#TFaFT

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Happy Easter!

Here’s the first chapter of my next long-fic project! Don’t worry, I’ll still work on Scattered Cicadas as well. For now, please enjoy this chapter! And leave a comment to let me know what you think!

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Tangerine Fur and Fraying Trust - Chapter One

Cornered in the desert with no way to escape, Tang is forced to break a pact and reveal things about himself in order to protect those he cares about. How will his family, both old and new, react to the secrets he’s been keeping? With enemies pursuing them from all sides, will Tang be able to rekindle the frayed trust in him and overcome the coming darkness? Or will everything be consumed by ice and shadow?

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There were many times over the past year that he could have- should have- interfered. Moments where his skills and expertise would have turned the tide in their favor. Advice he could have shared to smooth out various misunderstandings. Knowledge he should have passed down that would have hastened growth. Anything.

Yet he hadn’t. He had watched MK’s journey to becoming a hero passively. Held back at first by fear of retribution, and then by complacency. After all, the young man seemed to be getting the hang of things. No matter how bad the situation got, MK managed to succeed in the end. All without his help. 

So he relaxed. Settled back into the role of the eccentric scholar. Offering help that a human with an interest in stories and a penchant for tricking a free bowl of noodles from his partner would be expected to give. Nothing more and nothing less. It wasn’t even that hard. He had quite grown fond of how freeing it was to just be himself without the weight of expectations and preconceived notions holding him back.

MK could handle himself, he had thought. If he couldn’t, his mentor was someone he still had quite a bit of faith in even all these years later. Surely there would be no obstacle they, along with the rest of MK’s family, would not be able to overcome. Revealing himself was simply not necessary.

Tang clenched his fists.

Oh, what a fool he had been.

The appearance of Lady Bone Demon and her theft of MK’s powers and Wukong’s staff had been a splash of icy water in his face. One that washed away his contentment to go with the flow and forced him to take a long look at himself. What he saw disgusted him. He had become lax. Lazy. Allowed his normally sharp senses and instincts to dull. He had committed his personal gravest sin by being inattentive.

If- no- when the others found out about this, they were going to be furious with him. Not that he deserved anything less.

A roar from Mei snapped Tang back to the present. She was surrounded by her dragon aura, blasting apart the mech Macaque piloted for what seemed like the dozenth time. Tang winced as he realized that this was not the time to be fixated on his failings. He needed to pay attention to what was happening now. Damn this new unhealthy habit of focusing on the wrong things and blocking everything else out!

So much had happened in the past forty-eight hours since they fled from Lady Bone Demon. Macaque tracking them down and the airship crashing into the ocean. Being imprisoned by Ao Guang, the Dragon of the East, and then fleeing once more in the RV Sandy had built as Macaque attacked the underwater palace. Barely making it a few hours into the desert before Macaque found them again.

Tang had been reeling from the shock of his own incompetence that he hadn’t been able to react or help properly. Yet another failure. But no more! He needed to take stock of the situation and act.

The RV was destroyed. That had been Macaque’s first action upon catching up to them. Luckily, they had managed to evacuate before he had crushed it underneath the foot of his mech. With the miles of empty desert sand surrounding them, they had no choice but to stand and fight.

Unfortunately, Wukong had gone into a deep meditative trance not even an hour earlier. Leaving them the dire warning to not interrupt him and with MK’s own powers not working, they were without their two heaviest hitters. Mei stepped up and engaged Macaque’s mech with her dragon aura instead.

She had landed a deciding blow, vaporizing a good chunk of the mech. Their celebration was short lived though as it had just started to regenerate. Even now, Macaque’s laughter filled the air as his mech repaired itself from Mei’s most recent attack.

In short, they were trapped with nowhere to run, facing a seemingly unbeatable enemy, and relying solely on Mei who would not last forever to protect them. It was far past time he did something.

Tang took a step forward, but hesitated when the binding around his neck heated up in warning. Even in his weakened and dulled state, there was no doubt he would be able to defeat Macaque with ease. But what then? The RV was reduced to scrap. He doubted anything of use could be made from it even with vehicle manifestation magics. That left them stranded and exposed for the reprisal that would come for breaking his word.

