#back when they actually wore shoe covers on cases

[hotch-girl]

hotch + the coat with the red lining

[dsybouquet]

.. so what if u actually texted ceo! ellie ?

(read how it started here !<3)

you only left the bar after all chairs have been put up the floor was mopped cleanly and all customers have been (more or less) kicked out. your leather jacket covered the short work clothes you wore as you walk through the dark streets.

you for sure were freezing, but your home isn’t all too far. the empty streets where some what soothing. it was peaceful and quiet with only a couple of cars passing by.

when you entered your apartment, you dropped your little bag to the ground and took off your shoes. of course you had a long day ahead at uni and you knew for sure that if you don’t fall asleep right away, you will simply ignore 99% percent of your lectures. why, out of all mayors, did you choose psychology?

quietly, you dropped onto your couch and turned on the tv. with family guy playing in the background, you mindlessly scrolled though your social media accounts - despite you knowing that being sleep deprived will literally be the death of you.

all of the sudden you thoughts started to run. why did that ellie woman have such a chokehold on you? it’s not like you didn’t have plenty of people right on your doorstep. being a young barkeeper already arranged you all types of things and plenty of numbers.

but something about was different. she was so.. different.

or maybe it was just you being delusional about a woman a bit too beautiful. or maybe it was her flirty behaviour that made you nearly lose your mind.

either way she was all you thought about, and you only knew her for a couple of hours. you threw your phone aside covering you face with your hands.

“get a hold on yourself, ______.”

you told yourself. you were so delusional.

ellie was probably just a woman with too much money that went around and tried to be some what kind. but why was she being so.. gentle?

calling you a pretty girl and dear..

god you were losing your mind over her.

your eyes landed on your phone. the bill with her number on still plugged into your see-through case.

maybe you could try your luck..

・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜゜・．

“are you kidding me?”

ellie exclaimed when she entered her office the next morning and found one of her managers sitting in front of her.

“jesse, what the fuck?!”

she took off her coat and put it on her hanger.

“calm down.”

jessie tried to help ellie contain her anger, but the young woman was about to snap.

she woke up late, she was still tired, spilled her coffee on her way to her car and was stuck in traffic. and now jesse is trying to tell her that one of his agents fucked up with one of her most important clients? leaked confidential data?

she was not having it.

“calm down ? oh i am calm, jesse.”

ellie pulled a cigarette out of her pockets and light it up. she knew the consequences, the visits with her lawyer. and she knew she had to kick this agent out. slowly, she blew out the smoke of her cigarette.

“action plan, now.”

jesse lifted his hands up in air, trying to defend himself.

“kick h-“

“exactly. i will remove all his accesses. i will call our lawyer and he needs to someone, and i don’t care who but i’d prefer authorities, to check all of his private devices for internal information.”

while she was talking, she unlocked her computer and got onto work. ellie exhaled the smoke of her cigarette and looked at jesse.

the man in front of her sighed. jesse was sad to let this agent go, but after all he will be heavily impacted either way.

“what are you waiting for?”

“aye. see you for a coffee later?”

though ellie was his supervisor, they still were sort of friends.

ellie just scoffed - which in her being stressed language basically meant “yeah. now piss off.” - and waved goodbye before putting herself onto it.

hours and hours passed by, phone calls with her lawyer, phone calls with the client, phone calls with authorities - she was so sick of it by now.

leaning back in her overly comfortable office chair, she turned it to the window. she may be owner of one of the most important business on the market right now, but she’ll never get over the view of her top floor office.

she sighed and took it in, watching the sun slowly set. the buzz off her phone ripped her out of her thought.

a unknown number ? texted her ? did this idiot agent now got a hold of her number and is threatening her ?

ellie was quick with unlocking her phone only to see..

‘hey ! it’s your bartender from yesterday !’

she almost couldn’t believe that you actually texted her. after all she was a complete stranger. but then again - you were a university student working in a kind of run down bar.

anyways, she still remembered your name and saved your contact - and good lord she was quick with texting you back.

and good lord you texted back and forth for long, ellie didn’t notice that the sun was down by now.

she should leave the office and probably go back to her penthouse apartment and get some sleep.

damn it, why did you have to text her that you’re still in your universities library studying for your upcoming exam.

and why did she have the urge to pick you up and take you out for dinner ? what was it about you?

usually, ellie picks easy-to-get girls. a quick one night stand with not a lot of talking, maybe giving them a lift home in her bentley - if she was being nice.

she didn’t even know why she wanted to treat you better.

before ellie knew she was sitting in her white bentley, on her way to pick you up.

and you didn’t even realise she was actually doing it until you saw her. until you saw the woman exiting her beast of a car.

your eyes got so wide when you saw her with that sleek black coat, white turtle neck and black suit pants. she looked so good.

„hello beautiful.“

ellie smilingly said before opening the car door on the passenger side door for you to enter. you hesitated for a second, being kind of overwhelmed to get picked up from university like this.

however, you greeted her back and entered her car.

„getting shy now?“

she joked, starting the engine and pulling out of the study property. her smile was wide when she looked at you.

„no. i‘m just not used to getting picked up with this kind of service.“

ellie smirked. she knew her cars and her money was impressive. after all, it is exactly what most girls are after so she stopped bothering. she had it, so why not make good use of it?

„wanna go grab a coffee? i know a nice cafe around here.“

she suggested, already driving in the direction before you could answer.

obviously you agreed with the idea. spending hours studying and beating up your brain made you deep fried and having coffee with a stunning woman like she is exactly what you need.

her car stopped in front of an overly fancy building. for a second you thought she took you too a designer shop if some sort, but when you glanced out the window it was an actual cafe.

you felt out of place looking at the business men inside. with your hoodie and skirt. basic university fit - comfortable and chill.

ellie looked at you, noticing the slight uneasiness in your body language and look.

"don't worry, you'll be fine, dear."

you exited the car and entered the fancy cafe. chandeliers hanging from the top, covered in golden paint. the walls were painted in a a dark green shade.

it seemed so royal.

apparently ellie was a regular there. the waiter already knew her and greeted her with her name before leading the two of you to a place a bit away from the other people.

"what do you want ?"

she asked after you received the menu. all types of coffees, teas and cakes where listed on it, with prices far beyond your imagination

"a simple cappuccino."

ellie nooded, smiling and passing the order to the waiter, along with ordering a latte for herself.

"don't worry, it's on me."

you smiled and thanked her. when she told you she'd pick you up, you expected everything but not.. this. you'd be happy with getting some takeaway coffee from a local bakery. apparently ellie wasn't.

the coffee came anfd you carried on with you conversation. talking about your interestes, hobbies - everything but not work and uni.

suddenly, her phone rang. it was ellies lawyer.

"excuse me, love. i have to answer this call. i will be right back."

she got up and walked out of the front, looking kind of nervous.

you watched her pass by the window, walking back and forth. her expression changed from anxious and nervous to furious. sipping your coffee, you tried to figure out what was going on but eventually dropped it.

after a while she returned, sitting down again.

"i'm so sorry, but i will have to go back to the office. it's quite urgent."

she emptied her latte and waited for you to finish just as well.

"don't worry, ellie. i get it !"

with an apologising smile, she payed the bill for you two and left the cafe with you by her side.

"may i still drive you home? it'll start to snow soon and i rather have you safe inside before you have to walk and freeze."

a smile painted on your face. to be exact, you weren't used to this kind of princess treatment. but you didn't want to be a burden.

"it's okay, really. i don't want to take more of your time."

"no really, i want to do this."

eventually, you gave in and agreed. the second ellie started the engine, snowflakes started falling from the sky.

„see ? it‘s good than i‘m giving you a lift!“

you quickly typed your adress into her navigation system anf let her drive off. 80s rock music played from her radio as she drove to your home. you enjoyed every second - even tho it was silent between the two of you. both of you enjoyed it.

ellie placed her hand on your thigh and had her other one on her steering wheel. you glanced over. she looked ethereal. her green eyes pierced the snowy streets and her head slowly bopped to the music playing.

a beam of light from the warm streetlights illuminated her face whenever she drove past them and you felt like you‘re in some weird fifty shades of grey fanfiction.

she stopped right in front of your apartment building, glancing over at you.

„i‘m sorry, really.“

„don‘t worry.“

a bright smile was painted onto your face, causing ellies stomach to almost drop. you were such a sunshine on a snowy evening like this. before you could exit your car, she got out, opening the door for you.

„thank you, ma‘am.“

you said and took the hand she help out for you to help you get out. did you need these type of gestures? no, but you certainly enjoyed it. you never were treated this nicely.

she even went to the door with you, watching you unlook it.

„drive safe okay? snowy streets are dangerous.“

the concern in your voice and the worrying look of your eyes almost caused ellie to get a heartattack.

„and thank you. for this afternoon and the coffee, i enjoyed it a lot.“

you added and ellie nodded.

and she did something she never thought she would do - she opened her arms to give you a hug. and you accepted it.

it was a overly long hug and it was so comfortable. you took in her scent, the smell if her very intense and expensive perfume and the warmth of her body.

„i‘ll text you, pretty girl.“

she said, still holding you there. ellie didn’t even want to let go, but eventually had to.

before you went inside, she eyed you again. so pretty even tho you looked tired and wore a normal, casual outfit. you probably were the prettiest girl she ever saw.

„please do. would love to see you again.“

ellie smiled before adding a simple:

„trust me, you will.“

and watching you go inside with a ‚goodbye‘.

and she didn’t know yet that if she would fall for you, she’d fell hard and could never get up again.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

there we go !! thank you for your endless support on what i suppose is part 1 - which was just a brain rot of mine haha. i hope you enjoyed it!

let me know if you want me to keep this going ! xx

update: here goes part 3!

people asking to be tagged:

@harrysslutsstuff @vwonnie @mikaaj

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 4

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 3, Part 5

TW: this has death, mentions of child abuse, and more heavy topics. Remember that SAGAU is (usually) a yandere au and yanderes are a warning by themselves. Plus SAGAU is a cult, that makes it 10x worse depending on how it is. You've been warned.

You wake up feeling refreshed for once. You managed to get a full sleep and when you felt your face, the mask was still there. As you get off the bed your foot touches the bag the clothes were brought in. Now with more clothing options, you take a shower ready to properly wash your body.

The shower attached to your room was small and clean. This wasn't earth so no shower or bathtub but what they had was the closest to it since the Kamisato's were rich. In fact, you would even say it's better than Earth. Were the water bills here as high as it is on Earth?

You soaked in the warm water as you scrubbed away the filth. From the dirt to the dried blood and the pus from the electric wounds. Your hands traced the faint scars that covered your body. Little nicks from knives to full-on stab wounds from a certain relative.

Some days they felt like battle scars. You looked at them proud of how far you've come, how much you've survived from. Other days or most days you should say, they felt like your failures were on display. Whether from lack of awareness or for failing to save him.

The thought of him still makes you sad even though it's been years since it happened. It seems being in another world in a whole new situation couldn't shake his influence from your life. You aren't completely sure if that's a good or bad thing.

You finish your bath and apply first-aid to the minor wounds. You were quite skilled in this area from years of practice. Looking through the bag with a critical eye you choose one of the new outfits. It's unlike anything on earth. Both in style and fabric. Actually that's probably cause you were never able to afford high-quality clothes like this.

In typical Genshin fashion, it was asymmetrical with many accessories. You left most of the accessories in the bag and only wore the body suit pieces with the shirt and pants. Your feet cried in relief with the new socks and shoes.

As you finish doing your hair, someone knocks on the door. You open it to see a servant handing you a tray of food.

"Good morning, I'm here to deliver your food and a message." You take the tray from them and listen.

"The weekly festival and ritual for the creator will be happening this afternoon. As such Lord Kamisato has requested that you leave for Ritou after it. 'An oracle should attend even if not publicly. Especially as it's the Kamisato Clan's turn this week.' That is what Lord Kamisato message says."

Fuck. A ritual and festival for you? That's just begging for your bad luck to bite you in the ass again. You can already see yourself accidentally meeting Ei there.

"Thoma will bring you there after lunch. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask." The servant gives you a moment to voice any questions before leaving.

Everything you wanted to ask isn't something they could have answered so it was best to wait till Thoma picked you up. You set the tray down and begin eating, it seemed this day wasn't going to be any less hectic than yesterday.

You were stuck in the estate while waiting for Thoma to pick you up. You couldn't leave in fear of meeting an enemy and dying. You may be the creator and should be a god therefore immortal. But did you really want to test that? No. You've skimmed by death enough times to know it's painful.

Trying to be productive you thought back on when you first arrived on Seirai Island. Now that you have a good identity with the Kamisato's approval you need to worry about living difficulties.

How will you get mora? A job would be best but you need one that allows you to travel around. You couldn't risk getting attached to one place in case your identity is compromised. It also can't be stationed in Inazuma meaning Komaniya Express was out of the question. The Adventurers' Guild was the only option.

You could probably sign up sometime during the festival but that could be risky if Ei requests their records to search for you. If the opportunity arises then you'll sign up today, if not then you'll do it in Liyue.

Since you'll be traveling around then a home or apartment isn't necessary. You'll probably need some camping gear to sleep and cook. Thankfully your life on earth has already taught you what you do and don't need. Plus a weightless game bag with little to no limit is priceless.

Now the hardest part is how you'll deal with the enemies. You don't know how to wield a weapon outside of a pocket knife and you had no controllable elemental powers. (The anemo and geo that helped you yesterday did not count. You couldn't actively call upon them.)

Learning a weapon was hard. A brand new skill and you weren't even sure which would work best with you. No vision, delusion (not that you would ever use one), gnosis, or main character powers like the traveler. You were really in a tight position, would the Guild even hire you?

The moment you think that you almost laugh at yourself. If reckless Pallad who was so weak he couldn't run away from slimes. Clueless Lynn that couldn't find apples or sunsettias unless they were handed to her. And Tiantian who doesn't even know what the Adventurer's Guild does could all be hired, then so can you.

That doesn't fix the initial problem as they all stay in their nations while you'll be traveling. Hilichurls and other monsters' aggressiveness may have been exaggerated for the games sake. But that doesn't mean they aren't aggressive and can't attack you.

A series of knocks matching a melody are heard on the door. Were you really deep in thought for that long?

Opening the door, Thoma stands on the other side with a smile. "Y/N, are you ready to get going? The festival is going to start soon and my lord went early with my lady to prepare the ritual. I can show you around it while we wait for the main event."

His fast-paced speech showed off just how excited he was. It was a cute sight. Would this count as a date?

"Yeah, I'm ready to go. Everything I have is in my bag."

"Perfect then let's get going." Thoma takes your hand and leaves the estate with you. You begin the trek with Thoma when you remember your original questions about the ritual.

"So this must be pretty popular if it's done every week. In the message Ayato sent me, he said it was the Yashiro Commission's turn. Does that mean the other Commissions take the other weeks? Who does the last week?"

"The last week is a collaboration of the Tri-Comission with the Elctro Archon in charge. We take the first week, the second week is the Kanjou Commission, and the third week is the Tenryou Commission. It's courtesy for each commissioner to attend them all but the Electro Archon only attends hers."

So no accidentally running into Ei at the festival? Perfect but you'll still be on guard. Ei may be the biggest threat but you haven't forgotten the others. Ayato, Yae, and Heizou were the top people to avoid to keep your identity. You had no choice but to meet Ayato and even though it worked out, you didn't want a repeat of that.

"Then the last one must be the most exciting. Can you tell me more about what to expect?" Thoma helps you past the rocky path as you are halfway to Inazuma City. His grip is tight when you jump off a particularly steep ledge.

"When we get there the ritual won't start yet but the festival will be in full swing. You'll be free to walk around and look at the stalls. Food, drinks, games, merchandise of the creator, and even some small plays."

"Merchandise and plays?" It's weird thinking that you have official merch. Especially since no one knows that you are the face of said merchandise. You'll probably need to buy some to upkeep your oracle schtick.

"Yup! Merchandise can range from posters, clothing, plushies, and even decorative food. The scriptures say that the creator is especially fond of F/F." Wow, they even know your favorite food.

"Would they be selling the actual food at the festival too?" Please say yes. You've been dying to eat something from your world. Teyvat is great and you don't miss your old life but that doesn't mean you don't miss the things you used to have there.

"Of course they do! Everyone loves to experience what the creator loves to feel closer to them. As for the plays, they differ every so often. Sometimes it's the classic 'Creator making Teyvat' while sometimes it's something more farfetched like 'Creator using the traveler and acolytes for their will'."

You're not sure if your wish is arrogant but you kinda want to see one of these plays. Hopefully, if you have the time you can watch one before the festival ends. You can see Inazuma City coming closer and closer.

"Then what exactly is the ritual?"

Thoma smiles mischievously at your insistent question. "You'll just have to wait and see. Since the creator sees through you best, we wanted it to be a surprise."

Sighing you give up, it didn't really matter since you'll be seeing it in person. You climb the steps and finally look around as the surroundings slowly got more colorful. Banners of you with a gold cloak on are situated all around.

Awed you let Thoma lead you deeper into the city. Many stalls were set up with everything Thoma said. The people were no longer NPCs with similar models and nearly identical clothes. Instead, people of all types were chatting as they walked the streets. Colorful kimonos, yukatas, and what were those called? Happi? Either way, the sheer variety and amount of people stunned you. The 'crowds' in Genshin always looked lackluster so this was a wonderful surprise.

All around you could hear everyone speaking about someone. About you.

"What a beautiful work of art. I'm sure the creator would be pleased if I hung this up in my house."

"The perfect figurine of the creator. I'm sure this shows only a fraction of their perfection."

"Mommy, can I please see the play? Mr. Sorahiko promised to do the play about the creator and the archons. It's my favorite one!"

"Yet again I had enough rent and a free day to attend the first ritual of the month. Our beloved creator always looks out for us."

Man, you weren't sure how they would react if they knew you were the creator. In fact would you even still be the same if you lived a year or two as the creator? You're most likely to get a savior or god complex judging by how they talk about you.

Thoma smiles at the sight of your excitement. The way your eyes never stop on one place for too long. Your fidgeting as if you can't wait to be freed and explore. He had made sure to have this time off to spend it with you. He wanted to spend as much time with you until you left.

"Y/N, I'll show you the best spots and places. Trust me when I say that-"

"THOMA!" Thoma is cut off by the yell of his name. The way his eyelids drop and his lips scowl for a second show his annoyance. Was this person super annoying or something?

It's an old man with balding white hair and a slightly hunched back. He's behind the counter of Shimura's restaurant. He must be the owner, Shimura Kanbei.

"Thoma get over here! I need to speak with you!" Yeah, you can definitely understand Thoma's annoyance now. From what you can remember Shimura only ever bitched about Uyuu restaurant. But he was also a samurai so maybe that's why he's so rowdy?

Thoma smiles apologetically at you and says, "Just give me a minute please." You nod and watch Thoma go to Shimura. They talk and Thoma seems very insistent on something while Shimura keeps refusing. Seems Thoma lost the argument by the way he walks back to you with a disappointed expression.

"I'm sorry Y/N, I won't be able to spend time with you like I wanted. I owe Mr. Shimura a favor and he wants to cash it in now. I tried to convince him to let me repay it another time but it seems he needs it now. Again I'm really sorry Y/N."

Thoma's head was hanging and his eyes were closed with resignation. It was like looking at a sad puppy who was being punished for breaking his toy. You can't resist reaching over to pat his hair.

His eyes shoot open in confusion but he doesn't move away. He only stares at you with an unreadable expression and an embarrassed flush. You can't help but laugh a little and move your hand away after getting your fill of patting him.

"Sorry if that was sudden. You just looked really cute, like a puppy. You don't have to apologize for doing your job Mr. Fixer. This isn't the last time we'll see each other so go ahead and help the old man."

He looks away with a smile when you call him cute. He enjoys the way his face feels hot when you are around. The feeling of your hand on his hair was surprising but very nice. He wished you left it there a little longer. Maybe even forever.

"Thank you Y/N, I'll finish this up quickly and then join you! But before I forget, here, this is for you from my lord and lady." Thoma takes out a thick pouch and hands it to you.

The clinking, weight, and shape of the pouch give it away immediately. You open it a little to see loads of mora inside it. You could kiss Ayato, Ayaka and Thoma. You were no longer broke! Eagerly you put it into your bag for safekeeping.

"Use the money for whatever you wish. It's a present from them."

'I'll be sure to thank them when I see them. And thank you too Thoma for delivering it and escorting me here. Now go finish helping Shimura, we can hang out afterward."

Thoma smiles and jogs back to Shimura. You wave goodbye before strolling down the street. Once you get to a less crowded area you sit down and open your bag.

The game screen pops up and although the pouch is no longer there, your mora has gone way up. Instead of 108 mora, it's now 150, 108 mora. Knowing someone else gave you this money purely for whatever you want is really nice... Is this how Zhongli feels whenever Hu Tao and Childe pay for him?

Well, you won't be using most of this money, an oracle that wishes to stay hidden should live a frugal lifestyle. Plus you never know when you'll need to pay someone off to keep your face hidden. Even still spending some of the money now to enjoy this festival wouldn't be that bad. Right?

With renewed enthusiasm, you set off to explore the stalls. You make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any signs of Yae or Heizou. But it's all smooth sailing.

You get to a stall selling F/F and buy one. The taste is wonderful even though it's not exactly the same as the one you used to eat on Earth. Spotting a different stall selling Tricolor Dango, you get closer.

There's a little sign that says. "Tricolor Dango Creator Edition! Limited Sale!" It seems even here merchants won't lose a chance to make mora. The Dango is blue, gold, and purple colored. Curious you buy one and try it.

It's actually really good and it felt slightly nostalgic. Looking at the second one you bought, you stare at it trying to recall where you've seen the colors before.

It hits you that it's the same colors of the Fates you wish for in Genshin. Blue for the 3 stars, purple for the 4 stars, and gold for the 5 stars. They sold this as the 'Creator Edition' does that mean they can see your wishes?

A loud sound interrupts your train of thought. You and a few other bystanders look over to see Gorou looking distraught at his Tricolor Dango on the floor. A knocked-down stack of boxes on the ground and oh boy, Yae Miko standing right with him.

You can't hear what Yae is saying to Gorou as he fixes the boxes. But you can see the very uncomfortable look on Gorou's face as she circles him. You want to leave, Yae is not someone you want to get the attention of.

Steeling yourself to turn around and walk away, you try to look away. Yet you can't stop looking at just how badly Gorou wants to escape her. It bothers you to no end. You glance at the Tricolor Dango he dropped. It's the same creator edition dango you bought.

You groan and start walking over to them. This was so stupid, you were so stupid. Reckless, dumb, softhearted and-

You continue to beat yourself up as you confidently walk over to them. Yae looks at you with slight confusion as you sling an arm around Gorou's shoulder. The look on his face is hilarious.

"Hey, Gorou! Good to see you came back to Narukami Island so soon. I know you came back for your gig at the Yae Publishing House but I never even got to see you. C'mon, let's hang out while we have the chance. Oh, and you must be the Yae Miko right? A pleasure to meet you, I hope you don't mind me stealing him. Thank you, goodbye~"

You drag out the last syllable as you simultaneously drag Gorou away. Yae doesn't follow you to your relief and Gorou simply lets you pull him away. Once you're far enough away you let go of his shoulder and take a step away.

"So uh about what I said. You know what let me just be honest. I'm the creator's oracle and that's how I knew all that personal information about you. You just looked super uncomfortable around Yae that I couldn't walk away." Rubbing the back of your neck you look at Gorou sheepishly.

"Wow, that's uh a lot to process at once but let me thank you first. I was really uncomfortable. She isn't some horrible person but I'm not the best at countering her teasing attacks. Thanks for helping me retreat from that situation." Yeah, you did it at the cost of your own safety.

Even still the way his tail wags a little as he speaks and his ears twitch makes you want to reach out and pet them. Now that you can properly look at him, it was incredible to see actual animal ears on a person. You try to tamper down your excitement but it's a little hard since they move so often.

That's also when you notice the way Gorou is staring at your dango. His poor dango was left on the floor and he does have a big sweet tooth. Ah it's just one dango, you can get more dango later. You hold your dango out to him with a smile.

"I'm pretty sure Yae startled you making you drop your dango. You can have mine, it's the same limited creator edition." Gorou seems a bit bashful at his obvious desire but takes it from you gratefully.

"Thank you again. Even though you know my name I would still like to properly introduce myself. I'm General Gorou of the Watatsumi Island resistance. Even though the war is over, we still have official duties to maintain peace which is why I commute over here. What's your name?"

"My name is Y/N, as I told you earlier I'm the creator's oracle. As proof, I do have a fan given to me by the Yashiro commissioner." You take the fan out and it glistens in the sunlight. Gorou's eyes widen at the sight of it. Was it really that influential?

"I mean I already mostly believed you simply by the information you knew but to have Lord Kamisato's fan is impressive. It's an honor to meet you Y/N being the creator's oracle must be an envious position. That also explains why my body was weirdly okay with you pulling me along."

He really believed it just like that? Gorou isn't from Narukami yet he held the fan in such high regard. You mentally thank Ayato and have a feeling you'll be thanking him a lot more after this.

