#again the new 3 still to this day have shorter routes

[asmo-cosmetics]

i am once again begging y'all to stop glorifying the nix hydra era

[evera-era]

a new kind of love. (pt. 1)

synopsis: ellie thinks relationships are too complicated, and has since written them off. but what is she supposed to do when she starts developing feelings for her best friend?

ellie williams x fem!reader

warnings: slow burn AF, jealousy, some sassy ellie, male tries flirting with reader for like 3 seconds, lots of playful banter.

a/n: this was honestly so fun to write,, slow burn + friends to lovers go brrrrr

“Did you see that shit?!” Ellie exclaims, almost cracking her neck to look at you. “Fuck yeah! That’s a new high score.”

“Nice.” You mumbled, but your eyes didn’t drift from the book you were reading.

“Seriously? You’re not even looking.” She groans. “Whatever. If you did, your mind would’ve been blown. And you would’ve at least given me, like, a high five or something.”

“Okay, okay, sorry! I’ll look now — do it again.” You say, folding the corner of the current page you were on. Ellie adjusts her backpack as you put your book away.

“I can’t just ‘do it again,’” She says, mocking you. “My chances of ever getting that far again are practically zero.”

Ellie had managed to successfully skip a rock all the way across a large stretch of lake. It was a big deal to her, clearly. She had done this everytime you went on this particular path during patrols, but today was a new record for her.

The air was still. You took a moment to examine the trees around you before speaking. “Everything seems clear.” You said, turning to her. “Should we head back now?”

Ellie stops to take a look around. She gives a quick nod. “…Yeah. Guess so.”

You grinned before raising your hand. She turns, slightly puzzled, before narrowing her eyes at you.

“C’mon,” You wiggle your outstretched fingers a little. “Your celebratory high five, like you said!”

“Yeah, but now it’s out of pity. And about two minutes late.”

She waits for you to step aside, but you don’t put your arm down. “Mm-mm. I’m not moving til we make up, Els.”

Make up. The phrase makes her stop, just for a second. She found it a little amusing — you’ve never said that before. But she knew you were trying to make her feel better, so she chucks it up to you just being you.

She claps her hand against yours before making her way down the trail. “There. We made up. Happy?” She says, already having placed some distance between you two. You jog to catch up with her as she mounts Shimmer.

The two of you arrive back in Jackson about an hour earlier than any other given day, since today’s route was shorter than the rest. As you’re dropping off the horses, Ellie looks at you.

“I’m starving.” She says, guiding Shimmer. “Wanna grab lunch?”

“Sure.” You reply.

“Cool.” She offers you the horse’s lead. “Think you can put her up for me? I’ll be back in a sec.”

When Ellie returns to the spot she left you and Shimmer in a moment ago, she’s confused. The horse was not in her stable. In fact, she was nowhere to be found — and neither were you.

Ellie blows raspberries, slightly concerned. But that quickly fades when you turn the corner, Shimmer’s lead in hand.

“Ta-da!” You cheer. Shimmer’s hair is littered in fake plastic butterflies, tucked neatly within her strands. “It’s those little hair clips I found on our last patrol. Isn’t she purty?”

Ellie rolls her eyes, dropping her hand from her hip. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” You frown. “You don’t like it?”

“Looks kinda weird.”

“Ellie!” You whine.

She sighs. “Okay, sure. She looks… purty… indeed.”

“‘Course she does,” You say in a proud manner, walking Shimmer confidently to her stable. Ellie looks off to the side, her face beginning to warm as she murmurs “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

She pretended to be annoyed, but truthfully, she cherished days like these. The two of you hadn’t gotten scheduled together in a while. And even though you were adults now, and had other responsibilities, she didn’t miss your company any less.

She still liked Jesse and Dina, of course, but she wasn’t nearly as close with them like she was with you. You and Ellie were basically inseparable; you had been, ever since the very first day that you joined the community.

You broke the silence first. “Hey, maybe one day, you’ll let me play in your hair.”

Ellie glares at you. “Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” You urged. “Come on, I bet I could make you look just as pretty as Shimmer.”

She shakes her head. “Nope. Hell no.”

“Hm… you’re right.” Your devious grin widens. “You could never look that good.”

Ellie elbows you in your side, and you burst into a fit of giggles.

“Shut up. Let’s go eat.”

—

A few days later, Ellie was at the pub with Jesse when she glanced over and got caught off guard.

You were walking in, talking and giggling with some random guy that she had never seen before.

The interaction she witnessed left a weird taste in her mouth. You were so engaged in the conversation that you didn’t even look where you were going. If you did, you would’ve seen that your best friend was actually in the same bar.

It might’ve just been platonic, but for some reason, it annoyed her ever-so-slightly. You and Ellie talk about everything, and yet you’ve never mentioned him.

To make matters worse, his eyes were lusty and unwavering and practically embedding themselves into yours. And you didn’t seem to notice — or maybe you just didn’t care — which pissed her off to no end.

“Who’s that?” She questions, jutting her chin in your direction. Jesse looks over his shoulder, then back at his drink.

“Uh… stable boy, is what they call him. I think.” He says. “Came into town two nights ago, along with his dad. An old friend of someone’s.”

“Is he, like… into her, or something?” She mumbles, watching intently. Jesse replies with something along the lines of “Hm. Might be.”

The guy was tall, which forced you to look up at him through your lashes. He was smiling the whole time; he clearly liked this angle of you.

Ellie resists the urge to clench her teeth. Can’t you see that he’s so obviously thinking with his dick right now?

Ellie knew it was wrong to feel this way. You were allowed to make new friends, and she shouldn’t interfere with that. But she couldn’t help it — the guy seemed like a fucking creep. She hated that you were even talking to him.

Thinking about it wasn’t enough. Whatever it was, it was bubbling up under her skin, as if someone lit a match underneath her.

“Gonna introduce myself.” She says, setting down her glass. She doesn’t even wait for Jesse’s response before she’s hot on your trail.

When she approaches you, she says nothing. Merely clears her throat and gives a curt nod to your new friend.

“Oh, hey Els!” You say, touching her shoulder. You looked back over at him. “This is my best friend, Ellie. She looks scary, but she’s nice. I promise.”

Ellie remains silent, just purses her lips and puts her hands in her pockets. There’s a noticeable shift of energy in the conversation. Stable boy must have picked up on it; it’s not long before he excuse himself and leaves.

It’s almost comical how quickly Ellie relaxes upon his exit. You drop your hand and give her a dramatic stare, jaw agape.

“What?”

“Really?” You say in a loud whisper. “Els, I know it might be hard for you sometimes, but you don’t have to be a dick!”

“Pfft. I was not being a dick.” She protests. “And even if I was — he literally deserved it! That dude was looking at you like he wanted to bone you. It was fuckin’ gross.”

“Oh my god, Ellie—“

“What? It’s the truth!” She states, like it’s a fact. “Look, I get that he probably hasn’t seen a cute girl in a fucking millennium, but—“

“Did he tell you that?” You ask sarcastically.

“Whatever.” She mutters. “I just took him down a couple notches, that’s all. He’ll survive.”

“He was just being nice.” You say before pausing. “Wait. Did you call me cute?”

Honestly, the words had came out before she had a chance to catch them. She’s not really sure why she even said it at all.

Ellie didn’t normally lie, but she knew you’d never shut up if she didn’t. So she glances at you, then sneers. “And risk it getting to your head when it’s big enough as it is?”

You punch her in the arm, to which she very quickly defends herself against. She’s in the middle of playfully warding you off as Jesse approaches the two of you.

“We abusing Ellie now?” He jokes, glass in hand. Ellie gives you a light shove as you let go of her forearm.

“When isn’t she?” She says.

“Puh-lease,” You enunciate. “That was nothing. You’re gettin’ soft, Els.”

The auburn-haired girl laughs it off. As you and Jesse begin to make conversation, Ellie — for some reason — can feel her face wanting to tingle again.

She didn’t like it. It was ticklish, it annoyed her, and it seemed to only start doing that around you, nowadays.

What the fuck is happening?

Maybe she was getting a bit soft after all.

[moon-child-goddess]

When we say goodbye Pt 2

Pairings:  Druig X LightBender!Eternal!Reader (Fem) 

Summary: Reader’s life after Druig left, and when they meet again, the reader is running an illegal operation selling weapons and stuff.

Warnings: MCU Violence, Blood, Fighting, I used Fem pronouns, angst, this is darker than I meant to be. Talks about killing and death.

Author's note: I got carried away again. This is almost 6k words. Part 3 will be shorter and fluff mostly. This is not proofread.

Part One Part Three

After that night in Tenochtitlan the group slowly split up on their own. Y/N had settled in a small town that was used as a trade route. Boats came from all over with fine jewels, linens and food. Half a mile from the pier was these empty stalls people would rent out to sell things for the day. Most people there made a livable profit to provide for their families. It was Y/N’s favorite place to hang out. She liked to check out what new things humans had created, and help the elderly set up shop.

One warmer than normal afternoon she made her way through the stalls smiling at all her favorite neighbors and purchased small things from them to help support their families. A booth of glittering knives and jewelry caught her eye as she passed by. More specifically a dagger of silver with blue stones in the hilt. His eyes were that blue, she thought. Her fingers danced gently over the stones lost in her memories.

“How much?” Y/N asked the small, round in the belly merchant. Her eyes didn’t leave the blade.

“I will give it to you for the piece in your hair.”

It was a pin that Druig had gifted her, a golden butterfly.  This was the last thing she had of him. Y/N’s fingers subconsciously touched the cold metal; she had forgotten it was there. It had become such a habit to put it in first thing in the morning since he had given it to her. She never knew where he got it from, and when she asked him he smiled and just murmured her nickname. There was no way she could part with it. It was all she had.

“Umm, let me think about it. Thanks.” With a smile she continued down the stalls. She thought she was over the pain of him leaving but it was still as fresh as the day it happened.

As she passed a fruit stand, she heard a voice that sounded an awful lot like Druig.  Her heart picked up a beat. Was It really him after all these years? Out of the corner of her eye she could make out dark hair and he faintly looked about the same size. She took a second to control her breathing before fully facing the man.

It wasn't him, just another human trying to haggle for a deal on the fruit. Her heart hurt a little more than it had at booth with the knives. She longed to see her friend again. She had searched for him but with no luck of finding him. He never cared, did he? Why stay away after all this time if he cared even an ounce? It's been over a hundred years.

Without a second more of hesitation, she ran back to the man with the dagger. Out of breath she yanked the hair piece out. The strands of hair it held fell back to their natural place.

The merchant stared at her as if she grew another head. He had half the mind to up the price since she wanted it that much, but something told him no. She studied the pin one last time. When she handed this to him she had nothing left that tied her to him. This- This was goodbye. Her eyes burned for a second, but she refused to cry anymore. Y/N thought about the time with the butterflies. A time where she was happy and never would have thought he would have left her.

Trading was the smart thing to do. Her powers didn’t seem to work anymore. Every time she tried to shape light after that night it put a strain on her body. She almost passed out every time. The shadows sometimes moved, but she couldn't quite master them yet. Ajak couldn't figure out why they stopped working either. The women had tried healing Y/N on many occasions, but nothing worked. At one point Y/N begged Ajak to take her memories and let her start over. Let her have a reset after 5,000 years. She was exhausted, and her soul hurt immensely. But Ajak said no.

The merchant held his hand open waiting for her to hand it over. Y/N dropped it in his waiting palm with a lone tear falling down her cheek. She took the dagger and turned, missing the flash of golden eyes watching her walk away.

She made her way back to the small place she called home, setting the weapon on the table. Sprite made her way out of her room to bother Y/N about being bored. But stopped any words from coming out once she saw the state Y/N was in and gave her a hug. They stayed like that for quite some time.  Sprite extended her visit for a few extra days making sure Y/N was ok before she left to live with Kingo.

-----

Centuries passed slowly for Y/N, but she had stopped clinging to her feelings for Druig and moved on. She started dating humans and some aliens. They kept her company and cared for her the way she yearned for. They came and went throughout the years. She watched some grow old and die. Quite a few were whisked off to wars where they died.  Each one of them took a piece of her with them as she loved them fiercely.  

Two of them were murdered in cold blood right in front of her. She managed to kill one of the assassins in a fit rage. Before she knew the shadows around her came together forming a monster scarier than the boogieman. It tore the assailant apart making it so no one could identify him. Just as quickly as the monster was created it vanished.  Humans continued to become such dark and miserable creatures that enjoyed inflicting pain.

Y/N eventually moved in with Ajak and Sprite soon after losing control of her powers. She didn’t mean to kill the man it had just happened. They moved around a lot because to many people became curious of Sprites appearance. During the years they were together they helped Y/N gain control of the shadows. Sprite often created illusions with her abilities to push Y/N to new extremes.

After an afternoon of fighting Y/N was ready to give up, the shadows were not working, and she wanted a break from learning. She felt like a child. Helpless. Sprite wanted her to actually shape something instead of using ribbons of shadows to do her work. They had done it four times last week.

“This is dumb. I am going to bed.”

“Come on Sunshine. Don’t tell me you can’t fight an imaginary bear.” Sprite teased. She knew the nickname would set her friend off.

“Don’t. Call. Me. That.” Y/N bit out. Throwing ribbons of jet-black shadows at the bear. She held it in place keeping it from moving an inch.  It ripped Sprites creation in half.

“Not what we wanted, but good enough.”

Y/N heaved. She was afraid of the shadows they tended to kill more then anything. IT was an extension to her pain and anger. They were way stronger then the light had been.

----

One particularly stary night she was making her way back home from the market. Y/N wanted to make a nice dinner for Ajak after everything she had done for her. She decided to cut through the forest to get back home faster. A man followed behind her. He waited till they were far enough away to get closer, so no one could hear her scream. Y/N could feel a cold stare on her. She turned and the man took the opportunity to attack holding a knife to her throat.

“Give me your jewels and money.”   The girl stared at him like he was stupid.

“Are you deaf? I said give me your money!” He was livid now.

Y/N shot him a cold smirk. This pathetic man thought he could win? With that thought she let out a humorless laugh. The man almost backed away not expecting this response. He thought she would cry and beg for her life. This was a psychotic response.

“No. I won’t hand it over. If you want to live, I would walk away.”  The man scoffed and pressed on the blade a little harder. A small trickle of blood ran down her neck.

“I am the one in control. I have the knife.” A spray of his saliva hit Y/N in the face.

Before the man could blink, she had him on his knees bound by shadowy ribbons. He tried to pull his arm out, but he couldn’t move.  The darkness swirled behind the girl as she pulled out the knife she always had on her person. The man stopped breathing as he watched the girl walk up to him twirling the blade.

“you-you’re a witch?”

“No, no. I am an eternal. That is a vastly different thing. Now tell me, do you often attack young women in the street?” 

She raised a brow waiting for him to answer. She wasn't sure what to do with him yet and his answer would influence her.  A panicked look flashed through him, and she knew what the answer was. Biting her lip she kept her anger in check before she ripped the man apart. She promised Ajak no more human death.

Her shadows tightened and he cried out. A sickening crack echoed off the trees. She broke a bone for sure.

“You monster.” He cried out as she ran away.

Two days later Y/N was walking sprite back home when a bunch of villagers surrounded them. Amongst them was the man that tried to attack her.

“That's her. That's the witch.” He pointed a bulbous finger in her face.

“I knew she was to pretty.” On person mumbled to their neighbor.

“Devil worshiper.” Another said.

Sprite looked ready to attack but Y/N pulled her back. Shaking her head. She knelt down hugging sprite.

“Go. Run home I will find you later.”

Sprite had a remark that died on her lips. She wasn’t sure if Y/N would live past this. There were a lot of them, and she promised no more killing. Before Y/N could ask her again she ran. Ajak could help she thought.  

When Sprite managed to get Ajak’s help the town square was filled with humans that had been knocked out. Y/N was nowhere to be seen.

-----

Y/N had made her new home Europe after that incident, and she stayed there for centuries. She studied with so many great minds and helped them build institutes and careers. When they died they lived on in the stories Y/N told everyone who would listen.  

She settled in London during the women’s suffrage movement. Where she and her now boyfriend fought for women’s rights together. They made their way through the streets hanging posters when a women left out the doors of a pub.

“Y/N?” She straightened up at the voice. Sersi.

Y/N faced her with a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had seen the girl.

“Oh, it is you. I have missed you.”

“Hello, Sersi. I have missed you too.”

She hugged the black-haired women. Y/N had forgotten how beautiful she was, and truly missed her hugs. Sersi and her had been close once. A rift grew between them when she married Ikaris. Y/N always stood on Druigs side while Sersi stood by her husband.

“Who is this?” Sersi asked looking at the tall guy next to her.

“Alexander. We are courting as one may say. We are also fighting for women’s rights.” Sersi smiled. Y/N was just like Druig wanting humans to stop being so cruel.

“Well, I am glad you are ok, and best of luck to you.”

-----

“I am going to be a nurse in the war. I want to help the men who are fighting.”  

It was three years into the World War, and Y/N was tired of watching it happen. Alexander had fallen shortly after it started.

“Y/N please, I can’t protect you out there.” Ajak begged.

“I want to help; I can’t stay here. I will come back, I promise.”  

Ajak shook her head not wanting to hear it. Phastos was already way more involved than she liked. Now Y/N wanted to leave and basically be in the front lines? This was her worst nightmare. Two of them may never return to her and she couldn’t bare to part ways with them.

“I just want you safe. You fought your war. The deviants are gone its your time to rest.”

“I have been resting for 1,900 years now. If it becomes too much, I will run.”  Y/N put everything in her tone to sound sincere. They stared at one another before Ajak nodded and asked to be written as much as possible.

-----

The war had been over for a year now and Y/N settled in New York. She hung out at a club where her roommate sang nightly at. Everyone who was anyone came there. Gangsters made deals in the back booths, and Senators got their drugs or girls.

Y/N was sitting at the bar playing with her drink, waiting for her friend to take the stage. It was a busier night than usual.  There was a man with black hair and ocean blue eyes that kept shooting her looks from his side of the bar. She blushed each time they made eye contact. He shot her a wink before she turned to face the stage where the musicians were changing out.

“Hello Ma’am. My name is Giovanni.” There was an Italian accent when he spoke.

“Y/N” She shook his hand smiling.  

It was the start of their love story. They were happy, and Ajak adored him. He made her Y/N truly happy. They spent one weekend a month with Ajak. Family was important to Giovanni, and it was her family. She did tell him about the fact that she would never age, but he didn’t care. He loved Y/N.

“You know who he looks like?” Sprite wiggled her eyebrows. A smirk in her eyes.

“Shut up. That is not why I am with him. He is kind to me.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and ruffled Sprites hair. Which annoyed the young girl. She fixed it and glared off to the horizon.

“I heard he asked Ajak for your hand in marriage.”

“He did. And asked me to marry him last night.” That night, he promised he would never leave her during his human existence. Y/N held out her hand, showing off the engagement ring.  Sprite studied it before nodding. This was not the wedding she expected to attend for Y/N.

----

Y/N and Giovanni lived a lavish life together. She was utterly happy with their life. Giovanni brought her flowers once a week, never allowing a dead one in her sight. Their maid would pick out the dead ones every morning per his orders. Each Friday, he came home early to take her on a date.

