#Ichi Station | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rriinnnie · 1 year ago

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CHAPTER ONE : ichi

reach you | suna rintaro x reader

bandau!guitarist! suna rintaro x singer!reader

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

“Rin is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of - I am sure of one thing - his and mine are the same”

WARNINGS: smoking, use of drugs, swearing, toxic relationship, nsfw, sex, vulgar and strong language, rehab, addiction, anxiety, mental illness, depression

AUTHOR’S COMMENT: ATTENTION THIS IS NANA INSPIRED - MOSTLY REN AND NANA’S RELATIONSHIP - CUZ I LOVE IT SO MUCH SO SORRY IF THIS IS TOO SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL STORYLINE. BUT I WANTED TO CREATE A SIMILAR STORY WITH SUNARINN CUZ I NEED MORE STORIES OF HIM BEING IN A BAND. SO ALL CREDITS TO AI YAZAWA.

words: 1.4k

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

"A one-way ticket to Tokyo, please."

These were the first words that escaped your lips as soon as you arrived at the train station. Excitement rushed through your veins at the thought of beginning this new chapter in your life, hopeful that you could leave your past behind.

No luggage, just you, your guitar, and cigarettes against the world. These were the essential things that Rintaro said you must always have with you, and of course, you believed him.

“Here you are, young lady. I hope you have a safe journey,” the officer said, smiling at you as he handed over your ticket. You immediately took it, returned the smile, and ran off, but not before waving at him and shouting, “If I become a famous singer in Tokyo, it’ll all be thanks to you, old man.” Hearing this, the poor man was quite confused but didn’t ask any questions. “Uh, okay… good luck!” - typical Y/N.

With a victorious grin, you whistled and tightly clutched the ticket in your right hand, all the while holding a cigarette with the other, as you contemplated all the things you had to figure out once in Tokyo, such as finding an apartment - of course at low price.

However, your train of thought was interrupted when you heard that all too familiar voice calling out your name with the kindness you always sought. That voice couldn't belong to anyone but him—Eita. "Y/N," he smiled and gestured for you to come closer.

"He's been waiting for me even at this hour, despite having to work early in the morning," you thought, and your cheeks flushed with gratitude.

"What are you doing here, you fucker!" you excitedly exclaimed before running into his open arms. You didn't hesitate for a second and immediately jumped on him, wrapping your legs around his torso and your arms around his neck. "Dummy, of course I needed to come and bid you goodbye before you left," he simply said, enjoying the warmth enveloping his body. "Oh, don't tell me you really wanted to leave without saying a word, you little brat" he grinned and ruffled your head. At this action, you chuckled quietly, but as your train arrived, you removed his hand and gently held it with your smaller ones. "Of course not. I didn't ask you to accompany me because I knew you would be here waiting for me," you looked at him softly but then smirked.

"Train 707345 for Tokyo will leave in 5 minutes. We're kindly asking all passengers to proceed towards binary 3. Thanks for your attention."

"Well, it seems like I have to go now," you said and hopped on the train but stayed at the doorway. "Tell me to stay, Eita, you stupid" you thought, gripping the strap of your guitar case harder.

"Y/N…" Eita unexpectedly said. "WTF, IS HE REALLY GONNA SAY IT" you talked to yourself, but you knew that even though he wanted to say those two words - "don't go" - he wouldn't, because he was different from you. He was not selfish, but that's what irritated you the most about him. At the same time, you respected him for this reason.

But one could be selfish sometimes, right?

In fact, the next words he said caught you off guard. "Y/N… don't leave, or I'll be lonely without you ~ <3" he teased and smiled with his eyes closed.

“fucker” you thought and sighed.

"Not in a million years, Eita," you cheekily replied, returning the grin.

Yes, because Eita knew that Y/N wanted him to say those words. At the same time, he knew she would answer him like that because despite wanting to stay, she would never miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could change her and their lives forever.

"Well, I guess I'll see you very soon, little rockstar" he shrugged his shoulders and waved goodbye before the train closed its doors. "You better come, Eita," you threatened him.

And that's how your journey began. No luggage, just you, your guitar, and cigarettes against the world—just how Rin taught you.

———————————————————————————

[Fashback: 4 years ago]

“AHHH THAT WAS FUNNNN I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN” you exclaimed while stretching your arms up in the air while walking through the corridor of the venue.

It was already late at night, and the band just finished their small gig - which earned a quite success. “HOORAYYY THAT WAS FOR SURE ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES WE’VE DONE SO FAR!!! WE HAVE TO FUCKING CELEBRATE! LET’S GO AND GET DRUNK” Osamu yelled in victory as he matched your excitement. “Ugh…these two” Eita sighed just right behind you two but smiled at the sight right before his eyes - your smile really was contagious, he thought.

However, his thought was interrupted when a cold and freezing hand made contact with his stiff shoulder “Hey, hey, leader don’t be so hard on them <3” a whispered voice came right behind his left ear, making his back feel cold shivers.

Teasing and seducing tone - that was how Suna Rintaro voice was like - and that’s how he made women fall on his knees.

“you fucker never do that again!” Eita exclaimed while covering his ear and pushed the fox-like boy away from him “if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you were gay Rintaro” he teased.

“ahh?! whatt?? me?!” Suna fake cried and complained like a child. “You’re impossible just like those two” Eita retorted “hey hey hey now what’s wrong with being young free and careless teenagers leader? I think you’re the one who should loosen up a bit hehe” he stopped and then with a knowly grin he continued “maybe you should get a fuck or two to ease your nerves ~~” Suna said and started to run off the wrath of his older brother - not by blood. “Rintaro when I catch you!!!”

As the 6’3 feet boy ran he suddenly bumped into you and Osamu making the three of you fall your asses on the cold ground. “Rinnnnnnnnn” you cried out loud and pouted at him - “fuck how can you be so cute, you’ll really be my damnation Y/N” Suna thought as he cupped your cheeks with his hands and wiped your tears away with his thumbs “now now stop crying princess” he reassured “i’m sorry” he smiled and then proceeded to pamper your face with small kisses and patted your head before helping you to stand up.

“HEY YOU BASTARD WHAT ABOUT ME!” Osamu yelled as he was long forgotten by the couple who were now proceeding to the exit with Suna’s arm wrapped around your shoulder and your hand holding his, while the both of you were in your own world, giggling about something stupid Suna said. “there” Eita said offering his hand to the gray haired boy who eventually stood back up. However he didn’t miss the way his leader was looking at both of you from afar “they really are perfect for each other” Eita whispered but that didn’t go unnoticed by the drummer.

As you were exiting the venue from the back exit, fans gathered together to meet you with bouquets of flowers and gifts.

When you opened the door screams brought you and Rintaro back to reality.

“omggg that’s Y/NNN!! i love youuuu”

“no way Suna is so fucking handsome please rail m-“

“shut up look Eita and Osamu arrivedddd” of course Osamu enjoyed all the attention even bothering to flirt back with some of his fans, winking and blowing kisses from time to time.

As you all waved at your fans someone approached you with a bag of your favorite brand “that’s for you y/n thanks for your hard work!” she shyly said and bowed in sign of gratitude “WHATTTTT NO WAYYY!!! THANK YOU SO MUCHH” you happily said and hugged her “RINNN LOOK LOOKK” you proudly shoved the present to your boyfriend’s face “ehhh that’s fucking cool i also want one~” he teased and shrugged his shoulders.

As you bid goodbye to your fans you and the boys parted ways. Everyone towards their own home. “well let’s celebrate tomorrow at that bbq at the end of the road, it’s on me” Eita suggested “YAY YOU’RE THE BEST LEADER” the rest of you said in unison “okey then be careful you all on the way home, see you tomorrow, goodnightt!” he said as he walked away “bye bye you two don’t take too long on your way home” Osamu waved and went to his direction “byeeeee be careful love youuu bothh” you yelled as their figures disappeared on the thick snow.

“Let’s go Rin <3” you turned to him with your signature smile - that he loved so much - and offered your hand. He returned the smile while looking at you with nothing but pure adoration.

Before walking on your way home he looked up at the now dark sky putting his hand out as snow fell right on his hand. As he sighed he removed his favorite baseball cap off of his head and put it on yours to cover you from the snow. “Let’s go <3” he said as he intertwined his fingers to yours to keep both of you warm.

“Let’s go to our home <3”

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

part 2 soon!!!

#suna x reader #suna rintaro x y/n #suna rintaro x reader #suna rintarō #suna rintaro scenarios #band au #haikyuu #haikyu x reader #miya osamu #semi eita #fypシ #fyppage #for you #smut

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thewarmestplacetohide · 1 year ago

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<3 your blog! trying to watch more international films and i know there's some classics from Asia. do you have any recs for Asian horror

thank you!!

here are my favorite Asian horror films (note: a lot of these contain triggering content, so please do research beforehand if that's an issue):

Japan

ゴジラ/Godzilla (1954; creature feature, science fiction): US nuclear testing off the coast of Japan creates a giant lizard creature that rampages through Tokyo

藪の中の黒猫/Kuroneko (1968; ghosts): a woman and her daughter-in-law come back as vengeful spirits after they're murdered by samurai

ハウス/House (1977; horror comedy, ghosts): a group of schoolgirls visit a haunted mansion

天使のたまご/Angel's Egg (1985; dark fantasy, surrealist, animated): in a ruined world, a young girl cares for a giant egg

吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD/Vampire Hunter D (1985; vampires, animated): when a woman is betrothed to a vampire, she hires a vampire hunter in an attempt to escape

アキラ/Akira (1988; science fiction, animated): 31 years after a nuke was dropped on Tokyo, a young man tries to save his friend from government experiments

鉄男/Testuo: The Iron Man (1989; techno horror, body horror): a man finds his flesh is cursed to turn to iron

パーフェクトブルー/Perfect Blue (1997; psychological horror, animated): a pop star is driven mad by a stalker

リング/Ring (1998; techno horror, ghosts): a videotape curses anyone who watches it to die in seven days

オー��ィション/Audition (1999; psychological thriller): a widower auditioning women to be his new wife makes a deadly choice

バトル・ロワイアル/Battle Royale (2000; science fiction, psychological thriller): a group of students are put on an island and told to slaughter each other

回路/Pulse (2001; techno horror, ghosts): a group of young people in Tokyo discover a website that claims to show you ghosts

殺し屋１/Ichi the Killer (2001; psychological thriller, slasher): a sadomasochistic Yakuza enforcer goes on a rampage

