#GEEZ I DIDN’T KNOW DUST STORMS COULD LOOK THAT AWFUL

[coconut530]

HONEY. YOU GOT A BIG STORM COMIN’. 🕺🏽

[nautiscarader]

Nautiscarader’s Wendip Week day 3: Prank War

geez, this one took a while. I apologise, and let’s hope next one will arrive faster

 (ao3)

============

Someone standing outside of The Mystery Shack might have thought that the living room contained a very predictable lighting bug, or at least that someone inside was broadcasting a rather boring Morse code message using light signals.

In reality, it was just Wendy and Dipper, slouched on the sofa, surfing TV channels, giving each of them at most three seconds to entertain their bored minds. So far, none of them stood up to the challenge.

But as Wendy continued the only physical activity she had the energy for, i.e. pressing one button, something finally caught their attention.

- "What's up everyone? It's your boy, the Prankster Prancer!"

A loud, obnoxious, blonde man in his twenties, wearing spiky, gelled hair rode into the shot on a fake unicorn, face-hugged the camera, filling the wide-angle lens and made both Dipper and Wendy jump in their seats as loud horn noise shook the air around them.

- Wait, I thought this guy was only on the internet! - Wendy raised her brow - Did he escape to the real world?! - Come on, who in the right mind would give him a show? - "So, first of all, thanks to our station, The Cheese Network, for giving me the chance to entertain you guys..."

Dipper and Wendy groaned in collective understanding.

- "...and for giving us some cheese to pay for our last week's prank!"

The screen dimmed and the camera changed to an aerial shot, containing not only fires and flood, but also several military helicopters.

- "So last time we did some EPIC prank during the gender reveal party and we've made a hole in the ozone hole!"

The man made extra effort to extend every vowel in the last word, to an equally obnoxious collection of sound effects.

- Wow. That looks... bad. Even by our standards. - Wendy watched the footage. - Yeah. Good thing this dude stays away from us. - "And now it's time to reveal the next place for our EPIC PRANK!"

The man took a baseball bat and unceremoniously smashed the unicorn doll in half, and stuck his hand in the fake guts, revealing an envelope.

- "And this one is a suggestion from my top commentator on-line, that girl leaves comments under every single one of my videos, so I could not ignore her request".

The envelope was opened, and suddenly, a girl's voice began reading it.

- "Dear Prankster Prancer. I love your videos, and how creative your calamity can be..." - Wait a minute - Dipper sat up, as his eyes widened in horror - Is that- - "My name is Mabel Pines, and I am staying in a small town called Gravity Falls, in Oregon...".

Dipper and Wendy looked at each other and understood each other at once.

- Barricade the doors!

But it was too late. As Dipper ran towards the lobby, the door were smashed to the ground, seemingly under the power of the air horns, and flooded the Shack with lights. The same blonde man walked inside, as if he owned the place, leading with him Mabel Pines.

- What's up birches? Is that how you call people living in the middle of a forest? - he shoved his face to the camera again. - More like, in the middle of nowhere! - Mabel added, high-five'ing him - Thankfully, me and my Prankster Protégé are gonna rock this place! - he shouted.

Dipper Pines stood up and cleaned himself from the dust and debris, watching as the two rock their heads to some aggressive tune.

- Hold on a minute! Mabel, why did you invite him here? If anything, there's too much going around in here! - Ugh, this is my little brother, Dipper. - Mabel rolled her eyes - I'm-I'm not little! - Dipper stomped in place - We're twins!

Somewhere behind him, Wendy snickered.

- What, you just look adorable when you're angry.

Dipper turned back and stormed towards his sister.

- Mabel, do you have amnesia or something? Gravity Falls is full of amazing things! We've been on treasure hunts, found all sorts of monsters in every lake, glade and a cave... You wanted to date a zombie on out first day here! - Yeah, sure, kid, as if I could just walk into a forest and find a dead body... - the Prankster took a sip of soda, looking somewhat nervously. - Mabel, we've seen living dinosaurs here! - Yeah, like I can see one now!

The Prankster pointed to the kitchen and very confused Grunkle Stan in his pajamas.

- What in the DMV is going on here? - Check this out, a living fossil!

The Prankster jumped towards Grunkle Stan and unceremoniously took a selfie with him.

- Oh no, my eyes! The light is coming towards me instead of the other way around!

Stan cried when flash of light blinded him, and with a sleigh of hand, the blonde man undid his belt, causing Stan to nearly trip and fall, if it wasn't for Wendy.

- Hey, you! You're not a prankster, you're a jerk!

At the sound of those words, the man stopped laughing and turned his attention, as well as cameras, towards Wendy.

- What's that? We've got ourselves a HATER!

An air horn was about to blow her hat off, but Wendy swiftly grabbed it and twisted it.

- Yeah, that's what I've said, you're a jerk. I like pranking people, but not to hurt them. - And watchu gonna do, leave a mean comment? - No, we're gonna prank you. - Wendy reached and brought Dipper towards her. - Cos we've done some pranking together ourselves! - Like what? - Like... when we've made our friend think his inflatable tube could talk!

The Prankster shot them with a dead stare.

- You know what, I don't even have time to play the "wah-wah" soundbite. But if you want to lose, your call. Tomorrow, we're gonna get an EPIC PRANK-OFF!

And he shot a pose in front of the camera.

- Right, now tell me where's someplace to eat. And they better have unlimited refills. - Lazy Susan is neat. And there's water tower nearby...

And with that, he and Mabel walked off, leaving the small destruction behind them.

- Wendy! - Dipper turned at once towards her - Are you crazy? He has entire film crew! And money! And very little empathy! He's gonna plough through us! - Chill out, man, we're gonna trick him, one way or another.

And she gently smacked the edge of his hat.

- Er, I know you guys like to babble all the time, but I still can't get up. - Grunkle Stan grumbled from the floor.

=============

The next day, Wendy woke up at the break of dawn with unbridled optimism. Dipper less so, and he was a bit nervous when Wendy gathered him and her crew in the small lumberjack shack in the woods to explain the plan of action.

- So, any questions? - she asked

At the same time, every teenager in the small room raised hands.

- So, how does exactly the can of whipped cream is supposed to work with the rake? - Tambry asked - And what do we have to do with the rat-shaped balloons? - Thompson asked shyly. - And can't we just... punch him? - Robbie suggested, mimicking the action. - Ugh, you guys!

Wendy groaned and hid her face in her hands. hearing the murmurs of doubt across the room, Dipper quickly stood up and continued.

- Guys, this jerk is giving us, pranksters, a bad name! We gotta prank him in a way that shows we are better... Because we can do better!

He watched as faces of the older teenagers brighten with his speech. Several of them even smiled.

- Plus he could, like, sue us for millions of dollars, so we gotta stay clean.

With newly gained optimism, the gang rushed to Thompson's van and readied themselves for the prank.

- Thanks, man, for giving me a hand. - Wendy suddenly patted Dipper's back. - Oh, no-no problem. - Dipper spoke, wondering if she noticed his blush.

=========

- Alright, we're all in places.

Wendy spoke to her phone, and observed the places, leaning from behind the wall. Her eyes moved from Robbie, hidden in the abandoned ice-cream stall, to Thompson, on top of a tree, to Tambry, pretending to read a large newspaper, and finally, to Dipper, holding a bag of provisions.

- We-Wendy, I'm not sure if this is gonna work. - Now!

She commanded, as Prankster walked nonchalantly out of the store. He thre away the half-eaten sandwich he just bought and was about to walk into the string that would have activate the whipped cream... if he didn't make a sudden jump.

He then threw something into the stall.

- Oh, crap, it's a grenade!

Robbie stormed out, tripping on the same wire he helped setting up, which resulted in his black hair covered in white goo and sprinkles.

Tambry was supposed attack next, but Prankester was already next to her. He took a bucket of soapy water and dumped it over her, destroying her diguise that covered her pruple hair.

For Thompson, he didn't even have to do much - he threw a mouse toy into the air, and listened how the boy tumbles down, shrieking.

And finally, he took something big and colourful out of his backpack and tossed it onto the street, watching as Dipper and Wendy rush towards it.

- Limited edition Giraffeoala!

They realised the two were after it when it was too late. Their heads collided with each other, just as the elusive plushie was yanked from their hands, back into his bag.

- Seriously, guys? You wanted to outsmart me? There like five of you and you couldn't do it. - Ha! That was a good one! - Mabel emerged from behind his back and did another high-five. - But I couldn't do it without you. - he pointed at her. - Me? But I didn't do anything... - Of course you did.

The Prankster lowered his sunglasses.

- Last evening at that stupid bar. You told me you were friends with everyone here. You told me how one of them likes gloomy, dark places. Like another one is afraid of mice. Like another one never looks away from her phone...

Mabel's ecstatic, radiant smile faded with each word the Prankster spoke, and her eyes, widened from excitation began to fill with tears.

- And, well, you told me what these two dorks are obsessed about... amongst other things. - Mabel! - Wendy and Dipper cried at the same time. - But-But I didn't... - Aw, really? You feel sad for them? LAME. - he pushed her aside and waved for his crew that followed him anyway.

For quite a while, all the small town could hear was Mabel Pines sobbing, until someone closed his arms around her.

- There, there, sis. - Dipper spoke quietly. - I guess you see why were so angry now. - I-I didn't know he would...

Dipper hugged her, letting her cry as much as she wants into his vest.

- It's not your fault, Mabel. - Wendy added, taking a knee and gently patting her. - But-But it is! - Well... Kinda... - Robbie added, and received a cold, piercing stare from Wendy. - Jerks like that like to... use people. And they know that the best ones are those, who are most trusting and kind.

Mabel's sniffing stopped, as Wendy continued.

- But you know what? - Dipper spoke suddenly - I think I got an idea...

He let go of his sister rushed to the Prankster, sitting on one of the toy unicorns, tossing quarter after quarter, while two children in queue began to tear up.

- Hey, you! - Ugh, you again, twerp. What, want me to reveal more secrets about you and your stupid hobbies? Or, like, who is your biggest crush after a toy plushie from the 90s?

Dipper's face reddened, but he remained unperturbed.

- We're not done yet. Tomorrow we're gonna prank you for good. Double or nothing! - Ugh, sure, fine. - the Prankster didn't even look at him - It's not like I can do anything until my lawyers clean up the whole "gender reveal party" fiasco. Like, who cares if the whole state is now inhabitable for life?

==============

By the next morning, the battleground was set. Cameras and tons of equipment surrounded the small grassy meadow in front of the Mystery Shack, where Dipper and Wendy were sitting in their chairs with their arms crossed, both wearing much more confident smiles. And the fact that Mabel was with them added them extra layer of morale.

When the clock struck 12, a mighty roar shook the place, as monster truck drove from behind the tree line, smoking and setting nearby branches on fire. The Prankster Prancer jumped out of it, and, drowned in the flashes of cameras, walked into his place.

- So, are you twerps ready for the FINAL PRANK OF YOUR LIFE? - he roared into the microphone, rolling his tongue back and forth as if he was about to eat it. - Nah, we're not gonna prank you. - Wendy shrugged - But someone else will.

The newly reinstalled door to the Mystery Shack opened, and a new figure appeared. An elderly woman walked out, being led by Grunkle Stan that gallantly helped her, for once not sneaking his hand into her purse.

And when she looked up from behind her glasses, the confident smile on Prancer's face disappeared at once.

- Grandma?! What-What are you doing here?! - Oh, don't you know? - Grunkle Stan rushed with explanation - We, old folks, all know each other. And I simply couldn't let her miss her grandson's grand day! - I'm so glad I can see you, Archibald!

The elderly lady used her cane to hook him by his neck and brought him into his arms, despite his best efforts to avoid any interactions.

- G-Grandma, don't- don't call me that! - Why not? - she continued, seemingly ignoring her grandson efforts to escape her tight hug. - I am your grandma, and I will call you by your full name, Archibald Roderick Sebastian Eugene!

Somewhere behind them, Dipper, Wendy and Mabel were having the time of their life, trying to hide their laughter.

- So, wait, his initials literally make him an... - Grandma! Make them stop! They-they are laughing at me! - Nonsense! Those young folks told me all your fans would love to see me talk about you. So I've send them some photos via the eclectic mail!

The blonde man looked to the side at Wendy and Dipper's faces. Their wide smiles told him everything, and in the act of ultimate desperation, he gently shook his head, silently mouthing his plea. He then looked at Mabel's, but hers was filled with spite.

In response, Mabel simply pressed a button.

The enormous screen behind them lit up, showing an adorable newborn blonde boy in diaper, giggling at the baby rattle.

Several more followed, showing his equally naked body in progressively embarrassing positions.

The screen changed, and the same boy was now three-years old, wearing a strict haircut as well as a bowtie. And the worst part was, he looked happy.

The Prankster Prancer fell to his knees, as tears began rolling from his eyes, which his grandma quickly dried with her handkerchief.

- Oh, yes, I do tear up a little at this one too. Oh, but the next one makes me so proud!

Prancer's eyes widen, if possibly even more, and throwing away all the pretence, he rushed to Wendy and Dipper and began begging them for mercy. But it was for nothing. He knew they have seen the photo already.

And with another press of a button, a seven-year old Prancer was shown, wearing a blue cardigan, sitting in an armchair with a big book in his hands, smiling at the camera, proudly showing his braces.

The scanned photo displayed a title, written in crayon over it.

"I love school!"

Flocks of birds flew into the air from the nearby trees in response to the shriek that reverberated the air, full of remorse, despair, and unmistakably, defeat.

- Nooooo!

The Prancer hit the ground with his fists, for which he was quickly reprimanded by his grandma ("You're going to make them dirty!"), while Wendy and Dipper high-fived each other, before giving Mabel a warm hug.

=============

- So I guess that will teach him? - Dipper asked Wendy as the two lay on the sofa, flicking through the channels again. - Pfh. I wish it did. - Wendy reached for her phone and showed Dipper a familiar blonde man waving his arms uncontrollably. - "What's up Prankster Pros? It's ya boy, and I've got this sweet book deal full of my MOST EMBARASSING photos! Look at that baby bottom! Only for $99.99..." - Geez, I guess they never learn. - Nope. But at least he's not here...

For a while the room dimmed every few seconds, as Wendy searched for anything interesting, but something else was on Dipper's mind.

- So... about those Cuddle Buddies...

The remote fell out of Wendy's hand.

- Uh, yeah, so, I just...

She shied away and mumbled her answer, until she saw a polite smile on Dipper's face.

- So, like, remember ever since you wanted to win that Duck Panda for me? I... kinda got into them, you know. Not like, obsessively collecting them, but... you know. - Yeah, I do. For cuddling.

The two looked at each other and exchanged the same, warm smiles.

- So which generation you like the most? - Well, gen 2 obviously - she rolled her eyes - What? Five is the best. - The best as sucking, perhaps. - Come on, they had changed the lead designer and everything, but they're still Cuddle Buddies...

For quite a while, the channel stayed on, as neither of them bother to change it. And when the night fell on, Wendy and Dipper realised that they might have discovered something new to talk about.

[nights-legacy]

Figure in Red Pt. 2 - Zuko

+ Y/N healed and still in the back of her head thought about the kiss with Zuko. She kept it to herself though out of worry of what the gang would think. It wasn’t until after the solar eclipse that she let it slip who had saved her. They freak only for a second before being attacked by combustion man and Zuko to step in and help.

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

Y/N’s POV

Groaning, I slowly sat up and rubbed my sore shoulder. Having taken a huge fall during the invasion, I was trying to take it easy and heal.  It was early morning and something in the air woke me up. Something didn’t feel right. Toph was missing.

“Has anyone seen Toph?” I heard Katara ask.

“I haven’t seen her since she stormed off yesterday.” Sokka said. I got up slowly holding my arm and walked towards the others.

“Something doesn’t feel right guys. I think Toph may be in trouble.”

“Nah. I bet she's just exploring the air temple.” Haru waved me off. I turned around walked back towards my cot. I heard running away, figuring it was the three boys.

“Maybe Y/N’s right. Toph may be…” The wall In front of me burst open and rumble fell through. I stumbled back and fell. I saw Toph crawling out from the rumble.

“My feet got burned.” She screamed. Questions flew through the air as we all flocked towards her. Only one person could have done this, Zuko. But I thought he changed. He wouldn’t do this on purpose.

“See? You trusted Zuko, and you got burned. Literally!” Sokka yelled. I sat down next to Toph.

“She did say she scared him. He was acting on instinct. What do you guys do when spooked? Make sure the other person is at a far enough distance that they won’t be hurt by your defense? No. I know there good in him, there has to be. I mean why would he save Aang back then and then save me back…”

“Wait, when did he save you?” Sokka interrupted. I looked up at him surprise, realizing I let it slip he saved me. I mentally slapped myself.

“Back when I got my leg caught in the bear trap. That night when you guys went off to see what was going on and the fire nation soldiers found the clearing.”

“Yes.” Aang crossed his arms.

“Zuko is the one that saved me. He fought off the soldier and got me away from the rest.” I told them,

“Zuko did that?” Aang asked surprised. I nodded. He went to say something else but something caught my attention and I jerked my line of sight away from him. ON a ledge on one of the other buildings was Combustion man.

“Combustion man!” I stood up and pointed. Just as I did, Zuko came out and knock him off balance. Just in time too because a blast went off wild and hit the temple instead of us.

“Stop. I don’t want you hunting the Avatar anymore!” Zuko kept yelling at Combustion man as we ran behind the fountain. Zuko kept trying to discourage the assassin much to everyone’s surprise. The assassin seemed to have enough of the prince.

“Zuko!” I screamed as he was thrown over the edge. I watched in horror before sighing in relief as I saw him grabbed the vine. “Aang, you have to do something.”

“Right.” He took off. I flinched at every blast. I felt Katara grab my bad arm and pull me away.

“Katara! Ow!”

“Sorry!” I ducked behind the wall and Aang appears next to me. He goes back out after a minute. I peeked around the wall and looked around. A dust cloud was blocking part of the scene.

“All right buddy, don't fail me now!” Sokka through his boomerang, getting a bull’s eye in Combustion man’s forehead. We walked out as Combustion man was gone. I saw Zuko climbing back up and ran over to help.

“Here.” I held out my hand. He looked at me surprised before grabbing it. I pulled him up, ignoring the screaming in my shoulder. I groaned as he made it all the way up. “Ow.”

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He asked grabbing me gently.

“Yes, but it’s not from him. I got hurt the day of the eclipse.” I said. I looked up at him and got caught in his eyes. I felt his hand on my injured arm, his thumb rubbing gently.

“I’m sorry.” I smiled and went to reach up to brush his hair out of his face but was interrupted by the gang coming up. We turned to them quick.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... thanks, Zuko.” Aang said. Zuko took a step forward. He gave a speech, speaking from his heart. He looked back at me for encouragement. I set my hand on his shoulder.

“I think you are supposed to be my firebending teacher. When I first tried to learn firebending…” Aang agreed with zuko. He looked for approval from us before letting him stay. As the others walked away, I smiled at Zuko.

“It’s a start.” I told him walking past him. I looked back to see him watching me. “They’ll see in time.”

“See what?” He asked.

“That you truly have changed. Or more like you finally took off the blinders to the truth General Iroh has been telling you.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have help Aang escape from Zhao. Even if that was meant to be for your own personal gain. You wouldn’t have helped me escape the Fire nation soldiers when I was injured. You wouldn’t have let Appa go and you wouldn’t have just tried to save us from that crazy assassin. You’re good Zuko. They will just have to see in their own time.” I turned and walked away.

Time Skip

I walked through the hallways, wandering. I heard loud footsteps approaching me. I picked up my speed in curiosity. I turned a corner and nearly ran into Katara. She wasn’t paying attention and I spooked her. She made a move for her water pouch but I quickly blocked her hand.

“It’s just me, Katara. Geez.” She relaxed and looked down.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I was just…” She trailed off looking behind her. I followed her line of sight and saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Did Zuko really save you that day?”

“Yes, he did.” I cocked my head. “Why?”

“It just seems out of character for him.”

“Katara, put yourself in his shoes. He was thrown out of his home by his own father. The only way he was ever taught to cope with situations like that was with anger. He has been on a journey just like the rest of us. His has just been a lot trivial and misleading. His only source of true help was Iroh. Don’t put the blame for his actions on him. If anyone deserves the blame for that, it’s Ozai.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t say anything before walking away. I shrugged and continued my walk.

“Did you mean that?” I jumped and turned quickly, swing my leg out in a high kick. I was blocked and the person caught my leg mid fall. I saw a figure in red standing there.

“Zuko…Don’t do that.” I said holding my chest. He chuckled before setting my leg down. “What did you ask?”

“I asked, did you mean it? What you said to katara?” he asked.

“Of course I did.”

“Wow, um.” He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. “No one’s ever stood up for me like that before. Outside of my Uncle anyway.”

“That’s because you haven’t had the right company. Hopefully, we can change your experience in that department.” I said before turning to walk away. A gentle grasp on my arm stopped me. I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Don’t go.” He whispered. He wasn’t looking at me and I saw the red dusted across his cheeks. I reached up and used two fingers to lift his head. I cocked my head to the side in silent question. “I, um. I…”

“Zuko, you can talk to me.” I took a step forward.

“Okay. Um…I Have admired you since the first day I saw you. I didn’t plan to kiss you that day but I couldn’t help myself. You sat there, so beautiful, I had too. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since then and…” he kept rambling. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

“Zuko.” I tried to get his attention but he kept going. I gave a soft chuckle before grabbing him by the neck and pulling him down into a kiss. I could feel his surprise before he kissed me back hard. I backed up into the door frame.

“I think I love you.” He finished as we pulled away. I looked up at him in awe. His arms were holding tightly onto my waist with his chest pressed against mine.

“I love you too, Zuko.” I brushed my fingertips across the back of his neck. He shivered and smiled. He set his forehead on mine. I moved my arm a little and flinched. He pulled back slightly and looked down as my arm.

“How did you get hurt?”

“AS the sun came back, I fell back over the edge, trying to avoid a fire blast. I caught myself on a ledge but it injured my arm from the impact.” He gently rubbed my shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I wish my great grandfather never started this war.” He frowned and closed his eyes. I smiled small and reached up to touch his face, just under his scar. He tensed for only a second before relaxing, nuzzling my hand.

“Don’t hold the burden of his mistakes on your shoulders. It was not your doing.” I gave him a small kiss. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Stay with me tonight?” He asked softly. “I don’t know if I can be alone. Not anymore.”

“I’ll always be here, when you need me. Just let me go get my bed roll.” He nodded. I pulled away. His hands followed, reluctant to let go. I walked quickly to the courtyard. Everyone sat around the fire. I quietly walked over and grabbed my bed roll and bag before turning around.

“Where are you going?” Sokka asked. I saw a skeptical, curious look.

“Well, since all of you are being blind skeptics, sorry Toph, and won’t let our new team member be involved, I am going to spend time with him.” I sassed before walking away.

“Do you think that’s safe or smart?” Sokka asked. I stopped. As I turned, I saw Aang hit Sokka in the arm.

“I trust him. More than any of you do. I see Zuko, not the son of Firelord Ozai.” I walked away without another word. When I returned to Zuko, he was lying on his rolls, arm behind his head and leg propped up.

“I suppose they gave you a hard time to spending time with me?” He asked before opening his eyes and looking at me.

“Only a little. They didn’t say much after a logically told them off.” I spread out my roll next to him before plopping down on my stomach.

“You know, I bet you could challenge my Uncle in wisdom and logic.” He turned toward me on his side.

“Really?” He nodded before yawning. “Let’s get some rest. You’re going to need some energy if you’re going to start training Aang tomorrow.”

“Is he really been that hesitant to learn firebending?” I nodded, pushing up on my elbows. “Hm. Hopefully I can help him move past that. Goodnight Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Zuko.” We both laid down. I rested my head on my arms, looking at him. I smiled thinking about how the boy that helped me that day is now lying next to me. He fell asleep quickly. “goodnight, my Figure in Red.”

[dumbdotcomm]

something about the rain

(a/n) i had the most fun time writing this fic for @sassatello and their amazing oc, Adrian!! thank u so so much for letting me write him and donnie!!! love u!

//

Donnie remembers seeing space for the first time, wide-eyed and curious, only sixteen and terrified. It would have almost been perfect, had it not been for the mind probing and electrocution and shit.

But in spite of it all, being in the depths of space was probably the most exhilarating, awe-inspiring, fantastical thing and there were an awful lot of perks about floating through stars literally and saving and liberating and all that. 

It had its ups and downs, Donnie had to admit. And now he’s a little bit more removed from the trauma of his last intergalactic encounters. He’s not sixteen, he’s not even a teenager anymore, and so he’s sort of learning how to detangle himself from the awful shit he’s been through.

And maybe the universe has kinda given Don a reason to move forward. 

Like it got very, very tired of seeing Donnie destructively bury all of his stress until it made him physically sick. So it gave him something that would kill him if he ever let that happen.

That universal gift is named Adrian. And he’s fucking insanely the greatest. 

////

Going through District TZ-3 is hell. But it’s the best way to Zrt•vn. 

On this edge of the galaxy it snows. Though it looks more like ash the further towards the epicenter of the planet they get. 

The flakes fall slowly and some stop suspended in the air, rotating on an axis as they melt, and rocks float through them, falling down to the ground. They bounce off the shuttle and dent the sides, skipping back into the moving sea of snow and ash. 

The storm lasts a while and the wind rolls the snow and ash and rocks form like waves, over the wings of the space shuttle, rocking it softly. 

Inside, Adrian watches, his eyes lost in the swell of waves, fingers pressed lightly against the glass windows; something is aching in him, picking at him as a familiar kind of thing, as he looks out into the flakes that spun so slowly to the waves. 

It was one of those things, he guessed- like when he saw the Guide maps with all of these galaxies and planets and worlds and he'd look real, real hard at one of the planets, green and blue and huge, and know it instantly. Donnie’s planet. 

Donnie calls that place home so naturally; no uncertainty in the way he claims that world, and Adrian knows that as much as he’s tried to- he knows he doesn’t belong there fully. 

That he’ll never have the contentment Donnie so easily possessed. It drove him crazy thinking about how someone could be so grounded and yet such an incredible dreamer. 

And how someone who dreamed so hugely for others couldn’t even make sure he got more than three hours of sleep a night. 

It’s wonderfully out of reach to Adrian. Donnie’s always been one notch above him in that way. 

And as he watches Don fight sleep at the control of their ship, Adrian adds Earth, belonging- and Donatello- to the plethora of things that he can't get out of his head. 

///

It takes only another half hour for Donnie to stop blinking away exhaustion and just full on pass out at the helm, his head officially connecting with the control panel and sending their teeny explore ship zooming through the sea of snow and ash. 

Adrain only lets himself completely chortle over it once he knows they’re definitely not gonna crash, and that Donnie definitely didn’t hurt his forehead. 

“‘M okay…. ��m okay, really,” Donnie mumbles, blindly swatting Adrian away because that’s convincing, “Just resting... my eyes.” 

“Like hell you are,” Adrian snickers, and hefts Donnie up as best he can, Don’s sleepy eyes blinking open to find his, cheeks all droopy and shit, “Don’t think Raph didn’t tell me about you pulling, like, an all-weeker.”

There’s cots in the back, a small tucked away space Adrian sorta designed himself, filled with a collection of things he’s picked up from dozens of planets he’s traveled to on his journey to come pick Don up. 

They’ve known each other for a good while now, a real good while. Enough for Adrian to know that Donnie’s bound to be feeling kinda shitty this week because their little talks of late have been nothing but Don being grumpy and self-deprecating through little soft spoken jabs at his worth. 

And so Adrian stopped his work and his planet-hopping and came to scoop his best friend up, finding a nice little corner of this district with just the best scrapped tech and organisms worth studying. 

And a long enough travel time to catch up on some much-needed sleep. 

