#but i also imagined capturing that moment where he lets out a howl of laughter

[chkn-kit]

"And as we fell, he let out the most beautiful laughter."

Sketched something while at a con this weekend based off this tweet cause they are SO RIGHT

[rocorambles]

Realization

Pairing: Kyoutani x Reader, Iwaizumi x Reader (one-sided)

Genre: SFW, Coming to terms with feelings, Meet Ugly, Falling in Love, Slow Burn, Fluff

Prompt: Meet Ugly

Summary: There’s a difference between liking someone and liking the “idea” of someone.

A/N: This is for the HQHQ SFW Meet Ugly collab. Check out the masterlist here and be sure to read all the other talent-packed content on this list!

“Thanks for all your hard work.”

Your face heats, a flustered smile and giggle escaping you as you grin at Iwaizumi, heart soaring from his praise, chest constricting at how handsome he looks when his lips twitch upwards. It’s only a brief moment, but it means the world to you. You begin to bow in respect to your senpai, only to be cut short, both your heads sharply turning towards the gym door as it slams open with a loud bang.

And just like that, Kyoutani Kentarou has ruined your special moment as he determinedly stares at Iwaizumi who merely sighs at the familiar sight of the second-year. Funny how Kyoutani finds himself at the volleyball gymnasium more now that he’s left the team than when he actually used to be on it.

“Race me.”

You sympathetically smile at Iwaizumi before scurrying off to help put away the rest of the gym equipment as the ace begins to make his way towards his underclassman, tuning out the typical scene, knowing how it’ll end, how it always ends. And sure enough, it’s another indisputable win for Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi - 31 Kyoutani - 0

For someone who’s in your class and your year, you hardly know a thing about Kyoutani other than the fact that he’s as sullen and silent in the classroom as he is outside of it. But as you curiously turn your attention to his figure slumped on top of his desk as you wait for your homeroom teacher to arrive, you have to admit his tenacity is...admirable to say the least.

Aoba Johsai is renowned for its volleyball team and although you hadn’t known a thing about the sport, you were easily swayed by your friends and classmates into watching a game, interested in seeing what the big deal was about. In all fairness, you’re not sure if you necessarily like the sport itself any more than you did that first game. But when you saw Iwaizumi Hajime spike a ball, you were instantly hooked.

Everyone and their mom is smitten with Oikawa Tooru and while you can appreciate your senpai’s charisma, skills, and attractiveness, it’s sharp green eyes and a strong and silent demeanor that captures your heart.

One game turns into two. Two games turn into three. Before you know it you’re donning a teal shirt, shouting and cheering the team on as an official member of the Aoba Johsai Cheer team.

The entire team is treated with almost reverence and certainly respect. So imagine your surprise when you’re watching them practice and a loud growl suddenly echoes throughout the room, Kyoutani stalking towards Iwaizumi with almost hostile aggression. You nervously fidget, unsure if you should do anything, worried he might hurt your crush. You’ve heard the stories of the infamous Mad Dog and his temper, but you can’t imagine Iwaizumi doing anything to warrant any of the younger boy’s anger.

Yet no one else seems to be concerned, the third-years briefly glancing at the two before continuing on with practice. So you stay put, intently watching the unfolding scene, only to rapidly bink in shock when Kyoutani barks at Iwaizumi to arm wrestle. And like a surprisingly addicting reality show, you can’t tear your eyes away as Iwaizumi easily agrees and proceeds to win, as Kyoutani scowls but politely (albeit stiffly) bows in respect to the ace before angrily storming out like a dog with its tail between his legs.

But much like a reality show that plays on the same trope over and over again, you also begin to barely acknowledge the strange daily competitions Kyoutani instigates, just wryly shaking your head in amusement when you hear Kyoutani’s familiar snarl, internally praising Iwaizumi for his patience and good-natured spirit as he goes along with Kyoutani’s whims.

Cut to a few months later, you worriedly gaze at Iwaizumi who looks worse for wear, hovering over him to make sure he’s hydrated as he holds a cool towel to his forehead while he sits on the bench, taking an uncharacteristic break.

“Iwaizumi-senpai, maybe you should go home if you’re not feeling well. It’s not good to push yourself too hard if you’re sick.”

The brunette groans in agreement, sheepishly grinning at your concerned face.

“Alright, alright. Stop looking at me like I’m going to die. I’ll go home-”

He’s cut off by the gym door slamming open and both of you whip your heads again once more as Kyoutani storms towards you two.

“Race me.”

“Not today, Kyoutani. I’m not feeling well-”

“Chickening out? Didn’t take you for someone who lets a little cold-”

“SHUT UP!”

Both boys instantaneously stiffen and quiet down, staring at you wide-eyed and in shock. But you’re not done and you stomp towards Kyoutani, turning yourself into a flimsy barrier between your rude classmate and your senpai, getting between the two and shoving your finger in Kyoutani’s chest.

“Iwaizumi-senpai is sick and he’s going to go home and rest. He’s not going to play your stupid little games that you always lose anyway and you’re going to walk away and stop being so rude to your upperclassman.”

If you weren’t so fired up, you might be proud at how you’ve flabbergasted your fellow hot-headed classmate, leaving him speechless as he stares at you, mouth gaping. But a fire is blazing inside of you and you bare your fangs at him.

“Go. AWAY!”

Your raised voice hits a chord in Kyoutani and there’s tense silence as both of you practically growl at each other before he shoves his hands in his pockets and storms off, muttering angrily under his breath. But when the gym door clangs shut behind him, all your bravado dissipates and you curl in on yourself in embarrassment as you feel everyone’s eyes still on you.

But you startle when a loud raucous laughter fills the air and you turn to pout at Iwaizumi who’s howling in between coughs and sneezes.

“What’s so funny?”

You don’t mean for the question to be as sharp as it is and you cringe when you hear the defensiveness in your own ears, an apology already on your tongue. But your words get stuck in your throat as your body heat skyrockets when a calloused hand endearingly ruffles your head.