Gorou finishes the dango in record speed while you spot a stall selling creator merchandise. Gorou follows your eyes and stands next to you, his soft tail brushes against your skin. Man, you really want to pet him.

"Do you want to check out that stall together? I mainly came here for the festival and I already completed the work I had to do. It would be great to explore the festival with you."

You nod excitedly and tug at his wrist. "I don't remember much before I became the oracle so I want to explore everything! It wouldn't be embarrassing for the creator's oracle to buy some of their merch right?"

"Of course not! There is a lot of good things only available during the festival. And afterward, I can show you the best spot to see the ritual." Gorou lets you pull him to the stall full of creator accessories.

Really you just wanted something that would make you seem like a big fan of the creator. Nothing super stalkerish level but noticeable to those who are cultish, like the acolytes.

You look around at the items on the stall with Gorou. Nothing catches your eye until you spot a bracelet. The design is what really drew your attention.

The bracelet was gold with Intertwined Fates and Acquaint Fates as charms. It's incrediably beautiful but also worrying. How did they know this symbol when it's only in the Wish system and Paimon's Bargains?

Right when you're about to ask the vendor, Gorou looks at it and says, "Oh, I recognize those, pretty aren't they? It's written in the scriptures that when the creator is close to coming back they will use stars with fate's design to input their will into their chosen acolytes. I'm lucky to be one of them."

So that's how they know. Quite clever how they input the word fate into it hinting at the name intertwined fate. Or was it the other way around?

"Such rich history. I may be knowledgeable in some areas concerning the creator but in others, such as the history, I'm lacking. I hope by traveling around Teyvat I can grow closer to the creator."

"Don't say that Y/N! You are like a signal officer for the creator, hold that position with pride. No one expects you to be perfect right away. I don't know you very well but I can already see how hard-working you are."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Making up a whole new identity in a new world is hard work. But you decided not to buy the jewelry or anything else. Who knows what kind of act you may need to use later on? Expensive jewelry like that could hinder you more than anything.

"Thanks Gorou, I'll do my best to live up to the title of oracle. But enough about that, let's continue exploring. In fact, do you smell that? I can basically taste all the food they have here."

Gorou perks up at your words and points toward another stall.

"Do you like sweet food? I know all the best ones here. Even if you don't we can start there with the dango milk, it's a good warm-up for the other treats!"

You follow Gorou to the stall and order your own dango milk. Thick, sweet, and a weird texture? You can see why Ei likes it but you can also understand why Wanderer hates it. In fact, knowing that Ei loves this is ruining the taste.

"Are you okay Y/N? You don't seem to enjoy it. If you don't that's okay, not everyone likes it."

"I'm fine but yeah I don't really like it. Maybe because it's too filing." You chuckle weakly. You were enjoying yourself so much that the thought of Ei really ruined your mood.

Gorou glances around before gently holding your wrist and leading you to an empty bench. He makes you sit down before giving a 'wait here' gesture and leaving. You look at his retreating form in confusion and simply sit there.

You didn't do a good job hiding your emotions just then but his actions were still confusing. Wouldn't someone normally just say encouraging things and leave it there? You just met him today after all.

While you were still wrapping your head around his actions, Gorou comes back holding a box. He sits next to you and opens the box while speaking.

"I'm in no position to make you talk or vent your frustrations to me but I'm a firm believer in speaking your mind. Muzzling up all your thoughts never helps anyone. I may not have the perfect advice or any advice but I'm a good listener. But if none of those things interest you then you can eat this box of sweets with me."

He opens the box showing it full of taiyaki, sakura mochi, sweet shrimp sushi, and berry mizu manjuu. The way he holds it in his lap while offering it to you is like some teenager confessing. Especially with how his ears flatten on his head with his tail wagging slowly.

You can't help but feel thankful that out of everyone that you accidentally slipped up in front of, it was Gorou. Not only because he was a good person, but because he was the type of person to not overlook someone else's problems. At least that was the impression you got from him when he chose the books that would help Watasumi Island in that one event.

You smile shyly and grab one of the fish-shaped Taiyaki. The jam is sticky and sweet mixing with the crunchiness of the shell well.

"Well, I can't say too much about it but you're right that speaking a little will probably help me." You take a deep breath before retelling what happened with Ei. Of course, you used metaphors, alias, and even more tricks to hide the real story while getting the main conflict across.

As you speak, your emotions bleed through. You take angry bites of your treats leaving little crumbs on the corner of your mouth. Gorou is intently listening and nodding along the whole time. Absentmindedly he reaches out and brushes away the crumbs.

Both of you freeze once the action is done. You pull away with a slight blush and Gorou yanks his hand back as his tail wags rapidly.

"I'm so sorry! I was so caught up listening to you that I did that automatically." His face is starting to get redder and redder with each word. He buries his face into his hands in embarrassment.

You grin devilishly at the opportunity that luck has presented you with. You weren't Yae but a chance is a chance. You would be a fool to give it up.

"I understand and don't worry I'm not bothered by it. Just a bit surprised. But it's a bit unfair isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Gorou looks up from his hands as he feels a chill go down his spine.

"Well you got to touch me, shouldn't I get to touch you as payback?" Gorou's ears go straight up and his face all the way to his neck goes red.

"I'm talking about your ears of course! Your animal features are most similar to a Shiba Inu right? I would love to pet your ears." You can't tell if Gorou is relieved or disappointed by how he sighs.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I can allow that. Is it really that tempting?" He moves to sit by your side rather than in front of you. Now with him almost pressed against your side you pet his ears. Almost immediately he whimpers at your touch.

"Please. Please ignore the sounds, I can't exactly stop them." He basically begs you. With a small laugh, you decide to go easy on him and not comment on it. Instead, you focus on how his soft ears twitch under your hand.

As you continue quietly petting him, he seems to relax further into you. Before long the almost empty box of sweets is beside you with Gorou's head on your lap.

Was he sniffing you?… Should you take it as a compliment or as something creepy? Well it's normal for dogs to smell people and you weren't being any better petting him like this. So maybe you're both weird and it's best to ignore it.

His eyes are closed with his cheek laying on your lap. His tail wags rapidly thumping against the wood of the bench. He mumbles sounds of contentment with whimpering mixed in. It's an incredibly cute sight. To the point where perhaps everything you went through was worth it for this moment.

You sneakily pet his tail, to which his tail responds eagerly by wagging harder. Gorou is seriously lucky nobody is around to witness this. It's ironic how just like you helped him from Yae, he helped you deal with Ei. It makes you feel a certain sense of kinship with him. Even if yours was significantly more dangerous.

"Y/N, there you are!" You jump at the sudden yell of your name and Gorou immediately sits up straight. Gorou whips his head around a bit dazed trying to find the source of the noise.

"I'm sorry it took so long, where were you anyway? The ritual is about to start." Thoma jogs closer to you and Gorou- did Gorou just growl at him?

You stare at Gorou in slight disbelief, maybe he was still out of it from sleeping? Yet Thoma seemed to respond in kind by grabbing your hand and pulling you up onto your feet, away from Gorou.

"You were hanging out with Gorou? Makes sense as he tends to come over a lot for the festival and work."

Thoma's words may be friendly but the way he was staring at Gorou told a whole different story. Gorou stands up from the bench too with his ears straight up in alert. Gorou stares at him with a barely concealed growl while Thoma smiles with gritted teeth.

Holy shit, they were never this hostile before. Well, they never interacted or had any voice lines with each other but they are both just friendly people in general. Why the hell are they even fighting? You know what the cause doesn't matter anymore. You don't need this kind of attention coming towards your area.

"Alright hold it you two." You yank your hand out of Thoma's and stand between them. Giving them both cautious glances you try to clear up the situation.

"I and Gorou were just enjoying the festival since we ran into each other at a dango stall. He dozed off right when Thoma yelled my name. The growl wasn't intentional. And Gorou I'm sure Thoma was just worried due to the growl."

They both seem to want to say something but they shut up at the look you give them.

"You guys aren't angry are you? I mean we should be enjoying the festival for the creator especially since the ritual is about to begin."

"No, I'm not angry. I was just a bit startled by the sudden hostility." Thoma says trying to hold back his frustration. You raise an eyebrow at that seeing clearly what he was trying to hide.

"I agree with Thoma. It was a bit offensive that he believed I would hurt someone outside of battle but I'm guessing that he was just worried about you." The look they give each other once Gorou is finished tells their true feelings.

"Alright since neither of you are mad at the other, why don't you shake on it?" Were you just fucking with them? Yeah, but if they were going to tell stupid lies then you'll make them do stupid things. You still didn't fully understand why they were so mad at each other.

Nonetheless, they both robotically reach out and shake hands. You can easily tell how they are tightening their grip to bruise and intimidate each other. Thoma may have the height but Gorou is a general for a reason. They let go at a draw.

This was going to be fun. Smiling you link arms with them and start walking to the main area of the city.

"With that out of the way, we should head to the ritual. We need to get good spots to watch it after all. I still don't even know what the ritual is."

The atmosphere relaxes for a minute as both men admire the sight of you. Your strength and willpower to keep plowing forward with both of them in tow despite their spat. They give each other a dirty look behind your back before walking in step with you.

"We should go to the left side Y/N, you did say we could hang out once I was done helping Mr. Shimura."

"The right side is better. I did promise to show you all the best spots."

And here they go again. By the time you get to the main area where a crowd was slowly forming, you were ready to sit in the first spot and ignore them both.

Like an angel from heaven Ayaka strolls to your group with her practiced perfect smile.

"Y/N, are you enjoying the festivities? The ritual is about to start and I'll need to bring Thoma with me to help out behind the scenes."

You release Gorou and Thoma as Ayaka gets closer to you. You've never been so happy to see her before. Still aware of the people watching you only hover near her.

"It's been a lot of fun, everything looks beautiful. I'm going to get a good spot for the ritual thanks to Thoma and Gorou. But of course, I understand that you need to take Thoma. I'm excited to see what you and Lord Kamisato have prepared."

"I'm just as excited to see your reaction Y/N." Thoma walks over to Ayaka as cheerful as ever but you can clearly see the way his shoulder sag. You wave goodbye to them both and Gorou has a smug smile. The minute he sees you looking, his smile softens to something kinder.

"Alright Gorou, lead the way." You still didn't fully understand what's making them so hostile but honestly, it didn't really matter. They weren't hostile to you and you were leaving today anyway.

"It's just up these stairs, and-" Gorou's words are drowned out by an overwhelming sense of something watching you. More like someone you realize as the sight of pink fox ears flickers in the corner of your vision. Seems like Yae has decided to watch you or Gorou, maybe even both.

You sit down with Gorou and pay extra attention to manage your expressions. The last thing you want to do is slip up again. A huge crowd formed near the stage, it looked suffocating to be there. Thankfully the spot Gorou brought you to was still close but high enough that you weren't being trampled.

On the stage is a statue of yourself. The statue is holding the Inazuma symbol in its hands as if displaying it. This statue is made of stone instead of wood like the one in your temple. The clothing and hair were made of Obsidian while you were made of Jadeite. The most notable detail was how gold lines seem to follow your veins in the statue.

Was that some sort of reference to the story of the creator bleeding gold? From what you remember reading in the room in the Kamisato estate, the scriptures said "The creator's blood is like flowing gold. Sacred and holy. Never should it have to be shed, and if so, may the offender pay for bleaching their golden blood."

You sure as hell bleed red so it's most likely that it's metaphorical rather than literal. But how many people in Teyvat see it that way? You had a feeling everyone took that chapter literally instead.

Ayaka goes up on stage holding a box while other servants that you recognize from the estate follow her holding more boxes. She gives her box to someone else to hold before going to all the other boxes and taking out the contents.

Gold, jewels, jewelry, fabric, and bottles of something presumably fancy are laid at the feet of your statue. Two servants place incense at either side of you before Ayaka lights them. The smell is refreshing and vaguely reminds you of cinnamon.

Your body seems to relax automatically but you keep it still since Yae may still be looking. Just as you're about to comment on the smell, Gorou speaks up.

"I've always wondered what it smells like." What? Gorou who has a great sense of smell can't smell it? You look around to see nobody else reacting to the smell.

Quietly you ask, "What do you mean by that? I thought we were just too far away to smell it."

"The incense used for rituals is special. It's specifically made with elemental power. Its concentration to make the sticks is so fine-tuned that only the creator and archons can smell the true scent. Everyone else smells nothing or a indescribable smell."

Well bullet dodged, you almost got caught there. By claiming to smell something, you would have drawn way too much attention for something that couldn't prove you well enough. You nod quietly and look back to the ritual.

Ayaka had now opened the box she was carrying showing two elemental decorations. It made sense that it's the highest prized offering since the Kamisato Clan deals with elemental energy the most.

She places a beautiful Sakura made of ice near one incense and a crystalline Camelia near the other. They were both truly beautiful, you would have loved to take them with you.

Ayato strolls to the front from who knows where and kneels at the statue. Never did you think that you would see Ayato kneel and clasp his hands in prayer at a statue of yourself. Yet everyone takes his lead and kneels down. The moment you see Gorou kneel is when you follow along.

Ayato's voice rings out over the dead-silent area.

"We offer these humble gifts to the creator. Our one and only maker that sacrificed themself for their creations. From every pebble to all the blood that exists in Teyvat. They all belong to you. We will continue to worship and offer to you as long as we still have the oxygen to do so. Let your title be our dying last words as you take us from this world into your loving eternity."

Damn, if you forgot that basically all of Teyvat was a cult, you sure as hell remember now. Just yesterday you were joking and play fighting with Ayato and now he was praying to you to basically make sure that he dies thinking of you. At least you knew that your worries about him killing you weren't unfounded.

You hold back the sigh of relief when Ayato says 'Amen' and everyone stands back up. Thoma opens the gate to your statue as the rest of Kamisato Clan leave the small space. People form a line to the statue holding offerings and boxes.

Old, young, men, women, and other species besides human all go up to your statue with gifts. They place them down and mutter a short word of thanks before moving for someone else. You look over at Gorou who's watching everyone with you.

"I didn't know what this ritual was so I have nothing to offer this time. Do you have anything to offer?" Gorou smiles mysteriously at your question.

"Yes, but I already gave them my offering. Really, I and her excellency offered on behalf of Watatsumi Island but I still count it since I was the one who caught him. But you won't see him till the next part of the ritual."

Oh, was sacrificing the next part? It wouldn't be pleasant to see animals be sacrificed in your name but you could deal with that. You wonder what kind of animal Gorou caught.

"Well just let me know which one you caught." He nods and rests his head on your shoulder as the line finishes. You can still feel someone staring at you. It seems Yae still hasn't given up.

With everyone out of the area around your statue, the gate is closed and Thoma walks onto the stage pulling 3 people along. They're in chains and old ragged clothes. Cuts, bruises, and dried blood cover parts of their bodies. You hold your breath at the sight of them lined up.

Ayato walks to the front of the stage and Thoma forces all 3 people onto their knees.

"People of Inazuma, this week will be slightly different from the Yashiro's usual sacrifice. Instead of one, we have three prisoners with the highest amount and the worst crimes committed."

Ayato unsheathes his Amenoma Kageuchi, the sword you had maxed out for him. He points it at the first prisoner.

"This man was a samurai that used his status to kidnap, rape, and kill multiple children. For the lives and innocence of those children he will face capital punishment. May the creator carry out their will through his punishment."

Oh my god. Yes that man is horrible and if his punishment is execution then let it go through but in your name? No, no, you don't want that man's life on your consciousness. Ayato points at the second prisoner.

"This woman was caught by the Grand Narukami Shrine. Not only was she colluding with a foreign nation to start a war but she was also found poisoning the water supply in the Shrine. That resulted in many shrine maidens becoming permanently ill and even dying. It also damaged the Sacred Sakura, she will face capital punishment. May the creator carry out their will through her punishment."

Was he going to say that for all of them? How many people have been sacrificed in your name? You barely breathe in fear of choking and calling attention to yourself. Right before Ayato points at the third prisoner, Gorou points at them first.

"That man is the one I caught."

Such a simple sentence yet it made you so nauseous. Were you dumb or just in denial for wanting to believe earlier that he was talking about an animal?

"This man was caught on Watatsumi Island. He had been found planting multiple explosives near the crop and farms on their island. This would not only kill a good portion of their population but also ensure that they would starve in the upcoming winter. For the attempted murder of so many lives he will be charged with capital punishment. May the creator carry out their will through his punishment."

The prisoners keep quiet with their heads down. Were they feeling guilty, resigned or apathetic? Doesn't matter, for what they did they deserve capital punishment but not under your name. They were still living beings that should rot rather than be killed for a god that didn't even ask for it.

"After hearing the crimes of these individuals. What punishment will we carry out in the creator's and victims names?" Ayato's voice booms and the public responds in kind.

At first it was a jumble of yells for certain executions. Seeing all these people including children yelling out for punishment in your name left bile in your mouth. You weren't about to say that all life was precious and that killing them in general was wrong but you were selfish.

The main reason you were so against it was due to your own conscious. Because this whole scene is confirming something you never wanted to believe. Something you struggled to accept or deny.

The masses seemed to reach an agreement and Ayato announced to everyone.

"The samurai will be forced to commit seppuku, the shrine maiden will be beheaded and the arsonist will be burned at the stake."

The stage is a blur of movement as the crowd cheered. The roaring applause and yells of excitement made you dizzy. You watch in a daze yet hyperaware of everything.

It starts with the child abuser, Ayato forces the man's hands around what looks like the man's sword. Ayato forces him to stab himself in the stomach. Its dragged from right to left. The blood sticks to the sword as Ayato pulls it out, the sight is disgustingly familiar. The samuri has his hands handcuffed behind him as he is left to bleed out to death in front of everyone. You aren't quite sure but by the way his mouth is moving, he seems to be screaming in pain.

The guillotine must have been set up while you were watching the samurai. Ayaka forces the bound woman to her knees and closes the top trapping her head. The shrine maiden is muttering judging by her mouth movement. Ayaka raises her sword and at that moment, the shrine maiden yells above the noise.

"Oh, beloved creator! Take me into your sweet embrace and show them all the truth of this world! Just as I have done everything for you, please-"

Her words are cut off as her head rolls. Ayaka stands there with a bloody blade and a frosty glare. The woman's head is stuck in a pleading expression and tears drying on her face. Your hands slowly grow paler with every second. The sound of desperate pleading brings your attention to the arsonist.

The man is already tied to the stake with wood at the bottom of it. Thoma's vision lights up but instead of hitting the man with his fire, he simply lights the wood on fire. The fire licks the thrashing man's feet and grows up the stake.

You can't stop staring at the two men slowly dying. In seppuku someone is supposed to cut the head off but no one will do it. And usually with burning executions they add more wood and fire to hurry up the process yet no one is adding anything. These two men are rightfully suffering for their crimes but you can't help but feel isolated as the crowd cheers for the men being publicly tortured.

In your name, in your name. Their deaths are on your hands. Those lives were taken due to you. You already had someone else's life on your hands, how could you handle any more?

A soft touch on your shoulder makes you look toward the source. When did he even move his head off your shoulder? Gorou is looking at you with worry evident on his face.

"Are you okay Y/N?"

More than anything you want to say no. You want to hide away and forget the deaths you just witnessed. More than anything you want to cry and not worry about the consequences. But things like that are too good for you.

You are sure of it now. Your identity must be hidden forever. The minute anyone finds out your true identity is when you'll suffer a worse death than those prisoners. Your brain and body seem to finally catch up with reality. You give a sad smile to Gorou.

"This is something completely new to me. Truthfully I'm just confused about how to feel about all this. But the creator's feelings are echoing clearly. They are thankful and very happy to see how devoted Inazuma and its residents are but... At the same time, they can't help but feel sad too. Innocent people suffered and even though those criminals are getting their due punishment, they still feel love for them. Because all of Teyvat and its beings are their beloved creations."

Gorou nods his head in understanding before asking.

"But what about you? This must be pretty intense for you as it's your first time."

Gorou really was kind, he's still worried about you. It's too risky to ever open up like you did before but you still need to maintain a close relationship with him.

"You're right, I think I need to step away for a little while. The creator's feelings mixed in with mine are creating a mess." Gorou nods in understanding before holding your hand and leading you away. Your skin pricks at the feeling of being watched so intensely.

Your mind is running a mile a minute to categorize everything you've learned. To think of a plan on what you'll do when you get to Liyue. Yet every time you go into the deep crevices of your mind with thoughts like 'Should I just live in the wilderness forever?' It's Gorou's hand that grounds you back to reality.

Reliable as ever you think to yourself as he sets you down on a bench near the Inazuma City entrance. It's funny how you are being taken care of by him twice in your first meeting. It seems even knowing how he gave a horrible man as a public sacrifice isn't enough to dissolve your love for him.

In fact your love for Ayato, Ayaka, and Thoma as people still existed in your heart. For years you had Genshin and it's people as your only source of safety and comfort. Despite your fear and desire to be away from Ei, you still wished that she would have some form of happiness too.

"Do you want to talk to me about it? If not then I can just sit with you until you're feeling better."

"It's fine Gorou, you should just go ahead and enjoy the rest of the ritual. That man you caught almost did irreplaceable damage to Watatsumi after all."

"You may be right but he's already suffering his due punishment. I'd rather help out my comrade than spit on the defeated enemy."

Gorou's words though encouraging will only lead to more trouble. Not only would you start becoming dependent on Gorou if you relayed your troubles in another metaphorical tale. But Yae's eyes are still watching you and it's quiet enough that her ears won't miss a sound.

Hmm, this plan might be risky but risk is necessary to trick Yae. You chew on your bottom lip while looking away from Gorou.

"I'm just a little sick. All the sugar and excitement wasn't the best combination for my stomach. Just let me have a breather and I'll be good to go. Go on ahead without me, I'll be fine."

Gorou is about to retort but a yell of "General Gorou!" cuts him off. A Watatsumi soldier stands closer to the main area waving their hands.

Gorou sighs and stands up with his tail drooping. He looks apologetically at you while you only smile nervously back.

"Don't worry about me Gorou. Just go ahead, I'll catch up later."

He nods and leaves. Once you're sure he's out of sight you slump against bench in relief. A matching sigh of relief leaves your lips as you tilt your head back and close your eyes.

"Well, aren't you a sneaky one?"

You hide your smile by rapidly sitting up straight almost hitting Yae who was behind you. Her teasing chuckle as you move to stand up and spin around to face her, lets you know that it was successful.

"No need to stand up little one. You're quite skittish for someone that managed to pull that cute doggy general away from me."

You duck your head and look away with a nervous chuckle.

"It's just that I was startled by you. I really mean no offense Ms. Yae." You finish speaking and can't stop your teeth from biting your inner cheek.

Yae smiles at your little tell as she places her hand over her mouth mockingly.

"Startled? By me? I believe you aren't being entirely truthful. But it's fine by me if you want to keep up your little lie. It's just that..."

Your eyebrows pinch in worry as she trails off. She stays silent as you begin fiddling with your hands.

"You'll have to be my precious 'friend' seeing as you stole Gorou from me earlier. At least for a little while."

You light up at her words and smile. Relief is clear in your face as you hold your hands together in front of you.

"Isn't that more of a good thing? I mean everyone says that you are very popular. I guess all the talk about kitsune biting was false!"

You immediately slap a hand over your mouth as Yae laughs at your words.

"Do we now? You must have heard such things from one of my editors."

Your cheeks take a light pink hue as she steps closer and peers down at you. Her gaze is piercing and you turn your head away slightly.

"I-I'm so sorry! Please don't eat me!" You speak with a pleading tone and your eyes screwed shut.

A little zap from her electro-fox hits your forehead making you look at her in confusion.

"I'm not going to eat you little one. My word, do I really have that fearsome of a reputation? That does make me wonder why a little lamb like you is wearing a gold kitsune mask if you are so scared of being eaten."

Time to see if you've built up enough credit for your trick to work. Your eyes wander around the area refusing to look her in the eyes. Your lips start to turn a little red from how harshly you're biting it.

"It was just pretty."

"Even though it's broken?"

"...it was cheaper that way." Your eyes are a little glossy from embarrassment. Your lips tremble as you stare sadly at the ground.

There was an awkward silence after you spoke. On the outside Yae isn't affected by your words but you caught the way her ear flickered for a moment. She's feeling a bit guilty.

Yae was arrogant and for good reason too. But it was also this arrogance that helped you get to the point where she won't ask about the mask anymore.

She can't help but feel the need to tease someone easily embarrassed like Gorou. By mimicking that flustered state with a dash of enthusiasm due to your first appearance being so energetic. You made yourself a perfect target for her to underestimate.

This paved the way for her to feel superior to you. That's why such an easily faked tell like biting your lip or really any area of your mouth worked so well. Made sense since most highly skilled people find the beginner tasks the hardest after they become masters. Something about being too used to harder things makes them either look too deep into simple things or overlook it completely.

You only could pull this act and not reveal your oracle due to Yae not feeling any bond. Ayaka didn't feel any bond or familiarity because you never pulled her. You didn't pull for Yae either and it seemed your theory is correct. Since she doesn't sense your divinity, she has no real interest in you besides your mask.

You can only hope that you managed to swindle her enough for her to lose interest in you completely. She wasn't heartless but she also had no problem leaving people to suffer unless it concerns someone she cares about.

