#I can't believe I didn't look at the ingredients sooner

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

ok I know she's probably working but I explained to my stylist about my shampoo having henna in it and she hasn't texted me back yet. I have until tomorrow at 1pm to cancel the appointment without a cancelation fee. I really need advice. the shampoo is NOT color depositing at all, I'm going to very thoroughly use a different shampoo tomorrow... do I cancel or do we just do a strand test first?

[spookymystery67]

I Wish I Could Walk In Heels

AN: Slightly earlier chapter! It would have been out sooner, but my brain never wants to cooperate these days when I actually take the time to write something. I hope this chapter is alright and I didn't miss any mistakes when re-reading and editing. Enjoy!

Chapter 24:

Ada was quick to get the gate unlocked, making yours and Luis's conversation come to a halt. 

“All good.” Ada said, jumping down from where she had got the gate opened.

“What would I do without you, Ada?” Luis rhetorically questioned, his charming smile on full display.

“Be parasite food?” Ada snarked as she led the way down. 

Luis gave you a look, as if to say “can you believe this woman?” This made you snort in response. His mock hurt was evident and only succeeded to further your amusement with the man.

Down you all went. A tense, but nonetheless welcome, silence filled the air. Luis and you noted Ada wasn't in the chatty mood. Understandably so. You both had silently agreed to linger behind her, side by side, to give her some space.

Ada halted ahead of you. You gasped when you saw the doorway you were supposed to head through blocked off by a roaring fire. 

The lab.

“No, no, no!” Luis exclaimed desperately as he rushed to Ada's side. “We can't let the medicine be destroyed!”

He goes to run toward the flames, but is hindered by Ada, who grabs his arm with her own to stop him.

“Luis! Let it go!” Ada tried. Luis yanked his arm out her grasp and ran towards the flames, her warnings be damned.

“Luis!” You shouted, running after him without a second thought.

“Are you serious?” Ada gasped, running right in after you, not wanting you both to get too far away.

Or burned alive.

“Don't inhale the smoke!” Ada loudly ordered, helping you push away the heavy metal contraption that blocked your way to Luis. 

You succeed and carefully, yet quickly, make your way through the hot flames to Luis, being careful as to not breathe in too much smoke. Knowing that if you did, you might as well just end up suffocating before being burned alive.

Luis is leaning on a desk, coughing and gasping for air that he lacked due to too much smoke inhalation. You and Ada each took a hold of his arms, placing one over each shoulder to make it easier for you both to drag the struggling man out of danger. 

Once safely out of the flames wrath, Ada practically threw the coughing man off of her to the ground, nearly taking you with him. You sighed at her temper and lowered him the rest of the way as gently as possible. 

“If you're trying to kill yourself, can you do it after we've delivered the Amber?” Ada voiced angrily to Luis.

“It's all gone…” Luis coughed out, despair evident in his voice. “Burnt to nothing.”

All of the medicine is gone? Your heart sank, feeling discouraged that none of you had got here in time to save at least some of it.

“Why is this so important to you?” Ada questioned.

Luis sighed sadly. “There are things I must set right. But that is impossible now. It's all over- and I can't help them anymore.”

The hopelessness in the man's demeanor practically broke your heart. Never, since the time of your first meeting, has he ever looked so disheartened. It's clear something weighs heavy on him. 

He feels guilty. Feels responsible for all the harm done to this town by the Plaga, in one way or another. He may also feel responsible for Leon, Ashley and Ada's current predicament as well.

“Pull yourself together, Luis.” Ada demanded.

You glanced at Ada in disbelief. “Ada, that's a little harsh-” 

“Make more. You know how, just do it.” Ada finished, as if it was the obvious solution. 

Oh. For a second you worried that her frustrations, and the virus, was going to make her snap at Luis… Again.

Luis perked up from his spot kneeled on the ground, “I guess it is possible.” Once fully recovered, he moved to his feet, using your arm for a moment to help him get stable.

“The ingredients are all here. In the castle.” He said as he turned to Ada, a hopeful smile returned to his face. “Yes! I need time… but I can still get you your Amber.”

Ada stared at him for a moment, before nodding her agreement. “Alright. Let's go.” 

You grinned as Ada turned away, holding your fist out to Luis who victoriously returned the gesture by lightly bumping his fist with yours.

“We can go back up this way. And figure out our next move.” Luis explained, leading you back to another set of stairs, similar to the ones you just walked down from.

You followed, sighing slightly in preparation for the climb back up. Going down the stairs was far easier than climbing up, that's for sure.

“Hey.” Ada tapped your arm to get your attention, speaking quietly so Luis wouldn't overhear. “Next time, don't just follow someone into a fire. That could have ended badly. I don't need you doing things like that here.”

Her words stumped you, “I'm sorry?”

“I could have handled it, you didn't need to put yourself in danger like that.” She explained.

While normally you would have been touched by her concern, which was often, her tone was off. You interpreted it as her almost feeling inconvenienced by your presence. 

“While I understand you can handle things alone, I was concerned for Luis. He could have gotten hurt or died there. I wanted to help. After all, that's the whole reason I come on missions with you. To help.” You reminded her.

Ada huffed her disagreement. “I should have never brought you here.”

You pause, “What?”

“On this mission. You should have stayed away from his mission and Los Illuminados altogether.” Said Ada.

“Okay, at first I was thinking this was your normal concern, but now I'm not so sure.” You were a little frustrated by your current struggle in reading your, normally easy to read, girlfriend. “You're acting like I am inconveniencing you by being here.”

“After that little stunt you just pulled, you kind of are.” 

Your eyebrows rose. “My stunt-”

“You should have stayed out of it. I can't babysit both you and Luis, worry about a cure, and find the Amber. We already lost too much time trying to find Luis. Twice, no thanks to you. So do me a favor and stay out of trouble until the rest of this mission is completed.” She argued, not bothering to even attempt to say it in a nice way.

Deep down, you knew she didn't mean to sound so harsh with you. She has never wanted to hurt your feelings. Not once in the six years you've known her. 

But still, her words couldn't help but cause a sting within you. Originally, she didn't blame you for losing Luis the second time when you were both quite obviously outnumbered. And now she is implying that it was your fault. Telling you that you've done nothing but get in her way. You didn't think you were in the way… Were you?

You took a deep breath, before really taking a moment to study her. No. No, that isn't what Ada really thinks.

She's stressed, scared, and using you as an outlet. And while you were used to her keeping a cap on her emotions, you still understood this current reaction to everything. The clock is ticking. Best to just not argue and worry about finding the things Luis needed for the medicine.

“Right.” You simply stated, turning your focus away from Ada to the task at hand. Stairs. Follow Luis up the stairs. Find the ingredients. Make the medicine.

Cure Ada.

“Hey, who are you two working for anyway?” Luis questioned from up ahead. You appreciated his spontaneous attempt at conversation, as it served as a distraction from your scrambled thoughts. Though the topic of the conversation wasn't your favorite. 

You jogged up some of the steps towards him to put more distance between you and Ada.

“You're better off not knowing. Trust me.” Ada replied.

“Well, you can work for the devil for all I care. As long as you get me out of here…” He said. You snorted softly at his comment. 

Albert Wesker may as well be the devil.

By the time you all made it up the ladder and to the gate you were huffing and puffing.

Climbing up is a lot harder than going down. Admittedly, you felt better about being slightly out of breath after seeing Luis and Ada were just as worn out as you were.

“Oye, I'll unlock the- huh?” Luis started to pat his pockets in panic. “Where's the key?” More frantic patting, then he hissed. “Shit! I must have dropped it.”

Not surprising. You weren't feeling panic like Luis, knowing Ada would just break the lock with a few powerful kicks, and all will be well.

Ada did so immediately after you had thought it, allowing you all access to the room Luis led you to. After looking around, you believed this was the same room you had all just started in, judging by the hole in the stone wall. The way you had entered. 

A different path up was taken thanks to the fire.

