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lovedrunkheadcanons · 2 years ago

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Chapter Contents

(Arranged Marriage Fic) Read on Ao3

Rated M

That night, Hannah dreamed she was drowning in a sea of red. Twenty-six little hands pulling her down, down, down, far below the surface until her lungs gave out and she woke up, heart racing, throat dry, clutching her chest to feel it was still beating. A dream, thank God it was only a dream, she thought. But the crinkling of tatami startled her anew and she froze to catch sight of a dark, slender figure gliding across the walls, silhouetted by the amber glow of the lanterns left burning in the hallway. She watched it stumble over a few times, curse under its breath, then emit a sickly groan followed by a cough. She heard the neighboring shoji slide open and close with a “twack,” then the dragging of footsteps, and then finally silence.

Hannah sat there in the dim, attempting to quell her frantically beating heart. She’d made the connection.

Satoru was home from his mission.

As a consequence, the young wife had trouble going back to sleep, tossing and turning on the floor till colorless sunlight filtered through the paper walls. Come morning, Hannah waited for the sound of his footsteps to head their way over to breakfast, but her ears only caught early birdsong and the clattering of dishes. The smell of grilled fish and sesame oil permeated the air. Makoto said breakfast would be ready around eight. It was already a quarter past. Her stomach growling, Hannah rose from her futon to get dressed, opting to wear her old blouse and jeans that were hidden at the bottom of a drawer. She hardly made a dent in her new closet yesterday; trying things on, walking in them, sorting clothes in either a “keep” or “storage” pile. It was a bit ridiculous really. All of them, even the simple frocks, felt too impractical for ordinary life, minus the heels and jewels. Once fully clothed in her usual attire, Hannah plaited a top layer of hair, leaving the remainder to drape down her shoulders, and wordlessly peeped behind her bedroom door, anticipating at any given moment for her obnoxiously handsome neighbor to emerge from the other side. Again, nothing. Perhaps he was already eating without her. Hoping this were true, Hannah parted her door and followed the tantalizing scent of grilled foods to a parlor where Makoto was busy setting fine China on a table. Her kimono was a rejuvenating key-lime green.

“Ohayo, Hannah-sama,” she greeted warmly, placing a pair of chopsticks on the chabudai. “Please, do sit down. I was just about to serve the beef.”

Rubbing the vestiges of sleep from her eyes, Hannah whispered her own “good morning” and knelt at the table.

“Orange juice?” Makoto held a pitcher of the succulent drink.

“Yes, thank you,” Hannah said with a smile, and separated the lid from a steaming rice bowl, tilting it just a smidge so the excess water didn’t drip off the rim. Makoto poured her a cup of orange juice and disappeared to bring the meat as promised, while Hannah uncovered one dish after the other. Looking at the meal, one would think the housekeeper was trying to outdo herself. Last night’s dinner had been nothing short of delicious; fresh edamame, duck gyoza, and black cod served with miso-yuzu sauce and a slice of raspberry cheesecake for dessert. But for breakfast it was soft-boiled eggs and grilled sweetfish peppered with sansho, along with white rice and cutlets of roast beef. One thing was certain. Makoto’s cooking put the master chefs at Wasserton to shame. Crazy to think Satoru got to eat like this every day.

Speaking of which, he had yet to show. The other side of the table was vacant.

“Is Satoru not joining us?” Hannah asked.

Makoto’s face suddenly turned grey as she placed the beef tenderloin on the table. “The young master isn’t feeling well this morning.”

“Really?” Hannah blinked, wide awake now. “He’s sick?”

“No, not exactly,” the housekeeper brought a hand to her temple, “It’s migraines, ma’am. Nasty ones. Sometimes they confine him to his bed for a few hours or more.”

“I see,” Hannah replied, turning over her shoulder to peer down the hallway. “Will he be alright?”

“Hmm?” The housekeeper looked up from a teapot. “Oh yes, ma’am. He’ll make a complete recovery. It’s just...” She removed the steeped tea leaves from the pot and wrung her hands together. “Well, as luck would have it, I forgot to buy Bufferin tablets last week,” her cheeks grew red, “there the only thing that helps with the pain, but I hate to leave the young master unattended in case anything were to happen, so…” She was trying to ask for something but was uncomfortable saying it out loud. Hannnah voiced it for her.

“I could watch him for you.”

“What?” She shook her head vehemently, wishing she hadn’t implied anything. “Oh, no, ma’am. I couldn’t possibly expect you to do that.”

“It wouldn’t be for very long.”

“No, no, no, ma’am. You’re the lady of the house. I simply couldn’t.”

This polite banter went on for another two minutes, Hannah offering her services, Makoto kindly refusing them, but the mistress eventually put her foot down and said very plainly, “I’m his wife, aren’t I?” and that was the end of it.

When breakfast was finished and dishes washed, Makoto departed for the pharmacy, while Hannah went into the kitchens in search of a small bowl, a tray, and a wash rag. Finding everything rather quickly, she filled the bowl with cool water and folded the cloth in half on the tray. Amidst her pillorying, she stumbled upon Makoto’s spice cabinet; cinnamon, saffron, thyme, and countless other seasonings meticulously labeled on glass bottles. A mauve colored spice seized her attention immediately next to the oregano. Aha, there you are. She happily took the jar and poured a tablespoon into an empty tea sachet, tightening the drawstring so it would hold. She gave it a light sniff; The perfect amount.

Adding the bag to her loot, she wiped her hands on her jeans and with a silent prayer lifted the silver platter off the countertop and walked down the hall towards Satoru’s bedroom. The distance felt like a mile. Quietly as possible, she placed the tray on the straw matting and rapped her knuckles on his door three times.

“What is it?” came a groggy voice.

Hannah took a deep breath.

“It’s me,” she bit her lip, afraid of saying the wrong thing. “Can I come in?”

There was a pause before she received an answer.

“Enter,” the voice said.

Hannah slid open the shoji and picked up the tray, noticing her ears pop as she walked through. Must have something to do with the incantation Makoto mentioned yesterday, she thought. His room was sealed in the same magic.

The layout was similar to hers, clean and sparse, not too many furnishings, but rather than purple paulownia trees, the bedroom walls were forested in green pines and sloping mountainscapes with quaint Buddhist temples tucked away in the clouds; a heavenly realm. However, the cardboard cutouts of voluptuous bikini models, winking and blowing invisible kisses, distracted from this sacred space. Apparently marriage hadn’t encouraged Satoru to get rid of them. A bit flustered at never having ventured inside a man’s bedroom, Hannah’s eyes sought the wide screen TV hooked to a gaming console, and two large bookshelves stored with volumes of manga she would later learn were Fullmetal Alchemist and One Piece (and strangely enough, C’mon Digimon), plus gobs and gobs of movies and video games. And then finally there was Satoru himself, looking worse for wear on a lone king-sized mattress.

He craned his neck. “Where’s Makoto?”

Hannah balanced the tray, ignoring the fact that he was likely shirtless underneath those bedsheets. “She left to fetch you some medicine.” Her eyes scanned the room for a spot. “Is it alright if I set this down?

Noticing the tray, Satoru draped a bare arm over his eyes and lazily motioned with his other hand for her to come closer. Hannah approached and situated the tray on the nightstand. The Six Eyes wielder expected her at that point to say her goodbyes and leave. Instead his ears detected the sound of water being squeezed from a washcloth. His side of the bed dipped. He raised his elbow to see Hannah sitting on the edge of the mattress, holding out the wet rag for him.

“May I?”

He wanted to tell her to get out, that he didn’t need to be babied, but his head throbbed as though shrapnel was lodged somewhere deep inside his cerebellum and eye sockets, hitting a jackpot of nerves. The mission had been successful, a semi-grade 1 Curse reported in Daisen, but he’d gone a full 72 hours without sufficient rest and was now paying the price. His eyes ached like sore muscles. Everything was too fucking bright, too colorful. And his stomach. His stomach felt worse than it’d been in years, like someone had sawed it in half. So without further protest, Satoru’s elbow fell to his side, granting Hannah silent permission to press the damp cloth to his forehead. Then he felt fingers comb through his hair and immediately jerked away.

“What're you — ”

“Where does it hurt most?” she said gently.

The newlyweds stared into each other for a tense moment, turquoise blue colliding with moss brown. One more, she had him in a corner. He accepted defeat.

“At the back, around my neck.”

Carefully and stealthily, Hannah wedged her dainty fingers between the pillow to cradle his aching skull and began working circles into the skin, massaging the area where his neck and head connected. He closed his eyes and exhaled an alleviated sigh, her hands brushing back his hair. If he were a cat, surely he’d be purring like a kitten right then.

“It’s the Six Eyes, isn’t it?” he heard her say as she stroked. “That’s what causes them?”

Blood warmed his cheeks. “Yeah.”

“Are they always this bad?”

“No.” He tipped his head so she could get the left side. “Haven’t been for a while.”

Hannah nodded in understanding. His hair was pleasantly soft to touch. “I get headaches too,” she said. “On days when I don’t get enough sleep.” He let out a grunt, keeping his eyes closed. She reached for the sachet on the tray. “Here, try this.”

He opened one eye. “What is it? Another olive twig?”

She smiled. Almost got her to laugh.

Almost.

“Not quite. It’s lavender. If you hold it to your nose, it can help relieve headaches.” He gave the bag a whiff, dubious of the claim. Satoru liked incense, but wasn’t fond of essential oils or aromatherapy, believing the fad a hoax. Although, the throbbing dissipated somewhat as he breathed in the lavender. She continued massaging his head. “I need to thank you again,” she added, feeling her way towards the edges of his scalp. “For the clothes, the room, everything. Your home is beautiful.”

Satoru couldn’t help but snort. “You mean it’s old,” He brought the lavender to his chest. “There’s no air conditioning or furnace. It gets hot as hell come August, and in winter it’s fucking freezing.”

Hannah’s fingers reached his neck. “I can imagine.”

Her smile made the pulsing abade. She was nice to look at. However, just as she removed the wet compress to dip and resoak it, the throbbing nerves came back with avengement, twisting and clamping around him like iron jaws, closing tighter and tighter, until he registered a sharp, shooting pain emanating behind his retinas and a flash of white. He hissed loudly, feeling the jaws sink into his teeth, his neck, on his shoulders. The contents in his stomach lurched and Satoru abruptly sat upright, hand over mouth, alarm in his eyes. Fuckin’ hell.

Hannah saw he was scrambling for a basin at the foot of the bed, but it was too far away for him to reach. He wasn’t going to make it. Quickly, she sprung into action and seized the bowl, holding it in front of him as he forfeited whatever little food he ate that morning and possibly last night. She rested him on his side, making it easier for him to vomit and hold the porcelain at the same time.

“Shh, you’re alright,” she soothed, leaning beside him and rubbing his upper back. “Easy now.”

Satoru groaned and spat into the bowl, conscientious of the fact that he hadn’t showered since his return. She was too close. He probably wreaked of sweat and Curse fodder. Acid burned the back of his throat, coating his breath. The nausea lingered in his stomach. He felt like complete and utter shit. Weak. Pathetic. Perhaps this was fate demanding retribution.

Sorcerers like to convince themselves that because they're gifted, it means they’re invincible, and certainly Satoru had bought into the lie a couple times; The first wielder born with the Six Eyes in 400 years, able to pulverize his enemies with the flick of a finger, but Satoru wasn’t blind to power. Deep down he knew the truth. He was human, not a god. And never had he felt more human than lying on that bed, puking his guts out.

He shut his eyes, waiting for the nausea to pass, and was gently eased into the mattress. The damp cloth was placed on his forehead and he cranked an eye open to see Hannah rise from the bed, “I’ll be right back,” she said and walked out of the room with the basin in her arms. Satoru wasn’t sure how much time elapsed, but when she reentered she was carrying the (clean) basin, along with a glass of fresh water, some stomach tablets, and a new washcloth. Leaving the shoji ajar, she returned to his bedside and offered him the water and tablets. “Would you like to brush your teeth or anything?” He shook his head no, and didn’t fight her when she began wiping his mouth. It then occurred to him that she’s done this before. She had sat at someone else’s side, wiping vomit off their lips, handing out water and medicine, but where? How? Who?

He felt ill again, though not from the headache. Here he was, sick as a dog, fantasizing about all the different ways he wanted to fuck her the other night and not once taking into account her feelings, caring only about his ulterior motives, his desires, his burdens. Satoru told himself she wasn’t a prisoner, that he just wanted the teaching job, but now the birds were coming home to roost and so too were the weight of his actions. Hannah wasn’t merely innocent. She was also a genuinely good person and he, a selfish person, had trapped her here like a helpless animal with no way out. For a lump sum of four billion yen. He wanted to hide his face, but couldn’t. She was too close.

Hannah wore her hair half-down. Six Eyes could distinguish between the gold, brown, and red strands fanned across her shoulders, lush and shiny, a natural curl accentuating the ends. It helped capture her foreign features; the minuscule freckles dotting her nose. Her Cupid’s bow mouth and fair cheeks, flushing prettily in the light. Man, she was gorgeous. What was the phrase they used in her home country again? Ah, yes, an “English rose.” That’s it. She was an English rose. Satoru had to remind himself to keep his eyes fixated elsewhere, otherwise he’d have “bigger” things to worry about. Fabric was the easiest to see through and she was literally sitting over him, her chest front and center. Could’ve also been the mind splitting headache, or the fact she just spared Makoto the trouble of having to clean vomit off his bedsheets, but he chose that moment to extend his own olive branch. She deserved that much.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked, wincing in pain from the sound of his voice. “I know you must think I’m an asshole. Probably makes you regret changing your name and stuff, huh?”

Her hand returned to his head. “Shh, don’t speak. Talking will only make it worse.”

“It’s okay,” He ignored her advice. “You can hate me if you want. I won’t blame you. After all, it’s my fault for getting you involved in this Ponzi scheme. If I could do things over again, know that I would.”

The English rose tilted her head sideways. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a Ponzi scheme,” she whispered, corners of her mouth twitching. “In fact, from a purely objective standpoint, I’d say I’ve made quite the return on investment.”

Satoru scowled at the joke. “Except for your freedom, which I’ve single handedly stolen from you.”

Hannah shared with him a broken smile. It was his turn to be naive. “You can’t steal something that was never there, Satoru,” she said poignantly. “Accidents like me aren't meant to have freedom.” She pulled the covers up over him. “Now, get some rest. Makoto will be back soon with the Bufferin.”

“But I —“

“Shh.” Her fingers ran through his gossamer hair, enticing him to close his eyes. “Go to sleep, Satoru.”

She sat there with him, massaging his head until his eyelids drooped and his steady breathing lulled into soft snores, out like a light. He must’ve been exhausted. After checking to see he was asleep, Hannah gathered the tray and whatever else she brought and quietly left the world’s strongest sorcerer to dream. He would not wake for the remainder of the day.

Chapter Contents

#jjk fluff #gojo x oc #jjk fanfic #gojo fluff #gojo satoru #jjk #fluff #Jujutsu Kaisen #gojou satoru x you #gojo x reader #Gojo Takes a Wife #jjk gojo #satoru gojo #six eyes

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jokertrap-ran · 3 years ago

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(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Evan’s 6✩ Inspiration: Umbrae Secrets [繁荫秘语] Date Translation (END 7 + 8: Heart-throb)

"It feels pretty good to have your wish granted by someone else.”

*Light and Night Master-list | Evan’s Personal Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *This 6✩ Inspiration has 8 Endings!! *Reblogs and likes appreciated! *Evan’s tag will be #For Night, For Revolution *Will be taking a short break for one or two days for mental health reasons, so no TLs will be uploaded while I’m gone

✥ Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ✩Light & Night★

After pondering for a while, I finally decided to…

✩ E7 LIGHT: Rest here ✩

MC: The view's pretty nice. How about we rest here for a while?

Evan: Sure. Let's sit here then.

I followed Evan and seated myself atop a rock by the river and gave a good big stretch, easing the tension out of my slightly sore hips and legs.

The vegetation around us was a little sparser now, and the golden sunlight fell upon us in mottled spots. The river had crystal clear water. The sunlight pierced through the waves, leaving shimmering gold patterns that wavered along with the current of the river.

There were occasional grey shadows that darted through the water. I excitedly patted Evan's arm to catch his attention the moment I saw it.

MC: Look! There are fish in the river!

Evan: There's quite a bit of them. Those look like striped bass.

MC: They're so big…

Staring at the plump and juicy-looking fishes, I suddenly became acutely aware of the snarling abyss that was my stomach as it slowly woke back up.

I never expected to get hungry just from that short trek.

Those fishes would be delicious steamed! Add soy sauce, a little wine to taste, and the meat will become tender and succulent, absolutely flavorful...

But it would also be equally good braised! Deep fry it first, then add soybean sauce, Sichuan pepper and star anise to spice it up. Then add water to let the sauce soak in, producing a flavourful, mouthwatering, aroma!

I couldn't help but swallow in anticipation. I guiltily cast a glance at Evan, hoping that he didn't notice my guilty inward musings of a glutton.

Evan: Don't tell me you're thinking whether this fish would be better braised or steamed?

MC: ??? ...Remove the camera you installed in my brain!

Evan: Why would I need a camera? It's written all over your face.

Evan: It'll be a little hard to steam or braise anything here, but we can try grilling the fish if we have a stove to work with.

Hearing the words "grilled" and "fish", I instantly felt rejuvenated. Gone were my sore hips and aching legs.

I jumped up from the rock I'd been sitting on with a start.

MC: Grilled fish sounds good! I've got the stove! And grills! And seasonings!

Evan: Brilliant.

MC: Then there's only one thing missing… How are we going to catch the fish?

Evan surveyed the area and pondered for a while before speaking.

Evan: There are traces of grilling being done on the ground. Someone must have grilled fish here before.

Evan: We can look around and see if there is any equipment left behind that we can make use of.

MC: Okay!

Evan and I each took one side of the river as we scoured the bank for any items that may be of use.

Soon after, I moved a patch of tall grass aside and lifted something in triumphant joy.

MC: Evan! Look at what I found! A harpoon!

Hearing me call out to him, Evan headed over. He took the rusty harpoon from me and gave it a once over.

Evan: Sharpen it on the rocks and it should be good to go.

MC: Great!

Evan took the harpoon to the rocks and gave it a thorough sanding to get all the rust off. Soon, the once-rusty harpoon regained its sharp, deadly, metallic glint. It looked as primed as ever.

After he was done polishing it up, I excitedly picked it up. Evan looked at me in slight surprise.

Evan: You want to try?

MC: Yeah! Plus, I'm wearing a dress, so I don't have to worry about getting my pant leg wet or anything like that!

Evan took one glance at the way I was brandishing the harpoon, looking ever so eager to try my hand at it, and softened. A helpless yet tender look dyed his orbs.

Evan: Alright, but be careful not to slip.

MC: Right!

I took the harpoon to the river bank and quietly searched for my quarry.

Soon enough, a shadow slid smoothly across the water. But, it had already gotten long out of reach before I had the time to react.

I observed the waters for a while more, familiarizing myself with how the fishes moved.

When another fish appeared, I timed myself, raising the harpoon high and bringing it down hard!

The harpoon jostled the river and disturbed the dirt at the bottom of the riverbed. However, there was no fish in sight when the waters came to a standstill once more. There was only a harpoon, firmly embedded into the riverbed.

MC: Feels like I'm swerving my hits a bit…

A small laugh came from behind as a warm hand enclosed mine, wielding the harpoon together with me. He dislodged it and returned it to my grasp with surprising ease and finesse.

Evan: It's alright. Try again.

Evan: Throw the spearhead further to prevent hurting yourself.

I nodded and took the harpoon. Soon, I took my aim at another incoming fish.

I inwardly encouraged myself: I'll get it this time!

I swung the harpoon and sent it stabbing downward. This time, I felt like I'd hit the target quite accurately!

However, the fish wiggled for a bit beneath my harpoon before speedily making its slippery escape…

MC: *Sigh*...Is it because I'm too weak?

Evan: It's because you hesitated.

MC: Hmm, maybe a little. I suddenly feel a little hesitant to deal the finishing blow when I think of how this harpoon inevitably pierces the fish’s body.

Evan: Reluctance to deal the finishing blow is only normal. How about I do it instead?

A strong wave of reluctance surged up within my heart. I swiftly hid the harpoon behind my back.

MC: Nah. I’ve only tried it twice! Give me a couple more chances and I’ll definitely be able to do it!

Evan: If you say so.

Evan: Then you'll have to be faster, and you'll have to land harder hits than that.

Evan: Or you can think of it as your enemy, or maybe someone you dislike?

MC: Hahaha… Well, about that…

I thought about it seriously for a while, but I couldn’t think of anyone I particularly disliked.

Hence, I looked back at Evan and casually dropped him a question.

MC: I can't really think of any off the top of my head. Do you have anyone you dislike?

Evan was taken aback. His eyes were slightly lowered as if he was hiding some sort of emotion that dwelled within.

I suddenly recalled that we’d come on this trip precisely because something had happened beforehand to make him unhappy. Now, his expression only made me understand it more with stark clarity: yes, he did have someone he disliked...

MC: You don’t have to think about unhappy things! I’m sure that person’s not a good person if they’ve made even you dislike them! I’ll teach them a lesson!

Evan: Why, thank you.

With the harpoon in tow, I returned to the river bank. Reflected in my mind was none other than how Evan had reacted to my earlier question.

Just what sort of issue would trouble someone as strong as him? On that same note, just what sort of person would cause someone as powerful as him to become this restless and uneasy?

Then, a fish slowly swam into my line of sight. And it was precisely with this sort of mood that I raised the harpoon high in the air, sending it plummeting downward without a moment’s hesitation!

However, the sudden force I’d flung it down with made me lose balance as I went down with it. I felt my waist move backwards from the force as my feet slipped from beneath me...

MC: Uwah!

Splash!

Water splashed in all directions as I slipped right into the river...

Evan: !!

Fortunately, this river wasn’t deep and only reached my waist. Evan swiftly support me as I stood up.

Evan: Are you alright?

MC: I'm fine… my butt's just a little sore… Ow…

Evan: Slowly.

He supported me back to sit on the rock. I looked down to inspect myself. My dress was soaked and dripping water everywhere.

I gathered my dress and wrung out a load of water from it. Ah, how I’ve screwed up...

Evan: Does it hurt anywhere else?

I gathered my hair together in slight embarrassment as I shook my head.

After ensuring that I was not injured in any way or manner, Evan moved to light the stove by my feet. He then removed his jacket and placed it over my lap.

Evan: Be careful not to catch a cold.

My stomach gave a loud rumble in protest the moment he finished. I quickly covered it in embarrassment.

Evan: Alright. Let me procure our lunch.

MC: I'll have to trouble you with it then…

Evan: It's no trouble at all.

Evan removed his glasses, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up my abandoned harpoon on the river bank.

Wrapping his jacket around myself, I looked up at him curiously.

I wonder what the CEO of Warson, ever dignified and well put-together, would look like brandishing a harpoon of steel?

