothing. He kicks up some of the reddened earth below his boots, sticks his hands in his pockets and gives you the most honest not-smile you’ve seen in your life as he blushes, “Looks like we’ll be together for a mighty long time.”

The sun is completely down now, darkness creeping in all around. You need to get away from this place, need to put some distance between yourself and the town, between you and Kylo, so you simply urge Agnes forward, and without another thought, you’re galloping into the great unknown.

 Agnes is fast, even in the dark.

Maybe especially in the dark, you think. She’s always had a penchant for roaming around at night, in fact, it was at night that you had found her. That was seemingly eons ago, and you don’t have the energy to mull about in your head dwelling on the past more than you already do.

In the moment, there, right there in the desert, it is a clear night. Light from the moon is bright and pale, a silvery wash of deep toned blues and a million stars in constellations you have memorized like the back of your hand illuminate the vast expanse of nothingness ahead of you.

Agnes is fast, but Kylo’s horse has no trouble keeping up, and though you’re not entirely surprised just because of the sheer size of the creature, you’re still impressed. Sam can’t quite match Agnes, her small stature making her all the more quicker, more streamlined that the midnight creature. It’s a slight observation you can’t help but make, their colors. Where Sam is pitch black, Aggie’s coat is glossy white and reflects the moon easily so Kylo can keep up.

When was the last time you rode like this with another person? Not away from someone, but with them? Kylo can’t see you grinning, the dark cloaking your smile as your hair whips around your head, but you are. You are, out there in the dark, flying through the canyons under the moonlight, putting that distance that you need between yourself and the town. No one would find you, no one would even know where to look, should they come try.

You don’t trust him, you don’t trust Kylo one bit, but you have to admit that the fact he hasn’t killed you point blank and stolen all your possessions means a lot. You’re not really in the business to go around trustin’ strangers, you’ve spent nearly your whole adult life alone, on the run. Now wasn’t the time to start…but it felt good, to be with another soul.

Eventually, when you’ve had your fun, when Agnes and Sam have stretched their legs enough, you and Kylo slow them down to a trot. You’ve come to the edge of the canyon here, so neither of you move any closer. Leaning over ever so slightly, you can hear the gentle trickle of water, can see the light sparkle of moonlight glittering off the rippling water of what has to be the Colorado River a thousand feet below in a gorge that you’ll have to descend in the morning. The map had named this place Horseshoe Bend, and you’re looking forward to seeing it in the daylight.

Neither of you are anywhere near Colorado yet, you’re actually closer to Utah than anything else, but you know that if you can just stick close to the river, you’ll be going in the right direction. Kylo notices you noticing the river, and eventually he pulls gently on the reins to get Sam to come to a soft stop.

This is a good place for the night, you think, and you swing your legs off Agnes’ back. Kylo mimics your movements, coming over slowly and carefully so that you hear him.

You don’t know it, but he doesn’t want to scare you again like he had by the tree, he doesn’t want to scare you ever again.

You’re too tired to protest when he begins helping you lift the bags off Aggie’s saddle, his arms are far bigger and stronger than yours, and though you want to tell him to fuck off with his chivalry, you’re undeniably grateful for the help.

Kylo seems to notice, and you’re just glad that he doesn’t make a whole to-do about it. He must be exhausted too, you’re sure.

Not exhausted enough to let you simply throw down a bundle of something for a pillow and sleep though, as he lights a match on the sole of his boots and tosses it onto a small pile of dry brush and sticks that he scrounges up quickly. The fire makes you wary, wary that someone might see, but you’re too close to the gorge for it to be a problem. No one would dare come rushing towards you here, lest they’d be risking falling straight over the edge and cracking their skulls on the rocks below.  

Watching as Kylo makes the fire and keeps it steady, you wrap a blanket around your shoulders. Nighttime got chilly out in the desert, and you’re lucky to have such a beautifully made blanket to keep you warm. You had purchased it just earlier this year at a trading post, it to this day it remained your most prized possession.

A woman had had a selection for sale or trade, hand woven wool in the most striking of patterns, and when you saw the black and beige striped one, you had given her all the money in your pocket for it. You wear it with respect, always make sure to keep it clean and mended, folded neatly in your bag, always remembering that human hands had created this, remembering that it is the skill of that woman and her hands which keeps you warm, keeps you alive on the harsher desert nights.

Kylo has no blanket of his own, or if he does, he doesn’t bother to wear it. Instead, he lies down close to the fire and adjusts his arms behind his head so that it can act as a pillow. You wonder how he can be comfortable like that, but you bite your tongue. If he’s doing this in an attempt at manliness, you won’t be so quick to give in to the bait.

You are looking at him though, with enough interest that Kylo feels the need to clear his throat.  

“Where are we headed, then?” He asks quietly as he settles down, shuffles a little closer to the fire.

You meet his gaze, but there’s nothing upsetting about the intensity of his eye contact. In fact, lying on opposite sides of the small fire like this, your faces cast warm by the glow of the soft flames, you feel almost as though you’re in a spell, caught in his eyes.

Where were you headed, where were you headed really? What a loaded question, you think.

He’s lookin’ at you, and you’re lookin’ back at him, and unshed tears prick the back of your eyelids just for a moment because if you think about it too hard, you’ll realize that in the end, you’re headed where all the wanderers, drifters, loners and outlaws head; “Nowhere.”

Kylo gives you the ghost of a smile, and shrugs, reaching forward enough to light a hand-rolled cigarette by the embers of the small campfire.

“I’ve always wanted to go there.” He says softly, and you can’t help but let a small chuckle slip through your lips. Kylo offers the cigarette to you, but you shake your head and decline, never havin’ gotten much into smokin’. He nods in understanding and puffs on it once or twice, blowing blue smoke up into the night sky.

“Are you always like this?” Tightening the blanket around your shoulders a little more, you try and get some sort of idea of who this person was. You’d always been a decent judge of character, well, you had to be, all alone like you were. Get betrayed one too many times, you start seein’ the signs of shifty drifters from a mile away.

But with him, with Kylo, you can’t sniff out anything rotten in him, not yet. Maybe it’ll come out in a day or two, hell, maybe it’ll come out in an hour once you’re fast asleep. If you wake up and he’s still there, if you even wake up at all tomorrow, you’ll be more surprised of that than anything in the world.

“That depends.” Kylo finally replies around the huff and puff of his cigarette, giving you more of those vague half truths that you can already tell are going to drive you over the cliff.

“On what?” You ask, already knowing the answer.

“On whether you like it or not.” He gives you another one of those not-smiles, where he somehow looks at you, straight through you, with all the warmth of an old friend, though he be but a total stranger. You scrub a hand down your face in exasperation; it ain’t hard to see why Sam wanted him to suffer a little bit, back by the tree, you think.

“Let’s say for argument’s sake that I don’t.” You offer, and Kylo lets out a sharp breath of a laugh through his nose.

“Then yes, I’m always like this.” Kylo smokes pleasantly, and you curl in on yourself, and roll onto your back.

There’s a million stars up there, you’re sure. Maybe a hundred million, a million million. You used to tell the stories of the constellations to your students – no, you think. Don’t go down that memory lane, the one fraught with fire and anguish.

Shaking your head slightly, you open up your eyes as wide as they’ll go, your pupils swallowin’ up all the light they can. There’s purple white blue clouds in a thick cluster above the gorge, and you know that to be a wisp of the Milky Way. The view is impressive, and humbling. After all, you are nothin’ but a small spec in the universe, aren’t you?

“Ain’t it wild?” Kylo starts to ask, smokin’ and turning his head up to the galaxy above you both. “To think that a thousand years ago, someone was lying where we lay, was starin’ up at these stars we see? To think that a thousand years from now, someone else will be in our position, wonderin’ about their place in the cosmos.”

“What is that you’re smokin’?” You tease softly, no real bite to your words. His baritone nestles into your chest and you feel the thrum of it in your bones, your eyes wetting, not daring to look at him as the fire snaps and crackles between you.

“Nothin’ but tobacco, honest.” Smoke pours out of his nose, his mouth. You can feel his eyes on you, can feel him lookin’. “Don’t you ever think about it, about your place in the world?”

“No.” That answer comes easily enough.

“How come?” Kylo’s voice is a deep deep deep whisper in the night, and it weighs heavy on your stomach as your hands twist in the blanket.

“I don’t got one.” You can’t believe you’re admitting something like this to him, to this stranger.

Something about being here with him, lying so close to another human being for the first time in years, makes you spill all your secrets. You’d told him your name, you’ve never told someone your name. Granted, he probably thought you were just jokin’, but still, whether he knew it or not, he knew the truth. Kylo hasn’t laughed at you yet, though.

He hasn’t mocked you or pushed you in any way. He’s answered your questions and the ones he asked in return weren’t nothin’ of too much trouble. In fact, out of all the men you coulda picked to be stuck with, he seemed like one that wasn’t too shabby. Had a good sense of humor, at the very least, and was calm under pressure, if his behavior by the tree was anythin’ to go off of. He seemed sane enough, or maybe just insane enough. You weren’t sure.

