#Yup made it up there without the Tri Rod

[thejolteonmastertj]

Me: Wow, why do all the townsfolk seem to know Zelda personally like she’s just any ol local girl.

Also me: Spends like an hour hopping onto any & every surface that can be hopped onto, hopping into the town square fountain, trying to hop into the well, hopping into & hiding in pots, jumpscaring the local cops, crawling out of the well dripping wet somehow, chasing butterflies, & occasionally managing some parkour on the rooftops… ah, I see.

[bakubitch-minusultra]

Not Alone: Chapter Eight

-> an apocalyptic series with bnha characters but without quirks because im the writer and i can do whatever the fuck i want -3- this one is a lil ;-; at the end and i apologize in advance i just like fucking with people c:<

-> Word Count: 2.8k

-> Warnings: pervy doods, blood(?), descriptions of sexual assault

-> Taglist:@5sosfckss @laudthingcat [if you wanna be added lmk <3]

A hand slipped over her mouth and Y/n instantly thought of the germs and squeezed her lips together.

“Don’t move, princess. They’ve come for you. Those fuckers sold you out to the breeders. Or it was that old bitch. You should know better than to trade with the first person who talks to you. You bush people are stupid.” Her bright white smile flashed in the darkness. “Don’t look so scared, I have a way out.”

Y/n nodded as the lady pulled her hand away from her face. The lady held her hand out and Y/n fished a ruby ring out of her sports bra and put it in the lady’s hand. She turned her back on Y/n and walked to a closet.

She opened the door and Y/n followed, holding her sack close to her chest. The lady pulled on the rod for hanging clothes in the closet, which made the wall pop out. She pushed it inside and walked into the wall. She entered the darkness and Y/n put her hands out. She heard voices coming to the room and she quickly closed the wall behind them.

She felt the lady’s hand grip hers suddenly. Y/n wanted to scream but she didn't. Her pulse was vibrating throughout her body.

Words were whispered into the darkness.

“Stairs.” Y/n put her feet down to the next level slowly. They could hear men’s voices above her.

“What the fuck is this?” The men sounded like they were right on top of her.

“She was here.”

Y/n heard the old woman’s voice. She felt cheated and betrayed. For trade she would sell Y/n out. Sell her out to the farms. Y/n knew humanity was a disgusting disappointment, but she still had a hard time imagining a woman turning in another woman to the farms.

“She was here, please. Let him just come home for a few days.”

Y/n continued down the stairs, feeling each step with the tips of her boots. It felt like an eternity had passed by the time they reached the bottom. The voices were gone and what replaced them was a dripping sound and damp cold air. The kind that could only be found underground.

“This was your house wasn’t it?” Y/n whispered.

“Yup. My husband had this installed when we built the house. He worked for the CIA.” Y/n felt her grip her hand again and pull her. “The ground is flat. We have to hurry.”

Y/n was stunned at the fact that no one knew about her underground bunker. But not as stunned as she was about her willingly helping Y/n escape.

“You could’ve sold me to them.” Y/n felt the lady’s fingers grip hers. Her voiced had changed.

“They have no right. No right to do what they’re doing.” The lady’s finger bit into Y/n’s shoulders as she shook her. “You gotta hurry. Don’t come back here. The girls get taken. The hunters are dressed up as traders but they’re not. Run. Feel your fingers along the wall until you see the light in the ceiling. Climb up there. It’s a latch. I have to get back now.”

Before Y/n could thank her the lady was gone. She was alone in the dark.

The fear was crippling her. She reached a trembling hand out into the darkness. Cold hard stone met her somewhere in the dark. She ran her fingers along it, running as best as she could. She was scared. She hated being scared. She decided that she needed a rule about being scared and doing things that made her scared.

She saw the ring of light up ahead. It had cast a dull beam in the shape of a circle on the floor. The morning sun was rising. She had slept later than she thought she would have. She should’ve been halfway home by the time the sun came up.

She felt like she was stepping into a magical light, like in the movies she had watched with her grandmother. The dark of the bunker was held at bay by the tiny ring of light. Dust particles sparkled inside of the ring. She reached her hands through it, watching as she made the dust dance in the light.

She looked up at the ring of light and then put her hand out at the small ladder she could see. She climbed until her head was at the wooden hatch. She listened to the silence. Nothing made a sound. She didn’t want to open the hatch. She wanted to hide in the dark of the bunker and never come out.

She heard a whisper in the wind. It was a sound she would know anywhere. It wasn’t close to her location, but it hurt her just the same. It could’ve been her.

She took a breath and put her hand on the bottom of the hatch. She tried to calm the shaking but she couldn’t. She pushed on the hatch and light flooded the small space even though the crack was tiny. The sun hadn’t completely risen, just as the moon hadn’t fully set. It was dawn.

She saw greenery everywhere around the hatch. Moss and brush surrounded her. She didn’t see anything but the sounds of the screams had filled the air. The animals made no noise, as the people had taken over the space with their screams again.

“Please! Please! Stop, please! I have money!” Her voice scared Y/n. The desperation frightened her. She had never been that desperate but she knew she had it in her. “Please sir, please! Don’t you have a sister or a wife you would want to keep safe?! Please! I’ll let you do whatever you want just don’t take me! Don’t take me back there! I’ll die in there!”

Y/n wanted to rock back and forth on the ground. She wished they would just kill her already so she would shut up. She was frozen. She didn’t leave the bunker but she didn’t close the lid either.

She knew she was in danger. She took a deep breath. She thought of Hades and Kirishima. She thought of poor Mina alone and taking care of Kirishima. She felt bravery, or stupidity, for the smallest of seconds and pulled herself out of the bunker and slid along the moss and brush. She made very little noise but every movement or rustle felt as loud as a gunshot. She crept along the ground on her hands and feet like Hades did. She moved away from the town. She didn’t know where she was but she was scared.

She got to a crowded bunch of trees and bushes and decided she needed to risk it and stand. She needed her bearings. She took another deep breath and slid her body up along the side of a tree. She tried to blend in. Hoards of people had gathered in the street in front of the town. Y/n could see the field and the cement road. She knew she was on the right side.

Women and children were being loaded into trucks. They sobbed and reached for their loved ones. One girl looked about thirteen. Y/n felt anger welling inside of her. There were four guards from the gates and five other men milling around the trucks. The tenth man was inside the cab of the truck.

Her brain was screaming at her to help the girl. She was a kid but that wouldn’t stop them. The sweaty men who took turns. She closed her eyes and shook her head to rearrange her thoughts.

She turned her back on them. She ran away like the coward she was. She ran until she found the broken branches. She used them to lead herself back to her weapon stash. She breathed easier when her bow was back in her hand and she could just kiss her knife. She tucked it into her boot and started the run back to her house. She ran faster than she did the day before. She ran with a new fear.

Xxxx

She reached the house in the middle of the night and saw Hades' eyes. He stalked toward her and sniffed her everywhere. He was checking to make sure she was okay. When she bent her knee to kiss him, she started to sob. He had seen that before. He knew sometimes she just needed to get it out.

“Y/n?” She looked up to see Mina pointing a gun at her. Y/n smiled and held up her sack and Mina lowered the gun. “You okay?”

“No, but it’s not anything new. How is he?” Y/n could see the grim look on Mina’s face in the moonlight and her stomach sank. She wanted to panic and cry out.

“He’s fading fast. I was about to cut his leg off when I heard you.”

Y/n sighed and broke into a run and bursted through the farm door, something she’d never done before. She pulled the needle out of the sack with one of the vials as she kneeled before Kirishima. His red hair was matted against his face and Y/n could see where his black roots were growing in from the lack of dye. She could see the moisture in the moonlight.

Mina poured the vodka she found in one of the cupboards all over Y/n’s hands and the needles and vial. The liquor was splashing all over her. She held the bottle up to Y/n’s lips and it burned its way down her empty stomach. The bits of food she had eaten were long gone. Thank god. Mina wiped his arm and Y/n finished putting the vial together and stabbed him in the arm. She pushed it in slowly like her dad had showed her. Kirishima didn’t stir. He didn’t register that Y/n was pumping his arm full of antibiotics.

She pulled the bandages off his wounds. The red lines were everywhere and she swallowed hard. Mina put the vodka back to Y/n’s lips and she drank again. She poured the tea tree all over the wound and blade of her knife. She sliced into the swollen part of the injury and milked the puss from it. She poured more tea tree after, being careful as to not rupture the blood vessels and cause more infection. When it was clean again and there was no more puss she smothered it in the old tube of medical salve. She covered it again with a gauze bandage and tape.

His fever was still high and he licked his lips and looked down at Y/n with blood shot eyes.

“You made it back.” Y/n nodded, his expression was breaking her heart. He looked so weak. He reached a hand to hers and squeezed. “I was worried.”

“I can take care of myself.” Y/n didn’t even let the bizarre day she had cross her mind. It was not the time to stress him out.

“I don’t doubt that, you scare me.”

Y/n laughed. She couldn’t help herself. He was huge and no doubt strong, stronger than he knew. Stronger than Y/n. She tried not to think about the young girls in the truck. She was a coward.

“I’m goin’ back to watching.” Mina was gone and suddenly Kirishima and Y/n were alone. She felt funny about it.

Kirishima pulled her up onto the couch, “Come lay with me.” It was the first human contact Y/n had had in a while. Watching t.v with friends was the closest thing to cuddling she had ever experienced. She didn’t know what to do and went limp. Kirishima laughed and pulled her alongside him on the couch. His arm was burning hot, it felt amazing. He wrapped his arm around her and she shivered from the heat.”

“Tell me a story Y/n.”

Y/n paused, she didn’t have any. She wanted to tell him something fun about her childhood but it basically looked just like her life now, but with more showering.

“I went to the town once a long time ago. The infection was newer then. I ran through the woods and broke the branches to make a path for myself to find the farmhouse again. Just like my dad taught me. I was excited when I saw the gates. I was so stupid. I thought being with other survivors would be better for me. I went in and begged for food from a lady. She laughed at me.” Y/n felt her air getting trapped in her throat. The shame filling her was her punishment. She deserved it. “I went out her door and sat in the narrow alley near the back of the house. I was hidden by a bunch of old buckets and garbage. The lady and her daughter were walking around the back with bags of stuff. Some men came. They started tearing at them. They stripped them and hurt them.” Y/n choked slightly on her next sentence, “I ran into the store and stole as much food as I could carry. I ran and gorged myself in the back of her store. I could still hear her screaming and I did nothing. I just ate.”

Kirishima squeezed her and kissed the top of her forehead. She stared into his black t-shirt that was soaked with sweat.

“You’re kinda bad at storytelling. I sorta wanted to go to sleep. Now I think I’ll never sleep again.” Y/n laughed with him. It killed the moment of suffering she deserved. He kissed her forehead again, “Do you have anything lighter? I don’t want that to be the last thing I think about when I die.” Y/n laughed again, but this time she wanted to cry. He was dying and Y/n knew this. Instead of her leaving him, he was leaving her and it hurt.

“I have one memory of my mother. She was in the hospital bed. I was two years old. She looked like me, but she was really pretty. Her lip looked like she was pushing them out.”

“Duck lips.”

“What?”

He laughed, “They were called duck lips back then.”

“Oh. Well she had those. She was in the bed and she let me climb up with her. I sat on her lap and we watched t.v. It was a cartoon about a bald kid and his family.”

“Caillou. I loved that show. LOVE IT.” He spoke in a high pitched voice. It made Y/n smile, he remembered things so clearly. He nudged her, “What happened then?”

Y/n shook her head, “Nothing. We just sat in the sun on her bed. I remember how soft her nightgown was and she let me eat her pudding.”

“Yeah okay that’s another bad example of storytelling.” Y/n wanted to defend herself, but she knew it would only make him feel sorry for her.

He smiled, “Once when I was six, me and Bakugo went and played down by the river behind my house. His mom was really strict about it and never let us go down there. We figured because Bakugo was old enough to babysit we were good. We brought boats we made out of paper and put them on the water.. They floated perfectly until mine flipped over. I reached for it before it got too far away and of course fell in. Bakugo grabbed me before I got pulled away. I would have drowned for sure. We ran back to my house but we were too long getting back and his mom was there already. We snuck in the backyard. I thought we were dead but Bakugo grabbed the hose from the side of the house and sprayed me. His mom came out the back door at that moment. So she walks to the backyard to see Bakugo hosing and me screaming. He got grounded for a week for being a bully. He was the best friend ever.”

A weird feeling overtook the other feelings Y/n had. She was jealous that she didn’t have a single story like that one. She looked into his eyes and felt lost. She felt like she was part of them.

“Now that’s a story, jackass.” Y/n frowned at him. He lifted her chin and pressed his warm lips to hers. She loved it. She loved him. His warmth rushed through her. His lips parted hers and his tongue caressed her lips softly. He pulled back but she wanted more and watched his laps as he pulled away. “You’re supposed to close your eyes Y/n.”

She blushed, “I liked that.”

He laughed softly, “It was on my list of things to do before I die.” His words stung.

“You haven’t kissed a girl before?”

He shook his head, “Not a girl I really like.”

“Your fever is making you crazy.”

“Good.” He pulled her close and kissed her until she was dizzy.

--

haha cliffhanger go brrrr

[johnnys-green-pen]

Random E! Thoughts: S4E10 - Camera Bug

insert quiet wheezing here while Guardy tries to get their shit together enough to write this post without cracking up constantly.

I love how Johnny just starts trying to convince Roy to pose for more pictures after that first candid shot of Roy getting dressed, and Roy doesn’t even bother asking before just going along with it.

Johnny just bouncing over to the rec room after the second time he leaves the locker room, all excited and full of enthusiasm and oh god he’s adorable

Johnny having to manually do the math to find his camera settings. Also, Johnny apparently being able to manually do the math to find his camera settings (more or less)

The crew pretending to have fallen asleep at the table

Johnny’s so sincere about the whole thing with his “I’ll be a little faster next time, just help me get this one alright”

He still gets his snapshot when the tones go off

Okay, so I’m not going to say too much about the Black kid because I’m not even American, I don’t know shit but two things that did stand out is A) Including both Morton AND Vince here seems like a very deliberate choice, which is interesting, B) Good representation? No damn idea, but it’s still interesting that they bothered touching on social issues at all, with a role model as a counter example and all. As per usual, if somebody with more of a clue wants to add stuff, by all means, feel free.  

The fireman suffering from Too Much Hot Chili is a really fun look at another station. We don’t get THAT too much. 

I also love how Roy tastes the chili and is a bit shocked but fine, and then we have Johnny, complaining for ages.

That scene with Johnny and Roy in the engine bay, though

Johnny balancing between the vehicles, being about 195% leg somehow

startling Roy while getting down from there and giggling before apologizing. I’ve said it before but Johnny giggling is so stupidly endearing I don’t even.

launching straight into more photography stuff, with such a kind of innocent, single-minded focus, and Roy going along with it without (much) question

Less innocently: “that was a good one, too” - Yeah, an excellent shot of Roy’s butt is what THAT’s gonna be, Johnny. 

Relatedly: Johnny finding the ONE engine-related thing involving an object that’s longer than it’s wide

Yes, Roy, you gotta look Really Intently at this Dripping Rod, lol

yup I’m really good at being a very mature adult why do you ask

Johnny fitting into his own locker somehow is genuinely impressive, as is the fluid way he pours out of it again. 

Dix and Brackett really should know better than to talk about having a peaceful, quiet lunch. Prime way to jinx it. That said, Dix being Grumpy and having an awful day is handled pretty well - they never question if her foul mood is valid or not.

Johnny’s at it again with the double entendre in the next engine bay scene.

Yes, Marco, really rub that knob. Harder. Who the hell greenlit ANY of this episode. 

The intently focused way Johnny tries to get a picture of Chet in front of that map; Johnny sitting on the squad and later on tiptoes trying to get the best angle

“What’s the matter, Cap?” “Ya blinded me, ya twit, that’s what’s the matter” 

Also, his mumbled little “sorry, sir”

This is not the last time “Cap” suddenly becomes “Sir” when Johnny does his little “oddly scared of Cap” thing. 

Also: Cap snaps at Johnny, and what’s his first reaction? He goes to stand next to Roy. There was no real reason to, but he did it anyway. 

Close enough to hit him with the camera, no less. That one was a blooper that stayed in by the way, iirc

Yknow, I kinda wish they’d given Johnny his victory instead of Chet one-upping him, especially since Johnny's photography obsession is not a new thing - that's come up before, so having him succeed here would've made sense. Poor boy was so proud, too

[monstersandmaw]

Yup. Part One. This absolute monstrosity quite literally grew wings and took on a life of its own, so yes, there will be a part two shortly, and it will be NSFW.

I shared the mood board/aesthetic for this over on Discord and a couple of people said they were excited, so I hope you enjoy it! It's set in Old Trollbridge, and you may pick up a passing reference to another character whose story was set here... Let me know in the comments if you remember them... Thanks also for your wonderful and enthusiastic feedback on Winter Solstice Chapter Five!

Contents: former school bullies, reader with a very slight potty-mouthed internal monologue, being physically attracted to someone(s!) that you didn't like intellectually/emotionally, watching said people kiss/be physically affectionate, the old 'oh no we've been paired on a project and will have to work together now or we'll get bad marks' trope, and some general growing up :) Wordcount: 5766

Chunky preview:

Winding up at the same university as the two biggest dicks from high school would have been - trying - enough, but to end up not only in the same department but also in the same damned classes was just downright cruel of fate. And yes, that was absolutely the right word for them.

The University of Old Trollbridge was known for its academic excellence in all areas, from cutting edge medicine to more traditional approaches, and the centuries-old institution was a bastion of learning, with places hotly contested. You’d nearly run herself into the ground in school to pass the right exams to get here - to leave all the pettiness of high school behind and finally start over - and here they were. It was going to be exactly the same. You could feel it. They’d worm their way to the top of the hierarchy again, and everyone would worship the ground they touched, and it would all just be awful.

“Fucking hell. This isn’t happening,” you cursed, watching the familiar and very particular hue of the naga’s dark green scales as he slithered across the entrance hall of the history faculty building, his muscular tail rippling with a million iridescent, deep emerald green colours. The atrium wasn’t exactly flooded with light, so somehow he looked like a living shadow.

People watched him; everywhere he went, people noticed him. He was probably one of the more famous undergraduates the university had had in recent years, what with his family’s ancient bloodline and apparently endless bank vaults, and his brief but extremely successful stint in modelling. The fact that the naga and his best friend (and almost literal sex god), Iltho, had gained a place was not all that much of a surprise to anyone, but you’d hoped they wouldn’t have chosen the same flipping department as you for their undergraduate studies. Not that they could be accused of paying their way in; for starters, the university had not accepted that kind of thing for generations.

No, they were both beautiful and unbearably smart too.

It was indecently unfair.

Your lip curled. Just as you’d been about to turn away, your roommate caught up with you. You’d put down that you didn’t mind who you were put with - gender or species - and for once, you’d actually lucked out. Rachel was an extremely talented spell caster, and, from what you’d seen of her in the first two days of your acquaintance, extremely tidy. “What’s up?” she asked, smiling up at you from beneath a thick curtain of vibrant, pastel pink hair. She was also about a foot shorter than you.

You jutted your chin at the naga.

“Oh my god, that’s… wow. I didn’t know we had a celebrity in our department!” she giggled, elbowing you playfully in the side. “Gods above… he’s gorgeous. It’s sinful. It shouldn’t be allowed. How am I supposed to concentrate in Old High Runic if he’s sitting there looking like that?”

“He’s also a massive cock,” you snorted. Fucking ‘Drake Shimmerscale’. Even his name was a giant cliche. Fancy noble lines with their fancy stupid names.

She tilted her head curiously. “You… know him?”

“Went to school with the bastard. Him and his best friend -” you cut off, eyes widening, as a second figure strode out of a doorway and exclaimed loudly. “Fucking… speak of the devil.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” she said, her eyes also locked on the newest arrival. It was easy to see why she’d thought you’d been referring to his appearance; his skin was a deep, ruby red, he had enormous, black, curved horns, a blunt-ended tail, and the bat-like wings that hung down his back looked like they’d been dipped in dark ink at the tips. He was also built like a bull and turned heads wherever he went, and here was no exception. Of course, the incubus would have to keep his ‘influence’ under control while at the university, but that didn't mean he didn't just naturally exude sex appeal anyway. Six-foot-something tall, with long, black hair that he usually wore pulled back into a thick braid studded with golden beads, he had flashing golden eyes and a mouth made for kissing.

Everyone had fantasised about being with him (and/or Drake) at school. Iltho had looked twenty-five since the age of fourteen, and acted like it too. Confident, cocky, quietly arrogant, also filthy rich, and stupendously intelligent, there was nothing that Iltho didn’t have. Really, the duo had made a striking pair, with the milk-white of Drake’s skin and the heated crimson of Iltho’s, their gemstone eyes of yellow and green, and their aloof personalities. The pair had ruled the school without having to do so much as lift a finger. They’d also done nothing to stop the lesser bullies posturing and vying for their attention. ‘Popular’ they may have been, but they’d also been about as liked as a Nightmare at a slumber party.

“No,” you said. “It’s not harsh. They’re both awful and they made life hell for the rest of us.” And with that you turned away, heading for the library.

You fumed as you stalked along the corridor and up the stairs towards the department’s ancient library. Yours was, appropriately enough for the History Faculty, one of the oldest buildings in the university, and it was absolutely everything you’d ever hoped for or dreamed from Old Trollbridge. The sheer aesthetic of it was mesmerising. Taking a huge, deep breath of the slightly musty air as you stepped into the library, you tried to put the pair of bullies out of your mind. This could still be your fresh start, surrounded by fragile parchment and vellum, leather spines, ancient oak tables, and the vague tingle of magic in the air.

There were wards in the ceilings to syphon off excess ambient magic in places like this, and as you let your eyes roam up and follow the conductive brass rods embedded in the ceiling, you nearly crashed into one of the long trestle tables that had been placed in a remote alcove, lit on one side by a huge, leaded, arched window and framed on the other three by bookshelves. As if fate had chosen you a place to settle down, you stared at the empty space for a moment before deciding that this would probably be your study spot for the rest of the year. It was right at the back of the library, and seemed out of the way enough that it wouldn’t be on the regular stamping ground of first years looking for the standard texts. It was also open enough that it probably wouldn’t be sought out for… other activities. The stacks, with their dark corners and endless shadows, seemed much more appropriate for that.

Yes. This would be perfect.

And you wouldn’t have to think about them here either.

Gods, even trying to get the thought of them out of your head prompted a flare of hot ire. Iltho and Drake had been inseparable at school. Class A bullies who just stood there and let everyone else spar and jockey for the dubious honour of being their latest minions and underlings, letting their wealth and, in Iltho’s case, ‘charisma’ carry them through. Half the school had been in love with them at one point, influence or not. And yes, even you had admired them from a distance. Rachel was right - they really were absolutely fucking gorgeous. Both of them. And it fucking sucked.

An hour later, a shadow passed in front of that beautiful window and you glanced up as someone halted beside your table. “That’s a familiar sight,” a deep voice chuckled.

Your stomach dropped and you felt your face fall with horror before you schooled it into something a little more acerbic than you’d ever managed in school. Funny how a few months’ internship abroad over the summer at one of the world’s most prestigious historical institutions could change everything. You hardened your eyes and noticed the way he watched you.

“Iltho,” you said flatly as you cricked your neck to look up at him. “You're blocking the light, but I can’t tell if it’s your wings or your ego that’s obliterating the sun. Would you care to move?”

Read the whole thing right now, as well as all the Mermay 2020 posts (five in total, including extra artwork), a surprise, nsfw ‘ghost lover’ story, all of Winter Solstice up to the current chapter, a new multi-chapter vampire story, the mlm werewolf story, plus everything that’s been posted already on Patreon!

[amethystroselilith]

Ooh okay! Thanks for answering. I'll leave the scenario up to you for Gavin x MC, but if you're up for writing, how about using the sentence as an inspiration piece or in the piece itself, "Why did you do that?! You could've been killed!"

Prompt:  "Why did you do that?! You could've been killed!" Sorry, this took so long! I had classes and commissions to work on! ~~~

First fanfic for Mr Love :)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26422249

~~~

“This feels nice.” MC sighed happily as she breathes in the fresh air, staring at the camping site in awe. 

Big trees surrounding them, the chirps of the bird filling the air, the soft sound of the stream beside them adding to the relaxing atmosphere.

“Let’s hope you still feel the same without your electronics.” Gavin snickered as he unloads their camping stuff from their car.

MC huffed as she crossed her arms, “I’ll be fine, Gavin! Don’t be so mean.” 

Her boyfriend just shook his head before walking to her and wrapping her with his arms, “I’m just saying you don’t owe me anything for us doing your own thing, I enjoy them as well, you didn’t have to come with me here, I’ve been doing this alone for years now, I don’t mind it.” 

MC rubbed her head against his chest. She’s doesn’t really have much experience outdoors, used to living with what technology has blessed her, but after accidentally overhearing Gavin and Minor talking, she can’t help but think about how Gavin would always be willing to do whatever she wants.

“Isn’t your camping trip coming this weekend?” Minor asked before he takes another swing from his bottle.

“Yup, why?” Gavin raised an eyebrow at him.

They were both at Gavin and MC’s place, Minor had decided to invite himself in and watch a movie. While the behaviour is a common occurrence, MC just smiled and pulled herself away from Gavin’s arms to prepare some food, Gavin can’t help but feel a bit annoyed that his night will be filled with Minor’s commentary over the movie instead of just him and MC having their own little bubble filled with cuddles and just talking. But he did owe Minor for helping him finally ask MC out. MC is his everything so he guesses he owes Minor a lot, listening to his annoying commentary included.

“I mean, are you going to take MC with you?” Minor asked.

“Hm, never really thought of it. Last year I just asked her to stay with her friend while I’m gone.” Gavin asked, “She won’t really be interested in that.”

“Have you asked her though?” Minor raised an eyebrow.

“Er… no.” Gavin scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, “To be fair, I know MC well, and I don’t think she’ll enjoy or be comfortable being out there.” 

At that point, MC had been curiously listening behind a wall, bowl of chips and sauce in hand. 

“Of course I do, I think it’ll be nice to spend time with her out there with just the two of us, but I would much prefer she be comfortable.” Gavin sighed.

“I don’t know, Gav, I mean think of the outdoor sex.” 

The couple blushed beet red at the statement, MC almost dropping their food and Gavin hitting Minor with their sofa pillows, “I’m not a  perv like you, Minor.” the brunette huffed.

“Yea and I didn’t have a glimpse MC’s neck full of hickeys and limping to her office last week.” Minor rolled his eyes.

“Can we change the subject?” Gavin grumbled.

“More like go back to the subject.” Minor laughed softly, “I really think you should ask her, I’m pretty sure she’d appreciate the atmosphere, we just finished a really big project so you don’t have to worry about her work, she needs to unwind and it’s only for the weekends anyway.”

Gavin hummed in thought, “I’d consider it.”

They didn’t say anything else after that so MC had revealed herself. Minor must have gotten impatient or didn’t trust Gavin in asking herself to his trip so he asked MC, much to Gavin’s annoyance. Without thinking, MC had agreed to it and she swore Gavin’s surprised face and the happiness in his eyes melted her heart.

“Is that how you feel?” MC frowned up at him, “That I went with you because I owed you something?”

The statement surprised Gavin, the look of hurt in his lover’s face stabbed a pain in his heart, “It’s not that… I’m just worried you’re not comfortable.” he explained.

MC pouted, “I’ll be fine! I wanna spend time with you.” she said with a smile, “Plus it’s not often we go to trips, as long as we’re not in a crowded place, I’ll enjoy every second with you.” 

Gavin, not being that great with words, just gave her a soft smile and a kiss on her forehead, “Well, let’s set up everything then, let’s do everything together.”

~~~

MC giggled as she submerged her feet in the water, enjoying the coolness of it, “So, we’re doing fishing?” she asked while watching Gavin cast his line, admiring how his arm muscles flex, “Didn’t we pack enough camping food already?” 

“Yes, but it still feels different from eating your own catch,” Gavin explained as he tries to cast his line farther, setting the rod between the rocks to keep it up when he found a promising position, “Now we wait.” he smiled at her before sitting next to her and pulling her inside his arm.

“What else do you do here?” MC asked as she leaned on him.

“Well, after lunch I take a stroll in the forest and just enjoy the walk. There’s already a designated path for campers to take so it should be safe for us to go there later.” Gavin explained, “How are you feeling so far? I hope it’s not boring for you.”

MC chuckled, “No, this is nice. The scenery is peaceful, no work popping out to stress me, the temperature is cool, plus we’re here together.” she hummed, “It’s really relaxing.”

Gavin chuckled, “There’s also some pretty flowers in the forest, I think you’ll really enjoy those too. Plus the stars will be beautiful tonight according to the weather.”

MC perked up at that, “Then I’m looking forward to it!” she exclaimed in excitement.