“Thanks for standing up for me. I didn’t realize I had such a scary guard dog.”

You shyly look into playful green eyes, only to whine in protest and wrinkle your nose in distaste as he continues on.

“You remind me of Kyoutani when you get fired up.”

“Yeah! It’s like watching two angry chihuahuas go at it. Scary~”

“Shut up, Shittykawa!”

You exchange smug grins with Iwaizumi as Oikawa dramatically complains about the volleyball sized bruise on his forehead before the two of you walk back home together, already leaving the day’s events behind you.

Or at least you tried to.

You can feel eyes boring holes into your head as class drags on and you don’t need to turn to know who it is. Ever since your little showdown, Kyoutani has made it a point to keep you in his sight, staring at you throughout class, only scoffing in return when you snarkily tell him that as smart as you are, he might find it more helpful to actually take notes from the blackboard in the front of the classroom.

Should you be more unnerved by the fact that you’ve caught his interest and that he can’t seem to keep his eyes off you? Maybe. But you don’t feel any creepiness or danger from his intense gaze and if you’re honest, you find it disturbingly cute (although you’d die before you admit it). It reminds you of a cautious puppy trying to study and gauge another puppy who’s entered their home and space.

You suppose you’re passing whatever mental examinations he’s running you through when he unexpectedly joins you at your lunch table one day and you find you don’t mind the comfortable silence that settles around the two of you as you continue on with your meals like nothing is out of the ordinary.

It’s subtle, so subtle that you don’t really notice your newfound closeness until Yahaba briefly mentions it one day as you’re helping the team clean up.

“When did Kyoutani and you become so close?”

Close?

That’s not a word you’d necessarily use to describe your relationship, but as you ponder his question, you can’t deny where he’s coming from. Kyoutani has become something of a protective shadow, appearing out of nowhere as you make your way to and from school, rudely pulling you back whenever he deems you too close to the side of the street as cars zoom by, hostilely growling at men who come too close to you on crowded train cars, smacking more than a hand or two that drift too close to the hem of your skirt.

And in return you’ve found yourself mindlessly blabbering on and on to him, telling him whatever’s on your mind, nosily peeking over his shoulder and correcting mistakes you notice in his homework, passing bites of food from your bento to his.

Close. The two of you are close. Something warm flutters in your chest at that realization.

It’s like a veil has been lifted from your eyes and you suddenly really see Kyoutani for the first time as the two of you walk to and from school and classes. You see the lean toned muscles of his forearm as he insists on holding your bag for you. You see the well-meaning soul behind all the barks and feral eyes. And suddenly the weight of his eyes on you feels heavier than before and you unconsciously move to pat the rumples out of your skirt and shirt and make sure your makeup is intact.

You find your own eyes straying towards his figure as he furrows his brows in concentration, paying attention to the scrawled equations on the board. You no longer ignore his daily competitions with Iwaizumi, surprising yourself with your sudden quiet internal wish for Kyoutani to win as you watch the two race and wrestle against each other. Meanwhile unknown to you, narrowed eyes hone in on the comfortable companionship between Iwaizumi and you, something uncomfortable churning in Kyoutani’s stomach as he observes the carefree way you smile and laugh at everything the ace says.

Kyoutani and you have been assigned to classroom cleaning duties and both of you work in an easy natural harmony, comfortably maneuvering around each other as you sweep and wipe down the room. So you’re surprised when you bump into a hard object, turning around in confusion and coming face to face with Kyoutani who is intensely staring you down.

“What do you like about Iwaizumi?”

You’re stunned, mouth wildly moving around as you try to form words, but no sounds come out.

Your crush on Iwaizumi is a poorly kept secret. You’ve never been subtle and you have an inkling even the vice-captain himself is well-aware of your feelings for him. So it’s not Kyoutani’s awareness of it that’s leaving you speechless. It’s your instinctual response of denial that shocks you to your core.

“I- don’t like Iwaizumi?”

There’s silence as Kyoutani narrows his eyes and stares at you in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

“Was that a question?”

“Shh! I’m trying to think.”

Kyoutani rolls his eyes, but he settles on top of a nearby desk, patiently waiting and watching as your thoughts race.

You like Iwaizumi. You’ve always liked Iwaizumi. But you wonder if you’ve ever truly liked the upperclassman in the way you believe you did. He’s hard working, responsible, kind, handsome, and physically gifted. He’s a man’s man, someone who everyone looks up to. He’s the shiny glossy page of a magazine that catches your eyes, showing you a vision of a picture perfect world you wildly create and build in your mind. He’s the older brother and mentor you’ve always wanted. He’s protection, comfort, and guidance. But even then, he’s always at arm’s length, on a pedestal you’ve forced him on, unattainable, unreachable. He’s not Kyoutani.

Kyoutani. Rude, gruff, brash Kyoutani with his few words and feral snarls. He’s not Kyoutani and yet when you think of bleached hair, your heart starts pounding and you instinctively want to lean in towards the silent wall of lean muscles that hovers around you, keeping you safe, listening to every word you say. You think of countless meals, walks, and hangout/study sessions. You think of sharp words and growls mixed in with laughter and fondness.

Iwaizumi is just a pretty pipe dream you’ve concocted. He’s a great senpai, a good man, who you've used as the center of your rose-tinted imagination. But you don’t really know him. Not the way you know Kyoutani. Your feelings for Iwaizumi are silly, whimsy, fluffy and cloud-like, a vapid perfect world that doesn’t exist. Not like the raw and tangible bolts you feel around Kyoutani as the two of you bicker about who has the right answer on their homework when your responses differ, excitedly talk about your favorite dog breed, or discover your new go-to fried chicken place together by accident one day while the two of you are aimlessly strolling through town.

You like Iwaizumi, but you like Kyoutani.

It’s like a lightbulb has flipped on over your head, but you know you’ve been silent for too long when movement catches your attention from the corner of your eyes and you turn to see Kyoutani’s legs beginning to impatiently fidget.

