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thelesbiandeli · 1 year ago

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A Caged Bird Set Free

(Chapter two of three)

(Ao3 link here)

(3336 words)

Unfortunately, it seemed like Circuit escaped the building before either heroes could find him. Scar received a light telling-off from his higher-ups, but nothing too serious. They could never scold their golden child, CuteGuy thinks bitterly to himself.

Noone has noticed the slight personality shift yet, luckily. The AI has tried his best to stay as perfect as the day he was programmed, but sometimes the odd rude remark or snarky insult has slipped out. Lucky for him, people take it as a joke. Well, why wouldn’t they? It’s not like he could think otherwise anyway.

That’s just one of the messed-up things that he’s noticed now that his mind has been freed. Only now can he notice the ways that The Institute prioritises the neighbourhoods that can afford to fund it, or how some people classed as ‘villains’ started out just using their powers without a licence. And of course there’s the fact that, despite the fact that they’re marketed as equals, CuteGuy was clearly never seen as a person. Even the thought of how he used to call Scar ‘boss’ makes him itch. Because HotGuy was never his boss, was he? No, he was his owner. CuteGuy was just a thing, gifted to a hero for assistance and aesthetics. It’s almost worse now, because he can understand the situation he’s in, and he can’t really escape without being hunted down by The Institute’s state-of-the-art technologies.

Wait.

He is one of those technologies. He can access the whole network, from the locks on the doors to the earpieces the heroes receive commands through during missions. And on top of that, he can access the archives. Every single criminal record, every piece of security footage, every person in the city’s government data. He could probably get into personal data stores if tries.

And just like that, a plan starts to form in his head.

—

After hours spent searching through social records and watching every video of villain fights he can find, CuteGuy has put together a plan. It seems pretty foolproof, from what he can tell, but he’s made sure to set up a backup plan if things go south. Small edits have been made all throughout The Institute's code, just as a way for him to access it if they try to cut him out, a hidden backdoor, if you will. Now he just needs to wait for the perfect opportunity. And that opportunity comes a lot earlier than he expected.

A mission, sending them to fight the very villain who gave him full autonomy. And CuteGuy is practically sparking with anticipation.

HotGuy yells into his earpiece as he leaps across a gap in the rooftops, rolling as he lands.

“CuteGuy! Track Circuit for me, will you?”

A hologram of the AI appears, floating in a casual sitting position. He kicks his feet up onto an invisible coffee table, and grins.

“Nah, I’m good.”

HotGuy almost trips over a chimney pot as he skids to a halt. Never in his time working with the pink-and-white clad sidekick had he said no to him.

“What did you just say?”

“I said ‘I’m good’. I’ll be honest with you, Scar, I’m getting tired of this. It’s always ‘CuteGuy, do this’ or ‘CuteGuy, track that’ or ‘CuteGuy, turn down the speakers’. And what do I get from this? Nada. Nothing. It’s a corrupt system, if you think about it. Not to mention the horrendously screwed up ways that The Institute created intelligence purely to be your accessory. So I believe this is for you.”

HotGuy watches in confusion as the hologram shoves a glitching piece of paper into his chest. He pulls it off, ignoring the fact that it clips through his fingers slightly, and stares down at it. Scrawled in pink glitter gel pen across the page are the words ‘letter of resignation’, and a loopy signature is written across the bottom, accompanied by a small heart. CuteGuy cracks his knuckles, and adjusts his heart-shaped sunglasses.

“Well, I can’t say it was nice working with you, but I’ll be seeing you around, Scar! Good luck!”

And with that, he disappears in a pop of light and a shower of code. HotGuy watches in disbelief, unnoticing of the letter dissolving in his hands, mouth hanging slightly open. This wasn’t meant to happen. How is he meant to explain this to his higher-ups?

—

Mumbo is casually strolling back to his apartment when he feels a buzz from his phone in his coat pocket. He takes a sip of tea from his takeaway cup, and pulls it out, only to frown at the strange text from his housemate.

Etho :D

Hey dude there’s a guy who says he knows you on our couch

He said you gave him the keys, but I thought we lost the spares?

I don’t want to tell him to get out if he actually knows you, but he also might be a robber or something

Wait hold up I think he might be one of the heroes

Hurry home pleaseeeeee

Mumbo nearly chokes on his tea as he reads through the messages. Void below, he most definitely has not invited a guest over. He down the rest of his nearly cold drink, and takes off running as fast as his lanky legs can carry him.

He nearly crashes into his door as he fumbles with his keys, finally managing to unlock the door and fling it open with as much intimidating energy as his beanpole of a body can fit into it. After a second, he falters as he spots Etho, sitting nervously on the opposite side of the sofa to a very familiar person.

Said person is casually stretched out and scrolling through something on their phone. Although their outfit is different from the last time he saw them, with them now wearing a cropped pink hoodie and baggy white sweatpants, they are still instantly recognisable. Well, it’s hard not to recognise the slightly transparent form of one of the city's most popular heroes.

CuteGuy glances up from his phone, and grins at Mumbo.

“Heya Circuit! Or rather, I guess I should call you Mumbo when you’re out of costume, shouldn’t I? Anyway, good to see you!”

Mumbo’s grip on his keys fails, and they fall to the ground with a metallic clatter. Etho glares at him, wide eyed.

“I thought you never told anyone else, dude!”

Before Mumbo can defend himself, CuteGuy waves his hand dismissively.

“Oh, he didn’t tell me, I just figured it out. Good job too, actually, you were one of the hardest villains to find the identity of. It was actually some footage of Shade out of costume handing you food that helped me figure it out.”

Etho fiddles with the hem of his shirt nervously. He has been retired from the villain business for nearly two years now, and he didn’t think many people remembered his brief time as the shadowy antihero. Mumbo looks just as panicked.

“Are you going to be turning us in now?” He reaches up to adjust his tie, “Well, that’s a stupid question. You’re a hero, of course you are.”

If Mumbo didn’t know better, he would say that the hologram looked offended by that statement for a split second. The blonde recovers, and brushes their messy hair out of their eyes.

“Me? A hero? You must have been mistaken, I have no loyalties to those self-absorbed aristocrats. They do no good for this society, honestly. I bet half the villains do what they do because of the heroes, anyway.”

Etho and Mumbo glance at each other in confusion, before Etho sighs and gets up. Holding his hands up in mock surrender, he walks away from the other two, and into his room.

“Nope, not dealing with this. Mumbo, call me when dinner’s ready.”

He shuts the door behind him, leaving the other two in an awkward silence. At least, until CuteGuy buries his head in his hands and rubs his eyes. And for the first time, Mumbo sees the ex-hero look anything but confident. The AI sighs, and slumps slightly.

“Was that too much? I’m still trying to figure out emotions without the background influence of The Institute.”

Mumbo smiles. Yes it’s sad, but it’s also kind of endearing.

“Nah mate, you were just a bit enthusiastic. I don’t think Etho was prepared for that level of energy on a Wednesday afternoon. I think it’s rather nice, though. You’ve hit the nail on the head for both of our reasons to do what we do.”

CuteGuy seems to lighten up a bit, literally. A few energetic pixels fly off him as he sits up a bit straighter and claps his hands.

“Really! Oh, this is great. Now, I have a bargain to make. I do something for you, you do something for me.”

Mumbo frowns, but gestures for him to continue. CuteGuy shuffles around to sit on his hands, and grins excitedly.

“So! You’re a redstone nerd, you made that clear enough on our first meeting. I was wondering if you would like a bit of a challenge.”

“What do you want from me.”

“Aww, don’t be so negative! Anyways, how hard do you think making a prosthetic limb would be?”

“I’ve made them before, now what do you want me to do?”

CuteGuy swallows nervously, excitement bubbling in his eyes, and Mumbo notices that he’s rocking backwards and forwards slightly.

“CouldyoumakemearobotbodysoIcanenactmyrevengeonmycreatorspleaseandthankyou.”

Mumbo blinks slowly, and chuckles.

“You’re going to have to speak slower than that, mate. I could barely hear a word you said.”

CuteGuy sighs, and repeats himself.

“Could you make me a robot body? I want to be able to make the heroes really feel it when I enact my revenge.”

Mumbo raises an eyebrow. This is clearly not the only intention behind this request.

“Really? Well if that’s the case, I can make you a controllable projectile launcher or someth-”

“No!”

Mumbo cocks his head and grins as the AI tries to regain his composure.

“It would have the same effect though. Unless there’s something else you needed it for?”

CuteGuy blushes slightly, and brings his knees up to his chest.

“Well, I, uh, I want to be able to move things. And touch stuff.” He slips his sleeves over his hands and starts fiddling with the drawstring of his sweatpants, “Sc- HotGuy had a cat. He never told me her name, but I watched him play with her. She would sleep on his chest while he was in bed, and rub against his legs when he walked into a room, and I want that. I think it would feel nice. I could feel like a person.”

Mumbo chuckles, genuinely for the first time, not out of concern or fear, and pulls a small notebook out of his trouser pocket.

“I think I can make that happen. Do you have any specific design choices in mind?”

CuteGuy’s eyes light up, and he starts explaining the details of his perfect body, Mumbo furiously scribbling notes to try and keep up with the AI’s exited rambling.

A couple hours into their planning, CuteGuy notices that his new friend has fallen asleep. With a small smile, he gets up and dims the lights of the apartment, before leaning back in a chair by the kitchen table. He shuts his eyes, and lets his mind wander through the vast expanse of the cites code, the closest thing he has to sleeping.

As the clock in the kitchen ticks gently past midnight, Etho strolls into the kitchen, and sighs when he sees his housemate fast asleep.

“So much for dinner, I guess.”

He fishes an instant ramen out of a cabinet, and sets the kettle down on the slowly heating stovetop. He frowns at the AI, glowing slightly pink in the dark room, but his attention is drawn away when the kettle starts to boil. He fills his bowl with boiling water, dunks his noodle in for a few seconds, then takes a bite out of it. With a satisfied smile, he takes his food back into his room, pushing the door shut behind him with his foot.

—

It’s been a month or so after CuteGuy 'disappeared’, and Scar is still trying to figure out why. This sort of sudden behaviour change doesn’t just happen. It had to have been prompted by something. And the villains are his best bet.

So now Scar stands, fully dressed as HotGuy, on the roof of a building overlooking the city. From years of experience, he’s positioned in a way that means he’s ready to leap down at a moment's notice, but the light of the early evening still silhouettes him against the sky dramatically.

Just below him, on a lower rooftop, there’s two villains moving around. He squints as Circuit gestures wildly, and the person next to him seems to laugh. HotGuy presumes that Circuit’s company is the villain Shade, but these days he can never be sure. The villain hasn’t been seen for years, but he can’t remember anyone else who would wear Shade’s classic black mask on his lower face.

HotGuy frowns as Shade seems to wave goodbye, and disappears out of the hero’s line of sight. Circuit pulls something out of his pocket, and starts fiddling with it. The perfect time to strike. HotGuy crouches down, and launches himself up into the air, twisting slightly as he plummets down onto the roof below. It’s only as he lands and rolls that he realises that this was slightly suspicious. Circuit’s expectant smile only seems to solidify this.

He hears a whisper of cloth behind him as someone sticks something into the small of his back. HotGuy gasps in pain as a shock of electricity shoots up his spine, but stands his ground, glaring at Circuit. Shade slips into his peripheral vision, tucking a cattle prod into his belt. Circuit grabs the cattle prod back, and Shade sighs, annoyance tainting his breath. The two seem to remember HotGuy’s existence as Circuit clears his throat.

“Well then, we were wondering when you were going to show up.”

Shade cuts in, putting his hands on his hips.

“Rather rude, isn’t it? Showing up late when you have someone wanting to see you.”

HotGuy narrows his eyes at the two villains.

“What do you mean, someone wanting to see me?”

Shade smiles, and waves a hand dismissively.

“You’ll find out soon. Now, we better be going.”

The two leaps up onto the edge of the roof, Circuit stumbling for a second as one of his feet skids on a patch of moss. He regains his cool, and smiles at the hero, still recovering from his shock.

“Just remember to smile for the cameras!”

The two leap off the edge, and out of HotGuy’s view, leaving the hero to think over the words. He frowns, and mutters quietly to himself.

“Smile for the cameras. What does that even-”

Suddenly, small objects on the corner of almost every building around him start to move. HotGuy shivers as dozens of security cameras turn to face him, their lenses glinting almost like eyes. A cloaked figure steps out of the shadows in front of him, nearly silent if not for the whirring noises that join their every step. In the folds of their outfit, HotGuy can see the glint of what he presumes to be a blade. He stumbles backwards and trips, landing on his ass. The figure grins at him, his eyes glowing an ominous purple, not quite enough to light up his face.

“Well, Scar, what do you think. Do you like the new look?”

HotGuy’s heart drops as he hears the all-too-familiar singsong voice of none other than-

“CuteGuy.”

The figure glares at him, and HotGuy clenches his fists nervously. He doesn’t know how, but he’s messed up. They push down their hood, revealing their silver face twisted into a shape of disgust, his eyes glinting off the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t go by that name. I’m not just your accessory anymore, I’m my own person.” CuteGuy takes a few steps forwards, and crouches down so he’s eye-to-eye with the hero, “You can call me The Watcher. I think it’s catchy, don’t you? The perfect name for your nemesis.”

HoyGuy just stares in shock. The Watcher frowns and straightens back up, the pistons in his legs hissing slightly.

“Well, regardless of all that, I think it’s an improvement. And look at you! You’ve finally gotten a proper arch-enemy, and even one that links into your oh so tragic backstory! I bet marketing will be thrilled!” The villain spreads a pair of giant silver wings, stained that haunting shade of magenta at the tips, and gives the brunet a mock salute. “I look forward to working with you, HotGuy!”

And just like that, The Watcher launches himself backwards off the edge of the roof, disappearing into the night. HotGuy just sits on his ass, eyes wide and breathing heavy. Every inhale sounds like it’s being amplified tenfold, and every exhale feels like it’s echoing through the streets.

A bright billboard catches the corner of his eye, and HotGuy pauses for a second. That can’t be right. He runs to the edge of the roof, and looks across the city. His breath is snatched away from him.

Every single one of the giant screens advertising social media and food deals are now displaying him, from every angle, wide eyed and panicking. People on the streets below are either watching the signs in awe, or staring at their phone screens open-mouthed. A couple people look up at him on the roof, and one points at him and yells. One by one, people start pointing cameras at him and chattering excitedly. HotGuy ducks back onto the rooftop and puts his hands over his head. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block out the feeling of thousands of eyes staring at him. Watching him.

HotGuy uneasily gets back to his feet, faintly aware of the yelling in his earpiece to get back to The Institute, and draws his bow. His fingers shake as he notches an arrow, and, with none of his usual charisma or bravado, looses it. The projectile hisses through the air, and smashes directly into the eye of the nearest security camera. There are a few faint gasps from the crowd below him, but he blocks it out as he draws his bow again. Camera after camera, he lets the arrows fly, until he’s surrounded by occasional sparks and broken glass glinting in the light of dusk.

After all these years of being a public figure, and he gets freaked out by a couple of stupid cameras. Void, he’s so stupid.

He sighs, and slings his bow onto his back, trying to ignore his pounding heart. As he hops gracefully off the room, he shudders at the memory of The Watcher’s smile. The same smile that he had seen while cracking jokes over dinner, or when he would ‘accidentally’ trip up during combat practice, trying to make his friend laugh. And those purple eyes were just too similar to the bright blue ones that would wake him up in the mornings. And that playful tone, all too familiar with the way that his sidekick used to tell him that he should be in a fight, a few minutes late on purpose just to see him panic.

Scar’s line of work didn’t leave him room to make many friends, but he and the AI are close. Or at least they were.

HotGuy has to shake his head to get the thoughts out, and doubles his speed, launching over chimney pots and sliding through small puddles until he gets back to The Institute. Almost as soon as he enters the doors to the main building, he is met with one of the directors. The woman frowns at him, and crosses her arms.

“HotGuy. We need to talk to you. Now.”

#Deli.Writes #hermitcraft #grian #mumbo jumbo #goodtimeswithscar #HotGuy #CuteGuy #fanfic

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foreverburningstar · 1 year ago

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YOU'RE CATS ARE SO FUCKING CUTE WTF!!! i'm not an animal person but those pictures might've changed my mind tbh. also I meant to ask earlier, but what are your fave lana and taylor songs? I want to know if we share the same faves or what aspect of their music you like the most <33

-anisbaby

IKRRR THEY WERE THE CUTEST, omgg glad you asked <33,

Sorry it took so long for me to answer 😭 i got carried away and ended up listing all of my favorites instead of just a few 💀

ok so for taylor, i love all her music but these are my faves meaning i know all the lyrics to these and i love them so much

from Taylor Swift debut album, Picture To Burn, Tim McGraw, and Our Song

from Fearless (Taylor’s Version), You Belong With Me, The Way I Loved You, Mr. Perfectly Fine, Love Story, and Fifteen

from Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now, Mean, I Can See You, Castles Crumbling, The Story Of Us, Long Live, Back To December, Enchanted, Last Kiss, and Mine

from Red (Taylor’s Version), I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, All Too Well, All Too Well (10 minute version), We Are Never Getting Back Together, Everything Has Changed , Nothing New, The Lucky One, Babe, I Bet You Think About Me, and Safe & Sound

from the 1989 album, Style, Blank Space, Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version, Bad Blood, Out Of The Woods, This Love, and Shake It Off

from the reputation album, Getaway Car, …Ready For It?, End Game, I Did Something Bad, Delicate, Look What You Made Me Do, Gorgeous, Dancing With Our Hands Tied, Dress, Don’t Blame Me and This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

from the Lover album, ME!, Cruel Summer, The Man, I Think He Knows, Afterglow , Paper Rings, Death By A Thousand Cuts, Daylight, and The Archer, and You Need To Calm Down

from folklore, the 1, cardigan, august, illicit affairs , this is me trying , mirrorball, and exile

from evermore, willow, right where you left me, ivy, champagne problems, and no body no crime

from Midnights, Karma, Lavender Haze, Maroon, Question…?, Sweet Nothing, Mastermind, The Great War, Bigger Than The Whole Sky, Paris, High Infidelity, Glitch, and Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve [basically the whole album]

other songs, I Don’t Wanna Live Forever, The Joker And The Queen, and Carolina

okk now for lana, again all of her music is amazing but these ones are my faves that i sing my heart out to

from Born To Die, Born To Die, Blue Jeans , Off To The Races , Video Games, Diet Mountain Dew, Million Dollar Man, Summertime Sadness, and Without You

from Paradise, Ride, Cola , Body Electric , and Blue Velvet

from Ultraviolence, Shades Of Cool , Brooklyn Baby, West Coast, Pretty When You Cry, Money Power Glory, The Other Woman, and Black Beauty

from Honeymoon, Freak, Art Deco, Salvatore and Swan Song

from Lust For Life, Love, Lust For Life, In My Feelings, Tomorrow Never Came and Get Free

from Norman Fucking Rockwell, Fuck it i love you, Doin’ Time, Cinnamon Girl, How to disappear, and Happiness is a butterfly

from Chemtrails Over The Country Club, White Dress, Let Me Love You Like A Woman, Wild At Heart, and Not All Who Wander Are Lost

from Blue Banisters, Arcadia, Violets for Roses, Dealer, Wildflower Wildfire, and Sweet Carolina

from Did you know there’s a tunnel under ocean blvd?, The Grants, A&W, Sweet, Candy Necklaces, Kintsugi, Fingertips, Paris,Texas, Let The Light In, Fishtail, and Peppers

other songs, Young And Beautiful, Secret Life, Once Upon A Dream, Wait For Life, Riverside, Stargirl Interlude , Watercolor eyes, Say Yes To Heaven, Lost at Sea and Hollywood Bowl

#SORRY #i got carried away #valerie has responded #val overshares #thanks for the msg!!#muah💗#taylor swift #lana del rey

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oursonwithagirl · 2 years ago

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i saw someone say that their byler confidence is so high now due to the shift in marketing from stranger things day, and i have to agree

they made merch for the painting. i don’t feel like i have to explain how important this will be to the plot if they’re spending this much money to get it out to the public.

in the theatrical showings, there would be a glitch transition that would get used between videos and within it, it always ended on mike or will looking at the other. additionally, these would last for a few long seconds each time.

this :))

the powers, dialogue, plot lines of the st puzzle game are suspiciously full of byler.

just the overall utter lack of attention towards mike and el’s relationship during st day. if a big couple on the show got a love reveal/love monologue in the most recent season, i feel like it would get heavily treasured and incorporated into s5 content. but, i mean, the “you’re my superhero” was utilized so…. win? 😏

new st art is getting commissioned by the netflix and stranger things team, mainly dealing with s4/s5 concepts. this is also getting mass-produced and sold. the blue and yellow, proximity of mike and will on this poster, the heart between them is just soooo foreshadowy

this is included on the back of some of the painting merch like… we understand. hearts. love. romance.

the duffers have been laying out hints for the next season since july, but this article discusses character arcs and final reveals. i wonder what surprises are left to be revealed? i’m sure it has nothing to do with a so-called painting and love confession based on a lie 😁

and here’s the thing, i had no idea what direction the creative team wanted to go with marketing. they might have chose to overtly go in the way of promoting mike and el’s relationship in order to have more of a surprise element for the next season. they also could have equally balanced mike + el with mike + will to keep the tension and interest drawn towards both sides. however, it seem that what is happening (at least so far), is a lot of subtle hints and nods in the byler direction. i wouldn’t say they’re pushing the romantic aspect hard at all, but just like blue and yellow, they’re using a marketing tactic to get audiences minds to think of a certain thing once they’re shown another. the facts are: mike and will are intertwined a lot more than they have been previously. el had a separate solo journey throughout season 4, but mike didn’t. he was stuck to will’s side the whole time. even when she was back. it seems like this is the direction that they’re going in for the rollout of the final season. and with what’s being given, it’s likely that wide scale preparation for the audience of this s5 pairing is underway.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #st #stranger things season 4 #st5 #duffer brothers tell me the ending

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shadamyheadcanons · 3 years ago

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Glitch Version 1.1

Surprise! At long last, I’ve finally finished the revised version of my story from the Shadamy Zine! Get it? Version 1.1? Because it’s like a software update haha--

Special thanks to @w0lp3rtinger and @shadowsfascination for beta’ing this for me!

