#I WAS PRAYIN ON MY HANDS AND KNEES On my way! AFTER WORK THAT IT WOULD NOT BE HIM AND IT MFING WAS | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pokeexehasstoppedworking · 3 years ago

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Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch16 Battle Gym Leader Opal

You did NOT want to get into the flying taxi! Even when the kind middle aged man in the flight suit and goggles let you pet the pretty friendly corviknight and assured you it was perfectly safe you did NOT want to get into the flying taxi!! Of course your Drizzilie didn't seem to care about anything and had jumped into the awaiting metal carriage and seated itself into one of the seats available and curled up to lay down on it as Gloria climbed in as well and had a firm grip on you as she tried to pull you into the cab with her.

"Y/n! C'mon! Don't be a wee lil baby!," she grunted as she tried to pull your struggling form into the cab with her. But you effectively blocked yourself from coming in with one heel dug into one of the steps and a hand firmly placed on the outside. After you had gotten yourself to eat and then downstairs to the outside of the inn, the cab was already ready and waiting for you two. The corviknight and it's owner even perched on top of it watching awkwardly waiting. "I'm not walkin' days ta Glimwood Tangle in this bloody heat!"

"I think I'd rather take my chances with the sun- ACK!?" That was it. Your hand finally slipped and you faceplanted half your body onto the floor between the two seats. And you immediately scrambled when you felt something grab at your legs. "GLORIA NO!!"

You two fought against each other as you were losing and yelled at Gloria who was quicker than you thought she could be as she wrestled the rest of your fleeing body inside the cab as you continued to physically and verbally protest and within the scuffle somehow managed to slam the door shut behind the two of you, yelling the word 'GO!!' and not too long after you felt a lurch as the cab took off. You let out a bloody curdling scream and clutched onto the seat your drizzilie sat upon smashing your face into the seat from the force of the take off and cutting off your scream only after a second of it leaving your mouth, half your body still on your knees on the floor as Gloria sighed and plopped herself into the seat across from you as the wind whipped through the windows. Acting like vents and while the wind was warm it most certainly wasn't the grueling heat you two had been traveling in. You remained face in the seat for a little while longer clutching onto it, your stomach felt like butterflies were in it, your feet felt awfully light, and you were kinda starting to regret eating that waffle before the two of you left. .......After a few more moments of just staying in that death grip position your Drizzilie gave a questioning noise and tapped the top of your head.

"Y/n you're perfectly alright. Just sit in the seat there instead of lookin' like you're prayin' to Arceus himself," Gloria encouraged.....You didn't respond for a hot second before she watched as your body shook as you weakly pulled yourself from the floor, trying not to get sick and pulled yourself onto the seat to face her. Pausing for a moment before with a click you scrambled for the seat belt and hastily threw it around yourself before gripping the sides of your seat next to your pokemon. Pale as a ghost. "See? It's not so bad!" She turned and stuck her arm out near the nearest window as her hair blew around her face as did yours. "And feel that air! It's great! Look at the view-"

"HEY!" You managed to pull yourself together enough to shout at her and shakily point a hand to her. "A-Arms, legs, and head INSIDE the taxi cab at all times!! And p-put on your seatbelt right now! W-We might hit some wind turbulance or something!"

"What? But I've done this before. It's perfectly safe."

"HEY! I-If I'm going to agree t-to ride this thing all the way to Glimwood Tangle then you're going to wear a seat belt all the way there too! There's no getting around that!....Speaking of which." Your Drizzilie made a sound of protest but didn't fight back when you pushed it back against the seat next to you and buckled it in as well. "Much better. Now you."

She rolled her eyes but complied. "Fine fine. I'll put the bloody thing on." And she began to do so.

"Thank you. So how long until we reach Bellonlea?"

"A whole two days and a night. It would've taken much longer ta get there by foot and there ain't no train running to or from Glimwood Tangle since the entire place is a national wildlife preserve as well as there ain't too many places like it in the world."

"...What do you mean?"

"It's a fifty square mile forest of giant trees so big and growin' so closely together that it blocks out the sun. It's full of these glowing giant mushrooms that light up everythin' in there 'n there's a whole slew of pokemon from dark to physcic to ghost....But mostly a bunch o' fairy type pokemon. It's why the fairy type stadium is located there."

You nearly felt sick to your stomach again. You had to sit and ride on this thing who knows how high off the ground for a two whole days and night?! ".....Well great."

"Oh relax, Y/n. Once we get in ta that big shady place from the sun it'll be worth it I promise."

"Where did you even get the money to pay for this trip? We used the last of it at the inn."

"Remember how Gym Challengers are paid a bit once they win a gym battle? I had enough ta pay for two people to be flown there don't worry." She looked back out the window. "Let's just relax n' enjoy the trip."

"Body stays inside the cab!"

Relax? It was easy for her to say! She was used to this!! Thus began your nerve wracking over the next two days. Gloria attempted to distract you and calm your nerves by having her rotom fly between the two of you and showed her uploaded battle against Allister from the Gym League's official sight. That helped a little bit as you two talked about Allister and the Gym battles that Gloria had had thus far, and you ended up rewatching them all including the ones you missed. Milo, Nessa, Kabu( Your Drizzilie looking the slightest bit proud of himself as you watched again this time without the panic or worry), Bea (you were surprised Gloria won against her actually. And you had a sneaking suspicion still that she might've won easily against her and Milo due to being worn out by the incoming of multiple trainers), and Allister again. Recounting that she had five gym badges thus fair, four needed to compete in the finals at the end of December, and was half way there already. This stop would hopefully make it five badges by the time of your departure. By the time it was night you all had the driver stop and take a rest for the night, you SO GLAD to be back on none moving land again with jello legs and shooting a glare to Gloria when she giggled at your predicament. Rinse and repeat. Pitching a tent, as the driver slept in the cab, and then the next morning you all packed and were off a second time. This time you didn't HAVE to be pulled in by Gloria but it still took a lot of coaxing and Gloria mentioning how much money she already paid for this trip to get you back on. But Gloria found out that meant you wouldn't budge unless she buckled up as well. Safety first after all. The second day went pretty much the same as yesterday lovingly distracting yourselves by talking a lot and looking anywhere but outside and down to keep your nerves down as well. During this time Gloria decided it'd be a great time to glue whatever pictures she had left over into her dex book as you two talked, apparently she planned on using the same lense on her camera to take pictures of the pokemon you both came across while in the Glimwood Tangle, and then showed you her small collection of League Cards so far. You weren't sure how she managed to balance a hobby of collecting multiple things on this trip but glad she was having fun and enjoying herself so far. Ultimately it reached the second night and you two (with her having to convince you) agreeing to flying through the night in order to reach Bellonlea by morning. It's safe to say sleep did NOT come easily to you that night when it eventually did come. The Moon replacing the sun and stars replacing the clouds. You weren't sure when or how you were able to fall asleep still buckled into the seats, but you must've been too tired to stay awake. The next thing you knew was that you were jarred awake in a panic when the entire cab was shaken like some rollar coaster upon landing on some path! Your Drizzilie chirping out in panic as it bumped in shook and even Gloria had clutched her seat for stability on your decent. Thankfully SOMEHOW NOT crashing but you two did end up a bit shaken from the experience.

"I'm so sorry!," a man's voice called out and you guessed the driver must've hopped off the bird pokemon because not a second later you saw his concerned self in the window looking at the three of you. "Is everyone alright? We were cut off by a flock of wild spearow outta no where!"

".....I'll let you know when I find out where my stomach flew off too," you mumbled back clutching your seat and still half asleep brain processing what had just happened.

"She's fine," Gloria assured rubbing her head, "Are we there?"

The man nodded and it was only when you finally dared to look out the window yourself you noticed that the cab was set down in the BIGGEST shadows from trees you had ever seen. Gloria was quick to unbuckle herself(thank gosh. You were glad she was buckled in for that fun fair ride-) and run herself out of the cab and after a moment you slowly followed. Legs feeling like Jello and SO GLAD to be on ground that you almost collasped to the grassy fields below you. When you looked up however is when you realized how small you actually felt. Before you was the BIGGEST DENSES TREES YOU HAD EVER SEEN!! THEY WERE LIKE SKYSCRAPERS WITH HOW BIG THEY WERE!! Their branches and leaves entertwined so much that the inside completely blocked out the light right inside the inner workings of the forest inside, and on the inside of the darkness you could make out lots and LOTS of different glowing lights in the shapes of mushrooms within there as the path you all landed on continued off into the darkness. And in front of the entrance to this forest was two large lamp posts that at the moment remained unlit. This was it. The Glimwood Tangle.

"I'm afraid this is as fair as I can take you ladies to Bellonlea." You blinked to the Driver as your Drizzlie stumbled out to walk over to you. "The trees are too tight nit to fly through and it'd be too dangerous to risk that."

"That's ok," Gloria assured him. "Would you mind waiting for us here? This shouldn't be take more than a couple hours if we're lucky."

He nodded. "Sure. Corviknight could use the break anyways after the long night we had."

She smiled before turning away and waving. "Thanks! We'll be back soon!" She walked past you towards the entrance to the forest and after blinking you followed. "OH! This is gonna be great!"

"Uh huh. And how are we not supposed to get lost in there?," you asked walking away the feeling of you as a violently shaking jello someone tossed to the floor with your pokemon at your side. "It's pitch black in there besides all those mushrooms but I dunno if that's gonna be enough to keep us from getting lost."

"Don't worry. I checked my regional maps before we got here. As long as we stay on the main dirt road and not go off onto any of the hiking trails or other paths leading to someone's house, we should be totally fine. And the main road is always the biggest one, so all we gotta do is stay on the biggest road and we're there...buuut it'll take us a bit to get to Bellonlea. It's dead smack in the middle of the forest and this place is pretty big."

"Y'know I think as long as we stay out of the hot sun I'll be perfectly fine. Just make sure the both of you stay close and no wondering off. The last thing I need after a ride like that is a sour stomach from worrying over you."

As you two entered leaving the taxi behind, it didn't take too long for it to get dark really fast. And it was like you two were traveling at night even tho you were absolutely sure it was daytime. You all marveled at the colorful glowing mushrooms along the path being your only source of light as you all traveled and casting dancing shadows within the dark as well across the trees. It was really beautiful but also in a way scary like when you all saw those ghost pokemon in the middle of the night. More than ONCE you had to smack one of the smaller glowing shrooms out of your drizzilie's hands before he could eat it. Maybe pokemon could eat these things, but you weren't about to risk finding out and unintentially making himself sick or worse. At the five minute mark the entrance you came through had completely disappeared from view, and at the ten minute mark the larger path shrank before splitting off into two different directions and you two had stopped...And you turned to Gloria who didn't look too sure where to go before pulling out her phone again as you stood there.

"Well so much for following the bigger path. Which way do we go?," you asked.

"Accordin' to the map we goooooo..." Gloria paused for a moment lifting a hand before pointing to the left, "That way! And then we go straight when we hit the second set of paths."

You two had continued down the path she pointed out with her phone out and she continued taking pictures now that you two began seeing a few pokemon. Usually some small imp looking pokemon she mentioned were called impadimps, a couple hatenna, some tea cup looking thing called a sinistea, some mushroom looking pokemon, and quite a few others as you two walked. Eventually coming across to the second set of pathways and continued to walk down the middle pathway as the map said to go....Although you began to have an off feeling as you walked. Almost as if you were being watched but that was ridiculous! There was pokemon all around you probably watching as the three of you walked on the pathway so of course you'd feel like you were being watched. But neither of you were aware of the larger figure moving from the brush over towards the both of you as you walked.

"So where do we go from here?," you asked watching a couple impadimps as they laughed and bounced on a mushroom as you walked, "And how long have we been walking anyways?"

"Lost count after forty five minutes. But accordin' ta this thing we take another left up ahead and that should lead us straight to Bellonlea!" The bushes up ahead of her rustled out as someone peeked out.

"Oh good. I'm kinda getting tired of walk-"

"FUGAAAA!" Before you had even finished talking the person in the bushes jumped out at you from the middle of the path spraying you two with a shower of leaves from the poor plants. Pokemon scattered as Gloria let out a scream and your Drizzilie let out a panicked chirp diving behind your legs. In an instant, Gloria was yanked from in front of you as you shoved her behind you from the crouched form, arms raised in a 'I'm going to get you' like way with a wild look in his eyes. "FUGAGAGA!! I'm a pokemon! Have a battle with me!"

Startled the two of you wide eyed stared at this messy looking man who had literally appeared out of NO WHERE....before you looking to the petrified looking teen peeking out from around your back. "Hey. Are you ok?"

"......Define 'ok'."

The man held up a hand with a crazed smile and spoke before you could speak again. "Listen for a second. Scorbunny and sizzlipede are different species, but they're still both pokemon! Scorbunny and I are different species just like sizzlipede and I are different too! If you think about it that way there's no problem with calling me a pokemon. I don't mind!," he explained/rambled on much to the terrified people in front of him.

"What?," Gloria eventually spoke after a silence, "Did you hit your head there, Lad?" She asked before ducking behind you again as he snapped to her. You were starting to feel very uncomfortable now and cringed with every word the man spewed from his mouth.

"What? You don't have to worry about me! Even I know it's pretty lofty logic. I...I wanted to become a pokemon once," he rambled on staring off into space at nothing..and you two exchanged an uncomfortable look.

"Uh..W-Well good luck with that-," you tried to defuse inching with the two behind you over towards the right around this crazy man.

"Hey! I've got it!," he giggled happily to himself, "A change of fashion style could change the way I feel too! Basically if I can make myself feel the same way a pokemon does, it'd be like I became a pokemom. Don't you think?!" The three of you froze as he snapped to you again. By now you were ready to just push this guy over and making a run for it if it'll mean to get away to safety. He suddenly pointed at you. "YOU! Would you please put on some clothes with a fiery spirit that embodies my burning feelings?"

....And you stared.....Was this middle aged crazy man asking you to change right here and now!? The man at your silence hummed and glossy eyes looked up towards the darkened tree canopy mumblng something about fire types..when your brows rose as an idea hit you. "....Gloria." Said freaked out brunette blinked up to you as you slowly leaned your head towards her but kept staring at the man who mumbled off to himself. You weren't risking taking your eyes off this creep for a second. "Listen to me very carefully. Reach into my bag and hand me the blue shirt with the arcanine printed on the front. Once he's distracted we'll make a run for it." She didn't answer you but by the way you were lightly forced to lean back and someone quickly opening your bag she didn't have too. After a moment longer a blue shirt was thrown over your shoulder as you grabbed it. OH! You hoped this would work. "Oh wow!" In an instant he snapped to you and your flinched...before slowly holding the shirt out. "What's this I found?"

"What's this? Is that-?" He snatched it from you and you quickly whipped your hand back as a result from his face actions. Curiously he opened the shirt and his crazy eyes widened more as he saw the arcanine printed on it. And he chuckled. "I feel like I've completely become a pokemon! Wearing a hot fire styled outfit can make you feel different! I feel like I've become a Fire Type pokemon!"

"RUN!!"

The man blinked as you both bolted. You gripping Gloria's hand for dear life as you both scrambled in fear to get the heck out of there. Your poor Drizzilie fearfully scrambling at your feet as the three of you ran as fast as you could down the pathway towards the next crossroads.

"W-WAIT! DONT YOU WANT TO BATTLE ME!?," the man called out after you.

You didn't answer and you didn't stop. Pumped full of panic and adrenaline telling you to get AWAY from that crazy guy. You both ran and RAN until you came to the third way the path split and stopped to catch your breath. Eventually you also released Gloria's hand when she gently tugged at you to let go and you did. Silence filled the air as you two just breathed for a moment, often glancing back to make sure the crazy guy didn't follow you. At one point you looked to Gloria who pointed in question towards the left path you needed to take to Bellonlea before you nodded your head and the two of you two slowly went on your way again still looking behind you in case the guy showed up. It was better to keep moving and get out of that area as soon as possible before that guy found you again. With a new tired feeling in your guts, you two made to continue on down the pathway deeper and deeper into this strange forest right out of a fairytale. You might as well have been walking for a good hour or more at this point when you all finally turned and there it was. Among a whole bunch of mushrooms, some of which being the BIGGEST you had seen thus far, was the unmistakable shine of the metal stadium through the trees, along with a lot of houses scattered around and that same pink pokemon center. The town of Bellonlea. And already there were a few people walking about as you could barely make out thanks to the lights in their houses and the glow from the mushrooms. Hopefully none of them were the weird man you had encountered back on the trail.

You pointed. "There it is! Guess your map was right after-" You had paused and blinked upon looking back to Gloria who was again digging through her bag. "What are you doing?"

She smiled holding up the old looking letter from her bag although it was slightly wrinkled from being in the bag for so long. "Don't ya remember? Allister said I needed ta return this letter ta whoever Frank is as soon as possible."

"Well...yeah. But I thought you were going to challenge Opal." You started walking as she did into the town.

"I am, but this seems really important for me ta do if even Allister thinks I should." She gestured around to the town of small fairytale houses you all couldn't stop admiring. "Plus there's not too many cabins 'ere. We should be able to find this Frank really quick."

"Well, let's ask someone. It'll be faster than knocking on doors at least." She agreed and you both walked up to the nearest person. A small little boy with brown hair and jeans playing with what you were assuming was his impadimp, but both looked up as you walked up to him and stopped. "Hi there" You greeted with a smile and wave. "Sorry to bug you but do you know if there's anyone named Frank who lives here?"

The boy blinked at you both. "Frank?" You both nodded at him. "Only one person in Bellonlea has that name. That's my granddad's name."

"Oh really?" His grandfather?? Why would a little girl write a love letter to someone's grandfather? But the boy nodded yes. "Could you tell us where he is right now?"

He turned and pointed to one of the cabins closest to the stadium. "In there with my sisters."

You smiled and waved at him again as Gloria immediately began walking in that direction. "Ok thanks!" Increasing your pace to catch up with her, the both of you walked up to the door and before you could say anything Gloria had already knocked loudly on the door.

There was a pause for a moment as you both looked at one another, then not a moment later footsteps approuched the door as you two looked back at it, and a man who looked to be in his early sixties and cap opened the doors to the two of you. And Gloria smiled. "Hi! Is there a Frank here?"

The man hummed looking the two of you girls over for a moment. "You're looking for Frank?" You both nodded. That'd be me yes. Can I help you ladies?"

Gloria held up the letter to him. "A girl in Hammerlocke asked us ta give this to ya."

He blinked in surprise at the letter. "What's this? You've got a letter addressed to me?" He reached out and grabbed the letter from Gloria, and the two of you watched as the elderly man opened it. "Now who could be sending me letters." He went silent for a moment as he opened the letter, held it up to his face, and scanned the words on it..before he smiled. "Oh! Why this says it's from Paula! That does take me back ages."

"Oh. So you two do know each other!"

He chuckled. "Paula was the name of a girl I spent all my time playing with when I was a young lad. She fell ill. Didn't tell me though. She kept it a secret just how sick she was. We ended up having a great row of it...then I moved away not long after that fight. I never met her again after the day I left."...Illness? The flashes of how sick the little girl looked flashed through your mind and when you looked at Gloria, who could see that the connections must've hit her too cuz she looked a bit pale. The man looked up at you two semi sadly. "How was she? Did she look well? Dear old Paula."

"I uh-....Well she looked...well I guess," you managed to force out awkwardly.

The man nodded. "That's a comfort to hear. I thank you both very kindly for delivering me this." He smiled again looking down at the letter. "For you've brought me back a piece of my youth. ...Do you have a dear friend in your life? Make sure you treasure those dear to you while you have them close."

You nodded before signaling to a lightly spooked Gloria that you all should go. "Y-Your welcome. Have a nice day, Sir." He smiled and nodded to the two of you before going to close the door as the two of you turned around. You felt a little spooked yourself. Both of you had just managed to step onto the path leading to the stadium too when-

"...Thank you..." You both froze at the young girl's voice. "..for delivering my letter...."

.........Both of you slowly looked to one another......before you pointed to the gym. "To the stadium?"

"TO THE STADIUM!," Gloria agreed grabbing your arm and already making you two speed walk towards the building. As you both quickly approuched, neither wanting to acknowledge what had just happneded, you were more surprised by how they managed to find a big enough space between the tight knit trees to build it. Gloria letting go of your hand the closer you both got to the stadium and it's entance. "Why don't you go on ahead and go around and to the seating area then?" She suggested as she stopped in the doorway. "I'll just go ahead and go do the gym challenge. Oh. After this I'll need ta stop by the center and move some of my new wee ones inta rotomi boxes."

