#HIS SMILE LIGHTS UP ALLL WORLDS

[killuaisaprincess]

🐈‍⬛🩷🎀🐈‍⬛🩷🎀🐈‍⬛

[huffle-dork]

Long Live the King

Chapter 3 : When Lightning Strikes

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A couple hours after the Swaps' arrival in this new world, the boat is packed up again and everyone is underway. It's a bit crowded, but tolerable. The boat is being steered along by a woman wearing a fox mask who appears, to the Earth-born swaps, East Asian. Vsevna is talking to her at the helm, letting the others have the opportunity to talk with their other selves from another world.

The swaps are all dressed in a combination of their own clothes from home and borrowed pieces from the Phantoms. Henny is dressed in a long light blue striped tunic, with no sleeves and a slight collar. His own gray suit pant are underneath since he’s too tall to use any of the others pants. He’s wearing a white poofy poet style shirt under his tunic with light leather guards serving as long cuffs. He’s using his green tie as a sash. Dr. J has on his own dark brown khakis with a borrowed shirt from Jameson. It’s dark blue with slight puffs at the shoulder seams with dark brown straps down the front, cinched with a dark brown belt at his waist. Jackieboy got lucky that he fit into any of his other selves clothes- so he’s wearing a dark red tunic with a black cowl like hood attached. He has slightly bunched pants tucked into red and black boots and black fingerless gloves on his hands. He was a dark sight compared to the blues of his counterparts- but damn if he didn’t look cool!

"Are you sure you're alright, Juwel?" Henny asks in worry.

Dr. J smiles, "Yes, Henrik I'm just fine. This is a lot smoother than I thought it would be."

"If you're worried about seasickness, this river doesn't move as much," Marvin says. "I, um... get it too. But the river's usually fine for me, so... it... probably would be for you, too." Marvin is not good at small talk.

Dr. J smiles at Marvin and nods, "Thank you Marvin, that's very good to know."

"Can't imagine getting motion sick- that must suck." Jackieboy comments, shrugging. "I couldn't parkour if i got sick that easily!" He then eyes the parts of the ship and looks up at all the parts. "... do you think I could-"

"No, Jackie- now isn't the time to be jumping around you know." Dr. J sighs, adjusting his glasses.

Jackieboy pouts.

"Your friends mentioned this 'parkour' while they were here," Henrik says. "It is like--climbing things and running for fun, yes?" He chuckles. "In that case, you could have been a topman if you were born here, Jackieboy. They are the sailors who climb on the riggings."

"It might be different if it was for a job, though," Jackie says thoughtfully.

Jackieboy's eyes sparkle with excitement, "Dudeee that would be so fucking dope!! I wanna do that!!" He then laughs and shrugs to Jackie, "I dunno- I do parkour for a job right now and... I love it still, honestly. Even if I get hurt alll the time!"

"You say that way too happily, Jackie," Dr. J chuckles, shaking his head.

Now that JJ seems alright, Henny perks up and spins around in his new outfit, giggling quietly. "These clothes are so funny though! I want to get a role in a fantasy movie now so I wear these things more! Look how flowy!!" He then spins around, not unlike a dog chasing its tail.

Jackieboy breaks into giggles at the sight and Dr. J can't hide his smile. "Ah Henrik- please be careful!"

"Careful not to fall off the side," Chase adds when Henny starts spinning around. "It would be terrible to get your new clothes wet or lose your, uh... By the way, I've been meaning to ask this. You two. What are you wearing on your faces? Over your eyes?" He gestures at his own face.

Henny rights himself, getting dizzy for a second. He then blinks and adjusts his glasses with a grin. "Oh! They are glasses! They help you to see! And- our world has much better glasses than I did before!! Everything was so clear when Juwel got me a new pair!"

"I was wondering about that," Dr. J muses, looking at the group. "If you are all like us... some of you must need glasses. Do you have blurry vision?"

Instantly, the group all turns to look at Henrik. "...what?" he asks.

Marvin rolls his eyes. "Your man is holding parchment up to his face like this." He mimes holding something inches from his face.

"I do not!" Henrik protests. "Only when it is dark. And the writing is tiny. Or the ink is faded into the vellum a bit."

They all just stare at him.

"Alright, if we are being like that, what about Jackie?"

"Me?" Jackie says, surprised.

"Yes, you. You being like--" Henrik squints his eyes until they're nearly closed "--when trying to see something down a hill's length."

"I don't look like that!"

"Haha, not so fun to be the accused, is it?"

I have heard tales of cut glass being used in Saelas, Jameson says, quietly turning the subject. Like the magnifiers in libraries, but much smaller. That must be what your glass does, too.

Chase blinks. "The what in libraries?"

"Some fancier libraries have circles of glass about this big." Marvin makes a circle with his hands. "They help you read when the writing on the parchment or vellum is too small."

"So... we need to attach magnifiers to Henrik's face, then," Chase sums up.

"Hey!"

Dr. J laughs, "That is kind of what it is! Or what they were when they were first made!" He gestures at Jackieboy, "Jackie needs them too but he's stubborn and doesn't wear them nearly as much as he should."

"Hey!" Jackieboy glares at JJ, "Like I was gonna bring them here to get broken! They're expensive!"

"That'd be less likely if you'd actually wear them."

Henny looks between everyone and then takes off his glasses and offers them to Henrik, "Other me! Would you like to try? It is wonderful to see clear!!" He smiles kindly.

Henrik blinks. "Oh. Ah, really? Alright, if you are sure." He carefully takes the glasses, like he's afraid they'll break the moment he takes hold of them. They don't, of course. So he carefully slides them onto his face, glancing at JJ for reference on how they should fit. Then he looks around the boat. He blinks a couple times. His eyes go wide behind the glass. "W-wait. Wait."

Are they working? Jameson asks.

"I... think they are." Henrik stares at Jameson. "There is a pattern on your neck bow?"

"Wha--you couldn't see that this whole time?!" Marvin gasps. "I mean, I guess it's a smaller pattern, with similar colors, but-- but we can all see that from this distance, right?" He looks around at the others. Chase nods in agreement. Even Jackie nods in agreement.

Jameson grins. Yes, this is my fancy one.

"Oh!" Henrik blinks some more. He looks around some more. "That is... oh. Wow."

Henny beams and backs up carefully. He claps as he sees Henrik look around. “yay! They’re working!!”

“Oh! You must be far-sighted then if closer objects are harder to see.” Dr. J smiles. “That’s not as common. We all are near-sighted.”

“I’m not as bad as you both.” Jackieboy grumbles.

"Near sighted? No, I do not think that is what this is?" Henrik says slowly. "It is just... all..."

"Henrik, was everything blurry to you?" Chase asks, genuinely concerned.

"That would explain him holding the parchment like this." Marvin repeats his mime from earlier.

"Shut up. All of you." Henrik carefully takes the glasses off and hands them back to Henny. "Thank you. That was... that was an experience." He laughs a bit.

Henny giggles, "It's okay- most things are blurry for me too! But, I can see things near me a bit better. But things farther away are very blurry. Probably like.... ah- here?" He sticks his hand out and squints and then stops his hand about an a half of an arm's length from his face. "That's when things get blurry for me!" He takes the glasses and puts them back on. "I wish i could give you your own pair! I think Alt might know a spell for that though!!"

"Ah, yes, that is about how it is for me," Henrik agrees, nodding at Henny's demonstration.

Dr. J shakes his head with a chuckle then goes to take off his glasses to offer to Jackie. “It seems only fair to have you try too. Though- I hope mine don’t hurt your eyes. I have a pretty strong… set of glass.” He says carefully- trying not to use the word ‘prescription’.

"Uh, sure, I'll try." Jackie takes JJ's glasses just as carefully as Henrik did. He puts them on and blinks. "Hmm... yes, this does feel a bit strange in my eyes. But... I can see those trees' leaves." He points at a tree in the distance.

"Jackie, are you joking?" Chase says, still concerned.

"No, I'm not! I didn't realize they weren't supposed to lose detail. Elders." Jackie takes the glasses off. "Thank you. I think they were a little strong, but they worked."

Dr, J chuckles, "I remember a similar experience when I first got my glasses as a lad. It was so strange to see everything so clear! Especially the trees." He takes them back and adjusts them on his face, "I bet it would have felt better if we had something you know... closer to what your eyes needed."

Jackieboy throws up his arms, "Jesus Jays! Fine, next time we go to a fantastical world, I'll make extra sure to bring my fragile glasses! You're such a nag sometimes!!"

"Do not be hard on him Juwel- he got his glasses later than us! It is a hard adjustment!" Henny tries to say gently.

Jackie grins. "It's alright, Jackieboy. I can still see enough. Seeing things from far away doesn't really matter as much in a sword fight. Though it does explain my difficulty with range weapons."

"Oh, wait, if JJ needs these glasses, does our Jameson?" Marvin asks. He turns to him as he says this. "Jair, is your vision ever blurry?"

Jameson doesn't answer. He doesn't even turn to look at Marvin. He's tensed up, facing towards the wooden wall of the boat but staring at nothing.

"Jameson?" Chase gasps. "Oh, no, that's not a good place for that!" He pulls Jameson back away from the edge of the boat. Or tries to, at least. His feet are rooted in place and Chase stops, afraid that he'll pull Jameson over.

Jameson's mouth is moving, like he's trying to say something but no words come out. His hands move jerkily. The translation spell that gives it subtitles is struggling, showing random letters for the Swaps.

“Woah woah! What’s happening?!” Jackieboy asks in concern.

Dr. J rushes over, worried creased on his brow. He hovers his hands close by. “is this… a seizure…?” He wonders quietly.

"I-it does look like a seizure, doesn't it?" Jackie says shakily. "B-but it's not!"

"Believe it or not this is actually... very normal," Marvin says.

"A bit of an over exaggeration," Henrik mutters. "Given how rare it is."

“W-What should we do?!” Henny cries.

"Don't worry, we just need to wait it out!" Chase says. "And, uh, be ready to catch him." He's hovering nearby for that exact thing.

"Jameson is an oracle," Marvin explains. "And this is a vision. They don't normally last long, i-it's fine."

Dr. J’s eyes widen, “An oracle?”

Henny frowns, sounding out oracle himself, after seeing JJ say it, “…what does this word mean?”

“It means he can see the future…!” Jackieboy says in awe.

"I-I know, it's worrying to see," Jackie says. "But he's really okay."

Dr. J frowns, still looking worried but nods. “If you’re sure…”

Henny and Jackie watch with worry while Dr. J tries to stay close by, just in case he needs to try to catch him too. This looks… painful though. But if it’s… common then, there’s not much he can do.

After not too long, Jameson suddenly slumps. Chase and JJ catch him before he falls to the ground--or worse, off the side of the boat.

Marvin rushes over as well. "Jair? Jair!" He shakes Jameson a little.

Jameson shakes his head, looking around a bit disoriented. He realizes that Chase and JJ are holding him and quickly stands up straight. Then he notices the concerned looks on the Swaps' faces. His eyes widen in alarm and he hurries to say, I'm alright! Really, I am.

“T-That was… kinda terrifying to see-“ Jackieboy admits quietly. “that happens every time you a vision…?”

“Are you dizzy? Or feeling sick?” Henny asks.

Jameson smiles at the other's concern. I know, it's scary. Sometimes I frightened my siblings when we were younger. But I feel fine. No dizzy, no nausea. Just a bit weak.

"Which does make sense, your muscles all tense up at once," Henrik says.

"We've all been where you guys are, we understand," Chase adds.

"...well. Now it's time for the question," Jackie says.

"Right now?" Marvin raises an eyebrow. "Give the new people some time to process what just happened before you ask what it was."

Jackieboy raises his hand a bit, looking timid. “…I was asking gonna ask but I was worried that was insensitive…”

I'm used to it, don't worry. Jameson's smile falls. Shadows briefly cover his eyes before he hides it with a neutral expression. You want to know what I saw, right?

Jackieboy nods.

"Is it... relevant?" Henrik asks carefully.

Again, those shadows flicker. Jameson shakes his head.

Marvin frowns. "Really?" he says doubtfully.

Henny looks hopeful for a second but then his face falls, “Oh… then it is not about Alt or Bro…?”

Dr. J nods, crossing his arms. “I guess that’s to be expected… that doesn’t seem like something you can just control. You don’t have to share if you don’t want to, Jameson.”

Jameson's shoulders slump slightly with relief. You're right, it's not something that can be controlled, he says. Not for lack of trying, on my part or... others'. But I really don't think this one in particular would be helpful. He gives them all a small smile. Sorry. But thank you.

Dr. J gives Jameson a small smile too. “Of course, we wouldn’t want you being uncomfortable.”

"Do you need to sit down, Jair?" Marvin asks. He looks around. "I know there are benches in here--damn, they're all taken."

I'm fine, Marvin, really.

Jackieboy tries to shake off his disappointment and leans on the wall of the ship to look out at the scenery. He really hopes Chase and Alt are okay…

Henny still looks a bit worried. “We still have a while to go, ja? Maybe sitting down would be good- we could always sit on the floor! Or… is that not good on a boat?” He thinks out loud, screwing up his face in a comical thinking pose.

"Let's find out," Marvin says, and sits down on the deck. Draco immediate jumps into his lap. "Oh. Well, I suppose I'm staying here."

Henrik laughs. "I-I think it will be fine. There is nothing up here that will roll around. The most we have to worry about is other people falling if we hit a--" Suddenly, he flinches. His head turns to the side, staring at nothing. Then he faces the others again. "What was I saying? Ah, yes, if we hit a rock. But this is a deep river, it will be fine."

Henny goes to sit next to Marvin, offering his hand to Draco to see if he wants pets. “He is quite the affectionate kitty! He must love you a lot.”

"He's not usually this affectionate, to be honest. He must be trying to make up for [imíonoshtil] me to the Wildwood." Marvin gives Draco a half-serious glare. For some reason, the translation spell doesn't work on that word, but the boys vaguely hear 'teleporting' underneath the sounds.

Henny blinks in surprise, “Your cat can send you places?? He is magic too?? Oh- if my dog had magics- that would not be good. She’d only use it for treats!” He laughs.

"Well, Draco isn't exactly a normal cat," Marvin says, scratching Draco's chin. "He's a wizard familiar. An animal made of magic. And there's magic all over the world that he can use to move quickly. He only took me twice, and that's a whole story."

"He did make me think you'd been captured for about a week," Chase says, sitting down on the deck as well. Jameson also sits, but Jackie does not, preferring to lean onto the wall and watch the land passing by.

“Oh!!! What a special kitty!!” Henrik gasps in delight. “Well- except for- you know, worrying your friends.” He laughs lightly.

Meanwhile, while the others talk, Dr. J looks concerned again at Henrik’s behavior. “Henrik… are you feeling alright?”

"I-I am perfectly alright!" Henrik says hurriedly and in a way that definitely doesn't convince anyone. "I am simply--simply--"

"You know you don't have to tell them," Jackie says gently.

Henrik rubs his eyes. "Perhaps once we get closer to the city. I-it is a bit personal, but I am... curious about what it would be like in your world."

Dr. J knits his eyebrows together, the wheels turning in his head. He’s noticed some things but… “I don’t mean to pry. I just… I’m a… mental doctor. Back home. Or… I… I was. And I’m… trained to recognize these types of things. But, if you don’t want to share, that’s perfectly fine. And… I wouldn't know without asking you a lot of questions. I’m not your doctor, so it’s really not my business… as long as you’re not getting yourself hurt… or others.” He does look genuinely concerned but- he also doesn’t want to make assumptions.

Henrik blinks in surprise. Then he lets out a breath of relief. "Thank the Sisters. I-I was afraid--well, not afraid, but... worried about your reactions. My home nation was not as kind about, ah, 'mind sickness,' as they called it there. In Glasúil they are called curses, but it is not magical, just... natural. M-my medicine was lost when we had to leave our main base. I have been making do with a different one, but it cannot handle all the symptoms the way my usual tonic can. So... m-my behavior has been off for a while."

Dr. J gives Henrik a sympathetic look, “That sounds very hard, Henrik, being without the right medicine… I’m sorry. But, you don’t need to worry about any judgement from us, believe me. We…all have our issues.” He tries to laugh, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Henrik doesn't laugh when JJ does. He nods slowly. "I think the same can be said for us, too," he says slowly. "Is not my place to air other's issues, but... if you ever need to talk, I think you will find a lack of judgement from us as well."

Dr. J freezes slightly but then quickly puts on a brighter smile. “…that’s very generous, Henrik. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

Henrik nods. "Just... remember that." He smiles back, then turns and looks out at the landscape. "Nice out here."

Dr. J smiles, looking out with Henrik, feeling the nice breeze. “Yeah… it is.”

Jackieboy yawns, looking around and now slips down to rest against the wall of the boat, rubbing at his eyes. The rocking motion is actually kinda soothing… mmm did he sleep enough last night? …probably not knowing him. But this doesn’t seem like a good place for a nap. But soon enough, he curls up his legs to his chest and rests his head on top of his knees, blearily watching the landscape go by as he struggles to stay awake.

Jackie notices his other self nodding off. He crouches down next to him. "Tired? You know, people sleep on boats all the time. There are some spaces below deck. Assuming they haven't been claimed already."

Jackieboy blinks and looks to his other self and then tries to shake his head. “Me? Nah- ….well I mean I am but I’m always tired so… s’why I like to move around so much.” He stifles a yawn and presses the heel of his hand against his eye, quickly grinning back at Jackie. “‘Sides- what if I doze off and miss something by being below deck? Who knows! ..maybe bro and Alt already took down that cat bastard and are halfway to finding us!”

"Heh." Jackie smiles. "Yea, maybe." He sits down next to him. "If you doze off, I'll wake you up when something happens. Promise."

Though it will be a while before something does.

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They'd been riding for hours--though not nearly as long as expected--and were just taking a break for food when the King finally picks something up. "Wait a moment." He narrows his eyes. "There are people up ahead. A lot of them. And they're... getting closer." He grins. "Surely they're not foolish enough to go back."

Magnificent gets up from where he’s lounging almost cat-like and perks up, slowly grinning. “Oh? Do you sense the rebels?”

At this Alt and Bro’s eyes flash green and they stagger up and put their hands on their weapons, Alt a seax, Bro a sword.

“Indeed I do.” The King peers down the river. “They must be just out of sight. If we wait here we can ambush them.” He looks around. This area has trees. They’re not close enough to be considered a proper forest, but they’ll do. “You.” He points at a cluster of warriors. “Get the horses out of sight. Magnificent, do you know any magic to help hide people?”

Magnificent teleports to his feet and then cracks his knuckles with a grin. “I do indeed! I can cast an illusion to keep us out of sight.”

“Are they on land, mu Ríth?” Alt asks, electricity building up around him.

“No, last I saw the rebels they were on a boat, and I doubt they would leave that behind now.” The King gestures at Alt and Bro. “You will lead the charge. Let Magnificent hide you. Then, once the boat is close enough, attack.” He looks at the other helmeted warriors. “The rest of you hide among the trees until these two make their move.”

“Yes, mu Ríth,” Bro and Alt say near at the same time, standing at attention.

Magnificent grins and laughs, magic dancing excitedly around his hands. In a wave of magic he casts a glamor over Alt and Bro. The two knights' bodies blend seamlessly into the background around them as if they’re truly invisible. “Alright! This will be quite the show~!”

Aneirin grins. "It will, won't it? Now we must hide as well. They'll be coming at any moment." He backs into the trees, letting the brothers and his warriors take the lead. He'll step in if things get truly desperate... or if he feels like he's missing out. Magnificent nods and teleports to hide in the trees.

The Phantoms' boat continues down the river without any trouble. They're coming up into a slightly wooded section now. Something about this is making Jackie uneasy. He paces across the deck, then looks up at the sky and frowns. It was a nice sunny day earlier. Those clouds appeared rather quickly.

Dr. J is also frowning up at the sky, his brows furrowed. “…those clouds sure came out of nowhere.”

Jackieboy is lightly dozing, Henny resting his head on top of his and trying to stay awake. He notices Jackie’s pacing and perks up. “Is everything okay, Jackie?”

"It's as JJ said, these clouds came out of nowhere," Jackie says.

Chase, leaning against the railing nearby, suddenly looks towards them. "They did, didn't they? I've often spent long times staring at the sky or the ground, and I don't think clouds usually form this fast..." He shakes his head. "But it's hard to be sure. And even if it's strange, what could it mean?"

“Maybe… magics?” Henny suggests quietly.

Jackieboy blinks awake and shakes his head, “Was’happenin’?”

Dr. J frowns, “Should we… maybe see about stopping for a rest? Is sailing during a storm on a river dangerous?”

Chase blinks. He turns to the side. “Hey Marvin!”

Marvin, some ways away, calls back, “Yes?”

“Is there magic that can influence the weather?”

Marvin is quiet for a moment. “I think… maybe if you get a circle of sorcerers together you might be able to?”

Chase turns back to the group. “Well there’s that.”

“I still don’t like it,” Jackie mutters. “It can’t be too dangerous to sail on a river during a storm. Not nearly as dangerous as sailing on the ocean during storms. But I’ll ask some of the sailors.” He walks away, heading towards the helm.

Chase frowns. He stares out at the passing landscape. “Let’s keep an eye out, okay?”

Dr. J still looks worried, but he nods, watching the landscape too.

Jackieboy groans and leans back against Henny. “Mannn if it rains then we have to moveeee!”

“You said you did want to fall asleep, mein friend.” Henny giggles.

“You’re so comfy and warm thoughhhh,” Jackieboy mumbles into his shoulder.

Henny laughs and pats his shoulder.“Well- I will not be for long if it rains!”

Unknown to them, the boat is quickly approaching the spot where Alt and Bro wait, hidden by an illusion.

As the boat appears, the Brody brothers get into ready stances. Without a word, Alt grabs Bro’s arm and together they glitch onto the boat. As lightning and thunder begins to roar in the sky, the swap boys notice a familiar sensation. The air suddenly feels electric and sharp and smells of metal.

Henny smiles and gets to his feet, already crying out for his friend. “Alt!! It is Alt!” But, then, the boys freeze as the illusion breaks, revealing Alt and Bro, staring at their friends with no recognition in their green glowing eyes. To this world’s boys, they instantly recognize the symbol on the tunics they wear, the Royal crest.

For a split second, everyone is frozen, shocked that people just appeared out of nowhere. And then weapons are drawn. A couple arrows are fired at Bro and Alt.

“Wait! Hold!” Henrik gasps.

“It’s too late!” Jackie draws his swords. “Defend yourselves!”

“No!!” Jackieboy yells, springing to his feet.

Henny is almost ready to try to use his watch when Alt’s eyes flash and he holds out a hand to make an electric shield around him and Bro.

Bro draws his sword and as soon as the arrows stop and the shield is dropped he yells and then charges at Jackie.

Dr. J stares in disbelief, “No no- what are you two doing?!”

Alt glances at Dr. J then bares his teeth, drawing his seax. “We’ve been ordered by the king to eliminate the rebels… and anyone who aligns with them.” He prowls closer, “So… if you wish to spare yourselves of their fate, step aside.”

Henny trembles, “A-Alt… w-why are you speaking as if you do not know us?!”

Alt’s eyebrows knit together. “…because I don’t. All I know is loyalty to aan Ríth.” He builds up magic and then tries to send out a wave of electricity to throw people off their feet.

Jackie parries Bro's attack easily. "You sure you're with the King? I know the royal family trains their warriors better." Bro’s eyes flash green as he bares his teeth in anger. Jackie grins, and goes for a disarming strike against Bro--but then Alt's wave of electricity hits and he gets knocked off his feet.

He's not the only one. Almost all of the Phantoms on deck get knocked over, including Jameson and Chase.

Marvin, managing to stay upright by grabbing the mast, looks at Alt. "Think you're a wizard? Alright. Let's duel." And he shoots a beam of light at Alt.

Back on the riverbank, several warriors step out of the trees. One throws a rope with a hook on the end, latching onto the side of the boat.

Henrik, also on his feet, notices the grapple rope on the side. "Vsevna! They're boarding!" he shouts.

Vsevna climbs to his feet. "Not on my fucking boat!" He pulls something off his back--an axe with a long spike on the back of its head--and rushes over, slicing through the rope.

Meanwhile, Henrik bends over and pushes aside a grate on the floor. He reaches in and grabs something, then quickly straightens and throws it. It's a small, circular bottle. It shatters against the riverbank ground and a wave of orange light crashes outward, pushing things over. The warriors, as well as the King and Magnificent, are in its range.

Bro’s about to strike at Jackie again when Alt’s wave of magic hits. He staggers a bit but stays upright and raises his sword, ready to bring it down on Jackie.

The electric wave sends Jackieboy crashing hard into the boat’s wall and he cries out.

Henny just manages to stay on his feet- and manages to see as the force of magic sends Dr. J flying off the edge of the ship.

JJ screams and desperately tries to reach out to grab something but misses- splashing into the water below.

Henny rushes to the edge and screams out after him. “JAMESON!!”

Alt and Bro turn towards the sound of distress before Alt gets hit by Marvin’s beam and is thrown off his feet, skidding across the ground.

The glow in Bro’s eyes flickers wildly with blue before he pushes forward then in a zip of power is flying off the boat and diving into the water.

Mag sees this and growls, building up magic- and doesn’t see the orange light of Henrik’s attack until he’s thrown off his feet and hits one of the trees. Bright light blooms in his vision as he hits the back of his head and slumps down, momentarily distracted.

"Cover!" The King shouts when he sees Henrik throw the bottle. Most of the warriors are able to flee quickly enough, and he is as well. He sees Magnificent get thrown back.

Under the water, JJ is struggling to find the surface, his clothes weighing him down as he tries to swim upwards. Then, strong arms are wrapping around him and pulling him up. Bro flies back up into the air before landing back on the ship with Dr. J.

JJ coughs and sputters before looking at Bro with wide eyes. “C-Chase…!”

Bro is looking down at JJ with equally wide eyes, confused.

Jackie, Chase, and Jameson climb to their feet. "Stay behind me," Jackie says, helping Jackieboy to his feet.

Jackieboy trembles a bit but tries to hide it as he stays behind Jackie. This is… so much more intense than he was expecting.

Meanwhile, Chase nocks an arrow and aims towards the riverbank. Jameson crouches down and starts rummaging through the same grate that Henrik got that bottle from, looking for weapons.

The warriors on the riverbank run back to the shore. A few more throw grapple ropes onto the boat and start pulling. Vsevna growls and tries to cut through them but there are too many. "Someone get the helm! Hard to starboard!"

Henny sees the other warriors trying to get on the ship and wishes he had something to help. As if in response, a teal knife of magic pops into existence in his hand. He startles slightly and then grins, going to help slash through the ropes too.

The King sees Bro jump off the side of the ship and rescue the fallen JJ. He narrows his eyes and shouts Commands at Bro. "Stop that! Remember your purpose!"

Bro suddenly stiffens as his eyes glow green again. He cries out and grips at his head, magic flickering wildly. “M-My… purpose…!” He whispers, the green quickly winning.