Summary: Shadow’s normally-flawless Chaos powers have been on the fritz lately, and he suspects his conflicted state of mind is to blame. Unfortunately, the situation only worsens when he’s around Amy Rose.

Cross-posted on AO3.

Shadow panted and dodged left to evade a spray of pellets from Omega’s wrist cannons as he sprinted through the field behind Team Dark’s apartment complex. His ears picked up on the metallic snap of Omega switching his weaponry. He glanced back to see his friend had shifted to his inaccurate fireball launcher, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“YOU ARE UNUSUALLY SLUGGISH TODAY, OLD MAN. ARE YOU PAST YOUR PRIME?” Omega leapt into the air to hurl a fireball toward Shadow.

Shadow gritted his teeth, then smirked. “Hmph. Last time I checked, only one of us can get rusty, and it’s not me.” He reversed direction and dashed back toward Omega, sliding under the fireball as he went. He stayed low and pressed his hands into the grass, then pushed himself up as forcefully as he could, kicking directly upward as Omega fell back down.

Normally I could do this easily, but today...

The kick knocked Omega’s hand loose in its socket, making him flail and curse. Shadow leapt to his feet and grinned. “Is that what passes for craftsmanship where you were made?”

“...SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE IS SIMPLY OVERDUE!” Omega sputtered, hurriedly snapping his hand back in place. “I AM THE ULTIMATE E-SERIES ROBOT. MY LAB WAS STATE-OF-THE-ART.”

“Eh...it’s no space station—”

Omega interrupted Shadow’s amused muttering by scooping him up in a ball and shooting him directly out of his arm cannon, clearly irritated. Shadow unrolled in midair, laughing softly as he slid to a stop some twenty feet farther down the field. Omega was generally less of a threat when he was annoyed.

“Oo, are they sparring? How exciting!”

Shadow’s ears immediately perked up at the cheery voice that chimed in. His eyes flicked to the side to see Amy saunter over to Rouge. His heart pounded a little, and it only accelerated when she waved an arm and encouragingly shouted, “Go Shadow! You can do it!”

“ORGANICS ARE EASILY DISTRACTED. DEPLOYING MISSILES.”

Shadow snapped his gaze forward again just in time to see Omega fire a barrage of his drill-shaped missiles into the air. Shadow focused energy in his palm. A drop of sweat slid down his temple. God...I hope it works this time... He wound up his arm. “Chaos...Spear!”

He swung his arm up toward the projectiles...and the Chaos energy fizzled out in his palm.

Terror gripped Shadow for a moment, but then he spotted the tracks of the missiles and chuckled in disbelief. He held still while they fell to the ground around him in a disorganized mess, their small explosions not coming anywhere near him. Shadow snorted and placed a hand on his hip, turning his amused gaze toward Omega.

“You know, Omega, if my aim were like yours, I wouldn’t openly call myself a ‘combat robot.’ Have you tried doing robocalls? Assembly line work? Whatever it is Orbot and Cubot do?”

Pride swelled in Shadow’s chest when he heard Amy’s bubbly laughter from the sidelines, pulling his attention away from the battle once more.

By the time he heard Omega’s enraged shout, the robot was nearly upon him.

“BEGONE, ULTIMATE NUISANCE!”

Uh-oh...

Shadow just barely avoided Omega’s dash punch. Omega didn’t quit, unleashing a flurry of furious strikes. Shadow kept moving, feeling panic rise in his gut as Omega’s clawed fingers nearly sheared off the fur on his cheek. This would be so much easier if I could use Chaos Control...

In a last-ditch attempt to buy himself more space, Shadow jumped back, then leapt over Omega’s head. Omega pivoted and swung an arm in an arc over his head, catching Shadow in the stomach. Shadow grunted as the wind was knocked out of him. He heard the whoosh of Omega’s other arm as it swung toward him. It collided with the back of his head with an ugly clang, making his ears ring. He let out an undignified yelp at the blunt pain. He was thrown a good fifteen feet before he landed face first in the dirt, sliding to a stop shortly after. He groaned.

“Oh, no! Shadow!”

Shadow cringed and just barely lifted his head. And Amy saw it, too. Great.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Omega pumping his arms triumphantly in the air. “ERADICATE!”

Rouge tsked and shook her head. “Now? Really?”

“I REIGN SUPREME ONCE MORE! YOU WILL NEVER RISE FROM THE ASHES OF YOUR SHAME AND HUMILIATION!”

“Shadow, are you alright?! Don’t worry, I know first aid!” Amy’s caring voice and actions easily distracted Shadow from Omega’s grandstanding. She carefully helped him sit up, then looked in his eyes with a concerned pout. “Where did you get hit?”

“Back of the head.” She visibly cringed and shuffled to sit behind him. “But it’s not a big deal, you don’t have to—”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have you fixed up in no time!” she interrupted. She started running her careful fingers along his scalp to look for a wound, gently pushing his sharp quills this way and that with the skill and confidence only a hedgehog could have. He relaxed and shut his eyes, protests forgotten.

Ahhhh.

“I’m not seeing any blood yet, so that’s good, at least...”

Shadow didn’t argue, too distracted by her calming tone to comment. Any pain he’d felt had already dissipated in the wake of her careful, comforting, unnecessary ministrations, ministrations that no one else on Earth would bother with for the Ultimate Lifeform. His heart swelled.

God...there’s no one like her.

All too soon, Rouge’s lower, sensual voice cut in. “Hey, Pink?” Shadow’s nose wrinkled in disappointment at the switch.

“Hmm?” Amy’s bubbly voice acknowledged the question. The gentle pressure of her fingers continued.

“You know Shadow has a healing factor, right?”

At this, her fingers did pause, making Shadow’s ear twitch in dissatisfaction. “What do you mean?”

Rouge sighed. Even without opening his eyes, Shadow could picture the way she was holding a hand to her forehead in exasperation. “It means any hits he got would’ve been healed by the time you got to him.”

“Wait...what?”

Shadow blinked his eyes open and turned to lock eyes with Amy. He covered his mouth to try and hide his fond laughter.

Realization crossed Amy’s face. She gasped, then glared with unintentional cuteness. “How long were you just going to sit there and let me do that?!”

He smirked, amused. “I didn’t want to interrupt. You seemed like you were enjoying yourself.”

She clenched her hands into fists. “That’s—you just—oo, you make me so flustered sometimes!” She puffed out her cheeks in irritation.

So cute.

Shadow couldn’t keep the smile off his face. She let out a “hmph” and sat back on her heels. She crossed her arms. “I see how it is! I only stopped by to lend you this anyway.” She handed Shadow a book, still holding her nose in the air.

Shadow inspected the book, then perked up. “This is...”

“That book about boxercise from my shelf. I know you look at it every time you visit,” Amy finished, looking proud of herself.

Shadow looked back up and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “You caught me. That’s really perceptive of you, Amy.”

She openly preened at the compliment. “I know you like martial arts, but what’s so interesting about boxercise specifically?”

He turned the book over to glance at the summary, then looked back up at her. “I didn’t notice it when we were younger, but the more I watch you fight, the more I see just how much you incorporate it into your style. You’ve been unstoppable lately and, well...I felt inspired.”

He tried to hold back his smile, knowing he looked a little goofy, but he couldn’t quite regret it when he saw Amy’s lips spread into a wide, charming grin, cheeks tinted an endearing pink. She clasped her hands in her lap and lifted her shoulders shyly. “Thank you, Shadow. That means a lot coming from you!” He nodded, and she hopped to her feet.

Shadow stood up to join her. “So where are you headed?”

Amy dusted off her dress. “I’m hanging out with Sonic later. I need his advice on something.” She let out a sigh and laughed a little. “We’ve been getting along much better lately. It’s such a relief.”

Shadow’s eye twitched. “Ah...right. Have a good time, then.”

He tried not to look disappointed. If Amy’s confused face was any indication, he didn’t do a very good job. She shrugged and ruffled his quills, then grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Shadow. Thanks for being so sweet!” She started to run off, but she stopped a little ways away to call over her shoulder, “But you better not embarrass me like that again!” She stuck out her tongue at him, grinned cheekily, and dashed off. Shadow watched her departure with a fond, dreamy smile.

“Soooo...what was that?”

Shadow jumped a little and looked up to see Rouge smirking at him. He’d completely forgotten she was there. He looked away and started fixing his quills. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Mhmm. Is that why you just sat there and let Amy groom your quills?”

Shadow finished straightening them out and shrugged. “My head is covered in spines. Hedgehogs don’t get too many scalp massages.”

Rouge wasn’t convinced. “Hey, Omega, have you ever seen Shadow crush on anyone?” she asked, sounding mystified at the possibility.

“NEGATIVE. NOW UPDATING DATABASE.”

“I’m not—”

“Gotta admit, I’m a little impressed,” Rouge interrupted. “For a guy who’s never flirted before, that was pretty good. You even got her to blush! Who knew all you had to do was get hit in the head?” She scratched her chin in contemplation, making Shadow wonder how seriously she was considering the technique.

“But I wasn’t—I don’t—”

“HOW LONG AGO DID YOUR HEIGHTENED FEELINGS FOR AMY ROSE BEGIN?”

Shadow stared at him for a moment, then glanced back to Rouge’s curious face. He sighed in defeat. “It’s been a few months.”

Rouge let out an excited little noise, but Omega’s reply was what caught his attention. “INTERESTING. IT WAS AROUND THEN THAT YOUR CHAOS POWERS STARTED GETTING JAMMED. IS THIS CORRELATION OR CAUSATION?”

Rouge’s demeanor immediately turned serious. “What?”

“Ahhh...it’s not a big deal, buuut...” When they didn’t look placated, he cringed and sighed. “My Chaos abilities have always been tied to my state of mind. Sometimes when I’m upset or conflicted, it feels like some passages get blocked, and things don’t work right. Remember when Sonic and I had to fight the Biolizard in our super forms?” Rouge’s eye twitched the same way it always did when his near-death experience was brought up, but she nodded. “Amy had just reminded me of Maria’s wish, so I knew I was doing the right thing, but I’d been so sure I was supposed to destroy the Earth right up until that point that my thoughts were still twisted—by a man I’d grown to love and trust, no less. On top of that, I had to fight alongside a guy I couldn’t stand up until that point. AND we were battling my own prototype.” He rubbed his temples just thinking about it. “I felt pulled in two directions. That normally doesn’t happen because I try to stay serious and decisive, but that day, my systems didn’t work right, and we were low on rings—”

Rouge wouldn’t look at him. Omega was silent. Shadow moved on. “Anyway...I had to use my super form against Devil Doom, too, but by that point, I had a better handle on how my emotions interfere with my powers. I was just pissed by then, so I had no trouble staying single-minded that time. I could’ve flown around the whole planet with how purely indignant I was.”

He jumped when Rouge grabbed his shoulders. “Shadow the hedgehog, why the hell didn’t you tell me that?! Do you have any idea how terrified I was when you went super and flew into space like that again? I thought I’d lost—”

She stalled out, unable to finish her sentence. Her nails were digging into Shadow’s shoulders even through her gloves. He ignored the pain and calmly replied, “I didn’t know you well enough at the time. That’s why I’m telling you now.” He shut his eyes. “You know how I am about weaknesses.”

After a moment, Rouge sighed and withdrew one of her hands to point right at his nose. “Shadow, you can’t just walk around like this. You need your Chaos powers. What if you run into trouble again?”

Shadow went cross-eyed looking at her finger. He scoffed and brushed her hands away. “It’ll be fine once I get over Amy. You know I don’t get crushes...often.” Rouge and Omega’s silence spoke volumes. “And who’s going to give me trouble? Eggman’s been out of commission for years. Zavok and his gang mellowed out. Anyone else who’s stupid enough to mess with me is either arrested or dead.”

“SHADOW. AS MUCH AS I ENJOY COMPLETELY OBLITERATING YOU IN COMBAT, ROUGE HAS A POINT. YOU WILL BE VULNERABLE UNTIL THIS IS SORTED OUT. CONSIDERING YOUR HISTORY, I FEEL...CONCERNED FOR YOUR WELLBEING.”

Shadow blinked a few times, baffled. Omega, feeling concerned? He pressed his lips together. “Well...fine, but how am I supposed to do that? All I can do is wait it out.”

“I STILL DO NOT SEE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR AMY ROSE AND A CONFLICTED STATE OF MIND. IT SEEMS SIMPLE TO ME. YOU WANT TO MARRY HER, CORRECT? ASK HER TO MARRY YOU.”

Rouge cracked up laughing, and Shadow sputtered, “Wha—no! I don’t! I mean, maybe someda—no! It’s just a crush, Omega! We’re not even dating!”

“SO GO ON A DATE SO YOU CAN ASK HER TO MARRY YOU.”

Shadow groaned and hid his face in his hands.

Rouge got the last of her laughter out of the way and leaned on Omega’s shoulder. “Might be a bit soon for that, but the big guy’s got a point, Shadow. Why not just ask her out?”

Shadow side-eyed her. “You’re kidding, right? Amy has always loved Sonic. She doesn’t like me.”

Rouge glanced down at the book in Shadow’s hands, clearly skeptical. “Are you sure...?”

“Of course I’m sure. What do you mean?”

“Let’s see...you ‘make her flustered,’ she observed you enough to lend you a book you liked and then came all the way over here just to give it to you, you made her blush...” she pointed out with a knowing smile.

Shadow crossed his arms and looked away. “That’s just Amy. She’s sweet and thoughtful with everyone.”

Rouge sighed. “I still think it’s worth a shot. Even if you get rejected, that’ll at least plant the idea in her head and help you sort out some of these conflicted feelings. The worst she can say is ‘no.’”

“No, the worst thing is that it could ruin our friendship. We’ve been hanging out a lot lately, and...she means a lot to me.” He looked away.

“So what’s your plan for your Chaos powers, then?”

“I’ll think of something.” Unwilling to continue the uncomfortable discussion, he added, “I have to get going. Chaos—” He stopped. Remembering how off-course he’d wound up the last time he used Chaos Control, he shut his mouth and decided to hoof it instead.

Before he could run off, Rouge piped up. “By the way...didn’t Amy say she’d ‘see you tomorrow?’ Where are you two headed, Casanova?”

Shadow pressed his lips together. “Don’t get excited, it’s not a date. We’re going out as friends.”

Rouge crossed her arms and shot him an unimpressed look. “You’re just going to take her out and pretend it’s a date, aren’t you?”

He narrowed his eyes, and her smug grin widened. “...That’s none of your business,” he grumbled, skating off. He could hear them laughing in the distance.

Shadow chose to run to his destination the next day to calm his remaining nerves, which might’ve worked if he could run full speed. The slight tug holding him back wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone else, but it was enough to make him wish he’d taken his motorcycle instead. Thankfully, he was still on time...barely.

“Cutting it close, huh, Shadow? That’s not like you,” Amy teased. She wore a casual yellow dress, a white sunhat, and a charming smile.

Shadow tried to breathe evenly through his nose so she wouldn’t notice how out of breath he was. “Good to see you, Amy. You’re dressed for the occasion.” He paused, then hurriedly added, “You look cute.”

Before he could regret the comment or worry that his feelings were showing, she brightened up. “Thanks! I love this outfit!” She wiggled her toes in her canvas sneakers. “I know you said we’d be doing a lot of walking, but I didn’t know we’d be going to the Westopolis Botanical Gardens. I’m so excited!”

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Shadow felt an easy smile cross his face as he led the way to the entrance. “So you really didn’t look it up, then?”

She shook her head. “I just followed the address you gave me. I didn’t want to ruin your surprise. This was such a good idea!”

Shadow felt his heart grow soft again. He chuckled softly. “That’s something I really like about you.”

“Huh?”

“I like how straightforward and honest you are,” Shadow clarified. “There’s no sneakiness with you. I can plan a surprise—” Not a date. “—hangout, and I know you won’t pry or feel tempted to snoop around for answers if I ask you not to.” His smile turned bittersweet. “I haven’t met enough people who are that honest and trusting. I really cherish it when I do.”

She was silent for long enough to make him worry that he’d gotten too intense over something so small, but when he looked over, her eyes were shining. She gave him a crooked smile. “Of course. Every good relationship is built on trust.”

Shadow’s heart pounded. He folded his ears back shyly at her word choice. “Y-yeah.” He gulped and tentatively held out his arm as they walked under the colorful canopy of flowers that formed the gate to the gardens. She happily linked her arm with his in response, and he had to resist the urge to let out a sigh of happiness. Contrary to popular belief, Shadow was quite fond of physical contact, and no friend of Amy’s was at risk of feeling touch-starved. The fact that linking arms made them look like a couple was only the icing on the cake for Shadow.

“So what made you choose this place?” Amy asked, her eyes darting eagerly along the flowers over their heads.

