#REUNION SET INTO MOTION BY THE LEFT BEHIND

[bl-bam-beyond]

OUR DATING SIM (2023, SOUTH KOREA)

This story begins with Lee Wan (LEE JONG HYUK) running towards his past just as fast as he ran away from it (without knowing both times)

Here Lee Wan runs to make it to an interview on time in which (unknown to him) he's running to Shin Ki Tae or Gi Tae (LEE SEUNG GYU) his "failed first love"

And 7 Years Ago he ran away from Shin Ki Tae after a "rejection" without knowing how desperately Shin Ki Tae was searching for him.

[dindjarindiaries]

Catch My Breath

character: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

prompts: "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay... it's okay. You're okay." / "I’ve never cared for anyone the way I care for you." / "Well, I do feel better now that you're here."

main masterlist • prompt masterlist

You smiled so wide it made your cheeks hurt as you finally saw the door to your flat come into view. A trip that was only supposed to be two days had turned into three, nearly four, and you were long overdue for a reunion with Din. He might have enjoyed solitude, but not when it was forced—especially not from an injury.

But you weren't letting that Darksaber burn get anywhere near a blaster fight.

You tightened your grasp on your travel pack as you stepped up to the door and scanned to unlock it. Expecting Din to be asleep, given the late hour, you stepped inside quietly and and kept your excitement and relief tucked away as best you could.

Din, however, wasn't asleep. Instead, he was standing from a seat in the open living area, his brown eyes focused solely on you as the door slid closed behind you.

You grinned from ear to ear. "Hey." You set your travel pack on the floor and made your way over to him. "You should be asleep, you know."

Din swallowed hard. You could see his jaw working and his Adam's apple bobbing as he did so. Your brow furrowed before he even managed to speak. "I know."

His voice was rougher than usual, as if there were a bundle of sharp needles trapped within his throat. You continued to step closer and gave him a once-over. "Are you okay?" Your stare fixated pointedly upon his left thigh. "How's your burn?"

Din had his hands on your shoulders as soon as you were close enough for him to set them there. He was giving you the same kind of once-over, though his gaze was quicker, more frantic. His grasp on your shoulders pulsated. "Are you okay?"

You bit your cheek and nodded. "I'm fine. Not a scratch one me." You tapped your holster. "I barely even had to use this."

Din sighed, and though the sound was supposed to be relieved, it was ragged. The concerned knot in your chest tightened even as Din eased you into his embrace, a gesture he didn't initiate often. You still let yourself smile as you wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in the warmth of his neck and the softness of the tunic he wore. Even just the smell of him calmed you down.

You both wallowed in the sweet silence spent holding one another as long as you could. Din's voice was muffled by your head when he finally he spoke. "You didn't answer your comm."

Your eyes, which had fallen closed, snapped open as you lifted your head to look at him. "It never went off."

Din blinked at you. "I tried to comm you every day." He added the next part under his breath as his stare slid away from yours. "Multiple times."

Your heart split right down the middle as you offered him the best apologetic glance you could muster. "It must be broken. I'm so sorry." You nodded and lifted your chin in earnestness. "I'll get a replacement on my next supply run. Promise."

Din returned your nod, but when his stare met yours, you could tell he wasn't really seeing you. He wasn't really here at all. He wasn't present in the moment, and his mind was far beyond the bounds of your flat.

It was only then that you realized his hands, which were now pressed upon the small of your back, were trembling. You set one hand upon his chest for stability and placed the other against his cheek.

"Hey." You ran your thumb under his eye, as if the motion would somehow bring him back to this room, to you. "What is it, Din?"

His heart was hammering underneath your hand, and his breathing was only becoming more and more labored. You glanced down at his leg to see if that was the cause, but Din was standing on it just fine.

"I'm..." Din sounded as if he was going to continue with the word "fine," but thought better of it. His eyelids fluttered closed before he reopened them again. "I think I just... need to sit down. Catch my breath."

Din withdrew his hands from your back, forcing you to do the same as he sat back down on the seat behind him. He folded his trembling hands together and rested his elbows against knees, his head lowering as he attempted—and failed to—steady his breathing.

You went into action without second thought. You hurried to the kitchen area and prepared a cup of water. "Have you had anything to eat or drink today?" You huffed to yourself as you also grabbed a small bite for him to eat. "You barely do even when I'm here nagging you about it."

Din didn't say anything in response. You glanced at him over your shoulder and noticed he had since let his head fall fully into his hands. You quickened your work and brought both the water and the food over, setting it on the closest table and taking the empty space beside him.

"Have you been sleeping?" You lifted a hand to his back and rubbed soothing circles upon it. Din still didn't, or couldn't, answer. "You must be exhausted."

Din finally moved. One of his hands reached out and found your thigh, and you were quick to set your free hand over it. He held you tight, but not enough to hurt you.

Then his eyes shot open as he sat up more and looked at you, but all you could see was panic.

And Din never panicked.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay... it's okay. You're okay." You nodded as you lifted your hands to the sides of his face. You lowered his forehead to yours, grounding him back to you. "And so am I."

Din's hands wrapped around your wrists, his breathing shallow. After his touch pulsated a few times, he tried to speak. "I can't..."

"I know." You kept your hands where they were even as you stood and set yourself upon him, minding the covered wound on his left thigh. Din welcomed you there, his arms wrapping tight enough around your waist to wed your entire front against his own. You ran one of your hands through the hair at the side of his head as your lips brushed against his ear. "I'm safe. You're safe. Everything's okay."

You waited patiently as Din finally started to catch his breath. He wasn't an anxious man, he never had been, but after leaving the child with the Jedi... that had changed. If you were being honest with yourself, though, it had really started to change the moment he finally started to open more of himself up to you.

Once Din had composed himself enough, he faced you and began to speak. "I'm sorry." His tone was thick with embarrassment. You frowned. "Being alone gave me a lot of time to worry about you."

You cradled his face and furrowed your brow at him in severity. "You don't ever have to apologize for something like this." Your gaze flickered to your belt. "Especially when it was my fault." You nodded at him for further reassurance. "I should've been checking in on you as it was, and I definitely should've noticed that it was broken."

Din softened, but then he deflated, as if his last remnants of strength were giving out. He then spoke words you had never heard from him before, nor ever expected to. "I was terrified. I thought something had happened to you. I don't know what I would do if that were true."

His gaze searched yours, and the warmth was beginning to return to his brown eyes the more he did.

"I’ve never cared for anyone the way I care for you."

You smiled softly, despite the guilt you were now shouldering. "I'm so sorry for putting you through that."

Din shook his head. "Don't be." He pressed his nose against yours and closed his eyes. "You're okay, and that's all that matters. Right?"

"Right." You caressed his jaw. "And so are you." Your tone became more inquisitive. "Right?"

Din reopened his eyes, even managing a small smile as his hands—no longer trembling—cupped your thighs. "Well, I do feel better now that you're here."

You huffed, letting your smile of relief, amusement, and strong affection melt against his as you kissed away his pain and worries the best you could.

[stolasdearest]

Inspiration Song : Forgotten Love By Aurora

Halsin x Gn!Reader

Not Proofread!

Synopsis : After the Final battle you and Halsin part ways as longed lovers, Halsin making his Task taking care of the less fortunate waiting for your return

A Reunion long overdue,my heart

You set foot in what was once the cursed Shadow lands a land you hadn't visited in years; gazing at the flourishing land that was once cold, lonely and lacking in color.

Now it was so gorgeous; Colorful with trees and life all around you, Thaniel and Oliver did spectacular work making this land whole again.

But that wasn't why you were here, you were looking for your lover, Halsin who you agreed to part with after the Battle against the Netherbrain. He to help with the people in Moonrise and you Baldurs gate both of your hands were incredibly full as time flew by.

You didn't know if he was even still here, going here on a limb as you longed for him another night, Hoping he felt the same.

A part of you cringed in fear that he might've found someone new; you never split but your status was never set in stone as you went separate ways.

Finally you walked into what you'd been told had been Halsins place of living after asking around other locals, You saw the children he talked about the morning after the battle and you quickly got one of theirs attention

"excuse me, Have you seen a man named Halsin?"

The child almost jumped into the clouds with excitement

"Daddy Halsin?! Yes of course we were just on our way to him!"

You smiled at the child as you followed them, Being led through a door where Halsin was sat next to another group of children telling them a story

"daddy Halsin, somebody is here to see you!"

The child pointed to you with their hand the other holding your larger hand.

Halsins eyes spread in shock as he stopped talking about, whatever he was talking about. His eyes scanning you very intensely before he cleared his throat as he stood up motioning the kids to scurry off

"Come on Children, Me and this nice person need some privacy"

With a slew of "okay"s and "awe"s the children flooded out the door behind you, your eyes never leaving Halsin.

As soon as the last child left, politely closing the door for you two Halsin rushed up to you, almost crushing you in a bear hug as he lifted you into the air. Inhaling your smell after so many years, he finally decided to pull away with you still in his arms

"my heart! You've returned"

Tears threatened to spill out of your eyes as you had gotten closer to him, The lines around his eyes had become more, Along with some smile lines. The years and task of raising many children showing on his yet handsome face he spoke quietly after observing your expression on his own

"I thought we'd never cross paths again.."

You almost burst into a crying laughing mess as you heard his words what foolish words; you huffed as you smacked his shoulder.

"and never see that handsome face again? I thought you were smarter than this"

His laughter roared in the room as he put you down, His arms still around your waist he rests his forehead against yours

"what brings you here, my love?"

The silence after was comfortable, Peaceful as your hand cupped his cheek you contemplated your next words,

"I promised we'd cross paths again and I keep my promises"

Halsins eyes crinkle as he grins from ear to ear his next words interrupted before he can even open his mouth

"and, I hoped you'd have the room to let me settle here, with you"

A content sigh left Halsins lips as he pulled you in for a longing kiss, gentle and tender.

"I've waited years for you to be in my arms again, please do not separate from me ever again, my heart"

I JUST FINISHED THE GAME WITH MY GIRLFRIEND TODAY AND HALSIN???

this might be horrible but it's 3am have mercy

[riftfic]

17. Epilogue

The end is here.

Thank you, everyone, for staying with me till now. I've made two additional illustrations buried in the text below. :)

Happy Anniversary, Undertale. 💙

< Load | RESET

An incandescent future unfolded over the course of that year. Though far too familiar events repeated with frustrating familiarity, they arrived in new packages: some in bright and colorful wrapping, some in grossly damaged bags. Even if confusing and often jarring, most monsters expressed gratitude to have familiar yet unfamiliar lives awaiting. The additional security and a world more accepting allowed them to press on with more comfort than expected. 

Not all were as fortunate. Several returned to lives in pieces. Lost relationships. Humans that knew them, loved them, and had aged beyond them. Photographs of small children they might never conceive. Tombstones engraved with names of the living . . . sometimes their own. 

At first, Asgore and Toriel tried to shield you from the responsibility. This level of accountability, they said, should not rest on a child’s small shoulders. No one needed to know about your hand in the broken clock. 

You didn’t see it that way. Not knowing why their lives had been stolen, left wondering if their relationships could be undone again, only festered the wound. So you explained to them what had happened and why, and swore that it would not and could not happen again. Amazing, how forgiving monsters could be—not that they all were. 

For three months, HEART continued its search for monsters left behind. The moment Sans had recovered, he had jumped at the chance to join Papyrus and Undyne among their ranks. His unique teleportation magic served them well once he had a feel for those snaking, unfamiliar shafts and pathways. Places once difficult to reach suddenly became accessible. Dozens of monsters and their families owed him thanks, especially those trapped deep in the Ruins. 

None of them were Wingdings.

With this and all else he had set in motion to free them, monsterkind quickly came to love and respect Sans in a way he had never truly experienced. Sure, he had been a recognizable face in the local comic scene, the friendly smile at Grillby’s every other night, the playful hotdog peddler in Hotland, sentry and judge for the royal family, but never . . . this. If the swath of gifts and well wishes in his hospital room hadn’t been enough proof, Asgor went far enough as publicly honoring him. He hadn’t knighted him, thankfully—a fact Sans could not celebrate more—but he did proclaim something more touching than that. 

He named a star.

As a human, the first mention of this honor had underwhelmed you. Humans named stars all the time for science, for romance, for shits and giggles. What you hadn’t understood was that, to monsters, this meant far more than looking up and picking a distant flicker. 

Their people had evolved from stardust. While humans had a touch of this magic in them, monsters churned with this fire as their lifeblood. The celestial bodies, their very beginnings, were esteemed with enough reverence to be gods. 

Their banishment to the Underground had been especially cruel for this fact, and after such a long separation from the sky, marking their reunion with a new light was more than fitting. After all, when someone’s name was thought with enough intent in so many hearts, a star wasn’t only named; it was born. 

It was bright and it was beautiful. When viewed through his telescope, it nestled in a pocket of blue and gold fringed in red, much like the Ring Nebula, only light years from a star they had once named after you. 

“i don’t get it,” he admitted to you after the fact. “all i did was make up for somethin’ i did wrong. my motivations weren’t exactly heroic either.”

“Not all knights wear armor, Sir Sans the Star.”

“heh . . . and just what’re you gettin’ at, fair frisk the fart?”

You laughed. “It doesn’t matter why you did it,” you said. “You still did it. You brought back the dead, Sans. You deserve to be thanked for that, don’t you?”

You knew Asriel hadn’t been the one he wanted to resurrect. Even after the members of HEART had disbanded, he delved into the dark in search of Wingdings until his phalanges bled and his magic ran dry. All of you had begged him to relent, Asgore more than anyone. Not until every inch of the Underground’s remains had been scoured did he finally lose hope.