Whichever one it was, it had to be why he had declared undying loyalty to you so quickly. Maybe that was the kind of person he was, Kylo was. Maybe that was all you needed to know about him.

Maybe he was just as lonely as you.

Maybe he hadn’t slept beside another human being in just as long.

The sky above you moves, creeps and crawls at a snails pace, but moves. The Milky Way turns, and with it so do the stars. Your eyes are tired, every part of you is tired, and you shudder from the sheer exhaustion in your muscles. Those seven hours at the hotel were more sleep than you’d gotten in the whole week prior, and it was as if your body remembered how badly you needed that sleep, once you’d gotten it.

You sigh a little to yourself, not so sure when another opportunity like that would come again.  

“You’re cold.” Kylo speaks up enough so you can hear him even as your eyes slip closed, darkness around your vision lulling you into that in-between state of consciousness and slumber.

“I’m fine, the fire’s enough.” You mumble, your words slurring together as you turn closer towards the fire, let the heat of the flame seep into your body, trapping it under your blanket.

“If you’re comfortable with it, you’re more than welcome to come sleep next to me.” He offers, and if you were awake enough, you’d probably chuckle at how bold he is, how forward. You still had your wits about you, still had your decent judgement, you know nothin’ about this man and you don’t trust him as far as you can throw him.

You don’t know anything about him, nothin’ at all. Not even his name.

Maybe you do know his name. The odds of that are so astronomical though, so outta this world, that…well…you’re inclined to believe them.

“Are you really Kylo Ren? The Kylo Ren?” You have to ask, forcing your eyes open to look at him one last time, before you fall asleep completely and deal with whatever trouble tomorrow might bring you.

“I suppose you’ll just have to wait and see, Angel.” Kylo whispers, giving you one of those sincere not-smiles, and looking right back.

[circlingravens]

“He’s probably a thief-- that would explain the whipping!”

“Valen, that doesn’t explain the accent.” “What accent?”

“Did you seriously not notice? He speaks extraordinarily properly.”

“So do you, Mora. You’re not a noble!” “He’s got the voice, though.”

The banter was cut short as the General strode up to the gathered soldiers. Minus Kien, of course-- the Prince was asleep, gently coaxed into slumber by Leon’s magic. It was best, the healer had claimed, that he rest.

“Let’s not speculate on our new arrival,” he interjected, folding both arms to eye the group sternly. For a moment, silence, before a slow smile spread across his face.

“Not when I’m not here to place a bet, anyway. He’s a soldier. Probably worked at the palace.”

Valen, for once, didn’t immediately jump in, but pondered the theory for a moment, then just shook his head.

“Naw, boss. You’re wrong on this one. They wouldn’t whip a guard.” Before the General could make his claim against that particular statement, Leon piped in, voice soft, but audible.

“I’m afraid you’re all wrong. He’s probably a commoner who married in to nobility.”

A heavy hand was placed on the healer’s shoulders, and a fond look passed between him and the larger elf crouching beside him.

“Leon, dear, the likelihood of this one being a rags-to-riches story is rather low.” “It makes sense!” He protested, but a soft grin from the other elf-- Reneth-- softened any indignity suffered.

“He’s a kid. Don’t think he’d marry so young. We should be careful, though. I don’t trust him.”

“He is not a kid!” Valen protested loudly, cutting the two short.

The argument erupted from there. Still, despite the raised tones, shouting, even, all of it remained perfectly friendly. Faux-punches were thrown, but never made contact, and varying smiles remained on everyone’s faces. Several bets were placed-- on Kien’s age, his status, his background.

The fight could have gone on for quite some time, with this particular group, devolving to any manner of ridiculous ideas, had the newcomer not silently padded up. Awake, apparently. And shirtless, given that Leon had cut his shirt open and he hadn’t been able to find any replacements within the healing tent.

Everyone fell silent, as one tends to when the subject of whom you were speaking of shows up to the discussion. Several awkward moments passed, before Valen broke the tension with a sharp whistle.

“You’re pretty buff, dude.” A soft chuckle ran through most of the group, if only to ward away silence.

“Speaking of which! Actually, not the same topic. How old are you?”

Kien blinked at the question, pursing his lips. Was that important? Did it reveal his identity? ...Probably not. Frankly, if they’d known of him, they’d have already guessed his identity, given the color of his eyes.

“Nineteen.”

Valen was… anything but subtle with his victory, and his triumphant woot! and fist bump revealed that to Kien, who just took it with a confused smile. Given the Prince’s observant nature (now that he wasn’t so completely distracted with fear), the quiet exchanging of coins from hand to hand wasn’t missed by him, and he raised an eyebrow at the group as a whole.

Still, though, despite the overall jovial mood, the General seemed rather bothered by Kien’s statement, and watched him for a long moment, frowning to himself. Before Kien could ask about it, though, the older elf had turned away.

“Would you like to come sit with us? They’re all hooligans, but we have drinks.” Mora’s offer was quiet-- she wasn’t nearly as loud as the others, but even without wearing the same grin most of them did, she was still politely friendly. Reneth was another story-- the hulking figure was practically scowling, now that Kien had joined the group. Gone was the tenderness he’d displayed towards Leon-- no, this elf was completely suspicious, if not downright hostile now.

“Sure. Thank you.” Kien wasn’t planning to drink-- he didn’t like how his senses were impared, and his injury left enough up in the wind should a surprise fight occur he did not need the additional barrier. And this was a war, he had to remember. Fights should be expected, as far as he knew.

Still, he joined them, taking a seat cross-legged on the ground around a low fire. The team was loud (most of the volume coming from Valen), but the atmosphere was overall quite pleasent. Kien said little, preferring to get a feel for the various soldiers he’d be fighting with. Of them, Valen talked the most, cracking jokes-- some clever, some crude-- and telling stories of his life outside of the war, the majority of which were about his wife back home. Leon and Reneth spent most of the time sitting close enough to touch, exchanging looks that made it quite clear they had a thing for each other. Mora’s inputs were usually startlingly witty, or calling Valen out on something stupid. The General, however, said very little, keeping his attention on Kien. Watching him. It was understandable-- he wished to keep his team safe, but Kien couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge. He had a secret to keep, and couldn’t have anyone learning it. Worse, he had no idea what the General would pick on, what tiny habits might clue him in. He’d have to think about every move before making it. Every gesture, every word, every step. Nothing could clue anyone in to his role as the Crown Prince, not if he wished to avoid his Father’s wrath. Assuming he survived this. Despite his worries, though, he found himself having a genuinely good time, and it seemed everyone else was enjoying themselves as well.

Until the flock of birds flew overhead, anyway. At the first rough squack, everyone, without fail, froze. Confusion flickered across Kien’s face, and he opened his mouth to express it, but a calloused hand clamped over his mouth. The General’s. A shutter wracked through Kien’s shoulders at the restrictive contact, but he too went still.

Mora tossed a bucket of water over the fire, letting the steam hiss up into the darkened sky, her eyes locked on the flock. Silence reigned for several seconds, until the birds had passed fully by. Only then did the General explain.

“This war is against the Shifters,” he hissed, tone still hushed. “They can assume any animal’s shape-- you can’t trust anything. They can usually be signaled apart from the natural-”

A crow’s croak cut him off. The sound was low, heavy, and stretched far longer than it should as it morphed into a scream, and the first of the birds dove. The rest followed in short succession, looping back and raining down upon the camp.

Before they hit the ground, each bird had assumed humanoid shapes-- lanky and graceful, with sharp-toothed smiles bared and long ears that angled downwards.

A single arrow split the air before the Shifters advanced as one, its singing filling all of the elves’ ears. Each of them knew the Lady Death’s tune all too well. Still, though, they rose, crouching to meet the advancing attack.

There would be blood spilled tonight.

[woodchoc-magnum]

911:Lone Star 2x06 Hate Watch

I finally watched it! Just in time for tomorrow’s boring ass episode.

Also I typed this as I was watching it so it is literally my stream of consciousness during the episode, apologies in advance.

Eddie to cleanse:

Disclaimer: I hate this show, if you love this show, that’s cool! You do you boo

Hate under the cut:

CONJOINED TWINS

This show is SO GROSS

They're not that close, wow

I mean yeah I would get so fucking sick of having someone attached to my head for sure

This show is the grossest

Naw they're friends again

Aw baby TK is learning how to drive the big boy truck what a good widdle boy

EXCUSE ME how did the guy in OG 911 drive the fire truck if it's this hard to start one?!

"Mom and Dad are having a BABY and they're ANCIENT"

I’m just throwing it out there, this baby ain't gonna be born

Judd is the best

They have to do laundry; why have I never considered this before?

Omg I have seen the lady who plays Paul's mother in so many things!

Oh the sister is straight up transphobic isn't she

I never met a Naomi I liked, just saying

(apologies to any Naomi's on my Tumblr, I'm sure you're great)

Are they going on a road trip in the middle of a pandemic?

