#Kinda (not really. It's still getting updated by the minute) caught up with the dash now off to other posts

[kyouka-supremacy]

I have a feeling Harukawa watched season 5 and how Bones animated Akutagawa's death scene and went. Oh God. Gotta teach them how to portray people dying with serene soft smiles on their faces it seems. Better step up the game. Show them how it's done one more time if that's what they need

[oo-hazel-oo]

The Lucky Batch

hey y’all! i’ve been working on this for a hot minute — turns out i am incapable writing anything shorter than 5,000 words, so sorry in advance for how long this got. a huge thank you to @cosmicghostie for being the ultimate writer's cheerleader and to the rest of the lucky batch for giving me such amazing characters to work with! you all genuinely brighten my day, so i hope this brightens yours! ♥︎

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Lucky: a few days in the life of Clone Force 37’s unofficial therapist

content warnings: blood/injury, weapon use, lots of emotional distress (but also some fluff to make up for it!!)

Thumbs didn’t know when he had become Clone Force 37’s unofficial therapist. It just kinda happened.

His original role as the squad’s battle strategist shifted after he realized that his usual skill-set wouldn’t be helpful to a squad who typically threw strategy out the window.

Yet even without a set strategy, the unconventional group somehow had a relatively high success rate when it came to their missions. Thumbs had assumed it was their unpredictability that gave them an advantage. Or the fact that each of them had unique abilities, unlike any soldiers he had ever met.

However, the longer he was with Clone Force 37, the more he started to notice just how special his batch-mates were.

The twins, Foxy and Pepper, had caught his attention first. Both were skilled in their own ways, but what stood out to Thumbs was how each was fiercely protective of the other. He wasn’t sure what the pair had gone through to end up on the Clover, but he couldn’t help but notice the weight of Foxy’s quiet around strangers or the subtle promise behind each sticker that Pepper placed. Thumbs knew more than anyone, love was always accompanied by fear.

He saw this fear in Master Kenhla, every time she glanced towards the two padawans she had come to mentor. Despite her powerful posture, Thumbs could see how she carried the galaxy on her shoulders; not so that she could manage more, but so her brothers could bear less.

Brothers like Rane and Skip, who had lost everything, everyone, before finding their place with the Lucky Batch. Or Sparks and Ryder, both of whom blamed themselves for tragedies of the past.

They all had lost so much… Yet, by some miracle, they had found each other.

Thumbs would do anything to make sure it stayed that way.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

This particular day had started normally, which for Thumbs meant wincing as three screaming forms barreled towards where he sat knitting at the back of the ship. He set his needles down, knowing he would not be getting back to work anytime soon.

“Here we go,” he mumbled under his breath as his batchmates shouted from across the hull.

“THUMBS!!!”

The small stampede, which was revealed to be Sparks, Ballast, and Luna, raced towards him, each one attempting to outpace the other.

“Oh Maker, Ballast, what did you do?”

The batcher in question skidded to a stop, mock-offense written across his face. “I didn’t-”

Thumbs gave each of his batch-mates a once-over, scanning them for injuries. “Should I get Pepper? Is anyone hurt?”

“Not yet,” the two mechanics both mumbled under their breath.

Thumbs sighed in equal parts relief and exhaustion. Ballast and Sparks had been ‘friendly’ rivals for as long as he had known the pair. Unfortunately for him, their rivalry often extended outside the realm of mechanics and into the everyday affairs of the Lucky Batch, with Thumbs usually acting as the chosen mediator of these disagreements.

Sparks pointed at Ballast, pleading his case. “He ate all the cookies Jack made me!”

“You’re overreac-”

“And drank all my caf.”

Now Thumbs understood the near-murderous look on Sparks’ face.

His brother had always done so much for the batch and asked for very few things in return, one of those things being his morning cups of caf: a simple but necessary pleasure that allowed him to function throughout the day.

Thumbs brought his attention back to the pair in front of him, wondering whose word to trust more. Then he brought his gaze down, to a much more reliable source.

“Luna, what happened?”

The padawan looked up nervously, her eyes partially hidden behind choppy bangs. Thumbs smiled when he noticed she was wearing the mittens he had knit for her. He had originally made pairs for both her and Brisk while they were stationed on a colder planet, but now Luna liked to wear them for fun, claiming they made her look like an ewok.

The young girl shrunk from the attention that was suddenly on her, moving closer to Ballast’s side.

“I…”

“What happened is he drank all my caf.” Sparks stepped forward, jabbing another accusatory finger towards Ballast. “The caf that prevents me from strangling my brothers when they get on my nerves.”

Thumbs spoke up, attempting to diffuse the rising hostility. “I thought you didn’t even like caf, Ballast. I always see you drinking that tea Jackal likes.”

The mechanic shifted on his feet nervously. “Well, I…”

Thumbs looked towards his brother curiously, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. Something about the whole dispute seemed off, almost like Ballast was covering for someb-

“Wait,” a small voice piped up from behind the three brothers. “B-Ballast didn’t take your caf, I did.”

“You-” Sparks spun towards the voice with an instinctive glower before recognizing its source. His features softened almost instantly. “What?”

Luna shrugged sheepishly. “I wanted to see if it was good… It was! And Master Ken said I was exceptionally energetic during our training afterwards.”

Thumbs fixed his gaze on Sparks expectantly, curious how he would react to the young batcher’s confession.

“I’m sorry,” she continued, wringing her mittened hands. “I know I should’ve asked.”

Sparks cleared his throat awkwardly as he waved off her apology. “No, it’s uh... It’s fine.”

Luna’s expression remained uncertain and Ballast elbowed Sparks in the side, urging him to reassure the young girl.

“Really, I mean... I shouldn’t even be drinking that much anyway,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily.

Ballast grinned at Sparks, eating up the moment.

Thumbs couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto his own face as well. For a squad of soldiers who had fought countless battles and overcome powerful enemies, they sure did surrender fast when it came to their padawans. No one onboard the Clover was immune to their effortless charm.

Luna eventually looked up at Thumbs, seeking his own approval, which he happily granted with an encouraging thumbs up.

There was a welcome moment of silence before Sparks’ head jerked upwards once more.

“Wait, what about my cookies?”

“Hmm...” Ballast looked to the floor dramatically, feigning deep thought. “You mean the chocolate chunk cookies with sea salt and a fine caramel drizzle?” He smirked before continuing. “I have no idea.”

Sparks took two threatening steps towards Ballast and within seconds the two of them were chasing each other throughout the Clover with Luna giggling in their wake.

For the clones, who quite literally were forced to grow up too fast, the padawans’ presence reminded them of what a childhood should be. It kept them grounded, desperate to preserve that feeling for the young girls for as long as they could. And if that meant that Luna could get away with stealing Spark’s caf, then so be it.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

That evening’s supply trip was supposed to be easy. A quick in and out operation to gather necessary materials for the coming weeks. But it had already been three hours since Ballast, Sparks, and Foxy’s expected return and no one on the Clover had received an update on their whereabouts.

Thumbs wasn’t someone who paced often. While the rest of the galaxy seemed to be in constant motion, Thumbs always tried his best to remain still at its center. But the longer he waited for his batchmates’ return, the more he felt like he was spinning off his axis, unable to stop the repetitive trajectory of his feet throughout the hull.

He wasn’t even aware of his own movements until they were interrupted by the sound of distant yelling. Strained shouts echoed from outside the Clover’s walls, nearly imperceptible amidst the intensifying wind. Their tone, panicked and desperate, was more bone-chilling than the rain that had started to fall around them.

Storms had always scared Thumbs. He hated seeing flashes of lightning, understanding that the explosion of thunder would follow, but never knowing when. Deep down he knew that thunder was harmless, that lightning posed the greater threat, but at least it was quick, unexpected, gone in a flash. Thunder was slow, deafening, inevitable.

When the Clover’s ramp finally lowered to reveal a bloodied Sparks cradled in Ballast’s arms, he knew that the lightning had passed.

This was the thunder.

Thumbs watched in silence as his brothers stumbled into the hull of the ship, a trail of mud and blood left in their wake. Ballast and Foxy eased Sparks onto the closest bunk, removing his armor to better assess the injury. Luna and Brisk dashed into the room, their eyes widening at the horrific sight. Luna’s breaths came in labored bursts as she called for Pepper, tears streaming down her face.

The squad’s medic came running, following the worried gaze of the two young girls who stood near the bunks. He spared a brief glance at Foxy before quickly donning a pair of gloves and shouting orders to nearby batch-mates. Hearing the commotion, Master Kenhla arrived and immediately ushered her padawans out of the room, not wanting them to witness the sight of their brother in pain.

While before Thumbs had been unable to sit still, now he felt frozen, cold as the ice on Hoth. His brothers were right in front of him, yet he felt as if he were watching the scene unfold from millions of miles away.

He kept thinking back to that morning — Sparks had been fine, albeit cranky over his lack of caf, and now…

Thumbs hated it. He hated how things could change so quickly.

He watched as Ballast, usually explosive in his mannerisms, now held Sparks’ hand in his own, whispering words of comfort as his brother lay motionless on the cot.

Thumbs suddenly felt sick to his stomach, a shrill ringing filling the air around him. The echoes of a memory that had been stagnant for years, forced into the depths of his mind, suddenly emerged:

An argument, a battle, another brother gone. A hand desperately squeezing his own before going limp, devoid of all life.

Another hand, this one from the present, landed on his shoulder, dragging him out of one nightmare and into another. A voice was speaking, asking if he was alright, telling him to sit down.

Thumbs’ guilt only increased. Hands that should be helping his fallen brother were instead on his own shoulders, urging him towards the nearest seat. He shrugged them off with an uncharacteristic roughness, finally taking a few shaky steps towards Sparks.

He had almost made it to the bunk when the same pair of arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him back.

“Thumbs, stop,” the voice urged. “You need to let Pepper help him. There’s nothing you can do.”

He knew the words were supposed to be comforting. He had spoken the same ones to almost every soldier who had come to him burdened with the invisible weight of survivor’s guilt. Sometimes it was what they needed to hear; other times, it wasn’t.

The last thing Thumbs saw was an oxygen mask being lowered onto his brother’s face before eventually succumbing to the arms around him, letting himself be removed from the scene.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Thumbs woke up the next morning with a headache.

Foxy, who had been the one to escort him out of the room the night before, filled him in on what had happened during the supply run.

Apparently as the trio had made their way back to the ship, bandits had intercepted them. The ragtag group of thieves were lacking in both numbers and artillery and hadn’t been particularly difficult to subdue. Sparks had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in the unforgiving crossfire of a supply trip gone wrong.

Thumbs wished he had been there. Maybe then he could’ve shouted to his brother in warning or pulled him out of harm’s way. Stars, he would’ve jumped in front of the deathly bolt himself if it meant Sparks was still standing at the end of the day.

The two of them had grown close over the past few months, especially after Thumbs learned the story behind Sparks’ name. He could tell that his brother’s outwardly gruff attitude was just a shield used to protect the sensitive, guilt-ridden soldier beneath. Even one offhand criticism of his work as a mechanic could bring him back to the accident and a past he wished desperately to forget.

Because of this, Sparks would often work through the night, losing himself in the wires and circuits of the ship to ensure he didn’t make the same mistake twice. Thumbs was always at his side reminding him to take breaks, to drink water when he was thirsty, to eat when pangs of hunger hit...

But there was little he could do for Sparks now as he lay unconscious in the hull of the Clover.

Pepper had done everything he could, luckily managing to stabilize their brother within a few hours of the incident. Sparks was slowly showing signs of improvement — he had even woke up briefly in the early hours, mumbling something about watering Percy, before slipping back into the depths of unconsciousness.

Percy was the name of one of Sparks’ plants, something Thumbs discovered after walking in on his brother affectionately repotting it in a moment of assumed privacy.

He smiled at the memory, shaking his head in disbelief. It was just like Sparks to be worried about keeping his plants alive while he was barely clinging to life himself.

With nothing to do but wait until his brother woke up, Thumbs made his way into the hull of the ship where he found most of the batch engaged in a lively game of Dejarik. It was a tradition, meant to keep the batches' spirit alive when faced with tough times.

He almost started towards them when he felt a presence to his left, distanced from the laughter of the others.

Thumbs’ gaze landed on Ryder as he stared out of the cockpit window absent-mindedly, though he knew from his expression that his mind was anything but absent.

Thumbs approached slowly, not wanting to startle the squad’s weapons specialist.

“Hey Ry, you alright?”

Ryder glanced up, a flash of surprise illuminating his expression, before looking back down, his face once again shrouded in darkness.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” A barrage of laughter sounded from the other side of the room, where everyone was still gathered. “Think I’m gonna go for a ride though.”

“Oh, okay…” Thumbs replied, wanting to say more to his obviously-distracted brother. “Mind if I tag along?”

“You always do,” Ryder said, shooting him a small smirk.

“Hey!” Thumbs laughed, punching his shoulder lightly.

Ryder chuckled, nodding for Thumbs to follow him to the far corner of the hull. Once there, he opened the weapons cabinet, extracting a couple blasters and holstering them on his form.

Thumbs looked at his brother questioningly.

“Just in case,” Ryder said, carefully checking over his chosen artillery.

Thumbs nodded quickly, admonishing himself for not thinking more practically, especially after what happened with Sparks. It was a dangerous thing to give the galaxy the benefit of the doubt.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The planet they were currently docked on was beautiful. The hues of its rolling hills were softened by the dying light, the gentle breeze transforming the tall grasses into golden waves. The sky’s colors evolved with each passing minute, all evidence of the previous night’s storm lost to its changing shades.

It was Thumb’s favorite time of day. At dusk the light never seemed harsh; it was sympathetic, understanding. It hovered, never fully settling, like a cloud. But dusky light was also ephemeral. Thumbs wished he could freeze it, trap it in a jar and release it when he needed its soft companionship.

He knew too many people like dusk: perfect, until they were gone.

“It’s pretty here,” Thumbs eventually broke the silence, a welcome distraction from his own thoughts.

“Yeah,” Ryder replied as his eyes traced the horizon, “It is.”

“That why you’ve been coming out here so often?”

Thumbs knew his brother liked to take his speeder out on rides whenever he needed a break from the confines of the Clover. He would even accompany him from time to time. But recently he had been escaping much more frequently and Thumbs couldn’t help but worry that something else was going on.

Ryder chuckled lowly. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”

“Hey, you’re kinda hard not to notice.” Thumbs smirked, gesturing a hand towards his brother’s head: “Ya know, cause of the hair.”

Ryder grinned, blowing a stray strand out of his face. “Yeah, sure thing curly.”

Thumbs ran a hand through his own coily locks with a shy shrug.

The two brothers fell into a comfortable silence as fireflies blinked to life around them. Thumbs pretended they were shooting stars, closing his eyes and wishing for the speedy recovery of Sparks back onboard the Clover.

After a while, the air seemed to become heavy and Thumbs could tell that Ryder needed to get something off of his chest.

His suspicion was confirmed when he heard his brother sigh deeply, preparing to speak.

“Lately…” he started, tugging on the end of his turquoise braid. “I’ve been thinking a lot.”

Thumbs nodded and moved to sit beside him in a subtle gesture of comfort.

“About them?”

Ryder nodded, knowing Thumbs was referencing his past squad.

“I’ve been having the dreams again.”

Thumbs’ face fell. He remembered the night he found out about Ryder’s nightmares as if it were yesterday.

He had been awake in the hull of the ship, too afraid that something bad might happen if he allowed himself the privilege of closing his eyes. Ryder had started tossing in his sleep, muttering the names and numbers of unfamiliar clones. Thumbs shook his brother awake, eventually guiding him outside of the ship when he struggled to regain his breath. The two of them had sat on the Clover’s ramp until long after the sun rose, each finding comfort in the other’s presence.

Since then, the nightmares had decreased, but every now and again they would return. The guilt would return.

“In the dream, I’m back on the venator,” Ryder described, his voice hoarse. “First there’s the flashing lights. Then voices, their voices, but they eventually fade away and then there’s just static. For a moment, everything is quiet, just a faint buzzing...”

Thumbs gave his brother’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, letting him know he was still there, still listening.

“And then I’m in the escape pod. As I’m drifting away, I look back towards the ship, but it’s not the venator anymore. It’s the Clover.”

He paused, swallowing thickly.

“And then it’s just gone. Swallowed by fire.”

The unsettling images unearthed feelings that Thumbs never had the courage to voice out loud, but the anxious thrumming of Ryder’s fingers on the side of the speeder reminded him of his current task: to show his brother that he was there for him now, regardless of what happened in the past.

“Ry, I know there’s not a lot I can say. But know that they would’ve been so proud of you, of the soldier and brother you’ve become,” Thumbs reassured gently. “We all are.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ryder mumbled.

Thumbs frowned, knowing his brother wasn’t convinced.

“Well, this was supposed to be a surprise, but it looks like you need it now.”

Thumbs pulled out the pack he had brought with him, rifling through it until he found a small bundle. He nervously presented it to Ryder, who observed the way it had been carefully packaged in colorful gift wrap and adorned with stickers, most likely donated by Pepper.

“I made this for you,” Thumbs spoke as Ryder opened the parcel. “It’s a blanket, obviously, but it’s… Well, it’s got a little more to it than that. Each row of stitches is made of yarn from all the different places we’ve been to as a batch. Thought it could be cool to see how far we’ve all come. But I also know how important it is to you that we honor our pasts, so down here,” Thumbs pointed at the bottom left corner, “I stitched in the names of CT-2019 and CT-1882. And over here is General Lyle’s.”

Thumbs looked up at Ryder, trying to gauge his reaction.

“I know it doesn’t change anything, not really, but I thought maybe it could help you sleep at night.”

There was a long moment of silence as Thumbs began to doubt the impact of his gift. The whole idea was starting to sound stupid now. Maybe if he had-

“I… Thank you, Thumbs.” Ryder finally spoke, his voice cracking slightly. “Really. It’s- It’s perfect.”

Thumbs grinned, glad to see the glimmer of hope return to his brother’s eyes. “Of course, anything for my vod.”

Ryder held the blanket close, tracing his finger over the carefully stitched names of his old squad. His eyes scanned over the various colors and textures that Thumbs had incorporated, recognizing yarn from planets they hadn’t been to in years. How long had his brother been working on this?

He was just about to ask when a subtle movement drew his own gaze downwards. Thumbs was quietly bouncing his right leg, a nervous habit that Ryder had picked up on throughout their time together. He doubted that Thumbs was even aware of his own anxious mannerism, but Ryder could tell that something was on his mind.

“Hey, vod?” Ryder placed the blanket down, his focus now on his brother.

“Yeah?” Thumbs replied, still staring straight ahead.

Ryder thought back to something his companion had told him just moments ago, something that had made him feel important, valuable, seen.

“People notice you too.”

 Thumbs chuckled, thinking back to when he invited himself to join Ryder on his impromptu speeder trip just hours before. “Yeah, I guess my constant pestering makes it hard not to.”

“Yeah...” Ryder continued, almost hesitantly. It would be harder getting through to his brother than he thought. “But we also notice why you do that.”

“And why’s that?” Thumbs asked casually, not quite sure where Ryder was guiding the conversation.

“Because you care.”

At this, Thumbs finally met his brother’s eyes, confusion painting his features. The words were simple, yet something about them did not fully compute.

“No matter how many idiotic things we pull, you’re always there for us.”

Thumbs held his brother’s gaze, considering his words intently, before looking down to his feet. He frowned before mumbling something, barely audible above the light breeze:

“Not when it counts.”

The words sliced through the air, contrary to the soft tone in which they were spoken. Ryder couldn’t help the immediate snap of his head towards his brother.

“What do you-”

“Yesterday, with Sparks,” Thumbs interjected, his voice gaining strength. “No amount of pestering could’ve helped him.”

There was something about the way Thumbs was speaking — something that Ryder had missed before, something familiar — that was unravelling with each passing moment.

“But he’s okay now, he’s fine,” Ryder tried to console, his brow furrowed.

Thumbs scoffed. “That was just luck. I heard what Pepper said: If his injury had been just an inch to the left…” He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly.

“Well, luck is kinda our thing,” Ryder said, repeating words that Pepper had spoken to him when he first joined the batch.

“But I don’t want it to be!”

Ryder looked up in shock. In the entire time he had known Thumbs, he had never once heard him raise his voice. But shock soon turned to concern when he noticed the tears streaming down his brother’s face.

“I don’t want to rely on luck,” Thumbs choked out, his voice softening. “Not… not when it comes to the people I care about.”

Helplessness.

Ryder was well-acquainted with the feeling — the image of his former general on the other side, the wrong side, of an escape pod window, forever etched into his memory. He tried to think of something to say that could comfort his brother, but the only words that came to mind were the ones Thumbs had already spoken to him moments before.

The whole batch knew that Thumbs had always struggled to take his own advice and that reminding him to do so never seemed to have an effect. It was unusual to see him in such a vulnerable state, something the former-strategist was well aware of as he avoided his brother’s gaze, shame written across his tear-stained features.

Ryder cringed at the sight, knowing he would need to take a more unconventional approach to offer his brother reassurance, one that would hopefully provide him with a fragment of control in a galaxy that seemed to feed on chaos.

Ryder nodded once, steeling himself, before reaching down and pulling his twin blasters out of their respective holsters.

“You know,” he started, attempting to keep his voice level, “I got these from CT-2019 and CT-1882. They were graduation gifts.”

Thumbs turned his head curiously, wiping away a stray tear in the process. A small part of him fought back the urge to smile: unlike his brother, he had been given craft supplies and a book for graduation.

“I could teach you how to shoot ‘em, if you want.”

Thumbs looked towards his brother incredulously.

“Ry, I’ve shot a blaster before...”

Ryder exhaled breathily, a playful grin gracing his features. “Ah, not ones like these. These here are DC-17 hand blasters.” He held his weapons in front of himself reverently. “They’re more powerful than your standard blaster, more efficient too.”

Thumbs hesitated, his confusion at the sudden shift in topic still evident, before nodding slowly.

“Alright, sure.”

Ryder spent the next few minutes guiding Thumbs through the best way to handle the blasters — helping him correct his stance, improve aim, and prepare for recoil. The process was strangely reassuring, giving Thumbs something tangible to hold onto, something he could control.

“Hey, Ryder?” Thumbs asked, looking down at the weapon in his hands, the echoes of its former owners serving as a comforting reminder that those who were gone could still protect their brothers who lived to fight another day. Maybe when Thumbs was gone, he could do the same.

“Thank you.”

Ryder had just begun to respond when a noise sounded from behind them.

Thumbs startled and spun on his heel, impulsively throwing the first thing he could think of towards the nearby bushes: Ryder’s blaster.

He mentally facepalmed as his brother jumped off of the speeder, aiming his remaining blaster towards the sound. He held out a hand as he crept closer to the bushes, silently telling Thumbs to stay back.

A tense moment passed, before a tooka revealed itself from behind the bush.

Thumbs sighed in relief before looking up at Ryder guiltily.

“Probably not the best use of the blaster,” he said with a cringe.

“What, you wanted to shoot it?” Ryder questioned breathlessly, a smirk growing across his features.

“No, of course not!” Thumbs smiled, relieved that his brother didn’t seem upset over his moment of panic. The tooka sauntered up to him, rubbing its head against his legs.

Ryder retrieved the discarded blaster and walked back towards the speeder, the remnants of a smirk still visible on his face. “Well, looks like good things can come from bad luck.”

“Yeah,” Thumbs huffed, looking down at the small animal by his feet. “Guess so.”

And maybe that’s what Clone Force 37 was: a group of outcasts who were all in the process of turning their histories with bad luck into good things — good luck.

“C’mon, hop up,” Ryder said as held out an arm. “Let’s get back to the ship.”

Thumbs let himself be pulled into the speeder, the firm grip of his brother’s hand a silent reassurance: I’m here for you.

He leaned back, his eyes reflecting the stars that had started to appear above. He wondered how many of them he couldn’t see, how many millions of lives were being lived just out of his view.

Thumbs glanced over to the brother at his side, thinking about how lucky he was to have crossed paths with him, with all of them, in a universe of infinite proportions.

“We should probably pick up some caf for Sparks on the way back… I know he’ll want some when he wakes up,” Thumbs spoke, laying all the way back in the speeder.

Ryder nodded in agreement as they lurched forward. The sun had finally disappeared from view and the two soldiers soon became mere silhouettes against the dimming night sky.

But anyone familiar with Clone Force 37 knew that they were so much more than two small blips on the horizon:

They were brothers.

And Thumbs was positive that nothing in the galaxy could ever change that.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

@the-lucky-batch @lavenderstaars @lynnpaper @foxlock @maygalodon @mango-peachjuice @radbatch @letsunity @burnthashbrown27 @generaltano @catboy-tech @cosmicghostie @namesmox @monako-jinn-stories @longearedowlfromouterspace @lusiawonder @just-another-dreamerr

[morning-might-arrive]

Apparently the monster high fandom is rising from the grave again, so in celebration I wrote this instead of sleeping. I will be finishing it soon. Feedback is much appreciated! A series of misunderstandings involving a limousine and Spectra’s blog lead Jackson to the realization that he has way more friends than he thought.

Monday

It was 12:06 in the afternoon when Jackson Jekyll ascended the steps of Monster High. If he was quick enough, he could at least be on time for 5th period. He took his seat in Mr. Rotter’s AP contemporary literature class just as the bell rang and pulled out his class copy of 1984. The stoic teacher gave him a nod of recognition. A few minutes into the lecture, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“You were not in creepateria this morning.” Abbey stated in her usual matter-of-fact tone.