At least now, his brother’s name did not wither from memory like a dream in the morning light. For the first time, he could mourn him freely. He could share memories with those who knew him, find understanding in kindred spirits, and heal.

As one year on the surface came to a close, he finally found the courage to destroy the machine.

The spring sun crisped dewdrops from dandelions as you and Sans strode across his overgrown lawn. The skeleton brothers’ house, a cozy little two story chalet, stood half embedded in the steep hillside behind you. Its stilted, elevated porch overlooked miles of green forest and a babbling river inlet at the knoll’s foot, just as he had remembered. A long road wound atop the hill’s peak, passing from driveway to driveway to outline a comfortably spaced neighborhood. In the distance, Mount Ebott reached among smaller peaks for white clouds in a gold and pink sky. 

Under your arms, you each carried a folded mesh lawn chair. Matte black aviator sunglasses masked Sans’ eyes, though a cyan glow smoked behind the left lens. A pair of bright purple shields blocked your own. Following behind in a cloud of blue magic, the rusty, tattered block of a machine he called a “temporal flux manipulator” hovered helplessly a meter off the ground.

A safe distance from the coyote bushes dotting the property line, Sans shook out his chair and tossed it down beside a patch of naked buckwheat. You followed suit and plopped into your seat.

“countdown?” Sans requested.

Before you could start, he had flung the machine unceremoniously upward, nearly thirty feet into the air. At its very peak, he voided his magic. It plummeted into a satisfying cacophonous crash of metal and glass, as if a double decker had smashed into a brick wall.

“Three,” you said.

Two Gaster Blasters materialized over his shoulders.

“Two.”

Their unhinged jaws pooled white-hot energy in their gullets.

“One.”

Those wild-eyed dragon skulls unleashed two furious jets of dangerous magic. The light reflected in your sunglasses. Screams of raging power overwhelmed the once peaceful ambiance of nature. You both watched impassively, but perhaps just a little smugly, as what had once been a marvel of science was pummeled down into a flaming mess. 

The blasters dissipated, appeased. Both natural and magical fire burned high like a bonfire in front of you. You popped open a bag of marshmallows. Sans, meanwhile, emptied an old yellow envelope into the flames, then shrugged and tossed in the sleeve as well. Blueprint after blueprint shriveled away to embers, never to be crafted again.

“erase that, ya fat gameboy,” he muttered. 

Just as he reclined in his chair, a sputter of laughter spooked him out of it again.

“That was five years of our lives and 20 million G in government funding you just blew up.”

Sans whipped around, eye sockets wide and empty. You followed his gaze. The uncooked marshmallow you had been too impatient to wait for fell from your lips.

A lanky skeleton stood somewhat removed behind your chairs, clinging to a small paper bag and his own wrist. An orange laminate wristband hung above his bony palm, rugged from wear, and another rested alongside it in white. The sleeves of his loose, plum colored button-up had been pushed up to his elbows; the buttons down his torso had been fastened incorrectly, off by one. Something like apprehension and hesitation lit the small lights of his eyes, so similar to Sans’ and yet worlds apart. 

Sans’ hand shook audibly as he peeled the sunglasses from his face.

Wingdings looked exactly the same as he had nearly a century ago—no longer melted, his body whole—even if those awful cracks still split his skull. They had been mended, only scars now behind a thin but large pair of lopsided circular glasses. Though he had seemed joyful a moment ago, his smile slowly slipped away. 

At his heels, a small white dog panted happily. Far behind, at a bend in the road, a black Lincoln idled in park. Asgore stood leaning on the car door, watching from afar.

“I guess,” Wingdings eased past the silence, “it worked. Kind of. In a roundabout way. Basically, I was right; you were wrong. Congrats to me.” A small smile split his face again and his shoulders twitched upward. “Hooray,” he lilted weakly.

Sans had been creeping cautiously nearer, trembling, tracing that silhouette with the star of his left eye. Only inches apart, he touched the wristbands. The white one listed his name, his species, a mental hospital, and an admittance date—almost nine months ago. The orange band simply stated, “SUPERVISION REQUIRED.” 

Sans’ face was wet before he realized why. Every thought and feeling had been swept away until now.

“did you really come all the way from the void,” he hardly breathed, “just to rub it in my face?”

Wingdings stared down at him a long moment before his eyelights circled up into a cinched brow. He shrugged again. “Yes?”

Sans bubbled with laughter then, and Dings bubbled back. Next thing you knew, they were piled in each other's bones on the ground, happy, relieved, home. The Annoying Dog danced joyful doggy circles around them with a wildly flapping tail. 

From his vantage point, Asgore smiled with relief and found the resolve to approach.

“Oh, hey,” Wingdings said brightly when he noticed you nearing. “One sec.” 

He opened the paper bag and rustled around inside. The sound of pill bottles jostling like rain sticks only distracted you a moment before he surfaced something both considerate and serendipitous. Chocolate. Your favorite. A big, thick bar of the good stuff, the kind that melted in the mouth and made for soft and perfect s’mores. Your mouth salivated as you took the brick into your hands. The two of you were going to get along fine.

“One square at a time,” Asgore instructed you firmly.

You nodded.

“nine months?” Sans lamented playfully, tugging at the band around his brother’s wrist. “i coulda given birth by now. what happened? where were you? why . . .” Joy siphoned out of him. “why didn’t i know?”

At this, the anxious guilt Wingdings had forgotten sprang to life again.

“I’ll explain.” Asgore’s broad shoulders blocked the sun like a monument. His large though gentle voice stilled them all. 

“Your majesty, I can . . .” 

“I am no longer ‘your majesty,’” the great boss monster interrupted Wingdings with a smile. “I am your friend.” 

Dings relented, then, even if he fidgeted with the tags wrapped around his ulna and radius. Sans took his hand hostage.

Shortly before Sans had joined HEART, a small team had discovered Wingdings deep in the remnants of Waterfall. They had nearly given up their search when an annoying white dog barked after them ceaselessly. It led them to a dark alcove behind watery curtains, where Wingdings lay huddled in a corner, confused and nearly starved. 

“I was all bone,” Wingdings interjected shyly, but no one smiled. 

When he received the call that yet another skeleton had been unearthed, Asgore had raced to meet them almost as fast as he had run to meet you—but what he found was not the reunion he had hoped for. His smart, clever friend had been whittled down to a frightened creature with an ever fracturing hold on reality. With the breaking of the barrier, more than his grip on the rift had slipped loose. His mind had lost its bearings into a whirlwind of relentless psychosis. Excluding his early years in the void, Wingdings could not remember enduring an episode darker than this. 

Though warned of Wingdings’ catatonia and incoherency, the king of the underground immediately requested to visit him. He was glad he did. Something about seeing Asgore snapped Wingdings out of his stupor and into a brief moment of clarity, long enough to ask for help . . . and beg for the news not to escape, not even to Sans. 

“I didn’t want to be seen like that, marbles all over the floor,” Dings said. “And if I couldn’t be helped, well . . . I thought it would be better to stay forgotten.”

‘i didn’t forget you.” Sans’ grip on his brother’s hand tightened. “i mourned you. i thought you were dead.” 

‘I’m sorry.”

“I should have told you, Sans,” said Asgore. “Right away. I was torn . . . and the longer I put it off, the harder it became.”

Sans took measure of his heartache and decided it wasn’t worthwhile to blame them, not now. He had learned to forgive Asriel; he could absolve his brother and Asgore of this one misstep. He let the warmth of that metal bonfire and the sight of Wingdings’ tired face smooth over his soul.

“you don’t gotta apologize,” he sighed. “it sounds . . . scary.”

Windings nodded meagerly, but did not elaborate.

Asgore had placed him in a special care ward under the brightest human and monster minds he could assemble. Thankfully, humans had already researched three years ahead on this front. With their combined understanding of monster and human anatomy, they found a combination of physical and magical treatment that worked enough to stabilize him. The rest relied on therapy. 

“I’ll have sessions twice a week,” said Dings. “Asgore already agreed to take me, so if you have reservations . . .”

“reserva—the hell are you talking about?” Sans said. He had gripped his little brother by the shoulders, then, harsh at first but quickly gentle. Tears beaded in his eyes. “you think a little hot water’s gonna scare me off? you’ll be lucky if you get me off your heels!”

“It’s not over,” Windings said shakily. “I’m not cured. Something like this doesn’t just go away. It . . . sleeps.”

Sans deflated, then softly clutched him to his chest. Dings lowered his eyes, melting touch-starved into arms he had once lost hope in feeling. 

“i know,” Sans answered calmly. “and when it wakes up you don’t gotta face it solo. you’re not alone in the dark anymore. you’re home.”

Sans inhaled deeply, mercifully, as if he hadn’t truly breathed since the day he lost him. Saying the words aloud had released something inside him like puncturing a balloon. Everything felt pure and new: the weight of his brother in his arms; the scent of him intermingled with the neighbor’s freshly-cut grass; the warmth of his breath amid the late summer sunlight bleaching his skull; the glow of his eyes against the bonfire flickering strange their shadows. Nothing would let him forget this, not even the stars that began to glimmer out of hiding. 

“you’re home,” he said again, and this time his voice rattled with joy.

Wingdings held him very tightly then, desperately, and with it Sans knew he shared the sentiment. He smiled truly, deeply, never more whole, and hid it for himself in folds of wine purple cloth. 

“you made it.”

The End

Hear me now, hope you're listening It's been centuries, least what it seems to me I've been on this road, my eyes glistenin' Our past don't matter, I'm much stronger And fly much farther, soar overseas Finally, see, I'll keep on climbing Ridin' the lightning and I am sure

At times, I really didn't show What was wrong with me, wrong with me I told myself I cannot grow Without lovin' me, lovin' me But this is just the hell that lives inside Tell me now, where to? Please be my guide

I've been goin', goin' in circles Reoccurring dreams, talkin' in my sleep Then I'm floatin' up to the surface I can finally breathe, I could do anything And I don't know why it's all right And it's not at the same time Then I look up at a blue sky And I know

At times, I really didn't show What was wrong with me, wrong with me I tell myself I cannot grow Without lovin' me, lovin' me This is just the hell that lives inside Tell me now, where to? Please be my guide

"Lovin' Me" - Kid Cudi feat. Phoebe Bridgers

That's it. That's the end. :')

This has been an amazing journey. Thank you, thank you so much for reading through to the end.

I've been considering starting a new fic, a part two so to speak, that follows Wingdings as he reconnects with family and friends and learns to navigate his new life. Plus healing, as well as his mental health and trauma from the void. Maybe romance??? idk. A wholesome slice-of-life thing, much lighter in tone. I have scenes in my head already.

Thank you again. I have a surprise in store, so please don't unsubscribe just yet. ;)

< Load | RESET

[strangerquinns]

Deadly Reunion| Chapter 28

Eddie Munson x female!reader // a stranger things apocalypse au

summary: You and Eddie have been best friends since childhood. But when the outbreak happened five years ago, you were torn from one another in the chaos. but now you’re left alone, after your group was killed by another radical crew, leaving you to seek out what was once home. // zombie apocalypse Hawkins set in 1993

warnings: angst + adult themes w/ descriptions of violence, blood, torture + other zombie apocalypse related issues (no use of y/n)

word count: 2.1k+

⪻ previous chapter | next chapter ⪼ | stranger things masterlist | chapter one

A few more days passed before you fully came back to Eddie. In those few days he would follow the routine of waking up, making coffee, checking in, finishing his rounds as quickly as possible before he spent the rest of his night by your side. He’d either bring a book and read it, to himself or out loud to you, or write songs or lyrics in his little book. It brought him a small bit of comfort when he didn’t have your voice to hear.

But it wasn’t till an early morning when he was still drinking his morning coffee and going through the motion, that there was a soft knock on the door. Eddie’s back straightened for a moment before the knock sounded again – a little louder this time. He placed his mug down on the counter before walking the short three steps to open the trailer door. The last person he expected to see on the other side of the small metal door was Chrissy Cunningham. She smiled at him.

“Uh…hi,” Eddie spoke awkwardly as he stared down at her.

“Morning,” Chrissy spoke, her blue eyes brightening more, “I-I wanted to make sure I kept my promise…come and get you if anything happened.”

Eddie’s thoughts went negative the moment her words were able to fully settle into his mind. But would she be smiling if anything bad happened?

“She woke up about twenty minutes ago,” Chrissy continued after he stared down at her with a blank look for a long moment. “Uh…when I left to come and get you, Joyce was looking her over.”

It took about thirty seconds till Eddie moved from the doorway. He quickly grabbed his boots and barely slipped them on before rushing back up toward the main building. He didn’t even wait to see if Chrissy had followed up behind him. The only concern and focus on Eddie’s mind was getting to you.

He rushed down the halls and through the double doors before he finally saw you. Eddie couldn’t explain the feelings moving through him when he saw you propped up on your cot, pillows stacked behind you for support. The bruising along your face faded away from the nasty and brutal blacks and purples and instead faded into the muddy greens and yellows. It was like your body knew that he was near, your eyes connecting with his as he came through the door and a small smile lifting the corner of your lips.

“Sweetheart,” He spoke when he got close enough, caressing your cheek and pressing his forehead to yours. Before pulling back and gently caressing along your cheeks, “Are you ok? Is everything ok?”

Eddie looked between you and Joyce who was still standing off to the side checking over a few things. You let out a soft and gentle chuckle as you reached to hold him closer to you, even with him sitting on the edge of your cot he didn’t feel close enough.

