#because she’s a little older than him and aren’t the same time in the casino

[thatshadowgastwhore]

You can make an argument that any big three kid is the oldest, except for Jason.

Like, biologically, Percy has aged the most, he’s physically 17, which is more than any of the rest of them has reached

Thalia has mentally aged/matured the most, even if she stopped biologically aging at 15 years and 364 days, and should chronologically be in her 20s but spent some time as a tree where she aged slower.

Chronologically, Hazel was born the longest time from the present day, but she also died, and was in the underworld for decades before being resurrected, so that time didn’t really count for her, and she’s physically like 14.

Nico has been alive for the most time, but for 70 years he was in a place where he couldn’t physically age. He’s like…15 now and is aging normally, but has been alive since world war 2.

And then there’s Jason. Who had no wacky time shenanigans and died and didn’t come back. (Yet) honestly, and outlier who should not have been counted

[dreamsapphire28]

This is based on @yasuyorimarriedsamo reincarnation au I really liked it back then but you know inspiration is a fickle thing and it has struck now months later.

So in this au the Mc is the reincarnation of one of the exiles, in this version I'll be using my favorite exile Eurynome and my Mc1 Akemi.

The birth of a world, the touch of his beloved, ruling over his creation, a fight over who was the one to give origin to their world with the one he loved the most then making up accepting that the birth of their world was only possible due to their joined effort and love for each other, being betrayed by his loving sister, sinking alone into Oceanus and later being kept company by the sweet child who was also casted away only to leave that child behind when he passed from the world.

A name, his former, Eurynome.

Those memories and many others from the creator of Olympus were in his mind when Akemi was summoned to Tokyo that fateful night, they felt both vivid and distant like he was there living them but at the same time as if he lived them through someone else, Akemi could not remember his own life before coming to Tokyo all he had were the memories of Eurynome, Akemi was sure that at some point in the past he had been her, still he also was certain that he is his own person with his own life, he is more than just the continuation of someone else's existence, Akemi reassured himself.

Being able to recall Eurynome's life so vividly and having no knowledge of his own sometimes made it difficult for Akemi to try and differentiate himself from her, specially when he was overcome with emotions he couldn't fully understand, the ocean would be a great example of this just the sight of it filled him with such a bittersweet feeling, he knew it was because of that child, Hephaestus, that he had.... that Eurynome had taken care of the one she had to leave behind, but Akemi was a different person, so why did he feel that way? the memories he had of that time were both beautiful and sorrowful they could bring a tear to the eye of an outside observer, to Akemi however they felt close, personal, to the point where he wonders what became of Hephaestus even thinking about what things in Tokyo he could enjoy. Akemi had already accepted that he had once been Eurynome, but the he that existed right now is a different person, Akemi hopes beyond hope.

Being such a sensible subject to him Akemi never revealed the fact that he could remember his past life to none of his new friends in Tokyo, he did a pretty good job at hiding it too, most of the time, there where moments where people would think that Akemi seemed wise beyond his years or were surprised of his deep understanding of the concept of a world system as if he had been closely involved with one. Then of course there was his guardian Kyouma Mononobe, Akemi could not for the life of him tell if his teacher was aware of Akemi having these memories or if he just happened to say things that reassured him when he wrestled with the thought of just being an extension of someone else's life.

In the beginning Akemi wanted to hate Eurynome but hating her felt like hating himself, the interactions and connections Akemi had made during his time in Tokyo how he helped others in turn helped him with his insecurity about his own identity, now he didn't hate her, Akemi still knew that a lot of his feelings towards various things were influenced by Eurynome's memories but he could live with that, he had made peace with it and now in some way felt proud that he was carrying her legacy he could do that while still being someone else other than her.

Until the battle at Aoyama cemetery when a certain golden dragon had made a brief appearance in that place. Akemi knew who the dragon was the second he laid eyes on him the dragon had changed, yes, but Akemi could never mistake him. Not once before had Akemi felt so conflicted about if he truly was just an extension of Eurynome, he was overwhelmed with so many feelings that he could not begin to comprehend, joy, love, relief, longing, sorrow, regret, grief, just looking at Ophion stirred so many things from the depths of his soul that it rendered Akemi completely paralyzed, Ophion had to leave before his friends could shake Akemi out of his stupor. Luckily Ophion hadn't stayed for too long, but the impression he left on Akemi was not small, ever since encountering him Akemi could not get Ophion out of his mind not even during his infiltration of the Tokyo casino or while running around Shinjuku avoiding the ongoing debacle caused by the Roppongi Tycoons. Akemi knew for a fact that he was more than likely to meet someone from Euryonome's past sooner or later, even so he did not expect to be so shaken by it.

Now Akemi found himself before the one responsible for the current chaos in Shinjuku no other than Ophion, just looking at him Akemi could fell himself freezing up again overwhelmed with emotions. Then Ophion started boasting about how he, the sole creator of Olympus, could not be defeated, Akemi could not catch everything that Ophion said but it was enough to make all his conflicting emotions converge on a single point, fury would not be the proper word it was something a bit more petty, Akemi felt that it was more of an attack to his pride rather than an outright insult, "You deceitful lizard, saying you created the world on your own, as if" Akemi spat fixing Ophion with a sharp glare, Ophion was taken aback such a petulant child to speak like that to him the great Ophion, Akemi continued talking before Ophion could give him a piece of his mind "I thought you had learned your lesson back then, seems I was wrong, maybe I ought to knock off your other tusk to drive in the point" Akemi hissed angrily, Ophion eyes widened as he slowly reached for the place where his missing tusk once was, 'how did this child knew of that?' Ophion thought in surprise.

The battle raged on Ophion had sent his underlings deal with his opponents to little avail, he certainly did not expect having to deal with both Hakumen and Lucifuge, those two would have already dispatched each other if it wasn't for that damn insolent brat, the only person Ophion had not accounted for in his plan was making it all go awry. Believing that unless he disposed of these pest at this very moment his plan would become completely unsalvageable and seeing that regular minions were completely ineffective against the current foes Ophion made a brash decision, he used his sacred artifact to summon a younger version of himself ordering him to dispose of the rabble interfering with his scheme. The younger Ophion's oppressing aura made everyone stare at him cautiously, that was everyone except for Akemi who gave the same sharp glare he gave the older Ophion to the younger one, as if doing so was something that Akemi had done before many times. When young Ophion's gaze found Akemi the younger dragon's face was overcome with surprise "You..." young Ophion muttered quietly as he started walking towards Akemi who didn't so much as flinch when the dragon's intense gaze pinned on him. The younger dragon stopped right in front of Akemi and suddenly it was his turn to be surprised, young Ophion embraced him tightly yet lovingly "So this is where you've been" Ophion whispered, Akemi was speechless for a second, he felt tears prickling the corners of his eyes as his sword slipped from his grasp, Akemi hugged Ophion "Yeah, sorry you had to come all the way here for me" Akemi apologized.

Akemi and young Ophion's embrace was interrupted by the older Ophion "My younger inexperienced self the one you're embracing it's your enemy deal with him at once!" old Ophion snapped furiously. With the older Ophion's attention diverted Toji seized the opportunity to attack the older dragon, to the bewilderment of everyone present the clash of the two rules resulted in the creation of an exception with his rule now overflowing old Ophion entered a rampage bursting through the ceiling of the tower. "How could this happen? my rule and Ophion's don't oppose one another this outcome should not be" Toji muttered in equal parts astonishment and shame "Well yes and no, your attack didn't make a contradiction it's more like a paradox, the sole fact that Ophion could call upon his past self further proves that he didn't create that sacred artifact and by extension Olympus" Akemi explained a twinge of smugness in his tone at that last part as he walked up to Toji "Quite the sharp one are you not and here I thought I'd have to explain that to you" Alice mused "Say you seem to be quite familiar with Ophion's sacred artifact aren't you my dear knight?" She inquired looking intently at Akemi, who averted his gaze "What do you mean by paradox?" Toji asked confused "Under normal circumstances your attack wouldn't have caused an exception but Ophion summoned a younger version of himself, taking that version of himself from the time he existed in the past, your attack meant to destroy the egg made it so that the younger one should cease to exist but the older one still exist in Tokyo even though technically his past self had been exterminated and so the snake endlessly bites it's own tail" Akemi explained "Still the app treats this situation no different than the previous instances where exceptions appeared so we should be able to deal with this one the same way, but first we must deal with Ophion" Alice added.

With the help from both the summoners and Tycoons, Akemi and young Ophion defeated the enraged older Ophion who now layed on the balcony of the tower that served as the Tycoons headquarters, Akemi was kneeling beside him holding his hand as the dragon slowly dissipated into light "So it truly is you my beloved spouse" old Ophion said his tone uncharacteristically soft and peaceful "Not precisely, I bear her soul, I can remember her live, at some point I was her, but not now the person before you is someone else, I'm sorry to get your hopes up Ophion" Akemi apologized while smiling softly at Ophion "That may be but I can still see her same brilliance withing you and now I hold for you the same feelings" Ophion affirmed using his other hand to caress Akemi's face, he closed his eyes leaning into the touch with a relieved expression on his face then the sensation of Ophion's hand on his face faced as Ophion disappeared into the rainbow of transient light, the wind carrying the voice of the old dragon as he made a vow to his beloved. Akemi stood up to face the younger Ophion who was also fading out of the current time "I owe you an apology as well, you heard what I said before I am not Eurynome at least not in the way you thought I was" Akemi confessed avoiding eye contact with the young dragon, Ophion embraced Akemi once again "I am not one to fuss over such minimal details, to me you are and will always be my beloved spouse, no matter who you were or who you become it will not change anything for me" Ophion assured Akemi felt relief once again wash over him as he embraced the golden dragon "Such a cruel world to make us part just when we were reunited" Ophion sighed melancholically "Don't feel pity for me this is nothing that I don't deserve" Akemi interjected "Whatever could you mean?" Ophion questioned "Isn't it obvious? when Eurynome, no not only her I'm just as guilty, when I was exiled from Olympus I leaved you alone, now the world is taking you away from me because I abandoned you" Akemi stated "Such thoughts are not deserving of you my dear" Ophion said, while softly running his fingers through Akemi's hair who looked up at him small traces of tears on his face "For no matter if the world itself wants to do us apart I will cross whatever distance and surmount every obstacle to find you again, this parting is only temporary I will find my way back to you" Ophion declared boldly before disappearing into the rainbow of transient light promising to once again see his spouse. Toji arrived to find Akemi with his back to him looking at the sky "Akemi?" Toji called out softly, Akemi turned around his eyes watery tears threatening to spill at any moment "Is everything alright, do you need a moment?" Toji felt incredibly awkward having no experience in how to comfort someone, Akemi wiped his eyes with his sleeve putting on a smile that could only be described as brave, it was clear that he was hurting but that would have to wait until they could avert the current crisis "It's okay Toji, there's still things we need to resolve, I'll have some time to think about this later" Akemi responded trying to hide his sadness making his way to the exception territory.

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Want to go on vacation so I have to live vicariously through this blog - org xiii going on a cruise?

oh my god let’s get this chaos rolling - I’ve never actually been on a cruise before but I would absolutely love to go on one

if i had drawing skills i would totally draw some of this because it just cracks me up to no end

EDIT: i added some stuff about Xigbar because i forgot about him lmao

-

Xemnas: “Whoever is humming the Jaws theme song is going to get their ass kicked.“

They’re all sorely in need of a good vacation, something that they can all enjoy where they can do their own things but not be bothered by each other. Someone mentions a cruise in passing and some of the members are doubtful at being stuck on a boat with one another for a long period of time, but... Well. The boat is large and there’s an open bar and a WATER SLIDE so it doesn’t take long to get everyone on board with the plan.

They know that a lot of rooms on cruise ships don’t actually have windows, but Lexaeus, Marluxia, Vexen, and Xemnas all demand rooms with windows. Lexaeus and Marluxia can get a bit seasick if they’re in the bottom of a boat without seeing where they actually are, Vexen is high maintenance, and Xemnas isn’t having anything less than the best.

They don’t plan on paying out the ass for rooms, so they all decide to share. Roxas and Xion get their own room that’s connected to the room shared by Vexen and Lexaeus. Lexaeus, who was originally going to share with Xaldin, was forced to switch when Vexen refused to room with Xigbar. Xemnas refuses to share with anyone other than Luxord (because Luxord spends most of his time out and about and is actually rarely in the room), while Saix shares with Axel. Larxene and Marluxia cling to one another  while Demyx and Zexion claim the last room with a window because Demyx wanted to see the ocean.

Vexen: Okay, kids, just remember to stick with your buddy when you’re on the ship and that if you go overboard, none of us are going after you.

Zexion: I have a question.

Vexen: Yes?

Zexion: What happens if you go overboard? Do we just not go after you?

Vexen: If I go overboard then it means I went overboard on purpose to get away from all of you.

There are so many things that you can do on a cruise ship and everyone is ready to stay far enough away from each other while they still enjoy themselves. Even if they’re attending the same event, chances are that they won’t be sitting near each other. They have ONE night where they all sit and have a nice dinner together, but otherwise it’s free roam for each and every one of them.

The younger ones spend most of their time lounging in or around the pool, playing around on the water slides and generally causing a lot of chaos. Roxas and Xion enjoy swimming and playfully splashing each other with water when the life-guard (and Saix) aren’t paying attention, and they all enjoy trying to tip Lexaeus and Xaldin over when they decide to join them at the pool. Axel and Demyx manage to literally carry and drag Zexion out to the pool sometime during the second day, and the young magician actually manages to enjoy himself even though he’ll never admit it.

Demyx: Zexion, stop being a sourpuss and come terrorize people at the pool with us.

Saix is also at the pool, only so he can keep an eye on the others. It’s a good thing he does because chances are that someone is going to get in a fight with someone else - probably Larxene, when she and Marluxia decide to do some sunbathing - because some asshole thought it would be cool to hit on Larxene when she’s relaxing and that’s just going to be hell for everyone.

Some mornings are for GETTING PUMPED. Not wanting to get lazy just because they’re on vacation, Xaldin and Lexaeus do spend a bit of time in the fitness area, lifting weights and waking themselves up before they enjoy themselves with other activities.

Near the gym is the SAUNA/steam room! You can bet your ass that Axel will NOT be working out but he’ll definitely be in the steam room a few times during the trip. Demyx will join him on occasion and they usually get a big kick out of all the old people that end up there. Overall, they just like sitting and chilling like two bros

SPA TIME. You can guarantee that Marluxia and Larxene are spending a lot of the time in the spa with giant mixed drinks - mimosas in the morning with fancy breakfast treats, mai-tais in the evening. Facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, everything they can think of until they’re limp and pliant and lazy. Xemnas joins them one day for a back massage, much to Marluxia’s chagrin, while Demyx joins them when they get facials.

Saturday night brings a casino night in the main area of the ship, a tiny competition that has Luxord all but shaking excitedly with energy. Of course, he sweeps the floor with the competition during a giant poker match, and wins a nice $2500 prize for coming in first place. They’re all shocked and extremely impressed at how good his poker face is. He spends a good amount of time in the casino area during their cruise, but takes frequent breaks to go swimming, to the spa, or to tan on one of the Adults-Only decks with Xemnas.

All of the eating areas are a big hit. The younger group tends to go for the tiny food places by the pool, where they can find burgers, curly fries, hot dogs, tator tots, and giant slushies. The older ones like the sit down restaurants. Expensive wine, lobster with a delicious garlic butter, top rated filet mignon with a specialty seasoning, and live entertainment - usually someone playing piano, occasionally accompanied by a singer. Overall, they both agree that they have wonderful dining experiences.

Holy shit, when I tell you that Vexen somehow ends up entering and WINNING a shuffleboard tournament? It takes the whole organization by surprise. Somehow he just ended up on one of the decks and was observing some of the skilled, veteran players, and one of them asks if he’d like to give it a shot. He does and DAMN, he’s like an expert immediately????

Vexen: *comes back to the room he’s sharing with Lexaeus with a giant trophy in one hand and a margarita in the other*

Lexaeus: Uh... what’s that?

Vexen: Hm? A margarita, what does it look like?

Xemnas is the one who mostly sticks to himself the whole time. He tries a little bit of everything. Swimming, the hot tub, reading on a chair and getting a deep tan, relaxing at the spa, getting a bit of a work out, etc. He’s a fancy bitch who enjoys the fancier things in life, and holy shit they paid a LOT of money for this cruise for 14 people so he’s absolutely going to get his money’s worth.

Movie night is every night on a cruise ship, so everyone will gather together and lounge either in the pool or on one of the deck chairs and relax as a movie is played on a giant screen. It’s a good way for them to do something together without bothering one another. Axel and Saix help pass out sodas, icee’s, and popcorn before moving to lounge in the hot tub before the movie begins.

Xigbar has made himself known to the waitstaff on the ship for two reasons - he has good taste in alcohol and he’s an incorrigible flirt. He doesn’t mean any harm with it and he has no intentions of acting on it any further than a few playful words, so everyone knows not to take him seriously when they spot him flirting with a cabana boy or the staff in the gym.

Xigbar also has a secret night time routine, surprisingly with Saix. One night, Xigbar just couldn’t sleep and he found himself walking around the ship at three in the morning, when it was quiet and most people were asleep and the halls were almost empty. He ended up on the bow of the ship and it was AMAZING to look out on the water and the sky and just enjoy the sea breeze. He did the same thing the next night and found that Saix had beaten him there. After some quiet glaring, they mutually agreed just to enjoy it and not bother one another.

Finally, most of the younger group barely get any sleep. They order room service like crazy for various midnight snacks and have fun in the arcade beating high scores on all of the games they can manage until they all end up dragging themselves back and passing out in a single room together.

[oceanselevenism]

If you're still doing them maybe number 12 with both the ocean's siblings and their partners?

hell yeah!! i’ve put it under the cut :)) it is Very Tangentially holiday-sweater-related but it is too long to not post now! hope you enjoy, and happy holidays :))

It’s the first Christmas they’ve spent together in... nearly a decade and a half, actually. The years had flown by, blurring into a mess of run-ins and arguments and you stay on your side, I’ll stay on mine, but hey, Danny can’t fault his sister for wanting to make up for lost time. No, he can’t fault her (after all, if she had been the one to fake her death, he’d probably have moved into her house for a week, just to make sure she didn’t do it again) but he can make fun of her, so that’s what he does. “Aw, you really did miss me,” he says when she gives him and Rusty perfunctory hugs on her way into his house (Lou just claps them both on the shoulder, and he’s not sure whether to feel snubbed or relieved). “I can’t believe my dear sister actually cares,” he tells her when she brings him a mug of cocoa, ingredients nabbed from some billionaire in Germany. “Pure family bonding for the whole family,” he remarks when she goes off on a drunken, expletive-filled tangent about the Met Gala’s security over a game of poker (they’ve given up on trying to enforce the no-cheating rule, and he’s pretty sure Lou takes the opportunity to peek at Debbie’s cards). But in all honesty, he can’t keep up the ribbing; it really is good to see her, even if she definitely gets along better with Rusty (she’s told him as much, and right to his face, too) and the third day ends in a bitter, wine-fueled not-argument about their mother and their father and they themselves. But on the fourth morning Danny gets up early (it’s five in the goddamn morning, why the fuck has Lou already left a note on the counter saying gone on a run) to make latkes, and when Debbie comes downstairs she scoops out a dollop of his favorite sour cream instead of her usual applesauce, so unless her latke preferences have done a complete 180 since the last time he’s seen her, they’ve forgiven each other.

She and Lou volunteer to go on a grocery run that evening, and Danny’s glad; he hasn’t had the chance to jump Rusty’s bones in, like, five days (turns out cleaning up for houseguests takes up way more time than anticipated) (hey, the only people they’ve had over in years have been the crew from the Benedict job, and he’s heard Reuben threaten to shit on Turk’s feet, they don’t need to clean up for them). And for a minute, as Rusty pins him up next to the to-be-composted bag that is currently overflowing with potato scraps, the only thought in his head is the usual why didn’t we do this sooner. But then Rusty pulls back-- “Rus,” Danny complains-- and he tilts his head in that We Need To Talk manner. Which would be hot, if not for the fact that Rusty probably wants to talk about Debbie.

“You’re good, right?”

“We were never on bad terms.”

“Liar.”

“Well, hostile terms, maybe,” Danny amends. “But never bad.”

Rusty shifts, adjusting his forearms so it’s more like they’re just two good pals having a conversation three inches from each others’ faces instead of two good pals about to do very unsanitary things in a kitchen, and says, “I think you’re putting too much water under the bridge.”

“What am I, a Dutch engineer?”

“You’re very funny.”

“I know I am. Now, are we gonna--”

The door opens. Danny swears. “We were gone for twenty minutes,” Debbie says. “Are you that desperate?” Danny regrets going for the open-concept first floor, and he regrets it even more as Rusty pushes himself off with an air of utmost nonchalance.

“Here,” Lou says, lobbing a ball of fabric at Rusty. Her aim is remarkable, and Danny almost asks if she ever played softball before deciding he likes his well-being more than teasing his sister’s motorcycle-riding, brass-knuckle-owning girlfriend. It’s fine; next to him, Rusty huffs an amused laugh at the unsaid comment anyway. “Happy Christmas Eve.”

Rusty unfolds the fabric to reveal a truly hideous (and possibly offensive) Christmas sweater. It’s got red sleeves, a green torso, and a large, colorful fruitcake emblazoned on the stomach. Above it, in red and yellow, is text that reads FRUIT CAKE. “I love it,” Rusty says, pressing his lips together in that way that says he’s trying his damndest not to laugh. “It’s perfect.”

Lou opens her coat to reveal her own sweater, hers saying Ho Ho Homo. “I thought the theme was appropriate.”

“And for you, dearest brother,” Debbie says, pulling an atrociously-colored wad of wool out of a paper bag and chucking it at him, “you get the best of both worlds.”

With a mounting sense of horror, he recalls the year that he insisted on putting teal and orange streamers across the house, because it’s Hanukkah and Christmas mixed! That was the last year their parents had lived in the same house; Danny used to joke that it had been the final nail in the coffin for their mother. He pinches an edge of the cloth between two fingers and lets the rest fall open. It’s a Miami Dolphins holiday sweater. A teal-and-orange, festively-patterned Miami Dolphins sweater. Oh, his Boston-bred father would be frothing at the mouth. “We’re in Canada,” Danny says, equal parts shocked and awed. “How the hell did you get this here so quick? We were supposed to be meeting in Quebec until three days ago--”

“Danny, please learn what priority shipping is,” Debbie says. “Now c’mon. Wear it.”

There’s no way he can back out of this. If he refuses, she’ll just play the I thought you were dead card. He’s never regretted a decision more.

He puts on the sweater. Rusty-- his partner, his right hand, the love of his life-- wolf-whistles.

“I’m divorcing you,” Danny announces.

“Don’t worry,” Lou says with a grin, and is that her phone oh fuck she’s got a picture-- “Debbie, take off your coat.”

With the air of someone who has suffered the weight of the world, Debbie shrugs off her jacket. She’s wearing a matching sweater, and the dolphin on this one has a lovingly-embroidered smiling mouth stitched into it. Danny tries very, very hard not to laugh. “Shut it,” Debbie warns him.

“Oh, I’m not saying a thing,” Danny replies.

“We actually did get groceries,” Lou says, turning back to the door, “so--”

“Lemme give you a hand,” Rusty says. “Let these two bask in the joy of their new sweaters.”

“Fuck off,” Danny and Debbie say in unison. Rusty grins, cheery as ever, and leaves Danny’s side to follow Lou out the door.

“Great gift,” Danny says. “I’ll be laughed at by Reuben for the rest of my days.”

Debbie snorts, walking into the kitchen and rooting around in his cabinets. “Well, actually he’d-- wait, please tell me you didn’t, like, have gross old people se--”

“Shut up, Deborah,” Danny replies, feeling his neck heat up. “I’m only two years older than you. And no.” He refrains from adding on a “not this time.”

“Thank God,” Debbie says, pulling a glass out of the cupboard. “Anyway. Reuben’s not gonna laugh at you, he’s just gonna talk about your embarrassing baby stories in whatever groupchat you people have.”

Danny wonders how his baby sister got to be cooler than him. It’s very distressing. “That’s worse.”

“Yep,” she says, putting the pitcher down and picking her now-full glass up. She leans on the wall across from him, sipping her water, and narrows her eyes at him. “Are we, y’know... good?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Danny says. Besides the thirty years of vaguely pretending the other didn’t exist.

“I’m not gonna answer that,” Debbie says. “But... I’d just like to make sure. ‘Cause you’re the only not-completely-insufferable blood relation I have.”

Neither of them say anything for a moment; Danny picks at a loose teal thread, trying to think of how best to phrase the thoughts rattling around in his head. “I don’t hate you,” he finally says. “And I don’t dislike you, either. You’re a pretty good sister. And a great thief.”

“I know,” she replies. “I’m not gonna say it back, ‘cause then you’re gonna get an inflated ego.”

“Works for me,” Danny says, grinning a little.

“I guess it’s just... I mean, I let all the old resentment get in the way of, y’know. Having a decent relationship, personally or professionally.”

Danny nods. He’s still got the scar from the time they both went after the Ruby of the Isle; he’d won, but just barely, and only because he had Rusty and she hadn’t found Lou. But at the end of the day, neither of them have tried to kill the other, and they still did grow up together, playing in Atlantic City casinos and building sand castles under the boardwalk. “I think we’re too old for that now.”

“You’re the old one here,” Debbie replies, no bite in the remark.

“Only two years,” he reminds her. “But I did the same thing as you, letting petty grudges get in the way of family, and for that I’m sorry.”

“I am, too.”

“Thanks, Debs.” He frowns. “They’re taking a really long time to get the groceries, aren’t they?”

As if summoned, the door opens, and Rusty and Lou, each with a measly two bags in their hands, walk in. And Rusty has his phone in his hands. “Rus, I swear--”

“Too late,” Rusty grins, as the shutter sound rings out through the living room. “That outfit has already been immortalized.”

“Have I already said I’m divorcing you? I’m divorcing you.”

“Does it count as fratricide if he’s your brother-in-law?” Debbie asks.

“Disproportionate reactions,” Rusty accuses. “Besides, I’ve already sent it to Linus.”

Danny’s eyes widen. “Not Linus.”

“You heard me.”

His phone vibrates in his pocket. It’s a text from Linus Caldwell himself, consisting of a single thumbs-up emoji and two grinning cats. “You’re all terrible people. Terrible, terrible people.”

(the sweater rusty is wearing is real) (as is lou’s) (and the ocean siblings’)

[kd-holloman]

Oh, Hell D1 Ch 17 - Israfil

Hello, everyone! I have to admit that this chapter is probably one of my favorites so far! I can't pick just one excerpt because I like it so much. So, have a few!

