#as we would tumble into shared insanity

[strawberrycowtime]

hi *pokes you* *pokes you* *pokes y

it’s all fun and games until i start screaming like ive been stabbed (immediately) and flail around like a headless chicken (also immediately)

(pokes you back)

[racingghost]

The FIA Prize Giving 2018 gala was an insane night for Simi, and I want to share all of it!

First, the elephant in the room:

Kimi was absolutely hammered! He caught everyone's eye because he was tumbling around the place, and generally having a blast yapping his mouth off to anyone who would listen to him. Legends said he would do this when drunk, but never had a live audience been witness to it.

Meanwhile, Seb...

Seb had finished second to Lewis in 2018's title battle, and was also seeing the end of his partnership with Kimi at Ferrari.

Kimi's renewal for Ferrari was always rumored to be something Seb pushed for when negotiating his own contracts, so the news the Scuderia wasn't interested in keeping Kimi past 2018 were a sign that Sebastian's wants weren't of huge importance to them anymore, and they were making way for a promising young talent (Leclerc) to take the lead driver role in Ferrari in the years to come.

Sounds like a bad end of the year for a guy with title aspirations, but guess what?

Kimi was there, with so much booze in his system that he wasn't at all worried with maintaining his quiet and taciturn act. And you know how they say alcohol lowers your inhibitions and makes your deepest thoughts come out freely?

That night, Kimi had one mission, and it was to keep Seb happy.

When he caught cameras filming Seb, knowing his friend was a private guy, he jumped in and tried to stop them. Look at his face. He doesn't know what he's doing. He's driven only by protective instinct.

When Seb talked, you could tell he wasn't hearing a word (and at times it seemed mutual)

For a bit there, the cameras even caught Kimi deciding to go for a smoke, and Seb trying to impinge a sense of responsibility on him, only to end up being dragged along.

When they were called on stage to receive the 2nd and 3rd place trophies, it was the funniest shit. There were designated spots on the stage where each driver should stand, but they were quite apart from each other.

You can see an official trying to stop Kimi and take him to his marked spot, but Kimi strode straight towards Seb and stuck decisively by his side. In fact he gestures at Seb, as if telling the crowd to give him his accolades!

His arm was around his shoulders, half offering companionship in what would be their last official act together as teammates, and half supporting himself so he wouldn't fall on his ass on stage.

And of course, we even had a classic Seb moment, where Kimi offered one of the men delivering the awards a handshake, and Seb took it instead. Kimi didn't even care, he rolled with it, because if Seb wants to hold his hand, god damn it he will.

Even when they had to part to grab the awards, Kimi made sure to return to his original favored position of keeping one friendly arm around Sebastian's shoulders asap.

You see Seb turn to him and say something...

It's impossible to tell what, but it looked an awful lot like a "thank you" that carried years of friendship and support behind it. Kimi's eyes transformed at whatever Seb said. his eyebrows lifted and his expression softened.

He told him something to his ear in return, and it made Seb smile again, whatever it was.

Eventually it was Lewis' time to get on stage. He was the 2018 champion, the guy Seb didn't manage to beat, and as such had the right to make a victory speech.

As he does so, the camera caught the losers, Seb and Kimi.

In that moment, that could have hurt a little harder than usual, Kimi put his arm around Seb's shoulders one more time, downed another drink, and swung him closer.

This was it.

This was the end of their partnership.

Simi, nobody will ever do it like you.

[bluesylveon2]

LOVE (Ace Trappola x Yuu/Reader)

Summary: Four instances in Ace's life where he starts to view Yuu/Reader more than a friend

Note: Inspired by "L O V E" by Michael Buble, set in canon, mention of another magic school, the first years teasing Ace, and fluff. This all happened because I saw some aceyuu posts

Edit: made some minor edits!

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: fem Yuu/reader, not beta read, some cursing, cringey teenage boy stuff, and possible ooc characters

Masterlist: here

L is for the way you look at me

Chaos. 

All around Ace was chaos. 

Riddle's cackle resonated throughout the rose garden; other Heartslabyul members threw spells left and right, and blot was everywhere. Everyone's eyes were set on the Heartslabyul housewarden. However, Ace had something else in mind. 

"Look out!" Was all Yuu heard before a familiar figure tackled her to the ground. The stray spell that would have hit her landed on a rosebush instead. 

Ace protectively held Yuu as they tumbled in the dirt. The redhead pivoted his body so he protected Yuu from the ground. 

"Are you okay?" Ace frantically asked, letting his hands wander to search for any injuries. 

"I'm fine," Yuu coughed and got off of Ace. "You need to go and stop Riddle. I'll find Grim and-"

"Are you insane?!" Ace yelled. "I am not letting you fend for yourself, and Grim is still new to magic. I'm your best bet here."

"Ace…" Yuu said in a warning tone. She started to move but was stopped by someone grabbing her wrist. She yelped as Ace pulled her towards him and held her protectively. 

"We are getting out of this together, whether you like it or not. Stay behind me, and don't lose me," Ace said, looking into Yuu's eyes with determination. To this day, Ace still could not explain what happened to him. All he knew was that he wanted to protect Yuu. 

A few seconds of silence passed until Yuu let out a sigh. "Fine but don't let me die."

Ace grabbed Yuu's hand and squeezed it.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Yuu."

O is for the only one I see

The cafeteria was loud with chatter as the students discussed the female student representatives of an all-girls academy coming to visit NRC because of Crowley's way to "strengthen relations with other institutions." It was no secret that a school full of boys would not talk about it. Especially when the only female on campus was the local school therapist, lived in a worn down dorm, and had a cat monster. 

"Did anyone get a glimpse of the girls visiting today?" Epel asked as he cut his apple. It was lunchtime, and the first-year group ate at their unofficial but official table. 

"Yeah, Big Brother was so nervous during his part of the tour that I ended up leading it for him," Ortho sighed with a downward look on his face. 

"I'm surprised by how cordial Leona was with them," Jack admitted. "I understand Leona's kingdom respects ladies, but seeing him do a 180 is weird."

"Speaking of, has anyone seen Yuu? She needs to come down to eat," Ace took a bite out of his sandwich, his eyes scanning for the Prefect. 

"She's currently providing her portion of the tour since the Headmaster insisted Ramshackle goes after Diasomnia." Sebek's voice brought Ace back to the table. "Then she will eat there with the guests with food catered by the campus ghosts. At least that's what Waka-sama told me." 

"Good, at least the Headmaster did something right for once.” Jack nodded as he and Sebek shared an unspoken agreement. "She should save herself from these guys." His ears flickered from an unpleasant conversation he did not want to hear. 

"I'll say," Deuce joined in. "You should've seen some girls keep staring at Ace, asking him questions and stuff when I was right there!" He glared at Ace. "That was not cool, man."

"You're just jealous that you don't have the rizz to pull a girl."

"Why you!" Deuce grabbed Ace's collar. 

"Would you date one of them, though? If you got the chance?" Epel asked. Deuce froze and let go of Ace, eying him curiously. Silence filled the table, minus the background noise from the other students. 

"Me? I'm good with not dating anyone yet. 'Sides, I'm already busy looking after Yuu a lot." Ace laughed, but no one joined him. Instead, they looked at him with shock. "What? Was it something I said?"

"Well…" Epel said, his eyes flickering to anyone but Ace. "That's not what we expected."

Ace raised a brow. "What did you expect?"

The first years looked at each other, unsure how to respond, until Sebek slammed his fist against the table. "Human! You should put away this silly nonsense and eat! I cannot have a weak human beside me. It will embarrass Waka-sama!"

"Geez, I didn't even start it." Ace rolled his eyes and took another bite of his food. 

Those girls were not even his type anyway. Who needs them? He would rather spend time in Yuu's company as friends than have a repeat of his last relationship. 

At least, that's what Ace tried to tell himself. 

V is very, very extraordinary

"And so, the Ice Queen found love between her and her sister. Their sisterly love thawed the ice out of her kingdom, thus solving any crisis before it could become an eternal winter.” Professor Trein closed his textbook and eyed the class. “Does anyone have any questions?"

Ace held back a laugh as Yuu's hand went up in eagerness. Luckily for him, Deuce remained fast asleep during the lecture. 

"Yes, Yuu?"

"And what happened to the brave princess? Did she ever find her own happy ending?" 

"Yes, she did. Even though she did not have magic, the princess defeated her wicked fiance and then…" Ace ignored the rest of Professor Trein's ramblings and glanced over at Yuu, who was focused on writing a book full of notes. 

Despite being magicless and from another world, Yuu was interested in nonmagical courses such as History and Alchemy. In fact, she had a higher grade in those courses compared to ADeuce.

Ace watched as Yuu asked yet another question regarding the two sisters. An amused smile formed on his face. 

If Yuu had magic, she could be like the Ice Queen. Then again, she is more like the sister. Energetic, blunt, awkward, has a nice smile-

Wait. 

Ace shook his head and cringed. Since when did he care about her smile? What kind of guy thinks about those things? 

The bell rang as Ace battled his internal thoughts, unaware of Deuce waking up beside him. 

"Is it time to go already?" Deuce asked and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 

Yuu walked up the steps to join the duo while holding Grim in her arms. 

"That lecture was so interesting! To think that love was the solution for a kingdom all along." Ace watched Yuu's eyes light up as she shared her thoughts about the lecture. The smile on her face reminded Ace of the sun. "Ace, what did you think about the lecture?"

"I think your smile is cringe," the redhead blurted out, causing Yuu to stop and Deuce and Grim to facepalm. 

Yuu stared at Ace in confusion. "Uhh, okay? Your smile is cringey, too, I guess?" The poor girl was lost. Since when did this become a topic?

Ace was beating himself up mentally while Yuu's attention turned to Grim, who was demanding for some tuna. 

"Way to go, dude," Deuce whispered, elbowing Ace's side. "Way to show how much rizz you got there."

"Shut up, Juice!"

E is even more than anyone that you adore

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Jack asked as Epel trudged to his seat and slammed his tray on the table. The Pomefiore boy let out a big yawn as he sat down. 

"I agree. Improper sleep will put you behind in training," Sebek said as he eyed Epel. 

Ace glanced from his messages with Yuu, who was fighting a cold back at her dorm, to the periwinkle-haired boy. "Yeah, the dudes are right. You look like shit."

"Shut yer trap you-" Epel froze and glanced over Ace's shoulder. Despite being on the other side of the cafeteria, Epel could feel chills from Vil's bombastic side-eye. "I mean. I was having trouble sleeping last night because of a certain someone." 

"Yeah, your stress levels are higher than normal. You can nap in my dorm during your break if you want." 

"Thank you, Ortho," Epel said and took a bite of his toast. 

"Who's this someone so I can teach them a lesson?" Deuce put a fist into his palm and had a murderous look in his eyes. 

"Just one of my roommates. He keeps going on and on about Yuu lately." 

Ace froze and suddenly choked on his breakfast. Luckily, Jack was there to slap his back. 

Yuu? Of all people? Sure, she is known for being around seven overblots and surviving, but her fame wasn't enough to keep someone awake. Let alone sing praises of like a lovesick prince. 

"Why is he talking about her?" Ace managed to spill out after he regained his composure. 

"He keeps praising Yuu for her kindness-" someone snorted at that, but Epel ignored it. "Looks, how perfect she is, and whatever nonsense he can go on about. He even started writing poems about her too! I swear if I hear this guy talk about how Yuu's eyes look like diamonds one more time. Aah'm 'unna put a sock in his-"

Again, Vil's glare carried despite being far from the first years. 

"I mean. Tell him to be quiet. Because that is what I can do." He said the last part through gritted teeth and glared at his housewarden. 

"What a simp," Ace commented, and everyone nodded in agreement. “I low-key feel bad for the guy. Yuu is not going to give him the time of day."

Deuce raised a brow. "And what do you mean by that?"

Ace held his hands up and shrugged. "I'm just saying. A guy who acts all princely and cute for Yuu? No. She deserves someone fun and imperfect like her. A person who she likes to be around. Someone who can help steer her away before she ends up somewhere dangerous."

"Oh really?" Sebek looked at Ace with interest. "And do you, perhaps, have someone in mind for the human?"

"Duh, dude. Me." Ace said confidently and smirked, giving himself a mental pat on the back. 

The other first years stared at him in silence. Then they all had the same shit-eating grin on their faces. Even Ortho had one despite having the lower half of his face covered.

Their looks made Ace realize what had come out of his mouth. 

Oh shit. 

The boy blushed bright red. 

"Wait! No! That is not what I meant to say! Forget all of that!" Ace exclaimed in poor defense. The other's faces remained unwavering.

Deuce had an infuriating smirk splayed on his lips. "Oh, we heard you loud and clear, right guys?" 

Jack joined in on the teasing. "Can't fool me. I heard it, too."

“You got it all wrong! I do not like Yuu like that!” Ace yelled but his red ears said otherwise.

Sebek crossed his arms and grinned, clearly enjoying the show. "Hmph, you humans should never doubt a fae's hearing. For I heard the human declare his worthiness to the Prefect." 

