#I wanted to draw Skip more like a slug too so. slug boy. I gave him eyes just cus I wanted to give him a lil more expression but he still-

[archersartcorner]

So Starstruck Odyssey grabbed me by the throat and rocketed it’s way to second place campaign for me (TUC still has first in my heart ❤️) but uhm. Can you tell who my favorite character is. It’s definitely not Skip I promise why would you think that-

[willthelee]

A New Friend

It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these but uh, yea I guess, this was just sitting so I finished it and posted it, sorry about any mistakes since it’s like 12 midnight

Lee!Purpled Ler!BeeDuo

Warnings: Feet Tickles, Swearing

Maybe it was just his cockiness, but Purpled wasn’t the best at making friends, it wasn’t like he didn’t have friends, or would turn down the opportunity to make one, it was just that he wasn’t the one to constantly try to make them but that was easily hidden under his ego.

Tubbo was quite the opposite.

The energetic boy was practically running circles around Ranboo with excess energy after being stuck inside for days because of a bad storm, so naturally, they went for a walk the first moment they had a chance.

Gray clouds hung overhead but Tubbo couldn’t really care less, skipping around while Ranboo sleepily slugged behind, having just been woken up by Tubbo when he saw that the rain had stopped momentarily.

Purpled had also taken this opportunity to take a step outside even though he wasn’t feeling nearly as energetic as Tubbo. He just needed a step outside. The fresh, earthy air was incredibly refreshing, having been breathing stuffy air for days inside his house.

When he saw Tubbo and Ranboo in the near distance, he sped up his walking just a little to catch up. He had seen and heard a lot about the duo but haven’t directly interacted for a while now, and Purpled wanted to see what was up since Tubbo was literally dragging Ranboo with him.

“C’monnn Booooo we haven’t walked together in foreverr” Tubbo urged, trying to get Ranboo to move faster

“It’s been like three days!”

“Hey, w- what’s up?” Purpled interrupted, nervous from his lack of recent human interaction and fear that he had cut into something important because of Tubbo’s pleading tone

Ranboo’s head immediately turned to face the unexpected follower, his look of surprise further adding to Purpled’s nervousness “O- Oh nothing! Need something?”

“N- No, not really-“ Purpled stuttered, slowing back down, nervous he had bothered them. Ranboo’s tone wasn’t meant to be that cold, but Purpled didn’t know that. The freshness of the air started to fade as Purpled looked down, hands in his purple hoodie pockets as he lingered forward slowly

“Oh hi Purpled!” Tubbo slowed down next to Purpled, his enthusiasm embedded into his voice “You alright?”

Purpled’s head immediately shot up, positively surprised by Tubbo’s excitement but not quite confident yet “Hey Tubbo, I’m alright.”

“You sure?” Tubbo put on his best comforting tone, making sure Purpled was okay.

“I’m fine, Tubbo.” Purpled’s natural cockiness had faded completely, not even sure what was the cause of why he was that upset

“You suuureee?” Tubbo gave Purpled a small poke on the side, trying to get his attention

Purpled jumped a little, not expecting the sudden touch in the moment, the surprised look on his face sent a tidal wave of worry through Tubbo, afraid that he had gone too far, but to his surprise, Purpled giggled “Hehey-!” His voice now significantly more warm and friendly

Purpled’s giggle caught Ranboo’s attention, he was about a good 10 feet in front of them so he slowed down to match the pace of the others “What’s going on here~?”

“None of your shihit!” Purpled had recovered his cockiness in an instant

Tubbo gave Ranboo a look, which Ranboo returned

Purpled’s fate was set

“That’s kinda rude, right Tubbo~?”

“Yea, it reaallyyy was.”

“Okay. And what are you gonna do ‘bout it?”

That was the last straw.

It was all a quick blur as Purpled was tackled to the floor by the duo, Ranboo now straddling him as Tubbo sat next to him “I think you know what we’re going to do about it buddy.” Ranboo replied

“What?” Purpled had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but didn’t want to give any ideas as anticipation fluttered in his stomach

A hand being placed on his tummy made him twitch as the situation finally set in on him. There was no way out of it now.

The air was still for a second, a light breeze around them being the only movement while Tubbo and Ranboo smirked an evil smirk at what Purpled had did to himself.

A light squeak interrupted the silence since Ranboo suddenly decided to just lightly claw on Purpled’s tum, drawing adorable giggles

“Is thahat all yohohou gohot?”

Tubbo pulled Purpled’s arms over his head, predicting Ranboo’s thoughts

Immediately, Ranboo vibrated his fingers into Purpled’s underarms, giggling at his cackling and thrashing

“WAHAHAIT! I DIHIHIDN’T MEHEAN IT-!” Purpled did mean it, his provoking was obvious, even though he might not have noticed.

“So, is it still none of my shit?”

“YEHEHES!”

Ranboo immediately sped up, making a squeal and noticeable laughter increase to emit from the blonde boy

At this point, Tubbo was getting bored of just sitting around and watching, so he decided to chime in, he let go of Purpled’s arms, which Purpled immediately clamped shut, and walked around to his legs

Carefully, Tubbo sat on Purpled’s shins and pulled off his shoes

“WAHAHAIT NOHOHOHO!” Purpled tried to pull his feet away, but Tubbo had trapped them with his weight

“What am I waiting for boss man?” Tubbo played innocent, pretending he wasn’t about to do anything

When Purpled didn’t respond with anything except laughing from Ranboo’s attacks, Tubbo lightly but quickly scribbled into Purpled’s arches

The squeal that Purpled made was the loudest and most adorable thing either Ranboo or Tubbo had heard in a while, causing them to soften their attacks just slightly

The feelings on both spots were starting to be overwhelmingly ticklish, and he finally gave in. “OKAHAHAY FIHIHINE! I GIHIHIVE UHUHUP! PLEHEHEASE!”

Tubbo immediately stopped, leaving tingly ghost tickles on Purpled’s sensitive feet, but Ranboo wasn’t quite done yet

“Is it still none of my shit?”

“FIHIHINE IT’S YOHOURE SHIHIT! PLEHEHEASE!”

With that, Ranboo stopped and got off of Purpled, giggling at the phasing of the sentence.

Purpled quickly curled into a ball, giggling from the ghost tickles he could still feel

“You alright?” Ranboo carded through Purpled’s hair while Tubbo walked over and leaned on Ranboo.

“Yehea, I’m fihihine bihitch.”

“You want more?”

Before Purpled could respond, the rain had started sprinkling again, and from the looks of it, it was going to be pouring soon.

“It’s raining, we should go home soon” Tubbo suggested

Purpled slowly got up and put his shoes back on as he recovered. The entire group now standing up

“It was nice meeting you Purpled” Ranboo said in a friendly tone

“Yea, you too I guess”

With that, they all separated with a smile on their faces, still thinking about what just happened, and the new friendship they’d just created.

[trashytummiez]

Beef and Belly Rubs

I came up with this idea after seeing some old Haikyū!! drawings @dumdumdrawstumtums did of Bokuto and Akaashi.  I love his art a whole lot and wanted to make something with these two for a while.  <3

“Akaashiiiiiiii, I’m starvin’ heeeeeeere!” Bokuto whined and rubbed his stomach hungrily through his grey, sleeveless sports top.  He had on sweatpants and no socks as he typically did whenever he was home and relaxing.

“Delivery will be here any minute, stop whining,” Akaashi said to his exuberant boyfriend while sitting on their couch.  But the latter kept whining when all of the sudden, his stomach grumbled loud enough that even Akashi went slightly wide-eyed.  “When’s the last time you ate?”

Bokuto tilted his head and looked up in thought.  “Uhmm, like two hours ago?”

“Could you not think with your stomach for six seconds?”

“Sure!”  Bokuto exclaimed and paused, as if he was listening intently.  “...Hmmmh, my brain says I’m hungry too!”

Akaashi merely pinched his brow and huffed through his nostrils.  