Dr. J quickly tries to grab Bro’s shoulder, “Chase…! Chase please! You need to wake up!”

Magnificent recovers quickly and growls, gripping his hand and sending out a pulse of magic, along with another message for Bro. {Remember Chase- disobey and you hurt your brother }

At this, the green ring around Alt’s wrist scars lights up and he screams as painful energy sends him back to his knees after he started to recover.

Bro hears this and he screams before the magic fills his eyes completely again. then all his fight is gone. He shoves Dr. J off him and growls at him coldly. “Consider yourself lucky I saved you, rebel scum. Stay out of the way.”

Jackie looks towards JJ and Bro--and notices the flickering green in his eyes. "They're enchanted!" He gasps. Quickly he steps forward, drawing Bro's attention. He thinks he can take him, and right now, they need to keep these two busy. "What are the ways to break the spell?"

Bro’s eyes lock onto Jackie again and he bares his teeth, taking out his sword again and rushing at him.

Marvin runs to Alt, conjuring a bubble of white light around him, hoping to trap him.

Alt looks up from the sudden assault of magic to see he’s trapped in white light. He growls and coats his seax in lightning and tries to see if he can slash himself free.

Taking a chance to breathe, Marvin looks towards Jackie and starts to say something, but then Alt tries breaking through the bubble and he snaps his attention back to him, quickly sealing up the slash that he made. "We can do that later! For now get them out of the picture!"

Dr. J’s eyes widen as he hears Jackie and Marvin. Of course… this must be Magnificent’s doing! But… why? And why are they so deep that they don’t recognize them? If only he could get one of them alone…!

As Henny starts cutting through the ropes, Vsevna looks at him in surprise, then grins. "Ah, resourceful in every world, I see!" Henny grins at Vsevna.

"Um?" Henrik looks at him, narrowing eyes slightly.

"Oh come now, sova, don't be so insecure--"

"Look out!" Chase shouts.

The warriors have bows, and now they loose the arrows.

Henrik, Chase, and Vsevna all quickly duck, avoiding the attack.

Henny startles as he sees the arrows coming. He fumbles for his watch and then holds out a hand, his eyes glowing teal. “Stop!” The arrows all stop in their momentum as they’re caught in teal magic. Then with a quick flick of his wrist, the magics gone and the arrows drop. Then Henny rushes to get back to slashing the ropes.

Henrik gets back to his feet again. "Ha! Impressive, other-me." He looks at Vsevna. "You are right, I understand now." Vsevna just grins.

Jameson stands up again, now holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. He awkwardly nocks one and fires at the warriors, flinching as the bow string hits his arm. Chase, following his lead, starts firing as well. So do some of the other Phantoms who are recovering.

Jackie parries Bro's wild attack. He grits his teeth as his mind whirls. They have to disarm these two! He swings his other sword while blocking Bro's with the other, aiming to smack the blade out of Bro's hand.

Bro’s grip is strong. As Jackie tries to disarm him, Bro holds firm and uses his strength to push Jackie’s blades down back towards him.

Jackie narrows his eyes and pushes back against Bro. Their blades are locked together for a moment, and then Jackie quickly snaps his two swords towards each other like a pair of scissors, trapping Bro's blade between them. He tries to wrench it to the side.

Bro manages to keep his grip and slides his sword back. He then tries to swipe out at one of Jackie’s legs.

Bro's leg hits Jackie's but doesn't do anything. Jackie glances down at the impact. Thank the Elders that Bro seems to have forgotten his super strength. But he'll remember eventually. Wtih a sudden yell, Jackie puts all his force into a forward push, planning to knock him down.

Bro isn't expecting the yell- but he manages to grab Jackie by the wrist and pulls him down with him. Hitting the deck by the back of the head majorly disorients him though, magic flickering wildly in his eyes.

Alt yells in anger as he’s sealed in and cracks his seax into the magic again. But he feels the familiar buzz on his arms and remembers he can get out of this easier. How did he forget? He glitches out of the magic and appears behind Marvin before trying to tackle him to the ground.

Marvin's eyes widen as Alt disappears. Shit! He forgot he could do that! He whirls around to look for him and cries out as Alt attacks him.

Jameson and Henrik turn around at the sound. Instinctively, Jameson fires the arrow he's just nocked.

Alt is raising his seax to try to stab Marvin in the throat. Then, the arrow Jameson fires hits him in the shoulder. He cries out and drops his seax, gripping at his wound and glitching a bit in place. The others can see his eyes flickering a tiny bit.

Marvin pushes Alt away, breathing heavily. He grabs Alt's head and holds it in place. Marvin's eyes start lighting up various colors, hoping that the extra stimulation will help loosen this enchantment.

Alt, for a second, catches the colors in Marvin’s eyes and seems to relax ever so slightly. But that sickly green light pulses brighter and he shakes it off, growling and then pushing to blast magic right in Marvin’s face.

Jackieboy looks around, wanting to help. He goes to look for a weapon like he saw Jameson do. Soon, he finds a decently sized knife and some throwing knives like he saw Jackie using. His eyes flicker up to the rigging above them, and he grins as he gets an idea. He quickly starts to climb the ropes, sticking the knifes into his belt. Henny ducks and weaves and tries to keep any other ropes from getting on the boat.

Chase sees Jackieboy climbing up the rigging. "What are you doing?!" he gasps. "Be careful!"

Jackieboy staggers a bit while climbing, but manages to get onto a more solid place rather quickly. He eyes the battle below- then looks out and freezes as he sees Magnificent and the King on the shore. “uhhh guys! Bastards spotted on the shore!”

Henny gasps at seeing Mag and the King on the shore, “I-Is that the king?!” Dr. J peeks over to see, narrowing his eyes.

Meanwhile, Marvin also yells in surprise. He barely manages to throw up a shield to Alt’s assault on his face. Even so, the force of the magical blast pushes both of them backwards across the floor. And then he hears Jackieboy's yell. His head snaps to the edge of the boat and he runs over. "Trade you!" he shouts to Henrik, and aims a burst of fiery magic at Magnificent.

Henrik nods and spins around. He thinks he's found a good potion to use. And he throws it towards Alt.

The King watches all this from the riverbank. He glances over towards Magnificent, then hurries over and shakes him. "They're getting away," he whispers urgently. Indeed, with Henny and Vsevna constantly cutting off the grapple ropes, the boat is continuing down the river, sailing away slowly but steadily. "I can do something, but it will be drastic. Do you have anything less drastic?"

Magnificent growls and tries to think, “Other than setting the boat on fire… how drastic is your plan?!”

"It's just as drastic as that." The King bares his teeth in a smile. "Surely you remember my skill with lightning. Take out their sail and they're at the mercy of the current." Then he notices Marvin's attack. "Move!"

Magnificent’s eyes light up and he grins, “We’ll take down the sail then-“ He cuts himself off and dives into the sand, gasping as he just barely manages to dodge the fire. He growls and pushes himself up, eyes glowing brightly. He whips out green fire to blast at Marvin too.

Marvin ducks as Magnificent throws fire of his own. "Yes, that's the bastard," he mutters. He aims another blast of fire at the King instead--

"No!" Chase pushes Marvin and the blast goes wide, setting the trees on fire instead. "Remember what we know now!"

The King tenses up, preparing to dodge the fire, but then Chase knocks it wide. He chuckles. "Fools," he whispers. "Alright. Take it down, then."

Henny gasps as the magic goes wide and stares out at the king and Mag. They must be the reason his friends are being crazy right now… but how do they stop this??

Alt skids back against the deck and tries to shake off his disorientation. He then notices Henrik throwing something and gets to his feet in a crouched position before glitching and shoving him up against the side of the ship. “Fucking rebel bastards!” He hisses.

The potion Henrik threw shatters against the deck, conjuring up wildly writhing vines. With Alt glitching out of the way no one is around to get caught in their grasp. Henrik isn't expecting that. Nor is he expecting to be suddenly pushed against the side of the ship. He gasps and fumbles at his belt until he finds a small dagger. He holds it up to Alt's neck. "I-I do not want to hurt you," he says in a shaky voice. "Just back away."

Alt’s eyes flicker wildly as his murderous expression falls, tensing back slightly from the knife. It’s so close to his scar- he can’t remember how he got it but he knows that’s too close. A hazy memory flickers in his head- of a kind doctor sharing coffee beans with him, smiling warmly. “…h-hen…” He breathes out.

Henrik nods. "Yes, exactly. Y-you know that--"

Jackieboy sees Bro struggling and slips out one of the throwing knives and tries to see if he can pin Bro to the deck by catching his tunic.

The knife sinks easily into the deck and pins Bro- though he’s still trying to get his bearings.

Jackie quickly pins Bro to the floor, pressing the flat of his blade across his chest. The sword isn't harming him now, but it would be easy to slip up and get cut. "Don't move," Jackie says, and tries to hit Bro on the back of the head to knock him out.

Bro starts to fight slightly as he’s pinned, growling at Jackie with anger. But then, Jackie manages to hit him hard enough that he slumps completely to the deck, out cold.

Alt stiffens as Bro falls and then he forgets about Henrik entirely and glitches over to dive at Jackie, yelling in rage.

"Jackie, watch out!" Henrik shouts.

Jackie's eyes widen and he rolls to the side, dodging Alt's attack but leaving Bro's unconscious body undefended. He gets to his feet but hesitates, unsure how to proceed. He doesn't know how to prepare for Alt's 'glishing.'

Alt slides across the deck and lands like a cat, baring his teeth. His eyes flicker to Bro’s body. Then he stares at Jackie, magic building up around him as he makes a seax out of his sparking magic.

Magnificent feels his connection to Bro go cold and he growls. “That useless fucking hero!” He aims for the sail and sends out a bolt of Lightning.

As Mag sends out his lightning the King feels its electricity. It's going to go a bit wide so he reaches out and pulls it into place. The blast hits the top of the mast, spreading down to the canvas sail... and the rigging where Jackieboy is hanging.

Jackieboy jumps and screams, scrambling towards the main pole and trying to dodge the parts of the mast that are falling. “Shit shit shit!!!”

At the railing, Vsevna, Chase, and Jameson all spin around. "The mast!" Vsevna gasps.

"Other Jackie!" Chase rushes over to the base of the rigging. "H-hang on!"

“Jackie!!” Henny cries.

Alt uses this confusion to run at Jackie, trying to slash at his chest.

Jackie glances up at the confusion, distracted momentarily. Then he sees Alt running at him and just barely backs up in time. If it wasn't for his chain mail shirt he would've been cut. "Hey!" He shouts, and goes for an attack, trying to hit with the flat of his blade.

Alt dodges out of the way and then tries to slash at Jackie’s hand.

Jackie tries to move his hand but he's not fast enough. He cries out as the blade slices through his glove. One of his swords clatters to the ground. But he grits his teeth and lunges forward, hoping to smack Alt and knock him out like he did with Bro. "Elders!"

Alt grins, giggling slightly, his eyes glowing a bit brighter. But then, he doesn’t dodge fast enough and gets knocked out by Jackie, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Meanwhile, Vsevna is shouting at the other Phantoms to get the water from the hold. The King looks at the starting fire and grins. "Well... look at that." Without the sail, without anyone at the help. The boat is drifting. He gestures at the warriors and they throw the last of their grapples and start to pull. The boat slowly floats towards the bank.

Dr. J can’t do much so he tries to drag Bro away from the fighting and the possible fire. He lurches a bit as the boat starts to get pulled to the shore. He looks out with panic. Then he grabs Bro’s hand and starts to tap a rhythm on it- sos in Morse code as he whispers down to Bro, “P-Please Chase…! Wake up! We need your help! I know you’re in there!”

"I-it's going to be okay, Jackie!" Chase shouts up at Jackieboy. Then he looks back at the Henriks. "Can either of you do anything to help?!"

"M-maybe?" Henrik says, looking through the potions he has. "Just buy some time for me!"

Henny’s eyes flash teal and he nods. “I got this!” He shouts and then pauses time. He hurries to climb up, slipping slightly but determined to get to Jackieboy. He gets to him alright and grabs Jackie but then he hesitates on how to get down. Then he starts to lose his balance for a second- and they both fall.

At the last second, Henny flips so he lands hard on the deck and curls up to protect Jackie. As he hits the deck, time restarts in a painful burst. At least for Henny. He gasps as he arches his back, his vision going white for a second.

To the others- it looks like he just- fell out of nowhere holding Jackieboy.

Jackieboy blinks in confusion and then freaks out at seeing Henny hurt, “H-Henny!!”

Chase gasps in surprise as Henny and Jackieboy fall. "Y-you--how?!"

"You did not need to--" Henrik shoves a bottle at Chase. "Throw that on the fire!" he shouts, and hurries over to check out Jackieboy and especially Henny. "What happened?! Are either of you hurt?!"

Chase looks down at the bottle in his hand and throws it at the fire. It doesn't quite land where he's aiming but breaks anyway. Frost spreads across the mast and sail. The flames shrink down, but they've still done a lot of damage. Canvas is quite flammable.

Then the boat reaches the shallows of the river. Its hull grinds against the ground. A shudder passes through the entire boat, causing people to stumble but not enough to knock anyone down. The more pressing concern is that, now that the boat has been pulled close to the bank, the warriors are trying to board. Most of the Phantoms rush over to the side to keep them off. Chase and Jameson join them.

Henny grits his teeth through the pain then shakes his head, trying to clear his vision as he looks up at Henrik. “I used my magic!”

“Why did you do that?!” Jackieboy shouts, “I-I could have gotten down better than you hen! You could have gotten super hurt!”

“I am okay! Just- bruising!” Henny says, pushing himself up shakily.

"We will have to make sure of that later," Henrik says, glancing around. It's chaos as the warriors continue to try to board. Though the Phantoms have the upper hand with the high ground, the warriors are persistent, and don't share the Phantoms' reluctance to cause permanent harm. "Can you two fight? Or should I tell you to go somewhere safe?"

Henny shakes his head and gets to his feet. “I-I can still fight-!”

Marvin, meanwhile, tries to throw more magic. He aims for the King at first but then remembers what Chase said and goes for Mag instead. This bolt of magic is tinged slightly blue as he takes inspiration from Henrik's frost potion.

Magnificent sees the magic coming and swipes a fire covered hand to stop Marvin’s spell before it reaches him. Then he yells in frustration as he feels his connection to Alt go fuzzy. “Shit! We might need to think of a backup plan… those idiotic brothers are down!”

But, now that they’re closer, Mag’s eyes glow purple and he holds out a hand towards Alt. Even though the glitch hasn’t been out for long, he suddenly gasps as his back arches and his eyes fill completely with purple. Purple strings wrap around his limbs and pull him back up to his feet. He staggers and falls over himself some- like he isn’t quite awake. He looks back at Jackie, but doesn’t really seem to see him fully. But then, magic flares up on his skin and in a flash of purple and green glitches he turns into a wolf and launches himself at Jackie.

Jackie gapes as Alt gets pulled upright. "H-holy flame," he says, backing up, taking in everything that's happening. His skin crawls just looking at it. The purple magic--this is the work of that Magnificent, isn't it? He's so taken aback by this disturbing sight that he's almost tackled by this new wolf form. Luckily he manages to get a hold of himself in time to dodge. He scoops his other sword off the floor, wincing slightly since his hand is still injured, and spins around to face him again. "Marvin?! Backup?!"

Marvin is ready to throw more magic at Magnificent when Jackie calls. He turns around--"What the shit?!" Wolf?! Wolf?! Okay, time for some drastic measures. "Give me one moment, Jackie, I need to find Draco!" he shouts as he runs towards the nearest entrance to the hold.

"What?! Fine!" Jackie braces himself, swords held defensively in front of him. Alt snarls, but he prowls around Jackie clumsily.

Meanwhile, Dr. J’s tapping seems to have worked… but not completely in his favor. Bro’s eyes fly open, once again bright green. He zips up and then throws JJ against the wall of the boat by his throat, choking him. He growls at him. “Why would I help someone like you?”

Dr. J scrambles to get his hand off, his mind going into panic mode. “B-Because… you’re our f-friend…! You’re a hero!”

Bro’s eyebrows knit ever so slightly, a brief flick in his eyes.

Jackieboy sees Bro awake again and attacking Dr. J and yells out, “Hey! Let him go!!” He then rushes to see if he can tackle Bro off JJ.

On land, The King frowns, glancing at Mag. "If need be I can pull them out for a retreat. We'll burn the ship as we run." The air around him hums as he says that.

Magnificent’s hand shakes as he grits his fangs. “I-I think that might be wise… I can’t keep this spell up for long- and I feel the hero slipping-!” Blood is starting to drip from one of his eyes.

Jackieboy manages to throw Bro off Dr. J and the two of them skid across the deck.

Dr. J falls to his knees and coughs, holding his throat.

Bro pushes himself up and looks up at Jackieboy with widening flickering eyes. “j..Jackie?”

Jackieboy feels tears in his eyes as he pulls his hands into fists at his side. “Chase please! You gotta break out of this! You’re not some evil knight! You’re my fucking best friend! You’re Bro Fantastic! And he wouldn’t side with some tyrannical king!”

At hearing his hero name, Bro’s eyes glow silver blue and he whispers, “Bro… Fantastic…?” He then cries out and curls up against the deck as he grips at his head, purple trying to fight in his eyes.

Henny sees this and calls out, “Y-You must keep fighting Chase! We all need you! A-Alt needs you! You cannot save anyone being stuck like this!”

Bro yells out, curling up more as his shattered mind burns- his head pounding.

Alt then slightly glitches and he lashes out, trying to bite Jackie’s leg.

Jackie yelps, not expecting the wolf to go for the leg. He barely moves out of way in time, Alt's teeth snapping closed only an inch from his skin. "Marvin?!"

"Found him!" Marvin returns from the hold with Draco held awkwardly in his arms. "I haven't actually done this yet, only practiced on my own, but here we go!"

Draco's eyes glow blue. Marvin's eyes glow white. And then the two colors shift until they are the same pale blue-tined color. Strands of light wrap around Draco's body as Marvin runs over to Jackie and the wolf. Then, with a yell, Marvin throws Draco. The light covers him completely, growing bigger—and then he lands in front of Alt, suddenly just as big as the wolf is. Draco hasn't changed into a different type of cat, he still has his coloring and housecat proportions, but now he is big, with eyes that glow bright blue. He hisses at Alt, fur bristling and claws out, and lunges.

Alt isn't expecting any of this- and soon enough he’s getting pounced on hard enough to make his wolf form burst into pixels as he snaps back into his human form. Veins of purple magic are leaking out of his eyes as the magic flickers and he weakly tries to fight from being trapped by Draco’s claws.

"Elders and Sisters!" Jackie jumps back in surprise. "Since when can Draco do that?!"

"Since now," Marvin states. Draco keeps Alt's human form pinned but doesn't continue to attack.

Chase sees what Jackieboy and Henny are doing. He stops shooting and joins them. "They're right!" he gasps out to Bro. "I know you—not for very long, but if there's one thing I know, it's that you want to do the right thing. Try to remember! The King is not on the side of justice!"

Tears are falling down Bro’s cheeks as he gasps and shakes, trying to fight off the magic. He knew this was wrong- he didn’t want to do this! He glances at Chase, voice warbling. “O-Other me…!” Memories of their last adventures causes the magic to flicker more but- Bro is starting to win. The claws of Magnificent’s magic are being pushed back- his mental wall aiding him in fighting it off. But then his eyes flicker to Alt and he stills, purple trying to creep in. “Alt… I… I need to help Alt-!”

Jackieboy kneels down by Chase and holds onto his shoulder. “We’ll help him next Bro! But, you’re his best shot! Mag and the King are hurting him- hurting both of you! They’re using you! None of what they’re making you do is right!”

Bro shuts his eyes and yells one more time, but this time with more determination. The purple and green trying to leak into his eyes burst like glass and then Bro slumps completely to the floor, eyes half rolled up into his head.

Magnificent screams in rage.

The King's head snaps towards Magnificent as he screams. That's not a good sign. Time to act. He holds out his hand, tracing a circle in midair—

—and Alt and Draco fall through a green glowing hole that suddenly opened up in the deck below them. A similar hole opens up in midair next to the King and Magnificent.

"What in the damned world?!" The King gasps, staring at Draco. He recovers quickly, drawing his seax and slashing through the air. Crackling lightning shoots from the blade and hits Draco, sending him flying backwards.

Alt hardly reacts as the portal is opened and he falls but once Draco is off him he glitches to be back by the King and Magnificent. Then he falls to his hands and knees, shaking wildly.

From the ship deck, Marvin screams and falls to his knees, clutching his chest.

"Marvin?!" Jackie drops his swords and runs to him. Henrik's head shoots up at the sound and he sprints over.

"I-I'm fine," Marvin gasps. "It was just—just for a moment. H-he hurt Draco, and I gave him some of my magic, so—"

"That's some side effect!" Jackie gasps.

"Time to go," the King says. "What about the other one?"

Magnificent grabs Alt by his arm and holds him up as the glitch dangles dazedly. He shakes his head, “They managed to snap him out! But… we still have this one. He’s still useful enough to keep around… and to keep the others from interfering.”

Henny sees this and hurries to see if he can get through the portal still. “Magnificent!!”

Mag sees this and throws out green fire to stop anyone else from crossing through. He flashes glowing hate filled eyes at the rebels and snarls. “Congratulations kittens… you get to live a bit longer! But… not for too long. This isn’t over.”

Jackie turns towards the doorway as the flames shoot through and quickly pulls Henny back. He stumbles back as he’s pulled away.

As soon as Magnificent throws fire through the doorway and gives his little speech, Aneirin closes it. He does not need to say anything.

But, right before it closes- Alt’s eyes clear some and he just manages to catch the eyes of some of the others. …and he looks scared.

Henny yells out, tears falling down his face. “Alt!!”

Jackieboy is trying to shake Bro back awake, but the hero is limp and unresponsive.

The King looks back to the boat and catches sight of Chase, who stands and turns towards the railing. The two of them hold eye contact for a brief moment. And then Aneirin grins—and a bolt of lightning strikes the mast.

The wood of the mast splits, fire immediately catching. Luckily, most of the mast is still covered in frost, so the fire doesn't spread too far. Still, it's an effective distraction. The Phantoms turn back, yelling in surprise and confusion, and Aneirin commands the warriors to retreat.

"To the horses," he says, already running in that direction. "Put that one on yours, we can't have him holding us back."

Magnificent nods and quickly grabs Alt’s wrist, slicing off the tracking bracelet. They can always have him cast another one to find the others later… but he can’t have them following them. He teleports onto one of the horses, throwing Alt onto the back and making him pass back out with a wave of static.

Dr. J and Jackieboy hurry to the edge to yell out for their friend.

Aneirin mounts his horse startlingly easy, up in seconds. He grabs the lead of Magnificent's horse, attaching it to the bridle of his, and shouts, "YAH!" Both horses immediately start off in a gallop. The warriors are left behind to catch up, something that not all of them will be able to do without horses of their own.

Chase quickly nocks an arrow and shoots, prompting Jameson to do the same.

But they both miss.

"No!" Chase screams. "No!" He grips the edge of the railing, looking like he's about to throw himself over it and run after the retreating horses. He barely restrains himself from doing just that.

“Alt! ALT!!” Jackieboy screams after them, blinking back angry tears.

Dr. J feels his shoulders sink in despair as he looks away and closes his eyes. “…we can’t catch them…”

Jackie helps Marvin to his feet. He stares after the horses... but they don't have any on board. They'll never catch up without them. "H-hey." He turns to the rest of the Phantoms. "The mast is still on fire." And he starts giving orders on how to fix it.

Henny watches the fire burning on the deck and on the mast and then chokes on a sob, falling to his knees. They got Bro but… Alt is still lost! And now… they know his fate is much worse than they thought.

The sky rolls with thunder, everything is gloomy and gray. Despair hangs heavy in the air.

And then the rain starts to fall.

Jackie pauses in his orders to look up at it. He sighs. "Alright!" He does his best to look unruffled as he continues to address the Phantoms. "We can't go anywhere with the mast like this, so get the tents out. Doctors, check for injuries. We'll wait out the storm, then decide what to do next."

The Phantoms immediately start to move, but Jackie stays where he is. He looks at his other self.

“That fucking furry bitch! Next time I see him I’m gonna fucking kill him!!” Jackieboy growls weakly.

"Yea," Jackie whispers.

"We'll kill him alright," Marvin mutters. He shivers a bit, remembering that the—the magician is supposed to be him. "I-I need to get Draco," he says, hurrying over to the railing and pushing the gate part open. He disappears from sight before anyone can say anything else.

Dr. J looks up at the sky as it starts to rain. He was already soaked from his dip in the river so it actually feels almost nice. He stands there for a second before going over to Henny and sitting beside him. It doesn’t take long for Henny to fall against him and sob into his shoulder as the good doctor holds him tight.

Meanwhile, Chase slumps to the deck, sitting down. Jameson hovers around awkwardly, looking unsure, before deciding to go help people with the tents.

Henrik crouches down by Bro, giving him a quick check-over.

Jackieboy tries to scrub at his face but- kinda dumb when it’s raining now. At least it’s putting the fire out. He goes to check on Bro too, sitting down on his other side as Henrik checks him over. “…is he okay, Doc?”

The cost of fighting off all the magic seems to have manifested into a slight fever as Bro pants slightly, eyes twitching underneath his fluttering eyelids. He whines a bit in his passed out state, hands trembling.

"He's passed out," Henrik reports. "And has a slight fever. It is not too different from side effects I have seen from overusing magic. But, ah, his magic does not work like that, I know. Even so, if this is similar, he will be fine. We should get him into the rain as soon as possible. I-I mean out of the rain." He leans back and lets out a sigh. "I'm... sorry. I cannot..." He trails off, eyes glazing over.

Jackie walks over, hearing what he said. "We can get the tents up really fast. Don't worry. A-and it's not coming down too hard, either. It will be... fine." He looks at Henrik. "Right, Schneep?"

Henrik doesn't answer.

Jackieboy nods and pushes some of Bro’s hair away from his face, looking at him with worry. He then blinks up and tries to shake his head at Henrik, “I-It’s okay man- a lot just happened…” But then Jackieboy blinks and gets to his feet, very worried about the glazed look in Henrik’s eyes. He tries to wave a hand in front of his face. “Ummm Henrik? Are you okay?”

Jackie shakes Henrik's shoulder gently. Still no reaction. He sighs. "He's [katehránhe]. Don't worry... too much. It's a symptom of that curse he mentioned earlier. Did you hear when he talked with JJ about that? A 'mind sickness.'"

Like earlier when Marvin talked about Draco teleporting him, the translation spell struggles with 'katehránhe.' The Swaps hear the word 'dissociating' underneath the word that Jackie actually says, clearly the closest approximation.

Chase blinks, coming back to reality. "I-I've never actually seen him do that. Is it... really okay?"

Jackie shakes Henrik again, now a bit rough. "Henrik? Schneep? Henrik?"

Still nothing.

"If he's not coming out of it now he'll come out of it on his own later. We can keep trying but it could be just a matter of time while his mind goes through what just happened."