You nodded. Sounded like a plan to you. After all you were wanting to get away and distract yourself from the goosebumps forming on your arms. "Alright. You be careful now." She nodded before turning and with a whoosh sound the door opened for her to enter, and you turned to your bored looking drizzilie. "C'mon. Let's head in through the side doors and get a good front row seat. Ok?"

He rolled his eyes and groaned but followed you anyways as you turned and began walking around the giant stadium. To make a long story you walked around the giant stadium and found the entrance leading into the stadium for people to access the bleachers, and went inside with your drizzilie right behind you looking bored as always. The regular flight of stairs you usually encountered with these stadiums lead up, and up until you both reached the enormous stadium insides that you were used too. With rows upon rows of seats but besides you and your pokemon there was at most maybe twenty other people besides you that you could tell. Must be due to Bellonlea being such a remote and small town. But hey! This gave you a great chance to get a front row seat to a battle for a change and experience it at least once. Still following you, your Drizzilie walked behind you all the way towards the very first row facing the giant grassy field and joined you as you sat down with it taking up a seat next to you. Perfect! Now all you had to do was wait!........And wait...........and wait........And wait some more. You hadn't realized how long it would take for you to wait for Gloria to finish the gym's challenge, but that's alright. You didn't mind waiting. It gave you a long chance to rest your feet and for your Drizzilie to fall asleep leaning it's head back on the seat. And you chuckled at it's snoring. .......And waited even longer with a sigh. Until FINALLY with what seemed like forever somone came onto the field. You didn't even notice it at first bored out of your mind, with your head leaning in your hand until you just happened to look up at the screen and perked right up seeing someone. HEY! It was the same elderly lady you and Gloria kept running into! It was Opal. And at this very moment she was slowly making her way across the field, until she got to the very center, and turned to face the middle and closing her eyes. As if waiting for someone. And it didn't take too long for you to find out too. Gloria came jogging onto the scene out from one of the openings onto the field and you perked right up as she walked right over across from Opal who finally opened her eyes to her. You watched as they exchanged a few words, before jumping at the announcer's voice.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! THE GYM BATTLE BETWEEN GYM CHALLENGER GLORIA AND GYM LEADER GLORIA SHALL BEGIN!! BATTLERS PLEASE TAKE YOUR PLACES!!" Both turned, Opal more slowly than Gloria obviously, before walking to their places on the field. Before turning to face one another. "POKEMON AT THE READY!! FIRST ROUND MATCH BEGIN!!"

In a flash of bright light both ladies sent out their pokemon. Gloria her raboot and Opal a weezing. And Opal was first to make a move when, fast for an old lady too, she slammed her umbrella to the ground and the wheezing puffed up it's cheeks like it was about to puke and suddenly it began spatting out purple glowing balls at the raboot. The move was sludge if you remember right. In an instant the rabbit pokemon looked panicked and began hoping about in weird poses and sometimes belly flopping to avoid the oncoming toxic attack thrown at it. Until Gloria pointed and gave it an attack. Then it was a whole new ball game as the raboot used that same technique you recognized she used back when battling Kabu. Using the quick attack of the raboot to boost it's speed as it turned it body and began charging at the weezing who amplified it's sludge attacks just as quick as the raboot was running with the flames at it's feet. Kicking something towards the weezing like a soccer ball player would before with a mighty bound it launched itself into the air, and kicked the flaming rock ember move at bullet speed towards the weezing. And no sooner than it did when a giant sludge ball hit it directly as well. With a cry of pain the small bunny pokemon FELL to the ground hard onto it's back. And didn't move. Meanwhile the rock launched at the weezing went straight into the larger mouth and the reaction was instant. It doubled over. In fact it went straight down to the ground almost at the same time as the raboot when the poison attack hit it head on. Your eyes widened as you leaned forward from where you were sitting. The weezing was unable to move besides shaking a bit and coughing from the flaming rock that went into it's mouth, and Raboot stayed there laying on the ground...until it got up. The poor thing looked like it was in pain forcing itself to sit up, and then eventually stand wobbling on it's two shaking feet. Shaking it's head and then facing the weezing with a look of determination in it's eyes. At least it did before the weezing was gone within a flash of light back into it's pokeball by Opal.

"FIRST ROUND MATCH OVER!! WEEZING WAS DETERMINED TO BE UNABLE TO BATTLE!!," Announcer stated as Gloria swiftly returned her own pokemon. "GYM CHALLENGER WINS FIRST ROUND!! SECOND ROUND MATCH IS ABOUT TO START! PLEASE READY YOUR POKEMON!!....POKEMON AT THE READY!! SECOND ROUND MATCH BEGIN!!"

And in more bright lights appeared two pokemon with the ability to fly. Opal sending out a togakiss and Gloria a corvi-......A CORVIKNIGHT!? SINCE WHEN DID SHE GET A CORVIKNIGHT!? The VERY large and black pokemon gave out a mighty roar at it's opponent. A shiver running down your spine. You still didn't forget how you arrived here after all. Opal was first to make a move again as she pointed and the togakiss sent out what looked like giant orbs of rocks. Ancient power?? Gloria did nothing at first and the corviknight screeched out an annoyed or perhaps painful reaction as the rocks shot out at bullet speed head on collided with it. But the BLOODY giant bird didn't even land from it's flying in place position, jut shake out it's feathered head and looked to the togakiss. Before bright light slash marks were made at it. Hone Claws! Was she planning on using the same technique she used against Hop? Well you found out when the corviknight let out a shrill cry that seemed to finally wake your sleeping drizzilie as it spread it's wings and with one beat of it wings launched itself into the air, before doing an entire circle upside down and with it's beak glowing launched itself right towards the togakiss who it turn made it's wing like appendages glow and with a shrill bolted right towards the corviknight. They were using steel wing to combat the drill peck!! But who'd win in this clash. Or at least that's what you thought would happen. To be honest what happened next was so fast you couldn't believe it unless you were sitting right there to watch as the corviknight out of no where extended it's GIANT sharp claws, and like an eagle completely SNATCHED the togakiss right out of mid air, encasing it comepletely in one of it's feet. Startled the togakiss could do only one thing at the moment. Shrill cry in panic as the corviknight parachuted using it's wings as it flew overhead. Opal must've been as surprised as you as you all watched the heavy duty bird pokemon, landed on the very edge of the feild with the yelling togakiss in its claws, stumbling a bit with landing on one leg, then simply while still holding the togakiss, placed it on the ground outside the boundary lines.

"SECOND ROUND MATCH OVER!! TOGAKISS IS OUT OF BOUNDS!! GYM CHALLENGER WINS SECOND ROUND!!" You watched as the corviknight ruffled its feathers before giving a few chirping noises, and walked it's way back over towards Gloria who waved at it. The togakiss looking rather spooked and shocked sat there for a moment....before flopping over onto it's side. And you frowned at it. Poor thing. You felt it's pain. "PLEASE READY YOUR POKEMON AS THE THIRD ROUND BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!!" In a flash of light both pokemon disappeared off the field and you hope the poor togakiss would be alright after that. "POKEMON AT THE READY!! THIRD ROUND MATCH BEGIN!!"

Although things were looking really well for Gloria so far. She won two rounds! Two more pokemon entered the field. Gloria's roselia and Opal's mawile. Oh boy. Gloria better watch out for those giant jars. In fact it didn't look too good at all when the thing use steel guard! That means it's defenses rose greatly. And Gloria pointed. The roselia used what you recognized as it's famous stun spore attack as it darted towards the mawile at lightning speeds, roses already tingling with electricity as the mawile turned to face it's upcoming attack as the grass pokemon threw it's roses out in a move to shoot at it- When the GIANT MAW engulfed it entirely. Stunned, you and your Drizzilie watched as the mawile gave a shrill as the stun spore kicked in and it's body was enveloped in electricity. Before with a grit, it raised the maw the roselia was still encased in, and SLAMMED IT down onto the ground multiple times. SLAM!! SLAM!! SLAM!! The sickening sounds echoed throughout the mostly empty stadium as you grimaced and could only watch as with a final slam the mawile stopped...it's body giving a spark every so often..before it's giant maw opened and the poor roselia fell out unconcious.

"THIRD ROUND MATCH IS OVER!! ROSELIA IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!! VICTORY OF THE MATCH GOES TO THE GYM LEADER!!" You sighed slumping back into your seat. Oh well. Couldn't win them all. Well she won two out of three rounds anyways so that was good enough to get a bad- "PLEASE PREPARE YOUR POKEMON FOR THE FINAL ROUND!!" Your eyes popped back open. Final round?! You mean there's more than three rounds!? "POKEMON AT THE READY TO DYNAMAX!! FINAL MATCH MAY BEGIN!!"

You leaned forward as you watched. Red energy forming around their wrists for the dynamax bands and you breathed. Here we go. Both held pokeballs the size of watermelons glowing red, and with incredable strength on Opal's part. Both tossed them into the air. And then came the shaking of the stadium as you held onto your seat as they appeared. Opal's alcremie as it was huge and.....and......looked like a giant decorated cake you'd find at a wedding or fancy party. Huh. Didn't remember that. On the other hand with Gloria, out came her corviknight. Her GIANT. Black. Menacing looking. Corviknight. Which gave a giant shrill cry of it's own that made your otherwise bored looking drizzilie yelp in fear and LEAP into your arms knocking you back against the seat for a moment. Not that you could really blame him really. You had bad experiences with this type of pokemon after all. And you could guess why Gloria would choose her corviknight. Raboot was most likely still affected by that poison attack from the weezing and even if he could still stand, he'd be crushed easily from being weakened. And roselia was most likely still passed out from mawile's body slamming. Corviknight would be the obvious choice since he didn't seem to be too affected by how easily he took down the togakiss and being a flying and steel type pokemon, he would be the most durable against a dynamaxed alcremie. Opal lifted her umbrella again and slammed it back down and the now dynamaxed alcremie made it's first move. You had too look away fromhow bright it was as the corviknight let out a shrill eagle like cry of pain as light enveloped it ending with a burst of stars but that big chicken was still flapping by the time you even looked back up, the wind from it's massize wings making you squint against it. It was bad enough the entire place shook as you held onto your petrified drizzilie and seat to not get knocked off. Instead more bright light danced across the sky infront of it, Hone claws. Before the thing let out a loud caw of protest as what you could only discribe as a huge pink light in the shape of a kiss mark and pink marks danced around it's head. What the- OH! That must've been alcremie's Draining Kiss move! Although unluckily for it it didn't seem to be very affective towards the bird brain. Another giant eagle cry pierced the air making your ear hurt and two black jet streams poured from it's wings. You watched as the dark jet streams poured like snakes from it's wings and in that move you had seen it use before when battling Milo encircled the poor pokemon. Encasing it with a dome of black before exploding in a blast of black. The alcremie crying out in pain as is tilted towards the ground. The pokemon went out in an explosion that sent dirt clouds flying up everywhere as it timbered glowing brightly through the dust clouds as it magically shrank down within it's own mess. You all watched with baited breath as the clouds spread out and covered the famous gym leader as well, Gloria's bird pokemon glowing a bright reddish color before beginning to shrink down until it was back to it's normal size. Normal being big enough to carry off a whole elephant. And you slammed your eyes shut at the shaking and the dirt that flew up everywhere with the gust of wind blowing it everywhere. ....You coughed and waved your hand in front of your face to swat away any left over dirt from your face as the dust clouds slowly settled on the field in front of you. Gloria was doing the same with the giant bird pokemon standing right behind her and Opal was merely standing there with a calm expression as if a giant pokemon didn't just fall over and shrink behind her...speaking of the alcremie, it was no where in sight when the dust settled other than the rubble it left behind in it's wake. Did that mean-

"FINAL ROUND OVER!! ALCREMIE WAS DETERMINED TO BE UNABLE TO CONTINUE BATTLE!! VICTORY OF THE GYM BATTLE GOES TO THE GYM CHALLENGER!!," the announcer shouted over the mic.

You sighed in relief, leaning back against your seat from all the tention that you had been feeling throughout this entire experience. Gloria and Opal in the mean time walked over and met somewhere in the middle of the field most likely talking, and you took that as your que to stand and slowly lower the lightly spooked drizzilie to the ground off your lap.

"Come on," you said starting towards the stairs as it blinked and followed you, "Let's go wait for her outside." You had made your way out of the stadium and walked the full way around the stadium towards the front of the Bellonlea gym to where the door was located and Gloria would soon walk out. And that's where you waited with your Drizzilie patiently until you turned your head at the whoosh sound of the door and smiled upon seeing the excited face of Gloria jog out excitedly. "Hey! There you are! Took you a while to get to the field."

"Hey. It's not my bloody fault," she protested with a light frown, "Opal's challenge was ta battle three of her employees n' answer questions at the same time! N' then she even asked me stuff during the battle!! I'm lucky I didn't exhaust my pokemon fully before the actual battlin' began! I swear she just does that to wear ya down before battle...OH! N' I ran inta Marnie again."

Your brows rose at that little tidbit. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yep. Ya probably didn't see 'er since you were already headed off to the entrance ta watch me."

You nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That is probably why I didn't see her leave." You then looked around with a raised brow suspiciously. Did that mean Team Yell was also around here as well? They usually weren't far behind if Marnie was involved. You hummed before turning to Gloria and pointing the way back towards the pokemon center. "Well, how about we head back to the pokemon center and get your pokemon checked out then head back to the cab?"

As much as you didn't want to ride that taxi again, you weren't too comfortable staying now that there might be Team Yell on top of that crazy man from the woods running around. Luckily Gloria was already wanting to get her pokemon checked out and it didn't take too long for you two to get to the pokemon center for her pokemon to get patched up. Thank god Nurse Joy was a miracle worker with these kind of things. It only took about ten minutes for her to heal up Gloria's pokemon and another five minutes for Gloria to comb through her rotomi boxes to add a few more pokemon she required before the two of you were able to leave the pink building and head back towards the way you two came in.

"So, do you know the way back out?," you asked glancing at Gloria. She hummed with a nod holding up her phone to you. "Good. If we run into that crazy guy again we'll have Drizzilie spray him down and make a break for it. Hopefully we won't run into him again."

"Hold on now." Both of you paused, blinking before looking behind you and low and behold right there walking slowly up towards the both of you was none other than Opal herself once again.

"Ms. Opal?," Gloria asked confused, "What are ye doin' 'ere?"

"I've got a few errands to run in Hammerlocke," she explained, "Care to join me for the journey?" Both of you blinked before looking at one another in a mix of confusion and surprise. "If you're headed for the next gym stadium you'll need to get to Hammerlocke too after all."

"Next stadium?"

"Oh right. We can take the train to Circhester from Hammerlocke!," Gloria mentioned and your mood soured a bit at the memory of Raihan hitting on you. You had to go back there??

"I surely do hope you wouldn't mind if I caught a ride back with both you young ladies. And as thanks I wouldn't mind covering the tab for the ride over there," Opal offered, "If you wouldn't mind of course."

"Are ya kiddin? With pleasure!," Gloria answered with a wide smile and nod and you sighed.

"Excellent. They say two's company after all." Two? Counting Drizzilie there was four of you taking this trip back now. She began slowly moving towards the exit herself. "Come along now. If we want to start before nightfall I suggest we leave now."

"Sure." You made to go after her but paused. "...Wait. How long will it take to get back to Hammerlocke from here?"

"Not very long with the taxi," Gloria mentioned following the older woman, "About five days and even faster if we fly one or two nights."

You groaned but followed after them. This journey just keeps getting better and better.

#pokemon shield #pokemon piers #pokemon sword #pokemon piers x reader #Pokemon reader x piers #piers x reader #reader x piers #Piers #pokemon swsh #pokemon sword and shield

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halstudandruz · 4 years ago

Text

One Beer

*Not my gif*

Pairing: Adam Ruzek x Reader

Requested: Yes

Prompt: Based off of One Beer by Hardy ft. Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson

Warnings: Teen pregnancy, swearing

A/N: This is my first song based imagine so don’t hate me if it’s bad, this song is a jam though

17 in a small town

Weak knees in a CVS

Door locked in the bathroom

What's it gonna be waitin' on that test?

This wasn’t happening. You kept repeating that in your head as you sat on the toilet in the dirty bathroom of the nearest CVS, head in your hands. You were just stressed. Tomorrow was your 18th birthday and you were heading to college soon and life was changing too fast. So, it made sense to be stressed right? That’s why your period was late. It had to be, and you had convinced yourself of that until the timer on your phone went off and a plus sign stared back at you. “Shit.” You cursed feeling your stomach drop. When a knock came on the door. “Yeah, just a minute.” You answered contemplating what to do with the test before stuffing it in your purse and foregoing the garbage before leaving.

Never thought that they'd be

Puttin' those life plans on the shelf

A couple American babies raisin' one up their self

“What’s wrong why do you keep looking at me like that?” Adam asked as you lay beside him in your hammock. Feeling sick after eating your birthday dinner and cake. The nerves of your discovery were certainly not helping.

“Like what?” You asked innocently.

“Like you’re about to tell me you cheated on me or something.” He chuckled nervously looking down at you.

“I didn’t cheat on you.” You rolled your eyes sitting up straighter to look at him.

“Oh good.“ He sighed reaching for your hand before it came out of your mouth without thought.

“I’m pregnant.” The words seemed to hit Adam like a brick as he stiffened beside you expression going blank. After a few seconds of silence you had to break it, “What do you want to do?” You asked snapping him out of his trance as he cleared his throat trying to adjust himself to sit up.

“I um..I don’t know I’m still trying to catch up here.” He shook his head running a hand through his hair, “how long have you..” He asked, figuring you’d catch on to what he was getting at.

“Yesterday morning.” You sighed leaning down to the ground to retrieve your purse and lay the test on his stomach after digging it out. He picked it up bringing it in line with his face which caused his complexion to go even whiter if that was possible.

“Yep. Mhm. That’s a plus sign alright.” He choked out voice sounding dry, “But you only took one?” He held it up to you, “what if it’s a-“ He started before you cut him off.

“Adam..” you pleaded looking at him.

“Yeah..right sorry.” He sighed, taking ahold of one of your hands and squeezing it. “So, what do you want to do?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t make this decision on my own.” You admitted, head falling into your hands.

“Hey, I’m right here.” He grabbed you pulling you back into his chest.

“I’m so scared. My parents are going to kill me.” You said, tears starting to cloud in your eyes at what was becoming more of a reality. “It’s just I’m supposed to be leaving for college in two months, you’re going to the academy in a month. All of our plans are already laid now. Now what?” You cried.

“We have more than one option.” He explained rubbing your back.

“What are you saying? You want to get rid of our baby?” You looked up at him in disbelief.

“I’m saying that whatever you want to do, I am here to support you till the end of our days. No matter what that decision may be.” He reassured you.

“What are you thinking?” You asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I just don’t understand..we’ve always been careful.” He thought out loud.

“Except once.” You bit your lip swallowing hard. He looked back at you head cocked to the side with confusion before realization came over his face sighing heavily.

“Only takes one fuck up I guess, right?” He chuckled nervously, his head falling back, tense silence taking over the environment.

One beer turns into a lit cigarette

Burnin' into a two beer buzz

Three beers turns into five and six

Then a love drunk kiss in the back of that truck

Just like that, everything rearranges

Life changes out of the blue

It's just a Bud Light, but ain't it funny

What one beer can turn into?

It was the night of graduation. You and your friends were celebrating with a party that included plenty of alcohol. It wasn’t uncommon for your clique to be attending a party and even though you were never big on parties or drinking you often accompanied your boyfriend since sophomore year, Adam Ruzek. Adam fit in with the popular crowd easily. He was an athlete, a cocky one at that, and you were the good straight A student that stood by his side. How you ended up with him you would never know just luck you guess. Your parents weren’t exactly keen on the idea of you two at first. He seemed like the guy who would take your heart and step on it the first chance he got, but despite your parents' protests, they learned he was a good guy and boyfriend behind his slightly big ego.

Anyway the biggest party of the year was starting to wind down. You were cuddled into Adam’s side on the couch. Your main friend group crowded around the two of you bullshitting and playing beer pong.

2 years prior you and your friends had stumbled across an abandoned building in the outskirts of Chicago. Naturally you all turned it into a party house. How you still hadn’t gotten caught was beyond you, but that was now a problem for the incoming seniors which you were handing it off to.

Adam has pulled you up off the couch dragging you behind him.

“Hey! Where are you going?” Ryan, Adam’s best friend asked.