I stop at the entrance to the room. I turn around to look down the rocky tunnel we’d come through, but it’s gone. Behind me is a golden marble wall with no windows and heavy golden vault doors in the middle. Ahead of me is a massive casino floor. Marble pillars go up, up, up, and fade out of sight. Demons in suits deal cards at crowded tables, mortal souls play the slot machines, and take turns at massive roulette wheels.

“Are you coming, Mr. Jones?” The demon asks.

“Yeah, sorry.”

We wade through a crowd standing at a table. A woman in a bloodstained dress lets out a despairing wail as the dealer hits her with another card. “Please, give me another chance!” She pleads. “I promise if you give me another chance I’ll do better!”

“Sorry ma’am,” the dealer says. He doesn’t sound repentant. In fact, he seems like damning her is the best part of his day. “You knew the terms and conditions before we dealt the hand. You lost.” With a twitch of gloved fingers, he gestures to someone in the crowd.

A bigger demon shoulders his way through and grabs the lady by the arms.

“No!” She shrieks, trying to kick herself free as she’s dragged through the crowd, “Let me try again! Let me try again, please! I promise I’ll do better!”

I watch as she disappears through the sea of souls crowding the casino floor.

“Mr. Jones,” the demon says, turning around to look at me. Her forked tongue flicks impatiently. “The Boss is expecting you. He’ll be displeased if we keep him waiting.”

*

I don’t have to wait long because the chair spins around. There’s a child lounging in it, legs over one arm of the chair, elbow propping his head up on the other. He doesn’t look to be any older than ten in mortal years. “How nice to see you again, little brother.” He gestures to the massive glass window in the adjacent wall. “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?”

The words sound so strange coming from a child’s mouth. I have questions about the pit, but my entire walk across Hell’s casino floor and the grandiose nature of it all has me tongue-tied. “Isn’t it a bit much?” I ask.

“I don’t think so. Then again, I’ve always been quite eccentric.” He stands up and walks toward me, hands stuffed in the pocket of his red sweatshirt. The closer he gets the colder it gets. It’s not like he’s radiating cold, rather he’s sucking the warmth from the air. “I have to admit, when I heard you were looking to speak with me I was shocked.” He passes behind me. I feel an icy finger trace along the base of my wings, right along its scar. “Then again, maybe not. You and I aren’t so different, after all.”

I tense, teeth clenched. I’m ready for him to push down, to hurt me. “We’re not the same.”

“Aren’t we?”

“No.”

“I think you and I are more alike than you want to admit.” He gestures for me to stand next to him and turns to the window. “You and I were both shunned from Heaven. You fell down, down, down. It’s a hard fall, isn’t it?”

I stare out over the casino floor. I grit my teeth but try to keep my face neutral. He’s a leech. If he knows he struck a vein he’ll keep burrowing until I bleed out. “We’re not alike.”

“Sure we are! Both of us got kicked off of the team. That’s something we have in common. I wanted to lead a rebellion. You fell in love with one of the . . . apes.”

There it is, the vein.

“Was she really that good in bed, Iz?” It sounds absolutely vulgar falling from his childish mouth. His finger presses harder on my wing scar. “Was she worth this?”

The pain almost makes me fall to my knees. I groan. “Fuck you.”

“Oh, that’s rude. I’m just a kid.” When he appears on my right side, he’s no longer a child. He’s a strikingly handsome man with a halo of golden hair and flawless skin. There’s not an ill crease or stray piece of lint to be found on his impeccable suit. He turns his hand over, revealing an apple. It’s so shiny I can almost see my reflection in the red skin. “Apple?”

“No.”

*

Lucifer’s eyes flash. They’re colder than the air around him. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Israfil. I could smite you right here and now. Do you know why I won’t?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond. He leans in close and hisses, “Because I’m going to enjoy hearing about how you eviscerate yourself each time you cut down a Nephilim; it’s tripping over your own sword and landing on the blade. One of these days it’s going to be too much for you to handle. When you’re ready to stop running from Heaven, you’ll know where to find me.”

Tag List: @vivian-is-writing, @tiredlittleoldme, @pe-ersona, @hydrated-bag-of-bones, @gay-melon, @saint-l0nely, @wildler

(Ask to be added/removed)

[fortheloveoffanfic]

After Party

Keanu Reeves x Reader. Request (A/n- have some smutty, bass player Keanu on this Friday night. Edit: I can’t believe I used the wrong ‘bass’ the first time *cries in dumb*)

Warnings- SMUT/NSFW, casual sex

Keanu’s navy blue t-shirt was soaked through with exertion, clinging to his skin. The crowd roared excitedly and the air felt electric. Like his band mates, Keanu was lost in the feeling, high on both the music and their audience’s exuberance. He had never been a fan of the limelight, but that, that was different; playing the bass, his fingers working the instrument expertly and the wide grin splitting his lips was enough to tell anyone how much he loved it.

There were people around her, too much maybe, but Y/n didn’t care. Like most of the other concert goers, her hands were in the air as her body moved in time with the music and she’d probably had way too much to drink by then, her inhibitions slowly withering away. “Aren’t you glad we paid extra for the VIP tickets?” Her best friend, Haley yelled, her voice combating the music.

“Definitely!” Y/n returned loudly. Originally when they’d made plans to see Dogstar during her birthday trip to Las Vegas, Y/n and Haley had planned to snag themselves a couple of general admission tickets and spend the rest of their money on an extra hotel room, but somehow, Haley had convinced her that being in the front row and getting into the backstage meet and greet would be way better than sleeping in separate rooms, and by extension, separate beds. And, as it turns out, she was right. Seeing one of her favorite Indie-Rock bands like that wasn’t something she was going to forget very soon, even if she was already drunk. “I can’t believe it’s almost over!” Y/n whined after the front man announced that they were on their last set for the night.

“Are you kidding me?” Haley laughed loudly, “The night’s just getting started! We have the meet and greet and trust me, its just gonna take one look at your outfit to get you an invite to a private concert,” Haley wiggled her brows, her words slightly slurred.

“Yeah, okay,” Y/n rolled her eyes, “Because hot celebrities wanna fuck a part-time nanny,” she huffed, finishing off the drink from her red plastic cup.  

“You never know,” Haley winked, teasing as she clumsily brushed some hair out of her face.

After the concert was through, fans had started clearing the huge hall on the ground floor of the hotel, some leaving while others with VIP passes, and even those who’d managed to dupe the security, headed backstage for the meet and greet. Things were signed and pictures were taken, but at some point, fans had started to leave there too. All except for a small crowd of women who managed to grab the men’s attention. By some odd miracle, Y/n and Haley had found themselves in that crowd, engaging in giggly conversation and tipsy, flirty jokes. 

They were all seated in what seemed to be a small lounge area in a corner of the room, surrounded by instruments and other stage equipment. There; short, black, velvet upholstered sofas were arranged close together around a matching, low, round table, littered with drinks, plastic cups and beer bottles. There was even a rogue cigarette pack or two mixed into the clutter. Haley was on the end of the chair in front of the table, while Y/n was wedged between her friend and another girl who’s name she didn’t even know. Music played loudly and the aroma of liquor hung in the air, adding a certain ambiance to their low lit, makeshift party.

“Look at that,” Haley nudged Y/n’s arm, nodding her head towards the other side of the glass coffee table, where the band was sprawled out, drinks in hand. 

“What?” Y/n chortled, trying to see what Haley was seeing, no longer interested in whatever was going on around her.

“Look at him,” Haley nodded subtly to a man, maybe five years older that Y/n, dressed simply in t-shirt and jeans, his hair hidden by a beanie, “He’s totally checking you out,” sure enough, his dark gaze was fixed her, half of his lower lip caught between his teeth, skewing his halfhearted smirk. 

“That’s Keanu Reeves,” Y/n giggled quietly, “There’s no way he’s checking me out, he’s probably just looking at someone else. Or, you know, he’s drunk out of his mind.”

“Only one way to find out right?” Haley wiggled her brows, a bad idea clearly in the making. By most definitions, both Y/n and Haley were adrenaline seeking risk-takers. They liked the rush, excitement and partying till dawn if the opportunity arose. But even then, Y/n always thought that there was a line, even if it wasn't defined or out-rightly related to their situation, it was always there, and somehow, Haley almost always managed to cross it. Before Y/n could even protest, Haley was leaning forward, trying to get Keanu’s attention, “Hey,” she snapped and when he looked at her, she smiled, bright and mischievous, “Hi, I was wondering; are you checking out my friend?”

For a minute, Keanu seemed stunned, and Y/n internally cringed at Haley’s boldness. All she wanted was to be swallowed whole by a spontaneous fissure in the floor, or at the very least, to never cross paths with Keanu again. That might have been more likely. Though, when his initial bewilderment morphed into a confident smile, Y/n felt heat rise to her cheeks, “Well that depends,” he planted his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together, leaning over the table in Y/n’s direction.

Y/n huffed, tilting her head and letting her hair sweep carelessly over her shoulders, “On what exactly?”

Keanu moistened his lips, “On if you’re interested or not,” he scooted rather gracefully to the edge of his seat, and Y/n did the same. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, though, if they were, Y/n didn’t notice, “If you are, then maybe we could get out of here.”

Briefly, Y/n silently checked with Haley, who just gestured for Y/n go. “Okay,” she bit back a smile, only standing to follow Keanu’s lead. Watching him go, his band mates, Brett and Robert whooped and offered him a couple other noises of approval, though Y/n could tell that Keanu was largely ignoring them, snaking his arm around her waist and offering her a swing from a bottle of hard liquor that he had swiped.

“Where are we going?” They spilled out into the hotel’s lobby, squinting at the brightness, a stark contrast to the smoky dimness of the small room backstage. Because Vegas never really slept, the lobby still buzzed with life, guests moving in and out and the casino opposing the auditorium showed no signs of closing soon, even if it was well past midnight. 

“Well,” Keanu looked around, “We could play poker,” he gestured to the tables peeking through the grand doorway, “Or I could take you up to my room.”

Y/n huffed, a small smile still tugging at her lips. In another instance, she might have pushed him away, disgusted by his arrogance in thinking that she'd willingly go to his room. But she was drunk past caring and she’d be lying if Y/n said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Snatching the bottle, she stole a few more mouthfuls, the tequila burning her throat as it went down, creating a warmth in her stomach that seemed to spread through her veins. Turing in his arm, Y/n cocked an eyebrow, “Lead the way hotshot.”    

Scoffing a chuckle, Keanu led her to the elevator, which turned out to be surprisingly empty on the way up. His hand around her slid to Y/n’s back, settling on the curve of her ass, just as she turned to kiss him, heated and hungry. “You know,” he mumbled against her lips, walking until he had Y/n pressed up against on side of the elevator, the reflective metal of the wall cool against her bare thighs and exposed arms, Keanu’s large calloused hands now on her waist, underneath her lace blouse, “I’ve been watching you all night, dancing with your friend. Anyone ever tell you that you look fucking sexy when you dance?”

Y/n’s pupils were blown with lust and she could feel Keanu’s hard on dig into her stomach, restrained by his jeans. As he spoke, his hands skimmed her body, passing over her mini skirt only to dip under the hem, going cup and squeeze her ass, “No,” Y/n moaned, arching into Keanu’s chest when  he lowered his lips to her neck, trailing kisses from her jaw, going downwards, his stubble rough on her skin.

“Well, you do,” he breathed, his lips warm and wet on her soft, silky skin as he sucked the sensitive spot behind her ear, “You kept distracting me, like a little vixen,” he growled, curling his palms under her thighs, hosting her up into his arms, Y/n’s legs, “And I don’t even know your name.”

“Y/n,” she offered breathily, “Nice to meet you,” she giggled.

“Keanu,” he returned, though, Y/n didn’t need an introduction to know who he was, “Nice to meet you too.” Less than a beat later, Keanu resumed his onslaught on her neck, eventually scooting her up some more so he could bury his face in the valley of her breasts. Y/n’s head lolled back, one hand travelling to shove off his beanie and grip a fistful of Keanu’s short hair, pressing his face closer to her chest.

Neither of them even realized that the elevator doors had slid open, too busy to hair the little, automated ‘ding’. What they did hear though was someone loudly clearing their throat. Y/n’s cheeks burned, taking on a rosy hue while Keanu smiled sheepishly, setting her down. “Come on,” he eventually snapped out of it, taking her hand and brushing past the hotel guests waiting to get into the elevator. 

Between giggles, sloppy kisses and teasing gropes, Y/n and Keanu, hand in hand, staggered towards his room, all the way at the end of the hall. When they got there, he clumsily unlocked it with his key card, barely having a moment to turn on the lights before he was crushing his lips to Y/n’s again. Their limbs tangled as they simultaneously tried to undress each other; he went for her blouse first, while Y/n pawed at the buckle of his belt. Eventually, articles of clothing were being tossed aside and by the time Y/n and Keanu stumbled through the open doors leading to the bedroom, they were left only in their underwear. 

Keanu maintained a grip on her curve of Y/n’s waist while she cupped his cheeks, walking backwards to the made queen sized bed. The lights in there were off and in the process of trying to make the way, they bumped into the dresser and even managed to knock over some things. When they were standing on the edge, Keanu hastily picked Y/n up again, only to deposit her length-ways on the bright white sheets. She fell with a quiet yelp, giggling breathily when Keanu yanked her panties off before getting out of his own underwear. 

With the aid of the city lights filtering through the closed curtains, Y/n could make out a few defining features, a well toned torso, a very impressive package and a devilish smirk. Likewise, as Keanu got onto the bed, pulling Y/n’s legs apart and getting situated between them, he could easily make out her breasts and her sensuous curves, along with her hair, fanned out around her, like a silky halo. If he weren’t in so much of a hurry for things to escalate, he might have taken more time to admire her, but what he could see made Keanu’s cock throb appreciatively and instead, he gave her legs a tug, pulling her body closer. 

He lowered his lips to ravish her chest, taking her hardened right nipple in his mouth, his tongue swirling around, his teeth gently grazing her skin when he eventually pulled away to favor the other one. Y/n moaned softly, eagerly pressing Keanu’s face chest. His stocky fingers trailed along her inner thigh, brushing her warm, wet folds, wasting no time before he was rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves, Y/n’s back arched to meet his touch.  Keanu worked her clit encouragingly in slow, circular motions, at times alternating between that and rubbing it with the ‘v’ of his middle and pointer fingers.

“Keanu,” she pleaded breathlessly, “More.” One of Y/n’s delicate hands run up his front, barely grazing the vertical scar on his stomach and up his firm chest before settling to settle on his shoulder, her other one circling his girthy shaft, pumping slowly, her thumb occasionally brushing over his head. 

As her ministrations grew faster, Keanu’s bucked into her touch, his fingers, now sticky with her arousal slipping into her entrance, curving to hit her G-spot, “You’re so fucking tight,” he praised between nipping and sucking her breasts, “Gonna feel good around my cock.”

The feeling of his fingers moving and out of her was good, but Y/n was growing frustrated with the burning desire for more. “Fuck,” she hissed when his thumb added pressure to her nub as Keanu continued, “Keanu,” she groaned, “God, just fuck me already.”

Smirking, he trailed hot, wet kisses kisses up Y/n’s neck, spending a few extra moments sucking on her pulse point before continuing his journey upwards. Keanu’s free hand skimmed Y/n’s side, his calloused touch sending shivers up her spine. “I want you to cum like this first,” his hot breath fanned her ear, and Y/n shuddered with pleasure when his tongue flicked the warm skin behind her earlobe erotically. 

Soon enough, Y/n’s walls were clenching around Keanu’s fingers, her orgasm sending her vision white as she shut her eyes. Waves of pleasure coursed through her body, her legs weak and shaking, eliciting a loud, sinful moan from her parted lips. Her hand enclosed around Keanu’s erection went limp, though he was too enamored to notice, from what he could see, she looked absolutely spectacular like that; with her head tossed the side, hair falling over her face, lips ajar and eyes shut tight. 

Keanu was about to push into her, when he caught himself, hastily reaching to feel around blindly on the nightstand. There should have been one right…….there. Feeling the cool, foil packaging, Keanu gabbed it up, effortlessly ripping the top before pulling out the condom and rolling it onto his shaft. 

Finally, Keanu sheathed himself inside of her drenched cunt, groaning lowly at how Y/n felt cocooning him. “God,” his voice was gravely and his jaw clenched, “You feel so fucking good.” Y/n’s only response was a needy whimper, already longing for more. For another moment, Keanu lingered inside, giving Y/n a much-needed minute to adjust to his size, before striking up a steady controlled pace, exiting fully before driving himself back in. 

Y/n’s arms went around Keanu’s middle as her legs tangled behind his thighs, eventually wordlessly urging him to flip them over. Now on top, her palms traveled up his chest, her nails sinking into the top of his shoulders to steady herself as she rode him. Keanu’s hands ran the length of her torso, eager to fondle her boobs, loving Y/n’s mewls of pleasure as his thumbs brushed her sensitive nipples, the remnants of her first orgasm being smeared on her chest. 

Rolling her hips, Y/n felt Keanu’s balls hit her core each time she came down, and his throbbing veins rough, the feelings adding to her ecstasy. Her broken sentences were already garbled and the makings of her second climax in the works.

The slight curve of his member easily hit her deepest points of pleasure, and eventually, one of Keanu’s hands abandoned her swollen breast, two of his fingers reaching between their joined bodies to eagerly rub her over-stimulated clit, his thumb pressed firmly to her mound. Y/n raked her nails along his chest, eventually settling on his pecs. 

Through his bleary vision, Keanu admired the way Y/n’s messy hair fell over her face, how, when his other hand slid to her waist, her breasts bounced with each movement, her sounds contained in her throat. “I’m close,” she admitted, her pace growing sloppy.

“Me too,” his hips bucked to meet hers, a couple digits still rubbing her clit as the other moved again, that time to knead her ass, “Come on baby,” he encouraged, “Milk my cock.” Keanu’s dirty requests were enough to push Y/n over the edge. Without further warning, Y/n shuddered around him, her pussy squeezing Keanu tighter, her legs mimicking bonelessness. 

Keanu hissed as he cock pulsed, buried deep inside Y/n, twitching as he shot ropes of creamy release against her walls, the only minor hamper being the latex barrier. The feeling was euphoric; he could feel the tingling down to his toes and his vision went stark white for a second, blind spots dancing on his eyes even as it faded. 

Breathing heavily, Y/n winced as she eventually pulled herself off of Keanu, collapsing onto the bed next to him. Their chests heaved and beads of exertion coated their bodies; Keanu had only just realized that the A/c wasn’t even on. Y/n’s eyes were heavy, and out of the corner, to her left, she could see that Keanu was still staring at the darkened ceiling, faint smile still quirking his lips. “It was very nice to meet you, Keanu,” she teased, giggling softly. 

“Likewise,” he chuckled, finally turning his head towards her. Again, the lapsed into silence, but it was only for a short while. “So,” he began, “Do you have to get back to your friend anytime soon?”

Knowing Haley, she’d probably left with one of Keanu’s band mates, or some other guy, intent on spending the night the same way Y/n was spending hers. They probably wouldn’t have seen each other until midday. “No,” she furrowed her brows, intrigued by where that was going. 

Leaning up on his crooked elbow, Keanu brushed stray locks away from Y/n’s neck and face, shrugging nonchalantly, “Good,” he chortled, swinging one leg over her, his lips connecting with hers and his already hardening cock against her thigh giving Y/n enough of an explanation. 

*******

Tagging- @harrisongslimited​

[theotheroccassionalfanficwriter]

Summertime Story

Summary: The Lantern Night people had come to visit town! Fireworks, food stalls, festival games! Helping Mammon pay off his debt! Underneath this festive atmosphere a single wish blossoms in your heart,

“I want this moment to last forever...”

Based on the Summer Festival Event.

Rated: T for Teasing Mammon about outdoor sex  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Tags: Established Relationship, Too Much Love for Mammon, Yearning, Love Words are: Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, with a dash of Receiving Gifts, B-I-N-G-O.

--

The day had begun in a peaceful manner, and you were enjoying a rare moment to yourself in which Mammon was not particularly in need of your affection, in this case it meant that the two of you were just holding hands underneath the dining table and eating breakfast with one hand. It was peaceful precisely because Levi wasn’t making a fuss over it, Belphie and Satan wasn’t throwing an oil tanker to the fire and neither was Lucifer frowning over it.

Summer had come into Devildom and it was officially, a few months since you had been part of the Exchange Program, and a few months since forming a pact with Belphie. During that time, you had done your best to juggle time between the six of them and pursuing Mammon. It had been a rough time, since more often than not your chances either backfired or Mammon himself would end up ruining it. However with the power of love (lol) you were able to successfully confess your love with help from Levi and Asmo and now Mammon and you were going steady for a total of three weeks.

And now you were enjoying a breakfast “date” with Mammon, skillfully ignoring the other background characters (lol). You had been tuning out the conversation, focused on the rare karaage Mammon had brought home last night for you, when your ears had heard the words “casino” and “debt” come out from Mammon’s mouth.

“Eh? You went to a casino without me?” You blurted out.

Which caught the attention of the others. Asmo already had the teasing look on his face as he said, “How cute~ Hey! Mammon how does it feel like having a girlfriend that attached to you?”

“I-It’s not fair! I want someone to say that kind of thing to me too!” Levi whined.

“I love you so much!” Mammon blurted out with a red face, an apology of sorts for not bringing you out with him to play.

“Hehehe... you’re so easily pleased aren’t you?” Belphie teased you as you snuggled up and melted into Mammon’s warm embrace.

You opted to ignore him and instead told Mammon, “If you needed money, you should have come to me!”

“Oi! You understand he’s like that because you keep on spoiling him right?” Satan said, worried at how easily you spoiled his idiot older brother.

“?”

The look of confusion on your face easily told him that you had become an idiot for love. But a quick glance at Mammon rubbing your face together and intermittently kissing your face in different places made him realize you still, at the very least, had your IQ points.

“Tch! Both of your deserved each other” Satan grumbled as he looked away at the sickening display of affection.

“Anyways! Please help me out with the stall!” Mammon begged, “I can’t just use my wife’s money like that after all.”

“I’ll ignore what you just called our Master but sure I’ll help you out~” Asmo agreed.

“I’ll do the same” Beel added.

“Me too” Levi spoke through gritted teeth.

“In that case I’ll do the same and head out for the library to figure out what stall we should do” Satan replied and headed out.

“Well, it seems like you’re having fun so I’ll do the same.” Belphie said before finishing up his breakfast.

“It’s rare to see all of you this cooperative” Lucifer commented as he watched with wide eyed disbelief that his troublesome brothers were cooperating this smoothly.

“We all probably have ulterior motives though...” You replied, still snuggled in Mammon’s hold and now being fed by him.

“We?”

You hummed and addressed Lucifer’s unsaid question,”Yep. I just want to spend time with Mammon.”

Hearing this words only invigorated Mammon’s love for you further and made Lucifer torn between exasperation and fondness for your love of Mammon. 

-

After the brainstorming session on the library, the whole lot of you with the exception of Lucifer started to practice making Candy Apples.

Carefully following Satan's instructions Belphie and you poured the sugar into the dyed water carefully. All of you watched in fascination as the sugar melted into the water.

"Hehe this feels like we're about to make poisoned candy apples~" You were amused at the thought of such mischief.

"Just be honest and say this feels like we're a couple of witches brewing poison" Satan outed your inner thoughts.

You turned your head around and gave him the kitty blep. Belphie had interrupted the fight before it could even escalate with a well-timed question,

"Should we stir it?"

"We probably should? I remember that burnt sugar tastes bad" You frowned as your brain recalled the taste of your burnt caramel pudding.

Your answer had led to Belphie to start stirring in panic. Mammon, your darling demon, in his impatience, grabbed the stirrer from Belphie's hand and began to stir enthusiastically.

"Oh crystals are forming?" Asmo looked at the cauldron, you took a peek as well and realized that there was indeed crystals.

'Ah...I messed up...' You looked sadly at the wasted efforts just as Belphie angrily asked,

"Whose idea was it to stir it?!"

Levi, your saviour, decided to shift the blame on Belphie. You sent him a grateful smile and secretly decided to pamper him a little bit more, once the opportunity arises.

"Let's just feed this batch to Beel" You told them as you took the tray away and delivered it to Beel.

"Ahahaha, you're treating Beel like a disposal unit!" Asmo laughed in amusement as he recalled all the times you had fed Beel your failed cooking and desserts that just didn't meet your standards.

You blushed as you remembered how much time the three of you had spent baking and cooking just so you could give a home-made lunch set to Mammon. It had ended in vain due to a mishap with a lower demon but you couldn't deny the happy feeling of Mammon eating the fallen spicy squid rice ball you had made for him.

"It's delicious! You should cook for me next time~!" He had teased you.

"This is just me being practical..." You hmphed at him and gently stomped your way out of the kitchen as they began to make a new batch.

When you were faraway enough to not overhear anything, Asmo chimed,

"She really does spoil all of us doesn't she?"

Mammon happily agreed, "Isn't she just the best!"

"Of course you'd say so, out of all us, you're the one she spoils the most!" Levi grumbled as he began washing a new batch of apples.

Satan hummed to show his agreement, "You must be so happy getting exactly the kind of lover you want."

Mammon blanked out for a moment before he remembered what Satan was talking about.

"I want someone who'd invest on me as much as I'd invest on them!"

He remembered the sticker you had sent at that time. Your cute and almost childish enthusiasm and your following comically rude disinterest at the following answers. It was in the early days of your stay when they were all interested in you, not as you were, but as a human they happened to be living with.

Mammon smiled softly and replied, "I am! That's why I'm doing this for her!"

Satan stared at him in shock.

-

You came back to see that others were resting while Belphie was still going at it.

"Anything I can do to help?" You asked him as you silently settled across him and stared into the cauldron.

"Keep me company? It's rare to see you and Mammon not attached to the hip." Belphie answered, soft smile gracing his lips.

You nodded your agreement and proceeded to talk to him about mundane stuff and the occasional gossip you would get from your succubi and incubi Tea Appreciation Club members. It was an open secret among your demons that the club was really just a front for Gossiping. And Diavolo allowed it simply for the fun and sometimes useful nuggets of information you'd tell him on your weekly report about the Exchange Program.

"Oh! I think you've got it down Belphie!" You noticed the perfectly melted candy and Belphie happily ordered you to prepare the tray of apples.

"Aye aye, Captain!" You saluted him and then quickly assembled the tray and watched him pour the candy over the apples.

The two of you watched the candy dry in glee and cheered.

“Let’s do the next batch?”

“Let’s take a taste test first,” Belphie replied as he took one candy apple and gave it to you “Here, take it.”

You gingerly took the apple and happily took a large bite on the side. You closed your eyes and gleefully savored the sweetness of the candy that worked well with the light sourness of the green apple.

“Is it delicious?” Belphie asked.

“Yep! You should have a bite!”