Jackieboy winces, “Ah yeah… I vaguely heard. That… really sucks.” He shakes his head, “Um until the tents are set up should we see if we can get them below deck…? Bro and Henrik… I doubt this is fun to experience when you’re also getting soaked…”

Jackie nods. "Good idea. It won't take that long, but we can't let them get cold. You guys get Bro." He grabs Henrik by the arms and pulls.

Henrik follows the motion, standing up.

Jackieboy nods as well, leaning down and grabbing Bro’s arm and throwing it over his shoulder and hoisting him up. He isn’t as strong as the hero but he’s done this enough times now to be semi-decent at lugging him around.

"Alright, let's go." Jackie nods, and guides Henrik over towards the hold. As the two of them--and Jackieboy and Bro--go towards the hold, Jameson leaves it. He steps aside for them to go past and looks around, taking in the state of the rest of the ship.

Marvin is just climbing back on board with Draco, now a normal-sized cat again. Chase is standing up and also looking around, trying to find something to do. And JJ and Henny... where are they?

Dr. J and Henny are still on the deck, JJ trying his best to calm down Henny while the latter cries. Eventually though he mumbles, almost too quiet to hear. “Henrik… we can’t stay out here in the cold…”

Henny sniffles and shakily nods against him. Finally he pushes himself up and looks at the others with red puffy eyes. He takes in the state of the ship and feels that sadness try to swallow him whole again. “…Vsevna’s ship… t-they… they ruined his…” His lip warbles.

Dr. J sighs and gets up, slowly helping Henny up to his feet.

Jameson sees the two of them, overhearing Henny's last comment. He approaches them. If it makes you feel better, it's not actually his ship, Jameson says. We borrowed it. I'm sure we can return it once it's repaired.

"Jameson, is this really the time?" Chase says, sounding tired.

...I suppose that's a small part of everything terrible that happened, Jameson admits.

Henny does seem to perk up a bit, knowing it can be repaired. He tries his best to smile at Jameson and nods his thanks.

But I do really have something that may help. Jameson continues, Once we've got all set up, come find me, alright?

Marvin catches the tail end of that handspeak. "Jair, do you mean...?"

Later, Jameson says firmly. Once we're safe and dry.

Henny and Dr. J both blink and share a glance. “Of course, Jameson. A-Anything you have to help is.. appreciated.” Dr. j says quietly, rubbing at his neck.

Jameson gives them a small smile. If you guys want to help, you can. Or you can wait down in the hold where it's dry.

“I can help,” Dr. J says quickly. He turns to Henny and smiles, “Henrik why don’t you go wait in the hold? You had quite the fall.”

“But-“ Henny tries to say before JJ nudges him slightly, “Doctor’s orders. Please go rest.”

Henny looks conflicted before he nods and heads down to the hold.

Dr. J turns back and smiles, “So… what can I help with?”

Jameson smiles. Do you know how to set up a tent? If not, you can help us move things from the hold.

“I don’t so yeah I’ll help move stuff.” Dr. J replies with a light smile.

“I’ll help too,” Chase says. “The more people, the faster we’ll be dry.”

That’s true. Jameson nods. Alright. Let’s move, then.

The rain is not stopping.

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

But the rain doesn’t cover everything. The horses ride hard until they’re out of its range. Then Aneirin abruptly pulls them to a halt. He turns back and glares at the direction they came from. “They were more skilled than we thought,” he mutters angrily.

Magnificent grips at his face as blood drips heavily down through his fingers. The air around him buzzes angrily as he snarls. “The fuck… I thought we had them! Annoying fucking…!” He curses, looking back at the still passed out Alt.

Aneirin grits his teeth in anger and nods. He glances at Magnificent. “Is that blood normal?” Then he looks at Alt as well. “And is he still under control?”

“That last spell used more power than I thought… I’ve reached a limit.” Magnificent growls as he wipes at the blood. “I should gain it back quickly… just an annoyance.” He narrows his eyes at Alt then goes to grip at his head.

Alt’s eyelids flutter and he moans quietly in pain. But under his eyelids flickers with purple and green static.

Magnificent hums, “…yes. Our claws are still in deep.”

Aneirin nods. “Good. We have that, at least.” He rubs his eyes. “I’ve also used a lot, though I’m not yet drained. Lightning always takes a lot. And that damn familiar—I thought those spells were lost.” He shakes his head. “We may need reinforcements if we want to continue to attack. Or we could regroup and try again some other time. I would prefer to eliminate that particular group as soon as possible, though.”

“Agreed…” Magnificent spits.

His mind wanders to think of a solution. If only he had his vestiges… he might be able to make some panthers here but that would require hunting down stray cats… not exactly something he’s looking forward to. And.. gods he doesn’t know if the TRVLR can even work after what it did to Alt. If only there was another way…

Then, his eyes widen slightly. Oh… that could be useful. From what he remembers… that gateway looks like something straight from this world.

Mag looks to the King, “…Aneirin… do you have any idea if such a thing as this gateway exists here?” He opens up his mind to the Royal, picturing the arch he’s used before, with the obsidian covered stones and runes along the sides.

Aneirin narrows his eyes—and then opens them wide. “That doorway. There’s one in your world as well?” He gasps. Then he nods. “Yes. Yes, of course, that would explain why most of the symbols are so strange. I’ve seen exactly what you’re looking for, Magnificent. But… you won’t be happy as to where.” He pauses. “I don’t think you have the Wyldlands in your world. Since the amount of magic here was unfamiliar to you the first time. But that’s what they are. Places of pure magic. And they are very, very dangerous. That doorway exists in the Wyldwoods on the west half of this island. Where, I do not exactly remember. It has been a long, long, long time.”

Magnificent eyes gleam with something akin to excitement and hunger. “ohh… is that so?” He giggles. “If we can get to the doorway… we might be able to open it long enough for me to grab my vestiges and panthers… they could help us greatly and give us an advantage… and give us a sure-fire way to reach beyond the borders of this world!” He laughs. “…surely a magical forest won’t be too much trouble for us, right?”

The King doesn’t smile. “This isn’t just a magical forest, it is the primeval magic of the world welling up. Many of the more fantastical creatures of this world retreated to the Wyldlands when humans began to spread. And beyond that, the magic is so powerful that the place itself—the trees, the flowers, the dirt itself—has a mind.” He tilts his head. “But you and your ‘cub’ have different magic, perhaps that will be an advantage. And the place does not like me very much. It may avoid us. In any case, a smaller group is better.” He looks back at the warriors and mentally dismisses them. They turn their horses around and head straight back to Suilthair. “We don’t want to attract too much attention.”

Magnificent frowns and makes a face. He looks back down at Alt and then snorts, sitting up confidently. “What can a bit of ancient magic do against us, anyways? I’ve learned to make magic my bitch. I’m not scared of some spooky alive forest.”

Aneirin lets out a burst of laughter. “I admire your confidence.” It was the same confidence that he himself had so long ago, and it had scared the Wyldwood. “We’ll head west, then.” He glances down at the still unconscious Alt. “Is he injured? It will slow us down if he is.”

Magnificent grins and then glances at Alt. He looks him over. …there’s an arrow in his shoulder. And he could have a concussion from getting knocked out. Minor signs of corruption are under his eyes but… other than that he seems fine. “The arrow might be an issue… but he’s mostly unharmed.”

Alt starts to stir and groggily turns his head, looking out at the king and Mag. He struggles to sit up- how do you push yourself up from lying on a horse anyways? He dazedly looks around.

“…c…chase? Where’s-“ He croaks out before Magnificent growls and grabs his cheeks, forcing him to look into his eyes as they spiral.

“Your brother betrayed us, Alt. It’s best you forget all about him. All about him and your friends… they don’t matter. None of it matters. All you know is serving us. So forget.”

Alt’s eyes bloom with purple and green as the magic combs through his mind again. “…forget… forget…”

Magnificent lets him drop, watching the new suggestions take hold as he slumps down against the horse. “There… now hopefully there won’t be any rebellion from him…”

“Hopefully.” Aneirin nods. “If the arrow will be an issue, then I’ll take care of it.” He dismounts his horse and walks closer to Mag’s. He presses one hand against Alt right next to the arrow, then grabs the arrow shaft with the other—and swiftly pulls it out.

Alt yelps on instinct, snapping out of his trance. But, it seems to have taken hold. He feels pain for a split second before it’s replaced with a warm tingling feeling. A few electric sparks flicker around Aneirin’s fingers as the wound closes over. “There. Can’t remember the last time I did that. But I’d rather not waste time waiting for it to heal naturally.”

Alt blinks out and looks at his shoulder as it heals. He slumps and nods his thanks, “T-Thank you mu Ríth…”

Mag nods, “Good. Less likely to slow us down now. We should get going.”

"We should."

The King doesn't acknowledge Alt's thanks. He just walks back to his horse and gets into the saddle again. "I need some time for my power to recharge, but once it does, I can make a doorway to cut down on travel. Until then, we ride." He snaps the reins and the horses move again.

Alt tries to stay quiet and get as comfortable as he can on the horse, carefilly pulling himself up. He doesn’t like them but… he feels too weak to try to keep up with Mag and the king on foot.

There's a bird overhead in the sky. The King glances up at it. Another swift. Unusual. He wasn't aware of any in this area.

Alt’s too tired to notice the swift, trying to focus on staying awake. Mag glances up at it and frowns. Strange bird…

The swift flaps its wings once and then turns away. It's going so fast that it almost looks like there are lines coming from the tips of its wings.

Aneirin shakes his head. No time to worry about little things like birds-- And then suddenly the bird turns back and swoops down in front of the horses, startling them. Aneirin pulls on the reins, trying to calm them, swearing under his breath. "Shoot the bird! Hit it! Something!"

Alt’s eyes flash brighter green at the command and he finds his bow and makes an arrow of lightning. He aims and shoots but misses pretty quickly. Mag clings to the horse for dear life, not wanting to be thrown off.

After Alt tries to shoot the bird it circles back around and flies past again, right past him. And-- It all happens in an instant. Images flash through his mind, accompanied by feelings and sensations that seem real and yet not real at the same time.

Alt’s eyes flash blue as the images appear before his eyes. They… don’t make a lot of sense…but he… he feels a connection to it, like… it’s trying to tell him something. Something important. He grips at his injured arm, digging fingers in as if he’s trying to gauge the pain. Why… did he feel like he was the bird for a second…?

And then the swift is gone, flying to the west and quickly disappearing.

"What in the damn world was that?!" the King shouts, confused but instinctively knowing this is not good.

Magnificent snorts and shakes his head, “A fucking crazy ass bird is what it was! The fuck!”

The King shakes his head. "I've never seen something like that happen before. And I've been around for a long time." The horses are still skittish, so he reaches out and soothes their emotions. They calm quickly. Good.

"It's possible the bird was diseased and acting strange because of that. In any case, it is simply one bird, and a small one at that." He makes a gesture like he's holding something in one hand, demonstrating how small the bird is. "And it's gone now. Flew away. Something that we cannot do, which is unfortunate since we have a lot of ground to cover. We have to return to the task at hand."

Alt nods shakily but doesn’t seem fully there- trying to decipher what those visions meant. Some part of him deep deep down hopes the bird will come back. …but he can’t think such traitorous thoughts… the King is right. They have to focus.

Mag nods with a groan, “Yeah… wish we kept a tighter hold on that stupid do-gooder… but alas. We must keep moving.”

"There's always a chance we'll see him again," Aneirin mutters as he spurs the horses on. "In fact, we definitely will, since he's with the rebels. Perhaps when we do we can... show him the error of his ways." His eyes flick to Alt. "Isn't that right, á klaíoh?"

He doesn't really listen to whatever Alt says next. He's too busy thinking about what will happen when they find the rebels again. Planning on how to get rid of them once and for all.

Alt’s eyes burn green anyways, drifting thoughts stilling. “Of course, mu Ríth.”

And slowly the thoughts of his traitorous brother slip away.

[ahogechef]

"they'll never forget you after that."

the child-like demon seemed to like kaede! alice runs off with a few treats that chef prepared for her outer-worldly tea party. her eerie yet cheerful giggle fades as she walks away from the two.... the chef was curious about this parallel tokyo, it being dangerous, chihiro opts to bringing her to a demon haunt, where his demon team and himself were away from the more harsher areas. "you’re so brave. befriending demons as a human... they can't get pretty snarky with me. but alice needed a friend and she's a good kid, despite all the whole 'die' for me thing." @azure-summoner

@azure-summoner !!!!

{ Praising Her!!! }

"Aww, you think so? I'm so happy I could become friends with Alice and make her treats for her tea party~!" She waves goodbye to Alice after handing her the basket of treats, before shouting out her to her: "Have fun, Alice! I hope you and everyone will enjoy the treats!" A plentiful amount, that should surely satisfy all the demons who will enjoy it.... And Kaede likes Alice, too: so she was very much happy the child warmed up to her and was delighted at the treats...

Looking back up at Chihiro once Alice disappeared in the distance, her smile warms at his words, cheeks turning a light pink. "E-Ehehe....thank youuu..." A parallel world of Tokyo riddled with demons: something one would think Kaede would never want to see, but she was far too curious, so she begged Chihiro to bring her here. But even as she was brought to the safer areas, it was still so hard to believe that this was all real.... and that Chihiro was a demi-god, who can change his form completely and everything! She thinks he looks really cool... (and super hot and pretty, too, but she always thinks he does, anyway!) And if she wasn't already a smitten mess: him protecting her the whole while until they reached safety, only made her fall for him harder...

"But of course! Uehara-kun's friends are my friends, too! I could never be scared of them... hahaha, that just shows they really love you! She is!! I'm so happy she accepted me as a friend... Heheh, I guess it's just her thing? Really though, I never imagined I would make so many demon friends, too... but it's such a nice surprise! They're not all scary as they seem.... just like us, they all have their own personalities, thoughts, what they like, don't like... You truly have a wonderful team of demons, Uehara-kun.... I just know they feel reassured, having someone as strong and cool as you recruiting them, hehehe! Especially in a crazy world like this! I want to befriend all the demons you make friends with, too, okay? Just like with Alice! And then, I'll continue to make even more treats for everyone, hehehe! And for you as well, of course! And Aogami-san! I'm gonna go alll out for you guys, hehehe~!"

[w0rmdahl]

the snow ; day two — ilyily

gif ©: earthgif, theseulgis

film: i love you i love you (au)

synopsis: after successfully evading the lunes who'd been hot on their tails through the night, samir and yuna awaken to a shocking discovery and find themselves against an even tougher set of odds during their second day.

word count: 5.1k

featuring: (oc) yuna min, (oc) samir devgan, oc secondary characters

warnings: descriptions of animal mutilation (sounds horrible i'm sorry but that should be it for this one!)

a/n: whew this one just kept going idk what happened anywaysss here is day 2! not proofread before posting because i took a melatonin gummy sorry <3 but also today (5/20) is my birthday so i wanted to make sure i got something out :) hope you enjoy!

yuna was the first to wake. the sweet birdsong of day warbled outside the confines of the cave as she lifted her head from its perch on samir's shoulder and turned to check the world separate from themselves, eyes immediately squinting at the sunlight beaming off of the pearly white snow. if not for the sleepy squeeze around her waist revealing the aching muscles in her back, yuna would have believed they truly had perished through the night, with the blinding light beckoning them into the peaceful heavens. but as she blinked away the sleep from her eyes and groggily moved to sit up from the hunched position she'd slept in all night, it became apparent that they were still very much alive, a groan emitting from her throat as now she felt the painful buzz in her feet.

"prin—yuna" sam stirred awake now with a gravelly voice, probably disturbed by the loss of warmth due to her movements. his fingertips danced over her spine as he too readjusted upon waking his sore muscles and looked up at the grimacing girl in his lap.

"good god, my back," she grumbled and braced her hands on his collarbones to straighten out "i think we missed first light."

samir whipped his head to make the same fatal mistake as yuna had just a second prior, a yelp bouncing off the crystalline walls whilst he turned back to her with eyes squeezed shut.

"at least we survived" he'd mumble as he rubbed the blur from his vision. yuna painstakingly pushed herself off his lap and onto her back against the harsh stone with a content sigh.

"could've done without the pins and needles, though."

"i agree with you there," he wheezed as he reached for his toes "my feet are asleep."

yuna sighed more exasperatedly this time, her top lip snagging to the side as she whined "and now we have to walk alll the way back home." she couldn't see the smile on sam's face before he'd pushed himself to his numb feet, edging toward the cave entrance and brushing his curls from his eyes with a jovial chuckle.

"maybe you could give me a piggyback ride — since my feet are numb, and all."

"you're hilarious." the princess now begrudgingly pushed herself up to follow behind him, the cape around her neck trailing behind while he lent a hand to aid her step into the outside world. "if anyone's getting a piggyback ride it's me — with your new big muscles and all."

sam statued the moment the words left her mouth, eyes sparkling in the snow instantly going wide as he stared down at her with the faint outline of a smile imprinted on his lips. she seemed to realize what she'd said only after witnessing his astounded reaction and, chuckling nervously as if to hide the obvious blush blossoming on her cheeks, gave him a soft shove to the shoulder she'd claimed as her bed last night before turning away to face the tree line. samir couldn't stop the grin that then had his own face feeling hot, contemplating on what to say for only a moment before stepping forth to reassume his place beside her.

"what about half and half?" he teased, almost hurt by the lack of response from the princess as she continued staring forward, nodding shortly to whatever had caught her focus.

"look."

as prompted, samir redirected his gaze according to her gesture and felt the fuzzy warmth in his chest run cold upon the sight of a dead deer in the snow. not just dead, however; decapitated — windpipe and vertebra visible as its stiff bloated body lied in the blood-soaked snow that surrounded, a discernable path of crimson trailing their journey home. the most alarming, however, was not the haste in which this mystery person senselessly killed the deer, but the discernable footsteps that had been plotted up to where they stood now. sam's hand instinctively grabbed hers to take a step back.

"we should go."

running hand in hand and red nosed as they ducked through the trees, samir and yuna yanked each other back to their feet after one stumbled in the snow, further venturing into the wood and away from the castle. they could still hear the hammering feet behind them as clear as when they'd first noticed it; far too close for comfort and yet not close enough to locate through the natural sway of the earth around them.

samir helped her down as they came to a drop-off in the dirt and quickly surveyed the new ground before picking a new direction and running with it. with this new path before them they could see the end of the tree line waiting before them with a great wide-open expanse of light to better locate their pursuer. all they had to do was make it — just continue pushing a little bit further than they already had — just a little bit longer.

the trek back home hadn't started this way. originally they decided to embark on the longer path home following along the outskirts of the tree line with their guard high, sam's fingers brushing the pommel of his sword at each and every bump in the woods. but the further they went on their journey to avoid whatever had visited them during their time in the cave, the larger this gnawing feeling of something being off grew. yuna had a rock in her stomach the longer they walked through the woods, and eventually, she started to mask this eerie sense of danger with insignificant babbling.

"ooh! or," yuna and samir both checked over their shoulders before their attention was back on the other "we could grab a pint from the tavern and try to see the constellations from the north tower. i've always wanted to find the big dipper."

a wide-eyed look of disbelief had his brows raising as he surveyed the red, peach fuzz laden skin of her cheeks. "you can't see the constellations?" he asked with a smile creeping to his lips.

"you can?"

then, before he could respond, yuna would walk headfirst into an indistinguishable brown form dangling unseemly in the middle of their path that left a red blotch on her temple. further examination of this malformed object she'd unwittingly bumped into revealed the gruesome sight of a decapitated deer head hanging from a noose tied in the branches above. they only had the time to connect the dots before sudden crunching of snow under rapid footsteps had samir yanking her in the opposite direction as they took off into the woods.

the unfortunate pair now emerged from the trees with hope in their eyes on the new scenery other than the wide expanse of the ellyn forest they'd been lost to for the last hour. but, to their dismay, this treeless stretch of earth was no easy feat, nor a safe haven for them to pause and catch their breath in wait of whatever was in the woods; it was the frozen briar lake.

samir looked down breathlessly at the similarly panting girl beside him, "well?" he asked. she shook her head.

"i don't think this is a good idea."

"it'll hold."

"you don't know that!"

he edged closer toward the ice despite her pull in the opposite direction. "we'll go slow. all we have to do is get across."

"it's not that easy, sam" yuna whined, her features falling into an anxious frown as she dug her heels into the solid dirt below "if we fall in—"

"i'll go first." samir blurted with his toes already edging onto the ice "i'm heavier."

the perturbed princess now stepped closer to him and subsequently the frozen river below, her fingers clamping down on his whilst he treaded further onto the ice without another glance — like it had already been decided. so, with a disgruntled whine escaping her throat and obvious stress creasing her features, yuna would step onto the ice using sam's steady hand to keep stable. the slick ground under her boots brought her jaw into a tight clench before she pleaded once more through gritted teeth.

"please," she trailed off, unsure of what exactly she'd wanted in substitute. sam would conjure the most utterly reassuring smile he could while extending his arm to build distance between their weight on the ice.

“it'll be okay, yuna."

he spoke knowingly, tenderly as he slowly released her hand.

"trust me."

it came out like a plea of his own.

and so; she did. yuna suspended her disbelief and placed her trust in the soft brown eyes encouraging her now as she eked forward, shoulders tensed and back rigid as if to lessen the impact on the royal blue ice. the incessant wind biting at their noses hissed across the lake like a devilish laugh-track to the divine comedy these inept teenagers found themselves starring in, roaring louder at the pounding footsteps in the snow growing in proximity. yet sam remained steadfast in his comforting exterior for the tense girl tailing behind his meticulous footsteps.

"that's good," samir cooed, taking sliding steps backward with his eyes only on hers, working one foot at a time toward the midway point. "just like that. you got it." his heart would ache at her short nod despite the anxiety in her brow growing more apparent.

"just a little further, okay?"

she'd respond like a child fighting tears; voice high and wavering as her eyes bore into his. "okay..."

the pounding steps behind them grew to be near deafening in their ears as it perpetually inched closer and closer, instigating the heavy thrum of their weary hearts though neither would even dare to peek as the other side of the shore waited only a few more steps away — just a few seconds longer of feigned bravery and it would be over.

"we've almost got it yuna, just keep your eyes on me."

his only reply would be the restrained whine caught between her lips pressed tight together.

and then, while shifting his weight onto his left foot just a tiny — mere — few feet from safety, a ghoulish groan seeped through the sliver of a crack under sam's boot. he stilled instantly in order to quickly assess the situation they'd found themselves in, but as this tiny splinter in the ice began to crack outwards around him, he found himself stuck in place without any idea of what to do next.

crack.

sure, he could probably save himself, but yuna was really the only thing on his mind. what about yuna?

crack.

should he move? should he toss her to safety? could he even execute that?

crack!

knocked like a bulldozer in the ribs sam gasped in anticipation for the numbing waters that lurked below — but, instead, found himself gasping at the impact against his back into unforgiving dirt. his fingers would fist the snow below as he sat up to find a hole in the ice where he once stood that revealed the hellish black depths lurking underneath the frozen lake, the silhouette of yuna gone and replaced with the animal hunting for them on the other side.

there, wide-eyed on the shore from which they'd came, stood a bestial man adorned in lune-style armor heaving with the bloody axe in his white-knuckled grip. a taunting smile grew as his eyes made contact with the knight-to-be and he would offer samir nothing more than a hoarse chuckle before turning away and disappearing back into the wood.

"yuna!"

his focus was back on her in an instant. samir dove chest-first into the edge of the shore to plunge his arm into the water, icy depths searing the flesh up to his bicep when his fingertips carded through a cascade of hair, now submerging himself further until the numb met his shoulder. suddenly he was clamping down on the cloth meeting his palm, and then he was dragging her out by the wrist, pulling her soaked form into him while simultaneously throwing themselves back ashore.

upon looking down at the princess tucked into his side, samir would find yuna's skin to be alabaster white, lips purple and wet eyes struggling to focus as she shivered. if not for the dire circumstances they'd found themselves in she could've been mistaken as the world's greatest art piece — like a greek sculpture; with monotoned skin akin to stone that displayed her perfectly-sculpted features in the bright midday light. but the short, labored breaths just barely raising her chest would work to spur samir back into action as he hooked his arms around her shoulder blades and under her legs to lift her. "i'm so sorry, yuna."

he was already pleading, with the princess or the gods — he wasn't sure.

"just — just keep your eyes open," braving the wood once more he pushed onward with shuffling footsteps through the snow and past the thick trunks that surrounded, puling over the abrasive sound of the crunching ice. "i'm gonna get you warm, just keep your eyes open. can you do that for me?"

yuna's complete and utter lack of response was more than enough to pick up sam's pace. at this rate he needed to find a solution — and fast. the subject of his lifelong devotion was actively running out of time with each second that passed and the longer it took to get her warm only brought the heavens closer to reclaim one of their angels. this thought made his stomach turn in tandem with the swirling anxieties in his mind and urged him further to pick up the pace, his frantic eyes scanning for anything and everything that could be of use.

it all looked the same, to his dismay, but as he searched through the nearly identical landscape of ice and trees around him, he could see what looked like another clearing in the woods. the fearsome yet courageous boy seemed to be offered hope once more as he now broke out into a full sprint — or as much of a sprint as he could muster considering the circumstances — and held the frozen girl tighter as if to hold on to this hope.

'it'll be different this time,' he thought 'it's going to be different this time.'

samir always did have a way of willing things into reality. yuna used to say that he had magic inside of him that brought his wishes to fruition — though she stopped saying this after one of the nuns became suspicious. the point is; strange phenomena had occurred around sam all of his life as long as he believed, so he snuck up on the second clearing with undying optimism housed in his calloused palms.

and there it was; the relief to the harshest struggle he's ever had to face. like an answer to his prayers, samir stumbled into the clearing to find nothing more than an innocuous looking house whose chimney was already billowing with grey clouds, a middle-aged woman sitting inside the window looking down at something.

"fair lady!"

although he was too far to be heard and likely seen as well, samir didn't waste time in willing his way to get help from this red-haired woman in the house, walking all the way up to the front steps before she'd noticed him. he'd watch with wide puppy dog eyes put forth as her eyebrows furrowed, then turning to say something over her shoulder before she moved to open the door.

"hello there." she said cautiously. the mysterious woman stood at a meager height in the doorway closed against her side, obviously on guard and yet still strangely warm towards the amateur adventurers on her doorstep.

"i apologize for disturbing you, fair lady, but the princess is in dire need of aid. i'm afraid she may freeze soon if not warmed up."

suddenly the door would open further, a large hand wrapping around the wood above the mysterious woman's head to reveal a much taller lady hidden behind her. she did not read as kind or welcoming as the first, with her furrowed brow and lips pressed into a thin line at the sight of these two teens. and yet, the ginger woman would offer a short nod as she analyzed the celebrated princess in the arms of this lanky, floppy haired boy before her.

"alright, but leave your sword at the door."

samir nodded fervently. "of course. here," turning the stained metal on his hip towards them, he offered the blade with a tightening grip around the princess in his arms, watching as the shorter woman went to grab it before the latter stepped in front of her. she made direct, intimidating eye contact with him as she took the pommel in her hand, unsheathing the sword to then place it against the wooden wall.