❖☆———————————★❖

Just as I was thinking about that, Evan suddenly went rigid; and I, in turn, watched him with bated breath.

His gaze seemed to be transfixed on a particular fish. His dark red eyes narrowed with intent as the light in his orbs instantly turned to a cold glint; one as sharp as a deadly blade.

He raised the harpoon, the muscles on his arms and chest rippling as they made themselves known in their usage and exuded a raw, primal, sense of power.

The sun's rays glinted off the sharp blade of the harpoon, reflecting the cold light of the forest.

I watched him in a daze. It was almost as if I was watching a formidable and ruthless beast at work after having set eyes on its prey.

I'd rarely seen Evan with such an expression on his face. A thought suddenly popped into my head out of nowhere.

Maybe this was how Evan had always dealt with his enemies; swift and ruthless.

Then, the harpoon flashed through the waters as quick as lightning.

Water splashed everywhere as a muffled thud sounded. Evan had made his quarry, no doubt.

❖☆———————————★❖

With another slosh, the harpoon was withdrawn from the waters. A huge fish followed the length out of the water, trashing incessantly, its tail flicking to and fro.

When Evan turned to look at me, the usual warmth found in his eyes had returned.

Evan: Can you help me fetch a bucket?

I snapped out of the trance, hurriedly moving to fetch a bucket and brought it before him.

MC: You got it in a single strike! You're really awesome, Evan!

Evan: A young lady is waiting for me, hungry and cold, after all.

Embarrassed, I stuck my tongue out at him.

He removed the fish from the harpoon and dumped it into the bucket before returning to the river bank.

Following his return, the harpoon made continuous sounds as it pierced through the waters again and again. His actions grew increasingly precise, and I could tell that he was trying to let out some steam with how much strength he packed into each stab.

Soon, he managed to spear another two fish out of the river. They were both huge and plump, and he seemed to be much more relaxed when he turned back around again.

He knelt down and weighed his spoils with satisfaction.

Evan: The biggest catch weighs nearly 2kg. It should be enough for us.

Afterwards, he neatly killed the fish by the bank before putting them all on the grilling rack. I brushed the fish meat with the barbecue sauce that I'd brought.

The stove burned ever so strongly, and the place was instantly doused with the delicious aroma that rose into the air alongside the smoke. I rubbed my hands in anticipation, so excited about it that I couldn't quite sit still.

The fishes were finally cooked. I quickly took a bite out of it, leaning back in satisfaction as I did.

MC: How fresh! This is too delicious! You should try some too, Evan!

Evan: Sure. Careful not to burn yourself on it.

Saying so, he too, took a piece of the fish and brought it to his mouth. Under my watchful gaze, he gave it a serious chew or two as he contemplated the taste. Eventually, he gave a nod of approval.

Evan: Mmhm. Your sauce does a mean job too.

MC: Not bad, right? This is my personal recipe!

MC: With the fish you caught and my speciality sauce, these fish taste way better than any I've ever had in high-end restaurants!

Evan: We can always eat this again whenever you want to, so long as you're willing.

I nodded, unwittingly flashing him a smile, almost as if making a silent promise to him that we most definitely would.

MC: Have you ever gone fishing, Evan? You technically score full marks in wilderness survival!

Evan: I once lived out in the wild for a while at a time in the past, after all. But, I never had a harpoon back then, so today's my first time using one.

MC: Then you must be a naturally born hunter!

MC: I felt like you were exuding a predatory area when I saw you fishing earlier!

MC: How should I put this… It's as if you'll definitely catch the prey you set your eyes on.

MC: Unlike me… *Sighs*...

Evan: Why the sudden sigh?

MC: Well… I just thought that I'd put up a rather disappointing performance today.

MC: I was the one who got all enticed by the tasty-looking fish, but in the end, not only was I unable to spear a single one, but I've also rendered myself into a right state.

MC: The cat depicted in the cat emote pack online's definitely me. "Small, pitiful, and weak, but eats a whole lot like Tubbs"!

Evan smiled and shook his head. He rested his big hand on my head.

Evan: I don't think this is a fair comparison.

Evan: A kitten won't help me deal with the people I dislike, but that throw of yours earlier was one done with all your might behind the harpoon.

Evan: It makes me feel like I've met someone whom I can entirely trust.

His tone suddenly turned tender and very soft. So soft, that it was almost as if he had all his guards down; but so heavy, that it was as if he'd placed all his trust into it.

It was akin to a small drop of honey, the vicious liquid slowly spreading through my heart.

MC: Of course… I'll always be your most reliable buddy, ever!

MC: But, I'll be happier if I can really be of help to you!

Evan: You've already helped me plenty.

Evan: Next time I have to deal with them, all I have to do is to remember how brave you were and draw strength from that.

I froze. The only thing that my helpful brain provided was the image of me slipping right into the river, butt first. I panicked, instantly setting my chopsticks down.

MC: No! Forget that terrible throw I made earlier! Vanquish the thought!

I laughed as I ate, making a fuss of it all. Before we knew it, all the fish on the grilling rack had been swiped clean.

I embarrassedly put the chopsticks away, awkwardly coming to the realization that I was, in fact, not full yet.

70% filled is still considered full… I inwardly hesitated, mentally debating with myself. I was so absorbed in it that I failed to notice how Evan had a clear view of the expression that flickered across my face yet again.

Evan: I'll go catch some more fish to grill.

MC: Uh… About that… I'm sure the fish meat gets digested quickly! I'm sure that's just what it is!

Evan: No worries.

Evan: The charcoal fire's still going strong and it's still early before sundown. Plus, your dress isn't completely dry either.

Evan: We have more than enough time to slowly eat here, and we can do it until you're full and satisfied.

Evan: And as for just how many fishes you ate… I'll make sure to keep it a secret for you.

MC: Wha?

MC: Evan! I never pegged you for one before, but are you actually up to no-good!?

Evan: I'm being serious here.

Evan: It lifts my spirits whenever I see you eat.

Evan: It makes me feel like there's no simpler pleasure than that.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

After pondering for a while, I finally decided to…

★ E8 NIGHT: Walk a while more before resting ★

MC: I'm good. Besides, it'll be hard to get going again once we sit, so how about we carry on a little while more and see how it goes?

Evan: You're here for fun, so you don't have to be so hard on yourself.

But he'd probably seen the determination colouring my eyes, for he immediately added on to his previous sentence.

Evan: But I'll listen to the leader.

MC: Hehe. Now that's more like it.

❖☆———————————★❖

We continued our trek deeper until the forest. Enamoured by the various sights and sceneries, the sky had turned dark long before I knew it.

Evan: Let's find a place to put up the tent. I think this place is pretty suitable.

MC: Okay!

We chose a location with a wide expanse of flat ground. Then, we set about executing the next step of the plan: set up the tent.

I took the tent from my bag, spreading it out on the ground.

First, we had to insert the two rods into the tarpaulin sheet. Then, we had to insert each end of the pole into the small hole on each corner of the tent.

However, this tarpaulin sheet was just way too big. One corner came loose right after I secured the other.

I tried my hardest to spread my arms as far as they could go, but it was still a struggle to secure both ends of the pole at the same time. I fought valiantly, only to end up covered in sweat from my moot attempts.

MC: This is the only time I hate having short limbs…

Evan: Let me help you.

I looked back in surprise. Evan had already returned from fetching water by the river.

He put the bucket down and came up behind me, spreading his arms and holding the curved poles in place with ease.

However, doing so made our positions very close to one another.

His arms were warm, firm, and much longer than my own; long enough to entrap me within when he spread it out horizontally like that. Adding on to that, our clothes were both slightly damp and sticking to our skin. I could acutely feel the faint rise and fall of his chest from behind.

The surroundings seem to be growing warmer, and I felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

Evan: You just have to pin the four corners down.

MC: Okay...

I fumbled as I ducked out of the cage of his arms, putting the rods into the small holes.

❖☆———————————★❖

With Evan's help, the tent was soon set up in no time at all.

Afterwards, we ignited the kerosene lamp again and set up a simple table and chairs. And thus, our little fort out in the wild was finally complete.

Everyone has an innate love of small secluded private spaces at least once in their lives. Looking at our small lodging, I felt a sense of joy well up from the confines of my heart.

MC: Evan, let's go in and have a look inside!

I couldn't wait to delve right inside. It was only after I'd spun a full round in fascination that I realized Evan was still standing outside.

That's not right. How could I have fun all by myself? The goal of coming here today was to make Evan happy!

I thought of a way to nudge Evan into action. A light bulb lit in my head.

MC: Evan, I'm the leader today, so you'll do everything I say, right?

Evan: Yes. What do you want to do?

MC: I want to play a game.

MC: I'll be your personal Doraemon for the day. I'll help you fulfil any wishes you want!

A flicker of surprise passed his face.

Evan: Why do you want to play a game like that?

I pulled him along with me, sitting him down on a chair before sitting right across him.

MC: You've always been my Doraemon, so today, let me enjoy the joy of giving just this once.

Evan: I mean, it's not like you can't; but, what are you sure you want to be doing that here?

MC: Challenges only make it that much more interesting! Feel free to shoot any request you may have!

Unable to ignore my insistence on this matter, he folded his arms and lapsed into thought.

Evan: Then I'll just make a random wish… I want this tent to look prettier.

MC: Gotcha! Leave it to me!

This was probably the first time Evan had ever wished anything of anyone…

And now, the one to listen to his wishes was no one but me… Thinking this, the yearning to fulfil his wishes for him only burned ever stronger.

I suddenly remembered how I'd brought a string of small, colourful, fairy lights with me; if only because I'd seen someone decorate their tent with it online some time before!

I held my excitement in check as I rummaged through my bag for the fairy lights, connected the battery to the string of light and turned it on. Then, I flashed it before Evan.

MC: Ta-daaaa! Look!

❖☆———————————★❖

It was well into the night. Dishing out the fairy lights in peak darkness lit up our surroundings in a dazzling array of colours.

Evan widened his eyes in surprise, gently taking the fairy lights from me and scrutinizing them.

Evan: You actually bought fairy lights? You're a competent Doraemon, all right.

The bedazzling lights shone on our faces, adding a couple more watts to his smile.

Evan lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in his memories.

Evan: You know, these fairy lights remind me of the New Year holidays.

Evan: I walked on the streets and saw the doors of many families decorated with fairy lights like these.

Evan: Celebratory and homey… I really adore it.

Watching Evan's wary manner of carefully selecting his words, I couldn't help but feel my heart clench slightly.

Maybe… this was what he imagined home to be like…

However, he quickly snapped back to reality, his gaze falling to the fairy light before us once more.

Evan: The workmanship of these fairy lights are very intricate, and each bulb is shaped differently.

MC: Yeah. Look, this one’s a small pepper and this one’s a little eggplant...

Evan: Yes. And this one here. This one looks like you; the little rabbit.

MC: It really is a rabbit! You've got some keen observation skills.

MC: But, why am I the only animal? That sounds a little lonely…

Evan: You won't be lonely; because the one right beside the little rabbit's me.

Evan spread his arms, displaying the light bulb beside the little rabbit on the string of lights. But, all I saw was a red ball of light there.

MC: And what does this one look like? I can't really tell

Evan: It doesn't matter what it looks like; because I'm the only one who will stay by the little rabbit's side, regardless.

Although his smile was much warmer in the light, his tone still held an undeniable wistfulness.

I felt an odd sense of panic, but I didn't feel like fleeing from it.

❖☆———————————★❖

Eventually, we put the fairy lights up on the tent.

The constantly flickering and changing lights made the tent look cuter, and much more lovely. It felt like home.

I watched as Evan entered the tent, settling himself comfortably within, his eyes narrowing into happy little slits in a closed-eyed smile. Seeing him this relaxed made my heart fill with joy.

MC: Time for your next wish, Evan!

Evan: Are we continuing? I'm already pretty satisfied.

MC: The game's only just started! You can be a little more willful; just like a little kid!

I gently tugged at his arm, softly coaxing him into giving in.

Getting him to relax was no easy feat; and now, I was finally seeing a glimmer of hope! I can't let it go to waste!

Evan: Alright, one more then.

MC: I'll say this first, but you're forbidden from wishing for something overly simple! I'm Doraemon; you've gotta put your trust in me!

Evan: Okay. Then I want to drink hand-brewed coffee.

He levelled a calm gaze at me, seemingly waiting for me to admit defeat; but I only smiled triumphantly.

MC: Just you wait and see!

I knew that Evan loved coffee, so I’d brought some ground coffee powder along with a set of simple brewing tools.

I lit the stove, boiled a pot of hot water, and slowly poured it into the filter where I’d placed the powder, balanced atop an empty cup, going in circular motions. Soon, a cup of fragrant hand-brewed coffee was made.

I handed the cup of coffee to Evan. He lowered his head to give the aroma a whiff, a pleased smile appearing on his face.

Evan: A fragrance that I love.

Evan: But it's missing a little something.

He then moved to personally make a similar cup for me. We both sat down across each other, nursing our cups of coffee and taking small sips from it.

Even while sitting on a foldable chair, the way he drank his coffee was still as elegant as ever.

The forest was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of intermittent chirping of the insects hidden within the foliage, adding to the relaxed and leisurely atmosphere.

MC: Evan, don’t you think that it’s been a long time since we’ve stepped away from the bustling city life to simply spend time together like this, thinking about nothing?

MC: You seem busy lately. I'm honestly a little concerned if you actually have time to wind down…

Evan: Thank you for your concern. I do have the time to do so once in a while.

He raised the cup of coffee in his hand.

Evan: This is the aroma I settle down with every lunch break, to watch a movie, or to read a book.

MC: Right, I often do the same as well.

A flicker of thought entered my mind, and I immediately latched on.

MC: I know! I've helped you think of your next wish!

Evan: Oh? And what is it?

I smiled mysteriously at him, turning around to rummage through my bag.

I happened to bring a book along with me today, so I searched the contents of my bag for it, pulling it out and handing it to him.

He ran his fingers across the gold-gilded text that had been printed onto the book cover. After a while, he suddenly returned the book to me. I raised my head in slight surprise, only to see the slight smile hidden in the corner of his eyes.

Evan: If that's how it is, then could I trouble you to read a paragraph for me?

MC: Sure.

Opening the book, I picked out a story that was about the forest and slowly started reading aloud.

It was seemingly enough to please him. He held onto his coffee, slowly leaning into the soft pillow, closing his eyes in satisfaction.

After finishing a paragraph, I closed the book, only to find him staring at me seriously. There was a fire flickering within his crimson orbs.

Evan: You know, I actually like this story a lot.

Evan: The first time I read this book, I imagined myself in the protagonist’s shoes.

Evan: Riding a small boat in a remote and secluded river, letting the current take me wherever it goes.

Evan: Expecting nothing, with no destination in mind. It doesn’t matter if I get stuck in a rapid, or if I’m just turning around in place.

MC: Sounds romantic enough. What happened after? Did you ever try doing so?

Evan: Not yet. Later, I ended up coming to the forest many times, but unfortunately, none of it was to seek recreation.

Evan: Which means, this is my first time.

Evan: So, thank you; for making this a memorable night for me.

He seemed a little tuckered out, and his voice was as soft as a mere whisper. His eyes were slowly fluttering shut as he spoke.

His eyelashes slid down as his eyes closed, casting a faint shadow on his features. I quietly observed how picturesque he looked like that as I thought back to everything he’d just said. A new plan was born within my heart.

Perhaps this wish was something that I could truly fulfil for him.

❖☆———————————★❖

The next morning, at exactly 5 AM. I was roused from my slumber as my alarm clock rang.

I gave a big wide stretch, casting a glance at Evan. Thankfully enough, he hadn’t been awoken by the alarm and was still curled up in the sleeping bag next to be, fast and soundly asleep.

After doing a simple wash up, I quietly exited the tent.

We passed by a commercial campground yesterday while searching for a suitable campsite. It provided rental services of a wide variety of camping equipment.

That’s why my first thought had been this place when I heard Evan mention boating last night. Hence, I contacted them and reserved an inflatable kayak.

With the help of my mobile GPS navigator, I walked the forest for about half an hour before I finally arrived at the campsite.

After waiting outside for a good long while, the owner whom I’d previously made an appointment with came up to me in a right state of panic.

Campsite Owner: Sorry! Some trouble cropped up, so I’m late…

MC: Don’t worry about it. What happened though? Do you need any help?

Campsite Owner: Can I bother you? If so, then yes please! I’ll tell you what happened…

After a while, I handed a trembling kitten to the owner.

It began rolling about as soon as it returned to its owner’s arms, acting like a baby as it rubbed itself against the owner’s palm, as if expressing regretfulness for its actions.

MC: The little guy must have been scared out of its mind.

Campsite Owner: Yeah. Thank you so much, Miss! I have no idea what I'd have done without you.

MC: Don't worry about it. It's no big deal.

When I came to the campsite earlier, the owner had been in the middle of a cat problem. It had climbed to the top of the tree without anyone's notice and didn't dare come down.

It had been meowing helplessly at the very top. Hence, I immediately joined the rescue effort without a second thought.

I hear that it had already been stuck up the tree for about 10 hours or more. We didn't have a tall enough ladder, so it took a great amount of improvisation to finally save the poor kitten.

Campsite Owner: Oh, right. J nearly forgot your kayak. This isn't light, though! Can you carry it alone?

MC: Huh?

I stepped forward to test its weight. The folded inflatable kayak was indeed heavier than I expected. But thinking about how Evan would react upon seeing this kayak, I suddenly felt that this extra weight meant absolutely nothing in comparison.

Campsite Owner: *Sigh* Since you've helped me, I ought to repay you the favour by lugging this back for you. But I've still got appointments later so I really can't afford to leave...

Campsite Owner: Rental's free of charge then! Have fun with it!

MC: It's alright, I can just take my time carrying it back. Thank you!

After bidding my farewells to the owner, I took the kayak with me and left the campsite.

I hadn't made it fat when my arms started feeling sore. All I could do was to put the kayak on the ground and take a short breather.

As I spaced out, I suddenly heard a muffled sound coming from within the depths of the forest.

My ears tuned in to the sound in full alert. Whatever that was, it was by no means small.

Was it an animal? Or was it someone?

The crunching sound of leaves approached closer and closer. Now, I could tell without a doubt that those footsteps were most definitely human. And it sounded a little rushed; panicked, even.

Feeling a little uneasy, I couldn’t help but stand back up.

Then, a familiar figure emerged from the dense forest.

MC: …Evan!?

He seemingly breathes out a long sigh of relief upon spotting me. He quickly strode up to me.

Evan: I finally found you, at least.

Evan: I woke up in the morning to find you missing, and you never picked up even when I called. I was worried sick.

He looked as calm and unruffled as ever at first glance. The only difference was that he seemed a little out of breath.

This place isn’t close to our campsite at all. How long has he been searching for me out in the woods?

Thinking about it made me feel a little guilty.

I ended up telling him briefly about the unexpected situation I’d encountered in the commercial camp and everything before that.

MC: I left really early. I initially thought that I’d be back before you woke up, but I never thought that I’d take that long to get back...

MC: I’ve been busy this entire time so I didn’t have the time to check my phone. Sorry for worrying you.

Evan: It's okay. Just… Don't leave my side without saying anything next time, alright?

I nodded and lowered my eyes in embarrassment. Unexpectedly, I then noticed that he’d buttoned a button near the hem of his dress shirt wrong.

Having never seen Evan disregard his appearance in this manner before, I very nearly failed to suppress my snort of laughter.

Evan: Hm? What's the matter?

I shook my head, undoing that button and rebuttoning it right. It was only then that he noticed his slight gaffe. He laughed at his own mistake.

Evan: …Thank you.

Looking into his eyes, I couldn't hold back the urge to ask him the one thing that had been nagging at my mind.

MC: This place is not anywhere close to our campsite. How did you know I was here?

Evan: I couldn't contact you in the morning, so I searched around the tent to see if you left anything resembling a note behind.

Evan: I remembered that you seemed interested in this place when we passed by it yesterday, so I thought that maybe this was where you'd gone.

I hadn’t expected him to see completely through me as he cast a glance at the kayak on the ground.

MC: *Sigh* Why did you figure everything out like that? I wanted to surprise you!

Evan: Don't worry about it. This is also a surprise in and of itself, don't you think? Thank you for all the effort you've put in.

Evan: It feels pretty good to have your wish granted by someone else.

He gently took my hand in his, enveloping my palm in his bigger one, transmitting his unusual body warmth.

Evan: But I also want you to know that just you being by my side's more than enough for me.

My train of thought was disrupted by his tender gaze, making it hard for me to gather my thoughts together.

MC: But I don't think that's enough.

MC: You’re always taking care of others and listening to their wishes, but you can’t forget yourself and your wishes.

MC: I want to hear more of your wishes. You can always be a little greedier when you’re with me, Evan...

He looked at me for a fleeting second before suddenly closing in on me. He only stopped when my figure was completely enshrouded within his shadow.

Evan: Then, can I be greedy one last time?

MC: Huh…?

Not waiting for me to give him an answer, he advanced a step forwards, pulling me into a hug.

His arms were solidly wound around me, and the fragrance of wormwood that came with his embrace was lasting and stronger than ever.

The strength behind his action made it hard for me to reject him, hard for me to escape.

Oddly enough, I felt a little intoxicated by it, slowly closing my eyes.

❖☆———————————★❖

The next day, early morning. I woke up to the melodious singing of birds.

Evan was already awake, neatly dressed and sitting on the folded chair at the entrance, sipping on a cup of coffee.

Evan: Good morning. Sleep well last night?

MC: Brilliantly! I was so tired from walking so long yesterday that I fell asleep the moment my head met the pillow.

MC: Oh, right. It’ll take quite a long time to go back where we came, so let’s eat something, pack up, and leave as soon as possible!

Evan set his cup of coffee down,

Evan: Aren’t you forgetting something?

MC: Huh?

Evan: I recall you wanting to see bamboo piths, but we have yet to see any.

I froze, awkwardly laughing it off

That had originally been an excuse to get him outside and I’d totally forgotten about it.

MC: Hehe. I’m not that adamant about seeing bamboo piths.

MC: I only said that back then as an excuse to get you out so that you can relax.

MC: I heard that you had things rather rough before that so I was a little worried about you.

He looked slightly surprised. Then, he lowered his eyes, a warm smile catching onto the sides of his mouth.

Evan: So it was because of me.

Evan: Thank you for accompanying me here. I’m certainly much more relaxed now.

MC: But considering how you were previously… Are you really okay?

Evan: Yes. It’s probably not as bad as you’re thinking. I was just thinking about some old people and old things and felt a little glum about it.

Evan: I never thought that I’d end up alarming others.

MC: Why am I “others” now?

MC: Don’t bottle your troubles up to solve them yourself. You need to remember to share them with people close to you as well!

Evan: Okay. I will keep that in mind.

I still didn’t know what he was troubled by, but I suppose this was still within my expectations.

From my impression of him, he has always been strong. It was almost as if he was shouldering a mission that no one knew about, walking down a similarly obscured path.

After finishing breakfast, we packed and prepared to leave the forest.