I wanted to take you rock climbing to impress you, but with my strength failing me, I definitely would have embarrassed myself.

“I had a few ideas, but then I remembered Westopolis added this place when they started rebuilding after the Black Arms’ attack. That...situation...doesn’t bring back great memories for me,” he managed with difficulty, “but it brought rebirth. It’s poetic that so much life could grow out of such an ugly situation, isn’t it?”

There was silence for a moment. He looked down at Amy, only to find she was staring at him, almost in...awe? He cocked his head. “Uh...Amy?”

She snapped out of it and shook herself off. “Right! Um...I just...” She bit her lip and looked away shyly. “I just think...you, ah...love flowers as much as I do! That’s all!”

If Amy were anyone else, Shadow would have thought she looked smitten. He chose to ignore her feelings for Sonic in favor of enjoying the moment.

“It’s great that such a nice place is free, too,” Amy continued. “You’re a cheap date, huh?”

He almost tripped at her words. “Ah, y-yeah. It’s nice.”

The two of them stepped out from under the floral canopy into a large clearing. Amy gasped at their surroundings. In the center of the open area was a clear pond. Shadow could see small fish and a few turtles swimming among the reeds and lily pads. A small waterfall fed into it from a sandstone rock formation. Branches hung low from wisteria trees, shading the clearing like lavender curtains. A wooden walkway ran along the outer edge and continued past the glade to connect it with the rest of the picturesque garden.

Amy pulled away to run over onto the walkway. Her grin was radiant. “This is so beautiful!”

Shadow strode over more slowly as he admired the scene, smiling softly at her enthused reaction. “I’m glad you like it. It really is nice, isn’t it?”

She nodded happily, and then her eyes lit up. “I have an idea!” She jogged along the walkway until she was right next to the rock formation. She placed a hand against it and grinned as he caught up to her. “We could get a better view from up there, don’t you think?”

Shadow scratched his chin and eyed the rocks nervously. “Are we supposed to go up there?”

Amy’s grin turned mischievous. She held her hands behind her back in false innocence and dug her toe into the ground cutely. “Wellll, I don’t see a sign, do you?”

Shadow smirked back. “You of all people, bending the rules? Who are you, and what have you done with Amy Rose?”

She snickered and dragged him over by his wrist. “Maybe you’ve been rubbing off on me a little,” she teased, winking over her shoulder. Shadow’s stomach did a flip.

Unfortunately, it flipped once again when he looked up at the rocks. I specifically chose this because it wasn’t rock climbing. What the hell happened?!

“Uh, Earth to Shadow?”

Shadow shook himself off to see Amy giving him a disapproving look. “Sorry. What?”

She nodded to the rock wall. “You’re not really going to send me up first, are you?”

Shadow cocked his head in confusion. She’s always been a leader. Why would she be nervous about... Then, she glanced down at her outfit and gave him a meaningful look. His eyes popped wide open, and he folded his ears back awkwardly. “Right. Dress. Got it.”

Shadow turned back to the wall and did his best to choke back his nerves before starting to climb. The going was slow; he still had some of his strength, but he definitely wasn’t in any shape to flip a truck the way he usually could. He grimaced and held in a grunt as he lifted himself without any of the ease he typically had.

Is this how normal people go through life? My Chao can climb faster than this!

He’d been hoping Amy wouldn’t notice, but those hopes were dashed when he saw her catch up to climb alongside him. He didn’t look to the side, afraid of the expression he’d find on her face. Concern? Sympathy? Judgment?

Well...probably not that last one, he reasoned. He focused on keeping his grip instead. The handholds weren’t too tough, but with the limited visibility and sandy texture of the wall, the footholds were more of a problem. His legs shook from nerves and fatigue. At least an indoor rock wall would’ve had solid holds built into it.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his right foot slipped. The sudden lack of support wrenched his right hand off the wall as well. Panic gripped him. “Shi—”

“GOTCHA!”

Shadow’s eyes were clenched shut. He blinked them open to find Amy was slightly higher than him on the wall—though still low enough for modesty’s sake—holding herself up with one hand while hanging onto his wrist with the other. He hung there for a moment, thrown off and embarrassed, before she cut in. “Come on, it’s okay! We’re almost there!”

Shadow wilted and hurriedly put his foot in a more secure spot. He grabbed the wall again with her help and looked away. “Thanks.” He could see her nod and smile encouragingly.

Shadow hid his panting as best he could once he’d scrambled up to the top with her. He sat facing the garden and looked down at his lap, toying with his fingers bashfully. “Thanks again.”

Amy plopped down next to Shadow and kept her gaze on him. “It’s no problem, but you looked really uncomfortable on the way up. Are you alright?”

Shadow tried to brush it off, not liking her worried expression. “It’s nothing. My foot just slipped.”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have dragged you up here,” she added, clearly unconvinced. “I know Blaze is afraid of heights, so I watch out for her, too. Just let me know if you’re not comfortable doing something, okay?”

Shadow shrugged and smiled wryly. “I don’t think I have anything to worry about when someone as strong as you is with me. All that hammer swinging has really paid off,” he praised, hoping a compliment would diffuse the tension.

It worked. Amy grinned proudly and flexed one of her impressive biceps. “You’re damn right!”

He nodded, satisfied, and looked down at the scenery. “And you were right. It’s beautiful up here.”

Amy sighed dreamily. “It really is.” She paused for a moment before perking up. “Hey, they have your favorites!” she said, pointing to a sunny corner where lavender was shooting up from the ground.

Shadow’s eyes widened in surprise. “You remember?”

Amy snorted and waved it off. “As if I’d forget something like that! How can I live up to my name if I can’t even remember your favorite flower?”

“It does make sense,” Shadow agreed, trying to hide how flattered he was. He deliberated briefly before throwing caution to the wind. “And this place suits you, too. A rose is always at home in a garden.”

Amy stared at him for a moment, then hid her face behind her hands. Her body started shaking, and Shadow could hear her break down in laughter at the sentiment. He smirked. She tore one of her hands away to lightly shove him. “That was so cheesy!” she managed through her cackles.

Shadow chuckled softly. He admired the way her cheeks flushed red and her eyes watered from laughter. “I hope it wasn’t too painful.”

She shook her head, still laughing, and bumped her head against his shoulder. “I loved it.”

She shuffled closer and linked her arm with his once more. Shadow’s heart raced, then gradually slowed to a calm warmth at the contact. He rested his chin on top of her head. His mood soured a little when he thought of his own dishonest intentions about the “date,” but he reasoned to himself that his inner feelings weren’t what mattered so long as they were both having fun.

“I’ve always wanted to go to one of these,” Amy commented after a while.

She didn’t add anything else, but Shadow could guess what she meant. “Let me guess: you always wanted to take Sonic on a date here, but he never wanted to go?”

Amy suddenly pulled away. When Shadow looked over, her expression was indignant. “I wasn’t going to say that!”

Shadow just blinked, unsure of what to say. Amy huffed and shook her head. “Why would I go on about Sonic when I’m out with you? That’s rude!”

Shadow frowned, now fully confused. She’s mentioned Sonic around me a million times. It’s what she does. She has toned it down recently, I guess, but still... Unsure of what else to say, Shadow settled on a joke to try and lighten the mood. “Well, I hope I’m a decent replacement, at least.” He tried to smile, but it came out as a cringe.

Amy looked...hurt? Confused? Angry? Shadow couldn’t read her for the life of him. “I’d never compare the two of you.”

Shadow’s expression went flat. He stared off into space, completely stumped. What the hell does that mean?!

After a moment, Amy’s nose wrinkled cutely. “Do you want to get down from here?” she ventured, perplexed and concerned by his response.

Shadow snapped out of it and nodded. “Yeah. There’s a lot more to this place.”

“Alright!”

The two spent the rest of the day admiring everything they could. The place was big enough that Amy insisted they’d have to come back another day to see it all, a suggestion that made Shadow’s heart soar. Much to Amy’s excitement, Shadow pointed out that the greenhouse close to the exit housed an adjoining aviary that he knew she’d like, and he was right; Shadow spent a great deal of time enjoying the sight of all the Flickies flocking around Amy the same way they always seemed to. Between their mutual love for nature, their easy rapport, and the way she appreciated his overly intense demeanor and sentiments in a way no one else did, Shadow couldn’t help but spend all day thinking of how perfect they’d be as a couple.

But we won’t.

And that divide messed with him all day. The rock climbing was the worst of it, but he tripped over seemingly nothing a few times because his muscles weren’t working right. He almost fell into one of the ponds when Amy told him how much fun she always had when they were together. She caught him in time, saving him once more and teasingly saying, “Don’t fall!”

Too late, he thought wryly as he gazed into her caring eyes.

“We have to go out again soon, Shadow. That was super fun!” Amy hugged him tightly.

Shadow’s heart thumped for the umpteenth time that day. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “Yeah. Definitely.” When’s the last time anyone said that about a day with me? There really is no one like her. He reluctantly pulled away. “I’ll call you to plan the next one. I’ll see you soon—”

“Hold on!”

Shadow paused at the command. “Huh?”

Amy was holding her hands behind her back. She had a charming smile on her face. “Are you really gonna make me take the bus home?”

Shadow’s eyes widened. Nausea boiled in his gut at the thought of using Chaos Control in his current state. “Uhhh...”

Amy’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

Shadow flinched and returned to her side. “Nothing, I just...spaced out for a second.” He tried to ignore the light, giddy feeling he got when she took his hand. He closed his eyes and mentally sifted through his usual locations, only to find that they all looked even fuzzier than last time. A veneer of static obscured each one, as if they were weak stations on an old TV. He gritted his teeth and tried to go by how they felt instead, narrowing it down to the locations he associated with Amy. A familiar, domestic setting surfaced that had Amy’s aura all over it. He nodded. Here goes nothing...

“Chaos...Control!”

The yanking sensation he’d grown so used to was rougher this time, like they were being jostled through a usually smooth path. Shadow clenched his eyes shut. Please, please, please...!

The feeling stopped more abruptly than usual, almost making Shadow stumble. Before he could open his eyes, Amy’s amused voice floated in.

“Uh, Shadow? This is a little fast for me,” she laughed.

“Huh?”

Shadow looked around and blanched in horror when he realized he’d teleported them into his bedroom. “WRONG ONE! I WASN’T—JUST A SECOND! CHAOS CONTROL!” he sputtered past her laughter.

His hasty attempt landed them outside one of their favorite restaurants. He cringed.

“Well, I am kinda hungry. Is this your way of trying to spend more time with me?”

Shadow’s panic only grew at her teasing tone. “No, no! I’ve got it! Chaos Control!”

They appeared outside their favorite Chao store this time. While Amy cooed over the adorable Chao stumbling around in the front window, Shadow stopped and bent over, panting and sweating.

After a moment, he felt Amy take both of his hands. “Shadow? What’s wrong?”

Shadow slowly looked up at her. Her expression was twisted with concern for him. His limbs shook. “I’ll get you back! I can do it! Chaos...”

“Shadow, wait! I’m worried about you!”

“...Control!”

“Shadow!”

Just then, Shadow saw it. A flicker of static faded, leaving Amy’s porch clear as day for an instant. He headed straight for it with determination, but Amy’s scared words reverberated in his head, the care and love she’d shown for him yanking his mind off his task. The distraction swiftly jerked him off course, sending them down a rickety path to a much, much darker locale.

There was no smooth landing this time. The two of them fell in a heap. Shadow groaned and rubbed his forehead, then looked around. He twitched and instantly shut his eyes again. He tried to sift through the locations in his head again.

But every single one was blank. No pictures, no static, no pathways.

Shadow lifted himself up onto his hands and knees, drenched in cold sweat and fear. “I can’t do it.”

“What?”

He sat back on his heels and held himself. “I can’t use Chaos Control anymore. We’re trapped here.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and trembled, stuck in an internal cycle of fear, humiliation, guilt, and self-loathing.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, and a calm voice guided him out of his stupor. “Hey...Shadow? It’s alright! We’re going to be okay!” He anxiously peeked up at her reassuring smile. “We’ll get out of this. I know we will.”

“But—”

Amy cut off any protests by pulling him into a hug. “It’s okay.” She gently scratched his scalp, and he relaxed just as he had the day before.

After a long moment, she pulled back and looked into his eyes, still holding onto his shoulders. “What’s wrong, Shadow? What can I do to help?”

Shadow took a few deep breaths. I can’t tell her it’s nothing, but I can’t tell her everything, either. He bit his lip. “I’ve been having trouble with my Chaos energy recently. It doesn’t always work right.”

“Why? Do you know what’s wrong with it?”

He paused. “I’m...still working on that part.” She sighed and deflated. He lifted his shoulders, embarrassed. “I never meant to drag you into it like this, and I especially didn’t mean to drag you...here...”

Both of them examined their grim surroundings. Decrepit old castles stretched out along the horizon. The sky was a turbulent, cloudy blood red, and dull orange mist settled over the area. It was chilly but uncomfortably humid, and not even the slightest gust could be felt, as if the air itself was dead, frozen in time since they’d last been there.

Shadow clenched his fists. “Of course I got you stuck in Cryptic Castle, of all places! I couldn’t have stranded you in a worse place!”

“Eh.” Amy shrugged in a way Shadow felt was far too casual for their circumstances. She stood up and helped him to his feet. “It’s not so bad. At least someone can pick us up, right?” He tilted his head while she took out her phone. She typed something out, then waited. Her expression gradually soured.

“What are you up to?”

She smiled wryly. “I tried to text Sonic and Silver to see if they could warp us out of here, but there’s no service. Worth a shot, right?”

With another escape route cut off, Shadow deflated even further. She noticed and reached out to hold one of his hands in both of hers. “Hey! I told you we’d be alright, and I meant it!” she reassured him once more. “We survived this place just fine when we were 12 and 15. We can definitely handle this as adults.”

Her chipper, steadfast smile cut through Shadow’s doubts, even as his pessimistic side reminded him that he’d had Chaos powers last time. She started dashing along the rampart in front of them, pulling him along with her. “Come on! I think I remember the way.”

Things went alright at first. He had no problem grinding on the rails, and he could still ride the pumpkin balloons like last time. The two scanned the landscape as the balloon took them farther. Without Eggman’s robots and the Black Arms, Cryptic Castle felt empty. Shadow knew he should have felt relieved about that, but he couldn’t help but feel unsettled. He shivered and decided it was just his Chaos troubles and bad memories.

At Amy’s direction, they dropped down from the balloon, only to fall through a tunnel full of ghosts.

“EEEEEEK!”

Amy latched onto Shadow as they fell. He smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re still afraid of ghosts.”

She glared up at him. “I am NOT interested in getting possessed again.”

They landed, and Shadow did a double-take. “Wait...‘again’?”

“It’s a long story.”

She dashed off. He could still keep up with her even with his sputtering stream of Chaos energy, but he’d be hard-pressed to say he was faster. Luckily, he didn’t have to admit he couldn’t break down doors and open the heavy false floors anymore because Amy immediately volunteered to do so, happy to demonstrate how far she’d come since she was a kid. Some routes had been blocked off by crumbling ramparts and fallen towers, but they found other ways. Shadow was actually feeling better with the progress they’d made until they hit a dead end...or at least, what should have been a dead end.

Shadow and Amy both stopped in front of a trail of red and purple fluid leading up to a higher platform. Amy made a disgusted noise, and Shadow frowned. “I can’t believe this slime has persisted so long. It’s been ten years now. Shouldn’t it have disintegrated?”

Amy held up her hands. “Don’t look at me, you’re the alien expert!” she joked.

Shadow shrugged, unable to argue with that. “Maybe nothing on Earth can break it down.”

He jumped into the slime trail to follow it up to a higher platform. After some hesitation, Amy followed, then shivered when she popped out next to him. “Eugh. At least those disgusting eyeball aliens are gone!”

“Still grossed out by those things, all these years later?” He shook his head fondly and kept running alongside her. “Some things never change.”

“Can you blame me?!” she protested. “They were giant living eyeballs with fangs! And the way they moved was just...UGH! Gross!” She wrung her hands out as she ran.

“Those were technically my kin, you know,” Shadow pointed out, charmed by her antics. “You don’t think I’m gross, right?”

“Of course not. You’re my favorite alien, Shadow!”

It was probably supposed to be a joke, but her charming smile and the silly compliment attached to it made him tip forward and fall on his face. He slid to a stop, then lifted his head and grumbled. Don’t tell me...

“Shadow, are you alright?! What happened?”

Instead of answering, Shadow rolled onto his back and lifted one of his feet. He focused on it, and it produced a quick yellow-orange flicker, only to fade out immediately. He knocked his heel against the stones beneath him and tried again. Nothing. His fists clenched.

“Shadow?” Amy tried again.

Shadow closed his eyes and stayed quiet. He waited another moment before looking up to see that Amy was reaching out her hand. He nodded and let her pull him to his feet, needing her strength more than he was willing to admit. He started moving forward again, manually reminding himself not to skate.

Amy’s eyes were wide with intrigue. “I’ve never seen you actually run before. Not like this.”

Shadow kept his gaze straight ahead, trying to ignore the way she was clearly holding back her speed so he could keep pace with her. “I fuel the rockets in my shoes with Chaos energy. When it comes to literally running, I’m out of practice.” His expression tightened. “I hardly ever think about it, but everything about me runs off Chaos energy. Without it, I’m—”

“Shadow the hedgehog, hero to the world and one of my favorite people,” Amy cut in, nodding definitively. “Your power isn’t who you are.”

“But everything I’ve ever done—”

“No buts!” she insisted, holding up a finger. “I was weak when I came here the first time, but I was still Amy Rose, just like I am now!”

Shadow slowly nodded. “Yeah. And I’m glad you were, because it took Amy Rose to turn me around that day.” She matched his warm smile with her own.

The two of them ran through the doorway of a much larger castle. They slowed down to take a look around. “Is this a dead end?” Amy asked, squinting around the dark room. “I know it’s been a while, but I definitely don’t remember a castle this big from last time.”

Shadow meandered toward a corner, feeling the floor creak under his shoes as he walked. The distant echoes were the only indicators of the sheer size of the room. Shadow strained his eyes in the dim light, just managing to make out various pieces of furniture—a decrepit old chair here, an overstuffed old couch there. Turning toward the dark wall on his right, he spotted a collection of objects. Once he got close, he recognized it as a pile of bones. He took a step back and stared down at it. His jaw clenched. I didn’t see any signs of life on the way in. How long have these been here, and how did they die...? The question hung unanswered in his head as he looked around, seeing more and more piles as he went—all humanoid. I should get Amy out of here. If she saw these, she’d freak out, he thought, focusing on Amy’s discomfort to avoid thinking of his own.

Then, he felt it.

A dark presence wormed into his mind, bringing an unpleasant, unnerving chill he hadn’t felt in ten years. His spines stood on end. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Pins and needles spread over his body, leaving him shuddering with an intense dread that warned him he was somewhere he shouldn’t be. He struggled to breathe for a few long moments, then snapped out of it and bolted to Amy’s side. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him.

“Amy. We need to leave. NOW.”

She nodded silently, apparently sensing that now wasn’t the time to question him. They’d only taken two steps toward the door when sinister, invasive laughter erupted in Shadow’s head. He and Amy both flinched and stopped, and he could tell by the look on Amy’s face that the telepathy had been extended to her, too. They stared fearfully into each other’s eyes for another second before simultaneously sprinting for the exit. They were only a few steps away when a heavy door slammed shut in front of them, plunging the room into darkness. Amy took out her hammer and repeatedly bashed at the door, but it was far sturdier than the ones they’d broken through before.