"follow her."

the ginger woman now turned on her heel for sam to follow after, his full attention on the broad lady shadowing his heels while they passed the kitchen to enter the den. a strong fire crackled in the hidden corner of this room where a comfortable and home-y looking lounge chair sat, motioned to by the ginger woman.

"lay her here."

samir obliged instantly and carefully laid yuna down on her back, only now noticing her sickly color. she looked like nothing he'd ever witnessed before — like a being from nowhere that had blue-hued skin and icicles for lashes. a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

"listen," said the short woman, "i need you to go upstairs and find clothes that would fit her. we need to take off the wet clothes."

sam's guard began to raise again, shaking his head at the request from the mysterious woman he'd deemed as asinine. "no, i have to stay with her." now the curly-haired lady spoke up from behind him.

"you're needed elsewhere for this, devgan. upstairs on the left."

there was a moment where he nearly turned — almost instinctively reached for the sword missing from his hip — but the kind green eyes of the frail woman before him made him pause. of course they knew who yuna was, everyone in elora had to know their royal family, so when the divine day of her birth came it had been announced far and wide for all to hear. — but him? that he wasn't so sure about.

the kind woman nodded back towards the stairs they had passed with a reassuring smile, "she's in good hands. women's linens are worse than a maze. i'll have amina call you down once we're done."

it was only then that samir understood why exactly they wanted him out of the room, not because he had something to worry about, but because they worried about him. with a short breath he'd inhale the musky fire smell to settle the lingering pit of suspicion in his stomach before conceding to the task laid out before him, ultimately abandoning yuna with these peculiar strangers to explore the second story of the home in search for fresh clothing.

their house was rather incredible to be quite frank. not only had the wooden walls been built tall enough to accommodate the broad woman, amina, but the tables in the den had actually been made accessible for the shorter of the pair. it seemed that they had been the ones to build this home in the middle of nowhere, surrounded only by the thick foliage left formerly un-adventured by the ellyn wood natives, yet almost perfectly cleared into a circle of short grass around the home. it was like a kingdom of their own, really.

by this point, samir had spent countless hours analyzing the space around him as he sat with yuna beside the warm fire, noticing even the smallest of details like the worn-in footsteps leading to the garden. every so often he'd look up again to check on the sleeping beauty who'd been swaddled in a wool blanket by the ladies of the house, and a smile would curl his lips once more as he reminisced on the summers they'd spent watching butterflies emerge from their cocoons.

fortunately, the princess's natural color had come back by now, and though their kind hosts said that she would likely be fine by morning samir still couldn't sleep until he saw that she was okay. so here he was; well into the darkest hours of the night just waiting for the beloved girl to wake.

which is why he nearly leapt from his seat on the floor when a hand met his shoulder. if he hadn't been a little more careful he swore his skeleton would've jumped right out of his skin. samir whipped his head over to look at the owner of the hand — only to find the groggy looking eyes of yuna staring back. he was turning to face her in an instant.

"hey," he cooed with a tender smile, fire-warmed fingertips reaching to touch her rosy cheek. "hey, yuna. how are you feeling?"

after a few more slow blinks her brows would furrow as she noticed the room around them, the sturdy wooden walls far homier than the cave they'd slept in last. she'd groan and grumble for a moment while squirming in the blanket before finally unraveling it around her waist so she could prop herself up on an elbow. "where...?"

samir readjusted to help un-cocoon her legs from the wool as he explained, "it's okay, we're safe here for the night. the two generous ladies of the house said we can leave with their map in the morning."

yuna was now pushing herself to sit up, aided once more by the gentle hand on her spine and attentive eyes on her every feature. she took just a second longer to really survey her unfamiliar surroundings with narrowed eyes before then looking back to samir on his knees before her, dark circles under his eyes despite the blithe smile on his lips. she reached out to grab his shoulder again.

"are you okay?"

"am i okay?" the tired-eyed boy would chuckle "you're the one we're worried about, yuna. how are you feeling? any numbness? cold? confusion?"

yuna sighed and pulled away to rub her eyes, "no, nothing...well — confused about how we got here. and where we are."

samir's lips would part just before he began to fill in the gaps, but the soft tapping of footsteps on the other side of the room would catch the princess's attention, subsequently pulling his own gaze to peer over the side of the couch. from the doorway separating the den and the kitchen stood the red-haired woman from before with a steaming bowl in her hands, the motherly smile on her face emphasizing the wrinkles at the edges of her eyes under the fire light.

"you're just a few miles south of the kublai river, your highness. this is my home."

the frail woman would dutifully tip her head towards the princess in a short bow before taking careful steps closer to offer the bowl in her hands. "amina and i prepared a hearty stew for your quick recovery." her warm grin would grow brighter as yuna accepted the dish, "it's a pleasure to meet you, your highness. i'm orla."

the now-embarrassed princess offered a meek nod in return, both hands clutching the warm bowl as she thanked the kind woman stood at the edge of the lounge chair. her lounge chair.

"thank you very much, orla. i'm glad to make your acquaintance — and i appreciate your generosity."

"oh, no matter" orla waved her off with a jovial chuckle "i'm delighted to be of help. you can finally put our guest bed to use."

yuna would hum offhandedly and mutter "you're very kind" in passing, only to be met with an overwhelming intentness within the older woman's response. it was the most off-putting samir had seen since their initial meeting with the way her smile fell and her brows raised, her tone so matter-of-fact he would've thought it was a popular saying.

"you can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force, your highness."

the teens seated before this peculiar ginger woman, orla, would share a not-so-subtle look with one another before either decided to speak. and when samir's lips would part just prior to his follow-up question, 'is that a publilius syrus quote?', orla would speak again with a resumed motherly glow in her eyes.

"the two of you have a long day ahead, so i'll leave you to it. please don't hesitate to knock if you need anything. i hope you rest well, your highness."

and once again, in the manner she always had when growing up with an image to uphold, yuna would thank her graciously with a genuine smile on her face that met her sparkling brown eyes. orla offered the final tip of her head before exiting the den and the puzzled pair now whipped to look at each other.

"that was...odd..."

sam nodded in agreement, "yes. yes it was."

yuna would then shrug as she fished the spoon from the bowl, always pointing out the silver lining in every situation. "still got some stew out of it, though." she was honestly thrilled just to have something in her stomach after not eating for a full day — even if it was mostly liquid. so much so, in fact, that she wouldn't notice the fond eyes watching her every movement; notably massive mouthfuls of stew being ingested. it was only when she finally felt it hit her stomach that she looked up to find samir's loving gaze on her, cheeks growing red as she wiped the broth dripping down her chin.

"want some?" she offered to cover the embarrassment she felt. sam would simply shake his head. "no thank you, i ate already."

he'd watch the princess nod politely before looking back down into the bowl — away from his eyes — and giggle sheepishly to herself while she scooping another spoonful. then, just as she began to lift the utensil to her mouth, yuna looked back up at him.

"so, how'd we get here, again?"

sam smiled. "i'll tell you before bed."

"she kept the pot boiling just for me?"

sam tossed the comforter over the mattress. "yep. i told you; orla has only been extremely kind. i would've expected that stunt from amina if anything." he then traveled to the foot of the bed to tuck the blanket in, the view of the back of his head unfaltering yuna's questioning as she stood by the doorway wrapped in the wool.

"but why? what does it mean?"

samir, though exhausted and running entirely on fumes to continue providing her with answers, then turned to motion to her now-made bed. "i'm not entirely sure yet, yuna, but i think a good nights sleep may help."

the princess, who stood barefoot in a nightgown only covered by the blanket around her shoulders, would giggle as she picked up on his totally subtle hints. she'd offer a short nod in acceptance of bed time and ambled to the left side of the bed before climbing on top of the covers — a movement that kicked samir right back into autopilot. he'd tip his nose to offer their version of the customary bow for royalty and turn on his heel to exit her 'chambers,' stopping only when yuna called his name.

"where are you going?"

sam turned back with his lips in the shape of an 'o' indicating that he, too, was puzzled by this compulsion of routine. though, expecting to lie in bed with the princess was...impossible — presumptuous, even. he didn't even stop to consider it being a possibility, so as naturally and nonchalant as he could muster, samir pasted on a chivalrous smile. "i'll just be downstairs. sleep well, yuna."

he wasn't given the chance to move even an inch before she was responding, "wait — why? that's a horrible idea."

"huh?"

"you're gonna sleep on the lounge? so you can be strangled in your sleep by whatever beast is out there looking for us?"

sam's shoulders slumped inward on himself. "you think i'd let that happen?" even from his disappointed stance by the door he could see yuna as she sat forward to catch his eye before responding in a sickly sweet tone that made his ears hot under the dark strands of tousled hair.

"i think you're tired, sammy."

sammy. it nearly made his knees weak — though that could also be the impact of the day finally taking its toll. no one had ever called him that, not his father nor anyone else in elora, it was always the proper and prudent samir. only sometimes did he get called by sam, though the vast majority of those times were from the one and only yuna who'd began when they were 11. but this one was special — why? he didn't know — but it made his insides warm and gooey, and his lips sweet like candy as his tongue darted out to wet them.

"i'm well rested." she continued with a sweet smile on her face like she knew his current ailments. "i could keep watch for a while."

sammy couldn't help the nervous chuckle that had a goofy grin on his flushed face. "your hi — yuna...what are you suggesting?" her quiet giggles in the silent home would only have his cheeks growing darker.

"we're not in the castle, the rules don't apply here. remember?"

honestly, he did not. by now he could barely keep his eyes open so it wasn't far fetched to believe he just forgot what he'd been calling the princess, though the wonderful thought of sleeping beside said princess was heavily outweighed by the anxieties of having laid with the princess. if the king found out —

yuna spoke up again. "sammy." she called. his attention was back on her. "it's alright. come on. it's my turn to take care of you now."

and so, with a breath caught in his throat and his heart hammering against his chest, samir would apprehensively walk to the right side of the bed before taking off his shoes. he'd undress his outer clothing with a nervous gaze locked on the princess sitting patiently in her own undergarments, finding her eyes to be looking up at the ceiling until the moment he slid under the cool covers. she'd then do the same with a beaming grin.

"see? you didn't combust into flames or anything!"

sam chuckled and looked over at her through the dark lashes of his heavy lids. "i think i'm already in heaven."

yuna paused. 'he must be really tired,' she thought 'he probably didn't even mean to sound that fond.' with a chaste pat to his chest the princess would feign ignorance and swallow the feelings welling in her throat.

"get some sleep, sammy."

[cream-and-tea]

🌙 ⭐️ for the asks please!

asks! asks! asks! (game i took these from is right here)

🌙 Crescent moon - Do any of your character have to hide a part of themselves? Why?

oh absolutely because i love writing repressed little freaks and i also think that even the most open and honest characters almost always have some aspect of themselves they want to conceal even if they’re not aware of it. that kind of thing makes for really interesting conflict. it is hard to choose just one of my characters to ramble about for this since there’s so many of them, but i think i’m going to go with fiver because he’s such an extreme case. that guy isn’t just hiding A part of himself he is hiding EVERY part of himself knowingly and willingly and lying constantly to cover it up! in another world he’d be putting a fake name on his nametag at work and making up stories to impress people at clubs into buying him drinks but we’re here and he knows world-altering secrets instead! also he’s a late game main pov (i’m talking a one-off in the first books epilogue and then NOTHING until book 3) so we mostly see him through other characters eyes throughout the series, who all operate on varying levels of is-something-going-on-here-or-am-i-just-weird-about-this-guy?? (it’s both both is good) which is where you end up getting stuff like this:

And she likes Fiver. She does. Really. Truly. Probably because he’s impossible not to like. But as the days trip past it’s equally impossible to ignore the fact that talking to him feels an awful lot like talking to a one-way mirror. Seeing yourself reflected back ever-so-slightly tilted, knowing that there has to be something there just beyond the glass, behind the smile, but being unable to see past the light of your own shiny eyes in the cherry red tint of those infamous glasses.

as for WHY he’s like this… well you see- [COMICALLY LARGE TRUCK DRIVES PAST HONKING ITS HORN AND OBSCURING ME FROM VIEW] so yeah ☺️

⭐️ Star - Do you have a favourite character? If so, why are they your favourite?

i really wish this one was harder to answer because i love all of them so much i really really do, but it’s agnes-maria white (one of the mcs from my main project) alll the way for me. i think it’s because her voice just comes so? naturally?? to me? like i could be in her head for HOURS and not be worn down like i can get writing other characters. she just has a very strong presence to me and the arc i have planned for her is falling into place very very well even though i’m technically just at the beginning of it. she’s my best friend. she’s my specialist girl in the whole wide world. she’s 17. she’s never had a friend her age who wasn’t literally actually dead. she’s got mommy issues. she’s more worried about about being a closeted lesbian than about the cult that’s trying to kill her. shes an extrovert that doesn’t know how to talk to people. she’s filled with incredible kindness. she’s weird about god. she’s got the biggest brown eyes you’ve ever seen. she’s an “i can fix him” girl. she basically got into magic school by wandering through the death woods looking like three day old roadkill. she’s filled with incredible rage. she immediately imprints on anyone who is passingly nice to her. she was born to wear novelty earrings and listen to lo-fi beats to study and relax to but she’s in the fucking torture labyrinth instead. she’s even catholic.

[midknighted]

@qicixian sent in a prompt - ✨!

                               the life that d'arce once knew had been turned on it's head. not only was she a runaway from her family, but a deserter from the army as well. no longer could she call herself a holy knight, althought she would claim herself to be far holier than those pigs currently calling the shots. if alll-mer still walked this earth, she's sure that his bloodshed would reach the king of rondon. he deserved to be slain for his callous nature. the fact she ever called herself proud to serve this kingdom brings the taste of bile to the back of her throat.

                               and, surprisingly, she wasn't the only one.

                               there was a man. while d'arce did care a great deal for looks and proper grooming given her noble upbringing, she never found herself captivated with the way someone merely existed. she was always far too dedicated to ogle at the opposite sex. and yet, as she watches this man- his fair locks gently flowing in the wind, his smooth skin that almost seems to glow in the light of this sun- she finds herself mesmerized.

                               there was no other word to describe this unearthly beauty other than divine.

                               he called himself le'garde. he too was sick of the corruption in this world. those using the will of the gods as cover to further their own selfish desires; those using their positions of power as an excuse to extort those bellow them. and so, he was recruiting his own army. a group of mercenaries known as the knights of the midnight sun.

                               while many were enraptured by his message, when he asked for volunteers the crowd seemed to hesitate. to support an idea was one thing, but to be willing to put your life down for it...? that was not something your average citizen would do. d'arce, however, was far from average.

                               her arm shoots up, chest puffed out in confidence as she answers to his call to arms immediately.   ＂  i would be honored to fight for your cause!  ＂

                               as she speaks those words, a smile comes to his face. his bright white teeth on full display. it's warm and welcoming, a grin that only tells d'arce that she made the right choice. never once had she felt comforted by the idea of storming into battle. not until now.

                               ＂  wonderful! ＂ his voice rings out like a song, a hand beckoning her to come up to the crate he was standing on. she finds herself moving almost without thinking- there was no supernatural force compelling the knight to his side. it just... felt so incredibly natural.   ＂  might i ask who you are?  ＂

                               ＂  d'arce cataliss! i was a previous knight of the holy rondon army, but... i simply cannot stand to fight for them any longer.  ＂ her hand curls up into a fist, a fiery passion coming through her words, despite her trying to restrain herself. he seems pleased with this passion, though.

                               ＂  a knight? how lucky. it's good to know there are people like you out there. you must have quite the strong will to be able to turn your back on your kingdom like that.  ＂

                               ＂  the corruption in rondon simply runs too deep. it wouldn't have been right to continue serving. to do so would go against everything i believe in.  ＂ she's never spoken these truths in front of a crowd like this. to her parents, yes, but it was more of a screaming match than a conversation. they didn't understand. no... they merely didn't care. they were part of those who benefited from this corruption, after all.

                               le'garde only seems to glow brighter as the words exit d'arce's mouth. as if every word she spoke was exactly what he wanted to hear.   ＂  i would be honored to have someone like you fight by my side. we could use someone like you. the world could use someone like you. after all, it is only when dreamers like us... those with the proper ambition to follow through... it's only when those people join forces when true change can be made. let us continue on the righteous path alll-mer once took! ridding the world of the corrupt kings and sultans who think it right to allow their subjects to suffer!  ＂ with those words, the man takes the knight's arm by the wrist, lifting it high up into the air.

                               the crowd cheers for the proclamation. and, one by one, more people begin to volunteer there services. as d'arce stands there by his side, watching over the birth of this revolution, a feeling sparks from deep inside of her. that this is what she was meant to do. and this is where she was meant to be... standing at his side- overseeing all of those in front of them.

                               the humble start of a revolution. the planted seed that may one day grow into a new kingdom- with le'garde placed as it's ruler. and, unbeknownst to all of them right now, the beginning of the prophecy... a fate impossible to avoid.

[fruitcoops]

Could you maybe do that part 5 of truth or drink you alluded to?? :) with Jules and the lupins and basically Jules spilling ALLL of re’s secrets & Marley loving it 🥰

Oh, Jules, how I missed you. The truth or drink referenced in this ask is here (it's been an age since I did one, wow!) and SW credit of course goes to @lumosinlove!

“Please can we have alcohol?” Jules swung his legs under the table with wide, pleading eyes.

Marlene barked a laugh. “Over my dead body, baby Loops.”

“It would be,” Remus agreed with a teasing grin.

“Welcome back to Lion Pride, both of you,” she said, ruffling their hair. Both scrunched their faces up in identical expressions of displeasure. “There are fifteen cards in your deck, and if you don’t want to answer the question, you have to take a drink of apple juice. Not alcohol.”

“You used to be cool,” Jules sulked. Marlene rolled her eyes and Remus reached over to flick his ear. “Hey, that hurt!”

“No, it did not.”

“I’m gonna tell mom you hit me.”

Remus turned to Marlene with a long-suffering look. “Can I have alcohol?”

“Get crackin’, boys, the world wants to know your secrets.” She tapped the deck of cards with a wink and wandered behind the cameras again.

“Alright, here we go.” Remus sighed. “My name is Remus Lupin, I’m the Lions’ right wing, and I’m here with my baby brother to answer some questions. Take it away, Jules.”

“I’m not a baby,” Jules clarified to the camera. “I’m twelve. Who’s the most attractive sibling?”

Remus frowned. “Me? Just ‘cause I’m older.”

“As if.”

“Oh my god,” he muttered, reaching for his own card. “Oh, this should be fun. Name your favorite parent.”

“Dad,” Jules answered without hesitating. Remus’ eyebrows shot up. “What?”

“First, you’re not supposed to answer that fast, and second, what?”

“Dad’s cool!”

“Dad is not cool!” Remus laughed. “I don’t have a favorite parent—”

“Liar.”

“—but mom is the cool one. Dad’s a dork, and we love him for it.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe this. Mom would literally do anything for you. She learned to skate for you.”

“It’s not like I don’t love mom!” Jules protested as he took a new card. “I love her so much! And I know mom is your favorite, so it’s only fair. Which of us is the most successful, and which is the screwup?”

“I don’t have a favorite parent,” Remus insisted, leaning back in his seat. “And neither of us are screwups.”

“You’re more successful.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re a screwup. It means you’re twelve. Who’s the overachiever?”

“You,” Jules snorted. “You’re such a nerd. It’s embarrassing. What’s the meanest thing I did to you when we were kids?”

Remus rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, then turned to look behind the camera. “Since we were only kids together for, like, three years, can I say something from a little later?”

“Anything before age 25,” Marlene called.

He nodded decisively. “Sweet. In that case, it’s the time this little monster let a rat into the house, freaked out when he didn’t know what to do, then locked it in my bedroom and didn’t tell anyone until I went to bed and something ran across my sheets.”

Jules shrugged. “You survived.”

“Yeah, and you almost didn’t.”

“So dramatic,” he muttered.

Remus whacked him over the head with the next card before reading it. “Oh, god. Share the most mortifying memory you have of me. If you drink that apple juice and don’t answer, I’ll get you ice cream on the way home.”

Jules leaned back with a hum, already grinning. “Let’s see…”

“No,” Remus groaned.

“Probably—” Jules broke off to giggle. “Probably when you took me into the locker room to meet the team and the whole time I was talking to Sirius, you looked like you were about to melt into the floor. You had this stupid grin on your face—”

“Shut up.”

“—and almost tripped over your own feet, like, four times. This was before you guys were dating, too.”

“You are the worst,” Remus said, though his voice was muffled by his forearms. “Next question?”

“I can keep going. There was the time you gave yourself a black eye hanging Christmas lights, and when you bounced off an enforcer when you tried to check him, and when mom asked you to defrost the chicken for dinner and you forgot so you put it in the microwave and almost set the house on fire, and—“

“Marlene.” Remus raised his head with a pitiful look. “Please make him stop. Please.”

“Okay,” Marlene laughed, a little breathless. “Alright, one sec. Jules, your turn.”

“Ugh, fine. Do you let me win at things?”

“When you were five, sure.” Remus tilted his head to the side. “Otherwise, no. Do you want me to let you win?”

“I’d be so upset if you did. I only get better because I want to kick your ass one day.”

“Language. Am I a good brother?”

“Well, yeah,” Jules said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He blinked at Remus, clearly confused. “Duh. You’re weird and annoying, but you’re one of my top three favorite people?”

“Before or after dad?” Remus teased, but it was soft with fondness.

Jules narrowed his eyes and leaned his elbows on the table. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Have I ever disappointed you?”

“Never. I don’t think you could if you tried. Who’s smarter?”

“Me.” Remus gave the camera a disbelieving look as Jules took a new card. “Ha! I like this one. Which of us was a mistake?”

“Oh, that is a good one. Honestly, I don’t think either of us were planned. Mom and dad definitely weren’t expecting a kid at 21 and 25, and absolutely weren’t planning on another one fifteen years later.”

Jules cast the camera a bright smile. “Oops!”

“But we’re their best mistakes,” Remus said solemnly with the ghost of a smile, as if he was repeating a sentiment that had been said many times before. “Okay, I need to have a talk with whoever set up these questions. Do an impersonation of me, or drink to—”

“Oh, look at me, I’ve got a fancy degree,” Jules mimicked, dropping his voice comically low. “I’m so cool, I’ve got a secret boyfriend and I’m not gonna tell anyone about it for three whole months even though I suck at keeping secrets. I’m tall, so I’m gonna grab my awesome little brother by the ankles and shake him around—”

“You asked me to—”

“Shh! I’m not done!”

Remus gave him an incredulous look. “They get the point!”

Jules stuck his tongue out, but grabbed a new card from the stack. “What are your best and worst memories of mom and dad?”

“Aw, man.” Remus tapped his short stack of cards on the table and bit his lip. “Best and worst…best would probably be Christmas two or three years ago, when we all went skating on the lake.”

“That’s a good one,” Jules mused.

“It’s hard to think of my worst memory of them. Um, maybe after I stopped playing hockey in college? There was a lot of walking on eggshells and it was really uncomfortable.”

Remus read the next card and his frown dissolved into laughter; he reached for the apple juice and filled both glasses to the brim, then pushed them across the table to Jules without a word. “What are these for? You have to read the card, dummy.”

“The most spoiled sibling has to drink,” Remus said with a wide grin.

“It’s not me!” Jules protested, though it was weak. “You were an only child for fifteen years!”

“Yeah, and?” His amusement only grew as Jules struggled to make a comeback. “See, you can’t even deny it! You’re the baby of the family and everybody loves you. How many times have you been to Gryffindor?”

Jules opened and closed his mouth a few times, going red with indignance.

“How many?” Remus’ expression was pure glee. “Buddy, I didn’t leave Wisconsin for anything other than roadies until you were old enough to travel, and then mom and dad had to show you off to everyone.”

“They love you, too!”

“I know they do,” Remus laughed. “They’re great parents and we both had amazing childhoods. You’re still the more spoiled one.”

“I don’t like this game,” he muttered as he drank one of the glasses. “And I’m not drinking that other one. Okay, last question. Should we see more of each other?”

“Of course,” Remus said. “I wish we lived closer to each other all the time. Do you think so?”

Jules reached for the glass, then burst out laughing when Remus’ jaw dropped. “Oh, I got you so good! But yeah, I miss you a ton during the school year.”

“You little…” Remus bit back his threat and ruffled Jules’ hair despite his protests, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment. “Keep that up and you’re gonna get flipped again.”

“You wouldn’t. Not on camera.”

“Try me.”

Jules bolted from his seat and tried to make a run for it, but Remus was faster—he caught him around the waist, hefted him under one arm, and turned him around until he could get ahold of his skinny ankles. “No!” Jules shrieked through his giggling as Remus started swinging him lightly back and forth. “No, no, put me down!”

“Just making sure you really don’t want to see more of me,” Remus said, alight with happiness. Jules’ fingers nearly touched the ground. “You’re almost too big for this.”

“Good,” Jules wheezed. “Are we done yet?”

Remus looked back to the camera. “Thanks for tuning into Lion Pride, everyone. Make sure to like and subscribe if you want a slow-motion tutorial on how to transform your little brother into an emergency pendulum.”

“No!”

“Can you get down by yourself?”

Jules stretched his arms toward the floor, but Remus pulled him up an inch just as his fingertips brushed the tile. “Hey! Stop it!”

“Stop what?”

“Pulling me up!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Remus said, adding another inch.

[bbhyeoliskooks]

❝𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦.❞

It’s warmer being in Kai’s arms before you go to sleep. 

𖥻 Pairing: HueningKai x Reader (gender-neutral)

𖥻 Genre: lots and lots of fluff paired with a boyfriend au <3

𖥻 Warnings: None!

𖥻 Song Rec: I Knew I Loved You

“Is that my hoodie you’re wearing?” Kai exclaimed incredulously when you opened the bathroom, his eyes adjusting to bright light that illuminated your dark figure.

You raised an eyebrow in response, smirking with pride as your hands sneakily crept up to switch off the light. “Why? Are you scared that I’m wearing it better than you?” The slight yellowness of the bathroom light flickered a little before shutting down, and once you were sure all the lights were off you slowly tiptoed to where your boyfriend was laying, not without fumbling around and knocking stuff over. That was a problem every night- it would be much easier if you could somehow see in the dark. 

Kai laughed a little bit when you swore under your breath, his voice bouncing off the white walls, before you joined in as well. He carefully tugged the covers up so you could get in beside him without harm- since almost breaking something was just on your mind tonight. 

“Mind telling me why you’re wearing one of my favorite hoodies today, baby?” He muttered almost whisper-like, wrapping his arms around you as soon as you were able to get into the bed. The blankets covered you both perfectly, but you shimmied a little bit in the covers a little before becoming truly comfortable.

“Hmm, I thought it was mine...?” Your voice trailed away, practically teasing him as he rolled his eyes in the dark.

“Tell me the real reason,” he said immediately, seeing clearly through your lies as you bit back a few chuckles. 