One winter night, they were coming home from the ballet and giggling like two school kids with a secret. Giovanni spun Y/N through the opened front door and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are amore?” he asked, flipping on the light switch.

Before any of them could register the man in the hall to the living room, a gun shot echoed through the room. Y/N’s ears rang. Giovanni landed on the floor with a thud. If the gun wound didn’t kill him, the hit his head took would have. Her vision blurred. Blood rushed to her head. This is all a dream. She repeated it over and over, hoping she would wake up.  

Y/N let out a blood-curdling scream when she could see clearly again. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears escaped. She hadn't felt pain like this since Tenochtitlan. Her body was on fire. Like it was turned inside out, and woodland creatures were feeding on her intestines.

She didn’t give the gunman a chance to run. Y/N used the darkness behind him to effortlessly bind him.  He lay on the floor staring up at the dark ceiling.

"Amore! Amore! You are going to be fine, please, wake up.” Her white gloves were now crimson. She tried to apply pressure to the wound. But it was too late, he wasn't breathing, and his skin was a grey blue. Her now silent tears fell on his face. She used a shaky hand to close his cold, lifeless eyes. Y/N laid her head on Giovanni’s chest, still hoping that this was a bad dream.

The killer grunted, trying to escape the binds her shadows kept him in. Y/N’s head snapped up, looking right at him. He was going to pay for his sins. She would make sure of it. She didn’t care about the promise she made Ajak.

The man shook in fear as he watched her approach. Her eyes were completely black, with no white or color to be seen. She pulled every ounce of darkness to her, using it to create his own personal nightmares. The monster took on all forms. No one was close enough to hear him scream.

“Please, the Russians sent me. I have a family.” He begged.

Y/N only smiled. It was music to her ears to her him cry. She used the shadows to tear him apart. There was no body left, just blood dripping from her walls.

-------

Ajak watched Y/N throw dead roses on Giovannis' coffin. It was the last bouquet he had bought her.  They were the only ones left at the cemetery. His family left as soon as the ceremony was over, going home to grieve alone. Y/N wasn't ready to say goodbye. She still held hope for it all to be a dream.

She called Ajak immediately after she killed the man. Y/N sobbed on the phone begging her to come. Ajak showed up as soon as she could to comfort the girl she thought of as a daughter. They planned the funeral together.

After five minutes of staring down into the hole, she fell to her knees. Weeping as her heart broke again.  She was finally happy again, and it was dragged from her in the cruelest way possible. Ajak rested a hand on the girl’s shoulder. They cried together till it got too cold to be outside.

Y/N was tired of feelings. They were overrated anyway. All the light she had left in her soul was gone she was ready to take revenge on evil.

-----

Druig stood as straight as a board with his arms folded together. He listened to his fellow Eternals as they explained to him what Areshim really had planned for them.  His eyes kept flickering back to the door.  He waited for the only one he cared about to open them and walk in. He missed the smile she always wore. Letting her go was the biggest mistake he made in his 7,000 years. When he had gone to find her, she was happy, and he didn’t want to interrupt her life.

"Where is Y/N?"

No one responded or made a sound. They avoided his question. Druig clenched his jaw. Was she out there alone? His heart stuttered at the thought of it. Sprite refused to make eye contact with him. He was not going to like the answer. There was no easy way to explain that she had become a person he would hate.

“She is in New York, basically running a mafia. It’s been in the American news since the 50’s when she burned a church full of racists down. Ten died that day.”  Sprite broke the silence. He needed to know. Druig was going to find out one way or another when they went looking for her. The group didn’t know either. The only other person was Ajak.

Thena and Gilgamesh turned to each other and began to talk in hushed whispers. That seemed a little dark for Y/N. She was the definition of happiness. Killing humans was something she would have never done.

Kauran used the camera to zoom in on everyone's faces as they took in Sprite's words. Sprite had been the only one Y/N talked to after the 50’s. Ajak attempted but never got a response from her. Y/N did not want to listen to lectures about why what she was doing was wrong. She also didn’t want to face the disappointment.

Druig frowned, that couldn’t be right.  Sprite sighed.

"Look, Y/N/N went through some dark things in the last two thousand years. I promise this was a path that took its time to claim her.” Sprite paused her words before continuing. “She has recently been put on the CIA’s watch list. After allegedly murdering a senator, I don’t think she will help us.”

Druig was angry that they allowed her to suffer. His sunshine was out there in pain.

“Why didn’t you help her?” He asked, voice raised.

“Us? You left her. Ajak and I stayed with her most of the time. We tried to take care of her, but humans’ man they can be cruel” Sprite hissed.

“I will go talk to her. I will get her to help” Druig said in a final tone.

“If you plan on getting to her, it will not be easy. There is security armed with extremely illegal weapons posted 24/7.  They are trained to shoot first and ask later. Plus, the last time I saw her was five years ago, and there was no Y/N left. She is not in there.”

Sersi shook her head. Everyone of them refused to believe what Sprite said. There was another silence as they processed the words.

“I will go. We need her, to pull this off.”  

It was mainly selfish reasons for him wanting to go. Druig wanted to confirm that his beautiful sunshine had truly become evil.

“You don't understand. She is not going to help. Y/N doesn't care about anything anymore.” Sprite argued standing up crossing her arms.

“I am going to try. What's the worst that could happen? I can control minds anyway. Her security won’t be anything.”

"She kills you." There was no humor behind her words. Y/N would do it too, no hesitation. She watched the girl gut a man who betrayed her without even blinking. That was the last time she spoke to her.

"Fine with me." Ikaris chimed in. Druig rolled his eyes. Now was not the time to fight with him.

-----

Y/N stood over the traitor. Her slender fingers gripped onto his chin, holding his head in place. That way, he was forced to stare into her colorless eyes. Her rings were pinching his skin as she gripped tighter. He tried to pull out of the shadow ropes that were tying him down.

“What did you tell them?” He blinked then laughed. The sound was borderline maniacal. Y/N landed a swift punch to his nose. A crunching sound could be heard. She smirked; it was broken. Blood pooled out of it and onto her shoe.

Pity. She thought. Her favorite suede over the knee boots were now stained. Y/N yanked a knife out from one of the many on her leg. The light from the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling reflected off the blade as she dragged it up his shirt to his neck. He swallowed, and the blade kicked his skin. Scarlet drops slowly crept out. She bent over, pressing her lips right against his ear.  Maybe if he heard them directly and clearly, he would understand.

"What did you tell them?" She asked again, her red lips leaving marks on his skin.

"I'm not saying a word. You may as well use that knife." They spoke and spit in her face. Some blood mixed in landing on her nose. She backed away, tightening the hold the shadows had on him. Her eyes turned completely black again as her blood pressure rose. Light evaporated as she pulled the shadows around them. She smirked when she saw his shudder.

"Very well then." Without another thought, she slid her dagger across his neck, ending it swiftly. The knife cut through like his neck was room temperature butter. She flicked the knife off to the side a few times before taking the black handkerchief her right-hand man held out. While she polished the blade, she let the shadows go.

"Y/N?" A male voice with an accent spoke. Her back stiffened. She hadn't physically heard that voice in many, many years. Y/N squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn't real. She had heard his voice throughout time in her head, but it stopped after meeting Giovanni. Was she losing it like Thena? All the murders finally catch up to her.

"Clean this up. Regular protocol, and don't forget to burn your clothes this time. Also, remove the tongue so people know what happens when you betray us.” Y/N spoke after a moment. Electing to ignore her illusion.

"Ye-yes ma'am."

Her cohort looked confused while staring at the door behind her. So, he was real. He showed up now? It's a little too late. Y/N was not surprised he got in since he could control minds after all, but how did he find her.

Y/N walked past Druig out the metal doors he held open. Her long ponytail bounced with each step she took, and her heels echoed.  She refused to acknowledge him and made her way to her office. She still wasn't entirely convinced it was him. Maybe the shadows created him to give her a consciousness.

Druig followed closely behind her. Slightly appalled at the sight back there. That was not the woman he knew. This person was a shell of who she was.

Her office was pristine and all black. Everything was in the exact place she wanted it in. Y/N poured herself a cup of Burbon, not speaking a word.  She faced the window as she chugged it down and filled it back up.

"Can I help you? Or are you here to lecture me?" She finally faced the blue-eyed man. His jaw was still sharp enough to cut through glass. Leaning back on her desk, she crossed one foot in front of the other. Showing off her legs. She was intimidating. A true queen upon her throne.

Druig took in the lack of color in her eyes, and the iris was back. He looked over her swallowing. Knives were adorning her legs. Each dagger was delicately designed and had a blue sapphire in the handle. She looked good. He had to admit that.

Although he was not going to be intimidated by her. He folded his arms, copied her pose, and glared at her. This was not Y/N. He refused to believe that.

"Lecture you for what? Taking a human life? I should because the Y/N I knew would have never done that." Druig shook his head; some black hair falling in to his face.

"He was a traitor. They get punished. Which is none of your business. I stopped being your Y/N when you left me."  She bit down on her lip, folding her arms. Druig flinched.

"What about the senator?" Oh, was that why he was here. Mad, I took the trash out of political power. Druig took a step closer, testing the waters.

"He was a bad man. He hurt children. Again, none of your business. Also, if I said anything, you would be an accessory."  She was getting annoyed. This was why he showed up after 2,000 years to judge her. She grabbed the cup of bourbon and downed it.

"And killing him is, ok?" Druig watched her eyes flash all black. shadows covered the light in the room. This was new. He thought.

"Once again. None. Of. YOUR. Business. This is my empire." She enunciated every word spitting them out. Then threw her glass at him, missing his head. Druig took another slow step towards her.

"My sunshine, what has happened?" Y/N scoffed at his words. Her eyes went fully back again. He had no right to show up unannounced and tell her how to treat people. No right to use that nickname.

"I haven't manipulated light in 2,000 years, so don't call me that. The shadows... the dark is always there.”  

It was true the sunset, the light disappeared. The Sun would cast shadow she could always find the dark. He bent down, putting his hands on the table under her. Effectively, he trapped her in front of him. They were mere inches apart. He took in the scar that was on her right eyebrow. It was on the rawer side telling him it was recent.

"There is always light. You just have to find it. So, tell me what happened."

“I was tired of being the good guy. You walked away, and everything fell apart, Druig. I was alone and hurt. I had Sprite but she couldn’t replace you.”

“I am sorry. I regret leaving you more than you know. I went looking for you once.”

Another laugh escaped red painted lips. How sentimental.  Y/N pushed him, so he sat in a chair in front of her desk. It was her turn to make him feel little. Their faces inches apart.

"Pray tell me when did you look?”

“When you sold your pin to the man for the dagger.” His fingers traced the weapon that sat on her upper left thigh. She grabbed his hand and placed it back on the armrest.

“Then you what left?” 

“Yes, because you didn’t seem like you wanted anything to do with me. You sold something I gave you.” Druigs voice raised.

“I sold it because I thought I heard you, and I guess I did. But my heart hurt, and I decided I didn’t want anything of yours to remind me you left! You- you ignorant ass hole.”  Y/N yelled out. She tried not to hurt him. If it was anyone else, she would have. She moved her head to the side, refusing to look at him.

Druig used a finger to guide her face back to him.  Her eyes were glassy as he stared into them. There were no words he could say to make it better.

“Why couldn’t you have been fake? Just another hallucination.” She mumbled, and he barely heard. His brow rose.

“You hallucinated me?”

“Yes, the worst one was during World War 2. My nursing tent I was working in was attacked, and I thought I was dying. You were there. I wanted to die honestly, but I was saved and sent home where Ajak healed me.”

Y/N backed away. Sitting on top of her desk again. She wiped away the stray tears before looking back at him.

“Anyway, why are you here? You don’t care about the senator I allegedly killed.”

"We need your help.”

Druig told her everything Sersi told him. How Ajak and Gilgamesh died, and why being sent here was a lie. Y/N did cry for the fallen. Telling Druig lying wasn’t funny, but he promised he was not lying. This time, he wiped away her tears and stroked her back, soothing her the best he could.

After a moment, he explained the plan to her.

“We need you, Y/N.”

"No. Screw your precious humans, Dru. I hope they all die." He flinched. Sprite was right. This was going to be hard. He sat back down in front of her.

"I'm dealing with shaking the Spiderman and other avengers off my trail. if we all die, so be it."

“Sunshine…”

There was a knock at her door cutting him off.

"Come in.”

The person looked at Druig and hesitated.

"It's ok to speak freely he is not a threat."

"The sparrow's youngest son is here to make a deal."

"Bleh him again. He is just in love with me, you know. What kind of deal?"

" To give you the evidence he has that proves your gun shipment is illegal. In exchange for a hit on his brother."

"I don't get involved with a family business. You know this, Loretta. The evidence he has is useless it proves nothing."

" You may want to talk to him. It's bad."

"Show Druig out. I will meet with our guest."

"No, I will wait. We need to finish talking Y/N."

"You guys are more than capable of doing it yourself. I have a business to run.”

“Please.” Druig’s voice cracked, and Y/N’s heart clenched. He sounded broken.

“I need someone to fill in for my right-hand man as they are busy. Come with me and then we will talk." He still held power over her. She did not want to admit it after all this time.

“Loretta, you can send him in here. Give 3 min to fix myself, and we are good to go.”

Y/N picked up the glass pieces from the floor and wiped any may up streaks off her face. Druigs eyes followed her, not sure what to do anymore.

“Y/N sweetheart. I have missed you." A new voice spoke as they came into the room. She sighed. This was a long night. Druig flinched at the nickname.

“Let me make it short since you are busy. I have your people on the pier with the crates, and I want you to kill my brother so I can take charge. We will not start a war with you.”  The man plopped down next to Druig. His eyes never left Y/N.

“Let me think about it and talk to my people before I make decisions, ok?”

“I will give you 4 days before I have the Avengers here.”

Druig squinted at the man who was so brazen to throw threats around. He was tempted to use his powers and throw the man out of the room, but he stopped himself. This was Y/N’s fight. The two exchanged more words before he left.

Y/N sighed and sat back down. She stared at the blue-eyed man in a leather jacket that brought some feeling back to her.  She thought of every outcome if she followed him.

Druig stood up and walked so he was in front of her. He took his hand out of his pocket, and she saw a flash of gold. He placed whatever it was in her hair before kissing her forehead and left.

She touched the thing. It was the butterfly pin. Y/N thought it was gone forever. He was truly there that day. Y/n ran down the hallway chasing him.

“Fine I will help.”

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - CHAPTER 8 UPDATE!!!

Hello again, my dearest readers! It hasn't been too long, this time. As promised, here I am with a new update, one that I hoped to make quick and small, but that resulted to be, as usual, a standard chapter. Oh well, these are better news for you: Chapter 8 is now available to play!! With it, we officially set ourselves to see the finish line, for Chapter 9 will be the next and LAST chapter in this book. One final push, one final battle, and everything will move to clear and clarify. Will you prevail, will you fight back to back, or will you see the cracks grow wider under your feet? The time of answers nears us - choose wisely.

I'm also noticing a new pattern in my update schedule, where I'm becoming awfully good at releasing chapters on a Monday... which isn't the brightest of my ideas. I only have another try, but I'll attempt to make it more reasonable.

As usual, I welcome any feedback, specially now that my beta-tester is quite occupied with her MSc (still a strong woman in STEM, still a prisoner to her project and her university. We shall remember her dearly). If you have any issues, recommendations, or comments in general about my work, feel free to text me here or make a post in CoG forum, where I will be answering you to the best of my capabilities. I tried my best to bring this update quickly - I checked for bugs, but I'm always very grateful for any help!

NEW THINGS IN THIS UPDATE:

Dine with Silver Demon, a man who's taken an odd interest in you.

Prepare to rest, and share the last moments of the passing day with someone... or with yourself.

Softlock available for TWO of the romance routes, and hardlock available for ONE of them. Will you choose to involve yourself in games of heart?

Number of saves increased from 3 to 5 slots.

Chapter 5 clothing options expanded - now, more choices are available to suit you best.

Chapter 8 is 63k words long. Some Sleepover scene routes might feel shorter than others, but all of them have overall around 8-10k worth of words between all choices. Replayability and length of playthrough vary from route to route!

KNOWN BUGS:

Sometimes, the image for Chapter 5's title doesn't appear at the beggining of the chapter. I'm unsure why, and thus the bug still persists.

DEMO DESCRIPTION AND USEFUL LINKS:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy game situated in another world, far away from Earth. There are plenty of species living together in harmony, but the human race is currently split in two civilisations: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other and the fight between ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ here is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, on character development and your own perception of the world: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe wants to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

If you want to know a little more about this project and read 8 chapters, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

Any mistakes, concerns or questions you have, feel free to contact me through Tumblr! I am very excited to share this story with all of you, and I want to make it as good as possible with your help!

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile -> Heir to the throne in Hero kingdom, where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who is very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “Hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Robert/Reina -> Order's Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate itself. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis -> An Outworlder, who was caught by cultists from the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria -> Leader of Vannais, a recognised “Villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious, reserved and temperamental. Doesn’t like to stay behind hiding in the castle, thus always personally appears in battlefields and negotiations. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and greenish eyes.

Be careful! These characters have their thoughts and opinions on the world and your actions: if you want them to support you, convince them or take their side… or neither. That is your choice after all!

[punkypiscesell-writes]

chapter 3

Joel Miller x gn!/f!reader

series masterlist - chapter 2

summary: Joel Miller is getting used to his new life in Jackson, Wyoming. Now that he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder every few minutes, his past comes to haunt him.

rating: mature

chapter warnings: dad!Joel, angst, anxiety, mentions of substance abuse, grief, no use of y/n

word count: 6.5k

divider by cafekitsune

It has been three weeks since Joel and Ellie returned to Jackson. His lie about saving Ellie from raiders, that there were others like her, and how he swore on it, brings him solace and grief at the same time. But the way Ellie has changed towards him pains him. She’s the same as before and distant at the same time, trying to find her footing in a place that she’s not used to. Or life that she’s not used to living.

She tells her usual stories and jokes, asks questions and wonders things out loud. And then she becomes quiet and her eyes look at him in a different way. She knows, he can feel it. And on occasion they tiptoe around the truth when they talk even when the fireflies or what they went through isn’t mentioned in any way.

He can hear how she wants him to come clean through her voice and the way she speaks. It’s in the way she measures her words and how she falls silent. And it’s in the pauses between sentences when she waits for him to answer her. He knows she wants him to say something else than what he’s ready to tell her. He still  wouldn’t trade his time with her for anything else.

The fact that he can just be with her, see her walking around the town, see her getting familiar with the kids her age, see her breathe. That’s what matters. He treasures every moment even if it’s sometimes tense between them. And there are also moments when he almost forgets what happened. When he looks at her living her life, he knows he did the right thing. He would do it all over again if someone gave him the chance.

The wound in his stomach hasn’t healed correctly. It feels tight as he sits up from his bed and rubs his hand over his face. The sun isn’t high yet, but he hears Ellie walking down the stairs. The front door opens and closes after a while, leaving Joel in the quiet.