Oh wait the pandemic doesn't exist in Lone Star does it

They do know they can't drive to the South Pole right, like you can't actually drive from Central America to South America

Oh no they have to replace zombie Tim

I miss zombie Tim

Remember when Tim got absolutely fucking annihilated by the lava rock that was so funny

The lady in the red sweater is Carla Gallo, she has been in a shit ton of things – but I will always remember her from Carnivale

Omg she headbutted that dude, they should hire her

Ooh potential new paramedic is hot but in a serial killer way?

In that he kinda looks like a serial killer

Some people have serial killer face I don't make the rules

Speaking of serial killer face, here's TK

"I am going to be a father" BITCH

YOU ARE ALREADY A FATHER

YOUR SON IS LITERALLY SITTING RIGHT THERE\

I mean I hate them both BUT STILL

Naomi says Texas is a little dull for her – that's just the Lone Star filter

Yo I watch these YouTubers and they have videos in Texas and there's like, no brown filter? And the sky is blue? But I thought the sky in Texas was blue with a layer of brown over the top?!

Oh biiiitch "you of all people do not get to play the gender card" BITCH

What's your fucking problem Naomi

Uh oh, oh no

Now they're making me feel bad for her

Rob Lowe "he's been a little chilly"

NO I WONDER WHY

GEE

WHAT COULD HE POSSIBLY BE UPSET ABOUT ROB LOWE

Cyanide poisoning

Did the new paramedic… give her the cyanide? No okay it was the flowers, still I am suspicious

See we've got this scene with these two kids and if you'll notice, they're standing outside with a blue sky above them – now my YouTubers tell me that the Texan sky is blue, not a shitty shade of brown

And honestly I’m inclined to trust my YouTubers, they seem like nice people

WHAT IS THE TRUTH

Oh no are these two kids gonna get shot

THEY'RE IN A MINEFIELD????

WHAT

THE

ACTUAL

FUCK

Is the guy with the gun gonna get blown up

PLEASE

PLEASE

PLEASE

PLEASE

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES

YES

YES

THAT WAS GREAT

10/10 BRILLIANT

HAHAHAHAHA I WILL NEVER STOP LAUGHING

Why is Rob Lowe going into a minefield?

Oh this paramedic doesn't want to walk into a minefield wooow what a LOSER

I mean… I also wouldn't walk into a minefield

OH HERE'S TK

"I can do this" he says blandly

I hope TK blows up

How the actual fuck are they going to do this

What I love is that everyone else just stands around and watches them, no masks, no social distancing

Because there's no pandemic

Literally NO ONE IS WEARING A MASK

I'd really like Rob Lowe to get blown up

Disappointed that Rob Lowe and TK did not get blown up

Wow TK what a hero

This week in 911: Rob Lowe, Rob Lowe navigates a literal minefield!

Serial killer paramedic is gonna quit

Wow they know about union reps in Austin (that was just a little OG lawsuit-arc burn there)

"A cowboy culture" okay dude

The dude you replaced DID get hit by a lava bomb, it was great

Oh his name is Pearce, why am I only just learning this now

Is Carlos in this show anymore or no?

Oh wow he goes to the hospital and he's WEARING A MASK

The sister has MS???

Someone should have told him

Okay we don't need to compete with each other's traumas now

Wow she got over the transphobia quickly

I mean can he have a storyline that isn't about transphobia

Wow TK is applying to be a paramedic WHO DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING

PLOT. TWIST.

TK is getting even with Dad BY NOT WORKING WITH HIM ANYMORE that'll show you Dad

No Carlos?

No?

K.

Ooooooh Rob Lowe is a petty bitch

"Want to tell me what's going on with you?" "Well Dad you kinda act like me being your son doesn't fucking matter so that's why"

"TK is this really what you want?" yeah I get him not wanting to work with you

"Emotional reaction" TK has emotions?

This guy can't act

Someone needs to tell him that he can't act

"I don't think it's weird you're having another kid at your age" MATE I THINK IT'S WEIRD

HELLO I THINK IT'S WEIRD

Ugh god this is supposed to be emotional isn't it

Let's face it, this baby ain't gonna live

And if it does live I'll be shocked

It's nice that Paul's mother is so accepting of him though, she's so great. I pretty much love this actress anytime I see her in something

Oh they're having a boy wooow

That baby ain't gonna live

UGH "hey little brother I'll see you soon" I AM ROLLING MY EYES FOREVER

Overall verdict:

2/10 BUT a dude did blow up in a minefield and it was great so + 1000 for that makes it 1002/10, specifically - AND ONLY - for that one scene where that dude blew up

Diaz to CLEANSE THE SOUL:

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Mystery Baby Theatre, Part 5

(Short Story Post, 5/6)

“You think I have something to do with this?” Dusty asked, hands on his hips. “The nerve…” “We’re not accusing you. You’re just the only demon we have on file,” Korsy explained. When the agent got the family to APID safely, they got them set up in the hospital wing and called Dusty in while Carlos waited outside with his kids. He’d been at home putting his son to bed when he was called so he’d had to drop Grey at his other father’s house quickly before popping into APID. Now he stood in front of Reggie’s hospital bed, glaring at Korsy. He was in no good mood. “I am a succubus,” Dusty said. “This is clearly the work of an incubus.” “What’s the difference?” Korsy asked. “Aren’t succubi supposed to be female?” Reggie asked. He was set up on the exam table but the doctor wasn’t here yet to look him over. Dusty seemed to only get more ticked off. “Demons don’t have sexes. The latin ‘succubare’ means ‘to lie beneath’. It literally just means I’m a bottom. And looking at all those children lined up outside, I could say you’re more of a succubus than I am.” “Are you calling me a whore?” Reggie growled. “If the shoe fits…”

