#anyway my head hurts pixie I demand you do something about it

[morphestic]

do you want to participate in a lovely questionnaire created by the pixieinanotheruniverse???!!?!? of course you do!!!

please answer thoughtfully and honestly, or don't. yes or no answers will suffice, elaboration optional but encouraged. have funnn :))))

are you able to put together furniture without using the instructions?

2. are you good at picking locks in skyrim? if you have never played skyrim, you are welcome to guess/lie!

3. solve for ?: 8/2(2+2) = ?

4. could you beat a six-year-old child at chess?

5. hypothetically, do you think your soul would taste good if it were to be eaten... hypothetically?

6. do you think you could fight god and win? (cheating, lying, underhanded tactics, and generally dishonorable behavior is allowed and encouraged)

i will be taking no questions or calls for clarification! thank you for your time <3 🧚‍♀️✨✨

Is this why you made that post? about loving your moots?? The amount of smiley faces were suspicious and I can see I was right to feel something was up.

I've never tried putting furniture together. Knowing my sheer damning determination and brainpower to make things work when I'm set to it, I know I'll be able to.

Yes.

16. 2+2=4 8/2=4 4*4=16

I can beat a 6 year old at anything if I put my mind to it. Chess is childs play.

Hypothetically of course, I think it'd taste tarty with a tinge of bitterness, warm but not a comfortable temperature. I think it'd taste... goodish bad. A mutual (I love you squid) described how i'd taste and I think they put it in better words, a lot more positive i'm literally in love. The screenshot is kept safe in my special folder and I look at it to feel better.

I'm too tired to even challenge him and I'm not interested in such ordeals. The answer is no, I wouldn't win. I'd most likely sit down and have long interesting discussions and/or debates. Would I win said debates? probably not. I'd get bored of defending myself. Would it be a loss though? Also no. There is no winning or losing for me in this situation. There is just learning.

[lynzishell]

The Past 💛 Atlas

As I approach the club, the bass is already thumping from the floor above. Despite the cold, they have the large floor-to-ceiling accordion doors open wide to allow the air to flow for the dancers and DJ. Something I’m sure I’ll be grateful for later.

I notice Ash first, his back is to me with his teal hair practically glowing in the neon lights. He’s standing with Lex and a few of her friends in a circle on the side of the building. I met Lex’s friends once before at a concert last year, but I don’t remember any of their names. They all seem nice enough, but it wasn’t exactly the environment to get to know them, and I doubt tonight will be any different.

“Atlas!!” Lex squeals and runs toward me at full speed when she notices me walking up. I smile and brace myself as she jumps up and attaches herself to me, squeezing the air from my lungs. “I’m so happy you came!”

“Happy Birthday!” I say when she releases her grip, and I set her back on her feet.

“Thank you. Now, give me your hand,” she demands. I do as she says, and she places a small tablet in the center of my palm.

“Aha, what did you bring?” I ask, but she just smiles and pulls on my arm, leading me to the rest of the group.

I wave hello to everyone as we approach, and then sidle up next to Ash and lean into him to say, “Hey.”

He looks up at me and smiles, “Glad you could make it.”

“Did you take one of these?” I ask, showing him the tablet Lex gave me.

“Not yet,” he says, “still deciding if I want to.”

“I’m only going to take half if you want to split it with me.”

“Yeah, actually, that’s a good idea. I hate getting too fucked up.”

“Me too,” I say as I bite the edge of it, careful not to bite it directly in half because I know it will crumble a bit anyway. The flavor is incredibly bitter, almost too much even for me. I feel a little guilty handing the other half to Ash and watching his face twist up as he swallows it.

One of Lex’s friends, a petite girl with a blonde pixie cut and glitter covering her eyelids, hands us her water bottle, “Here, you guys can finish it.”

“Thank you,” I say sincerely. She is now my favorite. “Remind me what your name is?”

“Blair,” she smiles and points to herself

“Right, thank you, Blair.” I take a small sip of water, just enough to wash away whatever crumbs are left behind in my mouth, and then hand the bottle to Ash who happily chugs the rest.

“Thank you so much,” he says to Blair before walking over to toss the bottle in the recycle bin.

Once inside, we stop at the counter to check our jackets with a bubbly woman who is offering everyone a Starburst from a bowl placed conveniently next to a tip jar complete with a QR code to tip digitally if you don’t have cash. I don’t touch the candy, but I do leave a generous tip when I hand her my favorite zip-up hoodie. She hands me back a numbered stub, and I take a photo of it with my phone before shoving it into my pocket, just in case.

I turn to step aside and make room for the others but stop when I see Ash pulling his hoodie up over his head. His t-shirt is stuck to it causing it to rise up and expose the bare skin of his waist. My brain short-circuits, all thoughts leaving my mind aside from the image of wrapping my hands around that waist, of getting on my knees and— “Ow!”

Lex pinches the back of my arm, snapping me back to reality. I look over at her and she points at me, her eyes squinting to a glare behind her glasses, clearly in best-friend-protection mode. “What was that for?” As if I don’t already know. She’s forgiven me for the way I hurt Ash before but obviously not forgotten.

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m watching you.”

I hold my hands up in surrender, “You have nothing to worry about, I promise.”

“Mhm,” is all she says before turning away and hooking arms with Ash as they walk up the stairs.

Prev // Next

[ilovebeing-weird]

Fluffy Saturday 3

Cuddles make everything better

Thanks to @tim-drake-is-underrated who wrote and edited this with me!!! I know this is not a Saturday, but better late than never :D!!!!

Marinette was in pain and she was bleeding. Unfortunately, this was normal and she couldn't do anything other than just woman up and take it. She was on her periods. And it hurt like hell. She had cramps, bad cramps. All she wanted was to die now.

Fortunately, she had beaten Hawkmoth and was on a break right now. In Gotham. She was taking a break in Gotham?! You mean the crime capital, Gotham? Like where the most dangerous villains stay, that Gotham?!

Yes to all of the above. She was on a break in Gotham with her fiance and his family.

She was celebrating with her lovely nerdy fiance Tim and his family. They helped her a lot in discovering who Hawkmoth was. She and Tim met when he was in Paris for a business meeting with MDC, or her. Their meeting went well and soon she was collaborating with Wayne Enterprises.

"Bean? You okay?" Tim came into the room they were sharing in the Wayne Manor.

"No, I am in pain," Marinette said, making grabby hands at him.

"What’s wrong?" Tim climbed into their bed and took her in his lap.

Marinette immediately clung to him. "I am on my periods and I have really bad cramps." Marinette snuggled into Tim's chest while he rubbed her back.

"That sounds hard babe. You know what? Lie down and I'll grab you a hot water bottle. Okay?" Marinette got off his lap with a 'hm' sound and Tim kissed her forehead.

"I love you."

"Love you more Bean." Tim plugged in the heating bag and grabbed some chocolates from the cupboard. "I've heard chocolates help during these times? I don't know how, but do you want some?"

"Where did you know all of this? And yes, I would love some chocolates."

"I do have a sister and some female friends and you're not the first person I have ever dated, Bean."

"Valid." Only someone as sweet as Tim would understand that periods are painful and that the females are not being drama queens when they say that it hurts. That the women or girls are not weak when they are in pain because the cramps are so bad.

"Okay, the bottle is warm now."

"Thanks a lot, Timmy. You're really sweet." Marinette put the bottle on her stomach and Tim gave her the chocolates. She once again made grabby hands at Tim. "Cuddle me. I want cuddles."

"If it will make it better."

"Cuddles make everything better." Before Tim was even fully laid down, Marinette had snuggled into him. "Why are you so adorable Timmy?"

"You think I am adorable?"

"If I didn't think you were adorable I wouldn't have said yes to marrying you." Tim kissed the crown of Marinette's head. It was peaceful for a while before Marinette winced in pain because damn it hurt so much. She snuggled even more into Tim. "I hate it."

"I’m sure it's painful Bean, but it's gonna be okay. Do you need any meds?" Marinette just shook her head.

"Just stay here with me? Physical contact makes it better."

"I got you."

Time passed by and before long Marinette was asleep. He glanced at her and chuckled. She was adorable even when she slept. He took out his phone and began scrolling through it. There were emails about work, a lot of them. He ignored them in favour of admiring his sweet fiancée.

Some time passed and Marinette stirred. Tim looked at her, concerned. She groaned, her face scrunching up in pain. “What’s wrong, Bean?” Tim asked, rubbing her back comfortingly, silently telling her she was not alone and that he’s got her.

"It's really painful. I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again."

"Do you wanna do something else? Like watch movies?" Tim asked, softly. He wished he could take away her pain. Sadly, he couldn't.

"Yeah, That sounds great." Marinette looked at Tim and she was glad that he was there with her. She didn't know what she'd do without him. "Thanks for always being here with me, Tim. I love you."

"I love you too. I can't wait for us to get married and start a family of our own." Marinette blushed. She had thought about that way many times, but discussing it- it felt real. She was going to be married to the love of her life.

Tim chuckled. He liked messing with her. She always got so flustered and adorable. "You're adorable when you're blushing like that." Marinette playfully shoved him away, groaning in pain from the sudden movement. Tim lost his playful-ness and grew concerned. “Bean?? Is everything okay?? I’m so sorry- did I hurt you??-”

"It's okay mon canard. You can never hurt me. It’s the stupid cramps again. I hate being a woman."

Tim immediately softened up, bringing her more close. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

"Just stay with me? that's all I need." Marinette said, looking into his eyes.

"Of course, Bean. Always. In sickness and in health." He said, tenderly kissing her forehead.

She snuggled up to him, closing her eyes in content. "You're really hot."

Tim smirked. "Thanks, for finally acknowledging the fact."

Marinette looked at him for a minute, before she turned red again "Not like that! I mean you’re warm, silly!"

Tim laughed and looked at her touching his nose to her. "You're adorable, like a chipmunk."

“Tiiiim!” Marinette whined. “How dare you tease me when I’m so miserable!” Tears started flowing out of her eyes. Damn the stupid period hormones.

Tim rushed to comfort her. "I am so sorry, Bean! I didn't mean to make you cry! I was just messing with you! I’m sorry if I said something wrong!" He took her hands off her eyes and gently wiped her tears away. "Don't cry."

She sniffled "I'm sorry, it's just these damn hormones going haywire. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Don't worry about it, I’m here for you." Marinette sniffled again and buried her face in his chest. They stayed like that for a while until Marinette was ready to get up.

"Let's go now," Marinette said, getting up. But, her legs wouldn't let her. They hurt on getting up. She was about to fall, but before she could fall Tim caught her.

"You okay?" Tim asked, concerned. She has to deal with it every month. And she had to deal with it, without him, without any help. That thought alone distressed him.

“It huurts,” She whined. Tim looked at her and decided that he couldn’t let her be in any more pain than she already is in. Without warning her he carried her bridal style. Her head snuggled into his chest.

"You comfy?" Tim asked gently. At her nod, they went out the door. He was going to spoil her till she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t deserve any of the pain, and he’d be damned if he didn’t try to take her pain away. Now they had one mission, don't let his brothers see them. They were annoying and wouldn't stop teasing his Bean, and she was in no condition to deal with that right now.

They stopped in the kitchen to grab some snacks, hot tea and some chocolates, in case Mari wanted any. “Anything else you want?” He asked, softly looking at the love of his life.

"Your love." Mari said, giggling a little.

"You already have all of it." Tim said back, softly kissing her forehead. If Marinette was not being carried by him she would've fallen on the floor in a puddle of goo from the look he gave her. It was so full of love and adoration, that look was reserved just for her. That thought made her even more happy.

There was a silent atmosphere, before there was a loud bang sound, that startled them. "Die demon spawn!"

"-TT- taking you in was father's biggest mistake!"

"Guys please don't fight."

"Shut up Dickhead!" "Shut up Grayson!"

Marinette involuntarily flinched from the noise, burying herself into Tim to try and block it out. Before Tim could say anything, Dick entered the kitchen. He paused, taking one look at Mari and her face, which was red and blotchy from pain and crying, he made a knowing face which immediately morphed into one of sympathy “Timmy!” He chided. “Put her down. She’s in pain!”

Tim gave Dick a deadpan look “That's why I have carried her, Dick.”

“Well you’re clearly not doing it right! She’s in pain!”

"You don't know anything, Dick. Mari, should I keep you down? Are you uncomfortable?" Mari, who had buried her face in his chest, looked at him.

"If you are tired, but I am not uncomfortable. I like it like this." Tim smirked at Dick.

"But she's crying."

"She is on her period, Dick. She has bad cramps. Now get out of here before I kill you."

“AWWW! MY LITTLE BROTHER’S ALL GROWN UP!!”

“I can’t say the same thing about you. A wife and kid and you’re still 8 years old.”

“hEY!-”

“Shhhhhh” Mari shushed. “My head hurts!”

"Sorry, Bean." Tim said, adjusting her. "Let's go because someone won't leave us alone." He said pointedly looking at Dick. Marinette waved at Dick.

"Hey Sunshine!" It was peaceful once again before an angry Damian came running.

"GRAYSON! I demand that you tell father to emancipate Todd, right this moment!"

"I am not his son anyway! And neither do I care if he throws me out or not. He has done it once, he can do it twice."

"Li'l D, Little wing, is everything okay? And please don't make so much noise."

"Nothing's okay Grayson!"

"Guys, please don't make so much noise."

"Pixie are you okay? Did Tim do anything? Do I need to skin a Red Robin?"

"What did you do to Malaki, Drake! Did you hurt her?!"

"Why does everyone assume that I hurt her? She has cramps and we’re going now. No, you guys cannot come with us." With that said, Tim made his way to the movie room with Mari still in his arms.

He carefully put Marinette down with the snacks and covered her in blankets. The evening went by with Tim catering to Mari’s every need and Mari finally falling asleep, with Tim’s arm protectively draped over her.

[askthekuvaqbrothers]

It's all Fun and Games

(TW: Injury)

“I’m heading to work now.”

Hermes adjusted his coat, feeling a collision with his leg the moment he reached for the door.

“Don’t go!”

Holding in a small sigh, he knelt down and ran a hand through his son’s green hair.

“It will only be for a little while Cletus. Just be patient.”

“Then take me with you!”

“I’m going to work. It’s not a safe place for children.”

“I’ll be good! I’ll sit still!”

Hermes sighed, “You know if I take you, then the other two will want to come too.”

Cletus frowned, not at all pleased with what he was hearing, and frowned harder when his brothers came up behind him, Rufus prying at his arm.

“Come back, we can’t play Junk Knights and Orbit Pixies with only two!”

Hermes smiled, “See? You’ve obviously got a game going on. Time will fly while you’re playing, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Argus joined in, pulling Cletus’ other arm, and successfully dislodging him from their father’s leg. Unimpeded, Hermes now took his chance to leave.

“Be good.”

The door clunked shut. Pulling from his brothers grasp, Cletus considered wailing on the door and crying for Hermes to come back, but the man’s long strides probably meant he was already far from the door, and crying was just grotty and exhausting. Besides, Rufus was already grabbing at him again.

“Back to you position pixie! I was just about to battle to the death against the evil Controller.”

“Yeah, you know it’s my favourite part.” Argus grinned, punching a fist into his palm.

“I don’t wanna. Let’s… play something else.”

Rufus pouted, crossing his arms, “Like what? It’s gotta be more fun than Junk Knights.”

“What about…” Cletus looked around the house, then to the door, before a devilish smirk grew, “Hide and Seek?”

“Lame!”

“-But we play it outside.”

Rufus’ eyes lit up, but Argus put his hands on his hips.

“We’re not allowed outside without Dad.”

“Yes, but he always takes ages with work, so as long as we’re back before him, he’ll never know.”

“Yes! Let’s gooo!”

Rufus ran straight to the window in the kitchen, being the only one that opened to let out the smoke that came with Hermes’ cooking. It required him to scramble up the cooking furnace, and once he was on top and at the windowsill, he paused to offer a hand.

“Hurry up! I already have a perfect hiding place!”

Argus stepped up, accepting the hand, and allowed himself to be pulled higher. As the space on the furnace became cramped, Rufus slipped out the window and Argus in turned helped pull Cletus (and the plush toy he never let go of) up. Once they’d cleared the fall, the three made their way to the centre of town, standing by one of Gizmo’s emergency call stations.

“Right! Since you wanted to change the game, Cletus, you’re the seeker.”

“Okay. I’ll close my eyes and count to a hundred then.”

The green haired boy adjusted Poisonous into the crook of his arm, then turned and began counting.

“One, two, three, four…”

With a grin Rufus sprinted off, vanishing into the warren of a town, Argus swiftly following after. When the sound of their steps on the metal walkways went silent, Cletus stopped counting.

“Finally.” He brought Poisonous to eye level, “Now, what should we do now that we have some peace and quiet?”

The plushie’s crooked eyes stared off.

“Impeccable idea. Perhaps we could even go for refreshments.”

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

It must have been almost half an hour later when Argus found Cletus lounging in the shade, absently patting his plush toy. He looked up, and tried to feign surprise when he spotted the glare.

“Oh, you found me?”

“I believe you were supposed to be the seeker.”

“Is that so? I must have misheard…”

“How long were you going to sit here?”

“Don’t know, how long were you hiding?”

Argus sighed, the one that made it known he was not in the mood to play along with Cletus’ game. The green haired boy pouted in turn.

“Well I caught on to your alternate game, but Rufus is still hiding.”

“…Can’t we just wait until Dad is back? He’ll come looking for us anyway.”

He looked up to where he could just make out the entrance to the mines. Argus followed his gaze and paused, thinking.

“I suppose that wouldn’t hurt. He can only ground us.”

Cletus relaxed, scooting over enough that Argus could have some shade too. Another hour passed by before they finally caught sight of Hermes striding out into the open, where the two chose to wave him down. When their father caught sight of them, he was clearly disappointed, until something else crept into his expression.

“Boys, what are you doing here? Where is your brother?!”

Cletus rolled his eyes, “Don’t worry, he’s probably still hiding from our hide-and-seek game.”

“How long ago was this?!” Hermes was quickly starting to panic, Rufus being the one he knew shouldn’t be left on his own, “We need to find him.”

“Sure, I guess so.” Argus stood, dusting himself off, “If we shout that he’s won he might come out?”

Cletus reluctantly stood as well, following his father and brother as they began calling out. Rufus not coming home honestly sounded like a good deal to him; no more being hit in his sleep, no more grubby fingers going through his stuff, more peace and quiet. Sure, Argus may start demanding more of him, but it wasn’t the worst trade off.

Another 30 minutes and there was still no sign of their red-haired sibling. There was also no signs of fire and/or explosive destruction, which was both a good and a bad sign according to Hermes. Good, in that they weren’t having to deal with a destroyed town, but bad in the question of what Rufus was up to instead.

“Maybe he fell asleep?”

“Maybe he fell in a hole. Maybe it’s a really deep hole, and we’ll never see him again.”

Hermes ignored Cletus’ comment, which cause the boy to frown. He didn’t understand what the big deal was, it was just Rufus. He’d heard people say that Hermes couldn’t handle three sons, so surely it would be better if he just had two now. They should just accept he was gone and go home. The sun was right above them now and the whole mountain the town was on had begun to boil, heat waves rising off every metal sheet used in its foundation, and Cletus could feel his pale skin begin to tingle-

“Found him!”

Argus was standing on a small mound, looking down into a ditch that wasn’t visible from just the normal paths. A large piece of metal on the edge of it was also free of rust, leaving it blindingly shiny and the prefect distractor. Hermes scrambled through the scrap to reach the hiding spot, dropping down to pick up the missing boy. As he re-emerged, Cletus felt his skin crawl.

Rufus’ skin looked almost the same colour as his hair, and in places it had clearly begun to blister. The idiot had been sitting in the sun the entire time, with both the sun beating down on him and the giant reflector next time him, and he hadn’t thought to move. As he was being jostled, said fool managed to crack open an eye.

“…n’fair, -in’t say Dad could help…”

To where he promptly went limp. With a semi-strangled noise, Hermes began to move back to town, giving a brief command to the other boys to follow as they beelined for Gizmo’s clinic.

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

“Heat stroke, and a nasty lot of sunburn. You know, there’s a wonderful thing called ‘common sense’…”

Hermes bowed his head further, ready to accept the usual lecture, but all he got was a sigh from the town’s medic as he returned to his desk.

“I’ve applied some salve to the burns, which will need to be re-applied regularly. I would like to say he’ll be bedridden for several days, but considering who we’re dealing with here, I suggest you enforce bed rest and make sure he doesn’t rub off the salve as it needs to set in. No running about, no going outside, no excessive play. And make sure he stays hydrated.”

Gizmo looked to the two healthy brothers, where while Argus nodded solemnly, Cletus’ gaze remained on the floor. There wasn’t any blame being passed about for why they were outside in the first place yet, but all Hermes had to do was ask and Argus would tell, and Cletus would find himself without dinner for the next week.

‘Stupid Rufus.’

Hermes thanked Gizmo, collected Rufus, and quietly told the other boys to follow. The whole trip home was in silence, and it was eating Cletus up inside. Even when they were inside, Argus watching over Rufus on the bed, Gizmo didn’t say anything, simply lighting the stove and beginning dinner. Cletus sat himself at the table, distractedly plucking at Poisonous’ threads, running over the many possible punishments that could be unjustly given to him. It wasn’t his fault Rufus was an idiot with no self-preservation, if he’d just hidden somewhere normal and safe then they’d all get off with just a grounding but no, he had to get himself hurt and make it a big deal and all the blame would fall on poor little Cletus for just wanting some peace and quiet-

“Are you not hungry?”

Cletus jumped, completely unaware time had passed to the point that dinner was in front of him, Argus and Hermes seated beside him.

“I-I…”

He didn’t understand why their father hadn’t asked yet. In fact, he only felt more confused when a hand rested on his head, soothingly running through his hair.

“It’s alright, I know it was kind of scary to see, but Rufus will be fine.”

This was wrong. That wasn’t his hang-up at all. Sure his own skin crawled at the sight of him now, but that wasn’t the issue. Was he really not going to ask why they were outside of the house, where he always told them not to be?

He stared into his bowl, before suddenly pushing away from the table.

“Are… are you not going to ask?”

Hermes tilted his head, “Ask?”

“W-why we were outside, why we hadn’t listened to you?” Cletus trembled, a confused jumble of emotions swirling within.

Argus eyed him, “…He wants to know why you haven’t punished us yet.”

“Punish-? Oh. Oh boys.”

Hermes carefully moved to kneel by Cletus, pulling him into a hug, before he offered an arm out for Argus to join. With two sons in his embrace, he let out a breath.

“Yes, I am disappointed you ignored my rules, and that it had led to injury, but more than that, I’m just thankful you’re all still here. I never thought I’d have a time in my life to be a father, but after everything, I now can’t imagine myself without you three.”

He squeezed them both tightly.

“I just hope that this world will last for you…”

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

“OW! DAAAAD!”

“Cletus, don’t poke you brother.”

“But he’s trying to lick the salve again! This is the only way to stop him.”

Cletus turned back to Rufus, only to see his brothers tongue going once again for the back of his hand, so he yanked at his bright red ear.

“OW!”

Now with a dollop on his finger, Cletus sniffed at the medicinal mixture, almost daring to taste it himself.

“It doesn’t even smell that nice.”

“It smells like a plant I bit once!”

There were many things Cletus could have questioned, but he didn’t get the chance as Argus came into the house.

“Gizmo said this should help.”

Hermes accepted what Argus handed him, and after turning it over in hand, he realised how it worked. With a reluctant sigh, he knelt before Rufus, and swiftly wrapped what was essentially a plastic cone around his neck. The boy squirmed, not coordinated enough to dislodge the device, before he accepted fate.

Neither of his brothers could resist laughing at the sight.

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

Bonus: The scribble that inspired this

[silverlightqueen]

Cursed

silverlightqueen’s SKZ Scarefest

wizard!Seungmin x human!reader - crack comedy, y/n’s a bit of a spoilt brat and Seungmin is not down for it lol

Word Count: 3k+

Summary - Seungmin is the best wizard in town. Poisoned by a pixie? Battered by a troll? Bitten by a were? Whatever the magical injury, Seungmin can fix it in the bat of an eyelid. So when y/n is cursed by a witch and needs his help, she expects to leave his lair curseless only a few minutes later. But her plan… doesn’t quite go to plan.

Warnings: y/n is a total judgemental bitch lmao and Seungmin wants to teach her a lesson, brief mention of blood and vomit, I think that’s it but please let me know if I missed else!

a/n: and here is the seventh instalment of my SKZ Scarefest! I really hope you guys enjoy this, and thank you @silverlightprincess​ for being the best (she didn’t proofread this either but she’s about to read it after I post it and check for mistakes which I will go back and edit lmao). please be sure to check out the previous parts and keep an eye out for the next parts too x

taglist: @kodzu-ken​ @cloudsgathering​ @silverlightprincess

silverlightqueen navigation

‘Hi, how can I help?’ the receptionist says, looking up from her computer to give me a friendly smile. ‘Hi, I’ve got an appointment with Dr Kim at 1.30,’ I say, and she blinks at me in surprise before looking at her computer, clicking away. ‘Ah, y/n y/l/n, is it? You booked yesterday?’ ‘Yes, that’s me.’ ‘You’re lucky to get an appointment with Dr Kim so late. And during his lunch break, too! Do you know him?’ she asks, and I hesitate before replying, ‘I used to. We… went to school together.’ ‘Oh, that’s nice! Well, take a seat and I’ll let him know you’re here,’ she says cheerily, and I give her a weak smile before turning to take a seat.

The District 9 Doctors’ Surgery is unlike any Doctors’ Surgery I’ve ever seen before; the reception is relatively normal, with its cold lighting, linoleum flooring and hard backed chairs, but the patients are quite… abnormal. A man is sat two seats away from me, his body covered in hair and long sharp claws protruding from his fingers – I hear him telling the fairy beside him, whose wings are wilted and colourless, that he hasn’t been able to fully turn into his wolf form or his human form for weeks. Opposite them, a vampire sits with a bucket in his lap, vomiting blood into it every few moments, and the centaur stood beside his seat with his tail wrapped in a bloody bandage rubs his back soothingly. I think I’m the only human in here.

Normally, I’d have driven out to the Doctors’ Surgery in the next district – everyone knows that The District 9 Doctors’ Surgery caters specifically to magical injuries – but I somehow don’t think my problem can be solved by a human doctor. When I phoned the surgery yesterday, I asked for the next possible appointment. I was told by the receptionist that that wouldn’t be until mid-November, which never would’ve worked. So I did what I swore I wouldn’t do, and asked the receptionist to ask Dr Kim if he had any availability for y/n y/l/n. The receptionist sounded sceptical, but he put me on hold anyway, and came back to tell me that Dr Kim said he could just about fit me in.

‘Miss y/l/n? Dr Kim is ready to see you in Room 13,’ the receptionist calls out, and I rise from my chair, passing the vomiting vampire with a wince. I head down the clinical corridor, white bar lights flickering overhead, and when I reach Room 13, I take a deep breath and raise my hand to the door. I knock once, twice, and then wait to be told to come in. I hear nothing. I roll my eyes, knocking again a few moments later, and then I hear him call out, ‘Come in!’

I turn the handle, tentatively opening the door and slipping into the room. Whilst the reception may have looked like any old Doctors’ Surgery, Room 13 certainly does not. The walls are black and purple, flickering yellow lamps casting an eerie glow and providing the brightness that the room needs due to having no windows. The floor is an ugly brown and red patterned carpet, the kind you find in a decades old manor house, and wooden shelves and chests of drawers are dotted around the room, covered with various suspicious looking bottles and jars. Old tapestries hang on the walls, and mismatched armchairs and beanbags sit around the rickety table in the middle of the room – I suppose it’s more of a kitchen island type thing than a table – which has a crystal ball, magic wands and various mystical objects sitting atop it. The only things in the room that don’t look otherworldly or ancient are the laptop on the table, and the man stood in front of it, typing away.

He doesn’t look up when I walk in, so I just shut the door behind me, throwing myself down onto the comfiest looking armchair, practically sinking into it. I busy myself with filing my freshly done nails – I love my nail lady, but she can somehow never get them all even – whilst I wait for him to be done. ‘I just cleaned the room and you’re getting nail filings everywhere,’ he says after a few minutes, and I roll my eyes at him. ‘Are you sure you cleaned it? It looks a state,’ I say dryly, and he lets out a little laugh as I pull a flask out of my bag. I get up from my seat and hand him the flask, ignoring his raised eyebrow. ‘Wait, is this-’ ‘Iced americano. The way you like it,’ I say, and he grins, taking it from me with badly hidden excitement. ‘Look at you. Sweetening me up,’ he observes amusedly, and I roll my eyes again. ‘I was making it for myself but now I feel a little sick, so you can have it,’ I lie, and he just gives me a suspicious side-eye before sipping from the flask and letting out a blissful sigh.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asks after a few seconds, and I sigh, dragging one of the higher chairs over to the table and sitting on it, not wanting to be a few feet shorter than him in the armchair. ‘I need your help with something,’ I say, and he looks surprised. ‘Wait, you’re actually here to be treated?’ ‘Um… yes. Why else would I be here?’ I ask confusedly, and he hesitates. ‘Thought you might be here to… see me,’ he says quietly, and I feel a little awkward. ‘I… Seungmin, you have to understand w-’ ‘I understand, y/n, I completely understand, and I don’t blame you. It’s just that I’ve… missed you. And I don’t mean I’ve missed our relationship. I’ve missed you in my life. You don’t even show up to family events anymore, and my mum keeps asking why she hasn’t seen you. I don’t have the heart to tell her what happened,’ he murmurs, my heart twisting with guilt. I’m not quite sure what to say, desperately wracking my brains, but there isn’t anything to say, so we’re both silent.

Seungmin and I grew up living in houses opposite each other. Our parents were best friends, so we were best friends. We remained that way through nursery, all of school, and into our adult lives too. I was quite proud of having a wizard best friend who could solve nearly any problem I ever had. He made sure I never failed any tests, hurt myself, got into trouble, and he fixed anything I ever broke, found everything I ever lost, made sure nothing bad ever happened to me. And then we did the worst thing we could’ve done, and we fell in love with each other. Two years later, I had aged two years, and Seungmin had not – wizards are immortal, and so he stopped aging from the age of 18. 22-year-old me was dating 18-year-old Seungmin. It doesn’t seem like much of an issue, but I started thinking about the future. What about when I turned 30, and Seungmin still hadn’t aged a day into adulthood? When we’d had a child together, and he looked more like the kid’s sibling than the father?

‘Anyway… what’s wrong? Why’d you need my help?’ he asks, and I sigh deeply. ‘Basically… I was at the club with Chaeryeong the other night, and we were in the toilets, and I was putting on lipgloss. This girl next to me asked if she could use it, and I was like, ‘um, no’, because who shares lipgloss with a stranger in a club, and she got angry and started saying, ‘you think you’re so gorgeous, and you think you’re better than me,’ and basically went off on one, so I may have retaliated slightly, and turns out she was a witch, so she put a curse on me,’ I explain all in one breath, and Seungmin raises a sceptical eyebrow. ‘You wanna tell me what really happened?’ he asks, and I blink once, twice, before sighing.

‘She asked to borrow my lipgloss and I was kinda drunk and I may have been a bit of a bitch and told her she needed more than just lipgloss to fix her face,’ I admit ashamedly, and Seungmin’s mouth falls open. ‘y/n!’ ‘What? It’s not like I lied! Her makeup was terrible! It was the completely wrong colour for her skin, she hadn’t blended it, her eyelashes weren’t the right shape for her eyes and she hadn’t glued them on properly so they were hanging off, her eyeshadow clashed with her lipstick, it was all terrible! I wasn’t about to let her put my expensive ass lipgloss on top of that god-awful lipstick. So I tried to give her some girl-to-girl advice, but I was drunk so it came out the wrong way!’ I say defensively, Seungmin shaking his head at me in disbelief.

‘Did you tell her all those things? ‘…I may have, yes.’ ‘You’re such a bitch, y/n. Maybe she did her makeup like that on purpose. Maybe no one’s ever taught her how to do makeup. You didn’t need to come for her like that. God,’ he says, voice laced with shock and disappointment, and I feel like a little kid being told off by their teacher. ‘I apologised when she started crying b-’ ‘You made her cry?’ he demands, voice going up a few octaves, and I pout. ‘I didn’t mean to! I apologised, but she was already angry, so she cursed me,’ I say in a small voice, Seungmin’s unimpressed gaze making me feel quite ashamed. Not that I didn’t already! He’s just making me feel worse.

‘What was the curse she put on you?’ he asks, and I let out an angry noise just at the thought of it. ‘That I’ll age to look quadruple how old I actually am,’ I spit, and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. ‘I’ve never heard that before. She probably just said it to scare you.’ ‘That’s what I thought. Until this happened,’ I say, turning my head away and lifting up my hair to reveal the base of my neck. I hear him suck in a breath, knowing he’s seeing the lock of hair at the back of my head, the one that’s now a powdery grey colour, wiry and ratty amongst the perfectly healthy hair that I put so much effort into looking after.

‘My body’s getting achy and I’ve got all these pains everywhere that I didn’t have a couple days ago. So I think the curse is real, Seungmin,’ I say seriously, and he nods, looking thoughtful. ‘So you want me to lift the curse off you?’ he asks, and I nod, giving him my best wide innocent eyes. ‘Can you do it?’ I ask, and he’s silent for a moment before replying, ‘I can. But I won’t.’ My heart drops, my mouth falling open slightly, and I blink at him a few times before I say, ‘what do you mean, you won’t?’ ‘I won’t lift the curse off you. You were rude and bitchy to that girl and not once have you shown me that you feel guilty about it. Instead, you’re sat here defending yourself and complaining about her like a little brat, so I think this should teach you a lesson,’ he says simply, and I stare at him in shock.

‘You’re joking, right? I demand, anger flaring through me at the way his eyes sparkle with mirth. ‘No, I’m being serious, actually. You judged that girl based on how she looked – I’m sure if she was conventionally pretty, with flawless makeup, you’d have lent her your lipgloss without a second thought, and probably becomes best friends with her too. That girl might have been the nicest person you’d ever come across. But you wouldn’t know, because you were mean to her. Now, the shoe will be on the other foot. You’ve coasted through life getting what you want because you’re pretty, and now that you’ll look all wrinkly and saggy, we’ll see how you like being on the receiving end of people’s judgement,’ he says cheerfully, my mouth falling open more and more as he speaks.

‘Seungmin, I’m sorry for being a bitch. I really am, and I do regret it. But surely that slightly bitchy behaviour doesn’t warrant this. Me looking like an ancient pensioner! I’ve learnt my lesson. Please don’t do this,’ I say desperately, starting to actually worry that he might not lift the curse. ‘Hmm, I don’t know if you have learnt your lesson, y/n. It’s not like I can take your word for it, because if I didn’t know you any better, you’d have gotten away with telling me a twisted version of what really happened. You’re a compulsive liar. So, I apologise, but I won’t be lifting the curse,’ he says seriously, but his lips are quirked up at the corners, making me realise he’s actually amused by this situation.

‘Seungmin, this isn’t a joke! You cannot let this happen to me!’ I shriek, panic making my hands shake, and he raises an eyebrow at me. ‘Shouting won’t make me change my mind,’ he says dryly, the two of us staring at each other, very different emotions in our gazes, and he sighs a few moments later. ‘How about this? When you show a true act of selflessness and generosity without any kind of judgement, the curse will break,’ he says, taking my hands into his as he speaks, and when I register his words, I snatch them away angrily. ‘No! I don’t want any stupid conditions or things I have to do! Just take the fucking curse off me, Min!’ I scream, fury making my voice waver, and he just laughs.

‘You took your hands away too late – it’s done now. This will teach you your lesson,’ he grins, and I want to literally throw myself across the table and teach him a lesson instead. ‘Seungie, please,’ I pout, stooping lower than I ever thought I would, and he hesitates for a moment before shaking his head, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘No, y/n. It’s done. Try not to judge someone based on their appearance for once, and you’ll be rewarded for it,’ he says mildly, and I just stare at him in disbelief for a few moments. ‘Are you doing this because I dumped you?’ I ask, unable to believe he simply wants to teach me a lesson, and he bursts out into laughter. ‘Flattering yourself a little there, aren’t you? No, y/n, that’s not why. Stop trying to find reasons to play this down. There are no other factors for this punishment other than your nasty behaviour.’ ‘Punishment? What are you, my dad? You don’t get to punish me!’ ‘I know you better than your dad does, better than anyone else does, and I know you’re better than this. I’m trying to help you.’ ‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it!’ I exclaim, silence falling between us.

‘If that’s all, y/n-’ ‘If that’s all? If that’s all?’ ‘Yes. If that’s all, you can leave. I only have ten minutes left of my lunch break, and then I’ve got another appointment. So you can go,’ he says with a small grin, effectively dismissing me like a parent sends a child to their room, and I let out an angry huff. ‘I can’t believe this. Some shitty doctor you are,’ I say childishly, bitter about this lesson he’s trying to teach me, and he just rolls his eyes amusedly. ‘My thousands of satisfied patients say otherwise. But that’s okay – you can’t please everyone. Especially not judgemental little brats,’ he grins, and I let out a shrill noise of rage, pushing myself up off the seat and grabbing my bag from the armchair.

‘And I’ll take this!’ I exclaim pettily, snatching the half-empty flask from the table, and he just laughs at me, making me feel even more murderous than I already do. ‘You’ll thank me eventually, y/n,’ he says gently, and I let out another angry huff. ‘I doubt it,’ I hiss, stomping towards the door and, just as I think I can’t be any more immature, I kick the shelves nearest me, watching as it wobbles and falls over to the side before stopping mid-air. ‘Really? How childish of you,’ Seungmin says amusedly, one hand outstretched in the direction of the shelves, his magic holding them up, and I let out an angry scream, sounding a lot like Regina George when she was putting herself in the Burn Book to get back at Cady. Is this really what I’ve become? How embarrassing,

‘I’ll see you at Jackson’s for Halloween,’ he calls out behind me as I reach the door. ‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ I hiss venomously, ‘my brittle bones may have already given way by then. God knows if I’ll even be able to walk, thanks to you!’ ‘No, y/n, you only have yourself to blame for this,’ he says, as he shakes his head with a sad smile. ‘Oh, cut out all the philosophical teaching-moment shit,’ I spit, wrenching open the door. As I do so, one of my nails flies off my finger. Not just the fake nail my technician put on this morning. The entire nail.

I hold back a gag, hearing Seungmin stifling laughter behind me, and I look away from it, feeling quite sick. My eyes meet Seungmin’s, and he must take pity on me when he sees how they’re full of angry and helpless tears, and he waves a hand in my direction. When I look down at my hand again, the nail is back in place, good as new. I look back at him in surprise, and he looks a little embarrassed. ‘No more of your nails will fall out. But I’m not fixing anything else for you. Now go, before your stupid pretty face convinces me to lift the curse,’ he says, and I feel a little hope spark in my chest. ‘Seungie, p-’ ‘Nuh-uh. Get outta here. Now.’ ‘But S-‘ ‘y/n, I will call security!’

[stevie-kd]

“Cold”

Part 2

Read part 1 here

::In which Bakugou and Kirishima are still trapped in a cave, slowly freezing to death, and luck doesn’t seem to be in their favor today as things only go downhill::

•••••••••••••••

It was probably the sound of teeth chattering that woke him. That didn’t make much sense because he was surprisingly warm in his sleeping bag.

Then it dawned on him. Kirishima.

Bakugou sat up, ignoring the pain that spiked through his back. The fire was nearly out, and Kirishima stood over it attempting to bring it back to life. Even in the dull light Bakugou could see how pale his boyfriend was.

“Dumbass!” Bakugou spat. “If you were this cold you should have told me!”

He looked over at Bakugou with sad puppy eyes. It made Bakugou seethe, disgusted by how fucking adorable it was. Kirishima had no business being that cute.

“You looked so peaceful,” Kirishima admitted. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You’re freezing, idiot. Take the stupid sleeping bag before I beat you to death.”

Bakugou wiggled out of the bag before Kirishima could protest. He kicked it over to the redhead, who only looked guilty accepting it. Nonetheless, he knew Bakugou enough to know he wasn’t joking around. Kirishima looked like a ghost, and that was putting it lightly. His skin was deathly white and his lips were a disturbing shade of purple. The dark, dried blood that trailed down the side of his face only helped to make him look paler. There was a slight tremble to his shoulders Bakugou couldn’t ignore.

“Sit down and get warm,” Bakugou demanded, forcing himself to stand without the use of his arms. “I’m going to get the fire going again.”

“Without using your quirk.”

“Tch. I will if I have to.”

“You’ll only hurt yourself—”

“I don’t give a damn!” Bakugou shouted through gritted teeth. “My arms aren’t as important as our lives.”

“I get that, Kats, but what about your quirk? If you hurt your arms bad enough that you can’t use your quirk again, your hero dream is over.”

Bakugou frowned. “I wouldn’t be much of a hero if I couldn’t even save the guy I loved.”

Kirishima opened his mouth to respond but clamped it shut again. A soft smile spread over his lips. “I love you too, Katsuki.”

He finally climbed into the sleeping bag and parked himself beside the dying fire. He melted into the fabric, and the teeth chattering slowly silenced. “Wow,” Kirishima breathed, “it’s still warm from you. I didn’t realize how cold I was.”

Bakugou knew Kirishima must have been freezing because without the insulated sleeping bag Bakugou could feel just how much the temperature dropped since the avalanche. “Ei, how long have we been in here?”

“Mm, maybe a couple hours? I’m not sure. The communicator still isn’t working, so I haven’t caught word from anyone yet.”

Bakugou huffed. He really hoped the class hadn’t assumed they were dead. After so long without answers, Bakugou wouldn't be surprised if any of them started to feel dread. He knew his classmates well enough to know they wouldn’t give up though.

With his left arm, which hurt a little less than his right, he scooped up Kirishima’s flashlight off the ground and clicked it on. He headed deeper into the cave in search of more sticks, hearing a faint, “Be careful!” from behind him, which he responded to with a grunt.

Fucking rocks everywhere. That’s all he could find! He was beginning to lose hope when he finally came across a branch long dead and speckled with crisp leaves.

He started kicking the thing back towards the fire, figuring he didn’t want to drag it back and hurt his arms more. The pain had lessened to a dull throbbing, but using his arms now would only bring it back tenfold.

He finally reached the fire and started stomping on the branch to break it up into smaller sticks. Once pleased with his work, he sat with his legs criss-crossed and used his left arm to toss branches into the flames one by one. The fire was already coming back to life.

“Good job, dude!” Kirishima congratulated him from where he was snuggled up in the sleeping bag. He scooted closer to Bakugou until their shoulders touched.

“Hungry?” Bakugou asked, leaning into Kirishima. He could feel the slightest warmth radiating from him.

“Honestly, yeah,” Kirishima answered. “I didn’t eat much today. A couple protein bars and an apple.”

Flatly, Bakugou said, “Eijirou.”

“I know, I know. ‘Take better care of yourself, blah, blah.’ I would’ve eaten better if I’d known we wouldn’t be back in time for dinner. Didn’t expect to wind up trapped in a cave when I ran out the door this morning.”

Bakugou scowled. It was because of him they were in this mess after all. If he’d just used his damn brain, Kirishima wouldn’t be freezing to death or starving or bleeding from the head!