“What’s the rush, little hedgehogs? You’re about to witness history.”

Shadow’s body shook as he and Amy turned toward the center of the room. Three red eyes blinked open, providing the only light in the room.

“Sh-shadow...is that...”

A frigid, whistling gust of wind blasted them from all sides, making them flinch and shiver. It died down as soon as it started, and Shadow opened his eyes with trepidation to find a ring of torches mounted on the walls lit with ghostly, pale blue flames. Shadow’s chest tightened painfully when the low light revealed someone he’d assumed he would never encounter again, one who he was woefully unprepared to deal with at the moment.

Shadow automatically stepped in front of Amy to protect her, powers or not. He swallowed with difficulty. “Black Doom? How?! I destroyed you years ago!”

Low, condescending laughter echoed in Shadow’s head, making him wince. “How quaint. You think you’re the only being capable of Chaos Control! Have you forgotten where you got your abilities in the first place?”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “But...that’s impossible! I blasted you! I saw the explosion!”

“You saw the explosion...” Black Doom’s eye flashed a foot from Shadow’s face quickly enough to make both hedgehogs backpedal a few steps. “...but did you see my body afterward, Shadow? You cannot avoid the truth!”

Shadow gritted his teeth, unable to deny it. He took a deep breath and stood up straight once more, unwilling to show his enemy an ounce of fear. He tried to keep his voice steady as he snapped, “What are you here for, Black Doom? Your army is finished! Your comet is destroyed! You’ve been hiding away for ten years in this ruined castle like a scared cockroach. You have nothing!” he finished, sweeping his hand to the side in a decisive motion.

Doom’s unsettling laughter returned. His body flickered out briefly, but it glowed more brightly as his eye shot back behind him. “A decade is nothing to a perfect, immortal being like myself. I may have lacked the means to return to full power thus far, but that is about to change...and I have you to thank for it, Shadow the hedgehog.”

Shadow shuddered at Black Doom’s words. He could hear Amy’s concerned whimper behind him. He hid his apprehension behind a show of bravado. “What are you rambling about now, Black Doom? Don’t waste my time!”

“Don’t you know? The bigger my army, the more power I can draw from them. I can gain all the strength I need by draining Chaos energy from my subjects, right down to the last drop.”

Amy’s disgusted, indignant voice rang out. “You’d feed off your own people? That’s horrible!”

“Typical inferior life form. A leader of a truly superior race does whatever is necessary to survive.”

Shadow felt the same disgust as Amy, but he choked it back and grinned smugly instead. “News flash, Black Doom: I obliterated every one of your spawn! You’ve got no one left to feed on!”

The voice in Shadow’s head turned snide and giddy, rising in pitch and making Shadow’s skin crawl. Black Doom’s body faded out for a moment. “Oh, you poor fool...naive, ignorant fool! How wrong you are!” His body flickered back in, looking more solid than ever. “One of my offspring does live...and he has just saved me the trouble of hunting him down!”

Shadow’s heart stopped for a moment, and his eyes went wide. Doom’s hand sped in his direction to try and grab him.

“Shadow!” Amy cried, grabbing his arm and yanking him out of the way. She dragged him behind one of the dilapidated couches and knocked it over so they could use it as cover. She pulled him down and crouched beside him.

“Are you alright?!” she hissed, taking his face in her hands. When he nodded, she let out a breath of relief. She looked back up at Black Doom. “We need to be careful, but he’s weaker than before! You can see his body flickering and fading out every so often, can’t you?” Shadow hesitated but nodded once more, and she gave him a confident smile. “He’s weak! We can do this, Shadow! Together!”

Shadow wasn’t so confident. He winced. “But...I...”

“Relying on a lower life form for protection? You have only grown more pitiful with time, Shadow. Absorbing you will be an act of charity. Swift Strike!”

Remembering how to deal with the ground-bound attack from their last bout, Shadow listened for the low swiping sound it made and turned to Amy. “We need to jump in three...two...one...NOW!”

Both of them leapt into the air on Shadow’s mark. The sickle-shaped projectile sliced through the couch they’d been using as a shield. Amy was right; in Doom’s weakened state, the attack moved so slowly that it could hardly be called “swift.” Even with Shadow’s hampered speed and strength, he cleared it without any trouble. In his pride at having dodged the attack, however, he failed to notice the way it bounced off the wall behind him. Amy noticed the movement in time to evade it with a hammer-jump, but it swept Shadow off his feet and bolted painfully through his nerves. Pain seared through his muscles, making them lock up.

Amy was by his side in an instant. She took him in her arms and helped him sit up. He groaned and held a hand to his head. “This was a lot easier last time.”

“Why? Because Sonic was with you to help out?”

“HAH!” Shadow barked in amusement. “No, Sonic was useless. Last time, I had a submachine gun.”

“Take this! Flame Wave!”

The attack was too swift for either of them to get out of the way this time. Knowing what was coming, Shadow turned his back to the fireball and pulled Amy into his arms to protect her. He gritted his teeth to hold back his cry of agony as the flames seared his flesh, eyes going wide and watering in pain. Amy gasped and cried out into his chest fur.

“Shadow...Shadow, no! Why’d you do that?!”

Her voice was shaking. When she looked up, he could see tears in her eyes. “I’ll heal!” he blurted. “You don’t have a healing factor like I do. I’ll be alright!”

But the burning in his back didn’t subside. The two of them ran to the side to avoid further fireballs. He knew his healing factor wasn’t working right, and judging by the sound of Amy’s strained whimper, she knew it, too.

While the two of them were busy dodging the main body’s attacks, Doom’s Eye flew into their path to try and intercept them. They flinched, but then Amy cried out, “SLIDE!” She used her momentum to slide under their opponent. Shadow instantly followed her command, narrowly avoiding the eye’s grasping arms as they lashed downward, splintering the floorboards behind him. He peeked fearfully over his shoulder.

Since when do the body and the eye attack at the same time?! He may be weak, but he’s just as dangerous as ever!

Amy yanked him to his feet and clung onto his arm harshly as she pulled him along. “Shadow, we need to take him out. We have to before—” Her words got caught in her throat, so she moved on. “What’s his weakness? What’s the best way to take him out?”

Shadow breathed heavily and tried to quell his panic at the unfamiliar sensation of prolonged pain from the burn on his back. “His...his body isn’t always tangible. It fades in and out. His eye is much more vulnerable.”

“Got it.”

“BEGONE!”

Doom’s loudest shout yet reverberated in Shadow’s overwhelmed mind, making him stop in his tracks. Amy pivoted and doubled back. She stood her ground in front of Shadow, brandishing her hammer once more. As Black Doom fired small violet meteors at them, Amy skillfully deflected each one with powerful swings. After the first few, she successfully started knocking them at Doom’s Eye with deadly accuracy. The eye zigzagged deftly to avoid the first few, but Amy adapted, anticipating its movements. It shrieked in agony once the meteors started hitting their mark. His body stopped immediately and phased forward to loom over her.

“What is this life form, Shadow? Some kind of pet?”

Doom’s snide tone and words made Shadow want to tear him to shreds, but Amy spoke up first. “Who do you think you are?! You’ve seen me before!”

“As if I would remember such a lowly creature. You will pay for your impudence!”

With that, Doom’s Eye rushed forward. It raced forward and phased right through its own body, then emerged to hang over them, arms outstretched. When it lashed out, Amy swung her hammer forward in a desperate attempt to defend herself. The eye latched onto the head of her hammer and flew straight upward, making Amy scream in alarm.

“AMY!”

Shadow was powerless to help as she was lifted out of reach. Even at his full strength, he couldn’t have jumped nearly high enough to reach her. She held on tight to the handle of her hammer and looked down in terror, knowing a fall from that height could seriously injure her...or worse. Shadow felt himself quiver in panic and helplessness.

Black Doom’s body struck before Shadow could even see it. His clawed hand wrapped painfully around Shadow, pinning his arms to his sides. It slammed him high up against a wall, breaking off several planks of wood. Shadow barely registered the distant sound of the planks colliding with the floor far below him. He groaned, dazed.

“Now, the ritual can commence at last,” Black Doom said, his tone menacing. “I have been looking forward to this moment every day since your betrayal.”

Shadow struggled weakly in his grasp and frantically tried to think of a way out. I don’t have my strength. I don’t have my speed. No Chaos Control, no Chaos Spears...I have plenty of energy, but all my channels are blocked. Even if I took off my limiters, I still couldn’t access it! He’d never felt so helpless in his life. He could see Amy hanging on stubbornly below him, but he knew her grip couldn’t last forever. She looked up at him, eyes plaintive. He could see her mouth the word ‘sorry,’ as if it were somehow her fault that they’d wound up like this. His heart broke.

He snapped out of it when the clawed hand tightened its grip, making Shadow gasp in pain. Black Doom spoke up once more, his tone growing more insidious with every word. “I want you to know that I’m going to savor every moment of your suffering. I hope you spend your last moments thinking of just how weak you’ve become.”

With that, Shadow snapped. Determination raged through his veins. “You’re wrong, Black Doom. I will never be weak.”

“What?”

Shadow stared him down, fearless and confident. “I am Shadow the hedgehog, the ultimate lifeform. And I DO NOT. GIVE. UP.”

With that, Shadow bared his fangs and did the only thing he could think of.

“OWWWW!” Black Doom screeched, immediately dropping Shadow. “You insolent little—did you just bite me?!”

Shadow ignored his cries and kicked off the wall as hard as he could. He ripped off his gloves as he plummeted, then slashed his claws across Doom’s Eye. It let out an earsplitting screech and released Amy’s hammer. Shadow latched onto one of her feet as they fell. “Propeller hammer, propeller hammer!”

She followed his hasty directions and immediately spun her body like a top to slow their descent. Shadow landed lightly on the ground and caught Amy in his arms as she fell the rest of the way. They stayed that way for a moment, panting and trying to calm down. Eventually, Amy looked up at him and let out a dizzy, breathless laugh. He couldn’t help but follow suit.

“You have defied me for the last time!” Doom roared, making them jump. His eye was squinting and cringing next to him, trying to shake off the hit. “I gave you life! I gave you strength! You would be nothing but a powerless whelp without me. What gives you the nerve to turn against me?”

“My strength lies elsewhere, Black Doom.” Shadow breathed deeply for a few moments. He braced himself, squared his shoulders, and declared, “And I will never, ever let you hurt the woman I love!”

“What?!”

Immediately, Shadow felt the channels of his body unlock. Chaos energy flooded through his veins, nerves, and muscles. He felt life and vitality race through him, and a tingling sensation tickled his back, erasing the pain from the burn. His entire body fizzled with warmth. Shadow breathed out slowly, then opened his eyes. He didn’t look down at Amy’s expression, afraid he’d lose his resolve.

Excess Chaos energy sparked over his body, making his fur stand on end. He felt it run over and through him, begging to be let out. He stared Black Doom down and gave him one last heated glare. “It’s time to finish what I started ten years ago. Chaos...BLAST!”

Energy ripped its way out of Shadow, flying out of him faster than the eye could see. Windows shattered, walls splintered, and support beams snapped like matchsticks from the blast. The heavy door was blown off its hinges. Black Doom barely had the chance to yell before he was burnt to a crisp, eye and all. Shadow carefully watched the explosion incinerate his foe, ensuring there truly wasn’t anything left this time.

“Uh, Shadow?!”

Amy’s frantic tone reminded him of their location. He turned on his heel and sprinted out the door as the roof creaked and caved in. Rafters and ceiling boards fell behind him, flanking his escape as his speed finally returned to him. He skated furiously along the ramparts leading away from the collapsing castle and shouted, “CHAOS...CONTROL!”

Shadow skidded to a stop just outside Amy’s house, letting out a relieved exhale when he found he’d gotten it right at last. He only snapped out of it when he heard Amy’s own breathless laugh. He flinched when he realized their position.

“Ah—sorry! Sorry, I...” He trailed off and gently placed her back on her feet.

She giggled. “I don’t mind.”

The last few minutes came rushing back in for Shadow. He twitched in embarrassment. “Uh, about that...that thing I said...I didn’t mean—I mean, I did. I just—!”

“Shadow, it’s okay!” Amy insisted, holding up her hands and smiling awkwardly.

“No, I know it’s not!” he jumped in. Now that Amy wasn’t in his arms, he found he had nothing to do with his hands, so he held them behind his back. “I know you don’t—well, everyone knows you like Sonic.”

“Shadow.”

“No! I—I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I can—”

Before he knew it, Amy had taken his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. Floored, Shadow froze. After a few seconds, he slowly recovered and returned the kiss. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do, so he gingerly placed his hands on her hips and matched her warm, reassuring motions as best he could.

She pulled away all too soon and pressed her forehead against his. She giggled shyly.

He gaped like a fish. “Uhhh...so...”

She rested her arms on his shoulders and grinned. “I like you, too.”

His eyes were wide. “You do...?”

She snickered and nodded, biting her lip in amusement. “Of course! How could I not?”

He pulled his head back. “And...you knew I liked you, too?” he asked, glancing away in embarrassment.

She held a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. “People always tell me you’re hard to read, but you’re kind of obvious about this.”

He cringed in defeat. “Yeah. I’m kind of new to this. Dating, I mean.”

“Honestly? So am I,” Amy admitted with a shrug. “That’s why I asked Sonic for advice.”

Shadow side-eyed her, amused. “Sonic, giving you love advice?”

Amy toyed with her fingers and smirked. “It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? But I got over him a few months ago, and we’ve been getting along much better since then.”

“Ohhhhh...that explains a lot.” Shadow sighed. When he noticed Amy was looking at him oddly, he scratched the back of his neck and moved on. “So what was the advice?”

“Well, you know how you and I have been going on dates lately?”

Shadow’s eyes bugged out. “You mean you thought of them as dates, too?!”

Amy just looked confused for a moment. She burst out in laughter. “Shadow. You took me to a botanical garden. There’s literally nothing else more romantic than that!”

He crossed his arms, feeling defensive, but he found he couldn’t argue. “What was that advice again?” he asked, trying to push the conversation along.

Amy wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. “We kept going on obvious dates, but you wouldn’t kiss me. It seemed like you liked me, and I definitely like you, so I kept dropping hints, but you still wouldn’t do it.”

Shadow’s face was blank. “I don’t do hints.”

“Yeah...Sonic said that, too.” Amy smiled sheepishly. “He told me to stop being so traditional and just grab you and kiss you. I thought that was a terrible idea.”

Shadow brightened up. “I think it’s a great idea. You should do it again.”

Amy laughed and pulled him into a hug. She buried her face in his chest fur and just cuddled there for a while. He held her close, feeling more relaxed than he had in months.

Amy’s face brushed against his fur as she looked up at him. “So are you ever going to tell me what was up with your Chaos energy? Why did it come back so suddenly?” She half-smiled coyly. “Does it have anything to do with me?”

Shadow averted his gaze and coughed. “You kind of...drive me crazy, you know that?” Her smile grew. He pressed his lips together. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll give you the whole story—” He held up a finger. “But—you’re not allowed to tell Sonic he’s faster than I am.”

Amy matched his grumpy frown with a bright smile. “Deal.”

#shadamy #shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #sonic the hedgehog #fanfiction #The Ultimate Wife Form #Everyone Ships Shadamy

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aconstantstateofbladerunner · 4 years ago

Text

The Glitch

I get the Broken Reality au is a haha funny joke but there’s been some legit great art for it and since Butterfly is over and I haven’t gotten into the groove of my other projects yet, I decided to try some flash fiction of my interpretations. Note that this is very small and informal; I used whatever idea came into my head over the course of an hour or so instead of the weeks of planning that go into my usual fics. This was an experiment for fun. But if people enjoy the concept, I may be tempted to expand on it.

Credit to @lollitree @moonpaw @gentrychild @owlf45 and @cyber-phobia (I’m sorry if I missed someone I lost track of how many people were involved in this mess).

Content working for reference to infant death.

Please enjoy!

The city shut down for a typhoon warning. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Dark clouds blocked the sun so much that by mid-morning it still looked like it never bothered coming up. And yet the humidity made it too hot for coffee. Inko didn’t know how to feel. Work would have been a good distraction. But she didn’t want any coworkers or clients to see if today got to be too much. And it was already shaping up to be. She caught herself making two plates of food for breakfast.

Inko sat alone in the kitchen. She couldn’t bring herself to finish her own plate. Sickness set in fast. The food had been cold for a long time before she summoned the strength to get up and throw it away. Then she stood over the open trash can a while, debating whether to try and hold it together, or just throw up and get it over with. She eventually managed to keep her stomach steady enough to go back to her bedroom. There was another trashcan in there anyway.

A sound stopped her. From her office. The distinct sound of something heavy falling onto the carpet. Right as she walked past the door.

Please not this again…

She opened the door with her eyes closed. ��Her mind conjured a familiar image. A bedroom full of books and hero posters. Bright colors and personal touches. A child’s room. Inko opened her eyes to her drab home office. Some of the older case file binders slipped off the pile again. She really needed to sort those into storage. Not today though. She didn’t bother to pick it up.

Inko walked faster than normal the rest of the way to her room. She doesn’t want to face the temptation to search for old toys she remembers storing in the empty closet. Or search the walls for scuff marks from action figures tossed into them she could always see even after the walls were painted. She hid her planner on a tall shelf and put the ladder away to make it that much harder to go through it over and over looking for doctors’ appointments and school events she knew were coming up. Finally reaching her bed brought no comfort.

Of course she knew today’s date by heart. She hadn’t put it on a calendar in the fourteen years since she used to look at it every day. Inko stuck her head under her pillows, as if they could block out the silent noise of her memories. Memories of before, the time even when she was by herself, she was never alone.

Fifteen years now, today. With a shuddering gasp, the tears finally came. Thunder crashed outside. It’s not fair! Why is it still this hard after this long? Phantom kicks in her belly joined the growing ice there.

The hardest part was she still felt like that sometimes. Like she wasn’t really alone. Inko didn’t believe in ghosts, but the lost of what could have been was more than haunting enough. She felt it watching her. Judging her. Waiting just long enough for her to settle down into a peaceful, content existence before it reared up to plague her heart all over again. Cliché hauntings like spooky faces in the mirror or blood coming out of the drains would have been preferable. Those would be generic enough not to remind her directly.

Rain started outside. Her phone lit up with a notification she ignored in time with a thunderclap. The storm was getting closer.

Maybe I should call Hisashi, the thought crossed her mind. Maybe he’s going through this too. She bit her lip bloody. Her frustrated memories weren’t in question like the others. Probably not though. I don’t want to talk to him anyway.

Hisashi had been stuck in the denial stage of grief, which often came off as him acting like he didn’t take hers seriously. Not a year, not even half a year looking back, after they came home from the hospital, he wanted to try again.

“We can’t let mourning hold us up forever,” he said. “And it’s not like we lost a once in a lifetime opportunity! We’ve got at least another twenty years to keep trying!”

But we did lose him! she had wanted to scream. Still did, years later. Why didn’t he understand? He was your loss too! Inko wanted for the next roll of thunder, then shouted.

“I don’t just want any baby! I want Izuku!”

The lights went out. The temperature rose five degrees instantly when the ceiling fan stopped going. The rain stopped.

Power outage. Inko sat up with a sniffle. Turns out the notification was a warning about roving blackouts. Of course. Oh well. I wasn’t really in the mood to cook tonight any-

Thunder boomed even louder than before, making her jump. Then another. Lightning flashed outside at the same time. It was right on top of her.

