#I think Mermaid Melody is pretty alright actually

[magioftheseas]

Magical Miracle Dream Girl ☆ Momonomi

Summary: Matsuda suits up Monomi for her next attempt at the second boss in the events immediately following Chapter 13 of Super Danganronpa 2: Matsuda Yasuke's Battle of Despair and Wits .

Rating: PG (?)

Warnings: Laaaaanguage I guess? Idk.

Notes: Dude, reading this over with it being more reference heavy is lowkey super embarassing for me so I really don’t get how Kodaka does it so shamelessly. But I tried. Oh my god did I try. Anyway, I’m a sucker for ribbons and yet I did not squeeze in a single reference to the Ribon magazine so in reality I am a failure. In all seriousness, writing Matsuda and Monomi is great and I wuv wuv them both so much.

Read this fic among others HERE

Main story is HERE

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“U-Uuu...boohoo.”

Monomi sniffled into her paws, sitting on her rump and looking so pitiful it was honestly kind of sickening. Matsuda, ever weathering, just stared and waited for her to stop crying.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-I’ll get stronger, I will, I will, but, but,” her breath hitches. Matsuda wordlessly hands her a handkerchief and she blows into it. It’s an astounding sight and he refuses her trying to return it. He’s just, he’s not sure how his sanity would handle potentially having to wash off a stuffed animal’s mucus from a fabric. Shit was already so fucking weird.

Monomi dabs at her eyes delicately.

“Matsuda-kun, you really are such a kind boy. So, so kind.”

That’s such a miserable thing to say, so Matsuda rolled his eyes at it.

“O-Okay!” she exclaimed, getting to her feet with a few squeaky noises. “Sensei will now bulk up before her next fight! I won’t lose! Not when my precious students are depending on me!”

It’d be easy to burst her bubble but this time, she’s not wrong. We have to get to the hospital on the third island. Not just for that guy’s sake, but for all our sakes. I have to scan not just myself, but potentially everyone else.

“I-I just, um, need a new weapon, maybe a new ribbon, and, um.” Monomi pats her belly a few times. “This diaper is a bit restrictive too, huh.”

“Then just take it off?” He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like you need it. You don’t defecate, right?”

“S-Such a horrifying question to ask your teacher!” she exclaimed, jumping with an utterly mortified look. “It’s not just inappropriate, it’s so indecent! You should never suggest nor ask such things of a young woman!”

Young woman? What about her is young besides that childish appearance? She has an age? She considers herself matured?

So many questions. So little importance. Matsuda scowled.

“I’ve already dug around your intestines,” he pointed out. “I know there’s nothing there but fluff.”

“D-Don’t say that; it’s so embarrassing!” she cried. “For a teacher to be in such a position before her precious, precious students! I’m just so, so ashamed! I never want to think about it again!”

“So you’re just going to keep wearing a diaper. Even though that’s not exactly tasteful either.” He shook his head. “What is there even to be done about you? Urgh. Come on.” He clapped his hands a few times, and she tottered after him in confusion. “Let’s go to Rocketpunch.”

Monomi blinked up at him. Grimacing, he explained.

“You said you needed a new ribbon, right? We’ll look for sticks on the way there but there might very well be something else you can use.”

“M-Matsuda-kun, oh.” She presses her paws together, awestruck. “Y-You really are such a kind, kind child!”

“Hurry the fuck up or I’m throwing you ahead.”

“R-Right!”

--

“Red or yellow? Is yellow maybe too flashy, Matsuda-kun?”

“Those are for pigtails.”

“Oh! I see! I’m not a pig, after all, I’m a rabbit! Ehehehe!” Monomi giggled even in the face of Matsuda’s stoic frown. “They have all kinds of ribbons. It’s difficult to choose.”

“Some of these have different names,” Matsuda said, pulling out a big red one. “This, for instance, is a V Ribbon.”

“Ooh! For victory!” Monomi exclaimed. “Yes, yes.”

“No, but whatever.” He held up the ribbon to Monomi’s ear. Making a face, he tied the bow and then leaned back to take in the sight. “A maybe, maybe?”

Not exactly feeling the most confident about this one. Best to find a couple of other options.

He dug around the ribbon section some more. His eyes light up as he pulled out another one, similarly bright red but so very fine.

“This one’s better,” he said, holding it out. “The Hime Ribbon. It’s an actual creation of the princess of the Magical Kingdom.”

“It looks like this one,” Monomi replied, patting her bow.

“It’s completely different!” Matsuda exclaimed, annoyed. “It’s come on, come on, go, go, jump!”

“Come on, come on, go, go jump?” Monomi repeated. She mulls it over before pumping her paw. “Ike, ike!”

“No, no!” Huffing, Matsuda rubbed his temples. “It's a classic! A fucking classic! Like, Akko-chan and Mami? No, not that Mami!”

“H-How cruel,” she sobbed, holding down her ears. “But, you know.” A pause before she beams. “It does give me a nostalgic feeling, Matsuda-kun.”

“Because it’s a classic,” Matsuda muttered, puffing his cheeks. “But, considering what this ribbon does, it’s a bad fit for you.”

“Eh? What does it do?”

“It’s...freaky.” Making a face, Matsuda set the ribbon lovingly aside. “Maybe we should look for something a little more straight-forward.”

“Hm, hm,” Monomi hums. “You know, transformation is a very important part of being a magical girl but it’s not always a good thing.” She tugs at her diaper, sullen. “This kind of transformation for instance.”

Transformation. Yeah, obviously. Normal people can only do so much even with the amount of capability they have. But, there’s more to it.

“It’s not about getting stronger, it’s also about building confidence in yourself,” Matsuda snapped, irritated now. “You may not have the range you did before but the fact that you’re so whiny and weepy about it is beyond infuriating. Was your character always that fickle? Your simpering, desperate optimism only a forced front?”

Monomi stilled and blinked up at him.

“Pathetic,” he sniffed. “Even if you didn’t mean for things to go so wrong, you’re making it worse with how flighty and pitiful you are.” He quiets for a moment, and weirdly, he feels sick. He covers his mouth with a groan. “Gross.”

“Matsuda-kun,” Monomi says, softly and meaningfully. “So harsh.”

It is a bit harsh, isn’t it? He thought almost in mirthless amusement. If she had just been trying to help, that’d be one thing, but she’s responsible for our lost memories. She’s part of the reason why we’re trapped in the first place. That’s why I can’t help but get so pissed about it.

That said, he should know better than to tell off a program of all things. He wished he could just spit in the face of whoever human in charge. But that person is, allegedly, someplace he can’t reach while trapped.

It’s useless. It’s all useless. Except. I really do have to get to the hospital.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. An adult complaining so much only burdens the children.”

Matsuda stilled for a moment, perking up.

“I’ll do better!” Monomi chirped. “I’ll get stronger! For my precious, precious students!”

She’s a program, but maybe she does have a semblance of maturity. He thinks that, but even so, his expression darkens. Still a program that acts as a proxy. Still incapable of explanations and justifications. Still the means we found ourselves trapped with our heads tampered. How trustworthy can someone so fundamentally detached and closed off really be? Even if it’s someone with this kind of personality?

Still, there was one matter that was clear while the rest were vague.

Even if we’re at odds, we have the same enemy. Komaeda said that about the traitor, too.

While he’s still undeniably pissed and suspicious, he does need all the help he can get. Especially from someone with the capabilities of taking down the Monobeasts, of opening the paths to the closed-off islands where more could be gleamed and where more could be done. With that, he looks through the ribbons once more, pulling out various options before he found one that had him pause.

A pretty yellow ribbon adorned with a blue star. Still quiet, Matsuda knelt down and tugged the red ribbon off Monomi to replace it. He fixed the yellow ribbon and the star shone brightly at him. Pulling back, he took in the beaming Monomi and nodded.

“Yeah, that’ll work. Let’s go with this one.”

Monomi twirled around with flourish.

“Magical Miracle Girl ☆ Monomi! At your service!” A pause. Monomi yelped. “N-No, Usami! I mean Usami! I’m not Monomi, I don’t even know a Monomi!”

“Right,” Matsuda said, nodding along. “There should be a baton around here that we can use as a weapon. Hopefully one that suits your new look.”

“Y-Yes!” she exclaimed, watery-eyed. “Yes, yes!”

When he found one and handed it over, Monomi waved it around and declared,

“I absolutely won’t lose! I’ll fight for the sake of my students! With the power of wuv and hope!”

Matsuda said nothing to that, even as his lips twisted in the slightest way.

Later, when Monomi faced against that snake beast again, not only was she knocked away again in spite of her best efforts, but...

That thing knocked her away with the force of a truck, causing the now broken baton to clatter at Matsuda’s feet.

“Welp,” was all he had to say.

[jacepens]

Hey, how u doing? I wanted to ask for you for indications on washette fanfics, what are the best that you have

p.s. and yes, I do want to hear as well about yours in that list as well, 'cause they're gold

Hey! I'm doing alright:) Thanks for asking! What about you? (is this the correct tumblr to anon etiquette?)

Oh goodness this is such a loaded question because the answer is many. I hope you're alright with a big list sorted by category <3

Fluff! Fluff!!

The French Mistake

One of the first washette fics I read, so it holds a special place in my heart. A little silly, a little lams, ultimately very cute and good time.

Under the Arches of Moonlight and Sky

Just very good, cute, soft weary bed sharing. (this is only wholesome, I swear)

Let's Dance

Short, sweet fic with dance instructor George and our beloved two left feet Laf:)

I Like You Better in Real Life

Did someone say Influencer/Youtuber!Laf and President!George?? No??! Well start and read this fic. Seriously, it's a longer one, and just really damn cute. A bit of slow burn in terms of internalized homophobia (done in a good way) and trans Laf?? Yes. It's really so good.

The Prince

Ok, ok, it's one of mine. The one chapter is deceiving, it's decently long and featuring Prince!Laf and Royal Knight!George!:) Also magic!! angst, fluff, denial of feelings but then of course love confessions;) after angst though, don't worry haha.

Fathoms and Foundlings

Ooooohh boy. This. This one. Mermaid Laf and regular ol George! So so so well written, I mean, the feelings, the war, the weather, literally everything you can name, it's spectacular in this fic. Be warned, it is incomplete, but I remember when the latest chapter was released when I lost all hope (plus the author is still active) so I definitely don't count this one out of being updated!:) But, I'll be honest, I'm unsure about it being finished BUT I still think you should 1000% read this because you really will not find something like it anywhere else and it's just so cute!! Did I mention fucking amazing?

Whom can we trust now?

Platonic washette!! Really well written and just altogether really well put together!:) comfort after Arnold's betrayal! Seriously, I highly recommend this fic it's just so perfect of their relationship and cuuute.

The Particulars of Language

Oh goodness. Oooh goodness. This is so so cute. A nice little blend of angst and fluff and did I mention internalized homophobia? (In a good way, if that makes sense) Also so well-written by an incredible author, I just- language confusion. Need I say more??

Marque

Ok, ok, it's been too long since I read this one, so I will say, it is very tentatively going in this category. I just love soulmate au washette! Angst! Kidnapping? ...no final chapter. So I'm not sure, it could've been planned on ending very happy and fluffy! I do believe overall, this leans on the darker side, but I know I really love this one and they love each other. I want more washette soulmate aus.

Breaks your heart, puts it back together

what's my name, what's my station

Oh God oh fuck it's this one. (said with love). Brutal? Hot? Expanding my vocabulary?? An incredibly beautiful use of metaphors??? Actually feel like crying when I read it. Yeah. This is amazing.

May the Melody Disarm Us

Oh Godd oh Fuck it's this one. (maybe I should change this section's title) this one isn't even angsty per se, it's just like...brutally beautiful. They love each so much but oh my god. The metaphors, the way the author sets the scene and environment and everything! Ugh. So so good.

Let Down My Guard

Oh dear lord in heaven above preserve me. I'm gonna be dramatic but there are simply not enough words in the universe I have that can describe how I feel about this fic and how damn incredible it is!! And boy do I mean it when I say this one breaks your heart and puts it back together. I have seriously never sobbed over any piece of fiction like I did this. Just ahhhh. The feelings they develop for each other, the confusion of cultures, the secrets revealed?? I didn't even tell you Laf is a mermaid yet. Just- please. Please read this. It will rip your heart out, but it will put it back together. But really, this is just a fucking masterpiece and so so beautiful.

Porn With Plot

that dress you like

Very nicely done smut + feels! (Did I mention how nicely it's all done?) Oh! Did I mention genderqueer Laf? Yes.

Mon General / My Marquis

Ok the only reason this is going in this category is because I find the others up there more heart-breaky than this one. I love this one!! The historical details! Their loving relationship!! Very very good and lovely. With some angst of course.

The Mistranslation

Oh God oh Fuck it's this one. (I'll be saying that a lot). Would you like all these categories put into one beautiful fic?? Here it is, here. It's incredible. Please read it. It's free serotonin. (Did I mention incredibly written??)

The Things I Would Do to You

Ahhh ok. So. Super duper sweet, lots of angst sprinkled throughout but Laf's visit to Mount Vernon + feels + (smut). Need I say more??! Seriously, this is wonderful.

Not So Easy to be the Teacher's Pet

Oh. Oh god it's this one. So this is borderline Oof (Laf is 17) but if that does not bother you, then you are in for a treat!(??) Ok but really, lots of feels, denial of feelings, way-too-sweet-for-his-own-good Lafayette and poor confused George. Just fantastic.

Devil to Pay

Hoooo boy. If you like pirates or sea adventures, (hot pirate captains. I'm just gonna say it) then I'm literally begging you to read this. Kidnapped noble Laf?? Slowly falling for the pirate captain Washington?? Not to mention so many maritime details and wonderful emotions, beautifully crafted just. Spectacular. Please, read it if you haven't. Even if pirates don't appeal to you, they will after this fic.

A secret weapon

Ahhhh!!! Thiiiiiis. Is everything. Ok, yes, it includes more than washette, but I mean come on, it's (sexy) demons. It's desperate Washington trying to win a war and fight his gay feelings (guess which fight he wins?) But also, super well written and detailed and feels!! I adore this fic, and the whole series is a treat. Go read it. It's wonderful, you won't regret it.

Oof (not in a good way)

The Sweet Enjoyment of Partaking

If the not-so-sweet side intrigues you more, this is one of the few washette fics that I do love and is...not so nice. It's really good as a not nice piece! Pretty straightforward and fucked up. Ya (I) love to see it.

Transmutation

Oooohhhhhh. This is a fic I didn't read for a while just because I didn't know what it was but boy let me tell you, it is soo good. I'll say it's not as oof as the fic above, but oooh maaaannnnn. I don't know how to describe it just, don't expect sweet things, but if darker takes are your thing please go read this. You will not regret it. It's so damn good.

OW

Day One Way, By Night Another

Ok ok here me out. This one might seem a bit random and it is. It's very short and for the longest time I didn't read it until I did and said ow because ow!!? I find this has the most impact going in unarmed so...watch out. (but like check it out. it's just so unique I really do love it)

Once More, With Feeling

Oh GOD. This one is quite brief and straightforward but if you are looking to rip your heart out with feels and angst then boy do I have the perfect fic for you. But seriously, it's so well-written and just expresses all the feelings so so perfectly. But at what cost? (Pls read it)

A Beautiful Tragedy

Hello darkness my old friend. Ok but seriously, this fic still remains so impactful in my own mind just as the writer. It's not a happy ending, but I try to leave you with hope. Pretty music that I highly recommend listening to, I don't know. I think it's really good, I don't say that often about my own stuff soo if you're ok with heavy amounts of angst and pretty aesthetics then check this ok!:) (but guard your heart, sorry not sorry<3)

Porn Without Plot

Betrayals and Allies

So, admittedly, this one very tentatively goes into this category because I find compared to the others, this one has less feels and less focus on it, but don't get me wrong this is very emotional!! It displays their relationship and love so cutely (and smutily..? new word) and as extra bonus it fills in the gaps of the deleted scene from Turn. You know the one;) It's very good!!

Cold Nights

Look at me adding another of my own. This is super duper short, but I kinda like how the emotions turned out. I think this was the beginning of my first dive into my current style of writing so that's cool I guess? But yeah no, it's porn without plot lol.

What Good is Honor When You're Starving?

Oh dear, another of mine in this category. I barely put this here, but the main focus is on the smut, but there are many many feels aplenty. Oh wait, did I mention vampire Laf? George definitely not falling in love... but really, I like how this one turned out!:) Good sexy vampire times (with feelings)

Ah wow! You stuck with me! Thank you! I...tried to keep it brief. This is not an exhaustive list by any means btw, there were a few (many) I decided to cut because I wanted this list to be all encompassing of many authors, styles, etc.

But anon, thank you for the ask and giving me the chance to rant about my favorite fics! My apologies on taking so long to finish, I hope you can understand my life has been a little hectic, but I always try to make time for washette;)

Thank you!!<3

[ladynightmare913]

Secrets of the Darkened Seas

Welcome to Chapter 10! I know it has been a long while but, reality got in the way. As always, I would like to give a big thank you to my best friend Olivia ( @asunshinepuff ) for inviting me to help her bring this world to life.

Just a small reminder that the next chapter will be posted on Olivia’s blog!

As always there is mermaid lore hidden with the story. The included lore for this tale has been written under the guise of Fantastic Nautical Creatures by Newt Scamander. As always it will be taken from the book “The Secret World of Mermaids” by Francine Rose while putting our own twist.

Don't forget to send me an ask if you have any questions or comments about the story or its characters, or if you simply want to say hello!

Now without further ado,

Chapter 10: Dúi hǎi and Shou

Sirius glared at the snake, which was currently a bracelet on Remus’ hand. “How come it doesn’t bite you?” His eyes never leaving the gold snake.

Remus shrugged nonchalantly, unperturbed as he leaned against the lower walls of the quarterdeck. “He likes me.” He continues looking over his notes in a worn leather notebook.

“What do you mean he, it’s a sword, pretty sure it doesn’t need pronouns.” Sirius had been tasked with tying knots, eyeing Remus opening with contempt.

“And yet we call ships, she.”

“That’s different, you’re talking about a sword as if it can understand what you’re saying.”

Remus glances up for a brief moment, an unreadable expression upon his face as he considers his answer. “Because he can.”

Sirius pauses, “How?” He raises a skeptic's brow. Remus doesn’t respond, ignoring him in favor of continuing his work in the book. Sirius simply rolled his eyes, continuing to tie the knots.

Remus continued to have Sirius work on the ship for many hours. Sirius was not let out of Remus’ sight. And at small moments, Sirius would hear a soft humming sound. As if metal was vibrating. Sirius would look around to try to see where the humming was coming from, but no one seemed to notice.

And every time Sirius focused to find the source of the humming, it would stop. Oddly enough, Remus chuckled to himself softly throughout the day. Insane, Sirius thought as he was sent to retire for the night. Remus threatened another full day of work the next morning. He was definitely insane.

The next day, Remus was once again immersed in his work with that worn leather book of his. Sirius continued to work, mopping the deck under the beating sun. Then the humming returned. He ignored it at first. But as the day drew on, he noticed that it only seemed clearer to hear whenever he was nearby Remus.

“Are you humming?” Sirius prompted.

“No.” Remus look strained as if it physically wounded him to dignify Sirius with a response to such a stupid question. So Sirius carried on. Until he couldn’t take it more.

“What is that incessant humming?! It sounds like ringing metal!” Sirius cried out, searching for any possible source of what that horrid humming was.

Remus froze at the words, finally looking up to Sirius. “Wait… you can hear it?”

“I’ve been hearing it for nearly two days!” Sirius retorted with a dramatic turn of his head.

“I thought it was dramatics,” Remus replied simply.

“Please tell me you hear it too.” Sirius ran a hand through his black locks. “Otherwise, I think I still have some of that thing’s,” he pointed to the gold snake on Remus’ wrist, “venom in my veins.”

“Yes, though not humming, it’s words.” Remus closes the book, placing his quill as a marker in his place. He wouldn’t dare fold the pages of the journal. “There’s no venom.”

Sirius stared at the tawny-haired boy dubiously. “What? What do you mean, it’s words?”

“More a song really.” He continued as if the ebony-haired pirate had never spoken.

Sirius raises a quizzical brow, “Alright, I’ll bite. Who is singing?”

Remus gave the man a pointed look, growing bothered at the simple conversation, “Dúi hǎi.”

Sirius stared unblinkingly. “You’re joking. A sword?”

“Why would I joke? Over humming?”

“Why would a sword sing?” Sirius countered.

“It can’t physically speak to us, so it makes a near-silent song.” A male voice replies.

Sirius turned to the helm, the First Mate was resting his arms on the railing, his legs crossed, a wide grin on his face.

“And not everyone can hear it. Which is why Remus thought you were merely jesting.” Quinn explained.

Sirius’ eyes flickered as he looked between the two. “Can you hear the humming then?”

Quinn nods in reply, “I can. Though it’s a bit different for me, I had to train in order to hear it. It’s a process, but since then, I hear the sword’s song.” He glances down to Remus, “Remus had to train as well.”

“So why can I hear it?” Sirius frowned.

Quinn smiled. “Because you were bitten by Dúi hǎi. Its venom ran the course through your veins, as you so kindly pointed out earlier, it increased your exposure to the sword’s properties rather quickly.”

Sirius glared at the snake. Dúi hǎi took it upon himself to come alive and hiss at the pirate in retaliation.

Quinn tilted his head as he tsked. “Dúi hǎi, be nice. Your venom is very potent you know.”

The snake simply hissed, Quinn stuck his tongue out with a low chuckle. Sirius couldn’t help but watch the interaction with awe and mild horror.

Remus watched silently, amused at the interaction. A small smile upon his face as he watched the little snake.

“It can actually understand you…” Sirius spoke lowly. Disbelief and amazement on his face.

Quinn looked back to the pirate. “He is alive, so of course he can.”

“A language, like an actual living language that people learn and understand?”

Quinn smiled once more. “Well, it’s more like a melodious tune. There are no actual words in the Language of the Spirit Swords.” He chuckled at that. “It was a pain to learn.”

“The sword is alive, it has a spirit. And they are very aware and in tune with their environment. Dúi hǎi is the spirit of the sword. He was born when he was forged but named by his master. My sword is the same.”

Quinn reached for the sword at his side, brushing his fingertips across the hilt. A hum reached their ears. Sirius’ eyes widened.

“How does one come across a sword like yours?” Sirius found himself asking.

Quinn clicks his tongue, tilting his head side to side, contemplating his answer. “It’s a complicated answer. You usually don’t find a sword like ours. Not to mention they could reject you as their master.”