“This isn’t good,” Pigsy said, distracting Tang from his thoughts. “We’ve got nowhere to go and Mei’s not going to last much longer. We can’t even wake up Monkey King early ‘cause he made it clear only bad things would happen if we did.” He shook his head in despair. “It’s hopeless!”

A jolt ran through Tang as if struck by lightning.

Hope.

He reached beneath his robes and clasped the wooden totem he wore around his neck at all times. There was somewhere they could go. Someplace safe from both Lady Bone Demon and those who would pursue him for revealing himself. They would be intruding and most likely be unwelcome, but Tang would worry about that later. Right now he needed to get his current family to safety and hope things could be worked out.

Tang was sure their host would appreciate that thought at least.

His doubt shattered and resolve coursing through his veins, Tang threw his scarf away and placed a hand to the golden runes etched upon his skin. With a surge of power and a quick tug, the binding was snapped off. He examined the ring of symbols for a moment, squinting at something that didn’t seem quite right. He shook his head and dismissed it for now. He needed to stay focused

Capturing the spell in a stasis field before it could disperse and tucking it away into his robes, Tang steadied himself for what he was about to do. He had already broken the binding, so there was no undoing his decision. There were going to be so many questions from his loved ones that were going to be difficult to answer. He just prayed they would eventually forgive his deceit.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his thoughts so he could focus on what was in front of him. Determined to go through with it before his resolve wavered, Tang bent down and quickly began unlacing his boots.

“Uh, Tang? What are you doing?” Sandy asked, lightly repositioning the unresponsive Monkey King in his arms and drawing attention to the scholar.

“Getting us out of here,” Tang replied, kicking off his boots and pulling off his socks as well.

“How is taking off your shoes going to help?” Pigsy said skeptically.

“You’ll see.” Tang straightened up and tucked his glasses into a pocket. They were purely cosmetic anyway. He turned and looked each of his companions in the eyes in turn. “No matter what happens, I need you all to trust me.”

“What’s going to happen?” MK’s voice wavered. “Tang?”

“Some pretty weird stuff,” Tang admitted. His stomach twisted at the frightened and confused looks he was receiving. “I’m going to be doing all that I can to get us somewhere safe. So please, just trust me.”

“I-” MK turned to look at where Mei was clashing with Macaque’s mech, her movements noticeably sluggish. He swallowed and looked back to Tang. “O-okay. I trust you.”

“I trust you, little buddy,” Sandy pitched in enthusiastically.

“You better know what you’re doing,” Pigsy huffed, crossing his arms. While his posture seemed annoyed, Tang could see the worry in his eyes. He would have to make it up to him, to them all, later.

“Thank you,” Tang sighed in relief. “Just… Save your questions for later, alright?”

Tang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It had been some time since he had reverted to his birth form. It wasn’t strictly necessary to activate the key, but his powers and connection to the Earth were stronger when he was. With how lax he had become, he would need the boost to distract Macaque long enough for them to make their escape. He focused and with a pulse of magic, he began to change. 

Fur sprouted all over his body. His feet shifted to where he stood primarily on his toes. His skull elongated into a snout. Claws grew from his fingers which shortened in length and developed paw pads. A short fluffy tail grew from the base of his spine and his ears lengthened quite significantly. Tang took a breath once the transformation finished and opened his eyes. The others stared back in astonishment.

“Whoa…” Sandy said, his mouth hanging open.

“You’re a rabbit?!” Pigsy exclaimed, eyes wide and arms having fallen to his side.

“You’re orange?” MK said, scratching his head at Tang’s bright fur color as opposed to his sudden species change.

“I’ll explain later,” Tang promised as he turned towards the mech and flexed his paws. He grinned as he felt his magic flow through him. “Right now we need to get out of here.”

Tang shifted and concentrated, stance firm despite the sand. His magic spread out down into the Earth surrounding them. Once he built up enough, he took a step forward and swung his fists downwards in a straightforward and sturdy motion. He then stepped back, pulling his fists straight up. As he did, solid stone burst out from beneath the sand underneath Macaque’s mech, encasing it up to its neck. Opening his fists, Tang spread his arms out wide and golden chains of magical energy appeared, wrapping around the stone sealing it in place.

