#Do get caught up in their divide and conquer games

[namastefamily]

Mercredi

Music to upgrade your DNA to? Music in the streets of Barcelona or over there Music to move you Frequency, energy and vibration Nothing is still, time isn’t real, the moon and sun are much closer than we are programmed ( see also conditioned/indoctrinated/ brain washed ; ))to think and much more more ; ) All is atom Over to you, boys!

[alwaysonf1]

are they flirting?

Pairing: Charles LeClerc x Hamilton!OC

Genre: Slice of Life; Fluff

Word Count: 2.4k

Warning: Mild Language.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: And this my loves, is the end of 'A Week.' Forever is within reach.

Charles’ every thought is filled with things regarding the way Iman dances. The schedule meant that there were two games that would happen while they were filming. Everyone was given the choice to go or not to go, but all of them jumped at the chance to experience the energy of the first night.

And despite how even now Charles wants to deny it, he’s more than just fascinated by this part of college life that he never would have gotten to experience. No, most of his interest lies with the girl with the bright smile dancing along to the band’s rendition of New Edition’s “Can You Stand the Rain.” Every move is made with a fluidness and grace that most only attribute to ballet.

As it winds down, and the girls take their seats he finds himself wishing for a repeat of the same performance. Maybe then he could look at all of them and not just stare at Iman the entire time.

Movement to his left draws his attention and breaks him out of embarrassing himself if Iman caught him looking at her for so long. He sees Lewis embracing someone and he assumes it’s a friend of Iman’s mom, but when they pull away, he’s met with the smiley face of Logan Sargeant.

The young Williams’ driver is chatting it up with Lewis as if they’re best friends. All while Charles can’t remember a time, he’s ever seen them interact. He’s not even sure he’s ever seen them look at each other.

It’s confusing and as if sensing his gaze, they both turn to look at him. Lewis wears a smirk and Logan’s smile is just as bright as when Charles first looked their way.

“Hey, Charles.”

“Hello.”

The silence following that greeting is loud, even in a loud stadium. As seconds tick by Logan’s expression morphs into confusion and then Charles watches as he looks to Lewis and the lightbulb clicks on.

“Oh! Sorry for crashing. I had some time to fly out here and I like to visit Iman when I can. Lewis said it would be fine for me to come since this is the last day of filming.”

That answers so little, but it does give Charles an opening.

“You know her?” he asks.

The smile returns. “Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were kids. Met at some of the competitions here.”

His explanation makes sense. Iman seems to have been somewhat involved with her brother and mother’s line of work all her life, even if it was in a more covert way. That meant she probably crossed paths with many drivers, even him, without any of them knowing who she was or her relation to Lewis. But Logan seems to know.

“Hold on. Have you always known about her? Them?”

Lewis laughs and Logan joins in. The other drivers walk over, their attention drawn away from the game that restarted. Most seem as confused as Charles was, but they greet the American driver warmly, nonetheless.

“He didn’t know until they were like eleven or twelve. They were already friends and she wanted me to meet him. We trusted him to keep the secret and he hasn’t let it slip even a little bit. In fact, he was on my side about not doing this at first, but hey, you know how siblings are, they get their way.”

“Really? You both lost against her?” Alex asks, amused.

“I rarely win against her. She knows how to divide and conquer, so she made some good points and so I helped her convince Lewis.”

“Giving yourself a lot of credit there with that help, huh Sargeant?” Lewis jokes.

Logan nudges him and laughs. “She’s the one who tells it like that. We both know I was there to just nod.”

This comradery is shocking. Charles feels like he’s in an alternate universe as he sees them talk and laugh together. He turns to look at his teammate and sees the confusion he knows is on his face too. Somehow, he’d managed to just accept that Logan of all people has known, but this dynamic change between the drivers is the real stunner.

It takes a bit, but he zones back into the conversation between the two.

“Like that time, she called my dad an ass and some things I’m just not comfortable repeating,” Logan says.

“Is he still scared of her?”

“Yup. He said something dumb, that’s on him.”

That subject is one Charles is interested in, but a throat clear draws his attention to Daniel.

“Any particular reason you didn’t want to?” Daniel asks.

“She’s my baby sister, I always want to protect her from how things can get. Ya know?”

A chorus of agreement sounds because everyone gets it.

Charles definitely knows. What he often deals with in the industry and with the media was the same, but also different from what Lewis got hit with. Sometimes he wanted to keep his family far away from the spotlight, but he left the choices in their hands and did what he could to limit some of the stuff that people would write and say about them for clicks.

The arena erupts in cheers, forcing the groups’ attention on the field. Southern’s team is leading by far and they’ve made another touchdown. The joy of the players can be seen by the way they celebrate in the end zone and Charles is reminded of how much he likes the camaraderie in sports. It’s there, but not as strong in motorsport. An expected outcome when even your teammate is a rival for a win.

For the rest of the game, they’re focused on the football part of it. It’s a good game and though the team is running away with the win it has its tense and exciting moments. When it ends, they allow everyone else to make their way out, post celebration, and then head to the tunnel that Iman told them to meet her. She’s already there near the exit with her bag and changed into her outfit for dinner. The green dress she’s wearing compliments her brown skin and fits her perfectly.

As they reach the last few feet Logan moves to take the lead. He jogs to her, and Iman drops her bag to hug him tight. There’s an uncomfortable churn in Charles’ stomach.

“Hey, Lo. Didn’t know you were coming,” Iman says.

“I had time and Lewis said it would be fine. Plus, it’s your last season. Have to see my big sister perform as much as I can.”

Logan removes himself from the hug and puts some distance between them as he says it. From the way Iman’s eyes narrow Charles can tell it’s a wise decision.

“It’s less than a year difference, you dork.”

“Still a difference.”

“Wait, how old are you?” Lance asks.

“Uh…”

“She’s twenty-three,” Lewis says.

Daniel coughs. “Twenty-three?” 

“You don’t remember your age?” Charles asks.

Iman gasps and lightly slaps his arm, which makes him laugh. “It’s a fresh twenty-three. And there are too many numbers in my head to keep track. And to answer the question I know is there, I took a little over a year for a gap. It involved working as a mechanic and traveling. If I wasn’t in GA or deep within the Mercedes or Williams areas, you would have run into me at almost every grand prix.”

A weird feeling fills Charles. He doesn’t like that they could have met sooner and didn’t. He gets why, but for some reason he wishes he’d gotten the chance. Though if he's honest the reason isn’t that mysterious to him, he’s just pushing it out of his head. He can’t linger on it for too long or he’ll do something stupid.

“But enough about that. We need to leave now to get to the restaurant on time. All questions can be asked there.”

And with that she picks up the bag - which is then taken by Logan - and they all follow her out to the cars. She gets into the one Logan is driving. Lewis does as well and without question Charles follows them. He’s been attached at the hip to the Hamilton siblings all week, so he finds no reason not to be now. 

And he ignores the smirk on Carlos and Daniel’s faces as they watch him go.

Once inside Logan pulls off while Iman puts the address into the GPS. Then she turns up the volume to a song and both of them basically scream the lyrics as if they’re the only two there. Charles looks to Lewis who is amused and looks at them in adoration. He finds himself smiling and humming along to the song, but let’s them have their moment.

Minutes into the drive, and a few songs later, Charles’ eyes shift to the rear view mirror just as Iman looks into it. She sees him and winks, all while continuing what has turned into screeching.

The dumb smile on his face can’t be helped.

###

Laughter fills the restaurant, the three tables they’re using all having various different conversations but all in a happy, upbeat mood. Things were a little awkward when everyone arrived, no one knew where to sit and were clearly uncertain with how the tables should mix. Iman had to take control and get them to sit anywhere, even if that meant it was between two drivers. 

Iman found herself in between Logan and Charles, with Lewis right across from her. All three were carrying the conversation while she ate off her and Logan’s plates, her mind mostly consumed with eating as much as the oddly delicious asparagus while refusing to order more. 

Before she knew it both of theirs was gone and a pout formed on her lips. One that she’s hyper aware of to the point that she shakes her head a little and pulls it together. Reminding herself that she’s being silly.

Her stomach doesn’t get the memo though. It does a weird swirl, and it makes her wonder if she should order more of it. She shakes her head and tunes back into the conversation, focusing on the way Logan wheezes as he laughs at something that Lewis said. Something that Iman knows wasn’t that funny, but that the two of them clearly think lists her brother as king of comedy. 

It's almost a reflex as she turns to meet Charles' gaze and give him an eye roll about their theatrics. He’s wearing a bright smile and laughing softly, but with the way he looks at her Iman knows that laughter is largely because the two men are ridiculous.

Having that sort of connection makes her feel sane and pushes a laugh of her own out. But it causes an itch in her throat and before it can get any further, she reaches for her drink. Just as it reaches her lips her eyes notice her plate is no longer in front of her and instead it’s one that looks like it once held what Charles ordered.

Iman’s eyes move back to the man, and he’s immersed in the conversation with a producer and Lance. She stares at him for a while, lips parting to speak and then his head turns toward her. Charles winks at her, motions toward the plate, and then rejoins his conversation.

A soft grin forms on her lips and she grabs her fork, digging into what she promises herself will be the last of her new found addiction for the night. Mid chew she looks up and meets Logan’s gaze and he has a smirk on his face. His eyes twinkle with amusement and a knowing look that she hates to see on him. It’s the signal that he’s either going to say something she won’t like that he knows something that she doesn’t or something she doesn’t want to address.

Quickly she swallows the vegetable and glares at him.

“Shut it.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“Liar.”

His hand moves to his chest, and he fails an expression of faux hurt. “I would never.”

Yet again Iman finds herself rolling her eyes, but when she stops her attention is on her brother who wears a similar expression to Logan’s from moments ago.

“I’m sick of your shit.”

Lewis gapes. “Mine?”

“Both of yours.”

“Hey. I didn’t do anything.”

“That’s mean!”

Exasperated is not a fitting enough word for how she feels in the moment about their antics. Despite her ignoring certain signs and feelings herself she’s smart enough to not ignore them noticing all of that. And the fact that they want to comment and encourage it. No one ever tells the cons to having the world’s biggest cheerleaders by your side.

“Either of you open your mouths to say anything that’s running through those brains of yours when you speak again, and I’ll pop you.”

Both lean a bit away from her at that and a smile forms because she knows they won’t push it. At least not for the night. There’s no universe where she’s delusional enough to think that the subject is dropped forever. 

Lewis breaks the ice first, asking her questions about the rest of her season and making a joke that he’s going to be spend more time on the plane this season than he has all the others. From there it’s jokes and catching up with each other. Those close to them join in here and there, some even bring their chair to their part of the table to talk. At some point Charles joins back into the mix and he speaks like he’s been in on all the jokes as long as they have. And he ensures that her water is always topped off and slips her a piece of the cake she swore she wants none of.

By the time the night is over it’s like a peaceful high. They all head back to the hotel, Lewis got her a room for the night, and it’s both hard and easy for her to drift off at ease. In the morning they met for breakfast as their last meeting before everyone, except Logan, were headed to the airport. There were hugs all around and Charles is the last to embrace her, both of them lingering longer than the norm.

She and Logan wave to them until the vans are out of sight. With them officially gone Iman sighs and turns to head back into the hotel. Logan is giving her a look, his brow raised a little as he grins like the cheshire cat.

“Shut up.”

“Nope.”

She walks away and he keeps up with her quick pace and as the elevator doors close, he has a million and one questions and opinions on a situation he got to experience for less than twenty-four hours. 

[untoldreader]

Shadows of the Past

Yelena belova x fem reader

Summary

Yelena's mysterious past starts to surface, revealing a web of secrets and danger. As you get closer to her, you become entangled in her world of espionage and intrigue, uncovering a truth that threatens to consume both of you

Warnings

None?

Tag list

@tigerlillyruiz @alexawynters @nayarianna1302

As our love deepened, so did the shadows that surrounded Yelena. Whispers of her mysterious past grew louder, hinting at a web of secrets and danger that she had long tried to escape. It became evident that her world of espionage and intrigue was not one she could easily separate from our relationship.

With each passing day, I found myself drawn further into Yelena's enigmatic life. Together, we delved into the dark underbelly of her past, unearthing fragments of a truth that threatened to consume both of us. It was a perilous journey, where trust was a fragile thread and betrayal lurked around every corner.

Yelena, once a lone operative, now shared her burdens with me. She revealed snippets of her training, her missions, and the organizations that sought to control her. The lines between ally and enemy blurred, and I struggled to navigate the treacherous landscape of espionage.

As we unraveled the mysteries of Yelena's past, it became clear that there were those who would stop at nothing to ensure her silence. The shadows grew deeper, and the danger that loomed over us became palpable. We were no longer merely observers in this world; we were players in a high-stakes game where the consequences of failure were dire.

Yet, despite the imminent threats and the darkness that threatened to engulf us, our love remained steadfast. It became our anchor, a beacon of light in the midst of chaos. Together, we faced the challenges head-on, drawing strength from each other's presence.

But as we dug deeper, the truth became more elusive, and the risks multiplied. The past intertwined with the present, revealing a complex tapestry of deceit and betrayal. Our pursuit of the truth brought us face to face with powerful adversaries, testing not only our love but also our very existence.

The weight of the secrets we uncovered threatened to shatter the fragile balance we had built. Doubt and suspicion crept into our minds, and we questioned whether our love could withstand the storm that raged around us. Yet, even in the face of uncertainty, we clung to each other, refusing to let go.

In the heart of the storm, Yelena's past finally caught up with us. The truth, brutal and unforgiving, was unveiled, leaving us with shattered illusions and a sense of profound loss. We were confronted with the harsh reality that some secrets were better left buried, for their revelation brought devastation in their wake.

As we picked up the pieces of our shattered world, we realized that our love had been both a strength and a weakness. It had given us the courage to face the darkness, but it had also made us vulnerable. We questioned whether we could continue down this path, whether the risks outweighed the rewards.

But love, in its purest form, is resilient. It has the power to heal wounds and bridge divides. And so, we made a choice. We chose to confront the shadows of the past together, to forge a new path that defied the constraints of our circumstances.

In doing so, we discovered that love could be a catalyst for redemption. It could transform the darkest of secrets into lessons learned, and it could guide us towards a future where our love could thrive, unburdened by the weight of the past.

And so, hand in hand, we ventured forward, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Our love had been tested, and though scarred, it emerged stronger than ever. The shadows of the past would always linger, but we were determined to create a future where our love would conquer all.

[liquidstar]

Well then! let me begin with the appropriate music and say I play fast and loose with the Canon.

prelude, act 0

little guy runs from cult, ends up encountering a group who are referred to as jewel office, they take em in

grow stronger with them, meet other 3 little guys in their own partner offices and get on well because of being the little guys

one of the members of a partner office, the one with the fox like attitude, seems sleezy but helps teach valuable skills

eventually convinces that this line of work isn't for you, points the way to a power generating company, and says working there will be better than being out fighting so much.

you hate the smell of blood after all, it'll be a relief to be away from it

what could go wrong? hell he says he'll explain to the others, so you head off and join that company.

we skip the vast majority of this part for the sake of its a game plot

big light beam from the company joined, have grown accustomed to world but miss jewel dearly, eventually get wrapped into library alongside everyone else who worked there

begin chapter 1 of 3

meanwhile, the fox is making moves, wanting power that can be claimed by taking out all 4 teams, destroy them from the inside. one already had the little guy convinced to run, next will be the investigative branch to cover tracks.

library is growing stronger, eventually the fox is given an offer to join an ensemble of some of the strongest around!

which simply means he's gotta get rid of the old team, chuck them in the library

enter corkscrew, perish corkscrew. Little guy 2 kept alive through convincing to avoid the fight at large and joins the team!

next, there's assassins. but they won't be as strong without their weapons, make the workshop go in next, sending little guy 4 to a presumed death sentence and try to manipulate 3

enter alloy, perish alloy. Little guy survives because of shying out of the fight.

the assassin group is wearing themselves out without anyone to do maintenence, they get thrown into the meat grinder next. aside from the new protege of course. just need her strong enough to be worth killing.

enter orbit, perish orbit.

around this point the individual group leaders in the library have gone through their own arcs, and little guy 1 wants to abuse invitation system for good, being at wits end and knowing he ain't strong enough yet for the fox. in spite of 3 of the 4 groups having died to his team's hands.

remembers cult he ran from to join jewel. invites them in for the express purpose of murder.

finally! some good in the world.

jewel meanwhile have been fucking pissed at the fox, refusing to talk after their little guy vanished without a trace so long ago.

recognises names on an invitation list, recognises who'd cause that and why, know where their little guy is and have a plan to get him out.

little guy one thinks things are finally going to get better

enter jewel office

one grueling fight and near mental breakdown later, jewel office is defeated, there is no other way.

little guy 3 manages to piece what's going on together, the divide and conquer tactics and what happens if she sticks around

knows just running will get her caught and probably tormented for trying to run, but can go to the one place where she can use her state for good

enter little guy 3 to library, this time with no perishing.

a bit forward, that ensemble finally comes a knocking, not expecting the 4 little guys to all be alive, the fox admits he's going to enjoy ending them

unfortunately, a thing with this library is taking the strengths from those who fall within. which includes the groups said fox REALLY didn't want to deal with.

in 4 strokes of catharsis goes from 5 tails to 1, then from 1 head to 0.

end chapter 1, abridged version

ANON this is a VERY cool and concept and i can tell youve put a lot of thought and time into fleshing it out! to be honest this style of abridging makes it a bit hard for me to parse certain things, so i'm really sorry if i misunderstood something, but i read it all carefully and think i get it!

but i love the little guys, especially the main little guy on his whole adventure. the whole thing with him running away from a cult is really interesting and it makes me wonder so much about his backstory. and the whole thing with jewel office being sketch is also really cool, especially considering how he basically went from one bad situation (cult) to another (jewel). i think theres a lot there

the line about hating the smell of blood is also really cool, the way its spaced out here gives it extra impact i think. i like it

everyone entering the library and almost instantly perishing is so funny. im glad little guy 3 ended up okay though!!!! i really do think all the little guys are fun (based from the prev ask) and i would hate to see them instantly perish in a library. esp given what you said here abt how they get along, i bet their actual dynamics are a lot of fun!

also the ending is so sick!!! from 5 tails to 1 and 1 head to 0. thats so sick. they totally went to town there lol.

anyway you said its a game plot which sounds really cool!!! idk much abt games or gaming but i think it sounds like a really interesting story for a game and would be fun to play out! thank you for sharing all the cool ideas you have for your little guys and their adventures in cults and libraries and whatnot <3

[f1shbonez]

"You calling your friend easy? Y'know, I thought he looked a little familiar with handling rope."