Still, for the grief he gave Bokuto, Akaashi had to admit, he was pretty hungry too; evident when his own stomach rumbled enough to make him blush.  He gently rested a hand against his T-Shirt clad stomach and rubbed it softly.   

But mercifully, the delivery guy came before Akaashi could have any more choice words for his gluttonous boyfriend or before his own stomach could embarrass him.  Between Bokuto’s ravenous hunger and his own gnawing hunger pangs, he made it a point to order a considerable, extra amount of BBQ beef and steamed rice.  It was Bokuto’s favorite dish and Akaashi had to admit, he was partial to it himself. 

The spiky-haired boys mouth was practically drooling at the smell of the food.  Akaashi set everything down on the floor where the two always sat to eat.  Bokuto didn’t waste a second.  He opened his takeout box and immediately dug in before Akaashi could even grab his own box.  All Akaashi could do was watch his gluttonous boyfriend become a human trash compactor for food.  It was like he was literally inhaling his meal of beef and rice with his chopsticks shoveling everything in his gaping mouth like one would shovel snow.

Akaashi didn’t think anyone loved food as much as Bokuto.

Still, fair’s fair.  The beef was really good, especially when paired up with rice so fluffy and steamy.  

Akaashi at his own pace while Bokuto ate like a cartoon on fast forward.  He finished his first takeout box in record time and was already downing the contents of his second box.  How the boy managed to eat so much all the time yet stay so fit, Akaashi chalked up to a great metabolism and their constant athleticism.  Professional Volleyball in Japan was one of the most demanding sports one could ever play after all.

The meal went on with Akaashi moving onto his second box.  In truth, he didn’t tend to eat this much, but he skipped lunch today and was really hungry.  Bokuto, on the other hand, was already three boxes in and onto his fourth.  How anyone could eat so much was a mystery to the raven-haired Akaashi, but it didn’t matter.  Not when the end result caused Bokuto’s normally lean stomach to bulge out like that.  His sleeveless sports shirt was naturally puffy as they tended to be, but even that wasn’t enough to mask the bump in his midsection that was growing tighter against his shirt with every mouthful swallowed down.

Akaashi had no clue why seeing his boyfriend eat so much always seemed to make him a little hot under the collar.  But whatever the reason, the composed of the two volleyball players had accepted that he liked what he liked.  Though, as their meal went on, Akaashi himself was starting to feel heavier than usual.  He grimaced with discomfort and rested a hand against his own stomach and, much to his surprise, it was very noticeably pushing out; felt tight to the touch too.  Akaashi blushed, not realizing he was eating so much.  But he figured he was almost done, so he might as well finish what he had left.

The meal was eventually finished and the two athletes sat on the floor surrounded by empty takeout boxes and nursing their overstuffed bellies.  Bokuto pronounced the completion of his gorging the way he always did; he slumped back and let out a huge burp.  Akaashi rolled his eyes at Bokuto’s crudeness but blushed a little, both at the gross but impressive display, and especially the end result of Bokuto’s gorging.  Bokuto had eaten so much that his stomach was partially exposed from under his shirt; it had bloated out by nearly two feet.

“Ahhh, man, I’m stuffed!”  Bokuto exclaimed contently, patting his belly.

“Ungh, for once, you’re not the only one,” Akaashi complained, rubbing his own achingly full stomach softly.  His t-shirt barely contained his middle, which pressed out by over a foot more than it usually did.  Whereas Bokuto was sporting a sizable potbelly, Akaashi’s stomach looked like it had a prominent food baby; appearing very tight to the touch.

Akaashi blushed some more when he realized how bloated he was.  He could eat when he was hungry, but he tried his best to make a point of not eating so much if he could help it.  The only solace he took was the fact that, for as much as he ate, Bokuto still ate way more.  A point Bokuto was more than happy to emphasize with another big, lengthy belch.  He sighed when it ended and smacked his lips with a grin.  “Not too shabby, amirite?”

Akashi simply glanced back at his boyfriend and was about to call him a pig.  Instead, a burp of his own rolled out of his mouth the second he opened it.  A loud one too.  Akaashi’s eyes bugged out and he immediately covered his mouth while blushing immensely.

Bokuto blinked, then laughed heartily.  “Gyahahahahaha!!!!  Dude, that was epic!”  Bokuto exclaimed, slugging his mild-mannered boyfriend in the arm.

Akaashi glared but it did nothing to quell his blush.  “...That wasn’t epic,” Akaashi said with embarrassment.  He would’ve said more, but he had to keep his mouth shut with a fist pressed against his lips as another burp tried to work its way up Akaashi’s throat.  This time, he was able to hold it back, but it still rumbled in his mouth and made his cheeks puff up.

Bokuto saw Akaashi’s embarrassment; saw his cheeks redden even more, then decided to cut him a break with a sly grin.  “Hmmm, y’know what?  You’re right, that wasn’t epic at all.  This is epic...”

Akaashi watched Bokuto swallow some air; saw his throat bob and heard it gurgle a little with his throat muscles hard at work getting that air down.  Then, once Bokuto had enough air in his gut, he thumped his chest and let loose a resounding belch that dwarfed Akaashi’s in volume, length and rumble.  It rolled out of him with such force that Akaashi almost felt like the ground itself shook, but that was probably because he was sitting right besides the burping boy.  

Bokuto sighed loudly with relief and gave his belly a resounding pat.  “Whew!  Now that was a good one!”

“You’re an idiot,” Akaashi replied, but he said it with a grateful smile, which Bokuto met with his joyous grin.  

“You know ya love it,” Bokuto teased.

“Doesn’t mean you’re not an idiot,” Akaashi responded, neither confirming nor denying Bokuto’s claim.

Though, that confirmation was made when the black-haired boy scooted over next to Bokuto and slid his hand underneath Bokuto’s shirt in order to rub Bokuto’s bulging belly.

Bokuto hummed and leaned back with his hands pressed up against the floor for support which made his stomach stick out more for Akaashi to rub.  His hand ran up and down the bulging flesh, kneading into it while Akaashi stroked gently.  Akaashi could hear Bokuto’s belly burbling deeply in tandem with his delicate touch.  It was as if Bokuto’s belly itself was genuinely gurgling with pleasure at the treatment Akaashi was providing.

“Ohhhh man, that feels good,” Bokuto moaned out loud.

Akaashi knew what he was doing.  He ran his palm in circular fashion all across Bokuto’s middle, digging his fingertips into the rounded top of Bokuto’s gut and making him moan a little louder.  Then his hand drifted to Bokuto’s lower belly, which required Akaashi to tug his sweatpants down to expose more of that burgeoning stomach.  There, Akaashi felt up Bokuto’s belly, stroking its underside from side to side.  

Bokuto’s stomach churned deeply, which made Bokuto squirm a little uncomfortably.  He sat up and tightened his face a little.  Then, he grabbed his stomach with one hand and let loose a rumbling belch that rolled out of his for a few seconds.  “Ungh, man, I’m feelin’ gassy today...”

When Bokuto said that, a thought occurred to Akaashi.  Experimentally, he moved his hand to the center of Bokuto’s bulging belly, and pushed his palm deeply into it.  Bokuto lurched but then threw his head back and burped again; a thundering, rumbling belch.  Akaashi could actually feel the gas circulating up from Bokuto’s belly since his hand was pushing right up against that bloated stomach.  He couldn’t help but blush again.

Bokuto gasped loudly and grinned a relieved but satisfied grin.  “Gaaaah, dude, that felt good...!  Thanks, man!”

Akaashi simply bowed his head and patted Bokuto’s belly then went back to rubbing away.

But as Akaashi rubbed, he froze in place when out of nowhere, Bokuto’s own hand slid underneath Akaashi’s t-shirt and started to rub his own belly.  “...W-What are you doing...?”  Akaashi asked, feeling flustered.

“Well, you’re always givin’ my belly some love, it’s only fair I repay the favor, right?”  Bokuto explained, pulling Akaashi’s shirt up and exposing his bare stomach.  He squirmed even more when Bokuto unbuttoned Akaashi’s jeans and pulled his zipper down to give his own bloated stomach some room to grow.  