“Give us 45 minutes.” Adam answered, still walking towards a different room of the building.

“What do you do with the other 42 minutes?” Ryan joked as the others laughed.

“Fuck off.” Adam chuckled, throwing him the finger. You and Adam were pretty tipsy at this point in the night. Having drank one beer after another. So, whenever you discovered your condom stash was empty the pull out method seemed like a good idea. It wasn’t until a month later you realized how bad of an idea that actually was. Was it the Bud Lights fault or Ryan’s from stealing your stash?

Sesame Street on the TV

A race car rollin' on a cardboard bridge

Crayon stick figure family

Stuck right there front center on the fridge

Flash back to two pink lines

A whole bunch of prayin' and doubtin'

Felt like the end of the world

Now the world don't spin without 'em

5 years later you sat at the kitchen table books and notes sprawled out as you attempted to study. Adam stood behind you cooking dinner while you kept an eye on your son, Hayes, who was right in front of you in the living room. Positioned on his stomach playing with his makeshift toy car race track, created by Adam, while simultaneously watching Sesame Street. Adam was now part of Chicago’s Intelligence unit giving you the opportunity to now go to college. Your retired mother often watched Hayes whenever he wasn’t in school. Admittedly 5 years ago you never thought you’d make it here. You were terrified. Between having to tell your parents and deciding to put college off in hopes of pushing Adam towards his dreams you doubted more often than you didn’t. Praying that it would all work out. A string of waitress and movie theatre jobs being your life as Adam made his way through the academy. But here you were content and happy. And honestly you couldn’t imagine life being any other way. Hayes was your entire world and you never wanted to imagine a day without him, and to think the whole thing started with some alcohol.

#adam ruzek x reader #adam ruzekxreader #adam ruzek imagine #adam ruzek #chicago pd #chicago pd imagine #chicago pd x reader #one chicago #adamruzek

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kmclaude · 5 years ago

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An AU thought, unfinished: Annemarie as a nun. Not a sexy nun, but someone found out about the whole “preggers with her brother’s baby and sent to a convent as punishment” type nun, who may or may not wind up teaching a bunch on unruly kids and has her fellow sisters breathing down her neck to make sure she doesn’t sin again. But hey, guess who’s the priest/confessor for the order? And considering nuns “have” to obey Fr. Tiefer’s authority…! Not smutty but it’s all I’ve got 🤷🏼‍♀️

oh how decadent! oops my hand slipped!!!

Émile is probably the one who gets mad when he finds out she’s pregnant and who’s kid it is because sure he’s white trash and has been bending his daughter over for years but he draws the line somewhere (and part of it is because he knows Emilein is a freak, he knows he wouldn’t want her so it’s obvious she’s the whole reason for being knocked up – and she’s been using the stupid baby in her fat gut as a shield to mouth off to him and run the joint – why not punish her? Besides, no one in that family can afford another mouth to feed…)

So he pulls Emilein aside, says, “hey, you’re good with that priest, yeah?” and Emilein shrugs, says, “maybe I am,” and braces for a nasty shot about how of course he is, he loves being on his knees, but it never comes, just, “so he knows about like…them wayward girl schools, yeah?” and Emilein plays dumb until his daddy plays his hand: send Annemarie off to a convent or wayward school or hell an asylum – she wants to use a baby to get her way, well then she can get out of the way. Forever.

Emilein, for once, is more than happy to help his daddy out.

He talks to the priest, Fr. Michaud, who has offered him chance and again ways out, one in particular though it would mean the priesthood, and reveals his sister is pregnant (not that it was terribly secret: the whole town was waiting for the day she slipped up at this point) and she is…troubled. And is there a place. The Church. Anything.

Of course Fr. Michaud hesitates because yes there is one nearby but it’s practically an asylum, run by an order on their grounds – cloistered – “And, to be frank, we all know your sister is…not exactly saving herself for anyone…but unless she’s a-a maniac it would be almost cruel–”

And Emilein puts his hand lightly on Fr. Michaud’s, smiles in a way that doesn’t meet his eyes, and says, “You know how she hasn’t named the father? You’d think someone like her’d be going up and down the street, demanding a wedding or at least support, wouldn’t you? But she ain’t. ‘Cause she can’t. Now, remember the first time we actually talked, you an’ me, an’ I told you I’d suck your cock in a heartbeat ‘cause that’s usually how things went with me an’ older men an’ not always by force?”

“Difficult to forget,” says Fr. Michaud, neglecting to mention that most fourteen year olds don’t say that.

“So we both agree I’m…funny.”

“What are you getting at, Emilein?”

“I’m sayin’, the reason she ain’t beatin’ down no po’ bastard’s door to help with her own bastard is ‘cause she doesn’t want anyone to know that the daddy’s her own brother.”

Michaud goes pale and Emilein isn’t smiling any more.

“We both know she don’t interest me much. So, Father, please: help me.”

–

Of course, being a good man, Fr. Michaud helps him, and Annemarie is sent away to have her child (and then work off the debt she’ll have accrued – after all, not like her father and brother can afford to pay.)

Her choice is very simple: go as willingly as she can pretend and nobody has to know about who the father is or fight and Emilein tells (with Fr. Michaud as a witness – Émile, of course, is more than willing to rat her out but really, every other word from his mouth is a lie.)

And life is peaceful – until Émile decides he can fully boss around his son like he did his daughter in a house he doesn’t own.

Emilein is having none of it but Emilein is terribly small and Émile has friends too, friends just as nasty as Annemarie’s boyfriends, and Émile ties him to a bed and starves him and lets all sorts of men use him for days and brags about the money he’s made from him – “shit, cher, we should’ve been whorin’ you out years ago! Guess yer cunt sister was just too jealous to share.”

He lets him go, eventually, after a week that feels like forever and Emilein runs to Fr. Michaud, banging on the church door, and when Fr. Michaud answers his request is much the same as it was before: “please, help me.”

Of course, being a good man, Fr. Michaud helps Emilein Tiefer and gets him connected to the seminary.

–

At twenty-five and with the title of ‘Father’ himself, Tiefer is assigned to a convent in Fuckoff Nowhere, Louisiana to be the priest and confessor on the grounds. Segregated from the opposite sex and the real world for so long only to be thrown headfirst into the wide world, some were realizing, was not the greatest idea: so, the younger were sent off to serve their religious siblings first, particularly their sisters.

The Mother Superior is kind when she greets him on his arrival, a stark contrast to all the rumors of the convent here: it was a convent, yes, that made its daily bread with something of a home for wayward girls – part home, part school (for the younger ones whose unfortunate choices and circumstances left them behind their peers as well as their children, for those who had or expected them), part workhouse so the former two could survive – but for years its nickname had been the asylum because, regardless of how long one worked, much like the TB asylums, the only way out was in a casket.

Which is where, Tiefer always figured, his sister was at this point.

Until, during a tour of the small school on the grounds (as the children would be needing sacraments as well) he sees one of the nuns with the children – though she’s not a nun, not exactly, as she only wears a veil and simple dress and the bangs of her blonde hair peak out and frame her face – and she, in turn, sees him and freezes.

“Mother Superior,” he asks, voice steady as possible, once they’ve passed, once he’s calmed down, “who was that woman?”

“With the children? That’s Sister Anne, one of our success stories – quite a tough one too. She came here, pregnant, no idea who the father was and ready to dare I say fight every one of us sisters who came near. But the Lord works in mysterious ways and eventually He brought her ‘round. She should be taking her vows in a few years.”

“Ah. Do many of your girls usually wind up joinin’ the order?”

The mother superior sighs, sort of pointed in a way that hints that the topic is better put to rest. “Unfortunately, it’s not always part of God’s plan,” she says and then adds, “You sound a lot like she does – how far down South did you come?”

“Very.”

“Hm. She also.”

–

“Sister Anne. A word?”

After all the introductions and required niceties are made, Tiefer doubles back to the classroom of children, led by the novitiate.

“Of course, Father,” she says, the shock from earlier long gone from her face, a little more lined than he’d remembered it, her eyes a little less bright.

“In private?”

He lets her lead the way to a small, unused classroom and locks the door behind them.

“Well. Never thought I’d see you here, Sister.”

She scoffs, the plain novitiate from earlier twisting, like a monster under flesh, into his sister, the way he knew her, cocky attitude and all. “Why not? You put me here.”

“You know what I mean. ‘Sides, he put you here.”

“You helped.”

“Just told the truth is all. You want me to tell the truth again?”

“Can’t send me away again, sugar. Anyway, I’m a changed woman. The success story of these sisters.”

“Ain’t you special, huh?”

“Had to be. Play along or die like the rest.” She looks him over, sixteen years on his twenty-five, sizing him up. “You obviously understand, don’tcha Emi?”

“Father, now, actually.”

“Father, right, Father, now, huh? So Father – what was it? Not enough dicks to suck back home, you had to join the biggest boy’s club around? Or you just get sick of Daddy – bet he was a real sonuvabitch once he didn’t have me ‘round to take his shit out on.”

He cuts her off: “Annemarie. You like it here?”

“You like it where you are?”

He doesn’t answer, simply pulls out a cigarette and his lighter. He watches her reach out, then freeze.

“I’ll share if you tell me what the fuck you’re doin’ playin’ nunnery.”

“I told you. Play along or die. Same as you.”

“You don’t know shit about me or what I been through.”

“An’ you know ‘bout me?”

Tiefer shrugs, lights up. Refuses her one.

“I heard the girls who come here only leave one way.”

“Do I look like I left?”

“Mm.” He offers her a cigarette and a light. Her fingers brush his. He tries not to grab her wrist and crush it. “So this is better? Bein’ a mother to a slew of bastards an’ prayin’ to God who put you here?”

“I dunno, Emi–”

“Do not–”

“Father Emi, you tell me: would you like being worked like a dog to pay off your own existence your fuckin’ family sold off, gettin’ beat ‘cause no one gives a damn about you, and not knowin’ if the priest they brought in to hear confessions this ‘round would rather you suck him off than say you’re sorry. I’m fuckin’ forty-one years old: I wanted something close to freedom, even if it’s from behind a wall an’ veil. ”

Tiefer makes a sound like mock pity. “Sounds like every damn day of my childhood, Annemarie. In fact,” – he grabs her by the jaw, pulls her close, tugs the cigarette from her lips and puts it out against the back of her neck, hidden by her veil – “looks to me like you’re getting off easy, little miss success story.”

“Em–”

“That’s Father to you, now. An’ come to think of it, I’m sure Mother Superior would love to hear what you really did.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Would they put you back in the work house? Or just turn you loose on the streets like a dog. Where you gonna go, Sister? Y’all take vows of poverty last I heard – gonna finally be a real whore and suck dick in the gutter?”

“Please…”

“Please what, pity you?”

Tiefer lets her go, takes a drag from his own cigarette, blocking the door. He grins, more a snarl than anything else.

“Oh Annemarie… You’re right: I wouldn’t dare as long as you don’t give me a reason to. I’m your superior now…let’s start treatin’ me as such, hm?”

He unlocks the door. “An’ Sister Anne? If you thought those other priests who put your ol’ ass on your knees were bad, you’re gonna really regret all your earlier sins against me.”

#character stuff #au where annemarie is a nun #pretreetzi #my writing #writing #callistochan87 #kmclaudereplies #kmclauderepliestoask #kmclaudereplies to ask #kmclaudeart

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wayward-river · 6 years ago

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Die From a Broken Heart (Hidden Identity)

Sweet Pea x Reader - Reader x Poppy Mae (daughter) - Sweet Pea x Poppy Mae (daughter)

AN: Alright y’all I can’t let this story go it’s my baby so have another drabble! This is more of a song fic. If you listen to the song Die from a broken heart by Maddie and Tae most of they lyrics are said. I do not own the song, it just inspired me. I’m sure you can read this as a one shot but it is a continuation of my Hidden Identity series if you haven’t read it you will still get this though!

This is also a bit of a time jump. Poppy is 21 and Ace is 17. Also this one got away from me so not quite a drabble.

AN 2: Thanks as always to my beta, my girl @xserpentlife go follow her and check out her fics she’s amazing, also she’s nearing a celebration go tell her what y’all want to see! All mistakes are my own I do not own the gifs credit goes to the person who made them. I will stop rambling now! Hope y’all like it!

Warnings : Dad!Sweet Pea feels. (I mean c’mon), angst a little I guess. Protective Dad!Sweet Pea.

Y/N POV

You sat around the fire, smiling as you watched Sweet Pea, Malachai, Fangs and Chase talk about some new jobs. The Serpents and Ghoulies working together made your heart warm. Especially after everything. After everyone told you that “Serpents and Ghoulies don’t mix” but you wouldn’t trade your mixed family for the world.

The sliding door opening pulled you from your thoughts as you looked over your shoulder. Ace stepping out with your cell phone in his hand. You flung the blanket off of you setting it next to Toni.

She looked up at you. “Everything good?”

You gave her a short nod. “I think so. Probably just Poppy gushing about something Jax did.”

Toni gave a small chuckle. “I can’t believe those boys didn’t scare him off on that first date”

You laughed at the memory of all them interrogating Jax, and then three of them tailing them on their date. “Yeah funny that's how you and Chase got together wasn’t it?”

Toni looked across the fire at Chase. “Yeah, he was charming and we were both so heartbroken.”

You nodded as you headed up the steps of the back porch towards your son. Remembering how awful Toni’s break up was with Cheryl and how hard Chase took Rose ending things.

You shook your head as you approached Ace. “Hey bud...your sister?”

Ace nodded handing you the phone as he made his way down the steps to the fire everyone was surrounding.

You brought the phone up to your ear, your heart immediately breaking as you heard your daughters sobs on the other end.

“Poppy? Poppy Mae, are you okay? Baby talk to me.” Your worried tone perked Sweet Peas interest as he watched you enter the house.

Sweet Pea POV

“Hey Ace, was that your sister?”

Ace nodded as he pulled his marshmallow from the fire.

Sweet Pea looked from the boys, back to the back door.

“Go check on her.” Malachai spoke up making Sweet Peas decision for him.

Sweet Pea hurried out of his chair and up the steps.

Y/N POV

“Baby talk to me please.” You pleaded with your daughter.

“How do you get rid of wine stains outta your favorite dress?” Poppy replied sniffling.

You went to reply but were cut off by the next question out of your daughters mouth.

“Black mascara off a pillowcase? Cure a one too many headache?”

“Well baby.” You began again.

“Mama, can I come and maybe stay a few days this weekend or next? And, hey, how do you get rid of wine stains outta your favorite dress?”

You looked up as you watched Sweet Pea enter the house from the yard, he leaned on the counter listening to Poppy.

“How does he sleep at night? Mama, the nerve of this guy to leave me so easy, am I gonna be alright?”

“It’s going to be okay Poppy Mae. Mama is here just talk to me okay.”

“I wanna kick myself for falling so hard. Mama, can you die from a broken heart?”

“Oh baby, he’s an asshole, okay you didn’t do anything wrong.” You responded the tears springing to your eyes.

“Can you ask daddy if he’s got time to come and look at my front door? It got slammed last night and now it don’t close right. And just promise me that you won’t tell him everything and keep that pistol in the drawer. Mama, please don’t say I’m gonna laugh about this some day. You didn’t see the way he drove away.”

“It’s gonna be okay Poppy. I promise, your daddy is on his way.”

You looked up to see Sweet Pea already pulling his jacket on, and grabbing his keys. He gave you a kiss on your temple, and walked out of the kitchen. You listened to the front door close.

“Can your knees give out from prayin’ so hard? Can you go blind from crying in the dark. Mama, can you die from a broken heart?”

You sniffled unable to hide it from Poppy.

“Oh mama, I didn’t mean to upset you.” She cried.

“Poppy Mae when you get your heartbroken, you don’t apologize okay? I’m gonna stay on the phone until Daddy gets there okay?”

“Yeah okay. I think I see his truck lights.” She responded.

You sighed eternally grateful that you had convinced her to still live somewhat close to home, in a small trailer.

Sweet Pea POV

I pulled up to Poppy’s trailer and could see her pacing through the windows. I sighed trying to keep my anger in check. I told this boy not to break her heart, they’ve been together so long. Hell I thought he was going to ask for my blessing soon.

I cut the engine to the truck, getting out and walking up to her front door. I examined it slightly before I walked in.

She stopped pacing and looked up. Her cheeks were stained slightly black from the mascara she had been wearing.

“You are supposed to look at the front door….not me.” She softly said sniffling.

“Oh baby girl, I care about you not about that damn door. I’ll fix it later.” I breathed as I took quick strides and wrapped her in my arms. Her resolved broke more as she gripped onto me sobbing.

I maneuvered us to the couch. Slowly sitting us both down as I continued to hold her.

She leaned away sitting up and looking at me. The look she gave me breaking my heart.

“Daddy” She whispered as she took a shuddered breath trying not to cry.

“Chick Pea, you gotta let it out.”

“Was it ever really real, if he don’t feel the way I feel?” She finally asked as a broken sob racked through her again.

I pulled her to me. “It was real Chick Pea. It was real.” “I’m gonna kill him” I mumbled softly to myself.

I held her as she continued to cry after about thirty minutes her breathing evened out and soft snores filled the room.

I placed my arm under her knee and kept the other one tightly around her as I walked to the front door, opening it and heading to the truck.

“This was a lot easier when you were little.” I mumbled.

“Daddy?” She stirred. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you home Chick Pea, you are gonna stay with us for a few days okay.”

She nuzzled into me her arms wrapping around my neck as she hummed in agreement, allowing me to open the truck door and set her in.

The drive home didn’t take near as long as the drive to her did. I pulled up to the house and could still see the fire going in the back. Knowing them they wouldn’t want to leave until they knew Poppy was okay. I cut the engine off once more and got out of the truck going around and grabbing Poppy out and back into my arms.

Y/N must of heard me come home because she flung the front door open as she heard the truck her eyes going wide as she saw our daughter tucked into my arms.

Y/N POV

You flung the door open ready to ask Sweet Pea questions, stopping as you eyed your sleeping daughter in his arms.

“Oh baby.” You sniffled. “Just go put her in her old room since we didn’t touch it.”

Sweet Pea nodded as you moved out of the way. You watched him walk down the hallway towards the bedrooms before stepping into the kitchen and pulling out a beer for Sweet Pea.

You set it on the counter just as he reappeared in the kitchen. A deep sigh coming from him as he ran his hands across his face.

“I want to kill him for hurting our daughter like that.” He finally spoke breaking the silence.

You placed your hand on his arm. “I know. I want the same, but please tell me she is somewhat okay.”

“She will be, it will take some time, and some mama time, but she’ll be Poppy Mae again soon.” Sweet Pea responded as he walked towards you pulling you into him.

“I’m sorry.” He softly whispered.

You looked up at him, confusion clear on your face. “Why Pea?”

“I broke your heart once.” He responded.

You gave a light laugh. “Yeah, you did. I got drunk that night and Chase was there for me.”

“I just, seeing her like that tonight and I couldn’t fix it, I just felt like I failed her.” Sweet Pea admitted as he looked to the floor.

“Oh, Pea. You are her hero. She is a daddy’s girl. You showing up like that means so much to her. You didn’t fail her baby.”

Pea nodded as he gave you a slight kiss. “The guys still here?”

You nodded. “They wouldn’t leave until they knew that their niece was okay.”

Sweet Pea hummed in approval while he took your hand leading you to the back sliding door, and back down the steps. He sat in his chair pulling you into his lap.

Malachai smiled as he watched the interaction between you two. “Poppy okay?”

“She will be. Damn boy broke my chick peas heart.”

“Guess he’ll just get shitty jobs for awhile.” Fangs chided.

“He’ll get more than that. He’s over eighteen I can legally punch the kid, or make him go through initiation again.”

“Pea.” You scolded. “Just be there for her, don’t any of you go start anything with Jax. She still loves him and you’d just be hurting her more.” You scolded all three men around you.

Fangs put his hands up in defense. “Hey just doing uncle things.”

You rolled your eyes. “She’ll be just fine. She’s got all of us.”

They all hummed in agreement as the conversation slightly shifted. You watched as Ace got up and looked to the window of Poppys room.

“Heading to bed Ace?” You questioned.

“I’m actually, I’m going to go check on Poppy.” He responded.

“She’s asleep bud” Sweet Pea informed him.

“I-I know I just want to make sure she’s good dad”

Sweet Pea nodded as he watched Ace ascend the stairs and disappear inside.