“Holy shit!”

“Language, MK!”

“Mei, get over here,” Tang shouted. He straightened up and took a deep breath. That should not have taken that much out of him. He was more out of practice than he thought.

“What happened? Why’s shadow boy locked in stone? Who’s the rabbit dude? Where’s Tang?” Mei fired off several questions as she rejoined the group, looking pretty worn out herself.

“The rabbit is Tang and he’s the one who trapped Macaque,” MK said.

“What?!”

“Later, I promise,” Tang interrupted as he reached beneath his robes and clasped onto the totem. “Everyone grab hold of me!”

Once everyone had done so, he pulsed his magic into the totem. It replied with its own weak pulse, slowly poking out and touching Tang and his companions. As it investigated them, one of the chains sealing Macaque in place shattered.

“Tang…” MK eyed the trembling stone prison warily.

“It’s warming up, give it a second.”

“We might not have a second, Tang,” Pigsy said, flinching as another chain failed. “Hurry it up!”

Tang closed his eyes and blocked out everything, including his rising panic. This needed to work. He needed to get them all to safety.

Snap!

“Tang?”

This would work. He would be able to protect them all this time. He believed this would work.

The totem grew warm to the touch.

Snap! Snap!

“Tang!”

They were all going to be fine. No matter what, he would hold fast to his hope.

A wave of magic flowed from the totem, enveloping them all.

Tang’s eyes snapped open as the final chain shattered and the rock began to crumble.

“Brace yourselves!” He tapped his foot twice against the ground. The sand and earth beneath them gave way, opening into a large hole.

The last thing Tang saw as the group fell in screaming was Macaque breaking free of the stone and charging at them fruitlessly.

The earth closed above them long before he reached where they had been.

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The past week had not been very fun for MK. It had to be in the Top Five of Worst Experiences He’d Had if he were to rate it. Right up there with Spider Queen’s takeover of the city. Or that time in High School when he was sick for a whole week. Having his powers and staff stolen by a creepy and terrifying demon lady then having to go on the run for nearly two days straight was definitely not something he hoped to repeat in his lifetime.

He felt so… Useless. First with Macaque attacking them on the ship, and then when they were imprisoned by Mei’s Great-Great-Great-Many-Times-Great-Grand Uncle. Without his powers he couldn’t do anything. Like he was sure Monkey King had implied before going into his meditation, he would just get in the way and put himself in danger if he tried to fight now.

Standing back and watching Mei take on Macaque’s mech solo had been hard. At first it looked like she had been winning, but then it just kept regenerating over and over. MK could see his best friend starting to get tired after a while. Frustration had started to build within him and he had almost stepped forward to help anyway despite his missing abilities.

But then Tang stepped forward first. 

Of everything that had happened so far, what happened next was nowhere near what MK ever expected to happen.

He wasn’t sure what surprised him more. The fact that Tang was actually some sort of rabbit demon, or that he was bright orange in color. Maybe it was the sudden show of some seriously awesome magic as he temporarily sealed Macaque in place. That he was hiding this from them for all this time was up there too.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get long to think about it. A sudden wave of warm magic washed over them all and Tang’s eyes snapped open at the same moment the final chain keeping Macaque in place broke.

“Brace yourselves!” Tang tapped the ground twice with one of his now large furry feet. MK barely had time to react as the earth beneath them opened up into a large hole.

There was quite a lot of screaming as they fell in. They hit something solid yet slippery as they started to slide wildly downwards. It was surprisingly well lit, and MK was soon able to realize they were careening down a tunnel lined with moss. It was… pretty fun actually.

MK’s screams soon turned into shouts of exhilaration alongside Mei’s as they slid down, down, and even further down. The random twists and drops and loops made this better than any slide or roller coaster he had ever been on! He spotted something out of the corner of his vision and his eyes widened.

Tang, who was indeed still a rabbit, wasn’t sliding. He was running along the walls of the tunnels on all fours. He was keeping pace with their frantic descent and hopping over them with precision and grace. He caught MK staring at him and smirked before jumping over the young man as he slid fully around the circumference of the tunnel. He gave MK a wink just as the tunnel dropped out once again and he lost sight of him amongst the rush of green and brown blurring past.