“Yeah,” Winona added, “Ghoulia wanted to show you the new Fastpoint comic she got. She seemed really bummed you weren’t there. I can’t wait for you to read it though. It retcons the whole DeathCap Comics universe back to the way it was before the reboot. There was even-”

“Where were you, anyway?” Howleen hastily changed the subject.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. We were at the doctor’s office. Something kinda came up unexpectedly.” Jackson replied, turning to face them. This caught the attention of Rochelle. She looked up from her book.

“Doctor? Is everything alright?” Concern dripped from her voice and Jackson instantly felt guilty. 

“Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. We’re in a little bit of pain, but…” Jackson’s eyes both glanced upward towards his helix piercing as he spoke.”It won’t be a problem for much longer.” The four ghouls glanced at each other suspiciously and then back towards Jackson. Abbey opened her mouth to challenge his last statement.

“Ladies! Mr. Jekyll! Do not make me have to separate you!” Mr. Rotter’s stern voice boomed from the front of the room. Jackson muttered a meek apology and turned back to his book, his ghoulfriends quickly following suit. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

40 uneventful minutes went by and then finally the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. “Don’t forget to read the next chapter!” Mr. Rotter yelled to his students, but most of them were too far away to hear. Jackson dashed to his locker and quickly called his human friend Chad.

“Hey! I just got back from the doctor’s office. Yeah, she told me to just take some Advil and just let it run its course.” unbeknownst to him, resident blogger Spectra Vonderguist was perusing the hallways looking for her next story.

“Completely done for, they said. Apparently there’s nothing they can do.” 

Spectra perked up at those words. She quickly pulled out her iCoffin and hid a few lockers down from Jackson’s. 

“It’s true. We don’t have much time left.” 

Spectra gasped and quickly snapped a photo of the scene in front of her. Did he say he was running out of time as in...death? Having always been a ghost, Spectra didn’t know a lot about death other than that it was something that happened to humans and to some breeds of monster. Even so, Jackson seemed a little early in his life to be experiencing it. In moments like these she really regretted snooping around in other people’s business, but she definitely had her blog post.

Tuesday

At 8:35 that morning, every phone in Monster High sounded at once as The Ghostly Gossip was updated. Conversations were halted and hallway traffic came to a standstill as several students stopped to check their phones. 

Normie’s days are numbered?

Yesterday, sources caught a phone conversation of one Jackson Jekyll in which he confessed to being told by a doctor that he didn’t have much time left on earth. This story is still developing, and more details will be reported as they come in.

Deuce Gorgon’s eyes scanned the short article again. “Dude.” Was all he could come up with after a couple of minutes. “What?” Asked Clawd Wolf as he approached his best friend. Deuce handed over his phone.

“Dude!” Clawd exclaimed. “If this is someone’s idea of a joke, it isn’t very funny.”

“I know.” Deuce replied in a stern tone that contrasted with his usual jovial one. “Maybe the ghouls know something about this.”

Clawd nodded and quickly scanned the hallway. Frankie, Cleo, Clawdeen, and Draculara were all crowded around Frankie’s locker. They were looking over Cleo’s shoulder at something on her phone and talking to one another in a hushed whisper. The boys headed toward the group.

“Hey, did you ghouls see that weird blog post?’ Deuce asked the group.

“Uh, yeah,” Cleo responded. “Why would Spectra post such a far-fetched tale? And expect anyone to believe it?”

“But why would she post something like this if it wasn’t true?” Clawdeen asked. “You know how seriously that ghoul takes her blog.”

“C’mon guys,” Frankie cut in. “Spectra’s gotten a story twisted around before, remember?”

“But-” Draculara started.

“But nothing.” All eyes turned towards a fast-approaching Heath Burns, flanked by Abbey and Ghoulia. “Look, if my cousins were dying, I would know about it. That ghost writer has lost her spark.”

“Am not so sure.” Abbey responded, giving Heath the side eye. “He was acting very strange yesterday. Said he did go to see doctor.”

Draculara burst suddenly into tears, clinging to Clawd and Clawdeen. “But that means we’re gonna lose Jackson and Holt-” the rest of her sentence was cut off by sobbing.

“There there, sweetie,” Clawdeen whispered, handing her best friend a tissue. “That does it. We have to put this whole thing to rest right now.

“Yes,” Abbey agreed. “We go ask Jackson.”

“Well we can’t just tell him we know,” Cleo insisted. “What are you even going to say? ‘Oh, by the way, Spectra eavesdropped on your private conversation yesterday and now there’s a story posted on the internet about you for the whole school to read, so can you tell us if it’s true?’ He’ll be mortified.”

Frankie stared at her. “That’s actually a pretty good point. Okay, we’ll meet in the library during lunch to find what we can about human death, so we at least know what we’re looking for. Sound like a plan?” The group collectively nodded. “Good. I’ll see you there.”

At 11:30 that morning, the group re-convened in the dusty confines of the Monster High library. Ghoulia moaned as she typed away at the computer in front of her. 

“Ghoulia says that when a human dies, they’re put into a box that is measured especially for them. The box is then put into a long black car to a place where it can be buried in the ground. It’s customary for the person’s box to be decorated with flowers, and then their family and friends are invited to a gathering to watch them be buried.” Frankie translated.

“Like some sort of going away party?” Clawdeen asked. “I’m glad i’m not a human. That’s pretty morbid.”

“But that proves it!” Heath exclaimed. “I’m Jackson’s family so if he were dying, I would definitely be invited to the going away party and so would my parents. This whole story is bogus.”

The other students weren't so sure yet, but they all let the subject drop for now.

At 2:56, the music stopped. Jackson blinked, suddenly aware of his surroundings. The sun beamed down and burned his eyes, and he quickly had to side step to avoid being trampled by the massive herd of students walking behind him. He’d apparently stopped in his tracks in the middle of the front walkway of the school. He looked down and discovered the cause of this to be his dead iCoffin. He plugged his phone into his portable charger and it blinked back to life. Underneath the time display was a message from Holt.

“You got any idea why D-low hugged me holding back tears this mornin? Did I miss somethin?” Jackson opened his phone to respond

“Um, no? I don’t think so. Did she say what was wrong?” He left it for Holt to find later and put his phone back in his bag. Not a moment passed before it began buzzing with a call from his dad.

“So anyway, I was all like ‘dude’ and she was all like-” Draculara recounted the events of the day and was suddenly cut off by her best friend Clawdeen, who pushed her back behind the doors to the school, pointing in Jackson’s direction. 

“You’re going to pick us up right?” Jackson asked into the phone.

“Okay. Yeah, we spoke to the florist yesterday. We picked out this really cool arrangement of Forget-Me-Nots. Pretty appropriate for the occasion, right?”

The two ghouls in hiding glanced at each other. “Do you remember what Frankie said? About humans getting flowers when they’re-”

“SHH!” the two turned their attention back to the human in question.

“Yeah, I know. Moms will be devastated. They said they won’t be back until 11 or 12 that night, and we’ll definitely be gone by then. But we’ll be sure to take a lot of pictures before we go!” He continued to the person on the other end. “Okay, see you in a few minutes.”

The girls gasped as Jackson put his phone away. Clawdeen pulled out her phone and pulled up the group chat. They had to tell everyone what they had just heard. 

[princeanxious]

I love your dragon au, may I have some headcanons?

Uh sure! You weren’t ship specific so i’ll try and be a lil broad and touch on a few for all of em! (Theyre all interconnected in a way but often spend much of their time together apart from the others bc thats how dragons be, even if these dragons are much more social than the average dragon)

Demus- Dragon Remus x Prince(ess) Janus

- Janus is ftm trans! His parents were never supportive and actively tried to hide that from that kingdom at every turn, so, he may have secretly gotten a certain mage’s help “cursing” him with snake/dragon scales & additional certain masculine attributes so that he’d be sent away and get time to live his life without royal duties breathing down his neck. Even if he’d have to live the rest of his life as a prince locked away in a tower.

-Remus is a Dragon that’s known to be very curious, driven to hoard things that intruige him. He lives in a castle he and his brother Roman overtook years ago, and they guard it and their hoards within it well. However, one day a nearby kingdom reached out to them with an offer: if they guard and protect Prince Janus while the kingdom scrambles to figure out what to do, the dragons will recieve offerings to add to their hoards along with provided meals and the means to provide for Janus. All the kingdom requests is to keep Janus safe and happy.

-and of course, they agree to. And Remus falls head over tail inlove in a matter of days. Janus follows soon after he finds that Remus is completely unbothered and supportive of Janus’s transition.

-Janus and Roman also get along super well, tho not in a romantic sense, especially after Roman learns of Janus’s love for plays and acting skills. Roman also gifts a few intricate outfits to Janus from his Hoard of beauty and passion bc they fit the short prince quite well, and because Janus wasn’t given anything to wear from his kingdom aside from tailored princess dresses(which he doesn’t usually mind the skirts portions now w/ his new body but somedays the disphoria would spike back out if he looked in the mirror while wearing one). Roman also helped cut Janus’s hair, and both dragons would growl threateningly at any kingdom official who dared look at Janus’s attire change questioningly. If anyone asked, it was because it made Janus happy and feel safe, and that was their job, was it not?

-Janus loves his new Dragon Boyfriend and his new Dragon brother-in-law(technically?) and this result just solidifies his confidence in the decision he made to get here. Roman and Remus know about the secret behind the curse and what Janus did to get here, they think he’s super fcking clever bc of it. And, Ro and Re swear on their hoards that they’ll never spill the secret if Dee doesn’t want them to, one because the Kingdom would then have a lead on trying to Reverse the Curse, and two, because it would put the life of the mage who was asked to do it in danger, and three, because their dragons and dragons are very very good at protecting what they love.

Logince- Dragon Roman x Knight Logan

-Logan is a prince to a neighboring kingdom, and he was betrothed to Janus in an arranged marraige sort of settup. Niether of them loved the other like that, but they were best friends and Logan respected(and defended) Janus being trans. So when he finds out something happened to Janus, he’s alarmed and upset that he wasn’t informed sooner. Then he finds out Janus is being guarded by dragons, of all things! And well, he needs to make sure Janus us safe, and find out whats wrong, what happened? And no one stops him from traveling out to the castle that houses the dragons to find out. The least he can do is make sure Janus is okay and respected by the dragons, but like hell is he going to wait for Janus’s scrabling kingdom to catch up.

The first thing he’s greeted by is a tall red scaled dragon, and he’s immediately on guard. The dragon grins and drops into a defense position. They don’t ask the other questions, which Janus will give both of them shit for later, but both parties are fueled by challenge and protective goals. And they launch into battle without a word.

-Roman is immediately intruiged and excited to find how Logan matches him in a fight, actually standing a pretty solid chance despite his weight and height. Logan is a skilled swords man, the best in his kingdom, its a shame his only downfall is that Roman has twice the height on him and more than twice the muscles, figuratively and literally. But even then Logan isn’t deterred and is capable of flipping the dragon onto his back which is p hot roman cant lie, so its a p even scuffle bc Romans highly entertained w/ this mysterious attacker.

-they kinda get caught up in the scuffle for a good while till Remus comes out to investigate and Logan disengages and dashes into the forest bc he’s smart enough to know he can’t really win the fight w/ one dragon, two is a death sentence.

-roman spends the whole night heated and excited as he rambles about the gorgeous short knight who nearly kicked his ass. Logan spends the whole night rethinking his strategy and trying not to get distracted by the memory of the infuriatingly hot smirk the dragon kept aiming at him.

-they scuffle twice more, filled with witty remarks and snarky quips that progressively get more flirty before they think to speak about /why/ Logan wants into the castle b4 the truth comes out.

-both are a little sheepish when Janus finds out just who Roman’s been waxing poetic about kicking his butt in an even match and spend a good 20 minutes scolding their gay af selves. Then Logan gets updated on the whole situation, including his not so subtle transition and his new dragon bf. Logan gets the dragon’s permission to visit so long as he keeps things a secret, and he scoffs that they’d think he’d even dare to try to ruin his best friends happiness.

-niether of them really knows when their little rivalry picked back up, but Roman and Logan spend their time together bickering and taunting eachother while playing a semi-unbalanced game of cat and mouse. Logan’s not allowed into the castle w/o playing their game first, and he honestly doesn’t mind. Their interactions get way more flirty and theyre just gay disasters that take way to long to admit their developing feelings till it all kinda rushes out the moment Roman pins Logan to a wall and Logan reaponds by locking his legs around the other, daring to keep him there.

-yeah they express their feelings to eachother in many ways that day. And Logan ends up secretly(to his kingdom at least) dating Roman, and Roman gets a prince bf of his own. They still taunt and play their game of cat and mouse tho, now its just accompanied by a ton more kissing.

Moxiety- Dragon Patton x Mage Virgil

-Virgil is the mage that helped Janus transition in secret, they’d been friends for a long while and meeting in secret to plan it. Virgil’s a pretty powerful mage and talented at what he does, and Janus’s trasition was a spell he cast himself, and its irreversable(on purpose, by Janus’s request/demand)

-Virgil travels alot now adays, never staying in one public place too long in fear of Janus’s knights suspecting him and capturing him. He knew the risk and was willing to pay the price to make Janus happy. He knows he must lay low for a while, and hes not very open about being a mage in fear of that being found out.

-well, one day he finds himself in a town not so open to the idea of magic in general. Its one slip up hes not sure he regrets to heal an injured child, but he finds him self tied to a wooden stake that same day, surrounded by a village chanting about how all magic is evil.

-and then a dragon swoops over and snags him from the fire as it ignites, just barely sinking his clothing before hes up in the sky. He promply blacks out from shock.

-and when he wakes up, he finds himself tucked carefully into a hammock with a soft blanket. The room he’s in is filled with an interesting assortment of things, haphazardly placed enough to register as a hoard than any other kind of room in this tower. That and the dragon that rescued him is resting nearby, his blue scaled wing outstretched and draped over Virgil protectively is kind of a dead giveaway too.

-Virgil would learn later that Patton had been following him, lead by how his hoarding instincts weirdly worked. He’d be thankful then, that they saved his life, despite the fact that he now technically counted to Patton’s instincts as part of his hoard. Patton was adamant that he’d been trying to rid himself of the attachment before, but once Virgil was in danger his insticts had been set aside to save the poor human. He couldn’t help that touching Virgil just solidified his instincts’s claim.

-Patton lets Virgil know he’s welcomed to leave any time he wants to, that they were safely away from the dangerous village now. Virgil finds he doesn’t want to leave just yet, and they settle on becoming friends.

-Patton is friends with Roman and Remus, and often visits them when he’s feeling too lonely. He’s plenty friendly with Janus and Logan at this point, being a much softer natured dragon than the twin dragons.

-the group finds it very, very coincidental and very ironic the first time Patton brings Virgil with him to hang out.

-their love story is a bit slower, but lets just say one day months down the line, Virgil pulls Patton into a really shy kiss and Patton all but startles Virgil with the happy purr that bursts from the back of his throat. Its not to much longer after that that theyre relationship is fully established.

[mizumelona]

set me up | atsumu x reader

SYNOPSIS: You’re an ambitious career woman, who’s got everything…except a significant other. Your mom, sick of you showing up to family functions alone, sets you up on a series of (terrible) blind dates. You make these dates meet you at your favorite restaurant, Onigiri Miya, but for some reason the owner’s jerk of a twin brother always happens to be there exactly when things crash and burn.

NOTE: The MSBY boys have arrived!! I hope yall enjoy this update!

MASTERLIST

PREV | WFH 2 - THE VOLLEYBUDDIES | NEXT

TAGLIST: @awkwardali6106​ @kasandrafaye​ @veggytaled​ @svtbitch​ @stinkyobeymerat​ @hollypastl​ @differentballooncollection​ @o51oc​ @sunboikyo00 @justxanotherxshipper​ @kaisemieita @rizamendoza808 @tomo-uwu​ @sugardaddykenma​ @celinafeng @ravioliplease​ @thatpersonwithissues​ @humanbobjeanpants​ @suteorra​

~

“You want the usual [y/n]?” Osamu called from behind the counter.

“Sure…” You were still preoccupied with the table of people staring at you expectantly. They were all wearing black sweats except for one guy with glasses who was in a suit. Taking a closer look, you recognized the logo to be the same as the one on the sweater you were currently returning to Atsumu. You’d been awkwardly standing staring at them while they stared at you for what felt like a solid minute.

“Oh [y/n]! Didja just get here?”, Atsumu stepped out of the bathroom, breaking the awkward silence.

Before you could say anything, the glasses guy spoke up. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend Atsumu.”

WHAT? Where did this misunderstanding come from? Sure you had his sweater, but agh!!!

“I’m not his girlfriend”, you quickly shut it down.

“Riiiight.” This time a dude with spikey gray hair piped in. “So, how long have you and Tsum Tsum been together”

“I just told you we aren’t together”

“I get it. I get it.” Spikey hair guy winked.

You let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t think you do”

“Wow so cute! Atsumu’s so lucky.” A guy with bright orange hair chimed in. “Your secret’s safe with us [y/n]”

What the heck? Did they all have selective hearing?

“There is no secret! Atsumu, tell them!”, You turned to Atsumu, raising your eyebrows.

“What can I say? I can’t help being this charmin’”, Atsumu held up his hands innocently.

“Oh shut up lemon head”, you sharply snapped.

The whole restaurant burst out laughing at that. Even the guy in a mask who'd been pretty quiet was chuckling. You quickly went around and did some introductions.

“If you aren’t dating, how do you know each other?”, the glasses guy, Akaashi, asked.

“A series of unfortunate encounters.” You cringed recalling the past few weeks.

“‘Tsumu crashed her blind dates”, Osamu called from the prep station where he was rolling onigiri.

“Why am I not surprised”, the guy with the mask, Sakusa spoke up.

“Yeah. Blondie over here has been wreaking havoc on my life.”

“I dunno what you’re talking about”, Atsumu said with a scoff.

“So, how do you know him?”, You turned the question around. You had a pretty good guess, but you didn’t want to let Atsumu know that you’d been stalking him online.

“Oh. We’re Tsum Tsum’s teammates, except Akaashi here who’s my friend from high school”, Bokuto answered.

“Yeah, we’re volleyball players for the MSBY Black Jackals”, Hinata said proudly.

“Wow! That’s pretty cool”, you tried to act surprised.

“You probably didn’t know, but I’m kinda a big deal. I’m even on tv.” Leave it to Atsumu to turn this into an opportunity to stoke his ego. You rolled your eyes.

“Lucky you ‘Tsumu, thanks to that all your lame moments are recorded on the internet.” You could count on Osamu to have a good clapback.

“Lame moments? Like what?”

Atsumu’s face went tense.

“You should’ve seen it,” Bokuto said excitedly. “A few weeks ago we were walking into a meet and greet and ‘Tsum ‘Tsum had the craziest fall. It was hilarious”

“Ah! Wait no-“, Atsumu tried to stop his teammates, but it was too late.

“Oh, the one where he tripped off the stage?”, Akaashi asked.

“And twirled in the air”, Hinata excitedly added.

“And ended up hanging there by his pants because the waistband got caught on the edge of the stage” Bokuto barely got the words out between his loud guffaws.

“It was awesome!” Hinata shouted.

“It was terrible.” Sakusa corrected him.

“There’s no way that happened!” You cackled.

“It totally did!” Hinata exclaimed.

“They got the whole thing on camera too. You should watch it [y/n]!” Bokuto added.

Atsumu’s eyes got wide. “No, she shouldn’t!” Atsumu desperately interjected.

“Here lemme pull it up,” Bokuto said. He frowned, “Aw man my cell service is really weak.”

Atsumu sighed in relief and lazily grinned “Well that’s a real shame-“

“I have it saved on my phone”, Osamu tossed his phone to Hinata, who caught it.

“‘Samu!”

You all gathered around and watched the video. It was every bit as glorious and embarrassing as it Atsumu’s teammates described it as. By the end, you were wheezing.

You turned to Atsumu, “Can’t help being charming huh?”

“Aghhh!” He slumped over the table and buried his face in his arms.

“Wow you’re actually kinda cute when you aren’t being an asshole”

“Aww she called you cute”

“I’m pretty sure that was a roast Hinata”

~

After spending some time chatting and eating, everyone packed up and got ready to leave.

“You’re pretty funny [y/n]. We should hang out more often”, Bokuto grinned at you.

“You guys are pretty funny too”

“Oh [y/n]! You should come to our game tonight! We each get some extra tickets!” Hinata’s eyes lit up as he made his suggestion.

“Oh, I don’t know about that”

“It’ll be super fun!”, Bokuto followed up.

“And its an exhibition match, so there’ll only be three sets. It won’t drag on too long.” Akaashi added.

“It sounds cool, but it’d be kinda weird to go by myself-“

“You could hang out with me at my onigiri booth if ya like,” Osamu said with a shrug.

Well if they wanted you to come that badly…

“Thanks Osamu. Okay sure! I’ll come.”

“Yay!” Bokuto and Hinata cheered. Akaashi smiled. Sakusa sighed.

As the volleyball boys filed out of the restaurant, Atsumu called out to you

“Hey can I have your number to send the ticket link to?”

“Oh sure,” He handed you his phone and you quickly typed your number into it. You handed it back to him.

“Just watch [y/n]. Tonight I’ll show ya just how cool I can be.” Atsumu had a determined look on his face.

“You’re awfully confident”

“Meet me at the back of the stadium when I win. There’s no way you’re gonna be able to say I’m not charmin’ after you see me play.”

“Whatever you say.” You chuckled.

“Well, I gotta go then. See ya later [y/n]!” Atsumu smiled at his phone, tucking it in his bag, and turned to dash after his teammates.

Wait. Did you really just give him your number?

~

Sendai Stadium. FRIDAY 7:05PM

You’d pulled up a chair next to Osamu’s onigiri cart. You were both watching as the players made their way onto the court.

Tonight, Atsumu’s team, the MSBY Black Jackals, were up against the Eastern Japan Paper Mills Raijin. The players from the Black Jackals that you met earlier were being announced on court one by one.

“Number 13. Atsumu Miya!!!”

Atsumu jogged onto the court beaming. He surveyed the crowd until his eyes locked with yours then he shot a playful wink in your direction.

After some setup, it seemed like the game was about to start. Someone tossed Atsumu the ball, and he started walking toward the back of the court.

“He’s about to serve.” Osamu filled you in.

“Oh…”

Atsumu turned and faced the court. Atsumu’s face turned serious. He raised his hand and clenched his fist. The crowd instantly snapped into silence. Hah??? What was that? Did he really just silence the crowd? Talk about fucking extra (and maybe a little hot).

Atsumu took a deep breath and tossed the ball into the air. He loped forward then leaped, sweeping his harm back. Looking up at the ball, he broke into a smile. It was a fun and childlike grin, the kind you couldn’t help but smile back at. He swung his hand forward making contact with the ball with a bang that echoed throughout the stadium. It shot across the net and slammed into the opponent's side of the court.

Woah.

He turned to look at you again. You were still stunned with amazement. He smirked in your direction and jogged to pick up the ball again.

Osamu turned to you with a chuckle. “When it comes to volleyball, ‘Tsumu’s not bad huh?”

As much as you wanted to make some kind of snarky comment, there was no hiding the fact that was probably the coolest thing you’d seen recently, maybe ever.

“…yeah”

And it didn’t stop there. He fired ace after ace, and even after his service streak was broken he didn’t stop pulling out smooth moves that captured your attention. At one point he went full-on limbo and got under an impossibly low ball while leaning back and tossed it perfectly to Bokuto, who slammed it down.

He lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, revealing his midriff. You bit your lip. Okay. Fine. He was kind of hot, but you weren’t about to tell him that.

Soon, the Black Jackals had taken the first set. 25-18.

The second set was a much closer fight. 24-23. It was the Black Jackals match point on Atsumu’s serve. (Your favorite kind of point). He started his usual service route, silencing the crowd and tossing the ball into the air, but when he jumped something looked a little off. He didn’t smile at the ball like he usually did, and when his hand finally made contact it was a little awkward. The ball flew right into the net.

“Ugh.” Osamu frowned.

24-24

“Come on Atsumu…”, you muttered under your breath. He looked visibly disappointed.

A service ace from the opposing team.

24-25

The tables had been turned. The opposing team’s match point started. Hinata returned the serve and got the ball into the air. Atsumu tossed the ball to Sakusa who smashed it, but the opposing team managed to get it back in the air. The opposing team sent an attack flying back. It bounced off the blocker's hands and flew toward the back of Atsumu’s side of the court.

“A block out!”

Atsumu dove for the ball, but it was too late. It bounced just out of his reach. That dejected look on his face deepened.

As the final set started, the Black Jackals just couldn’t seem to grasp back the momentum. Any time they were about to catch up with the opponents in terms of points, the opponents would pull ahead again.

7-10

Atsumu set to Bokuto but failed to clear a path. The ball was met with a wall and crashed back to the court.

15-18

Atsumu dove for the ball again but couldn’t save it

21-24

Matchpoint. Atsumu’s serve again. He looked unstable as he launched himself up and slammed his hand into the ball. It flew over the net and kept flying.

The referee blew his whistle. “Out!”

Final Score. 1-2. MSBY Black Jackals Lose.