“Why?”

“Oh, there are many reasons. Personalities don’t match. The swordmaster could be cruel. They could physically harm a sword— and yes, you can harm a sword. Sword and master could reject each other. The sword could even be picky. Shou, my own sword is picky about everything.” Quinn paused. “It’s a lot like choosing a horse really.” He chuckled.

Shou, a wide sword with a solid black sheath adorned in gold accents, hummed loudly. Quinn winced a bit but otherwise ignored it. Remus also winced.

The hilt of the sword had red and black cross stitching etched the smooth grip. In the center handle, there was a small lion’s head, engraved in gold, much like the snake of Dúi hǎi.

Sirius simply continued to watch in astonishment, his lips parted. He simply couldn’t believe it.

“Shou and Dúi hǎi were forged for us, to fit our personalities. But even then, it does not guarantee the sword will accept you.”

Sirius found himself nodding as if he were a student. For once in his entire life, Sirius was behaving like a diligent apprentice. Remus stared at Sirius with perplexity. He has never seen the pirate this quiet for so long. Quinn looked between the two teens with a knowing grin.

“Well, I think that’s enough for today’s lesson class. You’re dismissed.” He chuckles. Leaving the two teens to their own devices.

Remus nodded his head in acknowledgment as Quinn left them. Sirius carried on with his task of mopping the deck. Silently.

As the day turned to night, Remus looked at the rising moon, noting that it was nearly full.

Soon.

[muthaz-rapapa]

They announced Precure 2021!!

Tropical Rouge! Precure. It will be a tropical/ocean theme and I believe it will have either a 4 team cures (pink, blue, yellow/orange and teal) or a duo with a red cure as a sixth ranger. What are your opinions/theories?

Oh shit, it is that time again, isn’t it? I totally forgot with how screwy year this year has been. ANN didn’t even mention anything. (@_@ ;;)

Well, anyways, since the trademark is out, speculation is all fair game until December or whenever we get the next messy quality leaks at the soonest.

Before that though, I just want to comment about the HealPre movie poster:

I really like the kimono design integrated into the magical girl outfit. Seriously, I wished they could’ve saved this idea for a full-cour season instead of using it as a movie-exclusive form. That would’ve been awesome~ && imagine the crazy hair but decorated with kanzashi. *sigh* <33 ...only in my dreams, I guess. T_T

Other than that, I am also psyched for the (random) return of the Yes 5 girls. I have no idea what they’re doing here but hey, the Maho girls saved the KiraPre movie for me with their cameos so I’m totally cool with Yes 5 dropping in all badass if HealPre’s movie ends up being just so-so.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way...

Precure 2021, otherwise known as

TROPICAL ROUGE! PRECURE

...admittedly, it’s not the weirdest title we’ve ever gotten but still, Toei at it again with its obsession over weird 3-4ish syllable salads. Ah, how I miss the times when we can just attach one simple word before “Pretty Cure” and that would’ve been enough. :P

Also, how the hell are we going to shorten this? TroPre? TropicPre? ToRuPre? PikaRuPre? Too long! Why must you make the little things so difficult, you bastards?!?! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ )

*cough*

Judging by the title, we’re probably all correct in guessing one of its motifs will concern the ocean and when most of us think “tropical” mixed in with Precure, the first image that pops up would be Aloha Precure:

[ Hey girls, how you doin’? ^^ ]

But for me? My first thought was this:

SHUT UP.

LET ME HAVE MY BEVERAGE-BASED MAGICAL ISLAND IDOL TRIO REALITY AND LET ME DIE HAPPY THERE!

I LOVE YOU TEA DRINKYUN, SODA DRINKYUN, JUICE DRINKYUN!!!!!

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

But in all seriousness, we’re likely not going to have these two as the protagonists because

1) They’re not Japanese or Japan-based.

2) They’re from a different Precure season altogether.

3) This is Toei we’re talking about. Looking at how one-shot Sunset and Wave were, do you really think they would go ahead on a tropics theme with any interest in anything outside just the aesthetics/marketing appeal of it? Uh, sadly, NO.

So sorry to dash your hopes if you had any but even if we are lucky enough to get a main Cure who is of Polynesian descent, we probably won’t be spending parts of the season actually exploring their ethnic background.

Though I’d still hold on to the possibility of Aloha Precure maybe getting a cameo. And more importantly, getting another dark-skinned Cure who isn’t just tan from staying out in the sun too long because I really, really, really want that, too! (>.<)

Ok, ok, back to motifs and themes.

So ocean. And there’s a seashell symbol in the logo so when we think of those things, we think of mermaids (and therefore, Cure Mermaid).

[...y’know, I’m starting to believe they’re just basing all the new seasons on the Go!Pri cast like StarPre for Twinkle. Heartcatch, however, pre-existed Flora so I don’t know where that stands but all that’s left would be Scarlet so I guess Precure 2022′s either going to take place in Hell or somewhere freezing like a mountain YES, WE’RE GONNA FIGHT ELSA! >:D or the north/south poles]

Chances of one of the Cures being a mermaid then? Maybe even the midseason one? Pretty damn high.

Chances of the magical items having something to do with pearls? Feels a little like Mermaid Melody but as long as they don’t throw any blatant idol tendencies in my face, I’m good.

Chances of TroPre (name pending) actually focusing on the nature of the ocean and taking time to explain in depth its sealife, ecosystems and the man-imposed problems that exist within it? *BIG SIGH*

Honestly, as much as I would love for Precure 2021 to branch out from what HealPre started with its health/environment approach (which was quite the disappointing cop-out but that’s a discussion for another place and time), I doubt we’re going to get that no thanks to the commercialization aspect of it.

And I don’t blame the writers (entirely), I blame their higher-ups who probably meddle with the story and demand for more cutesy, pointless fillers instead because y’know, toy sales first, unfortunately. :P

But ok, even if I don’t get the science side of it, that doesn’t mean it won’t be enjoyable. But with only just a logo to go off on atm, it’s hard to predict what we’re really in for next year.

Except for the fact that we can already tell how many starter Cures we’ll be getting.

[Sorry it took so long to get to this part, anon]

Pink is a no brainer, there can’t be a Precure season without a Pink lead (bah).

And look at how solid the azure/blue and teal/green is. Those are locked in for sure (HURRAH! ANOTHER GREEN CURE~! xD).

Now yellow...or is that orange? Personally, I think it’d be great if they dropped the Yellow Cure this year and gave it to the Pink Cure as a sub-color instead because unlike the blue and teal katakana, the pink/yellow/orange ombre of the bottom line is not as distinct from one another as the former are. But I doubt it because when you say “tropic” you think of “sun” too so can’t be without the yellow Cure, after all. Ugh.

Finally, there’s that striking red at the end of “Rouge” that looks like what would happen if an exclamation mark and a sea slug had a baby together and put an obnoxious bow on it. :S

With “rouge” in the title [sorry, not you Rin-chan but hey, Rin-chan~! :D], it seems we’re pretty much guaranteed a red Cure as well. I just hope she gets a more creative name than just a synonym of the color red because while “Cure Crimson” cue JoJo jokes I don’t understand sounds cool, it’s lazy.  (-_- ;;)

So in total, a maximum of 5 Cures. No, I will not be leaving room open for a possible 6th one cuz that is just one too many Cures and we don’t need that. WE. DON’T.

As for anon’s theory on a duo team with the Red Cure as the sixth (you actually meant third, right?) ranger...really, I’d much prefer a smaller team. I love the idea of starting the season with just a pair of Cures like the good old days. I love the idea of both of them having two theme colors (pink/yellow and blue/green) each instead of one. I’d look forward to a midseason Cure this time because the chemistry would actually be more manageable to work with and develop when it’s not such a huge crowd. So that the new girl doesn’t have to go through all her members like required shifts instead of having more organic interactions with them.

...but that’s just my hope. I know as much as the next person on what Precure 2021′s gonna be like which is pretty much “nothing at all”. *shrug*

We’ll see.

[collective-laugh]

So, follow me, could you do more cryptids headcanons? Or maybe something similar? Thank you so much for answering so many of my dumb ask! Love you hon!

This is not dumb oml! The Cryptids AU is one of my favorite!

First piece here! Second piece (Julian and Portia) here!

Asra - tsuchinoko

“Hi, welcome to - oh, it’s just you.”

Asra rolls his eyes, tossing his bag on the counter and asking, “Any calls?”

“Nope.”

“Any sales?”

They roll their eyes and stand, leaning against the counter, “Nope.” They pop the ‘p’, looking him over. 

“Make a phone call or something. At least pretend I pay you for something.” 

“You pay me because we’re dating, Asra.” They lean forward, pecking his lips. He melts into them, putting a hand on their neck and pulling them closer, “Not because we’re swimming in money.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it or anything.” He grins, shrugging his jacket off, “I’ve got to meet with my parents tonight. Can you close up on your own?”

“You want me to come with? I can come as moral support?” They shrug, eager to meet his parents and terrible at hiding it. 

“No! Honestly, I, uh, don’t want to put you through it.” He presses a kiss to their cheek, “I’ll be back in the morning, yeah?”

They arch a brow, “Same night, every month. Of course.”

Asra almost feels bad lying to them.

Nadia - Alien 

“Ground control to Major Tom.”

“This melody is pleasant!” Nadia holds the earbuds in her ears, in a feeble attempt of drawing the music closer, “Why does it talk to itself as ‘ground control’ and ‘Major Tom’?”

They smile, crossing their arms over their chest to explain, “It’s a story.”

“What!?” Nadia exclaims over the sound of the music, lifting her voice so she could hear herself. 

They pull the earbuds away and explain, still smiling, “It’s a story. Major Tom has just made it to space for the first time, and ground control is talking to him.”

Nadia snorts, “Feeble. Space is no big feat.”

“Just listen, alright?”

“Here am I floating round my tin can. Far above the Moon. Planet Earth is blue. And there’s nothing I can do.”

“Major Tom…” She mutters, looking at the earbuds in her hands as if they were the cause of it, “It is…He is dead?”

“The character, yeah.” And the singer, they think, but they won’t tell her that, “They’re telling a story, a bit of fiction.”

Julian - Mothman (continuation from the one linked above)

They sit with the mothman - Julian, he calls himself - in their broken down car, the drive home awkward and cramped, and he fiddles around in the passenger seat, adjusting how far back it tilts.

It comes as no surprise when the handle snaps, and Julian produces it, apologizing profusely. They pass it off as no big deal, even though it was, and take a deep, shaky breath, unsure of how, exactly you managed to get here.

You hit him with your fucking car, that’s what.

“So, um…do you drink coffee?”

He perks up at that, eyes yellow and slit down the middle and pretty, but terrifying, “I, yes…I don’t…want to impose or be a headache or…”

“It’s fine! It’s just coffee!”

Getting him into their apartment is the trickiest part.

He yeets himself into the window, and they, thankfully, left it open, so they don’t have to worry about shards of glass or anything.

Putting on a pot of coffee with a mothman in the room is…interesting, to say the least, but if he was going to eat them, he would’ve done it by now. 

“You, um…you didn’t run away, or anything.”

“Nope.” They say a little too quickly, “Nope, I didn’t.”

They didn’t run away.

Muriel - Werewuff

“You’re such a dumbass sometimes, you know that?!” They scream at him, waving their hands wildly. 

He could have gotten his dumbass murdered, or worse, and they don’t even want to think of what might have happened if they hadn’t have picked him up, and -

He scoffs.

They almost leave, almost slam the door on him and leave him because  there’s no fucking way they can keep going like this. 

“I know.”

And fuck, now they feel like a bitch.

Their face softens immediately, and they look him over, so very, very thankful that he wasn’t injured, and take a shaky breath, “I worry about you, Muriel.”

He looks like he’s about to cry, and that makes it worse, “I know.”

When he basically uppercuts his eye with the heel of his hand, they’ve moved across the room, apologizing quietly, and he shakes his head, “I’m so sorry.”

They take his face in their hands, wiping the tears away with their thumbs, and all they want, all they can wish for is for his pain to stop.

They just want him to stop hurting so bad.

Portia - Mermaid

“Legs!” She exclaims, practically throwing one of hers onto the bed in front of them and running her hands over them, “They’re lumpy!” 

You laugh, winding your arms around her neck and pulling her onto the bed. She smells vaguely of saltwater and the body spray she uses just a bit too much of, and the smile on her face and the love in her eyes is so very, very worth it. 

“You sure you’re happy here, lumpy?” Your hand starts to wander, feeling her chest, her stomach, her thighs, anywhere you could reach and still look her in the eye.

She grabs your cheeks and kisses you, hard and long and so passionate, and topples the two of you on the bed, wrapping her very new legs around your waist and nodding. 

“I am. So, so happy.” She giggles softly, pinching your waist, “Are you happy?”

You smile up at her, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I am.”

She kisses you again, before suddenly pulling away and exclaiming, “We should watch a movie!” 

Lucio - The Jersey Devil

Maybe the name was intended to be ironic. 

It didn’t matter, really. Lucio was the biggest self-made man in Vesuvia, and whether or not the people knew he was actually the Jersey Devil, that it wasn’t just a playful nickname describing his character, didn’t matter one bit.

He had them, and that was all he cared about. 

They sit in his lap, one leg thrown over the arm rest of his chair, and the other running their foot up and down his leg. He kisses them, uses his prosthetic to make them squirm in his lap, and he spoils them rotten, giving them all the gifts in the world, all the praise and the best things he could offer.

He could offer more than the average man. 

They push their fingers through his hair, mucking it all up, but he couldn’t really care less. Things had been hot and heavy from the very start, and his lover could keep up with him and then some. 

He didn’t want to slow down. He loved them, well and truly enough, and he loved the noises they made when he bit their lip. 

And they didn’t mind the whole Devil thing that much. That was a surprise, but more than welcome. 

[cuefunkymusic]

Hi! Thank you for your request and don’t worry, your English is just fine! :D I went with a scenario for this one, so I hope that’s okay!

jean pierre polnareff x fem!reader // a night for movies

word count: 1696

under cut for length!

It had been a few months since your good friend, Jean Pierre Polnareff had come back from travelling with a group of friends, or so he had said. You weren’t quite sure what sort of trip would take him two months to go on, but you were glad he was finally back.

The other day, he had invited you to come hang out at his house, and maybe watch a few movies together. Before he had left, this had been a regular thing between you two, though it often ended up with you two watching The Bad News Bears for the hundredth time.

You wouldn’t lie, but you had some sort of feelings towards him- though you dismissed it merely as just a small crush. You knew that the feelings likely wouldn’t be reciprocated, but it was still a fun thought to entertain yourself with.

Walking over to your room, you grabbed the outfit you had planned earlier for the little hang-out you had planned. 

It was nothing special- just a comfortable blouse that you considered one of your favorites, and a black flared skirt you had been keeping in your wardrobe for a while. As you put it on, you eyed yourself in the mirror, adjusting your blouse a bit. 

Now that you looked at your getup, you felt a bit overdressed. Readjusting your skirt, you checked your watch, realizing that you only had a matter of minutes before the planned time Polnareff had set.

Hoping that he wouldn’t say too much about your outfit, you headed out the door- you were lucky that you both lived in the same neighborhood, so you would be right on time. Walking up the steps to his house, you rang his doorbell, waiting at the door. 

You assumed he had been waiting for you, as only in a matter of seconds he opened the door, a grin on his face.

“Hey, you’re just on time, (Y/n!)” he said, holding the door open for you. “Come on in!”

“Thank you,” you said, walking in and taking off your shoes, placing them next to the door in the foyer. You followed his lead as you two sat in the living room on a couch, a considerable amount of VHS tape cases stacked on the table.

“So, what are we gonna watch?” you asked, glancing over at the VHS tapes. There was a respectable amount, as you counted almost 20 tapes.

“Hm, I dunno. I was thinking maybe The Bad News Bears?” “Polnareff, you always watch that,” you laughed. “In fact, I think we watched that before you left. Why don’t we try something different for once?”

“Pfft, I guess you’re right,” he said, laughing with you. “Why don’t you pick something out?”

“Alright,” you said, already getting up to scavenge through the movies he had. You were quite surprised at the variety; he had some classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind- even Jaws, something you didn’t expect him to be the type to watch. Your eyes widened as you picked out a copy of The Little Mermaid.

“Hey, Polnareff, didn’t this movie just come out this year?” you asked, looking to him.

“Yeah, it did!” he exclaimed. “Actually, okay- if i’m being honest, I haven’t watched it yet. I just picked it up since it was new, and it was on sale…” he said sheepishly.

“Well, perfect!” flopping back onto the couch, you began to open up the VHS case. “I haven’t seen it either, so we can watch it together!” you said gleefully.

Taking out the tape, you put it into the player, and turned on the TV. You grinned, looking over to Polnareff. “So do you know what this movie’s even about? I’ve heard it’s just like, some romance film, but I’m not sure.”

“Oh hell yeah it is! I’ve read a bunch of stuff on it, and it seems really really interesting!” he said, positively beaming. “I haven’t had time to watch it though, and even then, I’d rather watch it with you,” he said, his cheeks starting to flush a bit.

Your eyes glued onto the screen, you didn’t take notice of his reddening cheeks. “I’m sure it will be good,” you said, playing with a strand of your hair as the movie began.

As you two got farther in the movie, you found yourself moving a bit closer to Polnareff. It was pretty cold in the room, and he also seemed to be very fixated on the movie. You grinned every time you saw him let out a little “ooh” or “ah” at what was happening on-screen. You were sure that later, he would end up learning all the songs from the movie to sing as a joke later.

Music filled the room as the melodies of ‘Kiss the Girl’ played onscreen, and as you looked over you saw Polnareff tapping his toes to the rhythm of the song. You smiled- how immersed into the film was adorable to you, oddly. 

Looking back to the screen, you held your breath as you watched the two characters just about to kiss, but you raised an eyebrow in confusion as they sat there, unmoving. 

“Gah, the VHS got stuck? At this part? It’s so new, too!” exclaimed Polnareff, getting up. You frowned at the lack of his warmth as he left your side, watching as he tried to fix the VHS player. 

Glancing at the TV, you felt a strange feeling looking at the screen still, the two characters so close yet so far apart from each other. 

Your mind wandering even further, you felt your face start to warm up as you imagined you and Polnareff that close together, on arm around your waist as the other caressed your cheek, your lips almost touching… 

“(Y/n), I don’t think this wretched thing is gonna work.” Polnareff’s words cut through your thoughts like a knife as you sat up, jerking your head to look in his direction.

“Huh? The tape isn’t working?” “No luck,” he sighed, sitting back down onto the couch. “Sorry about that. Maybe we can watch The Bad News Bears again?” he said, jokingly.

You glanced back over to the TV, the same scene present on the screen. You let out an involuntary sigh as your mind started to wander off again, craving, hungering for affection.

You jolted as you felt Polnareff’s hand on your shoulder, and looking over, you were met with his concerned expression, your face reddening even more. 

“You’ve been really spacey, huh?” his touch on your shoulder seemed to send chills through your entire body, the area on your shoulder feeling almost numb with warmth.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, Pol. Don’t worry.” He cocked his head, a worried expression still present on his face. “You sure? Don’t be scared to talk to me about stuff,” he said. You hadn’t noticed until he spoke, but you were sure that you were as red as a tomato as you felt him rubbing circles on your shoulder with his finger, something that you weren’t sure was on purpose or not.

“Fine,” you said, your gaze averted. Knowing the type of guy Polnareff was, if you tried to hide your secret, he would just keep pestering you about it until you let loose. At least now, in the situation you were in, there was a chance of him letting you down easy.

“I love you,” you said, more of a whisper than anything. Looking back into his eyes, you watched as they slowly widened, a blush spreading across his face.

“You… you love me?” he repeated, looking into your eyes. While his gaze was strong, when you looked at him, it felt soft and reassuring.

“Y-yeah… that’s what I said. I’m sorry if you don’t or anything, I just thought that it would be better to say it now-”

Your eyes widened as you felt his arm wrap around you, bringing him closer to you. Your ear pressed up against his chest, you could hear his heart beating rapidly, his breaths quickening. “Oh my god, you love me!” he exclaimed, the rumble of his voice that you were able to hear quite soothing as you were still pressed up against his chest.

He jumped, suddenly but gently pushing you away from his chest a bit so you weren’t as squished, exhaling sharply as you had more air to breathe.

“Y- you really mean it?” he asked, his eyes twinkling,  the blush covering his face a deep crimson.

“Of course I do,” you muttered, a bit embarrassed. Looking back up at him, he was positively beaming, though you were a bit alarmed when you noticed his eyes were a bit watery. “A-are you crying?!” you asked, scooting back closer to him on the couch. You watched as he wiped away a tear, sniffing. He looked down at you, his gaze soft. “W-what? No, I’m not crying!” he exclaimed, his eyes beginning to water more. “Oh my god, Polnareff,” you said, moving so you were once more sitting right against him, feeling his arm wrap around your waist. Looking up, you wiped away the tears from his eyes. “The small parts we saw of the movie really got to you, huh?” you said, jokingly.

“Don’t say that,” he said, pressing a kiss to your head. “Is it wrong for me to be happy?”

“Of course not,” you said, feeling as if you were going to melt in his embrace. “Can… can I kiss you?” you asked, looking back up into his gaze.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, as you leaned closer until your lips finally met. His lips were soft against yours, and if you weren’t going to melt before, you absolutely were going to now. As his lips moved with yours, you felt yourself dissolve into his touch, the world around you seemingly fading away. Gasping for air, you pulled away from his lips. The fond, soft smile he gave you could have turned you to jello, putting your arm behind his shoulder, looking into his eyes.

“Let’s do that again,” he grinned, pulling you in once more.

[theashofwkm]

A Siren’s Call (Part One)

Summary: In which the surface is off limits, but her voice is so addicting he just can’t help himself. little mermaid!au, sorta

Prompt: Goretober, Underwater

Warnings: blood mention, death mention, reliving tragic memory, law breaking, sneaking out. Despite warnings, all of these are vague and I don’t think this qualifies as actual angst.

Note: day six! sorry again for the lack of read more! tumblr sucks. also why are titles so hard?

———

Bubbles drift upwards lazily, floating to the surface. Skimming around smooth-scaled, smooth-skinned creatures that swim through the currents. Gurgling from the deepest depths up to crashing waves and free air.

The city of the mer is stunning. Gleaming and glittering from reflections of far-off sunlight. Abuzz with life and teeming with happiness, with joy and peace, except for one.

There’s a prince, handsome and beloved by all creatures of the sea. Set to inherit the throne, to inherit his father’s trident and the swell of power that comes with it, to become king. He is the most beloved creature, most beloved mer in all of the sea.

