#I'm actually 2 hours our from Ashe but close enough

[iiyarada]

hello fellow nc inhabitant and carldavey truther ... I hope you've recovered (for the most part) from hurricane Helene !! where I was in western NC miraculously didn't get hit that badly despite me being only an hour from Asheville . I hope ur okay tho

I'm doing good!!! My area has been recovering well, however where me and my family work is struggling still. Lot's of apartments have been condemned but things here are looking up nonetheless. I'm glad your area wasn't hit badly!!!

Hurricane aside, I'm SHOCKED that out of the 5 people that have heard of Wedding License outside of Japan, TWO live in the same state?!?! Both an hour away from Asheville???!!!???!?! What a small world like actually

[dxmichelle]

OLSSM: Anniversary #7!!

It's that time of spring again, folks! Another year around the sun for OLSSM! It's hard to believe this story has been hanging around for seven years already; seems like yesterday I revived the plot out of the ashes of its original FF.net counterpart.

As always, thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos and comments, or just sat back and listened to me gush plot points out into the void. You all are the best! <3

This year, I bring a few birthday goodies: first of which are the next three chapter prints! #39-41 are now included in their respective pages on AO3. Check out @godbirdart's amazing work!

I'm working hard on getting CH56 ready to post, but it is not looking like it will be finished in time to make its anniversary. In its place, I give you a chonky fic snippet, under the cut.

Thank you again for all the love and support!!

SNIPPET 1/2 (Surprise! There are two!):

“…We had an idea to get Umbridge off our backs,” Harry finished, “…and we could use your help.”

Professor McGonagall merely stared at him.

“My help?”

“Yeah…” said Harry and Yugi fidgeted in his seat beside him. “Ideally, we’d want to get the map back from her…but she would know we took it. So…the next best thing is just to wipe it clean. There’s a phrase that will clear all the details off it, so she won’t be able to use it anymore.”

“It’s just…in her office, and we technically can’t get to it,” said Yugi.

She let out a sharp exhale. “Are you two asking for my help in breaking into her office? Am I understanding this correctly?”

“No, nothing like that,” said Yugi. “Uh…we just need help with distracting her long enough so we can do that.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I know I am not hearing you relay the broader points of another rule-breaking scheme. Mr. Muto, what did I just tell you yesterday about staying out of trouble?”

Yugi cringed.

Harry held up his hands. “It’s…we know Seto is planning a trip back home this coming weekend. We need to make sure that Umbridge is the one to take him off the grounds.”

“Mr. Kaiba did relay his travel dates to me, but Dolores will have nothing to do with this – a Japanese Auror is to meet him at the castle gates and escort him back.”

Yami phased out of the Puzzle to hover between both Yugi and Harry. “That’s just it, Professor. An Auror won’t be there to meet him. We need to get her out of the school long enough that we can clear the map without her suspecting anything.”

She didn’t look convinced, and narrowed her eyes at him. “If Mr. Kaiba doesn’t have an escort, he won’t be leaving the grounds. And if he has a week to prepare for this trip, then there is no reason why someone cannot be arranged, either from our Ministry or theirs. But even so, should no one be there to meet him, Dolores certainly won’t volunteer to do it. And while I certainly do not condone breaking in and searching her office, a quick apparation trip to Japan and back is hardly enough time to even look around.”

“Well…Seto flies home,” said Harry, “So we’d actually be saddling him with her for about…twelve hours.”

Professor McGonagall huffed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I cannot believe I am listening to this…. And what does he think, of this scheme you’ve put together?”

“Oh, he hates it,” said Harry. “He’s only two steps from murdering us all for coming up with it.”

“Well,” she deadpanned. “I can’t say I blame him.”

--

SNIPPET 2/2:

Professor McGonagall drummed her fingers along the edge of her desk. A stack of second-year essays sat in front of her, waiting to be graded. But rather than start the sometimes-heinous task of deciphering her students’ handwriting, she merely stared at the parchment, as if watching them would cause the quill to jump out of its inkwell and start the task itself.

It didn’t.

She huffed, her focus lost a good hour ago, and swept around the desk, out of the office, and made her way down the corridor towards the Grand Staircases, where she stopped at the landing.

An empty piece of stairwell detached itself from the ground floor and slowly rose up to meet her. The question, of course, was…where to?

Her legs seemed to have an idea far before her brain did, and she let the staircase take her up to the fifth-floor landing. She slowly walked the corridors. All the classrooms on the floor were dark, including #5B where the inter-house Wizard Card Collector’s Club often met to trade their chocolate frog cards.

The final hall ended in a staircase going down to the fourth floor and she took it, avoiding the trick false step halfway down that almost every first-year student this year managed to fall through and get stuck. Here, on the fourth floor she heard murmurs of activity. Small pockets of students clustered in little alcoves in the corridor.

She paused in front of the Library, but then decided not to go in, and continued towards the far wing. This half of the fourth floor was empty, and she took the access staircase down to the third floor, rounded the nearest corner, and stopped short.

Dolores’s office was just up ahead, past the entranceway to the armor gallery. The door was open, and curiously enough – two Aurors hovered in the doorway.

“The map shows where everyone is,” she remembered Potter saying, that afternoon in her office, “every corridor, and every secret passage on the grounds. …If she found Yugi on it that night he tried to get out, all she had to do was follow his tracks.”

[supernaturalfreewill]

My love, I'm very sorry. I can very painfully understand. It's been months now and I'm still crushed every time I think of her.

I suddenly lost my baby girl Mocha on July 22 last year. She was only 4 and the love of my life. I was at work and missed many calls from my mom and she eventually reached me through calling the hospital I work at and getting transferred to the OR I was working in. Our girl, who was her normal cheery self the night before, hadn't wanted to eat when she woke up that morning so my mom had looked at her gums and they were nearly white. She rushed her to our vet and her red blood cell levels were at 13 when they should have been high 30s into 40s.

Apparently border collies can have underlying hemolytic anemia that gets triggered around the age of 4. Her red blood cells there dying faster than her body could make them. We got her blood transfusions and it barely touched her red cell count. We had gotten her to 18 and the vets had us take her home for the night around 3 am, hoping that resting at home would take the tiny bump and start generating red cells again then we would come back and check in the morning around 11.

When we woke up in the morning, she was breathing heavy and more lethargic so we took her in. It was only 7 am. In those 4 hours, her count when back down to 11 this time. At this point she had already had two transfusions and the vets said they could do another but there was no guarentee of positive outcomes.

We were transferred to our vet research center that had specialists for internal medicine and they presented us with only one other option. There is apparently a treatment that requires a machine that would essentially take out all of her blood to destroy the antigens before replacing it. It would have been a minimum 2 week treatment and baseline 30,000 dollars with a very slim likelihood of actual improvement. And if it were successful, there was still a significant chance of relapse. Essentially, if we did the treatment, she would likely still die and she would have spent the rest of her life away from us, alone in a cage, hooked up to tubes and wires. I couldn't do that to her.

She was so tired and even when she had no energy she still moved to lay on me and comfort me when I was crying because I couldn't save her. We eventually decided we had to let her go because we couldn't keep putting her through pain just so we could have a little more time.

I'm crying writing this because it's so unfair. I'm so sorry you lost Aldo. He was so incredibly lucky to have someone as amazing as you as his mom. I'm so sorry you had to go through something so awful and lose your friend. I know it's been some months, but don't ever feel bad about missing him. You deserve to miss such an important part of your life. And anyone who says otherwise doesn't understand the love and bond we can form with animals. ❤ I highly recommend getting a stuffy that looks like him to cuddle at night or getting blankets with some of your favorite pictures of him printed on it. Those are some of the things I had to do to bring myself some comfort and it's nice to have something to hold on the nights I miss her. ❤❤❤

Yeah okay, sobbing here. Our babies went close together. I lost Aldo on July 24th. You did the best thing for your baby girl and I'm so sorry you lost her so soon too and had to go through that and make such a hard decision. <3 We never get enough time with our beloved pets, so losing them young is extra hard. I actually am getting a pup soon from the same breeder I got Aldo from. Momma lab, who happens to look a lot like Aldo, is expecting in 4 days so fingers crossed there will be enough pups for me to bring a new friend home soon. One thing that has really helped, was getting a pendant that I put some of Aldo's ashes in. Getting back to hiking was hard because I was used to having Kuma and Aldo along as my adventuring buddies. At least this way I can still carry him with me. We sign up for the heart break every time with a beloved pet because they just unfairly don't live as long as us, but it's worth it for all the love we get.

[thegreatandpowerfulversy]

Ao3 First Lines

Not actually tagged by @anonymousdandelion but I saw yours and tagged myself.

Rules: post the first lines of your 10 most recently published ao3 stories (if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics).

I am interpreting the word "lines" a bit loosely here. Also the words "most recent" because I'm skipping a couple, but it's close enough.

In Gold Everlasting (Elden Ring/RWBY, 43k of estimated 53k)

Pyrrha Nikos did not expect to wake up.

When Other Talents Rise (RWBY/Warframe series part 5, 61k ongoing)

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Whitley Schnee does not want to be here. He did not mean to apply to Atlas Academy. He was not expecting to pass the exam to get in. He is only here now because he has had his opportunities upon opportunities to back down, and he, foolishly, hasn’t.

Divided Loyalties (Babylon 5, 21k)

In a waterlogged tunnel beneath Syria Planum, late in November 2259, a dying man staggers forward calling the name of a trusted friend.