"Okay, now you are making things up!"  

Epel's face lit up in glee. "Well, then, that's great news! I can tell my roommate to pursue Yuu since Ace clearly does not see her that way. Sure, I am sacrificing my sleep for this, but at least Yuu will have a good guy."

"Are you saying I am not a good guy?!"

Ortho let out a sad exhale and slumped his shoulders. If Ortho could cry tears, he would've used them now. He laid a hand on Ace's shoulders in sympathy. "It's okay, Ace Trappola. I will try to convince Yuu to make you her Man of Honor."

"THAT'S IT!" Ace yelled, startling Ortho. The redhead was clearly fed up and red like Riddle’s hair from both embarrassment and anger. Ace stood up, grabbed his tray, and walked off in a random direction. 

"And where are you going?" Deuce yelled out. Ace flicked him off as he threw away his trash. 

"Anywhere away from you losers!" Ace started grumbling as he made his way out of the cafeteria to blow off some steam. 

The other first years watched silently and let Ace walk off. They did not want to anger him further, but they were also proud that Ace was somewhat honest about his feelings for Yuu. 

"Uh, isn't the Mirror Chamber that way?" Jack asked and pointed to the opposite direction from where Ace went.

Deuce smirked, his eyes following Ace's figure. "Looks like he is going to Ramshackle instead. Probably to check up on his future girlfriend." He turned to Ortho. "Did you get that all recorded?"

"Yes, I did!" Ortho grinned victoriously. "I also sent a copy to the Prefect and stored another copy in my database."

“Hmph, that will show him,” Sebek said with a proud look. 

Epel rubbed his hands together and looked at the other first years, who all had the same expression. "Perfect. I can't wait to see the look on Ace's face when he sees it."

Ace was in for a surprise when he made it to Ramshackle. He was also very embarrassed to see the recording come back at his wedding reception. 

A/N: idk if anyone could tell but I lowkey cringed at having ADeuce say "rizz" but they are teenage boys so they might as well 😂

Disclaimer: I do not own Twisted Wonderland and its characters. Those belong to Aniplex, Walt Disney Japan, and Yana Toboso.

©: This story belongs to bluesylveon2 2020-24. DO NOT modify, republish, or plagiarize my work.

[thebearer]

No bcs i love lip and innocent (secretly a whore) reader

Imagine him taking her home to meet the gallaghers (v, kev and mickey included bcs the are gallaghers too... not up to debate) and them going at it in his room and she just puts him in the craziest positions for hours, and when they finish lip is just like: arms and legs spread ou face flush.

He just stops his whore phase, nothing compares, jackpot right there

fucking in his childhood bedroom??? his family's downstairs and she helped cook, clean up the kitchen, all sweet with gemma and amy, answering kev's millions of questions, just giggling at mickey and ian's banter all sweetly. they're like how the fuck is she with lip but also... how the fuck did lip get her??? he's so rough and she's so sweet.

they go "to bed" and something about the tiny bed, the millions of posters that lip blushes at. he doesn't have to share anymore, thank god, and the two of you stay the night instead of going all the way across town to your shared apartment.

"pretty noisy mattress." you hum, sitting on the squeaking springs with a small grin. "got a lot of use, hm?"

"stop." lip shakes his head, blushing. "guess we can't fuck, huh? sucks, because you with the babies? kinda did it f'me."

"yeah?" you laugh. "we don't have to stay on the bed." you bat your eyes at him. "or, we can be really quiet."

fifteen minutes later, you're on top of him, your head in his groin, sucking his cock like your life depended on it. playing with his balls, pressing your thumb to the rim of his asshole- which he was still getting used to. lip was furious at how turned on it made him, hips bucking and whimpers tumbling out of his mouth when you'd always cheekily thumb it. his hands gripping your thighs, moans muffled by your pussy, a free hand fingering you slowly, sloppily. the bed was quiet, except for a few hip jumps when you'd suck his balls.

his family, the ones still in the house, talking about how lip had really lucked out, how you were so sweet it was insane. lip loved it, loved that debbie and ian and mickey would bombard him with "how the fuck did you manage that?" because little did they know. he hoped they would never know.

[agirlandherquill]

the second day of writemas

day 2 has come, and i must say it's so heartwarming seeing everyone enjoy the game so much, and it's only been a couple days!

the rules, for those of you that are new or simply need a refresher: choose a prompt from the list, write something and share your creation with the rest of writeblr, and share the game with others, because as we all know writing is a gift and it deserves to be shared! and of course, tag me in your responses because i cannot wait to see them!

p.s - the game is open to all, as discussed in the invitation post - which, if you'd like to be added to the tag list, is still being monitored for newcomers and late additions - all are welcome to the game!

now for the part you're all here to see - the prompts!

Prompt List:

Dialogue Prompts:

"You did this... For me?"

"Make me understand."

"Yes. Yes. A thousand times - Yes."

Setting Prompts:

A throne room

A cave

A library

Narration Prompts:

She could not move, if she did, she would die.

Smiling hurt, that was how terrible it was.

Their eyes met, and it felt better than anything else in the world, it felt right.

Feeling Prompts:

Ice

The smell of a bakery

The strength of a hug

(because i'm insanely overeager, this post like its predecessor will be going live at 00:01 UK Time, apologies to those of you that receive it early but hey, early presents are still pretty good presents :) )

eagerly awaiting your creations, and as always, happy holidays!

~ A Girl And Her Quill

the invitations have been received so here you all are, i bestow upon you the gift of writemas! p.s if you want to be added to the tag list, interact with this post <3

@365runesofthesystem @glasshouses-and-stones @tildeathiwillwrite @sunakore @nothoughtsjustmhaandotherthings

@willtheweaver @theverumproject @phoenixradiant @thatuselesshuman @melpomenelamusa

@loverboyxbutch @i-hate-happy-endings @corinneglass @whatwewrotepodcast @aalinaaaaaa

@aseriesofsmallthings @kelseyjade @lauravanarendonkbaugh @i-do-anything-but-write @nuclearr-wessels

@95angeltears @sunflowerrosy @thebadphilosopher @ellowynthenotking @xarrixii

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@kaylinalexanderbooks @rickie-the-storyteller @grace-thomas

[pacificwaternymph]

i have been having flower ranchers thoughts, and was wondering if there were any ideas youve been rotating in your mind but haven't said anything about yet?

they're such silly little guys

I know everyone seems to agree which empire Tango would end up if he were plopped into season two (I mean, Tumble Town, the ranch, Jimmy, ya know), but what about season 1?

I feel like he'd avoid places with a lot of water like the ocean and the swamps, because of his whole association with fire. And I feel like he'd avoid areas with a lot of foliage like... the overgrown, the undergrove, or the jungle since there is a LOT of flammable material there.

My first thought actually was Pixandria or Mezalea, since they're the hottest and driest, and also Tumble Town is in a mesa and the Vigil in Pixandra with all the candles... idk I feel like you could do something with that.

But then if we also take into account that one skin of his that has like the blue hair (which from what I've seen no one can agree on whether that is ice or blue fire), then maybe he's an elf who lives in Rivendell? Maybe he's... idk, the keeper of the ancient elven library, or resides in a series of catacombs beneath the city.

I think... the idea I like the best is having him in the Grimlands, since they seem to be very innovative and technology based, and also they have their whole lore with the redstone which fits in nicely with what I know of Tango.

Maybe he's an advisor to Fwhip, or otherwise close to him, and he and Jimmy get to have a nice little enemies to lovers arc. Jimmy starts having flashbacks to double life (if we play around with the timeline here) while also having flashbacks to 3rd life and has no idea what it means. He remembers two different husbands from two different lifetimes, but he can't remember their faces, and he doesn't know why but his heart starts to pick up and his face flushes every time he imagines that arrogant elven king and that unbearably smug redstoner from the grimlands.

Meanwhile both Scott and Tango are having dreams of a husband with golden hair and equally golden wings, dying in front of them, and they don't know what it means. He feels real, real enough that they want to find him and be with him again. Maybe they discover each other's dreams and start trying to find their shared husband together, and fall in love along the way. And they're both developing crushes on the Codfather the more they see of him.

But obviously it can't be Jimmy, are you insane? They said wings, he's a fish. (They're all so stupid /affectionate)

I started out with no thoughts at all and then you dragged this from me. Thanks lol this was fun to think about.

IDK, I'd love to hear other people's ideas for season 1 empires Tango.

[justin-chapmanswers]

If you don't mind me asking, is there any old Inanimate Insanity video that isn't available, lost media if you will. The only thing I can think of is the audition for fan character in season 1, it was mention on episode 5.5 and the Taco Show. I wonder if there is a way to view these video again, maybe saved somewhere. I think they are important part of the history of the show, but I understand if you don't want to reupload these video.

Golly golly. I think that pre-5.5 video is the main loss in terms of things that never got saved anywhere, especially before the hacking/deletion incident. There's also no record of the Inanimate Insanity Audition video, but that was on DuncanEpic not AnimationEpic. Nothing crazy about it, but a neat little archival of all the original character designs and requested audition lines. Bonus would be if there were video responses also still embedded, I watched all of those auditions back in 2011 so many times to see if I felt I could be the frontrunner for any of the roles.

Paper also gets the short end of the stick haha. Nothing that was uploaded, but I recorded two or three things for him in that 2011-2012 window that were started and never made. There was a short written/voiced with the start of animation starring Paper that I really remember super little about. Except for like... I him having a tough day and then tumbling down a hill. He was also the main guest on The Taco Show 2 (I think it was going to start inviting each contestant on to guest after their elimination?). Also don't remember anything from that script except for the fact that Knife was introduced late as Taco's bodyguard and he had to forcibly remove Paper from the premises. Paper had a repeated string of bad luck in all of these, which by-coincidence was replicated with the gag someone added into FFF 4.

And of course can't forget the Friday (Rebecca Black) cover music video that was organized by Nate Groth and started animation. Starring Balloon, with his pals Nickel and Knife. Good times.

But yes! The recommended character video you mentioned earlier, that was a FINALIZED gem lost to time when the April-August 2011 slate was wiped from the channel. STORYTIME.

Adam was going away to camp for the Summer, and he left Nate Groth and me with channel access and each a different responsibility. Nate was to create from scratch the entire video that asks the audience to submit a recommended character for consideration to join the game. Nate and I would pick the ten concepts we liked the most, Adam would pick which of the ten joined the game. It was like a five minute video narrated by Knife explaining everything.

Meanwhile, just Adam gave me episode 5 to upload on August 1st (in a time before scheduled videos). And Nate was not having it.

Nate felt like getting to upload an actual episode as opposed to the recommended character video was a MUCH cooler job. Envious, while Adam was away at camp and in the days leading up to August 1st, Nate changed the password to the account and locked me out in protest. I had to calmly address the situation, remind him of how awesome his recommended character video is, and assure him he can do the next episode upload whenever Adam cannot do it (which would of course never come to fruition cause he was only on the team for another month or so).

Nate shared the password and the episode got out on time, but Adam was frustrated with what happened and understandably locked out everyone else from the account. Nate, of course, got back into the account via (admittedly easy) security questions a few weeks later in his next fit of rage and deleted all of the videos- ironically, erasing his own video creation for all time.

[mybiasisexo]

For the drabble game can I request 13 + 34 with Chanyeol?

And yes I am using this to hold me over until the next chapter of Entangled drops cuz I love the way you write that man🥴🥴

Comfort 🏡

Genre: Slice of Life (?) | nonidol!au | Pairing: Chanyeol x f.Reader Length: 1k Warnings: Sexual Themes

a/n: You wanted this drabble to hold you for entangled and yet I took just as long to post it 😔 im so sorry 😔

DRABBLE GAME | MASTERLIST

The last month of your life has been the most difficult you’ve ever experienced.  

Your childhood pet passing away was the first domino to fall. Then you got fired from your job, and the final nail in the coffin was discovering your boyfriend of two years was cheating on you. With all that terrible news weighing you down, you decided to take a long vacation to properly heal or else you’d go insane.

For two weeks, you were going to isolate yourself in the most calming place you knew: a fancy beach house your best friend, Park Chanyeol’s family owned. You’d spent many summers there, so it rang nostalgic.

You should’ve known Chanyeol would pop up eventually.

You made his mother promise not to tell him, but that lady could never keep a secret.

You were crying on the couch when the door unlocked and your best friend came tumbling in. You both froze at the sight of the other.

Blinking away your tears, you checked your phone for the time. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Come on,” he said, dropping his overstuffed bag onto the ground with a heavy thud before joining you on the couch. “There’s no way I’m letting you enjoy the beautiful scenery alone.”

You understood what he really meant. He wasn’t going to let you suffer by yourself. You gave him a weak smile, touched, and immediately broke down again. Chanyeol wasted no time wrapping you into his arms, comforting you the best he could.

The next few days, Chanyeol kept you busy. He forced you out into the water, made you fish and surf until you were exhausted. He’d cook for you, and on days that he felt you could handle it, would take you into town to eat. Nights were rough. Everytime he’d check on you, he’d find you crying. By the fifth night, he simply went to bed with you and held you tightly, as if the pressure could squeeze out your grief.

