#also too long to be a drabble

[skumhuu]

✨🦈🔱 MERMAY BINGO 2025 🔱🦈✨

Happy Mermay! 🥰 As usual 5 in a row equals a bingo and you can do any theme/prompt for the free space in the middle for an automatic win! This mermay I will be donating 2 dollars for every free space win, and 5 dollars for every completed bingo to charity!

Donations will be going to Monterey Bay Aquarium 🦈 They do so much to help our oceans, you can get more information about what they do under ‘Act for the ocean’ here!

If you don’t have the energy to make anything (absolutely fine!!) I definitely recommend donating yourself at this link if you have the money!

[ronnykins-needshelp]

Cumplane has me on a litteral choke hold i will NOT stop making AUs ISTG

Where AU where Cumplane Pre-transmigration meets Moshang and Bingqiu post-SVSSS

currently Cumplane has been in a marriage for about 5 years and has been dating for 2 years. they started talking properlyto each other once PIDW had ended and Shen yuan coerced Airplane into making a new book with his exact outline from his orignal plan, offering to pay for it. becuase obviously Shen yuan isnt going to tolerate SQHs living condictions in a very beat down apartment they become roomates. as Shen Yuan is a beta reader and SQH no longer needs to worry about money, they calm down their anomosity. and after back and forth and Shen Yuan finally coming out of his very glass closet they get together.

at first Shen Yuans family doesnt approve becuase they think Shang Qinghua was a golddigger, but after finding out that Shang Qinghua was the author of PIDW, which they have heard their son rant about every single time they meet up, hey turn the tables and accept them as their son in law thinking :

Entire Family: " so thats why shen yuan started dating him! thats so sweer. "

it was kind of embarressing becuase Shen Yuans family had described in detail how passionate their son got whenever talking about that book.

Shen Yuan: " ive always hated it!! "

Mother Shen: " no honey, you didnt you were just in denial, like your sexuality. "

Shen Yuan: " Mom!! "

his family is not discrimitory, they are just happy their hermit crab is doing something with his life

they end up adopting [ bc i NEED a child to be in this ] an orphan one year into their marriage and calling him Shen binghe. no they will never tell their son the origin of his name. who was a baby that was dumped onto the orphanges doorstep. which was conveintly around the time they decided to adopt.

since they were kinda young when they took up the mantle of being parents they took every precuation to keep him safe, to the point that Shang Qinghua took a haitus to take care of his son.

they raised him to be a healthy four year old boy.

thats when Xin mo coughed up Moshang And Bingqiu, closely after the Bingqiu marriage, into their little cottage that used to be the Shen Families beach house. this was during they time they were having ' family time ' by playing simple board games in their living room when they heard crashes in their kitchen. Shen binghe is scared but Shang QInghua fishes out a shotgun that was placed behind their couch for showcase. it didnt work but it can cetaintly frighten someone.

a Frightened Shen binghe hugs his mother father waiting for some news.

Shen Qinghua [ He took up the shen name bc rich people thoughts ig]: " Ummmmm..... Baoibei you might want to see this. "

confused, Shen Yuan, holding Shen binghe protectively in his arms, walks to the kitchen, and to his complete and utter surprise, finds PIDW charaters in his home.

Shen yuan: " What the fuck?! A-Bing dont repeat that. "

his son nods when the cosplayer that looks like Luo binghe says,

Luo Binghe: " who are you to say anything of what i do? "

Shen Qingqiu: " calm down binghe, he wasnt talking to you. "

luo binghe: " ok shizun! "

that one that looks like the scum villianwas looking interestedly towards Shen Yuan, which was making him uncomfitable and he held his child closer.

Shen Yuan: " A-Hua, why are they here, who are these people? "

Shen Qinghua: " Well i think they are.. "

Shang Qinghua: " Im airplane shooting towards the sky! i already told him some emberrising shit so he knows that we are on and the same. "

shen yuan moves closer to his Shen Qinghua and Shang Qinghua frowned.

Shang QInghua: " i didnt think i would marry and have a kid! well in this timeline becuase of PIDW. "

his grouped glanced at him.

Mobei-jun: " What exactly do you mean this timeline? "

Shang Qinghua: " oh i died here than transmigrated - or moving ones soul to anothers body - after not even finishing my book which is our world! "

Shen Qingqiu: " way to lay that one out airplane. "

he scoffed, which was terrifienly familar to someone the mortals know.

Shen yuan, suddenly proccessing the words: " D-died?! "

The shang qinghua nodded, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Shang Qinghua: " Anyways, whos that twink i married? im surprised that we pulled a pretty boy like that! im used to my king, "

Shen Qinghua: " I know we are the same person, but dont talk to my husband like that! "

Shang Qinghua, puttinig his hands up mocking surrender: " i didnt think i had balls but ok. "

Shen yuan stopped listening as excitment wiggled in after the fright settled down.

Shen Yuan: " You see this A-bing? this is a Au clash! i never thought that i would be in this type of plot!! "

Shen binghe, giggling: " like one of babas books! "

Shen yuan: " thats right my little demon. "

luo binghe blinked at the nickname.

Shen Yuan: " Anyways my name is- "

Shen QIngqiu, breathlessly: " Shen yuan. "

Shen yuan, looks questionly at the man: " How do you know my name?! "

Shen Qingqiu: " Becuase im you. "

que an EXTENSIVE talk about how transmigration worked for the husbands, and how they died, and how PIDW ended. now onto the their personal lives with SHen Binghe playing with the two demon lords in a friendly game of go fish [ AKA ruthlessly beating them with no hope of survival. Luo binghe Scowls at this child self of him, no mercy!! ] and the cumplane pairs sitting in the couch.

Shang QInghua: " i cannot believe i married the Peerless cucumber, He was the one who basically cuased my death!! "

Shen QIngqiu, whacking the hamster in the back of his head: " and is marrying this master that unsightly? I should be surprised that i married you, you hack author!! "

.. well that explained their relationship.

Shen Yuan: " Not even that surprised, i dont even know how ive been with this hack for 11 years. "

Platonic cumplane: " ELEVEN YEARS?! "

Shen QInghua, pitifully and tying to kiss Shen yuan: " Awwww why does my pretty husbando think that, "

Shen Yuan, shoving Shen Qinghua away by the face: " Becuase i said so. now get off me you big oof. "

After some whining and big puppy eyes [ that Shen Qingqiu frightenly similar to luo binghes ], Shen Qinghua is is laying contently on Shen yuans laps while he brushes his fingers through his hair.

Shan Qinghua: " you know if i werent with my king and seen you how i should have, i would have tapped that ass long ago. "

Shen yuan, yeeting a pillow at top speed while blushing: " My CHILD is right here!! stop being so shameless for once airplane!! "

Shen Qingqiu, having been subjected to Airplanes shamelessness for years ignores him: " speaking of child, if you have PIDW in your world, how do you have a luo binghe here? usually at these types of senerarios in fanfics, they both cant coencide with each other. "

Shen Qinghua: " Oh thats becuase baobei refused to call him anything but Luo binghe. "

he received a slap. Shen yuan was fuming.

Shen Yuan: " yah whatever, i had to admit he looked quite similar to Luo binghe was described - minus the two toned hair - in the book, i could not not name him binghe. "

the two Shens nodded in understanding while the the huas just looked confused at the logical, ut whatever each to their own.

shen Qingqiu: " oh thsts pretty nice. wait please dont tell me you have mpreg in this world, i do and no- "

shen Yuan: " No! no, anyways does he look like us? we adopted him when he was around two weeks old. "

Shang Qinghua: " Now i got to admit thats sweet, i love the little family yall got, its kind of sad that this is what our future wouldve been if we didnt die. well i dont regret transmigrating into pidw, sometimes, though becuase i ended up with Mobei, who i modeled after my tastes-. "

Shen Qinghua: " -which pretty much described A-yuan- "

Shang Qinghua: " -so im pretty happy with my life. "

Shen yuan: " talking about you, howd you end up with the protaginist? "

Shen qingqiu, waving his fan lazily with a huff: " Dont get me started- "

proceeds to describe the entire lore of SVSSS. both Qighuas fell asleep at one point while Shen yuan was enratured by the whole story.

Shen Yuan: " WOw! Luo binghe was that bad at papapa? thats totally OOC! but you are still doing it every three days? "

Shen QIngqiu, Shrugging: " pretty much, hes just too cute to not say no to. what about you? idk if papapa with the author whos so clearly a virigin would be that great either, "

Shen Yuan: " oh hes not a virgin. apperently he slept around alot while in university so my poor Chrysanthemum ddint suffer like yours. thouguh he havent done it in awhile since Shen Binghe takes up more of our time "

Shen Qinghua: " awww if they get to stay, maybe they get to take care of our binghe and we get to go for a bi- "

Shen Yuan: " if you are asleep, keep pretending to sleep! dont just wake up halfway! "

SHang QInghua flinched a the fimiliar words as he had jjust woken up.

meanwhile at the kiddy table

Luo Binghe: " so um, do you have aaa?

Shen Binghe: " Three of hearts? no. go fish. "

Luo binghe mumbled under his breath as he grumpily snatches another card. he has already lost 5 times, and Mobei-jun is a lost cuase.

since Mobei-jun wasnt talking SHen binghe iniciated a convo.

Shen binghe: " your so cool looking! your robes are like the ones that my babas cosplay in!! one time when they arrived they had to give me to my grandma in order for them to go to a convention! apperently my babas book, proud immortal demon way go super popular when it finished! "

Luo binghe, raising an eyebrow: " how does this shen binghe tell the differences between your two parents? "

Shen Binghe: " I sometimes call my first baba, ' mama ' "

Luo binghe: " Fair. i call my shizun wife. "

Shen binghe, pouting: " how can other me marry mama! "

Luo binghe, defensively: " well thats becuase Shizun is not my mo- "

Shen Binghe: " -and why is my baba married to the big scary icicle!! "

Mobei-ju just raised an eyebrow which was scary for a child and Shen binghe started crying. frightening both of the adults.

shen yuan suddenly appeared holding his son and rocking him.

Shen yuan, cooing: " Are you ok my little bingbing? did the big scary men bully you? "

Luo binghe: " he started thi- "

he was silenced by a glare.

Shen Binghe: " I dont like this AU! my babas arent together!! and their weird! "

luo binghe does not want to make this child version of himself cry, becuase if he cries and shizun finds out hes sleeping on the bed tonight.

Luo binghe: " wait wait, this lo- im sorry, here look at this. "

he opened his clawed palm and produced a little demonic energy, from that he minipulated it into turning into a a black mistic bunny. the bunny jumped and when luo binghe moved his hands closer to shen binghe, it started to sniff his noise intensly. Shen binghe started to giggle and wearly pet the bunny. to his surprise it was soft.

the other three moved to the table watching this whole scene.

Shen Qingqiu: " oh thats sweet, who kew Binghe was so great with kids? "

Both Qinghuas looked at him. Luo binghe was static.

Luo Binghe: " Would Shizun like a child? this husband would love to- "

he has hit by a fan. Shen binghe started to luagh aswell as shen yuan.

Shen yuan: " See A-bing? if a man like that annoys you, hit him on the head! "

Mobei-jun: " what a pleasant lesson for a child "

everyone jumped when he spoke, basically forggetting he was here.

Shen Qinghua: " anywayss, how did you get here? "

Shen QIngqiu: " Xin Mo messing up "

Shen Yuan: " any way to get back? "

Shang Qinghua: " our ride should be here any second "

a portal opens and Sha hualing pokes her head out.

Sha hualing: " Get over here losers, you owe me! "

after much goodbyes the group left. leaving the cumplane family to lay down on the couch. SHen binghe fell asleep quickly, eghuasted by the whole debacle.