What? I thought the typhoon wasn’t supposed to make landfall until later toni-

Another crash. It vibrated through her bones. Then another. The lightning lit up her whole room. Except for a shadow on the wall. Inko jolted to look, holding her breath, and found only her own shadow in the next flash.

“I’m such an idiot…” She went for her phone again. For peace of mind, she decided to use her data to check if an evacuation order went out. Or any updates at all really, since the weather came so much faster than the news said. “Nothing,” she sighed annoyed. “I hate being alone for weather like this…”

A new notification pinged.

[Mom]

Inko blinked rapidly. The message remained. All of her insides turned inside out in an instant, and she started crying again. Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? No one ever got a chance to call her that. She touched the note to open it, but nothing happened. No app or source was displayed. Nor did it go away after a few seconds like normal.

“Wha- What’s going on?” she wept. In a mix of sorrow and rage, she wound up to chunk the device across the room. But she froze.

Outside her window, floating against the pitch-black sky, were two small orbs. Perfectly circular and glowing. Watching her. She didn’t dare move.

Another ping. She looked without moving.

[I’m sorry]

“… What?”

For a moment, all the sounds in the world dropped out. They all came back at ounce.

Lights flickered. Both the ones inside and the lightning going outside. Multiple strikes laid on top of one another. No relief. Thunder pounded over and over like a drum solo. It shook the whole building. Inko ran into the closet away from the window. She slammed her hands over her eyes but it didn’t help. Her terrified cried were whispers to the screams of the storm.

A child’s scream. She heard it. Each flash of light came with a cry. The distinct sound of a little boy calling out in pain blended with unyielding nature. It came from every direction. Every hair on Inko’s arms stood up in fear. She felt the charge in the air. But she had to go out. Her baby was crying for help.

She burst from the closet into the living room. All the lights and appliances turned themselves on and off. The TV showed only static between its flashes. Something drew her too it. The storm was deafening. It pounded through her head like a heartbeat. The beats got faster. The static flashes started to look like a face. Her usual caution was abandoned as she fell to her knees and touched the screen. The snow cleared for a single instant. Just long enough to look like the blank eyes from the window. She felt the heartbeat there too.

Then it stopped. All of it. The noise and lights all went quiet and dark. The TV went completely cold in an instant. Inko, stunned, palmed over it looking for something. Anything. The pulse. Warmth. A burnt fuse or faulty wire. But nothing. The rain started again.

She pulled her hands back to her lap. Her heart was still racing and tears kept flowing down under her chin. She looked around. Everything in the living room and kitchen looked the same. No sign of the earthquake-like convolutions the whole appartement experienced only minutes ago. Inko combed the entire space for evidence. An object knocked off the shelf. A picture frame fallen from the wall. The notifications. Toys in the closet or scuffs in the wall. Still not a sign. She even stepped outside her door to check the sky. Only light rain and shattered thunder, just like the news said the day before.

There was only one thing out of place. Back in her bedroom, the bottom drawer of her nightstand hung open. Inko had to steal herself before approaching it. There were only two things in there: a little green blanket, and a picture of the ultrasound. The most recent one from her last appointment. The doctor said he was doing fine.

“Izuku…” she whispered to it in her hand.

She remembered the squealing little bundling being put in her arms for the first time. The first time he smiled at her. Teaching him to walk, then immediately launching into play. Him coming home with bruises and scrapes after the kids at school were mean to him, and crying in her arms. Then, him coming home with his first real friends in a long time. She made them all dinner. Katsudon. That was Izuku’s favorite.

Only she didn’t remember. The same way she didn’t really remember the toys and scuffs. Those were fantasies. Daydreams of what could have been. She just thought about them so often they felt like memories. Especially today. It was his birthday after all. They’d fade back into vague dreams by tomorrow. They always did.

And she would be left with reality. The silence. The cold, still little hand between her fingers. Soft cheeks without blush. Eyes that never opened. Clutching him too tight to her chest, knowing the second she let go he would be gone for real and it would all be over.

But it was never over. Inko went through this same torturous song and dance every year for fifteen now. All the guilt and dread would subside slowly over the next one, until it all came back at once. Just like this.

At least it’s done for now, she tried to reassure herself, climbing back into bed. It still wasn’t even noon yet. Plenty of time for another breakdown. Hopefully the next one won’t be, feel, as loud. She sighed heavily into her sheets. This sort of thing can’t be normal. I should really try therapy again.

Against her better judgement, she kept the blanket out, and clutched it to her chest. Static electricity pricked her fingers. With her other hand, she reached across the bed, and tried to imagine someone else there. Not Hisashi, never him anymore. Izuku. He was fifteen and happy, but the storm was making him nervous so he came to lay beside her. She remembered it like it was now. If she closed her eyes, she could feel his warm, soft skin, with a healthy, if a little anxious heartbeat just underneath. The mattress warped as he sighed.

“We’ll be okay. It’s just a little rough weather,” she promised.

“Okay, Mom,” Izuku answered quietly. “… I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” I’ll start trying to get myself together tomorrow. For now, let me have this.

Izuku didn’t respond for a while. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Happy birthday.”

#midoriya inko #midoriya izuku #broken reality au #the glitch #mha #bnha #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfiction #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #aconstantstateoffanfiction #april fools #the long con

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hermitcraftheadcanons · 4 years ago

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Scattered AU Conclusion

To tie up the Scattered AU, I have written a short conclusion. I can't even express how much I've enjoyed working with all of you on this, and once again I have to say I've been absolutely blown away by the number of contributions there were. I am so happy that this idea was loved, and I hope all of you continue to take joy from it even after the official end of the event. Once again, thank you.

I tried to cover as many Hermits as I could here, but my energy ran out partway through. Feel free to add on an ending for anyone I've missed. Also, it's worth mentioning that this conclusion is not the only possible ending and does not overwrite any other endings submitted for the AU. This universe is a multi-branched thing, and the timeline of the story is flexible depending on what makes you happy. With that being said, I hope you enjoy this small effort to keep up with all your boundless creativity. 💙

After a long discussion, the Hermits decide to stay in the season 8 world instead of starting a new one. They will take this broken wreck of a place and turn it into something beautiful, just like they have every season. They will heal alongside the world they created, fixing what glitches remain as they support each other and make their best effort at recovery.

Impulse settles in the desert, with Tango and Zedaph close by him. The hot air stings his transformed body, but he is more than done with water for now. Maybe one day he will return to it - but not this season. For now, he keeps the air in his base humid, learns to build with sandstone, and invites his friends over often. Sometimes they talk about the things they all went through, but mostly, they just talk about all the normal things friends talk about. How their day went, what might be causing Tango's latest farm to malfunction, how Zed is going to pull off his next wild plan... they're just glad to have each other back. They're just happy to not have to be alone and afraid anymore.

Cleo is rezombified with the help of Joe, Stress, and False, as soon as they can manage it. Nobody really understands why she wants that, but no-one really needs to - it's her choice. It's what she needs to feel whole again. Seeming vital and normal to the outside world is not nearly as important to her as being herself is, and the others are glad to see her back to her former undead glory. Returned to her familiar form, she laughs and jokes in a way much more alive than she ever seemed when her heart was actually beating.

Jevin keeps every single axolotl he found on his and X's journey through the caves. His mind returned slowly back to normal after Xisuma fixed the plugins, and focusing on the adorable creatures helped him to control the lingering aggressive tendencies as he recovered. Now, when another Hermit seems to be having a hard time, he'll let them borrow an axolotl to take care of until they feel better. It helps to ground them and give them a sense of control, and reminds them all how lucky they are to be alive in this strange, updated world.

Scar struggled. For a long time after the events of the early season, he struggled. He claimed he could control this new level of Vex power, but more and more, he felt as though he was being subjected to it rather than using it. He could feel himself slipping more and more every day, and it scared him, so much that he couldn't even say anything...but the others noticed. Cub's own connection to the Vex told him that this wasn't a sustainable way for Scar to live. Together with Mumbo, he formed a plan. Using Mumbo's new Evoker power, they summoned the Vex that was controlling Scar and broke its hold. Scar is more vulnerable to deals with the Vex now, and it will be a long time before he can visit the End again without feeling weak, but he's more than happy to feel like himself again. Eventually, TFC talks him through his fear of the End - talking himself through his own fear in the process. He offers to go with Scar the first time he decides to return. Both of them find the obstacle more manageable with a friend.

Ren, Grian, and Doc find themselves drawn to each other even after things go back to "normal", not wanting to be alone again. In fact, many of the groups that formed in the more than a year since the world started remain intact. Whether for comfort or protection, or just sharing resources, the Hermits continue to rely on each other. That trio specifically has something new in common - with Grian's new foxlike features, they are all mob hybrids now. They share experiences and support each other, and they can often be found gathering around a fire to tell stories. None of them particularly fancies the cold anymore.

After all that they went through, nobody feels very strongly about banning Evil Xisuma again. His crimes are so far in the past by now, and it feels wrong to condemn him to a future of darkness and isolation when he's already gone through so much of that this season. He doesn't live on the server permanently, preferring to wander off and cause mischief elsewhere, but when he does visit Hermitcraft he stays with Hypno. They bond over a desire to stay on the outskirts and a persistent fear of flowers. They live in a base in the ocean, not a blossom in sight.

XB and Iskall live in the jungle, close enough to see each other but far enough so they don't feel pressured to talk. Both of them feel slightly guilty for getting separated in the desert, but neither of them want to be the first to apologize. Their conversation happens in stops and starts, not in one big rush - but they get there. Eventually, they get there.

Etho drifts. For what seems like an age after the glitches are fixed, he drifts. He talks to the Beetlejhost, sends messages through him sometimes, even manages to manifest in a way others can see occasionally - but that takes a lot of energy. Mostly, he just drifts. He hovers especially around Xisuma, who works for hours on fixing his code. The world can't be considered fixed until everyone is here. Nothing can be fully right until all of his Hermits are safe. It's the hardest admin challenge he's taken on yet, but it's worth it. When he gets to finally hug Etho again, it's worth it. When he brings him to the shopping district and presents him to the other Hermits with tired eyes and a grateful heart, here and real and alive again, it's worth it. It is more than worth it.

Nothing will ever be the same again. That much is obvious. Though the world was fixed and the season went on, the physical changes and emotional wounds are too lasting to be erased, no matter how much time goes by and how much the Hermits support each other. No matter what, the things they went through are unforgettable. Nothing will ever be the same again - but it doesn't need to be.

What is broken will heal back differently, what was changed will be adapted to. New things will be created, new habits will be formed, and for each new fear and trauma there will be a new kindness to match. It won't erase what happened, won't make the pain of the past any less real - but it will help. Healing is not a return to one's original state. Healing is progress. And, together, the Hermits are making progress.

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

And, there it is! The inbox will stay closed for another day after this (because I do occasionally need a break), and then it will be open again for regular Hermitcraft headcanons. If you have made any art or writing for the Scattered AU that hasn't been posted yet, please feel free to send that in too! Chances are if you just tagged this blog without sending me a link, it probably got lost in the flood of notifications.

#hcraft #hermitcraftheadcanons #hermitcraft #hermitblr #scattered au #mod shade

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melloian · 3 years ago

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My wild au idea...

so i got a new art program. so i imagine this fake au idea.. so imma share it lmao. remember this is an imagination (and am still working on reboot au) and not some au or something. Alright let’s just get this cringe over went Remember this guy?

remember this kid?

now imagine them as an main character...yup..

Alright time to explain ig The boy and sandboy fused in body because of hawkmoth's glitch. The boy first witnessed this when he got scared of something else. He slowly turned blue. He screamed and cried loud because of course he didn't know what was happening, eventually turning into sandboy and terrorizing the city again. He then realizes everytime he gets scared he turns into sandboy. He proceeds to think the movie gave him strange powers (and not hawkmoth..well not in this fake au of course). Since he knows sandboy is evil, he came up idea to trick sandboy into doing something good. His plan was to put himself in danger on purpose (by an villain) in order to make sandboy think the villain is trying to attack him. The boy is only doing this in order for sandboy to no longer attack paris. Now to explain hawkmoth's situation, hawkmoth accidentally cracked the miraculous when he fall down (in a high tower awhile fighting the other day). He didn't know he did until he saw nooroo acting strange. But he didn't care so he proceeds to do it which led to the glitch. It affected his heart causing to become weak. However he doesn't care, he says himself that he would continue to use the butterfly miraculous, even if it costs his life at the end (he really just want his wife back so bad smh.) Gabriel gets the same symptoms as his wife which worries adrien.

Back to the boi himself.

in this imagination/fake au He just a friendly, energetic kid who like to play. He pretty much known as well-behaved kid. He sometimes curious about things.

He likes making new friends.

However he can get scared easily leading him to get nightmares. (he also easily cry too.)

He doesn't like mean people. (in this "fake" au, his age is 6) Sandboy himself

Sandboy here acts completely different here.. i mean he stills says "tHe SaNdBoY jUsT cHECkEd In. NoW nIghTmArEs CaN bEgIn" but only when using his powers. but he still different Sandboy is much more rude and more of an brat but still confident. He makes fun of people especially the villains he targets (he makes them furious on purpose). He's not scared of nothing, even if he saw lovecraftian horror or something, he wouldn't flinch. If he doesn't get his way, he will attempt fake cry so the person can feel sorry for him. (if that doesn't work he just will instantly use his power) Even though he rude and a brat, he can sometimes be helpful and nice. (he still acts like a child too.) Abilities: It would be epically lame if sandboy still have the same 1 power (rip chat noir). (and fook the sandman myth) He gains more abilities as time goes on and more fighting he does. Default power (just for reminder): He able to zap people and make their nightmares reality Gained powers list (in order): He will later be able to put people to sleep which would gave them nightmares Similar power to wishmaker expect its not childhood dreams. It just wishes in general, he able to grant them but he can either twist it for evil or grant the wish properly. He able to imprison people inside their own dream. he can now summon things out of his own dream or make it reality (can be past or present). he can bring people fears to life too (is not the same as nightmares just for clarification) Telekinesis He can go to sleep and can enter astral form. He can enter people's dream and warps it if he wants too or just watch. (he also have oneiricpotence awhile in dream) He can create an alternative dream universe and teleport people in it (he have oneiricpotence here too).

stronk kid Weakness: i made this so i wouldn't make him an absolute god machine All his powers works best at night. If use it in day, it would fail or it would work but it will go absolutely wrong. The only powers that don't suffer this is telekinesis and wish power. (sleeping power would work in afternoon and night) He can't keep using dream warper, alt dream, or dream imprisonment or else he becomes sick. (and when he's sick, his powers don't work properly{ he also gets dizzy})

He can't be astral for a long time, he will eventually snap back to his body. he still as fragile as an child.

Notes: He summons his pillow instead of being with him already.

Never of them wanted to be heroes in the first place.

Sandboy's hair only glows when its dark. Sandboy would change back to boy when all negative feelings are gone. For Nathalie in this au aswell, she pretty much don't want hawkmoth keep using his miraculous before he ends up in a coma. Eventually, Gabriel gets too sick and Nathalie takes his place. Nathalie attempts to fix both peacock and butterfly miraculous to continue his goal. She becomes Penumbra.

However, before she became penumbra, she was also effected with the glitch from Gabriel causing her to have catalyst stay in her aswell. Unlike the boy, she still have her own personality as catalyst and can use her power without transforming. idk why but its probably to make her dangerous. But Gabriel finally knew how the kid could transform to sandboy (he was wondering how he was transforming to his akumanzation form he given him) before he passed out (after he was defeated as scarlet moth.) So when gabriel got too sick, her goal was to find out more about that boy. Recurring characters

Even though chat noir and ladybug is still in the story, but they wouldn't have much focus.

Unlike in the original, ladybug or chat noir doesn't know sandboy's true identity but still thinks he a running akumanzation. however they don't attack him because he helping with the other villains. They confused if he an enemy or ally tho {why not both}. (they do thank him for defeating certain villains) They still have same personality and attitude. Other shit ig: This fake au takes place in season 2. The ep sandboy is no longer near heroes day ep, it would just be swapped with collector. Sandboy becomes less rude and bratty later on. Most fights would take place at night Sandboy had to learn hand to hand combat to be useful without using his night powers. There is no romance involved what so ever. Even though Nathalie fixes the butterfly miraculous, it wouldn't fix the glitch that happens to both her and the boy. She have to find something else in order to do that. Season 4 is were Gabriel's sickness gets worse and Nathalie takes his place. The boy would have 2 friends with him but its not manon or chris. The boy would be given a name. The boy would later find out how to change to sandboy without having to make himself scared. Remember this an fake au and this all came from my imagination/head. It just an idea. anyways see ya imma continue my own au now.

#marinette dupain cheng #nathalie sancoeur #sandboy #gabriel agreste #adrien agreste #ml au idea #mayura #miraculous ladybug au #miraculous hawkmoth #chat noir #off topic #shadow moth #scarlet lady au but im blue daba dee daba die #somebody looked at this post the last tag is inaccurate now ;-;

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badass-at-fandoming · 4 years ago

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Just Little Ventrue Things ~

I finished a Camarilla Ventrue run of VTMB. Mostly, the only thing Ventrue these days know how to do is Dominate, run screaming, eat hot chip, and lie, and [high falsetto voice] here’s a list of other nonsense I discovered:

PC’s name is Christina; she’s a Dominatrix because I’m bi. Her sire was one of her clients, and she’s actually very, very angry about his death. She doesn’t mind being a vampire. She’s Wiccan and part of a coven

In this Camarilla run, I decided I would only do quests given by Camarilla members. My justification was that, while Christina is intelligent and curious about lore, she focuses on tasks that immediately relate to her and her goals. She’s not curious about others; won’t go out of her way to talk to them. She’s not a bleeding heart, like my other PCs, and she believes in the Camarilla’s laws. She just hates LaCroix for killing her sire. Her plan during the game is to curry as much favor within the Cam as possible and cozy up to LaCroix so she can stab him.

Enough backstory

Nonsense time

Smiling Jack laughs at you if you don’t eat a rat in the tutorial. LOL. The Ventrue dialog is like “I could barely choke down the homeless man: please don’t make me eat a rat!”

The blood in the Santa Monica haven’s fridge is now blue blood. Does regular blood make Ventrue sick? I was too scared to experiment.

[spots Mercurio] I am going to steal that ghoul

Rosa: The people you’re looking for are up there. Christina, assuming Rosa is a Cam agent: Okay, thanks, bye

Never spoke to the Thin-Bloods again (sorry Lily baby ;-;)

Everyone except Julius still leaves when the PC reaches Hollywood

If you try to feed on Julius, he WILL kick you in the head and you WILL glitch into the fire, be on fire; run away screaming in Prada

You can skip the whole basement of the Ocean House Hotel if you manage to jump over the hole in the staircase???? Like?? You mean the spookiest fucking level has been optional this whole time I”M

[ghost appears] [Christina smacks it with an axe] None of that.

Club girls speak to Christina and I’m on the FLOOR

Therese “kills” Jeanette, even though I had enough oompa to make that not happen.

Therese joins the Camarilla and says she’s in good position to be the next Prince??? Hello??? Where is our Prince Voerman ending????

Went straight to LaCroix, called him “sir,” and he name-dropped Napoleon.

LaCroix tells Christina to go visit the Anarchs. She blows the Anarchs off (Nines made a growly face, Damsel dialog yowl-exited out after I asked if she wanted to join the Cam; Skelter threatened to murder me twice). When LaCroix told Christina that, while he admired her Cam loyalty, she must listen to her enemies to understand what they wanted, it felt like he was actually being a good sire and mentor.