He does not wish to be king. Having little interest for the throne, for the trident, for the power the title holds and the rules he’ll be bound to. Being king is an honor, but it also a duty and a burden and all he’s ever craved is freedom. The binds of prince are loose, but they’re still far too tight. The ones of king are even tighter. He has no interest to be bound to the ocean, or anything else.

The prince is a creature of the ocean, born and bound to its waters, from the sea foam on the surface, to the deepest chasms unexplored.

It’s improper that he holds love for the land.

It’s a secret, of course. Something he keeps even from those he trusts. Secrets have a way of coming to light and while an ally could help, they could also hinder.

Land is forbidden, the surface ordered off limits years ago, for good reason. Humans had learned about them, had slaughtered who they could, the numbers staggering.

The Queen had died in the chaos, protecting her only son. It’s wrong for him to hold such fascination with what killed her. He knows humans are cruel, remembers the wash of his mother’s blood clogging the water around him, remembers the warmth of it. He remembers her death, knows that humans have no mercy, but his fascination holds.

Guilt is what’s really keeping his secret.

Rumors would spread through the castle if they knew the truth. He’d be a king without care for his people. An untruth, but that is what they would see him as. For a ruler, royalty, the people’s perception is everything.

He cannot go to the surface often. Princely duties keep him chained to the sea’s floor, eyes watching him in fascination and reverence, a barrier to the world above. Oftentimes, he lays on the floor, looks up and pretends that he’s looking at the sun, feeling the wind and the air.

There’s fond memories of the surface, behind the guilt. It used to be a place they visited, where they laughed and sang and played music.

Music that was illegal now.

The Queen, his mother, had been so gifted in that department. Her voice had soothed even the grumpiest of listeners. It never failed to send him to sleep as a merling. It was a blessing, until they lost it. Then all music was banned, for the reminders it brought of the kind Queen they had, the Queen they lost.

William hardly remembers her voice. The memory of her scream and her blood is far more vivid. In banning music, the king had taken away any good William had in his childhood, leaving him desperate for something he should hate.

They’d left his mother at the surface. His memory of her is clearer there and maybe that’s why he’s so fascinated with it. Her ghost lives where sky meets ocean, leaving her dead to the place she’d called home. Nothing but a ghost the people were forbidden to acknowledge.

He thinks his father is going about mourning her wrong. He can hardly remember music, what it sounded like, how it made him happy. The only place he can really remember her is the surface, where he simultaneously feels free and like he’s drowning.

There’s a human castle, not far from the home of the merpeople. It’s far less impressive, of course, made of tall, weathered stone and not glimmering gold. There’s a certain charm to it nonetheless. He watches it on his short stints to the surface.

One day, a beautiful melody is heard as he breaks the surface gasping. He can feel the cold spear that drove through his mother, the warmth of her blood as it spilled out into the water. Every time he breaks the surface of the waves, he feels her die all over again.

This time, though, there’s a lovely sound greeting him. Shamefully, it takes him a few moments to realize that it’s singing. It’s been so long since he’s heard it, and his memory of it is weak, quiet.

Turning his gaze to the castle, he sees a girl, standing on a balcony and quietly singing to the amphitheater of the ocean, where nothing visible listens. Waves crash and slosh against the shores, the only music accompanying her voice, the crow of seagulls her background vocals. It all echoes over the gentle rolls of the water.

She’s pretty, the girl. Her hair reminds him of the deep chasms that stretch down into the earth, the ones with no bottoms, so deep that no one dares to explore it. Her dress is also dark, a contrast to her pale skin. He’s bewitched, flicking his tail to drift closer to the girl and the castle full of humans.

Humans he should detest but doesn’t. Oh, he’s tried, but he’s never succeeded. Now, listening to the calm voice of this one, he doesn’t think he ever will.

Nostalgia cinches around his chest, a faded memory of his mother coming to mind, her fingers dragging though his hair as she sings him to sleep. A feeling —safety, comfort — settles over his heart. He can’t remember the last time he felt sated, at peace.

It’s the orange tint of the sun that brings him back to himself, sun lurking low over the horizon, William has to his eyes off her form. Her melancholic song comes to an end with one last drifting hum.

His gaze lingers for a moment, etching her sad beauty into his mind before he turns and disappears under the waves. In a current, heading home, his mind whispers her song to him, hoping to keep the peace it had made him feel while he dives into the chilly waters of home.

Half a moon phase passes before he has to come up for air again. For a glimpse of the girl he shouldn’t be thinking about. She’s there, thankfully, on the same balcony, with a man. The moon leers over them, the vice around his heart loosening a little as he recognizes her, the panic of his mother’s memory duller then it usually is.

Black sky stretched above them, speckled in white, her laughter sounds, light and pleasant, barely audible over rough waves. A storm is coming, clouds inching their way closer from the far off horizon, invisible under the dark sky.

The man is dark haired, like her. He laughs too, in a deeper tone, exchanging unintelligible words with her. They seem comfortable together, the girl happy, and the sight brings a smile to William’s face.

He shouldn’t be smiling because of a human. Yet, with her laugh turning her face to the sky, showcasing her joy, he smiles anyway. They leave after only a few short moments, but William remains, turning his eyes to the night sky.

It’s amazing that it can look so different without the sun. He arches his tail up, ogling the way the soft light bounces off the scales. Water drips from his fin, and he reluctantly lowers it back to the water, casting one last look at the castle as he dives under and returns to his home.

Sneaking into his bedroom, he wonders who the man was, who the girl is. He’s infatuated with her, her voice an addiction he can’t escape.

He’s in trouble.

Only a couple days pass before he has to see her again, far too soon after his last visit, but her memory begs for his return. Breaking the surface is relieving, the memory of his mother distant as he spots the girl again.

The girl is there, on the beach, so close that he has to shirk behind a rock to avoid catching her attention.

Sand sinks beneath her slow, loping strides. Waves roll out to kiss the soles of her feet before receding just to do it again. He notes that her eyes are as dark as her hair, her dress still dark, but scattered with white stars, more casual then last dress she’d been in. She drifts aimlessly, sand squishing beneath her toes and the hem dragging beneath her heels.

She begins to sing. It’s enchanting, to hear it when she’s so close. She’s doing so absentmindedly, a sound between humming and singing, but it’s still beautiful, to the boy who hasn’t heard it in over a decade before he heard her. He peers around the rock to get a better look.

Towards the end of the small stretch of beach, there’s a log. Driftwood that had come ashore during a storm, most likely. She takes a seat, leaning her elbows onto her knees as she stares at the horizon.

William inches around the rock a little more. His tail makes a splash behind him as he does so, excitement making holding it still difficult.

She stops singing, gaze swinging over to William, who’s wide-eyed but otherwise hidden. She stands, eyes pinned to him as she says a soft “hello?”

William ducks behind the rock, but stays above water.

“Who are you?” Her voice is placating, soothing. He doesn’t want to leave, wants to hear it some more, but she’s not supposed to see him. Humans aren’t allowed to see them.

Swallowing deeply, he peers his head around the rock, hyper aware of his tail and that it stays hidden. He looks human, for the most part, above the waist. As long as that’s all she sees, she shouldn’t learn what he is.

“Hi,” he whispers, flopping a hand in a sad attempt for a wave. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s alright. Were you listening to me sing?”

Red-cheeked, he nods. “Your voice is pretty.” His fingers dig into the rough stone shielding him. He’s not supposed to be here, talking with a human. He was breaking all kinds of laws, coming up here.

“Thank you.” She laughs a little. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before, though. My name is Celine.”

Blinking, William replies, against his better judgement. “I’m William.”

“Hi William.”

“Hi.”

They idle in silence for some time, simply staring at one another, awkwardness thick in the air. She clears her throat. “So,” she says, “what are you doing here?”

“Uhh. I just came to see the castle.” A half-truth. He’d came to see one who lived in it as well.

Something about his words twist her smile in an unhappy way. “Ah, you came to see the Queen-to-be in person, huh?”

“Queen to be?” He tilts his head.

She nods, her posture stiffer and her back now straight. “Yes. I’m the princess. My coronation is upcoming.”

Something in his heart aches, empathetic. He examines her posture, her bitter tone. “You don’t want to be Queen?”

“Not really.” She shakes her head, sighing as she sits again. “It just seems like a lot of unnecessary circumstance and grandeur. A lot of rules to follow.”

He hoists himself up, half dangling off the rock, half leaning against it so he can be better seen. “And it just seems like a waste of resources, doesn’t it?” They’re busy planning a big, proper celebration? Won’t let you have two seconds to yourself without a guard at your side?”

“Yes!” She nods enthusiastically, groaning. “You have no idea how exhausting it is.”

Laughing a little, he shakes his head. “I have some idea, trust me.” He remembers the wall of guards he had to sneak by, the bribe he paid to the gatesman, his father’s voice echoing through the halls. Water laps against the shore, against his back. “It’s nice to just get away for a bit, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. Not that I don’t love it, it’s just— it just gets a little stifling at times.”

“Yeah.” He smiles ruefully, sadly. He knows all too well.

Smoothing her skirts, she looks up at him. “Why don’t you come out of the water? I’m sure it’s cold.”

His fin twitches, fingers clenching. “I’m fine here.”

“Alright,” she shrugs, eyes sliding away from him. “Tell me something,” she says suddenly, head rocked back and facing the sky.

“Like what?”

She smiles. “Anything.”

Hours pass, sun dragging across the sky. Pinkened sky, blazing sun, they become something very close to friends. Forging a bond with a stranger, someone that both know they shouldn’t, but that they do anyways.

She doesn’t want to be Queen. She’s being pushed to take her throne and a husband, except there’s no man she’s held any interest in.

“This is probably the best time I’ve had in a while,” she says, mulling over her thoughts audibly and breaking the comfortable bubble of silence. “It’s too bad you’re not one of my suitors, you’re easily the best of them.”

William’s breath catches. He flounders for a response, his mind blank.

“Princess!” A far off cry sounds, her name in a deep tone. She slumps, putting her face in her hands.

William glances down the beach, lowering himself into the water nervously. Instinct screams at him to dive, to swim out of sight.

“Duty calls,” she says, standing to brush sand off her dress. She turns to the voice, but stops herself from taking a step. She looks at William, the strange boy in the water. “Will I see you again?”

He hesitates. He should say no, leave now that he’s seen her up close, held a conversation with her. This is too close, too far past the line, law shattered behind him. “Same time tomorrow?”

Celine nods. “If I can get away.”

Sand flies under the heels of the guard, who sighs once he spots Celine. “Princess,” he says, “you’re needed back at the castle.”

Her gaze turns to sea, barren and empty. She follows the guard back to the castle, to civilization hungry for a glimpse of their future ruler at an overly fancy dinner.

William’s head peeps up over the water as he watches her walk away, guard at her side. His mind turns, heart reaching out to her, her struggles that he understands. He wants to come back, to get closer to her. Her last words play in his mind.

It’s too bad you’re not one of my suitors.

An idea flashes across his mind. He bites his lip, draws blood. Eyes darting between the castle he’s been admiring for months and the water beneath him. He makes his decision.

Diving under the water, he swishes his tail powerfully, rocketing himself downwards, into cool depths and past his own castle. The light shimmer of his home fades as he enters the one place more forbidden then the sea’s cover.

He enters the kraken’s lair.

———

Masterlist

Ooh, a cliffhanger. What will happen next, I wonder? Y’all will just have to wait. Let me know if you liked this, though!!

TAGGING: @pleaseletthisjimbetaken @electricprincess888 @berrie-b @mackenziplier @gerardwayslips @risiskifi @cawestad @theinvisiblespoon @californiakxng @just-another-starfish @superawesomeamazingname @moonstonefox12 @bones-and-tomes @am-i-heaven-or-am-i-hell @itsbumblebunnybee @noisyfreakpersonlover @nightmarejim @schuyleryette @withjust-a-bite @statictay @muraae (tags are open and I think I’m right in not tagging the WKM list because this isn’t explicitly WKM?? Idk.)

[jaylightning]

Chapter 13 - How Lucky

With the sputters of coughing from a poor soul that had slept during the commotion, Ria was doing her best to help Matthew remove whatever water was left in his system.  Raven was just staring off ahead in the direction that Mia and Lotus had moved to, but it wouldn’t be much longer of a wait as the two of them resurfaced.  One face held a very distraught look while the other seemed too calm for his own good.

“So what do we have?” Raven would break the almost silence.

“Our new friend is sound asleep.  Probably be resting for awhile.  Mia or I will end up questioning her.” Lotus spoke before maroon eyes moved over to the woman that was only growing more annoyed by the minute.  Before long, she would slam down the drawing with the symbol.

‘Y’ know this?” Mia asked.

“... Seems familiar, but I don’t rea-”

“You haven’t told them A THING!?” Mia interrupted rather quickly as she turned back to Lotus, growing more furious.

“No one asked,” Lotus responded, casually.

“’kay!  Yer an absolute fool, an’ these guys been standin’ ‘round ‘ere not knowin’ o’ a very powerful figure ‘n the world ya done pissed off ages ago!”

“To be fair, I didn’t tell ya either ~ You dug through my belongings and found out for--”

“Will you two shut up for just a minute and actually GET TO THE POINT?!” Confused, Raven stood himself up with a hand slamming on a table to get a point of his own across.  “Besides, who hasn’t this idiot pissed off?”

“He has a poi-” and a smack to the face from the enraged Mia.

“I know that symbol...” Ria would point out after moving over to examine it.  Disheartened to say the least, she looked over to the group, mainly toward Lotus.  “Just ... how much do you know, Lotus?”

After a moment of silence with all eyes on the chef, he would finally shrug as he turned his back with a hand moving behind the long, darkish red hair to pull back and reveal a marking, the very symbol that was sketched on the paper.  “I know so much that my ol’ boss gave me the gift of silence.  I’m actually very useless telling you everything.  The second I spill terrible secrets is the second I cease to exist.  Brutal, ain’t it ~?” Lotus spoke almost too calmly for the situation he was in.  The only benefit was that he could speak a little bit considering he doesn’t know the current situation and what his plans are.  He use to know.  Maybe that’s his loophole?

Taken back, Mia would begin to back a few steps from Lotus as Raven just stared in disbelief.  “Man, you told me you had dark days.  That’s a little crazy, don’t you think?”

“Being the terror I was back then? Losing myself? Yeah, I went too far.  This mark is a very strong reminder of how stupid I can be.” Lotus would speak before giving a soft chuckle.  Despite all of this, the look of pain was evident in his eyes.  His past was haunting him, and he wasn’t sure if he could do anything about this one.  He could protect anyone that stepped in his palace, sure.  He wasn’t about to go up against someone like him.  Not with that mark on him.

“W-well.  If you can’t say anything, I know I can,” Ria held her hands out in front of him, fidgeting a bit from memories.  “Yuuma... He caught me some months back while I was running around.  He was looking for strong candidates to research but... That’s all I got.  I was able to escape when someone lost focus.  He... didn’t do anything to me, but I saw what he was doing to everyone he had caught.”

“Everyone?” Raven asked.

“Different species, different people.  Killing, experimenting...” for a moment, the girl was starting to breath heavily, remembering all that had happened.  A sharp breath as Raven would put an arm around her and hold her close to him.  The ensuing panic attack would be stopped for the time.  Everyone pretty much had an idea of what was going on.  But why?

“I’ll... Look more inta this m’self,” Mia finally spoke before looking back to Lotus.  “Ya better take care of yerself, moron.”

“Aw, Bloodbait really does care.  How disgusting ~” he commented that only earned a growl as she moved out of the Cafe to catch up with her dearest Idol.

Matthew had remained quiet for the time before standing himself up and moving over to Lotus.  A quick pat to his back as he gave a bright grin.  “Don’t worry, buddy!  I bet I can get rid of that for ya!  During some downtime, I’ve been trying to get a better understanding of Raven’s powers, so I’m sure I can maybe figure something out with you!”

“Oh dear ~ Lil’ Destruction is gonna try to save me... or blow me up.  Look, it’s fine.  It’d be better not to try to meddle with this thing.  I’ve seen what it does to people.  It ain’t fun for the victim or anyone around.”  A comment that left Matthew with a frown and a bit of a blow to his pride.  Maybe he was right.  He had no idea who this boss even was.  Looking behind him, a brief moment had him catching a sight of blue that quickly disappeared as he looked.  Was he seeing things...?  Huh.

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

“I told you not to trust any of them, but do you ever listen?” A violin set down next to a male with long, thick pink hair.  Strands of white existed that covered over the left side of his face.  “None of these guys knew anything, and the majority ended up breaking before they could even talk.  No one recovers from facing their fears.” A voice that held aggravation as the only sound that would be heard next is the sound of someone messing around with their zipper.  “You were probably too busy getting your dose of a good time.  Vile beast.”

“Mmmmm ~ Don’t be like that.  You’re sounding jealous,” a soft, seductive voice that ended in a bit of a hiss which only made the agitation grow in the male.  “Maybe you have some tension that needs released, hmm?  Besides, it isn’t my fault you’re so strooong with your brilliant music.”  A hand was resting on the zipper of a small jacket that hugged her body too well.  Reddish blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she swayed her head over to stare at the pinkette that was losing his mind.

“Just-- Shut the hell up and go find a body to desecrate or whatever it is you’re into, Beast.  It’ll be awhile before my friends return,” the male spoke as he grabbed the violin from next to him.  A bow forming in his hands, he would begin to play a haunting melody to simply pass the time.

“Ooooh ~ My favorite,” she commented as she stopped messing with the zipper, leaving it opened enough to expose some cleavage and enough to show there may not be anything at all underneath the outfit.  Her only thoughts now was to her slow dance as she moved along to the violinist’s rhythm.

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

With the cafe growing quiet, Lotus decided to get up from his chair and make a move toward the room the mermaid was sleeping in.  Not a word had been spoken for awhile as everyone seemed lost to their own thoughts.  Someone was targeting the species of the world which was not good for anyone.  Peace being disrupted like this would eventually cause a war somewhere down the line.  A small groan left Matthew and Ria moved to pat the other’s head.  “There, there.  It’ll be alright.  Right, Raven?”

“... Eh, probably.”

“Come on!  Don’t be like that!  Have some faith!”

“You all getting involved with some guy that is probably the biggest name in power?  This is even out of my league.  If he’s as strong in politics as he apparently is in controlling people, I’m pretty sure cops aren’t going to speak.  ... Okay, maybe I’ll check some files at the station.  Probably won’t find anything, though.”  He had started to get a very icy stare from the other until he had mentioned he would look around at least.

The sound of the door coming open, Raven would glance up and wave off the male.  “We’re closed,” he commented.

“Ah!  Sorry, that’s alright.  I’m not here for food,” a male dawning a black jacket, nice looking dressy black pants, and wrapped in some cloth would approach the group.  Violet eyes stared at the curious crew before a smile was given.  “I’m looking for someone very important.  I heard of a kidnapping, and I was sent down to investigate.”

“Don’t know you, don’t recognize you, I call your bluff unless you can tell me who sent you or where you are stationed at.” Raven was quick to comment.

“Not like that, Officer.  Ah for what it might be worth, Her people sent me.  The one you’re helping take care of.”

“And how do you know any of this?” Matthew would be next to speak up as he stood next to Raven.

As he lifted his head a bit, more of his face could be seen.  Black hair with some violet strands hugging his face.  He could see this would be difficult.  “I’m a friend that could even help your friend.”

[writer-and-artist27]

Soup for the Sick

Note: …At this rate, this is already a series. One Piece and Naruto mixed. Never thought I would be getting into it. But @unlucky-marine’s art is something that always brings a smile to my face, and considering @langwrites writing the My Hero Academia-CYB crossover of Shell Game, well…

Yeah, I have no excuse. CP and S&S are still going on, but these little side stories starring the civilian pianist with her older Marine sibling-caretaker are adorable and I like giving something back to Eli. :) So there. Eli got me on the Tomo-Davy sibling train, and I can’t thank them enough for that. I’ve never had someone so outspoken in loving kid!Tomoko whenever I talked to them, so I think the appreciation goes miles now. ^_^

Of course, I don’t own anything except Tomoko and Hisako. Davy belongs to Eli, and Wendy to @ask-lieutenant-wendy.

The theme for this story is inspired by the sea, being SaphiraLynx’s piano cover of Mizuiro no Senritsu from Mermaid Melody. Or, as the translation calls it, the Aquamarine Melody, originally sung by the Aquamarine Mermaid Princess herself. :) The original song works just as well if you want to pull it up~

Please enjoy!

Oh, and Eli? You don’t have to feel pressured in making art for every part of this series, by the way. Only do it if you feel like it. I only write this whole thing because your art brought a lot of happy juice for me in these last days of summer and seeing you on Twitch and talking with you only helped fuel that. Friends look out for each other, and well, considering your theater job? A nice read is something you more than deserve. ;>

The words felt foreign in my mouth. “Jackie-nee’s sick?”

Wendy-nee gave me a sad smile as she sat down on her knees, a hand reaching over to rest on the top of my head. “She’s just resting in her barracks, Tomoko-chan. But yes, Jackie’s sick. It’s a cold, thankfully, so the bad sickness won’t be here forever.”

“How?” was already escaping my throat, and I found myself covering my mouth with both of my hands out of politeness and shock. My caretaker wasn’t the kind of person who found themselves sick so easily. At least, from what I could tell. When feeling more masculine as Jack-nii, he could easily kick someone’s ass if he wanted to, more so when I heard him mutter once on how he could break all 206 bones in a body. That was cool and kinda scary. When feeling feminine as Jackie-nee, she could then smash a womanizer’s face in with her heel and look beautiful doing it.

Being genderfluid was still something I didn’t know much about, more so considering I was a cis-female, but my caretaker was awesome. Simple as that.

I never thought I would hear the news that they would be sick.

But, alas, Tomoko-chan, my dear. Hisako swirled her glass of…lemonade. Okay. She was doing it while sitting in an armchair like Giovanni from Pokémon or something. All she needed was a Persian. And she was doing The Voice. Woo. We all are mere mortals.

Ugh.

I couldn’t help but find my heart sinking when Wendy-nee’s smile turned a bit more forced, as if frustrated. “I don’t think you want to know, Tomoko-chan. Let’s just say a Flamingo got a bit too angry and leave it at that, okay?” The minute crack in her voice was already enough for me to nod and accept it. I was still 10 in this life, so in Wendy-nee’s eyes, of course I was still a kid. An innocent kid, probably.