He gets Donnie onto the cot and watches him sink instantly into it with a content sigh, a smile following it. Mission accomplished, Adrian goes to stand, only pausing when his wrist is tugged, caught in Donnie’s grip. 

“This means nothing…” Donnie yawns, “You just wanna drive.” 

Adrian hopes Don can’t feel his pulse, that he’s too out of it to notice the way Adrian freezes up, breath caught in his throat. 

“Get sleep, dummy,” he forces out, patting the side of Donnie’s face affectionately before closing the curtains to the cots.

He settles down in Don’s spot at the controls, resting his chin in his palms and breathing out wistfully. 

/////

Neither of them are the best at preparing meals, and preserving food on a space shuttle isn’t the easiest, but there’s something about eating next to the best person you know that makes bologna and colby jack cheese sandwiches taste exponentially better. 

They touch down on Zrt•vn earlier than they estimated, and rising suns are a marvel.

“I cannot believe Earth has like, only one sun,” Adrian says around a mouthful of bologna and cheese, “That’s drab.”

Donnie snorts, brushing the crumbs off his thighs, “It is drab. I mean, it’s beautiful...but compared to this?”

He gestures to the horizon, a blaze of brilliant purples and oranges. Adrian loves this most of all- seeing Donnie so amazed, seeing all the things Adrian himself might feel are mundane shine so beautifully through Donnie’s eyes. 

Eyes that light up, still, in spite of all the horrors he’s been through.

It’s extraordinary. 

Extraordinary. 

“I’d love to study the UVs- I mean that’s definitely not my field of study but geez….it’s gotta be a whole different setup here.”

Adrian nudges Donnie softly, “‘Field of study’ my ass… you have a gillion fields of study.” 

He subconsciously wonders if he shoved too hard, or too softly- was it too weird? Ill-timed? Jesus, he was overthinking, spending too much time with this goof, and Adrian would be damned if he started second guessing himself around Don like this. 

“I actually don’t dabble in a ton of fields. I wish I had the time anymore...there’s just so much to retain, you know?” Donnie says, every attempt at flirtation going above his head as he smiles softly and aloofly at Adrian. 

“Yeah… yeah I feel ya,” is what Adrian murmurs back, unable to completely detach himself from Donnie’s stupid big ass brown eyes. 

They hold a stare for what feels like an eternity, before Donnie blinks and lets out a laugh that cuts through Adrian’s thoughts.

He goes to stand, offering a hand to Adrian, “Guess we better get this exploring on, right?”

Adrian takes it, swallowing hard and getting to his feet too, offering Donnie a lopsided smile, “Early bird gets the worm!”

Donnie’s grin widens, he doesn’t let go of Adrian’s hand.

“Hey, lookit you! Picking up on lowly Earthling terms,” he teases, poking at Adrian’s plastron. 

It pierces right to the heart, and Adrian can’t get a normal rhythm back the whole time they suit up, not with the way Donnie stays so close to him the entire time. 

////

On this planet, it rains. Just when the suns rise and just as they make it out the ship, the clouds roll in thick and heavy and dark, and the precipitation starts. 

In the darkness patrol lights from ships in search of spare parts sway across the dirt, and they hide, Adrian and Don, search goggles glowing in the heavy blackness. The sky lights up with dying stars that burst quietly from miles away, their dust falling onto them right alongside the rain, making the downpour harder. 

Still, from afar, the sky is pink and purple, and even in this, there’s beauty to be found. But Donnie can’t help but feel a little disappointed. Maybe if he’d just slept back home and didn’t freaking pass out on Adrian, maybe if he got up sooner they’d- 

A hand rests heavy on Donnie’s shoulder, startling him out of his racing spiral of self pity and loathing. His eyes snap up and Adrian comes into view, his lips moving before sound even registers to Donnie. 

“-ood? I can go find- find the ship if you’re not feeling good, I’m so sorry, shoulda double checked the weather…”

Donnie takes a gulping breath and blinks away the heat behind his eyes. 

“I’m okay…” he says, as confidently as he can, because he is, now, “And don’t be silly, Adrian, it’s a mess out here...you could get hurt or...really wet or...you know…”

As stupid as he feels, Adrian’s slowly spreading grin somehow pacifies the feeling, and Donnie finds himself rubbing the heat from his neck.

“X’vr’s forbid I get wet now,” Adrian jokes, his hand falling from Donnie’s shoulder, but it still hovers beside his arm, “But we shouldn’t split...this rock’s a pretty great cover for now.”

Donnie chuckles breathily, surveying the storm happening around them, “Yeah...yeah I guess it is. Sorry I panicked- I mean, I- I don’t know. I fucked this up...we could’ve been done scavenging if I hadn’t-”

Adrian looks a cross between hurt and confused and it’s a look powerful enough to shut Donnie up a little.

“And now I’m making shit worse by...rambling like this,” he mumbles guiltily, wringing his hands. 

There’s only a few heartbeats of silence where Donnie’s sure Adrian is gonna chew him out for being so...himself. But that’s a stupid thing to think, actually. Because Adrian’s face softens into a smile. 

“You didn’t make nothin’ worse, Donnie,” Adrian says, his voice quiet but firm enough that it overpowers the sound of the pouring rain, “You couldn’t have...because as shitty as this rainstorm is...it’s kinda pointless ‘cause I’m. I don’t really care, as long as I’m with you.”

At his admission, Donnie stops wringing his hands. He just stops...everything really. He blinks slowly. “You...well, I mean-” he tries searching for his words, because surely Adrian is just- “That’s...that’s really nice of you to say but-”

“Don,” Adrian says, more loudly, more certain, and holds Donnie by his shoulders this time, “I’m not… ‘being nice’ or some shit. I like being near you.”

Donnie’s eyes widen, the silly, lovely lost look in them subsiding as realization takes its place. 

And without taking his eyes off Donnie, Adrian presses the release to his helmet, searching Don’s face breathlessly. “Can I kiss you?” he asks around this huge, wonderful smile.

Donnie’s only half-sure that he nods, and still unable to form words he undoes his helmet too, his lips meeting Adrian’s within seconds- half of seconds. The embrace is warm and strong and frames by overeager and overjoyed smiles. 

And Donnie silently thanks the universe for this, for this wild gift he’s been given- for yet another beautiful thing to live for. 

[thementalityofmisty]

Can't You See?! I Love You!!!

Spinel x Female Reader

Summary: Steven said the wrong words, causing Spinel to start the injector once more. You decide to be the one to stop her, because you love her, and you will do everything in your power to show her that.

---

The injector's not in the earth anymore!! You hum, standing by Spinel as she looks over at you and gives a small smile.

"Now we just need to get Garnet's memory back!!" Steven says, walking over to the group, back turned towards you and Spinel. "Maybe it has something to do with fusions...and love-"

"What about me?"

Spinel asks, fist clenched and voice shaky.

Hurt.

"Huh?" Your younger gem-human friend says with a little bit suprise, turning to face her.

She had her brows scrunched up. "Is that all you needed me for? To turn off my injector?" She looked so broken, you step by her. "No!! Of course no-"

"Well, sort-of..." He cuts you off, rubbing the back of his neck in shame. 'What?' Why would he say something like that? He didn't really just need her to turn the injector off..right? You go to speak, but the pink gem talks. You could practically see the panic in her eyes. "B-but what now?? I did everything you wanted, that's it?"

"Well, y-yeah... " Steven says. "We can forget this ever happened." You stared at him with wide eyes. Did he really just say that!? You see your pink friend deflate more, conflicted feelings in her eyes.

You can feel the sadness rolling off of her. You go to hold her hand when she steps back. Giving you an unsure look.

"What? No!! Spi-"

"How are you gonna forget with me around? I'm the source of all your problems! Don't pretend you want me here-"

"I want you here, Spinel.." you say. She seems to not hear as she continues " You gonna put me somewhere? You're gonna leave me somewhere? You're gonna leave me alone?!" You felt your heart ache. She didnt deserve the trauma she's been through. Now her hands were shaking.

You wanted to hold them for her and tell her everything will be alright. You want to tell her that you love her and will always be by her side.

"Spinel.." You say softly, taking a step towards her. Her eyes, her beautiful, radiant fuchsia eyes finally pay attention to you as you stop in front of her, and slowly, and every so gently intertwine your fingers with her own. And she takes that small sentiment and squeezes. You squeeze back, looking at her with the most loving, and caring face ever. "I don't think I'd be able to leave you alone, Spinel." She pauses for a second a second at your words, a light blush on her face as she smiles a little. Relaxing her shoulders just a smidge, gripping on your hand more. "..Really?" You smile softly. "Yes, I- We need you here, as a part of our family." "But-" "You matter, alot. To me, and to everybody else." Your

She growls, pushing him down, the rejuvinator sliding out and toppling onto the ground along with him. 'Why does he have that?!' Amethyst and Pearl yell, moving out the way as it stops by them. Garnet tilts her head in curiosity. "Oh, what's this?" She mummers, bending down to pick it up. You stiffen, wide eyed, just like Spinel was when she saw it.

"No Garnet! No Dont touch That!!" Steven sputters, getting up and running towards her in panic. The curious fusion presses the button, the weapon coming out in it's full glory. Steven snatched it away fast.

Spinel's expression darkened. "...why do you...have that?" Steven looks down pitifully, before looking up. "I-I was just carrying it! I didn't have anywhere else to put it!" You narrow your eyes, 'what is he planning??'

The pink gem goes quiet, before something seemed to flash in her eyes. "We can forget this ever happened- you mean I can just forget this ever happened!!" She goes into a laughing fit, throwing her head back as if to exaggerate.

You worry for her, this isn't right! Steven should of kept his mouth shut.

"WoW" Spinel jibes. "WHAT A PLAN!!" She growls, teeth bared in a snarl.

"I turn off the Injector and the moment my back is turned- Bam! PrestO! Chango!! - Problem solved!!"

She leans forward, pointing a finger at Steven. "Well think again, you're not getting rid of me that easy!!" Her pinkie swirls around her hand, creating a horn as she blows into it, finger still pointing.

The injector moves instantly, coming down onto the area above Steven and everyone else. "Run for it!" One of them scream, everyone scattering as the Injector slams into the ground once again.

"Spinel!!" You yell, running through the dust clouds for her. You end up falling into a small crater, where steven was. You sit up immediately, coughing a little. "Steven! Where's-"

"I'm not letting you get one over on me! Steven Universe " A familiar voice hisses lowly, the dust clearing up to show Spinel's figure.

Steven sits up, balancing in his knees. "I wasn't going to wipe your memory Spinel!!" You nod, "He wasn't! Please believe me!"

She huffs, her shoulders rising as if to make herself bigger. "Y/n.... you expect me to believe you want me like this?!!" She yells, pointing at herself. You go to say yes when Garnet spoke up from over the ledge. "Steven? Y/n? Why are you fighting? Aren't we all friends?"

Spinel turns, her limbs stretching out to warp Garnet up. "Looks like we've still got an audience~ How about a front row seat?" She brings Garnet down by her side, staring at you and Steven. "Garnet!" He yells, the weapon in his hand.

Spinel smiles, slowly unwinding her arms from Garnet. "Y'know, this is pretty twisted but I'm a little flattered you liked the old me.."

She leans dramatically on the fusion's shoulder, "Innocent, loving- " She put her other arm on Garnets right shoulder, squeezing and leaning in cutely.

This made you jealous. Garnet getting to be in Spinel's hold while you sat on dirt.

"Stupid." She grimaced. Giving Steven a glare.

"If that's your thing," she places her hands on Garnet's shoulders once more.

Geez, what you would give to have her hands on your shoulders-

"Why dont you leave her like this?" She grins devilishly, one brow raised. You blush lightly at the expression, finding it really attractive- wait, now's not the time!! Ugh stupid brain!!! You shake your head to refocus.

Steven stands up and tightens his grip on the handle. "Get away from her"

"Oh, you're so protective of your real friends " She growls out in a low voice, arms wrapping back around Garnet in a tight hold. "And you're so careless with your fake ones!!"

You get up, standing to the side of Steven. He grits his teeth. "Stop it!!!"

She grins maniacally. "THEN STOP ME!!"

Yeah, stop you from hugging somebody so you can put your arms around me-

"You wanna attack me just admit it!! - or better yet, JUST TRY IT!" She looked crazy, her eyes were wide, and so was her smile.

It seemed like she wanted to be attacked.

"No!!" You yell, taking a step in front of Steven.

She puts her eyes on you, snarling. "Why not?!!"

"Because I lo- it's not the truth!!" You yell, yanking the weapon away from Steven and snapping it with your leg.

Garnet stares with wide eyes. "Truth...." Truth

She snaps Spinel off, staring down at her as she spoke. "I've known hardships and confusion, but love can make it through it all if you face the truth together!" After those words, her body was engulfed in light. Her memory!

"The final peice!" Steven said happily.

"No!!" Spinel yells, reaching behind her for a boulder, gripping it. "Don't you dare!!" She throws the boulder at Garnet, it breaking upon impact with her form.

Woah, that's some superb strength right there. Both from Garnet and Spinel. You stare in awe as Garnet's form changes, finally settling into her original form. "Oh, when a difficult day goes by. Keeping it together is harder that's why you've got to try, you got to try."

She leans down, helping you and Steven up. "And when there's a thundering storm outside, underneath the covers you huddle and hide. Open your eyes. Open your eyes."

You look over at Spinel, her expression softening.

Amethyst and Pearl peek their heads over, surprised to see Garnet. You smile, waving them down as they come and bring you into a group hug. "It's the truth. It's the true, it's the true kind of love. It's the true, it's the true, it's the true kind if love" You see Spinel grinding her teeth. Uh oh.

You back away in time as she launches herself at Garnet, her hands catching the Pink gems in time. "Stop, in the middle of fear and shame-"

Spinel could see her reflection in Garnet's shades. She grimaced at it. She's then thrown to the side. "Everybody's looking for someone to blame, like it okay."

Amethyst dodges Spinel's punch, Pearl grabbing her feet and swinging down at the gem, causing her to fly to a wall. You look at her in concern, hoping she's not hurt.

Her body sticks to the wall, about to launch when she makes eye contact with you. You shift and stare at her, a pleading in your eyes. She looks down sadly, giving one last look before she shakes her head and pushes off, aiming for Steven.

Garnet catches her foot just as Spinel was about to land a hit. Spinel was spun, her hands and feet both held by Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.

She turns her head over to look at Garnet, catching you in her sight. She shakes her head, growling. Garnet releases her foot, catapulting Spinel into the Injector. She hit it with a thud, plopping off and swaying for a second before gritting her teeth, peering down at your small group and up at the top of the Injector.

..she was going to climb it, wasn't she?

She stretches her arms to the top, gripping the ledge and pulling herself up.

Steven goes to climb it, and you stick your arm out in front if him, giving him a blank stare.

"Y/n, I gotta go stop her!" He says, pushing against you. You put your hands on his shoulders, stopping him as he looked at you. "No. You've done enough Steven."

He sighs, "I didn't mean to say...."

You pat his shoulder "I know, I know. Just...let me do this, okay?"

He goes to protest when Garnet speaks up from behind. "Let her, Steven. Spinel trusts her more than any of us. They have a connection."

You blink, a light blush on your cheeks. Garnet always knew.

Steven nodded, backing away and giving you an awkward smile. You smile back in return, nodding your head to Garnet. "Thank you, Garnet. "

"Remember, love lives through it all."

"Love lives through it all...." you repeat, turning towards the injector as a bright light engulfed you. Steven and Garnet stare in wonder as the light faded, showing your new form.

Your back having grown a pair of shard wings, a beautiful Chromosome color that showcased ever single color from every angle.

"Wait, you're a gem-human?!!" Steven tells, eyes lighting up.

You giggle, winking as you shoot up from the ground and into the air. Hearing Steven yell "Awesome!!"

You fly to the top of the Injector, landing on it as you see Spinel with her back turned towards you.

"Spinel!!" You call, taking a step forward.

She turns and almost did a double take when she saw your wings. "Y/n...are you..."

"A gem-human? Yeah, always have been...I just didn't want everybody knowing..."

"Oh...well, why are you here, huh?"

"I want to talk to you, this...this needs to stop."

"Of course, you want to stop me- Well, what are ya waiting for? Hit me!!" She growls.

"No!!" You yell, eyes set on her.

She huffs, "Why not hmm? Too Chicken?!"

"I don't want to hit you Spinel, I care about you!!"

She snorts, "yyeaaaah, just like Pink said she did, and you know what she's done? Do you?"

"Yes, I do. You never deserved to have that happen to you. And I'm sorry it did. You don't deserve the things you went through"

"Damn right I don't!!! You think you can understand what I'm feeling right now??!"

"Yes, I can...."

"Bullshit!!!" She yells, slamming her fists onto the floor below her, causing the whole platform to shake.

You wobble a bit, catching your balance after a minute.

"Do you think she wanted me?! Do you think anybody wants me? Because I wasn't good enough for her!! I'm not good enough!! And now, I'M NOT GOOD AT ALL!!"

She slams again, this time a crater formed and you both were In it. You stand up, a fire in your eyes.

"I want you!!! Spinel!! You're perfect the way you are!!" You yell. She snarled, clenching her fists. "No!! I am not!! You're just saying that!!!"

"No, I'm telling the truth!! You are perfect in every way, shape, and form!!" You try to get closer to her.

She squeezes her eyes shut. "stop....stop saying that!! YOU DON'T WANT ME!! YOU DON'T....."

She turns her head away from you.

"Spinel!!!" You say, wanting her attention. She doesn't respond, head still turned away from you.

You breathe in, heart pounding as you yell "Can't you see!? i LOVE YOU!!!"

Silence.

Her eyes widen as they snap over to you. "I love you with all my heart!! Just please...i.." Your voice cracked, eyes tearing up.

You're tackled in a hug, your back hitting the ground. Spinel's arms wind around you, her eyes staring into yours with affection. "Y/n i... I love you too. More than you know." She says, her hand cupping your cheek, eyes watery. She..she loves you back. SHE LOVES YOU BACK!!

You cup her face with both of your hands, bringing her mouth to yours in a loving kiss. She melts, cupping your face as you did to hers, both of you blushing fiercely. You both were desperate for touch, and now you had it. Spinel moves one of her hands to the back of your head, tangling her hands in your hair. She pushes your head closer, deepening the kiss. You blushed more, loving the way she held you.

This lasted for a few more minutes before you pulled away for air, Spinel sitting up with you in her lap. Her face dark from the huge blush she had. Both of you sat their baking in each other's presence and warmth. You could stay like this forever....

Oh wait-

"Hey...um, Spinel?"

"Yes, Doll?" She replies, staring down at you.

"Can we go back down? The earth is sorta dying right now..."

Realization smacks her in the face. "Oh!!! Yup! Let's do that"

She picks you up, walking over to the ledge. "Oh! You don't have to carry me" You say, smiling shyly.

"Mmm, But I want to~ I like having my princess in my arms!" She says, wriggling her eyebrows at you. You giggle, blushing as you buried your face in her chest.

She smirks, gripping on to you tighter as she squats down. "Hold on tight!" You put your arms around her neck, squealing as she launches into the air, landing on the ground quickly. She chuckles at your squeal, finally putting you down. You sway for a second, Spinel's hand on your waist to secure you.

"Now, watch this~" She says, her pinkie finger wrapping around to make a big horn, blowing into it.

Once she did, the Injector lifted up out of the ground, no longer poisoning the earth.

You can hear everyone behind you, cheering. "Yay!!"

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steve walked up to you. "Y/n!!" He laughs, giving you a hug. You giggle, returning it and hugging everybody else.

Spinel watches with a smile, becoming even happier when you walked back to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Everything will be okay.

Everything is alright, now that you're by her side.

And knowing that you're hers, made her worry no more.

With you, anything can be possible.

Notes: WOOO I TOOK TOO LONG ON THIS. like, I made a lot of food breaks...hehe.

I'm a foodie~

[post-itpenny]

We the Drowned

So many perspectives. @clownsgobeepbeep @grotesquegabby

There was a circus.

It is not a circus like you think.

It has secrets.

It’s workers are not human.

It’s ringmaster is most definitely not human.

But they are definitely a proud parent.

As the show goes on and the ringmaster performs their beloved is curled up asleep with two small beings.

There is a twinge, a shudder runs through her as well as the feeling that something terrible has happened.

Calliope sat up with a hand over her heart.

Magpie was dead.

She was, wasn’t she? She felt it but… at the same time she didn’t. What did that mean?

But the ache was there, regardless something terrible had indeed happened.

Calliope laid down and curled up under her blankets. Did Maggie or Vespers know?

Calliope could discern what had happened, the thing Blackwood had foreshadowed to her no doubt. Poor Magpie, Calliope could only hope she was at peace.

There was a rush of something. Two forces in combat. Moving through the atmosphere above with rapid speed.

Oh no.

Calliope jumped up. She could feel the waves of chaos echoing from one point on the edge of the city. Waves of bad luck.

She moved to get dressed only stopped short, looking at her sleeping children. So unaware of what misfortune was taking place. Calliope could not leave them, would not leave them.

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

Vespers was snuggled close to Cosmos and Phoebe. They had both felt it, a shudder that ran through them like something awful had happened. Outside the sky had grown frightfully dark and it seemed like everything was trying to go wrong.

Lighting struck the house, plates shattered, Cosmos at one point tripped and opened his eyes nearly making eye contact with a startled Vespers. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

“Aunt Pie must be upset, it’s the only explanation I got.” Vespers concluded with a nod. Cosmos turned to him in surprise. “Your Aunt is doing this? She’s not even here!”

Vespers shrugged, “It doesn’t matter, she can affect anything in a couple miles. She must be having one hell of a bad day.”

Vespers pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, preparing to call his aunt when his phone started to ring.

It was Juno.

“Have you seen Auntie?”

Vespers frowned, “n-no what’s going on?”

“This town is going to shut that’s what!” Juno shouted from the other end of the line. “I just watched all the lampposts on our street rust to ruins in ten second flat! And we keep getting hail.”

Vespers started to panic, “hail? Geeze Juno where the heck did she go?”

“I don’t know! Help me dammit!”

Vespers hung up and turned to Cosmos, “I have to go find my aunt. I’m going to fix things ok?”

Cosmos frowned and took his hand, “Are you sure it’s her? Vesp I just have this crazy bad feeling.”

“I know me too,” Vespers answered with a nod. “But yes I know it’s her, Juno thinks so too. Stay with Phoebe and keep her safe. I promise it’s going to be ok and this time I’ll tell you one hundred percent everything when I get back.”

Cosmos clearly didn’t like it but gave Vespers a kiss on the cheek nonetheless, “please be careful.”

“I will, love you spaceman.”

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

Billy was having a bad day to say the least.

Maggie was gone, no warning no anything.

He stormed through the streets following her scent. Ignoring the chaos that happened around him.

He knew, he just knew this had something to do with whatever the plan she had mentioned was.

“Why must she be so damn reckless?!” He shouted to know one. Not that anyone could pay attention, the streets were filled with panic. Car wrecks, accidents, thefts, breakups, a woman nearby broke her stiletto heel. What the hell was going on?

Billy was glad he had left Amaranthus with her grandfather, on this night, everything seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket. He was absolutely positive a certain redhead was somehow involved. What if she was hurt? How could she just leave without saying anything?

Granted, had he not done the same just some weeks prior?

“But I wasn’t pregnant!” Billy shouted to himself in response.

“You weren’t what?”

Billy turned. Vespers and Juno looked at him in confusion. Then, both parties started questioning at once.

“Have you seen our aunt?”

“Have you seen Maggie?”

Juno scowled, “so their both gone? Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Billy rolled his eyes, “must you be so vulg-“

Crash!

Above them a window shattered, glass raining down.

Billy moved to duck out of the way when a shadow crossed over him.

Juno stood with a massive set of butterfly wings unfolded, shielding both her brother and Billy. She winced in pain as glass pierced her delicate wings and exposed back. But not the smallest shard touched the boys.

She gave Billy a smirk, “You’re welcome ya damn Ken Doll.”

Billy scowled But said nothing. Now was not the time. “I take it your we’re following your aunt’s trail?”

Vespers antennae twitched, “Yeah she went this way.” He answered, pointing down the sidewalk.

Billy gave a sigh, “funny that’s were Maggie’s scent leads.”

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

She was falling, for how long she had no idea, she was drowning in nothing. It was so dark, the feeling of some deep and primal fear coursing through her.

Where was she?

Who was she?

What was a “she?”

Had it asked that question before?

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

They found the collapsed remains of a warehouse. The smell of both human and deadlight blood was strong. Billy noticed the neck fluff of both Juno and Vespers had puffed up, but then again his own nails had started to sharpen to a razor tip.

Inside was an odd mix of damage. Human remains, thorn bushes, piano strings. Why such a combination?

Juno gasped, “what the fuck?”

Billy and vespers rushed to join her. Taken back by the same sight.

There was an open door. It lead to a swirling collision of light and color, and absence of anything dust and small debris was being pulled inside. At the door stood of all things an old woman.

Billy growled, her aura was ancient and powerful. She was not human, but there was a familiarity to her. Why?

The old woman turned to the trio. She was blindfolded.

Billy gave a shout, recognizing her from description.

The old woman gave a small smile and stepped through the door. Slamming it shut behind her.

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

“Why is this familiar?” The thing asked itself. There was something important, what was it? There was something so, so important the thing was supposed to do.

“Protect,” answered The Void.

Protect, the thing mused. Protect something, something, something, what something?

The thing noted it’s… hand on its… stomach. Wha-

The baby!

The thing gave a shout. A bay! It’s baby, hers!

Her name was Maggie.

There was a deep sigh from within The Void, as if to say “at last”.  Maggie felt her wings grow within the darkness as she few up. She thought it was up.

“Where can I go?”

“Go?” Asked The Void.

“Help me!”

“Help yourself. You are after all ready.”

“Ready for what?!”

Maggie screamed in frustration, clawing at the surrounding darkness.

A hand grabbed hers.

“Well this is what happens when you lean towards a self-taught method.”

Maggie knew that voice.

She was pulled up through the darkness.

It was so unnerving to stand before Bridgette in person.

She was incredibly tall, something Maggie had never noticed when they conversed in her dreams. She had a scent that Maggie could not pin down. Sulfur, sugar, raspberry, seared steak-

Mmm, steak.

Bridgette frowned, “I just hauled you up for being trapped in the void that lies bet dimensions and you have the gal to have pregnancy cravings?”

Maggie blushed, how did she ... never mind. Of course she knew.

Bridgette huffed and wrapped an arm around Maggie to pull her away from the edge of the void. Shielding her from the howling winds as some force tried to drag Maggie away.

She looked up.

A black hole was surprisingly bright, you would not think it had light but it really did. And it swallowed everything. How Bridgette could withstand the force Maggie didn’t know, but she was grateful for an anchor.

Around them thousands of Time strings were sucked up. Soon there would be nothing left.

Bridgette looked so tired.

“I’m sorry,” Maggie sobbed, “I tried I really did. I just wasn’t fast enough.”

Bridgette shook her head, “you did exactly what I knew you would do. Excellent job child.”

Maggie froze, “what?”

Bridgette turned to her with a small but sad smile. “When I said you getting rid of the fixed point would help I did not mean it would stop my death. On the contrary it ensured it.”

Maggie felt her stomach drop. “What?! W-why would you do that? Why didn’t you stop me?”

“Because it had to happen,” Bridgette insisted. “Jack is being ripped apart molecule by molecule every time his body tried to reassemble. Soon this whole dimension will succumb to Magpie’s destructive force and his timeline will fall apart, and soon so shall I.”

Maggie shook her head. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Bridgette continued, “don’t worry they flow of time will continue, this place is just a viewing platform. You should still be able to see the future though it will be much more difficult. But you are as ready as you could be child. You have grown and will continue to grow into your new roll. You will be fine. As will he,” she finished with a pole at Maggie’s stomach.

She could not process what she was being told. She had caused Bridgette’s death, Magpie was gone, the strings would be gone, all of it gone.