“Everything is looking up, from what we can see.” Joyce started “Bruises and cuts are healing nicely, and her ribs are healing back properly.” Her eyes switched over to you, “And we’re going to listen and actually take it easy so they can continue to heal. The last thing we need is a broken rib puncturing something.”

You nodded your head and held tightly to Eddie’s hand, your fingertips running gently along the back of his palm. “I will take it easy; I promise.”

Joyce gave a knowing look to Eddie, “I’m going to hold you to making sure she keeps still.”

“I’m not taking my eyes off her,” Eddie spoke, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good,” Joyce spoke, “Her concussion, head injury, we wanna keep a close eye on the next few days. Make sure we’re not sleeping too long and staying away from strenuous work.”

“Copy, doctor.” You nodded your head, before smiling at her.

Joyce walked away from the two of you and went to check on another in the medical wing.

Eddie looked down at your joined hands before looking back at you.

“Gave me a scare there, baby,” Eddie spoke softly, his thumb rubbing along the back of your hand.

“I’m sorry,” You whispered, causing Eddie to shake his head quickly. “What happened? Joyce didn’t really know when I asked.”

Eddie sighed, “You got to Steve and me after we’d separated. You found Wendy, from what I understand from her, you killed the man in charge of the militia group. Took a beating, because not long after we’d found you, you dropped in my arms. There was blood…I-I didn’t know what to do other than run back here.”

“I vaguely remember that,”

“You’re actually listening to Joyce this time, gonna be sitting and doing nothing for a long, long time.”

“I can’t just sit and do nothing,” You shook your head, “I have to help in some way.”

“You can go back to working on the farm, still have a little of that to do even with the weather changing. The basement gets flipped to a greenhouse.” Eddie shrugged “But no more raids, no more runs.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but seeing the look on Eddie’s face, you quickly closed it.

“I can’t go through nearly losing you again,” Eddie explained. “I can’t…think you’ve aged me about twenty years.”

“I will sit,” You agreed. “I did like being out in the field. Tending to the chickens, so I guess that won’t be so bad.”

“They are gonna need to help, especially after losing Vicki.”

You cringed “How is Robin?”

“Last I saw her; she was a little better. She would come and see you between shifts when she could.” Eddie paused “Wendy is still down at quarantine.”

“How long have I been out?” You questioned.

“A few days, but…it’s not really to make sure she’s not infected. More so cause Hopper doesn’t know what to do with her.”

“She’s trustworthy,” You argued, sitting up straighter and hissing as you felt a pain shoot up your side.

“I trust you; I do. But the rest of the camp doesn’t know her. She’s just someone from the group that has tried to kill us – and has killed many of us already.”

“I’ll talk to Hopper,” You spoke with determination. “What else are we to do with her?”

“Exile her out.” Eddie shrugged “It’s happened before.”

That caused an angry look to cross over your face, “That’s not happening. I’m not losing her again, I won’t, Eddie.”

“Alright, Alright,” Eddie spoke noticing that you were starting to get upset. He placed a gentle hand on your shoulder to calm you. “We’ll talk to Hopper. I’ve been checking on her, she’s been ok. Been taken care of.”

“Thank you,” You spoke gently, before relaxing back against the pillows. “I want out of here, want to be in our bed.”

“I want you back home too.” Eddie paused in thought, “What do you say to officially move into the trailer with me? I mean, you sleep there mostly, can grab the rest of your things from your room upstairs and you can stay with me.”

You smiled slightly, “You asking me to move in with you, Munson? Make this official?”

He nodded eagerly, “That’s exactly what I’m asking you.”

You held onto his hand for a moment and gently fidgeted with his fingers, before bringing his hand up to your lips, kissing it softly. “I would love to move in with you.”

It only took about another day and a half till you started getting restless in your cot. It wasn’t a hidden secret that you weren’t one to sit and relax for too long. Made you even more anxious than you already were. Halfway through the second day since you woke up, you were throwing off the thick blanket and moving to slip on your shoes.

“Woah! Sweetheart, why don’t you take it easy, ok?” Eddie spoke hurriedly as he rushed to stand at your side, grabbing your arm to either steady you or stop you – you weren’t sure which.

“I’m tired of sitting and lying down.” You whined, moving your hand out of Eddie’s grasp. “I need to walk around, stretch my legs, see something else other than these four walls and the same five faces.”

Eddie sighed heavily, knowing it was pointless to fight you, and instead kept close in case you needed him. The moment he saw a stumble, sway in your steps or any sign you were pushing yourself too much – he was dragging you back to bed.

Your steps were slow, but you walked with a confidence that Eddie couldn’t ignore. With the bindings around your ribs, you were a little stiff but otherwise ok. The two of you walked along the halls together till a sign caught your eye that pointed to an elevator. An elevator you were very familiar with. You started heading that way and clicking the down button before Eddie could stop you.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to go down there?” He questioned.

“It’s been nearly two weeks since everything at the mall, and no one is letting her out. She needs to see a familiar face, and I need to see that she is truly ok.”

“You don’t trust the Hopper, or anyone else for that matter, would take care of her?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust them. But my mind won’t rest till I see with my own two eyes,” You said at the ding of the elevator sung through the mostly quiet hall, the metal doors opening. “You should understand that feeling, Eddie.”

Eddie hung his head, a few curls calling in front of his face, slipping from the messy updo he’d done earlier. You stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button you knew would take you down to the quarantine level.

“You coming or not, Munson?” You asked.

Eddie only hesitated for a second before stepping onto the elevator with you. The ride down wasn’t long till the two of you stepped off and down the sterile white hallway lined with doors. Your heart jumped a little to your throat as you remembered when you were down here. How scared you were, and you had known people within this camp. When Wendy only had you.

Slowly you walked so you were able to peak into every room through the small window. Most of them were empty, only a few held others inside. You turned to Eddie with a confused look on your face when you came upon the first one.

“Scratched during the raid, just keeping a close eye to make sure it doesn’t turn into a full infection.”

“It’s been nearly two weeks, surely that wouldn’t changed already. You saw how fast that bite moved through Mike’s veins before we took his arm.”

“That’s a direct bite, scratches work differently,” Eddie explained before nodding his head to the other end of the hall. “Come on, she’s down this way.”

Eddie led the way down a few more doors till you came to one near the end of the hall. You hurried your steps a little before coming upon the door and looking through the glass. Wendy was sitting on the small bed that was pushed against the wall with a book in her lap. A small gasp left your lips as you reached a hand up to knock on the glass. Almost instantly, Wendy’s head looked up at you before a while smile spread across her face. Your name passed her lips with excitement before she sprung from the bed and rushed to the door.

“What are you doing down here? How are you down here?” She asked in hurried succession.

“I was tired of sitting in bed all day,” You spoke through the glass.

“I’m so glad to see that you’re ok. I was so worried when you fainted, I-I thought the worst.”

“I’m ok now,” You confirmed, “I’m more worried about you.”

“They are taking care of me. Getting food and water, and the big guy isn’t so scary.”

“Hopper? Yeah, he’s the Chief,” You sighed “I’m going to talk to him, ok? Make sure you get out of here soon.”

“Don’t advocate for me if it’s going to affect you. I don’t want to mess anything up.” Wendy spoke quickly, a pleading look in her eyes.

“You’re not going to mess anything up.” You reached and pressed your palm against the glass. “You’re the last bit of family I have left, and I’m going to make sure you’re out of here.”

Only two chapters left, and then this story comes to an end! Please reblog/like if you enjoyed it helps a lot!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Happy 2024

@mopeymopeymouse / @aris-house / @brxkenartt /@akiratoro420

@stylesxmunson/ @aactuaaltraash / @fandomgirl17 / @ches-86/ @chaoticcancer / @munsonology / @bellamy-barnes / @theonlyh3artbreaker / @idkidknemore / @familyvideowithsteve / @eddiesdingus / @thefemininemystiquee / @the-world-is-a-mess-and-so-am-i / @xdarkcreaturex / @lunr-flwr / @cherry-omi/ @im-emma22@munson-enthusiast / @munsonmecrazy / @jupitar-jul / @katiemrty/ @maddie-luvs-eddie /@eddiemusworld/ @ih3artdanielle / @eddiesguitarskills / @hargrovesswifee /@chaoticcancer / @rh1nestonecowg1rl / @atombombbibunny /@munson-enthusiast / @hellf-1-re / @fangirling-4-ever / @corrcdedcoffin /@sidthedollface2 / @emma77645 / @eddiiiieeee /@beep-beep-sherlock / @moldy-khunt / @bokutoswifey /@trixyvixx / @lma1986 / @plk-18 / @sav12321

[gojoscloset]

Coward pt. 3

Satoru Gojo x Fem!reader

Pt. 1 Pt.2

Masterlist

————————-

Warnings: Angst, Not proofread, bad words, probs out of character, mentions of sex

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

There was the sinking feeling in your heart again, but there was nowhere to run this time. He kept his gaze on you, eyes roaming your body and he drank every last bit of you. His footsteps were the loudest thing in the corridor, echoing in the empty hall, but nothing compared to the sound of your heartbeat. The blood rushed to your face and ears, making it hard to hear for a split second.

“Did you actually think I couldn’t recognize you?”

He stopped in front of you, eyes taking in all the new details he wasn’t able to take in at the bar. “I knew you were in there somewhere, even behind all of this” his hand gently tugged on a tuft of your bang, bangs you didn’t have before he disappeared.You moved past him silently, ignoring the comments he made, also ignoring the blooming feeling in your chest and face. Of course he stopped you in your tracks with a hand pressing against your shoulder and that’s when you finally looked up at him “Please step aside. I’m tired and I want to go h-“

You were interrupted by his touch, his large hand grabbed your face and turned your head to the side in a rough way but not enough to hurt you, exposing the fresh purple marks on your neck. You grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from your face, losing composure as you snapped at him.

“Don’t touch me! The fucks wrong with you?”

You quickly gathered your bearings and moved around him again. You needed to get out of his sight before the shackles that held your emotions together came undone. You wanted to be finished with that man, you decided that chapter ended long ago and you no longer wanted anything to do with him.

He placed his hand on your chest and pushed you hard enough for you to take a step back. He wasn’t going to let you go so easily this time. There was a thicker tension between the two of you now, thick enough to cut with a knife. What was meant to be Gojo’s hopeful reunion with you was turning sour, fast . He tried to hide the scowl on his face but it was futile. It only deepened when his large hand found itself around your neck, thumb tracing over the purple bruises.

“Hmmm.” He hummed displeased, “Looks like the sex is good? Are you…happy at least?” The question set you off, for his tone reeked of entitlement and familiarity, 2 things you hated most when it came to strangers. Although you and Satoru were familiar with one another, his absence clearly made him lose his privileges but that seemed to have gone over his head.

Roughly you smacked his hand away and took a step back to finally get a good look at him.“I don’t see how that matters but yes, Gojo. The sex is great, thanks for asking!. And I’m the happiest I’ve ever been! No thanks to you.” He stopped you again before you could move around his body.

“It matters because I love you”

“Yeah? Evidently not enough!”

“You don’t get to determine that.”

“Yeah sure, but I do get to determine how you make me feel and your actions are not an example of what love is to me.”

“It’s not like I wanted to leave, I did it to protect you.”

“Okay? So what does that mean? All evil has been defeated? In the time of your absence ,you somehow miraculously killed off everything and everyone that I was apparently a target to ?”

Silence.

“Exactly. So go ahead and finish what you started.” You motioned him in the direction of the stairs. Your tears could no longer be contained, the chains rattled and your emotions were now on full display.

“Don’t be that way…”

“Tell me then, Satoru. What way am I supposed to be? You sold a dream to me for so long, brought me to one of the happiest states of my life and had me believe we were locked in. Then you switched up on me! The day you left you expected me to be okay with believing that the strongest man I know in this plane of existence is scared of some invisible force that has yet to pose a threat to me. You rip the rug from beneath my feet and disappear intentionally leaving no trace behind because you knew I would look for you and I did. And you expect me to just be fine with you not only coming to my job, but my home as well to try and reconcile the-” You had to stop yourself from continuing your rant otherwise he would never hear the end of it.

There was a long pause but Satoru said nothing. He knew by the look in your eyes you were having a moment, and you were. The jealousy that swam in his veins vanished, guilt taking its place.

You unlocked a memory remembering the earlier stages of grieving where your mind would play tricks on you and you could hear keys rattle on the other side of your apartment door. And there would be times where, even though you knew it was foolish to have wishful thinking, you would rush to open it because you believed that your love would bring him back to you.

As the days progressed, the faint sounds of keys faded away until you could no longer hear them. And not long after that, you tucked away his spare key under his mat for the last time.

You refocused your gaze on his, head shaking slightly causing more tears to bubble over and stream down reddened cheeks.

“I waited at your apartment night after night, and even looked for you at locations you would normally be. And you were never there!” You pointed your finger to his chest, stabbing him with every syllable. “Tell me then, is it wrong of me to be ‘this way’ after all of that?”

“I know I know…” he grabbed your wrist with a gentler hand this time to place a kiss in your palm,surprised you let him do so.

“you don’t though! You really don’t!” You sobbed and ripped your hand away. “You don’t know the things I did after-”

You pulled the hem of your hoodie over your face to soak up the tears and so he couldn’t see you ‘ugly cry’. Embarrassed that you couldn’t keep your composure like you planned in your head.