He’s not sure where she went, maybe to hang out with some of the kids he has seen her getting to know? It’s a Saturday so no school today, but it doesn’t mean she can’t get into trouble inside the town walls. She has shown interest in getting trained to patrol, even though he thinks she’s way too young for it. Even though he has taken her out to learn to use a couple different types of guns, it seems like it hasn’t been enough for her. She wants to learn more, not in school but outside the walls, from other people. She wants to start going on shorter patrol routes. Every time he says not yet, she gets a little quiet, like it’s something she needs and he lets her down.

She needs practice with a gun and to find that perfect balance between restraint and force in combat. He knows he can’t protect her forever, but he’ll do everything to make sure that she stays safe even if she’s out there killing infected. Or people. He knows she’s not ready yet and there’ll be a day when she’ll know it too.

She’s probably just going out with her friends and will tell Joel what she’s been up to when they see each other again later.

He grabs a t-shirt from his dresser and pulls it over his head before putting his jeans on. No need to have a shower yet since he’s going horseback riding with Tommy. Apparently, people have been talking about Joel in town since he was last here and patrol duty was offered to him without questions.

Tommy promised to show him some trail today to get him accustomed to the patrolling duties and to help him be an active part of the community. In fact, Joel’s been bored out of his mind, drifting around town, feeling alone and like people are avoiding him. Maybe people in town haven’t gossiped only about him being good at killing infected…

The townspeople go silent every time he comes near, and their eyes follow him when they see him. To be honest, he feels a little crazy about it. Like he lives in a bubble that doesn’t let him react in any way even when he’d like to shout at them to mind their own business.

Maybe he has changed, but these kinds of things didn’t bother him before. In Boston he liked that people feared him. They kept their distance because they knew not to step on his toes. And the people who needed his services definitely didn’t want to make him upset.

If he lost one customer, there’d always be a new one. The smuggling business didn’t need to be advertised.  There was always someone needing pills or booze, some wanted them both. Every time he knew that when those people got what they wanted, paid with a saved stack of ration cards, it was highly likely he wouldn’t see them again. He would’ve been one of those, if he had been alone.

Back then he had to be that man. The man who you didn’t mess with and whose good side you wanted to be on. It brought power, and risks. He was so different. Now he’s stepping into a new role, and he doesn’t know how to fit into it. Or how to pick it up again. He has a chance to slow down, relax. He hasn’t done anything like that in years. Now that he doesn’t have to fight so hard anymore, against a system, against other people. Against himself. He can feel the old wounds slowly tearing open, breaking him apart once again like when he lost the purpose in his life over 20 years ago.

And then there’s Ellie, slowly sewing him back together. She shows him every day that even the deepest cuts can heal. That he can live with the pain, even name it, and try his hardest to live his best life in this fucked up world.

When the night arrives, it becomes more complicated. The quiet and dark swallow him whole and he has to tell himself to keep it together. His nightmares are relentless, now mixing with new memories. The dreams he sees make him dread the night and when he sits on the edge of his bed, he tries to quiet his mind.

He wants to just be. He doesn’t want to relive his failures and violence in his dreams as well. But then it hits him. He has just kept himself preoccupied all these years and he hasn’t dealt with his past at all.

After another night of barely holding on, maybe a couple of hours of sleep and the old wound on his stomach aching, he sighs and pads down the stairs barefooted. He stops at the doorway to his kitchen, his stomach sinking. Seeing the morning light streaming in through the windows, the quiet surrounding him, he realises it again. The loss and grief. It’s almost like he has suddenly understood the reality that his daughter has died. He lives it again and again, that last morning with her. He knows he’s not in Austin, he knows there’s nothing to listen to in the quiet of the house, he knows he can’t make his memories come back alive. Almost every morning since coming back to Jacckson it’s been like this and every morning he’s disappointed.

He pushes the thoughts aside, massages the scar on his temple and wills himself to think about anything else. He smells coffee for just a second, that warm, comforting smell, before it’s gone. There’s no such luxuries even if in every other way the town feels like a haven in this hell of a world. He makes eggs for breakfast and eats them with toast. He eats slowly, savouring the creamy richness and the crunchy bread that he definitely had on the pan for too long. He drinks some juice he got from the shop, not really knowing what it is, but it’s sweet and a little tangy.

He stares at the glass in his hand.

He can almost hear her, telling him to get his vitamin C.

Having a real breakfast feels out of place, like a weird dream that he’s going to snap out of any second. He’s trying to enjoy the little things, slow down the thoughts that start to race out of nowhere, and get used to the life he’s now been offered. It just takes a while he supposes.

There’s a knock on the door and Tommy steps in, his wide smile appearing behind the corner. The two rifles on his shoulder tell Joel everything he needs to know about what’s going to happen today.

“Wear something long sleeved, it can get a little windy today,” Tommy tells him as he waits for Joel to finish his juice and put the dishes into the sink to wait for him to get back home.

“I’ve already got horses for us, they should be ready when we get there,” Tommy tells him when they walk down the street. Joel is rebuttoning the flannel under his light, brown jacket as he first did them wrong, and the front was askew.

The air is warm and pleasant, promising a beautiful day in the forest. There are already quite a few people out, but it’s definitely not as busy yet as it usually seems to be on the weekends. The stables come into view quickly and some horses are outside, eating hay off the cold ground.

Spring is making its way to Jackson, the nature waking up slowly and incredibly fast at the same time from the cold and grey winter with warm sunlight and birdsongs. There’s still some snow on the ground, but vibrant colours and smells are already out there in the form of crocus flowers peeking through the ground and the soil melting.

Trees are bare, but there are hints of fresh leaves sprouting on the branches. It reminds Joel of something, but he can’t name what that feeling is that’s creeping on the outskirts of his memory. Must be something that he has locked away long ago.

The stables are warm, a little humid, and the smell from the horses and hay envelope them immediately as they walk in. There are a couple of people taking care of the animals, brushing the horses and cleaning their stalls.

One of the men there greets Tommy and gives Joel a tentative look before wishing him a good morning as well. He walks out a saddled horse and gives the reins to Tommy who already goes outside, leaving Joel to wait while his horse is still being prepared.

He follows the man towards a stall, where someone else is saddling his horse. He sees them patting the dark brown horse on the neck before closing their face against the horse’s cheek, giving it gentle pats, and saying something to it.

When the man opens the stall door, they give the horse one final pat on the shoulder and hands the reins to the man. They don’t follow the horse out but stay in the stall instead, almost like they’re hiding. Another one of those towns people, who must’ve heard stories of him. He shakes his head with an eyeroll and lets the man and the horse follow him out.

“This is Old Beardy, he can be a little challenging at times, but what I’ve heard from Tommy, you should be okay with him,” the man says, petting the horse’s shoulder, giving the reins to Joel. The man wishes them safe trekking outside the walls before he goes back into the stable, taking a pitchfork with him.

Gently Joel moves closer to the horse’s head, offering it his hand for smelling. Slowly he brings his hand up to touch the horse’s neck and finally it’s muzzle. The horse stays still, slightly leaning against Joel’s hand.

“We’re gonna be just fine, aren’t we Beardy?” Joel asks the horse, speaking quietly. He feels like someone’s watching him, making him turn towards the stable doors. And just as he does, he sees a top of a face disappear behind the wall.

He takes a deep breath and conceals his annoyance from Tommy behind Beardy’s large frame. He just needs to let it go, give people time and he’ll start blending into the community. He gives the horse some more scratches and pats before he mounts it.

“You got a new friend?” Tommy asks, his smile getting wider when he sees his big brother’s face. Joel would like to think he’s talking about Beardy, but he knows Tommy means the person in the stables. Joel gives the horse a gentle kick to get it moving, hearing Tommy’s laughter when they go past him.

“I might leave you here, if you have nothing better to do than laughing,” Joel tells his brother, turning towards him. Seeing Tommy so happy makes Joel grin. Tommy sings something when he passes Joel, leading them out towards the gates.

It’s well past dinner time when they get back into Jackson. The day was what Joel needed. He knows it deep in his bones. He needed to do something, be outside the town for a while, enjoy the simplicity of nature, of being in trusted company. And he can’t say that he didn’t miss the feeling of a gun in his hands.

They ran into a few infected, but together they were able to handle them quickly and without problems. Tommy showed him one of the longer trails and they ate at an old cabin the other patrollers had equipped for short stays and in case of emergencies. They signed their names in the patrol book and headed back.

It was a good day on horseback, taking their time and enjoying one of the first truly warm spring days. And from Tommy’s questions alone Joel knows that his brother arranged this day on purpose for Joel to get some much needed time away from the people and life that he still finds unusual.

“Say hi to Maria when you get home,” Joel tells him, when they separate at the dining hall.

“You could just come around ours for dinner, it could be good for the two of you to spend some time together, get to know each other…” Tommy’s voice is hopeful and Joel smirks at that, lifting his hand up.

“Some other time, you go spend some quality time with your wife now that you still have a chance to be alone, just the two of you.” Tommy’s face drops just the slightest, but he nods and smiles at Joel, clapping his hand on Joel’s shoulder.

Joel tries to be as nonchalant as possible, but the meaning behind his words sting in his chest. Memories flood back into his mind and he’s quick to shut them out. He can’t deal with that right now.

“I’ll see you later then,” Tommy tells him, before he turns and takes long strides to get home. Joel stands still, taking deep breaths while watching his little brother, thinking how much things have changed.

Tommy isn’t just a joiner anymore. He is actually doing something to help others, be part of a community. He fits here perfectly. And even if Maria clearly has a certain image of Joel, he knows that he has to make an effort to get to know her at some point, sooner rather than later.

They might not become that close, but he’d like to do it for his brother. He’d like to be part of his life still, or at least he’d like to think that’s possible even after the baby arrives. He just doesn’t know how much he can be around them. Not yet anyway.

His chest tightens when he thinks about it. The last time he held a baby in his arms was when Sarah was born. She was so small. She slept against his bare chest and he was so afraid he would do something wrong. That even a simple touch could break her.

When she looked at him with her big, bright eyes and held onto his hand with her tiny one so tightly that he still remembers the grip on his skin, he knew she would be okay. He could hug her a little tighter and hold her in his arms while showing her the world even though they rarely went anywhere outside of Austin, it was just their city. But it was all marvellous and enormous for her.

He was the one to soothe her during the nights, he was the one changing diapers, he was the one feeding her and giving her new foods to taste. He was the one playing with her and lifting her high up in the air which made her giggle in the most beautiful way. It was always him and Sarah, even when her mother was still in the picture. And then she left, didn’t want to be in any contact, and Sarah was still her usual self.

Joel might’ve felt alone and like the ground crumbled under his feet. But when he looked at his daughter, he knew they’d be alright. Until they weren’t and Sarah was no longer there. He felt like she had never been real when the world around him became so unreal. Now he can’t believe how real Sarah feels, years later, so much so that he can hear her voice clearer than he has in a long time.

He doesn’t know how he’s going to prepare for that, a baby. He doesn’t know how to feel, or how to act, when babies bring back memories, that now pain him.

Unconsciously he rubs at the scar on his temple again, sighs and steps into the dining hall.

It isn’t too crowded yet, but there’s still enough people to make the place echo with noise and all the tables have some people sitting by them. As it’s a Saturday night, the hall is going to fill up eventually and he’d like to be out of here before that happens.

His left ear rings just a little after being in the quiet of the nature for so long and suddenly being in a loud room. He goes to one of the buffet tables and checks what’s served tonight before he takes a plate and gets some of the steaming stew.

He looks around the room and notices people looking at him, then turning to whisper with each other. Everywhere he turns, people are either looking at him or trying not to look at him. Maybe this was a bad idea.

There’s someone sitting alone in a booth, their head turned towards the window even though you can’t see outside without standing up. That’s the only person, who hasn’t made note of him. The booth is his only option. Maybe the person will even leave, giving him some peace to eat his dinner alone.

He steps out to walk towards the table when he recognises them from their silhouette. You turn your head and take a sip of water. Your plate is almost full of the same stew Joel has on his plate. Yours looks like it has been sitting on the plate for quite some time already.

Even though he knows that it’s you sitting in the booth, something has changed in you.

He knew you had stayed behind, that you had been welcomed in. But he hadn’t seen you since they got into Jackson for the first time almost three months ago.

They had taken you into the infirmary when you were still unconscious. He had thought about you and how you might be doing. Those long, dark nights when Ellie was sleeping and Joel was watching over her while they were still looking for the fireflies made him think about what might’ve happened to you.

It’s not a surprise that this world creates people who can’t just shut themselves off in the face of trauma. When they found you, you didn’t look like you didn’t fit into this reality. You were armed and half your face was covered with dried blood but he was surprised by your inability to communicate or move.

You seemed calm on the surface. Only your eyes told him what was really going on in your head. You were scared out of your mind, resigned to your fate in his hands. You probably knew that he wouldn’t hesitate. It was Ellie that made him consider before shooting you straight in the head.

He thought you might be hiding a bite under the blood so he had to check by cleaning it off. The snow was freezing in his hand, but it took a while before it started to melt against your skin. When your face was somewhat clean underneath all the blood except for some scrapes, he knew something had happened. Something that resulted in you wearing a coat too big and too light with your face and clothes underneath it looking like someone had poured blood all over you.

You had gone through something that made you unable to do anything at that moment, but you had still followed them for a while without him noticing it. You knew what you were doing, even when you were in a high-stress situation.

That night, while he was by the campfire with you after Ellie had gone to sleep, and you were crying, he understood you. You weren’t there in the wild, fighting for your life, because you were in for an adventure. You were out there because that was the only option. Under the surface was someone, who was broken to the core. Someone, who had seen something that they never should see. He felt his old and new wounds ache inside his heart. He knew the feeling he saw in you too well.

He takes slow steps towards the table and stops just a couple of paces away. He should sit somewhere else, but that feels weird now. If you notice him and you say something to him, then it would feel like saying goodbye to someone and continuing walking in the same direction. Why is he even thinking about that, these situations didn’t make him nervous before. He’d sit down and not care what other people thought.

He steels himself and sets his tray opposite you too harshly, making you flinch. You hadn’t heard him coming. You look at the tray with the plate of stew and then at Joel, who stands awkwardly next to the table. He looks at you and gives a tight nod before sliding into the seat in front of you.

He sighs and glances towards the dirty window, shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and placing it next to him on the seat. He can see small particles of dust floating through the air, almost glimmering in the day’s last sunrays.

You look at him with calm eyes and when he turns his attention to you, he’s taken aback by your open expression. Like you’re waiting for something. But then you turn your eyes away, almost like you’ve been caught and drop your gaze to your plate.

You take your spoon into your hand and push the food around, not interested in eating. But since the others at the stables had dragged you in and made you sit with them, of course you had to take a plateful and pretend like you were interested in what they were talking about. You were just eating slowly, taking your time, even though your dinner had already gone cold.

“How’re you doing?” Joel asks with a quiet voice, making you look up. His stare is intense, but it’s not threatening in any way. He’s not asking, because he needs to, but because he seems interested to know. You look into his deep, dark eyes and slowly shake your head. You fish out your notebook and pencil and find an empty page.

“Not too bad, a bit tired,” you write and show him. He looks at your looped writing and nods, taking a spoonful of his stew. He chews slowly, which fascinates you. He doesn’t seem like the type to savour his meals, but here he is, doing just that.

“You?” You write down and show it to him, before taking a tentative bite of your own, cold dinner. He looks at the word for a long time, finally lifting his gaze to meet yours. The look on his face is answer enough. You had felt the same way when you had first started living your life here. Confused, reserved, unbelieving, a little hopeful? Sad? There’s a glint of relief and levity in his eyes as well, but you can recognise the insecurity and anxiety as well.

You nod at him and quiet settles between the two of you. He eats and somehow his presence encourages you to take a few more bites as well. But mostly your attention is on the slowly twirling dust particles in the air, while the setting sun makes them look a bit magical.

You tuck your notebook and pencil away and wait for Joel to finish his dinner. There’s still food on your plate, you’ll just take it home with you in a container.

It has gone dark outside when Joel finishes his dinner. He drinks his water and clears his throat, putting his jacket back on and getting ready to stand up. When he moves, you move. He looks like he doesn’t expect you to come with him, but when you stand at the same time as he does, pulling your jacket on, he moves just a little slower and keeps you on his left side. There’s someone washing the dishes and Joel thanks her for the food, but she only gives him a tired look.

“You’d need to eat this or take the leftovers home,” she says to you, and you rush to get your notebook and pencil out while setting the tray on the counter. Joel watches as you try to write as quickly as possible, seeing the word forming on the paper.

“They’ll take the rest home,” he tells her, getting another tired look as an answer back. You get your mason jar full of stew and you nod as a thank you, while the woman doesn’t acknowledge you any longer.

You cradle the jar in your hands and walk out of the dining hall, Joel following close behind. You don’t ask him to walk next to you, you don’t even know if he’s living somewhere close to you, but he still walks with you as the night is turning colder and the last light of the day falls in the horizon, turning the sky inky black. The town lights have been turned on, casting a dim, orange glow on the streets.

There are people walking towards the dining hall and you duck your head down as you see some people looking at you and Joel.

You’ve heard their gossip, the things they speculate, the rumours. Every time something twists inside of you. It’s like none of the people realise what it means to survive out there. They might be living in this seemingly safe community for now, but it’s like they forgot what the world is really like.

You still fight your nightmares, mostly during the night, them keeping you awake, but sometimes during the day as well. They might get triggered by the most mundane things and you never know when that might happen. A smell, an object, random people passing you on the street, someone’s voice, a touch… Anything can bring back the things you desperately want to forget.

You haven’t really connected with anyone in the community, and you feel lonely. Dan from the stables is nice enough, he’s been showing you around places with Sasha at times, but that’s only been because someone needs to show you how the town works and where everything is. You don’t consider them your friends, not yet at least, you’re just friendly with each other.

You live on your own in a small house for now, but you know it’s only temporary. When you’ll feel better, you’ll be moving in with other people into a shared house. Even the thought scares you. Being with strangers is hard already when you’re so fragile, but you’re constantly thrust into situations where you’re supposed to make friends and get to know others.

You just don’t have the energy or the desire to get to know others. You already had people in your life you cared about and you lost them. You don’t want to go through that same loss again, feel the same pain that you have in your body the whole time.

You feel like the people you’ve met don’t necessarily understand you or give you the space that you need. Living with those kinds of people scares the hell out of you because that might just drive you up the walls. At least you don’t have to think about moving in with other right at this second. If you’d need to do that, the thought is more than overwhelming. And who knows how long it’ll take until you feel like yourself again.

Maybe you never will.

Joel can feel you thinking about something. The way your steps have slowed even more, the way you hold the jar in your hands, wringing your hands around it, not really noticing anything that’s happening around you.

People yell and laugh cheerfully as they’re going to the Saturday night get together at the dining hall, full of music and dancing. He gets just a little closer to you, when a group of people take over most of the space on the street. You notice it immediately, locking your eyes with his.

“Sorry,” he says in a low tone, giving you space again when it’s just the two of you.