The line of the fishing rod began to move, getting the attention of the couple. Gavin had quickly moved to catch the fish.

While MC isn’t really the one controlling the fishing rod, she still can’t help but feel excited as she cheers on Gavin.

“I think I got it,” Gavin said.

They excitedly wait for their catch to reveal themselves.

“...” 

It looks like the fish escaped.

“Uhm…” Gavin blushed in embarrassment.

“That was exciting! No fish but it was fun watching!” MC said in amazement, “Let’s cast it again!” she smiled at Gavin.

The encouragement made Gavin grin as he cast his line again, hoping now Mother Nature wouldn’t embarrass him in front of his girlfriend this time.

~~~

Excited as she was, she didn’t think she would dare watch Gavin prepare the fishes for cooking. They had caught 2 large ones and Gavin think they have more enough since they had also packed some other stuff to cook. 

MC had just placed their campfire stew on the fire, humming to herself as she waits for Gavin.

It didn’t take too long when 2 fishes on a stick joined the fire.

“I can’t wait to finally try a real campfire smores later!” MC said excitedly as she watches the fire, “I bet it will be a hundred times more delicious!”

Gavin sat next to her as she pats her head, “You and your sweets.” he chuckled.

MC laughed, “I’ll have you know that it’s pretty much the reason I’m here.” she teased.

Gavin gasped playfully, “And here I was thinking I’m the main reason.” 

“Smores is number 1, you’re a close 2 though.” 

Gavin just chuckled before pulling her in a tickle fight.

~~~

“Wow, this is so pretty,” MC said in awe as she looks at the beautiful patch of different coloured flowers in front of her.

Gavin can’t help but feel happy as well even if he was only watching her. He appreciates the flowers before, but the contentment and happiness feeling he has this time when he’s with her is way more satisfying.

It was really peaceful until they heard a whining noise.

“MC, get here.” Gavin immediately said.

MC quickly went behind Gavin, holding his arm as they look for the source of noise, “Gavin, look.” she said quietly when she spotted something brown and furry.

After checking their surroundings, Gavin and MC had cautiously walked to the animal.

“Oh, poor thing,” MC said in sympathy when they saw an injured baby bear, an ugly wound on his leg, “What should we do?” she looked up at Gavin.

“His mother doesn’t seem to be closeby, she should’ve rushed to him by now.” he observed, “That wound isn’t lethal but it would help if I clean it up a bit. I have a medkit back at camp, so we should head there now, but unfortunately, I need you to stay there just in case his mother would arrive, it’ll be a bit dangerous.” he looked at MC.

MC frowned, “We can’t just leave him alone in here! He’s still a baby and helpless! What if something hurts him?”

“MC, I’m not leaving you here, if his mother did come and find him, you’d be in danger.” Gavin said sternly, “Let’s go.” 

MC stayed on her ground, “Gavin, no.” 

Gavin sighed, “MC, please, I can’t take it if something happens to you.”

“I know, Gav, but I’ll feel so bad when something happens to it. I promise I’ll be fine, I can hide somewhere I’ll spot the mother, even from a distance, I swear I’ll hide or even go back to camp.” MC explained, “Please?” she begged with the eyes she knows Gavin can’t resist.

Gavin sighed in defeat, “Promise me, even if it’s just a glimpse or even a random sound that’s out of the birds or water stream, you’ll come back to me. Got it?” he looked at her straight in her eyes.

MC nodded, “Promise.”

Gavin took something from his pocket, “Here’s a pepper spray just in case, and my pocket knife, I’ll be quick.” 

They shared one look before Gavin rushed to their camp. 