~

Atsumu told you to meet him behind the stadium when he won. Technically, he hadn’t won, but there’s no way you could just leave like this. It’s not like you were especially close to him, but you just couldn’t. He definitely didn’t need your help, and honestly it would be hypocritical for you, the queen of cynical perfectionism, to pat him on the back and tell him that losing is okay. Despite that here you were. You just wanted to talk to him.

You spotted him crouched at the bottom of the stairs leading to the back entrance. Cautiously, you called out to him, “Hey.”

He turned to look at you. He looked even more depressed than when he walked off the court. “What’re you doin’ here? I told you to come when I won”

“I…I didn’t want to leave you hanging.”

“Hah. Are you here to tell me being a loser is okay? Gimme a break. I don’t want your pity party”

You folded your arms and lifted your chin. “Who said I was here to cheer you up? Today, you’re a fucking loser.” He flinched.

“I know!” He buried his head back in his knees. “You don’t hafta rub it in.” His voice was muffled by his sweats.

“You’re a loser today, but”, You walked up to him and crouched down to his level, “this loss will pave the way for many more victories.”

He scoffed. “You don’t get it [y/n]! I wanna win today and the next time. I wanna win every time. Losers should just quit!”

“A competitive spirit like that is awesome. Nothing is more motivating, but Atsumu, that kinda energy is only useful if it’s powering you forward, not making you sulk and feel like you’re better off quitting. Am I wrong?” 

He lifted his face out of his sweats to look at you. “…”

You reached out your hand. “C’mon let’s get out of here”

“I don’t need your help”

You smiled, knowing just what to say. “I know you don’t. This”, you took his hand in yours, “is me being selfish.”

He couldn’t help but crack a small grin at that. “Can’t argue with that can I?”

He gripped your hand back. You both stood up and started walking away from the stadium.

“You might be a loser, but I thought you looked really cool when I first saw you serve earlier”

“Wow [y/n] was that a genuine compliment?”

“…but I silencing the crowd was too extra don’t you think?”

“Hah. I don’t need any pigs interruptin’ me, and I’ve heard people think it looks hot.”

“Hot? Says who?”

Just like that you two were back to your usual bickering. You almost didn’t notice that he was still holding your hand.

[galli-writes]

(Click here to read on Ao3!)

fandom: Teen Titans

pairing: BBRae

genre/warnings: AU - Canon Divergence; Implied/Referenced Abuse, Abusive Parents, Childhood Trauma, Graphic Depictions of Violence

additional tags: Angst, Family Issues, Friendship/Love, Protectiveness, Slow Burn, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions

summary:

There are a few things that Beast Boy knows for certain:

He’s 21….and a total lightweight. He’s a vegan (but not like…a pretentious vegan). He’s not going to be single forever.

And the Teen Titans are the only family he’ll ever need.

a/n: Hello! I am bad at updating. Please forgive my sins.

Chapter 6: The Invitation (words 5,129)

The TV buzzed in the background, images flashing against the rising sun. Beast Boy stared at the screen without really looking at it as he poured some orange juice into a glass at the kitchen counter. His hand shook ever so slightly as he took a sip, and he tried to convince himself it was purely from a lack of sleep. But he knew that was only part of the problem at best. As he looked around the room, he locked eyes with the eerie monkey statue, still on display, and put his glass down with a hard swallow.

Beast Boy never brought up Galtry. Raven hadn’t mentioned him either, though that was probably less intentional. Even so, with each day that passed, his conviction only grew stronger. It had to have been Galtry. It just made sense. Didn’t it?

Beast Boy set his glass back down on the counter--and it was a good thing too, because if he had still been holding onto it when the doorbell rang, it definitely would have shattered on the floor.

Everything in the room went still for a moment. At the other end of the counter, Robin suddenly looked up from his phone, finishing off a bite of french toast. Cyborg had turned away from the TV, looking toward the door and then down at a screen on his arm in mild confusion.

“Uh...Well damn.”

“What is it?” Robin asked, already starting to get up to answer the door.

“I’m looking at the cam now,” Cyborg continued. “Whoever that was, they sure left in a hell of a hurry.”

Beast Boy tried to turn his attention to the TV again, and was able to do so with some effort. Above him, men and women wearing either red or blue aprons dashed around a kitchen at full speed. Pumpkins and fall leaves decorated the scene. A smiling scarecrow was pegged in the corner next to one woman’s prep station. At that moment, the host was asking a contestant about her pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls, which were already in the oven. It wasn’t the most creative approach to the challenge, but it was only the first round. So playing it safe was still acceptable.

Then the screen cut to commercial. Beast Boy looked back down at the counter, suddenly shoved back into reality. A reality that became all the more treacherous when he heard Robin returning--and heading his direction.

“Who was it?” Cyborg asked casually, turning back to the TV.

“I’m...not sure,” Robin said slowly. “But they left this. Beast Boy--”

“Huh?” Beast Boy nearly jumped, feeling Robin next to him now.

“It’s...for you.”

“Me? ”

Robin handed him a small card, which he took willingly despite himself. His name was unmistakably clear on the front flap. Well, not his name, but the name of someone he knew was supposed to be him. Galtry’s name wasn’t present, but it was clearly his handwriting--an elegant cursive Beast Boy had regrettably memorized by now. Even so, he had to squint to make out the words on the front of the card. He flipped it over. In slightly more legible text, there was a time and address. The lack of a date could only imply today.

“Any idea what it is?” Robin asked.

Beast Boy knew his curiosity was well warranted, but he froze under Robin’s expectant gaze.

“I mean....it kinda looks like an invitation or something,” Beast Boy said, trying to avoid eye contact. “But I’m not sure how we’re supposed to RSVP.” He managed a small, unconvincing laugh.

“Do you know who it’s from?” Robin continued, in the same awfully unassuming tone.

“No.” Beast Boy shrugged, pocketing the card. “I don’t.”

And that wasn’t technically a lie.

***

The forecast for the night showed more rain—this time enough to warrant a flood watch. Residents of certain parts of the city were advised to stay inside and avoid driving altogether.  Unfortunately, this didn’t apply to the restaurant they were to meet Galtry at. Of course it had been decided that Beast Boy wouldn’t be going alone, and for that he was grateful. In truth, he didn’t really want to go at all. But given the circumstances, Robin had decided the matter was ‘probably worth looking into.’ And Beast Boy knew better than to disagree.

In his room, Beast Boy knelt before a pile of clothes, rummaging through them without a clear goal. He didn’t know what he was going to wear--what he was supposed to wear for something like this. Probably something pretty nice if he was going off of Galtry’s handwriting alone.

Eventually, he came to the decision that the clothes on the floor were too wrinkled anyway. And when he couldn’t find anything reasonable in the closet, he turned to the dresser in desperation. He barely kept any clothes in there, but there had to be something . He yanked open the bottom drawer with some effort, finding nothing but a collection of mismatched socks, useless knick knacks--and a picture frame he’d intended to keep buried.

The picture was of course the same as it had been the last time he’d seen it. His own dark, disheveled hair contrasting with his mother’s blond waves. His father’s tight smile and focused gaze. When he was younger, people had always told him he ‘had his father’s eyes’. So dark they were nearly black. Beast Boy caught a flash of his reflection in the glass frame. His eyes were still quite dark, but in the light they betrayed a subtle green glint.

He frowned. With a new sense of purpose, Beast Boy got up, the frame tight in his grip as he turned his back on the mess surrounding him.

In the common room, he quickly found a small box of trinkets with ample space to house the frame. Using some discarded bubble wrap, he neatly repacked the picture, tucking it away next to some old books. Beast Boy glanced around the room, searching for something he could use to seal the box up for good. With a few carelessly ripped off pieces of packing tape, he folded the box shut and shoved it back with the rest of them.

And immediately afterward, a stream of guilt flooded over him.

One curse at a time, he ripped off more and more tape to finish off the rest of the packages before he changed his mind. With some effort, he pushed them into a neat pile at one end of the room. He would have to ask Dr. Galtry—whoever he was—to come have them picked up as soon as possible.

“What’re you doing?”

Beast Boy jumped slightly, taken off guard by the sound of someone’s voice. He took a breath to steady himself and turned around.

It was only Raven.

“Oh, uh, nothing,” he said, scrambling to his feet. “Just...cleaning.”

Raven simply raised an eyebrow in uninterested disbelief. She was standing next to the fridge with a can of ginger ale in one hand and a hefty book in the other. Neither of those things were particularly remarkable for Raven.

But what was strange was the way she was dressed. Opposed to her usual baggy sweaters and leggings, she was wearing jeans and a cardigan over a blouse he’d never seen before. It even looked like she might be wearing makeup. Real makeup that had clearly taken more effort than her everyday eyeliner.

“So I guess you heard about dinner tonight, right?” he asked only now realizing he was staring.  

“Yeah. Sucks for you guys,” Raven said plainly, taking a sip of her soda.

“What do you mean?” Beast Boy said, genuinely puzzled for a moment. “You ’re not coming with us?”

“I have...plans.”  

Beast Boy eyed the book in her hand. “Sitting in your room reading doesn’t count as plans.”

“ Real plans,” she said defiantly, tossing the now empty can in the recycling.

“Well you’ll have to reschedule,” another voice said suddenly, short and stern.

Beast Boy and Raven both turned around to find the rest of their friends approaching from the nearest hallway, Robin at the lead.

“I can’t,” Raven replied, her tone just as sharp and uncompromising.

But Robin didn’t budge. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, arms crossed against his chest. “But this is official Titans business, and you know what takes precedence. That’s all I’m gonna say about it.”

Raven frowned, but she didn’t put her book down. She merely stuffed it into her purse, which was much too small to properly contain it.

“Uh...car’s all ready out back,” Cyborg said, gesturing to the garage with some hesitation.

Raven sulked past them without a word, not even bothering to try and call shotgun.

The drive was awkward and uncomfortable. At least for Beast Boy.

At some point he realized Starfire was talking to him about the latest Netflix series she’d been binging. It was a clear effort to distract from the all consuming depressive aura of the back row. Beast Boy nodded at the appropriate moments, but couldn’t even remember the name of the show two minutes into the conversation.  

Raven didn’t look up from her book once during the entire trip. But it was obvious she was only pretending. Beast Boy couldn’t help but notice that she never once turned the page--and Raven was a fast reader. He didn’t mean to notice the slip of paper tucked between the pages--didn’t mean to see what was scribbled on it. The messy, half-cursive script was almost illegible, but it was clearly a reminder of some sort. A date, a place, a time--the last of which was circled aggressively in dark ink.  Beast Boy made a conscious effort to try and stare straight ahead. He didn’t want to be caught staring again. But of course, it was hard not to notice things like that when you were sitting right next to someone.

What plans did Raven have? ...Not that it mattered to him, of course. Whatever Raven did in her free time wasn’t any of his business, really. Even still, it was hard not to wonder what could be important enough to pull the world’s biggest introvert out of her room. In an actual put-together outfit no less. Then, for a brief moment, a disarming thought flitted through his mind. Hypothetically, in a world where Raven actually dated people, it would probably be safe to assume that she would never tell any of them about it. And why should she? But more importantly why should any of them care ? He didn’t.

Of course, the thought was utter nonsense to begin with. Raven had always made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in being in a relationship. Unless of course she’s been lying.  

Beast Boy began to feel a pit forming in his stomach for the millionth time that week. Just letting his mind wander as far as it had made him feel guilty--like he was prying into things that were none of his business. He tried to shift his train of thought to something-- anything --else beyond the uncomfortable terrain he’d stumbled into. And he didn’t know why it was so uncomfortable. Maybe it was because now he couldn’t stop thinking about the state of his own love life. At least Raven had the angsty brooding down pat. Any time he felt bad for himself--which was a little too often for his liking--he imagined he looked less like the lead singer of a pop punk band and more like a toddler who’d spilled their cheerios in the backseat of mom’s minivan. Right now he would have leaned up against the window and stared into the coming downpour like someone in an early 2000s music video...had he not been stuck in the middle seat again.

As they drove, Robin talked briefly of a ‘plan’ he’d been constructing in the event that things went south. Starfire and Cyborg seemed engaged enough, hyping themselves up for what they’d decided was going to either be a five star meal or an equally satisfying smackdown. But Beast Boy couldn’t find it in him to join them. Outside, the rain was picking up fast. The gray clouds above had brought on the night of their own accord, and even the thousands of city lights couldn’t entirely pierce through the darkness. Beast Boy slunk down further in his seat, sticking his hands deep in his pockets. In doing so, he realized abruptly that he had never actually changed clothes, and a familiar card was still tucked away in his pocket. Unfortunately, no amount of fiddling would make it disappear.

It was easy to recognize when they’d arrived at their destination. The traffic came to a complete stop, as cars—and even a limo or two—fought for a spot on the narrow strip of asphalt in front of the shimmering building before them. People poured out of the vehicles like liquid gold, as men in suits and women with designer handbags scrambled for the attention of the underpaid valet workers.

“Well this looks like...fun,” Cyborg said, hands gripping the wheel tighter, despite the utter standstill.

“I think we might be a little under dressed,” Robin said, peeking out the window and then down at his jeans and flannel. He sounded much less like a boy about to embarrass his family at the yacht club and much more like a detective who was going to blow his cover.

“Well I guess it’s too late for that now,” Cyborg said, automatically pulling up in line next to a man dressed in valet attire weilding a crisp black umbrella.

“Good evening, sir. May I have the name of your party?”

“Uh...” Cyborg hesitated.

Without thinking, Beast Boy reached for the card in his pocket. In a matter of seconds it had acquired some impressively deep folds and a slight tear in one corner, but it was still easily readable and recognizable. He leaned forward and silently passed it to the man like he’d been rehearsing the action for months.

The man’s eyes widened instantly. “Oh, of course. Dr. Galtry has been expecting you.”

A brief moment of silence hung in the air between them as Cyborg continued to grip the wheel.

Beast Boy stared straight ahead. The tension was palpable. For everyone else, the sound of Galtry’s name must have conjured some form of excitement. Good or bad. Some sense of progress in unearthing a mystery. For Beast Boy it only stirred up the guilt surrounding how much he’d withheld.

“If you would—“ the man said, clearing his throat slightly. He nodded toward the driver’s seat as he spoke. “I would be happy to take care of your vehicle.”

“I...uh,” Cyborg hesitated again, his hands gripping the steering wheel even tighter.

“That would be great, thanks,” Robin interjected from the other side. Cyborg shot him a quick look of doubt, but it was quickly followed by a sigh of resignation as he let go of the wheel.

From the safety of the covered curb, Beast Boy watched with his friends as the man stepped into the driver’s seat and fumbled for a moment with the controls.

“Be safe, baby,” Cyborg half whispered as the car disappeared into the fray. And despite all of the nerves clouding his mind, Beast Boy couldn’t help holding back a smile, patting his friend on the shoulder in consolation.

The inside of the restaurant was just as extravagant as the exterior suggested, even more so as the former had certainly been dulled by the weather. Immediately upon entering through the crystal double doors, Beast Boy found himself brushing shoulders with men and women who looked like attendees of a red carpet after party. The entire building—which was completely packed beyond any sense of personal space—was littered with dark wooden tables, velvet curtains, and chandeliers. Light bounced around the room off silver plates and platters carried around by elegantly dressed waitstaff. Even from the distance of the foyer, the scene was simultaneously beautiful and nauseating.

“The party for Dr. Galtry?” A young woman’s voice rang out from behind a tall podium in the corner of the entryway. “We have you in our private dining--” the woman started, pausing as she looked up to meet the group before her. Her eyes grew wide and a clearly unscripted smile came across her face. She had to be in her late teens or early twenties--and was one of the youngest people in the room.

“Sorry,” she said, the smile still on her face. Her brilliant emerald jewelry sparkled as she began to move. “Um...If you’ll just follow me right this way.”

Weaving through the tables turned out to be even more dizzying than just looking at them. And with every step, Beast Boy felt more and more like he was walking straight back into the cave of a hungry beast hoarding its jewels. When they finally came to a halt, it was in front of a large wooden door at the back end of the restaurant. Like the den of a sleeping dragon, this area of the restaurant boasted an even greater number of precious gems and wrinkle lines.

“Dr. Galtry will be waiting for you all inside,” the young woman said, nodding her head slightly.

An awkward beat of silence passed as she continued to stand there without turning to leave, her eyes darting down to her feet.

“Sorry, I know this is like, super unprofessional, and I know you guys are busy, but I was just wondering...if I could maybe get an autograph?” she said quietly, the words spilling out a million miles an hour. She was looking up now, and despite referring to the entire group, it was clear her attention rested on Starfire.

“Certainly!” Starfire smiled.

As if by magic, a small receipt notepad and chewed up pen had already appeared in the young woman’s hands.

“I love your bracelet by the way,” Starfire beamed, taking the pad of paper and beginning to doodle on it.

“Oh, this?” the girl laughed nervously. “Thanks. I mean, it’s nothing really.”

Starfire handed the paper back with a smile, the pad now feverishly adorned with hearts and stars surrounding her signature.

The young woman seemed to be beside herself with joy. She managed another clumsy string of thank yous before disappearing into the crowd again.

There was another long silence.

“I hate it here,” Raven said abruptly, shattering any lingering sentiments of the preceding interaction.

The look on Starfire’s face was more than enough of a response.

“I’m not talking about the girl,” Raven huffed.

Beast Boy looked around. It was true. The suspicious glares were more than enough to tell that the rest of the diners weren’t fans. Maybe coming here had been a mistake.

“Is it really--? Oh, yes, finally!”

Beast Boy blinked hard, a smooth but animated voice bringing him back into the room.

“I’m so glad that you all agreed to meet me here,” a man said, approaching them eagerly.

Suddenly everything seemed to blur. The motion of the restaurant became nothing more than a swirling backdrop of light. For the third time that night, Beast Boy caught himself staring. He looked just like his picture. Too perfect to be real--and yet there he was. Black hair, dark eyes, perfect smiling complexion. The only indicator of his age was the shadow of graying stubble around his chin--and even that looked somehow manicured and intentional. But he walked and talked and was standing right before them just like any other human being. It felt like being in a dream. Or a nightmare.  

“I’m so sorry. I had to step outside to make a phone call,” the man continued. “Galtry. Dr. Nicholas Galtry,” he said, proceeding to shake each of their hands with an unprecedented force. “Really, it is an honor meeting the rest of you.”

“The...rest of us?” Robin asked, wiping his palm on his pant leg.

The man stopped short, a look of pure bewilderment washing over his face. “Oh...don’t tell me you didn’t get my letter?” As he spoke, he turned to look at Beast Boy directly.

“So you’re the letter guy?” Cyborg said, with a somewhat forced laugh.

“I had hoped Garfield might at least mention my name,” Galtry said, slowly.

For a moment, Beast Boy felt the same sense of crippling guilt returning, coupled with the discomfort of hearing his ‘name’ spoken aloud by someone he didn’t know. Or didn’t know well . He was still deciding.

“Well, I’m sure you all must be tired, called out like this on such short notice,” Galtry continued. “Again, all of my apologies, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to speak to you. Here, let’s go inside, shall we?”

The private dining room certainly was private. Almost to the point of being soundproof, which Beast Boy found to be more of a concern than a comfort. Robin automatically sat the closest to Galtry, which was unsurprising but still a relief. Beat Boy opted for a spot in the middle of the long table, where he reasoned he would be least likely to garner extra attention from their host.

Just then, the door swung open again, and another member of the wait staff entered to pour water into the intricate crystal glasses before them. He then proceeded to take drink orders—a cherry coke for Beast Boy and pinot grigio for Dr. Galtry.

“So,” Galtry said, swirling his wine like he was on the cover of a food magazine. “I understand you all have been on Arsenal’s trail for some time now.”

The room went still. Until, of course, Robin eventually broke the silence.

“Arsenal?”

The question would have sounded redundant on anyone else’s lips. But Robin said it with such confidence that it was Galtry who looked embarrassed.

“Oh. Of course. I’m sorry. I had assumed you were familiar with them.”

As one waiter exited, two more replaced him, setting various cutting boards piled high with expensive cheeses and sausages down the center of the table. Galtry sliced a piece of smooth white cheese off the cutting board, spreading it on a piece of toast without even looking down. “They’ve been causing me trouble ever since I first got here.”

“You sound like you know ‘em,” Cyborg said, his eyes resting on Galtry as he skewered his own kebab of sausage rounds.

“Unfortunately,” Galtry grumbled, mostly to himself. “They’ve been after some research of mine for some time now. I don’t pretend to know why. I’m not sure they would even know what to do with it if they were to get a hold of it.”

“What exactly are you researching?” Robin asked tentatively.

Galtry looked up at him suddenly, an expression akin to embarrassment flashing once more across his face. He was clearly not the type of man accustomed to having to introduce himself.

“I’m sorry. I’m getting a bit ahead of myself, aren’t I?” he cleared his throat. “I haven’t even properly introduced myself. That’s what happens when you frequent limited social circles your entire adult life,” he said with a short laugh. “Right now I hold a position as Research Chair for the department of Genomics at the University of Pretoria. I primarily conduct research regarding the development of new gene therapy technologies.”

“Why would the genes need therapy?” Starfire asked, already on her second round of charcuterie.  

Galtry fought back a bemused smile. “It’s not literal. Though that would be something, wouldn’t it? It’s a type of medical procedure,” he explained. “The sort of thing that would help us treat genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis or even reverse the production of cancer cells. The details are a bit...complicated,” he said thoughtfully, looking into his glass.

“As for my being here in Jump City, I admit it’s a bit of a surprise even to me. The U.S. Northeastern Scientific Board regularly invites me to present my work at their annual symposium, which is usually held in Gotham. But I understand there’s been somewhat of a crime spike there recently. And criminals do love the smell of science they don’t understand,” he said with a sardonic smile.

“You’ll have to excuse me for being so blunt,” Robin interjected. “But what does this have to do with us exactly?”

“Well that's a simple question with a rather complicated answer,” Galtry said, a slight frown coming across his face. “The less complicated aspect has to do with Arsenal themself. When I learned that they had found some opposition after following me to the states, I knew I would have to meet with whoever was tracking them. Lucky for me it turns out you all are pretty famous around here.”

“Well I wouldn’t say famous ,” Cyborg said, barely pulling off airs of humility.  

The doors swung open a third time as if on cue, this time letting loose a small string of waiters, each steering a cart laden with different shapes and sizes of covered plates. One was placed in front of each person at the table with expert precision and lifted dramatically to reveal the contents. Beast Boy was more than surprised to find that his dish was completely different than everyone else’s—stuffed mushrooms that looked like they’d been specially prepared. He didn’t remember mentioning that he was a vegan, and had the harrowing thought that maybe he had reached a stage where people knew without asking.

“So how do you know Beast Boy?” Starfire asked, head tilting slightly to one side like a puppy.

It was the question Beast Boy had been dying to hear the answer to--though he knew he would have been incapable of asking it.

“Of course. That’s the other half of the matter. And a bit more complicated,” Galtry said, rubbing his hands together meditatively. “The simple answer is that I was a friend of his parents’. Back during their tenure at the University of Pretoria.” There was a soft smile on his face, but it didn’t seem to exude any kind of joy. “Small world, isn’t it?”

“But all of those artifacts...all of their belongings--you sent those?” Robin tried to clarify.

Galtry nodded. “After their unfortunate passing, I was designated Garfield’s legal guardian by the court that sorted their affairs. They were always very private people, and I was the closest acquaintance they had. Their son was supposed to inherit their entire fortune--the only problem being...well...no one knew where you were,” he said, looking directly at Beast Boy now. “Seeing as you had still been under close medical watch at the time of your disappearance, it was the general belief that you had died somewhere in the jungle shortly afterward. But because there was never any actual proof of that being the case, the money was never dispersed by the government or anyone else. Instead it’s in a bit of a state of limbo held by those same officials—where it’s been utterly useless given the circumstances.”

Galtry looked down at the table, shaking his head. “I had just about given up hopes of ever finding Garfield—you wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to find someone once they’ve essentially erased their given name from their identity. Even through legal means. Surprisingly, the small detail of him being green didn’t help very much either,” Galtry said with a small laugh. “I only recently learned it was even an aspect of his...condition. The side effect hadn’t quite developed completely before he disappeared.”

Galtry spoke to his friends as if this was knowledge Beast Boy had always possessed and merely neglected to share with them, which, as far as he knew, was not the case. Though the historic tirade made him wonder just how much of his life he had forced himself to forget.  

Galtry shook his head once more. “There were always flitting rumors of what had really happened to the Logans’ son, but I was always too stubborn to believe them.” A small ironic smile crept over his face as he looked directly at Beast Boy. “You have to understand. I’ve dedicated my entire life to the sciences. And, quite frankly, your very existence seems to defy its most basic principles.”

The silence that followed was unlike any other that had filled the air that night. There was a certain quality to it that went beyond discomfort. Beast Boy felt himself instinctively clench the sides of his chair as he struggled to keep his expression neutral. Galtry’s words felt eerily like a compliment, and somehow that made things worse.

Robin cleared his throat suddenly, making a point to stand from his seat. “Thanks for the meal, it was really delicious. But this is all a lot to take in. We’ll need a little more time as a team to consider whether or not we can help you.”

“I completely understand,” Galtry said with a smile. “Especially considering we’ve only just met.” He folded his hands in front of him, like a compassionate leader about to make a compromise with some of his disheveled citizens. “If you all would like to know more about what it is I do, I would be more than happy to show you around my lab this weekend. Perhaps a better understanding of my work would convince you?”