Satoru could feel his heart break more and more as he watched you quietly sob into your hoodie. “Your acts of affection were not for nothing” he knew he was walking on a tightrope letting you know that he knew about it all, Geto relaying the message to him after being ordered to check up on the plants and check his apartment was still intact. Of course Satoru wouldn’t do it himself out of fear of bumping into you.

He knew you could get even more upset and instantly kill off whatever chance he had at patching things up. Or maybe it would soften things up just a little bit and increase his chances of reconciling.The risk was worth the reward and he’d be damned if he didn’t let you know everything right here and now.

“I know my plants are alive because of you. I'm aware that you would bring them in on the colder days ....and you would still leave the stove light on as a night light so I could navigate in the dark. To be honest I could feel your love from a million miles away..”

He paused momentarily, watching as you shook your head and pinched the bridge of your nose to keep the hoodie in place.

“And the cupcake you left in the fridge for me on my birthday…” he gently removed your fingers from their grip and pulled the hood down to finally get a look at your face. “It was delicious. Maybe we can go get another one after this?” he chuckled softly trying to make light of the situation, but you didn’t laugh, instead you gave him a look that made him wish he never pulled the hood down. The emotions in your eyes were clear as crystal and it killed him to know he did this to you. It had him wonder if it was worth coming to disrupt whatever you had going on.

His thumb grazed over your tears also wiping away some of the makeup that streamed down your cheeks, smiling softly as he did so.

“Satoru.” You spoke his name softly but sternly, giving the man hope. You stood up straight and looked him directly in his eyes. He searched yours for a hint of what you could possibly say next.

“I will ask you one more time to step aside, or I will cause a scene in the middle of this hallway”

You could physically see Satoru’s spirit wilt. The light in his eyes dimmed, but nonetheless (and to your surprise) he obliged, finally stepping to the side giving you the space you’ve been asking for.

“Have a good night, Gojo.”

There was no response and you didn’t dare turn to look at him because you knew there’d be nobody there.

———

It’s crazy to actually have stuff to post, I haven’t been this consistent in like 3 years LOL! I hope you guys have been enjoying it as much as I enjoy typing it up!

I have maybe 1 or 2 more parts to this story, and idk if I wanna end it bitter or if I wanna keep it fluff/smut! But I need to finish it soon because I have a lot of other ideas I wanna spit out (that I might just make drabbles because my peanut brain is pushing out a lot of ideas but I know I won’t be able to commit to fully LMAOOO )

But I also have a request to finish! (I’m excited, if you read this ily and will hopefully push it out within the next week or 2 )

Please let me know how you guys like it (^: it literally makes me so happy and excited when I get feedback and reposts you guys are the best

Much love <3

[selnyam]

FFXIV Write 2024: Duel

In which a duel takes place on the Steppe, between Magnai of the Oronir and Flidais Oakclamber, a battle of strength, a battle of conviction, a battle of SPICE

Sweat pouring down his face, gasping in pain Magnai of the Oronir slumped forward.  His breath came ragged and heavy, but he steeled himself.  His muscles flexed as he pushed himself up to a seating position.  The gathered crowd gasped and collectively held their breath.  He narrowed his eyes at his opponent, determination setting in. Then with a nod he slid the small dish of hot sauce to his left side.  

“A good spice.  Strong.”  He said and a cheer went up.   His rival in this competition grinned back at him, and reached forward to her own bowls.  The Viera Warrior of Light, Flidais Oakclamber selected the next level of spice and a piece of bread to dip in.  Pushing back one of her floppy ears she dipped the sauce and popped the whole thing in her mouth.  A few beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she didn’t even flinch.

Bells ago she had been walking Reunion, picking up some supplies and visiting with her friends among the Qestir.  She’d spent time here after losing her voice, and had made many friends as she learned new ways to communicate without her voice.  As she was there she’d craved a snack and purchased some shorlog.

“How much spice would you like”  the cook had asked, looking her up and down.  She clearly was from outside the Steppe and more than one outsider has misjudged the level of heat the skewers could have.  As her hands moved to answer, a voice had spoken from behind her.  

“You may be strong in a fight, but you clearly can’t handle your spice.”  Flidais had turned to see Magnai smirking at her.  She had taken a huge bite of her meat and stared him down before responding [I can handle more than YOU]

So that’s how they got where they are now.  Bowls of sauce in increasingly dangerous spice levels, bread for dipping, and cups of dzo milk for the first to crack.  The first to drink from the cup would forfeit victory.  A duel of heat between two powerful and strong warriors.  The growing crowd is watching with bated breath as they reach the final bowl.  The Veira outsider is sweating, but has a confident smirk on her face.  

“There’s no shame in surrendering Little Sun!”  Calls Sadu from where she stands just behind her lover.  Magnai grumbles, but his eyes linger on the cup of milk that can ease his distress.  It’s true, he’s made it this far and there’s no shame in surrendering.  He won’t though, he must prove himself better than this woman who has bested him on multiple occasions.  

With a grunt of conviction he takes the entire final bowl and simply pours it into his mouth.  A collective cry goes out from the onlookers as the Oronir leader throws back his head. Eyes watering, sweat filling his vision he swallows the incredibly high heat mixture.  What feels like a whole bell passes, the crowd silent until he straightens.  His eyes open and he stares down the Viera.  Not daring to open his mouth he waved his hand in a small circle to indicate it was Flidais’s turn.

The pink haired woman picked up her bowl of sauce, as if to copy Magnai and drink the whole thing.  Sadu leaned forward and watched her girlfriend with a smirk.  The Viera set the bowl back down and another gasp went up from the crowd.  Instead she reached into her pack and produced a small crimson coloured bottle.  In tiny script the words “Oakclamber’s Void Sauce” were written in a decorative label.  Sadu cursed under her breath and took several steps backwards.

“All of you back!  You’ll not want to be within breathing range when she unleashes that thing!”  The Dotharl leader called, motioning to the crowd wildly.  Murmurs of confusion were soon met with realization as the Viera uncorked the bottle.  Instantly the air changed, as if the Hell of Flame were contained in that bottle, as if the Queen of Flame might crawl out and unleash her voidesent rage upon the Steppe.  Magnai nearly toppled back from his seat to protect his eyes.  

Flidias simply held out the bottle, raised an eyebrow, and took a single swig.

Magnai lunged for his milk in fear she would make him taste it next.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle's Traffictober - Batch 4

The final Traffictober one-shots are up on my AO3! Happy November!

Full series - Find full list and tags here

Batch 1 Post - Traffictobers 1 to 7

Batch 2 Post - Traffictobers 8 to 14

Batch 3 Post - Traffictobers 15 to 21

These are Gen and T-rated Traffic SMP fanfics (one-shots) of various lengths. Give 'em a look if you think you may enjoy:

22 - “The Children of Dust and Ashes” (Link) - [NW AU] - 16-year-old Scott is caught off guard when his bandmate Impulse gets possessed by the soul of an ancient builder who really, really liked cherry wood. Impulse hurls Scott's axe off a cliff.

Secret Life - Neighborhood Watch AU retelling of Secret Life Episode 1 for Gem & The Scotts... The trio are 16 and Skizz is 18, and they take shelter after witnessing a zombie outbreak in a nearby village.

23 - “Blurring the Lines” (Link) - Young Scar reflects on his life in the Clocker family... and works through his feelings about his mom's new "soulmate" and his dad's new "fishing buddy."

Limited Life - A Scar-centric contemporary suburban AU [No death game] based around the Clocker family, with references to events and roleplay from the other Life series.

This was my first take on Neighborhood Watch AU, but it's just a standalone now. Still cute and seems to be a fan favorite, which I'm satisfied with <3

24 - “Hey Mumbo wtf?” (Link) - Since eating Grian's soul, Mumbo's started growing gemstone wings. Local wing admirer of an ex-husband can't help but notice.

Server Hub - On the 288th anniversary of Netty's last logout, the Bad Boys cheer Martyn with a night on the town. On his way out, he crosses paths with Mumbo for the first time since they roleplayed as husbands on Last Life. Affectionately awkward reunions are had.

Also a study in making settings feel alive and populated. Pretty happy with it!

25 - “You Can Sleep While I Drive” (Link) - Drabbles about one member of each Double Life soulmate pair watching the other sleep.

Double Life - Cozy beds in the napping story, where everyone is sleeping. It's a whole lot of fluff, unless you're Impulse threatening to get your husband TP'd to the other side of the map or you're Scott who's convinced his soulmate is cheating on him.

26 - “Dear Future Captain” (Link) - Bdubs and Martyn try teaching SnifferMyFeet how to fly. This is followed by Martyn filing an incident report because he ripped out Jellie's soul and came this close to dropping her in the Void.

Server Hub - I don't really have a good reason for this one- I just enjoy phantom hybrid flock drama and it made me laugh. Chapter 1 is up now and it will be 2 or 3 in total.

27 - “Enter Mr. Littlewood” (Link) - [NW AU] The Clocker kids pester Martyn with questions... most notably, "Are you divorced?" and "If you're Mom's 'one true soulmate,' how come she had us with Etho?"

Neighborhood Watch AU - Direct sequel to "Scary Stories For Young Fox Hybrids."

28 - “Birdwatcher” (Link) - Grian has an affair that flicks his soul wings on. Scar confronts him and Grian whips out the gaslighting. A confused Scar picks up the pieces left behind.

Double Life - Grian and Scar aren't dating. They're just soulmates. Grian is quick to remind Scar about this. It's not cheating to pursue other options when you're just roommates, right? Geez...

This one's a particular favorite; I love the motion and dialogue <3

29 - “Wake Me Up When Last Life Ends” (Link) - Scott works late and misses dinner. Again. He and Jimmy have a serious talk about their relationship.

Break up with the server hub admin at your own risk (ft. Mean Gals movie night).

30 - “The Leftovers” (Link) - Martyn and Cleo spend the night at Box, which - by law and by will - is now their base. Martyn makes one last appeal urging Cleo to take him back. Cleo sets him straight.

Double Life - I write a lot about pixel people phasing through each other because they don't have love hearts / hitbox collision. Now that we're at the end of Traffictober, here's a fluffy story about Cleo purposely eating golden carrots so she can carry a sleeping Martyn down the stairs.

I've been wanting to write this one since before I started Traffictober, but kept pushing it off... It came out better than I could have hoped and it's definitely a personal favorite. "You don't even know me" Cleo, my beloved <3

31 - “Closed Door Policy” (Link) - Two naked and scared individuals seek shelter at a non-anarchy server hub. One is a soul ripped out of his own body. The other is a dragon.

Pre-Canon - A glimpse at the early days of the New Star Station portal hub. Scott helps Etho take in two injured refugees... Chapter 1 is up, will probably be 3 or 4 chapters total.

My Traffictober challenge is complete at 226k words! I think my October writing comes out to be 250k if we include the Dog's Life chapter updates too. I'm really proud of what I've done and it's great to have a win under my belt after not feeling my best for a while.

Happy with it, back to our regularly scheduled programming soon, and I hope you all enjoyed! 💚 💛 ❤️

[inquisimer]

in the middle of my chaos

For OC kiss week day 6, a reunion between @demawrites' Morgon Trevelyan and my Siobhan Hawke. Some things have changed in big ways - some things are exactly the same.

read it on ao3 here

Female Hawke/Male Trevelyan | Rated G | 629 words | No CW

-

Siobhan was already several drinks in, lazily kicking her heels against the bar when he stepped through the mirror. She reached out a hand and Morgon drew near enough for her to hook a finger in his belt and tug him close.

“Took you long enough,” she said, and pulled him down into a kiss against that damnable smirk he always wore. His tongue traced her lips and she relished in the familiar push-pull of their meeting. When they parted, his eyes were already open, watching her carefully.

“There’s been some…developments, on my end,” he said lowly. Not an apology, but a taunt, a tease. Siobhan raised one brow, ice clinking as she swirled her whiskey. Pointedly, she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t—she knew more than him, in some ways.

Morgon rapped on the bar and motioned for a drink. Then, he turned his fist over and held his palm out for Siobhan to inspect. She nearly dropped her glass, nostrils flaring with against a sharp, surprised inhale.

Across the callouses, a painfully familiar green light pushed his skin apart. The Mark of the Inquisitor. It sparked and flared in response to emotions he kept hidden and a wave of murmurs rippled across the bar as people took note. None raised a fuss; most everyone here either lived this moment, or knew someone who had. Or they were going to. There was an Inquisitor in every universe, after all. It seemed Morgon got that honor, in his.

“Fuck,” Siobhan finally said. She set her drink down and cupped his hand with both of hers. The skin under the magic was warm and buzzing slightly; healing generally evaded her, but she probed the edges of the mark with her mana, exploring.

Morgon clenched his jaw and his fist, pulling his hand out of her grasp. “Don’t do that.”

The bartender slid over a glass of amber liquid and Morgon tossed most of it down in one go. Siobhan couldn’t blame him—it was the sort of thing that required something strong.

“Where are you?”

“In a bar,” he snipped. “Just like you.”

Siobhan glared. He clearly wasn’t keen on elaborating, but her mind was spinning. How much could she say? How much should she say? She knew how things played out for her—disastrous and uniquely painful. But she didn’t know the players in Morgon’s Inquisition; most of the time they shared wasn’t spent talking.

“Why did you come here, if not to discuss it?”

“To get away from—“ he gestured at the now dormant Eluvian that brought him here. “Turns out I can only stand so much righteous condescension before I stab someone and there’s a disturbing lack of people in Haven that I’m actually allowed to shank.”

In spite of herself, Siobhan snorted. “Sounds like your employers aren’t giving you enough enrichment.”

Morgon scoffed. “Employers. More like long-suffering chaperones. If they could shunt this thing to someone more palatable, they would do it in a heartbeat.”