“Don’t worry, little guy, Gavin will make sure you’d be fine.” MC cooed at the bear whose cries are now quieter, MC liked to think it’s because the cub felt safe with them.

~~~

‘Gavin is taking a bit longer.’

MC thought in worry before turning to the cub. The cub was just staring at her as well, can’t really move with how he must be hurting with his leg. 

A growling noise grabbed their attention, and like she promised Gavin, she quickly hid on a nearby tree. Her eyes widened when she saw a lone wolf sniffing nearby, at this point, she should really go back to Gavin, but the cub had begun crying again, making MC’s heart too heavy to leave the cub. 

“Gavin is going to kill me,” she mumbled under her breath as she stayed close to the cub.

The wolf had spotted them now, he’s eyeing the cub hungrily. MC swallowed the lump on her throat, she grabbed the knife and prepared just in case the wolf would attack them. It’s growling at them now, hunger glazing its eyes. 

“Stay back! I don’t want to hurt you!” she glared at the wolf. 

MC’s heart races as they stared at each other until the wolf decided it’s hungry enough.

It runs to them with a growl. It leapt and about to land on MC, thankfully for MC’s instinct. She had raised her hand and used the pepper spray as she dodged. The wolf whined as it hits its eyes, however, it still tried to get a bite out of MC. In the middle of panic, MC had slashed her knife blindly.

“MC!” she heard Gavin’s voice.

The knife had hit the wolf on the leg, it wasn’t deep but just enough to draw out a wound. Hearing another voice, however, discouraged the wolf to attack and instead limped away as fast as he could.

"Why did you do that?! You could've been killed!" Gavin can’t help but raise his voice in worry. 

He had immediately gone to check on MC, “You promised to come to me!” 

Gavin had proceeded to lecture her and MC had just bowed her head. She had never seen Gavin so pissed and now that she did, she can’t help but feel horrible. 

“Don’t ever do that again.” Gavin’s voice cracked, like MC’s heart.

“I’m sor-” she was cut off with Gavin pulling her in a tight embrace.

“You did great in defending yourself, that’s my girl.” Gavin breathed, “But I should still teach you some self-defence. I was so worried.” 

“I’m sorry.” MC rubbed her head in Gavin’s choice, “I was-”

“It’s fine. It’s over now, I’m just glad you’re safe.” Gavin said before pulling away, “Now let’s just fix the cub up. It took me a while because I had to call the wildlife control.”

MC nodded, “Well, let’s fix him up.”

Gavin nodded before tending to the cub.

The wildlife control didn’t take too long to arrive and took care of the rest. 

MC and Gavin bid their goodbyes and started their walk back to their camping site.

“Today’s really something,” MC said as she sat on the log.

“Would you still want to go back after that?” Gavin asked curiously as he sat next to her.

“Of course! As long as there are no more injured animals.” MC chuckled, “And of course, as long as we’re together.” she said before giving Gavin a kiss on his cheek.

Gavin smiled at the gesture, “Well, next time I’d probably bring the medkit with me already so you don’t have to stay there alone.” 

MC hummed in approval, “It’s getting dark.” she looked at the sky.

“Well, we still have some leftover stew, and since you’ve been very brave…” Gavin trailed off and just let the treats in his hands finish the sentence.

“We’re finally making smores!” MC said in excitement as she accepts the ingredients Gavin’s handing out to her.

Gavin can’t help but feel content and relax again, and after watching MC squeal for the third time of closely setting her marshmallow on fire, Gavin had gently pulled her on his lap, hand wrapping over MC’s as he angled them to a perfect position for marshmallow roasting.

MC can’t help but melt at the position, she smiled softly and made herself comfortable as she leaned in Gavin’s embrace.

She could get used to this.

[hannahmcne]

Seeing Through Spells - Ben’s Lie.

In the back left corner was the door to Fairy Godmother's office. They wasted no time in racing over. Evie tried the knob again, but this one was locked. Carlos immediately hit his knees and began pulling gizmos out of his sleeves. He tried a couple of different rods in the lock hole until one slid in a few inches and Carlos began to twist and fiddle. Another rod, a pair of thin tweezers, and then something clicked and the door opened to the dark office.

"Yes," Evie cheered under her breath. "Now, we have to be quick. Before Jane comes back."

Out of the corner of her eye, Mal saw movement. She panicked. "Ghoulish, freakish, devilish and selfish. Distinguish presence and traceless vanish!"

Everyone vanished. Mal heard Jay take a breath. "What the…" he began, but Mal shushed him.

The classroom door opened and someone with honey-brown hair stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Mal clamped down on her tongue to keep from cursing. "You have got to be kidding me."

Ben looked around, straightening his outer suit coat as he did. His eyes landed on Fairy Godmother's office door and he quickly wove around the desks towards it. Carlos yanked his lock-picking tools out of the knob, trying to be as discreet as possible. They vanished as soon as they were in his hands. Then, they all quickly got out of the way as Ben walked into their space. Mal seethed as he tested the lock on the door, re-locked it from the inside, and then shut it.

"What's he doing here?" Evie hissed into Mal's ear.

"Shut up!" Mal growled back.

Ben looked around over his shoulder and then feigned a confused glance around the room. "Is someone there?" he asked.

Across the room, the handle started turning down slowly. That must be Jay, trying to escape into the hall.

"Where are you?" Ben asked her from his head. There was a singsong quality to his voice that made her want to rip him limb from limb.

"You knew I thought you weren't listening."

"I fully believe in the use of stratagem to protect myself and others."

"Does that give me permission?"

The handle turned down more, and Ben pretended to finally notice it. He moved towards the door, and Jay was forced to release the handle. Ben tested the knob, feigning confusion, and then let a look of false realization pass over his face.

"Ah," he said aloud. "Mal? Can I help you find something?"

"I'm not budging an inch."

"That's fine. I've got all night."

What were the chances she could teleport them out? Her mother could travel around in clouds of smoke - could she? Still, that would leave plenty of proof for Ben and he'd then be reasonably open to interrogating all of the villain kids. As it stood right now, unless he could catch one of them, he had nothing but two inconsequential happenings and an underlying suspicion to present the Fairy Godmother with. He could still leave, let them escape or whatever, but then he'd sound bonkers to her friends and the Fairy Godmother and this would help him be able to ask them questions and put them on guard even if he couldn't get her to be cautious enough.

Also, it would probably serve to inflate his ego quite a bit.

"Let's see here…" Ben hummed and took a few steps forward. "Où es-tu?"

"Shut your mouth right now."

"Tu rougis? J'ai l'impression que tu rougis."

He was coming closer, and now Mal was a little frazzled. He took a step straight toward her, ran a hand through his hair, and Mal almost fainted. "You stay away from me!" she sputtered, sounding off-guard and flustered even in her head, and then took an involuntary step back - away from both him and Evie, who could probably feel the blush coming off of her at this point.

"Venez ici, venez ici, où que vous soyez."

"I don't know what you're saying so just shut up and get out of my head!"

Mal stumbled over the stair to the stage as Ben took another step forward, bit his lip, skimmed the area he'd deduced where she was, and then lunged forward. Mal tripped, fell, and slammed her shoulder into Fairy Godmother's blackboard.

"Oh shoot," Ben gasped, crouching down. He managed to grab her ankle without any hesitation and then began feeling up her leg for the rest of her. Mal squeaked and shoved his hand away as he reached her knee. He grabbed her hand instead and quickly found your shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Did you cut yourself? Should I call for help?"

"Don't touch me." Mal surprised herself with exactly how much venom she could put into her tone. "End this false reality and let us all be seen." Across the room, Jay fizzled into view with two outstretched hands and an open mouth. Carlos looked like he'd watched his life flash before his eyes. Evie was hovering behind Ben, hands up by her face in anxiety, and with wide doe eyes. And Ben was still on his knees in front of her, one hand on her shoulder and the other on her forearm, looking like he'd slaughtered a puppy.

"I'm so sorry," he gasped out. "Are you okay?"

Mal shoved his hands away. "Hands off!" She snapped. "Don't. Just… don't."

"How did you know she was there?" Evie demanded as Mal leaned forward and began to rub her shoulder. Mal glared at Ben as he took a little.

"I'm part-beast," Ben said to Evie as he straightened up and held out a hand to help Mal up. As if. She ignored his hand and got up herself, brushing her jeans off. "I can see through some spells. I thought I saw purple."

"You are so full of crap."

Ben didn't respond, but she could feel his smugness rolling off him like waves onto the shore of her annoyance. Her friends looked equally skeptical. "Really?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah," Ben nodded. "The curse never fully wore off of my dad, so I ended up with a bit of it too."

"Oh," Evie said. Her voice was flat with disappointment. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing," Ben hummed.

"We're looking for my pen," Carlos volunteered. "I thought I left it in here and we thought Fairy Godmother might have put it in her collection in her office."

"And you were invisible because…"

"Because we didn't want to be accused of anything." Mal rolled her eyes. "Now, why are you here? It's almost curfew - some sort of late-night school session?"

"I was just passing through," Ben shrugged. Mal stopped rubbing her arm and let her arms fall by her sides.

"Your dorm is three buildings that way." She pointed through a wall.

"Yup," Ben agreed and refused to add anything else to that point.

"How did you know where we were going?"

"Um, see, it's this little thing called 'I'm your soulmate and I have access to your thoughts and you are not as subtle as you think you are.'"

"I am going to rip every bone out of your-"

"So what else can you do?" Evie asked, interrupting both Ben and Mal's thoughts.

Ben blinked at her for several seconds. "Pardon?" he asked.

Evie pulled at the collar of her jacket so that the fabric pulled away from her shoulder. She blinked, long and slow. "What else can you see through?" she asked in a very low, very sultry tone.

Every alarm in Mal's body began blaring.

Ben went beet red. "Oh, um, no." He shook his head furiously and waved his hands back and forth. "I can't see through - no. It's just… glamorous and transformations and things like that. Charms and animations and, um, conjured items… I can't see through those. I don't I can't…" He swallowed hard and his throat was hoarse when he started to speak up again. "I can't look through clothes. No."

"It's quite fun to watch you freak out this much."

"Would you rather I just come clean now?"

Touche.

"I don't think anyone would mind," Evie laughed, taking a few steps closer to Ben. He began to panic as he set a hand on the blackboard chalk tray for balance. "After all, you're the future King of Auradon. I figure they might even get some privileges…" She took two fingers and walked them up Ben's forearm. Mal felt a little light-headed.

Ben slowly pushed Evie's hand away. He gave her a shaky smile. "Evie, I appreciate the thought, but I'm not very interested in you."

"Ah," Evie feigned hurt. "I thought you and Audrey weren't really a…" she put her fingers up to make air-quotes as she spoke, "thing."

Ben swallowed. "No, but…" he took a little breath. "I'm not interested in you. I think you're beautiful, but I've learned I like girls who are…"

"Don't screw this up."

Ben swallowed. "There's someone in particular I'm going to wait for. Sorry."

"You little spitwad."

"That's creative, Mal."

The door opened again. It was Jane. She jumped a little when she saw Ben and then smiled. "Oh, hey Ben. What are you up to?"

"Just wandering through," Ben smiled at her and headed towards the door. "Oh, ah, here's your pen, Carlos." He procured a black and red pen from his sleeve and held it up for approval. It was fancy, with grooves to put your fingers into, sleek patterns along the sides, and something told Mal that it wasn't any ordinary school-issued pen. He tossed it at Carlos with a smile. "Didn't you say you were going to go find Jane after you found it?"

Carlos's mouth fell open a little as Jay and Evie exchanged a glance across the room. "Yeah," Carlos agreed. "Thanks for finding it, Ben. How much longer until curfew?"

"About thirty minutes," Jane blushed. "Do you want to go sit out by the tables and talk?"

"Yeah." Carlos nodded and he and Jane slipped out. Ben waited by the door as Jay, Evie, and Mal made their way to the door. He held the door open for them as they walked out and then shut and locked it behind them. Mal seethed.

"Have a nice night," Ben smiled and walked off.

[acrobaticcatfeline]

Of Books, Brothers, and Broadway (Creativitwins College AU) Chapter Three!!!

Word Count: 6875

TW: Remus, Janus, cursing, ocean critters, think that’s it

Pairings: dukeceit, logince, I think mentioned moxiety, familial creativitwins, platonic everyone else with everyone else, a nice bit of parental Remus and Thomas.

Notes: It gets gay!!!!! Finally!!!! Also skirts!!!! We learn more about Thomas, who is baby TBH hes just like, Remus good boy and I agree. these two have a very close mentorship, Remus has been there for for several years and Thomas has pretty much adopted him. They have one of my favorite dynamics in this. A lot of angst comes shortly after this so enjoy the soft gays while you can.

Summary: Remus is gay and smitten. Roman is as well. The two battle to woo their brothers best friend and both succeed. Soft boys going on dates and being in love. Remus rants a bit.

By the time that they all finish dinner, Remus is more than a little excited to show Janus his lizard friends. Janus is so nice and cute and he has an interest in reptiles, and the book he wrote for the musical in progress, and god he's in love. Roman gives him permission to run off without him while he and Patton engage in ‘civilized’ conversation. So he shows Janus his room, and heck he's bringing a cute boy into his room god this is filthy, disgusting worse than the worst most cuddly pornos that he's ever sat through, this is intimate and Remus feels like his blood is going to boil. He smiles instead though, because Janus is squealing and bouncing and looking at all the little guys in the tanks and he so desperately looks like he wants to hold one but he bounces in place while sounding like a balloon with a leak.

“You want to hold one?”

“More than anything!”

Remus walks over to the tank and tries to pull out a small gecko, but his only snake slithers out and coils his arm before he could. He laughs at it, petting its little head softly and he's almost knocked unconscious by the pure joy on Janus’ face. His eyes are damn near sparkling, his bouncing has stilled as his jaw dropped.

“This little guy is a Kenyan sand boa, he's actually the only scaly friend I've ever gotten from a rescue, the rest of these guys are just local pals. His name is Amadeus. Wanna hold him?”

“Yessssssss!!!!”

Remus guided Amadeus to slither up Janus’ arm. He ended iup coiling around his neck loosely and Remus could see the effort Janus was exerting to not get too excited. He petted the snake gently, stars in his eyes as the snake seemed to lick him.

“I love him!”

“He seems to like you too”

“I’m sorry I’m being so childish heh, I just, I lose my composure with animals I guess. And theater. I suck at keeping up this uh, facade I guess I can call it”

“Why would you? You're cute like this”

Janus froze and Remus nearly backpedaled on his words before Janus broke out in a huge blush with a matching grin. He swept the bangs that were sticking out from his beanie to the side of his face as he looked back at Remus.

“Do you want to go get coffee at some point? I mean uh, we can, we can talk about the musical some more and uh, maybe I can convince you to strike up a deal of some sort?”

Remus blinked and smiled back at him. He pulled out his phone and looked at something before changing it and handing it over to jay.

“I've got a class tomorrow and then work, and I'm bringing home an octopus so I probably can't do coffee tomorrow, but how does dinner sound?”

Janus took the phone and saw a new contact page pulled up. He smiled as he entered the information and sent a standard text and handed it back.

“That sounds even better! I'm free after 4 tomorrow!”

“How does 7 sound? I'm technically back at 5:30 but I want to be here for a bit in case shit goes sideways with Cephy”

“Sounds like a date! Er, um, a plan! Sounds like... a plan..!”

“God you're gonna have to stop being so adorable before I turn myself in to the police preemptively. Anyways, Roman might be getting annoyed from having you stolen for so long, so hows about we put back Dee and pick up this convo later?”

“Great idea!”

By the time that they leave the room, Patton is ready to leave, and as jay was his ride, he had to leave as well. The four said their goodbyes, and when he thought Roman wasn't looking, Janus mimed a little ‘call me’ motion to Remus and he nearly melted as the two left. Remus flopped onto the couch, and subsequently Roman, when the door closed with a sigh.

“You've already stolen him haven't you?”

“Were going to dinner tomorrow”

“Of course you are. I'm going to have to help you get ready aren't i?”

“Yup. and I'll make dinner on Saturday and Sunday as a thank you”

“And as payment for skimping on your original day”

“Yeah sure”

~

Remus wasn’t panicking, of course not, he was totally chill. It's just that he was bringing home an octopus at the end of his shift and then he was going on a date with a cute boy and he just wasn't used to so much happening in one day. He refocused however. He was wearing his lab coat and was sitting next to the institute's recreation of the coastal ocean with pen and paper in hand. He was recording some behaviors in the dolphin they just got, and its differences in behavior compared to their other inhabitants. It was moving slower, and did not seem to like getting close to the walls. He had many questions as he continued to note its peculiarities. Thomas walked in and squatted next to him with a smile.

“You have your inquisitive look on, whats up kid?”

Remus continued to watch the dolphin intently.

“Why is she so scared of the walls?”

“Oh, she was abused by her human caretakers, she's afraid of us still. She also doesn't like our feeding rods, or when we get in to do maintenance. She's just people shy, which isn't too terrible for her or us for the time being. She hasn't lashed out, and it's only a mild inconvenience during feeding times. The longer she's here with the others, the easier it will be, animals are great at encouraging trust in others, its key for survival. But isn't she just so beautiful?”

“Definitely! Hey, weird question, do you ever get transfers from different parts of the world?”

“Sometimes, not often though, they only transfer out of country or state if its a true emergency for the most part, and we aren't really in the hierarchy for those things”

“Hmm. I really want to see an amazon river dolphin. They're so fricken cool!”

“Well, if that's something you want to see about, and you're serious about it, I have some connections with the dolphin research center as well as Clearwater, and I think they both have some that were serious rescue cases. I might be able to set you up for a summer stint if you want?”

“Oh no, no that's fine I just, it's just one of the things that made me want to pursue marine biology. It was an episode of Go Diego Go if you can believe that. They were just, so magical, and I learned more about the ocean and like, the ocean is filled with magic that we don't even know about, and it's just, I dunno. Its a bucket list thing I guess”

“Fair. mine was jellyfish and sea turtles. Finding Nemo”

Remus chuckled at the image of the doctor as a child getting starry eyed at Finding Nemo. He nodded distantly and Thomas fully sat, giving Remus a nudge on the arm.

“What's eating at you kid? You're acting distant today, is something up?”

Remus finally looks at Dr. Sanders at this, a little shocked and confused. He looks back at the water and curls his legs up close to him and lays his head on them.

“A lot is happening and I’m scared I’m going to mess something up”

“Talk to me Re”

“Well, ok so my brother is real into theater, always has been, and he asked me when we were younger to write a musical with him. And, and it's fun, don't get me wrong, but I hate hate hate showing people my writing. And now I'm showing him it regularly, on top of my writing assignments for my creative writing minor. And like, I don't know how to feel about it. But like, it's not just that. Like, I'm a full time worker here now, not an intern, but I'm not even working full time hours, and I feel like I have to prove to you and everyone else that it was worth it but I don’t have the time to put in more hours and it makes me feel so guilty because you're losing money by upping my pay and I don't know, I feel like I'm not doing enough but I know I can't do any more. And then! I'm getting Cephy and like, I know she's gonna be a lot of work, and I'm so ok with that but I’m worried I’m gonna mess up and hurt her or something! And I've got a date with a cute guy tonight and he's my brother's friend and he's so cute and we mesh so well, but I could ruin it, like I always ruin my relationships, and then what if he holds it against Roman? He’ll hate me forever and I don't know what I would do if I lost my brother too, I drive him crazy but I know he still loves me but it makes me want to die thinking about how conditional it could be, even though he's never shown me that that would ever happen it still eats at me and god I'm a mess. God I talked too much I’m sorry boss, I'll shut up now, you didn't need to hear all of that”

Thomas hides the shock and concern on his face, choosing to nod as he rubs a gentle circle in Remus’ back. The two were very very close, they were basically family at this point, Thomas having chosen to be his mentor the moment he met him. He waits a moment to choose his words before speaking.

“I can't pretend that I totally understand your problems, but I'm aware that that isn't what you're looking for. So lets start with something easy. Cephy will not get hurt with you. There is not a single doubt in my mind that you won't be able to, while you were the only applicant, if we didn't know you were responsible enough to care for her with complete certainty and confidence, we would have sent her home with one of our older scientists. This was a long discussion and I know that you will do exactly what you have to to keep her safe. Two, you were not promoted because we needed you to work more. As I've said since you've started here, your studies come first. You were promoted because you did amazing work with what little you are allowed to do as an intern, and we could see that you would do even better with less restrictions. This was meant to give you the ability to learn more and aid in your work ethic. We don't need you to spread yourself too thin so you can work more, we have enough people for you to only work part time”

Remus nodded, he was trying to believe him, he really was, but his head kept turning them around with what ifs. He stayed silent as Thomas paused again.

“Your writing is personal, creative work always is, it is a bearing of your soul and its reasonable to be hesitant in sharing it. Even more so when it's to an overly creative person. But if I know anything about your brother, it's that he is a kind and uncritical person. You don't seem to have any reason to distrust him with it. I know that sometimes your head makes you nervous and casts doubt over others intentions, but it isn't healthy for you to be unable to trust even someone as close as your brother. And, if you let him know your feelings on it all, I'm sure he would be willing to work on it with you. This ties in with the other bit. If you have no reason to believe that something like a break up would cause your brother to hate you, then it's likely not the case. Trust that he values his relationship with you enough to endure the small likelihood of a break up between you and his friend. His friend is a bit of a wild card to you right now but just, give it a shot. It might go better than you can imagine”

Remus felt like he was about to cry. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and took deep breaths. He pulled his hands away and looked at Thomas as he leaned slowly into a hug with the older man. Thomas smiled and wrapped his arms around the other and they sat there a moment in silence.

“Thank you Dr. Sanders”

“This is an emotional moment, call me Thomas”

“... thank you Thomas”

Remus had calmed down and felt far better after his conversation with Thomas, he was pretty zen as he drove home with Cephy on his passenger side. He parked outside he and Roman’s house and dialed Roman’s number. Roman picked up on the second ring.

“You back?”

“Yup. can you get the door for me, I don't want to set Ceph down on the ground”

“On it”

Remus got out of his car, opening the passenger door and lifting the rather small tank carefully in his arms. He felt bad for her getting stuck in such a small carrier tank. He got to the door and saw Roman in the doorway. Roman held out his arms.

“I imagine if I hold the tank I won't have to transfer her into the big one? So hand her over.

Remus chuckled and did so. He slid past then, opening the door to his room and lifting the cover on the big tank. He pulled on plastic gloves and did the same to the carrier. He laughed as Cephy’s arms immediately swung over the side of it. Roman nearly screamed and dropped the thing when one of her tentacles stuck onto him. Luckily he just hummed loudly and squeezed his eyes shut. Remus carefully picked Ceph up, placing her oh so delicately on the little rock shelf near the top before he released her and she dove to the depths of it quickly, swimming around happily, likely glad to have room again. Roman rushed to the bathroom, shouting as he went.

“REMUS CAN I DUMP THIS???”

“GO AHEAD! IF SHE NEEDS TO TRANSFER AGAIN I’LL JUST PUT HER IN IT WHEN ITS EMPTY, SHE CAN SURVIVE OUT OF WATER FOR A BIT”

“WHY IS SHE SO FUCKING SLIMY???”

“SHE'S AN OCTOPUS WHAT DID YOU EXPECT???”

Remus pulled off the gloves and tossed them, placing the tank lid on again before going back to the car to get the rest of her supplies. When he finished unloading, Roman was back out of the bathroom with the tank now placed under the other one in the living room. His hair, which was about shoulder length, was tied up in a hair tie, his bangs pinned up and he was wearing a black crop top with golden print of a crown and shorts. He had a makeup bag in one hand and a hair brush in the other. He had the most sinister smirk on his face.

“K, go take a shower and change into shitty clothes so we can try some faces. Go on! Its 5:45 and I need an hour to get you in order”

Remus opened his mouth and shut it, knowing that Roman was right. He sulked to his room, grabbing some pjs and heading to the bathroom.

“Roman I’m going to look like a clown with all this makeup, why are we even doing this?”

“Because you want to look nice, and you'll look better if you do a little bit of makeup to accentuate your features. And also because you suck at shaving so I'm hiding the welts you gave yourself. He won't want to kiss you if you look like you've been eating out a beehive. Now sit still! We still have to choose your outfit and deal with your hair!”

Remus did as told, pouting as he did so. Roman finally, finally put down the makeup brush. He pulled up a mirror and Remus gasped at his reflection. His face looked clear and smooth, and his cheeks had color. But his eyes were stunning. They were black on the lid, but it faded into a sparkly green shade and gosh Remus loved it.

“I’ll put some lipstick on you when you're done changing. Don’t want to accidentally stain anything”

“Ro I love it!!!!”

“Good. ok clothes next. Where are you guys going?”

Remus blinked and felt himself flush and Roman rolled his eyes. He walked into Remus’ closet with a sigh.

“Typical. Ugh, men. Jay likes anything, he's pretty basic on that, I'd say go to olive garden. Mid Range price but nice aesthetic. Plus he eats bread sticks like an actual snake. He’ll love it. Maybe plan your next date a little more though”

Remus nodded, eternally grateful for the suggestion. He followed Roman as he flipped through his clothes. Roman sighed again.

“You're so lucky I saw his outfit and know it isn't too regal, otherwise I would make you push it to later and buy you new clothes. Here, how about this?”

He pulled out his skull shirt, some ripped jeans, his leather jacket, and his fingerless gloves. Remus smiled.

“He's not against punk?”

“Of fucking course not, did you not see his outfit yesterday? He's a baby pastel punk. He thought you looked good yesterday, he’ll think you’re the sexiest mother fucker tonight if I do this right so get changed”

Remus did so, not caring enough to be modest as he changed in front of his brother. They'd seen each other in less, it didn't matter. He grabbed some socks as well for the outfit, pulling them up before tugging on his jeans. He carefully pulled his shirt over his head, keeping it from hitting his face. He was swinging his arms through his jacket when Roman grabbed his arm and dragged him back to the proper part of his room. He sat down and Roman ruffled his hair before grabbing his hairbrush. 

“Ok so we’re making this look decent. Ok so you’ve got the fucking fade done, so how about the nice swoop?”

“I have no idea what language you're speaking”

“Okay it was a rhetorical question anyways. Lemme grab my gel”

Roman poured a decent heap of gel into his hands, rubbing them together before raking them through Remus’ hair. He then took his comb and moved his hair all over to the right. He pulled a few strands free to fall in his face then pulled away and smiled as he wiped the excess gel off with some wipes. He gestured to the mirror next to Remus and once he looked at it, Remus was once again astounded.

“Roman what the fuck kind of sorcery?”

“I'm a theatre major, I dabble in makeup and hair”

“Dabble???”

“Oh honey you should see Patton at work”

“Roman, grab my docs”

“Which ones?”

Remus knew that while a valid question, it was also meant to tease and he narrowed his eyes at him. He pointed at the ones still on his shelf that had skulls. He rarely wore them, and was ecstatic at having the chance to. Roman brought them to him and he slipped them on with practiced ease.

“I think you owe me for this”

“If I give you Logan's number will we be even?”

Roman sputtered and blushed but nodded shyly. Remus grinned. He texted Logan to get his ok, which he got instantly, then sent the number to Roman.

“There you go! Now, I have a date to get to!”

“You have his address?”

“Of course not”

“You fucking spoon. I’ll text it to you”

“At least I’m not gaysexual”

“What the absolute fuck did you just say?”

“Spoonsexual?”

“Leave before I break your fucking neck”

“Fair, have a nice day”

Remus pulled up to Janus’ dorm room expecting many things. None of which he got. Janus was dressed in a black crop top with a turtleneck, a high waisted pastel yellow skirt that reached his mid thighs, and soft yellow thigh high socks. He was wearing bright yellow converse and had a golden flower headband. Remus thinks he might’ve died and gone to heaven. When Janus gets in his car he finally tears his eyes away as he goes to start driving again.

“You look nice Jan”

“As do you”

Remus avoids speaking, hoping that Janus will start talking and getting more anxious as he doesn't. Janus is playing with his skirt wait, his? Is his still a thing?

“Might I ask if you're still using he him pronouns?”

Janus looks up suddenly and smiles as a blush forms on their? Face.

“Oh, yeah, he/him all around, they them is good as well, but yeah”

“Ok cool”

“...I’m sorry I’m being so awkward, I'm a little on edge”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not in the slightest actually. Um, where are we going?”

“My two brain cells fucked off and didn't think of that until about an hour ago, but Roman told me you liked olive garden so we’re going to olive garden”

Janus giggled and god if Remus wasn’t already gay, he wouldve been the ambassador of queerland to hear that again. He smiled and sent him a quick look, feeling his cheeks darken as he saw Janus looking at him.

“That sounds great! So um, how's the musical going?”

“Hm? Oh, it's going well. Uh, sort of. I've gotten a bit stuck on the script, and Roman’s hit a roadblock in the songs. I'm a little uh, let's say bad, at writing things like this. It's uh, it's far more tame than my usual stuff, but Roman isn't one for my more graphic shit, you know how it is. He's all unicorns and rainbows and im blood and porn, so writing something he would like is tricky to say the least. It's far easier to just translate all my night terrors and intrusive thoughts to paper than to actually be creative”

“Well, your night terrors and intrusive thoughts may be you know, normal or whatever to you, but I'm sure your writings about them are just as good! Creativity takes many forms and seeks different inspiration! I would love to see more of your writing, if it's ok with you?”

“Oh, no they're, they're shitty, you don't want to see them. They're about eldritch monsters and serial killers and they're really bad, I don't want to subject you to that”

“Nonsense! Like I said, I'm sure they’re amazing! But if you're uncomfortable showing me, then that's ok too”

Remus shuts up, avoiding the end of this conversation. Except he digs absently in the back seat and pulls out a notebook, handing it to Janus.

“It's filled with them. It's my last notebook, I suggest you just borrow it and not try and read them over dinner. Some of them make me a little sick to read. But uh, yeah. Go ahead”

Janus looks at it, the little doodles that are sprawled over the cover, and then looks at Remus with his eyes filled with stars. And Remus almost crashes, he’ll admit it, but that is a look that no one has ever given him before and he might actually die this time. They're at olive garden though, so he gets out and rushes to the other side to open the door for Janus who giggles again.

“So where'd you come up with the idea for the musical?”

Remus looked up from his food at Janus. Janus had his hands pressed together and he looked insatiable for answers. He smiled, licking his lips before explaining.

“When me and Roman were kids one of our favorite movies was the nutcracker. Around the same time that he said he wanted to write a musical, our uncle took us to the ballet of the Nutcracker live, it was our Christmas present from him. It was, well it was magical. So that was part of it. But like, as a kid I always loved reading. I found that I had loved some characters more than I had loved anyone outside my family. I had crushes throughout my life, but none of them really worked out, so I ran back to stories, it gave me something permanent and I dunno, I had a recurring dream where I would wake up and the hero or villain of my favorite books would be there and would love me. It's uh, it's a bit pathetic now that I say it out loud”

“No! Its, cute”

Janus was leaning on his hand as he stared and listened to Remus, moving to be more attentive in his posture, both arms on the table, with an insistent look on his face at Remus’ last words.

“It's not pathetic to want to be loved! It's hard to feel like you aren’t. I used theater as my escape from my shitty situation, and now I'm in college spending more money than I will ever use on anything else to pursue my escape as my reality. Sometimes it seems silly, but it makes me happy, so it's not useless. I mean, what other group would look at some guy with scars enough to play Deadpool who wears frilly skirts for fun and accept him? Definitely not any group from my home”

Remus frowns a bit.

“Anyone with half a brain”

Janus smiles at him.

Remus was dropping Janus off. He did not want to be dropping him off, he wanted to be taking him home and talking mindlessly for hours about nothing and everything, but Janus had to go, he had a shift in the morning. And Remus did as well, but all he could think of was how wonderful the night had been, and he didn't want it to end. They were standing outside, had been for a while, both of them trying to drag this out. Janus shivered and Remus immediately toar off his jacket and wrapped it around his shoulders. Janus was blushing again.

“You don't have to do that, I'm right outside my door!”

“Yeah, but this way I have an excuse to see you again”

Janus smiled and shuffled slightly. He mumbled something incoherent and Remus’ eyebrow rose.

“What was that?”

“I would really like to kiss you, if that's alright?”

Remus felt his skin burning at the question. He nodded, leaning down to kiss him. It wasn't fireworks. It was a chocolate fountain, soft and sweet and smooth, and they were pulling away and Janus looked completely blissed out. Remus felt the same way as he leaned back against the car again. He smirked and gestured to the dorm.

“You should probably head in, it's getting late”

“Yeah. yeah I should. I don't want to but I should. Um, I'll see you again?”

“That jacket is too expensive to leave with someone I don't plan on seeing again”

Janus smiled and nodded. He finally turned to go inside, and Remus waited until the door shut behind him to get back in his car and drive home. He starts the ignition as his phone rings.

“Roman holy shit Roman I’m in love help”

“Of course you are”

“Roman he wanted to read my stories”

“Well yeah, he's already shown interest in your writing-”

“No but the dark shit Roman, the nightmare fuel the terrors and murderers and the dark gritty shit I never show anyone”

“Yeah, he's really into that kinda thing. He's a fan of that genre”

“But he's, he's so soft!”

“Yeah, you only just got to his second layer of that, he's got a bunch of soft covering up the gritty fucked up interior. His words not mine. He's got some shit buried, Patton knows a bit more than me, but he really tries to keep that hidden. I knew you two would hit it off, you're very similar”