Luis walked up to the big table, grabbing a pen and paper while he mentally ran through the list in his head. 

“Okay. Won't be my finest effort- but it just might work.” Luis began writing a list on the paper. “Ada, Sénorita, find these ingredients… And just maybe I can make a new batch of medicine.”

Finishing the list, he capped the pen, and handed Ada the list. “Time's not our friend. You go, find them, and I will go grab the Amber.” He declared.

You looked at the ingredient list from over Ada's shoulder. Red ink, a gold bottle, and a blue butterfly. These are the most random items to you, but apparently they each held some kind of special properties, and when mixed with the chemicals Luis had on hand, they should do the trick.

The red ink is in the bindery, the gold bottle in the treasure room, and the blue butterfly in the collection room.

Eyeing the list, and then Ada, you pondered, “Should me and you split up? Get the ingredients quicker-” 

“Hell no!” Ada interrupted, appearing affronted by your question. “Splitting up with Luis is already a questionable idea, but one that unfortunately must happen. I'm not about to let you run around by yourself in this place.”

“She's right Sénorita. This castle is teeming with danger in every corner. Too dangerous to be alone. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't a necessity.” Luis added. “In fact. I should go now. Wish me luck.” 

With that, Luis flashed you both a grin and rushed out of the room, beginning his quest in obtaining the hidden Amber. Leaving you and Ada to speak alone.

“It was just a suggestion. I figured if I was out of your hair, you would have less to worry about.” You admitted.

Ada's eyes flashed with frustration, not understanding how you didn't get it. But then she looked into your own eyes, the hurt evident within your gaze, and her harsh demeanor softened soon after. 

She sighed, “Look, Y/n… about what I said earlier.”

“It's okay, I understand.” 

“I don't think you fully do. I just want to clarify. I didn't mean to snap at you. I didn't mean to blame you for losing Luis at that church. And I did not mean that I want you gone and out of the way because I'm ‘tired of babysitting you’. I don't really know what came over me…” She trailed off.

“I'm sure it had everything to do with your current condition.” You said, implying it was the virus messing with her mind.

“It definitely had part of it, but it doesn't excuse my hurtful words. I was…scared. I was very scared when you ran head first into that fire after Luis. I wasn't thinking straight and I took my emotions out on you.” She explained. “I just want you to know that you are not a burden. And you are not in the way. You are actually very helpful and asking you to be my partner was probably the best decision I have ever made. Makes the job easier.”

You hummed. “So, asking me to be your work partner is the best decision you ever made? Not, I don't know, becoming my girlfriend?”

Ada looked panicked for a moment, but it quickly simmered down when she noticed the teasing grin that slid across your face. 

“Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Doesn't answer the question.”

“Of course being your girlfriend is the best decision I have made! Hands down. No competition.” She paused, before jesting. “Am I in the clear now?”

You let out a cackle, nodding a yes. “You're good. And thank you, for clarifying the whole thing. I had an inkling that your words earlier weren't meant to be so harsh, but it is nice to actually hear it from you.”

“Of course.” She smiled softly, before letting out a tired huff. “Now, let's go get these damn ingredients. At this rate, Luis might beat us to the Amber before we collect everything.”

“Good, then maybe he could help us get the blue butterfly or something. Save us some time.” You followed Ada's lead, ready to get this little scavenger hunt over with.

“If only.” She muttered.

“Oh, and Ada?”

She paused in her stride. “Yes?”

“I love you.” You reminded her.

She grinned. “And I love you.”

–

“What is with the puzzles in this place? Why do we need to shoot the shields to open a stupid drawer?” You complained. 

Ada shrugged, just as confused. “Security. I guess this red ink is important to someone else too, not just us.”

She shot the shields in the correct order, making the drawer with the red ink pop open as you let out a little cheer. One down, two to go.

Ada picked up the ink and you both made to leave the room, barely taking a step before hearing a different set of footsteps from the other side of the door.

Someone is coming.

Ada's heels clicked across the room. She opened the window as you followed behind, before quickly changing your mind and deciding to hide out of sight of whoever was about to walk in. Easier to just take out this singular infected than to get caught and have them sound the alarm. Ada seemed to agree with this silent decision, hastily doing the same.

The door opened, with careful footsteps entering the room. You held your breath, a pistol in hand and ready to fight your way out of here. Except…

Your eyes met blue ones. Surprise ran through you at the sight of the unexpected company. Said company had a similar reaction to yours.

What were the chances? I guess pretty high considering the call Luis made a while ago. But still, you didn't think you two would actually come face to face again.

“Y/n?” He gasped.

“Leon.”

[braveclementine]

Chapter 9

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (Please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

I started on the Felix Felicis potion the next day. Severus had brought me all of the ingredients I could possibly need and he was helping me make it, though there was always a look of frustrated curiosity in his eyes. He never asked. Maybe he didn't want to know. 

I knew I had to tell him soon. After all, the runes that I was going to save his life grew stronger with time. So the sooner I carved them into his skin to protect him, the better. 

But it was hard. How are you supposed to sit your husband down and tell him that in a few short months time, he's going to die? How can you tell him that you're not even brewing the Felix Felicis for him, because you need him to still be bitten so Voldemort believes him to be dead? 

Because if you tell him that. . . because if I tell him that. . . then it shows that I'm willing to let him die for the rest of the world. And maybe that seems like good morals and selflessness, but I was afraid he would think I didn't love him. And that couldn't be farther from the truth. 

I was so caught up with my thoughts, that I didn't even notice the mistake I was going to make with the potion until Severus caught my wrist, jerking it away. I blinked, then put the cilantro leaves down and sighed. 

"Elizabeth?" Severus sighed as well, picking up  the parsley and added it before starting the stirring. "Something you want to tell me? Like maybe who we're making this for?" 

I stiffened a little as I stared into the boiling cauldron. Then I closed my eyes, leaning my head back so it rested against the end of the bed. "Dad." I whispered. "And Tonks. Fred too." 

Severus was quiet for a long time, before  I heard shuffling. I opened my eyes as arms pulled me into them. I turned into him so that my cheek rested against his chest. 

I breathed out and then said, "You." 

I felt Severus' body jolt a little and could hear his heart start to beat a little faster in his chest. I wondered if he was scared. 

"I see." Severus murmured. 

"It's all over in June." I whispered. "The battle. Dad, Fred, and Tonks should be easy. A little liquid luck. You're much harder." 

"Why?" Severus asked, running his hand up and down my arm. Already, his heart had settled back into its' normal pace. 

"Because The Dark Lord is the one that kills you and for everything to work, he must think you're dead. Which means you can't take the liquid luck. I have to save you on skill, he won't stay around to watch you die." 

"So he doesn't use the curse?" Severus asked incredulously. 

"No. He actually cares to much about you to kill you directly" I said, huffing a small laugh to myself at the irony. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort had used Severus as a direct confidant. Had trusted him with their lives in a way. And their secrets. But he belonged to neither of them and he killed the one he liked better. 

"How then?" Severus asked. 

"Nagini." I murmured. Severus flinched a little against me. 

I sat up so that I could turn and look into his face as I said this. He pulled me into his lap so that I was straddling him. "So, here's the plan. I want to carve protection runes into the skin above your heart and around your  neck, where Nagini originally bit you. It means that the bite will be farther away, which means it will take more time for the poison to spread. Then, I'll use a dose of what the healers at St. Mungo's used for Mr. Weasley, before slipping liquid luck down your throat. I- I know it took Mr. Weasley twelves doses but-" 

"You can't give me that much in one go." Severus said calmly, as though we were simply discussing homework. 

I nodded. Severus leaned forward so that our foreheads were touching. "Elizabeth, there is always a chance it doesn't work." 

"I know." I whispered quietly. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Severus asked. 

I blinked back tears. "I have to be. I'll have Remus to think about. If it doesn't work, I'll be strong for him Severus, I promise." 