“They’ll learn. We don’t always get to pick our heroes.”

“I’m no hero.”

Siobhan shrugged. “Maybe not. But they’re going to make you into one, whether it suits your plan or not.”

“I’ll make it suit my plan.” A dark semblance of a smile twisted Morgon’s face. The press of glass against his lips drew Siobhan’s gaze like a magnet, held on the way his tongue flicked out and slowly caught the flecks of alcohol left behind. “But in the meantime…”

He caught her chin between his fingers and kissed her again, a searing, demanding embrace.

“I came here for a distraction,” he murmured. Siobhan’s answering grin was a delightful, wicked thing. She tangled her fingers in his hair and brought their lips back together.

“That, I can manage.”

[prismatica-the-strange]

Absolute Corruption | A Bittersweet Reunion | I've Got No Excuse

Warnings: 18+ Show Typical Violence, blood, death, Mentions of suicide, ment. of attempted suicide, illness, drugs, angst

Ada has that victorian boy with tuberculosis swag about her.

So here's where things get a little funky. There are canon deviations and they will only get worse as the story goes on. I do not subscribe to the idea that seasons 3 & 4 exist, they will be removed entirely and a better story will take their place.

Word Count: 4k

Prev: Too Close to You

Next: Nothing More, Nothing Less

(Song Link) (Picrew Link)

If she's honest, she doesn't want to be here.

Playing dress up with her uncle.

But we've been here already.

Already been worn down by petty manipulations.

Already lamented her arrival in the Westworld park.

That was nearly seven years ago, and here she is again, this time at the behest of her aunt.

"You never leave the house anymore, so I pulled some strings and got you a small gig at that park you used to love. They're unveiling a new story or something."

She wished she was strong enough to strangle her, but, and she would never admit it, the mere thought of even getting a glimpse of him again makes her soft.

She groans through a laugh, the irony behind the circumstances of how she'd found herself in the underground labyrinth of service tunnels and workshops not lost on her.

Adeline Rooney had long since fallen in love with a robot. And half a decade after the last time she'd seen him, he still gave her butterflies.

After a wonderful set of, somewhat mournful songs, on her part, the gala had erupted into total chaos when one of the hosts shot and killed the park's founder, Robert Ford.

Somehow, and she's still not exactly sure how, she'd managed to get away. Maybe the hosts thought she wasn't worth the lead, or maybe they didn't even notice her at all. She'd gotten good at being invisible.

It's all a blur, the blood, the death, her uncle, getting down into the below area. All she knows is she hurts, but that's not anything new.

"You're supposed to love Isa-uh-Adeline!"

She perks up at the sound of her name being shouted down the hall.

"Not so much anymore."

She freezes at that voice.

"No! You're fucking programmed to have no love beyond Adeline!" The first voice shouts, "Adeline is written into the goddamn laws of your being!"

There's a thud and words too quiet for her to hear.

"Careful darling, he's fragile."

"When I awoke in the place where you play god, I realized Adeline was a lie." His voice is just loud enough to reach her, "Just words in my-"

"You know I can hear you talking about me," She calls out.

It's quiet for a moment, then there's a shuffling.

"No fucking way," A man comes into view past the crate next to her, wearing an old shirt and pants with suspenders, "You're supposed to be dead."

"Thanks, Huck Finn."

Hector and another woman walk close enough to see, and he looks like he's seeing a ghost.

You're dead. You're real. Are you real? You can't be real.

A million questions start to form in his head but the words that come out are, "You look like shit."

She winces at the bark of laughter that leaves her, looking at him through rose-tinted lenses, "Well, I'm glad to see you at least remember me, pretty boy."

He's right though, she does look like shit. Gaunt, pale, sunken eyes. Sickly.

She's looked like that for a while now, but it's as bad as it's ever been.

His face is hardened, jaw set, a look she's never been on the receiving end of. She doesn't enjoy it.

"So how does this work?" She asks, "You shoot me like the other guests, or am I left to wither away on my own time?"

Without a second thought, Hector pulls his pistol on her.

She doesn't seem frightened. In fact, she smiles softly up at him, "How poetic."

"We should bring her with us," The other man says, and all three of them look at him, "She has more experience in the park than I do."

Hector looks to the woman, putting his gun away when she nods.

The other man motions for her to get up, going so far as to offer a hand.

Instead, she reaches behind her and Hector goes back to gripping his gun.

"Calm down, Hero," She says, pulling something from partway behind the crate, "I'm not very mobile without these."

His eyes betray him at the pain-filled groan she makes as she pulls herself up on the crutches.

She looks smaller than he remembers. She looks like she would break at the faintest touch. So he doesn't touch her, walking ahead of the group.

"I'm Lee, Sizemore," The other man introduces himself as they walk, "Head of Narrative here."

She looks him over and scoffs, "Sure."

"Y'know, Addy, I've been interested in you for-" He stops when he notices she had a few steps back.

"Call me Addy again and I'll slit your fucking throat," She scowls.

She storms past him as best she can, knuckles alabaster white with how hard she grips her crutches.

"She's still a lie, Hector," The woman says.

Ada just rolls her eyes and taps behind her ear, tuning them out with music.

He glances back at her and it's obvious she isn't listening.

"All of it?"

"Yes, all of it. She used you for her own entertainment," She grabs his arm, "For her, it was all a game."

Memories cloud his mind, the look of her tear-stained face, the sound of her laugh, the feel of her breath on his skin. All of it.

"It doesn't feel like a lie," He looks at Maeve with pain in his eyes.

"That's because it wasn't," Lee says, stepping past Ada who is desperately trying not to hear them.

Maeve glares at him.

"What? We didn't give him those memories," He admits, "Her death, maybe. But everything else he experienced with her."

"Explain," Hector demands, "Why would you put her death in my head?"

Sizemore sighs, trying to find the words to explain his department's failures.

"Look, when you were put in rotation, your cornerstone was a woman named Isabella," He starts, "But a handful of years in, Adeline visited the park. That's when it started."

"I don't know how she did it, but that first visit changed things. When she came a second time it's like you remembered her. And then it's like you'd been waiting for her with every visit after. Like a lover that came and went as she pleased and you were always holding a candle for her."

He remembers lighting up when he saw her, falling immediately in love with her without reservation.

"She got her hooks so deep in your source code that she changed your cornerstone to loving her," Lee shakes his head, "And then, after the incident, no matter what we did, you would break your loop to go find her."

"Even some of the guests were confused. She'd played your storyline exclusively for nearly two years. When she disappeared people wondered why we got rid of her. They thought she was a host."

"We even hard reset you. Wiped you clean, and started from the ground up, and you still went looking for her," His look is almost bitter, "Eventually we rewrote the memory of that night again so you thought she died."

"That night?"

Lee glances back at Ada again, her eyes are glued to the floor, teeth clenched. Just as he opens his mouth to tell Hector what happened, gunshots echo from down the hallway.

Hector quickly ushers them behind one of the stacks of plastic crates, gun out.

An orange glow lights up the hall, and a man runs past them, screaming and on fire.

"She has a dragon," Hector breathes. He leads them back out and she sees Armistice holding a flamethrower.

"That's not from this park."

"Who's the girl?"

Ada nods with a small chuckle, "Some things just don't change."

"She's no one," Hector says.

"Ouch."

He swears she's purposely getting on his nerves.

"We've gotta run," Armistice says and they follow her to an elevator bay.

She has two techs tied up there, both of which seem familiar with the hosts guiding them.

Ada tries to stay to the side, reaching into an inner pocket of her cardigan. A gloved hand grabs her wrist before she can pull back and she looks up to meet Hector's warning look.

She slowly pulls out a small card tin with Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms embossed on it, eyebrows going up as a sign that she's obviously not that stupid.

His eyes watch her intensely as she opens it. Inside there are a few small rolls of paper and a pastel pink lighter.

"What is it?"

She puts one up to her lips.

"I dunno about you," She says through her teeth, pinching the paper between them, and lighting the other end. She takes a quick drag and holds it between her fingers, "But I don't plan on dying sober."

She puts the lighter back, closes the tin, and slides it back into her pocket.

One of the techs lets out a long breath when Armistice takes the grenade from beneath his chin and disarms it.

They untie them and get in the elevator.

"Are you smoking weed?" He asks, "I just sat with an explosive pinned to my chest for god knows how long, and you're smoking weed?"

She looks between him and the joint and shrugs, holding it out to him, "You wanna hit?"

"Sorry darling," Maeve interrupts when he reaches for it, "But we need these three sober."

"Screw that," Lee says, snatching it from her hands and taking a hit, coughing up the smoke, "What the fuck is that? It tastes like how week-old piss smells!"

"Yeah," She laughs, taking it back from him, "It really sucks."

"Ah," She takes another drag, "It works well though."

Hector glares at her when she offers it to him and she just shrugs.

There's a noticeable chill when they get topside, and they're greeted with pine trees.

It almost reminds her of home. Not the mansion her uncle kept her trapped in that, that no matter how crowded it is you still feel alone. No, it reminds her of the small house in the mountains, in the woods, with the field, and the pond, and the two apple trees out front.

The ground is uneven beneath them, and Sylvester stumbles on a root, cursing when he nearly goes down, but she seems to be at home here.

They walk for a few more hours until it's obvious that Ada is struggling.

They set up camp, and she all but collapses next to the fire. She's exhausted after spending the last twenty-something hours on her feet.

She lays on the ground, head on her arms, and falls asleep almost immediately.

She looks so adorable, cheek squished and lips parted, just like after the first time we- Hector can't keep his thoughts from her. It was all a lie.

Most of the night is uneventful. But then she starts coughing, choking on something in her sleep.

His back straightens when she sits up, worry flooding his veins against his will. The coughs get worse, wet. And eventually, she folds over her hand and hacks up whatever it is.

When she turns back there's blood dripping from her lips and chin into her open hand as she sucks in air.

"Jesus Christ," Felix looks at her in horror.

She just reaches into her cardigan pocket and pulls out a handful of Kleenex. She leans over and spits out another mouthful of blood before wiping her face clean.

"Does anyone have any water?" She croaks, looking up at her companions.

Hector tosses over a waterskin and she rinses her mouth out.

"What the hell was that?" Felix asks.

"Thanks," She hands the water back to Hector, giving him the nonchalant answer of, "It happens."

"The fuck it does not."

"It does to me."

She looks so ill when she lays back down like any life left in her had been coughed up with the blood.

It's against his better judgment, but the next day he stays close to her, it's like an instinct to stay within two steps of her.

She's slower than the day before, body still recovering from their previous trek.

When her crutch slips in a patch of loose dirt he's there to catch her. He's not as gentle as he used to be, catching under her arm to pull her back to her feet and letting go, but she's grateful all the same.

"So why did you stop coming to the park?" He asks out of nowhere, "Finally get bored of me?"

""Heh, no," She says with a small laugh, "No, my doctor's insisted."

"After what happened that last night, it wasn't safe for me to be out here."

"That last night," He repeats. No matter what he does, that memory is burned in his mind. Her convulsions and the feel of her life slipping through his fingers, "My recollection is a bit fuzzy."

"Oh, you know," She looks away and blinks back tears behind her glasses, "Just another normal day in the park until I had this bad, really bad, seizure."

"The medics here said I almost died," She wipes her nose on her shoulder, "I never did get to thank you for making sure that didn't happen."

His feet stop and he watches her walk ahead of him.

He saved her?

She was alive.

He kept her that way.

And they took that from him?

He can feel his hardened facade start to crack. The idea she hadn't wanted to leave him crumbling his resolve to hate her.

It's dark when it starts to snow, and he feels his chest warm when her face lights up. There's something so innocent about the way she smiles at the sky.

She reaches out, almost tripping over herself to catch a particularly big flake, a giggle of childlike wonder bubbling from her throat.

He's not well-versed in the cold, but the way her breath puffs from her pink nose is one of the most adorable things he's seen in years and makes the weather bearable.

"I haven't seen the snow in years," She hasn't smiled this much for just as long, "I missed it."

He can almost picture her curled up next to a window near a fireplace, wrapped in a thick blanket, watching the snowfall through frosted panes. The thought is cozy, like her.

"Yeah? Well, I'm fucking freezing," Sylvester snaps. It's not surprising. It's the wet kind of snow. The kind that soaks through your skin and freezes your bones, "We've been walking forever, where the hell are we?"

"North edge of the park, maybe three or four sectors East from the Homesteads?" Lee estimates, "We're near the Klondike narrative."

"That doesn't sound right."

"Oh," the group turns to Ada, "You know more about the park layout than I do now?"

"No, I just mean," She sighs, "If we were where you think we are that would be right, but this doesn't look like the Klondike narrative."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Maeve points to a campfire a handful of yards away. Hector and Armistice take point, guns drawn as they approach.

"I'm pretty sure some of these trees aren't from North America."

He's about to argue when something catches his eye.

She starts to follow behind the rest of the group, an uneasy feeling washing over her.

"Maybe they're friendly," Hector jokes.

"If they aren't we'll kill them," Maeve says.

He hears Ada creep up closer behind him and glancing at her he can tell she's on edge.

No matter how long it's been, her heart still considers him her safe space. She knows the safest place to be in a fight is near him.

He takes a strange sense of pride from the fact she still comes to him for comfort.

"This feels wron-"

"We need to leave!" Sizemore yells, "We need to get the fuck out of here, right now!"

Maeve shushes him, but Ada takes another step towards her and Hector.

A man comes running at them from the woods, sword in his hand.