“Hey, none of that!” Korsy said. “Dusty, I get it. You’re tired. We pulled you away from your son for this. But we need your help if you can give it. Do you know what's going on with him?” Dusty crossed his arms. “I don't know much about incubi. What I do know is that they’re terrible testosterone junkies who couldn’t care less about anyone else and always try to get what they want whenever they want. So, I imagine, whatever one that’s after you wants that kid.” Reggie shook his head. “No, we made a deal.” “What deal did you make?” Dusty asked. “What did you give in exchange for this child?” “He asked me to sacrifice a goat in his name,” Reggie said. “So, I found one on Kijiji and did it. It was really really gross…” “So, he just wanted a goat?” Korsy asked. “Hard to believe…” “Naw, goats are pretty powerful…” Dusty said. “But this is an incubus we’re talking about. He’s probably found a loophole. What exactly did he promise?” “He gets the goat, I get to keep the baby,” Reggie said. “Simple as—” He suddenly doubled over, clenching his stomach. “Ahh… Ow…” Korsy was startled. “Are you okay?” “Y-Yeah, I…” Reggie grimaced. “…Just a bit of pain…” “You’re going into labour, aren’t you?” Dusty said. “No, I’m still a month from due,” Reggie said. The lights suddenly shut off and the room got cold. Reggie suddenly let out a scream of pain. “Oh god, it hurts!” Dusty and Korsy’s eyes took a moment to adjust but soon they could see. Reggie was still balled up in pain, but there was now a puddle of black liquid pooling under him. “Your water broke,” Dusty said. “You are in labour.” “I’ll get the doctor,” Korsy said leaving the room. As he did, Carlos came in. “What’s going on?” Carlos asked, blindly trying to find his partner in the darkness. “It’s too early…” Reggie whimpered. “Your partner’s in labour,” Dusty said. He grabbed Carlos’s shoulder and directed him to Reggie’s side. “I don’t think this is a coincidence. I think your incubus is forcing you into labour.” “You think right,” a deep voice said. Everyone was startled by the sudden strange voice. Dusty suddenly saw him, a tall dark shadow standing in the corner of the room, a huge grin on his face. Reggie screamed out in pain again. The contractions hurt ten times more than any of his other pregnancies and he was in absolute agony. The stranger looked over at Dusty then tilted it’s head slightly. “Succubus? What are you doing here?” “I’m just… I’m just helping,” Dusty said, feeling his body tremble in the presence of a much stronger demon. The other stared for a moment. “…Darathan?” Dusty lowered his eyes. “Who’s asking?” “Thaungal.” He raised a hand, forcing Dusty’s chin up again. “Don’t be rude. Look at me when I’m talking to you.” Dusty whimpered, feeling the incubus’s invisible strength holding him up. “I’m sorry…” “You’re wanted back home,” Thaungal said. Dusty shook his head stiffly. “I’m not tied to home…I was bound…” “You’re not bound anymore.” Thaungal shrugged anyway and let him go. “What do I care. You’re not worth much…” Dusty immediately teleported away, leaving the humans in darkness alone with the incubus. Reggie was still clutching his stomach, his labour progressing quickly. Carlos was trying to soothe him, rubbing his back and whispering to him, though he was also frightened out of his mind. “Reggie…” the demon said in a low voice. “The child is ready for you.” He waved a hand over the labouring man, forcing his body flat against the exam table, his arms and legs out as if restrained. Reggie shrieked in pain, his body tensing in agony. He felt like he would faint from the sheer pain. The child within his stomach writhed and squirmed as if trying to rip out. “Oh, it’s alright,” Thaungal said. “I’m here for you.” He placed his hand down on Reggie’s belly and the hell spawn calmed down. The pain in Reggie’s body ebbed and he was able to regain his breath. “You promised…” he cried. “You promised not to take my baby…” “I promised you could keep it,” Thaungal admitted. “But I’ve decided I want it. But I won’t go back on my word. You can keep your child but I’ll take both of you.” “No!” Carlos yelled. “You can’t take him!” “Oh, can’t I?” Thaungal chuckled. “Perhaps you’d be right if you were married to him. But you’re not. Therefore, he can be bound to me.” Carlos threw his torso over Reggie’s body. “¡Demonio! ¡No puedes tenerlo! You can’t have him!” Thaungal let out a boisterous laugh. “Human, you’re very funny to think you have any power against—” Thaungal suddenly jumped back, narrowly missing the edge of a blade being swung at him. Dusty had reappeared with Korsy and the doctor, Sydryn, the former brandishing knives. “Stay away from them!” Korsy barked, holding his blade out to Thaungal. “Syd, take care of the patient!” “Obviously,” Sydryn huffed, moving over between Reggie's legs to check him. Thaungal eyes narrowed on Dusty. “You traitor!” “I work here, asshole!” Dusty said. “You don’t get to come to my job and just do whatever the fuck you want!” Thaungal started to approach Dusty. “You little—" Korsy lunged out in front of Dusty, slashing his knives towards Thaungal, the catching the incubus across the chest and making a shallow gash. The demon hissed, swiping a clawed hand at the agent, but Korsy ducked out of the way and countered with another slash of his knives. The demon dodged it easily and chuckled, but Korsy caught him off guard with a swift kick to the gut. What should've been a harmless kick for an incubus of his strength turned out to be fatal however and Thaungal staggered backward, black blood seeping out of his wounds. He looked at himself then glared at Korsy. “...You...” Before he could finish his sentence, he disintegrated into dust. The lights flickered back on and Korsy stood there panting. The grip on Reggie's body was lifted and he was able to relax a bit though still subject to his contractions. “What just happened?” Carlos asked, unable to have seen everything that had transpired. “Did you kill him?” “He did,” Dusty said. “But he shouldn't have been able to... Not with a kick...” Korsy caught his breath then slammed a fist against his knee. His right leg fell out of his pant and he picked it up, showing off the blade coming from his prosthetic. “Dark elf blade. Good for killing...bad things. Still sharp enough for everybody else too so watch out.” “Scary...” Dusty said, though he was a little turned on. “...You have my number.” “Thank you...for getting rid...of Thaun...” Reggie panted. “But I'm still...in labour!” “Right. Syd, how's he doing?” Korsy asked. “Crowning,” Sydryn stated. “Reggie, another big push.” Reggie grabbed his ankles and pushed hard. “Oh shit, it's almost here!” Carlos pulled out his phone and started recording, going around beside Syd to get a good angle. “You can do it, mi amor!” Reggie pushed harder, screaming in pain, and the head came free. He eased up and panted, tears streaming down his face. “Humans film these things?” Dusty critiqued. “Strange...” “Get out if you're not helping!” Reggie growled before starting to push again. “I concur. Darathan. Korsgaard. Out,” Sydryn instructed. “Köbi’s watching the children. Replace him and send him in.” Dusty and Korsy stepped out quickly and were replaced by the curly haired young man. Köbi stood ready by the doctor. “What do you need me to do?” “Prepare for the baby. Ready a blanket,” Sydryn said. “Ahhhhhhhh!” Reggie bore down with all his strength. Sydryn reached around the baby's head and helped guide it out. Finally, with a rush of more black amniotic fluid, the child was born. She was completely grey and squirmed in the doctor’s hands. “¡Una niña!” Carlos said happily. “Reggie, she’s so cute!” Reggie however didn’t respond. His energy was all drained and the pain had been unbearable. He was fighting just to stay conscious. “Reg?” Carlos dropped his phone and grabbed Reggie’s hand. “Reggie, stay with me!” “Köbi, take the child,” Sydryn said, being quick to cut the umbilical cord. “Quickly.” Köbi did as told, taking the newborn and wrapping her up in the blanket. Carlos pushed back his partner’s hair, watching as his consciousness faded. “Is Reggie going to be okay?” “He’s lost a lot of blood. If we don’t treat this immediately, it could be fatal,” Sydryn stated. “No!” Carlos’s voice shook. “Do something!” “I am.” Sydryn had already begun manually removing the placenta. “I suggest you go outside and take care of your children.” “I can’t leave him here!” Carlos sobbed. “I need him!” “I am no longer suggesting. Step outside, sir, or you will be forcibly removed.” “I can’t go!” “Köbi!” Köbi handed the newborn over to Carlos. “Trust us, okay? You have beautiful children to look after.” He placed a hand on Carlos’s shoulder which helped soothe the man. Carlos nodded and stepped outside. “Köbi, stop the bleeding while I get an IV,” Sydryn asked. “On it.” Köbi placed his hands on Reggie’s sternum and closed his eyes.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6

[sceptilemasterr]

MW Act 3, Scene 4 - L.A.R.A.

Title: Most Wanted: The Hollywood Killer (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Dave x Sam

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: At the L.A.R.A. gala, Sam and Dave are reunited and share a dance.

Previous Scene: It All Comes Together

Masterlist: Link

INT. L.A.R.A. BALLROOM - NIGHT

The L.A.R.A. gala, set within the historic Beijing Theater, is decorated lavishly, fit for a who’s who of Hollywood celebrities. Well-dressed men and women mix and mingle throughout the ballroom. Dave, Rebecca, and Rhea walk in through a side entrance, looking around for anything suspicious. Dave and Rebecca are both impeccably dressed Hollywood-style, while Rhea looks slightly uncomfortable in the old prom dress she is wearing. Rebecca places a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

REBECCA: Breathe. It’s okay. I know it’s a lot.

RHEA: I... oh my God! So many celebrities... I think I might faint--

REBECCA: Seriously. Just take a breath. We’re on a mission, remember?

RHEA: Oh, right! Sorry!

Rhea takes a deep breath, steadying herself.

REBECCA: Better?

RHEA: A little. Thanks!

REBECCA: Anytime. Now, let’s keep an eye out for...

Her voice trails off as she spots Dave making his way over to a poker table, where Ryan Summers and several other celebrities are fully engrossed in a heated game. Rebecca groans.

REBECCA: Dammit, Dave...

RHEA: What’s wrong? He might be able to get some good intel from those guys, right?

REBECCA: You’ve been spending too much time with Dave, haven’t you? He’ll be there all night if we let him. C’mon, let’s--

She is interrupted by a sudden commotion from outside. She and Rhea turn their gaze toward the entrance, where they see Cassandra Leigh emerging from a limo outside.

RHEA (excited): Wow! Is that the Cassandra Leigh?!

REBECCA (unimpressed): Do you have any idea how many celebrities are gonna be here tonight? If we stop to gawk at every single one of ‘em, we’ll be here all--

She stops talking and her jaw drops as Sam emerges from the limo behind Cassandra. Sam is nearly unrecognizable in a beautiful, flowing red dress that is the envy of every celebrity at the gala. Sam takes a pose with Cassandra, smiling and waving as the paparazzi swarm the two of them.

REBECCA: Is that--

RHEA: Sam?!

Dave looks up from his poker game and spots Sam. He is mesmerized by the sight of her.

DAVE (stunned): Holy...

RYAN (knowingly): No way. I know that look. Reyes, of all people?!

DAVE (annoyed): Don’t you say a word, Summers.

As everyone watches, Cassandra and Sam continue into the ballroom, pushing aside paparazzi as they do so. 

RHEA: Okay, Sam and Cassandra Leigh? I’ve gotta find out what’s going on there--

Rebecca rests a firm hand on Rhea’s shoulder.

REBECCA: Whatever Sam’s up to, she’s probably going for it undercover. I doubt we’d help by rushing in, guns a’blazin’.

Rhea starts to respond, then stops herself.

RHEA: ...You’re probably right. So, what now?

REBECCA: We mingle. Try and figure out who Hayley’s “enemies” might be... people Tull might think he’s “protecting” her from.

Rhea shrugs.

RHEA: Honestly? If I had to pick people Hayley Rose had a serious reason to be upset with... well, I’d just be listing the people Tull already got to. Who else could be left?

REBECCA: That’s what we’re here to find out. Come on, let’s go find some--oh. Oh no.

Rebecca suddenly looks out across the ballroom. Rhea follows her gaze--to see Dave walking straight toward the middle of the dance floor, where Sam is chatting with Aly Griffin and a few other well-dressed partygoers. Rhea cringes at the sight.