Kirishima nudged him. “Hey. I didn’t mean it like that. This isn’t your fault, Blasty.”

Kirishima Eijirou and Bakugou Katsuki—

Both boys stiffened at the sudden voice echoing in their heads. It was a feminine voice, and strangely the woman was speaking directly into Bakugou’s brain, not his ears. He noted the voice sounded distantly familiar as it continued to coil through his mind.

This is Mandalay of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. If you can hear this message, just sit tight. We’re on our way. It may be awhile before we can reach you, so do your best to survive. Keep warm and stay alert. The mountain is more unstable than anyone realized. A second avalanche is likely, but we’ll try to have you both to safety before it comes to that. We’re doing everything we can. Mandalay, over and out.

Bakugou’s mouth felt suddenly dry. He remembered those damn Pussycat heroes from the training camp where the League managed to snag him. Mandalay was the most normal of the bunch of freaks, Pixie-Jo or whatever the fuck her name was had been a total creep, and he wasn’t around the other two weirdos enough to even remember their names.

“The tracker must be working,” Kirishima breathed, more likely thinking out loud than talking to Bakugou. He slumped against his boyfriend, letting his head rest against Bakugou’s shoulder. “They’re coming for us.”

Bakugou grunted his reply. He reached past Kirishima for the backpack, but a sharp pain shot from his wrist to his elbow. He drew back too fast, only managing to worsen the pain. He bit his lip to hold back a yelp.

“Babe! Hey, you alright?” Kirishima was asking then, whipping his arms out of the sleeping bag to cradle Bakugou as he held his arm tight against his chest. “No more using your arms. If you need something, just ask me next time.”

“‘Kay,” Bakugou spoke through clenched teeth. He would’ve argued if anyone else were here, but it was just Kirishima. He knew not to push it. He didn’t like making Kirishima mad.

The redhead pulled the bag to them and dug out the thermos. After he unscrewed the cap, a plume of steam rose from the mouth of the can. “Wow, still warm.”

“Good,” Bakugou breathed out through a sigh. “It’ll help warm up our cores. Help us stay alive.”

Kirishima nodded against him. He took a long sip from the thermos, then passed it to Bakugou. “Cheers.”

Bakugou chuckled at that, but the sound was strained. He accepted the soup, downing a few gulps himself.

There was a strange rumble then. Bakugou stiffened at the sound of shifting rocks. Kirishima‘s grip on him tightened.

There were a few short moments of near perfect silence, despite the crackling of the fire. Bakugou swallowed, bringing himself to stand up. He had a bad feeling rising in his chest.

“Do you think that’s them? The Pros?” Kirishima asked quietly. “Our classmates?”

Bakugou pursed his lips. “I don’t think so, Ei.”

Then it happened all at once, so fast Bakugou could hardly process what was happening. He would’ve been killed if it wasn’t for Kirishima’s instantaneous reaction.

The rumbling was loud, so loud, and the ground was shaking and the ceiling was practically coming down. Bakugou stumbled and tripped over the backpack, throwing his hands out to protect himself.

He screamed at the pure agony that shot through his arms, the sound ripping through his throat. All he could think about was pain, pain, pain.

Kirishima dove on top of him, his body hardened from head to toe. He braced himself on his hands and knees, taking each blow from the ceiling as it crumbled.

The light of the fire disappeared, and the boys were consumed in darkness. The cave went silent and still, as well as Bakugou’s mind.

++++++++++++++

Read part 3 here

IM SORRY... for how long it took me to post this. Not for tormenting our two best boys of course 👀

Yeah, I had a lot of problems with the program I was using to write this (kept telling me there was a merge error ?? And deleting random bits of my work ?????) so I’ve switched over to Google Docs and so far that’s working well for me. It’ll take some getting used to, but worth the change so long as it doesn’t randomly delete my writing 😤 (yes I’m a little salty about it)

ANYWAY ! Thanks for the read, and I’ll have the final part posted soon! I started another fic that I think y’all might like,,,,, maybe,,,, hopefully ?? Yep yep KiriBaku of course.

9/14/2020

[soulmate-game]

Part 2 of the Marinette x Peter soulmate oneshot

Part 1 

—*—*—*—*—*

“And here,” the grouchy man in front of her held out a ring, making his daughter raise an eyebrow. His grey-blue eyes rolled almost to the back of his skull at the silent communication. “Using Kaalki for all your traveling is extremely inefficient. He’s eating all my sugar cubes.”

“You can just conjure up more,” Marinette countered, smirking in amusement as she took the sling ring from him. She was seventeen now, and had been visiting her father about once a month for the past few months, almost a year, since she first met him after he made a deal with Dormammu and essentially saved their entire reality.

“Relying on another living being for your teleportation is stupid,” her father argued, crossing his arms. “It delays you. You might not be the best at using a sling ring, but I made sure you can operate it reliably. This way, you always have an option for a near instantaneous escape.”

Marinette just snorted and slipped on the ring, right next to the silver one that sat on her right thumb. Her father didn’t approve of her wielding both Creation and Destruction at once, especially considering the fact that he knew firsthand how much energy it took to wield something with the power of an Infinity Stone, but she still did it regardless.

Adrien needed a break from the Miraculous after his father was arrested, and Marinette was only making sure that the two most sought after Miraculous were as safe as possible until she could find someone to trust as a new Cat. She wasn’t about to give up being Ladybug anytime soon just so she could retire the ring.

“Whatever you say, Dad,” she said cheerfully, ignoring his huff of annoyance at her dismissive response. Quickly leaning in, she pecked him on the cheek and jogged backwards. “See you next month!” She waved happily. Seeing the slight blush on her father’s cheeks and the way he stubbornly tried to pretend like he didn’t like the familial affection at all and was not at all a doting father figure who spoiled his daughter rotten (he was), made Marinette burst into laughter even as she waved goodbye to Wong and left out of the front door of the New York Sanctum.

She would get some shopping in the fashion district done first, and then use the sling ring to get back to Paris. Kaalki could use the rest, not that she would ever admit it to her dad.

She was browsing a high-end tailor, looking at the suits they had on display, when the door opened. She didn’t bother looking back to see who had entered, hoping that whatever rich client just came in would not question the little Asian teenager critically analyzing the merchandise. She had to be up to date on both male and female fashion, after all, and her suit construction could always use improvement. She was inspecting the way that a certain collar was stitched when the voices of the two people who had entered finally caught her attention.

“But I don’t need it,” a younger voice argued, sounding as if the owner of said voice was pouting. “And you shouldn’t spend that kind of money on me.”

“You should know by now that money doesn’t matter to me, kid. Besides, this is more efficient. Instead of wasting energy punching a guy in the face and possibly getting hurt, you just press this button and run. Help will be on the way, and if your aim is good then the guy’ll be tazed. Everyone wins.”

“Mister Staaaarrrrkkkk,” the younger voice, a boy Marinette realized once she looked up, whined. “You’re already getting me a probably super expensive suit because you won’t let me wear my old one to your party—“

“Your old one is a mess, no offense, and the pants are too short.”

“—That’s not the point, Mister Stark.”

“And anyone coming with me to my own party is gonna look fantastic.”

“You went to a party last year in an Iron Man t-shirt under a suit jacket and sneakers, Mister Stark.”

“Okay, but I look fantastic in anything. Have you seen me? I’m gorgeous.”

“Are you saying he doesn’t look good in anything?” Marinette chose to finally speak up, her mouth already curled up into a wide smile. They reminded her of how she acted with her father. Not even the fact that she was talking to Tony goddamned Stark could make her back down now that she had seen him acting so paternal and soft.

The famous engineer gaped at her for a second, and the boy next to him crossed his arms and smiled wickedly.

“Yeah, Mister Stark. Are you saying I’m not gorgeous?”

“What—I—this is betrayal. Ganging up on a guy is not fair play,” the billionaire protested childishly, pointing to each of them as if he expected that to be intimidating. It just came off fatherly. “You know what? Fine. Go to my gala in one of your science pun t-shirts, it’s not like I care anyway since I’ll be doing the same thing. We can even wear the exact same shirt if you want. But when Pepper kills us both, it’s your fault.”

Both teenagers laughed at the poor guy’s dramatics. The teenaged designer decided to introduce herself, walking over and holding out her hand to the boy. “I’m Marinette. I didn’t know Tony Stark had a son.”

The boy instantly went beet red, and started stammering. Marinette winced, feeling bad since she knew exactly how that felt. She was usually on the opposite end of an interaction like this, after all.

“Dad’s not my Stark. I mean Mister Dad isn’t— I mean—“

“He’s my intern,” Tony saved him, clapping a firm hand on the boy’s upper arm to try and ground him. Marinette furrowed her brows, noticing how Stark had carefully avoided touching his “intern’s” (she wasn’t buying that story for a second) shoulder. But the boy had instantly relaxed, so Marinette tried not to think too hard about it.

Finally, he took Marinette’s hand and shook it. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker. The intern.”

Marinette was about to reply, but she felt her shoulders start to tingle. Then a flash of bright light erupted, and almost blinded them. Peter and Marinette just stared at each other for a moment before movement caught their eyes, and made both of them stumble back in shock.

“You have two mini-me’s on your shoulders!” Peter cried, pointing to Marinette.

“No, you have two mini-ME’s on YOUR shoulders!” She shot back, pointing to him. Sure enough, he had a disturbingly Kwami-looking mini-Marinette hovering over one of his shoulders dressed in all blue. Over his other shoulder was an equally chibi, Kwami-looking version of Ladybug. Domino mask and all.

Marinette stumbled back a few extra steps when her own floating… things… flew in front of her face. One was clearly a mini Peter, also dressed in all blue just like the miniature version of herself that Peter had. But the other one was a mini—

“Oh my god,” she whispered, looking straight at Peter—no, at her soulmate— as her floating versions of him returned back to float over her shoulders. “You’re—“

“Shh!” He held a finger over his lips. Marinette shut her mouth, realizing a little too late that she had just been about to expose his secret identity. Big no-no, and she knew it.

“I’m sorry, but what the fuck?” Tony suddenly spoke up, looking at the both of them like they had grown second heads. “You guys just started freaking out after Peter introduced himself, and I’m confused.”

“Wait, you didn’t see that?” Peter demanded, staring at his mentor in disbelief. “The bright flash of light, the floating anime-fairy versions of ourselves floating over each other’s shoulders, you didn’t see ANY of that?”

Confusion melted away into realization, which transformed into mischief on Tony’s face. “Ohh, I see what’s going on. You’re soulmates.”

“Oh my god we’re soulmates,” Peter breathed, looking over to a still-shell shocked and frozen Marinette. “I just met my soulmate. Oh my god.”

“Mon Dieu,” Marinette couldn’t help slipping back into French. She began to ramble in her native language; “I can’t believe this. What are the floating things supposed to be anyway? I thought the marks on our shoulders were our Marks, that we could just feel extreme pain from one another. This doesn’t make sense. What does this mean? Did our Bond evolve once we met? What can we do now? Why can’t soul bonds respect secret identities? Oh Kwami I have to tell my parents and that is going to be a nightmare and—“

“Oh my god, she’s just as bad as you,” Tony remarked, impressed as he watched the little Asian girl ramble on in rapid French. Luckily, his title was Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, emphasis on Genius, and he was fluent enough to keep up with what she said.

“Relax,” he interrupted gently in the same language, shocking her into paying attention and stopping her rambling. “We can always get Peter’s suit another day, this is more important. So how about we go back to the Tower—“

Wrong thing to say.

“Avenger’s Tower? The home to all of the primary active Avengers, the headquarters for the New York branch of Stark Industries? The single most intimidating building in the whole city, THAT tower?” Marinette rambled, still in French, with absolute horror written all over her face. “I would pass out before we got inside.”

Tony glanced over at a very confused but worried Peter, who didn’t understand a word of what was being said but could clearly read the distress on his soulmate’s face. “She’s your other half, alright,” he told him in English before looking back to the girl. “Where do you want to go, then?”

Marinette opened her mouth, but the mini-Peter flew in front of her face and gave her cheek a hug. She blinked, feeling bracing coolness coming from where the pixie-creature touched her skin. It brought her back to the present, and allowed her to take a deep breath and calm down. “Thanks,” she said to the little thing, cupping her hand around it gently to try and simulate a hug of her own before looking back at the boys in front of her (because let’s be real, Stark was only a “man” half the time and a “man-child” the rest).

Finally lucid enough to switch back to English, Marinette answered Tony. “I actually came here to visit my dad. My biological father, technically. We can go to his place.”

Sure, he’d be annoyed at her at first, but once Marinette explained he would calm down. Probably.

Tony agreed, and led her out to the sports car they had taken to get over here.

“Good thing Peter talked me out of bringing a two-seater, huh?”

—*—*—*—*—*

“Don’t touch that,” Marinette warmed, leaping forward to keep Peter’s hands off of a potentially dangerous magical artifact. She would be more annoyed if Peter didn’t look suitably guilty, or have a near permanent sparkle of wonder and awe on his face from seeing everything in the Sanctum.

“This is like being in Harry Potter! I’m Hufflepuff by the way, what about you?” The hyper boy asked her, his excitement at all the magic surrounding him overruling his natural shyness. “But for real, the special effects you guys have is ridiculous. And actually putting up a three-dimensional projector outside to hide the true appearance of the building? How much money do you have?”

“For the last time, Peter,” Marinette said slowly, crossing her arms with barely disguised amusement. “No projectors. No technology. This is all legitimate magic.”

“Legitimate magic doesn’t exist,” he shot back with an eye roll. Marinette just raised her eyebrows.

“You regularly visit a tower and mentor with a guy who works with a Norse god, a literal witch, a large green buff guy, and an Android brought to life by magic.”

“...Okay, But…”

Marinette would also be a lot more annoyed at how hard Peter was to convince, if she didn’t know full well that she got the better end of the deal. Her father was the one in charge of Stark, which was undoubtedly the shorter end of the stick. Already the billionaire had activated five ancient artifacts, gotten bodily pulled away by Strange from another four, and her father had finally decided to just teleport the mechanic away when Peter wasn’t looking. Marinette didn’t want to know what her dad decided was necessary to convince Stark that magic was real and he should shut up and stop acting superior.

Her dad was a hypocrite, she knew it. She also knew he was probably having the time of his life doing to Stark what was probably done to him when he was first introduced to Sorcery.

By the time Strange had returned with a shaken up and very annoyed Tony Stark (looking like a very smug cat as even the Cloak preened on his shoulders), Marinette had already introduced Peter to the Kwami and teleported him to all of the seven wonders of the world.

For some reason, it was her ladybug transformation, of all things, that finally proved to Peter that magic was real. Something about magical girls and anime..? Marinette couldn’t completely follow his rapid rambling. She was good at English, and had mastered more vocabulary than most native speakers because of her constant reading of medical and scientific journals, but she still wasn’t great at deciphering when people spoke too quickly.

“All done, Dad?” She asked cheerfully, earning a half-hearted glare from the billionaire next to him. Her father just smirked.

“Indeed. Now, what was the reason you came back to the Sanctum without warning with two outsiders, one of which is most definitely going to give me recurring migraines?” He asked, eyes trailing over as the mechanic huffed and joined his mentee (son). Then, the sorcerer’s eyes landed on the four floating miniatures of the two teens in the room. “Oh. You have awakened your Bond.”

“Yeah,” Marinette agreed, looking over at Peter. Seeing a mini-her and mini-Ladybug just swinging their legs happily as they sat on his shoulders was surreal. Then again, his mini-selves were attracting his own, much more exasperated, attention. His mini-him was just sleeping on his stomach on Marinette’s right shoulder, while his mini-Spider-Man was doing a two-finger handstand and trying to impress the Cloak.

The Cloak clapped two of its corners in support, to which Strange pretended not to notice.

“We were, well I was anyway, hoping you could explain,” Marinette told her father. “My magic doesn’t really help with analyzing non-Miraculous things, and soulbonds are completely out of my expertise. With how I’m supposed to be back in Paris already, I figured getting a crash course from you as to what to expect would be better. Peter and I probably won’t be able to hang out in person very much until school let’s out,” she explained.

“Wait, you have magic too?” Tony asked, nose scrunched up. Meanwhile, Peter’s eyes were wide.

“You’re from Paris? What are you doing her—oh my god did you teleport? Like how you took me to see the Sphinx?!” He asked, bouncing up and down on his feet. Marinette smiled at his enthusiasm, liking how he wasn’t as opposed to magic as his father figure certainly was.

“Yes, I teleported. I visit my father every month, not that my parents know.”

“Her mother and step father only know that she calls me, and they believe that I occasionally fly over to visit her,” Stephen filled in casually as he flattened parts of his uniform and just generally moved his hands around to disguise the trembling in them as subtly as possible. They had gotten better over time, with him performing simple physical therapy exercises every day and his magic helping, but he no longer desired to get rid of the damage entirely. He knew he no longer needed to. “But they know nothing about magic, or the fact that she occasionally parades across Paris as a spotted heroine.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Tony asked, turning to his son— mentee’s— Bonded with his eyebrows raised high on his head. “Why did I never hear about a hero in Paris? Trust me, I look.”

“And I am very good at hiding,” Marinette retorted, her eye roll showing very clearly who she was related to. “The magic of the Miraculous helped. The super villain that used to plague Paris, Gabriel Agreste, used to wield the Miraculous of Transmission. The butterfly,” she told the boys easily. “His powers allowed him to control the transmission of information outside of Paris, though it was more of a… how do you say…” Marinette paused, allowing her father to chime in;

“Passive ability,” The older magic user offered up. “He didn’t want the Avengers or anyone else to interfere, so his abilities passively controlled transmission of Paris news so that it didn’t reach anyone that might bright that to pass. It helps that Marinette’s own powers include completely reversing the damage caused by a Miraculous. Every time the Eiffel Tower was knocked over or turned to ash, she brought it back as if nothing had happened,” he explained. His daughter nodded.

“So any rumors of Paris having a villain would probably have been seen as jokes,” Marinette told him gently, her smile lopsided. “Even the Ladyblog, a now defunct website that used to cover all the attacks, has received a lot of comments from international viewers about how good the special effects were or how intrigued they were by the ‘show’s premise,’” she admitted, using finger quotations for emphasis.

“But you got him, right? The bad guy?” Peter asked, looking straight into Marinette’s eyes. She giggled and nodded.

“Oh yeah. Turns out he was the father of the guy I had a crush on, so,” she made a face. “Not the best situation ever. But his son was also secretly my superhero partner the whole time, which made the situation both better and worse in several ways.”

“Oh hey, me too!” Peter said excitedly, his face also squishing into something uncomfortable. “Minus the superhero partner part. But a while back, I took down this guy, the Vulture, who turned out to be the father of this girl I liked.”

“It’s the worst, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah.” He agreed.

“Okay, back to the topic at hand,” Strange interrupted, earning a sigh of relief from the only other adult in the room.

“Thank Science, I did not want to hear another word about teenage romance,” Tony clapped his hands together. “So, what’s up with their Connection, Doc?”

After briefly closing his eyes for patience, Doctor Strange raised one slightly shaking hand and summoned up a few glowing symbols. Muttering under his breath, he walked a loose circle around the two teenagers and bathed them in the shining orange light. After about a minute of this he stepped back with a hum of thought and a single raised eyebrow. His lips quirking into a disturbingly amused smirk did not help Marinette or Peter’s nerves.

Both naturally nervous teens squirmed impatiently.

“What few people know is that the Universe actually has a name for each type of essence link, or what most people know colloquially as a soul bond,” he explained, purposefully sounding pompous to annoy Tony, who scoffed. “The name for your bond is ‘Shoulder Angels’ and I believe it is supposed to mimic the classic devil and angel on the shoulder trope,” he crossed his arms with far too much joy in his eyes. “The blue one is your civilian self, which embodies everything normal and relatively healthy. It keeps you grounded in reality and helps you through healthy pain and emotions. The red one is your hero alter ego, which represents whimsy, encourages creativity, and will help you through toxic situations. You can call it your personal hero, really. Whenever you are experiencing toxic emotions, a dangerous situation, or anything similar, it will contact your Linked partner and allow them to comfort you by astral projecting them to you or, in an extreme situation, actually teleporting them to you. Other than that and their base characteristics, they have simplified versions of your own personalities.”

“So, the drawings on our shoulders,” Marinette said slowly. “Are they still there, or did they turn into these…” she looked at the little things again. “Fairy things?”

Stephen smiled proudly. “Always asking the right questions. Yes, the symbols were just a placeholder and altogether weaker version since you had not met in person. They are gone now, and only the two of you or experienced magic users can see your essence sprites. Although, once you practice with them you will be able to show them to people you trust. But that will take time.”

“I see…” Marinette looked over at Peter. “So, uh. Hi. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and sometimes Paris’s superhero Ladybug. Want my phone number?”

—*—*—*—*—*

“Oh come on, a Churro is totally a real pastry,” Peter, currently Spider-Man, argued with the Marinette-sprite on his shoulder. The little chibi puffed out it’s cheeks and tapped it’s toe on the open air before pointing to a bakery that had good looking cookies and cupcakes in its store window. “Oh no, those are expensive and I’m broke. This might be cheap street-churro, but it’s good and I’m eating it. See?” He crunched a giant bite of his fried snack. “Mmmm.”

Mini-Bug on his other shoulder just sighed heavily in defeat.

“Wow, I didn’t know you spoke to yourself Spidey. Did ya go crazy over the weekend?” A familiar voice asked from behind him, making Spider-Man groan and shove the rest of his churro into his mouth. After he swallowed, he stood and turned to the new figure on the roof behind him.

“No, Wade. I met my soulmate, and now we have little mini-us-es on our shoulders. I have mini-hers and she has mini-me’s. Mini-her number one is trying to convince me that churros are not real pastries,” he jabbed his thumb at the one he was talking about. “Mini-her number two is just trying to get me to eat more healthy, which is not working either.”

“Oh wow, I have mini-me’s too! But they are just me, not my soulmate.”

“Do you have two bonds?” Spidey asked, tilting his head. Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, shook his head.

“Nah. My soulmate and I had a wound sharing bond.”

Peter opened and closed his mouth, deciding to just pull his mask back down over his mouth and ignore that statement to the best of his ability. He had seen Wade literally torn in half and shot in the head way more times than he could count, and he doubted Wade’s soulmate could heal like he could.

“So what you’re telling me,” Spidey said slowly, defaulting to his usual way of handling heavy topics. “Is that you’re just crazy.”

Wade pulled out a gun, and Spider-Man just laughed as he jumped off the side of the building to swing away. Mini-Marinette glared at him, but Mini-Ladybug was laughing right alongside him. He grinned at both of them behind his mask. Yeah, they couldn’t talk and weren’t replacements for the real thing, but it was nice having their company.

—*—*—*—*—*

That’s all I got for now. I might add a couple scenes here and there if I get inspiration, but for now this is it. Hope it’s okay.

[jessicajonesrp]

Demise of Dorothy Walker

(continued from previous note)

  “Wait…how many times has she jumped out the window today, exactly?” Trish questioned, tilting her head with some obvious confusion. “Jess, are you aware that windows can be opened before you jump through them, if you’re that opposed to doors?”

 Jessica ignored her, wiggling out of Trish’s loosened embrace and taking several steps back, crossing her arms over her chest as though to defend herself from any further attempts at being given affection. She nodded stiffly at Luke, attempting to take in what he is saying.

 “From what the kid in the apartment said and what I saw on the surveillance film, before he fucking destroyed it, it doesn’t seem like he needs much more than a look. I don’t know, maybe he needs a certain amount of time, or access to his inner rage, who the hell knows. But maybe not. I don’t need anything to jump or punch someone, so why should he?”

 “But you might have limitations that you don’t know about, or some sort of kryptonite that you have to avoid,” Trish pointed out, siding with Luke. “I’ve always told you that you should be doing more to understand your abilities. Who knows, Jess, they could be time limited, you could suddenly lose them one day, or maybe if you use them a certain amount of times they just stop or something. They might even be hurting you internally somehow, every time you jump or hit something, and you don’t realize it until you drop dead some day.”

 “Cheerful,” Jessica said sarcastically. “I’ll cross my fingers, maybe we’ll all be so lucky.”

 “Not funny,” Trish said sharply, narrowing her eyes at her. “I’m serious. You need to understand what has made you what you are, now more than ever. And you need to understand what has made Phillip who he is.”

 “He killed the people who made us who we are,” Jessica pointed out. “What am I supposed to do, search for a secret diary? “Dear diary, today I injected Kangaroo Hulk chemicals into a girl and Pyro chemicals into a boy, I sure hope it causes world chaos?” Something like that?”

  Trish looked at Luke for help, sighing. “I know you’re upset, Jessica,” she said quietly. “But we’re the ones supporting you. We’re the ones trying to help you, so if you’re trying the pushing away thing you love to do, it isn’t working, and it’s not going to make you feel any better. I’m not asking you to be happy, but save some of the venom for the people who deserve it.”

 Jessica’s cheeks reddened, and she swallowed, biting down the inside of her cheeks with shame she didn’t want them to see. She tried to cover it by turning to throw away her now empty bottle.

 “Fine. Guess we backtrack. I’ve got the contact information for the woman who started all this, the wife of the third doctor he killed. Let’s see what sort of contacts she might know to put me in touch with.”

  88

 Six miles away, Phillip Jones and his long term girlfriend, Rikarah Pallaton, were casually seated across each other at the small kitchen table of Rikarah’s apartment, laptops open side by side. Rikarah’s apartment, although not especially large or fancy, was far more comfortable and lived-in looking in its appearance than Phillip’s rented motel room had been, and there are far more indications of a man’s presence within its interior. Before contacting Jessica at all, Phillip had actually first been living there with Rikarah, and he had kept only enough of his belongings at the motel room for daily, necessary use- just enough to make it appear that he had no other place of residence. Although he had spent most nights there in the past several weeks, just in case Jessica or one of her associates happened to be watching him, it was never intended to be more than a temporary cover address.

 The only person he felt himself to belong to was Rikarah, and the only place he wished to reside would be wherever it was she chose. For the past few years he had followed her in her frequent relocations across the country, content to join her and at times assist her in wherever she felt lead to be and whatever she felt lead to do. They had met at a bar some four years ago, on a night that Phillip had intended little more to get drunk and hook up with someone, but it hadn’t been long before he discovered that there was far more to Rikarah, his intended “someone” of the night, then met eye. The dark-haired, pixie-featured beauty with darkly themed tattoos over her torso, barely visible peeking out the edges of her tank top’s neckline, carried far more steely strength and sharply focused intelligence than her slight frame would ever indicate.

 Rikarah, much like his sister, was a self-appointed vigilante, Phillip had discovered over time as she gradually let him into her world and her view of her life’s mission. Although she, unlike Jessica or himself, rarely, if ever, used her own supernatural abilities, and rarely did more for a living than bartend, waitress, or sell her own artwork online or in sidewalk sales, she nevertheless carried a power and purpose that Phillip at first was in awe of, then became seduced into emulating. For the first few years of his adulthood he had drifted, aimless, alone, and feeling that there was nothing to his existence that was worthy. Life held little to interest him, and he felt little connection to the world or anyone in it, even himself.

 Rikarah had changed that. In her quiet, steely-eyed focus on her view of truth and justice, she had changed his life and forever altered its course. She had opened his eyes to the grade power he possessed and the responsibility this charged him with to use it for the world’s benefit. How could he not, when he had so much potential at his disposal?

 Rikarah was physically weaker and smaller, lacked the sort of super powers that could be used on a daily and practical basis for protection or defense, and had no more money or family in the world than Phillip himself; if anything, she had been given far less in the way of advantage. And yet, by the time she was seventeen years old, she had already begun her life’s mission of identifying, and then ending the lives of people too twisted up in their abusive behaviors to deserve them. And she had started out with her very own family.

 Over time, Phillip had come to understand and believe in Rikarah’s view of the world, and to accept her view of his responsibility to it. It was she who had urged him to find those who had persecuted himself in his childhood, to take them out before they could harm others. It was also she who encouraged him to find his sister Jessica and insert himself into her life, to begin to know her- and to gradually bring her to understand their view of the world, in hopes of bringing her to join them.

 They both saw Jessica’s involvement in the death of Kevin Kilgrave as a very promising sign. If she had killed once, for the good of the world, it shouldn’t be too difficult to bring her into accepting the idea of killing again for the same reasons.

 But Jessica had been quicker to catch on than they had expected- too quick, even for the fact of her being a private investigator by living. Phillip blamed Patricia Walker for that. The woman had been interfering with his sister’s life since they were barely teenagers, and now her claws had sunk so deeply into her that Jessica couldn’t seem to separate herself from her influence. Without Trish there, it would be easier to sway Jessica into their way of thinking. And the easiest way to weaken Trish, from what Rikarah and Phillip had come to understand, was to first remove her mother from the picture.

 It would have been done anyway, at some point. It was because of Dorothy Walker that Phillip had grown up apart from his sister, living in abusive homes. It was because of her lies that Jessica had thought him to be dead for more than half his lifetime. She was a liar, a con artist, and a child abuser, an opportunist of the worst kind, even towards her own daughter. The world would not suffer for her loss, and its gains would be considerable.

 88

 The plan was simple. Rikarah had subtly tracked the woman’s routine for the past several days, and when Phillip let her know that the time had come for them to make their move, they arrived separately at her address, following at considerable distance. They had assumed and been correct to see that Dorothy would disregard Trish’s warning for her to leave town, too arrogant to assume anyone could want her dead or be successful in making it happen. Rikarah waited for her outside of her talent studio for up and coming young actors and models as Dorothy made her way to open for the morning, with Phillip following at a distance. As Dorothy moved to unlock the door, clearly intending to go about her day as usual to bully young girls in the name of “career advice and advancement” all while making considerable money, Rikarah called out to her in a cultivated mix of hesitation and urgency, stepping into her peripheral view.

 “Ms. Walker? Ms. Walker- you’re Patsy’s mother, aren’t you? Dorothy Walker?”

 She had deliberately used the name that Dorothy preferred to call Trish rather than Trish’s own preference, in a subtle alignment with the woman. Dorothy turned slightly, narrowing her eyes as she looked Rikarah up and down. Finding her to be physically unthreatening and not recognizable, she raised her eyebrows at her.

 “Yes? Do you or your daughter have an appointment with me today? I don’t take walk ins, young lady, but if you want an appointment for yourself, let me advise you now that you should consider acting over modeling. You have the figure for it, but hardly the height.”

  She turned back to unlock the door, but froze when Rikarah spoke again.

 “Please Ms. Walker, it’s Patsy. She’s…I don’t like to do this, go behind her back, but you’re her mother, and I feel like you should know before anyone else. You have a reputation in this town, you’re so respected, maybe you can do something to help before it’s too late for her-“

 “What’s happened?” Dorothy demanded, spinning around fast and facing Rikarah fully and with intensity. “Keep your voice down, if she’s doing something to ruin her reputation again- we can’t have this discussion out where just anyone can hear! Just who are you anyway?”

 “I’m Emily Oliver,” Rikarah lied smoothly, and when Dorothy looked blank, she added, “I was an extra on It’s Patsy, they used me in party or school scenes a lot. I don’t expect you to remember or know me, Ms. Walker, but I’ve always followed and admired you and Patsy. I hate to see her destroy herself now when you’ve worked so hard to repair her reputation to everyone. That Jessica Jones, she-“

 “I should have known it would have something to do with Jessica,” Dorothy hissed under her breath, shaking her head grimly. “That girl has always been a thorn at my side from the day she- but never mind, we can’t have this conversation out here. Emma, was it? Come inside, before the girls start arriving.”

 She gestured for Rikarah to follow her, and Rikarah started to, then hesitated.

 “Wait- I left my phone in my car. Someone sent me some photos of Patsy, they thought it was funny, I guess, but- maybe if I show you, maybe we can stop them from getting out to the media. Maybe-“

 “Yes, yes, go get your phone, make it quick, now,” Dorothy said impatiently, nodding her head and flapping her hand as though to dismiss the younger woman. “Meet me inside. I’m locking the door, I can’t be having clients come in and overhear this. Ring the doorbell when you’re back, I’ll let you in.”

  This was exactly what Rikarah and Phillip had been hoping for; they couldn’t have planned a better set up themselves. Nodding, biting her lip theatrically, Rikarah turned to walk towards the parking lot, taking her time about it, even as she watched out the corner of her eye to check that Dorothy did indeed go into the building and lock the door behind herself.

 Now it was all up to Phillip. Retrieving her phone, she texted him a single word, “okay,” and he was ready. Exiting Rikarah’s car, even as she slipped inside it, he casually walked past the studio, hands deep in his pockets. To anyone passing by, he would look no more than a person on his way somewhere, uninterested and uninvolved in anything suspicious.

 As he passed directly in front of the front door, he paused, looking towards it. With a few moments of intense concentration, he visualized Dorothy, waiting for Rikarah within. Twenty seconds later, screams burst into the air, and the sound of smoke detectors blared forth shrilly as Dorothy Walker’s skin began to burn.

 With the same casualness as before, Phillip continued to walk, bypassing the dying woman as Rikarah pulled out of the parking lot. Several blocks later, as she stopped at a prearranged stop sign, he slid into the passenger seat beside her. Mission accomplished.

[visander]

A Soft Goodbye | Ao3.

The Clave was offering Alec a chance at a life he'd never had but choosing that life would mean leaving everything Alec had ever known behind - including Meliorn.

This is my 'fairies made them do it' square for @shadowhunterbingo.

Alec sat at the edge of the river, cross legged, his spine entirely straight. The wind blew softly every couple of minutes, shifting the few strands of Alec’s long hair that had come out of his braid into his face. He sat entirely still without bothering to brush the hair away.

This was something Alec had learned from his father. When things were difficult, sometimes it helped to walk deep into the woods and sit with nature until things became more clear. Alec dedicated himself to this task now. He sat as still as stone, as if he simply refused to move an inch the wilderness of faerie might come to reclaim him before he had to make a choice of his own.

Alec heard the movement in the woods before he saw him but he still refused to move, even to glance back to look. He was rather sure he knew who it was. There was only one person who would come searching for him and if it wasn’t him, Alec was okay being attacked by pixies right about now.

Alec was not attacked by pixies and when Meliorn did walk into Alec’s sight, Alec was not surprised,

Meliorn didn’t seem to mind Alec’s stillness or his silence. He came forward quietly and he folded himself to sit at Alec’s side without seeming to crush a single blade of grass under him. This did not strike Alec as exceptionally special. Meliorn was more in tune with nature than Alec was but that was only because Alec was a halfling and he wasn’t quite as at ease with the world as a full faerie like Meliorn would be.

Still, growing up in faerie, Alec was much more at ease with nature than a normal halfling would be. Alec knew some existed, ones who’d lived opposite lives than he did. Alec had been left in faerie to be raised by his father the moment his mother had seen his pointed ears but some like Alec had been accepted by the shadowhunters the moment they were born. They’d been raised like them, to use weapons and harness their angelic runes to slaughter demons.

Alec wasn’t sure he’d like runes. His skin was not entirely unscarred but he wasn’t sure he’d like the look of the crisscrossing scars the temporary runes left in their wake and that wasn’t even mentioning the permanent ones.

Stretching up Alec’s side and curling around his shoulder to just tickle at the base of his neck was a long vine Alec had earned. That was the way things worked in faerie. He earned his vine but his vine did not belong to him. It shifted and bristled if Alec did something it didn’t prefer.

Alec had heard that runes were not like that. They did not react to the world about them. They did not hold their own opinions about their beholder and their actions. It seemed to Alec like living in a world without consequences. Alec didn’t like the idea of putting something on his skin that would remain there, regardless of what kind of person he grew to be.

His vine was unhappy with him now. It knew what he was considering and it didn’t like it. Alec didn’t blame it. He also didn’t like it and if he chose to leave, Alec knew his vine would leave him forever. It might remain for a few days to give him a chance to change his mind but if he didn’t, it would leave him forever.

Alec wasn’t sure he could bear that but if he chose to leave, he would have to. That was the thing about faerie that outsiders didn’t understand. Outsiders saw their world as cruel and harsh. Alec did not think that was the case. Faerie wasn’t cruel and harsh. Faerie provided for them. Faerie cared for them, as long as they deserved to be cared for. In faerie, everyone had to earn their keep and those who disrespect their world did not last long within it.

That made sense to Alec. That seemed right to Alec. A world that let its inhabitants harm it did not make sense to Alec. That is the world Alec would be going to if he left. It would be a harmed world that did not care for its people. So, why was Alec thinking about going?

“When would you leave?” Meliorn asked finally, breaking the silence around them.

The question made something in Alec’s chest hurt. His throat tightened. It was theoretical. Answering did not mean he had to go but it made it all seem so much more real anyway.

“I am supposed to leave tomorrow, if I accept,” Alec managed out finally.

Meliorn hummed but he said nothing more. Silence with Meliorn had always been comfortable but this silence felt heavy and weighted. Meliorn would not push him for an answer but the question was obvious. Are you planning on going? Are you going to leave me?

Alec wanted to answer him but the truth was that he wasn’t sure. Alec had been raised in faerie. Faerie was undoubtedly his home and leaving Meliorn behind anywhere was almost unthinkable. Alec had met Meliorn when he was still a child. He’d had such a huge crush on the Queen’s Knight. He used to sneak out to wait outside of the court for Meliorn to leave in the evening, every evening. Alec used to pretend he just happened to be there but Alec knew now it had always been obvious he’d been waiting for Meliorn.

Meliorn had always humored him. He let Alec walk with him, until they reached Alec’s home and they would inevitably have to part. Alec would try to insist he could walk with Meliorn farther but by then, it would be getting dark and Meliorn would insist Alec return home.

The next day, they’d do it all over again. That had continued until Alec was no longer a child, pining for Meliorn’s attention. Eventually, they were on equal footing and Meliorn no longer had to humor Alec with conversation and companionship. Meliorn actually grew to like talking to Alec. He grew to see Alec as a confidant and a friend. Eventually, they’d been more.

Now, Alec was on the verge of leaving all of that behind and for what? A family who had never wanted him, a culture that would never accept him and a world he would not feel comfortable in. So, again he asked himself, why was he even considering it?

“I think you should go,” Meliorn said suddenly.

Alec startled so heavily that the grass around him swayed unhappily at the disturbance. “Why would you think that?” Alec demanded, his brows pulled together in confusion. He’d expected Meliorn to suggest he stay, though Alec had thought he’d only say so when Alec pressed him for advice. This advice, entirely unprompted, was not at all what Alec was expecting from his partner.

Meliorn looked at him evenly. “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t go,” Meliorn said plainly. “You’ll always wonder. Even if you come back, I think you should go and meet them and try it.”

“They won’t like me,” Alec assured aloud.

“You don’t know that,” Meliorn responded mildly.

“I will not act like a shadowhunter like they’ll expect me to. I am not a shadowhunter.”

Meliorn’s eyes darted over to Alec’s. “Technically, you are both things, my Alexander.”

Alec’s face scrunched up unhappily but he said nothing. Meliorn was right, of course. He was half a shadowhunter. If his mother hadn’t left him here, he’d have been raised as one. He’d think of himself as one. Alec only thought he was a faerie and nothing more because he’d been put here.

In another life, he’d have runes and weapons. Alec was being given a chance to glimpse that life now.

“She doesn’t want me to come,” Alec said finally. It needed no clarification who Alec was referring to. She, his mother. Alec knew his mother had put him here so no one would ever know about him. She was ashamed and embarrassed to have birthed a halfling and as far as Alec knew, she had never told anyone about him but a Clave envoy had seen Alec on a trip into faerie.

They’d asked of his parentage and someone had informed them that Alec was half of them. Alec didn’t know who had told them but he wished the person hadn’t. If they had never found out, none of this would be happening.

Alec’s mother was reprimanded for not informing the Clave of her son. They thought they had a claim on Alec and Maryse had kept them from that. She’d robbed Alec of a nephilim childhood and the Clave saw this as a grievous offense.

They needed all the soldiers they could get and Alec knew that if he accepted their offer to come and train and decide where he wanted to be, that all he’d be is another soldier for them. Except, Alec was not one of them. His pointed ears that his mother had hated were evidence of that.

Alec had not met many shadowhunters but he heard the whispers. He knew that they did not like faeries. Alec did not imagine they’d like him and yet, Meliorn was right. Alec wouldn’t know if he didn’t go.

“You have siblings,” Meliorn responded, tactfully avoiding the topic of Alec’s mother all together. “I heard they were excited when they learned of you. You don’t want to meet them?”

“They might not be excited when they meet me,” Alec grumbled.

“Petal,” Meliron called softly.

Alec turned his head at the nickname and the tension melted out of his shoulders as Meliorn dipped forward to nuzzle his nose gently against Alec’s own. Meliorn’s eyelids fluttered and Alec felt his eyelashes tickling across Alec’s cheek.

“They would be stupid to dislike you,” Meliorn assured. He would not promise Alec they’d like him when he did not know but he would promise Alec this. “You will always be welcome home, if you don’t like it. All you have to do is go try.”

Alec’s eyes fluttered shut. Everything would be different if he left. He’d never left faerie before but he’d heard so much about the world outside of their realm. Meliorn told him that even the air smelled different there.

“There is something else I want to tell you before you go,” Meliorn said eventually.

Alec’s eyes fluttered open at once.

“I was the one who told them about you,” Meliorn continued.

Alec froze. He knew Meliorn wasn’t lying - he couldn’t and Alec wasn’t accustomed to lies regardless, having lived in a realm his whole life where almost everyone could not do it but the words still struck Alec as wrong as they came out of Meliorn’s mouth.

Meliorn knew Alec did not ever want the shadowhunters to learn of him. He knew Alec was happy to live here for the rest of his life and never have to face the other half of him that could exist with runes, swords and demons. Meliorn knew that Alec did not want them to know and yet, he’d told them anyway.

Alec’s eyes tightened. “Why would you do that?” He demanded, trying to remind himself to listen before he jumped to anger. It was hard to remember. Alec was angry. Meliorn was one of the only people Alec trusted with everything he thought and now, Meliorn had betrayed him.

“Because I think it’s important for you to go and decide that you don’t want to be part of that life. You decided that when you were young and angry but you'll always wonder about it if you don’t go and see.”

Alec fell silent. His jaw clenched tight in his mouth. Meliorn had a point and Alec knew it but he was still angry. Meliorn shouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t his choice to make.

“There is a man you’ll meet,” Meliorn continued. He spoke as if Alec was not upset with his words but Alec knew he was more than aware of it. Meliorn could read Alec like the back of his hand. He knew when Alec was upset, even if Alec so desperately tried to hide it. He wasn’t even trying to hide it now. “His name is Magnus. He is the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Go to him for help if you need it.”

“I haven’t decided that I’m going yet,” Alec managed out.

Meliorn said nothing. They both knew Alec was going to go. They both knew he had to.

“I thought warlocks didn’t like shadowhunters,” Alec said when Meliorn said nothing more.

Meliorn turned to him with a quirk in his mouth that made Alec want to smile back. Alec refrained, reminding himself that he was not happy with Meliorn right now. “You are not a shadowhunter, my Petal, but you could choose to be. Magnus is a friend. He will help you. Go speak to him when you can.”

Alec fell silent again. He wanted to stand up and turn away from Meliorn. He wanted to insist he was angry. He wanted to make it clear he was but something in Alec’s chest softened anyway. He was leaving tomorrow, wasn’t he? Meliorn was right. He had to go. He had to see for himself that he wanted no part of the life that the Clave was offering him. This was some of their last moments together. Even if Alec came back, everything would be different then.

