#but a) it was a small cliff. like jumping off the diving platform at the lake

[alliluyevas]

in general I have very little interest in extreme sports. I like hiking and kayaking and cross country skiing at a normal chill pace but anything involving heights, extreme depths/slopes, tight spaces, or going extremely fast is a hard no.

[bluesylveon2]

A Love as Sweet as This

Summary: When Queen Draconia demands for cake, it is Sebek's duty to get it for her.

Note: royal au, fluff, Vanrouges giving love advice, and cameos from other Diasomnia fics in this series. For the sake of this fic, Malleus' Yuu/Reader did not lay an egg, but (SLIGHT BOOK 7 SPOILERS) her pregnancy shares some characteristics of how dragon faes develop.

Warning: fem Yuu/reader, pregnancy (for Malleus' Yuu/reader), not beta read, mini Book 7 spoiler, oc child, and possible ooc characters

Word Count: 5.1k

Masterlist: here, Series Masterlist: here

The Zigvolt family has been known for protecting the Draconia family since Baur Zigvolt first joined. The youngest grandson, Sebek, loved hearing stories about how his grandfather worked alongside Queen Maleficia. He decided that he would be the same. Sebek would do anything for the Draconia family.

Malleus needed some tea? Sebek was there to brew it.

Someone tries to stab Malleus? Sebek would take the hit instead. 

Malleus told him to jump off a cliff? Sebek would do it like he was platform diving.

Nevertheless, Sebek's loyalty to the family was very high. 

"Sebek, it is not the end of the world. I'm pregnant, not terminally ill. I want some cake."

Human Draconias were now included.

Said human frowned as she walked side by side with Sebek. He did not understand why she insisted on this rather than the knight carrying her and flying. 

"Your Majesty, you are carrying the future heir of Briar Valley! Because this is the child of you and the Young Master, they are my responsibility, as are you now. I assure you, we are almost at the castle. I can ask the chefs to bake you some and the staff to massage you."

"I don't have time to sit and wait." The Queen whined. "This baby wants one now, and Lilia said that bakery nearby is to die for." She said, pointing at a quaint bakery that was not busy. 

Sebek looked at the place with uncertainty. The Queen sighed. "You don't have time to think about it. The lunch rush will start soon, so let's go before we lose our chance. This baby needs food to grow!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him to the bakery.

"Your Majesty!" Sebek exclaimed, a blush evident on his face. "The child needs love to grow."

"This child won't get love if I don't get a slice of cake and fast." The Queen cheerfully grinned as she pulled her retainer. Who knew the grandson of the great Baur Zigvolt would get dragged around by a human, his Queen nonetheless? Said grandson would rather go through this than besmirch his Queen. 

A bell and a faint "coming" brought Sebek back to reality. Oh, what would Malleus say when they came back late? 

(Little did Sebek know that Malleus would cling to his wife when she stepped inside the palace.)

"Sebek, I was thinking about getting this cake." Queen Draconia said, pointing at a small green cake topped with fruit and green flowers. 

"Good choice, Your Majesty! The green really matches the Young Master's eyes." Sebek exclaimed and walked up to the counter to order, unaware of the Queen muttering about how the fruit was shaped like a crocodile. The Queen chose to sit down and rest a bit. 

The back door opened, and a new figure appeared. The newcomer was female, had some icing smeared on her cheeks, and was dressed in a uniform that matched the aesthetic of the bakery. Like the Queen, this woman was also human. 

"Hello! Are you ready to order?" 

"Yes, human. I want an order of this cake!" Sebek said, pointing at the picture his Queen pointed to earlier. 

"Alright, anything else?" 

Sebek stared at the menu behind the woman. "A small cup of black coffee." 

"Alright, your total will be 12 thaumarks." The woman said with a smile. Her eyes shifted slightly to the Queen behind Sebek. 

"How sweet. You are such a doting husband to your wife."

For a brief moment, Sebek thought he heard thunder in the distance. 

"SHE IS NOT MY WIFE! I AM NOT WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE MARRIED TO HER MAJESTY!" He exclaimed while frantically waving his hands, causing the Queen to laugh loudly. 

The woman winced at his volume. "Okay, I get it, but quiet down a little before I lose my hearing."

"How dare-" Sebek stopped when the human raised her hand, silencing him. How could a human do something like that to him? The retainer to the great Waka-sama???

Sebek quickly put the payment down and glanced at his Queen, who had a smirk on her face. "I apologize, human. I did not mean to yell at your establishment."

"It's Yuu." 

Sebek's eyes widened, and he swore he heard a snicker behind him. "I'm sorry?"

Yuu pointed to her herself. "My name is Yuu, not human. And I will call for you when your order is ready…"

Sebek stood up proudly. "Sebek Zigvolt, a loyal retainer to the Draconia family!"

Yuu giggled. "Sebek. I'll make sure to remember that. I'm new to the area, so I'm still learning."

"WELL IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WAKA-SAMA THEN I SHALL TELL YOU EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM!"

Yuu removed her hands from her ears. "Alright. Why don't you tell me more about him now while you get your order?"

Sebek smirked proudly, unaware of his heartbeat slowly increasing as he stared at Yuu. "Of course! I shall educate you about the wonders, okay, how great Waka-sama  is!" Sebek exclaimed before heading into a tangent about the Malleus as Yuu worked. 

Meanwhile, the Queen smirked and laid a hand on her stomach. "Oh, little one, hopefully you get a cousin soon."

Sebek continued to visit the bakery for many months. He and Yuu had come to an unspoken agreement: he would passionately share his knowledge about the Draconia family with Yuu, and Yuu would give him a slice of cake to eat. Normally, people who listened to Sebek's rants gave not even decent praise about Malleus, but Yuu would listen to Sebek and ask questions when needed. 

More humans should be more interested in Malleus like Yuu!

"Sebek?" 

The knight shook off his thoughts and flew to his Queen's side. The palace roses she was admiring shook slightly from Sebek's movement. "Do you need something, Your Majesty?"

The Queen smiled as she let her finger brush against a rose petal. 

"I do." She turned to Sebek. "I would like some more cake." 

Sebek looked up in shock. It all started when Sebek decided to bring home the cake slice Yuu gave him instead of eating it at the bakery. He did not think about it, but when the Queen noticed the treat in his hands, she demanded more (not for free, of course. She insisted on paying!). It was not like Yuu could say no! In the end, the human added an extra slice just for the Queen. This did not go unnoticed as King Malleus grew concerned for his wife, and she burst into tears when he confronted her about it. 

At least the bakery was high on business. Malleus learned to never question his Queen again. 

"Very well." Sebek nodded stiffly. "Is that all?"

The Queen shook her head. "I'm thinking about throwing a party in honor of my future child—a baby shower, as humans call it." She snapped her fingers, and a servant holding an envelope appeared by her side. She picked it up and handed it in Sebek's direction. "I want you to deliver this letter to Yuu because I want her to make the desserts for the party."

Sebek grabbed the letter like it would disintegrate from his touch. "You Majesty, that is such a high honor! Are you sure she is capable of the task?" 

The Queen smiled gently. "Of course, I always enjoy eating her cakes. Speaking of, I am craving some right now, and I would appreciate it if you got me more cake coming back."

Sebek nodded. "Very well. I shall see this plan through."

Sebek should not be feeling nervous. 

For crying out loud, he is a knight of the great Draconia family and a descendant of Baur Zigvolt! All he had to do was deliver something to a human. It would be a short interaction, and then he would be back in the castle. 

But why does he feel like there were butterflies in his stomach?

"Tsk. How dare these insects get to me!" Sebek complained as he flew to the bakery. "Maintaining this condition will not make me serve the royal family at my highest potential. I shall get rid of them at once!"

As Sebek flew down the streets, he spotted a flower shop with a colorful display on the window. Some flowers around the bakery could brighten the atmosphere more. Would Yuu like flowers? What kind does she like? 

"WHAT AM I THINKING?!" Sebek exclaimed, startling the townsfolk as he passed. 

Sebek felt the butterflies increase as he stepped away from the door. The poor knight was confused. What was it about the bakery that made him so nervous? Was it the comfy atmosphere the moment a customer walked in? Was it the smell of fresh fruit and bread? Was it the human who ran it? The same woman who actively listened and asked Sebek questions during his talk about Malleus-

"NO! She cannot be in my thoughts all the time!"

"Who can't be in your thoughts?" A female voice asked, causing Sebek to scream. 

"Human?! How long have you been here?" Sebek asked frantically. 

"Not long. I was restocking when I saw you standing outside from my window." Yuu began to smirk. "You know you can walk in without forcing yourself to."

"I know that!" Sebek looked away and followed Yuu inside.  

"Still, I can't help but wonder who the female you were referring to earlier is," Yuu questioned aloud as she closed the door before leaning close to Sebek. “Is there someone you fancy?" She grinned. 

Sebek gulped. The close proximity made Sebek blush even more. Was her eyes always sparkling like diamonds? Did she always have a beauty mark on her cheek?

"I was referring to Her Majesty. The new prince or princess is coming soon." Yuu let out a laugh that sounded like music to Sebek. "Here!" Sebek pushed the letter into Yuu's hands. "A letter from her."

"Wow, that's important. I hope im not in trouble," Yuu joked. She carefully opened the envelope and scanned the contents. Her eyes widened, and she dropped the letter. Sebek watched as the paper fluttered to the ground. 

"Yuu?" He snapped his fingers in front of Yuu's frozen face. Her eyes trailed from the letter to Sebek. Suddenly, she jumped on him and pulled Sebek into a tight hug. 

"YES! YES! I will be honored to help the Queen on her big day!"

"Of course!" Sebek huffed. "It would be foolish to not accept this opportunity from a Draconia." 

"Oh, there's so much to do!" Yuu pulled away and began to freak out in excitement. "What desserts does the Queen want? More important! What gender is the baby so I can plan accordingly!"

"I assure you, another knight, Silver, or I will come to get you to discuss these matters with the royal family." 

Yuu smiled brightly, almost like the sun. She pulled Sebek in for another hug. "Thank you for bringing me the news, Sebek." The next thing Yuu did caused Sebek to blush wildly.

She kissed his cheek. 

Sebek felt his body freeze and heat up simultaneously. His cheek felt warm, and the knight put a gloved hand against it to see if he was dreaming. 

At that moment, Sebek's stomach decided to make itself known. 

Yuu giggled, her smile brightening, and her eyes were focused on Sebek's growing blush. 

"Well, let's get you something to eat before you go back. I was about to close for lunch anyway."

Sebek could not believe his ears. Him eating with Yuu? Alone?! Oh, what would Malleus think if he or his wife saw them? "I don't want to impose on your busy schedule."

"Nonsense! I prefer your company, honestly." 

Sebek's heart could not handle it. His heartbeat increased, and he was sure Yuu could see how red his ears were turning. Sebek slowly backed his way to the door. "I should go-AH!"

Sebek was too stunned to speak. He did not expect Yuu to shoot a hand out behind him and use her body and the door to stop him. Technically, Sebek could use his strength or leave through the opening Yuu left, but he was too astonished to move. 

"Sebek, please stay for lunch, and then you can go back to the castle." Yuu pleaded, her eyes staring into Sebek's for the second time that day. 

The knight was relentless. He should not give into a human and return to his duty. However, Sebek would not admit it outloud, but he could stare into Yuu's eyes all day. Moments passed when he gave in. 

"Fine, human. I shall join you today. Don't get any ideas."

Yuu could not stop the grin from forming on Ber's face. "Thank you!" She grabbed Sebek's hand and dragged him to the back. C'mon! Tell me what you want, and I can prepare it. You can also help me start planning, and I will make sure to pack a cake for the Queen before you go!"

Yuu broke into a carefree laugh as she continued listing her plans. Sebek's face turned red again as Yuu's attitude got to him. No wonder he grew to love it and would not mind seeing it more often. 

Oh. 

Oh no.

"Sebek? Can I come in?" Silence. If Sebek said anything, Silver did not hear it. "Sebek?" Silver knocked. There was a loud groan in response. Silver started to get worried. This behavior was unusual for Sebek. "I'm coming in."

Silver peeked into his brother's room to find said male lying flat on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. Sebek shifted so his yellow-green eyes met auroral ones. 

"Please leave, Silver. I need a day to lay here, and then we can talk."

"This is important." Silver sat down on the side of the bed and rubbed his hand against Sebek's back for comfort. "Father mentioned you were having issues regarding matters of the heart."

Sebek sat straight up and surprised Silver, who put his hand on Sebek's shoulder. "Master Lilia knows?"

Silver nodded. "He said that you had an expression similar to what Malleus and I had before."

Sebek groaned into his hands. He was usually great at being stoic. His grandfather trained him on it if he ever met a foe on the battlefield. How could a human make him feel this way? Sebek couldn't make sense of what he was feeling. The butterflies had increased his presence. "Oh, how could I show that out in public!"

A small smile adorned Silver's face as he rubbed Sebek's shoulder. "It's better I talk to you about this than Father. Luckily for me, he was too busy doting on the Queen or my sister and not asking when I would give him grandchildren."

"But you haven't proposed to your partner yet."

"Exactly," both Silver and Sebek chuckled. The brothers let the moment pass until Sebek finally addressed the elephant in the room. "Silver, how did you know when you…" Sebek felt a lump form in his throat. "When…" he began to struggle to form basic sentences. 

"When I?" Silver asked, confused. 

"LIKEDYOURPARTNER!" Sebek hid his face in his hands. There, he said it. The cat was out of the bag. 

Sadly for him, Silver did not know where the cat was. "Can you repeat that?"

Sebek's hands immediately fell to his lap, and he turned to Silver with a shocked expression. How did Silver not understand his predicament?

"How did you know…when you had feelings for your partner?"

A genuine smile graced Silver's lips, and the boy folded his hands together to think. "You will know it on your own. However, I started to know when my partner continuously occupied my thoughts. The next thing I knew, I wanted to care for her and go through life with her by my side. I wanted to protect her from anything or anyone that may harm her."

"I see…" Sebek murmured, igniting Silver's curiosity. "Is the girl you fancy a human or fae?" 

"A human. A beautiful and talented one." Sebek said with a certain softness Silver had heard before from Lilia and Malleus. 

Silver could not hide his growing smile. Oh, how you've grown, Sebek. "What is the issue, Sebek? I think that you should court her."

"But what will the others think?" Sebek frowned. "You know how people reacted to my mother marrying a human." He did not say it aloud, but Sebek cared for Yuu enough that he would protect her from the prejudice of some faes. 

Silver grabbed Sebek's shoulders and looked at him dead in the eye. "And they have a happy marriage and wonderful children. Same for Malleus. People opposed his marriage, but now the newest heir is coming. Things have changed, and who cares what blood is running through this girl's veins." Sebek frowned like an internal argument was happening in his mind, causing Silver to sigh and pull Sebek in for a hug. "Look, you like her for who she is; she probably feels the same. Don't let others dictate your happiness. Be her knight in shining armor."

"Your Majesty, you are absolutely glowing!" Yuu squealed while maintaining a reasonable distance away from the royal couple. 

Many months had passed since the big announcement, and Yuu still felt nervous whenever she entered the castle. Sure, she met everyone within the walls but was surrounded by famous names such as the Vanrouges and the Zigvolts. Yuu felt that a tiny mistake could end with her being zapped by lightning. 

"Thank you, Yuu." The Queen smiled and caressed her belly. "The baby is surrounded with love from their family. They are very active. Probably gets it from her father." She turned to her husband, who sat on his throne beside her, with a teasing look. 

Malleus smiled. It surprised Yuu how someone as intimidating as the King looked at his wife with adoration. "The baby also got her mother's love for sweets. I wonder how she did not get heartburn." He whispered low enough for Yuu to hear. 

"What did you say?" 

"Nothing, my love." Malleus placed a kiss on his wife's temple. "I was just discussing the cake for the party."

"Yes!" Yuu nodded in agreement. "It should be at the garden for later."

"I'm so excited!" The Queen squealed. "I'm sure it will be a boy!"

Malleus grabbed his wife's hand and squeezed it. "Well, I think the baby will be a girl."

"I have to disagree with you, Malleus," another voice added. Yuu watched as Lilia floated down to the Royals. Another woman holding a sleeping baby appeared by his side just as the fae's feet touched the floor. "I think the child will be a boy. Don't you agree, dear?" 

His wife rolled her eyes in exasperation and handed her baby to Lilia. She stepped towards Yuu and pulled her into a friendly hug. "It's nice to see you again, Yuu. Why don't you save yourself from this endless argument and walk around the garden? It sure is lovely to see the roses without extra people roaming around."

"I heard that," Lilia interrupted as the royal couple continued their discussion in the background. 

"I know, dear," Lady Vanrouge laughed as Lilia wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close for a quick kiss. Yuu felt a slight feeling of envy form in her chest. Oh, how she wished for her knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet. Yuu's eyes shifted to see how Malleus looked at his wife gently as if she were a star in the sky. 

Maybe she could have something like that with a certain green-haired, loud-mouthed knight-

Yuu's eyes widened. Don't think about it! She looked at her exit in a hurry. A simple stroll will help her clear her mind. 

Lady Vanrouge spoke up, interrupting Yuu's thoughts. "Yuu? Do you want to go to the gardens?"

"Yes!" Yuu exclaimed until she reminded herself about where she was. "I mean, ahem, yes. I would love that."

The woman smiled. "Wonderful!" She turned her attention to Lilia. "My love, can you escort Yuu to the rose garden? I will mediate the other two."

"Of course," Lilia handed the baby to his wife and extended an arm towards Yuu. "Let's go, Yuu."

The "walk" to the garden did not help Yuu at all. The girl prayed that Lilia could not feel her stomach churning or feel her clammy hands. 

Since her arrival, Yuu had not seen Sebek or a speck of light green hair. Typically, Sebek was around the King and Queen to protect them at a moment's notice. Yet, Silver (who was sleeping) was in his spot instead.

An angel appeared on Yuu's shoulder. "He could be swamped today. You never know what could happen," the angel suggested. 

"Please!" A devil appeared on Yuu's other shoulder. "Clearly, he is avoiding you because he doesn't want to be seen with you."

"You don't know that!" The angel argued. 

"It's because she is a human. H-U-M-A-N."

"I think Sebek likes her for who she is."

The devil rolled its eyes. "Say what you want, but you know that is untrue."

"Yuu?" The angel and devil poofed away, leaving Yuu to look at Lilia's concerned face. "Are you okay?" 

"Yes…" she started, but Lilia's face remained unchanged. "No. No, I'm not."

"Do you want to talk about it? I can listen," Lilia's face became serious and sympathetic, simmering Yuu's nervousness.

"Yes. I would like that."

"Very well," Lilia grabbed Yuu's hand. He skillfully navigated his way around until he stopped in a quiet hallway. He let Yuu go in first and turned around to check the area. "There. No one should be coming by anytime soon." He turned his attention to Yuu. "Now, what seems to be the problem? You seemed lost in thought earlier."

Yuu sighed. Here it goes. "It's about Sebek."

"Oh," Lilia tilted his head and had a clueless look on his face. "What about him?"

"I may have developed….feelings for him, but I don't know if it is mutual."

Lilia could not hide the smirk growing on his face, so he hid it behind a cough. "I see. Tell me, dear. What is it about Sebek that you like?"

Yuu chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, there are many things."

"I'll say!" Lilia exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Finally, after seeing two of his sons find love, it was Sebek's turn! Wait till Baul hears about this. "Is it the grumpy way he talks?"

Yuu laughed, reminiscing about her first meeting with Sebek. "Not really, but I thought I would lose my hearing there."