So cool!

Their wild ride ended just as suddenly as it began, the tunnel flattening out and shooting them into a much more open space. As they all came to a stop in an undignified heap, MK couldn’t help but laugh. That had been a blast! He extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and exchanged a high five with Mei.

“That was awesome!” He cheered alongside her, ignoring Sandy’s groans and Pigsy’s muttered cursing.

A sudden breeze caught him off guard. Weren’t they underground? As the excitement began to fade, MK took the time to examine their new surroundings.

“Whoa…” He breathed, almost unbelieving of what he was seeing. “Where are we?”

They were underground as he thought, but he’d be forgiven for expressing his doubts. The cavern they now stood in was massive, with something as bright as the sun high up towards the distant ceiling providing plenty of light. There was vibrant plant life everywhere. Fields of emerald grass and flowers of every color and egg shaped rocks covered in moss. Was that a forest in the distance?!

The breeze returned, and MK took a deep breath. The air was crisp and pleasant and clean. It carried the scent of freshly thawed soil and morning dew on grass and everything else he associated with Spring. He could swear he could hear the sound of running water for just a moment before the wind settled. He would not be surprised if there was a full blown river down here at this point.

This place was special. Unique. Important. Even with his powers on the fritz, MK could practically taste the capital M Magic that infused every inch of the cave. It was deeply connected to Nature and the Earth. It reminded him a lot of Flower Fruit Mountain, actually.

“She’s a beaut, ain’t she?” Tang said, his voice slipping into a strange accent as he looked out across the lush cave as well. He sounded both happy and… sad somehow? Huh?

MK blinked as he had to look up into Tang’s face. He had almost forgotten Tang was a rabbit. A bright orange rabbit. That apparently meant he was taller now. The rabbit part, not the orange part. The altered face shape meant his expression was a bit harder to read, yet MK was surprised that he recognized it. He wasn’t entirely sure what it meant, but it was the one Monkey King would get sometimes when he made those origami figures of the other pilgrims.

MK had so many questions.

“Yeah, it’s amazing, but where are we?” Mei repeated MK’s question.

“We’re somewhere safe,” Tang replied, his accent returning to normal as he stood up straighter. He began scanning the path leading further into the cave that the tunnel had deposited them on with intense focus.

“Somewhere safe?” Sandy said as he made sure Monkey King hadn’t suffered any damage during their wild ride.

“Yes. At least, I hope so…” Tang’s ears and nose twitched occasionally as he vigilantly watched the path. “I… I’m not supposed to bring strangers here without permission. I’m just relieved the key accepted you all and opened for us.”

“Wait, are you saying this might not have worked?!” Pigsy said, incredulous. “And what do you mean you don’t have permission to bring strangers here?”

“Exactly that,” Tang said. “This place belongs to… someone I’ve known for a long time. He doesn’t really like having unexpected guests.”

“But, you’re good friends with this guy, right?” Sandy asked. “That means it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, should it?”

Tang winced. That wasn’t a good sign.

“We’re doomed,” Pigsy groaned, unknowingly agreeing with MK’s thoughts.

“It’s… It’s complicated,” Tang admitted, his ears drooping. 

Wow. He looked very sad like that. But in a cute way. MK was sorely tempted to reach out and give Tang a hug. And maybe a pat on the head? Would that be offensive? Surely just because he looked like a soft and cuddly animal Tang wouldn’t appreciate being treated like one.

“We are close,” Tang continued, distracting MK from that line of thought. “But the last time we met was many years ago and we parted in a rather… explosive argument. We haven’t spoken since and he will not be pleased to see me in his home unannounced and with uninvited strangers to boot.”

“Then why did you bring us here?!” Pigsy’s temper was starting to wear thin. MK took a step back to avoid the oncoming outburst. “You said you were bringing us somewhere safe and now you tell us whoever lives here isn’t going to be happy to see us! Plus you aren’t on good terms with him right now! Who’s to say he won’t attack us straight away? That you’ve just led us into another fight?”

“He won’t attack us.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I’ve known him all of my life,” Tang said, voice hard like steel. “Unless we throw the first blow, the worst he will do is eject us back to where we entered.”

“How is that any better?!” 