“I want to know it all Ro. I want to know everything about him, I want to know what he's afraid of and what his parents told him before bed and what dreams he has and what makes him tick and god I want to kiss him forever and never stop”

“That is the sappiest thing you've ever said. Want some coffee?”

“It's almost midnight”

“Did I stutter?”

~

Roman was distracted. He was at work, so he really shouldn't be, he didn't really have the time, but he and Logan had been texting since Remus sent him his number, and Roman had caught feelings hard. He was super hot honestly, which was unfair Roman thought, he's half his size he shouldn't be allowed to be so attractive. But they had been sending selfies back and forth, mostly because they were both too occupied with their hands and Roman fucking adored it. There was one of Logan in a tie that was slightly loosened and he was giving the camera some sort of smoulder. Roman had decided after that to explain that he was working and turn off his phone. He went to the back of the shop to grab some replacement baked goods to bring up front and he thanks his years in dance that he didn't fall when he saw Logan at the counter. He was still in his polo and tie, but the tie had been tightened and he looks significantly more innocent than he did in the photo. Roman set down the boxes and moved to greet him.

“Howdy hot stuff, haven't seen you around here, what are you craving?”

Logan smirked back. Suddenly Roman was grateful the shop was in a lull, and he's sure Logan was too as he looked him up and down.

“Well, if we’re honest I'm in the mood for a tall cup of sexy, but it doesn't seem like you're on the menu, so I'll go with a salted caramel mocha. I think its a close second in sweetness”

Roman is completely red, very unprepared for any of what was said. Logan's smirk breaks into a smile and he laughs. And Roman quickly gets to preparing his drink before he combusts. He mutters the price quietly as he makes it.

“Aren't you supposed to have me pay first? Or am I being treated by a knight in shining armor?”

“You're going to give me a heart attack, I hope you know”

“You can't expect to tease me and get away without consequence can you? You'd have to take me to dinner first to get away with that”

“I did not tease you, if anything, you were teasing me, you foul beast!”

“Oh so me sending a picture of me in full clothes is teasing, but you in your gym outfit is just the norm?”

“Of course!”

“Mhmm. keep telling yourself that hot stuff. I suppose if I did the same, you would find no problem then?”

“Wha, you go to the gym?”

“Yes, it is healthy and I attempt to keep a healthy lifestyle. In a word… duh”

Roman felt warm all over again, far more attracted to the idea than he was consciously ok with. The two had been flirting incessantly, and Roman may have teased the poor nerd a bit, but he still didn't deserve this!

“So then if the price of free teasing is dinner, then how about dinner tonight?”

“Hmm, irresponsible to wait until the day of to ask someone to dinner, but I am free tonight, so consider yourself lucky. 7 work?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be waiting for your fine ass at 7”

“Oh dear, how have you ever wooed a woman? How dare you objectify me like I'm a hunk of meat?”

“You're definitely a hunk, that's for sure. A true himbo”

“Falsehood, I have a functioning brain, you are the himbo between the two of us”

Logan grinned at him as he finished paying and took his drink. He waved as he walked away.

“Seeya tonight sweetcheeks!”

Roman didn't know what he signed up for but he was so in.

“Yeah so you don't have to worry about dinner tonight, I've managed to seduce Logan into dinner with me”

“Is that how it happened? Logan told a very different story”

“Ok no, but don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!”

“Yeah sure whatever, I guess that means I'm getting the house to myself?”

“Yup! If jay comes over please try to remember our agreement and dont fuck in the common areas?”

“What? One, of course not, I’m not a heathen, and two, we’ve been on one date, I’m a gentleman, no sex until at least the third date!”

“Mhmm. likely story”

“Oh, and one last request, if shit happens with you two, don't tell me anything you wouldn't say in a pg13 movie. If it's worse I don't want to know, I still have to go to class with him on Monday”

“Deal”

“What's cooking good looking?”

Logan was stepping in the car and rolled his eyes at the line.

“No idea, you're the one in charge of food if I can recall”

Roman thinks it's very rude how easily the nerd can manage to take his breath away. He pouts a little.

“Why were you so shy when I first met you, cuz you obviously aren't”

“Nerves. I wasn't expecting to meet someone attractive when dropping off Remus’ belongings and I startle easily”

“Attractive huh?”

“Don't get too excited, if there's nothing else other than good looks I don't imagine this will go anywhere”

“Fair, I could say the same to you”

Logan sent him a sideways glance. He was also ungodly attractive. He was wearing a black v neck shirt, black jeans, and a blazer and Roman didn't think anyone could pull off a nerd look and be hot but counter evidence was sitting in his passenger seat. Roman was wearing white jeans, a simple gryffindor t-shirt, and his letterman jacket from his high school that was a nice red and gold. He also had simple makeup done, as well as his hair being tied back, leaving his bangs to frame his face purposefully. He was really hoping this went somewhere.

“So, where are we going, might I ask?”

“Depends, do you like Japanese cuisine?”

“Yes, I'm a fan of it, why?”

“Well it was between cheesecake factory and Benihana, and we have now decided”

“Benihana? Roman, that's really expensive, we don't have to go there, I know I joked about you buying the ability to tease, but you don't have to pour a fortune into a first date!”

“Nonsense! As you said, I teased you unfairly, consider it an apology and a bribe”

“...I can already tell that you're even more stubborn than your brother”

“We came by it honestly!”

“So you're a theater major right? So you do the big three, acting, singing, and dancing? I imagine you aren't a fan of writing considering Remus is writing for your musical, but do you do any traditional arts?”

Roman was mid bite of sushi when the question came. He set down his chopsticks and grabbed his napkin to cover his mouth as he finished chewing. He finally set it down and smiled.

“I am and I do, but I do enjoy writing, but it's garbage compared to what Remus writes. As much as I'm not a fan of his subject matters, his writing is undeniably amazing. My writing is very ah, fluffy. Not much sustenance. And like, fanfiction, but that isn't like, real writing-”

“Fanfiction is real writing. Every idea is based and influenced by countless things, sometimes without realizing it. Besides, it takes a lot of the most menial and boring part of the storytelling process out. Exposition is just as difficult to write as it is to read, in fanfictions you get to start right where the interesting part starts, no boring history that means nothing to the plot other than for throwaway lines. Sorry for interrupting I just have uh, I have strong opinions on the subject. Continue, please”

Roman might’ve gone red again but he was shocked at Logan's response. It felt… nice to have the validation in the writing he enjoys. He did however, go back to the original question.

“Um, and uh, yeah I do traditional art, I don't really get? Digital art? It's just confusing to me so I just do the bare sketchbook. I think I have some pictures of them on my phone if you'd like to see them?”

“I'm actually quite intrigued. May i?”

Roman grabbed his phone and pulled up his gallery, choosing his art folder and handed Logan the phone. He went back to eating as Logan scrolled through.

“You and Remus have such similar styles in art, I'm surprised. Definitely different tastes in what you draw, but the style itself is almost indistinguishable. Did you learn together?”

“Hmm? I mean, yeah sort of. We both drew a lot when we were little, but other than the little doodles in his musical notebook I haven't seen any of his art in years”

“Hmm. I suppose that makes sense, he's very secretive and protective of his creative works. I wasn’t ever allowed to see his writing until we were paired for a writing project. Creativity is incredibly personal, and while many seek validation and approval, he seems to fit the other type that fears rejection. I can assure you, his art looks a lot like yours but far more ah, violent. And usually a fair amount of tentacles”

Roman smiled softly, he was happy to know that Remus hadn’t stopped drawing. Logan was still swiping through, eating rather absentmindedly. Suddenly Logan sat up and Roman swore that his eyes glittered.

“Is this the Marquis de Carabas???”

Roman looked at the phone and indeed it was an image of his version of the character. He nodded and smiled as Logan smiled back.

“Yeah, I was messing with plague doctor masks, and I had just finished the book. He was always very birdlike to me, so I thought it fit”

“Roman this is incredible! His coat is perfect and, and his hat? Goodness, this is so pretty!!!”

“Meh, it's not my best. I drew Door as well, I think she's a better piece personally”

“I didn't take you as someone who would like Gaiman”

“Remus loves him and he's another talented author. Besides, Terry Pratchet was one of my favorite authors and I fucking love Good Omens. Oh and I grew up on Doctor Who so that also helped”

“You like Doctor Who?”

“Hell yeah! It's probably in my top favorite TV shows I've ever watched”

Roman was walking Logan to his door and they were still chatting when they reached it.

“This was nice Roman. Thanks for taking me out”

“My pleasure. I got to spend a nice night with a radiant man”

He smirked and was ready to watch Logan step inside when Logan grabbed his jacket and yanked him down into a kiss. He stood there with his arms awkwardly floating for a moment before he wrapped them around Logan's waist. It was quick, Logan pulled away.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first I-”

Roman leaned back in, crashing his lips against Logan’s,and it felt like a forest fire. Logan wrapped his arms around Roman’s neck and smiled into it. It was passionate and wild and warm and Roman felt like every inch of his skin was burning and he never wanted to let go. They did though, and Roman stared a moment at Logan's face, admiring the blush that colored it. He knew he wasn't any better. They stayed there until Logan finally spoke.

“Do you um, do you want to come inside?”

Roman released him, and had to hold back a chuckle at the sad whine that left Logan when he did so. He leaned back in, placing a small kiss on his nose before stepping back.

“Sorry doll, not on the first date. ‘Sides, I have work in the morning. Maybe next time though. Text me”

Logan nodded and watched longingly as Roman got in his car and drove away. He sighed softly before stepping inside of his home, reminding himself to get another date with Roman, and soon.

Roman was about to shout about how his date went when he walked in, but he saw the lights in the house were all off. He walked to the living room and cooed at the scene he was greeted by. Remus was sprawled over the couch, one leg on the floor and one arm over the back of the couch, and Janus laying on top of him, curled up small with his head over Remus’ chest and Remus’ other arm wrapped protectively around him. The two were both passed out and Roman chuckled. He went to his room and came back with a blanket to cover them with before going to his room to sleep as well.

Taglist: @fivebyfive-finebyfive @tacohippy56900 @analogical-mess @crookedlyoptimisticdestiny @angels-and-dreams @fandomloverangel @booklover223

Let me know if you want to be tagged in my writing!!!

Thank you for reading I will see you later ladies lords and nonbinary royalty!!!

[fairiesherefairiesthere]

Fraxus fake Boyfriend AU part 1/?

So it’s Fraxus day, but this isn’t finished yet so I decided to split it up. Here’s part one folks! (it’s a modern au)

"No Freed, you can't hack your father's bank account. The feds will get you and then I will be tragically best friend-less."

"No, you don't get it", Freed says and on the grainy computer screen, Laxus can see him shake his head. "If I go to jail, it'll probably be in Crocus, which means you can actually visit me instead of videocalling me at stupid o'clock in the morning. Also orange is an excellent colour on me."

A quick glance at the lower corner of his screen and a bit of mental math tells Laxus that it's indeed way too early in the morning for Freed to even consider to talk to him. "Justine it's three in the morning there, why are you even awake?"

Although it's hard to tell with the awful videoquality, Laxus thinks he can see the other man pout. "Talking to my bestie, duh", Freed replies and bashes his eyelashes obnoxiously, drawing a huff of laughter out of Laxus. "What are you, a fifteen year old schoolgirl? The lack of sleep is clearly getting to your head."

Smoothly ignoring Laxus' criticism of his horrendous sleeping habits, Freed continues the earlier topic. "Speaking of besties, made any friends yet?" Groaning, Laxus rolls his eyes. "My roommate is an actual nutjob and I don't know why I'm fond of him. He introduced me to his absolute bitch of a friend and I think I like her even more", he confesses and the pixelated image of Freed gives him a smug smirk. "It's because you like to be bullied, Laxus dearest. You won't say it, so I'll say it for you : bottom rights baby."

"I hate you and if you were here I'd smack you", he half-heartedly threatens and Freed replies "Kinky" without missing a beat. While the two of them are engaged in a staring match without actually being able to make out each other's eyes in the blur of colours on the screen, Bickslow throws open Laxus' bedroom door and yells: "Time to hide your porn blondie, it's time for reallife interaction with actual human beings!"

On instinct, Laxus does click away and as soon as the connection with Freed breaks he sees it fit to pout like a child. Their schedules matching (or one of them not sleeping for a day) and their wifi allowing them to see each other is a ridiculously difficult situation to stumble upon and now he's wasted his chance. Bickslow looks at least apologetic. Laxus was going to forgive him, until he opened his godforsaken mouth. "Dang man, the porn that good?"

"I hate you too", he says without clarifying to Bickslow who the other despised person is. He doesn't seem to mind as he plucks Laxus' computer from his bed, plops it down the nearby desk and sits himself down right in front of Laxus, legs in lotus position and bouncing with way too much energy. "I had a great idea", he announces and Laxus immediately doubts him.

"You see Ever and I, we thought you were a bit lonely and it might heal your soul to... Nah, scratch all of that, Ever and I were really fucking bored and we thought : Hey, let's set our absolute bestie up on a date! So here we are. Get dressed, you're going on a date."

"I can't", he says and desperately tries to come up with a reason. Uni work won't fool them, because they know that he's actually a good student, other activities won't work either because he's a social recluse and not even Makarov can save him because for some reason, the little shits he calls friends are all buddy-buddy with his grandpa.

"My boyfriend would hate it", he continues, cheeks colouring. It's because of the lying, not because he can only come up with one boyfriend-candidate in his mind. The statement is bland and straight to the point, which makes his words sound all the more true. Of course, Bickslow doesn't even buy a little bit of it. "Prove it", he demands.

While mentally apologising to Freed, Laxus digs up his contact information and futily tries to call him. After the third time trying, Bickslow looks even less convinced, which is an impressive feat considering he didn't believe Laxus from the beginning. Sighing, he goes to their chat instead and unlike their usual nonsense, he finds a sweet (?) message from Freed.

Damn, the wifi is really fucking with us huh? Wish we could talk more and I wish I could see your pretty face instead of a black screen and some smudges of colour here. X from the most beautiful man you know."

'Conceited brat', he thinks fondly and replies: Cymbeline (Act 3, Scene 4) Line 35-39, but replace 'slander' with 'you bitch'. They've adopted this weird system where Freed uses slang and Laxus literary references, just to meet each other's vibes somewhat. Sometimes it works, most of the times it really doesn't, but at least it's fun.

"Bro have you forgotten about my entire existence already? Stop smiling at your phone and admit that you don't have a mans!" Wordlessly, Laxus passes his phone to Bickslow who gasps. "Book quotes? Shit man, you're in deep. I'm gonna tell Ever." Without a warning, Bickslow disappears through the window, probably giving Evergreen her twentieth heart attack of this month by landing on her balcony. If the school thought a floor would seperate girls and boys, then they clearly hadn't met Bickslow.

Too late Laxus realises that Bicks has taken his phone with him and hopes his friends somewhat value his privacy and don't scroll too far up. There are the occassional way too deep talks around midnight but also a one time onceler x barry b benson bdsm roleplay (Freed had needed help with a creative writing assignment and Laxus had contributed a whole lot of nothing).

Barely five minutes later, Evergreen marches right into his bedroom, heels clicking snappily on his floor. "What", she spits and waves with his phone, "is this?"

"My cellphone."

Unperturbed, she continues her dramatic rant. "You have a boyfriend and you don't bother telling us?" Her tone turns sly and she elegantly flops down on his bed, rearranging her body to give herself a 'stern posture'. She looks like an irod rod trying to do yoga. "Or are you just making things up? Feel free to prove me wrong by showing us what he looks like."

"Why would I bring my photoalbums to uni?" he asks dumbfounded and Ever looks at him as though he just came down from Mars. "Laxus, honey, snapchat is a thing? Email if you're oldfashioned? Where are your boyfriend's nudes?"

"You're in a relationship."

"With a great guy who loves and trusts me and knows I ain't gonna cheat on him. Show me the dickpicks." Annoyed, he gives her a little shove. "I don't have any, I'm used to him being around. He's on another continent now and I just recently realised that all my memorabilias are at home."

"Convenient", Ever remarks dryly and Laxus sighs deeply and stretches out his hand. After she dumped his phone in it, he sends Freed a message ('Bro send me a pic of u ppl wanna know u exist') and shows it to both of his friends. "There."

Surprisingly fast, he gets a message back. 'No. The paparazzi and the FBI agent assigned to me will have to try harder than that to get a hold of ME (why is this man so ridiculous).' He shows it to Ever and Bicks and the former uses this opportunity to snatch his phone, typing a response before Laxus can properly register what's happening. "Hi I'm Laxus friend and I don't believe you're his boyfriend. Send a thirst trap to prove you exist. Or nudes", she reads aloud. Bickslow guffaws at that and Laxus sighs, resigning himself to face the consequences of his actions. What he does not expect however, is for Freed to send a picture back.

It's an awful photo of high school-aged Freed, complete with braces and a very unnatural smile. He's gangly, thin and looks like the walking embodiment of an awkward teen. 'This is a nude, as my soul has never been as bare as in this one picture', the caption reads and Ever laughs. "You know what, he passes the test." She purses her lips. "For now at least, I'm going to need more concrete evidence of this being an existing human being, because everyone can pluck a photo from the internet. Anyway, you're way too late for your date, so you get off easy Laxus."

After brushing nonexistent dirt from her skirt she opens her arms for Bickslow. "Take me home, spiderman", she orders and he gives her a salute. "Roger madame!" he yells before plucking Ever from the floor and leaping over the balcony railing. Their trust in each other is remarkable, but Laxus does think they're weirdos.

The very next day, Ever once again bursts through his door and Laxus mentally curses because he hasn't had the chance to discuss this whole thing with Freed yet. "Laxus", she says, voice dead-serious. "Evergreen.", he greets back as she half-crawls under the covers of his bed. "It's fucking cold", she clarifies before opening her laptop. That seemingly insignificant action makes Laxus weary, as Ever is holding her rickety laptop that's for illegal purposes only.

"I reverse searched that pic of your boyfriend and before I tell you the results, I'd like to know how exactly you met him."

He recognises her nosiness for what it really is (worry) and with a sigh, he gives her the sparknotes version of their history.

"We lived in the same town and we became friends because both of our fathers were absolute shit. They were friends so we became friends. At age thirteen he moved to Alakitasia and we reconnected because we matched on that stupid tinder profile you guys made me."

"Are you sure you weren't catfished?"

"Yup, because we skype regularly."

"Okay. Then certainly you're aware that he's a billionaire? Like, the heir to Justine Industries, the biggest technologie giant at the moment?"

He tries to see the whole situation from her perspective and has to admit that 'I have a boyfriend overseas, who's also a billionaire', sounds a bit too over the top to be true. "Yep, his pa's job is the reason he moved. I know this whole situation sounds like a huge lie to stop you guys' antics (probably because it is), but I swear it's true (it really isn't)."

"Okay then", she mumbles before putting her feet into Laxus' lap. The audicity of this woman, he thinks as he does absolutely nothing to move her. "I'm sorry for the whole 'setting you up' thing, it was rude of us. We just wanted you to have someone, you know? Because you deserve it and we can also see that you kind of want it and we wanted to help. We were too overzealous."

Ah, what a festive feeling brews in his chest. Nothing like a bucket of guilt to get your morning refreshment. The worst part is that Evergreen isn't even done yet with her sentimental speech. "Also, you get really happy whenever your man sends you a message, so all in all I'm glad our big plans didn't work out. I'm still going to be weary of  his actual existence until I meet him, I hope you don't mind." He shakes his head. "Nah, be weary all you want."  

After dropping Evergreen off at her boyfriend's, he rushes to his room to send Freed a message to update him on his situation (he even uses the actual sms-system instead of the internet, which is crazy expensive but he's in a bit of a panic). Unlike most of the time, Freed responds quickly. Laxus wonders why his wifi is absolute shit if he's rich enough to pay for intercontinential messaging. An agonising five minutes pass as the speech bubble ominously keeps showing that the other is typing. When it finally shows up, all it reads is :

"Lol"

"That's all you have to say?" he furiously types back, but before he can hit send, he gets another message. "Whatever man, I'll be the hottest boyfriend ever." After that, it's radio silence again.

The silence between them is broken a few days later. Laxus is trying to enjoy his lunch while Bickslow and Evergreen bicker over something or other, when his phone pings. Little gremlins that they are, they've already looked at the message as soon as it pops up. They read the godawful collection of words "Send me a pic of your feet" before he does.

"Romance at its finest", Bickslow dryly jokes and Evergreen turns to him with big worried eyes. "You're sure he's not a catfish? Or is this what you consider a raunchy picture?" Laxus would answer if he knew what the fuck is happening. Another message appears : ��"With measuring tapes surrounding them, not in a weird, gross, fifty year old with a feet kink kind of way. I want to spoil my boyfriend (with my father's creditcard)."

"Aw how sweet, he's committing crimes for ya", Bickslow croons and Laxus grumbles. "I'm not about to give him anymore excuses to commit theft.", he says while typing "Absolutely not." At the other side of the table Evergreen collects her phone from her bag and opens Instagram. After looking for and finding Freed's profile, she sends him a selfie with Laxus and Bickslow in the background and adds a thoughtful message detailing Laxus' feet. "Honey, you need shoes that fit you. No stores have your size and if your insanely rich boyfriend's dad can involuntarily provide, why not take the chance?"

A few days later, the shoes do arrive. They're the most comfortable pair Laxus has ever owned and there's no obnoxious trademarked name smacked on it. He thanks Freed, but asks him to please not do something along those lines again. Knowing full well that Freed himself would never be financially bothered by it, he still feels guilty. Freed apologises (he really shouldn't, he's been nothing but an angel while Laxus is being bothersome) and drops the matter.

"Where are you rn?" The message feels somewhat ominous, but Laxus ignores his gutfeeling that tells him that today is going to be weird. "The western outside food court of Crocus' uni, why?" The response that he gets is a simple :  " :) ". Like a dumbass, he decides to not question it.

While he's chilling out, head resting on his crossed arms, he hears an unusual amount of chattering. Although he and his friends had chosen this place because of how little people came here, it seems like that peace is now gone. Rest in peace, piece. Vibrating bothersomely, his phone grabs his attention. "Got ya another present!" Brows furrowing, Laxus reads the new incoming message : "Kids and their phones these days. Look up darling !"

[justakpopfic]

12 Days of Dancing—Day 11

Summary: When Yunho finds out about a dance competition, he’s disappointed to learn that he needs a minimum of three members to enter. Teaming up with a dance teachers son, the two have to work together to make a performance before Christmas Eve. And hopefully, win.

Genre: Fluff with a little bit of angst

Masterlist / Next

The Eleventh Day of Dancing

Dress rehearsals were today. So instead of meeting in the same practice room as always, Yunho, San, and Wooyoung went to the theatre on the other side of the building.

“Man, this place is huge!” Yunho said as they walked into the theatre. He couldn’t believe how grand it felt. Hundreds of seats ran for what seemed like miles. A large stage sat at the front, with red curtains and everything. Yunho could see the Christmas decorations were starting to be put up. Red and greed garlands we’re strung near the top of the stage.

“Please take a seat where your name cards are placed,” Mrs. Choi said, holding a megaphone. “We’ll be starting dress rehearsals soon.”

Yunho, Wooyoung, and San found their seats near the middle of the theatre. It was then that Yunho realized how many people signed up to be in the contest. He saw the group of little kids at the very front, the same kids that Mrs. Choi taught. There were another group of kids who looked slightly older, and Yunho saw Ace and the rest of his team take a seat next to them.

Ace and Yunho met eyes for one second, before Ace sat down, facing away from him.

The little kids near Ace started getting loud as all kids do, and Yunho couldn’t but smile to himself, glad that he was sitting away from most of the commotion.

“Settle down, settle down,” Mrs. Choi said, walking onto the stage. She held her megaphone to her mouth.

“Today is our dress rehearsals for our first annual Christmas competition,” she said. A small applause was given before she could speak again. “Today, we are simply going to run through how the contest will go tomorrow evening.”

She started to lead the groups up to the stage, starting with the children closest to her.

“The youngest group will perform first, and when you’re done, you will move backstage for the rest of the show,” Mrs. Choi said. “You won’t be sitting in the audience for the actual show tomorrow, I expect you to be here at 6 o’clock tomorrow to get ready.”

Dress rehearsals had officially begun. Mrs. Choi arranged her class of tiny dancers on the stage, then told them to perform their song as if this was a performance. “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” started playing and the little kids started to do their little dance.

Yunho couldn’t stop gushing at them. When the little kids were done, he gave them a big applause.

“It seems like we got some competition,” Yunho said to Wooyoung. Wooyoung smiled, stifling a laugh.

They watched the other performances in silence. Then it was time for Aces team to go up.

Yunho couldn’t lie, it was an impressive performance, especially since the amount of people they had led them to do more moves that Yunho wished they could do. He looked over at Wooyoung and San. Wooyoung seemed to be a combination of angry and upset, his hands gripped the armrests like he could rip them off in an instant. San kept a straight face, jaw twitching subtlety.

When Aces team was done with their performance, Wooyoung leaned over to Yunhos ear.

“That was the choreography that we were practicing when I got kicked off,” he whispered. “He even used my idea of making a circle formation near the end. He told me it was stupid.”

Wooyoungs voice started to shake. Yunho took Wooyoungs hand and stroked it gently.

“It’s okay. This is just more proof that Ace was lying to you,” he said.

“Then why did he have to use my idea after I left?”

“Because he’s too scared to admit that he was wrong.”

Wooyoung knew that Yunho was right, but why was he having such a hard time admitting that Ace was wrong? Why did he have to keep giving him excuses?

Before they knew it, it was their turn. The three boys got up from their seats and walked onto the stage.

“Get into your first position, boys,” Mrs. Choi said. “Remember, this is just rehearsals, don’t worry about mistakes, just perform.”

The music started playing.

Yunho closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started to dance. This is just like practice. And the practice paid off, every move came naturally to Yunho.

The same was for San. Any worries he had floated away the second the music started playing. He loved this feeling. The feeling of getting to dance in front of people. A euphoric feeling rushed through him. He almost didn’t notice the rod near his feet.

The euphoria slipped away in an instant. San almost tripped over his own feet, but was able to stay standing. But not without a cost. His stumble made him on second late to his next position. Wooyoung noticed the stick, and he spared at glance backstage. Ace was there, smirking at Wooyoung. Wooyoung really wanted to just shove Ace, but instead he flicked the rod away from him so that no one else would get hurt.

The song ended, and the three boys walked off the stage. Now backstage, Wooyoung almost went up to Ace to tell him off about trying to hurt San. But Yunho held him back, leading him to a different area backstage.

“That jerk,” Wooyoung spat out, once they were far away enough.

“Calm down,” Yunho said.

“You expect me to calm down? He tried to injure San on purpose! You expect me to be calm about that?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. What Ace did was wrong, but we can’t go on a rage. That’s what he wants.”

Wooyoung growled underneath his breath. He took a deep breath, until he relaxed his hands and shoulders.

“I’m calm,” he said. “I’m calm now.”

“San, are you okay?” Yunho asked.

“Yeah I’m fine,” San said.

“Did he hurt you?” Wooyoung said.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little shaken.”

The three boys didn’t say anything after that. They simply sat down on the floor and watched the rest of the groups go on.

❄️

“That’s the end of dress rehearsals,” Mrs. Choi said after the last group went up. “You may now leave the theatre, and we’ll see you all tomorrow at six o’clock pm sharp!”

Yunho, Wooyoung, and San got up to leave. They walked past Ace and his team, not making eye contact with them, despite Wooyoung being tempted to push him off the stage after what he did to San.

They walked into the practice room, the same one they always used. San threw his bags and coat down to the floor.

“Come on,” said San. “Let’s get practicing.”

Yunho was about to say something, but Wooyoung shook his head at him. Yunho closed his mouth, knowing that now was not the time to say anything.

Practice went by normally. At around six o’clock, Yunho started to pack up his things.

“Wait, where are you going?” San said.

“Home,” Yunho said.

“We can’t leave yet.”

“Why not?”

“We still need to practice!”

“But I have to get ready for our little sleepover,” Yunho said.

“Hey, we’ll stay and practice for a little longer,” Wooyoung said. “Yunho, what time do you want us to be there by?”

“Around eight,” said Yunho.

“Great. You can go, we’ll practice some more.”

Yunho bid them goodbye and left, leaving Wooyoung and San to practice for two more hours.

Seven thirty. Wooyoung looked over at San. Tired, out of breath San who was still practicing the choreography.

“San,” he said. “It’s time to go to Yunhos place.”

“But…I need to practice…some more,” San said, panting.

“San,” Wooyoung places his hand on Sans shoulders. “You’re great, I know you’ll be great.”

“But…what happened today—“

“Was extremely low on their part. But that just means that they’re threatened by us. They don’t want us to win, and they don’t feel like they’re good enough to win on their own part.”

“I don’t feel like I’m good enough.”

“And that’s a lie, okay? I saw your dancing for years. I know you’re a great dancer, and even if we don’t win, I think that you’re still a better dancer than Ace ever was.”

San was quiet. He gave Wooyoung a tight hug, mumbling a small “thank you” in his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wooyoung said shyly. “Come on, Yunhos waiting for us.

❄️

Yunhos home was the floor right above his mothers cafe. When Wooyoung and San arrived, the whole apartment smelled like peppermint and hot chocolate. Yunho greeted him at the door. He took their things and led them to his room.

Yunho had laid out all of the ribbons and craft materials out that they bought yesterday. Newspaper was strewn across the floor. Yunhos suit sat atop the newspaper.

“Did you remember your suits?” Yunho asked.

“Yup,” Wooyoung said, as he and San took them out of their duffel bags.

Yunho had a radio that used to be his mothers. It was old but it was still working and he tuned into a station playing Christmas music.

The evening was spent with the boys helping each other make epaulets that didn’t look stupid and gluing them safely onto their suits, the way Yunhos mother taught him to. Once everyone had their DIY shoulder decorations on. They began to paint them in red and green, glue bows to them, and attach ribbons that curled to the ends. All while the fifth cover of “Baby it’s Cold Outside” played in the background.

Once they were done, they tried them on. Personally, Yunho thought they came out way better than expected.

“We look like the princes of Christmas,” Yunho said cheerfully.

“On a budget,” Wooyoung added.

That sent San on the ground, laughing as the other boys joined them. However, no one could argue against it. The fake epaulets fit quite well on the suits. The best part was, that they didn’t look as cheap as Yunho was worried they would be.

When Yunhos mother saw them, she just had to take a picture of them wearing it. Well multiple really.

“Mrs. Jeong, aren’t you coming to watch our performance tomorrow?” San asked after the tenth picture.

“Of course!” she said. “I want to capture this moment right here.”

Once she was satisfied, the three boys went back to Yunhos room. They cleaned up their craft space, and started laying out the mattresses and sleeping bags for Wooyoung and San.

It was nine o’clock when they were finished, and the three boys decided to get changed and just lie down. They didn’t want to sleep just yet, after all it was a sleepover. They stayed up a little while longer, talking about the competition tomorrow, and whatever else came to their mind.

“I wonder what we can do with 500 dollars,” San said.

“Remember, I’m getting half of the money,” Wooyoung said.

“Ahh, so that’s why you wanted to join us,” Yunho said.

The three boys all laughed. The Yunho yawned.

“I think I might be falling asleep soon,” he said.

“Me too,” said San, yawning as well.

“I just wanted to say this before I fell asleep,” said Yunho. “Thank you for doing this competition with me. Even if we don’t win, I hope we can stay friends.”

“Me too,” San said.

“Thank you for wanting me on your team,” Wooyoung said.

“Anytime,” Yunho said.

Yunho yawned one last time before closing his eyes, and the bliss of sleep came to him.

[journeysintowebcomics]

Girl Genius Liveblog #200

UPDATE 200: Monster Train

Last time Tweedle and Agatha had an encounter, and Tweedle says he’d willingly help Agatha get to Paris. Agatha doesn’t get much time to ponder why Tweedle would offer this, because there are urgent matters at hand. Namely the crazy train trying to eat everything. So let’s deal with that.

Apparently Tweedle’s first move is to manhandle Agatha.

I imagine knowing he had made the whole chemical thing happen is like half of the reason she immediately went for the knee to the groin strategy instead of just pushing him away or something. The other half must be the rather obvious ‘geez, Tweedle, don’t be a creep, don’t grab anyone like that’. Luckily for him, he can still make himself useful even while he’s presumably rolling around in pain. He can contribute theories and ideas.

Because that’s what’s going on right now, they’re actually thinking of some potential ideas to trap the train and force it to stop. Magnetic fields! Given the train is, you know, a mobile chunk of steel and other magnetic materials, immobilizing it with magnetism is a good idea. That has to be easier said than done, I bet they will need some potent magnets and I don’t think there are a lot of those around here.

Looks like the preparations are done offscreen and some time passed, because the very next page is them getting lifted towards the yards, weapons in hand. Maybe they did have very potent magnets here! Okay then! It’s going to be dangerous, though, there’s molten metal raining on them, and that can’t be good at all. I wonder if that’s some sort of weapon the train has, or if the monks trying to keep it under control are using molten metal to do it.

Agatha has different plans, apparently.

Well, her track record so far is decent. I’m not certain it will work, but it’s worth a try, if only because it’s her family’s horrible train and therefore maybe she’ll have a measure of control over it. Still, if it’s anything like what happened with the Castle, it’s going to be very complicated and will require some sort of test. I doubt everyone else will just stand around while such thing is done, so a test will go badly, and they’ll have to fight the Beast.