Powder felt the reactionary flash of bemusement cross her face, wrenching her out of the confident game of teasing to a display of childish disgust. Okay, well that game had gone from fun to weird real fast. Since when had Ekko been….sleazy? And why did he have to look so smug about it?

“Ugh, gross.” Powder wrinkled her nose, winding away from the bars in a flippant play at disinterest. 

Weeeeell, if you’re gonna be like THAT…

Seemingly unperturbed, Ekko sought about justifying the loss of another captive. Powder listened whilst pacing, hopping up onto an empty crate for a moment before glancing back over at Ekko. 

"Eh, that's on Sevika's team. I did my job; shoot the target down, stand back to let the experts handle it. But it turns out you Firelights are slippery little bugs. Difficult to tie down. Oh well. Better luck next time, right?"

Yeesh. Trouble in paradise, from the sounds of things. 

Silco’s crew squabbling from the inside out was a nice little detail. Maybe they could split them up. Divide and conquer! 

“Really? You want a ‘next time’?” Powder quizzed, jumping off the crate and padding back towards the bars. What did a ‘next time’ involve? Hitting a bit harder with the bat? Tying better knots? Thoughts of what would have happened if she hadn’t escaped had been plaguing Powder for weeks. 

“You got a plan this time, or are you just hungry?” Saccharine sweet, Powder lifted a fist, flashing a smile before pressing a kiss to her knuckles. 

Word of a gift was swift to steal her attention, snapping blue eyes down from Ekko’s face to his straying hand. 

"Oh, yes. I've been waiting for a chance to give it to you...Wanna see?"

Pale eyes narrowed at the memory of Ekko’s toys. 

Powder paused, her gaze flitting back up to Ekko’s face as she slanted him a reproachful look. 

“Is it gonna hurt?” 

Getting caught or hurt was not on the agenda for the day. Spending weeks out of the field was agonising. Ekko wasn’t planning on doing that again, was he?

"What, no goodbye kiss? No note? Stone cold, sweetheart." (Roleswap!Ekko to Powder)

It had been hard to forget about Ekko in the aftermath of everything. The sour reminder of his allegiance and reluctance to let her go (paired with an uncomfortably long recovery time from their last spat) meant the Firelights had gone on to complete their next few hits without their leader. Even once returning to the field, Powder adapted her approach (head injuries were great opportunities to re-evaluate bad life choices, after all). 

It took time to recover, rebuild gear and form plans that wouldn’t result in a repeat of past mistakes. The new bola gun had thrown somewhat of a spanner into the works, but there were two clear weaknesses that accompanied it: they only seemed to have one (and presumably a limited amount of projectiles) and hitting moving targets was going to be one hell of a challenge. They had to be quicker. They had to stick together. They had to keep moving. 

Avoiding Ekko on each job started as pure survival. Did she want to talk to him again? Sure. Did this feel like the right place? Nope! Judging by the intensity of their chases, he was holding some kinda grudge. That didn’t stop Powder from flirting with the danger he created, breaking his line of sight in a flash of colour, attaching ‘gifts’ in the form of chomping smoke bombs onto him and waving from afar to lure him into another chase. Every time she got bolder and every time he got closer. 

This time was no different. A rush of air coursed dangerously close to Ekko. A grinning mask tilted its head, goading with a childish wave. 

Tag! You’re it.

The race was exhilarating as the board shot through dark alleyways, weaving a route away from the main fray before a towering gate cut off the route for any brave enough to take it on foot. Confidently, Powder hopped down, emboldened by the protection of the iron bars. No bola was getting through that. And if Ekko wanted to do something crazy like climb the gutter or a fire escape to jump over? Well, her board would have her gone before he was close. 

After a bored display of waiting and a performative yawn, Ekko appeared. 

The colourful toothed mask watched from the opposite side of the bars. 

"What, no goodbye kiss? No note? Stone cold, sweetheart." 

“Not so good at snatchin’ people, huh?” A little girl’s voice sounded through the mask’s voice modulator. 

With the safety of the barrier, Power pulled the new mask from her face. Scar’s magic had worked wonders on the bruising her face had sustained weeks prior, removing any hint of the brush with death she’d had. Blue paint framed her cheeks and eyes as she waited to see if Ekko would remove his own mask. 

“Didya miss me?”

[woso-fan13]

1. ‘Do You Know How To Take Care of a Sick Person?’

You texted Kelley and Emily at 8am to tell them that you wouldn’t be coming to practice. After avoiding it for so long, the bug making its way through the team had finally caught up with you. You had been up half the night, hunched over the toilet. The rest of the night was spent restlessly on the bathroom floor. In the morning, you finally managed to drag yourself off the cool tile and into your bedroom, sending a quick text before falling asleep. 

Kelley and Emily were freaking out after they got your message. You texted “not coming practice,” of course they were worried about you. You always texted in full sentences and gave way too many details, something must be wrong. So they packed overnight bags before heading to practice. 

After practice, they quickly make their way to your apartment. They don’t bother knocking, letting themselves into the dark room. They navigate easily through the hallways, finding their way to your room. 

There they saw the problem. You were “not coming practice” because you were sick. And Emily and Kelley would be very bad team moms if they didn’t take care of you, so they divide and conquer. 

Kelley locks the front door, knowing that nobody would be going out today. She then moves into the living room, folding the blankets and bringing your empty water bottles into the kitchen to throw in the dishwasher. Emily grabs a clean bottle out of your cabinet, filling it with a watered down Gatorade. She then grabs medications from your bathroom and leaves the two items by your bedside. 

The two then reconvene on the sofa. Kelley pulls out her phone and starts putting a grocery order in, Emily chiming in with her thoughts. They thought back on the awful week when they had been sick, trying to remember everything they needed. More medicine is a must, an antiemetic and a fever reducer would be lifesavers. Cans of soup, crackers, popsicles. Drinks, of course, more Gatorade and ginger ale. The two then scroll through the rest of the website, trying to find you some comfort items. A new blanket and a stuffed monkey find their way into the cart. And maybe, just maybe, the two women debated getting a baby monitor. Deciding that it might be slightly overboard, they don’t add it to the order. After placing the order, the two flip the tv to a soccer game, happy to relax after a long practice. They also knew they likely had a few long days and nights ahead. 

—-

The groceries had been delivered and put away by the time you managed to open your eyes. You see medicine and a drink by your bed and take it without even thinking about it. Where did it come from? What is it? How long has it been sitting there? It didn’t matter, you swallow it down quickly, hoping for any relief. 

Noise and light seeps in from the hallway. You must not have shut off the tv last night, in too much of a rush to get to bed. You gather all the strength in your body to get upright, sitting at the edge of the bed for a minute to allow the dizziness to pass. Once you have adjusted, you stand up. Slowly, you make your way out to the living room. 

Still half asleep, you reach for the remote on the coffee table, shutting the tv off. You’re about to trek back to your room when a voice protests. 

“Hey, I was watching that!”

“Emily?” you ask, trying to place the voice. 

“Yeah buddy, I’m here. Kelley is too, she just ran to grab drinks.”

As if on cue, Kelley walks back into the living room, doing a double take when she sees you. 

“Good morning kid! How are you feeling?”

You know the answer instantly, “bad, I’m sick. You guys shouldn’t even be here, I’ll just get you sick and then Coach will be mad at me for missing practice and for getting you guys out too.”

By the end of your rant, you were so sick and so worked up that Kelley had crossed the room to grab ahold of you. Leading you to the sofa, she settles you down in the middle. 

“Honey, relax. We’ve already had this, remember when we were out a few weeks ago? It’s okay. Em and I are here, and we’re not leaving. You just get better, we’ll handle the rest.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to do this. I know you’re Captains but this isn’t in your job description,” you check with them. You don’t want them to feel pressured to do this. 

Emily joins in now, pulling the blanket off the back of the sofa and tucking it around you as she speaks. “Y/N, listen to me. We are not doing this because we feel obligated to. If we didn’t want to be here, we wouldn’t be. We weren’t with the rest of the team when they were sick because that’s not our job as captains. We want to take care of you because we love you.”

You sniffle, giving in to the care you so desperately want, “okay. Love you guys too.”

You feel a hand on your head, checking for a fever. Kelley’s, judging by the voice. “We love you so much. And we have a whole schedule of sick things planned”

“Do you guys even know how to take care of a sick person?” You ask, partially joking and partially curious. 

Emily laughs, “I guess we’ll find out.”

[moiraimyths]

We know what the cast do in a beach episode, but what are they doing on a snowy winters day? (And who wins the snowball fight!)

Shae: Soup weather!!! Hot cocoa!!! Snowfae!!! Shae loves the cozy atmosphere that comes with winter. Does pretty well in the snowball fight until Robin teleports behind them and dumps a bucket of snow straight onto their head.

Keagan: Loathes the cold so he is bundled up by the fire reading with some tea. Does not participate in the snowball fight.

Aífe: She joins in the snowball fight for the sake of being a good sport but is quickly eliminated and ends up mostly watching from the sidelines. Otherwise, she spends her time trying not to get cold and will eventually join Keagan by the fire. Her winter ensembles are stunning, though.

Maeve: If the location permits she is snowboarding or skiing. If it doesn't, she's out building snowfae and shovelling sidewalks. The snowball fight comes down to her and Flannán.

Flannán: He will win he will win he WILL win HE WILL WIN HONOUR DEMANDS VICTORY OR DEA⁠— Ahem. He gets a bit caught up in the snowball fight, particularly given he is a well-seasoned warrior in this regard. He will not lose to a southerner; ice courses through his veins. When the game concludes, he will insist on hunting some wild game for himself and Shae to prepare for supper.

Robin: As perhaps evident from the food fight incident, Robin would dominate at the snowball fight for a long while, but there's an easy way to trip Robin up. They operate on a divide-and-conquer strategy via teleportation and trying to pit other people against each other, but if a sufficient amount of folks catch wind and team-up against them, they're toast. (They will teleport inside to hit Keagan, though.) Otherwise, they're teleporting Maeve to the tallest mountain to watch some trick moves.

***

The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe) is now out on Steam and Itch.io! Check our pinned post for details!

[unmaskedagain]

Marinette’s Week Off

This is a one-shot. Sorry, I kind of forgot Adrien.

           One week. Just one week. Marinette took one week off a year. One week where she didn’t work herself to death as Marinette. Or nearly get herself killed as Ladybug. One week where she didn’t do any favors, any designs, didn’t work in the bakery, didn’t save anyone. A week to relax. A week to meditate. A week to destress and just take care of herself. Just one week every year. To prepare for it she sent reminders to all her friends and family. She posted a flyer on the class bulletin board. Marinette finished all her commission and school work in advance. 

She made Fu aware that Ladybug wouldn’t be active, told Chat Noir that Queen Bee would be his partner while she was gone. Marinette always made sure everyone was prepared for her absence. And made it clear that she would be unavailable. No matter what. She didn’t care if the world was ending.

           However, this year was different than the ones that came before. For starters, Marinette now only had two or three good friends in class, and one or two mediocre ones. She only warned those three people. While she still posted her usual flyer, she had done it knowing it would be disregarded.

           Marinette was no longer class president either; she no longer had to plan class trips, parties, or dances. Or anything of the sort. When she was class president, Marinette always made sure to plan her week off around the class’s busiest time of the year. That year, she didn’t have to so she didn’t. In fact, she planned her week off during the biggest dance of year, the class musical, the class’s big fundraiser. It was usually her most stressful week of the year.

           Not this time.

           On the Friday before her week off, Marinette reminded Bustier of her absence for the next week, and then walked out of class with a relieved smile on her face. She was almost there. Just two more days. She used her weekend to finish up any last minutes details of her vacations; confirm her reservation; spend most of the time with her parents.

           And on the stroke of midnight that turned Sunday to Monday, Marinette got her bags, kissed her parents goodbye and was gone in her Uber. She knew how this week worked. By six am, the ‘emergency’ calls would start; everyone screaming fire. However, she wouldn’t be there to put them out, metaphorical fires or real ones.

Not today, Satan, Marinette thought.

           Marinette got to the airport, slept on the plane ride, arrived at her luxury beach resort, a little after sunrise. She had saved up her money and did extra commissions all year to pay for it. It was beautiful. However, there was just one problem…

“Marinette, love!” Jagged called, somehow looking more awake in the wee hours of the morning than he did at 3 in the afternoon. Penny, however, looked half-asleep. Even Fangs slept on the luggage being moved by a rather fearful looking bellhop.

           Marinette’s parents couldn’t get time off the bakery; it was their busiest time too. Her grandma was in Peru. Mariette needed an adult with her at the resort. Jagged happened to overhear her mother asking if she found a chaperone yet. It wasn’t like Marinette had any other options.

“I have so many Rockin’ plans!” Jagged said. “Scuba diving! Sky diving. Swimming with sharks. Parasailing! Bungee jumping!”

           Marinette narrowed her eyes at her favorite rockstar and honorary Uncle, “Sleep.” She said.

           Jagged waved her off, “We’ll sleep when we’re dead.”

“Sleep,” Marinette hissed darkly.

           As amazing as that all sounded it could wait. Marinette was there to relax, not fight a shark. “Not today, Satan,” She whispered when she checked into her room. Leaving Penny to drag away a protesting Jagger to get some sleep as well. She called her parents to let her she had gotten there safely, called to re-confirm her spa reservation for that afternoon and then check her texts.

           She had gotten quite a few as expected. Chloe wishing her a good vacation and promising to keep an eye on Chat. Luka sent her funny vacation memes. Nathaniel sent pics or didn’t happen texts; he found the possibility of Marinette all people actually taking a vacation hilarious and improbable. She’d show him though.

           Then there were a few texts from her ex-friends. And it seemed like the fires had started…

           When class started on Monday, most didn’t realize that Marinette wasn’t there until Bustier reminded Chloe to remind Chloe about the test next week. They all shrugged it off. Glad not to have to deal with the drama Marinette brought to class.

           When Alya, the new class president, brought up the dance that Friday, things got a little tense.

“We need volunteers,” The glasses-wearing girl said. “People to decorate and to clean up and all that. We also need to get decorations.”

           She received confused looks.

“Isn’t that your job?” Alix asked. “The class president does all that.”

           Alya crossed her arms, “No it’s not my job. I organize and plan but I can’t do everything by myself.”

“Marinette did,” Kim shrugged. “It can’t be that hard.”

“Do you wanna do it?” Alya asked him but he quickly shook his head. “Thought so. We don’t have a big budget. So can anyone chip in for decorations and food?”

           Mylene frowned, “Marinette made all the decorations and food.” They never had to chip in before. “Maybe she’d do it again.”

There were nods. They may not be friends with the girl anymore but she was still very helpful.

“OH! I need a dress,” Rose brightened up the room with her smile. “Marinette made mine last year. It was so beautiful. I’ll ask her to make another.”

           A few of the girls said the same.

“Not gonna happen,” Chloe smirked. “You guys are on your own.”

           Alya shot her a glare. “And we’ll be just fine.” She wasn’t happy about asking her ex-bestie for anything, anyway.

           They were not fine.

           Monday they had all talked a big game about not needing Marinette but by Tuesday, they realized that was a lie.

           Because everything was falling apart.