We idly chatted with each other along the way until suddenly, Evan stopped short while we were passing through an area.

Following his gaze, I saw a unique-looking umbrella-shaped thing growing within the shrubbery’s shade.

Evan: See? We still managed to chance upon it.

MC: Wow, are all of these bamboo piths?

We walked over together, squatting beside the small white fungi.

It had a small black cap and had grown out a long white mesh skirt.

This was the first time I ever saw a bamboo pith growing in the soil. I widened my eyes in surprise, unwilling to blink as I drank in the sight. After observing it for a while, I finally raised a finger, reaching out to touch its “skirt”.

MC: It’s so wet and soft-looking! It’s adorable! Have you seen it before, Evan?

MC: I can’t believe you managed to recognize it at a glance!

Evan: Yes. It was back during the first time I’d been driven into the forest as a child.

Evan: I witnessed the law of the jungle and escaped from the jaws of death of a snake. I felt like the forest was a place filled with danger and wanted nothing but to leave the place the faster, the better.

Evan: Then, just as I was hungry and exhausted, I saw a bamboo pith.

Evan: At that time, I didn’t know what it was and if it was actually poisonous.

Evan: Deep in the throes of despair, I thought “why not just take it, eat it, and see what my fate turns out to be”?

MC: Evan…

Evan: But guess what I saw while I was hesitating?

Evan: I saw it growing its fungus skirt. All it took was a little effort on its part, and its little skirt grew longer and longer.

Evan: I stared at it blankly, in a daze. I didn’t even notice that my legs had gone numb from how long I’d stared at it.

He retracted himself from his memory palace, turning around to face me with a smile.

Evan: It was as simple as a little young lady, capable of encouraging me with its adorability and enchantments.

Evan: It made me understand that forest, in all its gloom and doom, still has its own little interesting spots.

Evan: And that one is only capable of seeing it by living on, don’t you think?

His expression was quiet, but within those calm eyes of his, I could see that little boy who’d struggled his hardest to remain strong. I felt my heart constrict slightly at that and moved to hold his hand tightly in my own.

MC: Evan, that’s all in the past. You’re no longer that helpless little boy.

Evan: No, I’m fine.

Evan: I might have forgotten even this if we hadn’t seen the bamboo piths today.

Evan: It feels a little unbelievable when I think back on it now. It was a memory plagued by darkness, yet it still held its own beautiful moments.

I felt a pang of sorrow creep into my heart. Words of comfort were right at the tip of my tongue, yet I felt like they’d be completely helpless.

This man before me, strong as a warrior; someone who’d been forced to face life-or-death decisions from a very young age… Maybe he wasn’t as complicated as I initially thought he was.

There are many reasons why one would choose death, but to choose life? The reason was simple; just a little spark was required, and Evan was no exception.

MC: I forgot who said it, but someone once said that the meaning of existence that people spend their entire lives seeking out is actually hidden in the simple things.

MC: Evan, won’t you say that you might end up thinking similarly as well one day?

MC: You might not be able to find it immediately, but that’s fine. I will accompany you in your search for it, no matter how long it takes.

Evan fixed me with a profound look before stretching out his hand and reverently crossing it over my own.

Evan: Alright. Together we shall be.

⊹ ˚✩ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ∘◦ ✥ ◦∘ ━━━━━━━━━━━ ✩˚ ⊹

✥ Choose your Ending:

END 1 | Choice: Do Nothing [都不做]

END 2 +3 + 4 | Choice: Call Out [呼唤] ⊹Speak⊹

END 4 + 6 | Choice: Approach [亲近] ⊹Touch⊹

END 7 + 8 | Choice: Heart-throb [心动] ☆Light & Night★

❖☆————— ⊹ For Night, For Revolution⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Prologue)

#光与夜之恋 #Light and Night #Otome #Translations #Tencent #陆沉 #Evan #For Night For Revolution #繁荫秘语 #Umbrae Secrets

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poptod · 3 years ago

Text

The Breeding Kings, pt. 18

Description: Karanduniash.

Notes: BABYLON BABY!! I loved writing this chapter I fucking love Babylon! WC: 6.5k

"Pretty... I love you."

From hazy darkness the words echoed, bringing him to consciousness out of a deep, long sleep. The black edges of his vision disappeared with each blink, and he quickly recognized your voice speaking.

I love you?! He thought in a panic.

He bolted to sit up straight, his eyes wide as the moon when you jumped back. As he glanced to you, he found you with Sephys in your lap, your mouth hung open.

"Oh," he finally let out a breath, "sorry. Not sure what just happened."

The light of the sun was peeking over the horizon, silhouetted by the distant mountains and the plains inbetween. Orange, yellow, and a peach red painted the sky, hanging like a silk blanket over your little camp; a spot along the Euphrates that wasn't entirely muddy, where Ahk had the night before hung the tarp to shield you from any of the harsher elements. You had already lit the campfire, and the flames flickered high into the atmosphere.

"Be calm, Aganu," you said with a chuckle. "It is food time!"

"Ahhh yes," he said, grunting as he forced himself to his feet. "Can't wait till we're in Babylon."

"Why is that?" You asked.

"Won't have to hunt for my fuckin' breakfast," he said, and you burst out laughing.

Fish, again. Of course. It was the only assured thing along the river's length, and it was more nutritious than any roots or vegetables you could find in the wild. The first thing Ahkmen had to do in the morning was to take up a poorly-made spear––which was only a comment on his own handiwork, since he'd been the one who made it in the first place––and wade into the cold water, soaking his feet in the soft mud of the riverbed.

He turned back to you in hopes of some comfort, but while your smile was there, it was more teasingly cruel than it was teasingly sweet. He frowned.

"Do we have anything else to eat except fish?"

"Now, we do not have even the fish," you said, gesturing to his empty spear.

His teeth ground together, a low chuckle building in his chest as he tossed the spear aside, splashing into the water. Once you got over your own laughter you noted his intense expression, quickly falling silent. He launched forward onto you, running out of the river and pouncing upon you, trapping you to the ground beneath him as he cackled, attempting to touch your most sensitive place––your neck. You laughed madly as you tried to push his hands away, your legs kicking beneath the weight of his body.

"No! No, stop!" You managed to shout through your laughter.

He grasped both your wrists, pinning your flailing hands to your sides.

"Come fish with me," he said, panting softly. "That way I don't have to do it all the time."

Your expression soured into reluctance, your lips pressed into a thin line as you looked away.

"I do not like making things dead," you said quietly.

"If you can't hunt it, don't eat it," he said as he moved off you, slowly releasing you from a grip that you only now noticed was leaving marks.

"I do not know if that is saying I do not eat fish, or I need to kill fish," you said, sitting up. "And if I do not eat fish, I will be dead of hunger."

"Well –" he blinked rather blankly, "- that phrase doesn't work as well in our situation. My point is it's a good idea to learn how to do it. It is, in a little way, a part of being in this world."

The word 'learn' had you perking up. Even the suggestion of that reaction had Ahk perking up, as well. If there was one thing you shared in common, it was your hunger to learn, which had consequently brought you both on this journey together.

"Okay," you said after a couple minutes, within which Ahk had fetched his spear back from running downstream in the slow current. "I will make the fish dead."

"Good for you," he said with a smile, helping you up with his hand. "Also it's called killing."

"Etuvaka."

You did, as it turned out, have a little bit of food, which you suggested eating after you discovered you needed to fashion your own spear. Ahk shot you a playful glare but said nothing as you split it in half, handing one half to him and nibbling on the other one yourself.

Before you started anything, you needed to get your tools, which could fortunately be found in a relatively close area. Ahkmen helped you to find the right type of stick, one that would be easy to mold and throw. His knife wouldn't do for carving, apparently––the wood would dull it far too much, so instead the two of you looked for a stone, with which you could smooth the stick of any twigs and knots, as well as sharpen the end to a point.

"Be careful when you're holding it," he told you, reaching over to manually shift your fingers. "When you're going down in such a quick motion, it's really easy to catch your fingers against the wood."

You nodded.

By the time you cleaned the handle of the stick free of knots, your remaining bread was gone, your stomachs half-satiated to continue to the sharpening. That passed quickly enough after Ahk physically demonstrated how to do it, and soon you were standing in the Euphrates with your pants rolled way up to your thighs.

"You could've just taken your pants off, you know," he said quietly.

"Ah, 'sut' up," you said. His brow furrowed in confusion but he said nothing.

He taught you a good method of throwing that would prevent cramping up your wrist, should you be repeatedly unsuccessful, which he assured you would happen at one point or another. Your form was fine, but you had issues throwing the stick hard enough, so more often than not, your spear was easily loosed from the rocks and mud to float downstream.

You gasped the first time it happened, running after it, and nearly soaking your whole outfit in the process. Ahk managed to reach over at the right time, grabbing you by the back of your dress to hold you above the muddy water. The spear was in your hand.

"Thanks," you said, your voice strained as he dragged you back over to him, setting you on your feet.

"Of course. Try again."

In a couple more tries, the spear finally stuck, earning you a proud grin from Ahk. Of course, no fish––he couldn't find any either, and he worried the mud you both stirred up had deterred the fish.

Sephys meowed loudly from the shore until you finally caught something––the first out of the both of you. Ahkmen clapped you on the back, congratulating you wholeheartedly as you made your way back onto land. Despite the fact that it wasn't all that big of a fish, Ahk started the fire for you, and set to skinning the fish so you wouldn't have to. A contrast from his excuse to get you to fish with him, but neither of you really noticed.

He let you cook breakfast not of his own accord, but by your suggestion, reminding him he often over and undercooked food at the same time. He did sit by your side though, and offered help whenever he thought you could use it.

"I want to be in Babylon, also," you said, twisting the skewer over the fire.

"And what's your reason?"

"So I do not have to cook your food," you said, grinning as you turned to him. He belted out a laugh.

"Fair enough, darling," he said as he leant back.

You giggled sheepishly at his reply, your cheeks flushing as you quickly looked away.

"Do you like that name?" He asked, watching you carefully as your expression fell into bashfulness.

"I do not know what it means," you chuckled weakly.

"I'm not sure, actually," he admitted as you reluctantly met his eye, "but I think it means dear to my heart."

"Deer?"

"Important," he tried, and that seemed to work, though you still didn't say anything.

Several minutes later you called him over, and the two of you ate in relative silence. You picked at a few overcooked spots, handing what you didn't want to Sephys, who gladly ate whatever you offered.

It took you less than thirty minutes to pack up––a routine both of you unwittingly picked up after many mornings spent collecting your belongings and removing the greater traces of a camp. You collected food, tools, and blankets, while Ahk got rid of the ash from the fire, and untied the tarps. At the end of it all Sephys jumped back in your backpack, and the two of you hauled your bags off the ground to set out on your way.

A blue sky hung above you as you walked, rejuvenated in your purpose. Time alone with one another was calming to say the least––no worry about others or their needs, instead supplying for a much smaller group that was easier to manage. But it was much quieter, and the two of you didn't always have something to say. Much of your time was spent in silence.

Until –

"Woah what the FUCK?!" You suddenly said.

"Pfft –" Ahk burst into astounded laughter. He'd never heard you swear before––or, at least, not in Egyptian.

"That – what is, what is that?" You said, wide eyes set dead upon the river's edge.

Ahk followed your gaze and came face to face with a very strange looking turtle. His mouth fell open partway, his brow furrowing deeply. Its' head was quite small, drawn to a point around the nose that looked much like a pig's nose, and the shell was made out of the same skin as the feet that splayed out in rolls of uneven fat. The neck, which was both short and thick, also had rolls of skin that made it look rather... phallic, unfortunately. The eyes were almost on the top of its' head.

"What the fuck indeed," he said, blinking several times.

"What is it?"

The head moved and you both jumped back.

"It's a turtle," he said. "Probably."

"It is a mud pile," you said, laughing almost cruelly.

"Aww, come on now. Don't be mean," he chuckled, gently punching your shoulder.

"No, no, I love him," you said with a grin, easing back into your stroll. Ahk joined you in stride.

"We could take him with us," he said despite having already left without the strange turtle.

"I think he is too..." you puffed out your cheeks, "to carry."

"Heavy?"

"Yes, I think," you nodded.

The two of you walked down the Euphrates with only the running water sounding for a moment before Ahkmen spoke again.

"You know, your Egyptian has gotten much better," he said, suppressing a smile when you stuttered.

"Ah, I.. uh, I speak more with you, so I remember it better," you mumbled.

"I think you're good with languages," he said with a shrug that rocked his heavy backpack off its balance. "That'll be good for these next couple cities on our way."

"It is also good for you, if you are good with languages, when you are in Harappa," you pointed out.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "we'll see."

Silence prevailed, surrounding you instead with birds, the river, and frogs that croaked loudly on lily pads and within muddy fens. Reeds that grew past even Ahkmen's head concealed other such animals Sephys often jumped at, usually followed by her scrambling out of the plants with bared claws. You giggled but scolded her when you almost tripped over her.

The next dry but shaded spot you found became your noon stop, allowing you a break from the grueling weight and heat, and a solace in food and a relieving lack of sun. Ahkmen had been raised to worship the sun––that was the main cult of his father––but he was the first to thank the Gods that shade existed.

"I cannot believe we never found any camels for this damn trip," he said, staring at his dried fish critically.

"We have, with Batnoam. For the long, hard part," you said.

"And all we had to do in return was starve in the desert for a couple days," he said cheerfully.

"Look at me, Aganu," you said, and he turned to you, his half-eaten fish still in hand. You cupped his face, squishing his cheeks up in a way that had you grinning as you said, "we are not dead. I am dead, if I had this journey done with you not here."

He chuckled, raising his hand to cover yours on his face.

"You're more resilient than I thought you'd be, actually," he admitted.

"Resilin?"

"Strong, standing proud against your enemy or.. you know, like that," he said with a shrug.

"I did tell you, I am strong," you said, grinning.

It wasn't long––only about a day and a half, actually––till structures and small houses began to appear along each shore of the Euphrates. The first signs of human life appeared alongside with it, children running about, and adults harvesting thick groves of reeds. Small skiffs floated up and down the water, piloted by people who pushed the boat along the riverbed as Ahk had done in the Nile.

Many of the animals seemed comfortable with the river's inhabitants, as well. Stray dogs wandered from house to house, and as you got further down the river, the mud huts with reed thatchings made way for true clay houses, squared off and holding stables roofs that people slept on in the cool night. During the day, however, most people worked beneath reed platforms, allowing stripes of sunlight to just barely peek through and illuminate their work, oftentimes being the weaving of women creating blankets bigger than your whole house.

You were quite taken with their way of life––with the build of their homes, the style of their clothes, and the textiles they created. Ahkmen just chuckled and kept moving ahead, oftentimes having to drag you with.

"Just wait," he said, side-eyeing you with a knowing grin. "The interesting part hasn't even started yet."

Babylon had seen many iterations of itself in the past, but the most astonishing part was that it managed to keep many of its' ancient counterparts thriving within the city. You of course didn't know this––Ahk did, and he thrummed with the excitement crowding useless facts till they spilled out of his mouth.

The walls of the city came into view rather quickly, solidifying hours later when the colors and height of it became obvious. Spiked, blue tiled towers were built in equal lengths apart from each other, growing away from the entrance, whose gate dwarfed the various travellers entering the city. Between those towers, thick, white walls hid the inside from view, trimmed with a golden brick at the top. On either side of the entrance were strange, gold statues of what appeared to be a lion with a man's head. Below those were fountains of water that poured into a moat that surrounded the whole of the city, leaving only one possible point of entry; across a low, brick bridge.

You passed through green fields irrigated with trickling water, and mud houses built with reed-thatched roofs that blocked out the harsh sun. Patches of strange fruit lay amongst the staple crops––barley next to grapes, wheat next to almonds, pistachios, and dates.

Your mouth fell open, staring up at the engravings circling the towers at the top. On the bottom of the blue towers were imprints mimicking the golden statues. Fortunately for Ahk, you kept moving without having to be reminded, and you were soon presenting yourself to the soldiers.

"Intent?" The guard asked.

You were busy staring at the massive spikes that dug into the ground whenever the bar gate was lowered, so Ahk was mostly left alone.

"Sorry, do you speak Egyptian or Sumerian?" He asked in the most polite way he could.

"Urhammu?" The guard said, turning to his compatriot, who quickly came over. He said something in Akkadian that Ahkmen couldn't understand.

The other guard, whose name Ahk assumed was Urhammu, nodded and turned to Ahk.

"What is your intent for entering this city?" Urhammu asked in Sumerian. Ahk let out a tiny breath.

"We have travelled from Egypt and we need rest before we continue our journey," Ahk explained. "We'll probably be here for a while but we'll spend plenty of money."

"That is the answer for the next two questions, then," he said, pursing his lips as he tried to remember what the next was. "Where are you going after you leave?"

"Down to Harappa."

"Where is that?"

"South-east of Elam," Ahk recalled from his map.

"Be careful in Elam. They are violent people," the guard said flatly.

Ahkmen had to bite his cheek to stop from retorting something that'd get both of you kicked out of the city before you ever even entered.

"Are we allowed in then?" Ahk asked.

"Do you have any weapons on you?"

"Knife," he said as he pulled out the small dagger you'd been using for preparing the fish.

"Good then. You may enter," Urhammu said with a nod, motioning for the next group to step up.

You and Ahk grinned as you rushed into the city, running from shadow––that lasted through three gates with the sheer thickness of the outer wall––into daylight that streamed past the high walls, flowing in the streets like aqueducts enlivening the whole city. Lining the pathways were strips of green, though the date trees that must've once been a deep green were more yellowed and dry than usual. Along each of the strips were, in fact, aqueducts, allowing a thin layer of water to rule the city that stood as a beacon in a waterless desert.

A large bridge awaited you as the first landmark of the city, on either side lowered grounds inhabited by groves of homes built upon each other, and the streets between hidden by tarps and palm trees. The scent of cooking meat and stirred vegetables hit you with mouth-watering allure, but the best was still yet to come.

Stone plazas stretched out past the bridge, decorated by the walls that surrounded it in blue, gold, silver, and white. Various guards and soldiers stood at each of the gates around the stone stretch, standing beside glazed images of lions, flowers, and pillars of faience delicately mosaicked into the walls. Though this plaza was mostly vacant, the sound of distant conversations, clanking metals, and animal calls marked the presence of a vast market, hidden behind one of the three entrances presented to you. The sheer size of the empty plot caught both of you by surprise––the cities you'd seen as of recent were nothing compared to the sprawling empire of the city-state of Babylon.

You jogged to the center, a place that allowed you to peer into each of the gates. The one opposite of where you'd come from lead to yet another bridge, hanging over gardens that built up in massive terraces on either side, ranging from far beneath and high above. To your right appeared to be a large home or temple, and to the left was a gate leading through an array of pillars before a smaller archway came into view.

"This way?" Ahk suggested, pointing to the left with his thumb.

You nodded and the two of you set off again, a certain quickness in your step.

"I am so happy!" You giggled, practically jumping down the corridor. Your hands raised excitedly to your chest, clapping quietly.

"Any specific reason for that?" Ahk asked with a chuckle.

"The magic! All cities have magic, I did know this, and I will know the magic for Babylon too," you said.

The pillars had you slightly distracted with their intricate decorations, their mosaics made of gem tiles smaller than your fingernails.

"If you're talking about lessons, we'll probably have to pay for that," Ahk said, shifting the straps on his shoulders. "And we already have to pay for a place to stay. Most likely with labor."

"They do not like gold?" You asked.

"I'm sure they do," he chuckled, "but it's not exactly useful to someone who runs a tavern."

"Maybe," you said, returning to his side after spinning out to get a good look at the pillars. "Now, we get food?"

"And beer."

"Lots," you agreed.

Ahkmen had to read a lot about Babylon during his time in the house of life, but most of the readings were about the mythology or the royal lineage, not about the commoner's life. Thus he expected the markets to be much like the ones in Memphis or Thebes––crowded, with an array of stalls displaying anything from gemstones and godly idols to spices and pottery.

The two of you were met first by seamsters and seamstresses, threading together thin lines of colored silk to reveal the image hidden in millions of strings. A single carpet––or blanket, neither of you could tell––was being worked on by at least ten people, sewing diligently the long ends of the fabric. Several of the were tying tassels on the finished edges, carefully braiding the vibrant colors of purple, gold, and crimson. Beyond them, the market––stretching invisibly beyond the haze of midday heat.

Crowds coalesced into smaller groups, wandering the marked pathways with long dresses that brushed against the stone ground. The tiles of the market were cleaned well, but by the simple occupation of the area, sand and dirt were brushed up into corners in tiny hills. Tame dogs and birds hopped around the free area, expertly avoiding the moving legs of people.

The stalls, though––numbering many, and most highly specialized for its' product. Vials and glasses of oil hung on the hooks of one such stall, the glass vases blown into wide bowls swirling with colors of green and blue. Inside them, holy oils and ointments sloshed about, emanating sweet scents that colored the whole market. Ahk sighed deeply as he inhaled Egyptian musk.

A group of men leading camels bisected your tiny group, and you and Ahk met on the tail end of the moving caravan. He took your hand, leading you away from the center of the street, and to the sides that weren't quite as hectic.

While he hadn't been looking where exactly he was going, you found yourselves standing before a bakery, two ovens burning bright within brick encasings. A couple of women sat out front picking out the wheat from the stems, setting the buds into large clay bowls that were poured into a wheat grinder. The grinder churned the oddly-shaped stones against each other, creating a much softer flour that was made into dough, kneaded beneath the hands of even more workers. You stopped to stare for a moment as you had never seen a grinder before. To his surprise, he hadn't either.

"What is that?" You asked one of the women in Akkadian. She looked up to you, moving her thick, dark, curly hair out of her eyes.

"It is a wheat grinder," she said plainly, though there was no annoyance in her eye. "From Greece. They call it the Hourglass mill."

"Ah, thank you," you said with a small bow. She offered you a small smile before returning to her work. "Time glass mill," you told Ahk.

Stalls ahead depicted more women and men weaving blankets and tarps, or processing fresh-cut reeds from the Euphrates to mix into papyrus. Others had picked flax, which looked similar to reeds, but made a softer material––linen. Bags, tassels, and ropes hung from textile shops, some colored intricately and others a plain, dull white.

At this time Ahk glanced to the bags atop both your shoulders, and felt a tad embarrassed at the state of your belongings. Some of your clothes and blankets hung half out of the top, accompanied by belts and rope attached to the outer hooks, and potions that bulged awkwardly against the rough material. Still, he fit in better than he would've if he looked royal. No one looked like they had more to their name than a modest house.

The two of you stopped at a stall that had racks of cured meat hanging out underneath the shade of a thick, mud roof, filling the air with spices, fish, and antelope. A package of the sliced meat would last a good while, and didn't cost as much as fresh meat would have. Ahk decided to buy a package with a few copper rings.

While you were up on your tip-toes trying to shove the meat into Ahkmen's bag, Ahkmen caught something out of the corner of his eye, and jumped to attention.