Alec swayed into Meliorn’s shoulder, letting his head fall to rest against Meliorn’s neck. He fit in that spot perfectly. He always had. Even when he was young and he was just a boy pining for Meliorn’s attention, Meliorn’s shoulder had been a warm, safe place for him to rest. Now, he was so much bigger but Meliorn’s shoulder was always perfect for him.

“I’ll miss you so much I’m scared my heart will stop beating with the weight of it.”

Meliorn laughed softly. His arm came around Alec to gently brush through Alec’s hair, tousling the already messy braids. “Your heart will keep beating and I will come visit,” Meliorn promised. “But I too will miss you dearly.” Meliorn pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Alec’s head and Alec felt tears threaten to prick at his eyes at the feeling.

How long would it be before Alec felt Meliorn’s touch again?

“Magnus will know how to get letters to me,” Meliorn murmured softly. “Write to me and tell me of all your Shadowhunter adventures. I will tell you about the change in the seasons and it will be like you missed nothing.”

Alec nodded softly. “Okay,” Alec agreed despite not thinking it would be like he missed nothing at all. Even if Meliorn told him every detail, he’d have missed countless moments with Meliorn himself and that didn’t seem to be worth anything but Alec had to go anyway. He had to try it and when he hated it, he’d come home.

Meliorn pulled away from him suddenly.

Alec sat up, frowning immensely but Meliorn simply rose to his feet and offered Alec his hand. “Come,” Meliorn murmured. “Let us walk together before it gets dark.”

Alec knew it would be the last time he walked in faerie with Meliorn, at least for a while. Alec nodded and let Meliorn pull him up as he tried not to cry. He would not ruin this last moment here by crying. He’d cry later, alone in an Institute that would be so unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Now though, Alec refused to let the tears come.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 259: Jakku General Hospital

Previously on BnHA: We chilled with Hawks and Twice, who filled us in on the various different facets of Pliff’s plan to fuck over the world. For starters there are like a dozen new bad guys who are each heading different Pliff regiments, just in case anyone forgot that this is a literal army we’re dealing with here. Hawks also reminded us of the fact that Twice can clone basically any one of the bad guys as many times as he wants now, so that’s a nicely terrifying thought to sit and mull over. We learned that once Tomura is done powering up, the villains intend to attack all over the country simultaneously and basically destroy society as we know it. Oh and also kill all the heroes of course. But I think we already knew that. Anyway, so the one bright side in all of this is that Twice naively let it slip to Hawks where Tomura was currently undergoing his Frankenstein procedure. And so the chapter ended with basically all of the heroes in Japan launching a surprise attack in the mountains of Kyoto, while the kids waited on standby to help with the evacuations. And I know that doesn’t sound very safe, but... well... shit.

Today on BnHA: A quiet morning in the Kyoto suburb of Jakku. All is peaceful -- or so it seems. Little does the elderly CEO of Jakku General Hospital (a stand-up citizen, philanthropist, and caretaker of orphans all across the country) know that lying in wait just outside his doors is a group of wicked and immoral HEROES ready to -- okay lol you know what, I can’t. Not sure what I was really going for there anyway. So! Meanwhile in the woods outside the ol’ villain hotel, a second group of heroes led by Edgeshot and featuring several child heroes in training, including KAMINARI WHO WAS LITERALLY JUST BORN YESTERDAY AND SHOULD BE AT HOME IN HIS NURSERY WATCHING PAW PATROL AND NOT OUT HERE IN THE WOODS WHERE HE IS IN TERRIBLE DANGER, is gathered and ready to attack the League’s main forces. So things kick off with Death Arms apprehending the traitorous Slidin’ Go, while elsewhere the heroes bust into Jakku General Hospital to capture Ujiko. Show of hands, who here thinks this is going to go smoothly? ...Yep. Yeah. That’s what I thought.

okay guys, before we get started I’m gonna answer a couple of relevant asks from last week. first:

I’m almost hesitant to talk about this, because I’m paranoid that Viz and co. could pounce on these sites again at any moment, and so I feel like this sort of thing is better left to private messages and discord servers. but I guess one little mention of it won’t hurt. so the site currently doing the scanlations is readheroacademia.com, which has been around for a while. and there are several other sites which also host the new chapters and have all of the old chapters archived as well. kissmanga is a big one which I know a lot of people use, but my personal favorite is readmha.com (idk, I just feel like its layout is... cleaner? if that makes any sense)

also do keep in mind that all of these sites are pretty ad-heavy, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting without a good adblocker at the ready (I generally use Chrome on both desktop and mobile, and have uBlock Origin and Disable HTML5 Autoplay enabled on my desktop browser). that being said, I’ve never had any issues myself

good question! I was actually thinking about doing a weekly follow-up post on Sundays after the official Viz translation comes out, but obviously I did not end up doing that last week lol. so now I’m thinking it might be easier for me to just post any subsequent thoughts/remarks in the following week’s chapter recap, since I’m already committed to doing those anyway and so it makes it harder to flake out

so that said, my one follow-up thought about chapter 258 is that the fan scanlation seems to have mistranslated that whole “AFO’s resurgence” part. in Viz’s version Hawks was instead saying that the PLF’s plans would “throw the world into chaos and enthrone Shigaraki atop the rubble.” and he then referred to Tomura as the second coming of All for One. sooooo, pretty much exactly the opposite of the other translation lol. this is a big blow to my continued effort to search for evidence that AFO is gonna come back and be the final villain, but I am still not deterred. we will continue to fight on until AFO either actually dies, or does come back like I keep predicting he will! please try to work with me a little better here, AFO

one other thing, instead of “New World Movement”, Viz used the same “Vanguard Action” regiment name that was used during the forest training camp arc. Caleb said that the wording (“kaibyaku koudou”) was exactly the same. so I’ll be using that too moving forward. I guess that means that Pliff is still on the menu though, pity

anyway so let’s get started now

so it’s a house... no, holy shit, wait, it’s the house!

THE NEW TODOROKI HOUSE OH MY GOD. ahhhhh lol what the fuck is this. Todofeels coming up to slap me in the face out of nowhere?! here I thought we were gonna just dive right into the Shigaraki raid and the resulting carnage

I’m... not really sure how I feel about this? like, right now I’m not trusting anything Horikoshi does lol. “quiet beginnings” you say? this is just a sneaky new way to bring me more pain. isn’t it

(ETA: I guess “quiet beginnings” also summarizes the other activities of this chapter pretty well. also is that Natsuo’s girlfriend??! at first I thought it was Rei, but those look like quirk-related ears? so Natsu then really is living his best college life huh.)

oh hey everyone it’s a brand new character!

(ETA: wait, is he actually quirkless? or is that just another LIE. you big LIAR.)

I’m so curious what the kanji is for this latest name. can’t wait for Caleb to enlighten us. I wonder if it’s “shi” as in “death”, just like with Tomura/AFO’s name. and no idea at all what “Maruta” means. basically I just want to know if there’s some pun or something, since yet again he’s obviously using a fake alias here

(ETA: so someone informed me in an anon ask that this is a reference to Unit 731, which was a Japanese unit that undertook lethal human experimentation during WWII. basically the people who conducted the experiments referred to their human subjects as “logs” to dehumanize them. and the Japanese word for log is, you guessed it, maruta. so that’s an extremely powerful and disturbing association for this name, and it’s obvious now why Horikoshi went with it.

that said, the anon said that some people were really upset by this name choice, and while I guess I can understand that, I also think that’s kind of the point, though? like, it’s supposed to be horrifying. anyone with a human conscience and any kind of empathy whatsoever should be horrified. and atrocities like that shouldn’t be forgotten, and I actually think that for someone born and raised and living in Japan like Horikoshi to be making a reference to this is fairly ballsy. because my understanding is that, like a lot of Japan’s other war crimes, it was more or less hushed up by the government afterwards, and isn’t really taught in schools or mentioned in history textbooks other than in passing. so while I can understand people maybe finding it disrespectful, I don’t think it was meant as such. it seems to me that if anything, Horikoshi wants people to look into it and be educated about it. and again, obviously he’s associating it here with easily the most reprehensible and morally sickening character in the entire series, which is fitting I think. anyway so those are my thoughts on that.)

anyway, guess what guys? looks like we’ve got ourselves another Star Wars reference! let’s just hope this particular Jakku doesn’t wind up as wrecked as its namesake when all’s said and done. it’s gonna be a loooooong day

you guys. Maruta is such a nice guy

he’s a philanthropist! and he runs orphanages all over the country! wow! what a great person!! and nursing homes as well, where residents presumably die on the regular (of old age and other natural causes no doubt), at which point they are presumably cremated, and I wonder who runs the cremation facilities? I’m sure whoever it is is definitely on the up-and-up

and “quirk-based community healthcare.” I wonder if they’re selective about who they treat based on what their quirks are. all the better to make sure people with particularly strong and/or unique quirks get the specialized treatment they need!

anyway. see, this is more like what I expected. some super dark shit, and finally some answers to a few long-established questions as well, but not without a price. that price being the churning feeling in my gut right now lol. oh man. well I just ate, so that might have something to do with it. but I tell ya, nothing makes you vaguely queasy like trying your best not to think about a massive conspiracy to kidnap and torture innocent children in the pursuit of ultimate power! so anyways I sure do hate this!

fffff like, really hate it. I HATE IT SO MUCH

[reluctantly goes ahead and slides AFO down one notch on my list of people I need to see die the most] well there it is. we have a new champion

so now we’re cutting to a hero briefing!

y’all is that THE SHERIFF. PLEASE. IT’S BEEN SO LONG. BUDDY I MISSED YA

so Nao says he had one of his guys go undercover to investigate, and they found that this hospital’s blueprints included a giant suspicious unlabeled place that nobody knows anything the fuck about

oh my god. you guys. forget Tomura, could that also be where they’re keeping the Noumus?? omg. omg omg omg. omgggggggggggg. omg

-- AHHHHHHHHHH

IF THE NEXT PANEL ISN’T JUST A CHORUS OF EVERYONE IN THE ROOM ALL SAYING “WHAT THE FUCK” SIMULTANEOUSLY, I’M GONNA DEMAND SOME ANSWERS, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, HAVING ALREADY KNOWN ALL ABOUT POOR JOHN-KUN AND ALL THIS FUCKED UP SHIT MYSELF, I STILL AUDIBLY SWORE OUT LOUD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? I’M GONNA DO IT AGAIN TOO, BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK

come on, is Pixie Bob the only one of you here with normal human reactions or what?!

RIGHT?! YOU ALL ARE LOOKING AT A TINY MOUND OF FLESH WITH VEINY BULGING EYES JUST OGGLING BLANKLY OUT FROM ITS EXPOSED BRAINS. NOT TO MENTION IT’S GOT TWO OF WHAT VAGUELY RESEMBLE EARS, BUT WHAT I’M PRETTY SURE ARE ACTUALLY NOSES?? AND A SEVERED SPINAL CORD TAIL DANGLING OUT FROM BEHIND. ALL OF WHICH IS PLASTERED TOGETHER LIKE A LUMPY MOLD OF CLAY ATOP TWO CHILD-SIZED LEGS, which are wearing fucking sneakers, with fucking velcro and shit. fuck. fuck

lol Nao

oh yes, not difficult at all. I’m sure he’ll come along real quietly. hey, let me know how that one works out, okay

“we have the trauma of Hosu and Kamino still haunting us.” thanks for that reminder. gonna have another city to add to that list real soon aren’t we. preemptive r.i.p. Jakku

oh man you guys. can you feel this tension building up

interesting how he says “destiny.” I wonder if that’s the actual dialogue. at any rate this overconfidence is terrifying and I would really like for you all to stop jinxing shit my dudes

-- WHAT DID I JUST SAY

holy shit. please tell me this is a separate group from the Endeavor group we saw at the end of the last chapter

but that doesn’t make any sense though, because this group has Midnight and Kamui, two of their deadliest and most efficient capture specialists. not to mention Edgeshot the literal ninja who can break into anywhere. so this really should be the vanguard here based on what I’m seeing, but if that’s the case why are the eighteen-year-old Tamaki and the sixteen-year-old Toadette right there with them?? can we not, you guys. can we not

fucking shit. at least they’ve got Ms. Joke there too to back them up. if we actually get to see her quirk in action I can die happy. and so, presumably, will the villains

so the “hospital team” (is that the Endeavor team??) said they’re gonna eliminate the villains’ warping ability, which presumably means John-kun. do they even know it’s him that does it?? they don’t seem to actually know who Ujiko fucking is so I have my doubts?

on the bright side though, it seems like this Midnight team is actually going to be raiding the mansion, and won’t be involved in the hospital raid. but on the less bright side, the mansion is arguably almost as dangerous. :/ that’s where Twice is!! and probably most of the League! but at least they don’t have a dozen Noumus in the basement just waiting to be unleashed

god. people, if we don’t get moving on this action soon I am going to give myself a damn heart attack. this is way too much suspense for a chill Friday night

son of a bitch that guy behind Toadette is Honenuki, I just realized. what the fuck, U.A. ?? “hey kids! guess what! we’re going on a field trip!!” ...

-- NO!!!!!!

IT WILL NOT BE ALL RIGHT!! DON’T YOU LIE TO THEM!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!! Tamaki, fine, okay, he’s experienced, and arguably more powerful than half the people there. Toadette, she’s just a kid, but she also tried to kill Tokoyami back during the joint training arc and I’m still not sure how I feel about that so whatever! Honenuki is probably the most responsible person in this entire group so fine. Tokoyami needs to be there to have a lot of angst about Hawks

but Kaminari. Kaminari fucking Denki. no. no, sir. excuse the fuck out of me. how fucking dare you. he is a five-year-old boy in the body of a high-voltage adolescent. and he’s maybe, just maybe, more powerful than anyone else in this fucking group but that still doesn’t give you the right to put this little baby boy RIGHT ON THE FRONT FUCKING LINES!! holy shit! HIS BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!! I DON’T LIKE ANY OF THIS

OH MY GOD

RIGHT?!?!? omg omg omg omg omg

he’s literally wailing “I miss class 1-A” so loudly that it’s echoing all the way through the forest. see now that’s why you DON’T TAKE KAMINARI WITH YOU ON YOUR SECRET STEALTH ATTACK MISSION!! would somebody please point me towards whoever’s fucking idea this was so that I can go kick their fucking ass please and thank you

and here are the rest of them oh my god

Momo, Mina, Jirou, and Kiri at the forefront. okay, fine. this, I do like

so Edgeshot says they’ve surrounded the villains on all sides. man, no wonder they’re so worried about their warping capabilities. this is basically their one chance to capture all the bad guys in one fell swoop. I guess it makes more sense why all their capture specialists are in Edgeshot’s group, then

now I’m starting to wonder exactly what task lies in store for the Wonder Trio’s group, though? because they said evacuation, but is that really all there is to it? it’s no secret that Bakugou, Deku, and Todoroki are the three strongest interns they have. so you’re really expecting me to believe that they put baby Denki there on the front lines and yet plan on keeping their heaviest hitters in reserve? Nao is there more to this plan that you’re not telling us

oh shit Endeavor wants to know where his adopted chicken son is at

it genuinely does warm my heart to see Endeavor worrying about Hawks. I’m glad Hawks has at least one person out there who actually gives a shit about him. even if that person is mister father of the year here. the plot thickens

I wonder if Enji would actually die to save Hawks, if it came to that. which I’m not saying it would. but we all know some fucking shit is about to go down so I’m just having these thoughts here okay!

Nao always looks so tired nowadays. man

so he clearly does know who Endeavor’s talking about, though. one of these days I’d like to get a clearer understanding of what exactly Naomasa’s rank is and how high he is in terms of clearance, because the idea that he’s actually privy to more information than the number one fucking hero is kind of bonkers to me, ngl. this guy is literally just a detective, right?? not even a commissioner or anything. and yet he’s involved in everything. I used to suspect that he might be the traitor lol, and while I’m pretty sure by now that’s not the case, I’m still curious as to exactly what his deal is. does he even have a quirk?? anyways

so now Endeavor is hmphing and stomping off, and meanwhile there are some closeups of Mic and Aizawa

is that a whistle. do you guys think Mic could literally kill a man with his voice. shit. why do I kind of want to see it happen

as for Endeavor, I wonder if he was the one who made sure that his son and his friends weren’t on the front lines with the rest of them. sometimes it’s good to have some influence in these things

looooooool as if on cue

well. that sure doesn’t sound like he intends to keep them out of harm’s way. does he really have that much faith in them??

serious question, why exactly are all of the heroes seemingly so confident that this is going to work? it scares me because it makes me feel like in spite of Hawk’s intel they still don’t have a clue what they’re truly up against

so now we’re cutting to some random street somewhere and WOULD YOU LOOK WHO IT FUCKING IS

Slidin’ Go Suck An Egg. oh how I hate this man

look at him

I hate his stupid face!

OH SHIT

TRAFFIC CONE MAN, ARE YOU FINALLY GOING TO REDEEM YOURSELF FOR NOT RESCUING KACCHAN ON THAT DAY TWO YEARS AGO BECAUSE YOU WERE AFRAID OF A LITTLE SLUDGE? BECAUSE I’M HERE FOR IT! IF YOU WANT TO JUST GO AHEAD AND SNAP HIS NECK, I WILL TURN THE OTHER WAY AND ACT LIKE I DIDN’T SEE, I PROMISE

wow, Burnin’s team really is just evacuating people

I mean they’re obviously going to run into a Noumu, and just like that they’ll be in more danger than anyone, but at least for now it really does seem like the minds behind this raid wanted to keep them relatively out of danger. so yeah, for now I’m gonna chalk that up to Endeavor’s influence that they’re here rather than in the forest with the rest of their class

and here comes the hospital team!

well that answers my question about Nao’s rank. so he’s not even a chief. that really is fucking ridiculous but whatever

and why do I feel like this poor undercover subordinate is mere seconds away from becoming the first casualty in what I think is about to become the most violently snafued situation we’ve seen in this manga to date. like this shit is going to make Kamino look like the fucking state fair. fuck

...

I really wish I could believe that he was about to go down and it really was going to be just that easy

HERE WE GO!!

(ETA: so then they do know that he’s the guy who made the Noumu? including the one that nearly took him out in Kyushu? and they’re still acting like this is going to be a walk in the park? ?? what??)

knock knock, who’s there, JUSTICE

YESSSSSSS

(ETA: sure hope Endeavor’s light here doesn’t go summoning any darkness. welp.)

YOU’RE UNDER ARREST FOR CRIMES OF BEING TOO HORRIBLE TO EVEN FUCKING CONTEMPLATE, LET ALONE JOKE ABOUT! YOU SON OF A BITCH, GET FUCKED

oh my god. we’re really just gonna end it like that. well I guess next chapter we can all play a fun game of “let’s all count the pages until everything goes horribly wrong.” won’t that be a laugh. 10 to 1 the Noumu really are in the secret room and they’re all gonna be set loose by next week’s cliffhanger. remind me to have “Into the Trap” by John Williams cued up and ready to go lol

[jasperwhitcock]

04. Accidents

yes, the rumors are true. literally there are no rumors nobody is talking about this a month and a half later, i have finally updated my bella as a vampire and edward as a human fanfic inspired by an au that @bellasredchevy​ posted. you can read the new chapter on AO3 or here. i post updates on AO3 or on tumblr using the #equinoxjw tag.

me to kae like two months ago when i started writing this fanfic: i don't want the plot to follow exactly along with smeyer also me: *copy and pastes midnight sun*

i promise i'll deviate eventually hehe leave me alone <3

It may have been an overabundance of caution, but I decided to hunt again that night once my family had coupled off into their perfectly matched pairs, leaving me to be the odd one out again. I had no desire to be an audience to whatever acts occurred when their bedroom doors locked.

Prior to this, I spent some time in Carlisle’s study along with Jasper. We worked in silence for the majority of our few hours together; Jasper quietly organized some of our recent identity paperwork, making preparations for the next set of documents we would require in a few years, Carlisle read through a very thick medical textbook for research, and though it was months too early, I was distracting myself by preparing to file our family’s taxes for the last year.

Our finances had been in something of disarray since Christmas anyways. Of course, the mind-boggling accumulation of wealth our coven possessed never necessitated a budget, but we still ensured to balance the checkbook to keep account of our transactions. The holidays were always an ostentatious occasion in our household. We tried to make the most out of days deemed special as means to have something to look forward to in the years that began to blend together as our endless amount of time passed.

Other than Carlisle and Esme’s gifts, it was typically a tie between Alice and Emmett concerning who spent the most on presents. Whereas Alice was flamboyant in her gifting – there was hardly a holiday season where hundreds of designer label bags didn’t appear beneath the Christmas tree – Emmett was mischievous. Although he always included something we’d actually enjoy, he managed to come up with something entirely nonorthodox year after year. There was a year where for Hanukkah, he had presented me with a deed to a piece of land each day, and by the eighth day, I was the owner of a very small country.

Carlisle and Esme made sizable donations in our names every year to charities of our choice. It may have been too on the nose of me, but I always opted for something that’d impact children’s reading education. There were many small libraries across the world named after both my immortal and mortal parents.

Just as my jaw nearly dropped upon discovering the amount Emmett had spent this past year on Christmas alone, I had been interrupted by my brother.

“Bella,” Jasper hesitantly spoke to capture my attention.

The look in Carlisle’s eyes as they flickered up from his book briefly and back to the page he’d been reading instantly made me feel suspicious. I knew Jazz would immediately detect as much.

“Yes?” I’d answered, reserved.

“We are always ready to move on at a moment’s notice, of course,” he’d begun, his tone cautious as he sampled the emotional climate. “However, I thought it might be best if we addressed how you���re feeling. Rather, we wanted to know more about your feelings and thoughts on the current situation.”

“Uh, you best of anybody understand how I’m feeling. What else is there for me to say? What are you getting at, Jazz?” I’d demanded, my focus no longer on the paperwork before me.

“I just thought that while we make preparations for additional documents for the future, we should ask if you’ve given any thought to leaving early...as in leaving now.”

“You want me to leave!?” I had almost shrieked, my voice rising a few octaves. Just as the shock had run through me, it’d been instantly sedated by my brother.

“Of course not, Bella,” Carlisle assured, closing the textbook atop his ancient mahogany desk. “It was only a question. We’d be horribly unhappy – Esme, especially – to not have you with us. And if you wanted us to move along with you, we would do so.”

“It was merely something for you to consider. A precaution. We wondered if perhaps providing you with the option might be beneficial bearing in mind how stubborn you are,” Jasper expressed, his words careful and his eyes vigilant.

I had been shocked at what I was hearing. My eyes narrowed.

“Me, stubborn? My tenacity is no match for Rosalie.” My adopted father had laughed in the middle of my response. “Really, I don’t understand where this is coming from.”

“Bella, we don’t wish for you to leave us,” Carlisle had guaranteed me again. “Nor do we wish to move on from Forks so soon. Naturally, neither must happen. It is entirely your decision, and we would all support you. Needless to say, but I have complete faith in you. However, I don’t want for you to feel as though you cannot leave if this is too difficult. There is nothing to prove to any of us, nothing worth proving. Nothing worth endangering the boy. The boy will be gone in a year or two. So if it is the better option, I wanted to offer the idea for your consideration.”

Jasper’s eyes had scrutinized my expression as he read the emotions, searching for some facial indication to explain what I’d felt. I couldn’t provide an explanation even if I’d tried. The idea of leaving emptied me, making me feel worn and hollow.

“It was just a suggestion, Bella,” Jasper had repeated upon experiencing my inexplicable hurt secondhand, offering a tiny smile to soothe me.

I’d absolutely miss my family. But that didn’t seem reason sufficient enough to match the level of anxiety and sadness that accompanied the idea of leaving Forks.

The boy would be gone in a year or two.

Carlisle’s words were just along the line of thoughts I’d had a week ago here in this forest.

I again felt bewildering sorrow for the life the boy would live without me. Rather, the life the boy would live that I could never live.

As I emptied another deer of its life source, I wondered about the question Carlisle had asked when I insisted upon staying.

“What holds you here?”

How could I explain to them what I couldn’t explain to myself?

Carlisle and Jasper had been right to suggest I leave. What was another two years in this small town to me in this endless life? It was merely a blink of the eye, and yet the fact made me feel deeper in desperation to remain here. So little time left to unravel the mystery of the weird bronze-haired boy’s pervasive insight...

But the mystery was not of the same value as the boy’s life. That was true. Edward, no matter how smug and obnoxious, deserved the right to continue on without my presence beside him as a looming threat. I could never forgive myself if in my pride, my stubbornness, I hurt him.

There couldn’t be that much behind him anyways. I’d figure him out in less than a week and resume my previous boredom.

Or at least I would have, had he not been the one human whose blood was temptation enough to consider leaving Forks.

It was the right decision to make, and yet, there was that incomprehensible woe inside me again.

I’d have to say goodbye today. Not only to my family but to the boy too.

I didn’t have to leave Forks, but staying at home for two years avoiding Edward seemed like a depressing waste of time. I could travel or spend some time in Denali.

It was melancholic to look at the forestry surrounding me, knowing now I’d be leaving it behind. By the time the boy graduated, it might be time for our family to move on.

I would miss Forks and its shrouding cover of clouds.

As a human, I’d hated the rain and snow, the gloom and the grey.

As a vampire, the rainfall was freedom–a promise of a day not spent blanketed in darkness. The snow was a beautiful romanticization of that freedom. Once the threats of snow had been removed thanks to the lithe grace that corrected my above average human clumsiness, I could now appreciate the beauty of the water droplets crystallizing in the air, seeing every unique shape of the flakes as they fluttered softly down in an effortless dance.

Today, the snow was stiffened after having refrozen. The scenery was enveloped in ice, the trees and grass and rocks sparkling with glossy glass.

Yes, I would truly miss it.

How many times had I sat on this stone in the past week, so pensive and desolate, as I stared out at the icy river? Last time, I cared little to watch the hidden sunrise beside Esme because of how indifferent I’d become. Now, though I could recall the image perfectly, I regretted not cherishing the moment.

At least my family would no longer have to be an audience to my ineffectual stoicism. That was something of a positive.

A nimble whisper of tiny feet against the glazed over blades of grass made my head flick upwards in time to see Alice appear beside me as if she’d been sitting there all along. Tucked in her hands, she carried two neatly folded stacks of dark fabric.

“One last day?” She asked, attempting to smile for me, though her dark eyes and bleak tone betrayed her.

“Of course you’d see the second I decided. I didn’t even think about that,” I laughed once without real amusement.

“Yeah, you’re very off recently,” Alice gently nudged me, her smiling taking on more authenticity. “Your future’s all blurry and vague. I can’t make much sense of it. I can’t even see where you’re going.”

“I don’t know where I’m going yet,” I shrugged, growing more glum by the second.

“You know Jazz and I will come with you if you want,” she offered, freeing one of her hands to grab mine, gently squeezing my palm.

“Jazz is the one who suggested I go.”

Alice snarled, a hiss escaping her teeth. “I heard.”

“He was right. And I know you’d come, I know all of you would. But I don’t want to uproot everybody, and it’s not that long anyways.”

Her pixie face contemplated for a fraction of a second, looking as if she wanted to argue, but she then sighed, giving in. Her lips twisted into a pout.

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” I carefully fixed an unconvincing smile onto my face.

My sister rolled her eyes before pulling me into a hug.

“Get dressed. You can tell the others when you’re ready.”

Alice stood up, kissed the top of my head, and darted off to the house.

I tugged the clothes on my body without thinking much about what they looked like, crumpling the old clothes I’d worn into a ball.

On the way to school, we sat in silence. Though Jasper could sense the sadness emanating from Alice and I, she made good on allowing me to be the one to tell them. I could always trust Alice.

Once we’d arrived at school, my eyes searched for the growing familiarity of a pair of sage eyes. The last time we’d been in this parking lot, I’d begun to feel my spirit lifting again. It seemed funny that it was once again crashing down like the first day we had crossed paths.

Today would be the last time I’d see him.

I didn’t know how to feel about the fact. It seemed maybe sorrow was the emotion that’d define my entire morning.

The others left for their classes, but Alice remained by my side as I waited, our backs leaned against Rosalie’s day car.

I tried to avoid Alice’s doll-like eyes as she gave me somber, pleading glances, instead listening for the quiet hum of Edward’s car as it approached the Forks High School parking lot.

It was easy to detect. The majority of students at the school drove older, used cars passed down from parents and grandparents with noisier engines.

I braced for his arrival as the wheels turned onto the slick, icy pavement. I finally gave in to peeking at my sister’s face, but she no longer looked at me with devastation. Instead, her eyes glazed over in search of the future.

I wondered if she was watching my indecisiveness as I grappled with what to say. I knew this attachment to saying goodbye to the boy was bizarre. I didn’t owe him an explanation, but something in me wanted closure with the person who was the reason for my leaving Forks.

I comforted myself by thinking that of course in this neverending span of time I lived, any minute connection was of interest to me – just something to find absorption in. This odd relationship of unwilling predator and over-perceptive prey was just another intrusive thought to occupy my time.

His shiny black car rolled into view as he expertly parked a few spots diagonal from Rosalie’s car, cutting the engine swiftly. He seemed to be a confident driver. How old was he? Seventeen? Eighteen? He couldn’t have been driving for more than three to five years, but I was relieved he seemed far more trustworthy behind the wheel than some of the other students’ reckless driving. It was no wonder we’d had so many assemblies preaching responsible, defensive driving with the way these teenagers ineptly sped around the town. My human father had often complained about the kids’ injudicious carelessness around here.

I was somewhat pleased because with all of my effort to keep this boy alive so far, it’d be a true shame for his own thoughtlessness to lead to an untimely death.

He stepped out of the driver seat, combing a hand through his bronze hair that was striking today in contrast to the cloudy, grey sky and the thick, black fitted sweater he was wearing.

“Hey, Edward!” Sara, the sandy-haired girl from biology who had taken a surprising dislike to me, called from a group of girls for his attention.

He looked in the direction of her voice, offering a wave which resulted in giggles.

I scoffed, once again seeing humor in the absurdity of the effect he had on the student body. Did they not find any annoyance in the grating edge of self-importance that coated his boyish charm? Humans were so unperceptive. Well, I could grudgingly think of one exception.

As I watched him, peripherally I could see the confusion knitting Alice’s thin eyebrows together at my smirk in response to the exchange. The ridiculousness made me grin wider. It seemed a safe bet to say I’d lost my mind, just as my siblings probably suspected behind my back. Well, they wouldn’t have to witness my deepening insanity any longer.

Rather than give in to the sadness that ebbed at the edges of my thoughts, watching the boy this one last time was a rush of dopamine, so I allowed myself this one moment of fun.

It seemed somehow we both could sense when one was watching the other, because as I let out a laugh amongst my own inner turmoil and chaos, the boy looked over, his pretty green eyes meeting mine.

They were alight, brilliant, and amused, asking to understand the joke. His strong face of angular features that garnered the fan club of silly little girls seemed pleased to find my attention on him, to no surprise of mine. Of course his ego would be stroked. I laughed again, a twinkling sound that distracted a part of my mind as the supernatural lure of the noise reminded me once again of the differences between us. He was human, and I was something completely other than that.

He leaned down to open the door to the backseat and reach into the car, pulling out the same leather-bound journal I’d seen him carry before, his eyes never breaking our gaze. Edward raised an eyebrow, smug as ever, his expression a clear invitation for me to approach him.

Just as my unfeasibly fast brain began to consider the words I’d say and the pain that’d come with saying them and the proximity to the boy, three things happened instantaneously.

First, I’d nearly forgotten about my sister before Alice’s tiny hand gripped onto my arm violently, her grasp unbreakably steel.

“Bella!” She hissed, the words a cry of warning as horrified air whooshed out of her lips in a gasp.

Second, I’d grown frigid as the implication of what she might have seen hit me until the shrill squealing of a van rounding the corner onto the parking lot at a negligent speed sent another shock through me. The angle the van’s tires hit the ice at was sending the large vehicle skidding, spinning in an unstoppable trajectory that would result in the destruction of the sleek, black car, the very car Edward still leaned into as his eyes finally left my face to discover the source of the noise.

It was only seconds before the van would crush him – crush and mangle his body to death.

Third, bent over as he was still straightening up from his reach into the backseat, his bewildered sage eyes flickered between the large van inevitably barreling towards him and my terror-filled face.

It was unacceptable. Idiotic. Careless. Moronic. Irresponsible and deeply selfish. But without another thought, I threw myself across the parking lot between the van and the boy.

Lifting Edward like a ragdoll, cradling his lanky legs to his chest, I launched us through the open door of the backseat just as the van made impact with his car, slamming the door shut into my back, the metal pressing and molding into the shape of my body with a groan as the motion sent us forward to crash into the car parked two spaces beside Edward’s, the glass of the window fracturing into thousands of glistening shards that I desperately shrouded him from.

“Holy! Fucking! Shit!” I cried out as I kicked open the door on the opposite side, sending it flying off its hinges into the car we were about to collide with beside us, throwing us flying out through the opening before we could be sandwiched in the wreckage, all the while begging to god or any deity that the glass of the imploding windows hadn’t reached any part of Edward’s skin to expose the blood beneath. Now was not the time to test my self control any further.

I’d crashed us into the pavement, carefully holding Edward beneath me. The warmth of his entire body pressed into mine made me painfully aware of how it burned my skin. One of my hands supported his head while the other held all of my weight off of him, and I was terrified of his fragility. Would my actions alone be what killed him? To my consolation, amongst the cacophony, I could hear the thunderous beat of his heart. Once I’d yanked him through the car, his legs had flown out wildly, stretching out again.

The van alongwith Edward’s car continued to bend and shriek as they warped into new grotesque shapes, smashing into the other car parked a space away from Edward, the friction finally slowing the accident to a stop.

The rest of the glass splintered off in a grating, violent shatter. My hand fluttered to block the stray pieces threatening to hit the boy beneath me, sending the fragments ricocheting back into the frame of the vehicles, denting the metal further like microscopic bullets.

Only seconds had passed, and I’d moved too fast for anyone to have detected any of my movements, but as I finally looked down severely into the eyes of the boy below me, as part of my brain registered immediate relief that he seemed to be unharmed by both myself and the wreckage, the other part of my brain registered the wide, astounded viridescent bewilderment of someone who’d seen everything.

I’d cursed again through my teeth, horrified with my actions, as the students witnessing the accident began to scream in panic. My forehead puckered as my eyebrows shoved together in torment.

What had I done? The risk I’d compromised my family with now was nothing in comparison to the exposure that’d have threatened us had I just murdered Edward Masen the very first day I’d seen him. The risk I’d placed Edward in as he stared wildly at my face beneath me was realer than it had ever been as his breath, warm and sweet, enticed me even without my inhaling his scent. The risk I’d placed myself in had never been greater as, though he looked unmaimed, my actions could have potentially damaged him far more than the van would have, which would only result in decades of deep self loathing for the harm I’d have inflicted.

The panicking footsteps clumsily sliding along the ice towards us meant we only had seconds before the other students discovered me here. Had they witnessed my materialization and supernatural maneuvers as well as Edward may have?

Somehow, it didn’t feel as important as my desperation that the boy beneath me was truly okay.

I knew my face betrayed my agony, so with great effort, I softened my features, though the pucker between my eyebrows remained.

Fiercely, I peered into the intense shock of his pretty face only inches from mine surrounded by a canopy of my long, dark hair.

“Edward,” I asked critically, my voice almost pleading. “Are you alright?”

“Never better,” he responded, though he blinked rapidly, disoriented from the trauma of the past minute.

The solace in hearing the sound of his voice was almost dizzying, and a manic, hysteric giggle escaped from my lips as I basked in the intoxifying relief at his sarcasm. Reluctantly, I sucked in air through my teeth. The scent of his blood was just as dizzying, if not more so, on my tongue, but I embraced the burning pain almost blithely. The blood wasn’t fresh, so it seemed I’d managed to protect him successfully, but whether or not it had been as thorough as I hoped, I’d need Carlisle to examine him internally for damage.

“Okay,” I breathed out. “I’m going to move away from you now. Stay still, and be very careful.”

Gently with as much care as I could, I laid his head down along the concrete, and lifted my body from shielding him. I scooted away, distancing myself from him, the glass clinking against the other pieces on the ground beneath me as I moved to lean against the misshapen trunk of his car.

“How-?” Edward began to prop himself up on his elbow.

“Edward,” I cautioned him sharply, cutting off the question that sobered my internal celebration at his well being.

Slowly – in effort to re-immerse myself into something more believably human – I crawled back over to where he laid, and softly pushed his upper body back onto the frozen ground.

“I said stay still,” I snapped, assertively but delicately grabbing his face to force his head to rest against the pavement. My fingertips were alight at the touch as if they’d been set on fire. I moved again, this time positioning myself to sit on the heels of my feet with my hands resting on my knees behind his body in case he made any effort to disobey again.

“How’d you get here so fast?” His chin tilted upwards to look at my face, his upside down expression revealing intense green eyes that bore into mine, searching intently for answers.

Something about our positioning reminded me of Mary Jane Watson and Spiderman. Except Spiderman never saved Mary Jane in favor of preserving her from a worse death – a death he’d have inflicted on her himself – had her blood been exposed. We were far more akin to Spiderman and Gwen Stacy – but without the romance – because it seemed I’d never stop shouldering more responsibility to keep him alive. If he were to die, it’d be my fault.

“I was right beside you, Edward,” I lied as a scowl pulled the corners of my lips down, severely examining his expression. I began to feel the anxiety of the risk I’d posed to my family.

“Don’t lie to me.” His face grew just as bitter and severe, his eyes accusatory. He began to move again as if he wanted to sit up, but I tugged him carefully back down.

“Can’t you listen?” I almost begged, the words holding multiple meanings.

The scene of the accident became surrounded as panicked students and faculty began to crowd where we were behind the barricade of the three cars. The bedlam was soundtracked by a torrent of shouting.

Although I could hear every exclamation of concern, every question, every instruction as we waited for the ambulance to arrive, I paid little attention to the canopy of humans, instead studying the strange metallic hues of his thick, tousled dark hair, the surprisingly smooth milkiness of his skin, the magnetism of his light green eyes, speckled with flecks of dark green the shade of the forests and brown the color of honey. This was the closest I’d ever been to him, and here I was, not falling into any monstrous temptations. It was a bizarrely beautiful sight – the upside down boy, the sparkling glass, the pretty eyes. I responded when urgent questions were asked of me but didn’t glance away.

Only when the ambulance finally arrived a few minutes later did I look elsewhere as the boy disappeared from the ground, being lifted onto a gurney along with another student, the careless van driver. It was Melanie Dean, a very striking girl with curly hair and luminous dark skin. My frozen heart felt as though it sunk upon realizing it was her. She seemed to be in much worse shape with gashes across her body bleeding profusely. Her mother was very kind to Esme, and she was a very responsible and kind student. She couldn’t have been careless; it must have truly been an accident. I mentally forgave her and let go of the resentment I’d already built for whoever had placed this annoying boy in harm’s way.

After reassuring the EMTs I was perfectly fine, I climbed into the passenger seat of the ambulance, chatting with the driver, a friend of Carlisle’s. I didn’t look back at Edward, procrastinating facing the accusations in his eyes and trusting the medics to do their jobs.

I ignored the fierce stares of my reconvened family members as we drove out of the parking lot. Their anger wouldn’t be enough to keep them from destroying any evidence I’d left behind.

It was a great deal of luck to find Carlisle alone in his office. Hearing my approach from down the hall, his golden eyes were full of perplexity as I entered the room, becoming aghast upon seeing the gravity of my expression.

I could almost see the thoughts flash across his face as he assumed the worst, but he was polite and patient enough to allow me to speak.

“Carlisle, I’ve done something terrible,” I confessed. “Edward – or, the boy – is fine, or at least, I hope so. I didn’t do anything to him per se.” I might as well have been monosyllabic with how effective I was communicating the situation. I continued in a rush. “There was an accident. A student’s van nearly crushed him,” I decided to correct myself, “would have crushed him had I not intervened. It was entirely reckless and irresponsible. Carlisle, I am so, so sorry. I-” I faltered, my voice catching in my throat in a strange way, the sound becoming thicker as I realized this was exactly the kind of mistake they had encouraged me to leave to avoid making. “I’m so sorry. I put you, Esme, the entire family in danger. It’s all my fault. I should have left as soon as you and Jasper said so, I shouldn’t have-”

Immediately, my adopted father materialized by my side, pulling me into a strong hug, shushing me. How many consoling stone hugs would I be enveloped in these days?

“Sweet Bella,” he began, smoothing the top of my head. “You are not the first – and I’m certain you won’t be the last–” Carlisle chuckled before continuing, “–of our family to be less than perfect. You have had grace for us countless times, and we will have grace for you.”

It was typical of Carlisle to include himself in the plural even though it seemed he had never made a mistake in his mortal or immortal life.

He pulled away from the embrace but only to hold me at arm’s length and examine my face. I looked up into his comforting eyes more than a head above me, so full of compassion and understanding that I felt unworthy of. Something about the unrelenting and unconditional love in his perfect face made me think of my human father. “Now, explain again what happened.”

I recalled every action in meticulous detail. Every shriek of the tire, every movement of my sin, every expression on Edward’s face as he watched me. As Carlisle listened, he left my side to straighten up his desk, closing the thick textbook atop it, and folded up the prescriptionless reading glasses he sometimes wore at work to hang on his collar.

“You did the right thing. And it couldn’t have been easy for you. I’m proud of you, Bella. Perhaps only the boy saw, and with all of the shock and trauma of the moment, he might be considered the least reliable witness.”

“He knows we’re...different. He knows something is wrong with me,” I whispered like a scared child.

“If we have to leave, we’ll leave.”

I frowned.

“Has he said anything?”

“Not yet, but he asked that I didn’t lie to him. Well, demanded really. Which is a very privileged stance to take when someone’s just saved your life.” The frown on my face deepened as I recalled how maddening Edward could be in the little time I interacted with him.

Carlisle brightened at my words, a small smile pulling at his lips. I wondered what he found funny.

“Anyways, I’ll come up with an explanation. I’m sure I could be persuasive enough to discredit his account of the events.” There was an edge of doubt to my voice.

“Perhaps it won’t be necessary. Shall I check on our patient?”

“Please!” I said. “I’m worried that maybe I ended up hurting him instead!”

Carlisle’s fair eyebrows raised, and then he shook his head, laughing aloud. “With Alice a part of our family, we rarely have such a strange day that comes as a shock to us, don’t we?”

Strange, indeed. This morning we discussed how it may be more beneficial for me to leave to protect the boy, and yet, had I been gone during the accident, my absence would have accomplished the opposite.

I found myself unexpectedly laughing too as Carlisle left the room.

I impatiently waited alone in his office, distracting myself by listening to the passing voices throughout the hallways of the small Forks hospital. The anticipation was too much as I listened to the van driver’s diagnosis of injuries. I felt bad for her mom but was relieved there seemed to be no permanent damage.

Edward patiently awaited his turn for x-rays, and I was anxious to hear Carlisle’s voice. He seemed to be allowing the physician’s assistants to do the bulk of the assessment. It was probably better this way. Carlisle’s face would instantly trigger the memory of me snatching him and all but flying through the backseat of the car. Who knows what might break Edward’s silence.