The people around town talking about him don’t know him. And even though you don’t know him that well either, you know that all the speculation you’ve heard at the stables and in passing isn’t correct either.

He’s not a monster, as some seem to make him out to be. He’s not a psychopath, like some want to think. He’s not a bad person, at least not to you. You understand him, and that scares you. Not because you’re scared of him, but because you relate with the violent things people talk about. You’ve heard the stories of Joel and his brother and somehow those seem more plausible than the ones people have made up to keep the rumor mill going.

You don’t know how the townspeople know some of the things. Maybe someone just had a big mouth. But thinking about the past, what he might’ve done to keep himself, or the people he cares about, safe, makes sense to you. You did the same thing. Now it’s just you. But you’d still do everything to keep the people that matter the most to you protected.

“A penny for your thoughts?” You hear a quiet question, shaking you gently out of your head. You try to give him a small smile, but you don’t think you manage to do it. He gives you a sad look. You let out a breath and look around.

“I just have a lot on my mind…” Your voice is barely a whisper, just a breathy sigh at this point. Joel’s face twists in surprise, he wasn’t expecting you to actually speak. He stares at you a moment too long before he coughs and schools his expression into something more neutral. You two keep on walking as you wait for him to say something.

“You… uhhh… You have someone to talk to? Here? It might be good for you,” he stammers, his voice staying forcibly steady as he takes breaks between every word.

“Not really. The doctor is trying to help me with my speech, but I think he’s more prepared to take care of people’s physical damages.” Your voice comes out for just a moment, and it rings in your ears. It sounds so incredibly wrong. You haven’t heard your own voice in a long time. It sounds unfamiliar. Joel nods his head slowly, ending the conversation at that.

“You can talk though, that’s a good sign,” he surprises you. When you glance at him from the corner of your eye, you’re met with such warmth in the way he looks at you that it takes your breath away. You cough and rush your pace just a little. You feel your neck and cheeks tingling when he matches your steps. You swallow hard before opening your mouth again.

“I’ve been practicing, but it’s still hard. I don’t like speaking when there’s a lot of people around,” you explain with your whispers. You see your house coming into view, the gentle streetlight warming your surroundings in a golden hue. Joel hums at your words, not pushing you to say anything else.

But even if hearing the words form in your head and the sound of your voice making you uncomfortable, speaking to him doesn’t make your skin crawl. It’s actually pretty nice.

You stop in front of your darkened house and Joel looks up at it. You follow his gaze, before he turns towards you and your eyes lock for just a second. You turn to stare at your shoes and the silence stretches between the two of you.

“You live here?” Joel asks and you see him turn completely towards your home. You thank him in your head. You dare to look up and turn with him, stepping on the first stair leading to the porch. You nod at him, but don’t say a word. You’re almost eye level with him so you carefully turn just a little towards him. You don’t want to seem ungrateful for him walking you home.

“Goodnight then,” Joel says simply and before you can say anything at all, even attempt a smile, he’s walking away with long strides.

The evening is getting colder. Joel tucks his hands into his jacket pockets. He walks back home fast, not daring to look back even though he’d like to. He saw the way you had looked at him when you two were talking. He saw gratitude. And that’s not something that he wishes for you to feel.

And then there’s the unbearable feeling of finally knowing that you’re here, living, trying to fit in. But you’re not okay. Far from it. You’re part of a community now. Someone who didn’t find you hiding behind a rock, ready to die, has no idea what you might be going through. They might not even pay any attention to you. They might think you’re unfriendly or uncaring. Cold. But he knows that’s not true. You’re like an open book, he just doesn’t know how to get past the front cover.

The way you’re trying to get used to your own voice again, the whispered words that flowed out of your mouth… He wasn’t prepared for such gentleness. Those small sentences ring in his ears, making him clench his hands into tight fists.

The lights are on when he opens the door. Ellie is sitting on the living room couch, reading a book. She looks up and there’s a smile on her face. She says hi, taking in his reddened cheeks from the cold.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Joel asks her when he hangs his jacket on the hook on the wall.

“Yeah, at Maria and Tommy’s,” she tells him before going back to her book. Joel sits next to her on the couch, settling back against the soft cushions.

“Where were you?” She asks after a while, when Joel hasn’t said anything else and is just staring up at the ceiling. There it is, that edge in her voice. She knows.

“I had dinner in the dining hall,” his voice quivers just the slightest. He clears his throat and there’s a little voice in his head asking why he decided not to tell her about who he was with. Why on earth is he hiding the truth? He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, swallowing the thick lump in his throat. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with eating dinner with you, he repeats it in his mind over and over, before he tells Ellie that he saw you at the dining hall as well.

“Oh! How are they? I haven’t seen them once,” she speaks like she’s deep in thought.

“Yeah, they’re fine, getting used to their new life here.” It was all over your face, those similar feelings he’s going through.

“If you see them, tell them I said hi,” Ellie hums, before quiet settles between the two of them once again. It’s a comfortable quiet though and Joel welcomes it with open arms. He relaxes and feels his whole body resting. He turns his attention to Ellie.

“What did you do today?” He’s trying to be gentle with his question to not make it seem like he’s accusing her of leaving without a word in the morning. But when he sees her face, there’s no worry about it. She smiles, almost beams at him, when she closes her book and turns to face him.

“The garage out in the back? Maria told me that we could fix it up, make it into a space for me.” He hasn’t seen her this excited in… Possibly ever.

“Huh, 14 and already moving out, kids grow up so fast these days,” he says, earning a swat of her hand.

“Shut up,” she mutters, but smiles even wider.

“What are you gonna do there?” He inquires, leaning his elbows on his thighs as he takes off his boots.

“We have to clean it out, there’s some stuff in there that hasn’t been checked after the first sweep of the area when they moved here. It has to be scrubbed clean, maybe bring in some furniture, build some stuff…” she looks at him with hopeful eyes.

“I used to be a contractor you know,” he says matter-of-factly.

“Is that so?” Ellie’s voice is laced with sarcasm. “That’s why I was thinking about asking you to help me out, Tommy already agreed to be there,” she says, leaning just a little forward. He smiles and nods.

“Of course he did. Though there’s one thing that I need for you to do if you want me to help you.” She waits for him to say whatever he has to say, anticipation making her brows rise.

“You’ll come visit every weekend,” he looks at her with sad eyes and pouts, but it melts into a deep laugh when she groans and giggles.

“I’m not moving there permanently you asshole, it’s just a space for me to hang out in. The pink room isn’t really my style.” She rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face doesn’t falter.

“You don’t like pink, who would’ve guessed,” Joel mutters, standing up and hears a sarcastic “hahaha” behind him.

“Thanks Joel,” he hears her say when he gets into the kitchen. His dishes from the morning are still waiting for him in the sink.

“You’re welcome, kid,” he tells her just loud enough for her to hear and she sighs, the book opening once again.

[cobbssecondbelt]

Dincember 2023 - Day 3: Gloves

The ship was quiet. Long travels through hyperspace always had their downtimes, and most of that time, it was a challenge to keep Grogu occupied enough so he didn’t wander where he shouldn’t in quest of his own definition of enriching activities. They didn’t have credits to spare for real toys, and the kid could only take so many lessons on weaponry and intergalactic routes. 

He was calm at the moment, seated on Din’s lap and watching him work with mild boredom. Din was sitting at the makeshift table and stools he arranged with a few crates he’d found laying around the cargo area, fiddling with the bundle of fabric and needle in his hands. He bit down a curse when the needle slipped through and stung his middle finger through the worn out leather of his glove. He sighed and took off said gloves, tossing them on the crate-table. Hopefully, he would find more dexterity within bare hands. The fabric was thick and the needle too small, and Din was out of practice. 

A soft coo caught his attention. The Mandalorian looked down to see Grogu reach out tentatively. Three small claws brushed against his skin. A shiver shot through Din’s hand, all the way to his spine. He pushed the urge to yank his hand away, and instead offered it to the child. Let him turn his fingers over and poke at his palm in wonder. The touches burned at first, then fizzled, and barely tickled, until it felt like nothing but a breeze. The kid’s claws weren’t warm, rather cool with the recycled air of the ship, but he was careful. 

‘’I need them to get this done, kid.’’ Din said gently. 

Grogu cooed again, a little disappointed, but sat back down to watch the man return to his work. Sewing was a repetitive, oddly soothing task, and Din found back his fluency in the motions quickly. Pinch the fabric, poke the needle through, repeat and repeat. 

‘’Can you hand me those?’’ 

Grogu climbed on the crate to grab the two buttons the man was pointing at. He handed the small objects carefully, full of pride as he didn’t drop any. 

‘’Thanks, kid.’’ Din smiled under the helmet, accepting the buttons in his palm. Sewing them to the fabric was more intricate work, the left one not quite aligning with the right, and he gave up after the third try to make them even. It would do well enough.

‘’Alright, all done.’’ Din set the needle and scrap fabric and examined his work with a satisfied hum. ‘’What do you think?’’

The plush wasn’t a work of art by any means. One leg was significantly shorter than the others and the excuse for stuffing he used gave the body an odd shape, but it reassembled a bantha well enough. 

The kid grinned and squealed, his tiny arms reaching excitedly for the toy. He held it tightly against his small chest, the plush almost as big as himself. 

Din chuckled under his breath. Mission accomplished, it seemed. 

He grabbed his gloves on the crate to put them back on, before a finger on the edge of his wrist stopped him. Grogu looked up at him expectantly, one hand clutching at his new toy and the other digging into the meat between Din’s thumb and index finger. He cooed again, and Din's resolve melted away. 

‘’Okay.’’ He sighed, and put the gloves back on the crate.

They spent the rest of the hour sitting on the metal floor of the ship, inventing games with Grogu’s beloved silver ball and newly adopted bantha. The gloves were left abandoned on the makeshift table, until they were used as wings for the bantha, before being tossed elsewhere again. Sometimes, Grogu paused the game just to toy at Din’s fingers for a minute, still full of curiosity, and Din let him. He could worry later, about getting too close, about going too soft, about holding on too tight. But not now.

[polarisbibliotheque]

Survivor's Blood (Leon x Reader) - Chapter 4

Survivor's Blood

Pairing: Leon x Reader

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 (you are here!)

Summary: After Raccoon City, Leon became the only Government agent with that kind of expertise. With relentless training, he was now a Special Agent - again, on his first day in the job. He just didn’t expect to live Raccoon City all over again… Maybe Leon was fated to always have the worst first-days-at-work ever.

Age Restriction: 18+. It’s horror, so expect a lot of graphic violence and blood dripping from this. I mean, VERY GRAPHICAL VIOLENCE. Nothing we haven’t seen on RE, but still. Yee been warned

TRIGGER WARNING: There are explosions, fights and the reader gets considerably injured - broken ribs, glass stuck in skin... That sort of thing.

Author's notes: It took me a while for this update - thanks so much for waiting! My health has been going through some ups and downs, but I'll always be back to posting ;)

This time, we have a little shorter chapter, but hey, you're meeting Mr. Kennedy himself! And beating some zombies with an umbrella.

Chapter 4

Magical Donuts, April 29th, 2001 – 21h43

During all your life in New Setosa, you never felt so happy to see the Magical Donuts in the distance. Of course, you loved its sweets. But the perspective of meeting Leon – and finally having a useful gun – amidst that apocalypse made you happier than being able to eat a dozen guilty free donuts.

You hadn’t called each other for a while: Leon focused on his path and you did the same. Luckily, you didn’t have to test the utility of the umbrella as a weapon yet, but you couldn’t say the same for him – Leon had to waste a few bullets, even if he didn’t want to.

Also differently from you, Leon was already inside the diner: a wide place, with its decoration arguably cute and sugary, contrasting with the blood smeared on the walls and the floor as well as the dead people and the zombies Leon had to waste ammo to kill. He was careful enough to clear the kitchen and bathrooms, just to be sure you wouldn’t have any kind of surprises when you two met.

You, in the other hand, walked quietly through the streets, firmly holding the umbrella. You managed to lose all zombies along the way, but you saw a few right ahead – roaming flaming cars, continuously hitting store fronts – which wouldn’t be as easy to leave behind. At least, not on the path you were making.

“Ok…” You took a deep breath, holding the umbrella with both of your hands. “It’s showtime.”

With resolute steps, you marched towards the undead, in an obvious route towards the Magical Donuts. The intention was to hit the very first one who saw you and then run as if there was no tomorrow – Leon had better be there already, because he hadn’t talked to you in a while and all you needed at the moment were a few well-placed shots.

You just weren’t expecting to be caught off-guard by a zombie who threw itself towards you from a little dark street by your side: hands reaching out and mouth wide open, ready to get you.

“Shit! Get off!” As you screamed, you managed to dodge and slipped on your own feet, falling without even letting go of the umbrella. That drew all the attention to you; the zombies already dragging themselves to your direction. “Ok, then! C’mon!”

Quickly back on your feet again, you didn’t think twice before hitting one of the undead on the face with the umbrella. Its blood flew on the streets, staining your tank top while the zombie crumbled to the floor like rotten fruit.

As soon as he heard your scream outside and all the zombie commotion, Leon turned his attention to one of the big windows of the Magical Donuts. He was ready to help you when you took your faithful umbrella and started smashing zombies, unrelentingly.

Leon didn’t want to admit, but that scene was at least a little funny, considering the situation. He couldn’t stop himself from furrowing his eyebrows and letting out a quick laugh.

“’Cmon’? Really?” He asked himself while checking his ammo and leaving the shop. “Y/n’s crazy, huh?”

But you were fearless with your umbrella, avoiding attacks as you could and slowly, but surely, approaching the donut shop. Hitting another undead and pushing it on the others, you turned around.

“Leon!” And you couldn’t stop yourself from opening a big smile of relief when seeing him in that apparent world’s end. Even if you didn’t know him, that guy could only be Leon.

“Y/n!” He readied his handgun, already aiming at the zombies behind you. “Get down!”

You didn’t think twice. Before getting up again, you heard two shots, running towards Leon right after. You were so close to the diner.

One of the undead, though, suddenly sprinted towards you, entangling its bony hands on your hair. You screamed and let go of the umbrella, fighting to get rid of those claws, avoiding the bloody teeth that searched for your neck at all costs. Leon screamed something you couldn’t understand at the moment – and continued without understanding even after you got rid of that creature and threw it with all your might in a nearby car, engulfed in flames.

All you were able to understand was a loud explosion while your body flew in the air, hitting a police car almost on the other side of the street – luckily, though, almost next to the door of the Magical Donuts.

“Y/n! Son of a bitch!” Leon managed to scream as soon as he saw you in the air. He had to get rid of the remaining zombies and, now that you were injured, he wouldn’t save ammo to do so.

With a few shots, Leon killed almost all of them, missing only two. You tried to get up from the floor, your feet slipping in the dirt while you moaned and held the left side of your ribs. That had definitely caught you by surprise, but you didn’t hesitate when Leon offered you his hand.

“Hold in there, y/n!” When his hand held yours, harsh from the tactical gloves, Leon pulled you up with a single swift movement, making you moan in pain while you wrapped your arm around his shoulders. With one of his hands firm against your waist, Leon only stopped to shoot the last remaining zombies – with Matilda back in the harness, he helped you find a safe spot inside the Magical Donuts.

He was careful enough to find a seat that wasn’t dripping with blood so you could sit down. As you did, you closed your eyes and took a few deep breaths, still keeping pressure on your ribs.

“Hey, y/n. Everything ok? Talk to me.” Leon kneeled in front of you, resting his hands on your knees. Your head hanged low, and it looked like you were everything but fine.

“It’s spinnin’. And my right ear is ringin’.” Your answer was a little slurred, but more centered than he initially expected. He had to make sure you didn’t have any serious injuries on your head.

“Ok. Deep breaths, stay like this for a while.” While he spoke, Leon took one of his hands to your head, caressing your hair in search for blood or any kind of serious injury. That, though, helped you ground a little quicker. “Hmmm, it looks like you didn’t hit your head. Anywhere around here is hurtin’?”

“No.” And your speech wasn’t slurred anymore, even if you kept your eyes closed. “Not in the head. Only down here.”

Leon turned his attention to your ribs, where you signaled the pain. Indeed, he didn’t want to say it out loud, but he could see a stream of blood flowing between your fingers. He just had to know if that blood was yours or from one of those things you bravely fought against with your mighty umbrella.

“I’ll have to take a look, can I…?” Leon’s hands approached your injury as he lifted his eyes to yours. Opening your own eyes, you focused on his face for a while, observing Leon in order to make sure your vision wasn’t going to turn blurry again.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you, Leon Kennedy.” Your answer came with a little smile on your lips, making him mirror your expression.

“It’s nice to meet you too, y/n. What a way to meet, huh?” He spoke casually, distancing your hand from your shirt. He found a bloodstain filled with glass shards and, upon touching it, Leon realized it could be a little worse than he first thought. “Hmmm… I need to lift your shirt to see how it looks down there, ok?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” You sighed in return, resting your elbow on the table nearby and using your hand to rest your head while watching Leon carefully working on you. He was surprisingly gentle for such a badass looking guy. “I’ve had better days here at the Magical Donuts.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” His laugh had nothing of amusing in it while he remembered thinking the same thing upon walking through what was left of Raccoon City. With your shirt up, Leon found a considerable bruise that promised to get worse, aside from the glass shards – probably from the police car’s window – that bit your skin and made you bleed. Carefully, he ran his fingers where your bones would be, and where the bruise looked worse, making you flinch for a moment. “Look, best scenario, you got one hell of a hit and you’ll get a nasty lookin’ bruise. Worst scenario, you got a broken rib.”

“I’ve definitely had better days.” You had pure desolation in your eyes, making him give you a sad smile as an answer. Your look immediately turned around as you pointed back at him with resolve. “Don’t even think about getting rid of me. Patch me up and let’s get moving before it’s too late for the survivors at the hospital.”

Leon rested his hands on his own legs, sighing while shaking his head.

“You’re quite the stubborn little thing, huh…?”

“Yep.” You allowed yourself a little smile, curiously watching Leon as he prepared his first aid emergency kit scattered around the pouches on his belt. Very practical to carry things he found around, something he learned the hard way. “I need to be headstrong to end the reign of terror of companies like Umbrella.”

“You need to be brave.” Even if you had humor in your voice, Leon’s correction was serious as he had already started cleaning the glass shards from your bruises. You wrinkled your nose and did your best not to complain about the pain. “To get all the way down here with a tactical team, you already have to be brave. With an umbrella, then?”

As he mentioned the umbrella, you exchanged a quick look and started laughing. Indeed, that wouldn’t be quickly forgotten.

“Can you imagine if I had chosen the stapler?” You gave Leon a side look, making him laugh even more. “Maybe it would’ve been a good idea, I could’ve clipped one zombie on the other and ran like hell.”

“With ideas like these, I just might make you the team’s tactical coordinator.” He raised one brow, making you shake your head while smiling. It was good for you both to relieve some of the tension: clearing the glass shards would be a lot easier if your head thought of something else. “I bet Chris would love the idea of clipping zombies together and then beating the shit out of them.”

“Claire’s brother?” As you asked back, Leon nodded while taking a little hydrogen peroxide bottle from his first aid pockets to clean the blood. “Oh, they told me he’s becoming one of those gym bodybuilders, is that true?”