…. it’s a boy?!

Bridgette reaches over Maggie’s shoulder, opening a door. “Good bye.”

Bridgette shoved Maggie through the door.

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

Billy had been closing and kicking the door ever since that damn elder had slammed it in his face. He was not ready for when it slammed back open again, this time Maggie falling through.

He shouted in alarm as he caught her. Maggie was covered in bruises and cuts. Her skin ice-cold.

“Maggie? Maggie!” Billy screamed as he wrapped her up in his arms.

The door was starting to slip close.

Vespers moved to keep it from closing when someone shoved him aside. Maggie was ripped from Billy’s arms as the stranger and carried her back through the door which once again slammed shut.

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

Bridgette could honestly say she felt relieved. She was dying, her body starting to break up under the force of the black hole and destruction of a dimension that had been her everything.

It had been a mistake to turn the boy into a fixed point. Her desire to find a loophole around the one thing she could not observe had gotten the better of her and all she had created was a gluttonous monster. One that had wrecked the timelines of The Creator’s descendants and changed that of her own. Now it was above her trapped in an endless cycle of life and death. Just barely pulling together a handful of molecule last before being ripped apart again. A bittersweet end to her lifetime indeed.

“Hope you don’t mind the party crashing darling, but look I brought a guest!”

Bridgette whipped around, there stood Blackwood with Maggie in his arms. He grinned, “hello Madam Seer!”

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

They were in Blackwood’s “office.” The top of the highest wall in his castle. They were surrounded by stars and twilight.

Maggie had zero desire to be alone with the elder bit she needed to speak with him. Away from the others, away from Magpie.

“So up till recently she’s been trapped in a pocket dimension,” Maggie finished in her long explanation of what had happened to her guardian. “How did you not know?”

Blackwood stood up and screamed to the sky above.

The world in the space of a second bent and warped. Magpie trembled in fear as stars fell around them and stone crumbled.

As quick as it started it ended.

Blackwood stood shaking in silence. He glanced towards a terrified Maggie and gave a smile.

“I’m done little Seer, just needed to… get that out of my system.”

“What will you do? Knowing. What you now know?”

Blackwood looked away, “I’m not certain I’ll need time to think. But more pressing is the event of Bridgette’s demise.”

“Magpie will do it. She’s going to-“

Blackwood held a hand up, “Do you have a plan?”

Maggie nodded, “it’s really stupid.”

Blackwood turned to her with a grin. “So much like your elder. “Always needing a plan, always needed to know what the future holds.”

Maggie rolled her eyes, “I’m. It like Bridgette-“

“Are you certain?”

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

In the end Blackwood became Plan B, should Magpie become a black hole as Maggie had foreseen.

The elder of creation set Maggie down with surprising care before looking at Bridgette. “You tried to use one of my own to clean up your mess. How sloppy of you Madam Seer, I thought you knew better.”

Bridgette backed away, the winds of the Black hole tearing at her clothes and hair, ripping off her blindfold to reveal a large crack that ran across her face, within one could see the emptiness of the void itself.

Blackwood charged at her, the two clashing in a force that gave the sound of thunder. They tore and clawed at each other. Anything Blackwood summoned Bridgette would doge. Two ancient Beings that were equal in strength.

Maggie made herself as small as possible, the force of the black hole above lifting her up.

She screamed.

The winds suddenly shifted, Maggie was set back down.

She looked up in surprise, how?

Maggie looked towards the battling elders. Blackwood was struggling to get ahead of Bridgette’s sight but the old woman was slowin down. Her body starting to fall apart along with the world around them.

Maggie looked up. The winds had such a peculiar sound to them. Like, like-

Screams.

Maggie gasped in surprise. Magpie’s death had not created a back hole. She was the black hole.

“Stop!” Maggie screamed. “Stop, stop! Please!”

The winds howled but did not change.

Maggie felt tears of desperation in her eyes. “Magpie please stop. You can let go now, it’s ok!”

The winds slowed.

Bridgette gave a gasp, Maggie turned to see the elder was still falling to pieces and had fallen to the ground. She watched Maggie with a look of… pride.

Blackwood snapped his fingers.

The black hole began to fold in on itself. Releasing the atoms that made up the strings of time which inturn began to reform.

“You’re fixing it,” Bridgette whispered.

Black shook his head, “I’m ending the black hole. It’s Magpie that’s fixing everything. Using the last of herself to do so I suspect.”

Bridgette shuddered, her own end looming. “I- I don’t know what is going to happen next.”

Blackwood smiled and took her hand, “it will be alright, I promise.”

As Bridgette faded away Blackwood scooped up her lights. As he stood up-

Maggie slapped him in the face.

Blackwood stumbled back, her nails had scratched into his skin, no doubt leaving a scar. Blackwood rubbed the injured spot, they were going to have an interesting working relationship no doubt.

He sighed and handed Maggie one of Bridgette’s lights. “She would have wanted you to have it.”

Maggie looked at the powerful light uncertain, did she actually want it?

As humid sensing her hesitant the light floated up from Maggie’s hand before ramming itself into her forehead.

Maggie screamed and fell to the ground, her mind feeling as if it was melting and reshaping itself. She was drowning and yet so alive at once. She was drowning, she could see so much now.

Blackwood watched as the girl thrashed about in pain. Her feathers fall out of her head and resprouting at the sides of her eyes.

Ah, new hairstyle then.

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

The door opened, The trio watching in anticipation as Blackwood climbed out with an overwhelmed Maggie in tow.

There was something in Blackwood’s arms, a strange glowing mass shaped like-

Shaped like a body.

Maggie fell into Billy’s arms sobbing uncontrollably. Billy himself trying his hardest to keep together at the sight of seeing Maggie in such a state.

Juno observed the thing in Blackwood’s arms, at last catching the sighs of the deadlights that floated around in the glowing mass.

Juno screamed.

Realization flooded through Vespers as he fell to his knees. “Is- is that? Please no.”

Blackwood nodded solemnly. “It’s a bit of an explanation and one I don’t have time for as I need to get this one stable. This mass of Stardust is what is left of Magpie, now her lights are still present and seemingly aware even. I- I’ve never done this before… don’t know if I truly can… but I will put her back together. I just… I just need time. He turned to Maggie who was still in hysterics as Billy struggled to calm her down. Blackwood gave a sigh. “Tell Lady Life that the new Madam Seer will explain everything when she is able to. She’ll want an explanation as will all of you.

Vespers looked to Maggie in confusion, “Madam Seer?”

Blackwood chuckled, “oh yes. Personally I think she’s ready.”

[paperficwriter]

Got Your Back

This is a request I wrote for @a-strange-1ne, who requested some of that sweet, sweet Ipposendo. Today’s special? Greaser/preppy!AU. And I was happy to oblige. Thank you again!!

Cut is for length, not for content.

“C’mon, Makunouchi, get back in the car!”

Ippo focused on the road in front of him, trying not to seem as nervous as he felt about Takamura’s red Mustang slowly rolling beside him, following him down the twisty hillside road. What was he doing out here, anyway? Takamura had invited him out for a soda at the diner, and that was fine and all, but...geez! He was a university senior, and Ippo was only just starting sophomore year after transferring, and --

The car horn beeped and made him jump. “I was just messing around! It’s five miles back to town! Let me give you a lift!”

“I can manage it!”

Messing around, he said. Messing around and taking him home on the “scenic route,” pulling up to that make-out spot and grabbing his thigh, boxing him in with his big arm against the door, the sensation of his curly pompadour pressing against his head being the one thing that finally brought Ippo back to reality so he could open the door and jump out. He was so stupid!   

“Last chance, kid! I’m not playing around out here all damn night!”

“Then go!” Ippo didn’t actually think Takamura would try something again - or at least he liked to think that - but getting back into the car with him...he was already embarrassed and angry and it was bad enough this was probably going to get around campus.

“Fine!” Takamura roared as loud as his engine, and the wheels of his car picked up dust and gravel as he sped off. Ippo could barely make out something he said, something that sounded like…

Prude.

“I’m not a prude,” he said to no one, coughing as some of the dirty air got stuck in his throat. His eyes stung, and as Takamura’s car disappeared in sight and sound, he gazed down at the twinkling lights of the city below, the shimmer on the water past the beach. Folding his arms over the chest of his cableknit sweater, he started the long walk back.

After only about fifteen minutes, Ippo’s calves started to ache. It wasn’t even that it was that bad of a trek but the slight incline combined with the fact he wasn’t wearing any of the right clothes? Loafers and slacks were not ideal for this…

He should have just stayed in his dorm.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ippo started to shake. Not dramatically, but enough to let him know that something other than a car was making its way down the road. He stepped back and waited for whatever it was to come by, making sure he kept his distance. There were only occasional streetlights, and the last thing he needed to finish this night was to either cause or be in an accident. The noise of an engine got louder as it was revved right before the motorcycle was driven into view, a small black bike with a single rider in jeans and a leather jacket. For a moment, the scene seemed to slow, and Ippo could swear that somehow he was able to make eye contact with the person on the other side of the shiny helmet.

He knew it was going to stop even before it actually did, creating a single track in the dirt on the road’s shoulder. As Ippo watched muscular legs that still straddled the seat dance the wheels back, he thought maybe he should run. Or at least keep walking. And yet all he could do was stand there, playing with his fingers, as the person booted the kickstand and finally came over to stand in front of him.

Words from the other side of the helmet were too muffled to make out.

“Sorry, I...I can’t understand you,” Ippo said, shrugging. They were taller, broader, and he figured it was a man based on the shape, but it had been a weird night anyway, so…

A hand raised to flip the visor and opened it. The eyes that gazed out at him were dark but bright, attentive, and for some reason it reminded Ippo of some wild cat. Which, frankly, he would have been less nervous about running into at night like this, compared to the stranger. “I said, do ya need a lift?” a deep, accented voice gruffed at him.

“Oh! Um. No. No, thank you. I’m just going to walk.”

For a second, the eyes took him in, up and down (and Ippo was fairly certain that any crinkling at the corners was definitely his imagination, couldn’t be a smile, why would he be smiling?), and then glanced down the hill and finally behind them. “S’gonna rain, ya know. No way ya won’t get caught in it before it starts, walkin’ back to town. Where ya headed? The university?”

Ippo nodded as he followed his gaze back up. Sure enough, storm clouds were building in the distance, lightning arcing between the gaps. He didn’t want to get sick, not this soon after classes started, but he didn’t want to end up in another precarious situation. A situation that his own stupidity had put him in. But…

“Hey.”

When Ippo turned again to see the biker, he had taken off his helmet completely and…geez, he was something else. Tan with dark hair that he ruffled until it looked soft and messy. Sharp teeth, but not scary sharp. And when the guy smiled, Ippo swallowed, and he could swear the lump in his throat went all the way to his toes.

“Name’s Sendo Takeshi. You?”

“I’m...Ippo. Makunouchi Ippo.”

He nodded and pursed his lips before holding the helmet out to him. “Did ya have a rough night, Makunouchi?”

“Yeah...that’s putting it lightly.”

“Listen. I’m gonna feel like an awful guy if I just let it get worse, okay. So if ya let me, I’ll take ya home. Just to the front door, yeah? No funny business, I promise.”

Ippo took the offered headwear and held onto it tight. There were a hundred and one warning alarms going off in his brain about strangers and getting into cars with them, although to be fair he had given Ippo his name and this was a motorcycle, not a car, so… He smiled just a little. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart, hope to die, all that good stuff.”

His cheeks warmed as he put the helmet on and snapped it under his chin. It was a little big, but they weren’t going far. “Aren’t you worried about something happening if I’m the one with the helmet?”

Sendo chuckled, scooting forward as Ippo swung a leg over the back of the bike. “Guess that just means you’re gonna have to hold on real close and tight so that skull o’ yours takes most of it.” Did he just squeeze his arm? “If we go down, we’re goin’ down together, right?”

“Heh...yeah, I guess so…”

Ippo had expected the motorcycle to take off like a horse. That’s what it looked like in the movies, after all, screeching and rearing up on one wheel. Instead, it was smooth, the wind creating a wild bluster through Sendo’s hair. As he squeezed his waist and tried to stay still, he wondered how warm he was under his jacket, what he had in his pockets, what kind of soap he used. Where had he come from? Where was he going?

Was this going to be the last time he saw him?

The ride was over before he knew it, and Sendo hopped off with his hands down on the front of the bike and his legs going over, like a gymnast clearing a wooden pony. He took Ippo’s arm and pulled him off. This was it. He was going. He would be gone in seconds. Say something, Makunouchi!

“Thank you. For the ride.”

“You got it.” Ippo gasped as Sendo’s hands went for his cheeks, but then hoped he didn’t notice, because it was just to pull the helmet off his head. Sendo rubbed his nose and gave him a lopsided grin. “Gonna be okay from here?”

“I think so.” They stood. And stared. “Are you just...passing through, or…?”

“Was on my way home, actually.” Please be here, please be here, please be here. “My Gran’s auto shop’s right down the road.” Ippo must have made a heck of a face because Sendo laughed. “She don’t exactly work there nowadays, but I do.”

For a second, Ippo was relieved. An autoshop! He could just...then, his heart sank. “I don’t have a car...I don’t even have a bicycle.”

“You can come by anyway!” His invitation was yelled, ecstatic, and any insecurity was chased away by it. “Come have lunch with me tomorrow, yeah? Gran made so much dim sum tonight that we got loads of leftovers!”

“But...but I should be the one treating you! You’re the one who saved me!” Oh God, had he actually said that? Flames erupted in his face, and he smothered them with his hands. “That is...I mean…”

“Hey, it’s okay! I was happy to do it!” He could hear Sendo raking through his hair again. “‘Sides, I ain’t got many friends in this town, so it’s payback enough jus’ to see ya again.”

Friends. Of course. Not that there was anything wrong with that! Just…

Then, Ippo shook his head, ridding himself of the thoughts that threatened to ruin this sweet few seconds. It was fine. All of it was just fine. And he gave Sendo his biggest smile.

“Okay! I’ll be there!”

---

“Takeshi! Is that you?”

At the sound of his name, Sendo figured there was no point in being quiet, so he dropped his helmet and keys on the kitchen counter with a crack. “Yeah, Gran...s’me.” Yup, just me, ruining my damn life one stupid move at a time… Friends! Why did he say that?!

When he opened up the fridge to take a drink of orange juice straight from the carton, he heard her voice crackle. “I know you had a bad night, but in this house we use glasses.” He rolled his eyes. “And we do not make nasty faces at our elders.”

“Seriously, Gran, are ya sure ya ain’t a spy or somethin’? Is the auto shop some kinda front?”

“I’d tell you but then I’d have to kill you. Come give me a hand, would you?”

Sendo walked into the garage and then broke into a run as an engine block hung precariously over his grandmother’s head from a chain. “Gran! I told ya not to handle the heavy stuff when I’m not here!”

The small woman gave him a sour look and shook her head. “I’m not trying to lift it. It’s perfectly secure.” She smacked it several times with her multitool, setting it swinging, and Sendo held out a hand to stop it. “See? It’s fine. What has you all riled up tonight, huh?”

And it was only after she let him lower the engine to the large crate on the floor that he told her. About the man on the side of the road. About giving him a ride home. And…

“I think I’m in love with this guy.”

And then Gran laughed at him. “Takeshi, you fall in love once a month. You fell in love with that pizza delivery boy.”

“But I’m serious this time! I invited him to come over tomorrow.”

“Oh my, that is serious. I better bring out the good china.”

“Gran. What if he doesn’t come? What if I never see him again? What if he thought I was some biker weirdo that’s tryin’ to make him join a gang and he calls the cops?”

“Again, it would not be the first time.” But when Sendo put his head into his hands, the old woman reached over and patted the top of it, shaking his knuckles gently. It left black smears from the automobile’s many sundry fluids. “Takeshi. If you like this boy, do what all those rock stars and movie cowboys do and...be a man.”

Sendo looked up at that. “Seriously. That’s your sage advice.”

“I’m not saying do it all the same way that they do, boy. You don’t need a horse or a guitar. Because being a man isn’t just cool hats and hip thrusts.” He really wanted to pretend he didn’t hear that part. “It’s about being straight with him. Telling it like it is. Treating him well.”

“Okay.”

She went on, ignoring him. “Getting him to eat my cooking without sass talk. Introducing him to your aging grandmother…”

“Okay, Gran, I got it.”

Be a man.

Sendo kept thinking about that the rest of the night until the following day. It wouldn’t mean anything if Ippo didn’t show up, and he half-expected that. Would Sendo have gone to visit some random guy on a bike that had given him a ride all of once? No way. So it wasn’t like he could get mad if Ippo was the same way.

By ten to twelve, he had already given up for the most part, until a loud, echoing knock made its way through the garage. He walked over to the side door and peered out, only to see…

“Holy shit, ya came!” he said, exploding out into the afternoon air. Immediately, he regretted it as Ippo held up the small package he was carrying in two hands, yelping. “Sorry! I jus’...I wasn’t sure…”

“We said twelve, right?” The other man suddenly grabbed at the watch on his wrist, panicky. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Nah! You’re perfect!” Perfect. Was that what he wanted to say? As pink rose up the rims of his ears, he pointed at Ippo’s hands. “Wassat?”

“Oh! I stopped by a sweet shop and picked up some cake! I hope that’s okay. I know you said you wanted to take care of lunch, but I had to do something to thank you for getting me home.”

Be a man.

“Yeah, well.” Sendo jutted his chin out as he popped the collar of the jacket he was wearing. He hadn’t thought that would be weird, wearing his leather in the garage - why would it? It was cool - but now it did seem like he was on his way out. Should he take it off? Nah, too late. He couldn’t turn back now. “Ain’t no big deal or nothin.’ I give rides to guys all the time.”

The words sounded a lot better in his head, especially when Ippo’s face fell to the floor, and Sendo very, very quickly wanted to die. “Oh...you do?”

“Not like that! I ain’t easy!”

“I would never think that! Me neither!”

“Good!”

Sendo was panting. Oh God, he had to save this. Luckily, though, Ippo looked around the open floor, just as obviously needing some other topic, and he settled on the punching bag suspended from the ceiling. “Sendo-san, are you a boxer?”

Be a man. Yeah! What could be more manly than boxing?

“Yeah! Featherweight. Do you?”

“No, but I’ve seen a few matches.” He smiled shyly, putting the cake down so he can press his hand against it, moving the bag a little, and Sendo walked over to brace himself against the opposite side.

“C’mon. Give it a real hit.”

“No, no, that’s okay…”

“Do it! Square up, pull back and then step in. Tighten your fist and use your hips, yeah?”

Ippo’s eyes sought his from under his bangs. Man, he was cute. The cutest guy he’d ever seen. “If you say so.”

Sendo smiled as he loosened up a little bit. What he was expecting was that Ippo would give it a dull little punch and then he’d walk over and really show him how it was done. Then, he could have him come back. Have little lessons. Chat. Badabing-badaboom.

That wasn’t the reality at all.

The reality was that Ippo stepped in and gave the bag the hardest punch he could muster. He followed Sendo’s directions so well that he even followed through, sending the bag straight into Sendo and knocking him off his feet until he crumpled to the floor, the room spinning.

“Sendo-san! Sendo-san, are you okay?!”

Maybe it was the ridiculousness of the situation. Maybe it was the fact that everything kept turning around on him. Or maybe it was that this preppy kid from the college was proving to be more of a man than he could ever be. Whatever it was, Sendo’s shoulders started to shake.

“Sendo-san...are you...laughing?”

Not just laughing. Sendo snorted. He kept laughing so hard he couldn’t even get back up to his feet. Then, it spread to Ippo until he plopped down on the floor next to him, chuckling into a hand that was become more and more swollen. And perhaps it was the fact that they were in this together now - or ‘on this’ as it were, the greasy floor of the garage - but Sendo’s nerves melted away, and he reached out for Ippo’s bruised hand.

He was surprised when the other man let him take it.

“S’gonna need some ice.” Ippo winced as he prodded at his fingers, making sure it wasn’t broken. “That’s a hell of a straight left ya got there, Makunouchi.”

“Y-you think so?” Sendo finally stood and carefully lifted Ippo back to his feet. He didn’t pull his hand away, and Sendo didn’t let go. “Maybe you can show me some of your moves too. After that ice, I mean. And lunch?”

Sendo grinned. “Sure.” Be straight with him. “Can we call it a date?”

Ippo stared, not even long enough for him to start worrying before the widest smile, even bigger than the one the night before, split across his face. “Definitely!”

They kept holding hands all the way to the kitchen.

[astronomicalegotism]

Unlikely Partnership

Revenge Is Best Served Together (Book One)

Part Seventeen

Anti snarled and shoved his hands in his jean pockets, glaring at the suit of armour as he passed it. Okay, so maybe when he'd stormed out of the room with Mad and Blank it hadn't crossed his mind that he didn't actually know where Darkiplier's office was and now he may or may not be lost. Whatever, he'll figure it out.

Who designed this stupid place anyways? It's just hallway after hallway after- Anti back-pedalled.

Didn't I literally just pass that suit of armour?

"Oh for fuCKS-" Anti screamed and threw a knife at the armour, only for it to ricochet off and be sent back towards himself. Oops.

Anti quickly glitched out of he way and cursed. He could practically hear Schneeplestein's scolding tone in his head. Anti shivered at the thought. God help me I'm growing attached.

"Geez, you got something against antiques or what?" Anti tensed and snapped his head around to face the unimpressed looking Iplier Ego holding his knife. Anti didn't recognise them at all (Not that he watches Markiplier's videos or anything) so they were probably from one of the one off video ones or something. Maybe one of the ones Marvin hangs out with but always denies doing? He had Mark's black hair that was slicked to the side professionally, although it was actually a bit longer than what Anti remembered. (Must be a prehair dye obsession Ego) He had smart looking glasses rested on his nose and a taunting smirk on his face that instantly annoyed Anti. He kind of looked like a nerdy off brand Darkiplier if Anti was honest, add some monochrome skin and bad temper and you got yourself a double.

Not that that's saying much considering they all have the same face...

"Why are you wearing a suit?" Anti asked bluntly, looking him up and down. It gave the ego a simulationously professional and yet cheap aura. The suit was either second hand or brought from a coustume shop. He was effortlessly trying too hard, Anti had to give him that.

"Hey you don't see me asking why you look like a 90s Halloween movie reject so what give you the right to question my life choices?" Was the snarky response. Great, just what he needed, he'd run into a sassy idiotic side character. Anti grit his teeth. Don't kill him don't make a scene Mad said to do this carefully murder is not careful Anti-

"Touché." Anti forced out, debating whether or not glitching away would count as suspicious activity. The Iplier Egos Probably thought that he was working with Darkiplier, he couldn't give away any clues that suggested otherwise or he'd be done for. Running-No wait, avoiding the Ego for no good reason would make it seem like he was up to something. Or wait, maybe he wanted to look like he was up to something? Fuck this was confusing.

"What are you, constipated?" The Iplier asked, bringing Anti back to earth. Right, staring at someone in dead silence probably isn't normal. Anti opened his mouth to respond (With what he had no idea) but he was casually cut off. Deep breaths. "Anyways! You're Anti right? Wonderful, Absolutely wonderful! Bit of a strange name though, Antisepticeye? Suppose it can't be helped, What with being a fan creation and not an individual idea and that, Though you'd think that maybe thousands of people would be able to think of a better name wouldn't you?"

"Excuse me-" Anti snarled, now clutching a new knife tightly and taking a step forwards threatening. The Iplier Ego's voice heightened in pitch a little at the movement.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you either way, I'm Bim Trimmer of course, No doubt you've heard about me though?" What is it with this guy and rhetorical questions Jesus Christ- "Actually wait, You're not supposed to be here! Septics aren't allowed here, WIL-" Trimmer's eyes went wide as Anti glitched in front of him, covering his mouth and pressing his knife to his throat.

"Don't. Say. Another. Word." Anti hissed. Trimmer nodded nervously before disappearing, now standing a few feet away from Anti and brushing off imaginary dust from his suit, eyeing him cautiously. Anti gaped for a few seconds before throwing the knife at Trimmer, mainly out of frustration. "Oh come on!!" Anti screamed, Trimmer backing away a little bit more.. Of course he could teleport, because the universe just didn't want to give him a fucking break did it?!

"What are you doing here? What do you want?!" Trimmer asked, obviously trying to get his volume down at least. Questions questions questions GOD THIS GUY WAS GETTING ON HIS NERVES! Anti gripped at his hair tightly, his form glitching violently out of anger and Trimmer let out a little started squeak in response. This was ridiculous, this whole situation was completely fucking ridiculous.

"Darkiplier is going to kill all of us and use our powers to get even stronger and control everyone, and you're asking me what I'm doing?!" Anti let out an involuntary giggle at the ridiculousness of it all, although he could feel rage bubbling up inside him. Trimmer  tensed up a little, but his eyes narrowed dangerously. As if he was a threat to Anti. Yeah right.

"Dark is trying to do what?" Trimmer asked, his eyebrows mocking. He scoffed, "You're not serious. Just because you and Darkiplier have this weird thing going on," He used air quotes, who the fuck uses air quotes, "Doesn't mean that he's trying to kill us all. How do I know you aren't just saying this to incriminate him?" We are talking about the same Darkiplier right? God that prick has everyone wrapped around his little finger doesn't he.

"Aw aren't you Darkiplier's widdle loyal soldier?" Anti coed, stepping closer to the Iplier Ego. "News flash numbskull, Your Little Darkipoo isn't everything you think he is." Trimmer swallowed harshly and Anti grinned.

"God you're even more insane then you look if you honestly think I'll believe you." Trimmer snapped, unnecessarily aggressively in Anti opinion. Someone's a little defensive.

"Whatever, I don't have time for this. Do you know where Darkiplier's office is?" Trimmer laughed darkly in response to his question. Hah, darkly. Dark. Get it?

"Like I'd tell you." Trimmer spat, puffing his chest out and speaking like he was doing the world such a noble service by being complete FUCKING ASSHAT-

Anti's eye flashed green dangerously in warning. Time to see if Trimmer really was an idiot or not.

"Guess I'll just have to get the directions out of you another way then." Anti snarled, shrugging causally, his voice distorted and threatening.  Trimmer flinched at him, but didn't move.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Wilford's been training me as his apprentice you know? I can create pocket dimensions too and trust me, you don't want to mess that. I mightn't be on the same level as you power wise, but in polecat dimensions I can shift reality however I want, I can amplify my powers to match yours!" Anti eyes widened minusculy. Wilford's Pocket dimensions were what Dark was using to steal their energy or whatever with (Or at least that's what he was theorising, he actually honestly had no idea what was going on) and that's where the Creators are trapped. If Trimmer can also influence pocket dimensions too, maybe Anti could put a stop to all this without being violent? Or well, he'd probably still be violent regardless but the thought was nice. Maybe he should take a leap out of Darkiplier's book and try a little slide of manipulation? Okay uh, he needed to find a weakness to exploit. Trimmer's blind faith in the Heart and Soul of Markiplier's channel maybe? He definitely seemed to hero worship the walking corpse and pink psycho, thats for sure. But maybe he should try find something else?

"Oh really? You? You can manipulate pocket dimensions? Don't make me laugh." Anti tested. Bim's face turned a shade of red and he clenched his fists. Boom bada Bingo, Bim Trimmer is an Ego with an ego problem.

"Yes, me! I bet you don't know the first thing about pocket dimensions!" Oh my god this was too easy. He was starting to understand why Darkiplier tended to take this route. Okay, time to get some answers.

"Oh yeah well, I know that in pocket dimensions, the laws of time and space and shit don't apply, so you can do whatever you want to who ever is in there. And, once you create a pocket dimension, you can pass on control of that dimension to someone else for them to use." Anti smirked smugly. He knew that information from experience, it was what was happening right now so there was no possible way-

"Oh ho ho, Is that so?" Anti's eyes snapped back up to the laughing ego, taken back. "Who told you that garbage? You can't pass on the control of a pocket dimension to some one that doesn't have the ability to manipulate them moron." Trimmer rolled the r's dramatically but Anti couldn't even find himself to be irritated because what the Fuck. Okay yeah, screw manipulation.