“...Th-That’s not-”

Akaashi couldn’t finish his sentence.  The second Bokuto’s hand started rubbing circles against the center of Akaashi’s bloated stomach, the black-haired boy moaned with pleasure.  It felt so shockingly good that he was almost stunned.

“...So that’s what that feels like...” Akaashi mused, settling down on the floor and relaxing, even while still stroking Bokuto’s much larger belly.

Bokuto snickered.  “Yep!  Sure is!”

Both athletes sat together, both gingerly stroking each others bellies and humming with delight.  The belly rubs made Akaashi more relaxed than Bokuto had ever seen him.  It brightened Bokuto’s day to see his boyfriend enjoying the treatment so much, so he kept at it.  

His hand gently stroked up Akaashi’s belly, reaching his lean chest, and down to his underbelly.  When he stroked up again, Bokuto kneaded around Akaashi’s belly button, which got quite a reaction from Akaashi himself.  His cheeks darkened and he bit his lower lip at the feeling, which Bokuto took as a sign to keep going, even if Akaashi’s own rubbing halted in that moment.  Bokuto continued kneading around Akaashi’s navel and got a pleased moan from the boy.

But that turned into a groan when Akaashi’s belly churned loudly again.  He turned his head and muffled another burp, blushing afterwards and excusing himself.

Bokuto snickered.  “Y’know, your stomach’ll feel a lot better if ya just let it out, dude.  It’s just us.  Ya don’t hafta be so polite.”

“I’m not just polite if people are around me or not,” Akaashi corrected.

“Whatever, man.  Ya wanna feel better, don’tcha?”

Akaashi glared back at Bokuto, but when a sour, sickly gurgle bellowed from his belly and made him recoil, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking for some relief.  So, when his gurgling gut gave him more grief and he felt some pressure coming up, against his better judgement, Akaashi turned his head, held a hand over his mouth and burped.  It was pretty deep and brought a sliver of relief, even if Akaashi felt embarrassed to let it out like that.

Bokuto grinned.  “Nice, but I think you can do better.”

And to prove his point, Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s belly and pressed it down.  

There was a hefty rumble that erupted from Akaashi’s stomach in response.  He lurched again and was unable to hold back the huge burp that erupted from his throat.  It was loud enough that it could’ve almost been mistaken for one of Bokuto’s and actually lasted a few seconds too.

Akaashi would’ve been embarrassed if letting out such a big one didn’t feel so good.

He slumped back and moaned loudly.  “Ahhh, wow, that’s...that’s a lot better...”

Bokuto grinned.  “You’re welcome!  Heh, hey, why don’t we grab some sodas’n get a burping contest going?  Ya always say no whenever I challenge you, but now, ya seem to be gettin’ in the spirit of things.”

Akaashi just glared back at his boyfriend.  But in spite of himself, that adorably happy grin of his was impossible not to smile at.  “...I’ll go get the sodas,” he conceded.  But before he did, Akaashi leaned forward and planted his lips against Bokuto’s by surprise.  Now it was Bokuto’s turn to blush.

“What was...umm...what was that for?”  Bokuto asked timidly.

“For being the big idiot I know and love for some reason,” Akaashi exclaimed and pushed himself up to head over to the kitchen.

Bokuto, who was still blushing, nonetheless smiled.  “And I’m more than happy to be your idiot...”

[alison-anonymous]

flawsome bandits pt. 7 ♡ sonic

Flawsome Feelings

Here comes the seventh part you guys! Wow, I can’t believe I’ve already made it this far! I’ve been writing every night because of all of the encouragement and kind words and a special shout out to @fandomqueen2003 for helping me tie together some loose ends to continue this story on past the end of the movie ;) Please enjoy and I’ll update as soon as I finish the next chapter ♡

Warnings - contains the final fight scene, and a mix of fluff and angst 

♡♡♡ 

Sonic was slowly walking up the stairs due to the aching feeling in his legs from the explosion when he heard a glass-shattering scream. The worst part? It sounded like it came from Y/n. He was instantly put into action, rushing up the rest of the stairs like his own life depended on it, slamming into the room. His green eyes glanced around the room in fear, searching for the girl of his dreams but… she wasn’t there. 

Instead, an ice blue hedgehog stood in the middle of the room.

It was a girl, obviously from her softly shaped quills and exaggerated eyelashes. Confusion overwhelmed his recovering brain, trying to understand what exactly he was seeing. His guard instantly turned on, as he slowly began to put his fists up in defense.

“W-who are you and what have you done with Y/n?” He didn’t mean to growl as deeply as he did, but his emotions were all over the place at the moment.

The girl hedgehog’s eyes widened the instant she saw him, slowly putting her gloved hands up in the air in surrender. For some reason, tears began to pool in her eyes as she took in his form, looking him up and down. Was this real? Was he really standing before her? 

“Sonic, it’s me! It’s Y/n.” 

“Y/n?” Sonic slowly shook his head. “No, that’s impossible…” 

The ice blue hedgehog turned to the open box and it was only then that Sonic noticed Y/n’s vial was empty. Wait… did she… drink it? No, she couldn’t have. 

...could she?

Y/n plucked the yellow vial out of the box and gingerly held it out towards him, sincerity written clearly in her eyes. “Take it, Sonic. Please.” 

He rapidly shook his head, eyes going wider than Maddie’s fine china plates. “Hell no! I’m not drinking piss! I don’t even know what it is!”

“It’ll help you remember,” Y/n blurted. “Please, Sonic.”

Sonic’s expression softened as he realized that there were no traces of lies surrounding her. Was this hedgehog before him really Y/n? Was this what drinking that vial had done to her? She was never truly a human? As these thoughts scattered around in his brain at a million miles an hour, he looked deep into the creature’s eyes. Those e/c irises… they were so familiar. And then it hit him.

They were Y/n’s eyes.

His brain practically exploded at that moment, his knees growing weak. She was a hedgehog. Had she always been a hedgehog? That vial was still sticking in the palm of her hand, daring him to drink it. And even though the liquid that sloshed about the tiny case looked like urine, if drinking Y/n’s vial had turned her into his kind, then what did he have to lose?

His dignity, for one. 

Nevertheless, he gently took it out of her hand, noting that they both wore the exact same pair of gloves and popped off the cork. It had no smell. He shot Y/n one last skeptical glance before raising the vial to his lips and drinking. The cool liquid slipped down his throat like an icy slug, dissipating the second it hit his stomach and racing up to affect his internal chemistry. Within seconds, the flashbacks were already happening. The impact was so great that it caused him to topple over, Y/n being quick to catch him just as Tom and Maddie came rushing into the room to see what the hell was going on. He remembered everything - growing up with his powers, losing Longclaw, being on the run with his best friend, gaining trillions of enemies along the way and always being afraid. But the most important memory hit him like a truck, the racing in his heart and the butterflies in his stomach making sure to let him know that it was still true.

He was in love with Y/n.

♡♡♡

“What in the actual hell is going on here?” Tom screamed, Maddie clinging onto his arm in fear. Before them stood not one, but TWO hedgehogs. One of them the speedy boy they had come to accept and the other completely new. The girl hedgehog turned to them, still holding onto Sonic’s shoulders in an attempt to keep him upright. A sheepish smile crossed her lips (A/N: just to clarify, she still remembers everything of her time on earth, the vial just changed her back to a hedgehog and gave her back her memories). 

“Uh, hi Dad. Hi Mom…”

“Y-Y/n?” Maddie stuttered, brown eyes filling with shock. “What happened to you?” Y/n glanced around the room, trying desperately to collect her thoughts and come up with an explanation that wouldn’t freak them out at the same time. But the only answer was to tell them the cringiest truth there is.

“This is… what I really am. Or, was, I guess. I kind of drank whatever was in that vial we found that had my name on it and I got all of my memories back.” She did her best to explain, giving her foster parents a warm smile. The fear began to burn in her chest as the question raised in her mind about whether or not they would still accept her in this life form. Tom and Maddie exchanged shocked and horrified glances, but when they both looked back at her, the answer was already clear.