“We’ll have to think about it,” Robin repeated in the same definitive tone.

“Of course,” Galtry said automatically. As if this were a dance he’d done many times before. “Here,” he rose from his seat. “For now the least I can do is see you off.”

The man known to them as Nicholas Galtry made his way through the door, exiting the restaurant the way they’d come in. But this time, Beast Boy noticed that it wasn’t the green skin and glowing eyes or robotic arms and legs that captured everyone’s attention. It was Galtry. The doors were opened for them as if on cue, valets and restaurant staff trailing behind them without Galtry so much as lifting a finger. When they got to the outside of the restaurant, Cyborg’s car was already there, running and ready to go.

“I could really use your help,” Galtry said, passing the keys from the valet’s hand to Cyborg’s. “I hope I’ll be hearing from you soon.”  

The second they were in the car, the doors shut tight behind them and a quiet voice broke the heavy silence.

“Did I mention I hate it here?” Raven mumbled, the first words she’d said since they’d met Galtry. The only words she’d said all night.

Beast Boy didn’t say it, but he had been thinking the same thing. Though maybe hate wasn’t the right word. Not exactly.

He turned to look out the back seat window, and watched as Galtry watched them drive away.

[ghostgothgeek]

Blush. Chapter 7

Hello! Finally another update!

Rated M for language and actual sex ed talk.

FFN || AO3

---

“Hey guys,” Sam smiled warmly at her two friends as she shut her locker. “How’s it going on your end?” 

Danny didn’t look directly at her, but muttered a “hey”. 

Tucker snickered next to him. “Oh, I think Danny is having the time of his life!” Danny elbowed him in the ribs, “Ow! Hey, I even used a life or death pun for you!” 

“That bad, huh?” Sam laughed. “Can’t say I’m doing any better though. By the way, Danny, I’m going to have to...warn you about a few things. Your secret is still safe, but there’s still going to be gossip about you. Both of your halves.” Sam shut her brain down before she went back to that fantasy. “Sorry, I really tried. The girls at this school are indubitably so fucking stupid, they wouldn’t know what the actual truth is, even if it bit them on the nose. Honestly, how they even made it to twelfth grade is beyond me.” 

Tucker noticed Sam getting all worked up and frowned. “Hey, the day’s almost over though!”

“Huh? Wait, what do you mean gossip?” Danny finally looked up at her. 

“Ugh, Paulina has some twisted thoughts.” Sam rubbed the sides of her head as she tried to calm down. “She’s been the biggest pain in the ass all day. Just be prepared for any gossip that Phantom flies commando, and know that I tried to stop it.” 

Danny’s eyes went wide, “why would they-?” 

Tucker busted out laughing, “You HAVE to tell me how that happened!” 

“Ugh guys, please not now.” She grabbed each of their shirts and pulled them towards the cafeteria. 

“Man, I wish I had my PDA! I hate being out of the loop!” Tucker complained. 

Sam unpeeled her banana, trying to ignore any innuendos and return to normalcy, as she listened to Tucker’s bellyaching. She took a large bite as her stomach growled. If Skulker hadn’t shown up on the way to school, she probably would have been able to actually grab some breakfast before this whole ordeal. Sure, she had a salad waiting for her, but that wasn’t going to cut it today. 

“Damn, look at Manson deep throating that banana like a pro!” Dash quirked. Danny snapped his head to look over at Sam. Oh god. Woah...wait NO!

Without missing a beat, Sam chucked her half eaten banana at Dash, hitting him directly in the face. She smiled proudly as Tucker chuckled next to her. 

“Nice shot, Sam!” Tucker held his hand out for a high five, which Sam returned. Dash made an attempt to take a jab at her, but Kwan stopped him. Kwan had to protect both of his “best friends”, after all. 

Danny was silent, unable to comprehend his enjoyment of Dash’s misery at Sam’s behalf. That’s my girl, he had thought. Ugh, why? Why did he keep coming back to this? Sam is just a friend. Dash’s dumbass comment just stirred the pot even more. Now Danny had a new fantasy about his best friend to worry about. He looked over at Sam again and blushed before quickly looking away. With the amount of times he’s blushed today, he didn’t think it was possible anymore. And what is she talking about with all these rumors?

Tucker nudged Danny with his elbow and raised an eyebrow at him as Sam caught up with Valerie and raced for the salad bar. “You okay? I thought you’d always dreamt of Sam hitting Dash in the face.” Tucker laughed to himself. “I know I certainly have.” 

“Not the only dream of Sam I have…” Danny muttered to himself. 

“What?” Tucker looked at his friend again.

“What?” Danny looked back at him confused, grabbing a tray after Tucker. 

“What was that now?” Tucker smirked as he grabbed two burgers. Terrific, Tucker had heard him after all. 

“Nothing,” Danny said sternly before grabbing some mac n cheese. 

“Uh huh.” Tucker’s smirk grew as he piled more food onto his plate. 

“It’s nothing!” Danny insisted as he grabbed the rest of his food and followed Tucker to their table.

“Alright, alright. Calm down dude.” Tucker sat down and immediately took a bite of one of his burgers. 

“Sorry,” Danny sighed. “Between dumbass number one and dumbass number two over there,” he pointed towards Elliot and Dash, “I’m not thinking straight.” 

Tucker nodded and swallowed as Danny took a sip of his drink. Tucker looked over at Sam, pursed his lips, then paused for a moment before saying, “you know, Sam is actually pretty hot, now that I think about it.” 

Danny spit his drink out across the table and started coughing. “What?!” 

“Oh relax, I’m not gonna steal your girlfriend or anything,” Tucker rolled his eyes as Danny muttered some “she’s not my girlfriend” line. “I’m just saying. I mean, she’s super cool and fun to hang with, she looked great at the freshman dance, and she already has made mini skirt Friday an everyday kind of deal! Like if she just lost the tights or whatever, holy smokes. And like, dude, she has boobs. BOOBS. We’ve been so close this entire time!”

Danny caught his breath and scoffed at Tucker before realizing he kind of had a point. If Danny had learned anything that day, it was that he definitely had conflicting feelings about Sam. It wouldn’t surprise him if other guys started noticing her more as well. Actually, they had, if you counted dumbass number one and dumbass number two.

Danny forced out a small laugh, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, I kinda…” He trailed off before getting a nod of encouragement from Tucker, silently letting it be known that this conversation was strictly between them and would most likely never be repeated again. “I mean, she’s Sam and she’s so pretty and smart and cool and she hangs out with us, like what the hell? And I ran into her in the hallway earlier after dealing with Johnny 13, and I was bleeding and stuff and her boobs were like, right there in my face while she was trying to help me and with all this dumb sex talk, I had to run to the bathroom before anything happened or became noticeable. I’ve been embarrassed more than enough for one day.” 

Tucker let out a loud laugh and slapped Danny on the back. “Damn, dude. I didn’t think you’d ever admit anything.” Danny’s hand immediately went to rub the back of his neck and his face turned crimson for the millionth time that day. “So you ran into Sam, huh?” Tucker wagged his eyebrows suggestively and laughed again when Danny threw a fry at his face. “Don’t worry, dude. I still respect the bro code. I won’t say a word. But like, excusing the fact that she’s like a sister to me for a second, what were they like?” 

Danny opened his mouth as he thought of something to say, before jerking forward after Dash slapped him on the back (hard) and took a seat next to him. “You’re talking about Manson, right? She is pretty hot. You’re a lucky man, Fenton.” 

Was Dash actually...being nice to him? Because he thought that he and Sam were actually...doing things together. What the fuck was happening today? 

“What’s she like? Really?” Dash stole one of Danny’s fries. 

“She’s definitely feisty, that’s for sure.” Elliot smirked as he sat across from Danny. This asshole again?! 

Danny made tight fists under the table. “Shut the fuck up and leave Sam alone! You guys dated for like a week! That’s nothing!” 

“It was enough to cover all of the bases, if you know what I mean. And I’m pretty sure you know what I mean.” Elliot smirked while holding up his phone with the picture on it and leaned back in the chair, nearly falling over as Danny stood quickly from the table, shaking it in the process. He was ready to pounce. 

“Shut. The fuck. Up,” Danny growled as he got all up in Elliot’s face. Elliot accepted the challenge. 

“No, I don’t think I will. But what I do think will happen is me and Sam again.” 

Dash raised an eyebrow at the two boys arguing, “What’s with this? Is Manson like, secretly a sex goddess or something? Maybe I’ll hop on that too.” 

Danny’s eyes flashed green for a brief second before almost being knocked over by Tucker, who shoved him out of the way.

“You have a phone?! How did you sneak that in? Can I please have it for five minutes? Please?!” Tucker made a grab for the phone as Elliot held it behind him. 

“Depends. What kind of dirt do you have on Danny and Sam?”

“Oh man, where do I start?”

“TUCKER!” Danny glared at his friend, not believing he was actually considering this. 

“Oh man, this I gotta hear.” Dash leaned in for a better listen. 

“Okay, one timeback in middle school, Danny-” Tucker’s sentence was muffled as Danny slapped his hand over Tucker’s mouth.

“Shut the fuck up!” Danny hissed. 

“Oh no, please go on,” Elliot smirked as he waved his phone in the air, “You may just buy yourself 2 minutes.” He tried removing Danny’s hand from Tucker’s mouth.

“Get lost, Elliot.” Danny stood from the table and stared him down again. “Tucker isn’t that desperate.” 

“Eh, I think he is,” Dash chimed in. “Foley looks like he’s about to shit a brick.” All three boys looked at Dash, just now remembering he was there. 

Across the cafeteria, Sam raised an eyebrow at the crowd around their usual table and looked back at Valerie. “Thanks again for having my back in there. I really owe you one.” 

“Nonsense. If anything, take it as repayment for how much you guys have saved my ass from ghosts. And for me trying to kill your boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend, but thanks.” Sam grabbed a tomato from her salad bowl and popped it in her mouth. “Hey Val, do you want to sit with us?” 

Valerie grinned, “Love to, thanks. And he’s not your boyfriend yet. I’ll help get you there.” 

Sam laughed. “Okay, sure. We really should hang out more, you know. I need a boost of estrogen every once in a while.” 

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Valerie stopped in place for a moment, staring at the guys at their table. Sam followed where Valerie was looking and ran closer to her friends. 

“What the fuck is going on?!” Sam yelled as they approached the group of guys who were trying to tackle each other across the table. Danny and Elliot were staring each other down as Elliot held his phone as far back behind him as he could while Tucker, half on top of the table, reached for it. Dash was actually the most civil at the table. They all paused and fell silent as she spoke up. All four of them were staring at her with a weird expression on their faces. “What?” She questioned cautiously, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious. Valerie snickered to herself, taking a wild guess as to what (or who) the boys had been arguing about.

“Uh, nothing.” Danny forced Tucker back into his chair and sat back down next to him. “They were just leaving.” He glared at Elliot.

When the faux goth and the jock refused to move, Sam slammed her tray down on the table. “Get the fuck out of here before I start kicking people. I have my good boots on today.” 

Elliot was the first to make a move to leave. “Told ya, feisty.” 

Dash stood as well as he looked Sam up and down. Actually not that bad. Fortunately, Sam missed that, but Danny hadn’t. He was practically seeing red as Dash returned to his own table. 

“We’ll talk after lunch!” Tucker whispered to Elliot as he passed by on the way back to the other end of the cafeteria. 

“What was that all about?” Sam sat down and stabbed her salad with her fork before taking a bite. 

“Elliot and Dash are being shitheads and pushing all of Danny’s buttons today,” Tucker announced as he started his second burger.

“Do I wanna know?” 

“No.” Danny picked at his food, shutting down that conversation.

Valerie sat down next to Sam and across from Tucker. Noticing his fidgeting, she smirked, “Must be a tough day for you, huh? No technology of any sort?” 

Tucker groaned, “It’s killing me! It may actually kill me!” 

“Stop being so dramatic, it’s only been a few hours and we’re almost done,” Sam pointed her fork towards Tucker, “You wouldn’t believe all the shit I’ve had to go through today.” 

Danny looked up at her, “What happened? Are you okay? Did anyone say anything to you?” He glanced over towards the A Listers’ table, where everyone was passing around Elliot’s stupid phone and making crude noises and gestures towards Danny when they noticed him staring. He flushed again. 

“Chill, I’m fine. I’m just apparently the school’s gossip victim for the day.” 

“Yeah, Paulina has been pretty ruthless today,” Valerie pointed out as she started her lunch. 

“Fuck!” Sam groaned, which gave a certain part of Danny’s anatomy some life again. “I got salad dressing all over my leggings.” She started unlacing her boots. 

“W-what are you doing?” Danny squeaked.

“Taking them off. I don’t want to smell like vinaigrette for the rest of the day,” she started peeling off her leggings and with a brief hand from Valerie, she crumbled them into a ball and tossed them into her backpack before she started lacing up her boots again, careful not to lift her legs too high for anyone to accidentally see anything. 

Tucker’s eyes widened slightly, as if his conversation with Danny earlier had somehow summoned this to occur. He looked at Danny and raised an eyebrow as if proving his point. 

“Don’t even think about it,” Danny warned lowly. 

Valerie hid her smirk behind her hand as Danny gripped the table. Danny and Sam were both smitten with each other and both so, so oblivious to the other person’s feelings. 

“Anyway, uh...yeah, you’re probably going to hear some gossip, just please know it’s not my fault.” Sam sighed and took another bite of her salad. “Honestly, how I have gone almost 4 years without seriously injuring Paulina is beyond me.” 

“I’ll admit, I’m a little shocked too. But you definitely wanted to deck her after she said you were cheating on Fenton with Phantom,” Valerie chuckled as Sam whipped her head towards her and sent her a menacing glare. Valerie just shrugged, knowing damn well what she was doing. Danny and Sam just needed a little nudge, and she was gonna give it to them.  

“Oh my god, WHAT?!” Tucker burst out laughing, some of his soda coming out of his nose in the process. Gross. 

Danny’s head snapped up as a light pink blush dusted his cheeks. “Uh, w-what? Paulina thinks...you and I...and you and Phantom?” 

Sam groaned as she set her empty tupperware container back into her backpack. “Yes, Princess Shit-For-Brains thinks I’m intimate with both sides of you.” 

“At the same time?” Danny asked.

“Oh I don’t need to hear this!” Tucker covered his ears.

Sam kept her head down, hair covering her face, as she blushed a deep dark red. “I tried to stop it, I swear.” 

“Suuuureeee you did. I bet you hated that implication,” Tucker smirked. 

Sam managed to whack him in the back of the head from across the table, nearly giving Danny another pleasantly unfortunate view once again. 

“Hey! When I said I wished girls would hit on me, this is not what I meant!” Tucker rubbed the back of his head and readjusted his beret. 

Sam smirked. “Be careful what you wish for. Desiree can pop up at any moment.” Tucker’s eyes widened.

“Desiree?” Valerie whispered. 

“Genie ghost. Gotta be super careful around her,” Sam replied. Valerie nodded. 

“I...uh, okay...well, thanks? For...trying to stop it?” Danny said uncertainly. He had noticed in the past that when he was Phantom, his emotions definitely were stronger and he had always felt more overprotective of Sam. As Phantom, he almost seemed to have less control over his emotions. 

“No problem,” Sam muttered quietly.

“Okay, but can you please explain the “Phantom goes commando” thing?” Tucker leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table.

Danny hiccuped, and to his relief, it was his ghost sense. Oh thank god. He stood up, receiving a few looks from the other tables.

“I gotta run, I need to...basically die of embarrassment elsewhere,” Danny said slowly. Nobody seemed to think much of the phrasing. Though Tucker and Sam both immediately caught on.

“I’ll come help you not die,” Sam replied. Anything to get out of this situation. She elbowed Tucker before standing as well. “Come on, we need to help Danny not die.” Tucker waved her off, as Valerie finally understood what was happening. 

“You two lovebirds go on ahead,” he told them, “they’ve got this,” he whispered to Valerie. Danny narrowed his eyes at him.

“Don’t go around telling a bunch of our secrets,” Danny spoke with an underlying threatening tone. Tucker nodded.

“Of course. But you are losing your fries,” he informed him, and the teen helped himself to the remaining fries on Danny’s plate. Danny accepted this, and he motioned for Sam to follow him. “Also…” Tucker threw a condom at Danny. Danny shot him a look and let the condom bounce off of his chest and land on the floor. Sam hastily grabbed her backpack, and they both fast-walked out of the cafeteria, earning several stares and eyebrow wags. 

Danny groaned, “Ugh, fuck me!” He was sick of this.

“Damn, well now we know who initiates it. Never pictured Fenton to be the dominant one,” Dash laughed. Danny growled and began to turn around before Sam pushed him forward and out of the cafeteria. 

“Not now. We probably have Kitty and I assume Johnny to worry about right now.” Once out of the cafeteria, Sam pulled out her wrist ray and put it on. She searched for her pocket knife in her boot, pulling out the Ecto Lipstick Laser by accident. “Ahh!” She dropped it as if it had been on fire and watched it roll down the hallway. Danny raised an eyebrow at her. “Nothing!” She quickly replied as she ran forward to grab the weapon and put it back in her boot. “It’s just the Ecto Lipstick! I swear!” She said a little too loudly. God damn the Fentons for making their inventions look like vibrators. God damn Planned Parenthood for pointing that out in the first place.

“I know?” Danny raised an eyebrow at her as they rounded a corner. “Let’s just get rid of Johnny and Kitty and hope that takes up the rest of the day.” 

“Oh, there you two are!” Speak of the fucking devils.

Danny flinched as he turned to see the ghostly pair that had been harassing them both all day. Kitty and Johnny stood together, both grinning excitedly.

“Can’t you guys just go fuck around with each other and stop fucking around with us?” Danny complained. Kitty gave a small scowl.

“We’re trying to help,” Kitty insisted. “I know Johnny already talked to you, but I’m pretty sure he left out some important stuff, like make sure you wash your hands. Clip and file your nails so that they’re not sharp or super long, make sure your hands aren’t freezing. Foreplay is very important.”

Danny wanted to die. He glanced at Sam, who seemed to mirror his emotions. Her face was red, and she wasn’t even looking at the pair, instead digging through her backpack. Likely in search of the Fenton Thermos. 

Johnny gave an amused scoff, and he waved his hand. “Nah, it’s not that important,” he replied. Kitty shot him a look that could re-kill Pariah Dark himself. Johnny instantly seemed to realize his mistake.

“Yes. It. Is,” she spoke through gritted teeth.

“I mean, we could overshadow you to show you how it’s done if you want,” Johnny suggested. 

Danny and Sam both froze, eyes wide, and turned a brilliant shade of red before spitting out objections.

“NO! Nope! Not necessary!” Danny yelled as he covered his eyes, thinking that would somehow block the mental images in his head. “I can’t...Sam...ughhh. No, gross.”

“Well don’t seem too excited now,” Sam spat sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the process.

“N-no! It’s not that I wouldn’t want...I mean you’re pretty and...I like...I mean, you...what do I mean?” Danny groaned and dragged his hands down his face.

“Oh, dude,” Johnny shook his head, “don’t go there unless you want to be sleeping on the couch.” 

“But I-” Danny started until Sam slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Chill out, Romeo. Now is not the time to remove your foot from your mouth.” She removed her hand before Danny licked it. That was something Danny and Tucker did. Ugh, boys.

“Nice touch ditching the tights though. You definitely had boys’ heads turning...even a few girls’.” Kitty tried to get them back on track.

“Uh, what?” Sam looked down at her legs. 

“Yeah, even that big blonde sporty kid was saying some pretty graphic things about you,” Johnny added.

“WHAT?!” Danny snapped his head back towards the cafeteria. 

“Oh that hit a nerve! Jealousy works, you know. That’s how I keep bringing Kitten back to me,” Johnny grinned.

Kitty rolled her eyes, “Yes, that is exactly what happens.” Her sarcasm was almost as good as Sam’s.

Danny completely ignored the ghosts bickering, focusing his attention on Sam. “Did you hear that? DASH was talking about you like that! I’m gonna kill him…” He trailed off as he made a fist and looked back towards the cafeteria. 

“Danny, chill. It’s not a big deal. Dash isn’t into me because I spilled salad dressing on my tights,” Sam rolled her eyes and set her hand on Danny’s shoulder to bring him back down to Earth. 

Danny swapped his attention back to her. “Uh, no...look, I mean, you’re very attractive and you’re only wearing a crop top and a mini skirt, it’s an easy step away from imagining you naked.” Sam raised an eyebrow as she put a hand on her hip. “N-not that I am imagining that, and not that I wouldn’t want to! I mean of course I’d want to, it’s just - you’re just….I’m going to stop talking now.” He glanced down at the floor and hoped he could somehow dig himself out of this pit that he just kept digging deeper for himself.

Sam pressed her lips together, both amused and flattered with only a hint of embarrassment, “You think I’m very attractive?” 

“And he wants to see you naked,” Johnny added. 

Danny’s eyes widened before he snatched the thermos from Sam’s hand, his face burning. “Alright that’s enough of you two!” He promptly sucked them into the thermos, spitefully shaking it a bit before putting it into his locker. “They can sit there the whole weekend for all I care.” 

“Do you though? Think I’m attractive?” Sam asked shyly. “I feel like you and Tucker just see me as one of the boys and that’s how everyone sees me. I’m not cute like Paulina and Star.” She saw the panicky look on his face and smiled a bit, “I’m not going to hurt you if you answer this one. You have a free pass.” 

Danny looked like he was having an internal debate in his head about whether or not she was telling the truth about letting him off the hook, but when he looked into her eyes, he knew she really wanted an answer. He never would have guessed that Sam was a bit insecure. He gulped before rubbing the back of his neck.

“Uh…” Was he really about to admit this? Out loud? To himself? To her?! He couldn’t help it, she was giving him a free pass. He started at her pale legs and trailed his eyes up her body to her perfect hips, pausing at her breasts for a few half seconds longer than he probably should have, and finally setting on her face. “Yes,” he choked out, his voice husky, “very much so.” 

Sam relaxed a bit at his answer, feeling relieved. She smiled softly as she approved of his answer, and then that smile became quite sinister. “And you want to see me naked?” 

Danny was a deer in the headlights, opening his mouth to speak before deciding against it. He couldn’t tell if this was still part of the free pass or if she was just fucking with him now. He was mostly sure it was the latter. He grabbed her hand and yanked her down the hallway towards the classroom. “Yeah okay, don’t wanna be late for that sex ed class!” 

Sam laughed heartily as he hastily fast walked them from one personal hell to another. 

[gumnut-logic]

Take a Minute

This is another case of me just indulging myself. It took longer than expected and ended up at around 2400 words, none of which really go anywhere.

Many thanks to @i-am-chidorixblossom​ for the read through and cheering.

I hope you enjoy it.

-o-o-o-

The hatch creaked as the hydraulics let it down to the dry hard packed dirt. A small puff of dust billowed up around the hot cahelium and it caught in his nose, tickling in the heat.

The horizon was flat and the earth iron red as it disappeared into the ominous grey of the cloud blocking the sky.

Virgil’s boots made their own puffs of dust as he stepped off the hatch and emerged from under the shadow of Two. The puffs followed him as he walked the length of his ‘bird. The dirt gritted under his specialised soles as he avoided the heat of her cooling VTOL and the scorch of her now quiet thrusters.

His landing was precautionary. A warning light had come on during the flight home and dumping himself in the middle of the Outback for a mechanical check was preferable to taking a swan dive in the middle of the Tasman.

Outside appearances gave no clue to the issue and unfortunately, he would have to wait for her engines to cool off before attempting to access the thruster that was the problem.

A sigh and he turned back to look at the horizon.

He truly was in the middle of nowhere.

“Thunderbird Two, status report.”

Typical Scott. His brother was hip deep in a rescue on the other side of the planet, but his brother radar still managed the range.

“Status a-okay, Thunderbird One. Just taking a moment to gaze at the scenery.”

“John says you have a mechanical fault.”

“Quite possibly. Fine for the moment. Just need a little cooling time. I’ll keep you updated.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Two.”

And then it was back to the silence.

True silence.

There was no wind.

No water.

No birds.

Just the heat of a dying day leaching out of the sand, the creak of his cooling ‘bird, and the potential energy in the air.

It was going to rain.

The Kansas farm boy could tell that much. Even in another country and an entirely different environment, he could feel it.

He didn’t need fancy instrumentation to predict that.

The impending storm raised the hair on his arms under his uniform. It itched at his skin and spoke of change.

Ants crawled across his boots, winged queens and drones launching to join a cloud of them off to his right.

It was eerie.

He shifted where he stood, unsure of what to do next. He wasn’t one for killing time. Time was a valuable thing and needed to be used to its upmost. But this stop was unplanned and there was little he could do while waiting.

Sure, there were tasks. There were always tasks, nitty gritty maintenance jobs. He was never short of work.

But the air was still. The sense of building atmospheric release buzzed across his senses.

It was tantalising.

He shivered.

There were still a couple of hours before sunset, but the air was dark due to the heavy cloudbank looming over the landscape.

A thought.

A flash of guilt followed by stubborn determination.

He turned and climbed back on to the hatch and retracted it, only to lower it again a few moments later with a folded chair and a box in his hands.

He parked it in the sand.

The silence was a physical presence.

He opened the box to reveal a portable watercolour kit – a neat palette of half pans, a fine brush and a small block of high-quality paper.