Shen Binghe, groaning: " I dont think i want to meet another AU again. "

Shen yuan, huffing out: " Agreed, "

and then the little family slept happily on the couch

[forgottenarthur]

aria/arthur "i did this for you. no one else."

ooc: so, as you know, ive been saying for awhile that amira'll poison arthur after the tournament to punish him for showing up edmund (will she tell edmund she did this? did it ~for him? nope!). this is the result i spun for the poison generator (note: amira didn't have to purchase said plant from the black market bc she def grew it herself oops amira: 'i ~am the black market' jk jk):

(don't ask me why it looks like that -- idk either)

also looked up hypothermia symptoms and we get a fun lil cocktail of the following:

Mild Hypothermia (32-35°C / 90-95°F): 

Shivering (unless energy stores are depleted)

Confusion, impaired judgment, and slurred speech

Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration

Shortness of breath

Fatigue

Pale and dry skin

Nausea

Possible memory loss

Loss of fine motor skills

Dizzyness

Moderate Hypothermia (28-32°C / 82-90°F): 

Cognitive decline

Lethargy

CNS depression (reduced reflexes, dilated pupils)

Hyporeflexia (reduced reflexes)

Hypotension (low blood pressure)

Bradycardia (slow heart rate)

Bradypnea (slow breathing)

Shivering may stop

Paradoxical undressing (removing clothes due to confusion)

Susceptibility to dysrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)

Severe Hypothermia (Below 28°C / 82°F): 

Unresponsiveness or coma

Difficulty breathing

Abnormal heart rhythms

Very cold skin

Slow, weak pulse

Low blood pressure

Possible cessation of shivering

Loss of consciousness

In infants, bright red, cold skin and low energy

Other Symptoms: 

Clumsiness or lack of coordination

Sleepiness or drowsiness

Fumbling hands

Slowed or shallow breathing

Weak pulse

Behavioral changes (confusion, unusual aggression)

Apathy

Hallucinations or euphoria (in some cases)

sounds like a great time for arthur thanks amira! #bestmomaward lkadsjfjsd

------

He didn't know how he had come to be here. Or where he was. The corridor was dark here; raging blurry-bright every so often, and he put his hand to his face, groaned. Stumbled. Hissed as his shoulder hit the wall. Cold. So cold, it burned. He recoiled. Stumbled again. He was shaking, sluggish. Nausea rose like a veil over his senses, dizzying and sharp.

"Blah-" he frowned. Stumbled. He hadn't quite meant to say that. Blast. He'd meant to say that. He shook his head. Stopped. Where was he going? God, it was cold, it was so cold. He didn't know when he'd last felt so cold. Had he ever felt so cold?

Aine was screaming. Her fires licked the rafters, her shrieks reverberated there. Kil-kennar was burning. Everywhere they rose in riot, their spears and swords and cries all stabbing at him. Everything burned. "Help us!" they shrieked from the flames, piteous horror-garbled sounds. The air stank with fire and blood. They were all burning. "Help us!"

He staggered forward. He tripped. His hand hit the wall; his knees the stone floor. Burning ice. He recoiled. God, they were everywhere screaming. He struggled to his feet. He had to climb. Their shrieks were in the rafters. He had to make it to the stop of the tower. He had to save them.

Moans and flames and screams wreathed the air, shrieked at his ears. Everywhere they pled with him. Everywhere they scrambled and fought. Riot and fire. Everywhere, they were burning. But the heat was cold, horrifically cold. He hardly had the strength to go on. He couldn't stop. "Help us! Help us!" they sobbed. "Don't do this to us! Don't let us die this way! Don't do this to us!"

But his father bellowed, too. "You're no son of mine!"

His voice tore and tangled with theirs and he was there, too, heedless of the flames, even as they engulfed him, women and children at his feet holding one another as the flames crept closer.

Arthur couldn't get there. He could stop it. They shrieked in his ears. They burned.

"STOP!" Arthur screamed. "Please--please, stop!" He was weeping, gasping, trembling almost too hard to stand but he couldn't stop. He had to get to them. He had to save them.

Aine was screaming, screaming, endlessly screaming. "My fath--" he shook his head sharply. "Put her to the tor--" he stumbled again, overcorrected, stumbled back, rocked forward again. "Nah my son. I--Couldn't--I--God," he begged. "Why? Why this?"

"What's going on? What're you doing here?"

Arthur jumped at the voice. He turned, no, tried to turn. Sluggish feet hardly moved. He shivered violently. He could hardly move for trembling.

"Are--" the voice hesitated. "Are you all right?"

"Wheere--" He put his hand to his brow, again, as if he could steady himself. "Um--"

"Arthur?" Another voice, more familiar. Quick steps and someone was at his side. He knew her voice but he couldn't remember from where. Perhaps the sky was speaking to him, he thought.

Something hot took his arm. Surprised, he stumbled away, hit the wall again. Burning cold. He jerked away with a cry.

"You're scaring me. What's going on?"

"Fir--mm--fires, Kil-ka--fire--" he said the last part very carefully. "I--saw..."

"All right," the voice whispered to herself. "You're not well, Arthur. Please. Please come with me."

He shook his head. "I haff--I haff to--"

"You have to come with me." The voice was authoritative, and the voice was close. He could see her now, moss-dark eyes finding his.

"Can't--"

"I know how to deal with the fire. I know how to save Kil-kennar. But you have to come with me."

He relented. "I feel--"

"Terrible?" She nodded, gently twined her arms around his. He gasped. The heat of her arms was a balm. "I can tell. You're shaking like a reed." She was warm, so blessedly warm. He leaned closer. She put her arm around him. She gasped. "You're so cold!"

"You're--so warm..." He pulled her closer.

He was lying down. He was blinking at the skies, stars wheeling sickeningly overhead. He tugged at his blankets. Pushed them away.

"Arthur, drink this." His mother's voice. A chalice floated before his eyes, silver and shining as if a fire burned within it.

"The stars--" he muttered, and tried to pull the covers over his head. He couldn't look at them. They were laughing at him. Aria was always laughing at him, really. Laughing just behind her eyes. Somehow, though, somehow he didn't really mind when she laughed. He didn't mind...

"That's just the ceiling, Arthur."

"Tell the--tell them--"

"Arthur. Drink this."

The chalice floated again and he reached, missed, his hand shot off towards the heavens. He thought perhaps he could grasp one of the stars, blazing in their fury. He could pull them down and he could place them amongst Aria's ebony locks. Perhaps she'd smile, then, smile at him with stars caught amongst her hair, skin aglow with silver starlight...

Something touched his lips. A warm hand tipped his head back. "Drink." Another voice, this time, demanding.

He smiled, lay back, and closed his eyes. Aria was annoyed with him. Of course she was. He drank.

"Get some rest, Your Majesty. You've been up so long. I'll sit with him."

Quiet. Then his mother's voice: "All right. But you'll let me know if anything changes. Anything at all--"

"I will, Your Majesty. Get some sleep."

He was near a fire, warm and bright. Shivering, he groped towards it.

"Arthur?" Aria's voice, again.

He opened his eyes, turned towards the voice.

"Arthur, what's happening?"

"Were walk--walking in the stars."

She leaned forward, touched his brow. Her hand was warm. He groaned.

"You told me once -- implied -- Arthur, has this, or something like it, happened to you before?"

She floated amongst the stars, a nimbus of silver light radiating from her every edge. She'd never really belonged down here amongst the creatures of earth and mud, had she? She'd always been of the heavens, shining and warm. How had he not seen it before? He reached for her, far away amongst the wind and sky. But he touched her. He blinked with confusion. He thought she'd burn him, but her cheek was soft and gently, gently, he brushed his fingers across her face.

"You have to go. But come back," he whispered, very, very slowly. He had to get the words right, though his voice was thin and reedy even in his own ears. It was his only chance. "Come back to me someday. You belong out there, I know, but..." he pressed his eyes shut, his exhausted arm falling back to his side. "I--I'll miss you here."

He was tired. So tired. He just wanted to sleep.

"You really don't know what's going on, do you?" Her voice was sad, far away. She was silent for a moment, yet something in her tone turned decided when she spoke again. "I can help you."

He wondered if Aria would ever come back, now that she was at home amongst the stars. He wondered if she would ever laugh with him again, or roll her eyes at him, or if he would ever see her smiles again, feel their heat, again, even if just while tilting his head towards the skies, would he ever see the gleam of the morning star shining down upon him, feel its warmth brushing his skin, and know she was looking down on him, again...He felt hollow, now, thinking this way, hollow and heart-weary. He hadn't thought, before, what it might be like with her gone. Hadn't considered how, now that she was close...she might never be, again. Was that why he felt so cold? Was it because she was gone, lost to him amongst the stars?

"I think I love her," whispered Arthur.

Silence. A long silence. Then heat. Up it washed, up and up, a warm blanket that shimmered and shone over him, a blanket of starlight glistening with quicksilver heat, like her hands passing over him. He hissed sweet relief, as if every fibre of him were thawing, waking, the pinprick heat of slumbering limbs coming back to life. He was golden, again, warm and glowing. Strength and health flowed, mingling sunlight and starlight brightened every corner of the room as if dawn, itself, burst through his whole being: joy and color and wholeness mesmerizing every cell. He breathed out, a surprised breath, almost a laugh. He'd never felt so well.

He opened his eyes, found himself staring at the familiar star-painted ceiling of his bedroom. He didn't remember going to bed, but here he was. He sat up, put his head in his hands, laughing. "What a strange dream..."

He heard a sound at his side and turned. He started. Someone sat there. A lady. "Aria?!" He coughed, pulled up his covers, suddenly all-too aware of how much he was or wasn't wearing (he realized he couldn't remember what he'd put on last night, but he could hardly check now). He cleared his throat. "That is...Lady Aria...what are you doing here? This is unseemly, I--"

"How do you feel?"

"I--" he frowned. He felt splendid, really, spectacular. He felt ready to, to fight a lion or run a race or ride into battle or leap a river or--

"Do you feel well?"

"I feel brilliant," he shook his head. "I can't think the last time I felt so grand. I--Listen, my lady, just what is going on?"

Aria smiled, eyes twinkling, and Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. Her smile widened and he knew that she was laughing at him from just behind her eyes.

"Endlessly entertaining as doubtless this is--"

"I'll send for your mother on my way out. She'll want to see you for herself."

"What? Why?"

"It seems that draught we gave you has been most effective."

"What draught?"

"You really don't remember?"

"I--" He remembered starlight. He remembered Aria's face aglow, with stars caught in her shining hair.

"I should go," said Aria. "Will you tell her? Will you tell her how effective that draught was? She'll be pleased."

Arthur smiled, a touch confusedly. "Well...good. Of course I'll tell her. If it'll please her. I like to see her pleased."

Aria stood from where she'd sat at the edge of his bed. She crossed to the door.

"Lady Aria--"

She stopped. She didn't turn around.

"I--I don't know exactly what's going on, I admit, but...I feel I should...thank you."

"It was nothing."

Arthur swallowed. "Was it?"

She turned to face him. Paused. "You talk in your sleep."

"I--what?" he frowned deeply, fists going to his hips, momentarily forgetting the covers.

And there it was, again. That laughing smile.

Arthur felt the corners of his own lips twitch upwards. She was laughing at him, again, and he was glad. He liked to see her pleased, too.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." She paused, looked down. "Tell Lady Eithne I hope she is well when you see her next. Good evening."

"What? Aria--"

Surprise colored her face at his familiarity, and he felt a flush heat his own face.

Sighing, he glanced up. "Look, I--" He shook his head. "I gather I was ill and you--you helped me. I know Her Majesty the Queen and-and, of course, His Majesty the Emperor will be very pleased. It was good of you to do this for them." He swallowed. "For us. It was kind, especially after...everything."

Her eyes did not laugh, now. She simply looked at him. "I did this for you. No one else."

Arthur heaved a deep breath, moved forward to his feet, tugging the covers with him. But the door was already closing. Aria was gone.

Words, strange words, floated through his mind, in his own voice: "You have to go. But come back, come back to me someday. You belong out there, I know, but...I--I'll miss you here." Arthur glanced away. He always missed her when she was gone.

[imtrashraccoon]

After months of teasing it to them, I finally finished a little something for two of my friends. I hope you enjoy @superbfirnacho and @prehnite-soul !

The Gardener, Emperor, and the Thief

Word Count: 4,986

With a sigh, Ivy fisted her hands in the skirt of her ball gown, feeling just about as ugly as a billy goat. Sure, it had not been that pricey, although it had cost every lunarian to her name, so it was expensive for her. The dress itself had seemed like the prettiest thing in Agni's shop when she had gone shopping. It was made from a light green fabric and structured to drape down like overlapping leaves, covered in glass beads arranged in various leaf shapes and combined with cloth flowers sprinkled throughout the skirt paneling. However, now that she had put it on and seen what all the other guests were wearing, well, she felt very out of place. While she didn't know what material her dress was made from, it certainly didn't look like the fine silks and expensive leathers everyone else had on.