Whatever she was, whoever she was, Y/n was still their kid. The one that they had loved and raised in their home and shared so many memories with. They were one of the lucky foster families that just fit like puzzle pieces. They knew that all Y/n had wanted for years was an answer to her past, a reason for why she felt so different and wrong. And if the answer was that she was a hedgehog? 

It may be crazy, but… they would find a way to accept it. The two gave her the warmest smiles they could, and it brought tears of relief into Y/n’s eyes as she smiled back. Just as Tom was about to open his mouth to say something more, Sonic finally snapped up straight and looked Y/n straight in the eyes, the determination thick.

“I’m in love with you.” 

...silence. Sonic’s panting breaths from the adrenaline were the only sound in the very tense room. The emotions that were going throughout the heads of everyone were very mixed. Sonic didn’t even realize how he was practically hanging on to Y/n’s next sentence, praying with every fiber of his being that she would tell him that she loved him back. Unfortunately, she was in too much shock to be able to process what was going on.

“Um… what?” Was the only words she was able to muster.

“Um, I second that. What?” Tom practically shrieked, Maddie making sure to keep a good grip on his arm in case he went back into protective father mode. Sonic’s excited expression slowly began to fade as he realized that the look on Y/n’s face wasn’t the ecstatic smile he had been hoping for. Her nose was twitching ever so slightly, her mouth open in a very small o, and her eyes… 

Were full of fear.

“Sonic, I…” Y/n drawed off, trying desperately to think of something to say. Of course she was in love with him too! She loved him more than anything in the world! But… Why did she feel so afraid? Was it because of the circumstances they were under? Or was it maybe, just maybe… she didn’t want to let him down? For the person she is now to not be the same as the person he had fallen in love with before? She didn’t have a chance to explain as Sonic held up a hand and offered her a half-hearted smile, trying his best to mask the heartbreak written on his forehead.

“It’s okay, I understand.” He hesitantly stepped away from her, crushing her heart into pieces. Her ears pressed back against her head as she looked down at the floor, an awkward silence filling the air between them all. Tom and Maddie looked at one another in melancholy, knowing that there was obviously a ton of chemistry there. But before anyone could say another word, Sonic was quick to get the conversation flowing again. 

“Hey, wait a minute… do you still have your powers?” 

“Wait what powers? What the actual fu-” Tom was interrupted once again by Y/n plastering on a fake hopeful smile and closing her eyes to concentrate.

“Ah~, ah~...” She sang so gently, so beautifully that it could have made any choral instructor cry. But the thing that was even more beautiful was how the second the notes left her mouth, she began to levitate off of the ground. Her e/c eyes popped open and a grin spread on her face once she realized it was still working. Tom and Maddie’s mouths dropped open in shock as she lowered herself back onto the ground.

“Okay, so… our daughter is actually a hedgehog with singing magical abilities… okay.” Maddie sighed, nodding softly to herself. “I can deal with this.”

The new revelation posed yet another question to the already overloaded atmosphere. Y/n’s happiness spurt dwindled once more as she looked at Sonic. 

“So… does this mean that I’m going with you?” She looked back to her parents. “Or staying with them?”

No one could find an answer for that one…

♡♡♡

A hop, skip, and a very awkwardly silent car ride later, the fantastic four showed up at the huge tower where Sonic’s rings were supposedly dropped. Maddie and Tom slipped out of the car, followed in suit by Sonic, who helped Y/n jump down out of the car. His hand lingered in hers for a moment, and once he realized that they were still touching, he hesitantly pulled away, looking to the side. A frown fell upon both of their mouths as they walked up to Y/n’s parents.

“Well, there you have it, this is your tower,” Tom said proudly, placing his hands on his hips as they all stared up at the huge skyscraper. Sonic and Y/n exchanged a hopeful glance before looking back up at the tower. 

“So, should we-” Maddie began, but didn’t even get to finish her sentence as Sonic was already gone. She looked around the empty area next to her daughter, mouth hanging open. “Wait, he’s just…”

“Gone,” Y/n giggled, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to suppress the feeling of throwing up from her nerves. “Yep.”

Maddie felt concern bubble inside her own stomach for her daughter, practically bursting at the seams for a chance to spend some one-on-one time to talk to her about… well, everything! She had just found out that she was never a human, that Sonic was in love with her, and that she might never see her parents again if she chose to go to the “Mushroom Planet” with him. Seriously, some Mother-Daughter time was seriously needed in this situation.

Sonic was back by their side in seconds, his finger tapping his chin in thought. “No good, we need a key to get to the roof.” 

Y/n’s head lowered in disappointment, but next to her, Tom squared his legs and got into the famous Superman position. He craned his head towards the tip of the skyscraper and said in the best authority voice he could muster:

“It is time to abuse the power entrusted in me.”

An awkward silence followed as the remaining three exchanged confused glances. Was he… expecting someone to say something or? Y/n finally had the courage to break the silence, glancing at him worriedly.

“...Dad-”

“Shh, let the moment be, Y/n. Let the moment be.” 

♡♡♡

Now, everyone knows that trying to get up to the roof while having two alien hedgehogs following in suit would arouse much suspicion. So, Tom and Maddie did the only logical thing that they could think of.

They shoved the two into one of Tom’s very old, very smelly gym bags.

Considering the recent basic-rejection that had happened barely less than an hour ago, it was very awkward for the two. There was not one part of Y/n’s body that wasn’t pressed up against Sonic’s or intertwined with his limbs. They had tried their best to get comfortable inside the very confined space, but it was practically impossible, especially with the minimum light coming in from the small opening of the zipper. As the two tried desperately to get comfortable in the bag while trying to manage their racing hearts and provide some personal space, they soon began to realize that they were probably just going to have to deal with it. They attempted to calm their bodies at the same time, and as soon as they turned their heads back to face each other, they were a hell of a lot closer than they had previously anticipated.

Their lips brushed against one another.

Y/n froze, Sonic’s eyes bugging out in shock as he tried to pull his head away, but not having much room to do so with. Their noses were still touching, eyes staring widely into each other as their breathing became labored, heart beats climbing through the roof. If the butterflies had been real, they would have suffocated within seconds from the amount of butterflies floating around in the bag.

“I-I’m sorry,” Sonic stuttered, pressing his hands against the side of the bag in order to push himself away from her. Y/n couldn’t help but feel her heart sink in her chest, her eyes falling as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

“...it’s okay.” Her voice was so timid and small that he had a hard time hearing it, even with his close proximity. Sonic’s eyes softened as he looked at her, his chest beginning to ache. Of course he was still head over heels in love with her, but she didn’t feel the same… right? She would have said something when he had confessed to her! That’s how this “love” stuff works, right? 

“You really want to get away from me, don’t you?” Y/n sighed, pulling her legs up to hug them into her chest. The bag began to rock back and forth, signifying that they were taking off. Sonic felt his heart break at the mere suggestion of the words. Without thinking, his hands suddenly found themselves cupping her cheeks, lifting her head up so that she would meet his eyes. The second e/c met green, he felt himself slip into a golden gaze, getting lost in the flecks of color littered throughout her irises. The innocence that had still remained in her ever since she was a kid, teasing him about how she was going to beat him in a race one day. How she was the only person who had ever been able to keep up with him. The feelings that she awoke within him were different than any other person. She made him want to be better, to be the best Sonic he could be. She made him feel like he was worthy of the good things that were handed to him, like things would all be okay in the end. 

She was his. 

But he… wasn’t hers.

He had been in love with her for years. And… he was starting to think that he always would be. The fear that had crossed her eyes at his confession had confirmed it in his mind that she didn’t feel the same way. And he would find a way to be okay with that. But now that he was looking at her now, curled up in a fetal position with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes… she didn’t think that he hated her now, did she?

“Y/n, all that I’ve ever wanted was to be by your side every day,” Sonic began, internally cringing at how cheesy the truth was. “But… I get it, you don’t feel the same way. I’ve always wanted to be more than just friends and-ugh, how much longer?!” His frustration of trying to have a conversation in the overly heated, overly crowded space was beginning to get to him. The two waited for Tom to answer, but he simply cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Hellooooo~?”