“I don’t like Iwaizumi.”

The conviction in your words startles both of you, but you continue on.

“I saw him spike a ball and my mind got carried away. That’s all.”

There’s so much left unsaid, so much implied and yet, somehow you know Kyoutani understands what you really mean when he abruptly stands up and reaches for both your school bags, carrying them on his shoulder as the two of you exit the classroom, an uncharacteristic softness in his next words.

“Yeah, he’s a pretty cool guy...for an upperclassman.”

No one pays any mind as the gym doors slam open at practice yet again, but heads turn when Kyoutani turns his back on Iwaizumi and makes his way towards Oikawa who’s curiously staring at the approaching second-year.

“I want to rejoin the volleyball team and I’m going to be the ace after Iwaizumi graduates.”

Chaos erupts as people choke on their water bottles, surprised and outraged exclamations and whispers flooding the space. But as irritating as Oikawa can be, you have to admit he’s always been good at finding and honing potential, at swaying people to his ways. And you beam in surprise and excitement as Kyoutani begins to warm-up with the team, stretching and jogging amongst a sea of teal.

You’re jolted back to attention when someone sits next to you, smiling at Iwaizumi who drinks some water as he observes Kyoutani.

“You have something to do with this?”

You balk at the hidden connotation of his words. As if you’d have any influence on stubborn, strong-willed Kyoutani who’s always done what he wants and you fervently shake your head side to side in denial.

“Me??? I’m just as surprised as you are. If he doesn’t even listen to you, what makes you think he’d even hear what I have to say-”

You’re silenced by the loud echo of your name being called, turning your head to the middle of the court where the team is lining up, getting ready to practice their spikes, looking at the second-year who’s scowling at you. (If Iwaizumi notices the way Kyoutani’s glare deepens when he notices the ace sitting so close to you, he wisely doesn’t bring it up.)

“Watch me spike.”

Your jaw drops at the demanding statement, indignation beginning to fester in you as you get ready to retort and tell him he can’t tell you what to do, let alone interrupt practice to order you around. But then you remember…

“I saw him spike a ball and my mind got carried away.”

There’s no way that’s why he’s…

And yet…

You clamp your mouth shut, eyes carefully watching as he bounds towards the net, leg muscles contracting and expanding as he leaps in the air, arm swinging overhead, a resounding smack filling the air as he slams the ball over the net. It’s mere seconds and yet it feels like eternity to you as Kyoutani eagerly whips his head towards you the second he lands back on the ground, making sure you were watching, You’re not sure how the gut-twisting awe and pride you feel translates onto your face, but it must if the slight upwards twitch of his lips are any indication as he makes his way towards the back of the line, getting ready to do it all over again

“Congratulations. I think you’ve officially bumped me down to number two on Kyoutani’s ‘people I give a shit about’ list.”

“Senpai, it’s not like that!”

“Yet. It’s not like that yet.”

There’s a pause as you can’t bring yourself to deny his words, something hopeful and nervous twining and entangling your beating heart at the heavy underlying meaning of Iwaizumi’s words. But you wince, crashing back to reality when a finger roughly pokes your forehead, any complaints dying on your tongue when you see the softest knowing look in green eyes.

“I’m happy for you and I wish the two of you all my best.”

To anyone else, they’re sweet words. That’s all. But you know better. You can see the official rejection of your unconfessed feelings in the way Iwaizumi carefully chooses his words. You can feel the acknowledgement of your past feelings for him in the way his hand gently, but firmly grips your shoulder in consolation and reassurance before he trudges back to practice himself.

Yet it doesn’t hurt the way you thought it would and as your heart bids a final fond farewell to the brown-haired, green-eyed protagonist of your past dreams, you turn to Kyoutani, ready to begin a new real adventure together.

[liyuesbian]

✧ 101 dalmatians!au [ayaka]

notes: ........this is actually an updated (not rly) version of my 101 dalmatians!au with seulgi on my kpop gg writing blog..... sorryyyy i'm not being lazy i promise!! i've just got back from holiday and am working on a ningguang x reader but it might take a while (i rly wanna perfect it) so this is a placeholder for now :p

you would occasionally spot kamisato ayaka in the park walking her dalmatian. she's well-known around the local area because of her older brother: the mayor of the city. in fact, you also have a dog of the same breed, which is what drew you to her in the first place—minus her eye-catchingly extravagant outfits and cute facial features.

your own dalmatian is wonderful. when you were ten years old, your christmas wish was to get a puppy. much to your younger self’s disappointment, santa claus had gifted you with a rather large—and older—"puppy" than you had imagined in your head. nevertheless, you treated the newly named pongo with as much love as you could give him.

fast forward about ten years later and here is the same pongo eagerly trying to gain your attention as you sit in front of your piano. you’re thinking of how best to go about composing the last few bars of a song you’re working on.

unbeknownst to you, the dalmatian had sneakily altered the time of the clock and is now motioning to the door, howling. you double-check the time on your wristwatch but despite the inconsistency, you decide to go for the daily walk and attach a leash to his collar. it seems like you have no other choice: pongo has your hat between his teeth and is scratching at the door handle. you laugh as you give in to your dog’s contagious enthusiasm, taking your fedora from his mouth.

with the leash in one hand and a ball in the other, you are manhandled—or should i say doghandled—as pongo drags you all the way to the park. he appears to be looking for something, but you dismiss it. you attempt to undo the clasp of the leash, failing when pongo suddenly dashes off.