Gender Turnabout (Ace Attorney, 9k)

It’s an odd hour for visitors, late after a full day of exhausting cases, and yet a knock comes at a certain judge’s office door.

Because Someone Must (RWBY, 11k)

This isn't fair. How can he let this happen? How can he know about such great injustice, see it every moment of every day, and yet do nothing? There on his throne, high above the common folk, idolized by the privileged and the lucky as their guiding light, a paragon of civilization. 

From Ashes (RWBY/Warframe series part 3, 21k)

Tai’s watering his sunflowers, a small black and white dog panting at his heel. The dog looks happy. Tai does not.

Mercy in the Dark (RWBY, 5k)

“Welcome to Beacon. As you all are about to be aware, my name is Forsythe Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and if you ever repeat that first name in my presence you will be either A, expelled, or B, promoted to assistant headmaster. Needless to say, neither of these options is very good for you.”

Between the Candle and the Star (RWBY, 5k)

It’s dark in Evernight Castle.  It always is, to some extent – otherwise the name wouldn’t fit – but this is a darker night than usual. And right now, this is not the calm, comforting dimness of Salem’s sanctuary, but nearly pitch black in every place not in direct view of a window to the pink-tinted skies beyond.  What happened?

Vox Faunus (RWBY/Warframe series part 2 (but really the main one), 254k)

They’ll say it was an accident. They always do, regardless of whether it is in fact an accident or something far more purposeful.

Burnt Sienna (RWBY/Warframe series part 1 (really a prequel), 26k)

Paranoia pays off, far more often than not. Trust is important, but sometimes, one of the few people you thought you could trust kills you. For most people, once you’re dead, you’re dead. For Sienna, a carefully curated network of lies, half-truths, and her semblance mean that, if she’s careful, death isn’t permanent. A side effect of this is knowing all too well when her paranoia is proven right.

Tagging @ofstormsandfire because you have so many fics that it doesn't matter that I used most of our co-written ones here, and also any other writers who follow me, you do what you want.

[severevoiddragon]

SONGS

First of all, here's the full playlist:

I'll just go through the songs I have full animatics for ! * Means it appears on someone else's list too. Sorry for the amount of (spoilers) I can expand upon them if you don't care bout spoilers :D and if there's any ones you want the full animatic to I can spend 5 hours telling you that too 🥰 not all these songs were chosen by me. They were mostly chosen by one of my besties who originally made the playlist for me n then I made my own version adding my songs. So. Yeah.

All:

She Doesn't Sleep (Anthony Amorim) - This is pretty much describes Arc 1, with Rin coming to Callie like "hey my bestie is acting Weird" n Callie constantly trying to find answers

Curses (The Crane Wives) - This is mostly Cyan focused but also explains arc 2's plot! Spoilers !

Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons) - Cyan focused recap of the ENTIRE SERIES WOOOO. So spoilers.

Callie:

For the. Main character. Girlie doesn't have their own song animatic

Look Who's Inside Again* (Bo Burnham) (See Charles) - Just in there to show Parallels™

Choke - Acoustic* (I don't know how but they found me) (See Cyan / Other)

Cyan:

Lonely* (Brad Sucks) (See Rin) - Rin and Cyan meeting, and their arcs over arc 2 :D

Body (Mother Mother) - Cyan feeling like they're not in control of themselves sometimes

Waltzing Memories (Priscilla Ahn) - Cyan remembers their sister <3

Our Town (James Taylor) - Cyan remembers what the town used to be like, n tell Rin a bit about themselves

Deep Inside My Heart (Priscilla Ahn) - It's just very cyan coded

Two Birds* (Regina Spektor) (See Rin) - Arc 2 but they are a QPR your honour. Rin is able to move on from Everwich but Cyan isn't </3

Rin:

Nothing Left To Lose* (Tangled: The Series) (See Em) - Arc 2 so spoilers. Cyan is Jeremy Jordan's character (Varian)

Exile, Vilify (The National) - Just Cyan being a weirdo loner who lives in the walls. Like Rattmann from Portal, who this song was written for !

Hiding In Your Hands (Pasek & Paul) - Rin lamenting how she feels depressed despite appearing to have a perfect life (arc 1)

Alone* (Nico Collins) (See Jamie) - Shows the Walker-Ives family n how. Dysfunctional. It is. Including Rins older brother, and how it's the same story throughout all 3 kids and how Rin has to always pick up the pieces

Lonely* (Brad Sucks) (See Cyan)

Sweet Hibiscus Tea (Penelope Scott) - Rin just being a depressed loser tbh (affectionate)

People I Don't Like (UPSHAL) - Rin going to parties when she moves to the city pre arc2 (features cyan briefly)

Our Word (36 Questions) - Yeah Rin's family really aren't the best are they? (The animatic deliberately doesn't line up w the lyrics BC it's like. This is what We said happened, this is what Actually happened)

Seventeen* (Heathers) (See Em) - Rin and Emilia being cute while dating <3

One Thing* (36 Questions) (See Em) - Rin and Emilia having an argument after Rin comes back from the city in arc 2

Brutal (Olivia Rodrigo) - Rin leaving Everwich feeling very upset n annoyed at everyone else

Woke Up (Adventure Time) - The Breakup <3

Choke - Acoustic* (I Don't Know How But They Found Me) (See Cyan/Other)

Two Birds* (Regina Spektor) (See Cyan)

I've Had Enough* (Melina KB) (See Em) - The Breakup Part 2 <3

Emilia:

Monster (Frozen the Musical) - Uhhh arc 1 spoilers were close to discovering so I'm keeping these very spoilers

Asher:

Love Like You (Rebecca Sugar) - Em simping for Rin <3

Cloud 9 (Beach Bunny) - See above tbh

Chosen Last (Sara Kays) - Em feeling like an outsider of the friend group BC she joined late

Seventeen* (Heathers) (See Rin)

One Thing* (36 Questions) (See Rin)

Moral of the Story (Ashe) - Em convincing herself that it's okay if a relationship didn't work out

Words Fail (Dear Evan Hansen) - Em apologising at the end of arc 2

Rearview (Beach Bunny) - Em being upset after The Breakup™

The Dismemberment Song (Blue Kid) - This is just villain au em but it's fun

Little Miss Perfect (Joriah Kwamé) - Em discovering she likes Rin :D

Prom Queen (Beach Bunny) - There's a lot of Beach Bunny. Em and her body image issues that i never talk about

Nothing Left to Lose* (Tangled: The Series) (See Cyan)

I've Had Enough* (Melina KB) (See Rin)

Xavier:

Sports Go Sports (Garfunkel and Oats) - Asher cheering Xavier on during his sports games <3

The Bro Duet* (George Salazar, Jason Grotay) (See Xavier) - Just Xavier and Asher being gay idiots in love (affectionate) (arc 1 version)

I'll Cover You* (Rent) (See Xavier) - Just Xavier and Asher being gay idiots in love (affectionate) (arc 2 version)

Heather (Conan Gray) - um. Spoilers.

Happier (Olivier Rodrigo) - um. More spoilers. For the same reason.

Jamie:

The Bro Duet* (George Salazar, Jason Grotay) (See Asher)

I'll Cover You* (Rent) (See Asher)

Charles:

Alone (Nico Collins) (See Rin)

Disobedient (Steven Universe) - Arc 2 Jamie after Rin leaves and then comes back (she's not okay)

Kitty:

This Is Home (Cavetown) - Charles at Kitty's Ball, and The Aftermath

Duet* (Omori) (See Kitty) - THEY ARE MARI AND SUNNY CODED OKAY. Charles plays piano, Kitty plays violin. It just fits.

Look Who's Inside Again* (Bo Burnham) (See Callie) - Charles being a kid who was stuck in his room. There isn't much more to say about it. (Also shows the parallels between him n Callie)

In The Bedroom Down The Hall (Pasek & Paul) - Not TECHNICALLY Charles BC it's his mum, but it's Charles' mum lamenting the empty room after he disappeared, and then Em's mum lamenting her growing apart from Aiden (Em's twin brother), and Rin's mum lamenting the constant fights it is with Rin's brother

Duet* (Omori) (See Charles)

First Burn (Lin Manuel-Miranda) - An AU where Kitty actually sent a love letter to her lover, and Other messed it all up for her.

Floating (Pretty Balanced) - Kitty and her lover </3 it's a tragic tale

Cyan / Other (This is either Other itself, Other And Cyan or Cyan About Other):

Under My Skin (Jukebox The Ghost) - Other being a menace

Evelyn Evelyn (Evelyn Evelyn) - During Arc 1 when Cyan realised Other is a dirty liar and isn't actually good (it manipulated cyan into thinking that. Because it's a dirty little liar.)

Goodbye (Bo Burnham) - spoilers :)

Choke - Acoustic* (I Don't Know How But They Found Me) (See Callie & Rin) - Other possessing Cyan during arc 2. It doesn't go well.