“Yeah. At this rate, soon he’ll be able to punch a boulder in half.” Leon even laughed a little upon imagining that, but he didn’t doubt his own joke; he had a weird feeling that could come to happen, especially if it meant ending Umbrella once and for all. But he stopped thinking about it when you hissed as he started wiping the blood away from the wound. “Am I hurting you?”

“No, it’s alright...” And you rested your head on your hand once more. “It isn’t the first time I get hurt in the field.”

“Hmmm, it looks like your occupation isn’t the calmest out there as well.” He was doing his best to keep you distracted, already readying the gauze to wrap you under your shirt and stop the bleeding. The lesser the blood, the lesser the smell of fresh meat to attract the undead outside.

“I don’t get in trouble quite often, but I already had to deal with a few complicated situations. Specially when the people in power positions don’t want us poking around and asking questions.” You closed your eyes, waiting for him to finish. Although you were in pain, Leon was incredibly gentle while patching you up. “But I like it. There’s a huge trend of hiding big crimes in conflict zones under the rug. Someone has to bring those things back to the public eye.”

Leon observed you for a while and you only didn’t notice it for your own eyes were still closed. You weren’t that different from each other: Leon started as a police officer precisely because he wanted to bring criminals to Justice. He ended up as a Special Agent, but that was still a good perspective – as long as he knew how to use that position to do what he originally wanted, not only sit around giving orders.

“Why didn’t you try to be a cop? Or tried the FBI, maybe?”

“There’s too much corruption.” A little sadness could be heard in your tired sigh as you opened your eyes again. “That’s what I originally thought when I got into college. But as I finished my studies, a lot of corruption scandals started pouring like water and I lost all hopes. I didn’t want to defend just the interest of those rich or powerful enough to get a good lawyer, you know? It’s like I said before… Do you think no one in Raccoon knew about Umbrella?”

Leon fell silent while on the finishing touches. He remembered very well Ada’s FBI ID as they met for the first time – and he also remembered the bitter taste when he found out she was a mercenary who only used him to steal the G-virus and sell it to the highest bidder. Or, at least, that was what he preferred to believe, even if he knew that, in the end, she would never kill him – and that Leon could never fully trust Ada, even if he tried to.

“A lot of people knew about it. And a lot of people got a good amount of money to shut up too.” He shook his head, finishing his job and lowering your shirt carefully. “Well, everything ok down there for the time being. Can you get up?”

As soon as he asked, Leon got up and offered you his hands to help you, making you raise one eyebrow.

“Of course I can, I’m not that bad, cowboy.” And, naturally, you made sure to stand up on your own, even if you had to use one of Leon’s hands as leverage when you realized you needed a little help. Of course, he wouldn’t annoy you about it; Leon was certainly happy seeing you able to watch over yourself. “But thanks.”

“Hey, no worries. You already did me a huge favor with the broadcast, it’s the least I can do to help.” With that, he took a few steps back, watching as you moved your arms and legs in a little warm up to see if you could still move properly. “How’s the pain?”

“Bad, but it could be worse, I think.” Your answer was honest, with a humorless laugh. “I can manage it. I think that is the best answer.”

“Hmmm… Take one of these.” He gave you a white pill from one of his many pockets. “It’s for the pain, it’ll help you at least until we get some proper medical assistance.”

“Thanks again.” You bit the pill, feeling the bitter taste take over your mouth. It wasn’t the best way to take a medicine, but that’s what you had for the moment. “We’re going to the hospital now? If we take too long, we won’t get there on time.”

“Yeah. Can you shoot?” You nodded as he asked, making him flash a small smile. Leon gave you a handgun, alongside a flashlight that would be quite useful in all that darkness. With that, he offered you some ammo. “Here, three mags for your gun. I have more if you need them, you just have to ask. I’ll lead and you’ll give me back up. Ready?”

As soon as Leon gave all instructions, you checked the ammo, loaded the gun, pulled the lock with a click and looked back at him. Leon tried to stop himself from smiling – a little impressed, if he was going to be honest.

“Ready, Kennedy. I know my way around guns.” You winked back at him as a joke, making Leon follow you towards the door of the Magical Donuts, shaking his head while smiling.

You had better be ready, for things were just about to get complicated.

[zombeebunnie]

Game development Trembling Essence update:

Hi guys and welcome recent followers! I am here with an update to share once again! This one is a bit shorter. :]

I've been giving the routes some quality of life adjustments here and there. Some time ago there was a point where I was trying to shorten the dialog a certain way to keep the routes from being too long. When I read it aloud I kept fumbling over the sentences so much I decided to go and fix the parts that seemed too complicated.

Through this I've also been getting more comfortable when it comes to placing CG's around. I've noticed that there are some moments where it isn't needed as much as I had originally thought. I managed to finish about 3 CG's and here's one of them! I can't show some of the others because spoilers. :,]

This is pretty benign but the background for Noah's room door will have to be redone since I can't find the original drawing file anymore. I think I accidently saved over it as a .PNG by accident earlier this year and didn't notice until now.

I also added some music for moments that have tension/suspense etc. because it felt empty with only the rain SFX's being played. The song that's going to be used is actually still in the demo from one of the endings you can get in the cabin! I'm also thinking of adding in new music too when you get to spend quality time with Noah too but I'm still brainstorming which songs will fit.

Here's some bug fixes I took care of:

A certain route still having injured effects continuing into Day 4

Grammar mistakes

A background from a specific route being the wrong size

Small atmosphere lighting adjustments in a specific route

Removed odd "pop" sound from the music that activates during moments of suspense/tension

I think for right now that about covers it!

Thank you guys for all your support and kind words, I really appreciate it! :]

[guzsdaily]

Predicting and programming: enemies for life (part 2)

Day 42 - Dec 17th, 12.023

This is the direct continuation of yesterday's post. I hope that I'm able to continue my daily journals as usual, but there's a strong possibility that one day or another I will not able to post, or need to post after midnight. Also, the entries probably will be shorter or just small updates sometimes even on weekends, but I will try to write them on the morning to be able to have time and brain to do something bigger and with better quality. And some posts I could even need to split into two if I need to stop writing one in the middle, like what's happened yesterday. There's no need to go into details, I don't want to expose my personal life nor of the people around me, I just want to inform that this end of year is not being great to my partner, so I want to be with her as much as I can to help and support her to whatever she needs to.

"A ghostly server"

Like I said in the last part, the application was complaining about not having a server, and the stranger, it was complaining about not having the development server running. This as a production build of the application, the embedded web-app were a static one, a static HTML file, why was it complaining about the server!? I tried searching around the Tauri's GitHub issues, but there was nothing about it, and creating an issue wasn't in my mind at the time because again, I am short in time and couldn't wait for a fix.

So because Tauri wasn't working, and I didn't even want to think about how to fix this problem, I switched back to CapacitorJS. This process was somewhat easy, because both of them are a "wrapper", so I just needed to move the web app part of the application from a template to another, but it was somewhat time-consuming (I'm not so accustomed to Vim and my new file explorer, so navigating was somewhat slower, and like every JavaScript project, just setting it up a template can be time-consuming). But after setting it up, Capacitor compiled, and the app was working as normal without any differences.

Framework hopping

While that was happening, when I started the project, I also wasted a lot of time choosing what framework to use. "Why?" One, JavaScript is an ecosystem that in general can be somewhat overwhelming with choices; Two, I already used SvelteKit for my last application and projects, so this time I wanted something different; Three, I wanted to try something more "native-like".

Web as Native

I started trying to use Framework7, because it has a collection of components and routing that emulates the native-app experience, and most important to me, it had the updated Material Design 3 (Material You) design; with Svelte, my primary UI framework of choice. But it didn't work that well. The routing wasn't how I liked it to be, and Framework7 is a somewhat old framework as it seems (it uses Gulp as its build system and the last commits were a month ago, the project is not that active), it stills a great project, but somewhat difficult to integrate with newer thing like Svelte 4 and Vite. After not being able to, I tried to KonstaUI with Svelte, but ended up with the same results. If you know something about this area of trying to make web apps feel like a native app, you are probably thinking something like "why you didn't use Ionic?", and the main reason is that it stills uses Material Design 2, and personally I like more how the newer version looks. Also, Ionic doesn't have official support for Svelte, and even knowing that the community package is good, I already used it in the past and wanted something new to try.

So, after probably hours, if not a day, trying that, I hopped into another idea. I found something called Beer CSS, a library that creates a Material You look and app using just CSS pretty much, so I could use any framework that I liked! Nonetheless, because it was pure JS and CSS, I thought it would be good to use Astro, so I could also take advantage of its new View Transitions feature, and could use Svelte still for the interactivity blocks. But as you can already tell if you know Astro, it's probably not the best idea to use a static site generator (SSG) as a mobile application framework, however it was working, and I was being able to create something and actually develop the application part of things and not just continue setting up new projects.

Lack of documentation

But then some cracks started to open. Beer CSS's documentation is not the greatest for me, it's mostly code examples and there's pretty much no words about customization and how the CSS words and/or how to manipulate it, and it seems that you really need to follow Material's system and hierarchy to it to work properly. I don't have time for this, and I already wasted 2 to 3 days fighting my way around all of this.

Also, while this was happening, the problem with Tauri also happened, which for some reason also made me switch from Astro to SvelteKit. Why? I don't know really, for me the problem with the server could be related to it, but of course it didn't work, and I had to switch to Capacitor like I said.

Blank screen and broken dreams

And then, another problem appeared out of nowhere, the built app with CapacitorJS started to have a total black screen when I opened it. There were no errors in the console, warnings on the screen, nothing, the app simply stopped working, and I couldn't find anything about it on the issues, and being honest, at this point I had already wasted around a week and couldn't handle it anymore. The idea of not being able to give at least something in time was storming my mind and I ended up wasting another day procrastinating, because I couldn't handle and think of solutions.

I had so many ideas for this app and now everything stopped working, I was exhausted, this was supposed to be something special for my girlfriend, and I don't want to lose the date again, even more now when she's passing difficult times in her life. I need to do and try something.

Compromises

This is where I am right now. I have less than a week to finish this project, and the app itself is way unfinished than I anticipated it would be days ago. So, what we do when this happens? Compromises, I already had in mind that I would create just some features until the date and then update over time, but now it will be just one feature and as an online website for now.

One of the features of this app is an interactive messaging page, to give complements and things like that, but for now I will try to repurpose it to some predefined messages and just express out of my heart to her using it. Do I want to be simple as that? No, but it only what I can do for now, and hopefully I will be able to add more things as time passes, I really want to do something special and specific for my girlfriend. Thankfully, porting it to a native app in the future won't be so hard, and I already have some ideas now on how to fix the past bugs that impossibilitaded me from porting it, however I will try to focus more on the features themselves for now.

Knowing my girlfriend, she will understand, but again, it's more of me to her thing in my mind.

---

Today's artists & creative things

Song: Hello, World - by Louie Zong I don't know why, writing this post just remembered me this music.

---

Copyright (c) 2023-present Gustavo "Guz" L. de Mello <contact.guz013@gmail.com>

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License

[artikgato]

8/9/2023

It's day 3 of me waking up at 5am, going jogging, and writing about it. Not too much happened on the mental health jogwalk this morning, to be honest. I did start right before sunrise again, but that was a mistake. I thought my route went west to east, but it actually must go northish to southish or something, because I rounded a corner this morning and was blinded by sunlight. Right to the face.

This time I also noticed as approached the main road, the distinct smell of exhaust fumes. It was almost like a wall of smelliness. I don't think I noticed it yesterday, or at least it wasn't as pronounced. It was also a little bit hotter today because it didn't rain last night. Either way, my grudge against this main road only grows. It's nearly impossible to make a left turn onto this road without having to either wait for a while, pray that people know how to use their brakes, or both. It's noisy - for the first part of my jogwalk, through the nice neighborhood, I can have my headphones down around my neck and hear the music just fine. Once I get near the road I have to put them on or I can't hear anything, just because of the traffic. And now there's the smell. It's not like the neighborhood smells like roses and cardamom or whatever, but the distinct lack of exhaust fumes and diesel is probably going to be pretty stark tomorrow, now that I've noticed it.

Things are slowly improving, though! I still haven't timed myself on this mental health jogwalk, but I'll bet once I do I'll notice improvements. I've identified a few sections with memorable start and stop points that I can jog between, and just from Monday to today I've noticed that I'm not nearly as tired at the end of the jog sections. My thighs are a little sore, but that's par for the course I guess. I'm also not getting winded when I climb the three flights of stairs up to the apartment. Progress!

Eventually, I'll start working on writing projects in the mornings and these daily rambles will get shorter. For now I'm okay with having this be my daily word count. Speaking of which, I probably should start doing word counts.

Anyway, if I can keep up this waking up early, mental health walk, writing every day routine even on workdays, I might start trying to incorporate more things. In addition to just having a flat 1000k minimum word count for the day, I might also have a daily goal of working on the novel or a WIP of some sort each day. Maybe I'll make it a goal to work on at least one artist alley project each day. I might try to stream once or twice a week again, that was fun. I need to get back to my stupid long nuzlocke series. Maybe I'll open one of the hundreds of bookmarks I have saved for a free online learning thing to teach a new skill and try to actually learn something new. Ooh, maybe I'll get back to doing duolingo. Maybe.

Signing off for day three, hopefully this continues!

Word count: 541

[jorge5000]

Dariali to Juta to Roshka via Khde gorge and Chaukey pass in 5 days (Georgia)

This is a short account of my trek in Georgian mountains I did in late August 2021 starting in Dariali, going to Juta over Kibishi pass, further on to Roshka over Chaukey pass, and ending back in Juta. Hope this will help you plan your own adventure.

In short:

- You absolutely need a permit to trek Dariali to Juta via Khde valley/gorge and you can get it in Dariali at the border facilities.

- Dariali to Juta is the difficult part of the trek meaning there is almost no beaten path (though you just follow the river to the glacier), there is a possibility of encountering bears and you need to cross a glacier or a steep, slippery slope instead. Juta to Roshka is much easier.

- You will be following a river upstream and downstream from Dariali to Juta. Take the usual precaution when consuming the water from the river. The higher up the mountain you are, the less will cattle pollute your water source. From Juta to Roshka water sources are available, but not that plentiful.

- I was surprised that I could get no food whatsoever, without staying in a guesthouse in Roshka.

- You can find the GPS map of the trek and additional info on caucasus-trekking.org (Dariali to Juta route and Juta to Roshka route).

- If you want to make the trek shorter you can cut from just before the glacier to Sno through Eastern Kibishi pass (although you should reach Juta in the same time and finding transport there might be slightly easier). If you want to make the trek longer, I suggest taking the route back from Roshka over Sazdele pass, and then, instead of returning to Juta returning to glacier and taking the East Kibishi pass route to Sno. Beware, though, that this means your trekking permit has to be valid for this period or maybe you can get a new one at the facility here.

Khde gorge. Just follow the river to its source and think about how will you filter the grey glacier water.

Day by day:

Day 1 - Arrive to Tbilisi and/or Tbilisi to Stepantsminda. Head for the Didube station and ask for a minibus to Stepansminda. It’s likely you'll have to wait an hour or two for it to fill up, or agree on a price with the driver straight up and get on the way. Or just enjoy a day off in Tbilisi.

Day 2 - Stepantsminda. Do the easy hike to Gergeti trinity church and beyond. Enjoy the views and return to Stepansminda for some delicious food. Find someone to take you to Dariali next morning to get a hiking permit (propustka). Finding someone who knows someone at the border crossing is better.

Day 3 - Trekking permit and passing the border guard. Early morning taxi to Dariali. You will get your permit in one of the buildings on the left side of the road accessible from a small road going left from the main crossing road. You will have to answer a few questions and will probably be offered three days to do the hike. Expect to have the permit checked four times by the end of the trek so take it seriously. Once you got the permit, go back towards the river next to the Dariali Monastery Complex and start following the track from there. The track starts as a dirt road and ends soon with a mark for trail start. From there on the trail will very soon get difficult to follow or there will be no trail to follow but the general direction is following the river upstream. After you reach the Georgian guard post it will be much easier due to lower vegetation, but still you will most often be creating your own path. There are plenty of raspberries on the way and the bears are well aware of that. You should be able to leave that part well behind you by the end of the day. I pitched my tent here for the first night, above the treeline, in hope of avoiding bears.

Away from the eyes, away from the heart. Away from the tree line, away from bears.

Day 4 - Reaching the glacier. Continue following the river. Again, this is a difficult trek since there is no beaten path. By the middle of this day you should reach the glacier, but still might want to set camp underneath it and cross it on the next day. You have two options for that: either cross the glacier directly, or take the steep path left of the glacier. Crossing the glacier alone is definitely dangerous and inadvisable. Water is melting underneath it and it’s impossible to determine ice thickness. If it breaks under your feet you might find yourself in a few meters deep ice hole. Left of the glacier is a very steep hillside with slippery and unstable rocks. Still, it is likely to be the path of your choice if you are alone.

The glacier path on the right, and the steep alternative left, just out of the image

Day 5 - down the mountain and to Juta. Climb the slope left of the glacier, enjoy a short break, and continue down the mountain. A river will start forming soon on your left, although it will be quite a walk away from your path. You will pass two more checkpoints before finally reaching the asphalted road after the second permit check. Just follow the road to the right to go to Juta. If you ae looking for a place to pitch your tent near Juta, your best option will probably be to start the path towards Roshka and find a place there. Otherwise, you should be able to find some accommodation in Juta.

Day 6 - Juta to Roshka via Chaukey pass. Follow the well beaten path and use the GPS map available here if needed to start from Juta to Roshka. Don’t expect to be alone in this route. After the Chaukey pass the path down gets very steep. Afterwards, just follow the paths in the valley to finally reach Roshka. Stay there or return to a great campsite near one of the lakes.

Over the Chaukey pass

Day 7 - Roshka to Juta. You can take a different way back from Roshka (via Sazdele pass) Reportedly, on that route you will pass some shepherds who will be happy to meet you and provide you with some food. Once you each Juta it shouldn’t be difficult to find a place in a minivan going back to Tbilisi. Drivers are likely to approach you in Juta center.

This guardian of the mountain might provide you with company when going over the Chaukey pass

[luckydreams218]

Hidden in Darkness Chapter 3

Hello hello!

Thank you for taking a look at my writing! :D

Just a small heads up: I am by no means a professional writer, I just enjoy creative writing as a hobby and a fun pass time. I don’t do a lot of proof-reading and don’t usually plan my chapters either, I just write whatever I’m feeling on a given day. I apologize if my writing may be a bit messy, sloppy, choppy, not flow-y, etc., but I hope that you can enjoy reading regardless! I am still actively working on this series and will be posting new content as I finish (which may be on the slow end, so please be patient). Thank you again for your interest!