"Yogi –"

"Sit still," you said, grunting as you punched the bag into place.

"Is it in yet?"

"Mm, I know your wife will say that," you said as you returned to walking down the road.

Ahkmen, left in a shocked stupor, had to manually close his mouth and chase after you to avoid losing track of you.

"I can't believe you'd say something like that," he said when he caught up to you.

"But I am right, you said, grinning as you poked him in the chest with a single finger.

"I can neither confirm nor deny," he said. "But I do know there's beer over there."

You whirled around, asking, "where?"

"Come," Ahk said as he took your hand, guiding you through the rambunctious crowd and towards one of the established buildings housing the beer still brewing in giant vats.

Several steps lead down to a lowered floor, surrounded by walls that shielded the brewers from the streets' view. The brewers stood in perfect lines flanking either side of the entrance, each positioned in front of a large bowl, vat, or pot. At the top of the stairs, images of a goddess were painted vibrantly on the half-walls that lead down. Many of the gods of Babylon were taken from those of Sumer, and since Ahkmen had spent a good while studying the culture, he gave an educated guess that it depicted Ninkasi, the Goddess of beer.

You wandered down the steps without asking. Ahk didn't know if that was allowed, but no one seemed to stop you, and you did have a great familiarity with the process of beer-making. For a while you spoke animatedly with one of the women, who returned your enthusiasm happily. He watched on, a thoughtless smile on his face as he leant on the half-wall on the streetside, his cheek balanced on his hand.

"Fell in love with one of the women, ey?" Someone asked from behind him, followed by an irritating, ingenuous, and strenuously loud slurp through a straw. He turned slowly to face the stranger.

"Sort of," he admitted, leaning his back against the wall to face them.

The stranger had a large beer in his hand, and a reed straw through which he sucked the thick, viscous mixture that was the product of beer in southern Mesopotamia. His hair was long and braided, and though his beard wasn't as long as most men's, it was still there in thick scruff. He kept a short stature and sported long, red and black robes that fell down to his sandalled feet. Ahk glared, although he hadn't meant to.

"How did you know I speak Egyptian?" Ahk asked, crossing his arms.

"You look like an idiot, that's why," he chuckled as he scanned the hidden Prince. "Half-naked, all that."

In a sudden flush of embarrassment, Ahk's eyes darted to the crowd, and indeed found a decent amount of odd looks cast his way. He crossed his arms tighter over his bare chest.

"It's hot. And anyway, how do you speak Egyptian?" said Ahk.

"Oh, well I'm the King's son," the stranger said brightly. "I don't blame you for not knowing me. You don't look like you know the prince of your own nation, anyway." He chuckled smoothly.

Ahkmen blipped out of reality for a moment as he tried desperately to remember if his family had ever been visited by Babylonian royalty.

"His name is Ahkmen," he said in Sumerian. "And I'd prefer you didn't talk to me right now."

"Don't be bitter," the stranger said with a growing grin, as his words had been a perfect return of Sumerian banter.

Ahk seethed.

"Aganu!" You called his name, waving him eagerly over.

He didn't even bother to excuse himself from the Kassite prince nor say goodbye, simply leaving to join you.

"See you around, Egyptian!"

"That – that's not even an insult," Ahk said, throwing his hands up into the air as he debated following after him, only to be stopped by you tugging at his arm.

"Come, the beer here, you drink it fresh, and it is still warm," you said, easily earning his attention.

Similar to the beer of Egypt, the brews of Mesopotamia were sweet, and described often as fruity. The amount of actual alcohol was lower than your specialized drinks, but higher than the usual amount found in Egyptian. To Ahk, however, all that mattered was that it tasted good, and fuzzed out the harsher thoughts in his mind, relating to any number of things.

Many of the different breweries had separate recipes that weren't found at others, making it an all too frequent stop in your tour throughout this single section of the city, that must've made up no more than a section of a sector in the city of Babylon––a microcosm amongst the greater sprawling, stone landscape.

When the shadows began to grow long and stark against the ground, the two of you noted that the sun was lowering down to the city's outer walls, signifying the coming of dusk. By then you'd shared five beers, though you couldn't be called drunk just as much as you couldn't be called sober. It was also around that time that both of you realized you were quite hungry, and it was with great excitement that Ahkmen was reminded of a fact––he didn't have to catch food anymore, and you remembered you didn't have to cook it.

"We should get..." Ahk trailed off as he thought in depth.

"Bread," you said, earning a firm nod.

"Yes, and.. fruit, if they have it," he added.

"And we have the meat?"

"If it hasn't fallen out it's still in my bag," he said.

Loaves of bread, made mainly out of the cash crop barley, lined the display shelves set outside of one of the bakeries. They were made into various types and shapes, the most familiar of them being the cone sprinkled with sweet salt. But round pies were there as well, thin flatbreads, chunks of bread nearly forming a perfect square, and ones that popped out at the top like a fat mushroom.

Ahk allowed you to choose since you seemed so excited by the shapes––despite them not being any differently flavored––and you went with the fat mushroom. It didn't cost much at all, and soon you were both set off looking for sticky, dried dates. As much as you didn't want to be in Egypt anymore, you were certainly a child from the nation just as he was.

A woven, reed basket became the home of your food, stacked with everything you would need for the night––flasks of beer, two loaves of the soft, sweet bread, and handfuls of plums, dates, figs, and pears. It was a special sort of culture shock to go from the once-great cities torn down to ratty towns to Babylon, who survived the ravages of the current drought and violence by consistently switching sides to whomsoever conquered it. Not that Ahk was complaining––he was actually so enraptured in your excitement that he hardly remembered the difference, and was more interested in helping you search for a good place to eat. Somewhere further from the crowd, quieter, and with a good view.

Neat stairs and ramps led to a pool built nearby to the markets, filled with clear water and nude citizens who bathed and swam in its' white marble walls. The structure was built deep enough into the earth that the steps descending to it took on the shape of an amphitheater. From the uppermost layer, the one least inhabited, the two of you could watch the tiny people far below bathing and splashing in the water.

"I almost forgot about bathing," Ahk said halfway through a chunk of bread.

"What?" You turned to him with a small grin. "You bath all days in the river."

"Oh, river bathing is rather different from pool bathing," he said, recalling the bathing rooms in his private area of the palace in Egypt. How luxurious, and how distant, it seemed now––silken robes and aphrodisiac oils entirely removed from his identity.

"You want to go bathing?" You suggested.

He let out a long sigh before he said, "maybe later."

For the remainder of your slowly-eaten dinner––done so to truly appreciate what you hadn't had for what seemed like months––you watched the tiny people splashing and drowning each other in the pool. You cackled when someone slipped on the water's edge and fell in, soaking their clothes.

"You're so mean," Ahk chuckled, adoration pouring out of his smile.

"No," you said, "I am just fun."

The sun fully disappeared by the time you and Ahk were finishing up the last bits of your meal, for which you had saved two dates––one for each of you. Cleaning up to leave was easy considering you hadn't used anything in your bags, and soon you were back up on the more occupied streets, Sephys strutting beside you with her hairless, sagging skin. You had your thumbs hooked in loops around your bags' straps, eager eyes taking in as much information as they could.

There was something undeniably old about the city. The closer you got to the center, the older the stone was, battered by the elements of a harsh, unforgiving environment. Cuneiform written in ancient Sumerian stood in the last few remaining monuments from the time of Sumer and Ur, monoliths that Ahkmen spent the time to stop and read to you.

"What's ingenious about this language is that there's a controlled amount of characters due to the fact that they don't stand for ideas or determinatives like hieroglyphs, they go by phonetic sound," Ahk said, his mouth falling open as he craned his neck to stare at the sheer height of the monument.

"... right," you said flatly.

"Did you ever figure out how to read hieroglyphs?" He asked, turning to you only after he posited his question.

"No," you said with a sigh, shaking your head. "I never did try."

"I could teach you," he suggested.

You whipped to face him, your eyes wide.

"Only if you want to, of course," he added quietly.

"No – I mean, yes! I do want that," you said, a toothy grin spreading across you as you took his hands. "And the Sumerian."

"I can teach you cuneiform, or I can try," he said beneath his breath, "but I think it'd be wiser for you to learn the Akkadian form of the language."

"Why?"

"More useful, for the first thing," he said, earning a sad but knowing shrug.

"Okay, that is right," you said. "But you do not know Akkadian?"

"No I do not! But I can teach you how each symbol is pronounced, and – and I think we'll probably make some friends here in Babylon."

"Like the man at the beer place?"

"I did not consent to a conversation with him and I will never do so," he said straight out.

"Was he mean?" You laughed as the two of you continued on your way, soon to meet the next wall of the city.

"He's a Prince," Ahk said.

"Ew," you said, scrunching up your nose. He chuckled weakly.

Far in the distance, and far above you, a golden-capped building stood proud at the center of Babylon. Surrounded by other tall buildings, however, it was hard to see what exactly it was, and beside the gardens and monuments it seemed unimportant. As you grew closer, the clearer it got, until you found yourselves on a long, wide street leading straight up to the step layered pyramid. On either side of the street were homes, ranging anyway from mud brick huts to mansions that stretched far enough to owe their size a pool and private gardens.

"I've heard of this thing that some people do," Ahk said, the sight of palaces bringing back thoughts of Egypt, and of Panya and Unas, who tested a hypothesis Unas had. "They go up to the biggest, grandest home they can find, get inside, and pretend they're a servant. No one asks any questions and you get a place to stay and things to eat."

"Hmm..." you thought for a moment, "that is sounding more fun than the tavern."

"It does, doesn't it?" Ahk said with a smirk, a mischievous chuckle building in his quick-beating chest.

You continued to wander slowly up the street, scanning the homes and shops carefully as you passed by. Torches, candles, and fireplaces burned bright in bakeries and metalworker's shops, but homes soon went quiet in the night, many of the people flocking to their roofs. From above, the scant light of the city dissipated entirely, allowing the stars to beam as they did in the middle of the desert.

Blankets with soft tassels or mats of reed were set out on the roofs, often dangling over the side of the homes, where you and Ahk could try to jump up and bat them. You, of course, never touched them, but Ahkmen spared you the embarrassment of shoving it in your face. Instead he just laughed and ruffled your hair.

It was now, when the tall buildings and walls faded away and the ziggurat was exposed, that you finally realized it was standing there at all. In the dark of the night, it was hard to see the lapis colors on the midnight blue sky.

"I think that is the big house," you said softly, your pace slowing.

"That's a temple. Remember what happened last time we tried to get into a temple?"

You frowned.

"Okay, you do the house then," you grumbled.

He payed a little closer attention for the following minutes, till he spotted a large home surrounded by a garden estate, walled away from the street by tall, olive-green trees.

"How about here?" He said, gesturing to the house with his thumb. Your brow raised high when you saw it.

"Yes," you said emphatically, earning a blushing giggle from Ahkmen.

"Let's go," he said, motioning you along in a way that had both of you bursting into stifled laughter.

"Okay, you shut up," you said as you moved past him to enter the estate.

"Yes, dear," he replied in an exaggerated, sad voice, bringing you back into giggles, sneaking into a noble's home.

#ahkmenrah x reader #Ahkmenrah #Night at the Museum #rami malek #rami malek character #ahkmenrah x female reader #ahkmenrah x male reader

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babywinkz · 3 years ago

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The Four Month Sleep Regression

As a professional sleep consultant, I hear the term “regression” used in regards to just about every imaginable circumstance.

Essentially, if your baby doesn’t sleep well for a couple of nights, parents start dropping the ‘R’ word.

Some people subscribe to the idea that there’s an eight month regression, a 9 month regression, a 1 year regression, as well as teething regressions, growth spurt regressions, and so on.

Others see these as simple hiccups caused by extenuating circumstances.

Is There Such a Thing as Four Month Sleep Regression?

But the four-month regression, everybody agrees on, and for good reason. It’s the real deal, and it’s permanent.

So to understand what’s happening to your baby during this stage, first, you need to know a few things about sleep in general. So here’s the science part, told in plain English.

Many of us just think of sleep as an on-or-off situation.

You’re either asleep or you’re not.

Sleep Cycle in Plain English

But sleep actually has a number of different stages, and they make up the “sleep cycle,” which we go through several times a night.

STAGE 1 – Initial Stage

Stage 1 is that initial stage we’re all familiar with where you can just feel yourself drifting off, but don’t really feel like you’ve fallen asleep.

Anyone who has ever seen their partner nodding off in front of the TV told them to go to bed, and gotten the canned response of, “I wasn’t sleeping!” knows exactly what this looks like.

STAGE 2 – True Sleep

Stage 2, which is considered the first “true sleep” stage. This is where people tend to realize, once woken up, that they actually were sleeping. For anyone taking a “power nap,” this is as deep as you want to go, or else you’re going to wake up groggy.

STAGE 3 – Deep and Regenerative

Stage 3 is deep and regenerative. Also known as “slow wave” sleep, this is where the body starts repairing and rejuvenating the immune system, muscles tissue, energy stores, and sparks growth and development.

STAGE 4 – REM (rapid eye movement

Stage 4 is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. This is where the brain starts to kick in and consolidates information and memories from the day before. It’s also the stage where we do most of our dreaming.

Once we’ve gone through all of the stages, we either wake up or come close to waking up and then start over again until the alarm goes off.

So what does this have to do with the dreaded regression we were talking about originally?

Well, newborn babies only have 2 stages of sleep; stage 3 and REM, and they spend about half their sleep in each stage.

But at around the third or fourth month, there is a reorganization of sleep, as they embrace the 4-stage method of sleep that they’ll continue to follow for the rest of their lives.

When this change takes place, baby moves from 50% REM sleep to 25% in order to make room for those first two stages.

So although REM sleep is light, it’s not as light as these 2 new stages that they’re getting used to, and with more time spent in lighter sleep, there’s more of a chance that baby’s going to wake up.

Waking Up Is Normal During Sleep

That’s not to say that we want to prevent or avoid baby waking up.

Waking up is absolutely natural, and we continue to wake up three, four, five times a night into adulthood and even more in old age.

As adults, however, we’re able to identify certain comforting truths that baby might not be privy to.

When we wake in the night, we’re able to recognize that,

“Hey, I’m here in my bed, it’s still nighttime, my alarm isn’t going to go off for another three hours, and I’m reasonably certain that there are no monsters lurking under my bed. I can go back to sleep”

And we do. Usually so quickly that, the next morning, we don’t even remember the brief encounter with consciousness.

A four month old baby, of course, lacks these critical thinking skills.

To a four month old baby who fell asleep at her mother’s breast, the reasoning could go much more to the tune of,

“OK, last thing I remember, there was a familiar, beloved face, I was having dinner, and someone was singing me a soothing song about the Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Now I’m alone in this dark room, there’s no food, and there’s probably at least three, possibly four, scary monsters in the immediate vicinity.”

That’s probably an exaggeration, but who knows what goes on in the mind of a four month-old baby?

Understanding Four Month Sleep Regression

Anyways, now that baby’s suddenly realized that Mamma’s not around, and they’re not entirely sure where they’ve gone, the natural response is to do a little freaking out.

That stimulates the fight-or-flight response and, next thing you know, baby’s not going back to sleep without a significant amount of reassurance that everything is OK.

The other major contributor to this 4 month fiasco.

I find, is that up until this point, parents have either been putting their baby to sleep with a pacifier, or by rocking them, or by breastfeeding them, or some similar technique where baby is helped along on the road to falling asleep.

Sleep Associations Don’t Help In the Long Term

Now that baby’s spending more time in light sleep, and therefore has a higher probability of waking up, this suddenly becomes a much bigger issue.

These sleep props or sleep associations can be very sneaky indeed.

Because although they may be helpful in getting your little one to that initial nodding off stage, the lack of them when they wake up means that baby’s not able to get back to sleep again without some outside help.

Cue the fight-or-flight, the crying, and the adrenaline.

When this starts happening every half an hour, parents can find themselves in a nightmarish situation.

So, the good news for anyone experiencing the dreaded Four Month Sleep Regression is that it’s not, in fact, a regression at all.

What is Regression?

A regression is defined as “reversion to an earlier mental or behavioural level,” and that’s actually the opposite of what your baby is experiencing.

This would be much more aptly titled the “Four Month Sleep Progression.”

So, onto the big question.

What can you do to help your little one adjust?

First off, get all of that light out of baby’s room.

I’m not kidding around here. You might think that baby’s room is dark enough, or that baby might not like the dark, and that it’s comforting to have a little bit of light coming through the windows or seeping in from the hallway.

Nope.

1 – Eliminate All Light

Baby’s room should be dark, I mean coal mine on a moonless night kind of dark.

Tape bin bags over the windows if you have to, or cover them with tinfoil. (Just be prepared to explain it to the police when the neighbours accuse you of running a grow-op.)

Newborns and infants are not afraid of the dark.

They are, however, responsive to light. Light tells their brains that it’s time for activity and alertness, and the brain secretes hormones accordingly, so we want to keep that nursery absolutely pitch black during naps and bedtime.

2 – Eliminate All Noise

The other nemesis of daytime sleep, (and nighttime for that matter, although not nearly as often) is noise.

Whether its UPS ringing the doorbell, the dog warning you that the squirrels are back and for sure going to attack the house this time, or something falling on the floor three rooms away.

With baby spending more time in lighter sleep, noises will startle them easily and wake them up, so a white noise machine is a great addition to your nursery.

“Wait, isn’t that a prop,” you’re asking. Well, in a way, it is, but it doesn’t require any winding, resetting, reinserting, or parental presence. It’s just there and it can be on as long as baby’s sleeping, so it’s not a prop we need to avoid.

3 – Create Bedtime Routine

Bedtime routines are also an essential component to getting your baby sleeping well.

Try to keep the routine to about 4 or 5 steps, and don’t end it with a feed. Otherwise, you risk baby nodding off at the breast or the bottle, and that will create the dreaded “association” that we talked about earlier.

So try to keep the feed near the beginning of the routine and plan the songs, stories, and getting into PJs towards the end.

The whole process should be about 20 – 30 minutes long, and the baby should go into their cot while they’re still awake.

If you’re noticing your baby getting fussy before bedtime, you’ve probably waited too long. Four month old babies should only be going about two hours between snoozes, and bedtime should be between 7 and 8 at night.

We Aren’t Perfect – Baby Growth Plays a Role

Now, there are going to be regressions, actual regressions, later on in your little one’s youth. Travelling, illness, cutting teeth, all of these things can cause your little one to have a few bad nights in a row.

But when it comes to the four month “progression,” I’m happy to report that this is a one-time thing. Once you’re through this, your baby will have officially moved into the sleep cycle that they’ll essentially be following for the rest of their life.

Four glorious stages repeated multiple times a night.

Give Your Little One a Gift

And by taking this opportunity to teach them the skills they need to string those sleep cycles together, independently, prop-free, without any need for nursing, rocking, or pacifiers, you’ll have given them a gift that they’ll enjoy for the rest of their young lives.

Of course, some kids are going to take to this process like a fish to water, and some are going to be a little more resistant.

If yours falls into the former category, count yourself as lucky, take delight in your success, and go ahead and gloat about it on Facebook.

For those of you in the latter camp, I’m happy to help in any way I can.

Just visit my website or give me a call and we can work on a more personalized program for your little one.

The most common thing I hear after working with clients is,

“I can’t believe I waited so long to get some help!”

So if you’re considering hiring a consultant, now is absolutely the time.

I offer a free 15 minute evaluation so I can get to know the specifics about your little one’s situation, so book a call now and we can move forward as soon as you’re ready to get your little one sleeping through the night!

Read next >>>

Helping your baby to sleep – NHS

Is This the Right Time To Sleep Train?

Is Sleep Training Safe

Thank you so much for reading, please comment below if you have any questions.

#babysleep #baby sleep #babysleeping #baby winkz #sleep consultant #sleep training #sleep

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solavillain · 5 years ago

Text

Pas de Deux Ch 6: Together

+pairing: Spinel x fem!Reader +genre: Drama, romance, angst, slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers +warnings: None (for now) +word count: 6.5K +Chapter 6 / ? previous || next

Read on AO3!

Spinel was in awe, to say the least. It felt like every point of contact with you was on fire, every nerve in her body was heightened. It had been so long since she had contact like this with someone...in fact, had she ever had anything like this? She can barely think of anything else but you right now. The soft, steady sound of your breathing as you sleep, the small noises you make as you shift against her, and the way you sigh happily when she gives you a little squeeze.

She can almost forget how she’s probably messed everything up with you. All she wanted was to be your friend, at first, but now...is it possible to want something more with you? Even though it’s impossible for you to want the same?

Spinel sighs, and tries to clear the panicked thoughts from her mind. She could worry later. For now, she wants to just enjoy this night with you in her arms...

x * x * x * x * x

You wake slowly, your body totally relaxed, feeling incredibly well rested. It takes you a moment to register where you are, and another moment to realize what- or who- you're resting on.

Spinel must have moved you in the night; you’re no longer on her left side with your head on her shoulder. Instead you’re sitting in between her legs, head tucked under her chin, right near her gem. You blink in surprise as you look at it- you've never seen it this close before, and hadn’t realized how faceted and large it really is in comparison to the lanky Gem.

In that moment, Spinel shifts and squeezes you slightly, prompting you to close your eyes and smile slightly to yourself. No matter your conflicted feelings towards her, you can’t deny that this level of contact just feels wonderful. It had been a while since you’d gotten to spend the night with someone like this, and even though these were bizarre circumstances, you can’t help but feel happy here.

Spinel doesn’t seem to have realized you’re awake yet, and you're considering pretending to still be asleep, when a shiver wracks your body, making you sit upright involuntarily. You realize Spinel had basically unwrapped herself from you at some point, save for her arms around your waist a few times around. It had stopped raining, so she must have assumed you would be warm again, but hadn’t considered the early morning chill. From what little you could see of the sky in your lean-to, it couldn’t have been later than 5 or 6 am, the sun hadn’t been up long enough to warm the island up.

“Oh! Uh, good mornin’,” Spinel says, meeting your eyes after you sit up.

“Hi,” you say plainly. “Sorry if I startled you, I guess I got cold again...at least it stopped raining though?”

Spinel nods and answers, “Nah, you’re fine, just wasn’t expectin’ you to be up so early. The rain stopped a few hours ago I think...I kinda lost track of time.”

You give her a sleepy smile and stretch your arms above your head with a yawn (not noticing Spinel’s eyes grow as wide as dinner plates) and stare out to the campsite, mourning your poor fire.

“Wish I’d been able to bring some sweaters or something,” you mumble to yourself, wrapping your arms around your knees.

Spinel winces visibly and reaches out a tentative hand to you. “Well, I- If ya wanna go back to sleep, you can...” she trails off and looks down at her hand, and you quickly realize what she means.

“Oh...thanks, Spins, I think I’ll just stay up for now...” you glance back outside, “Actually, I might walk around a bit, see what else I can find in terms of food or other stuff?”

You climb out of the lean-to as you’re talking, prompting Spinel to follow you.