Nocturnal Me (Echo and the Bunnymen) - Other being a menace to Cyan

Every Breath You Take (The Police) - Other being a menace to Cyan

Play With Me (Extreme) - Other being a menace to Cyan)

We'll Meet Again (Vera Lynn) - ohhh this is Other at the end of arc 1 :)

Insane (Black Gryph0n) - Look I dislike the creator of Hazbin for many reasons and the series reminds me of an ex friend now but. You gotta admit this song is Other all over. Specifically Other at the start of act 2 when Cyan returns

Some fun facts about SoE that have no meaning in no order just when I thought of them

Rin n co studied Jekyll and Hyde for English GCSE (which was at the same time as SoE was happening). Because of this, when she was an adult, she recommended the book to Cyan, who hadn't read it before. They read it n went "omg lol this is me", much to Rin's concern

Cyan has an older sister who I don't talk about enough- but also they don't remember her at all so it doesn't matter (<- definitely has a name for her yep)

Callie is an unreliable narrator (ik I said this a couple days ago but expanding on it a lil - there are some parts she is intentionally hiding from the audience. she has slipped up a couple times while trying to keep these hidden things hidden)

I've written up to episode 11 (the denouement) but I'm unsure of pacing and everything so :( idk :( I like Episode 6 so I'm posting at least all 3 parts of that (there's one more Episode 6 hehe)

I have a whole Bad Ending AU which I'm tempted to get you guys to vote on which ending. Except I won't tell you which ending you get. This will only come into play at the end of arc 2 and tbh this is motivating me to finish arc 1-

Cyan loves fireworks and once they're besties w Callie, she invites them to their annual new year's celebrations. The town of Everwich is invited but Cyan used to just sneak in. It makes Cyan happy they finally are allowed to come <3

Kitty was NOT interested in James Beaumont, the guy she was likely to marry. She did not know this. She thought all girls wanted to hug and kiss their friends. This is because she was in the Georgian era.

Charles n Callie have SO MANY PARALLELS. BUT I CANT SHARE THEM. BECAUSE SPOILERS.

Callie is the only one other than cyan to be able to see Other :)

If anyone wants to hear about the music for my ocs pls ask BC I have a lot of Thoughts™ about those

[finnsucks23]

One Last Pic.

•Bakugou x Reader•

A/n: I haven't written angst in a long while, so I decided to get in that sad headspace. And who better to write angst about than our favorite hothead? Based on the song "... And To Those I Love, Thanks For Sticking Around." By $UICIDEBOY$.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of harm, major character death.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

  Katsuki Bakugou was a force to be reckoned with.

  Everything he did wreacked havoc on his and your own personal life, along with everyone around him.

  Being his secretary, manager, and longtime friend had it's downsides that others didn't get the pleasures of having.

  For example; the constant arguing, fighting, and literal screaming were all things you doubted any sane person could handle besides yourself and Kirishima.

  It was even hard at times for Kaminari to handle his mood swings or blasts, leaving you to cool down the roaring pro hero named Ground Zero.

  However, there was also the benefits of being so close to him.

  Katsuki was fun to be around at times, when he becomes more calm and collected, it really puts a smile on your face.

  Drinking with him was always a blast, you would smile and laugh together trying to see who had the lowest tolerance. Usually, you would be the one to be seeing double within an hour of playing drinking games.

  Katsuki was competitive with video games, and would always laugh in victory when he destroyed you in Mario Kart. In the end, if you were butthurt enough, he would sigh and drag you to the kitchen to help him bake cupcakes.

  Katsuki Bakugou was a force to be reckoned with.

  Bakugou was also the only man you ever truly loved.

  The ash blond had the worst temper, but was always such a flustered mess when you would teasingly flirt with him.

  "Hah? Piss off shitty woman!"

  He would grunt, try to shove you away while you only laughed and pointed out how flushed he had become.

  "Awh, what's wrong Suki?" You would tease,

  "I thought you liked the way I chase after you." You would fake pout, laying dramatically across the couch cushions.

  He couldn't help but smile at that, shaking his head. You never truly knew what he was thinking about, or if the constant flirting actually made him upset.

  "Whatever- you wish you could have me!" He would shout, taking a pillow and tossing it at your face.

  Katsuki Bakugou was a blessing in your life.

  Things began to change rapidly.

  Katsuki became distant, with no explanation.

  Well... that's a lie.

  "BREAKING NEWS!: #1 PRO HERO 'DEKU' GONE MISSING!"

  Weeks had past when he started to show signs of becoming more of a recluse.

  You were the only person that Katsuki would show his weakness to, not even Kirishima was as privileged to see that side of him.

  Days would go by of complete silence from his side, not a single word was heard.

  Sometimes, he would break down. Cry on your shoulder, ramble and mumble, and go on and on about how terrible he was to Izuku.

  "He is okay, Suki. I know he is." You would try to reassure him, run your nimble fingers through his thick hair as a way to comfort him.

  He was in pain, and you didn't know how to help.

  Katsuki Bakugou was a blessing in your life.

  You were never really concerned until you began to notice the burns on his body.

  He would step out of the bathroom, wearing a towel around his waist. Small marks had littered his torso at first, you thought nothing of it.

  "Must've been work" you would say, trying to ease your own mind and worry.

  But every day, a new burn appeared. Whether it was on his arm, torso, leg, or thigh. There was a new mark each and every day.

  "Katsuki." You tried to swallow the lump in your throat, grabbing his arm and running your palm over the red irritated skin.

  He flinched, trying not to hiss in pain as tears only welled up in your eyes. Biting at your lip, you furrowed your eyebrows and shook your head.

  "You can't-" you swallowed in the middle of your sentence, a nervous habit you've had since you were a kid.

  "Please, don't blame yourself." Bakugou only glared down at you, pulling his arm away harshly.

  "You don't fucking know anything-" he growled, voice low and dangerous. The tears began to flow at a steady pace down your cheeks, you sniffled and grabbed his arm again.

  "Suki, I'm serious!" You yelled, suddenly angry and confused.

  You were both confused.

   Confused on how to get help or where to even start, confused on who to blame or where to go.

  Katsuki Bakugou was everything to you.

  He was smiling again, slowly but surely going back to how he was before.

  It made you happy, you didn't complain every time you lost to him at Mario Kart.

  You spent every day finding new recipes to try with him, to keep him busy and occupied as he wasn't allowed back to work at the agency.

  What was the strangest thing though... was that he bought a Polaroid camera.

  Flashes.

  There were lots of flashes through every day you spent with him, some of you smiling. Some of you cooking, or eating, or laughing, or doing whatever.

  There were also lots of pictures of him, mostly grumpy ones. The favorite you had of him was when you pulled his face into a smile yourself.

  "Y/n..." he sat next to you on the couch, putting the Polaroid camera in your face and turning it around.

  Smashing your heads together, he used one hand to squish your cheeks together and he smiled.

  He smiled.

  He took the photo, and smiled the entire time it was printed off and developed before both of your eyes.

  "I know I don't say it enough, but I love you." The ash blond cocked his head to the side and gave you a quick peck on the lips.

  You giggled and tried to hide your flustered face between your palms, kicking at him before shyly looking at him.

  "I love you too!" You had never looked so happy in your life.

  Katsuki Bakugou was everything to you.

  Nothing had devastated you more than that next morning.

  Finding all the polaroids spread out across your bedroom floor with little notes scribbled across the once empty spaces.

  "BREAKING NEWS!: #2 PRO HERO 'GROUND ZERO' FOUND DEAD AFTER CHASING DOWN 'DEKU'S' KILLER!"

[jazminetoad]

In My Reality | Chapter 1: Dreams & Wishes

Yo, I finally finished the actual first chapter of this new series! I originally wanted to get this out within a week of the prologue’s release but this turned out to be longer than I imagined. All of my TLC went into this for the past three weeks, I haven’t felt this passionate for a project in a long time. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do! ^-^

(This is a Tatsumi brothers x Reader)

(To read the first part, click -> Prologue)

(To read the next part, click → Chapter 2)

(Click “Keep reading” to read the story)

"Geez [n/n], you look so tired," Kamida pointed out. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I did," I told them before a yawn escaped my mouth. "Just not as much as I wanted."

The three of us were standing at one of the local bus stops that took us downtown. It was our usual meeting spot since it crossed paths with the sidewalks that led us to our houses. We were heading to the arcade, our pockets filled with coins and our phones. The two artists were awake and ready but I on the other hand wished I stayed in bed.

"Oh?" Kamida quirked a brow.

"Did you go to sleep when we ended the call?" Meri-chan questioned, narrowing her eyes at me. 'Course in my sleepy state, I wasn't bothered by her laser stare.

"No-"

"[Name]!"

"Look, I wasn't ready to fall asleep at the time. Can you blame me?" I asked only to receive a sigh for an answer. "I didn't stay up too late anyway-"

"When?"

"When what?"

"When do you go to sleep?" Meri-chan inquired, placing her hands on her hips.

'Playing the mom friend, are we now?' I thought to myself. 'At least I don't have to deal with the teasing wingman.'

"Around 2 in the morning," I mumbled.

"[Name]!"

"What did you even do during that time?" Kamida asked, saving me from Meri-chan's lecture.

"I just watched the twins' episodes from Juuni Taisen." I noticed Meri-chan was about to go on again so I added, "Hey, at least I didn't watch the entire series."

"That's not the point," Meri-chan stated. I just shrugged in response.

"You really love those two, don't you," Kamida asked me.

"Yup."

I lost track of how many times I rewatched their episodes long ago. While rewatching the entire Anime is great, I didn't have the patience to go through six other episodes before seeing my favourite twins. I then just kept replaying the twins' episodes, eventually losing track of how many times I did. It's just that every time I watch the two episodes, the more I felt I could understand them. It made them seem as if they were real, but the reality is that they're not and I have to remember that. That doesn't stop my dreams though, speaking of my dreams...