“It won’t happen as long-” Tang began.

“As long as what? You talk to him? Simply explain to this guy who’s been angry at you for years that we need his help for nothing in return?” Pigsy marched over to Tang and scowled up at him. “How can you be sure that will work? Considering how you’ve obviously been hiding things from us this whole time, why should we believe you?”

Tang’s ears went fully flat at that and MK’s heart twinged in sympathy at the hurt on his face. He may have agreed with some of what Pigsy was saying, but he didn’t like throwing accusations around. It made him feel icky whenever he assumed the worst in others. Especially those he cared about. They did need answers, but this wasn’t the way to get them.

“Come on Pigsy,” MK said, trying to ease the tension. “Aren’t you being a little harsh? He did get us away from Macaque.”

“No, MK,” Tang spoke up, catching him off guard. “He’s right. I have been hiding things from you. I can’t fully explain why just yet, we don’t have the time, but I need to start being more honest with you all.”

Tang took a deep breath and looked Pigsy in the eye.

“I know he won’t attack and will at least hear us out because… Because he’s my brother.”

MK’s jaw dropped at that. That… wasn’t what he had been expecting. But considering everything else that had happened so far, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised at all.

“Oh.” Pigsy’s temper deflated as he blinked. “Uh, like, sworn brothers or…?”

“No, full blooded brothers,” Tang corrected as he returned to scanning the path.

“Oh. So is, uh, he also…” Pigsy vaguely gestured at Tang.

“A rabbit?” Tang chuckled. “Technically we aren’t rabbits, but yes, we are the same species.”

“You aren’t rabbits?” Mei sounded as confused as MK felt.

“That’s a long story.” Tang’s ears perked up and his eyes narrowed. “One I can’t get into as we’re out of time.”

The tension in the air immediately returned and MK shifted instinctively into a battle-ready stance.

“Listen, I need you all to trust me again,” Tang said as he stepped up in front of the group, facing away from them.

“What? Why?” MK asked.

“While I can probably get him to hear us out, you were right to not underestimate his anger at me. I can convince him to stop and listen, but it will take some extreme measures.” He half turned to give them an intense stare. “No matter what happens, even if it appears that my life may be in danger, do not interfere. Understand?”

“But…”

“Understand?”

MK swallowed as he shared an uncertain look with the others. Deciding to trust him once more through an unspoken agreement, they all turned and gave Tang shaky nods.

Tang returned the nod and turned back to face the path, standing tall and straight.

Before too long, the sound of something approaching rapidly was heard. A figure could be seen running towards them on all fours at full speed. It was hard to make anything out except a gray blur as it grew closer. MK took a step back as it seemed the figure wasn’t going to stop and might plow straight into Tang.

Had he blinked, he would have missed the way they bounced a quick hop high into the air to shed speed and landed at a dead stop just a few feet in front of Tang. They stood to their full height and MK got his first good look at Tang’s brother.

They were indeed a rabbit, or looked like a rabbit, just like Tang. 

They were also almost completely naked. 

Save for some forearm guards, a bandolier around his chest, and foot wrappings, they wore no clothing. MK nearly choked at that before he realized that there wasn’t actually anything there to see. That was… odd. A relief for sure, but certainly strange. Once he got past that shock he began to examine them a bit closer.

They had blue-gray fur with a white front, which was strangely normal considering Tang’s bright orange. He had almost expected them to be the same color. There were darker patterns on his forehead, arms, and legs however. They looked almost like natural tattoos that grew in that way. In fact, he had noticed Tang had a similar mark on his forehead as well. Interesting…

Tang’s brother was the taller of the two. If only by an inch or so. Still, they were over six feet tall if he had to guess. Not counting the long ears. Which was more than enough for the gray rabbit to be looking down at them all. Well, maybe not Sandy. Not many people were taller than him.

Their expression was carefully neutral as they examined their group, but MK could see a bit of hardness in their eyes. Eyes that were a startling bright green. They looked almost familiar… MK blinked as he realized where he saw those eyes before. They were the exact same shade as Tang’s. He hadn’t been sure if he’d be able to tell if there was any family resemblance between the two, but that was at least one definite link.