           Mylene’s musical was Friday, the day before the dance. More than half the class were either in it or helping with it. That meant Alya had barely any volunteers for the Dance committee. And had been reminded by Bustier about the annual fundraiser they did every year to pay for the class trip. Alya had been class president since the beginning of the year, and had been responsible for planning it. She had forgot all about it.

           Alya was confident she managed though. They’d pull in enough money to pay for the entire trip and she’d get to rub it in Marinette’s face that no one needed. Alya hoped Lila was back in time from her trip with Prince Ali to see it.

           In addition, neither she nor Bustier seem to remember that the fundraiser was always biggest because it was the last one of the year. Marinette usually had done several different ones by then.

           Mylene was struggling. None of the sets were done. The costumes were terrible. The entire play seemed to be falling apart. They had forgot to only put up flyers promoting the play but they never even made them. She didn’t understand, normally everything would be going as smooth as silk by then. Silk…

“Marinette,” She gasped. Yes, she remembered, Marinette always helped out with the school plays. The Bluenette would fix the costumes. She’d even help out with the flyers and the set. Mylene pulled out her phone and quickly called her ex-friend. It went to voice mail. She frantically sent a dozen texts, all screaming emergency. But she never got a reply.

           Marinette laid on the beach, drinking virgin Pina Colada, while talking with a boy she met while surfing and subtly eyeing him. He was a seventeen-year-old, tanned, dark haired Adonis, literally named Adonis. He was ripped in a way Marinette had only every previously seen on guys in magazines or on TV. Marinette was fifteen, (Sixteen in just a few months) had grown remarkably into her looks, and smirked a bit every time she caught Adonis eyeing her back.

“I got to go,” Adonis said. “Work.” He leaned a bit closer to Marinette. “If you wanna drop by, I wouldn’t mind. Maybe we can go for a swim together.”

Marinette flushed with excitement and blushed a lovely pink by the offer, “That sounds amazing! What do you do?”

           He grinned a sparkling white smile that lit up his gray eyes, and caused Marinette to let out a dreamy sigh. “I work with my dad. We do underwater scuba tours and explore sea wildlife and dormant underwater volcanos. We just got be careful to avoid sharks.”

           Marinette’s fell open, and she just stared at the older boy for a moment, “I’m a little busy today. But can we meet up later,” She squeaked.

           They said they goodbyes. And once Adonis was out sight, Marinette’s eyes narrowed, “Not today, Satan.”

           An image of the first time saw Adonis suddenly floated to the front of her mind. Adonis coming out of the water, with his surfer board and red swim trucks, running towards dry land.

           Marinette took a deep breath to stead herself; fight the urge to go running after Adonis. Because there was no way in hell she was going to deal with a “Dormant” volcano. And she didn’t mess with sharks. Neither did Jagged anymore and he had to learn his lessons the hard way. He was lucky to come back with all his limbs.

           By Wednesday, everyone was panicking. Alya refused to give in and attempted to rally her troops; with a divide and conquer plan. Lila had even come back early and graciously offered to take time away from her busy schedule to help. Alya decided they’d work on the play first. Then prepare for the dance, it shouldn’t take that long to decorate anyway, Alya had guess. Then finally they work on the fundraiser.  Everything would go perfectly.

           …Everything went wrong.

           They worked the entire morning on the Mylene’s musical. They tried to work on the costumes. But they had no one who could fix the costumes. Any tailor they went to cost an arm and a leg. Lila’s personal tailor was away helping the Duchess of Manchester with her wedding dress. Max could print flyer but only generic ones. Not the creative ones Marinette had always made. And it wasn’t like they could ask Nathaniel for help without him spitting acid at them. The sets had to be rushed; and ended up poorly painted. Not even close to as good as the ones Marinette had help do the year before and even worse than the ones other classes had done. To make matters worse, the light fixtures they had installed started a small fire.

           Mylene had a full blown panic attacked that caused one of the strongest Akuma Queen Bee and Chat Noir had ever faced.

           The musical had taken up most of the day. So Alya and the class spent the rest of it and most of the night trying to prepare for the dance. The problem was their budget was small. Apparently it had always been that small which had shocked Alya and the others as they remembered the amazing dances Marinette had always thrown. The only decorations came from the local party story and were as cheap as possible. But they hadn’t gotten nearly enough when they got to gym and fully realize the size of it. But most of their budget was already shot on what they did get.

           While for the last few years, Marinette’s had supplied most of the food for the dances from the bakery. It was clear to Alya that, it wouldn’t be happening. Most of the class had been banned from the shop. Alya ended up having to buy dollar store chips and drinks; and ended up with a cliché fruit punch bowl.

           Everyone got in trouble with their parents for being out so late. Even if they had been at school. All the kids were exhausted and overly stressed. When Alya got home that night, she got a text from Nino that caused her to burst into tears. His DJ gear had fried. They had no music for the dance.

           Not to mention Alya hadn’t even thought about the fundraiser. What was she going to do? What could she do?

           Alya cried herself to sleep. Knowing that in the morning she’d have to swallow her pride and call in the big guns. She needed Marinette. They all did.

           Marinette was having the time of her life. She laughed as let Heinrich and Mila twirl her around the dance floor. She was at a local teen club, out late, and truly partying for the first time in her life. He was a sixteen-year-old, six foot tall, blond, gorgeous fut-baller, with cheekbones that could cut glass. He had come to the city with his team for a charity match all the way from Germany. Mila was a beautiful redhead from Ireland, with startling blue eyes and a face dusted with freckles. She was a futballer too and was the most competitive person Marinette had ever met.

           Marinette had met the futball players, the girls’ team and the boys’ team at the beach. When the girls realized they only had five plays to the boys’ six and needed another girl. They saw Marinette alone and invited her to play. They all had a blast. Afterwards, they invited her to the club that night.

           Marinette had danced with everyone. However, somehow she had found herself smashed between Heinrich and Mila, more often than anyone else.

           The three laughed their way off the dance floor when Tonya, a local girl with green hair, and a futballer herself, had waved them over.

“We’re going to Fairy Ridge,” Tonya shouted over the music.

           Marinette’s interest was piqued. “Fairy Ridge?”

           Tonya answered happily, “It’s beautiful at night. An underground cave, near the ocean. It has this opening at the top and you can see all stars. It has a bunch of colorful crystals that glow in the moonlight, and fill up the cave.”

“Sweet,” Mila said, her arm still around Marinette. “Sounds like a party, mate.”

           Everyone agreed quickly. But Marinette wasn’t too sure. It was really late to the point where Jagged would be proud when she got back. Penny had made Marinette promise to avoid doing anything that would make Jagged proud; apart from the Bluenette’s usual awesomeness of course.

“You are coming, yes, Marinette?” Heinrich gave her his most charming smile that made Marinette go weak in the knees.

“Marinette, the ridge is so cool,” Tonya exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. “It’s supposed to be magic. They say fairies used to really live there. It’s cursed. They say all who enter are given a test of worth. Those who pass are stolen away to live under fae rule forever more as a fairy.”

           Marinette just looked at her. She thought of Tikki, the small magical god of creation, who was enjoying her vacation in the luxury sweet as well. When Marinette left her, she had been in a bowl of cookies finally getting caught up on Game of Thrones. A god who’s power turned Marinette into a magical superhero. Magical was real. And if A kwami was real, fairies could be too.

           The bluenette pursed her lips, and feigned a look of disappoint, “Sorry, guys. It’s so late. I’m already super passed my curfew. You guys go. We’ll hang tomorrow, okay?”

           The other teens expressed their disappointment, though Mila and Heinrich tried to convince her a bit more as they left the club. Jagger’s personal driver already waited for her.

           Once they had parted ways, Marinette got into the car and drove off. She waved brightly to the backs of the beautiful teens, “Not today, Satan.”

           Thursday, the entire class was freaking out. They had all gotten there early, desperate to try to fix the mess they were in. Even Alya could admit she needed some serious help. They all waited for Marinette to show up. Surely, it had to be back by now, right? They needed her!

           When the school bell rang starting class, and once again, Marinette didn’t appear. Alya nearly screamed. “Where is she?” She asked. “Marinette can’t miss this much school!”

“She’s not replying to my texts,” Mylene said, her eyes frantic with worry. Her boyfriend Ivan tried to calm her down.

“She never got back to me either,” Rose frowned. “Normally I’d get a bunch of questions asking about the style of wanted for my dress by now.”

           Alya stomped her foot. “Marinette hasn’t answered a single of calls. What part of S.O.S doesn’t she understand? The dance is falling apart. I have no idea what to do about the fundraiser on Sunday. We need her. I swear if that girl lost her phone again…”

“You’ll do what?” Surprising it was Nathanial who asked this. There was silence at his questions. “That’s what I thought. You’ll do nothing. One, because you have no right to text the girl you disowned as a friend and ridiculed for the last year for help. Two, you couldn’t take Marinette in a fight with everyone in this class helping you. And three, you’re the one who turned down her offers to help all year; citing that you didn’t need her. You don’t get to beg for help at the last minute, and be surprised that she can’t do it.” The speech had turned into an angry rant by the end as the once quiet redhead glared at them with poorly concealed disgust.

           Chloe knew bringing Nathanial into their fold had been a smart idea. She sent a vicious smile to the class, “Marinette’s on vacation. She won’t be back until Monday.” Chloe relaxed in her seat. “For her ex-friends; it’s her one week. You should know what that means”

           There were gasps. Alya’s face drained of color. They all knew what that meant. Marinette was gone in the wind, and she wouldn’t come back or answer her phone even if fire rained from the sky as furbys finally revealed the truth of their evilness and declared themselves the new rules of earth.

           They were on their own.

           Lila watched with a frown as her classmates fell apart. She didn’t think this would happened when she got Alya to replace Marinette as class president. Who knew the idiots could survive without the girl?

“No dresses,” Rose realized. All the girls in class looked ready to cry. Marinette always made their dresses, always. What were they going to do? They never saved up any money for a dress because they never had to before.

           Mylene started crying, “The play is ruined.” She sobbed. “I worked so hard on it.”

“What about the fundraiser?” Alix asked. “So much for going to New York or anywhere! Our class trip is ruined!”

           Bustier looked at a loss of what to do as her student began to panic. “Now everyone calm down. Breath.” She said calmly. “It. Will. Be. Fine.”

           Alya paced around the class, her hair wild, her eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep. “Ok, we can do this! I can do this!” She hissed. “I don’t need Marinette. I’ve never needed Marinette!” She looked around at the class. “None of us do. Anything she can do, we can do better, right?” Some looked unsure but Alya manage to rally everyone. “We can get our own dresses!” She yelled. “We can decorate our own dance. We fix the school play. And we will do the fund raiser. Without her, who need that bully anyway?”

           Nathaniel and Chloe shared a look and rolled their eyes. This would be good.

           The next few days would go down in Bustier’s class history as the worst three days of the students’ lives. And the most embarrassing.

           Barely anyone showed up for Mylene’s musical. None of the costumes were finished. The sets were a disaster. The actors were so frazzled, they couldn’t remember their lines. Three people walked out. One of them was Kim’s grandmother. Kim who had been one of the lead actors.

           On the day of Mylene’s play, Marinette woke up from her second nap of day to Penny banging on her door. When the bluenette opened it, the woman screamed, “Get ready!”

“What?” Marinette yawned, still half-asleep.

“Get. Ready. Now,” Excitement shown in the older woman eyes. She bounced around the room, opened Marinette’s closet and started throwing out clothes. “Hurry!”

“Why?” It was her vacation. Marinette didn’t want to rush. Or move.

“Zac Efron,” Penny squealed. That got Marinette’s attention and it was all Marinette need to shoot to attention and start scrambling to get ready. “Tom Holland, and Zendaya are filming a movie on an island close by. Jagged got us passed to go set.”

           As Marinette got dressed she asked, “What’s the movie about?”

           Penny gave a dreamy sigh, “Pirates and adventures. It’s a musical. Zendaya plays a kickass pirate who takes control of her father’s ship after he dies to rescue her genius half-brother, played by Tom Holland, who managed to figure out the location of the greatest treasure in all of history, from the evil Pirate King, played by Zac Efron.”

“Now that’s a musical I’d watch,” Marinette finished her make up in the mirror.

“And get this!” Penny paused for dramatic effect. “Harry Styles is the love interest. He supposed to be on set sometime this week.”

           Marinette screamed.

           They took a helicopter to the island. It was the best day of her life. She got to meet the goddess that was Zendaya, Her real life prince charming Tom Holland, and the man of her dreams Zac Efron. They were nice. They were sweet. They took so many pictures and videos with her.

           When Jagged mentioned Marinette designed most of his wardrobe. Marinette even got to show off her sketch book she had brought when the cast was too busy and it got boring. Zendaya commissioned a dress. She nearly right there.

           Then the director got a call, “Okay Harry’s arrived. He’s waiting at the cave. Time to shoot the act 5, scene 1.”

           They all moved to leave.

“Cave?” Marinette found herself asking.

           Penny nodded, “Its historically accurate. The real life Captain Wolfblood, the guy who’s treasure everyone wants, supposedly buried his there. Pirates fought and died there all the time trying to find it. Supposed to be cursed. So whoever died was bound there for eternity; their ghosts protect the treasure. Killing all who enter their domain.”

           Marinette found herself stopping in her tracks, “Pirate Ghosts.” She stated. “Cursed treasure.”

“Harry Styles…” Penny sang, causing Jagged to give her a sour look.

           Harry Styles… For the first time that vacation Marinette was tempted to go. Tempted to risk pirates’ curses and murderous ghosts just to see the man who had caused ten-year-old Marinette to write Mrs. Harry Styles in her diary for a month.

“I actually have to facetime my parents,” Marinette frowned. “Reception terrible out here.”

           After promising to meet them for dinner, Marinette booked it off the island. As it faded from sight, and all her wishes of being the future Mrs. Harry Styles burned, she whispered, “You stepped of your game. I’m impressed.” She glared at the window. “But Not today, Satan.”

           The dance was a catastrophe. Everyone in class could admit to that. All the girls wore their dresses from the year before. For the first time, there was no live performance. Just Nino’s play music from his phone. Until it died midsong. They forgot to get helium for the balloons, so they had to blow them up themselves. The chips were stale. The punch tasted like rotten bananas. No one alerted the proper staff regarding the dance so no one warned the janitor not to wax the gym floor the night before. Five kids hurt themselves. Alya forgot to get chaperones. And found Damocles and Mendeleiev shut down the entire dance before it even got passed its first hour.

           The night of the dance would go down as the best night of Marinette’s life. The director from the day before had liked Marinette so much that gave her the role of Lunaris, mermaid princess, originally played by an actress who had backed out of the role at the last second. Like literally right before they were supposed to shoot her scenes. It was a small role; Marinette didn’t have many lines and only two songs to herself (and fillers song lines throughout the movie). Plus she died. (The entire part took five days to film, and Marinette ended up staying on her vacation an additional two days. Her parents instantly approved; wanting their daughter away from the drama of her ex-friends. However, Marinette would be called in for additional reshoots and scenes, a month later. Then more after that as they would expand her role) She spent the entire time in a mermaid costume. Up until the last act of the movie.

           However, her character was in love with Harry Styles’ character, a mermaid prince who became human for chance to win the love of Zendaya’s character. Her character more or less had been the prince’s childhood best friend who never admitted to being in love with him until it was too late. She had spent the entire movie supporting him to win the main character’s heart. Her first song was sang as she helped him escape the underwater kingdom to go to his true love while she hid her own; choosing to put him before herself. The next day it was revealed that they were supposed to have been betrothed and united their kingdoms. Her second song happened after she chose to fight on land to save her friend and taking a killing blow for him; she died singing to the prince about not waiting to tell someone you love until its’ too late; especially if the love’s worth dying for. Or walking on land for.

           After shooting her scenes for the day; she was invited by the cast to go meet Chris Heimsworth who was vacationing at a nearby island resort. They were going to go budging jumping of the highest mountain on the Island, near shark infested waters. Again Marinette only had one thing to say to that, “Not today, Satan.” She was not going to fight a shark. Not that week. No matter how much she loved Thor. (She’d later find out Tom Hiddleston was there and cry.)

           The fundraiser had cost more than it raised. That was all anyone was willing to say on the subject. Particularly Alya who was missing her eyebrows.

           The day of the fundraiser, the Day Marinette was supposed to return home, was bliss. At the end of it, Marinette found herself watching the sunset with Jagged and Penny.

“We should visit mermaid isle,” Penny suggested. “I heard it’s magical. There’s a spot that grants wishes… At a price.”

           Marinette didn’t bother to ask for anymore. She just smiled, “Not today, Satan.”

           The next morning, the Monday Marinette should have already been back home, instead she was getting ready to shoot some more scene for the movie. Then she got a call.

“Hey Marinette!” Kimi, the director, said. “We were hoping you could come in early today. We have to shoot your death scene.”

“Oh! Sweet! Where?”

“Shark cove. It will be perfect,” Kimi said cheerfully. “This time before your last breath, Harry’s going to kiss you goodbye. So eat a mint.”