"You know, I had an unusual dream last night," I told my friends. "It wasn't like the rest of my dreams that were strange and went all over the place. This dream it... it was of the Tatsumi Brothers but- but it was alternate ending with them." I left out the description of what happened because it'd spoil the Anime for Kamida, and I didn't want to do that.

"What do you mean by 'alternate ending'?" Meri-chan inquired, raising a brow.

"Like it was the ending of Juuni Taisen but different," I answered. "It just- it looked so real! It felt like I was actually watching the Anime until I woke up. You get what I'm saying?"

"Ummm, no," Meri-chan responded, sounding puzzled.

"Really?" I deadpanned.

"I get what you're saying," Kamida piped, pushing his glasses up for the Anime effect. My brow raised in question as to what his next words would be. "You're saying you're obsessed with the two to the point you dream of them!" He stated, pointing an index finger at me.

"Ack-! No!"

"Relax [n/n]," Kamida laughed. "I'm just messing with ya."

"Ha ha..." I let out before another yawn escapes.

"Man, you really are tired."

"I think the dream took my energy," I theorized, rubbing my eyes to stay open. Just as the words left my mouth, we all caught a glimpse of the approaching city bus. I don't know if it was just me but the thing seemed to be taking its sweet time to get to the bus stop.

"It's okay, [Name]. You can take a nap on the bus," Meri-chan told me as the bus came to a stop. "We'll wake you up when we're at the stop near the arcade."

"Alright."

Following my friends, I stepped onto the bus. It wasn't crowded, which made sense considering most people were still working at 2 in the afternoon. Kamida found a set of seats for all of us and sat down, Meri-chan sat next to him, then I plopped down in the seat next to her. Adjusting my position to try and get comfortable enough to fall asleep, I tilted my head to the side and let my eyes fall shut. Soon enough, I had drifted into sleep.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Is that thing any good?" Nagayuki asked his younger brother, watching him eat the deceased, cooked lizard.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Takeyasu's sarcasm dripped with venom as his teeth tried to tear the scaled arm. "What do you think?"

The elder twin just blankly stared at his brother. Silence filled the air around them, but the sound of the younger twin eating his dead pet prevented the silence from taking over the scene. That was until the echo of a knock on their door emitted into their ears.

In sync, they both turned their attention to the door wondering who'd come to the door at this hour aside from a delivery man, but it wouldn't make sense for it to be a delivery man. Neither of them had ordered anything. The two gave each other a glance of uncertainty before Nagayuki let out a sigh, pinching the tip of his nose.

"I'll answer it," he stated as he approached the front door.

"Alright." Takeyasu reached over and grabbed his weapon, pulling it close for easy access, just in case.

The feeling around them pulled the twins towards the edge as eerie vines grew in the room. Masking his expression, Nagayuki slowly twisted the knob and partially opened the door. He briefly eyes the person standing on the other side.

It was a man with a top hat, grey hair tied back into a ponytail, facial hair, and the structure of his face made him seem elderly. He wore a black long coat with a grey scarf and white gloves. By this alone, the elder Tatsumi brother was able to tell this man dressed to blend into the shadows and meant business. Something else emitted from the man, it seemed to be supernatural. If it had been a normal person answering the door, they would've brushed the feeling off as if it was nothing because they don't believe in it, but Nagayuki knew the supernatural existed because he was living proof. That said, he grew cautious, thinking carefully of his next actions.

"Can I help you?" Nagayuki asked the man with a stoic face.

"I do believe this is the household of the Tatsumi brothers, Nagayuki and Takeyasu, if my sources are correct," the man spoke with an unreadable smile.

"So what if it is?"

"My name is Duodecuple," the man introduced himself. "I am from the Juuni Taisen organization."

Nagayuki raised a brow, suspicious of this mysterious person. When the head of the dragon and snake household explained how the Juuni Taisen contacted you the instructions of how to get to the location, they sent a letter in a red envelope with gold wax as its seal, and it was delivered through the mail. Why was this man here?

"Are you?" Nagayuki questioned. "Do you have any proof to back up that claim of yours?"

"I figured you would say something like that," Duodecuple said, his gloved-hand reached into his coat and pulled out a red envelope with a golden seal, handing it to Nagayuki.

Taking it from the man, the elder Tsumita twin opened the letter and thoroughly read the message written. Sure enough, this was legit. Glancing back at the man, still with a hint of suspicion, Nagayuki folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope before handing it back to him.

"Alright, so why are you here exactly? Last time I checked, you don't escort the warriors to the Juuni Taisen."

"While that is indeed true, I am here on the behave of a wish someone made. A wish that you and your brother wouldn't partake in the Juuni Taisen."

Takeyasu, who was listening to the conversation nearby, swung the door open and fired his weapon at the man. In his mind, that statement is something said before another person is killed. Not necessarily a threat, but even so it wasn't something to take lightly. He wasn't taking the risk of his brother being killed.

Nagayuki hardly had any time to react before his brother started burning the person in front of them. Part of him wanted to scold his brother for acting impulsively, but gratitude is the feeling that stirred inside him. He became unsettled after what the man said, and if it wasn't for Takeyasu, there was a chance the walls would've been stained with blood. However, he should stop his brother before they burn down the apartment building, he doesn't want to have to move again.

"Alright, that's enough, Takeyasu," Nagayuki told his twin, putting a hand on the younger one's shoulder. As the final remains of ember faded away after Takeyasu had stopped, both twins saw that no evidence was left behind of the man. "You really got him good..." Nagayuki stated, almost in disbelief.

"I do believe it is considered rude to try to kill someone before they finish what they are saying." Duodecuple's voice lurked behind them. The two flinched and spun around to discover the man standing there with no trail of smoke or ash on him as if he never had made contact with the fire. "But since you are warriors, I suppose that is an exception."

"I'd like to see you try and avoid this!"

"Wait-" Nagayuki tried to stop his brother from making any haste moves but his brother slithered quickly and tried to attack the old man with physical combat.

From the way the man never flinched and stood his ground, Nagayuki knew something was up. Sure enough, when Takeyasu struck he phased right through. Surprised by this, Takeyasu barely had time to recover and stumbled to catch himself. Once he steadied himself, he looked back to the elder man with narrowed eyes, growling.

"Now, now, I don't mean to bring any harm," Duodecuple reassured the two, holding up one of his gloved hands to gesture he meant no harm. "I am just here to fulfill a wish..." he paused for a brief moment to lower his hand. "Three wishes actually."

"Huh?" Both Tatsumi brothers spoke in sync, confused. Why would there be three wishes that involved them?

"By your tone, I am sure you are confused. I do not blame you however, even if you remembered your own wish you still would not know where the third one came from."

The twins' eyes glanced at each other before going back to the man. If they had made their wish and Duodecuple was here to grant it then that means they were already in the Juuni Taisen and won. What didn't make sense was how did they both win? Did something change where they could both win? If that was the case, why was Duodecuple here before the Juuni Taisen even started? Then there was still the third wish that didn't fit in the picture.

"Since it is not possible for the two of you to avoid the Juuni Taisen while in this plane of existence, our organizers thought it would be best to move you to another. And since the organizers are generous, they thought to grant another wish that would benefit both you and the wisher."

Once again, the Tatsumi brothers shared a look. Both unsure if there was a catch, and both having a lot of questions running through their minds. This entire situation seemed to be too good to be true then again, it was the Juuni Taisen. From what the twins heard, they made anything possible, the power they have is unimaginable.  Still, better to find out now.

"Is there anything else we should know about?" Nagayuki inquired.

"You will be living with the wisher," Duodecuple informed them. "As I said, it is a win-win situation. You will be informed of the new plane and you will have a new place to stay, it makes things more convenient."

"Alright, so we get our wish granted and a new roommate." Takeyasu turned his gaze to his brother, a smirk on his face. "It doesn't seem all that bad."

"I am glad to hear that. That being said, you have seven hours to pack everything you need before you are escorted to your new home," Duodecuple told them, taking off his hat and bowing. His form began to pixelate away until the air was the only thing that remained where the mysterious hologram once stood.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"[Name], wake up," Meri-chan whispered, nudging me awake. "We're here."

"Huh? Oh, right," I mumbled before a yawn escaped my mouth as I rose to my feet.

Once the three of us had walked off the bus, I stretched my stiff limbs. Satisfaction filled me as the musical sound of my bones cracking played through my ears. I was on that bus for too long, but if that meant I got more sleep, I didn't mind. However, I still wished I had been sleeping, for one I still felt like I needed more rest, and two, I wanted to continue the dream I had. It felt real like the one I dreamt the night before, just as if I was watching Juuni Taisen. I found it rather strange that twice in a row I had a dream like that.

"Feeling more awake now, [n/n]?" Kamida asked me.

"Kinda," I answered honestly before I drew a smirk on my face. "Awake enough to be able to beat you at Street Fighter!" I told him, poking his arm then picked up my feet and dashed towards the building.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kamida shouted, sprinting after me.

"Hey, no fair! You guys got a head start!" Meri-chan complained, following behind, trying to keep up.

'Course, it didn't take long before Kamida was running ahead of me, he had the height advance. Kamida is taller than both me and Meri-chan, and I am taller than Meri-chan which leaves her as the shortest out of our trio. That said, it was the order in which we all arrived at the arcade's main doors. Laughter emerged from us as we stumble at the front entrance.