"Good." Severus whispered. "And Elizabeth, please. I know you want to save me and I'll work with you for this plan because I also want it to work- obviously." He smirked a little and I unwillingly smiled too. "But if it means he sees you or it puts you in danger, you can't risk it. Please?" 

"I won't." I promised him. 

"Good girl." Severus whispered again, hugging me tightly. "Now then, these runes?" 

"Uh yeah." I said, scrambling off of his lap. I grabbed my bag and pulled out the special knife that was used when carving runes. "Um, perhaps this will be easier on the bed?" 

Severus  nodded and said, "Let me finish the potion up first." 

"Okay." I nodded. The potion would take six months to make, which was why I had to make it now, being it September, it would finish in March. But if we made a mistake, we'd have to start over and it was better to start over in October, than start the potion in December, mess up, and not have the potion at all. 

We worked for a few more moments, before Severus set the cauldron up on the table in the corner of the room. I grabbed my runes book so that I could make sure the runes were perfect and then followed him over to the bed. 

Severus unbuttoned his smock and revealed the skin underneath, before laying back on the bed, closing his eyes. 

There were four possible runes that I could do: Naudiz, which was the rune of willpower, survival, necessity, delay, resistance, needs, self-reliance; Eihwaz, the rune of defense, life and death, resilience, strength; Algiz, rune of protection, instincts, shield, guardian; and Sowilo, rune of Willpower, victory, daylight, health, power, fire. 

Runes were complicated. Some runes could work in conjunction with each other, while other runes worked against each other. Luckily, all of these runes could work in a set of three. I could switch out Naudiz and Sowilo but they didn't work well with each other in a magical sense. 

I decided on using Naudiz, because of it being more about survival than Sowilo. Sowilo's definition with victory and daylight sounded more poetic, but I wasn't going to take a chance with Severus' life. 

And, also, Naudiz was much easier to carve than Sowilo was. 

Naudiz was comprised of two lines. One going straight down vertically. The second line cut through diagonally. Algiz looked like a 'Y' with another line the same length as the other two prongs going through the middle. And Eihwaz looked like a simple line with one line at the top and going right, a second line on the bottom and going left. 

I carved these neatly into Severus' skin, blocking out his facial expression. He was silent through the entire process, so I didn't have  to hear any sounds of pain. 

Once they were carved in, I activated them with my wand and they glowed a light blue for a moment and then faded. They would continue to glow however, so he would have to use a concealing spell in the Dark Lord's presence. 

"Do you want me to stun you while I carve them into your neck? I'm going to have to do it multiple times." I murmured, cupping his cheek. 

He heistated and then nodded, "It'll be easier that way. No reason to play tough." 

"I'm sorry." I murmured. 

"No, it's alright." He said, squeezing my hand, "This must happen." 

I nodded and stunned him before setting off to work. I had to carve them all the way around his neck because I couldn't risk Nagini biting him anywhere near important veins. After my work was done, I activated them, watching them all glow, and then got off the bed. 

I put the rune knife away, my fingers mindlessly running over the Berkano rune I'd carved in my own wrist months ago. The rune of birth and fertility. My hand then ran across my stomach. 

I decided to let him wake on his own instead of using a reviving spell. I flicked through some more runes notes so that I could see what else could be done. 

"Hey." Severus voice was groggy as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, coming over to me. 

"Hey." I murmured, leaning into him. "How are you feeling? I hope they don't hurt to badly." 

Severus looked at them in the  mirror and then tapped them with his wand, a concealing spell hiding them and showing flawless skin. He tapped the skin again and they reappeared. "Well done." 

Severus wrapped his arms around my shoulders, looking at the notes from above me. "Is there something else?" 

"No." I said, setting the notes aside and got up from the chair, turning around to hug him. "I guess I'm just wanting to do. . . anything. It's so. . . restless. And I know that this potion is really the only thing and it takes time." 

Severus kissed me and I melted into the kiss. "Let's go to bed darling. I'll tuck Remus in." 

I nodded, getting up and dressing in my silk pajamas. I slipped under the covers, Severus sliding in after shutting the lights off a few seconds later. His strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, holding me protectively against his chest. 

And in this safe, protective embrace, I fell into a gentle sleep. 

⬅️➡️

[vanillann]

ew, it’s the government (spencer reid x reader)

finally we see some progress...

warning: swearing, mentions of crime and sex, enemies to lovers

word count: 1.1k

ew, it’s the government masterlist

Chapter 6: Walmart over Burger King

"Why would anyone ever want a car this small?"

The small Volkswagen felt like a prison cell as I sat in the passenger seat, Agent Boy got into the driver side of the car.

"It's vintage," was all he said, and I found myself pleased with his short answer.

I let my feet fly to the dashboard, letting myself sink into the seat until I heard the dreaded classic music fill the car.

"You're joking, right? You can't be that boring," I reached to the stereo but he stuck his hand in the way of my fingers.

"Get your feet off the dash," his voice almost venomous and I wanted to scream but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't dare move my feet just to piss him off more but let the but he didn't say anything as the piano bouched throughout the car.

"So, who's apartment am I going to again?"

"Mine, it's the farthest from the building and the safest for everyone involved."

"Why because you're there to protect me," I spoke in a face high pitched voice.

"No, because I'm the only person that lives alone."

I let the smirk drop, only feeling slightly bad for the teasing as I didn't know the whole story until now.

The car ride was silent for the first five minutes, but sooner or later my anxiety speed up and the thought of the killer after me fogged my brain.

"Do you have any leads?"

"Not much, JJ is at the gas station now interviewing the cashier."

I could tell he was fed up with me by the way he didn't ramble for once and if it wasn't for my past with cops I might have felt bad for messing with him so much.

"We'll find him, I know you hate us-"

"I never said I hated you, I simply hate the system you work for," I was quick to defend myself, waiting for him to say something against my word but nothing of the sort came out.

"I was a fan of the system at first, but we aren't bad people."

Something in me snapped, this wall that I had built suddenly crumpled as I went off on the poor boy who had nothing to do with my fiery anger.

"I've seen bad ones, I watched they do things you'd never understand so I decided a long time ago that if you can't determine if they're bad then assume until they've proven otherwise. Besides, I said it once the system you work of as don't nothing for me or the people I care about," I heard my voice, I sounded pissed, well I was.

He said nothing as my outburst, simply just continued driving until we turned a corner and pulled into a large parking lot. I looked up, grabbing my bag ready to see an apartment building but instead, a giant grocery store sat in place.

I turned to look at Agent Boy but a ball cap was placed on my head, covering my eyes and he made a "shush" sound.

"I don't have any real food at my place and I assume you're hungry."

"We could go to Burger King," I pointed out the window to the lit-up sign of the restaurant that didn't sit very far from us.

"Do you know how unhealthy they are? Plus in October-" I zoned out rolling my eyes and jumping out the car while he spoke about some rat found in their rat, or maybe a bug I couldn't care.

"Hey! You can't leave my side, there is still a killer out there looking for you," he stood close to me, I went to back away but he grabbed my upper arm.

"Just be decent for once."

I almost bit back before we stepped into the door of the lit-up grocery store and he roughly pulled my arm to the carts.

"Push it? I would but the germs and I left my hand wipes in the car."

"Geek," I muttered, moving to one of the stell carts and pulling it from the others. I pushed the cap from my eyes but he pushed it back down.

"I can't see," I hissed out, only able to see his chest down and my anxiety was going crazy.

"I'll lead you, trust me."

"No," as soon as the word trust fell from his lips I reacted. I've always been my own eyes and some FBI agent that was the same age as I wasn't going to change that.

"Just for five minutes, then when we are back in the car you can go back to complaining," he spoke like he was annoyed, he probably was but for once I was pleased with it.

"I can't promise anything."

I held my head down, keeping a close distance with him as we walked through the grocery store like he had the map on the back of his hand.

"What's for dinner Agent?"