You moved the apple towards him and Belphie took a bite on the opposite side. Seeing him eat the apple made you laugh as you remembered the story of Eden. Belphie had looked at you in confusion and you explained,

“Bit on the nose isn’t it?”

You smiled and gestured to him, the apple and then yourself, “A demon, an apple and a woman.”

Realization sinks in and Belphie laughs lightly. “Well the apple certainly wasn’t green at that time.”

Your eyes widen at the implication of Belphie’s words however he refuses to elaborate what he meant.

-

The next couple of days were spent building and designing the stall. It had been fun painting the sign board, coming up with the prices just on the side of a little bit pricey without outright scamming the festival goers, flirting with Mammon, convincing Lucifer to let Diavolo drop by (Barbatos had seen through your attempt at free advertising), and scheming to get Lucifer's fan club to drop by (Lucifer had caught wind of it and you were given an impromptu running exercise). As the final preparations came to a finish, you couldn't help but ask a few questions about the festival itself,

"Ne ne Satan~" You poked at Satan's arms "Do you know if there would be fireworks shows at the end?"

Seeing your inquisitive look Satan began telling you what to expect at the Festival,

“These demons have different culture than the ones you typically see at RAD, theirs share a commonality with the human world’s Japanese Culture. An example would be the food stalls and the game stalls, the clothes called Yukata, animal masks, fireworks show and of course the Bonfire dance.”

“What’s the differences then?” You asked.

“Well...I guess the difference lies on the intent behind the bonfire dance?” Satan mumbled as he held his chin with his hand in thinking position, “Up there, the humans do the Bon Dance to guide their spirit ancestors to the underworld, in here the Lantern Night folk lights the fire to welcome those who arrived.”

“Lord Diavolo rents them an entire mountain range to use for this occasion,” Lucifer added “Though this event had always been here even before we arrived.”

“Then it’s just sad Dia-chan never got around to drop by until now~” You frowned at the thought that it took a long time before Diavolo even considered to drop by the festival until you invited him (with harmless ulterior motives that Barbatos let go).

“Dia-chan?” Lucifer repeated with a thunderous expression on his face.

“Get over it, I’m his human best friend.” You told him non-nonchalantly and wandered off to help and flirt (again) with Mammon.

The day of the festival arrived and as all of you were preparing to head out, Asmo had arrived with presents.

“Oh! Is it food?” You asked excitedly, trusting that Asmo knew your tastes by now but seeing the pout on his face you knew that any hope of having a light snack on the way was null.

“It isn’t! Jeez, why are you like Beel whenever someone gifts you something?” Asmo whined and you laughed at him.

“Because food is life.” You answered and then winked at Beel who was happy to support your claims.

“So what present did you get for us?” You asked once you had your fun and let Asmo do his thing.

“Ta-da~! Levi and I made clothes for us to wear at the festival~!” Asmo handed out the paper bags to the rest and presented yours with a flourish, “This one was specially made for you~ I had to hunt down the exact fabric and accessories just to make it come true!”

Seeing the proud look on his eyes, you happily praised Asmo and then some. You didn’t forget to praise Levi as well and happily watched his face turn red from embarrassment with your heaps of praise before inviting him to cosplay with you sometime.

“Hehe~” You hid your giddiness behind the wide and long sleeves of the soft white kimono. Admiring the detailed phoenix embroidery on the left side, while pink hand painted cherry blossoms littered at the bottom of the hems. the thin gold threads that formed clouds made it sure that the phoenix was soaring upwards.

“Thanks a lot, Asmo! I really like this!” You thanked Asmo once more before praising him for his cuteness and assured him he’d be a body breaker with how good he looked.

As each of the brothers went out to show their festival clothes, you made sure to praise each and every single one of them. Naturally, Mammon received most of your praise and appreciation, you made sure to thank Asmo once more for his nice assist. 

“Mammon you look so handsome in your yukata!” You praised your boyfriend and made sure that he knew you were throwing very appreciative looks on his well-toned abs even if it was partially covered by bandages. You even patted his chest, taking the chance to grope his firm pectorals.

“Oi! Do that kind of thing at our bedroom!” Mammon lightly admonished you, as he gently grabbed your wandering hands and held you tightly against him.

“We can do it too if we find a dark secluded place in the forest...” You whispered to him and then loudly added, “You can grope me too if you want~! I’m allowing you to do so! Actually please do so!”

“Oi! Don’t tempt me here!”

You laugh at his agitation and kiss him before quickly running away with Asmo and Levi on tow.

-

After setting up the stall, you and Mammon were on the first shift. You watched in amazement as Mammon turned on his charms and easily sold the first two pieces of Candy Apples. You silently thanked your lucky stars that your Mammon wasn’t a ladies man but was instead just as utterly devoted to you as you were towards him.

“Hey, you should try calling out for customers too” Mammon gently nudged you to call out for customers and you gathered up your courage to at least contribute to the sales.

“Hey, Handsome!” You called out to the fox demon, “Come try our glossy candy apples!”

“Is there anything special about it?” The fox demon asked you.

Your mischief senses tingling to make a sale made you answer, “The special thing about it is that we sell it as a pair! Give the other half to the one you like and you’re guaranteed to have a wonderful event~!”

The fox demon blinked at you and hesitantly asked, “How did you— ”

“Handsome Fox-sama~ Our apples are guaranteed to help you have a beautiful memory from this event~ also seeing how much effort you put in tonight, a little luck from Enmusubi-sama won’t hurt!” You winked at him and you knew that he had fallen for your sca—sales speech.

“Then I’ll take two, please!”

“Here you go~! Two candy apples to go!” Mammon wonderfully assisted you and the two of you spent the shift doing excellent sca—sales work.

As the shift came to an end, Mammon began asking you what you wanted to do. You thought about it for the moment and said, “I want to see all the stalls while holding hands with you! And I want to see if they have fortune telling stalls too!”

Mammon blushed at your words and shyly said, “O-ok! As a reward for doing well, I’ll take you around and do everything that you want!”

“Then in that case I’d like to add that I want to dance with you around the bonfire. watch the fireworks with you at the end of this festival, and share a kiss that could lead into something else with you in a dark secluded space.” You looked at him in the eyes, conveying the seriousness of your wish.

“The-the last one might just be a bit...”Mammon trailed off as he stammered and felt his face heat up.

You made sure to show him your well-honed (courtesy of Asmo) puppy-dog eyes. And boosting up your charm just to get a sweet, passionate kiss from Mammon like both of you were part of a shoujo manga special.

“Grah! I got it! I got it! I’ll ki-kiss you at the end of the fire works show so stop giving me those eyes already!”

“Hurry up and leave you shameless PDA couple.” Satan told both of you off with dead fish eyes.

You did as Satan said and quickly pulled Mammon away from the stall to start of the date. The two of you idled around, sampling snacks and feeding each other.

“Here, have a drink. You’ve earned it” Mammon placed the cup of iced tea in your face and you took a sip from the straw.

‘Indirect kiss~ get!’ You thought happily as you drank.

“You did really great compared to how you used to be when talking to other demons” He praised you as you finished taking a drink, he tucked in the stray strands of hair away from your face and you blushed at the intimacy of his actions.

“It was all thanks to you...”

You looked away from his loving eyes, and squeezed his hand tight. You knew that most changes you had could be attributed to Mammon and your never ending desire to keep his eyes on you.

“Wh-what’s with this cute act!? Do you want a kiss or something?” He stammered and you could only shyly snuggle closer to him and nod slightly.

“Yes, please.”

Mammon leads you away from the crowd and prying eyes, the two of you were now tucked behind the stalls and Mammon’s hand was gently cupping your face.

“You’re really spoiled you know that?” He complains and yet his eyes were soft and fond of you.

You had always heard that eyes were the window to the soul and Mammon’s eyes told you everything he felt for you. And as always you couldn’t help but drown in them. You watch his face get closer to yours and you closed your eyes as his breath mingled with yours.

Mammon’s kisses would always begin in this way, soft and cautious. Always giving you a chance to pull away, even if everything in you would always seek him out, he kisses you like you were something infinitely more precious than the gems and countless treasures he stored away from the House of Lamentation. He kisses you in a way that never allows you to doubt for a single moment that you weren’t important.

He pours everything that he feels into his kisses and you accept all of it and give him back everything that you are. You drown in his love and let yourself grow weak in the knees and Mammon, your devoted demon, never fails to catch you and hold you close to him.

-

The rest of the shifts you had were a blur of events as your mind kept on wandering to the kiss Mammon gave you behind the stalls. It had felt different and you didn’t know why. This in turn made the situation feel like it was the start of the Exchange Program once more, and everyone but Mammon could see that you were crushing on him. The difference was that this time Mammon was aware of the blush on your cheeks, the reason behind your increased heartbeat and coquettish looks that you’d send to him.

He would without fail take his chances to payback for all of the times you’d tease him and you would take it like a champ even if you stammered or blushed your way through it.

Levi who couldn't stand it anymore got fed up and told the both of you to go PDA somewhere else.

“Be back before the fireworks show.” Lucifer said as Mammon took you away and proceeded to do everything that you asked of him.

The two of you garnered attention with your matching themed festival clothes, the dragon and the phoenix. Female demons would sigh and look at envy with the careful and gently way Mammon treated you, his doting and affectionate looks towards you made you feel muddle-headed while increasing the envy of the female demons. 

The unsatisfied female demons who were single made up their mind to buy the blessed candy apples, while the ones who weren’t glared at their useless lovers and asked why they can’t be treated as sweetly as you. Thus, every demon that got criticized for not being as romantic as Mammon silently cursed your boyfriend in their heart, you were oblivious to this of course.

The two of you drank the free cup of sweet sake given away for those who got their fortunes told, and continued to leisurely walk around the stalls while holding hands. You spotted a stall selling couple charms and asked, “Can we check out that stall? I want to buy matching charms.”

Hearing the word “Matching” Mammon began walking towards the stall and enthusiastically began picking the ones that would look best for the both of you. Among the numerous charms you saw a pair of maneki neko and took it. Examining it carefully for damages, you turned to Mammon and said, “Darling, what about this?”

“Hm? What does it do?”

The vendor seeing her chance answered Mammon, enticed by the idea of gaining more luck when it comes to money, he bought it for the two of you. As all vendors of charms are to do, the crow demon lady also advertised a red thread of bracelet as a couple charm. Knowing the lore behind red threads, you shyly handed over twice the amount and bought it for you and Mammon.

Both of you thanked the lady demon and went off. You were admiring the woven red thread bracelet on your wrist, adoring the idea that you had tied your fate with Mammon. Seeing how happy you looked at something that was cheap, Mammon wondered if the bracelet you had tied to his wrist meant something deeper but he remained silent and instead opted to admire the pleased look of your face and fell in love with you all over again.

He tugged you closer to him and bent down a little bit to whisper to your ear, “ The bonfire dance is about to start, let’s go?”

Your ears reddened at the warmth of his breath and you remembered the kiss again, you could only weakly lean against him and nod your head. Mammon, seeing you so docile and practically transmitting your love for him to all demons and angels within range, made him smug. He leads you carefully towards the bonfire, and masterfully leads you to dance. Your hands clasped together, bodies close, and the warm light of the fire as both of you gazed at each other lovingly was the envy of all who were watching the dance.

You knew that Mammon was no angel, but the way the light shone upon him made him look so soft, and your love for him was overflowing that it hurt. But it was a pain you had grown to be familiar with. A small silent proof that you were capable of loving, and that you were worthy of being loved back.

As the time for the fireworks drew near, Mammon and you slipped away and headed to a spot he knew. It was up into the mountains and a secluded viewing platform that was overgrown with trees and grasses.

You glanced down to your linked hands and smiled at the realization that not once had he let go of your hand. You couldn’t help but keep on smiling, smiling so much for the whole evening that your face hurt. Today’s Mammon had made you realized how lucky you were to love and be loved by someone like him.

Mammon who was always considerate of you, silently taking care of you, and always looking out for your best interest. You recalled all the times, he’d cook for you and secretly put all the best parts on your plate, the times he’d just hang around you all day when you’d wake up with a heavy heart and body. You remembered how he had happily supported you with your naivety of saving that other version of you, how he always had your back and supported you unwavering in his belief on your abilities even when you doubted yourself.

“Look!” Mammon called your attention as he pointed into the sky.

The first firework exploded like a blossoming flower on the sky, and then came the next and the next until the Devildom sky was decorated in varieties of colored fireworks. You were mesmerized and couldn’t help but let out a soft, “It’s beautiful...”

You turned to Mammon and met his eyes, soft and utterly in love with you.

“You-you should be watching the display...” You hid your blush behind the sleeves of your kimono.

Mammon let go of your hand and you looked at him in confusion, he chuckles at your displeased look and instead brings out a velvet box. Your heart stammers and you feel blood rushing to your ears.

He calls your name softly, preciously, sweetly, as if it was as holy as his Father’s name and to him, your names was perhaps even holier than God’s. A name meant to be said only with love, a name that carried so much meaning for him. You had carved a hole in his heart and filled the empty spaces in him with your love. Your love had changed him irrevocably, remade him into a better version of him, made him unable to think of a future that didn’t have you in it and fear such possibilities.

You had made him care for you in a way that he had forgotten since he fell, and Mammon wanted you to take responsibility for it because he was no longer just the Avatar of Greed, one of the seven Rulers of Hell. He was now your Mammon, your lover, your most beloved demon, and most devoted avatar.

“Is this...?” You trailed off, not daring to hope too much on what a small box could mean.

“There is no such thing as marriage among demons not in the way humans do, not in the way angels used to have...but I can give you my vow, to love you as I always had in this obscure and inhuman way where I give all of myself to you.”

You tear up as his words envelop you and Mammon continues, ever so gentle with you as he whispers the words only meant for your ears, “Let me continue loving you in spaces between my ribs and in my heart, in the shadowed and rough edges of my soul, allow me to join you in your darkest days and happiest hours, i’ll weather the wind and rain for you...all I ask is that you give me the entirety of yourself...the bits and pieces that you hide because you think I am capable of being disgusted by you, those parts of you that you hate because it is the worst of you and you think it is ugly.”

“Mammon...”

“I don’t know how to love the way you humans do, all I know is that I love you as simple as the fact that my heart, sometime ago, without me knowing began to beat for you.”

Your tears flow, and you could only give him a choked up, “Yes.” 

Mammon smiles with tears in his eyes as he slides the ring into your ring finger and kisses you on your forehead. You do the same to him and the two of you snuggle together and watched as the show slowly came to and end. You stare at his content face, and you can’t help but wish,

“I want this moment to last forever...”

Mammon blinks before his a wide mischievous and doting smile blossoms on his face, “In that case let’s start the tradition of spending this festival together from now on!”

You happily agreed and once more linked your hands together, red bracelets intertwined without you or him realizing.

[rinneganwritings]

Never Far Away; Chapter Nine: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Word count: 3,346 Summary: Tamako finds herself feeling very lonely and unsure of what the future might hold for her. She meets up with Itachi, who shares some devastating news. This sparks a new flame in Tamako.

Warnings: Slight NSFW content

Masterlist

Tamako is tired when she and the other women arrive in the new village. It’s shiny, bright and the lights are very attractive. Tsunade wanted to come here because of the casino, Shizune just wanted to get somewhere to stay the night, and Tamako was just following because she had nowhere else to go.

She often thinks about how her encounter with Itachi had gone miserably, and how it didn’t go according to how she had planned it. She wanted to see him again and maybe try to explain to him how she was feeling, but she knew he’d probably just send her away again. Tamako was starting to believe that Itachi’s feelings for her had diminished or dissipated long ago.

Her heart ached as Tsunade finally led them into the beautiful and luxurious inn. This was such a better looking inn than the last one they had stayed in. Tamako is wondering how they’ll be able to manage to stay here, but Tsunade knows her way around people. She’s got a few tricks up her sleeves.

“C’mon, kiddo. Let me show you how to get a free night stay,” Tsunade coaxes, and Tamako follows her inside. Shizune trails behind them, a little unsure.

Inside, the host is a stuffy older man who looks to be about Tsunade’s real age. He seems a little snooty, but Tsunade doesn’t let that stop her from following through with her plan. Tamako watches her saunter over to the counter, and she tries to mimic her actions.

“Hi there,” Tsunade says in a sultry voice. Tamako almost starts laughing, but manages to keep it together.

“What can I do for you?” the older man asks. He seems a little weary of the three women, but he tries to stay professional.

“We’d like a room… but, we’ve got a bit of a predicament,” Tsunade says as she starts to push out her chest. Her large breasts sit on top of the counter. Tamako looks down at her own breasts, which aren’t Tsunade’s size, but they are growing well.

“I can’t help you then. You need money to rent a room.” The older man warns, pointing towards a sign that reads “No money, no room”.

Tsunade throws her hair back a little, then she slowly undoes her shirt to reveal her tits to the older man. He takes in the sight for a moment, then turns away from all the women. Shizune and Tamako share a confused look.

When the man turns around, he’s holding a rag up to his nose and a room key in the other hand. He hands the key to Tsunade, who blows him a kiss after she’s adjusted her shirt. Tsunade then guides the other two towards the hallway, laughing slightly.

“Wow, that’s a great trick!” Tamako exclaims as they begin climbing the steps towards their room.

Tsunade smirks, “It’s only too bad it works mostly on just men. I’ve had it work on a few women, but they mostly aren’t too impressed.” She then looks over to Tamako’s chest. “You could probably do this as well, if you’d like. You’re not as flat chested as I thought.”

Tamako blushes and crosses her arms over her chest. It’s not often that people make comments about her body, and especially not since she’s become a young woman. Sasuke had made a few dumb comments once when they had gone swimming one day, and he had accidentally seen her breasts. Tamako thinks that maybe that was the first time he’s ever seen a woman’s chest.

“Lady Tsunade, I think that’s enough for tonight. You might be making Tamako a little uncomfortable,” Shizune pipes up as Tsunade finds their room.

“Awhh, let me have fun. Tamako isn’t bothered, right?” Tsunade looks over at Tamako.

“Oh, yeah I’m alright!” Tamako shakes off her uncomfortableness, realizing she needs to get used to this kind of life. She’s a rogue ninja now, and there will be times where she’s going to meet all kinds of crazy people like Tsunade.

When Tsunade opens the room, Tamako is in awe. It is gorgeous, roomy and lush. The carpets are a pastel pink color, while the walls are cream. There’s a large window that showcases the view of the whole town. Tamako has never stayed anywhere this fancy, and this place was even better looking than her room back at home…

‘Oh...home. I’ll probably never stay in that room again.’

Tamako felt so crushed for a moment, standing in the entryway as Shizune and Tsunade inspected the room. Shizune turns towards Tamako, giving her a small smile. Tamako takes a second to take a deep breath, then she starts to look at the luxurious furniture in the room.

“I’m glad you have that trick, Tsunade. I’ve never stayed anywhere this nice,” Tamako says briefly.

“Yeah, it definitely has its perks!” Tsunade explains, jiggling her breasts. She snorts for a moment before turning to Shizune, “get it? Perks!? ‘Cause my tits are so perky?”

Tamako giggles while Shizune groans and rolls her eyes, but Tamako notices a smile on her face. The women look around the bathroom and the bedroom, noticing it’s nice and roomy everywhere.

“I think I’m going to turn in for tonight, Lady Tsunade.” Shizune explains, but Tsunade is a little upset.

“No way! We just got here! C’mon, let’s go have a drink!” Tsunade cheers, pulling Shizune by the arm. Tsunade begins dancing with her, but Shizune just kind of stands there awkwardly.

“Please, Lady Tsunade. I’m tired, and I would like to make use of that bathtub.” Shizune pleads, and Tsunade narrows her eyes at her.

“Alright, but only because I’ve got Tamako here with me.” Tsunade says, wiggling her hips as she walks over to Tamako. Tamako laughs.

“Fine, but I cannot get drunk like last time. I’m still kind of a lightweight,” Tamako says, scratching the back of her head nervously.

“Ohhh, come now. You’re Takani’s daughter, it shouldn’t take you too long to start drinking like she used to.”

At the bar, Tsunade orders them a bottle of sake. They use some of the winnings from the last card game they played to pay for the liquor. Tsunade explains how using the boob trick a lot can make it lose its appeal to some people.

They sit in the corner table, watching for drunk or naive men to pass by. Tamako is dressed in a rather tight kimono, which stops just under her ass. She’s never really worn anything this revealing before, but she knows that Tsunade talked her into it so that the men might give them money or buy them booze.

“You really do look like her,” Tsunade slurs, already a little buzzed.

“Like my mother? Everyone says that. Yumiko favors my father, to be honest.” Tamako explains, leaning her chin on her palms.

“Yeah, she did. She’s flat chested and has a stick up her ass just like he did!” Tsunade says, laughing loudly. She hiccups and then blushes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Tamako just chuckles, “don’t worry, I know how Yumiko can be. She’s tough as nails and she had to grow up fast, so she didn’t always have the most time for fun.”

Tsunade pours them both another drink, and she realizes the bottle is empty. She gets up on shaky legs to get them another bottle. Tamako watches her from the table, wondering if she’s always been this dumb. Her heart hurts as she thinks about Itachi. There’s probably a good chance that he’s fallen out of love with her long ago, and here she was, ruining her life to chase after him.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Tsunade says as she places another bottle of sake on the table.

“I think I’m making a big mistake.” Tamako confesses, covering her face with her hands.

Tsunade places a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothingly as she allows Tamako to wallow in her own self-pity. Tsunade knows how that feels, and she’s definitely felt this kind of pain before. Sure, it’s not quite the same kind of situation, but the pain is a similar one.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Tsunade says as she pours them another drink. She passes one of the drinks to Tamako, then Tsunade downs her own.

“It’s just, I didn’t expect Itachi to trick me. I really thought he loved me,” Tamako begins. “I know it’s been some time since we’ve seen each other, but love can’t dissipate that fast, can it?”

Tsunade thinks for a moment before laughing, “Hey, let me just say one thing. There was this guy on my team when I was younger, and he has never stopped loving me.”

Tamako looks at her in shock, “Orochimaru?!”

Tsunade bursts out laughing even harder, making lots of the patrons in the bar start staring at them. Tamako isn’t sure how to react. Orochimaru wasn’t a good person, and for him to continue loving Tsunade forever, maybe it meant something good for Tamako and Itachi.

“Oh, kiddo...you crack me up. I meant Jiraiya, but I do think that maybe Orochimaru had the hots for me too. Most people think of me that way,” Tsunade says confidently. Tamako sighs a breath of relief.

“Let’s just say, Itachi probably didn’t stop loving you. If anything, he might be trying to protect you. But besides that,” Tsunade leans over to get closer to Tamako. “What are you going to do about your sister? She’ll never stop chasing you, you know?”

Tamako frowns and downs her drink, “I know. I’m hoping she’ll just stop eventually from sheer exhaustion, but I’d also hate that for her. I still love her so much, but she needs to let me become my own person.”

Tsunade eyes her for a moment, “you need to live your own life, kiddo. She’s your sister and she’ll always try to protect you, but you need to make your own decisions.”

Hours after leaving the bar, Tamako lays in bed staring at the empty ceiling. She couldn’t shake the anxiety her conversation with Tsunade gave her. She hates this guilty feeling that’s rising within her, building up in her stomach and making her feel like she’s going to vomit...or cry.

Tamako gets up quietly, and she grabs a jacket and her shoes. She needs to go outside and clear her mind. Being in this lush room doesn’t really help her understand her true feelings. The moon is large and bright, and the stars are calling to her.

Once she’s outside of the inn, she starts walking down one road, which leads to some beaten down path to the outskirts of the town. It's a quiet night, except for a few lovers who are walking about. It makes Tamako long for her own companionship. There’s a part of her that thinks maybe she should have stayed in the village, and maybe she could have waited for Sasuke to grow up a little...then maybe they could have gotten together. Sasuke isn’t her first choice, but he is reliable and familiar. He’s still a kid though.

Tamako barely pays attention to what she’s doing, though her ears are trained to listen for small noises that could mean an enemy. When she hears the call of a crow, her heart stops beating for a moment. She hopes it’s Itachi, but she figures it’s really just wishful thinking.

Those thoughts are swept away when she sees him standing in front of her. He’s got a stern look written on his face, but his eyes are telling a different story. Within them, there is sadness, love and a touch of guilt.

“Tamako, you didn’t listen to me.” Itachi says, and Tamako stops right in front of him.

“Why should I? We don’t even know each other anymore,” Tamako retorts coldly. Itachi can feel a sadness invade his mind when he hears her tone.

“You need to listen to me. Have I ever steered you in the wrong direction? I’ve always tried to guide you properly, and so has Yumiko.” Itachi argues, walking over to her. He’s hesitant to touch her, but he can’t help himself. He brushes back a few stray hairs, and he cups her cheek.

Tamako wants to be angry and yell, but she melts right into his touch. It’s been so long since he’s given her attention like this. Even if it’s momentary, she’s going to enjoy it as much as she can. Itachi looks deeply into her eyes, and she can tell he’s fighting back tears.

“Even if you were to come with me,” Itachi starts. “It’s not like I have much longer.”

Tamako pulls away, staring at him in disbelief. She’s not even sure what he’s talking about, but she really doubts this has anything to do with enemies or a bounty. Itachi has done good to keep himself stronger than most and mostly well-liked, despite slaughtering his clan.

“What are you talking about?” Tamako asks. Itachi sighs, and he can tell he’s already told her too much.

“I am ill, Tamako. It’s not something I can cure, but I can treat it. Even with the best treatments, my life is diminishing quickly.” Tamako can barely concentrate on his words. She doesn’t want to think about what this actually means.

“You mean...you’re going to die?” Tamako asks. Her breath hitches in her throat as she clings to him. He wraps his arms around her, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.

“This is partly why I didn’t want you to follow me. I thought by the time I would perish, you would have moved on to someone else. I would have hoped that your teammate would have charmed you enough, but as luck would have it, your feelings are strong just like my own.” Itachi explains, tears falling from his eyes. He can’t help it.

Tamako sobs into his chest, crying out and repeating “no” over and over again. She can’t handle this right now. It’s just too much information to take in. Her heart breaks as Itachi tries to comfort her as much as he can.

“What if I tried to find a cure? I could do that for you,” Tamako looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Most of them have spilled over, but she looks so pitiful this way. It’s really making Itachi weak.

“Tamako, love...please, don’t ever do that. I need you to understand that your life has so much more potential than mine. You cannot dedicate your life to mine, alright?” Itachi says sternly. “Besides, I do not want you to watch me die.”

The words hang heavy between them. Tamako wants him to take her away and live a quiet life in the forest together. Itachi would love to be that selfish and do the same, but he cannot. He can’t bring himself to ask that of Tamako. He loves her dearly, and he’d never be able to die peacefully if she made it her life’s duty to watch him die.

“Let me learn medical ninjutsu, and I’ll cure you. I know I could, if you just let me try,” Tamako pleads.