I wonder if I got any of that right. Won’t lie, I’ll be disappointed if I managed to guess what will happen!

The plot is stopped by a rather adorable image.

I love this, I absolutely love this. I really missed Girl Genius during the time I was busy and writing a Worm update every moment I got a bit of free time. I’m excited to be reading this story again, seriously!

Speaking of fun images, what comes next is the first glimpse to the evil train in its entirety. Bask your eyes in this!

Look at that! Pretty cool, eh? I really like this train. And wow, it definitely looks like something the Heterodynes would make. This is great! This is the last page of the volume, I think, so that’s one volume more finished! Like six more are left.

I wonder how many volumes will be needed for this storyline. The last one filled several volumes, so there’s a possibility this one will as well. The earlier storylines covered like two or three volumes, but that was so long ago and the storylines have gotten so filled with stuff and details I don’t think the Foglios will manage to cram everything in two or three volumes. Part of me is kind of expecting all the volumes that are left to be about the train in some manner, really.

Well, if it’s not due to length, it will be due to intermissions. Since the volume is over it’s high time for some extra stuff! Such as paper dolls. I wonder how popular the paper dolls are? They must be decently popular, if more are made every once in a while!

It seems these are a reward for a Patreon goal, and they will be all about the Cinderella interlude from ages ago. Ah, I still remember that faintly. Fun times, those were. One day I should reread it, just for fun.

I see all the outfits I remember are here. The tattered clothing when inventing, the rather yellow dress that had like eleven clocks on it...yup, they definitely are aiming to bring back ever outfit from back then. I don’t think there was any other.

Ahaha, there’s that thing! The wind-up moon! I love that thing. Anyway, there’s Gil and Tarvek, both of them with their gaudy golden costumes and crowns, as well as small references to some moments of that interlude. Zeetha is in the page that comes next. Fairy ensemble, and also this:

‘Does thou even lift?’ Okay then! She certainly does, I say.

There are the three ugly stepsisters – or more like the two ugly ones and the one that wasn’t so ugly, because that one was the only one to get decent clothing and also a ridiculous hat. Kind of disappointingly, those are the only new elements for Da Boyz. Oh well.

Also, I’m convinced the costuming department ran out of money when it was time to give Oggie a wig. I didn’t remember that was a mop, haha.

...I have so many question, Foglios. What’s up with this. While part of me is tempted to crank up the Photoshop and overlay this over the Krosp paper doll, I won’t bow down to my curiosity.

I surrendered to my curiosity and I have banished the results from my sight. I feel both puzzled and oddly pleased. But really, what was up with that, Foglios, haha

Niiice. I think it’s no secret I like hats, so I’m enjoying what I’m seeing here, hah! Excellent.

That was the end of the paper doll intermission. Back to the story. That was a fun one!

As Agatha proclaimed he would do, he tries to talk to the train, immediately informing she’s the Heterodyne and that she wants to know what the train wants. Well I sure can imagine what the train wants. I mean, it’s a Heterodyne creation, so I’m pretty sure it will involve the widespread destruction of something. Given it’s a vehicle that can go wherever it pleases, said destruction will certainly be widespread. I don’t think the train believes her, anyway.

While Agatha talks, it seems to me the rest of the group is getting ready for the catch-the-train-with-magnetism plan for when/if Agatha’s conversation attempt fails. Given how the train thinks her question was colossally stupid, the odds of this ending without a fight are almost zero. At least it answers what it wants, and given it’s a train, the answer is more or less what you expect, I suppose.

Also there’s the widespread destruction. Of course it is.

Not only it wants to consume everything in its path, it hates what the monks would like it to do if they had their way: stops every once in a while, follow the rails, don’t consume everything. This train was made to go against everything the monks want. Truly, this is a Heterodyne creation.

I mean, the other trains don’t have sentience or will of any kind. Makes me wonder if they would reject the monks too, if they did. At least one can take solace in the knowledge they won’t ever dare to do such a thing because the Beast is a tremendous cautionary tale on why not to do it!

Discussion over, time to trap it. The monks use their rods and turn on the magnetic field, trapping the train. That went smoothly! More than I expected, at least. While it’s in disbelief about this, Agatha tells it it can’t go around destroying and eating everything in its path. While that’s true, the Beast begs to differ, and decides to show just how useful eating everything is. Well! That sounds dangerous! And something for next time, given how likely it is this will lead to further developments. I shall stop for now!

Next time: in four updates

[littlej097]

For Those in My Heart - Chapter 11 - “Camping”

Prompt: Roland decides to spend his special day with a family camping trip and Regina is less than thrilled. 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

When Regina had offered up a special day just for Roland, she had assumed that the little boy would have chosen the movies or ice cream. She never could have predicted that Roland would request that the family go...camping. “Are you sure, sweetheart?” Regina asked. “You really want to go camping?” “Yup!” Roland replied instantly, evident enthusiasm in his voice.  “And I know it was just supposed to be the three of us but I want the whole family to come. I want us to be together.”

“Well, I think it’s a fine idea, my boy,” Robin told him as he ruffled the curly locks on the boy’s head.

“I don’t know if taking Addy is such a great idea,” Regina said, trying desperately to get out of going. She wasn’t an outdoorsy type of girl. She didn’t sleep on the ground or eat fish out of a dirty river. It simply wasn’t her thing. “No one takes a baby camping,” she added.

“Roland lived at a campsite for the first three years of his life,” Robin retorted with a laugh.

“Well, you know that she’s getting over that little cold that she had.” Regina tried once more. “I’m just not sure that sleeping out in the cold is such a great idea. You three go and have a great time. I’ll stay with Addy.”

“No Mama, you have to come with us,” Roland pouted. “It won’t be the same without you.”

“I’m sure that Grandma would gladly watch her for the night,” Henry offered. “She’s always talking about getting her hands on a smaller baby. If you ask me, I think she’s got a bit of baby fever.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Robin told the boy. “I’ll give her a call,” he added before heading into the kitchen to call Snow. Mentally, Regina was panicking. She did not want to go camping. She loved her boys. She really did...but camping! No, no way. Within a few minutes, Robin returned from the kitchen with a smile on his face.

“Snow said that she would gladly take her for a night,” he announced. “So I guess it’s settled. The Locksley-Mills family is going camping.” Henry and Roland cheered and Regina tried her best to look excited, but deep down she was less than thrilled.

The next two days, they spent getting prepared for their camping trip. Robin had been adamant about just sleeping under the stars, but Regina had put her foot down.

“What if it rains?” She had retorted. “We’ll need tents.”

“The beauty of camping is sleeping under the stairs, letting the wind brush against your face.” Robin told her. “There’s nothing like it.”

“I’m just saying that I’d feel more comfortable if we had tents.” Regina tried once more as she nervously rubbed her hands together. Robin could see that Regina was anxious about this trip. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that Regina did not share his love of the outdoors, but she was trying and that was what mattered.

“Okay, my love,” Robin finally conceded. “If you want tents, we’ll have tents.” Regina let out a sigh of relief. She was not looking forward to this trip but at least they’d have tents now.  The next morning, the family woke up bright and early. They gathered up their camping supplies and packed it up into the car. Regina also made sure to gather everything that Snow would need to take care of Addy for the next two days. When everything was stowed away, they drove over Snow and Charming’s apartment. Once there, Regina got out of the car and moved to grab Addy from the backseat. The little girl had managed to fall asleep on the short drive over so Regina tried her best to extract her from the car seat without waking her up.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Regina replied as she carried the still sleeping baby and diaper bag into the Charming’s apartment building. After climbing up two flights of stairs, she stopped in front of the door and knocked. She waited a moment before Snow opened the door with a ridiculously huge smile on her face.

“Look at that little angel!” Snow cooed softly, looking at Addy’s sleeping form in Regina’s arms.

“Hopefully, she stays a little angel for you,” Regina replied as she handed the baby over to the other woman. Snow instantly cuddled the little girl and rocked her back and forth. “Thank you for watching her.” “No problem!” Snow replied. “I was a bit surprised when Robin called and said you were going...camping. You’ve never been crazy about the outdoors.”

“I like the outdoors fine enough…” Regina lied.

“Please, I was the one who lived in the forest while you were trying to kill me.” Snow retorted. “You spent three days total in the forest...while you were still trying to kill me and you barely lasted that long.”

“I was practically dying from a very dangerous wound infection. You wouldn’t want to be in the forest either.” Regina countered.

“It was a scratch.” Snow told her. “You were not dying.”

“Whatever,” Regina replied as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, there are extra outfits in the diaper bag, diapers, formula, toys. If she gets really upset, singing always works.”

“You sing?”

“Don’t start with me,” Regina warned. Suddenly, she heard the car horn and it was clear that the boys were getting impatient. “Okay, I have to get going. Bye sweetie,” Regina added as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Addy’s forehead. She gave her daughter one last look and felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

“She’ll be fine,” Snow reassured her.

“I haven’t left her overnight before.” Regina replied hesitantly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.

“She’ll eat, play with Neal and then she’ll go to sleep and you’ll be picking her up before you know it.” Regina sighed, knowing she was right. She gave Snow a small smile and then headed back downstairs to the car.

“Camping, here we come.” Robin replied as Regina got in the passenger seat. Henry and Roland cheered from the back seat while Regina mentally prepared herself for what was to come. The campsite wasn’t that far out of town so they got there in a little under an hour. “Alright boys, let’s set up camp.” Robin announced, getting out of the car. Together, he, Henry and Roland started to unload the car. The three boys then started to put together the tents. Regina stood off to the side just watching. At first, it was nice watching the three boys do this activity together. Henry and Roland hung on Robin’s every word as he showed them how to force the white poles into the orange netting of the tent. They worked together flawlessly and Regina couldn’t help but smile at the family that they had become. However, it was hard to focus on being happy when she was spending every other minute swatting mosquitoes from her face.

“Mama look! The tents are all set up!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her.

“I can see that,” Regina told him. “You all did a great job,”

“Well, Roland, my boy, this is your day, so what would you like to do first?” Robin asked, walking over to the smaller boy.

“I wanna go fishing!”

“Then fishing it is,” Robin told him. “I know the best fishing spot around,” he added as he picked up their fishing poles and tackle box. “It’s this way,” They trekked through the forest until they came to a beautiful, freshwater creek. Henry didn’t waste a minute. He had been itching to get back to fishing since his first lesson with Robin. Effortlessly, Henry set up his rod and weaved the worm onto the hook, just as Robin had shown him.  Then, Robin moved to help Roland, who was jumping up and down because he was so excited.

“Shhh,” Robin warned. “If you’re not quiet, you’ll scare away all the fish,” Roland instantly quieted and watched Robin intensely as he showed him every part of the fishing rod and how to use it. While she was waiting, Regina picked up the fishing pole. She had never been fishing before and she honestly didn’t see the appeal. Fish were gross. They were slimy and cold. And, the actual sport (if you could even call it that) was just boring. You just stood there and prayed that a fish would be stupid enough to eat a floating worm and get the hook stuck in their mouth. She tried to sneak glances at Robin as he set up Roland’s rod and do the same to her own. “Would you like some help, my love?” Robin asked.

“No, I’ve got it.” She replied and Robin gave her a look.

“You’ve been fishing before?” he asked.

“Well...no but It can’t be that hard.” Regina retorted.

“Suit yourself,” Robin mumbled quietly as he moved closer to Roland to make sure that he was doing alright. Regina fumbled with her line but eventually managed to get it to a point where she could put the hook on. Then...she realized that she needed to bait it. Looking at the white tub of worms and dirt, she grimaced. She really didn’t want to touch that. Her hand hesitated over the bucket. Robin looked over at Regina and couldn’t help but laugh. He could see how much Regina did not want to touch those worms. However, he had learned over time that if Regina wanted to do something by herself, he should let her, no matter what the consequences. Eventually, he watched as she tentatively reached her hand into the bucket and grabbed onto a worm.

“Gross…” Regina groaned. She put the worm on the hook and then let out a sigh of relief. She actually felt a bit proud of herself. This had been a new experience for her and she had done it by herself. Now, all she had to do was cast the line. She threw the line over her shoulder just as she had seen Henry do earlier. When she went to pull the line back, she realized it was stuck. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the line that she had just spent about twenty minutes getting right was stuck in a bush. “Come on,” She groaned, pulling hard on the line. She had worked too hard on this to just give up. Regina gave one last pull and suddenly, she felt the line snap and Regina was sent tumbling into the stream.

Robin and the boys were pulled from their own fishing experience at the sound of Regina’s high pitched scream. They looked over and saw Regina lying in the rushing water. “Regina!” Robin exclaimed, running over to her. He waded into the water and grabbed onto her. She leaned against him and coughed out the water that was currently occupying her lungs. “Are you alright?” Robin asked.

“I’m fine.” Regina replied, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.

“What happened?”

“I-I just slipped.” Regina told him, her arms wrapped self-consciously around her soaking wet body.

“Are you hurt?” Robin asked, his voice full of concern.

“No,” Regina replied. She wasn’t hurt physically, but her pride had definitely just taken a blow. “I’m just cold and wet.” she added as she shivered.  Robin instantly took his coat off and placed it around Regina’s shoulders. Then, he pulled the woman into his embrace and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to get her to feel warmer.

“I think I’m just gonna head back to the campsite and change.” Regina told him.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, stay with the boys. Their fun shouldn’t have to end because I was clumsy.” she replied.

“You promise me that you’re not hurt?” Robin whispered once more. He knew Regina. Even if she was hurt, it would take a lot to get her to show it.

“I promise...I’m okay.” Regina told him. “I just want to be dry.” she broke from his grasp and began walking back to the campsite. She hadn’t wanted to come camping in the first place and now here she was...wet, cold and embarrassed.  Luckily for her, she still had her magic. With a flick of her wrist, Regina was wearing a new, dry outfit. She knew she should go back and be with the boys - get back on the horse or the fishing rod so to speak. . However, Regina was still feeling very embarrassed and she honestly just wanted to go home. She decided to sit out by the tent and just take in nature instead. She sat down and looked around her. She was surrounded by green trees. Honestly, everything around her was just green and the whole environment just felt suffocating. Nature was supposed to feel freeing and peaceful, but for Regina, it felt like nothing more than a green prison. Trying to distract herself, she decided to grab her phone and call Snow. She heard the dial tone ring a few times before Snow’s perky voice came over the line.

“Regina? How’s everything going?”

“Oh just great.” Regina lied. “I’m having a great time.”

“I can tell when your lying, Regina.” Snow replied with a laugh. “I’ve known you for too long.”

“Fine. I hate camping. You were right. The outdoors and I are not compatible. I tried to fish and ended up falling into the stupid stream. I-I just wanna come home.” She replied honestly.

“I’m sorry,” Snow replied. “Wanna see something to make you feel better?”

“Sure,” Regina replied.

“Click the facetime button.” Snow told her. Regina did what she was told and in a moment, Addy’s sweet face popped up on the scream. Her little face lit up when she saw Regina and a huge smile formed on her face. “Say hi, Mama!” Snow cooed as she hoisted the baby higher on her lap.

“Hi sweetpea,” Regina cooed. “Are you having fun with Auntie Snow?” she asked. Addy started cooing and babbling back to her. It was funny because she sounded like she was really trying to have a conversation with her mother.

“Addy, tell Mama. Tell her what we did today.” Snow said in a singsong voice. “We played. We took a nap. We ate some peaches and you spit them out all over Auntie Snow.” Regina couldn’t contain her laughter at that point. “Like mother, like daughter.” Snow shot back at her step-mother.

“Hey, I have never spit peaches at you.” Regina replied sarcastically.

“No, you just tried to murder me.” Snow retorted with a smirk.

“Fair enough,” Regina agreed with a smile. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps and figured that it must be Robin and the boys coming back from fishing. “Hey Snow, I have to go. The boys are coming back to the campsite.”

“Alright, we’ll both see you tomorrow.” Snow replied. “Say goodnight, Mama” she cooed to Addy, who smiled at her mother on the screen and reached her hands out towards her.

“Goodnight sweet girl,” Regina cooed back before hitting the red “end call” button. As she turned off the found she heard a little voice calling her name.

“Mama! Mama! Look at all the fish we caught!” Roland exclaimed as he ran over to her with a fish in his hands.

“Wow, I see,” Regina replied, grimacing a little as the little boy stuck the slimy fish in her face.

“Papa caught three and Henry caught two, so we have six all together!” Roland replied enthusiastically. “Now Papa’s gonna fry them up.”

“Oh good,” Regina lied through her teeth. This camping trip could not come to an end sooner. She’d rather starve than eat those fish.  Nevertheless, Regina watched as Robin fried up the fish and accepted a plate of it when Robin handed it to her because she didn’t want to cause any problems.

“Eat up everyone.” Robin said a smile on his face. “I hope that my fish frying skills are to your liking.” Roland and Henry started to eat.

“It tastes really good, Robin.” Henry said as he took another big bite of the fish.

“Yeah, Papa! It tastes yummy,” the younger boy agreed as he scarfed down the fish. Regina looked down at the fish and grimaced. She stuck her fork into the piece of fish on her plate and tentatively brought it up to her mouth. Feeling like she was being watched, Regina placed the fish inside of her mouth and began to chew. She hated it instantly. The fishy taste made her want to spit it back out, but she managed to swallow it.

“How is it, love?” Robin asked.

“Oh, it’s very good. You should cook more at home,” Regina replied as she took another forced bite. Swallowing thickly, she set her plate on the log next to her and stood up. “I’ll be right back okay. I’m just gonna go call Snow and check on Addy.” She headed off towards the trail, but instead of pulling out her phone, she used her magic and conjured up a cheeseburger instead. She was not going to leave herself starving tonight. It was great that the boys liked the fish, but she just didn’t. She stood in the brush and scarfed down the cheeseburger

“God, this is good,” She mumbled quietly to herself. When she was finished, she wiped off her fingers and headed back to camp to join the boys.  

“How was Addy?” Robin asked, catching Regina off guard.

“Oh good,” Regina replied after a moment. “I guess she spit peaches all over Snow, which is weird because she likes peaches so I’m thinking she did it on purpose, which is actually funnier.”

“Mama, Papa said we can have smores now!” Roland said, cutting her off. Clearly, the idea of having the marshmallow and chocolate treat was very exciting to the young boy.

“Really?” Regina replied. “Those do sound good.” she agreed.

“So we can have them now?” Roland asked.

“You’re still hungry after eating that fish?” she asked. Roland nodded his head rapidly. “And Henry, you’re still hungry too?”

“I’m a teenage boy. I’m always hungry.” Henry replied as he finished off his second piece of fish.

“Well, then, I guess we better start making some smores.” Regina agreed. They grabbed sticks from the campsite and grabbed the packages of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Regina put a marshmallow on each of their four sticks and they all stood around the fire watching as the white color of the marshmallows turned brown. Regina actually felt herself begin to smile. This was the first moment during the entire trip that she had actually enjoyed. Suddenly, she began to feel a sense of intense itching. She looked down and gasped when she saw a red, scaly rash erupting on her lower legs.

“Regina, what is it?” Robin asked.

“My legs…” She mumbled. He looked down and his eyes grew wide.

“It looks like poison ivy. I’ve had it enough times to know.” he replied. “Where would you have gotten that?”

“I’m not sure,” Regina lied. She was pretty sure she knew exactly where she had come in contact with the poisonous plant. Magic always came with a price, she knew that. However, poison ivy hardly seemed warranted for simply conjuring a cheeseburger. Feeling the overwhelming itch, she leaned down and began to scratch at her legs.

“Love, that’s only going to make it worse.” Robin replied. “We should go and get you some medicine.”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Regina told him. “I’m not going to ruin the trip.” “Mom, it’s fine,” Henry tried to tell her. “We understand. That can’t be fun,” he added, grimacing as he looked at his mother’s red legs.

“I think I’ll just take my smore to my tent.” She said. She took the treat into her and Robin’s and took a seat on the ground. Instantly, she started scratching at her legs. She had drunk poisons that were less uncomfortable than this poison ivy.

“I thought I’d find you like this.” Robin said as he opened the flap to their tent. “Stop scratching. You’re making it worse.”

“But it itches,” She whined, still scratching at her skin.

“Will you please just let me take you home and get you some medicine?” Robin said, pleading with her.

“No, I am fine.”

“Regina, you can just admit it.” Robin replied.

“Admit what?” She countered.

“You hate this! All of it! The outdoors, fishing, the bugs, and strange plants. You hate it all.” Robin exclaimed.

“I don’t-”

“Regina.” She said sternly.

“Fine! I hate it! I hate everything about this, but I love our son so I’m trying.” Regina retorted. “I tried to eat your fish. I really did, but it was disgusting. Fish is the grossest food I have ever eaten. So I conjured myself a freakin cheeseburger and apparently I was standing in a patch of poison ivy because now my legs are on fire and I think I actually want to rip my skin off!” She looked up at Robin, who had a huge smirk on his face that he was trying to cover with his hands. “You think this is funny? Are you serious?” she yelled.

“I’m sorry, love.” Robin replied, still laughing. “I’ve just never seen you throw a tantrum like this.”

“Tantrum?!?” Regina boomed.

“Relax, I think it’s cute.” the thief replied. “I think you’re cute, even when you’re dangerously angry and covered in a contagious rash.”

“You’re annoying…” Regina groaned as she turned onto her side and scratched at her leg. Robin laid down next to the angry woman and placed his arms around her. “Don’t touch me. You’ll get this stupid rash.”

“I’m practically immune. I’ve dealt with this plant so many times,” Robin told her. He began to rub his hands softly over her body.

“Robin...the boys.” She said. “And I don’t exactly feel very...sexy right now.”

“You’re always sexy to me.” Robin told her. He pulled Regina close to him and cuddled her close. They lay there for a moment before Regina spoke up.

“Robin…” “Yes, love?” he asked.

“There’s a rock under my ass.” Robin laughed, pressed a kiss to Regina’s temple and then scooched over so Regina could be more comfortable. Then, cuddled in one another’s embrace, they both tried to fall asleep.

Over in Henry and Roland’s tent, the boys were still wide awake. “I think that’s enough chocolate for you.” Henry laughed as he looked at his younger brother with chocolate all over his mouth.

“But smores are so good, Henry!” Roland exclaimed.

“I get it, but if you keep eating them you’re gonna get a stomachache,” Henry told him. “How about we do something else?”

“Just you and me?” Roland asked. Henry nodded his head.

“Would you like to hear a scary story? People always tell scary stories when they go camping.” Henry told him.

“Okay…” Roland said nervously. He wanted to be grown up like Henry, but he didn’t really like scary things.

“Okay, here we go.” Henry said. “It’s said that a scary creature that’s part wolf, bear and part lion lived in these woods long ago. It was called a Wobion. Once, there was a man camping in these very woods...all by himself. Everything was going just fine until the sun went down. When it got dark, the wind started to howl and so did the wolves in the forest.”

“There are wolves in this forest?” Roland asked, now hiding under his blanket.

“Oh, tons of them,” Henry told his younger brother. “Anyway, the man started to get worried about the wolves coming to his campsite, so he decided to just hunker down in his tent for the night and hope for the best. He felt safe for a while, but then he started hearing noises outside his tent that sounded like the paws of a large animal. The man tried not to make a sound so that maybe the “wolves” would leave. However, it wasn’t a wolf. Without warning, the flap to the man’s tent flew open and the head of a strange animal erupted into the tent. The man screamed and the beast roared back at him. It took its giant teeth and tore the man limb from limb, killing him instantly. They say that on full moons, the wobion comes out and looks for his new prey and when he’s finished eating them, he takes all of his victims' bones back to his den and keeps them as his trophies.” Henry looked up at Roland who now looked scared out of his mind.

“B-But Henry - isn’t tonight a full moon?” Roland stuttered. Henry looked out of the flap of the tent and saw the bright full moon staring back at him.

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Henry replied. “But we better go to sleep. It’s getting pretty late.”

“But Henry, what about the Wobian? It’s gonna get us!”

“It’s just a story, Roland. I made it up. It’s just a ghost story.”  Henry told him.

“But what about the man? What about his bones? What if we’re the Wobian’s next prey?” Roland exclaimed.

“God...this was a bad idea. The Wobian is not real. I made it up. Just go to sleep.” Henry told him before rolling over and huddling in his sleeping bag. Roland got into his own sleeping back and cuddled his monkey. He couldn’t get himself to go to sleep. He wanted to believe Henry that the Wobian wasn’t real...but what if it was. Around midnight, the wind outside picked up and started to whistle through the tent. Roland woke up and listened. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a wolf howling in the distance and Roland’s heart started to beat fast. It was just like the story.

“Henry! Henry!” Roland said, shaking his older brother.

“Roland, what?” he murmured sleepily.

“I heard a wolf! It could be the Wobion!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not real. I was stupid to tell you that story.” Henry groaned. Then they both heard another howl.

“It’s getting closer!”

“I’m sure it’s just Ruby. It’s wolf’s time for her.” Henry told him. “She won’t hurt us.”

“No...I don’t believe you.  I wanna go home.” Roland said. “I wanna go home now.” He grabbed his monkey and suddenly bolted out of the tent.

“Roland wait!” Henry yelled after him. The little boy bolted to his parent’s tent and dove inside.

“Mama! Papa! We have to go home now!” Roland demanded as he dived between his parents.

“Roland?” Robin muttered sleepily.

“What is it?” Regina mumbled.

“We have to go! The Wobian is gonna get us!” Roland told them.

“The what?” they both asked.

“The Wobian! It’s part wolf, part bear, and part lion! It’s gonna tear us limb from limb and take our bones as trophies.” Roland exclaimed. Robin and Regina looked at one another, completely confused.

“I think I can explain…” Henry said softly as he peeked his head into the tent. “I may have told him a scary story…”

“A scary story?” Regina said sternly. “Henry, he’s six. What were you thinking?”

“I was just trying to give him a good camping experience. Everyone tells ghost stories. I tried to tell him it wasn’t real.” Henry replied, trying to defend himself.

“Roland, did you hear Henry? He made it up okay. You can just go to sleep. It’ll be alright.” Robin told him.

“No Papa, I wanna go home. I don’t wanna stay here anymore. I don’t like camping anymore.” Roland whimpered. Robin sighed and looked to Regina.

“He’s awfully scared, Robin,” Regina said. “Maybe we should just head home.”

“Fine, let’s go,” Robin replied. It was too late to argue with anyone. Without saying anything, they packed up their things and the family piled into the car. Almost instantly, Henry and Roland fell asleep in the backseat. “Don’t pretend you’re not happy,” Robin said with a smirk.

“He was scared Robin.”

“And we could have gotten him back to sleep if we tried. We could have gone home in the morning”  Robin replied. “Just admit it. You wanted to go home and sleep in a bed.”

“Fine, Robin. You’re right.” Regina admitted. “I wanted to sleep in a bed because if that stupid rock found it’s way under my ass one more time, I was gonna lose it. Next time someone suggests camping, I will be staying at home. I am not an outdoorsy kind of girl and I am fine with that. I don’t need mosquitos, slimy fish or poison ivy in my life. This will be my first and last camping trip.” And with that, the argument was done. Robin knew that he couldn’t change Regina’s mind, no matter how hard he tried. The first - and last Locksley-Mills family camping trip had definitely been a bust, but at least they’d have the memories to laugh about one day.

[xadoheandterra]

Series: The Burning of Solheim Title: The Path Untrodden Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Chapters: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | XIII Characters: Prompto Argentum, Ignis Scientia, Cor Leonis, Gladiolus Amicitia, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Ardyn Izunia | Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Ravus Nox Fleuret Tags: 10 years older!Prompto, Noctis puts his foot down, fishing is the answer, best friend!Prompto, Ardyn is Ardyn Summary:  Solheim was the height of civilization long enough that their ruins were ruins over 2000 years ago, and still had the power to function in the time of the King of Light. They should’ve realized something was very wrong the minute Prompto remarked on the lights being on, and yet no one was home.

“We’re going fishing.”

Noctis wanted nothing more than to spend a few hours on a dock with tackle and rod in hand, and not think about the revelations from the past twenty-four hours when he finally got out of bed. Without so much of a by-your-leave he dragged a somewhat bemused Prompto out of the caravan and over to the Regalia to help him go through the armiger for his fishing supplies, and left the rest of his overbearing guard to stay inside and argue amongst themselves over whatever.

“What are you hoping to catch this time?” Prompto asked as Noctis pulled out several rods and reels, and there was one among the set Prompto had not yet seen which brought a smile to Noctis’ face even as he didn’t answer Prompto’s question because he didn’t know yet. He tilted the new rod and reel toward Prompto as an offer to inspect instead as he went through his other sets calmly.

The Mind Breaker had been a gift from his dad when Noctis first showed an interest in fishing, but it wasn’t entirely cut out for really catching anything of a decent size. Noctis carefully set the rod aside and perused his others while Prompto made some sort of appreciative noise about the Death Spin that he’d purchased up in the Vesperpool.

“Where’d you get this?” Prompto asked as Noctis who eyed the Hell Blaster that he’d bought on a whim. It was decent but he felt he could do better for the river he planned to take everyone to.

“Got it up in the Vesperpool,” Noctis said. He looked over the Butterfly Edge and Air Stagger next. Air Stagger he’d bought for himself before he left Insomnia, and it’d been a good companion since they started this trip out into the world at large. He left that rod out and contemplated the Butterfly Edge. It helped originally when they visited the Rachsia Bridge spot, which was were Noctis planned to take them now, but he felt like he’d long grown past it. Calmly Noctis sent the Butterfly Edge back into the armiger. “There’s a tackle shop up there with some nice rods and reels.”

Prompto hummed and set Death Spin down and picked up the reel next. Noctis smiled as he looked over the Nereid that he bought to work primarily with Death Spin but it fit neatly onto any of his other rods just as easily. Noctis himself looked over his reel selections carefully. He set the Menkar back, since that was another gift from his dad. The Acubens that he purchased with the Hell Blaster he placed back into the armiger.

“And this?” Prompto raised up the Nereid for inspection and Noctis hummed in response. “Same place?”

“Yup.”

Noctis wondered if he should take the Fomalhaut or the Galatea with him this time. The Fomalhaut had been his staple in fishing; he found the reel to be sturdy and smooth when he made a pull against the fish. Of course, there were drawbacks when he found larger, and larger prey to play with, but overall it was a good and stable reel. The Galatea Noctis hadn’t had much of a chance to use just yet; he’d bought this one to work specifically with Butterfly Edge, but he found it also worked rather well with Air Stagger too. It helped that it had a much stronger set of gears compared to the Fomalhaut, and it reeled a lot smoother than Noctis had anticipated the first few times he tried it.

There was also the Nereid to consider but Noctis felt like the Nereid was more suitable against unusual opponents and he didn’t plan to run into any unusual opponents. Not like the rumors of that Pink Jade Gar he’d heard hidden away up in the caverns. That was a fish Noctis looked forward to fighting with, but he hadn’t the right lure just yet—he’d find it somewhere. Eventually Noctis put away the Nereid and left out the Fomalhaut and Galatea to choose from when they reached the spot.

“Are you planning to fish with a rod in each hand?” Prompto asked as he eyed the two rods and reels Noctis set onto the hood of the Regalia.

Noctis laughed, “Don’t be silly, Prompto,” and pulled out the tackle box from the armiger. “Now help me choose the lures we’re going to use.”

Prompto came up and peered at the box from Noctis’ shoulder and asked, voice light, “Where are we going?”

“Over to the bridge up the road,” Noctis said. “You remember the place, right?”

Prompto hummed and fingered the Galatea and said, “You bought this one there, right?” and Noctis rewarded him with a wide, pleased smile that Prompto even remembered. This was why Prompto was his best friend, because the other guy listened to Noctis’ ramblings. He even paid close attention to the lures that Noctis carefully organized by type. It helped that Prompto didn’t push Noctis to do anything he wasn’t comfortable or ready for, either, and that he noticed when Noctis was down and then began to be extra silly just to get a laugh out of the dark-haired Prince.

Noctis felt he didn’t deserve Prompto, and he thanked the Six every day that the blond stayed in his life.

Prompto picked out the Popppeck: Chocobo which Noctis hummed as a decision; there were plenty of Dace to fish in the river so that was a fair choice. Noctis grabbed the Deadly Waters: Sahagin since there were Zipper Barramundi and Noctis wanted to beat his record of the last Zipper Barramundi he’d caught. The Bomber: Bomb was added to the pile of lures given the few types of Bass in the area that would be attracted to it, and Prompto picked out the last lure—the Hot Breather: Green Dragon which earned him another happy smile.

“You remembered!” Noctis said, even as he dismissed the tackle box.

“Duh,” Prompto laughed. “How could I forget?”