"Is it his dashing looks?"

"Lilia..."

"Or that he's socially impaired?"

"Lilia…"

"Or the one time he tinkled in his bed?"

"Lil-wait, what did you say?"

Lilia gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. "I said too much." Yuu didn't have to know that he was smirking, too. How boring would it be to not share the juicy stories? 

"It's not all of those, although I don't want to know what that last one was." Yuu took a breath before continuing. "it's his devotion."

"Oh," Lilia raised a brow in interest. "Tell me more."

"Well…" Yuu blushed before continuing. "He is very devoted to the King and the Queen. He was attentive to the Queen since they first entered my bakery." Her eyes met Lilia's. "If he can be like that to them, then surely he would be as devoted to a significant other."

"Fufufu, I see. Then you must make haste and tell him your feelings!" Lilia urged, but Yuu shook her head. 

"I would, but," Her eyes shifted away, and uncertainty crossed her face. Could she really face Sebek and spill everything? "Can I take some time to process this?"

Lilia smiled gently. "Of course. Take as much time as you need." He quietly led Yuu back toward the garden. "You know, I once worried about how Sebek would react to the new queen, given that she is human."

Yuu jumped out of her thoughts and eyed Lilia curiously. "And how did he react?"

Lilia stopped before a set of doors leading to the garden. "He kneeled before her and dedicated his life to protecting her."

Yuu smiled, her heart lighted with hope. "Thank you, Lilia, for your wisdom."

"You're welcome, Yuu. I will see you at the party." Lilia smiled before opening the door and vanishing in thin air, leaving Yuu alone. 

Yuu turned to the doorway, and her jaw fell open in awe. The garden was indeed a sight to behold. The bright red roses oddly complimented the dark and eerie atmosphere of the castle's architecture. There were paths with hedges leading to the center and a fountain with a statue of the former Queen, Maleanor. The moonlight blanketed the flora by outlining each plant in a silver glow. 

"Woah…" Yuu followed a path to get a closer look at the statue. According to a past visit from Sebek, the King had commissioned the statue to be built in honor of his late mother and Lilia's friend. 

If only he had met her.

"I should court her now. I should not court her later…"

Yuu's ears perked up at the sound. It sounded like it was coming from nearby. Yuu could not shake the feeling that she knew it from somewhere. 

It won't hurt to take a peek. Yuu quietly tiptoed to the source. 

"I should court her now. I should not court her later…" Yuu stepped even closer, luckily not alerting the person. She leaned in slightly and saw a mop of yellow-green hair.

No. Way. 

"Sebek."

"AGH!" Sebek screamed. "When did you show up?" He frantically threw the rose he held earlier over the hedge. 

"I just got here-" Yuu tilted her head. "Although I want to know what are you hiding back there?"

"Nothing!" Sebek replied rather quickly. "Shouldn't you be with Her Majesty? I'm sure she needs your assistance."

"No, Sebek. I wanted to take a stroll and look for you," It's not like she has something important to say first. 

Sebek felt his heart race. "ME?! YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON HER MAJESTY OR YOUR FOOD!"

Yuu felt her patience wearing thin. "Sebek, other people do that for me."

"But Her Majesty could be injured; we will not know unless we are there! 

"Sebek."

"Honestly, being a part of these festivities is the highest honor in Briar Valley-" 

"SEBEK!" Yuu exclaimed and attempted to trap him against the hedge. Except, the "wall" she was supposed to hold on to was not wood like last time, but shrubs. "Ah!" Yuu screamed and shut her eyes, bracing her landing on the ground. 

But it never came. She felt something firm around her waist, tugging her body close to a firm surface. Her arms also wrapped around the figure.     

"YUU! HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS?"

Yuu opened her eyes to Sebek, who was red and very close, so close that Yuu could see how his slit pupils and long eyelashes. 

"Yuu! Answer me!"

"First, you need to turn your voice down, or else I will lose my hearing before the party starts."

Sebek blushed out of embarrassment and nodded. He still remained close to Yuu and did not move. He could not move even if he tried. It was as if there was a magnet forcing him to stay still. 

"Second, I want you to listen to me carefully because I will not repeat this."

Sebek audibly gulped, his throat bobbing in anticipation. Yuu took a breath. It's now or never. 

"I like you, Sebek, and I have for a while now." Yuu briefly looked away from Sebek before continuing. "You don't have to reciprocate it; there's no pressure. I just wanted to let you know what's been going on in my mind for the past few days."

Sebek remained quiet, his heart racing. Here was the woman of his dreams confessing to him before he did. It did not matter anymore. It was not like he considered making his confession dramatic, like in the books he read. He could save that for another day, but this is now. 

"Yuu, I also want to tell you that I have gained feelings for you," He reached over and gently grabbed Yuu's hands, holding them close like they were made of feathers. "I wish to court you if you allow me."

Yuu felt her heart explode into a million pieces out of pure joy. Her smile grew wide, and she nodded. That was all Sebek needed as he pulled Yuu close, and their noses were almost touching. 

"Is it okay for me to kiss you?' Sebek asked shyly, and Yuu nodded, finding the question cute. He stiffened as Yuu gently caressed his face in her hands. "Let me know if you don't want this or if I overstep your boundaries."

Yuu chuckled. "Just kiss me, Sebek!"  

The knight obliged and closed the remaining distance with the baker. His eyes closed instinctively, and he tilted his head, lips meeting hers in a tender kiss. 

One of many more to come.  

"UGH, THEY ARE SO ADORABLE!"

"I KNOW! SEBEK HAS GROWN UP SO MUCH!!"

Malleus and Lady Vanrouge watched from a nearby sofa as their respective spouses sobbed from their hiding spots within the castle but with the couple in their view. Both faes glanced at each other nervously. Luckily, no one besides the sleeping Silver and Aurie was around to see this embarrassing moment. 

"My love," Malleus called and summoned handkerchiefs to hand to his wife and Lilia. "We need to get ready for the party."

"I know, I know. Let me just-" The Queen blew her nose loudly and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Okay, now I'm ready."

"Very well," Malleus hugged his wife and teleported them away, leaving the Vanrouge family behind. 

"It feels like yesterday when I purposely scared Silver and Sebek for fun. Now he is going to have a wife soon! Oh, I need to tell Baur the news when he arrives!" Lilia bawled and blew his nose into his handkerchief. 

Lady Vanrouge sighed. With one hand, she held her daughter and ran her fingers through Silver's hair with the other. Was it too late to take a nap with her children?

"My love, if you continue crying, you’ll wake the children up."

"I can't help it! Now we have two things to celebrate today!"

Lady Vanrouge sighed for the nth time today. Adding Sebek's new relationship on top of the upcoming heir will cause some waterworks among the guests. The woman looked up at the new couple and smiled. 

A/N: WHY IS SEBEK HARD TO WRITE??? I swear he is a lot easier to write when he is with a chaotic group like the first years. Anyways, sorry for the long wait! Hopefully I get more out with the other characters soon!

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

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

[ask-the-clergy-bc]

Is it possible to get mist interacting with a siren?

I will always happily write for our Water Queen <3

G/N Reader

Platonic/Non Romantic/ Friendship

Siren Reader

Mist and a Siren Reader

-believe it or not, sirens are very similar to a lot of water ghouls. They have a habit of hunting and luring prey similar ways. Both are also pretty elusive if you tried to catch one!

-Mist is especially more receptive to you as a siren because you both come from the ocean. Despite how her nickname suggests she’s named for weather or freshwater, she’s actually from Hell’s temperamental seas! Ocean life is much different than freshwater, so you both know your way around the sea. Oceanic ghouls are less common on Earth as they are particularly difficult to summon, leaving Mist feeling pretty lonely.

-You both bonded when you felt each other’s connection to water and have been inseparable ever since. You were a siren on a coastal abbey, and you did join the Ministry when you felt safe to, but you ALWAYS miss the ocean. So just like Mist, you were starved for someone who understood you. Siblings are just humans so they don’t understand how badly you need the ocean like they need air. And truthfully, you don’t disclose your nature to many.

-The two of you swim together a LOT! Your abbey is on a cliff side to the sea off the coast. You both regularly scare the shit out of the other siblings when you dive off the cliffs together! But you are fine, it’s not painful for either of you and you get the best jump!! (Though they did scold you both several times because of it.) it’s just your favorite diving platform and you enjoy the rolling waves as you enter from so high!

-You have shown Mist your favorite basking rock. It has the perfect amount of open water around it and enough room for the two of you to relax. Once in a while you even see ships sailing far away. As tempting as it is, the Clergy members running your home have warned you not to mess with any ships… a bummer really!

-Mist has shown you the best hiding place in the cliffs, a private little cave connected to a small beach. No one else is able to get to it because it doesn’t connect to the mainland. The both of you spend hours there together when not on duty. It’s your own little paradise!

-Mist is very protective of you, and you have to convince her that you’re fine pretending to be a human. A part of her feels that if you’re out of the water too long you might get sick and feel ‘beached.’ It makes you laugh every time. One of your most used phrases is “I’m a SIREN not a FISH!!”

-You don’t like to admit it but you do have the famous ‘Siren Call’. Your voice is beautiful and clear. But you hate people pestering for you to sing. Granted, you can definitely sing without hypnotizing people, but you don’t take requests! Mist is the only living being who has heard you sing and she adores it. And your favorite part? Ghouls aren’t susceptible to the magic of your powers. At least a couple times she has listened to your Call and found it beautiful. It’s a running joke between you that it doesn’t work on her!

-Despite being a bass ghoul, Mist is incredibly talented at acoustic guitar. You sing and she plays to it. It’s a lovely duo you make!

-Your favorite activity is finding rocks and shells together. You have a shared collection going.

[doctor-fancy-pants]

Reefscape

You’ve heard about the colours, from poetry and books and documentaries. You dream of pinks and yellows and purples and greens, about platforms and mountains and castles of coral, but it doesn’t look that way when you get down there.

You forgot about the blue.

This is where blue is born. Down here blue swallows the light and with it, all the colours you dreamed of. At four and a half metres, you lose red. The brightest and best beloved of colours and it’s gone, just like that.

Fell straight through a school of trevally. Keep equalising: pinch nostrils and blow gently through the nose until the ears pop.

Fall softly another three metres in your gentle descent, and orange is lost. Hard to notice it yet because all you can see now are the flitting shapes of fish, and something that makes a darker patch against the blue, almost too subtle to perceive. No matter how hard you stare, you can’t be sure it’s even there.

Check the gauge. Fourteen metres. Cruising depth until we hit the drop-off. I check with my buddy, the lazy hand signal we don’t even think about anymore after this many years on compressed air – OK? OK – and I pinch my nose and equalise again before continuing on.

The reef is below you now, and yellow is gone. All you can see is blue, and indigo, and brown – so many browns. Ochre, sienna, umber. The world down here is a paintbox of tertiary colours, but your brain fills in the gaps. Your brain adapts and starts to interpret the shades, the browns that should be purples against the browns that should be yellows.

You breathe slowly.

Fish surround you in clouds: tiny dottybacks darting to and fro; little dancing boxfish with their awkward, ungainly wiggles; a reef shark gliding a few feet away, curious but cautious. Staghorn corals look for all the world like a patch of briar, hiding a suspicious shrimp within their stony tangles, and table-top corals offer a stage for a tiny troupe of dancing fish. A feather star clings to the top of a coral mound, arms outstretched into the current. The surface of the mound is covered in fluffy cones, the purple, the yellow, the turquoise of the Christmas tree worms. Unable to resist, you wave a hand and watch them disappear from view as they yank their vulnerable fronds back into their burrows.

You’ve heard that it’s a vivid and silent world, but that’s a lie too. It’s never silent.

Not while you’re here.

I listen to the bubbles, to the little catch as the valve in the regulator flicks back – breathe in, count four – and forth – breathe out, count four. It’s never silent. This sound is my heartbeat, down here. I can’t breathe without it. I can’t even see without the mask, my flimsy piece of tempered plastic and silicon. Comfortable, now, settled into the dive, it’s time to pull out the torch. It’s time to put the colours back.

Small circles now of bright colours jump out at you, a long beam of light that down here looks red. The worms are turquoise; the feather star is crimson; the dottybacks are purple and yellow, but only while you fix them with your torch. The moment they shift out of that beam, they become sepia-toned shadows. The colours run and fade.

Water in my mask. I straighten up, as though I’m standing and levitating, and I tip my head back. I clear my mask. The process is so much easier here. At home the water is rough and cloudy and vicious and cold, beautiful in its own way, but it makes manoeuvring more difficult. It’s not fair to make the comparison. I can’t help it.

Now you reach the drop-off. They call it a wall, because you can swim alongside it, but it’s a cliff. It drops forever – maybe miles – below you. You see the vertical plunge of the rock, covered in scatters of coral and weed, haunted by lazy sharks and the lazier remoras riding their wake.

You look down as you glide over the edge, dipping a fin this way and that to steer, and you can’t see the bottom. Miles down, you think. The continental shelf. The torch hangs limp in your hand. The depth would swallow the beam in blue.

Hungry, breathless blue.

---

Context/prompt: in 2013, my husband and I spent five days on a live-aboard dive boat exploring the Great Barrier Reef - the less damaged portions are a decent way off shore. Diving in the tropics is very different to diving in Melbourne, as you can probably imagine. I wrote this in 2014, because even a year later my memories of that extraordinary environment were still so vivid.

[brief explainer: I've been thinking for a while bout putting up some of the creative writing I do. Short pieces, the "drabbles" that I write in one of my weekly writing groups in response to prompts. Should I put these on my main "long pieces" blog? Or on the Tumblr? And I've decided: sod it, I'll do both. So now and again you'll get some creative writing, in amongst the usual rants and reflections. I hope you like it - please tell me if you do!]

[planetrhine]

Crushed

Read on Ao3

Summary: An alternate ending to the filming of El Mañana. A "rehearsal" that turns to anything but.

Word count: 1,517

Warnings: Depictions of injury and blood

Originally published: 2018

A/N: Didn't mean to leave my writing untouched for months...but I'm posting my fanfics and misc writing again! From now on they'll be posted on weekends.

"You got that?"

Noodle stared down at her feet. She brushed her bangs back and clenched her fist to her side.

"I-I am-"

Murdoc cocked his head.

"I think I'm-"

"Come now. I can tell you're not ready. If you're not ready, just say so, ok? We don't have to shoot it now if you don't think you're prepared."

Noodle loosened her grip. "Whatever. I'm just a...little scared. But I think I got this."

"At least one more rehearsal. Can you do that for me?"

She bit her lip, but smiled. "Ok. Just one more rehearsal."

=========

Murdoc had proposed his latest music video idea for Gorillaz's newest song, El Mañana. It was likely going to be their most expensive- and possibly most dangerous- music video to date.

And Noodle was the star.

The rehearsal scene was similar to the windmill island, the final music video's location, except instead of an island, it was a regular strip of land with cardboard windmill and a cliff edge. A small plane flew Murdoc and Noodle to the area.

Noodle hesitantly stepped out of the plane. Murdoc walked over to her side and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Aight, allow me to explain the drill again," the man began. "For the first part, you walk around the strip and look all happy. Lay down in the grass, sit at the cliff, pick a flower or two. When you see the choppers, stop whatever you're doing and start running. They'll be firing blanks, so you don't have to worry about getting shot. Run for the windmill, duck and cover once you're inside, and wait until you hear one of the choppers fly past. Then you grab the parachute bag, run to the cliff, and jump off of it. Now, if this was the real thing, and Jimmy got to the parachute before you, you'd be fucked! Ahaha!"

Noodle shuddered.

"Hey hey hey, I'm joking! That would never happen to you. You're going to be fine."

So much for reassurance. It didn't take long for the old man to change from assuring to completely discouraging. Even around young Noodle, he'd drop his mercy and wouldn't hesitate to give her a scare.

"Oh, right." He pulled a radio out of his knapsack. "Take this. You know, so you can communicate with me. Just in case."

She pushed the device back. Murdoc stared in surprise. How did the girl go from being so nervous to this all of the sudden?

"Noodle? You sure you don't want it?"

"Nah." She looked up at him and smiled again.