RHEA: This won’t end well.

REBECCA: Don’t I know it. (sighs) Better get over there before those two start drawin’ all the attention to themselves.

The two women make their way through the crowd as Dave approaches Sam.

ALY: Dave! Hey, glad you could make it! (turns to Sam) Where are my manners? Sam, this is--

SAM: I know who he is. Believe me.

ALY (awkwardly): Oh! Uh...

SAM: Dave, what the hell are you doing here?!

DAVE: I’m--uh--

Aly looks curiously at Dave as he tries to come up with a response, shocked to see him outside of his usual confident demeanor. Sam stares at Dave as, behind him, Rebecca and Rhea approach.

DAVE: Look, it doesn’t--I think I should be the one asking you that question! Last I heard, you were storming off for a flight back to Texas!

SAM: Oh, is that what this is about? You just couldn’t wait to be rid of me, is that it?

DAVE: What?! No--

SAM: Well, too bad, pretty boy. Beckham or no, I’ve never left a case unfinished, and I ain’t about to change that now.

DAVE: I... not that I don’t sympathize, but this really isn’t the time for--

ALY: I’m sorry, you two know each other? Have I missed something?

Dave and Sam are both startled out of their argument, remembering Aly is still there. Dave lowers his voice and explains:

DAVE: Er, right, sorry. This is Sam Massey. U.S. Marshal and former partner with me on the Tull case.

SAM: Gotta be honest, I can’t say I realized you’d be here, Reyes. Can we go somewhere for a sec? Privately?

At a nod from Dave, Rebecca motions to Rhea, and they back off.

DAVE (sighs): Fine. Just don’t draw too much--

He is cut off as the music changes to an elegant waltz. A D.J. announces over the loudspeakers:

D.J. (ON SPEAKER): And bringing it down a little, here’s a nice and slow one for all you happy couples out on the dance floor!

As couples begin to pair up and begin slow dancing around them, Sam and Dave look at one another awkwardly. Sam coughs.

SAM: I, uh...

DAVE (whispering): Should we try to, uh, escape?

SAM (whispering): I think it’s too late for that.

Dave shrugs and clears his throat.

DAVE: In that case... ahem.

He bows dramatically and extends a hand toward Sam.

DAVE: Deputy Massey. May I have this dance?

ALY: Oh come on! Why is EVERY guy I’m into already taken?!

Sam struggles to keep from laughing as she takes his hand.

SAM: Why, of course, Detective Reyes.

The two of them begin waltzing, slightly awkwardly at first, before finding their footing. They fall into a smooth rhythm, resuming their conversation in hushed whispers as they dance.

DAVE (whispering): So. Mind explaining what you’re doing here? Did Beckham reassign you to the case?

SAM (whispering): Don’t I wish. Naw, I’m just a private citizen enjoying a gala. A gala where there happen to be plenty of celebrities who might be targets for our... mutual friend.

DAVE (whispering): Well... can’t say much, but let me tell you, you’re onto something. That notepad from the trailer... forensics ran it. They found “LARA” written on the top page.

At Dave’s words, Sam begins scanning the room covertly while they continue dancing.

SAM (whispering): Wanna make a promise? If either of us find a lead, we tell the other. Deal?

They dance several moments in silence while Dave deliberates.

DAVE (whispering): Deal. I may still be mad about that move you pulled in the trailer, but I won’t say no to some capable backup.

SAM (whispering): Same. Gotta admit, you ain’t half bad in a fight.

DAVE (whispering): Right back at you. (louder) And I have to say, you look... well... absolutely stunning.

This time, Sam allows herself to giggle a bit.

SAM (awkwardly): Oh! Thanks. And, well, uh... you don’t look so bad yourself.

They dance in silence for another moment or two, until...

D.J. (ON SPEAKER): Aaaaaand that’s enough of the slow dancing! Put your hands up for some hoppin’ beats!

The couples around them start splitting apart as they dance to the energetic EDM that starts playing next. Sam and Dave take advantage of the confusion to split off again. The camera follows Sam as she heads toward the bar, when she notices Hayley in the midst of a very heated argument with her agent.

HAYLEY: Ugh! You are so... How dare you?!

BROOKS: Hayley. You know I only want what’s best for you--

Hayley stomps her foot angrily.

HAYLEY: Bullshit! I know you’ve been talking with other starlets; you just wanna replace me!

BROOKS: Replace you? I would never--

HAYLEY: SHUT UP!

As Sam watches, Hayley bursts into tears and sprints away from her agent, straight toward the gala entrance. After a moment’s hesitation, Sam sprints after her, shoving patrons out of the way.

SAM: Hayley! Wait!

Hayley sobs as she rushes through the doors, completely oblivious to Sam’s shouts. As Sam approaches the exit, Dave approaches, jogging alongside her.

DAVE: Rebecca’s already calling in for backup to protect Brooks. He might be Tull’s next target!

SAM: Good thinkin’. We’ve gotta warn Hayley!

DAVE: Exactly. No tellin’ what a creep like Tull might do to her...

The two of them burst through the doors into the L.A. night air.

_______________________

Next: Street Pursuit

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0

MW Tag List: @griselda1121

[illustratethestars]

NOT YET IN COLOR

Chapter 3: NOT YET IN COLOR

Penn sidles up beside you on the street, walking with head ducked under their hood. Inq, ever the showy one, steps gracefully along on your other side, silent and smiling.

“Psst.” Penn says, “I’ve found another chapter of Cyan and Yellow make Green for ‘ya, but it’s getting harder to get these chapters. I nearly lost an eye this time.” They hold a scroll, waving it, a temptation. “Yeah so I had to smuggle out a few words like the first time. I’m sure you can find someone knowledgeable to help you out.”

“This one? It’s got more of that ass, Dial. ‘Course it’s got RGB, too, and a special guest on his part. There’s some Character suffering, and I guess if you count frayed suits you could call it ‘body horror’, but it’s nothin’ you can’t handle, right? It’s going to cost you. How much is 1869 words worth to ‘ya?”

Penn seems surprisingly pleased by your offering of a blue ink pen, and happily accepts it as payment, giving it over to Inq, where the blue adds to her natural coloration.  “Much obliged.” Penn and Inq leave you, with a scroll and a new story to read.

CHAPTER 1 IS HERE

CHAPTER 2 IS HERE

Ch. 3 NOT YET IN COLOR

Dial had to watch over his shoulder every time he left the ☝🕆❄❄☜☼. Sure he couldn’t die by violence, and he could heal from most things, but that didn’t mean he wanted to meet an angry Magnus again-- or anyone else that cute little pumpkin Hero might end up recruiting. Adorable as she was, her habit of picking up big, intimidating friends was dangerous.

“Phew, I was right, ‘Y ‘ole talk-box. You sure did pick a prize fighter.” He wandered over to the 🏱✌🏱☜☼-thin cage. It had been only a few days, but the floor was covered in ink.

Cyan and yellow had been swirled together into lines vaguely resembling grass, with spatters of red imitating flowers, like a child’s drawing. In places, the colors had been trodden on, mixing them into an ugly brownish swirl.

One of RGB’s gloves, stained with ink and cut to shreds, rested on the floor of the cage in front of Dial. He was unsurprised, but intrigued. He tutted idly.

“That’s the thing about ☜👎✋❄⚐☼💧, ain’t it? When you’re indelible like we are, even the ☜👎✋❄⚐☼🕯💧 💧👍✋💧💧⚐☼💧 can’t take some things away from you. But they can sure do a number on you for a little while.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and waited.

Slowly, the screaming high-pitched whine came up again. RGB raised himself up from a corner of the floor, weight lopsided and movements jerky. Gold vines wrapped around the cage, with blue flowers blooming. His suit glitched and fizzled in white noise and static, black and white and inconsistent. A large black and white eye displayed on his screen.

It looked at Dial, at first. Then down, at all the ink. His own ink drifted upwards, slowly. This Version, the Negative, looked around as if perplexed.

Dial noticed it only had one shoe. Both he and the Negative looked around curiously.

A gold vine dipped down outside the cage and returned, bringing with it the shoe, small blue flowers beginning to bud and bloom over it. Negative reached for it, then seemed to notice his hands were missing.

He took a step, but without his shoe, he fell with a loud and painful-sounding crash.

Dial watched impassively as the negative ignored him, crawling with its arms alone toward the glove, until it reached the messy thing. Black and white with green and yellow smeared all over it.

It reached out to the glove, and the glove re-fit itself into its hand. The colorful ink glitched and faded to black and white again. The pieces were still shredded, but they fit.

The Negative pushed itself up and pulled itself to its shoe via the bars, and replaced that as well.

The Negative finally seemed to acknowledge Dial, looking at him with a tilt of its head.

Dial shrugged. “Dunno where the other glove is, I wasn’t there.” He admitted.