仄暗い水の底から/Dark Water (2002; ghosts): a divorced mother and her young daughter move into a haunted apartment building

ノロイ/Noroi: The Curse (2005; occult, found footage): a paranormal investigator tries to tie together a series of supernatural events

シン・ゴジラ/Shin Godzilla (2016; creature feature, science fiction): a giant lizard kaiju attacks Tokyo

カメラを止めるな!/One Cut of the Dead (2017; horror comedy, zombies): people making a cheap zombie flick find themselves in the middle of a real zombie outbreak

South Korea

올드보이/Oldboy (2003; psychological thriller): after being imprisoned in a room for fifteen years, a man hunts down the ones responsible

괴물/The Host (2006; creature feature, science fiction): a monster made when American chemicals were spilled into the Han River emerges to attack a community

박쥐/Thirst (2009; vampires): a Catholic priest is turned into a vampire by a blood transfusion

악마를 보았다/I Saw the Devil (2010; psychological thriller): a man goes on a brutal revenge mission after the murder of his wife

늑대소년/A Werewolf Boy (2012; werewolves, dark fantasy): a girl moves to a country home, where she befriends a strange, feral boy

부산행/Train to Busan (2016; zombies): a zombie plague breaks out on a train

서울역/Seoul Station (2016; zombies, animated): a zombie plague breaks out at a train station; companion film to Train to Busan

아가씨/The Handmaiden (2016; psychological thriller): a woman hired to be a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress plans to defraud her

곤지암/Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018; ghosts, found footage): a group of influencers livestream themselves exploring a supposedly haunted institution

#살아있다/#Alive (2020; zombies): a young man is trapped in his apartment during a zombie outbreak

Hong Kong

殭屍先生/Mr. Vampire (1985; horror comedy, vampires): a Taoist priest must fight jiangshi that descend upon a village

餃子/Dumplings (2004; psychological thriller): a woman obsessed with staying young eats dumplings stuffed with strange meat

維多利亞壹號/Dream Home (2010; slasher): a woman goes on a killing spree to get her dream apartment

India

Bhoot/Ghost (2003; ghosts): a Mumbai businessman and his wife move into a haunted flat

Ek Thi Daayan/Once There was a Witch (2013; supernatural horror): a magician seeks protection from a witch who has haunted him since childhood

Tumbbad (2018; dark fantasy, occult): a father and son seek treasure in a castle inhabited by an evil god

Bulbbul (2020; dark fantasy): the village of a child bride, now grown, is attacked by a chudail

Indonesia

Pengabdi Setan/Satan's Slaves (2017; occult): a woman returns from the dead to haunt her children (this is a remake of a film from the 80s, which i have not yet seen)

Sebelum Iblis Menjemput/May the Devil Take You (2018; occult): a woman and her step-family visit her sick father's old home in search of what ails him

Iran

دختری در شب تنها به خانه می‌رود/A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014; vampires): a vampire targets a small Iranian town, attacking men who mistreat women (technically an American production)

زیر سایه/Under the Shadow (2016; occult): during the War of the Cities, a woman and her young daughter are haunted by djinns

Thailand

ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ/Shutter (2004; ghosts): a man begins capturing strange figures in his camera

Turkey

Baskin (2015; occult, dark fantasy, surrealist): a group of police officers discover a gateway to hell

Taiwan

哭悲/The Sadness (2021; bio horror): a virus spreads through Taipei, compelling all who are infected to commit the worst crimes they can imagine

#ask #anon #rec list #long post

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blurredcolour · 2 years ago

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一期一会 | ichi-go, ichi-e | Part Three

一期一会 | ichi-go, ichi-e Masterlist

Summary: The consequences of your passionate vacation with Austin reveal themselves not long after he returns to Los Angeles. You find your world inexorably changed and are faced with a near impossible decision.

Pairing: Austin Butler x Female Reader

Special Note: This chapter features discussion of abortion as an option. I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose and it is not up for debate on my blog. If this is something you are uncomfortable with or disagree with, do not read this chapter. Any attempts to change my mind, or any harassment, will result in an immediate block.

Warnings: Angst, Language, Fluff, Vomit, Unintentional Pregnancy, Pregnancy Test, Discussion of Abortion, Discussion of Adoption, Discussion of Systemic or Societal Sexism, Interactions with Medical Doctor, Medical Tests, Excessive Use of ‘little bean’ and ‘darling girl’, Mature/Explicit Themes [vaginal penetration, unprotected sex] – 18+ Only

Word Count: 7008

--------✿❀✿------✿❀✿------✿❀✿------✿❀✿--------

At first you simply thought you were exhausted from the trip, from the profound lack of sleep because you had much preferred to succumb to passion in his arms than to properly rest. That the simmering anger or readiness of tears was due to the intense crystallization of your feelings for Austin so quickly followed by forced separation. That the cramps and back pain were from the onset of your period – confirmed by some spotting. That the headaches and congestion were from the cold that was going around.

Inhabiting the body of a woman was confounding at the best of times – involved a lot of supposition and interpretation. And all the while you were caught up in the hectic nature of your profession, easily losing track of the signs your body was clearly displaying to you. It was not until four weeks later, when you were getting dressed to head to the grocery store, sliding your hand into your bra to adjust the way your breast sat in the cup, that you realized. As you hissed in discomfort at how sore the tender flesh was, it was then that the kaleidoscope of symptoms shifted and spun into place. The realization that you were two weeks late on your period punched the air from your lungs and had you sitting heavily on your bed, eyes wide as a montage of all the unprotected sex you had enjoyed with Austin swept through your mind.

You snapped back into the moment and quickly pulled out your phone, the pit of your stomach sinking lower and lower as you ticked off far too many of the early symptoms of pregnancy in the first article that popped up in the search results. Acrid sweat prickled in your armpits, slicking your palms and making your hands clumsy. Heart pounding, you quickly pulled on your shirt and, halfway out the door, rushed back in to grab a ring from your jewellery box, slipping it onto your ring finger and putting on a mask and hat. For all its technological advances, Japan was not known for its progressive approach to women – working, unmarried, and possible pregnant women in particular.

You took the subway three stops in the opposite direction, getting off at a station you rarely frequented, climbing the steps to find the nearest pharmacy. Acting as casually as you possibly could with a racing heart hidden beneath your anonymous outfit, you made your way to the sexual health section. The wall of condom choices made you furrow your brow…as though they were placed there for the sole purpose of mocking you. Walking a bit further, you came across the slightly smaller selection of pregnancy tests. You could not imagine what a non-Japanese speaker would feel, confronted with the myriad of boxes and labels. You had worked hard to achieve the level of native speaker and in your current emotional state you could barely process the rapidly blurring choices before you.

Blinking back tears, you eventually located a few options with English inserts. Honestly, you could use all the help you could get at this point. The final deciding factor was the option that came with two tests. You brought two boxes, to total four, just to be extra certain. The cashier put the boxes into a brown paper bag for your privacy, which you then put into your reusable shopping bag and made a beeline back to your apartment.

The first positive you greeted with denial, quickly unwrapping the second. When it came back positive as well, you had an oddly calm acceptance about the whole situation. You went about making breakfast, made your trip to the grocery store, tidied your apartment. The whole time, your brain separated the concept that you were pregnant as some sort of abstract, apart from the rest of your thoughts and contained in a glass jar to be observed. It wasn’t until you were preparing dinner that the glass shattered, and you sunk to your knees in tears.

Because you knew. You knew that things would be changed forever. Now that there was a tiny little bean growing inside you…you could no longer hold onto everything. Between your career and life in Japan, your relationship with Austin, and the little bean…a choice would have to be made and something would have to be lost.

Crawling into bed, it felt like no time had passed before you were awoken by your alarm the next day. Like a mindless robot, you obeyed your programming code and went through the process of getting ready and going to work. You were uncharacteristically quiet at your desk that day, and it did not go unnoticed. You tried to explain it away as not feeling well, but you could feel Sachiko’s knowing gaze on you. Your phone buzzed on your desk, and you glanced at it to see a message from Austin. Your stomach clenched with a wave of nausea. Austin.

For the past twenty-four hours you had been so thoroughly and completely wrapped up in yourself and the consequences of this for you. But the little bean was created by the two of you and any decision-making process would have to involve him. And for that to happen, you would have to tell him. Your eyes scanned over his good night message, and you were immediately aware that your cellphone was not the right medium. A quick search of flights revealed that there was a 7:45 PM flight that night that would have you landing in Los Angeles at 2:00 PM the same day, because traveling east across the Pacific Ocean was essentially traveling backward in time.

– I hope you have a lovely sleep. Would you be up for a chat over my lunch, your 7PM tomorrow? I have a weird schedule and would love to see you. –

– I would love that, darling! I’m home all day tomorrow reading a few scripts my agent has sent me. –

You swallowed tightly, feeling like an absolutely fraud, but somewhat relieved to know that he would be at home. You had his address from the gifts you had been mailing back and forth for months, so you could arrive without putting him through fifteen hours of heart-rending speculation as to why you were flying over.

– That sounds like a very lovely day. I’m looking forward to it. I love you. –

– It will be made all the more lovely by seeing your beautiful face. I love you, too. –

You then went to your supervisor’s office, Mr. Taguchi, and knocked on the door asking for a minute. You described a very difficult family situation that required you to go home for the next two weeks. You needed that length of time in case….well, in case an abortion was the choice the pair of you made. Because it was incredibly difficult to obtain one in Japan, it would have to happen in California, and if that were to be the choice, you needed time.

The stress that flitted across his face, the panic of suddenly losing an employee for two busy weeks, brought tears to your eyes, which you dabbed at with the cuff of your sleeve. They worked to your advantage, making him feel so suddenly awkward at your display of emotion that he would have done anything to get you out of his office.

“You have five days of vacation left this year; the rest would have to be unpaid…” He busied himself, looking over your Human Resources file on his computer screen.

You nodded quickly, and he told you to take the rest of the day off sick as you were obviously in no condition to be working. You thanked him softly and managed to rein in your emotions before going to pack up your stuff. You were halfway down the hall when Sachiko caught up with you.

“I have no idea what you’re going through…but just know that I’m here for you.” She smiled earnestly and brought on a fresh flood of tears.

“Oh Sachiko…” You whispered and she hugged you close, taking your breath away. “Thank you…” You sniffled and she nodded, gesturing for you to continue on your way as she replaced her stoic expression and headed back into the office.