That’s weird.

When Christina asked for his history, he very carefully explained his lineage, like the important part of Ventrue culture it is.

Overall, I found LaCroix-being-nice-to-me extremely unsettling.

Sir. Stop smiling at me, sir. Stop being impressed I don’t ask for money. STOP MAKING ME UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, SIR.

In contrast, LaCroix sounded genuinely betrayed at the end

Also made it more obvious when he started to lose track of his marbles

Ventrue PC seems juuuuuuust tall enough for her forehead to glitch into the ceiling of literally any confined space

The dirty Elizabeth Dane policeman didn’t psspspspsp at Christina so the whole ship was 15 white-knuckled minutes of making police dance and scuttling about

There is!!! A lot less!!! Talking in this game!!! Than I remember!!! She is only good at talking and ordering people around i am bEGGING

All EXP goes to Dominate and making Christina extremely charismatic and buff.

Ventrue himbo????

Beckett un-himbo-ifies her

She insults Beckett on their first meeting, spitting out “What do you want, wolfie?!” I thought this was appropriate because she died like, 4 times on that warehouse mission and was Extremely Stressed And Under Duress

Beckett’s response of “Oh, you’re too young to have mouthed off to the truly old ones yet.” makes his later snide remark of “the young ones are so temperamental” 900% funnier. Yeah, LaCroix! Beckett thinks I’ve grown and am now more mature than you! XD

Missions involving sex workers hit different when you’re a sex worker.

Christina was incandescent with rage at the Brotherhood

Grout’s mansion mission was a lot of “I have no interest in this nonsense.”

For the first time ever, I didn’t kill anyone during the Museum quest! This is because Christina ran very fast and Dominated every guard as quickly as possible. Every single fucking guard knew she was there, but could do nothing about it, because they were dancing. The door to the sarcophagus locked (it will do this if too many guards are agro), but locked doors are no match for noclip hack.

Entertaining image of a tall woman absolutely blasting into this museum room and Beckett tackling her to the floor like wait! I must snark at you! You are legally obligated to speak with me!

Isaac is still somehow a pretty chill guy to work with if you’re Camarilla.

Christina didn’t visit VV or Ash. Interestingly, Ash didn’t show up at the hunter monastery later. Did he just die in his club? Is he still there, waiting, deciding?

Christina @ Andrei: what the fuck is this shit

“I don’t care. It’s ugly. Clean it up.”

SEWERS.

Not as bad as I was expecting

Did take shortcut, run away from fights, ducked out in the middle for a snack, and bring 7 blue blood packs tho

Gary threatened to shred her face with a cheese grater, which I thought was Toreador only dialog?? It must be connected to the Appearance Stat. Which Christina has maxed out.

When Heather became Christina’s ghoul, I was delighted because I thought this meant Christina would always have fresh blood.

If you ask to feed on her too soon after the last time, Heather says she feels light headed and wants to lie down. The dialog exits out

I love you, Heather bb

Perfected the art of nudging NPCs into corners

Mitnick’s quests now feature Enforced Nap Time for all guards

Seriously, Dominate is ridiculously powerful, hooooly shit. I get why people like it. I also like it when people do things I ask them to do.

Christina can’t sneak, but she CAN strongly encourage everyone to choke on their own tongues.

Very high contrast in the beginning of the game: 2 punches would knock her over, but anyone she spoke to would obey immediately and without question

Chinatown goes by ridiculously fast if you can’t sneak and don’t do any sidequests besides Mitnick’s.

For the first time ever, Zhao survived! This is because Christina made him take a nap.

He just told her to leave

You’re welcome, my good dude

IDK if it’s a game glitch, but Christina would vocalize? In battle, she grunts with effort and pain.

Got to the point where I kept expecting Dominate dialog in every interaction and would get disappointed if it didn’t show up. What do you mean I have to actually convince people? That’s lame.

Christina was polite and charming to Ming Xiao, who also conveyed a deeper betrayal than normal at the end. ;-;

I promise to give you a Ventrue boy toy soon, Xiao

Finale arc quests went by VERY FAST because Christina can’t sneak for shit. Just run in, Dominate blazing

You can skip the outside bit of the Hallowbrook Hotel if you find the open door on the top level what the fuuuuuuuuuCK

[“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” plays while Christina wipes out the Sabbat in 10 minutes]

Andrei disappeared mid-fight and didn’t come back until I complained that only I was allowed to run away from boss fights

I’m categorizing “triggering the interaction to save Heather” as something quite difficult to do. The timing has to be just right. I’ve missed it twice now. BUT hacking into the game to save her is easy.

I love you, Heather bb

Final Beckett talk had the vibe of “You’re a very different person than me, but you’re also High Humanity and trying to do good. You don’t deserve to die.”

Damsel threatens to kick the shit out of Christina and is extremely reluctant to tell her where Nines is

“Out of all people, they send you? All right, let’s just talk terms.” - Nines because Christina was short with him one (1) time

WEREWOLF HARD

You can just?? Walk out of your haven?? Without speaking to Jack at all???

I didn’t do that

But I could have

[”Dust in the Wind” plays while Christina kills entire Camarilla hit squad in 3 minutes]

You can visit Mercurio and Trip on your way out of Santa Monica??

Mercurio makes no comment on the blood hunt. Business as usual with him. This is fine.

Christina: I’m SO going to adopt that ghoul. And perhaps Isaac can be convinced to part with Romero...

(For the first time ever, my PC boinked Romero. Twice, to receive the break up email)

This is definitely a glitch, but Christina brushed up against Caine, and a worried voice said, “Are you all right?” It sounded like the same voice actor, but a higher pitch?

Always nice to think about Caine demonstrating care

Christina asked Caine who he is, and Caine replied that he “gets people where they’re going. [He’s] a driver,” which is a nice nod (lol) to both his literal job as a driver and as a shepherd/creator/god to Kindred. Caine creates and makes fate.

Caine triple checks with Christina that she’s sure Strauss won’t betray her. Thanks, Vampire Dad. :’D

For some reason, only other Ventrue guarded LaCroix’s tower. I wonder if this is intentional. Like all the other Camarilla Clans backed Strauss and left? So only LaCroix’s Ventrue lackeys remain? Anyway, it created some weird moments where Christina fought her double.

KILL YOUR DOUBLE

Sheriff laughed in haughty joy that he was to kill Christina. I don’t remember him laughing in other playthroughs.

Christina ruining Caine and Jack’s prank oh noes

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kagrenacs · 4 years ago

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Explaining the Iceberg #8

In which the theories get worse as you delve deeper. (some content is cut because it’s not appropriate/something I would want to discuss)

Coldharbour/Clockwork Tamriel: Coldharbour has many locations that resemble Tamriel, and often are outright taken from it. C0Da seems to indicate Sotha Sil’s final goals for the clockwork city is to recreate and ‘perfect’ Tamriel.

The Crimson Ship: During the Knahaten Flu, the Kothringi were hit particularly hard, and the Crimson Ship was full of refugees trying to find a new home. They were turned away at every port, until reaching Hammerfell. After being turned away once again, they sailed out to sea. Some years later, pirates found the ship full of corpses.

Storming of the citadel: Unsure of this, the wording is too general. It could possibly refer to the Morrowind Mainquest, when you take back the profane tools, A Covenant quest in Elder Scrolls Cnline, or the Main quest in Elder Scrolls Online

Altmeri formwars: Mentioned in an MK short story. Possibly a war from a previous Kalpa that involved the Dreugh

Yagrum Bagarn made the Numidium: He states he was a Tonal Architect under Kagrenac, there’s a possibility he may have worked on the Numidium as well.

Sons of Hora: Mentioned in the Nu-hatta, related to mantling. ‘this is the death children bring as son’s of Hora’. My guess is that it’s the ability of mortals (sons of Lorkhan, Hora?) to actually mantle deities and understand their limits.

Kaleidocules: ‘Leaky Creatia’ the power of creation, magical possibility

Ayleids=Bird people: A race of unnamed bird people Topal the Pilot was said to have met on his journey across Tamriel. Since they occupy the same region as Ayleids did (although they seem to have been present before the Ayleids and subsequently died out), and since Ayleids have recurring bird motifs within their armor and art, it’s thought that these two groups may be one in the same.

Dragon Tusk: The name of the oversoul (cumulation of all aspects) of Akatosh/Auri-el ect. Is Aka or Aka-Tusk.

Lorkhan’s heart the egg of time: In Morrowind, the egg of time is a rebuttal paper to Kagrenac’s theories on the use of the tools on the heart of lorkhan.

Khajiit ??? Genetic memory: I can’t make out if that says lactable as in the infant formula for babies, or something else.

The Prisoner: A name for all playable characters in tes, revolves around the concept of seeing past barriers formed previously (the prison) and overcoming these obstacles to change things.

82nd Crodo: Mentioned in the redguard forums, a community in Alinor.

City of Rockcreek: In Arena, there is a city called Rockpark. A glitch in town generation happened, and the palace to Rockpark was blocked off, rendering it inaccessible. In Daggerfall, the developers referenced this glitch in ‘Ius the Animal God’ But misspelled Rockpark as ‘Rockcreek’

Atmora-Aldmeris Invasion: Not quite sure what this references, my best guess is the invasion of the Atmorans and Aldmer from their respective continents to Tamriel.

1008 weapons of rapture: 1008 or 108 is usually in reference to Cyrodill (8+1 gods), in Et’Ada, Eight Aedra, Eat the Dreamer, there is mention of 1008 weapons of rapture. This could possibly refer to the Divines, the Middle Dawn that lasted 1008 years, or perhaps 1008 literal weapons.

Thalmor UFOs: Seems to have originated on the iceberg

King Harald and Talos die at 108: There goes that numerology again

Adamantia Scroll rocket: While this seems to have originated on the iceberg once again, there is a group of tes LARPers with the shared name Adamantia

Ghartoki: Mentioned in what my beloved taught me after Vivec reads a symbol on Nerevar’s palms (possibly some sigil, scars or just reading palms). Ghartok in Ehlnofey means hand, and in the sermons it’s often associated with the word Padhome, or change.

Thalmor and Jyggalag: The Altmer are orderly so they worship Jyggalag.

Motheaters: A little song mentioned in this thread https://www.imperial-library.info/content/forum-archives-unknown-posts

Klecksographic Lyg: Another iceberg original, Klecksography is the art of making art from inkblots, essentially this is just saying how lyg was created in a fancy way

Ha-Note is Mehrunes Dagon: https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/3o0uwk/nanote_dagon/ the original theory is here, TL;DR Ha-Note, a monster born from Vivec, renamed itself ‘City-Face’ and fled to Lyg. The ‘grabbers’ grabbed it, because they can’t create things of their own and said they’d build a Hope-Tower upon it’s face. In the Commentaries of Mankar Cameron, he states Mehrunes Dagon was built from hope.

Zurin Arctus=Versidue Shae: An apparently deleted theory, mentioned only in this post debunking it https://www.reddit.com/r/teslore/comments/9rs2ad/what_were_the_motives_of_versidue_shaie/

The King’s Cough: Mentioned in Sermon 29, another name for the Thu’um

The Catalyst: The driving force that starts an Enantiomorph

Tsaescence: A tsaesci word from We ate it to become it, MK states it means it’s the Tsaesci word of “High Perception” In context, seems to mean something similar to CHIM.

Hero of Kvatch=Pelinal Whitestrake: See the Knights of the Nine DLC. (To expand further, there are many similarities between the two, force of change, knight to the emperor/empress)

Amiel Arctus: An old screen name for Michael Kirkbride

The Space Gods: Found in the last song of Pelinal and Eight Aedra Eat the Dreamer, like many things in tes, it’s Lorkhan.

Uriel V: The father of Uriel VI, tried his best to invade Akavir.

Otherkin: You are reading this on tumblr. You know what this is. MK made a lengthy forum post about how Tosh Raka hates the Otherkin for some reason.

Falmer are Hermaified: Horrible word, but there are resemblances between Hermaeus Mora’s shrines, and Falmer shrines.

Invisible Dragons: In morrowind, if you ask M’aiq about dragons, he’ll state they’re too high up to see. Or invisible

Alien Ayleids: A relic from the since deleted bethesda forums. MK wanted to have a plot twist where Ayleids were Aliens.

The insect god: Mentioned in the Adabal-a, or Morhaius’s memoirs. May be a since-retconned god, could possibly be Lorkhan due to his frequent connection with Scarabs.

Suicide Trolls: An easter egg in Oblivion, a poorly scrawled note and a troll found dead under a bridge across the bridge from Bravil.

Arkay=Arnand the Fox=Zurin Arctus: Zurin Arctus is sometimes called Arnand the Fox (Seen in where were you when the dragon broke) Shor is also represented as the fox, which makes sense since Zurin is a Shezzarine. This connects to Arkay by Malacath/Orkey/Arkay, who is a trickster god (fox like) in Nordic pantheons. Malacath also got compared to a fox once. I never said these theories were well backed up.

Dwarf-Orc theory: referring to Dumac, who is sometimes called Dumalacath, or Dumac Dwarf-Orc, suggesting he has an orcish and dwemer parents. This also may imply there are cross cultural connections between the two groups (especially when you consider the Rourken clan having Volenfell, Malacath’s hammer.), meaning Dwemer blood could still be present within Orcish clans.

Tosh Raka: The Dragon-God of the Ka’Po’Tun. Became a dragon through unknown means (possibly through Dracocrysalis?) Hates the otherkin I guess.

A worn and weathered note: A curious note from Morrowind. https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:A_worn_and_weathered_note

TalOS: Talos is called a virus by Jubal in C0da. If you think of the Aurbis as a computer, Talos could be considered analogous to a Trojan Virus when you look at his place in the pantheon of Divines. He used the mantella to cheat-code the universe into accepting it as Lorkhan’s new heart to power the Numidium. An error occurred, and now the universe considers TalOS the new Lorkhan.

King of Worms = The Underking: Both are liches, both are undead, that’s about it. May stem from initial confusion of MK saying there were ‘multiple underkings’ when he meant there were multiple copies of the same person in the dragon break.

500 companions were dragons: the 500 mighty companions, an obscure text calls at least one of the companions a dragon, and some of the names were draconic sounding.

Dreamer can’t wake up: Straight from the mouth of MK, this might mean ‘the Godhead isn’t literal’ or it might literally mean, the universe can’t cease to be because the Godhead just stops.

#the elder scrolls #tes iceberg #Kagrenacs Journal

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xjoonchildx · 5 years ago

Text

airplane, pt. 2 | jjk x reader chapter five: home

pairing: jungkook/reader

word count: 2.9K rating: 18+

genre: smut | silly smut | nonsensical smut

warnings: criminal!jungkook, koreanamerican!jungkook, reality has left the chat, plausibility has left the chat

A/N: i've never had so much anxiety posting an update. next time i decide to fly by the seat of my pants and turn a one-shot into a full chaptered fic, just punch me in the face, okay?

all kidding aside, standard smut warnings apply to this chapter and i really hope you guys like it.

xoxo

Chapter 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

artwork by the shmexy @ppersonna who’s smut is even better than her art

*****************************

“You broke into my house.”

It takes you a solid minute to find the breath to power that shaky sentence.

Your legs are already like noodles from your run and at this point they are threatening to come right out from underneath you. You reach a hand out to the wall to stop yourself from hitting the deck.

Jungkook stands slowly from where he’s seated on the couch, a careful smile on his lips.

“You gonna call the cops?”

You stare at him.

Jungkook is in the country. In Los Angeles. In your living room .

He’s wearing a leather jacket over a t-shirt and jeans and his hair is cut short again. He is alive and in one piece and looks somehow even more handsome than he did the last time you saw him. How does he do that?

You’re so distracted by Jungkook -- in your fucking house -- that you miss the look of concern that comes over him the longer you stand there without saying something. It’s like your brain is hung up -- glitching -- trying to process the scene in front of you.

“You okay?”

“You broke into my house ,” you say again, as though that should answer his question.

“That is a matter of semantics,” Jungkook argues. “I would say that I let myself in because I knew you wouldn’t want me just standing around outside. Aren’t you the one always telling me to keep a low profile?”

A disbelieving laugh bubbles up your chest.

His sarcasm is comforting, even right now, when your heart is still racing and you can’t seem to stop sweating and you’ve just realized that you’re pretty fucking pissed that he dropped off the radar and didn’t contact you for weeks.

“So we should probably talk, huh?”

“You think?”

Now it’s his turn to laugh. He sinks back down onto the couch and gestures for you to join him.

You don’t.

“How the hell did you get here?” you demand.

“Same way I got out, pretty much,” he shrugs. “Mexico. Hitched a ride to San Diego and Yoongi was able to pick me up there. Good thing I’m not from Iowa or some shit, huh?”

He aims a hopeful smile at you like he’s searching for a way to connect but you don’t return it.

A flash of disappointment crosses his face.

“Yeah,” you say quietly. “Good thing.”

You look down to his lap. His hands haven’t stopped moving, fingers winding together and unwinding over and over. He’s nervous.

Well, good.

“I’m gonna turn myself in tomorrow,” he says after a long moment.

He knocks the wind out of you with that.

“Holy shit,” you breathe.

“Yeah. Turns out, I’m being represented by some incredibly-connected, high-dollar attorney.” He looks up and fixes you with those dark, hypnotic eyes. “Any idea where I could have gotten one of those?”

Seokjin, you fucking angel.

“Maybe,” you murmur. “What did he say?”

“Well, he told me to get my happy ass back to the States. Said the Marshals would appreciate me walking in on my own as opposed to having to drag me back. Said I’m going to have to eat some crow if I expect them to listen to anything I have to say.”

He rubs a hand across the back of his neck, against the grain of the now short hairs at his nape.

“Told me to get a haircut, too.”

That makes you smile. Jin is nothing if not thorough.

“So what does -- “ you clear your throat, “ -- your attorney say about what happens after that?”

“No way to know for sure,” Jungkook admits. “They could lock me up and throw away the key or they could decide on something else. Kind of a roll of the dice at this point.”

Your chest squeezes at the thought of Jungkook walking into that Federal Building and leaving in a transport van. You shut your eyes like that will somehow stop the mental image.

“And you’re turning yourself in anyway.”

He fidgets with his ear like an anxious kid.

“Yeah.”

“Alright,” you say on a shaky exhale. “Okay. Wow.”

A tense silence falls between you.

“I need you to talk to me,” Jungkook says after a moment. “I need to know where your head is at right now.”

Do you know how hard I went to bat for you? you want to scream, which is unfair, really. He’s never asked you for your help. Everything you’ve done, you’ve done on your own. But now he’s here and in front of you and you are practically buzzing with the urge to vent your frustration at him.

“Why didn’t I hear from you?”

You hope like hell you’re the only one who can hear the thread of insecurity in your voice. “You had the burner number and I just -- never heard from you again. And now you’re in my house.”

“I know,” he admits. His fingers keep lacing together, unlacing. “I know it’s really fucked up to just ambush you like this. It’s just that shit got really hairy for me in Nicaragua. These guys stole my phone.”

“But you managed to call Yoongi,” you snap.

“Well yeah,” he fires back. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. I’ve had his number for years. I got in touch with him as soon as I could get my hands on a new burner.”

You tell yourself to relax.

You tell yourself that it’s a totally plausible explanation and put a hand to your forehead as though you expect to be able to feel your temperature coming down. As though you’ll be able to feel the anger draining out of you until all that’s left is the relief that he’s here, that he’s okay.

You take a deep breath, release the tension that’s had you wound so tight.

“I left the bureau.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen.