Whether Negative fully understood was anyone’s guess. It continued to wander slowly, pacing the cage, looking for the other glove. The vines kept looping around it, and the flowers grew bigger. They were starting to make Dial feel claustrophobic, as they were much less restrained than Negative was. The vines began to press outward, nearly blocking his exits. The high-pitched whine continued. Was it pain? Or just this whole creature’s existence? Were those the same thing?

He hesitated to call this ‘thing’ RGB, or even ‘He’. It seemed more… animalistic. Like Fears and Nightmares, without a true consciousness or stream of thought.

He looked up inside the cage and saw black spatters against the ceiling, like stars in reverse. He wasn’t sure when he had seen stars before. Had he? The vines began to press against his back. It didn’t seem like a conscious threat, more like a creature rolling over in its sleep threatening to squish him.

“Now you wouldn’t hurt ‘yer own cousin, would you?” Dial asked, more to hear his own voice than anything.

Negative turned to him briefly, as if just remembering his existence. Then it seemed to forget again, and went on looking. It knelt down and reached outside its cage. The bars 🏱✌🏱☜☼-cut into his sleeve, but he didn’t seem to notice, only picked up the glove and stuck it back on.

The whining grew louder, louder, ever louder. The blue flowers exploded around him as Dial’s head filled with the sound of the whine, until he had to clutch his head. He felt his knee hit the ground, but didn’t hear the ‘CLINK’, he only heard screaming.

After a moment, Negative hit the ground, too. Dial realized that at least some of the screaming had been his. The sound had ripped through his wiring like a band saw, then it vanished, leaving him with just a splitting headache.

He breathed heavily, ignoring the way the sound reverberated uncomfortably in his skull. Nothing could be quite so uncomfortable as that hellish racket.

The high-pitched noise had gone away. He briefly wondered if RGB had somehow found a way to die 🕈✋❄☟⚐🕆❄ ☟✌❄☜🕯💧 🏱☜☼💣✋💧💧✋⚐☠.

Dial stayed on the ground for the moment, collecting himself. He wasn’t sure what that was, but he knew he didn’t like it. He looked at the remains of the flowers. Blue roses. They were beautiful, yes, but very strange. Curiously, he picked up a few petals.

“So that’s how you’ve survived all this time, huh?” Dial mused. Whatever that negative creature was, it seemed to help RGB survive. He couldn’t explain the flowers, though.

He got up and went to fetch Hate. He could clean up the petals, but the vines would require some ☜👎✋❄⚐☼✋✌☹ 🏱☼✋✞✋☹☜☝☜💧 he didn’t have.

The whine picked up again, finally. It seemed to take hours, and it was only at first before the sound faded into the background. The vines were cleared away, and all but one flower had been ☜☼✌💧☜👎. Dial toyed with the single handful of petals, intrigued by them.

RGB -and it was RGB this time- was a mess of colors. His suit was a horribly ugly yellow-green with cyan detailing, a true eyesore, with spattered colors around that had clearly come from the undried ink around him.

“Well hey there, sleepin’ beauty!” Dial chirped sweetly.

RGB looked at him, but said nothing. Not that it mattered, his volume was off, but he had free hands. He could have turned it back on. He just didn’t want to.

“Naw, that’s fine, you always were a better listener than me. I’ll do the talkin’ fer us.” Dial assured, rubbing the blue petals between his fingertips and letting them fall where they may.

RGB seemed curious about them. Then he looked at his hands. Yellow and cyan dripped again from his monitor. He didn’t get up. He just sat and curled up, arms around his knees, monitor to the ground. His antennae tilted back. He didn’t want to see or hear Dial, didn’t want to think about his presence.

“You’ll be pleased to know, your little princess is safe ‘n sound. Led her to the marketplace myself. Found an ol’ friend ‘a yours on the way!” Dial chirped, stepping over.

RGB hesitated before raising his head to look.

“Mmhm, that ex ‘a yours! Crystal-head. Magnus. Hoo-wee he was madder ‘n a rattlesnake in a roller rink.”

Guessing by the yellow and red dripping from his monitor, RGB was pretty pissed, too.

Dial leaned against the bars. Their ❄⚐☼☠ edges wouldn’t cut him on the outside of the cage.

“Oh, yeah. We didn’t talk much. Your kiddo kept him from killing me, what a sweetie! Guess my charm works on her after all!” He beamed in mock-pride, watching RGB seethe with hatred.

Dial knelt down to RGB’s height, lingering right in his space, to annoy him. His ‘On-air’ sign flashed on.

“You know she’s going to come back.” He finally allowed his feelings to slip in. Smug satisfaction, knowing how things would end. “You know she’s going to die here.”

RGB lashed out to grab the front of his coat, and pulled him roughly into the bars. He may have been on his knees and torn to shreds, but he still had a remarkable strength to him, even as his limbs shook and suit frayed.

Dial let him get it out, watching the red leak onto the floor.

“Hoo-ey, you know I love gettin’ yer goat there, Cuz’!” He laughed and reached in to pat RGB’s head. “I thought your meadow could use a few more flowers.” He took RGB’s hat and pressed his arm into the bars.

RGB made a sound of sudden static as the 🏱✌🏱☜☼ cut into his suit. He let go hastily and withdrew into himself again, and Dial stood back up.

A few more spatters of red littered RGB’s makeshift fields. He stared at the fingerpainted grass again and, after a moment, cyan started dripping, too.

He seemed to keep one relatively clean space in his cage, presumably to sleep, since that was where Negative had woken up. The rest of the floor, however, was an increasingly muddled mess.

He slowly started to mix the dripping cyan with the red left behind, to create dots of purple flowers. Something new to look at, perhaps.

“There now, see? That’s right pretty.” Dial hummed.

“Too bad. It would have been so much easier to just… change your mind. I used to do it all the time.” He looked at the boater hat, considering it.

No, he decided, These things look ridiculous.

He shrugged and tossed it aside, into the clean white room, away from the ink.

“Best to keep that clean, now. You might need it when… Oh, who knows? Maybe Hate will let you have it back when you’re mourning this one.”

RGB looked up at him again, briefly, before returning to his work. Dial was starting to wonder if he’d cracked.

“There’s no locks to pick, no keys to steal, here. Maybe you are changing your mind. The hard way.” He mused.

“I must admit, I’m a little jealous.” Dial stepped away, toward the door. He slipped his hands into his pockets and wandered almost aimlessly out.

“I’d have killed to get this much regret out of you.” He paused a moment, thinking.

“Say… that’s not a bad idea.”

He stepped out.

RGB looked up, monitor dripping yellow once more.

After a moment, he leaned forward and gripped the bars of his cage with one hand, ignoring the split in his glove widening painfully. No, he gripped harder.

Yellow: the fear of pain and suffering. Blue: The sadness of loss. Purple: The curiosity of what would come next. Red: The anger of having his plans go so far astray.

Green: The joy of having a plan.

From the ceiling, a single drop of black fell into the mess.

He looked up and saw the collection of drying black ink on the ceiling. He couldn’t account for or explain them, but he had a good feeling about them.

He raised his other hand to the bars and squeezed tight.

He emitted another high-pitched whine, and his body shook, but he wasn’t going to stop now. They had one chance. He had to be ready for it, in spite of the pain.

[kylorenpunk]

Payback is a bitch. Do them all.

“itAy thanks for curing my evening boredom

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?

     I think it was my friend Elli during a service project or my friend when we went to the movies (we occasionally pretend we’re a couple when we go to the movies lmao) 

2. Are you outgoing or shy?

    Shy. It was super hard to make friends during grade school. But if you put me with the right people I can be outgoing. 3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

     My friend group tomorrow. I think we’re playing smash again? 4. Are you easy to get along with?

     I think so? I have no idea tbh. I know I was a bitch when I was younger though. Hopefully I don’t put off those vibes now 5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?

     The only time we interacted I was drunk so no lol. 6. What kind of people are you attracted to?

     Tattooed, nerdy vibes, can make me laugh, nice eyes, idk I just like guys ok7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

     HA. Nope. 8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

     Romantically? or friendship? Also bold of you to assume whoever does these are straight. To answer, my friends who are all homies. 9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

     Depends on the subject. I am always down to make sex jokes but don’t fucking tell me the shit you did with your SO the other night.10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

      I’m always down for deep convos tbh so I do this frequently. I think the last full length deep convo I had was with Jessica though? 11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?

      “LMAO” to Joey bc I rick rolled his ass. Bitch apparently I’m always texting you?   12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

       According to spotify it’s: Alexander HamiltonGoodbye Yellow Brick Road (Sara Bareilles’ cover) When I Was Your Man (Aaron Tveit’s cover) The Greatest Show The number one song is one I don’t listen to any more so I’ll replace that with the song I’m listening to “How Far I’ll Go” 

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?

      God yes. That’s the BEST feeling. 14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

      Not really miracles. But I do believe in luck in a sense 15. What good thing happened this summer?

      My birthday. Going to Chicago. 16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

      Sure I’ll kiss my mirror again. Sorry y’all I don’t kiss and tell.17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

      Absolutely.18. Do you still talk to your first crush?