On your way to the subway station, you stopped on a park bench and quickly purchased your flights. This would be all for naught if you did not put that last piece of the puzzle into place. You returned to your apartment for the most disorganized, helter-skelter packing session of your life, but you knew that if needed to, you could always buy things there. You threw out the food that would go bad and grabbed your passport. You looked at the pregnancy kits, still sitting out on your table, and took a third. You sighed heavily as it also came back positive and packed them up, not sure if he would need to see evidence…not sure about much at all as you set out for Haneda airport.

Finally, after checking your bag and clearing security, you were able to stop and take a breath. You sat in a quiet corner at the boarding gate, staring vacantly at the patterned carpet at your feet. You were utterly shellshocked. And while you knew that you had brought this upon yourself, that your actions had been truly reckless, you did feel an anger that had begun to simmer in your abdomen. You could not have been the first to have become so swept up in the moment that you forgot to take adequate protection. Why did something that could be so difficult for some have to simply happen to you like this?! It was unspeakably unfair.

Thus, you had boarded your flight with a sullen expression on your features. Twitching and fidgeting with nervous energy, you felt rather like a caged animal during take off. As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off, you stood to walk a few laps down the aisles. It was quite possibly the longest ten hours of your life. To cap it all off, the nausea that had been stalking you since Austin’s text had arrived hours earlier at your desk, bloomed into a need to vomit during landing. Forced to use the air sickness bag, you were now also mortified.

Once you were free to stand, you found some gum in your bag before grabbing your luggage and making your way through customs. Conscious of the money you had spent on your flights, and the fact that you would not have very much money coming in on your next paycheque, you used a combination of buses, trams, and subways to make your way to Los Feliz. You knew you had scheduled the call with Austin for seven, and it was only five by that time. But you traveled the rest of the way to his address by cab without further delay, hoping he would be home – as he had said he would be.

You should have known he would have a security gate. It made perfectly logical sense, but it felt like some sort of insurmountable obstacle after all you had been through to get to him. You’d travelled thousands of miles and would still have to speak to him through an electronic device anyway. You watched the tremor in your fingers as you reached out to press the buzzer, clenching your teeth and letting out a growl of frustration at yourself as you forced your fingertip to connect with the smooth, white button.

“Hello?” Austin’s voice crackled through the speaker after an agonizing few seconds.

“H...Hi Austin it’s…it’s me.” Your voice shook and seemed reluctant to leave your throat. You took a deep breath and clearly stated your name.

“What?!” His exclamation sounded on the quiet street before the gate emitted an electronic hum and swung inward.

You had just reached the doorstep, the gate clanging shut behind you, when the door flung inward in front of you to reveal an astounded Austin dressed very casually in shorts and a t-shirt.

“What…how?!” He was looking you over, eyes skittering across your features, jaw slack in shock.

“Supr-” You tried to cheekily reply with his line from so many weeks ago, but seeing him before you in the flesh, full of such naïve excitement, had your throat clenching tightly. You were not able to make a single sound as huge, hot tears boiled over your lower lids and slid down your cheeks.

His countenance immediately changed, and he slid a protective arm around you, casting a careful glance around before guiding you into his home. You couldn’t even process the style or furnishings; you were just shaking with silent sobs and ragged gasps of breath.

“Darling girl, it’s ok, it’s ok…” He closed the door behind you and pulled you tightly to his chest, wrapping you in a warm embrace, his hands rubbing your back soothingly.

You shook your head wordlessly against his chest because it truly, most definitely, was not ok. But you did not even have the ability to tell him why. He gently extracted your suitcase from the vice grip of your fingers and led you further into his home, into a sun-filled room with a grey sectional facing a fireplace. He guided you to sit, pressing close beside you and gently wiping at your tears with some tissues he had acquired from….somewhere between the front door and here.

You could not look at him. Not if you wanted to stem the flow of tears. The earnest concern in his deep blue eyes felt like a knife twisting between your ribs. Focusing instead on the jade plant growing in an earthenware pot on his coffee table, you managed to regain control and grabbed more tissues to mop at your face before taking a slow, deep breath.

“I have to tell you something.” You croaked in the direction of the waxy, green leaves.

“Can you look at me while you do?” He asked softly, hand squeezing your shoulder in a soothing rhythm.

You pressed your lips together tightly and shook you head, breath shaking as you nearly lost it again.

“Ok” He whispered meekly, hand stilling but not leaving your shoulder.

Your deep breath was notably shaky once more, but you forced yourself to speak through the crushing weight of your emotions.

“I’m pregnant.” You stated flatly before turning to look at him now that the words had finally left your lips.

A sharp inhale was the only sound in the room as he stared at your tear-stained face, speechless. Each tick of a nearby clock sounded the passing of second after second of silence, the tide of tears rising higher and higher within you the longer he remained silent. You quickly retreated to the safety of the jade plant, dabbing at the freshly welling moisture stinging your eyes and he finally, at last, said something.

“Are you sure?” He breathed and you nodded almost violently.

“Three tests…” You sniffled. “Wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t…sure…” The statement flew out of your mouth, but you beat back the sniping tone, or you hoped you did, before it finished.

He exhaled deeply, and you watched out of the corner of your eye as he leaned back into the couch and scrubbed his hands down his face. You swallowed thickly and tried to quietly blow your nose. You’d had nearly two days to digest the information at this point, he needed some time. You both jumped as his phone started ringing and he sighed softly as he looked at it.

“My dinner.” He muttered and buzzed in the delivery driver, going to meet him at the door before returning with a bag of fragrant Thai food.

As the scent hit your nostrils, your stomach lurched, and you shot to your feet.

“Bathroom!” You exclaimed with urgency and he grabbed your arm, leading you to the powder room quickly where you threw up again, even though your stomach was completely emptied already.

He knelt beside you, keep your hair free of your sick, and cleaning your face.

“God you really are, aren’t you…” He whispered and got you some cool water. “I’ll throw it out don’t worry…” He trailed off as you shook your head quickly.

“Go eat…” You croaked. “I’ll stay here.”

He smiled tenderly and stroked your cheek.

“I’ll eat on the patio, please sit in the living room?” He waited until you nodded before he kissed your forehead and stepped out.

Distantly, you heard the rustle of the paper bag, the opening and closing of the patio door, as he went outside to eat where the smell could not offend you. Shakily, you got to your feet and rinsed your face with cool water, frowning a little at how haggard you looked. You tried to do something about your hair with damp fingers before making your way back to the couch, sitting heavily. Now that your secret was a shared burden, no longer something you had to carry alone, all the adrenaline you had been running on seeped away and you fell asleep right there against the arm of his couch.

When your eyes fluttered open, it was after dark, and you were covered in a warm blanket. You lifted your head and turned to see Austin sitting with your feet pressing against his thigh. He heard the rustle of your movements and set down his phone, turning to look at you gently.

“Hey…” He smiled softly. “How are you feeling?” he reached out to stroke your cheek and your lower lip wobbled almost comically at his sweetness.

“Kinda…hungry?” You sniffled and slowly shifted to sitting. “Do you have bread and honey?” You asked before an involuntary yawn overtook you.

He nodded quickly.

“Toast with honey?” He offered, shifting to his feet, and you nodded.

He headed towards what you assumed would be the kitchen and you followed him quietly as though there were a tether tying you to him. And well…you supposed there was in a way.

“Oh, little bean, there I go, being all philosophical.” You whispered, unconsciously laying a hand over your lower abdomen.

You missed the fact that this was the first time you had spoken to the being growing inside when Austin asked,

“How long have you known?” He leaned against the counter, watching you.

Sliding onto one of the stools at the island you paused to do the math.

“Sunday, my time, so Saturday night your time.” You nodded and accepted the glass of water from him gratefully.

The nausea seemed to have left, for the time being, and in its wake you found yourself hungry and thirsty. You eyed the honey toast he moved to set before you with the intensity of a predator, digging in the moment it came to rest on the counter, having to make a conscious effort to eat slowly.

“How did you know?” He tilted his head curiously. “To take the test, I mean…”

You swallowed your bite and smirked ruefully at yourself.

“Well, I ignored or wrote off the cramps, bloating, congestion, headaches and exhaustion. But the breast soreness…” You shook your head with a grimace and sniffled a little before draining the glass of water.

“The congestion is from the extra blood flow!” He declared proudly and you blinked at him for a few moments before he rubbed the back of his neck. “I did…some reading while you slept.” He murmured sheepishly.

The heart-melting sweetness of the man across the marble countertop from you brought another wave of tears, happy tears this time at least, to your already aggravated eyes.

“Shit, I’m sorry I…” He found some more tissues and you dabbed at your eyes, shaking your head.

“Don’t be, you’re so fucking sweet.” You gave him a watery smile and he walked around the island to gently wrap his arms around you from behind.

“We’re…we’re going to figure this out, ok?” He whispered against your hair, and you nodded, leaning back into his embrace as relief flooded through you. “How long can you stay?”

“I’m going back not this Saturday, but next. Just shy of two weeks because of the time change…” You finished the second piece of toast and he moved to sit on the stool beside you.

Turning to face him, your mouth lifted at the corners as he took your hands.

“My best friend Ashley had a baby – well, a few years ago now, which is horrifying to calculate, but…she was constantly raving about her OB-GYN. Would you be ok if I reached out to get her contact info? I think…” He trailed off, seeming somewhat uncertain.

You squeezed his hands gently and nodded.

“Before we make any decisions we should…we should see a doctor, to confirm we have decisions to make…” You swallowed dryly and he pecked your lips softly.

“Exactly…how is that toast sitting?” He asked softly, looking you over.

“Like an island in an empty ocean?” Your lips twitched into a smirk, and he chuckled.

Insisting you remain seated; he assembled you more of a meal with simple proteins and carbs – easy to digest and not too hard on your temperamental stomach. Once you were fed and keeping it down, he carried your suitcase upstairs, stopping at the guest room.

“Did you want your own room?” He asked softly and you shook your head.

He kissed your temple fondly before leading you down the hall to the primary bedroom. It was a decorated in a mixture of vintage and dark academia but also was still resolutely west-coast in style. You smiled warmly as it felt so right. His hand came to rest on your lower back as he stood beside you.

“Did you want to shower or anything before bed?”

“Oh yes please!” You breathed as your skin ached with the desire to be clean.

He waited patiently, reading in bed as you showered and changed into your pajamas – which upon closer inspect did not match…your suitcase was definitely a mess. As you crawled into bed with him, he pulled you close, and you were quickly asleep once again. You awoke to him gently pressing kisses across your forehead and down your nose. You blinked rapidly, trying to surface from sleep quickly.