Getting closer to him, you laid your head on his gently whilst sighing with relief. On the other hand Kai was waiting almost impatiently for your response, clearing his throat and you could honestly say what was on your heart. 

“It’s warmer this way,” you smiled softly, burying your nose in his scent as you relished in how his arms tenderly hugged you back.

There was a comfortable silence between the two of you and for a second there you assumed he just fell asleep before he started giggling and shaking his head excitedly. Wow, and that was enough to make his heart beat faster. That didn’t mean you blamed him though- if he said the same thing, your heart would’ve been racing as well.

“Warmer than all of your plushies combined...” you teased, trying to sneak in one last joke before getting some inevitable shut eye. 

“Hey, now that’s crossing the line!” Kai yelled, causing you to break out into laughter. A few moments later the two of you were settling down, tired from the day’s exhausting events, though happy you were able to spend the night together like always. Sleep practically lingered on both of your eyes and you were too tired to say anything. Yet he cuddled you with so much love, holding you in his arms as your fingers delicately combed through his hair. 

It was warm. You felt loved and you were sure with by how he kissed you the last time for the day on your forehead- that he was feeling warm and loved too. 

Released: August 13, 2021 (2:24pm)

Thoughts: guys... CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT OUR BABY IS 19 NOW?!!! LITERALLY 19, MY FAVORITE NUMBER?!! i can’t believe this at alll, i’ve been there ever since predebut but like literally i never knew how much i could love this precious boy honestly :(( never have i felt more connected to an idol and he’s just the sweetest boy ever srsly... he has got to be written by a woman, HOW CAN PERFECT BE IN ONLY ONE BOY?! i know he’ll never read this either (thank god he would probably cringe and die from how hopeless and romantic i am), but i just want him to know that i love him so much :( he always makes me feel safe and i know that i can go to him whenever i need some cheering up ! he deserves best boy award- most precious boy in the whole world to me. welll before my thoughts become too long, i just want to wish a happy birthday to our precious maknae! i hope he has the happiest day and is spoiled a lot <3 and that he gets some new plushies too haha

Tags:

[nad-zeta]

Arthur - Drive from hell

Fandom: Ikevamp

Pairings: Arthur x Reader

Genre: Fluffffff

Words: 1600

Warning: Learning to drive.... so yeah

Comments: Eeeeep, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANIIIII! Hope you have the best day! //dances around ❤❤ ❤Sending ya alll the hugs and yummo birthday cake! 😳🥺! 🥺😳❤🌈 @nuttytani

.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’ .*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:。’･ﾟ｡.*:・’ﾟ: ｡.*:・’ﾟ:｡.*:ﾟ･’ﾟﾟ:

“You ready, duckling?” Arthur asked, full of beans, climbing from the driver’s seat and doing a light lil ol jogging around the car to open the passenger door for you.

Today was the day! You were now officially legal, and Arthur had taken it upon himself to teach you how to drive. To say you were nervous would be a gross understatement— you had barely, BARELY even passed your learners exam, and now here you were, about to be sat behind the wheel of arguably your greatest challenge yet, a 4x4 Hilux, a beast of a car in its own right.

You had already started regretting your life decisions when Arthur had to give you a hand up to get into the big beast of a car, never mind barely being tall enough to see over the steering wheel.

“Safety first, Luv,” he grinned from the passenger seat, reaching across you to help secure your seatbelt as you acclimated yourself to the change in position. How strange it was to be sitting on the other side, peddles below, massive wheel in front. And not to mention all the switches and buttons— so many little things that you had no idea what they were for or how they worked— and yet all so tempting to press and try out.

You looked over at Arthur, anxiety only growing as you had no idea where to even begin. “Alrighty, let’s get this show on the road,” he clapped his hands together, smiling broadly as he put on a pair of blue polka dot sunglasses.

Truly this man had far too much faith in you.

“Arthur, are you sure about this?” you asked one final time before placing your one foot on the clutch while the other pushed the brake—you know, just in case.

“Of course, what kind of rotten boyfriend would I be if I couldn’t even teach my lovely lady how to drive, now first things first, the safety checklist.”

He held up his gloved hand, counting off all the points to remember when driving, “Number one, make sure the car is in neutral before starting it. Number two, keep your foot on the clutch. Number three, turn the ignition all the way, and once you are ready to rumble, release the handbrake and slowly lift your foot from the clutch as you step on the gas. Got it?”

You nodded, half the instructions going completely over your head— you got this, you got this, you kept repeating to yourself like a mantra.

Your shaky hands reached for the keys, turning them until the car roared to life.

“I did it! I DID IT! Loook Arthur, look! I switched the car on!” you exclaimed, smiling brightly at Arthur, who clapped his hands together in praise.

Next, you slowly release the clutch forgetting all about the petrol and hand brake, causing the car to lurch forward and stall. You let go of a high pitched squeak, eyes going wide and knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel.

Clam as ever, Arthur patted you on the head, “Ah, it’s alright, Luv, see nothing to be afraid of; you simply forgot to step on the gas.”

It appeared as though Arthur had nerves of steel talking you through every instruction, patiently teaching you, and frankly, it wasn’t before long; you actually got the car moving. More than moving even, you were DRIVING!, no jerky movements, just girl vs the open road! Oh, the freedom and sense of independence were exhilarating, even at 20km per hour.

Meanwhile, Arthur was having a very different experience from the passenger seat.

Oh Lord Arthur was thankful he had taken you out to an abandoned field to learn how to drive, even more, grateful that you were driving an off-roader and not Vincent’s old fashioned bright yellow beetle, cause heaven knows death would be knocking otherwise.

Yes, despite his calm facade, he was desperately gripping the fear handle— an appropriate name, really, for what he felt in this moment was truly fear. “B-bird d-don’t you think you should slow down a little,” he stammered out; any chance of composure had been long gone as you drove at top speed (40km/h) across the planes of the field, launching the car into the air as you drove over yet another tiny hill.

“By Thunder, please, I beseech thee if there is a god I promise to live a wholesome life from this point onwards, please just spare meeee- ahhh,” he implored, sunglasses now halfway down his nose, revealing his wide shot eyes.

You drove without a care in the world, thoroughly enjoying the whole experience of driving over the small rolling hills. You rolled your eyes, one hand on the steering wheel, the other one giving Arthur’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, Arthur, don’t be so dramatic, ooooh look another dip, hold on tight,” you quickly announced with a delighted squeal navigating the terrain like a self-proclaimed pro.

The car rattled and jerked,” F-f-f-udge,” Arthur yelled out, hand shooting forward to the glove box to steady himself and prepare for the impact.

“Whoooooohooo! This is great! Who knew driving could be this fun,” you exclaimed full of joy, eyes sparkling as you spotted the next mountain to go up and conquer.

Arthur’s panicked eyes followed your line of sight, and it certainly didn’t take a genius to know what you had planned. “My love, my darling, my heart and soul, for all that is good and holy, please I beg of you, please PLEASE STOP THE CAR”, he pleaded and prayed. It was not his birthday, but hells, he was making a birthday wish on your behalf—the wish to see another day.

You looked over at Arthur once more, and upon seeing the distress crossing his feature, you cut your bundu bashing adventure short. Although realization quickly dawned upon you, spending all this time driving across the mountainside, you had not really mastered the art of coming to a smooth stop. So, you did what any new learner would do when someone demands the vehicle to a standstill. Thrust both your feet forward at the same time and pull at the emergency brake.

Arthur launched forward as the car came to a screeching halt, dust being kicked up and settling around the car— the perfect execution of an emergency stop, you mused.

Heart hammering in his ears, Arthur let go of broken laughter, hands feeling himself in disbelief, “I’m alive? I’M ALIVE! GOD, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE.”

You rolled your eyes, looking over at him, completely unimpressed, “ohhh, come on, it was not that bad? Was it?”

“I think I might just need a change of underwear after that ‘thrilling experience’,” he exaggerated, throwing the car door open and dramatically flopping onto the ground.

Why he was so happy, he almost kissed the ground. He looked at you from his place on the dirt, “I am going to need a stiff drink. Blimey bird, that was nerve-wracking.”

You turned the car off, hopping from your seat and slinking up to Arthur to offer him a hand up, mischief glowing in your eyes, “I mean, but did you die tho?”

With a shake of the head and another thankful chuckle emanating from his chest, he placed his hand in yours, “And who taught you to be this cheeky, honestly Luv.”

Climbing into the driver seat, Arthur adjusted the mirrors and started the car, his usually charming grin once more gracing to his features. “Shall I show you how it is done,” he bragged, full of confidence, happy to be back in control of the mechanic stallion.

He started the car; however, as the saying goes, ‘pride before the fall’, he failed to give enough gas and stalled the vehicle upon pulling away.

‘Shit’, he thought, sparing you a sheepish glance only for you to burst out into full-blown laughter. “You are going to show me what now; perhaps I should be the one to teach you,” you smacked your knee snorting out.

Arthur pouted, a shade of pink coming to rest upon his cheeks in embarrassment. But before he could even answer, an unimpressed grunt could be heard coming from the back seat, “That’s it, both of you out! NOW!”

Two pairs of eyes snapped back to the source of the voice only to lock onto a very, VERY traumatized and unimpressed looking dutch. He stomped out of the car before dragging Arthur from the driver’s seat.

“That is the last time I EVER let either of you near my car,’ he scowled angrily, turning the ignition and putting the car into gear.

“Hmpf can’t believe I fell for the ‘let’s go and get some birthday pancakes’ trick,” he grumbled under his voice, making his way back to the main road.

“Why old goat, that is an excellent idea!” Arthur chimed in from the backseat, starting a chant that would inevitably lead to getting what he wanted.

You joined in, of course, chanting happily with an equally broad smile littered on your face, “birthday pancakes, birthday pancakes, birthday pancakes.”

With a scoff of irritation, Theo was helpless but to go along with the whims of the day; after all, he did love pancakes, and after that traumatizing experience, he would need some sugar to cleanse his soul.

“Hmpf fine, but only because it is this one’s birthday,” he finally barked out with a roll of the eyes, yet an unmissable smirk of excitement making its way onto his lips.

[speedypandaweasel]

One Big Adventure - a Wilford Warfstache and Abe story (Non-Ship) (2,914 Words)

Thank you for the request @canceltheact! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

If you would like to submit a request, see the information at the Masterlist and submit through the Q and A!

PSA - THIS IS NOT A SHIP oke, let us begin...

Dazed images fog up the minds of two *very* hungover men as they stagger their way up to the apartment. Abe fumbles his way through the door and over strewn clothes. He continues on and manages to put together the kaleidoscope of scenery that is right in front of him. To his left, a saggy sofa sits and a cheap TV dangerously hangs off the stripping wallpaper by a thread. To his right, a grimy kitchen is on display which even the worst chef in the world wouldn't waste his time in. The other man, however, is blabbering away, slurring his words like a car on an icy motorway. "HA!, I tell *hick* you Abe, I'm so glad I remembered you, you see *hick*, I can't even remember where I put my-" Aaaand he's gone. His body moulds into the cushions that poorly support his droopy frame, and his scuffed platform boots dangle over the side. Abe smiles, slightly soberer than before. Who would have thought that this stock still of a man, whose only aesthetics were the colour beige and veterans, would somehow have a goofy, lighter side to him? All the criminals he's met and caught among the years...

Hold up, has he met anyone? He can't remember any experiences where he HAS met any, so why did he think that? Hm, must be the Tequila talking. Abe hopscotches over the empty Wine and Martini bottles that are decorated across the stained carpet. Damm, William has not been taking care of himself. Mind you, neither has he so he can't really say anything. He arrives into the walk-in kitchen and opens a dusty cupboard. His tired eyes only meet with shot and tumbler glasses.

How much does this Man drink!? Shuffling used plates and greasy cutlery out of the way, he fills a scotch glass with water. Dowsing the liquid felt like heaven. His exhausted physique felt like a body that's been stuck in the desert for a considerable amount of time and didn't know it needed water to survive. Oh, now he feels the headache coming on.

Reader, you know when water tastes funny? It's because your brain hasn't been receiving enough H20 because you've been drinking too many energy drinks. Yeah, that feeling is exactly what Abe is feeling right now. CONTINUING ON!

The scotch glass watches from the draining board whilst the Detective plays the quietest game of the floor is lava, whilst the moustached man is making much more noise. He manages to reach a corridor which he thinks leads towards the bedroom and tiptoes down the tight hall to find a vacant room. On the way, he passes another room. It was Barnum's. His mind was split in two, Does he go in? Or stay out? Through the crack in the door, the catastrophe has indeed spread into his sleeping quarters. A mountain of flamboyant disco clothes gathers dust in front of his Chester draws, the bed's not made and more liquor bottles are having a social gathering on top. Oh William, you may be a murderer, but you need to prioritise yourself. He takes a last look at his passed out flatmate down the hallway, before shutting the guest bedroom door. Grey. It's all he's met with. Much like his exterior. He slips his shoes off and starts to unbutton his off-white shirt. he runs a hand down his chest and over the scar. How the Hell did he survive that? He can't be bothered to go into it right now, he's too tired. He snuggles into bed and does the infamous cold bed dance.

You know the one.

Abe gets out of the tempting bed once more and walks back into the living room. He creeps over to William, the man's mouth catching flies. He carefully takes his enormous shoes off and places them on the floor. Barnum's mismatch socks disappear underneath the blanket. "Night William."

~ A gorgeous smell of Breakfast wanders its way through the apartment and Abe groggily wakes up. His eyes peel open and with a yawn, he trudges through to the living room. Remembering from earlier this morning, he needed to position himself for his dance routine around the non-existent floor. "What are you doing my main man?" Barnum brightly asks, a hearty chuckle accompanies the question. Resided in the pristine kitchen, his big, strong hand holds a Skillet and two China plates are centred on the pebble grey marble island. Abe, however, is currently squatting as though he was playing a game of leapfrog with some imaginary friends. The Detective goes to jump but then is taken back at the sight. The apartment is now spick and span, no more Wine Bottles, no more strewn clothes. The windows are tied wide open and it overlooks the sketchy neighbourhood that they reside in. "How did you do this?" "Do what?" "You know, clean up this quickly?" Barnum checks his watch. It's 7:30 am "Oh well you see, I ironed a nice pair of jeans and found a lovely dandelion coloured shirt. Accompanied by some rainbow braces I think I look quite dashing don't you think so?" "No William, I-I mean the Apartm-AAH!" Abe clings his hand over his head, damm this- "Headache is killing you?" William slides a glass of water over with an Aspirin pill. "And no, I didn't clean the apartment, she did." Wilford looks- wait, why are you looking at me!? "Anywho, we need to get going my slightly hungover companion! But first, breakfast!" Wilford sets a serving plate down of a full English Breakfast: Sausage, an Egg, two cooked Tomatoes, Bacon rashes, Baked Beans and a slice of Buttered Toast. Wow. He didn't know William could cook? The two men got stuck in right away and the TV is turned on. Two bright and very similar faces appear on the screen "Badgers the secret Killer?... And now for the weather, Jim?"

The camera pans to, what they believe, is Jim. Their face resembles a deer in headlights. "I swear, they don't know what they're doing. It's hilarious!" The Detective says with a mouthful of Toast. Barnum laughs, wipes his mouth with a napkin and takes a swig of his Orange juice. "Right! I mean, who is their boss anyway?!" The men eat and laugh their way through their plates talking about what topics they would cover if they were reporters. After a while, they both recline back into their bar stools and the cook starts to tidy up the dirty dishes. "Oh, no, let me do it. It's the least I can do." "You're alright my man, I've got this. Besides, you need to freshen up!" "But whe-'" "First door on your left"

They share a light chuckle. "Thanks Wilford, I really appreciated that," Abe says before going back down the hallway, whilst Wilford rolls his sleeves up and starts to clean the less-silver cutlery.

He smiles. That's the first time he's ever said that to him. "No problem Abe."

~

The passenger door slams shut on the Detective's Vintage SUV and Wiford pulls out a gigantic map from his pocket. This map includes hundreds of paths scrawled with crayons and a hint of Martini can be smelt.

"Are you sure, you know where you're going?" Abe questions. Judging by what that map reads, they are going to get lost very easily.

"Of course I know where I'm going! I am Wilford Motherloving Warftsache after all." A pang of guilt hits the Detective, he genuinely can't remember who he was.

"Ok, Wil, you can drive."

After playing at least 3 rounds of rock paper scissors, or when Wilford won, Abe hesitantly let the murderer drive. God knows where though.

Wilford excitedly thrust the keys into the ignition. He couldn't wait for what the day entailed!

"Careful Willford, you're gonna break the keys!" Abe says through gritted teeth.

"Oh pah-lease! I know how to drive" he retaliates. His brown boot floors the pedal and reverses straight into the iron fence.

"Yep, it's working."

The Detectives face, now pale, grips tighter onto his seatbelt and his feet are glued to the floor. "Wil, of course it's working. Now, step on the ga- nope, that's the brakes Wilford."

Pedestrians quiver in fear as they see a horribly driven brown vehicle screech to a stop and then start again. They have to clamp down on their ears as the monster of a car drives past them down the alleyway, swerving left and right much like the driver's speech the other night.

The SUV survives to the end of the road and dents a stop sign perched, well once, straight on the kerb.

"Will, which route are we taking?" Abe asks as he takes the map from the driver's hands.

"It's the one marked Highway of Life, it's gonna be a good one, trust you me."

"Well, this has got off to a surprising start so why not go for an adventure?" Abe says. He's given up at this point.

~

"LIFE IS A HIIIGHHWWAYY! I WWAAANNNA RRIIDDEE IIT ALLL NIIGGHTT LOOOOONNGG!" The two pop stars start belting out of the car as Wilford drives them to their last stop. Who would have thought that two polar opposites positions of the law would be in the same car together, let alone blasting Disney songs out of the car.

Wilford's hair whips away from his face as the SUV's top winds down.

"LIFE NEEDS A BIT OF MADNESS EH ABE?"

"HELL YEAH IT DOES"

The Afternoon sun blazes down onto their blacked-out sunglasses and the Golden Gate bridge paints a picture for the Detective that prescribes him with a carefree attitude.

Life was his to choose and he was here for it.

~

The SUV turns off the Highway onto Richmond Street. The Afternoon sun glowing dimmer.

Just in time.

Now reader, if you haven't read my WKM Tumblr Song series, then you won't understand this next section.

The SUV passes bountiful shrubberies and picket fences. Cherry Blossom dust drift its way into the car and Wilford starts to tear up.

"You ok Buddy?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." After all his years of interrogation, Abe knows that that answer was a lie. Yet, he didn't want to push it.

The car comes to a halt and is parked underneath a summer coated oak tree.

"Why'd we stop?"

"I want to show you something."

Abe opens the vintage door and steps out. In front of him, wildflowers and grass sway on the cliffs breeze and small pink flowers grow on its edge. Overhead, a sea glistens with sunlight rays and pink and amber hues dust the sky.

Man, this is enough to make a grown man cry.

The cars driver door can be heard shutting and a shadow walks up behind him. An intimate silence roots itself between the two men.

"You may be wondering why I brought you here."

Abe nods, still looking forward, yet intriguingly listening.

The man sighs, "I used to come here all the time as a young lad. We used to have picnics and dance until dawn. We were so free up here. Away from life, away from Duty, and she was away from Him, that was all that mattered. "

His voice breaks.

"But things change, people change and suddenly, I couldn't do that anymore.

That's why I want you to see it."

Wilford wanders over to their spot and picks up one of the pink flowers sprouting through the grass.

"You may have thought of us as the scum of the Earth Detective. But there are two sides to every story."

The Detective joins the Murderer and puts a hand on his shoulder.

Wilford chuckles. The last time he was here, he was completely and utterly alone. He was like- like a freshly born fawn still trying to find his legs into this world that didn't make sense.

But now...but now things are looking a little brighter.

"If there is anything I can do to make it up to you, just name it."

"You can't do anything really, it's just the way this messed up world works."

The two friends sit down in the grass, making fresh new imprints into the cliff edge, next to two fading ones.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure" "How many people have I killed?"

...

That question lingers in the air for an uncomfortably long time. All that can be heard are the lapping of the waves below them and the occasional swallow talking in the trees.

...

"I don- don't know Wilford," Abe breaks the silence, "I should know, but I-I don't.

...

Abe looks at Wilford, his broken and tear-stained eyes manage to glance back before returning to look out at the sunset.

Abe must do something here. But what? He said himself that nothing can be done so what can he do?

He reminisces on the day they were reunited. So much anger, so much confusion. But Wil was so cheerful, not a care in the world!

Now look at him.

And it was all his fault. If only he didn't get involved...

A second flashes by and Abe does something he should have done the second Will did it.

He hugs Him.

...

"I'm sorry Will."

...

Moments cling on for seems like forever and the embrace is broken. The two tear-stained friends look up.

The afternoon sun has now gone beneath the horizon and is replaced with the all too familiar twilight scenery, which glows softly for miles and miles, each star a lantern that has been entrusted with keeping something special.

"There was another reason why I wanted to bring you here."

Wilford wipes his eyes with his sleeve. "Do you see that star, the big one?"

"Yeah" "That's the Evening Star. That Star is the reason why I have hope. And now I want to share that hope with you. I know we got off the wrong foot but since we're in the same boat now, I think it's time I opened up about where I've actually been."

Abe swallows, this man is truly broken, and he can't do anything about it.

"Thank you for trusting me." "We're not done yet. It's your turn!" "What?" "Make a wish." Cautiously, the Detective slowly stands up from his permanent grassy imprint and walks towards the cliff's edge. The man looks around and sees only patches of shrubbery and wildflowers.

And his newfound friend encouraging him to proceed.

He clasps his hands together and wishes hard. His eyes scrunch together as he becomes a child once more as well. His once tight shoulders have finally become relaxed. After so many years of searching for answers, he doesn't need to worry any more.

A single tear is swept away from the Murderers face as he watches on from the patch of grass. He remembers that feeling and the dream he wished for all those years ago. Yet now, his wish is slowly changing.

Granted, he can't remember who he was but bully does he know what he wants to be. And being here for him, at this very moment, is a wonderful way to start it.

Abe's hands fall to his side and he stares out onto the ever stretching view. His feet are glued to the spot and his mind is only fixated on that one goal. Wilford slowly joins his side, already having a hunch on what he dearly wants.

"What did you wish for?" The Murderer asks.

The Detective huckles, "Now if I told you, it wouldn't come true, would it?"

"Very true my friend."

Little did the men know that their newly found wishes were the same.

"Don't you mean, Best Friend?"

CRACK

The heartwarming moment is abruptly stopped by the sky blasting wide open and millions of sounds exploding across the cliff. The light breeze has rapidly sped up into a storm and is propelling thick gusts upon the two.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL NOW!?" Wilford yells at the hole, completely unfazed.

"YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS!?" Abe yells at his Friend.

"OF COURSE I DO, IT'S TIME FOR WORK."

"WORK!? SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE A JOB!?"

"WE ALL HAVE A JOB - WE'RE ACTORS! I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING IF WE DON'T GET SPLIT UP."

"IF WE DONT GET SPLIT UP!? WHERE ARE WE GOING!?" "I HAVE NO IDEA! BUT THAT'S THE FUN OF IT! AFTER THREE, WE WALK IN."

"ARE YOU CRAZY WE'RE GONNA FALL!"

"TRUST ME, WE WON'T."

Wilford grabs Abe's hand and he stares at him. Abe stares back, fear-stricken. Finally, he nods.

"TOGETHER?" "TOGETHER."

"ONE"

"TWO"

"THREE!!!!" The two Actors charge straight over the cliff and into the blinding light.

~

Wilford finds himself in some kind of leather chair with neon lights surrounding him. A script in one and his prop gun in his other.

No pants on, no wonder he feels too comfortable.

He scans his scene and sees his co-actor, Kathryn, running her lines on the other side of the room.

A chair sits opposite him and behind that, a red T-30 minutes until showtime sign is displayed for him.

Abe, however, isn't needed on set yet. His adventure hasn't begun.

But both of their characters will have to cross at one point or another, it's just a matter of time. Yet for a fact, no one can edit their Friendship; Their Joint Wish.

Because, as they say, Life is a road that you're travelling on, when there's one day here, and the next day gone.

[frauleinjustice]

Saioumaweek Prompt: Kokichi’s Birthday!

HEY EVERYONE, I KNOW IT’S A DAY LATE, BUT!!! Wanted to write something for Kokichi’s birthday!! 🍰🍇 Just something very fluffy and cute for his special day... 

Summary: It’s nearing the midnight of Kokichi’s birthday. He had sent a text to Shuichi for an impromptu hangout, wanting to spend private time with him since they’ll celebrate with their classmates later tomorrow, and Kokichi with his organization later that night! After a fun time at the amusement park, and enjoying some food and cake together... they head back to Shuichi’s house together, where Shuichi gives him a very special gift. And from there, just a very soft moment between the boys...

So basically, just some cute mindless fluff I wanted to write with the boys~ As always, to anyone who gives it a read: thank you in advanced, and I hope you’ll enjoy! ♥ And Happy Birthday once more to the glorious supreme leader Kokichi Ouma!!! 🎉

Running down the late light streets at 11:00pm towards the main Shibuya train station... not exactly what Shuichi expected to suddenly find himself doing. It all had started with an unexpected text from Kokichi 10 minutes earlier. ‘Saihara Shuichi, WHY are you late!!!’ Is what it said. Shuichi-understandingly-was very confused, and responded:

{Txt: Ouma-kun} Huh...? Late??? Late for what?

{Txt: Saihara-chan!} Huh! so not only do you have the audacity of keeping someone like ME waiting; you don’t even remember you were supposed to spend time with me tonight? s...s-so CRUEL, Saihara-chan...!!!

Which was a lie, of course: they didn’t plan to actually meet up tonight, as they were going to see each other tomorrow, anyway; at school where Kokichi’ll celebrate his birthday in the day with his classmates, before celebrating it with DICE later that night. But as always, Shuichi played along, knowing this was always Kokichi’s way of asking him to hang out without directly saying so... so he “apologized” for daring to “forget” their promise, before he rushed out the house like that after getting dressed, towards the train station where Kokichi told him to meet him. He honestly didn’t mind spending personal time with Kokichi tonight; in fact, he was happy about it. They probably wouldn’t have had time to tomorrow, with how busy the supreme leader would be... so a ‘pre-celebration’ together, just the two of them.... he was excited for it.

Once he made it to the station, he comes to a stop before taking a moment to catch his breath. "Hah....hah.... I-I made it..." He lifts his head up to glance around, looking for Kokichi. "I-I don't see Ouma-kun anywhere, though... I'm sure I'm at the right entra-"

"BOO!"

"Ahh!?" Shuichi jumped when he also felt hands grip his sides firmly. He quickly turn ls around to see the culprit. "O-Oh!! ...O-Ouma-kuun! You scared the heck out of me..."

"Nishishi~! Surpriiise!" He giggles, having purposely hidden behind a nearby wall to scare him. "You actually made it in less than 10 minutes! I'm impressed: well....not that I would've spared you long enough to explain yourself..."