She shoves Maeve out of the way of his slash, crutch slipping in the snow, making her fall.

"What the hell is that?" Hector asks, stepping in front of her.

"Looks like a dead man to me," Armistice grins.

"You know the old saying about knives and gunfights?" Maeve asks, helping Ada to her feet. As soon as the words leave her lips a rope appears around her, Hector, and Armistice.

They tighten around them, making her drop Ada, and Hector to misfire.

The force of the second fall knocks something loose in her lungs and she can't hear what Maeve is saying over her own coughing.

The man replies in Japanese and sheaths his sword. He says something else, something about the 'lame one,' and one of his men moves to stab her.

"Waitwaitwaitwait!" She holds her hands up, "Uh..."

She stumbles clumsily through a sentence in Japanese, begging them not to kill her.

The man sighs, seeing at the way Hector looks at her as he struggles 'If you slow us down, you will die.'

The man above her puts his weapon away and hauls her to her feet.

They're each bound, arms behind their back.

"W-whoa, hey my body doesn't-!" She nearly bites through her lip to keep from crying out when they yank her arms back, a sickening pop coming from somewhere in her back.

Hector pulls at his own binds at the sound, but there's nothing he can do to help.

He walks slowly as they're marched toward their destination, keeping the pace from getting too fast for her as she struggles along. One particularly fumbled step nearly makes her fall, but she collides with his shoulder, trying to keep her upright.

The ronin seems to know what he's doing, jabbing at his back to speed him up, but all it does is piss him off more.

Around daybreak, Lee explains their predicament here in Shogunworld.

Ada looks like she's about to pass out and Hector steps closer to her, letting her lean on him if she needs. She takes his offer, head falling to his shoulder, a grateful noise coming from her throat.

She gasps, knees buckling when the man at the other end of her rope tugs, pulling her from him. Without her hands to catch her she hits the ground hard.

Hector spins around to spit at him, "This world will end badly, but I'll make sure your end is worse!"

He and Lee kneel down to help give her leverage as she tries to stand.

She leans against Hector again as their captors speak, breathing labored.

"Why didn't you just shoot me?" She wheezes and he's not sure if she's serious or if it was just a bad joke.

"You'll make it," He assures her, lips pressing against the top of her head, "I'll make sure of it."

By the time they make it to the village, her legs are numb and her spine is screaming. All of her nerves are on fire.

"My god," Armistice breathes, "It's us."

"Some head of Narrative you are," Ada laughs, wearied and light-headed.

"Hey! So the ribbing is the same? You try writing three hundred stories in three weeks!" Lee argues.

She doesn't even care when fighting breaks out, or that she's being used as a human meat shield, not with the way her knees are trembling beneath her.

When Hanaryo gives them the chance to escape and she's untied, she crumples to the ground.

Hector tries to help her up, but she just shakes her head, "Go. I'll be fine."

She jumps at the gunshot that echoes once they enter the building, her anxiety rising.

After a few minutes of quiet, she hears footsteps come toward her. She looks up to see Hector as he holds a hand out to her.

She takes it, but can't seem to pull herself off her knees, frustrated tears start to form in her eyes and she feels like she's about to completely lose it, "Fuck!"

He bends down and takes her in his arms, bridal carrying her inside. For a moment she feels like that eighteen-year-old girl crying on the floor of the inn at Story's End again.

She doesn't want him to let go when Maeve and Akane take her to get cleaned up.

They help her undress, sharing a look when they see the scars littering her body. They don't say anything as they help lower her into a bath, her body soaking in the warmth of the water.

"Hector seems to be falling into old habits with you," Maeve comments, now in her own tub.

Ada nods, hands shaking as she brings another joint to her lips.

"You haven't told him to do otherwise."

She knows what she's hinting at, and honestly doesn't have the mental strength or patience to deal with it.

"Why would I?" She asks, "He's a grown-ass man, he can do what he wants."

"As long as what he wants is you."

"As long as what he wants is what he wants."

"How did you get those scars?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because, darling, I need to know if I can trust you-"

"I tried to kill myself. Can we stop with the twenty questions now?" She doesn't let her answer, sinking down, submerging her head in the murky water.

Once she's deemed clean enough, Maeve helps her stand again.

Akane provides her with a dusty rose-colored kimono and as she's getting dressed Maeve comes up behind her.

"I shouldn't have pried," She says, "I apologize."

She's left alone in front of the mirror, running a comb through her damp hair. She flinches when her fingers graze the scar on her right temple, and her hand covers her eyes as she tries not to cry.

She takes a deep, shaky, breath and looks herself in the eye through the reflection, "Don't you cry. Don't you dare fucking cry, damnit!"

She takes a moment to pull the top of her hair back and tie it in a bun.

Hanaryo brings her her crutches and she's able to join the others in the main room.

Hector is so busy glaring at his Shogun doppelganger that he almost misses Ada sneak in. But once he sees her he can't stop seeing her.

It's like that first day at the Mariposa,.

"A vision," He murmurs to himself.

She sits against the wall near the sliding doors to the courtyard, as far from the center of attention as possible.

She scans the room, eyes catching his stare. She gives him a small smile, cheeks darkening.

It's too late.

It was too late the moment she smiled at him at gunpoint.

He was still so deeply in love with her it made him look stupid.

Maeve knows it too. She's known since since the same moment. That, through both their anger and pain, they were still unconditionally and irrevocably in love with each other, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Ada leans back against the wall, using it as support as they watch Sakura dance.

Her eyes keep flicking back to Hector, the way he's glaring at the man outside is making her want to climb in his lap, take his face in his hands, and kiss him until he's smiling.

She absentmindedly claps with the crowd when the dance ends, not really paying attention.

She watches as he stands, walking in Maeve and Lee's direction.

"You know who I don't trust?" He asks quietly, motioning to Musashi with his chin, "Him."

"Just say the word and I'll skin him like a rabbit."

She holds back a laugh and Maeve looks at him, shocked, "What's the matter with you?"

It's not what he wants to hear and he stands up, a look of annoyance on his face. He stands by the doorway, hands behind his back.

He's so close to her, but still out of reach.

As if he can sense her yearning, he steps closer, eyes not leaving the target of his paranoia until he's right in front of her, kneeling down.

"How are you doing? Better?"

She gives him a weak smile, hand reaching up to adjust a stray black hair that had fallen loose, "You look handsome like this."

The corners of his lips twitch upwards, her fingers tracing ghost-like down his cheek, his voice low, "I shouldn't still feel like this."

Her face falls and she pulls away.

"What's wrong, amor?"

She shakes her head, head turned down, refusing to meet his gaze.

His finger curls beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him, and the dam breaks. Fat, wet tears roll down her cheeks as her breath hitches.

As hard as she tries, she can't stop them, "I can't do this again."

He holds her face, wiping them away, trying his best to quietly calm her.

"It's not fair to you," She holds his wrist, "Hector."

"I'm here."

"I'm dying."

[isnt-it-pretty]

Wip #5

So far I've posted Amputee!Cyno, Cyno & Kaveh childhood friends, Cyno's Vision being stolen, and Windblume

This one is set during the event when Lisa visited Sumeru! It's her and Kaveh talking abdout Cyno's not-so-great mental health.

It had been a long time since Lisa was last in Sumeru. Once, she had thought she would never return-- she hadn't thought she would want to. But the Spantamad reunion was rare, and she had missed the last. With all the changes at the Akademiya, who knew when the next would be. 

Her second reason was tucked between the seams of her bodice, hidden from any would-be enemies. The contents were too sensitive for anything less, and Lisa wouldn't risk those mentioned in it by carelessness. Ideally, she would have burned it, but the information was too valuable to dispose of. 

Running into the Traveler had been a pleasant surprise, even if Gafoor's attempts at enticing her back to the Akademiya were less so. Insulting her position as the librarian for the Knights of Favonius? She should have done worse than a verbal lashing. Her work was more worthwhile than anything Gafoor ever achieved, herbad or not. 

She let out a harsh breath and busied herself with the coffee cup on the table before her. A selection of pastries and sweets had been set out for her and her companion-- her treat. Kaveh deserved it after the stress of the last weeks, the events of which Lisa knew frustratingly little about before his letter. Her only consolation was that even Kaeya's various contacts were slow in gathering the true story of the Akademiya's change in leadership-- and even that had differed from the account Kaveh had pried from his friends. 

It didn't take long for Kaveh to arrive, and Lisa stood to greet him with a tight hug. They still shared letters a few times a year, but they hadn't seen one another since she left about a decade ago now. Archons, this entire trip made her feel old. 

"It's good to see you," she said, breathing in the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. It was different from the pardisarah perfume Kaveh used to wear to cover up the smell of cheap soap. 

The Akademiya may have claimed not to discriminate, but Kaveh still encountered much of it when people learned he came from a poor family. (Cyno dealt with even more, his grades always behind hers despite performing at the same level. It was Kaveh who had to explain what being from the desert meant, and why their classmates scorned a boy younger than most of them.)

"You as well," Kaveh responded, pulling away. He held her at arm's length, his eyes roaming her form as he took in her appearance. "You look lovely as ever. How was your trip?"

"Flatterer," she said, laughing, and motioned for him to sit. "Long. The Chasm being reopened made it substantially shorter compared to going through Fontaine, but it still took longer than I would have liked."

They spoke of frivolous things for a while, catching up on all the things that occasional letters couldn't explain. Work, friends, anecdotes. She even learned a few more stories of Kaveh's infamous roommate, some of which she had learned glimpses of from Collei. It was nice. 

Of all the people Lisa knew, Kaveh was one of the few she never had to watch herself around. Even after all these years, their trust was implicit-- a friendship that lasted longer than those she had in Mondstadt. Cyno was another, for all they didn't speak anymore. Anybody else was a member of the Knights, but even they often had their own motives. 

When the coffee cooled and their treats were picked over, their voices lowered and their conversation changed to more serious topics. 

She drew the letter from her bodice and spread it between them, Kaveh's careful hand staring up at them. He hadn't asked her to come, but Lisa had read the desperation between the words. How could she have stayed away when her friends were struggling?

Kaveh picked up the letter, his eyes scanning his own words. Eventually, he put it down and sighed. 

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to worry you."

"You always worry me," she replied, piecing up a piece of baklava. "Is  Cyno really doing that badly?

"He's... struggling," he said after a moment of hesitation. "I can't blame him after everything that's happened, but it's worrying."

"Is it as bad as it was in school?" she asked, her mind drifting back through the years. 

Cyno had always been standoffish. His demeanour was unwelcoming, a blessing and curse when so many people were waiting for him to fail. It meant that he had few friends-- something that was still true today. 

She remembered the days when he couldn't get out of bed, the world weighing too heavily on his shoulders. When she would bring notes from class as she and Kaveh studied quietly with their notebooks spread across Cyno's dorm room floor, hoping their presence eased some of the loneliness. She remembered the jumpiness, the lack of sleep, the days and hours where something seemed off, like Cyno wasn't quite there. She knew more now than she did then, could list symptoms of trauma like a grocery list. 

"I don't know," Kaveh said, sounding frustrated. "He doesn't like talking about it. I visited Tighnari but Cyno hasn't been any more forthcoming with him, either."

Which was a concern in itself. Cyno's previous episodes were always accompanied by self isolation. 

There wasn't much Lisa could do. She didn't know Cyno anymore. Their friendship had deteriorated over time and distance as her letters went unanswered. What news she learned of him was delivered via Kaveh, lines sprinkled throughout his letters that 'Cyno is doing well. He was promoted to General Mahamatra.' All of that aside, she still worried. 

Kaveh's news had been distressing to read. Cyno helped overthrow the Akademiya, his partner was injured by the sages' pet god, and his mentor died all within the same month. Anybody would struggle with that, but Cyno hadn't spoken about any of it, withdrawing into himself as the days passed. 

"Any panic attacks?" she asked

"Not from what I've seen, but that doesn't rule it out," he replied, leaning his elbows on the table. "I don't think he's been sleeping either."

END

...

I was planning on Lisa having a talk with Cyno and dragging him to the reunion event. Probably also bringing him to Gandharva Ville with her to see Collei and Tighnari. Cyno being loved and cared for is my brand.

Also, let me know what you want to see next! I have a polycule, Blind!Cyno, Younger!Cyno finding Collei in the desert after she escaped Dottore younger than canon (pretty short), and a few Kaeya and Xiao centric wips.

[my-timing-is-digital]

send  👫  for  a  reunion  starter

After the conclusion of Clemens' debacle, and his and Guinan's subsequent departures, the android repositioned the transreceiver in his supposed prototypical device for the horseless carriages and settled himself at the desk, monitoring the instrument's workings deliberately. Assiduously, he observed the rhythmic oscillations of the metal indicator, which functioned in a similar fashion as an analogue seismograph. Thus far, his device had not measured any time shifts, and would not for the next 39 minutes...

A long-awaited, arrhythmic scratching sound instantaneously tore his attention to the contraption. Excitedly, the pen attached to the end of the indicator recorded the occurrence — the device finally measured the time shift he had been anticipating —, and based off of the particulars printed on the sheet of paper, he could accurately determine the epicentre of the spatial distortion. Data consulted a map of the town to confirm the location, and without a moment's hesitation, he leapt to his feet and vacated his room. He navigated himself down a flight of stairs with mathematical precision and hurried outside where he supplied the bellboy, Jack, with sufficient 19th century currency to have him procure a carriage, preferably drawn by two equines — to multiply the carriage's power.