Itachi shushes her quietly, placing a tender kiss to her forehead. Without thinking about it, Tamako leans up and kisses Itachi softly. He holds her closely, feeling the tears in his eyes well up once again. He wants her, and only her, but this cannot be her life.

While she’s not paying attention, he places her under another short genjutsu so he can return her to the room in the inn.

Tamako is in the kitchen, cooking dinner with Mikoto while they wait for Sasuke, Itachi and Fugaku to return home. Mikoto is going on and on about how Itachi was becoming a very skilled policeman just like his father, and Tamako is gushing over this as well.

Tamako and Itachi have just gotten engaged, and soon the wedding bells will ring. It’s going to be such a blessed and happy day in summer when those two finally wed. It had almost been decided since they were children. Mikoto and Takani got pregnant roughly around the same time, and the two women bonded over that. Itachi and Tamako grew up together, and as they got older, they fell in love with one another.

The door slides open, and Tamako and Mikoto hear Sasuke announcing his presence. Behind him is Itachi and Fugaku. They all enter the kitchen, and Fugaku kisses Mikoto.

Itachi walks over to Tamako and wraps his arms around her. He presses a kiss to her temple before whispering, “I’ll always love you.”

Tamako snaps out of the genjutsu a little quicker this time. It’s left her so heartbroken, but so much more determined than she’s ever felt in her life. When morning comes, she’s resolved to ask Tsunade to take her on as another apprentice.

Tamako needs to learn medical ninjutsu so she can figure out the cure for Itachi’s illness. Tamako knows that there are so many cures for illnesses, and even though some of them are hard to find, she will make it her life’s duty to find it.

Nothing could take that away from her, and nobody will talk her out of it. Even if it takes longer than she’d like it to, she will continue to strive for that cure. Just know that Itachi still loves her after all these years has spurred her on.

When morning finally arrives, Tamako is basically bursting with excitement. While her heart aches for Itachi and she worries about him even more, she knows she can do something for him. Tamako has been wanting to train under the legendary Tsunade forever, and now this is her chance.

“You’re looking different, kiddo. What happened to you?” Tsunade asks as she gets ready for the day.

“Lady Tsunade, would you teach me medical ninjutsu?” Tamako asks, and Tsunade laughs. It’s not the first time she’s heard this, and memories of Shizune come to mind.

Shizune was so young when she asked Tsunade to teach her ninjutsu, but also they had a bond seeing as Shizune is Dan’s niece. Tsunade felt a little bit of an obligation with Shizune, but now the same situation was kind of presenting itself.

Tsunade sighs for a second, mulling it over. She had been planning this shinobi sabbatical for quite some time, and she wondered if it were even a good idea to teach Tamako something so important. Besides, what had happened to Tamako that made her so eager to want to learn this?

“This is pretty tough stuff to learn. Are you sure you’re willing to listen to me no matter what?” Tsunade quizzes, and Tamako nods. Tsunade studies Tamako’s reaction, and it makes her realize that maybe Tamako has found out about something that’s making her want to learn medical ninjutsu.

“Of course, I am completely ready.” Tamako is practically bouncing up and down, making Tsunade chuckle.

Tsunade smiles, “alright kiddo. I’ll train you.”

She’s a little worried about how much of this training Tamako can take, but she knows that Tamako is strong. She is Takani’s daughter after all, and while Tsunade is mostly known around these parts, Takani was such a force to be reckoned with. Tamako had definitely inherited that from her mother as well as her beauty, but Tsunade could see that determination that Nakachi had.

Tsunade has a good feeling about it, despite a few reservations she did have. It seemed like a good plan for Tamako, and besides, it could keep her out of trouble. Tsunade decides to take on Tamako as her student, and with that, she decides to send Hiruzen a message that Tamako is not a rogue ninja, she is just looking for some guidance outside of the village.

Maybe, this will keep Tamako away from Itachi for some time. Tsunade knows that will be her end goal anyways, but if she can distract her for some time, it may change.

[leilabeaux]

Luck Be a Lady

Chapter Two

Masterlist | One

Pairing: Alex x Reader

Word Count: 2590

Summary: Alex and Reader enjoy some dinner, drinks, and games. Could this be a date?

Warnings: Toying with infidelity, people freely scrolling though someone else’s phone with no disregard

----

Alex pressed his back against the wall next to your hotel room door. With his hands tucked into his pockets and his legs crossed at the ankles, he waited for you to come back out. He tried to downplay the large smile on his face but it was hard. The theme of his night was playing it cool and to not seem like a lovesick fool but he was in disbelief over his luck. When Bianca said she was going to bring her friend over, he was temporarily stunned to see the same woman that had caught his eye at the airport two days ago.

He was waiting in baggage claim with Marco who was busy listing all their potential plans during their stay when he got distracted by a faint coconut scent that floated by. He looked over to see you walking past him going toward the baggage carousel. Whatever his friend was saying was now just background noise as he couldn’t help but stare at you. You were smiling and seemed like you were making small talk with an older couple next to you as you waited for your own bag to appear. 

Just as he was fine-tuning his plan to approach you with his not-so-smooth line of “Excuse me, Miss, I think you dropped this dollar. By the way, you are beautiful and will you please let me take you out sometime”, he looked up to find that you were gone. After being caught up on the one who got away, Marco reassured him that there would be plenty of other women he could hit on. He had to agree with him because what were the chances he would run into you again? Obviously, it was greater than he thought.

The sound of the door opening brought Alex out of his thoughts. Your curls were now in a messy bun on top of your head and just as you promised you were dressed more comfortably in simple tee, jeans, and your chucks which he figured probably felt like walking on a cloud to you after being in heels most of the night. He also noticed that you still had his jacket on.

“Sorry, I’ve decided that I’m keeping this. I think it looks better on me anyway,” you said with a mischievous smile as you tucked your hands into the pockets.

“I can’t really argue with you on that one. But I’ll be taking it off of you one way or another.” He countered, instantly regretting his choice of words. No more saying out loud how you want to take her clothes off, he thought to himself.

You raised your eyebrow in response, “Hmm..I doubt it. Don’t worry, I’ll give it back to you eventually.” You turned down the hallway, going toward the elevators with Alex following close behind you.

He once again felt like luck was on his side when you didn’t throw his jacket in his face and politely tell him to fuck right off. He reminded himself to reign in the comments and glances he’s been giving you before he scared you off and you decided to cut your night short. But as he became distracted by the slight swing of your hips, he thought that maybe he was in over his head.

----

The trip to the buffet was just one elevator ride down to the second floor of the hotel you were staying at. Although it featured various cuisines to choose from, you and Alex both bee-lined toward the sushi bar and unashamedly stuffed your faces full of raw fish while washing it down with beer. 

You declared yourself full as the busboy picked up your empty plates so he had a look of confusion when you left and then came back to the table with a brownie topped with ice cream. Without needing him to say anything, you quickly responded that there is always room for dessert.

If he only knew how much you enjoyed your sweets, he would have waited a moment before taking a sip of his beer. You gave a soft moan as you took the first bite of your brownie. Unprepared to hear such a sound come from you, Alex had choked on his beer and gave a few coughs to clear out his throat.

“Don’t die on me, kid. Maybe you should try sipping slowly,” you giggled and then brought another spoonful to your mouth. All the drinks you’ve had so far was giving you a warm buzz.

“Kid?”, his voice raspy as he was still trying to clear his throat. “I’m only seven years younger than you!”

“Only seven years? Aw, you really are a baby boy!,” you said with wide eyes. You couldn’t stop giggling when Alex started pouting and crossed his arms across his chest. “Don’t be a Mister Grumpy Gills! I’m just being a little shit. You should be honored, I’m only mean to the ones I like.”

Alex took another sip of his beer before leaning back in his chair and continued to pretend to be hurt by your teasing. Even if he were, he imagined it would be hard to stay that way for too long. All you would have to do is flash him a smile and all would be forgiven.

You had set your spoon down and rested your chin against your fist as you started to stare off toward the fountain display at the center of the restaurant. He pulled out his phone and decided to take advantage of the moment, capturing a couple shots of you. It wasn’t his camera but it will have to do for now. As he got ready to take another picture, he glanced at your left hand and noticed the ring you were wearing.

Alex’s heart fell. Why didn’t he notice this before? Were you wearing it this entire time? His mind went back over the past three hours he had spent with you so far and he couldn’t recall you mentioning a husband or any form of a significant other. He didn’t want to confirm what he knew to be true but he had to.

“How long have you been married?” He asked as he tried to erase the look of disappointment that he was sure was all over his face.

You appeared to be startled. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the interruption or because of the question itself. You brought your hand down and glanced at the offending ring on your finger. “About eight years,” you answered simply.

“And why aren’t they here with you? Turning thirty seems to be pretty significant, I know if you were my wife I’d be busy spoiling you and celebrating it with you,” Alex was tempted to add in bed but now really wasn’t the time.

“He wasn’t able to come. That and me and Bi wanted to have a girls only kind of trip. He’d probably be miserable doing all the corny touristy things I love to do,” you cracked a smile at this. “He’s the one treating us to all of this anyway so it’s like he’s here in spirit.”

“Is he a good husband?” He groaned internally because he couldn’t stop asking questions that he didn’t want to know the answers to.

You tilted your head as if to ponder his question before nodding, “Yeah. Definitely not perfect, but yes.”

With the warm smile on your face after you spoke, Alex figured right then and there that he stood no chance. He tried to take some consolation in the fact that you were at least being treated with the respect you deserved. He downed the rest of his beer with a large gulp as he prepared to wish you a good night and pray that your friend had already vacated his room so he could sleep his sorrows away.

His intentions were interrupted by your small gasp. “Hey! Let’s gamble and lose some money!” You didn’t even give him a chance to answer as you stood up from your table and marched over to the casino floor.

He got up from the table and quickly followed. Wounded or not, he wasn’t going to deny you anything.

----

“You were up fifty dollars! Why didn’t you stop playing?” Alex could have sworn he only took his eyes from your machine for one second and then he looked back to see you were down to the last dollar.

“Because I thought I could get more but then I didn’t. So I decided that I just wanted to break even but...uh, then I didn’t,” you pulled on the handle of the slot machine and then frowned when you came up empty once again.

He could only laugh at your sad explanation. Now he understood why after you withdrew $100 from the ATM, you handed him the cash and declared that he was in charge of the funds. 

“Maybe we should hit up the tables?” you suggested as you slipped off the stool, making sure to not forget your free drink that a server had previously offered you. Maybe not so free since you were now down twenty dollars.

“I guess if you want to lose your money even faster,” he said. He pulled out his phone and tried to get a shot of the rows of lighted up slot machines, thinking it would make an interesting picture.

“Ooo! Let me see!” You pulled down his arm so that his phone would be more at your eye level Smiling up at him, you asked, “Do you have any others?”

He scrolled through his photos to find the ones he had taken when he was back home before handing his phone to you. He didn’t know why but he was nervous as you flipped through the album. There was a part of him that was seeking your approval, a part of him that wanted to make you proud.

“Alex…,” you looked up at him in amazement before going back to scroll through his pictures. “I don’t claim to have the eye of an art critic but these are good. Like real good.”

“I mean they’re okay--” he started to say before being interrupted.

“Uh-uh, you don’t need to be humble around me. ‘I don’t feel comfortable saying I’m professional yet’, my ass,” you said mockingly as you flipped through his photo album.

“I just meant that I don’t get paid to do it,” he tried to defend himself.

“I think you could if you wanted to,” you were taking a sip of your mixed drink when you paused at one picture in particular. He could have sworn he saw a tinge of red starting to flush across your cheeks. “Oh. Ohhhh...I’m sure a gal would pay a pretty penny for this one. Did you put this one on your tinder?”

You pointed the screen toward him to let him see what you were referring to. Taken in the privacy of his own bathroom, Alex was wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone as it took a picture of his reflection. He lept toward you trying to take the phone away from your hands before you delved even deeper into his photo album but you were too fast for him. With your back pressed against his chest, he again tried to wrestle it from your grip but again he was coming up empty.

“And what is this one, I see?” 

He quickly tried to think if he had any other incriminating pictures that he forgot to delete. Embarrassed, he looked down at the screen fully expecting to see his own dick staring back at him but instead all he saw was you. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Were you expecting me to find something else? Should I keep searching?” you asked cheekily.

“Nope!” He finally managed to get his phone back, “I think you’re done.”

“Laaaame.” You whined as you continued walking between the game tables, trying to decide what you wanted to try out. “I am very surprised you managed to get my good side. It usually takes me about twenty tries before I get a decent pic.”

“I don’t know, I think all your sides are good sides,” he stated while falling instep with you.

“Ha, no but thanks for the ego boost. You’re such a charmer. Be sure to keep that up when you get that special woman in your life.”

“Your husband doesn’t try to charm you?”

“He does in his own ways.” 

“But not in the way you like.”

“I’ve always been such a hopeless romantic and he...is not. He isn’t the type to buy ‘Just Because’ flowers but he would wake up early during the winter to scrape my windshield and make sure my car was heated before I left for work.”

“What are ‘Just Because’ flowers?”

You paused to mull over your response, “When it’s just an ordinary day, no obligation because of a special occasion or holiday, you give someone you like or love flowers just because you knew they were having a bad day or just because you wanted to see the smile or just because you were thinking of them. Whatever the reason is, it’s just because.” You continued walking and didn’t hear a reply from him, “Sorry, was that cheesy? I did warn you that I was a hopeless romantic!”

“No, not cheesy at all,” he said as he gave a glance down at you. “It’s just...it sounds like these flowers would have meant a lot to you. Have you tried telling him this? I don’t think you should go another eight years without it.”

“It really doesn’t matter much now.” You polished off the rest of your drink before leaving the glass at a vacant slot machine. “Onto a more cheerful topic, I think I still have at least two more hours left in me before I officially need to pass out.”

“Just two?” He takes a seat on the stool in front of you. With him seated and you still standing, it gave you the opportunity to look him straight in the eyes.

“Yes, it’s way beyond my bedtime.” You crossed your arms across your chest. Although you were more clothed now, he was finding it hard to stay focused on your face. “So I feel I’ve been controlling this entire outing. Is there anything you wanted to do?”

Alex gave a small gulp. He felt tempted to pull you closer to him, to have you trapped between his legs only so he could make his answer clear. But instead he kept his hands to himself. “I’m fine gambling for the rest of the night.”

“That’s nice of you but that’s not what I asked. What do you want to do? Or better yet, what were yours and Marco’s plans before me and Bianca so rude interrupted it?”

“Well…”

----

You stepped up into the back of the SUV, scooting over to give Alex some room to get in as well.

“Are you Y/N?” your Uber driver asked. After confirming this, he continued reading off his app screen,  “And you two are going to the Sapphires Gentlemen’s Club?

You and Alex looked at each other. You giggled at what he was sure was the flush he felt that was taking over his cheeks. All he could think to himself was, this is such a bad idea, kill me now.

Next

End Notes: So, yeah. Looks like they are wrapping up their night with a bang, whether that includes a literal bang. Who knows? Still think our dear reader is ready to risk it all? Are you good at slots (pssh, I’m not!)? Would you allow a stranger to have completely access to your photo album?

[darling-i-read-it]

City Corner Part 2

Mob/Mafia!AU Series

Link to Part 1

Leonardo DiCaprio x reader, Jake Gyllenhaal x reader, Hugh Grant x reader

Margot Robbie, Jodie Comer, Tim Roth, Colin Firth, Timothee Chalamet, Dacre Montgomrey, Natalia Dyer, Saoirse Ronan, Lana Del Rey are also included

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: Gambling, mentions of addiction, alcohol, insinuations to smut

Author’s Note: Again, I’ve casted these people as characters and used their names! I got a lot of feedback on the last one so I’m hoping y’all like this enough for me to continue it!

Summary: The reader goes to the casino to see if there is a marriage happening. Saoirse and Lana chat.

Genre: mafia, which is now a genre

(not my gif)

Your headache wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be when you woke up the next morning. You could see your light was still on and your phone was beeping. Not an alarm, probably a text message. You moved your hair out of your face, took a drink of the water bottle by your bed and sat up straight. You shrugged off your jacket from last night and grabbed your phone. It shined light in your face and in front of the picture of Leonardo was a few texts from Natalia.

You had met Natalia through Leo, as you had met everyone on the city corner. You knew, because he was a middle ground, you could see either family without repercussions but you had a soft spot for the twin Firths. They were your and Leo’s age.

‘Hey can you do me a favor?’

You slid open the text and looked through the few things that were there. She had sent you a few instructions to head over to the casino and scope out if Leo was really marrying Jodie Firth. It wasn’t the first you had heard of the arranged marriage. Leo had told you when you had broken up.

You would be lying if you said that you wouldn’t mind going to the casino and meeting the famous Roths. Natalia just wanted you to scope out, see if either of the sisters were there and maybe make some friends. You texted her back, voicing your worry because you had been dating Leo and they may have heard of you.

She recommended you bring someone that has nothing to do with the business so through them off the scent. You got up and threw your phone on the bed, getting into a comfier outfit. You would head there tonight when you had a better chance at being lost in the crowd. After changing you let Natalia know that you would go.

You called Saorise after that but she didn’t pick up. You let out a long sigh. She either had left without letting you know or she was sleeping in. You figured it was the first part. But you did call Jake to see if she had stayed over.

“Heyo,” he said, voice awake. He stayed up all night and still sounded the most attentive than anyone you had ever met. You figured he would need to be aware of everything that went on in his bar.

“Hey Jake, have you seen Saorise?” you asked, looking through your closet to find an outfit for the night. Something simple and not stand outish. You ignored the fact that Leo had bought you most of these outfits.

“Not since she left last night. I got her a cab, she said she had an early morning. Gone again?” You took a breath.

“As it seems. Thanks Jake I appreciate it. I’ll see you,” you said absentmindedly. You held up two dresses and held them up to your body, trying to decide which one was better.

“Coming to the bar tonight?” he asked.

“I got plans. Don’t let anybody drink out of my glass though, it may be a long night,” you said with a smile.

“Your glass will be waiting.” You hung up and looked at the door.

“Someone who isn’t in the business..” you muttered to yourself. That was hard enough considering everyone here was in either an addict or part of the drug ring. You put down the two dresses and walked to the door. You knocked on your neighbors door.

He opened within a few seconds, hair messy and looking just as he had when you woke him up last night. You felt kind of bad for that.

“Hugh are you busy tonight?” you asked, leaning against the door. He admired the fact you had swapped the fish nets for slacks. He was probably the only person other than Leo who had seen you in anything other than work attire in the corner. He ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t think so. Why?” You smiled.

“Would you like to go to the casino with me? We can grab some drinks there, they’re supposed to be better than Jakes but I still think that's bull.” His smile was charming. You had only had Leo in mind for so long it was nice to be enchanted by someone else for once.

But thinking about Leonardo still made your heart ache.

“What do I wear?” he asked. You shrugged.

“Whatever you think would be appropriate. I’ll pick you up at 8?” He nodded and you went back to your apartment.

---()()()()()()()---

Saorise sat across from Lana, watching her cigarette smoke float above her. She ignored your phone call, eyes trained on the girl across from her.

“You aren’t really letting Leo marry a Roth were you?” Her legs were crossed, the suit she was wearing pristine and the gun on her hip was ready to be used if it was needed. Lana shrugged, taking the smoke out of her mouth. She was wearing the same large featherly white coat that she wore last night but her hair was a little more everywhere due to things that she had done in the dark hours.

“I have no say in what my little brother does,” she said smoothly. Saorise rolled her eyes.

The DiCaprios lived in the hidden part of the apartments, the very top. There weren't many people who knew they were there but because Saorise and Lana were the few people in the middle of the warring families Saorise was aware of where they were at most times.

“But you know he still loves Y/N. Not Jodie.” Lana took a deep breath.

“I’m aware and again, I can’t control him.” She could and she did. Both girls were aware of this. There was no point in arguing. Saorise stood and grabbed her coat off the chair.

“I think she’s going to see Jodie. Eventually, she’ll need it.” Lana nodded.

“Don’t let them see each other. It wont turn out well Saorise.”

“I can’t control her.”

---()()()()()()()---

Margot was sitting at the bar at 9 that night when the casino had just started to pick up. She was drinking the drink named after her, a spiky red one that was a customer favorite for its flavor and its look. He surveyed the room, eyes catching the window where her dad probably was.

He was likely doing the same thing she was. Looking for someone to trick or someone that had plans to trick them. There was always the wonder of when the Firths were going to strike so being attentive was her job, not her sisters. Although Jodie was on the floor that night, unusually.

She was sitting beside her sister, drinking the drink named after her. The Jodie was fruity and tropical. Their dad had made both drinks for a happy medium when they were slinking around. Jodie didn’t drink hers often but tonight she was trying to make amends.

“Nothing ever happens down here,” the youngest said. She took a sip of the drink, pink lips curling around the twisty straw. Margot sighed.

“You have to wait sister.” They had made up tentatively but that was siblinghood. They may hate each other but it was also them against the world. Jodie had a knife in the stocking of her dress and Margot had a gun on the strap under her big coat.

At the same time they sat there, you approached the bar with Hugh by your side. You were laughing, feigning laughter, as you watched Jodie and Margot survey the room. You sat beside the older sister, looking over the menu.

The casino was bigger than it looked it had taken you ten minutes to find the bar.

“I think I’ll get...the Margot please,” you said with a flashing smile at him. Margot raised an eyebrow at the sound of her drink being ordered behind her. She turned on the spinny chair, meaning to make an entrance.

“It's the best on the menu,” she told you. In the back of her mind she was aware that she had seen you and that green sparkly dress somewhere before but she figured it was that you had been in the casino before. Something like that.

You gave her a smile, a genuine one. Easy enough.

“I’ve heard. You’re Margot right? The drink was made for you?” you asked as though you didn’t know. Hugh was sitting beside you, watching the interaction with closed eyes. You didn’t tell him what you were here for. He hadn’t known everything that was going on in the corner and you didn’t want to drag him into this.

“Yeah. My sister, Jodie. And you are?”

“Y/N and this is Hugh.” The name sent signals in Jodies head. Y/N. She almost dragged Margot away to tell her who you were but she waited to see if she was going to lash out or not. She waited with an oblivious look she had gotten good at feigning.

“Nice to meet you. Great taste in alcohol.”

“Well they do let you pick your poison.”

It was at that moment that Leonardo had entered the equation. He was to busy worrying about Jodie when he approached the couple of you at the bar. He hadn’t had a proper date with her yet and he figured it was time. He hadn’t even seen you until he was a few feet away and you were to be trained on the sisters to notice him.

“Leo! Darling I’m glad you could make it,” Jodie said with a smile. She was curious to see how you were going to react. You grabbed Hughs hand the moment you saw your ex. He was caught up in that green dress he had bought you.

“Oh hello. Margot, Jodie.” He paused, taking you and Hugh in. “Y/N. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure…”

“Hugh,” Hugh said shaking Leo’s hand. You gave him a strained smile.

“You know Hugh I think we should grab some pizza. I don’t want to get to drunk. It was nice meeting you both and seeing you.” Your cover had been blown with Leo here. You had to get out.

“We just got he-”

“You shouldn’t have to gain a gambling addiction on my behalf. Plus I hear the pizza place is good have you been?” You were already up and dragging him away. Margot raised an eyebrow, taking your drink that you hadn’t touched.

“I can’t believe she was here,” Jodie muttered to Margot who nodded.

“You love birds have fun. I have to talk to dad.” She took your drink with her.

---()()()()()()---

“Please stop putting pepperoni on the pizza. There is no need for that much pepperoni on anything,” Dacre argued to his little sister. She was still wearing her ballet outfit from practice and because it was getting late she was hungry for the dinner she had skipped.

“You don’t have to fight my on what I put on my pizza. There is no need to fight me,” she said with a playful smile. The double doors swang open and Dacre turned from sitting on the counter to see you and Hugh walking in.

“Dacre, Natalia, this is Hugh, Hugh, Dacre Natalia. They’re together,” you said, leaning against the counter.

“Dacre and Natlia are together?” Hugh asked and you raised a hand, shushing him. Dacre took a deep breath.

“I’ll have to tell my dad. This isn’t good.”

“Maybe Timmy can marry Saorise.” You chuckled.

“If you think she will ever be married you are sorely-” you started but stopped, looking at Hugh who looked confused. “I have to go home. Can we get a piece of pizza?” You asked, out of breath and tired looking. Natalia gave you each a piece and Dacre was on the phone with Colin when you stepped out again.

“Why are there so many pieces of pepperoni?” Hugh asked. You chuckled, trying not to think about Leo and Jodie. Hugh made it easier.

“All the things that have happened and you just want to know about the pepperoni?” you asked, bewildered. He shrugged, taking a bite. It was a short walk back to the apartments.

“I figured you didn’t want to talk about the rest. Or you couldn’t. I don’t know.” You took a bite of your piece.

“Thank you Hugh. I know tonight isn’t what you expected and everything. I’m sorry, I just needed someone to be there with me.” He nodded, shoving his free hand in his pocket and finishing the last few pieces. You walked up the stairs to your rooms.

You stood in front of your respective doors, staring at each other.

“I can’t come in,” he muttered. You nodded, looking at your hands.

“Next time maybe?” you asked. He nodded and opened his door, walking in, leaving you in the hallway. You dug out your key from your pocket and stared at them, at the door.

And then walked back down the stairs.

---()()()()()()()---

Jake poured your drink the second you walked in.

“Hey princess. Rough night?” The bar wasn’t empty. There was a lot of people at the counter, talking and arguing but he had kept an eye out for you. You walked to the side of the counter and moved the little door open, walking behind the counter.

“You could say that.”

You pulled Jake to you and connected your lips together harshly.

‘My mascara is dry now Saorise, you always have the best advice.’

Part 3

[seancekitsch]

From Her to Eternity: Billy Bennett x Reader

A/N: this is me drinking 9.5% beers and being weak for punk boys churning out self indulgent bullshit, but that’s also like.... most of my writing anyway.

-“So what, did Y/N leave you for Lex or something?” Willie asks in the parking lot of Creepy Daniels. Billy’s been looking for you, but he figured you went off with Saya and Maria. The confused look on his face tells Willie he has no idea what he’s talking about.

“I mean, at that party y’all were all over each other, but she’s been with Lex pretty much every minute since. They’re starting to look like King’s Dominions own Sid and Nancy.” He was right about that. With your wild curls and Lex’s spiky hair, you definitely resembled the doomed couple.

-“No she didn’t- I mean, it’s not like that. We aren’t, we weren’t together.” People thought the two of you were together? I mean sure, you slept in the same bed most nights because you were too lazy to walk back to your own rooms, and you made each other mix tapes. But isn’t that what all best friends do?

-He had honestly been confused where he stood with you the past few days. He remembered being drunk, and making out with you, and then you getting mad and you had been avoiding him like the plague since. But now you were on this trip to help him murder his father, and you weren’t speaking or looking at him. Honestly, he didn’t remember why you were mad at him.