“Y-yeah, okay! D’ya want me to come with?” Spinel asks eagerly, following you around the camp as you pick up debris from the storm.

At her question, you stop what you’re doing and turn to her. “Oh, uh...I was hoping I might have some time alone, if that’s okay? I just... I need some alone time every now and then.”

You offer her what you hope to be a sympathetic look, as you know that doesn’t sound great after literally spending the night together.

Spinel’s face turns a pale pink as she blanches and crosses her arms. “That’s...fine,” she manages to get out. You can tell she’s wary at being left alone, but you really do just need some time. Time to yourself, to think, to figure everything out.

“I won’t be more than an hour or so,” you tell the Gem, and you see her relax slightly.

“That’s good,” you think, slightly surprised at how easy that conversation went compared to last time, when she had been rejuvenated and Steven was leaving her behind. “She definitely seems to be trying to work through her issues.”

Once you’ve cleared the camp of most of the fallen leaves and branches, you grab a banana from the small storage lean-to. Miraculously, most of the bananas are fine, save for a few that have fallen out of the wrapped leaves. You bid Spinel goodbye for now, and make your way to the beach.

You had told the Gem you wanted to look for supplies, and while that was true to an extent, now you want to just lie on the sand in the warm sun. You finish your banana, toss the peel, and plop down, spreading your arms out and soaking in the morning rays.

Back in Beach City, you were used to spending a lot of your time alone. Sure, you had your coworkers at the café, and you hung out with the Gems when they were free, but you really valued the time you had to yourself. You would frequently take walks on the beach or boardwalk at night, listening to music or just gazing out at the moon-lit sea. You had a collection of books that you loved to take to the café when you weren’t working, and enjoyed just sitting, reading, and sipping on your drink of choice for the day. Hell, even when you would spend time with Pearl, you two would often just co-exist in the same place, Pearl working on something in the house while you read a book or surfed the various apps on your phone.

Having Spinel around...was nicer than you thought it would be, especially last night, but even now she’s acting like you’re the new Steven, like you’re her new best friend. You can’t tell if she genuinely cares for you or if she’s just so incredibly lonely that she’s latched onto you for treating her differently than everyone else had. You wish you could believe it was the former, but...you just have no idea.

“Ughhh,” you groan, and sit up in frustration. Why does everything have to be so complicated with her?

You think back to how you felt last night, and this morning, waking up in her arms. That...didn’t feel so complicated at the time. It just felt nice, and comforting. Why couldn’t it feel that easy all the time? Why did your brain have to constantly remind you of what she’s done, of how she really is? Or was, at least. Spinel has definitely been keeping her anger in check since that first day, and you can tell she thinks about her actions as much as you do, if not more.

“Why can’t I just let myself forgive her?” you think, burying your face in your hands. “I guess...I just need more time.”

Shaking your head, you stand up and walk towards the water, wading in up to your ankles. The water is fairly warm around this time of year, so you’re grateful that you won’t be freezing if you ever decide to go for a swim. Suddenly, movement to your left catches your eye- a reflection off of a few fish in the sun, swimming close to shore with the gentle waves.

An idea pops into your head- something that will give you and Spinel something to do other than mope around, and at the end, you’ll possibly have a new source of food.

x * x * x * x * x

You make your way back to the camp, eager to tell your idea to Spinel. Luckily, she hasn’t wandered off to another part of the island.

“Spinel!” You call out as you approach the camp. You hear the popping before you see it, but as you come into the clearing, you can clearly see the roaring fire in the center radiating warmth.

“Oh, wow, you got the fire going? Thank you so much,” you say gratefully to the Gem, who is sitting by the small waterfall.

“Eh, no problem, Y/n. Figured I could do something while you were out, too,” she says happily, looking proudly on the lit fire. Her eyebrows furrow and she looks back to you, confused.

“Say, weren’t you gatherin’ stuff just now? You didn’t come back with anything.”

“Oh! Right, that,” you say with a chuckle. “I was going to look for more leaves and branches and stuff for the lean-to and the fire, but I went to the beach and I saw fish!”

You grin expectantly at her, but she still looks confused, standing up and scratching her head.

“Uh...what’s fish?” she asks simply.

“O-oh, right, Gem and all. I forgot,” you say, excitement not deterred by Spinel’s lack of fish knowledge. “It’s just something that lives in the sea, but if we catch them and cook them, I can eat something other than bananas!”

Spinel gives you a slight smirk, amused at your enthusiasm. “Well all right, let’s go get some fish!”

The two of you make your way back to the beach, and you’re relieved to see the fish haven’t swam off. In fact, there seem to be more shimmering fish than there were earlier. You’re incredibly thrilled at the prospect of eating something other than bananas, so you look around for a stick you can whittle into a point.

After you find one near the edge of the trees, you grab a rock and head back down to the waves, where Spinel is inspecting the water.

“Oh yeah, I guess you haven’t had much time to check out the ocean,” you remark, sitting down and sharpening the end of the stick.

“It’s certainly interesting,” Spinel remarks, bending down to inspect some shells left behind by the tide.

You watch her while you whittle and smile to yourself. Seeing Gems learn about Earth for the first time has always made you appreciate your home planet more, but something about seeing Spinel like this makes your heart happy.

After a few more moments, you inspect the end of your stick, and decide that it’s to your liking.

“All right! Let’s get this show on the road!” you announce, standing in what you hope to be an authoritative pose.

“Oh yeah? What show? All I see is you,” Spinel teases, snorting in laughter.

Your pose falls, and you give her a teasing roll of the eyes. “Ahh, you’re no fun. I am the show, baby!”

With that you make your way slowly into the water, careful to not disturb the nearby school of fish. You realize Spinel is still standing on the shore, and you turn back and cock an eyebrow up at her.

“Well? You coming in or what?”

Spinel looks from you out to the distant waves, then back to you, and grins. She begins wading in, flinching slightly when a wave breaks over her legs, and you giggle at the Gem. She’s definitely not quite used to all the oddities of your planet, but in a way, you’re proud of her for trying to adapt so quickly.

After a moment she’s in the waist high water with you, and you send a playful splash over her way, a teasing grin on your face.

“Heh, hey darlin’, thought you were gonna catch some fish? Don’t get distracted now,” she teases back, her eyes slightly narrowed.

You chuckle and nod, “All right, all right. Food now, play later. Let’s hope I’m coordinated enough for this...”

You make your way over to where the school of fish is swimming, being careful not to disturb any of the sand. You pick your target- a larger fish in the center of the school- and ready your stick above the water.

“All right...and...”

You strike down hard- too hard. The fish moves before you can spear it, and the force of your swing sends your feet flying out from under you and plants you face first into the water. A wave breaks over you in that instant, and you’re having a hard time getting to your feet, when-

“Y/n!!”

Spinel lifts you up from behind, supporting under your arm with one hand and steadying your back with the other.

“Are you okay? That looked...not fun,” Spinel remarks in a worried tone.

But you just burst out laughing. Of all the things to do...of course you would fall face first in the water. You know you must have looked ridiculous, and can’t help laughing more at that mental image.

“W-what? Well I guess you’re okay, doll...” Spinel says, a smile easing onto her face now that she knows you’re okay.

“Hah...oh man...yeah, I’m fine, Spinel, thanks,” you say as the laughter dies down. “Oh gosh...I can’t believe I just did that. I mean, the ocean can be a bitch, but it’s so calm here and...ahh, that was hilarious.”

You take note that Spinel still holds onto you, and you can’t help but flush at the contact, reminded of spending last night in her arms. It feels like your every nerve is on fire when she touches you...

“It did look pretty funny,” Spinel says with a laugh, bringing you out of your thoughts. “You just kinda...plopped forward! It was great!” She’s full on grinning now, and it’s infectious- you can’t help but grin back and start laughing again. Suddenly, all cravings for fish forgotten, you get an idea.

“Oh yeah? I was funny, huh? Well how bout this?” On your last word, you send a giant splash her way, giggling at her taken aback expression when it washes over the top of her head.

But when the water clears, you literally take a step back at her expression, eyes going wide. She looks positively mischievous, her eyes narrowed and a wicked grin on her face.

“Now now, dollface, d’ya really wanna mess with me?”

She giggles in a devilishly playful way, and begins to spin her torso and arms around, not unlike a spin top, sending water flying every direction, including directly at you. You can hear her laughter above the other sounds, and you can’t help but join in, even as she inches closer to you, prompting you to cover your face in surrender, still laughing.

“All right, all right, I think you made your point, Spins,” you call out, ducking your head to avoid getting saltwater in your eyes. The nickname is certainly very fitting for the current situation. The pink Gem slows, still wearing a huge grin, and looks triumphantly down at you.

“Ha! I win!” She exclaims in a sing song voice, folding her arms in front of her.

You chuckle and take her by the hand, leading her back to shore. “Yeah, you win. Don’t rub it in, hmm?” you say with a shake of your head.

Once you arrive on shore, you look back out to the water and sigh.

“So much for delicious fish...”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, yeah? We can always try again some other time,” Spinel says, patting your back gently. You look up at the taller gem and offer her a small smile.

“Yeah, that’s true. I can live with bananas for now, anyway.”

After all that work and fun, you wish you could just lie in the warm sand and take a nap, but your clothes are soaked. You want them to be dry by nightfall, so you know it’s time to head back to the camp. Besides, you need some more water and bananas.

“Well, let’s head back for now,” you say to Spinel, “I’m getting a bit chilly, let’s sit by the fire.”

Spinel shoots you a shy smile and nods, following you back through the trees to your base.

“It’s so interesting learnin’ about humans,” Spinel remarks, “I mean, stuff like rain, the ocean, the cold...it doesn’t really affect me, y’know? Seeing you have to deal with all that, it’s kinda weird, but intriguing at the same time. I almost want to know what it feels like,” she finishes with a chuckle.

“What, being cold? Or just weather in general?” you say teasingly.

She snorts in response. “Nah, just...being human? I guess? It’s dumb,” she says, ducking her head in shyness as she sits down by the fire.

Your eyebrows shoot up at her admission- you can’t ever recall hearing a Gem talk about wanting to be human, not even Amethyst or Lapis. Spinel must really be hurting inside to want to just...be something else entirely.

“Ah, Spinel...”

You wring out your wet shirt and shorts to the best of your ability before sitting down beside her. You hesitate before placing a hand on her upper arm, wanting to reassure her that you’re here.

“I know that with everything you’ve been through...it must be so tough to just exist for so long, I guess, but being human isn’t all that great. Hell, it’s not all that different from being a Gem. Well, besides the aging and the weather and...no cool powers...”

You stop yourself, sighing and looking down. “Ah, I’m crap at this, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to say...you’re great the way you are, Spinel. And hey, you’re on Earth now, you can still experience all this stuff, even if it’s not in the exact same way that humans experience it.”

You offer her a patient smile, which she returns happily.

“You’re not so bad at this, Y/n,” Spinel says softly, wiping at her eyes. “And uh...I’m glad I’m experiencing stuff now. Here.”

You nod and gaze into the fire, mind racing a million miles a minute. Finally, you find the words to reply, “Yeah. Me too.”

x * x * x * x * x

After your clothes have dried (it took longer than you expected- you knew it would have gone faster if you’d taken them off but you were not about to strip in front of Spinel), you and Spinel stay out by the fire a while longer, until well past sunset. You munch on bananas as you talk, telling her about your childhood, how you visited Beach City every summer with your parents, and couldn’t keep away after you left home for college. She told you about what little time she’d spent on Homeworld, but she mostly recounted more of her days in the Garden with Pink- how looking back now she could see that Pink had been uninterested and even annoyed with her antics sometimes. But what was she supposed to do? It was what she had been made for.

You both fell silent for a while after that, you being unsure how to comfort the Gem, and Spinel simply lost in her memories.

The minutes pass, and you can feel your eyes grow heavier with sleep, but some part of you doesn’t want to go into the shelter alone just yet. You try to force yourself to stay awake, to stay out here by the fire with her. But just as it had the night before, your head lolls to the side onto Spinel’s shoulder...

“Woah there, you okay?” Spinel asks, cupping your head with her left hand.

“Hmm?...O-oh!” You shoot up, extremely embarrassed, and you can feel your face flushing like hell. “S-sorry, Spinel, I got warm and sleepy, I’m sorry...”

“Hey, no need to apologize, darlin’. You seem tired, yeah? Wanna go to bed?” she asks in a comforting voice.

“Mhm...yeah, I think I need to,” you reply, standing up and stretching with a yawn. “Goodnight, Spinel.”

You send her a soft smile before heading into the lean-to, thoughts racing.

“She keeps calling me all these pet names...is it just a habit? Because of how she speaks? Why do I care?”

You plop to the ground with a groan and try to get comfortable on your leaf bed for the night. You can’t deny that you feel like something has changed today, with your feelings towards Spinel and the way she’s acting...but it’s just too confusing to think about. It can wait until morning...

x * x * x * x * x

When you wake, it’s not a stream of morning sunlight that greets you, but soft moonlight. You’re facing the center of camp and the fire has died down slightly, but luckily, it’s a warmer night so you barely notice a chill. But you can’t see Spinel anywhere...where is she?

Before you can start to panic about where she might have gone, you hear a voice from just outside the tent.

“I know I never should have done all this, but...I was scared, Y/n,” Spinel says. It seems like she’s continuing some conversation...has she been talking to you while you slept? You don’t know if this counts as an invasion of privacy, but you want to know what she has to say, so you make sure to stay very still and act as if you’re still asleep.

“I was scared that no one could ever like me for who I am, so I lashed out. But then...you seemed to like me. Even when I was annoying and innocent, you were patient and kind to me. And then I go and do this...”

She trails off, and you hear her sniff- she's crying softly. Your heart aches; you want to go out and comfort her, but you’re frozen in place. Too scared to face her right now, you stay and listen.

“I- I just care about ya so much, and I’ve never...felt like this before. So when Steven...when I thought he was gonna make me forget again, I just panicked and took you and ran. You were right that first day- I didn’t think anything through. I just wanted to have you around, but...”

Spinel sighs, “I don’t know why I’m even doin’ this...I can’t seem to talk to ya when you’re awake, not to say the things I really want to say, so...what’s the point.”

She picks herself up off the ground, and moves back by the fire, stoking it until the flames grow again. You can’t bear to watch her anymore, so you turn around to face the wall of the lean-to, wondering how you’ll ever get back to sleep with this new information rattling around in your head.

“I guess this answers the question of how she feels about me...”

When the morning comes, your stomach does flips at the first sight of Spinel, who is just arriving back from a walk as you emerge from the shelter. You try desperately to hide any emotion from your face, but you can’t help giving her a small smile as she heads toward you.

“Mornin’, Y/n!” Spinel says cheerfully, any hint of the sadness from last night gone. “Took a walk around again, and I even took a crack at makin’ ya something...”

She pulls out a newly whittled fishing stick from behind her back, and you grin.

“Think I should try again, huh?” you remark, taking the spear and inspecting it.

“Hey, I saw all those faces you were making eating those bananas last night,” she replies with a giggle. “Figured it couldn’t hurt to keep at it, yeah?”

You nod enthusiastically in reply. “Yeah, for sure! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy bananas, but...eating them for 3 days straight has been very...odd,” you inform the Gem, “Let me just get ready and we can go try again!”

After a while, you head over to the beach where you saw the fish yesterday. It’s cloudier today, so it won’t be as easy to spot the shimmering scales without the sun. Spinel heads right into the water to help, able to get a great vantage point if she stretches her legs. You can’t help but stare at the Gem now towering above you.

“Gosh she’s pretty,” you think almost involuntarily, and then make a face at yourself. “The hell? Ugh, what is happening to my brain...”

But still, you can’t tear your eyes away from Spinel, who’s oblivious to your gaze. She’s completely focused on her self-assigned task, and you can’t help but recall when she used her stretchiness the other night to help you in a different way.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by her voice from above, calling out that she’s spotted some fish a little further down the beach. You head over, once again careful not to disturb the sand.

You get into position slowly, and make your swing at a random fish, but once again, you’re too slow. Luckily this time you don’t plummet face first into the surf, but you’re disappointed all the same.

“Aw, Y/n, it’s okay,” Spinel says, snapping back to her usual height and walking over to you. “We can try for as long as ya like, ok?”

You sigh and agree, trying not to be too discouraged. Spinel squeezes your arm once and rushes forward, eager to keep scouting. You blush and follow her, realizing that you may need to figure out your emotions eventually.

“I can’t keep ignoring this,” you think, your heart pounding fast.

The following hours are rather grueling for you, especially as the sun starts to come out from behind the clouds and heat the island up. While that makes it slightly easier to spot fish, you still need Spinel’s help for some of it (and it’s definitely not an excuse to stare at her while she can’t see you).

All the while you’re trying to work through your thoughts and feelings towards the Gem. Logically, you know you should still be wary of her, but since that first day she’s not given you any reason to distrust her or even fear her. And she clearly regrets what she’s done...though that makes you wonder why she hasn’t chosen to take you back.

“Maybe something happened to the injector when she left it somewhere?” you rationalize while following a school of fish. You shake your head and try to focus, thinking of how delicious a nice warm fish would be to end the day.

You pick out your target and once again swing down, hoping...

Squish.

“Oh! Oh!” you cry out happily as you pull your stick from the surf. Sure enough, there’s a fairly big fish impaled at the end, and you managed to get it so that there’s plenty of fish left to cook.

“Did ya get something?” Spinel calls out, heading over to you from her spotting position.

“Yes! Ahh this is great!” you say, jumping up and down with joy. “And it only took four hours!”

��Seriously, great job, doll,” Spinel compliments, “You worked hard for this.”

You give her a grateful smile. “Well I’m glad to have had your help, Spins. Couldn’t have done it without you.” You nudge her with your shoulder as you both head back to shore, prompting her to blush and scratch the back of her neck.

“Aw gee, it’s no problem...like I said, can’t stand seeing ya make those faces at the bananas anymore,” she jokes halfheartedly. You can tell she’s flattered, though, and the thought makes you feel all warm and happy.

As you both walk back to the camp, slimy fish in hand, you’re struck with an unfortunate thought- you have no idea how to cook a fish, at least not well. Every fish you’ve ever eaten has either been at a restaurant, or already skinned, frozen, and cut in a nice filet, ready to pop in the oven.

“I’m just gonna have to wing it,” you figure.

Thankfully only your bottom half got wet from the waves this time, so no need to dry off before doing anything. You get right to it- attempting to fashion some sort of table atop the fire to place your fish on, wrapping it in leaves, and then you wait. You have no idea if this will work or not, so you’ve resigned yourself to bananas in the off chance it ends up being a bust.

In the meantime, you sit in the shade by the waterfall, sipping and trying to cool down. Spinel sits next to you after adding more twigs to the roaring fire.

“Well, that was a productive day,” you remark as she seats herself next to you.

“Tell me about it,” Spinel replies, “I’m all stretched out!”

She strikes a dramatic pose, hand to her forehead, and then deflates into what can only be described as Spinel spaghetti.

You crack up at the sight, endlessly amused at the different ways she can use her stretchiness for so many different things.

“Damn, Spins, that looks...interesting,” you say through your laughter, causing her to spring back to her normal self.

“Hey, I get the feelin’ that ‘interesting’ meant something else there, toots,” she says with a teasing smile, her eyes narrowed. Your heart jumps at the look she’s giving you, and you have to look away, her gaze becoming too much for you.

“H-hey, just saying what I’m thinking,” you reply, staring down into the pond and blushing.

“That’s somethin’ I like about you, Y/n,” Spinel replies, her tone completely serious now. “You’re never one to beat around the bush. It’s admirable. It’s...something I wish Pink would have been able to do for me.”

She leans back on her hands and sighs, staring straight ahead. You place a tentative hand atop hers in what you hope to be a comforting gesture.

“I understand,” you say simply, “but...I’m not Pink, y’know? I get that she hurt you, but it’s over now...you don’t have to give her the power to hurt you anymore.”

Spinel’s eyes widen, and you’re surprised to see that for once, she doesn’t cry when Pink is brought up. Instead she smiles, the kindest, gentlest smile you’ve ever seen, and her eyes light up as you gaze into them.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “I-”

She stops herself suddenly, a confused look falling over her face. “What’s that smell?”

You sniff the air as well, and bolt up when you realize what it is.

“Ah, damn it! Nooo,” you cry, trying to move the hot leaf-wrapped fish from the makeshift grill you had crafted. It’s incredibly hot, but you grab another nearby leaf and shimmy the fish onto that, making sure not to drop it into the sand.

You let out a sigh of relief as you open the leaf and see that the fish is cooked and not, in fact, burnt. The leaf is slightly burned through at the bottom where it was facing the open flame, but peeling that off peels off some of the fish skin, and you can see that the meat underneath actually looks decently similar to fish you’ve eaten in the past.

“Success!” you cry triumphantly, grinning back at Spinel. She watches you bemusedly, not moving from her perch on the rocks.

“Well, go ahead, try it!” she encourages.

You do- and it’s amazing. The skin left on leaves something to be desired, you’d normally eat around the skin or opt for a skinless fillet at home- but beggars can’t be choosers, and you’re grateful to have a hot meal for the first time in almost a week. It’s flavorful, too, probably thanks to the combination of it being so fresh, the open flame, and maybe even the leaf you wrapped it in for cooking.

“That good, huh?” Spinel remarks as you let out an involuntary sigh of happiness. “Maybe I’ll have to try somethin’ one of these days.”

“Hey, you can try some of this if you want,” you reply, offering the fish to your companion.

But Spinel makes a face as she stares at the cooked fish, and you giggle in response.

“Maybe I’ll try a banana or something tomorrow instead,” Spinel comments, shuddering while still staring at the fish. You laugh out loud and go back to your catch of the day, pleased with the way everything has turned out so far.

x * x * x * x * x

A while later, you’ve finished your dinner and the sun has started to dip below the horizon line, making your section of the island rather dark. You’re doing some last minute clean up with Spinel when she suddenly stops and turns to you.

“H-hey, do you wanna go for a walk while we still have some daylight?” she asks.

“Sure, that sounds nice...let me just finish piling up this extra kindling,” you reply, and try to hurry the task along. Spinel stands at the edge of the tree line, fidgeting and looking nervous for some reason. You stride over her and try to give her a comforting look, but she won’t meet your eyes anymore. The thought that you might have done something wrong makes your heart sink, and you follow her to the beach without another word.

As you break through the tree line to the shore, Spinel turns abruptly and begins walking, her longer legs making it difficult for you to keep pace with her. You walk behind her for a few minutes, fretting about why she might suddenly be acting this way.

“What did I do? Did I make her mad somehow?”

You run through every little interaction you’ve had in the past few hours, but nothing stands out to you as something that could have angered the pink Gem.

After another few minutes of quick walking, you call out to Spinel.

“Hey, can you...can you slow down, maybe? I can’t keep up, is something wrong?”

You try to keep the worry out of your voice but you can hear that you fail. Your voice sounds small and meek, and suddenly you don’t care anymore. You just want to know what’s wrong so you can try to remedy it. You don’t know when exactly you started caring for Spinel so deeply, but in this instant, you realize that the past...what she’s done to you...it doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve seen her regret and you’ve seen her trying to grow and change for the better, and you just want to see her happy. And maybe one day, she can be happy with you...