           Marinette mind froze. Kiss… Harry? “Shark cove?”

“Yeah, we’ll have to be careful not to attract any, you know?” Kimi sighed. “It’ll be a bit dangerous. You okay with that?”

           The bluenette wanted to scream no way. But it was a new week. “I’m there,” She said firmly. For a kiss from Harry Styles, she’d do anything.

           Vacation time was over. Marinette was going to fight a shark.

           When Marinette returned to school on Wednesday, it was to the frustrated faces of her classmates. None of them talked to her. Just glared coldly. Though Alya did give her a sarcastic, welcome back.

           Marinette just shrugged and went to sit at her desk next to Chloe and Nathaniel, who were both grinning.

“How was it?” Marinette asked them.

           Nathaniel smirked, “Epic! Three fires. Two poisonings. A kid broke his leg. Four more ended up in the emergency room.”

“The play was a disaster,” Chloe added. “The dance was shut down after an hour. The fire department came to the so called fund raiser. You were gone for little more than a week and these morons nearly got themselves killed like four times.”

“We got in on video!” Nathaniel laughed.

           Marinette laughed.

           She looked at the stressed and embarrassed students of Bustier’s class, even the teacher looked worse for wear.

           Marinette smirked.

           Somebody obviously needed a vacation. Or rather… Everybody.

[free-pool-trash]

dangerous game - peter maximoff

okay! this is just pure angst. peter has big dumbass energy in this one and i wanted it to hurt so here we are, i haven’t read over it so it could be awful.

requested by anon:  So, I was thinking about this. Peter and the reader are best friends. both have a crush for each other but they are too awkward to do something(and the classical "I don't want to ruin our friendship").Peter in a weird attempt of trying to get over this way too big almost painful love(that he thinks is not mutual)decides to date someone else! Make sense? Would it work for a fic? I don't know, you are the master mind here love. Anyways, the end is up to you? If he ends up with the reader or not

word count: 3.8k

warning(s): lots of swearing, fighting, peter being a dick, platonic warren

masterlist

PART II & III ARE UP ON THE MASTERLIST

When you were younger you thought that having a ride or die best friend would be the greatest thing in the world. What you didn't know however was how agonizingly painful it would be when you developed feelings, and eventually, fell in love with that ride or die best friend.

Peter was, as you always described him to people, your ride or die. He was your favorite person on the face of the planet and your most trusted confidante. You say 'was' because lately you didn't know what he was to you.  

Things had changed so horribly fast, faster than he could even run, you thought. It changed so fast despite the fact that you felt it happen, watched it happen, over the most gut wrenching few weeks.

Everything had been perfectly normal between the pair of you, the day before it all started going so terribly wrong, you'd been laughing and cracking jokes together, you did what you always did and stole his silver jacket and he'd said what he always said, "looks better on you anyway." Common practice in your friendship. At least... it had been.

In all honesty, you felt so unbelievably fucking stupid, because for a fleeting moment you had yourself convinced that your best friend of almost three whole years actually had romantic feelings for you, idiotic thought apparently.

Because the very next day Peter began to withdraw himself from you, slowly but not at all subtly. It started with the distance he started putting between you physically, and then the emotional distancing kicked in a few days later and then before you could even comprehend why he was acting the way he was, he was pretending as if he'd never even met you and it hurt like all hell.

Not only did he pretend like he didn't know you, but he also acted like nothing was out of the ordinary when you confronted him about the whole situation.

"Peter! Hey wait up!" You'd called out to him, having to break into a jog to catch up to the mop of silver hair that seemed to quicken it's pace upon hearing your voice.

Once you caught up to him, you had to take a second to catch your breath before you spoke.

"You running away from me or something, Maximoff?" You asked, a joking tone in your voice that did very little to mask your confusion.

Peter laughed awkwardly and glanced around nervously, and if you didn't know any better you would have said that it was like he didn't want to be seen with you at all.

"Uh no, what makes you think that?" He questioned, clearing his throat and continuing to look around, seemingly on edge. About what you hadn't known.

"Well, the fact that you have barely spoken a word to me in last two we-" Before you could even finish your sentence, Peter's eyes moved to focus on something behind your head and he cut you off.

"I actually can't talk right now, but um we can definitely catch up later!" With that he pushed past you and walked toward what, or more accurately, who he'd been staring at.

You watched helplessly as he rushed happily towards Heather, one of the newer students at the academy. Your face dropped as you watched him throw an arm casually around her shoulder and you didn't even try to mask the hurt on your face while you watched them walk off together.

Oh. So he'd replaced you. Oh okay.

From there it went from having little to no contact to absolutely no contact whatsoever, despite your constant attempts to get his attention.

A few months passed you by while you tried to figure out what exactly you were feeling. You felt betrayed mainly, the sense of abandonment was strong too and of course the confusion you felt about the whole situation hung over you like a dark cloud.

What had you done to deserve that? You couldn't for the life of you figure it out and that's what hurt the most, he never even stopped to give you a reason.

Another emotion you'd settled on was anger. The color sliver now triggered your fight or flight response and oh how you were itching for a good fight.

Night after night the exact same questions bounced around your mind, never allowing you to sleep peacefully, not until you hushed them with a half assed conclusion you'd created yourself.

"How could he just leave me like that? After everything we've been through? Was I not a good enough friend? Did I do something to push him away?" You'd promised yourself that you'd never allow yourself to lose sleep over a boy, you couldn't stand that this is what you'd come to. 

You hated Peter for making you feel this way, you hated him for it, he was the one person that knew every single thing about you, he knew all of your biggest weaknesses and yet he didn't even think twice before exploiting them- like it meant nothing, like you meant nothing.

News of Peter and Heather becoming an official "couple" had spread throughout the Academy rather quickly. You pretended that you didn't care but fuck if you weren't crying on the inside.

You were fucking miserable and the people around you, the people who loved you and were concerned about you would've had to be blind not to notice.

Jean and Jubilee were constantly checking up with you, making sure you ate at least one meal a day since they noticed that you usually skipped out on meals and looked like you were always about to pass out after training. They didn't push you too hard however, they'd been in your shoes you all knew what heartbreak looked like, you all knew what it felt like and you all knew that it would pass in time, but it needed to run its course first.

The boys on the other hand were assigned to deal with the Peter side of things, they were not as gentle in dealing with the speedster as they were with dealing with you.

Warren had been straight up pissed off, Kurt's heart ached for you and Scott seemed to hold the same confusion as you did. They'd try their best to get answers out of Peter without stirring the pot between him and his new girl, but the two seemed to be attached at the hip and it was getting harder to catch the boy alone.

Eventually the three boys had enough of tiptoeing around the topic with Peter, he seemed to be thriving and you seemed to only be getting worse despite your efforts to hide it from the group. You were one of the best people each of them knew, they knew you and they knew all you'd need to be back to yourself was some closure, it didn't seem like so much to ask yet somehow it felt like obtaining it was an impossible task. 

So instead of their usual divide and conquer tactic the boys decided to simply corner the speedster and make him talk. It was pretty much a surprise intervention.

"What the hell?" Peter asked looking between the three boys who'd backed him into a literal corner.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Scott was the first to speak up, shaking his head at Peter disapprovingly.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you guys, why are you ambushing me?" Peter asked becoming nervous as Warren scoffed.

"Cut the shit, Maximoff. Why'd you screw (Y/n) like that?" Warren asked, no longer willing to beat around the bush.

The boys noticed how Peter tensed at the mention of your name, the boy under scrutiny cleared his throat and attempted to move past the boys, who successfully stopped him.

"Look I've got a date-" He started before Warren pushed him back.

"I couldn't care less, Maximoff. Answer the question." Warren demanded as Scott and Kurt became aware of the fact that Warren wasn't fucking around.

"Why do you even care what happens between (Y/n) and I?" Peter asked defensively, deflecting the question and regretting it as Warren stalked towards him.

"I care because she's one of my closest friends and you abandoned her without a second thought and started trapesing around with the new girl as if (Y/n) had meant nothing to you in the first place and now she's fucking miserable, so answer the fucking question." Warren growled out through gritted teeth, and the other boys nodded in agreement behind Warren.

"She's heartbroken, Peter." Scott added, as Kurt nodded in agreement before asking, "Haven't you noticed?"

Peter's brows furrowed as he looked at each of the boys before looking back at Warren, squaring up to him. He left you to protect the integrity of your friendship, to protect your feelings. But it wasn't your feelings he was protecting, no it was his own, he was selfish and stupid but he was too far gone to turn back now.

He missed you more than anything, he loved you for fuck sake but if hating him was what you needed to do to move on then he'd make you hate him, although he assumed he was doing a good job of that already.

Swallowing hard he looked Warren dead in the eyes and mentally prepared himself to get the everliving shit kicked out of him by the winged boy, with what he planned to say he definitely deserved it.

"She's not my problem. She got too attached, that's on her." Peter spat out in the most malicious voice he could manage, fuck he hated himself.

Warren’s fist moved to connect with Peter's jaw before Scott and Kurt held him back, the two boys were seething from what Peter said, and Scott knew him well enough to know that what he was saying was utter bullshit, but they knew if Warren got his hands on Peter the speedster would probably end up with a broken spine.

"I don't know who you're trying to fool Peter but get your shit together." Scott told him angrily before Kurt teleported the three of them away.

The boys ended up in your room where you were chatting with Jean and Jubilee who were already there. You all knew about the boys and their plan to confront Peter and judging by how angry they all looked, you guessed it didn't go as planned.

"No joy?" Jubilee asked sympathetically and Kurt shook his head sadly in response, to him Peter's words had been cruel and he couldn't wrap his head around how he could say that about someone that he cared for.

Scott flopped down on the edge of your bed, bedside Jean and groaned. "He was being an ass." He spoke, head in hands out of frustration.

Warren still looked like he was out for blood and you wondered what he could've done to get under his skin so much.

"What's up, birdy?" You asked, patting the free space beside you on the bed. The blond stomped over to you and sat down beside you grumpily.

Looking at you in contemplation and then shaking his head, he huffed before speaking out angrily, "I just don't understand how one guy could be such a fucking dumbass." He turned to look at Scott and Kurt, "You guys should've let me beat him up." He stated matter of factly causing your eyes to widened and the other girls shared your shocked expression.

"What did he say that was so bad you wanted to punch him?" You asked, voice filled with worry.

Scott sighed and looked at you sympathetically, "We asked him why he screwed you over and he basically told us that you weren't his problem."

You didn't get a chance to react before Jubilee jumped to her feet, pure rage radiating from her small body.

"You absolutely should've let Warren punch him! Fuck it, I'll electrocute him myself!" She exclaimed, not really serious about taking matters into her own hands but seriously angry with the way the usually dorky boy had been behaving recently. 

"Calm down, Jubes." Jean told her calmly as they watched your eyes narrow before you looked around at all of them, a spiteful smile on your face.

"You know what? Fuck him. I'm done crying about him. I'm over it." You stated, as you watched them glance at you skeptically, all except Warren who was glad of your change in attitude.

"I say we go out, have a good time and make him wish I was his fucking problem." You laughed out, clearly not even bothering to digest the new information you'd been given.

"I say we show him exactly what he's missing." Warren chimed in nonchalantly, to which you nodded enthusiastically and the others couldn't lie and say they weren't happy you were finally deciding to let it go.

"That settles it. We're going to the mall." Jean declared, happiness lacing her voice.

You'd finally smiled for the first time in an age and it was because you finally realized you had more than just Peter. You had five of the most incredible friends who looked out for you and didn't just up and leave as soon as things got tough.

You figured it couldn't hurt to follow Warren's advice, if Peter wanted to leave you with absolutely no explanation then you'd highlight everything that would make him wish he'd stayed.

You loved him and he'd left you and replaced you and refused to give you any fathomable reason as to why. You weren't an idiot, you knew the whole "not his problem" thing was bullshit. 

He was winning at a game that you didn't want to play, but you supposed if you had to you'd play to win.

You'd tried to be mature, but he wouldn't budge, he'd pretend he couldn't hear you or pretend he didn't know what you were talking about. If he wasn't willing to work things out like a big boy then you'd match his immaturity.

As the weeks went on Peter began to see you more and more, only now you pretended he was a stranger to you and he knew he was being a hypocrite but he hated how it felt to be ignored by you.

What really got under his skin though was how cozy Warren was getting with you. Despite the fact Peter had been dating Heather for nearly two months now he was still hopelessly in love with you and watching you prance around with Warren Worthington III, the guy that almost re-positioned Peter's face, made him realize how much he'd seriously fucked up.

Heather was great, she was pretty and sweet but she wasn't you, and Peter was pretty sure she wouldn't stay with him for much longer. They'd both grown bored of each other.

As if he'd manifested it into existence, a few days later Heather ended things with Peter. Now that she was gone the boy had nobody else left as the majority of his friends were also your friends and there was always an awkward tension whenever he tried to talk to them.

He knew he only had one option. He had to go and talk to you. He had to fix things.

After Heather broke things off Peter went to find you, he didn't know what he was going to do or say but he knew the results probably wouldn't be favorable.

Peter found you in your room, he sped in and hadn't bothered knocking, he never did.

You were shocked at his sudden appearance, to say the least, he stood nervously in your doorway and you didn't bother moving from where you sat in the middle of your bed, pursing your lips and crossing your arms.

"What do you want?" You spit out, hostility lacing the question.

"Me and Heather broke up." Peter found himself saying, not really having anything else to offer you in the moment.

You raised an eyebrow at him, "What's that got to do with me?"

"I-" He started but paused. 

You looked at him expectantly and waited, eyebrow still cocked.

"I'm sorry." He finally sighed out and you laughed at how weightless the words felt.

"And what is it exactly that you’re sorry for? Abandoning our entire friendship or pretending that I didn't exist?" You inquired as you watched him swallow the lump in his throat.

"All of that." He replied meekly.

"Why'd you do it?" Peter swallowed yet again before clearing his throat awkwardly, he had to tell you the truth and he could see your composure cracking.

"I didn't want to lose you." Scrunching your face up at his answer, you got off your bed to stand in front of him.

"That doesn't make any sense. If you didn't want to lose me then why did you just leave me?" You told him, anger rising in your voice.

Peter let out a heavy sigh, moving to place a hand on your arm but freezing when you took a step back.

"I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship." He told you vaguely, looking at you pleadingly.

"Oh so what? You thought you'd do a pre-emptive strike and just ruin it on the spot?" You scoffed out, if his reason for ruining the friendship was not wanting to ruin the friendship you'd have serious questions. 

"That's not what I meant to do!" He defended helplessly.

"Then what the fuck did you mean to do, Peter?" You shouted, voice cracking as you felt your uncaring facade slipping away.

Peter closed the distance between you both and placed his hands on your arms, you didn't step away that time but you did stare at his hands in bewilderment.

"I love you." He told you, brown eyes staring into yours that had began tearing up.

Angrily, you shoved him away.

"Seriously? You fucking threw me away and replaced me because you love me?" Peter's eyes widened at your tone, you were livid and he hadn't realized how badly he'd affected you. 

"(Y/n) please! Just let me explain." He begged.

Taking a deep breath you shook his hands off of you and took another step back.

"Then explain." 

"We're best friends-" He began but you cut him off without mercy, "We were best friends."

Peter looked at you like a kicked puppy and it hurt but you couldn't let him see you crack, he fucked you up and now he has to deal with it.

"I love you, I didn't want to tell you because if you didn't feel the same it would have ruined everything! And I just thought that if I started dating someone else that those feelings would go away." He explained, talking fast and nerves running through his entire body as he watched you chuckle lowly to yourself.

"You didn't just start dating someone though, Peter. You completely disregarded me for three fucking months without any explanation." You told him, breaking into a fit of laughter as he struggled to find a defense for his actions.

He realized he was fucked when he noticed the tears streaming down your cheeks despite your laughter.

"Do you know what's really funny?" You asked, stepping closer to him as he shook his head.

Poking your finger at his chest you emphasized every word you said with a jab, "I loved you too."

You watched as his face fell and you no longer tried to save face, you allowed your bottom lip to quiver and your voice to crack as you regained the distance between you.

"I was hurting and scared too. But I would have never done to you what you did to me. That's not love, Pete." You told him weakly, voice breaking down.

Peter's brows furrowed and his mouth fell open, "Why didn't you say anything?" He regretted asking as he caught the glare you sent in his direction.

"Because as soon as I thought that maybe you could like me too you fucked off to be with Heather and started pretending I didn't exist!" Your voice was loud and aggressive.

How could he even ask that question?

Peter scoffed at you, "Seems like you were pretty happy with Worthington keeping you company."

Your eyes widened, "You're fucking kidding, right?" Peter only shrugged, an angry look on his face.

"That's why you came back isn't it? Because you're jealous of Warren?" Peter said nothing, only looked to the floor nervously.

Laughing again, you wiped the tears off your face aggressively, "God, here I was thinking that maybe you were actually sorry."

"I am sorry!" Peter exclaimed.