The smell of burning flesh reaches the area and your act falters. You cough and wipe away a small tear. You peek at the fire that completely enveloped the arsonist and the black smoke rising. Your face grimaced at the sight of it. Was that samurai still bleeding to death?

Even from far away you can hear the people cheering as the stake falls down. You can imagine the way the burnt corpse crunches as it hits the ground. Was that shrine maiden head and body still there as it grows cold and stiff?

Yae tilts your head to look at her using her wand stick. The ribbons tickle your skin as you look up at her making sure to keep your eyes reminiscent of a doe.

"If you think your little act was enough to fool me then you're wrong." Shit, did she see through you at any point? No, it can't be. The only thing you let slip was your distaste.

"Stepping away from the ritual to avoid watching any more of the bloodshed is quite selfish. It's our job as the creator's subjects to dirty ourselves with blood in order to keep our creator pure." You recognize this from the book you translated to read. It spoke about the people of Inazuma only offering blades never used, therefore 'clean' to the archon. It seems it applies even more to you as the creator.

"Inazuma is filled with bloodshed, I suggest you learn to live with it. The Shogun fought numerous wars for this nation and even more for the creator."

You keep your mouth shut. As much as you would like to retort and speak against it. You really can't afford to bring any more attention to yourself. Your safety is on the line.

You keep a sad and guilty look on your face as you listen to her.

"Are you from Inazuma? It's honestly quite disappointing if you are, a resident not knowing Inazuma's history with the creator is a crying shame."

Shame bubbles up within you for not being able to speak your true thoughts but you use it to your advantage instead.

"I'm sorry... I just don't know how to read. I'm one of the residents forced out of Yashiori Island due to the war and tatarigami. I'm really sorry."

Another silence ensures and you don't even have to look at her to see the pitying look. It seems you were right about her feeling bad for those affected by the war. It was only a guess due to the counseling services she holds for samurai returning from war but it paid off.

"Don't look so pitiful like that, you're making me look like the bad guy. Nevertheless, ignorance is not an excuse to do wrong. I expect to see you stay for the whole ritual next time."

Yae only gives you a glance before leaving. You keep your head down as her footsteps slowly get quieter. You wait an extra second before slumping onto the bench and groaning.

This was exhausting, you couldn't wait to be on the boat to Liyue already. As you sat there trying to ignore the loud cheers from the main area thoughts of what Yae said kept trickling in.

It's the people's job to be dirty with blood for the creator? Bullshit. Even if some people were overzealous and wanted to sacrifice evil people, they shouldn't force other regular believers into it!

Just how many people were peer pressured into joining the cult's violent nature? If this whole creator religion started so long ago then what if those who refused to participate were turned into sacrifices? That would have forced people to join in fear of being killed.

After centuries or even millenniums of this pattern, this obsession and violence became normal and even expected behavior. As much as you enjoyed almost everyone's company, you could not afford to stay even a day longer. They may start expecting you to join in on stuff like this. You are no stranger to death and violence but Teyvat was supposed to be your chance to change. Not for you to find a new reason to inflict harm, especially for a religion about yourself.

Through the smoke and noise of everyone partying, you can smell the incense Ayaka lit earlier. Just a few minutes to relax you tell yourself. Bringing your knees to your chest to sit in a fetal position on the bench, you hide your head. You watch two cats play fight nearby as you think.

You just need a minute to decompress.

The beginning with Gorou wasn't the best but I think I got it to improve as the chapter went on. The real struggle was Yae. Personally I'm not that fond of her and writing her was hard. I hope all you Yae lovers weren't too offended, I really did do my research to keep her in character. This was actually half of a chapter but I really wanted to publish something. 10K words here instead of 15K like the other one is progress in my book. I'm trying to find a happy middle of 'long enough that it doesn't drop off' and 'not long enough that editing makes me cry'. Besides I wanna spread out the trauma I'm giving reader. Gotta save some for next chapter. All the comments and hearts are very appreciated!

Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention If you are in italics that means I couldn't tag you! Usually you'll need to check your settings to fix that.

[naughtystiel]

It wasn’t raining.

For some reason whenever Dean thought of this day, he imagined the sky to be covered with heavy dark clouds. Clearly this wasn’t the case. Instead, everything seemed so lively. Spring brought chirping birds, vividly coloured flowers began to bloom and the sun shone brightly high in the sky. The few people gathered around wore light jackets so it really had to be a beautiful day. He wished he could feel the warmth on his skin too.

A priest stood on the opposite end of the deep hole and Dean grimaced. He had never been a religious man and he wasn’t going to listen to anything that was coming out of the priest’s mouth now either. Meandering between people, he walked further away. Yeah, Lord have mercy and rest in peace o’wayward son.

So, where did he go from here?

“Hello.” Somebody said next to him, but Dean didn’t even bother to look. They weren’t talking to him anyway. They couldn’t be. With arms loosely crossed over his chest, he looked skywards. It was a beautiful day.

“Dean?”

Dean looked to the side, an eyebrow raised. A man in his thirties observed him, hands tucked in his dress pants. “How do you know my name? Do I know you?”

The man nodded his chin towards the priest, “Heard him mention a Dean, so I’m guessing that must be you. Nice suit.” He smiled and Dean looked down at his outfit. Suits weren’t exactly his thing, but he didn’t really think to make a will and they shoved him in this. Did they even bury people in plaids? Probably.

“That would be me, indeed.” Dean tilted his head to the side and scanned the graveyard. Interesting. “Are you dead too? I guess you gotta be.”

The man hummed, “Mmm, you could say so.”

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. Was that a yes or a no? “So, is it just you and me or is anybody else here with us?”

“Nah, they moved on.”

“And you?"

“In the process.”

“I see.”

They both stood in silence, watching the ceremony. A few roses got dropped into the hole. A nice gesture, but it was a waste of money. They could at least put it on top once the casket was actually covered with dirt.

Low rumble disrupted the quiet. “How are you feeling?”

Dean splayed his arms and shrugged. “I mean, I’m dead. I don’t really know.”

The man turned his head towards Dean. “Okay, lemme ask you this - what’s on your mind? Anything particular?”

Now that was a good question. Nothing. A lot. First thing that came to mind was that he wouldn’t be able to see that new Indiana Jones movie he was so looking forward to. But that was just stupid, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t he be thinking of his regrets? Unfinished business? “I wish I could feel the sun on my cheeks.”

“Ah, that I can agree with. The sunset kind. Not too sharp, soft like a gentle veil that droops over your face.” The man gave him a small smile and Dean nodded.

“You see that tall guy there? The tallest of them all. My brother. Last time I saw him we argued.” Dean sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I guess it kinda bothers me that this is how he’s gonna remember me now.”

“Probably not. Usually when a person dies you remember the good things. Unless of course the bad outweighed the good which I don’t think is the case here.” The man scuffed the tip of his polished shoe in the dirt. “Grieving is complicated, it messes with your head. I bet you heard about how it usually progresses but personally I think it’s more like jumping back and forth between the steps. It does pass though.”

“That supposed to make me feel better?”

The man shrugged, his dark lock tousled by gentle breeze. He kept his gaze down, chewing on his bottom lip. “Only stating the facts. Anything else bothering you?”

just a snippet of "the art of moving on" which i might work on more in the future. and if i do, it wont be very long but i think itd be worth exploring :)

[motions1ckness]

“Now I’m Covered in You”

pt 2 to “Fall in Nashville”!!

Summary: after last night, you and Julien decide to go on a hike.

Content: smut!!, f!reader, fluff?, exhibitionism, switch reader (?), getting caught, soft dom julien, hair pulling

(this is the longest story i’ve written and i’m drained but i love it)

You had slept on the couch. Julien insisted on sharing her bed. As tempting as it was, you didn’t want to rush things.

It was around 7 when you heard footsteps in the kitchen, followed by a clinging of mugs.

“Fuck sorry,” Julien said in a hush. It drew a groan from you by the sudden noise. You walked to the bathroom, not wanting to look horrendous when Julien saw you.

After you spat out your toothpaste, you had a good look at yourself before walking back out. You looked great. Not only what you wore, but everything. Your hair was cooperating, and your eye bags didn’t look so sullen. Maybe it was the ego boost from last night, but you decided to not give it too much thought. You kept a hair tie on your wrist, just in case your hair decided to betray you.

As you stepped out of the bathroom into the kitchen, you smelt the coffee Julien brewed.

“Hey sorry about earlier, I made you coffee,” She expressed, holding out a mug in front of her. A huge grin appeared on her face as she handed you the cup. Just the sight of Julien made you weak in the knees. She wore a black tank top and shorts that showed off her tattoos and stomach.

“Thanks, the couch was a bit uncomfortable,” you admitted, heading to the fridge to add creamer to the coffee. Julien sat on the counter drinking her cup.

“Should’ve taken my offer.” She said under her breath, placing her cup down.

You made your way in front of Julien after fixing your coffee. Julien kept her eyes on you. She glanced at your eyes, then your chest, before meeting your eyes again. Her gaze seemed wanting.

“I know,” You put your hand on her knee. She hitched her breath as you started to caress it. “I just didn’t want to rush anything.” You revealed, watching her bite her lip.

“It’s getting harder not to kiss you right now,” she admitted, ignoring your reply. You felt your face flush as your eyes widened at her response. Julien eagerly leaned toward you, cupping your chin and kissing you gently. She took her time now being at the height advantage. She wanted to draw this moment out as long as she could.

You felt a fluttering sensation between your legs as Julien moved her free hand to your chest. It pulled a moan from you, which made her smile between the kisses. The two of you ached for more as she slid her hand from your breast to the inside of your joggers. You broke the sloppy kisses with another moan. Julien started tracing small circles through your underwear, driving you to whimper under her touch. Before the situation could escalate any further, you heard a faint gasp. The two of you flinched off of each other as you saw Pheobe and Lucy in the doorway, covering their mouths.

No one knew what to say, everyone’s faces became red as you all felt mortified.

“W-we just wanted some coffee,” Phoebe finally spoke out, finding humor in the situation.

Lucy gave a stifled laugh, ” We can just come back.” They both started to back up like they just walked in on a breakup.

Julien hopped off the counter, looking flustered. “We were just,” she cleared her voice, “hanging out.” She said, scratching her head.

Your jaw was agape from Julien’s awful lie. Lucy and Pheobe merely stood there with the same expression as you.

Julien continued to lighten the situation, “Actually, we're gonna go on a hike so uh, it’s all yours.”

Julien quickly walked past them as you followed her, refusing to meet either of their eyes. After you two left the kitchen, Julien grabbed the shoes you two wore yesterday to put them on outside. As you shut the door, you heard Lucy and Pheobe burst out laughing.

Julien handed you your shoes as she laced up her docs. “I can’t fucking believe they saw that.” She chuckled. You slipped on your shoes, holding your hand out to help her up after she finished.

“It was fucking funny though. Mortifying, but funny.” You laugh. Julien still held your hand. She leaned forward, having to stand on her toes to kiss you. You met her halfway, your other arm snaking around her waist.

The front door opened. “JB you left your-” Lucy caught you two again. “Oh my god! Nevermind!” Lucy said before shutting the door.

Both of you pulled away laughing, knowing it wasn’t as bad as earlier.

“Okay let’s actually go.” You say.

–

The trail Julien took you on was beautiful. She narrated how she found it and how she met Lucy and Pheobe. You two stopped by a massive stump that was shaded by neighboring trees. You sat on it with Julien standing between your legs. The two of you examined each other's bodies before speaking.

“Julien are you not cold or anything?” You question, creating eye contact. The weather was nice, but you wore a tank and sleep pants, and Julien only wore her shorts and the black tank.

“No, I’m fine. It feels good, despite being basically naked in the woods.” She joked as she began playing with your hair. You drew her waist closer to you. Lying your head on her toned stomach before meeting her eyes again.

“Jay, I need you.” You managed to get out. You felt that familiar sensation between your legs again.

Julien swallowed, “I need you too.” She replied.

You maintained eye contact as you pulled her shorts down and knelt beneath her. Her breath hitched from the cool air. She moved her hands to your hair, waiting for your next move. You started kissing her thighs, paying the most attention to her tattoos. You could hear her trying to conceal a moan which made you hum. You held her hips as you placed a kiss on her clit.

Julien’s hips jolted as she shuttered from the sensation. You pulled away before proceeding. Julien looked down at you, nodding to let you know it was okay. You smiled as you lifted her leg over your shoulder and moved one of your hands under her shirt. Julien tightened her grip on your hair before your mouth attached to her clit again.

“F-fuckkk,” Julien rasped, keeping her eyes on you. Not wanting to miss a thing. Her breath became uneven as you began kneading her sensitive nipple. You kept attacking her clit before letting go of her hip to run your finger along her entrance. A gasp escaped her throat after you inserted yourself into her. You could feel her body tighten as her hips began grinding against your face.

You set a rapid pace, all your focus on getting her there. You removed your hand from under her shirt to hold her in place better. She was a whimpering mess and you could tell she was close. You inserted a second finger and sped up your movements with your mouth. Julien felt close to release but needed the final push. You decided to be rougher, quickening your pace and curling your fingers until she came. Julien’s legs were trembling, her eyebrows furrowed, throwing her head back, letting her jaw hang. She instinctively drove your head closer to her body. You gave a muffled moan as you laid your tongue flat, letting her face fuck you. You kept your fingers in her, riding out her orgasm. You felt the build-up in your core from the situation, hearing Julien’s noises and her eagerness made you a mess underneath her.

After Julien came back down, you removed your fingers from her as she drew your head away, still holding onto you. Her chest was heaving and her face was red. She looked down at you again, as she shakily removed her leg from your shoulder. You two stared at each other for a moment before taking the fingers you used on Julien into your mouth and sucked. The both of you felt a tight flutter, as she moved her hands to your face and pulled you to stand. She eagerly kissed you as you wrapped your hands around her neck.

“You’re fucking great,” she praised between kisses. You pulled away to catch your breath properly again. You felt like you ran a marathon. Julien’s thumb ran across your face. She looked so gentle and focused. “You’re so pretty.” She added.

She fixed her gaze on the rest of your body and spotted the hair tie you kept on from earlier. “You had a hair tie this whole time?” She laughed. You both found it comical as she pulled up her shorts that had been left on one of her ankles.

“I forgot I had it,” you laugh. Julien started messing with the hair tie around your wrist, moving closer to you.

“We can still use it you know.” She says, darting a look at you. You feel your face return to a familiar blush as you knew what she was implying.

Julien let her words sit before leaning in and kissing you harshly. She was eager. Yeah she loved what you did to her, but she knew you were yearning for her touch. And you complied, melting into her. It wasn’t long until she had you pinned against the stump. She sat her knee between your legs and held onto your wrists. The kisses were short and needy. She needed to make you feel good.

She pulled away from you, “Can I?” she asked. Her eyes were hungry yet sincere. She wanted this badly but was able to stop if you didn’t want it.

You nodded instantly, “Please.”

Julien’s face lit up. She wasted no time attacking your neck. A soft moan left your mouth as she started to kiss and suck at your neck, undoubtedly trying to form marks. Her hands began roaming your body, finding their way to your chest. Your breathing got heavier as she started to pinch your nipples under your shirt and lifted your top, exposing your breasts. You wince slightly from the cold air as Julien started caressing the skin. Your hands found their way to her hair, your back arching to her touch. She wasted no time swirling her tongue around the hardened nipple. The action caused you to buck your hips and whine under her as she repeated the same action on the other side.

“Julien please,” you begged, trying to get friction from her leg.

She chuckled before removing herself from you to kneel under you. Julien took off your pants and underwear, pulling you toward the end of the stump. Her eyes flashed to you before attaching her mouth to your clit. Your jaw hung open, spewing moans and praises as she started sucking harshly.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” you whined, bucking your hips to her touch. Julien hummed, resting her hands on your thighs, spreading your legs to give her better access. She switched between sucking on your clit and tounge-fucking your entrance. Her hips started to twitch against the stump as your moans got her off.

Julien pulled away for a moment and started to leave kisses on your clit, before putting your leg over her shoulder and attacking your entrance with her tongue from a new angle.

“P-please don’t stop” you whined, holding her hair harshly. From the new angle, her nose was pressed against her clit. Pushing you closer to the edge. “Julien, I-I’m so close,” you add, out of breath.

She decided to get you there as fast as she could, pushing her middle and ring finger into you, not skipping a beat. The feeling forces you to come shortly after, not being able to handle the overstimulation.

You cried out her name as you came down, removing her fingers from you. Your chest was heaving as she stood over you catching her breath as well.

“Fuck, Jay.” you manage to say, your legs trembling. You prop yourself onto your elbows, looking at the mess she left. Julien smiled, holding her hand out to help you up.

After getting up, you quickly put your pants back on and fixed your shirt. You looked at Julien who was rocking the ‘just had sex’ look and you knew you looked the same.

[piratefishmama]

Vibe Check - Oneshot

Eddie would never claim to enjoy his job. It’d be far too strange for Eddie Munson to admit to enjoying a government based job but there was something fundamentally exciting about getting to see all the little gizmos and random shit that people tried to take onto aeroplanes with them.

Of course there was the usual, bottles of liquid over a certain amount, tiny scissors or nail clippers from grooming sets that they absolutely had no idea weren’t allowed on a plane. There were the fun days with the drugs, the weird days with bagged ashes for scattering purposes that looked like it could conceal drugs and thus had to be tested. Nothing like telling a family you had to test grandma for concealed cocaine cause the computer said no.

There were the shared looks between co-workers when they spotted a dipshit in line, be nice to your fellow flyers folks, the TSA might grab you for a full cavity check for funsies if you don’t!

But then, then, you’d have those people. The people who everyone would automatically judge by their cover because the cover was all they had. Eddie didn’t usually do that, he’d often stick with the vibes and let his co-workers base their hunches on looks, it worked for Eddie nine times out of ten but today..

Today he was off his game a little. The vibe check on this one guy was coming back ?????

Call a lawyer the guy looked like every suburban mothers' wet dream, the kind of guy who wore polo’s and sweater vests, and the type to have a yacht and actually go to the clubs for it on the regular, probably had a membership to his father’s golf club that he actually used. Maybe had a fancy corner office job in Indy, he looked like the corner office type. But the vibe check came back saying NAY, believing it on this particular occasion seemed like a stupid thing to do.

Like sure he was stunning, literally, just a beautiful specimen of a human being, which Eddie would quietly mourn never seeing again, but he looked so straight laced that even holding hands might be a stretch for him.

So Eddie was reduced to book cover judgements because the vibes were wonk. No big deal.

The guy was in his line, he didn’t look nervous or uncomfortable, taking his watch off, putting it into a tray, a ring not on his wedding ring finger went in, his members only jacket, his belt, and shoes, into a second went his phone and a small tablet plus their chargers. And into another went the carry on bag, he was prepared. He flew often enough to know about separating things into their own trays.

Probably some high-level business exec. He looked the type.

“Through here sir” his co-worker directed waving him through, the tray containing the guys carry-on was last, so he was through the detector clean as a whistle before Eddie had seen what was in his case.

Probably a good thing because Eddie nearly choked on his own saliva when that case rolled through.

Holy shit.

“Uhm” he squeaked. He. A grown man. Squeaked. He’d deny that later, even if his currently heated complexion was giving him away.

That... that was an entire carry on full of sex toys. What. The fuck. Was that a whip held together by handcuffs?

Maybe the vibes hadn’t let him down after all. His co-worker walked over, Mr Sex Pest in disguise cast them a raised brow.

“Holy shit...I’ll uhm ill just—”

“No the fuck you won’t” Eddie was up, scrambling around him after flagging the bag for checks. “I got this.” He had this. He was already in front of Sweater Vest before his partner could stop him from making the potentially career ending move of approaching the sneakiest sex loony ever with interest in mind. Sweater Vest could easily complain! Eddie had no real reason to flag it, they were all contained, no bottles, no concerning substances, just toys.

“Problem, sir?” Oh boy the airport was hot. Sweater Vest had moles, cute little moles, moving on.

“Just a few checks regarding the contents of your carry on.” Gloves on, he half expected the guy to try and stop him to save face, but no, he stood there with a raised brow and an amused little curl of a smile on his lips.

“Go ahead.” Zips open and holy shit. It was like Eddie had stepped into the back room of a sex shop. Floggers, a whip, plugs, vibes, clamps, shibari ropes, dildos, both fluffy and actually decent handcuffs, why have two pairs one shit and one not? They were all so neatly organised too, the man was tidy. Was that a sounding rod?!

Could be a creep, could be a creep, coooould be a creep.

“So...”

“So... sir?” Sweater vest seemed to be challenging him. Fine, he could play ball.

“Any liquids in here that I need to know about? Drinks? Lotion? Industrial sized bottle of lube?” At least Sweater Vest laughed. A surprised little giggle snort of laughter that sounded beautiful. Eddie couldn’t help but smile.

“Nope, that’d be in the checked case.” Oooh Sweater Vest had a sense of humour “sorry I know it looks a little whacky, I’m a panel runner at the BDSM convention in Illinois this weekend, i know i'm headed in early but panel runners have to get everything set up properly if they're there for the whole weekend.” Eddie’s eyes widened, holy shit the vibes WERE right, haha fuck you supervisor who called him arrogant when he claimed to just be able to tell with people. “These are for the demonstrations.”

“...Demonstrations, on...?” He had absolutely no right to ask these questions what so ever, his colleague was already probably planning on ratting him out, but while curiosity did indeed kill the cat, satisfaction brought it back!

“A friend, A willing member of the audience, a dummy, depends on the insurance the convention has, this one allows me to pick a very lucky member of the audience since my usual convention partner is in Hawaii on her honeymoon like a traitor.”

“So... you’re a uhm... a—” not okay not allowed big nope so very unprofessional he was so fired.

“Not a Dominant, no. I’m a Submissive, both professionally and personally” didn’t need to tell him the personally bit, didn’t need to tell him that at all but he did, it was there, Sweater vest seemed pretty happy about it being out there too “I co-own an adult shop in Indy, one of the best for this kind of stuff but I have plenty of recommendations if you're not interested in my shop, here,” Sweater Vest pulled a gods honest business card out of a small compartment in the case, which listed him as the managing director/owner of one of Eddie's favourite sex shops of all time, a shop he’d only ever ordered from online so he’d never seen the owners. They had an incredible BDSM range and also delivered discreetly, they were a privately owned small business run right out of Indianapolis, also on the card though, was an Only Fans account, holy shit. “That ok with you, sir?” Sweet Cheesus on toast, had his pants just shrunk?

Steve. Steve Harrington. God that was such a golf club guys name, Steve leaned forward onto his elbows at a slight bend, eyeing Eddie up like he wanted to eat him alive, any other situation, Eddie would have let him. He wanted to bend that little brat over his knee. He loved bratty subs.

“Illinois huh?” Eddie zipped the case right back up again, as if he’d actually checked anything. He hadn’t. “Was thinking of going to that one actually, more of a dominant myself though...” trying so hard to be nonchalant to the most beautiful and confident Submissive he’d ever seen in his life “this a beginners panel?”

Steve smiled, clearly not angered by this deeply unprofessional halt to his journey. “Beginner, intermediate, pro, it’s more new toy and prop range demonstrations and a Q&A mainly, a variety of folks usually attend so... no matter your experience level you should come, maybe I’ll even make you my lucky audience member.” Steve took that card back, just to make a show of slipping it into Eddies chest pocket, tapping it once for good luck. “Can I get to my gate now, sir? Or do I need to be detained? I’m sure a cavity search would be awfully entertaining for me...considering...”

He couldn’t not ask “Considering?” His throat felt so dry, where was a confiscated bottle of unopened soda when you needed it?

“There’s four plugs in there, I actually have five” he winked, he winked. “The fifth wouldn’t fit.”

“Fuck...” Eddie breathed, much to the man’s amusement. “You’re ah—you’re free to go” he couldn’t actually hold him there and his co-workers were already starting to glare at him.

Steve grinned broadly at him before moving to grab his things, calling out a cheery “see you this weekend!” before he was off, and Eddie was taking his break early to book the next flight out to Illinois.

[ilovelemonicedtea]

how do u think lee would react to her partner wearing her fbi jacket for giggles

Lee reacting to you wearing her FBI jacket

✧˖°――♡――✧˖°

This thought actually makes me giggle and kick my feet so I love this request! I imagine this would go something like this;

✧˖°――♡――✧˖°

When Lee left the house early today, she was in a hurry. Rushing through her normally strictly organized morning routine, gulping down a cup of way too bitter coffee as she was already struggling to put on her shoes. She left for work mindlessly, her senses not as sharp as should be, and in her drowsy daze, forgot her jacket at home. It wasn’t like she necessarily needed her FBI jacket everyday at work, she just liked to be on the safe side and normally take it with her in case of needing to go over a crime scene where she needed to be discernible as an agent.

However, it wouldn’t come to that on this particular day, the only disadvantage Lee had by forgetting her jacket at home was the fact she was cold on her way to the bureau.