“N-nothin’s wrong, Y/n,” Spinel replies shakily, “Listen, I...”

She sighs and wraps her arms around herself, her posture looking strangely human.

“I’ve been thinking that...there’s no point to you staying here anymore,” Spinel finally says, looking downcast. “I can’t keep you here forever and you deserve to be with your friends, with people you care about, with...food you can eat that isn’t bananas or fish,” she continues with a sad chuckle.

“I’ll take ya back to Beach City, Y/n.”

You can feel your mouth drop open, trying to find the words to reply. This is not at all what you had expected her to say. Take you back...?

“Spinel, I...” you start, and then something registers.

“You said you’d take me back. What about you? Will you come back with me?”

Spinel shakes her head sadly, and turns to the sunset, the sky a beautiful vibrant orange. But in this moment it only feels gloomy.

“I- I can’t go back there. I’ve done so much bad in the short time I’ve been on Earth, and the way we left...I’m better off being alone where I can’t hurt anyone else. Including you.”

You shake your head vigorously and rush to Spinel’s side, willing her to look you in the eyes.

“Spinel, you don’t know them like I do, if we all sit down and talk about everything and show them that you’ve changed, it will be fine! They’ll forgive you and you can have a chance to start over!”

Spinel rolls her eyes and rounds on you, her eyes wild and sad. “Changed? I haven’t changed! I’m still angry all the time, Y/n! I’m still miserable all the time! How can I show them something that hasn’t happened?”

Tears well in the corners of her eyes, and your heart breaks. You take her hands and squeeze, trying to ground her.

“Spinel, you have changed. I know it’s hard for you to see it, but even when it’s just us talking, I can tell you’ve been getting better. You didn’t even cry when we were talking about Pink earlier,” you point out, giving her a hopeful smile.

A small sob wracks the Gem’s body and she turns away, shutting her eyes.

“I just...can’t go back there right now.”

You nod in understanding and let go of her hands as you watch the emotions subside.

“Then I’ll stay here with you.”

Spinel’s head whips back to you in surprise, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“What...? Y/n, you don’t have to do that for me,” she replies softly.

“I’m not doing it for you,” you reply plainly, “Or at least...not totally.”

You flush as you try to find the right way to phrase this, to tell her about what you’ve been feeling the past few days.

“Spinel, ever since I met you, you’ve felt...different, than anyone I’ve met before. And that’s not just because you’re a Gem- I know loads of Gems back in Beach City. They’re some of my best friends. But when I met you the first time, before you were rejuvenated...I could see the pain in your eyes, in your actions. I was scared of you at the time, but I was also sad for you. Then meeting your ‘past’ self, you were just so full of life, of energy. And a little mischievous,” you say with a laugh, earning a chuckle from Spinel as well.

“But when I learned what had happened to you, I can’t tell you how that felt. I thought I was going to throw up or pass out from the pain, and I can’t even begin to imagine how that had felt for you. How it must have caused your form to change...” you glance sadly at her gem, before continuing.

“And yeah, you may have messed up by bringing me here, and I know I was mad at you for a while, but...I’m not anymore. And I don’t even want to just be friends with you, I...I want something more,” you confess, the last few words quiet.

“But I know you and I see who you are and I just think you’re wonderful-”

And suddenly, you find you can’t speak anymore.

Because Spinel is kissing you.

#spinel #spinel x reader #spinel steven universe #spinel x reader fic #spinel fanfiction #steven universe #pas de deux #spinel x reader fanfiction #spinel reader #spinel fic

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ghosthunthq · 5 years ago

Text

Two Genies, One Bottle - A GH Genie Au

By @thisurlplease

It was Monday. Again. Not that Mai hated Mondays per se, but they got exhausting sometimes. And she had started the day off on such a high, too, feeling rejuvenated from her lazy weekend. But then her class assignments piled up, she didn’t have enough cash for a decent lunch, and she had a lovely stack of bills waiting for her in her mailbox. It was tough trying to scrape by as an orphan, but she was managing somehow.

Mai’s stomach growled in complaint, reminding her just how little she had for lunch. “Don’t give me that tone, young lady,” she chastised, “I’m doing the best I can.”

She sighed and lay back on the grass. “Sooner or later, something’s gotta give.” If only she could catch a break, find a job that paid well and left time for school, or something. Stumble upon a hidden treasure…

Mai’s musings were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. She quickly sat up, trying not to psych herself out. Perfectly normal, non-scary animals lived in bushes on the edge of a wooded area. She just had to handle this calmly.

“Okay, creepy monster, you better not jump out at me. I’ve got a…” Mai paused to rummage in her bag, pulling out the sharpest thing she could find. “Aha! A pencil. I’ve got a pencil.”

“Mrow.” A black and white cat with mismatched eyes popped its head out of the bushes.

“Oh, you’re a cat. I can deal with that.” Mai had secretly been hoping to take in a stray. “Here, Mister Kitty-kitty.”

But the kitty did not come. In fact, he bolted towards the woods.

“Wait, come back!” Something in Mai told her she needed to follow this cat. So she did.

The cat was fast, but she managed to catch up to it in a clearing. It was like it was waiting for her. She gulped in a lungful of air, smiling triumphantly. “Hey, handsome boy. You wanna be my kitty-cat?”

The cat stared at her silently.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She scooped the cat up into her arms.

And suddenly she was falling. “Oh ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii—” Mai screamed, but before she could finish the expletive, she landed in a pile of leaves with a muffled fwomp.

“Oof, again?” Mai had fallen in a hole or two before. “Dang it, who keeps just leaving these holes in the middle of the ground?”

Mai sat up with some effort, rustling around noisily in the leaves. As she did so, her hand made contact with something cold and solid. It felt similar to a glass bottle, but with ridges all around. Pulling it from the leaves, she examined it. It was a ridged bottle like she had thought, with a long neck and bulbous base, but there was an eerie glow to it. She dusted it off, trying to get a look inside.

“Hm, what is thi— Oh!”

Smoke swirled from the mouth of the bottle, rising into a large cloud. Slowly, it took shape until a bizarre creature stood— floated before her. It was as if the creature was suspended in water, his hair gently swaying back and forth. His skin was a pale blue with brilliant blue tattoos adorning his face and chest.

“I AM THE GENIE OF THE LAMP,” it boomed. “FOR SUMMONING ME, I WILL GRANT YOU THREE WISHES. RULE #1: YOU CANNOT WISH FOR MORE WISHES. RULE #2–”

“I wish for more genies!” Mai blurted.

“WAIT, YOU CAN’T JUST—” The genie cut off, his eyes widening. There was a loud poof and the genie erupted into a giant cloud of steam.

“Oh geez, I can’t see a thing! Mr. Genie guy?” Mai coughed. “Oh gross, I think I just inhaled genie.”

“It’s not genie,” said an irritated voice beside her. “It’s the result of an exothermic reaction from magical discharge.”

“A what now?” Mai asked, trying to wave some of the steam away.

“We’re so hot, we made it all steamy up in here,” came the exact same voice, albeit in a more jubilant tone, from her other side.

“Wait a second…” Mai squinted. She could just make out two shapes in the clearing steam. “Are there two of you now?”

“Yeah! And it’s awesome.” There was a gasp. “I can see my hands… O.M.G! I’m a real boy!”

The steam had cleared now, and instead of a genie, there appeared to be two tall, pale, and extremely skinny teenage boys.

“No,” said the other one, who was clearly unimpressed, “you’re still a genie.”

“Riiiiight, a real boy named Gene.”

The cat, which Mai had completely forgotten about, mrow’d again.

“Oh, hey Lin!” said Gene, the happier of the two, “Glad to see you’re still hanging around. You’re really taking this guardian business seriously.”

“He’s your cat?” Mai asked.

“He’s not a cat,” answered the other guy— genie. “He was cursed. Just like we were.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Gene cut in, “some witch didn’t like us junking up his mojo, so he turned Lin into a cat and us into a single genie. And man, is it good to have my own body again.”

Mai frowned. “Why a genie?”

Gene waved his hand around. “Servitude, blah, blah, blah.”

“Because,” the other interrupted, “Gene liked to flaunt his name around. The witch thought it’d be ironic.”

“And because,” Gene added sassily, “this guy can’t stand being stuck with me.”

The other looked away moodily.

“Well, okay,” Mai said, “you’re both still genies, then? Does that mean I still get wishes?”

“Yup!” Gene nodded. “Five, to be exact. But listen, you can’t wish for anymore genies.”

“How come?”

“Well, honestly, we just don’t have that kind of power now that we’re split in two. And it was just luck we were two entities in the first place.”

“Dumb luck,” the bad-tempered genie muttered.

Mai stood arms akimbo, scowling at him. “You’re just mad you’re a weak genie.”

“I’m plenty powerful. Besides, I don’t need magic to get by when I have intellect like mine.”

“Wow, you’re pretty narcissistic, aren’t you? I bet it doesn’t hurt none that you’re handsome, too,” Mai said sarcastically.

“You think I’m handsome, huh? Well, thanks. It comes in handy.”

“Wow, okay. I’ll just call you Naru the Narcissist from now on.”

“Ha!” Gene suddenly belted out. “The name fits you perfectly, Naru.”

Mai swore, honest to god, she saw Naru blush.

“Whatever,” he muttered, “get to wishing.”

“Hold on. Mai could really help us out.”

“How so?” she asked.

“Break our curses, pretty please?” Gene smiled, placing his hands together. “Please?”

“That would leave me with…” Mai counted on her fingers. “Two wishes? You, Naru, and Lin would need the other three?”

“Yes.”

“I’m amazed, she can count.”

“Grrr. Maybe I just won’t break your curse then, Naru.”

“Mai, please, he’s just emotionally constipated. He’d be eternally grateful.”

“Okay,” Mai sighed. “I guess I’d feel bad leaving him down here to rot.”

“Good!” Gene smiled brilliantly. “Now what do you want?”

“What do I want?” Mai murmured to herself. This was a huge decision. “Well, for one, I wish we weren’t stuck in this stupid, dumb hole.”

“Boom, done!” Gene snapped and clapped his hand to his fist, then they were suddenly no longer in a stupid, dumb hole. They were back in the woods by Mai’s home.

“Gene!” Mai whined as she shielded her eyes from the unexpected brightness, “I didn’t mean that to be a real wish!”

“Tch, dummy,” Naru huffed.

“Hey mister, you are not nice!” Mai snapped, shaking her finger at him. “At least I got us out of that hole before you were both normal humans.”

“There was an exit,” Naru said blandly. “Or did you think we were all just dropped in through that hole you fell through?”

“Fine, whatever. Next wish is for you, then, Mr. Narcissist.” She quietly cleared her throat. “Since he’s been patiently waiting without snarky commentary, I first wish to break the curse on Lin-san.”

Naru snapped his fingers and very suddenly, Lin was no longer a cat. Instead, he was a man… a very tall, bean-pole of a man, with a long fringe over his right eye.

“Holy smokes, you’re tall.”

“Yes, I think he knows that. What’s your next wish?”

“Oh, uh, I wish to break your curse and make you human again.”

Naru snapped his fingers and… did not look any different.

“Did it work?”

“Yes,” he said plainly.

“Okay, then. Gene, final wish before I make you human again.” She took a deep breath. She knew this was the way to go. Yes, riches would greatly improve her life, but they couldn’t last forever, right? What was the saying? Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime. Right, then. “I wish I had a cool job that pays well and allows time for school work.”

“Boom. You’re a paranormal investigator, Naru’s your boss, Lin and I are your coworkers.”

“Fuuuu—"

#Ghost Hunt #GHW2020 #GHHQ #thisurlplease #Genies AU #submission

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sereisstuff · 5 years ago

Text

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝟹

Demon!Taehyung x chubby reader (fem)

summary-The son of Poseidon helps you remove the mark, but Taehyung doesn’t enjoy the mortal emotions he’s beginning to feel.

warnings-slight mentions of drowning!!

(A/N-i feel like this is gonna flop a bit, but other then that thank you all for all the amount of support I've had over the past few weeks of making this story it feels incredible)

I haven’t proof read though cause i’m a lazy shit, so there may be some grammatical mistakes.

!!ENJOY!!

The pale moonlight shone brightly above the pair of you, waves crashing sensually against the sand there jungkook stood in the waters of his home. The substance barely reaching his bruised knees”I’m gonna need you to come in”he gestured for you to step in the odourless liquid.

hesitant you glance back to Taehyung who stepped further away from the sand, he looked worried but unfazed seating himself on a branch with his arms crossed keeping an eye out for any unwanted visitors.

“What will happen”you asked cautiously you weren’t a big fan of water. Every time you looked at it memories of the colourless tides trapping you beneath its strong currents soak back into your brain causing tension between you and the younger man.

“Don’t worry about it,”

“And, well, I can see my cousin no longer wants my name embedded in your skin so there’s only one way to remove it” jungkook used his abilities to raise the tides to lift you from your spot, it seemed like limbs formed into arms caressing your skin as it effortlessly placed you in front of him.

words couldn't express your shock but actions could, your eyes widened and out of reflex you tried to shove the water failing miserably, grabbing nothing but embarrassment as the male chuckled at your movements”I could see you weren’t gonna make the first move, and my cousin looks awfully impatient back there”jungkook acknowledged Taehyung tilting his head in the direction of the demon.

who tapped his foot impatiently on the ground staring at you both boredly.

“there’s no need to be scared”jungkook suddenly mentioned calming the tides by the palms of his soft hands, he looked at you gently reaching for your wrist.

“I'm not scared” you replied trying to hold your head high, he lifted a brow in judgement lifting the tide slightly and watched as your heart pounded in fear. something they forgot to mention was their ability to feel the emotions of those who are dawned with their mark.

“yeah, sure”jungkook scoffed puncturing the walls of his cheek with his tongue, he was getting annoyed but continued to remind himself that you were a mortal compared to him a Demigod who has lived in the waters with these abilities his entire life, growing one with the supernatural beings.

It wasn’t anything new for him, but for you It would be like training a baby to walk the path of gods.

“are you underestimating me, water boy”you paused to look at the young man with a threatening glare it was bad enough you have a history with the tides, maybe punching the god of the seas son in the face will be a warning for him to never mess with you again.

he rolled his eyes snatching your wrist tired of your restless banter”this is gonna hurt” he muttered under his breath, tone laced heavily in stress Inducing himself under the Influence of the water, In order for the ritual to be done jungkook would have to be under the control of his father, who by the way wouldn’t be pleased.

“Jungkook” you grabbed his shoulders feeling the waves repeatedly crash against the front of your shins staring at the son of Poseidon who had his eyes closed forcefully clenching the insides of his palms, conjuring everything he could in order for his pleads to be heard.

maybe he should have explained to you what was about to happen.

you held tightly against his shoulders feeling an immense amount of weight fill your lungs, suffocating the air out of you, the transparent wind was no longer filling your insides but what felt like water was. Jungkook winced when the colourless substance began to rise further and further until you both were forced under the ocean.

your desperate need for air was shoved into the currents only to be seen by the passing by fish.

you scrambled for anything to reach for wishing nothing more than death to ease the pain, but jungkook needed a few more seconds under water in order for that very mark to no longer co-exist on your wrist.

grabbing your worn out body as you could only stare at him breathlessly watching the way his brown hair floated so elegantly with the tides form a sort of entertainment any type of thing to rest your mind on was good enough, better than focusing on the explosion of your lungs.

“one more second”you heard him say as you could only welcome the depths of the never ending darkness with welcome arms, but no longer then a second the ocean settled retreating back to its place letting you drop into Jungkook’s arms, he panicked as your distressed state began to make an appearance.

placing you on the ocean floor to help you regain life.

“ow” you muttered tiredly with your eyes closed feeling pressure on top of your chest, a burning desire to spew out any sort of salty compulsion filling your lungs, and out came the dead sea falling from your mouth in trails of your cries.

“and that’s how you remove a mark” jungkook huffed as he helped you up. feeling nothing but rejuvenated from the help of his father, he admitted that it was risky to do this but surprisingly you lasted under the water for longer then expected which wasn’t normal. this is only the second time he’s performed this type of thing the first time wasn’t a pleasant experience.

you noticed Taehyung straying further from the sand as if the sight burned his insides, crossing his arms still holding that bland look “it’s done” jungkook helped you walk up the path to where Taehyung had hid himself, he looked at you worrying over your constant shivering.

your lips had turned purple and he felt......guilty.

jungkook eyed the pair in curiosity, slowly letting you go from his grasp to give you back to his cousin”holy shit it’s cold”you whispered weakly, then developing yourself in your arms. blowing hot air into your hands praying it would do something to help.

Taehyung groaned watching you pathetically warm yourself up”thanks”jungkook shrugged gifting Taehyung with his bunny smile, wanting to hand you a blanket or so out of respect or just do something because after all it was his fault you were like this.

“you can go now” the young demon shooed away the boy back to his home “is she gonna be alright??” jungkook asked one last time before he retreats back to the water slowly, Taehyung watched you weakly hold yourself up, wrapping an arm around you waist in support.

you jumped up at the sudden touch tilting your head up to look at him growing confused when he didn’t acknowledge his actions towards you “she will be fine, she’s no child” Taehyung raised a brow.

“I understand that, but she will get sick unless something warms her up-” Jungkook tried breaking his cousins walls to get through to his dark mind but only earned a displease look ”i’ll go now, goodbye y/n” jungkook ruffled your hair making you feel like a child, but not having enough willpower to throw your arms around his neck and do the same.

jungkook left back to the tides where he dispersed into the water.

“oh Hades, you look pathetic” Taehyung snapped at you sucking in a stressed out breath between his teeth he was contemplating a lot right now”i’m not pathetic” you replied on the brink of fainting no longer feeling warmth surrounding your body. nudging off Taehyung's hand.

pathetic who’s he calling pathetic??

“your gonna die if you don’t get any warmth around you” Taehyung called following behind you as you weakly pushed yourself down a trail back to your home”w-well do you have any other i-idea, pretty boy”you growled.

“actually, I do” you felt an arm wrapped around your shoulder, turning you to face Taehyung who had a smug look on his face. he snaked his arms around your back and shoulders pressing your face against his toned chest.....he was hugging you.

he leaned his head on your shoulder fanning your neck in the warmth of his breath. you hate to admit but this felt really good, leaning more into his touch still shivering but no longer feeling the cold nip at your wet body”i’m g-gonna wet y-you”you suggested too late into the hug.

“it’s okay, you can buy me another shirt later”

“even with your poor choice of clothes”he joked to lighten the mood, you were slowly getting used to his way of humour smiling lightly at his joke”just cause your father’s Satan doesn’t mean you get to n-nit pick at my clothes” you snapped back keeping your cheek placed closely to his chest.

“correction, its Hades. I’m offended, darling” Taehyung sassed back in the most obscure tone in history, your limbs grew weak and tired, hanging tightly to his body, the ritual took a toll on your body and you felt nothing but weak.

“we should get you home” you didn’t reply, feeling comfortable in his embrace as you began to drift off to sleep.

nothing was occurring in your mind when Taehyung leaped through time to your home, specifically your bedroom.

He released you of his hold, scoffing when your lifeless body ignored his loss of touch tightening your hold around his waist as you slept like a child”so much for hating me” he chuckled pulling you to the comforts of your bed, he pulled the blankets back glancing at your sleepy self.

He gently tossed a strand of hair from your chubby cheeks, holding back a smile.

How can a mortal be so...cute

He shoved you back a bit too harsh as he realised what he had done or so had thought, quickly tucking you into bed. He warmed the sheets before hand watching you snuggle into your pillow with a satisfied groan.

He regretted shoving you back, watching the light ink your body in comfort the moonlight caressing your skin, he eyed every inch of your figure stepping back into the darkness where he returned to his kingdom to rid him of his mortal feelings.

................................................................................................................................

tag list -

@sugarrimajins @nabo39 @camilaxpolanco @bluemooncnblue @alex--awesome--22 @fivesecondsofsarang @sununicorn @thealexalcala @damnedandbroken @aylinstrash

#kim taehyung #kim taehyung imagines #kim taehyung x reader #kim taehyung x you #yandere kim taehyung #demon taehyung #bts hybrid au #bts taehyung #bts imagines #bts reactions #kim taehyung x oc #kim taehyung x chubby reader #bts x chubby reader #taehyung x chubby reader #chubby!reader #plus size reader

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minijenn · 5 years ago

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Universe Falls Preview 3

Last one, imo the part highlighting the kids new forms took ages and is long as fuck but I’m please with it overall since I’m trying to streamline. Imo I was torn between giving you the boys or the girls since that’s a good division to make, but for now I’ll give ya the girls. Enjoy:

“Oy, what smells like fish…?” Mabel suddenly spoke up as she finally started to wake up herself. She let out a long yawn, not noticing the dumbfounded looks Steven and Dipper were both sending her way as they realized she’d also gone through an unnatural transformation. For her own part, however, it took Mabel a moment or two to register that transformation as she sat up and stared directly at the scaly pink finned tail that had taken the place of her legs. “Huh… Well that’s new,” she noted, glancing over her now-webbed hands before balking at her tail again with a huge gasp. “OH MY GOSH!” she practically screamed, stars in her eyes as she hugged her tail excitedly. “I’m a mer-ACK!” Mabel sucked in another sharp gasp, an involuntary one this time as her breathing grew short and shallow, her eyes widening in panic as she gripped her throat frantically.

“Mabel!” Steven and Dipper both exclaimed in concerned alarm. On impulse, Dipper rushed to get up to help her, completely forgetting about the current state of his legs until he inevitably ended up tripping and faceplanting right back into the grass again. He didn’t let that stop him however, as he prepared to try again, he happened to catch sight of something Mabel apparently hadn’t as she haphazardly threw off her sweater so she could breathe easier. “Gills…” he gasped in realization. “She has gills! She can’t breathe! Steven, she needs water! B-but I can’t-”

“I’m on it!” Steven readily agreed, his vines moving in accordance with him this time. It was almost as if they knew exactly what he was thinking as they kept him propped up, essentially “walking” him over to Mabel, who was still gasping and choking on air that wouldn’t do anything for her now. While Steven tried to help her himself, the vines did that for him too as their tips gently coiled around her arms before they swiftly pulled her into the nearby creek, submerging her completely.

Both Steven and Dipper waited for an anxious beat for Mabel to emerge from the relatively shallow water, though when she did, she let out a rejuvenated sigh of relief as she perched herself against the side of the creek. “Ah! Much better!” she grinned happily, splashing more water against the small pink gills on her neck. “Guess I just needed to wet my whistle! So, whaaaaaaaaaaaaa-?!” By now, Mabel finally noticed just what had happened to Dipper and Steven, and as soon as she did, a huge, delighted smile broke out across her face. “Ohhhhhh, Steven! Dipper! You guys look so adorable!”

“Uh, thanks?” Steven chuckled.