You sat around the fire a little longer before sending everyone home. Malachai, Fangs, and Chase promising to stop by tomorrow for an impromptu Uncle date with Poppy. Something they quit doing when she was thirteen but thought she needed now more than ever. You gave a nod as each person hugged you before they left.

Malachai paused pressing a kiss to your forehead. “She’ll be okay sis. She’s as tough as her mama.”

“Mhm I know I just never wanted her to go through that pain Mal. I mean I am so thankful she didn’t have half of the traumatic shit we went through, but thats my baby and she’s hurting so bad.” You confessed.

“Just be here for her okay. Let Ace do his thing too he may be younger but brothers have a special place in their sisters hearts”

You nodded as you hugged Malachai again. “Thank you.” You breathed.

“For what?” He asked his grip on you tight.

“For always trying to protect my stubborn ass.” You admitted.

Malachai chuckled. “I’m glad I couldn’t stop you on some things.”

You smiled as your eyes flicked to Sweet Pea waiting for you at the bottom of the steps. “Yeah me too, Mal. Me too.”

Malachai gave you another quick hug before letting you go, watching you walk away before he turned away towards his car.

You made it to Sweet Pea, intertwining your hands as he led you upstairs and inside.

“I know she’s sleeping but I really want to check on Poppy.” You confessed as you looked down.

Sweet Pea turned towards you, pulling you into him. “I know baby, I don’t blame you. I’m so glad you didn’t see her in her trailer.”

You nodded as you moved out of his grip, your hand leaving Sweet Peas as you walked towards Poppy’s room. The door was slightly open, you quietly pushed it open fully as you looked in tears sprang into your eyes once again. Sweet Pea wrapped his arms around you resting his chin on your shoulder.

You both took in the scene before you for a few moments. Ace was laid out softly snoring, one arm above his head and the other wrapped protectively around his sister as her head rested on his chest.

“We raised some pretty good kids.” You whispered.

Sweet Pea hummed in agreement as he moved his head kissing your shoulder.

“We sure did.” He mumbled back.

#sweet pea x reader #sweet pea imagine #sweet pea x you #sweet pea x poppy mae oc #sweet pea x daughter #riverdale imagine #riverdale x reader #riverdale reader insert #riverdale x oc #sweet pea x oc

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myheroaizawashota · 6 years ago

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[Southern wives part 2??? Heck yes!! I think Toshinori would be the CUTEST with a small little southern lover. A small little five foot southern woman who’s a spitfire like Reba McEntire who can cook like Paula Dean and who’s got sex appeal like Dolly Parton! Haha someone who just grabs Yagis heart and makes him weak in the knees! Maybe we’ll finish the trend and do a Present Mic x Souther wife reader haha @heroes-r-us ]

America, a land of grest diversities. The country always appealed to Toshinori, even from a young age. Spending his glory years between the great states of America, he often found himself compelled with the culture. It always astounded him how vastly different each state was. He’d spent time in California and in states like Michigan. From New Hampshire to Texas, the man had traveled to just about every coast of the widely known country, praised for their blend of strong traditions. Though out of every region he’s visited, even the west coast, one of his favorites was the south. It held such a deep heritage and held some of the richest subculture. From the flavor driven foods, to the charming atmosphere each of the southern states held, the man was captivated. It was no shock that when he returned to Japan, he’d bought a little piece of the states back with him. It seemed like the culture of south wasn’t the only thing the Japanese hero had fallen in love with while visiting over seas. All those years ago, he fell in love with you.

You were patient and sweet as the pies you crafted while also being headstrong and as fierce as a coyote in a chicken coop. His love for you was passionate and wild, like driving 90 down the freeway with the top of your car down and the radio blasting. If you asked the symbol of hope and peace, he’d tell just about anyone he knew from the first time he met you that you were the girl he would marry. Even after all these years, it still made you blush. It was moments sweet like those that made everything you’ve gone through worth the while. Holding such a high price on his head, the number one pro hero always kept your love hidden away from everyone. ”I would never be able to forgive myself if a villain came after you because of who I am Y/N.“

You could understand your husbands protective nature. Being seen out with him would cause a far bigger problem in your relationship than anything, so you agreed to keep your love under wraps. You were understanding when the pro left home without his wedding band daily, and when the pro acted as if he was unattached to anyone romantically. It hurt, but you understood it was all only to protect you. Though when the keepers of fate wrapped their stings around your husband, claiming the entirety of his left side and an immense amount of his power, things began to change. Soon enough being All Might became a different face from being Toshinori Yagi. Unable to maintain a steady body weight from the devisteting wound to his body, the pro hero quickly became unnoticeable to the public while his quirk was dormant in his body. This man put you in constant worry every time he left the house. Knowing that his quirk ate a massive amount of energy, weakening his body and injuring him, you couldn’t help but worry constsntly.

You never just sat by with your hands under your rear waiting to know he was okay though. Hell even if you were as quirkless as a new born baby, it didn’t stop you from helping your husband out the best you could, supporting him on all fronts. You’d make sure he didn’t over push his limits and giving him one hell of an ass chewin’ when he did. In these days, you were his rock. Some days he couldn’t believe that you still loved him as much as you did. He was proud to have you as his partner. Long after his looks had faded, the face of all might being nothing more then a costume for the crowds, you remained. Well after his strength had left him, the little embers of his quirk fueling the short burst of power he could scrape up, you still stood by his side. You never stopped caring about that foolish reckless man, he was your husband after all.

That’s why when he was late to dinner, you couldn’t help but stand an inch away from a duck fit. “It is nearly seven at night, where in the lords good name is that man? He is really tryin’ my patience tonight” you mumble, undoing the apron around your waist and draping it casually over the back of your chair. You wandered your way over towards your phone, you giving his a ring.

After the thrid or so he picked up the phone, his tone soft and hushed. “I know i know I’m late for dinner, i lost track of time with Young Midoriya. He’s making great progress, I guess I kind of lost my head about how late it was getting.”

Pinching the bridge of your nose you gave a tested sigh “you are one blessed man Toshinori Yagi, you’re lucky I love that rump of yours. Hurry up and get yourself home, dinner is done. I made your favorite.”

You could all but hear the smile in his voice when he responded back with “chicken fried steak?”

You couldnt help the grin that tugged it’s way across your lips. “With all the fixings. Biscuits and gravy with tatters on the side.”

His stomach all but growled at the thought of that, well if he had one he was sure it’d be growling at the idea. He watched as midoriya continue to swing his leg out, winds tunneling around him from the strength of his kicks. He was proud of that boy, every day he worked harder to reach his goal. He’d make a fine hero one day. “I’ll wrap things up shortly dear, I’ll be home soon, I’ve got to before midoriya notices me on the phone.” He whispered quickly hanging up.

You rolled your eye. That man was something else. As time continued to roll past, it now seven thirty, your husband still wasn’t home. You were madder than a box of frogs. Huffing up a storm, you packaged the food up, setting it into three nicely kept bento boxes. “When I get down there, that man better be prayin’ to Jesus. He’s about ready to get my damn boot up his ass...” you grumbled as you gathered the food and left your home.

It wasn’t as if Toshi was near home training either. You dragged yourself all the way down to the beach, those typically sweet lips of yours pulled into one fierce pout. Lord help this man, for he was about to be begging for forgiveness. It was late at night, no one else was around but you your husband and his predecessor. Storming the beach, you couldn’t help the heat bubbling in your stomach. Never mess with a southern woman, and never be late for a meal. “I’m so mad with you right now I could chew up a whole box o’ nails and spit out a barbed fence.”

Toshinoris shoulders hunched as he slowly ran a hand through the messy strands of blond hair that stuck out at the back of his head. “I’m in a lot of trouble aren’t I?”

“Oh you bet your bottom dollar you are.” You looked fiercesome. Hell you looked madder then a wet hen. You had a look on your face that could scare even the rowliest of bulldogs. “Your fixin’ to find your rear end on the couch tonight. You’re lucky I love you so much, or I would let you starve” you huff handing the rail thin man a box of food. “Since y’all clearly won’t be done anytime soon, please don’t rush on my account.”

Toshinori couldn’t help but feel guilty. He knew dinner was an important part of the day as a family. It was were the two of spent time together discussing your days and enjoying each other’s company. He looked at the meal in his hands, those hollowed blue eyes of his apologetic as he stared back at you. He was about to say something when the child claimed by your husband as his successor spoke out, pulling the attention toward him. “all might- hey all might!” He shouted running his way closer from the distance, panic setting into his eyes when he saw you standing there. “uH UH IM JUST KIDDING THIS ISNT ALL MIGHT” he nervously laughed looking up at his mentor with large eyes begging for forgiveness.

“Kid, relax...its okay..” your husband sighed, his frail but large palm resting on the boys shoulder.

The small boy balled his fist, tucking them to his chest as he looked between you and your husband. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he sensed that you were someone his teacher knew. He listened and watched as you folder your arms across your chest, shifting your body weight as you glared your lover down. “You drive me up crazy some days ya know...I spend all day frettin’ over if your okay or not. If ya weren’t gonna be home for dinner you could have gave me a call. God went and gave ya ten fingers and two hands. Coulda’ used them to let me know you’d be running late.”

The boys eye went wide, his stomach dropping as shock spread across his features “all might do you know this woman?” He asked, teeth digging into his lip in anticipation. Was this all mights wife! He couldn’t believe it! An American girl, how long have they been married? Did they have kids! No he’d have known that, the world would have, but if he was married wouldn’t the world know that too? Midoriya babbled to himself, unaware his inner thoughts soon became outter thoughts. It wasn’t until his teacher slammed the side of his hand down on the top of his head that he stopped his frantic speaking. “Sorry....”

“Gez, we gotta work on that kid. That never gets any less creepy. I want you to listen closely to me Young Midoriya. What I am about to tell you can never be shared or repeated. As my successor, our lives are now connected as one. Much like the secret of our shared quirk, promise you will never speak this to anyone. It’s dire that you agree.” Now that toshinoris power was nearing its end, it was important more than ever that no body else know the knowledge that was about to be passed on to the child in front of him.

Lips pressed together, fist clenched now at his side, midoriya gave a solid nod in agreement. Toshinori could tell by the look in the boys eyes he was serious about this bond of trust, he releasing the breath he’d been unintentionally holding. Softly sliding his free hand into yours, he innertwined your finger together squeezing your hand softly. “Midoriya i would like you to meet my wife, Y/N.”

Shocked by your husbands full trust in the boy, you stood blinking for a moment. Never before had toshinori introduced you to anyone as his wife. It fluttered your chest. The small boy all but fell to the ground in shock, he bowing immediately “ITS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU IM SO SORRY I KEPT ALL MIGHT BUSY” He apologized, words flying past his lips at a million miles an hour.

He was a bit high strong, but he was cute. The passion in his eyes, the way he looked so determined. It reminded you a lot of your husband. You couldn’t help but give a soft laugh, shaking your head. ”Aw hell, I guess I can’t be too mad. It ain’t exactly your fault. Someone shoulda kept a check on that time, not that I’m gonna go throwin fingers at anyone.”

Toshinori couldn’t help but smile, eyes casting down at the floor as he rubbed at the back of his neck. You smiled and handed one of the remaining boxes over to Midoriya “now I ain’t to sure your gonna like it, but I figured with the way this one trains you’ve gotta be hungrier than a hippo right now. Why don’t you two take a break and we get our feed on. I hear quite a bit about you young man, but I think I’d like to know a lil more about you myself.”

The boys cheeks flushed red, as did his mentor, you giving a laugh. The three of you walked back towards a set of benches, eating as your husband explained how the two of you met, how you fell in love, and his reasons as to why you’ve been hidden from the public. The boy was inquisitive, his eyes bright as he learned more about his idol than he’d ever hoped to know. You watched as both boys scarfed their food down, toshinori giving you a soft kiss to the lips. “I won’t be out much later, I promise this time. Thank you for bringing us dinner.”

Midoriya face was red, as he pulled the brim of his shirt up past his nose. This was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. “Yeah yeah, don’t get all used to it. Next time I’m draggin’ your ass home by the ear if I gotta. Don’t y’all make me come back out here! It was nice meetin’ you Izuku. Don’t be a stranger, now that ya know the truth, feel free to drop on by and say hello! You’re always welcome at ours anytime. Maybe then I won’t have to drag dinner all the way to the beach” you laughed. “You two enjoy yourself now, ya hear? I’ll see you at home Toshi, I love you”

You made your way back to the car, humming at your lovers response, snickering to yourself. “I love you too....come on kid, let’s get back to work. We’ll go for a little while longer and then we should get you home or I’m going to get myself into trouble all over again...my couch isn’t comfortable.”

#aizawa shouta #aizawa x reader #my hero academia #toshinori x reader #toshinori yagi #hizashi x reader #yamada hizashi #bnha requests #eraserhead #bnha aizawa #all might x reader #my hero academia request

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sunburst-ffxiv · 5 years ago

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I don’t know if you can hear me at all, Kayah. Don’t know if holdin’ onto this old stone you shined up pretty for me when we were kids is much like prayin’ or not, but it does more for me than hittin’ my knees and folding my hands to the Twelve ever feels like it did. Even when we were small, ya had a talent for makin’ me want to rip my curls out. You’d chase me with bugs and make me scream and I guess I coulda stopped running and screamin’ and you mighta stopped, but maybe I liked it, in a way.

I liked that you liked playin’ with me best out of all the other kids. I liked that I could be sad and worried when my daddy started coughing up blood and that you would always find some fruit to press in my hands and the soft way you told me I didn’t gotta cry, and that things would be okay, it’s okay, Kiki, don’t be sad. You’d let my head and tell me it was okay and I believed you and we would go back to burying each other neck deep in the sand.

Don’t think anyone else has ever comforted me half so good as you, Kayah. Don’t know that if I ever thought anyone else I’ve met since you been gone looked as much like the sun as you did. And I liked lookin’ at you, and mama would laugh and tease me for it, but maybe she didn’t get it. You were my best friend. I could tell ya anything, all my worries since we were just sticky toddlers, and you always listened, and I would put bandages on you after your daddy got rippin’ mad and tell you, too, that things would be okay, that I would always protect you.

Didn’t keep up my end of the promise, Kayah. I’m sorry. You wouldn’t have to forgive me if I could just know for sure that you weren’t all gone, y’know? You could hate me your whole life if you want so long as I ge to know you’re still out there somewhere, breathin’, alive, bein’ the sun for the folks around you. For the folks lucky enough to be around you.

——————

“Kyla, where the hell you goin’ this late?”

Ma was calling at my back as I held a scrap of bread between my teeth, after I finished up braiding Yaya’s hair while it was wet so she wouldn’t have a puffball the next mornin’.

“Walk,” I said, and I could hear Ma sigh, and could hear Daddy hackin’ up what was left of his poor lungs from the bedroom as he wobbled to his feet.

Never did take, seein’ him having to use a cane to get around. He was always real strong and brawny, tall, especially for a Mi’qote. Seein’ him so frail ain’t right, Kayah. You’d know it weren’t right, wouldn’t you? You knew my daddy. Toughest guy in town. Whooped yours a fair few times after he saw bruises on you and your brother. You’d know a man like him shouldn’t be so sick. You’d know it didn’t make sense. You’d know how much it made me ache, ‘cause you always did know what made me sad, even if I was bad at sayin’ it.

Think I was bad at it then, though, and you’d rip your hair out goin’ crazy at tryin’ to make me admit it now. Ma said it’s a problem, that I ain’t ever willin’ to talk. Just don’t wanna worry anyone. I got myself. I can handle it. She says it ain’t healthy, says she thinks I’m depressed and anxious and traumatized and that I oughta talk to someone, but that’s funny all by itself.

Admittin’ those things would only slow me down. Besides, who has the time or fuckin’ gil for therapy from some quack in Ul’dah?

“Don’t be home late, Kyla,” Daddy rumbled once he hobbled out to the man room. “Supposed to be a dust storm.”

“‘Ight,” I muttered, kissing him on the cheek, and then Ma, and then little Yaya, concentratin’ hard on the dye she was trying to make.

It ain’t like me to go to the parties the other kids throw, Kayah, but Aly told me it’d be fun. Maybe I figured I’d try to have fun, after everyone and their cousin - literally - bitchin’ at me for never going out. Weren’t any fun, though. The music was loud and the folks were sweaty and all the boys sniffin’ around Aly and me were drunk off their asses.

Wonder if you’d have thrown a punch at the one who grabbed me by the ass and tried to kiss my neck. Wonder if you’d still stick up for me, if’n you were around, y’know? I remember the time, as I punch the handsy sommabitch myself, when a boy kicked dust in my eyes and you hopped on him and punched him til y’all had to be dragged apart, just ‘cause the sand in my eyes burned and made me cry.

It’s only when I’m leaving that shitty party, with Aly apologizin’, and I’m rubbin’ at this old stone, that I think I can admit it. It’d be nice if someone else would look after me. It’d be nice to have someone protect me once in a while. Not that I need it. I don’t. But it ain’t a crime, is it? To wish I wasn’t the one always lookin’ after myself?

It’s probably just the boozy punch I drank talkin’.

I don’t get home late. I flop into bed much earlier than the rest of the twenty year olds in town are, and I listen to daddy cough and ma try to give him medicine, and I tell Yaya stories to keep her from worryin’ and to make sure she falls asleep. I’m grateful it’s one of ma’s good weeks, ‘cause I’m so tired from huntin’ that I don’t think I ever wanna get out of bed, but dawn will come and I’ll gotta get back to work.

Wish I could have stayed out late and enjoyed the party without it bein’ an agitated blur. Wish you had been there, Kayah. I think you woulda made it fun. Think everything just might be better if my best friend was here.

Then again, I don’t think I could admit any of this to your fuckin’ face if you’re actually alive, kid. Maybe Ma is right. Maybe I do too much all alone and maybe I got problems but ain’t anyone have time for those problems. We just gotta keep movin’. No time to look back at the things that hurt. We just have to hope they ain’t always gonna hurt.

It ain’t worked yet, but I’ll update you if it ever does.

#rambles #writing

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pilesofmyimperfections · 5 years ago

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It can happen to anyone

It’s been an amazing year. The most incredible year of my life. I found my soulmate, my honey-love, my king, the man that I’ve been wishing for, for so long. We got married and we are having a baby, a baby that I never thought I would have though I dreamed of it, due to many fertility issues. And I am grateful, more than that; I am blessed.

It’s been an amazing year, but it was preceded by the most difficult years of my life. This incredible relationship that I am so grateful for now, I would not have without the one that preceded it, and the man that broke me. I would not know, to be grateful for all the little things my husband does to support me everyday, without the years of emotional abuse I endured before it. Little by little, day after day, year after year. For the first time, I’m going to tell my truth. For all the times he hung me out to dry, with his friends and his family. For all the times, he made me feel small, twisted situations, and used my scars as a weapon to manipulate me. For all the times I kept quiet while he humiliated me in front or friends and coworkers. For all the times, all the moments, all the years, I made myself smaller and smaller. For the fact that he admitted to everything, took responsibility and ownership for everything privately to me, and trashed my name publicly. I’ve decided I’m going to take some time to reflect, for the first time on paper and in public, for all of those who have asked me “why?” or asked “what even happened?” and I couldn’t bring myself to say the words or tell the story.

I wish I knew where it began. I wish I could, after all this time, pinpoint a day when things went bad. Or pick out the first time he manipulated me. Or comb out all the lies and the half truths from the whole truth. But honestly, over the five years we were together, I lost count. I lost count of the lies, the ultimatums, and the little insults that he used to tear me apart. I wish I could tell my loved ones, how I let myself get to such a place, that a man who treated me so poorly felt like the only thing I had in the world and the only thing I would ever have. I turned into someone I always swore I’d never be. I lied to my family and my friends, hid things from them, stopped answering the phone and stopped calling them back because, every time I would get yelled at for “airing our dirty laundry” or for “making me look bad” or for “making your friends and family hate me.”. But it wasn’t my dirty laundry and I didn’t make him look bad or make them hate him. It was his, it was him, he did that all on his own. He wanted to control others perception of our relationship, because the few times I did speak up to my family, they gave me strength to stick up for myself, reminded me who I was before him. He didn’t like that.

Somehow, every time he did something wrong, and I was hurt, he made me believe it was my fault. I never realized how much damage there really was, until I met the man of my dreams, and after months of being back in counseling, could only hold my ground until he said, “you’re right I’m sorry” and then I would break and cry and tell him I was sorry I never should have stuck up for myself. I wouldn’t believe he actually didn’t think it was my fault. Because for years, “I’m sorry” was followed by all the things I did to make him lie to me, or tell other women he hated me, or whatever terrible thing it was that he had done. For years, it was all my fault, and I believed that.