Melanie and Edward chatted back and forth. He consistently brushed off the staggering guilt that led her to apologize profusely, instead charmingly turning the conversation onto other subjects as if they weren’t sitting in a hospital post accident. He seemed to always know the perfect thing to say, soothing the tension of the circumstance and distracting her from the discomfort of the PA’s inspection. Edward asked about her now deceased van, her home life, her aspirations once completing high school, making guesses as to the reasons behind her answers. Melanie was shocked at how spot on some of his assessments were. It seemed he truly was a good reader. Only when she chuckled at some of his words did she remember where they were as the laughter pained her bruised and maybe broken body.

I froze with stress as Melanie finally asked how he had gotten out of the way.

Without hesitation, Edward smoothly replied, “Oh, Bella pulled me out of the way.”

This was true, but it didn’t pose a significant risk to me.

“Bella Cullen,” he spoke again as Melanie hesitated. She must have looked confused.

Edward had spoken my name before, but something about hearing it again this time overcame me with inexplicable excitement.

“Bella was right next to me in the car.”

“In the backseat?”

“Yes.”

“What was she doing in the backseat?”

“That’s not really any of your business,” Edward laughed. He said it perfectly in a way that made it clear he wouldn’t reveal more but wasn’t rude, making Melanie laugh as well. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the implications of what he said.

“Bella Cullen… That’s weird. I didn’t even see her. It was all so fast, I guess. Did she make it out okay?”

“I think she’s perfectly fine. She’s around here somewhere, but she seems to have the right connections at this place. No stretcher required and a first class ticket to sit passenger side in the ambulance.”

I smiled to myself.

Absentmindedly, I wandered around, feeling frustrated at the distance the circumstances forced between Edward and I. I wanted to see his face for myself, know that he was okay, and figure out what needed to be said.

Near the radiology room, I snuck a peek at the X-rays they just imaged of Edward when the nurse was looking elsewhere. His scent lingered in the hallway, though muddled by the movement of passing visitors and orderlies. It tickled my throat, but the temptation didn’t consume me. I could tell he’d already been moved back to the emergency room.

Carlisle caught me, giving me a meaningful glance as he pinned the images to the light board.

“He’s absolutely fine, Bella. No harm whatsoever. Well done,” my adopted father whispered so quietly that only I could hear.

The praise evoked a complicated reaction in me. I was very pleased but remained silent for a moment.

“I think I’ll go talk to him before he sees you. Act as though nothing happened,” I whispered back. He nodded approvingly. “Act as though I didn’t kick the door off a car,” I added sarcastically.

Carlisle chuckled quietly to himself.

Arriving at the ER, I hesitated. This would be the last time I’d ever see Edward Masen. A slight ache in my chest kept me from beginning this last of moments with him. I guess I could toy with the possibilities for the explanation as to why later once I’d left Forks.

I inhaled deeply, moving into view.

Edward’s thick eyebrows raised once he saw my face, his eyes accusatory again, but he relaxed his expression immediately before Melanie could see. “Ah, our fellow survivor’s finally decided to join us.”

Melanie’s dark eyes snapped over to look at me. She blinked rapidly, distracted by either a disorientation from her wounds or the proximity I stood to her. I was rarely this close to humans I didn’t share classes with. I probably looked even more unnatural, more inhuman under the fluorescence of the hospital lights.

“Oh, hey, Bella.” She said once recovered. “I’m so sorry-”

“No blood, no foul,” I interrupted her apology, shrugging. I smiled widely.

Glancing over her wounds, I found myself relaxed by the lack of desire. I’d forgotten what it felt like to be so strong and unaffected. The fleshy areas of her skin and fresh blood soaking through some of the bandage wraps around her arms hardly distracted any part of me.

It was nothing in comparison to Edward’s unexposed blood.

I strolled over to seat myself on the end of Melanie’s mattress.

“So, fellow survivor,” I mimicked the name he used, “give it to me straight. What’s the verdict?”

“As I said before, never better.” He answered. Edward’s green eyes were narrowed slightly in suspicion, though I doubted Melanie would detect as such. His eyes held allegations. They seemed to say I don’t trust you.

As he shouldn’t. “They won’t let me leave though. Is there a reason you’re not strapped to a gurney? I didn’t know nepotism could extend to medical treatment.”

“It’s all about who you know,” I smiled again at his irritation. Carlisle’s tread was nearring us down the hallway. “But lucky for you, I came to spring you.”

As Carlisle entered the room, I glanced down at my hands, unwilling to watch Edward’s reaction to my father’s face. I knew he’d notice the resemblance immediately. I winced when a quiet gasp escaped from Melanie’s mouth as she dropped it open in surprise.

“So, Mr. Masen, your X-rays look good. How are you feeling?” Carlisle clipped the X-rays to the light board on the wall opposite the bed.

“I feel perfectly fine,” Edward replied smoothly.

“Does your head feel alright? I heard you hit the ground pretty hard,” Carlisle crossed over to Edward’s hospital bed. He reached forward to gently run his fingers through Edward’s bronze hair, searching for any bumps from the impact.

I froze again watching this, stunned by the nearness. A bizarre surge of something like envy crashed over me as I wished I could have the control to so tenderly touch him, no fear of inflicting pain or harm… No longing for his blood the way I longed for it now.

“I can assure you, I really am okay, Dr. Cullen.” Edward laughed.

“Well, in that case, you’re free to go. Although, I’m afraid your car wasn’t so lucky with its fate. We spoke on the phone to your father, but he-”

“Had a meeting in Seattle today, I know,” the boy finished for him.

“He’s on his way back to Forks as we speak, however if you don’t want to wait three hours, I’m sure Bella wouldn’t mind taking you home.”

I was unprepared for Carlisle’s words. My eyes immediately flashed to his, searching for an answer as to his madness. Was now truly the optimal time to push the boy’s luck? My father’s honey eyes were partly apologetic but full of faith. Clearly he trusted me too much – trusting me to ensure the safety in our secrets and the safety of the boy’s life. He reached for a clipboard of medical paperwork, looking away.

Edward barely had time to glance in surprise at me by the time our exchange had occurred. Again, he raised his eyebrows, the green irises beneath full of questions.

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, Carlisle. However, I don’t have the car with me,” I began with false politeness, knowing I was being extremely rude to question his judgment but questioning it nonetheless.

“You can take mine.” He didn’t look up as he flipped through the paperwork.

“Perfect,” I replied before standing from Melanie’s hospital bed and walking towards the exit of the room. “I’ll be right back, Edward.”

“Mr. Masen, if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all, come back. Bella will stay with you until your father comes home or she’ll leave a phone number for you to call if you require assistance,” Carlisle instructed as I walked down the hallway in pursuit of his office.

“Thank you,” Edward replied politely.

“It seems you were extremely lucky.”

I entered Carlisle’s office, crossing to collect the key from his belongings.

“Lucky that your sister in law happened to be beside me,” he agreed, a stern edge to his tone. I grasped the car key so tightly I nearly molded it into a new shape.

“Ah, well, yes,” Carlisle replied. I’m sure he detected the same note in his voice that I had. I listened to the near-silence of his feet and the turning of papers. “Unfortunately, Ms. Dean, it seems you weren’t quite as lucky. You’ll have to stay with us a little while longer.”

As I heard the shuffling of Edward sliding off the hospital bed, I rounded the corner of the hallway to the ER.

“Handle it whichever way you think is best,” my father mumbled silently beneath his breath upon hearing my approach.

I leaned against the wall outside the doorway, listening to the beating of Edward’s heart sending the blood circulating throughout his entire body. With every step of his feet against the tile, I wondered how I was going to do this. Sit so close beside him. Lie to him. Say goodbye.

Every thought pained me.

Edward exited the emergency room and was startled to see me already leaning there.

I smiled mournfully as I listened to the pounding of his heart in reaction.

“You scared me.”

“You ready?” I asked, holding up the key for him to see.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked down the hallway, silently gasping in the waves of air as other people passed by. He followed behind me through the automatic doors.

“Would you like to wait here as I bring the car around?” I turned to look at him.

“Please, Bella. I’m not that fragile. I’ll walk.” His jaw tightened. He looked down at me, the same indignant expression from earlier on his face. Don’t lie to me, he had said…

“Okay.” I frowned, storming off in the direction of Carlisle’s black mercedes.

Once no longer beneath the overhead of the hospital, the dreary grey gloom of the sky released the frosty droplets of an oncoming rain.

I groaned internally. The rain made everything smell so much more saturated, and Edward Cullen didn’t need the extra help. The universe seemed determined to rid him from the planet today.

I unlocked the car, sliding into the driver’s seat and revving the engine to life. Although unaffected by the weather, the air was glacial, so I reached to blast the heat throughout the vehicle for his sake.

Edward caught up to the car then, opening the passenger door and dipping down to settle into his seat.

I turned to face the outside world one last time, taking a deep breath of the wintry air before closing my door.

It was worse than I imagined. The tension. The longing.

Here, in the intimacy of the interior, the heat from Edward’s body was deliciously sweltering. I was almost dizzy as the venom began to pool. I swallowed hard.

Slightly less tortuous, I could sense the resentment in the air.

I slammed my foot on the gas, reversed the mercedes out of the parking spot, and sped to the highway as if I could avoid all confrontation by racing to his home.

“Address?” I asked through gritted teeth.

He answered quietly, and I nodded, redirecting myself in that direction.

I refused to look over at him as I swerved through any traffic. There wasn’t much at this time. Hardly any witnesses…

I accelerated.

Even without breathing through my nose, I could still taste him on my tongue just as I did in biology class. Just as I did in the parking lot. But now, there were hardly any witnesses...

My foot slammed down on the gas again.

This was exceptionally more dangerous for multiple reasons. There was no hope for fresh air from a hastily closed textbook or a passing student unless I inexplicably opened a window in the very end of a chilling winter. There was no menagerie of other human scents to dilute the potency. There was no means of exiting the situation without leaving him in a car with no driver barreling down a highway. It was an inescapable inferno.

“Bella,” Edward finally spoke. His voice was softer than I anticipated. Less accusatory. I wished I could read his thoughts to understand what led to the resolvement in his tone.

I kept my eyes on the road ahead of us.

“Bella,” he began again. “I understand that for whatever reason, you don’t want to provide an explanation as to what happened today.”

He paused, waiting for me to respond in any way. I felt his eyes scrutinize my face. I kept my features fixed into an impassive mask.

“But I’m not as gullible as you think I am. Or hope that I am. I know what I saw.”

“And what do you think you saw?” I demanded, still watching the giant firs streak past.

“Bella,” he groaned. I couldn’t help but notice he’d said my name so many times today. This time, his voice was as accusatory as his eyes had been. “Don’t patronize me. You were next to your cousin-sister by your car. I saw you. And you were laughing at something as you watched me. Then, when Melanie’s van began to skid toward me, suddenly, impossibly you were beside me, pulling me through the backseat of my car. And even more impossibly, as we were about to crash into the other car, you somehow kicked the door of its hinges and got us out, pinning me to the concrete as the collision crushed my car like a soda can. It would have crushed me, killed me even, had you not been there. So don’t act as though you were beside me the entire time, and I’m just too stupid to remember clearly. Or don’t act as though I’m too stupid now to not know when I’m being lied to.”

Finally, I looked at him.

I was horrified. But even more than that, I was awestruck. He had seen everything.

His face was fierce and weirdly beautiful.

“Nobody will believe that,” I almost whispered.

“Bella,” he quietly said my name again. The intensity of his expression softened slightly. “I had no intention of telling anybody.”

As I looked into the sincerity of his magnetic sage eyes, I was shocked to see how genuinely he meant it. I believed him.

“Then what does it matter?” I asked stubbornly.

“I value transparency. If I’m going to lie, I want to know why I’m lying for you.”

What he asked of me was fair. And I was surprised that I wished I could give it to him. That I trusted him. Something in me wished he could trust me.

But he couldn’t do that. And he shouldn’t.

I realized what was so stirring about the connection to this strange, bronze-haired boy. The draw of his blood was the inciting complication driving us together but outside of my family, these were the first real conversations I’d had in years.

And I can’t even truly be honest.

I pulled onto his street, scanning the numbers for the correct address.

“Here,” he said as we slowed in front of a lonely house nestled behind giant trees and bushes, much too large for the boy to go in to be alone. It was one of the nicer houses in Forks with its latticed bay windows and small wraparound porch. But it was a grey home against a grey sky and lifeless within. The windows were dark as if nobody had been home for a long time.

There wasn’t much I could do about having to breathe to speak. Reluctantly, I inhaled. The appeal was every bit as powerful, and I battled with the instinct to grab hold of him and crush his neck to my mouth.

I gave myself a moment to recover, willing myself to clarity.

He waited, watching me. I turned my head to face him.

“Edward,” I began this time. “Please. Can you please let it go?”

He stared me down, his eyes dark and contemplative.

“I can’t.” He moved to unbuckle his seatbelt. “But I can see that you won’t tell me, so don’t worry about it. Thank you for the ride.”

I placed the car in park and cut the engine as he began to exit the car.

I should have just let him go, but stubbornly I couldn’t let that be the last moment I’d ever spend with him.

“What are you doing?” He asked as I got out, shutting the door.

“Carlisle said to stay with you, didn’t he?”

“He said that after you’d left the room,” he pointed out. I wanted to kick myself, but this was a minor slip up in the grand scheme of today. “Well, it wasn’t hard to assume. How else will you make it back to the hospital if something happens to you?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

His words took on a double meaning to me. Maybe I should just leave now. He will be fine. Or at least, he’d only ever truly be fine once I’d left Forks.

“You’ll still have to wait three hours for your father to make it home. If you died in that time, it’d be my responsibility.” Tenaciously, I kept pace with him easily up the walkway to the porch. Whether Carlisle missed something crucially life-threatening from the accident or not, the words were true.

“I don’t see myself dying soon,” Edward fished in his pocket for a set of keys. “But whatever helps you sleep better at night.”

His strong face was sullen. The heavy eyebrows pulled together in frustration as he used the key to unlock the door.

“You’re angry with me,” I said.

He sighed heavily, pausing to look down into my eyes. His eyes were stormy and brooding. Then, he swung the door open and stepped inside.

Hesitantly, I followed him in.

His home was shrouded in darkness – not that my eyes needed the silvery light pouring in from the open door he was shutting behind me. I could see how carefully decorated it was. Navy walls and dark wooden accents everywhere – the floors, a great big grandfather clock, bookshelves, the frames on paintings. There were touches of white and black here and there too – gothic white lattice doors to the right leading to a home office with shelves of books nearly rivaling Carlisle’s collection behind a massive, intricately carved desk, a glossy black grand piano in the small, living area off to the left up a small step.

Here in the dark, it was even worse than it had been in the car. Though there was more distance between us now, lessening the heat his body washed over me, still, everything smelled of him and I was waging a war within. A bizarre current of energy coursed through the air between us and into my dead veins.

He turned on a small lamp illuminating the small entrance hallway with golden light that warmed his angry eyes.

“Do you play?” I asked in an attempt to distract myself from the inevitable bloom of the mouthwatering aroma beneath his skin, glancing again at the piano.

“Yes,” he responded, not bothering to elaborate.

“We have a piano just like this at home. Rosalie plays,” I spoke quietly. Aside from the bloodlust begging for attention in another corner of my brain, the intimacy of the two of us in this large house made me feel shy.

He looked at me meaningfully again for one moment, the mesmerizing green of his irises betraying some of the hurt he felt, before he turned to walk down the hallway.

The aching in my chest returned and without consciously deciding to, I was following him much too fast. The monstrous side of me was instantly excited by the pursuit, so I slowed myself to subdue it.

I paused for a moment before rounding the corner he had turned, wrestling with myself, suppressing the violence that begged me to lurch forward and empty his body. I smoothed the anguish contorting my face but finding that the pucker between my eyebrows was unwilling to undo itself.

With another excruciating breath through my mouth rather than my nose – I told myself that the burn ripping across my tongue was a good thing seeing that it was a reminder he had survived the car accident and the unexpected car ride that soon followed later – I turned the corner.

This must have been the real living room. Again, it seemed much too large for just the boy. His house wasn’t overwhelmingly huge but definitely bigger than average for this town. The room was decorated again in the strange assemblage of something victorian, something gothic, and something modern. It seemed reminiscent of another time. The room was still in the rich, dark jewel tones of navy, onyx, and pearl with the dark accents of wood. Patterns and textures of damask and velvet covered the rugs, tapestries, and drapery.

The boy was squatted down by the ornate white fireplace, his silhouette dark against the brilliant orange that erupted from the wood once he successfully got the fire started. The room was instantly filled with a heat that could nearly rival what it felt like to sit beside him in Carlisle’s car.

He stayed down for a moment, his back to me. Although completely vulnerable, the monster was quieted for now as I watched him in wonderment.

Finally, he stood up, looked at the fire for a second longer, and then settled onto a long white couch before the fireplace, stretching the length of his tall body across it.

“Edward,” I almost whispered from the entrance of the room, unsure of what to do with myself.

Tentatively, I took slow, cautious steps towards the couch as if approaching a wounded animal. With every movement, I measured the risk I posed. When I trusted myself, I crossed around the couch, gradually sinking down to sit down on the rug that extended from the edge of the fireplace across the length of the room.

I might as well have sat in the fire and allowed it to consume me for how much distance I tried to leave between the two of us. I was practically a foot from being perched on the wood. I wrapped my arms around my knees as I watched Edward’s eyes move along the mantel, the heat of the fire on my back and the boy in front of me warming me wonderfully. The flickering of the flames cast shadows that danced along his face, illuminating his green eyes. His rain-sprinkled hair appeared redder than ever, all traces of the warm bronzy-brown having vanished before the orange light of the fire.

“I know you’re not stupid,” I spoke. Edward’s eyes flickered over to me.

“I’m not,” he agreed, a halfhearted smirk tugging at his lips.

“You’re not,” I said again, surprising myself by laughing. His smirk grew into a sweeter smile, and I was relieved by the change in expression. In this moment, it felt as though no barriers existed between us. Like I had no secrets to hide from him, no differences among two friends. Except I did. And we weren’t friends, nor could we ever be.

“But?” He asked, already reading that I was unwilling to relent.

“But I can’t explain myself. I simply can’t. And I need you to promise me that you’ll let this go.” It was too much to ask and horribly unfair.

He sighed, sensing that the moment was clearly over.

“Okay,” Edward replied simply, reaching for a blanket hung over the back of the couch. He unfolded it, throwing it across his body. “I’m going to try to take a nap.”

“Okay,” I answered.

He propped his head up on a plushy brown pillow, his arm sliding beneath it, and closed his eyes.

I watched him for a moment, wishing he’d change his mind and open his eyes instead of hiding them from me. I hadn’t been ready to never see them again.

“Are you just going to watch me sleep?” He asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His eyes remained closed.

“No,” I shot up, unsure of whether I should leave or stay or where to even place myself if I did.

“Well, make yourself comfortable. You really don’t have to stay though. I can take care of myself,” Edward chuckled, readjusting his position on the couch.

I nodded even though he couldn’t see, deciding he was right. As I noiselessly made my way out of the room, his voice stopped me.

“Bella?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For saving my life.”

“Goodbye, Edward,” I whispered.

“Oh, and by the way,” he yawned. “I’m still not letting this go.”

I said nothing as I left the house.

i hope u enjoyed. sorry for taking so long!

nobody: vampire bella: my vampire mind is infallible and so strong and fast because i'm a vampire and i can smell everything and see everything even in the dark because my vampire powers are so strong did i mention i was a vampire?

if we’re being real, smeyer’s bella would have said holy crow at the accident, but MY bella can curse because i’m not a mormon.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Undercover Lover prt 22 prt 1

22

To Eren’s complete surprise he didn’t wind up in bed with Levi at the end of the night. He’d drunk enough to be nicely buzzed, but Isabel had been at the bar with her daughter, who’d taken an instant liking to him. Hanging onto him, Hannah wouldn’t listen to “Daddy Farlan”, or “Mummy Izzy”. The four year old squarely sitting in his lap and deciding they were now best friends. Erwin had been on guard over the whole thing, Farlan cranky he’d been temporarily misplaced, but no one could argue with the logic of a four year old and it was kind of really nice to be a “hero” again, like he’d been to Mina and Thomas.

His drinks had swapped to water, the little girl in his lap talked on and on about all sorts of things until Isabel placed a colouring book in front of her to try to settle her down. That only made her more excited as she asked Eren all about the colours and told him off when he got the names of things in the pictures wrong. Seated beside Levi, Levi wasn’t handling having Hannah being messy beside him. Eren using his arm to keep her from annoying “Uncle Levi” too much. Part of him was jealous. Jealous that Mikasa had experienced pregnancy twice before he’d even found his mate. He’d always kind of gone first to protect his friends, then she’d gone and done the one thing he’d never thought he could do. Seeing her pregnant had been hard, but he’s been so proud of her and loved his niece and nephew fiercely, thinking they’d be the closest thing he’d ever to his own children.

“Eren! You’re not listening to me”

Taking a pencil up the nose, Eren supposed he deserved it. He couldn’t help wanting to watch Levi from the corner of his eye. His body deciding to be extra clucky, except Levi really did seem to prefer some distance between him and Hannah

“I’m sorry, Hannah. I was thinking and it hurt”

“I bet it did. I don’t know what colour to do the dress”

Everything was creatively coloured as it was. The princess in the picture now with blue and green skin

“Hmmm... what’s mummy’s favourite colour?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Fair point. What about red? Like mummy’s hair?”

“She can’t wear a red dress! Her skin is green!”

Hannah made it sound like some inexcusable crime. Eren snorting. Kids were so damn brutal

“Okay, what about pink?”

“Pink is dumb”

Picking up the pink pencil, Eren had a feeling that was something someone had told Hannah and not her actual feelings on the colour. Colouring the edge of the dress, Eren shrugged, sounding as casual as he could

“I don’t know. I think it’s pretty nice...”

“I like pink too”

Ah. Yep. There it was

“Then you should colour her dress in. You’re doing a great job there”

Hannah lit up under the praise. All children seemed to become show offs for every single adult that wasn’t their parent. Cupping her hand, Hannah “whispered”

“I know. Don’t tell mummy but she’s really bad at this”

“Okay... I won’t. But I bet mummy tries really hard”

Sighing at how hard her little life was, Hannah was once again brutal

“Uncle Levi says she’s very trying”

Across the table Hanji snorted with laughter. She and Erwin had been talking back and forth until Hanji’s husband Moblit had arrived. The night had gotten pretty late and Isabel and Farlan were bussing tables and cleaning up. Levi banned from helping them in a way that didn’t sit right with Eren. Levi couldn’t help his OCD tendencies, and didn’t need to be ragged on for cleaning things within an inch of their life

“No, honey. It’s Uncle Levi that’s trying”

“The only thing Uncle Levi is trying to do is grow up... Even mummy’s taller than him”

Hanji cackled. Eren finding himself upset that his mate was being picked on. Poking Hannah gently in the side, he frowned at her over her shoulder

“Now. That’s not very nice. Your Uncle Levi loves you very much. People come in all shapes and sizes and that’s okay”

“You can say that because you’re huge”

“And you little missy are tiny...”

Tickling Hannah’s sides gently, Hannah howled with laughter. A gentle explanation was always his preferred to a harsh scolding

“Nooooo!”

Stopping tickling Hannah, Hannah stared up at him. Shit. He really really missed Mina

“Are you okay? You look sad. Sometimes you need to do a big poo when you’re sad”

That sounded like an adapted “getting shit over and done with”

“Did your Uncle tell you that?”

“Daddy did”

“I’m sure he has a point. He’s a smart man”

“He is. But he does smelly poos”

This kid was killing him. Farlan calling over to them from the bar

“That’s enough, Hannah. Finish up your picture, it’s bed time”

“I wanna stay here!”

“I know, but it’s past your bedtime as it is!”

It well and truly was. It was past his bedtime too. Isabel explained she hadn’t been able to get a sitter, but Farlan couldn’t clean up on his own

“You know, even I have a bedtime”

Hannah’s eyes went wide

“You do?”

“Yep. I get up and go to work super early”

“That’s stupid. I don’t want to go to bed”

Nope. Hannah was on the verge of an overtired meltdown. Eren could see it on her face. He’d managed to avoid waterworks so far, time to be distracting again

“If you work fast, we can finish this picture before you do. I’d really like to see it all coloured in”

With Hannah falling asleep against him, the other said their goodbyes while he and Levi waited for Farlan and Isabel to finish up. Erwin was oddly nice when he thought about things. He hadn’t snarked at him once, though he had been on edge when Hannah started clinging to the omega. With Moblit being the designated sober driver, Hanji was hanging off her husband, demanding Erwin come back to their’s for more drinks. Levi sighing as Moblit apologised, but Eren felt Levi was more or less sighing at him becoming a pillow for the four year old when all the alpha wanted to do was go home. His very important job as a pillow rendering them stuck until for a further half an hour where Eren carried little miss Hannah out to the car, so Isabel had her hands free to unclip the car seat and triple check she had everything before Eren lowered Hannah into place.

Left out of the “boys club” Farlan and Levi were having a cigarette together near the back door of the bar. Eren unable to stop himself from shooting a wistful glance at the cigarette he really wished he was having

“Sooo. You and my big brother?”

Not another one... Clipping Hannah into place, Isabel re-emerged out the car, a mischievous smile on her face

“Are friends. I ended up with no place to stay and he took in a stray”

“Mhmm. I might believe it if it wasn’t big brother Levi. He took me and Farlan in, but that was years ago... before he was so... anal about things”

Eren wasn’t touching that one

“Our piece of sh...sugar boss had me training him. We’ve been working together for a few months now”

Isabel crossed her arms, her expression turning serious

“Thank you for looking after Hannah tonight, but if you’re thinking of hurting my brother...”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had the talk repeatedly. No. I’m not thinking of hurting Levi”

Looking him up and down, Isabel snorted a giggle, covering her mouth as she did

“I’m sorry. I can’t. Yeah, no. Don’t worry. I’m not going to pull an Erwin on you. I can tell you’re an okay guy. I mean, Hannah absolutely adores you already, and you were really great with her”

“My adoptive sister has two of her own. I’m the cool uncle”

“I’m sure you are. Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Levi, but I know he’s not going to be happy tonight. He’s not that great at dealing with Hannah’s whims. I mean, he tries, but it’s hard for him with his...”

Isabel gestured, leaving Eren to nod understandingly

“His need for clean? I know. I noticed how he wanted to join in, but kept stopping himself. Thanks for the heads up”

“He really must think you’re special if he’s bringing you around again. He’s been hurt a lot, it’s not for me stay but he stayed with his uncle for a bit, then his uncle up and left him. Sometimes it’s like he thinks we’ll leave him too. He’s a good man. I mean, he didn’t have to help me and Farlan out, but he’s always been there for us. Maybe you can get through to him that he’s okay being himself”

“I’m not sure about that. I mean, he has his quirks, but I think that’s just him...”

“You’re being dense on purpose. Look, he likes you and you like him. Don’t break his heart or Farlan will really break your neck”

“I don’t plan on it”

“Then you’re welcome back any time... though I shouldn’t really say that as it’s not Rod’s territory here and Rod is a total tosser”

“Isabel, the last thing I want to do is cause drama. I know how important family is, and it’s not always blood family that makes an actual family. I don’t want Levi getting caught up in my sh-sugar, and I don’t want anything happening to him...”

Choosing now to start walking over to them, Eren let his sentence trail off. Isabel giggling over it as she smiled brightly. He didn’t need her to tell him not to hurt Levi. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Even blowing his cover was preferable to Levi ending up hurt or locked away. All he could do was wait patiently until Pixis had signed off on the arrest warrants and they could move in for the bust.

Slinging his arm around Isabel’s shoulder, Farlan actually smiled at him

“Thanks for looking after Hannah. I wasn’t sure you had it in you”

Hopefully he hadn’t given everyone the wrong impression with his longing to see his family again. Wrapping his arms around himself, Eren lamented how nice the night was. It’d be perfect for a long ride down to the coast

“She reminds me of my niece... well, and my sister. I haven’t seen them in awhile, they’re not close... Sorry. Anyway, yeah. Thanks for tonight. I was pretty sure either you or Erwin were plotting my death, so it’s nice to know I’m going to be around for a little longer”

Ending with a nervous laugh Eren hoped he hadn’t just ruined all the nights work. Farlan wasn’t giving him anything. Levi put his hand on Eren’s arm, Eren’s heart giving a weird beat as he tried to avoid looking at Isabel who wore a smirk on her face. Okay. He couldn’t do anything about this, but it didn’t have to mean anything if he didn’t let it

“Tch. No one’s about to kill you. I’ll come see you guys soon. We’re leaving, brat”

The “goodbye” felt a little awkward. Isabel smacking Farlan for something the man whispered as they walked away. To make matters more confusing, Levi kept his hand on Eren’s arm right up until they reached the alpha’s car

“You’re right to drive, right?”

Eren cocked his head in confusion

“I can if you want me to. I didn’t think you drank that much”

“I didn’t... you just had a look on your face like you were thinking about something far away”

“Oh, it’s fine. I was just thinking this a nice night to go for a ride”

“You’re not getting on your motorbike after drinking”

“But you’ll let me drive your car?”

Levi huffed, he’d somehow pissed the alpha off

“If you don’t want to drive, I’ll fucking drive”

“No. It’s okay. I don’t mind. You had a pretty long night and I’m the one who had a nap”

Handing over the keys, Levi finally took his hand off Eren’s arm. Levi’s hands carried a certain kind of warmth that he’d been starved of for so long

“You crash my car...”

“Yeah, yeah. Anywhere in particular, or just home?”

“Whatever. Where do you usually go when you go out on your bike?”

“That’s a bit of a drive”

“Then don’t fucking crash”

*

Levi fell asleep during the drive. Eren stopping at a 24 hour service station to pick up a coffee and a tea for the sleeping alpha, before continuing the drive out to the coast. The first time he’d come to the beach had been with his friends, kind of like a last hurrah before they plunged into the world of adulthood. Parking up near the park before the pier, there was a certain kind of magic that came with being near the ocean at night. Leaving the car running and the heater on, Eren took his coffee as he left Levi sleeping, making the walk to the closest bench to sit and think about how Levi’s car needed a new ignition barrel seeing the car was on and the keys were in his pocket.

Their trip to the beach was the last time Mikasa confessed her feelings for him. Maybe he would have felt something if they hadn’t been brother and sister, something that felt almost instant when Mikasa joined their family. Heck, in under a year, he’d gained a sister only a little older than he was, and a new best friend. His mother had adored Mikasa. Mikasa who got the perfect grades and to which everything came as naturally as breathing air. Okay, that might be a little harsh, but it’d certainly shown his mother how much he was lacking.

Stretching out, it was amazing what the mind remembered. He didn’t remember the whole trip. He couldn’t remember who brought them to the beach, but he could remember things like failing hard at beach volleyball ball, and Sasha eating a whole watermelon by herself. Jean had been stupid enough to get a mouthful of water on his forest dive under the waves, their friend Conny laughing hard as Jean complained about how salty it had tasted. He’d known for a long time he didn’t want to be a doctor. When his dad started acting crazy after his mother’s death, he’d honestly been terrified to death at time of his father’s mental instability. Fortunately, all his father’s disappointments fell on his shoulders, not Mikasa’s. One night his father took it too far. He’d driven him out to the middle of the forest and just lost it completely. The fear he felt... he never wanted anyone else to feel it... and with no one having all that much belief in him, he’d turned into a right little shit. How he managed to graduate, he still wasn’t sure. He just knew he had to get out. That there was a world out there, and there were people suffering because no one would speak up for them.

So. He’d become an officer. Mikasa and Armin right there beside him... His Armin... who hadn’t even been able to stand up to bullies. He wanted more for Armin, but Armin made his mind up. By some twist of fate, he had no idea until he was at the training academy that Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha had all sort of followed him. Each of them wanting to escape the shit in their lives and not wanting to lose what they had as a group. Over time they spilt up, then came back together, split up again, then came back together when Mikasa and Jean married. Fast forward a few more years and Marco was dead, and there he was feeling sorry for himself. He hadn’t been the best officer. He’d had more than one written warning over his conduct, but he worked hard at his cases the best he could.

Lost in contemplation, Eren jumped as Levi came up behind him

“The next time you piss in a cup, don’t leave in the car”

“It’s not my fault service station tea isn’t to your liking. It cost me a whole dollar. You should be grateful”

“Says the lunatic that’s kidnapped me”

Tilting his head back, Eren stared up at the star shot sky

“You asked where I went. Normally I’d go along the coast, but this is nice”

Other than the waves and the very distant sounds of the port the place was fairly quiet. Shinganshima had hit its housing boom in his teen years, people wanting more and more to live closer to the coast. Thanks development laws, there were still nice patches of coast like this.

Walking around the bench, Levi dropped down next to him, before grimacing as he sipped his tea

“Maybe if you added sugar the taste wouldn’t be so bad?”

“I don’t think sugar can save this piss”

“Probably not. The coffee wasn’t awful...”

“It’s the middle of the night, don’t blame me when you can’t sleep”

“I’ll be fine...”

Tilting his head forward again, Eren looked to Levi as he spoke

“... but speaking of that, are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed a little on edge when Hannah was colouring in”

Levi gazed at the lid of his tea, the alpha tensing momentarily, then relaxing again

“I guess I’m not used to kids. I don’t dislike her... she’s my niece... but I don’t know what to do”

“I didn’t know what to do either at first... She kept making me miss my niece...”

“You could call them?”

“Nah. I mean, I don’t want my sister coming down and getting mixed up with Rod”

“Fair call. I didn’t expect you to be so good with her”

“Must be an omega thing. Though, when you look at Mikasa, she’s the one who’s got it figured out. Not me. I didn’t really realise how jealous I was of her...”

There he went, letting himself talk too much again

“You want kids?”

“I don’t know. I never thought it’d be an option outside of adoption. Honestly, Armin is the only one who knew how hard I took Mikasa falling pregnant. She’s always been the best out of the three of us. I sound so pathetic right now”

“I think you earned the right to being pathetic after babysitting most of the night”

Eren snorted. Kids weren’t hard... adults were the tricky bit of life

“She was fine. Like I said, I was more worried about you”

“Tch. It’s about a decade too soon for you to be worrying about me”

“Still... Sorry. I’m probably making you uncomfortable”

A long moment turned to several before Levi replied. The alpha’s voice low, almost mumbled

“I know I’m not the best at human interactions... I also know I shouldn’t let myself be controlled by my need to clean...”

It sounded an awful lot like Levi was about to apologise

“Don’t. Yeah, I might not get it. But I’m not the one in your head being frustrated by it all. You’re okay to act how you need to act. It’s just another part of you. I know I’m not going to be the best room mate but I respect that it’s your apartment and that things need to be a certain way. I want you to feel like you can tell me off if I’ve done something wrong”

Great. They were plunged into silence again. Eren didn’t know how he kept saying the wrong thing. Finishing his tea, Levi leaned right back on the park bench

“I don’t understand what there’s to be jealous about, but you don’t have to judge yourself by everyone else’s standards”

And Levi called him weird...

“It’s pretty bad to be jealous of your own sister...”

“It’s worse to act on that jealousy”

Still. He was. Twice Mikasa had grown this whole other little human in her belly. Twice she’d given birth. Even if he experienced it, he was afraid he’d feel inferior seeing Mikasa had been there and done all that before him

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I mean, I love my niece and nephew... I just... feel left behind because my dynamic is messed up”

“Tch. You have so little confidence that it’s amazing you made it anywhere in life. Of course you’re allowed to feel jealous. I read some of those sites on beta-omegas and they’re fucking shit”

He’d pushed Levi as it was. He didn’t want the alpha expiring from the embarrassment of showing he cared enough to try work Eren out

“Pretty much. Hurrah! You’re broken, but you can still get on your hands and knees and lick your alphas feet. I don’t want to be like that”

“That’s fucking revolting. Do you know how dirty feet are?”

“Especially ours. Here I was, trying to let you know you can talk to me, and I’ve turned it into a shitty counselling session”

“It’s fine. We make a great shitty pair”

“Us against the world. Wouldn’t it be nice if we just jump on a boat? Sail away like our enemies weren’t out there waiting for us”

“Don’t remind. Rod wants me in Eldia next weekend for some major underground fight. The way he spoke to begin with, I thought I’d have more time. I’ll leave the Thursday night and be back Monday morning”

If Levi was going away, he’d have to find a place to stay. Not that he didn’t have to as it was. He couldn’t very well follow Rod to the fight

“I’ll book a hotel tomorrow”

“Why?”

“You won’t be home”

“Tch. It’s your apartment too for now. It’s fine. Don’t shit on the benches and we won’t have problem”

“What if I shit in the fridge?”

“Then... I don’t know. Fuck”

Eren chuckled. It wasn’t often he managed to confuse Levi into not knowing what to say

“It’s okay, I promise I won’t. I still feel bad you took me in”

“I’m not sorry to see the last of those stairs. Are you sure it’s okay leaving your shit there?”

He wasn’t giving up his lease. He hadn’t really wanted to leave in the first place, it was simply too risky to be caught by Rod’s morons at the wrong moment

“Yeah. I got what was important. Plus, don’t forget those stairs. If Rod wants to break in, his goons have to go up those stairs again. Imagine the effort of trying to rob the place when you have to go up and down. Perfect deterrent”

“They could just toss all your shit out the window”

“That’s not the most comforting of thoughts”

His stuff would be looted within half of an hour of it being turfed out the window. Though, if it had to be stolen, having it stolen by people who actually needed it wasn’t so bad

“I’m not the most comforting of people”

“I don’t think you’re all that bad. Even if I know fuck all about you”

Levi snorted

“Not much to fucking tell. Never knew my dad, then when I was kid, my mum got sick and passed away. I was what they call “heading down the wrong path” when I fell in with Erwin. He knew Hanji and Moblit before I did...”

“I think there’s many people who’d say being a street fighter working for a thug is still heading down the wrong path”

“Probably. Yeah. But when you’ve been fighting your whole life, there’s not that many options open”

“Mmm. Trying being a killer...”

“You’re not a killer... I... I don’t know the situation but I do know you wouldn’t have killed your partner. How do you feel about the police force now?”

He honestly couldn’t blame them for the fallout and eventually all would come out when he was reinstated

“I don’t hate them. None of us can say for sure what happened... I’m okay where I am now... kind of. I mean, things used to be simpler, but I don’t feel like I’m just existing anymore”

Thanks to Levi. Having a friend... He hadn’t realised how much he missed someone who was going through kind of the same thing. Being a different dynamic meant a different point of view, yet Levi was his what helped make work more bearable than it had been

“Shit, brat. You’re being nice. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you drive”

“Fuck off. I got us here, didn’t I?”

“Yep. Bumfuck nowhere”

“Pretty much. Still, it’s different on a bike. We should get you a helmet”

“Or we could not”

Eren snorted. Levi just didn’t get the feeling of freedom at all

“Can we compromise?”

“No. I’ve seen too many accidents... on the news, I mean...”

“That’s not always the case. Look, with Hannah, you don’t have to try so hard. Yeah, kids are sticky and messy, but as long as you’re nice, they’re not that bad. I think she wanted your attention tonight”

“I’m already juggling one brat, I don’t need two”

[my-brothers-corrupted]

My Brothers, Corrupted

Chapter Three : Section Ten : The Sunbird Prince

Chapter One l Chapter Two l Chapter Three

Trigger warnings for death of a character, fire/house burning, intense fight scenes, graphic violence, and death threats.

Trick is excited to hear that Blue’s doctor says he’s ready to travel. It means they’ll finally be able to go back to Peru and find their missing brothers! Blue isn’t as excited at the thought of Anti getting his hands on the rest of his family again – but as it turns out, they may have bigger things to worry about.

The Sunbird Prince

“I thought you’d be happier.”

Blue shakes his head slowly, pressed against Trick’s chest as it is.

“Why not? Blue. You’re going to make it through this.”

Blue sighs and looks up at him, running his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, making Trick close his eyes.

“Yeah,” whispers Blue. “I guess we’ll figure it out.”

They’re on a dock on the river, a quiet part far from the bustle of the city, closer to the poorer part of town where they live. Still, there are trees in magenta and green and flowers to make the air sweet. Far off in the distance, there is the turning body of a ferris wheel and the loud beauty of modern architecture stretching for the sky, coated in silver and green. Trick’s feet are in the water off the dock, kicking gently as he lets Blue rest against him and shares a couple boxes of potstickers with him. For a moment, his addled mind remembers someone who looks just like him standing at the beach with his pants rolled up, walking around in the water, but he isn’t supposed to dwell on that for long, so he doesn’t. Blue is what matters right now anyway.

“It’s good news,” murmurs Trick, pressing their heads together. “I’m proud of you.”

Blue holds gently to his shirt and says nothing.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: What's the good news, Blue?

Blue rubs his face. “The doctor said I could most likely be cleared for travel.”

She said it while Trick was in the room too. No lying to get out of this one.

“I’m really proud of you,” says Trick, rubbing his shoulder, trying to cheer him up. “I’m so glad you’re here, Blue.”

“Yeah, I am too, Trick. Wouldn’t leave you behind.”

Trick’s face brightens with a wide smile. His eyes are calm and happy. He wraps both arms around Blue and hums.

Anonymous asked: How's it going, Trick? Are you two doing alright?

“It’s going, it’s going. We’re doing good, right, Blue?”

“Medically,” mumbles Blue.

She said he could be cleared for travel. Preferably, he’d have another month of good rest, but Blue doesn’t expect to get it, or at least not in this country.

“Come on, finish up your potstickers,” Trick encourages him, patting his back and passing him a box. His little brother has not lost the slightly glazed look in his eyes in days. Blue doesn’t feel hungry.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Travel, huh? That's...good! Where would you go? Maybe staying put a little longer might be good for everyone?

“Anti said as soon as Blue’s well enough, we can finally go back to South America and find our other brothers.” Trick is practically glowing from the news, nodding up and down to himself, kicking his feet in the water. “We can find Dok again and make sure he’s okay. I haven’t seen him in… in… oh, how long have we - ?”

“A couple weeks, Trick,” murmurs Blue, frowning at him.

“A couple weeks.”

Anonymous asked: He’s going to move you soon then?

“I think he will as soon as he can.” Blue drags his hands down his face. “He gets more and more stressed every day, far as I can tell. He wants Dapper again more than anything else in the world. I think he’d shatter planets to have him back again.”

“I miss Dap,” says Trick cheerfully. “I want to bring everyone back here and get them all my favorite noodles. You think Anti will let us come back here once we’ve got them? I love this place.”

He takes his turn to put his head down against Blue’s chest, smiling warmly out at that rushing white river. Nothing bad has ever happened to him in this country, not since he got Blue out of the hospital, not that he’s aware of anymore.

hurricael asked: Blue, do you think you're ready to travel there?

Blue shakes his head slowly, but Trick doesn’t even seem to notice, maybe pressed too close to his chest, getting a little sleepy on a full stomach. Blue looks at him and his gaze softens, but sorrowfully, painfully, and he threads his fingers through that green grass hair.

“I still feel terrible all the time,” he sighs. “I don’t know how else to describe it. I’ve been told to accept that my eyes won’t work any better than this. They’ve diagnosed me with an immune disorder so I probably shouldn’t be on planes anyway right now. Fuck, and you know what, even if I did feel well, I just wish - I just wanted - I wish I could buy my brothers more time.”