First Chapter     Previous Chapter     Next Chapter     Masterlist

Word Count: 3,423

Chapter III: Into the Hall of the Mountain King

Aki grinned as she watched Mimi and Ares step through with expressions of total confusion. The illusion of the rock wall wavered while each passed through and then solidified once more to appear as though a solid rock face stood before them. Inside it was dark and rather muggy, torches lining the walls at irregular intervals providing enough light to be able to see that the passage wound and twisted far ahead and deep into the mountain’s heart. The tunnels weren’t big and were lined with stone on the floor, ceiling, and walls. She was just barely able to stand at full height without smacking her head on the ceiling. Aki herself was quite tall thanks to the influence of draconic magic that ran through her veins. She was just slightly taller than even Ares. Mimi stood about a full head shorter than her, but she never cared, Mimi was still her best friend. Aki recognized every tunnel before her and was already planning their escape route so that the Squadron would never be able to follow them.

“What is this place?” Mimi breathed, taking it in.

“And how did you know about it?” Ares added, folding his wings in since they wouldn’t fit if he spread them out long. “Mom has taken me here on multiple occasions. They’re dwarven tunnels. It’s like a maze in here if you don’t know where you’re going, so be sure to follow me closely,” Aki said, slowly striding ahead, careful to watch every corner for guards.

“Wait, Celeste actually fit in here?” Mimi asked incredulously, looking around with wonder and a hint of fear.

“No, no, of course not. A fully grown dragon would never fit in these tunnels,” Aki chuckled, trying to picture her mother entering into this place. She’d probably only be able to squeeze a claw in if she was lucky.

“So then why did you…?” Mimi asked with more concern than Aki would’ve liked.

“She… had her reasons,” Aki mumbled, ashamed of admitting the full truth to her best friend.

“What do you mean “she had her reasons”? I don’t like how secretive you’re being! We’re best friends, aren’t we? What aren’t you telling me?” Mimi growled suddenly.

“Shhh!” Aki hissed, cupping her hand over Mimi’s mouth. “We’re not supposed to be in here. We’ll be imprisoned by the guards if we’re caught, so keep your voice down. Also, they know my face, and they know what I’ve done. I’m likely never to be released from here if I get caught. So keep moving and stay as silent as possible.”

Mimi was speechless for a few seconds and then her face went pale. She looked as though she was about to cry. ““They know what you’ve done”? What have you done? Aki, this isn’t like you. What’s wrong with you?”

“Let’s just say that I’m not as much of a goody-two-shoes as you think I am. The Aki that you’ve gotten to know on the Peaks is the Aki that lives in my heart. We’re still friends, I promise. I’d never lie to you. I just haven’t told you the whole truth because I didn’t want you to have to worry about me. I’ve had to face some harsh realities that you never needed to since you always stayed in the Peaks with your mom and dad,” Aki answered softly, unable to meet Mimi’s eye. I never wanted her to be mad at me…

“Like what, huh? Why don’t you tell me?” Mimi huffed.

“We need to get out of here quickly! I’ll explain everything once we’re out of the dwarven tunnels, okay?” Aki asked, trying to calm Mimi down.

“No! How do I know you’re not lying about this, too?” Mimi shot back, clearly choking back a sob.

Aki thought for a moment and then an idea came to her. “Butterfly, butterfly, sends you a kiss. It holds the seal of this promise,” she chanted sweetly, linking both of her thumbs together and fluttering her hands like a butterfly’s wings. She allowed them to land on Mimi’s right hand, and then pulled them back. Guilt flooded Aki’s thoughts. Everything that she’d kept hidden was because she never thought there’d be a reason to tell Mimi. But her secrets only seemed to serve to push them apart. And for that, she could never forgive herself. When Mimi didn’t reply right away, Aki let out a long sigh. “Mimi, please…” she whispered, trying her best not to cry as well.

“Fine. But when we get out of here, I want you to explain everything,” Mimi answered in a tone that wasn’t as harsh as before. Aki smiled softly. Maybe she could still make this right.

“Keep quiet and follow behind me,” Aki directed, dashing down a nearby passage. She kept an eye out for guards the whole time, twisting and turning until she came to a hallway that was carpeted and seemed to have a lot more light than the others. The carpet was red lined with gold and in good condition, too, unlike some of the torches and beat up passages they weaved through earlier. Aki halted just around the corner from the carpeted passage, peering carefully around the corner. She spotted exactly what she thought she’d see. A pair of guards standing watch over the King’s Passage. She turned back to the others quickly, hoping with all her might that she hadn’t been spotted. She placed a finger over her lips, directing Mimi and Ares to keep absolutely silent. Then with her hands, she created a rune in midair. The rune was a circle within a circle within a circle. In between the three circles in the two rows of empty space were many foreign characters, most of which she was unable to read. They were from an old and forgotten language known as the Lost Tongue. Long ago, this language was used to formulate all kinds of powerful spells and sorcery, but its use was becoming less and less prominent over the years. Most use the runes with the characters from the Lost Tongue in order to control the flow of magic, however few, if any, actually know how to read any of the Lost Tongue.

Aki held the rune out before her so she could stabilize the spell that she poured within its rings. The outermost rings began to glow a silvery purple, tracing every line of the rune and its characters until it reached the center and colored the entire rune, causing it to emanate a soft purple glow. Then, in a quick burst of light, the rune vanished and in its place was the completed spell. Two small fairies, illusions that Aki had created, hovered before her. Mimi and Ares both watched, awestruck, as Aki sent her illusions down the carpeted hallway. She heard the dwarven guards mumble something to one another in a language she couldn’t comprehend, and then heard their heavy footsteps as they presumably started following her illusions down the hall.

Aki quickly motioned for Mimi and Ares to follow behind her while they had an opportunity to run through the King’s Passage.

“How did you know that would work?” Mimi whispered softly.

“Dwarves have a soft spot for anything that is fey and whimsical. Butterflies might’ve worked, but there’s a chance they wouldn’t have been enough to catch the guards’ attention. So I went with the slightly more difficult, but more effective fairies to distract them for a little. I don’t know how long we have, though, so we’ve gotta move quickly,” Aki whispered back with slight urgency. “Now keep as quiet as possible. Any little sound will echo off these walls and get us in trouble.”

With that warning, Aki began running swiftly down the passage the guards were watching. The cave wall to the right opened up to a railing that looked down upon a massive hall in the cave. In total, it was probably one hundred feet from floor to ceiling, a daunting chandelier hanging precariously from the very top illuminated by small torches. Sitting in a large throne, apparently asleep, was a large giant no more than sixty feet tall, with pale skin and a bald head save for a few wispy pieces of hair that weren’t well kept. The giant was dressed in robes of the finest red velvet, his head adorned with a crown of thousands of sparkling gems. Aki didn’t spend any more time than she needed in that dreadful chamber, luring the guards on the other side away with another illusion. Mimi and Ares caught up moments later, and Aki started leading them through the last of the winding tunnels. The tunnels after the King’s Passage were back to the same, dark, beat up halls that they hand meandered through upon first entering the dwarves’ lair. And finally, still keeping as silent as possible, Aki ducked through another stone wall that led out into a large forest, tall trees spreading around on all sides out from the cliff face. The sun had already begun to set, painting the horizon a deep red orange and giving the leaves of the trees brilliant golden highlights. Underneath the trees, it was already starting to get quite dark.

Mimi and Ares took in the scenery for a few moments, watching the beautiful sunset with Aki.

“Look at all the trees. And the sunset is so pretty! Aki, how far did you take us?” Mimi asked with curiosity.

“Far enough that the Squadron will never be able to catch up to us,” Aki replied with pride. They had escaped the single most powerful force in all of Mistvale Peak thanks to her friend’s need for escape and her cunning.

“Now, I’m not going to be distracted by the pretty scenery. You still owe me an explanation!” Mimi growled at Aki suddenly, reminding her that things weren’t all settled just yet.

“We should really find a place to set up camp for the night and get a small fire started to keep warm before it really gets dark,” Ares suggested, gesturing to the sun that had almost moved out of sight below the horizon.

“Fine,” Mimi muttered. “I guess it’ll make for a pretty good campfire story anyway.”

“If we split up to find firewood, it’ll be faster,” Aki pointed out. “Since you’ve never been in the woods before, Mimi, you can come find firewood with me. Or you can go with Ares if he’ll let you.”

Mimi glanced over at Ares, her expression asking if she could come along.

“Sure, you can come with me, I don’t mind,” Ares chuckled.

“Yay!” Mimi responded, beginning to head deeper into the woods before Ares. Aki chuckled and rolled her eyes. I should’ve figured. It’s really cute to see Mimi this affectionate towards him. I wonder if Ares has figured it out yet, Aki laughed to herself.

“We’ll meet back here once we gather enough wood and then we’ll find a good spot to set up camp,” Ares called over to Aki, preparing to follow Mimi into the woods.