For you on the other hand, this was far from a disadvantage, as you’ve been dying to try on the jacket, but felt a little silly asking for it. So, as you came home from work to see the jacket still hanging in the wardrobe, yet no Lee to be found, you were a little puzzled at first. But as soon as the realization dawned on you, that she must have forgotten her jacket, a faint smile spread on your lips as you quickly went to try it on. The dark blue jacket was oddly comfortable, the sleeves reaching over your wrists and the fit overall a little baggy on you. Though arguably the best thing about it; the jacket still smelled like Lee. The faint scent of cigarette smoke, the neutral body wash she used and a smell that was entirely her own lingered on the material, making it almost feel like it was Lee herself enveloping you in a hug. You were so lost in the sensation of the fabric, hypnotized by the way the jacket hung over your shoulders, that you didn't hear the door unlocking behind you at first.

You startled as you heard the door fall into the lock, turning around to see Lee standing in the doorway. You couldn’t quite read her expression as she simply stared at you in her FBI jacket. Seeing as she didn’t really say anything you were almost worried, she would be mad at you for trying it on, scared to have overstepped an unspoken boundary. Driven by her lack of reaction, you quickly start to tug it off your shoulders again, mumbling a small apology. “You forgot your jacket today, so I tried it on, sorry I’ll put it back-“, yet she cut you off before you could finish your statement. Her hands taking ahold of the material, pulling it gently over your shoulders again, like she was covering you in something more than just her jacket- her protection. Her fingers lingered at the collar, smoothing it down, a faint smile on her lips. It was strange, seeing you in the jacket she wore to crime scenes and examinations. But somehow, on you, it felt softer, warmer-safer. “No, it’s okay”, she reassured you softly, letting her gaze wander over your body, a slight flutter in her stomach at the sight. As you realized she didn’t mind you wearing her jacket you studied her gaze, picking up the slight admiration and almost bashfulness as she glanced at you. Quickly your expression softened, a teasing grin tugging at your lips. “Do you like seeing me in your FBI jacket?” you teased softly, making her eyes quickly shoot back up to meet yours. Lee felt a small wave of embarrassment rise in her chest at being so shamelessly called out by you. It wasn’t just because of how cute you looked in her jacket- it was the realization of how much this simple moment meant to her. It wasn’t often that she let people this close, it felt nice…safe. She cleared her throat, in an attempt to make her response sound more casual, trying not to think about how adorable you looked in her clothes. “I- I don’t mind it”, she gave back, stumbling over her words a little. “Are you sure you just “don’t mind it”?”, you asked with a knowing smile, a hint of challenging in your soft voice. Lee’s hands reached out once again, her fingers toying at the collar. She didn’t know why it made her nervous, but the sight of you in her jacket did something to her. Maybe it was the fact you wore it so naturally, like it belonged to you just as much as to her. She avoided your gaze for a moment, yet a small smile could be seen, slowly spreading on her face. You tilted your head slightly, trying to meet her gaze as you smiled at her, the gesture of her idly fidgeting at the jacket so near your neck made you feel the slightest giddy. “I really like seeing you in my jacket, I think you look very pretty”, she admitted after a small while, her voice quiet, almost a little hesitant. At her compliment the smile on your face got a little wider as you gently tilted her chin up so you could look into her eyes. As you finally met her gaze, seeing the slight sheepishness in her expression, you couldn’t help but chuckle softly before leaning in, pressing a gentle peck on her cheek. Your lips lingering on her, from the outside still cool, skin as you mumbled. “Thank you”

[gossipsnake]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: A swamp PARTIES: Anita (@gossipsnake) and Emilio (@mortemoppetere) SUMMARY: Anita planned on spending the day wading through swamp water to observe aquatic bugs. Emilio was out at the swamp on a jewelry mission. Something flying through the air had other plans for the day.   CONTENT WARNINGS: none

Sometimes, Axis got cases so stupid that a part of Emilio wanted to turn them down altogether. Depending on his mood, he might follow that inclination. Some things were a waste of his time, and not every case was worth the cash payout. Emilio liked to feel as though he was helping. He liked to pretend he was making a difference, even if he often felt like he was doing little more than shoveling dirt back into the same hole he was trying to dig. Taking too many stupid cases made him feel like he was stuck in a rut, like there was little to do to get himself above water.

But sometimes, those stupid cases were brought to his desk by stupid kids, and that made everything harder.

The girl who’d hired him with a fistful of wrinkled bills and a handful of coins couldn’t have been much older than fifteen, though she swore she was eighteen when he’d asked. She wore ratty clothes, and her shoes had holes in them, and the money she gave him was nowhere near enough to actually cover his usual fee but he took the case anyway. At the end of it, he knew damn well he’d give the cash back to her, even if it was a stupid case. 

She’d lost a necklace. Her lip quivered when she said it, and he didn’t need to be a detective to understand that the necklace she lost was important to her. She’d dropped it in a swamp, and she was so desperate to get it back but afraid to go back and look for it herself. Emilio was fine with that. In a town like this one, it was smart for kids with ratty clothes and holes in their shoes to be afraid. 

It did suck a little that those kids’ fear often led to him trudging through dirty swamp water, though. He muttered incoherent complaints under his breath as he moved, scanning the dirty water with sharp eyes in search of a glint. “Be a detective, Milio! You’ll make money, Milio! Fucking shitty —” His foot sank a little deeper in the muck. “¡Puta madre! Stupid… Fucking… Swamp…” He punctuated each word with a yank, pulling his foot free and managing not to lose his shoe in the process. “This is so…”

He stopped. There was a sound nearby, the quiet splish splash of footsteps not belonging to him. Immediately, Emilio tensed. “All right,” he said, just loud enough to be heard. “If you’re something that wants to kill me, take your best fucking shot. If you’re something that doesn’t want to kill me, and you’ve seen a necklace lying around, let me know.”

—

Summertime was the best time of year as far as Anita was concerned. Classes were out, as was the sun. Warm weather also meant that insects were more active, as were all other aspects of the local ecosystems. It was a bright sunny day and Anita didn’t have much else to do so she decided to head out up to the swamp and see if she could manage to spot any rare insects. After packing up her camera, waterproof pack, and water wader pants and boots, she drove the scenic route (there is only a scenic route) out to the swamp. It was pretty early hours by the time she made it out there which was generally how she preferred it. 

As much as she loved fancy and expensive things, there was little pleasure greater than breathing in fresh air surrounded by nature and an absolute lack of humans. If the goal had been anything other than observation, or if she had gone to a more secluded area, Anita may have shifted. That was the only downside to the summer - she had to share the forest with a lot more people who were also drawn out by the warmth and beauty. 

It had been several hours of peace, the nature around her made sure that things never got too quiet though. But then Anita heard someone else cursing - in Spanish no less - and splashing about in the water. “And what if I don’t yet know whether or not I want to kill you?” The tone she used was playful, as was the grin on her face as the man came into her view while she took gentle steps through the water towards shore, on its surface her question was a joke. But as anyone who was around water should know, there was always something more going on beneath the surface. “You lose a necklace?” 

_ 

A voice called out in return to his question, and while this didn’t mean there was no danger to be found, it did lessen his chances of being eaten just a little. Emilio wasn’t so stupid as to assume that a human consciousness disqualified someone from making a meal out of him — he’d seen plenty of evidence to the contrary there — but he knew that most people who were planning on killing someone didn’t respond to their questions with jokes. (Most. Not all. Emilio’s paranoia would never quite allow for sweeping generalizations that guaranteed his safety. He was many things, but he was no fool.) 

Snorting at the response he received, he shook his head. “Then you let me know when you figure it out,” he called back, keeping things just as light as the stranger had. He waited to see if she’d come into view or not, the question answered only seconds after it was silently raised when she stepped out where he could see her. He offered her a small nod, taking in the outfit. Unlike Emilio, this woman was dressed for the environment they’d found themselves in. It told him that she hadn’t wound up in the swamp accidentally, and that she was here for some sort of purpose.

“Someone did,” he replied, making a face as his weight shifted and the ground beneath him squelched quietly. “Hired me to find it for her. If I’d known it was going to be like this, I would have told her no.” He wouldn’t have. He was a goddamn bleeding heart for shit like this, and he knew it. He wasn’t really fooling anyone. “You been out here long? Seen anything shiny?” He hesitated a moment. “Don’t think it’s worth much, but… Worth something to her. Like to find it, if I can.”

–

“Oh, trust me, you’ll know when I figure it out,” in actuality, if Anita wanted to kill this man she would not grant him any kind of warning before striking. If she wanted him dead he would know by her actively working to kill him. For the time being, however, she saw no immediate reason and had no particular desire to kill him. She continued to move towards him, taking gentle steps to not disturb the water or the creatures living within it more than necessary. Unlike her, he seemed woefully unprepared to be in the swamp. Which seemed odd since he appeared to come out to the area specifically, for a job that would logically require him to get into the water. 

“If you had known the swamp was going to be … swampy?” The water wasn’t exactly clear and the sediment beneath their feet was not so compact that an object would simply rest atop it unbothered. Anita gave him a run down once she got a few feet away, “No boots, no shovel, no metal detector, no sift?” An uneasy feeling washed over her as she became rather suspicious that his story about why he was out here was fabricated. He was too unprepared for it to be real. “What does the necklace look like?” 

Pretending to look around the area for it, Anita took a few more cautious steps in his direction, wanting to be in striking distance should it be necessary. “Silver? Gold? Any gemstones or pendants?” 

_ 

“I’m sure I will,” Emilio agreed. Maybe he ought to be a little more worried about how casually a stranger he met in a swamp spoke about murdering him, but… it wasn’t the kind of thing that concerned him. In a town like this one, he knew, odds of her actually trying to kill him were probably pretty high. But Emilio liked his chances if it came down to a fight, liked his odds of at least walking away with air still in his lungs even if his victory was never a guarantee. He was more of a cockroach than a man, some days; the things he was able to survive, even without wanting to, would surprise anyone willing to take a closer look.

Huffing a laugh at her obvious judgment, he shrugged. “Client’s a kid,” he replied. “Didn’t think a kid would be out getting deep into a swamp. I figured I’d find it hanging off a tree branch or sitting on a rock. Guess she’s more of an exploradora than I thought she was.” He shouldn’t have been surprised, really. Most of the kids in this town had strange hobbies. Wandering through a swamp was less weird than living in a crypt.

He dug in his pocket for a moment, retrieving his phone and pulling up a photo. It was zoomed in on a necklace around someone’s throat, the only photo his client had had to show him. It looked more like costume jewelry than anything remotely expensive — the chain definitely wasn’t real silver, and the purple stone seated at the end of it probably wasn’t worth anything. Its only value was in its sentimentality, which of course made Emilio more determined to find it. He didn’t give a shit about expensive jewelry, but he cared about a necklace that clearly meant something to a teary-eyed teenager. “Not even sure a metal detector would find it. Pretty sure it’s got more plastic than metal in it.” 

–

Oh this just got far more interesting, Anita thought. A child hired him. So he was either sentimental or a fool; or worse, a sentimental fool. She trudged through the swamp water closer towards him, the movements getting more difficult the closer she got to shore as the mud got denser. The necklace looked a bit gaudy. Not something she would ever wear around a swamp if it held any value: emotional or monetary. Standing closer to the man, Anita felt like there was something about this guy that was familiar. She couldn’t place why, yet, but she knew she would figure it out. 

Anita scanned the area around them briefly, already convinced that this was a lost cause. “There are some birds that like to collect shiny things they find. Others that like to use mud to construct their nests. How long ago did this child lose their necklace? Can’t you just go buy her a new one and pretend you found it?” she asked, settling into Spanish without any conscious thought to it.

Looking up at the treelines around them, Anita wondered how likely it was that one of the birds nearby had taken the necklace. Magpies, historic lovers of shiny objects, tended to avoid large wetland areas. Crows were always an option, could never count out those crafty little geniuses. Then she spotted a strange bird. It was large and she was captivated by its purplish plumage. Maybe that was the necklace thief. “I think you should cut your losses, vato.” 

_ 

He was hoping for an easy resolution. Maybe the woman had seen the necklace and picked it up, thinking it was valuable; maybe she’d give it back when she realized it wasn’t. But it was clear from her expression as she looked at the photo that she hadn’t seen the necklace before, and disappointment crawled down his spine like a living thing. He sighed, drawing the phone back to himself and slipping it into his pocket.

There was some relief, at least, when she slipped into Spanish; Emilio might not have been able to solve this case with ease, but at least conversation would be simpler in a language he understood. “A few days ago. Have you seen any birds around that look like they might have snatched it up? I’m not looking to buy her a new one. They probably don’t make any exactly like it anymore, and it’s… important to her. She didn’t give a lot of detail, but I get the sense it belonged to someone she lost.” The photo she’d given him was too zoomed in to tell anything about the person wearing it, but the throat didn’t belong to the girl who’d hired him. There were a few too many wrinkles on the skin for that. 

He followed the woman’s gaze, glancing around the area. The only bird he could see was a large, crane-like creature. He nodded towards it. “That could be something,” he mused, taking a step towards it. The bird turned towards the sound of his uneven footsteps, stretching out its wings. There was something odd about its beak, but Emilio was more focused in the gleam of shiny plastic caught in its feathers. “Shit! There it is!” 

—

“If this necklace was important to her she should have known better than to be wearing it in a swamp.” That didn’t seem to matter much at this rate, however, the child had already done the damage. A fitting lesson in consequences, perhaps, for the budding exploradora. Had she not spotted the strange bird, Anita would likely have been on her way already - back to collecting samples and enjoying her swamp time. But there was something so intriguing about the large creature. 

Anita was no ornithologist, standard or supernatural, nor would she pretend to know all of the species of birds out in the world. She had never seen anything like this one before though. “How peculiar…” she commented as the bird spread its wings out. “It seems equally unlikely that the necklace got caught in its feathers as it does that the bird put it there on purpose.” As if it knew they were looking at it, talking about it, the bird took off from its perch in the trees and began to fly around the air above them. There was something almost metallic about the way the sunrays hit off its beak and feathers. 

The bird had not taken to the sky to fly away, though. After doing a loop, the heron-like creature circled back around and seemed like it was swooping down on a path headed straight for the two of them. “I don’t think it wants to give that necklace back!” Without knowing where it was heading, Anita couldn’t decide if it was smarter to try and get out of the water or to go further into it. Based on anatomy alone this was clearly a bird that seemed built for aquatic activities. In her moment of indecision, the bird dipped down and flew around her - almost as a warning - its feathers brushing against her side. It wasn’t until Anita began to feel water trickle down her leg that she realized the creature had somehow torn her water wader pants. 

_ 

“Probably,” Emilio agreed with a shrug. “But she’s a kid. Kids don’t think about that shit, I guess.” Kids like this — kids without a duty of martyrdom hanging over their heads, kids who would get to grow up and get wrinkles — made stupid mistakes without thinking and got to live to wade through the consequences. It was what Emilio had wanted for Flora, before the world reminded him in brutal fashion that such things couldn’t make a home in the chest of a child who bore his name. He couldn’t do shit for his kid now, but he could find a stupid necklace for this one. And it probably wouldn’t matter much in the long run — she’d lose the necklace again in a month, or break it in a year — but it would make him feel… decent, for a minute or two. Maybe that could count for something.

He wasn’t expecting the woman to stick around after pointing out the bird, really. She seemed disinterested, and Emilio couldn’t fault her for it. After all, she was here doing her own thing, and Emilio hadn’t done much more than get in her way. But she seemed interested in the bird, somehow, and Emilio figured it wouldn’t hurt to have another set of hands to help him wrangle it. “Does a bird do anything on purpose? It’s a bird.” Emilio snorted, half amused. But then, the bird was flying, and he was scrambling just a little. Wading through the swamp and not finding the necklace would have been annoying, but seeing it and not getting it back would only serve to piss him off. 

But the bird wasn’t flying away; instead, it was circling back towards them, swooping down. Emilio cursed, scrambling after the woman as the bird dove towards them. There was something undeniably strange about it, the way the sun gleamed off it, but it didn’t matter much. What mattered the most was the stupid necklace. Emilio made a brief grab for it, but the bird was out of reach in a moment, circling back around for another swoop. “I don’t give a shit if it wants to give us the necklace back,” he ground out. “I’m getting it back.” He glanced down, making note of the rip in the woman’s pants before looking back to the way the bird reflected the sun. “Something weird about it. What weapons have you got on you?” He was assuming she had some, at least, given the fact that she was wandering around in a swamp in Wicked’s Rest alone and didn’t seem like an idiot.

—

Anita couldn’t help but scoff at the ignorance of the man’s comment. “You think animals cannot act with purpose?” But she didn’t have to go into a lecture about how wrong he was, fortunately, the bird decided to show off its self determination right there. She found it quite amusing to watch him scramble as the creature dove down and around them as he swatted at the jewelry dangling from its wings. It was possibly the least graceful thing she had seen happen in water. 

As perturbed as Anita was that the bird had, somehow, ruined her favorite swamp wading pants she was infinitely more intrigued by the question of how it had done so. “Well, you’re determined I’ll give you that. Even if your determination is delusional.” Her eyes stayed on the bird, watching it as it circled them - both sizing one another up it seemed. Truly she couldn't care less about the investigators quest for the necklace, however, Anita wanted to see what was going to happen so she decided to stick around. “Weapons? I know you are not going to kill this beautiful creature just to retrieve a necklace …” 

_ 

Emilio had always been good at saying the wrong thing. It seemed that talent was rearing its head now, too, pissing off a woman he’d just met by making a blanket statement about animals she seemed to find offensive. Emilio grimaced, preparing himself to sit through some annoying rant about how animals were smarter than people thought or something. He wondered if he ought to introduce her to the bat guy. Maybe they’d get along. 

Luckily, though, the bird saved him from the lecture with its attempt to take his damn head off.

Unluckily, his attempt to snatch the necklace back came up short.

Cursing quietly, he kept an eye on the bird so he wouldn’t lose sight of it. “Delusional works better in this town than it does anywhere else,” he replied flatly, watching the bird circle. It didn’t seem as if it was going to fly away, at least. Maybe that shouldn’t have been a relief, given the way it was dive bombing them, but it was. The necklace was important. Emilio didn’t want to lose it. (Fucking kids. He always got a little too ‘determined’ when kids were involved.) “I’m going to get the necklace from it. If I have to kill it to do that, I have to kill it. Natural order, yes? Survival of the fittest, whatever.”

—

“Survival of the fittest has to do with evolutionary progression. How does being killed because a little child lost a cheap necklace help this species evolve? Grow? Get better?”  It wasn’t a perfectly accurate recounting of Darwinism, but Anita was feeling more inclined to continue disagreeing with this man than actually educating him. “If anything, losing her necklace will help this girl learn to be more careful with her things. Survival of the fittest in that sense.” 

The bird kept circling the two of them, as if it had decided that they were invaders that needed to be taken care of - or at the very least taught a lesson. As much as she dreaded agreeing with his plan or killing this creature, Anita did in fact subscribe to survival of the fittest mentality. And she was undoubtedly the fittest. 

“Well what about you? What weapons do you have on you? I’ve got some stuff I could make do with but nothing very, uh, traditional, I suppose.” 

_ 

“It will teach the next bird not to try to take my head off,” he replied. “See? Lessons learned.” He disliked the idea of letting the kid lose the necklace; Juliana’s ring hanging around his neck seemed to burn his skin, brushing against the stake charm Teddy had gotten him where they sat on the chain beneath his shirt. The necklace was important to the kid; it didn’t mean shit to the bird. This wasn’t a lesson he thought she needed to learn. “She’s had enough hard lessons, I think. Maybe it’s better if the world gives her a break this time.” Kids deserved that. Kids might have been the only people who deserved that.

At least the bird was doing its part to prove that his plan was the best way forward, even if it was doing so by making obvious plans to take another dive at them both. Emilio liked being proven right enough that he didn’t mind the method with which the proof was offered. If he had to dodge bird attacks while knowing that he was correct, he’d do so gladly. 

“Knives,” he replied, pulling one out. He made no mention of the stakes; there was no shiver down his spine warning him that the bird was undead, so they wouldn’t be of much use, anyway. And bringing them out would be revealing a little more than he’d like to, to a stranger. “What ‘stuff��� do you have? I think we can use anything we can get.” 

—

It wasn’t surprising when the man pulled out a knife, or indicated that he was carrying more than one on him. There wasn’t much about the occupants of this town that surprised Anita. The bird kept swooping down at them, its motions and movements seeming to turn from just threats towards preparation for offensive action. She did not trust this man to pull out her real weapon, herself in true form, but it was evident that she was too vulnerable in her current state. 

Turning her backpack around so she could dig through it, there really wasn’t much that could qualify as a weapon. Anita pulled out a bag of breadcrumbs, which she had brought to feed some of the wildlife she encountered during the day, knowing it was unfortunately the best “weapon” other than trying to hit it with her camera which she was not willing to sacrifice. “I can try and blind it, I guess. Or maybe it will get distracted by food.” 

What she had really wanted to pull out was her fangs, or her tail to just reach up and grab the damn bird, but Anita did not have enough skin in the game right now to risk out-ing herself to this man - or any nearby hunters - in his efforts to kill this bird and get that necklace. 

_ 

The bird made a swoop towards them, and Emilio struck out with his knife only for it to bounce off the thing’s feathers with the distinct sound of metal crashing against metal. He cursed, pulling his hand back and narrowly avoiding losing the damn limb to the bird’s hungry beak. 

The woman was digging in her backpack, and Emilio grunted in response to her suggestions. “Knives don’t seem to be doing shit,” he commented. “Not sure how easy it’ll be to blind it, or what it eats. Breadcrumbs might not be in its diet.” It seemed more interested in eating the pair of them, really, which wasn’t something Emilio loved the idea of. 

The bird was flying circles, clearly preparing to make another swoop. “Whatever we’re doing, we need to do it quick. Maybe if I can get the knife between the feathers…” He trailed off, knowing the idea was an unlikely one. Running no longer seemed like an option, either, even if he’d wanted to (which he didn’t). Flying would allow the bird to move a lot faster than the two of them could trudging through the swamp. If the woman left him and his bad leg behind, she’d have a much better shot. Emilio wasn’t sure he wanted to point this out.

—

As could have been expected, given how sharp the feathers had been when they cut through her waders, they seemed to afford the creature protection from the knife. Anita knew that the breadcrumbs weren’t going to be effective, but already having prepped the attempt she was also sort of curious as to what was going to happen. As the bird circled around her, foolishly not perceiving her as the more direct threat between the two of them standing in the water, she opened the bag and tossed its contents in the direction of the bird's face as it passed by. 

“Okay… fine… that did nothing,” she conceded as she moved closer to the man with his knives as he was brainstorming. Anita did not know what this bird was but she knew that it was supernatural and that the other did not seem to be phased by that. If he was going to get the knife in between the feathers, they were only going to get one shot so it needed to really count. Sighing heavily, Anita knew what she needed to do. 

Reaching towards his arm that held the knife, she brought it towards herself as she let her teeth transform into fangs. “Don’t let any of this get into your bloodstream, yeah?” Anita warned as she let venom drip down from her fangs so it coated the blade of his knife. Frowning now, and singing again for good measure, she released her hold on his arm and took a few steps away. 

The bird seemed to be checking on a tree everytime it flew away from the two of them, maybe guarding a nest? Anita started walking towards it, not thrilled about the idea of putting herself in harms way just to assist him in this strange quest. “It seems to keep circling back around to check on that tree over there. Try and catch it when it’s distracted… don’t waste your shot. Or … your stab or whatever.”  

_ 

As expected, the breadcrumbs were… ineffective. It would have been a nice surprise to see them somehow save the day, but Emilio wasn’t really one for optimism. He grimaced as the bird paid no attention to them at all. “Any more ideas?” He was stuck. Problems he couldn’t solve with something sharp were never his favorite problems to face, after all.

She reached for his arm, and Emilio tensed briefly before allowing her to pull the knife towards herself. He had more, after all, and it wasn’t as if it was doing him much good. If she wanted one, he was more than happy to share. Except… she brought the knife up towards her mouth, and the motion made little sense to him. It made less sense when her teeth sharpened into fangs. She wasn’t undead; he would have known if she was, would have sensed it long before the bird was in the sky at all. 

Something dripped onto the blade, and then he was pulling his arm back to himself as her grip released. He eyed the substance on the blade dubiously, glancing between it and the woman with a furrowed brow. Don’t let any of this get into your bloodstream, she’d warned. It wasn’t the kind of thing Emilio needed to be told twice. He held the knife at arm’s length, looking up at the sky.

The bird was circling, paying extra attention to a nearby tree. It made its movements easy enough to track, to predict. Jaw set in a determined line, Emilio nodded. He had one shot at this with whatever she’d put on the knife; he couldn’t guarantee a second. He waited until the bird started its path over, reared back his arm, and threw the knife. It sailed through the air, striking the bird between the wings and going in far easier than it had before. Whatever she’d added to the knife, there was no denying its effectiveness as the bird fell from the sky.

—

Stepping back, both to give herself a better vantage of what was about to happen and to get out of the line of fire, Anita watched as the bird circled around again briefly diverting its attention from the two of them and to the tree it seemed to be attached to. Her eyes darted between the man and his knife and the creature, as she slowly backed out of the shallow water while she awaited some sort of action. 