"But that doesn't make any fucking sense, then how come Natemare and Shit can supposedly manipulate Wilford's pocket dimensions?! That's a major fucking hole in Darkiplier's plan if the whole reason why he's gathered us is for us to use the dimensions and torment the Creators!" Trimmer's had paled significantly at Anti's words but the glitch demon just ignored him. His mind was reeling from confusion, they apparently weren't in control of the pocket dimensions?

"Wh-What?" Trimmer spluttered. "What the hell are you talking about?" Anti held up a finger to him, squeezing his eyes shut.

"No okay wait, Shut up for once." If What Bim said is true, that means that Wilford was still controlling the pocket dimensions, but if that was the case they would know since the dimensions weren't doing what the wanted them to do, which means that Wilford somehow knew exactly what they wanted to do the exact second it happens and the only way that's possible is...

Fuck.

"Wilford is in our heads. When we're in the pocket dimensions, he's reading our minds. Mad knows that I left the room to go stop Darkiplier and if since Wilford can read Mad's mind he-SHIT!!" Wilford knows that he's going to try stop Darkiplier and of course he would of told Darkiplier since he's his right hand man until the end that loyal bastard!! There goes his element of surprise, Darkiplier probably already knows he's coming. He needed to get to Darkiplier's office now.

"Uh...What-"

"I said SHUT UP!!" Bim's mouth slammed shut harshly.  Anti's breathing was short and quick as his nails angrily dig into his palms. "I don't know what the fuck Darkiplier wants, power, an army, but whatever it is it's not good news, and he's going to be using Natemare, MadPat,  me and that weird Blank guy to achieve it. I don't care what sob story Darkiplier is feeding you, he's bad news got it?! So grow a fucking spine and help me, because no matter how loyal you are to him, he is not the same to you! We're all just fucking toys to him, stepping stones for him to get what he wants and I am not letting that edgy bastard win. So are you going to stay one of his little disposable soldiers or are you going to fucking help me?!" He didn't have time he was running out of time Darkiplier was going to kill him he needed to do it first-

"Wait, Blank?" Anti blinked. That's the part he focused on?

"What about him?" Anti asked impatiently, his foot tapping so fast that it was blurring.

"What about-He's My friend!"

"I'm sorry, How is this relevent?" Anti would never admit it but the dirty look the Trimmer just gave him will haunt his nightmares for a good few weeks.

"I...If what you're saying is true, he could be in serious trouble. He's never been the same, ever since Dark offered to train him which was weird since I didn't think Dark liked Blank but uh...if Blank is involved in...whatever the hell this all is I can only imagine it's bad." Now look, Anti wasn't one to count all his chickens before they hatched but...

"So does this mean you'll help me?" Anti asked, fingers crossed on one hand and the other ready to summon a knife. You know, just in case. Trimmer narrowed his eyes.

"I don't trust you, and I want to hear the full story of what's happening first but, I owe Blank my life. I'll help. But the second I smell bullshit, I'm turning you in to Dark and you can be his problem." Bim pointed a threatening finger at Anti but he couldn't care less.

"Yeah Yeah Whatever, so will you tell me where Dark's office is?" Trimmer frowned, considering which was bullshit because didn't he literally just say he'd help?”

"You said Dark probably knows you're out to get him right?" Trimmer asked, smiling slightly. Why the fuck was he smiling?!

"So?!"

"So, you need to do the opposite of what Dark will expect you to do! Obviously Dark would expect the first thing you would do is barge into his office, knives swinging and screaming." Anti's eye twitched, But it's not like he could deny it.

"So, What do you suggest I do?" Oh yeah, that asshole was definitely smirking now, fuck him. Trimmer pushed up his glasses, the light glinting off them making him look like an anime character.

"We did to do something completely unexpected, something Dark would never think you'd do."

"And what the fuck would that be genius?!" Anti hissed.

"Why, something smart of course! Dark would never see it coming!"  Trimmer flashed him a too perfect smile and raised his hands dramatically and it finally clicked to Anti where he was from. Oh my God I'm teamed up with psychopathic game show host Jr. "Its a good thing you bumped into me isn't it? After all, how on earth would you manage to not royally screw everything up without me?"

Yeah it's offical.

Anti fucking hates rhetorical questions

“Come on Then Turtle Boy! Dark's office is a bit of a walk from here, we can talk about a plan while we walk. Or well, I’ll come up with a plan, you can just nod your head in agreement and compliment me, that works too. Hope it’s not too much work for you though!” As Anti glared daggers into Bim's retreating form, he wondered if stopping Darkiplier was really worth all the trouble. Although since apparently he was the only damn person in the entire world that was actually competent enough to save it, he guessed he didn’t have much of a choice. Besides, maybe if he stopped Dark and figured out what he was doing he’d be able to twist everything around in his favour. He definitely wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity like this.

He just hoped that he wouldn’t give in to the urge to slit Trimmer's throat until he got what he wanted.

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Sixteen

(with thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading! READ HER STUFF, EVERYONE.)

Lapis stood just beyond the treeline, the beach and the sound of the ocean behind her. She could hear the waves behind her, crashing to the shore as the high tide came in. The birds and small animals she often heard in the jungle were quiet - there wasn’t much nocturnal life on the island - and the absence made her feel incredibly, terribly alone.

This was it, she thought - it was over. She was going to lose everything, and Stevonnie would never want her to come back after that argument. No, it was better to just leave, to shrink into the jungle, to live alone once again; it was better for everyone…

“So, where we going?”

Lapis jumped and spun around. Amethyst had walked up behind her, and was now casually leaning against a tree. Her face was twisted into a casual smile, as if she'd randomly come across her while wandering around a store or back street. It was somehow both endearing and infuriating.

“Amethyst?!” exclaimed Lapis, “How did you find me?”

“Dude, you're literally a hundred yards from the barn,” replied Amethyst, “I'm pretty sure they can still see us.”

She leaned back, cheerfully waving towards the distant shape of the barn.

“I… look, I'm leaving, okay? Just leave me…”

“No you're not,” replied Amethyst, “If you wanted to leave forever, you'd have flown off into space by now, right?”

“I…”

“Yeah, thought so,” Amethyst nodded, “So how about instead of sitting around beating yourself up for however long, why don't you just talk to someone?”

Lapis pursed her lips, doubtful. "And that's supposed to be you?"

"Why not?" The shorter gem responded with a shrug, expression just the right amount of smug to rub Lapis the wrong way. She didn’t get it; she was part of the problem.

"No thanks," she replied curtly, storming off deeper into the forest. The sound of twigs crackling and bushes bristling behind her annoyed her to no end, and she stopped before they'd made it ten-feet deeper.

“What are you doing?" She demanded, spinning on her heel and glaring at Amethyst, "Are you seriously going to follow me around until I - what? Open up to you?”

“Yeah! Let’s go camping!”

Lapis growled, clenching her fists and marching into the trees. “Go away.”

Amethyst smiled and followed, whistling to herself. “Not a chance. So you can keep nagging or suck it up, cause unless you’re ready to bolt it off-planet, you’re stuck with me.”

Swallowing down the urge to fling curses over her shoulder, Lapis just grit her teeth and kept walking. Camping, huh?

This, she thought, was going to be interesting.

The sun rose slowly over the waterfall, catching in the cascade with a dazzling spray of beautiful colours. A rainbow could be faintly seen shimmering over the damp rocks, and Amethyst felt the water lap around her ankles as it snaked down towards the sea. She could hear the long, deep calls of birds - or at least she thought they were birds - in the distance.

“Niiiiice, Laz.” she nodded, “I can see why you stayed here.”

Lapis grunted. She was laying on top of the stream, staring blankly at the sky through the tree cover. If she had a grungy band t-shirt and a cheap cigarette dangling from her lips, Amethyst thought she would be a shoe-in for a moody teenager.

Amethyst stepped over - for a moment, she felt something slimy under her foot, and privately hoped it was seaweed.

“You wanna talk?” she asked.

“About what?” Lapis demanded.

Amethyst shrugged. “Anything.”

She sat down in the shallow water next to the blue gem.

“I ever tell you about the time I left Peri on an asteroid?” she asked.

“You what?” Lapis replied incredulously.

Amethyst let out a humourless chuckle, absently playing with a few strands of her hair.

“We got into an argument - can't even remember what started it now,” she continued, “And we were exploring this space rock that some Homeworld bigwig was mining for coal or ore or something, and I just told her that if she didn't pull herself together, I was just gonna straight up leave her. And she called me a clod and said she'd be happier alone, so I just… snapped, you know?”

“So you left her?” replied Lapis, “That's… harsh. But I guess it's no different to what I did.”

“Well it is,” shrugged Amethyst, “‘Cause I came back two hours later, and… well, we hugged and we cried a lot, and then we went back to the cabin, watched some CPH, and then we…”

She trailed off, thinking for a moment.

“...you comfortable talking about this?” she asked.

“About what, you and Peridot watching TV?” replied Lapis.

“No, about…” Amethyst scratched the back of her head. “Well, you know… making love.”

Lapis blinked.

“Getting physical.”

Lapis blinked again.

“Sex!” Amethyst exclaimed, gesticulating with her arms.

“Oh,” said Lapis, “You could've just said that. I mean, I know what it is, I think… is there a reason you brought this up?”

Amethyst shrugged.

“I guess the point was, people fight, then they forgive each other. Or they don't… I…”

She laid back, her head splashing into the water, long hair fanning out over the gentle current.

“I should've thought about where I was going before I started talking,” she muttered, “I guess I'm saying… it's gonna be okay?”

They lay in silence for something.

“Well,” said Lapis, “You tried. I guess.”

There was a short silence, and then Amethyst snorted and began to laugh.

“I’m on mah wae, from misery tae happiness todaeh…”

“What are you doing?”

Lapis and Amethyst were trudging down a muddy slope - or rather, Amethyst was, and Lapis was floating just above it. The smaller gem didn’t mind; she was singing merrily and stomping down on the wet mud, grinning as it splashed around under her feet. The accent was strange, and Lapis guessed that even if she could place it, it would still be a poor imitation of the real thing.

“Singing an old Earth song,” replied Amethyst, “This one used to drive Pearl nuts.”

“Can you stop?” asked Lapis testily.

“Sure, sure, I got another one!”

Amethyst cleared her throat.

“And I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the gem who walked a thousand mi-AAAAAH!”

She slipped, falling hard on her back and sliding down the slope to the bottom, coming to rest against a tree trunk.

“Ow,” she grunted.

She sat up, and for a moment Lapis thought that she might finally be finished singing.

Her hopes were soon dashed.

“I can’t get no - DUN NAH NAH NAH - satisfaction…”

Lapis sighed as they walked onwards, Amethyst’s singing echoing in the distance.

“Lapis, do you wanna have sex?”

Lapis raised an eyebrow.

“What, you mean right now?”

“Aw geez, no, I didn't mean… I mean in general,” replied Amethyst, “Like, if you were dating someone, and…”

They had stopped in front of the old Homeworld mine, the sun now high in the sky. They sat in the shade of a tall tree, Lapis again watching the clouds. She'd been doing this all day - walking, then sitting or lying down and watching something - and Amethyst wondered if it was her way of letting off steam.

Lapis pursed her lips, thinking.

“Do you have to?” she replied, “Like, if you love someone, or if you're dating someone, do you have to…?”

“Nah, dude,” shrugged Amethyst, “There's no rules or anything. Took years before Peri was comfortable with it. If you don't wanna, you don't gotta. And I get the feeling you don't wanna.”

Lapis shook her head.

“It just… I don't get it,” she said, “I read ‘novels’ and they say it's really important, and it's what makes love love, but…”

“Well, what do you think it is?” asked Amethyst.

Lapis bit her lip, blushing.

“Uh… dancing?” she replied, “Holding hands? Uh, hugging? Maybe kissing, I guess? Just…”

“Being intimate?”

“Yeah.”

Lapis sighed, looking down at her feet.

“Is that wrong?” she asked.

“Nah, you're probably just ace,” replied Amethyst, “Plenty of people are! Like Peedee, he's a bit ace, I think he calls it grey…”

“Ace?” quizzed Lapis.

“Asexual.” Amethyst smiled. “Means you don't feel sexual attraction.”

“Oh.”

For the first time all day, Lapis managed a small smile. She looked back up at the clouds drifting by.

“I think I like the sound of that.”

“Why did you decide to fight?”

It was evening now, and they were sitting by the sea on the other side of the island. The beach wasn’t actually that different to the one by the barn - it was a different view, certainly, but there was still the same sea breeze, the same smell, the same picturesque, greenish sunset (although the sun now set over the island rather than the sea - that was definitely a downgrade.)

Amethyst looked up from the fire she’d been trying to make for half-an-hour.

“I’m a quartz, Lapis,” shrugged Amethyst, “It just comes to me.”

“So you’ve never even thought of just… hiding?” asked Lapis.

Amethyst opened her mouth, but stopped for a moment - she seemed to ruminate over her next few words.

“Yeah,” she replied, “Once.”

Lapis didn’t say anything, so she continued.

“There was this Carnelian,” she said, “Not the one from the Zoo, a different one - she joined our crew for a while. She was just… so optimistic, so hell-bent on giving Homeworld a kick up the…”

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again they seemed sombre, haunted.

“One time we raided a Homeworld lab,” she said, “It was a stupid idea but I promised a friend I’d look for… something. Anyway, we got seperated and Carnelian got cornered by an Agate and her soldiers. I just… I just remember running to get there and then…”

She took up a handful of sand.

“...dust. Just… red dust,” she said hollowly, “It wasn’t enough for them to shatter her, they had to… grind her into… into fucking sand. Just to make absolutely sure she wouldn’t come back.”

“What did you do to the Agate?” asked Lapis.

Amethyst gazed down at her hands. She opened her fingers, and the sand slowly trickled down to the Earth.

“You never forget the first time you shatter a gem,” she replied.

The air seemed to turn colder, and Lapis resisted the urge to shiver.

“Anyway, me and Peri talked about it. We were gonna take the Avenger, find some planet in the middle of nowhere and just stay there. But, I just remember that… that red dust, and I think…”

She clenched her fists again.

“Nobody should have to go through that,” she finished, “Not if I can help it.”

They said nothing else as the sun set and darkness fell, but Lapis found she didn’t mind. There was a  lot to think about.

The sky was blood red.

Lapis stood on top of a pile of shattered wood by the beach, staring at the twisted remains of a blue ship - the Crystal Avenger. She tasted burning steel and the tang of copper -- blood -- in the air as choking, black ash rained down from the sky.

Slowly and numbly, she stepped towards the wreckage. She could see a glint of green - Peridot! She had to help her, she thought; she had to save her from the strange blight that had fallen upon them.

But as she approached, she saw another small glint, and another, and another…

Shattered.

She fell to her knees, clutching her head. This couldn’t be happening - it just couldn’t! Suddenly she could hear a hideous screaming sound, drilling into her very being. The world around was drained of colour - her vision was filled with white light, and she forced her eyes closed.

“You can't hide forever, Starlight.”

The voice sent a shiver down Lapis’ spine.

She opened her eyes. She was standing in a pure white void, almost so bright as to be painful. In front of her, she could see Stevonnie, sword drawn, looking up at something. Lapis followed their gaze - her eyes widened.

White Diamond towered above them, a serene smile on her face. She almost looked motherly.

“L-leave me alone!” shouted Stevonnie, “I don't want…”

“Oh, but it doesn't matter what we want,” replied White Diamond, “We have a duty. Come home, Starlight - end this silly little game.”

She reached out her titanic hand, aiming to scoop up the fusion.

“No!”

Lapis found herself running, bolting past Stevonnie and standing in front of them, arms outstretched.

“Get away from them!” she bellowed.

White Diamond stared down at her. Fear ran through her being, and her mind scolded her - this is stupid, Lapis, just run, save yourself - but she refused to move.

Suddenly, White Diamond smirked.

“Well,” she said, “Isn't this interesting?”

She extended a long, manicured finger and swiftly lowered it towards Lapis. There was no time to dodge - she closed her eyes and braced…

“Lapis? Dude, you okay?”

Lapis shot up, clutching her head.

She was back on the beach, Amethyst kneeling down next to her. The sea was calm, the sky clear and dotted with stars - everything was normal.

“It was… it was a dream,” she muttered, holding her arms tightly over her chest, worried she might come apart if she let her seams exposed.

“Looked more like a nightmare from here,” said Amethyst.

Lapis shook her head, taking slow, deliberate breaths to calm down.

“I saw White Diamond,” she said, “And Stevonnie, and… and I stood up to her.”

“Cool,” nodded Amethyst.

“Not cool!” exclaimed Lapis, “I think I died!”

“But you stood up for yourself, dude!” replied Amethyst, “You fought for something! Do you get it now?”

“Get it… no! I… I don't…”

Lapis stood up, clenching her fists.

“Stop trying to manipulate me!” she shouted.

“Manipulate you?” Amethyst stood up too. “What do you mean, manipulate you?”

“It's just like at the barn!” growled Lapis, “When you were telling Stevonnie they have to fight, that the Diamonds are gonna find us! You don't know that! You're just trying to get ‘em to…”

“I'm trying?” Amethyst threw her arms out. “Open your eyes, Lapis! They were always gonna fight back. It's who they are! It's who they're made of! Connie was always a fighter, and Steven couldn't stand to see anyone hurt…”

“And you preyed on that!” Lapis shouted, pointing a finger at Amethyst, “You knew that if you just pushed them into…”

“So I nudged them a little,” snapped Amethyst, “It’s still their choice, Lapis, not yours!”

She crossed her arms.

“Why the hell do you care, anyway?” she demanded.

“What do you mean, why do I care?” spluttered Lapis.

“As long as nothing happens to your barn or your island, why do you care what happens to Stevonnie?” Amethyst spat, “I mean, you can always just leave ‘em, right? Like you did to Peridot…”

“Don't you dare…”

“Well, tell me!” thundered Amethyst, “Why does it matter now when it didn't before? What changed? Why do you care so much about…”

“Well maybe I’ve changed! You ever think about that?!” demanded Lapis, “Maybe I don’t wanna be that person anymore! Maybe I’m done hurting people! And maybe I just want to be able to live my life with Stevonnie without someone trying to get them to join some crazy resistance movement…”

“It’s not crazy, Lazuli, it’s the only way-”

“You’re gonna get the one person I love killed!”

There was a long silence, the last cry echoing in the darkness.

Her energy fading, Lapis sat down in the sand, clutching her temples. Slowly, Amethyst sat down too.

“Whoa,” she muttered, “That got pretty heated.”

“Yeah,” sighed Lapis.

Amethyst bit her lip.

“So, uh… love, huh?”

“I… I don't know what this feeling is,” said Lapis at last, “If it's like you and Peridot or if it's just friends or something else, but… but I don't want to live without them, and I just… I can't bear to think of them being killed, and I know that's selfish, but I…”

Amethyst sighed.

“Lapis, that's not selfish at all,” she replied.

Lapis lay back, staring at the stars.

“They're gonna fight, aren't they?” she said wearily, “I can't stop them.”

“Probably,” nodded Amethyst.

Lapis closed her eyes and took another deep, deliberate breath.

“Guess there's only one thing I can do.”

Wearily, Stevonnie paced the barn. The early morning sun was slowly peeking through the door, filling the barn with its faint light green It had been two nights, and there was still no sign of Lapis or Amethyst. Peridot was sitting on the hammock, reading an old magazine - her legs dangled over the side. In the distance, they could see Lenny, C and Z leaving the Crystal Avenger to get back to work on the warp pad.

“Where are they?” Stevonnie muttered to themself, restlessly scanning the horizons for a spot of purple or blue.

“Eh, Amethyst will be back,” replied Peridot, “Give it another couple of days.”

“Does this happen a lot with you guys?” asked Stevonnie, turning to the green gem.

“Well, usually I come along,” shrugged Peridot, “But sometimes Blue Zircon gets lonely and someone has to stay with her to make sure she doesn’t panic and take the ship back to New Earth, and…”

A wooden board creaked, and Stevonnie turned around.

Lapis stood in the doorway, arm behind her back. She smiled nervously.

“I… um… I just wanna say…”

Stevonnie lunged forward, pulling their barnmate into a tight hug.

“Lapis, I’m sorry!” they exclaimed, “I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry!” replied Lapis, “I just left on you, and…”

“Yeah, because I wouldn’t accept…”

“I wouldn’t accept your point of…”

“You can both be sorry, you clods!” Peridot shouted.

Stevonnie stepped back, letting go of Lapis.

“I, uh, if you want me to-” they began.

“No,” replied Lapis, “I… I know I can’t stop you from fighting, and I’ve been thinking, and…”

She took a deep breath.

“I wanna fight with you,” she said, “Just… I don’t want you to do it alone. Is that okay?”

Stevonnie grinned, their eyes watering.

“Lapis,” they replied, “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

As they pulled each other into another hug, Amethyst climbed into the barn and casually strolled up to Peridot.

“Why do other people’s relationships have to be so complicated?” she asked.

“I guess other people lack our perfect emotional and physical compatibility,” shrugged Peridot.

Amethyst tagged on a sly grin, putting an arm over her shoulder.

“I love it when you talk dirty, ‘Dot.”

[thehusbandmen]

Stations of Passion, I.6

The Husbandmen, Stations of Passion. Book One, Chapter Six. [Go to First] [Go to Previous]

Brock led Dinah through a pair of heavy double doors into the main hall of the Gym. She glanced around to gauge the terrain. Cordoned off by white rope, although loose sand dominated most of the fifty yard by hundred yard field, to one side rose a prominence of boulders. At the foot of this sort of artificial cliff, she spotted a particularly muddy patch. A Rock-Type Gym certainly lived up to its hype.

“So you’re totally okay with a one-on-one fight counting as sanctioned?”

Through fingerless elbow-height gloves, her hands trembled.

“More than all right.” He turned back over his shoulder and carded his dark, dusty hair with a grin. “I want to see what you can do. I’ve heard Cos-Trainers have an otherworldly bond with their Pokémon.”

“Yeah...” She crinkled her nose into an anxious smile, hating how often she already was hearing this explanation for her features. But, she owed this misperception to her chance, and she couldn’t let herself discard that so readily.

Each Trainer took took to one end of the field, standing just outside the white boundary. Brock ran a finger along three of the PokéBalls at his waist before plucking up a HeavyBall. He slid a fingertip along the hemisphere line of the metallic grey ball to decompress it to its full size, then depressed the button, and in a massive wash of monochrome light, the blue-cobbled PokéBall produced a towering snake of rocks onto the field. Onix.

Dinah’s ears and head fin flattened to her scalp. It was huge. She expected the Gym Leader to use something especially formidable to make up for relying solely on it in this battle, but an Onix? The thing was nearly ten meters long, and raised up its first third to rear its head about a meter over the heads of either Trainer. It cried out its name, a dry bellow, and circled to size up Dinah.

She realized she hadn’t fulfilled her half of the terms of the battle, and pushed the jacket off her shoulders and onto the ground. No longer confined to the garment, her neck frill stretched almost involuntarily, and she wasn’t sure whether to like how much less claustrophobic she felt now wearing less.

“Your costume is exquisite,” Brock said with a smile. “I presume that your one partner is also your first partner. Onix was my first Pokémon as well. It felt right.”

“Nix!” it beamed, nudging its head near to its Trainer so that he might pet the rough-hewn horn on its head.

“You’d guess right, then. I’ve been with Shelley for many years now.” She followed the same gesture-work as Brock had, releasing Shelley from its common standard red-and-white PokéBall.

‘Woah Nelly--’ Shelley blurted out, staring up at her opponent. ‘I’ve never fought somebody as big as you before.’

‘Don’t think I’ll go easy on you,’ Onix replied, straightening up away from Brock to stare down the Squirtle. ‘An opponent’s size doesn’t measure its abilities.’

“I didn’t catch your name,” the Leader said.

“It’s Dinah.” She shot him a finger-V in greeting, then gave her Pokémon her focus. “Shelley, start us off with a WaterPulse! Aim for the face.”

“Onix! Screech!” Preemptively, Brock shielded both ears.

The Tiny Turtle rushed to the rocky side of the field and took to one of the short boulders, trying to eyeball its trajectory. Onix fired off its attack before Shelley, letting out a nerve-rending shrill burst of sound at the Squirtle. Though aimed at Shelley, Dinah felt it, too, and she broke a cold sweat like she’d heard fifty nails on fifty chalkboards all at once. By the time she’d stopped squinting, Shelley’s WaterPulse--a beam of water packed with alternating frequency-force--had struck the rock snake in the face.

“It connected.” Brock clenched a fist and looked on at his Pokémon, who had become Confused by the attack and was now noticeably off-balance. “Onix, shake it off! It’s just a little water. Focus on the sound of my voice! Kick up a Sandstorm!”

“Aw no. Shelley, Withdraw!”

Dinah rubbed at a temple. That Screech had gone bone deep. Sound attacks had never affected her like this before.

As Onix took the time to process its Trainer’s order, Shelley tucked its tail, limbs, and head into its shell, and sat perfectly still in the sand. Onix laid flat on the ground and wallowed vigorously in the sand, and soon the Gym filled with it. Brock had already fished out a bandanna from his pocket and held it up to his face. Without such a thing, she took off a glove and held the palm of it over her muzzle. Overwhelmed by how equally she was affected by the battle as her Squirtle, a coughing fit beset her.

“Onix! RockThrow!”

‘Geez Dinah. I can’t breathe--’ Shelley Squirt-ed a grunt.

‘I can’t breathe either! I’m sorry! --Protect!’

The terrapin shimmered in a veil of stars. Onix looked around the field, struggling with which rock was meant to be thrown. It ended up headbutting a boulder instead, and it recoiled with a gravelly growl.

Brock stared at Dinah a moment while processing how to proceed.

“Dinah. You can speak Pokémon?”

The Sandstorm buffeted both Squirtle and Vaporeon, the latter of whom flinched.

“I don’t get why everybody just assumes this is a costume!” she exclaimed finally, her sweat accumulating the debris kicked up by the dust storm. “Weirder things have happened, right! This is the Zone we’re talking about!”

“I... wow.” He gestured at her head to toe with his free hand. “I had a feeling there was more to it than just a costume, but I’m speechless. This is... unprecedented. You’re not just exquisite. You’re remarkable.”

"I hope being half-Pokémon doesn’t negate my claim to a Gym Badge,” she fielded, feeling very small, and like she hadn’t been straightforward.

“There’s no rule against it!” Brock took the kerchief from his face to flash a huge grin at her and replace it. “We’re breaking new ground today. Just think! We have to see this battle to completion. Onix! Bind that Squirtle!”

“Shelley!” Dinah barely kept herself from running out onto the terrain to put herself between the two. Combined with the Defense-shattering Screech, a sustained pressure would risk cracking Shelley’s shell. “Shelley, RapidSpin once it grabs you!”

With such a simple, natural order, Onix snapped out of its detached haze and coiled and constricted around the turtle hiding in its own shell. Shelley squeaked out in pain, introducing a long tension. Finally it found its resolve and constitution to build pressure inside its own shell, and the Squirtle quickly outstripped its confinement. Water sprayed out of every opening of its shell, spinning it through the air. The aerodynamic force of the trajectory doubled Shelley back to strike Onix squarely in the horn before landing on one of the rocky ledges to stand again.

‘Shelley, that was incredible!’

The blue turtle Squirt-ed at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Ha! You knew how to counter an entrapment move, and managed to use it offensively! Onix, finish this with Slam!”

“WaterPulse it again, Shelley!”