-“Man really? We all thought you were kinda good together.” Willie says, and he leaves it at that. He walks off to find Marcus or the girls.

-Billy doesn’t know why, but that stirs some kind of sadness in him.

-Meanwhile you’re in the bathroom, seated at the counter with your dirty doc martens in the sink and your skirt hunched up at your upper thighs. You’re watching Maria and Saya snort coke. They offered you some, but you prefer Valium to the speed. They’ve been asking about the exact same thing as Willie. Except on your end, you hadn’t been too drunk to remember. They’re listening as they rail lines. Asking questions as they cut up more.

-The night of the party, Billy and you had a drinking competition of sorts on the couch. You played a vicious game where you’d make accusations at each other, and if they were true you’d take a sip. He had accused you of being a kleptomaniac in middle school, secretly taking vocal lessons, and making counterfeit tickets to see the Birthday Party play last year downtown... all true. You had accused him of lying about how much he smoked, of preferring burgers to pizza, and secretly being a cyndi lauper fan... all true as well. And when you accused him of having a crush on someone, he also took a sip. So fifteen minutes later when you’re hot and heavy straddling each other, hands tugging at each other’s hair, moaning and tonguing each other’s throats... you definitely assumed his crush was on you.

-But when you pulled away, you noticed his eyes looking above you. Following his gaze, you see he’s been staring at Petra and Victor readjusting their clothing. You knew they flirted, but did you misread this? Even worse, were you just a rebound for the guy you definitely loved? You felt instantly sick to your stomach.

-“is that a fucking joke?” You scoff. Your anger is spiking and his confusion is rising. “Am i just some rebound?” You’re not going to stick around and take this. Even worse, you fear that any emotion besides anger will start to show itself. You get up from the couch, prepared to get the fuck away as fast as possible.

-He grabs your hand as you pull away, and you snap.

“You will NEVER fucking touch me again. Got it?” You hiss as you rip yourself from his grasp and and turn on your heel to leave the party as soon as possible.

-And that’s when you found Lex. He left the party as well, and the two of you swapped flasks in the graveyard. He listened to you scream about your anger and hurt, and just cheers’d you whenever it felt appropriate.

-And despite what people might think, you would never touch Lex. He was your friend, but in that way that you also thought he was a total piece of shit. He was just the only one who knew what was going on with you so you had a bit of an understanding at the moment.

-Saya’s voice breaks you from your thoughts. “So you’re here to what, show moral support to the guy that broke your heart? Or is there some other motive?”

-“ Moral support I guess. I’m mad, but I still know how much this means to him.”

-“Just DONT let him off easy. Make him work back into your good graces.” Maria chimes in. But did you even want him in your good graces again? You didn’t know if you could have him back the way it was again. You’d want all or nothing, and really how could you see anything with him now, after he hurt you like that? He embarrassed you, even if you were the only one who actually knew about the extent of it.

-You just nod, and stay quiet as you wait for them to finish.

-When you Meet back up at the car, you quickly realize that you and billy are the only ones not tripping your faces off. You’re happily so numb that you’re only speaking in your bad Jean Claude Van Damme impression and you keep running your fingers along the skin of your face and neck to try to feel something. You take a seat in the back, but you notice Billy’s eyes seem sad each time they look back at you.

-everyone split up at the casino, and you bid farewell to Maria and Saya once you got to the motel. You were hoping you could find some dumb older man to buy you enough drinks that you could stumble back to the hotel and sleep good, maybe not dreaming of Billy for once.

-But commotion from the room two doors down from you stops you from doing any of that. Springing into action, you bust open the door, finding Billy on the ground and Marcus trying, and being overpowered by a man you can only assume is Billy’s father.

-Adrenaline kicks in and you run headfirst into action. You kick and sweep Billy’s Father’s legs from under him, but unfortunately that lands him half on top of you. Forgetting Marcus, he wraps both hands strongly around your throat. He’s squeezing and squeezing, and you think for a second you might die, but as fate would have it you keep your wicked life, and you hear the sickening smack of a skull hitting something blunt.

-While your eyes are open, they don’t focus for a bit. Maybe it’s the drugs, maybe it’s almost being murdered. But when they do, all you see is Billy. His eyes are red and there’s spit drying around his lips. Had he been crying? Did you miss that? But he looks like shit. He looks worried. More worried than you had ever seen him in your life.

-“oh thank god you’re okay. I thought I’d lose you for a second. You’re still here.” He’s barely whispering. Keeping this conversation from Marcus I guess.

-“things we do for love, i fuckin guess.” You mutter, but you don’t dwell on what was apparently your confession. You push yourself up and get out of the room as soon as possible, once again running from Billy Bennett.

-And you’re so ready to just sleep all of this off and hide until it’s time to leave, but once again this plan is foiled as Saya Runs down the hallway, nearly knocking you and a drink you managed to score down. She grabs your arm and tugs, pulling you with her down the hallway shouting something about Marcus and Maria being in trouble. You find them, and Billy and Willie and Chico in the alley.

-Everything happens so fast, and before you can think youre trying to rush in between Billy and Chico, seeing the knife, but Billy blocks you, fully taking the blade of the knife in his side. You’re catching Billy, now with a fresh shallow stab wound in his stomach. You let him down gently, and he’s staring at you like you’re the only thing keeping him alive. But you know he’ll live. He just... took a knife for you though.

-“I was stupid the other night, right? I should have known better. It’s always been you” Billy wheezes in your lap, and you finally look him in the eye again. You laugh.

-“You have no clue, Bill. No clue.”

——————————————————

-Hes back on his feet by the time your back at King’s Dominion. That backdoor doctor did wonders on all of you and your injuries. You took shotgun next to him, as Marcus sat in the back next to Maria. Every time he thought no one was looking, he’d try to brush his fingers shyly against your skirt or the skin where the slit in your skirt would part.

-The second you’re back at the dorms, he pulls you into his. He seems on edge, but you’re not sure if it’s because of his father or because he wants to say something.

-He chooses not to say anything, instead clumsily smashing his lips against yours not unlike how he did a week ago at the party. This time it feels different, he’s sober and sure of his actions.

-It’s not until he’s kissing a line of hickies down your neck that he finally says something. “tell me how” another one “fucking stupid i was” another one “not to realize it” another one “was you i loved”

-“Are you into that?” You gasp out. “You want me to tell you how fuckin stupid you’ve been?” In response he groans and rips open the clasp of your bra, which was barely a bra in the first place. It was a mess of mesh and a little underwire, stained with his blood. He’s into that, you note. “You were so blind I should have popped out your eyes” maybe that was pushing it now.

-it wasn’t. He responds by grabbing your hips and falling backwards, making sure you land straddling him on the bed behind him. His hands roam up your skirt, bunching it up around your hips as he pulls your center down on to the crotch of his pants, which now feel uncomfortably tight on him.

-“You didn’t even notice when I gave you a sex mixtape.” You meant it to be another insult, but he perks up.

-“One of those is a sexy mixtape?” You nod and he momentarily brings you back to your feet. You whine at the loss of friction and contact. He makes you point out which one it was and once it’s in the tape deck you almost run back to the bed, ditching the skirt and bra along the way, leaving you bare besides your panties and with spread legs on his bed. Strip by Adam Ant is playing through the speaker.

-He audibly moans at the sight and makes quick work of his own clothes. The stitches on his abdomen are bleeding a little from movement, but if he even noticed he didn’t care. He lunges forward and pulls the panties off in one quick motion, very smooth you notice for someone as sexually inexperienced as him.

-Before Hes even taken a seat on the bed, his right hand is between your legs, testing your reactions. You’re already soaked, and that’s reassurance enough for him to plunge two fingers into you. deep. He hovers over you and presses kisses to your jaw and chest and he bleeds onto you a little, but with the way his hands are moving you can’t seem to mind.

-He has you worked up, almost to the point of cumming when he pulls his hand away and leaves you audibly gasping.

-“Billy I know I called you stupid earlier but I need you. I need you to fill me up baby. “ he chuckles and rolls over so that he’s laying next to you.

-“Climb aboard, Y/N” he jokes, and the two of you have to laugh at how cheesy it is. But you still climb aboard anyway.

-sinking down onto him, taking him fully into you feels like a dream. Literally in that you’ve only ever dreamed about and touched yourself to this thought for the past two years. You had always felt guilty waking up next to him after one of these dreams, but now that all seems to fade into the background. You let out moans at the same time once he bottoms out into you, and you test the waters by rolling your hips into his. He hisses through gritted teeth and his hands fly to your hips to control the motion.

-as you ride him he guides your hips down in the perfect angle so your clit drags against him, making you shake and chant his name. Your hands push down on his chest to steady yourself and your fingernails dig into his lean muscles.

-But as you feel yourself fall over the edge, your arms buckle. He grabs you and holds you close, your face now buried into the crook of his neck, perfect for you to leave some hickies of your own. He shifts so that he is now thrusting up into you, keeping you still as you cum around his cock and he seeks his own release. His thrusts speed up, and what was your come down from an orgasm quickly becomes another one. As you clench around him again, he loses control and freezes, feeling himself finish and the two of you shake and gasp for breath.

-He’s ripped a stitch and there’s now quite a bit of blood on the two of you, but neither of you care. He pulls out of you and smiles so wide you think his face will split in half. You match his grin and give him a peck on the nose. The music is forgotten as he reaches over to turn off the lamp, and then pulls the covers over the both of you.

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lambs to the Laughter

"So uh, is there something we can do for you?" Sonic asked Vector, as he leaned to his side against the cavern wall. He was still surprised that the crocodile of all people came to Viridonia out of the blue, along with his crew. The others were naturally just as curious.

"Well, we didn't come all the way here just to look for you, if that's what you're thinking," Vector explained quickly. "We were actually taking a vacation here, since we figured we could do with one! Hardworking detectives need some R&R too, after all!"

"No one's been coming to us lately anyway," Espio dryly added, arms crossed.

"Shhhhhh," the annoyed crocodile whispered, with a finger at his mouth. He turned back to the group. "Anyway, we soon learned about this big monster going around terrorizing the people, and that Dr. Eggman was here too. Now, I'm an easygoing man, but I couldn't sit by while that moustached monkey is afoot. So we decided-"

"YOU decided," Charmy cheekily corrected.

"...WE decided to get to the bottom of it and figure out what's going on. Unfortunately though..." Vector scratched the back of his scaly head in embarrassment. "Despite our skills, we've been having difficulties so far. Been one step behind every step of the way, cause of... well..."

He nodded towards the hedgehog. Sonic took a moment to realise the implication, as shown by his confused glance with Tails. But the moment it clicked, his gradually smiled sheepishly. He shrugged along with it.

"Well, Sonic isn't my name for nothing," he chuckled mildly.

"Now you guys are always in the center of Eggman's schemes, right? So we reckon that if we stick around with you, our chances will be greater."

"Otherwise we'd be clueless!" Charmy beamed.

"Charmy, geeze!"

"Well, that's fine with us, Vector," Tails smiled earnestly, yet slightly awkwardly, having attempted to conceal his begrudging amusement at the detective's frustration. "Any help is good help. Right, Sonic?"

"Right on, little buddy," Sonic agreed, with a thumbs up directed at the fox. He turned his head. "How about you, Trudy? You okay with them tagging along?"

"Of course," Lutrudis answered casually and without hesitance, despite her initial perplexment at the newcomers' presence. She walked closer to the Chaotix, and smiled at them. "Long as their hearts are just, you won't see me dismissing these... characters. I'm Lutrudis, by the way." She bowed respectfully towards them.

"Pleased to meet ya, Latruedish!" Vector announced proudly, with his hands on his hips, and a toothy grin. Espio looked subtly horrified by his teammate's abysmal pronunciation. Tails likewise cringed internally. The smile on the horse's own face did not falter in the slightest.

"So doing detective talk for a sec," Sonic started semi-jokingly. "Got any leads on where we should head to first?"

"Yes actually," Vector boasted. "Before we came here, we had deduced the very probable likelihood that Eggman may be heading for... Merry Villa."

"Merry Villa?" Lutrudis questioned, as one of her ears lowered. "But that's not an huge monument or anything, that's just... the theme park. Why would Eggman head there? I mean, I know the doctor has a history with theme parks, but that can't be the only reason, can it?"

"You are severely underestimating his preferences," Espio mused, as he polished one of his shuriken.

"Yeah, he's got an obsession with them... a major obsession with them. I would know..." The tone in Sonic's voice indicated his memory had recalled a certain amusement park of the past that the doctor created... his tone also indicated he swiftly wanted to forget about it.

"So let's gooooo! I wanna see it too!" Charmy immediately flew out of the cavern in a frenzy of ecstasy, to which an exasperated Vector followed him, who was in turn followed by Espio. Sonic was about to follow suit, but he turned to Lutrudis with a smile.

"Maybe we'll have some fun there too," he suggested, before he walked out. As Tails waited patiently for Lutrudis, the latter glanced at the crystals all around her, each of them still brimming with different energies. Her body language initially conveyed a hint of hesitance, a doubt that it was her position to use them. But she recalled her friends' words of wisdom, and after putting her doubts aside for the sake of the now, she opened up her backpack...

---

"Are you sure they'll be alright in there?" Tails asked in reference to the bag full of excited Chao that was twice the size of Cream, which the young rabbit was nonetheless holding onto with surprisingly little effort.

"Yes, Tails," Cream replied happily. Lutrudis was personally unsure about bringing the Chao along with them to a place where Eggman might be, but it was either that or leaving them on their own in the castle, and Amy had already insisted with great enthusiasm that she and the rabbit come along to check out this Merry Villa. The horse trusted that her friends knew what they were doing, since they've been on more adventures than her.

They were running through the quiet streets of Lime Shores, albeit not at their highest running speed, as Sonic finally remembered that not all of his friends were as lightning fast on their feet as he was, and he didn't want to take a toll on Lutrudis' sensitive legs. The town itself was drastically different than how Sonic was used to it. Far from the turquoise he was accustomed to seeing in the daytime, the starry night gave the buildings a sheen of purple and pink. It clearly wasn't a simple paint job, as every last building was altered in the same way, and they looked even more translucent. Could this have a connection with the Ethereal Zone's lingering effects too...?

Whatever the story was, it looked incredible. The blue hero mentally cursed Eggman for disrupting their intended vacation time in such a beautiful region, and made yet another mental note to himself to check this all out for longer after the villain was dealt with.

"You think cute couples can get in free at this one?" Amy joked in Sonic's direction, though not without sounding a tad hopeful. Sonic simply smirked.

"As if we won't get in free regardless," he snarked playfully. "We've never NOT got into these things for free... Casino Night, Casinopolis, Casino Park... It's kind of amazing, now that I think about it."

"Well, you ARE the hero of the world. Maybe they understand that they'd all be suffering under Eggman's rule if it weren't for you?" Amy smirked in return.

"Or maybe they suck at their jobs," the male hedgehog laughed, and Amy laughed along with him.

Meanwhile, Lutrudis tried to strike up a conversation with the Chaotix, in an effort to get more acquainted with them. "So you guys don't like Eggman either?" she asked as she glanced up at Vector.

"Nope," Vector stated firmly, eyes straight ahead. "He's a scoundrel."

"He's corrupted," Espio added.

"He looks weird!" Charmy finished, and made a weird face of his own to go along with it. "With that pink nose and those whiskers on his face!"

"Well, I quite agree that he's a menace." Lutrudis was still pacing herself to decrease the chances of her body overexerting itself. "And you help Sonic out on occasion, to defend the world against his horrific tyranny? That's very noble, and commendable." She let out another friendly smile.

Vector paused. He soon realised that their actual reason of wanting Eggman to pay up for an incident years ago might not sound particularly dashing, and he didn't want to bust his first impression.

"...Yeah. Sure."

"Ooooh, is that it?" Cream pointed, still not affected in any way by the weight of her bag full of Chao. The rest of the group were so deep into their conversations that they hadn't realised they were already there. Lutrudis checked for each of their reactions, and outside of Espio's low-key intrigue, they were all dazzled.

"~Chao!~" Cheese cried happily.

"That's it, alright," Tails muttered in amazement. "That looks..."

"AWESOME!" Charmy completed the fox's sentence without asking.

"This is perfect for us!" Amy beamed, and hopped slightly in excitement. "Way better than Eggman's glorified death traps! What do you think, Sonic?"

"Uh..."

It really was something else. His adventures had sent him through countless amusement-related facilities in the past, made by Eggman or otherwise, but for one that wasn't devised by the scientist, it certainly had just as much unique grandeur. Behind an impressively-sized archway, with the title carved into it, were the expected rollercoasters, big wheel, challenges... all complimented by giant marble structures and walls, the latter of which were decked out in a selection of funky patterns with paint. The hero couldn't guess if there was any symbolic meaning to them, but partly because he was also distracted by the many spherical trees throughout the park, each of them boasting different coloured leaves from red all the way to purple. The cobblestone on the ground was practically polished, and the grass alongside it was a faint, bubblegum pink.

Of course, some of this was harder to notice among the crowds upon crowds of ecstatic citizens running around and having the time of their lives. But Sonic noticed all of it regardless, and if the glint in his eye hadn't given it away, he was undoubtably impressed with the showing.

"At least we're getting in free after all... like always... Hey, while we're here...!" His attention compromised, he ran up to a rotund mole, who was standing beside a Test Your Strength challenge.

"Really?" Espio scoffed. "Right now?"

"Yeah, aren't we kind of... looking for Eggman?" Tails wondered in confusion. "Not that I don't like the look of this place, but..."

Sonic wasn't paying attention to them however, as his eyes were focused intently on the prize at stake: a real necklace in the style and pattern of a flower crown. He knew Cream would love the look of this, and he was determined to win it for her.

"May I?" he asked the older mole, as he picked up the hammer required for the challenge.

"Go right ahead, sir," he replied in a posh accent.

The hedgehog chuckled to himself, as he tightened his grip on the hammer. Everyone else gathered round, some more reluctantly than others. He prepared himself, he aimed at the target on the ground, he threw himself back, and with lightning speed...

WHACK!

...He didn't get it.

"What!?" Sonic barked angrily. "How the heck was that not strong enough!? Is this rigged?"

"Anyone else want to try?" the posh mole asked, not answering Sonic's question. His moustache hid the amused smirk on his face.

"Me!" Amy called out as she raised her hand. "Got experience with hammers, you know," she winked playfully. The mole nodded wordlessly, and handed the hammer over to her. Sonic was still visibly annoyed at the implication that the guy who beat numerous ancient entitles was apparently not enough for this simple carnival challenge.

Amy readied herself, with a closed eye, and her tongue sticking out. Espio was rolling his eyes, and Vector put his hands in his pockets rather awkwardly. With a lot of energy, she gave it her all...

"Yah!"

WHACK!

...Still no victory.

"Aw, come on!" she complained. "I totally put everything into that one!"

"Anyone else...?" the mole asked again. He was not too subtly entertained by these proceedings. "Perhaps you, madam?"

He looked in Lutrudis' direction. She blinked, and turned to Sonic and Amy. They both shrugged. Turning back, she nervously walked up to the mole, despite her obvious lack of confidence. Might as well try it for Cream's sake, right?

"Don't be shy, you might have what it takes..." the mole chortled lightly. Lutrudis laughed unconvincingly at his reassurance, but slowly took the hammer from him anyway. She walked up to the target on the ground, positioning herself as carefully as she could. Her tail flicked slowly back and forth as she focused. She closed her eyes tightly, as she prepared to strike...

WHA-BOING!

She opened her eyes, taken off guard by a very different noise. She looked at the moustached mole, who looked as though he had seen a ghost. She turned to everyone else, who all shared the exact same expression. Wondering what they were all looking at, she glanced at the top of the machine... or rather, where it used to be. It was now on the ground, broken, along with the meter itself.

She stared at the ruined machine blankly, only blinking a few times. She then stared at her hands, which were still gripping onto the hammer. She looked at the machine again, with the same blank emotion. Incredibly slowly, she shyly gave the hammer back to the mole, whose gaze was still in the same place. She stood beside him, with her hands behind her back. Her eyes glanced to the side.

"So uh..."

Without a further word from her, he handed the necklace over to her. His head still didn't turn, nor did the bewildered look on his face.

"Thank you, sir..." Lutrudis mumbled nervously, before she turned to Cream to give the prize over. As soon as she saw it, and realised it was for her, the rabbit jumped for joy and hugged the horse's legs. Lutrudis in turn simply pat her on the head, smiling contently. The rest of the group, Sonic and Amy included, walked away from the scene one by one, still notably shocked by what just happened. As Cream skipped along to catch up with Amy, Lutrudis stopped for a moment, and walked back to the elderly mole. His face was still exactly the same, and it seemed nothing would snap him out of his shock at this rate.

"Keep the change," she awkwardly muttered as she placed a twenty note into his pocket. She walked off without another word, somewhat quickly at that.

---

Merry Villa Zone

Act 1: Parade Plaza

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Splats - "These may be the hoppiest bunnies I've ever seen. They're also the most malicious, as they have full intention to flatten you with their springs. Cute as they begrudgingly are, they don't hold a candle to Cream."

Dribbler - "The basketball kind, not the... you know... kind. Anyway, those bumpers they're so fixated on aren't just for show, for they're capable of using their slam dunking expertise to do you in. I sincerely doubt they wish to welcome us to the jam."

Buyon - "More bunnies! But these ones are even less adorable than Cream, not to mention their peculiar talent of extending and defending themselves with a gelatinous substance, thereby rendering themselves impervious to your attacks until they shrink back down. You would think they'd stay like that forever with such a defense."

Glider Pawn - "Purple as the night, Glider Pawns serve their namesake by riding atop their bat-shaped contraptions. They hang around in the air like a pungent smell, and their pumpkin-themed grenades show no mercy. Apparently, they're not too fond of arachnids."

Mimento - "These lanky boys take their business to a new level, as their hand miming somehow deflects you if you try to swipe them, as if they were using a shield. Your best bet is to catch them from behind. The doctor ought to be ashamed for giving monochromatic people a bad name."

Unicrusher - "There's no one riding them, but these unicycles can roll along just fine, and their spiked wheels do little to slow them down. Perhaps we could get one of the spikes to pop them?"

Welcome to Merry Villa, the brightest park in the land, and an adrenaline junkie's dream for no extra charge. (Suppose Heavy Rider would be up for it then.) The sights and spots may catch your attention, but you better not gawk for long if Eggman is around, and that's assuming he's alone. But you are the fastest around, so maybe you could get away with it...

The fancy, multi-layered fountain in the center highlights the considerable deco of the park, with a few parkgoers tossing a ring into it to make a wish. What could they be wishing for? To become a billionaire? To cure all the world's diseases? ...To not get killed by robots tonight? You can go right in the fountain and take those rings for yourself if you really want to, though Lutrudis will advise against it for moral reasons. On the other hand, Vector will strongly suggest it for monetary reasons.

The tall lampposts along the pathways illuminate the area nicely, but so do the grenades of the meddling Glider Pawns. If you defeat them quickly enough, you can briefly ride atop their gliders yourself, before they eventually explode. Note that they only go straight ahead though, meaning they turn about as well as you did back in Soleanna. (Relax, the illusion that you don't remember that one died ages ago.) You can also interact with the workers in oversized mascot suits, which includes possums, jackrabbits, and bobcats. Their appearance seems to be somewhat derivative... and the kids seem to be weirded out by them too.

Bobcat Mascot: There's no need to be afraid, boys and girls! What could possibly go wrong?

Sonic: Your career, apparently...

You can also run up and along the mildly psychadelic patterned walls, which are occasionally separated by small streams of water. And then there's the rides themselves. Climb up the big wheel (or fly, if you're Tails) to get a good view, race along the rollercoasters for shortcuts, scale the swinging pirate ships to nab some hidden items, and watch out for dodgem-manning Egg Pawns. Note that if you take a route involving an especially speedy or momentum-based ride, Lutrudis will always take a detour, as those kind of rides wouldn't do her body any favors.

By the way, yes, she noticed the merry go round. Yes, she noticed it had horses. Yes, she knows Sonic noticed them too.

Lutrudis: Go on then. What witticism do you wish to share about them?

Sonic: Well, they're not as pretty, I guess!

Lutrudis: ...???...

If you climb the big wheel, you can actually see some of the other zones in Viridonia, hiding far away in the background. And not just the ones you've already explored, but a few examples of new territory as well... including a mountain even greater in scale than Zephyr Mountain, covered completely from top to bottom in snow. As beautiful as it looks, you can't help but sense something foreboding about it...

Aside from the aforementioned Glider Pawns, Buyons and Mimentos will prove to be the biggest annoyances of this Badnik selection. Luckily, you've dealt with Buyons in the past, and the strategy for them before works just as well here, so just wait for them to shrink. Mimentos don't cause any damage themselves, but they have a knack for standing near obstacles that will hurt you. All the more reason to use your head when dealing with these jokers.

The end of the stage is signified by the presence of a tunnel. A rather pretty tunnel actually, that's teeming with waterfalls and flowers. Wait, you don't think this could be...

---

"A Tunnel of Love!" Amy gushed merrily. "Not even Twinkle Park had one of these! Let's try that out!"

"All of us...?" Espio muttered awkwardly. He didn't think his expert ninja training would come to this, though it wasn't as if he had anything better to do at this moment in time.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Cream complimented cheerfully, and the numerous Chao on her person were voicing their approval as well, in their famously distinctive language.

"Seems kinda girly though..." Charmy thought, clearly not as impressed with it as he was with the rollercoasters. "Like Vector's singing."

"I heard that!" the crocodile complained.

"Can we, Sonic? Pretty please?" Amy made sure to master her best puppy dog eyes for maximum effect. Sonic rolled his eyes, though it was obviously in jest.

"Whatever, no harm I guess," Sonic shrugged as they all got on the nearby boat one by one. In another stunning display of the hedgehog's luck with parks, no one was there to demand a fee from him. The boat itself was - somewhat predictably for this occasion - shaped like a large gondola, and it had no trouble with housing eight anthros. And Chao. Tails was at the front, followed by the Chaotix, then Amy and Cream, then Sonic and Lutrudis.

As their little ride through the tunnel started, they immediately noticed that the roof of the tunnel displayed huge constellations, and other forms of dazzling astral projections. Neon purple lights shined throughout the "night sky", which reflected off the water and flora. Amy and Cream were immediately hooked, as was Tails.

"Man..." Vector let out quietly.

"Okay, this is pretty rad," said Charmy, having retracted his previous sentiment.

Everyone was deeply focused on the spectacle, and Sonic himself was no different. It almost reminded him of his experiences in the Chaos Emeralds' ever changing pocket dimension. He turned to Lutrudis to see her own reaction, and he saw the purple reflect off her brown eyes. He noticed this for perhaps longer than necessary.