In the end, he was lying to me about everything. About how he’d been evicted from his apartment and was sleeping in his car when he told me he was at home, for over a month. About how he had abandoned our cats there for over a month without care, food, or water. About how he abandoned our things there, my clothes and some of my most cherished possessions. About how he was sexually snapchatting back and forth with women he didn’t even know from the Internet. He was even lying to me, about lying to me.

The night before I found out about all of that and so much more, the night before the made up world he built around me was burnt to the ground; we got home from work and he wanted to be sexually intimate, but I didn’t. I didn’t because I still had a nagging feeling in my gut that I couldn’t trust him. It was our agreement that we would not be intimate until he could be trusted, until he hadn’t lied to me, even over silly things for a while, and I felt safe. Well, that night he didn’t want to stick to that agreement. So he screamed at me. About how I was a piece of shit. About how he should leave my sorry ass for all the women who wanted to screw him and how much better looking they all were than me. About how I was a bitch and I made him miserable and drove him to drink all the time. About how he had worked so hard on himself. About how he deserved to be trusted. About how he couldn’t believe I could be so cruel and manipulative. It was that night, that I realized he had complete control over me. Because despite my intuition, despite the strength I had built up when we were apart, I found myself that night on my hands and knees begging him for forgiveness, begging him not to leave me, and promising I would get help because he was right, clearly there was something wrong with me. He looked me in the eyes, knowing he had been lying about his finances, his faithfulness, his living arrangements, his drinking, and he screamed at me for not trusting him. He berated me for hours, because I didn’t have any proof. He called me crazy and he made me believe it, knowing all the while, that I was not.

So when I found out, when there was a police officer looking for him at his work, as he was being brought up on charges for animal cruelty and abandonment for the state he left our cats in, though he had told me he was going to feed and care for them daily. I sat on my couch, staring at the text message for an hour, while he slept next to me. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I went through his phone, searching for proof it wasn’t true, and found more proof of the contrary.

After that, everything was a blur for me, for weeks afterward. I walked through my life, surrounded by a fog made of my own shame. Shame and distrust of myself, that I didn’t see, couldn’t see what was right in front of me for so long. As red flag after red flag popped up, I ignored my intuition, my education, and the proof staring me in the face and I allowed him to continue to be in my life, or come back into my life, and manipulate me into believing him and only him. I couldn’t believe I let it happen to me. Looking back, I realized that last fight, was just like every fight we ever had. After fights, no matter if I did something wrong or not, usually not, I took the blame for it all. I walked with a shame cloud around me, as I let him publicly tell people that I was a crazy bitch who needed help and laughed. I let his friends tell me what a piece of crap I was. I never really stood up for myself, and when I did, I paid the price. I realized there were times where he laid hands on me, and I let myself be convinced that was my fault too. I realized I had been emotionally and near the end, physically abused. I couldn’t believe it happened to me. I blamed myself for that too. But the truth is, none of it was my fault. I didn’t “deserve” a single second of it. He admitted that to me privately, perhaps in an attempt to win me back, perhaps not. He apologized, but it didn’t help a lick.

But after counseling, meditation, and lots of healing, looking back, I know each moment had to happen. Every ounce of pain and every tear had to be felt. It made me stronger, in the end. But I wish I could’ve become the woman I am today without it, without him. I still, don’t believe he is a bad man, I believe he is a man in a lot of pain with a mental illness and he needs help. Help I pray all the time that he gets. He has a good heart, I didn’t love him for no reason, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, so I send him my love and prayers from afar, and I hope he has the strength to heal. I hope he has the strength to stay sober and heal his wounds, so he can love the way I know he wanted to love, but couldn’t. I won’t tell every story. I won’t tell you his name. I won’t wish him ill. I will wish him nothing but the best in the future. I will have compassion for him. I will send him healing. But I will also, tell my sweet daughter this story, before she goes on her first date. I will tell her, it can happen to anyone. I will tell her, it happens over time. I will tell my story out loud and not feel shame or guilt, so other women know they are not alone. I will heal, and I will take steps forward even after the trauma comes up again and again. I will listen to songs that remind me I am not alone. I will be happy.

“Oh, but after everything you've done

I can thank you for how strong I have become

'Cause you brought the flames and you put me through hell

I had to learn how to fight for myself

And we both know all the truth I could tell

I'll just say this is "I wish you farewell"

I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'

I hope your soul is changin', changin'

I hope you find your peace

Falling on your knees, prayin'”

#trigger warning #domestic abuse #emotional abuse #healing #writings #we are not alone #survivor

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lyssaraiven · 5 years ago

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sectionals pt.1(?)

hi i finally have fucking inspo so love that for me.. Anyways im still denying everything abt IW and Endgame so here it is. Btw this is a song fic bc im obsessed w music. i use this song at 2:30 to the end.

Words: 724

Warnings: cuss words i think and i didnt edit this sorry for the mistakes

Pairing: peter parker x singer!cheerleader!reader

also sorry of the keep reading button isnt working

“Hello! Guys! It’s me. Peter. parker.“ peter, y/n, and ned walked into the seemingly empty penthouse floor of Stark Tower. y/n had never been there before so she was nervous about meeting the Avengers and even though ned has been there plenty of times, he was still buzzing with excitement.

“Y’know, since you live here and all, I don’t think you have to specify who you are.” y/n said as she listened to him ramble. His eyes narrowed at her, but he had a small smile on his face, so she knew it was all good. At that moment, Clint dropped down from the vents and stared at the trio with confusion, but before he could even say a word, Nat walked in.

“Who’s she?” y/n wasn’t shaking, per se, more shuddering after taking breaths.

“Uhm, this is my friend, y/n. She’s here for annual movie night.” peter explained to his fellow spider, not that y/n knew that.

“y/n? You mean the y/n your always talking about?” Tony was quick to butt into the room with the rest of the avengers following him. peter blushed a light crimson while y/n poked his side, 'you talk about me?' , she mouthed.

Steve was the next to help embarrass the ever living crap out of peter, “all. the. time. The kid never shuts up about you”

“Your the singing one right?” Sam looked to y/n and as predicted, she nodded yes while biting her lip from nervousness that she nearly drew blood. They had all perked up and were starting to beg for her to sing something.

“Alright! I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Okay uhm, crap okay.

No I could never judge anyone I loved

Even if you lose sight of all the things I’ve done

I’m not who I once was

These days I’m all grown up

I fuck with me heavy

I’m all chose up

And I only did right by you

When you fucked her I survived by you

Prayin for the girls that believe your news

Prayin for myself cause I be all truth

I got a good heart, good soul, good sex, no stress

Next for me is best

Don’t you run your mouth

Cause in this song I say it best

Don’t take it personal, personal, personal

I know it hurts to know. Hurts to know, hurts to know

I don’t want it (nah nah nah)

Don’t need it (yeah yeah yeah)”

y/n bit her lip and blushed as the avengers looked at her in shock, realizing peter wasn’t just saying she was good because he was practically in love with the girl, she was actually that good.

“Okay! Uh we’re gonna go watch our movie now bye, see ya.” peter grabbed y/n’s hand, and pulled her away while ned followed the two all the way to the small theater. Ned and y/n waved their goodbyes while peter just blushed and basically ran to get away from his insane family who was going to give away his huge crush on the girl.

In peter’s room, he started to apologize profusely while the girl simply waved him off and started Empire Strikes Back, but instead of going to sit back on her side of the bed, she wedged her way next to peter, being so close that their legs were touching. When he looked at her for confirmation, she smiled and gave him a look that made his heart ache, his face hurt from smiling, and his knees weak, because he knew that that single smile would lead to a lifetime of happiness.

After the movie, y/n realized her dad would beat her ass if she was any later so she had to hurry up and get home. She said goodbye to peter and ned in the room, since they were both half asleep by the time Star Wars had ended. When she was headed to the elevator to leave she noticed that some of the avengers were still in the living room.

“Hey, uhm so like next week, Midtown is having a competition against the local glee clubs in New York, so uh could you possibly tell peter, cause I’m kinda nervous to ask him to come, so uh yeah. Thanks, bye.”

Okay so i think im going to continue this bc tbh i dont hate it but lmk if i should or not

#peter parker #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x reader #peter parker x you #sectionals #avengers family #avengers #marvel #mcu #spider-man #tom holland #tom holland spider-man #peter parker/spider-man

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a-mad-scientists-writing · 6 years ago

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The Doctor (Times Twelve)

I finished writing this ages ago but I was determined to try and finish one of my WIPs before I posted it... since uni and exams and SO MUCH is going on and it's rare enough that I get to write anyway, I decided whatever. No sense in not showing what I /do/ have.

AO3

His head hurts and is probably on fire, along with everything else.

Something is gone and shouldn't be and something else shouldn't be here.

The house that the pair of twins in front of him inhabit holds much more than it seems...

“Hey Mason, how’s this one sound?” Mabel asked from her position flat on her stomach, the eyebrows on her little face scrunched up in critical consideration of her own big, careful writing.

She cleared her throat.

“Dear God-”

“You don’t haveta write out prayers, Mabel,” her brother interrupted immediately, lying on his back on the lower bunk-bed and squeezing a fluffy purple rabbit between his fingers.

“Well then why’s there heaps of siddurs in our house?” Mabel countered. “Plus the Torah, and My First Prayer Book, and-”

“The Torah’s not really a prayer book,” said Mason, but there was touch of uncertainty in his young voice.

“Yeah it is,” said Mabel stubbornly. “’S a book. With people prayin’ in it.”

Mason didn’t seem to be able to fault that logic, and let it go with an, “Okay,”

Mabel cleared her throat again.

“Dear God,

“Were you just asleep? Sorry if you were asleep. I didn’t wanna wake you, but I promise it’s a ‘mergency. There’s… a crack in our wall,”

Here, her chirpy little tone wavered noticeably. Mason stilled his fiddling with the toy. Like it was drawn with a wire, his head turned to look at The Wall.

A jagged, winding crack zigged and zagged through the plaster. It arched downward slightly, like it was imitating a crooked grin. However, he and Mabel hadn’t dared to put googly eyes above it.

They already felt like they were being watched enough.

Mason swallowed, not seeming to want to look away now that he was staring at it. Mabel’s eyes, already squeezed shut in concentration, screwed up tighter. The small fingers of her clasped hands were going white.

“It, like… talks’n stuff…”

The script she had written out on paper had run out.

Like she hadn’t been able to find the words.

“So, can you send someone to fix it? That would be greeeaat. Okay, that’s all, talk to ya later!” She finished brightly, springing up to feet and dusting her hands of with a pleased expression, content in the knowledge of a job well done.

Mason remained very still, staring at The Wall.

“I don’t think anyone else’s coming, Mabel,” he said, very quietly.

Anyone else.

It should have implied that there was someone who they had told about the crack. But there wasn’t.

No one had existed for them to tell about it.

“Mason, d’you hear that?” Mabel asked, puzzled, sticking a finger in her ear and wiggling it around.

A sound that was a cross between a whine and a roar, like the distant scream of a jet engine at full power, was steadily rising in pitch.

And becoming louder.

The pyjama’d kids looked at each other with wide eyes just as an almighty crash came from their front yard – not unlike a shed being flattened.

□

“See Mason, I told you he’d send someone!”

“Hello? Is anyone in there?”

“This is so COOL!”

Two young voices were the first sensations to fight their way through Ford’s mind – besides the warning tolls of the cloister bell, that was. And the acrid smell of smoke. And the heat of various fires burning all around the console room. The armchair was completely ablaze. He hoped the axolotl’s tank had survived.

So, to rephrase: the sound of the two young voices were among the first sensations to assault Ford on his way to consciousness. Or, if not the first, then they were still at least assaulting him. His head ached.

He found a surface that wasn’t searing hot and dragged himself to his feet, barely able to see through watering eyes, black smoke, heat hazes, and the flashing purple and yellow lights sparking like small suns against his retinas.

That last one was probably not the TARDIS malfunctioning.

Ford stumbled towards the general direction of a door. His boots sizzled.

It’s fine. This is fine. It’s not the first time you’ve crashed a burning spaceship into Earth.

Not even the tenth time, really.

The bolt on the door slipped out of place easier than it ever had, like the ship was trying to eject him itself. The door burst open and he practically flew out, tumbling off the porch and face-planting neatly into dirt and grass.

Correction: the TARDIS definitely wanted him out.

Ford spat out soil and at least one leaf and became momentarily convinced that he’d gone blind upon pushing himself to his hands and knees.

The cool night air of – he breathed in, letting the scents of the wind, shrubbery and nearby surroundings wash over him – Oregon, USA, Earth, Dimension 38:! was a stark contrast to the burning insides of his ship. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he saw two kids holding a large flashlight between them, jaws dropped and eyes wide. They looked similar enough to be twins…

Something prodded insistently at his memory. Something person-shaped. Something missing. There hadn’t been someone else in the TARDIS, had there? No, there couldn’t have been. Though the last hour or so was fairly chaotic and scrambled in his memories, surely he would have noticed another person with him? There had been explosions, and tumbling, and falling, and malfunctions all over the place – he’d barely survived as it was, a human definitely wouldn’t have… so there couldn’t have been anyone else. Yes.

There was still a big blank space in his memory among all that frantic confusion.

“Are you okay?” asked one of the kids. Despite the thick bobble-hat ensuring that any colds or flu were doomed in their siege against it, fluffy brown curls stubbornly worked their way out from under its grasp. He and his sister – wrapped equally warmly in a sweater – looked about six years old.

That was when the first warning bell went off in his head. Although, he was still pretty stunned from that last collision with the console: it could just be his ringing head.

The kids looked at each other worriedly. Ford realised he should probably reply and stop staring sightlessly.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he said hurriedly. He tried to stand up but tipped over halfway, staggered for a few steps feeling like the rest of his body was being dragged around by his head, and fell back onto his knees again.

“Uh huh,” said the girl, looking sceptical. “Um, you’re bleeding. But it’s a nice red,” she added optimistically.

His head really was sore. That would make sense.

“Well, we can’t all be perfect,” Ford said dazedly.

“Are you an alien?!” Gasped the boy suddenly, looking from the trail of smoke in the sky, to the ship, to Ford, and back again.

“I’m as human as you are – as long as you’re not human. Are you human?” He peered at them. Gosh, it was hard to think.

The kids couldn’t have looked more excited if he’d doused them in waffles and ice cream. Food. Yes. He needed food.

“Is that your spaceship?!”

“Mystery Shack,” the boy read off the TARDIS’s camouflage circuits. “It’s a house! You fly a house?!”

“A big flying wooden house!” shrieked the girl, beaming.

“He crushed our shed!”

They didn’t look upset at all about that, bouncing up and down and turning the torch into a strobe light as they were, but Ford apologised anyway.

“And he’s here to make the crack stop!” the girl continued.

Another warning bell.

“Crack?” Ford repeated.

“Yeah, there’s this crack in our room-” said the boy giddily.

“-And you’re gonna fix it it-”

“-And it’s gonna go away-”

“-And it’s gonna be okay because God sent us a broken shack and a bleeding, burning man!”

What was going on?

Ford held up a hand to stop the flood, trying to piece together the gabbled words. It proved too much to take in, and another stab of pain complete with its own exhaustion bill took first priority.

“Alright, first things first.” Ford took a breath, closed his eyes momentarily, and made his body obey him as he stood up.

The kids stilled, eyes widening more with every moment, ready to hang onto the next words he said with everything they had.

“Where’s your kitchen?”

□

The kitchen, and more importantly the fridge, was inside. It was full.

The house was big. It was empty.

Yet another bell went off in Ford’s head, and this time it was unmistakeable.

The most pressing facts:

A tremendous crash had just resounded from right in front of this house and only the two six-year-olds inside had come out to investigate.

There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.

They’d said they wanted him to “stop” the crack in their wall. So what had it started doing?

“Where are your parents?” he asked them, stepping back out into the hall and glancing up and down it. Completely deserted.

From back inside the kitchen, the girl shrugged as she looked through the contents of the fridge, and the boy replied aloofly, “Don’t have parents,” as he stood on a chair to examine the cupboards.

Oh.

“You must have someone looking after you, though?” Ford pressed.

Two more unconcerned shrugs.

Absolutely nothing about this was looking good.

At least, until the girl returned victoriously from the fridge with approximately half a million Joules of energy in the form of sugar-infused snacks.

“Party!” she whooped, spreading out the various boxes and tubs on the table. There wasn’t even any room for her brother to put the plates out.

“How hungry are you?” The girl said, eyes searching him piercingly. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was gauging just how much of a dent he was going to put in their food stash.

“Not particularly,” Ford assured her. “I’m more tired than anything else. I just need some energy and I’ll be fine,”

“Energy? Nooooo problem!!” Suddenly enthusiastic, the girl became a whirlwind of activity as she gathered various ingredients, shoved them into a blender, blasted it for a few moments, and poured the pink, glittery, (be-dinosaur-ed?) contents into a glass for him with a look on her face akin to that of a mad scientist strapping down their latest subject to the operating table and seeing the lightning rods begin to spark.

“Mabel-juice!” The girl – Mabel, he presumed – proclaimed proudly.

Out of her field of view, the boy blanched at her creation. Ford made eye contact with him. Then he looked at Mabel’s eager expression and watched her excited little bobs up and down where she knelt on her chair. He looked back at her brother. The boy shook his head mutely. Ford reached out, took hold of the glass, and downed the bright concoction in one – avoiding the, yes, plastic dinosaurs.

Some sort of bomb went off on his tongue and if his insides were a car they would have been revving like he was going 120 in second gear.

He slowly lowered the glass.

“Did you like it?” asked Mabel excitedly.

“Mabel, I’m going to need a whole pot of this,”

□

The boy’s name, as it turned out, was Mason, and he was Mabel’s twin brother. Mason and Mabel were six years old, lived in a large house in Gravity Falls with no adults around, and were frustratingly vague when Ford tried to press the point about who was taking care of them. Otherwise, they were very friendly and happy and may have gotten him addicted to Mabel-juice, which, as long as it kept him awake and alert and made Mabel delighted to see him drink, he saw nothing wrong with.

Mason applied a band-aid decorated with a classic green alien face to the cut on his forehead. He smiled shyly when Ford thanked him.

They really were taking all this very well.

And despite the illusion of normalcy around him… that was not a normal reaction.

Fortunately, Ford did not specialise in normal.

“So, what’s your name? What do we call you?” Mason asked when the rest of the food had been packed away and they had settled at the table with some hot chocolate that Ford had made in return for the Mabel-juice pick-me-up.

“I’m Doctor P-”

“Ooh, you’re a doctor?” Enthused Mabel before he could finish.

“Yes,” Ford nodded. “Actually, I have twelve doctorates – none of them in medicine though, which in hindsight would definitely come in handy sometimes.”

Mason’s eyes had blown as wide as coins.

“Twelve?!” Mabel exclaimed. “That makes you like… a super duper smarty pants doctor! You’re like… the doctor!”

“Are you an alien doctor? Or did you get them on Earth?” Mason asked.

“A bit of both,” laughed Ford.

“Why did you come here?”

“I like to look for weird stuff, and your planet has plenty – including a certain brilliant young chef like you-” he tapped Mabel playfully on the nose – “and a clever young investigator like you,” He tapped Mason’s nose as well. The actions earned him a very broad and crooked-toothed grin and a pleased if slightly bashful one.

“What planet are you from? I’ve got a book with them all in,” Mason informed him, growing bolder.

“Well, unless I’ve completely mistaken what century I’ve landed in, I doubt my planet will be in it. It’s called Gallifrey, and it’s a very long way from here,”

In awe, Mason mouthed the word Gallifrey after him.

“Does everyone from your planet have six fingers?” he asked.

“Only the lucky ones,” Ford said easily, years of practice and experience among the much wilder and weirder universe allowing him to believe the sentence much more than his younger self had. “I’d say I’m still not as lucky as you and that birthmark though. Did you know that that particular star cluster hosts the most dazzling and renowned solar storm patterns in the galaxy?”

One of Mason’s hands automatically moved up to flatten the hair over his forehead before he registered the encouragement and sincerity in Ford’s voice, and lowered it again with his happiest smile yet. Suddenly wondering if he should give Mabel a compliment to even things out, Ford found she was entirely unconcerned by the imbalance, nudging her brother fondly with a whispered, “Told you it’s cool!”