"Are you though? Because it seems like your girlfriend broke up with you and now you have no other options." You stated matter of factly.

Anger erupted in Peter, he didn't come here to fight with you but if you didn't want to have a level headed conversation then neither did he.

"I'm trying to make it right! I fucked up okay I get it but the way you're acting is immature." He shouted, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Immature?" You challenged, raising your eyebrows at him, stepping closer.

"Yeah, immature." He confirmed, standing his ground.

Again you let out a laugh, crossing your arms tightly across your chest, "No Peter, what's immature is leaving your best friend of three years and then pretending she doesn't exist like a fucking child all because you're scared." 

"Pft right. You moved on pretty quick anyways." He muttered causing your jaw to fall slack.

"Peter you literally stopped talking to me then started dating someone the next day!" You yelled out, your voice raising in pitch with the more worked up you became.

"That's different!" He shouted through gritted teeth.

"How?!" You demanded, your own teeth clenching at the conversation that was beginning to stress you out.

"Because I didn't replace you as a friend!" He reasoned, weakly.

"And what? I did?" You inquired, genuinely confused with what the fuck he was insinuating.

"Like I said. You seem pretty happy with Worthington." He spat out and you let out a humourless laugh.

"You know what, Peter? When you decided to start treating me like a ghost and making me feel like shit, Warren was there for me. Just like Jean, Jubilee, Scott and Kurt were there for me." You told him, tiring of the argument.

He'd fucked you over, flaunted his new relationship, now he's single and suddenly you're the bad guy for seeking comfort in one of your closest friends.

"Look Peter. I forgive you for whatever it is that you think you're apologizing for, but I'm not gonna forget about it. You really broke my trust and I won't apologise for getting closer to one of my friends just because you're jealous. You made your bed so lie in it." You told him, firmly, brushing past him and walking to your door before turning to look over your shoulder at him, "Go ahead and let yourself out."

And with that you left him alone in your room as you walked away, biting the inside of your cheek to keep from breaking down in the middle of the hallway.

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 12, Section 1

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I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

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Chapter 12: The Wyvern Rider's Wrath

Eirika’s army had just descended the mountain, and was continuing to march towards Jehanna. They were now about to enter Hamill Canyon.

At that moment, a messenger riding a pegasus rushed up to them. It was the same soldier that had come all the way to Port Kiris to inform them of Innes’ dire situation. 

She said that she had returned immediately to Frelia, then followed after them to deliver a message directly from there. After she expressed how happy she was to see that Innes was safe, she told them the information she’d come with from the capital.

According to her report, the Frelian Army was currently advancing into Carcino, and clashing with a mercenary army led by Pablo. The Frelian Army had gained the cooperation of Carcino’s elder Klimt, and their chances of winning were increasing at a favorable rate, while Pablo’s army was retreating south.

“South?" Eirika asked. "Then that would lead them into...”

“Jehanna, yes?” Innes pointed out. 

The messenger nodded. “Yes. Jehanna has already been attacked by the Grado Army, and the battle is becoming increasingly harsh. We believe that Pablo’s army is most likely going to rendezvous with the Grado Army.”

“How is the situation of the battle in Jehanna?”

“Not good, it seems.” The soldier’s expression darkened. “They seem to be holding out, but they cannot compare to the might of Grado. It is only a matter of time before the castle falls.”

“I see... I’ve heard that Queen Ismaire is a tough and courageous ruler, but this situation is probably rough even on her. And her son’s disappearance must still be painful for her, even now.”

“What do you mean?” Eirika did not know much about Jehanna’s affairs. 

When she looked up at Innes, he whispered to her, “Ever since Queen Ismaire’s husband passed away, there has not been even a single rumor about her remarrying. She devoted both her mind and body to ruling the country. She does have one son. Or perhaps I should say… she had one son.”

“And he… disappeared?”

“That is what I have heard. He went missing when he was still just a kid, and still hasn’t returned to his home country.”

“Was he kidnapped…?”

“No, he ran away of his own accord. I do not know the exact reason, but from what I understand, he grew tired of life at the palace, and fled on a whim. It is unlikely that a prince that did not know anything of the world would still be alive today.”

Innes seemed to be in a bad mood. Though Jehanna and Frelia had completely different climates, the intense pressure placed upon those born into the royal family was exactly the same. From Innes perspective, as one who held himself to strict standards and had always strived to become a man fit to be the next king, he probably couldn’t forgive this prince of Jehanna, who’d abandoned his mother and run away.

Eirika looked back at the messenger and asked, “Do you have any news of how my brother is fairing?”

“Yes. His army’s march has been progressing smoothly. He conquered Fort Rigwald, Grado’s most strategic location, and is currently moving towards the capital.”

“He’s marching towards the capital!? What is he acting so recklessly for…?" Innes said in complete shock and put a hand on his forehead. “To get carried away and march on the capital just because he’s won smaller skirmishes is the pinnacle of foolishness. The units he fought on the border won’t compare to the army guarding the capital. What could he possibly be thinking…?”

“This is Brother we are talking about. He must have a chance at victory.”

“There’s no way that he could possibly have a…” Innes cut his words short and looked at Eirika. He tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, “You’re not worried?”

“No. I trust him.” She knew how Innes was, and thought he would say something sarcastic, but he did not respond.

To say that she wasn’t worried at all was a lie. Innes was right. It was far too reckless to attack the capital. Even Ephraim’s chances of victory couldn’t be high. But Eirika said to herself, ‘Ephraim cannot lose.’ 

If he’d decided that he was going to attack the capital, then he must have made that choice not because of a rash choice with a small chance of victory, but because he was calm and confident in the tide of the war. Right now, all she could do was believe in his strength and superior luck.

Eirika walked away from Innes and towards the recuperation tent. 

Her army would rest here for a bit, then make a straight shot for Jehanna. She wanted to help the Jehanna Army before the castle fell.

L’Arachel walked up to her. “Are we already going to start moving again?”

“Yes we are, as soon as our preparations are complete. We will defeat the Grado Army and save Jehanna. The battle is going to become very harsh, so L’Arachel, you should go somewhere sa…”

“Eirika.” L’Arachel said in an uncharacteristically serious voice, then looked straight into her eyes.

Eirika was taken aback by seeing her like this for the first time. “What’s wrong…?”

"It is very likely that Grado's target is Jehanna's Sacred Stone. We must protect it, no matter the cost. I am going with you. I cannot retreat to the back."

“L’arachel…” Eirika responded to L'arachel's unexpected words by staring straight back at her.

She knew from Natasha's testimony that the Grado Empire's goal was to destroy the Sacred Stones. However, only a small group of people, including Seth and Innes, knew that. Because it was such important information, she hadn't even talked about it to her allies. It was strange for a new recruit like L'Arachel, who'd only just joined them at the fort in the mountains, to know something like this.

“Why do you know something like that? Just who are you…?”

“Oh dear…” L’Arachel realized what had slipped from her mouth, looked away, and tried to dodge the question. “It is… a rumor. A rumor the wind whispered to me.”

“A rumor like that is spreading around? Who could have...?”

“Oh, I don’t remember. I may not look it, but I am surprisingly well-informed. Dozla and I have happened to hear all kinds of rumors while on our journey, you see."

She was talking strangely faster than usual, making her seem all the more suspicious. Eirika wanted to ask her for more details, but L’Arachel forcefully changed the subject. 

“Now that you’ve mentioned rumors, that reminds me, I heard something very important. The knights of Rausten are coming this way to provide reinforcements for Jehanna. If they arrive in time, it will only be a matter of time before we claim victory.”

“L’Arachel, just who are you…?”

What she said next was even more strange. Rausten’s movements were not something a mere traveler should know. If the knights were going to deploy, that was valuable, classified information shared directly from the royal family. Eirika couldn’t imagine that information like that would be a rumor L’Arachel caught in the wind.

Eirika did not know L'Arachel's past. If she had to say something, it would be that L’Arachel seemed to be of a wealthy station, based on her mannerisms. Beyond that, she knew that L’Arachel was very devoted to her religious beliefs. Seth had previously predicted that they would cross paths with the Grado Army in this canyon, because word had probably already reached them that Eirika’s army was nearing the area, so this would be the best place for them to wait.

The pegasus knight Eirika’s army sent out on reconnaissance returned and gave her report. Just as they’d expected, there was an enemy unit stationed in the canyon, lying in wait for Eirika’s army.

If they continued directly inside the canyon, it would be difficult to retreat. They had also thought completely about the danger that they might become surrounded. However, even though they were well aware of that fact, they couldn’t afford to hesitate. Jehanna might fall if they did.

“L’Arachel, is what you said earlier true?” Eirika halted the entire army on the outskirts of the canyon, and turned around towards L’Arachel.

L’Arachel was riding her horse. She seemed to be used to horseback riding, and at her current abilities, she was probably slightly more skilled at it than Eirika. “What exactly are you referring to?”

“That the Holy Knights of Rausten are coming this way… If that is true, then that will put this battle to our advantage. But if that information happens to be false, then it would be very dangerous to continue on our current path into the canyon...”

“Don’t worry. I assure you that the source of that information is very accurate. The knights are most certainly headed this way. If we can hold out until then, victory will be ours.”

“...I understand.” Eirika decided to believe L’Arachel’s words. L’Arachel’s true identity was still a mystery, but she couldn’t imagine L’Arachel was the kind of person to joke around about such weighty information.

Regardless, if they continued to waffle around where they were, they would only give the enemy more time to prepare. The fate of Jehanna was at stake. They had no choice but to believe that Rausten’s knights would arrive, and press onwards.

Eirika’s army carefully marched closer to the canyon. Tall reddish-brown cliffs towered over them on either side, severely limiting their field of vision. They continued onwards for a long time without once sensing the enemy’s presence.

“In what area is the Grado Army stationed?” Eirika asked the reconnaissance pegasus knight.

“We will reach it shortly. When our field of vision opens up just ahead, the first unit should be stationed there, but… I will confirm that information one more time.”

The pegasus knight did not appear to be uncertain, but made her pegasus spread her wings all the same. The pegasus took off faster than Eirika could tell her to be careful.

However, the moment the pegasus flew above the cliff, her body shook violently. A large arrow had shot her wing. Her pained neighing echoed through the sky as she suddenly started to fall.

She flapped her wings with all her might, and although she managed to stop herself from falling straight down, she still somersaulted across the ground upon landing. Natasha rushed over to help the soldier that had hit the ground with the pegasus.

Eirika panicked and looked down at her.

"I am very sorry. I let my guard down. The enemy…" The knight’s face was twisted in pain.  Eirika tried to cut in and say something, but she continued, “...appears to have set up a ballista. It would be dangerous for the pegasus knight unit to carelessly approach it. For them to have gone through the trouble of setting up a ballista, they must have thoroughly prepared for battle."

“Understood. Please take the time needed to get proper treatment for your wound." Eirika’s mood took a dark turn.

Ballista did not target only pegasus knights. They were a long-range weapon that could attack from angles no one would think of. Their accuracy was considered slightly worse than that of standard bows, but that didn’t mean Eirika’s army could rush straight towards one.

“Lady Eirika, there’s an enemy coming from behind you…!” The knight cried out.

Eirika immediately looked up.

Just then, a soldier rushed up to her from the rear line. He was not an enemy soldier, but one of their own. All of the color had drained from his face. “My report, Your Highness! The enemy soldiers have appeared from behind us! They appear to be a mercenary army led by Pablo. At this rate, we’re going to be surrounded!”

“How many are there?”

“We can only confirm two lines, but there is a possibility that reinforcements are following in from behind them!”

Eirika shuddered, realizing that… for Grado to send such a large force this way, it might be because they’d already attacked and conquered Jehanna.

However, she had no time to think. She immediately decided to order her entire army to keep marching straight ahead.

“Ahead? Not behind?” Innes asked in surprise. “The enemy in front of us is strong. They even set up a ballista, correct? For now, the army behind us only seems to be made up of two small units. Wouldn’t retreating for the moment and defeating the small army, then the larger one, keep our casualties to a minimum?”

“...No.” Eirika shook her head.

She couldn’t confirm why, but she had a feeling that going backwards would be dangerous. At a glance, the rear army looked small, but she saw through them. That was their plan. If her army carelessly retreated, they might fall into a trap. 

“We will march forward. We have nothing to fear. We have defeated many enemies to come this far. We will not retreat, even from Grado’s large army.”

“...Of course." Innes smiled. “Warrior blood runs thick in Renais’ royal family. I shall trust in your decision.”

“...Huh?” Thinking that he was being sarcastic about her orders, Eirika’s face turned red.

But then, Tana came up to her and quickly whispered, “He’s complimenting you.”

Innes walked away from Eirika and slung his quiver on his back. His beloved silver bow glittered in the sunlight. 

He seemed to believe in her orders, and intended to follow her everywhere.

Eirika looked around at all of her soldiers, then called out to them, “I’ve received word that the knights of Rausten are coming this way. They are known for their great strength, making them a very reliable army. If we hold out until they arrive, then victory will be ours!”

 The soldiers all cheered. Murmurs of the word “Rausten” spread like a wave throughout the crowd.

It might be a bluff, as she hadn’t received a proper report, but only heard information full of more questions than answers from L’Arachel. However, it had a huge effect on her army. The dispirited soldiers regained their courage, and livened up.

When they advanced, they drew in attacks from the ballistae. The several soldiers who fell were all swiftly healed by Natasha and Moulder, as well as L’Arachel.

Suddenly, their field of vision opened.The cliff dropped off, and they could now see out very far in front of them.

Eirika gasped. Her soldiers instantly went from being in high spirits to completely silent.

Just as the reconnaissance knight had said, a unit of the Grado Army was waiting there for them, consisting of heavily armored knights wielding lances. They could even see knights sitting upon armored horses. It was a bigger army than they’d ever faced before.

“Aias, huh…?”

Eirika turned her head towards the sound of the whisper she'd heard.

It was Joshua.

With his eyes fixated on the enemy army, he continued on, talking mostly to himself, “I’d recognize that formation anywhere. He looks as impressive as ever.”

“Joshua, do you know something about them?”

“We were once in the same mercenary army long ago." Joshua finally looked at Eirika. He looked as interested in battle as he always did, but the light in his eyes was uncharacteristically sharp. “One of the members of the Grado Army is General Caellach. He is a very powerful mercenary and a troublesome man. And Aias favors him. He was a strange man, who liked to read books of strategy rather than brandish his own sword, which is very unusual for a mercenary. If I remember correctly, he was always drawing out plans and studying battle formations… he was mocked by his allies that considered it pointless for lowly people like mercenaries to do all of that no matter how much thought they put into it, but because of Caellach’s rise through the Grado Army, the day came when Aias’ research finally paid off.”

“...What are his weaknesses?”

“He has none.” Joshua replied in an instant. “Your current leadership abilities are nothing compared to his. You can strategize all you want, but it won’t make a difference. In fact, it would have the opposite effect of helping.”

Eirika’s lips were shut tight. She looked at the enemy’s meticulous formation.

His words might have been harsh, but everything Joshua pointed out was right. Though she had considerable experience at this point, as a commander, she was still half-baked.

Joshua looked at her and continued, “Press forward. That will be enough. Do not retreat, no matter the circumstances. Waiting around and relying on reinforcements to show up is the worst thing you could do. We have no choice but to crush them at full strength.”

“...Understood. Let’s go.” Eirika raised her sword into the air, and ordered her entire army to move out.

[icefire149]

27

Hey there anon! 

SPN ASK GAME:

27. Make up an episode of spn and give specifics

[You either were galaxy brain for picking this at random or you’ve been reading my tags where I go off on fanfic ideas /spn takes in general / my tags referencing the season 16 fic I’m working on]

Okay so I decided on an episode that would have taken place during the Mark of Cain arc when we had the Cas - Dean - Crowley shenanigans at play. I think I’m gonna place this after Dean gives the first blade to Cas over Crowley. So this is a last hurrah of Crowley being mad at not being Dean’s pick.

This ended up being ridiculously long so....enjoy~

///

It’s day, and the episode opens with Cas leaning against his car. It’s pulled off to the side of an old country road. Eyes narrowing, Cas crosses his arms. “This better be important.”

“Always good to see you too, angel.” It’s Crowley. He comes walking up, hands in his jacket pockets. A devilish smile pulls at his lips. “I wouldn’t have called you out here if it wasn’t of the utmost importance.”

///

Cut to Sam and Dean walking back to the impala. It’s night and they’re both exhausted and nursing bruises. They’re both holding machetes, which they deposit into the trunk.

Sam watches Dean like a hawk. His eyes keep trailing to the mark. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Sammy. A little vampire blood isn’t going to push me over the edge.”

“Okay, fine.”

They drive back to the motel to clean up. Some time has passed. Dean starts pounding on the bathroom door. “I’d like to get dinner this century.”

We move to Dean walking in the parking lot, mumbling his annoyance at Sam for taking so long. Just as he get to the car, he’s jumped by a group of people. Bag over his head, tied up, dragged away. He end up at an abandoned warehouse. 