It was an indulgence he kept aboard his ‘bird. One he had yet to use, so this was definitely an opportune moment. A tiny amount of time to throw down some colour and capture this red-on-blue-grey intensity.

It didn’t take him long to realise he had forgotten a couple of things. A muttering step back into his ‘bird and he returned with a small table and a cup full of water.

He finally managed to settle himself. Painting while wearing his uniform wasn’t the most comfortable. It was bulky and in the way. He did shed his gloves, which meant he had to take off his wrist controller. Scott would frown enough to dent his nose, but he couldn’t paint with his gloves on.

There was heavy lifting, but there was also sensitive and tactile manipulation. He liked to think he was capable of both.

A dip of his brush into clear water, a dab of cadmium red, and colour spilled onto the paper.

Payne’s grey filled the sky in soft billows with just a hint of ultramarine. He tried to keep his touch gentle. Watercolour was so unforgiving. Fast and delicate, the colours could easily be overdone and unlike acrylic or oils, could not be undone satisfactorily.

It took all his concentration to sketch out the worn landscape.

The parched air dried the colours quickly and it wasn’t long before he was flicking strands of yellow ochre spinifex in the foreground, the little painting almost done.

In the distance, the clouds rumbled warning.

He dabbed in a second layer to bring up the contrast, the greys echoing the thunder on the horizon. Just a touch of green brought out the red of the iron in the sand.

“I really don’t know how you do that.”

Virgil nearly fell out of his chair.

“Scott!” His heart thudded in his ears and he clutched the drying painting in his hands as it tried to slip from his fingers. “What the hell?! How did you…?” He shot to his feet and turned to find his brother standing behind him. Beyond, at a respectable distance, sat Thunderbird One.

Scott held up both hands, taking a step back. “Hey, I saw you were painting, so I parked back a ways. Figured you wouldn’t want VTOL messing with your paints.” But then his brother was smothering a grin. “You were kinda zoned out there, Virg.”

“You were in Prague! How did you get here so fast?” It was a stupid question. He was Scott Tracy. Fast was part of his genome.

But his brother frowned. “It’s been over an hour since I last contacted you. The situation is resolved. I was on my way back and thought I’d check in. John said he hadn’t had an update.”

Virgil stared at his brother. An hour? He brought his wrist up to check the time, but his controller was on the little table beside his chair with his discarded gloves.

Oh.

Scott arched an eyebrow at him.

Virgil grunted before putting the painting down carefully and retrieving his equipment. A moment later, his gloves were on and his wrist controller back in place.

It was indeed over an hour later.

Thunderbird Two would have cooled down enough forty-odd minutes ago.

“You were lost in your painting, weren’t you.” It wasn’t a question. His brother sighed, walked over to the table and picked up the piece of art. Blue eyes scrutinised it. “Nope. I don’t have a clue how you do that. It’s great, Virg.” He handed it over and somewhat numbly, Virgil took it.

He stared at the strokes in which he had been so absorbed earlier. The landscape stretched into the paper, reds bouncing off blues, the stillness captured in pigments.

Okay, so he had to admit, it was working quite well. He had muddied the colour a little in one corner and there was a patch where he’d left more white paper than was probably necessary because he was too worried about over doing the paint, but overall it mostly did what he wanted it to do. Oh, his wash hadn’t quite worked in that bit. Damn.

But…

He could get away with it.

“Earth to Virgil? You okay in there?”

Scott was smirking.

Virgil glared at him before cradling the watercolour block in one hand, picking up the palette with the other and packing it away. He stomped his way back to his ‘bird.

He ignored the laugh behind him.

He was stashing the paints in their locker when Scott joined him in Two, both the table and chair folded up in his hands. “Where do you stash these?”

Virgil gestured in the direction of the utility store and his brother put the equipment away.

Back in the cockpit, Virgil pulled up the suspect control and found the red light still glaring accusingly as Scott entered behind him.

“Give me ten. I need to inspect her starboard thruster.” He grabbed a safety line and threw back the overhead hatch. The gloomy atmosphere crept into the cockpit, but he ignored it and elevated the himself up so he could climb onto the top of his ‘bird.

“Virgil, you do know there is a storm coming in. You’re standing on the highest point for miles.”

“I’ll only be a minute.” Keep your pants on.

But his brother was right. His dawdling with his paints had cost him time and the weather was moving in.

He hurried across the back of his Thunderbird sliding carefully onto her starboard intake, and making his way down to the access hatch. He hooked in his safety line, prodded his controller to release the security, and hauled the hatch open.

Five minutes later, with several profane words that had Scott even more concerned, he yanked an obstruction out of her secondary intake valve.

It was a bright yellow, now somewhat grimy, Thunderbird Four.

No more than four inches long.

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Virg? What? Who?”

“Gordon.” He didn’t elaborate. The sky was well and truly rumbling now and he needed to get inside.

Tightening the valve, he gave it a good once over to check for damage. Another poke at his controller and the dash confirmed the issue resolved.

Access secured, he unhooked his line and made a run for the main hatch just as the landscape lit up white with lightning.

He leapt into his ‘bird as if he had that lightning on his tail.

His boots hit deck plates. Virgil reached up and threw the hatch closed and sealed away the angry sky.

Scott was staring at him.

Virgil met that gaze before walking past his brother towards his pilot seat. He casually chucked the little Thunderbird Four to his brother like the grenade it was.

Scott caught it. “What the hell?”

Gordon was dead twice over and he didn’t even know it.

“You better get back to your ‘bird. The sky’s going to open up any minute and we should probably be above it rather than below it.” Virgil poked at the weather read out. It was only a weather front, nothing compared to the cyclone forces the Thunderbirds were capable of tackling. “You might get wet.”

Scott was still glaring at the model in his hand. A distracted grunt.

Gordon was definitely dead.

Possibly more than twice.

“Okay, less imaginary brother murders and more getting back to your ‘bird.”

“Huh?”

Yeah, so now who was zoning out?

Virgil nudged his brother onto the hatch platform and stepped on himself, lowering it onto the red dust again.

He stepped off the deck plates just as the first fat rain drops started to hit the dust.

Damn. “Too late.” And as if he had given the sky permission, it really opened up.

Water hit dry earth in big splats, puffs of red rose only to be taken down by more rain. The stipple of water fast became patches and then the land deepened in colour. The bright iron red darkened almost to a burgundy. The spinifex he had so finely painted not half an hour earlier, shifted from a yellow ochre to a gold that almost glowed in the remnant light.

As Scott stepped up beside him, secure under the protection of Two’s nose, the landscape bleached suddenly and the sky grumbled and cracked. The air smelt of ozone and the sharp evaporation of precipitation in the heat. But there was more water than the air or the earth could take and it puddled in the indents between the rocks.

Some kind of thorny lizard darted out from a tuft of spinifex and hurried under the shelter of Two beside the brothers. At the lack of the rain on its back, it looked up as if surprised. Two reptilian eyes stared at them before darting back out into the rain.

Scott took another step forward and Virgil put a hand on his arm.

“You’re not going to try to run through that.”

“I’ve got to get back to One.”

“Why?”

“Because…” His brother trailed off.

Virgil squeezed his arm gently. “Take a minute. This is a desert storm. It will be short lived. We can wait.”

Blue eyes stared at him.

Okay, so waiting wasn’t part of Scott Tracy’s genome.

“Take a minute. Watch.” Virgil turned back to the storm and revelled in the release of the tension that had been building for the last couple of hours. He watched the rain hit the earth, the patterns, the dance of spinifex leaves. He listened to the roar, the wet splat against cahelium, the sigh as the water disappeared into the grass and the grumbles in the clouds.

Scott eventually turned to look and, for a short while there, they were just a couple of brothers staring out at the storm.

The fact they were sheltering underneath one of the most advanced technological creations on the planet was unimportant.

“This is all your fault, you know.” Scott’s voice was soft.

A grunt. “I think Gordon’s is the more likely culprit.”

“If you hadn’t stopped to paint, we’d be home by now.”

Virgil didn’t answer immediately. He took a breath. “But then we would have missed this.”

At that moment the sun finally hit the horizon and slipped through a gap in the clouds to light up the wet landscape in gold. Rain still fell, but it was as if it was liquid sunlight failing from the sky. Water glistened on everything and the clouds lit up from underneath.

Thunder rumbled in clouds turning pink in the east.

“Yeah, we would.” But the acknowledgement was distracted as Scott stared at the spectacle.

Perhaps they had something for which to thank Gordon. It was a moment that they would never have experienced if Virgil hadn’t had to stop.

He breathed in the freshened air and let it out with a relaxing sigh.

No.

Gordon was still dead.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

[woopboopboop]

Golden

Note: Hello! This is my first writing ever despite being on this platform for quite a long time now. I thought of sharing my interpretation of Harry’s Golden track in a form of a fic. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Update: Hoooooooly damn! I never thought this will reach even a hundred notes when I posted it. This make me !!!!! really hard! I- OHMYGOD. Thank you for starting my year with a such a good vibe. Much love!

“I don’t know,” he sighed while talking on his phone. She shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation but when she heard her name mentioned during the call, her curiosity got the best of her. Now, whoever is on the phone might have a little sneak peek of what their relationship looked like for the past months. “Well, one way or another she needs to let me in. This won’t work if it’s only one sided,” he continued on, cradling his phone between his shoulder and ear while putting a leather-bound journal into his bag.

This won’t work if it’s only one sided. 

That sentence kept on getting louder and harder to ignore throughout the day. And it totally didn’t help when she was left alone in the house with her lingering thought after Harry left for studio. At first, she just shrugged it off but then she couldn’t help but think of the things that she might have done wrong during their relationship. So far, their relationship had been nothing but great. All of the exchanged conversations and lovely gestures were like second nature to them. She knew that she was treading through the relationship carefully, not being really open about her feelings but she thought she will ease into it slowly and Harry being a kind human he is, didn’t seem to be complaining about it. In the midst of her thought, she didn’t realise that she was walking towards the sofa in the living room causing her to bump into it and losing her grip of the mug in her hand. The sound of the glass breaking after the mug came into contact with the floor was just the tip of the iceberg for the series of anxiety fuelled things that were going to be happening that day.

One sided.

At least that’s how he felt about their relationship right now. For him, when you form a connection with someone, it is all about balancing the giving and receiving scale. Despite his packed schedule, he would find a way in which he can give his time as well as self to her and so does she. The girl gives him a comfortable space where he is welcomed with so much love and no judgement. Throughout knowing each other, he had been open about his life to her. He would talk about the most personal things to the most ridiculous things and she would always be there, receiving what he has to offer with open arms. That is why he sees her as one of the lights in his life and people might think that it is a bit too much. Truthfully, he sees her as the sun that he is destined to meet all along in his dark journey on earth. And just like the sun, there is a part of her that he can’t really see. Despite being open about what is happening around her, she is not really open about herself causing Harry to be left in the shadow. If felt like she was holding herself back. That is when the scale of receiving and giving is not so balanced.

That day had been bad when she didn’t only break the mug this morning, but she also couldn’t seem to do the house chores properly. Now, it had been progressing to be the worst when the steak on the stove burned when she was cooking dinner. “For God’s sake what the hell is wrong today!” she yelled, frustrated over things that had happened today and her inability to keep herself calm throughout the day. It felt like her heart was trying to escape her body every time she thought about the call this morning. She almost threw the pan into the sink but then regained some control over the overwhelming feelings that resided in her. She didn’t realise that a tear escaped her eyes until the droplet landed on her hand while she was holding onto the sink, trying to calm herself.

Didn’t want to make a huge deal out of all the mess that was happening outside and inside of her, she decided to put everything aside. Reaching for her phone, she asked if Harry wants any take away food for dinner. It was about five minutes after she finished cleaning the kitchen when she received two texts from him.

From: Harry

07:03

S’alright, love. Had my dinner with Mitch.

 07:03

Gonna be back late. Don’t wait up.

To: Harry

07:05

Alright. Stay safe, babe.

 After sending the message, she decided to go shower and had dinner by herself. Leaving her and her thoughts once again.

Before Harry, there was literally no one in her life. To be honest, she didn’t really see the point of being in a relationship at first. For her, all of these are just a huge never-ending loop. Every single time is exactly like the one before. You will meet someone, get attached to them and then one of you leave. After that, you will start from the bottom again. “That’s a very negative way to look at it,” he said when he heard her opinion about love during her visit to his place. She shrugged from across the table and continued, “Well, that’s the truth isn’t it?” He looked at her intently, bottom lip tucked between his teeth as if he was trying to find the most suitable answer for the question. When his gaze lingered too long on her, she muttered, “Quit looking at me like that.” Avoiding his gaze when she felt her cheeks getting warmer. A small smile formed on his lips and he said, “To answer your question just now. Maybe.”

That was way before they were engaged in a romantic relationship. At that moment, Harry wanted to tell her that love is way beyond the simple stages that she had arranged it to be. Love is alluring and electrifying.  Unfortunately, he somewhat got lost when he stared into her eyes and decided to tell that to her in another time. Such as the time when he confessed her about his feelings towards her. She did look like she was about to dash out of his house that day but he quickly said that, “I understand if you don’t feel the same. It’s okay. Just thought that I get it out of my chest.” He didn’t want to scare her but at the same time he needed to tell her about his feelings. They were quiet for a moment before she told him that she has the same feeling but doesn’t really know what to do with it. Both of them giggle at her statement. She hesitated for a while when he asked her to be his lover. She worried if this relationship took a wild turn and left both of them heart broken in the end. But then she thought, maybe she could give love a fair chance this time. So, she did.

She huffed at the thought. Maybe she shouldn’t have given it a chance. The very thing that she tried to avoid from occurring to her, which is being heart broken, was looming over her. She felt her eyes sting as she heard This won’t work if it’s only one sided at the back of her head. What is one sided though? She did her best to love him despite her lack of experience and the fear of being heart broken. Will he end it? Will she be the one who ended it? He did sound like he was hurting when he talked over the phone this morning. Maybe it is better to break things off if she is going to hurt him further more? Her thought got distracted when she heard a loud footstep approaching their shared bedroom. Seconds later, Harry tall figure entered the room. “You back early?” she said after checking the time on her phone. “Yeah. Got a lot of work done and thought that we’ll continue it tomorrow,” he answered, walking to the vanity mirror. She knew that it might not be the perfect time to ask him about what happened since tiredness was very much present in his face and movements.

He removed the rings that adorned his fingers and set it carefully on the vanity. She cleared her throat to break the silence in the room and found a courage to look at his face in the mirror. When both of their eyes met, she carefully asked him, “Are we okay?” “Yeah. Why?” By this time, he was walking towards the bathroom to do his nightly routine. Her mind was racing a hundred miles per hour, trying to come up with a reason and then managed to say, “Nothing.” Her fingers messing with the blanket covering the lower part of her body. She never like confrontation in her life. Ever. So, when situation like this comes up, she would rather just sweep it under the rug and let it be there. But she didn’t know what made her so brave tonight. Maybe she was just desperate for some answers.

“I actually heard you while you’re on the phone this morning,” she blurted when he stepped out of the bathroom. His eyes were basically just staring at her right now through his tousled hair and she felt so small on the bed, so she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “I heard that you said it won’t work if its only one sided,” she continued. Harry was very much confused as to what she was saying few seconds ago but now he caught up on what she was trying to tell him. “Well, if you could let me in more than maybe it will not be so one sided.” He really didn’t not want to sound nonchalant about the situation but he had been imagining just cuddling and sleeping since he got the privilege to go home early. However, he was confronted with this matter tonight. He made it clear in his voice that thing could be discussed tomorrow but she still pushed for some clarity. “What do you mean? Do you feel like I’m not giving enough?”

“Maybe. Look, I don’t want to talk about this right now. I am kinda tired.” Without saying any other words, he just slipped into bed and went to sleep. Before this they would have little arguments but they always managed to say sorry before going to bed but not tonight. She mustered whatever that was left in her to not breakdown by the overwhelming waves of emotions and quietly said, “Oh. Okay. Goodnight.” He didn’t reply, giving her some illusion that he was already deep in slumber. In fact, he was still a bit awake even though his droopy eyelids were forcing him to venture into dreamland. Feeling the cover moved and some shifting from her side, he looked over his shoulder to see that she was facing away from him.

When waking up the next day, her heart was still beating hard at the thought that sooner or later she needed to talk to him about what was happening yesterday. Harry, on the other hand, felt bad about last night. He wanted to talk about it but didn’t know how to approach her. As his alarm rang early in the morning, he cleaned up a bit and head to the kitchen to make both of them breakfast. “Morning, love,” he said, small smile on his face when he saw her entering the kitchen. She smiled back knowing that last night didn’t affect his gentle small gestures to her, “Morning.” They had small talk over their breakfast but every time she tried to steer the conversation to what happened yesterday, he seemed to be lost of words. Again, she didn’t want to be pushy about the entire thing and thought that she would confront him after their breakfast.

“Can we talk? About last night?” she asked, following him from behind as he walked into the living room. “Yeah, sure.” He sat on the corner of the sofa facing the television while she took a seat on the opposite corner. “Okay,” she muttered under her breath, collecting her courage. The nervousness was boiling inside her stomach and she tried to distract herself by tucking away a piece of stray hair behind her ears. “Are we okay?” her voice sounded so soft as if she was afraid she was going to break the television screen. He was a bit shocked by her voice but that didn’t stop him from asking her, “What do you think?” “You did say that I’m not giving enough. I thought I already gave my all. I’m trying to-” Her words came out desperate and she felt her heart picking up its pace when Harry said, “You thought?” Every word were emphasised and the worst thing was that he didn’t even look at her.

He thought that he would be the one approaching her about this matter. When she first started the conversation, he was a bit taken aback because he was not prepared. The only big question that he had in his mind at the time was “Why are you holding yourself back?” Throughout their relationship, both of them had been completing each other very well but as they were falling deeper into it, it is as if she was holding herself from falling with him. There were times when he thought that maybe she needs time, so he gives her time but slowly he began to question if he is unable to give her a safe and comfortable space to fall. “I’m sorry if you feel like everything is one sided when you’re with me. I didn’t mean to.” His heart ached hearing her apology. He wanted to make it clear it’s not a big deal. That she had been nothing but a sun guiding and supporting him through his darkest hours of life. That she had been nothing but golden. That the only thing that he wanted from her was for her to open up more. Let him in. It would not be enough if she knows who he is but he doesn’t know who she is. The words were fighting in his throat begging to come out but their attempt failed when he could just respond back with, “Hmm.” He could tell that she was getting frustrated when her eyebrow knitted together and a loud sigh escaped her mouth.

“What do you want me to say, Harry?” She was already on the edge. What is it that he wants from her? The tears were threatening to spill out but she held it in. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that he was leaning forward now both arms resting on his thighs. In seconds he was standing, walking away. “This is it then? Is this how break ups happened?” she thought. As his figure walking further and further away from her, she decided to speak up, “You know damn well Harry that I’m afraid to be in this relationship.” It’s true. More than anyone else, he should’ve known this when she had a negative overview of romance. And the reason as to why she agreed to be with him is because she overcame her fear of love and decided to give it a chance. That stopped him on his track and what he said next wasn’t what she was expecting. “Then why are you here?”

He didn’t shout or scream at her when he asked that but the question sure did leave a deafening impact on her. She felt her ears ringing and her sight became blurry. She wanted to walk towards him and scream in his face but she only managed to look at him in the eyes from where she was sitting on the sofa. “Because you convince me that love is beyond what I thought it was. That love is beautiful. So, I thought that I- I give it a chance. And- and when it comes from a person like you, I thought I could finally fall into someone safely but I guess not.” Her breathing grew heavy from each word and she felt like burying her head in the ground. With every word, he closed the distance between them and stood in front of her. She could feel him towering over but decided to fixed her gaze on the floor. The question of his inability to give her a safe and comfortable space to fall had been answered by her. “So, she did trust me,” he thought but there’s one more question left.

“You barely tell me what you feel about this relationship. Yes, we did what other couples do but I still feel like you’re hiding something from me. Like you’re holding yourself back. If you trust me for giving you a space to fall then why don’t you do it?” He sounded so hurt and a little bit offended. To make the matter worse, when her eyes met his, both of them mirror the same sad expression. Her head was pounding since she forced herself not to cry and she couldn’t help but let one or two tears making their way down her cheeks. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. “I am trying to open up more. But it can be hard sometimes.” She saw Harry nodding his head and took that as a sign to continue. “What if- what if I fall and be completely open then suddenly one day you just left?” She shook her head at the horrible thought. “I’ve seen how it affects people, Harry. I’ve seen how it affects you. You were so heartbroken and I swear I could see the glint of it in your eyes even in the beginning of our relationship.” It’s true. She saw what love can do to people. Both parties were so open and when things came crashing down, there is nothing left but broken hearts.

He was listening so intently, trying to process the whole scenario. Initially in their relationship, he still felt the sting of heart break after his last break up. But that didn’t mean that he was walking into the relationship because he wanted something to distract him from it. He walked into the relationship because he thought that it was time and he found the perfect golden girl for him. The room was filled with the humming of heater and sniffles from her. “Why don’t you tell me that you feel that way?” His features soften when she saw her shrugged. She looked so lost. “I don’t know. I just-” She was cut off mid-sentence when she felt Harry held her hands. She could see that his eyes were glossy and his cheeks had a tint of red. “You can talk to me. You know that right?” She nodded her head. The beating of her heart started to slow down and her breathing stabilise.

He never knew that she was still very much hesitant about opening up about herself to him. “I’m sorry, Harry. I- I can leave if that’s what you want?” She was standing now, ready for anything that is awaiting to happen. He never thought that she would even consider leaving as an option. “What? No! No! I want you to stay. Do you not want to stay?” The last part came a bit hesitant as he was afraid that she would say yes. What would he do then? His fear of being alone and not being able to love someone, not being able to love her came creeping in. His grip on her hands were tighter, afraid if she would just turn into dust and disappear in front of him. A shocked look was present on her face and she shook her head. “Yes. I mean, no. I want to stay. If you want me too?” “’Course I want you too, love. What makes you think that I don’t want to?” They were closer now, just inches away from each other. “I mean, it had been one sided relationship, isn’t it?” She spoke softly. Harry titled her chin so that he had a clear view of her eyes. “That’s before I know what you feel. Now that I understand a little bit more, it’s not as one sided anymore.” His lips forming an assuring smile for her. Every word laced with affirmation and understanding. She smiled back, relieved that whatever heavy feelings surrounding both of them starting to fade away.

Sensing that she was not tensed as she was before, he pulled her into a hug. Both of them stayed in each other arms for quite some times. “I know I need to open up a bit more. Just- just give me time, okay?” she spoke into his chest, breaking the silence between them. “Whatever you want, love. I’ll be here.” He pulled them apart for a bit, kissing her forehead. He wanted to say that he will lose his way without her and that he doesn’t want to be alone, not without his golden girl. However, he kept the words to himself. Words can only go so far and to make sure this relationship remained strong, both of them have to balance out the giving and receiving scale. And he believed they will balance it in the near future.

For now, the most important thing is that they are together.

Harry and his sun.

[onetwosevensquad]

Good Enough For You: Chapter Fifteen

Doyoung x reader

Summary: You are your brother Yuta’s songwriter and Doyoung is his best friend and manager. When your brother gets his chance to go on tour, what happens when you have to spend two months on the road with your long time crush and scheming brother?

Warnings: assault (nothing too crazy but idk what’s triggering or not so fair warning) not proofread, bad writing

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

———

It was now the third day in Singapore and it was finally concert time. While at sound check, you sat in Yuta’s dressing room to get some work done. A new album was going to be released after tour was done, and you still had a lot of to do.

Doyoung was out on stage with Yuta, making sure things were running smoothly. Sicheng and Mina were there too, you having kicked them out wanting some peace and quiet.

You had gotten into the zone with writing, not even realizing someone had entered the dressing room. You didn’t look up until someone cleared their throat. When you peeked up, you met eyes with the third intern.

You didn’t know his name, and didn’t really care to, knowing that he was involved with Lexi. He smiled down at you and began to speak.

“We’ve never actually met,” he said, voice sweet. “I’m Hansol. One of the interns.”

“Y/n,” you stated being friendly. You didn’t really want to talk to him, rather wanting to work. It seemed though, he didn’t get that as he sat down on the couch next to you.

Suddenly a rough hand was placed on your shoulder and you were pulled down on the couch. Hansol hovered slightly over you and clasped a hand over your mouth as you went to scream. He pinned one of your hands to your side. You weren’t strong enough to push him away with just one.

“You know it’s a shame,” he said. “Doyoung seems like a nice guy. When Lexi told me to come in here and do whatever to you, I was hesitant. But then I remembered how beautiful you are and couldn’t resist.”

He he suddenly crashed his lips to your just as you heard the door open. Hansol pulled away with a smirk and you looked over to see Doyoung standing in the door way.

His face dropped and he turned away on his heels. Hansol let you up after some fighting on your end. You dashed out of the room but not before your arm was caught by Lexi.

“I always win,” she sneered. You roughly pulled away from her. You sprinted in the direction Doyoung headed, hoping you could find him.

———

Doyoung was out of sorts. What was happening? Why were you kissing some random guy? Were you already over him?

He sat in a dark empty room contemplating his thoughts. He was disrupted when the door suddenly flew open, revealing a very disheveled looking you.

“Doyoung?” You whispered. You could see him sitting in a chair head in his hands. You carefully stepped into the room and closed the door behind you, once again plunging the room into darkness.