"You guys are so slow," Kamida jeered.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved it off with a hand before strolling over and opening the door. "After you."

"As the wingman, I insist you go first," he stated holding the door open.

"Fine." I stepped into the world of entertainment and scanned the dark place where black and neon lights hung from. Only a few kids were here today, which means more gameplay for us! "Alright!" I thought out loud.

"Hey [n/n]-chan," Meri-chan addressed me, catching my attention. "Let's play a round of air hockey."

"Yeah- we can do our match later Kamida," I told him, still wanting to do that duel.

"Cool, I'll just be playing Space Invaders over here," he said before walking away.

"Alright, Meri-chan." My hand fished out a dollar from my pocket and inserted it in the coin slot, activating the machine. Taking the puck from the goal and placing it on the table, I put on my game face. "First to ten wins."

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

"Aw man," I groaned, seeing my Pac-man die for 4th time playing this multiplayer game.

"You're off your game today," Kamida commented as his eyes focus on the screen, trying not to get eaten by Meri-chan's red Pac-man.

"Gee, I wonder what makes you think that." I playfully rolled my eyes, chuckling as I saw Kamida's blue Pac-man get eaten.

"Dang it!"

"Haha!" Meri-chan cheered in victory, throwing her hands in the air.

I felt a smile form on my face seeing my friends act the way they did, but my mind couldn't help but focus on the dreams I had earlier. They were stuck bouncing around my loop of thoughts, perhaps that's why I was off my game. Who can blame me though? It's not like I get these dreams every day so the fact they happen was a puzzle itself, maybe if they happened more often I wouldn't be so distracted.

"Well darn, it's 5:10." Meri-chan's statement caused me to get off my train of thought.

"Shoot, I'm supposed to be home by 6," I told them.

"And I'm supposed to be cooking dinner tonight for me and my little brother," Kamida grumbled as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Should we leave now and catch the next bus?" Meri-chan asked, her eyes looking at us after her phone was put back in her pocket.

"Yeah, the next bus arrives in 15 minutes," Kamida informed us, checking the bus schedule.

"Let's get going then," I said leading the way out of the arcade. Stepping outside after being inside that dim-lit building burned my eyes. My hands shot up to block the setting sun as I let out a snake-like hiss, taking a few steps back.

"Hhhhh, why couldn't it be night when we left?" Meri-chan complained, getting the same effect.

"I don't know, I don't control time," Kamida replied to her squinting his eyes to try and adjust back to the normal lighting. "Come on guys, we don't have much time before the bus gets to the stop."

"Right," I nodded, setting my hands in my jacket pockets after my eyes were used to the lighting, following the others.

"You guys wanna do this again tomorrow?" Meri-chan asked, starting conversation as we strolled to the bus stop.

"I already have stuff going on tomorrow," I lied. It's not that I didn't want to spend time with them, I just didn't want to go outside until I have to go back to school.

"And I'm going to be at my grandparents for the next three days. That's why I said we should hang out today," Kamida explained.

"Oh, that's alright. We can always voice chat at night," Meri-chan optimized.

"Yeah." A yawn escaped from my mouth once again. 'Man, I really do need sleep.'

"[n/n], you should take a nap when you get home."

"I will, I will," I grumbled. 'After I take a shower.'

I probably won't remember to take a nap when I get home, cause with showering and then dinner practically ready when I'm finished, the thought will be lost in my head. Not to mention my dreams are what have been occupying my mind. Usually, they don't, but I believe I'm still grasping onto them since I don't want them to slip away.

'What do the dreams mean?' It appeared too real to be just a normal dream but to call it a vision would absurd. Visions are stuff that happened, will happen, or a sort of warning, at least that's how it is in movies. The closest thing I ever get to a vision is the random flashes of deja vu I receive. Perhaps I'm overthinking this, maybe I'm just having proper dreams for once. Yeah, that's probably it, I-

"Whoa there, [n/n]!" Kamida grasped my hood to prevent me from walking any further.

"Huh?" I voiced, confused by his actions, I turned my head to him and gave him a "Why did you do that?" expression.

"We're at the bus stop, dummy," Meri-chan informed me.

"Oh, oops." I sweatdropped as I stood beside them.

"We're just in time too," Kamida pointed out as he watched the bus drive towards the stop.

One by one, we stepped onto the bus. I noticed the number of people taking this transportation has grown since it's at an hour where most people get off work, luckily there was still a three-seat row open for us. My legs took haste to snatch the spot before it could be in someone's possession, then I plopped down onto the window seat. By the time I had shifted into a comfortable yet civil sitting position, my friends had joined me. Kamida next to me and Meri-chan sitting on his other side.

Vines of silence grew around us so we didn't disturb anyone lurking in our surroundings. I wasn't phased by the lack of conversation, taking the opportunity to gaze at the modern buildings the bus drove by and dive further into the waters of my mind. Going through the catalogue of my memory, I searched for the recent dream I had and play it once I had found it. Something felt out of place in that dream, and it wasn't just because the scenario differed from the canon result of the flashback in episode 8 of Juuni Taisen. The fact Duodecuple stated he came to fulfill three wishes and not two didn't make sense.

If I connected the dots correctly, the first two wishes were Nagayuki and Takeyasu's wish to not partake in the Juuni Taisen, but then where did the third wish come from? Why would there be a third wish? Did I miss something in my first dream? Is it possible that if I slept a bit longer this morning I would've found out who made the third wish?

Multiple questions danced in my mind but they couldn't find any answers for them to waltz around with. After all, they were left in the mystic unknown, the only way they could return to the known land and find answers is if I returned to the dream realm, but there's no guarantee that it'll give me what I'm looking for. I highly doubt I'd be able to get another dream of the Tatsumi brothers again, my dreams have been generous enough to grant me two normal dreams in a row, I don't think they're going to give me a third. Still, it would be nice-

"[n/n], we're at our stop," Kamida informed me while waving a hand in front of my face.

"Uh-right... right," I responded and arose to my feet, following them out of the bus. Once outside, I brushed myself off, watching the bus drive out of view. Turning my attention to my friends, my hands set themselves in my jacket pockets. "So I guess I'll see you guys at school."

"{Yup|Yeah}," they answered at the same time.

"Alright, see ya then guys." I waved, beginning to stroll backwards in the direction of my house.

"Bye!"  Meri-chan exclaimed, waving.

"See ya." Kamida gave a small wave before turning and heading home.

I faced forward once we had disappeared in our path home, eyeing the slim light that emerged from the sun that is ready to be engulfed by the black night. My hand dug into my pocket and pulled out my phone, I needed to text my mom I was almost home. Turning on the device, I noticed I had two text messages, one from my mom and the other from my brother. I tapped on the notification and bypassed the lock screen to read the message my bro sent me.

"Hey, I'm going to a hangout at my friend's house.

Won't be back till morning"

"Looks like he made plans of his own," I thought out loud. "Guess that means no Code Geass tonight, but that also means I can rewatch Juuni Taisen." Drawing a smirk on my face, I chuckled before sending a response to my brother.

"Aight, cya tomorrow bro"

I waited for the message to load and confirm it was sent before tapping onto the text my mom sent.

"Just wanted to let you know your brother

is going over to his friend's place."

"Good to know."

"I'm almost home"

I turned off my phone once I had replied to her message, storing the device in my pocket. Mom always made sure to inform us whenever something came up, which I am grateful for. It helped me remember and keep track of things, they say "two heads are better than one" for a reason.

"Two heads..." I chuckled to myself when the Tsumita twins popped into my head once more. "Two heads that's been stuck in my mind all day."

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

I sat down in my office chair once I had finished drying my hair, dressed in a simple t-shirt and cargo pants. Opening my laptop I hopped onto docs and clicked the option open a new document. It had been a while since I had written anything, my search for inspiration had been harder than trying to find water in a desert, but with the two dreams I had, I thought I could use it for the idea of a plot. Fidgeting with my bracelet, I tried to construct a starter for the story in my mind, but I found myself unable to find my way around writer's block.

Glancing down at the accessory hugging my wrist as if I asked for ideas, I didn't have any other options since no one was here beside me. I would call or text Meri-chan or Kamida but I knew I'd be heading down soon for dinner. I found no point in inquiring if they could talk if I had to disappear. Funny enough, the bracelet only reminded me of the Tatsumi brothers. I laughed to myself, wondering what the twins would say if they were here, I found the idea amusing. I became tempted to tear the material on my wrist to make my greatest wish a reality, to see if they could become real once I did, but common sense popped my fantasy bubble. This wasn't some Anime where a game master could grant my wish, such fictional desires weren't possible for me to achieve, but I wish it was.

Something in my gut kicked me, flying my head out of that sad mindset I didn't know I fell into. My eyes went back to the blank doc I had open on my laptop. I felt a spark begin to flicker, attempting to get the fire of creativity going. My hands hovered over the keys, words on the tip of my fingers-

"[Name], dinner is ready," mom told me on the other side of my closed door she knocked on.

"Dah!" Frustrated, my arms flew up and mimicked the action of flipping a table before they slammed down on the edge of my desk. "Just when I had something..." I groaned and hung my head back. My mood shifted quickly, realizing some brain food would be good. "Coming mom."