Shelley jumped down from its ledge and ran frantically to dodge Onix’s tail. The rock snake reared is lower half to bludgeon with it, and it connected, sending Shelley flying off into the sandy half of the terrain. The Squirtle stood after a moment, and coughed, squinting to try to see its opponent from that distance in the dust. It heard Onix coming for another Slam and fired off another WaterPulse from its mouth, this time knocking the Onix back.

Neither Trainer could really see what was going on, and literally had to wait for the dust to settle. Shelley coughed and panted, glaring at a now unconscious Onix. Dinah stared at Brock’s Pokémon in disbelief before she put her glove back on and sprinted across the sand to scoop up her Squirtle with a proud laugh.

“Onix, you did exceptionally. We’ll spend the evening taking it easy, my friend.” Brock held out its HeavyBall to recall it, the serpent’s form becoming red light before returning inside it. He walked across the sandy field to meet Dinah. “I’m impressed by the bond you have with your Pokémon. I guess being a Water-Type definitely gives you an advantage training them.”

“I’ve been with Shelley longer than I’ve been... this. You’re amazing, Shelley.” Dinah patted Shelley on the head, then with the same hand recalled it to its PokéBall as well. She looked to Brock expectantly. “Well... Shelley won, didn’t she?”

“You both did. In spades. Hold your hand out.” He fished in one of the zippered pockets of his puffer vest, and produced an octagonal metallic gem which he placed in her palm. “You earned this Boulder Badge. Every badge you accumulate will help you acclimate better to the Zone, and also make it easier to form and sustain bonds with higher and higher levels of Pokémon.”

Dinah looked it over as he spoke, only to stiffen as she noticed he was looking her over.

“Amazing,” he awed. “Stunning. In every way. I bet you’d win every swimsuit contest.”

Reflexively she WaterGunned him in the face, only to choke on making herself stop when she caught herself.

“I, I’m sorry. I don’t have a good control of it y--”

Rather than take offense, Brock laughed it off and used his kerchief to dry his face.

“No, that was a stress reaction. I overstepped. Sometimes, I can’t heard how the flattery that comes out of my mouth must sound. I suppose that’s proof you don’t just look like a Vaporeon, and have the skills of one as well. --Here, I forgot the other half of your winnings.”

She accepted the satchel of cash, and noted that it sounded and felt like something metallic came inside it as well, but she didn’t investigate. With it in her left hand, she offered a handshake with her right.

“You and your Onix are really tough. Thank you for this opportunity. Being able to take my first step to earning sanction, it means more than you could know.”

“I’m going to be spending the rest of the evening at the Pokémon Center,” he began, connecting the handshake suavely. “I understand if you turn it down, but I would love to have dinner with you. Get the chance to know each other better.”

This time, she felt the water burbling up in her throat, and she turned away while she shoved it down with her right hand over her muzzle.

“I think that’s a bad idea--” She walked back with her head hung and hand still to her mouth, to retrieve her jacket and bag from the challenging end zone.

“--Perhaps. Are you... going to be all right?”

“This battle was the first step to doing all right.” She shot him a tired grin. “I should get going. Thank you for everything.”

“Good luck, Dinah. And thank you for indulging me.”

The Vaporeon gagged on it rather than replying on her way out. Part of her could only chalk up her lack of self-control to how badly the Screech attack had affected her, but the rest of her knew she was just looking for something to blame on her gut reaction to the Gym Leader’s overly personal behavior. She affixed the badge to the high collar of her frock-coat, and her footsteps became lighter, more content.

As she walked off toward the Viridian Forest, confidence and satisfaction replaced all her anxiety and self-consciousness. Brock had been being a creep. And it wasn’t like she hurt him by dousing him in water... Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have this body, or these abilities...

With the sun setting, she didn’t even bother gathering up firewood. She let Shelley out of its PokéBall and sprayed its with an even spray of Potion, then split a nice big can of fish with it. Once night fell, the two found a hollowed out space under a large, old tree, and curled up together to sleep.

[missinghmmingbird]

The Cold Shoulder

Peridot and Lapis's roommate arrangement has thus far been harmless and going well. Peridot certainly saw it that way.

After Lapis returns from a day hanging out with Steven, however, Peridot comes to the realization that among watching silly television shows, they've had yet to do one thing, one important thing: talking.

Words: 4116

Notes: Set not too far after "Alone at Sea" ended. This is... obviously long overdue (we in season 5, everyone!), but bear with me! Also can be found on Ao3 (username is MissytheAngle) and check out here for info about my new ko-fi account 

A lonesome quiet echoed through the barn for most of the day, save for Peridot as she tapped away at her tablet. Then wings flapped through the air. Footsteps padded across the barn, and the silence returned with a vengeance.

Peridot placed her tablet on the ground and glanced down to see her roommate, who had her back turned to Peridot. Lapis Lazuli stared out the door, her skirt caught in the light breeze that sneaked into the bark. Her teardrop gem glistened as the sky crackled with lightning.

"Oh, Lapis!" Peridot jumped up and picked a paper off of the floor. She made her way down to the bottom floor and to the other side of the barn. Lapis stayed ominously still, so Peridot persisted. "I'm glad that you're back. I'm sure your trip with Steven was a nice change of pace."

Lapis stayed quiet. Peridot hesitated, but guessed that Lapis simply failed to hear her. Peridot held the paper up, showing a drawn picture of herself and Lapis sitting together while surrounded by lightning bugs. "I decided to do something a little different while you were gone. You came back much earlier than I expected, so—"

Lapis turned, and Peridot's mouth fell shut. However, rather than look at Peridot or reply, Lapis walked to the hammock strung around wooden supports. She collapsed into it, the hammock swinging lazily side-to-side.

Peridot tilted her head. "Uh... is everything alright?"

Lapis's fingers rubbed through her hair. A lone sigh was her response.

Gulping, Peridot walked to the hammock, staring at Lapis's back. "Well, uh, you see, I was starting to work on this new meep morp of you and I. This is technically my first paper drawing, so I was wondering if—"

"Can you just... leave me alone?" Lapis interrupted in a whisper.

Peridot frowned. "Well, I just noticed a few days earlier that you really liked that one episode of Camp Pining Hearts where Paulette learned that Percy actually makes good paper drawings, despite him being afraid of showing off his talent to the rest of the camp and—"

"I don't need you to tell me what happened. I was there. I saw it," said Lapis.

"Fair point, but I figured since you liked it—"

"Except I didn't. The ending sucked." Lapis spun around, eyebrow slanted. "He just forgave Paulette for taking his art and putting it in the main hall, all because everyone else was impressed. Even though she was being awful and taking what wasn't hers." Her expression softened, although a storm brewed in her eyes. "It shouldn't be that easy."

Peridot stared at her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Lapis didn't say anything for a good, long minute, which told Peridot more than words would. "I'm tired. I'm going to try and fall asleep," Lapis finally said, turning back around.

"I didn't know you sleep."

"Steven talked to me about it a few days ago. When he was sleeping over. It sounded weird—you just stop moving, stop thinking and just aren't here, but... it doesn't sound too bad right now."

Peridot smiled. "Perhaps we can try it together. I always found it to be a waste of time unless gems require the recharge, but I suppose it can't hurt to try."

Lapis let out a sigh. "I... I need to go," she said, standing up.

Oh, stars, not again! Peridot knew where she was going, and hadn't seen her do this for quite some time. Lapis did not run off as often as when they first lived in the barn together. They were doing so much better! And Peridot did not want to go back to those first few days.

"Hey, wait!" Her arms reached out, just barely ghosting over Lapis's arm.

Lapis whipped around, her lips curled back. "Don't touch me," she said, her voice cracking.

Peridot stepped back. They stood there, staring at one another in a contest to see who would break the silence first. Lightning cracked from outside, and the rain pounded on the barn roof. Finally, Lapis turned her head with a sigh, her hair shielding her expression. "You could make this easier for me."

"What? I'm just trying to be a good roommate!" Peridot said, shocked.

"It'd be better for both of us if you didn't."

Peridot grimaced, frustration creeping in and threatening to replace any leftover patience she had for Lapis Lazuli. "Or maybe you could start trying more! I'm trying to be nice and friendly—how roommates should be—and you're being... weird again!"

"Weird?" Lapis asked, sounding offended.

Peridot flinched, catching her words too late. "I just... I just liked when we started hanging out more. You know, like friends."

Lapis said nothing.

"I thought we were making progress in our friendship," said Peridot, shaking her head. "We spent that one night looking at those light bugs. You said it was nice. Were you lying?"

Peridot waited for a response. She again received none in return, with Lapis just tilting her head down.

"Were you?" Peridot repeated, her tone lowering.

"No, I wasn't!" Lapis snapped, yet her voice was still fragile. "Geez, can you just let it go?"

"Then can you at least talk to me?" Peridot stepped closer without realizing. "I mean, did I do something wrong?"

"You don't understand," Lapis muttered under her breath. Her hands tightened into tense fists.

"Haven't I proven that I'm better than the last time we met? That I'm not the bad guy here?" Peridot gestured to herself, leaning close to the hammock and seeing Lapis's vulnerable expression, the tired look in her eyes. "What more could I possibly do to show that?"

"Just... stop," said Lapis, teeth showing. "Please."

"If something's upsetting you, you can tell me. It can't be that bad, ri—" Slowly, Peridot again reached out, her hand brushing over Lapis's arm.

Lapis's entire body tensed, then shuddered. Her expression turned blank, only to rapidly shift into something terrified and desperate. "Don't do that! Just... don't!" She ripped her arm from Peridot's grasp. She stammered before screaming, "Just do yourself a favor and go away!"

Lapis threw her arms to her sides. The rain just outside the doorway skidded to a stop and stormed into the room, like an army at Lapis's command. Peridot looked over and yelped. She froze in place, but raindrops missed her by a few inches. Together, the raindrops made a dent against the weak barn walls and sloshed onto the floor. The large amount of water just barely touched Peridot's feet.

Peridot's hands balled up, and her posture straightened as she whirled back. "Are you trying to hurt me on purpose or something? What the heck was that for?!" she yelled, agitated and unable to hold back the panic that ran through her body. "What is wrong with you?"

Lapis's hardened expression melted into shock as she stared down at her hands. The exhaustion in her eyes was more visible. No longer on edge, Peridot noticed the way Lapis looked down at herself, now that she wasn't focused on Peridot.

Peridot's fingers uncurled. "Uh, Lapis?"

Lapis's eyes darted to Peridot, and she looked panic-stricken. Lapis stepped out fully from the hammock, letting it stand between them. It swayed violently, and the longer they stood there, it began to slow down to a mere creak. Lapis stepped away with light steps padding across the floor. It still sounded so loud as they stood there, both unable to speak up first.

"Lapis!" Peridot shouted, as if yelling would catch Lapis's attention, which was clearly elsewhere. "Look, we just need to talk about this! That's how this should work."

Shutting her eyes, Lapis let out what sounded like a pain-filled grunt. Her grand water wings spread out from within her gem, and she slipped through the door and into the dark sky.

"Wait, wait!" Peridot stuttered and ran out of the barn, her crumpled drawing slipping from her fingers.

Once outside, she searched around the barn, shielding her eyes from the rain, which had lessened. The sky was darker—it was nighttime already. She even checked the tip of the silo in the distance. No one was there. Peridot began to panic. Had Lapis just run off, far away where the gems couldn't find her? Peridot kicked the ground, grumbling to herself in disappointment.  

Even if yelling at Lapis did feel like stress had been lifted off of her shoulders, Peridot did not want it to go like that.

Then she walked around the barn and looked up. Lapis sat at the edge of the roof, her head dipped down and drenched.

Peridot hesitated, wondering if leaving Lapis alone would be best. Some nights Lapis would sit around the barn, only to escape to the tip of the silo to escape company. Despite some nights where Peridot called out for Lapis, she would otherwise let the powerful gem be.

The roof of the barn, however, was a first. And seeing Lapis looking so distressed as rain cascaded down on them made Peridot's decision clear.

Peridot found a nearby trash can and pulled the lid off. Standing on the metal lid, she elevated herself to the roof of the barn, albeit shakily. She sputtered whilst struggling to keep her balance, until she reached the top and jumped off with relief.

"Stupid clodding metal powers!" Peridot hissed through her teeth as she clung to the hinges for dear life. She grunted and kicked her feet in a struggling to fully sit on the roof.

Lapis barely acknowledged Peridot's presence. Her hair moved slightly through the cold air as her empty gaze looked down at Peridot.

Once Peridot gained her footing, she stood up, dusting herself off, and peered down at Lapis. "Uh, hi."

"... Hi."

"To be honest, I just wanted to show you my new paper drawing. I didn't realize it would upset you that much."

"Of course you didn't," said Lapis, not meeting Peridot's gaze. Her hands were balled into fists, pressed into her skirt. She let out a hollow laugh. "Peridots are supposed to be smart, yet everything seems to fly over your head."

Peridot's eye twitched. “Maybe I could better understand you if you told me why I upset you. You know, as opposed to running away all the time.” She crossed her arms.

Lapis buried her face into her knees. “Grr, why won’t you just leave me alone?” she asked with a hint of upset breaking her voice. “Especially after what just happened.”

"It’s just that, you know, I understand that talking about problems helps improve one’s mood.”

“No, it won’t,” said Lapis with unwavering conviction.

“It couldn’t hurt to try.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

Peridot looked at her feet, trying to think of what to say next. Nothing came. Her voice was lost. Lapis did not further acknowledge her; she simply sat there, burying herself in her arms.

So Peridot sat down at the edge beside her, inching herself away just a bit when Lapis startled. Peridot’s feet dangled from the edge, and she looked down at the distance between herself and the ground. For a moment, Peridot waited for Lapis to surprise her by saying that she did want to talk, that she was only holding back for... some reason, and make this all easier for Peridot.

Peridot waited and looked up at the sky. The clouds were beginning to separate, revealing stars behind the gray curtains.

When an idea struck, her face lit up and her eyes shifted back to Lapis. “Are you familiar with constellations?"

Nothing.

“Well,” Peridot said, “if I remember correctly, humans give constellations names based off of these beings who they say could exist but really don’t. It’s weird, but actually fairly fascinating. I have yet to actually find out all about them, so I decided to make up my own. I can introduce you to some, if you’d like.”

Again, Lapis was quiet. Peridot groaned, shoulders sulking, and she closed her mouth.

Minutes passed. The silence was painful and drove Peridot mad. The way Lapis balled herself up confused her; Lapis was hanging out with Steven, someone whom Lapis liked over just about everyone else. Peridot expected Lapis to return a bit more cheerful, possibly enough to join her in watching another episode of Camp Pining Hearts.

Questions roamed through her head, and she wasn’t getting answers!

When one question came out of her mouth at last, however, her desperation faltered. “What… happened?”

“Why do you even care?” Lapis’s voice was sharp, much like the glare she gave Peridot.

“Because we’re roommates!” Peridot exclaimed. “We should be able to get along, talk about things. We’ve been getting along great the past few weeks! But now…” Peridot’s face fell. “It’s like it wasn’t important. You seem… different.” After a moment to think, she relented on expressing a lingering thought. “And you almost attacked me. There has to be something wrong, and I can’t really just forget that.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” Lapis replied, and Peridot only noticed now that her body was shaking. “I really didn’t.”

“Well, I believe you, but I don’t want to just… ignore this!” Peridot said.

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me.”

“It is to me!”

She recalled all those nights where Lapis escaped to the silo, leaving Peridot to herself. Those were the first few nights they roomed together, where Peridot felt like she did not have a roommate at all. Days later, Peridot had tried to talk to Lapis, and it almost worked, with Lapis continuing the conversation. But more often than not, as if Peridot said the wrong thing, Lapis would shut down and followed with the same cycle of hiding away. Somewhere along the way, those days and nights occurred less and less.

“I’ve done some awful things,” said Lapis, with a warning gaze directed toward her roommate. “You really don’t want to know.”

Peridot thought over this for a moment, and shrugged. “Considering I’ve tried to capture and destroy the Crystal Gems multiple times, trust me, it’s just something you come to accept. Now I don’t do that anymore! Now look at me! I’m now part of the team I was trying to destroy.” She jumped up with a new surge of excitement sparking through her body.

“You have no idea.”

“Try me.” Peridot smirk.

Lapis cringed. “Seriously. I’d rather not.”

“Uh… please?” Peridot asked hesitantly, struggling to manage with the right tone. Something about Lapis’s narrowed eyebrows told her she failed, which caused her to groan. “How bad can it be?”

“Gah, no, you just don’t get it.”

“What don’t I get?”

Lapis’s reply was barely above a murmur, something Peridot could not decipher.

“Um… what was that?”

“I’m tired of hurting people!”

Peridot recoiled. She struggled to say anything at first, with something caught in her throat.  “What?” she said.

“I’m so tired of it. And the worst part is…” Lapis let the sentence trail, her fingers stroking one side of her face. “Did Steven ever tell you about… about Malachite?”

“Well...” Peridot stumbled with her words. As she recalled the basics of what Steven told her about, the more of what Lapis said sank in, and she avoided Lapis’s gaze. “He said you trapped Jasper in a fusion.”

Lapis nodded, a slow and tired nod. “I did, and it was awful. It lasted for so long, because I-I didn’t want to let go. When trapping Jasper, I didn’t realize what it would do to me. I felt terrible for what I did; I hated her, I hated me, I hated us.” Her voice trembled, clutching her head. “And it… it was too much. I regret every second I made both of us miserable.”

Peridot just nodded, her mouth dry and unable to form words. An unsettling feeling descended through her body.  

“But I liked it.” A dark shadow fell over Lapis’s face as she peered down at her hands. They curled, just a little, before becoming two aggressive fists. “I… liked having control and no longer feeling like some sort of prisoner.” She stuttered at ‘prisoner,’ like it brought back nightmarish visions. “I just needed to feel like I had some control in my own life, after so long of feeling trapped and alone. E-even if it meant bringing others down with me.”

Peridot’s face fell. Lapis’s voice was drenched in a flurry of emotions—not one prevailed. Peridot looked away, unsure in how to respond. It was probably for the best, because Lapis continued.

“I even almost hurt Steven once!” Lapis laughed bitterly, which caused Peridot to lean back. “Did he ever tell you that? He and the others, they were trying to… trying to stop me from going back h-home! To Homeworld! I stole the entire ocean because I had no other choice. I fought them all, and could’ve won, too.

“And you know what he did? What he did after all I did to him and his friends?” She turned to Peridot. Her eyes, wide and wild, were washed over with stress. “He helped me! He helped me get back to Homeworld! After everything I did.” She sounded... angry, but Peridot wasn't sure who it was directed at.

“That’s because he wanted to,” Peridot added, not needing to know the details of what happened to know why Steven helped her. However, she couldn’t hide the shudder that crawled up her form. “That’s just Steven being Steven. If he could forgive me for constantly trying to defeat him and the Crystal Gems, then I’m certain he’d be willing to help you in your situation.”

Lapis smiled briefly, a small light in the grayness of the sky. “I know.” She paused, and it faded. She bowed her head back down, and her tone quieted as she finished, “Everyone I let someone get close to me… gyuh, they only get hurt in the end—by me!” Lapis emphasized this by poking a finger directly against her chest. Her hand fell, anger simmering as she added, “Even you.”

“That? That was an accident… wasn’t it?” Peridot asked.

“Yes!” Lapis cried out with desperation that only made Peridot even more uncertain.

“You don’t want to hurt me, do you?” Peridot asked, fighting to hold back the fear gripping at her, the part of her that worried if this was true or not. The realization that she knew very little of her roommate smacked her right in the stomach only now.

Lapis said nothing for a second, but because of that, it was as if the second lasted forever. Peridot placed her hands on her chest. Then, to Peridot’s relief, Lapis shook her head, quick but nonetheless a reply.

“Then that’s good!” Peridot replied, forcing a small smile. “We can start from there.”

“Good? What if I do something… awful? What if I actually hit you with that water, just because you were being annoying,” Lapis said. She sighed, digging her fingers into her bangs. “I didn’t want to… but I couldn’t help it. I really am just awful.”

“If you were awful, you wouldn’t feel that way. That has to mean something.” The tension in Peridot’s body began to lessen.

Lapis looked away, eyes lost elsewhere. “I feel like if I could start everything over, knowing what I know now, I’d do it all right this time.” She paused, a hand on her chin as if pondering. “But other times, I think…” She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t.”

Peridot blinked.

“I wouldn’t hurt anyone, or I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, but I know I’d still do it again. Part of me knows that. I wish I could forget it, all of it, but I can’t. It’ll always be part of me. If I could end this terrible cycle—” For the first time that night, she looked at Peridot, truly looked at her with a genuine gaze, “I would, but I don’t know how.”

Peridot turned her head, staring down at the ground feet below. “Did… you ever tell Steven this?”

Lapis shook her head. “I couldn’t… well, I tried. But I don’t think he believed I would do any of the things I did. I broke his dad’s leg, I tried to steal the ocean, what I did to Jasper—but he still believes in me.” She played with her hands. “I don’t think he realizes what I’m capable of. I want to tell him that, but… that’ll only disappoint him. I can’t disappoint Steven.” She gave a smile that did not seem sincere or warm, but rather sad. “He’s the one good thing about this place.”

“Hey, I’m here too!” Peridot said without thinking over her words.

Lapis glared at her.

“But it’s true! You don’t have to be alone with all of… this.” Unable to clarify what she meant, she waved her arms vaguely toward Lapis. “At least Steven is there for you, and hey, so can I.”

“I don’t want someone to just be there for me!” Lapis shouted, throwing her arms out. Peridot jumped back, making Lapis lower her arms with dark glint in her eyes. “I don’t know what I want. I guess… I guess I want to be better.”

The air was cold, and the night was so dark now. Peridot wrapped her arms around herself.

“But I don’t know how,” Lapis repeated, eyes watching over the near full moon hovering above them. It shone over the both of them with a pale glow.   

Peridot was stunned into silence for a whole minute, one where she tried to find the right words as she scrambled through her mind. Stars, her mind was still scrambling just to take in what Lapis said. Part of her wanted to run away, but another side of her knew that that was just… wrong. She looked down at the balled up gem sitting atop the barn roof beside her.

Small comforting words came to mind, but they were too weak and meant nothing. “It’s okay” “It’ll be okay” “everything’s fine.” They were nice, certainly, but were any true? No, no, and she refused to lie or sugarcoat. That just wasn’t Peridot.

With a gulp, she said, “I want to believe in you.”

Lapis’s head spun around to look up at Peridot. “Believe in me? What, are you crazy?”

“Not as crazy as Steven, I suppose.”

Lapis scoffed. “You’re joking, right?”

“Somewhat, but what I’m saying is still not entirely wrong.”

“I…” The crazed look in Lapis’s eyes calmed. She looked exhausted, but also weary. She grimaced. “Why? Why would you trust me?”

“I want to,” Peridot corrected, hands held close to her chest. “Which is different. If we want to make this whole roommate thing work, then we have to settle some things. Perhaps open up to each other more! And be more honest.” She hesitated. “Aaaand perhaps not try to hurt one another, too.” She forced an awkward, hopefully amusing grin.

Lapis stared, observant eyes watching over Peridot. Then her gaze fell at Peridot’s feet but also at nothing. Her eyebrows knitted down. “That’s not exactly easy. You know that, right?”  

“Then we’ll work on it.” Peridot shrugged. “Like us trying to live in this barn together. We can work on this together.” She gestured between the two of them. “We need to better understand one another to actually live together, given the circumstances.”

“You really think that’s a good idea?”

“Probably one of my better ones,” Peridot said, smirking.

Lapis blinked. Slowly, her head dipped to look at her hands. They curled up but then relaxed. She brushed her fingers against her skirt.

“Okay.” She looked back at Peridot. “I’ll try.”

Peridot nodded.

They sat there for a few moments, which passed and turned into a full minute of silence. Peridot awkwardly looked around, wondering if there was something to do afterward. Did they hug, or… no, something told Peridot that the last thing Lapis wanted was physical contact.

Lapis stared at her, but said nothing.

Peridot gave her an awkward smile. “I, um, I’ll just leave you be, then.” She spun around to elevate back to the ground.

Before she could reach the other side of the barn, a gentle voice stopped her.

“Hey.”

Peridot turned around. Lapis brushed her fingers through her bangs, which partly shielding her eyes. “Look. Can you at least stay here?” she asked, her gaze averting from Peridot. “Maybe you can tell me about those constellations you mentioned.”

“Umm… yeah.”

Peridot sat down again, her feet kicking midair. Lapis didn’t say anything, but Peridot swore that she saw a tiny smile at the edge of her lips.  A sincere smile that lit up Lapis’s face. Peridot smiled lightly, point up at the stars.

[imfrozentrash]

Frozen Two-Shot: “The Perfect Arendelle” Part Two

Author’s Note: Mystery and suspense. Did you miss part one? Click here!

Hans can’t take it anymore; he needs to leave Arendelle. But something inside him says otherwise. He needs to get to the bottom of it. The people, the kingdom, the Queen; why is everyone so overly happy? Almost like fate ran into him, someone else is determined to figure out Arandelle’s “perfect” secrets. 

“Come on Sitron! We’re getting out of here,” I catch my breath only for a second before I dismount my horse. I quickly hoist myself up, gripping onto his reigns. “Go, boy! Go!” By my command, he started to gallop of out the stables, through the courtyard and out of the place.

“Did she just… conjure up a Winter? Inside the ballroom?” I ask to myself somehow hoping talking out loud would make sense to all of this. “Queen Elsa of Arendelle… How long has this been going on?” I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but Father was right. Arednelle has changed. As if on cue, the temperature dropped instantly and snowflakes started to fall. “What the hell is going on-?!”

“Ah!” Too distracted by my thoughts, I didn’t look where I was going and ran into someone. If it weren’t for the boat on the dock, the poor woman would have fallen in the water.

“Quick, Sitron!” With ease, my horse slammed his hoof on the boat, balancing it on the edge of the dock. “I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?” I ask with worry at the poor maiden. 

“Not really,” she groans, slightly sitting up from the sudden fall.

“Sorry,” I apologize, in embarrassment. I mount down and quickly go for her assistance. “I wasn’t exactly looking where I was going,”

“Yeah obviously,” she dismisses my hand and stands on her own, dusting off her gown. “Why are you in such a rush anyway?”

“I need-“ I bite back my tongue, thinking about my next move. Should I really trust anybody here? So far, with everything that’s been happening, I should be on my own.

“Hey!” I blink out of my thoughts when she snaps her fingers in front of my face. “You still with me here? Geez, I swear everyone here is nuts,”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?” I mask on my true intentions, keeping on my toes.

“Have you seen everyone around here? There’s too much happy going on, its really freaking me out!” She shivers at the thought. “Since when does everyone decide to be overly happy? It just doesn’t make sense,”

“So, you think something is going on around here?”

“I know something is going on here. I’ve been here for a while and I’m just starting to figure it out,” I stare in awe, finally finding someone in this kingdom just as sane as myself. “And by the looks of it, you don’t seem to be under Queen Elsa’s spell,”

“Her spell?”

The young maiden looks around, checking for any bystanders. But by the looks of it, the entire kingdom somehow is able to fit in the castle that Arendelle looks completely empty; like an abandoned wasteland that was forgotten.

“Follow me,” she moves past and walks off the dock. “We need to get out of the public,” a little confused, I look around at the empty town, I grab a hold onto my horse and follow her suit.

“The name’s Anna by the way,” she introduces herself without turning to face me.

“Anna?” I ask, familiar by the name. Isn’t she…

“And you can forget to worry about me having any relation to that damn Ice Queen. We’re anything but related to one another,” despite the sudden Winter in the middle of Summer, I feel really cold being around this woman.

“I-I’m Hans,” But somehow, I trust her. Definitely more than the crazy people here.

Anna leads me to a hideout on the outskirts of town into the woods. It’s a small cabin that looks welcoming yet isolated from everything else in Arendelle.

“You can mount your horse here in front. I’ll meet you inside, okay? There’s a lot I need to explain,” she disappears inside and I stand there for a moment, thinking to myself.