It didn't help that her face felt itchy from the makeup she had begged one of the maidservants to help apply. She had to make a deliberate effort not to touch her eyes or skin so she wouldn't smudge anything. How people could stand wearing this stuff on a daily basis was beyond her since in her mind it could qualify as torture. She was doing her best to distract herself, although there were only so many times one could peruse the refreshments table before turning a few heads.

Someone like her would normally never get the opportunity to attend a ball like this. The help were meant to be invisible, not mingling with aristocrats like they were equals. This time, Emperor Nightmare had allowed some of his servants to attend, which included her, although he had done so with some reluctance. She wasn't about to question a good thing and had almost immediately rushed out to go buy a dress when he gave permission.

Ivy had recently been employed as the palace gardener, which she actually enjoyed, even if the plants had a hard time staying alive. This wasn't due to her lack of knowledge, especially since her magic was well suited for growing plants, but the Emperor's negative aura. She couldn't pretend to know why his soul seemed to leak so much mana, but since it meant her talents were always in demand, she couldn't really complain.

Before becoming a member of the palace staff, Ivy had been a wanderer, living off the bounty of the forest each day and sleeping under the stars at night. She bathed in babbling streams and warmed herself in the golden light of the sun every dawn. Some people would have thought her to be some kind of forest nymph, but that wasn't really the truth of the matter. She was a free spirit, a guardian of nature, and a protector of the forest she called home.

Unfortunately, her forest just so happened to be part of Emperor Nightmare's domain. Two of his generals, the ones known as Killer and Horror, happened upon her one day while they were out hunting and swiftly caught her. She had put up a hell of a fight, biting and scratching as they hauled her back to the palace, but quickly discovered that bones are a lot less fragile than skin. It was only when she realized that she could potentially be in a better situation by working for Nightmare that she calmed down and cooperated. The forest was nice, but a warm bed and proper food was far better after all. It also helped that she thought the Emperor was oddly handsome, despite his monstrous appearance and cold demeanor.

He had yet to make an appearance at the ball and Ivy couldn't help but wonder where he could be. Sure, he wasn't much for festivities or large crowds of people, but this was his own event. Everyone even remotely important was in attendance and the Emperor was nowhere in sight. She may not have the best head for politics, but even she knew it was in bad taste to ignore all these aristocrats and officials.

He had really put on a grand party. The food tasted amazing, and while she had tried, she couldn't manage to try everything on offer. Besides, some of the women standing nearby had given her disgusted looks the last time she went through the line, so for now she was standing off to the side with a drink.

While lonely, it offered a lovely vantage point of the rest of the room. The light from the chandeliers overhead reflected off the glassware and jewelry of the guests, making the whole room sparkle like morning dew. The room was filled with a cacophony of voices, whispered gossip, and above it all, a symphony of music played by the most talented musicians in the land. Ivy couldn't remember the last time she had witnessed anything so wonderful.

It really sucked that she didn't know anyone here. Maybe she wouldn't feel so self-conscious if there was someone else to spend time with, to gossip about all the dashingly handsome men or gorgeous ladies, or maybe just to distract herself from the many eyes that had been on her all night.

As if to drive the stake of her loneliness deeper into her beating heart, the music suddenly swelled, and the dance floor seemed to come alive with happy couples. Skirts rustled and suit tails fluttered in a mesmerizing flurry that made her feel slightly dizzy just watching them. It was amazing to see how they all moved so fluidly, but she knew in her soul that she couldn't join them.

Indeed, the gods had cursed Ivy with two left feet, and try as she might, she could never seem to learn how to dance. Now it probably would help if she had a partner to practice with, but there wasn't anyone she felt comfortable asking. She would probably step on their toes and turn them off from continuing to help anyways.

A woman in a gown that looked like it would swallow her whole gave Ivy a dirty look as she passed by. Ivy wrinkled her noise, briefly debating "accidentally" dumping a glass of wine on that stupid dress, but decided it wasn't worth getting potentially thrown out for disrupting the party. Instead, she downed the rest of her glass and moved to stand somewhere quieter.

The music suddenly ceased, and save for a few whispered voices, the hall grew very quiet. Curious, Ivy looked around for the cause, only to see Emperor Nightmare standing at the top of the grand staircase. His three generals stood by his side, surveying the sea of partygoers with various expressions of glee and mischief. Of course, the Emperor himself was dressed to the nines, as were his generals, and Ivy could hear a few hushed whispers about them from some of the ladies standing nearby.

Nightmare's outfit wasn't that different from his usual one, an expensive suit and silver circlet bearing a star-shaped diamond, although tonight he was wearing a new shoulder cape with a moon motif and a veil on the right side of his skull to obscure the eye socket. His face bore a look of disdain that seemed to be a permanent part of him, even as he began to descend the stairs to join the party. Ivy couldn't help wondering why he even bothered to hold these events if he seemed to hate them so much.

The room seemed to hold its breath as the Emperor stepped onto the floor, and even his generals hesitated to leave his side until he decided to dismiss them. Despite having everyone's rapt attention, Nightmare barely spared anyone a glance, save for a cursory glance towards the orchestra to motion for them to continue playing. With that, the tension in the air seemed to ease, but it didn't dissipate entirely. Every guest seemed frozen with curiousity and intrigue, the same question echoing in their minds.

"Do you think he will actually ask someone to dance this time?" one of the women standing near Ivy whispered to her friend.

Ivy couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but it didn't matter. She knew the rumours just like everyone else. Nightmare hadn't asked anyone to dance in decades, and anyone who struck up the nerve to ask were coldly denied. Would tonight prove any different?

One of his generals, Killer, tapped the Emperor on the shoulder before leaning in to whisper something. Whatever he said clearly had an effect on the royal skeleton, since his sour expression briefly flickered before returning to a carefully crafted neutral mask. Nightmare shot the mischievous general a look before dismissing the three skeletons with a subtle wave of his hand.

The skeletons wasted no time in mingling with the partygoers, leaving their superior alone for the moment. Then, Ivy noticed two brave, or more likely foolish, souls approach the Emperor only to quickly scurry off when he glared at them.

With a sigh, Ivy turned away, noting the looping pattern in the carpet by her feet. There was no way she could hope to catch his attention, even though dancing with him was the one thing her soul longed for. He was leagues above her in every way conceivable, and there was no way she could prove herself worthy to stand next to him.

Why would a crowned royal choose a lowly gardener like her? Her desires were unwanted and would go unacknowledged even if she plucked up the courage to confess them. There were dozens of more beautiful, more talented, more worthy potential suitors for him to choose from while she wasn't even in the top hundred.

The orchestra began to play a familiar piece, and many of the couples around her began to dance once more. Ivy felt like she could drown in the sea of silks and had to step away to keep from being dragged under the wave of dancers. Oddly enough, the crowd seemed to part before her as easily as a knife through butter. While she had been receiving odd looks all night, now they were a mixture of shock and confusion, making her feel even more self-conscious.

"Ivy."

A chill ran down her spine at the unmistakable voice of the Emperor, and she stopped in her tracks. Turning around, Ivy could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she met Nightmare's gaze. His cool cyan eyelight looked her up and down for a moment, almost as if he was seeing her for the first time. His scrutinizing gaze made Ivy feel insignificant and self-conscious all over again about her choice of outfit. If only the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

What could he possibly want? Surely he knew that she was rubbish at dancing. Had she forgotten to finish a job? She had triple checked that everything in the garden was done before getting ready for the ball. So why had he approached her?

"Y-yes sir?" Ivy asked, cringing internally at the way her own voice betrayed her nervousness. It really didn't help that she could hear hushed whispers and tittering giggles from the guests.

Evidently, Nightmare noticed the tittle-tattlers as well, and he frowned ever so slightly although it didn't do anything to stop their subdued chatter. Sure, the Emperor ignoring the more prestigious guests and instead choosing to associate with a common servant was scandalous, but did they really have to gossip about it now? Ivy couldn't even begin to imagine how quickly the rumour mill would spread this around.

"May I have this dance?" Nightmare asked, extending his hand towards her. While not immediately obvious to outside observers, Ivy noticed his cadence sounded slightly less frigid than usual.

Ivy didn't know whether she should feel honoured or horrified that he had chosen her. In her natural domain of the forest, she could find ways to make herself appear graceful and even beautiful in an ethereal sense, but here, surrounded by finery and lamplight, she felt she looked like someone had put a nose ring on a pig. Besides, how was she supposed to pretend that she knew how to dance, especially with this many eyes on her?

Still, she couldn't possibly refuse a request from the emperor without a good reason. The fact that he had asked her, acknowledged her presence, was a great honour. To turn him down would be nothing less than an insult, like spitting in his face or mocking his efforts to make her feel included since it could just as easily be an act of pity as it was a kindness.

The room seemed to be filled with ravenous wolves as Ivy meekly accepted Nightmare's request. His phalanges closed around her hand, his claws pressing against her skin but not piercing the delicate flesh, even as he led her towards the dance floor. Pausing only to motion for the orchestra to resume, Nightmare turned to face her. Keeping hold of her hand, he let his other rest on her hip, choosing to lead her into a slow waltz.

Now on paper, it was a simple dance with only a few steps to remember, but with her nerves wound tight like a coiled spring, Ivy felt her mind go blank. When did she need to step forward? How far was her foot supposed to move when it came time to slide over? In her mind's desperate scramble to remember how she had seen everyone else moving, she stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Thankfully, Nightmare had anticipated this, and before Ivy could make a complete fool of herself, he was there to steady her and even swing her around slightly to make her little misstep seem purposeful. Ivy gave him an apologetic smile as they resumed dancing, although her heart was thudding heavily against her chest as if at any moment it might burst into a million pieces. She felt like she could hardly look at him for fear that if she wasn't watching where her feet were moving, she might mess up again.

Despite her good intentions in order to save face, Nightmare didn't seem to like that and leaned in, close enough to whisper in her ear. "Look at me, Ivy," he murmured.

While firm, his tone hadn't been harsh, just straight to the point, and Ivy found herself unconsciously doing as she had been told. Her heart seemed to skip a beat the moment her heterochromatic eyes met his lone cyan orb. His near permanent sneer lifted ever so slightly when she managed to make eye contact, making him almost look...happy.

Ivy felt her heart swell at the sight. She had always thought he looked attractive, but seeing him like this, carefree for possibly the first time since meeting him, she wanted to see more of this side of him. He never looked at anyone the way he was looking at her, and Ivy couldn't help but wish she could be the only one to make him feel happy.

The other guests seemed to fade away as they danced, completely lost in the moment. Ivy felt her vision narrow until the only thing she could focus on was Nightmare's face and his touch. In the same vein, he seemed almost entranced by her presence, and his lone eyelight occasionally flickered with an emotion Ivy couldn't quite place. His grip tightened ever so slightly, as if he was afraid she would disappear from his sight if he didn't.

~ ~ (⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠つ⁠⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠) ~ ~

Nightmare let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the stone balustrade. Laughter and music from the party petered through the halls and out onto the balcony he had since retired to after dancing for the first time in many years.

It had been a spontaneous decision to ask Ivy to dance, and now he found himself wondering if it had been a good idea at all. He knew tonight would be talked about within the circles of nobility for months to come, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The moment had been simply magical for lack of a better word. It was a wonder he had managed to keep a straight face throughout and not betray how starstruck he had felt.

Maybe it was the way Ivy had looked at him, how the glow of the chandeliers reflected off of her eyes like a thousand glistening diamonds, and how her face seemed to light up with glee as the tension lifted from her body. Her joy seemed almost contagious, stirring up ancient feelings in his cold, dead soul that he couldn't remember how to handle anymore.

Was...was this love?

Nightmare grit his teeth until they ground together and gripped the railing so tightly that his claws left shallow scratches in the stonework. As if he could feel love for any creature, let alone a lowly gardener like her! No, that part of him had died a long, long time ago. Even if he was capable of love, he knew in his soul that Ivy deserved so much better than a bitter monster like him.