“Sounds good! Catch up with you shortly,” Aki agreed, going in the opposite direction to find firewood. After going almost ten steps, she found some nice big branches that would make perfect fire material. She grabbed them and kept searching. I just hope Mimi can forgive me for keeping this part of my past from her for all these years. I didn’t mean for it to hurt her that I kept it a secret. It just… it would’ve hurt me to tell it to her. Now I know I have no choice if she’s to trust me again, so I’ll tell her everything she wants to know. All of it. No more secrets. She is my best friend after all, Aki thought to herself, slowly making her way between some more trees. She spotted another big log and picked it up, carrying on her way.

~~~~

A small fire pit had been set up with rocks around the perimeter so the flames couldn’t escape and burn the surrounding forestry. Aki picked up two smaller stones and began to strike them against one another, attempting to get a good spark to start a flame. Just as she thought she had gotten the motion down, the fire pit suddenly lit up before her without warning. With a startled shriek, Aki moved back away from the blaze to keep from harming herself.

“Are you okay? Did you forget I could use fire magic?” Ares asked with concern. Aki just gave a grumble of displeasure, rolling her eyes. Right. Of course I forgot the demon could use fire magic.

“I’m fine. I appreciate your concern, though,” Aki replied kindly.

“Alright, now that we’re all set, it’s story time!” Mimi called, settling down on a log they had grabbed earlier as a place to sit. Ares followed suit as Aki got up to do the same.

“So, where would you like me to begin?” Aki asked, allowing Mimi and Ares to start the conversation.

“Um, earlier you said that your mom had her reasons for sending you into the tunnels. What were they?” Mimi asked, sitting herself like a child about to hear a ghost story told by firelight.

“My mother - well, the one who raised me, at least - is a dragon. And like any dragon, she’s greedy and loves treasure. She is always trying to get her claws on any new gems she can. She knew the dwarves are masters of finding gems and precious metals deep within their caves, however she could never access them due to her size. And so, when she found me, she sent me within the dwarven tunnels to retrieve those gems for her. After all, stolen gems don’t need to be paid for. At least, that was her philosophy,” Aki explained, a hint of resentment in her tone.

“What? But your mom is so nice and she cares for you so much! Why would she steal anything from anyone?” Mimi asked innocently.

“The mist that encompasses Mistvale Peak is a mist that purifies the minds and hearts of those within. It prevents anyone from wanting to steal, cheat, attack, or otherwise harm anyone else. It was put in place as a protection for the angels who dwell within so they would never have the urge to kill another and evoke their curse. The mist’s magic has a stronger effect on minds that have been fully developed which is why children, like the ones we saw throwing rocks earlier, can still cause mischief. My mother, however, being an adult dragon, feels the full effects of the mist whenever we are within the borders of Mistvale Peak. As do I, to some extent, though I am still very young, relatively speaking, so I feel its influence less strongly. The moon dragon that you know on Mistvale Peak is very different from the one I am forced to live with outside that spell. Outside the purifying influence of the Peaks, my mother is a tyrant who forces me to obey her will no matter what she tells me to do,” Aki answered honestly, glancing away from Mimi to disguise the hurt that could be seen on her face.

“And if you don’t do as she asks…?” Mimi replied softly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“I never wanted to become a thief or a pickpocket. Yes, there is a certain thrill that I get out of it, but the act of stealing itself was never something I cared for. I tried defying her. Once or twice. But I was never strong enough to defend myself against her attacks. Being a moon dragon, she is able to utilize healing magic. Kind of ironic if you ask me, because she would always claw me within an inch of my life, make me feel that pain until I complied, and would only heal me once she knew I would do as she asked. I never had a choice. It was either steal from the dwarves, or death itself,” Aki muttered, on the verge of tears just thinking about it.

Mimi and Ares sat frozen in silence for a few moments, the only sound the crackling of the fire before them, embers dancing in a smoky haze as darkness descended heavily upon the forest.

“So then, why didn’t you ever tell me? I would’ve tried to help…” Mimi began, her voice constricted with pain and sympathy.

“I never told you for exactly that reason. I never wanted you to get tied up in my problems. As long as I kept quiet, you wouldn’t have tried to help and would therefore never get hurt in the process,” Aki replied softly. “If you ever wondered why I’d never talk about the times I left the Peaks with my mom, then here is your reason. It hurt too much to talk about and I didn’t want you to have to worry.”

By this point Aki couldn’t keep a few tears from falling gently, not trying to hold it in anymore. There was no point, anyway. She had told Mimi everything she’d kept hidden for so long. In between a choked sob, Aki managed to ask in little more than a whisper, “Could you ever forgive me for keeping this from you?”

Mimi came over at that moment, embracing her friend in a tight hug. “Of course I can, Aki! You’re my best friend, and nothing can change that. Not even a dramatic backstory,” Mimi joked lightly. Aki replied with a soft laugh and a grin, hugging her friend back.

“Now that that’s settled, I think it’s about time we get some sleep. If we’re gonna get anywhere tomorrow, we’re gonna need our rest,” Aki stated, wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks. Mimi and Ares nodded in agreement. Ares stood up and swiftly flew to a low tree branch, resting his head by the trunk and allowing his tail to drape over the edge.

“That looks comfy, can I join you?” Mimi asked up the tree.

“Probably best if you slept on the ground. It’s not safe when you don’t have wings to catch yourself if you fall,” Ares replied.

“I’ll be careful,” Mimi whined.

“How about this? You can sleep up here with me once you earn your wings, alright?” Ares responded with a gentle grin.

“Fine,” Mimi answered begrudgingly. “And I won’t let you forget that offer.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Ares chuckled. “Night Aki, night Angel Wings.”

“What was that?” Mimi asked suddenly, turning to face Ares. Even in the glow of the fire, Aki could see her cheeks had turned a little pink.

“I called you Angel Wings. Is that a problem?” He asked in a tone that almost expected the answer to be no.

“N-no, it’s not a problem,” Mimi answered slowly, almost not sure what to say.

“Good,” Ares grinned, a bit of a playful gleam in his eye. With that, Mimi stalked off, flustered, standing beside Aki.

“So where do we sleep?” She muttered softly.

“Wherever you want, it’s really your choice. I find that gathering a few leaves makes for a nice pillow, but that’s just me,” Aki replied, putting out the flame before settling in. Mimi found a spot next to her and did the same.

“Who was that in the cave?” Mimi asked drowsily just before Aki drifted off.

“Are you referring to the mountain giant?” Aki replied.

Mimi gave a feeble nod in response.

“That’s the King of the Dwarves,” Aki explained.

“Really? I would’ve thought the King of the Dwarves would be a dwarf,” Mimi mumbled.

“I would’ve thought so, too, but it turns out that the mountain giant has lived in the Blue Mountains for far longer than the dwarves have. The dwarves came to the Blue Mountains seeking shelter and the mountain giant allowed them to stay. In gratitude for his hospitality, they’ve come to worship the mountain giant almost like a deity and have crowned him their king. They hold all kinds of banquets and celebrations in his honor, and in return the mountain giant still allows them to stay and live and mine within his mountains,” Aki described.

“Whoa, that’s cool,” Mimi answered with a slight bit more enthusiasm. Before promptly dropping off to sleep the next moment. Aki chuckled and allowed herself to settle in as well. All’s well that ends well, I suppose, she thought as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed!! <3

Thank you again for reading and have an awesome day!

-- Lucky

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[ivant1ll]

CAN YOU MAKE A WXS FANFIC WELL SPECIFICALLY RUIKASA??? just a teeny little request hehehe

"All These Stars In the Sky, Yet You're My Biggest One"

Request ! Here you go<3

(IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO POST I HAD A BIT OF WRITERS BLOCK FOR A FEW WEEKS THEN I WENT ON VACATION)

Content Description !

Ruikasa { Rui Kamishiro x Tsukasa Tenma }

|| Established Ruikasa ||

Genre: Fluff

To Set Up The Scene ! : The sun sets the same as usual on one of these oh so normal days. After packing up after a big show, the members of WonderlandsXShowtime wish their farewells to each other and begin walking in their respective directions back home. Ever since Rui and Tsukasa got together, Tsukasa would often tagged along with Rui and Nene as they made their usual walk home. Today though, Nene couldn’t make it due to being under the weather. On top of the commute home being just the two lovers, Rui invited Tsukasa over to his house for the night, they often liked sleeping over at each others houses. Being able to have that special time together couldn’t help but make them smile and turn their faces a shade of rosy pink.

Warnings: None <3

WORD COUNT : 1814

Enjoy~

        Butterflies would always flutter in Tsukasa’s stomach as he walked with Rui, it would be even more bittersweet when they would begin holding hands. The purple haired boy would always give a slight grin whenever he could tell Tsukasa’s hand was shaking from sheer excitement when he gripped onto his hand. With the changing seasons, the small cherry blossoms began to fall from the tree branches as winter rolled into spring, the sun setting into the evenings grasp only enhanced how pretty it already looked. The pink petals would occasionally glide down onto the top of Tsukasa’s head, which prompted Rui to shake the tiny petals out of his boyfriends soft blonde hair. 

Suddenly, Rui turned towards Tsukasa, “For once, it shocks me that I haven’t been able to come up with a cohesive idea for this times show... something about the stars...” Rui held his hand over his mouth trying to think of any ideas that could pop up into his oh so active mind. Occasionally Rui, WonderlandsXShowtime’s stage director would end up coming up with an executing so many different, unique ideas that he would shockingly be stumped for the next shows premise. 

Tsukasa was able to notice his boyfriend spacing out once again, they were coming up to a crosswalk on their route home, so to get his attention, he quickly squeezed Rui’s hand. “Hey, now’s not the time to space out! If we wanna make this show as mystifying as it always is, we can both think of that together when we get to your house. I’m sure I could come up with some great ideas, come on!” Tsukasa pitched in, usually Tsukasa would give Rui full control over the story premise and effects for the shows. He would end up impressed by the stories, though scared by the new stunts that would be suggested, he enjoyed Rui’s stories, so he want to help however he could with coming up with a story.

Rui finally snapped out of his trance just as they crossed one of the cities busy streets, appreciating Tsukasa’s offer, he nodded happily “Well sure, a little help might just go a long way. Please do know though I’ll still be planning all the stunts~” His face contorted into a smirk as he reached the final half of that sentence. Tsukasa could do nothing more other than give a slight sigh and chuckle as he fell mercy to his boyfriends show stunts. “I am pretty curious what you’ll have in mind for stunts for this one seeing as it’s space themed... wait..” Tsukasa turned towards his taller lover, “You better not send me that high into the sky, I’d like to not literally go into space”. 

Rui simply chuckled, “I wouldn’t dare send you to space if I couldn’t be there with you, building two rockets would be quite the exhausting process.” This comment caused the shorter boy to blush, he quickly turned his head away shyly, which only made the other blush back in response. The two lovers proceeded to have chatter about random things about their day as they continued on their way.

A few minutes later, they had arrived, quickly heading up to Rui's room. As always, it was a cluttered mess, little trinkets and gadgets covering the floor. Blueprints covering every wall if they weren't on the ground, or a little piece of cute balloon art. Rui's room always gave off the same vivacious, yet chaotic energy every time Tsukasa would walk into it. But something about it felt so nice, so familiar, Tsukasa didn't mind being in there, as long as Rui was there, he'd be fine with being in just about any place.

"I seem to have gotten carried away again and left a mess, my apologies Tsukasa. I remember before I was thinking of building a robot with the ability to clean up but, I might have lost the blueprints." Rui chuckled as he went to the corner and placed all his tiny trinkets to the side, patting a space on a daybed he recently had put in there.

It was obvious every time Tsukasa came over that the two couldn't just be sitting on the junk littered floor with nowhere comfortable to sit. Rui was often so used to dozing off at his desk while planning up some new idea for a show or an invention that he never thought about what to do when guests came over. So, he decided to get a comfy daybed for the room, perfectly soft and comfortable for people to relax on.

"Oh, I don't mind the mess. Just... don't get too mad if I accidentally step on something like last time!" Tsukasa returned the laugh and he plopped down on the bed, looking up at the window above. The sun even more blanketed in blue hues as it set even more, the ever so tiny sun rays hit the blonde haired boys face. Rui then began putting his stuff on the ground, but suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Hey Tsukasa, would you like some hot chocolate?"

“What…?”

Tsukasa simply looked at him with a confused look.

"Rui... its the beginning of spring, where do they even sell that around now" Even if Tsukasa were to receive an answer to that question, it would make no sense to drink something meant to warm someone up during such a season.

"Well then, allow me to explain" The purple haired boy begins to give his signature laugh and he prepares his explanation. "Since the small shop near here seemed to have not sold much of their hot chocolate packets due to a much warmer winter we had this year, a huge sale happened. The sweet marshmallows complimenting the delicious drink, I couldn't help but be at awe at the mere thought of it~! So, I bought some, I'd love to try some with you!" Tsukasa got quite concerned at his boyfriends reasoning, but chose to play along and nod in agreement. "Sure.. I suppose it couldn't hurt to try some! Just.. don't make mine too hot please, how could we ever perform for people if I was suffering from heatstroke!"

Rui nearly skipped as he went back downstairs to the kitchen, instructing Tsukasa to wait there for him as he got their sweet treats. As he sat there, Tsukasa began kicked his legs forward and back in a pendulum like motion, humming a song from one of their newest shows to himself. As he got lost in the small motions he did, the blonde haired boy began to daydream about the next performance.

"How to connect it to the stars.." He would think to himself. He didn't want to suggest an idea that was overused, it was always easy for Rui or Tsukasa to come up with a new original idea, but they seemed to have been stumped any time they considered it this time. "Dates" would often be considered things like these, seeing as after the two became official, they seemed much more in sync. Knowing each other's thoughts, feelings, and ideas yet still having a teasing attitude towards each other. Knowing this they were both able to cultivate audiences with the groups shows.

As Tsukasa continued to think, the door suddenly opened and Rui walked in, tray filled with two plain white mugs filled with some of the best looking hot chocolate Tsukasa had ever seen. The warm brown appearance looked as though the perfect amount of milk was added, tiny marshmallows floating around the small drink. He could obviously tell which drink was Rui's due to the excessive amount of marshmallows, it couldn't help but make Tsukasa laugh.

"Are you trying to drink the drink or just eat the marshmallows?!"

Rui laughed in response as he handed Tsukasa his mug, not too warm yet, not too cold either. The perfect mix to avoid raising body temperatures too much during such warm weather.

Rui then set the tray down on his desk, grabbed his drink, and placed himself right next to Tsukasa. As he did, the blonde haired boy turned his head towards his partner, a tad bit flustered that he’d even sit this close to him. It still makes his heart skip when they hold hands, as thoughts rush through Tsukasa’s head, he brushed a small tuft of hair away from Rui’s golden yellow eyes. He becomes almost entrances by the slight pink hues in them as he does so.

It’s obvious Tsukasa had to have been blushing or else Rui wouldn’t have done the same in response. Toned down dates like these really gave them both the time to just appreciate each other. Once Tsukasa realized he was caught with a blushing face tinted pink, he quickly jolted his head away and looked out the window once more, sipping the hot cocoa and collecting his thoughts.

The blonde haired boy was finally able to muster up some words. "Hey, I don't think I ever paid attention to the sunset like this before.. it's cool but, not as cool as me of course! One day I'm going to be a star like one of those in the sky, but even better!" Tsukasa's eyes always lit up when he spoke about his plans for stardom, even the smallest thing can have him break into a speech about it, always making Rui smirk in response.

But, not only was a smirk plastered on Rui’s face, but his eyes seemed to light up. As if some gears in his head began suddenly turning at full speed, he simply smile to himself as he seemed to register the thought. He then turned to Tsukasa,

“Hey, I think I have a nice line for the next show. We seem to have been going very fast paced. Though I do tend to prefer high action, I think we can go with something slower this time to put more impact into the effects!”

Tsukasa turned his head as one of his eyebrows raised, “And what line did you have in mind for that?”

The sun was almost completely gone at this point, the stars in the sky illuminate the room through the window and can be seen reflecting in the two boys irises.

“All these stars in the sky” he turned towards his blonde lover, “Yet you’re my greatest one.”

The smile Rui gave after sent Tsukasa higher than any planets or stars could be, he couldn’t hide him blushing anymore at this point. Maybe internally he was screaming so loud because all that Rui could hear from him were inaudible muffles.

“Rui I-“

The purple haired boys lips suddenly met Tsukasa’s own, cups still in hand, stars still out. Knowing Rui would be somewhere on this huge, crazy planet, Tsukasa knew he has someone to be the biggest star possible for. Always there to shine brightly for him, to comfort him, but most of all, to love him.

[miyagihawk]

hi! i absolutely adore your account! if you’re taking requests right now, can i ask for something robby x reader that’s like angsty, but has a sweet ending? anything you feel like writing, i don’t have a specific plot in mind. thank you!!!

thank you for the request love <3

ill wait for you | robby keene x reader

warnings: just swearing :)

summary: robby’s in juvie after the school fight and he doesn’t answer your emails. (robby is your boyfriend, not sam’s)

word count: 1627 

Hi Robby. How are you? I’m sorry, that’s probably a dumb question. I haven’t been able to reach you in a while, I assume you threw away your phone. I heard you stole a van too, huh? Nice. But now that you’re, you know, there, I hope you get to see this. Mr. LaRusso said I could email you and maybe even call if you’re up for it? Only if you want. Let me know.

I miss you. A lot. Look, what went down was not your fault. It was an accident. It could’ve easily been the other way around. I know how hard you can be on yourself and this whole situation is just so fucking shitty. But you’ll get out soon and I’ll be waiting for you.

I’m here, okay Robby? Forever. If you feel lonely, just think of us. Think of how it feels when we’re together and the rest of the world just goes away. We’ll have that soon, alright? You and me against the world, always.

I love you.

-Y/N

-

Hey Robby, it’s been a week since I sent my first email. I hope that you’ve read it, even if you don’t feel like answering. That’s fine and I understand.

School is weird now. They have these security guards at the entrance to check our bags like we’re at the airport. It’s not like they’ll find karate in there, so I don’t get the point.

I get lonely in Physics without you. There’s no one to keep me awake during Mr. Miller’s lectures. I think he misses you too by the way, you’re the smartest person in that class.

I have to go, but I love you and I think of you everyday. Hang in there.

- Y/N

-

Hey. How are you, Robby? I’ve gotta be honest, I’m losing hope that you’re even reading these. I mean, it’s been 10 emails and I would think that you’d at least reply by now?

I’m not mad though, I really don’t know what it’s like to be where you are now. We could call if that’s better? How about this: I’ll schedule for a call tomorrow at 3 and you can pick up if you want.

Miss you,

-Y/N

-

Hello Robby. I want you to know that it’s okay you didn’t want to call. Or that you don’t want to talk.

I love you.

-Y/N

3 months. 30 emails. Deafening silence. After 3 months and 30 emails, you gave up. You figured that there’s no use if he wasn’t answering and that he probably wasn’t even reading what you wrote.

For a while, you’ve been stuck between moving on and waiting for Robby. He practically ghosted you and you don’t know if it means you’ve broken up.

But you also want to be there for him. He has no one, really. And giving up on him would just make you another person who’s disappointed him. It would be shitty of you to leave when he needs you most.

The inner conflict haunts you for the following months, and you decide that you’d just wait until Robby gets out to see what happens.

That day comes sooner than you thought, and the truth you’ve been avoiding is coming at you like a train at full speed.

Mr. LaRusso is the one who lets you know that Robby is out. The car salesman sensei was fond of you, since you hung around the dojo frequently to walk home with Robby after training. He tells you that he doesn’t know where Robby is staying, but that he’ll update you if he hears anything.

The anticipation torments you knowing that you could see him any second, or even maybe never again. The next few days keep you on edge, and you drown yourself in schoolwork as a distraction from the constant turning in your stomach. But still your mind swarms with anxiety about what you’ll say when you see him. If you see him.

It’s been a week after Robby’s release, and you’re walking home from school. You have to pass the Cobra Kai dojo on the way, which always makes your palms sweat. As usual, you put your hood up and keep your eyes ahead.

You take a quick glance at the dojo, then freeze in your tracks. Chills trail up your spine when you meet a pair of emerald eyes. The eyes you love.

For a few seconds you’re both stuck with stares locked on each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. But you’re unprepared. You thought you would have more time to get ready to see him, but the truth is no amount of time would be enough.

Robby’s hair is much shorter and he exudes an aura of exhaustion and pain. He’s different and you can see it even from the good amount of distance between you two.

“Y/N,” he interrupts the silence, and you snap out of the shocked trance you were in.

“Robby,” you echo back with a dry throat. He hesitantly walks towards you with careful steps and with every inch forward, your heart pounds faster.

It almost doesn’t feel real. You haven’t seen his face in only months, but it’s felt like years. And you don’t know how to feel or react. Should you cry? Or smile, or hug him or kiss him or yell at him? All of the conversations you’ve played out in your head to prepare for this moment... you can’t even remember them.

Once he’s in front of you, there’s another awkward minute of quiet and he doesn’t seem to know what to say either. There’s a thick tension in the air, neither of you wanting to address what happened.

“I like your hair,” you break the ice.

“Thanks,” Robby offers a small smile, scratching the back of his neck.

“So... Cobra Kai?” you gesture to the dojo he was just standing in front of. You try your best to not sound judgmental; you feel like you have to be careful with your words as if he’s a stranger.

“I have nowhere to go,” he says dryly, not meeting your gaze.

“You know that’s not true. Mr. LaRusso cares a lot about you. Your dad cares,” you say. Robby flinches at the mention of the two men and you know you’ve struck a nerve.

“They don’t give a shit about me, Y/N. Mr. LaRusso’s the one who put me in that place. And Johnny hates me because I’ve broken his precious new son,” he scoffs and you can hear the hurt in his voice.

“That’s not true. Mr. LaRusso did what was best for you. Do you really wanna be on the run your whole life?” you question, almost scolding him like you’re his mother.

Robby shakes his head. “You don’t know what it was like in there.”

“Yes Robby, I don’t know, because you never answered any of my emails or calls,” you snap, getting frustrated. But immediately you feel guilty. “I’m sorry. I- I was just really worried about you, okay?”

There’s a pause and Robby frowns. “Y/N... I wanted to answer. At one point those emails were the only thing that kept me going. But I wanted you to move on. From me.”

“W-What are you talking about?” you furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

“How was I supposed to let you wait for me all of those months? It’s not right. You deserve the world, Y/N. You’re too good to wait for someone to get out of juvie,” he explains. You search his green eyes and they’re sincere.

You hate it, but you understand. It’s the most Robby thing that could ever be done. Selfless and sacrificing for other people’s happiness, even if it means that he’ll suffer. But he also gave up on you. He took a route to leave you behind, even when he vowed to stay with you forever. You start feeling emotional; the long awaited truth is a lot to take in.

“That isn’t fair. You don’t get to decide for me what I’m “too good for” and just cut me off. You hurt me more than you spared me pain. You broke every promise you made to me,” you pour your heart out.

He thinks for a moment. “I-I’m sorry, I thought it was right. I didn’t want to be selfish and make you put your life on pause for me,” Robby says, his eyes turning glassy like yours.

You don’t even think about it before you get closer to wrap your arms around him. He freezes in momentary surprise, then recovers and embraces you.

Tears trickle down your cheeks before you can stop them, leaving stains on his shirt where you lay your head. His scent, his warmth, his hold on you; it’s all overwhelming and you missed everything about it. You miss him.

“I love you Robby. And I don’t care what you think, I would’ve waited for you for forever. You deserve the world too,” you mumble into his chest, hugging him tighter.

You pull away for a moment to hold his face in your hands and look at him. It’s like you can see his guard go down as he takes in your words. “I love you. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Y/N.”

You don’t answer, you just pull his neck down to meet your lips with his. As you kiss him, your heart swells with a joy you haven’t felt in months. The feeling of being strangers is a distant memory because Robby is yours again and kissing him reminds you that no amount of time apart could make you strangers.

“You and me against the world,” he says, repeating the words you wrote to him.

[steamberrystudio]

09/01/2021 Devlog

Hey everyone! Time for the first update of 2022. I have no idea how long it's been since my last one because honestly. It's been a TIME.

LoL

But we are doing a catch-up now.

Summary:

Many CGs

Game guide stuff

Writing stuff

The Ramble:

During my last update, I said that I was about 70% through the CGs. I'm now 85% complete. Based on MATHS. . .

It appears I've done about 8 CGs since my last post.

And I now have 7.5 CGs left to complete.

Ari, Caissa, and Caleb's routes are complete in terms of CGs. Jack has 1.5 left, Lance and Magnus both have 3 left.

I'm going a bit slower with CGs as my hand is really struggling and every day tasks are getting more difficult (I know, I know 'rest your hand' - arthritis does not always ease up because I've rested. I still have to work and sometimes that means taking something and continuing to draw.)

Of course, once I finish rendering each CG, I have to go back and re-colour all the customisation options which is another hour or so of work. Then save then files individually, then code them.

I'm doing that as I go so all the completed CGs so far are also fully coded. It's been really nice to watch the galleries fill up with thumbnails. OWO