The silence stretched on as Tang’s brother stared them down. MK did his best to avoid fidgeting. The gray rabbit was rather intimidating and he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. He swallowed nervously as he resisted the urge to wipe away a bead of sweat. He wished one of them would say something. This suspense was torture!

“Why are you here?” Tang’s brother finally said, voice brusk and cold. MK shivered at the edge in their words. Tang hadn’t been lying about them not being happy to see them.

Tang took a deep breath before lowering himself to one knee. He spread his arms out, palms open and facing forward. He tilted his head back and to the side, presenting his neck while keeping eye contact with his brother.

Then he spoke.

It was unlike any language MK had ever heard. He wasn’t sure how to describe it. It… flowed. Rising and falling in a beautiful way. It was like music, almost. Tang’s brother must not have been expecting it either if the short flicker of surprise in his eyes were any indication. 

The hardness quickly returned though once Tang finished whatever he was saying. In response, the gray rabbit reached behind their back and pulled out… curved wooden sticks? No, boomerangs. Boomerangs with some seriously sharp edges now that MK looked closely. Sharp edges which were very quickly placed against Tang’s throat, who did not flinch or look away.

What? MK’s pulse quickened. Tang had been so sure his brother wouldn’t harm him. Had he been wrong? He needed to stop them!

A hand clamped down tightly on his arm. He jerked around to see Mei holding on to him. She shook her head and pulled him back from the half step he had involuntarily taken. MK grit his teeth and stepped back reluctantly. Right, they had promised to not interfere. He felt so useless, again! At least the tight grip Mei had on her sword in her other hand showed he wasn’t alone in his thoughts this time.

Tang’s brother was speaking now. The foreign language was still flowing and beautiful, but there was a strange bit of formality in their cadence. Almost as if they were reciting something. Tang’s initial response had felt that way as well, in hindsight.

The brothers exchanged words for a few minutes. All the while, Tang remained on one knee while his brother held the wooden blades to his neck. MK had no idea what they were saying, but from the way their tones changed, it seemed like Tang was being forced to explain himself. At least, he assumed the shorter, harsher sentences from Tang’s brother were questions. Tang’s answers fluctuated from matter of fact to hesitant to subdued.

Throughout it all, the expression on the gray rabbit’s face never changed. They remained stoic and focused on their brother, not giving away what they thought. MK wished he could see Tang’s face so he could have an idea on what was happening.

The flow of the conversation changed suddenly. Tang’s brother seemed to be reciting several things again to Tang, and Tang would give a short response that sounded like he agreed. Promises? Demands? An oath? 

Whatever it was, it made MK’s anxiety ratchet up as he realized the conversation was about to end. However the gray rabbit would respond determined whether they would be safe, or be forced back out into the desert with Macaque. He hoped that whatever Tang had said had been enough. Not just for their sake, but for Tang’s as well. He didn’t have siblings, unless he counted Mei, and it would kill him inside to not be able to speak to her for years at a time. 

He hoped this would be a good first step to mend whatever torn feeling the brothers had for each other.

The gray rabbit looked up and met his eyes for just a moment before looking back to Tang.

MK felt a chill up his spine. What was that?! Why had they looked right at him? They weren’t able to read minds, were they? God, he seriously hoped not.

There was another stretch of silence, and MK felt about ready to burst from the tension. Then, Tang’s brother removed the boomerangs from Tang’s throat and took a step back. They said something that sounded like a declaration as he sheathed the wooden blades on his back once more. They then stretched out a hand to Tang, who’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief.

MK let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, hearing similar sighs from the others around him. It worked! They were safe for now.

MK let out a yawn and blinked as his eyes drooped. Wow. He was tired. Exhausted, actually. When was the last time he had a decent night’s sleep? A week ago? Two? It was sometime before he met Lady Bone Demon for the first time underground when she was pretending to be a frightened little girl. Had it really been that short of a time? It felt much longer.

WHACK!

MK jumped a little as Tang’s brother smacked the orange rabbit over the side of the head after helping him up. His heart sped up again. Had he assumed wrong? Were they about to be kicked out?

“Ow, ow, yeah, I deserved that,” Tang moaned as he rubbed the spot he’d been hit.