“What have I gotten ourselves into, boy?” I sigh, tying him to the front porch.

Promise me one thing, come back home.

Suddenly, a new feeling of determination fills me. I tie Sitron securely, give him a firm pat on the back, and march inside. I am greeted by Anna dressed in comfy dress pants, a button up, and boots. She carries in what seems months of documents and work in her fragile arms and slams them on the coffee table.

“Go ahead and help yourself to some food, something to drink, or whatever,” she focuses on organizing her work while she waves nonchalantly towards the small kitchen. I chuckle at the different type of hospitality, but nonetheless, still hospitality. I walk over to the kitchen and just pour two glasses of water.

“So what exactly is going on here?” I ask as I walk over and take a seat next to Anna.

“You have to leave this place as soon as possible,”

“Wait, what?”

“Okay,” Anna sighs. “I should start from the beginning. Long story short, Elsa… She wasn’t always like this. Arendelle, this place I used to call home, isn’t home anymore. Ever since my parents died,” I stay patient and quiet, respecting her mourning. “Elsa completely lost it. And before we all knew it, she had ice powers. It wasn’t until the night of her coronation day that she discovered what she was capable of. Ever since she just couldn’t control herself. Elsa decided to use her powers only for herself; she figured how to control others wither powers.

She puts on this performance every year… It's like mind control, I’ve never seen anything like it. People all over come here and celebrate her coronation day but never go back home. Arendelle is in a deep famine of not just food, but of everything! We’re low on supplies, housing… It’s the worst! And we’ve lost all connection to other trading kingdoms because they all live here now!” Anna seems to have held all this frustration in for so long, I just sit and listen.

“But why do you think she wants all these people here?”

“I guess… Ever since our parents died, she felt really lonely. I wasn’t enough for her; she wanted this place to be home and fill it with a bunch of people. Elsa’s powers have gotten to her head. We need to put an end to it,”

“But she’s your sister,”

Anna glares at me, revealing a dark emptiness deep inside. “Not anymore Hans,” Heh, why does this all sound so familiar?

“That’s why we need to get out of here,” Anna stands, gulping down the water and rushes to her room. She comes back with some luggage. “We need to warn others and bring them to Arendelle. She’s a lost cause and needs to be stopped,”

I sat there for a second, taking it all in. And here I was looking to court a princess. I gulp down the water and sigh with sudden tiredness.

“My home kingdom isn’t that far from here; The Southern Isles? Have you heard of it before?”

Anna taps her chin for a moment. “No, not really,”

“Yeah, I thought so,” I sigh with a bit of defeat but not high expectations. “We’re not that widely known as Arendelle,” I chuckle dryly.

“Hey,” Anna smiles softly. “Maybe after you help me, I could help put The Southern Isles on the map,” I look up at her in wonder and scoff at the thought. “I’m serious,” she laughs as she squares her arms on her hips. “I assume you came here to join our kingdoms together, right?” Anna smirks when I feel a sudden heat creep to my cheeks.

“Um…”

“You’re so easy to read,” Anna laughs playfully. “We’ll see how it turns out. Maybe we’ll both get something out of it in the end,” she shrugs with a sarcastic yet optimistic tone.

“You know, for a princess, you definitely don’t act like one,” I smirk back at her coyness.

“Hmpf,” Anna smirks. “Thank you,” she turns her heels and walks to her room. “Make yourself at home but you get the couch. We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” she calls from over her shoulder and closes the door.

Come back home.

“Don’t worry Mother,” I say to myself as I kick off my boots. I lay down and get comfortable on the sofa. “I will,”

I was woken up by a loud pounding at the door, I fell out of my sleep with a thud. I look up, hair in disarray, trying to calm my anxiety. I snap my head to Anna’s room but the door is open and she’s not storming out here.

“Um… Anna? I think we may have some company,” I harshly whisper as the pounding got louder. I quickly fix my hair and stand tall. I go through Anna’s luggage and find a dagger protected by its sheath. I pull it out carefully and, with caution, approach the impatient person (or people) just outside the cabin. With a deep inhale, I grip the knob and open the door with a loud yell, dagger in the air.

“Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down, it's me!” Anna shields herself. “Relax, I was just getting some rope for the trip,” I look down at the bundle of rope sashed around her shoulder. I sigh in relief and lower the weapon.

“Don’t scare me like that,” I toss the weapon to the side and turn to go back in. The sudden fog stops me in my tracks. 

“Boo,”

Then, it goes black.

I wake up to a bad headache, almost - just almost - as bad as the ones I get from a fight with my brothers. I slowly sit up and adjust myself to my new environment; cold, hard, and quiet. “Am I… Am I in a cell?”

“Where else would you be?” I stand up quickly by the sound and there she stands; Queen Elsa on the other side my prison bars. “Hello Prince Hans,” she smiles.

“What did you do with Anna?” I demand, stepping out of the dark.

“Oh, you’re worried about my sister? Isn’t that cute?” She cocks her head to the side. “It’s a shame, really. I didn’t want any disturbances during my coronation holiday. But yet again, The Southern Isles decides to mess it all up!” I wince at the sharp pain in the body as she conjures a brief yet strong enough Winter breeze to bring me down to my feet.

“What are you talking about?”

“Let’s just say that you weren’t the first of your kind to come here and try to ruin my perfect kingdom,” unsure if it was from the burning cold or what, but my heart seemed to freeze. “And we’ll be sure that you’re the last,”

“We?”

I hear a click of heels down the dungeon halls, growing louder as it gets near. I stare in disbelief and confusion. “Anna?”

“Such an obedient little sister,” Elsa smirks, hugging Anna’s arm. “Thank you for looking out for him while I was busy with our people. Poor thing was long gone when Mother and Father died,” for a moment, she actually sounded genuine about their death. “But now, she no longer has to worry about that, don’t you Anna?” Elsa waves her hands through the air around her and sprinkles Anna with a small snowfall. Anna sighs in pleasure, closing her eyes and taking in her sister’s magic. I shrink back a bit in disgust and even more confusion. 

“Yes Elsa,” Anna smiles brightly. “Arendelle is home,”

“You won’t get away with this!” I yell in frustration. “Don’t you see, this isn’t a perfect kingdom if your people aren’t genuine! They’re all your little robots waiting to be commanded; they’re blinded from your powers that they all forgot who they are. Families are still waiting for their return or they just lost hope after all these years of being gone. You need to set them free! Everyone here is captive and prisoner! What kind of kingdom is that?!”

“The kind that I get to finally control after years of being isolated and ignored!” Elsa roars. I step back as her emotions get the best of her; a small but growing snowstorm builds bellow her. The walls have grown colder and coats in layers of ice, turning dark red instead of a crimson blue. “I’ve been alone for so long and I’m not going to let some little prince take it all away from me!”

I scream as Elsa’s magic strikes me. I yell in agony, falling to the floor helplessly. What is this?! I look down at my hands as they slowly turn white. The pain is so bad I don’t feel anything anymore. I look up and see a furious, hungry, and seductive Ice Queen.

“What did you do to me?!”

“What I did to everyone else around here; I froze your heart,” she smirks. “You’ll die soon enough. But don’t worry, you’ll come back; reborn. A brand new addition to the family,” Elsa snaps the prison bars in her hands and struts forward. I try to crawl away but her heels stab my calf, making me cry in pain.

“I’ll make sure you’ll never leave,” Elsa grits her teeth in annoyance as I try to shake away her surprising strength. “Arendelle is home, Hans.” She caresses my face in her touch and I suddenly can’t move. I’m lost in her gaze; wanting - craving - to be touched again.

“Elsa,” I sigh hopelessly.

“Our home is your home,” she whispers causing my body to shiver. I wine as my Queen steps back, leaving me alone to myself. But her smile, her beautiful smile, gives me so much hope. “I’ll come back for you my prince,” Anna holds out her arm and the two sisters strut out of the dungeon, slamming the cell door behind them.

“Elsa, come back,” I tiredly plead reaching out for a touch. “Please,”

Come back home.

“What?”

Come back home. My son, please. Come back home.

I gasp, probably the last of my breath, and cry. I hold myself, shivering vigorously, and sob on the cold prison floor. Mother… I look up and see the prison window. Outside is nothing but white; a blanket of cold and lifeless white. I’ve failed everyone. I’m never going to see my family again. Those damn brothers, such bastards! I’m never going to prove myself to those idiots.

“Mother…” I shiver, feeling the ice consume the entire lower half of my body, quickly up to my neck.

Come back home.

“I’m so sorry,”

“Welcome to Arendelle!”

“Oh, thank you, sir. We’re happy to celebrate Queen Elsa’s coronation,”

“Arendelle is home. Our home is your home. Please, come join us inside,” Anna steps out to the courtyard and hugs my arm. I look down at her happily as we both kiss each other sweetly.

“Elsa wants to see us before the event, sweetheart. Won’t you come join me?” Anna smiles sweetly.

“Of course, anything for-“

“HANS!” I turn my attention forward as a party of people come rushing into the gates; twelve of them to be exact. I look down at Anna in confusion and she smiles brightly, reminding me what to do for the new guests. Then, I follow suit.

“Hello! Welcome to Arendelle, where our home is your home! Please, come join us inside,”

Thank you so much for reading! This is probably my favorite series up to date, I really liked how it all turned out in the end. I hope you did too!

I also have an archive of Frozen Fanfiction. If you want to check it out, here it is! imfrozentrash’s fanfiction archive ♡

[rrrawrf-writes]

stuff i wrote at work 8.1

“Well, that’s a shame.” Eli squinted through the binoculars at the beautiful brindled dog padding inside the chain-link fence; she was followed by a lean figure in digitized camouflage, hefting a rifle. “Hey, MC, you recognize that dog?”

He passed the binoculars to Sam as Mickey spluttered over the earpiece. “Are you serious? It’s that mutt?”

“Ha, I know. Small world, huh?”

“Wait,” Sam interrupted, “these guys are US military.”

“Yup.”

“We’re going up against MUGD?”

“Yeah.”

Sam gave Eli a look of disbelief. “That’s - That’s insane. Isn’t this treason?”

Eli reached over to give Sam a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Not really, because this place isn’t supposed to exist, so we won’t get in trouble for busting in.”

“Of course,” rumbled Hertz over the shared channel, “that means they can torture, kill, and dump our bodies in the middle of the desert without anyone know, and they won’t get in trouble, either.”

Eli sighed at the look on Sam’s face. “You’re not helping, boss,” he said to the empty night air in front of him. He quietly worked a rock from where it dug into his belly; he and Sam both lay stomach-down on a ridge above the unmarked military encampment.

“Quit yammering,” Hertz replied. “You recognize that dog?”

“Yes, sir.” Eli wished he hadn’t; the dog’s owner had seemed nice enough, even if his puppy had kept trying to chew Eli’s arm off. “Belongs to Rhiot Archer, a MUGD soldier. We only met once, spent some time in a holding cell together. Nice kid, but he kinda falls apart without his dog. Ha, get this, he bit a cop because the guy kicked his dog, can you believe that?”

Hertz, not at all interested, asked, “Power?”

“We don’t know, sir,” Mickey chimed in. “I looked him up afterwards, but all his records are sealed up extra tight, even for being mugged. There wasn’t any reason to look further.”

“Hmm. All right, then.” Hertz fell silent, and Eli shifted. He felt a little bad for what was about to happen to Rhiot. The poor kid probably didn’t even have any idea of what he was guarding out here.

Rocks and grit crunched underneath Eli’s body as he tried to get comfortable; dust was working its way into every inch of his clothing. The silence stretched out for so long that Eli and Sam both startled when Scopes’ voice crackled into their earpieces.

“All scouted out,” she reported. “Only a dozen soldiers in the whole place - the rest of ‘em are on patrol, I think. Four walking the perimeter, not including the dog. Target is in the center building, in the basement. Two guards with him. Three more in the break room, the last three are watching the gates.”

“Sounds like a piece of cake,” Hertz said. “Plan stays the same. Move out.”

To Eli’s mingled delight and consternation, he and Sam were assigned the south side of the base, where Rhiot and his dog patrolled the fence. He hoisted Sam up on his shoulders, while his teammate clipped away coils of barbed wire. Sam dropped them on Eli’s head before scrambling over the top of the fence.

Sighing, Eli followed suit. He still straddled the top of the fence when he heard a snarl and a pained shout.

The moment Sam had dropped to the ground, Rhiot’s dog had barreled out of the darkness. It latched onto Sam’s arm and dragged him to the ground in seconds. Eli awkwardly tumbled off the fence, aiming for the side so that he would crush the dog - and Sam, he supposed.

“Montoya!” Sam’s voice was strangled and pained as he tried to shove the dog off with his free hand.

“Right, I’m coming, hold on.” Eli brushed one of the studs in his ears as he climbed to his feet; the sheen of titanium swept over his skin. Eli felt pounds heavier, but he was careful as he wrapped his arms around the dog’s middle.

“Aw, c’mon, girl,” Eli crooned, wishing he could remember the dog’s name. She still had her fangs set deep into Sam’s arm; blood and slobber welled up around her mouth. Carefully, he worked his metal hand into her mouth, until Sam could finally wrench his arm free.

“-----, that hurts,” Sam hissed. He scrambled to his feet; before he had even steadied himself against the fence, the bleeding had slowed to a trickle. The dog went slack in Eli’s arms, her legs dangling off the ground and her dark eyes fixed on Sam’s arm as the red bite wounds healed over. A second later, bullets slammed into Eli and Sam both.

Eli dropped the dog in surprise; she disappeared into the shadows. Sam wasted no time in ducking behind Eli, using the larger man as a shield from the gunfire.

“Guess they found you,” Hertz muttered dryly, his voice crackly over the earpiece. Eli didn’t have a chance to answer - a crack! of electricity hit the fence behind him.

“K!” Sam snarled, while Eli wondered why she was even on this side of the base - Kawai was supposed to be with Hertz on the opposite end of the compound. He realized a moment later that it wasn’t Kawai at all.

Eli and Sam had been chosen to run interference; out of the team, they were the most indestructible. Sam wasn’t fond of being a bullet magnet, but Hertz was in charge, and didn’t much care to think of his teammembers as anything other than tools.

So Sam and Eli had resigned themselves to being shot at all night, until Hertz and Kawai broke out the prisoner. No one had said anything about a soldier with electricity powers.

Both MUGD soldiers carried rifles, but only Rhiot was actually using his, aiming right at Eli. The dog crouched at Rhiot’s feet while his friend - short, but stocky - approached them from the side. Crackles of electricity ran around his hands and feet, sparking across his shoulders.

“You get Zappy,” Eli decided.

“What?” Sam said. “No, I don’t want -”

“Too late.” Eli was already dashing for Rhiot. Sam swore and started to follow after, but Zappy, eager to prevent his teammate from being outnumbered, intercepted him.

Rhiot fired off several more rounds, but they left nothing more than deep bruises against Eli’s skin. Just before he could get close enough to grapple with Rhiot, the dog darted right in front of Eli. Too late, he saw the glint of moonlight on a metal chain stretched out between the dog and the fence, right at knee-height.

Eli plowed face-first into the ground. A high-pitched yelp came from the dog as Eli’s momentum jerked her forward. He started to get back to his feet, or tried to - the dog jumped over his back, trailing the chain, and only tangled him up further.

He had no idea where Sam and the other soldier had gone; he heard the former swearing up a storm from somewhere out of sight. As Eli struggled to his feet, he realized two very important things.

Only two soldiers were here. Every protocol Eli and Hertz knew of stated that Rhiot and his buddy should have called immediately for backup. Scopes had reported on twelve soldiers - but Rhiot hadn’t even touched his radio.

The second thing, Eli realized as Rhiot shot him half-a-dozen more times, was that he hadn’t heard a single voice over his comm since the fight started. Usually, Mickey wouldn’t shut up on a job - and now, all Eli heard over the sound of gunfire was static.

He finally fought his way up to his feet, kicking off the chain. “Look,” he told Rhiot, hands up in a pleading manner, “shooting me obviously isn’t helping. You owe me, kiddo, why don’t you just calm down? We’re not here to hurt anyone.”

Eli was close enough to see Rhiot’s crooked smile. It was almost apologetic.

“Right, yeah, see, that’s why I didn’t let Palamo at you,” he said, and dropped his weapon so that it hung from his shoulder. He raised his fists instead, and beckoned to Eli. “Come at me, bro.”

Eli looked at Rhiot for a long moment, his earpiece buzzing with static in one ear, then stared pointedly down at himself. “You, uh, you have a death wish?”

The answering grin made Eli uneasy about the poor kid’s psyche. His dog sat down off to the side, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she watched.

“Come on, Flower Metal,” Rhiot said, as the lull grew longer.

“Flower Metal?” Eli repeated, nonplussed, but with a sigh, he lumbered forward.

Rhiot didn’t even try. He let Eli pick him up and shove him into the fence. Eli arched his eyebrows at the younger, smaller soldier.

“Maybe you should’ve let Palamo at me after all,” he suggested. Rhiot grinned at him from where he was being held several inches off the ground.

“Palamo can’t do this,” Rhiot said. Eli blinked, and then swore at the sensation of someone smashing a battering ram into his brain.

Images assaulted him - as did sounds, smells, even the coppery taste of electricity. Eli let go of Rhiot, and felt the strangest sensation, as if he were the one dropping to the ground. He even felt his feet hit the dirt - but he was still standing, he hadn’t moved, what was happening -

“What the hell?” Eli heard his own voice echoing in the back of his head, and briefly saw his own confused expression - and a dozen other things, all at once, overlapping themselves and expanding his vision beyond his own two eyes.

“Hey, man,” said a breathless voice - a woman’s, and the jolting view of a hallway came to the forefront, as if Eli were running. He could feel the faded thumps of a rifle bouncing against his hip, even though he carried only pistols. “Don’t cuss, Archie doesn’t like it.”

“What the f-”

Rhiot rammed into Eli’s chest, making the big man stumble. The soldier winced and rubbed his shoulder; Eli felt a shadowy tinge of pain in his own.

“Geez, that hurt.” Rhiot looked at Eli again - and Eli saw himself. “Sit down, dude. Mercy, Palamo, I’m gonna cut you out for a second. Poor guy’s wigging out.”

“Fine,” two people said in unison. Eli got flashes of the hallway before it disappeared - and one quick view of Sam, huddled on the ground. Eli lurched forward to help - but it was Rhiot in front of him, not his teammate.

He evaded Eli with ease. “Little better?” Rhiot asked kindly, then added, “Anyone who can, close your eyes.”

“What’d you do to West!” Eli swung a heavy fist at Rhiot - and flinched when he saw it coming at himself. More images and sensations disappeared, but Eli was still disoriented and confused.

“Look at your hands,” Rhiot suggested, “count your fingers. Just focus on what you can see, it’ll make things easier.”

Instead of doing any of that, Eli lunged for Rhiot. “Get out of my head!”

Rhiot was too quick. He skipped away, and part of Eli’s vision wheeled.

“Hey,” said a low, alto voice, “tell your friend to calm down.”

Eli didn’t realize the new voice wasn’t talking to him until Rhiot ducked around, grabbed his coat sleeve, and gave Eli a good shove, using the man’s momentum against him. Eli ate dirt for the second time that night, and  when he blinked and pushed himself to his hands and knees, saw that he was looking at a familiar mess of sandy brown hair.

“The hell are you talking about?” Mickey demanded peevishly, their voice muttered as if Eli heard it from the other end of a long tunnel.

They still sat in the back of their van, a good mile and a half away, with their hands on the back of their head. Mickey’s headset had been pulled off and tossed to the side. Eli saw a rifle muzzle jammed into the back of Mickey’s neck - he could feel it in his hands, even though his palms were currently pressed flat into the dirt.

“You get it now?” Rhiot asked, squatting down just out of Eli’s reach. Eli pushed himself up to his knees and stared at Rhiot - and Mickey, and himself, and an empty desert stretching out ahead of him. It was getting easier to handle the jumbled flood of sensations, but Eli didn’t quite trust himself to act.

After a long moment of silence, Rhiot grinned.

“All right, then. Let’s go pick up the rest of your team.”

[scepterofstardust]

to run, is to be bound to fall. (chapter 3)

Fandom: 방탄소년단 - BTS

External: AO3

Ratings/Warnings: Mentions of Drug Overdose, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Major Character Death several times over

Summary: Yoongi's destiny, in the worlds that merged relentlessly together, was to lose. Lose, and remember. He watches, angelic shoulders low, as his other hearts slip through his fingers. He cries, and he waits.

Notes: Hello, everybody. This is my Wings story, pulled together as best I could from the films, VCRs, and MVs.

Chapter Summary: The end credits roll. The screen fades to black, and the theatre burns to the ground.

Up against a cliff, in a world swaying seduction, what is he looking for with closed eyes?

It all went so fast, in the end.

It didn't matter that the days they'd spent together were hundreds, thousands. Just like that, they were ripped apart, and the memories began to fray. Their world unraveled, and they could do nothing. All of them went quietly, insignificant in the thriving city, but to Yoongi it was a roaring fire that gobbled up as much oxygen as it could in order to destroy him. A fire that burned until nothing remained.

Nothing, but him and their oldest. Seokjin stood beside him, sober in black jeans and a matching sweater that swallowed his frame. He had blotchy skin and dark smudges beneath his eyes. Yoongi was sure he looked just as awful, if the brief glance he'd spared the mirror was any indication. (He never looked in the mirror anymore, because the only one they had was in the bathroom; he knew that behind the glass were Hoseok's prescription bottles, untouched and collecting dust.)

The two of them stood in a mutual silence, staring down at the graves lined up in the grass. It had been tough to get the burials done; they had few sources of money and even fewer living relatives between them. But Yoongi and Seokjin had pulled it off, because there was no other option.

"I was too late. Why am I when it matters most?" Yoongi bit out, rubbing at his face.

"It's not your fault," Seokjin said softly,

"How did this happen to us?" Yoongi worked his jaw back and forth angrily.

"It'll all be okay, I'm sure of it," Seokjin said, contradicting the unstable wobble in his step.

Yoongi snorted and shoved past him roughly, storming back towards the car. It'll be okay.

That was what Seokjin had said to him the morning he woke up from dreams that didn't make sense. Dreams of fire, of the side of a bridge, of blood on a shattered glass bottle. Yoongi had told him then about his dream of Jungkook dying on an isolated road, about all the strange things the youngest had said to him over the phone. At first, they hadn't believed it had real significance, chalking it up to imagination and their tendency to be attached at the hip to the other five boys. But then, Jungkook was in the hospital, and soon everybody began to fall away exactly as Seokjin had foreseen. It still sent a chill down Yoongi's spine.

They had tried to watch their friends, had tried to beat fate. But it had never worked.

Nothing would ever be okay again. He was young, but he wasn't stupid. The others were all dead, and he didn't understand the lingering hope in Seokjin's eyes. He didn't understand it at all.

All of them had fallen out of his reach. He'd failed them, and he'd never get them back.

As he moved to get into the car, Seokjin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Yoongi, listen, I know this is awful, but you have to believe me. I was too slow this time, I couldn't see it, and I'm sorry for that, but next time, I swear I'll stop it. I'll set things back the way they should be and we'll be together again, I promise."

He snapped. He couldn't help it. All the screams, all the cold bodies, all the gravestones lined up beside each other crushed him under their weight.

"You promise?!" Yoongi shouted incredulously. "Are you kidding me?" Seokjin leaned away from him, startled.

"I-"

"I don't want to hear it! We both failed, that's the end of it!" Rage, and something that felt like shame, burned white hot in his chest, making him collapse from the inside out.

"I'll save them, I have to," Seokjin tried, looking lost. Yoongi should have stopped yelling.

"All of our friends are in the ground!" Yoongi screamed. "You didn't fucking save them!" And neither did I.

"Yoongi-"

"Just shut up," Yoongi hissed, cutting him off. "I'll walk home." He turned and stalked away, gravel crunching under his shoes. Seokjin called after him, worry clear in his voice, but Yoongi didn't answer. He didn't go back.

He made his way out of the suburbs and into the city, trying to calm down. He couldn't. He counted to ten, but his anger just morphed into grief, settling deep in his stomach and weighing him down. With every step, he remembered his friends, their laughs, their smiles, their fierce grip on each other when they threatened to fall under the weight of their struggle. Before he could stop it, he was crying weakly, small frame shuddering. He missed them all so relentlessly. Their absence was a constant pain that never wavered. Every time he turned a corner in their train car that had become a house, he expected to see Jungkook and Taehyung chasing each other, expected to see Jimin looking up and smiling at him, expected to see Hoseok napping on the couch. But the car was empty, and he and Seokjin walked around carefully even though there was no one to disturb. If they made too much noise, the way it was swallowed up by the silence just served as an unbearable reminder. There was no bandage, no prescription, that was enough to make them forget. There was nothing anyone could do that was enough. How was he supposed to keep living like this, when even the sight of playing cards left on the coffee table made him want to vomit?

Maybe he shouldn't have lived.

The thought stopped him, slowing his footsteps. It felt insincere, at first.

He looked up, eyes catching on the sunlight glinting off the water, and the breath was knocked from him as he took in where he was.

He was on the bridge where Hoseok had collapsed, never to open his eyes again.

Memories slammed into him, crawling up into his throat and closing his airways. A sob burst its way out of his mouth, and he broke into a dead sprint out of pure instinct. Get off, get off, get off-

Nothing subsided when he reached the end of the bridge, but he kept running. His sides cramped and his legs hurt, but he didn't care.

He could not stop the flood, now. He could not fight away all of their faces.

It was two am when Seokjin's cell phone rang. All the boys were clustered on the couches, and made drowsy, displeased noises as the sound woke them up. Seokjin frowned as he sat up, disentangling his arm from its place under Namjoon's shoulders to reach for the device.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Geez, you guys are grumpy." Namjoon scrubbed at his eyes and sat up, too, peering over his shoulder.

"Is it Jungkook?" All of them had waited up for the youngest when he didn't come home at the time he'd promised. Everybody had dozed off at some point after midnight.

"It had better be that punk," Seokjin complained. "He always makes me worry. He's probably kicking back at some food stand and forgot to call." Taehyung laughed, half asleep but still registering the annoyance in Seokjin's tone. Hoseok elbowed him in a silent order to shut up. Yoongi watched them, barely avoiding the urge to roll his eyes.

"What?" Namjoon frowned at the screen. "That's not his number. You recognize it?" Seokjin shook his head, bewildered.

"Everybody that has my number is in my contact list. I don't know who it is." After a moment of pause, he lifted his shoulders in a shrug and accepted the call.

"Hello? Who is it?" Yoongi was too far away to hear what the detached, female voice on the other end said.

"Yes, this is him. Who are you?" There was another beat, and Yoongi saw confusion flit across Seokjin's face. "What do you mean? Where did you find it?" Namjoon made a questioning gesture, and Seokjin held a hand up to stop him. "Then where the hell is he? Is he with you? Wherever you are?" Seokjin's expression dropped, and he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After a few moments he said, "I...I don't understand. A hospital?" Hoseok and Taehyung sat up, the word catching their attention. Yoongi gently nudged Jimin, who was nearly on top of him, and the other boy got the hint, scooting away so both of them could straighten up as well. "No, he didn't come back tonight. Not since after dinner. Why?"

What's going on? Yoongi mouthed in Seokjin's direction. The oldest ignored him, but a moment later he shot to his feet.

"You did? What-" Seokjin's eyes were wide and panicked, and the others exchanged concerned glances. "What do you mean, you couldn't talk to him? What happened?" His voice was rising an octave with each passing second, and by now everyone was wide awake. "A-A car? How bad is it? No, tell me right now! Tell me!" Namjoon stood up and took hold of his elbow.

"Seokjin, what's wrong?"