“slow down, pongo!” you yelp. this kind of high-energy behaviour isn’t new to you but it certainly catches you off-guard. in the end, you let your dog indulge himself in his antics and you’re led to the edge of the lake where you take a seat and gasp for breath. goodness, you don’t think you’ve ever done so much running in your life.

exhausted, you fan yourself with your fedora and loosen the top button on your dress shirt. the grass underneath you feels nice to rest on compared to the wooden chair you’d been sitting on for the whole morning.

it takes you a second to notice your companion gazing at a certain animal behind you. turning around, you recognise the dalmatian who’s seized pongo’s eyes from her pink collar and apprehensively look up to the owner. she’s perched on a bench next to the dog with her signature fan and a book in her hands. in shock, you jerk your head forward and blink a few times.

should we move somewhere else?

as if sensing your uneasiness, pongo barks and jumps to grab your hat. you sigh but grin at his mischievous face.

“come on, pongo. give it back.” taking her eyes off the pages of her book, ayaka glances at you and your dog, the ends of her mouth curving up ever so slightly to form a smile which stays hidden behind the upright fan. you throw the ball lightly in an attempt to get him to drop your hat.

it doesn't quite work and instead, rolls in the direction of the occupied bench. perdita, ayaka's dalmatian, glimpses at it, trying to withhold the urge to play with the bouncy toy. ayaka chuckles which causes you to cease your glaring at pongo to face her. the ringing of her laugh is pleasant and something you haven’t noticed before.

if only i could hear it every day. gently, you hit your cheeks to awaken yourself from your thoughts.

pongo is now frolicking in circles with the captured hat, vying for the attention of ayaka's dog. while you’re battling a two-way argument in your head and one with your dalmatian, you feel a soft nudge on your thigh. perdita has given you the ball back, and you could hear pongo whimpering sadly. impressed, you pet perdita who reacts with a delightful pant. the female dalmatian glances at pongo and apathetically walks back to her owner, who attaches a leash. they start to walk away.

pongo yaps in surprise. quickly, he abandons your hat and is about to take off when you tell him to stay, which he does obediently. you could tell your dog is planning to go after perdita, but you don’t want him running around aimlessly so you fasten his leash.

as soon as you do though, you’re being hauled once again towards kamisato ayaka. the hyperactive dalmatian follows the blue-haired woman and playfully circles her, earning a giggle from the subject of interest. unfortunately for the both of you, your legs have gotten tied to hers.

“oh my, i'm very sorry about this!” you blush. of course, you’ve never been in such close quarters with her before making it all the more embarrassing but you don’t entirely regret this moment either… until you realise that with the both of you frantically trying to get out of the awkward position and your dog pulling at the leash, the result would be all three of you tethering on the edge of the lake and perdita helplessly grabbing onto her owner to prevent the fall.

“oh no.” a splash is heard throughout the park.

clothes damp, you sit in the shallow water in cold shock, finding yourself no longer tangled around the dog leash. next to you, ayaka stands up to try searching for her hat and fan which pongo finds and gives to you with an almost apologetic expression.

“it seems i've lost my belongings,” she says worriedly.

“don’t worry, i have the things you're looking for right here.” you hand her her possessions and fix her hair but to no avail.

“ah, thank you.” you brush her wet bangs to the side so she could see.

“i'm truly very sorry! i don’t know how we ended up in the lake of all things.” you apologise profusely to the bewildered lady and attempt to make things better by removing the plants from her clothes. meanwhile, pongo has shaken himself dry and is relaxing next to perdita.

gosh, what kind of situation have i gotten myself into?

“no, it’s alright, i'll just dry myself off for now.” you see ayaka fetching a… soaked handkerchief from her purse.

“hold on, i usually carry one in my pocket.” however, yours too, is also drenched. “oh—"

ayaka begins to giggle. dumbfounded, you laugh with her. both of your dogs glance at each other and back at the pair of you, cocking their heads. you thought the pleasant sound and amicable smile were the only things about her laughter that could make your heart swell but now, with ayaka right in front of you, you notice things you would’ve never been able to before. you witness how her eyes crinkle and close shut and how her cheeks balloon revealing an even more charming side to her. you wonder what it would be like if you could make her this happy all the time.

after helping ayaka out of the pond, you feel it wouldn’t be right to leave her to go home all doused in water.

“would it be possible to invite you to our house? we live close by so it would be no trouble at all if you want to dry off there. it would probably be very uncomfortable to journey home in this state and i can't bear to watch you attempt to.” shyly, you meet her eyes after your impromptu offer to see ayaka grinning.

“i think i'd like to accept that offer. i suppose it is your fault too!” she quips and jokingly nudges your shoulder.

you smile back and turn to face your dalmatian who you will whisper many thank yous to later in life.

[dongofthewolf]

A Heart’s a Heavy Burden

Abby Anderson x GN! Reader

After arriving on Catalina Island, Abby is afraid to let her guard down. She lives with this constant crushing weight on her chest that she fears will never leave her. It’s not until she meets the reader that things begin to change.

Warnings: Copious amounts of fluff, swearing, basically just a lot of cute shit lol

Anon requested one where the reader goes on a hike with Abby and Lev, I hope you guys enjoy (especially if you requested it) <3 it’s been really nice getting back into writing and this request was so adorable aaaa.

A/N: I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted and for that I apologize. In the meantime, I hope this will suffice. Also peep the Howl’s Moving Castle quote I used for the title lol

After the death of her father and that night in the theatre, Abby has come to the realization that pain and suffering is nothing if not inevitable. There has never been a point in time in which an instance of joy or peace is not soon followed by the truest forms of human depravity. When Abby and Lev arrived in Santa Barbara she thought things would be different. She was filled with this brand new feeling of optimism that she thought was long forgotten, and for the first time in forever she had hope.

Then—almost as if some higher being was mocking her for finally letting her guard down—the Rattlers happened, and it all came crashing down. As easily as a sandcastle is destroyed by the tide, that newfound happiness was gone in an instant and that feeling of despair returned once again. She had almost become accustomed to the suffering and heartache that accompanied those short increments of happiness. 

So when Abby and Lev arrived on Catalina Island, naturally Abby was incredibly grateful, but she was also fucking terrified. The moment that she stepped onto the shore, Abby vowed to never let her guard down again. She never wanted to see Lev hurt again, especially after everything he’d already been through.