“Holy shit,” he breathes, “Did they -- Did I -- “

“Don’t give yourself too much credit,” you cut in, rolling your eyes. “It wasn’t really about you. Not all of it, anyway.”

He opens his mouth to say something, but thinks better of it. There is a melancholy in his eyes that unnerves you.

You’ve seen him cocky and arrogant and unrepentant and flirtatious. But this — this hat-in-hand version of him, devoid of his trademark bravado is so disconcerting.

He looks away from you, back down to his hands. You wrap your arms around yourself and take a moment to just look at him, to appreciate his striking face. You think back to the first time you saw that face, how dumbfounded you’d been by his physical appearance.

Then he opened his mouth and your fate was sealed.

One way or another this debacle ends in just a few short hours.

The rational part of you craves a conclusion to this insanity, an end to the near-constant anxiety you’ve felt for months now. But there’s the other part of you that worries this will end with Jungkook behind bars for the rest of his life. You don’t know if you’re ready to accept that just yet.

“Can you um --“ Jungkook wets his lips, “-- can you come sit with me?”

“Yeah,” you agree quietly.

You cross the room and slide next to him on the couch.

He reaches for your hands, but does not meet your eyes. His fingers stroke over your wrists and not for the first time you wonder how he manages to make the most simple touches feel so good.

“You asked me one time,” he starts quietly, “about why I quit school. And I -- “

“Don’t -- ” you interrupt, “-- you don’t owe me an explanation.”

He shakes his head.

“Uh yeah,” he chuckles cynically. “Yeah, I do. I owe you pretty much any explanation you want at this point.”

You look down at where your hands are joined, down to where Jungkook is rubbing the calloused pad of one thumb against your palm.

“My mom got sick. And it didn’t feel right to stay in school when I could be working and helping to bring in some money.”

You remember the dig you made at him -- the way his face had shuttered -- and you feel an acute pang of guilt.

“I’m so s --”

“No, listen to me please,” he says adamantly. “She’s doing a lot better now and I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. But I need you to know that for every good thing I’ve ever done, I have done something equally as fucked up. And I just want -- “

He exhales heavily, scrubs one hand along his jaw.

“ -- I just want you to know that this shit with the money and the running is just some of me. I’ve done some really stupid shit but that’s not all I am.” He leans closer to you, pins you with that bottomless gaze. “I need you to understand that. Am I making any sense?”

You swear you can feel your heart squeeze in response.

“Yeah, you are,” you say softly. He reaches one hand out to cup your cheek.

“So can I kiss you now or are you still mad at me?”

You’re tempted to tease him but he looks so unsure of himself in this moment that you resist. You look down at yourself, remember you are still in sweaty running gear and cringe imagining what you must look like at this moment.

“I’m gross,” you protest in a whisper.

He leans closer, mouth hovering just over yours.

“Ask me if I care.”

******************************

Jungkook at least has the decency to let you shower before taking to you bed.

But just barely.

The second you are clean and dry he’s on you, mouth and hands everywhere at once. Your skin -- already warm from the hot water -- heats even more under his touch.

He’s different tonight you think, as you lie back on your bed and his lips work up the column of your throat. There’s a determination to the way he’s holding you, an urgency to the way he’s pressing his body against yours.

You stroke your hands down his back, feel the answering ripple of muscle underneath your fingertips. His body is leaner than it was in Puerto Rico and the realization sparks a sad throb in your chest.

Nicaragua must have been a lot tougher than he’s letting on.

But then his lips skate across your collarbone and you force yourself to push the thought from your mind. Whatever happened to him there is over. He’s here and he’s okay and he is literally on top of you and that’s the only thing you want to think about right now.

“I missed you,” he whispers and a shudder runs up your spine in response.

You rake your nails against his nape, fingers teasing his freshly cut hairline and he makes a satisfied groan against your mouth, pressing his hips firmly into yours.

It’s impossible at this point to ignore the nudge of his hard cock against your stomach. You snake a hand between your bodies to wrap warm fingers around his pulsing length and he pulls back to suck in a pained breath.

“Jungkook, I -- “ you start to speak, but an uncomfortable tickle in the back of your throat stops you. He opens his eyes to look down at you.

“You okay?”

Hell no, you’re not okay.

It feels like if you open your mouth to answer him, you’ll cry and you are not a crier and he’s looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to say something -- anything.

“Yeah, I just…um,” you stumble over your words and it takes a moment for that uncomfortable feeling to subside long enough for you to speak. You have to wait until your voice comes out even and controlled before you can finish.

“I missed you, too,” you say, finally.

His lips curve into a small smile.

“I know you did.”

He drops his mouth down to pull at one soft nipple with his lips and teeth. You sigh, arching into his touch.

The soft exhalation seems to set Jungkook off, makes the steady grind of his hips pick up in speed. He tongues at your nipples until they are aching and hard then slips a finger into your channel to test your wetness.

He brings his mouth close to your ear, breath warm against the shell.

“I can feel just how much you missed me,” he teases in a low voice.

Arrogant bastard. He’s right, though.

You huff a laugh as his fingers work in and out of you slowly, drawing out your wetness. He covers your mouth with his as his thumb rubs slow circles against your clit and you moan into his kiss.

“Fuck me,” you say quietly and you feel the tremors that run down his back at your words. “Please,” you beg, “I don’t want to wait anymore.”

Jungkook kisses you again -- long and hard -- before pulling away to grab a condom from his jeans.

You take the moment to appreciate how handsome he is, chest covered in a sheen of sweat, lean body tense with the need for release. You watch the corded bands of his arms move as he crawls back onto the bed, sheathed and ready. He leans his weight on his forearms and the muscles in his shoulders become even more prominent as he lines his body up with yours.

You lift your head to suck at the hollow of his neck just as you feel the blunt tip of his cock nudge your entrance.

“Do it, Jungkook,” you moan, rolling your hips against him. “ Now.”

He groans as he obliges you, pushing slowly inside and you brace your hands around the tight muscles of his arms until you can feel him anchored deep.

“Fuck,” he whispers. “Every time it’s like I forget how good you feel.”

Strange how you were just thinking the same thing -- thinking about how no one else has ever pulled these responses out of you. It’s like your body knows this man -- like it knew him way before your brain ever did.

He rocks into you slowly, deeply, pelvis flush with yours each time he strokes to the hilt. His pace is languorous and it makes your entire body feel heavy with pleasure. You wrap your legs around him tight, willing him deeper even though you know that’s not possible.

The painfully unhurried rhythm is so, so good , but it’s not enough.

Not when you can feel the threat of your release building between your legs and you need more to get you there. You angle your hips up, trying to capture more of the friction.

Jungkook takes the hint, moving one hand to cup your ass. He pulls you into each snap of his hips, forces you to take every inch on every thrust.

“Come for me,” he pants. “I can’t hold out much longer.”

You can only whine your response, too fucked out at this point to form sentences. It takes just a few more deep, desperate thrusts to make you start to unravel. Jungkook lets go the instant he feels you start to quiver around him and he doesn’t back off, lacing his fingers into yours and pinning you down into the mattress with the full force of his body.

Once the loud moaning and desperate movements slow to a stop, he drops his forehead down on yours.

The two of you breathe each other’s air for a while until your chests stop heaving and your hearts stop pounding.

***********************

“When does this all go down?” you whisper, cheek pressed to Jungkook’s chest.

You’ve spent the last five minutes enjoying a warm, comfortable silence.

But that hasn’t stopped your mind from wandering back into worry.

Jungkook presses the length of your body into his side with one firm hand. You feel him tense when you ask the question.

“10 AM.”

“10 AM,” you echo numbly.

“Yeah,” he whispers, stroking lazy patterns with his fingers down your back.

“So,” he clears his throat. “Are you...ready to talk about what’s going on here?”

You’re glad that from this angle he can’t see your reaction, can’t see the flush that spreads over your face.

“No,” you mumble childishly.

“You’re such a brat,” he teases, dropping a kiss on your hair. “So fine. I’ll do the talking then. I met someone.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. She’s got her head on straight, and…” he trails off for a moment. “...she’s got me thinking about how I can get my head on straight, too.”

You smile into his skin.

“What’s she like?”

“Well, she’s a lot of different things at once. Kinda feisty, super smart, very cool,” he murmurs. “Unemployed, but hey — no one’s perfect.”

Your shoulders shake with laughter.

“Is she hot?”

“Nah,” he teases, and he jumps when you pinch his stomach. “Way better than hot. She’s beautiful. And she’s into me. Really, really into me.”

Your cheeks heat but you keep the tone light.

“How do you know she’s not just using you for sex?”

“Well in the beginning she was,” he chuckles. “But then she showed up for me in a big way. A really big way. So even though it’s really hard for her to come out and say how much she likes me, I already know. She’s already shown me.”

That uncomfortable itch in your throat returns when he says that. It’s so weird to be understood so thoroughly by someone you barely know.

“She sounds pretty amazing,” you say after the sensation subsides long enough for you to speak.

“Yeah, she is,” he whispers. “So I’m gonna go to this meeting tomorrow morning and try to fix the mess I’ve made. Cause maybe now I have a reason to stop being such a reckless asshole.”

You screw your eyes shut and will the unexpected tears that spring to your eyes not to fall.

“10 AM, right?”

He drops another kiss into your hair and pulls your body in closer.

“Yeah. 10 AM.”

**********************

#jungkook x reader #jungkook smut #ksmutclub #btswriterscollective #bangtanarmynet

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kylos · 5 years ago

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i was asked to make some fic recs of stuff i’ve been reading since tros dropped but since tumblr has a glitch where i can’t add a “read more” cut in asks, i decided to make it a separate post because i have a LOT. all of them are rated E except for like, three lmao and they’re mostly modern au ones with some fix-its thrown in. i’ll put two of my favorites outside of a cut and the rest after it.

(won’t you let me) walk you home from school by somethingdifferent modern au. ongoing. ben and rey are co-workers at a private school. rey as a elementary school art teacher is SO CUTE. her and ben have a slow burn enemies to lovers situation going on and god, what can i say about this fic. one of THE BEST reylo fics i’ve ever read. incredibly in character. you know those fics that are so enthralling that they draw you in and you realize like 3 hours later that you’ve read the whole thing? this fic is one of those stories. it reels you in. and REY. i hate fics that are like, “she’s so plain and mousy and ordinary and lanky” like, NO. i love that this author characterizes her as the vibrant, sweet, radiant person she is. and ben’s deadpan humor in this is amazing. he’s got it so bad for rey but he’s such a self-sabotaging goof. just, god. i can’t stress enough how amazing of a fic this is. a must read. and if you love what we do in the shadows, read somethingdifferent’s cracky wwdits x reylo crossover oneshot - it’s hilarious

a place to go by delia-pavorum (literaryminded) modern au. bit of a slow burn. ben and rey are strangers and accidentally both end up at luke’s cabin during xmas vacation because luke, a fellow teacher at rey’s school lends it to her for the holiday and a certain grumpy tol nephew of his happens to drop by thinking it’s vacant. they get snowed in. [in bill hader’s stefan voice] this fic has everything: bed sharing, an enemies-to lovers dynamic, slow dancing to frank sinatra, snark, british!rey and ben finding her accent adorable, ben reading jane austen to a sick rey, smut, and fluff. another one of the best reylo fics i’ve ever read in the past 5 years i’ve been a shipper. it’s so well written and it made me cry with how moved i was by it. i stayed up all night reading all 8 chapters it was that good.

the man, the stallion, and the wind by voicedimplosives modern au. i love this fic so, so, so much. rey picks up a hitchhiking ben and they have to hang out in her trailer while the winter storm calms down. so fluffy and smutty i love it so much. their characterizations are perfect. definitely a fic that i’m gonna come back to read over and over again.

between two lives by neonheartbeat modern au. rey’s a model and her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and she stays with mechanic ben solo while her car gets worked on. SUCH a good fic. the build up to their relationship is *chefs kiss* and the smuttttt. amazing. and i was not prepared for all the feels.

carve your name upon my heart by TourmalineGreen modern au and 3 chapters. one of the most unique fics i’ve ever read. it actually got me really emotional and i like, hardly ever cry reading fics. rey’s an artist that creates a sculpture (ben) that comes to life. such a beautiful fic, i absolutely adore it.

big dick problems by TourmalineGreen modern au. rey and ben are co-workers at a book store and ben being a kind of aloof person, rey thinks he hates her (she’s wrong ofc asdklfjsd). anyway one day at work she sees that he was browsing the r/bigdickproblems subreddit on his phone aaaand i won’t say more. seriously, go read this. it’s SUCH a good fic, ben & rey are so in character and it’s a good plot.. it’s one of those fics that i’m definitely gonna come back to re-read a bunch of times.

rebel side of heaven by jeeno2 modern au. ben and rey are friends, but i guess they’re more so acquaintances in the same friend group. ben’s a virgin and rey offers to teach him about sex but unbeknownst to her, ben’s got a massive crush on her 😏

tattooed heart by KyloTrashForever modern au. one of the best modern au fics i’ve ever read. i stayed up all night reading it, it was soooo good. just. the smut, the fluff. i can’t recommend it enough. the description: “ Rey Johnson has found herself down on her luck lately. A week long vacation to Hawaii for her best friend’s destination wedding should be just the thing she needs, only her day has been hell. Hell, her year has been hell. When the hot bartender with that fucking mouth makes her an enticing proposition, she finds herself unable to refuse. Besides, it isn’t as if she’ll ever see him again...”

sealed to me by glittergothh canonverse and takes place after tlj. this could serve as a tros fix it tbh because it’s like it’s own movie. i love the plot and ben & rey are so in character. the knights of ren actually play an integral part in this. love the finn/ben interactions.

love like ghosts by Yours_Truly_Commander_Shepard canonverse. my favorite tros fix-it fic so far. features the world between worlds, ezra, ahsoka, and anakin. rey goes back in time to save ben. and the scene where rey visits ben on mustafar 👀🔥 LORD. i LOVE this so much and it was just what i needed to read after the train wreck that was tros.

I've Got You, Babe by crossingwinter modern au. oneshot. a REALLY cute t-rated fic about ben taking care of rey after she gets the flu :’)

charcoal and petals by Hormonal_Trashbag modern au. a really sweet tattoo artist/flower shop worker fic that i really enjoyed! i’m a sucker for this trope because of abigeyedowl’s gorgeous tattoo-artist!ben and florist!rey art tbh

9 Pints by tigbit modern au. ben’s a vampire. oh my god this fic is amazing. it’s still ongoing but some of the best smut i’ve EVER read. a bit of a slow burn but man. it’s so good.

miles from where you are by Mooncactus modern au. i hardly EVER read anything under M but this has to be one of THE best reylo fics i’ve ever read. their characterizations, the slow burn, oh my god. it’s SO good and funny and fluffy. enemies to lovers perfection. the description: “After an argument over Star Wars fandom with a "gatekeeping, entitled monster" with the cryptic username of KyloRen, Rey finds herself stuck in a series of unavoidable video calls.”

saving mr. wanks by LovesBitca8 modern au. oneshot. rey catches ben in the act of uh, wanking off in the men’s restroom lmfaooo. it’s rare when a fic actually makes me like cry of laughter and this fic was hilarious. and the SMUT oh my god. so good.

auld lang syne by KyloTrashForever modern au. oneshot. ben and rey are roommates. ben keeps getting text messages from an unknown number with uh, explicit pictures and he eventually accuses rey of sending them to him ASLKDFJSD. i won’t say more because i don’t wanna spoil it but i love this fic sm.

bliss, balance and birth by crossingwinter canonverse. oneshot. ben teaches their daughter how to read. this is SO cute and just what i needed to read after tros.

gorgeous by Ever-so-reylo (Ever_So_Reylo) modern au. ben and rey are co-workers and they end up having to go on a company retreat. enemies to lovers perfection

caught in the headlights by jeeno2 modern au. twoshot. “Rey Johnson forgets to wear a bra to work. Fortunately, nobody notices. (Except for Ben Solo.)” 😏

transference by fear_of_being_bitten modern au. ongoing. rey is ben’s psychologist so this is definitely a taboo fic but GOD the tension between them is like no other fic i’ve read. ben’s an asshole with this air of bravado about him because he’s trying to cover up his insecurities and rey is having none of his shit no matter how much he tries to push her buttons. it’s so well written and another one of the best reylo fics i’ve read. i’m so eager for each update to the fic. here’s an excerpt:

“So you enjoy controlling powerful women,” Rey repeats, making her voice sound uninterested. She takes notes, although it’s unlikely she’ll forget a word of what he’s saying. It gives her an excuse to look away from him.

“I do. But it’s not the taking of the control that I like. I’m big enough that I can take whatever I want.”

me when i read that:

aaaand that’s it for now. i’m still continuing to read fic like every day since i got laid off (thanks covid lmao) so feel free to hit me up in a few weeks or months or whatever and i’ll share more of my fave fics <3

#reylo #fic recs #*

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thespianbooks · 4 years ago

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A Court of Nightmares and Starlight //Chapter 19//

Masterlist

(tags: @thron3ofbooks, @df3ndyr, @courtofjurdan, @art-e-mis, @herondamnn, @the-third-me, @im-still-trying-here, @emikadreams, @paytin77, @mis-lil-red, @sleeping-and-books, @lucieisabooknerd, @amandaraey-sunshine, @easy-p-lemon, @azymondias05, @dagypsygirl, @makeshift-utopia) *bold tags don’t work ;-;

A little late today, and with some minor tumblr glitches ><, but here’s chapter 19! Enjoy loves!

XXX

Being on strict bed rest was going to be a lot harder than I originally anticipated.

After the first couple of days, wherein Madja assured my mate and I that I was making excellent progress in my recovery, I began to grow mindlessly bored. During those first few days, Rhys continued his vigil at my side, but mercifully slept and ate when I did. He reopened his line of communication with our friends in the estate, talking with them mind-to-mind and updating them on my condition. He also relayed any messages they had for me, allowing me past his mental shields so I could hear their words directly. After hearing Mor practically beg to see me after the umpteenth time, I informed my mate that it was time to put an end to our isolation period. His male-bonded instincts made him reluctant at first, but after I reminded him of the instructions given to him by our healer—to allow our friends, our family, to take care of the both of us, he acquiesced.

Now, a week later, I was more than content when they took turns visiting me. Sometimes they would visit in pairs—my sisters, Mor and Amren, Cassian and Azriel, or sometimes all at once; I was almost never bored now that I had their company. However, this period of confinement to my bed set the others on a new protective edge I had never seen before. Before the incident, they had all done their best to help me whenever I was uncomfortable, or when some pregnancy-related symptom reared its ugly head. When I would mention the strange dreams I had at night, Amren brought me a book on the philosophies of dreaming and what they might mean; while Mor theorized how we could interpret them. When a certain flower in Elain's garden had stirred nausea in my stomach, she removed them. When I watched Azriel and Cassian training in the pit and somehow grew a charlie-horse in my calf from sitting too long with my legs tucked underneath me, Cassian massaged the spot while Azriel offered advice on how to stretch my muscles safely while I remained unable to train during my pregnancy.

Their care was subtle; it was the little things here and there that they did for me while Rhys waited on my hand and foot—or as much as I would allow him to. Now that I was restricted to my bed, only allowed up to use the washing room or to bathe, they all tended to me. They wanted to help in whatever way they could, sometimes bringing me food and drinks when they visited, or sometimes bringing different books or other forms of entertainment. My appreciation only grew when, after the third day of my lying-in and receiving another excellent progress report of my recovery from Madja, Rhys finally left my side in order to meet with Palace Lords or with his Commander of armies and spymaster.