      I have had so many I don’t remember my first crush. And I know for a fact I didn’t start talking to crushes till the middle of high school19. Do you like bubble baths?

      No I hate baths. I think it’s gross. 20. Do you like your neighbors?

      I like their dogs. Especially the beautiful pit I get to dog sit 21. What are you bad habits?

      I get very nervous very easily. I’m unsure of myself. I’m also messy.22. Where would you like to travel?

      New York and Europe 23. Do you have trust issues?

      Who doesn’t? 24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

      When I go to sleep.25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?

      My stomach. 26. What do you do when you wake up?

      Check my phone. It’s really bad. 27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

      Neither. I like my skin color even though I’m pale as fuck. 28. Who are you most comfortable around?

      I’ll have to say my friends Yara and Josephine. Love all my other friends and no offense to y’all I’m just really self conscious 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

      LMAO one basically did the other day. At least he regrets how he treated me. That’s some tea. 30. Do you ever want to get married?

      Hell yeah. Am I currently ready for it? Hell naw. 31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail?

     She’s too long. I really want to cut her but that costs money. 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

      Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway. Or Vanessa Hudgens33. Spell your name with your chin.

      done. That was strange? 34. Do you play sports? What sports?

      I did soccer for one season when I was 6. I spent most of the time playing with my hair. That was the end of my athletic career. 35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

      TV bc we have netflix and hulu 36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

      Tons of times. It’s my brand. 37. What do you say during awkward silences?

      I’ve been doing shitty mouth pops recently. I also start rambling about my day.38. Describe your dream girl/guy?

      Someone that puts up with my bullshit 39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

      TJ Maxx. Ulta. Target. I don’t shop often. 40. What do you want to do after high school?

      I’m outta that shit hole. Have been for 5 yrs. 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

      Of course. 42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?

      I’m listening fully and don’t really have anything to contribute yet. 43. Do you smile at strangers?

      Working at a hotel has forced me to. I hate it. 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

      SPACE MOTHERFUCKERS - the ocean freaks me out45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

      Needing to pee, hunger or work 46. What are you paranoid about?

      EVERYTHING. Mainly the future tho 47. Have you ever been high?

      Nah. Not opposed to it though. 48. Have you ever been drunk?

      Yep. I get really touchy. It’s weird. 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?

      Stalk people’s social medias? 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?

      Grey 51. Ever wished you were someone else?

      I wish I was Vanessa Hudgens. 52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?

      I won’t write it here 53. Favourite makeup brand?

      NYX. Cheap and good. 54. Favourite store?

      Target 55. Favourite blog?

      My own. 56. Favourite colour?

      Pink or Green. Depends on the day.57. Favourite food? 

      Anything with pasta or rice 58. Last thing you ate?

      pasta 59. First thing you ate this morning?

      beef jerkey. I have weird cravings60. Ever won a competition? For what?

      For being the world’s most emotional bitch 61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?

      Hell no. Stay in school kids. 62. Been arrested? For what?

      Nope.63. Ever been in love? 

      Yep. Still don’t kiss and tell. 64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?

      I know I just said I don’t kiss and tell but this isn’t talking about the person. Wet. Gross. Sloppy as fuck. They were shit at kissing. 65. Are you hungry right now?

      Nah. 66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?

      I have one tumblr friend. He’s a pal. 67. Facebook or Twitter?

      Twitter68. Twitter or Tumblr?

      Twitter. I’ll make one for this blog soon. 69. Are you watching tv right now?

      No I’m listening to Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson. 70. Names of your bestfriends? 

      Kim, Michelle, Jessica71. Craving something? What?

      Nothing. 72. What colour are your towels?

      Pink and green72. How many pillows do you sleep with?

      It used to be two until I got a new giant pillow this week. 73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?

      I have them. I don’t sleep with them. 74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

      Four. I just counted. 75. Favourite animal?

      Meerkats 76. What colour is your underwear?

      Pink. 77. Chocolate or Vanilla?

      Vanilla 78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

      Strawberry79. What colour shirt are you wearing?

      Grey and pink 80. What colour pants?

      Dark grey and green - I’m in house clothes I don’t match 81. Favourite tv show?

      Jane the Virgin 82. Favourite movie?

      Hairspray 83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?

      Mean Girls. The second one was trash 84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?

      Mean Girls85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?

      SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE 86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?

      Bruce87. First person you talked to today?

      Joey?88. Last person you talked to today?

      Joey. What the hell. 89. Name a person you hate?

      Hm they don’t need their name here90. Name a person you love?

      My brother91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?

      Someone from work 92. In a fight with someone?

      Nah I don’t deal with that bs 93. How many sweatpants do you have?

      None. I do leggings tho ( I think I have 7 or 8)94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?

      2 hoodies 95. Last movie you watched?

      The Green Book96. Favourite actress?

      Anne Hathaway? 97. Favourite actor?

      Mark Hamill 98. Do you tan a lot?

      I burn a lot. I’m pale99. Have any pets?

       No 100. How are you feeling?

        Alright. Kinda pumped bc my fav cover of Come Together came on (from the Justice League movie)101. Do you type fast?

        Yes but this is still taking me a while to get through 102. Do you regret anything from your past?

        Hell yeah. No tea is being spilled tho103. Can you spell well?

        If I have a pen and paper I’m decent. 104. Do you miss anyone from your past?

        I miss some ppl yeah. Adulting sucks bc you can’t see everyone all the time105. Ever been to a bonfire party?

        Lol that was the only rebellious thing I would do in high school 106. Ever broken someone’s heart?

        Not that I know of? 107. Have you ever been on a horse?

        Yes I love horseback riding 108. What should you be doing?

        Studying for the GRE109. Is something irritating you right now?

        Boring drama stuff. I won’t go into details. I’ll get over it. 110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

        Everyone has. 111. Do you have trust issues?

        Sis you already asked this. Yes. 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?

        My mom? I was crying bc I could fit into old shirts 113. What was your childhood nickname?

        Family calls me Kari. Friends call me Rina114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?

        Yep. Last month. 115. Do you play the Wii?

        We play Netflix on the wii116. Are you listening to music right now?

        “I am Woman” by Jordan Sparks 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?

        Only from a can. I hate soup. 118. Do you like Chinese food?

        Fuck me up with crab rangoons 119. Favourite book?

        Eragon120. Are you afraid of the dark?

        I don’t like not being able to see. So sure. 121. Are you mean?

        I’m a dick to those I care about. Sorry. 122. Is cheating ever okay?

        Absolutely not. Dump their ass. 123. Can you keep white shoes clean?

        Nope. 124. Do you believe in love at first sight?

        I believe in infatuation at first sight125. Do you believe in true love?

         Not sure 126. Are you currently bored?

        I was till I started this 127. What makes you happy?

        anime, superheros, nerdy shit, music and makeup 128. Would you change your name?

        No. I used to want to as a child. 129. What your zodiac sign?

        Cancer. 130. Do you like subway?

        No. It’s gross. 131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

        Politely decline132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

        Already answered. 133. Favourite lyrics right now?

        “Yoko Ono, she got that Yoko OnoYou know that shit that made John Lennon go soloKnow that shit gotta be lethalIf that pussy broke up The Beatles” - Jay Z

Murder by Justin Timberlake (Featuring Jay Z)134. Can you count to one million?

        I could. I don’t want to though.135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

        Not sure. 136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?

        Closed. 137. How tall are you?

        Five foot. Three inches. 138. Curly or Straight hair?

        My hair is wavy. I like both.139. Brunette or Blonde?

        I’m a brunette140. Summer or Winter?

        summer141. Night or Day?

        day 142. Favourite month?

        october143. Are you a vegetarian?

        nope but i’ve considered. 144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

        dark chocolate. I’m old. 145. Tea or Coffee?

        tea - coffee gives me the shits 146. Was today a good day?

        It was decent. 147. Mars or Snickers?

        Mars148. What’s your favourite quote?

        “It’s not who we are underneath, it’s what we do that defines us.” - Batman Begins 149. Do you believe in ghosts?

        Yes and No150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? (via catscuddlingandyou)

         GRE prep book “Directions:” It said more but my fingers hurt from typing all day. 

[tally-my-words]

Friends Have Benefits

For @thesneakyhobo who got me to watch the new Voltron show. Watch out or I will give you crypto/xenobiology posts on possibly wonderful ideas for the Galrans.

This, however, is purely weird Klance fluff to the max.

Keith knows looking back how it all starts is his fault. Of course, he goes to Shiro. Shiro has always been his person, the safe crush, the big brother now that he’s growing past idealizing the older pilot. Shiro was his hero. Shiro then went and somehow became his friend. Before robot lions or aliens or traveling to Pluto’s moons, it was Shiro who got him into a space program and made sure he had a roof. Of course, he used to have a crush on Shiro. Of course, somehow, Shiro’s still the one he goes to when he needs perspective.

“You have to help me avoid Lance,” he informs the other paladin.