It’s easy to imagine how difficult life can be when every happy moment is squandered by the fear of something inevitably terrible happening. It’s been months on Catalina Island and that normalcy Abby has missed so much was beginning to return, yet she is still afraid. A large part of Abby knows that being captured by the Rattlers isn’t her fault, but nevertheless she still feels this tremendous weight on her chest. Bearing down on her, compressing her into something small. 

There is something different about Catalina Island though. Something that makes Abby feel as though—despite everything that has already happened—things will be different here. It’s you.

You were one of the first faces Abby saw when her and Lev arrived on the shore. She had sustained multiple injuries and was suffering from severe starvation and dehydration, Lev the same. You however were in the infirmary for a fractured ankle, and due to the shortage of space she was placed in the bed next to yours. 

There was something you noticed about Abby the moment she sat down next to you. You couldn’t quite place it at the time but thinking back, it was definitely her eyes. There was so much pain behind them. You didn’t know why or how you knew, but it was there. Maybe it was because you had seen that same pain in the mirror that sits idle in the darkness of your room, the one covered by a tattered white sheet. It didn’t matter though, because all you knew was that the pain was there, and you wanted nothing more than to show her that life can be okay.

You woke up early today, laying in bed and trying to shake the sleep from your body, you counted the dust particles that floated in the small beam of sunlight that peeked through your window. While you lay basking in the warmth and stillness of your bedroom, you heard a quiet knock on your door. A small voice followed, it was Lev.

“Y/N? Are you awake?” 

“Yeah, just give me a sec.” You carefully rolled out of bed before slipping on a hoodie and answering the door. 

When you opened the door Lev had a huge smile on his face. “Hi Y/N!” 

That was something you really admired about him. Even after everything him and Abby had been through, he was just full of this giddy optimism that continued to wonder you every day. 

“Hey Lev, what’s up?” 

“I was wondering if you wanted to come on a hike with Abby and I? Apparently there’s something she wants to show you.” 

“Of course, I’d love to! Just let me get ready and I’ll head down in a bit.” Just as the words slipped out Lev embraced you tightly. You giggled as he leapt into your arms. 

“Awesome! I’ll go let Abby know.” Lev released you from his grip before hurriedly running downstairs.

When you found the two waiting outside your room, you couldn’t help but grin at the sight of Abby and her adorable freckles. She looked so much happier now, having grown her hair out a bit and built up some of the muscle mass she had lost. 

“You ready to go?” Abby had her hands hooked in the straps of her backpack as she took a small step closer to you. 

“You bet your ass I am.” 

As Abby led you and Lev along the shoreline you noticed how her skin was almost glowing. You figured it was most likely a product of all the time she spent helping out in the California sun. 

Rather than resting like any normal person would’ve, as soon as Abby was back on her feet, she was desperate to help out as much as she could. Whether it was patrolling the beaches or running the farms, she didn’t care. She just wanted to help. 

It seemed like it was a way for her to somehow compensate for being rescued off of the coast, and you wished you could tell her that she didn’t owe anyone anything—that after everything she went through to get here, there was nothing to repay. Of course though, it’s difficult to console someone when they haven’t exactly told you what was troubling them.

The shoreline bordered between an abundance of rocky cliffs and the tide, and the area was littered with lush greenery. Lev walked ahead of the two of you, jumping from rock to rock with surprising ease.

“Be careful Lev! There are sharks in that water you know.” Abby yelled at Lev to no avail. It was sweet how protective she was over him, even though she knew he wouldn’t fall.

You lightly nudged Abby’s shoulder with yours, the warmth of her skin against yours was comforting. You gave her a small reassuring smile. “He’ll be fine Abs, you know he can handle himself.” 

Abby sighed, looking down for a brief moment before continuing. “You’re right… I just worry you know.” 

“Yeah, I get it. You know, you’re actually pretty cute when you get all protective.” You said it teasingly, but you’d be lying if there wasn’t a small ounce of truth to the words.

Abby smiled, blushing at the comment, but it was difficult to tell in the sunlight. She was grateful the sun had already made her cheeks a light shade of pink. “Shut up.” 

It was nice with Abby and Lev. You spent the day burying Abby in the sand on the beach and chasing the crabs that hid under the rocks with Lev. Abby had packed a whole bunch of food in her bag, and the three of you quickly devoured it all. 

While Lev was building a shark out of sand, you and Abby laid side by side as you basked in the warm sun. After a bit you felt a shift next to you as Abby rolled on her side, leaning on her arm while she looked down towards you. 

“Hey.” Her voice was quiet, soft, similar to Lev’s when he woke you up this morning.

You opened your eyes and nearly melted at the sight before you. Abby was completely shielding the sun from your face which created a halo effect that outlined her entire head. The small strands of hair that stuck out of her ponytail glowed like threads of gold, and you could see clearly now the freckles that danced across her face all the way down to her arms. 

You replied with a soft smile on your face as you laid there admiring all the little details of her face. “Hey.”

“Can I show you something?” 

You gave her a small nod. “Do you want me to get Lev?” As you began sitting up Abby put her hand on your arm to stop you.

“Actually, I was kind of hoping it could just be us. Is that okay?” There was a small hint of nervousness in her voice and you weren’t sure if it was due to the thought of leaving Lev alone, or if it was from something else. 

“I would love that.” The corner of Abby’s mouth curled into a small smile at your answer. 

The both of you stood up from the sand, brushing the excess off of your pants. Abby jogged over to Lev and whispered something quietly before quickly returning to you. 

When you and Abby began walking away from the beach you heard Lev’s voice in the distance. “Have Y/N back by ten o’clock young man, I have a hunting rifle and I know how to use it!” 

Abby rolled her eyes as she yelled back in response. “Yeah, yeah.”

You looked at Abby with a confused face. “He has a hunting rifle?” 

“Nah, I think he got it from a movie. I need to stop showing him those old rom-coms.” Abby chuckled as she responded and you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as well. It’s almost annoying how infectious her laughter was.