His arm pulled back, the knife gripped expertly, and with a force that she imagined required exceptional strength the blade soared through the air and actually managed to close the distance between them and the bird. Anita was pleasantly surprised when she heard a slight shriek from the creature, cut short undoubtedly by the fast-acting venom that started working to incapacitate the bird. 

It was thankfully not the kind of creature that enjoyed immunity to venomous neurotoxins. Feeling content that the threat had been eliminated, Anita let her fangs shift away and she stopped her slow retreat from the area. “Nice aim.” She figured he deserved one, singular compliment for the work he had done. Without waiting to see what he was going to do next, she began walking towards where the creature had fallen. “I’m a scientist. I know how to dispose of this bird’s body safely. It can’t simply be left here, people could get sick. You should retrieve your necklace now, and wash it thoroughly before giving it back to that child.” Mostly she just wanted him to leave now, but thought saying so too directly might make him suspicious. 

_ 

A curt nod was the only response to the compliment. Emilio knew he had good aim; anything else had never really been an option. Hearing it from a stranger didn’t fill him with anything more than apathy, these days. Besides, he was far more interested in claiming his prize than he was basking in a compliment that was little more than stating the obvious… even if part of him was interested in knowing more about the woman who’d delivered it.

Her fangs disappeared as if they’d never been there at all. If not for the substance on the knife that had made it glide between armored feathers with ease, Emilio might have wondered if his addled mind was playing tricks on him, inventing scenarios that weren’t quite real. He fell into step beside her as she waded through the water, grimacing a little at the way his bad leg protested the uneven terrain with each and every step. Now that the adrenaline of killing the bird was dying down, he was sure he’d be feeling the effects of this ‘hike’ more and more.

But first, he had a necklace to retrieve. As they approached the bird’s corpse, Emilio leaned down. He pulled the blade from between its feathers, holding it out towards the woman. He couldn’t risk putting it in his pocket without contaminating everything else in there, and he couldn’t wash it in the murky water without knowing what was on it. He’d let her deal with it; he had plenty more knives. With his other hand, he untangled the necklace from the dead bird’s beak, shoving it into his pocket. At home, he’d wash it in the sink, soak it in alcohol. “Appreciate the assist,” he said to the woman, standing carefully. “Don’t suppose you’ll tell me how you did that?”

—

They walked in silence towards the corpse of the creature after her comment, which was rather pleasant. While there were questions she wanted to ask, the curiosity fueling them was not strong enough to want to prolong the interaction any further. Watching him reach for the knife and then present it to her, Anita accepted it with a puzzled expression. He could have just left it in the bird if he was going to give it to her. It was a nice looking knife, though, so she wasn’t exactly going to complain about getting to keep it. 

“Yeah, well, by that point the bird clearly lumped me in with you and saw us both as threats. I did it to not die, not specifically to assist you with your necklace quest.”  Anita had expected a question about her venom but hadn’t thought to prepare a response to it. He didn’t seem overly shocked by it, even if he didn’t understand what she had done. Just as he wasn’t overly shocked by this bird. Anita looked at the necklace in his hands, then up into his eyes. There was something that told her he wasn’t going to challenge an outright lie. 

“Dental implants. Can fill the little capsules with anything. Guess we’re lucky I went with deadly venom this morning and not cabernet sauvignon, huh?” Anita shrugged a bit, a defiant look in her eyes as she practically challenged him to call her on her bullshit. But with him holding the necklace that he had come here searching for, and her now holding the knife that was still coated in her venom, she doubted that challenge would come. 

_ 

It didn’t matter much why she’d decided to assist him instead of leaving him behind, though he’d wager a guess that it wasn’t just self preservation that kept her in place. After all, wouldn’t it have been easier for her to make a run for it? Emilio wasn’t particularly fast; his bad leg was an obvious, glaring weakness. He had no doubt that she’d seen it. (Though, given his general default level of paranoia and his hyper-awareness surrounding the mangled limb, he tended to figure most people saw it before anything else.) Still, if she wanted to claim she’d stayed for her own self interests, he wouldn’t call her out on it.

He wouldn’t call her out on the obvious lie about her teeth, either, though his expression made it clear that he didn’t buy the excuse. She wasn’t human. Once upon a time, that would have been enough to find Emilio drawing a second knife from his pocket. Now, though, he only stepped away from the dead bird with a shrug. “Guess so,” he agreed, fiddling absently with the necklace in his pocket. “Well, I’ve got what I came for. Name’s Emilio, by the way. Something tells me I’ll be seeing you.” And with that, and with the necklace in hand, he was off. It wasn’t often these days that he finished a case with something that felt like a win. He figured some kind of celebration might do him good.

[starcatcher-gvf]

Back and Forth - Chapter 3

Pairing: Jake Kiszka x Danny Wagner

Word Count: 3.6k

Slight trigger warning for this chapter! Jake gets nauseous and there are slight mentions of throwing up (not in a sexual way!), so do with that what you will. This one is a bit longer, but the next one will probably be longer (and definitely smuttier). It might take me a couple days to write, but I'll do it!

Warnings: Language, eventual smut, drinking, nausea/throwing up, awkward flirting, talking in a bar, just guys being dudes

______________________________________________________________

Jake stepped out of the white four-door onto the bustling sidewalk. Though the sun set hours ago, he still donned his sunglasses to shield his eyes from the bright lights emanating from the neon signs in the dive bar. He also wanted to cover his face somewhat, just in case some fans were here after the show. He doubted it, though. This bar, Rusty No. 4, was located about fifteen minutes away from the venue by car.

Jake turned on his heels and thanked the Uber driver as they drove off through the nighttime urban traffic. Jake’s eyes glanced upward at the moonlit sky. Even through his sunglasses, he could see stars peeking through the inky, almost-twilight sky. The moon, almost a sliver in the sky, was peeking over the skyscrapers in the distant bustling city. Jake has always had an affinity towards the moon: her silver rays reflecting those of the sun, always paired together but different in their celestial details.

Jake realized where he was again and leveled his head back to look at the street in front of him. His infatuation with the sky regularly became a cause for distraction: when they were younger, Josh would have to coax his twin back to the bunk beds they shared to get him away from the window some nights. He would stare for hours at the everchanging night sky, the moon, stars, meteors burning up in the atmosphere just miles away. He still watched, but checked himself every now and then so he would actually go to sleep a reasonable amount.

He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned his back against the jagged bricks of Rusty No. 4, being sure to tuck his hair over his shoulder so it wouldn’t get snagged. His phone’s clock read 12:09 am, but the city was still alive and awake like it was 5 o’clock. Cars, trucks, and taxis sped past, occasionally stopping to pick up or drop off myriads of people. Jesus, where do all these people come from? Jake thought to himself. These crowds made Jake want to sink into the brick and mortar and disappear.

Though he loved performing on stage in front of thousands or on video for millions, Jake still felt self-conscious about interacting with others outside the band, even fans. He didn’t mind all the eyes on him; he just couldn’t stand having to talk to others without one of his brothers there. Or Danny. Shit, where is he?

Jake realized he had been waiting for about ten minutes now. Danny should be here soon, since they did Uber from the same place, after all. Maybe he took a little longer getting ready. Maybe he took a longer shower than Jake. Jake rubbed his eyes with one hand, trying not to imagine that visual. He didn’t want another incident like what happened on stage, with no guitar to hide behind.

After Jake walked to his dressing room, he took another shower, but this one was quicker than the first. After a quick rinse and lather later, Jake stepped out of the shower and picked a casual outfit fitting for a dive bar: a denim button-down shirt, halfway buttoned to expose some of his chest; black jeans; the pair of black shoes he wore earlier; and his numerous Atocha necklaces he accumulated over the years. Jake looked down at his shoes and wiped off the remnants of gray ash Danny left and felt a blush creep over his face.

As Jake was looking down at his shoes and wiping it on his opposite pant leg, another set of shoes came into view directly in front of his. Those same dirty Converse. Jake looked up over his sunglasses and looked directly at Danny’s face. He noticed the corner of Danny’s mouth slightly hitch upwards as he caught Jake by surprise. “Hey, again.”

“Hey. Funny we keep running into each other like this.” Jake gave a small smile and looked at the car Danny presumably stepped out of. “How was the ride here?”

“Good, I guess. I tried to ask the guy where the nearest bar was with ‘Rusty’ in the name and it took him forever to find it. But I’m here.” Danny gave a toothy grin and looked at the sign above the bar. “Rusty No. 4. I wonder where the other three are.”

Jake gave a chuckle through his nose. “C’mon. Let’s go in before all the seats are taken.” Jake stepped up off the wall and walked through the doors, Danny following close behind.

Danny shuffled through the sea of people, trying to follow Jake on his heels. His heart was beating out of his fucking chest like a jackhammer, adrenaline coursing through his entire body like an electric current. His mind was racing with what was to come of this meeting. What kind of… relationship they would have. Would it still be brotherly? Of course it wouldn’t, how could they still be brothers after what happened? Danny was getting dizzy with his thoughts, but he kept trying to catch up to the guitarist.

They eventually found a booth in the far corner of the bar. Jake slid in first, taking a seat to the left of the table. Danny followed after and took a seat opposite of Jake. He noticed how sticky the table was and how ripped the seats were in some places. The lighting in the bar was dim, but the various neon signs above the actual bar accommodated just fine. Danny looked around at the various people in the building: women holding various drinks and dancing to the music resounding off the walls, men seated at the bar drowning themselves in drink, couples seated at booths and tables chatting away about some monotonous, mindless topic. Why did he have to pick a booth? This is not subtle at all.

Jake noticed this as well and lifted his sunglasses onto his head. “We can leave if you want. I didn’t know it would be this crowded,” Jake suggested.

“No, it’s alright! All this noise will drown out whatever we say, anyways.” Danny looked back at Jake, guilty for making him second-guess his choice of location. He nervously started to pick at a string coming loose on his thin sweater. “So…what’s up?”

Jake’s face froze, not expecting to just dive right in. “Why don’t we get some drinks first? What’re you having tonight?” Jake started to get out of his seat to walk over to the bar.

“Oh. Um, just a Modelo is fine.”

“Alright.” Jake walked away, fishing some money from his pocket.

Danny felt awkward just sitting by himself at the booth, feeling the seconds tick by agonizingly. After his shower, which included a thorough wash of his hair and sweaty skin, Danny tried to take special care of how he looked. He put on his dark-green sweater, adorned with white striped and diamond patterns, along with a pair of black jeans and his worn sneakers. Though casual, he looked put together, unlike how he felt inside: confused, nervous, and somewhere deep inside himself…expectant.

Jake walked back to the booth with drinks in both hands. He handed Danny a bottle of Modelo, wet with condensation, and sat back down with his drink of choice: a tall glass of some sort of ale, an IPA as far as Danny could tell by the smell. Jake tipped the glass back and took a long, smooth sip, sighing as the liquid traveled through his throat.

Danny, in turn, took a sip of his sweet drink and wiped the condensation from his hand onto his jeans. “So, now what’s up?”

Jake cleared his throat and looked up at the ceiling. “Well…what happened back there, is what’s up.”

Danny fiddled with his hands and cracked his knuckles, trying to find an outlet to let some of his jitters out. “Yeah.”

A long pause. Agonizing for both parties.

“You didn’t push me away, though. Not at first,” Jake broke the silence. “You seemed to…I don’t know, like it?”

“I mean…it definitely wasn’t expected. I didn’t even really know what I was doing. It was probably the smoke.” Danny was trying to grab at something, anything, to explain this away, just in case Jake was trying to disengage his own actions.

“Yeah, totally,” Jake trailed off, wiping his mouth in the same way he always does when he’s nervous. Danny seems to notice this little tic of his all the time during interviews and videos they do for promotion, but he never did this while talking to Danny. He’s probably never felt the need to be nervous when talking to him, but here they were. Two beings wracked with anxiety, wondering who would make the next move. Like a game of chess, they were pondering what to do next.

“It was nice, though.”

Danny’s heart stuttered at this. Jake was taking another sip of his IPA and looking towards the jukebox in the other corner, currently blaring “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles on high volume. His sunglasses were still pushed up, keeping his hair from falling over his face, though he should probably keep them on, just in case. Danny figured that’s why he wore those things so late in the night, but he was probably too nervous and forgot about them entirely.

It was nice, though. That sentence rang through his head. Danny also found it nice, more than nice, even. Intoxicating. Leaving him wanting more. He let out a shaky breath through his mouth and took another swig of Modelo to clear his throat.

“Yeah, it was,” Danny replied, looking toward Jake again to see what his face would give away that his mouth wouldn’t.

Jake started at this and looked back at Danny. He set his drink back down on the table and just…stared. Stared at his clean-shaven, eyeshadow-free face. Stared at his perfect curls, still damp from shower water and leave-in conditioner. Stared at his bare throat, that perfect expanse of skin that Jake could bury his face in, wanted to bury his face in. Jake bit the inside of his cheek to snap himself back into reality. Surely, Danny didn’t just say that. He might’ve been ogling Jake from behind when on stage, but that could have definitely been his imagination tricking him into actually thinking he was looking at him, not the audience.

“What?”

“I said it was. It was nice.” Danny leaned forward and spoke a little quieter as people were passing the table.

Jake ran his fingers through his hair again but accidentally knocked the sunglasses on the table. The song playing on the jukebox ended, leaving the chattering of people and the clatter of Jake’s sunglasses to be the only sounds in the bar. Feeling embarrassed, Jake snatched the sunglasses off the table and put them back over his eyes to hide. “You really liked it?”

“Yeah. I did. I didn’t wanna admit it but…yeah.” Danny was at a loss for words at his own revelation, and so was Jake. The tension was thick in the air, as thick as that cigar smoke between them earlier.

“Sorry, I’m not sure what to say now.” Jake chuckled at himself now, feeling a slight bit of pressure lift off his chest at that. He liked it.

“Me neither, you’re good.” Danny smiled at Jake again. A glowing smile, with flashing teeth and red cheeks, presumably from the alcohol already hitting his system. Danny could hold his drink, sure, but the effects of it were probably heightened by this conversation. Jake could already feel another buzz forming between his ears, but he didn’t want to be detached from this moment too much. He wiped his face with the palm of his hand and pushed his drink slightly away from him.

“What now?” Jake put the question in the air between them.

“When do we get on the road again?”

Jake thought for a second. “The 16th. So…tomorrow now, I guess.” He let out a small laugh and peered at Danny over his glasses again. He noticed Danny’s breath hitch from the eye contact, not by much, but just enough to hear.

“Okay…okay. You wanna leave soon? Go back to the hotel? It’s getting a little crowded here.” Danny looked around as more and more people kept filing into the doors than they were filing out. “And I’m almost out of–”

“Oh my god, you’re Jake, right? And Danny?” A voice, presumably female, blurted from the crowd that just walked in. Her outfit screamed “Starcatcher” with its rhinestone embellishments and white layered fabrics shined and dazzled in the faces of the two band members.

Shit. Jake knew this would happen. Of course someone would notice them. Internally he was dying softly at the girl’s expectant face. She would most likely ask for a picture, a signature, some sort of token of this chance meeting. Jake cleared his throat and tried to find some words but couldn’t find any.

“Yeah! How’re you? What’s your name?” Danny chimed in in the wake of Jake’s silence. Thank god for Danny; Jake was absolutely mortified about being recognized here, but Danny saved him from total embarrassment.

Her name was Sarah, apparently, and she came to the show with her boyfriend, who was hanging on her arm. Her outfit and makeup were inspired by Josh’s stage outfits, as far as Jake could tell. She talked with Danny for a couple minutes, all the while the boyfriend kept glancing over at the bar, eager for a drink. No doubt she dragged him here, Jake thought bemusingly. She asked for a picture from the two men, and Danny looked over at Jake for approval. He nodded over his glass, emptying it in his mouth before standing up for a picture.

Danny followed suit and posed on one side of her, with Jake on the other. Feeling a bit loose, Jake shifted his stance and held his hand out to the camera in his signature pose. The other hand located behind Sarah, however, found its way to Danny’s hand and was placed strategically over it.

The light of the camera flash blinded Jake for a second, leaving a purple-green splotch in his vision for a couple minutes after the encounter. They said their goodbyes and wished the drummer and guitarist luck on their next shows in the tour before making their way to the bar. Danny looked to Jake, and Jake looked to Danny.

A tether pulled taut between them. They both could feel it. Jake’s chest tightened, and he felt instantly sober at that moment. Danny felt his heart beat louder in his ears as he met Jake’s dark brown eyes with his own hazel ones. The synapses were firing in his brain, and Danny instantly knew that Jake wanted out of here. His demeanor completely changed once that couple walked up; Danny was privy to Jake’s antisocial nature and knew when his social battery ran dry, and this time was no different.

Danny picked up his drink and chugged down the rest of it, which consisted of half the bottle left. A small stream of beer trickled down his chin and left a couple droplets on the floor. He placed the bottle down on the table again, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and took Jake’s hand in his. Jake wasn’t even thinking straight at this point; he just let Danny take his hand.

Danny pulled Jake through the crowd to get to the door. His heart was still pounding through his ears, a loud badump badump keeping time with the internal music of his entire being. He needed Jake. Alone. He needed him like water.

“Danny.” Jake called to no avail.

Danny just kept pushing through the crowd. The door was almost there. He pushed on the handle, feeling the cool air pouring in through the crack.

“Danny, wait!”

They stumbled their way out onto the sidewalk before Jake doubled over and retched, emptying the contents of his stomach in the dirt next to the building. Danny’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, Jake! Are you okay?”

“I think.” Jake’s voice sounded shaky, and his face had gone pale behind his glasses. “Drinking on an empty stomach. Not good.” He coughed again, prepping for another retch.

“Fuck, dude.” Danny guided him to the side of the building away from prying eyes and held Jake’s hair away from his face as another wave of nausea passed over. Jake spat on the ground and groaned, but Danny also heard a sniffle.

“Hey, hey.” He pulled Jake upright again, slowly, to see Jake’s face. His eyes were filled with tears not yet shed, and his mouth broke into a grimace.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. This just…” Jake sniffed again. “This just isn’t how I thought it was gonna go.”

“What do you mean, Jake?”

“I didn’t want anyone to see. I didn’t wanna just…spill my guts like that. In conversation and… literally.” Jake’s voice shook like a leaf and was strained, letting Danny know he might burst into tears at any moment.

Danny sighed and pulled his phone out. “Let me call an Uber for us, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jake sat on the side of the building, waiting for Danny to come back with bottled water from the bar as promised. His head was in one of his hands, propped up on his forehead to alleviate the headache forming behind his right eye.

This can’t be fucking real. Jake was horrified. One minute, he was feeling like he was walking on clouds. The next, he’s upchucking right near Danny’s shoes. Looking back, he probably should have ordered some food with their drinks, but Jake didn’t think he would’ve eaten anyways with how nervous he was. He could feel his heart beating in his fingertips now, an indication of just how shaken up he was.

Danny turned the corner with two bottles of water in his hands. He held one out to Jake, which he gratefully took. He tested a sip to see if his nausea fully surpassed, and when he didn’t gag on the liquid, he gingerly drank more until half the bottle was gone down his throat.

Danny, still standing, looked at Jake with visible worry painted on his face. Their positions against the wall reminded Jake of earlier that day: Danny standing next to Jake seated near the window. Now, instead of sharing a cigar, they’re sharing their thoughts.

“Did she see you walk back in?” Jake asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“I don’t know. It just seemed like she was gawking at you or something.”

“Really? I didn’t notice,” Danny confessed. He truthfully didn’t realize that, it seemed.

“Yeah. And her boyfriend didn’t look too thrilled to be there either.”

“Gotta make her happy somehow, I guess.” Danny snickered before taking a sip of his water. “You alright now? The Uber should be here in about five minutes.”

“Yeah, I’m good now. I hadn’t eaten since lunch.”

“Lunch?! Dude, I would’ve taken you out to dinner or something if I knew that.” Danny turned to face Jake, looking him straight in the face again.

“I know, I know. I was just stressed from earlier today.”

“That seems like so long ago now,” Danny said as he sorted through his mind about the day before today’s show. He couldn’t put the memories together quite right, but everything after walking through Jake’s dressing room door was crystal clear.

“Yeah.” Jake drank the rest of his water and set the bottle on the ground. “I felt you, you know.”

Danny started and coughed the water he had in his mouth out, creating a spray that drifted onto the ground like a sprinkler. “Huh?”

“I said I…felt you. When we kissed. I felt your, um…against mine.” Jake felt heat against his face and neck at this confession. He had to say it. He couldn’t keep it in, it seems. He had to know that he knows.

“...oh.” That was all Danny said as he wiped his mouth, again, with his sleeve.

“‘Oh’?”

Danny just sat there staring at the sky above them. The stars were shining brighter, now that the city lights were farther away from them. Jake followed his lead and looked up.

Jake’s eyes filled with wonder as he saw the moon directly positioned above them, her rays barely peeking through the night sky as the sliver of white light had grown smaller. A new moon soon, maybe even later tonight. A phase representing new beginnings, cleansing, dark magic, and unlimited potential. Jake sighed as he stared up at her and smiled slightly. It was like a sign from some god, telling him that this new phase was a good one. To let it happen. To take this opportunity. Don’t let this go to waste, the moon said to him. Don’t let him go.

“Uber’s here. C’mon.” Danny blurted into the silence. Jake snapped out of his moon-induced trance and looked up at Danny’s hand held out, offering to help him stand to his feet.

Jake took it and hoisted himself up and brushed the dirt off his jeans. “Hold on, gotta wipe this off my ass.” He brushed the dirt off of the butt of his jeans with a laugh.

Danny laughed, too. A genuine belly laugh. Jake smiled at himself, too, feeling silly but not caring. He felt lighter, now that they have gotten past this barrier. Words could not describe how Jake felt. He felt like he could kiss Danny right now, but would wait until he washed his mouth at least.

Danny, still chuckling, held his hand out again for Jake to take. He grasped his hand, and they made their way to the car idling outside the bar.

[somethingclevermahogony]

Writeblr Interview

Rules: Answer the Questions

Thanks for the tags @mk-writes-stuff, @the-golden-comet, and @tildeathiwillwrite!

Short stories, novels or poems?

Novels or Epic Poems (Odyssey, Iliad, Aeneid, Epic of Gilgamesh is the GOAT (the officiant literally quoted it at my wedding)).

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy or Epic Poetry. I haven't actually sat down and read a book in a while though, my life has been pretty overwhelmed with academic papers and such.

What genre do you prefer writing?

Fantasy, preferably High/Epic Fantasy, turn world-building up to the max.

Are you a planner or a write-as-i-go kind of person?

I do a ton of planning for the world (I'm a lore nut) and I plan out broad narratives and directions, but I tend to let the path to get there just sort of happen.

What music do you listen to while writing the story?

That depends on what I'm writing. I actually don't tend to listen to a lot of music when I'm actually writing because it distracts me. I listen before I start to write, what exactly I listen to changes.

Sometimes I listen to the same song from Little Shop of Horrors, Epic the Musical, or whatever. For awhile I was listening to Prom Queen by Beach Bunny over and over and over and over again. I don't know why I do that, it just scratches my brain.

Fav books/movies

I love the Gregor the Overlander Series. It balances silliness and fantasy with darkness. The worldbuilding is complex enough to be intriguing and yet so ridiculous that you just sort of accept it. Giant talking rats and Victorian Rats living in a massive subterranean world underneath NYC? Why not! The books made my mom cry over a cockroach so there's that.

As previously stated, Epic of Gilgamesh is great, its so interesting to see all the tropes and story beats already developed thousands of years ago. I love my two big burly bronze age queers.

Saying the LOTR movies feels like a cope-out, but I genuinely do love those movies.

Any Current WIPs?

The Testaments of the Green Sea series! I'm sure you've seen random tidbits on Tumblr if you've been in any of the worldbuilding or fantasy writing places.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Reading glasses worn too far down my nose, a button up shirt (probably blue checkered) with the sleeves rolled up, baggy jeans, and black shoes. Looks like a young chubby and scruffy caveman cosplaying as a 45 year-old English teacher.

Create a character description of yourself.

He was of average height, though he looked taller than he actually was owing to the mane of hair which surrounded his head and covered his shoulders and upper back in a blanket of brown curls. His beard and moustache were both of medium length, though his moustache was in need of a trim. A pair of fingerprint smudged, wire-rimmed glasses sat on the tip of a crooked and humped nose, as far away from his heavy brows and green eyes as they could be while still maintaining their grip on his face. He wore a checkered blue and white button up, the sleeves hastily rolled up to his elbows. His jeans were baggy, and though he hated to admit it, were swiftly developing a hole on the inner thigh. He's was normally a quiet man, prone to sit and nod, rather than to speak. The exception of course, was with his wife, in which case he could hardly be made to shut up.

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

Literally putting people I know into my writing? No, I don't think it would really work to randomly insert my friends and family into my fantasy setting. I do like taking bits of inspiration from people though!

Are you kill-happy with the characters?

I guess that depends on what this means...because my series takes place over vast lengths of time, almost everyone in my stories does die eventually, but that's just nature. I don't shy away from killing my characters, that's for sure, though I try to make sure it adds something to the plot, I don't like killing characters just for the sake of it.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Tea (The real answer is wine)

Slow or Fast writer?