“Sorry darlin’, it’s almost noon and I figured you’d want to see some of the daytime?” He murmured gently and you kissed him warmly.

“Thank you, Austin.” You smiled sleepily and shifted up to sit, feeling quite discombobulated yet less tense and somewhat rested.

He waited until you had eaten a generous breakfast, watching you eat every bite from his seat at the island beside you, before filling you in on what he’d been up to while you were sleeping.

“We have an appointment at five with Ashley’s OB-GYN. Dr Sidhu.” He looked very proud of himself, and you could not hide your expression of shock.

“It’s Tuesday, right?” You looked around. “How did you do that before noon?!”

He grinned and kissed your forehead.

“One of the consequences of being famous that I actually enjoy.”

You swallowed tightly…. oh right….in all of this you had somehow?! Somehow overlooked the fact that you were not just a boy and a girl. He was a golden-globe and academy-award winning actor. You must have paled because he was tucking you into his side.

“What’s terrifying you right now?” He asked gently and you looked up to him.

“I…all I’ve been thinking about is what it means for us personally but you professionally…oh god…” Your eyes widened with horror as you imagined articles on TMZ and other gossip pages, the social media rampages of his fans, all the negative effects this could bring down upon him.

“Stop that at once” He cupped your face and gently moved your head to meet his eyes. “There’s just you and me here…we’re all that matter right now.”

And the little bean, your brain reminded you, but you were not quite ready to voice that at this point. You nodded slowly, taking deep breaths and focusing on the flecks of green and gold that surrounded his pupils.

“Do you feel comfortable talking through some…options right now?” He spoked in hushed tones, as though trying to prevent startling a skittish horse.

“Yeah…Yeah I think we should before we see the doctor I…do you have a note pad?” You cast your eyes about, wanting to be sure to note everything down so you didn’t forget anything.

As he stood and fetched a pad and paper, you found yourself wandering over to the patio doors.

“Can we do this outside? I’ve…been inside for days and…”

He kissed your temple and guided you with a hand between your shoulder blades onto the perfectly appointed patio. You settled beside each other on the outdoor sofa under the shade of the trees.

“So…” He cleared his throat and you swallowed.

“So…” you replied and took a deep breath. “Three choices really…”

“Three?”

You nodded softly. “Birth to keep, birth to adopt or,” you took a deep breath, “abortion.”

“Right. Three.” He nodded and wrote three headings on the notepad.

“So, I think we should make a list a pros and cons beneath each?” You tilted your head, and he divided the page into six columns beneath the headings.

“Keep. Pros.” He stated, pen poised.

You could tell by the unsteadiness of his hand that both of you were putting on brave faces, trying to focus on logic instead of the emotion of the situation.

“Baby?” You offered and he jotted it down.

“Family.” He spoke as he wrote the word down and you felt a smile curl your lips slightly.

After adding a few more pros, you moved onto the cons.

“End of my career in Japan.” You murmured softly and he looked to you completely flabbergasted.

“Over a baby?!” He rasped.

You nodded sadly and chewed on your thumbnail for a moment.

“Even if I wasn’t unmarried – and please for the love of all things holy don’t think I’m asking you to propose over this. Please don’t.” You looked to his eyes and waited until he nodded before proceeding. “Japanese society, particularly when it comes to women involved, even peripherally, in the entertainment industry, expects a woman to leave the workforce to raise her child. It is fairly acceptable to return to work once all her children are in university or working but…given that I am a foreigner, something that is already rare in translation, there is no path forward with birth and my career.”

“Well, fuck, that kind of settles it doesn’t it?” He set down the notepad, looking quite resigned.

“Wait no don’t…it’s…it’s obviously shitty but it doesn’t mean all the options are not worth discussing. I’m pretty sure you have some brutal cons too…” You set your hand on his forearm, squeezing gently.

He looked you to with red-rimmed, glistening eyes and nodded slightly. You leaned up to embrace him tightly, just holding him a moment as he took deep, shaking breaths, clinging to you. He kissed the top of your head and you reached for the notepad.

“Cons for me…” Austin continued barely louder than a whisper, “definitely a scandal, though as far as I can think none of the projects I’m up for would turn me down because of it. My family and friends all know about you…can’t shut up about you…” He spoke with his cheek pressed to the top of your head as you jotted down his points, pausing to lift his hand and press it to your lips at the last statement.

“And honestly…a lot of the cons would be the same for adoption.”

You felt him nod and together you filled in the columns under adopt, both seeming the most hesitant about this one.

“It just feels like…if I’m going to have this tiny human grow inside me, I don’t think I could…give them away?” Your voice was quiet, but you felt him rumble against you in agreement.

“I don’t think I could either…” He agreed.

You swallowed thickly and moved over to the final column, chewing on your lip anxiously as the seven letters stared up at you.

“You keep your career.” He gave you a gentle squeeze and you nodded, noting that down.

“And you avoid a scandal…as long as it doesn’t…get out.”

“Mmm…Ashley trusts Dr. Sidhu, I find myself inclined to, as well. But we’ll see after we meet her in a few hours.”

You nodded and wrote it down ‘no scandal’ a question mark at the end. You then shifted over to the cons column and chewed the end of the pen for a moment.

“Time. It has to be done here, before I go back. To do it in Japan I require your signature and a lot of money…”

You felt him tense and shake his head, but he didn’t add anything vocally, so you noted it down.

“It’s a medical procedure so there’s always some risk.” He offered and you jotted that down.

The pair of you sat there in silence, wind rustling through the fronds of the palm trees in his backyard, rippling across the surface of his pool, until you heaved a deep sigh.

“I truly and firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose I just hoped and prayed that I would never have to make this choice.” You leaned into him, and he held you close as you both retreated into your own thoughts.

“Did you want anything else to eat before we get ready to go?” Austin eventually broke the silence, and you shook your head.

“I’m starting to feel a bit queasy again….I suppose it’s mid morning in Japan so that…might explain…My body is stuck in that time zone.”

“We should buy some stuff to keep you hydrated and your electrolytes balanced when we’re out.”

You nodded quickly.

“I actually might need…more than that. My suitcase is a complete mishmash…I was absolutely not focused when I packed.” You looked up to him sheepishly.

“No problem, we can swing by Target or something on the way home and get you everything you need.”

You lingered outside a while longer before heading inside to get ready, driving to the appointment in his car. No longer in an emotionally overwrought state, you were able to take in the attractive neighbourhood and the fact that you were in Los Angeles was starting to sink in.

Access to the clinic was through an underground parking garage, and everything seemed quiet when you pulled in. The clinic, in fact, looked closed but Austin knocked on the door and a sweet receptionist answered.

“Please, come in.” She smiled warmly and led the two of you back into an exam room and got you to start filling out the intake paperwork.

After Dr. Sidhu arrived and introductions were completed, she started asking questions about your health and situation.

“So, we will definitely do a lab test to confirm everything, and I understand that you are both undecided at this point?” She asked gently, doing a fantastic job of making eye contact despite the volume of notes she was typing into the electronic file.

“Yeah, that’s correct but…I actually live in Tokyo, and I’m flying back next Saturday so we don’t have a lot of time to make the decision…” You gripped Austin’s hand as you spoke, and he nodded.

“My suggestion is that we book the termination procedure for next Monday. That way we don’t miss our window and you would have five days to recover, should that be your decision. If it isn’t, I would like to see you that day regardless so that we can get you started on prenatal regimen. Does that work for you?”

You and Austin looked to one another before nodding to each other, then turning to nod at the doctor simultaneously.

“I also think it’d be best for us to do an ultrasound today just so you have all the facts before you make your decision. I will use a special attachment to insert vaginally, and it will be up to you whether or not you want to see the monitor. Talk it over, I’m going to send in the nurse to get the blood sample and we’ll need some urine as well. Do you have any questions before I step out?”

You shook your head and looked to Austin, seeing he was doing the same. After providing the necessary samples you stripped everything below the waist and slid onto the examine table while Austin waited patiently, looking somewhat helpless in a situation that felt rather akin to your annual check-up.

“What are your thoughts on…seeing the monitor?” You asked softly and held out your hand to him once you were settled.

He quickly moved to your side and laced his fingers with yours, reassuring both of you.

“I’m of two minds? I…want to know everything but it might make the third choice harder?” His voice was hushed, as if he was trying to prevent the little bean from overhearing.

“That’s exactly where I’m at too…” You squeezed his hand gently. “Let’s ask Dr. Sidhu what we’d see if we looked?”

He nodded firmly and looked to the door as the doctor returned, letting her bring in the equipment before posing your question.

“Well, it’s not going to be much more than a gestational sac at this point, based on your timeline. What I’m looking for is…well the fact that it is present, and where it has implanted to be sure it’s not ectopic. That’s about all we will be able to see this early on.”

You looked up to Austin and raised an eyebrow.

“I think, yes?” He ventured and you nodded your agreement before voicing it to Dr. Sidhu.

It was not a comfortable experience, but it was no worse than a speculum. She was able to locate the gestational sac, in a optimal position, and answered the questions that she could – noting the ones it was too early for and the ones that would need follow up.

“So, I will run the labs and give you both a call in two days. Then I will see you Monday, whenever you schedule. The receptionist Becca will take care of that with you. Any last questions before I let you go?”

“Just…thank you.” You smiled softly. “We really appreciate your help.”

She smiled warmly and looked between the two of you.

“You two have a lot to work through, I’m happy to help. We’ll see you Monday.” She patted your knee before heading out.

Austin helped you get dressed fully and booked the Monday appointment with enough time for… for whatever it turned out to be, before the pair of you headed down to the car. Austin opened your door and rather than immediately climbing in, you took the opportunity to hug him tightly.

“I love you.” You murmured, mind whirring with thoughts, and pros and cons, and possibilities. But your feelings for him were the one thing that shone with absolutely clarity through it all.

“I love you, too darling girl” He murmured, holding you tightly.

The trip to Target was fairly uneventful, only a few whispers and less-than-subtle snipe shots with cellphones. You filled in the holes in your wardrobe, and purchased a swimsuit as you had noticed he had a pool. There was a moment where you lingered in front of the maternity wear but moved one once he gently squeezed your shoulders. You also stocked up on morning-sickness supplies.

Over the next few days, you worked together with Austin to explore employment options for you in Los Angeles, and had basically ruled out adoption by the time Dr. Sidhu called on Thursday. Her report was the pregnancy was fully viable and healthy – as much as could be determined at that stage.