Eventually, the two of you reached a long stream of rushing water. It wasn’t too deep, but if you were to fall in, the current was definitely strong enough to swiftly sweep you away.

There was a tiny path of rocks that travelled in a crooked line across the stream, and it was obvious it hadn’t been used in a long time. “Please tell me we aren’t going this way.”

“Come on Y/N, I got you. You trust me right?” Abby didn’t wait for a response as she grabbed your hand and led you across the mossy rocks. 

As you reached the last rock, you let out a breath of relief. All you had to do was prop yourself over the log in front of you and you were home free. Carefully, as you reached your arms up to grip onto the ridges of the bark with your fingertips, you somehow lost your footing and slipped. You yelped and nearly fell face first into the jagged rocks below you, but luckily before you could, you felt a strong arm grab your waist. Abby almost on instinct quickly hoisted you up and onto the log just before you fell to your death. 

While you laid your body down on the dirty log in an attempt to calm the adrenaline that was coursing through your veins. Abby nonchalantly stood up next to you with a huge grin, acting as if you didn't just see your life flash before your eyes two seconds ago. “See? I got you. Now let’s go.” 

You groaned. “Can I get a second? I nearly just died back there.” 

“Don’t be so dramatic Y/N, you know I’d never let anything happen to you.” Abby grabbed your hand and dragged you over the log. “Come on, we’re almost there.”

She wasn’t wrong about it not being far (and for that you were extremely grateful). It only took a couple more minutes until you finally reached your destination, and the moment you saw it, you were speechless. 

Before you was a small clearing that had a view of the entire island. There were two large trees with ripe oranges hanging from it’s branches, and an abundance of wildflowers that danced in the wind like small fairies. The sunlight that shone through the leaves on the trees reminded you of the small beam of light that you were admiring this morning, except this was a thousand times more beautiful.

“Holy shit Abs.” It was one of the most beautiful things you had ever seen, and to get to see it with Abby was seriously a dream come true.

“You know, if you don’t like it we can always head back.” Abby teased.

“Oh shut up.” You plopped down onto the soft grass beneath you, breathing in the warm air and letting the blades encompass your body. You noticed Abby was still standing and quickly patted the grass beside you “Lay down with me, you gotta experience it from here.” 

Abby lowered herself tentatively beside you, and although she tried to hide it, you could tell out of the corner of your eye that her gaze was fixed on you. 

Things between you and Abby have always been pretty platonic; sure you guys flirted every once in a while but it never extended beyond that. And as much as you’d like for the two of you to be more, you never wanted to overstep your bounds. You didn’t want to burden Abby with your feelings especially if she didn’t share them, and you definitely didn’t want to ruin your friendship. It was hard sometimes trying to ignore the longing in your heart—trying to ignore the urge to jump into her arms and kiss her whenever she gave you that adorable freckled smile, but you knew it was for the best.

However, with her gaze fixed upon you, and your fingers just inches away, something in you couldn’t help but move your pinkie just slightly in search of hers. It was a small touch. So small it could almost be accidental, but something in both of you knew it wasn’t.

You heard Abby’s breath hitch quietly and nearly pulled your hand back, but then you felt hers move towards yours. Slowly, Abby’s fingertips traced lines against your hand before lacing them together with yours. The gesture was so sweet you nearly melted.

When you turned your head to face her, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes squinted closed like she was waiting for a bomb to go off. It was in that moment that you realized she felt the same longing that you did—that she knew of the ache that occupied your heart, and everything just clicked. 

You tightened your grip on her hand as you brought her fist to your lips, planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. The act softened her expression and she opened her eyes to look at you with that damned smile on her face. 

Abby propped herself up the same way she had at the beach, looking down at you with those beautiful blue eyes. The wind blew loose strands of hair across her face, and you reached up to brush them behind her ear. But instead of retracting your hand, you rested your palm lightly against her cheek, tracing small circles with your thumb. 

Leaning closer, Abby finally broke the silence. “Hey Y/N?”

Your voice was quiet and raspy as you responded with a small. “Yeah?”

She was closer now, her nose against yours and her warm breath fanning across your face. “Can I kiss you?” 

You didn’t respond. Instead you closed the small gap with your lips, kissing Abby tenderly. It was the kind of kiss you couldn’t ever explain to anyone, like a dream you couldn’t quite recall but knew was good. It was perfect.

You could feel her smiling against your mouth as she ran her fingers through your hair and down to your chin.

When Abby pulled away she had this stupid grin on her face, and it was easily the cutest thing you had ever seen. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that for.” Abby laid back down next to you as she let out a sigh of relief.

As you rolled over to rest your head on her chest, Abby’s arm moved to hold you closer. “You’re kidding, right?” She looked at you, urging you to continue. “Abby, I’ve been waiting to do that ever since you gave me that seashell in the infirmary.”

Your heart swelled as you recalled how nervous she was—how she didn’t say a word to you the entire time there, until that day when she shakily introduced herself. It was one of the sweetest gestures anyone had ever done for you, and you’ve adored her ever since.

Abby blushed when you brought up the seashell. She remembers that day clearly; you were leaving the infirmary because your ankle had finally healed, and she saw her opportunity to meet you begin to narrow. Abby initially wasn’t going to go up to you because she was way too afraid, but Lev had seen the way Abby looked at you and forced her to go over and introduce herself. 

He is pretty much the entire reason you and Abby were here in the first place, having given Abby that small purple seashell so she could give it to you.

As you lay there listening to the sound of Abby’s heartbeat you heard a rustle in the bushes nearby and nearly jumped out of your skin. Abby quickly stood up, the both of you backing away from the noise. Reaching for the closest thing to you, you grabbed a stick and pointed it towards the source of the rustling. “Who’s there?”

Relief flooded through you as Lev jumped out with his hands up, screaming sarcastically. “Oh no! Please don’t murder me with that tiny stick.” 