She was the opposite of himself in so many ways. While he acted ruthless and cold, Ivy radiated kindness and warmth everywhere she went. It was clear that she didn't think much of her appearance, but he couldn't understand why. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he had met many conventionally attractive ladies in his time. However, if anyone were to ask what her most attractive feature was, he would have to admit that he liked her spontaneity and easy going demeanor the best. Her personality felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy aristocracy he had to deal with on a near daily basis.

Maybe he should make her aware of his feelings. In his experience, a monster like him had no business entertaining fanciful things such as love, and it would be better to bury his feelings as quickly as possible. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her after all.

He was just about to march back into the ballroom and get it over with, when he heard a soft thump from behind - almost like something had fallen off the roof. Could it have been an animal? Or an assassin who managed to get past his guards?

He turned, only to make eye contact with an unusual creature. He couldn't immediately distinguish their gender thanks to the lack of light and the rather non-descript brown cloak or dress they were wearing. They had fluffy white fur, pointed ears, a short snout, grayish-purple irises, a wide tail, and digitigrade hind legs. They were certainly not human but didn't appear to possess any distinguishing features from any particular subspecies of monsters either. Could they be a hybrid?

While he had been surprised by the appearance of the stranger, Nightmare soon recovered, feeling a wave of anger well up in his soul. This was no would-be assassin or they would have already attacked him. Clearly, they were nothing more than a trespasser, a petty thief interrupting his festivities.

The creature grinned mischievously, clearly amused by his reactions, despite having been caught in the middle of their break in. "Well, well, well, hello there, sir! Who are you supposed to be?"

Their voice had a strong yet lilting tone, practically oozing with self-confidence, which felt rather polarizing given their current situation. They looked Nightmare up and down before shrugging in a nonchalant manner. "Eh, it's not important. Don't mind me, I'll just be squeezing right inside." The thief gave a short bow and turned towards the door, completely dismissing him like he was the third son of some obscure merchant.

As if Nightmare was going let anyone disrespect him so blatantly. He caught the furry stranger by the arm, not even caring whether his claws ruined their clothes or not. They reacted faster than he expected, whirling around and lashing out at his face with claws that had been previously sheathed. Despite their size, those claws felt like little knives as they slashed through the ink-like corruption coating his bones, ripping the veil from his skull that he used to hide his damaged socket. Simultaneously, they roughly shoved him back against the balustrade, causing him to release his grasp on their arm.

Nightmare groaned and clutched at the right side of his face. He had been careless and let them get a cheap shot in, but since they hadn't taken further advantage of his weakened state, he now knew for certain that they were no assassin. He pulled himself up, having to lean against the stonework for support as he frantically searched for the irritating creature.

They had apparently paused long enough to see whether he was in pursuit, but the moment their eyes met, the thief snickered. "Nothing personal, sir!" they called before scurrying down the halls and out of sight.

Nightmare cursed, something he generally refrained from doing in proper company. He was injured, and an intruder was loose in his palace who would ruin the festivities if not caught. Hurrying inside, he ran after the fading footsteps of that strange monster, only pausing to shout at a passing guard about rallying others to catch the would-be thief.

~ ~ (⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠つ⁠⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠) ~ ~

It didn't take long for the news to spread. A shapeshifter had crashed the party, which enraged Emperor Nightmare so much that he had her thrown in the dungeon. Most of the staff were doing their best to avoid being around him for fear of agitating him further. While Ivy debated if she should try to see him, she decided to give him a bit of space to cool off first. Besides, the garden had been damaged when the guards captured the shapeshifter, and Ivy would have her hands full for a while fixing everything.

She was curious about the shapeshifter though. They were a rare subspecies of monster that, as the name implied, could change their form into whatever they chose. The actual process of shape changing required concentration, and more complicated or drastic changes took a lot of practice to get right. One interesting aspect that set them apart was their weakness to jade. Ivy wasn't sure why jade specifically blocked a shapeshifter's magic but didn't affect other monsters in the same way. Evidently, the guards had had some jade on hand when they captured the shapeshifter, although she hadn't made things easy for them even after being caught.

After working in the garden for most of the morning, Ivy decided to see what this shapeshifter was like for herself. There was a good chance the guards would turn her away as soon as she entered the dungeon, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

As Ivy descended the stone stairs, she felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered when she had been held here. Granted, it had not been for very long since Nightmare had offered her a job pretty quickly, but being confined to a cell had been far from pleasant.

She was surprised to find Horror stationed outside the cells, sitting on a sturdy wooden chair that he must have brought in himself. He wasn't wearing any armour, although his axe was leaning against the stone wall next to him. Ivy thought he looked like had been there for a while since he was lounging with his skull tilted back at an awkward angle.

The giant of a skeleton cracked open his good eye socket when Ivy approached but made no attempt to get up. "curious about the shifter?"

"It's all anyone is talking about," Ivy responded.

Horror chuckled quietly. "she's firey, keeps tauntin' the guards an' claimin' she'll break out when we're not lookin'." His permanent grin widened as he added, "almost reminds me of you actually."

Ivy huffed, choosing to ignore the comment. "Is that why you're the only one down here? Did the others get fed up, or did the emperor personally assign you?"

The skeleton took his time sitting up straight before answering. "bit of both maybe?" He scratched the back of his skull as his cheekbones turned a soft red tinge. " 's not so bad. no one bothers me, an' she's pretty adorable when not tryin' to bite you."

Horror had always seemed more down to earth, more honest, than the other generals, but Ivy was still taken aback by his admission. Out of all people, he had a crush? The quiet, unassuming skeleton who could snap you in half like it was nothing? He wasn't the most conventionally attractive person, but some people liked scars so maybe he had a chance? It would be interesting to see how things played out at least.

"Well, that's good, I think?" Ivy cleared her throat awkwardly and started to walk by. "I'm just gonna go say hi, real quick..."

"sure, sure," Horror responded and waved her off. "just don't stick your fingers between the bars if you want to keep 'em~"

Ivy took a deep breath and continued walking to the cell at the end of the dungeon, where the only occupant, the shapeshifter in question was being held. Everything Ivy had heard had made her seem almost feral like a wild animal, but Horror had apparently seen something else in her.

The shapeshifter was chained to the wall by her wrists, although the chains were decently long so she could move around somewhat and lay down on the pile of straw in the corner. There was also a thick band of jade fastened around her neck to prevent her from using her powers to escape or attack anyone. Otherwise, her cell was very bare, and besides the clothes on her back, there was nothing that could be used as a weapon or tool to break out.

The shapeshifter had been laying on the stone floor as close to the door as she could get when Ivy approached. Her mismatched eyes met the shifter's gray-purple ones and for a second they only looked at the other.

"You're blocking my light," the shapeshifter said before Ivy could open her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Could you move? You're really throwing off my feng shui here..." There was a sarcastic edge to the shapeshifter's almost blasé tone.

Ivy stared at the shapeshifter for a moment before taking a few steps to the side so that the torchlight wasn't casting her shadow directly into the cell. "Is that more harmonious for you?" she retorted.

The shifter closed her eyes and hummed. "It will have to do for now," she responded before sitting up. "So what brings someone like you down here? Have you come to gawk at me?"

"I wasn't planning on gawking-"

"Meh, look all you want. I'm a pretty infamous character around these parts, and after last night, it seems like I have yet another tale to tack onto my repertoire." The shapeshifter made a show of examining her claws in the dim light. "The name's Irene if you didn't know."

Ivy frowned at the mention of the previous night. "You'll be lucky if you get out anytime soon. Last night, you assaulted the Emperor, frightened his guests, and caused a lot of damage to the gardens that I work hard to take care of."

Irene feigned a bored yawn. "Oh, that's who that guy was? I always thought the Emperor would be..." She paused for dramatic effect, "...taller~"

Ivy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nightmare had executed people for less severe crimes countless times, and yet Irene didn't seem to care that she would likely suffer the same fate. She obviously wasn't naive, but her self-confidence seemed so strong that she must have completely dismissed the idea of consequences from her mind. Could there be something she knew that no one else did?

Irene tilted her head and grinned, her sharp fangs flashing in the torchlight. "Sooo, you got a name? Or should I give you one? You look like a Daisy...or maybe a Hollyhock?"

"My name is Ivy actually."

"Ooh, I was close. I'm guessing you must really like plants?" Irene grimaced slightly before adding, "I'm sorry if I killed any of them. I wasn't exactly watching where I was going before the guards caught me."

Ivy shrugged. "I suppose so, although looking after them can be pretty tiring, especially because the Emperor's aura tends to kill them. Compared to that, the damage you did isn't too bad."

The shapeshifter appeared slightly relieved to hear that, although she quickly looked away from Ivy in an attempt to hide it. "So, how did you even get past the big guy?" she deflected. "I mean, I get why you would want to see me, but he's scared off everyone who's tried so far today."

Confused, Ivy glanced down the corridor to where Horror was reclined in the chair again. He hadn't put up a single fuss about letting her visit, nor had he given a time limit. She wondered if he would demand some sort of payment when she left, or if he had just been feeling generous today. Well, whatever the case, she wasn't about to waste this opportunity to chat with someone from outside the mansion.

Ivy sat down on the floor in front of the bars, not caring that she would definitely need to wash her clothes later. "I'm not sure why he let me past, but he's probably got his reasons. What do you think of him anyways?" she asked as innocently as she could manage.

~~~

Empire!Ivy & Empire!Nightmare belong to @superbfirnacho

Empire!Soul aka "Irene" belongs to @prehnite-soul

Liked reading this? Maybe consider commissioning me? Just check out my pinned post for my rates. (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

Based on this drabble and this one too that my friends wrote. They are really good and I would recommend giving a read if you want some more context for things that happened in this oneshot.

~~~

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Static

This is a drabble I have been planning for a while and I finally know how I want to write it :3

Are you ready?

First Drabble here (with original prompt by @spotaus ) Prev Drabble here Next Drabble here

You see.... there was still something that hadden been addressed :3 Something about how Dust was dealing with the pressure and looks and backstory he has to follow :3

No beta and no edit. (also it is a big boy woops)

Timeline is that Nightmare was deaged like 4 months ago. One month in farmtale

*---------------*

Cross isn't sure how to deal with the tension in the air.

The bickering between Killer and Dust isn't making it any better.

Okay, Cross has got to be honest. It is much as much bickering as it is Killer being annoying and Dust trying to ignore him.

It had started this morning wiht Dust being more anti-social than usual. Easy to note by the fact that he had darkened the inside of his hoody.

Dust hadn't said a single word the whole day even as he went through the motions perfectly.

Cross is enver sure how to help in these moments. The moments which Horror once explained where most likely the times when the maybe ghost maybe hallucination of Dust's brother were extra loud.

Cross isn't even sure what that situation is. He asked everyone but Dust about it and no one really knows for sure if the Papyrus haunting Dust is actually a ghost. Or if it is a hallucination made of his own guilt. From what Cross heard from the others Dust isn't sure either.

The fact remains. They had tried to help in the ways they usually do. Cross tried to stay near in case he wanted something but mostly kept quiet. Cross tried to be a quiet reminder that Dust isn't alone and isn't whereever he was before.

Horror makes Dust's favourites and gently bullies him into eating and taking care of himself.

Killer tries to distract him.

Killer's tactis either goes very well or very wrong. At least Cross has been told that.

Cross has seen the two fight obviously but as soon as one manages to down the other the fight ends. The winner will be smug in their own way, Killer by loudly proclaiming victory while Dust will just have this smug little smile on his face.

The first time they just tackled one another to fight Cross had been worried. But after getting Horror and asking him what to do he had reassured Cross that this was just something the two did. For Dust it helps unload some of his large magic levels and overcharge and for Killer... welll Horror isn't sure about Killer, he assumes Killer just likes fighting or the attention with fighting.

Cross watches as Killer hangs all over Dust and yaps away about something. Cross can see that the fork Dust is holding is slowly but surely starting to curve under the pressure of Dust's phalanges.

Cross can see that Crop is a lot more nervous as he looks between the two worried before looking at Horror. Horror shrugs at the unspoken question.

Cross turns to check on Nightmare and sees him looking at the two with a frown. Cross grins and nudges him "No need to frown. Just them being silly again." he smiles.

Nightmare looks at him before looking back at the two. The frown not leaving "no... it isn't."

Cross is immediantly more worried, and he already was worried! He studies the two and notices that Dust is breathing very shallowly. Cross looks at Horror and signs it quickly to him.