Sonic sighed, accidentally pressing his forehead against Y/n’s, causing a red hot blush to float across her cheeks. He didn’t move, however, still waiting for an answer. “Dude, it’s dark in here~...”

“Do you have your child in there?” An unfamiliar voice broke in. Y/n and Sonic furrowed their brows in confusion, raising their heads to try and peer through the little open hole in the zipper. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see anything.

“Oh, no, don’t worry. It’s not mine.” Tom’s voice chuckled nervously. Y/n winced, already knowing that this conversation was not going anywhere good.

“...it’s not your child?”

“Nope.” It was only then that the precipitation coming from the two hedgehogs’ body heat finally began mingling with the old sweat stains from high school Tom, making for a very putrid smell to rise from the fabric. Y/n let out a gag, covering her nose, Sonic following in suit.

“Oh my god,” she choked. “I’m choking.”

“Bro, this is worse than the dog cage you had me in earlier.” Sonic cried, tears beginning to prickle in the corners of his eyes. Suddenly, the zipper began to close, and despite their attempts to stop it, the light faded away. 

Leaving the two of them in the dark with the lovely smell of Tom’s old gym socks.

♡♡♡

Once they finally made it onto the roof, Tom let the two hedgehogs crawl out onto the pavement, coughing and sputtering with Sonic having an old pair of underwear stuck to his leg. He quickly kicked it away and stood up, helping Y/n in the process and turned to the two humans. 

“That was disgusting,” Y/n shuddered, her lungs thanking her for finally allowing them to breathe oxygen of her own. Sonic nodded in agreement, sticking his tongue out in disgust. Tom and Maddie rolled their eyes, smiles still playing across their lips as they looked around the perimeter of the rooftop they were on.

“Well, we’re here. See your rings?” 

Sonic glanced across the ground and zipped over to the little bag sitting on the ground, holding them up with a triumphant look on his face. He slowly took one out of the bag and held it up to the sky, the gold reflecting in little patterns across the pavement.

“So, that’s it?” Tom asked excitedly. “We did it?”

“Yep! All I have to do is think about where I want to go and throw it,” Sonic confirmed. His excitement slowly faded as he realized the truth of it all and the decision that Y/n was going to have to make. The three slowly turned to face the ice blue hedgehog, her e/c eyes beginning to fill with uncertainty.

“I guess it’s time to decide… are you going with him?” Y/n glanced towards the boy that she had spent her whole life with. “Or staying with us?” And at the parents that had helped her when no one else would.

...it was an impossible decision.

“I…” she didn’t have the heart to even finish the sentence, her gaze forever looking between the three people she loved more than anything. Of course there was a huge chunk of her that wanted to go with Sonic. She had been through everything with him, grew up around him, learning to love his flaws and appreciate his strengths, comforting each other after the loss of Longclaw and finding a way to fit as perfectly as puzzle pieces when having to live on their own together. He was her other half, the yin to her yang. She had already lost him once, and they had somehow defied all logic and found a way back together again. And even though she was simply petrified, she did love him back with all of her heart. 

But then there was Tom and Maddie.

Even when she was lost, confused, and entirely alone with no sense of the world around her, they took her in. They were patient with her and loved her even when no one else would. They understood that she needed help and were willing to help her, sticking up for her whenever peers made crude remarks at school or people on the street gave her judgemental glares. And over time, they helped her to grow accustomed to the world around her with nothing but their time and love and patience. They began to grow on her, in a way, and before she knew it, she already felt like she was a part of their family. 

She was a part of their family. 

Two families, and she had to pick one to spend the rest of her life with. The other to never be seen again. The very idea brought tears to her eyes once again, as she knew that all of them were praying that she would choose to go with them. But she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry,” she choked, e/c eyes fluttering and hands beginning to tremble. “These last few days have been the craziest days of my life. But they’ve also been the best. I don’t want to leave earth,” she turned to Sonic. “And I know you don’t either. But like you said, what if Longclaw was wrong? Maybe we could find a way to stay here. We’d be careful. More careful than we were before. I don’t want to spend another day without all of you with me.”

Maddie’s eyes began to glitter with tears as Tom pulled her into his chest. Sonic’s eyes met Y/n’s once again, glittering with sincerity. He looked down at the ring in his hand and sighed. A slow smile began to make its way across his lips. The second that he looked back up at Y/n, his eyes widened in fear.

“Look out!” He cried, and in one swift move, pushed Y/n behind him as one of Robotnik’s eggbots pointed a laser right at him. He made sure that the laser was on him and not on the girl behind him as he stared daggers into the machine. Thankfully, it didn’t go off. As everyone began to relax, it was very short lived as multiple more eggbots began to float up until they were surrounding them.

“God fucking damnit,” Y/n swore. “We don’t get a break, do we?”

“Did someone leave their Find My Phone on?” Sonic asked, grabbing onto Y/n’s hand firmly. And to make things even worse, Dr. Robotnik himself came floating in just in time for the dramatic perfectly-timed show up. The lid to his drone opened to reveal his smug, shit-eating grin as he stared at the four. Y/n felt her knees begin to tremble with the anger that surged through her veins at the sight of him. He was the one who had their vials, so was he the one who had done this to him? 

She wasn’t sure. All that she was sure about was how much she wanted to punch him in the face. 

“Well, well, well, look who remembered who they are. Oh, hey, welcome to San Francisco Mr. Wachowski. Enjoying the clam chowder?” He tilted his head to the side, and all Sonic wanted was to wipe that smirk off of his face. With a chainsaw, preferably.

“Says the government whackjob who keeps trying to kill us.” Tom remarked sarcastically.

“Nice of you to swing by on your way to Comicon,” Y/n rolled her eyes, absentmindedly intertwining her gloved fingers with Sonic’s. He felt his pulse begin to speed up. 

“Yeah, what are you wearing?” Maddie asked, eyeing his eccentric red uniform up and down. Robotnik self-consciously glanced down at his outfit and scoffed.

“It’s a flight suit. Designed specifically for my body in order to reduce-”

“Yeah, why don’t you just shut up and we can get back to punching you in the face, right Dad?” Y/n interrupted, giving her dad a sly grin. Maddie looked at her husband in shock.

“I punched him in the face.”

“He punched him in the face, it was so awesome!” Sonic cheered. 

“Enough!” Robotnik scowled. “It’s time to push some buttons.”

“Your flying eggs are pretty impressive Eggman,” Sonic gave Y/n a mischievous wink. “But let’s face it! You’ll never catch us.” 

“Two birds with one stone, eh? Confidence. A foolish substitute for intelligence.” He slipped his goggles on over his head and pressed a button that set his eggbots into action. The four began to step back towards one another, not being able to hide the fear that was slowly rising in their chests. It had been quite a while since Y/n had been exercising her powers, and she was quite severely rusty. 

“Um, kids, I know that you both have freaky powerful powers, but Maddie and I-”

“Are completely defenseless and are most likely going to get blown up?” Sonic finished. The two nodded.

“Yeah, probably.” Sonic shot them a knowing smile and gently let go of Y/n’s hand.

“Don’t worry, I know exactly what to do.” 

And then he pushed them off the roof. 

A scream escaped from Y/n’s mouth as she raced towards the edge, looking down as her parents fell down through the air, their screams disappearing in the air whooshing past them.

“Sonic!” She cried, looking at him with wide eyes. He quickly put his hands up defensively, but was interrupted by Eggman once again.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that. But I was expecting not to expect something, so it doesn’t count.” He flipped open a switch and just as he was about to press down on the switch, time slowed for the two hedgehogs. Y/n had begun absentmindedly humming in order to boost her telekinetic abilities, and Sonic was just… being Sonic. She was quite surprised that she still harnessed the ability to slow time, as before it had taken her years in order to master the ability. Nevertheless, she turned to the blue hedgehog and jabbed a gloved finger at his chest.

“What the hell, Sonic? You pushed my parents off the roof!”