While Lev giggled hysterically, both you and Abby groaned. 

“So did you guys finally kiss or did all my work go to waste?” 

Abby rolled her eyes as she reached out to nudge Lev. “You’re such a goober.” 

Lev looked at the two of you suspiciously as he crossed his arms. “You didn’t answer my question.” 

Abby gave him an amused face as she reached for you without warning, picking you up bridal style. And you couldn’t help but giggle as she leaned in and planted a short kiss on your lips. Abby then pulled away and placed you back on your feet, looking at Lev as she spoke “Did that answer your question?” 

Lev excitedly embraced the both of you with a gigantic smile of his face. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.” 

You and Abby looked at each other happily as you answered in unison. “Trust me, we know.”

The three of you spent the rest of the evening in that small clearing. Abby held Lev on her shoulders as he picked ripe oranges from the trees, and when the sun began to set you lay in Abby’s arms as you watched the cascading pinks and oranges in the clouds paint the sky.

While you lay in Abby’s arms she looked at you with a sense of contentment that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Time had healed the wounds that decorated Abby’s arms, and though the emotional baggage still weighed heavy on her heart, life was brighter here with the Fireflies—with Y/N.

She knew in that moment that it didn’t matter if things came crashing down as it almost always did. The pain and suffering of life was worth enduring because Abby no longer feared the inevitable. She had found something to fight for here and as long as she had you and she had Lev, Abby would continue to fight regardless of the obstacles that stood in her way.

[august-anon]

We Like It

Y’all voted Geraskier for today so here is some Geraskier lol

This was prompted by an ask from like a YEAR ago, now, and I finally finished the fic a month or two ago, and I’ve finally remembered to post it. I hope it’s worth the wait lol, and also I am Unbelievably sorry for making you wait so long to see this come to fruition lol. Thank you for your patience, I hope you’re still hanging around my blog to see this, anon!

pt1 of this series 

pt2 of this series

[ao3 link to this series]

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Fandom: The Witcher

Ship(s): Geraskier

Characters (lee/ler): Ler!Geralt/Lee!Jaskier

Word Count: 1973 words

Summary: Geralt wants to test out a few things that Jaskier showed him the other day, and it just so happens that he's decided to make Jaskier his test subject.

[ao3 link]

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They were staying with Yennefer for a few days as Geralt handled a particularly tricky contract, which of course meant living in the lap of luxury. Steaming baths that never cooled, rich and hearty meals, soundproofed rooms, fluffy beds that you just melted into, it was everything Jaskier was missing; and while Geralt pretended he couldn’t care less, Jaskier knew he was enjoying the brief stint of luxury as well.

The contract for the curse finally handled, they had one more night in their wonderfully soft bed before Geralt wanted to head out on the road again, so they took advantage of it while they could. 

They took one of those steaming baths, smelling sweet and fresh, and returned to their bed, smooth, fresh sheets awaiting them, changed on the daily. They stripped down to only their smallclothes to head to bed. Yennefer’s wards meant they would be kept safe enough that they needn’t worry about monsters or ambushes, so they could experience the full cuddling experience, all that warm skin soothing the touch-starved itch they both carried.

But even as Jaskier climbed into bed, prepared to hold his witcher close and relax, Geralt did not follow. Instead, he stared at their packs in the corner, humming thoughtfully.

“Geralt,” Jaskier whined. “I’m cold, come here.”

Geralt hummed again, walking over to their packs and rummaging through them briefly as Jaskier continued to whine and moan about the lack of cuddles currently happening. He immediately brightened when Geralt finally made his way toward the bed, sliding onto it and pulling Jaskier close.

“What did you need that could possibly be more important than me?” Jaskier teased, burrowing into Geralt’s side.

“A weapon.”

Jaskier sat up, bewildered. “A weapon? You’ve brought a weapon into our bed? Geralt, why could you possibly need--”

Jaskier cut himself off with a yelp as Geralt rolled over and on top of him, straddling his hips. His hands were quickly gathered up in one of Geralt’s and pinned above his head. In the moments it took Jaskier’s brain to process this, Geralt pulled his “weapon” out from behind his back and brandished it at Jaskier.

Jaskier’s own feather quill.

Jaskier sucked in a breath, already feeling his cheeks beginning to burn. “Now, Geralt,” he tried, squirming under him, “let’s talk about this.”

“You taught me some valuable information the other day,” Geralt said. “I’m just trying to see it in practice.”

Jaskier started giggling prematurely as the feather started looming ever-closer, butterflies swarming in his stomach. “You saw it in practice when I used it on you!”

“And now I’m going to see it in practice on you.”

Geralt started easy, thankfully, touching the feather down on one of Jaskier’s exposed shoulders and slowly brushing it towards his neck. Jaskier was able to keep his composure until the feather started trailing up the side of his neck, and his face crumpled and scrunched up trying to hold his laughter at bay.

He’d never been very good at that.

All it took was a particularly deliberate wiggle of the tip of the feather behind his ear and Jaskier cracked, tumbling into bubbly giggles. He didn’t bother trying to defend himself by scrunching up or trapping the feather, Geralt always found a way around his meager defenses, so he simply squirmed around on the bed to satisfy the urge to do so.

Geralt twisted the feather in his ear, much like Jaskier had done to him barely a week ago, and he went from cracked to shattered. That tickled more than Jaskier ever in his life imagined it could, and he wouldn’t even call his neck and ears bad spots! Jaskier shrieked at the soft tickling and jerked away, finally trying to escape for real.

“Geralt,” he cried through his giggles, becoming ever more high-pitched. “Geralt. No!”

Geralt simply hummed above him and moved to give his neck and ears the same treatment on the other side. It was pure torture in the best of ways, Jaskier both loving it and wanting it to stop immediately. Geralt was unfairly good at this for someone who tickled someone for the first time ever barely a month ago.

“I love your laugh,” Geralt said quietly, probably hoping Jaskier wouldn’t hear him over his squeaks and wild giggles.