It was his affection that drove you into his arms in a different way. You just wanted someone to care for you, and he was exactly what you needed at that moment. On the ninth day, you hooked up. It happened suddenly. One moment he was cutting fruit, retelling random memories you both shared within the home you currently sat in, the next he had you pinned against the counter, kissing you like he’d longed to do it for years.

The two of you created a small little world where only you both existed. There were no rules, no consequences. That safety lowered your inhibitions, erased all pretenses and allowed you to love each other in a way you’d never had before without shame.

But you had to go back to the real world eventually.

That fact dawned on you on the last night at the beach house. The two of you spent it the same way you’d spent the last few days: playing in the water, having sex in the shower, eating lunch while half dressed, sleeping together again on the couch. You’d pretty much christened the whole house by that point. A part of you felt bad for his parents.

Dinner was when it grew awkward. Neither of you really knew how to bring up what happened next. To be honest, you weren’t sure what you wanted once you left here.

But as you watched Chanyeol play with his food, you realized that it was him. He was what you wanted. But you weren’t sure how much of this was real to him, and how much of it was him selflessly giving whatever he could to make you feel better. If it was the latter, you felt guilty knowing that he cared so much for you he’d give himself away like that.

“We leave tomorrow,” he finally broke the silence to say.

Your heart plummeted at the reminder. “Yeah.”

You could feel him watching you, but you were too much of a coward to meet his stare. 

“Do you feel any better?” He asked.

“I do,” you said, and you meant it. His presence healed you more than you think he’d ever know. You needed this trip, needed him. Finally, you met his gaze. “Thank you. For everything.”

He nodded his acceptance. “I’m glad to be of service.”

He threw you a small grin that didn’t reach his eyes. You didn’t like that. Didn’t like the pain he attempted to hide from reducing himself to that.

“Look,” you started. “What happened between us–”

“Don’t worry about it,” he brushed off. You frowned. “You were craving comfort. I get it. We can pretend it never happened. Go back to being just friends.”

“I don’t want to go back to how we used to be,” you confessed. His head jerked back in surprise. “I want more. I want you.”

“You do?” He asked hesitantly.

You nodded. “I do. I want to be with you, Chanyeol.”

He swallowed thickly and looked away from you. You swore he started blinking back tears.

“Is that okay?” You asked.

He coughed a laugh. “That’s more than okay. I…I want this too. I just didn’t want to push you when you were in a vulnerable spot.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his explanation. “That’s exactly why I love you.”

His head snapped back at that. “L–love me?”

You chuckled, embarrassment painting your face red. “Ah….”

“I love you too,” he said in a rush. A pleased yet teasing smile splitting his face. “God, I’ve wanted to tell you that for a long time.”

You laughed again, giddy from his confession. You stood up and walked over to him. He pushed his chair back, sinking into it and spreading his legs for you to stand between.

You cupped his face in your hands and searched his expression. He did the same to you, both finding the love you never thought you’d ever outwardly express to the other.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “For being here for me. For taking care of me. For…for loving me. Thank you, Park Chanyeol.”

He smiled gently and reached up to wipe a few stray tears that fell without your knowledge. “Any time.”

His hand went to the back of your neck, bringing you down to kiss you. This kiss was different from the others. It was slow. A promise. The start of a new beginning.

You knew coming to this house was a good idea, because by the end of your trip, you were properly healed.

[banjjakz]

notes: major character death; gojo satoru is not a good person (we know this); direct continuation of geto suguru's route; if you have not completed the good end may you rest in pieces.

➡ Sneak out of the fire escape.

The thought of trying to navigate your way even further through the deep, dark bowels of this strange place fills you with a fearful repulsion – and not the good kind. While you got off quite lucky with such a faithful encounter with Geto, you shouldn’t get cocky. After all, the security guard from earlier could still be lurking around…imagine if he caught you in such a state of obvious erotic disarray: hair mussed, knees scraped and bruised, face flushed, lipstick smudged…you can’t imagine that would go over well.

Steeling your nerves to do something truly unhinged, you begin to search for the fire escape.

At least you aren’t jumping out of the window, or something insane like that – albeit, sneaking out of the fire escape is a little out there, even for you.

But you no longer inhabit the normal and upright world. It is almost as though you are now floating through reality, your soul wandering through life in an ambiguously disparate state, hopping from absurd situation to absurd situation, motivated by little more than the capricious nature of your arbitrary whims.

It's not like you have much left to lose, after all. The most important thing to you – perhaps the only important thing to you – in your life is ShinShow. And you’ve just achieved the highest goal of any dedicated fan: ultimate recognition.

The eventful evening’s erotic high and the delusional adrenaline coursing through your veins gives you the courage not only to locate the fire escape, but also to slip through the dingy, rusting door and shimmy down the rickety, narrow steps. Even by Japanese standards, the contraption is quite small. Several times, you almost lose your footing and go tumbling down over the railing. Instead of instilling you with healthy fear, the near-accidents only serve to propel you forward with renewed vigor each time you brush closer and closer to impending mortal injury.

As soon as your chunky platforms hit the worn concrete, now back on solid, stable ground, you find it difficult not to deflate a little bit. What a night! What an experience! And you have Geto Suguru’s personal LINE ID to show for all of it…how are you supposed to return to your ordinary, mundane life after such an experience?

The thought depresses you. Work, school, family, friends…it all pales in comparison to the evening you and Geto shared together. Oh, if only every night could be that way!

But that would be selfish of you. Geto is a leader, after all; an inspiration to many, and an idol to all. To usurp him for your personal pleasure and only yours alone would be doing a disservice to his life’s work. You recognize that you must share Geto-sama, as much as it might pain you to do so.

“I don’t wanna share him,” you mumble to yourself, aimlessly launching the decrepit corpse of a crumpled beer can across the alley with a limp, half-hearted kick. “Geto-sama should be all mine…”

In the desolate boughs of this seedy in-between limbo sandwiched between towering buildings of various questionable services and wares, your pathetic utterances should be private, unheard by only your own self-pitying ears.

Operative word: should.

“Haha. That’s a funny joke!”

Your heart drops faster than you can turn around. By the time your body processes the shock at not being alone (seriously, when the hell did someone else get here? You’ve been loitering for several minutes, at this point!) the owner of the unfamiliar voice is already entirely too close for comfort. One moment, the snarky quip bounced off of the aged reinforcements of a residential building several paces away – but now, as you pivot on your heel to confront the stranger, your nose is but a hair’s breadth away from painfully colliding with a wide, solid chest clad in nondescript black cloth.

When you finally glimpse his face, the first thing that comes to your mind is that he’s definitely a douchebag. If the bleached platinum faded undercut weren’t bad enough, this asshole is wearing sunglasses at night. His over-six-foot stature is worn with a sort of self-reverential pride; he carries himself like he knows he’s probably the hottest guy in any room at any given point in time.

How annoying.

This is why, outside of ShinShow, you don’t really care to interact with the male species. They’re all cocky, self-assured, greedy, immature, uncaring, inconsiderate morons! Nothing like your hard-working and self-made idols…ugh.

Just being around this dude makes your skin crawl. Not in the sexy way.

“Excuse me,” you mutter, cutting him a sharp glare with wide, whaling eyes as if to actually convey the more sincere message you hold for him within your heart: get the fuck lost, creep.

But when you go to rush past him, his body moves – again with that mind-numbing, preternatural speed – and you run straight into his annoying firm and solid abs.

Oh God, is this it? Is this really how you are meant to depart from this world? You would’ve preferred to be sent to hell by Geto’s hand over anyone else’s…

Despondent and kind of over it, you direct a firm stare upwards at this asshole’s infuriatingly unbothered smirk. “What’s your problem?”

“You,” says the stranger, simply, distracting you with his blindly white smile so that it is far, far too late by the time you realize that both your wrists are now incapacitated by one of his large, strong hands. “Don’t struggle. It won’t make a difference. Or do! It would actually be kinda funny to watch.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” You demand, instinctively jerking away and finding his grip to be even more iron-solid that it had initially seemed – if that was even possible. “Let me go!!”

When you go to kick him, you find that your perception of reality shatters apart like glass skittering across kitchen tile in a million, tiny, irreparably disparate fractured pieces.

Your foot cannot connect with his body.

The more force you put behind your futile defense against your assailant, the more frustrated and exhausted you become. How can this even be possible? It’s like there’s an invisible paper-thin shield dividing you and him – and yet, despite the thinness of the protective layer, the intimate proximity of your limb and his infuriatingly chiseled torso, there is an endless ocean of space that separates you. No matter how hard you try, you cannot touch him.

You cannot win.

How this is even possible, you haven’t the faintest idea. Some sort of illusion? An advanced kind of electromagnetic technology?

Horror dawns upon you like a red sun on the horizon: there’s no way you can escape this.

The stranger is a seasoned and well-trained predator, that much is for sure. He senses the fight leaking out of your body as a shark might follow the intoxicating scent of blood in the water. He pursues your misery with a keen appetite, one that threatens to devour you whole.

“You’re almost cute,” breaths the strange white-haired man, crowding you up against the brick wall with little more than the oppressive force of his presence. “I can see why he thought you’d be easy.”

A stab of familiarity pierces clear and true through your thundering innards. Surely, he couldn’t be talking about… “Do you know Geto-sama?”

The bastard has the audacity to laugh in your face. His breath is annoyingly minty fresh.

“Oh, wow. You actually call him that? I thought it was just an inside joke between him and the fans, or something. Hah! That’s really good. That’s just too good…” He, honest-to-God, wipes a tear from his eye, underneath his sunglasses.

Even the precarity of your dangerous situation is not enough to cow the bullish indignancy that flushes through you, hot and temperamental, at the suggestion of a perceived slight against your (new?) oshi.

“Hey,” you grunt, chin checking up towards the sky, “you shouldn’t talk that way about Geto-sama. He’s really hard working, and such a good leader…the best there ever was or could be.”

“The best,” mulls the stranger, one large hand descending to stroke his jaw. You can’t tell if the gesture is more a mockery than it is a genuine display of sincere pensive contemplation.

“Tell you what. I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

And then he leans down, easy and natural as breathing, as blinking, lips coming to ghost along the crest of your quivering, hypersensitive ears:

“I already know that.”

With viper-like speed, his fist shoots up to close around your throat. “You don’t think I know that?” You’d sputter out a response if you could breathe. Or think.  “Sweetheart, I’ve been here before that statement could even be said to be true. You could say we’re high school sweethearts. My one and only, he is.”  

Oh, fuck.

Oh, God, oh, fuck.

Did you just mess with an OG fan?

Crap, this is bad. This is really, really bad. Never did you think you’d fall victim to the string of violent, sometimes deadly assaults that ravaged the streets of Kabukichou. But pissing off a dedicated wota by getting caught fucking around with their ultimate oshi is one of the fastest ways to find out!

S-sorry, you try to mouth as your weak, floundering hands doing nothing to persuade his grip into loosening, even just the tiniest bit. Didn’t know!!

“Don’t care~,” sing-songs the stranger, strangely cheerful given the circumstances. He’s not normal. It hits you quite belatedly. Even for a superfan, he isn’t normal. “No one told you to go around playing with other people’s toys~”

You don’t stand a chance. This is the end.

His next retort slips out as a simpering purr: “Good girl. You’ve accepted your fate.”

Can he read your mind, or something? This is seriously a scene out of some horror movie…

“For that, I’ll spare you. Quick and painless death it is! Simply deleted from existence. All your icky atoms and particles will end up somewhere in Timbuktu, probably. Hopefully. How does that sound? For a masochist like you, that’s almost a worse fate, I suppose.”

Huh?

“Huh?”

“Bye-bye~”

The last glimpse your poor, foolish mortal eyes catch of this cruel world are the slight peek of his startlingly blue over the rim of those opaque, black sunglasses. As you lose consciousness, in the split second before your existence is entirely wiped out from this chapter of reality, your vision blurs, doubling, then tripling, his bright, cerulean eyes appearing to you not as two, but six. They are everywhere, all-seeing, surrounding you, bearing down as the heavens might itself upon the woeful frame of a mortal slated for smiting. Soon enough, the six double, then triple, then multiply so fast that all you can see are rows and rows and rows of wide, unblinking, omniscient eyes. Staring. Judging. Tracking.

Why does it feel familiar, this sight?

[MAY YOU REST IN PEACE.]

ENDING ACHIEVED: GETO SUGURU BAD END 2

SECRET ROUTE UNLOCKED: RYOMEN SUKUNA.

> PROCEED TO ROUTE [coming soon!]

[undobutton]

hi! can i request for a suna x reader where suna has like a huge crush on the reader and the twins always tease him about it but he keeps hinting to you that he likes you but the reader just doesnt have a clue?

warnings: Swearing, clueless reader, ooc... everyone?

reader: gender neutral!

genre: slice of life. kinda fluffy at the end

characters: Suna! Atsumu, and Osamu

synopsis: A day out at the arcade with your pals, what can go wrong?

a/n: i haven't written for any haikyuu chatacters in a while so i apologize if everyone is ooc i will work on it! also so sorry for the long wait anon, hope you like it though!