“Well that’s because you told me you’d “send your boys after me” if I didn’t. Yeah, right.” He playfully tugged on his cheek, emitting a giggle from the boy. “So what would you like to do? I don’t imagine there’s many places still open tonight...”

“Lots of things! Like going to the amusement park: it’s still open. That’s why I wanted you to meet me here at the train station. And then after that, you’ll treat me to a fancy dinner and allow me to take over your bed when we go back to your house in the end! I’ll be my birthday midnight by then, so you must do everything I wish without no complaint~!”

“I-I see...” He slumps his shoulders, giving an exasperated smile. “Well then, you certainly got a lot on your agenda already, hmm? So the amusement park, then dinner, and then you want to stay over my place...” His smile brightening, he gives a nod. “Sure! That all sounds good to me: whatever you’d like to do Ouma-kun, we will do it.”

“You mean it!?” Beaming, Kokichi does several happy hops. “Yaaay~! That’s why Shumai’s the best! O-kaaay, let’s hurry down the stairs: our train will arrive in 5 more minutes!”

“Oh-!” Grabbing Shuichi’s hand, Kokichi rushes them down the stairs so they could make it down to the line they need to ride. Minutes later, their train did arrive, where they grabbed a window seat. They simply chatted about whatever, admiring the view of the city lights after exiting the train tunnel. It reminded them of the times they’d sometimes take walks together along the beach shore, where they could admire the skyline nearby at night. It was one of the times they could feel most relaxed, without a care in the world...

Once they got off the train, it was only a short walk until they reached the amusement park. While it was still expectantly pretty lively with people, it wasn't nearly as packed as it would be in the daytime. "Alright, Ouma-kun: where would you like to ride, first?"

Without missing a beat, he explains: "The roller coaster!!"

"..Eh?"

That frozen smile on Shuichi's face makes Kokichi laugh, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as his smile widens: "You heard me!! The roller coaster! Ohh I can't wait for Shumai to scream his lungs out!"

"W-W-Wait, wait, wait! C-Can we not ride something more uh....m-milder like the Ferris wheel or some-" Kokichi starts dragging him to the direction of the roller coaster. "thiiiing?!"

"Norpe!! Wahahaha!"

"Ouma-kuuun!!!" While Shuichi wasn't afraid of roller coasters, they still weren't exactly a ride he'd choose to get on compared to anything else. But for Kokichi, he'll get on it.

"Waaaaaah!!!"

"Yaaahoooo!!!" One screaming in exaggerated delight, and the other in distress, they were zipping through the air with how fast they were going. "We're going so fast, Saihara-chan!! Don't you love it?!"

"Noooo, I don't!! I don't at alll!!" He screams out, literally wrapping his arms around Kokichi as best as he could, as if holding on for dear life.

"N-Nishishi, hah hah haaah! You sound so funny when you scream, Shumai!!"

"D-Damn you, Ouma-kuun!!"

Kokichi cackled even more, cheeks turning a slight pink when Shuichi held onto him. This made coming here and riding the rollercoaster all the more worth it, now. Once the ride was over, Kokichi merrily steps off the ride without a care in the world. "Woo, that was fun! Right, Saihara-chan?"

"Guuuuh...." Meanwhile, Shuichi was blue in the face as he slumped over a nearby bench. "Y-Yeah. Sooo fun...." ("Thank god I didn't eat yet...") He thinks to himself...

"There, there...” He slowly strokes Shuichi’s hair, feeling just a little bad for him. “I have to admit... I didn’t expect you to actually get on with me. I guess you really do know better than to disappoint me, hmm?” He smiles, clearly joking. “But that’s a lie: Shumai was being so brave for me... it makes me happy.” There was a sincere touch of softness in his tone. He then leans his head up a bit, so that he can plant a soft kiss to Shuichi’s cheek.

“Ah....” Shuichi gasped softly at the kiss, cheeks now turning a warm shade of pink as he nuzzled his head slightly against his hand. “O-Ouma-kun...” It made his heart flutter in his chest, and to hear that he could make him happy like that. Anything was always worth it to make Kokichi happy... “I...I-I’m glad that... it made you happy! Even if, well-felt my life flashed before my eyes several times-I-I guess I also... had fun riding it, still...”

“Nishishi... good...” That made Kokichi just as happy to hear. Already, he was having fun on their little date. It made him wonder if Shuichi even saw this as one, knowing how oblivious the detective can be. Giving Shuichi’s head a few more pats, Kokichi hops out his seat. “Alllright! Time to get on more rides!! We’ll spin super fast on the teacups, bump into each other super hard in the bumper cart rides, and-”

“You’re seriously trying to kill meeee!!” And riding the many different rides at the amusement park, they did. While they didn’t actually spin super fast on the teacups (which Kokichi playfully “threatened” to do several times, resulting in very amusing Shuichi yelps as Kokichi’s hand was gently smacked each time), they still had a fun time on them; along with the bumper carts, swing rides, the games at the booths and arcade section, enjoying treats at the snack booths.... by the time they decided to get on the Ferris Wheel as the final ride for the night, they were fitting several bags of stuff they bought from the item shops, and prizes won at the game: including a giant white cat plushie Shuichi won for him at a shooting game. Even if he insisted Shuichi win him one of the best possible prizes as a worthy ‘tribute’, he didn’t expect him to actually try multiple times to get a high enough score to win him that cat plushie. It made him swoon.... he’d definitely treasure it.

“Wooow....” Kokichi leaned up from his seat a bit to observe the view of the amusement park below and the skyline in the distance. “So pretty....!”

“Yeah...” Shuichi looks out the cart’s window, admiring the scenery, too. “I’ve never really been here this late, before: I never thought the view from the Ferris wheel could look so pretty.”

“Makes you all the more happy I dragged you here, riiiight~?” He snickers, looking towards Shuichi with a smile. “I had a lot of fun, and was spoiled tons as I deserve to be! And don’t forget, we’re not done just yet: you still owe me a 5-star dinner aaand your bed.”

“Yes, yes...” He playfully rolls his eyes with a chortle. “Trust me, I didn’t forget. And I will still do all that for you: happily so.” He nods, smiling softly at him.

That smile, and hearing just how happily Shuichi will indulge and spoil Kokichi so much like this.... it made a deep blush spread on his cheeks, feeling his heart bounce around in his chest. “You’re the best, Shumai.” He flashes him an even brighter and bigger smile: one as genuine as the gentle tone he told him that in... and before he knew it, he was moving to sit next to Shuichi, so that he could lean his head against his shoulder, closing his eyes in content. “Mmm....” Until the ride is over, he just wants to stay just like this: enjoying the warmth of leaning against his beloved’s side....

Shuichi’s smile warmed when seeing Kokichi lean against him like that. Then when gazing down at their hands.... they were so close together, just barely touching. Maybe... it’d be okay to do this, he thinks to himself: to go and... rest his hand gently on top of Kokichi’s, intertwining their fingers together.

“....!” This made Kokichi open his eyes in surprise, darting down at their intertwined hands, before looking up at Shuichi. He was tempted to tease the heavily blushing boy who didn’t dare look Kokichi’s way, for being surprisingly bold like that. But for once, he wanted to spare Shuichi and not fluster him too badly. So to reassure him he’s okay with this... he gives Shuichi’s hand a soft squeeze, intertwining their fingers together just a bit more, before he closes his eyes back once more, an even bigger smile on his reddened face.

“Ahh...” A sea of relief washing over him, he also closes his eyes and leans a bit more against Kokichi, too. He also wanted to enjoy this moment as much as he could before they would have to eventually get off. He almost wouldn’t want the ride to end... neither of them did.

After they left the amusement park, it took a moment to find a restaurant that was even still open at this hour. They eventually did, and while it wasn’t some super fancy place or anything... Kokichi didn’t truly care about that: just being able to eat with Shuichi was good enough for him... they still enjoyed some great food together, and the detective even bought him a to-go cake that they could enjoy together later at his house, which Kokichi was very much looking forward to.

Once they arrived at Shuichi’s home, they quietly made their way to his bedroom. An impromptu sleepover: the perfect excuse he can give to his aunt and uncle when they’ll surely wonder why Kokichi is suddenly there in the morning. Having brought no change of clothes made for the perfect excuse of him grabbing some of Shuichi’s pajamas to wear, instead. They were notably a little big on him, but why he was all the more cozy in them. He’d tried not to pay attention to how much it made his heart flutter just wearing his beloved’s clothes.... and while Shuichi would be too shy to outright say it: he thinks Kokichi looks cute in his clothes, especially because they’re a bit oversized on him.

Shuichi also took a moment to change into pajamas as they sit at his coffee table. The container of the blackberry lavender cake Shuichi bought them sits in the center, and he made them cups of tea to go along with it. He cuts them both a slice, serving Kokichi one with a smile. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you~! I totes will!” He chimes, uttering a hum in delight at how delicious it tasted, along with the honey green tea Shuichi made them. As they were eating, curiosity couldn’t help but make him ask: “So! Saihara-chan definitely got me a present, right? Where is it, where is it? I wanna see!”

“Of course I did.” He nods with a smile, before chuckling. “It’d ruin the surprise if I told you before showing you, wouldn’t it? It’s still in the bag I was going to bring to school tomorrow, since I planned on giving it to you during the party. But since you’re already here... might as well just give it to you tonight, yeah? After we finish our cakes, I’ll show you it.”

“Okaaaay!” While he was usually impatient when he really wanted something, Kokichi gives several excited nods. From how that sounded, Shuichi must have gotten him something good. No: he knows it will be good, because it’s from Shuichi. “I can’t wait! A worthy present for a supreme leader of evil like me.... perhaps I’ll promote you to a higher rank in my organization if the the gift really wows me, hmmm?”

“I love the implication I was one of your subordinates to begin with. But wow, a higher ranking one, huh? What an honor: then I hope the present will be impress you well enough, ‘Boss’.” He plays along with a laugh, Kokichi laughing with him. He truly does hope Kokichi will love it, though: as he wanted to make it something extra special.... when they were done cleaning and quietly cleaned their dishes, Kokichi got comfy on Shuichi’s bed as he saw him go into his closet to pull something out. “Here is the bag containing your present.”

“Oho!” Giddily, Kokichi sits upright on the bed, excitedly kicking his feet in the air. “Present time!! Let’s see what Shumai has bestowed upon me!”

Smiling, he nods and hands Kokichi the gift bag. “Here you go. I... really hope you’ll like your gift. And since it’s past midnight now... Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks, Saihara-chan! And yeah, I’d better: if you’d wish to survive but that’s a lie, of course I’ll love it! Shumai never breaks my high expectations, after all!” He snickers, emitting a shy giggle from Shuichi. Without taking a second longer, Kokichi reaches into the bag.... and his eyes widened in surprise. “....!”  

In Kokichi’s hands was a journal; a handmade one. The cover was a deep purple color, and made out of soft leather, complete with a thin strap to be able to close it once tied. In the lower left corner of the journal, ‘K.O.’ was engraved in gold lettering, symbolizing the initials of his first and last name. Kokichi slowly coursed his fingers down the fabric of the journal, admiring its soft touch. Shuichi had been nervously standing in place as he saw Kokichi examine the cover. “It’s a journal....! A-A handmade one. I thought, if I made one myself... it’d make the gift feel all the more special to you.”

“A handmade one, huh...” Shuichi had actually made this for him. To make his gift feel all the more special: Shuichi put in that much effort... for him. “Ah...” Feeling his cheeks burn, it was hard to ignore the loud pounding his heart. Just when he thought he couldn’t fall for the detective any harder than he already does: he’s proven wrong, once again.

“S...So... what do you think?”

“The cover feels soft.... I like it. And my initials being engraved in gold... nishishi, you truly are aware just how much of a big deal I am, huh? As expected from my beloved Saihara-chan!” He cheers, smiling brightly at him. “I love it! And you know that’s not a lie!”

“Ahhh....!” His eyes shining in delight, relief instantly washed over him as he clasped his hands together.  “O-Ohh, I’m so happy to hear that, Ouma-kun: so happy that you love it! I thought you might like the soft leather and gold letters, heheh... ah, but there’s more-!” Now sitting down close to him, Shuichi gestures: “Open the journal and look at the inside cover. I left a...l-little surprise for you!”

“Ohhh?” Curious, Kokichi does as told and opens it to look at the inside cover. There was a small note inside, also written in golden letters. It reads:

‘Ouma Kokichi’s very own personal journal! One befitting of a supreme leader, I hope? Hahaha: in all seriousness, I hope that you love it, Ouma-kun. Happy Birthday, and may today and the following days be great to you... my beloved supreme leader.’ - Shuichi

“...............” The expression on Kokichi’s face froze. Eyes widened, he purses his lips, stifling a sharp gasp that wanted to leave it. He felt his cheeks burn even worse than ever, not being able to help the small whine that leaves him. “Nnnnghh....” From the heartfelt message, to Shuichi calling him his beloved supreme leader: that officially obliterated Kokichi, feeling like his heart was going to explode. “K...Killing me with something so damn sappy.... d-damn you, detective!!” He points an accusatory finger at him, feigned look of irritation on his completely red face. “How dare you!? This is treason!”

“H-Hahaha! That doesn’t even make sense!” He laughs, feeling his own cheeks darken. He shyly darts his eyes as he scratches his cheek. “I-I just, um... wanted to leave you something nice that you could always read whenever you use this journal. To ah... put a smile on your face...”

“So damn cheesy...” Yet there was nothing but fondness in Kokichi’s tone as he said that. Shuichi being so cheesy like that, was exactly what he loved so much about him. Carefully placing the journal down beside him on the bed after he curiously flipped through the empty pages.... Kokichi goes to wrap his arms tightly against Shuichi in a big hug, burying his face in his chest. “...I love the message: really, I do. It makes me so happy. My beloved always makes me so happy...”

“!” A surprised gasp left him when Kokichi suddenly hugged him tightly. But then he instantly returns it, smiling warmly at him. “I’m so happy that you do.... and that I always make you happy. I always want to, since... when I’m with Ouma-kun, I’m always happy, too.”

“Heheh...” Nuzzling his face into his chest, he lets out the happiest sigh. He was so happy, it was nearly overwhelming: a feeling he wasn’t used to... but loves it so much. “Good... I’m glad.” And as he nuzzled his chest, he could hear Shuichi’s heartbeat. It was so calm, so soothing... he wants to just stay in his arms all night. “Thanks so much for the gift, Saihara-chan: I’ll treasure it forever and ever.... and because I’m so nice, it’s only fair I give you a special reward as thanks.” Feeling his heart suddenly pound faster, he was admittedly incredibly nervous about doing this. Would Shuichi even like this for a reward? Would it make him uncomfortable or upset? Before those anxious thoughts started playing in his head, Kokichi quickly buries them. He wanted to do this: for so long, he’s wanted to. While a bit reluctant to, he breaks out of the hug.... so that he can gently cup Shuichi’s chin, making him look directly at Kokichi. that hand would then go to cup his cheek. “Here.... for my beloved detective.” And as he slowly leans up, closing the distance between them further and further... there’s a special kind of love and warmth in Kokichi’s eyes, that he would never give to anyone else. Those eyes slowly come to a close... and after a quick pause, right before their lips touch... he closes the distance between them in a soft kiss.

“....!” Shuichi’s eyes had widened when Kokichi cupped his chin and leaned in closer. He really was going to kiss him... something Shuichi always wanted to do with him as well, but he never thought it would happen. And that look Kokichi gave him as he did lean in, and eventually locked his lips with his... made Shuichi’s heart burst with warmth and happiness. A soft hum emitted from him as his eyes also came to a close. He leaned his face in just a bit more to press his lips more against Kokichi’s. Kokichi returns the gesture by also pressing his lips firmer against his, gently stroking Shuichi’s cheek now. The kiss felt so nice to them both, finding the other’s lips so soft. It made them not want the kiss to end anytime soon.... and even after that kiss was over, their faces stayed very close to each other’s. “Ouma....kun....”

“Shumai...” Their foreheads touching, he gently nuzzles his. “...Now give me one. As...another special gift for me. Spoil me some more...”

“...Of course: happily so.” Without hesitation, Shuichi closes the distance between them in a kiss this time, lips pressed more firmly against Kokichi’s. Kokichi lets out a very satisfied sigh in the kiss, slowly positioning himself to sit on Shuichi’s lap as he throws his arms around his neck. Shuichi wraps his arms around Kokichi’s waist in turn, soft sighs and pants emitting from the two as they gently peck each other’s lips. And they kissed each other again... and again.... just enjoying the feel of the other’s lips so much they didn’t want to stop. It was until they literally needed to catch their breath, do they finally break away. They exhale and pant deeply, faces heated and hearts pounding like crazy. “H-Hah....ahh....th-that, um... th-that was nice...”

“Nishi....s-shishi....” Kokichi nods his head in agreement. “Mm... it was. I’ve always wanted to kiss my beloved.... and if he’s okay with it... I want to kiss him whenever I want, even after my birthday’s over.”

“Heheh.... of course I’d be okay with that. Since I...I-I....” The look in his eyes grow much more loving as he softly whispers: “....I love you so much, and: I want to be with you. K....Kokichi.....”

“...........................” For a moment, Kokichi had to question if he actually heard that. That he heard Shuichi say he loves him... and called him Kokichi.... “A...Ahhhh....” Oh it killed him so badly, he immediately buried his face in Shuichi’s chest once more, needing to take a moment to deeply exhale and calm down. Everything Kokichi wanted... was happening in one ight: on his birthday, no less. It made him emotional, needing to fight back actual tears that dared spring up i his eyes. Tears of nothing but absolute happiness. “Shumai... truly can surprise me all the time, h-huh...? Inflicting a fatal combo attack on me like that....”

“H-Hehehe....” Shuichi was honestly surprised he confessed, too. But in the heat of the moment, and being so full of love for the boy... he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He just had to finally tell him how much he loves him. “S-So...um.... would you like that?”

“Dummy...” Sniffling, he looks back up at him. The smile he gives him is so warm... the warmest  smile he’s ever given to someone. “Of course I would. You’d have to be out of your mind to not wanna be Shumai’s boyfriend. Since, well....you stole my heart.... and I always want to be with you, too. I-I.... love you, too. Shuichi...” Saying it so bluntly was so embarrassing... but he was happy to finally be able to say, how much he loves him, too.

Shuichi could feel himself grow emotional as well when Kokichi accepts his confession. “A-Aww, Ouma-ku....K-Kokichi.... and... I’m so happy!! Th-That you feel the same! You ah, a-also stole my heart...!”

“Mmhm...” Though before he could die from how flustered he was, he suddenly exclaims: “N...Now cuddle me! The birthday king demands it!” And after placing the journal safely on the table, he gets under the blankets, patting the spot next to him. “Come, come!”

“H-Hahaha, alright, alright! Here I come-!” After taking a quick moment to turn off the lights, Shuichi crawls into bed with him, too. He then goes to shyly, but happily wrap his arms around him, pulling Kokichi close against him.

“Ehehe~! Shumai pillow obtained!! And he’s not allowed to let go of me the whooole night!” He giggles, beaming up at him.

“And letting go of you, I shall not.” He giggles as well, softly cuddling Kokichi. It makes the happiest little noise leave the supreme leader, who snuggled up even more in his arms as he cuddled him back. It felt like Heaven in Shuichi’s arms... he felt so warm, so happy.... so safe. A combination of things he never thought he’d feel in someone’s arms. Waking up as Shuichi’s boyfriend in the morning... he was already looking so forward to waking up. But for now: he’ll enjoy being cozy in his beloved’s arms. A soft yawn, one hand goes to stroke Kokichi’s hair as Shuichi mumbles: “Alrighty... let’s get some sleep. You’ve got quite an eventful day later in the day, after all! I hope your birthday will continue being a great one for you.”

He hums happily at he hair strokes, nuzzling thee back of his head against his hand. “Mmm...! I’ll get some sleep, yeah.... and thanks, Shuichi: totes! You already made it feel like the best birthday ever. Thanks again for coming out with me tonight: and for the prizes you won me, the journal... everything. Let’s have lots more fun later!”

“Heheh. of course, Kokichi: Everything was worth it to make you happy. Yes...! Let’s... but for now: goodnight...sw-sweetheart.”

His heart leaps when he calls him his sweetheart, looking at him with love-filled eyes. “You’re so sappy... I love it. Goodnight, my beloved Shumai~! And thanks again....” And with one last kiss they give each other, the two get comfier in each other’s arms before eventually drifting off to sleep. Never before has Kokichi been happier to send Shuichi a text for an impromptu hangout: because of it, he was going to start the day later as Shuichi’s boyfriend.... and Shuichi being Kokichi’s. This birthday was going to be one Kokichi remembers forever and ever...

[sleepylilliana]

The house of Lammentation visiting the Human world to see Christmas light requested by MC

Okay imagine this a huge van filled with people on a snowy December in a really long line just to see some Christmas lights that the city put up in a race track.... chaos Is what that’ll bring mostly filled with demons a human 🤩

Lucifer: *drivers seat* Why is there even a long line for this? Do people really get excited to even watch some lights?🥱

MC: *Passenger seat. Wearing a Christmas hat and looking for there Christmas playlist* Who wouldn’t get excited🥰 pretty lights also it’s not only lights hanging on trees they have cute displays!

Mammon: *behind them in the middle seat* As this isn’t bad enough Hey human they better be giving out free stuff for waiting in this long line...

Levi: *on the right next to Mammon* idot they don’t give us anything. We pay to see these lights also is it just me or is the connection out here awful!

Satan: * on the left side of Mammon with a book and a blanket* can’t believe I’m stuck being here when I could be doing something else

——————————————————————-

Asmo: *behind the other three seating right side* So you think they’ll let us get out of the car to take pictures with the pretty lights? I need something to post of for devilgrams!

Beel: *in the middle next to Asmo and Belph* do you think they have a some food here? I’m really hungry

MC: I packed some food for us. The cooler should be right behind you!

Mammon: Sweet! Beel or Asmo please pass me something from the cooler thanks love you

Levi: ohhh yes me too!

Satan: if theres some drinks back there please pass it on

Asmo: *looking behind him* uhhh MC it’s pretty empty in the cooler

Beel: *looking down* I’m sorry.... I ate it all at the beginning of the drive while Asmo and Belph took naps

Lucifer: *sighing*We should’ve known something like this would happen.You should’ve put it up here with us

MC: yOu shOuLd’vE pUt iT uP hErE wItH uS. With what room mister!

Mammon: Aw come on! MC’s snacks are so good too!

Levi: I don’t know if to cry or cry.... I hate it here

Satan:...

Belphie: *left side of Beel happily sleeping as he should*

——————————————————————-

Lucifer: finally we made it to the start of the show.

MC: *waking up from her nap* ahh look at the pretty lights. *yawn* told y’all it would be worth it *puts on Christmas songs*

Everyone in the back: Yay😀 *acting as if they didn’t get into petty fights while MC was sleeping*

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Mammon: Yo Lucifer you think you can pull over and open the trunk?

Lucifer: and why would that be?

Mammon: so I can get one of the displays and sale them bet people would go crazy over them haha!

Lucifer: *rolls eyes* someone wack him for me

Satan: gladly *gets hard book cover and smacks him lightly*

Mammon: Ow!

Levi: who’s dumb enough to steal in front of line of cars?

Mammon: H-Hey in my defense why would they put them out in the open like that! And with no barbwires or something.

MC: tee hee kinda like ‘finders keepers’

Mammon: y-yeah! See MC gets it! Atta human!

Lucifer: Shhh don’t encourage him MC

———————————————————————

Asmo: *taking selfie with the flash on* It feels so good to be so young and have this fun and be successful. Yeah I’m so successful😜

Beel: Asmo you might wake up Belphie with the flash on....

Belphie: *sleeping😗*

Satan : Yeah can you stop? because if I see one more flash again I’m coming back there

Asmo: tee hee smile Satan *flash*

Satan and Asmo: *stares*

Satan: *starts unbuckling his seatbelt*

Lucifer:*starts unbuckleing and leaps over* MC take over I need to stop this

MC: I- sir I don’t know.... oop I guess we doing this

Mammon: *whispers* hey Levi want to bet on who will win?🤗

———————————————————————

MC: *mad because it was there first time driving and kept messing up.... accidentally put the car for on reverse for a little bit and brakes to hard*

Everyone: * hairs a mess, clothes are a mess* sorry MC.....

MC: *still a little mad they do be cute😣*

Lucifer: Look MC it’s the 12 days of Christmas display over there

MC: omg pretty!

———————————————————————

MC: ALLL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOUUUUUUUHHHHH

Everyone: *groans*

Belphie: *wakes up😗* Yo are we there yet?

* at the end of the of the lights and exiting*

Belph: Ahhh pretty good choice MC

———————————————————————

Back home

Lucifer: I’m never doing that again or agreeing to it

Mammon: my legs are stiff! I’m never going on a car with y’all again!

Levi: I had the worst connection and missed an event! Who’s idea was it to go?

Satan: I hated it

Asmo: woooo my selfies are doing good! So many likes!

Beel: Those we’re pretty..... and looked good...

Belphie: it was shorter then I thought it would be.... it was like 5 seconds

MC: *walking in with a big smile* that was fun guys! We should do it again next year! I love you guys so much! Thank you!

Everyone: ... damn it I guess we’ll go next year

MC: Also I have some ideas for a Christmas card

Lucifer: hold it! One thing at a time we can talk about it tomorrow..... or never time for bed all of you!

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A few hours today I went to see the pretty lights and since I couldn’t sleep tonight I wanted to make a story? I guess about it the brothers and MC going to see them so yeah hope you enjoyed sorry it’s long and kinda went all over the place.... it was more of them being stuck in a car then seeing pretty lights.... also! tomorrow is Solomon's birthday! i might posf again for him i have an idea but if not happy birthday! Ugh i love that man😭 (also sorry if the characters are out of characters.... I write these all in one go without editing and usually at night when I’m sleepy but anyways goodnight!)



[yamithediaperdork]

The Baby of Hearts (Kingdom hearts)

If you had told Sora, the wielder of the key blade, that he would go from fighting to save the world and stopping the heartless to being reduced to a helpless big baby, there's a good chance he would of told you to get off the drugs. However that was exactly what had happened to the brown haired boy, and while he had only been in his new role for a week, he was quickly losing himself in it. Gone was his weapon and his big boy clothes, and these days he was more swinging a rattle around, with a little heart emblem on the top to make sure everyone knew just WHO his new mommy was, not that it would of taken much to figure out. the thick bulky diapers mommy insisted that he wear at all times (And that he made use of as matter of course since he was forbidden to ever use a potty again) were hidden under whatever darling outfit she picked for him each morning, but they were always a mixture of red and black in color, and always had hearts all over them. because after all, Sora's new mommy was the queen of hearts.