"Shepherd's Pie," he spoke with confidence, the first time since I arrived that he didn't Sutter or looking like he was going to kill me.

"Never had it."

He said nothing, putting different crusts and such into the cart. I went to turn the corner but my forearm was pulled back. My back collided with someone, that same scent that once filled the sweater float around me.

"Let me go you lunatic."

I yelped as I pulled my arm from his, pushing the ball cap up to look at the boy with wide eyes. He did nothing, simply turning the corner and carry on with his shopping. I roughly pushed the cart into his ass, a small "ow" falling past his lips as he looked to me.

"What the hell man!" I whispered-yelled still scared as to why he would pull me back.

"I saw your ex," he spoke simply like he knew me or who my ex even was.

"Stop fucking with my Reid," I couldn't believe myself when I spoke his name but my anger was too hot to care.

"I saw a post about it when Garica was looking through your social media, you two had a messy breakup and I doubted you wanted to see him."

I hated that he was right, I didn't want to see that scum bag or decide to laugh about my sister death.

"Thanks, I guess."

He nodded, giving a thin-lipped smile and pulling out what I assumed to be the last few ingredients of dinner. He eyed my cap,  without a word pulled back down to cover my eyes.

Why did Agent Boy have to be a decent person, it's so hard to hate decent people.

how do we feel about their development??

criminal minds taglist: 

@itsarayofsunshine​ @m-n-m​ @aquarius-pisces-rose@victomizedbyreginageorge  @avaxreid @erinxneil​ 

ew, it’s the government tag list:

@thatsonezesty13 @spencerslatte @pianofirepirate​ @ellvswriting​ @peterspickledpepper @erinxneil​ @friendlyweirdobaby​ @thatsastro​ @acambridge @spideyparkerstark​ @ameliamonster​ @thecraziestcrayon​ @hurricane-abigail​ @linthebinbag​ @m-n-m​ @reid-lover​ @drreidshands​ @l0ve-0f-my-life​ @avaxreid​ @baby-iyania​ @victomizedbyreginageorge @gubler-io @duskangxl​ @bonitaangel​ @koc-help​ @liaabsurd​ @achieveonyourown​ @non-binary-nightmare​ @crimeshowtrash​ @libradolan​ @sataninsatin​ @martinafigoli​ @randogirlo-fando-main​

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

The Truths Found On Petram Viridios IV (1/?)

What started out as an idea for a short one shot grew into a multichap that I'm almost done editing. I think 🤔 it'll be either 4 or 5 chapters long depending on how long each chapter will be after I'm done editing. Anyway, I hope you guys will enjoy.

In this fic you learn how easily things can change, but how it effects you isn't always a bad thing.

________________

Chapter 1: The Phenomenon

There was little difference to what was happening around you at the moment. There were no little green men, or yellow submarines, neither were there tangelos, or bags of golden rings, but there was a blue-haired man with plenty of dreams. Still, life was swell; summer was around the corner, and you were reading in the garage just to be near Zeta-7; he was working on his latest piece of tech, and you were distracted by his charming quirks and ticks. If you hadn't known any better, you'd say it was business as usual. Yet, it was because you had been acquainted with Rick that the previous blindspots of your world were made known to you; conscious of the rare events which were going to take place in another quadrant of space.

A phenomenon was going to occur; one which would not happen again for another 1000 years; the blooming of the Milleannos flower. Legends say that those who touch its pollen might live forever, and those who smell its perfume might be cured of all that ails them, but those claims were supposedly unsubstantiated. There was to be a gala to celebrate the occasion; all in attendance were respectable, distinguished guests and because of Rick, you were also invited, but there were rules; strict guidelines which were to be obeyed unless you wished to throw away your life. And although you weren't happy about them, you were willing to abide by them for Rick's sake. However, there were a few things you didn't understand. "Rick, why won't we be allowed to dance together?"

His hands paused their activity, and his body sagged a little; dreading the reminder not because he's informed you already, but because it pained him to remind himself that he couldn't spend a once in a lifetime occasion with you. "B-because according to the laws of Petram Viridios IV, you are assigned a um - a party companion which is determined according to the alignment of your spine, carbon dioxide levels, as well as daily water intake. And due to the variety of guests, everyone must stand at least six feet apart to avoid air poisoning. However, if given an a-air helmet in order to assist with breathing, then I believe that the last rule isn't as severe. It's - there is a-a lot to remember."

Currently, he was piecing together the circuits and connecting the wires which would power his reflective shield. It was going to be worn under his dress shirt and would be undetectable under their scanners; as a precaution of course. "Ricky, you know I barely drink water." You weren't a fan of water, but you enjoyed flavored beverages and if you did drink water, it was always carbonated first. "I mean, I can get past the distance thing, but what am I supposed to do if I'm assigned to someone I don't like, and have to spend hours being bored and jealous that you're next to gorgeous, realistic fembots from Westworld?"

Unlike you, Zeta-7 drank so much water, you wondered how he wasn't rushing to the bathroom every five minutes. The only other people who drank that much water were beauty gurus who wanted to keep their skin in tip-top shape; you could really try harder if you wanted to. Good naturedly, he answered. "Gosh, y-you don't have to worry about that. I know a fembot when I-I see one."

You raised a brow at this, but seeing as he meant it literally, you listened on. "No s-siree, I won't be assigned a party companion because I'm going t-t-to be assisting the king in protecting their sacred relic."

How Rick became designated to assist with such a task was beyond you, but there seemed to be a glimmer of slight pride in the fact that he'd be so lucky and privileged as to be near the legendary flower, as well as to the beings who revered it. He was determined to find out the truth behind its properties, and if his hypothesis proved true, then he had a plan. You enjoyed when he was diverted with schemes; not the kind which was evil in nature, but the ones which could end happily or inconclusively. Anyway, you two were discussing how to go about it all.

The discussion had gaps of pause where he'd need to concentrate on bits of wiring that needed to be soldered or bent. Without distraction, you were more aware that it was humid, especially with the garage door being fully open for proper ventilation; bits of your hair stuck to your face and to the back of your neck despite how you'd try to tie it. As annoying as it was, it did have its draw; every so often, you'd catch Rick staring and you'd feel a thrill for it could be a year or ten years, but his shy tendencies would never stop being endearing; why he felt the need to reign himself when you were cool with him checking you out was something you hoped he'd someday become more comfortable with, but for now you'd simply giggle and wink at him to let him know you knew. He did his best to focus on the task at hand, but it wasn't going as well as he had hoped for it happened more than once that you'd have to hand him a tool he was blindly reaching out for. "You wouldn't happen to know who my party companion is," you inquired, as you were tying your hair up for the umpteenth time. "do you? And if you do, can't you change them?"

Giving you that look which always preceded his speeches of why he couldn't do that random illegal thing, he explained with kindly patience. "I could change th-the records, and assign you to someone I know, but that wouldn't be legal."

"I know."

"However," he brightened as he paused his work to face you fully. "I do have a copy of the guest list. Give me a-a moment to pull it up on my computer. Hmm," he wondered more to himself then out loud. "that's odd."

"What is it?"

Drumming his fingertips on his workbench, he double-checked his calculations, then went over and wrote it all out on a chalkboard to be sure. Tapping the freshly used chalk tip to his chin in thought, leaving a little powder on his face, he nodded when it seemed satisfactory. "According to um - to my calculations, it's possible that it's either the Salamandrian chemist, V'gha Khadaka or the Chordatan Knight, Noathamas."

"Is there a correlation between the two?"

"Other than their similar water intake levels, they both enjoy their privacy. However, I'm a-a little stumped as to how it might be possible to be assigned to them both. None of your occupations are similar, neither is there a species similarity, but I'm sure I'll figure it out before the event."

Great, just great. That sort of information wasn't all that helpful, but you pressed a kiss to his cheek to ease the worry which he had been hiding. You wondered if it was too late to back out, but for the most part you were determined to be there for him, even if it meant odd company. "Alright. Um… is there something I should keep in mind before I go dress shopping?"