“And I’ll fix it, I promise, N/n!” He was quick to defend himself. You had to admit that it was kind of adorable how a battle was taking place, and they were exchanging this conversation in their own version of time. Y/n sighed, but a small smile made its way across her lips.

“You better. What do you want me to do?”

“Take out these bots, please,” Sonic asked, but just before he turned to jump off the roof after her parents, he jumped back to her side. “Oh, and one more thing…” 

He pressed a kiss against her cheek.

Y/n’s cheeks flushed a bright red as she watched Sonic quickly jump off the side of the building before she had a chance to fully react. Her heart pounded like a sledgehammer against her chest, the butterflies fangirling within her belly. Okay, okay, focus Y/n. You need to take out these bots now, worry about Sonic later. She turned to take a good look at all of the bots and let out a slow, methodical tune, her vocal chords happily giving in to the usage of her powers once more. She began to feel almost weightless, zipping through the air at her very thought and destroying a bunch of bots in the sky as Sonic attempted to reach her parents in time. Unfortunately, they weren’t moving fast enough. 

Just as Y/n had destroyed another drone, she realized a bit too late that Robotnik’s drone was speeding towards her in the already slowed down time universe. Her eyes widened in fear, her pitch lengthening a little bit as she jumped off the side of the building. The feeling of falling made her stomach clench as the wind floated through her fur, and within seconds she was falling next to Sonic. She pointed up to the drone just as one of the eggbots slammed into both of them, knocking them both momentarily unconscious. 

When Sonic finally woke up, he heard screaming. Shaking his head rapidly in an effort to regain his vision, he noticed a bit too late that they were almost at the ground. Through much panicked struggle, he was able to grab one of the rings with his quills and throw it before the two humans just in time to send them someplace else. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to save him and Y/n. He quickly swiveled onto his back, grabbing the still unconscious Y/n from the air before him, and pressing her to his chest as they crashed into the tree and tumbled onto the ground. The bots that Y/n had previously destroyed slammed onto the ground around them, waking both of them up with pained groans.

“Sonic..?” Y/n breathed, feeling a sharp pain in her ribs.

“It’s okay,” Sonic soothed, staring daggers up at the man who was descending upon them. The two gradually forced themselves back up into standing position, eyeing the man angrily.

“Well, you two are the new Bonnie and Clyde, aren’t ya? Piece of advice? Don’t run.” Eggman taunted. “It’s bad for your joints. They proved it.” Y/n scoffed, but instantly regretted it from the pain igniting up her ribcage.

“Alright, Egghead,” Sonic looked to Y/n for confirmation that she was ready. The ice blue hedgehog gave him a weak, but firm nod. “Let’s get fast.”

And so began the greatest chase scene that any movie critic has ever feasted their tired eyes upon. Between Sonic’s quick feet and Y/n’s hovering and haunting hymns, followed by Dr. Robotnik’s blows that erupted into flames, it was easily the most diabolical, outstanding chase anyone had ever seen. It was frantic and random and sweaty and frankly, Y/n and Sonic were quite petrified they were going to die as they swooped and zigzagged throughout the city. Turning heads of every person who caught the sound of Y/n’s mystical singing, and seeing two blurs running through the lengths of the city away from a very crazy man in a drone. And even though Y/n was able to keep up with him, she was not strong enough to keep in full swing with him, always being a foot behind him or more.

Sonic threw a ring that sent them to Paris, and then to the Great Wall of China where Sonic helped Y/n to recharge a bit by holding onto her hand and pulling her along with him while she took a little bit of a break, still singing in order to propel herself forward. But no matter where they went, no matter how fast they moved, he was always there with an eye on his targets.

“W-we can’t lose him,” Y/n croaked, her voice beginning to grow hoarse. Worry began to set into Sonic’s stomach as even he was beginning to grow tired. 

“I have an idea,” he whispered just as he sent them into the Desert. They waited until Robotnik was right where they wanted him and using their combined powers, entrapped him into a sandstorm de la Y/n and Sonic. With him being distracted, they were able to start climbing up one of the pyramids in an attempt to get back to Green Hills. Hope began to fill their chests, propelling their feet and vocal chords a little bit faster as their home was right before their eyes. Just as They set foot into the portal, Robotnik shot straight at the two, sending them careening into the portal with blood-curdling screams. The two crashed onto the dark pavement of Green Hills, rolling along the road until they came to a stop next to one another. 

Y/n let out a pained, exhausted groan, her head throbbing and mouth feeling like it was full of needles. She forced herself up onto her knees and crawled over to Sonic. 

“S-Sonic,” she whimpered, shaking him slightly. But… he didn’t wake up. “Sonic! Wake up! Wake up, please!” 

And that was when the tears began to fall.

♡ a.a.

[jolienjoyswriting]

Mortem In Contumeliam FFVI, Ch. I

Chapter 1 of "Mortem In Contumeliam Final Fantasy VI," a Final Fantasy VI fan fiction story.

Did'ja like the recap of the events leading into this chapter?  I thought that'd be a good way to open it, considering how much of the game's plot the story actually skips.  Plus, you get some idea of how the soldiers are!  Hee hee.

That said, here's where the plot truly begins.

Word count: 3,257 – Character count: 19,017 Originally written: July 15th, 2019

Following a failed mission, Wedge and Biggs find themselves in hot water with their commanding officer only to be rescued by a timely intervention by an unexpected source.

Final Fantasy VI, Wedge, Biggs, and related characters, scenarios, and properties created by Square Soft, Inc. and © Square Enix Co, Ltd.

[ ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → ]

    “How’s the soup treating you, now, partner?”     “You shut the he– blargh!!”     Biggs grinned to himself.     “Serves you right for gorging yourself on good will.”

    Two Imperal soldiers, Wedge and Biggs, had been assigned to a mission in Narshe.  After failing their mission – and, somehow, losing their armor and equipment – they found their way to the House of New Beginnings and scrounged together some simple clothing, such as jackets and slacks.  Once they’d left the snowy plains, they trekked across the neighboring desert, made their way through a cave that cuts through the mountains, and found themselves in South Figaro.     In that small port town, Wedge unsuccessfully attempted to strongarm a ship’s captain to ferry them to Alburg… only for his more sensible partner to intervene and ask if any shipments were heading there.  A week later, a cargo freighter headed out to sea, the two soldiers working as part of its crew.

    “I’ll have you know…”     Wedge paused to groan, then straightened up after emptying his stomach’s contents over the ship’s rail.     “I’ll have you know,” he started again, “that it wasn’t the soup.  I’m just seasick.”     “Yeah, and you probably wouldn’t be as seasick if you hadn’t eaten twice your weight in gysahl green soup.”     “Ugh, don’t remind– ah… hwargh!!”     Biggs crossed his arms, scowling as his partner tossed his cookies overboard, again.     “Nice, Wedge…  Real nice.”     “Hey, Biggs… got somethin’ for ya.”     The taller of the two men narrowed his eyes.  Wedge had reached into his coat pocket.     “If it’s what I assume it is…”     The shorter man grinned… then, pulled his hand out, making a rude gesture at Biggs.     “Yeah… keep that to yourself.”     “Heh… hoo-hoo-nooo– gwaugh!!”

    Wedge and Biggs worked hard for the ship’s captain, helping to move cargo, fix leaks in the holds of the cargo ship, and even managed to parlay for some extra supplies with a ship going the other way.  Despite his seasickness, Wedge made sure to work the hardest, not wanting to let “some dumb thing like an upset stomach” keep him from earning his way.  Ironically, he did manage to get his sea legs… though, only an hour before the ship arrived at Alburg.

    After docking, every member of the ship’s crew helped unload the cargo.  When a pair of Magitek Armor units came in with a large wagon, the two soldiers-in-disguise decided they should take their leave.     “Well, boys… I was skeptical, but you two really proved your worth, and then some!”     The ship’s captain stroked his beard, smiling at the two as they clambered into the wagon.     “It’s a shame you two have somewhere to be!  I could use some reliable seamen like you on every trip!”     “Yeah, well…”  Wedge chuckled with a laugh.