Trick lets him ramble, accustomed to Blue’s slightly off-kilter concerns. As long as Anti isn’t bothered, he isn’t either, and he loves Blue enough to listen to him for hours no matter how much he confuses his brain.

“You’ve told me they’re okay. Maybe better than okay. They’re not with Anti. They’re having their own recovery time, and maybe they need it even more than I do. I mean, they’ve been with him for so, so long. They deserve a chance away.”

“You’re still mad at Anti for whatever happened the other night,” points out Trick, lightly scolding. “You two hold the worst grudges. But we still shouldn’t be late getting back to him, okay? Finish your lunch and let’s get going.”

Trick pushes the box to him again, demanding that he eat. Blue gazes at him. He’s been his caretaker all this time no matter how deep Anti’s wormed into his head.

Blue is tired of being sick, but he’s more tired of seeing his family hurt.

“Okay. We can go in a minute. But give me a minute longer, Trick. A minute longer.”

One more minute of just him and Trick. One more minute of feeling alright, here in the waters of a river that has never hurt him. One more minute of Red and Dok and Dapper safe on the other side of the world. Blue stares down at his white hands.

Anonymous asked: Whatcha thinkin’ Blue?

“Just… thinking about buying them some time,” mumbles Blue, staring down at his hands. Looking up, you can find the dark scar that Anti carved into his arm that night he stole his magic from him. “Ways to buy time. Slow recovery. I don’t know. Might be worth it.”

He glances over at Trick. “Got all my prescriptions, right, bud?”

Trick shakes a bag of medicine bottles. “You know it. Enough to last you a month.”

Blue smiles weakly.

spicydanhowell asked: trick, do you know that you're not you right now?

Trick gives you a slightly petulant frown, glancing between you and Blue, who raises his eyebrows as if to leave him to his own devices. Trick shrugs, throwing his hands up.

“I don’t even know what that means, cameras. Of course I’m me. Blue, this isn’t what you were going on about the other day, is it?”

“Try to listen to people other than Anti,” Blue urges him gently. Trick huffs and picks up their trash, tossing it away on the beach and coming back to hold Blue’s cane out to him.

Anonymous asked: Trick, what do you think of a future with just you and Blue and Red and Dapper and Dok? Just the five of you and Noodle?

“Hey, why just the five of us?” cries Trick. “What happened to Anti? Blue, let’s go home. I want to see him!”

“Anti’s fine, sweetie,” soothes Blue, getting shakily to his feet, his brother’s arm around his waist to settle him a moment later. “They’re probably just playing hypotheticals, okay?”

“Hypotheticals. Well, I think we’d be completely aimless and totally broken up, and we’d probably all get locked up or killed by magicians or cops or something because he wouldn’t be there to cover our tracks, that’s what I think about a future without Anti.’

Anonymous asked: You wouldn’t need to hide if Anti wasn’t there Trick. This might be useless to tell you, but the only reason you’re running is because of Anti. You’d be just fine by yourselves.

“Okay, newsflash, guys - Red alone is wanted for like, twelve counts of murder in about five different countries, and that’s just the murder, so I don’t think that’s going to just go away. Also, the reason we haven’t been harassed by fucking magicians in this country is because Anti handled them for us.”

Trick looks proud. He doesn’t know exactly what this means, but he knows Anti said he handled it, and that’s all that matters.

“Besides, my baby brother is a fucking time traveler. If people caught wind of that - fuck. We’re going to spend the whole rest of our lives in hiding so no one comes after him. Anti says people could catch him and sell him like a weapon. He’s so powerful. It’s not his fault, we just have to keep him safe. Staying hidden is important and it’s the only way to stay safe! Anti makes sure we can do that.”

Blue opens his mouth, thinking about saying something, but he’s been with Trick for a long time now and his energy is too low to fight.

“Here, give me your hand,” Trick urges gently, seeing the exhaustion in his face. “I’ll help you, come on. There’s the MRT. I’ll get you a seat in the back and we’ll rest.”

spicydanhowell asked: marv, don't let chase look but... you're not gonna make yourself sick are you?

“I don’t know,” admits Blue in a low croak. “I… I almost want to. Just to buy them some more time.”

He’s staring down at his hands again by the time they reach the subway, sitting side to side in the back. Luckily, it’s not too busy at this time of day. Lately, he struggles with hands touching him, but the only one close is Trick, and his palms are warm and familiar, set gently on his knee, a clear attempt to soothe and protect him. Blue appreciates it.

“It would be easy, you know? Horrible, the things I’ve considered. I’m already so sick that getting back in the hospital… I think I could do it. Then would Anti leave me behind? Or punish me terribly? Or go anyway and just let me suffer on the plane ride?”

He stares out at the city zipping by. Trick is right. It is lovely. Blue wishes it could be just the five of them, living in that little house, eating from the cheap stalker stands and exploring the whole island, recovering together.

“I’m scared,” he admits. “I don’t want to be worse than I already am again. I don’t want to be punished. But I also don’t want him to catch them. Or at least not yet. Not yet. Why can’t I ever save any of them from anything? I feel so passive. I’m always surrendering.”

Anonymous asked: Then don’t surrender this time. There has to be a better way to give them time without putting you in harms way. But at this point I think Anti is so desperate that a small scrape on the knee isn’t going to do anything. Do you have any other ideas?

“Killing him in his sleep,” mumbles Blue, eyes flashing. “But I’m not sure how to go about that. And Trick would hate me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing, baby.”

“If you say so.”

Trick hasn’t questioned much lately.

bupine asked: blue, marvin, i am so sorry you have to go through this. the situation sucks so bad. if you have to get sick, then do it, k? be careful though. i can guarantee you that your brothers are ok. red and dapper especially. i won't say much more because last time i did i fucked up pretty bad but i swear they're alright and i know you're doing your best. good luck :D

“Haha, oh my goodness, I remember that, poor thing,” laughs Blue. “You were just trying to help, my friend. Oh, fuck. I’m glad they’re alright. If I could, I’d distract him from them forever.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, how do you feel?

“Good! Good. Really excited to see everyone again, glad Blue is better, Anti’s letting me sleep in his room again, everything’s great. I do want to make sure Blue is doing okay with mental health stuff, though.”

He squeezes his brother’s shoulder, drawing Blue out of his distraction and leaning down to help him up gently.

“Cause I love him!” he adds, grinning as Blue reaches his level, and this, at last, is enough to draw a real snort of laughter out of Blue. Something about the way he says it.

“Dumb-ass,” growls Blue without heat, smiling and shoving Trick’s shoulder. “I love you too.”

“Yay, there he is!” Trick wraps his arm around him and leads him off the subway, down the pavement that leads back to their little house.

Anonymous asked: Trick, do you even remember what you had yesterday for breakfast?

“Jokes on you. We had no breakfast!”

“I thought you finished off the last of the chicken?”

“Uh - that was early lunch!”

“Sure, sure. Such a dork.”

“No, you!”

“No, you.”

“You.”

“You, fucker.”

“Ass.”

“Airhead.”

“Idiot.”

This continues for much of the MRT ride.

Anonymous asked: Hey. Blue. If Anti can see these, then we shouldn't mention where your brothers are, right? That went badly last time?

“Yeah, it would be best to keep that quiet,” says Blue, knowing that he’ll probably be punished later just for telling you so. “I don’t know how much he knows about where they are right now - he’s been doing some fairly careful searching around and I don’t think he’s exactly clueless about what they’ve been up to - but yes, if you can keep it quiet, keep it quiet.”

Anonymous asked: So...we shouldn't tell you that they've moved locations— o o p s

“Lol,” says Trick out loud, voice dry, shooting you a look. “I don’t know if you’re trying to be clever or if you’re actually trying to help us find them, but it doesn’t matter. Anti will find them. The only reason he hasn’t been able to is because his usual ability to communicate with technology wherever he focuses his mind is limited by the new magic. Once he’s in South America, he should be able to get all the information he needs within a couple hours. From this location, he has access to most of the fucking Asian continent, so I don’t expect any problems finding them once we’re back to Peru. I’ll get to see my brothers again!”

Blue blinks at him, startled. Is this what he and Anti talk about? Does he know Anti’s power that well?

Trick sees him staring and winks, a shy smile playing across his mouth. “Just observant,” he says, leaning back in his seat.

spicydanhowell asked: trick, you're worried about blue's mental well being, but he's upset because he's so worried about you and everyone else. anti has made changes in your brain, made you forget people that you love, even a friend you knew just a few days ago. blue wants you to be happy for real, not this fake happiness that anti is feeding you. before this, you tried to kill yourself... do you even remember that?

Trick’s face whitens.

“My - look, I - there’s a reason I didn’t want to talk to you guys for so long!” he cries, drawing attention from the volume of his voice. Blue grabs his arm and hushes him quickly. “My attempt was - my attempt was - sometimes it doesn’t matter how much anybody loves you, you just feel like you can’t - don’t act like it’s Anti’s fault!”

Tears are stinging in his eyes and Blue clings to his shoulders, holding him close. “They’re just trying to check that you’re okay, Trick, sh, sh.”

“Anti is finally treating me like something worth his time and all of you act like it’s fake,” sobs Trick. “None of you think anybody could really love me. He loves me! If Anti changed my head, he was trying to stop what happened from happening again. I don’t want to be suicidal! I feel happy! Leave me alone!”

“Trick, Trick,” soothes Blue. “They’re on your side. We’re all on your side. We’re just worried.”

“When Dapper acts different because of his Haldol no one calls it fake,” says Trick, shaking his head. “Well, I’m messed up too. And Anti’s my Haldol.”

“Fuck’s sake,” groans Blue. “Don’t say that of all things, love, please, you’re killing me. That’s horrible on a hundred different levels. If you need antidepressants - ”

“I don’t want to talk about this!” snaps Trick, turning away from him, his arms across his chest and his face red with the effort of not crying. “Let’s just go home! This ride is taking for fucking ever!”

Blue covers his face with his hands and slumps over himself, pain groaning in his chest, in his heart, across the whole of his exhausted brother.

How does he get Trick away from this? How does he get him out of a mess this fucked up?

bupine asked: you should realize people can't be or act as drugs, trick. i don't want to upset you. but people do love you apart from anti. your brothers love you. there was once a woman and some children who loved you. you even had a youtube channel with an audience that loved you. no matter what anti thinks of you, his opinion is not the be-all-end-all of your life.

“I’m sorry for blowing up. I’m sorry, Blue, I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, buddy, it’s okay, just - Trick, sh, sh, come here, you’re shaking. They’re right, there are so many people who love you just how you are.”

“I don’t want other people,” chokes Trick. “I want Anti. Why does everyone act like I can’t have my own brother’s attention for two weeks? What’s wrong with me?”

“It’s not about you, Trick, it’s about Anti.”

“Well, I like Anti even if no one else does. That’s what love is.”

“Not if he hurts you,” whispers Marvin, holding his face in his hands. “Not if he makes you feel like you’re nothing without him. Trick… can’t you tell that you’re acting just a little strangely? Memory loss? Random suddenly being upset? Not missing Dok hardly at all?”

Trick’s eyes flicker.

He pulls away from Blue and doesn’t answer, turned away, shaking his tired head.

“Soon I’ll see him again,” says Trick, very soft. “And Dok makes everything make sense.”

Anonymous asked: You think no one can love you because that’s what Anti made you believe. Did he tell you the reason all your brothers left is because they didn’t care enough? He’s wrong. He’s taken so many people away from you that if given the change could have loved you or did. That girl at the noodle shop?...look Trick, you might not trust us anymore, but you trust Blue don’t you? Do you even see how he feels? You might be able to hide behind the mask Anti made for you, but don’t you dare mask Blue’s hurt

“We’re going to get in trouble for talking about this,” whispers Trick, refusing to look back at you or Blue.

Blue sits looking at him. Nothing left to say.

Trick knows he’s hurting, he does. And he’d like it to stop, but it’s just - it’s not Anti’s fault! It can’t be! Because that would make Anti cruel and that isn’t what Trick knows him to be.

“I’ll turn you off,” he warns belatedly. “I will.”

Blue brushes at his eyes, silent beside him.

Anonymous asked: Trick there are a lot of people that love you. And even on medicine things aren’t always great, they don’t turn out the way they are supposed to. We’re sorry for being so upfront about this stuff, but we really are worried about you. We do care, we care so much for you guys and that won’t ever change no matter what happens. But please at least hear what we, or even Blue for that matter, have to say- sometimes hearing the hard stuff is important to moving forward.

“I do love you,” says Blue. “I am just worried. You never listen to me when I’m afraid for you. No one ever does.”

“Last time someone listened to you when you were afraid,” says Trick, and suddenly there is a bitter note to his voice you haven’t heard in a long time. “You burned half the mountain down and alerted a flock of magicians who stole my twin from me.”

“That,” croaks Blue, his heart pulsing achingly in his chest. “Was Anti’s fault. You don’t get to blame me for that. You don’t get to. I was the one who got hurt.”

“Not the only one,” mumbles back Trick.

“Maybe you should think less about your own pain,” Blue heaves, his eyes stinging, “and more about the reasons Anti is trying to turn you against me and everyone else in the world but him. Two days ago a girl kissed you and you don’t even remember, a girl who was your friend, who brought me poetry from the library and gave you food when you were hungry and afraid the first day you came here. She didn’t want to hurt you and Anti still decided he wouldn’t share you with her, so he took her away. Call that love if you want.”

Anonymous asked: You already know what’s the truth and what’s a lie. Turning us off won’t do anything. I’m sorry, Trick. I really, really am. We don’t want to see you hurt anymore, any of you.

“You do know the truth,” says Marvin, eyes downcast. “It’s killing me - it kills us -to see you buy into a lie because you don’t believe you could be happy without it. And Dok, Trick… Dok’s going to be so heart-broken to see you like this.”

“Don’t say that,” whispers Trick. “Don’t say that. You can question anybody else’s love but not Dok’s.”

“He’d be upset because he loves you,” says Blue. “The real you.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Guys, maybe set this aside for now... especially if you're going home. You don't want Anti catching wind of this, do you?

“That’s a good idea,” says Trick. “You can’t take another… um…”

“Beating?” suggests Blue bitterly.

Trick nods slowly, unable to meet his eyes.

“Yes. Punishment.”

“Fine.”

bupine asked: trick, dok's already realized what's true and what's a lie. we've seen him. i know he'd want the same for you, but i also know how hard that will be, and i'm sorry.

Trick shoots you a bizarre look, maybe alarmed, maybe just confused. Then he shakes it off.

“Nothing going to come between me and Dok! I’ll see him again soon and everything will be fine. And if he takes a little re-orientation, that’s the magicians’ faults for fucking with his head! I’ll look after him. I’ll…”

His eyes drift. He blinks at Blue, dazed.

“Trick?”

“We were talking about something important,” mumbles Trick, rubbing at his forehead.

“Just come here, buddy,” sighs Blue, pulling him under his arm.

bupine asked: we're sorry, trick. it hurts to see you like this. i'm just glad you're at least happy.

“Yeah… happy.”

Trick stares at the window across from him. Down at his hands. At you, at Blue.

“I’m happy?” he says.

Blue hugs him tighter.

“I love you,” he says.

“I’m happy,” repeats Trick, smiling now, certain, running his fingers through his brother’s beard. “I love you too.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Marvin, can you help him remember Dok at all??? For longer than he does...?

“It makes him cry every time,” says Blue. “I mean, it kind of makes him have like… he freaks out. I could try, though, if you wanted. Just let us get home first. Come on, amata, here’s our stop.”

“Okay, Blue.”

Anonymous asked: I don’t think sending Trick into a panic attack about his twin is a good idea. He’s pretty freaked out as it is and we don’t want...a repeat. So instead just keep talking to him and be honest about how you feel.

Blue sighs through his nose. “I’m sorry, I’m… kind of tired of talking. You’re like a brick wall sometimes, Trickster, and we’ve been at it for days.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No, I - just teasing a little. I mean… it’s just… it’s complicated, huh, bud? It’s not really your fault. Don’t be sorry. We’ll talk again when you’re not so worked up.”

Anonymous asked: Hey Blue, that side of the mountain that you burned? It’s grown back with all these plants and it’s absolutely beautiful now. It goes to show that it gets worse before it gets better y’know? Don’t give up just yet.

“Oh,” says Blue, stopping short on the pathway. Trick stops with him, looking back at him.

“Everything okay?” asks Trick.

Blue looks up at him. “What? Oh. Yes. Yes. That’s good news. That’s… really good to hear.”

At least he can know that the last thing he used his magic for was something beautiful.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: So what's the plan for now, Marvin? Keep Trick happy and safe? Maybe get him away from Anti? He can't track you guys, realistically...

Blue laughs wearily, rubbing at Trick’s back as they walk. With no other way to look after him, his protectiveness manifests in constant touching and a constant eye on him. Trick’s weary and he keeps leaning back in to Blue’s touch, looking up at him like he’s expecting him to catch him when he falls.

“I don’t know,” says Blue. “I think he could find a way to track just about anyone, no matter how off the grid you try to be.”

“He found you once,” pipes up Trick, swinging their hands as they walk. “When you were still the old master’s. We hunted you for months, Blue.”

“Right… well. I don’t know. Maybe it will be easier when I have the others here, to see what needs to be done. I really, really been missing Red.”

Trick squeezes his palm sympathetically. Blue glances up to see the house in front of them.

“At least someone got rid of that weird cloth,” says Blue. “It was freaking me out, lying across the hummingbird feeder. It looked like a person in the dark.”

“What cloth?”

“This big swath of colorful fabric just hanging over the bird feeder. Someone must have forgotten and then remembered it.”

“I didn’t see it.”

“I was surprised Anti didn’t do anything about it. He can be kind of territorial.”

“Maybe he didn’t see it either. He hasn’t been leaving the house. Should I tell him about it?”

“I don’t know. It’s gone now, isn’t it?”

Anonymous asked: Um wasn’t that cloth used as like a marking? Maybe to tell other people something, like a message? If it’s gone then whatever it was there for has probably been taken care of. Just be careful when you go inside alright?

Trick and Blue exchange glances.

“Hm. Okay,” says Blue.

“Blue, if someone found us and knew we were the sort of people to leave a marking for… that’s trouble.”

“Come on, Trick, Anti’s making you paranoid. Let’s go, love. Got the keys?”

Trick steps up to the porch and unlocks the door.

“Ow!” says Blue before he can get it open, nearly dropping you.

“What?”

“The camera, like, shocked me,” Blue hisses, shaking his hand out.

“What? Bad?”

“No, no, it just surprised me.”

“Maybe you should get Anti to take a look at it. If it’s breaking then - no!”

“Trick?”

He’s opened the door.

There is a tall figure standing in the back of the living space. On the floor, Anti is writhing, breathless and trembling, as electricity courses and crackles across his body, through his coding and his blood, making him jolt and jerk and vomit down his chin, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and small gasps falling from his mouth.

Blue whispers some curse or prayer behind him, but Trick does not understand it. His eyes are fixed on his master, in agony on the floor of their home, sick sliding onto the carpet as the man stands over him and watches.

The figure’s head turns at the sight of them.

His hands glow with green power. His eyes shine brighter than Trick’s hair. His mouth is curled into a snarl.

He wears the colorful fabric, the colorful cloak you’ve seen before, the colorful wings of the sunbird magicians of Singapore.

“Good,” he says, very clearly. “You’re home, lah. Come in.”

Anonymous asked: I’m not sure if you boys are aware but Anti went on a mad killing spree and killed a bunch of magicians when Blue first woke up and I think...I think that person is here to give Anti a piece of his own medicine. I don’t know if he see you boys as enemies tho so please please be careful.

“Well,” breathes Blue, the air knocked out of him completely. “That would explain it. Thank you, Anti, for your many well-thought-out and harmless plans.”

“I said,” enunciates the magician, turning his body to them, and for a moment Anti is able to groan and slump down against the floor. “Come in.”

Violent green electricity lights up beneath their feet and you hear them both scream, Trick crashing into the entryway while Blue tumbles back onto the porch. No matter how far he goes, though, the electricity is following him, back, back -

The magician has him by the collar. He drags him into the house and throws him on top of Blue, slamming the door shut behind them. Their electricity dies out and Blue, twitching, leaps to his feet and reaches back towards the door, just in time for the handle to begin cackling with power. Blue screams and draws his shocked hand away, tripping back down to Trick’s level. The walls burn with the magician’s power. He turns his attention back to Anti and he begins to jerk again, gasping on the pain, unable to bring his own power to bear. Electricity is painful for a human, but for something like Anti?

He cannot breathe or think or move except to shudder with the power and the pain. Agony courses through him. He wishes for Red. He cannot open his eyes.

“Murderers!” screams the sunbird. “Killers, bloodhounds!”

spicydanhowell asked: uhhh dope? this is dope right? marv, maybe hold onto trick so he doesn't... idk. this seems pretty dope

“This is not dope,” whispers Trick, shell-shocked for a second, staring at the figure leaning over Anti. “This - this is not…”

“Leave him alone!” screams Trick, leaping to his feet and throwing himself at the sunbird, ignoring Blue’s cry for him to stop. “Stop it, don’t touch him! I’ll fucking kill you!”

The magician grabs Trick by the throat and sends power coursing through him, lifting him onto his toes as he spasms.

“No!” howls Blue, racing forward to help him. “He’s innocent, stop, stop!”

bupine asked: wait, magicians, stop! the two brothers that just came in, they're not at fault! they're brainwashed, hypnotized by anti, the demon you caught first. leave them be, please calm down!

“Oh, you’re innocent, you don’t deserve to die, it’s not your fault, you’re innocent? So was my fucking family!”

He fires a bolt of pure heat at Blue, making him cry out and fall back, his shirt smoldering.

“I’m going to burn you all down to blackened bones for what you did! I don’t care which one of you it was! I don’t care! I don’t care!”

“Please, listen to me!” begs Blue. “We’re prisoners here!”

“Coward!” spits Trick, choking on the hand around his throat. “That’s our brother! If he came after you than you deserved it!”

The magician howls and throws him to the ground, bringing the heel of his boot down directly on Trick’s nose. Blue wails like he’s the one being beaten, staggering back to his feet again, his hands out-stretched.

Anonymous asked: Marvin show them your raven tattoo and explain that you both didn’t kill anyone!

“I’m a magician, I’m a magician,” babbles Blue, trying to reach Trick, ignoring Anti writhing on the floor nearby. “Or I was, he stole my power from me, he’s the one who beat these bruises into my face, he’s a hypnotist and a memory-thief, I’m a magician, look, look - ”

The lapwing tattoo gleams darkly on his skin as he pulls his shirt back. The sunbird’s eyes flicker, his teeth gritted hatefully, but over Blue’s begging he is pulling handcuffs out of his backpack. Blue sees in his cloak the outline of a gun.

Anonymous asked: Sunbird magician, do you know anything about stolen magic? Like if it can be returned to the person it was taken from, anything like that?

“How do you return a heart once it has been ripped out of the chest and stolen away?” spits the magician, turning his dark eyes to you for the first time. “How do you give a parent back to their child after they have come home to find their body eviscerated on the floor of their home? You do not. You just die.”

He grabs Blue by the throat and collars him in rope, tugging it tight and tying him to the fireplace as he gasps.

hurricael asked: Sunbird magician please don't kill them, it makes sense you want revenge and I'm not saying you can't have it, but please take it out on the demon who did it instead of other victims of him

“I’ll be sure to kill the demon, don’t you worry about that!” he snarls. “Whichever one of them it is does not matter to me. And you! I know what you are! This magician is an electronics manipulator. He sends messages through cameras, then. Shut the hell up. You killed my family, my father.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: WAIT! SUNBIRD DUDE, MAGICO! Those two had nothing to do with it! One was in the hospital!!

“We were in the hospital!” cries Blue, desperate now. “I was ill and he was with me! We had nothing to do with it!”

“You live with a monster,” growls the sunbird. “You should have killed it when you were given the chance. I watched you last night, little lapwing. Sleeping sound. You’re not a fighter. You’re not a prisoner. Don’t try to trick me.”

Sudden fury lights up in Blue’s blood. He grits his teeth hard, his eyes watering.

“You don’t know anything about me,” he hisses. “About the things I’ve had to do to survive. I’ve been fighting every day for months now. Sleeping is a victory. That I’m alive is a victory. Don’t you dare pretend I’m something evil just because I’ve survived evil things. At least I haven’t let them turn me into something as hateful and violent as you.”

Anonymous asked: No no no! He’s not lying! They are prisoners! The one who you just stomped on has been brainwashed the worst which is why he’s defending him! Please just hold on okay? Let’s talk this out for a minute alright?

“Don’t hurt him,” cries Blue. “You can hurt me but not him, he’s out of his mind on the monster’s control, he barely knows who he is anymore, he doesn’t know what’s happening…”

“Shut up!”

bupine asked: magicians! it wasn't them, we can vouch for them! we swear they didn't hurt your family, and i am so, so sorry for what anti did to them. we couldn't stop him. don't listen to what trickshot says, he's extremely out of it and it's not his fault. please hear them out!

“Anti,” breathes the magician, leaning over him to grab his wrists and handcuff him too. Anti manages to open his eyes, staring up at him with bloodshot blue and green, and the sunbird knows that this one is the killer by the antlers that are pressing out of its skull in defense, same as the antlers he found broken on the floor of his home. “Is that your name, you fucking parasite? Is that what they call you? Look at you now, little Anti writhing underneath my power. Little boy, aw. You’re a shape-shifter and this is the form you choose to take? A neon green twink with a monster-fucker complex? Do you think Satan will even let an animal like you into hell? I fucking hope so. I bet he’s got circles just for things like you, you pathetic excuse for a demon, for a faery, for whatever the fuck you are.”

Anti’s eyes burn with hatred while his body shakes.

“I,” he whispers, his voice glitching and rising and falling and spasming worse than you’ve ever heard it. “Am - nothing - except - for what he made me. Do you - do you - do you know what that means, little sunbird?”

“What does it mean, you writhing bitch?”

“Nothing you can do will kill me,” hisses Anti, and his eyes shine black. “You don’t even know what I am.”

The magician drops him, handcuffed to the other side of the fireplace, leaving him splayed out at Blue’s side, his eyes rolling back again as the electricity consumes him once more. He’s glitching so badly Blue can barely see his face, and he’s stuck staring in horror at the mess of coding and his own image that Anti has become.

“You can burn for eternity, then, for all I care. I’m not in a hurry.”

Anonymous asked: If you kill them, you are no different than the monster that took your family away. This might feel right now, feel good even, to find the one who took everything away from you to begin with, but in the end it will do nothing for you. You are a magician, aren’t you supposed to protect people? Isn’t that what the order is for? You are in control of the situation so will you just take a second to look around? To see how scared out of their minds they are? Is that what ur family would have wanted?

“Let me be a monster, then,” answers the sunbird, stepping on Anti’s wrist beneath the handcuff, wondering if he can shatter it. “Doesn’t matter what they would have wanted. They’re dead.”

Anonymous asked: Magician, please let the ones who just came here go. They've been hypnotized and brainwashed by the one with two magics, the one you had before those two came in, don't hurt them please.

“Please,” croaks Blue. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family. Trick and I weren’t involved. We didn’t know. Please. What’s your name?”

“My name,” he spits. “Same as my father’s. Did you know what it was before you killed him, Anti? Did you know my father’s name? The name of the sunbird king? Did you know anything? He was a musician. His power was beautiful music. If he wasn’t speaking, he was singing. If he wasn’t sleeping, he was dancing. My name is Caleb. I’m killing you for Caleb. You can die for Caleb.”

hurricael asked: He can manipulate electronics, yes, but right now he's on the floor writhing in pain, I would highly doubt that he's able to even THINK right now. These other two have been hurt by him so much and for so long, and they've been hypnotized and completely broken for a long time. It's a wonder that Blue, the one with white hair, even knows that the demon is bad through all those layers of mental reshaping. Plus they didn't even know, did you hear what Blue said when they came in? They didn't know.

“Maybe he gets power from you,” reasons Caleb, ignoring the message, and he shatters you against the ground. You have other cameras in the room, luckily, but it’s a dick move and you see Blue’s eyes grieve.

bupine asked: please don't break the cameras, you'll regret it later, please. we've been through this same thing before, and trust us, revenge never makes anything better. it doesn't. we are genuinely sorry about your family. but we swear on our lives that these other two men are innocent.

“Don’t you get it,” snarls Caleb. “I don’t care if they’re innocent. I don’t care if they’re brainwashed. I wouldn’t care if they’re prisoners! I’ve been watching.”

He kicks Anti in the skull, eyes wild when he groans. “He sleeps with the little one half the nights. His room is covered in pictures of them. He makes plans to kill women just for kissing them. Obsessive little bastard. Do you love them, Anti? Do you love them? Now you can lose your family like I lost mine.”

Anti’s eyes gleam, but not with anger now. You’ve seen this look in his eyes some rare times before - leading cops away from a house in Norway, trying to rise from bed on Christmas Eve while Red was nearly stolen away, tearing open Christofer’s throat to make him drop Trick.

His family. His family.

“I’ll burn them down to ashes,” hisses Caleb. Blood drizzles out of Anti’s mouth as he grows weaker and weaker, but his eyes are glittering like terrible stars.

Anonymous asked: Blue, blue, he’s hurt and that makes him dangerous. If you can’t reason with him than you and Trick need to find a way to GET OUT

Get out. Get out. Blue needs to find a way to get himself and Trick out. Anti can die but he won’t let his little brother. He won’t, he won’t. His eyes scan around the room, but nothing comes to help him. He grits his teeth and tries to bring his power to bear, but nothing answers. He chokes on a sob and yanks against the fireplace to bring Caleb’s attention back to him before he can handcuff Trick, still holding his bleeding nose and squirming with pain closer to the door. Get up and go, Trick! But his little brother doesn’t. Blue can see him staring at the two of them and knows that he won’t go without them both.

Desperate, he turns his head and finds Anti’s eyes looking back at him, blue as oceans and rivers. Blue hates him. Anti hates him too. But neither are willing to die like this. Neither are willing to watch Trick die.

Blue’s eyes move. Anti blinks and coughs. Blue takes in a deep breath.

There is a conversation happening between them.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Trick, stay quiet, hun. You need to survive this to see Dok!

Trick takes advantage of the sunbird’s distraction, crawling towards his door and shoving inside, throwing himself onto his things and searching desperately for Dok’s handgun.

“Hey!” hollers the magician, turning to administer a burst of shock throughout the floor of the room. Trick screams, but so does another little voice.

The sunbird stops immediately, startled by Noodle’s yowling, calling the electricity back to himself before he shocks the cat any further and unwittingly giving Trick time to search. Noodle throws himself at Trick, terrified, and Trick scoops him up in shaking arms before rising to his feet with Dok’s gun clutched in his trickshot hands.

bupine asked: caleb. he's going to kill you. get out of there while you can. please. we can't watch more magicians, more people, die at his hand. once again, i'm so fucking sorry for what happened. you're not the first person who's life has been ruined by anti.

Caleb had believed that he was willing to die before he came in here, that it would be a noble death, that he would go to it happily for the sake of his revenge.

But looking down the barrel of Trick’s gun makes it very real and very close.

You see him frozen, staring, stuck, the electricity binding Anti dying down.

Anonymous asked: Trick don’t shoot!

“Don’t - shoot?” spits Trick. “Don’t - shoot this - this - h-him? Don’t - d-d-d-don’t - don’t - ”

He’s outraged at you for the suggestion.

But you can hear from his stammer that he’s terrified too, tripping so hard over the consonants that his head dips with the effort to try and speak, the hard edge of the letter trembling from his mouth again and again and again, a flurry of uncertainty.

“Don’t - don’t - don’t - don’t - don’t sh - sh - sh - ”

“Trick!”  cries Blue. “They’re right! Don’t shoot! Caleb, let’s talk this through!”

Maybe he’d tell Trick to tie him down or knock him out if he could, but Caleb still has a gun of his own in his pocket, and Blue doesn’t know how long the protection from electricity that Noodle is currently offering will hold any sway over him. He can’t watch Trick get shot.

“Marvin,” he hears Anti whisper. “Marvin.”

Anonymous asked: Trick! Please listen to blue, don’t kill the magician try to distract him instead

Trick swallows, his eyes flickering to you. Noodle mewls in his arms, still shaking from the shock. He deserves to die for hurting Noodle, but he also doesn’t want him to have to see the blood. He could cover his little cat eyes -

Focus, Trick!

“Drop the gun!” shouts Trick, cocking his own. Caleb flinches but reaches for his gun. Trick feels a thrill of fear and Blue whimpers in the corner, his body consumed by trembling.

Caleb could put the gun down. Or he could shoot Trick. Or he could shoot Anti. Two acceptable options. One impossible. Blue can’t just watch it happen. He feels Anti’s energy, the mix of his own and Blue’s, burning beside him, and he knows that Anti is not willing to leave it to chance either.

But he doesn’t want - he doesn’t want -

Anti is looking at him. Blue shakes his head. No, no. Too much. Too terrifying. I do not belong to you.

Anti’s mouth curves into a hateful smiles, coated in blood.

Like you’ve ever had a fucking choice.

And Anti possesses Blue.

Anonymous asked: For these in need of mercy, For these who are in pain, Quiet your sparking fury, Sunbird. Deal justice to the one who harmed you. Be clement to those who have not. Your battle is won, your quarry caught. Step with intent, with caution, with care. Know your enemies. Know your allies. Know yourself, and what you can do, and what you will do. And Act.

Oh, it reads like poetry, it reads like poetry, and Anti’s consciousness is rushing into Blue, and power with it, power with it, power like a flood, like a blood pact, like a death and a life and a morbidity.

Anti breathes in deep, nearly choking, freed at last from the electricity, but this - oh, this is not the best of it, this is not the best of it.

This is the tangibility the magic has longed for.

This is everything the magic has longed for.

And Anti feels whole, feels complete, feels perfected in a way he has not felt - fuck, since he was a child, since he was a child waking up in the back of his creator’s head, when the body was shared, and Jack wasn’t scared of him, and everything was well.

And Anti feels powerful.

Better than the moment he stole Marvin’s power.

This is what he should have been doing all along. The perfect mix of magic and incarnation. The perfect mix of power and control. The perfect balance, the perfect stance.

The magic belongs to him and the magic longs for the body and the body is controlled by him and everything is well. He could never control powers within somebody else’s flesh before, but this - oh, this he stole, fair and square, on the banks of the Rio Puturnayo.

He closes his eyes and everything comes easy. He’s weak, yes, and so is Blue’s body, but the magic - the magic answers so swift and so painlessly.

Small green vines bloom proudly along their body, curling their way up to the handcuffs, wrapping warmly around them and squeezing til they shatter.

It reads like poetry. You meant it for Caleb. Anti can feel the way the rhythm moves his magic. Anti remembers the poem Blue whispered to him, hateful, as he came awake in that hospital bed all those weeks ago.

“I will show you fear,” they whisper, their body rising to its feet, shaking without the cane, blue magic wisping from their eyes and open palms. “I will show you fear in a handful of dust.”

It reads like poetry. It moves like magic.

bupine asked: caleb! anti can possess people, he's taking over blue, the magician with the white hair! don't shoot him, please! shock him again, knock him unconscious, but do not kill him!

It takes about a half-second.

It takes about a half-second and Dapper isn’t there to slow it for you, and this is all you get to say. To warn him, like you warned him - Caleb, he will kill you.

Caleb realizes that his enemy is freed, grabs the gun, and turns to shoot him.

He never gets the hit off. A bullet is buried in his chest.

Trickshot - clean. Point-blank. Trick could shoot a quarter out of the air. Piercing Caleb’s heart is not a challenge.

Anti stands in Blue’s body, staring as Caleb collapses. Trick is behind him. You can hear him breathing.

Low and shaky.

Dok’s gun.

Don’t shoot, Blue told him.

You can hear him breathing.

Anonymous asked: Do anything you want to Anti, he deserves it. But please don't harm Blue or Trick, they're victims of him too. They've had people they love hurt by him, they've been hurt by him, they've been broken and manipulated and brainwashed and hypnotized and possessed by him and they didn't know he had even done anything until you came in. Please give them a chance to heal. And I think that taking them away from him would hurt him as much as killing them. More even, because he has no closure.

Trick sinks to his knees. Shaking too hard to hold Noodle. His cat hides in his lap.

Anti falls down to his knees too. Putting his mouth close to Caleb’s ear.

“Look how nicely they asked you,” he whispers, his voice layered and glitching. “How many messages did they send begging you not to hurt them, and you didn’t listen. They warned you. Look how nicely they begged you. Poor Caleb… they gave you a chance.”

Caleb spasms. His brown eyes are opened, his face against the floor. He stares up at Anti.

“If only he hadn’t given you a mortal wound,” whispers Anti. “We could have had so much fun together… maybe there’s still a little time…”

“No, Anti,” begs Trick, and then sobs are bursting from his throat, so stressed and broken they’re almost more like coughs. “No, he’s had enough. I didn’t mean to.”

Anonymous asked: Caleb Anti had electronic manipulation powers as well as fire and plants that he stole from Blue, and Blue casts through poetry so watch out for that

“Shall I show him?” coos Anti, flowers blooming around Caleb’s body, lovely at first and then thorned so thickly. Fire breathes into life in one palm. Anti leans down low, to touch his face -

Trick falls down beside him, wrapping his arms around Blue’s neck, and he begins to cry.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Anti. Back off. Let the guy die in peace. What's done is done.

“He should pay,” hisses Anti. “For hurting you - ”

“He has,” sobs Trick, holding him. “He did. I don’t want him to hurt. I just want you. And Blue. Please. I’m scared.”

Anti rises back onto his feet, bringing Trick with him. He takes his hand and pulls him into Trick’s bedroom, and all three of them collapse onto the bed.

Noodle leaps on top of them and curls his shaking body in between theirs.

Anonymous asked: Okay. This is a long shot. But Dapper. Dapper. Is it possible for you to rewind 40 minutes back? I don't completely know how your time powers work, but if it's possible can you try? And I'm sorry for scaring you, buddy, I know this is out of the blue.

Dapper’s in a car.

The sun is gold and the country is rushing past him. He’s in the backseat, buckled safely in, staring peacefully out at the world.

“I hate your fucking music, man.”

“You - hey!”

“Sorry, I do.”

“You’re a sour Juice Box today. Green apple. Okay, get my phone, pull up Dermot Kennedy, he’s the only artist we could ever agree on. For the record, your taste in music is shit too.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.”

“No, I’m telling you.”

“Fuck you, Max.”

Laughter and jostling from the front seat. Max and Ro side by side, headed back to Peru.

Dapper takes you into his lap.

“It’s very difficult for me to time travel without my medication, and sometimes the side effects can be really nasty,” he says. “But I trust you. If you need me - if you really need me - to go back in time forty minutes, I can try. Make sure you’ve thought carefully through what could happen. Know what your outcome is and what it could be. In our lives, many options can be bad, but some are worse than others.”

“What are you talking about?” asks Red happily, leaning back to pat his knee.

“No worries, Ro,” says Dapper, trying to smile, though you see he looks weary and downcast. But he trusts you if you can come to a consensus. If you want to do this over again. If you think it could end another way.

bupine asked: caleb, we're sorry. we're so fucking sorry.

Blue’s flowers are around him.

He smells aster and begonia.

He dies.

bupine asked: dapper, anti's hurt someone. someone who didn't deserve it. we need to try and help them, if that's ok. it might not work, but i feel we have to try.

Dapper stares down at his hands. You see he’s holding a little picture.

Max gave it to him. Three siblings, dark-haired and dark-skinned, and him in the middle of all of them, their arms wrapped around him, and him smiling.

Or the him he used to be.

“Anti’s hurt a lot of people who didn’t deserve it,” he says softly, and he takes his clock out of his pocket and turns b

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

“You protected me,” whispers Anti, holding Trick to his chest.

His little brother is crying, crying. Anti doesn’t really understand why. He’s made him kill people before, and then all he had to do was send him to Dok and he’d be fine the next morning. Ah, he must be missing him.

“Poor thing.” Anti snuggles closer to him, rubbing his back, and reaches over him to find the music box Dok gave him beside the mattress. He winds it carefully and lets it go, and Trick is instantly quieted by the sound of the familiar music, and by Anti’s darkening eyes.

“There you go,” purrs Anti. “Stop crying.”

Trick cuts himself off with a sniffle, hiding in Anti’s chest. Anti allows it. For a moment, he is almost overwhelmed by his fondness for him.

It isn’t like with Dapper. Dapper was just… a pet. Cute and funny and entertaining and nice to hold. But Trick is… Trick is almost like Jack.

Trick is almost like a person to Anti, like… a friend, almost. He doesn’t find it entertaining, anymore, watching Trick cry, not like he thinks it’s funny when Dapper cries. Trick just needs him so much, so desperately. There was so much less force used. So much less training. And oh, oh, but he does look just like Jack…

“I suppose I could teach you that that was your name,” mumbles Anti, stroking his green hair, the thought flickering darkly across his mind. “Trickshot hardly means anything. I could make you believe your name was Jack is I wanted to.”

Trick blinks slowly up at him and nods, rubbing at exhausted, glazed over eyes.

“You did well,” whispers Anti.

“I did really well.” Trick burrows himself back in his chest again.

“You proved yourself to me, Trick. You made up for the girl in the shed. I know you didn’t kill her. You regretted that, didn’t you? You should have killed Genesis. She was the one who took your twin from you. Stole him away.”

“I should have killed her,” mumbles Trick, sounding angry at himself. “Should have protected Dok… done what you told me to do.”

“But you’ve made up for it now.” Anti entangles his fingers lovingly in his bright hair. “Forget Xin Yi, we won’t hunt her down. We don’t have time and you’ve made up for it. You’re ready mentally. Blue’s ready physically. And me, like this - I’m ready for anything.”

Trick nods again, pulled flush against his body, his blue eyes drifting wearily closed.

“Have a nap with your cat,” murmurs Anti. “An hour or two.”

“Will you stay with me, Anti?”

“Later we can rest together. For now - I have to find us a ride to Peru. We’ll be gone before midnight. Leave nothing behind. Sleep.”

Trick closes his eyes and obeys, Dok’s music box singing to him and Noodle on his chest, Anti’s fingers running through his hair.

Or he would -

But this is all undone.

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

As is usual when Dapper rewinds time, I reblogged an older post with an addition:

“At least someone got rid of that weird cloth,” says Blue. “It was freaking me out, lying across the hummingbird feeder. It looked like a person in the dark.”

“What cloth?”

“This big swath of colorful fabric just hanging over the bird feeder. Someone must have forgotten and then remembered it.”

“I didn’t see it.”

“I was surprised Anti didn’t do anything about it. He can be kind of territorial.”

“Maybe he didn’t see it either. He hasn’t been leaving the house. Should I tell him about it?”

“I don’t know. It’s gone now, isn’t it?”

Added:

Dapper opens his eyes, staring at you.

Anonymous asked: BLUE TRICK DO NOT GO INTO THE HOUSE

“Motherfuck.” Blue half-laughs, suddenly nervous. “Okay, geez.”

“You know something, Blue?”

“What?”

“I think they really don’t want us to go in the house.”

They look at each other laughing and confused, shaking their heads.

“Well,” says Trick. “Here I go - ”

“Trick, no!”

“Kidding! Hahaha, dumb-ass, that was a joke.”