The ever-efficient hotel employee immediately scurried off to the stables and returned within several minutes, gesturing gleefully at the wagon he had snatched from an agitated colleague. Prior to mounting the box, Data expressed his gratitude for his services and pressed an additional sum of money in the boy's hand. He had never rode on horseback, let alone piloted a vehicle that was pulled by two of them, but he had judged it advantageous to observe others operate this form of transportation, in case he would relay on its services in the foreseeable future — he was glad he had pursued that particular endeavour.

Data armed himself with the reins and managed to set the equines into motion, gently instructing the animals to accelerate. The terminal words of farewell that emanated from the bellboy were left behind in a cloud of dust...

The carriage careened through the streets, teetering uncomfortably toward his destination: the local hospital. And it was not until he was in close proximity of the aforementioned facility that his positronic subprocessors sensed the familiar hum of 24th century technology, or rather, the wavelengths of a tricorder that was broadcasting signals on all frequencies. While he narrowly circumvented a collision with another horse-drawn carriage, he inferred that the others must have successfully ferried themselves across the frontiers of time and were here to assist him.

When the carriage swept around a corner, the tricorder transmission started to grow stronger and more prominent; his conjecture was confirmed when he sighted the others filing out of the hospital, and he promptly surmised that the occurrence of the time shift might have been a joint effort between them and the two individuals with the ophidian. Unfortunately, he could not initiate his interrogation, for his friends appeared to have antagonised the local police force.

'Data!' Commander Riker's loud, sonorous voice lacerated through the air, alerting him, unnecessarily, of their presence.

The android pulled on the reins to render the equines stationary adjacent to the pavement, allowing his friends to embark the vehicle.

'Doctor,' Data said, his own voice extraordinarily tranquil. He extended his hand for to grab and join him on the box seat while the others clambered into the carriage. 'It is good to see you again.'

'Go, Data! Hurry!' Captain Picard ordered, an urgent accentuation vibrated in the words he had enunciated.

'Aye, sir,' he replied compliantly, providing the horses with the objective to proceed down the street, with the intention to escape the police and take temporary refuge in the countryside until the coast was clear and they were certain no reinforcements would be ambushing them upon their return...

[tflegendarium]

The Birth of the Quintessons

Quintus was given the power of creation and was well beloved. He though possessed a desire to wander and spread out. He went out to create more species, not content to be contained on Cybertron, but before he departed passed on a slice of his power to Micronus, Vector, and Solus who helped to forge Vector Sigma.

Quintus seeded worlds and created stars and life far reaching which resulted in some commonalities across existence. He wandered dancing and laughing and never lingering long once life took hold.

Millennia into his wanderings, he paused on a lone planetoid far from home. His dancing ceased long enough to feel the grief of separation from his siblings and dozing maker. He was inspired to try and create a race made of those aspects he missed most from his siblings.

Solus’s desire for creation.

Liege’s cleverness with words.

Prima’s insistence on perfection.

Megatronus’s pride.

Alchemist’s unrelenting curiosity.

Vector’s penchant for cool headed observation.

Onyx’s appreciation for the changing nature of the world.

Nexus’s desire to share with others.

Micronus’s creativity.

Mortilus’s patience.

Adaptus’s ability for growth and change.

Epistemus’s great intellect.

He proclaimed them the greatest of his children and named them after himself, Quintessons.

Quintus settled with his creations to watch them grow as he had not before and was delighted. His spark bright and filled in a way his wanderings had never inspired. He loved them well and they returned it.

Above all others he loved his First Born, into whom he poured the most of himself and his memories. But within this he also unknowingly included his Creator’s link to Unicron. Unicron felt the shifting of this newness and reached for it. The First Born, much like with her creator, reached back and Unicron poured himself into her.

The Quintessons grew and so did their desire to meet their kin. Quintus was delighted and sent word to his siblings of his children who would come from the stars. The First Born insisted they could not go empty handed and that they must bring gifts for their Creator’s relatives, so the reunion was delayed. But now Quintus’s eyes turned homewards for the first time in thousands of years.

Behind his back his First Born conspired with Unicron.

She wanted the full breadth of her Creator’s powers so she could use it to bend her race to her will and the rest of the “lesser” creations that predated them, for she believed that they were Quintus’s ultimate creation. Unicron would help her in this, but she in turn must help him and he sent her the Great Gifts.

The Requiem Blaster, the Star Saber, and the Sky Shield were hidden among those crafted by the Quintessons and considered the greatest among them.

Quintus was delighted when he saw them and even more so when his First Born showed them they were Mini-Cons, made by the “spark of creation” he left in her and modeled after his dearest sibling Micronus.

Quintus though the most lighthearted of the Primes was no fool and eventually recognized the mark of Unicron. He sought to warn his siblings, but was captured by his First Born, most beloved of his children, whom he could not raise his hand against, and sealed away power ripped from him to serve her.

These poisoned gifts were then sent to his siblings with the tidings that fickle Quintus had been unable to stop his roving feet. The First Born saw these gifts well received and the Mini-Cons awakened and bonded with their Primes before departing with warm words to return in friendship.

With this the War of the Primes was set into motion as Quintus was condemned to be silent and buried, powering his child’s conquest of all those before her.

[harudnae]

Well, well. December holidays are upon us, and whether you celebrate something or not at all, I figured I could dig up this short story as a gift 😁

The idea is from my sis who wanted to put Smoker in a Santa Claus costume 😏

This story is pretty old and I'm not so satisfied with it, so I updated it a little before sharing it here (the original version remains on AO3 since it's been translated and I don't want to impact the translator's work).

Originally posted on AO3 on 2016.12.25

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Smoker x Tashigi

Summary: Smoker and Tashigi spend Christmas together at home. Smoker hates end-of-the-year celebrations and Tashigi tries to force him into a Santa Claus costume...

Content warnings : Modern AU, no religious content, suggestive ending.

Word count: 710

🎄 Candy cane 🎄

Smoker has never been a big fan of Christmas, or any end-of the-year celebration for what it's worth. To him it's just an excuse to spend money and be stuck with annoying relatives while eating unreasonable amounts of food, and for what ? This year he's glad he convinced his girlfriend to stay at home, just the two of them, and do something simple for once.

Though simple might be an understatement. Tashigi insisted on decorating a Christmas tree and setting up seasonal decorations all over the house, and cooking enough stuff that they will probably get leftovers for the next two days. That was enough already, but the clothes, really ? She said they would have to wear seasonal attire, and memories of ugly sweaters with knitted reindeers and Santas came to his mind. He trusts her sense of fashion but still, Christmas clothing, for fuck’s sake.

Which is why, on December 24th, when the fire burns steadily in the chimney, most of the dinner has been prepared and Tashigi goes to the bathroom to get a shower and make herself « more presentable » – like she really needs anything special to achieve that – Smoker really doesn't want to open the bag containing his own attire for the night, that his girlfriend purposely left on their shared bed. Still, curiosity gets the better out of him and he peeks inside said bag.

Seriously ? A Santa costume ? No bloody way he puts this on. He stares at the red fabric like it has personally insulted him, and really wonders what Tashigi had in mind when she chose this. Did she really expect him to comply with her wardrobe choice ? Or is it a way to rile him up in a not-so-subtle way ? Either way he's fuming, and decided not to change into this mockery of a suit.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, he's waiting for her to finish in the bathroom – shouldn't take too long, the water isn't running anymore – and have a little talk with her about this masquerade. When she opens the door, though, Smoker finds himself at a loss for words.

Tashigi’s hair is loosely tied behind her head and adorned with two red flowers. She wears a tight red dress hugging her curves in all the right places, white fur holding the soft fabric around her shoulders, the petal-shaped cut of the dress caressing her thighs while black boots embrace her pale legs. She's stunning, and all of a sudden Christmas doesn't sound that awful. She coyly smiles at him and offers, "All yours."

Good thing she's motioning to the bathroom, or Smoker may have thought of another offer entirely. He grunts, swallows his anger about the Santa Claus costume, which he grabs before making his way to the bathroom. As he closes the door behind him, he wonders how not to be ridiculous in this red suit. He undresses, gets into the shower, and once warm water runs on his skin, he finally knows how to manage the whole ordeal. Good thing he isn't freshly shaven.

Tashigi takes dinner out of the oven. She always loved the spirit of Christmas, but this year it's a bit different since it's going to be a romantic night instead of a family reunion. Not that she minds, she's fine either way as long as she's with people she loves. She might have pushed her luck a bit when offering to wear Christmas clothes, and was at least expecting to hear her lover complaining about it, but nothing came yet, and he should be done in the bathroom if the door opening she just heard is any indication. She hears footsteps down the stairs but Smoker doesn’t join her, so she walks to the living room and finds him by the fireplace, elbows resting on the back of the couch where he’s sitting.

And he actually wears the costume... Well, at least part of it. The red pants are tugged in his usual black boots, but he kept the jacket open and – of course – neglected to wear a shirt underneath it. The slight gruff on his cheeks makes him look like a bad boy version of Santa Claus and she catches her breath when he smirks and asks in a low gravelly voice, "So, wanna get your candy cane ?"

For reference, I stole Tashigi's dress from One Piece Treasure Cruise 😋

[cquity]

clarke & murphy || @virtuousouls

The streets of Sydney, though bustling with the energy of a city in perpetual motion, held a certain solitude for Clarke. Amidst the ever-changing faces and the ebb and flow of life, she found herself seeking solace in the anonymity of the crowded streets. It was in one of these moments, caught between the shadows and the city lights, that she spotted the unmistakable figure of Murphy.

Sydney had a way of bringing together remnants of the past, weaving connections among those who had once walked different paths. As she approached Murphy, the air seemed to thicken with unspoken history and shared tribulations. Their lives had intersected in unexpected ways, forming bonds forged in the crucible of survival.

"Murphy," Clarke called out, her voice cutting through the urban symphony. The acknowledgment was accompanied by a mixture of recognition and something akin to shared understanding. Sydney had become a canvas on which their stories unfolded, where the echoes of their past reverberated against the backdrop of a city that held both mystery and unpredictability.

The landscape of Sydney provided an unlikely setting for their reunion, a testament to the peculiar nature of the city and its ability to draw together those who had navigated the complexities of life on Earth. Clarke's gaze met Murphy's, and in that silent exchange, the weight of unspoken experiences lingered between them.

As they stood amidst the urban tapestry, Clarke and Murphy found themselves entwined in the dance of fate, where the threads of their past wove seamlessly into the enigma of their present. Sydney's heartbeat pulsed beneath their feet, a rhythm that underscored the shared history and uncharted territories that lay ahead for the survivors of a world left behind.

[sergeantsporks]

Full Circle

Rating: Teen, Gen

Part 17 of Camila is Hunter's Mom Now

Chapter 1/4: Family Reunion

Hunter never planned to tell his friends about his past.

But since when has anything ever gone the way he planned?

Ao3

Drowning

Falling

Dark

Cold

Hunter’s coven sigil burned like a wildfire, piercing through the darkness with a beacon of light. It glowed on his wrist like a mini sun, shooting rays outwards.

Mine.

Mine, mine, mine.

It burned, like it had when he’d first gotten it, but the burning didn’t stop, it consumed his skin, his flesh, burning away his bone until—

Beep

Beep

Beep

Hunter rolled over in bed, smacking the alarm clock and then peering at the coven patch on his arm.

No glowing. He scratched at it absentmindedly, getting changed for school and then gently shook Vee’s shoulder. “Time to wake up.”

“No,” she grumbled, “Go ‘way.”

Hunter grabbed the blanket underneath her, bundling her up, then dumped her on the floor.

“Hey!”

“We’re gonna be late.”

Hunter scratched at his patch again—why was it so itchy today—and went downstairs, catching Camila just as she went out the door. “Have a good day at work!”

“Thanks, mijo.” She kissed the top of his head, sending a warm glow pulsing through him. “You have a good day at school.”

“Where’s Luz?” Her bunk had been suspiciously empty when he’d gone to bed last night, and if she’d gotten home after, then she’d left before she woke up.

“Apparently Amity’s parents have locked her up in her room. Luz is going to rescue her, isn’t that sweet?”

“Huh. Yeah.” Hunter kept scratching at his sigil as he wandered into the kitchen, scarfing down a bowl of cereal. Vee thumped down the stairs, grumbling, and got her own bowl of cereal.

“Hey.”

“Mrgh.”

“Do you have drama practice today?”

“Yep.” Vee stretched her hand out, resting it on Hunter’s and quelling his scratching. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just… itchy. It’s probably fine, had a weird dream about it. It’s probably… just… in… my…” A chill ran down Hunter’s spine, and he ran for the calendar. “What day is it?!”

“Oh—I don’t know—Hunter—”

Hunter gripped the counter, blood roaring in his ears. “It’s today,” he whispered.

“What? What’s today?”

“The day of—” Hunter swallowed. “The day of unity. It was supposed to be t—” his fingers curled, and he leaned his head against the wall.

“Hey.” Vee came up next to him, pressing her shoulder to his. “Belos doesn’t have titan’s blood. He doesn’t have you. Whatever his day of unity plans are… they’re shot. Done. Finished. Even if they weren’t, Luz would stop him.” She put her hand over his. “Do you need to stay home today?”

He can’t carry out his plans.

It’s impossible, we took the key from him.

Hunter took a deep breath, slowly uncurling his fingers. “No. No, I’m okay. Let’s go.”

The day of unity can’t happen.

Hunter tucked Flapjack into his school bag, still scratching at his sigil through his hoodie. Vee grabbed her own backpack, and Hunter locked the door behind them.

Xxx

Camila ran up the path to the old abandoned house. Usually she would have waited for the kids to go before leaving herself, but…

She glanced again at her phone as she stood on the porch.