As I arose from my chair, my bracelet seemed off, but when I checked it, everything appeared to be fine. I shrugged off my instinct, believing I was imagining things.

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

A yawn escaped my mouth after I heard the door to mom's room close, she went to bed since she had to work early. I was just chilling on the couch, my feet reclined up and any plans of writing had gone out the window once I had become one with the couch. I had the house somewhat to myself, considering my mom was now upstairs sleeping I couldn't do much.

I don't do things too exciting anyway, most times I just continued writing, or watch something on the tv which is what I'm doing now. Other times if my friends are available, I'd call them up and we'd discuss the fictional world. Then there was the rare occasion where I'd put on music and dance or vibe. It's relaxing me time.

Currently, Juuni Taisen played on the widescreen tv, already on the 11th episode. I don't know why, but it felt strange to watch it. I've seen these courses of events multiple times, each time understanding it more, why now do I receive this feeling? Perhaps the reason had to do with the dreams I had previously, with them appearing so real I guess coming back to what actually happened felt off to me. At least that was my thought process as I let out another yawn.

The 11th episode now halfway through and my eyes had begun to droop, feeling drowsy like Nezumi. The tv slowly turned into background noise when my tired mind began to pull me into the dream realm, my arms going limp to my sides as my eyes closed. The last audible thing I heard was Nezumi mentioning his 100 paths.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Too bad my lizard died, I think he would've liked meeting a new face," Takeyasu remarked gazing at the empty reptile tank sitting on his shelf, taking a break from packing his duffle bags.

This all seemed surreal for Takeyasu, for months he was on edge and trying to distance himself from his brother so when they were in the Taisen it wouldn't be as painful to see him die, at least that was his thought process. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway, not when Nagayuki started to take the big brother role more seriously ever since they both found out one of them was going to die in the Juuni Taisen if the other were to win. Then this wish thing came along and now they're packing for their new life, it was a miracle this was happening. Part of Takeyasu imagined this is some cruel dream that he's in and reality is about to wake him up to see those red letters for him and his brother. He sure wished it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.

"Hey, are you done packing?" Nagayuki questioned checking in, changed into his signature blue outfit.

"Almost, just gotta stash the rest of the money in there," the younger Tatsumi brother answered, going back to his task. "Do you think we can bring Hitokage and Yuki-onna?"

"I don't think that's the best idea, we don't know who our new roommate is going to be and what exactly they'll be okay with," Nagayuki stated, his hand grasping his chin as he began thinking out loud. "Normal people would probably freak out upon seeing two guys with a flamethrower and an icethrower. Still, if we have something to do with the third wish they must know who we are."

"Heh, I was just going to bring Hitokage anyway, regardless of your answer. You never know if we may need them."

Nagayuki rolled his eyes, knowing his brother would do something like that. His little bro had a point, however. They might need their weapons in this new place they're going, it'd probably give more use than the currency they were bringing with them. Both were unaware of where they were heading. Walking over, he looked inside one of Takeyasu's bags, small red rectangle boxes caught his eye and he picked one up.

"Really? You're taking your poker cards?"

"You say that like it's a question."

"Do you really need all of them?"

"Yeah, they're collector." Takeyasu stated his reason like it was obvious. The snake then cracked a smile. "At least I can reuse them unlike the bags of snacks you packed."

"Shut up." A faint blush appeared on Nagayuki's albino cheeks. "The flavours might not be available where we go, it's not like I'm going to eat them all in one go."

The little brother playfully snickered until the brief moment died down. A gentle silence sat between them, the only thing heard was Takeyasu stuffing items into the duffle bag. The elder Tatsumi brother glanced outside the room, considering if he should go check to see he had everything he needed and wasn't forgetting anything, but his bro caught his attention before he could decide.

"Hey..." Takeyasu started with a monotone, the mood in the room becoming heavy. That was a rare thing to happen among them, so he had his elder twin's full attention. "Did you ever think this would happen; Us not having to be apart of the Juuni Taisen?"

"I'm going to be honest with you, Takeyasu."

That was a phrase the younger Tsumita twin hadn't heard in a long time.

"I thought the Juuni Taisen was what our whole lives were leading up to, but I also thought the day would never come," Nagayuki spoke truthfully, his eyes gazed down at the floor. "I... just can't believe that it's not actually going to come, and how it never will..."

It grew quiet, the reality of what was happening finally settling in their minds. The reality neither of them was going to die. The reality neither of them had to kill the other. It was gone, the dark road was gone. They were free.

A laugh broke the silence, Nagayuki glance at his brother who had made the joyful sound.

"We don't have to play those bastards' game!" Takeyasu exclaimed, tackling his bro into a hug.

"Oof-" Nagayuki stumbled, not expecting the sudden embrace, but when he steadied himself he wrapped his arms around his baby brother. The burden of death has been lifted from their shoulders and they never felt more relieved. Tears of joy threatened to fall as the two hugged, knowing they wouldn't lose the other.

Before either could cry, an outsider cleared their throat. The moment now passed, the twins pulled away from the sibling hug to see Duodecuple there holding his hands behind his back.

"Are you both ready?" the man asked.

"Yeah, let me just get my bags," Nagayuki responded, moving past the elder man to get to his room.

Entering, the dragon went straight to retrieve the two duffle bags he packed. However, he ceased in his tracks when he turned to exit, spying the icethrower from the corner of his eye. He had originally planned to leave it, thinking it wasn't needed in his new life and unsure how their new roommate would feel about it, but since his little bro was taking his flamethrower what could it hurt to bring his weapon along?

"Besides, I don't I could get something like you out there, Yuki-onna," Nagayuki said, a smirk plastered on his face as he picked up the icethrower and put it on his back. He then grabbed his bags and left his now old room. Joining his brother's side in the main room, both face the mysterious man, holding their belongings.

"I hope you both are aware you are not heading to any warzones," Duodecuple told them, seeing how both Tatsumi brothers were carrying their weapons with them.

"Yeah, we know," Nagayuki stated blankly.

"But there's no way we're leaving these," Takeyasu added with a smug expression.

"I see." Duodecuple nodded, grabbing the rim of his top hat.

"So where are heading?" the elder Tatsumi brother asked.

"And how are we getting-"

Before the younger Tsumita twin could finish his question, Duodecuple had taken off his hat to bow, while doing so the brothers faded out of their reality.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"No!" I cried, reaching out to the two, only to face the actual screen in front of me. "Oh... it was just another dream," I muttered to myself, grasping my forehead with my right hand.

I'm surprised I actually was granted a third dream of the Tatsumi brothers. I expected my brain not to be so generous, not that I'm complaining, I'm grateful for it. I wished I knew what happened to them though, maybe I'll find out in the next dream. I could get used to having them on my mind as I sleep.

Returning to the reality before me, I saw the episode had finished a while ago. My hand went to pick up the phone that laid on the couch beside me to check the time, but when I did I noticed my bracelet had broken beyond repair. I quickly sat up, picking up the remains of the lime bracelet and the few beads that were once on it.

"Shit, how'd it break?" I questioned, examing the pieces. "It was fine an hour ago, wasn't it?" Shaking my head, I knew it had to throw it in the trash, it was useless now.

I reclined my spot on the couch back down and stuffed my phone in my pocket. Holding the bits of my broken bracelet, I strolled over to the trashcan in the kitchen and dropped them in there. I felt disappointed, I actually enjoyed wearing that bracelet. Not only was it a gift from one of my best friends but it was something that reminded me of the Tatsumi brothers.

"Oh well, objects can't last forever," I mumbled to myself, recalling the day our Wii console stopped reading discs, on New Year's Day too no less.

Catching a glimpse of the time set on the oven, I figured I should head upstairs to my room. If I stayed downstairs for too long and went up late in the night, I'd give mom broken sleep. Probably best I'd head there now anyway if I wanted to get any writing done.

Going up the steps silently so I wouldn't disturb mom, headed to the next floor. My mind was in a whirlwind of different thoughts, but they were put to a pause when I heard voices. At first, I concluded it was just mom talking in her sleep again, however, I crossed it off since they sounded male. My next assumption was my brother but that wouldn't make sense since he wasn't home. Before the scary sensation of the situation settled into my mindset, I had reached the floor and the semi-audio voices sounded familiar to me. With that in mind, I crept down the hallway towards the sound and I realized it was coming from my room.

'Why would it be my room of all places?' I questioned in my head. 'I don't have anything worth stealing!' I turned around to go and find something to use to defend myself but I never took another step because that's when their sentences became audible.

"Too bad we didn't have more time to pack, I would've liked to bring my desktop set up with me."

'No way...' I thought to myself, slowly twisting my head towards my door with wide eyes.

"Don't sweat it, bro. You got the USB, that's all that matters."

'No fucking way!'

I didn't even realize I moved down the hall until my hand felt the cool metal of the doorknob that opened the door to my room. My brain hardly processing my actions, I twisted the handle and pushed open the door. The sight before me I could barely believe.

There standing in my room, in their full warrior gear, were the Tatsumi brothers.

In the moment of me just staring at their backs, I forgot how to fucking breathe. Then Takeyasu was the first to turn to me.

"Hey bro, I think our roommate is here," he told his brother, his signature smirk on his face.

"Huh?" Nagayuki turning attention to me, his icy gaze settling on my skin. "I think you're right."