“Oh, thank God,” says Blue, grabbing his hand nonetheless. “Idiot.”

bupine asked: trick. blue. don't go inside. there's a magician in there who wants to kill you. dapper turned back time because the magician died and he didn't deserve it. anti killed his family and he wants revenge. don't go inside, please trust us, please. we only get one chance to fix this.

The laughter falls out of their faces.

“There’s a magician in there?” says Trick. “What - with Anti?”

He stares at the door, his mouth drying. Blue squeezes his hand tighter.

“Bluel, we have to get in there and - ”

“No. No.”

“They could hurt him!”

“They could hurt you,” frets Blue. “Please.”

Trick looks over at him, seeing his brother standing on his cane, pale-faced and glassy-eyed, with exhaustion in every line of him, and he stays.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Whyyy don't you go for a walk around the block or something?

“Come on,” murmurs Trick, squeezing Blue’s hand in return. “I’ll take you to that park a couple blocks down and you can wait there for me.”

“I’m not going anywhere if you’re going to do something stupid,” answers Blue hotly.

bupine asked: anti, can you hear us? caleb? can anyone inside hear?

You can see inside the house from the cameras around the room, but they seem a little pre-occupied.

Caleb is stepping on Anti’s throat. Anti spasms with electricity just like he did last time, choking and thrashing, gasping and squeezing his eyes shut, feeling like his powers are cut-off from him by this horrible lightning, frying both his physical and intangible form.

Anonymous asked: Yeah haha funny but this is really serious, we had dapper reverse because if you guys go in there it will be a very bad time. You need to leave and go far away and you need to do it now.

“Blue, you should go.”

“I’m not going without you.”

“Don’t think I won’t carry you and steal your cane, asshole.”

Anonymous asked: Stay together and stay away from the house, guys, please

“If you guys really think I’m leaving Anti to be motherfucking tortured, you can think the fuck again!” shouts Trick, whirling on you with venom in his eyes. “Sorry I’m the only one around here that gives a fuck but that’s my brother!”

hurricael sked: Guys please. Last time someone died. Stay away from the house.

“No,” Trick is saying before he’s even finished the messages. “No, I won’t leave Anti to this alone. He doesn’t have Red, he doesn’t have Dap, he just has me. You’re insulting me! You’re insulting me, you think I’m a coward and that I’d leave somebody I love behind to maybe get hurt!”

Anonymous asked: Trick if you go into that house there is a possibility that you will kill someone. You will walk out with blood on your hands. Listen to us, for once, and leave with Blue.

“If all you guys have is stupid suggestions where I live Anti behind I don’t have to listen to you!” snarls Trick.

Anonymous asked: Whatever you do, don't separate. The sunbird magician know about you two, and if he gets bored with anti, he may come looking. We can't get him to listen to reason but we can't let it come down to a fight either.

“I’ll stay with you,” whispers Blue.

This, at least, makes Trick look conflicted. He can’t watch Blue get hurt. Not again.

bupine asked: trick, anti can't save you this time. please listen to us for fucking once. are you forgetting we know what happens?

“Are you forgetting that I know you guys don’t give a fuck what happens to Anti? That you keep trying to tear me away from him? For all I know, he could be dying right now, and you would tell me to leave him behind!”

bupine asked: caleb! we need to speak to you! can you listen to us for just a minute, please?

Caleb stares up at the little beeping of the camera. If he were still struggling with Anti, he wouldn’t bother, but he feels coolly in control now, Anti struggling on the floor beneath him. He steps a little closer to the camera, cocking his head.

spicydanhowell asked: trick, there is nothing you can do. what happened last time is you were beat up and knocked out and anti was still in trouble. anti can fight off a magician on his own, and if you go back in there and get hurt again, all that will happen is dap will have to exhaust himself turning back time again and he's not healthy right now. you need to take care of blue right now. don't give him anything else to worry about.

“Well, guess what? Getting knocked out protecting him is better than not going in there and getting punished for running away later. He can see these cameras, remember?”

“Trick, if he knows we thought he was able to handle himself - ”

“I don’t believe them well enough for that.”

Mod posted:

“Stop, stop, stop!” shouts Trick, waving his hands. “Stop saying the same thing, be quiet, let me think! Too many ‘Anti can handle himself’ messages and I’m not buying it!”

bupine asked: caleb, hi. we know your name, and we know what happened to your family. we're sorry. can you hear us out? the man you have on the floor there is a terrible man. he's abused people, tortured people. but i know you're here for something else. please, get out of here while you can. leave anti. you can't kill him anyway.

Caleb blinks.

He looks between Anti and the camera, mouth twisted with confusion.

“This is what of your tricks, meh.”

Anti grits his teeth, but cannot answer. Despite his statement, Caleb seems curious still, drifting a little closer to you.

“He is terrible,” he agrees, frowning. “You have that much right.”

Anonymous asked: Trick before you do anything THINK. We don't control you or your choices but make sure this is a choice you WANT first. Ambush if you must, It's not just about you killing someone who hurt anti, anti may hurt and possess blue in an attempt to fight back. Remember possession? Do you really want to wish that on blue, as injured as he is already?

“Blue - possessed?” whispers Trick, turning to his brother, and his own fear of possession transfers quite cleanly over to his friend, and Trick looks even more terrified than Blue does.

hurricael asked: Caleb, you have to be careful. He recovers quickly from the electricity, keep an eye on him while you're here.

Caleb scowls and turns back to Anti, upping the power. Anti gives a short shriek, his skull thudding against the floor.

bupine asked: this isn't a trick. we hate anti too - he's a vile being. but if you don't get out of here - you'll die. don't ask how we know. please, save yourself. this is the last chance we'll get to save you, and i believe you deserve a second chance.

Caleb sets his mouth.

“Some things are worth dying for. I decided that before I even came here. I will pour every ounce of suffering I can out on him before he sinks his fucking claws in like he did to my father.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: What ARE you here for, Caleb?

Caleb lets out a short, bitter laugh.

“Hell… revenge, I suppose, but the word is so dramatic. What would anybody want if they came home for spring break to find their whole family murdered? I want him dead. I want his family dead. His little henchman, the sick one and the gunman. I’ll kill them for what they did to my family.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, if you do go in there be careful and maybe get Noodle out of the way first? Noodle got a bit hurt and a lot scared last time... Anti is being shocked within the inch of his life right now. Don't exactly know how he'll get away this time, though.

“Noodle,” chokes Trick, and such a silly word becomes desperation on his mouth. “Oh, no, my kitten.”

Anonymous asked: It wasn't Anti that died, you don't have to worry about that

“Anti’s not going to die?” squeaks Trick desperately, trying to cull his own rising panic.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: But the others had nothing to do with the murders. Please, keep them out of this!

“He deserves to lose his family the way I did,” spits Caleb.

hurricael asked: Caleb. I am in no way trying to doubt your dedication, but this isn't worth dying for. As far as we know, he can't die. But your electricity has been the best at subduing him of anything we've seen. You can help most by living, and preparing, in case he goes after people you care about again.

“Then I guess we need to try some different tactics,” snarls Caleb, and he steps into Anti’s room, and takes out a great silver knife, turning back towards Anti. Anti’s eyes flicker. As his own form of threat or intimidation, he lets his throat open and spill blood out. Caleb wavers, eyes huge.

Anonymous asked: Caleb, if you want to destroy his family, you'll have to hurt way more than the other two guys you saw at the hospital. Are you prepared to go to South America and hunt down their three brothers just so you can kill them in front of Anti too? Where does it end? I'd tell you revenge is empty but I know you couldn't care less.

“South America, huh? Where in South America? I’ve never been and I have nothing else to live for.” He smiles coldly at you.

Anonymous asked: I mean, Anti might need someone to distract Caleb if you really want him to get free but you'd have to be careful Trick. Maybe plan out how you're going to ambush the man. He's very much revenge-driven right now and I'm pretty sure that he'll keep Anti alive just to kill you and Blue in front of him. Maybe he'd start with Blue first since he's currently the sicker one so if you want to protect Blue you should probably take the initiative. But like a reasonable and planned initiative.

“Distract Caleb,” murmurs Trick, turning back to the house, thinking. “Okay. Okay. How do I get in there, then? The window in my room is always locked, but sometimes Anti leaves his open…”

Anonymous asked: If you barge in there, Anti will distracted and he will get hurt for certain!!!

Trick hears Anti’s cry of pain as the electricity increases and his heart begins pounding harder in his chest. “Sounds like he’s already getting hurt.”

Anonymous asked: Trickshot, last time, the magician nearly killed you. Anti and Blue both agreed that they could not let that happen, under any circumstances, and that's what led Anti to possess Blue. Anti will honestly be happier that you are not in danger. If you can try to help without putting yourself or Blue in harm's way, maybe try that, but just think it through. Trust us, you guys have the time.

“I already told you several times I’m not leaving Anti alone with this.”

Anonymous asked: Caleb, the demon deserves everything you can do to him, but he very, very careful about how you proceed. He can possess people, hypnotize people, stole nature magic told through poetry, and he has two puppets under his control that we're trying to manage and keep out of your way. Keep an eye on the door - lock it out if you can. If you have a way to kill Anti, do it fast. Otherwise, you need to leave and regroup before the puppets come to kill you.

This is good information for Caleb, actually, and when he looks at you his eyes are less accusatory than they were before. He looks around and decides to lock the front door.

Trick hears it click on the other side and jumps, alarmed.

Anonymous asked: caleb you dense motherfucker. you survive for what you can do in the future, don't give up because of what you've already lost. don't you want to warn other magicians so more massacres don't happen? don't you want to pass on the memory of the sunbirds so they won't have died in vain?

“I think if I have a chance to at least try to kill this thing, I should,” says Caleb quietly, approaching Anti with the knife. “It’s not just revenge. This is a dangerous magical creature. It’s a magician’s job to destroy such things when they become violent towards humans.”

He kneels down at Anti’s side, shoving him onto his back and holding the knife over him, examining the deep cut in his throat with the blade.

“If this doesn’t work, we’ll try a couple exorcisms, salt, silver… I’ll think of more.”

Anonymous asked: And you'll have to be quiet while you're moving. Maybe shoot him in some non-lethal area? Just to disarm him and get him distracted.

“I can do that. I’m a good shot. But I’ll need my gun.”

bupine asked: caleb, anti's hurt many, many people. we've seen him take lives, seen their families crumble. we can never stop him. but we can try and talk to you. will you listen?

Caleb’s face crumples with grief.

Families destroyed and lives taken. For no reason. He still doesn’t know the reason. He still doesn’t have the first idea why. He just came home. He just wanted to come home to his dad.

“What can you say?” he spits, tears rising in his eyes. “What can anyone?”

hurricael asked: Trick, Anti can't die. We're trying to talk the magician into leaving, so no one dies and no one gets any more hurt. What would happen if you go in is bloodshed, best case scenario someone gets hurt, worse case you or Blue or both die. I know you're worried for Anti, but the best thing you can do for you and Blue is to wait.

“I’m not leaving Anti alone. I’ve seen him plenty hurt before even if he can’t die. I don’t know how many times I have to say that.”

spicydanhowell asked: caleb, the other two men are very sick because of anti, physically, mentally, and they're trapped with him. these men are absolutely harmless without anti around and they deserve to be free from him. please don't go after them, okay? it won't even hurt anti if you hurt them. he doesn't love them. he doesn't feel love.

Caleb sighs, long and shuddering. “Look, I guess this is the one who I was looking for - I can tell by these antlers - so if the other two really aren’t killers and are just prisoners, I won’t go after them if they don’t come.”

Anonymous asked: While the others are distracting the guy, Trick can you crawl towards your room or stuff without making any noise?

Trick hurries around the other side of the house, Blue following fretfully behind, but Anti’s window isn’t open like he had hoped. He growls with frustration, trying to look through the windows, but all he can see is a dark figure in a colorful cloak, his back turned to him.

Anonymous asked: Poor Anti, he was practically spitting out blood while he was being tortured by the revenge driven magician...

“He what?” screams Trick. He looks wildly around, ignoring Blue’s shouting, and sees that pole where the sunbird cloak had hung, the one meant, perhaps to be a bird feeder. He grabs it between his hands and yank, yank, yanks it out of the earth. Blue has had to sit down, looking overwhelmed by the stress and his own weakness - or worse, his own helplessness as all this happens.

Trick grunts and pulls the pole out of the earth, hefting it in his palms, feeling like Red with his fighting staff. He’ll smash in the window to his room, grab his gun, and kill him.

Anonymous asked: Uhhhh Anti? Trick's trying to get in... you might want to knock him out for a bit..

Anti stares up at you from the floor, and apparently his sheer outrage is enough to give him a little strength, because he manages to shriek, “What the FUCK am I supposed to do?” loud enough to make Caleb jump.

spicydanhowell asked: blue, we just got the word that you both will be completely spared if you stay clear. so.... do whatever you have to do to keep trick out of there. i know you're sick but... anything in your power

Blue’s mouth dries.

Unlike Trick, he believes you. He’s always been on your side. You’re wise to speak to him.

Anything he can to keep Trick out of there.

He staggers back to his feet and grabs Trick by the shoulders, pushing him back from the window before he can smash it in.

“You’ll - you’ll get glass on Noodle,” he manages.

It’s a weak excuse, but it makes Trick pause, and Blue continues rapidly, all but babbling, anything to keep Trick out of there.

“Listen, my love, do you remember the magicians in Peru?”

“I - yeah?”

“Who was the one who stopped them from stealing Red away?”

Trick blinks. “Dapper.”

“Okay, yes. And it sounds like Dapper already unwound today once, right? And he told them what to do to make the best possible outcome happen. Don’t trust them, Trick, trust Dap. This is like every other time we hear him faint and we know he’s told Anti what has to change to keep him safe. Dapper is keeping us all safe.”

“No, I can’t just leave Anti to suffer! I won’t!”

“Amata, it sounds like he’ll suffer less if you don’t go in there. Besides, I’m your big brother, and I’m ordering you.”

Something clears in Trick’s gaze. This has always been a saving grace for him, at least in regards to punishment. He’s never been punished for following an older brother’s order even if he knew it was against Anti’s orders, like when Red and Blue would give him permission to eat peanut butter and say Anti had allowed it even if, in the back of his head, he knew Anti had not. Blue is offering to cover for him. And Anti, in Trick’s mind, would never punish Blue severely enough to do any real damage.

He stares into the house, still beneath Blue’s hands, trying to think.

bupine asked: caleb. if we told you you could save the life of another person today, would you? an innocent woman who might die if you don't help? there's a woman named xin yi who works at a hawker near the hospital. you've seen her before - the one who kissed trick. anti is going to kill her. is there any chance you could help to protect her? please, one of anti's boys is going to be forced to murder her if you can't help.

Caleb blinks.

He doesn’t know the name, but he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. The girl hadn’t looked like she was a part of any of this - she had been giggling about Minecraft and America, for fuck’s sake. And now she’s in trouble.

“I’m calling the cops,” he says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I already had to tell them about my family. I’ll tell them the same person is after her. What’s her last name?”

Anonymous asked: Blue, i don't know if there's anything else we can say, the magician said he won't hurt you two of you stay out of it but I don't know if he'll hold true to that. Can you grab Trick? Anything? If he does make it in, will you follow? If he goes in alone, I don't think he'll make it out, so to speak. I'm sorry we can't redirect people who already have their minds made up no matter how much of the future we know.

“I don’t want Anti to get hurt,” says Trick, shaking his head, making up his mind. “For all we know, Dap expected me to help him. I’ll burst in, get my gun, and - ”

Blue’s cane connects with the back of his head and Trick crumples like a leaf in Autumn.

spicydanhowell asked: it's "koh"

Caleb calls the cops and warns them. They’ll look into it and set up an armed guard.

Anonymous asked: Caleb, keep an eye on Anti. He had partially recovered after this long, last time.

“Was he being repeatedly filled with as much electricity as I can muster, ‘last time?’” asks Caleb coolly. “I bet whoever shocked him last time didn’t have power like mine. But you’re right. Why don’t we try something new?”

He puts the blade down in Anti’s chest.

Anti screams, his entire body glitching horribly, but no matter how much of his own electricity he’s losing, Caleb is immune to it, watching the power surge up his hands with interest. He jolts away when Anti begins losing control of his form, though - Anti is a deer, a black dog, a rabbit, a cat, a songbird, a man again, all bleeding swiftly from the chest. He looks down at himself in a panic, grappling desperately at the wound as more blood than he’s ever seen himself simulate comes pouring out of his chest.

Except this blood isn’t simulated.

“Dok!” he hears himself sobbing. “Henrik!”

Maybe he can die after all, now that Blue’s magic is changing him.

Maybe he was bluffing.

bupine asked: we don't know her last name, and the cops can't help. do you know how many cops anti's killed? many. get out of there. save her, if you can, and it you can't, just get away. neither you nor her wanted to be involved in this. once again, i'm sorry about your family. so, so sorry. i don't know anything about them, but i think they'd like to know that you saved a life in their honour. or saved yourself, at the very least.

bupine added: oh I didn’t know we knew her last name

“If I kill him, she won’t be in danger anymore,” says Caleb, stepping away from Anti as he writhes. He’s startled by a soft mewl beside him and turns his head to see a little golden cat staring up at him.

“Sorry, kitty,” says Caleb, leaning down to scratch him. “Did I wake you up from a nap?”

Anonymous asked: Well that’s one way to do that blue

“I guess so,” says Blue, his eyes very wide.

Then he begins to giggle weakly, tears springing to his eyes, and he has to sit down again to steady himself.

Anonymous asked: Trick oh my god please calm down. You're stressing Anti out since SOMEONE told him about you trying to break in. You'll get hurt then Anti'll get even more stressed and you'll get stressed and everyone will get stressed. Calm down please

“Guess he’s calm now,” says Blue, drawing him into his lap, looking apologetically down at his still face. He strokes Trick’s hair, and then he begins to cry.

He won’t even have his little brother’s comfort soon enough. Trick will hate him for this.

Anonymous asked: Blue, whatever you're going to do you should probably do now. I don't quite remember, but I think I read that being knocked out like that doesn't last long?

“Well, what do you want me to do?” chokes Blue, brushing his tears away. “It’ll last a while! I’ll find his pressure point and knock him out again if I have to, I don’t know what the fuck is happening anymore.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, please don't kill him. Anti went after those magicians first. Please don't help the circle of revenge continue. This one had his family killed; you're ready to kill for Anti, just like the magician was ready to fight for his family. Shoot him, or hurt him, if you have to, but we're trying to avoid more death (no one has died while we're talking to you, don't worry).

“You should be careful,” sniffles Blue, putting his head down against his little brother’s. “I don’t know what’s happening, but it doesn’t really matter. Anti’s powerful. I doubt he needs Trick’s help to kill that guy. And fuck but he’s creative in his violence. He’ll find a way.”

Anonymous asked: Caleb, I know this sounds wild and random, but don't let the cat get too close to Anti. He's possessed animals before, and he might be desperate enough now to try again to get away. Its name is Noodle. Can you try to nudge it to another room? Don't hurt it please.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Caleb scoops Noodle up and lets him carefully out of the house, opening the front door again.

Anonymous asked: CALEB FORTIFY THE WINDOWS

Caleb glances at you quizzically, but checks that all the windows are locked.

Anti isn’t doing well, slumped across the floor, bleeding heavy from the chest. He stares up at Caleb with hateful eyes, and then he closes them, and focuses.

Anonymous asked: Caleb, I think we should maybe explain ourselves as far as our messages. These people Anti has with him are not his real family, he stole them away and has been brainwashing and hurting then for months. We, the cameras, are a way for him to taunt us by showing off that he's won and all we can do is watch. If you need to hurt anti, by all means: give us a show, but please spare our boys. We can only help so much and they need so much more help than we can give.

“This is all messed up,” mumbles Caleb, staring up at you. “What the fuck. Okay, well… fine, okay, fine. I won’t hurt the others.”

Anonymous asked: your ͞f͢aţh̸er͟ ͝di҉èd̷ like ́a̛ do͘g

Caleb’s eyes widen.

He stares up at you for a second and then whirls around, panting, to look at Anti.

Anti stares back at him, teeth gritted hatefully. His mouth glitches.

Anonymous asked: c̶òwa̶rd͘ bo̡ý. ͘s̨n̵u͡c̸k up ̶on me. d̶o̕ ̷yo͟u fe͘el like a ͞m͝an? y̴ou d͞id̛n't beat m̷e.̸ ͢y̛o͢u̶ sh͡o͡ck͜ed m͢e̛.̢ your ̢fa͏the̷r w̨o͟ul̢d b́e a҉s̛ha̧med

“Shut up,” whispers Caleb. “Shut up. You deserve this.”

Anti manages to laugh, rolling onto his back, his face very white, though his eyes, hateful and burning, never leaves Caleb.

Caleb looks right into them, trying to communicate his hatred. Black eyes. Deep black eyes.

bupine asked: caleb, he's sending you messages through the cameras. don't listen. do not listen. if you have any fucking sense, if you care for yourself at all, get the hell out of there. you're giving him what he wants.

Anti grits his teeth tight, and then, on your screens:

T̶hes̵e ar̴e my ̕cam̧e͠r̛as͠. You won’t ̧beat m̕e͢ wit͢h҉ them.

And your messages fizzle away.

bupine asked: blue, get away from the house. as far as trick will go. just do it, please. i don't know what's happening inside.

“I’m sorry,” says Blue, very weary. “I can barely carry myself, let alone him.”

Anonymous asked: Caleb, watch Anti, I think he's doing something! It might be a good idea to shock him again

Whether or not he gets your message, Caleb’s hatred is focused directly on Anti now. He stares down at him, getting closer, closer, looking right into his powerful eyes, and all Anti has to do - all Anti has to do -

He lets out a noise you’ve never heard him make before.

A whimper, maybe.

He doesn’t have the strength to possess Caleb.

“Look at you,” hisses Caleb, getting down and straddling his waist, shoving him to the ground, putting the blade back on his already weeping throat. “Trying to taunt me with your last pathetic words. You little monster. How does it feel to know that everyone you’ve ever met will be better off without you around?”

Anti stares up at him with mismatched eyes, lying there in the living den where he has sat so many times with Trick, listening to him talk, watching him play his games. Green hair, blue eyes. A smile on his face. A familiarity between them.

No. He’s not leaving Trick behind. He wants to go back to Trick.

He thinks maybe he’s finally found someone who really makes him happy.

“You’re a leech,” growls Caleb, even as his tears fall down on Anti’s face. “You’re a leech on the world, on these prisoners you keep, on everyone around you. No one will miss you. I hope your sleep is restless and your nightmares terrible. There is nothing you can do now. Nothing you can offer. My father is dead and you cannot bring him back.”

Shape-shift. Flickering between forms. This Anti can do. If he tries. If he concentrates. If he musters the last of his strength.

If he searches the electronics around the house… a control panel… never used… if he turns something on…

One last plan.

Caleb raises his hand. Electricity cackles and snaps between his fingers, green as emerald, ready to kill him.

Anti shape-shifts into the Sunbird King - Caleb Senior, his father, the man you saw just once, dancing around his room in his feathered robes, singing.

Caleb hesitates, a gasp on his mouth.

Anti throws him off him, into the fireplace, where the gas is turned on.

Anonymous asked: oh... blue, i'm so sorry you had to do that. rest in the knowledge that you did good, okay? you did your best to protect your brother. it's an awful, terrible, fucked up situation, but trick won't shoot someone or get shot, and anti will be weak. hang in there. you did your best, and trick will be safer for it

“I did what I had to,” mumbles Blue, stroking his little brother’s hair. “I’ve always done what I had to. I kept him safe.”

Anonymous asked: Blue I know this'll sound,,, absolutely nuts, but. Lie down and pretend you were knocked out too? Anti might win this round. He really, really might. And you're already so weak and tired, it's just- preserve what you can. If Trick and Anti think the both of you were ambushed, or maybe the magician cast on both of you to keep you out of the way, you both might get in less trouble?

Blue looks confused, but he trusts you. He lies down there in the dirt and grass, and holds Trick to his chest, quiet.

Anonymous asked: I don't know what to do either. There's a magician in there; he won't hurt you if you don't hurt him, I think. Maybe you can ask him to help get the two of you out of there? You don't have to, though, but maybe he'll help.

Blue nods slowly. He won’t hurt them if they don’t hurt him. Maybe he’ll even help them… yeah. That would be really nice. They could go away somewhere… hide together…

Blue stiffens, blinking.

Why does he smell smoke?

hurricael asked: CALEB SHOCK HIM NOW. I'm sorry. I know he looks like your father. But Anti killed him, and now he's taunting you, manipulating your decisions by wearing his face. You have to shock him now.

This is a good idea.

But Caleb is on fucking fire.

He screams aloud as his hand sparks with the gas and an explosion of flame surrounds him. His sunbird cloak is instantly on fire - and so is the wall and floor of the house. Anti chokes and drags himself away, managing to make it to the kitchen before collapsing again. Caleb writhes as the flame spreads, burns spreading up his body. You can hear him screaming wildly, trying to run while the fire spreads across him.

Anonymous asked: I think Anti just killed the magician. Play unconscious.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Blue is gasping, curling tighter around Trick, fear making him stiff. He didn’t want the magician to die. He didn’t want one more person to die at Anti’s hands. This is horrible. Tears fill his eyes.

Anonymous asked: Blue you could to wake up Trick so you can run

“I - I - ”

Blue stares at the house as the fire spreads.

“Is the magician still inside?”

Trick is out cold in his arms.

“And - oh, fuck, Noodle.”

Anonymous asked: Noodle has been evicted from the premises just around front! He's okay!

Blue makes it to his feet and hurries to the front of the house, but he doesn’t see Noodle.

hurricael asked: Blue Noodle's outside out front

“Are you guys sure?” asks Blue, looking around. “We have another problem if he ran off. He - oh, my fucking - ”

In through the window of the front door, he can see a little golden cat, stretched out on its side, bleeding from the heart.

“No!” screams Blue, and he does not hesitate, he does not pause - he races back around the side of the house, picks up the pole that Trick yanked out of the ground, and shatters the window to their room in one blow.

Glass cuts into him as he drags himself, panting hard, into the room, but even as dizziness reaches his head he’s moving into the kitchen. Blue scoops up the little golden cat in his arms, holding its panting body to his chest.

“It’s okay, pumpkin, it’s okay,” sobs Blue, stroking his head. “I’ll get you out, I’ll get you out. I’m so sorry, baby, I’ll get you back to Trick.”

He looks around the house as it begins to burn, panting hard, and though he does not see Anti, there, there, struggling in the living room, is the magician, aflame.

Anonymous asked: Caleb get out, get out now

He struggles to his feet, trying to throw his father’s cloak off, sobbing as the fire burns at his skin. He can’t get it off. He can’t get up. He’s going to die.

Then Blue is there, tearing at his clothes, helping him, and Caleb weeps as the cloak leaves his skin, as he is shoved to the earth, as white hands suffocate fiercely the fire that has reached his shirt, as he is pulled up onto someone’s shoulder and dragged to his feet -

“Come on!” cries Blue, tugging him along. “We have to get out!”

Caleb chokes up smoke and staggers on his feet, managing to step forward, and then the two of them are racing towards the door, their hands scrabbling together at the lock, and they tumble out onto the porch together, heaving for air.

The neighbors have come out of the house across the way and already Blue can see one with his phone to his ear. But it doesn’t much matter, he supposes. The house is already doomed.

But the magician is alive, choking and coughing and burned beside him, staring up at him with shocked, exhausted, grateful eyes. Their arms are locked together. Blue feels Caleb’s hands trace the Lapwing tattoo.

Anonymous asked: Blue the magician put noodle outside!

 “Wait - what?” mumbles Blue, exhausted. “I’ve got him, it’s okay…”

Noodle’s green and blue eyes stare at you.

hurricael asked: THAT IS NOT NOODLE. THAT IS ANTI. ANTI WAS STABBED IN THE CHEST ABD NOODLE WAS ALREADY OUSTIDE. Several other people added similar messages.

Terror fills up Blue’s face. He drops the cat and staggers away, but too late - Anti is already shifting back into himself, his eyes gleaming, blood weeping out of his mouth, and he does not have the strength to be alone, he does not have the vitality -

He throws himself at Blue and both collapse as one, crashing down the porch.

Anonymous asked: Caleb. Anti possessed Blue, and in that form he can use fire and plant magic. You need to run, now. With or without Trick, the unconscious one, but you need to go RIGHT NOW. Another anon added a similar message.

Caleb is heaving on the earth beneath the porch. Burns coat his chest and arms. His breaths come in struggling gasps.

The neighbors from across the street rush over to help him and distantly you hear sirens, but he can’t run, not now.

Anonymous asked: Oh no... please tell me noodle is okay

Anti staggers to Blue’s feet.

Oh, weakness. His own essence is tattered horribly, pain echoing through the whole of his form, and Blue’s body is weak, smoke in the lungs, exhaustion in the muscles.

But he’s here. He’s alive.

And there is a… completion to it.

He feels whole for the first time in a long time.

Trick - he needs to get to his Trick.

Anti staggers around the house. Trick is laid out in the dirt, unconscious, but alive. A golden cat is darting out of the trees towards him. Anti falls to his knees next to them, heaving, as Noodle mewls and begins licking Trick’s face, settling down on his chest. He’s fine. Trick and Noodle both. Anti grips his brother’s hand and breathes.

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Oooh gosh...wake trick up! Maybe Noodle will respond to his voice if you guys look and call for him!

“Trick,” mumbles Anti, shaking him gently. “Trick.”

He stirs with a groan, his eyes still shut.

Anti leans down and summons his power.

“Trick,” he whispers. “Obey me, wake up.”

Trick shocks awake, gasping, and grabs Anti’s shirt in alarm, staring up at him for a second. And then -

“Asshole!” he screams, swinging for Blue’s face.

Anti intercepts him, shoving his fist down. “Trick, it’s me, Anti,” he snaps. “See?”

He lets his right eye change to green. Trick looks up at him, shell-shocked.

“Anti… you’re okay. I tried to - ”

“I know you did,” whispers Anti, putting their foreheads together. “No matter what anyone else told you. You did well. Trick… I’m glad you’re alive.”

Trick throws his arms around him, hugging him to his chest. Anti allows it, feeling his hands shake as they embrace him.

“Don’t be scared, Anti,” says Trick, very soft. “I got you.”

“I love you,” mumbles Anti, knocking their heads together. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Come on. We have to go.”

“What? Where?”

“I’ll hack tickets for us at the airport. I think we better get out of this country.”

“Wasn’t there someone you wanted to kill?”

“Too much hassle now. Besides, I know you’re mine.”

Trick smiles at him, the light coming back to his eyes.

“We’re going to go find Dok, huh?” he asks.

“Yes,” promises Anti, helping him to his feet. “Let’s go get the rest of our brothers back.”

“I should get my stuff. I just need - ”

The realization hits Trick too late. His head whips over to stare at the house as it burns.

All his things going up in flames. His clothes, his Switch, Noodle’s toys. More importantly, Dok’s things, Dok’s gifts to him - his music box. His - oh, no. He’s wearing his polar bear sweatshirt, at least, and his crinkle paper is in his pocket. But that’s it. He stares up at Anti in terror, but his brother just stares softly back at him, his eyes apologizing.

“All our stuff,” manages Trick weakly.

“I’ll get you new things,” answers Anti softly, wiping water from his little brother’s face and taking Blue’s cane in his hand. “It’ll be okay. Come on. We have to go.”

They get to their feet and hurry away together, ignoring the worried calls of the neighbors afterwards. They need to be gone before the firemen come.

Anti casts one look back at Caleb.

The Sunbird Prince stares at him. Eyes like dying stars.

Anti shakes his head and takes Trick’s hand, moving down the pavement beside him.

It’s time to put things back in order.

Anonymous asked: Don't forget Noodle! He's just vibing around, somewhere.

“I’ve got him!” promises Trick, hefting him in his arms. Noodle just looks relieved to be with him again. “I don’t think he liked the great outdoors. He’s never been outside since I got him! We’ll take him on the plane, right, Anti?”

“Yes, amata, I’ll get him a carrier.”

pixie-in-trebleland asked: Since when do you call him Amata, Anti? Isn't that Blue's thing?

Anti smiles coldly at you.

“I like it. Is that so wrong? Sorry, does Blue have a monopoly on ‘sweetheart’ and ‘love,’ too? I think it’s funny. Blue can hear me.”

He smiles over at Trick, picking out snacks in an airport store.

“But I’ll have to turn you off before we go through security. See you soon, amatae. On the other side of the world.”

whydoilovesomanyvillians asked: Well thanks anyway dap

“Dap! What were you thinking!”

Max has pulled the car over. Red is in the back with Dap and the door open, holding his little brother’s head to his shoulder. Dapper blinks wearily around the car, blood dripping into the tissue Red holds to his nose, but he still manages to glance over and give you a woozy smile and a thumbs up.

“Did something happen?” asks Red, fretting over him. “Do I need to change something? Are we safe?”

“Don’t know,” says Dapper, frowning. “Really, really disoriented…”

Red sighs and gets into the car beside him, buckling up and shutting the door. “We better just get you to a hotel for the night,” he murmurs. “You don’t mind driving still, Max?”

“Like I’m going to let your lead-foot up here,” teases Max gently, though he’s looking worried for Dapper.

Red shoves his shoulder in revenge and pulls Dapper close to his chest. “Everything’s okay, bud. I’m going to look after you.”

“Thank you, Anti,” mumbles Dap, putting his head down on his shoulders.

End Section Ten of Chapter Three: The Sunbird Prince

[phantomphangphucker]

Phango - Not So Strangers In The Night

(Swagger Bishie + Identity Reveal + Ghost King)

Dash wants many things but there’s two he’s sure he just can’t have, Danny meanwhile, doesn’t think ‘can’t’ is an actual word.

Dash sighs mentally, eyeballing Danny out of the corner of his eye. There had always just been something about how lithe the guy’s body was, the way his clothing would occasionally cling or hang off him giving away the skinnier body underneath. Personally, he would never wear oversized clothing himself, but it was more than a little attractive on people with petite frames.

Watching Danny stretch his arms over his head and yawn in a way that was almost cat-like. He doesn’t know when Danny’d gotten his teeth done like that, the fangs, but they added an even more slender and sharp edge to his face. Moving his gaze up the other teens' jawline to mentally trace out a sharp line all the way past the tapered ears. Everything about Danny’s face was sharp, defined...and incredibly attractive.

Glancing back to Danny’s arms just before he lowers them, the oversized sweater just thin enough and just heavy enough to give away the ever so slight hint of defined muscles underneath. Dash has no clue how that happened and he was honestly a bit hurt and dismayed when he noticed Danny bulking up. How could he not notice? It was so very obvious every time he grabbed around the now practically rock hard biceps to drag the kid off for his daily beating. Or when he snuck a peek down Danny’s shirt, as he always did, when pinning him up against some locker. He knows attacking Danny is pretty stupid, but Dash knows he’s not a smart guy. And really? A jock with a loser? A freak? Never. He’d be a social pariah. So he gets his hands on his secret little crush the only way he knows how. With rough hands and a strong dose of aggression. He does relish the closeness too though with that strange muscle Danny’s built, he does wonder why Danny never truly fights back. He honestly wouldn’t mind getting rough up by the lithe teen. That was half the reason he loved football after all, and working out. The bruises, the cuts, the sore muscles. Pain was a pleasure and carried a feeling of power. Knowing just what your body could do and take. And he’ll admit to testing Danny’s limits sometimes. Seeing just how much pain he could take, which honestly just left him feeling very impressed...and attracted.

But back to why Danny’s muscle growth had bugged him. In the beginning, it did anyway. See Danny had always been skinny, there was a daintiness to him, yet lithe. It’s not like Danny never had muscle, no, it had just been muscle potential hidden away. And wondering just what he could do if that potential developed was a bit exhilarating. Just like getting a new teammate on the field. But his fellow jocks were all rather brutish in their muscle and psyche, which Dash firmly did not have an interest in. And sure, maybe he had gone a little blind, thinking that the only real options were skinny, beefy, or fat.

So imagine his hidden horror with that mindset, when Danny -with the perfect femboy bod, with all the sharpness needed to have a somewhat pixie look- seemed to be transitioning into the beefy category? Over time that worry was quelled, Danny’s muscle was so different. He never seen such a lean tight kind of musculature, Danny even seemed to become more sharp; sharper jaw, the ears, even his eyes had a sharpness. It was, dare he say, exotic. Which if anything, only added to the femboy pixie look. Which okay, sue him, he liked cutesy shit; definitely explained his taste in men. Not that anyone actually knew that. Dash Baxter, number one football star and the example of masculinity, being interested in anything ‘cute’? Never. He had an image he had to keep.

That was one thing he was insanely jealous of Danny over. Danny’s freaky family made it so that it didn’t damn matter what he did or how he acted. Nothing was unexpected behaviour from a Fenton. And he was already a social pariah. Danny could literally transform into a dog or some shit and no one would really be all that surprised. He might get a few new insults hurled at him but that’s it. But Dash? The slight wrong move and goodbye scholarships or dealing with a furious father. ‘Cause don’t let it fool you, regardless of what the colleague heads said publicly, they absolutely did discriminate. Especially in sports. And bi in football? Bi and hocked up with a cute little thing who was a social outcast of the lowest most mocked kind? Surely his life and future would explode right in front of his face.

And of course there was the issue of if Danny would even be interested. Because finally owning up only to get rejected? By said lowest of the low twink? That would beyond worse. So yeah, the risk wasn’t worth it. And he wasn’t quite dull enough to not realise that Danny probably did not like him, the ‘bullying’ and all that. So even if Danny did swing that way, well, Dash’s chances were pretty well nothing.

Making a damn point to jeer mockingly and with a level of intimidation at the weirdo trio as he passes them on his way to class, firmly making a point to not react to picking up on Danny clearly not being fearful and even smirking slightly. It honestly pleased him immensely that Danny didn’t seem to actually fear him. Again, it was something like hidden strength. That was one thing that had always separated Danny from the other skinny kids, he wasn’t fearful. He was bold and loud. Even if that only really showed if you looked for it or caught him on more of his more mirth filled days. Simply put, Danny had never been pathetic. Never been weak. Even back when he was physically very much weak -Dash had to give him fitness training for peats sake- he had never been mentally weak.

Sitting at the back of the class next to Kwan, sneaking glances at Danny here and there. This was something he liked to do in the less important and boring classes, recently anyway. Sure he had always admired Danny with glances here and there but another one of Danny’s changes was just too intriguing not to watch.

Danny often slept in classes, that was boring and honestly made him worry some which is why he went easier on the guy on the days he seemed to be napping more often than not, but when he didn’t and it was one of these more useless classes? He’d go between looked over the other students and scanning the town through the window next to him. The sharpness to his eyes was most noticeable then and there was something about the way he looked over the rest of their classmates. It reminded Dash of how people talked about how gods and angels would gaze upon humans. Like they were impossibly and unimaginably above them yet fond and even protective. It really added to that pixie aesthetic Danny had, made him seem just that more ethereal. ‘Ethereal’ that’s a new one, maybe he got more out of Lancer’s crappy poetry babble than he thought. That thought makes him wonder if Danny would like fancy words and that poetry stuff. All the fae in his moms' romance novels -which yes he did secretly read- seemed to love that kind of stuff.  And sure, he’s pretty sure Danny’s human, ethereal aspects aside, but a guy can imagine can’t he? Dash quickly brings his attention back to the teacher as Danny’s watchful yet distant gaze travels to him. At least he isn’t a blusher, Dash is more than a little thankful for that.

Dash is laying on his bed, quickly turning his head to the side as an explosion sounds. Promptly springing up and sticking his head out the window at spotting Phantom zip by, “WOOOO! Go get him Phantom!”, he can’t help but beam as Phantom glances back and sends him a little wave with a cocky smile.

Dash sighs and flops back against his bed, his crush on Phantom was another dirty little secret. Sure he may pass himself off as ‘his biggest fan’ and he certainly wasn’t nearly as bad -or delusional if he’s blunt- as Paulina, but he definitely was a part of the Phantom Crush Club in spirit. Since of course no one knew about this crush either. Queer thing aside, Phantom was a ghost. Which yes, was part of the attraction so sue him, again the whole ethereal thing. Man that word’s becoming a personal favourite.

Phantom’s glow combined with the white of his hair and skin, that definitely qualified as ethereal. The powers were whatever really, cool and probably really fun but not where Dash’s attraction is based. And really, if anything made Dash’s type clear it was his two crushes. Both of them had the lithe pixie feel to them. Sharp in all the right places and brimming with hidden strength. Though Phantom’s might be much more literal. But honestly, Dash preferred Danny’s less showy nature. Phantom demanded attention, the skin-tight jumpsuit definitely did not help reduce that, and he was loud in a way that could border on obnoxious. Danny was a sleek black cat with piercing knowing eyes, Phantom was a mighty dragon always coiled for a fight.

Blinking at the ceiling, “I’m getting all fancy, man I really need to sleep”. Turning over in his bed only for his hand to brush against the corner of a book, “hurgh?”, pulling it out towards his face and squinting. Staring at the little scrap paper used as a bookmark, “probably a bad idea”, but flicking the book open anyway; a bit curious where he left off.

“I wondered if my head and heart would ever reconcile, or whether I'd just cursed myself to relive this moment for the rest of my years, half assured I'd made the only choice available to me, half always whispering if only, the whole of me filled with bitter regret“ ~ An Enchantment Of Ravens

Dash blinks and grumbles, “you didn’t have to call me out like that”. Deciding to flip around to a random page.

“Are you in love with me?" I blurted out.

A terrible silence followed. Rook didn't turn around.

"Please say something."

He rounded on me. "Is that so terrible? You say it as though it's the most awful thing you can imagine. It isn't as though I've done it on purpose. Somehow I've even grown fond of your - your irritating questions, and your short legs, and your accidental attempts to kill me."

I recoiled. "That's the worst declaration of love I've ever heard!” ~ An Enchantment Of Ravens

Dash chuckles but sighs, “fate hates me”. Deciding to try once more, flipping closer to the beginning.

“My cheeks warmed, and a wistful pang plucked a sweet, sad chord in my stomach. It was simple, really. He didn’t want me to forget him once he’d gone” ~ An Enchantment Of Ravens

Dash blinks, he did always rather like seeing the slight busies he left on Danny. Which now that he thinks about it, they didn’t seem to form anymore or stay for long. Which, okay yes, bugged him, not like he knew why really. Guess it was kind of obvious now. Maybe Danny would See those bruises and remember him. Was that stupid? Likely. Snapping the book shut and sticking it more securely under the mattress, before making a point to force himself to settle down to sleep.

He finds himself waking up way too early for a school day, turning his head to look at the little football-shaped clock, it’s red light glare at him reading ‘3:42’. If non-ghostly objects could be malicious, he’s sure every alarm clock would be. The early morning leading to him thinking back on his current book, the story of a fae royal and human falling in love. Forbidden love that would cost the fae his reputation. Sounded a little familiar huh?

Twenty minutes later and his mind’s still on that damn book, so he throws the blankets off and decides to get dressed. Thankfully sneaking out was relatively easy in his house, normally everyone was so loud that quiet noises went completely unnoticed. So just walking out the front door was a perfectly fine thing to do.