You made your way to Doyoung and sat on the floor in front of him. He didn’t look at you and you didn’t say anything.

“Why did you kiss him?” Doyoung suddenly asked.

“I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie Y/n! I saw you!” He yelled standing up. You got to your feet as well. Even in the darkness of the room you could tell that Doyoung was fuming.

“He forced me down and kissed me! I tried to yell and fight but I couldn’t!” You yelled back. You could feel the tears running down your cheeks now. You felt stupid crying.

“Oh no,” Doyoung whispered. He realized that he had walked away from you when you needed him. He felt awful. He doesn’t know why he ever trusted Lexi.

She said that she just wanted to talk and be civilized. She had led him to the dressing room, claiming it was empty. When he opened the door, he saw what he thought was you cheating. But it was something much worse.

Doyoung put a tentative hand on your shoulder, not wanting you to be scared of him. He could feel you shudder. Not from him, but from the tears. He could tell you were holding back.

“It’s ok to cry,” Doyoung spoke softly. “It was scary what you went through. And I- I just walked away. I’m so sorry, Y/n.”

He rubbed your shoulder gently, not wanting to scare you off. He can’t imagine what you felt, not being able to escape. He didn’t want to set you off with holding you.

“Can I hold you?” He asked quietly. You nodded then realized he couldn’t see you. Slowly you wrapped your arms around his waist and pulled yourself to him.

He placed one hand around your shoulders and the other stroked your hair. He rested his chin on your head, kissing your hair line every once in a while. Doyoung gently swayed you back and forth while humming.

“It’s going to be ok,” Doyoung mumble into your head. The two of you stayed hugging, until you heard someone shout that it was five minutes till show time. You two reluctantly pulled apart and headed out of the room.

Once out in the blinding light of the hall way, Doyoung stopped and looked at you. He gently cupped you cheeks in his hands and whipped the remaining tears off. He brought your face closer to his and kissed your forehead.

You hadn’t noticed earlier, but Doyoung was crying too. His eyes were bloodshot but no tears were running down his face. You could still see the tracks so you cupped his face in your hands and whipped them away as well. He flashed his gummy smile at you, which made a smile of your own appear.

———

Rose: sorry for being kinda dead this weekend. I know I said Seoul High School Host club was going to be up this Saturday and it wasn’t. It was a hectic weekend but it’s gonna come out this Saturday with regular updates every Saturday. Anyway enjoy chapter fifteen!

[neverwatchedonepiece]

640-642: "Explore! Fairies' Island - Green Bit!", "The Unknown World! The Tontatta Kingdom!" and "The Stratagem of the Century! Doflamingo Makes His Move!"

Doflamingo using Fake News before it was cool.

Watched three episodes to make up for not posting on Saturday. Damn, am I glad I watched up to 642. The reveal of the Tontatta people and what Violet was up to *did* move the plot along. But Doflamingo is the centre of trouble and strife. When he shows up, you know it’s about to get real.

And boy, Doflamingo really is a proper joker, isn’t he? Just loves to play little tricks on people. Little tricks like taking control of the press and releasing fake news just so you can murder another pirate.

Such a prankster!

Zoro Ages 40 Years Through Confusion and Stress

Before I get to the Main Event, gotta update on Franky and Sol, plus Zoro and his new pal Wicka!

In Zoro’s storyline, the action kicked in with him dashing about Acacia Port Town, seemingly yelling and muttering to himself. A small child was scared. His mother advised him to not look Zoro in the eye.

Meanwhile, somewhere about Zoro’s person, a small voice ordered, “Get to Flower Field already!”

Ah, thought I. Zoro has teamed up with the thieving little fairy from earlier.

Sure enough, a flashback confirmed it, along with another tasty nugget of news that tied Zoro’s story neatly into the main plot.

After the sack of stolen stuff whacked Zoro on the head, Zoro spotted the little thief. The game was up. Tiny thief introduced himself as Wicka. He belonged to the Tontatta Tribe’s scouting unit and he was freaking out about Zoro - a Big Human - having seen him. Of course, Wicka couldn’t share any information - apart the fact he was supposed to report to his chief that the Donquixote Family were about to destroy the Strawhat Pirates’ ship.

Obviously, Zoro was interested in this development. He was about to haul ass back to Sunny but, alas, his faulty GPS kicked in. (He is the only one who hasn’t left Acacia Port yet, lmao). As Wicka had broken his ankle in the fall, he offered to guide Zoro back to shore in exchange for a ride to a place called Flower Field.

Turns out the Tontatta People have a conflict with the Donquixote Family too, though Wicka wouldn’t spill the details. (I’m still thinking a lot of them are being forced to work in the Smile factory.)

As for Franky and Sol, they are heading the same way, funnily enough. (Maybe Flower Field is the headquarters for the Resistance.) On the way, Rebecca spotted them from a Colosseum window. She shouted after Sol, who acted pretty weird about the whole thing. Pretty much was like, “Oh, so you entered the competition even though I told you not to. Okay.”

There is obviously a crap ton of history between these two because Rebecca cried and shouted back, “I’ll win so we can live together!”

Sol was all surly about it. “A warrior who cries will not easily win,” and rode away on Franky. Then, when he was safely out of earshot, he told Franky how he had something he wanted to protect and that he could not shed tears from his tin eyes.

Gotta say, I’m getting weird vibes from this relationship.

Ceci N’Est Pas Une Punch

As for Luffy Lucy, the Block C battle is officially underway! I was super hyped to see this fight but the action kept cutting away from it. Now the Feathered One has flapped onto the stage, he’s hogged the spotlight and some of the hype has worn off.

Still, that whole sequence of Luffy winding up Gomu Gomu stretchy punches and declaring, “That was a normal punch. Oh, that one? That was a normal kick. A completely normal kick.” Even after several fellow competitors observed, “Hey, that guy’s arm stretched. Isn’t that exactly like that Strawhat Luffy guy’s power?”

No.

No it wasn’t.

It was just a normal, run of the mill stretchy punch. 

Do not listen to Cavendish who is being manhandled from the area shrieking “I’LL KILL YOU, STRAWHAT!” at the top of his lungs. Do not listen to Don Chinjao, who is stomping about, growling about murdering Garp’s grandson every five seconds.

All trickery and lies.

And speaking of...

You Just Lost the Circle Game

Ah, I am so glad Sanji’s little subplot has merged into the main plot. It had begun to border on unwatchable. I breathed a sigh of relief when Violet turned the tables last episode. I thought she might even be a CP0 member in disguise, seeking to shackle Sanji and trade him for Luffy.

Nope.

It’s less complicated than that.

It turned out Violet was an assassin hired by Doflamingo to prey on Sanji’s weakness for women. The chuckling thugs surrounding her laughed it up. This guy is worth 70 million and he was fooled by Violet’s act? What a dumbass.

She shit-talked Sanji for about five seconds. “Did you really think a guy like you could win my heart? How funny!”

This was before she unveiled her Glare Glare fruit power which allows her to see into people’s minds (legit amazingly useful power, to be fair). She asked Sanji some Important Questions. Why had Strawhat and Trafalgar Law become allies? What brought them to Dressrosa besides the business at Green Bit? What was their ultimate plan? What were they up to?

But inside Sanji’s mind, all she saw was PINK PINK PINK. Which, I am guessing, means Sanji’s head was filled with nothing else but thoughts of LADIEZ. (Bit of a disservice to Sanji, but okay.)

Understandably, Violet was freaked out. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking of you,” Sanji answered. “The way you looked at me in that moment, I knew you were telling me the truth when you asked me to kill someone for you. I believe in women’s tears!”

I blinked and reached for my sick bucket.

Amazingly, Sanji’s charm worked on Violet. Not only did she turn on the hired thugs, she also ran away with Sanji and let him peer into her mind to discover the trap Doflamingo had laid for Trafalgar Law.

Very generous. Sanji, I take it all back. You are a smooth operator, after all.

Little People: The Only Thing That Has Legit Scared Robin Since Enies Lobby

Back at Green Bit, Usopp was having flashbacks to Bowin Island and Caesar was shrieking for Doflamingo. Law basically told him to hold his horses because they had a bit of walking to do first. Caesar would be handed over at 3pm at a further distant point of beach.

Then Usopp’s keen sharpshooter’s eye spotted an ominous object. A Marine ship grounded on the bay, snarled in a plant’s grip. Robin concluded the cuts that freed the ship from the plant were fresh and that the ship hadn’t sustained much damage. 

Ruh roh. That meant the Marines were on Green Bit.

Caesar freaked out. He was a wanted man with a sky-high bounty and a list of crimes that would make Magellan’s hair curl. Now Doflamingo had resigned from the Shichibukai, there was no law protecting Caesar anymore. If he was left on Green Bit, cuffed and defenceless, they’d arrest him! “THIS IS HELL!” he wailed. “I’M DOOMED!”

While Usopp hissed at Caesar to stfu, Robin side-eyed Law. “Why are the Marines here? You look like you’re hiding something, Law?”

Law claimed it was a coincidence. How could he control the Marines? (Though the flashback to his chat with Smoker when he admitted he was headed for Green Bit says otherwise. Not control. More a subtle manipulation.) Still not sure how much of the Marine presence here is Law’s or Doflamingo’s doing. I’m thinking Doflamingo’s to be honest. Maybe Law expected Smoker and found Fujitora instead? More on that later, though.

At any rate, Law set up a recon plan. Robin and Usopp would scout the area, searching for Marines. He would walk to the handover point with Caesar.

Robin and Usopp saw some shit in that forest, let me tell you.

A gang of fodder Marines fell victim to some of Wicka’s fellow tribespeople. A spokesperson called Leo demanded to know if the Marines were good or bad people. 

“We are Marine soldiers! We protect people!”

But when they would not hand over their weapons, the Tontatta fighters stripped the Marines almost butt-naked (they left the underpants for their cousins, the Underpants Gnomes).

A similar thing happened to Robin. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a small, shadowy figure retreating with stolen clobber in hand. She set a mille fleurs and caught a very angry little dude. She did try to ask him if they had robbed the Marines, but the Angry Little Dude’s friends returned with anaesthetic slingshot ammo.

The next thing, there are a few shots of shadowy stitches and Robin stirs awake to find lots of Tontatta people slithering about under her clothes (kinda creepy) and going through her stuff. Notebook, candy, den den mushi. Oh yeah, and her body was stitched to the ground by Leo.

Luckily, Robin is the kind of person who can stay calm in trying situations. She kept her cool and asked questions. Where was she? Was Usopp okay? Had they grown all the massive plants on the island?

The answers were that she was in the Tontatta Kingdom, they had captured Usopp and he was fine and, yes, the plants were their doing and there is no plant they cannot grow. 

Robin figured she could easily escape with her DF power but that she had to be careful not to cause a stir. When they asked her why she had kidnapped one of their own people, Robin answered she had caught him out curiosity. That was it. She hadn’t meant any harm and she would never tell anyone she had seen them.

“LOL, OKAY,” Leo said. “YOU CAN GO. HERE ARE ALL YOUR BELONGINGS EXCEPT THE DDM WHICH WE RELEASED INTO THE WILD.”

That was funny. 

It was all going well, until Robin discovered she only had two minutes to meet with Law at the handover point. She made to leave but the Tontatta people were like, “NO. NO ONE LEAVES. GIVE US YOUR WEAPON.” (What is it with them and weapons? Are they planning to go to war with the Donquixote family? They’ll get their tiny asses handed to them.)

They were about to strip Robin, but another Tontatta random ran up, saying not to harm Robin. That she was the partner of the Legendary Hero! The Big Human who had come to save them all!

Yes, I thought! The Legendary Hero? There’s only one person that could be. Usopp’s bullshitting skills have come through!

Law Falls for Doflamingo’s Fake News

For that reason, Robin and Usopp didn’t make the the handover on time.

Well, Robin did.

Sort of. The usefulness of her Devil Fruit power has climbed a few notches. Remember she showed she could clone herself in Fishman Island? Turns out she can do this long-distance too. Even though she is underground with the Tontatta people, she was still able to send a message to Law.

Unfortunately, Robin’s clone arrived just as Sanji’s Bad News did.

While Law and Caesar were standing on shore like they were waiting for Godot, Law’s DDM rang. It was Sanji with the best damned plot twist.

“You’ve gotta get out of there! Doflamingo didn’t resign from the Shichibukai. Even if you hand over Caesar to him, there is no trade!”

Law was shook. “Wait, that doesn’t make sense--”

“We’ve been doublecrossed!” Sanji shouted. And told Law everything Violet had shown him. The flashbacks revealed something very interesting. The crowd below Doflamingo’s rooms, begging him not to abdicate, were assuaged when CP0 turned up and told them the newspaper reports were “a mistake. Just a false report. We will let the world know through an extra edition of the Coo News at 3pm. You mustn’t tell anyone until then.”

3pm, eh? Convenient timing on Doflamingo’s part. Now the residents of Dressrosa being awfully calm for a nation whose king has just abdicated makes a ton of sense.

But the news came too late for Law. Out of the trees, Admiral Fujitora marched with his men. Fujitora did not seem pleased to have been fooled by the false report. The jury is out on how much Akainu really knows, but he is going to talk with the Gorosei at Mariejois (that’ll be an interesting conversation). Right now, Fujitora is still following orders to be there at the handover point.

Law realised he was screwed.

“You’re the new Admiral, aren’t you?” he said.

Then Doflamingo flapped down.

In his shrieking enthusiasm, Caesar almost ruptured something internal. “JOKERRRRRRRRRRR!”

But Doflamingo only had eyes for Law. (Murder eyes. I cannot stress the murder part enough.)

“Hey, Law. Well done! I didn’t expect to see a Marine Admiral here. Since I’m no longer  Warlord, I’m scared as hell.”

Now I think about it... maybe Law had deliberately led the Marines to Green Bit under the mistaken assumption Doflamingo really had resigned. If everything had gone as Law had planned, the Marines would have rocked up, arrested Doflamingo and Caesar and Kaidou’s supply of Smiles would have dried up.

But it didn’t work out like that.

“Liar!” Law growled. “Answer me, Doflamingo! You used the authority of the World Government to fool the whole world only to deceive ten people? How?”

“Often the more spectacular the magic, the simpler the trick,” Doflamingo replied, giving nothing away damn it.  “People usually have a stereotypical idea or assumption like, ‘that’s ridiculous!’ and that’s what causes a blind spot.”

He was clearly referring to Law here. Law had assumed there was no way Doflamingo had the power to pull such a massive, world-scale trick. I mean, CP0 have been drafted in here. They report directly to the World Government. Doflamingo has some hefty connections. There is no denying it at this point.

“Nobody can really do such a thing, even if he hatched some scheme. You’re a pirate!” Law seethed. “Even if you’re a Shichibukai and a king you don’t have the power to spread a lie over the world! The only people who have the power to do such a ridiculous thing are the Celestial Dragons--”

Law’s words caught in this throat. He remembered what Vergo had said to him at Punk Hazard: “You don’t know Joker’s past and that will cost you your life.”

My jaw dropped. SURELY NOT??? Was Doflamingo a Celestial Dragon?

Even Law thought the same as me. “Don’t tell me you’re--”

Doflamingo, cagey as always, said only, “It’s a bit more complicated that that. But I have only one purpose here, Law. I just want to kill you.”

Dem veins, man.

Vein’s a-poppin’

I hope Law has some tricks up his sleeve because he is caught between an Admiral and Doflamingo. It ain’t looking good for him right now.

Should’ve checked Snopes, Law. Verifying fake news is super important, man.

Pan’s Labyrinth? Is that you?

[oumiyuki]

Teachers don’t date teachers (but You-sensei and Riko-sensei definitely are) Ch5

Summary: The whole student body and teachers teases the gym teacher, Watanabe You, with the new art teacher, Sakurauchi Riko, that they make a cute couple. How long can You deny this when Riko isn’t helping to reduce the rumours?

Pairing: YouRiko

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Slice of Teacher Life ;D

Words: 2219

Author Notes

Okay...Not so much tumbling...more like bearing the cuts and bruises and all forces of nature... but hey, I'm still here...

And here's another YouRiko-sensei update. 

May you enjoy~ XD 

 Tease05 – You-sensei and Riko-sensei’s first kiss!? (it sure looks like it)

 You haven’t noticed this, but the students buzzing with endless energy and on the edge of their seats with cameras and love-filled shipping minds have. What they have noticed? They noticed that the newest addition to the art facility, a beautiful, gentle but kind of damsel in distress art teacher, namely Sakurauchi Riko, complete the perfect picture of romance when she rests in the gym teacher’s arms. That’s right, once again, Riko was being held by You’s strong arms.

Bundles of rolled up canvases tightly hugged in her left and right arms, a few wooden frames, art box and jotter book pressed to her chest in a risky way as she tried to make her way to the carpark, but alas, turns around the bend was never in favour to her, or never in favour to pretty girls who can’t see to their front that well. The auburn-haired art teacher lets out a shriek of surprise as she steps onto a can and loses her balance; right leg stretches in front of her more than she has ever stretched in months, the pull on her muscles getting to her already. She expected to meet the floor this time but instead warm, very warm hands held her up from the waist.

“Riko-sensei. Are you alright?” Her hero unintentionally breathes in her ears those words of concern and even let out a sigh of relief through the nose as the ash-brunette leaned in front to examine her face. Riko scrambles for her facial muscles to bring up a smile and hope to all the gods that her face wasn’t painted in any shades of the cherry blossom pink or the red camellia flowers she illustrated in class today. 

"Ah...You-sensei...Yes, I believe I'm in good hands right now." Riko leans her head back onto the gym teacher's reliable chest to make her point. 

You feels her cheek turn warm. "Um... I'm glad..?" 

Is it just me or Riko-sensei looks really pretty right now?

Riko's smile pulls a tad higher and looks back to the front, seemingly giving off a somewhat embarrassed aura. 

Riko-sensei..? 

"Um... Could you help me back up...all the way? And er..." The auburn hair teacher sports a dash of pink on her cheeks which makes You's cheeks redder by a chain reaction. The way Riko's almond eyes pointed out the fact that You's arms were still wrapped around Riko didn't help You's case of staring at the art teacher rumoured to be her girlfriend. 

You moves her tongue in her mouth nervously, swallowing nothing at all just to distract herself, a silent call out from her brain to the body to stop gaping at the pretty art teacher and start doing as requested. 

"Ah. Right. Yes. Um. Yes. Sure!" You blurts a string of agreement. Riko chuckles; worsening You's red cheek reaction. 

Iiiiiiiii am such an embarrassment! What was that, Watanabe You?? 

You stands back awkwardly, not noticing two pairs of eyes watching her and Riko's little save and rescued moment with growing excitement and glee. Riko, on the other hand, was back on her feet and gives You a slight bow of thanks, grin gentle and cool, pink cheeks no more. 

"Say, You-sensei, could you help me with something?" 

You nods. "Sure. Whatever you need, Riko-sensei." 

As long as it's within my capabilities! And if I can clear up all the uncool side of me Riko-sensei has witnessed...that would be a plus. 

Riko's ears flared a hot red when You suggests that she can offer pretty much any service but luckily for the art teacher, the gym teacher did not notice her mini rise of excited-panic, her cool exterior hiding a blush-inducing fantasy that flashed through Riko's imaginative mind. Riko clears her throat for good measure. "Could you help bring my materials to my car?" 

You looks Riko up and down once. "Ah, of course. You wouldn't be able to unlock your car with that many things on hand!" You slaps her hand over her mouth without warning earning raised eyebrows from Riko. 

And chest..! I almost said and on Riko-sensei's chest! If I did that I'd not only be uncool, I'd be seen as a perv! Ahh, that was a close call! 

You composes herself and gives Riko a reassuring smile as she eased Riko's arms of more than half the load. "S-shall we?" 

Riko smiles, letting the matter slide though she glanced at the gym teacher curiously on the way to the car, to see if she could perhaps spot anything to clue her in on what made You react that way. 

Now by the car and items loaded, "Do you have to bring all these up to your house?" 

I doubt Riko-sensei can enter her house like that...

Riko nods. "I do. I've got to grade the assignments." 

You chuckles softly. "And how do you see yourself opening your house door?" 

Riko's eyes widen as realization settled upon her with the help of the ash-brunette's wagging eyebrows. 

"Perhaps you actually can go through doors without unlocking them and you've been hiding it from us?" You teases with a broad smile. 

Riko gives the playful gym teacher a mock glare as she opens the passenger door. "Then will you help a maiden out?" 

Anytime. 

You grins and nonchalantly rests her arm over the top of the opened car's door. "If I get a please and dinner." 

I don't really want those from helping but well, let's see how Riko-sensei handles being teased~

Riko simply smiles; completely okay with You's request. "Please help me out, You-sensei? We can grab dinner before my house too. My treat." 

Uwa. Not even a slight fluster or hesitance. 

You straightens her back. "Sounds good." 

Riko giggles and closes the door after making sure You was nicely settled in her humble, brownish-red Mazda. Both teachers do not notice squeals and camera flashes after Riko was in the car and buckled up. 

"Ah." 

"What's wrong?" You looks over with concern. 

"Just a... dirt I guess..." The art teacher carefully touched her eye that may have caught some dirt on the way into the car. 

You leans across the distance between them and silently obtains permission to assist Riko in clearing the dirt and easing the art teacher's eyes since Riko seemed to be having slight troubles doing so herself. Riko lowers her own hands and after a short few seconds of You's feather-like touches and a soft blow of air to her eyes, Riko's eyes were back to good condition.

"T-Thank you..." 

You leans back in her seat with a satisfied smile. "No problem."

Riko takes a moment to herself, while You sat beside her oblivious to how she has caused the art teacher to be on the receiving end of needing a timeout. A good minute or so and Riko starts the drive back to her place. 

A week later, You receives a text message from Riko which made You confused. 

Riko (10:37): Have you seen it yet? 

You (10:41): Seen what? 

Riko (10:56): It's okay.

You was perplexed. If it was something that the art teacher would message her about, wouldn't it be important? Or pressing? You tapped her pen impatiently on her desk where she sat; having some paperwork to do. 

What did I miss? 

You glances to the photo collage of her students and her; at a barbeque and on the school open field. You was a teacher that was really close with the students after all; chatting, playing, teaching, advising as a full package. 

Was the students doing something again? Their murmuring has been more hushed lately though... 

The gym teacher kicked back and spun in her computer chair a few rounds before the science teacher places something on her face. "Hey." 

The teacher with long blue hair grins. "Thought this might interest you." 

"What is it?" You takes the papers folded in half, wearing a thinking face which was rather adorable for the gym teacher who usually wore a carefree, smiley expression. 

"You're the topic." 

"... Don't tell me." 

The science teacher chuckles. "Okay, I won't." 

It's that matter again, isn't it? Ah, please don't be it. Don't be it... What could it be? 

You stresses the ear of the folded documents which was actually really high-quality paper for a good minute before she finally turns the paper over to see the content. 

WHA-

You immediately slaps the paper close after her eyes widened at the image of Riko and herself. You looks up and gestures at the paper now lying on her table. "Where did you get that, Kanan?" 

Kanan shrugs. "Noticeboard, You. When did it happen? You could have been more a friend and tell me ‘bout it." 

You squints at Kanan's teasing tone. "Because we're not. Ugh, the students just keep teasing me and Riko-sensei and I don't even know why. Do we look like that to you?" 

You asks genuinely and Kanan hums for a moment. "Kinda." 

You groans. "No. We're not." 

The ash-brunette picks up her phone, opening the messaging application, taps Riko's name swiftly like she’s used to it; the fact that Riko was on the top made Kanan hold back a chuckle. 

You (11.33): I just saw it

You (11.33): why ;_;

You (11.33): I'm sorry

You (11.33): I'll talk to the kids

You (11.33): tell them to stop these

The gym teacher sighs as she rests her back against the chair, head facing the ceiling with a tired expression. She sees Kanan smiling down at her and she pouts at the science teacher. “What.”

“Oh, nothing.” Kanan grabs a chair and sits on it, hands propped on the headrest and her chin on her arms, grinning cheekily. “Texting your girlfriend?”

You groans yet again and spins in an attempt to kick Kanan’s chair. The bluenette easily dodges it with a front push with her long legs, laughing. “Better luck next time.” You stops her chair’s spin to face Kanan while the playful science teacher rolls the chair she’s on forwards.

Them and all their teasing… Kanan too! Sheesh!

You whines in her mind before grabbing the papers once more. Looking at the image reluctantly. The scene of Riko resting on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around Riko’s waist, and with how her face was leaning close to the art teacher, features not entirely visible from the side-back view the picture is taken in, it’s not a surprise that the header is “You-sensei kisses Riko-sensei!?” You’s shoulders slumps.

How did this happen?

You glances to her phone; the pretty but clumsy art teacher coming to mind.

Riko-sensei slipped and I caught her. That’s all.

You’s phone vibrates and the purple light indicates a message.

Riko (11:55): It’s my fault. So I’m sorry, You-sensei. Don’t scold your students please. They are just having harmless fun and…their photography and editing skills are commendable.

You chuckles as she reads the message. Even now – with such a scandalous news spreading about Riko-sensei and her, and the art teacher is actually defending them. Praising them too!

You (11:56): Aye, I don’t really scold. They don’t find me scary enough.

You (11:57): Still gotta tell them off tho

You (11:57): And how are you to blame? >8/

Riko-sensei is too kind… This probably needs disciplinary action… I think… Not that I want the students getting in trouble…

You looks back at her phone when a vibration comes in.