    “If we’re ever in need of ferry back to Figaro and happen to cross paths,” Biggs told the captain, “we’ll be happy to help, again.”     “I’ll keep that in mind!” the captain laughed.  He grinned at Wedge, then, as he said, “Remember, salty crackers are good for a queazy stomach, mate.”     “Yeah, yeah…” the shorter man said with a wave of his hand and a grin of his own.     “Well… I have to get back to my crew and I imagine you two have your own business, here.  Take care, gents!”     “See ya, Captain!  Thanks for having us!”     “Until the wind brings us seaward, once more,” Biggs added.     With that, the captain returned to the dock.

    “Boy… the commander is gonna be thrilled to see you two.”     At the sound of a new voice, both Biggs and Wedge leaned out from inside the wagon.  Standing at the back was a soldier wearing the green armor denoting the rank of “cadet.”     “Pierre,” Biggs greeted.     “Pierre?  Pierre!”  Wedge brightly smiled.  “What a coincidence!  You’re a courier, now, huh?  Man, I didn’t think you could get demoted any harder!”     Pierre scowled at the two… which just made Wedge smirk.     “You know, I’d normally tell you what to shove and where, but…”  The cadet smugly smiled.  “I’m in a puh-retty good mood, today.”     “Is that so?”     “Yup.  As I said, the commander is going to be thrilled to see you two.  Out-of-uniform.  Two weeks late to report back.  No Magitek Armor.  No Eidolon.  No witch.”     “Hold on…”     Biggs leaned down wearing a look of genuine interest.     “‘Eidolon?’  ‘Witch?’”     “Oh, don’t play dumb!  It’s all over the Imperial Castle!  You blew it!”     “What’d we do?” Wedge casually asked, much to Pierre’s continued frustration.     “You two idiots were assigned to a simple task: go to Narshe… retrieve the reported Eidolon from wherever it was… come back.  It was a mission that even you two couldn’t screw up – or, so we thought!  Kind’a wonder why they gave you that fire witch to play with, though…”

    “We were supposed to retrieve an Eidolon from Narshe…?” Biggs asked, sounding genuinely confused.     “What did I just say?” was Pierre’s short response.     “Hey, Biggs…”     The soldier looked to his companion.     “I think… yeah, I remember something about some… magic thingy…  Didn’t we find some sort of ugly turkey frozen in ice?”     “‘Ugly turkey…?’”  Biggs paused… then, he asked, “Wait, are you talking about Valigarmanda, the Bird of Disaster?”     “I have no damn idea what you’re talking about, partner,” Wedge chuckled.  “All I remember was some ugly bird… then, I think… a bright light?  Next thing I know, we were tied up and left-for-dead in some gods-forsaken mineshaft!”     “Sounds like the witch gave you the slip…  So much for that Slave Crown!  Hah!”

    Both Biggs and Wedge turned their attention back to Pierre.  He had his arms crossed over his chest and wore another smirk.     “What do you mean, ‘Slave Crown?’” the former asked.     “Oh, hey!  That’s right!”     He blinked as Wedge suddenly spoke up, then looked right at him.     “That girl that supposedly toasted fifty cadets riding Magitek Armor…  She was with us!  And, she was wearing a Slave Crown!”     “‘Slave Crown…’” Biggs repeated before asking, “Do you two mean the ‘Puppeteer’s Wheel’ that General Palazzo had Doctor Marquez make?”     “Yeah,” his partner replied. “Most of us just call it a ‘Slave Crown,’ though, ‘cause–”     “Because, it makes the wearer your slave,” his partner finished.     “Except, this time…” Pierre interjected, drawing their attention back his way, “it didn’t work and she gave you the slip!”     The cadet grinned from-ear-to-ear, wringing his hands together.     “I can’t wait to see what the commander has to say about this!”

    Before either soldier could respond, they felt the wagon lurch, its cargo shift, and the whole unit begin to move.  It wasn’t long before the familiar clank of metallic feet on rocky dirt and green grass could be heard echoing in their ears.  They were on the move.     As they left the town, the soldiers noticed Pierre giving them a farewell wave… or, making a certain gesture – they weren’t quite sure but, either way, it didn’t matter.  After hearing that he had to say… they had quite a few other things to think about.

    “We were sent to Narshe…” Biggs said from a seated position on a random box of weapons, “and… we were supposed to retrieve that Eidolon.”     “If… it was there,” Wedge added as he watched the countryside roll by, backward.  “I remember, now: we were there to investigate, first, and reclaim, if it was actually there.”     The taller soldier crossed his arms and hummed…     “Do you really think the Puppeteer’s Wheel failed and that… witch… attacked us?”     “Seems pretty unlikely, partner,” Wedge replied.  “Before we left, I did some reading on the Slave Crown and, from what I understand, it not only blocks thought, emotion, and memory… but, it’s been known to actually erase the wearer’s mind if they wear it for too long!”     “So, what you’re saying is… that witch could never have turned against us.”     “Pretty much!”  He turned around, leaning against the wagon’s tailgate.  “Even if the Crown broke, she would’ve been too dazed-and-confused to attack.  Hell, even if she did…”     He grinned, then he ran his thumb across his throat with a gurgling croak.

    “So, then…”  The other soldier looked up with a worried expression.  “What was that light?  And… how did she get away from us?  Where did our powered armor go?  Where did our equipment go, for that matter?”     “I guess it’s possible that we didn’t kill that big-ass slug thing…  Maybe, it woke up and zapped us, good?  That much electricity could’ve blown up our Magitek Armor…”     “I… do remember hearing some sort of explosion, now that you mention it…”     Both soldiers looked down at the metallic floor of the wagon and hummed.     “This… is going to be hard to explain to the commander.” –––––

    “Boobs!  Idiots!  Clods!!”

    Not long after the wagon arrived at Vector, the two errant soldiers made their way to the barracks.  Before they could even think of slipping back into the standard-issue brown armor of their rank… they found themselves confronted by a very angry, somewhat-round man wearing black commander’s armor.

    “I should have you court marshaled…” he ranted as the two soldiers stood at attention.  “I should have you strung up!  I should have you shot out of a cannon and into the sun!!”     “Doc Cid finally made that ‘Sun Cannon,’ eh…?”     “Siiiiilence!!”     Wedge jolted with a “yip.”  The commander was right in his face… so close that he could smell the tuna salad he’d been eating for lunch.  After a minute of intense staring, though, he leaned back and returned to pacing in front of them.

    “How-the-hell did you two imbeciles manage to bungle this mission up so badly…?”     “We… don’t know, sir,” Biggs cautiously told him.     “What?  What?!”     Just like before, the commander was pressing his face up against his soldier’s face.     “What do you mean, ‘we don’t know?’” he asked in a mocking tone.  “Explain!!”     “Well, sir…” Wedge started, getting another faceful of the black helmet and fish-and-onion smell as he spoke, “the thing of it is… we were ambushed!”     “Great, just great!” the round man shouted and he stepped away.  “Two highly-trained soldiers, equipped with the most state-of-the-art weapons in the world, got ‘ambushed…’ and, they don’t remember how or by who!  Furthermore…!”     For no apparent reason, he got back in Biggs’ face.     “Where.  The hell.  Is the witch you were assigned?!”     “We… uh… don’t know, sir,” Biggs answered.     “You don’t– heh…  Heh-heh.  Ha ha hah!  Oooh, good golly, Miss Molly…”     Both soldiers blinked, glancing at each other as their C.O. stepped back and started laughing.  Before long, it became awkwardly infectious.  However…     “Stooooop laughing!!”     Biggs and Wedge straightened up, going stiff as boards!  The commander had drawn his blade and was threateningly waving it at them.  His face was red and, even with the helmet hiding his eyes, the two could tell that he was boiling over with rage!