“Okay,” I said softly, but I still found myself gently tugging on her shirt collar to pull her in for a hug. It didn’t feel right going about this conversation without doing it. She looked troubled enough already, and my arms could wind around her neck, at least. “I’m sorry for prying, Wendy-nee.”

To my surprise, the blond Marine only laughed softly, arms coming around me to hug back. Aaaaah, she had a similar grip to Mama when she was excited. Tough muscle, but still snuggly. “It’s okay, Tomoko-chan, you were worried. It’s okay.”

I was not expecting her to lift me up anyways, essentially letting my sandals hit air as she pulled away from the hug to grin cheerily up at me. Somehow, I was sitting in her arms, close to her shoulders. Somehow! Aaaaaah, awesome strength. Also, Wendy-nee being 7 foot 2 and being carried that close to her height made everything in the near vicinity feel small, and gosh, being tall feels so cool! Fluttering skirt be damned.

…Don’t judge me on this. I’m still trying to gain height by drinking milk.

Wendy-nee’s purple eyes were now sparkling with something soft as she looked at me with that same grin. Her one curly hair sticking out from her hat tickled as she continued to beam. “Still, Tomoko-chan, what do you want to do now? Do you want to visit Jackie?”

The offer was tempting. Very tempting.

Hisako only swirled her cup of lemonade before chugging it in a few seconds flat. Once all the liquid was gone, she tossed the cup away, the motion accompanied by a small mental CRASH that was of the glass breaking in the mind library somewhere. Hm, she mused. It’s nice, but you’re thinking of something else, aren’t you, dear?

Yep. My Nobody was already reading my thoughts.

“Not now, Wendy-nee,” I shook my head while smiling anyways. “But could you carry me to the kitchen? I wanna cook something first!”

Those same purple eyes blinked at me slowly.

“Huh?”

“Here again, Tomoko-chan?”

The Marine chefs, despite bustling around with food and plates in almost every corner of the kitchen, all seemed to notice me as soon as Wendy-nee dropped me off in the doorway. She had work to do, unfortunately, but at least the big bear hug and bright smile in my direction before she left was a nice send-off.

Still, I was a 10-year old girl in a Sylveon-themed kimono dress, standing in the kitchen doorway, and at this point, the Marines weren’t even fazed. Huh.

Adjustment period is officially over, Hisako mused dryly.

I nodded at the nearest chef who asked with the politest smile I could muster. “Yep! Jackie-nee’s not feeling well, so I thought of cooking!” And then the Embarrassment was coming back in. Why, heart, why. “I-Is that okay?”

Said chef only shrugged with an exasperated smile before pointing to a nearby corner. Almost immediately, some of the chefs cleared away, leaving a small cutting board, knife, oven, and stove in the space left behind. “Go ahead, Tomoko-chan. That counter there’s all yours.”

The bright smile on my face was just as sudden as the swing of Embarrassment from earlier. “Thank you very much, Chef-san!”

The man only scoffed softly in a way reminiscent of Vy’s old Dad, almost in disbelief judging by the noise. In the end, he still nodded in acknowledgement at me as the other staff slowly moved away enough so that I could walk over.

For a corrupt military, the staff’s surprisingly sweet.

Maybe they don’t have a lot of kids around?

My Nobody only shrugged. Then I started hearing whispers while walking past.

“That Jack sure is lucky.”

“Of course it’s the paperwork guy who gets a cute girl looking after them.”

“Why can’t I get someone to drop through a hole in the ceiling to love me?”

Ohhhh! Hisako was smirking. Oh no. My, my, my! Tomoko-chan, you’re popular!

I still ran through the kitchen as fast as I could to get to that corner, because the heat on my face wasn’t going to go down otherwise. Aaaaaaah.

What was wrong with loving a caretaker like a sibling when you didn’t have any? Well, I technically had Kei and Hayate, but there was something different about older siblings than younger ones. In a past life, I was the younger one, and that was a mixed bag. Actually having that memory when it came to my Marine caretaker was the main seal to the deal. I could at least help out without looking like a brat doing it.

Reincarnation had benefits when it was botched. Apparently.

Still, once I got to my corner and got a good stare over everything, my head blanked. Um. “I know I said I wanted to cook something, but what’s good for a cold…?”

Soup? Hisako offered helpfully. Chicken Noodle? Clam Chowder? Gumbo? Or, heck, curry? Anything warm should do!

Those were all good suggestions. Especially since Jackie-nee was said to be resting from her cold.

I looked around. The kitchen staff were currently using a lot of seafood judging by the nearby lobster platter, so the clam chowder was a bust. I wasn’t even sure if I could do gumbo at my age, but chicken noodle soup sounded nice.

Only problem.

The only chicken I could see in the entire kitchen was a big frozen one sitting in the nearby freezer, and the staff were pretty crowded over there.

Ummmm.

Run?

No. This is a kitchen, Hisako.

Point. Fast-walk and try to wing carrying it?

It was an idea.

I tried. I really did. But being a short little girl in a crowd of tall chefs kinda meant being squished. Think any anime/gaming convention, where you would bump shoulders with someone every 5 seconds. It was like that.

“E-Er, excuse me? I’m trying to get through?” Even with my voice cracking, getting stuck in a crowd of moving people meant elbowing, and I was not good at that. Even if Kei had taught me self-defense, this was not the time to be throwing hands! “I-I’d like to get that chicken, please!”

Ignored. Because there was so much hustling and a pre-pubescent voice was hard to make out.

Aaaaah.

And then hands were sliding under my arms and effortlessly lifting me up, and I found myself squeaking. I could already tell that this wasn’t Wendy-nee’s grip, so who—

“Hey, you guys really should look out when in the kitchen. This little lady would’ve gotten hurt.”

Huh?

I looked behind me and met the stare of someone clearly new. I don’t know if he was ever in this kitchen staff before, but with his curly eyebrow, greyish-blue eye, straight blond hair falling down to brush the left side of his face, and muscular arms in spite of the Marine chef uniform, he definitely looked like someone that Jackie-nee would want to take a picture for when it came to bounties. This new person was definitely something. “You alright, ojou-chan?”

He grinned while still holding me up in his hands, and I tried not to squirm. Wearing a skirt in the kitchen and being lifted all the while was…yeah. “I-I am, but um, Chef-san?” I gestured to the ground while trying not to inwardly panic. “C-Could you please put me down?” I pointed to my corner. “Over there?”

The new Chef blinked at the direction I was pointing at before grinning again and nodding. “Whatever the ojou-chan wishes~!” I didn’t miss how he hummed before he literally slid over to my corner, ignoring chefs passing him all the while, and I tried not to focus on the sensation of my stomach churning. Motion sickness would be motion sickness.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to think on the stomach butterflies longer than necessary, because he was quick to put me down, still grinning all the while. “Now, ojou-chan.” I was not expecting his smile to turn into a more solemn expression. “What were you doing there? This is a kitchen, and not exactly the best place to play around.”

Aaaah. Another adult. I tried not to pout. “I was trying to get the chicken from the freezer. My older sibling who’s in the Marines got sick, and I was thinking of trying to make Chicken Noodle soup for them!”

He only blinked that same grey-blue eye at me before pulling on a more amused smile. “Oh?” he said softly, before turning his head around to look towards that far-away refrigerator. “Do you at least know how to make it, ojou-chan?”

…Um.

Uh.

I squeaked, “No?”

We did not think this through.

He only pulled on a more confident smile while tossing something into the nearest trash can. Was it…a cigarette? “Well then! Let this cook help you out, ojou-chan!”

I blinked. “It’s okay?”

With that same confidence, he turned to me while twirling a — holy crap, he was twirling a knife. I only blinked once, and then he was brandishing a small bowl of diced…diced onions? When did he— “I’m a cook, ojou-chan. And when a lady is in trouble, it’s natural to help out.” He then sat down on his knees, looking at me with that grey-blue eye, now sparkling. “I’m Sanji by the way, ojou-chan. What’s your name?”

Ah. He reminded me of Leo, at least a little. “I-I’m Hoshino Tomoko, Sanji-san.” Out of habit, I took a bit of my skirt to curtsy. “It’s nice to meet you, and I hope to work with you!”

Sanji-san only grinned. “And I you, little lady.”

He then brandished a bowl of cut carrots. Wow, that was a lot of skill.

Chicken Noodle Soup was, surprisingly enough, simple. Even though I only had Vy’s experience to call from when cooking, Sanji-san was quick. It only took an hour for him to prepare homemade chicken and vegetable broths for the soup, and by the time the chicken hit the soup pot, a warm homey smell was wafting around the kitchen, and I could’ve sworn some chefs were drooling while walking past.

“So, ojou-chan,” he said while stirring the soup with a ladle, “who’s your older sibling?”

Aaaand Sanji-san had to ask just when I was putting dishes away in this little corner. “Davy Jack-san! Currently going by Jackie, but I call her Jackie-nee! I think…” my voice cracked while recalling Wendy-nee’s words. “A Flamingo got angry and gave her a cold? Or something?”

The words were silly, but I didn’t miss how Sanji-san tensed. It almost looked like a shiver went up his spine before a nervous chuckle sounded. “D-Davy Jack, huh…? That’s interesting, ojou-chan.” He then muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t hear, but all I could make out was, “that explains things.”

Hisako wasn’t having any of it. He’s nice, but I dunno, Tomoko-chan. That reaction wasn’t the best.

Did my caretaker know this guy?

I ended up voicing it. “Do you know Jackie-nee, Sanji-san?”

Immediately, the cook turned to me with a warm smile, turning down the heat to the soup pot while doing so. “Kinda, ojou-chan. It’s a long story. But the soup’s almost done!”

Yep. That was a sudden subject change. So something did happen between them.

And was it just me, or did Sanji-san look sad for a moment?

I blinked, and as soon as I thought that, the glint in that grey-blue eye disappeared. “Still, ojou-chan, wanna go serve this soup to your sibling then? I have to be somewhere, so I can’t stay long.”

Already, I was feeling disappointed. It had only been a few hours but having a cooking companion aside from my Nobody did something. “Will I see you again?”

Sanji-san then turned off the heat entirely before turning to me fully and sitting down on his knees. “Of course, ojou-chan.” He then grinned, reaching over to poke my forehead through my bangs, and I tried not to wince. “Just look for a sail with a skull and a straw hat, and you’ll find me.”

Skull and a straw hat? What the hell is that supposed to be? A pirate flag thing?

I still nodded in spite of Hisako’s incoming rant. “Okay.”

Of course, I would jump on Sanji-san for a hug too. He deserved it, at least.

Jackie-nee was sitting up in her bed at the barracks, reading what looked like a book when I was finally able to pop in. Wendy-nee was still at work along with the other Marines, so it made sense that there was no one else around.

I did my best to balance the soup bowl tray in my hands while hiding it from view. “Jackie-nee?”

She blinked before looking up from her book, and of course I could see that familiar spark that I grew to love so much. “Tomo-chan,” she murmured happily, then coughed softly into one of her hands. “Sorry, I can’t hug you right now. Still — hack — sick. Wendy told you that, didn’t she?”

Even then, I couldn’t help but smile back. “Wendy-nee did say that, but I do have something for you!”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“Well…” I tried not to run over to her bedside and instead walked over as gently as I could before brandishing the tray for her to take. “Chicken Noodle Soup. To help make the sick go away?”

I still wanted to ask myself how and why I reverted to childish talk when it only came to my caretaker, but the warm smile on her face made the thought process stop in its tracks. “Oh, Tomo-chan.” She looked down at the warm bowl before taking the spoon and blowing at it. “You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to!” Another pout was coming up on my face now. “I missed you and you deserve something to help you rest better! You work too much!”

At that, Jackie-nee suddenly snorted before laughing softly. “Yeah? I guess so.” The warmth in her voice said everything as she finally took a sip, and then the color was returning to her face as she smiled. “Whoa. Tomo-chan,” she gave me that same warm smile, “did you make this all by yourself?”

Nope. Hisako said for me.

“Nope,” I repeated with a more sheepish shrug. “I had help.”

Now Jackie-nee was confused. “Who helped? Wendy?”

Should I say the name…?

No harm in trying, dear. Hisako only patted my head.

“A new chef in the kitchen?” I found myself raising a pointer finger. “His name was Sanji-san!”

I was not expecting Jackie-nee to nearly drop her spoon mid-bite. “S-Sanji?”

Oh dear. Bombshell.

“Um, he was nice,” I filled in instead, because the sudden silence and the shock in Jackie-nee’s gaze was kinda hard to deal with all at once. “He helped me cut chicken and taught me how to make vegetable broth for next time! He also kept me out from being trampled by crowds and called me ‘ojou-chan’!”

“…What next time?” Jackie-nee said incredulously, but the simple fact that she was still eating was a good sign. At least, I was hoping so. “And, pffft.” I wasn’t expecting her to snort into her free hand. “‘Ojou-chan,’ huh.” But, oh.

She was smiling again.

I sat down at the foot of her bed, trying not to show my confusion. “Jackie-nee?”

She gave me that same warm smile. “It’s nothing, Tomo-chan. Nothing at all.”

And this time, I could believe it. Somewhat. At least while sneaking in one hug.

Hey. I have pride in my immune system, and screw colds! Soup keeps the doctor away!

“T-Tomo-chan, I’m sick…!”

“Just lemme hug you once, Jackie-nee, I missed you!”

Her only response was an exasperated laugh. I could settle for that. It kept thoughts of asking about Sanji-san away for another day.

[xxhanachanxx]

When it comes to shipping, am I the only person that’s like a die-hard fan for a ship yet my mind is not screaming that it needs to be canon? Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for people wanting to see their two favorite fictional characters together as a couple; but then again I’m down with whether or not a creator/developer of a film, show, video game, book, etc. can confirm that a couple is canon. Though even if I can find that adorable, let me stick with any other aspects that I want to see in various outlets aside from romance. Or what I find better, for a fictional character I still want to think about portraying them as the way they’re originally portrayed. Sure that I understand that there are AU’s or any form of alternative just so we can make up anything about our precious OTP. Even though I’m all for anyone doing AU’s, sometimes I can’t help but to think that it would corrupt my head; but I’d like to do an AU one day! I’m usually a shipper that doesn’t think that my favorite pairings are the “oh-so perfect OTP and they need to be together forever”, because even for having a ship I do have other shippings that would involve the same character! So, this would probably be the longest text post I’ve ever wrote but at the same time a lot needs to be put down. And with some of the pairings that I will mention, maybe you would be familiar, maybe I’ll not mention your favorite OTP, but do take my conception in consideration!

So my first ship that I’m going to begin with talking about will be Moana x Ariel (or MoAriel). Do I ship them a lot? Well, I’m more in between with they could be great gfs or just best friends, but the way I see it is that they make great ocean buddies! So I cannot deny they’re cute! Do I want them to be canon? No, and here’s where I say that even if MoAriel is cute I still want my mind to be on the right path where I want to portray Moana and Ariel as the way they were originally portrayed in Moana and The Little Mermaid. For Ariel, I still need to keep in mind that she has Eric and Melody (idfc if I’m mentioning the shit sequel, it was one of my favorite direct-to sequels growing up k bye). I also like seeing Ariel and Eric together! Now with Moana, I just think she’s too good for a man and I’m not even headcanoning that she’s lesbian either. While we’re in the topic with the Disney Princesses as all of the news is spilling for Ralph Breaks The Internet, and as an avid LGBT supporter myself, it’s times that I couldn’t take a few people seriously to where they say that Merida, Elsa, Mulan, and many others are lesbian or bi. NOW DON’T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY! I’m all for seeing anything LGBT-related in animation, but sometimes I get a bit iffy on that issue with what will kids think of when they see it. I mean I understand that some people would say that it would mess the kids’ minds up. All I can think for now is that if I were to have kids, I would probably teach them about gay marriage not at a young age but maybe when they get older. I guess I’m that one LGBT supporter who can’t stand some of the SJWs… but hey, if people want to headcanon that they’re gay, well they can do them. I won’t stop them for that. Like for Merida, I’d still think she’s better off without a man but I won’t headcanon about her sexuality. For Elsa, like I get that people want her to be lesbian for the Frozen sequel, but I’d prefer wanting to know about the premise of the sequel more. And with Mulan, okay I get it that her outfit is dope and I’m all for her modern outfit. But I can’t have the mindset screaming “OMFG MULAN’S BI!” I believe that she’s a strong female warrior, and even I can’t help to think that she and Shang are great together! Okay now to get back and wrap up with MoAriel, I will say huge kudos for the shippers for making that happen. Like I can’t deny that it’s an amazing crossover between the land and the sea.

Alright, so another ship I’d like to talk about, and another same-sex ship, will be TwiDash (Twilight Sparkle x Rainbow Dash from MLP:FiM). Oh hey look, Imma throwback to one of my all-time favorite OTPs especially I happen to watch some of the old episodes again! Now let’s get to those 2 questions again: do I ship them a lot? I pretty much do, especially the fact that they happen to be my favorite ponies out of the Mane 6! Do I want them to be canon? No, and it’s not because that I think they should end up with stallions instead (and apparently, I don’t want to have those pairings be canon either!). Obviously RD is one of Twilight’s best friends, so I’d rather stick with whatever chemistry they have for each other! So because I have to bring up the fact that I also have pairings of Twilight and Rainbow with stallions, here’s what I need to say about that: Of course having TwiDash as one of my MLP OTPs, I happen to like SoarinDash and FlashLight (that’s Flash Sentry x Twilight Sparkle just to clarify in case if anyone gets mistaken for literally a flashlight; and yes, I like Flash try me bitch). And as a same-sex shipper, I’m not one for giving another character shit for getting in the way of the same-sex couples that I like. So as a TwiDash fan, I really don’t give flak on Flash if he were to get in the way (and Soarin’ too, I guess). Not even to mention that not only that I’ve had it with the Flash hate, it frustrates me to see some bronies/pegasisters making attack/kill art of him (I do have a vivid memory of seeing an art piece of Flash getting attacked by Trixie just bc the artist likes Twixie.). I mean I get that Flash doesn’t have that much character development (human or pony; in fact I’m more of a pony Flash x pony Twi shipper) aside from appearing near Twilight or Sunset Shimmer to where a lot of people scream “gary-stu” or “waifu stealer”, but I will say that I think Flash deserves better. Now I know saying this as a FlashLight shipper in where they don’t really interact with each other that much, I really couldn’t help myself thinking how cute they are together though. But then again, there’s more to MLP:FiM than just shippings! So to get back and wrap up with TwiDash, sure there’s nothing wrong with having other shippings with one of the same characters! Though at the same time, and just like I mentioned from my previous statement with MoAriel, I’m not headcanoning Twilight or Rainbow’s sexualities at all. So I’ll just let my imagination flow to wherever the hell it wants!

Okay let’s get into another of my favorite ship, and this time it’s a hetero ship, ShadAmy! Yay, time for another throwback to one of my favorite Sonic ships! Though I will get into a later topic that’s kinda like the topic with me as a TwiDash fan and not giving Flash a lot of shit for being in the way. So onto the same two questions: do I ship them a lot? I think shipping Shadow and Amy together was sudden, bc I was a huge SonAmy fan back then (and I still do ship SonAmy don’t worry) and wasn’t really fond with Shadow until to this day. I guess after seeing fan art of ShadAmy, it led me to start shipping them. Do I want them to be canon? Probably not, and it’s not that I think that Amy should be with Sonic (and as an SonAmy fan, I could care less whether or not it’s canon, and if anyone screams at me that it is canon and I can’t change anything about it, leave.); and I don’t think that Shadow and Amy have a huge chemistry with each other (even if they only interacted with each other twice in Sonic Adventure 2). Now here’s the part in where I say that as a ShadAmy fan, I’m not one for giving shit on Sonic or have to make him the bad guy just bc he keeps running away from Amy. And even if I’m more into Shadow than Sonic (I promise y’all I’m not like one of those Shadow fangirls…), that doesn’t mean I won’t stop loving Sonic! And playing the games of that blue blur will always hold a special place in my heart! So what conclusion do I have for ShadAmy? Nothing probably. But no matter what I’m okay with whoever I want to ship with Amy. ShadAmy? SonAmy? I really don’t care!

Now since the pairings that I’ve mentioned so far happen to be my favorite OTPs, let’s take this next topic with talking about a NOTP. And who will I be talking about next? Enter Victor x Emily from Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. As much as I enjoyed this masterpiece of a Tim Burton film, apparently having to think about this does grind my gears. So onto the questions again: do I ship them a lot? I’ve already stated that they’re not my cup of tea. Do I want them to be canon- okay um yeah let’s get right into that! I guess ever since I first saw the film back then, when I saw the ending scene with Emily turning into butterflies and then Victor and Victoria embraced my mind screamed, “welp, at least Victor and Victoria have each other now”. But at the same time it did sadden me to see Emily go away like that, yet then again Victor has freed her from the memories of pain and shit she’d been through with Barkis. So where am I going with this? Oh yes y’all, I actually like Victor x Victoria. And no, it’s not that I think Victor x Emily is necrophiliac. Pretty much, I’ve had it with everyone talking shit about Victoria all bc she was in the way between Victor and Emily. Tbh I could go on and on talking about defending Victoria, but to keep it a bit short it wasn’t her fault for interrupting the wedding; in fact, that can be saved for a later time. Now before I wrap up, and as I mentioned since the beginning, I’m all for alternatives or “what-ifs” made by Victor x Emily fans but at the same time we gotta accept the fact that the ending of Corpse Bride is just the way it is. Get used to it. Emily had her own happy ending.

Alrighty then, I’ll be taking this last topic discussing about WildeHopps just before I wrap this whole post up! Ah yes, our favorite fox-bunny duo; yet I do have some tweaks with what I think about them for the near future.. But anyway, let’s get into the questions one last time: do I ship them a lot? Now for anyone that have followed me for my Zootopia shenanigans, I do need to say that it seemed sudden of me shipping them out of nowhere. Like sure I can’t deny that Nick and Judy have a great chemistry, but there’s more to the film than just the shipping (or any romance outlet for that matter). I guess I should say that after seeing the film and looking at the fan art of the two, it led me to start shipping them! Do I want them to be canon? Okay see, this is where I get iffy about it bc even if Disney confirmed that they’re canon (or at least that’s what I heard) I still think that Nick and Judy need to start off as best friends first and then we shall see what will happen in the future if there were to be a sequel. So yeah, I think I’m that one person who had to cool off from seeing the ending bc yeah it’s cute but I don’t think I’ll be falling for it sorry! Friends? Couple? Again, these two have chemistry and that’s all that matters to me! So for now, I’m in both platonic and romantic sides of their relationship. And even though having this thought never occurring in my head, I don’t want to think about giving in for them to have their own mate by the same species. But hey, if y’all want to ship Nick with a vixen and Judy with another rabbit I ain’t stopping ya! Which would somewhat lead me to talking about how Judy would be shipped with Jack Savage (quick fyi for those who don’t know him, he’s a deleted character that was the main protagonist of the early version of the film); while I may not be into SavageHopps that much (and this is pretty much the same thing with my TwiDash and ShadAmy topics..), but damn some of y’all are salty on him for trying to “steal” Judy from Nick. If people want to like Jack, let them. If people want to ship SavageHopps, let them! I mean hey, he’s got Skye (who’s another deleted character during the early process) and I’m all for SavageSkye y’all! Okay, yeah I know I brought them out of nowhere as this topic is supposed to be about Nick and Judy but at the same time I kinda had to bring that out there haha. Like I said we shall see where will their future will take them, and we can have our imaginations flow wherever the hell they go!