When you were hungry, Austin would take you to some of his favourite places to sample local foods. When you were sick, he would hold your hair and pat your face with a cool cloth. You took walks around the neighbourhood and swims in his pool, he showed you his favourite movies. But above all you talked. You speculated and dreamed about what the future would be depending on the decision you would make, and all the while Monday marched ever closer.

You were enjoying a last evening swim, more of a float honestly, when he asked a question you could tell he had been contemplating for quite some time.

“When you asked me…begged me…not to propose…Can I ask why?” He murmured, chin resting on his forearms propped on the edge of your penguin floatie.

You shifted to look at him properly, the plastic squeaking with your movements, because it was a serious question that deserved an answer with eye contact.

“If you ever propose to me, Austin…” You exhaled shakily at the heady thought. “I want it to be from a place of love. Because you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Not because there’s any sense of obligation or duty about it. Because I never ever want to give you cause to resent me…”

You can see him flinch a little at the last part of your statement and your stomach plummets as, despite your attempt to choose your words carefully, you’ve still hurt him.

“I wish you knew I could never resent you…” He whispered.

You frowned and carefully slid off the floatie into the water, wrapping your legs around his waist and cupping his cheeks gently.

“I know you would never ever intend to. I don’t want us to do something we don’t need to, just because they think we should. That would put us on a path to resentment. I’m sorry that I’m not…better at explaining it…I love you very much and it’s not never it’s just not for this reason alone?” You crinkled your nose as it still didn’t seem to suffice, but no further words were necessary as his lips slotted against yours firmly.

What ensued was a frantic coupling against the edge of the pool, with the bottom of your swimsuit pushed aside as his trunks dropped to free his cock to plunge deep inside you. You pressed your cheek tightly to his, fingers digging into his shoulders as you whimpered needily. His own breathy moans and declarations of love caressed your ear. His fingers sought your clit, quick and insistent, coaxing your orgasm to scream towards you at an alarming pace. You dropped your face to smother your startled shout into the crook of his shoulder as you convulsed around him fiercely.

“Fuck!” He barked loudly and you laughed in shock before slamming your mouth over his to swallow the further curses that erupted from him as he came eagerly.

The pair of you paused a moment to catch your breath before making your way upstairs to get ready for, and slide into, bed. Sleep came easily at first, just a whispered thought that only a few days remained before your next appointment echoed through your mind before peaceful nothingness won out. It was not until the darkest hours of the night, some time between midnight and four when it was most common for those fighting for their lives to succumb to the end, that you woke with a racing heart. The darkness of the room felt like it was smothering you, making it impossible to fully inflate your aching lungs.

You threw off the blankets, feeling at once both hot and cold, and padded into the safety of the bathroom. Perhaps it was the cool, flat surfaces of the tile and marble that brought you comfort – they did not feel as though they were sucking and dragging you down like the softness of the bed and the plush carpet. You came to rest with your back against the free-standing tub, knees hugged to your chest, and tried to focus on unclenching your jaw…on taking longer, deeper breaths, on untangling your thoughts to pinpoint the epicenter of your panic attack.

“Oh, little bean…” You whispered shakily, sniffling and wiping at tears spilling from your eyes. “I don’t think I have the courage to do this…” You gulped back a flood of fresh, hot tears.

“It’s a good thing you’re not doing it alone then, darling girl” A groggy voice echoed off the hard surfaces of the bathroom, making you jump violently.

As he gently grasped your shoulders, and his warmth and scent enveloped you, you were at last able to process that you had woken Austin in your panicked flight from the bed and he had come to check on you. He settled onto the floor beside you, and you tucked yourself tightly into his arms, the shaking lessening, the heaving of your chest abating.

“I can’t…Austin I can’t let little bean go I’m…I went and fell in love with them…” You looked up to him apologetically, but at the same time felt a deep and comforting peace seeping through your limbs as you finally acknowledged the intense affection that had been swelling in your heart.

You watched his lips twitch slowly into a smile, watched him fight it to remain serious and focused on you.

“But I’m so scared of what that means…” You whispered, a tremor creeping back into your voice.

His lips pressed to the top of your head and your eyes slid shut at the comfort that gesture bathed you in.

“I’m not going to lie…I am terrified too…But helping you raise little bean will be my greatest honour…”

You didn’t even give him a chance to finish the statement. Didn’t even give yourself a chance to process what it felt like to hear him say the words ‘little bean’. Your lips were pressed tightly to his as you clung to him on the bathroom floor, standing on the precipice of the great unknown. But you knew you would be able to move forward because you had at last made a united decision.

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Read the Epilogue

一期一会 | ichi-go, ichi-e Masterlist

Postscript: Surprise, surprise, surprise…I couldn’t end it in three…There will be an epilogue! Which is to say I am quite confident none of you are surprised in the least.

#austin butler x reader #austin butler x you #austin butler x y/n #austin butler x fem!reader #austin butler smut #austin butler angst #austin butler fluff #austin butler imagine #austin butler fic #austin butler fanfic #austin butler #ichigo ichie fic #blurredcolour

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huffle-dork · 1 year ago

Text

Swap into the CrystalVerse Chapter 2: Switch

Co-written with @crystalninjaphoenix

Read Swapboys | Read Switch | Read SwitchSwap | AO3 Link

Prologue | Chapter 1 Taglist: @brokentimewatch

It's not too long before two cars pull up to the train station. Out of the first one steps a tall dark-skinned person with chin-length hair. They talk with Anti briefly, demanding an explanation but accepting that this isn't the time and leaving with Will, who Anti gives a short hug before he heads out. And out of the second one--

"Why the FACK can we not have five minutes of peace in our goddamn lives?!" Schneep looks pissed and annoyed, but he softens when he sees Bro. "Ah... good to see you again, of course, but it seems there is bad news, too."

Bro shrinks a bit at Schneep's anger but he also can't help but laugh because, same. "haha- I feel that bro..." He then looks scared and bites his lip. "Yeah... I need to find Alt... who knows what Mag is doing to him... or to one of your guys- i think... he really wanted Jameson last time, didn't he?"

Jackie sighs. "Are you okay? Anti said something about you healing really fast, but I can take a look, if you want. I've patched up this guy often enough." He vaguely gestures at Schneep.

Bro then looks back at Jackie and tries to smile, lifting up his singed shirt. "Uh- you can try, if you like. I dunno if it's like... good or not. I don't really... get checked often. Gotta keep go go going, you know? Hero work is never done..."

Dr. Parker can see the edges of the burn are a bit darker, tinged green. But the main part seems pretty much filled with healing skin, raised and pink. A bit hot to the touch but also cracking and Bro squirms uncomfortably. "Fucking shit- god i hate how it itches, jesuss!"

"Sorry," Jackie mumbles. "I didn't really bring anything to treat ichiness." He crouches to get a closer look. "...well, it's definitely healing, but there's some green... tinge here. It might be because of magic. In which case, I'm not qualified to do anything.”

Bro nods and pushes himself to sit up straighter, "S'probably the magic- green fire sucks ass, it lingers a bit longer than I would like. But thanks for checking, Doc."

"No problem," Jackie smiles. "Happy to help. If you feel up to move, we should go meet up with JJ and Marvin. I think—"

Before he can continue, Anti's phone starts to ring. Well, not ring, it's on silent, but the vibration is loud and noticeable. "Shit, sorry," he says, pulling it out. He looks at the Caller ID and frowns in confusion. Then picks it up. "What is it? Whoa!" He holds the phone away from his ear. On the other side a man is yelling. "Fucking shit, calm down! You scared the bejeezus out of me. I—what? Sam? I..." He glances at the others. "Hang on, you all keep talking." He turns to the side and listens to the call.

Bro readjusts himself after being checked on and then jumps slightly at Anti’s exclamation.

"That is probably not good," Schneep mutters. "Neither is it good that Magnificent may be in our world." He laughs. "Though I do wonder now... He has other magic, but those tricks... I wonder if..."

Jackie gives him an odd look. "I don't think we should go testing stuff like that out. We need to come up with some way to get Chase and Alt home--and Magnificent, too."

Bro looks back and studies Schneep with curiously, "Wait testing what out? You got something you think could help against Mag, Volt??"

"Heh." Schneep gives him a wan smile. "Well... a lot has changed since we got sucked into your universe. I do not... wish to discuss it too much, but I will simply say that our villain's illusions and manipulation no longer works on me." If Bro looks close, he'll notice that Schneep is playing with his hands in an odd way. Running a finger down the side of his left hand.

Bro looks excited by this and he grins, "Hey! Maybe that will work- but... I dunno- Mag's magic is... weird. I guess- I dunno much about magic though."

“How'd you get here, by the way?” Jackie asks, “Anti didn't fill in those details in the group chat. Only something about Magnificent doing shit. Do you remember anything specific? If we want to get you back home, it'd be easiest to do it the same way... probably."

Chase looks back at Jackie and nods, "Ah right- so he... he took Alt from our house, puppeted him in a super horrible way that isn't.... like him- not unless he's desperate. and he was... cuz he found this like... doorway thingy- But he needed Alt to glitch to work it. He used his magic and alt's glitches and then there was like- an explosion and i... woke up on the train tracks." He then frowns and tries to remember, "mmm... i dunno if something like that would be here... it was in some shady basement of this fucked up agency we have in our world- calls themselves Sclera."

"That's a werid name for an evil organization," Jackie says absentmindedly. "What is a shlcerla? I mean--sclera?" He sounds the word out carefully.

Schneep sighs. "Jackie, I thought you were a doctor."

"I am! That doesn't mean I know everything! Why, do you know about a sclera?"

"I do." Schneep grins smugly. "I wondered if there was a word for it in English, turns out, yes. It is the white part of your eye."

Jackie is silent for a moment. "Part of an eye... Like an iris?"

Schneep's grin fades.

Jackie turns to look at Bro. "We might have something like that here. There's this group called IRIS, they study weird shit. Anomalies. They call them ALTRs. And they... do a lot of fucked up stuff besides that." He glances at Schneep, then quickly looks away. "Maybe they'll have something to help. I think... I think I heard about them talking about other worlds..."

Bro also seems to pale, gripping slightly over his heart. "... Sclera does that too- but... with magic." He narrows his eyes and thinks, "If Iris is like Sclera then.... then yeah- that might be our best bet..." He shudders though but tries to hide it. "God- I hate places like that though- fucking freaky scientific-messed-up bullshit..."