Noctis gathered up the four lures and handed them over to Prompto for safe keeping even as he settled the two rods and lures into the back of the Regalia. He glanced to the caravan to note that the rest of the party still weren’t there and then huffed. “Go get in,” Noctis told Prompto and briskly walked back to the caravan to get Gladio, Ignis, and even Cor to get their asses in gear. They couldn’t afford to really rent the caravan for much longer anyway—not with the need to purchase gas, too, which reminded Noctis that he and Ignis needed to go over the party finances again.

In the caravan some sort of argument seemed to have continued without Noctis present, and he sighed tiredly even as he stood as tall as he could—not something entirely easy when it pulled on his spine and along the mottled nest of scars at his back—and placed his hands on his hips as he looked everyone over with an arched eyebrow. He told them they were going fishing. This quiet disregard for his command would not stand.

“Well?” Noctis said dryly, and almost immediately he watched how Ignis began to put away the various cooking utensils back into the armiger without so much as an acknowledgement. Noctis expected nothing less from his Hand. Gladio’s slower movement to put the Genji Blade away made Noctis roll his eyes, because his Shield was never far enough away with the mark of his disapproval for Noctis’ decisions to put side duty for the enjoyment of fishing, but the man could at least keep quiet about all of that.

Cor stood firm, arms crossed over his chest as he stared Noctis down and refused to budge, which Noctis met with narrowed, almost glowing slate-colored eyes. He would not be refused in this, as much as he knew Cor wanted to stay behind and talk and talk and that would, ultimately, get them nowhere. When Cor looked about ready to open his mouth and argue his point Noctis spoke up instead.

“We can talk at the fishing dock,” Noctis said sharply. “I am in no mood to listen to more arguing, or complaints, or what anyone think is best inside this caravan. We need the gil, and I want to fish—so we are going to fish, we are going to enjoy the fresh air, and we will talk only when I have my rod in hand and a fish on the hook. Is that understood?”

For a moment Cor said nothing, then sighed and uncrossed his arms with a mumbled, “Understood, Your Majesty.”

Noctis nodded his head, turned around, and headed back out to the Regalia assured that Cor would listen this time if only because he put his metaphorical foot down. Once outside Noctis breathed out a sigh of relief and let the tension bleed from his shoulders. He slouched down and made his way over to the car and to Prompto and let the smile tug at his face again. He hated when he needed to be all firm and annoyed at people—it took too much work.

Ardyn sipped at his can of Ebony from the dockside seating on Maahgo’s, one leg crossed over one another as he watched people move back and forth and the Gondola’s drift across the water’s surface. It felt peaceful, one of the few moments of true peace Ardyn found himself in, in the past thirty years. He hummed softly, hat settled down on the table and scarf curled around it, dressed as down as he could get while the sun still shone in the sky. He perused the menu for a moment longer and then snapped it shut and slid it over toward the edge in wait.

“I do not understand this pointless exercise,” Ravus muttered disdainfully from across him, stiff as a board and lips pressed thin even as he carefully placed aside his own menu.

“Take in the sights, boy,” Ardyn said with a wave of his hand. “Breath the fresh scent of the sea in. Relax.” He rolled his golden eyes and gave Ravus a thin-lipped smile. “It is rare to have such moments of peace, no?”

For a moment Ravus said nothing and looked off to the side, and then reluctantly he admitted, “It is,” and very, very slowly relaxed his shoulders. Ardyn hummed in approval and turned his gaze back over the water. “You do realize this isn’t a restaurant, right? It’s a bar?”

Ardyn shrugged. “I asked the proprietor if he minded. He said that he did not.” Beside that it was obvious people treated the place as if it were a restaurant anyway so Ravus had no point to complain. Really, though, Ardyn didn’t understand why the boy insisted he follow him around since they arrived in Atissa. One would think Ravus would much prefer to speak with his sister in private and pretend they didn’t have their wonderfully illicit and secret conversations against the Empire.

“The Emperor won’t like this delay,” Ravus said instead, words just the slightest bit spiteful, and Ardyn sighed.

Ah, youth. He could barely remember a time when he’d been that full of spirit and vitriol of the injustices of life; perhaps thirty years ago when he’d woken in this godsforsaken world with only Verstael and the pain of what he’d become for company. Now—now he was an impatient man and Ardyn could admit that readily, but he was also so very tired and while these moments of peace were a distraction and nothing more he found them to be enjoyable little tidbits for the time being. Soon, after all, things would begin to progress a bit more quickly and should he not enjoy these little moments when he had the time? Ardyn sipped at his can and glanced over at Weskham as the man stepped up close to them with a small pad and pen in hand.

“And what will our esteemed guests from Niflheim have today?” Weskham asked with only the smallest bit of disdain in his tone that warmed the bitter cockles of Ardyn’s black heart.

“I’ll have your wonderful Fettini di Cernia again, my dear Weskham,” Ardyn said lightly and with a faint flourish of his wrist. Across from him Ravus closed his eyes and seemed to need to gather himself for a moment before he spoke.

“I’ll take the Wood-Smoked Fish,” Ravus eventually said, with the slightest bit of tightness to his voice, and with a nod Weskham grabbed the menu’s and stepped away to make the meals.

Ardyn eyed Ravus for a minute longer and waited for the moment where the boy just spit it out like he wanted to. While he didn’t want the peaceful moment to be wasted with Ravus’ breath, he did have appearances to keep up and he’d rather the boy be out with it sooner so that he could go back to enjoying the peace. A second later Ravus slouched down in the chair—so uncouth—and sighed explosively.

“I don’t understand why she refuses to just call upon the blasted fish without that pathetic Prince,” Ravus growled out and Ardyn rolled his eyes heavenward.

Oh, Astrals give him strength. There was plenty to take from the phrasing that made Ardyn want to wring the brat’s little neck, but he refrained and the Draconian should be mightily pleased with that. It wasn’t time to spread the darkness just yet, after all, oh no. He had to wait for darling Noct to be in the Crystal first, and of course the brat was taking his sweet, sweet time in getting there. Honestly Ardyn wondered if he’d need to drag the boy to the Crystal by the collar at this rate just to get this entire mess over with.

“It’s the principle of the matter, you see,” Ardyn said eventually. He was feeling magnanimous today, so he didn’t bother to tell the boy off for his bit of blasphemous talk right now, which he was certain Ravus appreciated. While Ardyn had no love for the Astrals themselves these days he’d once been a very pious man who listened to their every word when they deigned to give it, so talk such as naming Leviathan as ‘the blasted fish’ was just so faux pas that it left him with a bit of a sour taste in his mouth.

“How so?” Ravus demanded. “She knows it would be better if she just called on it and let the Empire kill it. Then the Covenant—”

Ardyn tsk’ed loudly and cut Ravus off from continuing. “The Price would still need to be paid, boy,” Ardyn said softly. “She would still suffer from the Waking; and in this manner she’d suffer without end in sight.” At Ravus’ suddenly paled look Ardyn tilted his head and stared at him with half-hooded eyes. “Oh, was that not what you expected? I’m so sorry to disappoint, my dear boy, but the Gods are rarely if ever forgiving for being woken from their slumber. You may succeed in killing Leviathan, but that won’t stop your dear sister from suffering the Price—and why without the Prince to share the burden…she might not survive it.”

“You—” Ravus choked on the word and Ardyn sighed.

“Did I not tell you?” Ardyn murmured. “Oops.” He gave Ravus a smile, not-quite-nice and with a bit of Scourge edged in before he perked up at the smell of food. “Oh, Weskham you are a treat. Thank you.”

Weskham set down both plates of food with a raised eyebrow, a nod, and then moved back to behind his bar. Ardyn happily dug into his meal with a sigh of pleasure, although he noted how Ravus looked a little green at the edges and refused to eat. He eyed the boy, then nudged at the plate with one hand in a subtle reprimand. Ravus hesitantly took his fork in hand.

“Do chin up, child,” Ardyn murmured. “So, we are on the Prince’s time, and he is taking his sweet time, but that merely has gifted you more time with darling Lady Lunafreya.”

Ravus took a bite of his food, but it only seemed to sicken him to Ardyn’s confusion. Perhaps he didn’t find his meal to his taste? Pity that, the last time Ardyn had the Wood-Smoked Fish and it’d been utterly divine. His own meal was cooked to perfection and he found himself enjoying it immensely. He cut into another bite, and rather quickly finished off the meal to watch Ravus forcefully swallow down his own.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Ardyn murmured, “if the boy takes any longer, I will go and hunt him down myself. All he needed was a little mythril after all.” Given the way in which Ravus choked the idea didn’t make the young man feel any better. Ardyn sighed and signaled for another can of Ebony to drink as he looked out over the beauty of Altissa once more. A pity that soon it’d be nothing but a ruin, but such was the way of the world and the Will of the Astrals.

[rwbyremnants]

THIS CHAPTER: Fingering, facials, fellatio. Also body image issues.

=Chapter 12

"Trip’s been going great, sis. We stopped off for waffles last night at about… one in the morning? I was dead by the time we got back."

In the clogged traffic of the city, Yang was taking that opportunity to catch up with her dad and Ruby again. Though with her father, it was the more general “I’m doing fine, the job is weird” type of conversation; coming out to him had been a pretty rocky event, and even though he was accepting now it did put a little distance between them. She told her sister about meeting with Blake in Chicago, how they were now best of friends and remaining in contact; Ruby was glad to hear that, as she had liked Blake a lot the few times they met.

Obviously, she left out a few details for Weiss's benefit, such as the fact they were now an item. Not that she was afraid of what her sister would say about her, but more about what would possibly end up on her blog later.

As her boss emerged from the bedroom after finishing her makeup and hair for the day, Yang adjusted her position and the phone's angle so the camera had them both in clear shot. "Aaaaand here she is! The motorcyclist herself."

Ruby's digital face lit up at the sight of her idol. "OH! Hi, Weiss! Remember me?!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, of course I remember! How are you, Ruby?" The inflection on her name was clearly meant to prove to the young student that she hadn't somehow forgotten her existence in the past couple of weeks. Yang laughed at the two of them, quickly pulling a chair outward to let Weiss possibly sit next to her as well, should she desire.

"She can ride pretty well. Only ran a few red lights and killed three people."

"She- WHAT?!" Ruby burst out, leaning closer to her camera. Apparently, she was on a laptop instead of a phone, if the static position of the shot was any indication. "NO WAY, Weiss would never hurt anyone or anything!"

"Yang, don't be mean to your sister," Weiss sighed, nudging her with her elbow as she sat down.

"Assault! Assault and battery!" Yang right away called out. Once they were sat side by side she did her best to copy Ruby's tactic, resting the phone on the table in her hand. "You home for Easter, Rubes? You seem more chill than usual."

"Well, I am… in A home for Easter," she told her evasively, stifling a little giggle.

"In… A home?" The confusion was pretty clear on Yang's face from the other end.

That seemed to be the planned signal for another party to pop into view – slightly taller ginger-haired girl with curly yet well managed hair, a pink bow somewhat visible on the back of her head. She threw her arms around Ruby, grinning. "Salutations!"

"Penny?" The blonde was taken back, eyes fully widening as the cogs were beginning to turn in her head. "Shouldn't she be… Doesn't she live in New Yo- Ruby, are you in New York?!"

"Yup!" The girl laughed, returning Penny's embrace with a grin. "Well, it's Spring Break, right? Time to cut loose!" Then she ducked her head. "Not that I'm very good at cutting loose - in fact, I don't normally cut anything, I'm very careful with scissors and knives…"

"Oh, you're really in New York?" Weiss asked with a slight smile. "That's so funny, so are we! Or… did you come here because you knew it was my next stop?"

Waving a hand with a snort, Ruby said, "No, no. Well… okay, it influenced my decision, but I swear I wanted to come meet Penny's parents anyway!"

"Holy fuckin' shit, I can't believe you're actually in New York City! I don't have to wait till summer break to see you again!" Yang's grin more or less went off her face. Yet again a surprise visit to her sister, more than once in the same tour. And she had expected her job would make it harder to see her.

Penny was laughing nervously as she finally released her guest. "Speaking of which, p-please keep the swearing down a bit? Father doesn't like swearing very much and both of them are rather strict."

"Something we have in common," Weiss said with a sigh as she turned her gaze slightly to Ruby's freckled companion. "It's nice to meet you, Penny."

"Wonderful to meet you, too, Weiss! I'm afraid I hadn't really heard of you before Ruby introduced me to your music, but it's truly an honour!"

"Oh, stop," Weiss said with practiced celebrity modesty. "I'm just a person. You and Ruby seem close; I'm glad you found a roommate who can be a friend, too."

Glancing over at Penny, Ruby grinned and said, "Me, too! Oh man, she's like a BFF and we've only known each other for a few months, you know?! It's INCREDIBLE!"

"Y-Yes! A B-F-F! Absolutely!" Penny was growing increasingly more and more flustered, that much was obvious by the redness appearing on her freckled face.

Yang, taking it simply as shyness from being complimented so much, just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I knew you guys were close, but not an entire Spring Break together close! Speaking of which, did you guys wanna grab lunch when we're in the city, maybe?"

"Hey, yeah! We GOTTA!" Ruby turned her silver eyes nervously back in Weiss's direction. "Um… I mean, if that's okay! You're super busy, I know you're busy, so you don't have to!"

"We'd love to," Weiss laughed. "In fact, I have some errands to run tomorrow before the concert, but why don't you meet up with your sister for lunch then? Then we can all reconvene together afterward."

"You… sure?" Yang questioned, looking down to Weiss. She hadn't left Weiss completely on her own since the attack on that very first night – not for a long period of time, at least. In truth, she was far too worried to, especially now. Anything could happen.

"I'll wear a big hat," Weiss assured Yang, having caught the dubious look on her face. "And, if it will make you feel better, we can have one of the other security guards accompany me in the taxi."

"Definitely. And uh, text me? Just to keep me in the loop."

The ginger haired girl was clapping her hands in excitement. "Oh, it's so nice to see you taking your job so seriously, Yang! Ruby had always said you were caring of everyone and I've been so dearly looking forward to meeting you!" It seemed the obviously worried look on Yang's face completely flew right by her. That or she was thinking too far ahead. "Depending on your funds, there's all kinds of places for dinner! I can recommend the correct Ray’s Pizza, according to my Dad, and there’s Hard Rock Café, and pricier establishments if you want to have a nice evening out…"

"Hard Rock Café sounds like your sort of place," Weiss told Yang with a smirk.

"GREAT!" Ruby burst out, bouncing up and down in her chair. "Then let's do it, okay guys?! Let's make it happen!"

"Yeah, definitely! And… then we'll do something after as the four of us, right? Since Penny hasn’t met you yet." It was more the worry of leaving Weiss alone that compelled her bodyguard to ask. At least if they made plans for after, there was a definite time they could be together again. A pointless worry, perhaps, but one that made Yang feel at ease.

"Yes, of course," Weiss told her patiently, patting her arm. "I'm all yours after that. Perhaps dinner, over at Penny's?"

Ruby turned to look at Penny with a shrug. "What do you think? I mean, I don't know your dads as well as you do."

"Oh, well… I mean, I'd have to ask them…" She held her chin in thought, tapping it as she formed a plan. "We'd need to get extra ingredients for dinner if we're suddenly having extra guests, but if we do all that ourselves I don't think they'll mind! Dad always manages to talk Father around even if things differ from the usual schedule."

"Huh… It'll certainly be an interesting night. Especially for you, Weiss." She began to smirk. Perhaps Weiss hadn't quite caught on, or assumed Yang was simply considering Weiss's status. By that point, of course, the diva's brow had started to furrow the slightest amount. She was mulling over those last few words from Penny in her mind.

"Dad talks to Father? But then… what's- oh." Both of her baby blue eyes flew wide. "OH! Wait, are you saying you have two fathers?!"

"O-Oh… Yes! Two wonderful fathers! I just tend to call one ‘Dad’ so they know whom I am addressing. Dad being the more relaxed of the two, of course. And Father is… Well, he's very stern…"

"Weiss's dad has some kind of iron rod shoved up his ass, too,” Yang chuckled. “So we'll be able to cope with either one. Still, dinnertime conversation will be delightful, huh?"

The diva folded her arms. "That man with the 'rod up his ass' hired you, didn't he? A little gratitude might be in order! After all, without him, you and I wouldn't be…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked back toward the screen, slightly wider and more anxious than they had been moments before. Not that Ruby and Penny would probably be able to spot the difference. "Wouldn't… be… enjoying this beneficial arrangement of ours! Now, um, what time shall we expect dinner to be, Penny?"

"Um… so piano practice is at five thirty… my free time begins at six… Six-thirty? Is that a good enough time?"

Yang could see Weiss's slight worry, so she put arm around her, bringing her into her side to squeeze lightly. "Ooof course it is, Freckles! Long as it's cool with your dads."

"Yes, please clear it with them first," Weiss laughed nervously. "And Yang has my number if plans should change, but she'll be seeing you in person tomorrow!"

A squeal loosed from Ruby as she clapped her hands. "This is so AWESOME! Okay, I'm gonna go help Penny ask them for permission and everything - talk to you later, sis!"

"Not if I talk to you first!" And with the click of a button, the call was ended. All Yang could do was squeeze Weiss even tighter toward her for a moment, before eventually releasing. "Are you absolutely sure about being out by yourself? It's been a while since that jerkface tried something, and we got him, but… I'm still worried about you."

"Don't worry so much," she reassured Yang. "You are supposed to be my bodyguard, yes, but not absolutely one hundred percent of the time! Another of our company's security can go with me, and then I'll just stay in my bus until you get back to take me to this Penny's house. It's not a problem."

"Yeah, but… now I have extra reasons to worry. Not just professional ones." She backed away for a moment, looking into the orbs of blue she had grown to adore over the past week. But even despite her worries, she had a smile to offer. "But I know you'll be fine. I'm not about to turn into some overbearing prick who bans you from going outside without me."

That notion did make Weiss smirk at the blonde. Glancing at the phone, just to make entirely sure the call had ended, she slid her hands around Yang's waist, nails scratching lightly at her abs through her shirt. "Ooh, are you sure? Doesn't the big strong Amazon want to chain up the princess in her dungeon?"

Said Amazonian woman could only growl in response, back arcing away from the fingers at first as she sat herself upright, deliberately trying to make herself seem as tall as possible to impress her 'princess'. Taking a quick glance at the clock, she then looked back and smirked. "We got time."

With an expression of giddy glee, Weiss dashed to the back of the bus, wailing, "Nooo, the Amazon will chain me up in her Tower of Terror! Whatever shall I dooooo?"

"C'mere, princess!" Yang smirked, dashing after her and toward the bedroom. But not before taking one thing that would serve into Weiss's request for their time. Her orange scarf. Weiss wanted to be chained up, she would have her request.

But when Yang got to the door, Weiss was on the other side, leaning against it. "Stay away, you brute! Or I'll unleash my magic powers on you!" The giggling sounded like that of a five-year-old, but clearly Weiss was enjoying herself.

"Magic powe- I swear if you sing 'Let it Go' or any of that Disney shit, I am coming for you twice as hard!" When she tried the door, it was stuck. And so she tried again, pushing at it from the other side. "You can't hide forever you know!"

"KEEP AWAY, YOU BRUTE!" she cackled as Yang slowly began to budge Weiss; she knew that between the two of them, there was no way she would ever win, and wasn't putting up a terribly hard fight in the first place. After a few more pushes, the door creaked open enough for her to reach through the gap, able to grasp her wrist. Even though she was giggling like a child, she still had a role to play.

"Got'cha!"

The squeal that leapt from Weiss's throat was so high-pitched that you almost couldn't tell it came from a person. She tried to pull away - which, of course, was a mistake, because it released the pressure from her side of the door, letting Yang inside. Bursting into the room, she grinned evilly as she used it to pull her in toward her, moving her hands to her hips instead. Repeating the action she did when they very first met, she hauled her up and onto her shoulder, carrying her over to the bed with ease.

"Think you can get away that easy, huh? I'll have to teach you a li’l lesson."

"A lesson?! But I am only a princess - I don't have to learn lessons! Put me down!" Her legs flailed and tried to kick Yang, but from that position it wasn't quite possible.

"Oh I think you'll wanna learn these. Lesson one!" Lifting her from her shoulders, she then threw Weiss down onto the plush surface of the bed. From there, she quickly climbed on top of her, straddling her hips to keep her pinned down. As Weiss looked up at her, she smirked right back, holding up the scarf and dangling it back and forth above her to tease her. "How to prepare your victim."

Weiss didn't have the slightest idea what might be in store for her next, but her curiosity had been piqued. What did Yang mean to do with that scarf? So vanilla were her fantasies that she couldn't think of a single thing; for her sheltered mind, it was already the height of decadence that she was sleeping with a woman at all.

"Prepare? Wh… what are you going to do?"

Yang had always felt this temptation to corrupt Weiss, to bring to light deeper and darker new ideas. Why was the idea of that so much fun? But either way, she managed to grasp one of Weiss's wrists, quickly wrapping the scarf around it and tying it into place.

"Make damn sure your hands don't leave that bed post."

"Wh-WHAT?!" she gasped out, genuinely shocked for a moment. But then she realized the scarf couldn't truly trap her if she struggled hard enough - just that it would hold her temporarily. "I m-mean, um… what do you plan on doing to me, you fiend?"

"This!" Looping the longer piece of the scarf around the post, she grasped Weiss's other wrist and pushed it upward to the same place, tying that to the same post to keep her down. Once satisfied with the binding, she leant back to marvel at her work, eyes raking her helpless form. A deep thrill was settling in as she watched Weiss test the binds, and struggle against them. She would be unable to stop her, unable to dictate her movements. She was in full control.

The pale cheeks were definitely flushed from their struggles, and from the knowledge of her current situation. Caught like a fly in a spider's web. Her hips shifted back and forth, her heart pounding in her throat. What would Yang do to her, now that she was completely powerless?

"I… I am yours, Amazon," she breathed, as if thinking this admission might get her to go easier on her.

"You're damn right," she whispered. To think, Weiss had only just done her hair when she first came out the bedroom, and now Yang was about to completely mess it up again. That and more. Her hands were quick to move to their goal, straight to the buttons on her low cut shirt. Even if she would be unable to remove it completely with her arms now tied, it would be enough to get her a better look of what was beneath.

Although, before she threw it open, she looked back up to the blue eyes. Yang was yet to see her body unclothed. In her underwear, sure, but not this much. Not yet. And perhaps Weiss wanted to keep it that way for longer.

"The safe word is ‘Half Caff Latté’, got it?"

The pop star's entire body had been tensed for her chest to be revealed to Yang for the first time, so shy had she been about putting herself on display up until this point. It wasn’t Yang; it was anyone. That wasn’t the kind of celebrity she had ever wanted to be, and still didn’t want to be; she had stayed away from anything risqué throughout her entire life. Therefore, the phrase was entirely lost on her.

"If I w… wait, what? Latte?"

Unable to help herself, Yang's Amazonian character broke, leaving her chuckling to herself for a brief moment while Weiss focused again. "'Half Caff Latté'. That's all you have to say if you get antsy, or uh, don’t like something I’m doing. Y’know, if our little game gets out of control and you need a break?"

"Oh." Her eyebrows were still knit in confusion, but eventually she repeated, "Half Caff Latte, okay." The poor girl had never even heard of "safe words", didn't know a thing about how that worked. But the concept made sense to her.

"Alright. Now back to business…" Straight back to the role again, she threw Weiss's shirt open. And what a sight she was greeted with indeed…

Weiss's skin was flawless. She clearly looked after it, given how fair it was all over. No marks, blemishes or scars to be seen; just creamy, supple flesh. The petite breasts were still hidden by her bra, but their size was clear now that she was half naked. Unable to help herself, she ran a hand down her cleavage, slowly down to the flat stomach.

"You're so fucking hot."

Shivering, Weiss turned her head aside, unable to meet Yang's eyes as she breathed, "Am I?" That seemed to be all she could say; too much of her attention was focused on ignoring the spike of fear, the nervousness.

"Yes," she reaffirmed, backing herself down from straddling Weiss's hips so she could lie on top of her properly, and kiss her collarbone over and over. It wasn't anything she knew would give the woman pleasure, but she hoped Weiss would feel it for what it was. Body worship. "This Amazon loves her princess…"

The shaky breath outward seemed to confirm that she was at least able to breathe again. Her hands came up to clutch Yang's body to her own-

And were held fast by her bonds. This impromptu game of theirs turned out to be so cruel! Only the light kisses kept her from shrieking when she was reminded again that she was tied up; Yang wanted to tease, not to frighten. Keeping that in mind helped.

But for Yang it was only making her chuckle even more. She was delighting in her seemingly cruel ways. Lower and lower her hands were sinking over Weiss's body, until they got to the waistband of her skirt. In the past week, this is where she struggled to get further. One way or another, Weiss protested, or made an excuse. And while Yang understood and obeyed, she never understood why. As she began to lower it slightly, she waited for Weiss's reaction.

The skirt being lowered did have an effect. Weiss began to squirm more, to seem more nervous. Nothing vastly more pronounced than prior to that, but just enough that it was noticeable. She raised her hindquarters to allow Yang to remove the skirt, but when she lowered them again, her thighs were very tightly clamped together – so much so that the muscles were visible in strong relief against her skin.

As she pushed the skirt away entirely, throwing it aside to the ground, Yang was beginning to notice just how clamped shut her legs were. Although she knew Weiss was nervous, she never suspected it would be this bad. Not to the point of straining to keep Yang from looking. And her underwear hadn't even come off just yet.

"What's wrong?" she asked in character, toying with the waistband of her underwear. "Don't you want your Amazon to ravage you?"

"Don't know wh-why she'd want to," Weiss managed to breathe shakily. The finger inside the waistband of her underwear was too much, apparently; too far past her comfort zone. She wasn't trying to dissuade Yang, or saying the café-related phrase that would bring everything to a halt.

But one look at her face showed that she was seconds from a panic attack. True, she wasn't allowing it to interfere with their play, but that didn't reduce or eliminate her reaction. All it took was one glance upward for Yang to know. Where she expected to see playfulness or lust in her eyes, she saw fear and sadness. She was tense all over, to a point when it was visible on her body. Perhaps she was only hanging on for Yang's benefit, but she wouldn't allow that to make her panic. And so, releasing the waistband, she backed herself off, sitting down to one side.

"Do you want me to untie you?"

"No," Weiss breathed unconvincingly. "I mean, um… yes?" Trying to recover their game had come out only sounding like she was finished with it, so she deflated again. "I don't know… I'm sorry."

But such uncertainty was enough to tell Yang the answer. Instead of continuing, she leant up to untie one of Weiss's wrists. "C'mon, you can tell me." Yang was now speaking genuinely, keeping her gaze to her upper half rather than down below. "You've been really tense when we've tried this. Not that I care! No rush, seriously! I just… you know you can tell me anything, right? I don't want you to be scared of me."

"You don't scare me." That came out sounding a lot more petulant than she meant for it to, so she sighed and tried again. "You don't. It's not that, it's… I'm… I just have never been comfortable letting anyone see my body. Especially not… th-that part of me."

The words tugged at Yang's very being. She knew that feeling all too well, although it was mainly in fear of what they would think rather than self-hatred. This seemed like the latter of the two. Not that she understood why particularly.

"Why? I mean you're beautiful, I'm sure yo-" Biting her tongue, she stopped herself rambling on. Forcing her to explain would only make things worse. "I-I mean… You don't have to explain if you don't want to. There’s lots of other stuff we could do."

"You don't want to see it, trust me," Weiss breathed. Then her head raised up to gaze directly across at Yang, blue eyes shining with unshed tears. "Well… you probably understand better than anyone else would. Wanting to hide your body from other people. But you don't want to hear this from me – not when my problems are so stupid compared to what you've had to deal with."

To show she wasn't about to give in, Yang crossed her arms and legs as she sat by her side. "Try me."

For a long moment, Weiss rubbed her wrists and thought. This wasn't something she wanted to discuss. Ever. But Yang was willing to listen, whereas no one else ever had been even slightly interested – or someone she would really want to discuss this with in the first place. This actually affected Yang and their budding relationship, and she had a right to know.

"Well… like I said, I know it's not the same. I do know that. But… when I saw that you have what you have, and when you told me about having surgeries, and all that? Because your body wasn't born the way you wanted it to look… or, um, however you'd say that. There was a little part of me that already knew what you meant. It's not the same, but it did help me understand where you were coming from a little better than I might have otherwise."

"So wait… what are we talking about here? Because if you’re about to tell me you have a dick, I think I’m gonna faint."

“You already know I don’t,” she chuckled weakly. “You’d have felt it the way I felt yours. Because you’re so sexy, and laying on top of me like you do...” Her eyes dropped again. “No, I just don’t really like… certain things about my body. Little things.”

Things were starting to make a lot more sense. Yang had suffered with her self image, of course, but in a different way. Weiss seemed to be telling her that she hated how a part of her own body looked. And judging by the unshed tears, a lot.

"Is that why you were asking me about who I went to for my rack?"

"Who you went to? For… your boobs? OH! Oh, no no no, not my boobs!" She laughed a little with relief – it was good for her, from the look of things. "Though they are barely worth being called that, I'm fine with my pathetic cup size. All the tabloids demanding to know if I’m ever getting implants are wasting their time. It's…" Her voice got quiet again, though it was less fearful than it had been before. Her hands folded tightly in her lap. "It's somewhere else that I dislike."

Spying downward to where Weiss's hands had ended up, and seeing how tight Weiss's legs were still crossed, she could guess. "Right." But after a while, she finally took a step of bravery. "If you don't mind me asking… how come? Like, what’s the problem?"

"You wouldn't understand. I mean… you'd understand the whole idea of being dissatisfied, obviously! Like you said! But this will… UGH, I feel so nit-picky!"

"Weiss, it's not a contest," she reassured her, placing her hand on her thigh, far lower than she had before. Just enough so she'd be able to see it was reassuring rather than to continue their play. "I'm sure whatever it is, you probably see it as far worse than it actually is. But it's one hundred percent not going to matter to me, okay? No matter what, I’m not going anywhere, and I’m still gonna think you’re… so perfect."

There was a long pause as Weiss weighed that offer. The pros and cons, her own feelings. Her hand fell to Yang's and squeezed it hard - harder than she usually did just from holding hands.

"I'm… it's… lopsided."

Yang tilted her head. In regards to that area, she didn't really know what to expect from that comment. At least, not something that would make someone feel such a dislike for their own anatomy. "Huh? Lopsided?"

"Very." Her other hand came up to rub at her eyes, hard. "Ever since puberty, I've noticed that, and… and I don't know what to do about it, I know there’s a minor surgery to fix this, but I would have to admit that it's real to a DOCTOR to get it fixed! And it's just a stupid cosmetic surgery, and my father would be so disappointed with me for having anything like that done, and… and I don't know what to do besides live with it!"

Yang was confused. "Why the hell would your father have any say? It's a part of you, it's got nothing to do with anyone else!"

"Oh, it's just how he's always felt about things like this. Body image, sexuality – I did ask him if I could get my boobs done once, not even completely certain I wanted to go through with it, and he shouted at me for almost an hour. Definitely shot that idea down."

Yang was trying to understand. Truly trying. But she simply couldn't grasp it. Her own father had always been so supportive of her, once the initial shock wore off and they had talked things through — even offering to help pay for her top surgery until Yang insisted otherwise. The very thought of any father shouting at his daughter over that simply made Yang's blood boil.

"That's… That's bullshit! How fucking dare he!"

Weiss was a little startled at this reaction from Yang. Not afraid, but puzzled. "Well… our bodies are a temple, aren't they? Father just sees them as being sacred. Changing them to suit the earthly standards of beauty is not only a waste of money, but in defiance of God." Then she shrugged and slumped down a little more. "Or that's what he believes, anyway. Not sure what I believe anymore."

All Yang could do was continue to stare out into space. She assumed her father had at least guessed about her condition, given that she had listed qualifications on her CV that were under her previous name. And yet if this is what he truly believed, he obviously didn't – else he wouldn't have hired her.

"Temples have to be built though, right?" She was trying to bring things into perspective, to try and explain in a way Weiss would understand. "And they're always being improved how people want them. Not to how any god or whatever wants them to be. Your body is your temple. And your father should get no say whatsoever in how you want it."

Then her hand went to Weiss's once again, giving it a small squeeze. "And if you want to get anything done, if you really feel like it'll help you, then you do it. Fuck what anyone else thinks."

"Yeah," she breathed quietly. She had been listening, but it all flew in the face of everything she'd ever known and was therefore a lot more difficult to take in. "But… it's… I don't know, it's not like with your chest, where it didn't match what you felt it should be. I already have the body I want, except f-for…" Wiping her eyes again, she added in a whisper of pure agony, "It's so ugly."

For a moment, Yang fell silent. It wasn't her right to dictate what was and wasn't ugly on the diva’s body, even if she'd had more than enough experience with such feelings. All she could do was listen, understand, be there for her. But perhaps she was in the unique position to offer more.

"Then what about a second opinion?"

"A second opinion? Where would I get one of-" Then Weiss smiled, though it was a tight, knowing smile. "You just want to get into my panties, you big lesbo."

Giving back a humoured smile, she tilted her head. "Got me. But seriously, I can pop the hood and take a look, if you wanted."

Weiss hesitated. Truly hesitated, looking up at Yang as if trying to tell if she was messing with her. "No. I mean… do you really want to? No, I can't ask you to do that. Or I could - but you don't want to stare at my weird vagina, it's… icky, and unpleasant."