He'd been visiting the Alice in wonderland setting, and been shocked to find that the queens guards had handled the heartless with relative ease. Since he wasn't really needed he'd been ready to take off, thanking her for her time when she had insisted on him at least having tea with her, to reward him for coming to their aid even if it wasn't needed. Having heard about her temperament, and knowing that it was just rude to turn down the offer anyways, Sora had accepted and joined her on the terrace, nibbling on cucumber sandwich's and sipping the strong tea. "Your just the CUTEST little thing, aren't you?" The queen gushed, smiling and chuckling."So tiny and helpless and yet going from world to world, saving everyone. but who looks after YOU?" she asked, and Sora squirmed and blushed as she took a hanky to his face, wiping away some crumbs. Not for the first time he wished Donald and Goofy had come with him, but they had wanted to steer clear of the queen, having heard horror stories. "I um..I manage. and I have good friends who help me out." Sora squeaked out, but stayed still as she finished. "oh, it's always good to have have friends sweetie, but Wouldn't it be better to have a mommy?" she asked. 'Red flag! Giant RED flag!' Sora thought as he shook a little and reached for his tea cup. "Uh..I er..Maybe. i don't know. Listen I have to get going though, the world isn't going save itself." He said and gulped down the last of his tea as the queen smiled warmly at him. "Thank you for the tea, and keep up the good..good.." Suddenly Sora had felt sleepy, his limbs heavy and the world started to spin a little. "Oh, is something wrong Little Sora?" The queen asked, her voice sounding amused. "I..I uh..I.." Sora tried to think, but his eyelids just felt so big and heavy. "I think my little man needs a nap. just close your eyes and go nighty night little sora. and let mommy look after you." She said. Sora barely had time to think 'Mommy?' before the world faded into darkness.

he couldn't be sure how long he had slept for, only that it had been morning when he'd shown up and now it was in the afternoon. His head hurt a little and as he tried to bring the world into focus Sora sat up, able to make out..bars in front of him and wondered if he was in a prison of some sort. Closing his eyes and going to rub them, he noticed that there was something on his hands, and opening his eyes back up he noticed that A) his hands were encased in thick baby mittens, with a red and black theme going on with little black hearts in the red ares and little red hearts in the black. B) he was in a nursery, not a jail cell and of course C) he was sitting in a crib. He went to go and make a dry comment when he noticed for the first time there was something in his mouth, so only a muffled jumble of nonsense was heard out loud. He could feel a rubber nipple in his mouth now and it didn't take a genius to know he likely had a pacifier in his mouth and as he pushed it out and looked down, he could confirm that was indeed what had been in his mouth. he could also confirm that he was wearing a red and black diaper shirt, in much the same style his mittens were in and a pair of baby booties. and judging from the bulk around his crotch.. Blushing crimson, and dully noting his paci- 'not paci! Pacifier ! don't go baby brain!' he reached down with the gloved hand and rubbed the front of the bulk, and confirmed from the series of crinkles and the feel he was back in diapers. 'Ok..so..you've been drugged and dressed like a baby..your in a nursery that most little boys would kill for, and you don't have your weapon and you're in the middle of a palace run by a queen who's not exactly well known for taking rejection well.' Sora thought 'Plus side is it's pretty clear she doesn't wanna hurt you, quite the opposite..so..you've been in more dangerous situations..though not more fucked up.' deciding his best course of action was to size up the room and take inventory of what he had at hand, he looked around. the room had a plush red carpet on the floor and the walls were a cream white, with paintings of playing cards playing and being sill on the walls. the crib he was in was King sized had had a light black sheet on it, while the bars were metal and the wood at the head and foot were red. there was a white blanket and a white pillow in the crib with him (and he noted to some slight embarrassment there were drool stains on the pillow) as well as a stuffie of the white rabbit that he assumed was in the crib to keep him company. By the stuffie was a made for his size baby rattle, with a black handle and red bulb, and a little black heart on the top of it. there was a queen sized changing table in the room once again cream white and he noted just how stacked it was with red and black diapers, and there was a silver pail next to the changing table which was labeled in red text 'Sora's diaper pail'. "oh good..she expects me to use these things.." he mumbled. shaking his head he finished his scan of the room, noting a large red and black toy chest (Clearly the queen was going for a theme) which was opened at the moment and showed off a large amount of plush toys. Rolling onto his knees and trying to ignore the crinkling and rustling of his diapers, Sora struggled to get up to his feet from the thickness of the diapers throwing his weight off, and the softness of the mattress making getting his footing hard. He was forced to make use of the crib bars to get up, though with his mittens it wasn't as easy as it looked, and swayed a little before bracing himself on the railing. It came up to his chest and Sora had no illusion that he'd be able to scale it, he was trapped in his for lack of a better term, baby jail till somebody came to let him out. he didn't see a dresser or any form of a baby monitor anywhere, there there was what looked like a closet..but he doubted he would of been left all alone with no way to check on him. "Hello? Is..anyone there?" he called out, trying to keep the slight panic over the weirdness of this all out of his voice. "Your royal highness? anyone?" he waited a few seconds, semi bouncing from the softness of the mattress while he waited, and wasn't disappointed as the door opened and in came the queen. "There's mommy's big baby! Did you have a good nap little guy?" she coo'ed, walking over and tickling his chin. despite the oddness of it all Sora couldn't help but break into giggles at the tickle, before catching himself. "I uh..your Highness I-" he started but got cut off. "oh, you don't need to be so formal with me sweetie, It's just mommy or mom or mama..whatever you prefer." she coo'ed and then reached over the bar and checked sora's diaper! "H-hey! what are you doing! I'm no-" he started to fuss and whine. "Hmm, just a little wet. you'll be god for a while longer." she said, ignoring his protests. "A diaper wetting..baby..Wait what? I'm wet?!" he asked, and looked down. How had he not even noticed that, and more to the point, when had he wet himself!?! He was NOT a bed wetter! "Of course you are silly. you've been asleep for awhile. the sleepy time meds mommy put in your tea wouldn't of hit you so hard but you were a little greedy boy and chugged them all down." She laughed, and grabbed him under the arms. with shocking ease she picked him up out of the crib and sat him on her hip, one strong arm supporting his weight and the other brushing his hair. "I..Your Highness, you need t stop this. I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy and I have big boy things I need to do." Sora said, trying to be reasonable. "Sora  sweetie, i told you, call me mommy or mom or Mama. and the only thing you need to worry about is being a good little baby for mommy. I've already contacted your widdle friends and told them how you begged to be my widdle guy, and Rikku has agreed to take over for you. so see? everything is going to be A OK." She coo'ed. "but..but.." Sora whined and despite himself, he felt tears coming up to his eyes. since when had he been such a CRY BABY!? "I don't wanna be a baby! I wanna be a hero!" he protested. "i know you THINK that's what you want, but Mommy knows better. now I'm going to give you some leeway since this is all scary and new for you, but I'm only going to let you fuss and pout so much. You should feel honored that out of all the silly so called big boy all over the worlds, I've chosen you to be my little royal baby." she said and kissed his cheek.  "That means you'll never have to worry about fighting again, or dating, or even using the bathroom. just being a cute widdle baby and filling your diapers with presents for mommy for the rest of your life." If her words where meant to be comforting, they had the opposite effect on Sora, who broke down bawling. The queen just smiled and pulled him in for a hug, patting his back. "shhh there there, let it alll out." As if on command, a loud bubbly fart and worse escaped out of Sora's back side, making his diapers droop. "heh, not what i meant, but keep making mommy presents~"

One week later and Sora had sadly gotten used to much of his new life. He'd tired to escape a few times but the spanking and corner time that had followed just hadn't of been worth the effort, when the furthest he had made it in all three attempts was measured in steps. when he behaved and was good he got big kid food though it was cut up and still fed to him by mommy,and got to drink yummy juice or nice milk from a sippy cup. When he was bad he was spoon fed gross baby food and bottle fed icky formula. with it made clear his treatment was dependent on how he behaved, Sora tried his best to be a good little boy, at least till he could figure out a way to escape. So when Mommy suggested that she'd like him to make her a pretty picture, he tried his hardest to draw one even with the baby mitten making holding the over sized crayons she gave him hard. he personally thought the ensuring scribble he'd ended up making look like crap, but the queen had it framed and hung in the throne room for everyone to see, and woe to anyone who tried to mock it. Speaking of the throne room, he had his own little throne of sorts so he could sit by the queen, no one was sure where the king was and Sora got the feeling no one really wanted to ask questions about it. His throne of course was really just a fancy gold plated highchair, and he had lots of coloring books  to keep him company while mommy was busy with work. One part of all of this that had semi shocked Sora, but he was glad for, was queen mommy refused to let ANYONE else change her widdle prince. it didn't matter how toxic his diapers were, or how long it would take, she insisted that she was the only one allowed to wipe the royal baby butt. It was the same logic that went into her being the only one who gave her little one a bath as well.

3 month's into his new baby life and Sora stopped even bothering to try and hold his tinkies or boomies in as he'd taken to calling them. he'd just let loose and give mommy a silly grin and wait for her to notice. He'd also become a total cuddle bug, and could spend hour's just sitting on mommies lap, snuggling into her and sucking on his paci, and was actually spending less and less time in his throne during the day. it had bugged him at first, cuz mommy went though a lotta trouble to get it for him but she assured him it was very much ok if he'd rather sit in her lap. Mommy had told him when getting him dressed that morning in his extra thick diapies and leaving him JUST in them, that some special people were coming by today JUST t see him. She mighta said their names but Sora had been too busy playing with Mr. Rabbit to play attention, holding him about his head and babbling around his paci as mommy changing his morning stinky. Sitting in mommy's lap and hugging Mr.rabbit, Sora grinned as it was Rikku and Donald and Goofy who came in, the last two going drop jaw at the site of his babied status, while Rikku had a huge grin on his face. "S-Sora? Gosh..I guess he really DID wanna be a baby!" Goofy said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess we can call off the rescue attempt." Donald added. Sora furrowed his brow at that. Rescue attempt? why would he of needed  rescuing from mommy? she was the bestest mommy in like, all the worlds! "Your highness..Little prince." Rikku said, bowing."Sorry to of course and disturbed you, but my friends were starting to doubt this is what widdle Sora always wanted..and I thought it was best to nip this in the bud." "Oh, i don't mind. and I'm sure Sora's happy to see you all again anyways." the queen said, though she gave Donald and Goofy glares. Sora for his part took out his paci and after getting a head nodd from mommy, slid off her lap and toddled over to his friends. "Donald! Goofy! it's wike, been ferevers!" he cooed and gurgled, giving each of them a big hug. "And ou too Rikku! Fanks fer taking over fer me, I totally wove being mommies widdle baby wayy more then a dumb stinky hero." Sora giggled then paused as Rikku smirked. "o-h! not that yer dumb n stinky..i just meant-" he started to add on. "It's ok little guy. why don't you just put your paci back in and go back to mommy. left the big boy stuff to us, you just focus on being a good baby." well, to sora that made all sorts of sense, and so sucking on his paci, he toddled back to mommy, and letting his friends and his old life walk away forever.

The end.

[amatchforyourmadness]

retourne-toi

Chapter: 1/10

Words: 2210

Summary:

“Arthur." Merlin's voice calls, through the haze of cold and the devastation of death. He lays his forehead against Arthur's back, in-between his shoulder blades when he refuses to turn, blinking the tears from his gaze and holding his head high. “Arthur.” Merlin pleads, forehead still against his back, long fingers holding tightly onto the king's arms, before he rises his face to press a kiss to the back of Arthur's neck and noses along his hair. “Turn around.”

(in which Arthur goes back in time, to find Merlin right after having lost him).

[AO3 link]

“You're not walking out of this cave with me, are you?”

It's a slow realization, and a heavy one. It’s always that way with Merlin though, and he struggles with the matter of breathing faced by the revelations of the weights the brunette behind him carry on his shoulders with a smile, all hard decisions in his name for years on end without his knowledge.

He thinks of what it took of him, to realize Arthur wouldn't make it, to turn from his course to Avalon and towards the crystal cave, using of his blood and Arthur's to reach back into time and into a second chance.

“Alll magic has a price, Arthur.” He sounds so serene, almost whimsical, and Arthur feels like a girl for thinking those things, but maybe it's just the fact that he is about to lose him. “I can't bend all laws of balance to my favour.”

“You did not tell me of this price. You did not say, it would be you.”

“It was me or you, sire.” He says, and it takes all of him to not smack him across the face when he listens to the smile in his voice, sucking a breath sharply as his Merlin’s finger reach to brush over the side of his chainmail where Mordred had ran him through, now only tender flesh and mended skin. “It's not hard to guess what my choice would be.”

He wants to cry, because it was true. He often forgot that Merlin drank poison for him two weeks into knowing him, because the list of almost deaths was so extensive it was hard to keep track now that he knew it all, the softly whispered confession of Merlin's voice had been his one distraction in the arduous way through the cave. He struck a bargain for Arthur's life with his, he fought and killed Nimueh, he fought Morgana countless times, he was captured by a troll in the dungeons, Alator, there had been the Lamia, the fomorroh, the dorocha, and so much more.

The walk through the cave was long and arduous, and after they — well, Merlin — had opened the portal through the core crystal, it has been dark and cold. Merlin had warned him he could not turn back, because if he looked behind him, to the future they were abandoning, they'd be back into the cave, he would bleed to death in Merlin's arms, and everything would have been in vain.

Still, time was a funny thing in the cave. Merlin said there had been barely hours between the moment they had walked in and now, but it felt like months. Had he been alone, Arthur would surely go mad, but he wasn't. He demanded his truth, and Merlin told him, easily and freely — too easily, too freely — and he should have known.

Merlin was born with magic, he was the warlock of a prophecy regarding Arthur, he was the most powerful warlock to ever live, he was meant to protect Arthur. His father had been Balinor, he had loved a girl once, the girl had died. Will hadn't been the sorcerer, he had. Lancelot knew, because he has enchanted his spear. Back then, he had planned to be the sacrifice, but Lancelot had gone ahead and spared him.

Arthur couldn't be more thankful, and even though he couldn't look back, he reached for Merlin's hands, and he interwined his pale fingers with Arthur's. His hand was colder than usual, but warmer than the cave. Merlin had whispered his biggest confession so softly Arthur has barely heard it over the heavy thumping of his heart. How a small, magical nobody of Ealdor had loved the Prince of Camelot for as long as he could remember. He had had to stop, to kneel in the damp ground and let the stupid man hug him from behind, holding onto his hands and arms as tightly as he could, sobbing on heartbreak and joy as he told him about a King who had once been a Prince and who realised he loved a stupid, brave and selfless boy in the moment he had seen him on a bed, dying from a poison he drank for him.

‘All this time and you never told me?’ Merlin has whispered, chuckling softly though his voice too had been heavy with tears. ‘Who are you to say anything?', he had retorted with a snort, ‘You've magic and you've been in love with me too, you're the bigger fool.’

Merlin's lips had brushed his shoulder as he pressed the words, warm and meaningful against his chainmail.

'The best kept secrets of Camelot.’

Time was a funny thing in the cave. They had confessed their love merely moments ago, he knew. It has been sweet and warm and glorious, and Arthur had never been as happy, not even when he married Gwen, not even when he saw Merlin defy death to return to him time after time.

Now he felt like he had never been as unhappy. The tears that spring to his eyes once more were not of joy. He felt like he might die at any moment.

But he wouldn't die, because who would die would be—

“I should have made you swear.” He whispers, voice and breath shaky at his innocence, his stupidity, his naivety in believing Merlin’s words. “I should have made you swear you wouldn’t put my life above yours, I should have made you swear you would be safe.”

“Old habits die heart, my King. Don’t hold what I chose to do against you.”

“I’m holding this against the both of us.”

The mouth of the cave was just ahead, and it was light and bright and wonderful, glowing with promises. And he didn't care for a single one of those, because Merlin wouldn't be with him. He lets his head hang forwards, limp and defeated and strangling all his words inside.

“Arthur." Merlin's voice calls, through the haze of cold and the devastation of death. He lays his forehead against Arthur's back, in-between his shoulder blades when he refuses to turn, blinking the tears from his gaze and holding his head high. “Arthur.” Merlin pleads, forehead still against his back, long fingers holding tightly onto the king's arms, before he rises his face to press a kiss to the back of Arthur's neck and noses along his hair. “Turn around.”

His breath gets stuck in the back of his throat for a moment before a mournful sound rips itself out of his lungs. He knows what he's asking, he knows what this means, he knows what will happen and he won't do that because if he does that—

“You will leave me.” He moaned, shaking his head and trying to pull from his grasp, to guide them into the light, to keep Merlin. Gods, he just wanted to keep Merlin. “If I look at you now, I'll walk out of this alone. You'll leave me.”

“Arthur..."

“Merlin, I cannot do this alone!”

“You won't be alone. I'll be with you, I've always been with you.”

“But he is not you.” He screams and his voice echoes, loudly  “I mean, he is you, but not this you. He does not know what happened, he won't know.” A shaky hand hovers above his and he squeezes tightly, hoping that if he holds him tightly enough he will understand. “He won't be you.”

He just wants to keep Merlin.

Can't he be allowed that?

“No, he will be better.” No one could be better, he doesn't want he to be better, why can't he see that? Why can't he see that? “When you tell him, he'll be frightened for a moment, but he won't be scared.” And be can hear in-between his words, ‘he won't be scared as I was’. “He won't grow skeptical and cynical, and he will know you care for him. And above all else, you will be you.” Merlin's spalms over his chest, right above his heart, a heart that should not be beating, and that will keep it's pulse if he looks back at the expense of his.  “You're all I ever needed to be great and brave, Arthur.”

“I don't want you to be great or brave. Lord knows you already are too much of both to your own good.” He murmurs, holding his hand tighter, still refusing to look back at Merlin. “I don't want you to change, I just want this.” 

He feel the ghost of Merlin's smile against the side of his neck.

“You're all I ever needed to love you too. It's true now, and it was true back then.” Arthur closed his eyes and waits for the other shoe to drop. Merlin can't just be sweet, he has to be an ass about it, call him a prat or something. “Hell, I know that I'll be happy to not have to wait as long to kiss you.”

The grin is involuntary, it's just his natural response to his cheekiness.

“Shut up, Merlin.”

“Not a chance, sire."

Time was a funny thing in the cave. They could have lived a lifetime here, he thinks. He feels stronger by the second, so he can hold tighter on Merlin's hand when the others' grisp falters. It's hard not to wonder what a lifetime shared with Merlin would be like, even in here, even if he could crown him, even if he couldn't see him.

His voice would be enough, his presence would be enough, the knowledge that no harm could reach him, even if the safe nest he had found is a long black corridor of stones and magic that he could barely see a palm ahead of him for the longest time.

And there, in the cold, hopeless dark there is just the same old temptation, whispered in a beloved voice, soft with defeat and heavy with premeditated loss.

“Turn around, Arthur.”

He's just too close to breaking, and if anyone in the world knows how to tempt a Prince of Camelot, it's Merlin. So he shuts his eyes and makes sure he can't see a thing as he turns to him, hands travelling up to his face before his lips steal any other traitorous words he might say from him, take his breath and give him his, and until it's just that perfect bubble where all that exist is them.

Time was a funny thing in the cave. He could have kissed Merlin for a millennia, and still it wouldn't feel enough. The kiss stretches into an eternity that sets fire to his chest, warms his heart and burns his lungs, and he needs air, but he also needs Merlin, so he pushes a little more. The fool tastes of blueberries, and he can only picture how many he stole from his plate when delivering him meals. His hands holds onto Merlin's hair and he can't say which of them let out that needy noise, but the need is mutual.

Still he needs air. Cursed air. He breaks the kiss, forcing himself to keep his eyes closed and leans his forehead against Merlin's, noses his cheek and along his jawline and down his neck. The cave echoes with their heavy breathing.

“Please, don't leave me.” He pleads again, and he hopes, he prays that this time he will listen.

Instead, Merlin presses his face against Arthur's, and breathes like he needs to strengthen himself for the moment they are to face.

“Find me, and I'll never leave you again.”

It's a promise, he knows, but it's not the one be wanted to hear. Still, Merlin hugs him, pulls him tightly against his body, and, finally, he gets his wish, because as Arthur hugs him back, this side of desperate, his hand finds a warm moistness that is too familiar. Arthur opens his eyes I horror, scarlet stained hands moving to hold onto Merlin's arms, to put some distance so he can try and make sense of what's happened.

“Oh my God.” He lets out, breathless and gutted.

He is smiling — heaven knows how this man can still smiles, despite everything — and the smile seems to show how hollow his cheeks have grown, skin sinking in the places flesh is lacking. He's thinner, so much thinner, and cold as death. And on his side, directly opposite to the one Arthur walked into the cave, clutching so his insides didn't fall out, Merlin bleeds his life away as if that didn't hurt at all.

That's when Arthur realizes: the magical explanation was bullshit, Merlin just couldn't let him turn and see the sacrifice he was committing even as they walked. He had traded his life for this spell, and he had traded his health for his and he could not bend the laws of magic to not demand their price.

Blue eyes start to glow golden, and he sinks his fingernails in the too-fragile shoulders.

“Merlin—"

“Rhethoen toa.”

He tries to scream, but it's like he's being blown away, torn from Merlin and into the blinding light

When his eyes open again, he's laid on his bed, years in the past, and a younger Merlin is opening the curtains with a bright smile.

“Rise and shine!”

[batskulldrag]

Phoenix by Fallout Boy

I’m gonna post chapter three wicked early. I’ll make a chapter list and link tehm alll together as soon as I figure out how.

Abuse mentions. 

Chapter Three: Young Volcanos by Fall Out Boy

               What are you doing!? Don’t show weakness! Virgil’s thoughts screamed at him.

               No, I’m warm and safe. A different thought argued.

               You don’t know him! What if everybody is like Dad!?

               Then I’m already screwed!

               He’ll use this against you!

               How?

               You think I know? I don’t think like them!

               Maybe he doesn’t either!

               You put your guard back up this instant!

               Let me enjoy this…

               Virgil ignored his louder instincts for the time being and pressed his head further into Patton’s shoulder. It was a nice feeling, and sure he probably couldn’t trust this guy, but he was going to enjoy feeling like this while he could. Patton seemed like a nice guy, and he smelled like butter. And everything else smelled like hand sanitizer, and it was cold because it was a hospital. But Patton was all warm.

               Besides, even if he was going to do anything, he couldn’t with witnesses hanging around and security cameras everywhere. Maybe this was ok. Maybe this was normal. Virgil let himself slide down lower and rested his head on Patton’s lap.

               “Ya getting sleepy there, kiddo?” Patton cooed, still stroking his hair.

               “No, I’m ok.” Virgil mumbled. This was nice. He wanted to stay here.

               “Ok.”

               Virgil became aware of Patton’s heartbeat it was going fast. Was he nervous too? That was weird. Why was he worried?

               Virgil sighed. Both Patton and Thomas were probably waiting for him to say something. Hell, they were probably expecting him start belting songs from Annie or jump up and click his heels. It’s not everyday someone gets pulled out of hell and sent somewhere better, so they were probably looking for a more mood fitting reaction than lying down and taking a nap. One more minute.

               “So, what happens now?” Virgil asked, keeping his head on Patton’s lap. One more minute.

               “Well, Patton has already signed all the forms and the background check should be coming back tomorrow.” Thomas answered, for whatever reason he looked really content. “So, as soon as you’re discharged you can go home with him.”  

               “When can I be discharged?” He was trying not to sound too eager. If they knew he wanted something they could probably use that to toy with him.

               “I’m afraid that’s up to your doctors.”

               “Ok.” That made sense.

               “But when you do get out, we’ll have your room all ready.” Patton chirped at him. “And you’ll need to tell me what all your favorite foods are so I can make them.”

               What an odd thing to say. I guess I should get up. One more minute.

               “Ok.” He mumbled.

               “Oh, and do you have any allergies or eating restrictions. Like vegetarian or vegan and the like?”

               “No.” One more minute.

               “As for right now.” Thomas sounded hesitant, was he going to kick Patton out? “Your doctors and I need to document your bruises. And if you want to you can make a statement for prosecution.”

               “Right now?” Virgil sighed, no more hitting reality’s snooze bar. He slowly pulled himself back up.

               “It is better we do it sooner rather than later.” Thomas sighed. “Patton can stay if you’d like him to.”

               “Good idea, I was hoping for an even bigger group of people to see me in my underwear.” Virgil sneered, rubbing his arm. Despite his will he also felt his face going red. Damnit.

               “I know it’s uncomfortable, but it’s kind of a necessary evil.”

               Virgil sighed and glanced at Patton. He might as well stay. This was as good a test to see if he was weird as any. Right? Yeah, he could be a serial killer, or this could be his kink or something like that. Best to know what he was going to get himself into. Just that. That and no other reason.

               “I mean, he can stay if he wants to.” Virgil mumbled impassively. “It’s a free country, he can do whatever.”

               “I’ll give you your privacy.” Patton replied, ruffling his hair. “I’ll come back in when they’re done kiddo.”

               Patton stood up and took a few steps towards the door. Virgil’s heart sank. Patton abruptly stopped and turned around.

               Are you gonna stay?

               “I almost forgot to give you this.” Patton said happily. “this should help you ‘bear’ your stay here.”

               Patton gleefully produced a stuffed bear and gently set in his mummified hands. As the toy stared derpilly up at him he got the joke and impulsively smiled. Then he saw the pun written across the bear and let out a laugh. Double whammy with the dad jokes. He glanced at Patton and saw that the older man was beaming (bee-ming?), clearly enthralled that Virgil liked the joke.

               “He’s cool.” Virgil tried to play it off. “Thanks.”

               “You’re welcome.” Patton turned back to the door. “I’ll be right out here if you need me. Ok?”

               “Ok.”

               Patton closed the door behind him only to reappear in the window and wave enthusiastically at him. He mouthed out the words I’ll be right here and gave a thumbs up. Virgil waved in return and fought back another smile. Patton was a funny guy and so far, he seemed pretty cool.

                                                                               #             #             #

               Patton shook his arms to get the relief tinglies to calm down. Everything seemed to go well. Virgil didn’t hate him, and he even liked dad jokes. And he liked the bear. So far things were going well.

               He saw them close the blinds in Virgil’s room so that no one in the hallway could peep in on him. They must have started cataloging his bruises. Patton hoped his brother had a mean cellmate. He made a mental note to look up a few legal things when he got home.

               While waiting Patton sent Logan a quick text to let him know everything was going ok on his end and to ask what was going on in the outside world.

                                                                               #             #             #

               Logan set another casserole dish on top of the stove. He had to shove aside the other three dishes, the two pies and the pot of soup. Both Patton’s library friends and all their neighbors had been at it for hours.

               “How many friends does Patton have?” Roman exclaimed, walking into the kitchen with a Tupperware of pasta. “And why are they all old ladies?”

               “Some of them are just parents whose kids were in his class.” Logan sighed. “He’s a lot of kids’ favorite teacher.”

               “Is the fridge full?”

               “Yes, just set the pasta on the table.”

               “Any updates on the news?” Roman set the dish down exhaustedly.

               “No, not yet.” Logan looked at his phone. “Patton texted. He says that Virgil’s fine, and seems excited to come live with us. And of course, he wants to know how we are.”

               “Drowning in food and tired of small talk.” Roman switched into a frail voice. “It was so brave of you to rescue that boy. It’s so good of you three to take that boy in like this. It’s about time Patton and Logan adopted a kid.” He changed back. “I never thought I would get sick of praise. I feel like Jack Skellington.”