A quick glance at your current outfit made him smile. You were wearing an old band tee and jeans with so many patches, that they were more patch then jean. "I-I don't think so. Almost anything is fine. Though, y-you might want to avoid plant-based materials in favor of synthetics just in case."

"Okay, I think I can do that, but don't be surprised if I look like I just walked out of a 1980s prom. I'll have you know that being slightly flammable is a dream of mine."

He chuckled at that and patted your shoulder. "Hohoho, I'm sure it'll be fine. You - you always look pretty in whatever you wear."

"If you mean that I'll be so fine, that I'll light up the room with my razzle-dazzle, then you better watch out. You never know who'll be charmed without my knowing."

Now, there had been little to no weight to your phrasing just now, but he felt differently. Giving your shoulders a squeeze, there was a distant, far off look in his eyes that you could only recall from specific occasions. It was a mix of longing, sadness, and regret, but you couldn't pin it on what exactly. It was as though he were trying to convey by sight that there was something he ought to do, that he ought to say, but as quickly as it had appeared, it left and was replaced by acceptance. He pulled away and returned to his previous task while you used a spare computer to begin the search for the perfect dress. He said it'll be fine, and you certainly hoped so.

____________

Adjustments in gravity made you feel as though you could jump in and out of craters as though you were wearing moon shoes; that is until you stepped onto a ship or station, then you felt as though you had fifty pounds tied to each foot. You were grateful for the terrain stabilizers that Rick placed in your flats a few adventures ago, otherwise, you would've already been worn out.

You two arrived a few minutes apart by way of the designated ship which held a variety of guests. To explain, the ship itself was a marvel and a work of beauty as far as intergalactic travel was concerned; its mechanical parts were held together by a compound whose main ingredient was a type of scarlet amber. Piece by piece, it had been crafted by a mixture of living matter and tech so advanced, that it'd have taken 300 years of Earth-based studies to understand a fraction of how one of its panels could work; probably sooner for someone like Rick.

Your eyes trailed the conduits as you were led through hallways that seemed to spiral and spill into larger hallways with varying temperatures and design and you wondered how it was those conduits crossed over and branched off like veins, but you had no time to find out and didn't feel privileged enough to ask as you were led into a cabin. Multiple voices hushed, but resumed to their usual loudness once you had settled into what appeared to be a loveseat with the coloring and texture of a pumpkin; it was your assigned seating, but it was not as soft as you would have liked.

It wouldn't be till later that you'd find out that Rick had traveled in a cabin on level 4 while you had been on level 2. In your cabin was a being composed of pure energy, with a name not spelled in letters but in frequencies, who was one of the musicians. A few feet away, was V'gha Khaḍaka; he was tall, sure-looking, had smooth, striped skin which glistened, and a tail strong enough to break someone's spine in a blink; the good thing was that he hadn't been trained in combat, but was simply a scientist who enjoyed the pursuit of knowledge. And a few feet away from the Salamandrian chemist was the knight Noathamas; he stood at half your height, but his chest was puffed out in such a way that made him appear larger, while his round amber eyes and curly whiskers gave him a soft, cuddly appearance; you had been warned by Rick that his appearance did not reveal much about his character and to watch out for him.

It was uncommon but not unheard of to be assigned multiple party companies as you had been; you were matched up to both V'gha and Noathamas due to your odd chemical makeup. Who would've thought that drinking a La Croix before leaving home would confuse their scanners? Goodness, you were grateful that it was a quick trip, and when it was time to depart the ship, you were escorted by two guards before you were given a helmet; it was nearly invisible except for its indicator light which was shaped like a flower, and it blended in with your dress; a colorful sequin cocktail dress you found on eBay. Not far from you were both your companions, who gave off the impression that they were your entourage rather than dates for the night. You saw Rick from a distance, and you knew he was trying to play it cool, but his eyes were sparkling with affection, although he knew he was supposed to suppress it due to the strict traditions imposed by the royal family; he looked away as he was escorted by six guards, but part of you wished that he hadn't.

You took a deep breath to calm your giddiness; this wasn't the time to allow your emotions to carry you away and affect the mission which was to get through the evening. V'gha could pick up on your subtle changes in body language, and thanks to a universal translator in your helmet, you could understand him. "From what I understand," he commented with a surprisingly smooth, velvety voice. "he's the smartest man in the universe. Is that true?"

"Maybe," you replied nonchalantly, "but he's more than just a brain. I heard he's a great lover. Not really my type," you lied because Zeta-7 suggested that you keep the details of your relationship with him a secret; again for safety, but you thought boasting up his reputation wouldn't hurt. "though, to each his own."

"Do you know him personally?"

When questions like this were thrown at you, it made you wonder about the curious people who meant it to sound nice, but in actuality wanted to test the waters as to how much can they ask so soon. Glancing at your nails, you feigned disinterest. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give out that type of information."

"You two are the only humans here." he stated matter of factly. There were humanoid beings but he was right. "It doesn't take rocket science to figure that much out."

"How would you know," you retorted with an air of certainty. "you're not a rocket scientist."

"You're right, I'm not. However, I do dabble into it from time to time. I'm sure he does too. I can smell the exhaust from here."

Hmm, perhaps this event was going to be more interesting than you thought. You shared a look of understanding with the chemist, and thought that perhaps you wouldn't need to be so wary of him; his charisma gave him a charm you hadn't yet decided if it was welcomed or should be ignored; whether his earlier comment was out of egotism or curiosity. And before you could make a comeback, Noathamas commented. "Shall we find our assigned seating and continue from there?"

"Sounds fine. Why don't you two walk ahead," you suggested with a coolness you didn't know you had. "I'll be sure to follow."

When you were sure that they were far enough, you took out your miniature glass terrarium necklace, which held a shrunken sunflower that had an iridescent shimmer on its petals; the one Rick had given you after a memorable date; it was made to remind you of how he saw you and you were very glad it had gone undetected under the scanners you passed through. And in your mind's eye you could still see the glimmer and shine of his electric blue eyes as he had taken in your appearance this afternoon before you two departed Earth; oh how he had wanted to kiss you and hug you but had refrained from doing so in order to double-check if he had all his supplies. His compliments had been many as he drove into the inky blackness of space, but when he parked at the station which was at the midway point, and you two lined up to board the ship which took you to this strange world, his face became neutral; his job made him good at that. You kissed your lovely necklace, replaced it so that it laid underneath your dress collar, and your heart called out to him in the void which was Petram Viridios IV; hoping you wouldn't have to go the through the evening without seeing your beloved again before you made yourself appear neutral and made sure to stay at least six feet apart from everyone in your midst.

Tbc

[shadowknight465]

Sun and Moon

He went back to the tree safe from harm, or what could be harm in his point of view. Nightmare still doesn't understand where the voices are coming from. He brushed it off thinking it was a result of being alone most of the time. Even though his feet were hurt from walking for a long time; he felt the energy coming back as soon he saw light golden cap with arms hugging two deep blue legs. He then took a deep breath as the dry grass tells his brother that he's here. Dream look up and saw Nightmare. Never knowing what Nightmare had seen before finding him.

As Nightmare sat beside him. Even when his eyes were closed he could easily tell that Dream is confused. Nevertheless Dream spoke to Nightmare. "What do you want?" Nightmare respond it with. "Just to talk." Dream looks down again. Nightmare always tells himself that he isn't gonna lie to his brother, but he feels like he needs to stretched the truth for a bit. Hopefully Dream will learn the truth sooner or later.

"Look, Dream,"

Dream turns his head to face Nightmare again.

"I didn't really mean to flip you." Nightmare then makes a fist to try to give his brother an example. "You see. I'm like a water balloon. I can build so much anger inside of me that I could explode unexpectedly."