Portal House Motion Detected.

Camila took out her pepper spray, slowly opening the door.

No portal. Camila walked a circle around the area, examining the motion detectors.

“What… set… you…”

She heard a rustle in the corner and whirled around to face it, holding her pepper spray out.

It was pointed at a rabbit, which squeaked when it saw her, then bounded away. Camila let out a sigh of relief, picking up the motion detectors. “Man. Guess I need to reset the sensitivity on these things, huh?”

Xxx

Thomas grabbed Hunter’s arms as he came in the school doors, staring him in the eyes. “I have. A huge problem.”

“What? Did someone toss your whole backpack on the school roof this time? I can’t climb up, my arm is still all kinds of weak from—”

“No, no, not that kind of problem. Plus, dude, last time you broke your arm, I really, really, really don’t want you climbing on the roof for my stuff again. Anyway, so, the problem is, my parents are going to be out of town. My aunt is pregnant, and they’re going to go help her with the kids while she’s giving birth and stuff, but you know, it’s the middle of the school year, so I can’t just go with them.”

“Ooookay?”

“They’re leaving me with my brother,” Thomas groaned, “I’d be better off by myself!”

“Can’t argue there,” Vee agreed, “So, what, you wanna come over to our house or something?”

“Please? Even just for a couple of days, I just don’t want to be alone with him for a whole week, I’ll go insane.”

Jade leaned one elbow on Thomas’ shoulder, coming up from the hallway. “Trying to find someone to adopt you for the week?”

Thomas heaved a sigh. “Yeah.”

“Ah, I’ll ask my parents. They might let you stay over for a few days.”

“Thanks, Jade,” Thomas mumbled gloomily, trudging with Hunter towards the chemistry classroom, “Man, you are so lucky.”

“Yes, because my siblings are the peak of normality,” Hunter remarked as they sat down.

“Yeah, but you’re equally weird.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

“In a good way, dude. Not… whatever my brother’s got going on.” Thomas sighed. “He’s just… so convinced he’s right, you know? And he won’t let it go!”

Well. He’s actually not completely wrong about there being witches.

“I don’t know, I guess I wish he’d just quit clinging to this whole…” Thomas waved his hands. “…thing… so tightly. Or at the least leave people alone instead of harassing them. He was actually fun to hang out with at one point. Now he’s just… obsessed.” Thomas polished his glasses. “Sorry. Shouldn’t dump all of that on you.”

Hunter’s nose crinkled. “You kept the fact that I broke my arm and stole my mom’s deer tranquilizer secret, I think it’s fair to dump a few frustrations.”

“Ha. Yeah, okay, when you put it like that.”

The bell rang, and Hunter turned his attention on their teacher, still scratching at his sigil.

Ugh.

Hunter glanced around the class, then pulled his sleeve up just enough to check on the sigil.

No glowing. Just angry red around the area from all of the scratching. Hunter tucked both of his hands in his lap to keep himself from scratching it more, chewing the inside of his lip.

It’s just in your head.

Just like that, the itching stopped.

Huh.

English.

Math.

Physics.

The intercom crackled on with a screech that made everyone cover their ears. “Hunter, please come to the front office.”

“Ooooooo,” Jade whispered, nudging him with a grin, “What’s up?”

Hunter shuddered. For a second, the voice had sounded like… but that was ridiculous. “I don’t know,” he whispered back, getting up and trudging through the hallways. He couldn’t think of any reason they’d be calling him up. He hadn’t gotten in any trouble. He hadn’t done anything particularly good either. Maybe Vee had gotten sick?

“Hi?” he ventured, putting his hands on the front desk, “You—”

The smell hit him just before the sight did.

Like rotting flesh, and decay.

The receptionist was slumped over her desk (a sleep spell? Or something more sinister?), and Belos was leaning against the table, dressed in clothes that looked like they’d been taken straight out of Jacob’s museum.

Hunter jerked backwards with a squeak, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might break his ribs. “Y-you can’t—”

“And here I thought you’d be pleased to see me.”

Hunter fumbled for his hoodie pocket, for Flapjack, but the familiar lump wasn’t there—put it in my backpack. He managed to grab his phone, but Belos lashed out, knocking the device from his hands.

“Let’s not.”

Hunter backed up, beelining for the door.

This isn’t happening, this is not happening, wake up, wake up, wake up!

“I wouldn’t do that.”

Belos reached to the side, yanking over…

“Hunter?”

Belos put one arm around Thomas, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Come now, Hunter. Why don’t you come along and you can introduce me to your new friend?”

Hunter’s legs wobbled, and he nearly fell on the spot. Thomas was trembling, staring at Hunter with wide, terrified eyes. Hunter’s hand went to his own shoulder. He knew that uncomfortably tight grip.

He has Thomas.

He’ll hurt him if I don’t, if I…

I can’t let him get hurt, not because of me, not again.

“Okay,” he managed in a strangled whisper while his mind screamed RUN! RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN!, “Okay, I’m coming.”

Xxx

“Luz, slow down,” Amity called, “We took out the coven heads, we stopped the day of unity. It’s over.”

Luz shook her head, her feet pounding on the stone floor of the Titan’s skull. “We have to find him, he can’t get away! He’ll just start plotting again, or—or—I don’t know, activate some backup plan!” She skidded to a halt in the stonesleeper room, the portal door in pieces. “Where is he?!”

She paced around, looking for a footprint, anything that would tell her where Phillip had gone. “He can’t have opened the door, he didn’t have… any… titan’s…” She spotted a single brown glove on the floor, and she scooped it up. Part of it was ripped away, but she could still recognize it.

“Luz?” Willow asked softly, coming up behind her, “What is it?”

Luz’s hands trembled, clutching the glove tightly. “It’s Hunter’s,” she said in a strangled whisper.

“What?! But how would he be here? He’s in the human realm with your mom, right?!”

“Belos took—he was worried about—but we thought it would be okay, we thought Belos wouldn’t use it without a way to get back, we—” Luz’s legs wobbled and gave back, sending her crashing to her knees. “We told him it would be okay,” she whispered.

Amity knelt down next to her. “What is it?!”

“It had titan’s blood on it,” Kikimora’s voice echoed from the side. She glared at them from the corner, rubbing her wrist. “Belos confiscated it from him when he ran away. He used the titan’s blood to activate the portal and then… disappeared.”

“We said it would be okay, we told him not to worry!” Luz burst out, “We thought—I thought—but now he’s there, he’s in the human realm, and—and—I have to warn Hunter!” She bounded to her feet. “Amity, we have to fly there as fast as we can—or maybe Eda can—we have to get there!”

Amity steadied her. “Luz, don’t you have the key? Can’t you just summon our door?”

“No, I left it behind at your house because I didn’t want Belos to be able to get it from me when we came here! I didn’t think about—” Luz ran a hand through her hair. “Let’s go!”

Before we’re too late.

Xxx

“Oh, hey, can you take Hunter’s stuff home for him?”

Vee blinked at Jade. “What?”

“He got called down to the office, he never came back for his stuff. I put his bag in his locker, I just assumed he had to go to a doctor’s appointment or something.”

“Not that I know of.” Vee shrugged. “He wasn’t feeling well earlier. Maybe he went home sick.” Bit off more than he could chew, I guess. At least he went home. Not like him to leave his stuff, though.

She followed Jade to his locker, frowning as she heard a banging from inside. “That’s weird, what—”

Jade shook her head, frowning. “I don’t know.” She opened the locker, immediately jumping back, and a bullet of red feathers shot out, twittering and shrieking.

Vee caught the tiny palisman, cupping it gently in her hands. “Flapjack?!”

“How did a living cardinal-?” Jade yelped.

Vee’s heart sank down to her feet. “Something’s wrong,” she whispered. No matter how anxious he was feeling, there was no way Hunter would leave Flapjack behind. She set Flapjack on her shoulder. “I gotta get home. I gotta—I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.”

She bolted for the door, dashing across campus and across the street, not even waiting for the walk signal. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she realized Jade was on her heels. “Jade, go to drama, go—”

“Is Hunter in trouble?”

“Yes—Maybe—I don’t know, but you should go back.”

Jade shook her head, following Vee all the way back to her house. Vee slammed the door open. “HUNTER?!” she yelled, “HUNTER, ARE YOU HOME?! LUZ?!” She tore through the house, checking every room. “HUNTER?!”

“Oh, hi, Ms. Noceda,” she heard Jade saying from downstairs, “You didn’t happen to pick Hunter up from school early, did you?”

Vee tore down the stairs. “Hunter’s missing,” she said in a rush. Flapjack was frantically chirping as well, as if trying to reiterate the point, “He left—when did he leave?!”

“They called him down to the office at the beginning of fourth.”

“And he never came back, and he’s not here, Mom, and he left Flapjack, and—”

“Left Flapjack?” Jade echoed.

Camila nodded, her jaw set in a steel line. “I’m going to check the old house. Vee, stay here in case he comes back. Jade, could you call the shelter, just in case he went there?”

“On it.”

Camila put a hand on Vee’s shoulder. “We’re going to find him,” she promised.

And then she was out the door.

Jade went to the other room, talking for a minute, thanking the person on the other end of the line, then coming back, shaking her head. “He’s not there.”

“Yeah,” Vee said softly, “I figured.”

Jade rubbed her arms. “Vee?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s his uncle, isn’t it.”

The mention made a chill run down Vee’s spine. “We—we don’t know that. I—” How do I explain that there isn’t really much of a way for him to get here because he’s trapped in another dimension?

“But… it might be?”

If today’s the day of unity… it would have been today if any day.

“Yeah,” Vee replied softly, tugging on her hoodie, “It might be.”

Xxx

Camila raced up the path.

Hunter’s missing, Hunter’s missing, Hunter’s missing.

What if the motion detected this morning had been…?

No. No, that was… she’d been there almost immediately after the alarm had gone off.

But still…

Camila slammed the door open.

No portal.

Nothing had been disturbed with the motion detectors.

“Hunter?” she called, pushing further in, “Hunter, mijo, are you in here?”

She heard a thump, and she creaked her way up the stairs, pushing open doors. “Hunter?”

Nothing.

Camila went back down the stairs, heading back towards her house.

Please have come home.

But she knew that he hadn’t. “Anything?” she asked the two girls.

They shook their heads.

“Okay. Jade, thank you, but I think you should go home now. I’ll let you know if we find him.”

Jade shook her head. “I want to help. He’s my friend, and if he’s in danger, or—I want to help him. Even if it’s his uncle. Especially if it’s his uncle.”

“Jade, I appreciate it, I do, but there’s just… it’s complicated.”

Jade’s fists clenched. “I know there’s something weird about Hunter,” she announced.

“What?”

“I know…” Jade ran a hand through her hair, getting it stuck and clutching her curls. “I’m not stupid, okay?! I know… I know he’s not normal. I know he’s not actually from New York. I know he’s got a weird tattoo on his arm, I saw it when he was washing the dog. I know that when I put his bag in his locker, there was probably a wooden cardinal that Thomas has seen poking out before, and when I got back in the afternoon, there was a live cardinal in his locker, and I don’t—I can’t even START to explain that one without thinking maybe I’ve gone bannanas, but I know the two are connected, and—he doesn’t even look normal, I’ve never met anyone with those ears or that eye color!”

She looked up at Camila with big brown eyes. “I’m not… I notice all of that, I see it, and I’m purposely ignoring it, I’m not putting it together because I know he doesn’t want to talk about it, but I know there’s something off about him, okay? So whatever it is about this disappearance that you think is going to scare me off… it won’t. I want to help. Please let me help.”

Camila sighed. “Oh, Jade, I…”

She was saved from having to think of an answer by a knock on the door. She almost immediately threw it open.

“Hunter?!”

“Uh—nope.” Jacob Hopkins winced. “Uh… hello again.”

“YOU!” Camila reached into her purse for her shoe. “It was you wasn’t it?! If you’ve hurt one hair on Hunter’s head—”

“Wha- What?! Calm down, I’m not here to—look, I just wanted to ask if Thomas was here.”

“What?”

“Guess not.” Jacob sighed. “He wasn’t there when I went to pick him up, and I know he wasn’t ecstatic about spending the week with me, so I figured I’d check with his friend, see if he decided to have a sleepover without telling me, but, uh… he’s obviously not here.” He blinked. “Wait, did something happen to his buddy?”

“Thomas is missing?” Camila echoed.

“Huh. Maaaaaybeeeee they’re just playing hooky?”

“Hunter wouldn’t.”

Jacob drooped. “Yeah, Thomas wouldn’t either. If your freak kid has hurt my little brother—”

“My children aren’t freaks,” Camila snapped, “and Hunter would never hurt Thomas.” Well. Not again. I think. She groaned. “I guess… ugh. Look, if—when we find him—”

Jacob pointed behind her. “Mayyyyyybe he went through there? Just a thought.”

Camila whirled around to see Luz’s portal door opening up. Jade was staring at it, jaw practically dropped to the ground.

“Okay,” Hunter’s friend squeaked, “So the cardinal in the locker theory is no longer looking so bananas.”

Luz stumbled through the portal. “Mom!”

“Mija! Mija, we—”

“Mom, where’s Hunter? Something just…” Luz searched her face, eyes flicking back and forth. “Oh. Oh no. No, no, no! I’m too late.”

“Luz. Tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s Belos, Mom. He got through, he used Hunter’s glove, I don’t think he was ever planning on going back to the Isles. He’s here.”

Camila sagged, struggling to breathe. “And he has Hunter and Thomas,” she whispered.