Horror has a look of alarm on his face before slowly, and very carefully, inching closer "Come on Killer. That is enough. Not in the kitchen."

Killer grins cheerfully, completely unaware of the ticking timebomb he is hanging over "oooooh! here comes your knight in shining armour Dusty!"

Dust's fist twitches and Cross can see the fork fold over completely. Oh no.

Killer continues on as he leans on the other "Princess Dusty, getting saved and needing protection-"

And Killer flies over the table right into the stone wall, leaving large cracks on it. Dust follows two seconds after and punches him straight on the face.

Horror gets to Dust and tries to pull him off only to be turned blue and pushed away. Horror manages to fight the force but is still pushed away.

Cross doesn't think as he grabs Nightmare and backs up against the wall on the other side of the room. Even as Nightmare makes an unhappy noise and reaches for Dust. Nope! Not save right now!

Dust stands there panting heavily as mana and magic crack like electricity over him. Fuck. He is overcharged with magic. Fuck they are idiots to not realise that was going to happen soon. Fuck fuck fuck.

Horror somehow still looks calm even with the two different coloured eye lights staring straight at him from under the dark hood. "It is okay... we just ened to go out and-"

Dust huffs "Don't fucking bother." he sounds furious. He glances around the room and looks into Cross's direction for a moment. Dust looks away with a flinch and he is out of the room.

The front door slams shut.

Horror is by Killer as he helps him up. Killer groans as he rubs his skull "okay... maybe i was pushing it... again."

Horror gives him a 'no shit' look before checking his wounds.

Cross glances at Crop who had backed out of the kitchen and now inches back in "is everyone okay? what... waht was that?!" he waves at the front door.

Horror sighs as he rubs his skull "Overcharge... Dust has a lot of LV, EXP, magic and mana. Even with his buffed stats it gets a lot and he needs to release the steam or well... it goes off." he glances around "Sorry for your kitchen..."

Crop nods as he looks at the frontdoor "is it... safe for him?"

Horror nods as he looks into the same direction "It is... just dumb i forgot he would need to discharge...." he sighs.

Killer groans as he gets up "We all forgot. We have been busy and well... I think Dusty forgot as well."

A tug on his sleeve and Cross looks down at Nightmare. Nightmare just looks at him "Can I go to Dust?"

Cross feels panicked "no?! Just let him discharge Nightmare. You know he will be fine."

Nightmare shakes his skull as he looks at the frontdoor "It seemed different... I can't explain." a frown on his face of frustration.

Cross frowns as he looks at Horror and Killer. They share looks before moving towards the front door.

A loud boom of thunder and they open it to stare.

A large vortext of pure black clouds with purple lightning. SLowly but surely swirling to somewhere above the fields.

Crop whistles "Well then... I never saw that much magic before." he frowns and points "That normal?"

Cross follows the direction as he sees small zaps and static all in the air, all that same purple colour.

Killer shakes his skull "No that isn't normal... fuck I need to apologise..." he rubs his skull before quickly looking at Nightmare "don't repeat that." Nightmare shoots him an annoyed look.

Killer grins back before walking towards the stairs of the porch with purpose. only to get zapped as soon as he gets off the wood. Killer yelps and rushes back to stand behind Horror. glaring at the air "Rude! What the hell Dusty!"

horror frowns at him "hurt?"

Killer shakes his skull "More like a tiny zap when you are like static and stuff." he frowns and looks at the air "Though i don't know how that will be once that gets worse..."

Cross frowns as he follows Killer's sight. Cross can admit he is also worried. if this gets much worse it can spell very bad news.. not to forget that it has never been this bad before... Is this just what happened if they don't help him remember to discharge in time? Is Dust even okay with this much pressure and magic going on?

Cross frowns as he hands Nightmare to Horror "You guys stay here. Help Crop with the kitchen and keep Ngihtmare safe." just in case.

Ngihtmare glares as he is put down "I am safe!"

Cross nods and stares at Killer and Horror "I am going to go to help and try to get him to calm down and discharge safely." a spar usually works best.

Horror frowns as he shakes his skull "I will just come back if it goes wrong."

Cross shoots him a look "I got better stats and have the endurance to keep dodging to get through the worst. Killer has a straight up bullseye by his sternum and he annoyed Dust already. YOu may come back but do you really want to do that to Dust?" Horror frowns but nods his agreement. Cross nods himself "just keep an eye on Nightmare and-"

"See? Perfectly safe."

They all turn only to stare. Becuase Nightmare is just standing off of the porch. in the middle of the static. But nothing happens. the static follows along his body but never zaps him. Nightmare looks unamused "I will go to dusty and fix this."

Cross shakes his skull as he gets off the porch. Fuck the zapping is almost constant. He gets ot Nightmare and picking him up gives him a much much much larger and slightly painful zap. Cross breaths through it "No. You are going to stay here and wait. This is our mess so we will fix it ourselves." he nuzzles the small skull "We got this."

Nightmare looks unhappy to doesn't fight being handing back to Horror, Horror flinches at the zap but takes it in stride.

Cross nods to the others and goes into the direction of the large vortex of clouds.

The zapping is honestly just annoying. It helps that Cross can see none of his HP dropping even as he gets closer and closer.

He ends up finding Dust in the wheat field, well in a circle of completely vaporized wheat. the current and magic having turned the plants and part of the ground into ash. Dust just stands there. muttering as crackles of lighting go all along his body.

Cross gulps before stealing himself "Hey Dust!"

Dust freezes. Okay! Good news! Dust can still hear him! not too far gone!

Cross smiles and feels a bit braver "sorry we didn't realise... want to spar? Blow off a bit of steam?"

Dust tilts his skull but nothing. okay wait! Cross knows what this means!

Cross speaks louder "don't listen to whatever he says!" Dust doesn't react. Cross takes a step closer "please. whatever he says it isn't true or real oaky? Or at least not the full truth and-"

Dust chuckles and stares at him "What? Think i ened fucking protection from him?"

Cross blinks and opens and clsoes his mouth. Not sure what to say "I... euh... maybe?" is this a trick question?

Dust looks displeased by his answer. That is fair Cross couldn't commit to either answer. Dust huffs "Don't fucking bother. I am fine."

Cross frowns and feels braver again. No time for self doubt. Dust needs his help. Cross steps clsoer "You aren't fine."

Dust glares back at him "I am fine!" crackles and the ring of vaporized wheat grows bigger. Oh man Cross hopes Crop won't lose too much money thanks to that.

Cross gulps but keeps going closer "It is okay Dust... If it hurts i can heal you!" his healing is weak but he can still heal! "We just need to get you to use some magic and-"

Dust snaps "You want to see fucking magic!" and it crackles loudly as a snap of lightning crashed just by Dust's feet. Cross yelps and feels afraid it did damage but Dust seems fine even as the energy from the lightning travels through the ground. A loud whine of magic nad Cross sees an overgrown blaster right by Dust's shoulder.

Dust hisses "leave. me. alone."

The blaster blasts and Cross dodges. After the dodge Cross actually feels reassured.

You see?

If Dust wants to hit you. He will hit you. The fact he gave Cross enough time to get ready to dodge and didn't change the direction of the beam to still hit him gives Cross hope.

Cross glares back "I am not leaving." not again. He is not giving up on them again.

Dust glares as more blasters appear "You think I won't do it?! You think I am fucking weak?!"

...Weak?

Cross blinks "No? You are like one of the strongest mosnters I know..." Cross has seen Dust fight Ink 1v1 and win. Dust weak? Why would he ever think that? Who would ever think that?

Dust laughs and more crackles in the air as the static grows. Dust's face becomes visible and he smiles sharply at him "That is quite a different answer than you gave before!"

before? When?! Cross never said Dust was weak!

Cross doesn't really have a chance to dodge. Because even if Dust gives him time to see the attacks coming Cross sitll has to dodge them himself.

Dust growls as he charges more attacks "Helpless? Weak? Useless? come on! You can tell me! I already figured it out anyway! With the endless hovering and shadowing!" another blast.

It clicks.

They are fucking idiots!

Cross looks at him panicked "It is just an backstory!" Dust had said no. They still pushed and he had been unhappy wiht it.

They thought it was fine.

But then again. It isn't Cross who has to deal with it with every interaction he has...

Shit. They are assholes.

Cross barely dodges another blast and Dust frowns a tiny bit. He pulls his arm a bit back and a few blasters hold their fire "Well?! Still weak?! Still useless!?"

Cross needs to do something.

And well, the answer is obvious.

Cross gets ready for his sprint. He needs all the speed he can get. Dust sees him hold his own run and rolls his eye lights before shooting at him with a sneer on his face.

Cross runs straight at Dust, straight at the blast. Dust's sockets and eye lights widen and he has to pull hard at his own magic. the air crackles angerly as the blast changes directions just before it hits Cross.

Cross gets right up into Dust's personal space and locks his arms around the other.

Dust snarls and tries to free himself but Cross has more physical strenght than he has and Cross has a good hold on him with locking his arms to his side.

Dust screams and wiggles "Let me go!"

Cross shakes his skull and pushes close to the other "No. I am not letting go of you." not of you. not of nightmare. not of the others. No. He isn't letting go.

Struggling and more screaming. Blasters going off but without his arms he can't aim them right. Dust goes as far as trying to kick, scratch and even bite him but Cross just keeps holding on. Refusing to give up or give in.

The storm around them calms slowly and eventually Dust goes lax in his arms. still some uneasy crackles far above them but the vortex disappeared and the clouds turned more of a dark grey colour.

It starts to rain and this is when Cross thinks it would be safe to let him go. Not that he does. Cross keeps holding on.

Dust isjust lax in his hold. Not saying a word and Cross doens't even know how to say what he wants to say. That he is sorry for pushing. For not helping Dust think of a new plan. So being so okay with Dust having had to carry most of the burding concerning their back story. and later more responsiblity about money. and before that even with taking care of nightmare. All wihtout Cross even trying to help him.

Cross had just... liked the idea of the backstory. That Dust came to them for help, that Cross had a bit of the savior role in the story... Just like he had enjoyed the idea of some people thinking he and dust had a kid together. Just like he enjoys the idea that everyone knows the four of them are an unit and won't separate... Cross is a jerk.

He still isn't sure what to say "... We can probably change the backstory still..." Instead he just talks.

Dust just sounds tired "We can't..."

Cross shakes his skull and just tightens his hold "No we totally can!" think think think "We... we... we can just be that... that i was the one with the ex! But that i hadn't been sure about a kid... and so i just left but regretted it and found out about the bad stuff..." he is just rambling "So i went back and got you guys for help but nightmare had been so young so he didn't remember me and i was still weird about being a father but you were great at it so you and nightmare bonded and so we just kinda told him it was you and... and..." Cross doesn't know. he is stuck and can't think.

Dust snorts against his shoulder "People will hate that... they won't trust us in anyway if they 'found out' we lied..."

Cross gulps and knows he is right. still... "I am sorry... I should have told killer to stuff it when he oppered."

Dust shrugs "Could have done that myself..."

They continue to sit there in the rain. Cross trying to think of some way to fix this mess.

Dust sighs "It is fine... just... stupid... got the best of me... won't happen again."

Cross feels even worse "I am sorry..."

Dust tries to pull back, probably to shoot him a look of some kind but Cross just keeps holding him tighter. No. Not letting go.

Dust sighs and gives in rather easily "I know why... it is fine..."

Cross shakes his skull "you are overworked... and we were to dumb to see."

Dust lets out an annoyed sigh again "I don't need a babysitter. I should be able to take care of myself just fine cross."

Cross feels tears appear but pusehs them back "It isn't being a babysitter you moron! It is about being friends and looking out for one another and not being a dumb idiot to forget one of your friends also needs help!"

silence.

Cross just keeps going "We shouldn't have pushed the backstory. WHen you said no we should ahve just accepted that! You were uncomfortable wiht that plan. YOu are still uncomfortable wiht it. it isn't fair that we kept pushing and you had to brun for it."

Cross feels himself start to ramble and he doesn't bother to stop it "And then the tinkering! You like that and that is great but that doesn't mean it should be a must or have the pressure of being our solo income! You are overworked and tired and need rest and i don't want to hear any comment or self hating joke about you being lazy!"

Dust huffs and mutters "kill joy" but stays quiet otherwise.