Riko (11:57): I fell.

You arches an eyebrow at the message.

That I know.

Riko (11:58): Want to have lunch together?

You blinks twice at the question. Usually, she’d respond with a quick “Sure” if her schedule was free, and a “Sorry, can’t”, if her schedule was not. But for some reason, she’s definitely free for lunch at the moment, but she’s hesitating. You doesn’t know why; her palms got a little sweaty and she wasn’t being straight forth… why?

Kanan notices the gym teacher in a rare state of pouts and thoughts so the bluenette gives a helping nudge. “Yo, what’s up?”

That’s what I want to know…

You sighs. “Riko-sensei asks if I wanna go grab lunch. Wondering if I want to.”

“Why not?”

You looks to the phone; Riko smiling gently appears in her mind and You for a reason she can’t come up with feels like blushing. You looks to Kanan with an unsure face. “I don’t know.”

Kanan stares at You for a time before a grin grew on her face. “Just go.” The bluenette turns back to her desk. “Not like you to overthink things, You.”

True… I’m not thinking of anything that leads anywhere anyway.

You picks up her phone and taps away.

You (12:09): Sure

You (12:09): Sorry for the late reply

You (12:09): I’ll treat

“Thanks.” You brofists with Kanan.

Riko (12:10): See you soon :)

Riko (12:10): And I’m treating ;)

You smiles at Riko’s responses as she grabs her gym jacket and heads for the school cafeteria. The new picture and news from the newspaper club, or what You thinks to call them now – the teacher teasing club – parked at the back of her mind as the ash-brunette was more interested in having a good meal with her colleague cum friend, not girlfriend.

Of course, the student body thinks otherwise, and more pictures were snapped that day.

Author Notes

When this is done, I wish to have all those pictures. So precious. Mari-sensei, please give me a nice HD copy of them all~ XD

Anyways! Here’s another teacher we all know and love~ ;D

I got so much more I wanna write for this AU, ahh. XD

Do tell me which parts you like of this chapter! *O* And see you next tease! ^w^

P.S. I keep trying to come up with witty titles fitting of the content and it’s fun but sure takes lots of time XD –chuckles- I came up with like 5 for this chapter and kept changing it :3

[sirkkasnow]

10 Let Someone Else Pick Up The Tab

Ao3 link

07/18/13 Thursday

The nerd brigade was in full control of the living room by the time Stan was up and about the next day. Graph paper, rulebooks and glitter-spangled character sheets were littered across the carpet. Clary sat enthroned upon the recliner with a bunch of pillows arranged to support her elbows. She leafed gingerly through some arcane tome tricked out with silver ink as Dipper hovered to one side, pointing out paragraphs here and there with a pencil and a note of shrill excitement.

“... so that’s what they did with the clerics in the latest rule update!”

“How are the warlocks looking in this edition?” Clary flipped to the back, then started paging through intently. Today’s kerchief was an improbable shade of star-spattered purple. One of Mabel’s scarves strapped down a towel-wrapped ice pack at the back of her neck. “They’re kind of garbage for one-shots, but if we get something longer-term going online I have a concept...”

“Ah, we - usually avoid warlocks - “ Dipper glanced over at Ford, who’d popped up with a frown from behind a cardboard screen. “But if we end up trying an online campaign we can talk! Today’s just an intro. Some puzzles, some mysteries, perhaps some villains.” He waggled dramatic fingers at Clary, who grinned back with an appreciative ‘ooOOOooo.’

Stan made to slide on by, intent on heading out to the yard and the cars and the testing-out of a happy engine, but Mabel caught sight of him and scuttled out in pursuit. “Grunkle Stan! Help me out for a minute, we need ice pops for these brave adventurers!”

“Hey, sweetheart.” He grinned at Mabel, caught Clary’s eye in passing and absolutely did not blush a little, nope, no way, he was too old and too jaded for that kinda nonsense.

Mabel squinted up at him appraisingly, planted hands at his back and shoved him towards the gift shop. “So?” she hissed between her teeth as they staggered down the hallway. “Gimme the 411.”

All he could manage was a thumbs up. Her eyes went wide and she yanked up the cowlneck of her sweater to muffle a high-pitched squeak of glee. “So, she asked me out, I guess, maybe when we’re in port, since we swapped phone numbers an’ all - “

“Did you kiss her?!”

“What? No!”

“You should. She gets all dreamy-eyed - “

“Mabel, she is a classy dame, you don’t rush that kinda thing!”

“There is no dame too classy for my Grunkle Stan.” She hugged him hard around the waist and ran off to the gift shop, leaving him dumbfounded. “I’ll grab you a pineapple one!”

He hauled both the toolbox and a pineapple ice pop out to the yard, late-morning sunshine laying across his shoulders with a warm and soothing weight. The Fairlane’s engine was familiar as the back of his hand after two weeks of tinkering with its insides. Stan propped up the hood and dove in, checking and re-checking his work, reaching in to tweak a connection or two. A low hum of satisfaction rumbled in his chest as he slid into the driver’s seat and shook out the keys.

A good half tank of fuel remained, so no problem on that front. The engine sputtered briefly as he coaxed it into life, then settled into an even cadence that was easy enough on the ears, but Stan cocked his head as he listened. A faint off note in the sound plucked at some distant memory. He leaned on the gas a bit, leaving the car in park.

Then blinked, as the subtle vibration he’d been registering resolved itself into something more rhythmic.

“Shit.” Stan yanked his foot off the pedal and flipped the key back towards him, the thrum of well-regulated combustion rudely interrupted by an earsplitting clatter that echoed off the surrounding trees. The engine took way too long to wind down into silence, something in its guts rattling around hard enough to jostle the suspension. He laid a hand across his brow and swore fervently under his breath.

Twenty seconds passed before the side door banged open and a blur pelted across the yard. Clary smacked into the driver’s side, barely catching herself against the window frame. Winded, she stuck her head into the passenger compartment, frantic eyes flicking across the dash and the dented hood. “That was a piston.”

“That was a piston,” Stan agreed grimly.

“What - what the hell happened? Is the engine dead?” She sagged against the car.

“Well - “ Clary made a strangled noise of protest and he winced. “No. No, no, it’s not dead but things just got more complicated. I swear this isn’t my fault.” His brother and the kids were almost there, trotting across the grass. “Ford, did McGucket get all that heavy equipment shifted up to his new place? We’re gonna need an engine sling at the very least.”

Ford looked a little stricken as he accepted Dipper’s phone. “I thought we’d need to take the wagon up there for the bodywork, but I hoped it’d be under steam by then. Yes, the garage should have everything we’re going to need and then some.” He scrolled through contacts and tapped a number, turning away to engage in low conversation.

Clary straightened, leaning hard on the door for support. “All right,” she whispered. “Fine. Not like it hasn’t been a comedy of errors since I crashed into the town jewel at the peak of the season.” Her hands came together with a sharp clap. “We’d better get the rest of my junk out of the car. May I have some help?”

There wasn’t much left to clear out at this point. Clary opened all the doors and the back gate, letting the kids shuttle the last couple of bags into the house. She handed a skinny box of bottle rockets over to Stan. “Leftovers. I guess we can fire those off when this thing’s finally done.”

Then she collapsed onto the edge of the driver’s side passenger seat, doubled over with her head in her hands. “Good Christ. We just can’t catch a break, can we?”

Ford dropped into a crouch with an ease Stan envied, looking up to her and speaking firmly. “We promised that we’d get you on the road again and we shall. We’ll understand, of course, if you want to cut your losses at this point. The offer of a rental stands, if you want to head up to Seattle and come back to collect your car.”

She was already shaking her head, laughing raggedly. “Come on, Ford. You understand the sunk cost fallacy as well as I do. Thank you, but no.” Clary patted the seat back. “Whatever it takes, it’s got to be this ride. Stan? Can you actually fix it?”

That stung a bit but he couldn’t blame her. “Yeah. I mean, it’s gonna be another week, maybe a little more, and we might be haulin’ McGucket in to help out some.”

Clary drew a careful breath. “Who exactly is McGucket?”

“Best mechanical engineer I’ve ever met,” said Ford.

“Town crank,” said Stan, and got a glare for his trouble. “What? They’re both true!”

Ford sighed and rose. “I’ve been hoping to introduce you to Fiddleford anyway. There might be quite a bit to talk about! Can you adjust your schedule to accommodate another week or so?”

“My next firm commitment is in September. I arranged to leave most of the summer open. I will admit I expected to spend most of it on the road.” Clary’s smile was crooked.

“The McGuckets would be happy to have us as soon as we can arrive. Is it all right to line up a tow truck?”

“Go for it. Thank you, Ford.”

Ford’s smile was the warm, reassuring one he tended to bust out for the customs agent when they’d come skidding into some obscure port with inadequate paperwork. “Shouldn’t take much more than half an hour.”

Stan watched him head back towards the house and sat heavily behind the steering wheel. Clary studied her feet, then pitched backwards with a groan, legs hanging out the door as she sprawled across the back seat. Both hands came up to cover her face. “Aaaaaaauuuuuugh.”

“You all right over there?” He set the fireworks down in the footwell and draped an arm over the backrest, peering down in concern.

“Everything hurts and I want to cry.”

Stan fidgeted. Extending reassurance had never been his strong suit. “Listen...McGucket is definitely a little nuts but he knows his way around a combustion engine like nobody else. Between him an’ me we’ll get it runnin’.”

“This damned car.” She sounded so tired. “I had one job this summer, get this thing from Colorado to the west coast, then back home to Baltimore. I haven’t even made it to the Pacific yet!”

“Pretty roundabout route for gettin’ back to Maryland.”

Her breath hitched. “Yes,” she said. “I suppose it is.” Clary let her arms fall, one drooping to the floor, the other crossed over her abdomen, and stared up at the roof light. “Stan, I’m glad I’m here. I hate that I don’t have any control over being here.”

Stan tried out comforting responses in the back of his head for a couple seconds, words sticking in his throat. “Well, if you’re gonna be here another week, we’re doin’ the dance thing next Friday. You an’ I could actually, y’know. Dance. If you want,” he clarified as her eyes swiveled over to him.

Clary was silent just long enough to make him nervous, but at last the unhappy line of her mouth softened. “I meant what I said. I’m not taking it back. Even if the car still isn’t running.” She lifted a hand and hooked her index finger into his at the seat back, letting the weight of her arm hang. “Let’s dance.”

She was beautiful in her exhaustion. Stan shifted to hide a widening smile against his shoulder and tightened his one-digit clasp in hers. “Great. I’ll see ya there. Gonna be quite the swank party.”

They trailed the tow truck in the El Diablo, Clary tucked into the front seat, Ford in the back with the kids. Dipper narrated choice bits of Northwest family history all the way, none of it flattering. Clary kept glancing back to him in astonishment. “They were really that bad?”

“They used to be, but they don’t have all that dirty money to throw around any more! And, uh. Pacifica’s okay.”

Mabel jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

“Ow. Anyway, McGucket ended up buying the place at the end of last summer, so it’s probably changed a bit, but it’s huge! I haven’t been up there since the big party last year. Hey, there it is.”

Clary looked up to the vast lodge-style manor on its hill as they rounded a curve and emerged from the trees. “Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“This town doesn’t make any sense.”

“Thought you’d figured that out by now.” He swung the car up along the long drive, squinting up at the mansion. “I never did manage to slip into this joint while the Northwests were runnin’ it.”

“It takes a lot of money to be that tacky. Clary, Dipper is definitely taking us on the tour.” Mabel hooked an arm firmly through her brother’s. “We’re gonna let the machine geeks go at it for a while.”

“I don’t know, Mabel....”

“C’mon, you said it wasn’t haunted any more! What’s the harm? I’m sure the Northwests took all their awful family portraits with ‘em....”

The kids bickered all the way up to the garage, which was as oversized as the rest of the place. He could just glimpse a tinkerer’s dream of equipment in there – stuff he recognized, stuff that looked to be custom built, some massive grease-encrusted hunks of machinery that must have come up from the town dump along with McGucket.

The man himself was a lot less grease-encrusted than he used to be. McGucket still sported the overalls and the spectacles, but he was scrubbed, bright-eyed and less stooped, and the missing teeth had been patched in through some kind of dental wizardry. Mabel and Dipper hauled Clary off for introductions while Stan and Ford got the wagon unloaded, oriented and nudged into the open bay.

One thing hadn’t changed at all and that was the language. McGucket’s conversation was as peppered with hick-isms as ever. “What a pleasure to meet ya, miss! Ford’s filled me in on yer situation and I’m real sorry y’got stranded out here, but we’ve got the stuff t’get ya right on the road again! I hear there’s a thrown piston t’fix?” He, the kids and Clary, her eyes widening a little with every twang, took off on a tour of the further corners of the space. An occasional snippet of discussion drifted back Stan’s way as he tried to focus on the immediate necessities.

“Just as well she already knows this place is a little strange.” Ford caught Stan’s jacket as it was tossed over, then shucked his own coat and hung both up on pegs.

“Not sure I’d’ve brought her up here without knowin’ she wouldn’t flip.” Stan got the Fairlane settled into place, set the brake and went looking for a dolly.

“You wouldn’t believe some of the things he’s built! McGucket can do stuff with old cars that’s practically miraculous--!” Dipper was nearly hopping in excitement as the little tour group rounded the far end of the garage. Stan glanced up, caught his nephew’s eye and dragged pinched fingers along his lips: zip it, kid. Dipper blinked, went a little red and reined himself in. “I mean he’s not going to do anything weird to your car. Grunkle Stan will make sure of that.”

“Of course not! Why, it’d be a crime to take apart such a pretty thing.” McGucket caught one of Clary’s hands in both of his and peered up in watery-eyed sincerity. “I promise we’ll take real good care of it. Mabel, honey, y’said you wanted t’take a quick tour? I can send ya up with Tater if y’like.”

Stan hauled up the hood and latched its support into place, listening in. Clary’s polite smile finally loosened up into something genuine and she tightened her grip in McGucket’s. “That’s your son, right? I’d love to see the place. Mabel says it’s something else.”

“Sure is! Left up most of the fancy stuff, gold doorknobs an’ all that claptrap, might have t’swap ‘em out next time we need some for circuit boards or whatever...” McGucket fished a heavily modified cell phone out of a pocket and chattered into it as he led the other three up towards the house.

“Gold what?” Stan asked under his breath as they went out of sight.

“Don’t ask. I’m not sure whether he’s serious and it’s not worth crossing the path of the latest Patrol-O-Bot prototype to find out.” Ford peeled out of his sweater and hung that up next to his coat. “Where do we start?”

It took most of an hour for McGucket to make it back down to the garage, by which time they’d gotten the engine fluids drained and the banged-up hood removed. “Nice dings y’got there! Ford, she said it was that magnet gun o’yours did the deed? Maybe we can set up opposin’ fields, pop that sucker nice an’ flat again?”

Stan rolled his eyes a little and tuned out the dense cloud of nerd words that McGucket and Ford generated every damn time they crossed paths. Gibberish along the lines of ‘get a few more horsepower out of it’ and ‘polymer coatings’ and ‘increased fuel efficiency’ bounced back and forth as he methodically disassembled and labeled everything in the engine compartment.

They were all sweaty and grimy by the time Clary and the grand-nibs reappeared. Clary looked up at the sling-suspended engine with worried eyes, then drew breath and squared her shoulders, jangling a set of keys by their fish-shaped fob. “Guess who’s got a loaner,” she sang. “Tate is spotting me his spare truck. He let me raid the larder up at the manor, too, so I’ve got dinner covered. Anyone mind if I run the kids back down to the ranch?”

“What, all we had t’do for some replacement wheels was wreck the car even worse an’ drag it up here?” Stan grinned over her way and she grinned back, relaxing a shade. “Lookin’ good so far, Clary. Sure, seeya back at the Shack this evenin’.”

“Thank you, fellas. Thank you, Mr. McGucket!” Clary shouldered a canvas bag and headed for the far end of the garage.

“Call me Fiddleford!” came out from somewhere under the Fairlane.

The loaner turned out to be a lightweight pickup with ‘Tate & Backle’s Bait & Tackle’ decaled on the doors. Dipper, Mabel and Clary all loaded themselves in. Clary fired it up with a low roar and with three shouts of ‘wooooooooo!’ they peeled out down the long, curving drive back towards town.

“They’re going to get in trouble, aren’t they?” Ford peered out after them from behind the bulk of the kitbashed machinery he’d been using for cover.

“Less trouble than they’d get in if I were drivin’! C’mon, let’s finish pullin’ these pistons.”

Stan and Ford didn’t head back down until nearly sunset. They’d borrowed one of the manor’s ludicrous excess of bathrooms for showers, and Stan had ‘borrowed’ one of the thick, fluffy, pure-white, gold-logoed bath towels to take home through the simple expedient of folding it up and stuffing it under his arm.

The Stanleymobile’s usual parking spot was a lot emptier without the wagon angled in next to it. Mabel was waiting for them on the couch when they finally pulled in, snapping her scrapbook shut as they ambled wearily towards the house. “Gentlemen! Have we got a meal for you! How’s the car?” She waved them in towards the dinette.

“In pieces,” Ford said dryly. “It’s a good start at least. What did you make?”

“Oh, you’ll see.” Mabel waggled eyebrows at both of them and vanished off down the hallway. “Have a seat! We’re almost done!”

The dining table was dolled up with a tablecloth Stan was pretty sure had been a curtain last week and a candelabra nicked from a Summerween exhibit. He grabbed a chair just in time to dodge Dipper, who scurried in to drop off a plate lined up with neat rows of salami-wrapped mozzarella, olives and tiny pickles. “Appetizers!” he called in passing, doubling back to the kitchen.

Stan exchanged glances with Ford, shrugged and reached for an olive. “This oughta be entertainin’.”

A low argument between the younger twins, just loud enough to be audible, was intercut with sporadic bits of crackling radio. Clary walked through to set a pitcherful of water and a few glasses on the table, then leaned in to speak softly. “The soundtrack was not my idea, got it?” Stan was struggling to stifle laughter by this point; Ford resolutely bit into another pickle.

Eventually the crackle settled down into what sounded like distant cocktail-hour strings. Mabel marched in first and set down a bowl of fancified rice. “For your consideration, tonight’s menu is produced by our executive chef, Miz Clary Merrick!” Dipper and Clary shuttled in serving dishes until the table was loaded down - garlic bread, a couple different green things he didn’t pay much attention to, and chicken in some pale lemony sauce.

Ford’s nose actually twitched. “Where on earth did you find capers?”

“The pantry up at the McGuckets’ place is bigger than my entire kitchen. You wouldn’t believe the weird pickled things in there. Capers were easy.” Clary laid a napkin across her lap and reached for the rice. “Let’s eat.”

The whole spread turned out to be about a dozen steps above meatloaf. Stan demolished a pile of chicken piccata, went for seconds and found himself fork-dueling with Dipper over the last bit. “Settle down, you two.” Clary nudged back from the table. “There’s pie for dessert. Maybe after we’ve digested for a couple of minutes. But first - “ She steepled her fingertips and looked out critically across the empty dishes. “I have a proposal to make.”

Mabel bounced a little in her chair. “We want to throw a picnic!”

Clary glanced heavenward. “My sainted mother,” she said, kicking the nearest leg of Mabel’s chair, “was a terrible cook, but she had a few specialities and one of them was the family fried chicken. We’re going to have the big dance thing next Friday. So, with your permission, Ford, Stan.” Her chin dipped as she looked at them in turn. “I’d like to host a picnic lunch that afternoon for you guys and anyone else you think I should meet before I pack it up and head out.”

Stan conceded the last bite of chicken to Dipper - kid needed all the protein he could get anyway - but stole the serving dish and swabbed out every trace of sauce with a crust of bread. “Is your fried chicken half as good as this stuff?”

“Better.”

“Sold.”

Mabel beamed, teeth and braces gleaming, and - too late - Stan sensed the trap. “Fantastic! So we’re gonna need to do a bunch of prep.” Her scrapbook came out onto the table, bang, and she flipped it open to a page festooned with tiny curling streamers. Clary deftly snatched plates out of the way, handing them off to Dipper, who ran them to the kitchen. “We’ve got an invite list started, but Clary and I will need to schedule a couple of meetings. You know, to get everything organized since she’s gonna host. That means we have to get Grenda and Candy and Pacifica over here to help out - we need glamour consultants!”

“This means a slumber party, doesn’t it.” Ford’s eyes narrowed, but Stan didn’t see any way to wiggle out of it this time.

“Since everyone’s scattered all over town, it only makes sense to gather here, doesn't it? We'll have to talk about the menu, the décor, the clothes, the music, there's a lot to do.” Clary plucked the piccata bowl from Stan’s slack fingers. “I’ve been extended an invite which I’m honored to accept, so there’ll be adult supervision. Surely we can host for one night?”

Ford groaned quietly. Stan raised both hands, knowing when he’d been beat. “Fine. Deal. As long as you deliver on dessert.”

“Oh, I’ll deliver. Has everyone got their second wind?”

“Heck yes,” chorused the kids. Clary stacked up the remaining dishware, whisked it away and returned with some kind of lemon curd pie dolloped with whipped cream. It was too tart, too sweet, completely delicious and almost gone by the time they were all too stuffed to eat any more of it.

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“I’m glad to be here, Stan. I just hate it that I’m stuck.” She stares up at the dome light with tired eyes.

You could take a day trip to Bend with the bike.

We could probably get in another fishing trip.

So, that dance thing’s coming up on Friday.

[sephirotha]

If Stella had Royal Arms: Pistols of the Eccentric

A king who brought a new age with his inventions and brilliant mind.  These were his pistols.  As the first prototypes, they are unpredictable.  Use with caution.

 ---

Iris watched Stella with a crestfallen look. The princess was covering her face with a map to hide her dour expression.

Around them, passengers watched the scenery go by. An old couple were situated behind Iris, the man dozing off whilst his wife did her knitting.  Children ran up and down the carriage, playing their games and shouting at each other.  Parents sat by idly, glad to rest their feet.

“Stells?”

“Mm?”

Iris lowered her eyes.  “How are you?”

“Peachy.”

“You don’t look or sound peachy.”

Stella lowered the map slowly to give a tired look to her companion.

“Peachy doesn’t mean I’m good, Iris,” she said sluggishly.

“Well, I just…”

Stella folded the map and threw it onto the newspaper on the seat next to her.

“Iris, we’ve been abandoned by Miles and the others,” she said with a low voice.  “We barely caught this train when running away from the ambush that awaited us. You’re on the hitlist for finding Andromeda’s body.”

She then grabbed the newspaper, Insomnia Falls written in big, bold letters.

“We’ve lost both our fathers overnight,” she whispered, her voice nearly cracking.  “And now I have to run around this Astral-forsaken world collecting these ‘royal arms’, because Noct and I have an equal claim to the throne.”

She dropped the newspaper back onto the seat next to her.

“So, when I say I’m peachy,” she said, sitting back and picking the map up.  “Believe me, I’m good, all things considered.”

She opened the map, nearly tearing it.  Iris shifted on her seat, fingers fiddling with the hem of her top.

“Well, we know from Cor that Noct and Gladdy are alright.”

Stella hummed and Iris tucked some hair behind her ear.

“And he gave us a location for the first tomb!”

“He gave us a vague description of where a tomb could be,” Stella corrected sardonically.

“Still, he…”

“Iris,” Stella sighed as she lowered the map slightly to look at her.  “Stop trying to cheer me up.  I’m not in the best mood.”

Iris pressed her lips together.

“Can you at least tell me when we’re getting off?” she asked.

“Best route seems to be the stop after Cartanica,” Stella said, eyes fixed to the map.  “With any luck, the empire is more fixated on establishing their bases in Lucis and we can get in and out in relatively good time.”

“Great!”

Iris hummed to herself and got to her feet.

“I’m just going to get a book,” she said.  “Be right back!”

Stella nodded as the shield in training dashed out of the carriage.  She lifted her eyes to look at the seat in front of her warily.

The children ran by her again, crying for their parents’ attention, and she lowered the map to gaze at the scenery.

 ---

“You know, it would be lovely to visit here as a tourist sometime.”

Iris looked at Stella incredulously as they crossed through the marshes.

“Really…?”

“Still being a bitch, Iris.”

Iris frowned and Stella swatted a frog that came flying at her face.  The amphibian croaked before disappearing into the murky waters.

“I’m sorry,” the princess sighed as they stopped wading the water for a breather.  “It’s just…”

“A lot to handle in a short amount of time,” Iris smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.  “I understand, Stells.  You should let out your feelings more often.”

Stella smiled slightly and it was quickly wiped away when a frog flew into her face.  She yanked it off, holding it by a leg as she glared at it.

“Seriously, I don’t remember frogs being this big,” she grumbled.

“Maybe it’s something they eat here?”

The girls fell over as the ground beneath them trembled.  Stella grimaced as her hands squelched in the mud underneath them.

“The hell was that?” she muttered, flicking one of them clean.

Water sprayed everywhere as a Hekatontoad surfaced in front of them.  The girls split ways as its tongue lashed out at them.

The princess slipped in her scramble to get up and Iris summoned her sword.

“Stells, are you OK?!”

Stella propped herself up, wiping her face clean.

“Peachy.”

 ---

Fifteen minutes later, Stella and Iris were sat on the dead toad’s body, gasping for breath.  Stella dismissed her axe and groaned, face in her hands.