"This is the first time I've been here," she commented, her eyes still looking up. Her arms were resting on her knees. "Never thought it would look like this."

"Really? Your first time? You've never been to the park in your own region?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, shocked by this claim. He looked around himself, taking the scenery in once more, before turning back to her. "Not a fan of places like this?"

"Oh no, it's not a taste thing," Lutrudis answered. "It's not that they're not made for me. Rather, it's... the opposite." She rubbed her arm with a little unease, clearly uncomfortable with having to remember the countless ways her life had to be made needlessly complicated through an undesirable situation. "I can't really get much mileage with most rides..."

Sonic continued looking at his friend. Though he understood her words immediately, he also sensed through her troubled body language that this wasn't just limited to parks.

"Don't take this the wrong way Trudy, but... you don't go out much, do you?" he asked out of concern. He really hoped she wouldn't be offended.

Lutrudis glanced at the others. She looked at Amy and Cream's unrestrained glee at the tunnel's beauty, and smiled, though it appeared bittersweet.

"No, not really. I know where everything is around here, but outside of my immediate area and the town, that's pretty much me." She chuckled. "I don't suppose the guardian of the Master Emerald would sympathise."

Sonic chuckled in turn, though that passed quickly. For someone who has lived the life that he has, and continues to live, it was obvious to him from his friend's tone that she desperately wanted to change this aspect of her own life, but felt unable to do so. All because of an illness beyond her control.

"You know... there's still a lot of places in the world," the hedgehog pointed out innocently. He didn't seem to realise he had scooted closer to her. "In all shapes and sizes. Surely there's many that would suit your needs, even if others don't."

Lutrudis paused to contemplate his suggestion. She appeared to be unsure about it, but after finding solace in his famous green eyes, which once again failed to show any sign that he didn't mean what he said, her ears slowly lowered.

"You really think there's more out there for me...?" she questioned.

Sonic simply nodded, with a warm look on his face. Lutrudis, very gradually, returned the hero's smile, not noticing that her hand was now slightly on top of his. If Sonic noticed it, he didn't show it, nor did he complain.

"Looks like this is the end of the path!" Tails called out, as he pointed towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Thank god, I was starting to get seasick," Vector muttered, his face having turned slightly blue.

"In a love tunnel...?" Espio queried.

"S-Shut up..."

---

Act 2: Toy Towers

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Spiker - "Pointy, aren't they? But they're not. By violating common sense and bouncing on them, you will find that their spiked form is but a clever ruse. It's rather a shame that they tend to hide alongside real spikes..."

Ringleader - "Their blocky arms may look tough, but their danger actually comes from their underside, which can detach from the main body and slice you up like a particularly gruesome boomerang... Bonza...?"

Guards - "These... uh, guards, come in threes, and though they may be smaller than a mouse, they've got bombs hiding in those trumpets. Even though they can still play the trumpets just fine..."

Slitty - A slinky may be for every girl and boy, but if they're this sharp and hazardous, they're hardly a joy. Be cautious with stairs and ledges, as they like to hang around them... or drop down from them, to be more accurate."

Boxfiend - "It's a box, and there's a fiend inside... Brilliant. The striped jesters within are eager to pound you into dust with their oversized boxing gloves. Might want to watch your ear..."

Blocker - "Now the ABC's are trying to kill us. What will they think of next. Depending on which letter their face is, they can either open up to reveal a flamethrower, or they can... give you rings...? Was this an intentional design choice...?"

Returning Enemies: Dribbler

Sonic: Toys...?

Tails: Lots of them!

Cream: I like this place!

Espio: I don't.

Yes, it would seem that the Tunnel of Love brought us to a place where everything is made from toys. And I do mean everything, including the very ground you step on. The grass and the trees look as though they're made out of paper, and the towers made of different colored blocks are a size worthy for a giant's son... or Eggman, if you want to argue about what constitutes for a child.

Anyway, there's a whole bunch of gimmicks here, which naturally work in tandem with the motif going on here. Basketballs bounce along the ground, which you can jump on to gain height for trickier jumps, though you can also get crushed if you're underneath. You can jump even higher by bouncing on the giant trampolines, but you can also bust them if you strain them too much. Bonus points can be gained by scoring a bullseye on the dartboards... with the dart in question being you.

On another note, have you secretly entered a cartoon universe (that isn't your own)? It might feel that way, because you also have to deal with falling anvils, walls that don't actually exist, and stacks of dynamite lighting up on seemingly their own accord. Who could possibly be causing all this... magic?

Sonic: Did anyone else hear a weird... laugh?

It's this level where the Chaotix will really get to help you out. In areas where there's a lot of basketballs, Espio can fire his shuriken to pop some of them, which gives you a little more leeway. Vector, if you desire, can use his music to knock down some towers, which can reveal some hidden goodies. And Charmy can take care of some enemies in the air if you're busy dealing with them on land. Of course, the others in your group can still help out as well.

"~Mmm hmm hmm!~"

Tails: There it is again! That laugh!

Amy: Come on out and show yourself, coward!

Lutrudis: Wonder what they find so funny...

Around the halfway point, you'll arrive in what appears to be an elaborate mini-golf course. There's no ball though, so I guess you'll have to stand in for it. There's plenty of smooth slopes to get your speed going, but be careful as you roll under narrow windmills, and avoid the holes that count as pits. There should really be a safety inspector for this.

The further you go on, the more the oddities ramp up. Some of the walls will suddenly try to flatten you, enemies will start appearing out of thin air, and at one point, even Sonic himself gets a different coat of paint, his fur now being green with black on top.

Sonic: HEY! Change me back right now, whoever you are! Or else...!

Magician: Only if you win, my blue comrade. But I fear this resulting match, will become quite sad!

Sonic: Oh great, it's you...

BOSS: Heavy Magician

Magician is a talkative robot.

Magician: You shall not evade my tricks, for this time the doctor's victory will stick!

She also likes to rhyme.

Magician: Are you daring to have a go? Try as you might, this will be your last foe!

A lot.

Magician: Don't see fit to be so coarse, for there are many things I could do to your horse!

Lutrudis: Thanks for making me feel involved, I guess...

The witch-like fiend tends to fly all around, waving her erratic hands all the way. Though she's not afraid to fire a drop of magic directly at you now and then, she favors using the environment against you. In addition to making enemies appear and altering the walls to squash you, she also summons falling anvils, and she can knock the block towers herself at the expense of your own wellbeing. Unsurprisingly, she also hides a lot of the time, which includes making herself invisible.

The key to beating her is by out-tricking her. She may fly around, but she's usually close to where you are. So if, say, you activated one of the squashing walls, and waited till the last second to escape from it... you might just get her squashed in your place, which will deactivate her invisibility cloak for a brief period. Give 'er the ol' one-two spin, and the cycle repeats.

...For a while. But she sees your ways eventually, and thus she decides to change tactics. How? By doing what every annoying boss worth their salt does... by cloning herself. You now have four copies of Magician to deal with, and you gotta figure out which one's the real deal. How do you do that? By noticing something off about their design? By noticing a difference in speed?

Nope. You just need to wait until the real Magician blabbers in rhyme again, thereby giving herself away, as the clones don't say anything. As punishment for her vice, you can keep up the beatdown, and after eight hits in total, the rascally robot will fly away, but not before one last ominous message...

Magician: Your strength and speed may be worth a crave, but when you see what we have in store, you will share a pretty grave!

---

"At least my fur's back to normal," Sonic muttered, as it restored itself to its usual blue. "I'd like to see her try that again..."

"What did she mean about us sharing a grave?" Cream asked fearfully. One of the Chao in her bag tried valiantly to pat the side of her head.

"Don't listen to her," Amy put her hand on the young rabbit's shoulder. "She's just trying to scare us," she added confidently. Just after she said this, her ear suddenly twitched madly. She appeared to feel a strange and unexpected sense of euphoria, judging from the strong look on her face.

"Is it just me, or do I smell something really tasty?"

The rest of the group exchanged glances of varying confirmation, until Amy pointed to where she thought it came from. Another tunnel from the looks of it, although this one had no water. Just by getting closer to it, her ear twitched again, even faster this time.

"DEFINITELY through here," she stated, with a hint of hunger lust.

"Don't you think this might be a trap?" Tails asked hesitantly. He looked behind him to see if anyone was following them through the tunnel.

"Indeed, we haven't encountered the doctor in this facility yet," Espio mentioned.

"Who cares? I'm hungry!" Charmy reasoned.

Lutrudis raised an eye at the bee's apparent lack of self-preservation, though that's not to say she wasn't amused. She looked into her backpack, which - in addition to her usual arrows - was now filled with the mystical crystals from her cavern. Was it really a good idea to bring them along...?

"No trap would get past us. Besides, even if it is, we can take it on no prob-"

Sonic cut himself off upon witnessing the sight in front of him. Everyone else was similarly speechless, and Vector was practically salivating. Standing tall and proud was a land made almost completely out of tasty treats, and colorful delights. Checkered walls were made entirely of chocolate, hills were made of ice cream, rivers were made of strawberry milk, candy canes were planted here and there, bridges were made out of ice lollies... tempting was an apt word to describe this place. Why there weren't more people here remained a mystery.

"This is gonna be bad for my diet," Vector confessed.

"You don't have a diet," Espio countered.

"Fine, hypothetical diet."

"I can't resist..." Amy weakly muttered, before pouting sadly. "But I know I have to..."

"I feel you," Sonic replied, similarly fighting the temptation for the sake of finding Eggman. Lutrudis simply clenched her chest with her arms to fight against her own hunger. Tails had to be pat on the back by both Cream and Charmy as he puffed out in exhaustion at the prospect of there being mint candy.

---

Act 3: Confectionery Factory

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Gingerdread - "Horror movie material right here. With their candy-colored ice picks, these grinning treats could skewer you if you're not careful. Pray tell, why must the doctor corrupt something so sweet?"

Caramelt - "These sentient blocks of chocolate look harmless enough, but getting close to them will cause them to separate and extend themselves through molten caramel. Way I see it, if you can't eat it without it burning your mouth off, it has simply failed as an edible."

Gobshocker - "They're blue and round just like you, Sonic. But they're twice your size, and they can charge themselves with electricity. Won't be eating that one, then..."

Jellybomber - "They've got a lot of jellybeans in their glass cases, but don't get your hopes up, they're just explosives. Doesn't matter which colour they fire, they're all made with the intent to blow you to kingdom come... Maybe the red ones aren't too bad though...?"

So I guess Viridonia is pretty lax about getting sued...

But who could blame the heroes for their temptation? This is every diabetic's greatest dream. And there's so much to choose from, so there's bound to be something for you! Candy, chocolate, ice cream, killer robots, the list is endless!

Naturally, there's a lot of gimmicks here as well. Giant muffins take the place of trampolines, you can spin up candy canes, and cake frosting works exactly the same as ice, though fortunately the latter sections are rarely next to anything especially dangerous. Licorice can be grinded on, and the strawberry milk is free to swim around in... and your character will remain pink for a few seconds after they come out, much to their chagrin. And if you search hard enough, you can find candy based on Sonic's own face! Complete with gumballs for eyes...

Sonic: ...I look nothing like that.

If you're able to run on top of one of the giant lollipops, with a little help from Lutrudis' whip, you can get it to fall on its side and whack another lollipop on the way down, which will cause that one to fall and whack another one, and the conker effect resumes until the last one crashes down onto a gate concealing a bunch of extra lives. Other tricks include pushing protruded chocolate blocks on the walls into their slots for more points (which Amy will occasionally sort out herself courtesy of her hammer), and just like in the jungles of Tricky Tropics, you can use the confectionery against your enemies should you possess the high intellect to do so. What's the best way to get rid of a Caramelt? By dunking them with ten times more caramel!

Strangely enough, the trickiest obstacle aside from the robots are the bridges made from ice lollies. You see, they work just like ice as well, but the speed changes depending on which colour you're currently sliding on... and the bridges consist of all the colours, meaning one moment you could be sliding normally, and the next moment you're suddenly sliding at faster speeds. Here's a handy checklist for which colours are which:

Purple and Pink > Slow

Cyan and Blue > Moderate

Yellow and Green > Fast

Red and Orange > Might as well be Mach Speed

So be careful. Otherwise your golden ticket will be for nothing. Did I mention that Gingerdreads sometimes occupy the bridges as well? At least they're affected by the different speeds too.

Towards the end, which is signified by a whole pack of Gobshockers, Heavy Magician suddenly appears again to knock all of you into a nearby chute. The good news is that it's just more strawberry milk. The bad news is that it's a current.

Vector: Yaargh!

Tails: Hang on guys!

Sonic: It's like the dam all over again!

Magician: ~Mmm hmm hmm!~

This one is a little harder, because not only is the path notably more diagonal and confusing, there are also floating Jellybombers, whose ability to pelt you with candy-colored bombs has not been impeded by the current. There's also a few more obstacles to avoid alongside them, like cherries and chocolate blocks. But if you persevere in one piece, you'll make it out alive. Literally. You're outside now, though still within the park. As you clean yourself up after that strawberry bath, you can spot some fancy lights in the distance, and a giant tent among them...

---

"Everyone okay?" Sonic asked, as he got the rest of the milk out of his right ear.

"Yeah... I think," Amy replied, slightly knocked out by the prior affair. Cream checked frantically that every Chao they had was still safe and sound in her bag, and to her relief, they were. Espio was trying to wipe the pink off of his horn, to debatable success, and Charmy was cleaning Vector's back. Tails used his twin tails to fan the rest of the substance off of Lutrudis.

"Well at least we're out of there now," Tails thought, though a hint of his hunger remained. "Any longer in there, and I would have acted on my impulses," he joked.

"Maybe you SHOULD have acted on them!" an unexpected voice called out to them from a very loud radio.

"Eggman!" Amy got into her usual defensive position with her hammer, even though the doctor wasn't technically present. "So you ARE here after all!"

"Of course," the arch villain confirmed. "Gotta check out rival theme parks after all! This one isn't bad, but I could make it so much better! And did they rip me off with that little candy factory of theirs...? How predictable for them to steal from my genius."

"Alright doc, where's the money?" Vector put up his dukes, and Espio and Charmy rallied beside him. "You KNOW I'll never let that go until we get it!"

"Money...?" Lutrudis questioned.

"Oh, get over that already, you mediocre detective. I said I'd give you it once the world is mine, yes? Ever consider that getting in my way delays that? Hmmmm?"

"Where are you, Eggman?" Sonic demanded firmly. He knew the scientist was up to something from his far too casual tone, and he didn't like it.

"You really want to know? Right here! In the Big Top! I've got a show of my own prepared, and I'd be grief-stricken if you missed it. Come inside... if you dare! Ho ho!"

The giant tent they could see even from a distance was a spectacle. It stood tall and wide, with red and white stripes, along with dozens upon dozens of bulbs around the outside perimeter that lit the place up nicely. Not that it needed them, since the surrounding area was also filled with lights, as well as smaller tents colored blue, with purple patterns. The spotlights shot up to the night sky, like a laser through butter.

The group looked at the main tent with a look of doubt, which they then exchanged with one another. Espio was already polishing his shuriken again, just in case.

"This is probably a bad idea," Lutrudis said what everyone else was thinking, the innocent Cream included. The horse's right foot was kicking the ground a little, possibly out of anxiousness.

Sonic nodded, though his look of determination remained. "But the only way our goose chase can end is when we get more words out of him. He's got arrogance the size of a moon, he'll blurt out something sooner or later."

"And he'll give us our money sooner or later..." Vector added through gritted teeth, and clenched fists. Charmy offered a look of sympathy.

---

Act 4: Cirque de Spectre

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Boo - "Eggman isn't a witch doctor, is he? Because these don't look like robots to me. And yet, given that they'll attempt to grab you and halt your movement, these paranormal hoodlums appear to be in league with him anyway. Why, though...?"

Pierrot - "As if clowns didn't have a bad reputation already. These fellows are quite versatile, as they can juggle with skittles, carry around a hammer twice their size, or balance themselves on a big shiny ball. All three tactics deliver the pain regardless, so beware."

Juggle Saw - "This crabby duo shares a buzzsaw with each other, which they'll hand over to one another after a short period. I think that might count as cheating in regards to juggling, but I'm hardly a circus connoisseur."

Jackalope - "These names certainly come from a right jackanape. Carved from metal rather than fruit, these pumpkins alternate between emotions. They take it easy with their bouncing if they're sad, but if they look happy, they go extremely fast... you're still the king of speed though, Sonic, don't worry."

Leo - "It's okay, it's only a robot lion... actually, that might be worse. Either way, they're quick to pounce on you, and they tend to do it in small packs. Good thing there's just as many of us, wouldn't you say?"

Gumbo - "Goodness, those are sizable elephants! Not only can they use their long ears to blow you away, they can also shoot a gooey substance out of their trunks that will briefly immobolise you... and it kind of stinks a bit, but at least it isn't fatal."

Returning Enemies: Buyon Unicrusher Boxfiend

At least Eggman had the decency to indulge in his circus fantasies while the planet isn't being invaded by aliens this time. Pumpkins litter every corner, white gates are closed off, and lights flash on and off in different patterns. This place may have not been built by the villain, but he's set up shop here nonetheless, as evidenced by his takeover of the big top and the usual robots running around causing mischief.

As Lutrudis already noted however, it's not just the doctor's goons you're fighting this time. The Boos have appeared to menace our heroic anthros once more, and while they've had a history of lounging around Eggman-occupied establishments, here they seem to be actively working for him as opposed to remaining a neutral third party. You can tell this, because they have no compunctions about teaming up with the robots to knock you down. What did Eggman do to them...?

Sonic: Not the first time he's enslaved ghosts.

Lutrudis: So not even the dead are safe from his tampering. That filthy beast...

They act exactly as they did all the way back in the A.R.K. incident. Luckily, they haven't improved either, so a quick spin or tail whack will be enough for them to disappear. Most of the robots are actually the bigger problem, particularly the Gumbos and Leos. And yes, those two do come together often, meaning it's very easy to get Gumbo's gunk on you, and immediately follow it up by Leos pouncing away at a now helpless you. The Badniks are getting smarter still with their strategies, but keep a collected head, and you'll do fine.

As for the environment itself, you can grind on certain corners of the tents, and should they see you, the spotlights will summon more robots for you to deal with. If you can't be bothered with that, you and Vector can team up to break them. There are also loads of floating red and white barrels, which you can use to gain more momentum, although Sonic seems to be rather iffy about them, for... whatever reason...

More daring obstacles include fiery hoops, the latter of which slowly turn around in the air, and rarely stay still. Venturing within the blue tents will treat you to trapezes that you can use, but watch out for Juggle Saws on the roof, as they might cut the wire with their sawblade. If it comes to that, there is mercifully no bottomless pit below... just a whole bunch of enemies, mostly Unicrushers. But you've got your friends (and the Chaotix) on your side, so we're even. And do watch out for the knives that go flying towards boxes, lest you want a death that isn't a trick.

As you get closer to the red tent, you can slowly start to hear a bunch of gibberish... familiar, high-pitched gibberish... It's definitely not coming from the doctor...

---

"Alright doc, we're ready for your little... game?"

No sooner than he went inside the tent was Sonic already caught by surprise. That same surprise reached everyone else's faces, though Espio looked only mildly confused. The tent looked as you expected, as brightly lit as the outside, and sure enough, Eggman was right there, on a throne high above the arena, with Orbot and Cubot at his sides. For reasons only known to himself, he was inexplicably wearing a black suit and top hat, complete with red cuffs and a stripe above the brim.

That wasn't what they were shocked about though. The screaming and pleading made that obvious. The audience, if you could call them that, were all watching behind bars, trapped in the tent for the purpose of watching Eggman's little show against their will. Notably, Eggman showed no emotional reaction to their relentless cries for help.

"Oh thank god, it's Sonic the Hedgehog!" a male giraffe noted, his neck poking through his bars. "Save us from this crazy man!"

"He's been playing his theme song for hours!" exclaimed a hippo, depressed from knowing the words of I Am The Eggman by memory despite wanting to forget them.

"And one of his robots shocked my mate Jerry!" a grieving ape explained. "I saw it with my own eyes! You've gotta stop that fool, Jerry was a good man!"

"Hmph," Eggman thought, as he crossed his arms. "Fool this, crazy that... Seems I can never get my deserved respect from you lot."

"What's respectful about enslaving innocents?" Amy questioned out of anger. Her hammer was ready to make contact with the doctor's cranium the moment the opportunity presented itself.

"Why do you do these things, Dr. Eggman?" Cream asked in addition, clearly upset that he continued to spread malicious intent rather than repent.

"Chao?" Cheese mused.

"Release them right now, Eggman!" Sonic insisted, as his spikes bristled.

"Uh, no?" Eggman blew a raspberry at his nemesis, complete with his hand on his nose. Cubot laughed at this. "Yeah, like I'm going to just do as you say. Keep on dreaming, hedgehog."

"Isn't that what you expect from everyone else?" Charmy pointed out. Both Vector and Espio looked at the bee in surprise, as they weren't used to this kind of reasonable logic coming from him.

"Wait a minute," Eggman suddenly paused, after noticing the bag on Cream's person. Whether he deliberately chose to dodge Charmy's query was up for debate. He could spot a familiar water dropped shape tucked in at the top of the bag.

"Chao," he muttered. His tone shifted. "You brought them here? Where you knew I would be?"

Cream froze in fear. She felt as though she was put on the spot. She didn't know how to answer the doctor, and she couldn't deal with feeling stupid. Said feeling increased by the second, and it was getting to her. Before she could mentally hyperventilate any longer however, Lutrudis stepped in front of her defensively, with her bow out.

"You're still not getting them," she bluntly stated. "They're not your tools."

"Oh yeah?" Eggman scoffed. "Says who?"

"Me," Sonic answered. He stood beside Lutrudis.

"And me," added Tails. He did the same.

"And me!" Amy said, as she went to the other side of the horse and rabbit.

"And us," Vector pointed at himself, with his two associates alongside him.

"You know, they kind of had you there when you asked that," Orbot pointed out, not even trying to hide his own amusement.

"Grrr, fine, so be it then!" He immediately went right back to grinning, as he took out a little bell. "Boo me all you want, ladies and gentlemen! You'll be speechless after I do... this!"

He rung the bell, which echoed throughout the tent. Not a second after, a flurry of wind started up from the inside, to which the heroes quickly held on to each other to keep themselves from flying out of the tent. The unfortunate prisoners were banging against their bars due to the wind, which they very loudly complained about. It soon became apparent however that the wind... wasn't wind. Rather, it was the entrance for a particularly spooky adversary.

"What the-!" Sonic let out in confusion. In front of them, out of the blue, was a gigantic ghost, with several of his followers by his side. His claws were bendy, his eyes were beady, and most jarringly of all, his tongue had all the colours of the rainbow. A certain echidna would have been all too familiar with this presence.

"BLARGH BLARGH BLAAAARRRRGHH!"

---

BOSS: King Boom Boo

Knuckles had an advantage back in the day, because it was still daylight when he fought Boom Boo. You do not have that advantage, and even if you did, there are no windows that could show him the light anyway. What's the strategy for him this time then? Your audience wouldn't know.

"What is that thing!?"

"But there's no such thing as ghosts!"

"DON'T LET IT KISS ME!"

First off, your friends will take care of the regular Boos (Espio is the best at eliminating them due to his speed and weapons), but if you help them out, you can get rid of them quicker. This actually works to your benefit, for although you'll have to avoid Boom Boo's blue fire and stupid laughter in the meantime, getting rid of the Boos means you can ALL focus on him. Of course, you still can't actually attack him, since there's nothing around to weaken him...

Unless... the crystals...

Lutrudis: Please don't backfire on me...!

In a moment of ingenuity, Lutrudis will get the idea to use her yellow crystals, which have electric capabilities. It might not be light, but it'll do. She might miss once or twice, but not as much as she would with the Paindozer. Her accuracy is getting better with moving targets, slowly but surely. With a direct hit from a crystal-imbued arrow, the king will be briefly paralyzed in shock, before he goes on a rampage around the arena. This is your chance for everyone and their dog to get a hit in, but beware, he's still electrified don't forget, so you need to time your hits to when he's NOT covered in static. Eggman is quick to notice the power of the horse's arrow, with an alarming intrigue.

Eggman: How... How did you do that...?

This process repeats two more times, but as you'll expect at this point, he changes things up halfway through. Not forgetting his other main ability, Boom Boo will dig into the ground and become a shadow, and will continue to hide in the ground and on the tent's walls unless you do something about it. All the while, the regular Boos will start using their master's fire to thwart you. It's at this point that Amy pipes up.

Amy: Maybe THIS will work...!

She will start hammering the ground with considerable force, which causes shockwaves. These shockwaves do not hurt you thankfully, although they can knock you on your derriere if you're clumsy, as evidenced with it happening to everyone else, particularly Vector. These shockwaves, if they reach Boom Boo's shadow, will not bring him out, but they WILL make his shadow bulge ever so slightly, for a brief moment. That's your cue to slam down on him, which will send him flying out of the ground in a panic. Lutrudis will then bring out the arrows again, and the routine goes from there, although the amount of Boos increase with each hit.

On his sixth and final hit, Boom Boo will absorb all the Boos in the vicinity to double his size, and he takes up the center of the arena. He'll send forth a very large pillar of blue flame from his mouth, and will go left and right with it, in different speeds. He won't let up for a good while, and it can be easy for him to catch you out, but eventually he'll tire himself out, with his tongue dangling from it. Lutrudis, somewhat begrudgingly because she doesn't want to feel like a sadist, will fire an electrified arrow at the tongue. As he goes absolutely ballistic, time yourself right and attack him right in the mouth. It's a critical hit, and he'll cry out in pain, explode wildly, and disappear as mysteriously as he entered. Well, what does Eggman have to say about this turn of events?

---

"Awesome job, Sonic!" a female sheep called out from her cage.

"Can I get your autograph... after I'm out of here?" asked a nervous otter.

"Not bad," Eggman dryly commented, clapping sarcastically all the while. He still had a smile on his face, which was seriously beginning to unnerve Sonic. He had seen it many times before, of course he had, but he could be counted on to lose it instantly and fly into a petulant rage the moment things went south. Why wasn't that happening this time? What was he so consistently giddy about?

"You know doc, I remember the days when you used to fight me all the time," the hedgehog said, trying his best to rile him up. His fists were still clenched. "Fought me in Green Hill, fought me in Emerald Hill, fought me in Splash Hill... What happened? Got cowardly on me?"

There was a glint in Eggman's glasses. Yet his grin stayed put. "Not at all, my blue foe. I've simply become a busy man, and while we're on that topic... you."

He immediately focused on Lutrudis, who slightly jumped at the sudden attention. Deep down however, she already figured out why he turned to her.

"Your arrows," he started. "Arrows don't do that. Not on their own. You've altered them, haven't you? And I think I know with what..."