“Ugh, this is just gonna keep getting more and more embarrassing, isn’t it?” Dipper scoffed, dryly.

“Embarrassing? Bro-bro, what are you talking about? This is awesome!” Mabel proclaimed, flopping back into the creek behind her so she could admire her tailfins noce more. “Check it out! I’m totally a mermaid! Oh, if only Mermando was still here! We could be the cutest mer-couple ever, and have mer-babies, and live in a mer-castle under the sea! And sing mer-songs all day!”

“Yeesh,” Dipper rolled his eyes at his sister’s flights of fantasy. “You would enjoy this, Mabel.”

“Hey, has anyone seen Connie?” Steven asked, glancing around in newfound concern. “I haven’t seen her since all this happened. Do you think maybe she could have gone after Centi when she ran off?”

“What are you talking about, Steven? I’ve been here this whole time!”

Steven, Mabel, and Dipper alike all froze up at this, each of them looking around for Connie upon hearing her voice, only to find no sign of her anywhere. That is, until she happened to reappear out of nowhere right in front of Steven. All three of the other kids let out a startled round of alarm at this, though Connie didn’t share it as she let out a small sigh of relief instead.

“Ah, finally you guys can actually see and hear me!” she exclaimed as she hovered up into the air a bit. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for the past several minutes, but it’s like you all just kept staring right through me!”

“Aw, sorry, Connie!” Steven apologized earnestly. “We didn’t mean to! But I couldn’t see you until now, much less hear you!”

“C-Connie?” Dipper spoke up, trembling slightly until he caught himself doing so. “A-are you… I-I… I don’t know how to say this, but… I-I think you might be-”

“Oh! A ghost!” Mabel guessed bluntly. “I got it right, didn’t I?”

“What? A ghost?” Connie shook her head incredulously. For her part, she largely looked the same as she always did, though like Mabel, her legs had been traded in for a tail, albeit one that wasn’t anywhere near as fish-like. But even beyond that, she had taken on a pale blue parlor, her entire body being more or less completely translucent as it radiated with a dull, unearthly sort of glow. That, paired with the fact that she was able to float above the ground freely, added up to far too much evidence for anything else to really be true, as much as Connie wished something else was. “Oh my gosh, I-I think you guys are right! I-I really am a ghost! B-but why? And how--wait, no, I don’t even want to think about how! A-anyway, w-what happened to you guys? To all of us?!”

“I think I know what happened,” Mabel said as she pushed herself up out of the stream a bit.

“Really?” Dipper asked, skeptical as Steven began to use his vines to help him properly stand. “You know what happened to us when none of the rest of us do?”

“Of course, I do,” Mabel grinned proudly. “We all got turned into totally awesome magical creatures! I mean, think about it: I’m a super sparkly mermaid (with a tail in my favorite shade of pink, might I add!). Connie’s a really cool ghost why can fly and turn invisible-”

“I don’t know if I’d call either of those things ‘cool’ in this instance…” Connie frowned as she accidentally phased her intangible hands into each other.

“Steven’s, uh… w-well he’s some sort of flower… guy… person… thing…” Mabel ventured, uncertain. “B-but that’s awesome, since pink is totally your color.”

“Oh, you think so?” Steven grinned, looking down at his light pink arm with a newfound sense of fondness.

“And Dipper is a super cute deertaur!”

“Again, I’m 100% positive that’s not what it’s called,” Dipper spoke up as he stomped one of his hooves down in annoyance. “Also, would everyone please stop calling me cute?!”

“Maybe once you stop being cute,” Mabel chuckled with a teasing smirk.

“Which will be never!” Steven added much more earnestly.

#jen writes #universe falls #bout to write the gems and their new forms aosjdaslkdjsladk #imma work on this all day tomorrow in the hopes of grinding it down #ya gal wanna get out of this one #pls #monster falls #uf preview

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pilyarquitect · 4 years ago

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Asterix - Getafix’s mistake - Chapter 1. The confusion

Hello everyone! Here in this day October 12th, I bring you a new story. Actually, is a translation of another story I wrote. I really hope you’ll like it!

Well, I’d like to give a special thanks to @drummergirl231-2 . She’s amazing! Without knowing anything about Asterix, she accepted to edit the translated story so I could bring you the best possible version. I’m really, really, really grateful to her, she’s awesome!

Okay after say all this, here you have the first chapter of this story, I hope you all will like it!

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The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely…

The sun rose in the east as every morning. Its rays gradually illuminated a small village that was on the shores of the ocean while a soft wind carried with it the final remains of the mist that always formed at dawn. The village was populated by indomitable Gauls who still held out against the invaders. This small village was surrounded by four Roman camps, Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium. Behind the walls of this small population, there lived people who weren’t willing to join Roman Empire, or submit to Julius Caesar.

What was the secret of that resistance? How could simple villagers so masterfully resist such a great opponent? The answer was found in a magic potion – a potion that gave superhuman strength to anyone who drank it. The hamlet druid prepared it for its inhabitants, and over the years had endowed that town with the fame it now so well deserved. But it wasn’t only the potion that made the village famous. Some of its inhabitants, specifically two of them, were known for the many adventures they had experienced over the years. Naturally if someone asked for them, their names are: Asterix and Obelix.

These two men have always been friends, from the moment they were born – because in them there was the unusual case that, despite belonging to different families, they were born on the same day and at the same moment. That generated in them a strong bond of friendship that to date has never been broken. It was true that sometimes they argued, but deep down they both knew whatever the other said, he was never serious.

The same was true of the rest of the villagers. They were all friends, although many times there were discussions… especially about how fresh the fish Unhygienix sold were. These discussions were normally initiated by the hamlet blacksmith, Fulliautomatix and the already named fishmonger. Their discussions used to grow into fights that ended up involving the entire village. But contrary to what anyone could think, for the villagers, these fights were pure fun, and after each one, they always reconciled and went about their routines as if nothing had happened. The chief Vitalstatistix, despite having that title, was one more inhabitant of the town, and everyone considered him a friend, although, of course, they showed him loyalty and submitted to him as ruler of the hamlet.

On the other hand, there was the bard, Cacofonix, who seemed to live slightly apart from the rest of the village; not because the others despised him, but rather because none of the inhabitants seemed to share his musical liking. For this reason, the man lived in a cabin on top of a tree – a place in which, as he said, it was easier for him to be inspired to compose his odes and songs.

These were the main inhabitants of the hamlet, all of them with their routines and their chores. Everything seemed to be as it always was. It seemed that nothing was going to truncate that peace and tranquility that the village enjoyed. Little did they know what was going to happen…

That morning, the druid Getafix was in his cabin experimenting with new potions. In his last meeting with other druids to celebrate their periodic contest at Carnutes – the druid’s forest – Getafix had presented his famous magic potion, a potion that led him to victory. The druid thought that, for the next time, he wanted to bring a new spell or potion. To do so, he thought of something that might be useful. One of the druids that took part on the contest presented a potion that allowed him to take food from boiling water without burning. Ingenious! It was a simple potion, but truly useful for everyday life.

Getafix thought that he, too, wanted to do something useful for everyday life. He thought about it for a long time until finally an idea came to mind: make a variant of his magic potion. While it was true the potion provides superhuman strength, it is also true the drinker didn’t feel the potion had any effect on his being. Realizing this, the old druid began to think about the possibility of making a potion that would make the person feel more rejuvenated and able to endure the work of the day.

That would certainly be of great help, especially to people who considered themselves more of a hindrance than a help since they tire so easily. If his potion produced the effect he hoped for, that could be one of the greatest achievements ever.

With this idea in mind, Getafix had inadvertently spent the whole night working in an attempt to achieve this goal, although he still hadn’t obtained the expected results. When the man realized that it was already dawn, he also found the villagers slowly beginning their daily work routine.

Getafix smiled to himself. At this point he couldn’t remember how long he had lived in the hamlet, but he did remember that he had seen almost all of its inhabitants grow. He had taught them… had educated them… shared his knowledge with them… opened their young minds to the world around them. And he had helped them defend themselves against the Romans with his magic potion…

Thinking about the magic potion, Getafix checked his supplies of the potion ingredients and saw that some of them were starting to run out. It was time to go for more. Fortunately, he always kept a spare pot for emergencies, as well as a canteen for Asterix since the warrior, given his adventurous spirit, had become accustomed to always carrying his personal supply of magic potion.

Getafix also knew it wouldn’t be long before the blond Gaul came to him to ask him for a new consignment of the liquid that had freed them from so many dangers to date. He prepared a green canteen for when Asterix arrived and also put the remains of the potion he had been working on in another canteen, this one brown. Later, he would carefully study the ingredients he used – the quantities of these elements – and would test to see if the effects were what he expected or not. He hung both containers together near the fireplace and while waiting for the warrior's arrival, he prepared what was necessary to collect the ingredients he needed to make more magic potion.

"Good morning, Getafix! Oh druid, how has your night been?" The village warrior suddenly greeted from the door of the hut. The druid looked at him with a smile and replied:

"Good morning Asterix, the truth is that, thanks to Belenos, I’ve advanced a lot in my new potion."

"Really? By Tutatis, don't tell me you've spent the whole night working.” said the little Gaul with genuine concern for his druid.

Getafix looked at Asterix. The Gaul was not very tall. He was actually quite short for his age, but the old druid considered him one of the greatest men he had ever met.

"Asterix, you don’t have to worry about me. You know druids can handle more than the others." the older tried to reassure him.

"It may be so, but you are still human. And you too should rest, oh druid."

“I’m close to success. As soon as I succeed, then I will rest, Asterix. I promise you. Now, I’m sure you’re here for the magic potion, aren’t you?” Getafix said trying to change the subject of their conversation.

"That's right. Obelix says that he has to deliver a couple of menhirs this morning, so we’ve agreed that I’ll go for breakfast and we’ll eat it together in my cabin. But as you know, against Romans, it’s best to take all precautions."

"Certainly, Asterix," the druid replied as he unhooked the brown canteen and handed it to the warrior. “But remember that the potion is only an aid in the fight against the Romans. In my opinion, the most important thing is what we have in our hearts and minds – that is, courage and intelligence, and you have both, my friend.”

"Thank you, Getafix." replied the blond Gaul as he tied the canteen on his belt. Then he said goodbye to the druid and went to the forest to hunt a couple of wild boars for breakfast.

******************************************************

When Asterix reached the forest, the warrior inhaled the pure air. He had always found the forest very pleasant. As a child, he had gone loads of times with his friends and played there while his parents fought… or rather, crushed the Romans. The forest was always a pleasant place to go, except when Cacofonix decided to compose new songs. On those occasions, the forest was the least advisable place to be.

Asterix walked among the trees looking for his breakfast when a Roman patrol appeared before his eyes. Oh well, I'll be able to have some extra fun, the Gaul thought. The patrol spotted the blond warrior and their faces immediately blanched until they almost looked like corpses. Instantly they took a desperate flight while the Gaul in turn took chase. In the process, he grabbed the canteen and took a drink from it.

What happened next was totally unexpected for both the Romans and Asterix himself. First, as soon as the warrior took a sip of the drink, he immediately realized that the taste was quite different from what he was used to. Strange, he thought, but almost immediately he realized it wasn’t so strange. He came to the terrible conclusion that what he had just drunk wasn’t magic potion, but was probably the new potion that Getafix had been working on. Asterix didn’t know what that potion would do exactly. He only knew if the Romans realized that it wasn’t magic potion what he had taken, he would be in big trouble…

Before he could make a decision, Asterix noticed a sudden pain in his chest. That pain made him stop, and when he stopped, the Romans also stopped, surprised that the little warrior hadn’t reached them yet. Then the legionaries witnessed something incredible: the Gaul was on his knees, with one hand resting on the grass and the other clutching his chest tightly. His face had taken on an expression of what seemed like deep agony. It was surprising to see one of the most feared Gauls – Obelix undoubtedly ranked first – in that position. Suddenly, Romans watched in amazement as the warrior's body began to decrease in size, his mustache disappearing as Asterix was getting smaller and smaller. Also, the clothes that the man wore didn’t change, so they were increasingly larger for the warrior's body.

"By Jupiter! Does anyone know what is going on here?” one of the legionaries asked.

"Well, the truth is that I have no idea, what about you?" another replied.

"No, no idea."

"I don’t know either."

"What do we do now?"

The patrol was stunned at the spectacle they were watching. When it was all over, Asterix passed out because of pain and what the Romans saw before their eyes was a three-year-old boy.

This image is a picture made by @zeragii

**********************************************

Well, here ends the first chapter. What do you think about it? Asterix will be in a big trouble, won’t he? Or maybe the Romans – knowing how dangerous the Gauls are – won’t do anything to him so this way they surely won’t pay the consequences? What do you think they’ll do?

Also, what do you think of this potion? Do you think it have more effects than just change body’s size? Is it temporary or permanently? We’ll find out in next chapters! Have a nice day!

#asterix and obelix #Getafix's mistake #Asterix #Getafix #Romans #an encounter in the forest with unexpected ending #art from Zeragii

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ansgar-martinsson · 4 years ago

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The Best Intentions - Part 32

“Oh, darling,” he said, pausing for a moment, testing the waters. When she didn’t balk at the pet name, he continued, his smile broadening, “I will take you for all the ice cream you could possibly want, at any time or anywhere.”

“Would you?”

“I will keep you in M&M’s for life if you asked it of me. I’d do anything to have you with me; anything to see that smile on your face.”

She looked up at him. “Anything?”

He inhaled. He knew what was coming. “Yes, anything,” he affirmed. “I will even slow myself down. I will slow down and talk things through with you. I will tell you of my machinations from now on, especially should they involve you or your family.”

“Promise?”

“I promise,” he said, crossing his heart. “I just… if I see an opportunity, I tend to jump upon it, damn the consequences sometimes. I… I just didn’t think. I hate to say this but it just didn’t cross my mind that you’d be upset with me talking with your brother, taking him for a drink, inviting him here today.”

“I’d have liked to have gotten drunk with you first, before Elias did.” She gave a small shrug.

“Well, you still can,” he said brightly. “I’m not that drunk. We can remedy that as soon as you like. Tonight, if you’re up for it. I’m game… I hear you Lindbergs are a professional lot of drinkers. I’d like to put that to the test with you.”

“I think I can accept that challenge.” She laughed. “But again you’re changing the subject.”

“I most certainly am not. You’re the one who brought up the drinking, darling, not me. I can’t help it if you go all off topic and willy nilly and….”

“Ansgar…,” she growled. “Focus.”

He chuckled. “Fine. I understand. I should have spoken with you about meeting with Elias, about inviting him to the picnic first. I should never have gone behind your back.”

“What else?”

“I won’t leave you alone again, not like I did today. Not at a social function like this, not where your place with me raises eyebrows, not where you could possibly be eaten by the sharks. I won’t leave you unprotected like that again. I… I made an error in that. A terrible error.”

“Are these… are these actual honest to goodness apologies I’m hearing, Herr Martinsson?”

He peered down at her, his eyes bright, open, honest. “They are,” he said. “I am… I’m sorry, Joline. I’m sorry I undermined you. I’m sorry you had to feel second best today, because you are most certainly not. I’m sorry you had to bear the brunt of my notoriety, take the weight of gossip and backchat, and I’m sorry I left you alone, left you to it.”

“There’s a ‘but’ in there somewhere,” she squinted. “I can hear it.”

He licked his lips and grinned. “You know me so well already, don’t you?”

“I’m getting there,” she said. “But don’t change the subject, what’s the catch?”

“I’m not going to apologize for recruiting your brother. I can’t.”

“I understand,” she nodded. “You need him. You need him and that’s good. I think…, no. I know you two will work well together. I know he’ll do right by you if you do right by him and his family.”

“That is most certainly my intention, darling, to do right by him.”

“Not for my sake?”

He shook his head. “For Elias’ and mine. No more, no less. I swear it.”

“Do you?”

“Will you please stop second guessing me? I swear, I mean what I say to you, Joline. Take me at face value. It’s what I’m giving you, the truth of me – something I’ve not given to many people in my life. It’s hard for me. I wish you’d accept it.”

“I do,” she said tentatively. “It’s myself I don’t trust.”

He brushed his fingers over her cheek, tipping her chin in his direction. He bent to her, caressing her lips with his own - a gentle kiss, nothing sexual, just affection, pure and simple. Pure. Simple. Truth. “I trust you,” he whispered. “Take me as I am.”

“Okay,” she nodded slowly. Her eyes flicked between his two, back and forth and back and forth until she fixated squarely upon him. “Okay.”

“Very good,” he grinned. “Very good indeed.” And he held that smile for a beat, peering down into her face, taking in the beauty of her, the feeling of light giddiness that washed over him at the sight of her, at the press of her body still against his. It was a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling, a scary thing, yet, inviting. Unsettling yet comforting. Something old yet something new. Something very new. Something right.

And to think he’d nearly lost it.

And he wanted more of it.

And it was compounded by the renewed thrum of alcohol in his blood stream – after the emotions, after the adrenaline of the argument, after the roller coaster of fear had passed. It all went straight to his brain. “Um,” he said, fishing in his pocket, “I think you ought to drive.” He pulled the key fob for the Tesla out with a grunt and dangled it in front of her. “We’ll go get that ice cream, and perhaps some dinner after, but I’m still a bit – erm… wonky.”

She took the fob reverently in her palm, curled her fingers around it and beamed excitedly up at him. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Her eyes blew wide and she clutched her hands together near her heart, like a child in supplication, like a beggar thankful for food. “But, before the ice cream,” she sang, “I’d like to open her up a little bit, take her through her paces.”

Ansgar pushed himself off the boot, steadied himself, and gestured grandly toward the car. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”

“Sgar! Hey, Sgar! There you are! I’ve been scouring the place looking for you!”

Ansgar turned toward the voice, groaning inwardly at the intrusion. Yet, he plastered on a smile and waved. “My marketing director,” Ansgar murmured to Joline through a rictus of a grin. “The guy’s a pest and a brown-noser but he’s a genius at selling. Hey, Dev!” he called out. “What are you doing skulking around here, shouldn’t you be at the music stage playing the emcee bit?”

Dev panted as he jogged to a stop in front of them. “Hi,” he said quickly to Joline. He held his hand out cursorily. “Dev Sharma, marketing, pleased to meet you.”

“Joline Lindberg,” she replied, shaking his in return.

“Friend of Ansgar’s? You are? Oh that’s great. That’s just great. He’s a great guy. Great guy. One of the greatest. A great friend of mine.”

“Great,” Joline replied brightly.

“Yeah! Great!”

“Dev!” Ansgar’s shout startled the man, and then he spoke slowly. “Get to the point. What…do you want?”

“Erm,” he hemmed. “I was erm, sort of hoping you’d come back in, come up on stage and say a few words, you know, before the main band comes on.”

“Uh,” Ansgar cringed. He peered at Dev, and then looked back to Joline, then back to Dev, and back again to Joline. “Sorry, man,” he said at last, shaking his head. “I… I appreciate the sentiment and all, but um,” he swallowed. “I just gave a presser the other day, spent most of today shaking hands with just about everyone, and now I’d just sort of like to slip away quietly. My doing a speaking gig wasn’t on the agenda for today anyway, and I’ve nothing prepared.” He shrugged. “You know I sometimes say too much, talk over peoples’ heads when I extemporize.”

“Extemporize?”

Ansgar laughed. “See what I mean?” He directed that toward Joline, and then looked back at Dev. “When I wing it. Besides,” he indicated Joline to Dev with his eyes. “I’ve a few important things to tend to.”

“Ah,” Dev intoned, and then hissed air through his teeth. “Understood. I… I just thought I’d ask.”

“And I appreciate it, Dev, I do. Just… not today.”

“Not today, great.” Dev muttered, tossing his thumb over his shoulder toward the festivites. “Well, I’ll just be getting back to it, back… back to the picnic.”

“You do that,” Ansgar said.

Dev, shoulders hunched in slight defeat turned to go. “See ya, Sgar,” he said, and then to Joline, “Great to meet you.” He lifted a hand as he walked away.

“Hey, Dev!” Ansgar stopped him.

“Yeah, Sgar?” Dev turned, his face anxious, anticipatory.

“Phenomenal job on the party. It’s… it’s brilliant.”

Dev beamed. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

And with that, Dev jogged back up the path from whence he came.

“Now,” Ansgar sang, smiling broadly down at Joline. “Where were we? I think… you were about to take me for a bit of a ride.”

“Great!” Joline parroted, giggling wildly at their recent company. “He’s a pip, that Dev bloke!” He’d been the first of Ansgar’s company to treat her like a human instead of some succubus come to bleed him of his money, his masculinity and his libido. She already felt better for it.

“Dev… he’s a bit… enthusiastic,” Ansgar opened the driver side door for her. He watched as she hiked up her skirt several inches above her knees to slip into the seat more comfortably. He didn’t say anything but his mind replayed the night at the restaurant. He licked his lips, suddenly quite thirsty for her.

“Come on, Martinsson,” Joline prodded when her heels cleared the gap in the door. “Put a little wiggle in it.” She dangled the key fob as an example to move quicker. She saw his leer, and she felt the desirous pull for him too.

Ansgar returned to himself, concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other, and circled round to the passenger side, a foreign place for him to be. As he folded himself inside, he caught sight of Joline caressing her hands over the buttery smooth leather of the steering wheel.

“This is decadent, Sgar,” she whistled.

“Sexy,” he remark, his eyes never leaving her as he popped his door closed.

Her incandescent smile walked across the console between them, separated by only smoother than smooth leather. “That look, Sgar,” she commented while leaning back, “got us in this messy situation.” Without shame, she stared unabashedly at him.

He grinned widely, knowing that she reflected what he felt. “I’ve never been so grateful for mess.” He crossed over the barrier between them, digging his hand into her hair, to bring her into him. Then he finally, finally kissed her properly.

She properly kissed him back, with no fists, or angry words or stubborn locked lips. She opened up to him, finding her mythical rejuvenation magic in him like she usually turned to her chocolate candies. He was infinitely sweeter for having apologized. He set his pride aside for her and then set his responsibilities aside to be with her. She noticed and appreciated it. In a very real way, she still felt a wedge between them, forced in there by the shadow of his ex-wife and the people who knew her before Joline Lindberg moved back to Stockholm. Alone with him, away from outside pressure and influence, she knew that in that moment, she was meant to be there.

When she pulled back to breathe, that radiant smile appeared again, the unreserved, genuine display of happiness. “Trust me?” She winked as she turned the car over. Without hesitation, she depressed the button to secure the convertible top into the open position, the mechanics buzzed slightly over the purr of the powerful engine.

“Unreservedly… set her free,” he urged, living vicariously through her and enjoying the hell out of his new car.

Joline adjusted the rearview mirror, checked the side mirrors, and realigned the seat for her subtly shorter legs. She set the car in reverse, the oblong movie-like panel on the dash alighted with a crystal clear view behind. The car responded expertly to the slightest pressure of her foot to the gas and the guide of her hands, she nearly swooned. She loved her bike, loved riding through reality, but chassis of underneath gave no vibration, no kick and she fell a little bit in love with the glide of it.