The expression of the younger twin changed to a semi-worried one. "Hey, are you okay?-"

I wasn't able to hear the rest of his words because all the weight that once was in my head disappeared. I saw my surroundings grow taller and tilt horizontally, but then I felt something solid collide with my back and my vision dissolved to black. I realized that I fainted from disbelief.

I mean, this couldn't have been real right? I was sleeping only moments ago and I woke up to this? No, no, this couldn't be real. I'm probably just dreaming, right? Yeah, that's what I'm doing, dreaming. I'm just dreaming. I'll wake up on the couch and see that it was only a dream.

[pennys-th0ughts]

Robert Gray. The Origin of Pennywise 🤡 Chapter 2

Augustine was sitting on the stairs in the porch. She was, as usual, reading one of her favorite books totally submerged in it. I was looking at her and cherishing every single one of her features that often reminded me to my wife. From her she got her beautiful eyes and the freckles on her cheeks and nose and from me she got the color of my hair and a proud nose. Her long curled copper hair resembled a furious river and its stream made of fire running a smooth hill down.

My daughter was a lovely fifteen years old young woman now and the springtime of her womanhood has already knocked at her door. Raising a little girl for a single father isn’t always that easy, even more when you don’t have an instructions book of how to play both figures for her. There were times I got to feel uncomfortable explaining things that a mother should, but in time we made it and Augustine did her best to understand me.

– ¿Are you thinking about mom, dad? – She suddenly asked me and made me snap out of my thoughts.

I remained in silence for some minutes trying to picture Charlotte’s face in my mind. After ten years without her and my memory loss stepping forward every day, which was diagnosed a couple years ago, made me fear that someday her face would start being something unknown to me but the pictures I kept on my night table and in almost all around the house were preventing me to forget the woman I loved the most.

– I think about her every single day, sweetheart – I answered my daughter with a little smile, trying really hard to contain my tears.

I couldn’t show her my weak side if I wanted her to be strong, but the feeling was devastating sometimes. To help me cope I used to read the diary she had left me before she passed, her poetry and quotes had so much heart that you could feel each word caressing your soul. To me they were like some kind of balm she made only for me and to cure my torn up spirit. The few years spent together we have realized that we had become in some kind of inspiration to each other.

To me she was the muse that helped me create the most benevolent medicines and for her I turned to be the architect that built the most beautiful dream she would keep living through once she was gone. And I was looking at this dream straight to her eyes and telling her how much I missed her mother without mentioning how badly I needed her.

– She never left – Augustine finally said closing her book and putting it to a side-. She is still here with us.

The truth in her words got me thinking for a moment and, despite her young age, once more my daughter was right. Her wisdom was so pure and unpredictable that many times left me without words, only thoughts. I kept thinking the loss of her mother made her grow faster than I would have wanted; she was so little when Charlotte passed away than I could bet she barely remember her.

Augustine sat down on my lap and I hugged her really tight. My little girl will soon leave the house and also a big emptiness in my heart, but I knew that was the right thing to do. She had a promising future outside Derry and I wouldn’t dare to force her to stay, Charlotte would surely kill me if she could.

Finally the day I feared the most to come came and I suddenly saw myself with my eyes watering because of the tears I couldn’t hold. I helped my daughter to place her luggage inside the carriage one foggy October night and after we said goodbye she finally departed to her new destination. I saw her put distance between us and the more distant she got the more I started missing her. House would feel so empty and the days would become longer. A new lonely phase was about to begin and I wasn’t ready for it.

Fire spread fast and by the time firefighters came to help the flames had already wiped out most of the things. Liquid medicines became into steam and all the solid ones and ingredients were now ashes. Drugstore burned to the ground until everything turned out into dust. I fell on my knees and watched powerless how the little smolders were slowly dying leaving only charcoals on their spot. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails pierced my skin and bloody marks popped up.

After the incident I had to let Charlotte’s brother go; rebuild the store from a scratch was going to take a lot of time and money I didn’t have. I was officially broken. Losing my job at the store was the last low blow I wasn’t expecting and after not seeing another way out of my bad financial situation I decided, with a heavy heart, to sell the house and move in to a smaller place a bit away from the main square.

Depression didn’t take long to look through my window one cold winter day. Soon I would start to loose notion of time and the will of going out and face people would become smaller each day. Paranoia came after and some days were blurry, alcohol would make them a little bit clearer but the outcome afterwards was always worse.

Augustine got a letter sometime after the tragedy, in it I told her what happened and where I was living now. She wrote me back and her letter arrived a couple days later saying that the conservatory wouldn’t allow her to leave until upcoming summer vacations. Long months were lying ahead like some kind of carpet made of shattered glass, I was in one end and Augustine was in the other, getting to her would definitely be something very painful.

Hot waves of air announced summer as usual. I was sitting on one of the benches at the train station waiting with my eyes lost in the far landscape loaded with orange, red and coffee tones. I was sitting there alone and waited for more than one hour Augustine’s train to arrive, something that never happened. I looked down and my eyes fell on the dusty floor as my spirit did. Bitterness of disappointment began flooding my mouth as if I just had a long sip of choler. When I finally gave up to the hope of seeing my daughter again someone came up out of the blue catching me unguarded. She sat down next to me and sighed. Her perfume started tearing floral notes of rose, violets and lavender of the air and some citric shades of tangerine and lime.

– If you don’t mind me saying, – she finally spoke- it seems you have been waiting long enough.

I abruptly turned my head to look at her unsuccessfully hiding the surprise plastered all over my face. She chuckled at my sudden reaction with a shy smile that she politely covered with her hand. The paleness of her skin reminded me the bright side of the moon, her light brown eyes looked like two pieces of gold and her hair was stunningly white.

– I'm afraid you are quite correct – I replied slightly smiling back-. ¿Are you waiting for the next train, miss?

– Actually no – she extended her hand to shake mine-. I just came down from the one that just left.

We shook hands and she introduced herself as Carou Sehl, I did the same and told her I used to be the apothecary of the town until not long ago a fire burned the whole place down. We shared some trivial details of our current occupations and some other irrelevant events of our lives. It was about to be eight o'clock and I was starting to feel a little hungry.

– ¿Would you like to have a cup of coffee? – I asked her with my voice fully loaded with hesitation, fearing to be rejected because of the late hour.

She seemed not to be worried about the time so she accepted my invitation, I helped her get up and we headed to the most comfortable cafeteria downtown. On our way there we didn’t speak much, we limited ourselves to watch the store windows and the things there exhibited. In a moment the girl froze on the spot making me stop immediately since she was still grabbing my arm.

I didn’t need to ask what was going on when I saw her admiring a beautiful dress a manikin was wearing. The price in the tag was certainly high but the fabric and the design of the piece was undoubtedly amazing that reminded me the kind of dress only the princesses in fairy tales would wear.

The environment inside the cafeteria was surprisingly nice at this hour, there weren’t too much people and that made it really quiet, special to have a long and relaxed talk. Carou sat down in front me and left her belongings next to her, I did the same with my hat and coat. The waitress greeted us politely leaving the menu on the table which we both laid hands on it at the same time. Such a clumsy coincidence made the girl laugh shyly and ripped a smile of my lips, maybe the most sincere one since a long time.

We spent the next two and half hours talking about the intriguing life inside a circus, Carou worked there for many years since she was ten years old until they parents had to retire because of their advanced ages. She carefully explained that once the acrobats reach their fifties they must stop working because the muscles begin getting hard and the joints doesn’t respond as they should putting their lives in danger of falling. Carou kept on going with the family’s inheritance until time decided when to show her the finishing flag.

I remained looking at her in silence, listening every single word coming out from her pink lips carefully. She spoke with so devotion that was inevitable not to feel the same fire inside your chest.

– It seems you love what to do – I finally said sighing-. ¿Have you ever imagined yourself doing something else?

– Not really, no – she answered my question while playing with the napkin-. I think my life was meant to be spent in a circus and I'm okay with that…

– ¿But…?

– But I would have loved to travel around the world, with the circus or not, it would have been a quite unforgettable experience.

Carou clearly seemed to be the kind of woman that loved adventure but hadn’t the chance to get out and see the world by her own. Her parents anchored her to a life that had limited choices and she accepted it without hesitation given it was her only way out to a complicated situation.

��� It would have, indeed –I reaffirmed her point of view.

I paid the coffees and we left. Before going separate ways, she invited me to go and watch one of her numbers at the circus which I gladly accepted. That night a warm breeze was blowing, gently shaking the branches of the trees and their leaves. The wind didn’t give time to put my hat on in time and disheveled a few locks of my hair; Carou took one of them and put it behind my ear and said:

– Your hair looks like winter fire…

I froze on the spot for a split of a second not knowing how or what to feel but I immediately put myself together and reacted just in time to say goodbye and kiss her hand. That night I would return home with a strange but nice feeling inside my chest, something I thought it was long time gone.

To be continued…

Image: Andy White (@deviantart )

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Blood, tears and sea breeze.

Warnings: ANGST, mental health issues, graphic depictions of violence, blood, cursing, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of sex, substance abuse.

Summary: The not so peaceful town of Broadchurch face dead again, while Alec Hardy continues his journey to redemption will this school teacher be the key to solve the mystery or just another victim of the ever watching evilness that seems to reside in the town.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 5: Walls made of love

The diaries started as a joke, and Alec Could see Y/N was not taking her assignment seriously, he could even imagine Dr. Florence exasperated expression reading them, as much as he remembered the way she looked at him when talked about his own dreams. But every now and then there was some real opinion about her life.