"I put up with you when you thought I was weird and unpleasant, right?" That part was a joke. But the offer was not. That much was obvious when Yang placed her hands on her thighs, rubbing them slowly. "No part of you is ‘icky’, I can tell you that right now. Pinky swear if you want."

Weiss's blue eyes flew open, fingertips reaching for Yang's shirt. "You… you do?"

"I do. And I can tell you that even without seeing it. Because it's you." She then waited patiently for Weiss's next move. Whether that was to allow her to see or not, it didn't matter. Yang meant every word. Even in such a short amount of time, she adored Weiss. Far more than she could put into words.

And then, almost so slowly one could count the passage of time by minutes instead of seconds, Weiss's thighs began to part. She still didn't open them very wide or act as if she were looking forward to what came next, but she was at least amenable.

"You… may proceed. But if you agree with me that it’s weird-looking, I want your honest opinion – don't sugar-coat anything."

"Do I ever sugar-coat anything?" But before she could allow her to answer that, she did as she promised. Hands returning to the waistband of her panties, she began to pull them downward. Slowly, gradually… Until she slid them off her legs completely, and left them with her skirt. Her hands then returned to her thighs, and she looked back up to the tears in Weiss's eyes as she allowed her legs to part. It wasn't quick, but it also wasn't as slow as before; it seemed now that she had made the decision, there was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

As she had indicated, Weiss's labia were indeed slightly uneven; the one on Yang's right was perhaps half an inch longer than the other, and more wrinkled. Everything was quite pink, almost vividly so, and as she was open and on display, the hood over the top couldn't quite conceal her clit; that was also very nominally larger than was typical. Other than those minor notes, Weiss was entirely average.

Hands remaining firmly on her thighs, Yang did as she was told. Looking down toward it to gather a second opinion, her breath rustling the sparse, untrimmed white-blonde hair above. As she predicted, she didn't find it ugly at all. It was a part of Weiss, just as unique as the rest of her, and quite lovely to her viewpoint. Somehow it was more fitting that way, for her to be slightly different, to have a small quirk.

"It's just as beautiful as the rest of you, ya dork."

"No, it's not!" she burst out, voice full of tears even if she wasn't crying yet. "It looks stupid! Not that I r-really like how vaginas normally look in the first place, but come on, how can you not think I'm a freak of nature?!"

For a moment, Yang looked back toward her, raising one eyebrow. Even without words, the message was obvious, that talking about freaks of nature to Yang was somewhat ironic considering how much she differed from 'normal'. But when she looked back down at her, and the larger-then-average clit, she couldn't help but smile again.

"It's not stupid. And I think your little button is really cute."

"A BUTTON!?" she demanded, curling to sit up and get a decent look down at herself. Once she figured out what Yang meant, she tutted and said, "No, no- I meant the lips! The lips are weird! Does it really look like a button?!"

So that was what Weiss found unacceptable, the thing that made her so frightened of revealing herself to Yang – or to even look at for herself before now. But for her partner, she hadn't even noticed – not until Weiss pointed it out. She tilted her head again, brushing one of her hands slowly inward toward it along her inner thigh.

"Weiss, your body is beautiful. It's not perfect, but I promise you… nobody cares whether or not any girl’s snatch looks like it belongs on a mannequin or something. I really like you exactly like this."

The exposed singer seemed to be unable to speak now. Yang was going to touch it. Going to touch her shame, touch it and say that it was beautiful. This couldn't be happening – she felt a compulsion to run away, to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. But the hand was coming closer and closer, and all she could do was clutch at the sheets and squeeze both eyes shut.

When she saw her eyes were closed, Yang stopped her movements. She didn't believe anyone wanted to do this, truly thought she considered it ugly despite saying otherwise. There was only one way she could think of to show her she wasn't. She shuffled herself over on the bed, moving her position to between her thighs. Then laying on her front, head facing it, she held her legs open, leaning in to give the very shame Weiss thought she had… A kiss.

An anguished, strained cry loosed from deep in Weiss's throat. Pure alarm, and confusion, and a dozen other emotions she couldn't specify. Her eyes swivelled down to see the blonde hair poking up from between her legs.

"Wh… what?!" she was able to squeak. It only seemed to earn her another kiss. And another, and another – each one delivered to the lips themselves. Every part that Weiss disliked, she made sure to spoil, in the hope that she would understand how Yang felt. That she truly didn't think it was ugly.

"You… I can't believe you're touching that!" Weiss whispered, no longer so shrill and distressed. Now she was confounded beyond all reason. Yang was not only touching it, but touching it with her mouth. That was insane!

Add into that how it felt… but Weiss couldn't focus on that yet, she didn't have the mental fortitude. She knew she liked it, but beyond that, there was no examining the sensation.

But Yang didn't give her too long to focus on what the kiss felt like. Soon enough she was sitting herself back upright between her legs, staring down at the beautiful woman lying on the bed, still dumbfounded by her girlfriend's actions. Where her lips were pressed, a hand was brushing against the folds again, pressing inward slightly.

"Girl, it is the best I’ve ever had."

A familiar moan escaped the diva as she laid back on the bed. This time, however, there was a touch of uncertainty in it, even more so than the first time Yang pleasured her through the fabric of her shorts. At least it had been concealed – now she was open, exposed! And Yang could actually feel how strange the shape of her sex was!

"You… are you sure?" she finally managed to pant a minute later. "It's not… you're n-not just saying that?"

"I'm sure." She further underscored her affinity for Weiss's body by pressing her hand firmer up against it, brushing up and down again to test how she felt about being touched there. Judging by the moan, she liked it a lot. "Amazon is all about her princess."

"R-really? You are?" Tears were rolling down the diva’s cheeks, leaking at last, but they seemed to be involuntary. Weiss herself was arching her back, clutching the sheets as the sensations assailed her – and far stronger than the last time they had fooled around. If she had known it felt this good to tease them directly, she would have simply thrust Yang's hand down the front of her panties, the risk of her feeling her abnormality be damned!

As it was… she couldn't express the joy she felt at knowing Yang liked her body. Her silly, almost-perfect body with its jarring flaw. Until now, it had been one she could hide easily enough, but Yang wanting to treat all of her body with love and tenderness had blown past that defence. Now, there was nothing between the two of them.

"Yeah. It's so soft… It just feels so nice to touch, like the rest of you." Yang was about to lean back up to kiss her lips, but remembering where they had just been, she turned aside, pressing her lips against her collarbone instead. Never did her hand leave the exquisite flesh, making delicate movements over and over again – building to stronger ones.

Such actions – and hearing the reactions from Weiss – were causing her own “abnormality” beginning to throb against the fabric of her shorts and panties. And why wouldn't it? When something felt this good to touch alone, how good would it be to feel Weiss wrapped around herself?

"Oh… o-OH, Yang!" Little by little, Weiss widened her legs to allow Yang better access, relaxing into their new activity. Her back began to arch as her head fell back, and she knew she was loving this, that her reservations about being seen and touched directly had just gone up in smoke – at least when it came to one specific bodyguard. "How are you so good at this? NNhhh, yeah!"

"Practice," she muttered against her neck, continuing to press her lips against it over and over again, kneading against the sweet skin. Maybe she wasn't going to tie Weiss back up again after all, but that didn't mean she was going to let their character roles completely slip away.

After a minute of simply toying, she leant upward to her ear, whispering in a low, gruff voice, "So how about it?" She punctuated her words by pressing her fingertips near her entrance. "How about your ‘amazon’ truly takes her princess?"

"Wh-what does that even MEAN?!" she demanded weakly, clutching at Yang's upper arm with the left half of her perfectly-manicured nails. Seemed some innuendo still went directly over the sheltered girl's head.Staying by her ear, the bodyguard’s finger began to circle slowly so she could give her an idea. Weiss was so wet! Completely soaked and ready for this physically. But mentally, perhaps that was another story.

"Me, inside you, claiming your body. Making it feel good. Is that what you want?"

"You ins- WITH YOUR-" Weiss's eyes shot wide, and all those nails dug into the flesh much harder than before. "B-but that's… that would be…"

And the reality of their situation hit her. Sex. They were going to do more than just fool around, they were going to have actual penetrative sex – her first time. Virginity, impregnation… Her legs clamped together on the hand, not allowing it to leave but also not allowing it as much free reign as it had moments ago.

"Yang, I- is that what you want? To really, um, sleep together?"

Yang remained completely still for a moment longer. The hand hadn't given her enough of a clue yet it seemed. Or had it? She leant up to look into her eyes. She needed to be sure she understood everything before continuing at all. "Weiss, I mean with my fingers, not with my… y’know. The other thing. But this isn't about what I want, it's about what you want.”

The relief in Weiss’s eyes was complete and obvious. A few seconds later, her thighs relaxed and she let go of Yang's bicep. "Oh… well, I… we've never tried that, I don't know…" Perhaps this still wasn't something she had been expecting to try today, but at least it wasn't as unexpected as losing her virginity!

"Sure, it’s new, but it's something to try if you wanted. And I mean, I’ve never owned a vagina, but from what I hear, it’s… different." She gently pressed a fingertip up against the entrance properly, not enough to enter at all, but just enough to have her feel its presence, for her to grasp if she wanted more.

"Ooh… th-that's different, alright!" Gulping, the inexperienced girl pet up and down Yang's arm, almost as if trying to reassure herself as much as her partner. "Um… w-will it hurt? If you go inside, I mean…"

"Judging by how you feel down here…" Rotating her fingers around the area, Yang attempted to moisten her fingers as much as possible with Weiss's juices. She really was ready… "Pretty sure it won’t. But I'll go slow. Just let me know how it feels."

There was a long pause as Weiss considered her options. She could either refuse, continue to be afraid of anything below the waist for a few more months… or she could take the plunge. Find out just how incredible Yang could make her body feel with those strong, confident hands of hers. So far, she had already made her feel whole new vistas of pleasure with them. Might as well reach for the stars.

"Slow is good," she finally admitted as her thighs began to relax. "So… so we can try, I think."

"Okay. Then let's just…" Like the first time she and Weiss had tried this, she pressed her lips against Weiss's collar bone, continuing to kiss it over and over again as some form of distraction, something to keep her grounded. It was all she could do seeing as she probably wouldn't allow Yang to kiss her lips just yet.

And slowly, two of Yang's fingertips began to guide themselves down, entering the wet and wonderful warmth that was her girlfriend. Her diva. All she could do was continue to push deeper, and listen for her reactions.

"Wow!" she breathed, eyes flying wide as she felt something entering her for the first time. "This… it feels like so MUCH! Are you… using three fingers?! I thought you said you would go slow!"

"Just two," she reassured her between kisses, pressing more of them again and again as she pushed in further, and further. Once she thought she was deep enough for a first attempt, she began to draw them back out again.

And Weiss was appreciative. Even if she didn't know how to show it properly, having her inner walls stroked was an experience unlike any she had ever felt – it wasn't as strong as when Yang really got going stroking her through the shorts, but far stronger than merely caressing her outer lips a moment ago. Was this what women felt all over the world when being pleasured? How she had been missing out!

Each time Yang plunged her fingers back in, she reached a little deeper than before. And then she'd draw back out, then back in, over and over again in a slow pace to help her get used to the sensation. This was Weiss's first taste of what sex would be like. Only more was to come later in their relationship, but for now, Yang was going to help Weiss discover this. They both would together.

The fingers sparked an awakening within Weiss’s body. Up until that point, it had all been new, and gratifying, and beautiful. But something about this particular action… there was a "rightness" to it. Deep down in her rational mind, she knew it was a genetic need to be deflowered, to provide children into the world which made the actions associated with procreation pleasurable, but it seemed like more than that. Having Yang inside of her was the most satisfying experience of her entire life – moreso than a steaming latte, or a spa day, or singing in front of a crowd onstage.

Well… maybe not that last one.

"You're so warm…" It was all she could think about as she continued to push herself inside, gradually increasing her speed. Everything about her beloved girlfriend, Yang found flawless. The small squeaks she made as her body twitched, the feeling of softness that between her legs had, even if it was what she was ashamed of from the start. Everything only fuelled her own need. And as she lay by Weiss's side and kept kissing her neck, she couldn't help but begin to push her hips forward, grinding against her thigh. Her subconscious would do anything to try and satisfy the burning heat.

Against all expectations from either of them, Weiss felt the hardness up against her leg… and she laughed. It was a nervous laugh, but she couldn't help it; the very idea that eventually, that might be inside her… that was the most ludicrous thing in the world in that moment.

On the other end of the spectrum lay Yang's efforts to bring her to orgasm. Those fingers were most certainly anything but ludicrous. She loved them, she loved feeling her girlfriend up against her body, the lips on her collar… the fullness inside of her. Everything was magic.

Yang could feel a twitch from within the diva's body around her fingers which told her what she needed. That soon she would be at her end. To ensure that, she sped her fingers up even more, starting to curl them upward. She had fond memories of that working with Blake before, maybe Weiss was the same.

As it turned out, she was. Very much so.

"OOOHH!! Yang, that's- oh my GOD, what are you doing to me?! It's so much, it's- WHOOOOHAH!"

"That's it… Come for me, my princess." It was her last ditch effort to help Weiss finish, whispering into her ear in that same low-toned voice while she continued to push in and out of her at a higher speed. For her first time, Weiss really was weathering such treatment well. It only made her own thrusting against Weiss's leg begin to intensify. She could only begin to imagine their future, when their bodies would unite as one.

The squeals got louder and sharper as Weiss continued to let the fingers punish her insides, to tease this newly discovered spot that seemed to be made out of pure fire and emotion. Sparks blazed out from every fingertip and every toe as she writhed under her, mouth hanging open and panting with the effort of trying not to lose her mind.

"Yang! Yang, it's- it's happening! I'm going t-to- tooooOOOAAHHHH! YES! Yeah, more!"

"More? Alright!"

In her last ditch effort to push her to orgasm, Yang had increased the speed of her fingers as fast as she could against that spot. Instead of kissing more, she instead bit down against Weiss's neck, sucking at the flesh she had captured in her lips to mark her. The ultimate sign that she belonged to her.

One single bite was enough. Between the attention already being paid to her sensitive spot inside, the knowledge that it was Yang, and the unexpected flash of dull pain along her neck, the peak of her pleasure burst and rushed over her amidst a flurry of high-pitched squealing, limbs jerking and shivering. It was ten times more glorious than she had been expecting, and she loved every minute.

Savouring every moment, Yang delivered a few more firm thrusts with her fingers, allowing Weiss to ride out her orgasm right to the very end. Seeing her at the peak of her orgasm was the most wonderful thing she had experienced in a long, long time. The fact that she got to see it more than once in her lifetime was nothing less than majestic.

Finally, her hand came to a stop as her mouth released the side of her neck. She curled around her side, taking a moment to catch her own breath. "Good enough for you?"

The panting pop star could only nod as she lay there, blinking over at Yang with hazy blue eyes full of affection and appreciation. However, it didn't stop her hand from reaching down to caress Yang through her shorts. Only weakly, and only teasing, but enough to let her know that the thrusting against her thigh did not go entirely unnoticed.

"Hnnhh…" A rather sharp hum of pleasure sounded from Yang as her own sex got its turn to enjoy some attention. It was already at full length, and she hadn't even taken any of her clothes off. She had to change that. Suddenly she was rushing to fiddle with her jacket zipper, quickly pulling it down and tossing it aside, then immediately throwing her top along with it. She allowed Weiss to handle her lower half, knowing how much she enjoyed it.

This time, however, it seemed Weiss was feeling a bit more playful. A vague smile played across her face as she slithered a hand down Yang's shorts, the fingers gently surrounding the top side of her length and sliding up and down along it.

"Oh! W-Weiss?!" Was she going to get her off this way instead? And allow her to mess up her shorts and panties? Apparently so. Not that she would protest. Instead, she rolled over onto her back, allowing Weiss to have her way with her entirely, raising her arms above her head to show it.

"Mmmhh," Weiss sighed as she enjoyed the feeling beneath her fingers. One thing was for sure within her mind: she definitely wasn't "fully lesbian" if she enjoyed teasing a cock as much as she seemed to. And Yang's was even better, since it wasn't attached to some creepy guy. Win-win!

Eventually, Weiss regained her energy enough to roll over and begin stroking her in earnest, other hand tracing its way up and down her side. As she did so, listening to her girlfriend get closer and closer, a desire began to take shape in her mind. Something that had happened spontaneously once before, but not since… and the accompanying shame of the thought made her begin to blush and look away.

But as she managed to look up at last in the middle of her pleasure, she spotted such a blush, and such a nervous look. That wasn't from their current activity, Yang could tell that much. No… it seemed the diva had other plans for her. Just ones she was too nervous to speak of out loud.

"W-what'cha thi- AH! What'cha thinking about?" she prompted in the middle of her pleasure, only just managing to hold on.

"Well… I was kind of- no, never mind," she cut herself off hastily as she fondled Yang, biting her lip to keep from speaking anymore. Though she saw Yang was still watching and waiting for her to talk. She had told her that her misshapen sex was beautiful, after all. Maybe there was nothing to fear. "I wanted… you to… do what you did that first time. Again."

"Do what I… Huh?" Yang hesitantly laid a hand on Weiss's to stop her pumping any further. If she did, she would finish before Weiss could even explain properly. "What thing was that?"

Obviously, Weiss was still extremely embarrassed about her request, but she closed her eyes and forced herself to whisper it anyway. "Finish on m-my face?" Then she waited, stomach clenched, for summary judgment. To be told she was a freak.

"Oh…" Just like that, Yang’s blush matched her partner’s, releasing Weiss's hand so she could continue again if she wanted to. Weiss wanted her on her face yet again, to mark her with her own juices. It seemed degrading to do it to her, and yet the thought was making her heat only spike.

Nodding to accept such a request, she went to unbutton her shorts, pulling them, and her underwear down and off to give Weiss ease of access. And Weiss kept jerking, albeit at a slightly slower pace so as not to drive Yang over the edge too soon. At the same time, she was also crawling backward off the bed with a slow and steady pace. Seemed she was headed for the floor.

All the while, Yang grasped at the sheets instead, leaning her head back against the pillows in an effort to try and hold on. If she came too soon, it wouldn't be satisfying enough. Not to mention it wouldn't land where her girlfriend wanted it. But Weiss's hand was too good for her to do that for too long!

But by that point, Weiss was literally pulling Yang toward the edge of the bed by the appendage in her hand. The choices were to follow, or to have it pulled at in a way that was less than enjoyable, so she followed. Then she was sitting on the edge of the bed, Weiss kneeling before her.

"You… you ready, baby?" she panted, licking her lips, clearly more excited than even she herself had anticipated.

Now sat on the edge of the bed, Yang found her breath coming quicker and more shaky, her end getting closer and closer. The knotting in her stomach got worse with each pump of that delicate hand, her mouth hanging open as she tried not to blow too soon.

"Y-Yeah!" she called out, grasping the sheets once more. "K-Keep going, Weiss! You're so… so fucking good!"

Being told she was "good" only made Weiss want to stroke the hot length faster, to kiss the tip of it – she didn't dare take it inside her mouth again, for fear Yang would finish that way. Not when she had already expressed her desire for something else.

"Yeah, Yang! Make me dirty for you!" Where were these words coming from?! They completely baffled her when she heard them escaping her own lips, but they also seemed to make a certain kind of sense. Not that they should have. Not that she understood why.

And so she rolled her hips with Weiss's movements, pushing herself against the relentless hand to get herself over the limit. Until at last, she called out loudly, grasping the sheets below as tightly as possible for when she felt the pleasure sear through her body. Muscles tightening, she felt her length throb in Weiss's hand as she got her wish. Yet again her seed was expelled, the tight grip causing it to spurt hard against Weiss’s face… just as she had requested. Some on her cheeks, some on her chin. It was far more this time compared to the amount that accidentally landed before.

Of course, Weiss had been expecting to flinch and turn away, despite her earlier enjoyment of this – and her own want for a repeat performance. Maybe it had been a fluke that she liked it last time. An empowered woman like her, one who was an international household name, couldn't want to be a mere canvas for sperm!

Dead wrong. Each and every place the warm wetness splashed against her face felt like it was crackling with electricity. Again, Yang was marking her – as she had with her neck in a different way. A moan escaped her, almost like she was being pleasured directly. There was so much, and she wanted more! Wanted Yang to cover her completely in it!

But alas, after a few more pumps, Yang had no more to give. She found herself having to hold Weiss's hand again to stop her rubbing her raw. God she was desperate for this! Never had she met anyone who actually wanted to be drenched in her juices, not to mention craved it enough that she'd try to force more of it out of her.

Finally allowed to come down from her high, she panted with pleasure, looking down to admire her work on Weiss's face. Which forced her to blush all the way to her blonde roots. "H-Holy… crap…"

Seemingly unable to help herself, the painted princess wrapped her lips around the head to devour what she couldn't wear. As muted and thick as ever it was, and still she didn't mind it – but she forced herself not to keep stroking. Yang had told her before that sometimes, keeping it up after it was “done” hurt more than it felt good.

This was amazing. Yes, it was beginning to become too much, it was starting to overstimulate her senses and wander into the painful territory; but the sight was amazing. Seeing this precious person in her life, a woman unanimously voted one of the most beautiful rising stars in North America, so dedicated to worshipping the dirtiest part of her body to the point that she was licking up the remains off her head… it was a sight she didn't want to forget.

"God," Yang moaned, tensing her muscles once again. "Y-You have… no idea how hot you look."

What she was doing looked good? Yang wouldn't have said so if she didn't mean every word. So Weiss slowed right down, the tongue moving in an almost lazy fashion as it swirled around the head. Maybe at this speed, it would be less torturous and more of a spectacle for her girlfriend.

It really was. Yet again, Weiss had gone above and beyond to make this a show for her. All while her face was still covered. "Fuck. I wish-" Swallowing, she placed a hand on Weiss’s where it lay on her thigh to signal to her to pause for a moment. "O-Okay, uh, this is gonna be such a weird request…"

Pulling her mouth back for the moment, Weiss actually laughed – a weak, nervous laugh, but a laugh all the same. "Weirder than the one I just made?! This I have to hear!"

Perhaps it was weirder. Considering once Weiss was finished, she could pretend it never happened, no one would be any the wiser… unless she relented. Reaching toward her shorts and into the pocket, she held her phone up. "Can I… take a pic?"

That did pull Weiss up fast. She froze entirely, looking between the phone and her girlfriend's face. "Oh. Um… wh-why? I mean, uh, I haven't thought ab- about…"

Weiss couldn’t handle the idea of this the same way an ordinary girl could. All she could think about was that one picture getting out, and what the fanbase would say if it did. Or social media platforms, or talk show hosts. Scandal couldn't even begin to describe the situation! Of course Yang would never post it anywhere, she trusted her… but what if her phone got hacked? Or lost?

"Well… you… have to promise me you'll be careful with it if you do," she finally finished meekly.

"Completely," Yang agreed, holding the phone back into her lap to take a decent aim for her and snapping one of her coated face, pouty lips slightly open. She obviously couldn’t hear any of Weiss’s internal worries, so all she could do was guarantee her own fortitude. Truly, Yang wasn't thinking of the implications. To her, Weiss was another person. Her girlfriend. Of course, she respected that she was well known, but it wasn't an issue Yang thought of. She was just going to treat her how she would treat any other if she loved them the same way. "It's just for me, or us. I promise."

The idea of it excited the confused diva, even as it terrified her. Yang having this small thing… maybe it was depraved of her, but she couldn't help but love the idea that Yang had something with which to blackmail her, should she ever treat her poorly. Why was that? It was more than a little messed up to like that idea.

Then it hit her: because Weiss was her boss. That was the truth of it, and it hit her with the force of a sledgehammer: all along, sleeping with someone who was technically an employee – even if it was of her father and not her directly – had bothered her slightly. That power imbalance. She was the star, she had all the “relationship capital” in her possession. This was a very unconventional way to balance those scales. Yang probably wasn't thinking about anything of the kind whatsoever, but for her, that was somehow very, very important.

"Do you…" Swallowing down her fears, her manicured fingernails repositioned themselves around Yang as her mouth formed words she never thought it would. "Do you want me with your cock in my mouth, or… l-licking it?"

"Whatever you want… you’re the one in the pic." She smirked as Weiss got into position, adding, "And if you want any pictures of me doing similar things… you only have to ask."

She couldn't help herself. "Actually, if you can take a picture of you licking your own cock, that would be… pretty unbelievable, and worth money in some way or another, I'm sure!"

Rolling her eyes, Yang giggled. "I can always give it a try if you wanna pay for the back surgery afterward." She raised the camera up to get the best angle, she waited for Weiss to get back into position. Why was this so enjoyable? Never before did she want a photo this degrading of a loved one, not of them covered in her semen at least. But she wanted it with Weiss.

And with a click of the shutter, she had it. "Perfect."

Reeling her tongue back into her mouth, Weiss whispered, "Take another," as she wrapped her lips around the girth of Yang's phallus again. It was exciting, taboo… everything was.

Yang's eyes snapped wide open. When she thought the diva couldn't surprise her anymore, she did it again. Weiss, who before Yang came along was abysmally Christian and would have probably never envisioned doing this in her wildest dreams, was offering not just one pic but a full spread. And she didn't take away that joy. Just as commanded, she took another, and one more when Weiss slid slightly more of her into her mouth.

After hearing the two more shutter clicks, Weiss did let go at last and patted Yang's leg as she stood up – and her legs seemed to not want to support her. "Whoa… okay, n-note to self; sex makes it hard to walk sometimes!"

"You're telling me! First time I was the bottom I couldn't walk for a couple of hours…" Yang seemed to pass that off as no big deal at all. Of course to her, it was completely normal to talk about, since Weiss knew she'd been with men and women. But maybe she hadn't thought about that aspect.

Filing away the information about Yang not being able to walk at all - and why that might have been the case – to be examined later, Weiss glanced over at Yang. "Um… c-can I see the pictures?"

Yang did as Weiss asked, bringing up the few photos she'd taken as she moved to one side so she could sit with her.

And the subject of the pictures felt very strange. Partly sick, partly turned on… but partly like she was having some out-of-body experience. That girl on the screen couldn't be her, covered in cum and choking down such a massive member. But it was. Almost as if to drive home the point to herself, her hand reached up to touch a corresponding drip of essence to where it was on the screen… and sure enough, there it was. Now that it had been in the open air so long, it was cool to the touch, and felt almost icy on her cheeks and chin. Against her finger, it just felt as it always did: like fluids.

"And it won't leave this phone. You can slam my dick in a bear trap if it does; swear to God, Weiss."

But upon seeing Weiss touch her face, and touch where her juices still were, she couldn't help but blush again. She'd pumped as much as she could out of her, yet was still keeping it on her face. Something about that bought a sick feeling of power over the diva she had never felt for anyone before.

But alas, fantasy had to end. Thankfully, she had her shorts to hand, due for a wash anyway. "Want me to get that?"

"What?" she breathed numbly as Yang laid her phone aside. "Oh… oh, yeah, I guess." Her hand dropped away as she stared into the distance, lost in thought.

Shuffling closer, Yang began to dab away at Weiss's cheeks, wiping up every drop off of her face. Once finished, she tossed the shorts into the washing basket, but then noticed Weiss's thousand-yard stare. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Then she shook herself a bit, turning to look at Yang. "Seriously, I'm just… everything is changing so fast. My whole life. Things I thought I would never do are happening, sometimes two or three at a time. Which… it's not a bad thing, but it's unexpected." Her shoulders shrugged modestly, and she was suddenly aware of how naked she was. "You… you don't think I'm turning into a… a bad person, do you?"

Yang wrapped an arm around her back, bringing her into her just to give her a gentle squeeze. "No. Discovering yourself and doing what makes you happy doesn't make you bad. Screw what anyone else would think."

After a few seconds, Weiss's body slowly began to relax. "I know you're right – I feel it, not just that I believe you, but it feels right to me. But all I can hear is my father in my head, telling me that girls who do stuff like we just did are ‘sinning’ and going to Hell, and it's- and I d-don't…" Sighing, she made herself shut up and just hug Yang back. Her words were only going to keep going around in circles if she didn't stop now.

Yet again, Yang held her close and pet over her hair softly. Everything was so alien to her. She knew Weiss's dad was strict, considering how much he insisted from the start that Weiss needed a guard, but to this level? And that was what Weiss had to deal with all her life, being told that doing what she wanted was sinful. To the point that she even hated a part of her own body…

"The way I see it," Yang began, "as long as you're a good person to everyone else, like you treat people well, don't deliberately hurt anybody, don't steal, all that crap… I can't honestly see how an all loving god can punish you for just having fun with a friend. That’s dumb."

"Yeah… yeah, that sounds like the truth to me. Just don't know if I believe that, or what my father does." However, she finally sagged against Yang tiredly, gratefully. "But… I'm leaning in your direction. Figuratively, and for real."

"Good. Cause it's my way or the highway." Again, she pressed a kiss against the top of Weiss's head. This whole relationship was an adventure of self-discovery for both of them. Even if Yang had been with women prior, she still hadn't been with any since she transitioned. And of course for Weiss, it was all entirely new.

But one thing the bodyguard was positive of was that she didn't want it to stop anytime soon.

[thelastspeecher]

NaNoWriMo ‘17 Day 12 - Wild Woman

Day 01   Day 02   Day 03   Day 04   Day 05   Day 06   Day 07   Day 08 Day 09   Day 10   Day 11   Day 12   Day 13   Day 14   Day 15   Day 16 Day 17   Day 18   Day 19   Day 20   Day 21   Day 22   Day 23   Day 24 Day 25   Day 26   Day 27   Day 28   Day 29   Day 30

Summary: Stan comes across a werewolf in the forest.  Inspiration from here.   Word count: 1918

Part 2

               Splash!

               Stan looked to the left, startled.  Nothing was there.  He was still the only person sitting by the stream.

               Probably just a fish.  Stan scowled at his fishing rod.  But if it was a fish, why the hell haven’t I caught one yet?  He had decided to take a break from helping Ford out with his research, and try to catch some fish in the stream he’d spotted last week.  I deserve a break.  I also deserve to catch some fish.  Where’d they all go?  He sighed and reeled in his line.  Maybe there aren’t any.  Figures that I’d find the only stream that doesn’t have any-

               “Pfft!”  Stan’s head whipped around.  He gaped at the sight of a completely nude woman, climbing out of the stream, sputtering.  She collapsed onto the bank across from where Stan was sitting and closed her eyes.  

               “What the fuck?” Stan whispered.  The woman’s eyes snapped open.  A crimson flush spread across her face.  She and Stan stared at each other in silence for several moments.  “Uh…you okay, lady?”

               “That’s a loaded question,” the woman said carefully.  Stan frowned.

               “Not really.  What, did you escape from a mob hit?”  He shook his head.  “Nah, that can’t be right.  There’s no way there’s a mob here in Gravity Falls.”

               “Gravity Falls,” the woman repeated.  “Where- uh- which state is Gravity Falls in?”

               “Oregon.”

               “Sweet sarsaparilla.”  The woman sat up.  “How on Earth did I- hey!”  Stan’s gaze had traveled south of her face.  “Eyes up here, sir!” she snarled.  

               “I mean, it’s not like I can see much.  You’ve got so much mud caked on you, it’s like you’re wearing clothes.”

               “But I’m not, so stop it,” the woman said firmly.

               “Fine.  But seriously, lady, are you all right?”

               “…No.”  The woman groaned and put her head in her hands.  “I remember what happened, I just- I have no clue how I ended up so far from home.”

               “Sounds like you don’t really remember what happened, then.”  The woman glared at him.  “Okay, geez, chill.”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “Maybe…maybe tell me your name?”

               “Angie.  And yours?”

               “Stan.  My brother’s got a place not far from here.  If you want, I could take you there, get you some clothes, a shower.” Stan’s stomach rumbled.  “And food.  I mean, I’m hungry.  In the state you’re in, you’ve gotta be starving.”

               “Hungry like the wolf,” Angie deadpanned.  

               Kinda weird way to say it, but whatever.

               “You’ll have to come over here.  His house is on this side of the stream,” Stan informed her.  Angie bit her lip, clearly hesitant to follow a stranger somewhere.  She let out a sigh after a minute.

               “Okay.”  She crossed the stream, but stumbled on the bank while she tried to climb up.

               “Here.”  Stan held out a hand.  Angie took it with visible relief.  He pulled her up.  “Um…you look cold.”

               “I’m covered in mud ‘n water, but not much else.  What do you expect?” she asked, shivering violently.  “Which way’s yer brother’s house?”