"It's just a rehearsal."

~~~~~~~~~

It was a cloudy afternoon. A relaxing breeze blew in contrast to the dismal weather. The helicopters would be arriving in around 5 minutes.

The young girl slowly paced around the strip, studying the area. She was dropped off at the back of the land. A few dandelions and fence posts were scattered around her view. Noodle sat down in the grass. and smiled to herself. She could do this.

A low, but nearby rumbling vibrated the platform and grabbed Noodle's attention. She stood up. The silhouettes of two Comanche helicopters flew by in the distance. They seemed to have arrived earlier than planned. The Comanches turned in alignment to the edge of the strip and aimed their direction at Noodle.

They fired.

Noodle screamed.

She sprinted rapidly from the helicopters' targeting. Missiles exploded on contact with the ground, sending a blast of dust and debris that scathed her legs. Noodle continued to run furiously for her life. How was she going to get away?

The windmill.

She made a stretch for the windmill and dived inside it. More missiles grazed the structure's sides, barely missing their intended target.

Noodle dusted away at the scratches on her legs and swept the debris off. Questions raced through her mind.

Why did the helicopters fire? What happened to the blanks? Why did they arrive so early?

Did Murdoc know about this?

There was no time to ponder. Her life was on the line. If she didn't act fast, she could die.

Wait. The parachute.

And things got worse. Noodle searched desperately for the parachute bag. It wasn't anywhere to be found.

She was ready to break down at any moment.

"I-it was just a r-rehearsal, w-why did they f-fire, Muds said it-it would be safe, why did they fire, he pr-promised there was noth-nothing to worry about, this n-never h-happened before, WHY THE HELL DID THEY-"

She snapped back into reality. There was no time for a mental breakdown. Not now.

Noodle stacked a pile of nearby rubbish and climbed onto the pile. She peered out the nearest window for a better look. Left view. Nothing. Right view. Another low rumble. She could make out the nose of one Comanche coming into her direction. She gasped softly and quickly dived back inside. They were back.

"Run for the windmill, duck and cover..."

Murdoc's words echoed in her mind. She arranged the rubbish in a small bridge-like shape and ducked under the gap it made. The helicopter smashed itself head-on into the tower.

The top of the windmill was torn clean off. The teenager lifted herself out of the now-demolished structure and stumbled out. Deeper gashes covered more of her body. She looked in the distance and saw both helicopters this time. They saw her too, and fired at their target once more. She ran once again.

The sky grew darker. Where was she going to hide now? As if by luck, a Pazuzu statue in the very distance caught her eye. She sprinted for Pazuzu and dived in front of it. The killing machines zoomed past and continued their flight path straight ahead. They seemed to miss where the young girl went.

Noodle panted heavily, far more tired than she was before. Her cuts turned into bleeding gashes. She looked to her left and noticed a dirt-covered chest. She popped it open. Inside revealed a machine gun, ammunition, and...a parachute bag.

Why was the parachute bag here and not at the windmill?

That wasn't important now. What mattered was that the parachute was here. Noodle wrapped the gauze around her wounds and loaded the ammo in the machine gun's chamber. She was going to need it.

She could hear the helicopters roar. They had looped around the strip and found the girl. Noodle gritted her teeth bitterly. She never thought it would come to this, but here she was. No more hiding. No backing down.

It was do or die.

She fired. They fired. The machine gun's bullets collided with the helicopters' missiles, triggering a massive explosion. A cloud of grey and white smoke washed over the clearing. Noodle smirked. She got them.

Noodle dropped the gun and made one last run for it. All she had to was make it to the cliff. And she made it...

She skidded to a halt. Her heart almost stopped.

The parachute.

She forgot the fucking parachute.

She was so caught up in shooting down the helicopters that she didn't even remember to slip on the parachute bag. She was too far from where the massive shoot down took place. And who knows; the Comanches could have survived. There was no way she was going to run back there. No way.

Noodle rambled her mistakes to herself. Forgetting the parachute. Leaving the gun behind.

Refusing the radio Murdoc offered her.

She had no way to flee, get help, or defend herself. Her frivolous mistakes would be her undoing.

And uncontrollable rush of tears streamed down her face. She brushed her bangs aside and tried to wipe them away. Noodle looked down. A lone dandelion looked up back at her.

"Pick a flower or two."

Murdoc echoed again.

Noodle bent down and picked the flower. She extended her arm out and let the wind blow it bare. At least she could do one thing right before her downfall. She dropped the remaining stem beside her and drew in a heavy sigh.

A Comanche helicopter approached from behind.

Noodle took a massive leap off the cliff. The helicopter's shots tore through the air. More explosions went off as they scraped the cliff. Anything could happen at this point.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Noodle's body lay several meters from the cliff. Wounds pervaded the young girl's body. Her sides. Her legs. Her arms. There wasn't a part of her body that the missiles didn't get.

It was excruciating just to breathe. Every breath she drew in burned like hell. She wanted to cry. Call for help. Sit up. Anything. But the immense pain shackling her body to the ground refused to let any part of her move. It was difficult to even let thoughts flow. Her body was bleeding profusely. Nothing was happening except for the earth being stained by deep red streams of her blood.

Too.

Much.

Blood.

"That would never happen to you. You're going to be fine."

He echoed one last time.

The excruciating pain from the breathing cooled down. There were no more breaths left coming out of her body.

[suzuki-violin-school]

Unfortunate Habit

"A quick-witted pirate always ready with a gag to lighten the mood. He's more than just a joker, though--he's also a gifted pilot, and fiercely ambitious. Indeed, he likes to talk himself up as a successor to Batu Bakugo. Has an unfortunate habit of being struck by lightning." [Ni No Kuni II: Citizen Almanac]

Here is my entry for @suyacho 's Ghibli Collab! The lightning thing was just too perfect to ignore

Masterlist Collab Masterlist

Content: Ni No Kuni 2 fandomswap, khunbish!kaminari, planes and flying, lightning, not really any actual religious stuff but I do mention the old god so religion trigger warning?? Idk. Also bad words but Bakugo's there so we been knew

“How low can you dive?”

“In… Like, in water?”

“No, you stupid frog, in the canyon.”

“Hey!” Kaminari protested, cringing at Y/n’s words. “Don’t call me a frog! I don’t want to think about that!”

“Then don’t be stupid,” Y/n suggested. “Anyway. Fifty guilders I can dive lower than you.”

“What do you mean, ‘don’t be stupid’? You know that’s my defining character trait,” Kaminari bragged, flicking one of his dangly earrings and listening to the spritely wind chime noise it made.

“Yeah, and that’s not a good thing,” Y/n stated flatly.

“Uh- Well, I’m not really supposed to do any tricks for a while since I was hit again,” Kaminari admitted. “That mermaid healer and the human one and the dog one and Boss said not to fly unless absolutely necessary until the storm passes.”

“Boss told you not to fly?” Y/n asked, appalled. “Since when does Bakugo give a shit? You get hit by lightning all the time and he’s never cared before.”

Kaminari shrugged exaggeratedly. 

“How should I know? He hardly talks to me if he’s not berating me for being dumb with Sero,” he said. “Speaking of, where is Sero?”

“I think he’s in Evermore,” Y/n said. She rolled her eyes, speaking mockingly. “The Great and Marvelous Righteous King Deku called for him, I think.”

“What?! Sero left without me and I can’t fly after him?!” Kaminari wailed.

“What if I fly and you just sit behind me?” Y/n suggested. “Boss didn’t say no to that, right?”

“No, but that still counts as flying, right?” Kaminari said timidly. “Never cross the boss, he almost took my head off with his bare hands last time I did.”

“Snakes eat frogs,” Y/n stated, shrugging as she stepped out of the small home-hole they were in. She walked over to the edge of the wooden platform and just grinned at Kaminari as she jumped off.

“Oi! You- Dumb- Huh? Y/n!”

Panicked, he ran down the spiral ramp leading up to the home, racing across the clay bridge and then running down the ramp on the other side of the base. To his- not quite delight, Y/n was perfectly fine. She’d landed on top of a pile of crates and was now climbing down, brushing off Ashido who was ever in awe of the gall and audacity Y/n carried with pride.

Y/n waved him over as she walked towards all the winged crafts at the cliff just waiting to be abused in the air. The both of them froze when they noticed the boss coming down the spiral ramp next to Y/n, and Kaminari skittered close to her, staring at Bakugo who was staring right back at him. 

“And what the hell do you think you’re doing?” He asked, accusation so clear in his voice that it was drawing everyone’s attention- Not that that was entirely unusual, however.

“He’s not flying,” Y/n said quickly, cutting Kaminari off before he had a chance to speak. “We’re just going to Evermore to reunite the idiot and Sero.”

Bakugo rolled his eyes.

“Suit yourself,” he grumbled. “Don’t die, and I’m not paying the healers again if you get all fucked up, Sparky.”

“Yes, Boss,” Kaminari said dejectedly. He walked over to Y/n’s plane, dragging his feet through the dirt the whole way. “‘M not gonna get you killed.”

“Well, Sero’s come back maimed after riding with you a few times,” Y/n said. “But I’m the best flyer in this damn place, and I’ve dodged lightning before.”

“Really?! How?!”

“If I told you all my secrets, I’d never beat you in a diving contest again!” Y/n said, offended. “Get in the bird, dummy, we have a thunderstorm to get through.”

“To answer your question, pretty damn low,” Kaminari said, climbing awkwardly into Y/n’s plane, barely a different size than his own but unfamiliar nonetheless. “Knowing you, I would’ve lost the bet, but against Sero? I’m a shoe-in! Maybe even against the Boss.”

“Bakugo doesn’t do tricks,” Y/n said, grabbing the tail of her plane and pushing it closer to the cliff. “The damn Cloud Snake is too busy dealing with the Great Majesty Ruler of the World King Deku. And you’re underestimating Sero, the man’s a pretty decent flyer. He hasn’t fallen out of the air nearly as much as you.”

“No one has,” Kaminari said proudly.

“Hold on tight,” Y/n said, gripping the tail tightly in one hand as she tipped the plane off the cliff. She let herself fall with it, grabbing one of its still wings to jump around into the cockpit. She had her hands on the steering rod before Kaminari even had a chance to scream about how he was freefalling into giant wyvern-infested stalagmites.

“Why do you always do that?!” He shrieked, voice barely carrying over the loud wind as Y/n pushed the stick forward, speeding up as she rounded the god’s spine to aim the craft towards the Heartlands.

“What, have fun?” Y/n cried back, laughing at her friend’s panic.

“Most people make the wings flap before they jump off a cliff, you know!”

“Shut up, the storm’s coming up,” Y/n said seriously, pulling the steer back to slow down as clouds rolled in to hide the sun. The first few drops of rain on her nose were cold, but Kaminari seemed focused on something else.

“Get going already, lightning’ll hit you in the face if you’re just sitting here like this!”

“Wh- Well, that’s why you always get hit by lightning,” Y/n realized. “You try to outrun it, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah!” Kaminari said, wiping rain-soaked bangs away from his eyes. “Duh!”

“That’s not how you play the game,” Y/n said, shaking her head and sending water flying from her hair as she did. She put her other hand on the steering rod, grasping it tightly with both hands. “Hold onto the sides, and if you fall out, too bad.”

Kaminari gripped the handles on the inside of the plane tightly- He knew from experience; If Y/n tells you to hold onto something, fucking do it.

Y/n had reprimanded him for trying to outrun lightning, but she herself wasn’t moving any slower either. She twisted the craft to the left harshly, rolling over in the air and barely dodging silent lightning as it struck the spot they’d just been in. Not even a second later, the ear-splitting roar of thunder rattled their heads, though Kaminari seemed used to it.

Y/n didn’t pause, though, slamming the stick full throttle at the same time she kicked the floor of the little plane, knocking the plane both down and forward as she sped up. She dived low in the canyon, looping around the rock arch in Snaketooth Ridge (lightning struck the lake as they passed over it), ducking through the ravine (lightning almost caused a landslide that would’ve crushed them), twisting through the bones of the god’s tail as the mountains faded behind them- The only reason lightning hadn’t followed them there was the lingering protection in the old god’s bones, but Kaminari was certain lightning would’ve struck His spine and His ribs would’ve collapsed around them and knocked them out of the air. 

The storm passed them by as they soared into and over the plains, and Y/n had never been so glad to be blinded by the sun's reflection on her plane’s metal.

“So, how do you get struck by lightning even when it’s sunny like this?” She asked, pulling the steer back so they weren’t going so fast they couldn’t hear each other. One hand at a time, she let go of the stick to shake rain droplets from her fingertips.

“I wish I knew,” Kaminari said, finally relaxing his grip on the plane and shrugging. He sighed, just relishing in the way the breeze tried to dry his hair. “D’you think Sero’s worried about me?”

“No,” Y/n said flatly. “You might be two halves of the same chaotic entity, but he’s still two halves of one damn good person without you. Without him, you’re just… Well, you’re a frog.”

“Stop calling me a frog!” Kaminari wailed. “It’s not like I asked for it! I never wanted to be shot in the first place, let alone turned into a stupid little amphibian trying to hop my way through the canyon!”

Y/n snorted.

“Y’know, I think the chief consul still has a bag of those froggie pills somewhere in his office…” Y/n mused, grinning. “I mean, we’re already headed to the palace of the Great Wonderful Amazing King Deku, it’s a three minute detour down one of the halls to the right-”

“No more frogs!”

“Jeez. You get turned into a frog one time and lose all sense of humor related to amphibians.”

Kaminari huffed as the kingdom of Evermore came over the horizon, domed castle waving its flags as if to welcome them.

“I wonder why the king wanted to see Sero in the first place,” Kaminari wondered aloud. “I mean, without me, he’s just another pirate.”

“Well, I’m sure the Marvelous King Deku has his reasons-”

A blinding white light flashed before their eyes, followed immediately by the loud rumble of very close thunder, then followed by a crash, burn, bang as Y/n’s plane tumbled from the sky, wings smoking, landing loudly and ungracefully amid, ironically, The Ruins.

Y/n groaned, still in the cockpit though she’d been thrown backward into Kaminari’s lap.

“…How the hell are you an actual walking -and flying- lightning rod?”

=

Taglist: (Want to be on it? Fill this out!)

@kirishibaby @nightwingsgirl @devilgirlcrybabiey @sageyrage @itszero16 @niicevibe @ushijimasslut @matriarchofworms @emptybrain01 @sdrawberrii-mochii @vagabondings @stuffedtwink @patchworkpuzzle

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Reblogs before likes!

[kitchenscene]

forever & a pond for the word place thing

until you say i do forever + a pond [ao3 link] _____________

It’s a late summer night. Water flows below them, passing under the bridge. Trees hang low, branches swaying in the wind. He has to duck his head to avoid the leaves. It’s all in vain, they still fall into his hair only to be plucked away by another breeze or Buck’s gentle hand.

The creek flows into a small pond, stepping stones carving a path across the water. Frogs croak and leap from rock to rock, chasing each other in circles, cheering each other along from the tall grasses growing along the sides. Crickets echo their calls, though their bouncing is more discrete.

Stepping side by side, the wood creaks as they pass over the bridge. Slow steps, soft steps, barely moving along. Their hands swing together in the little space that remains between them, interlocked. Shoulder brushing against shoulder, soft circles against his palm.

There’s a gentle weight in his right pocket, a platinum ring against his thigh. It should scare him, but it doesn’t. If anything, it’s grounding.

read on ao3

“I never thought I’d have this,” Buck breaks the silence, holding up their joined hands. Eddie turns away from the path ahead to look up to him. His curls sway in the wind, tangling around his hairline.

“I hoped I would,” Eddie admits, “didn’t always believe it, but I hoped.”

Stolen glances, lingering touches, he hoped. Movie nights, family day trips, he hoped. Take out containers and desserts without recipes, he hoped. For a long time that’s all he could do. Settling into his feelings and settling too late, Eddie truly had terrible timing. His breakup led perfectly into Buck’s newest relationship. Seven months, all he could do was hope. Hope and wait. Buck and Taylor, he knew they wouldn’t last, and most days he felt awful, praying for Buck’s broken heart, praying he would heal and move on. Longing hurts. It hurts and hurts and hurts.

It took time, but they healed together. There wasn’t a grand confession, no dramatic declarations. It was a car ride, driving home from a slow day. Buck called it home without hesitation, and Eddie begged for a red light, wanting nothing more than to take his face in his hands and say, “You. You’re my home.”

They didn’t stop until they reached the driveway, parked on the left, Buck’s parking spot. Eddie took his hand before he could reach for the door, pleading for him to stay, knowing his confidence soon would fade.

“Stay,” he said, holding on tight, “not just for tonight.”

“I don’t plan on leaving,” he assured, “Not ever.”

Eddie didn’t fall for Buck, no, it was a choice. He didn’t trip over the edge, stumble into love, but rather jumped off the cliff, diving head first, knowing he’d be caught somewhere along the way. He chose to lean closer and whisper promises into the air between them. He chose to hold Buck’s face in his hands, a reassurance that he wants this, them together, as long as he can have it. Buck may argue it was the other way around, but Eddie kissed him. All the hoping, all the waiting, he kissed him first, leaving no room for doubt in between. He made a choice, there in the driveway. He’ll make the same one, time and time again.

The bridge turns off into a boardwalk, a solid oak platform suspending them over the water. Information plaques prop up off the outer railings detailing the plants and wildlife surrounding them. They stop walking. Buck stares out onto the pond, lilies overgrowing and dragonflies swarming. It’s beautiful, the moon reflecting off the water, ripples outlining the shore. Eddie stares at Buck instead.

“There’s dirt on your face,” he laughs, wiping it away with his thumb. Eddie leaves his hand against Buck’s cheek long after the spot is wiped clean.

“And there’s dead leaves in your hair,” Buck says, turning towards him, ruffling his hair. The dirt and leaves float to the ground, falling between the wood panels, lingering on the water’s surface. He reaches up to fix his hair, but Buck messes it up once again. His laughter is bright, the frogs and fish and hidden crickets all return to laugh along.

“You’re the worst,” he teases, sliding his hand from Buck’s cheek to his hair, shaking out the curls. Buck swats his hand away before letting it rest on Eddie’s arm.

“You love me,” Buck says with absolute certainty.

“How could I not?”

With a heart so full, so willing to give and give and give, how could he not? Loving Buck is the easiest choice he’ll ever make.

His face softens at Eddie’s question. A smile lifts that he could not possibly force down. They lean against the edge of the boardwalk, a dark night, though he can see as clear as ever. Somewhere above is the moon, lighting the way. A little further is the stars, leading the way. They see the ring in his pocket, and they twinkle with anticipation.

“I love you too, y’know,” Buck says, still holding Eddie’s arm. His own hands trace Buck’s ribcage, counting the bones, shifting with each breath.

“I never doubted it,” he says. “Even when you mock me, even when I misunderstand you, even if we’re fighting. You’re still easy to love.”

They sway together with the breeze under the watchful eye of the stars. He pays attention to Buck’s gentle hold, to the soft chirps and the splashes. It’s a good moment, one of the best. He’s right where he needs to be, and he never wants to forget.

“You’re easy to love,” Buck returns, “you’re also easy to mock.”

Eddie pinches Buck’s side and he laughs at the touch. “I’m telling you how much I love you, and you’re making fun of me?”

“You make it too easy.”

The weight in his front pocket feels a little lighter.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” he says. “You and me, forever. That’s the deal.”

Buck is his best friend. They became something more, boyfriends, life partners, but underneath all that, they’re still just best friends. They make stupid jokes that become incomprehensible to anyone around them. One word, two words spoken is worth essays and speeches, even in silence, they understand one another.

“You’re sure?” Buck asks, though his smile is evident. “Forever’s a long time.”

Eddie shakes his head. “Not long enough.”

One lifetime, one thousand, it could never be enough, though he’ll do what he can with the time they have. God knows they’ve already wasted enough.

He pulls one hand away from Buck’s waist. Somewhere in his pocket, buried deep, there’s the ring. It spins between his fingers for a moment before surfacing, just above the seams. He squeezes tight, not willing to let it go. Eddie looks down, watching the metal shine in the moonlight. He doesn’t fall to one knee, no, he doesn’t fall. There’s a fraction of a speech in his head, though he could never find the words to fully encompass his thoughts. He’s muttered hundreds of, “I love you’s,” over the years; it will never be enough.

Buck doesn’t look down at the ring, he looks to Eddie instead with such softness. He’s noticed it’s a look reserved for only him, just as Eddie’s loudest laughs are only for Buck and Chris, and how he only lets himself be held by Buck.

He lifts the ring a little higher, finally catching Buck’s eye. His breath hitches as he glances between Eddie’s hands and his eyes.

“I want forever,” Eddie says, “but I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“You can have forever,” Buck nods, pulling him impossibly closer, “I’m not going anywhere.”