Suna is fond of his friends, for the most part. They get along with ease and work well as a team. Leading them to countless victories and fond memories made (Despite the school believing they aren't necessary.)

Well, he was fond of his friends until two of them found out about his romantic feelings for their team's manager, Y/N. Now he doesn't know peace.

"Y/N," Atsumu called, you'd been waiting for your three friends to show up so you all could walk down to the arcade near your home and beat your high scores (and make a few kids cry) It was one of your favorite ways to spend Saturdays when you all were free. Though for some reason, over the past few weeks, the Miya twins have insisted on leaving early for increasingly silly reasons.

"Ready to go?" Osamu asks, holding a hand up to block the sun from his face.

"Yep! You three are the ones who're late. Let's head out."

You fall into line next to Suna, who has been silently scowling since they arrived. "Why the long face Rin?" You ask.

"Hm? No reason, planning on how to kick Atsumu's score down is all."

You smile at his response, not paying attention to what the twins are saying while you and Suna try to decide which place you should go to eat later.

.

.

.

"And that is how you do it!" You proudly proclaim to the three boys, Atsumu pouts, watching his name tumble down the leaderboard as yours rises.

"Haha, they toasted you 'sumu" Osamu laughs shoving his brothers shoulder.

"You're name is lower than mine! what're you bragging about?" Atsumu whines and Suna grins from behind his camera. He was recording your record-breaking run for future reference.

It's been like this for a bit, though the twins keep taking a concerning number of bathroom breaks and whispering to each other and Suna while you're busy becoming undefeated.

"Oh!" Atsumu startles, winking at his twin. Osamu smiles and looks down at his bare wrist.

"Would you look at the time, we've gotta head home."

You frown and cross your arms, "we got here an hour ago guys, I knew you were sore losers, but isn't this a bit much."

Suna chuckles while Sumu gasps. "We aren't leaving because of your unfair win," You roll your eyes "we're leaving because we have.."

"Have what?" Suna asks, raising an eyebrow at the twins.

"We've gotta, watch our fish." Osamu supplies, Sumu nods his head in agreement.

"Yep! It's sad but duty calls! Suna will, keep you company while we're gone." Atsumu says hurriedly with a suggestive tone you don't catch, not giving Suna time to call bullshit (they don't have a fish) which earns them a glare from the middle blocker in question.

"Aw okay, bye guys Call us when you get home?"

"Will do," Osamu calls, while the two make their way out of the arcade.

You turn to Suna, "ready to get your ass kicked?" He grins "Yeah, right."

.

.

.

Over the past few hours Suna has only chosen two-player games to play with you, won you three prizes, and made a joke about sharing a milkshake to save money... he must be getting into the valentines day spirit!

"don't think I haven't noticed your attitude this evening Rin." You smirk,

Suna's heart falls into his left foot. You're heading back to your place but stopped under a streetlamp a block away. His eyes are blown wide as he sputters for a response. You've never noticed all this before, despite the insane amount of trinkets hes gotten you till now and how coordinated you've become at working together in games. But you don't wait before continuing.

"The jokes, and games, the gifts," You smile squishing the plushies to your chest. "And all so close to valentines day... Go on, tell me who's the lucky person that's got you in the romantic mood?"

"What?" Suna blinks, going through a rollercoaster of emotions in his head.

"Don't act surprised! Someone has gotten a hold of your heart Rin! don't worry I can help you out if I know them. You'll have a valentines day date in no time with my expertise."

"I- I uhm, you-" Suna smiles then begins to laugh. You join him, proud of yourself for figuring it all out.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Suna asks, starting to walk, you follow him, obviously confused which only makes him smile more. He boops your nose and continues without saying anything.

"Wait what's that supposed to mean? am I helping you or what?" You pout.

"Don't worry about it, it's late, and we have a test tomorrow."

"Don't change the sub-"

"Looks like you're home, see you cutie." Suna laughs again jogging away before you can see his bright red face. He'll have to get the twins back for this somehow.

Ta-da! hope you enjoyed reblogs and follows appreciated! -button🌺

[vanfleeter]

Out of Body // JTK

Paring(s): Jake x reader x Josh x Sam x Danny Warnings: angst, slight swearing, depictions of a car accident, mentions of death and pregnancy, out of body experience, (let me know if I missed anything). Author's note: I've been rewatching One Tree Hill for the millionth time and a storyline inspired me to write this. Spoiler alert (even though this show has been out for a long time, lol): Quinn and Clay have out of body experiences when recovering from being shot. I got inspired by the out of body to write one for Jake, so here you go.

Music pumps through the speakers into the sound room. Jake, Josh, Sam, and Danny all sit around the room listening to it and giving their opinions on what should be changed or who needs to work on what. The album is scheduled to come out in six months and they’re so close to finishing.

Exhaustion.

Stress.

Arguments.

Jake is getting tired of it. He’s tired of working what feels like endless hours in the studio. He misses sleeping in his bed for more than four hours. He misses you. He misses waking up to you in the morning with a mug full of freshly brewed coffee in your hand as you wait for him to wake up. He misses cooking dinner with you in the evenings and eating it together on top of the kitchen counter with a bottle of wine shared between the two of you.

Deciding to call it for the night, Jake stands up from the couch. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m going home and getting sleep.”

Josh looks up at him. “But we have to-”

Jake shakes his head. “No.. I’ve been here in this damn studio for way too long these past few weeks and I’m over it. I want to go home and be with my girlfriend. We still have six months until this album releases and another two before tour starts and we’re near finished but I’m exhausted and I swear if I stay here another minute I’m going to go insane.” He reaches for his keys and his wallet on the coffee table. “I’ll be back on Monday but I’m taking the weekend.”

Leaving the sound room he heads out to his car and climbs inside. He pulls out his phone and dials your number. It rings a couple times before you pick up.

“Hi baby.” He hears that smile in your voice. “How’s work going?”

He sighs. “Draining.. But I’m coming home. I’m done for the weekend.” He shoves the key into the ignition and turns it. “I will be home in thirty minutes. Please have some drinks ready when I get there, I beg.”

You giggle. “Rum or whiskey?”

“Both.” He says chuckling.

“Both it is.” You say retrieving the two bottles off of the drink cart. “I will see you soon.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Pulling out of the parking space he heads out onto the road to make his way home. Stopping at an intersection, he looks over to his left and spots a flower shop on the corner. A smile tugs on his lips. Looking behind him he sees no other cars parked behind him. Slowly backing up, he turns his car into the turn lane and waits for the light to turn green.

Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel he chews the inside of his cheek. “Come on, come on..” He sighs.

The light finally turns green and he presses his foot to the gas. Pulling out into the intersection he starts to turn left when headlights fill his peripheral view. He tries to get out of the way before the car slams into him.

Though he isn’t that lucky.

The vehicle slams into the side of his car, sending it tumbling over several times before coming to a stop in the middle of the road. In the midst of the ringing in his ears and numb feeling in his body, he hears his cell phone vibrating on the floor of the car before he slowly drifts into the darkness.

—

You pace back and forth by the front door, your phone clutched in one hand while the other is resting on your cheek. Worry fills your body.

Sure Jake has a tendency to be late but that’s nothing unusual. What’s unusual is for him not to call when he’s going to be late. He normally calls if he decides to stop off somewhere real quick. At this hour he would most likely stop to pick up food.

Ten more minutes slip by and still no Jake.

Headlights flash through the window as a car pulls into the driveway. You throw open the front door only to find Josh running up the sidewalk. His face is pale and his eyes red.

“Josh?”

“You need to come with me.” He says grabbing your hand and pulling you out to the car.

“What? Why?”

“I’ll explain on the way.” Josh says as he ushers her into the passenger seat and roughly closes the door.

“Josh, what’s going on?”

Josh takes in a deep breath, his hands tightening around the steering wheel turning his knuckles white. “It’s Jake.. He was in an accident.”

It feels as if your stomach drops to your feet. “Wh-What?”

“It’s bad, (Y/N). Really bad…”

Pulling up the hospital, the two of you head inside where you’re joined by Sam and Danny in the lobby.

“Where is he?” You ask.

“They took him back already.” Danny says. “They won’t tell us anything.”

“Which is stupid because I’m his brother.” Sam snaps as he glares at the tech behind the counter.

Josh lays a calming hand on his younger brother’s shoulder before approaching the counter. “Is there really nothing you can give us?” He says. “I’m his twin brother. We’re blood, practically the same person.”

The tech shakes her head. “Like I told your friends, I can’t release his information.”

Josh sighs. “We’re his family!” He shouts as he slams the palm of his hand on the counter. “My brother is back there somewhere dying! I need to know where he is dammit!”

“I’m sorry, without the proper authorization I cannot tell you. So I am going to need you to calm down and take a step back before I call security.”

Josh inhales and takes a step back. “Whose authorization do we need in order to get information? And better not be him because I swear-”

“His wife.” The tech says. “Only she can authorize it.”

Josh’s shoulders drop. His eyebrows crease. “Wife?”

The tech nods her head. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N). Only she can release it.”

All three boys turn towards you. “Did we miss something?” Danny says.

You look back at them with the same confused expression on your face. Josh grabs your hand and pushes you up to the counter.

“This is his…wife.” He shakes his head. “Just give her the information.”

The tech looks at you and you give her a faint smile. The tech huffs. “I need to see your ID please.” She says, holding out her hand.

You dig through your purse and retrieve your wallet. Pulling your ID, you hand it over to her and she looks at it. She glances back up at you and then back down at the ID. She sighs and hands the plastic card back to you.

“Jacob Kiszka is currently in surgery right now. I will notify the surgical team of your arrival and someone will be out soon to update you.”

Sam throws his hands in the air and hangs his head back. “Great.. Just great..” He mutters before walking away with Danny quickly trailing behind him.

You smile politely at the tech before giving her your thanks and dragging Josh away from the counter.

“So we just sit here and wait?” He says.

“Appears so..” You say. “Have you called your parents yet?”

Josh shakes his head as he sinks back into the chair. “No, I haven’t had the time. As soon as I got the call from the police, I immediately went to get you.”

You nod your head and stand up from your chair. “I’ll go call. You stay here and wait for any updates.”

Josh nods his head. “I’ll come find you if I do.”

—

Waking up again Jake finds himself in his bedroom sitting on the bed with his guitar in his lap. Looking up from it, he looks around the room to find it empty. You were nowhere to be found.

Putting his guitar off to the side he stands up from the bed and leaves the room; but when he does he finds himself in the hospital lobby. People milling around, all going about in different directions. Looking through the sea of people he spots his twin sitting in one of the chairs against the wall. He rushes over and sits down in the empty chair beside him.

“Josh..”

Josh continues to stare blankly ahead in front of him as he clenches his jaw.

“Josh, look at me… Josh?”

Josh turns his head towards Jake. “Are they coming?” He asks looking past Jake.

Jake follows his gaze to see you coming towards them both. You nod your head. “Your mom is a wreck… But uh, your dad–he’s calling the airlines now to find a flight down here from Detroit. They won’t be here until tomorrow..”

“And Ronnie?”

You shake your head. “I left her a voicemail but your dad said he’d call her too.”

Jake stands up from the chair. “(Y/N), can you hear me?”

“Sam and Danny haven’t come back?” You say. Josh shakes his head. “Okay uh we should go find them–maybe go grab some food while we wait.”

Josh nods his head and stands up from his chair. “Come on..”

“Guys, wait!” Jake calls after them. But to no avail, they don’t hear him. He tries to follow after them but as soon as he steps through the doors he finds himself looking down at himself from a overlook. His body lies there on the table as surgeons crowd over him to repair the damages that he sustained from the accident.

A series of beeps keeping track of his heart rate begin to erratic. “He’s crashing!”

“BP’s dropping!”

“We’re losing him!”

Jake pounds his fists on the glass panel. “No!” He shouts. “Don’t give up! Come on!” –

Sam paces back and forth in the courtyard with one hand dug into his hair and the other one resting on his hip. Danny sits on the bench leaning on his knees as he picks at his nails. “How am I supposed to just sit here and wait?”

“I don’t know..”

“I mean.. I-I have to do something.”

“Like what?” Danny questions. “You’re not a surgeon, you have no idea what the first thing is to do.”

Sam spins around to face Danny. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“Well..”

“He’s my brother.. It’s human instinct to want to do something.”

“Then go to the chapel and say a prayer…”

Sam scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Please.. Who the hell would I pray to that remotely cares that my brother is dying?!”

“Sam..”

Jake steps up to his brother. “Sam.. Sam, please hear me.” He pleads. “Sam, I need your help. I don’t know what’s going on.”

Sam continues his pacing back and forth. “If he dies…”

“He won’t die..” Danny says. “Stop talking like that.”

Jake runs over to Danny and sits beside him on the bench. “Danny, please. Help me!”