So that wraps up with what I have to say with shippings! Thank you guys for taking your time reading this~ ❤️

[written-in-sunshine]

Think Before I Talk - Garth/Blaise Menelaus - SFWish

Title: Think Before I Talk Author: Donnie Setting: Centaur Plains Pairing: Garth/Blaise Menelaus Characters: Garth, Blaise Menelaus Genre: Romance/Humor Rating: T Chapters: 1/1 Word Count: 1768 Type of Work: One-Shot, Summer Festival Piece Status: Complete Warnings: Alcohol Use, Gay, Slash, Yaoi, Pining, Pre-Slash, Fluff Summary: Blaise had to try, no matter how nervous he was. AN: Garth does not belong to me. He belongs to @nobis-deus-caritas-est/JD, my fiance. Blaise, and the writing, belongs to me, however. JD did the editing for this! I hope you guys enjoy! Think Before I Talk ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Never in his life had Blaise thought that the gentle tinkle of the shells wrapped in the wreath on his head would have been so calming. The little braid of kelp down the back, lined with the smaller ones, helped to play a pretty little melody that made his trek to the Centaur Plains that much more cathartic. It always felt good to slink on over, his tail propelling him forward with its smooth, fluid movements. Athena Lagoon wished it was as smooth as he thought he looked when he wound over the little landbridge between the two territories. 

When he’d first started slithering over the invisible barrier away from the safe cover of the swamp and into the sudden, frighteningly open plains, it had felt secret. Wrong. He’d grown to his young adult life in the swamp with his mother, and when he’d finally felt safe enough leaving her alone, the first thing he’d done was run for the hills. Plains.  Wide, open spaces were like some kind of quietly frowned upon, guilt ridden desire to him. Nobody would have believed him, nobody would have liked hearing about it, nobody would have let him leave again. At least, that had been what he’d thought. These ideations of being so naughty going to another place only intensified when he became entirely entranced by the Centaurs. Their movements were clunky and awkward in comparison to his own fluid ones, but they had a certain power to them, a commanding nature and a feeling of superiority. Their heads raised high, their muscles on full display, ripping beneath pelt and skin alike. He’d never been so surrounded by the noxious beauty of a different nature as long as he’d been alive. Sure, nagas had their own majesty, but this was something unprecedented. They weren’t filthy, or even all that bad. Awkward, maybe, but awe-inspiring. That same day, he’d seen him. It was impossible for him to describe the sight of the bulky creature as anything more than majestic. He pulled along a plough so large that it tilled several mounds of dirt at once. It easily covered the whole field in just a few passes, and the beautiful centaur did little more than break a sweat by the time it was done. Blaise never dared to speak to him for a multitude of reasons, but he did watch him often from afar. There was a large tree he would sometimes perch in on the edge of the farm his crush worked on, watching him work and thinking of dumb, sappy poetry. He’d never say it, never give them to him… But boy, the thought sure riled Blaise up until his scales quivered. Tonight, all of that was going to change. With the summer festival in full swing, and his post-nap bath interrupted by a mermaid intent on helping him with a wreath to impress his fella, well… He had little choice. Or, rather, he kept telling himself that. The more he believed he was stuck in a corner, trapped and forced to try, the better he would do at not turning tail and running. By the time he had wound his way to the beach where he hoped to see the object of his affection, his hands were slightly raw from constantly toying with the venus comb in his hand. It had been his favorite shell that Waverlie had found, and he couldn’t part with it, even for the centaur he so wanted to talk to. Surprisingly, there were other species present at the bonfire, not only the centaurs. He had been under the impression that, most likely, people would stick to their own territories. It soothed him to see other creatures, even if he appeared to be the only naga present. Perhaps that would be a good thing. Shyly slithering over to the fire, he began to coil in on himself, offering nervous smiles and careful, gentle hand movements. He’d asked someone to teach him sign language, once, and he had pursued it so endlessly that he had mastered it in under three months. Not as many people used it, but he was glad to see that there were a few others signing back to him. Sure, he wasn’t actually mute, but he didn’t really want to let all of these people hear him speak. Scanning over the crowd as a drink was passed into his hand, he eyed up the potential people to talk to while searching for that beautiful chestnut colored body. The cup to his lips, he sipped at it without care before sputtering and coughing at the burn of it all. Blinking in quick succession, he sat up a little more, tail tip tapping on the sand. What had he just put into his mouth? Someone was laughing, deep in their belly and genuine, and it drug another nervous smile from him that blossomed into something fantastic. If only he could find the man he was looking for. Maybe the liquid courage in his hand would help him with that, however. Careful to avoid getting any of it on his tongue, he knocked back another drink and felt the rush of heat, the sudden wave of dizziness over him, with a soft, kind heart. It felt good to lose himself for a few minutes in the feeling, the sway of the music that called him to dance. Snakes could so easily be charmed by the beat of a song, and he was no exception to the rule. Liquids poured from the hands of perfection could not have rivaled the fluid movements of his body as he wound and danced, getting increasingly creative as his alcohol intake increased. Soon, he was laughing and joking with others, revealing a voice less overpowered by his biggest embarrassment. That didn’t mean he didn’t still stutter, but he certainly didn’t feel so self conscious about it. Closing his eyes with his third cup in hand, he swayed backward, letting out a loud shriek as he slammed bodily into a thickly muscled creature behind him. Whipping around as quickly as he could, an apology died on his lips as he took in the sheer size of the centaur before him. Lips parted before he took another drink to shut himself up, Blaise couldn’t believe that he had literally run into the man he’d been attempting to be vigilant for all night. “Oh, uh… Sorry.” With what was definitely meant to be a placating smile, the centaur helped to tug the naga out of himself a little, as if standing him upright. “I didn’t see ya there. Are you alright?” “I--” Oh boy, he could feel it coming, now. “I think I-- Y-yeah, I’m… Hi.” He finally managed, enamoured and smiling in a love drunk kind of way. “I’m uh… I-- I’m…” You have a name, numbskull, use it! “I’m Bl-Blaise.” “It’s nice to meetcha, Blaise. Garth.” The centaur gestured vaguely to himself, before glancing off into the night sky. He didn’t do so well with people, but this guy seemed to be in a similar boat. “I… I finally know your name.” Sighing as his eyelashes fluttered over his cheekbones, he paused after just a second to sit up more and carefully untangle the wreath on his head from his hair. “I m-made this for you.” Every shell was placed in a certain position according to size, shape and color, wrapped in colorful leaves and dotted with wildflowers. The pièce de résistance was the kelp and shell tassel hanging off the back. He was especially proud of that. Garth’s shocked expression almost made Blaise’s smile falter, his eyebrows drawing in as if he were starting to feel uncomfortable. He shifted a little, fidgeting with his free hand before starting to pull the wreath back against his chest. “If you d-d-d-don’t-- D-don’t-- If you d-don’t want i-i-it, just-- Just say s-so.” He began, dropping lower into himself, towards the sand, before a strong hand shot out to grab his arm. “No, I-- It’s not that. I just… Didn’t expect it, that’s all. You’re the guy who comes around and suns himself on the rocks by the farm, right?” The tender smile on Garth’s face eased Blaise’s anxiety slightly, but his heart pounded like a thousand horses running a marathon. Not only was he going to (probably) accept the wreath, but he wanted to talk, too! Even after hearing what he sounded like! “Y-y-yeah, I… It’s warm and c-co-comfortable here. More sunlight, less shade.” Blaise tried, licking his lips and finding that a parched tongue did little for a mouth turned to a desert. Watching as Garth took the wreath like he was seeing it from the outside, he felt a swell of pride as the centaur placed it on his own head. Leaning down, Garth pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, before touching them together. “Do you want to go somewhere a little more private? We can just talk under the stars.” “That sounds… P-P-P-Per-- That so-sounds… That soun-sounds pe-perfect.” --- Garth smiled sweetly, offering his arm to the naga. Taking the other’s muscled bicep, Blaise swayed as he slithered alongside him. The moonlight lit up the beach beautifully, and the flickering light of the bonfire was left behind as they traveled to an edge mostly secluded from everyone else. “So…. I don’t have a wreath for you.” Garth began softly, licking his lips slowly as he glanced over, shy and guilty all at once. “I mean, I made one? But… I lost it on the way here.” “That’s o-okay. I… D-d-didn’t th-think I cou-cou-cou-- I didn’t th-think I could d-d-do it… T-talk to yo-you.” Blaise responded, “I-I’m glad I di-did, though. I wan-wanted to for-- For a long time.” The tender look on the centaur’s face set Blaise’s heart to pounding like a thousand hooves, and he blushed heavily, looking away. “I’m glad you did. You’re cute… And sweet. Maybe we can go for a walk sometime? Just… Talk. When you aren’t drunk, and when… We aren’t so close to everyone.” Too many people made Garth nervous, and, apparently, Blaise, too. “Y-yeah. I… I g-got nervous--” Blaise didn’t have a chance to finish his words before he felt lips on his forehead, and a calloused hand pressed into his cheek. “It’s okay. But tomorrow, I want to see you.” “I-- Yeah.” He nodded finally, smiling gently. “We can… C-can-- We c-can do th-that.” “Good.” That didn’t mean that he wouldn’t lay with the naga and keep an eye on him tonight. He did need to make sure he would be safe, after all. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[artificialqueens]

Love Shack, 6 (Trixya) - mallstars

AN: hi, hello! after dropping the first five chapters of love shack on you about a week ago, here’s Chapter Six: In Which Katya Gets Hot and Sweaty.

prepare to feel things and please remember that feedback is important! <3

Chapter 6

In Which Katya Gets Hot and Sweaty

Trixie is slowly getting the hang of things at Smiles for Miles. She knows which kids can’t have dairy, she knows which kids are prone to anger, and when there’s a single tiny shoe lying around in a corner, she knows who that belongs to as well. Today is one of the harder days though. It has been stormy all day, meaning they can’t go outside and the kids don’t know what to do with their built-up energy. This means it is loud, louder even than usually, and there is more complaining than Trixie can listen to.

“So this sucks,” she comments quietly when Shangela flops down next to her on a bean bag, her hair in even more disarray than usual, and stretches her neck, which pops audibly.

“Ya. Kids,” she sighs in mock exasperation. “It’s like this a lot when the weather is shit - Shift! I said Shift!” she quickly adds when two boys stare at her and giggle.

“So what now?” Trixie asks. She has already tried pretty much everything today. She tried reading out a book, but nobody was willing to listen. She tried getting the kids to draw mandalas, or fire trucks, or even mermaids, but nobody stayed at the table for longer than two minutes at a time. She tried building Legos, she tried playing dress up, and had to give up every time. As a last resort she tried yelling at the kids, which helped for all of two minutes and also made her feel bad about herself. At least Latrice is out today and will only come by shortly before closing. That way, she doesn’t see the mess they are right now.

“Ugh, don’t ask me. They don’t even wanna dance with me today. Right, Emma? You don’t wanna dance with me?”

Emma doesn’t answer and instead goes on with her game that seems to be: take random objects in the room and place them somewhere else where nobody would suspect them. Trixie spotted her favourite mug in a box of cowboy dolls a little earlier.

“Gotta miss Ginger on days like this. If she were here right now, she would just get out the guitar and make some noise, that always helped. Well, mostly. Why are you not Ginger?”

Trixie hesitates for a moment. She hasn’t played the guitar in a while, having slowly lost interest in the past couple years. When she moved here, it had been so long since she picked it up that she didn’t even bother to bring it. Besides, her guitar at home is complete trash. But she does know how to play. She’s not great with playing in front of people; she can count the times she’s played for her friends on one hand; but these are just a bunch of kids, and what do they know about music anyway, and she would do pretty much anything to make them quiet down a little.

“I’m better than Ginger. You have the guitar here?”

Shangela beams at her.

Half an hour later Trixie is sitting on the window still, cross-legged, playing a guitar that has clearly seen better days, but that sounds fairly okay. The kids have gathered around her, and, low and behold! quieted down. There’s still the occasional kid running around the room, there’s shuffling, and talking, and a ridiculous amount of coughing, but most of the kids look at her with gleaming eyes. She’s wrecking her brain for every kid’s song she knows. Most of the songs she knows from her childhood the kids don’t know, but Shangela seems to be a walking book of modern children’s songs, never running out of new song ideas the kids can sing along to.

Trixie feels the tension she has felt all day slowly leave her body. She likes kids, she likes music, and she is not sure why she never thought about combining these two things before. There’s something incredibly validating about having all of them look up at her and screech delightedly whenever she starts a new song they like. And her voice sounds nice, she thinks, even when she’s stumbling over the words of verses she barely knows, going after Shangela’s lead.

When Latrice walks in towards closing time they are singing the theme of Sofia the First for the fourth time – back by popular demand – and by now even Trixie knows the lyrics:

I was a girl in the village doing alright Then I became a princess overnight Now I gotta figure out how to do it right So much to learn and see

Latrice sits down on the carpet with the kids, gives Trixie and Shangela an encouraging smile, and starts singing along, her deep raspy voice drowning out most of the kids.

After all the kids have been picked up, Latrice comes up to her. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Yeah, me either. I mean, I knew I could play the guitar of course, but.”

“Yeah. Yeah, so I thought this wasn’t going to happen this year, with Ginger leaving and all, but listen: The last couple years we put on a little musical for the holidays. Just for the parents and siblings, a small thing. Is this something you can imagine doing?”

“Oh. Yes, sure, why not!” Trixie likes that idea. She still has the guitar wrapped around her shoulder, not quite ready to put it away yet.

“Excellent.”

“So, what kind of musical? Do you have the sheet music?”

Latrice thinks for a second. “Ginger always wrote the musicals. I don’t know, I think she took all that stuff with her. But I can call her and get her to send some stuff over.”

Shangela, who is busy getting the room back in order after their turbulent day suddenly chimes in: “We can write a musical ourselves, can’t we, Trix?”

“We can?” Trixie doesn’t think they can.

“Sure. I never liked Ginger’s stuff that much anyway, it’s so – I don’t know, we can top that. I can write some lyrics, and earlier you said you used to write music! Come on, it’s a challenge!”

“Uh, I guess.” A challenge for sure.

Latrice laughs. “That’s the spirit. No, really, just try it out, and if it doesn’t work, we can always still call Ginger.”

♥♥♥

This is how, the next day, Trixie comes back to Shangela’s straight after work. They have a musical to write, apparently. With Latrice’s permission, Trixie has taken the guitar from the day care with her. There’s no guitar case, and she carries it wrapped in a blanket to protect it from the drizzle outside. At the house, Shangela leads her into the living room where Adore is napping on the couch and Chi Chi is doing some course work on the floor. Shangela kicks close Chi Chi’s book as she passes him and plops down on Adore’s feet on the couch, waking them up. “It’s musical writing time!” she announces, “be helpful or get lost.”

It is at least another forty-five minutes before they even start trying to write. Juju comes home right after them and squeezes into the space between Shangela and the back of the couch, holding her from behind and distracting her from getting anything done. They are kissing way too much, Trixie thinks. Chi Chi for his part doesn’t seem to be musically gifted, or at least he isn’t interested in being helpful, but is happy to stay in the room and side-track Shangela with dumb jokes whenever Trixie gets her to give her any attention. Trixie half wants to give up and tell Latrice to call Ginger after all, but she remembers the excitement she felt last night before she went to bed, when she fantasized about putting her own musical together. She wants to at least try now. She picks up the guitar and pulls on the strings thoughtfully, deciding that she would just start writing on her own, the others be damned.

Of course, this is the moment Katya walks in and simultaneously the moment Trixie stops trying to write. Katya enters the kitchen from upstairs and she looks like she’s been asleep until moments ago. She is wearing an oversized black shirt that says SAD GOTH and glasses with black rims; hair legs are naked and fuzzy and there is no makeup on her face. She looks tired. Trixie has to fight two opposing urges: the urge to get up and hug her, and the urge to make fun of her outfit. She sits tight and shuts up.

“What’s going on here?” Katya asks and yawns openly, joining Chi Chi on the floor and stretching her arms over her head. She looks so different without makeup. “Are we making music?”

“We” Trixie answers, shooting Shangela a pointed look “are trying to write a musical for the kids. You’re welcome to be helpful.”

“I’m afraid this isn’t one of my myriad of talents but sure. What do we have so far?”

To Trixie’s surprise Katya ends up being actually helpful. Her biggest contribution consists in making the others focus, not yell over one another, and reel in some of their ideas. Trixie didn’t know Katya had it in her.

Trixie herself doesn’t get too involved in planning the plot and is already trying to come up with little melodies, only half listening to their ideas. Adore insists on an underwater holiday fantasy, an idea Chi Chi enthusiastically seconds. (“Come on, are you sure you can’t have the show at the pool?” he asks for the third time, despite Shangela’s note that most of the kids probably can’t swim yet). Katya and Juju love the idea of an outer space adventure and start coming up with a plot that doesn’t involve Christmas or any other holiday in the slightest (“But making a holiday musical for the holidays is so expected, let’s do something else instead”). After almost an hour of this, Shangela comes through and pieces together a short plot around an elf who is swamped with his job as a first-time helper of Santa and gets help from various magical characters. It’s predictable, but cute. Trixie, who likes to have things perfect, takes a little convincing from the others.

“Listen, it doesn’t matter that much.” Shangela insists when Trixie circles back to an earlier Christmas Western idea. “The kids are damn cute, they are cute when they try to act and sing, and you know damn well they are going to mess up half of their lines anyway. And the parents are going to love it, like they do every year.” She is right, probably.

Apparently, this is enough work for today for the others. Chi Chi turns on the TV and they decide to order in pizza. Trixie, however, doesn’t put down the guitar, keeps trying out melodies, and after a while Adore goes to get their own guitar and together the two of them come up with the first song. It’s far from being a good song and Trixie knows she’ll change most things about it in a couple of days, but it’s the first song she has written in years and it makes her happy just to sit here and play and sing quietly.

Katya has traded in her place on the floor for a place on a big arm chair next to the couch. She is surprisingly calm today, no jumping around the room, no pulling Shangela’s hair, nothing. Instead, she’s playing around on her phone, constantly texting, but every now and then she looks up to smile at Trixie, who feels particularly self-conscious about her voice in those moments.

When Trixie gets home just before midnight she gets a notification from Instagram and clicks to see Katya uploaded a picture of her and Adore. She’s sitting on the couch, guitar in hand, looking down and smiling slightly, Adore next to her. The only caption there is is a pink flower emoji.

♥♥♥

The next day, Trixie wakes up with the itch to do something monumental. She can’t, however, figure out what exactly she wants to do, so she spends most of the day doing her homework and preparing a presentation she has to give the next day. She feels unsatisfied all day and apparently spends quite a bit of time sighing and huffing because finally Kim asks her, in an exasperated voice: “What is going on with you today?”

“Ugh, I don’t know. I want to do something.”

“Okay? Let’s do something then.”

“Like what?” Trixie whines.

“We could go out? We could go to the milkshake bar you like? To the park? The movies? Throw stones into the river? Feed a duck? I’m down for whatever.” Kim shuts her book with a loud thud. She has spent all day on her homework as well and must be pretty annoyed with it if she’s so ready to go out. Kim likes staying in.

“I don’t know. Gimme more options!” Trixie turns fully towards Kim so Kim can get a good look at her pout.

Kim rolls her eyes and thinks for a moment. “Okay, so, uh, I didn’t know if I should bring this up because Shangela told me you said no, but Juju gave me something to give you.” She gets up and pulls her purse out of her bag. Inside, there’s a yellow post it note she hands to Trixie. There’s a phone number on it. Trixie raises her eyebrows in question.

“Shangela said Juju told you about this girl who’s interested in you. That’s her number.”

“Oh.” Trixie had completely forgotten about that. A couple of months ago, the idea of a girl being interested in her would have excited her to no end, but she can’t evoke that feeling right now. She lets herself fall down on her bed and hugs a pillow to her stomach. “What’s her name?”

“Pearl. Her name is Pearl.”

Pearl. “Like Pearl Slackhoople,” Trixie notes.

“Who?”

“Pearl Slackhoople. She’s Fred Flintstone’s mother in law.”

“Uh huh.”

“She doesn’t approve of him.”

“This Pearl is nobody’s mother in law. Do you wanna text her maybe?”

Trixie groans. “I don’t know. Do you think I should text her?”

“I can’t make that decision for you. But, umm. No, never mind.”

“Come on. You can’t do that.”

“Okay. It’s just, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. Uh, when we were at Juju’s party in the kitchen and you met Violet…I don’t know – what’s going on between you and Katya?”

Trixie throws her arms over her face and sighs loud and dramatically. “Do you want me to tell you more about the Flintstones? I have some opinions I’d like to share. Like, about their fashion? You like talking about fashion.” Trixie thinks she could pull some opinions on this out of her ass, probably.

“So I’m not wrong. I’ve seen the way you look at her, Trixie.”

“Oh god? How do I look at her?”

“Like you want to walk over and sit in her lap, basically.”

“Shit.”

“So do you? Want that, I mean?”

“Kim! Kim, I don’t know! She has a girlfriend.” This conversation is a lot to handle for Trixie. She feels blood rushing to her cheeks and hides her face in her pillow. She should have taken the chance to go out and feed ducks instead of having this conversation.

“I know she has a girlfriend. I love Violet. She doesn’t get along too well with some of the others, or maybe just Juju mostly, but I think she’s great.”

“Ugh.” Trixie doesn’t need to hear this. Trixie wants to hear how Violet does arson in her free time and steals from the poor.

“You know they have an open relationship, right? Violet definitely wouldn’t mind you sitting on Katya’s lap a little.”

Yes. Trixie does know this. Has known this for a little over a week now and has spent entirely too much time thinking about it. “Yeah I know.”

“And you like her?”