               “That way,” Stan said, pointing.  Angie turned around.  Stan eyed her figure.  “But, uh, if you’re cold, I guess you could take my jacket.  Don’t really need it right now anyways.”

               “Really?”

               “Yeah.  It needs to be washed, though, just so you know.”  Stan slid off his jacket and handed it to the shivering woman.

               “So do I.”

               “Heh.”  Angie zipped Stan’s jacket up.  It was exceedingly large on her; it nearly reached her knees.  “Hey, bonus, you’re not flashing the entire forest anymore. Or maybe that’s a downside.”

               “Definitely a bonus,” Angie said.  She hugged her arms close to her chest.  “It was this way, ya said?”

               “Yep.”  

               “And is it just a straight shot there?”

               “Yep.  Let’s go.” Stan grabbed his fishing rod and tacklebox, then the two of them set off, Stan close behind Angie.

----- 

               Stan hummed to himself as he made lunch.  

               Nothin’ like good old-fashioned scrambled meat.  There was a small cough behind him.  He turned.

               “Those clothes all right?” he asked Angie.  She nodded silently.  Freshly showered and wearing some clean clothes, she looked more human than she had in the forest.  “They were the closest thing to your size I could find.  Looks like they’re still too big, though.  You’re a lot smaller without all the mud and twigs and leaves.”

               “Beggars can’t be choosers,” Angie said idly.  “It’s better ‘n prancin’ ‘round in my birthday suit.”  She looked down at her feet.  “Thank you, again.  Ya didn’t have to help me like ya did.”

               “I know,” Stan said with a shrug.  “I coulda just pointed you in the direction of the road, sent you on your way.”

               “Why didn’t you?”

               “I know what it’s like to end up in a strange place, with jack shit.  It sucked.  I coulda used someone to give me clothes or let me shower or whatever. And I can’t really leave a pretty girl with a nice ass like yours alone in the woods.”

               “Lord,” Angie mumbled, rolling her eyes, but still cracking a tiny smile. Stan eyed her.  

               “I also know what it’s like to be targeted by the mob.”

               “It wasn’t a mob hit.”

               “Dammit.  I was hopin’ you’d cave in if it said it like that,” Stan muttered.  He grunted.  “Go ahead and take a seat at the table.”  

               “Mmkay.”  Angie sat down at the table and gazed around the kitchen with interest.  “What does yer brother do?”

               “Research.”

               “Oh, he’s a scientist?”

               “Yup.”

               “And you help him with his research?”

               “In a way.  I’m muscle. Help him carry things, or fight off monsters and stuff like that.  The person that helps him with his actual research is his assistant.  Skinny, twig-like guy.  He’s the person who owns the clothes you’re wearing,” Stan said, nodding at her.  She pursed her lips.

               “Don’t seem like he’s got much of a sense of fashion, then.”

               “Oh, hell no.  You should see the clothes I passed up for that.  Ugly-ass green splotches, bell bottoms.  I mean, I don’t care about fashion, but I do care about how messed up his style is,” Stan said passionately.  Angie giggled.  Stan stared at her.  

               Fuck.  That was cute.

               “Where’s yer brother and his assistant right now, then?” Angie asked. Stan looked back at the stove.

               “Fuck if I know,” Stan mumbled.  The front door opened.

               “Stanley?” a voice called.

               “In the kitchen!” Stan shouted back.

               “All right, we’ll come meet you, then,” Ford said.  Stan glanced at Angie.  She had picked up a plastic spoon, and was staring at it with unbridled interest.  

               Sweet Moses, please tell me she knows what a spoon is.

               “Oh, uh, just so you know, we have a guest,” Stan said loudly.  

               “What?  Stanley, don’t invite people over without consulting me first,” Ford said grumpily, walking into the kitchen.  He sighed upon seeing Angie.  “What on Earth is going on here?”

               “Found her in the woods,” Stan said.  

               “You found her in the woods?  Stanley, she could be any number of dangerous magical creature!” Ford said angrily.

               “Or she could be some girl who got lost and needed help,” Stan ground out.

               “Stanford, be reasonable,” another voice said.  “Stanley’s got good intuition.  Now, mind gettin’ out of the way so’s I can see our guest?”

               “Very well.”  Ford stood to the side.  “You’ll be angry too, once you see that Stan dressed her in your clothes.”  A silence fell.  Stan looked over at Angie.  She was staring slack-jawed at Ford’s assistant.  Stan frowned, looking back and forth between the two.  His eyes widened.

               “Holy fuck.”

               “Angie?” Fiddleford squeaked.  The plastic spoon Angie was holding fell from her hands.  She nodded silently.  “Lordy!  You’ve been missin’ fer three months!  Where have ya been?”

               “Places,” Angie mumbled.  She looked down at the shirt she was wearing.  “Should’ve known these were yer clothes.  Yer the only person who likes shirts as awful as this.”

               “Do we have to discuss fashion now?” Fiddleford asked, sitting at the table next to her.  She eyed him warily.  “Angie, we were so worried!  The baby of the fam’ly, just up and disappearin’?  Ma ‘n Pa were apoplectic.”

               “Wait, Fiddleford, this is the missing sister you’ve told me about?” Ford asked.  Fiddleford nodded.  Ford stared at Stan.  “And Stanley just so happened to find her in the woods?”

               “Don’t say I never did anything for you, Fiddlenerd,” Stan said. Fiddleford didn’t respond, instead continuing to stare at his sister.  She leaned away from him, her eyes wide.  “Okay, dude, chill out.  You’re scaring her.”

               “Don’t tell me how to act ‘round my sister,” Fiddleford snapped.  Stan rolled his eyes.  Fiddleford abruptly reached out to take one of Angie’s hands.  She let out a small shriek and fell off her chair.

               “D-don’t,” Angie stammered.  “Don’t move so fast.”

               “Wha- sis, what’s wrong?” Fiddleford asked.

               “Fiddlenerd, I found her in the woods, naked and covered in mud.  She looked fuckin’ feral,” Stan informed him.

               “Feral?  Naked? My baby sister?”

               “Yep,” Stan said with a nod.  “But she insists it wasn’t a mob hit.”

               “Of course it weren’t,” Fiddleford said firmly.  “Angie, what happened?”

               “Don’t wan’ talk about it,” Angie mumbled, still on the floor where she had fallen.  

               “We should give ya a checkup.  I’ll find ya a doctor,” Fiddleford said.  

               “I can take her vitals,” Ford suggested.  Angie eyed him suspiciously.  “It won’t substitute for a proper doctor’s visit, but it should let us know whether to take you to the hospital right away or not.”

               “Okay,” Angie said reluctantly.  She climbed onto her chair again.  Ford sat down next to her.  She held out her wrist.  “Fer my pulse.”

               “Of course.”  Ford rested his fingers against her wrist.  He frowned.  “Very rapid heartrate.  And your skin feels warm.”

               “I just showered.”

               “Still.  If you continue to feel warm, we should take your temperature.”  Ford fished around in his pockets and pulled out a small flashlight. “I’ll check for a concussion.”  He shone the light in her eyes.  She blinked.  “Stop blinking.”

               “My eyes don’t like the light.”

               “Hmm.”  Ford frowned at her.  “Would you mind rolling up your sleeves?”  Angie seemed confused, but did as she was told.  Ford nodded silently.  “As I suspected.  Fiddleford, look.”

               “Lord!” Fiddleford gasped, staring at a large bite mark on Angie’s forearm.  “What happened?”

               “I suspect she was bitten by a werewolf.  That would explain her disappearance; initial transformations can last months until the individual is sufficiently shocked enough to turn human again.  It would also explain the reports we’ve been hearing of a large wolf.”  Ford shone the light in Angie’s eyes again.  She grimaced.  “Werewolves have eyes sensitive to light, and their eyes will glimmer in a distinctive way. The rapid heartrate and high temperature are also signs of lycanthropy.”

               “Angie, is this true?” Fiddleford asked, aghast.

               “I doubt she recalls anything of her time as a wolf-” Ford started.

               “It’s true,” Angie interrupted.  She looked down.  “It’s true.”

               “Damn.  I was way off,” Stan said.  Angie pulled her sleeves down again.  “What made you turn back human?”

               “I fell in that stream, tryin’ to catch a fish,” Angie mumbled.

               “Okay, I get why you didn’t wanna tell me the truth,” Stan conceded.

               “Yer all just acceptin’ this?” Angie asked.  “I- I just confirmed that I’m a werewolf.”

               “We’ve seen stranger things in the woods here,” Ford said.  Stan nodded.

               “So far, though,” Stan said, “I think I like stumbling across a naked woman the most.”

[teamrnbw]

RNBW v CAPA: The 4v4 Tag-Team Battle. (Part 2/3)

Nappa was carried back over to her team’s side of the field in one of Ms Star’s aura bubbles, which gently dropped her on the floor. Rusty gave the frustrated little girl a consoling hug, and William took this opportunity to dash onto the battlefield in order to take out Cutter.

“Say goodbye to your ranking, bro!” shouted William as he activated his Lock-On Semblance and bright pink cross-hairs synthesized in front of his eyes. Whipping out his Stromschlag sub-machine guns and aided by his semblance, William fired out a stream of electrically-charged bullets directly at Cutter, keeping perfect accuracy no matter how much Cutter tried to dodge.

Cutter rapidly swung his sword back and forth, expertly deflecting the bullets, but their electrical effect made it fairly difficult to do so without getting hurt in the process. Despite the blow to his pride to acknowledge this, Cutter decided that this fight would not be easily won, and quickly beat a hasty retreat, tagging out of the battle and switching in Agnes in his place.

Initially surprised at first, the silver-haired girl quickly regained her composure and expertly fired an explosive round from her Shockwelle rifle right at William’s torso, blowing him backwards.

“Oh? Is that a Hunds Shockwelle?” asked William, unsteadily getting back on his feet.

He converted his guns into their whip forms and swung them at Agnes, but she was narrowly able to dive under them. She quickly fired off a couple more rounds, which William quickly jumped out of the way of.

“Haha, yup!” she replied. “You like my taste in guns?”

“I’d say it’s a mighty fine gun for a mighty fine lady like you, ma’am.” chuckled William, as her flung another whip at Agnes. However, she quickly tranformed her rifle into its spear configuration to knock the whips aside.

“Why thank you, Mr Wulfric! That’s so nice to hear! Do you think you could offer me a discount, then~?” joked Agnes.

“Why I suppose-”

“JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT, D*MN IT!!” shouted both Nappa and Aurelia simultaneously, interrupting William.

“Okay, okay, I’m on it, geez.” he griped, as he managed to wrap one of his whips around Agnes’s leg and combined his two SMGs into one sniper rifle, reeling the whips back in and dragging Agnes closer to him as a result. With her now at close range, William fired his rifle just as she tried to thrust her spear at him, sending a powerful lighting both crashing down right on top of the spear as if it were a lightning-rod, dealing massive damage to Agnes in the process.

Standing proud, tall, and confident in his assumed victory, William was shocked to her a sniffling noise nearby. Looking down, he saw that while Agnes hadn’t fully been defeated yet, she was knelt on the ground crying!

“ *sniffles* Th-that hurt, you meanie! WAAAAAA!!!” she sobbed.

William looked around in confusion and slight embarrassment as the members of both teams stared at him with either confusion or disdain (or pride in Nappa and Ms Star’s cases). However, by the time he returned his attention back to Agnes it was too late. No longer crying, her usual playful smirk had returned to her face and the barrel of her gun was pointed right underneath William’s chin. Too late for him to dodge, she fired an explosive round right there and then, taking him out.

“Aww, sorry about that!” she giggled.

Rusty and Brandeis both stood utterly shocked by Agnes’s subterfuge, while Nappa simply face-palmed in shame as William was carried off the battlefield back to the rest of the team.

Agnes, feeling that she needed a break after that fight, decided to leave the battlefield too, having her big sister Aurelia take her place instead.

“Do you wanna go next Brandy, or should I?” asked Rusty to her shy, blue-haired teammate.

“Umm, I suppose I should go first to let you recover a bit more...”

“What’s taking you so long? You’re not using your semblance to cheat by healing your friends, are you?” shouted Aurelia from across the field.

“C’mon, take her down a notch, Brandy! I know you can do it!” encouraged Rusty.

Carefully, Brandeis stepped onto the field, gathering up energy for her semblance. Performing elegant dancing movements, Brandeis used her Barrier Tile Semblance to send giant ornate curtains of bright blue psionic energy sweeping towards Aurelia at high speeds to try and ensnare her. Trying as much as possible to use her Telepathy Semblance to read Brandeis’s attack patterns and dodge them, Aurelia found that Brandeis’s attacks were too large and fast to evade and thus she was forced to use her Golden Wheel gattling gun to shoot through them. 

As Brandeis added onto her onslaught by skillfully hurling her Storm Knives at Aurelia, Aurelia began quickly switching back and forth between her weapon’s gun and shield modes in order to both shatter the barriers and protect herself from the knives, which produced small stormclouds as they struck.

As the fight continued, Aurelia soon became overwhelmed, and was forced to retreat, hastily running off the battlefield and hurling her sister back onto it in her stead.

“Your turn again, sis!” she shouted.

“Wh-wha?!” exclaimed Agnes as she was shoved onto the field in the path of a giant oncoming psychic tidal wave which soon crashed right on top of her and took her down for the count.

“Oh- oh my goodness! I’m so sorry!!” said Brandeis, panicking.

“It’s okay, Brandy! You’re doing great! But yeah, sorry Aggie!” reassured Rusty.

“D*ck move, Aurelia, d*ck move!” heckled Nappa.

“Pfft, whatevs.” responded Aurelia.

“It was a wise decision. Agnes was already close to elimination.” agreed Cutter.

With that, Cutter dashed onto the field once again. However this time, Brandeis had anticipated his arrival and swiftly flung a handful of ice Dust Storm Knives at him. In response, Cutter charged his katana with fire Dust and quickly slashed all the knives apart, sending fragments of them flying all over the battlefield and covering it with a thick white blanket of mist.

As Cutter bounded over the rubble on the battlefield, concealed in the mist, Brandeis sent more large energy curtains sweeping through the field in an attempt to find and ensnare him. Cutter narrowly dodged one of them and once he determined he was approximately close enough, he used his Mizugumo Semblance to sprint through the air and dash high above the battlefield right above Brandeis. With a swift and acrobatic movement he landed a slash onto Brandeis, but wasn’t able to completely eliminate her. 

Still recovering from the shock of Cutter’s surprise attack, Brandeis flung many more Storm Knives at him, and while he managed to use his katana to deflect some of them, he was still hit by enough to be engulfed in a miniature thunderstorm-blizzard.

To Brandeis’s surprise, Cutter was still able to fight within the storm cloud and began engaging in a swift series of fisticuffs with Brandeis. Though to the blue-freckled girl’s credit, Cutter found himself impressed with Brandeis’s ability to almost keep up with him in hand-to hand combat- not that he would ever admit it to her.

Beginning to get impatient, Cutter unsheathed his fire-charged katana once again and used it to sweep away the storm clouds around him. As he sprinted right for her, prepared to end the battle there and then with one last slash, Brandeis began to panic and lost control of her Semblance. This created a giant azure explosion of psychic energy, which engulfed the whole field just as Cutter’s blade was about to reach her.

As the energy storm sent chunks of rubble flying everywhere, Ms Star frantically used her Semblance to create a protective barrier of Aura bubbles, ensuring none of the other students were injured.

As most of the mist began to clear, much to team RNBW’s disappointment, it was clear that Brandeis’s last-minute attack hadn’t let her beat Cutter, who was standing over her knocked-out form on the battlefield.

As Brandeis was carried back over to her team’s side of the field, Rusty gently carried her over to some nearby seats and gently lay her on them.

“Thanks, Brandy.” said Rusty as she walked onto the battlefield to confront Cutter.

Rusty had learned from her teammates’s previous fights with Cutter. She knew she had to keep him at a distance, and that his Semblance wasn’t going to make that easy. As he dashed towards her as he always did, Rusty decided her course of action. She slammed her massive battleaxe into the ground sending the tons of rubble created in the previous fights flying up into the air, blocking Cutter’s path.

Cutter responded by using his katana to deflect some of the rubble back at Rusty, which she returned back by swinging her ax at, producing an almost tennis-like stalemate, though Cutter was still slowly getting closer. As Cutter pushed onward, his sword at the ready, both students were hit by more rubble, Rusty braced herself for Cutter’s attack, swinging her ax at him with full force.

As the two students’s blades clashed with a resounding clang, Rusty was surprised to feel that Cutter’s swing had less force behind it than she expected. Then, exhausted from his previous fights, but most of all Brandeis’s Aura storm, Cutter, #1 ranked Atlas Academy student, finally collapsed to the ground.

Chuffed, Aurelia stepped onto the battlefield glaring at Rusty. Both teams were wrought with suspense now, unable to pull their gaze away from the battlefield.

The final fight had begun.

[mynotsoawesomescenarios]

Sweet Blood

A/N: I HAVE TOO MUCH ON MY PLATE BUT DID THAT STOP ME FROM MAKING A NEW MINI SERIES????!!??!? NO cuzimmabitchtomyimagination

~Admin Allie

Part |1| |2|

You rested your head on the window and looked out as the trees flew past your window. The greenery was so thick and tall, unlike the plants back at the place you used to call home. You were used to loud streets, bright lights and the obnoxious drunkards that walked under your window almost every night.

“This place is so pretty,” your sister Bennie said. “The air is so fresh.” You rolled your eyes. Your lungs were perfectly fine with the polluted air they had inhaled their entire life.

“I just don’t get why I had to move with you all the way out here.”

“Because you decided to get drunk and use your powers to look like Beyoncé while everyone in the club was watching. And my new assignment is out here.”

“Okay, but you didn’t have to yank me out of the city so fast. I couldn’t say bye to anyone.”

You were usually so careful about your powers, or the parts you could actually control, but this time you rally fucked up. Being a shapeshifter was never a burden on you until now. One stupid mistake made you uproot your entire life and move to the other side of the country. You thought that you would have gotten away with it since Bennie is basically on of the Men in Black and had the ability to make everyone forget what happened. But one clubber slipped through the cracks and uploaded a video online. Luckily, he reordered it post-shift and only captured the part where you looked like Beyoncé. But that was still enough for the CMB (Corporation for Magical/Mythical Beings) to reassign your sister and move you away.

You understood the risks of being supernatural but you also understood everything going on with your sister who had this job just to protect you. When she first got hired, she didn’t let anyone know that she was related to a mythical being. She got high marks on tests and excelled in field work. The better she got at the job, the more secure the position became. But with your fuck up, she almost lost it all.

“Bennie, I’m sorry.”

“Eh, it’s alright. At least I didn’t actually lose my job.” You smiled at her.

“Always looking on the bright side.”

You pulled into the cul-de-sac and you lifted your head to look at the houses. They were all two-floor homes with garages and green turf that couldn’t be real grass. She stopped the car in front of the house and looked up to it.

“Hmm, I didn’t think we would be living in a house.”

“They didn’t tell you were you would be living? Sounds sketch.”

“It’s not. I probably should have googled the location.”

“You didn’t even look at the place on maps?! What if we were getting moved out to some ghost town?”

“I wouldn’t complain because our living expenses are free as long as I have this job.” She looked at you and you shrugged your shoulders, not in the mood to drill into her for not doing research beforehand.

You got out of the car and leaned against it, taking in the fake looking scenery that surrounded your new home.

“Hi! Are you Bennie?” A man in a black suit walked up to you and held his hand out to you. You didn’t want to but you unfolded your arms and shook his hand.

“No, I’m Y/N, Bennie is my sister.” You cocked your head back to tell him that she was behind you. His lips formed and “O” shape before smiling at you and making his way to your sister. You turned around and looked at the exchange they were having. He opened an orange envelope and pulled out two sets of keys that both had three keys on it.

“This one is for the front, this one for the back and the last one for the door that leads into the house from the garage.” Bennie nodded to him and finished off the conversation quickly. After ending comments, the man walked to his own car and drove off.

“I guess we should go take a look?” She jingled the keys at you before throwing them over the car. Despite hating that you left everything and everyone behind, you were still excited to check out your new home. You jogged to the door and opened the front door.

The outside of the home gave the house no justice. It was huge on the inside. The ceilings were tall and the house seemed to be so spacious. The living room was almost completely furnished and it wasn’t bad furniture either. You sat on the couch and you could instantly tell that it wasn’t something that was self-built; It was clearly expensive. The livingroom also had an entertainment section that had an enormous television and a sound system that you were sure would annoy the hell out of your neighbors once you learned how to use it.

The kitchen had silver and black appliances and pretty marbled counter tops. The cabinets were empty and you were happy that they didn’t go too far with stocking the house. You had your favorite pots and pans and wanted to stay attached to them. The last thing you needed right now was to allow some shiny new pot to steal your attention.

You heard your sister run up the steps and you ran behind her. When you got to the top of the stairs, you pushed past her. You knew she was on the search for a room. She tried to hold you back but you ripped your arm away from her. You pushed open multiple doors, looking for the room you wanted. When you opened the second door, you felt like you found your life partner. The room was painted a medium grey tone and the bed was queen sized. The room didn’t have much in it but it was perfect because you had a lot to decorate with and call it your own. You heard your sister’s feet and you spun around and dropped to your knees. You clasped your hands together and looked up to her.

“Bennie, please let me have this room. Please, please, please.”

“You know our rules, ‘If we get it first, it’s ours.’” This rule usually only applied to Bennie because she always bought everything but she must have been in a good mood. You fell back onto the plush carpet and smiled.

You moved your things out of the U-Haul and took them straight up to your room. You started decorating right away. You started with putting up your curtains. As you fed them onto the rod, you absentmindedly looked at the house right next to yours. But while you were staring, you saw the light turn on and a man walked past the window. You wanted to look away but it was something so interesting, and creepy, about being able to look straight into someone’s bedroom. But as soon as the man started to undress, you felt more perverted than you meant to. When he took his shirt off, he showed his lightly toned stomach and his smooth skin.

“Damn..” You caught you lip between your teeth. While you were enjoying the show, he turned his head into your direction. His face was straight for a second but his eyes widened. He threw his arms over his chest and pointed at you. Without even hearing his voice, you could tell he was whining because of his pout as he spoke. You rushed to put your curtain up but when you tried to lift it, your feet were firmly planted on it. You lifted your feet and got on the step stool. After putting up the curtain, you felt relieved. You couldn’t see yourself looking out of that window anytime soon.

You finished putting up your last couple of posters and admired your room. It was almost exactly like your old room, just two times bigger. You went to sit on the bed but the bell had rung.

“Y/N, can you get that, I think it’s our food.” You interest was piqued at the mention of food and you rushed down the stairs.

“One second!” You pulled open the door and you face fell when you saw your neighbor who was accompanied with two other people.

“Hello!” One man smiled at you when he greeted you. His cheekbones were so round and shiny, he almost looked like a character in a children’s show. He was adorable and manly at the same time and his smile made you give him one back.

“Hi. Uh, we just moved in today so we haven’t had the chance to go around and introduce ourselves. Sorry about that.” You looked to the man you had just seen half naked but he didn’t seem to act like you did. He smiled at you as you spoke.

“Oh,” the other man who was nicely built and sported a gummy smile that made you question just how old he was, started to speak and pushed a bag your way. “These are for you.” You took the bag from him and looked into it. “We didn’t have much in the house but we didn’t want to welcome you empty handed, so we got food from our favorite place.” There were burgers in the bag. And not just a few of them, there were almost a dozen in the bag and the weight of them all made you assume that these wouldn’t be small burgers either.

“Oh, uh, haha, thank you.” You looked up at them. “But it’s just me and my sister here so we don’t need all of these...” His face fell a little and you felt bad even though you didn’t have to. “How about- “ You felt like you were going to regret this. “How about you guys come in so your money doesn’t go to waste?” Yup, you did.

They all agreed and you let them into the house. “My name is Y/N by the way. And my sister’s name is Bennie.” You lead them into the dining area and you sat the burgers down.

“Ah, we also didn’t introduce ourselves. I’m Junmyeon. And this is Baekhyun.”

“I’m Minseok.” You looked at them and tried to register their names to their faces.

“Nice to meet you all. I should go get my sister. Will you guys be okay here?” They all nodded and you ran off to get Bennie. You heard one of them call you cute and you ran even faster.

“Bennie, I feel like I’m gonna shit myself. Oh my god.” She looked at you and chuckled, confused but amused.

“Why?” She was folding some clothes and putting them at the top of her closet.

“Because our neighbors came to greet us and their hot. But one of them might think I’m some kind of creep because I saw him getting undressed.”

“What!?”

“Not now! I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to go stuff our faces with burgers. They bought like, twelve. I guess they thought an entire family moved in.”

You pulled her along and she dragged her feet. You both went down the stairs and as soon as she saw them, she put on the usual front.

“Hi!” She walked up to them a greeted them one by one. “Y/N told me that you guys bought us food?”

“Yeah, and it was apparently too much.” Minseok laughed at his own mistake and she insisted that it was no problem.

“I ordered food about a half hour ago but that’ll have to be our meal for tomorrow.” You smiled at her but internally you cursed at your caring neighbor. You were looking forward to your butter chicken.

You all settled at the table and started to eat. You sat right across from Baekhyun who was silently eating and looking around. Bennie noticed him and knew exactly what he was thinking.

“We bought the house almost fully furnished. I thought it would be easier on my sister and I since we’re both very slow when it comes to unpacking.”

“Ah,” that was the first thing you’ve heard him say this whole time. “That’s convenient. I still have boxes to unpack and we’ve been living here for almost three years.” She laughed at him. “And the setup of the house is different. I thought all of the homes were the same inside and out.”

“Baekhyun is very interested in interior design.”

“That I am,” He paused. “After we finish eating, could you give me a tour, Y/N?” Your stomach turned at his request. You knew he was doing this on purpose but you kept a smile plastered on your face just in case he would like to expose you here and now.

“Yeah, of course.”

Bennie noticed that your hair was becoming a tad bit lighter, a nervous tick you haven’t been able to control since you were fourteen. She bought her hand to your ear and exclaimed.

“Y/N! Do you want me to turn on the heat? Your ears are freezing.” That was always your code to put on your hood or to get a hold of yourself.

“Ah, no, I’m okay.” You pulled your hood on and tied the strings tightly around your head, concealing your hair.

After the heavy meal and casual talks, Baekhyun asked you for the tour. You stood from your seat and lead the way around the house. He had seen pretty much all of the first floor so you lead him up the stairs.

“This is the master bathroom,” You threw open the door and he looked inside quickly. You went through every room but your own and Bennie’s room, just out of respect for her. You saved your room for last because you knew that it would probably trigger him to ask you about earlier.

“And this is my room.” You opened the door and he stepped in. He didn’t step into any other room so you knew he had something in mind. He walked straight to the window you were looking out of just hours ago.

“Yeah, you have a nice view of my room from here.” He turned around and smirked at you.

“I swear to you, I’m not crazy or anything. I was just putting up my curtains and you walked in and started-“

“Shouldn’t you look away when you see things you shouldn’t?” His voice got deeper. You tilted your head to the side. He was a confusing person. One second he’s laughing about the whole thing and the next he’s so serious. “You should be careful of keeping an eye on me, you might see something you don’t like.” He looked you up and down. “Or maybe you will.” He closed the gap between you and he inhaled deeply, almost as if he was sme-

“You smell so good.” He grinned at you and something made you uncomfortable about this whole encounter. When he stepped closer to you, one of the other men was calling him. He nearly growled in response but shook it off. He showed you his soft face one more time before bidding you farewell and leaving you alone in your room. Everything about this man shook your being. He just seemed so off and it freaked you out. But it also intrigued you.

You tried to keep him off of your mind for the night but you could focus on nothing but him. You were attracted to him but you were scared of him, you wanted to be around him but you wanted to avoid him anyway you could. You laid in your bed and changed your features several times to practice your ability but also out of pure boredom. You turned off all of your lights and decided that now might be the time when you want to sleep. But all you did was toss and turn.

Eventually, curiosity, or stupidity, had gotten the best of you and you made your way to the window that looked right into Baekhyun’s bedroom. You opened the curtains just a little and stayed close to the ground just in case you needed to bail.

When you looked out, you saw that his room was dimly lit with candles. You saw shadows moving but you couldn’t make out exactly what was happening. You were gonna look away because you felt like you were straining your eyes but then he came into view. He was with a woman. He kissed on her and licked all over her neck and chest and she was enjoying it so much. But as you watched you noticed that she started to hit him. She pounded her fists into his chest and tried to fight him off but his lips were still latched onto her neck. She soon stopped struggling and her body went limp. You were so confused as to what was going on. That was until he dropped her body and showed the lower half of his face that was covered in blood.

You gasped at him and shook your head. Not out of disbelief but out of disapproval. He was so showy and careless with his ability. But in this case, it was “I show you mine if you show me yours” and he already exposed his true self. You stared at him more and you felt your muscles stretch and the subtle cracking of your bones. You even controlled your teeth to mimic how foolish he looked trying to look. All of his intimidation from earlier had gone to waste if this was the best he could come up with.

He pointed at you accusingly as you used his own face to make fun of him.

“Blah, I’m Baekhyun and I’m a super cool vampire, blah,” you said out loud, knowing well enough that he could hear you. You laughed at his expression and closed your curtains on him. “How lame can you be?”

The next morning, you sprung out of bed with a mission to make breakfast for Bennie. And by make breakfast you mean heat up her Indian takeout because neither of you could eat it yesterday. But the rushing was pointless because, as usual, she was two steps ahead.

“Hey,” she spoke to you as she stirred up the food before giving it to you.

“I was supposed to do this.” You whined to her and she chuckled.

“Nah, it’s okay. You can make lunch when we go shopping later.” You nodded in agreement and started eating.

“Ah! I have something to show you.” You got closer to her face, so close that you were probably breathing on her.

“Do I have to see your brain?”

“No, look at my eyes,” Everytime you blinked, they changed to another color, some natural and some not. “I’m finally learning control.”

“Yeah, after like ten years. Have a seat and eat your food.” You huffed and went into our own space. You mumbled to yourself over your food and you remembered what you really needed to tell her.

“Baekhyun is a vampire by the way.”

“I know,” she said flatly. She was now four steps ahead.” And so are the rest of the people in that house. But how did you find out?”

“The idiot had a meal last night and flashed his baby teeth at me.”

“Were you perving on him again?”

“NO! I wasn’t perving you ass!!!”

After a day that was filled with nothing but grocery shopping and more unpacking, your body craved for something to do. Yes, this new place was beautiful and had nothing but nice people but it was so boring. You walked around the house and listened to music and sang as loud as you could but that still didn’t keep you entertained.

You walked out of the house and looked around. Children playing, old people gardening and other people conversing.

“Ugh, typical,” you scoffed. Then you looked to your right. You figured since you knew your neighbors’ “secret” you would bug them and tell them off about their careless friend. You jogged to the house and rung the bell.

“Hi!” there was a man you didn’t see yesterday in the door.

“Oh, hi,” you gave him your hand. “I’m Y/N, your new neighbor.” He took it and introduced himself.

“I’m Jongin. Junmyeon told us about you and your sister. The rest of us were going to drop by soon but now that you are here, we can meet you now and meet your sister another time.” This guy was strangely warm. You met plenty of vampires in your hometown but all of them were the stuck up posh types, stereotypical vamps.

No one would know you had abilities until you told them and most supernatural were cool with it. But vampires had the habit of freaking out. Everyone knows what happens when and vampire bites a werewolf and vice versa. But when it came to a nearly human shifter like you, no one had a clue. From rumors, when a human shifter gets bitten, they turn into and extremely rare breed of shifter. They can still change their human form but they can also transform into what every mythical being bit them. But what frightens them even more is that if bitten by a vampire, they become a weapon against their own kind. But again, this is all based off of rumors.

“Why did you come over though?”

“I wanted to talk to Minseok about something.” Last night he let you and Bennie know that he was the oldest in the household and of there were any problems, come to him.

“I’m right here.” You jumped at his voice and you almost swung on him. He laughed at you. “Haha, sorry. But what did you want to talk about?” You looked to Jongin and he took your hint and walked away.

“I wanted to talk to you about your friend, Baekhyun.” Minseok’s smile wavered and he showed a hint of worry. “You might want to tell him to be careful of who he exposes himself to.” Minseok was confused and turned his head to the side.

“E-expose?”

“Yeah, he showed me his teeth last night, if you know what I mean.”

“His teeth?” You didn’t know if he was honestly lost or just playing dumb at this point so you spelled it out for him. You grew fangs of your own and pointed at them. He sighed out of relief.

“Well, at least you’re one of us too. I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Oh no, I’m not, I’m like, at the bottom on the food chain.” He didn’t question you out loud but you knew he was curious. “I’m a human shifter.”

In the blink of an eye, you were outside of your own house. Your face fell when you realized that you had been kicked out.

“That was seriously so rude. We won’t have any problems as long as they keep their fangs away from me.”