Cross keeps going as if he didn't interrupt him "You are also the one who takes charge with Nightmare and that is fine as well as long as you don't have all the pressure! It is unfair of us to just assume you will decide or have the decision or even that you thought about it! Even if you do have the answers and you did think about it it isn't fair that we put that expectation and pressure on you! We are a team and we should share the burden of stuff!"

Cross pants as he just sits there. feeling partly mortified by what he just said and partly relieved he managed to get it all out.

Dust is quiet for a long time before answering "I don't mind it..." it is hardly more than a whisper.

Cross huffs and just keeps holding it "Even if you don't mind it now clearly it is too much or we wouldn't be sitting in a circle of vaporized plants."

Dust is silent but does give a small nod against his shoulder.

Cross nods himself "When you feel okayish. we will go back to the others. you are going to get cleaned up and sleep. actually sleep. and sleep in. No more trying to get up early wiht Nightmare."

Dust mutters "I sleep in..."

Cross huffs "Yeah. until like 8 or 9 compared to the 5 and 6 of Horror and me. But I mean you need to sleep sleep Dust. Sleep in untill at least 10. Don't even think I won't get Horror or Killer to tie you down to the bed!" Dust is almost always up until late at night. he needs rest clearly.

Dust snorts and mutters "Don't let Killer hear you say that. He will have many things to say about that implication about your preferences."

Oh god no brain don't think about that mental image when Dust is stuck in your arms. You don't want to have that type of conversation now when that image does things to you!

Cross feels himself blush as he stares striaght ahead "Very funny."

Dust snorts "I know."

Cross huffs before spekaing again "Well then! You are going to sleep in and get the rest you actually need. We are no longer going to allow you to plan your days full like you did before anymore."

Dust groans "Cross we still need money."

Cross nods "and so we will figure something out eventually! But you are no longer trying to earn enough for everyone. And please for the love of everything actually buy something nice for yourself for once!" so far he had only spend money on stuff for Nightmare. or clothes for any of them. Cross appreciates the clean clothes and things but please Dust just get stuff for yourself.

Dust mutters and mumbles some stuff but nothing that Cross can really make heads or tails from "Good! Now that we agreed to that... Ready to go back?"

Dust is quiet again but sighs "Yeah.... need to apologise to Killer for attacking him... and crop for probably breaking part of his house..."

Cross nods "Yeah... Good news though Killer didn't have actual HP damage so i think even when mad you were pretty controlled over what you actually wanted, which was just Killer to shut up I guess... as for Crop's house I only saw some cracks and Horror and I can do enough construction stuff to fix that." a moment of silence "Also Killer owns you an apology for annoying you the whole day."

Dust listens before sighing "Thanks..."

They sit a moment longer before they both get up. Cross can't help his curiosity as he sticks his phalanges into the lose sand.

Dust frowns at him "What are you doing?"

Cross looks away embarresed "Heard that... if lightning strikes sand like glass is made... I am curious..." he feels something but can't pull it out. Instead he pushes more sand and dirt aside and uncovers a giant glass electric strike in the ground. he can see how the electricity move and made the glass.

Dust frowns at it "Hopefully I didn't ruin his field... Will have to dig that out and any other stuff to make sure it doesn't damage his machinery when he does farming stuff." Dust already sounds tired as he looks around his large circle were Cross cna see multiple hits of lightning hit the ground.

Cross pats his back "It is fine. Horror and I got a lot of free time so we will get to that tomorrow."

Dust looks at him before sighing and nodding "fine."

Cross nods.

The two walk back as Cross looks at the sky "It is clearing... I didn't know you could do the whole sky thing..."

Dust shrugs "never did that before."

huh. Cross keeps looking up "Think it was because you have more charge or something?"

Dust shrugs "Could be..."

Cross nods as he taps his chin "We will need to make sure you don't overcharge faster than..."

Dust is quiet but Cross feels Dust nudge his shoulder. Cross beams at him and Dust shoots him a small smile back.

They near the house and find their other three boys waiting on the porch. Dust goes straight to nightmare nad hugs him before looking at Horror and Killer for just amoment before looking down "sorry... I.... sorry."

Horror smiles bakc and nods. Killer grins himself and shrugs "Euh. It is fine. Sorry to you for once again not picking up on your social clues." he rubs his cheek which has a large bruise "No hard feelings."

Dust nods and agrees easily enough.

After apologizing to Crop for the mess in both the kitchen and field and promising to fix it they get back to their attic. They take a moment to sit together and Cross explains what the deal had been about. Mostly because dust had retreated to hoody-city while hugging Nightmare and was refusing to admit himself what was wrong.

Killer and Horror both look deeply unhappy with this newly gotten information and looka t Dust. Dust manages to somehow look even further away as he mutters "Cross makes it sound worse than it is."

Cross glares. Rude! Because he actually thinks he is underselling the issue!

Killer must come to the same conclusion as he wiggles around until he is laying right up against Dust's side and looks at him begging "You know that I know you are like the strongest monster ever right? Like it is obvious. We all know that? You know that right?"

Dust shrugs and nods but Corss has his doubts. Seeing as he didn't seem to beleive so just moments ago. Killer pouts and has his scheming face on.

Cross sighs "Either way... we need to balance the work load better." he shoots Nightmare a look "You aren't allowed to share the load as you are a child and no child labor."

Ngihtmare huffs and crosses his arms "I can help"

Killer nods "You help by staying safe nad being a good babybones!" Nightamre grumbles even more and pushes closer to Dust.

Horror hums and nods "We will... need to calm down... Taking it easy with townvisits." he shoots Dust a look "Only when it is relaly necessary."

Dust huffs and mutters "Still need cash."

Horror nods "We will figure that out later. First taking things calmly. step by step."

Cross nods as he sees Dust relax a bit. Step by step. They can do this. They got each other and everything will be fine.

*---------------*

First Drabble here Prev Drabble here Next Drabble here

[starry-sophrosyne]

me realizing i havent ever posted my initial designs for tox and leo/ive stopped talked about ttos as a whole:

[niemensch]

I have a lot of thoughts about Shen Qingqiu as disciple. And how it might have gone. Especially about his relationship to the Xian Shu (Womens Only) Peak and why it soured so much even though he prefers women over men.

- Basically my head canon is he got banned from Xian Shu over a misunderstanding because he was too prideful to be honest about what really was his intention. Qi Qingqi assumes it was due to way worse reasons because the former Peak Lord is not there to explain, thus her hate for him. The longer version of this as drabble below:)

Like - Shen Jiu, young, still new-ish to the sect and absolutely sick of all the men around him (all of them in the throes and thrall of puberty at this point too, the horror!). He’s desperate and so fucking tired. His Shizun ignores his pleas to even get ‘official’ permission to leave the dorm rooms. (As if he hasn’t already left it months ago, sleeping on trees or abandoned buildings whenever he could afford to do so.)

Qi-Ge can just barely stop his grimace of disgust and shame - of him - whenever he sees Shen Jiu. Asking him for help or shelter? - It was ludicrous, out of question. If not even he would help, who was left to ask?

His body is aching and his eyes continue to flutter, opening and closing again and again, need for safety warring with the urgent one for sleep. The head disciple had turned it into a sport the last weeks - hunting for his usual sleeping spots, ‘punishing’ him for not following Shizun’s rules. Retaliation after Shen Jiu had surpassed them in all the lessons on theory and arts.

It was the wood shed today - they had held him down, laughed and mocked him as they painted a rainbow of violence all over his body, where nobody could see it.

Shen Jiu is tired. Of it. What use was getting stronger, furthering his cultivation and standing in the sect, if it could not even spare him from this? What use was working to be equal to his brother, when Qi-Ge could not even look at him without disgust?

He has heard about the Xian Shu Peak, of course he had. Who hasn’t - a miraculous place, filled with only women, beautiful beyond measure and talented in sword dance? Peaceful, no strife or fights? No men?

No man is allowed in. Shen Jiu knows that. He does. But what if he just, asked to live somewhere on the border? Not as member. Just close enough to be fenced in, protected and yet still far away from the female disciples.

Maybe he could ask his Shizun to transfer him, to work as a simple errand boy, or to tend to the archives there. He could relax then, finally spend more time reading, training. His teacher was surely going to be happy about the opportunity to get rid of him. (And - He would be safe then. He wants to be safe. To feel like it.)

Surely, if he just asked, explained his reasoning -

- “Do you think women weak? Easy creatures of comfort, to be coddled and protected? Has your teacher taught you nothing about my peak, its standing in the sect?”

The Xian Shu Peak Lord towers over him, iridescent with anger, her elegant face turned red with the force of emotion rushing through it. Shen Jiu is silent.

- “This is not a place for you to sleep and relax - our Peak is just as hard-working and serious about training as the others. As much as people like you would love to think otherwise.” A derisive scoff flees her lips, a glare full of disgust and condescension descending on him again. “Even if you weren’t a boy - snot nosed brats that think themselves too good for their own peak, lazy enough to want to load off the hard work of their fellow disciples as they lounge around are not welcome here.”

Shen Qingqiu doesn’t cry. What does it change, to do so? - He wishes he could bring himself to, in those moments. If only to convince people of his sincerity, be seen as more than bitter and wrong.

Instead his face contorts, an indignant frown spreading on his face. Pride wins, even in the face of this misunderstanding. The hammer of judgement falls on his head, the Peak Lord glowering in response and her anger turning into rage.

He walks away then, banned for life from the only place that could have given him a possibility of shelter - peace. No matter. He will survive, and come out stronger for it, just as he had the times before.

Qi Qingqi takes over the Peak later and with it the files. Sorts through them to get a picture of her future work. Then she finds it - Shen Jiu, banned for life from her peak. What other assumption is to be made than - he did something heinous to deserve thus? Maybe harmed one of the disciples or at least tried to. Her hate and scorn for him cements. Further hardens when LQG shares news of SQQ’s “exploits” in the brothel downtown.

[catsoupki]

“what are you doing?” bakugou mumbles

“nothing, will you just go back to sleep?” you don’t look at him when you speak, but instead you focus all of your attention onto your current task

“well i can’t when you’re just making random metal clashing noises next to me, just get back onto the bed and leave it for later when we wake up again, it’s not that fucking urgent”

you take a deep breath, but with the way you roughly slam the spoons into the box that houses the forks, it sends a grimace onto his face. in turn, he rolls over from facing you and now the wall

“if you did this when i asked you to yesterday maybe i wouldn’t have to do it right now but you didn’t, so just wait two more god damn minutes and then you can sleep again okay?”

he sighs, and for a moment you think that he’ll keep his mouth shut and keep quiet for once, suddenly the utensils you’re organising feel cold and biting against your skin, they feel like they’re drooping and melting into putty right in between your grasp, and you can’t catch it

“can you just give it a rest?” he goes from facing the wall to sitting up, the curtains flutter slightly in the wind and it tussles his hair in a way that makes you want to cry

“no i can’t fucking do that! i’ve laid out my life right in front of you and i’ve given you myself yet it’s still not enough! you’re a hero who doesn’t get to sleep at night fine i get it! but i’m not any less important so don’t you ever go around and speak to me like that ever again! you promised me all those eight years ago in that basketball court the day we graduated, and you remember what i said yeah? if you did i’d fucking leave!”

all the work you’ve been doing the past ten minutes is rinsed down the drain, useless and helpless to end, the flailing of your arms has caused the box that stored all the metal utensils to fall onto the floor. chopsticks, spoons, forks and knives poke at the hardwood floor and at the edges of furniture, it doesn’t chip the wall, it chips your heart instead.

you’re tired, and even when you’re not dressed for the outside, in mere pyjama pants and a random shirt that you go to sleep in, you walk towards the door and leave the mess behind you

[good-beanswrites]

Happy 0203 day ❄️🔥🎉 I don't know if these are specifically meant for ships, but have a little platonic normal au thing I wrote of them hanging out and being silly :3

Yuno narrowed her eyes to study the shirt she was holding up to her unwilling model.

“No.”

She angled her head, undisturbed. “You don’t get any say in this.”

“I get all the say in this – they’re my clothes!”

“And it’s my birthday gift to you. So zzzzzzzzip!” she mimed zipping her lips, though she knew Fuuta was incapable of any such thing. She pulled the shirt away from him. “There’s nothing wrong with this one! It’s cute.”

“That’s exactly what’s wrong with it.”