He leans down to kiss Eddie like it’s a promise, a pinky swear. It’s a feeling he’ll never tire of, being molded by Buck’s touch, firm and gentle. No rush, no booming in his chest or flipping in his gut. Safety, that’s all it is. It’s coming home, it’s a solid landing. Buck kisses him with determination, as a reassurance. He’ll never leave, it’s laced in every kiss, somewhere between their lips. Eddie leans back, lifting the ring once again with a laugh. There’s a question he forgot to ask.

“Marry me?”

Bucks nods again, nose brushing against Eddie’s. He nods once, twice, kissing him again and again. Even if he never asked, he’s certain the answer would’ve been yes. Buck could say nothing at all, and he’d still know the answer.

He pulls away long enough to slip the ring onto his finger, hands tangling, platinum shining in the moonlight. Another leaf falls in his hair, he makes no effort to move it. It’ll fall with the breeze, while Eddie stands with Buck. Hands roaming, kisses repeating, he stands with Buck.

send me a word + a place and i'll write you a short buddie fic

[jaxsteamblog]

Moonbeam

Click here to read the full fic on AO3

Katara ran over the top of the lake. Her frozen footprints melted as soon as she lifted her feet. Fog rose from her pace alone, but she pulled more around her to shroud her appearance. Trying to keep her breathing steady, Katara focused on sliding instead of whatever galloping her body was presently enacting.

The spirit she was impersonating was a graceful lady after all.

For the past three days, Katara had posed as the Painted Lady to gather information from the small diseased town they camped in. Their quarry was not a prison, which frustrated her, but she and Sokka owed the Warriors a favor after getting their help in crossing in the Fire Nation.

Instead, the Kyoshi Warriors had found a small military factory that was being used as a treatment plant. The ugly iron building sat on stilts like a belligerent toad, belching out toxic waste that ran off from the chemical treatment the workers used on Fire Nation sheet metal. It wasn’t a tactical hit by any means, but the impact on the attached village would be a huge morale boost for the resistance.

So now Katara was tasked with using her disguise to bring vengeance down upon the wayward Fire Nation.

It was as she ran that Katara realized she had turned sixteen.

Sixteen and she was running full tilt toward a massive hive of enemy soldiers. Sixteen and wearing the face of an ancient spirit with none of the ancient power. Sixteen and she had only kissed two boys, both of whom wooed her in the middle of high risk missions.

Pushing a massive wave of fog before her, Katara slipped underneath the belly of the factory. Katara let the fog curl upward but made a clear chimney that gave her access to a small platform that hung under the building. Making steps in the fog, Katara climbed up and grabbed onto the railings of the metal patch. Taking a moment to spin up more fog to cover her, Katara then looked up to the hatch.

And found it already open.

Curious, but feeling the cold knot of dread form between her shoulders, Katara climbed the rusting metal ladder up to the hatch. Her conical hat raised into the building first, and nothing called out at the sight of it, so she continued up. Katara parted her wispy veil and looked around.

Two guards lay on the floor. She checked them, feeling sick at the sight of their bodies, but relaxed as she found them still breathing.

Continuing on, Katara focused on her plan. There were a number of structural beams that kept the building aloft. She could cut them down, sending the plant into the river, but that would risk dumping more of the toxic sludge into the water. So instead, she had to get rid of the equipment and then sink it.

However, as she ran into the first open space of the factory, she saw the major kink in her plan.

A single man was engaged in combat with a group of eight soldiers and he was armed with only two swords.

Each of the soldiers were Firebenders, Katara could tell from their stances, but she feared the running she heard. Any one of them could bring a rifle and this fight would be over.

Desperate, Katara looked around the room and found a large vat, steam whistling out of leaky pipes. Praying that it wasn’t under too much pressure, Katara took a deep stance and pulled.

Steam shot out in a column toward the group of fighters with scalding water following quickly after.

Katara had learned to control her breath. She knew that her energy was tied to the energy of the water and as she slowed, the water cooled. The steam obscured the fighters but didn’t burn them and the water was tepid by the time it whipped around each of the eight soldiers. Turning, Katara pulled them in different directions and then used water to freeze a path she could properly glide on. Heading toward the sword fighter, Katara stopped and rose on a column of fog and water.

“I shall abide this desecration no longer!” Katara said in a booming voice. “You who have brought pestilence unto my river shall now suffer my wrath!”

Katara sent out massive spikes of ice, piercing walls, equipment, and platforms in shrieks. The sword fighter, a man in a blue Oni mask, hopped up the trunks of the spikes till he got to eye level.

“Who are you?” He asked, his voice muffled by the unmoving mask.

“I am the Painted Lady, Spirit of the Jang Hui River.” Katara replied. Movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention and she sent more water at  a platform, knocking back two more soldiers. Their guns went flying and Katara’s heart fluttered.

“You’ve been healing the villagers.” The Blue Spirit said.

“I never turn my back on people who need me.” She said. Gunfire erupted from the platform and Katara could feel the impact of the bullets on the water around her.

“I would be glad for the help of your ladyship.” The Blue Spirit said and Katara gave a curt nod.

“Find what pollutes my waters and I will help you.” She said. The man nodded back and jumped down, brandishing his swords and running off. Katara poured after him, pulling more water in from waste pipes. She flooded furnaces and shoved soldiers back into hallways or small rooms, freezing doorways shut.

A klaxon went off, shearing through her head but not slowing her. As long as she could see the shooters, the bullets were caught with relative ease, while the Firebenders couldn’t risk too large of a fire in close quarters. So she went through the factory, like a sentient hurricane, and destroyed everything she could.

When she got to a narrow doorway, Katara froze the metal and then shoved it, bending the now brittle metal back to allow her space. Still she had to send thick tentacles of water before her, sweeping a clear path, and trailed a tail of water behind her, beating back any pursuers.

Deeper into the factory, she found what she was looking for. A large tank that reeked of chemicals had multiple spray nozzles running from it. The Blue Spirit stood on top of it, hacking each of the nozzles off.

For each one that he removed, Katara froze the hole it left. But when it came to remove the tank from the metal supports, the Blue Spirit sheathed his swords. Katara prepared two sharp arms of water to begin sawing through the supports, but paused as an explosion pushed her off balance. A large man stood in a glowing, smoking hole in the wall.

“I’d get promoted by just capturing the Blue Spirit. But two? I’ll become an advisor to the Fire Lord himself with this!” The man exclaimed and broke into booming laughter. Katara snarled and surged forward, sending out whips of water. The Firebender brought up a wall of flame, sending back scalding steam that Katara had to reabsorb before it hurt her. Then, two more soldiers appeared.

Holding assault rifles.

Swearing to herself, Katara threw a shield of ice in front of the Blue Spirit and the bullets sunk deep into the surface, sending out long cracks. The moment the shield broke, the Blue Spirit shot back with fire of his own.

Frowning as she thought, Katara still put out a road of ice and the Blue Spirit started running. He leaped upward and caught one of the soldiers with the gun and used it to strangle him. Still so close to the others, the Blue Spirit pulled back and kicked fire upward as he flipped, sending the soldier tumbling out of the hole while retaining his hold on the gun.

Katara had to trust him and she turned her focus back on the machine. She swiped at the metal supports with blades of water, sweat pouring down from her hairline. She cut them free and caught the machine in water, sinking as she lost some of her own support.

“Let’s go!” Katara called and turned just in time to see the Blue Spirit dive into the Firebenders flame, split the tunnel with his hands, and then headbutt the man directly in the face. As the large Firebender staggered backward, Katara again sent out a lane of ice and the Blue Spirit ran to her. He jumped on top of the machine and sent a large blast of fire up to the metal ceiling. Punching it with a boulder of ice, Katara rent open the metal and launched the machine through it, following after on the remains of her collected water.

Now in the open, Katara pulled more water to her.

“What now?” The Blue Spirit asked.

“I have to make landfall. There’s a place I can bury this till others can deal with it.” Katara said.

“How much can you carry?” He questioned. Katara pulled herself up to her full height.

“More than you can, mortal.” She said haughtily. The Blue Spirit bowed.

“Of course. Pardon me, my lady.” He said. Katara made a noise in displeasure but pulled the water around the machine and then perched on it. Giving it legs, Katara formed a headless water spider and the Blue Spirit pulled himself up, sitting on the bulbous body.

More fire erupted from the hole as two soldiers shot upward to follow them.

“That’s enough!” Katara shouted, pulling up two separate columns of water and slamming them over the hole, ramming the two soldiers back down. She froze the water and then urged the water spider onward.

“Huh.” The Blue Spirit said and Katara smiled to herself, hidden behind her long veil.

They made it back onto land where the factory clung to a cliff face like a parasite. It didn’t take much for her to bring up a swell from the river and yank the whole thing free. It bobbed in the water and Katara could see people begin to spill out, finding lifeboats tucked here and there.

As for the spirits, they continued up the cliff nearly without incident. The Blue Spirit couldn’t hold himself to the water and nearly fell off until Katara made a hold for him.

When they reached the top, Katara headed for the woods. The water body sloshed and she could angle it, letting the legs prop on tree trunks as the machine was lifted and tilted to pass through narrow pathways. When she felt she was deep enough, Katara halted the water spider and lowered them. When the machine hit the ground, she and the Blue Spirit hopped off. No longer needed, Katara pulled away the water and sent it back toward the river, trusting the incline to finish her task when the water extended past her reach.

“For how impressive that was, I would almost be convinced you were a real spirit.” The Blue Spirit said as he walked up to her.

“And why do you presume I am not?” Katara asked. His hand moved quickly and she flinched, but he pulled it back slowly to show the red paint on his black gloved fingers.

“I don’t think spirits can sweat off their stripes.” He said. Katara swatted his hand away and stepped back.

“And who are you, to hide behind an Oni mask while betraying your people?” She demanded.

“Just that, a traitor.” He said and made a flourish of his bow.

“So what will you do now?”

“I’d like to ask for a favor.”

“I think I did you enough favors.”

The man laughed and it made Katara blush. He sounded ardent, like the heroes from the movies she used to watch with her mother.

“But a benevolent spirit such as yourself would surely find it a minor thing to give this poor mortal just one small favor.” He said and Katara turned away, feeling her face burn.

He certainly sounded like the actors from those movies.

“And what is it that you want?” She asked.

“I’d like to say I’ve earned the kiss of a spirit.” The Blue Spirit said.

Katara whirled on him and he laughed again. Still as ardent, still as clear and deep as the first. He was a trickster spirit, surely, and Katara bit her lip.

“I’m only human, same as you.” She said. The man lifted his mask, though he still wore a black sash across his eyes. It was then that some cloud passed and the light of the full moon shone down on them like a spear of light.

In the moonbeam, he stood like a shard of obsidian.

Fog curled up from the ground and it swirled at his feet as he stepped toward her again. He parted the veil and water droplets clung to the netting, shining like diamonds in the moonlight.

“Oh, I don’t think you’re like me at all.” He said and cupped her cheek.

Fog twisted around them as he leaned in, softening the moonlight.

She shielded herself from Yue’s judgement, standing suddenly bare in such stark light. She closed her eyes as the man’s lips met hers.

Taking a breath, she could smell soot, fire, and blood on the man. Around her was the rich scent of wet earth and rotting leaves. Through it all was the mist that cocooned them, turning the moonlight gauzy.

Then he pulled back.

“Thank you, for saving me.” He said and replaced his mask.

“You’re welcome.” Katara replied and watched him.

“Maybe we’ll cross paths again and I can return the favor.” He said.

“Which one?” She quipped and he laughed. This time softer, more his own.

He had a nice laugh.

~

“You?!” The word came out strangled and Katara nodded. Zuko stood and walked away, pacing back and forth while putting his hands in his hair.

“I couldn’t sleep for days without thinking of you.” He said, pausing to look at her before resuming his walk.

“What are you two doing?” Sokka asked as he and Suki came up the stairs.

“Your sister was the Painted Lady?” Zuko asked, turning to Sokka, who looked confused.

“Yeah?” He replied.

“He was the Blue Spirit.” Katara stated in a panic.

“What?” Sokka squawked at the same time Suki said slowly,  “Oooooh.”

“We met,” Katara said. “At the Jang Hui river.”

“What?!” Sokka repeated, sounding more alarmed.

“Did something happen?” Suki asked, and then, looking at both Katara and Zuko’s pained faces, brightened. “Oh spirits, something happened.”

“Wait. Wait.” Sokka now started to sound alarmed. “Zuko, do you like my sister?”

Zuko’s jaw dropped and his hands fell down to his sides.

“How are you both so dense?” He asked.

“Hey!” Katara interjected just as Sokka sputtered, “Dense?”

“Oh this is absolutely the best way this week could have gone and it hasn’t even gotten to the good part.” Suki said to herself, laughing.

Katara glared at her and Suki sniffed, rubbing her nose.

“Good for me.” Suki said and then shrugged. “And hopefully Sokka.”

“I’m not going to be happy until Zuko promises to leave my sister alone!” Sokka retorted.

“Enough!” Katara shouted, finally standing. “I’m going to bed.”

“Katara…” Zuko started.

“Nyeh!” She said and waved her arms above her head. “Bed.”

The moon glowed above them and the ocean crashed behind them, and Katara felt herself being yanked back and forth.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

[iceisfuckingdone]

So i wrote a narrative about minecraft manhunts for school

its almost a fic now

“Aaand recording” I loudly said to my microphone. “We ready?” I heard a chorus of agreements between my friends. They stood in a circle around me, like a ritual. Laughing, their grins became almost creepy. I slapped one of them, and started running. They dashed after me, screaming. I kept running, past trees, rivers, and wild animals chewing grass like bubblegum. They went after me, but slowly, they fell behind. I took a break to gather resources, making tools to fight back, while I knew they would be doing the same. I looked around to see if there was anything I could use, and a village caught my eye, I could use the resources there. After checking that they weren’t around, I made a break for the village. The residents spoke in a language I could not understand, sounding like mumbles and grunts. I grabbed some swords and armor from their houses, and took their food. Their farms were left untouched, but I took a few hay bales from their horses, and I was back on the run. I knew my friends would find this village, so I couldn’t leave anything behind for them to use. The villagers gave me weird stares, but ignored me as I destroyed their guardian. As I looked from where I came, I could faintly see my friends catching up. I had to get out of there. As I ran, I saw an ancient pyramid. Small, but I knew the loot inside would be lifesaving. I quickly turned to it, and continued running, hoping I wouldn't hear them say that they saw me. As I broke into the temple, I became cautious of the traps that I knew would be there. I avoided the plate that was rigged to blow the entire place up. I broke down a layer, to grab the deadly explosives, maybe I could use them to my advantage later. The explosives were rigged on a tree. I could break the leaves, and it would explode. There was a high chance I would die as well. But for me to have any chance of loosing them, I would need to take that risk. Taunting them, I casually said “I seeee you guys.” Their heads swiveled around, trying to find me. As they located my bright green outfit, they started running to me like vultures diving in on prey. I braced for the axe hit with my shield, as one jumped on me. I slashed back, but knew I couldn’t take this fight. I ran to the tree, and slashed at the leaves with my axe. I screamed as I saw the text on the bottom of my screen. “Sapnap blew up. Antfrost blew up” “NO!” I heard all four of them cry. I began to laugh as I kept running, avoiding my enraged friends. I saw a glow come from a hole, and knew it could only mean one thing. Lava. Grabbing a steaming bucket of molten lava, I quickly placed it back down, with water flowing above it. It solidified within seconds, and I grabbed another one, to place on top. As I grabbed my flint, and started trying to light it up, I heard faint screams. “I FOUND HIM!” I knew I had to be faster. As I slid into the purple haze, I saw their swords being drawn, and I vanished. The other dimension was fascinating. Red mountains, a dark roof, with so much lava and fire you could cook a chicken by letting it stay here for longer than a few minutes. Somehow, trees and plants grew here, and hostile people resided in the forests. I couldn’t admire the view for long, I would be here many times. I dashed through the teal forests, with winding vines, and glowing lights. The sleek, black monsters that almost looked like slenderman stared at me as I made my journey. I knew that my friends were on my tail, I had to loose them. I saw a faint, maroon brick in the distance, and made my way to it, avoiding the screaming coming from the white, fire shooting animals. I heard some crys from my headphones, as “Badboyhalo burned in lava” went up on my screen. I giggled as the achievement A Terrible Fortress appeared right after. I knew I had more time that one was back in the overworld, where they were separated. As the maroon bricks started becoming more and more common, I saw what I desired. A fiery, yellow and orange, blaze. I hacked and slashed at them, one after another, until I got all the rods from them as I needed. Running out of the fortress, I spotted my friends, with glowing armor on. They were going to see me soon. Crouching, I snuck back to the forest without them noticing me, and made a break for the portal to the overworld. I came across more of the slendermans, as they spoke in a language that was faintly understandable, but nothing like our own, almost in reverse. One by one, they dropped their eyes, which I would need to cross dimensions again. Once I got back to the portal, they finally noticed me. “He’s right there you muffins!” and I felt all eyes on me. Hopping back into the portal, I almost got hit by one of their stray arrows. From the red landscape and huge fog, to the calm green, was almost refreshing. I could never admire the landscape, I needed to trap them in the nether. Using a water bucket, I extinguished the portal, and hoped that would buy me some time. Running through the sand, more tall endermen appeared. They continued to drop their eyes, and my journey went on. As I chucked one eye in the air, it started directing me to my destination. The stronghold. Rowing across the sea, and even climbing some mountains, I didn’t see much of my friends. But when I was close to the stronghold, I saw a glowing, blue person. They got diamond armor. They started chasing after me, and I checked to make sure I still had my hay bale from ages ago. I looked around, there was no where for me to hide. I needed to have one of them jump to their deaths. I climbed up the hills, making sure I wouldn’t die myself from the height I needed to drop from. They followed like ducklings. I brought out the hay bale, once I reached the top of the mountain, and jumped. Quickly placing the hay beneath me, I bounced on the fluffy hay, as I saw one my friends go splat on the ground. Grabbing their stuff that I could use, I kept on running, as the rest stood in disbelief. Throwing the last pearl, it went straight down. I started digging along, and dropped immediately into the stronghold, and I heard screaming as “eye spy” came up in the chat. Dashing through the tunnels, searching for the portal, I looted the chests along the way. I had 12 pearls to use, and I would need all of them. Running past the iron bars, I saw the lava, and ran into the room. I only had one life to do this. They had infinite. Placing the eyes into the frame, the portal lit up, but was dark and starry like the night sky. I jumped in, after checking I had everything I would need. The dark void encompassed the surroundings, other than this one island. Obsidian towers, with explosive crystals, to the final boss. The dragon. Digging through the cliff, finding my way to the top, was the part that I needed to do as quick as possible. The others found the stronghold, so they would be right behind me. As I drew back my bow, and aimed at the first crystal, I saw the four of them pop up, and I didn’t have much time. Running away, I drew back my bow again, and fired at the second. Two loud explosions. The third one was caged, I couldn’t deal with it at the minute. I knew that if I was knocked up into the air, I would need to try and do a water drop. Great risk of dying, but it would be the only way to survive. Arching back my bow again, I fired again, trying to reach within the cracks in the bars to destroy it. After 3 shots, it exploded. I kept the hunters in the back of my mind, as I kept on firing. One after another, I fired, they exploded. Slicing up some enderman, I got another pearl, and kept it ready just in case. As they came dashing after me, I started to run. I was running out of food, and I knew they had more than me, so I had to end this fast. Throwing the pearl to the bedrock platform, I started hacking at the dragon using my axe. I used some of my leftover tnt, ignited it, and watched as the dragon took more and more damage, it wincing in pain every time. As it painfully flew up, I knew it didn’t have much health, but the hunters were gaining on me. I fired arrows at it, while my friends whacked and stabbed me. I saw the dragon had so little health, I could throw my pearl at it and kill it. I jumped off the edge, chucking my pearl back at the dragon. This was the riskiest choice for me, but if I had stayed, I would have been dead from the hunters. The pearl connected. A glowing light came from where the dragon just was. “Free the end” appeared in my chat. Cries from my friends echoed through my headsets. I cried in triumph, and walked over to the portal, smiley mask cracked in half. As I stepped into the way back to the overworld, I had one last thing to say. “This is manhunt!”