“Never again,” she grumbled.

“Aw, is the princess missing her warm baths and comfortable bed?” Iris teased as she poked her cheek.

Stella shoved the teenager off the body and smirked at the satisfying splash.

“Hey!”

Stella chuckled as she slid off the slimy body, brushing herself down.

“Well, at least it wasn’t a Malboro,” she said as Iris pushed herself up, crossing her arms.

Iris stuck her tongue out.

The water around them began to recede and Stella raised her eyebrows as a statue of sorts was revealed, lying down in the mud and algae.

“That kinda looks like a coffin,” she said as she pointed to it.

Iris turned and the princess approached to examine it.

The marble statue was affixed to what Stella could guess was a stone casket.  A warmth emanated from her chest and she reached her hand out for it.

The pistols that the statue was clutching, rose from their previous owner, rotating on the spot momentarily before going into Stella’s heart.  She grasped the front of her shirt as the pistols spun around her.

Iris approached the princess when they disappeared.

“How are they?”

Stella frowned as she summoned the pistols in her hand.  She turned them around, admiring the simple metal work.

“Um, shall we see?  I’m not brilliant at shooting…”

Conveniently, a frog jumped out of one of the puddles, croaking as if it was challenging the princess.  Stella narrowed her eyes and aimed one at it.

BANG!

“Ifrit’s Hellfire, that burns!”

Iris covered her mouth in horror as the gun backfired on Stella.  She staggered back, holding the side of her face and dismissing the pistols.  The frog croaked before hopping off.

“Oh, dear Shiva, are you OK, Stells?!” Iris shrieked.

Stella sat down to nurse her blackened cheek. She summoned one pistol and squinted at it.

“Um, they may need some tuning up,” she said.

“Should we just leave them here?” Iris suggested as she crouched next to her.  “You shouldn’t be using them if they’re going to hurt you.”

Stella shook her head, smiling.

“Nah.  Like I said, they need some work.  A little clean maybe and some updates.”

Iris tilted her head as she dismissed the pistol.

“You, OK…?”

Stella grinned.  “Never better.”

[minato-is-trash]

Hey Miss

Chapter 7 of Sacrifices Must Be Made

A/N: Hahaha, I uh,,,, took more time than I meant to. I meant to come back January, but I guess I took an extra 2 months off,,, I’m thinking of moving to Saturday updates, hence updating today! I’ll  definitely keep doing the bimonthly updates though.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

———-

When Elisabeta opened her eyes, she had a pounding headache. She placed her arm over her eyes to diminish the sun's beams and groaned.

“Hey miss,” a masculine voice said. Elisabeta did not respond at first. “Miss?”

“Are you talking to me?” Elisabeta replied with a strained voice.

“Yes, are you alright?” Elisabeta stopped for a second and thought about the question.

“I have a pounding headache. Oh, wait, can you tell me where I am?”

“Did you go out drinking last night? I would drop whoever let a beautiful woman like you alone on the streets of Insomnia.”

“Huh…?”

“You’re clearly not okay, can you sit up?”

Elisabeta took a deep breath and removed her arm from over her eyes and moved both arms behind her and managed to sit up like the man asked.

“Okay good.” Elisabeta opened her eyes and looked at the man. Her eyes stung from the sudden light, but she got a good look at the man. He was young with black-gray hair that was pushed back; what stood out the most to her, however, was his piercing blue eyes.

The man cursed under his breath and then smiled at Elisabeta. “Do you need me to take you to where you live?”

“I-no-I-uh-don’t-”

“It’s okay, though I’ll be taking you to my friend instead. She can help you better than I can.”

“O-kay?”

“Can you stand up?” Elisabeta swallowed deeply and put all her weight onto her arms that kept her sitting up. She managed to get up, but not without a little bit of wobbling, which made the man wrap his arm around her to support her. “Heh, you must have gotten hammered.”

Elisabeta let out a strained chuckle at the man’s words. “I wish that was it.”

He was shocked but he shook his head and said nothing. “C’mon, let’s get you some help.” He started walking forward to lead her to his friend.

A few silent minutes passed and Elisabeta looked at the unknown man.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

“You’re helping me, but I don’t know anything about you.”

“Ah, my name is Nyx. What’s yours?” Elisabeta’s jaw clenched but she answered.

“Uh-Elisabeta.”

“Nice to meet you Elisa.”

“Elisa? Oh, my friends usually call me Beta.”

“Beta?”

“Y-yeah, my uh… friend… gave it to me and it caught on.” That… was hard for her to say. It was Alistair who gave it to her and all she could say was that he was her friend. That was what it was when she died. Friends. No matter how much her heart stung.

Nyx gave a sound of acknowledgment.

“What brought you to Insomnia?” Nyx asked.

“Oh-I just, kinda wound up here. Uh-”

“Sorry to leave suddenly but we’re here. Stay here and I’ll be back,” Nyx cut her off. He took off into the darker area that was still full of life. She tried to keep her eyes on the man but it was a futile effort as he dashed through the area.

Elisabeta took this time to really look around. This place… was like no other she has seen before. The buildings were just so tall, and seemed so different from the towers in Ferelden. They looked perfect. This is not even the weirdest part. What the fuck are these moving… boxes!

What the fuck?

How do they work? How are they so fast? They seem so dangerous, even more than an angry horse. And those would kick your teeth in. She knew she could not just ask this stranger, she was already suspicious. How can she ask about them?

“Hey!” Elisabeta snapped out of her thoughts to look up to the man she had been talking to, who had a beautiful woman in tow. She had a slim figure with clothes fit to her body and fine brown hair tied into a bun.

“Hey,” She responded back.

“Nyx, did you really bring this young girl here to us? You’re 30 and she is what, 18?”

“I’m 20…”

“She’s 20! That’s still young!” She moved her hand out gesturing to Elisabeta with an exasperated look on her face.

“It’s not like that!” Nyx defended.

“Then what is it?”

“I found her passed out on the street!”

“Passed out on the street?” She had venom in those words.

“It’s true…” Elisabeta cut in. The woman turned to face her and her expression softened. She moved to get a better look of Elisabeta.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, what happened? You look terrible.”

“Uh-I…” Elisabeta didn’t know what to say and looked away. She was clearly uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, c’mon, Nyx said you needed some help.” The woman turned away and started walking into the area. Elisabeta stood still looking at the woman who’s demeanor changed at the drop of a hat.

“You coming?” Nyx asked, looking right at Elisabeta.

“Y-yeah!” Elisabeta moved, following Crowe with Nyx at her side. Elisabeta leaned in a little bit to the man.

“Who is she?”

“Oh Crowe?” Nyx stole a glance at the young woman. “She can be a bit rough around the edges but she has a soft side, as you saw.”

“Crowe…” Elisabeta tested the name, then looked forward trying to find the brunette. Instead, she saw a lot of people who were casting warry glances her way. Like she was out of place. Because she was.

“This way,” Nyx said, gently grabbing her arm. He pulled her away from the crowd, closer to the shadows. She did not hear what was being said, at least if she did, she did not let on. Nyx felt somewhat protective and that he needed to keep her from listening to the gossip as much as he could.

“Did you come to Insomnia with other people?” Nyx asked.

“Huh? Oh, no.” The man let out a noise of acknowledgment. “My friends aren’t… here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“If that’s true you’re strong for a 20 year old. I’m from Galahad, y’know. It might have been years ago but it still hurts. I lost… a lot.”

He wanted to believe the young woman in tha she’s fine, but he could not. He understood loss, all of the galahds did and none of them were recovered.

“Nyx!” A new man called out. He was a large man with a beard and dark brown hair tied into a braid.

“Hey Libertus,” Nyx groaned. “As much as I love talking to you, we need to catch up with Crowe.”

Elisabeta quietly laughed which is what caught the man’s, Libertus, attention. “A pretty one, what’s your name? And what are you doing with Nyx here?”

Libertus had a clear smirk in his voice as he punched Nyx’s shoulder. However, Elisabeta tensed on instinct, one she gained from the blight because of the bounty placed on Alistair and her head from that fucking tratior! Nyx had proven he had good intentions, which helped her, but Libertus, who has proven nothing, just… asked.

She hesitated, which both men noticed. She did not want to give it, and Nyx opened his mouth but Elisabeta spoke before he could.

“Nonya.” She started picking up her pace a little bit.

“Nonya…? Wait-”

“Nonya Business.” Nyx snorted about the man falling for it but Libertus rolled his eyes.

After a few seconds Elisabeta saw the beautiful woman, Crowe, in front of a building. She squinted her eyes at the new man.

“I see you picked up a Libertus.”

Said man moved forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Crowe, don’t be like that.” The woman rolled her eyes and bent down to escape the man’s grasp.

“C’mon, uh…” She was looking at Elisabeta. Elisabta clenched her jaw.

“Elisabeta, Beta for short.” It was small but audible.

“C’mon Beta.” She walked through the doors but looked back at the three and squinted her eyes. “Just Beta.”

Nyx nodded in response and Elisabeta followed the other woman. Crowe led her past some rooms and to a metal door with a button with an arrow that pointed up, which Crowe pressed. It lit up which surprised the younger woman. Elisabeta was lost. What was this?

“Ya look constipated, what’s wrong?” Crowe asked.

“Oh, um, I haven’t seen one of these in person.” Elisabeta pointed to the meal doors.

“Really? Well then, don’t be afraid.” Which made Elisabeta even more afraid. The longer the wait the longer Elisabeta got anxious until there was a beep and the metal doors slid open. Crowe walked through the entryway to the closet sized room and looked like she pressed another button on the side. She looked up at Elisabeta with a look and stuck her arm out through the entryway.

“I promise, it’s safe.” Elisabeta took a breath and walked through the way and Crowe lowered her arm which let the doors close. Soon there was movement which started Elisabeta and she grasped onto the rail on the side of the box.

“What the fuck!” It came out before she could filter herself.

“I live on the 10th floor so it shouldn’t take too long for the elevator.” Crowe was unsure what to do but she wanted to help. Elisabeta on the other hand, was clenching the rail so hard her fists went white. Soon after the box, elevator? Came to a stop, which started her more, and she closed her eyes. She heard the sound of the doors opening but she didn’t budge. Then she felt a hand on her arm which made her open her eyes and look at the concerned face of Crowe.

“It’s alright, it’s time to leave the elevator.” Elisabeta gently nodded, let go of the rail, and slowly left the steel box. “My apartment is just to the right.”

Elisabeta walked in the directed way as Crowe seemed to go into her pocket to get out her key. When she unlocked her door, Elisabeta saw a small but kind of messy room with things she’s never seen before.

There were a lot of metal looking or matte surfaces she did not quite know. Black surfaces and boxes.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for the mess but make yourself at home, I’ll get you some water.”

Elisabeta looked around and took a seat on what seemed to be a couch. The piece of furniture seemed to be facing a thin surface that seemed to have an opaque black glass covering it. She was curious about the object and almost missed the other woman giving her a glass of water.

“Thank you.”

“No big deal.” Elisabeta looked down at the glass of clear liquid and studied it, then brought it to her nose, a tad cautious of the good will she’s been given.

“What are you doing?” Elisabeta let out a small noise of surprise.

“I’m just… not that I don’t trust your kindness, but I just-I always check when given something.” Crowe gave Elisabeta a curious look and sat down on the other side of the couch with her body facing the younger woman. Elisabeta then looked at her and Crowe took a sip of her own drink. Elisabeta hesitantly followed suit.

“Elisabeta.” It was soft but Elisabeta looked up at the woman and let out a small hum  of acknowledgment.

“What happened to you?” Crowe asked.

—-

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[marshaeb]

P.S: I'm Mated With The Cursed Alpha!

Chapter Four

Hey guy! Don’t forget to Like, Comment, Review, and Follow for more updates! My apologies in advance for all the grammatical errors. Book will be professionally edited when completed.

The screams of horror rose to the roof as a flock of rogues suddenly emerged onto the scene.

As the enormous black wolf came charging my way, everything around me ceased to exist. The only thing in my view was the vicious beast, rapidly heading towards me with his large, dangerously sharp teeth bearing at me.

My mind was screaming at me, telling me to run, but my legs remained fastened to the ground. Like a deer caught in headlights, I was too traumatized to move.

“Joel!” Someone screamed at me from the raging chaos.

Just when I had thought something terrible had happened to her, I quickly snapped to my senses.

That gowling scream I had bottled up inside me was unleashed within an instant. I screamed with fear and terror to the top of my lungs.

Sarah collides against me hard, pushing me out of the way from the oncoming monster just in time. The beast lost control, gliding and crashing its huge body against the bar.

“S-Sarah!” I called her name, choking up with fear as a streak of blood drained down her forehead. “SARAH!”

She blinked open her eyes, trying to regain her strength from the hard fall.

“Jo’! She pitched up suddenly, grasping her aching head. In and out she breathed harshly as I crunch down to help her up.

“S-Sarah! What’s happening?” I panicked.

“T-they’re... Rogues!” She grunted in pain. “I knew we shouldn’t have to come! We have to get out of here, Joel! NOW!”

I wrapped her arm around my shoulders, giving her support as we made our way through the crowd.

" T-the car keys...” Sarah grunted, holding her head as we made it safely to the car. “Do you have the car keys?

“Y-yes, I—

I paused mid-sentence, staring at my hand holding Sarah’s pouch, but her car keys were nowhere present.

“Oh my goodness!” I whimpered sharply, looking everywhere around my feet. “Where is it? Where the hell is it?”

“Oh no! Did you lose it?” She asked, resting faintly against the car door.

A loud, deep growl rippled from the tavern throughout the parking lot. Its sound was filled with terror.

I could feel my heart speeding up. My mouth starting to dry up as I breathe in the drafty air, re-tracing my steps to find the car keys... I could find it anywhere.

My mind was racing with fearful thoughts of the huge monster coming after me again. Those long, sharp, fangs tearing me apart, limb by limb. Those eyes...those terrorizing sinister gold eyes. I’ve never in my life seen a werewolf-like him ever. But why on earth did he charge after me?

I’ve spotted it. Shimmering in the grass just a foot away from me. I clenched my fist and took a deep breath and dashed as fast as my feet can take me, snatching up the car keys in my hand. When I turned around, my shoe slipped off my feet and fell hard on my injured arm.

I groaned and whimpered in agony, feeling the sore pain jotting through my body. “Oww!” I said through clenched teeth.

Slowly I turned over and lift my aching body off the ground, looking ahead of me.

There he was...standing at the entrance of the tavern, back in his human form with his eyes fixed on me. His nostrils flared open as his breath vaporized in the chilly air with every harsh huff he took.

My heart stopped as I watched his sharp jaw, clenched intensely. His stare alone could keep anyone in his hold. Though they were dark and terrorizing, there was something mysterious and surprisingly soft about them.

He took another stance and gradually lowered himself back on all fours.

I snapped out of his hold and ran for dear life, not caring if I was in agonizing pain. Getting far away from him was the only thing on my mind.

When I finally made it back to the car, Sarah was already sitting in the driver’s seat with all the car glasses broken through.

Claw marks were over her shoulder blade and arms. Her blouse was torn through, stained with blood.

“S-Sarah!” I gasped, opening her door. “What...what happened to you?”

“A rogue...attacked me—

I watched as she coughed weakly, groaning in pain.

“Rogues...their marks are infectious...” I said recalling the notes I’ve written in my nursing course about them. “We’ve got to get home fast before the infection spreads!”

Though being in pain as well, I couldn’t imagine what she was going through.

“Look Sarah, we have to get out of here!” I said looking around me.

I didn’t understand it...out of everyone here, why was he after me? Why?

Just thinking about it was driving me insane. Taunting me every second that goes by.

“Go over... I’ll drive!” I breathed sharply.

After she struggled to move her weak body over to the passenger side, I heard a tig snapped behind me.

A rush a fear came over me as I slowly looked over my shoulder.

There his massive, black wolf stood tall with its eyes fixed on the only thing in his path... Me.

Quickly, I leaped inside the car, panicking as I fought to stick the key into the ignition.

“Hurry Jo’!” Sarah cried, shaking in her seat. “It’s going to kill us!”

When I finally managed to get the key in the ignition, I start up the car and shift the gear into drive.

With my feet heavy on the gas pedal, I drifted out of the parking lot onto the main road.

Not looking back, I stared out at the empty highway ahead of us, zooming past the tall pine trees.

Making at least 80 miles per hour, trying to get us away as fast as I can, mentally, I felt as if we weren’t moving anywhere.

The cool wind gushed in my face, making my mouth even more dryer than it already was. I glanced at Sarah, hearing her breathe in and out heavily.

“Joel?” She panted, holding her hand gently over her pulsing wounds. “Are we there yet?”

“Don’t worry, I’m getting us there as fast as I can.

“H-how far... are we?” She asked.

“I’m going as fast as I can... I know it hurts. Just a few more minutes.” I choked trying to keep my composure when suddenly my mind went to mom.

I sighed aloud, biting my bottom lip anxiously. This would definitely make her look down at me. All I ever do is cause trouble. I couldn’t bear to see the scornful, disappointing look on her face. It’s one thing getting in harm’s way, but to see a friend suffer from what I’ve caused is devasting.

It’s always me bringing shame on the family’s name. What makes it even worse, I’m not even their biological daughter! The least I could do is be unproblematic, and grateful that I have a family who goes out of their way to care for my well being.

I couldn’t help the tears from falling, thinking about all the trouble I had caused.

“Sarah... I’m so sorry.” I cried, squeezing my hand tightly around the steering wheel. “I should listen to you and let us leave when we had the chance.”

She sighed deeply, closing and opening her eyes for a moment.

“It’s ok Joel... really!” She said.

“No, it’s not!” I shouted a bit too harshly than I suppose to. “I confess!”

“Confess?” She said confusedly.

“Yes!” I replied, trying to hold back more tears.

“The only reason I said we should still go to the stupid party was that I wanted to see Jackson...” I whimpered, feeling more guiltier as I confessed. “This whole week he’s been so busy. I-I was looking forward to at least seeing him out there.”

Still, in so much pain, I could tell she was upset and slightly irritated at my confession.

“Really Jo’?” She said. “A-all you had to do...was ask me if—

“I know, I know,” I shook my head, not wanting her to make a fuss out of all this.

“No, you don’t!” She insisted that I finish listening to what she’s trying to say. “When since have we started keeping things from each other, Jo’?”

“Sarah I—

“Let me finish!” She said in a more serious tone. “If you want to know something?... Fine! Yes, I was kinda hurt that you didn’t tell me about your first time... I thought that’s what best friends do. Tell each other everything!”

My cheeks were hurting by how hard I was trying to hold back my emotions. Sarah was right. From little kids, we promise that we would tell each other everything. Now here I am not only being a disappointment of a daughter, but I’m also a friend who went back on my promise.

“Sarah... I’m sorry!” I huffed, wiping away my salty tears with the back of my hand. “I-I promise I’ll make it up to you!”

She sighed softly, and like always with a forgiving heart, she accepted my apology.

“It’s ok, really...” She cleared her throat. “All that matters right now is getting away from those rogues and that gigantic wolf.“Why is it after us?” She asked, but I was just as clueless as she was...

Suddenly, it came to me. I finally started to put it all together.

“It’s after me,” I said.

“It’s after you?” She gasped. “Why?—How?”

“I should have seen this coming. Everything Mom was doing was to protect us from things like this.” I said.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “Do you think it’s because you’re the daughter of a well-known Alpha?”

“Yes!” I swallowed, looking through the forest trees as we sped by. “Ever since he laid eyes on me, he looked as he knew who I was. His stare was so intense.”

Sarah paused for a moment, puzzled and weary her countenance had become after hearing what I said. Then, her eyes suddenly widened.

“Joel...you don’t think, there’s a possibility—

“What?” I asked.

“Maybe he’s your m—

The car engine suddenly shut off. I floored and floored the gas pedal over and over, but the car refused to speed up.

Sarah began taking deep breaths.

“W-what...what happened?” She panicked.

Trembling with fear, I looked at the empty gas range and instantly my heart started ramming against my chest.

“No! No! Come on!” I cried, turning the key in the ignition repeatedly, but it only gave us a few hopeless cranked, refusing to turn on. “Damn! We’re on empty!” I said, taking shaky breaths.

We both began to panic, realizing we’re stuck on an empty road surrounded by a dark forest with a pack of rogues and a monstrous wolf on our trail.

“Jo’!” She blurted out with fear in her voice, “What are we going to do!!!

A loud howl came traveling through the spooky woods in the distance. They sounded even closer than we thought.

“Sarah, we have to run!” I cried.

“What!” She said in an unsure tone.

“Yes! It’s either we run now and make it on the pack’s territorial grounds in time or stay here trying to start up the car and get ambush.”

Without having second thoughts, we ran out of the car and shift into our wolf. I always envied Sarah’s wolf’s dark chocolate fur. Mines is just a plain, light, chalky brown color. I hated everything about it.

“Sarah!” I said through mind link when the sounds of growls and ruffled bushes caught us off guard behind us.

“Our border’s right ahead. Once we cross, they can’t harm us!”

We took off into the woods. We sprinted as fast as we can across the wet forest floor as the cool breeze swept our fur. The rogues were right on us.

Finally, we came in view of the pack’s borders only a few feet away. But though we were getting close, he was much bigger, faster, and even more determined to get what he wanted.

We shifted back into human form. Thin layers of sweat and splattered mud covered our bodies as we tried to catch our breath.

Tired and aching with pain, we stared at the wooden, six feet border.

“We have to climb over!” I said as Sarah faintly collapsed against it.

“I can’t, Jo’!” She groaned, holding her wounded shoulder.

“No! No! NO, Sarah!” I cried, helping her to her feet. “Climb up, hurry! They’re coming!” I squealed, watching as their shadowy figures came closer and closer!”

I clutched my arms around her legs and push her up with all the strength I had left. One of my stitches popped and I watched as blood started to drain down my arm. She finally reached the top and crossed over.

“Guards! Guards!” Sarah shouted aloud to the nearby guards. “Come on, Joel!” She panted, with on-hand reaching over for me and the other grasping her wound. “Hurry, grab my hand!”

As I hurry to climb, I slipped on an algae-covered log and fell back, landing hard on my bottom.

“JOEL!” She cried as the guards made their way over.

I crawled back over on territorial grounds just in time as the flock of rogues, all different colors and sizes, gathered me, growling viciously. Though they were so eager to attack, they couldn’t, because I was safe on my rightful territory.

I trembled in fear as they bear their sharp teeth at me. Sarah cried aloud, clutching her arms around me through the border.

“Don’t worry, Sarah!” I gasped, trying to calm her down. “They won’t harm me... I-I’m on our grounds.”

Slowly and carefully, I took my time and made my way up without slipping out of bounds. Suddenly his wolf leaped out of nowhere, raging in fury.

The rogues quickly moved out of his path as he shifted back into his human form and stalked my way.

His intense, blazing, green eyes were fastened on me as he strutted closer. They were like flaming darts, piercing through my soul. His muscles were swollen, covered with a thin coat of sweat, glazing in the moonlight with his long straight hair was plastered over his neck and shoulders.

Just like the others, I knew he won’t harm me now, knowing he would be trespassing onto territorial grounds, but boy was I wrong.

He made his way over, not giving a damn if he was on territorial grounds or not, and launch up after me. But I managed to land safely over in time before he could hold me captive.

“Joel!” Sarah cried, embracing my trembling body tightly.

I turned around and stared up at him as he took harsh, deep breaths. His clenched jaw was twitching uncontrollably. Frustration and defeat were smeared over his face as he stared silently down at me through hooded eyes. The tension was so thick between us, we could have cut it with a knife.

Still overly petrified, feeling my heart about to leave my chest, I was so lucky and relieved I got away on time.

I don’t know why I did it, but the smallest smirk gradually crept on my face as I took deep breaths to calm myself. That alone set him off. He widened his eyes and flared his nostril in rage. My little smirk faded away instantly as he growled deeply, bucking his taut chest against the border towards me.

As the guards came closer, that was when I made the wrongest mistake ever. One wrong move, I turned around and stumble back slightly. He reached his muscular arm through the log, locking his large hand firmly onto my puff of hair.

“Joel!” Sarah screeched.

My lips parted, but I couldn’t make a sound. I was too in shock that I had let my guard down so carelessly. His grip tightened and I whimpered, squeezing one eye close feeling the slight pain.

“LET HER GO!” Sarah shouted, clawing his hand, but he reached out his other arm and slapped her hand away.

“Step away, or I’ll snap your freaking neck!” He growled threateningly at her. “And you...” He said, pulling me closer to the border towards him.

I quivered hearing his deep, raspy Alpha voice for the first time. It was deeper and more boisterous than any male wolf I know.

He took a deep sniff of my scent and groan loudly, sending chills through my body. “I thought I saw a smirk a few seconds ago... Where is it now, little girly.” He said in a menacingly low voice.

When I didn’t answer, he tightened his grip on my hair and growled.

“That wasn’t a mistake you made letting your guard down...it was destined to happen!” He said slowly. “You can’t escape what was meant to be.”

“L-let me go!” I manage to muttered, grasping my much smaller hand over his grip. “P-plea-se...”

He let out an empty chuckle and coldly replied, “You can’t be talking to me.”

I whimpered, feeling the tears starting to build up in my eyes, streaming down my face.

“I’ve been waiting too long for this...” He said intensely. “Seven years... too long!”

Read Chapter Five (Click the link below)