Velaris was still working towards rebuilding and managing repairs after the fire. Not unlike the first attack from Hybern, there were many shops, studios, and galleries that had been destroyed. Thankfully, the studio Ressina and I had established for the children of Velaris only suffered minimal damages, but my heart ached at the thought of those whose establishments were beyond repair. After a decade of peace, of healing from the war, they now had to start all over again. The only thing quelling my grief was the knowledge that Rhys and I had the funds necessary to allocate towards helping make those repairs and helping those who were now misplaced by the fires. That, and the societies that had been formed after the war worked tirelessly with volunteers to restore the Rainbow to its former glory. It would take time, but I was glad to know that, only a week after the attack, our citizens were determined and inspired to work together despite this tragedy that had befallen them—again.

"Are we starting this morning with those somber thoughts, my love?" Rhys asked softly, his arm draped around me as we lay in bed.

I was still too tired, too weak, to try and hold up my shields of adamant—so instead I left them down, allowing Rhys to hear my concerns or complaints through my thoughts. I sighed as I turned to face him, smiling lazily as those powerful hands gripped my hips gently to help me turn.

I touched his cheek gently, his violet eyes half lidded—still heavy from sleep. "I just feel...terrible," I started. "I can't help them by volunteering like I did after the war."

Rhys nodded his understanding, moving the hand on my hip to my stomach. "No one expects that of you, Feyre, especially in your condition. Even if you weren't on bedrest, they would probably insist you take it easy regardless," he said before moving his hand from my stomach to my cheek.

"You saved the city from burning to the ground. That was a sacrifice our people know you made given your current circumstances, and they are so grateful," he pressed a kiss to my brow. "The last thing they want is to see their recovering High Lady lift another finger."

I gave him a wry smile, "It's the last thing that they want or that you want?"

He kissed me full on the lips before offering a feline grin. "Semantics. Now let me say good morning to my son," he said before caressing my stomach, angling his head to stare at it lovingly.

He beamed when he felt that glimmer beneath his touch, our son greeting him before moving around excitedly. "Good morning, Bash," he said as he continued to stroke the swell of my belly.

"I'm still not sold on the nickname," I said as I brushed my fingers over the tattoos on his shoulder.

"We could go with Bastion, that also has a good connotation associated with it," Rhys suggested with a smirk.

I laughed and pinched his shoulder. "Our poor son will be so confused by his own name," I half-heartedly lamented.

"Nonsense, he'll know that his name comes with strength, regardless of a nickname. Won't you, Bash?" he asked my belly before lifting my dressing gown in order to place a tender kiss on my bare skin.

I smiled as he came back to give me another kiss and I melted into him with a rueful sigh. Along with limited mobility and being subjected to my bed, Madja had informed us that we also could not engage in "other mated activities." As much as I enjoyed other forms of intimacy with my mate that didn't involve sex, I couldn't help but feel an ache from our lack of activity.

"I miss it too," he purred in my ear and I shuddered.

He pulled away with a roguish grin and I pouted—actually pouted as I watched him disappear into the bathing room for a few minutes before reappearing and dressing for the day. Now that he allowed himself to part from me, he met daily with Cassian and Azriel to go over reports, taking extra care to look out for any updates and intel gathered from the Autumn Court. After what Beron pulled on us, Mor sent out an initial warning to the other courts while Rhys and I were incapacitated. We didn't know where the male would strike next, so as third-in-command, Mor warned them of the possibility that they might be targeted. Mercifully, the High Lord of Autumn hadn't unleashed Vassa onto the other courts—according to their responses, but that left all of Prythian on edge.

Cassian had implemented his security protocols along our borders, working with the legion of Illyrians he recruited and trusted hadn't turned with the rebels. Our neighbors and other allies had done the same, leaving all eyes on the Autumn Court. Azriel and his network of spies were continuing their work in the shadows, gathering whatever information they could, but as far as any of us knew, Autumn had closed themselves off from the rest of the continent. Their own borders were tightened; wards set in place above their territory as well, making it even more difficult for Azriel to work. However, according to letters being exchanged with the other courts, Helion offered his assistance to the spymaster; having made the plans to infiltrate those borders last night.

The meeting this morning would be crucial; detailing whatever Azriel had been able to gather, along with more reports from the Hewn City. As stated by the shadowsinger's recent reports from his network of spies established in the Court of Nightmares, Keir had cut all ties with Beron, and we had yet to know if that was prior to or after the attack the Autumn male had released on us. Hopefully this morning's briefing would answer that question.

"Hold the meeting here," I said to Rhys after he finished buttoning the collar of his black tunic.

He hesitated, but before he could protest, I cut in. "I'll stay here in bed, I promise. There's plenty of room in our suite for Cassian and Azriel to come in and go over the reports."

Rhys sighed and sat on the edge of the bed as I pushed myself upright. "Madja instructed you to turn over your duties as High Lady, for the time being. No additional stress, remember?"

"Yes, I know, but you're just going to inform me of everything that's said regardless. That's what you've been doing, remember?" I challenged.

His answering smile was crooked. "You're right," he started, his hand coming to rest on my stomach again.

I eyed him warily, "I'm sensing a 'but.'"

He sighed. "But I don't want whatever Az comes back with to stir up any stress and cause you harm."

I crossed my arms, noting how they now propped over the mound of my stomach. "So, you were planning to sugarcoat it for me later?" I asked with a raised brow.

"No of course not, Feyre." He sighed heavily, running a hand over his slick dark hair.

Through the bond I could feel him battle with his instincts—his primal need to protect me and our son in our already fragile state. I softened a bit as I watched him struggle to find words before I placed a hand on his.

"I've made great improvements this week, Rhys. Madja confirmed that soon I would be able to return to a light workload, so let me start small. I'll stay in bed while the three of you go over the reports, just these reports, and then you can go about the rest of your duties today and I'll spend the afternoon with my sisters here." I suggested, remembering the ways my sisters had insisted I ease-up on my workload and knew that I would need to implement them for the duration of my pregnancy. The bed rest had enforced this with stricter rules than I originally expected, but I had to admit it was nice to take a step back. Once the strict confinement was lifted however, I wanted to at least handle a little bit of my responsibilities as High Lady until my time came nearer.

"Just this one meeting, in the comfort of our room, is all I ask Rhys." I offered with a squeeze of his hand.

He nodded and squeezed my hand back. "This one meeting, and maybe a couple more after your bed rest is over." He said, having heard my thoughts through my unshielded mind.

I rolled my eyes but nodded in agreement as he helped out of bed, holding me under my elbows as I slowly moved from the edge of the bed to a standing position before him. A part of me felt moving this slowly was an exaggeration but necessary.

"It is," Rhys said, flicking the tip of my nose as I stood before him. "Necessary."

I stuck my tongue out at him, "Stay out of my head. Just because I'm too weak to throw my shields up doesn't mean every last thought is up for grabs." He laughed and moved an arm around my waist as we made our slow trek to the adjoining bathing room.

I had been a bit mortified, at first, when Rhys had to help me perform basic functions—like sitting on the toilet, but my mate hadn't been deterred. After a decade of helping me change out of blood-soaked undergarments during my cycle, I shouldn't have been so flustered, but this felt so different. Still, Rhys didn't so much as bat an eye when he helped me to relieve myself or when he helped me into the tub to bathe—that he actually enjoyed. After a week, I still flushed on our trips to the bathing room, despite his constant reassurance that I shouldn't be embarrassed of my bodily functions—especially in front of him.

After I bathed, which he still tried to insist he do for me—to which I always retorted that I wasn't an invalid despite being on bed rest, he led me back to our room and I sat in my robe as he dug through my armoire.

"Find me something more official," I said. "Not just leggings and a blouse."

Rhys threw an amused brow at me over his shoulder. "You mean something more befitting of a High Lady?"

"Yes, though I'm not on duty right now, I can still dress like one from time to time," I insisted.

He only chuckled before pulling out a simple turquoise colored long-sleeved day dress that would fall just below my knees. Despite the warm weather the end of summer provided, the material was lightweight and would be comfortable enough to wear in bed. I nodded in approval and he brought it over to help me change. Just as he helped me over to the lounge placed at the foot of our bed, a familiar knock came at our door. Based on the weight of it, I knew it was Cassian.

"That was quick," I said to Rhys as he snapped his fingers—his magic making our bed and organizing it neatly.

"I let them know we were meeting in here today," he said with a wink before going to answer the door.

I smoothed out my dress as he led the Illyrians in and sat up a little straighter when I saw Cassian holding a small pastry box in hand. He grinned the second he noticed me staring at it and walked it over to me.

"Your sister, Nuala and Cerridwen made a raspberry braid early this morning and insisted I bring you a couple pieces," he explained as I took the box eagerly from him.

I sighed deeply as I opened the box, inhaling the sweet and buttery scent of the pastry and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Cassian," I said before taking a piece and biting into it.

"How are you feeling?" Azriel asked as he fell in step beside Cassian, the latter then going over to the medium sized table Rhys and I had set up on the other side of the room to spread out the stacks of reports.

"Still worn out, but good." I said reassuringly. "Do you have an update for us?"

I saw his shoulders tense at my question, and he exchanged a wary glance with Cassian before they both faced us. "Helion was able to create a weak spot in the wards around the borders of the Autumn Court, allowing my spies in, but that's where the good news ends."

Rhys and I shared a frown as he stood beside the lounge I sat on, gripping the back of it a little tighter than he meant to. "Well?"

Cassian swore under his breath. "It seems Beron found Eris's attempts to rally their armies against him, lost his mind, and launched an all-out civil war against his own bastard son."

I blinked. "The Autumn Court is battling within themselves?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"He knew trying to depose his father in order to take over as High Lord would be tricky, which is why he called in the favor to us so long ago," Rhys explained.

"Right, but they're actually fighting each other now?" I asked again.

Cassian nodded and Azriel crossed his arms over his broad chest. "It's absolute hell in their territory. Eris is not doing so well with his armies, especially now that his father has recruited the sorcerer who controls Vassa, and my spies indicate that he is drafting a letter to send to the other High Lords of Prythian," he said. "Including us."

I felt Rhys's shadows grow darker, "I assume that means Keir isn't aiding either one of them?"

Cassian scoffed. "That bastard dropped out of their deal the moment he saw the instability in Beron's court. My guess is he's waiting to see who ends up taking over the seat of High Lord before trying to form a new alliance."

A spark of relief went through me, but it was short-lived as I asked, "Does that mean Keir is stalling his plans for the coup?"

Azriel gave me a somber look, "My spies found that he is restructuring plans with Kallon to move sooner rather than later. If the other high lords aid Eris in fighting his father, that leaves us with diminished assistance in our fight against him."

The bit of pastry I ate now roiled in my stomach as I sat back against the lounge, completely taken aback. "What do we do?" I whispered.

"We still have time," Rhys said. "I'll write to the others. They won't all decide to help Eris, they don't trust him. Especially after what happened at the summit."

"Helion already promised us his forces, if that should be the case. He was there when Az received the report, and he's informed Thesan as well." Cassian reassured, Azriel nodding in confirmation.

The nausea in my stomach alleviated a bit. Two additional courts against half the Illyrians and Keir's Darkbringers. I recalled the memories of the two armies working together on the battlefield against Hybern; remembered their might and Cassian's claim that success in battle was often decided not by numbers, but by picking where to fight. The Illyrians and Darkbringers would no doubt thrive in their home court.

"He also told you knowing when to fight was equally as important. Brute that he is, Keir won't strike until he believes he has the upper hand. It's why he's held off as long as he has and will continue to until he can guarantee what is happening in the Autumn Court will put us at a disadvantage." Rhys explained, hearing the rising anxiety in my thoughts, and gripped my shoulder gently.

Cassian and Azriel must've realized what I had been thinking, because they then each nodded in approval. "There isn't reason to panic just yet, Feyre." Cassian reassured. "It's bad news, but Rhys is right. The prick won't make any moves until he has assurance that he'll get what he wants."

I nodded, the dread that had been building up in my chest beginning to ease. I sighed as I sat up a bit. "You aren't all just saying this to make sure I don't get hysterical and go into spontaneous labor again, are you?"

"I would never lie to you, Feyre." Azriel answered without hesitation as Rhys squeezed my shoulder lightly. "That includes not sugarcoating the truth."

"You're my High Lady. I will always be upfront with you," Cassian promised.

I sighed and gripped the hand on my shoulder, squeezing it as I met Rhys's eyes. They were hardened amethyst, but conveyed the same promise.

"In the meantime, we set up wards around Velaris. I don't want to take even the slightest chance. The bastard will know what it means, and he can stew in his rage for all I care. He won't be a problem for much longer," Rhys said, his voice dangerously dark.

I gulped but dipped my head in agreement. "We write to the other courts as well, like you said. As soon as this mess in the Autumn Court is resolved, we'll gather and confront Keir and Kallon, and put an end to this once and for all." I said.

We all exchanged the same grave expressions, knowing that we'd be rid of these insurgents—soon.

XXX

I had wisely chosen to spend the rest of the day with my sisters. While Rhys, Cassian, and Azriel immediately went about executing the next phase in our plans to finally put an end to this coup. Cassian and Azriel left only minutes after Rhys called an end to our meeting, going to work on securing and preparing the city for the wards my mate would put up. I managed to convince Rhys to eat a bit of breakfast before he officially started his day. Not only was he going to send out letters to the other High Lords, Clotho aiding him in writing those letters, but also planned to meet with the Palace Lords of Velaris and inform them of the wards to be set in place—today. We, along with the other courts, were now officially preparing for war.

I tried not to think about it as I sat on the chaise lounge of my suite's sitting room with Elain and Nesta, trying to focus on Elain's excitement about finalizing the details of her plans to transform the sitting room into a nursery.

"And I think the cradle should go here in the middle of the room." Elain explained as she moved over the plush carpet in the center of the room, positioning herself to show the precise location.

I nodded, running an idle hand over my stomach as I felt a glimmer of excitement inside of it. "I like it," I said tiredly. After the meeting this morning, I was already sufficiently drained of any energy.

"I would think you'd be more excited about it," Nesta said coldly from her seat on the lounge adjacent to me. "Considering Elain made all these plans for your child."

I narrowed my eyes at my eldest sister, wondering how much longer I would be able to tolerate the icy rage she bore towards me ever since I had been placed on bed rest. Whenever she and Elain would visit my bedside, Nesta remained indifferent—hardly saying more than a few words at a time to me, and almost all of them hostile. Thinking back to her behavior at the cabin just a little over a week prior, the concern she expressed for mine and my child's health, had me wondering what had caused her flip in attitude so suddenly.

"It really wasn't any trouble," Elain began carefully, sensing the tension stirring between us. "The baby is our niece or nephew, and I wanted to contribute something."

"Thank you, Elain," I said before sliding my eyes back to Nesta. "And for the record, I am excited, but I'm also exhausted. In case you haven't noticed." I motioned to my stomach for emphasis.

Nesta didn't look impressed, instead taking a sip of her tea with a shrug. "I'd say you only have yourself to blame for that."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, sitting up a little straighter.

Elain took a step towards me; Nesta snapping back at me with equal vigor. "I mean it's your own fault for the state you're in now. You didn't have to be confined to your bed, your body working overtime to recover from a near-loss that could have been avoided."

I stared at her, mouth agape in complete and utter shock. "Nesta, please. We can't be upsetting Feyre right now in-" Elain started but Nesta cut her off with a scoff as she stood.

"Why should I coddle her?" She asked before directing those deadly grey-blue eyes at me. My eyes—stirring with Nesta's own dark power that swirled under her delicate fae features. "We warned you to be careful, to take a step back and let the others here handle your vocations as High Lady, and not two damn minutes later you winnow away and use your powers."

"I did it to save my city." I said, my voice barely above a whisper as my throat grew tight at her words. "Our city. Our home. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Not when it could've cost you your youngling!" She barked. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are that you didn't? That your youngling survived, despite the risk, meanwhile females like me-" she stopped herself, realizing her words.

Elain covered her mouth and I blinked, a few traitorous tears slipping down my face. I recalled Cassian's revelation from months ago as Nesta clenched her fists and turned away, going to the tea cart placed on the other side of her lounge chair.

"Meanwhile females like you who can't have their own?" I said softly.

Her shoulders stiffed, but she didn't turn to meet my gaze. "Who told you that?" She asked, her voice not as fierce as it had just been—a crack in her hardened veneer.

"Is that why you're mad at me Nesta?" I returned, deciding I wouldn't dance around this issue any longer. "Because I put my child at risk, without any consideration to how it might make you feel. You who can't bear her own youngling?"

I saw her head dip below her shoulders slowly, the hand holding a teacup trembling before a tiny crack formed. I sighed shakily, sniffing as I forced away my tears with a gulp.

"Nesta, I'm so sorry," I began. "The last thing I wanted was to hurt anyone. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone secretly felt the same way. What I did...was dangerous. You're right, I could've lost my child...my son."

Elain turned her teary gaze to my stomach. "It's a boy?"

"Yes, and I know in that moment my instincts as High Lady overshadowed my instincts as a mother, and I," I choked back a sob as I rubbed the swell of my stomach gently. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself, even if everyone else has. But I won't blame them if they don't—if you don't."

Elain wiped a few tears away as she sat beside me, placing her hands over mine and squeezed them gently, while Nesta's shoulders gradually lowered. "I'm sorry," I whispered again.

"I felt that way once." She said, her voice gravelly as she finally turned to face Elain and me. The fire in her blue-grey eyes now smoldered with that sorrow I had seen before; on that day we learned that Viviane had given birth to Eira.

"I once thought I would never forgive myself...after I lost my youngling." She ignored Elain's quiet gasp as she stared out the window, wrapping her arms around herself. "It was years ago, after the war. While I was with Cassian in the Illyrian mountains. As a human, my cycles were few and far between, and after I was made, they stopped altogether." She cleared her throat with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I assumed long ago that I would never be able to carry a child, had made my peace with it...until I woke up one morning in a pool of blood. The look on Cassian's face when he-" her voice faltered and I saw her throat bob, staring up into the sky for a minute before she was finally able to move on. "The Illyrian healers said it was very early on, only six weeks at the most, and later Madja confirmed that my body was...incapable of ever bringing a youngling to term."

She turned to face me. "It was part of the reason why it took me so long to return from the mountains. Knowing you and your High Lord wanted a family of your own, knowing I could return and see you with child," she paused as she stared at my stomach. "My outlook changed over the course of that year, and thanks to that brute, I...was able to face you all again. Even with the loss weighing on him just as heavily, he managed to work past it and pull me up through those depths I was already well into after the events of the war.

"When I learned you were pregnant, I thought it would cause me pain, but instead I saw it as an...opportunity. It wasn't until then that I realized I finally forgave myself for the loss, realized it wasn't my fault, and I was grateful." Our eyes met again, meaningfully, and I motioned for Elain's help as I slowly scooted to the edge of my seat.

Elain jumped to her feet and gingerly helped me to mine. Nesta sucked in a breath, prepared to protest as I made a step towards her, but she instead crossed the room in a couple of strides and embraced me. Tears I hadn't realized were already in my eyes fell as Nesta squeezed her arms around me—careful not to put any strain on my middle, and only a few seconds later Elain's arms encircled us both as best she could.

"Forgive yourself, Feyre," Nesta breathed before pulling back enough to meet my stare. "And take care. Let the others, let us, take care of you and your son."

I nodded with a sob before Elain pulled her back into our embrace and we all held each other—like we had all once done so, so long ago.

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