She thought it would have been harder to convince Fuuta to come along on a mall trip this close to his birthday, but he’d answered her text almost instantly. He said he’d allow her to buy one pair of fancy sunglasses, and only so he’d have something cool to wear once he could take his eyepatch off. That one pair became two, then added clothes to match, then a handful, and now they stood beside a massive stack of items she was considering.

“Just try it~”

Yuno gave him a gentle push towards the dressing room. She could only laugh as he went spewing complaints the whole way in. 

A few minutes went by and she busied herself with sorting the clothes they’d looked at, pairing up tops and bottoms and jackets and scarves. Fuuta would probably tease her for shallowness if she admitted how much she enjoyed activities like this, but there was something about it that just lifted her mood. Shopping trips with her classmates left her feeling a bit hollow, but Fuuta’s wildly honest commentary always made it more fun. 

Right as she was starting to feel a twinge of impatience, he crept out. He was still clutching the shirt and hoodie he’d removed, covering up most of his chest. Yuno eased it out of his hands, leaving him with an expression of utter panic.

“It’s awful.”

“Are you kidding?” She pressed her hand to her cheek. “It’s super fun!”

He was looking less at the new shirt, and more at the people passing by, or checking over his shoulder, or down at the floor. Restless hands tugged at the collar, then the hem. It was certainly more form-fitting than his usual picks. 

As much as Yuno liked the look, she didn’t want the poor guy completely folding in on himself. 

She made a grand swing of her arms, ending in an X. “I like it, but I suppose we’ll add that to the ‘no’ pile.”

“What pile…?”

“I mean, you still have to try these on.” She scooped up the stack of clothes beside her and dropped the whole heavy mess into Fuuta’s arms.

“Eh? Which ones?”

“All of them.”

“All of them? Are you fucking –!”

He tried to protest, but his raising voice caught the attention of some other shoppers. His face burned red and he practically sprinted back inside before he could retrieve his original clothes from Yuno.

She folded them neatly over her arm, no longer excited that it forced him to try something else on.

Had she been too much? She thought this was something fun for him, but he was genuinely uncomfortable just then. What if, all this time, she’d only been projecting her own enjoyment onto their outing? Her stomach sank. She knew he took up her invitation so quickly because he didn’t have any other plans. She’d completely taken advantage of his loneliness – dragging him out here just for her to have a blast while he had no other option.

His phone buzzed from the hoodie pocket. 

He still hadn’t come out of the dressing room. So, he really was that uncomfortable. She bowed her head at her selfishness. They’d go right home, once he returned. 

His phone kept buzzing. Yuno glanced down in its direction.

She was never one to poke her nose where it didn’t belong. In her defense, this wasn’t a good sign given Fuuta’s history. She fished it out of the pocket, promising herself just one peek, for his own good.

A groupchat was firing off notifications.

@ fuuta where are you?

he said he was ditching, remember?

are you serious?

Broooo I thought he was kidding…

He’s out with a girl FR? No way, I still think he’s lying

you know you forfeit your spot if youre not here when we start the tournament

He was so hyped for this 💀 

must be quite the girl, huh

cmon man, we need you!

I can’t believe he’s finally touching grass 🙏

TRUE

happy for you man

“Is that my phone?”

Yuno nearly dropped it in surprise. “I – uh, it was going off, and –”

“Sorry.” He snatched it away without even glancing at the screen. “So?”

“So…?” Her heart raced with the panic of getting caught. He looked at her like she’d gone insane.

“What do you think of this thing?” He gestured to the new shirt he’d put on. “This was all your idea, but if you don’t want to be here as much as I don’t, we can –”

“No.” Her face broke into a smile. She exhaled. “No, I’m really glad we’re here.”

He blinked at the sudden warmth in her voice. “O-okay.”

“And I think it looks perfect. Really suits you~” It made sense he’d pick this one next; it sat right within his usual style. “Ooh, ooh! Why don’t we keep alternating things in your comfort zone! That would definitely help.” 

“Or we could just buy this one and be done with it.”

She kept her expression neutral. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”

His face was obscured as he headed back to the dressing room. “I wish,” he spat, “but I’m fucking stuck with you.”

Yuno couldn’t help it as her smile spread even wider. 

She called after him, “hey, try on that colorblock one next.” 

“Ugh. It’s ugly. And asymmetric.”

“So’s your face. Put it on.”

“Oi!”

[player1064]

Jamie Carragher character thesis statement

[fortune-maiden]

Feveruary Day 7: 'I'm still not used to being taken care of'

Live action verse! :D

And also a double drabble because Huang Shaotian Cheng Xiaoshi cannot be contained!

“ – and you can forget the top bunk, when it comes to concussions, let me tell you – ” Cheng Xiaoshi’s mouth didn’t stop moving as he went in and out of the living room, bringing more of their bedroom back with him each time. From the couch, Lu Guang watched helplessly, icepack to his brow, unable to follow the dizzying whirlwind of conversation. That wasn’t because of his actual dizziness. That was Cheng Xiaoshi’s usual effect. “There. We. Go!” The two-hour countdown was set, and Cheng Xiaoshi nodded at the filled up room satisfied. With everything he needed for the night, and then some, he settled in his chair cross-legged with a bag of chips and a smug grin. “It’s funny, isn’t it. I’ve taken so many blows to the head tonight yet I’m still perfectly fine. You, meanwhile, took one and landed in the hospital. Aiyah, lie back down. Didn’t you hear me say I’ll look after you? Is that so hard to accept?” “No, it’s just,” the corners of Lu Guang’s mouth involuntarily twitched upwards. “I guess I’m still not used to being taken care of.” Cheng Xiaoshi gave him a long look. Then piled on another blanket.

[averycutesalamander]

merry crimes from me and boothill 💝 i hope everyone has a fantastic day !! 💕

[theflopwonder]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: DCU (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Red Robin (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent Characters: Tim Drake (DCU), Kon-El | Conner Kent Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Car Sex, Trans Tim Drake (DCU), Tactile Telekinesis (DCU), Pet Names, author loves the 'sunshine' nickname headcannon a normal amount Summary: Even though he wasn’t the one driving originally, Tim launches himself to crawl in the front seat as the cruiser begins to park on the opposite lane. “Whoa! Whoa! Hey,” Conner exclaims, catching him around the waist, and guiding him back next to him. “Whatever John Wayne-esque fast and furious ass plan you got, dead it. Can barely get this thing to go over 60 on a good day,” Tim makes a mental note to check the car's spark plugs… after he gets his boyfriend's spark plug first though.

snippet under the cut ;)

“You okay?” Tim breaks the silence, stroking light fingers between his shoulder blades.

“Thas-” Kon yawns, before nuzzling his nose against Tim’s. “That’s my line”

“Bout time I was the one fucking you to sleep,”  

“You wish, man. Your bat body might’ve forgotten how this works, but when the sun isn’t in the sky, you’re supposed to be tired,”

“Smart-ass,”

“Smart enough to fuck you stupid,”

“No, you temporarily siphon my smarts every time I let you fuck me. Draining my life force, and making me loopy and tired. There’s a difference,”

“Lotta words for describing oxytocin release there buddy,”

“You’re a thief. A sense stealer,”

“And sleep giver. I think it’s an equal exchange,” He kisses Tim’s cheek. “Give some to get some n whatnot,”

“Keep talking and you’re never getting some again,”

“You don’t even believe that,”

[starry-sophrosyne]

Just.

a WOTC spinoff au where Sophist doesn't get banished but Bertrand still joins the rebellion (as/becomes the leader now, maybe for a diff reason like he got suspected instead of sophist for killing his father or something idk-) and Brent is forced to marry Cherie anyways, while he can only watch/help him prepare for his wedding as his best man (around the same time as WOTC, maybe Brent delayed marrying anyone for a few years due to the unstability of the kingdom after Bertrand left and his dad died)

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i might write somewhat of a full version of this as a drabble but i would need to read up on versions of this writing prompt (i need ideas bc motivation for this drabble idea is lowkey low) but GOD the amount of things that would go UNSAID. In this universe, he gently pushes his friend towards the ballroom again, only without a lingering feeling on both of their lips. Because how could he? Right before he was about to get married, and unaware of his true feelings for him too? No, instead, without realizing it, he tears up:

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"Never thought you'd cry at my wedding." — Brent's eyes widened in shock, a look comprised of genuine surprise and concern on his face just as Sophist realized the tears trembling in his waterline. Trying to play it off, he hoped his dear friend would take it as a moment of emotional vulnerability in opposition of what he currently felt.

"Oh, shut up! Am I not allowed to care about you for once? God, you asshole, of course I do! Why wouldn't I? I'm just.. really glad to see you so happy." — He rambled, ripping his glasses off his face with more emotion than he would've liked. Swiping the glassiness of his eyes onto his cheeks, he tried to force a painful smile, but still. He stiffened as Brent gave him something of a somber smile, heart cracking with every second that ticked by. Reasoning and rationality threatened to be swallowed up by his turbulent emotions, even as he gripped his hands together so hard they shook, because why? Why were they put through this? Was it unlucky fate that disdained them, or maybe.. Maybe it was just him. If that was all, then how could he ever be mad or guilty? He didn't deserve this, but he didn't deserve him either, and if Brent truly didn't feel anything for him at all, then he could never ruin his happiest moment. But even still.

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Please, he thought, as he bit his lip so hard he thought it'd bleed, don't walk back to me. Don't give me a reason to make a bad decision.

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"Yeah.." — The room went silent, replaced with wavering smiles and palpable tension. What would he even say at this moment? This was his finality, his never-turning-back.

"Go get em buddy, knock her dead with your dressed up looks!."

"Oh shut up the fuck up." — He laughed once more, but even as he turned around and gripped the door knob, he wanted to stop. Ever fiber of him wanted to turn around, run towards him. Embrace him, kiss him, run away with him; but he couldn't. Not because he didn't want to, but because he simply, couldn't. Too much depended on this marriage. His mother was relying on him, his kingdom was relying on him, Cherie was relying on him. His mother had lost too much, his kingdom had too much to loose, and Cherie was a woman that could bring them the power to end it all; But even still.

Taking a deep breath, he grit and ground his teeth so hard he thought they'd crack. And then, he turned to look back at him once more. And oh, he looked wonderful. His purple brocade vest was embroidered with violet, donning a lacy ruffled cravat as were the cuffs of his sleeves. His pants slim fit and tailored, he looked just like a regular noble, except for his signature mask, which was similarly styled to match his clothing; though his traditional jacket and hat were absconded for the event. Even still, he was perfect, and he wasn't his.

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His eyes lingered just a bit too long, just enough for his hardened heart to crack as his eyes revealed everything he'd wished to hide, unsafe from his best friend's astute observations.

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He swore he saw Sophist's expression change, eyes breaking open into a pool of glassy sorrow, but instead, they closed as he offered Brent an encouraging smile. They squinted back open just slightly but teasingly; a playful gaze that taunted him: "Cold feet, gonna chicken out?" He could practically hear his irritating voice, nagging him in an oh so familiar and lovely way. It helped, as he chuckled and his heart settled just a bit, but even still, he takes a deep breath. He's walking away from what, no, who he loves, but.. as long as he can remain by his side..

It's just enough for him to take the leap forward, as he twists the door knob with a conviction; but even as the light shines on his face and the ballroom explodes with noise, his heart cant help but sink.

[bad-system]

equo ne credite, samuel/oc (blasius)

Horsing around, and something as tender as a bruise. Set in 1402, before the events of KCD2.

———

“Hah,” Samuel grunted. “Fuck.”

Blasius looked up from counting groschen he’d won the night before inquisitively. Samuel barging into their shared room was hardly an oddity, but him gripping the door with a winded breath was a less common occurrence. 

“Getting too old for the stairs?”

Samuel pointed a sharp glare in his direction before trudging towards his own bed and collapsing on it. “Your prized cow kicked me again,” he bristled. He lifted his tunic carefully, revealing a wide, developing bruise on his hip. Blasius, more alert now, crossed the room in two steps to crouch in front of Sam. He nearly reached for the mottled skin before remembering himself quietly, like a coward.

“I told you,” he hummed, voice infuriatingly mild as he rummaged through his travel bag. “He hates being fed a kosher diet.” 