Five minutes later finds him wandering the sidewalks of Amity. If he’s being totally honest, even if Danny wasn’t some social peasant or whatever, he still wouldn’t go for it; even if he was a girl. Why? Hitting on girls like Paulina was easy, expected even. There was no risk. Even if girls like we rejected him, that’s what they were expected to do most of the time. But someone he was actually interested in? That was risky. The thought of trying to take it was thrilling, attractive, fun. Actually trying? Nope.

Kicking a rock down the gravel as he enters the park, eventually bumping into to something or someone. Snapping his head up and cursing his luck -or maybe he should be thanking it?- at seeing it was Danny he ran into...literally. Watching as Danny steadies himself quickly, his hood fällig down in the process. Dash has to make a damn point to not stare and change his face to a scowl when the moonlight practically glows of Danny’s pale skin. Why did he have to be so, um, right, ethereal? “Watch it loser”.

Danny squints at him, then throws Dash through a loop by responding with, “no one wanders around at four am for good reasons”.

Dash blinks a bit at those watchful blue-eyes, losing a bit of the fake bite that Danny hopefully passes off as tiredness, “then why are you here?”.

“Why would I tell you why?”, with that Danny turns back to look over the rest of the park from the little bridge thingy they’re on.

Dash scoffs, “whatever Fentwerp”, joining in looking over the park. The two settle into silence, though it doesn’t take long for Dash to glance at Danny’s back; the dark grey hoodie was arguably in horrible condition but it just looked like a style choice on Danny. Everything probably looked good on him. Flicking his eyes away to avoid Danny possibly noticing, because really, there was no one else here so any staring from him would be rather obvious. That gets him thinking though, when had he ever been just one on one with Danny? With neither of their friends around or teachers? Never. It had never happened. Dash didn’t do lonely, he also didn’t do silence for that matter, and Danny’s friends were practically attached to him. Honestly, he’s pretty sure both of them are crushing on Danny; Valerie definitely still had a thing for him, everyone knew the goth did and the techno-geek had a thing for everyone. And yet none of them were going for him...why? They didn’t really have anything to lose and Valerie already had once. Right, even Paulina had dated him; even if she claimed it was to piss off the goth. Maybe there was just something about Danny that made him easy to crush on but impossible to love? Maybe it had something to do with how he was, what was that word? How could he have forgotten it already?....oh right, ethereal. Or maybe it was because he was ethereal. It was pretty obvious people are, um, put-off? -That sounds right- by things that seem inhuman. What with all the horror movies about such people, and that was a pretty common theme with human/non-human romances. Personally, he didn’t get it. Sharp, predatory, the thrum of potential power or danger, the otherworldliness -he’s pretty sure he’s read it described with that word once- he liked that.

Flicking his eyes back to Danny watching as he opens his mouth to sigh almost soundlessly, fangs dragging across his lips. Yeah, shit like that is going to be the death of Dash. With the silence officially be too much for the jock, Dash mutters, “four am is a stupid time”.

Danny snorts, “perfect for you then”, before pushing off the railing and eyeballing Dash. Smirking slightly, “you still keep a collection of teddy bears?”.

“Oh screw y-”, Dash cuts himself off, there’s not really anyone here to play pretend for. “Yeah, so what I like cute shit, what’s it to ya Fenton”. Including cute shit like you, being left unsaid.

Dash doesn’t miss how Danny’s eyes seem to glint while Danny tilts his head at him before those eyes glance around a little. Dash isn’t sure what he sees or is looking for, while Danny hums before speaking, “so often you aren’t quite what you seem, huh Dash?”. Then walking a bit to stand side to side with Dash, hands in his pockets, “you allow those around you to dictate who you are. Stop that, it’s stupid. You’ll never find what you want or who you fit with that way”.

Dash turns and watches Danny walk off. In some way it almost feels like Danny was never actually here.  Looking back tot the bridge and touch where Danny’s hand had been to find it cold. Was he tired enough to actually be imagining Danny being, well, Danny? He’s not sure he’d even be able to imagine the sharpness of Danny’s eyes. Sighing a bit and not sure if he wished the maybe Danny had stuck around or not. Before deciding to walk some more, the air smelled nice at least and no one was around to give a damn how he acted.

Turning and walking off the bridge only to nearly shriek from some blonde-haired guy just suddenly being there. He doesn’t look friendly and the scar over his face doesn’t help that, yet Dash finds himself frozen in spot. He knew he could move, kinda wants to, but something just feels like he shouldn’t. Maybe it was the piercing blue eyes, how even with the strong moonlight he had no shadow, or the cruel-looking smile that somehow felt kind.

Swallowing a bit thickly as the man approaches, the clicking of his purple walking stick being the only sound. The stranger looks up at him slightly, “restless soul, looking for something in another land. The kind heroes and villains dance upon. You think you know your path best, and yet, are just a vagabond too fearful of quicksand to walk from the desert dunes to find an oasis of blues and greens. You are parched dry from your ways, yet refuse to chase waters deeper than you know”.

Dash blinks, catching the moonlight glint off the strange gear cog collar pins, “what?”.

The man chuckles, “you hold tears of the potential of judgment. A soul of man, whose fading light will one day be at its end. Seeking to paint your existences canvas with the lord of graves. One who you’ll grant find in time, one way or another. Painted soot or painted snow. Regardless. Would you not rather run your hands through the textures while you can enjoy it and endeavour it while having a pulse to half match under your skin?”.

Dash’s brain is pretty well mud right now, “who are you?”.

He shrugs, “I’m a tale of time, that history has lost. I see, I guide, I exist. And you, you are a bird that thinks it’s a boar”.

One thing Dash can always do is pick up on insults, and that was an insult, even if he has no clue what that was supposed to mean, “I’m not a meathead”.

The stranger holds up a finger and smiles, his eyes have an oldness to them that is honestly unpleasant, “precisely. You fear not the dark nor the monster with in, you fear the light and things far weaker than you. The boar charges and fights the bull, the bird lives alongside it. You feign your charges, act the boar, even as your flyer eyes see that the target is something to walk with, not against. You do this so others think you are a boar, why would you want to? boars die foolish. Be glad your bull is more of a lording cat, one that won’t strike you down”.

Dash blinks and steps back a little bit, “er, whatever you weird old man”. To make a point, Dash walls forward and around the stranger, but not too close because seriously, what the fuck?

The stranger doesn’t move but follows Dash with his eyes, speaking again just as Dash walks past, “you may find your lithe cat will enjoy your feathers quite fine. And one more thing”, Dash glances back and the stranger winks with a grin, “it’s not time that’s stupid, it’s what you do with that time”.

To say Dash is confused, as he walks the gravel path feeling slightly paranoid, would be an understatement. Lancer’s weird poetry crap made more sense than that. But the weirdos' last words sounding so much like Danny’s is giving him a weird gut feeling that the guy was somehow talking about Danny. Officially deciding he needs to back to sleep, he must be having awake fever dreams or something.

Dash walks through the school doors, firmly glad he got more sleep. Part of him wants to confirm seeing Danny wasn’t some weird fever dream, the other part is a bit distracted when, in his taking in of Danny’s lithe form, he notices the small gear cog charm hanging off his chain belt. It looked exactly the same as the weird guys' pins, has Dash just walked into some strange fantasy story or something?

Looking away and storming through the halls like he owns them, which he does, when Danny looks to him. Catching Danny’s eyes seemingly becoming sharper for a second and his hand brushing the charm on his belt. Why did he feel like Danny noticing where he was staring was somehow...what was that word? Some that started with a ‘c’?whatever, it was somehow a strong play.

Danny just suddenly appearing and stepping out of a bathroom stall, that Dash is sure was empty, during lunch rather confirms his thoughts. Looking Danny over through the mirror, his head was titled and he quickly locks gazed with Dash through the mirror. This was that sharp edge really showing through, and god damn if that wasn’t stupidly attractive. Snapping at him, “what you being creepy for, you freaky weirdo”.

Danny scoffs and rolls his eyes, “it seemed rather timely”.

Dash blinks a bit at Danny almost jarringly quickly snapping his gaze back to Dash’s face in the mirror. The first thought to worm into his head is that this seemed like a cat stalking after a bird. Then basically getting dropped kicked in the brain by Deja Vu. Muttering at the mirror, “what is it with that bird shit”.

“What, someone give you a weird birds and the bees talk?”, Danny snickers, “thought you were too old for that”.

Dash squints at the mirror, was that what that guy was going off about? Honestly anything seems possible. Looking Danny over, if there was one thing everyone knew it was how used to strange he was. How part of it he was, because of his family. But Dash knows there’s more to it than that, that he was something different and strange all on his own. He’s also sure that’s not just his interest in the ethereal boy talking. Deciding to go out on a limb, not like anyone would judge him for using a Fenton to figure out some weird shit, “maybe? Who knows what’s up with weirdos”, turning around and looking more directly at Danny, who’s looking at him with critical sharp eyes, “some guy going off about drinking ‘oasis’ of blue and green. That my cat will like my feathers”.

Danny smirks knowingly and moves to wash his hands in the sink, “sounds like a riddle if I’ve ever heard one. Maybe think of who you associate with blue and who with green”, chuckling and shaking his head a little, locking eyes with Dash in the mirror again, “and who you think of as a ‘cat’. Otherwise, sounds like someone’s telling you to stop holding yourself back and chase after what you want”. Danny walks out leaving Dash just kind of staring at the sink.

Dash spends the rest of the day casting glances at Danny a fair bit more often than he usually does. Pretty well sure the boy knew what the strange guy meant but was just letting Dash figure it out himself. He finds he can respect that a bit, even if he’s definitely annoyed. The fact that Danny is seemingly brushing up against him in the hallways doesn’t help, or maybe it does. Because fine, yes he likes it. The fantasy of Danny being forward towards him in an attracted way won’t stop circling in his head. But it isn’t until the second to last class that something clicks. Watching Danny suddenly stiffening, like he often did before running off to the bathroom mysteriously, Dash could have sworn Danny’s face twisted in anger and eyes flashed green for a second as he stands and speed walks out of the classroom. Leaving Dash blinking and getting slapped by Deja Vu again. ‘Blue and green’, blinking more at that making other things click in place. Everything about Danny was lithe, he’d even described him as cat-like. Was weird dude telling him to get with Danny? The hell? How did weird guy even know that?

He guesses that’s one way for the universe or whatever to say something’s fate or some bullshit. But real life doesn’t work like that...right? Well okay, ghosts are real so there is some make-believe that’s real. But then Dash, Hell no one, would ever describe Danny as a bull. A bull that’s a cat, that doesn’t even make sense. Shaking his head as class ends.

Walking out thinking of soot and snow, and didn’t that guy also say something about heroes? Soot was black right? Googling away to find that yes it was, as he makes it to his next class. Of course snow was white. So black and white. Well shit, that was Danny and Phantom’s hair colours; and Phantom was a hero. Danny had organised that rescue mission, so could he be labelled ‘hero’ too. Not really, it was a one-time thing after all.

Groaning and hitting his head into the desk only for the teacher to snap at him about paying attention. Mentally shoving all this crap away, basically mentally screaming at it to sort itself out.

Seeing Danny after last class across the hall and walking towards Danny with a glare, because he absolutely needs to take out his romantically frustrated aggression and, if he’s honest, mentally frustrated aggression -because thoughts of that weirdo just will not leave him alone- on someone.

Dash grabs him and slams him into the lockers, speaking without a whole lot of power behind his worlds, because he’s more than a little preoccupied and Danny’s eyes glittering with mirth and knowing does not help, “you know, I kinda feel like making you eat locker, weirdo”.  

Danny speaks with a smirk, “weirdly cute you mean”. Dash sputters and promptly drops Danny, turning on his heel and speed walking off. Though he does throw a glance over his shoulder back at Danny, who looks more smug than anything he’s ever seen before; making Dash blush furiously and then feeling annoyed at blushing.

Dash decides that night that if his head’s just gonna be stuck in a pit of ‘just ask him, you know you want to’ and weird mutterings about painting with the lord of graves -whatever the heck that means- then he might as well finish his book. Well, his mom’s book but still. It seems suiting enough.

He flat-out drops the book when he gets to the point where Gadfly -an ageless fae who can see the future and all the twists and turns it might or might not take- functionally admits to setting up Isobel with Rook. The mortal with the inhuman prince, who -as Dash finishes the book with a fair amount of shock- comes to stand as the King of all fae. The lord of fae. The lord of graves? Was Danny some kind of ethereal prince? King? Or something? And heck! Gadfly was even blonde too! The Hell? And didn’t weird guy go off about Dash painting or something? Isobel’s a painter. Officially finding this a little too weird, Dash closes the book and tucks it away. Looking out the window and deciding that another -not really early enough to be morning but too early to be night- walk might get him more answers.

Somehow, Dash thinks as he watches Danny fiddling with a dandelion puff from afar on the same bridge as before, this isn’t surprising. Shaking himself off and making a point to shove down all the weird stupid feelings, before walking over with his hands in his pockets. “So you’re out here again”

Danny speaks without looking to him, “so are you”.

Dash scoffs and looks at his shoes a little, something tells him Danny wouldn’t be out wandering the night because of a book and some weird guy. The boy would probably handle it without being fazed much at all, “what? do you just wander around in the dead of night for fun?”.

Danny chuckles and side-eyes him, “maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Under the moonlight seems like a great place to be, don’t it?”.

Dash leans against the bridge railing, “it is ethereal I guess”.

Danny laughs and it’s a bit loud, “ethereal, that’s a big word for you. Now I wonder what could make you learn a word like that. Something so applicable to the strange and otherworldly”.

Dash bites his lip slightly at that, feeling incredibly called out, though ha! ‘Otherworldly’ was a word used for it. For people like Danny. Dash scoffs, “whatever, it’s got it’s uses”.

They stand in silence, both looking in opposite directions for a while. Until Dash blushes slightly at Danny humming, recognising the tune as Strangers In The Night.

Now Dash isn’t that much of an idiot, he’s not smart but he’s not dumb. He can recognise a blatant call out when he sees one. Danny knew. And...wasn’t being a dick about it, much. Wasn’t brushing him off. Dash isn’t sure if he’s confused by that or not.

Turning his head slightly to look at where the strange man had been last night before blurting out, “you’re mean”.

Danny laughs loudly at that and looks at Dash, who firmly avoids turning his head further to meet the gaze, “oh yes, says the bully. But you know what they say, ‘he only hits you ‘cause he likes you’”.

Dash jerks a bit and gapes, maybe he underestimated the boldness of Danny. While Danny sighs after a while of furthered silence, “it’s a darker night out hmmm? The darkness always holds something, a secretiveness to it. Where you can watch without being seen or act without being watched. In every story it crawls with monsters, things of depravity. Things people think are wrong, shouldn’t see the light of day. But those things are free in a sense that those who secluded themselves to daylight can never be. Monsters and those who hide, yet even they need to be brought into the sun sometimes. Wouldn’t you say?”.

Dash’s brain had stalled on the monster comment. That weird guy had gone off about monsters too. The whole him not fearing monsters or something? Danny was clearly weird, different. Didn’t people get called monsters in all those mutant movies over being different? And Phantom, well, the Fenton’s literally shouted that he was a monster. This was turning into some beauty and the beast shit. That makes him practically pitch forwards and face-plant into the ground.

Danny catches him and mutters, “geez, are you so repressed that the idea of not being so makes you want to eat the ground you walk upon?”.

Dash just blinks at him as he stands in front of him, because the whole thing with beauty and the beast was the beast transformed. Could look two different ways. And Danny’s eyes were green. Phantoms eyes were green. Danny raises his eyebrows at Dash sputtering at him, “that’s, it’s not, that ain’t”, Dash blinks, this explained a lot and Phantom was so bold, he took what he wanted, yet here he? -They? However it works- was seemingly waiting for Dash to make some kind of decisions thingy. Muttering, “have my cake and eat it too”.

Danny scrunches his face up and laughs, “I never imagined Dash would genuinely confuse me-”, getting cut off by Dash just saying screw it and kissing him, hard.

Dash pulling back but promptly hugging the weird ethereal creature, “I am so many levels of confused”. Danny just chuckles and pats his back, “yet maybe less in some way. Though you know, you really should ask first”.

Dash jerks and basically holds Danny by the shoulders away from him, Dash wasn’t that dumb of a guy but he was definitely a little stupid.

Danny rolls his eyes but smirks, batting off Dash hands before grabbing his shirt collar and kissing back, “you’re an idiot”.

Dash mutters, “you’re a weirdo”, as Danny backs off. After a bit of silence Dash looks at his feet and sticks his hands in his pockets, “so, uh, now what?”.

Danny shrugs and goes back to leaning on the railing, “I dunno, you work through your confusion I guess”, glancing at Dash, “just know that I am never a confused person anymore”.

Dash looks out across the park, well that was as blunt as anything. Why though? “I’ve literally beat the crap out of you for years. And,”, Dash worries his lip a little, blushing slightly from the unusual coldness on them, a coldness from Danny, “and you could have fought back anytime”.

Danny gives him a knowing look before smirking a little, “so you figured that out too huh?”.

Dash doesn’t give him a chance to say anything more, “as of two seconds or whatever ago. My head is mud”, Dash barely cuts himself off from saying ‘congrats’ or ‘thanks’. Who the Hell says that to some who just kissed them?

Danny screws up his face and it honestly looks like something out of a bad movie where the characters make some great discovery. When he chuckles and shakes his head, “so that’s what you meant by the cake thing”, squinting at Dash a little, “now you know I have to ask this, but knowing isn’t why you did that, is it?”.

Dash doesn’t know whether to nod or shake his head because both would be a lie, “I just figured out my two, um, interests, were smashed into one. Excuse me for not being myself, or whatever, enough and pleased, to have some self-control”.

Danny smiles at that, shoving Dash’s shoulder lightly, “lucky you I guess. Who’d you like more?”.

Dash sputters, Danny was a little much, always was, but that’s part of what he liked about him. The fearlessness, the hard sharpness, and he was cutting Dash the Hell up, “you”, Dash keeps talking as Danny raises his eyebrows, “Danny”, continuing when Danny raises his brows further, “Fenton. The weird lithe kid with sharp edges and the whole pixie thing going on”. Dash looks around some, ignoring the slight smirk on Danny’s face.  

Danny bumping shoulders with him, “oh fancy words Dash. You know I love words with meanings, that I love to give out nicknames. Maybe you should be Teddy Bear”. Dash blushes more than a bit furiously at that which just makes Danny laugh, “oh yes, that will do wonderfully”. Danny sighing after a while of Dash blushing and staring defiantly into the distance, “not that we have to be public about... whatever this is”.

Dash looks back to him at that, nodding slightly, “that is...why I never would have tried normally. Weird dude threw me through a loop”, smiling a little and shoving Danny lightly, “I think I’m glad he did though”.

Danny nods, “if there’s anyone who can understand secrets Dash, especially for safety’s sake, it’s me”, gesturing around, “night seems to suit us. It’s always been something of mine. There’s not really anything wrong with hiding in the night, if you care to join me in that anyway”.

Dash gapes a little, that felt like a stupid question. Why would he question if Dash wanted this to be a ‘thing’. Dash should be the one worried about that, “yes. That is- why would you even ask that?”.

Danny chuckles and gives him a smile that’s got a sadness to it, which Dash is officially having none of and feeling more like his rather brazen self, just kisses him again before he can respond. Dash then saying, “it doesn’t matter”.

Danny chuckles and shakes his head a little, “you sure watch me a lot huh. Like what you see?”, Dash forced down his blush this time while Danny smirks and glances around with that searching look before looking back to him, “care to see how I own my night?”.

Dash just nods a little before going slightly slack-jawed at the near blinding ring of light and Danny suddenly being Phantom and just floating around to be away from the bridge slightly, holding a hand out to Dash, “well? I could rip off superman and say I promise not to drop you or you can stop holding yourself back”.

Dash barely wastes a second before grabbing Danny’s hand and letting him pull him up off the ground. Dash asking the only other question he really has or that’s still bugging him as Danny wraps his arms around him and just...goes up, “so weird guy also said something about king of graves?”.

Danny laughs and shakes his head a little, “that cheeky bastard”, before looking down at Dash’s face, “Ghost King, Dash. Something beyond what any ghost or mortal could be”.

Dash again feels slapped by Deja Vu, he’s never going to be able to look at that damn book the same again, “you know, I was reading a book where...”.

Dash winds up explaining his ‘girly’ book interests as they fly around, oddly unfazed and comfortable with the whole fly thing. While Danny simply exists as the strange ethereal being he is, face glowing brightly against the night sky; leaving Dash feeling like he just caught a star in a wishing bottle and think that maybe poetry might be a good idea.

End.

[alicepink-me]

The New Guardian

Story Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is an adult in the real world, guarding the Miracle Box in Master Fu's place. She's in love with Chat Noir, but refuses to tell him her feelings. New holders appear to fight the duo and shake up their lives. Marinette makes a tough decision about her future as Ladybug.

Chapter 22: The Cube Part 2

"Marinette!" Alya whisper shouted as she ran into the room, holding a blue cat. Adrien, Nino, and Juleka followed behind her and closed the door.

"Alya?" Marinette slid off of Luka's bed. "What's the . . . a cat? Why do you-"

"Shhh!" Alya hushed, setting the cat down. She ran over to Marinette and grabbed her hand, moving her across the room, away from everyone else. "There's an akuma outside, so we have to hide. I knew you'd be in Luka's room, so we came to "look" for you while we searched for a good place."

Marinette blushed. "But where's Luka? He went to get something about a minute ago." Alya's eyes shifted to the small cat on the floor. "No." Marinette's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. "There's no way." She crouched down next to the feline. "Luck really isn't on my side of relationships." She pouted.

"We have ourselves a cat." Alya shrugged, turned to her friend. "And not just one. There are tens in the streets and probably more by now."

"An akuma?"

"Of course." Alya said, crossing her arms. "There's a cat woman turning the people of Paris into cats and we thought she'd be afraid of water, but sadly, she chased us anyway."

"Why would someone want to turn us into cats?" Marinette asked.

"I heard her earlier." Nino started, leaning against the wall. "When she was threatening Luka, she said that she had a few stray cats by her house, but her parents wouldn't let her take them in. She fed them everyday anyway and took care of them, but she witnessed two strangers abuse them. In a fit of rage, she was akumatized to turn everyone into her pets." He sighed. "It's a really strange solution."

"Then she turned Luka." Adrien added. "We tricked her for a moment after and bolted with the new blue cat."

"Poor Luka." Marinette patted his fluffy head.

Adrien stared. "So uh . . . Marinette, what were you . . . doing in here?"

"Oh u-um." Marinette gulped. "I was . . . looking for the bathroom!"

"The bathroom?" Alya squinted, obviously not believing it.

"Yeah, I had to go." Marinette said, backing towards another door on the other side of the room. "And since you guys barged in before I found it, I should probably keep looking." She turned around.

"Wait!" Alya said, Marinette taking a deep breath as she turned back. "Aren't you forgetting that Luka has one?" Alya moved to one corner and tapped her knuckles on the wooden door. "Right here." She said, looking at her friend strangely.

"Oh, I must have forgotten." Marinette's eyes widened as she smiled awkwardly. Everyone stared at her as she moved across the room. Alya would probably have questions later, but for now, there was an akuma and she had to do her job. This wouldn't be the first time for awkward situations and lame excuses anyway. "Thanks." Marinette's hand touched the door.

"We'll talk later." Alya whispered. "Look, I know you were trying to get close to Luka earlier, so your thoughts aren't gonna be entirely clear, but when you're done in there, we must focus on the akuma, even if two boys you've been interested in are in the same room, one being a cat at the moment."

"I get it, Alya." Marinette smiled, turning the knob. "I'm just overthinking a lot of things right now and my emotions are everywhere after talking to Luka earlier." Marinette tried to think of something that wasn't too random. She opened the bathroom door and slid inside.

Juleka picked up her cat brother and sat on the bed. "So what are we gonna do about the akuma?" Juleka mumbled.

"Ladybug should be here soon." Nino replied.

"Yeah, we can always count on her." Adrien smiled, feeling slightly guilty at his own heroic absence.

Marinette leaned her head against the bathroom wall. There were no windows and a zero chance for her to slip away. How could she possibly be Ladybug when Marinette was needed here? She couldn't talk to Tikki because Alya was probably still on the other side of that door. She could mutter her transformation discretely and maybe a lucky charm, but nothing more. Ladybug could never leave this tiny space to fight.

"Spots On . . . " Marinette whispered, closing her eyes. Without an escape, there weren't many options, but she needed something. Ladybug pressed her ear against the door, listening in on the other side.

"Uh-my dad just messaged me." Adrien blurted. "He cancelled my photoshoot because of the attack, but he wants me home immediately."

"But there's an akuma." Alya scrunched her eyebrows.

Adrien panicked. "I-I know, but he . . . needs me for something."

"Come on, man." Nino hit his shoulder. "You could get hurt if you leave and Ladybug and Chat Noir will have things handled in no time. There's no harm in staying."

"Okay." Adrien sighed.

Ladybug could tell by their voices that none of them were right next to the door. She took a step back in the small space. "Lucky Charm." She swung her yo-yo up, trying to be as quiet as possible. If she were any taller, it would clank off of the ceiling and shock them all, revealing her identity in the end, or maybe she was only overthinking. A small spotted mouse and controller fell into her hands, luckily unpackaged. Neither were bigger than three inches.

The villain was a cat, so this could come in handy and if she knew anything from her partner, cats can be fooled or easily distracted. But the hardest part now would be doing her job without her suit.

"Spots off." She mumbled, her transformation releasing. Marinette looked down at the mouse and controller before shoving them in the microscopic front pocket of her jeans. She took a deep breath and unlocked the door, slipping out. Everyone stared at her as if she was hiding something. I mean, she was, but they weren't supposed to know. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" Her eyes moved between them nervously.

"What was that light?" Alya tilted her head.

"What light?" Marinette froze. Adrien looked at her strangely.

"There was a flash of light." Alya stepped closer. "We saw it shine under the door."

"Yeah, it looked sort of like an alien abduction." Nino added.

"So what was it?" Alya asked again.

"M-My phone." Marinette pulled it out of her purse to show them the screen. "I saw a report . . . about Ladybug. She uh-just arrived at the scene to fight." Marinette made up. "It shouldn't be too long now."

"Really? There's already a report?" Alya whipped out her phone and moved back toward the boys. "I have to share a link to my blog imm-"

Suddenly, the cat woman burst through the door, debris flying everywhere. She shot a strange pink band at Alya that pushed her back, binding her wrist to the wall.

The band imbedded in the wall as Alya tried yanking on it. "A collar?" She inspected, turning to the enemy.

Marinette wouldn't laugh, but the enemy resembled herself when she was Ladynoir a few years ago. The only difference with this enemy was the giant canon like gun she carried, her red pixie cut and the brown color to her suit. Otherwise, she could easily be the female Chat Noir without puns. Hopefully there's no puns.

Adrien and Nino moved to attack the villain, but she shot them both with collars, one around Adrien's arm and one around Nino's neck. Adrien was bound to another wall by his elbow and Nino was turned into a cat with a green spot on his head.

"You guys will be the perfect additions to my litter." She grinned, hoisting her gun on her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the room. "I'm in need of two miraculous, but it seems Ladybug and Chat Noir haven't showed up yet, so . . . " Her smirk widened. "Maybe if I had a few hostages . . . they'd run to the rescue."

"They would come either way because you're turning everyone into cats." Juleka mumbled.

The woman took her gun and launched a collar that wrapped around Juleka's neck, transforming her into a black and violet, longhaired cat. "Maybe so." She replied. "But they may come faster if a few citizens cry for help in eminent danger."

"Hostages? So you won't turn us into cats?" Adrien questioned. He could feeling Plagg laughing inside his jacket.

"Don't worry, I will." She moved around the room. "But not until I get what I want."

"Which is?" Alya asked.

"Power." The villain stopped. "After I've handled my boss and given him what he demands, I can finally get my revenge."

Marinette had to play her cards right. Either as a cat or imprisoned, and if she maneuvered right, maybe she could do this right. Maybe this enemy hadn't noticed her yet, or she had just bypassed zapping her with the others. Marinette looked down at her hands. She needed to be in two places at once, but she had a plan. Marinette ran forward and stopped, holding her hands in front of her with her wrists together. "Wait, wait! You don't have to do this!" She shouted.

The cat woman immediately launched a red collar at Marinette, binding her wrists together. She internally sighed, thankful that she wasn't turned into a cat. "What do you want?" The woman asked. "If you're going to fight me, I'll just turn you now."

"No, wait!" She held her hands up. "I just want to . . . hear your side." Marinette said, dropping to the floor as if she was defeated. "If you are going to turn us into cats, we should at least know why."

"Marinette!" Alya shouted. "Don't charge the enemy like you have a death wish."

"I'm sorry, Alya." Marinette's hand inched to her front jean pocket. "I must not have been thinking." She watched the enemy as she slowly pulled out the tiny controller. Part of her plan included dropping the mouse back where she was standing outside the bathroom, so now, Marinette was one step ahead.

"Girl, you need to be careful." Alya sighed. "This is an enemy, not Ms. Bustier's classroom."

"Quit talking!" The woman pointed the gun to Alya before back to Marinette. "But since you're interested, I might as well tell you while we wait." Marinette smiled. "Recently, my pet was abused by a couple of strangers and I needed to take revenge. Maybe if everyone in this city had to live as felines, they wouldn't mistreats such animals. They'd actually understand. Maybe they'd think twice and respect all lives. It could be different. I could change things."

"They shouldn't have done that to your pet." Marinette agreed.

"I know, right?!" She yelled. "I mean, who does that? How sick of a person can you be?" She took a deep breath. "See that's my point in this. I deserve justice. You all need awareness and punishment."

"But why us?" Adrien asked. The woman rolled her eyes over to him. "Why not just punish the ones who committed the crime? We haven't done anything wrong."

"Are you questioning my methods?" She hissed.

"No-"

"Why aren't you listening?" She asked, stalking towards him. "That girl over there asked for an explanation and it's quite rude of you to interrupt my story."

"I just wanted to understand why we have to suffer for someone else's crime." Adrien reasoned.

"You still continue to keep me from finishing my story!" Her fingers tightened around her gun. "You know I should just get it over with and blast you all!" She rose her weapon, aiming at Adrien. "I wouldn't have to listen to you babble on. I could start my terror without your pathetic heroes. Wouldn't they have shown up by now if they were coming for you?" She grinned.

A small squeak was barely heard. The cat woman's ears perked up, twitching at the sound. Her eyes darted near Alya to see the tiny rodent toy crawling around. Her pupils widened. The mouse began to move towards her and her brown tail lifted.

'Please go after it. Please go after it.' Marinette hoped. The woman's eyes follow the toy.

"Look at the spots." Alya said.

"Ladybug." Adrien's eyes widened. "She must be nearby."

"Where is that stupid bug?" The villain asked, her eyes not leaving the mouse. Her gun dropped to the floor with a bang as her hands began to shake. "Maybe she's drawing me to her." The mouse hit the tip of her steal toed boot, striking a nerve as she closed her eyes. "What is she thinking?"

Marinette began to sweat. Her lucky charm couldn't have been wrong, but maybe she misused it. 'I really hope this works.' Marinette thought. 'I don't have many options without revealing myself.'

Suddenly, the cat woman dropped to the floor, her pupils expanding. Marinette quickly moved the mouse across the room, the villain chasing it. Alya and Adrien's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe she used it right.

For about a minute, everyone's eyes followed the tiny rodent as their enemy mindlessly followed it. By now, the woman was almost hypnotized and entranced with it. Marinette directed it towards the door, leading her out. The three looked to each other.

"Marinette." Alya whispered, motioning to her arm. "Try to get these collars off of us while that cat is distracted."

Marinette slyly slipped the controller back in her pocket as she stood up. She dashed over to Alya and tried yanking on the collar, her wrists still bound. "They're too strong." Marinette analyzed, pulling harder. She inhaled. "Maybe I should go look for something to cut them."

"Don't be dumb, Marinette." Alya said. "You'd walk right into a trap if you leave."

"Marinette can do it, Alya." Adrien spoke. "The enemy went the other way and Marinette only has to find something sharp enough. And besides, Ladybug's here now."

"Yeah . . . " Marinette agreed. "I mean not here here! Ladybug's not here! On the boat, but definitely not in this room! No! Why would-she's . . . I'm gonna go look for something to help." Marinette rambled before quickly exited through the other door and shutting it behind her. She sighed, leaning against it. Marinette looked around. She was in a red kitchen and dining room. While scanning the room, she set the small controller on a cabinet next to her. "Spots on." She whispered. Tikki zapped into her earrings and Marinette transformed again, grabbing the controller.

There was a wall of windows and glass doors at the end of the granite counter top. Ladybug tiptoed over and slowly turned the handle, wincing at the quiet shriek as she pushed it open and closed. Once outside, Ladybug jumped to the roof of the boat, creeping towards the front. She peered over the edge to see the woman suspiciously picking up the motionless mouse. Ladybug pressed on the joypad of her controller, reanimating the rodent. The enemy began chasing it again.

Ladybug watched from above, leaning on her fist as she thought. She'd spent the last minute trying to figure out where the akuma is, how to beat her, and where Chat Noir could possibly be. Besides the enemy at hand, Chat Noir should have been here by now. Maybe he got held up like she almost was. They are almost adults now, so their routines are a lot harder to accomplish. Ladybug really hoped he'd show up soon. She hadn't seen him in a few days. She smiled.

"Ladybug, where are you!" Cat woman shouted, dashing towards the rodent. Ladybug's smile dropped. "Show yourself!"

Ladybug squinted. 'Could the akuma be in a shoe? There's not many accessories on her suit.' She thought. Her eyes focused on the brown belt on her brown suit. 'A bag?' A small pouch, nearly unnoticeable, was tied to the villain's belt. 'It has to be there. That's too random to be a coincidence, especially since she hasn't used it yet. It could be a power, but that's highly unlikely.'

Ladybug stopped moving the mouse in circles, and directed it towards Luka's keyboard in the corner. The woman swatted at the mouse as it weaved around the legs and cords. Ladybug leaped down, standing over her with one leg on each side. She reached down and ripped the pouch off of her belt and tore it apart.

"Catnip." Ladybug analyzed, noticing the scattered bits as the black butterfly flew out. "No more evil doing for you little akuma. Time to deevilize!" Ladybug swung her yo-yo, snatching the insect. "Gotcha! Bye, bye little butterfly." The now white bug fluttered away as she waved. "Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug launched her remote in the air. The mouse disappeared as everything fixed itself.

As soon as their collars disappeared, Alya and Adrien rushed out of Luka's room with the now human again Nino, Juleka, and Luka. Ladybug jumped to the roof, out of sight in time, and sprinted back to the kitchen area. She passed a window garden box and slid, backing up to it. Perfectly timed and somehow impossible, a pair of small garden shears laid inside in the dirt. Ladybug snatched them and ran inside.

"Spots off." She uttered, pushing through Luka's bedroom door. Marinette tripped over her feet in the doorway and faceplanted on the floor just as her friends returned.

"Marinette?" Alya questioned, walking closer. "Where were you before and why are you on the floor? I guess Ladybug beat the akuma while you were gone."

"I . . . I went to get something to cut your collars, remember?" Marinette breathed, pulling herself off the ground and waving the shears in the air. "But you know me, I'm clumsy."

"Were you running with scissors, Marinette?" Adrien chuckled.

"Not my best idea." Marinette admitted. "But at least I wasn't turned into a cat."

[halothenthehorns]

THE ROGUE BLUDGER

THE ROGUE BLUDGER

Clh left me a comment about how they felt about how I portrayed House Elf's, and Sirius' attitude on the matter during the second book. First things first, I've never read JK's opinion on the matter, so if someone would point me to a sight where I could read that I will enjoy it as much as any other HP related thing. Mostly though, I don't see how Sirius' reaction is too far from how Ron acts. I don't mean for Sirius to come across hating the whole species, and his reasons for hating Dobby were pretty justified. You guys have yet to see him around any other elf. Plus the bit where he said his parents hurt Kreacher I don't find too out there, it's not unreasonable to think Sirius has seen them do that to Kreacher for one reason or another. I'll go more into details on this during the fourth book, just felt like addressing that now.

HPHPHP

Remus was happy to read the next chapter, wanting dearly to see if Hermione could pull off such an advanced potion, and ignoring Sirius and James protest as they complained they still didn't get to have their 'Smarts Debate.' Honestly, Hermione would win that easily anyways.

The narration begins by talking about Lockhart's classes, explaining that he hadn't done anything with live animals since the disastrous pixie incident.

"Thank Merlin," Remus huffed, "or something far worse could happen."

Apparently all he had been doing was reading from his books,

"So basically torture sessions, of unrealistic proportions," James summarized.

and acting out the most action packed parts for the class. He always called on Harry to work as his second for these,

"Why?" All five of them groaned.

and Harry had no choice but to do as told. So far he'd played several embarrassing parts,

"Dumb, dumber, and dumbest," Sirius huffed, the more he heard about this guy the more annoying it got!

and today he was being instructed on how to act as a werewolf.

"Did you at least do the thing properly," James asked, while grinning over at Remus who refused to look up, "you know, spout random facts, be a horrible liar-"

"Have a really bad habit for turning red in the face," Sirius added on.

"Knock it off," Remus snapped, still without looking up. Harry and Lily could see why, since the little of his face they could see had long since turned bright red at his friends teasing. Remus knew he would never understand why his friends joked about something like this, it was a serious problem that shouldn't be taken lightly, but he had never stopped them with any real force either. Their joking simply meant they liked him enough to mess with him, something he had never thought possible in his younger years.

Still chuckling at their antics, Harry corrected them, "No, I had 'turned' into an actual werewolf at the time, fur and fangs and stuff."

Remus gave Harry a puzzled look and then read on a bit curiously.

Harry would have refused to do it, if he hadn't had a reason for keeping on Lockhart's good side.

"Did you try refusing to do it the other three times?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Harry muttered, it hadn't worked any of those times though because then Lockhart had launched into a detailed account, reading word for word. Harry had decided to do it simply to make the man shut up. At least playing those dumb roles had made the process go by quicker.

The teacher was currently instructing Harry to give a good long howl, while Lockhart went on about how despite whether the students believe it or not, he'd slammed the werewolf to the floor,

"Actually, I don't believe that," James said, quirking a brow. Had this man ever even seen a fully grown werewolf? They weren't the kind of thing you could 'slam' into the ground without getting your head bit off.

and had used only one hand to hold him down,

"Definitely don't believe that," Sirius cackled.

while pulling out his wand with the other and performing the Homorphus Charm.

"What good would that do?" James asked, "That's a charm used to restore Transfigured objects back to their original form. It's most common use is on Animagus' when they get stuck for some

reason. It wouldn't work on a werewolf though."

"Why do you know that?" Lily asked, noting his 'most common use' mostly.

"We had to learn it," Sirius shrugged, "for all the times we screwed up our Animagus practice. Came in handy a few times afterwards as well."

Then he told Harry to start moaning, as if in pain, and how the werewolf had shrunk back down to its human form.

"And people believed that," Lily scoffed in disgust. "If it was that easy, werewolves wouldn't even be classified as dangerous. They'd be a class three!"

Harry looked puzzled, not understanding the classification thing, but then Remus said bitterly, "I wish it was that easy," and then kept reading before anyone could comment.

Ending his tale with how he'd saved the village from monthly attacks!

"Really, I want to know how his books are sold without being found in the fictional section," James demanded. "People can't really believe he did that!"

Harry shrugged, he had no answer for that, but he certainly didn't believe it.

The class was dismissed and Lockhart took to his feet,

"Wait, he actually slammed you to the ground!" Remus asked, not having interpreted that from his prattling.

Harry nodded, saying, "more like he pushed me, then he waved his wand in my face a lot, but he didn't let the 'crowd' lose full sight of him, he stayed on his knees in front of the desk. I fell back behind the desk, happily out of the way. Only time I can remember not being afraid of someone's wand in my face." He finished grinning wickedly.

and told them their homework was to write a poem of his defeat of the Werewolf. He'd give a signed copy of his autobiography to the best one.

All five of them looked disgusted that this was even counted as a homework assignment, let alone the horrid prize.

Harry wasn't pleased, but he stuck around after class along with his friends, Hermione clutching a piece of paper.

"Oh," James said, "so when Ron said the teacher would have to be really thick, he meant literally."

"Here I thought they were going to try and pull one over on McGonagall," Sirius sounded as surprised as his friend, "now all they have to do is just walk up to him, give him a cheap

compliment, and they'll be done with it."

"I'm kind of disappointed," Remus sighed, "I wanted to see them pull something on McGonagall to."

"That was the most useful thing Lockhart did all year," Harry laughed.

Hermione was blushing and stuttering the whole time she asked him to sign for the book, stating she wanted it for some extra research.

Lily sighed in both disappointment and disgust, saying, "really? She's still star struck?"

"This is the girl that's about to do a sixth year potion?" James asked in disbelief.

Harry shrugged, he had no defense for his friend since he and Ron had seen him as a fraud on the first day.

Lockhart just praised her for having read his book, asking if she'd liked that one the best? Hermione agreed, saying he was very creative indeed when he'd used a tea strainer to catch a ghoul.

"What on earth?" Remus spluttered in disbelief.

"Doesn't Ron have a ghoul in his attic?" James asked, "I think I'd like to borrow that."

"It might not be there yet," Lily reminded them, not necessarily knocking the idea.

"I'd really like to hear that full story," Sirius said eagerly, "if the wizard populace fell for that, maybe I could use it next time I go to the Leaky Cauldron."

Remus snorted in disgust, not doubting his friend would do this one bit.

Lockhart pulled out a huge peacock quill to sign for the note, and misread Ron's look of disgust as one of admiration.

"If it's anything like your look," James said to Harry, "then he's even dafter than I thought, and that's saying something."

Harry broke out of his shock at the remembered peacock quill and chuckled at his dad.

He signed away on the book, then turned to Harry and offered him private lessons as he remembered the first game was to be tomorrow.

"Oh come on!" James and Sirius groaned, not believing for one second that match would get pushed off for two or even three more chapters!

"My Quidditch match was awful," James groaned, "I want another go at reading."

"I haven't gotten one at all," Sirius muttered, sulking.

"How do you keep getting the good chapters!" James demanded.

"Just lucky I guess," he grinned.

Then he boasted that he'd been a Seeker for his house team as well,

"Was he really?" Harry asked in disbelief, not believing much of anything from him anymore.

"If he was," Sirius shrugged, "it wasn't while we were there."

"He'd be ah, a fifth year I think," James said, "so if we just so happened to pop by, we could find out."

saying how he could have played professionally,

"Still doubt that," James scoffed.

but would rather he spend his life fighting against the Dark.

"By entertaining them on their long dreary travels with my absurd stories," Remus kept going as if reading that.

Sirius choked and snatched the book away, then smacked his friend with it saying, "Jerk, don't give me false hope that man grew a brain."

Remus took it back, grinning like a fool before really reading.

He told Harry that he'd be glad to give Harry some pointers, he was always happy to help out less able players.

"Less able my arse!" James howled, "Harry could go and play for England now if he damn well pleased."

"Really James," Lily huffed, "I'm not disagreeing with you, Harry is good, but don't encourage him to drop out of school."

James scowl didn't lessen one bit.

Harry gave some non-articulate answer back as he followed after his friends, Ron was griping that the man hadn't even glanced at the book he was signing for.