"Oh, my God...okay. Okay. No, don't, please, just...where, where is he?" Seokjin chewed on his lip as he hurried towards the door, pulling his keys off their hook. He dropped them trying to put them in his pocket, and bent down with a quiet curse. "I understand. I understand. We're going now, we're coming. Yes, I...I know. We have to go." Seokjin shoved his phone in his jacket, and whipped around to face them. "Everyone, get up and get in the truck," he yelled before shoving the door open. "Now!" Startled, they all obeyed, sprinting across gravel and dirt. The wind made everybody shiver as they climbed in.

"What the hell is going on?" Yoongi demanded, leaning between the driver and passenger seat. Seokjin, fumbling to turn his keys in the ignition, didn't look at him.

"Jungkook got hit by a car," he answered hollowly as the engine turned over. "Somebody found him in the street." He punched the accelerator, and shock made Yoongi forget to hold on. He was thrown backwards and smacked his head into the seat when the truck shot forward. Distantly, he heard Jimin ask if he was okay, but fear made his voice crack. Hoseok and Taehyung were leaning forward now, loudly interrogating the oldest. Namjoon shakily told them to sit back and let Seokjin drive. Yoongi registered Jimin looking incredulously at the driver's seat, street lights making the tears in his eyes shine gold. His grip on Yoongi's shoulder was almost painful. Yoongi just stared through the windshield, the words rendering him immobile.

Hit by a car?

It couldn't be true, could it?

By the time they reached the hospital through Hoseok's urgent directions, Jungkook was gone. The time of death, printed irrevocably in black font on the forms they were handed, was 2:13 am. He had lost too much blood and suffered too many injuries, and by the time the ambulance had arrived at its destination, his chances were even slimmer. He had died in the hospital bed, alone and with no way to say his goodbyes. Whoever struck him with their vehicle had left the scene and was nowhere to be found.

Just like that, they were broken, and a gaping hole was torn into their lives.

They remained in the waiting room for ten minutes, dizzy with grief. Seokjin and Namjoon collected themselves, just for now, and hauled everybody to their feet and out of the hospital. The ride back home was filled with Hoseok and Taehyung crying quietly in the back and the sounds of Jimin's wet gasps as he fought to breathe through his tears. His chest was heaving, and Yoongi could feel it at his side, but he knew there was no use in trying to calm him. Jimin shuddered as he grabbed for Yoongi's hand, and the older let him hold onto it. Up front, Namjoon silently gripped Seokjin's shoulder, whispering something to him. Seokjin shook his head in reply, bloodshot eyes fixed on the road ahead.

They got home sooner than Yoongi wanted to, and the walk back to the train cars was excruciating. Nobody wanted to go inside, but there was no choice. None of them really had anywhere else they could go.

No one said anything as they trudged in the door, and it stayed quiet except for the shuffle of shoes being taken off and the jingle of keys as Seokjin hung them back up.

Taehyung was the first to speak, but it wasn't really directed at anyone.

"We...we should..." His voice wavered horribly, and it took a moment for Yoongi to see what he was looking at. One of Jungkook's jackets was hanging by the door, and several pairs of his shoes were out too. Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut and let out a strangled sob, covering his face before he staggered to his room and shut the door. Hoseok moved to go after him, but turned back to them.

"Will...you be alright? Somebody should look after him...." Of course, they wouldn't be alright, but what Hoseok meant was, is it safe for me to leave you alone like this? No one answered him, but Yoongi gave a slow nod that seemed to be enough. Hoseok disappeared into Taehyung's room, and the rest of them collapsed on the couch, numb. They sat there in silence, Namjoon sitting solemnly beside Seokjin and Jimin curled up by Yoongi's feet. An hour ticked by, and Yoongi was too lost in his thoughts to notice. After another half hour, Seokjin told Namjoon he should at least try to sleep and waved him off despite the other's insistence on staying up. When he walked out, Jimin shifted, pulling his arms in closer to his body. Yoongi blinked himself out of his trance and peered down at him to find that Jimin was sleeping, albeit fitfully. He hadn't expected him to slip under like that when he had been so shaken up, but he was probably exhausted. Seokjin continued to stare down at his lap, hands fiddling with the ends of his sleeves.

"I should have called him tonight," he said to the room. "I should have made him come back." Yoongi swallowed thickly.

"He...he probably wouldn't have listened, anyway. It's not your fault." Seokjin laughed weakly, the sound dying in his throat as soon as it had begun.

"Yeah, I guess so." Yoongi fixed his gaze on the kitchen, and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. He would not break down, not now. He had to be stable, for Jimin, for Taehyung, for all of them who had lost their best friend.

"I wonder if it's my fault, though," Yoongi said like he was commenting on the weather. Seokjin raised his head, stunned.

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I dreamed about this, remember?" Yoongi glanced down at his hand, ignoring the way it trembled. "The car, the blood." Seokjin shook his head.

"I don't..." He paused, trying to find the right thing to say. "I don't know what to think about that, but...I know this isn't your fault. I know how you are, you obsess over things so easily. Don't start thinking it's your fault, or you'll never stop." Yoongi could admit he was right, but something in him couldn't shake away Jungkook's hands on his sleeve, leaving red on his shirt as he lay choking on the asphalt.

"I know."

It was eight pm when Namjoon's cell phone rang. All of them were sitting around the table, eating their takeout, but Taehyung had gone out to see his mother that afternoon and still had not returned. Namjoon swallowed the food he was chewing and picked it up.

"Oh, it's Tae. Hang on." He tapped the screen and lifted the phone to his ear. "What's up? You almost done over there?" He paused and frowned. "Taehyung? You there?" Only Seokjin, sitting right next to him, heard Taehyung's desperate stuttering.

"H-Hyung, I-I need you to come get me, p-please." Namjoon and Seokjin traded alarmed glances. "I-I need you to..." Taehyung was clearly crying, ragged gasps cutting through from the other end. "I need you to help me..." Seokjin got out of his chair, the legs screeching against the floor in protest, and came back holding the keys to his truck.

"Tae, breathe, okay? I'm leaving right now." Namjoon paused to listen to whatever Taehyung was saying, but he took the keys with a grateful look and jogged out the door. Yoongi, Hoseok and Jimin watched him go, completely lost. Seokjin sat down again, eyeing his food like touching it would physically hurt him.

"Before you ask, I don't know what's wrong. He sounded upset, though. I hope he's alright." Jimin nibbled on his bottom lip, looking at Yoongi worriedly. Hoseok stared down into his soda, uneasy. It wasn't a secret to any of them that Taehyung's house wasn't the safest place to be. His mother shared it with an unpredictable, abusive alcoholic, and countless times Taehyung had tried to coerce her into kicking him out. Anything could have happened.

"We just have to sit tight until Namjoon comes back," Yoongi said, trying to reassure himself just as much as the others. "There's nothing else we can do. We'll have answers soon enough." He got nods in response, but nobody made any move to resume eating. The food went cold.

They were all sitting at the table still, anxiety palpable in the air, when the door banged open. Namjoon hurried in with Taehyung propped against his side. Taehyung was hardly walking, legs wobbling as he tried to make it into the kitchen. His hood was up, making his expression difficult to see, but when he faced them, icy fear shot through Yoongi.

His t-shirt, his pants, his hoodie, his face, all of it was splashed with blood. He was visibly quaking, and his lip trembled as he fought to stay standing.

Seokjin was on his feet and running for the first aid kit before the others had made it around the table. The rest of them dashed for Taehyung. Hoseok caught him under his shoulders as his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. Yoongi immediately tugged his hood down, searching his face for injuries. There were none, but there was so much blood. Fighting back the blinding panic, Yoongi gripped him by the back of his neck.

"You have to show me, where is it? Where's all the blood coming from?" He demanded. Jimin was already yanking clumsily at Taehyung's hoodie, mumbling a horrified,

"Oh my god, Tae, oh my god..." Taehyung stared at him with a tear-stained face, but said nothing, and Yoongi started to pull at his shirt so he could look for himself. Sticky hands caught his wrists to stop him, and Taehyung's voice was scraped raw when he whispered,

"Hyung, it's...it's not m-mine..." The relief made Yoongi fall still, but his mind was spinning.

"I...don't understand, then where did..." Seokjin came back to them, and Hoseok repeated what Taehyung had said. The oldest set the first aid box on the counter and hurriedly knelt beside Yoongi. Taehyung's eyes were flitting nervously between all of them, and he was shaking still. He looked utterly terrified. Jimin cautiously began to rub circles on his back in an attempt to put him at ease. "Tae, what happened to you? Were you at your mom's?" Taehyung nodded hesitantly. "What happened while you were there?" Taehyung's eyelids fluttered for a moment, and suddenly fresh tears were falling, and his shoulders were pulling inwards. "Tae..." Taehyung whimpered and bent his head, and Jimin crushed him in a side hug as he cried. "It's okay. Take your time." Really, Yoongi wanted to hear it now, but he knew better than to push.

"Yeah, you can tell us when you're ready," Hoseok coaxed from his other side. But Taehyung shook his head, sniffling.

"N-No, you should know," he said hoarsely. "I..." He took a deep breath, and they all fixed their eyes on him expectantly. "I-I went to visit my mom and, that guy, he was really drunk and he was yelling and he hit her and-" Taehyung's sobs broke up his attempted sentence. "He wouldn't s-stop so I, I had to do something and there was this broken bottle on the table and then I, I hit him with it and there was blood everywhere but I couldn't stop and-" Taehyung had to stop, and he covered his face with his hands, muffling his wail.

"A bottle," Seokjin murmured, taken aback, but everyone was too wrapped up in Taehyung's distress to hear.

"I-I think," Taehyung got out, looking wildly around at his friends. "I-I don't know but I think-"

"What is it?" Jimin asked gently, doing his best to appear calm.

"I think that...he-he's dead," Taehyung said at last. A hush fell over all of them, and Taehyung put his head down again, unable to see their reaction. Yoongi took himself out of his surprise and rubbed his thumb on Taehyung's neck.

"If that's true, then we'll help you deal with it," he promised quietly. Taehyung's head shot up to stare at him.

"B-But, hyung, I-I think I killed him, I-"

"Doesn't matter," Yoongi said firmly. "You had good reason. You were defending her. It's okay."

"It-it's not," Taehyung rasped. "It's not, there's-there's blood all over me, it-"

"Tae," Hoseok said softly. "We'll help you. You don't have to be scared anymore."

"What have I done?" Taehyung's voice cracked. Jimin thumbed at his cheek to wipe away the tears, but he only seemed to succeed in smearing the blood farther.

"It doesn't matter," Yoongi told him, looking Taehyung in the eye. "Think about why. That's much more important, yeah?" The ghost of a smile tugged briefly at Taehyung's mouth, and he nodded again. "Think about who you protected. Deal with the rest later." Yoongi got to his feet slowly. "Why don't we get you cleaned up? Is that okay?"

Jimin and Hoseok helped Taehyung stagger to the bathroom, and they hovered next to the tub, keeping near him for comfort. Namjoon and Seokjin peeled off his ruined clothes, immediately throwing them in the garbage. It took all of them to scrub Taehyung's skin clean. The bath water turned pink, and Taehyung stared down at it with a blank expression, lost someplace in his head. When Jimin gently instructed him to lift his chin, he obeyed, eyes glassy when they tipped into the light. Jimin gingerly rubbed the red stains from his face, and by the time he was done his cheek, lips, and the area around his eye were pink and raw. Then, Yoongi had Hoseok help him wash his hair, which by that point was matted in the front with dried blood. After Yoongi wrung it out, dripping more red into the bath, he dried Taehyung off with a towel so he wouldn't get cold. Seokjin ducked out and came back with one of his sweatshirts. It was huge on Taehyung, engulfing his hands entirely and hanging almost to his knees, but he refused when Seokjin offered to get him something else, tugging the hood up and pulling the sleeves back over his fingers. Hoseok lent him a pair of sleeping shorts, and Taehyung collapsed into his bed, limbs tangling in the sheets. Everyone checked in on him and made sure he didn't need anything before dispersing to their own rooms. Yoongi lingered, though, feeling restless, and watched Seokjin sit on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Tae," Seokjin whispered to him, pulling the sheets up to his shoulders. "I promise we'll figure this all out." Yoongi heard Taehyung hum in acknowledgment, and Seokjin stayed for another few minutes, his motherly stature taking over. After Taehyung convinced him he really would be alright on his own for the night, Seokjin finally shut the lights off and closed the door behind him. Yoongi offered a faint smile before turning to leave.

"I think that this is another one," Seokjin murmured, bringing Yoongi to a halt. Yoongi turned to look at him, eyes glittering in the dark.

"I think that you're right."

In the morning, Seokjin and Namjoon found the others all sitting against the wall outside Taehyung's room, fast asleep. Jimin woke up when he sensed their presence hovering, and elbowed Hoseok and Yoongi awake.

"Morning," he said, blinking owlishly. "We were worried, so we all stayed out here in case he needed us." Hoseok nodded, and Yoongi grunted in confirmation, still clawing his way out of sleep. Jimin pulled him upright with a slight giggle. "You're like a bear in winter, hyung." Namjoon smiled at that, and Yoongi swatted at Jimin in annoyance.

"Come on, guys," Seokjin beckoned them to go into Taehyung's room. "We need to wake him up and get him to eat."

After breakfast, Yoongi went to the bathroom and washed the peanut butter from Taehyung's toast off his fingers.

The bottom of the bathtub was stained pink.

It was four pm when Seokjin's screen lit up with a call from Hoseok.

In the middle of evaluating their food stock, he picked it up absentmindedly.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um...excuse me, are you...close to the owner of this phone?" The voice was deep, male, and entirely foreign. Seokjin went deathly still.

"Who are you? Why do you have Hoseok's phone?" Dread gnawed at his stomach, and he braced himself against the counter.

"I hate to tell you this, but...the person who had this phone was found on the side of a bridge. He was unresponsive and the ambulance came to pick him up. I am one of the paramedics, so if you are the guardian or can contact the guardian of this young man, please have them come to the hospital."

"The side of a..." Seokjin felt tears prick at his eyes, and he shut his eyes against the image from his dreams. "No, no this can't be happening..."

"Sir?"

"No, no!" Seokjin screamed. Yoongi, in the adjoining room, came in, eyes horrified as if he'd already guessed. "It's Hoseok," Seokjin gasped. "They found him on the bridge, it's the same bridge, Yoongi, he's going to die-"

"Sir, are you there?" Yoongi was already disappearing down the hall, banging on doors. He pulled Jimin from his room, and Taehyung rushed out of the bathroom, hair still damp from the shower.

"What hospital?" Seokjin ordered the man to give him the address as everybody ran past him.

All of them fumbled out of the train car and they screeched through the city in Seokjin's truck, ignoring the speed limits in favor of holding onto each other. Fear made the air taste sour when Yoongi breathed it in.

They burst through the hospital doors, loud and frantic, only to be told they were too late. Again.

Hoseok had died of an overdose, and he was still sprawled on a bed near the front, doctors already beginning to disperse as the heart monitor droned its warning. They surged forward as one, and Taehyung clung to him despite the doctor's loud protests.

"Hoseok," he sobbed, "Hoseok, please, please you're not dead, you have to stay with us, please-" Hoseok's head lolled sideways as Taehyung wrapped his arms around his torso, black bangs covering his eyes.

Yoongi tried to pull him back, knowing security would be called if he didn't, but shock made him unsteady and Taehyung easily shoved him away. Yoongi stumbled backwards, fighting to stay upright. He swallowed and looked at the others.

Seokjin was staring wide eyed at Hoseok, tears dripping down his cheeks. He was silent, shell-shocked, and he fiddled with the edges of his sweater anxiously.

Namjoon was stoic, as always, standing still and upright. Only the hard set of his jaw betrayed the fact that he was restraining himself. For them, Yoongi knew. If he broke down, the rest of them would shatter.

Jimin was closest to him, but he wasn't looking at Hoseok. He was crying, hand over his mouth to muffle his sobs. His eyes were screwed shut, face wet. His shoulders were shaking as he tried to stop, tried to quit feeling and be stronger like the rest of them. Tried to be okay.

Yoongi wanted to cry, felt the tears stinging his eyes and waiting to spill over. But he was too stunned, too far in denial. He felt a thousand miles away from all of it, like it was a tragedy playing out in a drama on television and not one of their own falling away forever. Like if he changed the channel, it would cease to be real.

He knew they were not that lucky.

So he forced his eyes away as Namjoon started forward to pry Taehyung from the hospital bed. He stepped in front of Jimin, took his wrist and pulled it away from his face.

"You don't need to do that," Yoongi rasped, struggling to get the words out. "Don't." Jimin shuddered as he moved his gaze to Yoongi's tight expression. Without warning, Jimin grabbed him, wrapping his arms around his torso as tight as he could. It made breathing a bit harder, but Yoongi didn't complain. He pushed his face into Yoongi's hoodie as he let out a wail.

"Hoseok," Jimin whimpered. "Hoseok, he's not-he's not coming back-"

"I know," Yoongi said softly. "I know."

"W-What are we supposed to do?" Jimin stuttered, his voice a pitch higher from distress. "Jungkook is gone too, what are we supposed to-" He trailed off as a sob choked him, and he gave up speaking in favor of crying into Yoongi's neck. Yoongi swallowed against the lump in his throat.

"I don't know," he said numbly. "We'll figure it out somehow." He looked over Jimin's head at Seokjin. Seokjin opened his mouth, but said nothing. His eyes were red and watery. Yoongi could not stop the anger that made its way into his gaze. Seokjin flinched.

After the night Taehyung came home covered in blood, he had promised he would watch over them. He'd promised safety. Yoongi had let himself believe it, even though he knew deep down it was an empty oath.

Yoongi could not have foreseen this. But both of them should have been paying closer attention. They might have been able to stop it.

Guilt was a familiar ache in his chest, and Yoongi let the anger drain away. There was no use when it was too late.

And it was too late. So Yoongi let Jimin hold onto him. He offered Taehyung a hand up when he fell, knees bruising against the hospital floor. He watched Namjoon and Seokjin, made sure they ate that night before they disappeared to deal with their emotions where no one would see. When Seokjin went to his truck and Namjoon walked off down the tracks, he sat with Jimin, TV on but neither of them watching it. Jimin clung to him, face flushed as he sniffled weakly, tears coming on and off throughout the night. Yoongi stared hollowly at a chip in the paint, arm around his shoulders. He tried to shut out the raw sobbing that could be heard through Taehyung's door.

None of them slept for days. The hole grew wider, and there was nothing to stitch it back up.

It was six am when the other remaining boys were woken by Yoongi's screams.

Yoongi had woken up early, and like most nights now, he could not go back to sleep. He looked around for Jimin, since the younger boy had taken to staying up with him sometimes, but he was nowhere to be found. Yoongi retraced his steps, anxiety making his hands shake. He remembered that Jimin had gone to take a bath before he went to bed.

No.

He dashed to the bathroom and found the door locked. The door was old, though, and it only took a few hard shoves to get it to swing inward. Yoongi almost lost his balance when it gave suddenly. His bare feet hit ice cold water, and he gasped in discomfort as it splashed onto his pant legs.

But then, his eyes took in the scene in front of him, and he didn't care anymore.

The bathtub was completely filled with water, the surface sparkling harshly in the early morning sun. Water had spilled out across the floor, marking the wall a few inches up, but now it was all running out the door onto the wood paneling. A lighter was discarded a few feet from the tub, and pieces of charred paper swirled around Yoongi's feet as he hurried forward.

"Jimin?"

His friend was lying limp in front of the bathtub, white tank and sleeping shorts soaked clear through. His waterlogged hoodie was bunched up at his elbows. Pitch black hair was plastered against his forehead. Leftover eyeliner was streaked down his cheeks. Yoongi knelt down in the water, heart pounding in his throat. He turned Jimin onto his back, but flinched at the freezing temperature of his bare skin. With his face more exposed, Yoongi could see now that his eyes were open, staring up at him with none of Jimin's warmth. With nothing at all.

Yoongi didn't know when his screaming started, but it was suddenly echoing off the walls, through the car. His throat hurt so badly, but he couldn't stop. He scrambled to hold Jimin's motionless body, wrapping an arm around his back and pressing him against Yoongi's chest. Jimin's head fell forward, knocking into his. Yoongi's screams tapered off into sobs, his voice too raw to continue.

"Jimin," he whimpered, "Jimin, no, no not you I was supposed to protect you, I was supposed to keep you safe, no, no-" There was loud footsteps, and Yoongi heard Seokjin gasp something from the doorway, devastated. Yoongi shut him out and clung harder. His dull fingernails, digging into the pale flesh of Jimin's shoulder, didn't leave a mark. There wasn't enough blood left.

"N-No," he stammered, voice hoarse. "No, you're not doing this to me. You're not." He was rocking back and forth on his heels, Jimin's wet clothes soaking into his and making him shiver. "Jiminie, please. Please, you're not." Water sloshed around his ankles as he pleaded, pulling back to cradle Jimin's face in his hand. "J-Jimin, you can't do this to me, I-I need you, I need you here, everybody else left, please..." Yoongi stared in disbelief at his lips, turning blue, and he remembered all the smiles Jimin had given them, how it always eased the anxiety or anger in Yoongi's stomach. "Please," he begged, brushing his thumb across Jimin's cheek. "Please, don't do this, Jiminie. I can't lose you, I can't..."

At some point, Seokjin had waded over to him.

"Yoongi," he called, and his voice was shaking despite the authority in his tone. "Yoongi, get back. I don't want you to see this, come on."

"No," Yoongi cried, bending over Jimin's body. "No, I can't."

"Yoongi, it'll make it so much worse for you, please, come with me." Yoongi was trembling so hard it felt like he would break apart.

"No, I said no!" Seokjin made the mistake of trying to pry Yoongi away, a hand around his arm. He knew that seeing Jimin like that would scar him, would make him blame himself for the rest of their lives, and he couldn't let it happen. Yoongi jerked away from him, eyes on fire.

"Get away from us!" he screamed, covering Jimin's body with his. Seokjin blanched, taking a step back in the water.

"Yoon-"

"Get out!" Yoongi snarled, and he looked absolutely murderous. Seokjin slowly retreated back to the doorway, hands out.

"I'm over here," he said gently. "Yoongi. I'm all the way over here now. I can't touch you. It's okay." Yoongi didn't spare him more than a feral glance, too busy lowering Jimin back down to the tile, cautious like he was holding a child. He straightened up like a puppet pulled by invisible strings. He was breathing heavily, eyes wide.

Yoongi had caught sight of Jimin's eyes again, open but blank, black pupils glazed over. His body seized up, and he retched, clinging to the side of the bathtub. He barely managed to keep from vomiting.

He leaned his forehead on the ceramic, squeezing his eyes shut. Seokjin stayed back, even though his instinct was to go and help him. The furious look in Yoongi's eyes when he touched him had left him paralyzed.

"Jiminie," Yoongi mumbled against the tile as he tried to catch his breath. "Jiminie. I'm sorry." His body was wracked with shivers from being covered in icy bathwater, and he wrapped his arms around himself for warmth.

"I'm so sorry," Yoongi whispered. "I failed you. I promised I wouldn't..."

He'd made that promise by himself, in the dark one night when he and Seokjin realized what their dreams meant.

There was another promise he'd made, to Jimin on the couch. He'd promised that he wouldn't let failure consume him.

It was a promise he would have to hold onto forever.

Yoongi had not stayed in a motel for a very long time. He used to, before he met the others, when home was not an option.

This one was no less questionable than those had been, with cheap beige paint on the walls and a rattling air vent that hadn't aged well. The bed felt like cardboard when he sat on it, but he didn't really care. Anywhere was better than the empty train car. Standing in this dimly lit, horrendously decorated bathroom was better than staring at a bathtub stained pink. Sleeping in this bed was better than going to his own and passing by all the rooms that were now empty.

All that he'd brought with him were the things in his pockets; his wallet, his phone, and a lighter.

He idly clicked the lighter on and off, a habit that he didn't remember developing. He always played with it, whenever they were sitting somewhere together; on the beach, under a bridge. Jin had scolded him for it once, but never did it again. He wasn't stupid enough to do it inside the car with so many things around that could catch fire, so what was he going to destroy?

What could he destroy?

Yoongi fell onto the mattress, numbly letting it bounce him back up.

Don't feel guilty, if a day comes that you can't succeed.

Hyung, don't feel bad.

I don't ever want that burden on your shoulders, understand?

It's not your fault.

They were wrong. All of them. It was his fault, he knew that it was.

His dream should have been the first warning. He should have realized that they needed to be protected. If only he hadn't wasted time, if only he hadn't been so human. He was trying to convince himself that it was his imagination, that it meant nothing, when he should have been keeping them close. The moment that Seokjin described his dreams, Yoongi should have known. He should have fucking done something. Those boys were his world, his life, in this city where nobody cared if he lived or died. They deserved better than him, better than useless. They deserved somebody who could keep them safe from everything. And sure, he had thrown punches for them. He'd shouted at parents who weren't even trying. He'd driven the getaway car. He'd talked for hours in the middle of the night, until his throat hurt. He'd wiped tears off faces with hands more gentle than the ones he turned on himself.

But he wasn't there, in the end. He wasn't there to stop it, and if he couldn't do that, then why was he still here? Why was he still around when they weren't? What worth did his life hold that theirs didn't?

He was nothing, and no one. He had no status to uphold, no position to claim. He was nothing, except their friend.

Their friend, who watched them die and did nothing.

Yoongi's hands were shaking uncontrollably where they hung off the edge of the bed. His fingers fumbled with the lighter's switch, and it fell.

He saw the flame catch onto the carpet, and he knew that he should move. He knew that he should run. As it licked up the edge of the sheets, as it greedily took in more oxygen and grew bigger, he didn't find it in him to care. He didn't get up, even when the fire climbed to the ceiling and the smoke threatened to take away his breath. He should have felt panic, but instead he just felt a foreign calm spreading through his body, holding him motionless.

He remembered what the keys of the piano in the shopping center felt like under his fingers. He remembered how Hoseok had been cheering from a few feet away, yelling his name like he was the most coveted idol in South Korea. The others were laughing and Seokjin was filming it on his camera while Yoongi complained that he couldn't take them anywhere.

He remembered the gentle bite of coffee on his tongue every morning as he sat with whoever was still. He was watching Seokjin and Namjoon banter back and forth at the table, he was laughing as Jungkook and Taehyung tried to beat each other at their favorite video game, he was rapping along with Hoseok to a new song he heard on the radio, he was listening to Jimin talk about his childhood dance academy with fondness in his eyes.

He remembered the noise surrounding him as they all whooped and yelled at the water's edge. The speakers in Seokjin's truck blaring music so loud it reverberated in his chest. Jimin's laugh at his shoulder. Jungkook's absentminded singing as he put together his breakfast.

He remembered waking up to the sight of the others fanned out on the floor around Taehyung, who was still coated in sweat from nightmares of his father. All of them were fast asleep, clutching their pillows. Jungkook was curled up close to Taehyung, back to the door as if he could keep dreams from entering. Hoseok had somehow gotten a leg tangled with Yoongi's, and Jimin was hugging one of his arms like it was a stuffed animal. Seokjin and Namjoon were on either side of Jungkook and Taehyung, framing them protectively.

The flames cast warmth onto his pale skin. It felt too much like the fire they used to sit around while they watched Seokjin's camera footage and talked about places they wanted to go together before they died.

Yoongi closed his eyes against the memory of fireworks shrieking as they ascended into the sky. He felt Jimin's hand on his shoulder as he tried to quiet his anger, the weight of Jungkook's arms around him while he screamed.

They had always wanted to save him, but he couldn't even do that much for them in return.

Yoongi couldn't save them now, couldn't do anything for the boys that burned up so quietly underneath a city so loud. So he let his motel room be devoured by the fire, let the walls collapse on top of him. He was grieving too much to cry for himself, so he only watched.

Yoongi slipped away into the blackness, nursing a headache from the smoke alarms.

He woke up on freezing marble floors, a second chance on his tongue.