“What is this, high school?” Trixie throws her pillow at Kim and immediately misses its protecting warmth on her face. “God, yes, I like her.”

“Do you…not want to go for her because of Violet?”

Here are the reasons why Trixie does not want to go for Katya. 1) Katya herself said that she thinks mostly about Violet when she hooks up with somebody else and Trixie just isn’t able to handle that knowledge. 2) Trixie feels like she should not take advantage of Katya’s state. Katya trusted her with her feelings, was open with her when Trixie wasn’t open with Katya, and it wouldn’t feel right to enter into something with Katya without Katya knowing about Trixie’s feelings. Whatever these feelings were. 3) Trixie is scared of getting rejected. She is nothing, absolutely nothing like Violet, and therefore probably not Katya’s type. The thought of her coming on to Katya and Katya just not being interested at all is mortifying. 4) Thinking a couple of steps ahead, Trixie is also scared Katya would hook up with her once and then never again. She can’t imagine what it would be like to know how it feels to kiss and hold Katya, to maybe even fuck Katya (this is a thought Trixie has managed to almost not indulge in at all so far, and she’s glad about that), and then never getting to do it again. 5) Going for a girl, any girl, even the most single girl, is terrifying.

“Yeah,” is the answer Trixie finally settles on. She buries her face in her hands and groans. “This sucksss. I just need to get over this.”

“Maybe, yes. So, uh, do you think maybe it’s a good idea to text Pearl? And go out with her tomorrow? Not today. You need to entertain me today.”

Okay, Trixie decides. This is happening. She has no idea who Pearl is, what she likes, what she looks like – and realizes that her lack of curiosity is probably a bad sign – but she enters her number into her phone anyway. Once Pearl’s number is in her phone, Trixie can see her profile picture in her messenger’s contacts. She zooms in. Pearl is hot. She’s either giving the camera bedroom eyes, or was caught halfway through blinking. She has a septum piercing, which Trixie loves. Her hair is short and curly, shaved off at the sides. Not at all like Katya’s hair, in her messy braids and buns, that Trixie feels the itch to smooth down all the time. Her hair looked so beautiful in the light of the rising sun that morning in the garden.

“Don’t know what to text her?” Kim prompts her. Trixie realises she has been looking at her phone, doing nothing, for a too long time.

“No. Let’s go out.”

They head out not knowing where they want to go and walk around the neighbourhood for a while. Trixie suggests going into the opposite direction of Katya’s, half because she doesn’t feel like ending up there right now, and half because she realizes she barely knows any other part of the neighbourhood. They get some coffee to go and do window shopping when Trixie is struck by an idea. There’s a tattoo and piercing studio on the other side of the road. It’s painted an obnoxious red, the tattoos in the front window are unnecessarily ugly, and it is the key to the monumental thing Trixie needs to do today.

“Kim. Think about if you want any tattoos or piercings, because we are going in there.”

Turns out, you need an appointment for a tattoo, but Trixie didn’t want a tattoo anyway. When they walk out of the shop forty-five minutes later, Trixie is the proud owner of a septum piercing (and a very achy nose). It’s dark golden and ornate and Trixie is thrilled.

She tried to talk Kim into getting a matching one, but there was no way. Kim is more than happy, however, to indulge Trixie and take a bunch of pictures of her with her new piercing. She wants to upload one to her Instagram, showing her new self off to as many people as possible.

Once they are home, Trixie spends a whooping fifteen minutes to decide which picture looks the best, puts a filter on it, and uploads. Her first post in months. She’s a little excited about some of the people back home to see her, with all that heavy makeup and the septum. It’s a change for sure.

After uploading the picture, she spends some more time on her presentation, finally able to focus now that she has done something with her day. When she looks at her phone again, almost three hours have passed, and sure enough she got some likes and comments – the first one from Kim, of course, even though she took the picture and is sitting opposite her right this moment. She can count on Kim.

She scrolls through the comments, one from a co-worker back at the hotel, one from Sasha, one from Adore, one from Juju, three from former friends of hers that she hasn’t spoken to in years, and, finally, one from Katya. It just says yes bitch!!

The next day is a Sunday and Trixie spends the morning sitting in bed wrapped in a blanket and playing the guitar. Kim is out with Shangela. She asked Trixie to come, but Trixie felt like getting some song-writing done today. And she actually did. It’s only just past noon and she has already smoothed out the first song she wrote with Adore at their house, and she has a second song halfway done. She doesn’t need more than three or four songs for this musical, because the kids would never be able to learn more than that, so she’s already finished with a big chunk off the work. She feels more accomplished than she can remember feeling at any point in the last couple of years. Why did she ever stop writing music? It makes her feel so good.

Deciding she’s done with the musical for today, she keeps playing the guitar strings absentmindedly, lying on her back in bed. After a while she gets out her notebook that she hasn’t written in anything since her plane ride here and begins scribbling down lyrics.

When Kim comes back, a little wet from the rain and with an early dinner for both of them, Trixie has outlined her first non-muscial song in years. There are lyrics missing every here and there, and she’s only written the music for the chorus, not the verses, but the knowledge that she actually got something written has Trixie in such a good mood she decides to text Katya for no other reason than she feels like it in that moment.

Trixie

hey, hope youre doing okay :)  

Katya must have had her phone in her hand (texting Violet, maybe?) because she replies almost immediately.

Katya

doing okay, thank you for asking.

Trixie thinks a moment about a reply to that, but before she starts typing, there’s another message from Katya.

Katya

Milkshakes?

Trixie lets out a suffering sigh at that. Hanging out with Katya never helps. Of course it doesn’t.

Trixie

Milkshakes.

Trixie is at the milkshake bar a little early, freezing in the early winter air. The wind is particularly harsh on her newly-pierced nose, and Trixie makes sure to hide half her face behind her fluffy scarf. By now most of the trees around her are bare and she can see her breath against the dim yellow light of the bar in front of her. She scrolls through her phone for a while, but has to put it away because the cold wind bites into her hands. She misses summer already.

When Katya shows up a couple of minutes later she is wearing one of the ugliest dresses Trixie has ever seen under her open coat. It’s made of a rough awkward knit, in a bright yellow and has big turquoise buttons. As if this wasn’t enough, she’s wearing suede heels with yellow fringe on them. Trixie wonders if Katya dressed this terribly on purpose and somehow her mouth decides this is an okay thing to ask Katya:

“Do you do this on purpose? Dress like this, I mean?”

This sends Katya in one of her laughing fits; there’s a split second where she looks at Trixie in disbelief, then she starts laughing without a sound, flailing her arms around.

“You cunt!” is the only answer Trixie gets.

Once they’ve settled into a booth as far away from the door as possible – Katya barely seems to mind the cold air, but Trixie minds enough for both of them – Trixie gets a strawberry milkshake like the last time they were here, because why change a good thing. Katya gets one with caramel corn that’s a special offer for the week. She picks out the popcorn with her fingers and chews it slowly, looking satisfied with her choice.

“So how are things going with the musical?” she asks through a mouth full of popcorn. One piece of popcorn falls out of her mouth and onto the plastic table.

“Good. Surprisingly good. I mean, I could strangle Shangela for telling Latrice we could write a musical and then doing basically fuck-all, but I’m coming through, so.”

“Haha, Shangie. She’s the worst.” Now Katya is sucking her index finger, getting a coat of sugar off it. Trixie focusses on the piece of popcorn on the table.

Trixie takes Katya’s comment as an opener to ask a question that has been on her mind for a while. “What’s it like living with this many people?” Trixie has only ever lived with her family, and now Kim. She can’t quite imagine being in a house with so much…going on all the time.

Katya grins. “It’s pretty great, mostly. There’s never enough room because Bob has trouble saying no to people, but Yara and Alexis moved out the end of last year, and now Violet’s gone, so it’s chill for now. I’m sharing my room with Sasha, but I love her, so that’s good. Did I ever tell you she’s my favourite person? If I would have to share a room with any of the others it would drive me up the walls, probably. Up the walls! But not Sasha. I don’t know, maybe Jinkx would be okay, or Chi Chi, but that’s it. But Jinkx listens to a lot of opera. I like opera, but it makes me antsy, kind of. Did you know Sasha is a real Russian? Did Kim make your nails, or did you do them yourself? I like your septum.”

“Thanks. And I made them myself, but I used Kim’s stuff. Kim’s so good at sharing.”

“Kim is the best.”

“She is. So, uh.” Trixie decides now is as good a time as any to ask that next question. “How did you, err, come to Bob’s house?”

Katya laughs lightly. “What did Kim tell you?”

“Nothing! Nothing. But when I first came over Chi Chi said something about you guys being Bob’s…” she trails of, knowing she can’t finish this sentence.

“Charity?” She pronounces the word in Chi Chi’s southern drawl and snorts. “Yeah, Chi Chi likes to say that.” She leans back in her chair and looks at Trixie critically. “Okay. Okay. So you want to have the story?”

Trixie nods, straightening her back and leaning forward slightly, propping her chin on her hands.

Katya takes a deep breath. “Okay. I don’t have the classic got-kicked-out-of-my-house-for-being-queer-story. Some of the others have, but those aren’t stories for me to tell. My parents are actually so wonderful. Always supported me, gave me all the opportunities, you know. But I ended up really anxious and fucked up anyway and dropped out of college and it all went downhill from there. Drugs mostly, I did them all, and some fucked up things to pay for them. I did rehab once, started using again, and now I’m sober again. But it’s a constant thing, it never ends. Sobriety, I mean. One day at a time, every day. I’m never going to be okay. Or, I’m going to be okay, I’m okay right now, I’ve been okay for a while, but, y’know.” All of this comes out of Katya in a fast pace, while she fiddles with her napkin. Trixie gets the impression this isn’t the first time Katya has told this story. She doesn’t have too much experience with drug addiction, but she thinks she understands, mostly.

“Oh wow,” she says, trying to look at Katya with a look that shows compassion, but not pity. That’s a hard look to achieve. She obviously fails because Katya says:

“Don’t look at me like this. I’m fine. Fineee. Bob even helped me pay back some of the money I owe. He’s incredible. And we don’t pay more rent than we can. Some of us barely pay at all most months. At least I don’t, I’m still paying off some debts, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Bob owns the house, you know. He lives in an apartment with his husband and kid, and it’s really nice, but of course the house would be nicer. But he keeps it for us.”

“That’s pretty incredible.”

“It really is. It really is!” she hits her fist to her thigh at that. “I’m just so lucky. And I haven’t lost too much time before I got my shit halfway together, which is great. So I’m twenty-seven and I’m only now finishing a three year University program but, like, I’m finishing a three year University program. Can you believe that. I can’t, sometimes.”

Twenty-seven. Trixie didn’t know this. She had just assumed that Katya was her age, or a little younger maybe. She looks younger.

Katya picks the last bit of popcorn out of her milkshake and looks at Trixie thoughtfully. Trixie has trouble holding Katya’s gaze. “Could you maybe tell me about you?” Katya asks when Trixie fails to pick up the conversation.

“What do you mean?” Trixie isn’t quite ready to close the conversation on Katya’s drug use. She has a million questions.

“I don’t know that much about you. I know that you’re very pretty, and you’re good at the music, and you’ve told me about where you’re from a bit, and those are good things to know, great things to know, but it’s also not much.”

Oh god. Katya thinks Trixie is very pretty. Trixie is having a hard time not to grin from ear to ear. She is going to ride that compliment till the end of time. “So what do you wanna know?”

Katya gives her a challenging grin. “We talked about my scary love life, so I guess it’s only fair we talk about yours.”

Oh shit. Trixie’s heart skips a beat at that and she focusses her gaze on a figurine of a woman in 50s clothing, carrying a tray of milkshakes. Trixie had put on an ensemble very much like this before she got here, liking the idea of matching the bar. She wonders if Katya noticed. She hadn’t said anything, but then it was probably hard to compliment Trixie’s outfit when Trixie had lost no time insulting hers.

“Umm. There’s nothing to talk about, really.”

“Why’s that, Barbra?”

“I don’t know I’m just not, uh, looking to date right now.” Well, that was a blatant lie. Even if Trixie hadn’t met Katya, she was very much in the mood to date when she moved here, and she knows this damn well. She regrets her lie immediately, but it’s too late to take it back now. She hopes Katya can see through it.

“Yeah, I get that.” Katya says, taking off her glasses for a moment to rub her eyes. “It’s, uh, a lot. Dating is a lot.”

“Do you want to talk some more about Violet?” Trixie asks and thinks she deserves a medal for best friend here. But then again, she knows she secretly wishes for Katya to say things have turned from bad to worse. So maybe no medal for her after all.

Katya crushes the ice in her glass with vigour. “No, we’re talking about you here, Trixie. If you don’t wanna talk about dating and shit, then something else. Like, what’s your favourite movie? What’s your opinion on our foreign politics? Do you like the smell of lemon grass? Something.”

“The last time I dated someone I cared about was in high school.”

“And what happened?”

“I don’t know. I was scared pretty much the whole time. Like, of people judging us. Of fucking up in general. I have a hard time remembering what exactly the problem was, but I know I felt like shit most of the time, and so did she.”

At the end of that sentence, Katya shoots her a curious look that Trixie doesn’t know how to place. Katya doesn’t comment, so Trixie goes on: “It’s just the worst, you know, when you love someone, and they love you, and you still can’t make it work. It’s the worst. And then, years later, you’re left with this vague feeling of failure and regret, and you can’t even remember the details of what really went wrong.” She sighs loudly, realizing this is the most she has spoken about Shea to anyone, ever. “You love someone, and they love you, and you still can’t make it work.” she repeats, because this sentence feels important in that moment.

Katya looks at her with wistful eyes. “Tell me about it.” she says, and she smiles, but it’s a sad smile, and Trixie wants nothing more than to reach a couple of inches over the table and put Katya’s hand in hers. Instead, she knots her hands in her lap, and makes sure to change the subject to something lighter, something that isn’t Shea, or Violet, or failure.

♥♥♥

Trixie spends the next two weeks focussing on her classes, and, more importantly, her musical. She loves what she’s creating, and is more proud of the musical than anything else she’s ever written – even though it just a bunch of bullshit about a Christmas elf.

Her second date – well, friend date – with Katya at the milkshake bar is the last time they spend time alone together for a while. They see each other a bit here and there, but there’s always somebody else there with them. Trixie starts coming regularly by their house to talk to Jinkx about her studies and Jinkx turns out to be wonderful at making Trixie go from anxious to calm in record time. Sometimes the whole group do things together, there’s a movie night, and one time they go watch Chi Chi’s soccer game. Katya seems to be in a great mood most of the times Trixie sees her, but she’s also quiet. She doesn’t work well in big groups, Trixie notices, and itches to spend some alone time with her again. She never asks Katya to hang out, however, always talks herself out of it. It wouldn’t go anywhere and can only do harm.

By now, Trixie has gotten used to their relationship. Sure, she still thinks Katya is the prettiest, funniest, most fascinating person she’s ever met. Sure, she still sometimes catches herself dressing up for her, and even once wearing a dark red lipstick because she thought Katya might like that (she did). But she has also accepted the way things are. A couple of weeks have passed since their conversation in the garden, and things with Katya and Violet seem to look up a bit. Violet texts Katya sometimes when Trixie is present, Violet likes all of Katya’s dumb Instagram posts, even the ones that are too stupid for even Trixie to like, and a week ago they met up in New York for a couple of days, and Katya seemed happy when she got back to Boston.

As much as Trixie is convinced she’s fine with the situation, she still hasn’t texted Pearl. She opens the messaging window sometimes, one time even gets as far as to type “hi, it’s trixie”, but she never contacts her.

♥♥♥

It’s 8pm on a Wednesday and she’s watching Netflix with Kim when Trixie gets a message from Adore.

Adore

Gig at the club tonight. Wanna come?

Trixie hasn’t been to the club since that first time – when she swore herself to go every week from now on. She has work tomorrow, and some homework she still hasn’t started, but things like this don’t stop Trixie.

Trixie

Yes!

I’ll be there

Adore

Party.

Adore sends the same invitation to Kim, too, but Kim can’t be bothered tonight. She’s already in her pyjamas, eating pickles again, and refusing to get out of bed. “Suit yourself.” Trixie gives up on trying to convince her, and pulls one of her dresses out of their closet. When she’s doing her makeup, she decides she needs to know if Katya will be there. She has to mentally prepare. A little.

Trixie

hey! you coming to adores’s thing tonight?

Katya

Don’t think so.

I’m painting.

And moody.

Moody painting.

Looks pretty bad.

And sad.

Sad and bad.

Me time!

Trixie

So what you’re saying is you’re not coming out because you’re making bad art?

Katya

Yes.

But also

I think I am coming out

I just remembered your dancing at the club last time

Wouldn’t wanna miss that

Trixie must have smiled like an idiot at this, because Kim looks at her with raised eyebrows.

“Katya?” she asks.

“Katya.” Trixie says.

When she comes to the club, Katya, Sasha, and Jinkx are already there. She hugs all of them, and is reminded of the last time she was here, how new they all had felt to her, and how much has changed since then. Here is what hasn’t changed: When she hugs Katya, she lingers and breathes in her flowery perfume. Katya hugs her back tightly and when she lets go Trixie feels cold. Tonight, Trixie is wearing a hot pink dress that by far isn’t the prettiest dress in their closet, but is the first dress she has finished herself, with only a bit of Kim’s help. She clashes beautifully with Katya, who is once again wearing bright red. As usual, Katya’s dress is tight and has a confusing geometrical pattern on it. Around her neck is a necklace made of cigarettes and her hair is up in a messy ponytail. Trixie tries to come up with a comment for the cigarette necklace, but has nothing.

The rest of the group isn’t coming. It’s a Wednesday, after all, and some of them have things to do. The club is filled to the brim either way. Apparently, Adore has quite a fanbase. At the bar, there’s a group of three wearing self-made Adore shirts, and Adore is signing a guy’s biceps in a corner. The people Adore – or maybe this club in general – attracts fascinate Trixie. Again, even with their fashion choices, their group doesn’t stand out in the club. This makes Trixie frown a little. What does a girl have to do to stand out around here?

When Adore and their band start playing, Trixie knows immediately why people are excited to see them. Adore is great, their energy, their looks, their voice, their lyrics, everything is just right. Katya gets all of them beers and herself lemonade and they drink, jump, and dance till they’re sweaty and out of breath. Katya sweats a lot, Trixie notices. Katya is jumping up and down right in front of her, yelling Adore’s lyrics, that Trixie has never heard before, at full volume, spilling her drink quite a bit. She’s so close Trixie can see the individual beads of sweat on her neck and her hair sticking to her skin. Trixie isn’t drunk, or at least she doesn’t think so, not after two beers, but looking at Katya she feels a little buzzed. She wants nothing more than to reach out and touch Katya, snake her arms around her waist from behind and –

“You wanna go outside, catch some fresh air?” Sasha yells into her ear suddenly, interrupting her rudely. Trixie doesn’t really feel like going outside, but with the way she just fixated on Katya it is probably just what she needs. The last thing she wants to do is accidentally acting on her fantasies and freaking everybody out, including herself. So she nods. Fresh air would do her good.

She goes outside with Sasha and Jinkx, leaving Katya – who claims to be having too much fun to go – behind. It’s cold outside, and they checked in their jackets so they’re freezing. The cold clear air is a welcome change, however, so they stay outside for a bit. Trixie moves to the sound of the music from inside, still impressed with what Adore does. She barely contributes to the conversation Sasha and Jinkx are having, instead walks up and down on the sidewalk, humming quietly. At one point she hugs Jinkx closely from behind, half because she likes them, and half because she just really wants to hug somebody right now. Jinkx puts their hands over Trixie’s and gives her a big smile. Trixie loves their chipped front tooth. “I love your dumb teeth,” she informs Jinkx. “I love your dumb teeth as well,” Jinkx answers, and tightens her hands around Trixie’s. When Trixie finally feels her hands go numb and it gets too cold to stay outside any longer, they make their way back on the dance floor, and Trixie immediately notices that Katya has left her spot. She looks around, suddenly worried, but finds her quickly.

Katya is standing by the bar, talking to an extraordinarily beautiful person. They are tall, slim, and androgynous – Katya’s type, Trixie thinks with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Their skin is dark, and their hair, long and grey, tied in a knot in their neck. They are covered in tattoos, completely flat-chested, and wearing a black glittery jump suit. And they have their hand on Katya’s, lying on the bar.

Too late Trixie notices that she’s following Sasha, who’s walking up to Katya, and introduces herself to the stranger as if that is something you do.

“Hi, I’m Sasha. This is Jinkx, and Trixie. We’re with Katya,” she says loudly over the music.

The beautiful stranger takes their hand off Katya’s – so at least this problem is solved – and gives them a small wave. “Raja,” they say in a deep voice. They are quite a bit older than Trixie and Katya, close to forty, Trixie guesses. Their tattoos aren’t the ugly kind Trixie saw in the tattoo studio’s window a couple of days ago, they look fascinating and Trixie finds herself trying to get a closer look when out of the corner of her eyes she notices Katya giving Sasha a look that pretty much says: Go away, I’m busy.

To Trixie’s dismay, Sasha seems to get the message immediately, and returns to their previous spot on the dance floor, with Trixie following behind like a lost puppy.

Adore’s concert continues, the crowd is as enthusiastic as ever, but Trixie barely takes any of that in anymore. She keeps stealing glances at Katya and Raja out of the corner of her eye, and what she sees makes her lose all motivation to dance. Not only is Raja’s hand back on Katya’s, worse: Katya is standing very close now, her other hand on Raja’s naked biceps. They are talking, and Katya does her laugh thing, leaning her head into Raja’s chest with it. Trixie forces herself to look away for a minute, focusses on Adore’s blue fingernails on the microphone for a whole minute, but breaks down and looks again. Katya is standing even closer now, her hand tracing Raja’s tattoos on their arms. They are not talking anymore, just looking at each other with expressions Trixie can’t figure out from where she stands across the room, and as Trixie watches Raja’s hands go to cup Katya’s ass.

This is when Katya leans in. She gets on her tip toes, Raja is so much taller than her, and kisses Raja, once, softly. Then Raja pulls her in closer, their body’s now flush together and starts kissing her fervidly. Katya’s hands start roaming, go from Raja’s arms over their chest, to their face, their hair, and back, Raja mirroring her movements. Trixie wants to do nothing more than to look away, but can’t get her eyes off the scene. In a fleeting attempt to look at something else, she lets her eyes drift over the other people at the bar and notices at least two strangers who seem quite caught up with the scene in front of them. One of them licks his lips and blatantly looks at Katya’s ass. Trixie feels sick.