There was a comfortable silence for a moment, and then Mabel asked, slurping her drink, “Why’d you crash?”

Ford opened his mouth to reply, and found that he had nothing to say.

Hmm. Suffering from memory loss. That person-shaped hole in his mind…

“I’m not sure,” he said slowly. Most likely temporary. “However, I think you two are far more interesting than me,”

At the pair of doubtful expressions aimed at the alien that had just drunk all their Mabel-juice and flattened their shed with his spaceship, Ford nodded resolutely, not backing down.

“I’m certain of it. Of the three of us, who has had their home invaded by a strange man flying a shack and had to patch him up and feed him all by themselves? Not me, that’s for sure. Well, except for one unfortunate Wednesday morning. Anyway, most people would have hosed me off the property, especially at this hour. You two are incredibly brave and capable, you know that? Your definition of ‘frightening’ is very different to everyone else’s,”

He watched them carefully.

“So that must be one heck of a scary crack in your wall,”

Like he’d flipped a switch, the comfortable atmosphere vanished and Mason and Mabel’s expressions dropped into something splintered and fragile.

□

“Hmm,” Ford said, staring at the crack.

Mason and Mabel watched his examination carefully.

“This crack is certainly not a normal crack, you’re right,” he pronounced after a moment. The analyser he’d picked up several galaxies and/or decades ago was going haywire in his hand.

Hearing a muttered, “Well, duh,” from behind him, he looked back at the kids, standing by their shared dresser – and that was another thing. They shared a dresser, and a bedroom, in this generously-sized house of theirs (re: absent of any other humans). They might just be attached to each other, but… considering the day he was having, he was more inclined to believe the version of events in which things just didn’t add up.

“There’s a voice coming from it,” Mabel continued. “I thought it was fairies from the bushes on the other side of the wall, but me an’ Mason looked for them and couldn’t find any,”

“Well done of you to rule that out.” Ford nodded. “Fairies can cause trouble like that, although beware when you do investigate them – the danger of being hit by projectile vomit is surprisingly high.” He pressed an ear to the wall, right over the crack, and heard nothing but the pump of blood through his ears.

There was a tug on his coat. He looked down to find Mason offering him an empty glass of water – recently emptied, going by the puddle near the dresser.

“You gotta use this,” the boy said.

Ford pressed the rim of the glass against the wall, still looking at Mason. Then he listened at it.

“Prisoner Zero has escaped,” announced a loud, distant, robotic voice, reverberating faintly through the glass.

“Prisoner Zero has escaped,” said Mason, exactly in time with the repeated alert. He had clearly heard it enough to mimic the tempo perfectly. Ford slowly removed his ear from the glass and handed it back.

“It sounds like there’s a prison on the other side of this crack,” he mused. Endeavouring to appear more upbeat about the situation for the sake of Mason and Mabel’s unsettled faces, he launched into an explanation. “Not on the other side of this wall, though. This crack isn’t in the wall, this crack is in everything,”

“Like… the air?” asked Mason, puzzled.

“The air, the wall, the space between the electrons of all those atoms. This crack,” he gestured, “is through time and space itself – and for some reason it has appeared in your bedroom,”

“Cool. How do we close it?” Mabel said immediately. Well, he supposed he couldn’t expect her to be enthused about it after however long it had been stressing her out for. Maybe she’d be more impressed when she was older – for now, at least Mason was trying to be excited, but Ford suspected that was more due to the possibility of making it go away.

“Well, it wasn’t us that made it – was it?” The six-year-olds shook their heads. “Good. You should probably be supervised if you play with dimensional tech.” Not to mention in your general daily lives. “So hopefully it was the prison on the other side. I expect they’ll close it once they realise it’s there – no one likes draughts. So,” Ford marched a few steps away from the wall to where the kids were, and about-turned, taking their hands. “We just have to draw some attention to it,”

“How?” asked Mabel, grinning and bouncing up and down a little in eagerness.

“By making some noise; knocking usually works.” And with that, Ford slammed his boot against the wall with a mighty bang.

The kids looked at each other, and began screaming nonsense, interspersed with enthusiastic but random attacks on the plaster of questionable innocence in order to attract the attention of whatever was on the other side. While they did seem all too happy to unleash themselves upon it, Ford pulled them back after the listening-glass shattered passionately against first it, and then the floor.

The crack split wide open.

Bright white light shone out, clearing to reveal a dark void housing indistinct shapes beyond. They looked like bars.

“PRISONER ZERO HAS ESCAPED. PRISONER ZERO HAS ESCAPED,”

Mason and Mabel were clutching his hands equally tightly. He was losing circulation in them. The loud tones, harsh tones, robotic tones of some sort of alert system blared.

A massive eyeball whipped over the crack, the icy blue iris swivelling to take all three of them in.

“PRISONER ZERO HAS ESCAPED,”

The crack snapped closed.

After a moment, Ford stepped closer to the wall, tugging the twins forward when they didn’t want to let go of his hands.

The crack had disappeared.

“It’s gone!” Mabel cheered, and she and her brother whooped and let go, jumping and dancing ecstatically around the room. Ford remained staring at the wall.

“It’sgoneit’sgoneit’sgoneit’sgone!”

So it did lead to a prison, Ford thought, the trickle of dread that had been winding its way through him ever since entering the house becoming more of a shower. And they’re on the search for a missing prisoner.

It occurred to him to wonder about the realistic number of ways such an obviously high-security, heavily fortified jail could allow for a prison break.

It occurred to him to wonder where the prisoner could have escaped to.

With a recently-opened crack in time and space leading out of the prison suddenly available.

“Mason? Mabel?” he said, raising his voice above their chants, having difficulty looking away from the now-closed – now locked – wall.

“Yeah?” they chorused.

“How about you take me on a tour of your house now?”

□

“And here’s another bedroom, and here’s another one, and another one – oh, no that’s just a closet…”

Nothing, nothing, nothing! There was nothing to suggest anything else in the house was out of the ordinary – except for everything! So many empty rooms, never filled, never lived in, the only signs of something existing and living in the house those left by the children currently dragging him through the halls. On the one hand, for a very specific reason, that was good, but on the other hand, for various obvious reasons, it wasn’t.

“And that’s about it for this floor…”

“Down the stairs!”

Everywhere he looked, there was a frightening absence of-

…everywhere… he… looked…

Slowly, bringing the children’s rushed progression through the house to a halt, he turned his head, eyes sliding over to the side first, and looked through his peripherals at the hall of doors he’d just toured through.

He saw something new that had always been there.

“Whatcha looking at?” asked Mabel brightly, swinging his hand.

“I’m not entirely…” he began.

The deep, echoing ring of a bell filtered through their surroundings. Ford’s head snapped up, and his heart started to beat faster.

“Oh no,”

He sprinted outside, the twins on his heels, spouting questions.

“It’s the TARDIS-”

“You mean the Mystery Shack?” corrected Mason.

“Yes, the engines are phasing!” Ford explained rapidly as they ran for the still smoking and flaming husk of his ship – wow, he hoped it was still functional enough to repair itself…

“I need to take it to a safe space and let it burn off the excess energy or-”

“Or it’ll explode the house?”

“And the tectonic plate below us,” agreed Ford, stopping the kids before they ran up the veranda after him and fishing his key out of his pocket. He turned back to them before he opened the door. “Stay here, keep together, I’ll be back in a few seconds.” Their mouths opened. “It’s a time machine too, I’ll explain later,” Their mouths stayed open. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine, and I’ll be back before you know it-”

Mason interrupted his deluge of jabbering.

“That’s what people always say,”

Ford looked up from struggling with his key.

“They always say they’ll be back,” Mason repeated, resigned and quiet. Mabel wasn’t smiling anymore.

“And I mean it,” said Ford, looking them firmly in the eyes. He smiled at them briefly with as small an amount of panic as he could currently muster, and saw them start to smile hopefully back. “Count the seconds!” He called, and dived through the doorway.

Two was what he was aiming for. Three at the latest.

□

He was shouting before he made it out of the console room, which was full of black clouds of striking resemblance to those inside the crystal ball of a fortune teller living on a volcano. Fires were still burning all over the armchair. The axolotl was lucky his tank’s crash protection mechanism still worked.

“Alright! The engines are stabilised!” Ford ran, coughing, and pulled open the door. “How many seconds did you make it, kids? I’m sorry, it was longer than I meant it to be – navigation’s not doing too well,” The TARDIS belched smoke behind him. “But I’m back now, so-”

It was daylight.

He was fairly sure it had been near midnight when he left.

Something dropped in his stomach.

“Kids?!” He shouted to an empty front garden. It was silent. He broke into a run for the front door.

He had not left them alone in the house, alone in this house, overnight, he had not left them alone for hours when he had seen how wrong everything was here, when he had seen what was inside-

“KIDS!”

The front door burst open under his weight.

“Mason! Mabel!” He thundered down the hall, did a double take and glared fearsomely at what he saw, and ran for their bedroom door.

“Wake up, I’m getting you out of here right now – not via TAR- I mean, Mystery Shack, but maybe there’s a burger place down the street somewhere or in the next… country. Kids! Are you in here?”

There was a yell from behind him and running footsteps too heavy to be a six-year-old’s and Ford got a hand on his gun and pain exploded on the back of his head and everything went dark.

□

“Okay, Operation Sleepwalker is a-go,” Mabel muttered, keeping a grimly determined watch on the entrance of the hospital from her concealed position in the bushes across the road. They were prickly, but only if she moved, so simple solution. Plus, it was just their way of showing affection; she was fine with it.

She eased her foot into a more comfortable position under her and got stabbed by about a million tiny thorns.

“Stop loving me so much!” she hissed.

The rosebush stabbed her again.

“Oh, you…”

This waiting was getting pretty boring. Not to mention, various parts of her were going numb. The things she did for the sake of the mission…

“Mabel!”

She jumped and fumbled for the walkie-talkie in her pocket as another burst of static erupted from it.

“Mabel, you need to get back here!”

“What? I can’t do that! I’m on a mission!” she protested.

“Who cares about that anymore!” Her brother sounded unusually panicked. “It’s the Doctor! Or someone who looks a lot like him – he’s even got the trenchcoat and the red sweater and the weird strap thing!”

That piqued her attention in a big way, but then suspicion poked at her. Sure. He was back. Right.

“What do you mean you think he’s back?”

The voice on the other end of the line cracked in mingled guilt and stress. “I may have hit him in the head with a baseball bat, which knocked him out before he could say anything. Now I’ve handcuffed him to the radiator – but I think it was justified!”

“What the heck man! What’d you do that for?!”

“He broke into our house, Mabel! What was I supposed to do? And besides, I heard a clang!”

“What do you mean ‘a clang’?”

“A clang! Like when you hit a pot with a spoon! It sounded like that when I hit him in the head with the baseball bat!”

“You think he has a pot for a head?”

“I did think he was a robot simulant planted here to kill and/or prank us actually, but we can’t discount that theory either! No trustworthy person has a head that clangs when you knock them out with a baseball bat! Did I mention that? I did, didn’t I? I knocked him out with a baseball bat!”

“I think you’re fixating a little now,”

“You might be right. You have to get back here!”

A car pulled into the staff parking area of the hospital. Mabel’s eyes widened.

“No can do. She’s just arrived and I need to confront her! Again. Anyway, it sounds like you’ve got the situation back there aaaaalllll under control, so good luck! I’m switching this off now,”

“No! No, I do not have this under control! What if he wakes up? What should I do? Knock him out again?”

“Yeah! Or interrogate him,” Mabel suggested. “We don’t want a pothead robot simulant dressed like the Doctor going around killing and/or pranking us! Especially when you’ve just attacked him with a baseball bat. Bye.” She turned the walkie-talkie off amidst her brother’s frantic objections and shoved it back in her pocket. Then she exploded out of the bushes in a flurry of petals and leaves and a little bit of blood and raced over to the physician about to enter the building.

“AHA! I’ve caught you now, Zombifier!” She cried, pointing an accusatory finger right into the culprit’s face.

Doctor Ramsen looked surprised at her sudden appearance, then annoyed - as any crook would at being trapped! The way her eyes rolled were a clear sign of a guilty conscience!

“Mabel-” she started impatiently.

“The patients in your coma ward, are they or are they not compelled to get up at random hours of the day and night and walk around town completely conscious?”

“They are not,” said Doctor Ramsen, distinctly unamused.

“Still going with that story, huh? Well, you’ll be left with no legs to stand on today, you… legless… villain!”

“Mabel, you and your brother have had fun with this for the last few weeks, but I’m getting very tired of it now-”

“Because today I have proof of your dastardly insomniac deeds! Right here! Deny them if you dare!”

“I do. Now I want you to stop with this nonsense and go home, right now,” “No matter how hard you try, you can’t squirm out of it this time-”

“MABEL!” Shouted Doctor Ramsen. Mabel’s voice died in her throat. “Do I need to call your uncle? Again?”

“…No,” Mabel said after a moment.

“Good. Now go home, and enjoy your weekend without harassing anyone in this hospital please. Off you go.” She turned and walked through the hospital entrance, leaving Mabel frustrated and fighting off instinctive hot red clouds of shame. She didn’t have anything to be ashamed of! She was helping uncover the mysteries of this town, unlike everyone else who seemed content to just be complicit in them…

A strange thought occurred to her.

Maybe Doctor Ramsen wasn’t the root of the problem. What if it really was something else? She should call Soos and ask him to pretty please with sugar on top use his status as a nurse to do some more recon work on the coma patients when his shift came on. His answer was always the same: no patients were missing, everyone was unconscious in their beds, as usual…

She looked down at the picture on her phone that she had been brandishing at Doctor Ramsen.

On it, a lady dressed for the coma ward was depicted wandering down the street.

□

Ford jerked awake. This was difficult, due to the cuffs restraining his right wrist.

He was slumped at the end of the hallway against a thankfully-turned-off radiator. Down the hall, the nightmare faced him.

You left them here all night…

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Demanded a voice.

A boy in a blue and white hat was standing nearby, pointing a baseball bat at him with false bravado. Ford’s head twinged in recognition.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” He demanded right back, which seemed to throw the kid even more off-balance than he already was. How old was he? Twelve? Thirteen? Where the hell had he come from? Could he be a neighbour, perhaps?

“I- I’m Dipper,” the boy stammered out and then winced, like he hadn’t meant to let that slip.

“And what are you doing here?”

“Uh, I’m investigating some zom- I mean, coma patients… it’s a long story… but I needed to pick up my camera.” He gestured to the bag at his feet, which Ford could see through the open top was indeed holding a video camera. Ford’s gaze flicked back up to him, and he shifted uneasily. Definitely hiding something, Ford surmised, but he couldn’t focus on it now.

“I’m Stanford,” He introduced himself in an attempt to build some rapport. The boy’s eyes narrowed. Forget it! “Now, where are the children that live here? A boy and a girl, Mason and Mabel, where are they?”

The boy frowned, opening and closing his mouth, clearly trying to work out when exactly the roles of interrogator and interrogatee had reversed. There was no time for this, not anymore. He had to get everyone out of this house pronto before his suspicions were confirmed. The view of the hallway behind Dipper seemed to loom larger.

“Kid! Just answer the question! This house is dangerous, and we need to get far away from it now!”

“Dangerous?” Dipper looked alarmed. Finally, he was getting through.

“Extremely, and even more so if you don’t let me out of these cuffs right this minute!” He pulled on them for good measure, but Dipper was looking over his shoulder, down the hallway, following the line of sight which Ford’s gaze had been flickering along for some time.

“What’s wrong with it?” He asked, looking back at Ford.

No time! It’s been too long already!

“The kids.” Ford stressed. “Where are Mabel and Mason?”

Dipper was looking over his shoulder again, forehead creased. “Huh? They… um… haven’t been here for a while…” he answered vaguely.

Ford’s insides froze solid.

“What?”

He hadn’t been that long, he was only out by about six hours, he hadn’t been that long!

“What do you mean?”

Nothing had happened to them before he arrived, so why would anything have happened to them since?

“Dipper, what do you mean? How long is a ‘while’?”

The boy turned back to him, shaking his head a little, and appearing to have reclaimed some of his authority.

“Alright, that’s enough questions. What are you really doing here, Doctor ‘Stanford’?” The quotation marks thunked into place around Ford’s name. “Are you some sort of robot imposter-” and there was a swell of righteous anger in that word – “here to invade us? To take us all prisoner? To kill us? To… prank us?! Answer me, pothead!”

Ford stared at him for a moment before his heart resumed its heavy beating of a tattoo against his ribs and the frustration and fear all came back.

“What in the name of- didn’t you hear me? This place is dangerous and we need to leave now!”

“Yeah, I’d say so! Some crazy guy just broke in and ran around yelling like he owns the place, and now he keeps trying to convince me to let him keep doing it!”

Ford would probably concede that point at any other time, but it was far too late to start rationalising with the kid.

Make him understand, make him understand!

“How many doors are in this hallway? Tell me, right now,”

Glaring uncomprehendingly, Dipper must have realised Ford was far too stubborn to allow him to direct the conversation because he sighed impatiently and gestured around them at each door without looking.

“Five. One, two, three, four, five-”

“Six,”

Dipper stopped.

“Look behind you,” Ford instructed. Dipper didn’t move, but he wasn’t contradicting his count. “Look behind you. You know there’s something wrong, don’t you? Something there, in the corner of your eye…”

□

Slowly, Dipper turned his head. His eyes strained to look into the area normally guarded by his peripherals. He faced the end of the hallway.

No way…

“Why haven’t I seen that before?” He breathed. There was a door. Door number six, sitting at the end of the hallway as innocently as a grenade. His heart beat faster. There was a whole other room in the house. A whole other room. How could he not have noticed?

“There’s a perception filter around it, tricking you into looking away, convincing your brain into skipping over it every time your eyes cross it,” The fake’s voice answered from behind him. Dipper took a step towards it, and another.

“No, stay away from it, stay back!” The fake ordered. “That perception filter was put there by something so it could hide, so it could stay here without being noticed!”

A whole other person had been living in his house? All this time?

The was a clinking and a clattering as the imposter tried to get free again. Dipper’s feet were still being drawn onwards like they were magnetised to the mystery at the end of the corridor.

That was a seriously creepy thought. There was someone else in the house with them? There had been someone else in the house with them this entire time? No, wait…

The guy hadn’t said someone, he’d said something…

On the other hand, they hadn’t been making much of a nuisance of themself. At least he didn’t have to do dishes for them as well.

His hand closed around the doorknob.

“Dipper!”

The door swung open easily at his touch. Not a squeak of the hinges. Not a stick in the movement.

It was accustomed to being opened and shut.

A particularly vicious clank sounded, along with some swear words that Dipper conscientiously edited out from his mind.

“Why do you even have handcuffs?!” The fake shouted.

“They’re my uncle’s,” Dipper answered vaguely, looking around the new room that was so, so old. It hadn’t been maintained along with the rest of the house over the years. It was bare, with peeling wallpaper and a creaky, bare wooden floor. Not so much as some blankets, or a table, or any furnishings at all were inside – although with the way Dipper was already struggling to keep the waves of panic at bay, he wasn’t sure he could have handled any irrefutable evidence that someone had been insidiously and possibly even ubiquitously part of his life since…

“Why does your uncle have handcuffs?” The voice echoed frustratedly back from out in the hall.

“No idea…” Dipper mumbled, still taking in the room. It was silent and still, the floor housing a fine layer of dust. There was nothing living in the slightest. Not even bugs.

“Dipper?” There was a tinge of worry in Stanf- in the imposter’s voice. He mustn’t have heard his answer.

Dipper shook himself.

“There’s no one here,” he called out loudly. “It’s empty,”

“How do you know?”

What? How did he know if it was empty? What, like he didn’t have eyes? Jeez, was this guy demanding. How hard was it to tell if a room was occupied or not?

“Because-” Dipper floundered helplessly for a moment. “Because I can’t see anyone!”

There was silence. His own words hovered in the air.

Tricking you into looking away, convincing your brain into skipping over it every time your eyes cross it…

Something there, in the corner of your eye…

Dipper swallowed with a dry throat.

“Dipper, get out of there,”

He turned his head, examining the four walls from his position in the centre. Nothing left, nothing right…

“Don’t look for it, just come away,”

He was very conscious that he didn’t have eyes in the back of his head.

“Dipper!”

And whichever way he turned, his back was always to something.

He looked around again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. His breaths filled his ears and his pulse filled his head.

He slowly made to look to the left… and whipped around to the right.