[reimahowaido]

Spyro: Reignited review part 4

Cliff Town! And now we're Definitely further than where I ever made it into the game myself. This is all new territory for us~ But it's been pretty fun so far. Each success has felt great, and honestly I do feel great even with some small things, like turning around and finding gems here and there, looking behind corners and finding chests etc. A handful of those moments came during this level. I also took a break here to go to eat some soup, so I kinda got to come in fresh after all that had come before. Yeah people who speedrun these games would have already been done with the game, but I'm not as talented, experienced, nor am I in a hurry, so imma just... Chill with my 3½-ish hours of gameplay at this point, maybe 4 hours, something like that. Anyway. As I kinda guessed, I fell down the cliff edge as I was chasing the thief. Those turns, they were so stiff. We're starting to see a bit of a thing here with those controls. But I'm getting a little more confident with charging. There's a lot of ground to cover so we gotta charge to get around faster. It's still fairly stiff, but not too fast to me anymore. I certainly got my share of running in Dry Canyon. Running in that same circle over and over again, jump charging up the stairs etc. We're getting the hold of it. Even made the big jump from the top of the building over the river on first try. Charging + Jumping is really working out for me with those glides now. I did later on fail it once, I Think, but other than that, things went pretty well overall~ I also like the ladies near those brewing pots. I dunno why, I just, like them. I can't explain what it is about them. It's not the fact that they have minions, or that they cook, or the fact they slap you and that doesn't necessarily damage you. I dunno what it is, but I like them

Ice Cavern! Ok now This one I've been waiting for~~ For a reason, that I'll get to. But firstly, I remember the bigger purple Gnorks being somewhat intimidating or something when I was a kid, it was either that or the fact that there were no borders and the thread of falling off the edge was real. It was intimidating. Now I was a bit cautious, not running and charging everywhere, but it was pretty alright, especially with those areas inside where you weren't at the risk of dying every chance you did an accidental click on those shoulder buttons and made a dive roll to either side (god I did that accidentally, not like die but rolled near an edge unintentionally and gave myself a heart attack with that. Please, cheer heart attack has a weakness and it's stress spikes like these). The level is super atmospheric and I love the way it looks~ But this was probably my first time going 'mmmm, the music is fine, it's not bad, but it's not a favourite either' (speaking of music, Night Flight, I didn't mention it before, but that song is pretty nice! Just that, I keep repeatedly hearing the first few notes and then the level resets. It's almost memey, but also sad) Listening to it on youtube I can still appreciate it, and it sounds good, better when you don't have to focus on not dying and falling. but speaking of falling and dying... So... Those... Few steps, jumps near the exit and dragon and stuff. I said to myself that yo, jumping near a place like this is really not a good idea. It's slippery, a thin-ish area, it includes a bit of gliding to get from 1 platform to another and if you miss or fail 50% of the time you're going to fall to your death. And boy did I fall, so, many, times.... I spent, at least 10 or so minutes trying to get all those gems, and then the last jump, that was easy but I'm glad I took it just to be sure rather than taking the chance of 'maybe another road leads to there' because I'm still not sure if there is that other road or not, but I completed that part and that's good. Also nailed that jump to the 3 extra lives on first try, thank you youtube video for that little secret. It was nice But you know what's even better? Todor. Yes yesyes. My fave boy he's heeeere~~ I dunno if he's still my favourite, but he's Definitely up there still. I love he design of this boyo so much. Watch me replaying his animations and clips over and over again just to see more of him. Yes. I did that xD There's also a handful of other good bois with nice designs over here, but Todor though, what a good boi. Also I just, like and love lots of Ice related things, even if those jumps were brutal and painful, I still like Winter themed stuff, so I ain't even mad Dr. Shemp! Bossss time, but first let us discover this second amazing place to grind for lives~ The skybox here is amazing too (some stuff gives me anxiety and there be phobias, but this just, looks so gorgeous and it's Spyro so I'll just be happy, it's kinda therapeutic in a way, helps me cope) This will come in handy in the future. Feel proud for discovering that one enemy hiding and torching her before she could pull a sneaky on me. Proud~ I then proceed to fail that long jump a handful of times. I give up on that, I can reset he level by traveling elsewhere to cheat death after failing the jump later if I want to. Time for Shemp. And he was kinda fun, not gonna lie. The last phase took a few hit and run attempts as I was trying to bait him to hit me, dodge and try flaming him. Still, eventual success and after having to reset the level because there was no going back to the other side unless I defeated Shemp again or something (I felt lazy), I managed to finally get that last gem. 100%, nice, and we're onwards to the next world~ I'll write on the dragons a little later, it's 5:20am and I got a dentist visit coming so I'm rather get these out the way first

[kimtanathegeek]

Two Brothers, Many Paths - Ch 28

*sighs* Well...we had to get here someday....

Thanks for reading! :)

—

Undertale copyright Toby Fox

Story and original characters by me, Kimtana

Please do not use without both permission and credit.  

Read below, or read it on AO3 here.  

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Sans was in an absolute panic.

He had to use every ounce of sense within him to resist the urge to dive over the waterfall after Papyrus. He pulled himself back from the edge, shaking violently and hyperventilating. Tears fell from his eyes like the waters down the falls as he paced back and forth, trying to bring his reeling mind back so he could think.

He didn’t want to believe that Papyrus was gone. But he’d seen him disappear into the darkness.

He couldn’t believe his brother was gone. It was all his fault.

Sans came to a sudden halt. He gripped his skull, shut his eyes tight, doubled over, and screamed in anguish from the very bottom of his soul until his lungs were empty of all air.

He stood back up, his throat throbbing, his vision blurry, gasping for breath, and rushed to the edge.

No. He’s not gone. He’s not dead. He can’t be.

He staggered to the very edge, tears falling from his face into the void below. Then he wiped his tears and narrowed his eyes as he clenched his teeth, throwing any thought that his brother was dead into the wind. He raised his left hand and made a series of twelve bone platforms down the cliff face near the waterfall, each a few feet below the other and sat down on the top one.

I’m coming, Papyrus. I’m going to find you. Just hang on. Please hang on.

A sob escaped his torn throat. He made the platform he was sitting on disappear, causing him to fall down to the next one with a thump. He made the next one disappear, and fell to the one below that. He kept descending like this, the only way he could think of other than jumping blindly as his heart so desperately wanted him to do.

As he reached the end of the platforms, he created a dozen more. His body was hurting from landing on the bones after each fall, but he didn’t care. He descended rapidly, his platform creation and removal becoming so automatic, he barely needed to concentrate.

Eventually he had gone down the cliff so far that he, too, was enveloped in darkness. He created a blue bone and tossed it down, watching it fall into the void until it suddenly disappeared.

He kept going.

Another dozen platforms made, another dozen removed. He created and dropped another blue bone, watching it plummet. This time, the bone illuminated a body of water under it before splashing in, sinking into the depths and out of sight.

It’s not bottomless! Sans gasped, the first spark of hope igniting in his soul.

He removed the remaining platforms, one by one, falling onto each subsequent one, then let himself freefall after he made the last platform disappear. He fell through the darkness a short distance before suddenly hitting the surface of the water, submerging in the watery void. He opened his eyes, but it was as if they were closed, the darkness was so total.

He swam to the top, breaking through the surface, gasping and coughing. He bobbed in the water, utterly exhausted from his panic. He created another blue bone under water and raised it up above his head, looking around.

It was difficult to see anything in the pitch-dark, but the blue-white light reflected off the water, allowing him to see shadows in the bone’s light. The body of water he was treading was large, but he couldn’t see where the edges were in the darkness. There were formations all around, like tiny islands, rising up around the area.

He swam, one-armed, towards one of the formations, holding up the bone with his other hand as he cried out.

“Papyrus! Papyrus!!!”

His voice was drowned out by the cacophonous waterfalls surrounding the area and the pounding in his head from his anxiety.

Sans pulled himself out of the water, collapsing on the ground from overexertion. He was shivering uncontrollably from the chill and his increasing panic, the blue bone’s light shaking as it illuminated the island. He struggled to stand, his legs and knees shaking terribly.

The land wasn’t made of soil or mud, but of things. Broken wooden items, useless weapons, soggy fabrics, and various, rotting substances that Sans couldn’t identify, all piled up in the huge mound he was standing on. He covered his nose from the horrific stench as his eyes darted around, looking for his brother.

When he didn’t find him on the island, he flung the blue bone over to the next island and jumped into the water, swimming frantically to it. The second island was the same as the first—a mound of broken, decaying refuse. Once again, he searched the small mound for Papyrus, then tossed the blue bone to the next island with a strained grunt.

When the bone landed, Sans gasped. In the blue-white light was his little brother’s body, his head and chest on the bank of the mound, his pelvis and legs bobbing in the waters.

“Pap!!!”

Sans dove into the water and swam urgently to the mound, the rush of determination shoving aside his weariness. He pulled himself out of the water, a sob tearing from his chest as he looked at his brother, motionless on his stomach, his head at an awkward angle, with the tail of his drenched red scarf plastered to his back.

Sans carefully turned him onto his back and pulled him up so that he was no longer in the waters that had stolen him. He fell to his knees and put his ear to his brother’s mouth. He felt nothing against the side of his skull, a sickening feeling growing in his stomach.

Immediately, Sans sat on the ground with his legs out straight and pulled his brother up against him as he bent both knees slightly, digging his bare heels into the debris. He laid Papyrus down over his legs so that his ribcage was against his knees, his head facing downward, and started pounding his spine where it met his ribcage in short, hard, upward thumps with his hands, fingers interlaced.

“C’mon, Pap,” he sobbed, trying to keep his panic down while he performed the maneuver his parents had taught him—lessons for an emergency, such as this.

Papyrus’ soaked body moved only when struck, not responding, as the terror gripped Sans’ soul. Still, he continued, straining to count in between movements.

After several moments of striking his upper back, water trickled out of the little skeleton’s jaws, then he started coughing up water. Sans cried tears of joy as he continued thumping his brother’s back until the coughs were dry.

“That’s it,” Sans coaxed, tears flowing down his face. “Get it up. Get it all up....”

Papyrus coughed and gasped for air, then began crying loudly. Sans lowered his knees as he turned his brother over, pulling him up to embrace him, rocking him gently and gratefully.

“I’m here, Papyrus,” he wept into his brother’s shoulder as his brother cried uncontrollably. “It’s ok. You’re ok. You’re ok now.”

Papyrus’ wailing didn’t cease, which concerned Sans. He raised his knees up tight so he could lean his brother against them.

“Pap, what’s wrong?” Sans asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“Hurts....” his brother sobbed, his eyes shut tightly. His face was contorted in agony.

Sans’ eyes searched for any visible injuries, but the little skeleton’s clothes covered most of his bones.

“Where, Pap?” Sans asked urgently. “Where does it hurt?”

“It hurts!” His cry was more high-pitched, filled with pain.

Sans pulled up his brother’s shirt carefully, and winced at what he saw. One of his ribs had broken off and was missing, while another was cracked. The lower part of his vertebrae, just above his pelvis, was slightly fractured.

He gently pulled the scarf around his neck loose, which caused Papyrus to emit a bloodcurdling scream, making Sans flinch in sympathy. He tugged cautiously at the collar of his brother’s shirt and saw that his collarbone was broken, and—most alarmingly—two of his cervical vertebrae were badly fractured.

“Oh, Pap...,” he breathed concernedly.

He checked his brother’s arms and legs, which were unscathed. Papyrus was still crying out in pain, breaking Sans’ heart.

“It’s all right,” he said, stroking the side of his brother’s head soothingly. “As soon as you eat, you’ll feel much better. Let’s get back up there and out of this place. Just hold on.”

He turned his brother so that he could cradle him in his arms as Papyrus screamed in pain with the movement. Sans shushed him gently, his brother unable to hear him through his tortured screams, as he carefully rose to his feet. He held Papyrus tightly, shut his eyes, and took a step.

Nothing happened.

Sans opened his eyes, his breath caught in his throat in panic.

Why didn’t it work...?!

He closed his eyes again, pictured the pathway above, begging to be up there to the food in his bag, and took a step.

They remained on the mound.

“No,” Sans whimpered in fear. “No, no, no....”

He tried a third time, and, still, they were on the mound in the middle of nowhere.

Sans felt the panic grip his soul as his brother’s painful cries became more and more shrill. He had to get back up on that path. He had to get food into his brother urgently.

Maybe I need to be closer.... Maybe I’m too far down here.... It’s a long way down here from up there....

He looked over at the two islands he had searched before finding his brother. He figured that if he got to that first mound, he might be in better range. But he couldn’t swim, not with his brother so terribly injured. He had to be careful—one wrong move, and his brother’s fractured neck would snap, killing him. If he had thumped his brother’s back just slightly harder—the thought made him shudder horribly.

Sans knew he needed to make a bridge, so he cautiously raised his left hand as his arm helped bear the weight of his brother. But nothing happened.

“What?!” Sans breathed in shock.

He tried again—no white bones appeared.

Then the realization hit him like a slap across the face. The exhaustion he was suffering wasn’t from the ordeal. Between teleporting to the darkened area, trying to use the blue soul magic, creating and removing dozens of bone platforms, and making multiple blue bones, he had used up all his magic.

He went for his pocket to pull out the bag of dried fruit to replenish his magic so he could transport his brother to safety. His hand slipped into air as he gasped, then groaned in anguish—his jacket was still up on the pathway.

Sans stood on the mound, frozen with fear and helplessness—no magic, his critically injured brother screaming in pain in his arms, trapped in the watery darkness.

 -

 It took Sans a few moments to regain his thoughts.

Getting food into his brother was the highest priority right now. With great care, he laid his wailing brother back on the mound, rolling up the tail of his soaked scarf to pillow his head. His brother had not stopped crying, urging Sans to action quickly. Picking up the blue bone for light, he frantically searched around the mound for any sort of soil that might have mouseshroom nightlights growing in it. When he found none, he looked back at Papyrus, who was still weeping pitifully, before sticking the blue bone between his teeth and diving back into the water to search the next island.

Grasping onto the loose debris, Sans achingly pulled himself out of the water, finding another mound of discarded and rotting items. He stumbled, his body begging him to rest after depleting himself of magical and physical energy, but he refused. He held up the bone and searched the ground, his eyes scanning for anything edible.

“Please...,” he begged whatever forces were listening. “Please, give me something....”

The mound had nothing to offer, so he slipped into the water and headed to the next island, hoping to find actual ground instead of decaying refuse. Pulling himself up and out, he found yet another pile of rubbish. His soul fluttered in his chest momentarily when he saw a broken crate, filled with rotting apples.

“Just one, please,” he whispered, a whine tinging his voice, as he scrambled to get to it. “Just one....”

He picked up the crate and upended it, the rotten apples landing on the mound in a squelching, disgusting heap. He desperately ran his hands through the decayed fruit, his fingers searching for the hardness of a still-edible morsel. The entire crate’s worth was nothing but a liquified, reeking goop. Sans slammed his fists into the putrefied mess in dismayed frustration. A sob escaped his throat as panic once again clutched at him.

He picked the bone back up in his filth-covered hand, his eyes darting as they continued scanning the ground. His legs buckled, and he fell to the trash-covered ground on his hands and knees. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer like this, but he still pushed forward.

Sans returned to the water to swim to the next mound, his limbs numb in the water from cold and exhaustion. Eventually, he reached it and searched once more, found nothing, and swam to the next, repeating the motions mound after mound.

He grasped at the loose bank of yet another island of refuse, gasping and choking for air. His arms ached viciously, and his legs gave him great difficulty standing as they grew weaker. He stumbled through the debris, falling multiple times, as tears of frustration and fear for his brother blurred his already strained vision.

Then he saw it.

He had looked up briefly and thought the darkness was playing tricks on his eyes, but, squinting, he realized that there were a few faint pinpricks of light coming from an island near the one he stood on. It was hard to tell, but it sure looked like blue-white light to his tired eyes.

“Oh please...!” he rasped weakly. “Please be them....!”

Sans stuck the bone back in his teeth and dove into the water, the hope renewing his energy slightly. He swam swiftly at first, then slowed as his exhaustion weighed his limbs down. The currents pushing from the base of the waterfall right next to the mound tried to sweep his light body away, making it all the more difficult for him to reach it. He coughed as water splashed into his mouth between the bone, his desperation tearing at his soul.

At last, he arrived at the mound, coughing out water he had choked down, gasping for air as he crawled over to the flickering source of light along the bank. He ripped away pieces of wood, sodden ropes, and decayed reeds and gave a guttural sigh of joy.

Numerous rotting mouseshroom nightlights had been washed up on the mound, having found their way down the waterfall that fed the mound with its discarded cargo. Many of them were lit, their blue-white glow weak and flickering, and all of them were in a state of decay. However, much of the mushrooms were still edible around the rotting parts.

Looking around for something to carry the mushrooms in, Sans found nothing. Thinking quickly, he pulled off his soaking shirt, shivering uncontrollably with the cold as his bones from the pelvis up were exposed to the light breeze. With trembling, shaky hands, he frantically filled his shirt like a bag with as many mushrooms as could fit. He rolled the hem of his shirt to seal it, then took a nearby rope and wound it around the bundle, tying it firmly so the shirt wouldn’t open. He slung it over his back, tying the sleeves around his neck into a knot. Then he picked up the blue bone, shoved it back between his teeth, and dove into the water.

The currents were now rapidly pushing him in his favor, back towards the island on which his brother lay. Sans hoped he wasn’t too late, that his brother hadn’t shifted, causing his neck to—

Papyrus’ painful cries reached Sans’ ears as he neared the mound. Sans whimpered through his teeth and the bone, struggling to reach his injured brother with the life-saving mushrooms on his back.

Sans washed up on the bank of the mound, his body shivering violently and unwilling to move. With all the strength he could summon, he crawled over to his wailing brother and collapsed by his head, weakly pulling the knotted shirt sleeves over his own head. He pulled the bundle up to him and fumbled to untie the rope with numb fingers. The rope fell free and he tore at it to loosen, shoving his hand into the bottom of his shirt to pull out a mushroom. He tore off an edible piece and held it to his brother’s open, crying mouth.

Feeling the food at his teeth, Papyrus whimpered as he instinctually opened his mouth wider for it. Sans dropped it in, and the little skeleton barely chewed it before swallowing it with a whimper as Sans broke off another bit. Papyrus opened his mouth for more, and Sans gave him the next piece, laying his own head down on his other arm to rest. With each swallow, Papyrus’ whimpering and moaning decreased, but Sans refused to slow his feeding.

Soon, Papyrus was able to open his eyes, his awareness returning to him as the cloud of agony dissipated from his mind.

“...Sas...?” His voice was a weak croak.

“Sh-shh, P-Pap...,” Sans stammered, his teeth chattering terribly. “K-keep eat-ting....”

Sans was now shivering violently. Skeletons couldn’t handle the chill from wetness, the moisture seeping deep into their bones. Their bodies could bear the dry, frigid temperatures of the winter for long durations, but the combination of saturation in cold water and exposure in the air quickly chilled them to the bone. He knew he needed to get dried off and warm, but everything around him was waterlogged and soaking. He gritted his chattering teeth, ignoring his own discomfort for the sake of his brother’s serious injuries.

After five mushrooms, Papyrus tried to sit up, but groaned, clutching his neck.

“N-no...!” Sans begged, reaching up weakly to stop him. “D-don’t t-touch your ne—”