Shiro’s concern is immediate and professional. He’s obviously concerned for his team. “Why? What’s wrong?” he asks.

Keith standing in the hanger bay wonders what he’d fall through if he cut a hole through the floor, probably some mechanical crawl space. “Lance won’t leave me alone… I’ve got a crush on him and he won’t leave me alone.”

Shiro wishes he could be phased. He’s not surprised. Instead, he holds himself still, wills himself not to fall over laughing, because it’s a close thing. He shoots a look at Allura who’s standing to the side. He can tell she heard and he glares that she better not make light. Keith isn’t always comfortable with caring. He knows the Keith better than almost anyone, though, so he knows what to say. “I’m pretty sure you could tell Lance to his face and he wouldn’t notice.”

Keith rolls his eyes, trying not to chuckle himself. His humor is self-deprecating but better than his anxiety over how Lance would react. “Yeah, he’s too busy being straight,” the red lion’s paladin jokes.

Keith misses Coran’s entrance. The man should wear a bell. He realizes when he catches Allura shooing him. He’s not surprised

"You're right, Princess, if they realize their feelings for each other those two will be more insufferable than they already are!" Coran exclaims. Keith feels his face heat up as bright as his armor. Why must Coran blow everything out of proportion and constantly make excessively bold assumptions?!

Shiro and Allura’s expressions approach incredulous while Keith grows still brighter red. The paladin’s timing and fate couldn’t get worse.

Lance walks up like a minute later, studies the suddenly quiet group and ask,. "What are you talking about?"

Of course, Pidge practically falls out of an access panel to answer, "How silly it is that someone has a crush on you."

Lance’s excitement in the room is palpable. He practically dances on the balls of his feet in victory. “Someone has a crush on me?” he tries to verify.

Shiro and Allura wonder for a long moment how weirdly this will go.

Anytime four paladin’s of Voltron are in a single room, it’s invariable that the fifth will join and Hunk proves that when in enters the bay. "What's up?"

Coran has grown interested in something else by this point and Allura considers how much it will help to strike her forehead with her palm. She’s watched Shiro attempt the act multiple times and banging a palm to one’s face seems to calm the humans.

Keith cringes when Lance reiterates Pidge’s bold statement "Someone has a crush on me!"

"You're just realizing Keith likes you?" Hunk replies, curious how the blue paladin could be so oblivious.

Lance beams in reply, the mistake makes sense, but it’s obviously flawed. "Naw, Keith has a huge crush on Shiro. It's super flattering that you all think that, though!"

Keith’s face turns pink once more. He feels the need to qualify it. It’s not the first time he’s considered why he liked Shiro so much. “Anyone will have a crush on the person who taught them to fly - who found them a thing and got them a home... it was a phase." He turns and leaves, feigning exhaustion with the subject and their petty drama.

Lance follows him out, never thinking twice or considering that Keith could need or want privacy. "Shiro is pretty awesome, so I get that."

If Lance wasn't, somehow, his best friend, Keith would be irate at the question from his crush. It's so simple and genuine. There's no judgment from Lance's perspective - just that damn genuine curiosity.

"What's it like having a crush on someone you're friends with?" Lance asks, effortless and oblivious, but well meaning.

Keith is vaguely confused at first. "You're telling me you've never had a crush on a friend? You like Allura!"

Lance blushes lightly. "Of course I like Allura. She's beautiful, kind, and all … but sort of boring. She knows everything. It would be exhausting to always be wrong!"

"Oh, that would be so horrible!" Keith counters, rolling his eyes as he laughs at Lance. "What makes you think like that?"

"Well, you meet someone and you think they're pretty, you go on a few dates, and then if you're friends you consider making it more serious, right?"

"It a romantic movie from the last century!" Keith teases. "You sound like you've never met someone you'd fantasize about touching or imagine waking up with?"

"Not yet. No one gives me the chance to get there," Lance replies, half indignant.

"That's why it's got to be better liking people you already know!"

"It is absolutely not better! It's awkward and embarrassing and there's constant fear of rejection. It cranks anxiety through the roof," Keith counters. "So, hotshot, ever kiss a girl?"

"Several. Nothing made much of an impression? I figure it's overrated. Sell more mints or something," Lance replies easily. "I figure when I meet the right girl and it clicks maybe it will be different. Anything memorable?"

Keith preens like a peacock. "Yeah, a few, but not girls?" His tone changes and he goes blush.

"No sweat. Not everyone likes the same things," Lance adds effortlessly. Keith wonders if Lance realizes he's talking about his sexuality and not just discussing the weather. "Depending on what you like, it can be the best, but that sense of hope is pretty good, too. You get this sense that you have an ally. Like ... if it goes right, you're not alone and you won't be."

"Yeah, always figure if I keep trying I'll find something like that!" Lance replies, smile warm. "But we're never going to be alone. You've got a whole team and that's better!"

Keith tries not to blush. "It is, but it's different."

"It can't be that different," Lance argues.

"Then you'd take me snoring over a swimsuit model?" Keith teases. He's trying to distance Lance. He thinks maybe this asshole move will. 

"I totally am cool with your snoring! Makes sure I know you're still in bed and haven’t run off to go fight alien overlords on some obscure moon," Lance replies, not really thinking it through.

Keith almost doubles with laughter. The world is cruel.

"You would totally lead a guy on!" Keith teases. His heart needs Lance to do something, anything to spur him past this stupid crush so he can go back to not caring so much about the other defender. 

Lance rolls his eyes before announcing, "Sharing a bed isn't anything to make a big deal out of.” Keith wouldn't really know. “I get that maybe sex or something would make it better, but for the most part, you’re still sleeping.”

"You're still telling me you wouldn't arise to the occasion of a hot girl in your bed?" Keith knows he's trying too hard, knows he’s pushing for crass.

"Dude, I get sex is supposed to be this fascinating concept, but I haven't had it yet and I'm pretty cool with what I have? I miss my family like crazy, but that's the cost of saving the universe!" Lance counters. Keith thinks Lance wouldn’t trade being home for someone else being away.  

"I am so jealous," Keith admits, feeling defensive. "You have no clue what it is to want something in front of you and not be able to reach for it?" Keith asks.

A blush stretches across Lance cheeks. "So you still have a crush on Shiro?" he asks. He's full of second-hand embarrassment for his friend. Of course, Lance isn’t convinced despite Keith’s instance he’s over Shiro. Lance leans against Keith's arm. Why must Lance he be so damn supportive?

"No, over that," Keith admits softly admits. Lance stares forward.

"I was pretty flattered earlier when I thought someone had a crush on me,” Lance adds. Keith tries not to laugh.

"Naw, you're not cool enough for that!" Keith counters.

Lance chuckles, "I really don't get it. How are you supposed to go up, befriend a stranger you have nothing in common with, and like them enough to pursue a lifelong thing with?"

"Yet you totally have a life-long thing with us," Keith teases. "Now get off me so I can go to my room."

Lance doesn't know why, but he grips Keith's wrist for a moment. "Anyone tries to take you away from us and I'll kill them."

Keith is used to being the bold one. He's stunned. "What if this is my home?"

"Then you still need to meet my Mama when I introduce her to Blue!"

"She'll be real happy with the giant robots and a tag along alien orphan?" he ventures.

"Of course. You're the family I've made. She's got to respect that!" Lance proclaims.

"Even the giant robot lion?"

"Especially the giant robot lions," Lance insists.

"And what if I get a boyfriend?" Keith jokes. He's jealous that Lance would do so much as his friend. He so desperately wants any place he can get with his friends.

"Then I will be insanely jealous that I've been replaced," Lance jokes and, despite the humor, it's as genuine as when he asked Keith about what it’s like to feel that way for a friend.

Keith blushes. He knows Lance didn't mean it like that.

This time Lance sees it. His eyes go wide. "Well, and I doing this all backward? Isn’t someone supposed to bring the other one flowers or some shit? I don't think I did anything to seduce you... I'm not seduced?"

Keith's blush just goes redder. "I could try," he manages at barely a whisper.

Lance's darker cheeks change the slightest tone. He nods. "Not... a bad idea?"

Keith knows it's probably stupid, but he remembers being kissed breathless and just the smallest chance of something like that makes him bold. He intended a quick peck to let Lance process this.

He forgot about the height difference. He steps into Lance's personal space and leans up to press their lip in what he assumes will be an awkward kiss. Lance isn't really impressed by the kiss, though. However, it feels insanely warm and comfortable when he accidentally winds up with a badly balanced Keith against his chest. It's an amazing hug. A second kiss follows, attempting to get it right. It’s soft, dry lips and warm skin.

Lance flushes from head to toe when the feel of Keith's lips pulling away feels like loss. The red paladin laughs. "No bad?" Keith dares, trying to be funny as he considers how to sneak out of Lance's embrace and go die of embarrassment.

"I actually liked it," Lance admits, trying not to look scared at how intense that fact feels.

Keith can't manage avoidance. "Good.