“Hey there you are.” Josh says as you and him step out into the courtyard. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“Are there any updates?” Danny says as he stands from the bench. Josh shakes his head.

“We called Karen and Kelly, and told them what happened.” You say as you adjust your jacket on your shoulders. “They’ll be here tomorrow.. Still can’t get a hold of Ronnie though.”

“Are either of you hungry?” Josh asks. “We were gonna head to the cafeteria to get some food.”

“How can you eat right now?” Sam says.

Josh shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not really sure what else I’m supposed to do…”

“You two go ahead,” Danny says. “We’ll meet up with you guys soon.”

Jake follows quickly behind you and Josh. “(Y/N), baby please. Please hear me. O-Or see me. Please, I’m right here.”

You brush a strand of hair behind your ear as you sniffle. Josh hears you and stops in front of you.

“Are you okay?” He asks.

You shake your head. “I’m so scared, Josh.. What if–What if he doesn’t-”

Josh shakes his head as he places his hands on your shoulders. “No, don’t think like that. Jake will be okay.”

“How can you be so sure?”

A smile cracks on Josh’s face. “He’s my brother. My other half. Trust me when I say he’ll be fine.” He pulls you into his arms. “Besides, he’d be an idiot to leave you like this.”

You stifle a giggle as you pull away from him. “Shut up..”

Josh chuckles. “Come on, Mrs. Kiszka, let’s go eat something horrible from the cafeteria.”

“Geez.. Stop.”

Josh grins. “You have to admit, it does sound good. Mrs. Kiszka. I’m telling you what, if he doesn’t marry after this, he really is an idiot.” You roll your eyes, making him laugh. “Though you two already act like a married couple.. What would be the difference? A silly little diamond ring on your finger?”

You smile. “Maybe I want a ring.” –

Jake stands over his bed watching as his own chest rises and falls. He leans against the window sill and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants. “So this is what it’s come to..” He says. “Tube down my throat, IVs stuck inside of me everywhere… Man, I look horrible…”

The door to his room opens and Karen steps inside. “Oh my baby..” She whimpers as she walks over to the bed.

Jake pushes off of the window sill and walks over to the bed. “Mama..”

“What happened to you Jacob?”

“I wish I knew myself..” He kneels down beside the bed and looks up at his mother who stands on the opposite side. His heart breaks as he watches her eyes fill with tears. “But I’m right here, Mom. I know you can’t see me but I’m here.” He tries to reach for her hand that rests on his chest but it only flows through her; as if he were running his hands through a cloud.

The door opens again and you walk in. You greet her with a sympathetic smile.

“What happened?” Karen asks.

“Car accident.” You say. “He was on his way home from the studio when he was hit.. Car is totaled..”

“Did he run a red light?”

You shake your head. “No.. He had a green light. Someone else ran the red light and hit his car.”

Karen takes a deep breath. “How are you?” She asks. “Are you doing okay?”

You nod your head. “I’m as good as one can be.” You say.

Karen smiles before wrapping her arms around you. “I have faith that he will pull through.” She says before pulling away. “Have you eaten yet today?” She asks. “Or even slept at all?”

“Josh forced me to go home last night to sleep.”

Karen laughs. “Good. You should sleep in your own bed and not the uncomfortable cot they offer you.” You giggle. “Come on, let’s go get some breakfast.”

Getting up from his knees, Jake follows closely behind them. As they round a corner they greet Kelly in front of the cafeteria.

“Dad..” Jake breathes. He walks over to Kelly. He watches his father plaster a smile on his face as he pretends that everything is going to be okay.

But Jake doesn’t believe it will be. He watched himself nearly die. For the five minutes that he was gone, not breathing, his body felt light. Free.

“Have you seen Josh?” Kelly asks.

Karen nods her head. “But it’s best if we leave him be.. He took it rough when we were told of the complications..”

Jake watches you now. The way you look away, your jaw clenching as you fight to keep yourself composed. Jake steps over you. He tries to wipe his hand across your cheek, to comfort you. But it only paces through you just as it had before. His heart breaks a little knowing he can’t comfort you. He hates how he has to stand by and watch as the people he loves grieve for him.

“Baby, I’m here.” He says, his voice cracking as he speaks each word.

You sniffle and wipe your face free of the tear that escaped down your cheek. You turn back to face his parents. “I’m gonna go find some coffee..” You say before slipping into the cafeteria. Jake looks back at his parents before slipping into the cafeteria too. But instead he’s sent somewhere else as he steps through the door.

“Oh what the hell..” He grumbles.

He looks around him. He’s at the beach. Looking down at his body he finds that he’s dressed in a white linen button down shirt and matching white linen pants and he’s barefoot. The complete opposite of what he was wearing the night of the accident.

“Hello?” He calls out. “Hellooo? If someone of a high power is up there,” He says, tilting his head to look up at the sky. “Can you please tell me what the hell is going on? I want to go back, please.” He throws his arms out in the air beside him. “And if this some kind of test, it’s pretty fucked up because I feel this is where I’m supposed to be when I die and I’m not ready yet.”

He hears someone chuckling. “Oh be quiet, Jacob.”

He spins around, his hands dropping to his sides. He sees an older gentleman standing a few feet away and dressed similar to him. His eyebrows furrow.

“Who are you?”

The man smiles. “Let’s just say I’m a friend.”

Jake’s eyebrows raise. “A friend.. Okay?”

“Let’s take a walk, shall we?”

“If this leads up to you telling me that I’m dead, just say it now. Spare me the trouble of a sentimental walk down the beach.”

The man chuckles again. “Jacob, just walk with me.” He says before turning around and heading down the shore.

Jacob huffs but reluctantly follows after the man. “So who are you really? A spiritual form of Jesus?” He asks when he catches up to the man.

The man scoffs. “I wish. Wouldn’t that be something? No.. Like I said, I’m a friend.”

“Do I know you then, said friend?”

“You were pretty young when I passed, you and your siblings all were. I was an old friend of your parents. I came around a lot to the lake where we would all play music.” He explains. “I was the one with the fancy blue guitar that you seemed to be mesmerized by.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “I remember you.” He says. “I can’t remember your name but I remember you..and the guitar.”

The man smiles. “My name is Robert but everyone called me-”

“Uncle Robbie.” Jake interrupted.

Robert smiles. “You and Josh always called me that despite me not actually being your uncle.”

Jake smiles. “So why are you here? With me, I mean..”

“I saw what was going on.” He says. “I saw the accident, I even saw you for a brief moment when your soul left your body the first time.”

“The first time? But..”

“It occured right after the accident. You were technically dead for a couple minutes before medics arrived.” Robert says. “A bystander who saw the whole thing happen, he ran out to you, brought you back.”

“So I died, twice..”

Robert nods his head. “But the good news is, it won’t happen again.” He says. “How have you been feeling?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what do you feel like? Do you feel like you just keel over and fall asleep at any given moment because you’re so tired? Or do you feel like you could run forever and never be exhausted?”

“I definitely feel like taking a nap.”

Robert smiles. “Then you won’t die.” He says. “You’re feeling tired and probably exhausted because your body is healing.”

“Already? That quick? It’s only been a couple days.”

Robert shakes his head. “Time is different here.” He says. “It feels like it’s only been a couple days here but truthfully it’s been almost a week back there.”

“But the news that Josh got.. That wasn’t from when I woke up?”

Robert shakes his head. “One of your kidneys is failing.”

“But you said my body is healing.”

“It is.”

“So if my body is healing, why am I in kidney failure?”

“It all happens so quickly, Jacob. I don’t know the specifics, I just know what’s happening.”

“Isn’t Josh a match? Can’t he donate?”

“He wanted to.” Robert says. “And he could have, however, another patient passed away and he was an organ donor and since you’re classified as an emergent case, you get his kidney.”

“So Josh-”

“Josh is fine. He was taking the news of the kidney failure a little more rougher than the others. He didn’t want to lose his best friend. But I think when you wake up, those tears you see won’t be sad ones but happy ones.”

“So I’m not dying?”

Robert shakes his head. “Nope. You’re gonna be just fine.” He stops walking and turns to face Jake. “You see that house over there?” He says pointing off into the distance.

“That’s mine and (Y/N)’s.”

“Go home, Jacob.”

“Thank you.” As Jake starts to head off, Robert calls after him. He turns back around to look at him.

“Don’t drown yourself in your work either. You’re missing out on some pretty big milestones, Jacob.”

“Milestones?”

“You’re gonna have a little boy of your own, Jacob. Focus on that.”

That’s when it all hit. Turning back around he takes off down the shore until he reaches the house. Pushing the door open, he steps inside. A bright white light fills his vision and he opens his eyes again to find that he’s in his own body again and lying in the hospital bed.

“Jake..” He hears you sigh. He feels your hand on his cheek and he turns his eyes to look at you. You stifle a sob as you cover your mouth. “You’re finally awake.”

He reaches up to hold your hand in his. He sighs in relief when he feels your solid and warm hand.

“I’m sorry..” He says.

“Sorry for what?” You ask.

“I’m sorry for missing so much.” He says. “I’ve been working so much on the album that I never realized that you’re pregnant.” You cast your eyes down to the bed. “I’m sorry I haven’t been there and that I didn’t notice. How the hell I never noticed…” He sighs. “I’m sorry.. I promise from now on, I’ll be there for you and our son.”

You shoot your eyes back up to Jake. “You know?” Jake smiles. “How did you know?”

“Let’s just say I had a gut feeling.”

You lean over and kiss him. “I’m so glad you’re awake.” You say. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Jake chuckles. “I promise to do my best. Now.. I am hungry.”

You giggle. “You just woke up.”

“Yeah and I haven’t eaten in a week. What’s your point?”

You laugh and stand up from your chair. “I’ll go find your doctor and figure out what you can have. I’ll be right back.”

Laying his head back down in the pillows, Jake stares at the ceiling. He makes a mental note in his head to order flowers for you when he gets released from the hospital and to start buying baby clothes.

O fim.

[corporatefrog]

╰┈➤ Welcome Back to the Channel part 18; coffee with chaos

✧.* featuring yn hanging out with Butters and having an important conversation : ̗̀➛ notes - here's the end of the "yn finds out" arc! we're ending it where it began with Butters because he deserves the world lmao tags - college au, superhero au, smau

series masterlist previous | next

Sitting at the table was unbearably awkward.

Butters swirled his hot chocolate in its cup, hand jolting slightly when a drop flew from the top and landed on the table. He muttered a quiet apology before grabbing a napkin and cleaning the spill. Then he went back to sitting across the table from me, looking everywhere but at me. 

We both knew what this was about. When I texted Butters, asking to meet at Tweek Bros coffee, it had been after a week long silence in our communication. Our last conversation being the infamous Frozen on Ice incident. I'm not sure how much he's heard from the others, but if Butters didn't notice my tense demeanor, he would've already jumped into a story about his latest family in the Sims.

The questions wasn't whether or not something was wrong, it's who would say it first.

No way. I'm not playing around with this "ooo who's going to say it" bullshit.

I broke the silence.

“I know you’re Professor Chaos.” I pushed the words out before they could retreat into my throat. My thumb traced the lid of my drink as I waited for his response, running along the plastic grooves to focus my nerves on something other than the conversation at hand.

Whatever came next would change our friendship forever. I just had to be okay with that. To me, this truth was more important than a fake friendship where we both walk on eggshells around each other, both too scared to address the ever present elephant in the room. If a truth meant losing Butters, I wouldn't want to know the outcome of a lie-

“Oh thank goodness!” 

From across the table, I heard a shaky laugh.

I looked up to see Butters slouched in his seat, shoulders lowered from their previous tense position and hands no longer clutching his cup. A smile pulled at his lips, pinching his cheeks and crinkling the corners of his eyes with an expression of pure relief. 

I raised an eyebrow, not ready to let down my tense defense just yet, “You’re not shocked or surprised at all?”

Butters laughed at my question, the joyful sound kicking my own anxieties out of my system. Who would laugh that carelessly if they were worried? 

“Well of course I’m surprised!” He started, slamming his hands on the table with the grin still on his face, “Someone figured out my secret identity! I never in a million years thought that would happen!” 

Butters paused, toning down the explosive joy to a small smile and bouncing leg as his eyes jumped around the room, “But out of anyone who could’ve found out," His gaze returned to mine, "I’m glad it’s you. Now I don’t have to lie to you anymore!” 

A smile of my own crept onto my face, slowly growing until it matched Butter's grin. Weight tumbled from my shoulders as I straightened in my seat, worry no longer pushing me down. Everything's okay.

We're okay.

"Yeah about the lies, you really need to work on your alibis. That Frozen on Ice stunt was what clued me in.” I said, pointing a joking finger at him.

Butter's slapped his hand across the table, “Darn it. I knew I should’ve said we were seeing the Lion King.”

We shared a laugh about Butters’ bad lie, about the ridiculousness of the whole situation, about the fact that we were sitting dead silence, too scared to speak to one another five minutes ago. The world took on a brighter light as our laughed died down, leaving us both with smiles on our faces. 