Luckily Sam caught the last bit of that kidnapping and he gets in the car, speeding after them. 

They pull the bag off of Dean’s head. The mark is screaming at him. It’s the rest of the nest of vampires. Turns out the nest was bigger than him and Sam thought. Their plan was to divide and conquer making the boys suffer long, agonizing deaths for revenge. They didn’t expect Sam to burst right in. He passes Dean a machete during the fighting.

Still, they’re horribly outnumbered and they’re getting their asses kicked. Dean gets knocked back onto the floor. His machete gets tossed another direction. Sam takes out the last vamp in his reach. Dean is fumbling for a gun or knife, anything he might have on his person. The vampire gets closer, about to lunge. Sam yells. And then the vampire’s severed head hits the floor. 

“I don’t know what you boys would do without me.”

Dean blinks and stares up. “Cas?”

Dean gets up and Sam jogs over. They’re both staring oddly at Cas. “What happened to you?”

 “I went shopping.”  Cas shrugged. “What? I’m not allowed to update my wardrobe?”

“No..uh..” Through Dean’s perspective we get a good look at Cas’ new look. He’s wearing a new black suit. Finely tailored. Blue gem encrusted cuff links. Hair trimmed and styled in a purposely messy look. Dean’s eyes close in the tiny hoop earring. “Dude, did you pierce your ear?!”

“What!” Sam steps between them and bobs his head around looking at Cas. “Holy shit.” 

“Are we done yet?” Cas rolls his eyes. “I didn’t realize this was going to be such a big deal.”

Sam steps back to stand by Dean. 

Dean started stuttering. “No, uh, it’s fine. You look.....uh, you’re looking real good.”

“Smooth,” Sam leans in and teases. Dean shoves him a bit.

Cas takes a step forward towards Dean. “Thanks.” He winks.

Dean gets massively flustered. 

///

Cut to Dean, Cas, and Sam at dinner. It’s a sports bar location; busy Friday night crowd. They were lucky to snag a table. The waitress is taking their food and drink orders. 

Cas takes one look at the drink menu and tosses it aside. “Just get me what I normally order.” He rubs at his eye.

Sam shot him a weird look.

“What?”

“You don’t normally order anything,” Dean said leaning in close. “You okay? Did some rogue angel scramble your brains while you were gone?”

“Ah, yes. I’m just always as interesting as a wet paper towel I see,” Cas grumbled. “I don’t always order nothing.” He looked at the waitress. “Just get me something sweet. Anything, really.”

She nodded and took off away from the table.

Dean turned to completely to Cas, who was sitting next to him. He studied him. His gut was telling him something had to be off.

Cas meanwhile leaned an elbow on the table, and rested the side of his face in his hand. “What is it?”

“There’s something going on.”

The look in Cas’ eyes brightened. “Oh, you like what you see?”

Dean gets flustered and trips over his tongue again. He turns away when Sam coughs loudly.

///

Cut to Jody’s house. It’s earlier that same day. Claire’s bedroom. She sitting in the middle of her bed with piles of books and papers scattered around her. The lights start flickering. She looks at it sternly and jumps to her feet. The flickering gets worse, and then her expression softens. Then it looks confused. “Cas?”

They have a conversation, but we can only hear Claire’s end of it. 

“Slow down, I’m listening. Okay hold on. Let tell Jody so she doesn’t have a stroke.”

Claire finds Jody in the kitchen getting some pans washed. “Hey, I’m gonna need a rain check on dinner.”

“Why?” Jody turns around to see Claire with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. “Where are you going?”

Before she can answer, the lights start flickering. 

“Damn it,” Jody mumbles.

“We gotta go! The king of hell took my dad’s body.”

“What?”

The flickering gets worse and Jody puts a hand on her head like it hurts.

“Back off!” Claire yells up at the ceiling. “It’s hard to think with all your worrying. I get it.”

The flickering stops. Jody looks at Claire like she has three heads. “Wanna explain what’s going on.”

“It’s Castiel.”

“Dean’s guardian angel friend?”

Claire laughed at that.  “Yeah. The lights, that’s him. And he’s pissed.”

“Why is he here?”

“He needs to borrow me to get his...my dad....remember he’s wearing my dad as a vessel? The king of hell blasted him out and took his body.”

Jody crossed her arms. “And where do you come into play here?”

“Angel vessels are specific. He took my dad for a reason. I apparently work as a substitute.”

“So you’re gonna let an angel go joyriding with your body?”

“Yes.”

“While he goes to get his revenge on the king of hell?”

“Yeah.”

Sighing, Jody glares up at the ceiling. “I swear to God you better bring her back safely.”

Claire winced. “He says if anything happens he’ll give you an angel blade to finish him, yourself.” Claire looked up at the ceiling. “You’re insane. Don’t be so dramatic.”

///

Move to Claire outside her car. She goes to get in, but then she stops. “Fine I’ll let you drive.”

That’s when we see the angel glow and burst of light. She let Cas in. The light dims and Claire’s expression and posture changes. Cas gets behind the wheel of the car and floors it.

///

“I’ll go get us another round,” Crowley said getting up. Sliding past Dean, he ran a hand lightly across Dean’s shoulder.

Dean grinned and watched with puppy eyes. Not that he’d admit it, but he was enjoying the view.

“Dude,” Sam leaned in. “Seriously, what’s going on with Cas? Did he snap? Witches?”

Dean shook off the feelings he had moments ago. He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know. He’s been through a lot lately.”

“Yeah, we all have. I don’t see anyone else changing their whole...persona.”

“Fine. We’ll just have to keep an eye on him.” Dean turns and stares for too long at Crowley talking to the bartender. 

Sam sighs.

///

It cuts to the three of them getting back to the bunker. Dean keeps eyeing Crowley, who keeps taking every opportunity to wink or smile when he catches Dean looking. Sam gives up and goes off elsewhere. 

Dean trails off to the kitchen and soon enough realizes that Crowley is following him. “Need something?”

Crowley shrugs. “Nope. Just figuring out how I should be spending my time until morning.”

A shiver shot down Dean’s spine. He quickly opened the fridge and guzzled a bottle of water.

“Thirsty?”

Dean held up the bottle. “A bit.”

Crowley leaned back against the counter. He was fiddling with his cufflinks. “Are you sure that’s enough to satisfy you?”

Dean choked on his next sip of water. He started coughing like crazy. 

“Dean!” It was Sam’s voice from somewhere down the hall.

“Cas, what is up with you? What are you talking about?” Dean stepped closer, ignoring Sam’s calls.

Crowley took a step forward. “Why don’t you find out?”

“Dean! Where are you!” Sam’s voice got closer. “THAT’S NOT CAS!”

“What.”

The kitchen door slammed shut and Dean flew backwards, back against the fridge. 

Crowley laughed. “Oh, that was fun while it lasted. Dean you are way too easy.”

“Who are you?” Dean snarled.

Cas’ blue eyes were obscured with a smoky, demon red. “Miss me, darling?”

“Crowley.”

“Yes,” he gestured down his body with a hand. “Like my new look? I think I’m starting to see the appeal.”

“Get out of him,” Dean lunged forward. 

“Oh, are you sure? You seemed quite pleased all night. You can’t tease and not follow through. That’s just rude.”

Dean’s jaw clenched. He didn’t have any weapons besides basic cutlery. He could try an exorcism, but Crowley would shut him up before he could get anywhere.

Crowley laughed again and took a few steps around the kitchen. “It’s such a shame Cassie doesn’t know how to use his assets. He could have had you tied down in bed ages ago.”

And just then the door flew open. Both Dean and Crowley turned to look, but then Crowley was slammed into the floor.”

“Cl-claire?”

Cas turned to look at him. “Hello, Dean.” His eyes glowed a brilliantly, grace fueled blue.

“Cas!”

He nodded and then turned back to Crowley. “You abomination, what did you do to my body?”

Cas kicked him several times, despite that he was damaging his own vessel. He then threw Crowley into the wall and shoved him in hard. The wall was damaged and cracked. Cas groaned internally knowing that Dean was going to make a fuss about it later.

“I gave you a few upgrades.”

“He pierced your ear,” Sam called standing next to Dean now.

“Among other things. How did you get that other tattoo to stick? I couldn’t get the new one to stay.”

Cas slapped him. “Get out of my body.”

“Oh piss off and make me.”

Sam started the exorcism, and Crowley shrugged under Cas’ force. 

“Whatever, I had my fun. Tested a theory. See you all soon.” And Crowley swirled out of Cas’ body and left. 

Cas laid the body carefully on the floor. He turned to Sam and Dean. “Close your eyes.”

They did, and in a brilliant light Cas left Claire’s body for his own. His vessel was healed of all the injuries he had caused moments ago. 

Claire, a bit woozy, stumbled a bit. “Hey guys.” She looked at Cas. “You should have kicked his butt harder.”

He was busy looking down at his new outfit. “Don’t worry, I’m planning on tearing him into tiny strips of flesh.” He looked up. “It was just...a bit awkward while he was in....”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to damage you either.”

Cas looked at Dean. “What did he mean about, testing a theory?”

Dean averted his eyes, scratching the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”

“Hey, Claire,” Sam cut in, changing topics. “Does Jody know you’re here?”

“Yeah, I should call her now though.” Claire went to dig for her phone. It wasn’t there. “Must be in the car.”

“I’ll get a room ready for you to stay the night,” Sam said leading her out of the kitchen.

They leave Dean and Cas alone in the kitchen. They sit at the table. Cas scowls, lost in thought. 

“Are you okay?”

Cas sighs. He looks at Dean. “Yeah.”

“You sure? How did this even happen?”

“He jumped me with a banishing sigil. I’d never seen it before, but it tore me right out of my vessel. He jumped right in before I could do anything.”

Cas’ frowned. “I feel disgusting. Who knows what else he did.”

Dean got up and stretched. “Come on. I’ll show you where Sam hides the good stuff.”

“Dean, I don’t see how alcohol is going to make me feel better.”

Dean laughed. “No. The good body soaps. So you can scrub until you feel like you again.”

“Oh.” Cas got up and followed Dean out. He looked down at the clothes again. “How stupid did he make me look?”

Dean stopped dead in the hallway. Cas collided into his shoulder.

“He didn’t make you look stupid.” Dean’s eyes trailed over Cas again. The knot in his gut was gone. He looked even better than earlier, because he was Cas. “It’s a nice suit.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “I miss my coat.”

Dean slapped a hand onto Cas’ shoulder. “No matter how you’re dressed, you look nice. You look like you and that’s what matters.”

Cas nodded and followed Dean down the hallway.

end~

[cristalknife]

Kadam Week 2021 Day 1 ~ Do You Want To Be A Pirate?

So this is me trying to not start something on a platform only to post solely somewhere else aka AO3 and ff.net  you can find the complete list of Kadam Week 2021 prompts and you might find more stories on the Kadam Week 2021 AO3 collection

That said, the fist prompt was Puzzles and Games. And what represents better both than a treasure hunt? So here we go, I present to you Do You Want To Be A Pirate?

All the student body was abuzz, the annual treasure hunt was to be announced soon, it was always a great event. Mainly because the winner of the event earned a full booklet of backstage passes. Sixteen of them, completely blank to be used at the winner discretion during the current theatre season.

No limits were imposed on how the passes were to be used, be in a single show with a large group or even touring all the shows solo. The catch was that if multiple shows were to be watched by a group of two people up, the winner had to be there for each show.

Those booklets were the courtesy of Alumni working in the field. And to be honest it was a fun event for the faculty as well to create the set of riddles and clues needed to reach the destination.

It was supposed to be a moment of fun,  but at the same time given the kind of prize, it was not meant to be effortless.

However to the faculty disappointment, the individuals only rule with no cooperation allowed present in the previous editions, resulted in no winners for the past couple of years.

After consulting the sponsor, it was decided that for this year students could sign up as pairs.

But if the students decided to sign up as pair, then both the winners would have to be present each time they were to use the passes.

And apparently that wasn’t a condition that some were comfortable with, while others like Kurt were actually overjoyed.

Once he heard of the treasure hunt, he went out searching for Adam, barely containing his elation and desire to share the news.

Upon finding his boyfriend, Kurt was barely able to contain his excitement and he launched himself into Adam's arm sure he'd be caught.

Adam grinned and kissed Kurt back, holding him securely before saying "Hellu Love, what got you so excited?"

Kurt chuckled and as soon as his feet touched the floor once more he raised the flier and pointed to the fine prints "They mentioned a change in the rules and on this year’s event people can sign up as pairs. The catch is that both need to be present when using the passes, so you're game signing up with me?"

Adam raised an eyebrow curious before reading the flier aloud "The Annual Treasure Hunt? Is that what got you so excited? Except for my freshman year, I don't recall any of those events actually ever having winners"

Erika came up from the side and quipped "Three years ago was the last time someone won, but it was again one of the last seniors graduating. After that batch left, no one ever figured out the clues, I'm surprised the faculty still does it"

Kurt shrugged "Well the prize makes very much sense for the school, I mean blank passes for the backstage of current productions? That sounds interesting, and sixteen of them would actually mean we could all go together as a group and still have two spares for the winning team to get another show, or split between two productions..."

Kurt speech had most of the Apples smiling and send to their favourite freshie an adoring look.

Adam still amazed by his boyfriend asked softly "So you suggest a common effort and register more than one team, and then Apples parties at my place, where we could all chill out and talk about our days?"

JJ quipped up "Only if that involved baked goods from both our favourite bakers, because Adam ma man, I love your cookies but gimme Kurt's  casserole and salty cupcakes any time, and I could even fight you off and offer my hand in marriage for having those every day"

Kurt snorted and swatted away playfully JJ's offered hand "You are not even remotely bi-curious, If I wanted to live with an overgrown kid who'd stay with me for my cooking I'd simply invite my brother to move in with me"

Everyone around chuckled at that and JJ pouted mockingly offended "Are you insinuating I'm not man enough for you?"

Adam then stepped in smirking "More like implying that all the main male leads in his life are already cast, and you dear friend can only be the occasional torn in our butt, one that comes every now and then to offer his company in exchange for delicious food..."

Grinning like a cheshire cat JJ quipped back "Well we all know that the good ones are all gay, unavailable or happily being both together"

Everyone broke down in giggles and with resolute nods each claimed a partner. The divide and conquer idea Kurt had was very intriguing, and the thought of getting the upper hand on an event that even the Perks couldn't get their way by popularity alone, or that no one else won for the past couple of years had its allure…

Especially given the mixed composition of techies and performers in their group.

Seeing Kurt smiling radiantly was something each member of the Apples enjoyed and cherished.

Especially since the big fallout, or as it was known amongst them, the great purge of the toxic influx in Kurt's life.

Also known as the day when Miss fallen out Diva Berry left the loft in a huff and Kurt and his roommate Santana took the storming out literally and changed the key of the padlock.

Sending all of Berry’s stuff back to the temporary storage place two blocks away from bushwick, with a 3 days grace period and a week paid with Berry's part of the deposit.

Kurt himself was just very happy to be surrounded by friends who supported him as much as he supported them.

Being with Adam and being friends with all the members of the Adam's Apples, had given him a perspective he never knew he desperately needed, and it also lowered his tolerance for taking crap by those who were supposed to be on his side.

Kurt was not secretly very excited by the prospect of looking forward to something in his life that could be just fun and despite being officially a competition. He was still able to live it as an adventure, to be shared with his boyfriend and all their friends as well.

As they walked away from the registration boot and reading the first clue ‘Every adventure needs a captain to sail for the treasure island’

Kurt giggle when Adam playfully whispered in his ear "Aye aye captain let's get our sea legs on"

Kurt nodded and they made it to the costume department through the back corridors, not wanting to tip off the other not Apples participants, while their friends instead received simply a gentle reminded in their text chat, that all hearties were to meet at rehearsal later in the week same place same time.

Indeed their guess was correct when they found the next clue stating ‘Never forget those who came before you’

Kurt and Adam took the chance to grab a quick lunch as they discussed the clue. Adam was the first one to attempt to solve it "If we are thinking about the school that would send us to the hall of fame"

Kurt nodded slowly but tapped his finger against his lips "But what if it's a more general outlook? We are learning to get into an industry that broadens beyond the limits of the school and its social circles, even if those are still important"

Adam hummed softly mulling over it "So you're suggesting more like the library?"

Kurt nodded "I'm just unsure whether we are supposed to search in the history section itself or go more for the history of Broadway and theatre section"

Adam nodded slowly "there's no rule about not searching blindly both"

Kurt chuckled and nodded as well, after finishing his cup he raised an eyebrow in silent question and received a simple nod in response.

Once in the library, Adam was the one to take over the history of Broadway and the theatre section while Kurt went through the History books.

It took a while but finally Adam was successful and found a piece of plasticised parchment with what appeared half of the final clue.

The mention of a second half made him frown, but with nothing else to be found there, he simply took a picture of it with his phone.

He then placed the clue back inside the book and the book back on the shelf before going to find Kurt, hoping his got lucky and found the second half.