Fast writer, sloooow editor.

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

Lots of things. A big part of my inspiration comes from the ancient civilizations that I study, like the Hittites and Mycenaeans. I also take inspiration from my family and my wife. Myths are a big inspiration too, I've said plenty of times that my MC, Narul, is Gilgamesh with social-anxiety.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

Dead....or less pessimistically probably the local baker/cook.

Fave book cliche?

Found Family! Honorable mention for Gentle Giant characters!

Least fave book cliche?

Dark/High Fantasy including explicit depictions of SA or underage stuff because its "accurate", just the implication will suffice, I don't need that nonsense playing in my ear while I'm at work, thank you very much (Looking at you GRR Martin, or as my wife and I call you, JarJar Martin)

Fave scenes to write?

Scenes with nature or monsters! Trying to be descriptive and convey what the characters are seeing and feeling is really interesting to me!

Most productive time of day for writing?

Between 1:00 and 4:00 in the morning, unfortunately. That's also when my typos are the worst.

Reason for writing?

To bring my characters to life and to share their stories and scenes with other people.

I don't know how many people have already done this so I'm just gonna leave this one open!

Blank list under the cut:

Short stories, novels, or poems?

What genre do you prefer reading?

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

What music do you listen to while writing?

Favorite books/movies?

Any current WIPs?

Create a character description of yourself:

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Slow or fast writer?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche:

Least favorite cliche:

Favorite scene to write?

Reason for writing?

[samwrites-stuff]

"Wishing on a Star."

"I miss you..."

Kim Taehyung softly said, while he was staring at the night sky. He just finished work earlier and found himself walking up the stairs towards the rooftop. He leaned on the silver railing, which shined below the luminating stars.

He wore a thin white collared shirt underneath a black coat with black slacks and black loafers. He looked like a guy who had just come back from a date, but the girl stood him up.

His eyes scanned the skies like he was looking for something, something that he had been longing for since that night. They glowed like the stars above him as tears started to swell up in his eyes.

And then, finally, his eyes landed on a star. A star, which he thought was the most beautiful one in the sky tonight. A star, which reminded him of a person he lost a few years ago.

"I wish.. I could have you back..."

He blurted out without even thinking.

Time passed by, and now the sun switched places with the moon. Taehyung fell asleep on the wooden chair by the silver railings last night.

He woke up and felt the autumn breeze brush against his cheeks. The leaves started to fall one by one, from the trees. All around, orange is all he could see.

"It's a nice morning to jog."

He thought to himself.

The wooden chair creaked as Taehyung stood up. He went down the stairs to his room so he could change his clothes.

He closed the door of his room behind him. He is now wearing a white shirt and black shorts. He added a black hairband around his head to complete the outfit. After putting on his shoes, he reached for the golden door knob of his home, turned it, and went outside.

"Truly, it's a good day..."

He thought.

After 15 minutes of jogging, Taehyung was about to turn around and return home when he noticed a vintage looking shop that had a big red sale poster on its front window.

He hesitated for a bit, but remembered that special someone who has always wanted to visit authentic shops like this.

Taehyung smiled weakly. He can still remember how she begged whenever they passed by these kinds of shops.

"Tae, let's go there! They have a sale!! Oh, please, please, I'll do anything you want after this."

She pleaded.

He sighed and then proceeded to enter the shop. There, he saw lots of old, vintage pieces that probably many collectors would buy and display in special glass cases.

Taehyung walked around until he reached one corner of the store. There, he noticed a small, dark, golden box on a bookshelf in between some dusty, old books. He picked it up and saw that it was covered with dust as well too. He blowed all the dust off the box and realized that it actually had a lighter shade of gold. There were star engravings on the top of it that looked like they were glowing. It made him want to open the box.

When he opened it, he saw some fairy lights inside, now illuminating the corner where he stood. They kinda looked like the star he wished upon last night.

Without any hesitation, he went to the counter, where an old man was sitting, waiting for Taehyung to return.

"I'll take this one, please."

He said while he reached for the wallet in his pocket.

"Nice choice, young man. I believe... You truly need the magic it hides within."

The old guy said cheerfully.

He noticed Taehyung's confusion on his face, and so the old guy added:

"I see it in your eyes. They were just like mine."

Taehyung didn't know what to respond, and so he just paid for it, bowed, and reached for the package. The old guy placed it on a brown paper bag.

Later that night, he decided to put the fairy lights around his room, specifically on the ceiling.

He felt tired, and so, he plopped down on his bed. While lying down, staring at his ceiling, he admired the fairy lights that he bought. He tried to fall asleep, but he just couldn't.

Just then, he noticed one bulb of the fairy lights, which started almost shining 10 times brighter than the others.

"Eh?"

He got curious, and so he stood up on the bed to get a closer look at what's happening to the bulb. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Reaching out his hands while raising his toes, he tried to reach the bulb and attempted to fix it by twisting it from left to right and then right to left.

"Hey, Sis! Look at this. It's getting kinda weird..."

He called out from his room. His little sister was just staying in the other room, just in front of his.

Kim Taeyeon, his sister, entered his room, a little annoyed.

"Yah.. What is it again? Ugh." "Taehyung-oppa? Eh?"

She gasped, noticing that his brother wasn't in the room.

"I was sure he was here! Aish, he's teasing me again..."

She stamped her feet, then ran out of his room.

Little did she know, Taehyung really did vanish from his room that night.

-------

Taehyung tried to open his eyes, but it was super bright. He tried to stand, but his legs were super wobbly. It seemed like he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

"Taeyeon is overacting again. She opened all the lights AGAIN. Such a scaredy-cat. That's what she gets for liking horror films too much."

He thought while he tried to walk and reach for the light switch with his eyes half-opened.

After taking about three steps, he tripped and started falling down...

From a cloud?

"Oh... my... gosh? AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

He was about to fall through another cloud when a girl suddenly grabbed his shirt and tried to pull him up.

"Aigoo, so heavy..."

She gasped.

Taehyung looked up.. and saw an angel. Well, for him, she looked like an angel, with her wings fluttering in the wind. The next thing he noticed was her smile, a very familiar one, a smile that he had been longing to see, for too long. It's the only smile that can make Taehyung forget his name.

"Hey there. Guess you still don't know how to use these wings of yours, huh?"

She said sweetly while pointing his wings.

"Sam??!!"

I grabbed her hand tightly and then started sobbing.

"I thought.. I thought I've lost you forever..."

Taehyung said in between words while now hugging her so firmly, crying on her shoulders.

Unbeknownst to him.. The fairy light he bought in the vintage shop was whimsically authentic. They were made from real stars. Mixed with fairy tears, it created a talisman that can transport anyone into a different kind of world.

Where humans live on stars..

Where humans could relive a wish, one wish that anything their little hearts mostly desires.

"I missed you too, Taehyungie..."

She replied, while tears began to fall from her eyes as well.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Taehyung shyly asked.

"Anything, my love."

She chuckled when she noticed his shyness.

"Could you maybe... Teach me how to fly?"

He laughed while wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"えがく story かなう ように wishing on a star... "

(The story that we paint, I'll be wishing on a star so that it comes true...)

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Pomegranate Ink: XXIX

Series Synopsis: Unable to heal but willing to fight, with a fiancé in Kyoto and a last name that looms over everything you do, you accept an offer to study at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. What you did not know was that your salvation and your ruination alike would soon join you at the school, neatly wrapped in the form of a boy followed by death.

Chapter Synopsis: A small glimpse into your mother’s past and how she came to be associated with the L/Ns.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 8.0k

Content Warnings: angst, misogyny, naoya zenin, forbidden relationships, canon-typical violence, character death, original characters included

A/N: y’all…toji is TOO POPULAR for me to feel confident writing him 😭 if he’s ooc i’m sorry this is the only chapter he’s in so i am afraid you all will just have to deal with it. we will be back to the regularly scheduled y/n & co. shenanigans next chapter don’t worry

He was there again. Every day, she made a point to look and see if he was, and without fail, she always found him in some or another odd place. She didn’t really understand what he was ever doing, exactly, nor what business he had in the area, but she supposed it was a popular enough place that she could not find any suspicion in his presence.

It was more like a game for her than anything, trying to spot him, to pick him out of the crowd. Today, he was sitting on the edge of a fountain, flicking through a magazine too fast to actually be reading any of it. Almost as soon as she had noticed him, he tossed the magazine aside and got up, stretching like a cat and leaving the magazine behind to slide into the clear waters of the fountain.

She noticed it was one of the ones that had her face on the cover. It was definitely a coincidence — after all, nowadays more magazines had her face on them than not — but for some reason, she found herself flattered anyways.

There wasn’t much she could say about the man; it wasn’t as if she knew him or anything. He had dark hair. He generally wore casual clothing. He had an imposing presence but also a knack for slipping into the shadows, vanishing without a trace despite how much attention he naturally should’ve demanded. That was about it.

Sometimes, it felt like she was the only one who could even saw him. Everyone else’s eyes slid right over him, no matter where he was, and more than once she wondered if he was as much a figment of her imagination as those strange monsters she sometimes saw creeping about. Well, if that was the case, then he was the best hallucination her mind had ever conjured up, and she’d not complain about them quite as much if more of them resembled him instead of the grotesque, twisted beings that haunted her daily anew.

Unlike those other things, she actually even liked seeing him. On days when work was entirely too much and she’d have to go home alone and sit in her empty apartment and cry as she tried to eat dinner, those few seconds of admiring the man were the closest thing to real human connection she got. The man didn’t demand anything from her. He didn’t talk to her or ask for her autograph or shamelessly try to touch her. It didn’t matter to him that she was a famous model. He didn’t even know she existed, and she found comfort in that kind of anonymity. She was just a passerby to him, as he was to her.

“Oh, hey. Just so you know,” her manager said as she zipped up her coat and pulled on her shoes, “you should probably cut back on the calories. If you gain much more weight, it’ll be hard for you to get new jobs.”

She glanced at the portly man out of the corner of her eye, weighing the merits of telling him to follow his own advice before deciding it wouldn’t be worth it.

“No one else has said anything,” she said. The manager shrugged.

“It’s your own livelihood on the line,” he said. “But fine. Do as you please. It hardly matters to me.”

“You’ll never have another client as lucrative as me, so I’d say it does matter to you,” she said. He made a face at her but did not respond — likely he could not think of any sort of rebuttal. She sighed. “Alright. I’ll be careful.”

“Good,” he said. “You’re fine to walk alone again?”

“Yes, it’s okay,” she said, though more because she knew the manager did not have the time to drive her than anything. Her apartment wasn’t far enough to warrant hiring a driver for the short trip, and even though she was so famous, it would be fine as long as she kept her hood up and her head ducked. It was nice outside, too, with nothing more than a slight evening chill in the air, so all in all she didn’t mind.

As she waited for the crosswalk light to turn green, she noticed something undulating in her peripheral vision. With as much dread as resignation in her posture, she turned so that she could see the enormous winged serpent in full, gulping at its towering stature. It was the biggest one yet — did that mean that it was getting worse?

Even though her doctor said there was nothing wrong with her, she couldn’t stop herself from picking up on those beings’ presences everywhere she went. It was almost as if they were chasing her or something, though they took different forms each time. And despite knowing that none of it was real, she felt a jolt of terror with every appearance, every new way that her brain decided to torture her.

This one was the worst, along with being or perhaps because it was the grandest. It exuded an aura of awesome power, with feathery wings lining its scaled body, something blue and formless dripping from its mouth. Blood? Did this kind of creature even have blood to begin with, or was it something else? Poison? Entrails? She couldn’t be sure, but she had this sense that whatever it was, she probably did not want to know, would not like having that knowledge once she did.

The monster stared directly at her with eyes of a bright gold shade — though it was not the gold of the sun, never as benevolent or gentle as that; rather, it was a gold like dehydration, clouded and muggy like dog piss on a white carpet.

So transfixed was she by that stare, she did not notice the man until he was standing in front of the serpent, a knife in one hand, the other on his hip, like he was sizing up a typical situation instead of the most terrifying thing she had ever seen.

The monster screeched at the man in challenge, but this earned nothing more than a dry chuckle out of him.

“Thank you!” he called out over his shoulder. “I owe you, lady. You’ve just made my job a lot easier.”

“Me?” she said. The crosswalk turned green, but she did not dare cross, not when the man she always looked for was there in front of her, facing off against the beast of her own imagining.

“Yeah, you,” he said. “Man, I hate owing people. How about I promise to watch over you when I can and we call it a deal?”

“What are you talking about?” she said, bewildered.

“I don’t have any money, so don’t expect that!” he said. “This is the best you’ll get, so just be grateful!”

“I don’t care about money! Can you see that thing?” she shouted at him. “That’s what’s important to me! Can you see it? Is it really there?”

He was far enough away that she couldn’t discern if he reacted. A car honked at her, the driver opening their window and shouting at her to hurry up and move. It only drew her attention for a brief moment, but that was enough; by the time she looked back to the winged serpent and the man, both had vanished.

After that, she stopped being able to find him. She tried for a while, craned her neck and tilted her head, searching for him in the most random places she could think of, but she never saw him in the square again. What she wouldn’t give to see him lounging around by the fountain, pretending to read a magazine! Or sitting in the window seat at a cafe, sipping on a drink with a book open yet unread in front of him. It was more than just her earlier fascination — now, she had genuine reason to meet him. He was the first person who could see those things, too, and she wanted to ask him what it meant. She wanted to ask him what they were, if they were real, if he was real.

It was many months later that she saw him once more, and by that point she had convinced herself that she had dreamt his entire existence up in a flight of fancy. A handsome man that fought the demons plaguing her night and day? It was definitely something that only a desperate woman would think of.

No matter what position she twisted into, no matter how hard she smiled, the designer wasn’t satisfied. First, he claimed that she wasn’t truly embodying the essence of his line, then he bemoaned how she took all the attention off of the clothes and onto her face, and finally he just started coming up with random things to criticize.

“Your people are the ones who did my makeup!” she snapped when he started complaining about how her lipstick was too red. Ripping off the jacket she was supposed to be showcasing at the moment, she balled it up and threw it at his forehead. “You can just go ahead and find a new model, if you’re going to harass me like this!”

“Hey!” her manager said as she stormed out of the room, his short legs churning to keep up with her. “Hey, you’re ruining your own career here! Do you think you can just get away with a performance like that? You’re going to be labeled as a high-maintenance bitch from now on, do you get it? And no one likes to work with high-maintenance bitches!”

“Oh, go on and let them call me that,” she said, blinking back her tears so that her mascara did not run and give her a ridiculous, raccoon-eyed appearance on her walk back home. “I know that you agree with the assessment, so why are you even trying to act like my reputation is important to you?”

He got a commission for every job she did. That was why it was important to him. There was no other reason; if she stopped paying him, he would vanish, just like every other person in her life.

“The tabloids won’t just accept this,” he warned her. “This could seriously ruin your career. If you go back and grovel, he might consider forgiving you, but you have to be fast.”

“No,” she said. “I’m done for today.”

“You’re insufferable!” her manager said. “Alright? You’re an insufferable whore that thinks she’s special because she’s pretty. Well, there’s a million other pretty girls in just this city alone!”

“Work with one of them, then,” she said.

She knew he wouldn’t. He knew, too, so he just groaned as she let the door slam shut behind her, the only outlet she had for her irritation.

It was like her life was not her own. She was less model and more mannequin, her personal feelings a lesser concern for the people who only saw her as a poseable doll. To be sure, it was something to be expected from the profession she had chosen, but more and more, she was beginning to think that maybe she had picked the wrong career after all.

“It’s her!” someone behind her whispered.

“Are you sure?” their companion whispered back. She furrowed her brow, wondering what they could be discussing and hoping beyond hope that it didn’t have anything to do with her. She hadn’t had the time to go about donning her typical disguise, but she had been praying that it was dark enough out by this time that no one would pay her any mind.

It had been a foolish hope. She sped up her pace, the lights of the main road so close, never closer — yet never further, either. She just had to make it there. She just had to make it, and then it would be alright. Internally, she swore at her manager for not offering to drive her home, though of course she had been the one to leave before he could. Anyways, she wouldn’t have taken him up on it even if he hadoffered, so the only person she could really blame was herself, but it made her feel marginally better to swear at the man who, according to her, very closely resembled a swine.

“We’ll definitely get a good price,” the person whispered.

“Won’t people look for her, though?” their companion said. They must not have realized that she could hear them. She was almost running at this point, but the street never grew any nearer, not in any meaningful way. Just a few steps more. Just a few more, and she’d be okay.

“The kind of people that’d pay for her have ways to cover these things up,” the person said. “Shit!”

They weren’t even being discreet. Footsteps pounded on the concrete behind her as they realized they were running out of time, and of course neither of them were wearing heels, so they caught up with her in an instant, one of them clapping their hand over her mouth, the other grabbing her hands and holding them behind her back.

She tried screaming, but it was muffled through the first assailant’s clammy palm, and the second’s grip was too strong for her to break from, no matter how much she thrashed. They started dragging her backwards, so she dug her feet into the pavement, but it was two against one and she had never been that strong, anyways, so it was a losing battle.

“Alright!” the first person cheered. “We’re going to make out like kings after this!”

“Think we can retire?” their companion said. “It’ll be nice to not have to work much anymore.”

“Probably not,” a third voice said. This one was familiar, and her eyes widened when she heard the rough tones she had thought she made up to soothe herself in her panic. “You likely won’t even live much longer, if I’m being honest, so you can just forget about retirement at all.”

Two loud bangs, and then the hands on her went slack. She stumbled away from them, spinning around to see that both of them were on the ground, blood pooling from the twin bullet wounds in their temples. This prompted a scream from her, and she used her arms to cover her head in case she was next.

“You can quit it with that,” he said. It was the man, there was no doubt about it; slowly, she lowered her arms, peeking at him through narrowed eyes. He was standing there innocently, hands empty and face blank, entirely at odds with the two bodies lying by his feet. “I’m just paying you back for the other time.”

“What?” she said.

“Didn’t I tell you I’d look out for you when I got the chance, since you drew that curse out for me? I happened to be in the area and decided I’d visit you to settle the debt once and for, and look at that! I got the perfect chance to do exactly what I intended to,” he said.

Up close, the details of his face became strikingly evident. His eyes were a cutting green like bottle shards, and there was a scar on the edge of his mouth, lending him a dangerous appearance, though she thought he didn’t really need that for the effect. He looked plenty dangerous enough without it, so it was an addition that was more like an extravagance than anything.

“Who are you?” she said, taking off one shoe and pointing it heel-first at him like a weapon. “Answer me! Are you real?”

He grimaced. “Uh, yeah.”

This was at odds with everything her doctors had told her, so taking a gamble, she hurled the shoe at him. It hit his chest and bounced off, clattering to the ground into the puddles of blood he stood beside, crimson quickly overtaking the once-white leather. The man looked at her in disbelief, like he was more shocked than offended that she had dared to do that.

“You’re definitely corporeal,” she said.

“Why did you throw a shoe at me?” he said, phrasing it like a statement instead of a question.

“I was checking to see if you were actually physically here or if I was just imagining things again,” she explained. “Anyways, since it seems like you might really be a true person, what’s your name?”

“Why would I tell you that?” he said.

“I’m sure you already know what mine is,” she said.

“Yes,” he said. “Obviously. There’s not a soul in Tokyo that doesn’t.”

“Right, so it’s only fair that you give me yours in exchange,” she said.

“It’s not my fault that you wanted your name plastered on every billboard, news ad, and magazine cover in the country! That’s your own doing, so why would I owe you my name for it?” he said.

“So I can pay you back,” she said. “For saving my life and all. Would you prefer a check or cash? I can do either, but I’d need your name for it.”

At this, the man’s eyes grew starry. It was like that, usually; people would do a lot more for money than they would otherwise, and he was no exception. Especially because, if she was remembering their last interaction correctly, he did not have much of his own — it was an easy way to incentivize him.

“Toji Zenin,” he said.

“Toji,” she repeated. “Or would you rather I call you Zenin?”

“Toji is fine,” he said. “I’m not that fond of the Zenins.”

“Alright,” she said. “How much do you want in return?”

“You’re telling me to name my price?” he said. She shrugged.

“I can’t put a monetary value on my life, but I’m sure you can put one on your labor, so I’ll leave the negotiations up to you,” she said.

“I won’t turn you down, but for the sake of good business ethics and client relations, I’ll remind you that I did technically only do this because I was paying you back in the first place,” he said.

“Then consider it payment for telling me your name, and for being real,” she said. “What do you want? I can give it to you, no matter how much it is.”

“Getting paid for being real,” Toji said under his breath, like he couldn’t quite believe his luck. “Okay, I won’t argue with that. But, you know, being real is a difficult thing to do.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she said. “Believe me, I’m well aware of the fact.”

“One such difficulty is that real people have to eat,” he continued.

“Tell that to my manager,” she said.

“Once a week,” he said, holding up his index finger for emphasis, ignoring her quips. “That’s how often you have to take me out for food. You will pay, but we will go to places of my choosing, and I will order however much I want. If one of us can’t make it one week, then we will go twice the following week.”

Her manager would definitely kill her. Going out to eat once a week without even getting to choose the location was a surefire method for losing that carefully maintained body of hers. But maybe that was why she agreed — she wasn’t all too fond of that body, the one that barely even belonged to her in the first place.

She held out her hand. “Deal.”

“Deal,” he said, taking it and shaking it firmly. “Give me your phone number. I’ll tell you when and where to pick me up for next week.”

She couldn’t deny that the first few times were awkward. Toji would eat whatever he ordered — which was always the fanciest thing on the menu — and then leave with nothing more than a stiff, routine ‘thank you.’ It didn’t offend her much; she was just happy to have some kind of company, and the one day a week they saw each other was often the only thing she looked forward to.

“Damn,” he said one day, dropping a magazine in front of her as she tried to read the menu she had been given by the waiter that had seated them both. “What’d you do to piss this many people off?”

“People don’t like it when you throw their ugly clothes at them and walk out during shoots because of their unreasonable demands,” she said, not even looking at the magazine. She knew exactly which one it was and what the contents of the article were; her manager had been right, unfortunately. High-maintenance bitch. She was in fact labeled with many names along those lines, and though it hadn’t impacted her work schedule too much yet, they all knew it was a matter of time before brands began refusing to work with her for fear of the negative press she might bring them.

Toji guffawed. “Is throwing things at people a common pastime for you?”

“I’ve only done it twice,” she said. “Do you think I’m any good? Maybe I’ll take up baseball once my modeling career ends.”

He considered this, likely thinking back to when she had thrown her shoe at him, and then he shook his head.

“You should probably stick with modeling for as long as you can,” he said. She laughed in surprised delight.

“Fine, then!” she said. “I’m sure you know best.”

“I’m sure I do,” he said.

“Typical,” she said. “Oh, and speaking of knowing…there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What?” he said, abruptly wary. She didn’t blame it; it definitely sounded like a different kind of confession when she started off like that, but that wasn’t something either of them were interested in. She hastened to make her point in order to clear up any misunderstandings.

“I think we’ve established that you’re real,” she said.

“I’m not really sure why that was ever in question, to be frank,” he said.

“You can see the monsters, too,” she said. “That’s why. I’ve never met anyone who can; my parents always thought I had an overactive imagination, and the doctors prescribed every medicine in the book but could never compe up with a solution that lasted. They always come back. But then you came along, and I thought I must’ve dreamt you up, too, because you were actually able to see that winged serpent, yet you’re real, which means that those things are, too.”

Toji was silent for a bit, mulling over what she had said, chewing on the appetizers that she had ordered for the both of them as he did so. She thought he might not answer at all, but eventually, he cleared his throat.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Yeah?” she repeated.

“Yeah, they’re real,” he said. “You’re not imaginative or insane or seeing things. You just have an extra sense that not everyone does.”

“Like you?” she said.

“Nope,” he said. “I don’t have it, either, or at least not in the way that you do.”

“I’m a little confused,” she admitted.

“Honestly, it’s not something you have to understand. Just be happy with what I’ve told you; it’s all too confusing to go over at one time, so I won’t bother,” he said.

“What about more than one time?” she said.

“Hm?” he said.

“You said it’s too confusing to go over at one time, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Every time we meet, you can tell me a little more, and in that way we can cover everything,” she said.

“I wouldn’t know where to start,” he said, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, obviously unhappy with the proposition. Ordinarily, she would’ve respected his wishes, but not this time. Not when he was her only chance at getting answers about the things she had been seeing for so long.

“One question. Answer one question of mine every time, and I’ll be alright with that,” she bargained.

“Only one?” he said.

“Only one,” she agreed. He nodded.

“You better think of good questions, because I’m holding you to that,” he said. “I don’t do work for free. One question is all you get, and only because you’ve been allowing me to get dessert, too.”

“I didn’t realize that dessert wasn’t included in the original deal,” she said.

“I wasn’t about to tell you otherwise,” he said. She could only shake her head in response, too amused to be irritated, not when she had more than enough money to afford it.

The next few dinners felt more like interviews, though this time, she was the interviewer instead of the interviewee. It was a pleasant change, even if Toji was a terrible person to ask questions to, only giving exactly what was necessary to answer and nothing more.

“So, what are the monsters officially called?”