“Yeah…” I said, not sure what I wanted to say when I started, just wanting to say something. “I’m just glad this is all over though. I was driving myself insane thinking I was some terrible person for thinking you were a good guy.”

“Oh, you mean because of those meanies on twitter spouting off all that bullcrap about dick riding?” Butters asked. 

Why is this the first time I’m hearing him say dick riding. I didn’t even know he knew what that was.

He’s a 20 year old who knows Eric Cartman. He knows what dick riding is. 

I jumped back onto the conversation, my surprise keeping me from responding, “Oh-uh- yeah. I don’t usually get swept up in online negativity, I think it just hit a bit harder because it was about me talking to you. And anyone who doesn’t see that you’re the coolest person ever is obviously the stupid one.” 

“You think I'm cool?” Butters’ said softly, eyes searching my expression for a hidden double meaning or snide remark to follow. 

We tell him we know his secret identity and THIS is what surprises him?

I reached across the table and grabbed his hands, “Butters you’re a SUPER VILLAIN. That automatically makes you the coolest person ever. I told you I think Chaos is absolutely an icon and I stand by that statement.” 

It was as though the rest of the cafe disappeared as sparkles shone in Butters eyes. 

“Well, I think you’re the coolest person ever too.” He said, hands returning the grip on mine. 

“Well duh!” I exclaimed, releasing his hands and I leaned back in my chair in the coolest sitting pose I could muster, “When you’re the two coolest kids in south park, you’ve got a lot of work to do to keep your rep clean.”

Butters nodded and copied my pose, staring off into the distance over the rim of his coffee cup as he took a totally cool sip of his hot chocolate.

“Yeah. Super cool.” He said, eyes observing the boring people who walked by our table of coolness with a steely gaze. I can see how he managed to keep up the chaos persona so easily. Butters really was the master of keeping a bit going. 

“You don’t need to worry about those jerks online anymore.” Butters began, waiting for our eyes to meet before continuing, “General Disarray found their valorant profiles and set up a bot to follow them into any game they start and target them the whole match. Their online lives are ruined.” He finished with a grin and I could see the shadow of Professor Chaos' electric gaze through his eyes.

Maybe they’re not so different after all. 

taglist [reply to be added]: @sula0kin @lacuna-at-dawn @anglettecolours @cocolena@sukisprettyface @feverish-dove @sweetadonisbutbetter @hand-writxen@mishstuff@sophtophie @triphovia  @lacunaanonymoused @inkedintothepaper @toodeepintofandoms@mmmaackerel @sillybilly-123@n0tangeliccc@sophtophie@inkedintothepaper 

[aflyingrock]

I’ve had this account for 12 years 😵‍💫

So much has changed 12 years ago I wasn’t a slut and was pretty sure I wouldn’t make it to 20 and now look at me 😁.

Delusional and in love with a girl that doesn’t love me back. Oh the life of a bisexual is such double bladed sword on the one hand you have some many people to choose from and I fall for a girl and not just a girl the most beautiful and smart woman I have ever met in my entire life. I do not simply mean the physical appearance if it wasn’t enough that she be pretty and sexy no she also had to be funny and courageous. Wise and kind but also blunt and petty. Just spending time with her makes the drugs and alcohol pale in comparison to the euphoric energy she lets out when she smiles or laughs.

This was supposed to be about how I miss tumblr how I wish I had stayed on it but how can I yearn for something to small when she is there so sad and alone wishing for someone else to yearn for her. To be upset that she does not love me is like being upset at the sunset for not acknowledging me on the beach.

I know that I can love with my whole heart but I wonder sometimes if I am loved or can be loved in the same way?

And I’m happy that’s the worst part I finally got to the start of my photography career. I have places to be friends to share in my stupidity and laughter. I hav a space to call my own.

But with out her I feel like I’m drowning. Nothing takes my mind off of her. I want her to be happy and if that’s not with me I just hope she is happy.

Oh yeah I got back into photography and I love it. Even the hard work is fun. I have to cameras now when i didn’t think I’d ever hold one again.

I listen to music after a long time. Even had someone make a playlist of music they thought I’d like. I still struggle to listen to some of the songs but I’m happy to be listening again. 

Im working out again and Im helping my cousin to lose weight. I look fat and look fat but I kept my strength and now I’m turning it into muscle.

I play Fortnite which i didn’t think would ever happen. It’s fun and relaxing and I made very good friend who i don’t speak to anymore but I hope they know how much their support meant to me. Reconnected with my cousin on Fortnite too it’s crazy.

I love reading still. sometimes I read so fast it’s scary. I still do poetry mostly haiku but I’d love to write more.

I drive which is insane to me. Now I’m even getting ready to teach someone else. I love driving. I drove to Seattle Washington 3 years ago. Like it’s insane how much I enjoy it.

I got to see the sunset a few weeks ago with the love of my life. We just went to the Beach and sat while the cold air hit us and the sun fell to night. I saw colors I’d never seen when I looked at her eyes. I didn’t think I’d ever go back to the beach much less with a person.

I’ve had lots of jobs since the last time i used tumblr. I’m a baker right now. And a photographer but still just starting. Before that I worked in a hotel cleaning the bathrooms and striping rooms. I loved that job the people I met there. I wish I had stayed sometimes but if I had would I now be working on my dreams. I do wish I had stayed if it meant being close with her.

She infects my very thought and paragraph. I know who Pedro pascal is and I’m not complaining. I have cats. Obviously. I lost my dog who was 18 years when we put him down. I miss him and my cat.

I play Pokemon now too that’s been a strange experience. Star dew valley and animal crossing.

I speak Spanish now too!!! I met a certain Guatemalan who made me want to speak it better because of how proud she was about her heritage and her home. I still have a long way to go before I speak the way she does but I’m glad that I can speak to her with out her giggling at me.

Im still the same but I think better than I was then. I like who I’ve become and while I don’t think I’m perfect Im glad that made it through to here and now. Every mistake and tumble or slip up or fall. It lead me to here and now. To the apex of my sadness and despair anger. It brought me to the happiest I have ever been. I want to experience more of everything. If it wasn’t clear I’m sad. I’m sad and I feel like my world is falling apart. But I know it’s not falling apart. I’ll wake up tomorrow and choose to love.

Im not sure what I’ll do here but it’ll probably be about photography now so get ready for that.

[agirlandherquill]

the fourth day of writemas

day 4 is here already and my goodness, it warms my heart to see so many of you enjoying the game!

the rules, for those of you that are new or simply need a refresher: choose a prompt from the list, write something and share your creation with the rest of writeblr, and share the game with others, because as we all know writing is a gift and it deserves to be shared! and of course, tag me in your responses because i cannot wait to see them!

p.s - the game is open to all, as discussed in the invitation post - which, if you'd like to be added to the tag list, is still being monitored for newcomers and late additions - all are welcome to the game!

now for the part you're all here to see - the prompts!

Prompt List:

Dialogue Prompts:

"Do not fear me. Fear yourself."

"You've never looked at me like that before."

"One more word... See what happens."

Setting Prompts:

A tower

A boat

An island

Narration Prompts:

The knife trembled in their hand.

The wind was her only friend, and the only thing to catch her as she fell.

He could not stay still, if he did, his mind would shatter.

Feeling Prompts:

Aching

The chill of raindrops

The sweetness of a song

(because i'm insanely overeager, this post like its predecessor will be going live at 00:01 UK Time, apologies to those of you that receive it early but hey, early presents are still pretty good presents :) )

eagerly awaiting your creations, and as always, happy holidays!

~ A Girl And Her Quill

the invitations have been received so here you all are, i bestow upon you the gift of writemas! p.s if you want to be added to the tag list, interact with this post <3

@365runesofthesystem @glasshouses-and-stones @tildeathiwillwrite @sunakore @nothoughtsjustmhaandotherthings

@willtheweaver @theverumproject @phoenixradiant @thatuselesshuman @melpomenelamusa

@loverboyxbutch @i-hate-happy-endings @corinneglass @whatwewrotepodcast @aalinaaaaaa

@aseriesofsmallthings @kelseyjade @lauravanarendonkbaugh @i-do-anything-but-write @nuclearr-wessels

@95angeltears @sunflowerrosy @thebadphilosopher @ellowynthenotking @xarrixii

@the-ellia-west @myniceisniceblogbloglog @kitty-is-writing @girl-with-bones @crimsonlyinglilly

@fantasy-things-and-such @shiningstars-world @purplehandshumanfeelings @mxxnlightwriting @aquadestinyswriting

@17panicattacksinatrenchcoat @seastarblue @sacratos @afyerarchive

@sabba-tumbling @aurumni-writes @burntblanc @angelfevr @lead-to-code

@inkoherentbabeler @selfemployedmess @theeccentricraven @sarandipitywrites

@kaylinalexanderbooks @rickie-the-storyteller @grace-thomas @wonda-ch @nyoxy-ghostie

@calliecwrites @happypup-kitcat24 @woodnymphdancinginmoonshine @storycraftcafe

@rhikasa @buffythevampirelover @moltenwrites @vesanal @foyle-writes-things

@thesorcerersapprentice @diabolical-blue @elsie-writes @pepsiwriteswords @sharkblizzardblogs

@zmwrites @satohqbanana @avian-king @wordwizards @theimperiumchronicles

@ryns-ramblings @thewritingcoroner @the960writers @m-r-levine @writingsfromspace

@detective-bird @k--havok @saharasunset @the-letterbox-archives @katwritesshit

[bloodlessbelmounte]

As Cold As Death (Part 2)

Part 1|2|3|

Summary:

You've had always lived what felt like a half-life, died more times than you could count. Astarion was a vampire spawn who had been "living" in the shadow of his master. But things change for the both of you when you're abducted by Mindflayers and implanted with tadpoles. With a Cleric of Shar; a Githyanki Warrior; an Escaped Solider for Zariel; the Blade of Frontiers; a Former Chosen of Mystra; the Corpse of a Scribe and the Pale Elf, you venture forth towards Baldur's Gate in the hopes of finding a cure. Where the shadow over Astarion is darkest and the Dead Three 's chosen lurk along the way.

Genre: Romance, Slowburn

Pairing: Astarion/Necromancer GN!Reader (Tav)

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death, blood drinking, manipulation. More to be added as the fic goes on. Please let me know if there's any I missed.

Word Count: 3.2k

Note: This has been cross-posted to AO3 and can be seen as a prequel to 'Predators and Prey'. No beta, we die like bing bong.

The next morning you awoke to sunshine filtering through the canopy, casting speckles of light and shadow over your closed eyes. But you didn’t stir yet, not ready to let go of the previous night and start a new day. You thought back on your tumble on the forest floor with one vampiric elf. Your neck stung faintly as you recalled how you allowed him to feed from you, how it brought about his one true smile of the night. Your stomach sank. He looked so… distant during your encounter and everything seemed so rehearsed. Like he was going through the motions. Your brows furrowed as you finally opened your eyes and sat up.

Astarion stood with his back to you, soaking in the morning sun. You doubt he noticed you were awake, but you immediately noticed the horrid scarring on his back. You had felt him flinch under your fingers when you brushed upon it. You hadn’t realised how massive it was. Naturally, you were distracted. And though you knew little about the language, you were sure it was Infernal. You swallowed and tried to set aside your unease. You didn’t want to ruin the moment after the night you’d shared.

“Not staying for a cuddle? I knew you weren’t the type,” you joked.

Astarion startled slightly but caught himself, he didn’t turn to face you, “You sleep light. I thought you’d be exhausted after last night.” There was humour colouring his voice, “Especially with how delicate you are.”

You hesitated, “Did you… enjoy it? It felt like you weren’t fully there. Was I bad?”

“No, no. Trust me - it wasn’t you.” He peered over his shoulder, a smile on his lips, “I was just holding back a little. I didn’t want to lose control. Delicious as you were. I didn’t want to… go too far and have you dying on me again.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

He laughed, “Where would be the fun in that? Now, shall we get on? I want to get going before the others wake. Though I bet the noise you made last night would’ve kept them up late so hopefully they’ve decided to lay in.”

Your cheeks flushed and you shifted to lean back, “Um, how do I put this… Those scars, where’d you get them?”

His arms fell to his sides and he faced away from you yet again, “It’s a poem. A gift from Cazador. He considered himself quite the artist and used his slaves as a canvas. He composed and carved that one over the course of a night.” He deflated and his voice shook with emotion, “He made a lot of revisions as he went.”

You threw on his discarded shirt, wanting to cover yourself before approaching him. Your hand hovered just inches away from him, not sure if you wanted to trace the scars or lay a hand on him in comfort. Yet you knew he wouldn’t appreciate either touch. He finally turned to face you as your hand dropped.

“Why did he write it in Infernal?”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, eyes widening, “Infernal? I…” He schooled his features back to a picture of indifference, “Who knows? The bastard was insane. Anyway, enough pillow talk. Let’s go before we get dragged into another mess.”

He picked up your clothes and handed them to you, then gestured to a rather large tree, “You can dress in privacy over there if you’d like, I must admit I find your need for modesty a little novel. I would like my shirt back as well, not like I have anything else to wear in our times of respite.” He gave you a playful smile which you returned with a bashful one.