“Ya deserve a whole lot worse!” Tang’s brother said in a rather strong accent. “Now come here!”

Tang tensed as his brother moved in close again but blinked in surprise as he was pulled into a hug.

“You aren’t forgiven. Not yet. But, dammit, I missed ya a lot, Tangerine.”

MK shook his head. Had he heard that right? The confusion of the last few hours and his sleepiness must be playing tricks on him. Did they just call Tang Tangerine?

“I missed you too,” Tang said as he returned the embrace. He pressed his forehead to his brother’s. “I promise, I’m going to fix all this.”

“Don’t make promises ya might not be able to keep,” the gray rabbit warned softly as he pulled away. He glanced over to the rest of their group and frowned. “I think full introductions and explanations will have to wait til later. Your crew looks dead on their feet.”

MK yawned again as he looked at the others. Like Tang’s brother had said, they all looked terrible. Bags under their eyes, sand in their rumpled clothes, and various scrapes and bruises from the two vehicle crashes they had managed to live through in the same amount of days. There was only one thing on MK’s mind right now and that was sleep.

He really hoped there wouldn’t be any more earth-shattering surprises. He might not be able to take it.

“Alright you lot, let me welcome ya officially to The Warren,” Tang’s brother said. “I’ll get ta know ya after you’ve had some shut eye. For now, you can call me Bunny.”

“Bunny?” Pigsy gaped. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” The gray rabbit smirked mischievously. “But if that bothers you, you can call me by my full title.”

Tang tensed. Uh oh…

“And… That would be?” Sandy asked.

Tang’s brother gave a toothy grin.

“The Easter Bunny.”

MK’s brain officially fizzled out and stopped processing.

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So what did you think? Quite a bit was revealed in a short time. Are your brains fried like MK’s here? ;P

Shout-out to @skellebonez once again for being a wonderful friend and sounding board as I rambled to them about this!

This is actually a re-write of a one shot I wrote some months ago. I liked the idea so much I decided to take a more serious crack at it and turn it into a full fic. I’m super excited for some of the things I have planned.

Unfortunately, I don’t know when the next chapter will be ready. I’ve managed to get a new job that required me to move states. I’m still settling in and getting used to working full time again. Hopefully a routine will settle and I’ll be able to start writing more often.

But for now, stay safe! Care for one another! And never give up on Hope!

Until Next Time!

[loveinkfanfics]

3, 6, and 9! (Even though I know the answer to 6…but we all love talking about our OCs!)

Hi!!!!!

First of all, I just have to say I LOVE your writing and have been meaning to go back and re-read your Juice/Olivia stories because they're all amazing!!

3. What's a fic idea that you have but haven't written yet?

Oof. I haven't had a good fic idea in a long time besides the ones I'm writing (and I feel like I haven't been inspired for one of them in a long time...). Life threw me quite a curveball, and I've been feeling a bit uninspired unfortunately. :(

6. Have you written any fanfictions featuring OCs?

YES!! I've written several!! I've got my Sons of Anarchy OCs and the Fast and the Furious OCs. I haven't written for TFAFT in YEARS, so they're a little far from my mind, though I'll always love Michaela and Alex (I still can't believe I used my own name for this one. I was pretty green writing wise and couldn't think of a better name than my own. She's nothing like me, though lol), but I love my SOA OCs especially Ms. Angela Ruiz. ;) She's a kickass mortician who was inspired but a mortician I met once before. I work in the "death care" industry myself (adjacent to what Ang does), but I really loved researching her side and being able to add it into the fic. I also loved writing a counterpart to Juice who's nerdy in her own way, loving, and there to provide him with support. Their original story is Hands All Over, but I've recently been writing an AU (She Will Be Loved) where they started out as close friends, and I'm loving their relationship in this one even more. :)

9. What's your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written? This is a hard one! Like picking a favorite child or something. >.< I very much love the way I ended 'Hands All Over' (I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it). I still can't believe I was able to bring it full circle and use that last line. I also love Ch. 51 of She Will Be Loved. ;) I also just love writing fluff and the cheesy moments. Those are my favorite kinds of scenes. :D I'm not sure that really answers the question, but this one was tough! lol

THANK YOU for the asks!!! This was so fun!! :D