[stripestheboar]

Stagnant Decay Chapter 3

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The dusty, more shaky version of his brother had been wrapped up in Papyrus’ arms for a full five minutes, holding back tears that would probably never fall. Sans had always been good at hiding his emotions from his brother, and this Sans wasn’t any different. Heavy breathing and a constant light shudder was the only indication that anything was wrong with the smaller skeleton at all. Papyrus barely noticed, though, with his mind reeling from the gravity of the situation. Tears pricked his sockets, threatening to trail down his skull. Who was this monster? What had they done to deserve such a fate? What if they had a family that would miss them? Thoughts of never seeing his own brother again caused those threatening tears to fall. What was he to do? Why had this Sans just killed an innocent monster? His Sans would never do such a thing, even if the monster in question had been really awful to others. Of course, he could tell Undyne, but then what would happen to the Sans currently in his arms? This Sans clearly needed his help and guidance, and he refused to let someone so in need receive the fate of being captured by the Royal Guard. Of course, he didn’t exactly know what would happen afterwards, but he knew it wasn’t pleasant.

After a few silent minutes of searching for a solution, Papyrus found a possible answer to his problem in the bones that surrounded the pile of dust. They glowed a light lavender, dimly illuminated in the darkness of the alleyway. It was sure to catch the attention of those who passed by. Despite the assurance that the death would be investigated, he sickened at the thought of letting some innocent monster or human come by to find it, no doubt horrified by what they would see. He needed to think of something else. Could he perhaps leave an anonymous tip? It was far from Papyrus’ nature to hide behind a phone call or note, but he was willing to make an exception just this once. After all, what would Undyne think of him if she found out he was comforting a monster with a heap of dust only mere feet away from him. He would never be let into the Royal Guard then. Well, that’s what he would’ve believed, anyway.

The taller skeleton slowly retreated from his mass of swirling thoughts, noticing that the dustier Sans had stopped shaking. He began to pull away from the embrace, only to be halted by the Sans grabbing and tugging at his scarf. Papyrus blinked, wiped the tears from his sockets, and looked down at the much smaller figure, who stared back with tired sockets. “W-where are you going?” the Sans rasped, brow furrowed in confusion. “I… need to head home,” he responded, voice unusually small, cracked, and unconfident. However, the Sans’ expression turned into a relieved one as he seemed to understand. “Oh! I get it.” With a bit of reluctance, they were separated. The dusty Sans watched his not-brother with what seemed like love and admiration. While these were two things Papyrus had always wanted, this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.

“Well I guess I’ll see you there, eh?” Sans inquired with a tilt of his head. Papyrus’ sockets widened some at this. What would his own Sans think upon greeting this… not-him? Would he force him out. “Yes, I suppose I will,” he agreed without any thought. The dustier Sans nodded, and after a few moments of grinning up at him, he brusquely strode off. The taller monster watched him with empty sockets, knowing that he was gone the moment he turned the corner.

Papyrus slowly looked over at the dust heap, letting the tears return and quickly begin to fall. No monster, good or bad, deserves this sort of fate; to live their last moment in fear and wondering if they would ever see their family again. The tears turned into full on weeping as he let his emotions flow freely in the alleyway.

On his way back home a good hour later, Papyrus made sure to leave a tip to the guard so it was assured that the slain monster in the alley would not go unnoticed. Upon drying his sockets and returning home, his first order of business was to immediately search for the dusty Sans. However, after a few name calls and deep searching, the bundle of emotions he had met not two hours ago was nowhere to be found. Papyrus was not exactly happy with this, as he was worried for whoever stumbled across that version of his brother while he was about.

“Sans!” he called out, growing more anxious as the seconds passed. He set down the groceries onto the table and tried once more. “Sans? Are you here?”

“‘Course I’m here, bro,” his brother, his real brother, yawned, sauntering down the stairs. “Watchya need, Paps? Ooh, groceries? Did ya get me ketchup?” Papyrus folded his arms as he watched Sans cross the kitchen and to the counter. As much as he despised the condiment, he did get his brother a hefty bottle of it. It was worth it to see Sans’ expression brighten slightly upon looking into the bag. “Ah, you’re the best, bro,” he chuckled, already removing the safety seal and taking a large sip, staining his teeth a light red. Papyrus cringed at the sight, momentarily forgetting who he had actually been looking for when he had arrived home. 

“Well you’d better not use that slop on any of my spaghetti,” the younger brother huffed. “I would be very cross with you if you did.” “Yeah yeah, bro,” Sans dismissed casually as he set the bottle down. “I don’t see why it matters, though. I’m eating tomato either way. There’s no need to get so saucy.”

“Brother…” Papyrus sighed, his expression becoming more firm.

“Oh c’mon, you should have seen that one coming! Geeze, you really need to ketchup!” 

“Sans.”

“I mean, you know I love this stuff from my skull tomatoes.”

“Sans, we have phalanges, not toe-”

“Don’t get upsetti over  spaghetti, Paps!”

“Sans that isn’t even a real pun don’t do this to me!”

Sans just burst into a chuckle fit at his sibling’s misery. “Okay, I’m done,” he assured him. “No tometti on the spaghetti. Got it. So is that tonight’s dinner or…?” “Well, I was going to make it tomorrow,” Papyrus explained, “but only because I thought you were staying at Grillby’s for supper. Do you think you can fend for yourself until then?” Sans nodded and began to trot back upstairs. “You got it, bro,” he drawled, disappearing behind the door to his room.

Once the groceries were properly put away, Papyrus was able to properly think of why he had been worried in the first place: his brother’s copy. Trying not to alarm his elder sibling, Papyrus was able to keep himself from darting up the stairs at the speed of light. What proceeded during the next hour was a deep search in every crack and crevice of the house, trying to find the hooded skeleton from only a few hours before. His searches came up empty, and it wasn’t until he found himself looking under the fridge that he had decided to call it quits. He had looked everywhere, including Sans’ favorite accidental late-night teleportation spots (the dish cabinets, the fireplace, behind the fridge, and atop the ceiling fans). It was around this point that Papyrus began to fear that, as much as he’d hate to admit it, he may have made that terrorful hour up. It didn’t make much sense as to why his mind would make up such a strange event, though. The hooded Sans had said that he would see him back at home, hadn’t he? As strange as this predicament was, he tried to push it to the back of his mind. The subject brung back memories of what he had experienced in that alley, making him feel a bit sickly.

As impossible as it may seem to just push something as memorable as that meeting away, Papyrus found himself living the rest of his afternoon in peace, only thinking of the Sans occasionally as he focused on more distracting tasks. However, this peace wouldn’t last long.

Papyrus hummed to himself as he brushed his teeth, finding it difficult as always to wash out his mouth due to the lack of lips. He was already in his pajamas and had already watched the sun set behind the horizon, but he didn’t feel too sleepy as usual, so on his way to his room, he grabbed a crossword to do whilst in bed. Unfortunately, he had to go through a slight change of plans upon seeing that his bed was already occupied.

There was Sans; well, it was the not-Sans. He was hunched over himself whilst sitting on the bed, playing with something that was in his hands. It was now, in the bright light of his bedroom, that Papyrus was able to see just how different this Sans was to his own. His entire body was slumped and moved so sluggishly, and yet every so often a jerk would tear through his frame. His clothes were so faded and covered with a heavy layer of gray powder. Papyrus reminded himself to clean his clothes later. The phalanges of his hands seemed eager to touch almost everything, with one hand playing with what turned out to be a pen and the other gently gliding over the fabric of the blankets below him. Those sockets sagged and were heavily lidded, and yet those brightly glowing eyelights seemed to flick around and take in almost everything there was. He twitched and looked up at his not-brother upon hearing him get close to the room. Papyrus was surprisingly quiet when he wasn’t storming around, shouting his boastful praises to himself, so this gave him a bit of a startle. With how much this clone twitched at the slightest of noises and touches, it could be inferred that he was more attentive to his surroundings than the original. This led Papyrus to wonder why he shook so much. The shaking could be likened to a Temmie vibrating should one be a bit more creative.

“You’re here,” he stated, mismatched eyelights trained at the figure in the doorway, bringing him out of his thoughts. Papyrus nodded vigorously as he slowly shut the door. “Nyeh heh, why yes I am. This is my room after all,” he replied with a light jesting tone. He noticed that the pen he was going to do his newspaper puzzles with was the one currently in Sans’ hand. He wasn’t doing anything spectacular with it; a few clicks of the spring-loaded button and slow twirls were about it. “Yeah. It is. I forgot,” not-Sans murmured, watching the skeleton unblinkingly. One would say it was even unnerving, but Papyrus could never think of his brother in such a way. Still, he hesitated when deciding to sit on the bed.

The two sat in silence for a few good minutes.

“I accidentally went to our old house,” the shorter spoke suddenly, obtaining Papyrus fleeting attention. The way he said it had a bit of humor, even bits of a chuckle, but the dreary tone of voice put on had Papyrus unable to feel happy. “Our?” he said, tilting his skull slightly. He was ignored. “And, well, you weren’t there. Obviously.” There was more of that dead humor. The clicks of the pen became more frequent as he went on. The permanent grin lessened some in grandeur. “And, for a second there, I thought you had lied to me.” With a quick flash of movements, phalanges wrapped around the pen and squeezed tightly, crushing the insides and causing both the spring and button to shoot out at projectile speeds. Papyrus looked to see where the pieces had landed, trying to process what had just happened, but was immediately brought back by laughter; dry, strained laughter that seemed to teeter on the edge of forced and just barely pushing it. At first, he was afraid this noise would wake up his Sans. “I mean, what was I thinking?” dusty Sans giggled, almost in a way that could be described as maniacal. “You? Lie to me? No… I don’t know what came over me there, either. But, hey, now you’re here. I found you. We’re home.”

Papyrus watched the other Sans for a few moments, his mind once again rethink what he should do in such a situation as this. Well, there only was one thing he could do, wasn’t there?

Papyrus came to a stand, immediately catching the full attention of his guest. Without a word, he politely excused himself from the room, only to reappear a few minutes later with arm full of bundled up blanket and pillows. Whatever dusty Sans had been expecting, it apparently hadn’t been this, as he furrowed his brow in confusion at the bundle of fluff that Papyrus proceeded to dump on the floor in between them.

“Papyrus, wha-

“Well, you’re staying the night, aren’t you?” Papyrus asked, his hands on his pelvic bone. “So I, being the great sleepover host that I am, have gathered a collection of blankets and pillows for you!”

Hooded Sans was quiet at first, eyelights shooting down to the bundle before flicking right back up to Papyrus. His grin suddenly widened as those tired sockets lifted slightly, appearing more awake than before. A chuckle escaped and bones outstretched to take the blankets into his arms. “Thanks, Paps,” he whispered, sockets closing as he brought one of the soft pillows to his sternum. 

“It’s quite alright, Sa- erm….” Papyrus stopped himself. While this skeleton was surely a version of his brother, calling him the same name just felt odd. Well, to be fair, the fact that there were two Sanses in one house was boggling enough. He would need to come up with some sort of name. Sans 2.0 perhaps? “Er, it’s quite alright. It is my duty as host to make sure all my guests enjoy their stay.”

The lankier skeleton got back into bed, bringing the covers up to his ribcage. He reached over for his pen, phalanges scrambling to find the small object, only to remember that said pen was destroyed only minutes ago. If his new roommate noticed this, he didn’t seem apologetic. So instead, Papyrus grabbed a book from his nightstand over war tactics and puzzle schematics. He was somewhat tempted to ask his new friend to read to him, but decided against it and just began reading.

Halfway through a page of his book, Papyrus realized he was being watched, and quite intently at that. He raised the tops of his sockets over the book at take a glance at his guest, and sure enough, there he was, staring straight at him with sleepy yet focused look. This reminded him of all the questions he had stored away. Where did he come from? Why was he here? What is wrong with his magic? If there was another Sans, was there another Papyrus as well? What was he going to call this Sans?

His eyelights flicked down to the faded clothes he wore.

Dust. He would call this new Sans Dust. As much as it sickened him to relate a version of his brother to a word that essentially meant “death”, it sure did fit with all that dusty powder on his clothes. If there was another Papyrus, he apparently didn’t take care of his brother like he did with his.

He took his sockets off of Dust to keep reading, ignoring the continuous stare he was getting. He had grown used to staring in the Underground. Surprisingly, Dust kept this up for a few hours until Papyrus felt it appropriate to go to bed. It was odd, seeing as if there was nothing else to do, his brother usually just fell asleep on the spot. 

Papyrus put the book neatly on his bedside and got up to flick off the lights, knowing that Dust’s eyelights were trailing him the entire time. “Goodnight, new roommate,” he chirped, hopping back into bed once the lights went out. He only glanced at the glowing red and blue lights before falling asleep.

Sans watched Papyrus fall asleep. He wanted to join him. He wanted to reach out and touch him, grab him, hug him, cradle him, cherish him.

But he couldn’t. He didn’t trust himself. He didn’t trust his hands. With how relaxed he looked at the moment, he couldn’t help but notice just how defenseless he was like this. The house was silent, but he could still hear them, goading him on, trying to cloud the rational thoughts that still clung on so desperately. He could still hear him, ringing out in his mind, even when he was right there in front of him. His bro- no. He was nowhere to be seen, but he could still hear him, albeit more clearly than the rest of them. 

He got up, making sure he didn’t wake his brother up from his slumber. Exiting the room, he looked around the house. He didn’t need much other than a marker to tell where he was. He descended the stairs, careful not to make a sound. He looked towards the fridge, quickly spotting his goal: a calendar, MTT brand, of course. From all the Xs that marred the clean white page under Mettaton’s posed body, it was mid-March. The fifteenth, to be exact. But there was no year. He practically ripped the calendar from it’s place, causing the magnet to go flying and fall somewhere unseen. He closed the book to take a look at its front. Clearly printer across the front in cursive was the current year. Well then.

Sans carelessly tossed the book onto the counter and went around to explore a house he should’ve known, ignoring their cries to go back upstairs and finish what he should’ve done. Instead, he walked into the living room, taking in everything he could see. The couch had been moved from the underground. So had the TV. There was his pet rock, well sprinkled and sitting on the counter. Everything just screamed familiarity, and yet he felt as though he didn’t belong. Nothing here was right. He jolted when he saw a flash of red. Was this home or hell?

There was still one place to look.

Sans made his way back up the stairs, pushing back their requests to go straight to Papyrus’ room. Instead, he stepped to his own room. He stared at the polished wood, so different from the faded spruce he was used to. Hesitation overtook him at first, afraid of what he would see inside. A jerk ran through his frame, forcing him to grab onto the doorknob. They wanted him to go inside. They wanted proof. So Sans twisted the knob, only to be halted by the lock embedded into the door. Of course it was locked. It was only an insignificant obstacle, however, and soon enough he was inside the room, scanning its contents. The lights were off, but the glow of his irises gave him a perfect, albeit filtered, view of the room; he didn’t want to end up surprising anybody.

The room was left exactly as he remembered. Unused treadmill, ball of unwashed clothes, mattress on floor, self-sustaining tornado in the corner; everything was perfect. He had always been one for familiarity after all, even if it had been an acquired taste. When he saw there was no one on the mattress, they suddenly quieted. They didn’t feel so bold anymore. His grin widened some as let out a sigh of relief. He no longer felt that chill that always racked his body.

Papyrus was still asleep when he returned. Sans himself wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon. How could he at a time like this. Instead, he approached his brother’s bedside, getting so close that the glow of his eyelights dimly reflected against Papyrus’ skull. Sans put a gentle hand on one side of the bed, wanting to creep closer just to be able to touch him again.

“You were my biggest mistake, Papyrus,” he spoke, barely below a whisper. “You are what I regret.” Phalanges brung themselves forward to gently brush against his brother’s hand, which seemed to relax to his touch. “I promise to never hurt you like that again.” He gently wrapped his hand around Papyrus’, his body freezing slightly at the foreign touch. His brother, however, unconsciously latched on, sighing peacefully in his sleep. “I will fix everything I had ruined. I won’t mess up again. I won’t hide ever again.” He closed his sockets, relishing in this rare silent moment.

He was home.

[zionchubby14]

Blowing Up

So I am beginning to think my last story is a bust.  I’ll continue to work on it and make it work.  In the meantime, I have a different story for you all.  Its a semi-sequel to The Fudge Room  I wrote a few months ago.  If you haven’t already read that one, you can read it here.  For now, enjoy this latest installment.

**WARNING: contains graphic gender-swapping transformation.**

 Violet had a hard time over the last few years.  Ever since that damn tour.  She was so ashamed being rolled away in front of those people, especially that horrible girl. Never mind that she was blown up like a blueberry, according to that freak.  She was lucky that everything went back to normal...except for her skin being a vibrant blue.

Violet never had more makeup on her face than she did growing up.  And forget dating.  She was so afraid to fool around with any boy, let alone participate in gym class. No amount of makeup could have made her look normal.

Now, living alone away from her mother and awful father, Violet was just trying to keep this a secret from anyone.  Just trying to keep up appearances, she sat in her apartment, eating her take out and watching The Bachelor.

***

After going to bed for the night, Violet laid in her bed, feeling like nothing is going to be normal again.  About to cry herself to sleep for yet another night, she felt the tears stream down her face onto the pillow underneath her.

But something stirred, some noise that made Violet sit up in her bed.  A burglar coming to look at the blue woman, Violet thought. “I’ll show him to break in and see the freak.”

Grabbing a baseball bat that her father had given her for protection, she stormed down the hall to confront the insensitive thief.  Once she reached the main living room, she looked for the thug.

“Where are you?!?” Violet shouted, anger spewing out of her like a volcano erupting onto the land.  “Show yourself!”

“Geez, lady. You don’t have to yell,” a voice cried out, annoyed by the yelling.  “I’m coming out.  Don’t shoot!”

A small little man started coming out from behind the couch.  Hoping to find a tall and strong home invader, she instead saw an orange-skinned, green-haired little man, wearing a brown shirt and white overalls. Getting a better look, she immediately recognized what this man was.

“YOU!!!”

“Ah, you remember me,” the little man said.  “I was hoping you might.”

“What are you doing in my home?  How dare you show your face after all these years!”

“Well, I honestly don’t think that is necessary.  I came to chat with you on behalf of Mr. Wonka.”

“Wonka?  Why on Earth would I ever want to hear from him?”

“Well, apart from litigation that you have against him and the company, which, by the way, you won’t win because of the contract you signed, he wants to bestow you an offer.”

“I don’t want anything from him or from you.”

“Now, come on. I haven’t even said what it was.”

“I don’t care. Please leave before I call the police.”

“Not even if it is a chance to become normal again?”

Violet stared at the little man.  “What did you say?”

“You heard me rightly, Ms. Beaure-“

“Don’t say my last name.  I had it changed.  It’s Smith now.”

“Of course, Ms. Smith.  You see, after your terrible accident at the factory, Wonka felt sorry for what happened. At the time, we had no way to reverse what had happened to you.  But after years of research, we figured out a way, a way to change your skin back to its normal color.”

“How?”

“It is hard for me to explain.  I rather take you back to the factory and show you.”

“No way.  I am not going back to that horrible place.”

“But Ms. Smith, the remedy is back at the factory.”

“No.  Wonka can go fuck himself before I step foot back in the infernal factory.”

“Well, that’s an impossible feat, considering Wonka passed away a couple months ago.”

“He died. But nothing was said in the papers.”

“Well, the new person in charge wanted to keep things quiet, for the benefit of Mr. Wonka and his beloved fans.”

“My condolences.”

“Thank you. But enough chatter.  We must be off.”

“But I told you. I’m not going back there.”

“Then, I am afraid you have given me no choice, Violet.”

The little man reached into his pocket and brought back out in his hand.  Raising it to his face, he blew sharply, releasing a cloud of dust that permeated into the air.  Inhaling the dust, Violet began to feel woozy and fell onto the couch, unconscious to the world around her.

 ***

 When Violet woke up, she was sitting in a room that smelled of sweet fruit and candies. After shaking her head, she tried to raise her hand to check her head, but was bound to the chair which she sat in.

“What the hell?”

“Sorry, Violet,” someone said from somewhere.  “I couldn’t risk you waking up and attacking me.”

“Who’s there?” Violet started to squirm and wiggle out of here confines, but something held her tight.

“I wouldn’t move too much.  This sticky taffy reject has been known to peel off skin.  Had a lot of Oompa Loompas in need of skin grafts after that batch.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Oh, Violet. I don’t wish to hurt you.  Far from it.”

The voice started materialize into a tall man.  Somewhat lanky, the man was wearing a long lab coat with a dark blue sweater underneath.  His dusty blonde hair made Violet gasp in shock.

“Charlie?”

“Good to see you, Violet.”

“I-I-I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain the best I can,” Charlie said, pulling up a chair in front of Violet. “For years after taking over the company, I felt bad for what this place did to you, Augustus, Veruca, and Mike. I had some of my workers keep tabs on each of you, and from what I read, you have had the worst go of things.  So after working on a proper complete meal gum, I had the research team look into a way to reverse the changes.  I think we have come up with a complete cure for you.”

“So wait, you kidnapped me to cure me?”

“I didn’t mean for you to be kidnapped, and that Oompa Loompa has been reprimanded.  I meant to write you, but with pending litigation, I didn’t want your lawyer to see this as a bribe.”

“Charlie, do you really think this could work?  I mean, can you really cure me?”

“I can’t say for sure, but if you are willing to try, I’d be willing to help you out.”

“…Alright. Let’s do this.”

A smile spread across Charlie’s face as he leaned in for a hug.  “Excellent.  I’ll call in the team and we’ll administer the treatment right away.”

Charlie grabbed for a remote in his pocket and pushed a button.  Within seconds, a team of Oompa Loompas in lab coats came in with medical equipment and IV bags.

“Violet, we don’t quite know the full effects of this cure.  We tried it on a few of the Oompa Loompas who were just like you and saw an immediate restoration of skin pigment.  We didn’t see any abnormalities right away, but we can’t be too cautious.  So we’ll be hooking you up to a heart and oxygen monitor, as well as an IV to make sure you are hydrated and give you any medicine right away.”

“Okay.  Will it hurt?”

“As far as we have noticed, there has been no signs of pain.  But again, we can’t take that chance.”

One Oompa Loompa walked up to Charlie and gave him a syringe.

“Violet, once I give you this, I can’t be around to see if it works.  For legal reasons.”

“I understand. Thank you, Charlie.”

With that, Charlie insert the syringe needle in the IV and sent the drug throughout her veins. He gave her a caring smile and left the room with one Oompa Loompa to monitor her condition.

“Can I at least be given a mirror to see any changes?”

“Sorry, Ms. Smith. I am only here to monitor your vitals.”

Violet kept looking around to take her mind off of what may happen.  She noticed a weird sensation building up in her stomach and groin, but brushed it off as she saw a pink spot on her arm.

“Uh, hey…”

“Danny.”

“Danny, is that what I think it is? There, on my arm?”

“Lemme see,” the Oompa Loompa said as he grabbed her left arm.  “Yep, that is normal skin tone.”

“Really?”

“Yep.  Oh, there’s another on your chin.  Looks like it is working.”

“Oh my god!”

A walkie talkie feedback came from the Oompa Loompa’s coat pocket.  Reaching in his pocket, the Oompa Loompa brought out the radio and walked out of earshot.

Violet kept noticing pink spot over her arms and bare legs.  She’s looking normal.  For the first time in a long time, she is feeling happy for looking normal.

“WHAT?!?”

The loud shout broke Violet out of her happiness.

“Ohcrapohcrapohcrap,” the Oompa Loompa kept saying over and over as he rushed over to the heart monitor.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just got off the radio with my research team.  The drug we gave you has some weird side effects we weren’t aware of until now.”

“Like what?”

“Well, apparently, the blue pigment of your skin was acting like an appetite suppressant, blocking any hunger signals to your brain.  Once the blue skin goes away, our other test subjects experienced ravenous hunger.”

“What?”

As soon as she said that, Violet’s stomach growled loudly and she started to feel very ill.

“Oh, my god. I need something to eat.”

“Like what? We’re a chocolate factory.  All we have is candy.”

“Did you throw away the failed gum that turned me blue?”

“Yes, because we changed the formula to wear it really works.”

“I don’t care what you have, just feed me some food now!”

The Oompa Loompa ran out of the room in a hurry.  As he left, Violet kept feeling more and more hungry, as well as a weird feeling in her groin.  She began thrashing in her chair until it toppled over onto the floor.  She looked down at her skin and saw more pink skin than blue.  Tears started forming her eyes as she laid on the cold floor.

The door busted open to have a team of Oompa Loompas wheeling in carts of different chocolate and fudge.

“Violet, are you okay?”

“Danny?” Violet said in a lower octave.  What the Hell was up with her voice?  It didn’t matter.  All she could think about was food.

“Violet, don’t move.  We’re removing your restraints right now.”

With several spritz of what appeared to be water, the taffy that was holding her down soon melted away.  As soon as she was free, Violet dived into the first cart of food, loudly cramming all the sweet treats into her mouth.  The team of Oompa Loompas ran out, seeing the need for more food right away.

 Hours past and Violet had finished the multiple carts of candy.  Her stomach severely bloated by the massive binge session that transpired.  Violet sat against the wall, rubbing her distended belly.

Danny walked up to the very full woman with a TV in tow.  Reaching down to check her vitals, he looked into her eyes.

“Violet? Don’t talk right now.  If you can hear me, just nod your head.”

Violet, in a state of euphoric fullness, felt her whole body change from what it once was. Her face felt puffy, with her cheeks bulging out slightly and the weight of her chins surrounding her neck.  Her breasts had grown to accommodate her new weight.  The stomach and ass had widened and plumped considerably.

But what felt weird was her groin.  Something felt different, like something was there that wasn’t there before.  But before she could check to see what it was, Danny caught her attention.

“Violet, I have a message from Charlie, who heard of what has transpired.  Watch the screen.”

Danny pressed the button on the TV and the image of Charlie appeared before them.

“Violet, I hope you are doing alright.  I heard about what happened.  I’m afraid we caught the side effects too late to prevent this from happening.  You’ll be happy to know that this is something we will rectify right away.

“However, there is one more side effect we didn’t mention, because of your ravenous hunger.  Apparently, in our other test subjects, apart from the hunger, we noticed that they had changed…sex.  Since all Oompa Loompas are male, they turned to female.  When we heard the results, I immediately had Danny administer a reversal of the drug right away…or I would have if it wasn’t for the lawsuit.

“Yes, Violet.  I turned you into a man, a fat man at that.  You see, you would’ve damaged Wonka’s name and reputation as a great chocolatier with your lawsuit.  You were always an impulsive brat, never caring about anyone but yourself.  You just had to have that one piece of gum. He warned you and you did it anyway.

“Honestly, I could have left you as a blue freak in the world and buried you in court fees and taken you to the bank.  But when my team found this solution, I came up with this plan.  You’ll never go back home ever again.

“Oh, and I guess I should give you a new name, since you’re no longer Violet.  I always liked Vince.  Vince Beauregarde.  At least your father will now have the son he always wanted.

“Good bye, Vince.  Enjoy your stay at my factory.”

 Vince didn’t hear anything from the recorded message.  After discovering his dick for the first time, he started jerking it off, rubbing his fattened form and demanding more food to be brought in.  All the while, another team of Oompa Loompas brought in some more treats for their new resident.

 ***

 Charlie sat in his office, looking out at the world outside the factory.  Business was booming and there was more and more people loving his new creations, as well as the ones Wonka created.

With a smile on his face, he turned around and opened a manila file folder on his desk. Inside was several photos of four people and a complete report of each one.

With the smile still on his face, he reached for the intercom button on his desk.

“Hank, come in here.”

Within seconds, a muscly, yet plump Oompa Loompa came into the room.  “Yeah, boss?”

“I think it’s time for a visit to Guest Number 3.  You sure she’s in London?”

“Yep. London, England.  Took over her father’s nut factory.”

“Splendid. Have Justin bring her in.”