TEETH. Huge fanged TEETH. Translucent skin covering a reptilian, snakelike head and a long neck or body or whatever winding up to the ceiling and it opened its mouth wide and hissed at him, the TEETH impossibly huge.

Dipper screamed and hit it with the baseball bat. Then he ran.

Two steps into the hallway, slamming the door behind him for all the good that would do against huge freaking monstrous FANGS, two steps out and he ran into the Doctor, who had been pelting towards him. His whole body jarred with the collision and he went flying backwards-

-would have gone flying backwards if the Doctor hadn’t caught him, grabbed him, lifted him bodily off the ground and run for the front door, the handcuffs dangling from his right wrist knocking Dipper’s hat askew on the way.

Sunshine filled the world and kicked his brain back into gear and he started struggling to be put down. Most of the way across the front yard, the D- the imposter abruptly stopped and Dipper seized the chance, wriggling out of the guy’s grip, his feet thudding into the grass.

“We’ve been living with a monster this entire time!” He half yelled half gasped, trying to suck air into his aching lungs and expel it at the same time with as much success as could be expected. His hand leapt for his walkie-talkie – he needed to tell Mabel, he needed to talk to her, he needed to find her and then they’d go find Stan together- but it was missing, left behind in the bag with his camera-

“There’s a shed in this yard,” said Stanford.

“What?!” said Dipper wildly. “What?! Yeah there’s a shed! And an ALIEN in the house back there, in case you somehow missed it!”

“It’s old – it’s years old,” Stanford said in disbelief, looking at the wooden building like it held another translucent reptilian being.

“So? Let’s go! We need to get out of here!”

“No, you don’t understand – there can’t be a shed here, I destroyed it when I crashed…”

Desperately trying to pull himself together enough for both their snakes- their sakes before the alien came out and ate them both, Dipper took a deep breath and grabbed the man’s trenchcoated arm, tugging it – uselessly as it turned out. If Stanford didn’t want to move, he didn’t move, apparently.

“Look, it’s great that you admire my uncle’s shed-making skills so much-”

“Your uncle? He made this? Who is he?” Stanford said sharply.

Dipper waved his arms in a general gesture of franticness, helplessness, and lack of information or care, knocking his hat even more out of place. “He’s- he’s Stan! He’s my uncle! Showed up not long after-”

“How old is it? How old is that shed?”

Dipper ripped his hat off. “I don’t know! How many seconds is it since you told us to wait for you?!”

Stanford froze.

□

How had he missed it?

The boy’s fringe and fluffy hair sprang up out of hat-pressed flatness. That vivid red birthmark with the incredible likeness to the Big Dipper – how had he missed it? – glared out at him, as did a pair of fierce brown eyes.

“We need to go,” Dipper insisted, tugging on his arm again. Ford pulled himself together.

“TARDIS,” he said.

“You mean Mystery Shack,” Dipper corrected.

“Right.” He looked around for where he’d landed this time – which turned out to be on the property line, one corner of the house edging onto the road. Part of the fence had been obliterated, and Ford was forced to admit that sometimes its exterior, while relatively small, was still rather large to find parking spaces for.

As they turned to it, shutters rolled down inside the windows, the door locked audibly, and the sound of some sort of contained explosion went off inside.

“Ah,” said Ford. “Maybe not until it’s repaired itself,”

Dipper gasped and he whipped around to face what could now be comfortably called the haunted house.

“Zombie,” the boy said in a tight voice.

There was a man in a hospital gown standing in the doorway. He opened his mouth and snarled with an impossible number of humongous and needle-like teeth. Dipper’s body seemed to have completely locked up beside him.

“Well,” Ford said lightly. “On the bright side, we know that Prisoner Zero is also a shapeshifter,”

“That’s a bright side?”

“Would you rather we not know?” He grabbed Dipper’s hand. “Run!”

Their feet thudded on pavement, across grass, on pavement again. Houses, streets, cars flashed past. They weren’t being pursued. They weren’t being visibly pursued. Dipper was having trouble keeping up. Ford only stopped when a loud scream of feedback rang out of an ice cream van’s loudspeaker by the side of a park.

Wheezing and coughing, Dipper was bent double trying to take in air. That didn’t stop him from trying to make his lungs obey him so he could voice all his questions as soon as possible, that investigative curiosity he’d had as a younger child only having grown since. Good God, he’d been six five minutes ago…

“Prisoner Zero’s been in our house?”

“Yes – and they’ve not been idle. To take a form like that they’d need to develop a psychic link with a host,” The ice cream van had got the feedback under control, but still seemed to be having some technical problems.

“Where’s your sister?” Questioned Ford. “Is she alright? Didn’t you say something about coma patients earlier?”

Dipper straightened up and started breathing evenly again. “Yeah, she’s fine, she’s at the hospital. We keep seeing patients from the coma ward walking around town, so-” He stopped, eyes widening. “They’ve been Prisoner Zero?” He stopped again, his head cocked.

“What is it?” Ford knew before he’d finished the question.

“-incinerated. Repeat. Prisoner Zero will-”

“No way,” Dipper murmured disbelievingly. A harsh, robotic, and above all familiar loud voice was sounding over the ice cream van’s loudspeakers.

“-eject the human residence, or-”

It wasn’t just the loudspeakers. Twenty feet away, along the jogging track, a woman was staring at her earbuds strangely. On the other side of the park a teenager’s stereo was blaring the same robotic message. Through the curtains of someone’s living room, Ford could see a large blue eyeball swivelling back and forth on a television screen.

“-residence will be-”

Someone in the park shouted, pointing up at the sky. Ford and Dipper and everyone within sight were suddenly looking upwards in fear, in confusion, in curiosity, in panic, as the sun shimmered and dulled to an orangey-yellow and people could watch it without having to avert their eyes in pain. Everyone gaped at the incomprehensible sight.

Everyone except someone in a little corner of the park, who looked very familiar to Ford now that he was thinking along the right lines.

He cleared the fence posts in one leap.

“Mabel!”

Ford skidded to a halt in front of her and spent a second trying to adjust to how similar and different she was now compared to then – still in a wonderfully bright sweater, taller now obviously, hair longer, an expression a lot more shocked-looking than it used to be when she looked at him, but she was alright – they were both alright. (Dipper came to a stop by crashing into his sister, legs still not fully under his control after such a long run). Ford didn’t know how much the uncertainty of not knowing for sure what had happened had been stressing him out until he felt it vanish upon seeing the twins side-by side, if a little scared, again. So many things were going wrong today, but at least this was mostly okay.

“IMPOSTER!” Yelled Mabel, recovering her balance both physically and emotionally and brandishing a finger at him. She had braces now.

“No, no, I swear Mabel, it’s me, I’m back,” Ford said quickly, waving his hands placatingly. “The T- uh, the Mystery Shack’s navigation was fairly… melted and it clearly had a hard time trying to find the right time again, I’m so sorry. But I’m back now. Right, Dipper?”

Dipper was silent. He looked away from Ford’s stare.

“What? Dipper? You really don’t believe it’s me?” It didn’t seem possible, not after all that had just happened. And yet here the boy was, looking at him now that he had a moment to breathe with just as much unwillingness to believe, to hope that it was really Ford, and that he was really back.

“You said your name was Stanford,” He said, crossing his arms.

“That is my name!”

“No it isn’t,” Mabel said stubbornly. “That’s some sort of- of weird robot name you came up with because you’re a weird robot imposter!”

“Isn’t your uncle’s name Stan? It’s not that weird,” Frowned Ford.

“Not the point! The Doctor didn’t have a name! He was just the Doctor, mister, which you’d know if you were the Doctor!” She folded her arms too, confident that she’d trapped him. Ford suddenly felt like those few times Dipper had looked at him back at the house – like something was going on that was so obvious he didn’t know where to begin explaining it.

“Of course I have a name!” He burst out. “I never told you it because you interrupted me when I tried!”

A thoughtful expression crossed Mabel’s face. “Oh yeah, that did happen… and that does explain it.” Then she turned hard again, and Ford’s heart sank. “But not all of it! You never came back!”

“And why would you now?” Her brother chimed in, equally distrustful.

“I’ve already-” Ford pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm the steadily encroaching tension making its way over him via the strange sun and the robotic message and Prisoner Zero and the two kids in front of him who… who he’d left when they didn’t have anyone else, and it didn’t matter that they hadn’t been alone for long before their uncle apparently showed up – he’d still left them, and broken their trust as easily as they’d given it, and now they were no longer small with unguarded hearts.

“Do you know how many psychiatrists Stan practically had to beat off with a stick?”

“Or how many seconds there are in six years? ‘Cause we do,”

Ford knelt down. Their faces were set, but at least now they had to look at him.

“I know you don’t want to trust me again,” he told them, “but you know it’s me. You know it, and I am back now, and I promise I can still help. So for now,” He stuck out both his hands to them. Hands that he was fairly sure they wouldn’t have seen many like in this small town, and hands which he was certain they remembered from his first visit. Dipper and Mabel looked back and forth between them and his face. Ford introduced himself anew.

“I’m Doctor Stanford Pines. I have twelve PhDs from various corners of the universe, I fly a Mystery Shack through time and space, and I’d like your help in solving this current crisis,”

They stared at his six fingers, and the still-warm soot on his jacket, and the traces of glittery dinosaur Mabel juice on his sleeves.

“Please,” he implored them. “There’s no one better suited to the task, or who I’d rather have,”

Hesitantly, with equal expressions that told him that maybe their hearts weren’t too guarded against him just yet, they shook his hands.

“Alright,” Dipper said.

“We’re really the only people who’ll have any hope of saving us anyway,” shrugged Mabel, and Ford laughed.

“But first, what is happening to the sun?” demanded Dipper.

“-residence, or the human residence will-”

“And the weird broadcast,” Mabel added.

Ford stood up. “Nothing good, I’m afraid.” He pulled his analyser out of his pocket – noting with some exuberance that Dipper and Mabel’s eyes widened as they recognised it – and aimed it at the sky. After a moment, a little hologram of something that looked like a snowflake at first glance blinked up on it.

“Allow me to introduce Prisoner Zero’s cell wardens – the Atraxi.” The spiky, delicate looking spaceship spun in place, a super-sized blue eyeball in the centre. “There’s currently a fleet of them surrounding the planet, searching for Prisoner Zero,”

“Well that’s good, isn’t it?” asked Mabel. “They’ll find them and take them away-”

“-and we won’t have to worry about some creepy alien hiding in our house,” added Dipper.

“What?”

“Oh yeah, it’s horror movie kind of stuff. I’ll tell you about it later,”

“The fact that they want to take Prisoner Zero away? Yes, that is good,” Ford informed them. “What they’re threatening to do? Not so much,”

“What are they threatening to do?” frowned Mabel. “It’s just looks like they’re floating around up there,”

On cue, the teenager nearby pressed the wrong thing on his stereo and the most certainly planet-wide broadcast boomed out at full volume.

“PRISONER ZERO WILL EJECT THE HUMAN RESIDENCE, OR THE HUMAN RESIDENCE WILL BE INCINERATED. REPEAT. PRISONER ZERO WILL EJECT THE HUMAN RESIDENCE, OR THE HUMAN RESIDENCE WILL BE INCINERATED,”

Dipper blanched. “The human residence… as in, ‘Earth’?”

“Exactly,” confirmed Ford. “So we need to find Prisoner Zero, who’ll be needing to stay close to any subjects of their psychic link in order to maintain their disguise,”

“The coma patients!” Realised Dipper.

“I feel like I’ve missed a lot,” Mabel complained.

“We need to get into the hospital!”

“Now that I understand!” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Soos to the rescue! He’s on his shift right now!”

“Alright! We can do this! Is there anything else?” Dipper asked Ford eagerly.

“I’ll need a computer-”

“Wendy has one! She’s right over there!”

“How convenient!” Ford praised.

“So that’s it, right? You do whatever you need to do with the computer, then we’ll go to the hospital and wrassle with an alien, and then we call the Atraxi and they can take Prisoner Zero away and not incinerate us, and everything will be fine!” Mabel cheered, putting her hands on her hips and huffing out a relieved sigh. “Simple! And it’s not even like there’s a twenty-four-hour time limit, like in the movies!” She laughed.

Ford’s stomach dropped at her innocent statement, and his mood change did not go unnoticed by the twins.

“What? There is a time limit?” Mabel said in some distress.

Reluctantly, Ford admitted, “Well, the Atraxi have technically already started the incineration process,”

“They’ve what?” Shouted Dipper.

“Force-field in the upper atmosphere in order to contain the explosion,” Ford said, waving his hand at the diluted sun.

“So how long do we have?” Mabel said, considerably more nervously.

And this is what he’d really have wanted to avoid telling them.

“Considering the mass of the planet, the density of the core, and the power needed to charge up a sufficient fusion blast… about twenty minutes,”

Mabel looked like her voice was being strangled in its formation. Dipper was bending over double and taking in whooping great breaths again. Ford decided that he wouldn’t mention how it was likely closer to fifteen now, after how long they’d been talking for.

Dipper straightened up again. “But you can still do it, right? You’ve had worse odds before, or something?” he said desperately. Mabel turned to him with equal expectancy.

With great reassurance, Ford placed a hand on each of their heads and ruffled their hair gently.

“Not really. This pretty bad. But with you two helping, things should be much easier! Now, which one is Wendy?”

#fanfiction #gravity falls #the doctor (x12)

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papa-rhys · 6 years ago

Note

Prompt 32 please 🙏🏻

Thank you for requesting! I thought I’d give my boy Sharky a lil attention with this one.

Prompt 32: “Hail Mary, full of Grace, The Lord is with thee-““Are you praying?” “What thefuck else am I supposed to do??”

Bullets fly over Rook’s head as they take cover behind adumpster with Sharky.

“Shit’s really poppin’ off, Dep. I don’t know how much morethis dumpster can take.”

“It’ll be fine, just keep shootin’!”

Rook pokes their head up over the top of the dumpster andfires in the general direction of the gunfire. Taking a break to reload, theygive Sharky a nod and he takes his turn firing over the top. Bullets ricochetoff the metal, pinging in all directions and rolling across the concrete of theparking lot. As Rook gets ready for their turn returning fire, the dull clickof an empty weapon sounds from Sharky’s gun.

“Damn. I’m out.” He slides down the dumpster with his backleant against it. “Wadda we do now?” He asks.

“Okay, I have a full mag left. If we get to those trees overthere—” Rook points Sharky in the direction of a dense wooded area. “—we canlose ‘em and head back to the jail to restock. You go first; I’ll cover you.”

“I- what? Why do I have to go first?” Sharky protests, duckinghis head as another barrage of bullets hits the dumpster.

“Because you’re the guinea pig,” Rook replies with a smile.

Sharky looks from Rook, to the trees on the far side of theparking lot, and then back to Rook again. “I don’t about this, Dep.” He says,offering them a look of uncertainty.

“Okay, fine. We’ll go at the same time. That way, we’ll bothhave an equal chance of gettin’ shot in the ass, okay?” Rook readies their gunand gets into position. Sharky does the same, throwing his shotgun over hisshoulder and getting ready to run. “Okay,” Rook says. “On the count of three.One… tw-“

Sharky runs and Rook, caught of guard by his suddendeparture, runs after him.

“I told you to go on the count of three!” Rook calls afterhim, firing wildly at the Peggies.

“Hail Mary, full of Grace,The Lord is with thee-“

“Are you praying?” Rook shouts, running outof bullets and using the gun to shield their face from the gunfire.

“What the fuck elseam I supposed to do?!” Sharky yells, almost falling flat on his face as hetrips over his own foot.

They reach the trees and keep running, not slowing down foranything. They zig-zag between the pines, stumbling over rocks and logs as theygo. Rook risks a glance backwards to see if they’re being followed, and whenthey’re satisfied that they aren’t, they call for Sharky to stop running.

“H…Holy hell,” Sharky pants, bending over and resting hishands on his knees. “I don’t think I’ve ran that fast since Dixie Jackson’s bigbro came home early and found me in her closet.”

Rook raises an eyebrow and takes a seat on the dirty ground.“I don’t even wanna know,” they say.

Sharky takes a seat next to them, laying his shotgun by hisside and bringing his knees up to his chest. “We were 15 and we were foolin’around in her bedroom—”

“Sharky, I said I don’twanna know,” Rook chuckles.

“Oh, yeah, right… cool.”

There’s a few moments of quiet as the two of them get theirbreath back and listen to the birds chirping in the trees. As always, Sharky doesn’tstay quiet for long, and he breaks the silence pretty quickly.

“You, uh… You ain’t gonna tell no one about me prayin’,right?”

Rook turns to look at him.

“I mean, I ain’t ashamed of it or nothin’ ‘cause, y’know,that was a real scary situation… but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell folkabout it.”

“Sure,” Rook replies.

“I mean, I just didn’t really know what else to do, y’know?I just figured, it’s a religious cult, right? So I thought prayin’ would keep ‘emaway. Y’know like when you use a cross against a vampire and they’re like “nooo, nooo, get that thing away from me”and then they—”

Rook stares a Sharky with dead eyes, waiting for him tofinish.

“—run away ‘cause they can’t stand it anymore? I justthought it might work like that… It was worth a shot, ya feel me?”

“Okay, Sharky,” Rook says, patting him on the shoulder. “Iwon’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks, Dep. You’re a real friend, y’know that?”

“You too, bud,” Rook says, keeping their hand onhis shoulder as the two of them watch an Elk make its way through the brush. “Youtoo.”

#far cry 5 #sharky boshaw #my writing #writing: sharky boshaw

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yoiotdfics · 6 years ago

Text

Fic Rec List August 2017

The Complexities of Eros

FullBladderLemons (orphan_account)

Summary:

Yuuri has to pee and can’t get out of his Eros costume…Victor helps. That’s about it. Pre-relationship/pre-canon.

Red As Carnations

v_larr

Summary:

“You made flowers grow in my lungs, and although they are beautiful, I can’t breathe.” ~~Unknown

Pillow Case

Creep

Summary:

He checked that he has all his stuff and he was about to leave when his eyes caught the pillow on the bed. It still had the imprint of Yuri’s head. On impulse, Otabek grabbed the pillow and took the pillow case, putting it on his bag.

He left his room and wondered what the fuck he had just done

sweet citrus scented sin

Yasuo_Karada

Summary:

Yuuri’s first mistake was consulting Chris for advice.

Yuuri’s second mistake was clicking on the link that was sent his way.

His third mistake was allowing the ‘Well…’ to pop into his head, as if that was enough to justify things, and before he knew it he was packing up two grapefruits into the cart, tossing in some oranges and a handful of random other fruit to make it less conspicuous. Viktor didn’t even bat an eye at the checkout.

Promises, Promises

mousapelli

Summary:

They really shouldn’t, but that never stops Yuuri and Victor.

Bachelor Party

justrae2010

Summary:

It’s not every bachelor party that you’re treated to a strip tease from your fiancee.

set my heart on fire

FunnyLittleOwl

Summary:

In a world where a broken heart was a literal condition, it was unbelievable to think any owner could be so careless with their own beating organs.

Victor Nikiforov was.

So it wasn’t the least surprising when his Heart decided to take matters into its hands.

(Inspired by the short In a Hearbeat.)

Jokes

kiazareni

Summary:

“Beka,” he says his name again and plays with the longer strands of black hair, strokes his nails against the bristles of his undercut, “you’re the worst best friend ever. Pay attention to me!”

Based on the tumblr prompt: things you said when you thought I was asleep

St. Petersburg is for Layers

Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)

Summary:

Otabek vs. the Russian Winter goes exactly how you’d expect.

he took me to my knees (and now he’s got me prayin’)

orphan_account

Summary:

Viktor and Yuuri try out something new: cockwarming.

your warmth is home

DefiantDreams

Summary:

Viktor Nikiforov would give Katsuki Yuuri the world, whether he asks for it or not. He wants to love Yuuri, and this is simply just one of the ways he knows how.

aka:

Viktor the service sub, ft. cock warming

in which otabek is a (dog loving) criminal

sshibal

Summary:

“I can’t believe you were getting dicked and didn’t tell me,” JJ says when he catches Otabek sneaking out of Seung-gil’s hotel room.

Seung-gil kind of/sort of runs illegal dog cuddling sessions during competitions; Otabek is his unlikely partner in crime. Or three times Otabek introduced people to Seung-gil’s dog on accident and one time he does it on purpose.