——————————————————————————————————

You were not lucky when you returned to camp. The others were awake and gave you knowing looks as Astarion practically strutted out of the woods with you trailing behind. Karlach gave you a thumbs up and you shot her back your own with an awkward grimace. You quickly darted into your tent as soon as it was in sight, chucking off yesterday’s clothes in favour of your freshly dried robes. After pulling on your boots and gloves then donning your circlet, you allowed yourself a moment to breath and fight back your feelings of embarrassment. You were an adult - a night of passion was nothing to be ashamed of - or so you tried to convince yourself with little success. Gale called everyone to breakfast. You sighed and left the safety of your tent.

Astarion handed you a plate full of bacon, eggs, sausage and other accompaniments. Then mumbled a spell you knew well by now as he laid his hands on you. You felt the slight wooziness you had grown used to dissipate.

“Thank you, you don’t have to do this but I appreciate it all the same.”

He eyed you for a second before a shit-eating grin split his lips, “What kind of lover would I be if I didn’t provide adequate aftercare?”

You spluttered over your words, struggling to form a reply, “L-l-lover?! Wha-”

Astarion giggled and gave you a light push. Oh. He was playing with you.

“Go on now, eat up. No doubt we have a long night of celebrating ahead of us when we reach the grove.”

Dazed, you made your way over to a log and sat next to Wyll, who luckily decided to give you grace and did not ask about your late night activity. Instead, he passed you a healing potion.

“I’m not sure if you’re mad or brave for letting a vampire feed on you at a regular basis.”

You shrugged, “I keep him fed and happy and he, apparently, keeps me fed and healthy. As long as he has the amulet of Silvanus to restore me after his… meals, there’s really no harm to it.”

“But surely you need to reserve your strength with your condition. I can’t imagine his feedings don’t have an impact on that.”

You pushed your food around your plate, “That remains to be seen. So far I’ve been just fine, other than Halsin pushing me to breaking point.”

Wyll sighed then frowned, “I suppose what I’m trying to say is, must you keep offering yourself to him? He now pounces on an unsuspecting enemy at least once per battle to drain them dry. Is he not satisfied? Or is he simply a glutton?”

“I’m surprised you don’t seem to know, o’ Blade of Frontiers, famed monster hunter of the Sword Coast. Vampires are eternally hungry. No amount of blood will ever truly satiate them, but they can be temporarily relieved if fed often enough. My blood is a small price to pay for him to be clear headed during our quest and for him not to be eyeing up your neck.”

The colour of Wyll’s cheeks deepened as he flushed. Astarion and Shadowheart’s semi-flirtatious chat a few days prior about who he would like a taste of wasn’t exactly quiet or private. At the time you hadn’t understood your feelings of possessiveness and jealousy, but now that you had spent the night together, you were piecing together the crush that had been developing without you knowing.

Wyll cleared his throat and gave you a playful smile, “I must thank you for your most noble sacrifice then, what would be of my virtue now if not for you.”

You laughed heartily and gave him a light shoulder shove. It was nice, being able to joke about with people. Not being looked down on or outcasted because of your school. Maybe this was something Wyll too knew intimately as a Warlock and more so with his punishment from Mizora. Either way, you could get used to this.

——————————————————————————————————

Before setting off to the Grove, you split the group to cover as much ground as you could. You decided to sweep through Ethel’s once more with Astarion, Gale and Karlach in tow in case you missed anything useful. The others went to the blighted village.

At Ethel’s there was an eclectic collection of bizarre potions that you can’t believe you missed, including one that allowed you to drink blood. You grinned deviously when you pocketed that one. Oh that would be a fun trick to play on a certain roguish vampire. A taste of his own medicine when the opportunity presented itself.

You also found a wand named ‘Bitter Divorce’ among the hag’s collection. Turned out that was to be used on Mayrina’s deceased husband, which Mayrina knelt by the coffin of. You had assumed she fled the area after the hag was dealt with. But no, this girl had not a single ounce of common sense, something that became clear to you when she revealed the nature of her deal with the hag. She was trying to trade her unborn child for a dead man. And so you used the wand on Colin - the deceased - to show her exactly what their child was being traded for. A shambling, rotting corpse, mindless with nothing left of who he once was. Mayrina had been disgusted and claimed it could be fixed - he could be fixed. You took pity on her and took possession of Colin. You were a necromancer after all; death and the creatures made of it were your domain. At least as your minion the poor thing would have purpose even if Gale and Karlach didn’t approve of your decision. Astarion found the whole debacle to be amusing and praised you for your selfishness.

You and your companions only made it a few paces further into the swamp when you caught wind of a horrible scent. Utterly foul. A scent which appeared to be coming from a rather tan man. A member of the Gur people, you had benefited from their expertise before. You didn’t notice Astarion’s unease as you approached.

“Ah, stranger. My name is Gandrel. Please, forgive the aroma. Powdered iron-vine. An old hunter’s trick - most monsters will think twice before making a meal of me,” the hunter chuckled.

Astarion stepped forward, “You’re a monster hunter? I’m surprised - I thought all Gur were vagrant cut-throats,” his voice biting and full of mockery.

Your nose scrunched in distaste, “I know you can be a real jackass at time, Hells, we didn’t have the best introduction, but racism? I’m shocked.”

Astarion glared at you, hand on hip.

Gandrel raised his hands, as if to diffuse the situation before it could escalate further, “You friend has just heard rumours of my people. That we steal chickens, curse crops, seduce your daughters… I wish I had half the power settled folk think my people possess. Alas I am a simple wanderer. A simple wanderer and monster-hunter. But I’m no witchdoctor or cut-throat.”

You gave a gentle smile, “My mother took me to a caravan of your people when I was but a child. She was seeking aid over an illness I’ve had since birth. Feared it was a curse because though you don’t deal in curses, you’re adept at undoing them. Your people reassured us that no such curse existed with my kind of symptoms and directed us to a cleric. So, I owe your people a debt of gratitude - what monster are you hunting? I may be able to lend some aid.”

The thought of killing something seemed to have perked up Astarion as he grinned, “Something terrifying, no doubt? Dragon? Cyclops? Kobold?”

There was something endearing about how animated he became when he talked, using his whole body to convey his meaning.

Gandrel waved off the guesses, “Nothing so dramatic. I’m hunting for a vampire spawn. His name is Astarion, but I fear he’s gone to ground. I had hoped the hag of these lands could help me flush him out, though it appears she has been slain. However, one such as yourself would be equally useful in bringing him to heel while he sleeps soulless.”

Astarion’s ears drooped as his eyes widened in visible panic, looking to you. Your stomach dropped, there was little chance you were getting out of this without blood being spilt, but you would damned well try. You didn’t want to take an innocent life, you weren’t like the other necromancers. If you played your cards right, this could be resolved peacefully and Astarion would still be safe.

“And… when you find this ‘Astarion’? You’ll kill him?”

“Not this time. My orders are to capture him.”

“Oh?” Astarion piped up again, “And bring him where exactly?”

“Baldur’s Gate. My people wait for me there.”

Your curiosity piqued, someone wanted Astarion and you would try to dig up as much information as you could from Gandrel. You crossed your arms and faked confidence.

“Only a spawn? Pity. I would’ve preferred the challenge of a real vampire.”

Astarion side-eyed you, smirk ever present, “I don’t know. I’m sure a spawn could still rip out your throat if he felt like it.” There was a slight growl as he spoke, a thinly veiled threat - to you or the Gur, you didn’t know.

“He is right, unfortunately. They are only weak when compared to their masters. During the day, we have the advantage. But at night, when they hunt? You will not find a more deadly quarry.”

You sighed, “Unfortunately, I cannot help you. I am not powerful enough to control a vampire, spawn or otherwise. Thank you for the warning. We’ll be careful.”

“May your road be kind,” Gandrel nodded his farewell, his voice gentle and kind. Genuinely wishing you no ill will.

Astarion turned to you, his irritation returning at full force, “Wait - that’s it? We’re just walking away? Don’t you think we should do something about the… vampire issue?”

“I said we’ll be careful. Now let’s go.”

“Fine. But if this comes back to bite us, it’s on your head.”

“Go in peace, my friends. I pray our paths cross again.”

“They better bloody not,” Astarion muttered.

The elf really needed to learn subtlety. It was a miracle the Gur hadn’t caught on to his double entendres. As you walked away, you were somewhat afraid that he would connect the dots and Gandrel would start a battle with your, quite frankly, idiotic vampire.

——————————————————————————————————

After thoroughly searching the rest of the bog, you went back to camp. You immediately dragged Astarion off to his tent for a little chat about the encounter.

“So, there are monster hunters after you,” you stated bluntly.

“It would appear so. Hopefully he bumps into some gnolls while stumbling around at night and that’s the last we hear from him,” he shrugged.

“But why was he hunting you? What did you do?” You hissed.

“I didn’t do anything!…” He hesitated, considering his words, “I was kidnapped - just like you. It seems Cazador wants me back. It was him, I’m sure. Only he would know to send the Gur after me,” He frowned, “It was a group of Gur who attacked me that night in Baldur’s Gate. Unhappy with some ruling I had passed in court. I would’ve died that night had Cazador not appeared and saved me.”

“That doesn’t make sense! They’re monster hunters, why would they serve Cazador? He’s a vampire.”

He put his hand on his hip, his frustration about this conversation clearly evident. “They may have no idea who they’re working for. Cazador likely paid someone to pay someone to call in a favour. He doesn’t do simple plans. Not if he has a complex one that pits a dozen enemies against each other.” He shook his head, “No this hunter was a message. Cazador’s letting me know that even out here, he can get to me. He wants me back.”

You pinched between your brows, “But why capture you? Why not simply kill you and be done with it?”

“Maybe he wants to make an example of me. To show what happens to runaways. Or maybe he thinks death is too good for me.”

“Sounds like he won’t let you go easily. Should I be concerned?”

Astarion barked a laugh, “Concerned? Do you know the power a vampire lord possesses?”

“Yes, actually. I happen to be well aware-”

“No you don’t! There’s a difference between one of your necromancy textbooks and seeing it with your own eyes! He can change shape; turn into mist; call wolves to do his bidding; shrug off blows like they’re nothing. He could walk into our camp tonight and kill you with his bare hands, which would be easy with your condition quite frankly. And you’d be lucky if death was the worst thing that happened to you.”

“Alright, so what do you suggest?”

“First we have to - uh… I don’t know. If we kill his lackeys, he’ll just send more. We just have to keep vigilant. Keep our wits about us. And kill any monster hunters on sight.”

“Yeah- no. I’m not killing innocent people when we can just lie to them. You’re walking in broad daylight, no one will suspect a thing if you don’t give yourself away. I can even help you cover the scar on your neck.”

“What scar?!” His hands flew up to his neck, fingers delicately mapping it until they traced over the indents and ridges of a bite mark. “By the Hells! Why has no one brought this up before?!”

“We all assumed you were aware. Your bite scarred me. Anyway, that’s besides the point. I worked in a mortuary before being abducted, I still have some adipocere and a basic reconstruction make-up set in my pack, it can fill in the divots and I can try to match it to your skin.”

That made Astarion giggle, “Trust the necromancer to work in a place full of dead bodies. Did you use it to practice raising a small army?”

You scrunched up your nose, affronted, “No! Of course not! I said I’m not one of those-”

“Yes, yes but you did just steal a widow’s husband.”

Your anger roared in your veins at his snide comment, but with effort you pushed it down enough that your voice remained even, “It was for her own good. A decomposing corpse isn’t exactly good for a pregnant mother to be around. And I showed her the folly of her decision. Do all magistrates feel like they have the life experience to remark on something outside their schooling? Or is it a trait unique to those whose tenure was short-lived?”

Oh that must have struck a nerve as he reflexively bared his fangs as he spoke, “And how many magistrates do you know to make such a sweeping statement?”

“Just you and one other who failed to become one. He entered the exam high on some sort of elicit substance he had partaken in beforehand. He was a fool that I had attended the same academy as in my childhood. And I was the bigger fool for dating him after that debacle… I had been swayed by his declaration of admiration for me but in the end I could not live up to the imagined version he expected me to be. It was stifling.”

He relaxed and raised a brow, “Oh I see, you have a type. Young corrupt magistrates. Now that is funny, my dear.”

You were about to respond but the others returned from the Blighted Village looking somewhat worse for ware. Gale called you over and kindly asked you help him in preparing a hearty lunch for your weary companions. You were thankful to be able to escape a conversation that was quite frankly all over the place tonally.

——————————————————————————————————

A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending. This chapter was getting longer than planned and hadn't even reached other points I had planned out for it. Hopefully, chapter 3 won't take as long for me to get done.

[jayjaymorgan]

RexWalker Week - Day 1, Sith!au

Author’s Note : This fic is a part of a series me and @farkmagic came up with and are still working on. Please remember that English isn't my native language, so there might be some mistakes and stuff. I hope you all like it, have a great day/night!