"Did you get anything?"

Kurt shook his head a little put off "No absolutely nothing, you?"

Adam nodded "Yeah I found something but it's only half of the final clue"

Kurt frowned confused "Guess it's time to start some baking then hmmm?"

Adam smiled and leaned forward to give Kurt a small peck on his cheek trying to stop the frowning "We could do directly at my place and then make an evening out of it"

The offer, as Adam hoped, brought a smile on Kurt's face as he replied coyly "I'd love that, are you offering just the evening or it could turn into a sleepover"

Adam grinned and moved so that he could kiss those cheeky lips, when he was almost where he wanted to be, he breathed quickly "We'll swing by the loft if there's something you absolutely need for tomorrow classes"

He then proceeded to thoroughly kiss his boyfriend.

After classes ended for the day, Kurt sent a message to their chat group informing everyone that it was baking time in the afternoon

Adam raised an eyebrow curiously at the message and Kurt shrugged stating simply "That way we can be sure basically everyone will show up with something to contribute, just before or around dinner time, and then the meeting will become a movie night"

Adam snorted because indeed knowing their friends that was what would most likely happen, "It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I offered to make an evening out of it darling"

Kurt grinned, mischief gleaming clearly in his eyes "That's why I raised your offer to a sleepover instead..."

And true to Kurt's expectations, that evening all the Apples who didn't have to work, appeared at Adam's doorstep with offerings for the shared evening meal.

Of course those who had worked demanded a do-over with double baked goodies of their faves as personal share...

Once everyone was seated around, Paul, who paired up with JJ for the treasure hunt, asked "How was your hunt we've only found half of the final clue"

Kurt wrinkled his nose "we reached only half of the final clue as well care to see if we've all found the same half or if we lucked out?"

Adam took off his phone and started to read aloud "Congratulation adventurers, you're holding half of the treasure map holding the clue for the final answer you will have to give to someone to receive your treasure, think back on the steps you took to find this and then go and find the last missing piece"

JJ jumped up from his seat exclaiming excitedly "Yes we've got both!"

Paul shook his head smiling and took off his own phone reading "Congratulation adventurers, you're holding half of the treasure map holding the clue to figure out who is the officer that you'll need to impress with the answer that you still need to find to receive your treasure, think back on the steps you took to find this and then go and find the last missing piece"

Everyone was suddenly buzzing with unrestrained excitement when Kurt asked pragmatically "So how are we going to tackle this? Reading both clues together and then split between them or focusing the attention on a single one?"

Adam suggested swiftly "We could actually read them both and then see how to tackle the easier one first"

When everyone nodded Paul continued reading their clue "You might go to Central Park Or catch a show on Broadway...  Where in the world would you be to get to these by subway? Twice... I mean the answer is New York clearly but how does that help us identify who to give our final answer to?"

General groaning raised from around the room when Erika cut in "Adam what is your clue?"

Adam complied and read it for everyone perusal "What show is next in this pattern: A Chorus Line, Into the Woods, Bat Boy, Pacific Overtures, Little Women, Damn Yankees, Camelot, The Pajama Game, Children of Eden. As a hint, there is more than one show that correctly works, but one show fits more ‘perfectly’ than any others.”

Adam raised his phone to let everyone seeing the picture and commented

“As a side note there's only one blank line but its length doesn't seem indicative as it was formatted to look good rather than give a hint on the last name, or at least that’s what it looks like to me"

And everyone had to nod at that consideration at that point Chris' groan was the loudest "I don't get yall, neither of those is any more clear than mat moss paint..."

Kurt sniggered but offered a plate with Chris' favourite cookies on it "It's ok, we can work it out together so any ideas?"

Matt who had been quiet this far asked Kurt speculatively "You already have an idea for at least one of them don't you?"

Kurt looked taken aback and blushed getting himself busy with the food "Nothing solid.."

At that point Adam walked behind Kurt and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist as he pressed himself against his boyfriend "It's ok Love, you don't have to be right to speak your mind, we are here brainstorming there's no judging with us"

JJ quipped teasingly "I mean we'll obviously judge and tease you till the end of times for getting flustered the first time we took you out for blow jobs, but for this… I mean you're all going to hearing the suggestion my gorilla brain comes up with"

Chris snorted and quipped teasingly "Given what gets spawned out of your mouth I thought you would have said instead that yours is like a pig’s brain."

Matt joined in to the teasing, shaking his head as he grinned salaciously and wiggling his eyebrows "Nah a pig's brain is too big we are talking mouse if everything is in proportion."

Kurt coughed at the double meaning implied in that sentence, he feared JJ would take it badly. But he was once again surprised when JJ put theatrically one hand on his cheek, the other on his chest clearly mimicking a delightful surprise "Oh Matt, my darling why didn't you said that before… All this time you were checking me out  because you wanted some of my sweet sweet love, comma hear lemme give ya some sugar baby"

Everyone erupted in laugher and Matt maturely threw his napkin aiming for JJ's face "You wish man, you wish"

JJ pouted "Harsh dude, harsh, you could have at least throw your cupcake with the napkin"

Kurt sent a levelled glare to both boys "If anyone dares to throw our delicious baked food not only they will stay for the cleanup, but they will be banned to get more baked goodies for the next month"

A single "Ouch" escaped Matt's lips before he silenced himself and raised his arms in surrender.

Paul swatted the back of JJ's head "Don't upset daddy, or I'm so going to gag you next time we are all in the same room to prevent that from happening, I rather enjoy our baked goodies"

Erika quipped at Paul "Which is why you shouldn't save JJ from himself, let him dig his own grave, more goodies for us... Kurt had not said anything about lowering the amount of baked goodies, only put a ban on who can access them"

Chris chuckled and offered their fist to Erika, as they said grinning "Well said girl well said"

Erika smiled brilliantly and bumped the fist and then both made an explosion motion as they both retreated their arms.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at being addressed as daddy, but  Adam just held him a little closer and mouthed later.

So Kurt took the handle of the situation and started sharing his idea hoping for the current teasing to come to a natural rest "well I was thinking on Paul and JJ's clue... What if we need to take that final twice literally? As in the correct answer is New York, New York"

Erika's eyes shone brighter "Like the Scorsese's movie?"

Kurt nodded "Yes that's also the name of the most known song from that movie, so New York New York could be the solution"

Paul pondered and then said "Well if we are talking about a movie would that mean that we are to talk with the dean of the drama department?"

Kurt bit his lips and then he continued explaining his thoughts "I was thinking more about the fact it might refer to the song, which then in turn would make Madam T be the one to speak with, given that she's the dean of vocal performance. And with the movie being also a musical maybe the singing component is more pronounced and would lead to her instead of Mr Keller?"

Adam then said serenely "Once we figure out the answer we could even decide to split and each team going to both of them with the solution."

Murmurs of agreement run through the room until Matt stated "So now we just have to figure out what that list of musicals have in common?"

JJ scratched his head before raising and grabbing few more cupcakes to munch on "Do you think that the fact they cross two centuries means anything?"

Chris promptly opened Adam's computer and pulled up the wikipedia pages of all the listed musicals before shaking their head "Nope they are not in chronological order so it’s not that"

Paul then quipped "And that wouldn't make any sense, the additional hint says that there's only one answer that would fit perfectly... it's not like there's only one new musical coming out every single year"

Erika asked then "I am not familiar with all the titles but are they really all musicals?"

Adam answered "Yeah all of those listed are musicals, so maybe we need to check on the songs?"

Matt then wondered aloud "What if it's something all the songs have? Maybe there's a matching title or a recurring theme?"

Kurt took out his phone and looked around and said "well there's seven of us and nine titles maybe we could each open the list and check them side by side?"

JJ grinned and took out his phone as well "That's a great idea"

Kurt started listing all the songs of chorus line, Matt went on with the ones from into the woods,  JJ giggled like a maniac as he read the bat boy's list. Paul read on the Pacific Overtures and Erika listed the ones from Little Women.

When Adam, who was reading from the Damn Yankees, reached the song titled Six months, Chris exclaimed excited while raising a finger silently asking for a moment "Holy moley I think we got something going here"

Everyone turned, waiting for more explanation that Chris promptly provided "Each of those musicals has a song with a number in their titles" and then they pointed to Kurt who quickly caught up and said "One" and then each proceeded in order Matt said "It takes two", JJ said excited "Three Bedroom House "

Paul grinned starting to see the path as he said "Four Black Dragons"

Erika was grinning madly as she said "Five forever"

Then JJ still super hyped by having discovered the key to decode the clue he asked Chris "So what are the others?"

Chris smirked and started prattling "In Camelot we have ‘The Seven Deadly Virtues’, The Pajama Game has a song called  ‘7½ Cents’ while the Children of Eden has ‘A Piece of Eight’”

Kurt hummed softly and considered aloud "So we have nine musicals mentioned but the last number is eight... What if they had already given us the answer and it's literally Nine?"

Adam whistled impressed "That actually makes so much sense..."

Paul groaned "And if you explain it like that it seems so obvious too"

Erika shrugged "All riddles once explained make so much sense that you usually feel stupid for not reasoning it out before... That's why they are considered brain teasers"

Chris who in the meantime checked out Kurt's suggestion finally quipped triumphantly "That's it guys, we have a winner the answer is indeed Nine, which has a song called guess what?”

Chuckling everyone said at once “Nine"

JJ then scratched his head and then asked "So now we are only unsure on who we need to tell our answer to?"

Paul quipped happily “Me says Adam and Kurt follow Kurt’s reasoning, we follow ours, that way if our suspicion is correct and Kurt is right it’ll be them and not us having a private date… No offence man but I’d really prefer not having my girlfriend gutting me for going out on a date with you”

JJ snorted before sounding almost genuinely upset “Harsh man, harsh”

Paul patted JJ shoulder when Kurt asked confused “But what about the others?”

Matt answered smiling “Kurt you four are the only ones who got to the final clue, I personally wouldn’t like to try to get the prize knowing I barely got to the second one.”

Chris and Erika nodded as well confirming they felt the same way.

Kurt felt relieved that he wasn’t taking advantage of his friends. With everything sorted out, everyone else left leaving just Kurt and Adam alone.

After they settled down Kurt turned to Adam, with a questioning look on his face before asking “Is now later? Do I get to know what the daddy comment was about?”

Adam chuckled softly “Nothing bad Love, I can assure you that, you know that I’m considered the mother hen of the group right?”

Kurt hummed softly nodding as he snuggled closer to Adam who then continued “And well you’re too sweet and kind to all the Apples to be considered a father, but still we are together and we both tend to take care of them so…”

Kurt chuckled and finished shaking his head “So I’m daddy… Not sure how to feel about having so many kids that are all older than me”

They both sniggered at that.

The next day, when they went talking with Madam Tibideaux, they discovered that indeed Kurt’s reasoning was correct, and they got out of her office with the prize and matching grins. ~The End~

[incorrectstarcoquotes]

Incorrect Recaps - S3

Round 3, @seddm​. I see you seeing me. Let’s get it on!

Return to Mewni - Moon’s big plan is to hide away from Toffee. I’m starting to think she’s not that great.

Moon the Undaunted - A flashback episode is the best way to show that you shouldn’t ship MoonToffee.

Book Be Gone - Ludo deals with some very familiar self-worth issues.

Marco and the King - Marco gets some bonding time with his future father-in-law.

Puddle Defender - You would think that this is the episode where Moon rethinks her view on monsters, but you’d be wrong.

King Ludo - Ludo becomes the second worst king Mewni ever had (yeah, he’s right); Marco gets caught in the unresolved sexual tension between Fool Duke and the front man from Fall Out Boy.

Toffee - Star becomes a super saiyan to defeat Toffee. Or is it Super Sonic? I’m starting to think the golden powered up form is overused.

Scent of a Hoodie - Star’s love for Marco gets a little “creepy.”

Rest in Pudding - Star is haunted Glossaryck. I hope this isn’t some kind of recasting foreshadowing.

Club Snubbed - It’s been years and this episode still makes me throw my phone at the TV.

Stranger Danger - Star meets the ensemble dark horse of the show. See what I did there?

Demoncism - I kept telling people that this was my favorite TV show of all time. I guess the svtfoe crew wanted me to stop liking it. 

Sophomore Slump - Marco screws up after years of chasing fantastic-body Jackie. 

Lint Catcher - Star and Marco reinvigorate their love with the very thing that brought them together: fighting monsters.

Trial by Squire - Star and Marco pretend they’re not in love with each other in a Best Buy on Black Friday.

Princess Turdina - There’s very few things I can say about this episode that won’t get me hate from tumblr.

Starfari - Star starts the monster equality storyline by hanging out with an idiot.

Sweet Dreams - Are made of this, says Star. Who am I to disagree? asks Eclipsa. I disagree, says Marco.

Lava Lake Beach - Hey, we broke Star’s heart. Now we break Marco’s. All’s fair in love and war.

Death Peck - So anyone can become royalty in Mewni? Get it? Because he has a deep rich voice.

Ponymonium - No. Just no.

Night Life - Marco ends Marcapoo after he realizes his love for Star for like the fifth time.  

Deep Dive - Marco unfortunately starts a fan theory that was explained away like three times but it’s what I expect from you guys.

Monster Bash - Tom proves how useless he is in the majority of Star’s life and Mina changes everything.

Stump Day - a Christmas special is the best way to prove that Marco is the superior boyfriend.

Holiday Spellcial - Nope. I’m not doing this.

The Bogbeast of Boggabah - Rhys Darby is the best way to teach Star a lesson.

Total Eclipsa the Moon - I kept calling this episode “Total Eclipsa the Heart.”

Butterfly Trap - The twist of the show is that all the hype of Eclipsa is bullshit and the MHC is just really racist.

Ludo, Where Art Thou - Dennis! Are you up there playing with my buttball? So help me god, you’re getting seven across the ass. Dennis, I’m sorry I yelled at you. What we’re gonna do is I’m gonna learn ya how to play buttball seeings how you’re in my basement. 

Is Another Mystery - Tom proves how useless he is on magical adventures, which is the biggest part of Star’s life, and he’s constantly comparing himself to Marco. Wait, are we sure Tom’s in love with Star?

Marco Jr. - Star proves she knows Marco more than anyone else and Adam McArthur laughs at me on twitter.

Skooled! - Because poor literacy proves that school makes everything less fun even rebellion. Also, Meteora’s backstory.

Booth Buddies - TomStar dies with a stab in the back and it feels so fucking good, bay-bee!

Bam Ui Pati! - A funny Pony Head episode? Like, for reals? For reals? Cool.

Tough Love - Let’s play a game of “Who fucked up more?” 

Divide - This is the closest we’ll get to seeing Star and Marco having sex on screen.

Conquer - The first time Star pissed off everyone in a season finale, but not the last.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

‘Ashamed to be Korean' extract — the Moon scam is paid for in blood, poverty, misery, sickness and death by a slave class of Japanese

September 30, 2012 This has been incredibly hard to do, but I have decided to sacrifice my national pride, personal interest and loyalties to start telling the truth about the complicated religious scams of the Moons and the so-called “Unification Movement”.

Why? Because I guess I discovered that I still had some conscience left alive somewhere inside of me, so I decided to come out and tell the truth, and before it shrivels up totally. Another reason for me to come out is the tragic and shameful truth that the Moon scam is paid for in blood, poverty, misery, sickness and death by a slave class of Japanese who have been, and continue to be, what must be the most hapless class of religious scam victims in history. This is worsened by the fact that the victims have been deliberately and cynically scammed by a group from another country.

I have no love or respect for the Japanese, and like most Koreans, I have rarely missed an opportunity to gloat at any Japanese misfortune with other Koreans but I guess I have to draw the line somewhere.

It is my intention to tell the truth about the Moons and the Korean feudal ‘aristocracy’ from the position of an insider in the hope that those members who still have enough of a vestigial conscience left functioning in themselves can know the unvarnished truth and fully understand the crimes that have been, and are still being, committed and either help stop the crimes from being committed, or at least walk away and not contribute even silently to these crimes. … It has been said that one of the problems with the Moon Church is that every country projects their own image of what they want the “Messiah” to be; The Japanese see an emperor to grovel to and worship, westerners saw Moon as the the second coming of Jesus, while for the Koreans a conquering King that will elevate Koreans above all other nations (you might as well know we think we are superior to the rest of the world physically, spiritually, intellectually, and culturally). Therein the problem starts, Moon’s genius was to able to manipulate facts and myths and lies to divide and conquer and get exactly what he wanted for him and his family and for Korea which has created the core culture and operating practice of the movement: Deception.

Some people may think that the Divine Principle is the religious doctrine of the ‘church’, but it is nothing more than a recruiting tool. The real ‘religion’ is like an onion, with separate layers of rules, requirements and benefits. The easiest way to understand the game is to realize that Moon wanted to set him and his family as a royal family governing as a theocracy from day one. His goal was to control all power, money, laws and rules, at least as much as he could get hold of.