But Sometimes Family Picks You (goodbyes)

FyreFaerie

Summary:

He hadn’t been stupid. He’d known that his grandfather was getting old and worked too much for his age. He just hadn’t been ready to say goodbye

Warning: Character death (I feel like the summary kind of explains it though…)

Social Network Cinderella

Lanerose

Summary:

Yuuri calls Phichit the morning after the Sochi Grand Prix Final to let him know that he has found (and lost?) his soulmate.

Phichit comes to the rescue the only way he knows how.

The Perils of Praises

WinterSky101

Summary:

Mari and Minako were Not To Be Trusted.

call me!

its_nochillforov

Summary:

There’s a beautiful stranger on Yuuri’s train so of course the only practical course of action is reading over this beautiful stranger’s shoulder. In Yuuri’s defense, it’s actually a really good book. And the stranger’s cologne smells really good.

And in that moment, Yuri realized: he fucked up.

SparkleMeow

Summary:

“At the hospital:

*Viktor wakes up from an accident*

Viktor: Where’s Yuuri?

Yurio: Who do you think gave you this heart?

Viktor: *starts tearing up* no…

Yurio: JK he went to the bathroom”

Honey, Bee Mine

emeraldonyxdragon

Summary:

Inspired by a silly discord chat. Yuri loves going back to visit Gramps’ farm over the summer, but not so much when his indoor cat Potya decides she likes life outside better. After some fruitless chasing, Yuri decides that he might have to let Potya out more often if it means getting to talk to the young beekeeper next door. Also includes art!

[Art] Honey, Bee Mine - An Otayuri Beekeeper AU

thisiseclair

Boys & Their Toys

orphan_account

Summary:

“Yūri!” Phichit exclaims, picking up the phone on the third ring.

“What does it mean when your neighbor gives you a dildo?” Yūri asks without preamble.

On the other end of the line, he hears something that sounds like choking, followed by a series of violent coughs.

Idol Eyes

Sotakura

Summary:

Yuuri begins packing up his life in Japan, preparing for his upcoming journey to St. Petersburg.

Victor offers to help, but finds some surprises buried in Yuuri’s closet.

(or: Victor finds some hidden merch with his face on it.)

Intoxication

Zetal (Rodinia)

Summary:

After the short program in China, Chris goes out to dinner with a group of friends. Masumi, after spending months avoiding Chris, goes with them.

Katsuki “PDA Monster” Yuuri

Adrianners

Summary:

When he kissed Yuuri for the first time, Viktor assumed that would be the end of any public romantic gestures between them. Yuuri, however, had other plans.

Five times Viktor was surprised by Yuuri’s penchant for public displays of affection, and one time he wasn’t surprised at all.

Late-Night Drive-Thru

domokunrainbowkinz

Summary:

Victor gets hungry at 3 am and goes to McDonalds

Late-Night Drive-Thru (Cursed Version)

domokunrainbowkinz

Summary:

Victor gets hungry at 3am and goes to McDonalds. Yuuri is also hungry, and works at McDonalds. What happens next will blow your mind.

Mint Chocolate Chip

CrystalizedCherry

Summary:

Yuri’s never had ice cream before. Otabek remedies that.

Those Deadly Creatures

ilien

Summary:

Their human is moving in with Christophe. He should have warned them that Christophe lives with a monster.

As A Rule of Thumb

agroovymutation

Summary:

As a rule of thumb… good Catholic boys don’t try and summon demons. As a rule of thumb… 700 year old demons don’t entertain the summons of a 19 year old.

Otabek is a demon, summoned by good boy JJ.

burning in her firelight

TheCookieMonster77

Summary:

Sara likes dresses. She likes them vintage or off the runway, sleek or flowy. Mila’s seen the inside of Sara’s closet, bursting at its seams with endless colorful skirts and lacy necklines. Mila loves Sara in dresses, loves the way Sara loves herself in dresses, but never has Sara in a dress knocked the air out of Mila’s lungs like this.

Because this is Sara, wrapped up in a suit that’s all pinstripes and crisp lines.

“Surprise~”

two gay gals do some shopping

ItadakimASSu

Yuripaws

Summary:

Viktor has a special request involving sushi. Yuuri just rolls with it.

Ways to Love

Viktuurious (Sourwoif)

Summary:

Based on the writing prompt: “different ways to say I love you”

“Hey,” Yuuri returned, unaware of his interruption. He balanced two plates in his hands, smiling up at Viktor, “I got you some samosas and those shrimp wraps that you like.”

Viktor grinned and pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s temple.

“There’s more than one way to say it,” Viktor offered.

Yuri watched them, unsure how to respond. He settled with scoffing and walking off to find someone who made more sense.

call of the wild

thishasbeencary

Summary:

After his failure at the Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Yuuri goes home, but home isn’t back to Hasetsu. Home is the sea, where Yuuri lives as a siren, who feels as though he’s a failure to his family because he’s yet to place a successful Call on a mortal. It reaches Yuuri that Viktor Nikiforov has shown up in Hasetsu to coach Yuuri, and Yuuri doesn’t understand why, and doesn’t feel worthy. He’s not even human, but for some reason, Viktor has chosen to coach him. Nonetheless he goes back to shore.

For some strange reason, Viktor Nikiforov seems unbelievably attracted to Yuuri.

(Or: The canon divergent au where Yuuri is a siren.)

#yoi #yuri on ice #fic rec list #August Fic Rec List 2017

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iamnesta · 6 years ago

Text

SUMMER. (pt. 1)

Prompt: “You’re hiding something and I don’t know what it is but I’m sick of the lies.”

Pairing: Sam Wilson x Reader (gender neutral)

Word Count: 2.9k+

Warnings: Mild language. Infinity War spoilers.

A/N: Sam Wilson deserves more love, so I decided to write about him for @hollandroos‘s 12k Writing Challenge. This piece takes place after Thanos’s snap and describes Sam’s time in the afterlife or whatever parallel universe the soul stone took him to. I may have used Anthony Mackie’s comment about Jamaica from the dreaded ACE Comic Con panel as inspiration. I apologize in advance if this fanfic is boring; it’s more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven story. Anywho, I hope I do Sam’s character justice, as this is my first time writing for him. Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

***

Death was far less painful than Sam Wilson imagined it would be. He had been dragging himself across the forest floor of Wakanda, his fingers clutching at dirt and brush as he desperately tried to haul himself upright, and then — nothing. Darkness enveloped his mind and body, caressing his skin and pressing chilly kisses against his cheeks. He felt weightless, his limbs held aloft by some unknown force, the once-incessant pounding in his skull now gone. If he had known dying would be this pleasant, Sam would never have feared it. He may have even welcomed it.

Thoughts drifted through Sam’s head but floated away before they fully formed. Soon, he had no recollection of who he had once been. His struggles and successes were eaten up by that soft, encompassing darkness until he was nothing but a name. The rage and guilt and sorrow that had plagued Sam when he was alive vanished, and the sensation was so liberating that he did not notice when he could no longer recognize his friends’ laugher or his mother’s face.

All of Sam’s cares and worries had spiraled into nothing like smoke on a summer breeze; he lost any concept of time as seconds or hours or decades passed. Eventually, the comfort of cold shadows slowly melted away and Sam’s body began to regain its normal heaviness, though his soul remained airy and light and empty.

Wooden slats dug into Sam’s bare back as he lay beneath a harsh sun that heated his bones. A salty wind lazily soothed the sweat already beginning to pinprick Sam’s skin, the sound of gulls and gently rolling waves lapping against a sandy shore reawakening his senses. He cracked his eyes open, blinking rapidly and bringing a hand up to protect his gaze from the bright white light that beat down on him.

Sam eased himself into a seated position, observing the reclined chair beneath him and the thin linen shorts he wore. In front of him a calm blue-green ocean burbled happily, and everywhere else there was fine, pale sand that stretched for miles. For as far as Sam could see, the beach was flat and empty, completely devoid of any life other than himself.

Once, Sam might have found the abandoned expanse of land and utter lack of human voices or activity to be eerie. But as he swung his legs over the side of the chair and buried his toes in the scalding sand, all Sam felt was peace within his deceased heart.

With nothing else to do, Sam began to walk along the surf of the sea, savoring every deep inhale of briny air.

He walked until the sun fell and the sky blackened, billions upon billions of stars blinking to life. Sam was not tired, but he lowered himself to the ground nonetheless, curling up in the frothing foam and willing his eyelids to slide shut.

The warm water crept forward, sliding over Sam’s legs and shoulders and neck. Salt clung to his lips, although perhaps the saline was from the tears sliding down the bridge of his nose rather than the ocean waves. Sam did not know why he was crying, as he had no memories, but the sobs wracked his entire body. He wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged himself tight, his breath slowing as sleep claimed him.

***

Sam was sixteen and sitting in the kitchen of his childhood home in Harlem. He was wearing ratty plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt depicting the album art of an old jazz musician as he hurriedly shoveled cereal into his mouth. He was hoping to finish breakfast and slip out the back door before —

“Sam, baby?” His mother poked her head into the cramped kitchen, immediately frowning when she saw him scarfing down cheerios in his sleepwear. “Why aren’t you dressed?”

Glancing guiltily at his mother’s church attire and the decorative blue hat she held in her hands, Sam said, “I’m not going to church today, Mama.”

Mrs. Wilson’s face twisted and her cheeks reddened as if she had just been slapped. Her voice was low and deadly, fury fluttering beneath her words as she uttered, “Excuse me?”

Sam sat up a little straighter. “I said I’m not going to church with you.”

A child’s hands appeared, little fingers grasping at her mother’s skirt as Sarah Wilson peered into the room to stare at her eldest brother. From the hall, Minister Wilson called, “Is everybody ready? If we don’t leave soon, we’re gonna be late.”

Sam’s mother crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “Samuel says he ain’t goin’. Thinks he’s above the Lord, now.”

“Mama,” Sam tried to protest, his spoon falling from his hand and hitting the bottom of the bowl noisily.

Another head poked its way into the kitchen doorway, and the middle Wilson child declared, “If Sam’s not goin’ to church, then I’m not either!”

Mrs. Wilson gave Sam a withering glare before turning and saying in a placating voice, “Gideon, baby, if you wanna be a minister like your daddy then you gotta go to church.”

Gideon looked down, kicking at the floor with the toe of one of his scuffed dress shoes. “I don’t wanna be a minister like Daddy,” he said under his breath.

Before Mrs. Wilson could start yelling, Minister Wilson squeezed himself into the doorway. He placed one of his large hands on his wife’s shoulder and ruffled his daughter’s messy curls with the other. “What’s going on?”

“Tell your eldest son to get off his ass and get ready for church,” Mrs. Wilson demanded.

Minister Wilson tilted his head to one side, squinting his eyes and running his tongue along his lower lip like he always did when he was thinking. “What’s wrong, son?”

Sam slouched in his chair, the woven wicker seat groaning beneath him. “I just don’t wanna go,” he muttered.

“What was that, boy?” Mrs. Wilson snapped.

“Hey, now,” Minister Wilson tried to cool his wife’s temper before it could fully explode.

Mrs. Wilson stepped away from her husband’s touch and stalked closer to Sam, her expression stormy. “I just don’t understand why Samuel thinks he’s so high an’ mighty all of a sudden,” she seethed, “What’s wrong with goin’ to church, huh? Got a problem with God?”

Sam’s nostrils flared, his jaw clenching with anger. His gaze darted to his father, who was still contemplating the situation at hand, before returning to his livid mother. “I ain’t got a problem with God, Mama.”

“Then what is it?” She snarled. “I didn’t raise no heathen.”

Uncoiling from the corner of the kitchen that he had shrunken into, Sam sprung to his feet and yelled, “It’s not God, Mama, it’s you! I got a problem with you. You act like there ain’t nothin’ wrong so long as we got food on the table and the Lord up above. You’re blind, Mama! People — our people — are dying out there and you just turn the other way be-because what? You think black men and women would stop being shot at if they started prayin’ like you do? I’m sorry, but that’s bullshit!”

“You watch your mouth, boy,” Mrs. Wilson breathed, fury simmering in her deep brown gaze. Beside her, Gideon’s face was torn between awe and horror at his brother’s recklessness, and Sarah looked like she was about to cry.

Minister Wilson had been watching the exchange very carefully, his infinite wisdom missing nothing. He cleared his throat. “Darlene,” he said sharply, “Let’s get goin’ now. I got a service to preach in fifteen minutes. Samuel’s old enough to make his own decisions; he can stay home if he wants to.”

Mrs. Wilson gritted her teeth but didn’t argue. “Sarah, Gideon, let’s go,” she ordered, taking each of them by the hand and storming out of the room. Neither child dared to argue as they scrambled to keep up with their mother.

Sam slowly met his father’s gaze, his shoulders tense with fear of what he would say. Minister Wilson, however, simply looked sad. Understanding filled his eyes, and he gestured for his son to come forward. Sam tentatively stepped in front of his father. He froze with surprise as Minister Wilson swept him into a tight embrace. When the shock wore off, Sam wrapped his arms around his father’s shoulders.

“I know it’s not easy, son,” Minister Wilson murmured, his voice thick with emotion, “The world is a fucked up place and your mama…well, she doesn’t always know how to cope with it.” Minister Wilson pulled away so he could examine Sam properly. Tears shone in both of their eyes. “Stay strong for me, Sam-boy, a’ight? We’ll make it through this.”

Sam nodded, not trusting himself to speak without crying. With a final smile, Minister Wilson clapped Sam on the shoulder and left. This would be the last time Sam ever saw his father.

***

A gull shrieked and a violent wave crashed against the sand, startling Sam awake. He gasped, his throat working, his fists opening and closing, all of his muscles tight from a visceral reaction to a dream he could not remember. Squinting up at the sun, his brain wracked itself for some recollection of the images that had played on the backs of his eyelids just moments before. But nothing surfaced, and the hollowness that rested beneath Sam’s ribcage remained.

Beside him, a page crinkled as it turned.

Sam scrambled to sit up and looked over at the source of the noise. You sat atop a wooden chair identical to his, your legs crossed one over the other and a magazine balanced on your knees. Oversized sunglasses perched themselves on the bridge of your nose, but your feet were bare and you wore an outfit made of the same white linen as Sam’s shorts. You licked your slightly chapped lips and turned another page.

“Hello,” Sam said, his voice rough with disuse. You did not reply; you didn’t even glance his way. Frowning, Sam slid his legs off the side of his chair so that he way fully facing you. He cleared his throat and tried again: “Hello.”

A sigh hissed through your teeth. “Hello,” you echoed, your attention never drifting from the magazine.

Many quiet minutes passed. You continued flipping pages and Sam stared at you as if expecting you to start explaining who you were and what this place was. When you didn’t speak up, Sam introduced himself, “My name is Sam. Sam Wilson.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek, contemplating whether or not you should reply. Finally, you said, “I’m (Y/N).”

“Where are we?” Sam asked.

“Paradise.” Your gaze flickered briefly toward him. “Yours, specifically.”

Sam’s forehead creased as his brows drew together in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

It was as if Sam’s mind was short circuiting. He had no idea what events had led to his arrival in this so-called paradise, but when he pressed his fingers to the inside of his wrist, the shadow of a pulse still persisted. If he was not dead, then he must be —

A bitter smile twisted your mouth, your focus never shifting from the magazine in your lap. “You aren’t dreaming.”

Sam’s expression remained baffled. “If this is my paradise,” he said slowly, “Then why are you here?”

You coughed, amusement coloring your words as you replied, “I would imagine it’s difficult to come up with entirely unique utopias for half the universe. But I’ll try not to be too offended that you’d rather spend eternity alone.”

“Eternity?” Sam echoed, that dreadful, lonely word heavy with despair.

There was a pause. Then, rather abruptly, you snapped your magazine shut and stood up. Folding the glossy papers and tucking them beneath your arm, you tilted your head and gestured toward Sam with coaxing fingers. “Follow me.”

Sam obliged, trailing after you as you led him away from the water. The journey proceeded in silence, the only sounds coming from the shifting sand underfoot. After what felt like hours, you stopped atop a particularly large dune, smiling softly as Sam’s feet froze and his jaw dropped. Before him lay a sprawling oasis, towering palm trees casting shade over tiny waterfalls that cascaded into a natural pool of sparkling blue. A quaint, wooden structure with a straw roof and honey-gold fairy lights dotting the porch railing overlooked the slice of perfection.

You spread your arms wide and said proudly, “Welcome to your paradise, Sam Wilson. It takes the form of wherever you feel most at peace.”

A low, impressed whistle slipped from Sam’s lips, and he felt as if he were levitating as he entered the oasis. The beauty of the land surrounding him was more than surreal — it was impossible. But as you pushed past him and marched over to the glittering pool, Sam forgot about impossibility and instead joined you by the rocks bordering the water.

Sitting on a large, flat stone, you dangled your feet in the pool, kicking them absentmindedly and creating ripples along the otherwise tranquil surface. The magazine from earlier was once again open and resting upon your thighs, your rapt gaze fervently scanning its pages.

Sam lowered himself beside you, leaving a comfortable space between your bodies. He stole glances at the paper that had ensnared your attention, but the magazine appeared to be entirely blank; each page that you flipped was completely white. He couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “Why’re you reading a blank magazine?”

You blinked up at him, looking mildly surprised. “Is that what you see?”

Sam frowned, scooting closer to you by a fraction of an inch. “What are you seeing?”

Taking one last peek at the magazine before shutting it and setting it out of reach, you gave Sam a strained smile that didn’t quite meet your eyes. But your voice still sounded cool and unruffled as you replied, “Just a blank magazine. Shall we?” You gestured toward the glinting water.

Something snagged in Sam’s mind, and he couldn’t help the inexplicable apprehension that washed over him. The feeling was heavy, palpable — he could taste the wrongness on his tongue. But the more he tried to place where the foreboding in his gut had come from, the less it seemed to plague him. Eventually the sensation wilted and withered away, the lingering residue of uneasiness gobbled up by the glaring sun.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Sam squinted at you. “Sorry?”

You let out a breathy laugh and pushed yourself off the rock, gracefully slipping into the pool. “Come on,” you urged him, “It’s nice.”

Sam sighed, but followed you nonetheless. The water was not very deep, and only reached the middle of his torso. Small waves lapped at his ribcage, the temperature pleasant and cooling in the dense heat. He peered down at his hands through the translucent, aquamarine water, the corners of his lips tugging upward in a bemused smile at the sight of his fingers appearing to ripple and bend.

When Sam lifted his gaze, he found you already watching him from where you stood a few feet away. You looked pensive, your brows pinched and your mouth pulled into a tiny frown. Sensing his shift in focus, you quickly wiped away your concern. “Eternity here doesn’t seem so bad, right?” You asked, trying to keep your words casual and devoid of the hope that gripped your heart.

Tipping his head back and closing his eyes, Sam breathed deeply. “I guess it could be worse.”

Without even thinking about it, you confessed, “Honestly, this place is everything I needed after what happened.”

The instant the sentence left your lips you knew it had been a mistake. You swore inwardly, mentally bashing yourself for your stupidity. Sam straightened abruptly, his attention snapping to you. His voice was low as he uttered, “What?”

You shrugged, suddenly finding your nails extremely interesting. Your eyes darted to him before swiftly lowering once more. “Never mind.”

Sam surged toward you, ignoring your alarm as you steadily backed away. He halted when you were pressed against the edge of the spring and he could feel your rapid breathing on his chest. He didn’t say anything for a moment, fighting the startling impulse to glance down at your body, which was now on full display since the water had turned your white clothes transparent. He struggled to keep his voice even and prayed that he wasn’t staring at your lips as he demanded, “What do you mean after what happened?”

You gulped nervously. “I don’t — nothing. I don’t know. Forget it.”

The two of you lapsed into a tense silence, frozen in place and unwilling to back down. Finally, you tore your gaze away from Sam’s and looked toward the sky. Calmly, you remarked, “It’s going to rain tomorrow.”

Sam glanced upward. The sky was an endless swath of cloudless, brilliant blue. “Doesn’t look like it,” he told you.

A taunting smirk quirked your lips. “Wanna bet?”

With an annoyed grunt, Sam turned away. You watched as he heaved himself out of the pool and onto the rocky shore, water sluicing off his body and dripping in his wake as he began to walk away. “I’m gonna go explore,” he said over his shoulder.

Your shoulders slumped with disappointment, although you weren’t entirely sure why you were so crestfallen to see him leave. It wasn’t like you were friends with him; all you knew about Sam was what you remembered from when you were alive, and your memory was hazy at best.

You sighed. “Have fun,” you called dully after Sam.

***

Part Two (coming soon!)

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