A hush fell between them as she navigated the car from the gravel path to the exit and the soup of roadways around Stockholm. She moved through traffic like a waterdrop on a glass pane, following the path of least resistance, drifting and floating to the E4. When she had the clear motorway ahead of her, Joline really let the car out. The wind whipped through her hair, the sun warmed her from above, and the power under her foot liberated her.

Subtly Ansgar placed his hand on her bare knee to connect with her, as she lost herself in the speed and the drive. It felt so much like flying, and then he was there with her. It felt monumentally better, sweeter, sexier, and freer. Of course she flirted with the speed laws as they just didn’t apply to cars like the one she controlled, power, precision, and pleasant.

Joline drove north out of habit. When she found a few hours free away from life, she cranked out a ride about an hour north of Stockholm to Uppsala. She usually visited in the fall to see the changing of the leaves, but the old city offered a calm refuge. If offered the feel of a city, but masqueraded as a reprieve from the sometimes claustrophobic feel of her home town, a retreat, a sanctuary… but with modern conveniences.

“Have you been before?” she asked of Ansgar when she entered the outskirts of the city.

“Of course. I’ve done recruiting for Martinsson Construction from the graduates from the university.” His thumb drew lazy circles around her knee while he spoke. “It’s been about five years since I dipped my foot into the science division. My head Contract Manager graduated from Uppsala, in fact.”

Joline could listen to the man talk for hours, the cadence of his voice, the eloquence of it, the rough yet soothing tone. “I almost worked there, at the university. I was offered the position but I couldn’t make their starting date. A blessing in the end… the commute from Stockholm would be hell every day and I really wanted the opera house.”

Ansgar moved his hand from her knee to the inside of her thigh, massaging smooth skin he found. “Your plans for the opera house and the little theatre would’ve been wasted in a university setting. You dream bigger.”

She nodded, following a familiar trail through the city to one of the more tranquil spots. She bypassed the entrance to a golf course on the left, and pulled into a lesser traveled area just beyond. “I… I come here to unwind… weather permitting,” she stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been rained out the last three times. But I throw a blanket and a book in my saddle bag and come here.”

She pointed beyond the windscreen, beyond the shade and comfort of the trees to the grassy knoll overlooking the pond beside the golf course. The sort rolling hills of the golf course spread out in all directions. She put the car in park in a deserted lane with the panoramic view of mostly green. And it was quiet.

“Gorgeous spot, darling. How did you ever find it?”

“A happy accident.” She indicated with a shake of her hand that they should get out of the car. “I was meant to go to a tournament there,” she explained stepping from the inside as he did. “Apparently the demographic for the opera house are also golf tournament people.” She laughed at the explanation, leaning on the bonnet of the car, following Ansgar’s lead. “A tip left for me by the previous house manager. I think he might have been half mad. I forgot my invitation to get in, back in Stockholm, and the bastards wouldn’t let me in. I was here, so I thought I’d try watching… and I found this!”

Ansgar took her hand and weaved his finger through hers, the fresh air from the cruise northbound had sobered him considerably. He pulled her in front of him, to pillow her body with his. “How was the tournament?” His arms coiled around her middle as he split his legs so they both benefited from the sturdy seat of the bonnet.

“Bloody boring! I had more fun feeding the ducks my sandwich.” She laughed at the memory of it, and pointed to the spot she sat back in April. Her hands guided his to touch her.

He chuckled with her, imaging her throwing chunks of bread into the pond. “Have you ever seen anyone here?” He lifted one hand to her breast, squeezing, cupping, weighing the pliant flesh in his palm.

“Only once,” she murmured on an exhale, breathy desire heating her flesh. She whimpered. “There’s a… a… a pottery place… if, if you follow on. B-b-busy during the week—abandoned weekends.” She panted, losing her train of thought to his seduction. “The woman!” she exclaimed, trying to pick it back up, “T-t-that makes it… antiquing.”

Ansgar kissed a line from her temple to her ear. “You learned all that in one journey.” The low rumble vibrated through her and she was sinking fast into his greedy hands.

“I’m nice.” She burrowed her hips against him, earning a growl and an erection her part in it. “An agenda too. He-he-he… ah! bought tickets.” Her hands splayed along his thighs, needing more.

“Resourceful.” He crushed her deeper into his embrace, all but pulling her onto the car. He tucked his lips into her neck, circling his tongue along her rapid echo of her heartbeat he found there.

Her hand lifted over her shoulder, to grab and fistful of relaxed curls. “Sgar!” she cried as she tilted her head back and her lips connected with his.

#the best intentions

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lord-dusk · 6 years ago

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Jurassic Emblem-Chapter 14

For those of you VERY eager to see Rexy, this chapter is it! And here’s his theme that plays in the upcoming fight scene below!

Kiran was quite exhausted, having just gone home from taking a couple of Heroes to the Training Tower. A few levels in the Training Tower offered orb rewards, but most of them were grating dungeons meant to crush Heroes, both physically and mentally. He looked into his baggie.

They were some 32 orbs in there, just enough to land eight Heroes. Kiran went to the huge summoning circle that Askr castle had in its back porch.

If I’m particularly lucky I might land a few penguins and Effie again, Kiran thought. Though he had to admit, Effie did look rather hot, especially lifting weights in the gym while 8 months pregnant.

He took a few orbs and scattered across the circle, and the orbs glowed a bright white. When the flash was over, there was a small flock of dark green lizards hopping about on their hind-legs before scampering off into the garden. It was rather odd, Kiran thought. For the past several weeks they were were some rather odd and large reptiles wandering about in the nearby wilderness. Kiran took a few more orbs, tossed them into the circle, and BLOOOM! There was a bright light, and a very sultry voice laced with velvet.

“My,my, what have we here? A very adorable boy wearing a cloak that’s not quite as white as my blossoming Zero? Oooof, I think I’m going to stain you even whiter~❤”. A young woman has appeared before him, tall and very busty, and aside from her golden blonde hair and a “V” on her forehead, she looked very much like Camilla.

Now Kiran was quite used to Camilla’s sexual advances, but this woman.....how can he put it. The hot woman looked as though all the desires to conceive from all the world’s men(and women) were compressed into the mom-sister organism known as Camilla.

“I’m Five, an Intoner. If you’re not careful, my song will be condemn you as a fountain of cream~”. Five said to the summoner. He liked the idea of a Singer unit on the team, to boost everyone’s morale and increase their ATK. Not to mention the fact that the mere presence of Five was hardening his lower body-

Quickly using his ATP for other purposes, Kiran tossed a several more orbs.

A massive reptile with dorsal plates and spikes on its tail materialized before his eyes, and walked off to eat the flowers in Askr Garden.

Kiran rolled a few more orbs.

A gigantic black-and-white duck-lizard with a crimson tubular crest on its head appeared, gave a bellowing honk, and walked right into the fish-pond.

“Say, have you ever done it with a wyvern?” Five lewdly asked. “I know I have-the way their lengthy member strain your orifices, the hot, fresh feeling of your womb expanding with wyvern seed-

“I’m trying to concentrate here Camilla nee-san,” Kiran noted. “If you can help me and not bother my summons, I’ll give you as many unprotected hand-holds as much as you’d like.”

“Why not do it here, right now?” Five questioned. She patted her left hand on Kiran’s shoulder, her other groping the tightening bulge in his pants. “In fact, your special weapon is just about ready to burst-”

“Gyaah!” Kiran pulled away from the blonde. “Will you stop it already!? I’ll gladly squirt my essence inside of you tonight but please, don’t disturb me!” He pushed Five into the door, and closed it behind him. His bulge still tight, Kiran sighed and undid his pants in front of some lilies. Fertile seed had taken root in fertile ground.

****************

Eight orbs left. Kiran had landed a few Tsubakis and baby Tikis, but most of his summons were massive reptiles. Reptiles with long necks, ones with horns on their frills, a couple that looked like emus with tails....

Kiran tossed the last remaining orbs to the ground. Maybe this time, he’ll land that one summer alt of Loki or perhaps Deidre.

A flash of bright light.

When the summoner wiped his eyes. he saw two male figures. A massive, muscular man with scars on his body, and a tiny orange boy with spiky horns projecting out of his head. Both of them had tails.

“I am Rexy, former King of Nublar, now King of America! And you work for me little-wittle man!”The giant exclaimed.

“Yeeeeeeeeeet. Grnt-hurnt.” The tiny orange boy grunted and brayed. He reminded Kiran of a ram.

“Ahh, this here is head-basher Pakki. Don’t mind him, he won’t hurt no one-at least if they ain’t whistling.”

Kiran shrugged. “So I take you two are dragons in a way? Here, I have some Dragonstones so that you two don’t get too crazy when you fight.” He placed a stone in Rexy’s hand. He gave one to Pakki....

....but Pakki had gone through the door and rammed his head into a column. Bystanders were quite taken back of a small child charging at full speed. The boy seemed to be okay, but he was clutching his head in pain and he was dizzy.

“.....I get the feeling that Pakki here is, proportionally, the dragon unit with the highest Boost,” Kiran commented.

***********

Though he had no intention of doing so, Rexy’s presence crushed the usually bight and cheery atmosphere of Askr, his 3-meter height and scar-covered body very much intimidating to the other Heroes. And the scent around smelled like a mountain of corpses, of death.

“Are you SURE he’s on our side?” Alphonse questioned Kiran. “something tells me his being here will be the end of us all.”

“It was by chance, I swear!” Kiran pleaded. “I wasn’t planning on landing a dinosaur of a man today!”

“Well, he did ate nearly all the meat sandwiches from the lunch hall,” Alphonse said. “and he pretty much calls all the humans and Laguz here “Baby Rodents”, “Little Men”, and “Cowards.”

“Come to think of it, I did summon a goddess not too long ago, and she looks down on us people as well, as if she’s pitying the existence of our species.”

“At least she spends her days lazing about in the fish pond. I don’t know about Rexy though. He looks very dangerous indeed.”

“Ah, but we also have velociraptors living in our castle as well. I like to think Queen Henriette’s dream of expanding families is coming to fruition.”

“Let’s just hope it’s not at the expense of the human families.” Alphonses chided in.

Just down the hallway, a green-haired girl in purple was briskly walking towards them. It was Nino.

“Hey Alphonse! I got a letter for you!” She handed the bluenette the envelope.

“Thank you Nino,” Alphonse said. He tore open the envelope and read it.

The Askran prince felt a chill.

*********

They were were sitting at a coffee table in the Heroe’s Lounge. Rexy, Ryukami, and Alphonse were sitting on one side and sitting on the other was none other than Queen Sha’Rad Yuwi.

“What is the meaning of this?” The Askran prince asked, fear tinged in his voice.

Yuwi smiled wickedly. “Oh, don’t be stupid, you stupid protag. I’m just making a proposal about laying waste to this kingdom’s residents and bringing home these giant lizards you have right next you you.

Rexy wanted to lunge at her, but Ryukami held him back. “Let me guess,” she calmly formed her words. “you didn’t want to bring us home as your pets because you like us. Out with it.”

“I know you’re keeping those cunts Warbler and Teba here,” Yuwi snided. “But it looks I don’t need those failures of servants anymore. After all, why have small lizards when I can have you two saurians doing my bidding? Think about it! Join me, and I’ll let you use your strength however you’d like!”

Ryukami glared at her. “Oh, so that means wearing us away and tossing us out when we outlive your purpose? I’m getting an upset stomach here.”

Yuwi chuckled. “I’m the queen of this realm, everyone knows that. I can do whatever i like, however I like.” She took out her Dragonstone.

Suddenly Rexy simply contain his contempt and charged at Yuwi, tearing down a wall of books in the process. He had missed.

“Ahh, so that you means you decided to side with those “babies” Rex? Hypocritical frog!” A grating voice resonated throughout the room. Rexy barely jumped away in time from the sharp object jabbing the floor at a very high velocity. The bulky man looked at the revealing silhouette.

It was Yuwi alright, in her dragon form, a nightmarish cross of a mosquito and a crab larva. She took her monstrous proboscis out of the hole she formed prior.

Ryukami wasted no time to escape and jumped out the window and into the moat below. Likweise, Rexy took out his Dragonstone Kiran had given him earlier, clutched it tight, and....

"GA-ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRR-!!!”

A massive 17-meter long lizard charged at the mosquito-dragon out of the lounge and into the hallway, trampling everything and anything along the way. Roaring so loud all the Heroes are having a nervous attack, they fled out of their rooms in droves, and into the corridors!

SMASH! CRASH! BLAM! SPLUSH!

Inevitably, Rexy was trampling and stepping on various Heroes and charged headlong into Yuwi. But the giant mosquito leaped back, twitched her legs, and CHARGED at Rexy herself, her abdomen jamming right into the tyrant lizard’s crotch.

Yuwi had charged Rexy out of the castle and was just about to drop Rex into the moat below when chomp! The latter bit down on the former’s tail, ran to the bridge and stomped on it, hoping the momentum will alt least paralyze that bugger.

A woman had rushed out. It was Five.

“Keep on fighting sexy boy,” she cheered on lewdly. “I heard that in this world, the power of song can rejuvenate soldiers so here you goooooooooooo~”

Suddenly Rexy felt a tsunami of power rushing to his body and stomped even harder on the bridge, Yuwi’s tail still in his jaws.

And down did the bridge, Rexy, and Yuwi went. The large lizard landed abruptly on shattered brick and Yuwi prepared to jab her proboscis into the dinosar’s body when a crocodilian whale lunged out of the water and sank her teeth unto the queen’s thorax.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOAAAAWWWWW-UNHAND ME YOU SARCOPTERGIAN TETRAPODS! I am Queen Sha’Rad Yuwi! I am the queen of this realm! I will cleanse this realm of horny boys and whore girls-”

“YYYEEEEEEEEEEEET~!!” A tiny orange dinosaur ran up Ryukami’s head and kicked away at Yuwi’s head, blowing it off right its socket and into the water. The massive lizards Rexy and Ryukami tugged at the still-twitching body of mosquito-dragon and the insect snapped open into a soupy lavender. Rexy chomped down and devoured the tail and Ryukami sank back into the depths, ready to enjoy her meal of Emblian breast. Pakki had hopped onto the bricks and scurried into the nearby woods for a well-deserved snack.

#jurassic emblem #fire emblem heroes #jurassic world #rexy #ryukami #mosasaurus wife #pakki #stygimoloch #for yuwi's dragon form I based her off a crab zoae and a mosquito #five is from drakengard mind you #this world is slowly but surely expanding ^u^

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theliterateape · 7 years ago

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When The Sandman Slumbers

By J. L. Thurston

The world has turned. People now have the option to avoid sleep indefinitely. A simple pill puts part of the brain in a sleep-like state while the conscious mind continues. People spend more time enjoying life, being with family, working more. On average, most only sleep once or twice a week. The manufacturers of the Awaquen pill are formulating a pediatric version of this for children over two. This will introduce night schools and better education opportunities. The world is now much more productive and fast-paced. It is a better world for everyone.

Except the Sandman.

He’s dying. Occasional sleepers are not enough to sustain his life force. He needs something more constant. He begins to steal sleep. Four times. Four humans kept in perpetual REM. Now he can relax. Now that his energy has returned, he can think clearly. Thinking brings guilt. He has done a most terrible thing. He acted like a force of Darkness when he stole the four humans’ sleep. It is not his normal way. He has always been a neutral entity, a spirit of slumber that feeds from willing hosts. But with the turn of the world, the Sandman has become a predator. He will not allow it any longer. He goes to the four.

One: Sandra breathes the crisp, fall air. Autumn was her favorite season, so beautiful and lovely that she named her baby after it. Sleeping peacefully in her stroller, Autumn seems to fulfill her mother’s wishes and sports wisps of fire-colored hair. The stroller wheels crush dried leaves beneath, the neighborhood is quiet and full of sunshine. Sandra stops to rest on a bench near the park, watching squirrels bury treasures for next spring.

He appears quite suddenly. “Do not be afraid,” he assures, knowing that, by simply showing himself to her, she would be. He does not look human, with his unusual height and incredibly thin body. His face is youthful, like a young boy’s, and he glows with celestial light. He wears strips of white that humans would register as clothing. Nothing about him is natural to Sandra. Without explanation, he reaches forward and touches her forehead. She disappears from her beautiful fall world.

Two: Mica hasn’t caught one, yet, but it never was about the amount of fish, it was about the experience. He hasn’t fished in so long, he can’t help but grin to himself with just the pure simple joy of standing by the shallow river with a pole in his hands. The smell of the water, freshly rejuvenated by a recent rain, and the squish of clay-ridden mud under his boots. This is living. He pats the stogie in his pocket, to be lit after the first catch of the day. Family tradition. The water ripples with unusual patterns and Mica turns to face the Sandman. He stumbles and falls backwards into the mud.

“Please, don’t be afraid,” says the Sandman, touching Mica between the eyes and making him disappear.

Three: Paint is splattered everywhere. All colors in all shapes and patterns. An unlimited supply of canvas and all the mediums she could ever want are at her disposal. The room is windowless, lit by bare yellow bulbs above. Hannah creates masterpiece after masterpiece, delighting in the peace and quiet this room of creation provides her. When he appears, she flinches but does not cry out. Her bravery impresses him, but he sends her away all the same.

Four: The library is the last place to visit. Leon reclines in a cushy chair with his feet up on a coffee table. A stack of read books has been growing beside him, and in his hands rests an old leather-bound. He jumps when he hears the voice, and drops the heavy book. “Do not be afraid.” Leon barely catches a glimpse of him when he feels the cold touch of fingers on his forehead.

The four are collected in an empty airport terminal. They sit in hard, plastic seats with equally bemused expressions. The terminal has only two gates, with a plane at the end of each one.

Sandra is the first to break the silent confusion, panicking for her baby.

“Autumn!”

“Autumn is safe, I assure you,” the Sandman says to her. The four turn to see him standing nearby, with tall windows of white light behind him. “Please, remain calm. All will be well in a short time.”

“Are you an angel?” comes the awed voice of Mica, who still has cold mud on the butt of his jeans.

The Sandman shakes his head. “I am the Sandman. Since the invention of the Awaquen pill, I’ve been dying. You four have saved my life. But I have been using you most unfairly, and for that I am deeply sorry. The time has come for me to give up my selfish ways and enter into hibernation in an attempt to outlast this sleepless trend. I hope, one day, humans will return to their natural sleep cycles, but until then I shall go into dormancy. In order to survive in such a state, I only need to keep two of you.”

The four exchange glances.

“It was unfair of me to keep you like this,” the Sandman continues, remorse dripping in his voice. “And it is still unfair of me to continue to keep two of you, but I will allow you four to vote which two will stay and which will go home.”

“Wait,” Leon’s hand shoots up, his face contorts with an expression close to anger. “Are we… alive?”

The Sandman gives a nod, his hands clasp together. “You are all alive, kept in a deep slumber so that I can live. You will decide who stays asleep, and who can wake up. The two chosen to wake will take a plane ticket and board an awaiting plane,” he extended a long arm and indicated a desk between the gates where two blank plane tickets rested. “The two chosen to stay will return to their place of paradise I have devised and live out the remainder of their lives. I will give you unlimited time to make your choices.”

The Sandman makes himself disappear, but he does not leave. He goes to the farthest corner of the room and remains out of sight. He cannot bear to hear their debating, but it felt wrong to leave them unattended. They all have so much to lose. It is the guilt he is feeling, the guilt from knowing everything he made them give up, everything they’ve lost because of his need.

It does not take long for angers to flare. Leon is young and full of spirit. He runs to the gate, attempting to take a plane for himself. Sandra bolts after him, but he is physically unable to cross the gate without a ticket bearing his name. He hits an invisible barrier and is pushed backwards. Sandra puts a hand on his arm that he flings off. They go to return to their seats. All he can think of is his college career he’d barely begun, the parents who’d believed so much in him they spent their life savings on his education. Sandra’s eyes couldn’t be wider as her body and soul prepares to do anything to return to her baby. Mica is silent during this, but it does not take long for him to strike up his own fight. He is used to fighting. He’s battled brain cancer for years before the Sandman took him under.

The only one who keeps quiet in her chair is Hannah. She is the youngest, lounging in tight black pants and picking dried paint from around her fingernails. The others catch on to this and ask her about it, her answer stuns them into some kind of unified civility and they settle into their seats. Their debating remains intense, but mature, like world leaders readying to change laws.

Their discussion continues for an unbearably long time, yet draws to a close in a sudden way. The Sandman never looks away from them for a moment, and is surprised when two of the humans rise from their chairs in stiff resolution and take a plane ticket each. They move a bit closer to their terminal with timid expectations, amazed when their names appear on their ticket.

The Sandman walks closer to them before showing himself. Mica grips his ticket firmly in his fist, while Sandra holds hers to her chest. They have won their freedom, while the other two sit in their plastic chairs. Hannah is attempting a bored expression, while Leon cries silently into his palms.

The Sandman appears. “The choice has been made. Sandra, Mica, please board your planes.”

They practically run through their gates. The engines to the planes begin to warm up. The Sandman turns to Hannah and Leon. “Are you ready to return to your paradise?”

“I have conditions,” Leon’s muffled voice comes from behind his hands. When he raises his head, his eyes are full of rage. “I don’t want to remember this. I just want to go back to thinking that I’m dead and just waiting for my family to die, too, so we can be together. Knowing that I’m a prisoner would be torment.”

The Sandman nods. “I understand.”

“Also, I want more than just a library,” Leon continued. “I was happy, but can’t there be more?”

“I’m afraid I won’t have the energy.”

Leon sighs.

The Sandman has counted forty-eight tears so far. “I will have strength enough to give you a courtyard with changing seasons.” He turns back to Hannah. “Anything for you?”

Hannah shrugs. “I’ve spent my time in that art room knowing I’d been rescued. No one can touch me in there. I like it. I could go for some music, though.”

He tries not to smile and gives her a nod. “I can manage that.”

The three of them look out the windows to the airplanes that are now racing down the tarmacs and lifting into the whiteness of the world beyond.

“Will they be alright?” Leon asks.

The Sandman does not respond. He touches his two humans on the center of their foreheads and send them to their upgraded paradises. He is not omniscient; but he knows enough to guess at the fate of the two who are now waking. Sandra had been his first victim. A car accident put her in a coma that he’d held her in for eleven years. She no longer has a baby, but a pre-teen who does not know her. Her recovery will be endlessly painful. Mica’s brain tumor has become so engrossed that the doctors cannot remove it all. He will pass from the living in less than a month.

Hannah and Leon will serve him well for a long time. When their bodies age and die in the waking world, the Sandman will have to collect two more sleepers and feed on them until they, themselves, pass on. So it will go on, and on, and on until mankind decides to sleep again.

He was weary, already, with Mica and Sandra gone. He secured the worlds for his two sleepers and folded away to dormancy. His last conscious thoughts were heavy worries for humankind, but that was not something he was unaccustomed to.

#Fiction #Sandman #Choices #Sleep #Awake Pill #J. L. Thurston #Victims #Future

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