"Prat," all five of them muttered.

Concluding that he was brainless. Hermione tried to argue back, saying he was anything but!

"First time Hermione's ever been wrong I think," Lily said sadly.

Harry phased them out as they went down to the library and came across the librarian, Madam Pince, who reminded Harry of an unfriendly vulture.

"I am forever turning to you whenever I want to describe someone," Sirius cackled.

She was clearly suspicious of why they would want this book as she tried to take the note away from Hermione, but she clung to it and mentioned how she'd like to keep the paper.

Lily face palmed, muttering something in disgust under her breath.

The boys simply looked more annoyed by Hermione.

Ron convinced her to give it up, reminding her they could get another signature just as easily, as Lockhart would probably sign anything that stood still too long.

"I believe that," James nodded.

Pince eyed the paper with suspicion, clearly looking for a forgery,

"She can," Remus sighed, "I knew a Ravenclaw who mirror imaged Flitwick's signature once, and when Pince did that, she saw it somehow. Kid had detention for a week straight."

"I wonder if that's some kind of magical ability, or..." Lily trailed off, now looking like she wanted to go up there and ask herself.

"Well, we're planning a trip up to the school, you can ask her then," James said.

but the note worked as she came back several minutes later

"Wow, even she doesn't know where every bloody book is in there. Either that, or she had to go all the way in the back," James laughed.

with their requested book. Hermione took it and stowed it away, and the three exited trying to look as unsuspicious as possible.

"You gotten any better at that?" Remus asked, "because the last time you tried that, Snape took away a book."

Harry shrugged and said, "well, no one took that book away, we made it all the way to Myrtle's bathroom anyways."

The trio headed down to Myrtle's bathroom and began scanning through the book, coming across some truly terrible things.

"Why do potions like that exist?" Harry asked in disgust.

"The one about being turned inside out doesn't have a practical use," Lily shrugged, "it's a threat potion more than anything, sometimes given as punishment for a short period of time."

"The ministry is barmy," Sirius muttered, but Lily was ignoring him, and continuing, "the other about the extra limbs sounds like a transformation potion, though since you didn't say the name of it I can only guess at what she could have been turning into."

Harry nodded, slightly agreeing with Sirius.

Hermione found the potion she was looking for, and went looking through the ingredients she would need. There were illustrations of the effects the potion would have,

"Pleasant," Remus shuddered, knowing very well how painful transforming could be.

and Harry really hoped the looks of pain on those people were being exaggerated.

"Nope," Lily said, "it is not a pleasant process at all."

Harry didn't look very pleased about this.

Hermione mentioned how this was the most complex potion she'd ever seen.

"Well duh," James laughed, "it's a sixth year potion!"

Listing off several of the ingredients that were going to be very hard to come by.

"I hadn't thought of that," Lily agreed, having mostly thought of the act, "where did she plan on getting the ingredients."

"I don't think you're going to like the answer," Harry said nervously, he only had a feeling after all, but it wasn't a good one.

One part mentioning some of the person they were going to change into. Ron seemed particularly grossed out by this, claiming he didn't want to put anything of Crabbe's in him, but Hermione ignored the outburst.

"Err, what did she mean?" Harry asked.

"It doesn't have to be toenails," Lily said quickly, as Harry looked a little queasy at the thought, "hair is most commonly used, but any bit of them like that will do."

Harry still looked a little green, but nodded all the same.

Then Ron pointed out that they weren't getting this stuff from the student's cupboards, they'd have to steal it from Snape himself.

All four adults spluttered in disbelief, though the boys for a completely different reason then Lily.

"That's brilliant!" Sirius cackled, James and Remus nodding right along. It was high time that slimeball knew what it felt like to get his stuff taken. Hell they wouldn't be surprised if Snape hadn't stolen from Slughorn to make some of his potions in school.

Lily on the other hand practically screeched, "You're going to steal from a teacher!"

"Mum-" Harry began, but Lily cut him off saying, "No. Last year you bent the rules around a few times, and nearly got killed. Now, you are breaking them in half, and for what? Because you think that Malfoy did it? Even if he was, and he blabs it to your face, what would you do? Go to Dumbledore without proof? Harry no, this is one thing I will not approve of. That's even assuming a second year can make the Polyjuice Potion correctly, without the lot of you being poisoned or, or worse or..." she stuttered off as she realized Harry was looking beseechingly at her, and the other boys were giving her pitting looks.

Lily sighed deeply, took several deep breaths then continued in far calmer tones, "I'm sorry."

Harry smiled at once, clearly holding no grudge. Lily continued, "It's just, I hate that you feel you have to do all of these things. I wish you had someone there who would tell you these things. I wish..." she trailed off, then put another stern look on her face and finished, "but I did mean it. I disapprove. I do acknowledge though that these are things that have already happened, so I promise I won't yell again." Then she paused, hesitated for a moment, and added, "about this particular thing."

Causing all of her boys to burst out laughing, James saying, "I love your fiery temper." She smiled weakly at them, before waving Remus on. He had to get his breath back a bit, but did indeed still read.

Hermione lost her temper at him, snapping that if they were going to act like babies about this,

"Ooh," Sirius said, going a little wide eyed, "Hermione daring the other's into doing this."

"It was her idea in the first place," Remus reminded him.

"What's gotten into her this year?" James asked, bemused.

"She's a muggle-born," Lily said in exasperation, "of course she'd be the most worried about this."

All four boys turned to her in shock, then blushed slightly. They hadn't forgotten exactly, but Hermione was just so smart it was a little easy to forget.

that she could go put this right back! Ron quickly said that he had no problems with the plan, and Hermione returned to the book. Harry asked how long it would take for the potion to happen,

"Not going to answer that Lily," James asked.

"No," Lily said, "I want to see if Hermione knows first. It'll make me feel better."

Hermione estimated about a month.

Lily nodded, looking a might bit better. Had Hermione tried to rush the potion by any shorter amount of time, she would have been even more worried.

Ron was not pleased with that, stating dozens of people could be hurt by then, but when Hermione glared at him all over again, Ron agreed it was the best they could do.

"Ron's gotten much better at that," Sirius chuckled.

Then Ron turned to Harry and told him it would be far easier on everyone if Harry just knocked Malfoy off his broom tomorrow. The next day came up bright and early, the whole of the Gryffindor team at breakfast not looking very happy.

"It's normal to be nervous before any game," James said bracingly, he still had no doubt in his mind Harry and his team would do brilliantly.

Wood convinced them all to go into the locker room for a pep talk before the game, starting by pointing out that Slytherin had better brooms,

"Chipper as always," Remus laughed lightly.

but his team had better people on their brooms!

"Excellent sentiment though," Sirius beamed.

Pointing out that they had trained harder, in all the weathers, with George muttering in agreement that he hadn't been dry for months.

All five of them laughed at that.

Then Wood turned on Harry, telling him the match would come down to him,

"Ouch," Remus winced, "does he pressure you before every match?"

"Seems like," Harry shrugged, "but I don't mind."

to prove that it took more than a rich father to make it in this game.

'Which he should have anyways' James thought, knowing that wasn't anything of use, but he still wanted to be there for Harry in some way more than a vault.

Finishing with Harry had to get the Snitch, or die trying.

Lily sighed in trepidation, that didn't make her feel any better. She also dearly wanted to comment that this boy took a game far too serious, but didn't want to elicit a joke from Sirius, or even get snapped at for saying this.

She had no idea the boys might have agreed with her in that moment.

Spirits raised, the team went onto the field, and at a blow of the whistle, the fourteen players began.

The three boys looked very excited to hear this. They felt like it had been ages since they got to hear about a good game, which didn't involve worrying about Harry dying in the middle of the

match.

Lily still looked wary, Harry's track record in this game hadn't been that good, but she was willing to relax and hear about this.

Harry was the only one looking on edge. They put this down to the pressure he must be feeling, not knowing why Harry would be rubbing his right arm for some reason.

The Chasers began in earnest while Harry began flying around looking for his ball, when a voice called out calling Harry Scarhead.

"Scarhead," Sirius snorted, "I didn't think his insults could actually get worse."

Malfoy chose that moment to shoot past Harry, clearly showing off the speed of his superior model.

"Most likely," Remus grumbled.

Harry chose not to respond as a Bludger came pelting towards his head, and he had to either duck or get his head knocked off.

Lily shivered in disgust, hating that mental image.

George managed a quick praise to Harry for pulling that off while smashing the Bludger away and sending it towards the opposing team, but the black ball swerved in midair, and came pelting straight back towards Harry.

Remus voice grew very confused at the end of that.

"What?" Sirius asked, sure he had heard wrong.

"Err," James began, but he couldn't think of anything to say really.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Harry sighed, rubbing his right arm.

Lily went a little bug eyed, but Remus now read on quickly, knowing by now Harry's bad feelings were usually not wrong.

Harry moved to avoid it, and this time George swung out with his full strength, knocking the ball off course. The Bludger was back again at once.

"One game!" James cried in fury. "I want one bloody Quidditch game that doesn't make me hate the whole bloody sport!"

"Why. Are. You. Being. Chased. By. A. Bludger." Sirius said slowly and distinctly, like he was trying to stop himself from yelling like James.

"I, I've no idea," Harry said miserably, very much wondering the same thing.

Lily put her face in her hands, wanting dearly to cover her ears as well so she didn't have to hear this.

Remus said, "Okay, I officially hate getting Quidditch chapters. Next time Sirius, I'm just going to give it to you anyways."

Sirius didn't look any kind of happy as his friend began in a wobbling voice, the horrid mental image of Sirius being bludgeoned the most prominent thing in his mind.

This time Harry chose to fly away in earnest, wondering why on earth the Bludger was still tailing him. The point of that ball was to go after all of the players, why was it so focused on him? Harry made a path and spotted Fred, and was able to swerve around him as Fred took his turn and pelted the ball with his bat.

"Thank Merlin for the twins," Sirius sighed, "they seemed to have noticed the problem already."

"Had enough practice," James muttered darkly.

Fred's triumph was short lived, as the Bludger continued going after Harry who chose to fly off again.

"Who could tamper with a thing like that?" Lily moaned, her face still in her hands. "I know those are very powerfully charmed. It would take some real magic to pull this stunt off!"

"Thinking it was Lockhart?" Remus asked weakly, "Are we still wondering if he's faking it? I kind of gave up on that after the 'werewolf' incident."

"No, he's still an idiot in my book until proven otherwise," Sirius sighed miserably, "and there's no way Malfoy, or any student for that matter, could be powerful enough to do this."

Stumped and with no leads who could do this, Remus forced himself to continue.

The weather wasn't helping, as thick raindrops started pelting Harry's glasses.

"You didn't put a Repelling charm on them?" James asked distractedly. "That's like the only charm any player's allowed to use, exclusive to the face only of course. Otherwise the rain will blind you."

"No," Harry said, no one had shown him how to do that, perhaps Wood thought he knew how to anyways.

The commentary was continuing below, as Lee announced Slytherin in the lead.

"Well that's just peachy!" Sirius groaned, not even having wondered about the game anymore now that Harry was in real danger of getting hurt. Again!

Harry became all the more frustrated as he realized the Slytherin's brooms were clearly outmatched his own teams. Fred and George were trying their best to help, constantly circling around Harry and taking turns swinging at the cannonball like object, but Harry reflected he'd never find the Snitch as he couldn't see around their flailing arms.

"I don't care," Lily yelped, "you're much safer being surrounded by them!"

The boys nodded in firm agreement, Remus asking, "why hasn't anyone called a timeout yet? Clearly something's wrong."

Harry sighed in defeat, knowing full well no one called this particular game off.

Fred managed to point out that someone had tampered with the Bludger

"Then why wasn't the game canceled," Lily ground out in frustration.

"Because Quidditch isn't canceled, not for anything," James sighed, for once in his life wishing the opposite.

"But it's obvious something's wrong-" Lily still tried, but was cut off by Sirius reminding, "Same was true of Harry's first game and that broom, and no one called it off then, even if they'd been given the chance. Quidditch just isn't cancelled Lily."

She sighed in disappointment, but stopped arguing the point in favor of hearing how Harry survived this.

in between smacking the ball away from Harry's head again. His twin somehow managed to call a timeout at the same time as stopping the Bludger from an impending attack.

"Props for multitasking," Harry laughed, but he was the only one who did.

The message came through, and the Gryffindors got a quick break as Harry and the two Weasleys made it to the ground while still having to avoid the rogue Bludger.

"Did it follow you onto the ground?" James asked.

"No," Harry said, "but it circled around me, like some bird in the air."

All four of them shivered, hating that mental image, and still unable to come up with a person who could do this.

Wood took the opportunity to begin yelling at the twins, pointing out they were losing,

"That's what he's concerned about!" James yelped.

"I'm really starting to dislike this kid," Sirius growled.

"He didn't notice," Harry said quickly, not liking that mean look that was flickering across their faces.

demanding to know where they'd been as the Slytherins had used the other Bludger to knockout Angelina.

"Saving my son's life," Lily hissed, only slightly forgiving the comment because of what Harry said.

The twins protested they'd been above, saving Harry's head! They quickly explained that something must be wrong with the Bludger, and Harry glanced over to see their timeout was already almost over.

"Did anyone else notice?" Remus asked.

"Not really," Harry sighed, "I think they noticed a bit more after this time out, but no one stops this game."

All of them looked beyond angry.

Harry then told his captain to tell the twins to leave him alone, let him handle the messed up ball on his own, making the crack he wouldn't catch it unless it flew up his sleeve.

"Really!" Sirius yelped, "That's your plan! At least let them pretend to do their job!"

Harry shook his head furiously saying, "No, I could handle it. I did handle it! Mostly," he finished lamely at their astounded looks.

"Harry," James said weakly, "a game isn't worth your head being knocked off."

"I know-" Harry tried to butt in, but Lily interrupted first, "If you do, then why are you so insistent about this?"

"I don't want our team to lose another match." Harry said furiously. "I didn't get a chance at the tournament last year, and if we called a time off it would be over for us again! I handled this just fine and," he sucked in a deep breath as he said with confidence, "I won us the match." Finishing

with a horrible wince of pain for having dared to tempt his memories.

The four of them exchanged unhappy looks, but finally admitted there was nothing for it. If he said he could handle it, who were they to argue?

"Least it would be impressive if you pulled off a Plumpton Pass," Sirius muttered without any real emphasis. All of them knew they weren't going to be happy until this nightmare of a game was over.

Fred snapped that Harry was being an idiot, that Bludger was going to come away with his head.

Remus winced as he read that, not liking that mental image repeated.

The rest of the team tried to protest as well, and George then turned on Wood and told him this was his fault! He'd been the one to tell Harry get the Snitch or die trying, and Harry had taken that too literally!

Sirius pursed his lips, dearly wishing to agree, but knowing it might offend Harry. If the determined look on his face was any indication, he made a good call.

Wood relented, and told Harry he could have it his way. Turning to the twins and telling them to leave Harry be for this game.

James muttered mutinously, knowing full well as team captain himself once, he would never have made that call!

The game resumed, and Harry had to resort to some pretty out there methods of avoiding the weighted ball. As it was heavier then Harry, it couldn't turn as easily, so despite the laughing crowd, Harry managed a couple of goofy spins to keep it away from him for the most part.

"I do not see how this is funny!" Lily snapped in disgust.

he knew he must look very stupid,

"At least you're dodging, who cares how it looks," Sirius muttered.

and he couldn't hover for more than a second for fear of getting hit, which he was reminded of every time his hair was gusted as the Bludger missed again.

All four of them shuddered in disgust again, knowing that wasn't going to get any better no matter how many times it was said.

Malfoy of course took the opportunity to mock Harry, saying he looked like he was training for the ballet,

Sirius was far too keyed up to make a comment on that lame joke.

but Harry hardly cared when he noticed what was hovering above the blondes head. While Malfoy sat there laughing at Harry, Harry had spotted the Snitch.

James smiled meanly, feeling a slight bit better at this jerk who was more than likely going to get his comeuppance, and a face full of Bludger if Harry went for it.

Malfoy clearly hadn't seen it himself he was too busy mocking Harry,

"So we were right," James said, trying vainly to change the subject to happier topics, "he's a

rubbish player."

"I'll bet Harry never loses a match against him," Sirius agreed.

and Harry remained frozen in place as he feared if he went for it Malfoy might notice and grab it first. SMACK!

Remus choked, bug eyed as he spat that out.

Harry was rubbing his right arm in remembered pain and said, "It hurt, I'm not going to say it didn't, but it's just a break. Nothing worse than that."

They nodded, taking a deep breath Remus kept going.

Harry had hovered one moment too long, the Bludger had finally landed a hit, and smashed into Harry's elbow.

'I don't think I want Harry on the Quidditch team anymore' Lily thought sadly, though decided to keep that to herself since she thought the boys might get mad at her.

Actually, the other three boys did agree. Harry didn't seem able to go a single game without something life threatening happening, it made him too easy of a target apparently.

Harry's vision nearly blacked out right then from the pain of a broken arm, but his determination won out even as the Bludger came back around for another hit this time going for his face again,

"It didn't hit," Harry reassured at once, when they all looked ashen.

only one thought firmly seared into his brain, get the Snitch.

"Credit for determination anyways," James sighed.

Ignoring his throbbing limb, Harry steered his broom one handed and went for Malfoy, who froze up in fear as he seemed to think Harry was moving to attack him.

"Not a bad idea," Sirius nodded, using this as a distraction from the idea of Harry's arm dangling useless at his side.

Malfoy flew away, and Harry's free hand closed around the tiny golden ball. Now he was left holding onto his broom with nothing but his knees.

Remus stopped here to shake his head in wonder at his cub. "You can now tell people you can catch a Snitch with one arm tied behind your back," he told him.

Sirius smacked him, hard.

"Ouch, what! You two can makes jokes, but I can't!"

"No," Sirius shrugged, "I just really wanted a reason to smack you back for all the times you've done it to me. Taking away my joke was just a good excuse."

Lily smiled indulgently at them, almost envious of their ability to joke around while being equally as worried. Everyone coped in their own way she supposed.

Now there was nothing stopping Harry's broom from going towards the muddy ground below, which Harry never felt as blackness continued coloring his vision.

"How did that work out for you?" Lily asked uneasily.

"I think I lost conscious for a few seconds," Harry shrugged, "I wake back up and it's still raining on me anyways."

Lily nodded, slightly content with that.

Suddenly there was mud all around him, and Harry was only vaguely aware that he still had the Snitch in hand as he waved it around and claimed that they'd won, before passing out.

"I'm going to laugh if that was all just a dream," James chuckled, his son never ceased to amuse him.

"He's had some vivid dreams before," Sirius agreed.

"Hopefully he'll wake up with a teacher over him, waiting to heal his arm," Lily grumbled, still unpleased with the whole scenario even if her son came away perfectly fine.

Harry came back to quick enough, rain still falling on his face, and gleaming teeth above him.

"Oh no," Remus groaned, planting his forehead against the book in genuine pain at what could possibly happen next.

"I didn't mean him!" Lily yelped, "I meant McGonagall!"

"Next time when you're hoping for something, be name specific," James grumbled.

Harry's very first words were 'not him!' The guy just laughed, saying Harry had no idea what he was saying.

"He knows exactly what he's saying," Sirius growled.

"You never seem to though," Remus huffed.

Sirius gave him a confused look, unsure if his friend was making a joke at him or Lockhart, but Remus wasn't going to answer.

It was Lockhart, standing amongst the crowd of Gryffindors as he soothed Harry that he was going to fix his arm.

"No!" All five of them yelped in real fear.

"That moron can't handle a pixie, I don't want to even think what would happen if he tried that!" Lily hissed.

"With any luck, a puff of smoke will escape," Sirius said, "then he'll make up some lame excuse, and prattle Harry's ear off up to the Hospital wing."

Harry was still rubbing his arm in remembrance, he had a bad feeling about this. He knew one thing, his arm stopped hurting after Lockhart's spell. It wasn't for a good reason though.

Harry tried to say he'd rather keep it as it was,

The three boys chuckled weakly.

but he was in so much pain he couldn't move away. He also heard the distinct noise of a camera going off, and shouted out that he didn't want a picture of this Colin!

"Why would you take a photo of that," Lily asked in disgust.

"Kid's going to make a great photographer one of these days," Remus smiled, "he's certainly not squeamish."

"That wasn't my point," Harry huffed.

Lockhart ignored all of this as he pulled out his wand, and Harry still tried to protest as he said he'd much rather go up to the hospital wing.

"Because he's a pompous, big headed, arrogant-" Sirius began, while Lily finally cut him off saying:

"Sirius, I'm sure you can keep going for a year, but I want to hear this."

Wood had been one of the onlookers this whole time, and chose now to pipe up and say that Harry really should get help from the professional, but then turned and praised Harry for his marvelous catch.

"I really hate agreeing with him," James grumbled, thinking Wood was too happy for the circumstances. You could be happy about winning after all of your players were healed up!

Harry spotted Fred and George a ways out, still fighting with the Bludger and trying to force it back into its crate, but the ball was still fighting back.

"Whoever cursed that thing, I'm going to curse them into oblivion," James vowed.

Harry wondered why his automatic reaction was to correct his Dad. Why would he want to defend whoever did this?

Lockhart was ready now, rolling back his green sleeves,

"Jeez, wonder which team he was supporting," Sirius said vaguely.

and pointing his wand at Harry. There was no more chance to stop him, as Harry began to feel an odd sensation from the tips of his fingers all the way to his shoulder.

"That's not the feeling you should have," Lily said, real fear creeping into her as she wondered what this inept idiot had done to her son.

"Wish it had said the spell he tried," Remus muttered, "because I'd like to use it on him."

"He said Brackium Emendo," Harry offered brightly, knowing full well Lockhart deserved whatever his family was thinking up, though still having an issue with remembering why.

"That's, actually a real spell," Lily said in surprise.

"So why isn't the feeling he's having the right one," James said uneasily.

Lily bit her lip before waving Remus on, trying to figure that out herself.

Harry got the odd sensation that his arm was being deflated.

"Well," Lily began again, thinking out loud now, "I know that if you don't have enough magical ability to perform a spell properly it often does the opposite effect. That's why you don't walk in trying to do seventh year spells," Lily explained that part for Harry's benefit, "so if this dolt hasn't built up enough of an ability to perform this spell correctly..." she trailed off, puzzling, "what would be the opposite of mending broken bones?"

"I don't want to find out," James sighed as Remus read on, now a little curious himself, and having an abundance of faith Madame Pomfrey could fix it if, most likely, Lockhart simply broke

the bone further. Then of course, he'd just have to hurt Lockhart all the more for prolonging Harry's pain.

Harry was to terrified to see what had been done to his arm even as the crowd around him gasped in shock and the mad clicking of a camera doubled up.

"That can't be a good sign," Sirius muttered.

His arm didn't hurt anymore,

Lily perked up in surprise, perhaps Harry just had a unique reaction to the spell?

nor did it feel remotely like his arm.

"Not a good sign at all," James agreed.

Lockhart tried to brush it off as Ron and Hermione approached, saying he'd done all he could and they could take him up to the Hospital now to tidy Harry up.

"Tidy him up?" Remus asked, "What does that even mean?"

"Fix his screw up," Harry muttered.

"You remember what happened?" James asked quickly.

"No," Harry sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to hold the memory until the book said it, "but I know it wasn't good."

Harry got unsteadily to his feet, feeling oddly off balance. Sucking in a big breath for fear of what he was going to find, Harry finally glanced down at his arm and nearly blacked out again.

"Did he remove your arm or something!" Lily yelped.

Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, but now that he seemed to actually remember what he saw, he didn't seem able to spit it out.

Remus read quickly now.

Hanging from his shoulder was a loose pile of flesh. His fingers wouldn't move, his wrist wouldn't turn, nothing was happening.

There was a muscle twitching in Sirius' jaw as he finally realized what had happened.

Remus looked like he really was going to pass out.

James and Lily refused to react until Remus flat out read.

Harry realized that Lockhart had not in fact fixed Harry's arm, he'd removed all of the bones in it.

"He's dead," James vowed. "He is officially a dead man. He-" he spluttered out, most likely to outraged to finish his sentence.

"What I find most interesting," Remus said threw gritted teeth, "is how he managed to switch those spells! You're supposed to stop making those kinds of mistakes at fourth year, at the latest!"

"What spell did he actually use?" Harry asked.

"It's called Ossio Dispersimus," James said, "only used in the most severe crisis, when the bones can't be mended for some reason or another, and you have to temporarily take them out."

"So they will grow back," Harry said eagerly, his family didn't seem that concerned about this.

"Oh yes," Lily said at once, "take a bit of Skele-Gro, and your bones will come right back."

Harry nodded, then still deciding he was curious, asked, "How would you switch spells like that?"

"It's a rookie mistake," James snorted, "but something that can happen when you start learning spells, and then counterspells. If you aren't concentrating on the spell you're intending to use, you can accidentally cause another spell to happen."

"I'm not surprised," Sirius huffed, "that idiot can't focus on anything but his reflection. He shouldn't be trying any spells!"

"Just proves his incompetence all the more," Harry shrugged, "not that anyone should have

needed it."

Still furious, but calmed slightly by the subsequent discussion, they were all willing to keep going without shouting death threats, for now.

Madam Pomfrey wasn't pleased. She was yelling at the lot of them for not taking Harry to her the moment this had happened, while tossing Harry some spare pj's and telling him he'd have to stay the night. Harry was relieved when she promised she could fix his arm though. Ron had to help him put his shirt on, trying to stuff the rubber mess into a sleeve.

"Ew," Sirius wrinkled up his nose at the mental image.

Ron was yelling at Hermione that how could she stick up for Lockhart now! Hermione pointed out that anyone could make a mistake,

"I've never heard of anyone doing that after the age of sixteen," Remus sniffed, "by that time, any idiot can master the concept of focusing on one spell at a time."

"Can't believe Hermione is still sticking up for him," Lily sighed.

and reminding that it didn't hurt Harry anymore. Harry huffed that it hardly felt like his arm either as it uselessly flopped around at his side.

"Gross," James grumbled.

Madam Pomfrey came back with a bottle of Skele-Gro, telling Harry to drink it up, and warning Harry that regrowing bones was a terrible process.

Now it was Harry's turn to wrinkle up his nose in disgust at the remembered taste of that.

"What did it taste like?" Sirius asked, he'd never known anyone who had to take it.

"Nothing you'd ever tasted before, or wanted again," Harry grumbled.

The Skele-Gro tasted terrible and left a foul taste as it went down Harry's throat. Madam Pomfrey began heading back to her office once he'd finished, muttering furiously about dangerous sports and inept teachers.

"The worst part is, I can't even argue with her this time," Remus sighed.

Ron tried to look on the bright side by pointing out the look that had been on Malfoy's face when they won the match. Hermione asked how on earth he could have done that to the Bludger, and Harry said they could just add it to their list of questions they'd ask when they took the Polyjuice Potion.

"Sorry Harry," Lily sighed, "I just don't see him being able to do that. Those Bludgers are charmed especially so that they can't be tampered with. No student should be able to get past that."

Harry nodded, agreeing with his mom's opinion even without the feeling's reinforcing that she was right.

Then he hoped it at least tasted better than the Skele-Gro.

"Sadly not," James wrinkled his nose in disgust, "I had to take some once, Auror training protocol and all, and it doesn't matter who you change into. The stuff is awful."

"Gee, thanks dad," Harry said.

The rest of the team showed up then with proper drinks and candies to celebrate Harry's victory, George praising Harry on his win as well and telling Harry how he'd seen the Slytherin Captain yelling at Malfoy for not grabbing at the Snitch right above his head.

"With any luck he'll get kicked off the team!" Sirius said brightly, finally finding something good about this match.

Madam Pomfrey came back around then, kicking every one of them out and saying how Harry needed rest. So Harry had nothing to distract himself from the burning pain that was beginning in his boneless arm.

"Her intentions are good, honestly," Remus sighed, "but if I'm ever told to rest again, I really will smack someone."

James and Sirius exchanged smiles, knowing full well they had never indulged in Pomfrey's rules. They had always used James cloak, and snuck down to see Remus, and they wondered if Ron

and Hermione would do the same.

Harry managed to fall into a fitful sleep, and woke several hours later. At first he thought he'd been awoken by the horrible pain in his arm that felt like he was growing his own splinters.

"Ouch," they all muttered, not liking that description one bit.

Then he realized there was someone on his bedside, patting a sponge against his forehead.

"Hermione?" James asked, sounding more confused than confident.

"Why would she be there?" Lily asked.

"Because these two knuckleheads were thinking Harry's friends would sneak in to see him," Remus offered, "but I think Hermione doing that is a little odd."

"I think it just proves all the more how much she likes Harry," Sirius snipped, giving Harry a look he didn't understand one bit. Of course Hermione liked him, they were friends.

Harry snapped for whoever to stop it, then he recognized Dobby.

"Dobby!" They yelped in surprise. "What's he doing there?" Remus added on.

"What's he doing there?" James repeated when Harry looked uneasily around the room, his dad's voice coming out between gritted teeth as he guessed what Harry was thinking now.

"Ah, why are you asking me," he finally said, "I've no idea."

All four of them grumbled a bit, having a really bad feeling about this. The last time Dobby had been around, it hadn't been very pleasant, and they were just as weary this time.

The house-elf was obviously distraught, watching Harry with tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Wait," Sirius said, "so does that mean, did Dobby have something to do with paralyzing Mrs. Norris?"

"What makes you think that?" James asked.

"He's trying to scare Harry into leaving, I'm wondering if he might have pulled that stunt to keep that going," Sirius shrugged.

"No," Remus said, going a little pale, "but you're on the right track, I think. What if Dobby was trying to scare Harry away from the school because he knew something like this might happen."

"A house-elf knew a cat would be paralyzed?" James asked in disbelief.

"It's not out of the realm of possibilities," Lily agreed with Remus.

"Well then who paralyzed the cat, and is making Harry hear a voice," Sirius asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. They were pretty well into this book by now, and still had no real suspect.

All five of them sighed, letting it go for now.

Dobby was scolding Harry for having come to school, how he was still in danger and why hadn't Harry just given up when he missed the train?

"Well, guess I was right," Remus sighed, not looking very happy.

"Yes, yes, that does tend to happen sometimes," Sirius scoffed.

"Now I just want to know if I was right about why he did," Remus huffed, ignoring Sirius so that he could read.

Harry pushed Dobby's hand, and the sponge, away as he heaved himself upright.

"That's kind of creepy," James muttered, finding it much less endearing than a girl that was a friend of Harry's.

"It's like he adopted Harry," Sirius nodded. "If Dobby didn't have a family of his own, and Harry was of age, Harry could possibly bind Dobby to his family line."

"Is that really how it works?" Lily asked.

"It's more complicated than just saying it," Sirius smirked at her, "but something along those lines."

Lily huffed, unable to decide if he was being sarcastic, and none of the boys were helping.

Harry demanded to know if Dobby had really been the one to block him and Ron!

"How?" Lily asked in disbelief, "Exactly how powerful are house-elves?"

"Very," Sirius said with a straight face, "they're probably the most powerful magical creature that exist, which is why they were enslaved by wizards so many years ago."

"How were they enslaved if they're so powerful?" Harry asked.

"That's a long, really ugly history on the wizard part," Remus said, "we'll try and explain that later."

Harry nodded in content for now.

Dobby agreed it was him. He'd been so stunned to hear that Harry had still made it to school he'd messed up on one of his chores and forced to iron his own hands.

Lily winced in sympathy for the poor thing all over again, though honestly thinking she was still annoyed at him being the cause of all of Harry's problems this year.

Dobby said he didn't care though, saying how he thought it was worth it because surely Harry didn't have another way to get to school.

"Also proves my earlier point," James nodded, "he clearly has no idea how things work if he thought the train was the only way to get to school."

Dobby had been so surprised to hear Harry was at Hogwarts he'd burnt his master's dinner, and received his worst ever thrashing.

Lily's lower lip quivered in real pain for this creature now, saying, "I feel like an arse. How are there not laws in place to prevent this kind of thing?"

"It's not your fault Lily," James said at once, "exactly how many people are involved in that type of thing, and none of them have said a word either."

"Besides," Sirius shrugged, "I doubt there's anything you could do. Pass as many laws as you like, house-elves belong to their owners. You can't control the way they're treated."

Lily fired up at once, snapping, "Like you can't control the way people treat animals, or their own children! There are laws to prevent that kind of abuse! You see house-elves as less than them!"

Sirius' superior look faltered for the first time. He disagreed with nearly every aspect of his parent's life, but the one thing he'd never had a problem with was their treatment of Kreacher. He was a vile thing, hateful and spiteful to the extreme, to him anyways. So whenever he saw him being punished, never bothering to learn the reasons, he'd had no problems. Never having met any other house-elves besides the ones at Hogwarts, who he'd given about as much attention as the ghosts into their free time outside of politely giving him food, he had no reason to think otherwise about the species as a whole.

Dobby certainly hadn't changed his mind so far, he was being an absolute arse trying to keep Harry out of school. Now, at Lily's words, he suddenly thought of Harry at Privet Drive again, no

one taking the time to care what happened to him. Harry had tried comparing his life to Dobby's and Sirius had scoffed at the idea, there couldn't be any similarities, right?

He shook off his feelings and snapped at Remus to keep going, ignoring the curious looks from everyone else at what exactly had him quiet for so long.

Harry was more exasperated than anything as he told Dobby he'd better get lost before he got both arms back, or he'd probably strangle Dobby himself. Dobby said he was used to death threats, he got them frequently enough at home, then he blew his nose on a bit of his pillowcase.

"Wow, I kind of forgive him," Remus said sadly, "this is just sad."

James and Lily both nodded, Sirius crossed his arms and said nothing. Surely the elf was just trying to get Harry to pity him.

Harry asked why Dobby even wore that, and Dobby said it was a mark of being a house-elf, not being allowed to wear clothes. Dobby could only be freed from his slavery if masters gave him clothes, and they were very careful never to pass Dobby so much as a sock.

Harry went a little cross eyed for a moment, hating that feeling of significance that was gone as soon as he tried to understand why.

Dobby changed the subject then, saying he'd been sure his Bludger,

"His Bludger!" Sirius roared, "he tried to break your head open!"

"Sirius, you said you wouldn't add him to your kill list," Harry said weakly, "whatever he did remember? Dobby's got the right intentions...I think."

This calmed the others, slightly. They were still angry, but they had promised not to take it out on Dobby. He must have a reason for this if Harry said so.

Sirius though, was still furious. He'd only agreed to that because he thought Dobby wouldn't make another appearance, that his worst thing he'd done was make Harry's life even more miserable at the Dursley's, more than enough reason to warrant his fury, but he had given Harry the benefit of the doubt in pitying the creature. Besides, it not being his house-elf, he couldn't do anything about it anyways. Now, he was determined to find out whose elf this was, and silently planning on doing something to the stupid little thing. Maybe not kill him, he'd keep that promise, but he would never take anything threatening his godson's life without taking revenge back.

and Harry cut him off in outrage, demanding to know why Dobby wanted him dead! Dobby corrected he didn't want to kill him,

Dobby corrected he didn't want to kill him,

"What did he think was going to happen when he aimed a weighted ball at your head?" Remus demanded.

"Err," Harry said lamely, he had no response for that.

he only wanted to save his life. Better to go home with an injury,

"So he intended to send you home limbless!" James yelped in disgust.

"I don't care what the elf thinks," Lily huffed, "if you couldn't be helped at the school, you would have been sent to Saint Mungo's, healed there, and then come back to school."

"Like Dad said," Harry shrugged, "Dobby doesn't know how this stuff works."

"That's getting old," James muttered.

then to remain at school. Harry snapped that Dobby needed to tell him why Harry was in such danger.

"If he answers that, I actually will forgive him," Remus huffed in agitation. Clearly Dobby knew something he wasn't telling.

Dobby moaned that he still couldn't, but it was dangerous here! Harry was too important to be lost that way, as he still stood for so much good. How his kind had been treated so much better since the fall of You-Know-Who. Something terrible was happening at school now though, and it involved He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"Why would that be?" James asked curiously, "people would treat their house-elf's the same without Voldemort being around."

"More of Dobby not having a clue what's going on," Sirius muttered in disgust.

Lily gave him a scathing look. She had thought she'd seen, for just a moment, something pass across his face. Now it was gone, and he looked as surely as any other time elves were mentioned.

Now that the Chamber had been opened again, terrible things were set to happen.

"Once more?" James asked in surprise. "When was it opened before?"

"I've never heard of that," Sirius agreed.

"Wish we had," Remus sighed, "we might have gotten more clues where it is."

"Are you lot crazy?" Lily yelped in disgust, "the 'monster' that's supposedly in there doesn't bother you!"

"Nah," Sirius said, "that's probably just fake, to scare people away from finding it. Slytherin might have hide something really valuable there, and I want to know what."

"So here's hoping Harry might find it," James said, going bright eyed for a moment.

"I want to slap all of you," she sighed, rubbing at her own temple. Harry fought back the urge to agree with his mother.

Dobby froze up as he realized he'd said too much, and he picked up Harry's cup and began cracking himself over the head with it as he scolded himself.

"This elf is weird," James said, "I don't get why that was a secret."

"Well, since we didn't know about it, I'd say it isn't widely known," Sirius shrugged.

"Wonder what happened before," Remus said thoughtfully.

Harry quickly took the cup back and tried to argue that what did this have to do with him? He wasn't even muggle-born, why was he in danger?

"That's another good point," Lily nodded, "his statues, should protect him. Why is Dobby so freaked over Harry in particular?"

"No good reason," Harry sighed.

Dobby pleaded with Harry to stop asking questions, just to please leave. Harry refused, wanting to know who had opened it before, who had done it now? Dobby still insisted he couldn't say.

"So he knows then," Remus said, raising a brow in surprise.

"Geez, I really want to know who Dobby's owner is," Sirius said, ulterior motives aside, he just knew that this elf's owner would somehow be important for Dobby to be knowing all of this.

Dobby froze up then, and Harry heard why. Footsteps were headed up, and Dobby took the chance to disappear again. Harry quickly curled back up in his bed to feign sleep as the door opened.

"Probably for the best," Lily said sadly, "he clearly couldn't tell you anything, or if he let something slip out he beat the crap out of himself."

"Here's hoping he doesn't come back," Sirius muttered.

Dumbledore came in backwards, looking like he was carrying some stone figure by its feet,

Remus stopped right there, glancing up briefly at the others who all looked as scared as he felt.

"A statue," Lily whimpered, "like a human sized statue?"

Harry nodded dumbly, knowing full well he wasn't going to like what Remus was fixing to read.

"Please tell me it was Lockhart," Sirius said weakly.

Remus sucked in a deep breath before reading.

and McGonagall quickly followed with the head. They laid it gently on the nearest bed while McGonagall tore off to go and get Madam Pomfrey. She returned demanding to know what had happened, and Dumbledore explained that Minerva had found him on the stairs.

"Him?" Lily yelped.

"On the stairs?" James said with unease, "It wasn't Ron was it?"

"No," Harry said with confidence.

"Stop interrupting me," Remus huffed, "I want to know who it is."

The married couple went silent at the rebuke.

McGonagall said how she'd found some food next to him, and theorized he had probably been on his way up here to visit Harry.

All five of them shivered in disgust, hoping dearly McGonagall was wrong.

Harry took a chance and glanced over to see it was Colin.

"Bloody hell," Sirius groaned.

"That poor kid," Lily whispered.

"Who would attack him though?" Remus asked, running one hand through his hair in frustration, "everyone hates Mrs. Norris and Filch, but who has a grudge against a first year?"

"Maybe it's random?" James offered.

"Or it really is someone against muggle-borns," Sirius said, fidgeting a bit and hoping he was wrong.

"You still can't tell a muggle-born just by looking at them," James disagreed, "so unless someone knew Colin, that shouldn't matter."

"I still want to know how!" Remus asked when it appeared they still had no new leads on the first question. "The only thing that can petrify people like that is a gorgon. I refuse to believe one is getting in and out of that school without being noticed."

They all sighed as they realized, despite a new victim, they had no more answers than before, and in fact more questions.

"My question is, what's the point?" James grumbled, "this can't all just be to scare the students. There must be an endgame to this."

"Let us know if you figure it out," Harry said miserably.

He was as petrified as Mrs. Norris had been a look of great shock on his face, barely visible underneath the camera he was holding against his eye. McGonagall was muttering in relief that it was just lucky Dumbledore had been on his way to get something to drink.

"I thought Dumbledore said McGonagall found him on the stairs?" Sirius asked, trying to distract himself again, "what, did she really fear she couldn't handle whatever on her own."

"Would you want to handle this on your own?" Remus shuddered.

"Do gorgons eat people or something?" Harry asked.

"They're not known to," Remus shook his head, "they're not categorized as beasts anyways. They haven't been known to make any appearance at any congregation of our kind, so very little is known about their habits."

"They're found in Greece," Sirius added, "there's never even been a sighting of them here."

Dumbledore made to remove his camera, and McGonagall asked hopefully if Colin had somehow managed to get a picture of who'd done this to him.

"Now that's interesting," James said thoughtfully, "has anyone ever brought out muggle things to see what happens when a gorgon stairs at it?"

"Don't even think about it," Lily snapped at once, "I don't even want to think of you lot out there trying those kinds of stunts."

The boys all huffed in annoyance, Sirius saying, "I told you Lily would be a killjoy."

"Be nice," James said at once, "she just means she doesn't want to hear about it, because she wants to come. Isn't that right Lily Flower."

Lily looked to the ceiling, as if praying for patience, and Remus took that as his cue to keep going.

Harry felt like he was going to be sick again, but he was learning to control the feeling the more it went on. It wasn't a gorgon, his instincts were sure of this, but he refused to allow another memory to blast him again. They clearly scared his family, so he would just have to wait and see to find out

what it really was, and in the meantime, ask as many questions as it took to take his mind off this pain.

Dumbledore opened up the camera,

Lily was tempted to point out that under normal circumstances, that would have ruined the film, but this was a magically imbued camera so perhaps there were charms in place to protect this?

Either way she didn't know cameras that well, and didn't want to delay in pointing this out to the others.

but they all yelped in shock with black steam came jetting out of the back of the camera, and Harry could clearly smell melted plastic.

"Well that answers that question," Sirius said, a little disappointed.

"I'm surprised Colin would have still gotten petrified though," Remus said thoughtfully, "after all the only sure fire way to not be hurt by the gorgon's look is to only look at their reflection. I guess looking through a lens wouldn't count."

"Again, something more to test," James grinned.

Lily twitched, and James automatically flinched back like he thought she was going to slap him again. Lily instead smoothed some hair back from her face, exposing a vindictive smile.

McGonagall was stunned as she demanded of Dumbledore what on earth could have done this. Dumbledore simply answered that this confirmed the Chamber was in fact open again.

"How does he work that out?" Lily asked grumpily, more than sick of this whole school being so vague this year.

"I wonder," Remus pondered, having noted something about a monster within the Chamber earlier, it didn't really add up though...

"What are you thinking Moony?" James asked.

He shook himself and said, "let me finish this chapter, it's only a bit left, then I'll explain."

McGonagall asked who,

"That's what we want to know," Lily grumbled.

but Dumbledore corrected it wasn't a who they should be worried about, but how.

"Okay Remus, how?" James demanded.

HPHPHPHP

Actual favorite chapter of this book, I tell even though no one asked.