Basheer, his beloved bay Arabian, was a fickle beast at best, a fiend at worst. He was a content creature with Blasius’ ever-changing horizons, filled to brim with wanderlust almost as much as his owner. Though recently, Blasius’ unusually prolonged stay at Kuttenberg had started making the animal feel restless. Samuel, by extension, was bearing the brunt of it.

“Farshiltn vildeh khayah,” he winced, undoubtedly venting his frustrations at the horse as he gingerly touched the bruise.

Blasius tossed a calendula ointment from hand to hand as he returned to Samuel’s side. He took a seat next to him on the bed, tutting sharply at Sam when he failed to raise the tunic high enough. Exasperated, Samuel rolled it up higher as Blasius’ long, slender fingers carefully spread the orange ointment over the discloured skin. Smooth, warm. Almost as mottled with want as Blasius himself.

“You’ve been hanging out with my mame for too long.” Sam noted as he regarded the careful, tender motion. 

Blasius snorted. “You could do with some mothering.”

His glee, however, was cut short as he stood up and his knee made a noticeable ‘crack’ in the quiet of the room. He froze for a moment before catching Samuel’s face bloom with a barely suppressed shit-eating grin. 

“Not a word,” he warned.

“By the sound of it, I think you might be fit for the job,” Samuel laughed. Blasius shot him an unamused glare.

“Mind your manners, boy,” Blasius hissed, but it did little to assuage Sam’s unrepentant laughter.

Samuel let himself collapse on the bed with an exhale as he regarded the cartographer again. Though, instead of retiring back behind his desk, he watched Blasius gather up Samuel’s sleeping shirt from the floor—watched, but didn’t expect him to make for the door with it.

“Oy!” Samuel shot up. “Where the fuck are you going with that?”

Blasius didn’t slow down. “Feeding your tunic to Basheer,” he called over his shoulder, letting the door thud shut behind him.

Samuel swore colorfully and scrambled after him, barefoot and cursing.

[cryscendo]

Hi, how about an abrupt,  heated kiss during the middle of a fight for Klaine?

i bet you didn’t think i would ever respond to this!! well i will say that i kinda ran away with this plot a bit. does it fit the prompt? only vaguely. BUT it’s another thrilling installment to my angel/demon au with a bit more lore thrown in. dedicating it to you as well as @porcelainvino for their various art pieces for this au <3 hope you love it and sorry for the wait!!

Paring: Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson

Word Count: 2030

Rating: T

AU: Angel/Demon AU

fic can be read under the cut <3

There were a lot of things that turned out to be just as unpleasant about falling, not including the actual falling part.

For one, he was weaker than he used to be. He did suspect that would happen, but it still hurt his ego a bit. He used to have so much power that he often didn’t even know what all to do with it. Not that he really could do much with it anyway; the big men upstairs never allowed much fun to be had. More time was spent existing as a militant entity than was spent actually basking in the alleged splendor that was heaven.

If given the option between going back to that or experiencing the pain of falling all over again, Kurt would choose to fall every damn day.

Besides, angels don’t get to play with humans like they’re Barbie dolls. And that’s way more fun.

The man before him, unsuspecting and ignorant, saw Kurt at a bar and thought he’d be an easy target. Kurt knew he perfectly looked the part of a young man getting his first drink at a bar as a twenty-one year old. Aging was such an earthly concept and Kurt was not burdened with it. But to an older man, the illusion of wide-eyed innocence was all too compelling.

Kurt claimed he ‘knew a spot’, which was just as cliché as it sounded, but it was effective nonetheless. Apparently intelligence didn’t always come with age.

It wasn’t long after he got the man to the abandoned storage facility that he knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. Not soon enough, though, for Kurt had already made quick work of knocking the man out and handcuffing him to a chair. When he came to once more, it was in a fit of panic.

“Look, I didn’t sign up for this kind of crazy! So just let me go, okay?” The man pleaded with Kurt and it was charming if nothing else. Kurt leaned over him, one knee braced against the chair in a way that could be seen as provocative in any other circumstance.

“What, am I too old for you?” Kurt asked in a mocking whine. “I swear, I’m only twenty, maybe thirty centuries old!”

“Whatever game you’re playing here, kid, I’m not interested so just let me-”

“Let him go, Kurt,” a voice spoke up behind him. Kurt grinned as he straightened up. Of course he would show up. It was impossible for him to stay away. He made a bit of a show of turning around to face the new arrival — his favorite little angel.

He turned towards the voice, maintaining his flirty tone. “Just can’t stay away from me, can you?”

“You could say that,” Blaine replied and that’s when Kurt saw it — the glint of a blade held discreetly in his palm. He recognized the weapon, as it was a piece from Heaven’s arsenal. See, a regular knife couldn’t kill Kurt.

But that one could.

Kurt’s grin dropped as he backed away from the man strapped to the chair, and subsequently also away from Blaine. “What do you think you’re doing with that?”

“You attract too much attention to yourself.”

“Well, I can’t help but pull focus,” Kurt responded in a rather clipped manner. The man in the chair began to panic even more upon being approached by Blaine.

“Listen, man,” the guy began quickly, “you don’t need to kill him or anything! Just let me go and I’ll be on my way!”

Blaine’s eyes flickered down to the stranger, eerily calm. “You don’t need to see this,” he said simply and before the man could even begin to reply, Blaine rested his palm to his forehead, immediately knocking him out. Putting a human to sleep rather than killing them; that was so painfully just like Blaine to do.

“Why do you have that thing?” Kurt interrogated the second that the man was unconscious.

Blaine turned the knife a bit in his hand as if observing it. “Come on, Kurt, you know exactly what this is.”

Kurt maintained a semi-safe distance. “Why do you need that thing to kill me? You’ve never needed that for a demon before.” It was true. Blaine could take down a demon easily. It made them cruelly unmatched. Blaine had never threatened to kill him before, but it would be undoubtedly easy for him to do so should he want to. For Blaine, a demon is an easy target. He was an easy target.

Unless…

Kurt’s grin returned. “You can’t kill me, can you?” He asked coyly.

Blaine remained serious, but Kurt could see a crack in his expression letting on that he was nervous. Kurt seemed to always have that effect on him. “Not at my rank, no,” he said simply, but Kurt knew what he meant. He wasn’t strong enough to take out Kurt. An ordinary demon, he’d have no problem. But as luck would have it, Kurt wasn’t an ordinary demon.

Kurt took a risk. He moved a few steps towards Blaine and the weapon he possessed. “You’re not going to kill me.”

“I could.”

A few more steps. “But you won’t.”

“I might.”

“But you won’t.” Kurt was directly in front of him now. He knew it was a dangerous game, but he had a point to prove. “Because if you were going to, you would’ve done it already. So tell me angel, was this a direct order from one of your bossmen, or are you just simply that obsessed with me?”

“Don’t push your luck, Kurt,” Blaine spoke, gravely serious.

“Or what?” Kurt challenged. He could feel Blaine’s steady breaths from just how close they were. Blaine’s gaze met his evenly. “If you’re going to kill me, then do it. I’m wide open.” Kurt tilted his head a fraction, his eyes alight with the rush that comes with toying with Blaine. His tone shifted into something devilishly flirtatious as he spoke again. “So, y’know, take me, I’m yours and all that.”

It was then that Blaine sprung into action. With quick work, he managed to securely grip onto the collar of Kurt’s shirt, using his strength over the other to force Kurt backwards. There was a time where Kurt may have been stronger than him. But Kurt gave all that up, and he still refused to regret it.

That didn’t mean he loved Blaine constantly using that fact against him.

Blaine got him against a wall with one particularly rough push. Kurt felt the brittle wall crack slightly behind him. Fuck, Blaine was strong.

Blaine was strong.

Once Blaine has Kurt pinned defenseless against the wall, he brings the blade down. Kurt doesn’t know whether it was thanks to adrenaline, or his own sense of speed in the face of self-preservation, but he reached up and circled his fingers around Blaine’s wrist before he could manage to connect the weapon.

The blade stilled, suspended in the air between them. Kurt imagined the scene was almost picturesque in a way — him pressed between Blaine’s firm body and the unforgiving wall, his long fingers locked around Blaine’s wrist. Angel and demon. Lovers. Enemies.

Blaine really was going to kill him.

Their shared breathing revealed the exhaustion that their overexertion had caused. Kurt knew, given his current position, he was fully at Blaine’s mercy. The mercy of an angel who just tried to kill him.

That gave Kurt little other choice. Slowly, he tugged at Blaine’s wrist until the blade was sitting just above his throat. He leveled Blaine with a steely look, deathly serious. “Well, go ahead, angel. Do what you gotta do.”

“I don’t want to kill you, Kurt,” Blaine clarified, but didn’t pull the blade away.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he bit out before he could even think to check his tone. This was, in large part, his own doing. He opened the door for Blaine to corner him, he really had no right to be upset about it actually occurring. Even in his current position, Kurt couldn’t refrain from looking down his nose at Blaine, hoping to properly demonstrate his distaste from his present circumstances. “I’m guessing you got assigned a job from one of the big men upstairs?”

“You’re lucky that it’s me and not someone else.”

“Oh yeah, I sure feel lucky.” Kurt’s fingers twitched around Blaine’s wrist as he continued to hold the blade close to Kurt’s throat. But hasn’t pressed in yet, and Kurt cannot fathom why. He has the perfect opportunity. Kurt is basically giving him a free pass, so why isn’t he going for it? “Well?”

Blaine’s grip on the weapon slacked just a bit. “Nothing is ever easy with you.”

“So why don’t you take care of the problem?”

Blaine said nothing, did nothing. He only stood and continued to watch Kurt in silence, and Kurt could practically see the flurry of thoughts swirl around in Blaine’s head. Kurt almost felt bad for the guy; he knew that he didn’t make Blaine’s job simple, and admittedly, does very little to combat that fact.

Eventually, though, Blaine shakes his head. “You’re right. I won’t do it.”

The sound of the metal blade clattering to the ground reverberated discordantly off the walls of the warehouse.

Kurt took no time to ponder Blaine’s decision to spare him. Instead, he kicked the weapon away from the two of them and then, in quick succession, flipped their two positions. Blaine didn’t put up any fight with being pushed up against the wall himself. He could break free if he really wanted to. He chose not to.

“Do you still love me, Blaine?” Kurt asked, not ready for the words to fall from his mouth before they did.

“Are demons even capable of love?”

Kurt wasn’t sure. Maybe demons who never experienced love aren’t. Love is formed from soul, grace, and humanity, of which demons have none.

But Kurt wasn’t always a demon, and he still didn’t really fit the mold of one. Fallen angels are different from regular demons. They still possess morality, at least to some extent. It was just like Kurt to never really fit in anywhere.

“Do you? Still love me?”

Honey colored eyes gazed at Kurt with something akin to sympathy, which would burn his blood if it weren’t for the fact that he so desperately needed a response.

Blaine nodded.

Kurt kissed him. He didn’t even hesitate. With Blaine pinned up against the wall, it was easy for him to leverage a searing, bruising kiss against soft lips. Blaine always tasted the same, like coffee, — such an earthly pleasure that he achieved no benefit from and only chose to indulge for its luxury — and something else a touch more divine. Kurt couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but it tasted vaguely familiar from the holy kingdom that he was no longer welcome to.

Kurt pulled away with a sigh. Blaine panted quietly, a faintly pink blush forming under tanned skin. Kurt was right about one thing, Blaine was an angel — in every sense of the word.

“I don’t suppose I can convince you to disappear for your own safety?” Blaine eventually asked.

Kurt smiled. “Not a chance in hell.”

Blaine nodded in understanding, as if he already anticipated Kurt’s response. “You always were stubborn to a fault.”

Blaine wasn’t wrong. And as much as he would love to stand here with Blaine forever, it wasn’t wise to hang around angels for too long — even if the angel in question was Blaine.

He finally stepped away from Blaine, allowing the man some space. Kurt glanced over to the man tied to the chair. He had forgotten that guy was here. He was simply a means to an end, afterall.

“You may want to wipe that guy’s mind, angel. Or else he’s going to be a real problem when he wakes up.”

Kurt headed towards the exit of the building, but not before Blaine called out to him. “Suddenly not so keen on sticking around?”

Kurt grinned, if not mostly to himself. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll find me again. And who knows? Maybe you’ll actually have it in you to kill me next time.”