A green glow shone under the little skeleton’s hands. Sans watched wide eyed, mouth hung open as his brother’s clavicle and cervical vertebrae glowed in the green light, reforming before his eyes. Soon, the bones had reformed, as if nothing had happened to them. Papyrus, still sniffling and whimpering, put his hands over his lower chest. The green glow lit up his hands and ribcage under his shirt, healing his broken ribs. He then moved his hands down—leaning up slightly—to reach his lower vertebrae, healing the fractures.

This must be how he healed me, Sans thought as he watched in shock.

Having healed his major injuries, Papyrus laid back, hiccoughing tearfully from his ordeal.

Sans was still on his stomach, trembling violently as he offered his brother more of the mushroom, but Papyrus had had his fill and turned his closed jaws away from it. Sans let his hand drop weakly, and Papyrus turned his head back to face him.

“S-Sas okay...?” he asked between dry sobs.

“J-just t-tired,” his brother answered, teeth chattering loudly. “And c-c-cold. S-so c-c-old.”

Papyrus groaned painfully as he rolled over, looking at his brother through the light of the blue bone. His eyebrows raised in worry.

“Where Sas’ shirt?”

Sans weakly lifted an empty sleeve of the shirt, still filled with rotting mushrooms.

Papyrus winced as he moved closer to his trembling brother, putting his arm around Sans in an effort to keep him warm. His damp clothes made Sans shiver even more, but Sans didn’t care. He was too relieved that his brother was out of danger.

“W-we’ve g-got to g-get b-back,” Sans stammered, shaking uncontrollably. “B-but m-my m-m-magic is g-gone. I c-can’t make pl-platforms or t-take us th-there.”

“Pa do it....”

The tiny whisper made Sans lift his head weakly. “Wh-what...?”

Papyrus tilted his head and opened his eyes slightly to look at his brother. Sans could tell he was still weak from his injuries, even though they had healed.

“Pa make bones....”

Sans made a small sound of protest, but realized that it would be their only chance. They couldn’t wait for his magic to naturally replenish.

Sans looked at the rotting mushrooms spilling out of his shirt next to his head.

“P-Pap...,” he croaked. “C-can y-you eat m-more?”

Papyrus gave a weak shake of his head. “No, Sas.... Pa too full....”

Sans hesitated, unwilling to take food that should be going to heal his brother. But, deep down, he knew that if they were going to make the massive climb back up, he needed his strength.

He pulled out a mushroom and tore off an edible portion with shaky fingers, shoving it in his mouth. He kept eating, feeling his strength returning and his pain fade away slowly. After he had consumed the last of the mushrooms, he sat up, still woozy from the weakness of his magic depletion, his brother watching him through half-shut lids as he lay on his side.

Sans shook out his soaked shirt of mushroom remains and put it back on with a struggle, as the wet cloth made it difficult. He gasped sharply as the frigid fabric clung against his spine and ribcage, a loud, deep shudder forcing its way out of his lungs.

He looked over at the sheer cliff wall from where they had come, unable to see the top from their depth. There were so many waterfalls that he wasn’t sure which one Papyrus had fallen down. Recalling that he had checked a few of the islands in front of them before finding his brother, and seeing a pair of waterfalls close together like the two waterways that cut through the path near the other islands, he judged the best location for them to ascend.

Sans sighed worriedly, giving a chilled shudder. “Th-this is g-going to b-be rough, P-Pap....”

A pang of guilt cut through him, making him shut his eyes tightly and clench his teeth. If he had just eaten some dried fruit after transporting, or remembered to take some with him before going over the cliff after his brother, none of this would be happening. His brother had been suffering longer than he should have because he was too stupid to make sure his magic was in good supply. It was all his fault, if only he had just—

“Sas okay...?”

Sans opened his eyes, his breath caught in his throat as his brother’s voice startled him. He looked down at Papyrus. His brother’s eyes were wide with concern for him, his frowning face sad.

Sans put on a grin and winked at his brother. “Y-yeah, I’m f-fine. J-just pr-preparing myself f-for th-the climb. Y-you feel w-well enough t-to go?”

Papyrus nodded from where he still lay on his side. “Pa wanna go home....”

“M-me t-too,” Sans answered, getting up on his feet, his body shaking terribly from the cold and magical weakness. “L-let’s go.”

He carefully picked up his brother, cradling him in his shivering arms.

“Y-you ok?” he checked.

“Yeah,” Papyrus answered, nodding. Sans noticed he looked extremely tired.

“Ok,” he whispered through chattering teeth. “W-we need a br-bridge here to th-that island.”

Papyrus turned his head to look down at the mound they were on and the one near it. He raised his right hand and four bones shot from the bank of the mound until it reached the other side, inches above the water.

“Gr-great job, P-Pap,” Sans grinned.

Sans carried his brother over the bone bridge, the currents splashing at his bare feet. The bridge was slick from the water, and the smoothness of his bony feet on the bones of the bridge made for a treacherous walk. Eventually, he made it to the other side, finally releasing the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Papyrus raised his hand to make the bones disappear, when Sans stopped him.

“W-wait, d-don’t,” he urged. “We’ve g-got a l-long, long way t-to climb. Y-you n-n-need to c-conserve your m-magic. W-we’ll take c-care of th-these another d-day.”

Papyrus looked up at him and nodded.

Sans carried him across the mound, slipping and stumbling on the refuse under his feet that he could not see with his brother blocking his view. Papyrus whimpered as he was jostled, afraid of falling to the ground. Sans gave him a reassuring squeeze as he, himself, felt the dread of knowing they had an extremely long way to go before they were safe.

[how-to-survive-a-factory-tour]

How To Survive A Factory Tour - Chapter 16

A Sanders Sides / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory FanFiction

PREVIOUS

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Wonka let me take the elevator to the bathrooms. The journey was no more gentle than the last, which definitely didn’t help my already extremely panicky mood. While here in the bathroom, I have done a wide variety of things, none of which are anything you’re supposed to do in bathrooms. Instead, these are the things I have done: have a panic attack, cry, punch the wall, immediately regret it, use toilet paper to clean my newly acquired wounds, throw up, cry some more, and all of it came together to finally exhaust myself to numbness, so now I feel like I can barely function.

All my friends could die. Or could already be dead. On the way to the bathroom, when I finally had the courage to open my eyes, the elevator passed a room that looked like a hospital ward. That’s where Patton and Logan should be recovering, right? And where Roman should soon arrive?

But they weren’t there. None of them. It was empty. No sign of them having been there earlier either. There was no lemonade or juice staining any of the beds. Patton’s hoodie, Logan’s tie, Roman’s purse, none of them are led over the back of any chairs. There weren’t any Oompa Loompas preparing the room for their arrival or cleaning up after them either. It was barren.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s a horrible sign. Sure there could be another hospital wing, sure they may have already been treated and are now waiting in some common room or something for the rest of us to finish the tour - and the Oompa Loompas had already finished cleaning the room again. But it still made my fear increase by ten thousand percent.

Anyway, that’s the state I leave the bathroom in. Just… completely dead in the eyes, mind abuzz with worst case scenarios.

I start to shuffle dejectedly back to the elevator. What room did Wonka say we were going to meet up in again…? It was either the Television Room or the Coconut Ice Rink, I think… Guess I’ll just go to one, and if they’re not there I’ll go to the other. Then I can finally beg to check on my friends and then either go home and sleep, or cry over the loss of my frien- 

“I don’t get it! The whales finally let go, he should have come to the surface by now!”

“You don’t think he’s drowned, do you?”

“Well, let’s not jump to any conclusions, he was okay when the whales last dragged him up…”

“What do we do?”

“We should probably contact Mr Wonka and ask. I mean, we’ve never had to deal with this before!”

The yelling voices draw my attention to a nearby door. My eyes widen, life sparking back into them as I read the sign above the door: Whale Enclosure.

Patton.

They’re talking about Patton. Patton’s still with the whales.

But he’s still probably alive.   .

I run inside. In it are various tanks of lemonade, in which different types of whales are swimming around. One has blue whales, one has humpback whales, one has beluga whales, and then there’s the one with the orcas. A group of Oompa Loompas are stood on a platform around the edge of the tank, staring down into it. I go up to the ladder and climb up, joining them all. “What’s going on?”

They all turned to me, obviously confused by my presence, before one responds. “It took a while, but we, um, got the whales to let go of Mr Picani… but he hasn’t come to the surface. Something’s wrong, and we don’t know what to do. He could drown!”

That… is not good.

I look back down at the yellow abyss below me. Patton is somewhere down there. Hopefully alive, but probably not for much longer. Someone needs to do something.

I need to do something.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling off my hoodie, shirt and jeans. It’s a little awkward stood in front of all the Oompa Loompas in only my boxers, but it’s okay. I’m not stood there for long, as I go diving into the lemonade.

-

My leg hurts so much… and I’m so dizzy. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone up and down, up and down, up and down…

Well, at least I’m getting used to it. I’m learning how to hold my breath for longer! I held it for a whole forty five seconds at one point!

Hehe… heh…

Okay, I can’t do this anymore. I keep trying to spin this positively, but I can’t. I’ve been on the brink of death for ages. I could lose my breath any second and inhale a bunch of water. And… I’m terrified… I hate it, I hate it so much, why hasn’t anyone saved me already?!

I’m going to die, aren’t I? I am. I never got to say goodbye to my parents, my brother, my gran, my friends, Roman, Virgil…

Logan. I never got to say goodbye to Logan. I never even got to tell him properly in words how I feel…

This is all my fault… I never should have gone so close to the edge of that cliff. If I hadn’t, I’d be happily enjoying the tour with all the others, getting to see all the other rooms and spending time getting to know the man I love. I’m so stupid, stupid, stupid-

OW! Ow ow ow ow ow, my leg’s starting to hurt more! And… everything’s finally still?

The whale’s let go… the whale’s let go! I’m free! And bleeding out a little faster than before, but still free! I start swimming upwards. If I can get to the surface, I’ll clamber out, and the Oompa Loompas can fix me up! I’ll be a-okay!

Wait, hold on… What’s that? There’s a shadow in the water, but it looks far too small to be a whale… It doesn’t seem to have any fins either, or any arms or legs. It’s kinda just a noodle wriggling through the lemonade. I think it might be a snake. Oh, and it’s got a little buddy! Aw, that’s cute.

They’re both coming towards me. I wonder if I can pet them? But then again, I should probably focus on getting to the surface. I mean, I won’t be able to hold my breath forever. I just continue on my way, watching as the surface gets nearer and nearer-

Oh! The snake’s swam up beside me. Hey, little guy, wanna help me get to the surfa-

What the-?! It’s wrapping around my wrists! It’s- it’s tying my hands together! And the other’s doing the same to my ankles!

I can’t move! I can’t swim! I’m going to drown! Help! Help me! Someone, anyone!

Oh goodness, oh golly, oh… oh…

Oh fuck! Fuck shit arse fuck fuck fuck!!!

Yeah, I’m Irish, what do you expect? I may try to be PG, but given as I’m on the brink of death, I think I can swear a little.

I feel my lungs losing energy. I won’t be able to hold my breath for much longer. This is it.

Bye, Ma. Bye, Pa. Bye, Emile. Bye, Roman. Bye, Logan, my love. Bye, Virg-

Virgil?

VIRGIL!!!

Virgil’s there! He’s swimming towards me! Oh, thank goodness!

He looks pretty surprised at the snakes bounding my wrists - which is unsurprising. I mean, I’ve heard of water snakes, but ones that can swim in lemonade, and act like handcuffs? That’s pretty absurd!

Anyway, Virge swims over. He must notice I’m using up the last of my oxygen, as he tentatively puts his hands on my shoulders, before pressing his mouth to mine. I’m taken aback for a moment before I realise he’s just breathing a little more air into my lungs. He pulls away, and then grabs the snake around my wrist and starts to pull at it, trying to pry it off me. It puts up a bit of a fight, but Virgil eventually manages to get it off. He pauses, clearly confused about what to do with it. He ends up grabbing it’s head and neck and-

NOPE! I turn away, unable to watch as Virgil does the dirty work. I only turn back when I feel Virgil pulling at the other snake around my ankles. Oh god, there’s the floating body of the other one…

Virgil pulls the other off my ankles, freeing me again. I turn away a second time as he ‘deals with it’. Once that’s done, he hooks his arm around my waist, and the two of us start to swim up. And thank god we do, I don’t know how much longer I could hold it. There’s the surface, getting closer and closer and so so close, and...

Oh, fresh air! We break the surface, and I’ve never been more relieved to have my lungs fill with oxygen. Virgil climbs up onto a platform around the rim of the tank, and hoists me up after him. My leg stings as it’s pulled from the lemonade, but it and the rest of me are quickly covered in towels. After it’s dried, the Oompa Loompas remove the towels from my leg and start wrapping it in a bandage instead, which is dyed red rather quickly. They have to wrap quite a few layers for all the blood to be kept in.

As they do so, I look up at Virgil. He’s got a towel as well, and is drying himself off and starting to get dressed again. I hear him muttering in annoyance at how the stickiness is making it hard for him to get his jeans on, and I give him a smile. “Thanks for saving me, Virge.”

“No problem.” Is the response I get, but he seems… off. Distracted.

“You okay, kiddo?”

“No. Not at all. We need to go, right now.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s weird that two snakes just came up to you and tried to drown you? Two normal snakes, not candy ones, just appearing from nowhere? There’s something more going on here… And I think I know who’s behind it.”

“Who?”

“No time to explain. Since the snake’s tried to kill you, they’ll probably do the same to the other two as well…”

The other two? “What do you mean the other two?”

“Oh, right, you don’t know… Logan and Roman, they, um… got into accidents on the tour too. They were taken away to be saved, but, um… if those snakes stopped the Oompa Loompas saving you, I think they’ll do the same to them.”

No… no no no no! Logan and Roman can’t die!

“We have to go help them!” I start pushing myself to my feet, only to be pushed back down by Virgil.

“Pat, you’re injured. Look, I’ll go deal with it myself, you need to go rest your leg.”

“I’ll be fine! I just need crutches or something. I have to make sure Lo and Ro are okay.”

As if by magic, as I mention crutches, an Oompa Loompa comes forward and hands me a pair of them. I give them a smile as they help me to my feet and slip my arms in the crutches. I look back to Virgil. “See? I’m good to go!”

Virgil sighs. “I guess you can come. But be careful, alright?”

“I will be! Come on, we need to save Lo and Ro!” I turn, only to realise that since we’re up on a platform around the top of the tank,  I can’t go down the ladder with the crutches. “Um…”

“There’s an elevator you can take down over there!” an Oompa Loompa points out, leading the way.

“Thanks!” Virgil and I follow them, stepping into the lift. Soon, we’re back on the ground floor, and Virgil leads me from the room. We head out into the corridor, with me trying to go as fast as I possibly can on the crutches, and Virgil leads me to a lift that I think is made of glass? That’s so cool! And there are so many buttons on the inside… that’s a whole lotta rooms.

Virgil looks frantically through them, biting his lip. “Come on, where is it…?”

“What you looking for, kiddo?”

“I’m trying to find- Aha! Never mind, I got it.” He presses a button, and we immediately zoom off. I almost lose my balance, but Virgil grabs my arm before I can fall over.

“Thanks.”

“No problem,” he mumbles, closing his eyes. “Ugh, I hate the speed, but honestly I’m glad about it now. I mean, we really need to hurry. If Logan hasn’t been helped yet, he might be close to ripening, or maybe even has already started to...”

“Ripening? What do you mean ripening?”

“Long story. You’ll probably see in a minute anyway.” Before I can question further, he changes the subject again. “Are you okay, though? I mean… being nearly drowned by whales must have been terrifying, and what they did to your leg...”

“Yeah, it was really scary… and it hurt a lot… But I’m okay now. I mean, you saved me! Remind me to give you a big hug when I don’t have these crutches on.”

Virgil gives a small smile. “I will, Pat.” He pauses. “I missed you, y’know. I really could have used you around when shit went down with the others.”

“Aw, kiddo… Thanks. But I was only gone for, what, half an hour?”

“... It’s been about two or three hours.”

“I’d been being tossed around those whales for three hours?!”

Well… I have better endurance than I thought!

Suddenly, the lift jolts to a stop, and I almost fall over yet again, but once again, Virgil holds me up. When the doors open a moment later, he steps out and I follow just behind.

We’re in a tunnel, the chocolate river running through. We’re stood on a walkway running along the side that passes multiple doors. Virgil looks through them frantically, trying to find the right one, before he pauses outside one. He takes a deep breath. “Logan should be in here. Hopefully fine. But probably not. Come on.” He pauses. “But, um… you might want to prepare yourself. He looks quite a bit different from how he was earlier. It’ll be quite a, well, big shock to see”

“In what way?”

“It’s, um, kinda hard to explain… I guess the effort to try to would be fruitless,” he chuckles a little, though I don’t know why, before continuing. “It’s best you just see for yourself first. Then I can explain a bit better, and without sounding crazy.”

He pushes open the door, and as he does, I look up at the sign above it. It reads: THE JUICING ROOM.

Before I can ask what ‘juicing’ means, Virgil heads in, and I follow, scared of what state I’ll find Logan in on the other side.

----------

Patton is now available for asks

NEXT

Taglist: @clone-number-1, @pumpkinminette, @i-have-n0-idea-what-im-d0ing, @jessicakennedy957, @why-should-i-tell-youu2, @dont-lose-urhead

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Fic: “Sweets by the Seaside”

Just submitted a couple things over to the art contest forum, but I decided to go ahead and share what I’ve done so far here as well.  Here’s what I made for the written portion. Please enjoy! :) 

Orchid Bay and Bravo Beach might’ve been two of the top summer vacation spots, but Silya had a certain fondness for Candy Cove.  It was surrounded by a lush forest that kept it isolated from the neighborhood—keeping city noise and the amount of people bustling around it to a minimum.  More importantly though, if you passed the resting place of the Sweet Revenge and followed the creek all the way to the sea, there were none of Fuse’s monsters stalking about to ruin an otherwise perfect day by the shore.

Unfortunately, the Fusion Fighter leaders thought the same thing.  They had turned the ideal spot into one of their more secretive bases of operations.  As a result, they were always monitoring who came and went from the area.  Numbuh 20,000 was one of the worst sticklers assigned to the cove, chasing away almost everyone who wasn’t there on duty.  If it weren’t for Stickybeard and his crew, the place would’ve just become another dull mark of war.

Stickybeard wasn’t a part of the top rung of leaders, but he was one of everyone’s favorites.  He led with a boisterousness that was easy to rally behind, replacing the fear of battle with the thrill of adventure.  He made Candy Cove’s base lively.  Better still, he handed out some of the best missions—easy and fun jobs that were often a much-needed respite from the war effort.  There was no doubt in Silya’s mind that any Fusion Fighter called to his side would come running.  That went for herself too: The instant she had received a transmission from him to come to the cove, she readied her nanos, packed her supplies, and left.

Dozens of Fusion Fighters had rushed over.  After passing the sentries that kept the Candy Buccaneers at bay, Silya found herself standing on the coast with a swarm of her fellow soldiers hanging out by the water.  Some of them chatted with each other, catching one another up on their adventures. Most swam close to the shoreline, took turns jumping off the nearby cliffs, or reclined on hastily strapped-together rafts.  A few used their hoverbikes as improvised jet skis over the shallow waves.  One group had even brought a picnic.  A self-respecting warrior would balk at the rowdy mob that had gathered just to have a good time all while the war raged on.

That’s what made it perfect. Moments like this were what kept hope alive.

Silya stumbled forward as she was greeted with a forceful slap to the back, “Here ye are, lass!  Shufflin’ in with the stragglers, are ye?”

She’d recognize the red, burly mat of hair tangled with lollipops any day.  She gave the pirate a light smirk, “Considering how I had to slip away from Dex and Mandark, I’m probably lucky to be here at all.”

Stickybeard guffawed at that, walking with her to the water’s edge, “Sounds like those two boys could use some time out of the lab themselves.  I hope ye know that I didn’t just call all of ye here fer a swim though.” Looping an arm over her shoulders, he directed her gaze out to sea, “Fuse’s goons blasted a hole in me ship b’fore we could pull her onto land and try to turn her around. We thought we lost most of our candy when the infection took over. Turns out that a good part of it spilled out into the water first.”

“And you want help getting it back.”

“Aye! There’s not enough hands to go around: We needed a few extra sweet-tooths with strong backs to lift it all.” He turned to bark orders at the Fusion Fighters standing around, “That goes fer you lot! Ye can have yer fun, but ye better scrape every bit of candy off the seafloor! And a portion of the bounty to whoever rounds up enough of it!” As though to highlight his point, he tore a lollipop from his beard and plopped it into his mouth.

Aye aye, captain!  The crowd lifted in a short chorus of cheers in reply and Stickybeard marched off.  Silya paused to watch him go before hitting a few controls on her belt and kneeling to fetch some goggles and an oxygen mask from her pack.  Streaks of red, blue, and gold danced around her as she summoned her nanos.  As she readied her equipment, the trio hovered close by to wait for orders:

“Mandy, use your Finder ability to scan for anything under the water,” she began to direct as she double-checked the mask’s filter, “Four Arms, help collect any loose pieces of candy that may have sunk to the bottom.  Courage…”

She looked down to the little, pink canine that stayed low to the sand, gazing meekly at the water and the large group of Fusion Fighters that surrounded them.  He was one of her newest nanos and he hadn’t seen much experience out in the field.  She had hoped taking a bit of a break would help him find his place on the team.  However, somehow, he was even more anxious than the original Courage: It was going to take some time.

She gave him a reassuring grin, pointing over to a less crowded section of the beach, “Anything we miss could wash up on shore, so wait for us and see what you can scavenge on land.”

He blinked back up at her for a moment, then gave a somewhat relieved smile and nodded.  

Within a few minutes, they had laid out a place for him and set their belongings aside.  Nano Mandy darted off ahead to begin the search. The chill of the water seeped through Silya’s wetsuit as she waded in, biting down on the rebreather’s mouthpiece and adjusting the goggles over her eyes.  As she ducked beneath the waves, the chatter above was muffled to a dull roar and the world around her transformed into a symphony of striking blues and softly greyed greens:

A thick layer of algae carpeted over the large rocks that littered the seafloor.  A large trail carved through them where the Sweet Revenge had pulled into the creek’s mouth only to follow it and later turn around to where the ship now stayed.  There weren’t too many different types of fish around, but there plenty of mussels, clams, and sea urchins buried in the sand or tucked between stones.  Other Fusion Fighters with their own diving gear and assisting nanos wove through the rocks in search of the missing candy.

A blur of red and gold shot past her in an eruption of bubbles as Four Arms jumped in after her and swam off. She looked up and could make out the pink of Mandy’s outfit above the distortion of the water’s surface. Diving even further down, her eyes scanned the seafloor along the trail.  Whatever candy that had fallen out of the ship would more than likely have landed along the same path; however—whether because it had already been collected or carried away by the current—the way was clear.  

I just hope anything we find will be worth saving.  Chocolate dipped in saltwater didn’t appeal to her anyway, although she doubted Stickybeard himself would care too much.  Hopefully, most of the sweets were wrapped and sealed tight.  

Within a few minutes, nano Mandy returned—diving beneath the waves and motioning for Silya to follow her.  They ventured further away from the beach, swimming to one of the larger cliff-faces that sat at the edge of the cove before it spilled out to the open sea.  A chest sat lodged between the rocks.  Bingo! Leaving Silya to do the heavy lifting, Mandy returned to the surface to regain her breath and continue the search. Silya pressed a foot against one of the rocks as a platform, grabbing one of the large, bronze handles along the sides of the chest with both hands, and pulled.    

She couldn’t lift it.  She tugged it into an upright position and inched it away from the rocks, only for her to sink back down with its heavy weight. Eventually, another Fusion Fighter noticed her struggling and came to help—gripping the chest by the other side to balance the load.  She gave the other an appreciative nod, and the two kicked away from the stones in unison to launch themselves back to the surface.  

A tentacle shot out from the crevice beneath the chest to make a grab for it.  A black eye glistened from the shadows and Silya’s heart leapt in surprise as she watched the reddish-orange shape creep into view. The feeling was swiftly replaced, however, by humor at the sight of the tiny octopus that clung to the wood.  Its attempt to yank the chest back was fruitless, the Fusion Fighters carrying the sea creature with them before the latter’s nano Bubbles could gently urge the creature back to its home.  They brought the chest over to one of the waiting rafts, where another pair of hands helped them lift it onboard.  

“There better be candy leftover for us at the end of this,” she heard someone fuss to her left.  Nano Mandy hovered close by, clutching a nougat bar in her arms.  She glared hard at it for a moment, then tossed it onto the raft with a pile of other loose sweets.  

Silya briefly removed her rebreather to tease the Blaston, “Then no slacking off. We gotta make sure to get a little for everyone.”  If her nanos shared only one trait, it was an incurable love of sweets.

“No way!  Only anyone who helps gets a share!”

She and the other pair of Fusion Fighters just laughed at the bratty declaration.  After introductions were made, the group joined forces to try to collect as much as they could.  As expected, not everything they found was salvageable, but that would be for Stickybeard and the other candy pirates to sort through.  They stacked all of the candy into a large pile, sending the raft off mid-hunt to drop what they found off at the main camp, then dragging the raft back for another round.

Silya was scouring through the sand when she found something glistening under it.  She had been at her task for so long that, at first, she thought it was a piece of taffy. Upon closer inspection, however, she saw that it was a pink, speckled shell.  It reminded her of her Courage nano, and she stowed it in her pocket for later.  Maybe she could collect a shell for each of her nanos as a small souvenir.

A kind of motherly worry hit her when she swam to surface once again to check on him only to find their spot on the beach empty.  Safe as the place was, habit cast a wave of fear over her.  Even though—as a nano—he could fly, she thought of him drowning.  Even though the place was clear of fusion monsters, her thoughts went to the Candy Buccaneers not too far away.      

Her heart raced, and she began to swim back to shore when at last she spotted a pink shape several meters away from their spot.  Courage tottered back with an armful of candy he had apparently gathered along the coastline. A few seconds later, seeing her watching him, he waved at her only to clumsily drop part of his spoils.

She blinked, steadying her nerves, then smiled.

Later that evening, as the sun fell and the first stars began to appear in the sky, the candy pirates, Fusion Fighters, and their nanos gathered around a large bonfire.  Stickybeard made a big show of it, taking the opportunity to tell everyone one of his adventures—casting wide gestures with a booming voice to emphasize the action in his story.  Silya’s three nanos all huddled around her, somewhat sleepy but all too intent on staying awake.  Silya organized the shells she had gathered, sorting out which ones to give to the members of her team.

Nano Courage snuggled up against her leg, seeping in the fire’s warmth. Their group had been given a few days off for Stickybeard’s “mission” and had collected plenty of candy already, so—for the most part—they could enjoy the beach for the remainder of their trip.  There was a nano station close-by, so she’d probably switch out everyone to give them all a chance to fully enjoy the summer waves and the time off from the war.

All in all, it was a pretty sweet vacation.

[lacklustergalaxies]

Whumptober 2019 Day 21: Laced Drink

(~400 Words)

Day 21 of @whumptober2019​, yay :)) (and i know the pic doesn’t match what was shown in game, but go with me here - this pic is a lot nicer :p) Arno was forced to die and be reborn in the ashes of all his past mistakes. Even the ones he’d rather forget. And it’s all because of one drink. (continued after cut)

Warnings: Death, violence

When he first lifted the cup up to his lips, Arno didn’t think much of the cup. But even as his world grew darker with each gulp, he couldn’t do much other than accept that he was going to pass out.

He woke to the flashes from his past circling him like the paintings hung up in the Louvre and saw the edge downwards. At this point, all he could think about was getting out and starting his search for revenge. So, he took a few steps forwards and off the cliff, diving through each of his memories until he saw that word.

Mort.

Wait. What? At that point though, there was no going back. Instead, he landed and saw a world of floating bricks – floating islands, more like. All so far, this was seemed like a dream. But when he jumped from island to island, the wind in his hair, and the denseness of the space beneath him made him think otherwise. That didn’t faze him though. This was all in his mind. This was the trick of the drink.

When he finally landed and took off into the building… he stopped. This was… this was where his father died all those years ago. This must’ve been dragged up from the darkest corners of his mind to appear again. With just a step forward, the next sequence triggered, and he was forced into a sprint as the world crumbled around him. What a funny parallel, he thought, as he jumped from platform to platform.

At the end of the hall, waiting for him, was a familiar that almost made him stop running completely?

“Arno?”

“Papa!” He tried his best to fuel his tiring legs and lunge forward, only to be dropped down to a lower pit. Upon resurfacing, he could only call for his father as he was jumped from behind and assassinated.

The childhood emotions bubbled up all again, and he could barely manage to even call out for his father. Then his father fell.

Arno didn’t think again of the crumbling hall. His legs were shaking too much at the sight of his death father, even after all these years.

“C’était ma faute. Désolé.” Arno knelt beside his father and held onto his hand. A small part, whispering in his ear, encouraged him to stay there…

But this was his past. And he was running for his future.

No matter how hard his heart pounded, or how uneven his breathing was, he sprinted away.

[lithium223]

Whumptober no. 13 Adrenaline

Title: Watery Interlude #9: A Bard’s Leap

Fandom: Skyrim

Rating: G

Characters: Muz-Lari, Vilkas, Lashur-Urot, Inigo, Ko’va, Bikhai

Muz-Lari stood on a stone platform overlooking a pool of water. She, with the help of Inigo, Ko’va, and Bikhai, had just helped Lashur and Vilkas clear out a Forsworn encampment. 

She could still feel the echo of feim in her mind. She had left Ko’va and Bikhai by the word wall to open the chest hidden there. She could hear Inigo looting the forsworn corpses, while Lashur flirted with Vilkas. Staring at the water below her, she could feel power, feim, building in her throat. 

“Hey! Don’t stand so close to the edge!”

Muz-Lari was pulled from her thought by Vilkas’ shout. She turned around to look at the stern nord. Muz-Lari noticed that Vilkas, Lashur, and Inigo were all standing around the base of the platform. When did they get there?

“Why?” Muz-Lari asked. 

“It’s not safe.”

“Then why is there a ledge above a pool of water?”

“It’s the Bard’s Leap,” Vilkas explained. “A long time ago, bards would jump off the ledge while reciting stories or songs.”

“That sounds exciting,” Inigo said.

“Yeah,” Lashur agreed. “But why? What was in it for them?”

Vilkas shrugged. 

“Honor and fame, I guess. Doesn’t matter, most of the people who tried, died. And no one’s attempted it in decades.”

Muz-Lari stopped paying attention to the conversation and looked back over the edge. Feim was still pulling at her. Then an idea came to her mind. She walked off the platform and passed her companions. 

As Muz-Lari walked several feet away from the platform, Ko’va and Bikhai walked down the stone stairs to rejoin the group.

Ko’va saw Muz-Lari walking in her direction with a mischievous air about her. Ko’va’s tawny ears perked up, alert. 

“What is it,” Bikhai asked, concerned by Ko’va’s sudden change in demeanor. 

“Muz-Lari is up to something.” Ko’va walked ahead of Bikhai, slightly concerned for her friend. “Dreamer, what are you doing?”

Muz-Lari cocked her head at Ko’va as the tawny gold khajiit stopped in front of her. She waited until Bikhai stood next to Ko’va, then grinned.

“Watch.” 

Muz-Lari then turned and started to sprint toward the platform. As she ran, she briefly heard snippets of words from her friends. 

‘Wha!-’, 

‘Drea-!’, 

‘Mu-!’, 

‘Has sh-’

As she ran, power built in her throat again. When she was two steps away from the edge of the platform, she released it.

“FEIM.”

Then she dived off of the Bard’s Leap.

Vilkas dropped his jaw, Lashur face palmed, Inigo rushed to look over the edge of the platform, and Ko’va and Bikhai run to the others. 

“Do you see her,” Ko’va panted as she joined Inigo on the platform, laying her hand on the shoulder of the kneeling khajiit to look over him.

“Yes,” Inigo replied and points to a spot in the pool. “See, she’s right there. But I don’t see her moving.” 

“Though, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad,” Bikhai said, leaning over Ko’va and trying to sound comforting. “Muz-Lari is an argonian after all. She won’t drown. And she does like to stay submerged in water for long periods of time.”

“She could still be injured,” Vilkas sighed. 

Lashur said nothing as she looked over her companions, her gaze fixated on the pool below. Several heart beats go by and Lashur held her breath as she waited for the earth toned head of Muz-Lari to rise. 

Muz-Lari opened her eyes. She didn’t know when she closed them. She rested a hand and her tail against the bottom of the pool and looked up. She could make out the far away form of her friends on the platform through the ripples. Then a flash of thought passed through her. 

She just jumped off a cliff. Into a small pool of water. And she lived.

Muz-Lari had to stop herself from laughing water into her lungs. Adrenaline was still pulsing in her veins, so she stayed near the bottom of the pool and let her gills breathe as her chest slowed. 

After a few moments, Muz-Lari pushed off the bottom of the pool and swam up. As her head broke the water, an apparition appeared.

“Congratulations, young one. It’s been a long time since someone attempted the Bard’s Leap. Even longer since someone survived it.”

Muz-Lari swam to the edge of the pool and lift herself out of it.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Azzadal,” the ghost replied. “Though I have to say, as brave as your jump was, I don’t think your friends appreciated it.”

Muz-Lari looked behind her to look at her friends. And Azzadal’s statement appeared to be true. She could make out expressions of relief, exasperation, and bemusement on their faces. She turned back to Azzadal and shrugged.

“They’ll get it over it. Eventually.”

Azzadal laughed. 

[greyias]

FIC: By the Guidance of Stars - Chapter 8

Title: By the Guidance of Stars Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: T (this chapter) Genre: Angst, H/C, Romance, Humor Synopsis: The Coalition tries to heal in the aftermath of the Battle of Yavin 4, but not every wound is physical. A series of missing scenes set during the end of Shadow of Revan. Warnings: See Chapter 1. Author’s Note: Last of the previously posted chapters, although this version has been revised to adjust for canon and some other things that bugged me.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Crossposted to AO3

As twilight gave way to night, the oppressive humidity eased into a slightly uncomfortable mugginess, but the breeze atop the crumbling platform chased through the open crevices in Theron’s jacket, making him almost cold. It was absolutely wonderful, and he didn’t know why anyone ever came down from this place if this was the alternative to drowning in their own sweat in the main camp. Of course, his reasons for extending his stay up on the high vantage point might have been more than just escaping the uncomfortable jungle swelter. Everyone would be departing Yavin tomorrow and going their separate ways. The moment his head hit the pillow, tomorrow would come, and with it, farewells.

Until then, he had the night.

Theron had no idea what was going on with him. His chest felt light, like it might float away and take the rest of his body with it at any moment. It was almost like being drunk, without having to take shots from any of the flasks traveling around camp. He would have suspected someone had snuck something in the evening meal, except none of it had started until he had gotten up onto the platform. Part of him wanted to run far, far away until this temporary madness passed, and the other part of him just wanted to sweep his companion off her feet and just disappear into her embrace until the stars went cold, any onlookers be damned. Neither of those options made any logical sense, so instead he flopped down at the edge of the platform and let his legs dangle over the precipice. The feeling of nothingness meeting his feet and staring at the several hundred foot drop into the jungle below set his heart pumping and he leaned forward to try and find the bottom.

Apparently that was one step too far, because the action gained a startled shout. “What are you doing?”

He tossed a look back at the fretting Jedi. “Sitting. It’s fun.”

“What if you fall?”

He shot her a boyish grin. “Then you’ll catch me.”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “With what? The Force?”

“I’ll let you figure out the details if it comes to that.”

“You have an awful lot of faith in my abilities to prevent you from doing something stupid.”

“You haven’t let me down yet.”

The sigh she let out was exasperated, but even in the darkness he could make out the corners of her lips twitching as she tried to repress a smile. “Why do you make a habit of being so reckless?”

“Because it’s fun.” He pat the open space next to him in invitation. “It’s a nice view. Why don’t you come over here and see?” 

She crossed her arms, canting her hip at an angle. “And what if I fall?”

He met her stubborn irritation with a warm smile. “Then I’ll catch you.”

Grey shuffled forward a few steps, possibly without thinking about it, because she stopped with a sudden jerk and stared at him suspiciously. “And what if we both fall?”

“Well, then,” he leaned back on one palm, craning his neck so he could watch her every reaction in the starlight, “at least we’d be falling together. I’m sure between the two of us we’d figure something out.”

“You are impossible,” she muttered, but slid in next to him. 

Gingerly she extended one leg off the edge, fist curled into what was probably a white knuckled grip under those gloves. He took pity on her, and extended his hand. She eyed it for a moment, before grasping it firmly and flinging the other leg off the edge dramatically. Her nod to him was defiant, even as her fingers formed a vice around his hand.

“See? Isn’t this nice?” he asked.

“It would be nicer with a railing.”

“That’d take out half the fun.” He lightly kicked her foot with his, earning a glare. “You don’t get an adrenaline rush if you know you can’t fall.”

“You don’t get enough of those while on the clock?”

“Do you?” he challenged.

In his mind’s eye, Theron could still see her blades twirling in a blur on on Tython. Could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his own veins as she risked her own life again and again with no hesitation. On Manaan. Rakata. Rishi. As innocent and proper an exterior she liked to present to the world, there was something wild and dangerous and irresistible lurking underneath that sweet facade. Someone a lot like himself. Just waiting for the right moment to burst forth.

“A Jedi doesn’t seek—“

He put a finger to her lips to stop the expected tirade, and leaned in a little closer. “I didn’t ask about a Jedi—I asked about you.” 

She frowned, leaning back just enough so his finger slipped down from her lips to rest against her chin. “Do you really think there’s a difference?”

Theron didn’t break her gaze, and just nodded ever so slightly with a soft hum of agreement. There was much more to her than the perfect little Jedi she kept trying to pretend to be. Too many layers and mysteries underneath the surface, and he wanted to peel back each one until she was laid bare before him. In every sense and meaning of the phrase.

Her fingers were still wrapped around his one hand like an anchor, and she let out a small huff as she glanced away. “We were talking about you, not me.”

“If you say so,” he said softly, and slowly leaned back into his own space.

The uncertain expression that flashed across her face was just as confusing as the strange fever that had overtaken him since he’d climbed up onto this platform. If he looked too deeply into any of this he’d probably descend into madness, or whatever the next step was after his current stage of mania. Her fingers loosened their death grip, and he let his hand drop back to the ground. She stared at it, lips pursed together as if she was trying to puzzle something out.

“I don’t always understand you,” she said after a moment. “You say one thing, but do another. Yet I don’t ever get the sense that you’re being dishonest with either.”

“Are you talking about anything in particular, or just in general?”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I’m not making sense.”

“I haven’t really felt like I’ve been making much sense either,” he admitted quietly.

“Like dangling off the edge of a two-hundred foot drop for no reason?”

“I told you the reason,” he said lightly, “that it’s fun.”

“You probably find explosions fun too,” she said sourly.

“It depends on how close I am to the explosion.”

“What frightens me is I don’t think you’re joking.”

“As I said,” he sat up, leaning ever so slightly to peek over the edge, pretending to teeter a little just because he was kind of an ass, “a little danger never hurt anyone.”

“And a little caution doesn’t hurt anything either.” Her hand immediately grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back. A thrill shot through him both at the renewed contact and the protective gesture.

“I suppose we could meet somewhere in the middle.” He inched back from the edge a few inches and some of the tension relaxed out of her frame. “If you’d like.”

“Perhaps.” She edged closer to him and the precipice, hand anchored around his arm as she pressed against him. “But I draw the line at explosions.”

“Oh, come on,” his breath puffed across her skin as he leaned in closer, “you love explosions, and you know it.”

He couldn’t see her roll her eyes, but he heard the exasperated breath she let out before her lips brushed chastely against his for the first time since Rishi. Her hand was still clamped down tight on his arm, as if holding on for dear life. He felt her tongue flick between his lips, a delicate tease that he obliged as he deepened the kiss. A wave of heat crashed over him, and if he wasn’t careful he could easily drown. 

It was just a small taste, but enough to light a deep, yearning hunger inside of Theron. Just like on Rishi, it reminded him of the exhilarating jolt coursing through his veins when space diving on Ruuria. Volcano boarding on Mima II. Base jumping off the Bubble Cliffs on Qiaxx. It was just as or even more intoxicating than every thrill he’d ever chased, and he wondered if every inch of her was just as much of a rush as this.

He eventually had to come up for air and broke away, her tiny moan of disappointment doing wonders for his ego. He leaned his forehead against hers, relishing in both the warmth of her skin and the soft tickle of her bangs. A soft tendril of breeze wrapped around them both, and he let his eyes drift shut as he tried to lean into this moment just as he had when they’d been watching the stars above. Wanting to make it last as long as humanly possible.