Now this is the time to lie

Nightmare thought to himself. "And when you mention your friends, I got so mad and lied to you because you have friends and I don't." He then chuckles to himself while rubbing against his skull. "I guess I should get out of my shell more."

"Oh....Sorry." Dream responded, feeling guilty about something he didn't do. Nightmare thought to himself for second on how to make Dream feel better.

Dream always did say he want to cook with me...

"It's Ok, and you know what? I'll give you a cooking lesson. Would you like that?" He asked patting his brother shoulder.

"OK!" The golden eye light shine brightly. Nightmare smile to himself proudly, as he got up not knowing his brother is confused again. "Alright-y then," He said. "But first let me heal myself."

"Alright, brother."

As soon Dream was out of sight. Nightmare took all the wool out of his sleeves and nearly gasped from the blood loss. He's surprised that he didn't faint at least, that's what he thought. He went to his hiding place where he often use medicine practice on himself and took a piece of cloth and wrap it around his teeth.

Please God stay with me.

He then brew a healing spell in his black cauldron, and dive his arm in it painfully. Trying his best not to scream matter how much it stings his arm. As soon he was done. He catch his breath and look for a book about cooking so he and brother can make gumbo or stew. He grabbed the book that he needed and another dropped. He sigh in annoyance and went to put it back up, but when he read the title, he knows he didn't bought the book. The title read "Peace after Death". It didn't said who wrote it, nor did it had any information in the back. He decided when he has time he can read one or two pages see was all about. He pick up the book and hid it under his shirt, then went back to his brother while picking up some ingredients. Forgetting the mysterious book.

~~~~~

"Ok, Dream. Watch the fire while I get the recipe."

"And whatever you do. Don't touch it." Nightmare ordered sternly. It's wasn't because he doesn't trust Dream, it was because every time Dream is around with fire he always want to touch it, 'to feel the warmth.' His brother said as a excuse. After a brief few seconds. He felt something off.

Dream is being awfully quiet. I'm going to check on him

His suspense quickly turn to fear. He turnaround quickly yelling. "DREAM! DONT!"

"OUCH!"

Nightmare walked up to Dream disappointed.

One thing, he can't do one thing?

He thought.

"What did I tell you about touching the fire?" He demanded.

"Don't?" Dream squeak.

"That's right. And what did you do?" He reminded.

"Touch it..."

Nightmare sigh and went back to his studies to get some bandages for Dream. He felt a little lucky that no one has seen them, not because Nightmare will be in trouble. But because Dream will be accused of being a pyro warlock. If there's anything about him and pyro warlocks have in common is their love of fire. He blames the elders for introducing fire to Dream in the first place. Though he can see his brother being one of those pyro warlocks. Which to him it means he has to clean up all his brother's messes. Fire. One of the most dangerous elements known to so many races. Can be used for creation or distraction. It's also known for cooking meals and to guide the lost. But what's fire without its counterpart, water? The very thing that can heal in shape. To be transform into solid or gas. And to heal if you do it right.

~~~~~~

After Nightmare bandaged up his brother's hand. He sat in the back right beside him.

He thought about his deep thinking earlier and he decided he wanted to share that knowledge with his brother. Just in case.

"Dream, I think it's time to tell you the importance of water and fire." Nightmare turns to face Dream. "So listen closely, understand?" Dream nodded.

"You won't believe this, but both of them need each other like the sun and the moon. Let me explain. When water turns to ice, fire can thaw it out. When fire is out of control, water can calm it down. Although they seem different, they are the same in the way. Water was known to drown, to give life, to turn cold, and to heal. Fire was known to destroy, to bring warmth, to bring to light and to guide. They show us without one there can't be the other, they complete each other. Do you understand Dream?"

Dream nodded. "Of course, Brother."

Nightmare then chuckled for a bit. "You know you remind me of fire."

"Hmm?"

"You are always so bright and energetic." He answered. "Well you remind me of water, you are always so calm and gentle." He responded. Nightmare blush. He's not used to complements, not like his goody two shoes brother. "Thanks, I love you my Little Sun." He said.

" I love you too, Moon." Dream said. Nightmare turn to night sky.

Maybe I can teach Dream a bit of my interest.

He thought. He doesn't want to get lonely on most nights anymore. "Want to learn a bit about astronomy?" He asked.

"Yes, please!" Dream answered happily.

after three whole hours of talking about constellation his brother fell asleep on his lap. Nightmare pull his personal book from his inner rib cage. Hey, he got to protect his personal belongings.

June, 17, 1577

The small group of friends I met yesterday turns out to be traitors when they attack me. As they all beat me up one of them use their magic to make me break my own arm. When i was finished, they all wound up together and nearly blinded me by hitting my eye sockets with a big rock. It later cause me to be aggressive my own brother. However something strange had happened to me while I was trying to look for him. A creature I believed to be a massager for someone said they wants me to be their king of darkness, so I'll be safe from everyone's grasp, I however decline. Because I choose not to be like the people who abuse and manipulated us. Even after he left, I still feel like he's watching me from afar to see if I change my mind. And, a few other voices said they want me to be king. I theorize that if it's from being along for so long. When I finally apologized I told him that we can cook together after I tend my wounds. While I was healing up and planing to cook a meal with my brother, I discovered a book that wasn't mine reading "Peace after Death". It is said who or what is from, nor does it have a symmetry. Which made me wonder is this a gift from God or a temptation from Lucifer?

He then put the book away. And went to sleep. Not long after maybe four or three hours, he saw that he was in an starry night like area. He then look that himself and saw that he changed. Not like a demonic way, but like a spirit. Most of his color palette are shades of pastel bluish-purple. He looked up and saw similar lights from when he blacked out. As he slowly walks towards it, he can hear so many voices telling him to go on until he came to a blinding light. When it finally faded he discovered two beautiful gems. One shaped like the sun and the other shaped like the moon.

"Welcome back, Nightmare."

He looked and so heavenly figures each of them are white with a different color hue surrounding them. While their eyes are the same color of the hue and yet nothing no white or pupils.

Nightmare was so amazed that he can't describe it with words itself. "Is this a dream?" He asked when he finally got his voice back.

"No."

Nightmare suddenly got confuse.

"Heaven?"

"No."

Nightmare took a step backwards. "Hell?"

The leader of them walk towards him against his wishes. "This is a forgotten realm is call The Nerco Empire."

He look at everyone in awe. He never heard of such an empire. Especially a empire for the dead. As he was about to ask why they want him to be their king, he saw a humanoid figure dress in regal garments wielding a scythe pointing at him.

As if nobody paid attention, he heard it deep tone of voice saying. "Come."

He went to the opposite direction as far he could while screaming out for help. However as he got to familiar grounds nobody seems to hear him. When he reached to the tree where he and his brother were resting, he saw himself. He pause for a moment trying to think of an exclamation,  then he remember why he was running in the first place. And ran straight to his body.