Schneep looks at him sympathetically. He opens his mouth to say something, but--

"Fuck!" Anti shouts, drawing everyone's attention. "Okay, take Sam home and make sure they're okay, okay?! The rest of us will check on them. Yes, I'm sure! Yeah! No, stay there. Don't--don't let anything happen to you." His voice softens. "Be careful. Okay. Bye." He hangs up and spins around to look back at everyone else. "Okay. So. Chase was right. Magnificent is fighting Jameson."

Chase zips up to his feet, eyes wide, "Oh no! I hate when I'm right!" He curses and then adjusts his utility belt, pulling out his phone and looks about ready to burst into the air. "Okay where is he?? We can't- we can't let Mag get him again!"

"He's by the bus stop by his house," Anti says.

"Fuck! That's far!" Schneep curses.

"Not if I run red lights!" Jackie's head snaps towards his car, then back to Bro. "Hey, can you fly or do you need a lift?"

Bro nods and shoots into the air to hover, "I'll fly ahead! I know the look of Mag's magic by now, just point me in the right direction!"

"It's that way!" Anti points. "West and a bit south. We'll head there on our own. Remember to text us if you need to, calls might not work!"

Meanwhile, Schneep grabs Jackie and starts pulling him towards the car.

Bro nods, storing away his phone. "Right! Be careful!" He then blasts into the air and follows Anti's instructions, trying to push himself to fly as fast as he- scanning the area below for any signs of magic.

"Good luck!" Jackie calls. Then the three of them run to the car.

-----------

That was risky, JJ says.

Marvin smiles at him. "But it paid off, didn' it?" He pushes his cards back into a single deck on the dining room counter.

I suppose. JJ pauses. He somehow...drained some of my magic. I still feel...weak.

"Really? Fuckin' bastard..." Marvin mutters, then frowns. "T'at shouldn' be possible, t'ough. It should've brough' you back to the state you were in before. Did I do somet'ing wrong...?"

JJ shakes his head. You didn't do anything wrong, he reassures him. This is just... tricky.

Before Marvin can respond, there's a knock at the door. "They're here already?" Marvin says, surprised. "Okay, I'll get it." He heads into the entrance hall and opens the door.

But instead of any of his friends, Alt Brody falls into their house.

Alt was resting against the door as soon as he knocked on it- and as soon as it opens he stumbles forward, his head heavy. But, it's momentarily cleared of fog as he raises his red stained face to meet Marvin's eyes. He's still gripping his arm, magic pulsing weakly. "...m'rvin... moore...?" He slurs, confusion clear on his face. Then, he feels a wave of dizziness crash onto him that has him falling towards the ground.

"What the--?!" Marvin shoots forward and barely manages to catch Alt. He almost falls himself in the process but stays up. For now. "Jems! It's--it's t'at Anti from the other world!"

JJ rushes into the the front hall. He gasps at what he sees. What's wrong with him?!

"I don' know! Ah--a little help?" His legs are starting to go out.

JJ nods and hurries over, transfering support of Alt from Marvin to him. Living room, he signs awkwardly. Marvin nods, and the two of them move into the other room, where they set Alt down on the sofa.

There's a voice in Alt's mind. So familiar. {This is good,} it says. {Do as you would for now. But that man with the mustache...you should try to get rid of him when you have the chance. Knock him out...or worse. That'd be good, too. That would make me happy~}

Alt's eyes seem distant as something whispers in his ears, letting the others take him and move him into the living room. Even when hes out on the couch, He's still for a second, staring out ahead. Then, he shakes out this head and looks in between Marvin and Jameson. He feels really sick, his body is shaking in a way he can't really control. But... he knows these guys... right? He weakly shakes his head again and tries to stop the trembling in his corrupted arm.

"Are you alrigh', lad?" Marvin asks.

"..hngh... n-no- not... r-really..." Alt pants, feeling faint and leans back against the back of the sofa. "M-Mag... Mag did somethin' to... to m'magic... s'hurts... and I... i dunno... what's...." His eyelids flutter like he's ready to pass out again but he shakes his head to try to stay awake. "m'broth'r... i... i needa find Chase...I... I gotta s-stop Mag..."

JJ frowns. Who?

"Oh! Yes, Chase!" Marvin nods. "He was the one who isn' here, remember?"

Understanding dawns on JJ's face and he nods. Yes, he's the one Anti mentioned. Don't worry, Alt, our Anti saw him, he's fine and on his way. He uses the same name sign for Alt as the Henrik in Alt's universe: A-lightning.

"As for Magnificent, the bastard..." Marvin grumbles. "I'm sure he'll be comin' to us sooner or later. We have time to prepare."

Yes, get some rest and recover, Alt, JJ adds.

Alt seems comforted by seeing a familar sign, his chest suddenly aching for his friend. But, Hen would be in danger here... its good he's still back home. He almost wants to nod to them- he wants to relax- when he stiffens, blood starting to try to leak out of his eye again.

{Just wait here? Wait for him to come for you? No, that seems like a bad idea, doesn't it? They're trying to stop us from going after him.}

"... w-we can't j'ust wait here... w-we'll be just s-sitting ducks! We... we gotta... gotta stop him... s'mehow..." Alt's brain was fuzzy on the details- god he'd give anything to use his magic right now. He needs... he needs to get rid of this corruption.

He looks up at Jameson, head fuzzy as its assaulted with suggestions. Knock him out. Or worse. Make me happy. get rid of him. "y... you... do you know how... how to get rid'f dark magic...?" He shakily holds out his arm to Jameson, showing off the claws marks that match the ones on his own. Though, Alt's seem much more severe, pulsing with purple magic with every tremor of his muscles. JJ's are dark like stains- more just a sign of what was used to steal his magic.

JJ tries to hide his alarm at the marks on Alt's arm--and the ones on his own. We don't have to deal with black magic on a regular basis like you do, JJ says, but I'm sure I have a purification spell upstairs somewhere. I can check my book of shadows.

"T'at's a great idea," Marvin says. "We can take care of t'at, and t'en we'll talk about how to stop Magnificent."

JJ nods. He turns and starts leaving the room, heading towards the stairs.

{Go with him.} The voice comes with a bit more of a push than the last times. Some fog rolls in with the command.

Alt doesn't hesitate to push himself off the couch, the command to follow JJ filling his head with nothing else. He doesn't even look at Marvin as he stumbles after the magician.

This was good... he can get this black magic fixed... and then get rid of the magician.

"Alt...?" Marvin stares, confused, as Alt follows JJ upstairs. It's not too weird, maybe he just wants to get the magic taken care of right away, but... Was it just him, or was there something... on Alt's face? Just in case, he hurries back to the kitchen where he left the cards.

JJ glances back at Alt. Oh, you want to come? Alright, I'd be happy to show you my workroom. He smiles and continues up the stairs.

The workroom is halfway through being reorganized, with some of the books on the shelves and desks where they're supposed to be and some on stacked on the floor around the central table. And on the table itself is a black crystal sphere, nestled on a purple cushion.

Alt nods to Jameson, and looks dazedly around the house and the workroom as he's lead through.

When Alt looks at the crystal, he sees flickers of other people's faces in the reflection. They all look familiar, and yet... different. Some are wearing masks. Some are children. And there's one with a slit neck, green strings holding it closed.

Alt pauses and stares at the crystal, eyes widening slightly as he saw the visions within them. What... what was-

But none of this is important.

Oh. It didn't matter. Any concern that was trying to surface was quickly stuffed under heavy fog.

JJ goes right for the desk, sorting through the books there until he finds what he's looking for. He then skims that book, and after a few seconds, smiles triumphantly. Hand me your arm, he says, putting the open book on the desk.

It takes a second for Alt to react to Jameson, more blood slithering down his face. But, he turns and wordlessly offers his corrupted arm to him, staring intensely at his face.

JJ gently takes Alt's arm. He hesitates for a moment, glancing back at the instructions in the book. His eyes start glowing a bright blue, and that same blue light encases his hands. He carefully presses his palm against the claw marks. A cooling magic washes over the marks. It takes a couple waves, but soon the corruption of the dark magic disappears.

There we are, JJ says, letting go of Alt's arm and smiling at him.

...Wait.

Something... Something is wrong...

Jameson blinks. He squints at Alt's face. What is...

It's blood.

Jameson gasps and takes a step back. How did he not notice it before?!

{Now.}

The second the black magic is cleared, electric magic builds up around Alt and he starts to glitch again. Then, he throws out a hand and sends a wave of blue green electricity at Jameson.

Jameson lets out a little squeak--the closest to a shout he can manage right now-- and throws up a clumsy shield. Luckily, it blocks most of the electricity. What gets through isn't enough to shock him. Alt, snap out of it! he signs, backing up. He doesn't have the magic for another fight after Magnificent drained him. And he doesn't want to fight Alt! Glancing around, he rushes for the open doorway.

That familiar sign has Alt hesitating, something trying to spark in his foggy mind. But, that hesitation quickly leaves as Jameson starts to run. Alt tries to glitch in front of him, throwing out more barrages of charged magic.

Jameson skids to a halt, surprised by Alt's sudden appearance. Before he can recover or try that new teleportation spell again, Alt is throwing electric magic at him. Again he tries to conjure a shield but the magic breaks through this time. This time he manages a scream as the magic shocks across his skin.

Downstairs, Marvin's head snaps up at the sound of JJ's cry. "Jems?!" he gasps. He runs for the stairs, tightening his grip on his cane and the cards, already thinking of what combination could help. Was it Alt? Had he really seen what he thought?!

Alt doesn't hesitate again to glitch towards Jamie- and this time he attempts to grab Jameson's neck and then throw him into the wall, pressing hard against his throat. There's no recognition in his eyes as blood pools out of them. He thinks he might hear another voice- but its faint and it doesn't matter. He needs to get rid of the magician.

Jameson gasps in surprise when Alt grabs him. He pulls at his hands, trying to pry them away before something could happen--!

And he manages to push Alt away just in time. He scrambles backwards across the floor until he hits the central table. The black crystal ball is almost jostled from it's spot.

A voice comes from down the hall. "H-hang on, Jems!" Marvin shouts. He's struggling with the stairs, pushing himself faster.

Jameson nods. He ducks his head and crosses his arms. A blue dome appears around him, wavering for a second before solidifying.