    “You two…!  Do you have any idea what General Palazzo is going to do to you once he hears you lost his pet project?!”  The commander paused… then, he started rubbing his neck before nervously asking, “D-do you know what he’s going to do to me…?”     “No, but I’m always open to suggestion!”     “What?  Oh… sh–”

    Suddenly, all color left the commander’s face.  Both he and the soldiers had heard the familiar, shrill voice of someone that none of them wanted to cross… much less, interact with.  Unfortunately… the owner of that voice was walking right toward them.

      By all rights… the tall, slender man looked like a cross between a nobleman and a clown.  From his unusual, white face with black eyeshadow and red circling his mouth, to the garish, striped collar hanging around his shoulders over his puffy, crimson tunic, and the pointy, oddly-colored boots he wore that matched the sun-colored cloak on his back, he really didn’t seem like someone you'd expect to see in the military.  Even the way he acted, always laughing and smiling in a most-deranged way, made it seem like he should have been a performer… or, as some thought, locked away.  But, all three enlisted men… in fact, the entire Gestahlian Empire… knew that this man… General Kefka Palazzo… was no laughing matter.

    “Gr-r-r-reetings, peons!” the clown-like figure trilled.  “What’s new?”     “G-G-G-General Palazzo!”     The man in the black armor spun around, immediately kneeling before his superior officer.  Both Biggs and Wedge followed suit.     “W-w-what a surprise to see you in the barracks!!” he continued.  “I-I-I– what brings you down from your tower…?!”     “What brings me down?  Bad news, mostly!” Kefka told him as he took ginger, almost-feminine steps in a circle around the man.  “I certainly do hate bad news!  Why… anytime someone brings me bad news, I just come apart at the seams!”     He squeezed his arms, hugging himself tight and giving a little whimper.     “You would never give me any bad news…”     Kefka had leaned down, his mouth right next to the other man’s covered ear and his body practically pressing against his black armor.  A second later, he whispered…     “Would you…?”     “I… I… I…”     “Good!”

    All-at-once, Kefka spun away… once… twice… three times, before coming to a stop and putting his hands behind his back.  He took a simple standing position, looking ready to take things seriously, then.

    “Sooo…?”  He offered a friendly smile to the commander.  “Rise, Commander, and tell… did your men find anything of worth in that block of ice on the Figaro region?”     The commander gave a hard swallow as he got to his feet.  After taking a moment to catch his breath, he said…     “M-m-my men can tell you what they found, Sir!”     Neither Wedge not Biggs looked forward to that, and the former was especially annoyed at being thrown under the carriage like that.  However…     “I’d much rather hear it from yooou…”     Kefka batted his eyes and continued to smile at the commander, which just made him feel even more uncomfortable.     “Th… they haven’t told me everything,” the unnerved officer admitted.  “But–”     “Then, just tell me what you know, so far!  If there are any gaps…”     He narrowed his eyes and flashed a wicked grin.     “We’ll make a bridge to cross them.”     From anyone else… that wouldn’t have sounded like a threat.

    “W-well, Sir…” the commander started.  “A-according to my men – who are two weeks overdue, by the way!!”     Biggs and Wedge jolted on their feet.     “Narshe did, indeed, have a frozen Eidolon.  A–”     “Spleeendid!!” the general said with a smile and a clap of his hands.  “Go on, go on!”     “A… and, Sir… they, uh… failed to capture it?”     “Oh?”     Kefka relaxed his stature, then casually walked over to the commander.     “What happened?” he asked in an innocent tone while leaning in.  “Tell me, tell me!”     “They… uh… were… ambushed, according to their report?”     “Oh, dear!!”     The man with the white face suddenly whipped back, clasping his open hands against his cheeks and looking aghast!     “What happened, next?!”     “Y… yes, well,” the commander continued, “this is where things get a little… gap-y.”     Kefka crossed his arms, though raised a hand under his chin as he nodded.     “A-after they were ambushed… they, uh… woke up without any of their gear, nor their Magitek Armor…  A-and…”     “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm?  Go on?”     He paused to take a deep breath… then, he quietly confessed, “Th-the witch was gone.”     “Crafty she-devil!”

    The brightly-dressed man hopped away, then he pulled his arms around his back before pacing along the alleyway between rows of beds.     “Clearly, something went wrong with the Slave Crown!” he surmised aloud.     “See, even General Kefka calls it that!”  Wedge whispered to his companion.  Biggs just flustered and hushed him before looking tense.     “Ooh, I knew Cid wasn’t up to the task, the buffoon!  Although…”     Kefka spun around, looking at the commander with his head on one hand, again.     “The device worked fine when I made her kill all those soldiers…”     The one soldier went wide-eyed.  “So, it is true…!” he whispered.     “Sh-shut up, Wedge…!” his companion excitedly murmured.     “Then, when I was teaching her how to operate the Magitek Armor,” the general continued, “she seemed to catch on, lickety-split!  Maybe, the crown was damaged in combat?”     He brought a hand down, slapping his fist into it and wearing a wide-eyed expression.     “Yes, yes, that must be what happened!”     Suddenly, he did a forward-flip and landed right in front of the commander, startling him.     “I know a thing or two about ‘broken crowns,’” he said, unironically, “and, if that toy Doctor Cid cooked up did, indeed, break… then…”     He gestured at the two soldiers, causing them to wince.     “She could have attacked these poor, unfortunate souls and left them behind!     Kefka clasped his hands together, resting them next to his tilted head and giving the soldiers a sympathetic look.     “So sad!”

    “S… so, uh, General Palazzo…?”     Slowly… much too slowly… Kefka turned his attention back to the commander…  There was an unsettling look on the general’s face… one that was almost murderous…     “E’yeeeees…?” he said as his expression dramatically brightened.     “What… uh… what do we do?  I mean, where do we go from here, Sir?”     “Well!”     Kefka took a step back, then adjusted his cloak.     “Li’l ol’ me is going to go tell the big boss what happened, then I guess he’ll start a search for our little toy where you idiots lost her!  But, as for you?”     The wicked grin from earlier found its way back onto his face.     “I have plans, my dear commander… such marvelous plans, indeed!”     After saying that, Kefka just stood there, not moving and not saying a word for the longest time.  The enlisted men wanted to say something… but, not-a-one of them dared to.

    “Well?!”     Everyone jumped as Kefka suddenly stomped his feet and threw his arms out.     “Aren’t any of you morons curious about my wonderful plans?!”     “I-I kind of am…” Wedge said before Biggs could stop him.  And, just like that…     “You!  What’s your name?!”     Biggs, to his complete shock, found his view obscured by a face with a huge smile.

    “Sir!” he alertly called.  “Biggs Da–”     “‘Sir Biggsda,’ my lad!”     He winced as Kefka quickly pulled him into a one-armed side-hug.     “How would you like to be known as…”  He waved a hand in front of them.  “‘The Soldier Who Conquered Doma?!’”     “I…  Th-that’s…” Biggs stiffly said with a stammer.  “I-it would be an honor, S-Sir…?”     “Perfect!  Commander!!”     As Kefka left him to walk back over to his C.O, Biggs practically deflated with relief…     “Get all the troops you can!  Eight, twelve, twenty – whatever!  Tell ‘em, tonight…”     He shimmied with excitement.     “We’re gonna paint the castle red!  Red with the blood of those Doma dopes, that is!”     “Er… uh… yeh– yes, Sir!” the commander responded with a salute.     “Good, good!”  He rubbed his hands together.  Then, suddenly… “Well, it’s been fun!”     He spun around, then casually walked out of the barracks.     “But, I’ve got to fly, boys…” he told the trio.  “Ready the troops, then wait for my word!  I’ve got plans – oh, yes, such plans – plans the likes of which you wouldn’t even believe!  Ooh, just thinking about it makes me tingle!  Hee-hee… ha-ha-haaah!!”     With that… he was gone.

    “W… well?!  You heard him!!”     Wedge and Biggs both jolted.  Just like that, the commander was back to his confident, blustering, temperamental self.     “Get your asses in gear – literally – and, round up some troops!  Tonight… we attack Doma Castle!  I guess?  Hell, I don’t know – j-just get everyone ready!”     And, before long… the two were left alone in the barracks.