               “Minus the kidnapping I hope.”

               “You’re the one with the kid now.” Roman jabbed, eating the pasta straight from the dish with his hands.

               “Roman, get a plate.” Logan began.

               They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

               “If that’s Barbra from next door I’m calling the police.” Roman stood up dramatically.

               “It’s my turn to deal with callers,” Logan walked towards the hallway. “But if it is her, I’m getting you.”

               “Let’s set her up with my brother the next time we know where he is.” Roman laughed. “She’ll never speak to us again.”

               “Neither will Remus.”

               Logan could still hear Roman laughing when he got to the front door. He glanced through the peephole to see if it was indeed well-wishers. He instead saw several smartly dressed people bearing cameras and tape recorders rather than food. With few other options he turned out the lights in the front room and went back into the kitchen.

               Roman was taking inventory when he got back.

               “Say Lo-bot, how much of this could we take to the homeless shelter?” He asked casually. “I don’t want to be disrespectful or ungrateful, but this is a lot. The freezer is full, the refrigerator is full, and the oven is full. It would be more disrespectful to let this go to waste when the less fortunate could have it.”  

               “We will discuss that later,” Logan took the car keys off the rack. “But it is a good idea.”

               “Where are you going?” Roman squinted at him.

               “I’m going to pick Patton up from the hospital.”

               “Who was at the door?”

               “Reporters have found us. I’m all for the first amendment, but I do not wasn’t to be harassed in my own home. So, I’m leaving.”

               “But won’t they go away if we talk to them?”

               “Yes, but then they, and all others will think it’s okay to show up at people’s houses.”

               Roman looked around.

               “We could ask them in for dinner.” He laughed.

               “But we won’t.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               Patton sat at the foot of the bed while Virgil sat across from him at the head. Virgil was sitting cross-legged with his casted foot poking out from under the blanket and the bear in his lap. Patton clicked his heels together; it was very quiet.

               “You’re not much of a talker.” Patton teased.

               “My throat hurts.” Virgil answered.

               “Oh, right. Sorry.”

               WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!!!

               “So, you’re really my dad’s brother?” Virgil asked skeptically.

               “Yeah, he’s about three years older than me.”

               “And you’re related?”

               “Yep, people used to mistake us for twins. Until I had to get glasses.”

               Virgil coughed and tapped the bear on the nose a few times.

               “This isn’t actually my first time meeting you.” Patton started. “My mom and I kind of did a lot of the raising when you were a baby.”

               “Is that stuff dad said true?”

               “No.” Patton dropped his shoulders. “It’s not. Our mother was wonderful and supportive. She even took Logan in after-” He stopped himself. “No, it’s not true. He was the homophobe.”

               “Yeah, I never really believed the pseudo-rape story.” Virgil shifted his feet. “Dad always seemed more like a predatory animal. And maybe that was a front, but if it was it was flawless.”

               “I think Payton said something about being with her for posterity.” Patton rubbed his arm. “She was really pretty and was a cheer leader in high school. And a lot of guys wanted to be with her. So, it was like a triumph for him.”

               “He told you?” Virgil coughed.

               “No. I just kind of figured. He did say he was gonna marry her, you know when we found out about you.”

               “Why?”

               “Because.” Patton mimicked his brother’s tone. “Children need a mommy and a daddy. And I have to accept my mistakes.” Patton switched back. “I never really believed him.”

               Virgil shivered and looked down into his lap. Through his bangs Patton could see him biting his lip.

               “I’m sorry.” Patton said quickly, but softly. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. I should have known that would hit too close to home for you. I’m sorry.”

               Virgil looked at him quizzically and his eyes darted around the room. He seemed utterly baffled. Still looking like the world had just flipped over Virgil crawled over and put his head back into Patton’s lap.

               “Are you ok, Kiddo?”

               “Yeah,” He sounded stunned. “I’m fine. I-I just need to pull my thoughts together.”

               “I get what you mean.” Patton tried to lighten the mood. “I never think straight, just ask my husband.”

               Virgil laughed very softly.

               “We’re gonna have to get that laugh stronger.” Patton teased, stroking his hair. “As soon as your throat is better, we’ll have you practice.”

               “Practice?”

               “Practice laughing, ya goof!”

               “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” Virgil said in a strained voice.

               “No, you’re wide awake.” Patton soothed. “And I can prove it. Your throat hurts, doesn’t it?”

               “Like I swallowed a bag of razors.”

               “Well, you can’t feel pain in dreams. And you can only feel one emotion at a time in them.”

               “Really?”

               “Yeppers, if you’re having a happy dream, you’re happy in the dream and nothing else. Same for all the other types of dreams. And they’re never this elaborate.”

               “I guess not.” Virgil yawned.

               “And you can’t get tired in a dream, now can you?” Patton asked, booping the younger man on the nose. “And you can’t learn something you don’t know in a dream, because it’s in your mind. And you don’t know what you don’t know.”

               “So, this is real?” He yawned again. “It’s not a dream or an act or something.”

               “Nope, it’s as real as that sore throat of yours.”

               “Ok.” Virgil sighed, his eyes fluttering closed. “You can keep talking if you want.”

               “Maybe I’d better go until you’re feeling better.” Patton brushed his fingers through Virgil’s hair. It was starting to feel like he hadn’t showered, which was fair.

               “Can you stay until I fall asleep?” Virgil mumbled, halfway asleep already.

               “Of course, I can.”

                                                                               #             #             #

               Patton paced into the waiting room. Logan had texted him saying he was coming to pick him up. He thought that was a bit unnecessary, but it would be nice to not have to take the bus.

               “Maybe Logan missed me.” Patton said to himself with a coy smile. “I guess we’ll have to pick up dinner on the way back.”

               Patton slid into one of the uncomfortable chairs that normally furnished all waiting rooms. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe he’d just tune out for a minute.

               “In other news we have conformation that the destruction of former mayoral candidate Payton Foster’s home last night was in fact arson. Traces of accelerant were found inside the house, leaving Mr. Foster himself as the prime suspect. Police believe he was attempting to destroy evidence of previous crimes for which he had been accused. His teenage son is reported to have escaped the fire with minor injury thanks to the actions of a heroic stranger. That’s quite the Disney convince, eh, Garbo?”

               Patton glanced wearily at the TV as the reporter’s counterpart took over.

               “But he’s not so strange anymore now Malloy. We did figure who he is. Seems that drama teacher slash community theater star Roman Lupine has gotten tired of the stage and is out there looking for drama in real life. That may suit Mr. Lupine, but I think here on Garbo and Malloy we would just stick to playing fictional heroes.”

               Patton started looking for a remote to change the channel or just flat out turn this thing off. The publicity was bad enough, but he hated these guys’ banter. How did they even get this job?

               “And of course, we all recognize Mr. Lupine from his press infiltration over a week ago.” Malloy droned.

               “Speaking of the ShareBook incident, most of our sources believe that Foster’s brother will be taking custody of his son.” Garbo, who was aptly named countered. “But so far no one has been able to get a hold of any of them.”

               “Well let’s hope Mr. Foster and his husband are prepared for their new son coming out as straight.” Malloy swung for the obvious joke.

               The two trash goblins laughed like they were those guys from the Muppets and they mercifully changed the subject.

               “Next up on Garbo and Malloy, Garbo and Malloy go dumpster diving.”

               “Don’t come back.” Patton pleaded as he finally found the remote and shut the TV off. “And Thomas already told that joke.”

               He slid back into a chair and sighed hard. How could anyone joke or bant about this? It was a little like saying Anne Frank was bad at hide and seek, it wasn’t funny. It was just tasteless. And were they making fun of Roman?

               “Excuse me, I’m looking for a patient by the name of Foster.” Someone interrupted his brooding and worsened his mood.

               “Are you family?” The receptionist countered.

               “No, I’m with the press, I’d like to see if he or his current guardians are willing to do an interview.”

               “Come back tomorrow.”

               Not willing to do that, Patton his behind a chair until he was sure this man was gone.

                                                                               #             #             #

               The car ride home was saturated in a tense quiet for the first few minutes. With a look they all communicated exactly what they knew to one another. Unfortunately, they all knew a lot of the same things. Both Patton and Logan had at least fifty unchecked messages on their phones and Roman was in the back seat agitatedly sending out explanations to every single person in his contact list.

               “How has everyone in Florida found out about this so quickly?” Roman sighed from his spot on the back. “One of my students texted me somehow knowing that I was in the hospital last night. I have never been so fed up with the age of information.”

               “They were talking about you on Garbo and Malloy.” Patton added in a barely audible mumble.

               “Were they reviewing the play?”

               “No, they were talking about the fire.”

               “Those two discuss current events?” Logan interrupted, sounding absolutely dumbfounded.

               “Not very well.” Patton sighed. “They were making fun of Roman.”

               “Oh, of course that were!” Roman barked. He then slid into a mimic of one of the reporters. “Next up on Garbage and Malloy, Garbage and Malloy let a child burn to death in a fire, ‘cause people who try to help are just attention seekers. hA ha Ha HA.”

               “Several of your friends from work brought us food and expressions of good luck.” Logan added, evidently trying to change the subject.

               “Aww, that’s sweet.” Patton melted into his seat. “All this talk of my brother was starting to make me doubt humanity.”

               “Well,” Logan sighed. “I certainly hope you’re hungry.”

               A question bounced back and forth between Logan and Roman. Well, more like the question. And the question took turns resting in their brains and mouths but remained unspoken.

               “Patton,” Logan sighed, tightening his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.  “Did Payton actually…” He couldn’t say it.

               “Yes.” Patton gagged on the words, they tasted vile. “He did.”

               With that the silence returned.

[shaekingshitup]

Stay Grounded (Grindin Pt 2)

A/N: Writing this was a battle but I learned some things so it’s cool. Definitely don’t plan on anymore stories with these two. I don’t think I like Reader Inserts rn. But hey, he came back! If I told you I’d tag you and I didn’t I’m sorry. Idk a good method of actually keeping a taglist yet. D: This has been chillin in my drafts. Hopefully, you like it. Honestly, just thanks for reading! 💕

Word Count: 3.8k-ish but I swear it feels like 500 plot wise

Part 1

“Thanks Paul. I’ll see you next week,” you said as you placed one of your favorite regular’s drink on the counter.

“Bye Y/N” he called out on his way towards the exit. You checked in with your staff to make sure that they were doing okay. You weren’t an overbearing owner. You trained employees whom were competent and that you trusted to carry on your business when you weren’t there. But, you did your best to make yourself available to stop in when you knew your crew would be busiest. Plus, Grindin was your baby. You could never stay away for too long.

GRINDIN chimed out as another patron came in. You looked up to greet whomever it was with a smile.

“Michaela! Hey girl. Long time no see.” you greeted

“I know. I was honeymooning with my baaa-by,” she sang moving her goddess braids so that they were behind her back and making sure her diamond ring was on full display.

“YAS! Girl, I am so happy for you and Jon. I hope you two had a wonderful time. I see you over there Mrs. Kirk. Are you getting your usual today?” you asked.

“Girl, you don’t know the HALF of it. My boss paid for da baby and me to go on an all expenses trip to Bahamas,” you widened your eyes at this. You can’t even remember your last real vacation.  “Originally we were just going to spend a weekend away in San Diego. But, he surprised us with a week long paid vacation to the one place Jon and I truly wanted to visit. I can’t quit smiling.” she sighed with one of the brightest smiles you’d ever seen on someone. You couldn’t help but smile back. “But anywho, I’m not here for the usual actually. My boss just got back to the country from some away business as well and I guess his time away switched up his tastebuds. He’s going to take a large Brew Thang and I’ll stick with my usual small, hot Bad n Brewjie with whipped cream.”

“Absolutely girl. Comin’ right up,” Michaela handed over the business card to pay and afterwards you transitioned over to the bar to start on the drinks.It was clear that Michaela had more to say. You could see it in her body language that she was holding on to something that she needed to spill.

“Somethin’ on your mind sis? Gone ahead and spit it out.” you assured her.

“What’re you doing tonight?” she asked out of the blue.

“I’ve got a lil date tonight. Why do you ask?”

“Wait. Sis, you got a nigga?” Michaela whispered quite loudly as she raised her left eyebrow. That got you a few glances from some people working at the countertop. You were certain that the one with headphones in had heard her loud ass too. She could be really nosey sometimes but you still appreciated her presence and her business whenever she stopped in.

“Hahaha. Not at the moment.  It’s a date with myself because I deserve to eat well and be treated right -even if I’m the only one treating. Why? What’s happening tonight?” you asked trying not to reveal too much of your intrigue. Sure you had plans but if the offer was right, you could bend em.

“ Okay. So, my boss actually asked me to invite you to dinner tonight at The Liftoff because-“

“The Liftoff? Wait, who the hell is your boss? fucking President Barack Obama?” you damn near yelped as you stared at her with your eyebrows reaching the ceiling. In order to get into The Liftoff you had to have money. Not just a lil cheddar. But BIG BANK! More than that you had to have clout.  If you didn’t have someone invite you, you were never getting in. Many people hadn’t even heard of it- you happened to have a few wealthy and loyal customers stop in every now and then and had overheard them discussing it once.

“His name is Erik. I’m not sure if you remember him but I guess he was in here a few weeks ago,”

2 weeks and 3 days ago sis. But hey, who’s counting? You thought.

“That was when I was out for my wedding. I guess it was a good thing too.”

Aloud, you feigned delayed recognition “Oh yeaahhh. Yeah, I remember him stopping in”

“He was planning on picking you up tonight at six to go to dinner and finish up where y’all left off..” she trailed and left the floor for you. She was not so subtly implying that you two had started something and she was all ears.

“Well, sis. You can let Mr. Erik know that I’m unavailable for the evening. And if he wants to see me, Imma need him to come in here and ask me himself,” you said placing both drinks on the countertop.

“You playing hard to get sis?” she countered.

“I’m not playing anything. I have standards and I know my worth through and through. If he can’t come ask me face to face himself, then the answer will forever be no.”  

Michaela was shocked by your response but managed to get out “I’ll be certain to relay the message.” As she made her exit, she turned back to you. “I respect you sis. A lot of females see a nigga like him and are ready to hop over the counter at one of his slick ass lines. You’re bout to give him a run for his money- and he got plenty!” she cackled.  With that she left and left you alone with your thoughts.

————————

When you made it back to your place, it was time for a shower. The smell of coffee was one of your personal tell-tales signs of how long you’d spent at your shop to make sure everything was in order. Right now, the scent was permeating around you. It had been stated on more than one occasion that you were a workaholic. You simply cared about your baby and wanted to make sure that you gave the best back to the city that raised you. So, it was always hard to establish boundaries for when you had to tend to yourself rather than Grindin. But today was your day.

The second you opened the door, you started shedding your clothes as if they were contaminated. You loved walking around your condo bare ass naked- without a care in the world as to who did or did not see you in all your glory. You adjusted your A/C to a crisp 68 degrees and headed to your bathroom to start your water. Grabbing your phone, you put on a fun playlist to dance to a little. Kiana Ledé’s “Bouncin” started playing out of your waterproof speaker and you hopped in to wash the morning away and bounce a little yourself. The rest of the day was going to be a self-care day. You had it all planned out. First, shower. Next, nap. Then, you planned on putting on a little makeup, serving looks with your latest fit, doing some shopping and then you’d take yourself to dinner. You made sure to do this at least once a month with yourself. Sometimes people would see you dressed to impressed and they’d take pity on you for being alone. But that wasn’t how you saw it at all and you let them know it. Whenever anyone gave you sad eyes or took it upon themselves to join you on your night out, you let them know that this was your intended personal time and that you weren’t crumbled or broken by not having someone to sit across from you.

Obviously, there were times you really wished that someone would take it upon themselves to treat you so you didn’t have to do it yourself. But, on these nights you made sure to be appreciative of who you were whether there was an admirer to acknowledge this or not. Your mind drifted over these things as you hopped out the shower and moisturized your body from head to toe.

Shower ✅

You re-entered your room and buried yourself beneath your covers. The silk sheets had been calling out your name since you’d step foot inside and you were done denying them their request. It was time for that nap. 💤💤😴

——————————————

FRESH OUT THE BOX

STOP, LOCK AND WATCH

READY YET, GET SET

IT’S AALL THAT!

called out from your bedside dresser as you stretched out your limbs and tried to reach out for the phone.

OHHHHHH, OH, OHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THIS IS ALL THAT!

THIS IS ALLL THAT!

“Fuck it,” you said as you hopped out the bed and began your performance. You grabbed your phone and used it as your mic as your bedroom became your stage.

Check it, check it, check it

Now this is just an introduction

Before I blow your mind

The show is All of That and yes we do it all the time

So sit your booty on the floor or in a chair

Ground or in the air

Just don’t go no-where!

You gave it all you had for the full 1 minute and 6 seconds only ceasing when the alarm tune was starting over from the top. Dancing was one of your favorite ways to wake up. It made you feel more alive and ready to conquer the rest of your day.

Nap ✅

You meander over to the kitchen to grab a banana and some cranberry juice before tossing on an oversized t-shirt and sitting in front of your vanity. Next on your list was makeup. You synched your phone’s bluetooth to your mirror and played your Self Love playlist to sing along to. You planned on applying a light beat and wanted to make sure you did so without getting any makeup on your body.  Makeup was not your forté by any means but you loved to play a little and were able to copy all the simple tutorials. Today that mean browns all around. You dabbed on some foundation and two brown eye shadows, one that was subtle and another with more shimmer to compliment your natural glow. A little black eyeliner, mascara and nude lip gloss to bring it all together.

Makeup ✅

The fit for the evening was on point if you did say so yourself. A little casual but alluring nevertheless. 

Jade green bottoms which accentuated your curves with a cream colored long sleeve shirt that had a very deep v cut. You were really playin into your sexy side for the evening and it made you feel bold and dangerous.

You went with rose gold accessories to compliment your brown skin and eyes. Your watch and lock necklace were simple but altogether the look had you feelin like you were an 11/10 and that was the goal. You always wanted to remember that you were desired-even if only by yourself. You removed your phone from the charger, responding to a quick text from Lu about your plans for the evening and when you’d be available, disconnected your music from the bluetooth mirror and headed to your front door to put on your heels.

Serve these fuckin looks ✅

———

You were on your fourth store and your Gummy Bear smoothie was all but gone. Thus far nothing was really speaking to you. You’d purchased some accessories and  saw a lot of cute clothing items but nothing that was significant enough to bring home. Your shopping rule was : “If you don’t love it in the store, you won’t love it at home,”. You exited the boutique and made your way to the escalator ascending to the second level where you parked your car. You reached for your phone as it vibrated in your back pocket. Glancing at the screen you saw that it was Ray who was reaching out.

“Hey Ray J!” you laughed at the nickname he despised. His one wish was that you would stop calling him that.

“Y/N where are you?” he sounded concerned. He hadn’t even yelled at you for using the nickname that he couldn’t stand.

“I’m leaving the mall. What’s wrong?”

“Jaime had a family emergency and can’t close tonight. Eve is there but she’s still new you know. He had to leave and no one else is available to come in for him and close,” he said.

“Really? No Sherell, Chris or Rico?”

“No. None of them can make it. I would go in but I’m in Frisco right now. I know it’s your date night and I hate to do this. But, do you think you can close up?”

“Yeah.” you sighed, “Yeah, I can make it. It’s almost quitting time anyways. Plus I’m hella closer than you are. But just know you owe me! If you took your ass across the bridge on a whim, the dick better be good! ”

“Trust me boo it will be and I got you next time!”

“Yeah, whatever.” You hung up and wondered why the hell Ray decided to go to San Francisco on a whim when he was scheduled to be back up in case anything went awry for the evening. That was the whole purpose of the schedule that the two of you created. This was a perfect example of something unexpected occurring and yet he was M.I.A. You pondered these thoughts as you headed to your car and headed back towards your shop. You made sure to call and cancel your dinner reservation because that definitely wasn’t happening anymore.

Thank God I always keep a change of clothes at work you thought, cringing about how awkward it would be to slang coffee with your titties on full display considering you’d forgone a bra for the evening.

When you pulled up it was 6:30. The shop closed at 8 tonight so you had half an hour before you began pre-close. You walked in and scurried to the back to change into a merch sweater which read “Stay Grounded and some black leggings.

Eve was holding it down as best as she could. But it was evident that she was stressed.

“Hey, I’ll take the bar. You go ahead and ring em up, okay?” you offered.

She sighed and released a lot of the tension in her shoulders. “Okay.”

There were already 4 drinks waiting to be made. So, you got to work.

“Sorry your first night shift has been a bit of a whirlwind,” you told her once it had slowed down a bit. It was 6:58 and you didn’t anticipate there being too much of a let up. “Do you have your pre-close list with you?”

“Yeah. I was going to do the final bathroom check.”

“Great! Go ahead and get started. I’ll do most of the behind the counter stuff tonight. You focus on the customer areas. I may call you if orders get crazy,”

“Sounds like a plan boss!”

“Y/N!” you corrected.

Customers trickled in throughout the last hour. But when 7:45 came around and they saw that you were already cleaning up shop, most of them started to pack up their things and go. By 7:56 you were ecstatic. Everyone was gone. You just had to lock the door and then you could count money and tips, do a final sweep and mop and head out the shop. At least that was the plan, until you heard GRINDIN chime throughout the store at 7:58 P.M. You rolled your eyes. Unfortunately, this was no new occurrence to you. Customers were notorious for getting their final fix in the last few minutes before you closed up. Most of the time it didn’t bother you. But tonight, you were hungry and jaded that your plans for the evening had changed.

“Welcome! I just want to let you know that we will be closing in just a couple minutes here,” you called out without looking up as you wiped down the counter, “Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Yeah I got one.” the timber of his voice compelled you to stop and give him your full attention. You looked up to see Erik, dressed in a slightly less formal ensemble than when you’d first met. 

He adorned a pair of dark trousers, a white button up shirt with polka dots and suede loafers. But, he still looked so..

“Delicious?” he asked.

Hol’ up. First he’s Barack and now he reads minds too?

“I’m sorry” you say trying and failing to hide your flustered nature. “What was that?”

He smirked. “It’s okay baby girl. I’m sure you got a lot to take in with your day and all,” he stated as he took a few steps forward which didn’t help to alleviate your confused state at all. “I said since you took the time to introduce me to something new. I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. How about tonight it’s my turn to show you something delicious?”

Your reaction came as if you were on auto-pilot.

“I would love to but I’m barely closing up shop. By the time I count the drawer and we find a restaurant and actually place an order it’ll be pretty late. You shouldn’t hold off on dinner on account of me,” you said.

Erik kissed his teeth. “Yo workaholic ass don’t know how to say ‘no’ to anyone who wanna show you a good time, do you?” It must have been a rhetorical question because he went on, “Gone ahead and finish up closing your shop. When you done, meet me in the back.”

“Hold on. I

“Aht- aht- aht. This is no longer an option. This is the game plan. Close up, freshen up into some non-coffee gear and meet me out back. I’ll be there.” he said sternly and with that, he left.

Eve came out from the back of the shop with a broom in hand. You stood there frozen for a moment.

Did this negro just boss me around? In my own damn shop?? You thought.

Yes. Yes. He did sis. And you liked it so shut up and close up!

You locked the front door to bar anyone else from coming in and started counting the drawer. By the time you were done, Eve had swept, mopped the front and turned on the fans to help the floor dry quickly.

“Great job tonight Eve! I’m sure in the future it won’t be as.. disruptive. Either way, you killed it.”

“Thanks Y/N did you need me to stay or-?”

“Uh-uh. Go ahead sis!”. The second you locked the door behind her. You dashed to the restroom to freshen up and put on your clothes from earlier in the day. You rolled on some perfume and reapplied your gloss before you hit all the lights, locked the door, set the alarm and circled around the back of the shop.

When you got there, you came to a full stop and your jaw dropped. It was gorgeous. The back lot of the shop was decorated in lights throughout the trees. In the center there was a table for two, a whole ass waiter and was that music? You glanced around to find that tucked away in the corner there was indeed a harpist playing beautiful melodies.

“Damn girl and I thought I was going to surprise you with my view,” Erik said as you turned around to face him. He was holding a single purple daisy- which just happened to be your favorite flower. He placed it in your hands and pulled out your chair for you to have a seat.

“How? How did you do all of this and how did you know this was my favorite flower?” you asked with an expression of bewilderment taking over your features.

“I promise I’ll explain alldat baby girl. But first, I need to say I’m sorry”. This surprised you. You’d spent less than an hour in this man’s presence but he already didn’t strike you as the apologetic type.You placed your flower on the table and gave a nod of your head for him to go on. “When I met you a few weeks back. I meant to ask yo fine ass out right then and there. Unfortunately, that call that I got was urgent and it needed me to leave the country immediately,”. He finished.

“Oh my. Is everything alright?” you asked

“It is now. I handled it as I always do,” he stated with a conceited grin, “That’s why I came back to ask you out. I don’t leave anything unfinished.”

“Last time I checked this wasn’t an option. You didn’t ask nothin” He chuckled at that. The waiter came over at that moment to introduce himself, present the menu and fill up your water. He didn’t need to explain anything because there weren’t options on it. It was simply an itinerary for what your palette could expect. Appetizer, Entree, Dessert. They were all your favorites with a subtle twist. You were impresed. The menu was elegantly done and it looked fly as hell. You might have to keep a copy to give to Lu for inspiration.

“Well, actually I did,” Erik began when Duke, the waiter made his exit, “I was in earlier to ask yo stubborn ass-”

“You got one more time to talk about my ass before this becomes a solo event,” you interjected.

“Aight, bet. We can take a pause on that ass for now,” he smirked, “I was in earlier to ask you to dinner face to face, but yo people told me that you were unavailable for the evening. So, we made a few changes to make you available.”

“You what?”

“I paid ya mans Jaime a few bills to take the night off. Ray and Lulu was already on board,” you glanced down at the menu of our favorite foods again, “yup. That was them. They told me what you like. I just got the chef and made sure that Michaela hired the right people to make this vision come together. We all agree that it’s time for you to take a break, ma”

“Wait a minute. You bribed my staff? Plus, Lulu and Ray were in cahoots with you on this?! You barely even know me.”

“And? I’m tryna know you”

“I’m just sayin that’s a hole lotta trouble for a virtual stranger.”

“But you not a stranger. You the one that left me satisfied. Now just enjoy the rest of the evening and let me do the same for you,” he said as he picked up your hand and caressed it all the while never breaking eye contact with you.

“Okay.” you got out meekly. You cleared your throat and tried again. “Okay, Imma let you finish what you started,” you said

He smiled one of the most genuine and naturally alluring smiles you’d ever seen.

“ I can already tell you ain’t used to letting others take control. But don’t worry ma. I got this and I got you,” you were all the way blushing at this point, “Tell me about your day. Was it as brewtiful as you are?”

You laughed out loud as Duke placed your appetizers in front of you. “You corny.”

“And you like it,” You could already tell that he was going to do good on his word. You were leaving satisfied tonight one way or another.

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