Alt tsks quietly under his breath and then lashes out and throws lightning magic over and over at the shield. Trying to get it to crack-

The shield shudders with every hit, but it doesn't break. And yet JJ knows it will only be a matter of time. He feels his strength failing.

"Jems! Alt!" And then Marvin rushes forward, almost collapsing in the doorway of the room. He takes in the situation quickly--yes, he thought it was something like that.

Alt pauses in his attack to turn towards Marvin, regarding him with a slight head tilt. He's panting slightly, sweat dripping down his face and his hands trembling. His magic is being depleted really quickly so soon after getting drained by that curse. Yet, he needs to keep going. He has to.

Quickly, Marvin bends over and places three cards on the ground in a triangle formation: Five of Diamond - Six of Heart - Queen of Spade

Jameson's shield is reinforced, curving golden lines running over itse surface in a geometric pattern. He breathes easier.

Marvin hears a voice in his head. {That's not really fair, is it? Have you forgotten whose side your on? Or are you too afraid to remember?} He flinches, pushing away the accompanying fog.

At the same time, Alt hears it say something different. {A friend of ours has lost his way...so sad. He shouldn't be here. Make him leave.}

.... he lost his way? Well... Alt hated using these spells but- if they needed to convince Marvin then... Alt flares out a hand to his side, and a collection of glitches forms beside him- and then forms a wobbly electric field of magic that swirls in hues of green blue and white. Though the edges are harsher than Mag's, the colors are soothing and easy to look at. Maybe they could just lull you to sleep... make you forget all your pain, just for a second.

Marvin isn't expecting it. He looks down for a moment, fumbling with the cards--he'll need to use five or more, he's not leaving this to chance--and when he looks up again... there it is. An electric spiral hovering next to Alt. What? How... strange. But... nice. Marvin's eyes trace the spiral's motion, the ever-inward movement. His eyelids feel heavy all of a sudden.

JJ sees what's happening. "Marv--!" he tries to shout, but it breaks off into a wheezing exhale. The reinforcement around his shield stays--it will stay until the card formation is disrupted--but Marvin's other cards flutter to the floor, followed shortly by him collapsing to his knees, eyes blinking slowly...

"Sleep." Alt drones out to Marvin, watching him coldly and emotionlessly, pushing magic into his words.

He thinks he hears something slamming open from downstairs- but he's focused on his task. Nothing else matters. He doesn't even consider anything else is wrong until suddenly he's being tackled to the ground, his head hitting it hard enough for him to see spots.

"O-Oh my god, Alt!" A man in a pink mask is gasping desperately over him, looking worried. ...why...? No no wait- he's... he's important- he's so so important. Alt makes a choked noise of pain, the fog in his head hurting all of sudden. No no no its hurts- why does it hurt?

"C- Ch...!" Alt tries to choke out, shaky hand trying to grab onto his jacket.

For the others- as soon as Jameson shouted out, Bro flew past a house with bright lights flickering in different hues in the windows. He recognized the color of some of them- and it wasn't Mag... it was Alt!

He hurried down to the door of the apartment then tried to doorknob- not wanting to cause too much damage to the house. By some miracle it was open and Bro skids in and looks around, shouting out, "Alt?! ALT!!"

He sees the hues of blue and greens and doesn't hesitate to fly up the stairs- and hovers just a bit above them to see his brother trying to entrance Marvin. He yells out and tackles Alt back farther into the room- the magic bursting into pixels as the two boys crash into the bookshelves in the corner. Marvin can feel the influence leave him like he's waking up from being underwater.

Marvin gasps, starting backwards. JJ stares with wide eyes at Chase and Alt. His shield finally disappears as he stands up and scrambles over to Marvin's side. He reaches down to help him up.

"I-I... what?" Marvin shakes the image of that spiral out of his mind. "Th-t'at was—he can do t'at...?" he whispers. Then he looks up at JJ. "A-are you... alrigh'...?"

JJ smiles weakly. I should be asking you that.

"'M... fine. Physic'lly." Marvin takes JJ's hand and lets him pull him to his feet. In unison, the two of them turn and stare at Alt and Bro. "Y-you're the—the hero from the other world. Chase. Chase!" Marvin shakes his head again. "Chase, Alt's bein'—Distorter's in his head, I—oh!" And then Marvin gets back down on the ground and starts gathering up the cards. "T-try to get t'rough to him, if you can', I-I can try somet'ing!"

Bro looks back at the others and seems to relax at seeing they're both okay. "H-Hey- glad you two aren't hurt-" He then makes a face and his eyes glow with hatred as he looks down at the power that's taken over his brother. "Right... that bitch. Okay- lemme see what I can do!"

{Shhh. Shhhh.} The voice hisses in Alt's mind, like the comforting sound of rain falling. {Don't worry. You don't have to worry about anything. Shhh. Let me take care of this.}

Alt's eyes glaze over more as the voice of his friend comforts him. His hand falls back down and he lays limply on the ground, head lolling to look out past Bro. Nothing but the sound of rain blanking his mind, like what he would listen to in his headphones when sound was too much. His mind is calm and still- Even though his body is panting and shaking and trembling- he can't feel it at all.

"No No! fuck- Anti! C'mon lil bro, stay with me!" Chase whispers desperately, trying to shake Alt's shoulders.

Then, Chase hears something in his mind, too. {Oh? So where were you when your brother appeared right outside my house? Where? Why weren't you there with him? You don't care, I see. You're right not to. He doesn't care about you. He barely knows you, really, he wouldn't give two shits if you just died.}

Bro winces as the voice slithers into his head. He closes his eyes and then growls out, "No shut up! I do care- we know each other better than anyone! You're the one who doesn't care- or you wouldn't be running him ragged!"

He shakes Alt more, pleading, "Alt c'mon! Wake up!"

"Shit," Marvin curses, watching Chase and Alt. He has all his cards gathered, now he just needs to find the right ones! "H-hang on, you two! Jems, can you--I-I dunnae, help t'em?"

Distorter doesn't respond to Chase, instead continuing to speak to Alt. {Look, Anti... it's Magnificent. He's right in front of you. It's time to show him how you really feel. You're so much stronger than him, right? I believe you are.}

Alt's eyes narrow and flood with green and blue magic as Distorter makes him see Magnificent in front of him. His shoulders start to glitch, electricity building up around him. He starts to latch back onto Chase- then his arm is grabbed and-

JJ looks Alt. He doesn't have much magic left right now, but he can try. Maybe... He steps forward, up next to Chase, and grabs Alt's arm. His eyes flare blue, and frost suddenly flares from the point of contact, flashing sudden cold through Alt's system. It won't work if he's too deep in, but maybe...

It's like the gray is blown away by an icy chill, startling Alt back into his own mind with a painful jolt. He gasps, back arching as the connection breaks. He slumps back towards the floor and dazedly looks back and forth between Bro and Jameson. "..h..how did I...?" He then winces and curls his face into the ground, groaning softly. "F-Fuck..! My head...!"

Bro slumps with relief and then lifts Alt up and crushes him in a hug. "Oh thank fucking christ! God... god.... you fucking scared me Alt..." He buries his face in his brother's shoulders for a bit before letting go and helping to sit against the floor. Alt just dazedly lets him, trying to take everything in.

JJ lets go of Alt, slumping in relief. He was so glad that worked. He was so worried... But it was fine. It was all fine. It was Distorter, he explains to Alt. You remember him, right? Do you... know where you are right now, Alt? And is there... anything you need?

"I...I'm..." Alt swallows shakily and goes to hold his arms and curls up on himself. It was really hard to piece things together- but... he knows these guys. JJ and Marvin... this must be... their world. Once he thinks this though, he remembers how they got here and he gasps, looking around at the others in panic. "M-Mag-! Magnificent! He's here- he's...! He's trying to get to other universes- and-!" He then takes in the slight claw marks on Jameson's arm and he looks back at him with a pale face. "... shit- did he already...?"

"Wait what?? He already got you??" Bro asks, looking at JJ with worry. "Fuck! I flew so fast to try to stop that! Damn that slippery cat goddd im gonna skin him one of these days!"

JJ looks down at his own arm. Right... the marks. He could feel the effects, but he forgot they were visible. I'm fine, he reassured them. He did... somehow drain some of my magic, but... I'll recover with enough time and rest.

"They're righ', t'ough," Marvin says from the doorway. "We need t'stop him before that bastard does anyt'ing too big to recover from. If you're goin' to skin him, tell me so I can join." He chuckled.

Well... Jameson pauses thoughtfully. If he was trying to get to other universes, he succeeded. I don't know what we're going to stop him from now.

"Uh, how 'bout we stop him from murderin' us? Or from whatever he did to you! Or from doin' all t'at..." Marvin waves his hands around his head. "All t'at shit."

JJ chuckled, then turned serious again. You're right. I suppose I'm just a bit tired. This was a lot. He turns to Alt and Chase. Our house is warded against all sorts of nonhuman intruders. Distorter can't get in, but Magnificent might be able to. We'll be safe... briefly. Do you know of anyone else from your universe who could be here? Or is it just you two and him?

"It's just us this time," Bro sighs, "He got the jump on Alt and made him use this- weird doorway thingy! He almost got away with just Alt- god that would have been bad..."

Alt shudders and holds himself tightly, "If i was drained doing the spell... then Mag probably was too... which is why he tried to find the nearest source of magic. Then he'd... god... I... I don't know... h-he made puppets of you all once but- not even as himself... That was Distorter too... I dunno if he'd stick around for that though... and i... i dont think he'd kill you all... not yet at least. He... He likes making people useful to him. Or keeping trophies..." He grips tighter on his arms, digging his nails in. "h-he might just be trying to get to the next universe somehow... since he's experienced this one... in a way." The glitch hates that he's been around Mag long enough to know his thought pattern but... he did work with him for a long time.

Bro makes a face as he thinks and then perks up, "Oh! Yeah! I need to message the others! They were gonna be driving here! Then they uh- they mentioned someplace we can try to see might have something to help- somewhere callleedd ah fuck what was it- its like Sclera!" He scrunches his face and looks up to think. "...what do you call the colored part of your eye?"

"Iris-" Alt mutters.

"Iris! Yeah that was it!" Bro whips out his phone and sends a text to Anti. I found JJ and Alt! Mag got to JJ but hes okay- and Alt was affected by Distorter... anyways! JJ and Marvin were here so i guess we're in their house :)

Marvin and JJ stiffen. JJ looks back at him. Do you think IRIS could help?