The theocracy works by strict hierarchy with the Moons as the top royals, the Korean blood relatives as the minor royals, the rest of the Koreans as the aristocracy and top officials. The rest of the nations are all in the position of servants. The only absolute in the Moon church is the position of the Moons and the loyalty demanded from the members.

Have you wondered why all top posts involving power and money are controlled by Koreans?

Do not be fooled by the fact that we trust the Japanese more than our own and use then nominally to hold assets and the like – that is only because they are totally obedient.

What Moon and his family fear the most is meritocracy, God forbid if there was a level playing field, the whole game would be blown sky high. It is fantastic for us though, to have rules applied not only in a selective way but completely differently to always ensure the Moons and ourselves are on top.

My greatest personal amazement is how supposedly educated people in advanced countries have bought the enslaving myths of Moon that have in fact been precisely tailored for them without them realizing the utter insanity and nonsense of coexistence of completely contradicting realities and myths and rules, without even acknowledging the irony of it all! Maybe we are much cleverer than you.

The Japanese have bought the fantasy of ‘Eve Nation’, when in reality there never was and still is absolutely no intention to use them for any purpose other than for donations and slave labor. If and when they are no longer needed they will be dropped like a dirty habit in favor of another country (if one was available), this threat has been constantly drummed in to their heads to keep them desperate and obedient.

What they do not realize is that in private Sun Myung Moon, when he was alive, Hak Ja Han and all the Moon children and we 2nd gens in the inner circle not only have no respect for Japan and instead gloat at the way in which Korea has been taking over Japanese business, laugh at the Japanese members and refer to them in really raw, rude ways. We see it as a rightful revenge for what we think they did to us. On the other hand, we never fail to remind them of the indemnity they need to pay to us.

I have heard Japanese old members emotionally talk about how they will accept anything because they had felt loved by “Aboji” at some time. When they say this, they remind me of rabbits caught in the headlights, totally bamboozled by the Korean charismatic gift for delivering shameless emotional appeals at 1000 horsepower. The reason they were taken in is because they had only ever experienced emotion in Japan at 100 horsepower before meeting Moon, so they are convinced that 1000 horsepower emoting must be the real thing.

Given the Japanese unfortunate penchant for masochism, perhaps it is not surprising that they have been fooled, but I am truly amazed that more Westerners have not been able to see through this scam.

My jaw drops as members still refer to the Moons as “True”, as an unending string of evidence of their unbridled wickedness and hypocrisy appears on this and other sites, it makes me giggle involuntarily, as I watch Westerners falling over themselves to justify or deny their crimes contorting themselves to deny the truth.

My only explanation for it is commitment bias, nobody wants to admit they have been fooled. Please read the facts honestly and use your conscience to decide what to do. Remember the laws of physics and math, the laws of countries and most importantly of all the laws of morals and values either apply equally and universally or not at all.

Members have been trained like Pavlov’s dogs to do our (more accurately the Moons’) dirty work for us. Foreign members justify our crimes with that precise get-out-of-jail-free card that the whole Moon scam relies on.

Read more here: https://tragedyofthesixmarys.com/ashamed-to-be-korean/

___________________________________________

In 1965 Japan gave $800 million as reparations for their occupation of Korea

The Japanese government supported Korea with $800 million in 1965, $400m in 1983 and over $10 billion in 1997.

Sun Myung Moon Church used the Japanese members for profit, not religious purposes – the world’s greediest church

Suicide of Japanese ‘Moon money mule’ in Uruguay. Mother of three children

A huge Moon Church scam in Japan is revealed

Shocking video of UC of Japan demanding money – English transcript

Moon extracted $500 million from Japanese female members

Japanese woman recruited by the Unification Church and sold to an older Korean farmer

How Sun Myung Moon bought protection in Japan

The ‘True Father’ who could not forgive. Sun Myung Moon: “I haven’t been able to release my grudge towards Japanese people yet.” November 2011

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] When you give a bunny kid a cake…

Summary: After living for so long with a pack of toddlers, you grow used to their sweet doe eyes when they're about to get in trouble. Ventus has not grown such an immunity toward Oswald's sextuplet bunny kids and as such they recruit him into sneaking the ultimate treat; Ortensia's triple chocolate silk cake. [lowkey requested by @chibi-mushroom and the idea was just too adorable not to ignore]

Rating: K

Word Count: 2,714 words

If you like this story, please reblog!

---

When Ortensia invited them over for a small fall party, Ventus didn't quite think he'd spend most of the time trapped in his girlfriend's bedroom. Not that they were doing anything exciting to begin with. Playing mancala had been Sabrina's idea, but now she looked like she was ready to go to sleep. She laid against her stomach with her head cradled in her arms, the mancala board at the foot of her bed, and Ven volunteering to sit on the floor. Sabrina's eyes drooped lower whenever Ven took his turn.

“You're allowed to go to sleep.” he told her at some point. “It's just me, Terra, and Aqua.”

“And Vanitas.” she spat back. “There's no way I'm going to sleep with that creeper in arm's distance.”

And so, indirectly, Ventus now had the reason why she had him trapped in her room. She needed someone to keep her awake. Someone that wasn't going to be too loud or annoying just by sharing a room with her. Someone, in other words, that she trusted.

He did not feel lucky knowing he was that someone.

“What did you do last night?” he then asked her. “You look so… dead inside.”

Sabrina opened her mouth to retort -a possible 'that's because I feel dead inside' if he knew her well- but was cut off with six little voices calling, “Sabreenie! Sabreenie!” from the other side of the door. Without skipping a beat, Sabrina shouted back;

“Buzz off!”

“But we need you Sabreenie!” three voices told her.

“And Ven-Ven too!” a single voice reminded them.

“Yes! And Ven-Ven too!” two others chorused in agreement.

Sabrina let out a low groan as she buried her head further into her arms.

Even though he knew she didn't want to hear it, Ven told her, “Can't you humor them for now? They are your siblings.”

“Not by blood.” she grumbled as she started to get off her bed anyway. Ven fought the urge to fondly smile at her while she sat straight up, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes using the palm of her hand. It looked enough like a scene from a movie that Ven wondered if she did it for show.

His opinion on this was squashed easily when she did rise to her feet. If it wasn't obvious Sabrina was exhausted, it became quickly apparent as she made her way to the door. She had a light, unintentional sway to her gait, which almost led to her bumping into the mannequin she used to test outfits before she wore them. It was actually kinda weird that she had it out- she usually hid it in her closet when guests were coming over.

Regardless, she made it to her door with otherwise ease. Sabrina opened the door and was greeted to six bunny children. They had stacked themselves by their shoulders- but even with the added height, the bunny kid on top was just barely tall enough to see above Sabrina's shoulders.

“You have three minutes.” Sabrina said to the bunny kid on top.

“Mama made a cake!” they happily told her.

Sabrina cocked an eyebrow at them. “And…?”

“Mama told Junior, Roy, Ray, Ruth, Herb, and Elias that cake has to wait until dinner.” came the sullen reply. All six of the bunny kids hung their head in misery.

“And I assume you want it now?”

The bunny children eagerly nodded in unison. Their little tower swayed for a moment from the small weight change, but the six were able to readjust quickly.

“Why didn't you guys get Vanitas?” Sabrina then wondered, casting them a suspicious glance.

“Van-Van is napping now.” one of the bunny kids told her. The others gave a solemn nod in agreement.

“But why Ventus too?”

“Sabreenie always hides Ven-Ven.” the bunny kid on top told her.

“We want to play now!” the others happily chorused.

“In other words,” their adoptive older sister mused as she leaned against her door frame, “You need a scapegoat.”

“Why would they need a scapegoat?” Ven curiously wondered, appearing by Sabrina's side. His girlfriend looked back at him with a disinterested raise of her eyebrow.

“When you give a bunny kid a cake,” she informed him, “Nothing after will go down in your favor.”

Now it was Ventus's turn to give her a funny look. He looked back at the bunny kids and saw their pitiful little faces. It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing their long faces; Ven could already hear a few random bars from Sarah McLachlan's Angel playing in the distance. 'In the arms of a bunny child...'

“Aw, come on Sabi,” he tried to gently tease, “Look at them. Look at those sad little faces...”

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before she spat, “Those are the same faces they make before half the house gets set on fire.”

The bunny children let out a unified sound of surprise, then gave her a rather prude raspberry. Even with her being a good 13 years older than them, Sabrina retaliated with a raspberry of her own.

“You know,” Ven gently said to her, “You're not much different.” To the bunny kids proper, he said, “I'll help you.”

Unified squeal of joy came from the bunny kids as they hopped off each other and into Sabrina's room. Once everyone was in her room, Sabrina grimaced as she shut the door. The bunny kids might have been small, but with all six it still seemed like there wasn't enough room for everyone. Sabrina sat back down on her bed as Ven and the bunny kids started with their game plan.

“Our plan is simple,” he told the kids with a sense of mirth, “Ortensia usually leaves the cake in the fridge before we actually eat it. To avoid a crumb trail -literally- we should take it to the laundry room. All we really need to do is get some plates and forks from the…”

“This isn't going to work.”

Ventus and the bunny children looked over at Sabrina with the same look of bewilderment. It was Ven who soon gave her a rather cheeky grin before asking, “Jealous because our plan doesn't involve you?”

“Hardly.” Sabrina snorted. “While it is rather smart to eat it in the laundry room, Ortensia will hear you all clatter around the kitchen like a batch of chickens with their heads cut off.”

Ven's face immediately fell. “Oh.”

“This is where a divide and conquer plan would come in handy.” Sabrina went on, moving herself so the other seven could get a better look at her. She even pulled out the mancala board to better illustrate her plans. “Half of the six will go distract Terra and Aqua by directing them outside, the other half will keep Ortensia upstairs. Maybe Oswald too, but he's either-or in this kind of situation.”

“But who's getting the cake?” Ven asked, looking up at her with a curious tilt of his head.

“You are.” she claimed. “Alone.”

“Why just me?”

“Because I am making this plan foolproof, and I don't want to get between Ortensia while she's in guest kisser mode.”

Ventus recoiled a little and didn't look at her directly when he mumbled, “I wouldn't say Aqua, Terra, and I are guests...”

“You're not,” Sabrina affirmed with a huff, “But try telling Tense that.”

Ven let out a contemplative hum before looking down at the bunny kids. They looked back up at him with wide, adoring eyes that practically read 'isn't our big sister the best?' When he turned to Sabrina again, Ventus admittedly (and rather embarrassingly) zoned out slightly as she went over the plan to her siblings. There was a sense of concentration etched into her furrowed eyebrows as she went on. If she wasn't so interested in fashion and aesthetics, Sabrina would have made a good strategist.

“Roy, Ray, and Junior, take Ortensia upstairs and be loud about it. Junior might want to cause an 'accident' in the bathroom to be sure. Pops can jump in on that if it's real bad, so he's out of your hair too. Ruth, Elias, and Herb, your job is probably the easiest because Aqua and Terra love the stuffing out of you. Take them outside and show them your jack-o-lanterns. They should still be standing perky after a month. If not, make up a sob story of how much hard work you put into them and now they're rotting. Get some waterworks going and Terra will be eating out of the palm of your hand. All in all, you can only hold Mom's attention for about ten minutes before she figures something is up. Ven should have gotten the cake by then, so let's make that our time limit. Everyone good? Good. Break.”

“Break!” the bunny children immediately repeated with a clap of their hands. The six of them immediately left Sabrina's room to do as they were instructed. Ven remained where he was for a moment. Sabrina looked at him, a soft smirk appeared on her face.

“You didn't hear a word of that, did you?” she asked him.

“Of course I did!” he told her as he stood up. “I just gotta wait for the Six to clear everyone from the kitchen, then I've got less than 10 minutes to take the cake from the fridge and to the laundry room.”

A small snicker came from his girlfriend as she shook her head. “Good guess.” she gently teased. “Now go steal that cake before Ortensia finds out.”

. . .

Sabrina could deny it all she wanted, but the bunny kids got their sense of stealth from her. Or maybe the plan she made really was foolproof. Ventus waited out in the living room while the bunny kids tried to distract their respective roadblocks. Terra and Aqua had been easy targets; at least one of the bunny kids hopping into Terra's arms, and the other two tugging at Aqua's skirt to get her attention. Ortensia was harder to budge. It took two bunny kids to finally make her crack- running down the stairs (how they got up undetected to begin with was beyond Ven) in hysteria.

Just to be sure though, Ventus did wait an extra minute or so before going into the kitchen. He tried to walk as casually as possible, but the sudden anticipation of getting caught made him want to walk on tiptoes. He did find it rather hilarious that Sabrina as indirectly trying to help hide the noise he could have made in the kitchen- not that Cheyenne Kimball's One Original Thing was the best soundtrack to this moment.

Ventus carefully peeled the door to the refrigerator open and nearly let out a sigh of relief to see that cake was placed on one of the higher shelves. It had to be a higher shelf because of the Six, even if they attempted a bunny stack, but it must have been too high for Oswald and Ortensia too. Terra or Aqua must have placed it up there. For Ven, it was an easily reach and careful extraction. He set the cake down on the counter with care.

Ortensia had really outdone herself with the cake's presentation. Looking to be about three tiers, the cake was covered entirely with chocolate frosting with hand piped rosettes around the top edge. In the center was a neatly twirled covering of whipped cream, hand cut chocolate strips decorated the top of it. For a moment, Ven almost felt bad that he was an accessory to a soon to be cake murder by six ravenous 4 year olds.

Almost.

“Cake is for after dinner, Ventus.”

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Ven quickly tried to find the source of the voice before noticing Vanitas coming down the staircase. His twin had an undeniable smirked etched on his face. Seeing it made Ven's blood run cold.

“What are you doing in the kitchen?” he questioned. It sounded so accusatory, as if Ventus himself wasn't trying to do something that would have warranted the wrath of some very angry adults.

“Woke up from my nap and the wabbits weren't there.” came the reply, simple as day. “Came downstairs to harass Terra, I guess, and here I run into you…” Vanitas looked his older twin up and down with a smirk on his face before asking, “What'cha gonna do with that cake, Ven?”

“Eat it.” came the automatic answer. Ventus immediately flinched upon hearing himself. This answer only seemed to amuse Vanitas as he got closer.

“All alone?” he snorted. “I doubt that very seriously.” That was when a certain thought crossed his mind that almost made him laugh hard enough to tears. “This is a cover up operation! Hate to break it to you Ven-Ven, but giving Sabreenie a whole cake isn't gonna help with her seasonal depression.”

Ventus's face immediately scrunched into distaste. “She doesn't have...” he tried to argue, but was soon distracted when one of the bunny kids came down the staircase. The tiny four year old gave the cake a look, drooled a little, and in realizing that Vanitas was there, got right back into action.

“Hey there, squeaky.” Vanitas greeted when the little rabbit jumped high enough to be noticed. “What's eating you?”

But the bunny kid was speaking so quickly, it was hard to follow exactly what they were trying to tell Vanitas. Knowing that the message wasn't easily going through, the bunny kid changed tactics, leading Vanitas into the living room. Ven could only watch in a small awe as Vanitas willingly followed the bunny kid. Apparently Terra wasn't the only pushover when it came to them…

Ven shook his head. The mission was almost a success, and with the unexpected roadblock gone, he had to finish the deed. Carefully picking up the cake again, Ventus made his way around to the laundry room. It was no hassle in setting the cake down on top of the dryer. Letting out a small sound of relief, Ven wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow. He left the laundry room as quietly as he entered it. The mission was accomplished- now all he needed to do was tell the bunny kids and possibly get them a spoon or two.

Going into the living room did lead to a small shock. Somehow, the bunny kid that had gone to distract Vanitas had gotten the teenager to go back to sleep. It took everything it had in Ventus not to let out an unflattering snort. When the bunny kid noticed him, Ven was given a doe eyed look of question. At his nod, the bunny kid let out a happy, “Thank you!” before bounding off to get the others. It was rather adorable, honestly, and Ven felt good about himself as he went into the kitchen to get spoons for the seven of them.

He didn't expect for all six of the bunny children to beat him back into the laundry room by the bunny kids. Someone really needed to come up with a reason why these kids were so fast. It didn't seem right.

“Ven-Ven helped us...” the oldest of the bunny children decided.

“So he gets first slice!” the others finished off with a solemn nod.

Ven chuckled a little. He took his spoon and made a rather generous scoop of cake. Normally, doing such a thing would have physically hurt him. But at the moment, knowing that the cake wasn't going to survive much longer, he chose to ignore it.

“I think this is all I need.” he decided out loud. He gave them all a smile before adding, “Thank you.”

“Is it for Sabreenie?” one of the bunny children curiously wondered. But Ven looked at them for a moment before giving a sly wink. The bunny kids went into a flurry of giggles as Ven started to leave. A smile was also pressed into the corners of Ventus's lips. Sabrina had been a major factor in their cake heist, so of course she deserved a piece of it too. Sure, cake might not help much with seasonal depression, but at least it could show that he still cared about her. And that, for now, was enough.