So this is happening. Of course it is. Katya is in an open relationship after all. She had told Trixie that she wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone, but apparently this has changed, or Raja is just too hot to resist, she doesn’t know. All Trixie knows is that Katya is kissing somebody that is not her girlfriend, and it isn’t even her. For some reason Trixie had the fact that Katya has a girlfriend pinned into her head as the one and only reason she’s not with Trixie. But of course this isn’t true. Of course not. Instead, somebody Katya just met gets to kiss her and touch her the ways Trixie wants to, needs to, when Trixie has been there all along. She feels tears well up in her eyes and does her best to swallow them down. If Katya saw her cry now that would be mortifying. She quickly checks for Sasha and Jinkx, neither of whom seem to pay her any attention. Good. Trixie decides to leave the club, go home, and cry a little in her bed. Her feet, however, seem stuck to the ground, and so she stays, watching Katya and Raja go on and on and on. Adore is holding a particularly high note when Katya shifts their positions and presses Raja against the bar, with their hands pinned against the counter.

Trixie watches, transfixed. Somewhere in her stomach a feeling besides hurt begins to rise and she swallows hard. Her eyes flutter close, blocking the scene in front of her and she replaces it with a similar scene. She’s in Raja’s position, one side pressed against the bar, one against Katya, held tightly in place, Katya’s body against hers, her lips on her skin. She is breathing harder, happy to indulge in order to chase the sadness away. She feels a tingling in her hands, slowly spreading over her body, and lets out a soft moan, inaudible over the music.

She opens her eyes just in time to see Katya taking Raja by the hand and leading them towards the restrooms.

This is happening.

Trixie is going home.

[myopenroad-blog1]

More Facts

[I stole one of those quiz things people do on here where they answer one that their followers ask - and I answered them all. A little more about me] sleep: what is the most comforting thing at night time for you? Hm. A dark room. Quiet. Or the sound of rain.

visitor:what creature visits your dreams most often? Mine are also mostly people. Maybe my dog.

chimes:what sounds are your favorite? Rain, a fire crackling, anything that crunches. 

times:when do you normally awaken? During the week: around 6AM. Weekends I don't usually set an alarm. So it's anywhere from 9AM when my body naturally starts waking up to sometime in the afternoon. Depends on my night.

reverie:think of somewhere otherworldly u wish to be within, what is it like there? I always picture somewhere with magic. Something like the world as it is now, but just a little more magical. It's funny. I'm not sure if I just don't have a very good imagination or what... 

warmth:what do you find most charming in others? Optimism and a sense of humor. Openness and sincerity. 

treat:your favorite sweets ? I like Reese's Pieces a lot for candy. Or chocolate chip cookies. I'm not big into sweets.

nestle:your most precious plush toy? Don't have one.

posy:your favorite herbs? Cilantro. Hands down. There is one thing that I like to make using cilantro and the smell is... amazing. I always wish I had more use for it.  

stories:books you remember from your childhood? Goosebumps, mostly. My parents never read to us or anything like that.

elder:what do u expect to be like in your elder years? I've always wanted to become an actor when I'm old. All you have to do is swear and suddenly you're instantly funny. I imagine I'll still be very young at heart. I've never really felt my age.

home:in what type of environment do you feel most safe? There aren't too many environments where I feel unsafe. I like being at my parents' house.

finds:what kind of item would you most likely buy from an antique store? I've gotten mirrors from antique stores before. They're much more interesting.

offering:how do you show others you are fond of them? Physical contact. Time. I like to do things for people.  

lore:if your life were a tale, how do u expect it would end?? If I had my way? In a burning blaze of glory.

Sugary Carnival: Have you ever been considered popular? I was popular in college and in the years since then. Before that I had a solid group of friends, but wasn't popular.

Milky Planet: Besides earth, what planet would you come from? Mars. The planet named for the god of War 

Rose Toilette: Your signature perfume?   Aero 1987 - as someone has picked on me for.

Whimsical Vanilla-chan: What pets do you have/want to have? I have a dog and that's all I want. Girl has a cat who is an asshole but somehow loves me. 

Dreamy Dollhouse: Describe your room with just 5 words. Not big enough. Organized. Plain.

Melty Chocolate: Favourite type of chocolate? Just regular Hershey's milk chocolate. I don't like dark chocolate and I like white chocolate even less.

Sugar Dream Dome: What do you like most about Winter? When it snows on Christmas Day.

Milky Berry: What do you like most about Summer? Everything. The heat. The sun on my skin. The beach. Everything.

Happy Garden: What types of things would you plant in a garden? I would probably have a vegetable garden. Tomatoes, green beans, peas.

Magical Étoile:  Favourite attraction at a carnival? The food trucks. lol

Toy Parade: What toys did you play with as a child? Matchbox cars, ninja turtles. 

Holy Lantern: Describe the darker side to your personality. I do think sometimes about if I could kill someone and how I would feel about it. I think I could.

Melody Doll: What types of music do you listen to? Pretty much everything. It depends on my mood and the day. 

Wonder Party: Favourite type of tea? Snapple peach. I know it doesn't count.

Glass Bottle of Tears: What, without fail, makes you cry? That one's tough. Yeah, I think other people crying - especially family or friends. That will sometimes get me. I wouldn't say "without fail." Because I often try to be the strong one.

Cinema Doll: What makes a movie really enjoyable for you? When something unexpected happens. Everything is so formulaic these days. 

Memorial Cake: What is your ideal romantic experience?   Alright. I pick you up at your house. I'm a little early, because I want to be punctual. Never late. Flowers, of course. I drive. We're going into New York. The car is parked and we walk around the streets seeing... everything. Wandering. Street vendors, sidewalk fairs. It's a beautiful day. Warm. Showering and changing at the hotel. You're wearing an incredible dress. One I've picked out for you, bought for you. Daddy likes to be relaxed, but for this... I go all out. We get ready in separate rooms so that I don't see you until you're ready. Walking again. To a tiny little place, in the lower level of a building. Somewhere only a handful of people have ever heard about. Amazing food and wine. Good conversation. Heavy flirting. Lots of touching. We leave the restaurant and I can't keep my hands off of you. But that's alright, because you don't ask me to. Kissing in the dark shadows just out of the reach of the street lights' illumination. Laughing when a car's headlights catch us. Humor come and gone so quickly, replaced again by the need to have my lips, my hands, over every inch of your body. Car service back. Impatience. Hours and hours of incredible sex. Falling asleep and waking up again for more. The sunlight on your skin. Staying naked and satisfied the entire next day.

Star Night Theatre: If life was viewed as a theatre stage, what role would you play? Well, I've actually been the stage manager and lighting designer. But, going with the metaphor... I think I'd be the spotlight operator. Lighting other people up makes me better.

Cotton Candy Shop: If you had your own shop, what things would you sell? Sex toys. ;)

Decoration Dream: Favourite way to decorate a cake? I've never decorated a cake. A good friend of mine once made me a birthday cake decorated to look like Captain America's shield. That was kickass.

Fancy Box: What gift(s) did you get for your birthday last year? Last year... I remember going out to dinner for my birthday. I'm not sure about gifts.

Misty Sky: What is your favourite type of weather? A cloudless sky and a light breeze on a warm day.

Dreamy Horoscope: What is your zodiac sign, and do you relate to it? I'm a Leo. Google says: "Leos are one of the most confident and aggressive signs. " The descriptions fit pretty well. I'm not sure I put stock in Zodiac signs. I just like my birthday because it's in the summer. Oh, and also: "Leo men are amongst the more kinky"

Symphonia of Birds: Favourite type of bird? Robins.

Day Dream Carnival: What do you daydream about the most?  I definitely daydream about my little girl the most.

Royal Cards: Name a game you are really good at. Hm. I like card games. I'm good at Battleship. That's the only game I can think of right now.

Milky Cross: Are you a religious person? Not particularly anymore.

Cream Cookie: What kinds of snacks do you munch on? I like chips as far as snacks go. But I don't snack much anymore.

Drained Cherry: What emotionally exhausts you? Arguments. Repetitiveness. Lack of appreciation.

Fancy Paper Dolls: What accessories would come with a doll version of you? Sunglasses. Maybe a beanie.

Holy Night Story: Favourite thing to do when it’s night time? If it's hot out, I like to go swimming at night. Typical night, though, is spent on the couch with movies.  

Candy Treat: Favourite type of candy? Reese's.

Fantastic Dolly: What cosmetics do you use? None. I don't even use anything when I wash my face. Just plain water.

Drink Me: Favourite drink/beverage? Water has become a favorite. Coke. Lemonade. When I drink, cider.

Merry Making Party: Describe the biggest party you’ve ever been to. I've been to some big block parties that were fun. I've thrown parties that were way over capacity.

Country of Sweets: What countries would you like to visit? All of them. But my top 3 are probably Italy, Ireland, and Thailand. One down...

Fruits Parlour: Favourite fruit? I've always liked watermelon because it reminds me of summer.

Dream Sky: Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes. At night on the beach in Maine.

Soap Bubbles: How do you like to bathe/shower? My shower usually starts off warm and gets hotter as I keep adjusting it. Hair first, then body and occasionally "manscaping." Something you didn't know about me yet.

Jewelry Jelly: Name 3 of your favourite jewellery pieces. I don't really wear jewelry. Lipring.

Dream Fantasy: What is your wildest fantasy? Depends on your definition of wild.

Milky-chan the Fawn: Favourite forest animal? Wolf.

Honey Cake: What do you normally eat for breakfast? Banana and peanut butter. Or an apple. Protein shake.

Dreamy Baby Room: The most childish part of your personality? I get pretty needy when I'm sick.

Chess Chocolate: What piece would you be on a chess board? The Knight.

French Cafe: Favourite thing to eat at a patisserie? Fruit tarts.

Sugar Hearts: How is your love life right now?  Complicated.     

Wonder Story: What types of things do you like to read about? Really anything. I like to learn. I also like reading for leisure, as you know.

Twinkle Mermaid: Favourite type of fantasy creature? Dragons

Gloria: Name a very rare item that you would love to own. I wouldn't mind a few first-editions.

[arielle0808]

Sea Stars- 5

Here is chapter 5 of the Yoosung x mermaid fic :3

You can also read it on AO3.

I woke up to see a pair of golden eyes looking at me behind some glasses. I was going to gasp in surprise when Seven put his hand on my mouth and did a gesture for me to be quiet. I started to grow conscious of my surroundings, and that’s when I felt Yoosung’s arm round my waist and his chest stuck to my back. My face started heating up at my realisation and I turned carefully not to wake him up and looked at him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. I was going to caress his cheek when lots of water started to fall on us. I gasped in surprise as I sat up, and so did Yoosung, completely awake now. Seven was laughing at us, bucket in hand.

“Good morning!” he exclaimed.

“Seven!!” Yoosung yelled at him, throwing him his pillow.

He looked at me and gasped, as if he had forgotten he had gone to sleep with me last night. He hadn’t forgotten, he just thought it had been a dream. He looked down at me and suddenly blushed. I followed his stare and realised the water had made my breasts-concealer visible through my clothing. Maybe that was its function. To prevent breasts from being seen if somebody threw water at you.

“Are you alright?” Yoosung asked. I nodded. “Seven, go and give her a towel, you asshole!!!”

Seven ran away and Yoosung started following him. I was freezing. Was this a human thing? I didn’t think so since Yoosung seemed mad at Seven. I went out of the room and found Zen down the corridor.

“Oh, my God, what happened to you?” he asked me.

“Seven woke us with a bucket.”

He looked down at me and blushed, like Yoosung did.

“Us? Nevermind, put something on first,” he said. “I’ll scold Seven.”

“Yoosung is scolding him already,” I smiled.

“Yoosung is too soft and always ends up playing around with him.”

I wanted to play around too, but I didn’t say it because everyone seemed mad at Seven and I know you shouldn’t encourage bad habits.

“Is throwing water at people to wake them up a bad habit?” I asked, just to make sure.

“It is,” Zen chuckled. “You’re so cute, princess.”

“Thank you,” I blushed.

I heard Yoosung and Seven’s yells approaching.

“Yoosung, ruuuun!!!” Seven exclaimed.

“It was not my fault!!!”

Seven had Elizabeth 3rd in his hands and the two men in black were persecuting them. I could see Seven laughing and Yoosung pouting in fear, so I decided to help them. After my friends passed next to me and before Zen could realise what I was doing, I stood in front of the men in black with my arms extended to my sides. Jumin appeared behind them. The three of them stopped and looked at me, puzzled. And I started to run.

“Umi, you’re amazing!!” Seven laughed. “You got us some time!!”

“Umi!!” Yoosung exclaimed, stopping stretching his hand for me to catch it and run together.

They got us. Yoosung and I were scolded and Seven sent home. He declared it had been worth it. Yoosung looked as if he was about to cry as they scolded us, so I held his hand the whole time until they let us go.

We had breakfast, and I loved tea. I asked them to give me more, which became a problem when we started heading home since I couldn’t stop going to the bathroom. Fortunately, Yoosung and I took the train, since if we had gone by car with Jumin Han and Jaehee, or by bike like Zen we would have had to stop hundreds of times. Yoosung wouldn’t stop laughing at me when I got up to go, but stopped when he noticed it embarrassed me.

We finally got to Yoosung’s house. I looked around, still holding the bag with the things Jumin had given me, and rushed to the sofa to try it. It was certainly more uncomfortable than Jumin’s, but it still was nice. I looked at Yoosung, smiling, and he blushed, avoiding my gaze and scratching the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry this house is not as big and pretty as Jumin’s. I guess you’re a bit disappointed.”

“I’m not!” I rushed towards him and took his hands. “I really like it,” I smiled. “I like that it’s small so that I don’t have to walk that much to go from one place from another and risk tripping on the way,” we chuckled. “Besides, it has your scent and I think that’s nice.”

“Eh?”

He was blushing like crazy. I realised what I had said and started blushing like crazy. We stood there for a while, our face competing with Seven’s hair.

“Letmeshowyoumyroom,” he said.

I chuckled and followed him, still holding his hand.

Yoosung returned to his classes. I would see him to the building and let him there. He would always blush and turn lots of times to look at me, still waving goodbye as he approached the building. He liked it when his friends in school asked him if we were dating.

While Yoosung was at school I decided I was going to make the best of my time in the human world, planning to see all the interesting things they had. I went to parks and saw the trees, the birds, dogs, cats and squirrels. And there was also a lake with ducks. I walked down the streets and saw the houses and lamplights. Lamplights are so cool. Once, Jaehee took me to a library, which is a place in which you can read books and take them home, but you have to take care of them because you have to give them back. I chose a book titled Emma but I still had to ask Jaehee to help me reading it. It was beautiful.

Some afternoons, we went to Seven’s house to play videogames, which are images you can control and appear on a screen, but I didn’t like them because they were too difficult for me to play. What I did like was listening to the music. The first time I heard music, I started crying, so Yoosung looked at me panicking and embraced me, not knowing what to do. But when he did, I cried more, because I was listening to a beautiful sound as a beautiful person embraced me, and it was too overwhelming.

The evenings were quiet and calm. I liked lying on the couch, my head on Yoosung’s lap, as he told me what he had done that day in school, which I thought was fascinating. They listened to a professor, who is a person who knows a lot, and take notes of what he said. I decided I wanted to become a professor one day because it must be super cool that people write down what you say, but then I remembered I didn’t have much time left in the human world and became somehow sad. But I cheered up again when Yoosung told me he had answered to a question a professor had made. He must be super clever to be able to explain something to a professor.

“He actually knew the answer,” he explained, blushing, when I told him so, “but wanted to make sure if I knew.”

“Why?”

“To know if I am prepared for the exam.”

“What’s an exam?”

He explained it was a set of question which he had to answer to pass the subjects and become a vet. Then he explained what subjects and a vet were. It was fascinating.

When Zen learned about my taste for music, he invited me to one of his musicals. Yoosung had to buy the entrance himself, though he didn’t tell me.

It was fascinating. I enjoyed every second of it and I decided musicals were my favourite thing in the human world after Yoosung and Seven. Afterwards, Zen took us to a fancy place to have dinner, which was great, though Yoosung and he spend a lot of time at the beginning of the meal on their phones, sharing some glances from time to time.

Yoosung bought a small tank with two fishes to make me feel more at home, at which I blushed, finding it endearing.

“You don’t have music down the ocean?” Yoosung asked one day.

“Not like you do,” I replied. “We have songs that we sing ourselves, but all of them serve for certain purposes. We don’t use language, but melodies,” I explained. “Some mermaids can’t talk. I can because my parents taught me how, but I heard some of them only communicate through music, and I’ve encountered them too. Personally, I think language is better since you can express more things with it. Songs are too practical. Language makes you understand more things and know them, for without it one could not conceive them. It’s bad in a sense, since it makes you know about things like property, and thus robbery and other crimes, for example, but it’s also good since I can name my feelings. With songs I could only express things like sadness, happiness and desire to procreate.”

Yoosung blushed.

“So you think the word came before the concept?”

“I don’t know in your world, but in mine I certainly think so. We don’t own any property as such, to continue with my previous example, but it’s true that if someone ever took some of the things I had kept in the boats I frequented I would have felt offended, since I think those things are mine in a way.”

“But that’s because you have a certain feeling of attachment to them,” he replied.

“It could be, but then I would only feel sad for losing them, not offended.”

He thought for a while.

“Can you talk to fish?” he asked.

“I do,” I smirked.

“Really?” he exclaimed, surprise.

“Yes! Oh, what do you say?” I said, putting my ear on the glass of the tank. “What? You’re saying that Yoosung should give me his dessert today?”

“You silly!” he threw a cushion towards me, which I caught, chuckling.

“I can’t talk with fishes, but I can use a song to attract them.”

“For real?!” he asked.

“Indeed! Look.”

I started to sing, putting the tip of my finger in the water and the fish started following it as I moved it.

“Awesome,” he whispered, coming closer to me to see it better. I blushed. He was so close. “Can you sing some other thing?”

The first thing that came to my mind was my pairing song. That’s the only song which varies depending on the mermaid, and only the person you belong with will feel attracted to it. I started singing it without thinking too much, and at that moment Yoosung’s eyes darkened. He seemed on a trance. He leaned closer to me, his hand on my cheek, closing his eyes. I close mine.

I don’t want it to happen this way, I realised.

I stopped singing and opened my eyes, and he did so too. We looked at each other for some time and he moved back, blushing and apologising. I was disappointed. I wanted to kiss him, but not when he was hypnotised by my song. I don’t know. Maybe I should have let him. I just wanted to cry and ask him to love me already.

I was falling for him. He was just too sweet. He would sleep on the couch, leaving me his bed, and made me breakfast every day. I tried to cook dinner too, but the first time I did it got burned. He ate it anyway, declaring that it was delicious taking into account that it was my first time cooking on my own all over the dinner. I cried quite a lot, but smiled at his words and his own grin. It was quite embarrassing, but I cooked again for him because he seemed to love the idea. Nevertheless, we agreed that we preferred doing it together.

The fourth day it happened.

I was lying on the couch reading a book, as usual, and Yoosung was studying beside me. I scratched my leg and noticed something strange on it.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” I said, and Yoosung only nodded.

I lifted my skirt and saw scales forming at random places all over my legs. I held back a gasp. Immediately, I brought a hand to my neck and noticed the gills starting to arise from the sides. I looked at myself on the mirror and saw my hair had started to turn white on the roots. I started sobbing uncontrollably and sat on the toilet, hating every inch of my legs and neck, scratching the scales as the tears started to roll down my cheeks.

“Auch,” I gasped when one of them started to bleed at my scratching.

“Hey, Seven!” I heard Yoosung on the living-room.

“Hey, hey,” he replied. “Where’s our princess of the sea?” he asked.

“In the bathroom. I’m going to leave this in the kitchen, wait for her at the living room.”

Nevertheless, I heard him knocking at my door. I sobbed and apparently he heard me, for he opened the door and closed it behind him, approaching me.

“Let me see,” he said, serious, as I tried to hide my scales and gills.

He bit his lower lip and looked at me, worried, when he saw the changes in my body. Then he embraced me, soothing me rubbing my back as I cried on his chest.

“We’ll find a way to fix this, we’ll find a way,” he kept on saying.

I nodded, wanting to believe it.

I resolved to put on a long skirt and let my hair fall on the sides of my neck to conceal the scales and gills.

The next day I found Yoosung humming on a mood on his couch with his phone.

“Good morning,” I smiled, rubbing my eyes.

“Good morning,” he grinned, his mood lightening when he saw me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He made a complaining sound.

“There’s this party the RFA has organised,” Yoosung explained. I knew the RFA were the friends I met at the beach. “And there’s a ball, and everyone seems to have a partner except for me, of course,” he sighed. “I don’t even know why I try.”

I swallowed.

“Have you asked everyone you wanted to go with?” I asked.

“Eh? No. Not really,” he blushed, looking down.

What I didn’t know was that he hadn’t had anyone. He had waited for me to enter the living room and make those complaining sound that prompted my curious nature to ask him what he was up to. But as I didn’t know I was somehow disappointed he hadn’t ask me.

“You should ask, then, if there’s someone else you want to go with,” I advised him, biting my lower lip, expectant.

He looked up at me, blushing, and looked to his phone again.

“Actually...” he hesitated.

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if you want to go? Maybe?” he looked up at me.

“I do!” I exclaimed. “I would love to see a ball!”

“And would you mind too much being my partner?” he had his eyes watery already, probably expecting a rejection.

“I would love to go as your partner!” I exclaimed.

“Really?!” his face light up. “Are you sure? Zen dances better, and Seven is funnier, and...”

“But I want to go with you,” I interrupted him.

“Oh,” he blushed. “Oh. Oh! Cool!” he smiled widely. “Super cool!”

“Yes, super cool!” I exclaimed, taking his hand.

“Do you want to practice?” he asked, standing up.

“I do!”

We danced all over the room, stepping on the other with no music, but I loved it. It was just like I imagined.

“I’m going to a ball! I’m going to ball!” I exclaimed, excited. “And with you!”

Yoosung blushed, smiling uncontrollably and chuckling.

“I’m really excited too,” he said. “Jumin already has a dress for you.”

“Does he?” I exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes,” he smiled. “He knew you were going to say yes.”

I blushed. Had he wanted to ask me all this time? I just hoped the dress was long, since my legs were almost completely covered by scales. I knew Yoosung looked at my hair from time to time, probably wondering if I was alright, but too embarrassed to ask. I hadn’t told him. I didn’t want him to know. Seven knew and he said he was ready to take me to the beach in two days, which I thanked. I didn’t want Yoosung to know. I just wanted to enjoy of his bright company as long as I could. He was like the reflection of the moon on the sea. Like a ray of sun that entered the water to illuminate the wonderful world that was hidden in the abandoned boats. Like the brightest star. I wanted to enjoy that light as long as I was allowed to.