Anyway, I'm rounding the final curve with CGs and only have a few left. And then I can move on to working on the final game elements (like the glossary and polishing up the content.)

I did pause art for a while and work on building the official game guides for Gilded Shadows. There is a special extended and exclusive guide for backers (that is 87 pages), and a much shorter guide that is for everyone else.

The extended guide shows route stats, a CG map, how to unlock each individual CG, character profiles, route summaries, etc.

The normal guide shows just the 'correct' answers for each ending.

I'm mostly done with the guides now - just have to finish the rest of the CGs for thumbnails in the extended guide.

And so I'm back to working on CGs. Slowly and carefully.

Sneak Peeks and Previews:

Unfortunately most of the remaining CGs are ones I don't want to spoil for people so you will have to be satisfied with this little snippet.

Upcoming Weeks:

CGs. . .

I'm really hoping by my next update here, I'll be finished with CGs entirely. The game is currently around 95% complete and finishing up the CGs will push it up to nearly 100%. We are getting really close to completion of the base game and and I'm looking forward to finally being able to release this game and start working on the additional content.

I'll touch base again in a couple of weeks. After I update today I'm going to go in and put all my update days into my calendar again so I get reminders for them.

And Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2022 is treating you all well so far. See you soon!

[thedeathdeelers]

just a little bit of magic (you know the rest by heart) ✨

my take on a Juke HP AU for the lovely Taryn @pink-flame on her birthday 🥰🎂 may you have an amazing day/week/month/year, you wonderful human being.

hope you like it!

----

Luke eagerly pulls Julie along as they walk down several corridors, up moving staircases and through low hanging archways. The deeper they walked into the castle, the quieter it got.

He had been jittery all morning, too impatient to pay attention in any of his classes as he counted down the hours and minutes until he was free to find Julie and drag her to his surprise. He’d lost his house countless of house points, his leg bouncing and his mind wandering whenever any of his professors called on him in class.

Alex had tried to help a few times whispering the right answers to him, but unfortunately nothing could help Luke when he got in one of these moods. He was just too excited.

Julie trips on her feet behind him, a reminder that her legs were shorter than his. He shakes his head, bringing himself back to the present as he focuses on the girl next to him. Luke slows down his pace, squeezing Julie’s hand once in apology as he gives her a few seconds to regain her balance.

The last thing he wanted to do was mess this up by having her trip and fall right before his big reveal.

Alex had already nearly blown the entire thing when they had passed him on the fifth floor coming out of the prefects’ bathrooms, forcing Luke to very loudly and purposefully talk over him to stop Julie from hearing anything. When he had realised his mistake, Alex had quickly gone quiet, his features morphing into a sheepish expression as he waved at them, walking away and back towards the Hufflepuff common room.

“Luuuuuke, where are you taking me?" His lips twitch at her whine, finding it to be very endearing. "It’s nearly past curfew and as Prefect I really can’t afford to be caught sneaking around by Harrison again.” He sees her look down at her outfit from the corner of his eye, a look of frustrated confusion taking over her face. "Also why did you tell me to change into my normal clothes under my robe?"

Luke snorts at her words, hopping onto the stairs leading them towards the seventh floor, Julie quickly following suit as the staircase starts moving.

“First of all, Harrison absolutely loves you — she'd probably thank you for being you and then very politely ask you to head back to your tower, and then turn right around and give me 3 months’ worth of detention in the same breath.” He turns his head towards her, throwing her his signature grin. “You’ll be fine. And second of all, you ask too many questions. We’re nearly there -- be patient Young Padawan."

"Young-" She shakes her head, cutting herself off, the muggle reference clicking. Luke grimaces at his choice of words, thinking might be spending a little too much time around Reggie lately. "And where is there, exactly?"

Luke tries very hard not to take the stairs two steps at a time.

"Nuh-uh, I already told you - it's a surprise."

He smiles at the disgruntled noise she makes, knowing just how impatient Julie can be. He sneaks a look at her face from over his shoulder, nearly tripping over the stone steps when he sees a little pout on her lips.

At his fumble, a smirk replaces the pout, her voice coming out cockier than usual. "You good there, Patterson?"

Luke whips his head back around, his eyes flying to his feet and staying fixed on the steps in front of him.

"Yeah," he clears his throat before continuing, "yeah, I'm fine. We're uh- we're nearly there."

"It's what you keep telling me," is her teasing, sing-song reply, her mood apparently shifting at his fumble.

Luke keeps his eyes forward, hoping Julie can't see his reddened cheeks as they reach the seventh floor landing. He stops for a second to let her catch her breath before pulling her along with him again, taking the first left corridor they come across to head towards the Troll tapestry.

He'd been taking this route so many times in the last few weeks, he could probably do this with his eyes closed. He had wanted everything to be perfect, practicing again and again until he was sure he had nailed the process.

Only the best for his Julie Molina.

Their steps echo as they make their way down the seldom used corridor, the flickering lights from the torches casting long shadows on the stone floor ahead of them.

"Merlin, this castle is so creepy sometimes," mutters Julie to his left, shivering slightly as her hand tightens its hold on his.

Luke squeezes back, his eyes zeroing in on the tapestry up ahead. His heart starts to beat faster, the excitement reaching an all-time high, only slightly tainted by the nerves that fought to make their presence known.

Taking a deep breath, Luke slowly lets it out as they reach their destination, stopping and turning to face the large tapestry.

Julie stands next to him, confused as she takes in the scene before her - a group of Trolls in tutus attempting to learn the ballet. He watches her as she follows their movements, zeroing in on Barnabas the Barmy as he attempts to direct the Trolls to his left, while the ones on the right pull out their clubs ready to hit him over the head.

Luke loses focus for a second, too taken by Julie - by her furrowed brows, her scrunched up nose as she leans forward to inspect the design on the tutus, and especially by the way her lips twist before her bottom lip slips between her teeth.

He's only shaken out of his daze, his eyes flying up and away from her lips, when she suddenly turns to him with a quizzical look on her face.

"Is this the Barnabas the Barmy Tapestry? Why are we- wait..." She turns her head back towards the Tapestry, taking in the scene with new eyes. "I remember reading about this in Hogwarts: A History years ago...It was the chapter about the many hidden magical rooms in Hogwarts and..." She trails off as she looks at him, her eyes widening. She lets go of his hand, slowly turning in place to face the wall behind them - the one right across from the Tapestry.

"Wait....Isn't this-"

Luke rushes to cut her off, quickly turning around and stepping up in front of her to block her view of the wall, in a hurry to derail her train of thought.

"Okay! So, if you could stand right," he places his hands on either side of her waist, pulling her forward as he walks backwards, positioning her right in the middle of the corridor. "Here."

His hands don't move once she's in place, his fingers brushing against smooth warmth right where a sliver of skin peaks out between her t-shirt and the top of her jeans. He had somehow slid his hands under her open robes without even realising it.

His eyes fly up to meet hers, already wide and staring. They stand there in the quiet space, both locked in each others' gazes, neither one of them daring to move. Within seconds Luke can already feel the now familiar thrum of electricity that always crackled whenever they were both together. Only this time it felt even more surreal.

If he could, Luke thinks he could stay this way for the rest of the night, of the school year, but he brought her here for a reason, so he loudly clears his throat, effectively breaking some of the tension that had built between them. He lets his hands slip away from her waist as he takes a step back, his fingers still tingling from the contact.

"So just...yeah just stay there for a few seconds, while I..." He trails off as he looks away, turning around to face the bare wall in front of them and trying very hard to refocus on the task at hand.

He closes his eyes, clearing his mind until all he has left is the image of the room he wants to recreate.

Taking a deep breath, he pivots on his right foot and faces the direction they had just come from. He takes a few steps forward then abruptly turns back around and walks back down the corridor, making sure to keep his focus. He stops again once he reaches the edge of the Tapestry, turning back around and repeating the process until he starts hearing the sound of crumbling walls that always preceded the emergence of a large wooden door, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Luke opens his eyes to take in the transformation in front of him, only turning to look at Julie when he hears her surprised gasp.

"Luke-" she's cut off by the increasing creaking sound of the door hinges slotting into place, the loud grating out of place on the deserted floor - until suddenly - everything stops. A deafening silence follows, only broken by the crackling of the torches nearby.

Coughing quietly to get her attention, Luke speaks up.

"So...Reggie told us about this room he read about a few weeks ago when we were trying to find a new rehearsal space to use, since, you know, Covington kicked us out of the fifth floor classrooms 'cause he obviously has no taste whatsoever when it comes to real music and loves making everyone miserable, especially Hufflepuffs and-" Luke cuts himself off when he realises he's rambling, rubbing the back of his neck before clearing his throat to continue.

"Yeah well, I asked around to check if this place actually existed and then Willie, you know how Willie likes to listen to us play - although honestly I think he just likes to hang out so he can watch Alex - but anyway, what I'm trying to say is that one of the ghosts from down by the dungeons owed Willie a favour so....ta-da," he finishes lamely, his arms coming up to point towards the door in front of them while wiggling his fingers.

It's quiet for a few seconds, Julie presumably taking it all in.

"You- you found the Room of Requirement?" She asks quietly, sounding almost awed.

"I mean- I had a lot of help from the guys and then Willie and the Bloody-"

"You found it," she cuts him off, her fingers reaching forward as she moves close enough to touch the door.

Luke scratches the back of his head, suddenly feeling shy in her presence.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I did."

He keeps his eyes on her, tracking her movements as she traces the patterns on the door, following the curving decorative loops down the length of the doorframe until her fingers wrap around the protruding metal handle.

"Luke, this is incredible."

The tone of her voice makes his cheeks grow warmer.

"Nah it's nothing," he tries to brush it off, shuffling on his feet, glad that she is too preoccupied with the door to see his continuously reddening cheeks.

She turns to him then, her hand still latching onto the handle.

"It's not nothing! There's a literal betting pool over at Ravenclaw tower to see who can find this place first, and so far no one's done it..." She shakes her head at him, a smile making its way onto her lips. "But you did."

Luke scuffs his shoe against the stone flooring, not sure what to do with himself. He's always been awkward with compliments, especially when they came from Julie.

Apparently Julie eventually takes pity on him, speaking up again.

"So Patterson, what am I going to find behind this door? A record store? That dodgy hot dog place you told me about? I saw you pacing back and forth three times in front of it, so I'm assuming you already have something or somewhere in mind."

She quirks a brow at him, her eyes shining bright with curiosity.

"Yes! That's actually why I brought you here," he chooses to ignore her little digs as he bounces closer to the door, coming to stand right next to her. "So I remember you saying at the start of the year how you've been struggling with music and...y'know...because no matter where you went you just never felt comfortable enough? And then I remembered the studio you always talked about, the one where your mom taught you everything you knew..."

He watches as her expression slowly morphs, her eyes getting wider and her lips parting ever so slightly.

"I asked Flynn to show me if you had any photos of the space and well..." Luke wraps his fingers around the metal chain hanging off his jeans underneath his robe, squeezing tight to keep himself from fidgeting.

Julie continues to stare at him, her expression frozen on her face. It only made him more restless.

Shit, did he take it too far? Was this not what friends did for each other? Sure he had been in love with Julie for years now, but he's been trying really hard to keep it strictly friendly between them, not wanting to ruin anything, especially after having lost her mom.

And Luke likes to think this is definitely something he would have done for either Reggie or Alex.

But maybe her studio back home was something too personal to her? Maybe she wasn't ready?

"Oh Merlin Julie if this is out of line we can just forget this whole thing happened and-"

Suddenly Luke is cut off by a small bundle of limbs and soft curves throwing themselves at him. His arms reach up reflexively, wrapping them around her, his hands coming to rest on the small of her back.

"Thank you," she says, or so he thinks, being the only words he can barely make out, muffled as they are against his t-shirt.

"Of course Julie." He moves his hands up and down her back, a gesture he knows is comforting to her.

The arms wrapped around his neck tighten for a second before she releases him, taking a small step back and wiping at her face with the sleeve of her robe.

He takes in her face, her expression so vulnerable, unsure about what to do next. But then a small smile appears as she nods at his unanswered question. He reciprocates, nodding back with a smile of his own.

He gestures towards the door. "So, want to do the honours?"

He watches as she nods again, taking in a deep breath before turning to face the door once more. With slightly shaking hands, Julie reaches over and wraps her fingers around the handle, twisting it before pushing. The heavy wooden door creaks at the movement, slowly swinging open until they were both standing on the threshold of a brightly lit garage-turned studio space.

Luke only takes a second to check that everything inside is as it should be, before turning back around to look at Julie.

Her eyes widen at the scene that welcomes her, the steps she takes as she crosses over into the space small and tentative. Luke slips in right behind her, taking her hand off the handle before easing the door shut behind them. He keeps her hand in his as she looks around the space, her fingers brushing over everything within her reach - from the throw covering the armchair that greets them on the right, to the trinkets covering the corner shelves on their left. As they gradually move into the studio, the sound of their footsteps alternating from loud to muffled as they cross over the various rugs decorating the space, Julie’s eyes move upwards, her attention momentarily shifting to the ceiling. Luke follows her gaze to see the three hanging chairs he’d debated leaving out, glad to have included now that he sees a wistful smile take place on Julie’s face.

With the late afternoon Californian sunlight streaming in through the windows, the studio almost looks magical, a warm golden glow enveloping the space. Julie’s gaze comes back down as she pulls Luke along with her further into the studio, walking around the baby grand piano, her finger lightly trailing its side, to stand in front of the wall of plants nestled against the glass back wall.

"My mom..." Julie starts, breaking the silence before trailing off as she reaches over to touch the leaves hanging closest to her. "She always said that plants were sacred. She used to tell me and Carlos all these stories about these spirits that lived in each and every single plant on Earth, protecting those who cared for them. Nurturing all those who treated them with love and kindness and respect." Luke takes in the sight of the green foliage, noting how beautiful it looked. "Said tjat our loved ones’ spirits somehow lived in the very roots of these plants.

“Our house has these pots and vases full of flowers and all sorts of plants all over the place - even our garden looks like a jungle!" She lets out a watery laugh, sniffling as she gets on her tiptoes as if on instinct to pull down a green watering pot resting on a shelf above them.

Luke, seeing what Julie wants to do, hurries to pull out his wand from his back-pocket, muttering a quick Aguamenti as he taps the watering pot. Julie shoots him a grateful smile before she starts watering the plants one by one, Luke tucking his wand away into his robe pocket.

“We used to take turns, each of us spending a few minutes or hours watering and pruning every single plant in the house and in here - but my mom was always there anyway, singing to us, to the plants. Keeping us company.” Julie leans forward as she tries to reach the back row. "But when she...when she wasn't around anymore, I- I stopped. I couldn't bring myself to think about her plants or her music or her stories — let alone come in here where everything about this place reminded me of her." Luke gently rubs the back of her hand with his thumb, not wanting to cut her off, but still finding a small way to try and comfort her.

"I guess my dad took care of everything last summer..." Julie trails off as she finishes watering the remaining hanging plants, before placing the watering pot back in its place.

She turns to him, a peaceful smile lighting up her face. "I forgot how soothing it felt to do that. Thank you."

Luke's smile widens at her words, nodding at her in response.

She keeps her eyes locked on his for a few more seconds before averting her gaze, turning back around to face the piano they had walked past earlier.

Julie lets go of his hand as she slowly makes her way towards the instrument, only stopping when she reaches the bench. Luke takes note of her hesitancy to touch the piano, only to then take a deep breath and slip onto the bench, fingers poised over the fall-board.

He slowly walks up behind her, squeezing her shoulder once before moving away.

"Julie, if you need some space or want me to go I can just-"

Her eyes, which had slid shut, pop open at his words as she cuts him off before he can even finish his sentence.

"No! No, this is- Stay. I want you here, really." She looks at him with so much open trust and something else he can't quite place, that Luke doesn’t really know what to say. So instead he just nods at her, pointing at the black couch behind him.

"I'm uh- I'll just go sit there? Give you a few minutes to yourself, yeah?"

At her nod, he takes a step backwards before spinning around on the spot, his shoe squeaking against the wood flooring, jumping over the coffee table and landing on the old weathered couch cushions.

He hears a little giggle behind him, his head whipping up in time to find Julie attempting, and failing, to smother the sound. His pokes his tongue out at her in response even as warmth blooms in his chest at the sound of her laughter.

She shakes her head at him before averting her eyes and focusing the piano before her, slowing reaching out to lift the fall-board.

He can see the anticipation and fear and love and grief and happiness swirling in her eyes, noticed the way her fingers shake as they hover over the keys. His own fingers dig into his knees, forcing himself to stay still, to stay quiet, as he witnesses a moment that truly is monumental for Julie.

He watches her as she takes another deep breath, squaring her shoulders as if ready for battle. She nods to herself once right before her fingers land on the keys, music instantly filling every corner of the studio, every corner of his soul.

Luke has always been sensitive to music - he thinks that's why he's always been good at picking up new instruments so quickly, at finding the right words and melodies and blending them together to create something new and exciting. But the feeling that courses through him as he listens to Julie singing takes him completely by surprise. It's like a physical punching him in the gut, squeezing his heart and taking his breath away all at once. He sits there, stunned, as he listens to Julie inadvertently command his full attention, singing her heart out.

He thinks it must be an original, because he doesn’t recognise it at all.

Her face goes through a rollercoaster of emotions, pain leaking through as she makes her way through the first pre-chorus.

And you use your pain,

‘Cause it makes you you,

Thought I wish I could hold you through it

I know it’s not the same

You got living to do

And I just want you to do it

But then just as she reaches the end, gearing up for what feels like the chorus, Luke sees determination take its place.

So get up, get out, relight that spark,

You know the rest by heart

Julie dives into the chorus, full of energy and hope, another one of her many smiles suddenly changing the tone of the song.

She makes her way through the second verse, pre-chorus and chorus in the same vain, the energy around her building and building, Luke’s heart beat matching it.

The song reaches its crescendo, her voice climbing as it builds on every note it hits, Julie getting to her feet, spreading her arms wide as she gets to the high note. A look of peaceful acceptance crosses her face before she eases the songs to it’s final chorus, settling back down onto the bench, singing and playing softly as the song comes to an end, the last two words ringing in the quiet studio.

Wake up

All Luke can do is stare with his mouth hanging open as Julie lowers her hands onto her lap, her eyes closed, chest heaving. He had always known that Julie was a powerhouse, always known that music coursed through her veins right along her magic, but he had never heard her sing the way she just had. Not with the full force of her voice as so many raw emotions filtered through.

It left him reeling. He needed to catch his breath.

If he wasn't already in love with her, he knows he'd be head over heels for her after what he had just witnessed.

He's pulled out of his daze when Julie moves, her eyes open as she stands up and steps away from the bench, slowly moving towards him.

Luke scrambles to shuffle down the sofa making space for her to sit, only to be surprised when she chooses to sit on his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck as she burrows her face in his neck.

It takes him a few seconds to react, his body frozen and unable to process.

"I know I keep saying this but....thank you," she whispers, voice unstable, her lips sending shivers down his spine as they brush against the skin of his neck.

The movement snaps him out of his stupor, his arms coming up to fully wrap around her, pulling her closer to his chest as he leans back against the couch cushions.

"I told you," he says, resting his chin over her head of curls, "anything for you, Julie."

Her fingers curls into the fabric of his t-shirt, pulling herself closer to him at his words.

They stay that way for a while, Julie’s breathing eventually easing into a calm rhythm.

Luke stays quiet, understanding her need to absorb everything she had just gone through, happy to just hold her in his arms. When she does break the silence, her voice comes out a little more composed.

"I- that was a song my mom wrote for me before she- when she found out..." Her whisper trails off into silence, the pain in her voice squeezing at his heart.

Luke tightens his arms around her.

"You don't have to explain it to me, Jules, it's okay."

"No I- I want to."

Luke relents, nodding at her words as he patiently waits for her to continue.

"I found the song right before leaving home back in September, and when I saw it...it just hurt too much. I couldn't even get past the title." She releases her grip on his shirt only to start tracing random patterns on his arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

“I packed it up and brought it with me thinking I’d be able to read it once settled in my dorm, a space my mom’s never been in but — it took me months to even take it out again, and then a few more months after that just to read through the whole thing. That first time I was a mess," she laughs, a small quiet sound. "Flynn was so close to dragging me to Madam Pomfrey but I managed to convince her I was okay-ish. And then after that it slowly started becoming a little easier every time I read through it until one day I just knew the full song by heart." She stops talking for a few minutes, lost in her own thoughts as she continues her ministrations on his arm. "But even then I still couldn't get myself to sing it, I was always so scared that once I did, it meant that my mom really was gone, that the last piece I had connecting me to her was over and I couldn't bear it..."

Luke's heart drops at her words, an apology ready on the tip of his tongue.

"But the minute I walked into our studio again, this studio, after watering those plants and being able to share all of her stories about spirits and magic and life always being around even after death with you, it just...clicked." She lifts her head up from her hiding place, finally locking eyes with him. "I carry her with me, in everything I do. And I know that I would have eventually figured this out myself, probably once I went back home over the summer, maybe, but..." Julie places her hand against his cheek, her fingers warm against his skin. "It wouldn't have been the same, and I- well, thank you. Again." She tilts her head, looking at him from under her lashes with a smile so radiant on her face, all he can do is nod, turning his head to press a kiss against the palm of her hand.

He feels her fingers twitch against his face, a hitch in her breathing as he looks back up at her.

He finds her looking at him, eyes wide and open, looking both tired and fully awake with dried tear tracks down her cheeks, her bun falling apart with loose curls bending at weird angles from a long day of classes, but all he can think is how beautiful she is. How much he loves her and everything she is, and he tries to hard to stop himself but-

"I love you.”

The words spill out, unable and unwilling to stay locked up anymore. His own eyes widen at his confession, regret flooding in the second he says it.

"I- I- I," he tries to backtrack, to fill the silence, anything, but now that the words are out in the open, his brain and mouth seem to have detached, neither one wanting to cooperate with the other.

Julie stares at him, her eyes somehow growing larger, her mouth forming into the shape of an "o".

“Oh.”

Luke braces himself for her rejection, prepares himself to feel the cold air rush in the minute she moves off of his lap.

But instead, Julie brings up her other hand to fully cup his face, her mouth stretching out into a full blown grin.

"You love me?" she asks, breathless.

Luke, too stunned to do anything else, simply nods at her question.

“You love me," she repeats, this time more of a statement than a question.

She surprises again him by laughing, a lovely melodious sound that pulls the laughter out of him, joining her in her mirth as he chuckles quietly along in his confusion.

"I'm sorry I'm not- I'm not laughing at you," she tries to get out between laughs, her smile still present on her face. "I'm just in disbelief, I-" She shakes her head, laughter quietening down as her thumbs swipe along his cheekbones.

"I love you too."

Those four words take him by surprise, affecting him in a way even her singing hadn’t, his mind spinning, heart racing, entire being vibrating.

Julie Molina loved him.

She loved him too.

He takes his time to commit this moment, her face, the feel of her weight on his lap and the warmth of her hands against his cheeks, to memory. His eyes roam her face, taking in every detail, before they finally land on her smiling lips.

He briefly thinks back to all the moments he had wished he could kiss her, taste her smile and her joy and happiness - and share in that glow that always seemed to be uniquely hers.

He now smiles at that thought, thinking that maybe he might actually be able to experience the one thing he had always craved but thought was off-limits.

Lifting his eyes back up to meet her, Luke leans slightly forward, in askance, in invitation. When she reciprocates his movements, Luke brings both his hands up from behind her back, cupping her face as he pulls her closer to him, ending years’ worth of pining.

That night was the first time of many that Luke Patterson was given the privilege of tasting Julie Molina's smile.

fin