He jolted up then looked around him to see a sleeping Dream. He sigh and released thinking it was a nightmare, then carry his brother back home.

~~~~

After he sat Dream down on his bed. All bright yellow and some hits of gold and later went to his bed he felt a sharp pain on his back. He brush it off as maybe he was hit on the back and need some rest. When he got back to his own bedroom which is different shades of purple he felt his right hand Burning up. He took a look at it and saw the sun-cut gem.

So it wasn't a dream after all...

He thought. He put it in one of his drawers and head back to bed.

Whatever he went through it'll be over soon right?

Previous:

Next:

[400legends]

Trak's Tuxedo (Day 176)

I woke with a start. My handheld had buzzed, and the words, "Thanks for helping me with that issue" appeared on the screen. I didn't recognize the number.

Requiem came in. "Quinn, you really do look great in that tux. I wonder why Trak never picked it up."

I looked down at my chest. Indeed, I was wearing a tuxedo. But why? "Did we carouse last night?" I sat up and put my handheld on the coffee table. "In formal wear?"

"You don't remember? Melvin Slime, the tux, Misha Mali?"

"Yes!" I stood up suddenly. "The W'uther tailor. She knew Trak. I must see her again."

Just then a Kygad came out of Merrin's room. He stopped when he saw me and Requiem. "Ah, hi. Oh shit. You're that singer."

"I am. Who are you?" Requiem flashed a bright smile.

"I'm Gary, Gary O'Brian. It's family name, and--"

Requiem snorted back a laugh, and I walked him to the now visible elevator. "Pleasure to meet you, Gary. Let me grab your details, in case Merrin wants to, ah reconnect."

No sooner had the elevator closed when it reopened. "Gary--" I started to say, but it was a room service drone with a covered tray. It drifted to Cosmic Peanut's room and began to chime.

Hurrying over, I opened the door and then covered my eyes in case she had company. "Captain, breakfast for you."

I heard the rustle of bed clothes, and the drone breezed past me. "Waffles?" I heard the captain's voice. "Yeah, that sounds pretty good. Thanks, Fleur."

She hadn't made that mistake before, and I couldn't help but open my eyes. Cosmic Peanut was propped up on one elbow with the plate of waffles beside her. She was alone in the room. Alone and surrounded by 8 empty or almost empty room service trays.

"Captain, we went carousing last night, I think. And you...." I couldn't figure out how to politely ask, so I said, "Never mind. Cheers."

She waved a wedge of waffle at me as I closed the door.

Merrin had joined Requiem in the living room. "I deem it a success," I said, "that we went carousing and no one got kidnapped."

"Or arrested," added Requiem.

"You guys are a fun bunch." Merrin plopped to the couch. "Last night was, eh, it was pretty OK." She paused and then said, "Not you guys, I meant, uh Gary." She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. "Hanging with you all, that was epic. That tailor? She was a hoot. I love my jacket. And dinner? Holy hell, dinner. I've never ever had food that.... Well, it beats Swallop's slop by about a million light years. But for real, thanks, Requiem. I mean, honestly, thank you. I've never met a pop star, but they can't all be as laid back as you."

"Dinner!" I grabbed my bag and found the sack that Chef Silua had given me. As dinner had ended last night, he'd returned to our dining room and handed it to me saying, "It's taken me a long time to perfect these recipes, and it took me too long to believe in myself and in my craft. But without you and your friends, I would still be hiding on Lucia. So thank you. Thank you all." He swiped from his handheld to mine. "Here are the recipes to make the dishes I made tonight and ingredients for 3 meals. All I ask is that you keep this knowledge to yourself. These recipes are, after all, my livelihood."

Requiem sighed as I pulled packaged vegetables from the sack. "I would love to have that smoked eggplant again."

"I fear I'll need to practice on simple fare before I try to make one of Silua's recipes." I looked around the suite. "Has anyone seen Esmae? I hope she had a nice night."

Requiem strode to the windows. "I have no doubt that she had a very nice night."

I didn't understand the note of bitterness in her voice. "Did you have a nice night? I lost some of the money you gave me. I'm sorry."

She laughed and turned to face the room. "The whole point of gambling is to have fun as you lose all your money. And I had a nice night, actually." She tilted her head. "It was.... informative."

Before I could ask more, Cosmic Peanut stumbled into view. "I had the best night," she said.

[acescreations]

Moody Manipulations - Patton

[Part 2 to the Connected Youtuber Ego Universe(CYEU) stories I'm doing on Amino.]

Characters: Logan Sanders, Patton Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Roman Sanders, Thomas Sanders, Elliott (Cartoon Therapy), Kai (Cartoon Therapy), Lauren (Cartoon Therapy), Missy Sanders [background character], Pranks Sanders [refrenced], Mitchell (Cartoon Therapy) [mentioned]

Warnings: Patton has a really bad day, cries, and hides his emotions, Patton also has a retail job I feel like I should mention that, Mitchell is implied to be a little b*tch, Patton gets verbally abused

Word Count: 1798

It really didn't take me long to figure out what my emotions do. Whenever I was happy, things went right in the world, and when I was sad things went wrong. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but the correlation was too obvious to be chance. After that, I always did my best to stay in a good mood. I'd do things I enjoy, and avoid people and things that upset me.

I have to admit, staying happy became a lot harder. It almost seemed like a job at this point, since it was my responsibility to be happy. I still tried my hardest despite this, and when I was happy, hearing about all the good things happening in the world put me in an even better mood. Though that did go both ways, and hearing about bad things happening made me more upset, so I eventually decided to not look at the news when I was already uspet.

This was all a pretty good strategy for keeping my mood up, but one day everything went wrong, and I had no idea how to stay happy then.

I was heading down to my job at the local retail store and I bumped into someone on the street. "Whoops! Sorry about that." They said nothing, and just kept walking. I was surprised I didn't see them sooner. They had a head full of messy green hair along with bright blue eyes. I didn't really think much of it, after all, it was a busy street, people run into each other all the time. Once I got to my job, I saw my best friend getting his stuff. It looked like he was leaving, but we were supposed to be on the same shift today. I walked up to him as he was putting his hat on. "What's going on Chase? Are you leaving?" He turned to me with a sigh. "Yeah, I just got fired. I have no idea how I'm gonna pay for my date with Stacy now."

"Oh, geez." I was pretty disappointed myself. I always looked forward to the days when we worked together. "Well, good luck on finding a new job, I guess." Chase nodded as he walked past me. "Yeah, I guess."

I sighed as he left. This job was going to get a lot harder without him here. But, I still had my job to do, so I put on my name tag and I clocked in.

After a while of uneventful work, a woman came in and slammed a box of party supplies onto the counter. "I need to return these," she demanded.

"Okay ma'am," I said, a little nervous, "do you have the receipt?"

"No, but I don't need this anymore. I never needed it, so give me a refund on it!"

"I'm sorry, but can't return anything without proof of purchase." I had never had one of these conversations before, and this lady was really intimidating.

"I'm not keeping stuff my husband bought as a prank! Of course you teenagers don't care about how much money all this costs, you probably get handed money just so you can spend it all on stupid parties, don't you?"

Of course, I didn't actually do any of that, but she didn't know that, and I wasn't allowed to tell her that. "I want to help you, but I can't give you a refund on anything without a receipt."

The woman let out a frustrated growl. "I don't have time for this." She stormed out of the store, leaving the box on the counter. I allowed myself a sad sigh as I picked up the box and moved it off the counter, putting on a brand new smile as the next person in the line brought up their stuff. "Good afternoon, did you find everything you were looking for?"

~ ~ ~

By the end of my shift, I was exhausted. I wanted to call someone for a ride home, but my phone had died, so I had to walk. To make matters worse, I saw a cat that had been hit by a car on the side of the road. By that point, I was barely holding back tears, although I kept telling myself to stay cheerful, which only made it harder. I decided that I'd have a few cookies to cheer myself up when I got home.

I walked through the door, and saw Logan and Thomas sitting on the couch, watching the news. Obviously, it was all bad news. Logan turned off the TV as they both turned to me. "Bad day?" I must have looked pretty upset, because I never told Thomas about what my emotions do, but something must have prompted him to ask that. I just shrugged. I didn't want to talk about it, because I felt like I'd break down in tears if I did. I walked past them wordlessly and went into my room to change out of my work clothes. When I walked back out, I was determined to improve my mood, so I put on a smile and went to get that cookie, but I opened the cookie jar to find that it was empty. "When did we finish the cookies?" I asked to anyone who was listening. Thomas spoke up from the living room. "I'm pretty sure Lauren finished them with Roman and Virgil." I wanted to be upset about this, but I was determined to stay positive.