“I wanted to do that since you first stepped foot on Yavin,” he admitted quietly after several long moments.

“Why didn’t you?”

“Well, we were a little busy,” he said. “And we weren’t exactly alone.”

“This isn’t exactly a private space,” she pointed out.

“I know,” he breathed. “I just… wanted to do that one more time.”

“Only once?”

He opened his eyes to see hers meeting his. They sparkled with a mischievous glint that he was pretty sure would have earned her quite the lecture back in her Padawan days.

“More than once.” And more than just that, but the five million warnings from all of her nosy crewmates were echoing in his ears, and despite his better judgement, he heeded them. No one could ever accuse him of not listening after this, because damn if he didn’t want to pursue whatever this thing was to the very end. “Way more.”

“How many?” Her eyes crinkled as a bright smile lit up her face.

More than the number of stars in the sky, was the truth, but aloud he said, “I don’t know if you can count that high.”

“I’ll have you know, I’ve learned a lot of numbers.” She caught his laugh in another kiss, and when she broke away, her eyes were still glittering. “See, that’s two.”

“And here I just thought you were just a pretty face that knew a thing or two about swinging around a lightsaber.”

“Nope. I’m very talented.”

“At just about everything that I can see.” And because he could, Theron brushed his lips against hers once more.

“And that’s three,” she murmured, “although I’m tempted to not count it.”

“I have to switch things up every now and then, otherwise you’ll get bored.”

“If there’s one thing I haven’t been since I met you, it’s bored.”

“I must be doing something right then.”

“You are.”

She grabbed the collar of his jacket and yanked him to her, pulling him in for another kiss. She sucked in his bottom lip and ran her tongue over the indentation of his recently healed skin. It had been swollen, split, and sore their first kiss, and her enthusiasm then had been dampened by his injured state. Now she was like an explorer slowly mapping out a new star system, almost as if she was trying to commit everything to memory.

That prompted a too deep thought about the next day’s impending departure, so he surged forward and deepened the kiss—turning it into something so Theron surged forward, deepening the kiss into something so breathless and wild he didn’t have time to think about anything else.

“Has anyone ever told you,” her words were quiet as she broke away, hardly a whisper on the air, “that you can be very distracting?”

“A time or two,” he said quietly. “What am I distracting you from?”

“Everything.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

She shook her head ever so slightly, possibly without even realizing it. “I know what I’m supposed to say…”

“I’ve never been big on rules.” He brushed away the bangs that fell into her face, obscuring the stormy emotion beginning to brew in her eyes. “I find them too constricting.”

“I used to find the rules comforting. Everything in its place, and if you just followed them well enough, everything would turn out okay.”

“Used to?”

Her eyes dropped down to the ground then, expression falling as she shook her head. “I don’t believe that anymore.”

A hard lump settled in Theron’s throat as he looked at the dim expression, making it hard to swallow. All the sparkle and mischief had faded from her eyes, leaving a cold empty expanse as she stared unseeing down at the ground.  Something in his chest tightened and he found himself picking up her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze, unsure of what else to do. She blinked, as if summoned back to the here and now from wherever she had gone.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head lightly, as if trying to chase something away. “I think I broke the mood.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, giving her hand another squeeze. “You don’t need to apologize.”

“We were having a good time, I… I let my mind wander.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying.”

“How are you supposed to know?” She laughed, but it was the choked desperate laughter of someone trying to hold on to their control.

“I feel like I should, or at least, not keep doing this to you.”

“It’s not just you. This just keeps happening. With everyone,” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should be better than this.”

“Do you want me to go?”

She shook her head quickly, giving the hand holding hers a tight, almost bone-breaking squeeze.

“I thought I was done with this. After Rishi… Master Orgus said he healed these scars left by… that should have fixed it. Shouldn’t it?” 

From the quiet desperation in Grey’s voice, he had a feeling the question was more rhetorical than something he could really answer. Not that the jumble of words made a lot of sense to him. Wasn’t… Orgus Din her final master before her knighting? Hadn’t he been killed near the beginning of her career as a Jedi? To Theron’s knowledge she had never even visited Rishi before being lured there by him and Lana. And he hadn’t a clue what scars her former Master was supposed to have healed.

“I thought,” he said carefully, “that he had passed away a long time ago.”

“He… visited me while we were on Rishi.”

 Theron almost asked about how exactly a dead man could just drop in for a chat and quick spiritual healing session, but if their encounters with Revan had taught him anything, it was that the Force was… weird. And complicated. And probably something he really didn’t want to think on too deeply because things like this just hurt his brain. Apparently even the boundaries of life and death were just mere technicalities to the Jedi like the one sitting next to him. Except Grey didn’t exactly look like the strong confident Jedi at the moment, more like a lost child looking for her parents. He could tolerate a few minutes of bizarre Force talk, if it helped ease that somehow.

“I’m sorry, I know this is strange.”

“No stranger than a half-zombie, half-ghost ancestor.”

The breath she exhaled was almost a wry laugh, but not quite. “That was a new one for me too.”

“At least we’re forging new territory together, eh?” He gave her hand a brief squeeze.

The corner of her mouth twitched up, nearly into a sad smile. “I suppose so.”

“So, was that the personal business you went to take care of before you headed to Torch’s Island?”

She nodded, giving him a sad smile. “He came to visit me one last time. I think he knew we weren’t going to succeed here on Yavin, and he wanted to try and help me one last time.”

“Masters are like that,” he agreed, his own thoughts briefly centering on Ngani Zho. “They just want what’s best for their Padawans.”

“He still called me that,” her eyes glittered with tears, “even as a ghost I was still his Padawan.”

“So is this whole Force ghost thing… common?” he asked uncertainly. 

She shook her head. “When a Jedi passes, they’re supposed to become one with the Force. Usually they don’t stick around for long conversations.”

“I guess Master Orgus felt the need to make an exception,” Theron said carefully.

“You could say that,” she smiled shakily. “He always did have to do things his own way. Even death.”

He nodded mutely, unsure of what he could say exactly. The only thing that came to mind were questions that he had promised not to ask, and even if it was a stupid promise, he still wanted to keep it. It was so easy to break things, but he wanted to try and keep his word to her intact. The reason why that was important was still vague and distant, but his gut said it was, and Theron always listened to his gut.

“You surprise me,” she said quietly, “you ask questions, but never the big one.”

“I promised you I wasn’t going to pry,” he reminded her. “I don’t want to be someone who breaks promises to you.”

“I don’t know what I’ve done to earn that.” He felt her other hand fold over his, enveloping it in a cocoon of gloved warmth. It was at that moment, he realized that he had never actually touched her with his bare fingers, that there had always been some sort of barrier between them. “It’s more than I deserve, but I’m grateful for it nonetheless.”

He didn’t have the proper elocution to properly unpack that statement and address it fully, but he felt the need to try, as inadequate as his own words were. “On Rishi. You came for me.”

Her lost expression softened as she met his eyes, but he was crap at decoding his own emotions, much less those of others. “Of course I did.”

“You didn’t have to.” His chest felt like someone was cleaving it in two, but he didn’t break his gaze, determined to try and at least attempt to finish his poor explanation. “I’m not used to that.”

“I will never leave you behind.”

The statement was uttered quietly, but so fiercely determined there was no doubt that she meant it. He swallowed, that lump still firmly lodged in his throat. The whole faith in others thing wasn’t usually in his repertoire, as it was a lot easier to glide on the default mode of skepticism. Everyone eventually moved on their own way, and logic said that nothing would be different this time. The determined look in her eye said exactly where logic could go, and Theron decided to side with the clear winner in this fight.

“I think I believe you,” he finally said, “which is kind of a first for me.”

“It won’t be the last,” she promised, wrapping her fingers around his tightly. “So get used to it.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said quietly, prompting a tiny sad smile.

“I wish I could be a brighter, stronger person for you. For everyone really, but you… make me want to be more.”

“I’m good with the person sitting with me right now,” he said. “You don’t need to be anything more than that.”

“You don’t need a fearless monster slayer? Someone who can look into the void and laugh?”

He shook his head. “That person doesn’t sound very fun.”

“She could be, if I tried.” Grey glanced down. “Maybe if I tried harder, I’d get there. And then hearing his voice again last night after all these years… it would have been fine.”

Theron pursed his lips together, feeling that hole in his chest starting to open up again. Here was the person in the rain last night, trying desperately to hide under armored plating and lightsabers. Not wanting to scare her off back under the thin Jedi veneer, he just ran his thumb along one of the elaborate pieces of metalwork on her glove, wishing that he could feel every groove in it directly instead of through the leather of his own gloves.

“You can ask,” she said brokenly, “if you want.”

Of course he wanted to — but this wasn’t about him. Not really. He just wanted to do the right thing here. Whatever that was. 

When he finally looked up, he saw the unshed tears in her eyes, and felt that small, infinitesimal hole in his chest begin to widen into a gaping wound. “Do you want me to ask?”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I just don’t want to feel this way any more.”

“How do you feel?” he asked instead.

“Lost.” She bit her lip, looking away. “Like I’m back there again, even though I’m here. Like if I sleep too deeply, I won’t wake up as me.”

The nausea Theron had felt earlier after overhearing Scourge and Kira bubbled back up, filling the gaping hole with bile and a white, hot bubbling rage.

“I can’t wake up like that again,” she said so quietly he almost couldn’t hear. “Watching myself from afar, my body not my own. Screaming so loud but still unable to stop my hand. Have you ever been trapped in your own mind?”

“No,” he said hoarsely, trying to push the urge to vomit far back down. “I can’t even imagine… it sounds terrible.”

“I was so naive. I believed that anyone could be redeemed. Even him.”

There was such venom spat out in that single word, it only could have been reserved for something as unnatural as the ancient being that had been awakened the night before.

“I thought that there was always some small speck of light that could be brought out from even the darkest corner. I just had to trust in the Force, and it would guide me as it always does. It guided me… into darkness.” She swallowed, throat bobbing with the motion as she stared out at the shadowed landscape beyond. Almost as if she was expecting Vitiate to materialize from the darkness. “Just following the rules doesn’t work when someone ignores that they ever existed. It can’t protect anyone from that kind of evil.”

Theron thought of the fallen Jedi that she had chased after the six month gap in her file, and the dark ops leading up to that gap. Had they… stormed the Emperor’s Fortress, determined to capture him and bring him back to the light? How the hell did the Council think that would ever work? Capturing a supposedly immortal dark being and just force him to accept everything good and pure? That hot bubbling rage threatened to take him over.

“How old were you?”

“Twenty-two.”

He barely suppressed a curse. Sending a Knight, just barely two years into her career, to face down the almost literal embodiment of the Dark Side was just too much. Even with an entire team of dark ops Jedi. Even if they had sent her with the entire damn Republic army at her back it was too much. It would have been too much to ask even a wise and experienced Jedi Master like Ngani Zho and Orgus Din had been.

“They should never have asked you to do that.”

She blinked at him, surprised. “I volunteered.”

Of course she did. The moment he had brought his suspicions up with her regarding Darok, she had jumped on the chance to help him out. It was like she was incapable of just standing by if something bad was happening and had to try and fix it herself. That wasn’t the trait of a dedicated Jedi — it was the trait of someone with way too much to prove. He would know.

“I was never supposed to have innocent blood on my hands,” she whispered, “my lightsabers were never meant to be used for murder. No matter how much I wanted to stop, my hands wouldn’t listen to me. All I could hear was his laughter, his voice, telling me to give in. That he would make it all go away if I just gave over that last piece to him. Do you know what I did?”

Theron shook his head mutely.

“I hid. In the deepest corner of my mind, I hid. From him. From what he was making me do. I hid from everything. I was a coward.”

Theron wanted to pull her to him, tell her that she wasn’t, but he felt rooted to the spot. Somehow in defeating the demon from his past, they’d awakened hers. Pulling her back into what sounded like a living, waking nightmare. All he could do was squeeze his fingers around hers.

“In the end, I couldn’t even save myself.” Her voice was quiet, defeated. “Master Orgus’s spirit came from the Force and he found me, he was the one who broke the Emperor’s control over me. Everyone acts like I did something heroic and should be celebrated for breaking his control, when it was never even me to begin with.”

Here was the real truth, the real person he’d been seeking out that hid under that mask of the prefect Jedi. In her own way, the brave hero that everyone kept pinning their hopes on was just as broken as him. Struggling to live up to impossible standards and expectations. And just as lost and flawed and alone.

It took Theron a little while to find his voice, and when he spoke, it was rougher than he would have liked. “You still faced him down later, after all that?”

“Someone had to,” she said quietly, “and they all believed that I could. He was going to consume everything, all life. He was going to consume the Force. It was crying out. And even if it had abandoned me, I… couldn’t abandon it. Or everyone else. I couldn’t wait for the end to come without doing something. And no one else thought they could do it.”

“You didn’t either,” he pointed out softly.

She shook her head, like the fact that charging in to the demon’s lair was nothing noteworthy. Not too mention that she had done so after the kind of violation she’d been subjected to, and risked it happening again without any assurance. That would have been nearly impossible for anyone, and Theron had his doubts he would have been able to do it, even with literally the lives of every living thing in the galaxy on the line.

“When I was a child,” she said quietly, “I would pick up sticks in the forest and pretend they were my lightsabers. I only ever dreamed of being a Jedi, ever since my mother told me about her days as a Knight. I just wanted to be like her.”

That hadn’t been in her file. Actually, there hadn’t been much in it other than basic liner notes prior to her arrival on Tython. But she’d had a family once it seemed—and apparently a mother that she loved very much. There was a distant twang of jealousy, but it was swiftly carried away as he saw the wet tracks streaking down her face.

“I think she would be proud,” he said.

“She’s never visited me,” the confession came out broken, “not like Master Orgus. I wonder if… she wished I could have been stronger. More like her. She never had to throw away a bloodstained lightsaber. After Vitiate made me…” Her voice cracked and she had to swallow back the emotion that nearly dragged her under. “After I escaped, all I could see on mine was the blood, no matter how much I cleaned them.”

He knew absolutely nothing about Force ghosts or the woman in question, but from the reverent way Grey spoke of her, she had left quite an impression on her daughter. He wondered if that heavy, duty-filled legacy was one that had ever been truly intended to be passed on. He was far from an expert when it came to maternal figures and their intentions, but something in his gut told him that was probably not the case. 

“Master Satele, I think she knew,” Grey continued, filling in the silence, “when she gave me the new hilts. She told me that a Jedi needed to have faith in the weapons she wielded, faith in the Force. She helped me construct the new blades before I left Tython.”

Theron let his gaze drop, eyes tracing the path he was making as he marked each divot and design in the gauntlets on her gloves. For everything he still held against his mother, apparently he still had a few things to learn about her. Satele had reached out to a scared, vulnerable Knight, and helped her find confidence again instead of delivering any sort of platitude or lecture. He thought back to their argument earlier that day, trying to fit this new piece of the puzzle into his previous assumptions. It didn’t quite match up, like the sharp edges of his preconceptions needed to be shaved down.

“I made a vow that I would never let these be turned to serve darkness. I couldn’t let something of Master Satele’s become tainted like I had let mine.” Grey’s free hand traced some of the patterns in the hilts clipped to her belt. “I let her keep my old ones. She promised she’d make sure they were never used like that again.”

“I didn’t know about that, earlier,” he said, struggling to swallow past that ever present lump. “I would never have even mentioned it…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She finally looked up from her lightsabers, pulling his gaze up from the patterns he was tracing as well. “You’ve done me no harm.”

Seeing her trying to console him, with the wet tracks still glistening on her cheeks was too much for him to take. Heedless of whoever might be able to see, he reached out and grabbed her, crushing her against his chest as if that could somehow fix anything. Her arms stilled for a moment as if this was something that hadn’t ever occurred before and she had no idea what to do, before suddenly curling around him, fingers digging deep trenches into the leather of his jacket like drowning victim clutching to a lifeline.

“Master Orgus said he couldn’t come back anymore.” Her face was buried in his jacket, voice muffled by the leather. “He was the only thing that brought me back last time. I… I can’t be trapped like that again. I can’t.”

“It’s okay,” Theron murmured, tightening his arms around her small shivering frame. “He’s left. He’s not here.”

“No one’s saying anything, but they’re all terrified. Even Scourge. I didn’t finish the job last time, and now he’s back.” The shivering intensified to an actual tremble, and it felt like someone was shoving a vibroblade right through Theron’s chest. “I have to kill him, but he’s already dead. But he’s not alive either.”

 The enormity of the task that had been assigned to her, by fate, or the Force, or whatever seemed to loom just off into the shadows of the night. The blame for Vitiate’s return at this moment in time, if not the assault and chaos on the Republic all the way three hundred years ago, lay squarely at Revan’s feet. It was the baggage of Theron’s own family, not hers. In a way, the responsibility for all of this should have laid at his feet. Perhaps if fate had twisted differently—if their places had been switched and he’d been born with all the powers of the Force that she wielded—it would have. Would he have been able to break away like her, or would he have wound up as twisted and broken as the rest of the members of her strike team?

Because Revan, for all his power and gifts in the Force, had cracked under the constant torture he’d been subjected to over the course of three hundred years. His psyche torn in two; one half twisted into something dark, monstrous, and almost unrecognizable from the Jedi he’d once been. Someone willing to commit mass genocide. Willing to upend everything if it meant he could get revenge against the one who had taken everything from him. Even Revan’s attempts to connect with what remained of his family had been tainted into something sick and twisted.

Theron couldn’t help but wonder if those same weaknesses ran through his blood in the way that the Force never had. It probably would never not sting, not grate on him a little when the Force peeked its head around to meddle in his life after the way it had abandoned him when he was young — but as he looked at the connections he shared with Grey, it was hard to completely deny that maybe it had somehow set something in motion.

Maybe they were both just meant to finish what Revan had started nearly three hundred years ago. Or maybe it was even more than that.

He had no idea how he was supposed to deal with any of this, Force-blind Jedi washout that he was. The task that lay before her was beyond his capabilities, but if they failed at stopping Vitiate, nothing would ultimately matter anyway. Even if Theron hadn’t been assigned as the task force’s liaison for the SIS, he would have busted down Marcus Trant’s door and camped out in his office until he’d gotten it. Whatever had happened prior to now was out of his hands, he couldn’t change any of their yesterdays, no matter how much he wanted to at the moment. But tomorrow wasn’t set yet, and he could still do something about that.

She had answered every one of his calls, even when he made her go through ridiculous lengths to find out it was him. The woman had stormed an entire fortress just for him. She was more than just his partner on this one job, she was his friend. Possibly the best one he had ever had. Maybe if he was really careful, did enough research, and did his job well enough, she’d never have to hear the voice of her tormentor ever again.

“What if I fall?” she asked brokenly, clinging to him tightly as they teetered on the edge of the platform with nothing but the inky night below.

“You won’t.” He tightened his grip around her quaking shoulders, as if he could shield her from the night. “You’re not going to fall.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m going to catch you.” He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head, before glaring off into the night as if in challenge to the darkness just beyond them.