Taglist : @rexwalker-week

TW : cursing, description of injuries

The bridge shook with yet another explosion, kicking up clouds of volcanic dust and smoke, that choked the sky and blinded them temporarily. Coughing and blinking the tears out of their eyes, the Bad Batch did their best not to breathe in the toxic fumes as they pressed on, cutting down the droids where they stood. Rex stopped to adjust his helmet, kicking the filters into overdrive, while doing his best to suppress his coughing as the ventilators whirred to life. “You okay?” Omega asked, voice strained, glancing at her older brother, her worry palatable through her visor. “...’m fine.” he nodded, before clearing his throat and glancing around at the hellish landscape of the planet Mustafar. “We need to keep going. Come on.” He gripped his blasters tightly and jogged after the rest of the team, with Omega following close behind him, her bow at the ready. The small crew of seven pressed on, pushing forward through the debris and smoke, with the distant sounds of volcanic eruptions following their every move. Wrecker grunted as he pushed the mangled remains of a Spider Dwarf Droid out of the way, tossing it aside with ease. He let out a cheer as the droid fell off the bridge and disappeared in the lava below, sinking like a stone in the water. “This is insane.” Crosshair muttered angrily, before flicking his toothpick after the unlucky robot. “Why are we even here? The intel isn’t worth all this hassle, is it now?” “It is.” Tech snapped back, visibly irritated. “Quit that, I can see you rolling your eyes under your bucket.” Crosshair huffed in annoyance, but didn’t argue further. As they rounded a corner, they were met with yet another wave of droids, swarming towards them like ants, with blasters at the ready. A dark, foreboding outpost loomed in the distance, overlooking the battlefield like a vulture sitting on a tree, waiting for its share of rotting meat. The sight sent a shiver down Rex’s spine. “I don’t like the look of that.” he muttered quietly, as he surveyed the sea of enemies that stood between them and the blast doors of the garrison. “Neither do I.” Echo agreed, furrowing his brows. Before any of them could come up with any plan of action, Wrecker charged at the droids with a blood-curdling war cry. He grabbed one by its leg and swung it like a club, sending several others tumbling over the edge of the narrow overpass. The giant made quick work of the droids, throwing his weight around like a bulldozer, leaving the battle field looking more like a salvage yard one would see on Ferrix. He cleared out a path to the outpost, laughing like a maniac while the terrified droids scrambled for cover and fell back to the garrison. Just as he turned to face his brothers and sister, with a proud smirk clearly visible beneath his helmet, the whole crew stopped in their tracks, as the reinforced metal doors were torn open from within, nearly flying off of its hinges. A wave of cold wind rushed out of the dark tunnel, a bone chilling contrast against the hot and suffocating atmosphere of Mustafar. The air around the Bad Batch became noticeably thicker, heavier, it felt like they were underwater. It was so sudden that it knocked the breath out of Rex’s lungs, leaving him dazed and confused. Before any of them could recover, Wrecker’s whole body tensed up and he reached up to his neck, sputtering, like he couldn’t breathe. His feet lifted off the ground, as he clawed at the invisible force that threatened to crush his windpipe, kicking and trashing wildly. “Wrecker!” Omega called out with fear as she broke into a run to help her brother, only to be knocked back by an unseen barrier. She tumbled to the ground, her energy bow slipping out of her grip. “What the...?”

The emergency lights started flickering violently, before exploding with a loud crackle and showering the bloody battlefield with sparks and broken glass. The remaining droids fell to the ground, one by one, some coughing up smoke as their hard drives melted and caught fire, other simply powering off. “...kriff?” the girl finished, as her eyes landed on her discarded weapon, fear gripping her heart. Her trusty bow, one that saved her life numerous times and has been at her side through thick and thin, was now flaring angrily, with its pinkish plasma eating through its limbs. She could feel her eyes tearing up, but she didn’t have the time to reminiscent over her fallen friend, as Crosshair’s rifle spat out a few stray bolts, one missing her by mere inches. Tech’s portable computer shut down without a warning, leaving him without his beloved gadget. A groan of surprise could be heard from Hunter, as his visor shortened out, leaving him momentarily blinded as he tried to rub away the sparks that danced in his eyes. Echo’s cybernetic legs gave out under his weight and if it wasn’t for Rex, he would’ve fallen to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

They looked at each other in fear and confusion, as their equipment continued to malfunction in strange and unexpected ways.

That’s when they heard something.

Footsteps. Slow and deliberate, echoing through the dark hallway, the sound distorting as it bounced off the steel walls. Faint whispers carried by the wind tickled their ears, the voices angry, hateful, hissing and spitting indistinguishably from one another. The metal screeched and groaned, like the whole building was about to fall over, the sound reverberating through their skulls.

And then, out of the darkness, stepped a man.

Tall, dressed in black, red and grey, with a black kama wrapped around his waist, its edges torn and damaged from past battles. His armor greatly detailed and complicated, light yet strong and durable, highlighting his body and posture, with numerous belts holding everything in place. Where the man’s face should be, a black steel mask greeted them, with red markings decorating it around the visor and down the cheeks, like bloody tears. It couldn’t be any more obvious that the person standing before them was a Sith Lord. Hunter reached for his knife, only for the Sith to flick his wrist and send Wrecker crashing into the sergeant, slamming the two against the metal railing of the bridge, teetering dangerously close to the molten lava below. Rex growled in anger and aimed his pistols, but the air grew thick with acrid scent of burning metal and the clone realized, with horror, that his twin blasters were melting in his hands. “H-how?” he stammered, dropping the now useless weapons to the ground. “Fall back!” Tech yelled, scrambling to his feet and helping Omega up. “Now!” He didn’t have to say it twice, as Wrecker jumped to his feet and grabbed Echo, throwing him over his shoulder like a rag doll. “Go, go, go!”

The whispers grew louder, like a choir of demons singing their praises to some unseen deity, as the Sith continued to saunter towards them, lightsaber in hand. “Fucking go!” Crosshair yelled, his cold and cool demeanor nowhere in sight as he pushed Hunter, prompting him to move. “What are you waiting for?!” The Bad Batch broke into a run, but they didn’t even make it past the bridge, as the Sith charged at them. Rex, who was closing their escape, yelped in surprise and dodged, the lightsaber’s blade nearly taking off his head. He stumbled back and found himself cut off from the rest, with the fallen Jedi blocking his path.

He gritted his teeth as the Sith went after him like a rabid dog, the red sword cutting through the air with a loud whooshing sound. He barely had the time to raise his arm and deflect it with his gauntlet, the impact so jarring that it sent a wave of pain through his forearm, all the way from his elbow to the tips of his fingers. With an angry yell, the Sith turned and hit the clone in the face with so much strength that it cracked the visor in Rex’s helmet, the glass shards cutting his face. The clone grunted in pain, stumbling back, as his opponent continued with his merciless attack, the lightsaber hissing at it once again made contact with the beskar armor. The clone tried to fight back, but it was like hitting a brick wall with a stick. The Sith moved with unnatural speed and strength, making it nearly impossible to keep up with the onslaught. The fallen Jedi’s hand shot out, the Force slamming into Rex and throwing him to the ground, forcing the air out of his lungs. He hit the metal of the bridge with a sickening crack, pain shooting through his body as his helmet slip off his head, sliding across the floor. Blood streamed down the right side of his face, mixing with the sweat and tears as he looked up to see the Sith standing over him, his saber raised, ready to strike. In a blind panic, Rex grabbed the last thing fixed to his belt - an old lightsaber. As the saber detached from his belt, Rex was greeted by a loud crackle and a burst of brilliant, blue light. He swung it recklessly, the blade connected with the lord’s face, cutting through the metal with a sickening screech. Pieces of flaming metal and tinted glass exploded in every direction, as the Sith stumbled away with an audible groan of pain, his hand pressed to the wound. Rex lifted himself up, not waiting for his opponent to regain his vision. Keeping his distance, he brandished the saber, trying to remember what his late lover taught him, all those years ago. His chest burned with pain, lungs screaming for air, eyes watering from the toxic fumes, yet, he did not have the time to get his bearings, as the Sith lord turned to face him.

The clone’s heart stopped.

Through the broken eyeshade of the man’s mask, he saw a glint of something... familiar. The cracked visor revealed just enough of the Sith’s face for Rex to recognize the person standing in front of him. It was as if he was looking at a ghost, a memory of his past that he thought was long buried.

“...Ani?” he choked out, lowering his weapon. The Sith seemed to falter slightly, his brow furrowing in surprise and confusion, only now taking the time to study his opponent’s face, a hint of recognition in his eyes. For just a split of a second, everything went quiet. The whispers died out, the winds slowed down, even the volcanic eruptions stopped mid explosion.

This couldn’t be true. Rex knew that it wasn’t possible.

Anakin was dead and has been for years. He died on Coruscant, at the hands of Sidious, nearly a decade ago.

The clone saw the destroyed Chancellor’s suite with his own eyes, the burn marks left by lightning and the shattered windows stained with blood. He was there, during the funeral and when the Council built a statue of the man, to honor Skywalker’s sacrifice.

The clone tried to convince himself that he was just seeing things. That he got a whiff of the fumes and was now hallucinating the man standing in front of him.

But the eyes staring back at him were the same as the ones that haunted his dreams, the same as the ones he saw when he closed his own. The person hidden behind the mask was the one he had loved and lost, the one he saw every time he was on Coruscant, in the Jedi Temple’s courtyard. He knew, deep down, that no hallucination could map out all the details of his lover’s face. The scar over his eye, the very one Rex would kiss as they woke up in bed. The curve of cheekbone, the same one Rex would trace over with his thumb during those quiet and short moments they had in between battles.

Both men were frozen in place and time, like the world around them ceased to exist, like they were the only two left in the entire universe. It was only them and the platform they were standing on. Rex could feel the heat of the lava below, the toxic air burning his lungs and eating through their membrane, but he didn’t move an inch. All he could do was look at the man he had loved, the man he thought he has lost forever.

He wanted to scream, to lash out, to beg and plead for it not to be true, for it all to be a cruel nightmare, a trick of his imagination...

The fallen Jedi shook his head, as if to clear his mind from a haze, before looking up at Rex with anger, fury even. He lunged at the clone and their sabers connected with a loud crack, showering the two men with sparks. The plasma blades screeched and groaned against each other, as they fought for dominance, trying to gain extra ground. The men traded blows, their lightsabers creating a blur of blue and red. The ground shook beneath their feet as the seismic activities grew stronger, more violent.

The clone was able to push his enemy back before hitting him in the face, cracking the mask clean off. The Sith took a shaky step back, blood trickling down his face, before swinging his weapon in a wide arc.

Rex parried the hit and, with, tears blurring his vision, he reached out, grabbing Anakin by the arm and trying to wrench the weapon out of his grasp. “Anakin, stop!” he yelled, his grip tightening on the black sleeve of the Sith’s robe as they continued to wrestle. He didn’t know what to do, what to say, what his next move could possibly be. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of it all.

Now, up close and without the mask, he could see the man’s face clearly : mangled and scarred. His hair was longer, eyes more sunken, making his face look nearly skeletal, but it was him, without a shadow of a doubt. “You left me to die, Rex!” the man yelled in response, his words ringing over the explosions and wind. “You all did!” Rex could feel the blood draining from his face and his heart breaking into a million little pieces at the sound of his lover’s voice. “Ani, I...!” he tried to deny it, to defend himself, but the Sith cut him off with a vicious kick to the chest, sending him tumbling backwards to the ground. The lightsaber slipped from his grasp, sliding across the floor and out of reach. He struggled to get back up, his body aching and vision spinning, coughing violently, the vapors scratching at his throat and forcing tears out of his eyes. He could hear footsteps approaching and the hum of the lightsaber, as the fallen Jedi raised his weapon, ready to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, with a deafening roar, the Marauder descended upon the battlefield, the ship’s laser cannons firing at the Sith, kicking up debris and forcing him back, creating a barrier of fire between him and the injured clone. Rex looked over his shoulder, to see Echo standing on the entry ramp of the ship, as it hovered a few feet off the ground. “Get in!” the cyborg yelled, reaching out for his brother. “C’mon!” But Rex hesitated. He turned to look at the Sith, his heart sinking. Anakin stood at the other end of the platform, his gaze wild and filled with hate, pain, animalistic fury. “You did this to me!” he roared, his voice distorting and warping to the point that it could no longer be recognized as human. The wind picked up, tearing at his clothes and hair, throwing ash and smoke up into the air. The disembodied voices were now wailing, cackling, howling. “Ani, please!” Rex could feel tears streaming down his face. “Come back to us!” “Oh, Rex...” he chuckled mockingly. It was a sad, nearly pitiful sound. And as their world continued to fall apart around them, with waves of scalding hot liquid crashing against the supports of the bridge, eating through the metal like it was nothing, with the pieces of the bridge breaking off and falling into the ocean of lava, their eyes locked. And as the ground split apart, molten lava spewing like a geyser, the heat and fumes threatening to suffocate them, Anakin... smirked.

“...you are the one who left.”