“Curses.”

“Curses?”

“Why’re you so surprised by that? It’s a pretty obvious name for that kind of thing.”

Bit by bit, she learned more about the world of sorcery, though she was no closer to figuring out what kind of person he was. He was generally private and closed off, so once her curiosity about curses and techniques and jujutsu society waned, she began steering her questions in a different direction.

“Why do you not like the Zenins?”

“Buncha assholes.”

“Is that all?”

“That’s more than one question.”

He was even more dodgy about answering these kinds of inquiries, to the point that she could probably recite his entire family line by heart but was still no closer to knowing anything meaningful about him. It didn’t seem like those were things he was interested in sharing.

“I’ll ask you a question this time,” Toji said one day. “If you hate modeling so much, then why do you it?”

He had been privy to more than one session of complaining on her part. He wasn’t that talkative, and he was so far removed from the rest of her life that it was simple to tell him about whatever was on her mind and not fear retribution. He didn’t really care enough to go tell the tabloids about whatever she was annoyed about at the moment, and besides, she had at least picked up on the fact that his line of work was unsavory, which meant that he probably couldn’t go to any news source without ending up on the front page himself.

“It’s the only thing I’m good for,” she said, stabbing at a piece of lettuce with her fork. Toji raised his eyebrows at her. “I mean, obviously I’m good looking.”

“Obviously.”

“That was sarcastic, but I’m taking it as a compliment anyways,” she said.

“Go ahead.”

“Anyways, my entire life, people have only ever wanted to be near me for my beauty. I suppose I got used to it and figured I might as well get paid for it. You’ll pity me for it, but it’s not really a stretch for me to say you’re the best friend I’ve ever had,” she said.

“Me,” he said dubiously. “The best friend you’ve ever had.”

“Yes, it’s true. You’re the only person that talks to me as a person instead of just to my body or face,” she said. “You don’t think I’m automatically stupid because I’m pretty. You don’t think I automatically want to sleep with you because I happened to look your way. You don’t think I automatically do or am anything; you just treat me like you would treat anyone else, which I’m sure other people would be offended by, but I actually really like it. I don’t mind how short you are with me. It’s better that you’re true to yourself than being overly nice to me just because you think you have a chance at getting with me or something.”

“This is me being nice, by the way,” he said, pouting childishly. “But you’re right in that I don’t want anything of the sort out of you. I’m using you for your wallet, not your figure.”

“That’s fine,” she said, exhaling at the joke. “I don’t mind that. At least it’s something different than the usual.”

The nicest thing about Toji was that nobody ever seemed to want to take pictures of him. When she was sitting across from him, everyone left her alone, and she could have some peace, a break from the constant flashing lights that constituted the rest of her life. In this sense, he was her respite, the only chance she had to be a woman her own age instead of a celebrity constantly in the public eye.

She couldn’t help it. It was to be expected; what kind of person could spend so much time with someone else and not end up loving them? It didn’t matter that he was blunt at the best of times and downright cold at the worst. It didn’t matter that he was, as he had confided in her once, essentially an assassin, working in the underworld of jujutsu society after leaving his family behind. Maybe these things should’ve been warning signals, but for someone as lonely as her, they were easy to ignore in favor of the fact that he paid attention to her, that he didn’t care about anything but who she was.

“You know, you’re actually not too bad looking yourself,” she said one time, analyzing him with a trained, objective eye that was generally nothing but critical. He grinned at her.

“Only good thing those shitty Zenins ever did for me,” he said.

“You should thank them,” she said.

“Mm, no,” he said. “Thanks for the suggestion, though.”

“Then maybe I will,” she said. “In your stead.”

“Don’t do that to yourself. Meeting the Zenins is the last thing I want for you,” he said. Even though he tried to keep his same cold expression on his face, she detected the faintest twitching at the corner of his lips, the barest traces of a softer sort of smile than she had ever noticed on him.

“Are all of the clans as terrible as the Zenins?” she said. He had mentioned in the past that jujutsu society was run by a few powerful families; the Zenin were the extreme upper echelon, rivaled by only two other clans, but there were a few other families that had fair amounts of influence themselves.

“Is that your question for today?” he said. She hummed in agreement. “Well, on the whole, jujutsu society is like that, yes, but with some families, it just comes down to the leadership at the time. The family of healers, the L/Ns, are generally well-regarded, though. They’re known for being kind and just.”

“Healers?” she said. Even though it was a secondary question, he did not chide her for it.

“Yes, they can use something called a Reverse Cursed Technique to heal wounds and regenerate lost limbs. Using the power to that extent on other people is unique to their family, so they’re highly valued, but because none of them can fight, they have to stay humble or risk the wrath of the other clans. Due to that, they don’t do anything majorly out of line. The heir is our age, actually; he’s uptight as anything, though, so he dislikes me on principle and we never grew to be friends,” he said.

“That’s frustrating,” she said. “I wish they wouldn’t all treat you like that!”

“Like what?” he said. He was so tenured to it, she had come to understand, that it didn’t even impact him anymore. It no longer hurt him, what the Zenins and indeed all of jujutsu society had done to him, so he was typically surprised when it hurt her.

“Like you’re something less than all of them. You’re the best person I know, so how can that be?” she said.

“If I’m the best person you know, then you need to get out more,” he said.

“Maybe that’s true,” she admitted.

“Really, though,” he said. “I don’t know how I’ve given you this impression that I’m someone good and fair, but I’m really not. On the day we met, I killed two people in front of your eyes. Don’t you remember?”

“They were trying to kidnap me,” she said. “Why would I care if you killed them? It was definitely scary, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t say you’re a bad person for it.”

“I’m an assassin!” he said. “You know that already! So stop thinking so highly of me, okay? It’s not right.”

“I can’t just stop because you tell me to,” she said. “I still do. I always will.”

“I have to go,” he said, standing up abruptly. “Work. Just got an alert that I have a new job.”

“Please be careful,” she said. “Come back safely.”

“You should be more worried about my victim than me,” he said. “No one would care if I died. People will care when he does.”

“I would care,” she said. “If you died, Toji, I would care.”

He looked down his nose at her, but the feigned haughtiness didn’t fool her anymore. There was something else behind his eyes, something like desperation, something like grief, something like an emotion she didn’t dare name.

“You shouldn’t.”

Things were different after that. He was different. Before, he was playful in his detachedness, teasing her at his leisure, accepting it when she returned the favor in kind. Now, he just sat there and answered her questions — as many as she could come up with, not just one — and gazed at her in that same mournful way, like he was waiting for the day that she, too, left him behind.

Or maybe not. Maybe she was just assigning explanations where there was none. She was certain she meant something to him, but she could be wrong. She had been wrong before, but this time more than any other, she hoped she was not.

“You haven’t asked anything yet today,” he observed as they stood outside of the restaurant. He held an umbrella over the two of them, and she was so close to him that they were almost touching, but they were not. If she moved even a little, they would be, but she did not dare move, not when the situation was like this.

“I’ve been thinking about what to say,” she said. “How to phrase it. That type of concern.”

“Just get on with it. I have to leave soon,” he said. He wasn’t really that patient, so she just bit her lip before deciding to, as he had so eloquently said, ‘get on with it.’

“Do you love me?” she said.

There was a moment when neither of them spoke, when the only sound was the steady rush of the rain all around them. The streetlights flicked on, illuminating his face, ensuring that she would never forget the way he looked at her in that one moment.

That was her answer. It didn’t matter what he said afterwards; his expression just then was the only thing she needed to know about him. There were so many things contained in that expression, longing and regret and admiration and love, so much love, so much that she was sure no one had ever felt that quantity for her before and would never again.

“No,” he said, his face settled into the same serious, disdainful mask once again. “Of course not. I do love your credit card, but that’s about it. You really do think highly of yourself, believing that you’re the object of my unrequited affections! I’ll give you another question, since that one was a dud.”

“Okay,” she said. “If I told you I loved you, what would you say?”

“You shouldn’t,” he said. “I’d tell you I’m not capable of it. You’d be wasting your affection on someone that would never reciprocate. Someone that would never even want to.”

“I see,” she said. “Then can you do me one favor? Please embrace me as if you were someone that would.”

The umbrella clattered to the sidewalk as he pulled her into his chest, holding onto her like she was the most precious thing he had ever gotten to touch. The rain continued to pour down, soaking the both of them, but she was actually grateful for it. It disguised the tears brimming in her own eyes as she clung to him.

“The L/N boy,” he said. “The one our age. I’ve found out that he’s infatuated with you.”

“Okay,” she sniffed.

“I’ll set you guys up on a date,” he said. “A proper one, where he can pay for you.”

“I don’t want to,” she said.

“He’d be better for you than anyone else. He’s respectable, and he’s wealthy. He’ll be a clan head one day. That’s the kind of person you should be making these declarations to,” Toji said. Not me. He didn’t say that, but she heard it, anyways.

“I don’t want him,” she said. I want you. She didn’t say that, but she fancied that he heard it, anyways.

“I think you’ve paid me back enough,” he said. “This is sufficient. We don’t have to keep meeting up anymore. You can save your money for something that really matters.”

“This matters to me,” she said.

“I’m not the kind of person that matters to anyone,” he said. “The inverse is true as well; no one matters to me. You’re no different.”

It didn’t feel like that was true when his harsh hands purposefully gentled themselves to brush the damp strands of her hair out of her face as she openly sobbed into his shirt, knowing that this was the last time they’d ever be like this. It didn’t feel like that when his cheek rested against her head, his arms around her waist, the umbrella rolling away, long forgotten. When he did those things, she could only wonder what kind of indifference this was, that it was so similar to an aching, all-encompassing closeness.

Many years passed before she saw him again. He didn’t show up on the date he set her and the L/N heir up with, even if she had been hoping he would at least come to smoothe over the introduction. It was fine, though. The date went well. The L/N heir was as charming and sweet as Toji had said he would be, and he readily explained every last detail of sorcery to her when she asked.

He paid for the meal, and then he asked her if she’d go to another one with him. For a moment, she considered saying no, saying that there was someone else, but there wasn’t. Not anymore. So she said yes.

When he asked her to marry him some months later, she said yes to that, too. They didn’t let her invite Toji to the wedding. She wasn’t too sad; she doubted he would’ve come, anyways.

After her wedding, she faded into true obscurity. It was like she had never been a model, had never been famous in the first place. No one recognized her when she went out - not that she really went out much, anyways, but on those few rare occasions that she did, she was just like any other person. It was the culmination of every single dream of normalcy she’d ever had, so why was there a lingering trace of unhappiness in her?

Anyways, the L/Ns were good to her. She’d eventually bear the next clan head, or so they said, so they waited upon her hand and foot. She never wanted for much, as everything she wished for, they provided; well, everything except for that one desire which she never dared to vocalize. The L/Ns, like every other clan, hated Toji. If they knew how deep the association between him and her ran, they’d probably hate her too.

Satoru Gojo was renowned for being a spoiled, bratty child that ran roughshod over every person that dared to watch him, so when she was stuck with the duty as preparation for having a child of her own, she found herself dreading the occasion somewhat. Yet when they finally met, she didn’t find him to be rude or nasty. He was just lonely, and this was something that she could relate to all-too-well.

“I’m the strongest,” he would remind her every time she refused him something. “You have to listen to me.”

“You’re only seven,” she would remind him in return. “That means I’m older than you, so you have to listen to me. How about this: we can make cookies together and you can have extra if you behave.”

“Alright!” he’d say without fail. He was surprisingly easy to persuade, not the kind to stick to his ridiculous convictions if anyone ever stood up to them. She supposed no one else ever had before, but she’d be remiss if she let a young child bully her. Her! He was nothing compared to her old manager, the one who had only stopped calling recently.

They were out for a walk one day when suddenly, Satoru turned, his blue eyes gleaming with interest, though she hadn’t heard anyone approach. Even if someone was there, though, she didn’t feel afraid; seven though he might’ve been, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call Satoru the strongest sorcerer of the modern age already. If it was someone with malicious intent, he would take care of them in a second and then ask her to make popcorn for him as a reward.

The man was standing there with crossed arms, obviously taken aback by the fact that Satoru had detected him. And even though it had been so long, she recognized him immediately, so then it was her inhaling sharply, something long-dead and long-buried deep within her stirring at the sight of his still-handsome visage.

Toji. His eyes met her own, searching for answers to questions that she could not yet name. He must’ve gotten what he came for, as the moment she blinked, he was gone, vanishing in that way he always did, too fast for her mortal vision to follow.

“That was weird,” Satoru said. When she did not respond, he tugged on the end of her sleeve. “Mrs. L/N? Mrs. L/N, that was weird, right?”

Of course. Mrs. L/N. That was her, now. That was all she’d ever amount to. Mrs. L/N.

“Yes, it was certainly strange,” she said, for lack of anything better to say. Satoru crossed his arms, obviously satisfied with himself for identifying the oddness of the scenario.

“Don’t worry. I would’ve protected you if he tried to do anything!” he said, miming punching the air, ostensibly in her defense. She laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Thank you, Satoru,” she said. He beamed up at her.

“Do you think that that’s worthy of some popcorn?” he said. She shook herself off, knowing that she was no longer allowed to think about Toji. That time of her life had passed long ago, and it was foolish for her to linger on it in this way.

“Only if we get to watch a movie with it,” she said.

“Yay! Can I pick?” he said. “I wanna watch Star Wars.”

“Your wish is my command,” she said, saluting at him. “Lead the way, Jedi Knight Satoru Gojo.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m Darth Satoru, and you’re one of my Stormtroopers, okay?” he said.

“Yes, sir. Copy that!” she said. It was only a hunch, but she had figured some time ago that Satoru only got to behave like a child when he was with her, so she tried to indulge him as much as she could, never forcing him to act like an adult or a proper sorcerer or anything like that. It was probably why she was his favorite, why she kept watching him all of the way up until she realized she was pregnant.

Standing outside of the restaurant where she had last eaten with Toji, she thanked her luck that she had managed to slip away from the suffocating gaze of the L/Ns for long enough that she could come here. Ever since her pregnancy had been announced, they had been watching her like hawks, fretting over every single move she made, worrying that the slightest missteps might lead to her child being born a daughter — or, even worse, without the Composition that was their clan’s pride and joy.

She had only even escaped today because she pretended to have debilitating morning sickness. For all they knew, she was locked in the bathroom at present, hunched over the toilet, when in fact she had climbed out of the window and ran away so that she could sate her craving for the food that this particular restaurant served.

“I didn’t think you’d be here.”

Whipping around so fast it was a miracle she didn’t fall, her eyes widened when she saw Toji standing there, arms crossed and head cocked. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now — embrace him? No, that would be inappropriate. Keeping her hands on her stomach to keep her grounded, she dipped her head at him.

“Toji,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d be here, either. I just got a craving, but I knew the L/Ns wouldn’t approve of food like this, so I had to take the initiative and get it myself.”

“Craving?” he said, and then his eyes flicked down to her stomach, the way it swelled under her loose shirt. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” she said uncomfortably. “Um, don’t worry. I won’t let them grow up to be someone who’s condescending or cruel or anything. If they ever meet you, or else someone like you, they’ll definitely treat you or them as an equal.”

“I wasn’t worried about that,” he said. “It’s L/N’s kid, isn’t it?”

“I am his wife, yes,” she said. “Of course it’s his.”

“Right,” he said. “I always — I always forget about that.”

“You were the one who facilitated it,” she reminded him. “I don’t see how you ever could.”

“Are you happy?” he said.

“Normally, I’m the one asking questions,” she said. What did her happiness matter to him? What good would it do if she told him she wasn’t, that she hadn’t been since the day they parted? She knew his answer already. He loved her enough to let her go, but not enough to change. Enough to know that who he was now wasn’t someone that deserved her, but not enough to become a version of himself that did.

“Won’t you just answer this one? For old times’ sake,” he said.

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes, you’ll answer it? Or yes, you’re happy?” he said.

“Both,” she said. “The L/Ns treat me well. Like a princess. I cannot complain.”

“That’s good,” he said, with some difficulty. “I told you it would be like that.”

“You did,” she said.

“Have you thought about what you’re naming the kid?” he said.

“I’m not sure what I’ll do if it’s a boy,” she said. “If it’s a girl, though, she’ll be Y/N. Like her ancestor who helped seal Sukuna.”

“Y/N,” he said. “That’s a pretty name. I’m sure she’ll be as pretty as her mother, so it’s fitting.”

“What about you? Have you obtained some measure of happiness?” she said. He chuckled.

“Did you think I would’ve? The answer is no, not really. But maybe I’ll earnestly try to find it now. You’ve inspired me a little, so I think I’ll make an effort. Thank you for everything…Mrs. L/N.”

She would’ve told him not to call her that, not ever, because it sounded wrong when he did, but it was a moot point. They never saw one another again. Actually, the next time she heard his name was also the last. It was when her husband told her, in the dull tone he had adopted ever since their daughter Y/N had proven unable to utilize Composition, that he — Toji, her Toji — was dead.

[lvyu]

cold hands, warm laughs

. . ♡ ･ﾟphantombur x reader

⎯ wc. 1.2k

notes: secret santa exchange time for grey’s event! for @weewooihavefoundyou! hope this is okay, i’m a bit outta practice and it’s my first shot at phantombur! i used the general prompt of making them blush.

“i enjoy the weather this time of year,” wilbur said. “i don’t get as tired as i normally do.”

“right, well, while you have a merry time out here, i’m freezing to death,” you shivered. “can we please go, bur? time’s gotta be up by now.”

wilbur tsk’d, correcting you. “five minutes.”

if you had the energy, you would have kept annoying him about the time, but considering you were sure there was snow piling up in your boots, you couldn’t be bothered. you watched as wilbur walked aimlessly around, kicking at small hills of snow. despite his few layers (he wore the same thing as always, just pants, shoes and that dumb yellow sweater and purple half-cape of his), he didn’t even shiver. come to think of it, when he breathed out, you couldn’t even see it in the air. the only reaction he had to it was the occasional twitch of his wings.

before you could feed your curiosity, he kicked a small pile of snow, revealing a small, damaged flower. a rare one at that, and the exact one that was the center of your bet with the deceased menace.

the sight of it made you groan, any earlier feelings and thoughts gone, knowing it meant you’d owe him days of work. wilbur, on the other hand, smiled.

“this is a scam, obviously you knew where to find them.” you watched him pick it up, twirling it gently between his index and thumb, careful not to completely destroy it.

he shrugged. “should’ve thought of all the possibilities before you agreed.”

before you could argue with him, he faded out, mumbling a ‘come along then’, leaving footprints in the snow as he retreated to his home. begrudgingly, you followed, lagging behind a little, though he didn’t seem to mind. if anything, he seemed to enjoy the quiet, soon reappearing and humming a tune.

it took a while to get back, greeting a few of the other residents walking around before reaching his place. he went inside first, shutting the door in your face, yelling: “you have to knock, the sign says so!”

menace.

after you very politely knocked on his door, he opened up with a grin and let you in, shuffling to his mini-brewing station to order things as he let you get settled. truth be told, being inside wasn’t much different than being outside.

“have you considered investing in windows that don’t have giant holes in them?” you asked, rubbing your hands up and down your arm, a futile attempt to warm up.

“i don’t mind,” he answered.

“i do.”

wilbur hummed in thought, placing the rarity you’d found in a special casing to preserve it. once he hid it away in that cluttered drawer of his, he turned back to you. “you’ll be working in the basement, anyways,” as if the basement wasn’t just as cold, it was built on top of caves for fuck’s sake. “but if you ever do get a little too cold, feel free to buy a potion from me!” he gestured to his small shelf of potions, (only a small portion of what he actually had stored away, you were sure). “or there’s blankets somewhere in that closet.”

“you’re the most annoying person i’ve ever met.” despite your urge to ignore him, you followed his words and pulled out a few blankets to wrap around yourself and sat down. the floor was even colder.

he snorted, turning away from you, going back to sorting through his junk. “and you’re the most whiny person i’ve ever met.”

“says the guy who can’t even feel cold.”

“i— what?” he looked down at you and started laughing, wings perking up and hands covering his face. “how is that at all related to me calling you whiny?”

his reaction stunned you, leaving you scrambling for an answer. “i don’t know!” your response only made him laugh harder. seeing him laugh for the first time, and so hard, was jarring. “you can’t though, right? that’s not funny at all!”

after a few minutes of going back-and-forth, (mostly you yelling at wilbur to stop laughing so much, which only made him laugh harder), he calmed down, joining you on the floor in front of you, legs crossed. he looked at you, making you awkwardly look anywhere but his eyes.

“hm,” he reached out, touching your cheeks. “you’re warm now— is it because you’re embarrassed?”

screw being awkward. “no!” you met his eyes. “you’re actually crazy, i can’t believe i made a bet with you.” you grabbed his hands, pulling them away from your cheeks, holding them between your faces. “shit, i’m crazy.”

he smiled; he was quite enjoying seeing you so flustered. “you’re so stupid.”

“fuck you.” it came out instinctually, a natural response to his words, though his tone was gentle as he spoke, lovingly, dare you say.

wilbur paid no mind to your words, shrugging it off. “you sort of are, but that’s okay, i… like.. it,” he put his hands down, pulling yours along with his. “where’d you even get the idea i can’t feel from?”

“cold specifically!” you corrected him, earning an ‘ah’ from him. “and you never seem cold or anything! you’re a cold-hearted dick sometimes—” he laughed. “—but you don’t… shiver or shake or anything, so i very smartly and logically came to the conclusion that you can’t get cold.” you finished, looking at him for any sort of response, hoping it made sense. his face was blank, quietly humming as he took your words in.

after a moment, he giggled. “i was right, you’re so, incredibly, stupid.”

this time, you didn’t curse him, instead you pulled your hands from his (which were still partly grabbing yours) and quickly placed one on each cheek, moving your hands all around and smushing his face.

(if he were still alive, you’d probably end up killing him with the way you were blocking his nose.)

at first he jumped back a little, the sudden movement scaring him, but once he understood what you were doing, he started laughing, almost as hard as earlier. it was your way of telling him he sucked, and he knew that, and he couldn’t be more delighted at your antics.

“huh,” you said, with disbelief in your voice. “you are cold. can you feel that? do you feel cold?”

he shrugged, still evading giving you a proper answer. “you’re so silly,” his words came out muffled, eliciting a laugh from you. “told you so.”

you let his face go, resting your hands back in your lap, smiling. “you know, you were a little warm though— i do that?” you teased. “did silly little me making the wilbur embarrassed?”

wilbur brought a hand to his cheek, tapping it with his index finger as though he was deep in thought. after a comically long amount of time sitting there, he stopped, giving you a cheeky smile.

“nah, just got warmed up from the house, i guess.”

“you actually suck,” you argued. “i can totally tell you’re blushing!”

“you’re so silly, i’m not.”

“you are! definitely!”

“silly weirdo.”

[ejzah]

The Agent and the Fireman, Part 3

***

Marty Deeks sat down on the end of his bed, a business card that wore signs of being held multiple times in one hand and his cell in the other. He’d reached this point half a dozen times before, but been interrupted, or chickened out, every time.

Normally, he wasn’t shy about asking a woman out, but Kensi Blye did something different to him. She was blunt, fearless, funny, and absolutely gorgeous.

He smiled, remembering his initial shock, followed by amusement and finally admiration when she grilled him about calling. Even though her tone had been joking when she called him out, Deeks had a feeling he wouldn’t get another chance if he waited too much longer. Brushing his bangs from his eyes, Deeks thumbed in the number on the card.

***

Kensi got home, kicking off her shoes on the way and leaving a trail of clothes on her way to her bedroom. There, she she rooted around in the pile of clothes next to her bed until she found a reasonably clean shirt and tugged that on. After that, she collected a glass of water, a beer, and the pint of strawberry cheesecake ice cream from the kitchen, settling herself in front of the TV.

It had been an incredibly long, tiring, not to mention frustrating week. They’d finally pinned down the person stealing confidential information from multiple companies, as well as linked him to their two cases of arson. Kensi took his arrest personally after nearly burning to death.

Prying the lid off the tub of ice cream, Kensi settled in for a night of burgeoning supermodels and delicious carbs.

Her phone rang two and a half episodes on, and she picked up without looking.

“Nell, you had better not be interrupting my Tara Banks time with another case.”

“Hi, uh, it’s Deeks actually.”

Kensi’s eyes widened, words for escaping her for a second.

“You know, from LA fire department,” he added, like Kensi could forget the man who had literally carried her out of a burning building in his strong arms, like something out of a romance novel. “Please tell me this is the right number.”

“Yes, it is,” Kensi said quickly. “Sorry, I thought you were a coworker.”

Despite her teasing and pushing, she truly hadn’t expected him to call at this point. As though he could see her across the phone, she shoved the half-eaten carton of ice cream under the coffee table, and straightened her stained t-shirt.

“Thank god. That saves me the trouble of choosing a wrong number story.” He cleared his throat, and something in the background rustled. Kensi immediately pictured him laying down in bed, shifting among the covers.

Ok, get a grip, Kensi, she told herself before her imagination turned more inappropriate.

There was a extended pause, and even with the distance between them, she felt the tension grow.

“So, I believe you owe me a date,” Deeks said softly, the slight drawl sending unexpected warmth to Kensi’s cheeks.