There was a brief silence. Lutrudis and Eggman's shared glare remained for what felt like forever. Tails darted his eyes back and forth, waiting to see which of them broke the silence.

"Your suspicions are true," Lutrudis nervously, yet sternly replied. She saw no reason to hide or deny the obvious, since for all of the man's flaws, he was far from dumb. "And you're not getting those either. Not without a fight."

"Hmph," he scoffed again, looking at Orbot while he pointed at the lady like she was crazy. "And what, you think you're on the same category as the rest here? With that jello you call a body?"

Lutrudis' eyes froze.

He did not just say that.

The doctor's grin grew wider, knowing full well that he struck her hard. "Yes, that's right. I learned about your... situation, little pony. It's why you use those crystals, isn't it? Cause you know you're nothing without them."

She paused. And stuttered slightly. "That's not why..."

"Okay, you shut up right now," Sonic sneered at Eggman venomously, his spikes bristling up yet again. Amy was similarly fuming, and was gripping her hammer harder than ever. The Chaotix had no idea what they were talking about, but they disapproved of the doctor's comments regardless.

"Oh, but it's true though, isn't it?" He snickered briefly, as did Cubot, despite the latter not understanding the discussion in the slightest. Eggman continued. "You wake up every day, knowing that the world around you looks down on you, for offering nothing. Why settle for you, when they could settle for the gifted?"

"I swear Eggman," Sonic huffed, while being held back by a cautious yet sympathetic Tails. "If you don't shut your trap..."

Eggman leaned forward, as the light flashed on his grinning mug. He knew exactly what he was doing. "No one likes damaged goods, Lutrudis. Not even your supposed friends."

"Don't listen to him!" Cream cried out, who was clearly just as hurt by his remarks. "It's not true! You're not damaged like that!" Cheese appeared to be just as pained.

"What are you guys even talking about?" a confused rhino shouted. "We're waiting to be freed here!"

Lutrudis struggled to retort. She knew he was lying. She knew Sonic wasn't like that. She knew Tails wasn't like that. She knew none of them were like that. She knew better than to doubt them. She had no reason to doubt them.

But that's the thing. It wasn't them she doubted... it was herself. It wasn't a case of whether they were sincere, but rather whether she earned that sincerity to begin with. Did she really deserve their company...? Did she really deserve their companionship...?

"...Tell us why you want the Chao," she finally said, in an effort to change the subject, as well as to help her friends calm down. "And the crystals. The Wraith. The Ethereal Zone. All of it. What are you doing all this for?" Her voice was lower than usual, which matched the conflicted and distracted look of guilt on her face.

In a small burst of relief, the doctor did in fact change to that topic. "Still haven't figured it out, eh?" His smile increased in its smugness, and he crossed his legs stylishly. Evidently, he enjoyed being the smartest man in the room. He decided to humor his opponents' wish, for if only they knew how far this rabbit hole truly went...

"What if I told you that it's all... connected...?"

---

Back to Chapter 4-5 Interlude...

To Chapter 6...

[javathewildone]

Ty Chronicles - A Walk to Remember (Pt. 13)

Summary: Meghan Donovan is a girl no one pays attention to until the day Ty Borden discovers something about her that so closely relates to his own life he finds himself becoming attached to her. But the closer he gets, the worse things become. And no one makes it through unscathed. The first installment of the Ty Chronicles saga. Set pre-Heartland/pre-juvie/pre-group home. Told in first-person through Ty’s point of view. Rating: M for adult themes Author’s Notes: Hey, look! It was exactly one year since I posted a chater for this one. *facepalm* I’ve changed direction with it so many times it amazes me I still remember wtf I was doing. Trigger Warning: adult content including prostitution Parts: P | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8  | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

"You're really not going to tell me how you got Maisie to trust you enough to open up about Meghan?" I asked, discarding a useless three of clubs down on the bench between us. It had been over an hour since we ran into the mysterious Maisie. After a while of me sitting and fidgeting and looking suspiciously like I was jonesing, Seth dug out a deck of cards from his grocery bag and we were now three games into a Gin tournament.

Seth took a moment to move his cards around. "Your tender virginal ears couldn't bear the sensual details." He discarded a six of hearts.

My brow rose. "You used sex in exchange for information?" I almost couldn't believe it.

"See? The very idea makes your head spin, my prudish little friend."

I scowled. "I'm not a prude, Seth. Virgin, maybe, but I've been around the block a time or two. What surprises me is that you're not."

Seth leaned back, aghast. "Beg your pardon, fella; I happen to be very popular with the ladies. Cougars, particularly, like Miss Maisie back there. They just devour my boyish charm." He smiled broadly as if to flaunt said charms.

I snorted. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume the other night wasn't your first time hanging around here."

"And you would be correct," Seth said, lowering his gaze back to his hand. "You gonna make a move, or what?"

I picked up his card, arranging it in my hand. "Well…?"

"Well, what?"

"You and Maisie. What's going on there?"

Seth shrugged, picking up my discarded two of spades. "I'm a refreshing break from the skeevy old men who leave the money on the nightstand on their way out the door."

Never, in a million years, would I ever think to discover this startling revelation about one of my good friends. Then again, we didn't often talk about such things. Meaning relationships. Which, I suppose this would fall into that category. My fraternization with Meghan seemed to be the catalyst to jar that particular topic of interest. Their desire to know the dirty details of our interactions only made their own love interests fair game. Already startling truths were being revealed.

"So, you've actually… with her?"

"Done the dirty? Sure." Seth admitted it so casually, like it was no big deal for a 15-year-old kid to have sex with a lady of the night. Like it wasn't illegal, forget about immoral. But, when put it into the perspective of where we were and why we were there, I really shouldn't be as stunned as I was.

Still, I fell into contemplative silence, mulling over this idea of my friend – who was younger than me – having done more with a grown woman than some guys older than us have done. Than I've done. And I thought I was hot shit for hitting the sexual milestones I had. But my contemplation over Seth's sexual escapades took a dark turn when I considered Meghan being the one subject to those things with the skeevy old men Maisie dealt with. The thought of them touching her in places I never dared sent an explosion of rage through my veins. I couldn't bear being inside my own head anymore with this knowledge of Meghan working this very street. With what little I knew of the situation, I was able to conjure up every filthy scenario of her being groped, abused, assaulted, molested, and even raped. It scared me to death while at the same time fueling my protective instinct that used to be solely reserved for my mother. That uninhibited need to prevent the bad things from happening or to go head to head with them when just stealing her away wasn't an option. I felt that familiar tension building in my shoulders now.

"Ty. Hey, man." Seth nudged my hand. "Your go."

"I'm done playing." I said, my tone implying I didn't just mean our card game.

"Look. I know it's not right, but we're two consenting people and I don't appreciate you judging me for it." Seth said, his voice clipped as he gathered up the cards.

I realized then that he thought my abrupt change in demeanor was because I didn't approve of his lifestyle. "I'm not. It's none of my business. I appreciate you looking into Meghan for me, but now that I know… I just can't stop thinking up all of these terrible things happening to her. She's not like you, or Maisie. I can guarantee her consent is not given freely."

Seth visibly relaxed, his defensive expression softening. "I just hope we can do something to actually help her. "

"Me too." I ran a hand anxiously through my hair. I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait before succumbing to my own imagination and losing it completely.

"Hey, watch this." Shuffling through the cards, Seth selected three then set the rest aside. Settling himself on the edge of the sidewalk he laid the cards out before him. Lifting each in turn he showed them to me. Queen of hearts, five of diamonds, and ten of spades. "Follow the lady." With the dexterity of a casino dealer he shuffled the cards around and around until satisfied then gestured for me to choose.

Huffing a sigh, I humored him and pointed to the center. His mouth quirked as he lifted the card to reveal the ten of spades. "I made two hundred bucks one afternoon playing this game downtown. You'd be amazed how flustered people get when they think they are being clever. They just kept throwing money at me to best themselves." He revealed the Queen then set her back down to shuffle again.

I didn't bother to wager any actual currency, knowing full well I was not in any state of mind to follow a fake lady when my thoughts were reaching toward a real one. My attention wandered to every vehicle and person that came our way. It didn't take Seth long to get bored of my half-hearted guesses.

"You gotta stop looking so suspicious," he commented, picking up the rest of the cards and giving them a hard shuffle.

"Aren't we suspicious enough loitering on this bench at this time of night?" I was waiting for the cops to pull up and ask just that. What answer could we even give them?

Seth shrugged. "No one really asks questions this part of town. But you looking around like that will for sure draw some unwanted attention."

"I can't help it." I leaned back to stare down at my shoes.

"There you go; that's better. Down on our luck and despondent is what we're going for."

I shot my friend a glance in the form of an eye roll. The click of heels drew our attention then as Maisie sauntered up with another young woman – not Meghan, to my dismay. She brushed Seth aside to sit between us, gesturing to her companion. "This is Clara. She's another novitiate." I hoped she meant to use that particular term ironically.

Clara smiled softly at me, not sparing Seth a glance. I smiled back to be polite, but my attention wandered to Maisie. "Have you seen Meghan?"

"You're Ty." It was Clara that spoke, commandeering my focus. I assumed she learned that from Seth, or from Maisie who learned it from Seth.

"Yeah." I curbed the rest of that sentence. They all knew why I was there; it seemed like a waste of breathe to ask again about Meghan. If I took away anything from that evening it was to be as discreet and cryptic as possible. Anyhow, my impatient expression was sure to speak for me well enough.

Clara's smile only widened at the affirmation. "Come with me." She stood, grabbing my hand as she did to pull me up with her.

I threw a confused glance over my shoulder to Seth, allowing myself to be pulled to my feet but no further. My friend only nodded in encouragement and tossed me his deck of cards that I caught against my side. "Follow the lady."

Unsure what to make of his double entendre, I figured I trusted Seth this far, I might as well go all the way. Pocketing the cards, I let Clara pull me down the street.

"Put your arm around me," she insisted when we paused at the corner to cross.

"What?" Startled, I tried to pull my hand from her grasp but she tightened her grip.

She finagled my arm to drape across her shoulders, tugging me closer into her side. She wrapped her arm around my waist as we crossed the street, ducking her head against my chest as she laughed. "Look like you mean to be here. We're going to meet your lady friend, but we can't look conspicuous. Pretend we're headed some place for a good time." Despite the giggle in her voice, her words were firm. Understanding, I let my rigid posture melt, leaning into her a bit and even fabricating a stumble to feign intoxication. This made Clara laugh for real. "That'll do, Pig."

I let her guide me, trying to pry what bit of information I could through slurred murmurs into her ear. But she was hesitant to divulge the plan in open space where anyone could be lurking. The most I got was that we were going to a motel. The sight of it made my stomach clench. I'd been in motels like this one before where nefarious activities were being conducted right beneath the nose of the greasy-palmed night managers.

I watched, eyes wide, as Clara dug into her cleavage to extract a key and unlock one of the rooms. She didn't explain. I didn't ask.

Immediately, I scanned the room hoping the door would open to Meghan sitting on the bed waiting for me but the room was empty. Clara tugged me in, roughly shoving me down on the bed with a giggle and nudged the door closed with her foot. Utterly stunned, I caught her at arm's length before she could dive on top of me. If this was Seth's way of trying to make me get over Meghan, I was going to be sincerely pissed off. But Clara was pulling out of my grasp to approach a door within the room I initially assumed was the closet. She knocked twice with her ear pressed to it before there was a click and it opened a crack. I jumped up, craning to see who she was speaking to in hushed tones when the door opened wider and she stepped through. My heart jumped into my throat when Meghan came from the other side, her back to me as she eased the door quietly shut and locked it.

I stood frozen, staring at her back. I refused to allow my eyes to trail away from the bare skin of her shoulders. She was wearing a halter top and a skirt so short I was frantically trying to erase the slight curves of her ass cheeks peeking through the bottom of my vision. That same male part of me I was loath to admit reacted to such atrocities came to life as it had before. I swallowed hard, wishing for once I wasn't such a hormonal teenager and willing it away before Meghan could turn around.

Too late.

I stood straighter, clasping my hands in front of me to try and hide my shame as not to make her feel any worse about herself than she surely did. My eyes widened at the sight of her. I'd never seen her in make up before, except for concealer. But even that couldn't cover the black and blue painting the side of her jaw.

"What do you want?" Her voice shook and just like that I had nothing left to hide as I let my hands fall to my sides.

"You look…" I wasn't sure how to finish that sentence without sounding like an asshole. She didn't look like the Meghan I remember. Not just the skimpy attire but her hair so tightly curled and half knotted onto her head while the rest brushed her bare shoulders. Gold hoops hung from her ears, but it was the purple smoky eye shadow that drew my attention to her light eyes. I had to choke down the word "hot" pretty hard when Meghan's expression steeled.

"Like a floozy," she finished.

I blinked. "Um. I was going to say older."

"Same difference." She crossed her arms, waiting for me to answer her initial question.

I moved closer, pausing when she stiffened. My heart sank. Were we back to that now? "I was worried about you. I came to make sure you were okay."

Meghan's jaw popped. "Does it look like I'm okay?" She snapped, making me wince. Of course she wasn't okay. I knew even before seeing her she wasn't going to be okay. Nothing about this was okay.

"I needed to see you," I continued, desperate to find some bit of the relationship we tried so hard to hold together. "I was scared when I hadn't heard from you for so long and I knew better than to try to make direct contact after what happened last time."

"Okay. You've seen me. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a client." She turned to go and in a burst of panic I lunged for her arm to prevent her from doing so. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought about what I was doing until it was too late and Meghan was wrenching herself from my grasp, reeling away from me in utter fear.

I let her go, throwing my hands in the air. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Just, please, don't leave."

Folding her hands around her arms, Meghan closed in around herself, breathing heavily and not meeting my eye. "Please. I-If you're afraid of losing money I'll pay for your time."

Once again I realized my error too late as Meghan flashed me a scathing look. "Fuck you, Ty."

I didn't think my heart could sink lower, but was still insulted she would even consider I thought that way. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

She breathed out a sigh. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just if I don't leave this motel with payment this time Daddy will turn my whole face purple."

"Daddy?" I asked, assuming she meant her stepfather but still finding the new title for him rather disturbing.

Meghan's face reddened as she dropped her gaze and shifted uncomfortably. "That's what he demanded I call him when I'm... working."

I tried not to let my nausea show too plainly as I reached for my wallet, pulling it out along with the deck of cards. Digging through the folds I took out all the cash I had, counting it quickly. "I've got thirty-six dollars." I glanced up cautiously to meet her dismayed expression.

"That won't be enough." She shook her head, glancing toward the door where clearly a bigger pay day awaited her. Or rather Daddy.

Suddenly, Seth's parting "follow the lady" popped back into my head as I fingered the deck of cards. Flipping open the top I pulled them out to find two hundred dollar bills next to the Queen of hearts.

I held up the cash, silently thanking Seth for his master planning. "How about two hundred and thirty-six dollars?"

Slowly, a small, dare I say relieved, smile crept across Meghan's blood red lips.

[i-writeandread-blog]

Wonderland - Chapter 13

And just like that, Wonderland is back! (Y’all it survived Thanos snap after all) Geez, I missed Jared and Ali so much!! Enjoy!

I was surprised at first when Jared grabbed the bottle of brown liquor, but he was nothing if not a team player. We all loosened up rather quickly and I knew we were in for a long night.  I started shuffling the cards and looked to my two friends.  "Asshole, right?"  They nodded.

Jared's confused look was really adorable. "Jare, asshole is a game.  Let me explain the rules to you.  Girls we are going to have to ease him into this, he's a newbie and doesn't drink."  I explained the rules and how you don't want to end up being the asshole at the end of the round.  He caught on quickly and surprisingly was better at it than us three.  Especially considering we along with our group of friends had been playing it for at least five years. Darlene was not amused that she had been asshole two out of the three times we played and we all could tell from her not so subtle sighs and shrugs.  Usually when we played she would be the one doing most of the "winning."  At any rate, our hearts weren't really in it and we were getting tipsy a little too fast since we hadn't ate.

The food arrived and we were all happy to finally have something to do other than drink.  No one was speaking as we all consumed fries, burgers, pizza, and whatever else was available. We laughed a little at how much food we were devouring, then as if we all on cue thought about Nicky at the same time we started to cry. It was completely emotional in the room. I don't think we were ever going to be normal again as a group. The pain was going to be too much.

When we all seemed to be stuffed to the brim, Darlene started to shuffle the cards and set up for another game, when Jared grabbed her arm and stopped her.  The look of shock on Darlene was hysterical to me.  She was the alpha of every group.  Even her husband knew that she was the head of the household, giving in to her every desire.  "Please, don't." He said.  She looked to me and I nodded in agreement.

"Well, why the fuck not?" Dar questioned us.

"Because we are tired, we have jet lag, and we have a big day tomorrow.  Let's just call it a night and we can catch up more tomorrow. Please, Dar?"  I pleaded with her.

"Fine, but I'm breaking into MY mini bar when I get back to the room.  Thanks, Jared for the free booze. You're a doll."  She said and then leaned in and kissed his temple.  She stepped out of the room and said, "Come on Heather, we aren't wanted anymore." Heather got up and followed her to the door like a little puppy.

"Dar, that's not..." Jared stopped me. "Let them go." The door closed with a loud thud.

"Jared, I'm so sorry. I should have warned you about how crass she can be. I fear she may make me look badly. But you don't know the history or the stories behind our friendship."

"You're right, she does come off a little strong and I have to admit, I can't see how the two of you even know each other. I'd like to find out. Tell me while I clean up?" He got up and started picking up the liquor bottles and trashing them in the wastebasket.

"Okay, it's a doozy. You ready to hear some not so good things about your.... umm.... me?"

"Ali, you're my girlfriend. Just because we haven't actually said it out loud doesn't make it not true, so go ahead and call yourself that from this moment going forward, ok?"

"Alright, I guess I'll dive right in. I met Darlene at church." Jared spun around to look at me and smirked. "Yes, church, Jared. We aren't all heathens like you." He laughed, "uh huh."

"Well, it's true. We met at church. I was very active. My parents made us go as kids, but once I was older, I had the choice and I chose to still go. Silver Lake Baptist Church had a really big group of kids my age. We were teenagers. There really wasn't much to do in that po dunk town. So we went to church. It beat sitting at home.  Anyway, my cousin Lynne was always picking up strays.  Animals and people.  She has a kind heart, much kinder than mine.  One Saturday night we all met at church to go somewhere, probably bowling or skating... something along those lines, and in walks Lynne with Darlene.  I had never seen her before, but I was used to always being the center of attention.  I guess I sensed how strong of a personality Dar has and didn't want her to steal the spotlight. I immediately started picking on her.  It didn't matter to me that I was at church.  So it started with her weight, she has always been a bigger girl.  Then I found out her mom worked at the casino.  So I made some snide remark along the lines of, "my family plays the games there, we don't work them."  As if that somehow meant I was better than she was.  I don't know what got into me, but I just kept going until we were back at the church and she broke out in tears.  It was time to leave so I caught a ride with Lynne and Dar.  We dropped her off, so I knew where she stayed.  The next day feeling so guilty, I went to her house and knocked on the door, she answered and asked me in these exact words: "what the hell do you want?" I apologized and we became friends... through the years there's been a lot of ups and downs.  I've seen her go from raising her own self practically because her mom couldn't be bothered to do it, to being kicked out of her moms house because the many guys she brought over didn't like her.  I was there when she was being abused and then later when she met her husband.  She's tough on the outside because she always had to be.  She's never had it easy.  Three years ago she had a son who died of SIDS.  She's just never caught a break."  I began to cry. "As bitchy as she is, I get her. And I'm not really any different from her. I was a bitch to her in the beginning. That part of me still exists."

——————————

Ali confessed some darkness about her while I cleaned up, and it seemed to me that she has remained friends with Darlene out of guilt all these years. I felt bad. The two of them had a history, but that didn't mean they had anything in common other than the past. I didn't like that she was beating herself up.

"Ali, you're not a terrible person. You were a child. You did childish things.  Sometimes people are in our lives for a season, they fulfill their purpose and then they go.  It's okay to move on."

“I don't want to walk away from so many years of friendship with her, that would be a bad thing to do."

"Ali, you have nothing in common with her and I'm gonna be honest here, it seems like this life, the one you left behind for greener pastures was left for a reason.  These people all have issues with alcohol and drugs.  I watched Shannon spend years of his life fighting those demons.  Most times those battles can't be won.  They'll suck you down with them."

I watched her as she slowly started to realize I was right, taking in each one of my words and essentially chewing it over in her head.  I know she didn't like the idea that everyone she knew in her past growing up was essentially nothing more than just a means to her being where she was today.  They did not define her.  They could never be remotely anything as beautiful a soul as she was.  And for fucks sake, she deserved to feel better about who she was as a person.

"The girl sitting before me... excuse me, the woman... she is bright, beautiful, funny as hell, and more special than she will ever give herself credit for.  You have me now.  These people can and will move on. You are not the sum of these parts.  They aren't even a fraction of who you are.  And who you are is my girlfriend.  Say it, Ali.  Be proud.  I'm proud of you and your accomplishments.  You got this old bastard for a boyfriend.  Many tried, none came even close.  Say it, Ali."

“Uhhh"

I gave her the look.  The one that said, do it or else.

"I'm your girlfriend." She said meekly.

“No, babe.  Say it loud."

"I'M YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"That's right, babe.  And don't you forget that.  You're mine.  And I'm your best friend now."

I wanted to tell her right then that I was in love with her, but I knew it was too soon.  Or maybe it wasn't.  But I didn't want to press my luck.  Besides, I wasn't a complete asshole that I'd make her stop all contact with her friends from North Carolina.  She would do that on her own terms and timeline.  But she knew she had a new life going forward, and her future was going to be so bright.

In fact, my first goal was to get her writing again.  It was her dream.  And I knew she would be perfect at it just by listening to her stories.  They were all so colorful and unique.  She had a way of really getting you to feel like you were there in that moment.  I could hear her talk for hours.

“I was one of them once, you know... there wasn’t anything to do when we got older but to drink and fuck around with drugs.” Ali said so low I almost didn’t hear it.

“Oh for fucks sake, Ali. Seriously, what did I do as a teenager? I know you know.”

“Sold drugs.”

“Yes, and do I do it now? Do I drink now? Do I go and break into peoples houses now? No. People change. You have changed. How can you not see this? You changed the minute you decided your life didn’t belong here anymore. So can we concede that fact and stop beating ourselves up over bettering ourselves while others choose not to?”

She nodded and accepted that I was right. I was finally done cleaning up the mess we had all made and I was in desperate need of my “Ali cuddling session.” I walked to the bed and lowered myself into it. She followed suit. Once both of us were in bed, I reached for the remote and turned on the tv.

“What would you like to watch babe?”

“Something funny. Doesn’t matter what. You choose.”

I flipped through rapidly until I spotted Gilligan’s Island. This would be fine because I thought it would be nothing more than just background noise. Boy, was I wrong. Cute little Ali was full of surprises, yet again.

“Oh my God! I love this show. I never understood why it was Gilligan’s island and not the Professors or the Captains, or even the old rich couple. I mean if anyone had the money to buy an island it would be them, I mean I know they didn’t buy the island but still, just seemed weird he was just the skipper. And he was kinda a doof. Ginger was way prettier than Mary Anne, but I guess I can appreciate that...”

I planted my lips on her to get her to shut up. If I hadn’t she would have rambled forever, no doubt in my mind. I kissed her lustfully, and wrapped my arms around her in a huge embrace. She sighed into me. It was the first time she truly loosened up since she got here.

“I love you. My sweet, funny, adorable Ali.” The words tumbled out of my mouth.

She tore herself from my grasp. Sat right up. And stared at me as if I had three heads.

@nikkitasevoli @snewsome756 @llfd1977 @branded-with-a-j @letojokerownsme @lady-grinning-soul-k @lolainblue @msroxyblog @burritoverload @lostinletoland

[bevioletskies]

bring it on home to me [4/5]

summary: The fight of everyone’s lives may be over, but for Nebula, Peter, and the rest of the Guardians, the search for the person they love most has just begun.

a/n: MAJOR spoiler warning for Avengers: Endgame, though I am a little vague about the events of what happened. Regardless, please don’t let me spoil it for you!

Fic title is, of course, from the song Bring It On Home To Me by Sam Cooke.

word count: 3.5k | ao3 | tag

Nebula sank down to the floor to sit cross-legged at the foot of a bed that had only recently become hers, annoyance bubbling in her stomach at the sound of the Guardians loudly speculating out in the common area of the ship. Peter had instructed them all to return to the Benatar and stay there until he came back, and had given no further instructions since. Nebula was in no mood to be in the company of the rest of them, especially since they were all pleasantly drunk off cheap Knowhere alcohol, and had instead retreated to her own bunk.

When it was just her and Rocket, it had been easy to avoid each other in times of heightened emotions. After the rest of them returned, it had become rather claustrophobic. Peter had referred to the Milano as his “bachelor pad”, as it barely had a bunk to spare and a mini-freezer that was mostly used to keep his beer cold. The Benatar, however, was intended for a team, a family, modelled after some aspects of the Milano, but far more spacious in every way. Still, it was hard to go anywhere without running into somebody, something that Nebula absolutely loathed.

“I think I liked this piece of scrap better when it was just you and me,” she had said to Rocket a few nights ago after she had gotten into yet another argument with Peter over directions. Rocket had only shrugged in return as he could no longer agree, not after the deafening five years of silence - none of Peter’s off-key singing, Groot’s video game chirping, Drax’s loud chewing, or Mantis’s saccharine-sweet giggling. It had merely been the sound of Nebula’s fingers tapping impatiently against the console and the sound of Rocket’s tools clicking away diligently at every engineering flaw he could find to distract himself with, and the Benatar had never felt so empty.

The bunk Nebula was now sitting in was a spare one that hadn’t officially belonged to anyone before it became hers, though she wasn’t naive - there was an assortment of objects here and there that suggested it was a hideaway for one particular member of the Guardians who needed her own space at times. A small music box, the only souvenir she’d found at a trading post that originated from her home planet; a spare set of switchblades that had once been polished diligently every day, now dulled and dusty due to the lack of ownership; a stack of books that covered all sorts of topics that would have otherwise been gaps in her knowledge, due to an obvious lack of educational opportunities. There was no doubt that this room had been her sister’s.

Nebula reached for one of the books and cracked it open, not caring for the way the spine protested beneath her fingers. One of the pages had been bent at the corner, indicating that she had stopped here. It was a section on medicine, basic universal remedies that could be used on many different planets without fear of contamination or other adverse effects.

“What did you want to be when you got older?” They were approximately the equivalent of Terran eight- and ten-year-olds, lying on thin woven mats that barely protected their backs from the discomfort of the ground, staring up at the Kitson night sky. It was a “wretched planet” according to Thanos, but he had business with some slippery weapons dealer who was hiding in the casinos. Everyone under his thumb knew that anything less than total annihilation of the entire casino strip itself would be a surprise.