Monday, April 8, 2019

08:00 am. I get to school and I didn't take breakfast, I had a boring morning, as boring as this bloody activity. Sorry doc, but you clearly fail on this one.

10:00 am That was rude I know, but what else you want me to tell, I had a boring lunch and I have a call from Jonathan's mother, I get it the ring was important and I know how much she doesn't me to take away her son, she doesn't have to be that bitchy about it.

By the time he reach the last five days he listened to the tape as he was reading, there were just little more details about what she ate, barely anything, and the people she talk around the day. One detail call his attention, apparently Paul was indulgent enough to let her drive for brief moments in straight lines, and Hardy was not sure if it was relevant for the case or not.

Then he finally found the recollection of the night she went out drinking with Ashley, she usually put on hours before writing so the doctor would follow better her descriptions.

2:30 - I just came home and took a shower, I'm sorry Doc, you will be receiving this one way late than usual, and please don't worry, I went for drinks with Ash as I told you yesterday I would, do you actually read this? I would hate to imagine a woman like you sitting at home alone waiting for my poor written crap. Anyway, I'll tell you a secret I didn't drink today, we were at the club at 10 but stupid Jonathan called me to tell me that I shouldn't be going out with, I told him where he could put his opinion, but I listen and took only mocktails, Ash didn't notice I think, she was so funk I even drove back, thankfully the streets were empty, I hope she didn't eat me out with Jonathan, and I will apologize to him lateer in the morning, I will tell him: I can't wait to be doing this for the rest of our lives.

I haven't told hin about your plann of putting me on medication, I will surprise him with it when he gets back, that would definitely make him happy.

"Hardy, Paul Coates is here, he wants to talk to you" One of the agents said and he immediately pull the papers behind some other files, they felt like something private not sure why.

"Sure, tell him I'll be out in a minute" He said and once he was away he move to close the blinds and the door of his office.

But if I'm completely honest I'm not sure if he actually wants me to get bettr or just wants me to be what he wants, as you said we all put on walls, and as I tried to move on from mine and from the memory of parents stopping me from getting out of Broadchurch I let Jonathan trapped me in litral walls in our huse, and the walls made of love that I built to keep me from telling him that I want to drive, that I need to work, that I'm capable, anyway have a nice night or morning or whatever time is you are reading this, I'll send you the next entry tomorrow.

Alec checked the time when Dr Florence received the document 2:53 am, so a few minutes after she wrote it, wich was obvious since it had several misspellings and missing letters.

He had already checked the traffic cameras around her home and all her movements checked out, there at 1:52 am just a few miles before the dirty road to her cottage he identified the car that should belong to Langford, and then the same car leaving at 2:05 however the first time he didn't notice that she was the one driving, and then Ashley driving back, apart from that her story checked out.

He stood up and walk to a waiting room where Paul was sitted , he respected the reverend but sometimes his good intentions could be too much.

"DI Hardy" He said always polite standing up to shake his hand "I'm sorry to bother you but is about Y/N"

"Do you have new information about the case?" Hardy said dryly, and sitedin front of him "I believe Miller already talked to you this morning, and I don't have more to say apart from that"

"No, I already say everything I know, is just I figured since Y/N is not going to be able to go back to his place because of ... the investigation and that" he frowned thinking about Jonathan's body "I thought maybe she could stay at the church, we always have a spare room and well since her family is not around I figured ..."

"How did you know she is getting free?" Alec interrupted him.

"Well I don't think she is responsible for anything" He started clearly surprised that he questioned that.

"Ah, you think you can do my job better than me?" Hardy said, clearly about to loose his temper.

"I just think, or at least I like to think I'm better at knowing people" Paul was more serious, and Hardy was shock by that, maybe it was the years of tragedy he had face with the town, or maybe it was something more personal.

"Oddly how things turn out isn't it? The fiance is gone, and now she goes back to you, and you even want her to live with you. And you are no longer with Becca do you? All seems way too convenient don't you think?" He said looking for something in the priest face, but there was only indignation.

"What are you suggesting? Really? You are going to questioning me?" He said and Hardy just remained silent with her arms crossed "Fine if I you need to know, and I'm surprised Ellie hasn't told you yet, I know her ages ago, her, Ashley we went to school together, and we were together for about one year, I don't know she was 26 at the time. And we broke up because I was busy with the church and we have been friends since then." He said quickly and Alec nodded.

"And you were friends with Norbury?" Alec asked not sure on why he wanted to know.

"I introduced them, a few weeks after he move here he began helping me at the church, and she often volunteers to watch the trouble makers, she must have watch Tom and Danny a couple times back in those days" a shadow of sorrow crossed his face remembering the young kid, something that happened often in broadchurch "I actually forgot to tell something to Ellie" He said remembering suddenly "I don't think is relevant but anyway, I am I meet Jonathan at a AA meeting, and that's why he started helping at the church. He had troubles with drinking at London that's why he came here."

"Did he ever relapse?" Alec ask suddenly with all his alarms on "Like recently?"

"Not that I know, he didn't want Y/N to know about it, and I ask him to talk to her before the wedding, I'm not sure if he did" The sad look was back now for his lost friend.

"She'll be out in fifty" Alec said standing up, and walking towards the door "You can wait for her here"

"What? Oh thanks, she has been trough a lot already, I hope I can help her out on this at least."

"You said her family is not around, what ever happened to them?" He said suddenly stopping at the door.

"They died, in a car accident ten years ago, she was about to leave town, she was not living with them anymore, she was the youngest and they care for her a lot, but after that she felt guilty I guess, she started coming more to church and her problem got worse for a few weeks, I hope that doesn't happen again".

"Sure" Hardy said and walked fast to the interrogation room where Y/N have spent the night. He found her sitted in the same place, and she had clearly been crying, he felt sorry for her, but he had to get things clear first.

"You lied to us" He started siting in front of her. "You drove home on Friday morning out of the bar" She only nodded and took a sip of the water bottle she hasn't touched yet.

"I'm sorry" Y/N said with a throaty voice "I did, I know I'm not supposed to but I actually can drive very well, and I haven't drink that night it, I thought it was safer if I take the wheel than Ash, but she was stubborn enough to drive back herself"

"Any particular reason on why you don't drink?" He asked not giving it much importance.

"I really don't like it that much, and it worsens my anxiety, so I may take a glass of wine here and there, I think that's why I blacked out so long two weeks ago I did drink a few more shots than my usual three" she said putting her hair behind her ear "He was in AA" She said biting her nails "Or at least I think he was, someone left a voice message about changing the hour for the meeting" She face Hardy with red eyes but she didn't cried, not anymore.

"Do you ever saw him drinking?" He asked and his mind was still in the coroner report trying to remember what he said about the content of the stomach.

"No, also he always had "Boy's night" with Paul on the day I knew he had his AA meetings, is weird how any of them thought I will figure it out" She had a sad smile on her face "I always thought he was a terrible liar because of it"

"You can leave, reverend Coats, amm Paul is waiting for you" She gave him a surprise look.

"Why is Paul here?" She asked then putting up her hands so he could uncuffed her.

"You can't go to your own place, we are still looking for evidence there" Alec said avoiding her gaze.

"Detective Hardy, do you believe me?" She asked caressing her wrist, they felt numb after all that time.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" He asked looking at her straight in the eyes.

"No, but earlier it felt like you thought it was me" She said.

"I don't have to believe you or not, I make questions and I follow evidence, and evidence doesn't suggest you did it" He avoided answer her directly.

"Then can I ask you a favor?" She said standing up. "When you find who did this to us, and I have faith in you to do it, if is someone I know, please don't tell me" Her voice was low and almost imperceptible and he had to bend over the table to listen better.

"Why?" He asked in a whisper almost as quiet as hers.

"Because I would hate them, and I would want to kill them, and I don't want to be that kind of person" She said and he could see the fear and sorrow in her eyes, and felt grateful that another officer entered to take her way from him. He went back to his office trying to forget that look when Miller walked in.

"Did you let her go? Paul told me on the way out she would stay at the church, that seems fine for now" She said looking at him but he was apparently not listening. "Ready to go see his apartment?"

"What does the coroner said about his stomach?" He asked suddenly leaning back on his chair.

"Vodka? Whiskey? Some sort of alcohol, why?" She asked curious.

"Yeah, something like that, come on Miller we can't lost more time" There he is, Miller smile when he put on his coat again and start walking outside. "By the way, I haven't told you this" He turned at her with a odd expression in his face "I am in therapy with Dr. Florence, I have been there for a few months now, is not important, I just thought you should know" He nodded and kept walking.

"Ok, sure, fine. That's great" Miller said against her impulse of asking more, she was glad he shared that of course, but she knew how hard must have been for him to admit it. "Anyway Becca Fisher owns the apartment where Norbury lived, she gave me the key"

They walked out and Alec started telling her about Jonathan's problem with alcohol, and a few other details he learned that morning but leaving out all about the diaries. He was sure as much as Ellie that Y/N was innocent but that only made things more complicated and he was hoping for a new lead to appear at the apartment, Please don't tell me her voice resonated in his mind and when he closed his eyes he could see her face. This was getting more and more difficult every minute.

I wasn't sure if people was actually reading this, but I'm glad they are, so if you want to be in the tag list just say so and I would gladly add you.

@allonsymexgirl