"I... s'ppose," Marvin mutters, shuffling his card deck. "Probably. Yes. They... like t'is sort of stuff. Time and space and all t'at. So the question is jus'... which one of their places we go to t'find somet'ing helpful."

I don't think either of us are... the most qualified to answer that question, JJ says.

Meanwhile, Chase gets an answering text: Great we're reall close then. Just a few minutes and well be there.

Soon after, JJ and Marvin's phones both ding. They take them out and read the text that Anti just sent THEM.

"They're on th'way," Marvin reports.

JJ nods. Let's all head downstairs and wait for them. He turns and looks at the bookshelves Chase and Alt ran into. He frowns. You've ruined my shelves.

Marvin bursts into laughter. "Is--is t'at really your priority?"

I've spent a couple days organizing them. That one's all...ker-fobbled now.

"Did ye really jus' spell out t'at nonsense word?"

Chase looks back up and then blushes, getting to his feet, "Ah fuck! I'm sorry! I just- acted on instinct! I'm not that tired i could reorganize them if you want!"

Alt glitches to his feet and then shoves Bro towards the door. "Let's focus on the important stuff, Chase- like getting back home and stopping the evil maniac thats skulking through town?"

"...oh yeah-"

Alt shoves him more out the door, "My god you're impossible... did you take your meds today?!"

"'course I did but a lot is happening, Alt!"

Alt rolls his eyes then glitches downstairs.

Marvin giggles. Then he stops. The others couldn't hear the voice he just did. {You know fixing this won't get rid of me. We're stuck together. Embrace it now.} After a second, he shakes off the uneasy feeling and finally stands up, using his cane as support. "Yea, let's all go downstairs. We can settle the IRIS t'ing t'ere when the others arrive."

Alt finds the same space the others put him on earlier and slowly goes to curl up, holding his headphones and hiding his face behind his knees. He never thought he'd be so far away from home without his mask...

Bro watches Alt vaguely then sticks by the others, ready to help if they needed it. He wants to make sure they get down okay first- especially with JJ looking so spent.

JJ notices Chase sticking by. He smiles at him tiredly. Don't worry, I'm not actually mad. It was an emergency. And I understand the, ah, mile-a-minute effect, if you know what I mean.

"We shoul' lock you and Jems and Jackie in an empty room, see how insane you all become," Marvin mutters. "C'mon, Mr. Fantastic." He starts walking down the hallway. A bit slower than usual, but he did run up the stairs. The energy had to come from somewhere.

That's a different superhero, JJ says, following him. A fictional one.

"As far as we know! If other universes are real, perhaps all stories are, too!"

JJ smiles. He glances back at Chase to make sure he's following.

Chase laughs and then hovers over the others as they go down the stairs. “Oh yeah! Jackieboy- the one from our universe- he’s a hugeee comic nerd- gave me an earful once about my name being so close to that guy’s but I didn’t know! I didn’t read comics?? I had like… rugby to play and shit- pints to drink…”

Ah, you were one of those uni people, huh? I don't know why I'm surprised. JJ smiles again. I was a theatre major, which, I'm told, says everything about me and how I acted in uni.

"Imagine goin' to a second'ry school," Marvin says.

You mean a university?

Marvin pauses. "Well, I finished primary school, at least." JJ raises an eyebrow. "Don' give me t'at look, do you know how hard t'at was to do under my circumstances?!"

I'm very proud of you, Marvin. Sincerely.

Bro touches down to the steps once he’s sure the others are fine and then glances back at the living room. He sees his brother all curled up and his heart aches. He slowly makes his way over and sits down next to him. He waits a beat- then opens one arm to Alt’s backside but doesn’t move, waiting to see how Alt would respond.

Alt blinks up at Bro and seems to hesitate. But then he slowly adjusts so he can lay his head on Bro’s shoulder. Chase wraps a light around Alt’s back and the glitch seems to relax some.

“….I hate this.” Alt whispers weakly to Chase, trying to hide the frustrated tears wanting to leak out of his eyes. He scrubs hard at the drying blood on his face.

Chase closes his eyes and leans against Alt’s head. “I know…”

“I mean… im… im glad to see these guys again… just…” Alt shudders and curls up more. “…I know it’s good they’re not here but… I miss the others…”

“Yeah…” Bro sighs. He then presses light lips to his brother’s head, “We’ll figure it out though…”

Alt nods and hides his face against his brother’s shoulder.

Jameson and Marvin join Chase and Alt in the living room, noticing the way the two of them are acting with each other. They exchange looks, then decide not to say or do anything to interrupt the moment. "Won' be long now," Marvin says, going over to sit in his usual chair. "Jus' a few more minutes."

————

Frustratingly for Magnificent, he seems to have appeared in an area with few magicians or otherwise magic people. Sure, the city at large is very magical, but the west and south neighborhoods are odd dry spots. There are occasional empty houses full of spellbooks and the occasional talisman, but great amounts of magic are few... except for Jameson Jackson, of course, lessened as his magical signature is now that he's drained.

The dark magician curses as he comes up short on any other magic sources. Guess it was time to go back to what he knew- that Jameson could still prove useful to him, if he could find where he escaped to. And well- remembering the bonds between his puppet and his friends- where jj was- so would his failure crippled counterpart would be. It would be good to get rid of such weakness.

Flaring his eyes- he tries to locate that faint spark of Jameson’s magic.

It’s hard to find, but it’s there, glowing faintly… in the opposite direction he’s been walking all this time. How ironic.

Magnificent curses to himself- he'd been walking in the complete wrong way! Cheeky little magician... what a rookie mistake.

But as he stands there trying to locate it… he hears a voice. A voice that sounds like it’s coming from right next to him. “I knew I’d see you eventually.”

Mag freezes hearing that voice and whirls around, hurtling magic towards the voice. "You-!"

The attack misses, because Distorter is not at all where his voice was coming from. Now there’s laughter on Magnificent’s other side. Distorter is sitting on a house’s doorstep, watching casually. “Last time we met because of an accident, but not this time. You came here on purpose, right?” He stands up, head tilting to the side. “Couldn’t make it back home so you decided to try somewhere new? Hoping you wouldn’t fail as much here?”

Magnificent bares his teeth for a second but then stands up taller and tries to stay composed. He smirks, “A being like you couldn’t possibly understand my ambitions. You’re stuck as this- dead thing. But, I’m pushing past my limits. You’re just a speck in the grand scheme of things, cadaver.”

"It's funny how you think you're more than that. Cute, even." Distorter puts a hand on his cheek, a silent gesture of "awww." "You'll die too one day. There's no magic to stave that off forever. And even if you somehow find something that does, do you think it will change your core? Strip away my powers, I'm just a dead guy. Strip away yours and you're just a man with abandonment issues and a mean dad. There's a million of those."

Magnificent tries to keep his expression schooled, even as the demon claws at his inner most fears, his deepest feelings he's long tried to supress. He'd never admit it but yes- He's afraid to die. But, this was to that end. However, the last comments ignite rage in the mad magician as he lashes out with a wild yell and tries to grab where he sees Distorter.

Distorter doesn't move as Mag lunges at him, not even as his claws dig into his flesh. "Looks like I struck a nerve there~!" he sings. Still smiling. Always smiling.

Magnificent yells more and slams the cadaver into the ground, trying to choke him as his eyes light up with power. "Shut up! Don't you dare- dare compare me to any other lowly human! I am more- I am MAGNIFICENT!" He digs his claws in tighter and snarls, "I will not be judged by a being so consumed by sadness for a life that was obviously as meaningless as your very existence."

Distorter's grin widens. He doesn't breathe so the choking isn't bothering him, but he does need air to talk and so can't respond. Instead he reaches up, blackened nails scraping the edge of Magnificent's mask... and all of a sudden he doesn't look like himself anymore. He looks like Jackie--the one Magnificent remembers.

Magnificent's eyes widen in shock. It's instinctual- he lets go of Distorter and backs up, looking at him in confusion. But, then he snarls and teleports back, lighting his hands on fire to try to seem threatening. "No-! No I- I won't fall for your tricks, demon!"

Laughing, Distorter sits up, then stands. The movement is just a bit too fast to be natural. “It’s not a trick,” he says. “It’s a distraction.” And then he attacks—not physically. Mentally, psychic claws digging for a grip in Mag’s mind.

Magnificent looks caught off guard again then yells out as a powerful force is slammed onto his mind. He cries out and falls to his knees, gripping at his skull. Green light tries to ignite in his good eye, trying to push back the force. "N-No! You- You can't...!"

“I can’t? Then how am I doing it?” Distorter steps up to him, leaning down so their eyes are level. “Our goals aren’t really that different you know. And this is my home. It’d be so much easier if you let me show you the way.”

Mag meets distorter's eyes with hatred, snarling. "You- You overpowered when I was weak before- I-! I won't be bested by you ag-" He then pauses, the mental load slamming more against his mind as Distorter's logic tries to worm itself in. To Magnificent though, it feels like he's letting the wheels turn himself, figuring out a plan. Would it be so bad... to team up? They almost brought down their enemies together last time, but Magnificent hardly remembered himself. "... you... don't want to help me-" The dark magician breathes, though he seems unsure of that statement, narrowing his eyes at the other villain.

"Why wouldn't I want to? I don't hate you." Distorter's smile hides the half-lie. He does mildly dislike the dark magician, but he was so useful that he was willing to put up with it. "And helping you would help me, too. We could do so much together."

Magnificent's eyes are starting to slip- the pressure on his head becoming too much. Why- fight it though?

Because he didn't need anyone else! He was powerful enough on his own- he didn't need help!

Are you really going to look a gift horse in the mouth, sorcerer? You're in a foreign world- already weakened. Take what you can get.

Mag's furious expression starts to fall, face slacking. His claws loosen from his skull as he better looks Distorter in the eyes. "...we could... could do so much...together."

"Exactly." Distorter offers a hand to help pull Magnificent up. "I know where they are now, but I don't think they'll stay there for long. Your cub and that hero want to get back to their world soon, and the others have an idea to help them. We need to hurry."

For a fraction of a second, Mag hesitates. But then he lets himself get helped up and nods, blood welling up in one of his eyes. "Alright. Show me."

Distorter's grin widens. "I think I know where they're going. We can intercept them, take them off guard. Follow me."

#swap into the crystalverse #swapboys #switch au #alt anti #bro fantastic #swap magnificent #programmer anti #1920's marvin #the jaunty jackson #distorter #von voltage #dr. jackie parker #this is one of my fav parts from the switch section :)#you'll see why GHVJB #SITCV switch

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