It's okay Patton, you can just make some more. That should be fun, that should make you happy.

I began taking out ingredients, but it turned out we were out of a flour, sugar, and eggs. That was definitely a disappointment. I told myself I'd be able to get through it anyway.

After that, though, was when I completely lost composure. Elliott walked out of their room, their shoulders hanging as they sat down next to Thomas on the couch. Logan looked up from where he was reading on the other end of the couch. "Mitchell left another message today." I overheard them saying. My heart broke in sympathy for my parent, and I quickly walked out of the kitchen and into my room, barely even trying to hold back tears anymore.

As soon as I was alone in my room, I collapsed to the floor, letting out all the sobbing my day had been leading up to. I don't know how loud I was being, but after wiping tears from my eyes, I looked up and I was surrounded by my family, all with faces of varying levels of concern and sympathy. Once my crying slowed, Virgil, eho was sitting in front of me, said "Hey, what's wrong?" I lowered my head onto my knees. "Bad day," I muttered, overcome with guilt for how many people I must have gotten hurt today. "Patton," I heard Logan say at my right, "you can't keep getting upset at yourself for being upset." I shook my head. "No, you don't understand," I said.

"I'm pretty sure I do, and Patton," Logan continued, "you're going to have your ups and downs, and it'll be less... disastrous if you just let the bad days be just a little bad. The world can take a little bit of misfortune, believe me."

I looked up at him, confused. "Are you saying you-"

"Yes Patton, and for your information I regularly keep up on the news so I can tell how your feeling. And yes," Logan continued, "everyone else knows too."

"Oh." I looked around at everyone, unsure of how I never found out.

"So why don't you just tell us what's going on today?" Virgil asked, scooting over to sit next to me. I shrugged, not really sure when exactly my day started going terribly. "Well on the way to work I bumped into this guy, which I really didn't mind that much, but after that I found out my friend got fired," I then just started stating everything that happened that day. I didn't mean to, really, I just started talking and then I couldn't stop myself. Once I was finished, Roman gave me a thoughtful look. "What did the guy on the street look like?" I blinked at him, confused as to why he was questioning that. "Well, he had blue eyes, and really messy green hair."

"What was he wearing?"

"I dunno, this big wavy coat?"

"Roman," Logan sighed, "what does this have to do with anything?" Roman didn't answer, despite everyone beong equally confused. He just stood up, muttered something about "Marvin" and walked out. "I have a hunch about something, I'll be back, hopefully with good news." Thomas sighed and shook his head after Roman left the house. "That boy, honestly. Anyway, how about me and Elliott go get those ingredients you were needing? You can just stay here and relax."

"No!" I said, a little too frantically. "I-it's just," I mumbled, "you could get hurt."

"It's fine," Logan said. "Camden's got an eye on the TV, and things are improving. They should be able to get there and back safely." Camden was the name Logan gave his familiar. I slowly nodded, and Virgil stood up and grabbed my hand. "All right, now you come here and watch some TV." I stood up and followed him as he led me to the couch, Logan, Kai, and Lauren following behind while Thomas and Elliott got ready to go to the store. Me and Virgil sat next to each other on the couch, Logan sitting a small distance away while Kai and Lauren sat near us.

After a while of watching Steven Universe, Roman burst back through the door. "Patton, you will have to worry about this misfortune no longer!"

"O-okay. Um, what did you do?" I asked.

"Well that person you bumped into, I'm actually acquainted to him. He calls himself Marvin the Magnificent. He claims to be a magician, but for as long as I knew him he couldn't do any actual magic. Turns out he got magic powers through a deal with a demon or something, and he had to agree to curse you with misfortune." He sat down on my other side, so now I had one sibling at both of my sides. "I talked him into releasing the curse," he said, probably more casually than what the situation would call for.

"Okay, thanks then," I said, despite Roman already being immersed in the show. We continued watching until Thomas and Elliott returned with the baking supplies, then Virgil, Thomas, and Lauren joined me in baking cookies. Once I tasted one of the cookies from out of the oven, I figured that the day wouldn't be as bad as it had been.

[atomic-thomas]

(Fake ASMR Commission) Discovered By A Human Girl [Borrower Listener]

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

*door sound*

"Alright, let's see... If I'm not mistaken, I should have all the ingredients needed to make that vegetable soup I've been planning all week."

"I have the tomato broth, the herbs, the seasoning &... Well, the most important ingredient of all should be right here."

*cabinet opening sound*

"EMPTY?! Okay, that's it. Now I definitely know for sure that I'm not going crazy. I specifically remember restocking this cabinet with fresh vegetables just yesterday. That's the 2nd time they've gone missing. This can't be a coincidence."

"What's even happening anyway? Do I have rats in my house? I can't just keep wasting money on food that disappears the day after I buy it. Sigh... I should really look into-..."

"What the...? Do my eyes deceive me or did that apple move just now?"

"*GASP!* Oh, Oh My Goodness! Oh My God! What on Earth?! Is that... Is that a tiny person?!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Wait! Hold on! Don't run away. I just wanna talk to you."

"Please don't be scared. You don't need to hide from me. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Can you at least understand what I'm saying? I don't know if you speak English or not."

"..."

"You do. Good. That means we can communicate. Now can you please come out of hiding? I swear on my life that you're not in danger right now."

"..."

"There you are. You're fine, see? Go on, dry your tears. Everything is going to be okay."

"Can you look at me? You seem really shy."

"..."

"Come on, really? If I keep reassuring you, I'm gonna sound like a broken record. The sooner you can make eye contact with me, the sooner we can get to know each other."

"..."

"That's more like it. Just relax, okay?"

"Now then... Tell me about yourself. Who are you?"

"..."

"You're a borrower? Haven't heard of that before. So like, what? Do you... Borrow things or something?"

"..."

"You take things from humans in order to survive. That's... Not really borrowing though. That's just stealing. I assume it's just a household term, right?"

"..."

"You didn't create the term. Okay, that's fair."

"Wait a minute! I just realized that you must be the one whose been raiding my cabinets. That would explain why my food keeps disappearing."

"..."

"Oh no. Please don't fret about it. I'm not mad. If you just tell why you've been doing it, I'm sure I'll understand."

"..."

"You're just trying to feed your family. Well, I'll admit. That's a very good reason. All of sudden, my financial situation doesn't seem so bad."

"Wait, where do you & your family even live anyway?"

"..."

"In the walls of my house. Normally, I'd call that creepy, but in your case, that actually makes sense."

"Pardon my outburst, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this. I just found out that tiny people exist & that an entire family of them have been living in my house. This is so bizarre."

"Actually, if you don't mind me asking... May I pick you up?"

"..."

"It'll be okay. I promise I won't drop you. I'll be extra careful. Now please just hold still."

"Wow, you're so light. I can barely feel your weight. I can't believe this. I actually have a little person in the palm of my hand. You're so delicate, fragile & adorable."

*peck kiss sound*

"Ahahahaha~ Ahhh, I'm sorry, little one. I couldn't help it. You're so cute."

"So... Now that we're acquainted, I bet you'd like to know what happens next, wouldn't you? Well, here's what I have in mind. Now that I'm aware of your existence, I can properly manage both of our needs. You don't need to steal from me anymore. All you have to you do is ask for something & I'll give it to you. Simple as that."

"..."

"Of course I'm willing to do that. I'm not the one living inside dirty walls while scavenging to survive. You poor thing. You were living with a false sense of fear for so long. You kept hiding from me when all you had to do was talk. It would've made things so much easier."

"..."

"Aww, you're welcome. Tell you what. I've been planning this fancy vegetable soup for the whole week & I can totally share it with you & your family when I make it."

"..."

"Your family is afraid of humans. Well, can't say I really blame them. We're basically giants compared to you. But still. I'd love to meet them. There's no reason for you to stay inside those walls & sleep on the cold, hard floor anymore. I can hook you up with the good stuff. Blankets, pillows, towels & most importantly... Security."

"..."

"Yes, of course you'll have easy access to readily available water as well."

"..."

"Oh, don't worry. You couldn't ask for too much even if you tried. You & your family are tiny people. As far as I'm concerned, you'll be effortless to maintain."

"Now run along back to your family & tell them the great news. I await your return. I'm glad we finally met."

_______________________________________________

THE END