“Um, if anyone owes a date, it’s you,” Kensi objected instinctively.

“I believe I saved your life, Agent Blye.”

“And I had to wait over a week for you to call me.”

Deeks chuckled, a throaty sound that Kensi was already a big fan of. “You make an excellent point. Alright, so Agent Blye, would you go out on a date with me next Saturday? World catastrophes notwithstanding.”

“Yes,” Kensi agreed without hesitation, and for once she didn’t even care. “And just for future reference, I like sushi, Mexican, and Korean food,” she added.

“Noted,” Deeks responded with a soft chuckled. “Alright, I’ll text you with the details.” He paused a beat. “I’ll let you get back to your important Top Model,” he teased.

Al Kensi got out with was a gasp of protest before Deeks signed off with a laugh filled goodbye.

***

A/N: Thanks for everyone who has expressed their enthusiasm for this story. I hope this less action filled chapter is still enjoyable.

[systemadministratorclu]

►

Doom: Milo and Rourke, I think you two should go steal the Declaration of Independence. x)

@the-haunted-office

//yes, I Googled where the actual Declaration was for this.//

"Milo, you seem just a little too excited about this one." Rourke commented as they staked out the National Archives Museum.

"Why wouldn't I be? This is possibly the craziest, most batshit insane thing we have ever done and it also might be the easiest. I was the boiler operator at a museum, I know all the secret entrances and back ways to the secure areas and I know all the security measures they'll take. See, they never vet the boiler guy for security, they just let him through." Milo had a whole lockpicking set in a bag attached to his belt, along with a flashlight, laser pointer, and a few smokebombs to provide cover should they need a quick escape. He was dressed in a black shirt with a high collar, long sleeves, and a hood. Black pants, lightweight black boots, and black gloves finished the look.

"And people say I'M the scary one of us." Rourke said. He was dressed the same way. Both also wore black hats under their hoods.

"Would you quit worrying? We'll be fine, we just replace it with the very accurate replica Doom and I made and they'll never know the difference. We'll be in and out and stopping at In-N-Out before you know it." Milo shouldered a backpack (black) with the supplies for handling the historical document in it, since that would be his job. Rourke was obviously the muscle and the lookout. Milo was the burglar and thief of the two. Rourke wore the sealed case Milo had engineered to carry the document in once they got it. It was terrifying yet also very attractive how much thought, effort, and planning Milo put into this operation, literally building things just for this. He tucked his Atlantean crystal inside his shirt, where its glow was completely obscured. Milo did the same as they approached the museum.

Within seconds, Milo had the side door unlocked and the two slipped inside. The soles of their shoes actually had soft pads on them, almost like the pads on a cat's paw, that almost completely silenced even Rourke's footsteps. They crept soundlessly through the halls, Milo using the laser pointer to blind the cameras. On one arm, he even had what looked like a smartphone, with a floorplan map of the museum on it (black with white lines on it, and the screen as dim as possible, only bright enough for Milo to see it and read it. His time spent with Pollux had made him even more of an advanced tech expert than when Doom first brought them to the Office.) He wasn't worried about humans seeing them, but he knew important places-like the National Archives-had long since been fitted with vast arsenals of automated security, most of which the general public visitors to the museum never knew existed, some they didn't even know were possible.

But these had never been designed to defend against one linguist from 1914 who had been alive for thousands of years, and in that time had learned to use very highly advanced technology, some of it alien. And with such knowledge came the ability to hack said technology and more primitive tech, too. Which was how Milo figured it out. There had been times, when humanity still covered the planet and the threat of prison was very real for them, Rourke had watched Milo hack into the most secure parts of the Pentagon, the NSA, and the CIA, all without blinking. None of them ever figured out they'd been hacked either.

He'd done it multiple times and he'd done it again to figure out security here. He knew the cameras could activate automatic defenses if they caught movement, but the laser pointer could fry their innards enough to prevent the alarm triggering. Rourke had a pointer, too, for intersections of hallways where there were multiple cameras.

When they reached the exhibit, Milo got to work, picking the lock on the display, then using special gloves to move the old document into the case he'd built. He then quickly switched it out with the fake and locked the display back.

"Got it. Let's go." The two then got up and slipped back out the way they came in. Their flying machine was hidden in the woods nearby. Milo held the case while Rourke piloted to fly them back to the Office.

"Hey Doom! We got it!" Milo called.

[ninjago-forever]

Ninternia: The Ultimate Elemental

Labyrinth Under Lyra

"What I don't get is how an ancient artifact is hiding in the most high-tech city in Ninternia. I mean, just look at the place!" Ren said, gesturing at the floating planters, flying cars, and drones.

"I'm hoping that's what this man will tell us," Atalie replied, studying a holo map. "Ju told me he'd know where it is, though we may have to pay for the information." 

"This the place?" Churro asked, hooking a finger at a small pawn shop. Its sign read "Incognito" on it in a fancy golden script. The windows were full of shiny objects, each clamouring for attention. A sound like a cash register announced them opening the door.

"Welcome to Incognito, where the prices are so low, it's a steal. I'm Inieto the thief, I mean, chief of the store. How can I help you?" The lively voice belonged to a middle aged man with rust colored hair hiding under under a wide brimmed hay. He had a brown, darting eye, and a unique looking eye patch. His orange, brown, and grey-green clothes were a strange combination that somehow worked. He looked a bit like a futuristic pirate.

"Hi, we're looking for-" started Katara.

"Say no more! You're looking for a pair of die that roll themselves."

"No." she said.

"A mouth brow?"

"No, and what is that anyways?"

"I've got it! A glow-in-the-dark lamp!"

"No! And isn't that what lamps do?" Katara said exasperatedly.

"Well, if you're not buying, are you selling?" Inieto gave her a once over. "Thirty bucks for the armbands. What are they called?"

Katara looked like she was about to punch him. Clay looked like he was worried she was going to punch him. Ren was trying not to laugh. Khan had given up and was full blown cracking up. Jaya, Churro, Atalie, and Cyrus just looked out of place.

Clay stepped forward before Katara could do anything. "Actually, we're looking for a place. Ancient, booby trapped, probably in the sewer system, sound familiar?" 

"And as far as I know, she just calls them her armbands," Ren added, only to get stared at. "What?" He asked a question. "It'd be rude to leave him hanging."

"An important question too," Inieto said. "A flashy name is half the reason people buy stuff. I'm going to call them technobands."

"They're. Not. For Sale." Katara growled.

Atalie jumped in this time. "Inieto, a man named Ju sent us here, do you have what we need?"

"Oh Ju, Why didn't you say so?" He asked. "Pay up." Atalie sighed, but slid a stack of bills across the counter. Inieto picked them up, and set them in the cash register.

"I have a couple assistants who can take you," he said, slipping into the back. Ren looked around the cluttered shop while they waited. The windows had most of the interesting stuff. Small trinkets like keychains and magnets lined the first few isles, and decorated the counter. There was also some jewelry inside the glass case. Shelves towards the back were stacked with plain cardboard boxes, some open, other's taped closed. Ren was just about to take one down when Inieto returned with a pair of ragged looking kids.

The first was a boy of average height, and dark hair and eyes. He wore mismatched sneakers, torn jeans, and a beat up hoodie. He studied them with a sharp intelligence, and carried a book about religion, covered in doodles of a kid with an arrow on his head, and a man with a weird hat and potted plant.

The second was a shorter girl with messy brown hair with red and blond highlights. She had bright hazel eyes and those kind of cheeks you just wanted to squeeze. Despite the fact that she probably had as much money as her friend, her clothes were somewhat nicer. At the very least, her shoes matched, and her short dress wasn't torn, though her leggings were.

"You know where to go." Inieto the kids. "Good luck tourists. It's a strange place you're looking for."

"This is it," the girl said, stopping at a huge arched entrance branching the main sewer. The kids, had taken them to the back of the store, then down a manhole cover. Ren had lost all sense of direction as they'd wandered through the twisting pipes, but he did know he wished he was back up a the surface with Atalie and Churro. It stank down here.

"Careful, the walls are hard to see in there," her companion said vaugely.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Khan asked as they watched the couple walk away.

"Like the mind, the labyrinth has many obstacles obscuring the center, both physical and not. The truth can lead there," Cyrus stated.

"Sorry, huh?" Ren asked. Apparently the nindroid had been reading an inscription above the entrance.

"What is that supposed to mean? Why can't people just give us straight forward warnings!?" Khan complained.

"To keep out people who don't think, like you," Katara replied. The others laughed at that. Well, except for Cyrus. He didn't have much of a sense of humor.

"Well, come on. We'll figure out the warning as we go," Clay said.

"Left or right?" Jaya asked.

"Left, I'm a maze champion, so know what I'm doing" Ren bragged.

"Lead the way then," Jaya told him. He went straight in, choosing each turn without much thought. The others followed, no questions asked, trusting him to lead them to the center.

I knew I could impress her! Fake it till you make it right? Even though I have no clue where we're going... Maybe I should-

"Ow!" Ren shouted, jumping back and causing a bit of a pile up.

"What happened?" Clay asked, hauling Katara up.

"There's some sort of block up ahead." Ren rubbed his forehead. It'd felt weird, like someone had stabbed his mind, but the wasn't possible, right?

"What are you talking about?" said Khan, walking forward. "There's nothi- AH!" He suddenly clutched his head, and scrambled backwards.

"You were saying?" Katara smirked.

"This is most likely what the inscription was referring to when it said 'both physical and not.' Not all the walls we can see," Cyrus observed.

"So that's what the boy meant!" Clay exclaimed.

"I'll take the front," Jaya said, "No reason for you to get zapped twice."

"No! I, uh, I'm fine!" Ren responded in a rush. "Didn't even feel it!"

"Are you sure?" she asked, concerned.

"Of course!" he answered.

Even though I now have pounding headache, but the look she gave me was all worth it...

After another ten or so run ins with invisible walls, Ren was beginning to think otherwise. The maze had already spun him around so many times, he couldn't lead them out if he tried. As for the see through barriers... well, whoever had come up with them certainly had an imagination. Some of them attacked his mind like the first, but others were just impassable. A couple of them even managed to shock him.

"I'm the Guardian of Lightning," he moaned the second time this happened. "How come I can be electrocuted?"

"Most likely because you have yet to unlock your powers," Cyrus stated.

"I knew that," Ren grumbled, taking a left at random.

"You sure you're okay?" Clay asked worriedly.

"Of course!" Ren replied faking a smile. "I've fought against gangs, and a bunch of other stuff. No pain, no gain, right?"

"When did you do that?" Khan raised a brow.

"Oh I've been protecting the innocent my whole life," he bragged. "Even before Sensei finished my formal training, he been sending me out on missions and whatnot."

"Huh, he never did that with me," said Katara skeptically.

"Maybe you weren't good enough, no offense" he added in a rush. He got the distinct impression she could beat him.

"Maybe you could give me some pointers, Jaya suggested.

"I'd love too!" Ren exclaimed, grinning.

"How about after we get the hilt?" Clay interrupted." You're a maze champion too. Are we almost to the center?"

Oh yeah, I forget I said that. Uh... This way feels right-

"I believe we came from there," said Cyrus.

"I was, um, just, uh, testing. You. Yeah." Ren lied haltingly, only to receive some strange looks. He gave them an awkward smile, but winced as he turned away.

Maybe I should just come clean...

No, they believe me, and they like me.

Jaya likes me.

They think I'm a hero, not some nerdy junkyard boy who's only good at video games.

It's what I always wanted, why ruin it?

"Dead end," Khan noted as they reached a wall of solid stone. They began retracing their steps, Ren now in the back, only to find an extremely confused Katara, who had been in the back now turned front.

"This wasn't here before, right?" she asked, gesturing to a wall blocking their path.

"Correct, I do not recall a wall at this location." Cyrus set his hands on the barrier. "I may be missing many of my functions, but my memory is perfectly intact."

"Hm... I wonder if..." Clay trailed off as he kneeled down, and set his bare hand against the floor. Since unlocking, he'd stopped wearing gloves. "I... wow..."

"What?" Jaya wondered.

He got back to his feet, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. "I'm not sure how, but the maze is changing. I can't sense it clearly, but I can definitely feel movement."

"Excuse me, but I thought you said you could feel movement." Khan interrupted.

"I did," Clay replied." The walls are changing spots as we're standing here. Whatever path we took to get here is gone now."

"Okay, I need a break." Ren sat down putting his head between his knees. "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT OF HERE!?!"

"You okay?" Jaya asked him.

Calm down Ren.

Don't undo the progress you've made.

"I'm good, just doing, uh, vocal exercises!" he improvised. "Studies show they help the, um, thinking process!"

"Huh, I didn't know that," she said.

"Well, questionable science studies aside, does anyone remember what the inscription said?" Katara said.

"Like the mind, the labyrinth has many obstacles obscuring the center, both physical and not. The truth can lead you there," Cyrus recited.

"I thought we already figured that out." Khan complained " It was talking about the invisible walls."

"There could be a deeper meaning," Jaya commented.

Katara, who had scratched the riddle out on the floor with a blade hidden in her arm-er technoband, said, "I want to know what the first part means. Why compare a labyrinth to a mind?"

"Maybe because they're both... Uh, confusing?" Ren guessed.

"Very helpful" Khan said, voice dripping in sarcasm. 

"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything" Ren countered.

"Guys..." Jaya warned, and with that, they both shut up.

"Perhaps he's on to something," Cyrus mused. "It can take awhile for people to trust others and admit the truth." Ren coughed, averting his face.

"So what you're saying is, to get through the maze, we have to be our true selves, ​​​​" Khan said incredoulusly. "What does that even mean?"

"Maybe we just have to admit something we usually wouldn't." his sister said, standing up. "My name is Jaya Lenori, and... I'm tired of living in my brother's shadow." She gave Khan an apologetic look. His lips twisted in a strange way, and he avoided her gaze. Before any of them could say anything a turquoise light flashed, leaving a force field hovering an inch or so off Jaya's skin

"Huh," she said, tapping the sheilding. "I guess it worked."

Clay straightened, "I'm Clay Brooks, and... I'm sort of addicted to cake. To the point where I refused to eat anything else for six months when I was a kid." Orange light the same color as his powers flashed. The others stared at him as he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Okay then," Khan blinked. "The name's Khan Lenori, and I'll admit I should.... er, think more?" His shielding was red.

"You think?" Katara teased, only for him to swat her with a laugh.

Cyrus looked thoughtful for a moment before he said, "I am called Cyrus Julian,  and... Rali makes me feel... strange."  A white light enveloped the nindroid.

"We're going to talk about that later" Khan grinned. "Your turn Kat."

Katara bit her lip. "My name is Katara Anakari, and... fire is my greatest weakness?" She looked relieved when a silver light poured over her.

"Too bad you're hanging around the Master of Fire then," Khan smirked.

"You mean Guardian," Jaya corrected.

"But master sounds cooler!" he complained. As the sibilings argued Clay turned to Ren, who had been staying quiet for a change, and was huddled on the floor in the slim hope he wouldn't have to do this.

"Your turn," the older boy told him.

Just great The ONE time I want to be ignored, I'm not. How ironic.

"I, uh, can't think of anything," he muttered, hugging his legs to his chest.

"Just say your greatest fear or something," Katara advised. 

"I'm afraid of... dying?" he tried, but it sounded like a question.

"I do not believe that counts," Cyrus observed.

"Come on, there has to be something," Khan said. "Embarressing school story? A really weird dream?"

"We won't judge you if that's what you're worried about," Jaya added.

"I- I don't know..." Ren averted his eyes.

Katara raised a brow, then shot a look at Clay. He nodded and grabbed Cyrus while she got Khan, and they dragged them several turns away.

"Hey! What are you-" Khan started.

"Oh, shut up," Katara told him. 

Great, we're alone. Thanks Katara.

About five minutes ago, this would've thrilled him, but now? He couldn't think of anything he wanted less.

"Um... I just, uh, wanted to apologize if Khan, er intimidates you or anything." Jaya mumbled. "But you've fought gangs and whatnot, so I guess that wouldn't bother you..."

"Yeah," Ren winced.

"What I'm trying to say is that I think you're pretty cool, and having a weakness or something won't make me think any less of you," she finished.

This is what I wanted.

                I did all this so she'd like me.

                                        So why aren't I happy?

Because you didn't do it right.

            She likes the guy you pretended to be not who you are.

                              Why did I do this?

Now I'm holding the whole team back.

Jaya caught the look on his face "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if-" "

"Stop, just... stop," Ren interrupted, "I'm the one who needs to apologize."

"For what?" she frowned.

He took a deep breath. "When I saw you in the courtyard that night, I was convinced you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen. The more I've gotten to know you though, I've realized you're a lot more than pretty. You're smart, strong, thoughtful, and so many other amazing things that... that I'm not. I didn't think you'd ever like me so... I made up a bunch of stuff to impress you." He dropped his eyes, unable to look at her out of shame. "The truth is... I'm just a boy from a poor family, that grew up on a junkyard. Sensei never gave me missions or anything. The only thing I'm really good at is playing video games." He shut his eyes, waiting for how she'd take his confession.

"So... Almost everything you've told me was a lie?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this to you. It wasn't fair or right," he answered, glancing up at her.

She shook her head. "Ren... I don't even know what to think right now, let alone say. I never... I can't believe... Even if..." She looked at him helplessly.

".... it's... it's okay," he replied and as he said it, he realized he meant it. "This, none of this, is your fault. It's mine, and I'll have to live with it, try to make up for it. And, for what it's worth, I still really like you, and... I hope that, maybe someday you might feel the same way about me." As the last word left his lips, Ren threw his head back, a wave of perfect clarity crashing over him. He could sense the electrical impulses in his body, in Jaya's, even the others who weren't anywhere nearby. He could feel the electrical walls, and all the power running the city above them.

"Whoa, wh-what's going on?" Jaya stammered." Your eyes are... Glowing. Are you okay?"

Khan chose that exact moment to storm in, followed closely by the others. "Okay, that's long enough, What's-" He noticed Ren's glowing eyes. "Oh, come on! I can't believe you of all people, unlocked before I did."

Clay cracked a grin. "Welcome to the club buddy."

Ren smiled, but still felt overwhelmed by all he could see energy surging around him. He his friends, still covered by various colored shields (his was yellow), but he also saw lines of white light zipping day their bodies. It was like...

Oh duh, it's electricity. I'm such an idiot

He quickly glanced around. Then he saw it. A symbol floating several feet off the floor set in a glowing wall that hadn't been there before. He reached out to touch it.

"What are you doing?" Cyrus asked unable to see the wall.

"You can't see the symbol? It looks like a circle of lightning bolts," Ren said. As soon as his fingers brushed it, he felt as if he had to do something. He visualized a surge of power, and felt the energy gather at his finger tips, then it burst into the wall.

"What symbol are you- "Khan started, but then was cut off as the formerly invisible wall flared with blue light. "Oh. That one."

"Look, there are lines leading this way," Katara noticed, heading down the passage way. Ren shook his head as the light faded from his eyes, and the world returned to normal. He couldn't sense or see the electricity anymore, but he did feel it pulsing within him, especially in his hands. He touched his thumb and index finger together, and flinched at the resulting jolt of power.

I'm going to have to be careful with this, he grinned. He noticed Jaya giving him a strange look.

"What?" he asked, feeling uncertain.

"I still don't know what to think about you, but..." she tilted her head. "Want to race?"

"You're on!" He grinned, breaking into a run the same time she did.

"Hey, wait for me!" Clay laughed, chasing after them. Soon enough they were all racing through the maze, teasing and taunting each other even Cyrus and Khan.

"I win," Katara gasped, skidding to a stop in the center of labyrinth.

"Not... Fair," Khan panted.

"How?" his sister asked, running in.

"I'll... figure it... out... later" he muttered between gulps of air. Ren laughed as he looked around. They were standing in a room similar to the one the scabbard had been in, except it was circular. The walls were once again carved and decorated with various symbols, and the hilt was on a dias in the center of the room. It was silver with alternating strips of black and blue leather padding the handle. The pommel looked like a leaf or claw grasping the bottom of the sword, and the crossguard was slanted, encircling two, small, sapphires on either end. Where a blade would usually be, there was a slot, waiting for the next piece.

"So... do we just grab it and run again, hoping it doesn't collapse, or does someone have a plan?" Clay asked,

Cyrus walked over to it."I am not sure if- oh, that works." Ren had pried a gemstone the same size out of the wall, and switched it with the hilt in one quick move.

"I figured if there was a trap, it'd be triggered by a pressure plate, so I just did the same thing we did to get pass the last vault." He muttered. "It's no biggie."

"It was smart," Katara complimented. "Now let's head back to the Temple. We got two of the pieces this time, we'll get the rest soon."

It was well past midnight when the exhausted Guardians, and their guides, stumbled into the Temple. Only five days had passed since they'd left for Diamond Canyon, but it felt like so much longer.

The drive back had been sort of uncomfortable since Ren has taken the opportunity to confess. Clay, Katara, and Cyrus had all forgiven him, but Khan wasn't happy, and Jaya... Well, she wasn't talking to him, which hurt, but he knew he deserved it. At the end of the day though it was good to be back. The Temple wasn't home exactly, yet it was a place they could relax, regroup, recharge, and plan their next journey.

"You made it!" R.A.L.I. welcomed them, having stayed at the Temple of Elements to watch over it while Ju was gone. "Did you retrieve the scabbard and hilt?"

"We did," Atalie said, pulling the scabbard off her back while Churro pulled the hilt out of his pack. As the three of them studied them, the teenagers stumbled in, the boys falling asleep on the first available surface they found, except for Cyrus, who joined the blade study group, while the girls brought the bags to their respective rooms.

I should help her but... would she want me to?

After a moment's indecision, Ren dragged himself off the couch and grabbed a backpack, and duffel bag out of Jaya's hands. 

"Let me help you." He said, but when she frowned, he barreled on. "Look, I get that you're mad at me, and you have every right to be, but you have to be as tired as I am, and I can't let you carry our stuff inside by yourself."

A corner of her mouth twitched. "Both of those bags are mine. I just wanted to unpack before going to sleep, like Katara is. Your stuff is over there with the rest of the guys' things."

"Oh! l, uh..." Ren blushed, handing her the bags. "Sorry, I just..."

"It's fine," Jaya told him. "If you want to help, you could grab Khan's pack." He nodded, and grabbed her brother's stuff, following her to the room she and Khan shared.

"Why's this so heavy?" He groaned.

"Hair products."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

He shook his head in amazement as he set it all down on bedroom floor, looking around in curiosity. He noticed that most of the room seemed to be done in Khan's taste. There was a bunk bed, just like his and Clay's room, with red sheets on the bottom and blue on the top. One of the walls were painted a bright crimson, with mirrors, posters, and shelves filled with random knickknacks. There was a guitar with an amp sitting in corner, and video recording equipment in another. The only thing that was out of place was a worktable by the door in several books about mechanics, and some new looking parts and tools. 

"Is this... yours?" Ren asked, picking up a screwdriver and messing with some of the stuff.

"Yeah, inventing's always interested me. We used to run a blacksmith stop, but I've been trying to learn the more technical stuff," she said. "I'm sort of stuck though."

Ren showed her a spinning propeller he'd hooked up to an engine. "I could teach you, if you want. I picked up some stuff from my dad."

"I'd... like that," she said, reaching for the little fan, but their fingers caught. Ren froze, not sure what to do. To his surprise she set his invention down, and shifted her fingers so that they twined with his. He looked at her a question he was too shy to ask shining in his baby blue eyes.

"I... I've thought about... everything, and I want you to know... I feel the same way," she said slowly, "but... with everything that's happening, I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship, y'know?" 

Ren paused, taking in her words, hardly daring to believe what she was saying. "What if... what if we just try it? We can take it slow if you want."

Jaya smiled, the moonlight from the window making her hair shine with silvery light. "I was hoping you'd say that." She closed her ocean blue eyes, and leaned forward.

OH.

MY.

ELEMENTS.

IS SHE ABOUT TO-

Shut up, he told himself, closing his eyes.

BOOM

At the loud noise, they jumped apart a second before their lips touched. Exchanging a glance, they both slipped out of the bedroom, heading to the living room, where they were met with a bizarre sight. Atalie was in a fighting stance, holding the hilt like she'd forgotten it was missing a blade, while Cyrus had his hands raised, and Churro had fallen off his chair then rolled the table with R.A.L.I. Khan, who had been sleeping on a stood at the counter jolted awake only to trip on Clay's suitcase at his feet. Speaking of the Earth Guardian, he was holding the coffee table above his head, facing the recently, slammed open front door along with everyone else.

Standing on the threshold was a little girl dressed in a black gi, and cape embroidered with a twisting emerald dragon the the same verdant hue of her eyes, the only color she had. Her skin was ghostly pale, and her braided hair was as dark as night. She was ragged, her clothes torn and unkept, her face dirty, her hair a mess, and her expression was hard, cold, unreadable. Ren decided she looked like a cross between a vampire princess, and a zombie ninja, or, in other words, scary, unnatural, and dangerous.

"Soran's been captured," she said in a voice that sounded far too adult-like for a kid.

"Who?" Ren asked, completely confused.