“Why?” Nebula had immediately been suspicious, rolling onto her side so she could properly look at her sister. She had abandoned the double braids she’d worn when Thanos had first taken her, now going for a more practical upknot that kept all of her hair out of her face. It pulled her skin back taut, made the newly implanted silver in her forehead more visible, especially in the moonlight. Still, she looked more whole in comparison, not like pieces of a puzzle that had been haphazardly put back together.

“I just thought we could talk,” she had said defensively. “Father almost never leaves us alone together.”

“But we aren’t alone,” Nebula had pointed out, gesturing further away where a shifty-eyed Chitauri guard was standing with his back to them, probably wishing he was anywhere else but here. “Maybe he’s testing our loyalty. If we try to run - ”

“I used to think about being a doctor.” Gamora had folded her hands neatly over her chest, pointedly ignoring her sister’s usual speculation of Thanos’s motivations. She’d long stopped trying to predict what he wanted, and instead went with whatever would ensure she lived to see another day. “My mother was one of the best healers on my planet. When people were hungry, they would ask her how to make it stop. When they were dizzy because of the bad air, they would ask her what to do to make it go away. And...when people died, they asked her if the pain of losing someone would hurt forever.”

Nebula had been silent for a moment. “I don’t remember my mother.” Her eyes had slid shut; she was starting to feel vaguely nauseous. “I remember almost nothing.”

With her eyes shut, she hadn’t noticed her sister reaching across to press a finger to her brow bone, right where the seam of her newest implant began, stopping just before it reached her eye socket. “Father said our modifications wouldn’t affect our memory.”

“It’s not the - ” Nebula’s eyes had flown open, abruptly slapping her hand out of her face. “I was taken before I was old enough to remember things. And...Father also says the mods will make me stronger. Better.”

“Better than what?”

Nebula had fixed her with a gaze so cold it sent shivers down her metallic spine. “Better than you.”

The sudden burst of startled cries coming from the Benatar’s common area pulled a reluctant Nebula to her feet, and she stepped out into the corridor to join the others (if nothing else, she wanted to shut them up). It was only when she reached the cockpit that she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

Her sister was stood with her back to everyone, staring out the front window wistfully despite them currently having an unimpressive view of Knowhere. She then rotated slowly on her heel to look around at her unfamiliar surroundings, momentarily glancing down at the seat that was hers, almost as if she inherently knew it was where she belonged. Her gaze then went to her sister, and her expression softened into an undeservingly warm smile. “Nebula.”

Nebula’s eyes flickered briefly to the others, who had since calmed down and were also now staring in stunned silence. Peter was understandably the only one who seemed to have adjusted to her presence, now sitting on the armrest of his seat and watching her carefully like he was expecting her to cut and run. “Don’t tell me Quill was the one who managed to lure you here,” she said, her tone lacking the bite it usually had.

“In a way,” she said, taking one tentative step closer. “I was reminded of who I was to you, to all of you. And I remembered something else, something Father told us when - ”

“Even now, with both mine and yours dead, we can never escape thinking of him, can we?” She shook her head, scoffing derisively. “Go on, then. Do tell us what false wisdom he had imposed on you.”

“You’re gonna wanna listen to this, Nebula,” Peter said. His voice was strangely subdued. “It’s a...a big ask. For us and for her.”

Nebula’s expression hardened, though she had to admit (only to herself, that is), she was intrigued. “Fine. What is it?” ______

The Benatar was eerily silent upon reaching “cruising altitude”, as Peter often called it for no particular reason, where everyone could step away from the controls and let the ship do the work. No one seemed sure of how to walk around or converse or even breathe with her sitting in her usual spot at the table, twirling her switchblade between her fingers. Her dark eyes roamed across their faces, scoping them out and sizing them up to the expectations Nebula and Peter had set in her mind. She maintained a stoicism in her expression and body language, the way Nebula had remembered from long ago, but her face crumpled into silent devastation when she looked at Peter. Nebula honestly wasn’t sure if she wanted to know why. Nearly everyone left the room soon after, unable to bear the tension in the air.

“You’re different than my Nebula,” she mused, her voice so soft that Nebula wasn’t sure if she had meant to say it out loud. “I’m not sure how, but...you are.”

“We are one and the same, just of a different time, and now, a different universe.” She glanced down at the floor. “Yours said Thanos wouldn’t let her change. There was a time when I thought the same thing.”

“So if she had more time...she would’ve become more like you?” She smiled sadly. “It’s a nice thought, though maybe too optimistic. She was also incredibly - ”

“Murderous?” Nebula interrupted. “As am I.” At her sister’s startled, somewhat uncomfortable laugh, she added, “I could tell you everything she ever felt. Contempt...for our father. Disgust...for our siblings. Uncertainty...about you. Until the end.”

She gestured for Nebula to sit with her, her smile turning into something a little friendlier once she did. Still, Nebula refused to meet her eyes. “Tell me more about you and I.”

“We started off exactly the same. We were taken from our families within months of one another, raised to be siblings because we were closer in age than any other child of Thanos.” The corners of Nebula’s mouth twitched in grim, satisfactory remembrance of how the Black Order had gone down in the final battle - the sound of Glaive’s cries as another’s spear went through him, the devastating shout of Obsidian as he was crushed by a foot twice the size of his entire body, and the silent resignation of both Proxima and Maw when they realized they couldn’t fight their fates. The justice of their deaths, for her, was only overshadowed by watching their father crumble to dust. “It was simple, really. Every time we fought, whoever lost would get a piece of them replaced, made new, made better. And while you craved power, I secretly wanted praise. It was how you became the deadliest woman in the galaxy, and how I became your shadow.”

“It was never about power,” she protested. “It was about survival.”

“No,” Nebula said, her voice low. “You didn’t just survive. You thrived, despite the circumstances. There was no mistaking why Father preferred you over our siblings, over me. Had you decided to take a different path, Xandar would have been destroyed long ago, the Guardians would have never existed, and the universe could have fallen apart long before it did.”

“Quill told me as much,” she murmured. She glanced briefly down the corridor at the door to the bunk she and Peter had shared. Then, she hesitated. “You think I have the capacity to become...what he was?”

“I would hate to see what you could become without your morality. But you’ve proven that in any universe...losing yourself to his ways is no easy feat.” They both went quiet in meditative contemplation. Nebula glanced down at her hand, the one she’d lost, burnt, damaged beyond repair over half a dozen times. It had stopped feeling like it belonged to her a long time ago - a hand was simply just a hand, her legs and arms and fingers and toes were all just attachments, not appendages. By comparison, her sister was far less modified, less scarred. The most prominent of her implants was still those in her skeleton, her skull, peeking out slightly in the markings along her forehead and cheekbones. Nebula, on the other hand, had moments where she couldn’t remember which parts of her were still her.

“So when I defected from Father...what happened to you?”

“I tried to get him to favor me. I tried to be as ruthless as you once were. I tried…” Nebula cleared her throat harshly. “...I tried to kill you, several times. I failed, of course. Yet somehow, despite everything...we found peace. Common ground. And then I left.”

“I couldn’t convince you to stay?” Her face fell.

“You tried. But I was convinced I could stop Thanos on my hand. That’s when he captured me, lured you in, and…” Nebula trailed off; the lump in her throat wasn’t going away. It was strange how some parts of her body functioned like a machine, and others still felt so incredibly human. “Rocket and I were the only ones left after the Decimation. He can be a nasty creature, but he proved himself to be...reasonable.”

She smiled ruefully. “It sounds like, at least for a time, that you two were friends.”

Nebula shook her head, adamant. “Friendship is not a word I use lightly. And yet...it would seem you are the exception.”

Wisely, she decided not to reply, and instead leaned back in her seat with a satisfied smile. This time, their silence was comfortable, only broken by the insistent beeping of the Benatar’s malfunctioning radar system as they went on their way. ______

Nebula stumbled out of the smoking remains of the escape pod she’d used to, well, escape her previous captors, an astonishingly stupid group of bounty hunters who found her stowed away on a transport ship and thought they could fetch a unit or two after turning her over to whoever happened to be after her that day. It took her a few seconds to even recognize where she was, shielding her eyes from the blinding sun to look up and around at the unusually tall trees that rocketed far past the clouds. Dervani, then, where she and her sister had trained as young warriors. She could work with that.

She rummaged through the wreckage for anything that might benefit her - wires, spare batteries, a scrap of food if she was lucky - before turning and stalking off in the direction of the nearest town. The planet was overrun with lush foliage, practically swallowing up the horizon in every which way, but she was well-versed enough to navigate her way back to civilization, find herself another ship, and with a little luck, be on her way to kill Thanos once more.

It had been two years since she left Quadrant, left her sister and her still-relatively newfound family behind, and yet she felt no closer to accomplishing her goal. She was finding it harder to locate Thanos than she thought, what with Sanctuary being falsely spotted in half a dozen places across the galaxy, and she didn't exactly have the resources to chase him at light speed. Frustration was wearing her thin, but her determination - and anger - was what kept her going.

Her communicator suddenly beeped, a harsh, sharp noise that instantly caused some bird-like creatures to flee the treetops, shrieking in fright. Cursing, Nebula quickly found shelter beneath a large palm plant and pulled the device out of her pocket. “I told you not to contact me for another two days.”

“Hello to you, too,” Gamora drawled. It was a voice call, so Nebula couldn’t see her face, but she could only imagine the sort of smug smirk she was currently wearing. “We’re en route to Naro-Atzia for an extraction job, so I won’t be able to keep in touch for the next week or so.”

“Good,” Nebula shot back. “That means a whole week where I won’t be on the receiving end of your incredibly condescending calls.”

“If you responded to my messages and assured me you were still alive, I wouldn’t have to call.”

“And if you continue to send me messages, I will burn my communicator to ash,” Nebula growled. To her dismay, her sister only let out a low chuckle, apparently amused by the emptiness of her words.

“So where are you? Have you gotten any closer?” she asked.

“Dervani, and no.” Nebula slumped against the base of the plant with a sullen scowl. “Now you’ve revealed yourself, sister. You only called to gloat.”

“I called to check on you, as I’ve said every time I’ve called,” she said firmly. “And...Dervani? I haven’t thought of that place in a really long time. Does it still smell of fruit?”

Nebula inhaled. The sharpness of her senses guided her to a nearby shrub nearly bursting with ripe fruit. She kept herself low in the tall grass as she crawled over to it so she could take one, turning it over in her hand for a moment to examine it for poison spots before taking a generous bite. Her stomach growled in appreciation. “Yes.”

“I remember how hungry and warm we were, the first day Thanos sent us there.” She made a soft, quiet noise that Nebula couldn’t quite identify. “I had a sprained ankle, and you had three broken fingers, but still, we were to prove our worth before we were allowed to eat.”

“I have no intention of exchanging sentiments over a time in which I hated you most.” Nebula’s stomach now bubbled unpleasantly with contempt. “All I remember is you throwing the fight so you could prove it was the only way I could win.”

“I threw the fight because we were starving, Nebula,” she snapped. “You don’t get to change history to fit your vendetta. I am not the cruel, conspiring sister you make me out to be. I cared for you more than you ever realized.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?!” Her voice rang clear across the forest; if there were any enemies nearby, they were now sure to know where she was. Then, quieter, “We can have this argument over and over again, but it will not change the fact that you cannot accept your own failures. I am not the one to blame for the state of our relationship.”

“Then you’re saying I’m the one to blame for you turning out the way you did?” Her voice was thick with emotion, on the verge of tears. “That I’m the one who tortured you, took you apart, bled you dry?”

Nebula’s reply was immediate. “Yes.” She looked at the barely-eaten fruit in her hand. It was starting to go sour in her mouth. “In a way.”

Her breath was so sharp that the communicator screeched out a mess of static in protest. “I won’t apologize for wanting to protect myself. But I will apologize for not being the sister you wanted me to be.” Another noisy inhale, clearly fighting back the sob that wanted to escape her throat by now. “Come back, Nebula. We can do this together. As friends, as sisters, as honest allies. The way we were meant to.”

“No, I...I don’t think I will.” Nebula ended the call before she could protest, tossing the communicator aside in frustration. She took another bite of the fruit but could only spit it out right after, unable to enjoy its sweetness. ______

Peter poked his head into the common area, unsure of whether it was safe for him to interrupt. “Hey, uh, we’re here. Landing in two minutes.” Both heads turned in his direction, then nodded once in complete silence. He nodded back, then turned and headed to the cockpit, feeling immensely awkward in a way he never usually did.

“You seem uncertain,” Nebula observed, watching the tension in her sister’s face, the rigidity of her brow. “I would be, too, if I were about to give up my existence for another’s.”

“I’m concerned about whether this is going to work at all,” she admitted. “Quill told me of your last encounter with the Sovereign. They sound extremely unlikely to help.”

“After our role in reversing the Decimation, there’s a possibility they will be more willing,” Nebula suggested. “Or...I will make them comply with our demands.”

She scoffed. “I doubt coercion will make them any more agreeable. Their pride, if nothing else, will keep them from helping.” She then softened. “Nebula, if this works...promise me you’ll tell her everything you’ve told me. Everything you experienced growing up together, everything you experienced while you were going after Thanos...every thought and feeling you ever had for her. You’ve been alone for long enough...let this burden us both.” She reached across and gripped Nebula’s hand urgently, her calloused fingers interlaced with Nebula’s mechanical ones. “Promise me. Promise me you will.”

Nebula stared into the face of a Gamora who wasn’t quite hers but had her ferocity all the same. She supposed that, had this happened years ago, she would have yanked her hand away, would have shouted, would have even spat in her face for even implying that all their problems could be solved with just conversation. But now, simply having the chance to talk again with the one she did know sounded like everything she thought they would never have.

“I promise, sister.” ______

a/n: I tend to write Gamora and Nebula's relationship as being told from the perspective of two somewhat unreliable narrators where they can't agree on who's to blame and what really happened, so they don't quite get the happy memories that the previous chapters had, but I think in the movie (and this fic) it is made clear how much they mean to each other by now, which makes my heart happy! The final part might be a bit late, as I have an assignment and a midterm coming up, plus conclusions in general tend to take a little longer for me to be satisfied with. Please bear with me if it's not posted by next Friday!

Thanks so much for reading, likes and reblogs would be much appreciated, and see you next time :)

[hellomelusine]

it's time to think outside of the box -spacedarcy

This is from the fluff/angst prompt list. I’m only about 2 months late in finishing this, and I’m not super sure it meets either, but maybe falls somewhere on the mildly sexy flangst scale.

This felt like equal parts prompt and threat. So thanks, @spacedarcy, I hope you like it!

“There’s no way this is actually going to work.” Finn’s voice crackles through her earpiece and she frowns, leaning out of position to look at him where he sips on a martini fifteen feet away from her.

“This was your idea Finn!” Rose hisses back and Rey scans the casino floor until she finds her playing blackjack.

“The boss said it was time to think outside of the box, and I didn’t see any of you coming up with any better ideas, let alone ideas at all. Plus, we get to pretend we’re spies!” Finn teases, and Rey rolls her eyes when she watches him down his drink. If he has many more he’s going to be a risk to finishing their objective.

“Can it you two, does anyone have eyes on our guy?” Poe interjects, amid a cacophony of background trills and music, before Rose and Finn can have another lengthy argument over earpieces. Rey finds Poe looking harried near the slot machines where an older woman is poking at him with her cane, large cup of quarters secured in her arm and can’t stop her grin at the sight.

There’s a chorus of ‘no’s’ that filter through the comms and Rey sighs, shifting in her too high heels and too short dress. She’s been standing at the upstairs bar for almost an hour now while fending off advances with little more than a scowl. She has a job to do and it doesn’t involve entertaining sloppy drunks.

All of this fuss over a bet between their bosses, the only catch was, the two of them couldn’t participate any further than laying out the parameters of the bet. No bodily injuries, no arrests, no outside help. Whatever team got their item first, with proof won, winning team picks the location of their next ‘team building conference’ which was just a fancy way for Han and Leia to treat them all to a long weekend vacation, at the close of fiscal year, while drunkenly going through teamwork exercises from google. Rey wasn’t sure that it helped their company’s profit at all, but it was at least good for morale. So here they were in a damn casino, of all places, trying to track down Kylo Ren, because he was the one from Han’s team that had the item they needed, while Rose had theirs.

“This is so stupid,” Rey grumbles, curling the edge of the napkin under her drink, “how do we even know he’s going to be here, and actually alone.”

“Leia might have mentioned, a few weeks ago, before the bet even started, that her son came here once a month to play in the high stakes room,” Finn slurs before hiccuping.

“Come on, Finn, seriously?” Rose again, quickly closing out at the table.

“I’m nervous, I just really want to win, and they are making these martinis way stronger than they should be,” he grouses, leaning more heavily against the ballistraude to pout. Poe snickers from the ground floor and Rey waves down the bartender, ordering a water.

“Here, drink this,” she tells him, shoving the glass under his nose after striding up to stand next to him. Finn grunts in thanks and turns to smile down at her as he drank. “All of it, we still need to get you home after this, when did you become such a lightweight?” she laughs, punching him lightly in the arm, making him spill water down his chin.

“Rey, rude,” Finn pouts, but Rey isn’t paying attention to him anymore, because she has found their mark.

“I’ll be right back,” she mumbles, eyes catching Finn’s one last time before she moves to follow him, muting her mic. The good thing about Kylo, is that he’s stupidly tall, which made him easy to follow, the bad thing is, he’s stupidly tall, so he has long legs and travels pretty fast. Rey curses her decision to wear the heels tonight as she pushes through the crowd, following a dark, maddingly glorious head of hair. Not that she ever thought about it, much, or complained with Rose that hair that nice was wasted on a man, no matter how good looking. At least he hadn’t been equally as blessed with enviable eyelashes, and what the fuck what she doing right now.

He turns down a hall and Rey edges around a throng of people talking and makes the same turn. She’s taken maybe five steps before a hand shoots out from an alcove and she yelps as she’s pulled into it.

“Rey?” he asks, seeming shocked to find her in front of him. “You’re following me.” He frowns now, and Rey huffs a little, wriggling in the small space.

“Do you make it a habit of pulling people you suspect of following you into small spaces like this?” She peers up at him, and realizes they’ve never actually been this close before and this was probably not the best plan based on the way her pulse is now racing.

“Sorry.” He’s so tall, and looks so abashed that Rey can’t help but smile. “You were following me though, what are you even doing - hang on, this is about the bet, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about? I love coming to the casino when the mood strikes. I was just leaving the bar when I thought I saw you, and, you know,” she waves a hand at him, accidentally backhanding him in the chest as she rambles “friendly face, thought we could maybe play a few rounds together.” She’s attempting to burn a hole through his shirt with her eyes, just to avoid lying straight to his face.

“You came here alone?” he asks, shifting his stance and drawing his arms up to cross them right in front of her line of sight. There is only one problem: they’re standing so close he definitely brushes against her front and she glares up at him, ignoring the way her nipples readily jump to attention at the touch. “Sorry,” he mumbles, and she thinks he might be blushing.

“I’m not here alone. Girls night.”

“Liar,” he smirks, and Rey fleetingly thinks he should probably do that more often, because he looks really good with the hint of a smile dancing at the corners of his eyes. “The whole team is here, aren’t they?” he asks, and Rey quickly shakes her head no, but it displaces her hair just enough that he can see the earpiece and he laughs. “I believe, my dear, you have been caught.”

Rey doesn’t care that it’s clearly sarcasm, his choice of phrase does something to her, a riot of butterflies suddenly fluttering within her. She rests her head back against the wall ignoring the sudden uptick in chatter in her ear as Poe and Rose realize she’s wandered off while Finn just keeps slurring ‘it’s fine’ at them. “Maybe that the was plan,” she drops her voice a register, trying for sultry, and watching his eyebrows pinch together. Rey has completely abandoned the original plan, but this one, she hopes fleetingly, will work out better in the long run. She shifts again, deliberately brushing her breasts against his crossed arms as she stands to her full height in her heels and hears him suck in a sharp breath at the contact. “Would you like to hear the rest of the plan, you know, since I’ve been caught and all.” Her fingers dance towards the belt loops on his pants and he tries to flinch away from her, but there’s nowhere to go, except flat against the wall.

“Rey,” his voice caught somewhere between a gasp and a groan, “we can’t - what are you -”

Her hands find their mark, index fingers looping through and pulling tight as his arms relax and unfold to settle at her hips. She hardly has to move, just a slight push up onto her toes and her lips just barely brush his. She smiles against his mouth when his fingers clench around her and she delights in the small noise he releases when she catches his lower lip with her teeth. “Kiss me,” she breathes, takes a moment to pull away to look him in the eye while she whispers, “Ben.” Rey shouldn’t be surprised when he does exactly that, but she is, and she feels the rumble of his laugh through his chest at the noise she makes when she’s the one suddenly back against the wall.

Three years, it had been three years since Leia hired her, and introduced Rey to her son, Ben (but don’t tell him, I told you his real name, that idiot son of mine is running around calling himself Kylo Ren, and that’s fine by me, as long as he’s back home) and Rey found herself with an inappropriate interoffice crush. She knew he wasn’t stupid, saw the way she looked at him sometimes, the same way Rey caught him looking at her. They were idiots for not doing something before now.

It’s desperate and hungry and messy and when he wedges his thigh between her legs Rey can’t stop the moan that builds low in her throat. He drags his mouth away from hers, leaving wet sloppy kisses against the line of her jaw as her left hand lifts and she cards her fingers through his hair while he works his way to her throat and then it’s his turn to moan when Rey shifts against him, letting her weight fall onto his leg, pressing into him, body warm and wanting for more as her other hand curls carefully around his back. Why had they waited so long, she thinks hazily, jolting when his teeth sink in where neck meets shoulder and sucks hard for a moment. Rey trembles against him as his tongue laves against the spot, soothing what she knew would be quite the mark.

“I’m waiting,” Ben hums against her skin, one hand drifting below the hem of her dress to find purchase on the bare skin of her thigh.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting too,” she says breathlessly, cheek pressing against his ear as his mouth continues to work on her exposed skin. His laugh is a tickle of air across her shoulder and she jolts, realizing what he actually means. “Oh - oh, the plan,” she moans when he deliberately shifts his thigh beneath her, the pressure and friction causing a jolt of pleasure to shoot through her body. She pulls away, chest heaving. “Got it.” There, held between her middle and ring fingers of her right hand is Han’s business card. A loud cheer from somewhere down the hall, overlaid by the sounds of the slot machines half a hall and a balcony away jolts Rey back into awareness of just where they are. Through the earpiece she can hear Rose fussing over Finn, who still kept assuring them it was fine and she could hear Poe grunt as he smothered a laugh. Right, they were totally in public right now.

“What - when?” His pupils blown wide and Rey smiles softly at him, tugging gently on the hair that she was still running her fingers through before kissing the corner of his mouth.

“Before the kiss, actually,” she tells him, moving to tuck the card down the front of her dress, watching as his eyes darken further. She runs her hand up his chest, winding it around his neck to meet her other before pulling him even closer still. “I beleive that means we’ve won.” Rey laughs at the disappointed groan Ben releases and she shifts her hips closer to his, finally bumping against the erection that tented his pants, making Ben moan as she shifts again. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, it doesn’t suit you,” she teases.

“I didn’t even feel you take it,” he grumbles, moving away from her gently before adjusting himself in his pants while looking out of the alcove to make sure no one was watching them.

Rey rights her dress and smiles up at him, “A story for another time, but I wouldn’t be much of a pickpocket if you had felt me take it. Now,” she runs her fingers through her hair as she watches him fidget and try not to show his surprise, “let me let everyone know I’m fine.”

“And that you won.”

“And that I won,” Rey laughs lightly, switching on her mic once more. “Rogue squadron, this is Scavenger reporting.” She frowns at Ben when he snorts before she shrugs, flicking at his bicep in retaliation.

“Jesus, Rey, where have you been?!” Poe nearly shouts into the ear piece, making Rey wince.

“Oh, so we aren’t using the dumb names you came up with now? Even though I’ve completed the mission?”

“Yes we aren’t using the - you did what?” he is still yelling and Rey reaches for Ben’s hand, gripping it tightly before stomping back through the hall and the crowd to where she had left Finn, and sure enough, the rest of the team is there, fussing and anxious.

“I got the card,” Rey growls, plucking it from where it’s tucked against her chest and waving it at Poe.

“Girl, you definitely got more than just the card.” Rose drawls with a wink, leaning against the railing as Finn leaned against her. “Lips like that, I want to hear everything about it.”

Ben coughs from behind Rey, “Need I remind you, that I am your superior, Tico?”

“Meh, laterally,” Rose brushes him off, “but please feel free to let your mom know exactly why you’re throwing your weight around trying to get me fired. Honestly, you’d have a better time if you were throwing your weight against Rey, if you know what I’m saying.”

“Everyone knows what your saying, Rose, that was the least subtle thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth,” Poe groans, pinching at his nose as he takes several steps away from Finn and Rose, “how many drinks have you had?”

“None! I was counting cards!” she defends, kicking out at Poe.

“Shit, Rose, say that louder,” Rey hisses, taking a step away from the loud cheater, only to bump into Ben, who steadies her with a hand on her hip, while looking like he’s fighting a laugh.

“Please, they can afford to lose the money, it’s a goddamn casino. Odds are stacked for the house to win.” Her eyes dancing in delight as she took in her two kiss-mussed coworkers. “Alright, Finn, lets get you home.”

“It’s Bond, James Bond.” He slurs at them all, leaning forward a bit too far and stumbling, but Rose and Poe are ready to catch him.

“You’re a mess, buddy,” Poe sighs, slinging an arm around Finn.

“They were strong martinis!” Finn defends, letting himself be dragged forward and towards the elevator.

“See you kids on Monday!” Poe calls over his shoulder.

“You’re barely two months older than I am, Poe!” Ben shouts back.

“Counts!”

Ben lifts a middle finger to Poe’s back and Rey laughs before stopping abruptly when Ben turns to look at her. “I should go,” she chirps, “Finn told us your mom said you actually come here to play, and I’m sure -” Ben’s mouth met hers again, quick and hard. “Oh,” she sighs when he pulls away.

“I have two questions,” Ben says, leading them to stand in the space Rose and Finn had vacated, “one, what kind of terrible location are you guys picking? Two, would you like to get dinner with me?”

“What, now?” Rey asks, she didn’t know what time it was, but it had to be nearly ten.

“Yes, now.”

“Uhhh, okay, sure, yes. I would love to.”

“Perfect, there’s a restaurant downstairs I think you’ll love. Now, about the location.”

“Sure, there’s this lake not far from here, and we’re renting cabins,” she says with an impish grin, ignoring his groan as he presses the down button for the elevator. Rey turns into him, leaning up to put her mouth against his ear to whisper, “don’t worry, Solo, you play your cards right, and I’ll let you bunk with me.”