[muthaz-rapapa]

StarPre: Zodiac Forms

Now that I’ve got the good quality official art, c’mon, did anyone seriously think I would not ramble about the zodiac forms in another long post? :P lol

Crap, I should be studying my Japanese since I’m traveling to Tokyo next week (GONNA GO VISIT THE PRECURE STORE, WOOOOT~!) but I want to get this post out first cuz I know I won’t have time or internet access to do it later.

So let’s do this!

Taurus form – BRAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDSSSSSSSSSS

8D

This one I like best out of Star’s two forms (but Pisces is awesome too!) for that reason but I also love how they changed her short tutu-style skirt into an asymmetric, flowing one. And that cow pattern is to die for~! <3

The butterfly earrings and horns are a very nice touch as well! *chef’s kiss*

Pisces form – I can’t explain why or how Hikaru pulls off the mermaid look so well…but she just does, okay?

Maybe it’s the twintails.

Anyways, super cute! Adding a touch of blue and deep magenta to the overall light pink theme really makes her look more tropical.

Then there are the sea accessories and ugh! Sometimes when I look at this, I’m reminded of Mermaid Melody except the way Star is designed here looks a lot more fun.

Before I get into this, I just want to say that we can now celebrate Lala’s bubble shorts blooming into space dresses! Aaaaaahhh~ <D

Leo form – Y’know when I saw Lala go “RAWR!” in the movie trailer, I was like “This is it, if this is the last thing I see, I’ll be happy I lived”, hahaha!

Lion imagery is just so cool, y’know? (as Gelato can testify)

The wild hair, the crown.

Yeap. This pretty much confirms it. Lala is Space Queen. ;D

Cancer form – I’m simultaneously gushing over her crab hair, how much I love this shade of yellow green and giggling mad that she resembles a jellyfish more than a crustacean. xDD

*sigh* Really, I think Lala’s forms turned out the best. They faithfully captured the aesthetics of the Star Princesses while retaining Milky’s original design and without making it overly gaudy, too.

Lala, you are perfect! <3

Libra form – Normally, I would say that’s too crazy for even crazy magical girl hair but then I remember Felice’s Alexandrite form and how extra that was in all its Mother Nature floral glory…

…and I just shut my trap.

Still, it seems like Libra form had the least effort put into it.

I mean, yea, they moved some colors around (more like seeped the orange into the ombre of Soleil’s hair) and extended the reaches of her dress but it’s practically the same thing save for Libra’s hairdo…which looks more like a wig she put on that anything.

That’s just it. The dual cornucopia there catches your attention right away on how…fake it looks that it’s as if the rest don’t matter as much. Which is sad cuz the Libra Star Princess is perhaps one of the best Star Princesses based on what little personality we did get from each of them. And I just wanted to see something more creative for her form, that’s all. :(

Maybe it’ll look better in motion? We’ll just have to see if that happens in the movie. As of right now, this still picture isn’t really helping my impression of it.

Scorpio form – Much better. Absolutely adore the slimmer cut and my, does Elena look downright gorgeous with a ponytail! <D

I’m always reading about how “full of passion” Scorpios are and while I don’t let those descriptions get in the way of appreciating their characters, have to admit that “passion” was the first word that came to my mind when I saw Soleil in this form.

She literally looks like a goddess of sunsets. Beautiful.

Capricorn form – Still not sure if I’m the type of person who favors something just because I so happen to share a quality or trait with that one certain aspect of a character…

And I freely admit that the Capricorn form is not the best of bunch (though it’s definitely not the worst)…

…but it looks unarguably lovely regardless and I love it with all my heart because me is a Capricorn, after all~ <3

The tiny hearts themselves may be a bit much but it’s part of Capricorn Star Princess’s design so honestly, I have zero problem with it. They’re adorable~

Then I kinda squealed because Selene traded her umbrella/lamp shade skirt for a fancy bed canopy! LOL xDD

But most of all, it’s simply wonderful to see Madoka with wavy hair (AGAIN WITH THE HAIR!). Ooooo, gotta love that transition from light purple to fuchsia! X3

Like I said before, they made the Cures’ respective color schemes and the Star Princesses’ color schemes quite compatible. But that’s a given since they’re within close range of each other anyway.

Sagittarius form – Ok, I may have said Lala’s forms looked the best but I believe the Sagittarius form alone can blow everyone else’s out of the sky.

I mean, look at her! Isn’t she friggin’ STUNNING?!

The long side pony tail (*SCREAMS*), the mature vibe the long gown gives off and most of all, MADOKA HOLDING AN ACTUAL BOW AND ARROW AND LOOKING LIKE A WARRIOR MAIDEN DESCENDING FROM THE HEAVENS TO PURGE THE EVIL FROM THIS WRETCH WORLD!!

HAAAAAA……I dunno why I get so emotional over form changes, I just do.

Alright, first things first. This is not the place for me to spill my grievances about Cosmos in general so rest assured, I won’t do that. But I am allowed to say one thing.

Toei. I don’t understand your incomplete logic.

Cure Cosmos is a rainbow Cure. You either give her all twelve differently colored forms or you give her none at all.

Seriously, it makes no sense that she gets four zodiac forms, leaving the other girls with only two when we could have had:

1) the original starters with three zodiac forms each

2) Cosmos with either twelve (because SHE’S THE CURE OF EFFIN�� RAINBOWS!!) or one exceptionally glorified rainbow super form (with seven cat tails because RAINBOWS!!)

This is less about midseason Cure privilege (which Cosmos has heaps of) or the fact that they won’t be able to fit so many forms in an hour long special (it’s movie budget so piss off!) and more about not doing your math right to get the best, maximum output! xP

*sigh* Ok, petty raging done (for now). Moving along…

Aries form – As some of you may know, I’m not a fan of Cosmos’ rainbow skirt but I find I can easily overlook that (along with the cat ears, the flat top hat décor, the weird braids and the dorito clips) to appreciate the full picture.

And the Aries form may just be my most favorite out of Cosmos’ forms. Since Aries is the ram constellation, the white wool trim looks appropriate, especially against the crimson of her outfit. Frankly, I think Cosmos looks better in this red design than her normal blue-rainbow Cure form.

Then there’s the poofy (kyaa~!) hair that just acts so well as a backdrop to the ram horns.

Mm, yes, definitely my favorite. *nod nod*

Gemini form – Again, where the fuck were you when Met Gala was happening this year?!

Like, this would not only fit right in with the camp theme but could’ve won best dressed that night!

The only thing I’d consider getting rid of is the rainbow but then it’d probably look less campy so maybe not.

Anyways, I was the least fond of this form when I first saw it but the more I look at it, the more I’m learning to like it…??

The red cape (and cherry earrings) provides a sharp contrast to all the green going on, too.

Virgo form – Azure blue complements light pink and white in a very angelic sort of way. Pretty~

Cosmos’ hair also looks delightfully charming when it’s curled and has a flower decoration in it.

…That’s all I have to say, really.

Oh no, wait.

It’s extremely odd to me that Cosmos gets two zodiac forms that correspond to other Cures’ birthday signs and she doesn’t even get the form of her own birthday sign.

Hikaru’s is Aries and Elena’s is Virgo. Look who got those forms.

Yuni’s sign is Libra. That form went to Soleil instead.

…WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?! >:/

Aquarius form – Is it just me or do the rainbow pleats actually work here?

We’re dealing with water and the droplet beads attached to the ends really reminds me of the rain so that’s probably why.

Cosmos’ hair also looks mega good in waves, too.

And the stars~! Exquisite!

On another note, again she always comes as a strange package because if cats in general hate water, then pairing Cosmos up with Aquarius is the biggest mismatch of them all, them both having a blue theme be damned. xD;

~~~~~

*SIGH* Finished!

…Or not. One last thing. There’s always one last thing.

It’s just a real shame that these forms are exclusive to the movie. I mean, I know we all have our opinions on whether or not Form Changes are actually useful in the tv series (I don’t care, I just like looking at them and that’s reason enough for me)…

But the stock footage was severely underwhelming for StarPre so having these in the show may have done some good to alleviate that feeling.

Also, the Zodiac forms have a much closer relation to the space motif than the Twinkle forms do. Seriously, the most noticeable things about the Twinkle forms are the tiaras and it’s weird because we already have the Star Princesses. So WHY do we need to put tiaras on the Cures? They’re not aiming to become princesses themselves, they’re channeling the powers of the stars (aka the Zodiac princesses!) so they should take on appearance respective of the star signs!

Again, I really don’t understand Toei logic.

……AND ONE MORE THING! OMGODD

Is there anyone out there who tried to draw what the first four Cures would look like in the forms that went to Cosmos? And if there is, may I see them? Please, pretty pretty please please please?!?!?

[smashbuddies]

Souvenirs by the Salty Sea: Pt. 7

Daniel chugged down his third glass of water and grimaced. Who in the hell drank water? Well, humans apparently. And now he did. Snail thought it would help him not dry out, so they set him up with this little experiment. And, well, he wouldn’t know until he tried, right? It even seemed to be working so far, but thankfully the cooler was within reach anyway.

Damn. He shifted a bit and tried to get more comfortable in the chair he had been placed in. It was weird being in this kind of position. Back straight, tail hanging off the chair at an awkward angle. Maybe he’d just slide into the cooler just to be comfortable. How the hell could people sit like this?

Legs. That’s how.

To distract himself from those kind of thoughts- especially in relation to that Lucas character he had met- he stretched over to the sink and refilled his cup. And down went number four.

When was Snail gonna get back? Daniel let out a sigh. Should he go back to playing with their pokémon? It would give him something to do, but he already spent a lot of time losing battles and running in circles.

So instead he started to hum a little song. One he learned from some other mermaid a long while ago. It took a moment for the words to come back, but once they did, they flowed out of his mouth in a slow, peaceful melody. He usually only sang this when he was feeling really alone, but…

A soft murrp made him stutter for a second, and Soup settled right onto his lap. With a smile he sang to her, with some scritched under her chin thrown in for good measure.  Her soft purring mixed with his singing to create a strange harmony, admittedly, but it was still an enjoyable duet.

Eventually, though, the song had to end. One could only sing the same five verses over and over so many times.

After a beat of silence, he could feel his patience running thin. He ran a hand through Soup’s thick fur and complained, “Snail sure is taking their sweet damn time, huh?”

“Hey!”

Soup was practically thrown off his lap from the way he jumped, and he shot Snail a glare as they strolled into the kitchen with a bunch of bags in their hands. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to hear you sing,” they answered. “Anyway, I wasn’t taking my sweet time.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh, sure. You want me to say you were being creepy instead? Because with you just watching me sing like that, it’s one or the other.”

Their face got red, which honestly almost made him laugh. “I liked hearing you sing. It’s really pretty,” they muttered. “Anyway, I got you things! ‘Cause we’re going out today.”

For a moment he was flattered by their praises, but sadly that was eaten up by an overwhelming bout of dread. “Out? Like, outside? In public? With other humans? How is that going to work?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” They set their bags down and pulled something out. It looked a little like one of the shirts they wore, only it was long, easily going down past their knees. “See, you can’t go out in public without clothes, so I got you a couple dresses. Figured that’d be easier since, you know. You can’t wear pants.”

“I don’t think it’s long enough,” he said as his fin slapped against the ground. “People will be able to see, you know.”

“That’s why I got a blanket!” They tossed the dress to him and pulled a blanket out. “It’s getting a little cold out anyway, so it’ll keep you warm and make sure no one sees your fishy bits.”

He glowered at them, which they didn’t see because they went back to rummaging through the bags. None of this would be necessary if he was human.

“I also got you a couple water bottles,” they rambled on, blissfully unaware. “It looks like drinking water works real well, so we can just keep you hydrated out there. And I got this really soft towel that we can soak for your gills. I mean, I still have no idea how that whole gill thing works, but I figured it could at least help hide them a bit, you know? We can say it’s a scarf, it’ll be fine.”

“And you’re sure you can carry me around the whole time we’re out?” he asked, one eyebrow cocked up. Sure, they were strong, but could they endure it?

They snorted. “Hell no. I got a wheelchair for you, though. It’s still out in the car.”

That just brought up more questions, but he figured those would be answered soon enough. So he just slipped the dress over his head and did a little work to get it down where it should be. Once he smoothed it out, he asked, “How do I look?”

Snail just stared at him. And before he could ask again, they just swept him up into their arms and kissed him fiercely. Daniel’s head swam, and every last bitter thought in his head disappeared, replaced by more love and care than he could even handle right then.

Pulling away, they grinned at him and said, “You look gorgeous.”

He smiled back. “Good. Because this dress feels weird.”

“You’ll get used to it,” they assured with a laugh. “But how about I make it up to you? It’s been a while since I’ve gotten you some fries. There’s this little place on the boardwalk that sells some, whaddaya say?”

“I say we should already be there!” To get them going, he wiggled and squirmed in their arms,. “C’mon! What’re you waiting for? We’re just wasting daylight now, Snail!”

They snorted and finally moved. “You’re so spoiled.”

“Less talking, more getting me fries!”

“Ugh, how much longer?”

“It’s just up here. Someone needs to learn to be patient.”

As if that would be easy when he felt so out of his element. His fingers tapped against the side of the half-empty bottle in his hands, an erratic rhythm that died almost as soon as it started up. There were people everywhere, and Snail had even said it wasn’t as busy here as it usually was. Now he almost had to scoff at that. Not as busy. Busy enough for him to suffocate in weirdly pitying looks.

But he kept his mouth shut and tried to find solace in the gentle motion of Snail pushing him along. If he closed his eyes, he could block everyone out. There would only be him, Snail, and the gentle roll of the ocean not too far away. Peacefully perfect.

At least until the sounds of chatter took over. His happy place found itself taken over by a busy gathering of humans in a small house of sorts. The smell of something delicious lingered in the air, and Daniel’s mouth watered right away. Though he let Snail handle talking with the person that greeted them. The last thing he wanted to do was say something wrong now.

Once the two of them were settled at the table- with Snail sitting across the way, much to his chagrin- he finally asked, “So when do we get fries?”

“In a minute,” they answered as they handed over some folded thing. “You gotta get something else with them though, so here.”

There were a bunch of words on it, ones that he didn’t really recognize too well. Damn it. He knew he should’ve brushed up on learning the language some more. He could’ve asked Snail to help. But he would’ve rather died than humiliate himself like that.

Letter by letter, he worked through as much as he could. Which was about two words before some other person came up and asked, “Can I get you two anything to drink?”

In a panic, he just said “water” and blew his chance to try anything new. Great. But there were more important things to worry about when Snail asked for something called a Doctor Pepper. Admittedly, he only half-knew what a doctor was, but from he’d seen, people only asked for one after someone else had collapsed on the beach.

Once the two of them were alone, he leaned in close and asked, “Why do you need a doctor? Are you hurt? We should be back home if you are!”

To their credit, they tried to hold back their laughter. “Daniel, it’s a soda,” they said between snickers. “It’s like this fizzy drink that tastes really good, but it’s got a whole ton of sugar in it. I’m not sick.”

Well, at least no one else was around to hear him embarrass himself. “Oh. Well, don’t make me worry like that.”

“Okay, I’ll try not to.”

He didn’t appreciate that tone. So he shot them a glare real fast and buried his face back into his menu, as it was labelled. He needed to figure out something out quick. B… U… R…

“Alright, here are your drinks! Are you ready to order?”

His mouth opened to say “no”, but Snail had cut him off with a “yes” too quickly.

Well.

Fuck.

While Snail asked for whatever, he hurried through what he could. Burger. He knew what that was, at least, so whatever. Snail could have it later or something, he didn’t care.

“And for you, sir?”

“I’d like a burger,” he said with a whole heaping of fake-confidence. And he certainly didn’t miss the weird look Snail gave him. “With fries. A lot of fries. Please.”

“Of course.”

“You can’t eat burgers,” Snail said, leaning in close when the drink-bringer left. “Are you trying to make yourself sick?”

“I never said I was going to eat it,” he argued, setting the menu down with a pointed slap. “You can have it. I’ll just eat the fries.”

“Are you sure that’ll be enough?” they asked with a concerned frown. “You know you could’ve ordered a fish sandwich or something and still gotten fries, right?”

“No, I didn’t, actually,” he said through clenched teeth. Stupid mermaid. “I needed more time to try and piece together the menu. I don’t know as much human language as I should. Sorry.”

Their face almost immediately fell. Then, sighing heavily, they put their elbows on the table and held their head in their hands. “I’m such a fucking moron. Fuck, I would’ve helped you if you’d told me!”

“I didn’t need your damn help!” he snapped. The blanket around his fin suddenly felt too tight. Like it was trying to trap him and keep him from slapping and swaying and just expressing himself like he was used to.

All he could see of their face were their eyes glaring at him between their fingers. It made a shiver run through him. Shamefully, he looked down and played with the folds of his dress.

“Sorry. I just needed more time. I can do it.”

A heavy sigh escaped them, and they lowered their hands to give him a half-smile. “I know you can. Just… Next time let me know so this doesn’t happen again.”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

Before long the two of them had their respective meals, and they both immediately quit chattering to dig in. But Daniel noticed something odd on his plate, at least after one of his precious fries touched it.

“What the hell is this?” he asked and raised the fry in question up. Light glinted almost menacingly off the red goop on top. “And why did they give it to me?”

“Ith kethup,” they answered, mouth half-full. Upon seeing his blank look, they swallowed and clarified, “Remember tomato soup? It’s like that. Only thicker and cold. It’s pretty good, lots of people like it on their fries.”

Well, if it was like tomato soup, he could at least give it the benefit of the doubt. So he tried it, and found it… Okay. A little bit of a letdown. But he could eat it.

“Not bad,” he said. “This kethup gets a pass. For now.”

For some reason, Snail almost choked. Taking a deep breath, they said slowly, “Ketchup, Daniel. Ketchup.”

“I…” His face grew hot while Snail just grinned. “You had your mouth full! Prick!”

“Alright, fine,” they said, as if it was such a big deal to admit this was their fault. “After this I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’ll take you to my favorite spot on the boardwalk. And maybe we can get some ice-cream too, okay?”

“...Fine.”

Light glinted off the ocean to create a beautiful array of sparkles. Daniel watched, wide-eyed, fascinated with this new view of the ocean. He’s seen this before, but somehow it was newer with Snail by his side. Maybe because this was their favorite spot? It was a little heartwarming. He liked to imagine it was because of him, but realistically he knew that couldn’t be quite right.

A cold drop on his hand pulled him out of his thoughts, and he grumbled as he wiped up the sticky mess.

“It’s gonna melt if you don’t eat it quicker,” Snail warned, already nibbling on their cone.

“Oh really?” he retorted, licking a stripe up his ice cream. “I never would’ve guessed.”

They gave him a look that said “are you serious?” and opened their mouth to no doubt remind him of something embarrassing. But an unfamiliar voice cut them off.

“Snail? You jerk, it’s been too long!”

Snail whipped around to face this new person, who was flanked by two women “Hey, Bailey! Fuck, has it really been that long?”

“Yeah, because someone’s been honeymooning with their boyfriend.”

Daniel sunk down a bit. Oh no. Snail’s friends. He had to impress them, right? He didn’t expect to have to do that yet. This was supposed to be a simple date. 

Well, at least it wouldn’t have to be all three at once. Bailey was too busy catching up with Snail to worry about. So he turned his attention to the two women.

One of them seemed pretty relaxed. She gave him a smile and simply said, “Hey, Daniel, right? Heard a little bit about you from Bailey. I’m Nikki-” she cocked her head- “and this is Megan.”

“Pleasure to meet you two,” he responded quietly.

Nikki seemed alright. He admired how cool she seemed, at least. Megan, on the other hand… She sized him up with a raised brow and a haughty look. Which he readily returned. Because something seemed off about her. Off in a familiar way. Was she…?

“Oh, sorry, Daniel!” Bailey said to him, catching him off guard. “Snail talks so much about you, they’ve been in love with you for so long now.” They smiled teasingly and nudged Snail with their elbow. “It’s about time you two got together.”

“Don’t listen to them, they’re a jackass,” Snail quickly said, looking like they wanted to just take off. “Anyway, Nikki, Megan! How’ve you been?”

“Oh, you know, we’re hangin’ in there,” Nikki said with a casual shrug. “Megan’s got her physics stuff. That’s been decent. And the band’s been doing pretty okay. We got a pretty nice gig for this weekend. You two should come check it out.”

“Daniel doesn’t do well with crowds,” Snail said, one hand protectively on his shoulder. “Hook us up with a CD, though, we’ll have our own little concert.”

“Sure, dude. No problem.”

He needed to figure it out. But no amount of staring Megan down quite answered his question. And she noticed too, which didn’t help.

“Why’re you staring at me?” she asked bluntly. And her words even sounded a little weird. Like how he knew he sounded when he spoke. But was that really the case? Or was he just so desperate for someone to relate to that he projected onto this girl?

Only one way to find out.

“Luso be ky ashuno-da?”

That pissed look immediately melted off of Megan’s face. Even Nikki and Bailey both looked shocked, and shared a glance with each other.

Well, shit.

“Um!” Snail immediately cut in, stepping in front of Daniel with a nervous laugh. “Sorry, he sometimes, you know, slips into his first language. He’s from, uh… You know…”

“Oceania,” Nikki suggested, though the way she said it seemed more like she knew Snail would hop on that answer. “Met a couple people from there before. Sounded like that language.”

“Yeah, that place!”

Before Daniel could get a word in- or even mutter under his breath about how ridiculous a mermaid from Oceania sounded, like really- Snail stuffed the last chunk of their cone into their mouth and grabbed his wheelchair.

“Anyway, gotha go! Thee ya lather!”

He jerked with how quickly they took off, and nearly dropped his almost finished ice-cream. Though that probably wasn’t nearly as important as Snail leaning close to his ear and telling him off.

“You can’t just throw out your mermaid language without warning me, I was barely able to cover your ass!”

“Nikki helped us, don’t worry,” he said, though he was also getting on his own case. “And I had a good reason.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Just warn me next time, okay? I’m gonna have to remember where you’re from now in case anyone asks.”

He didn’t say anything. While Snail repeated Oceania, Oceania, Oceania under their breath, he made his decision. And maybe he made it for the wrong reasons, under the wrong assumptions, but he didn’t care.

One way or another, Lucas was going to get a visit here soon.