“I love yours more!” Jaskier squealed as he jerked away from a brush of the feather against the shell of his ear.

“Well,” Geralt said, voice light and teasing, “I never said you had good taste.”

Jaskier let out an affronted noise that turned into an odd keening-giggle as Geralt began dragging the feather down the delicate skin of his upper arm, aiming for his armpit. He foolishly tugged at his arm, but Jaskier should’ve known better. He was no match for a witcher’s strength.

“Geralt, come on!”

“Why?” And oh, Jaskier loved to hate that wicked grin. “You like this.”

And by this point, it was no longer a question. It was a simple statement. Jaskier wasn’t sure which was worse, but he definitely felt his cheeks flush under Geralt’s gaze. They flushed even further -- though this time with laughter -- as the feather touched down in Jaskier’s armpit.

“Seeing this in practice is truly quite interesting.”

“Shut up--shit!”

Jaskier tossed his head back in loud laughter as Geralt dropped the feather and dug his fingers into Jaskier’s highest rib. Using that distraction, Geralt grabbed Jaskier’s wrists from where he had them trapped and pulled them down, pinning them under his knees. Jaskier’s stomach filled with butterflies as he realized Geralt now had two hands free to torment him with.

“You enjoy testing things on me, I should return the favor. Tell me, bard: which is worse?”

And then Geralt picked up the feather with one hand and readied his fingers on the other, sending both careening for his stomach. Jaskier tried to suck his stomach in, as if that would save him, but the second Geralt touched down, it was a lost cause as he started laughing again.

Geralt scratched to the side of his belly button with his free hand, his blunt fingernail making Jaskier’s nerves light up an unfair amount. On the other side of Jaskier’s belly button, he fluttered the feather in the mirrored spot, making Jaskier wish he had more room to thrash for his freedom. Each sensation was completely maddening and unbearable in it’s own way, and Jaskier didn’t know if he wanted to escape or let it go on forever.

“Well?”

“The feather!” Jaskier cried after a few more moments. “The feather!”

Geralt hummed thoughtfully and Jaskier squealed as the feather took a brief trip inside Jaskier’s belly button before Geralt found his next target: Jaskier’s hipbones. He scooted down to sit on Jaskier’s thighs to reach them, but his legs were unfortunately still long enough to keep Jaskier’s hands pinned easily. On one side, fingertips vibrated deeply into the skin and muscle, making Jaskier near-howl. On the other, the feather danced across the sharp bone with its maddeningly-light touch. 

Jaskier was thankful that Yennefer had the foresight to soundproof her rooms. Tomorrow would be quite the embarrassing morning, otherwise.

“And here?” Geralt asked, emphasizing his question by intensifying the tickling on both sides.

“Fingers!” Jaskier shrieked.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) that made Geralt drop the feather and start vibrating his now-freed fingers into the other hip. Then Jaskier was really howling, trying to buck his hips but being unable to get the leverage needed to do so. He could try and sit up to curl in on himself for protection, but Jaskier had the feeling that his ab muscles weren’t really looking to cooperate with how hard he was currently laughing.

After some minutes of that playful torture, Geralt picked up the feather quill once more. He danced and fluttered it along Jaskier’s pantline, making his eyes bulge out of his skull at the gentle touch. He choked out a mix of a squeal and a giggle, making Geralt let out a rumbling chuckle above him.

Then, as Geralt was searching for his next spot, the impossible happened: Jaskier finally managed to wiggle his hands free. They launched out from under Geralt’s knees, shooting directly for Geralt’s hands. Geralt tried to fight them off, but Jaskier managed to capture Geralt’s hands and interlace their fingers, the feather fluttering uselessly to the bed next to them.

“What now, tough guy?” Jaskier teased, though the effect was likely diminished by the fact that he was panting for breath.

Geralt furrowed his brow in thought and Jaskier’s heart fluttered. He sent an appraising look to Jaskier’s stomach before starting to lean down, and Jaskier started squealing before he even got close.

“Wait--wait, wait, no! Geralt, please, anything but that!”

Geralt chuckled. “I thought you liked fruit,” he said.

And then Jaskier was lost to wheezing cackles as Geralt took a deep breath, lowered his mouth to Jaskier’s stomach (right on his sensitive belly button) and blew. It tickled like all hell. In fact, it tickled worse than any raspberry had any right to, thanks to Geralt’s stubble.

“You need to shave!” Jaskier shouted through his laughter.

Geralt let out a little “oh” of realization before diving back in for another raspberry, but this time shaking his head as he blew. The result was a screaming Jaskier, tears of mirth being squeezing from his eyes, as his stomach vibrated with ticklish sensations, got scraped by stubble, and even got tickled by feather-light brushes of hair that had fallen from Geralt’s half-hearted styling.

After a few more of those wonderfully hellish raspberries, Geralt pulled back.

“I want to try something,” he said.

Jaskier let out an incredulous laugh, having nothing to do with his residual giggles. “Let me catch my breath first, darling. Shit.”

“Did I go too far?”

Jaskier shook his head. “No, no. You were wonderful, dear heart, I just need a moment. Not sure how much I have left in me, either.”

Geralt hummed.

After a few moments, his breath having returned, Jaskier nodded. “What is it you wanted to try?”

Geralt climbed off Jaskier’s legs, lifting one up into the air. Jaskier furrowed his brow, but his eyes then went wide as Geralt brushed a hand over his inner thigh before leaning in slightly and looking to Jaskier for permission.

“Oh fuck,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “Alright, but stop when I tell you.”

Geralt nodded, and then his lips were swiftly attached to Jaskier’s inner thigh as he blew a raspberry. Jaskier’s laughter went silent almost immediately, the sensations so overwhelming that he couldn’t even make a sound. He howled and screamed, but no sound left his lips to indicate his tortured state. After a few small raspberries dotted across his thigh, Geralt shifted himself for a better angle and gave a repeat performance on his untouched leg.

Jaskier was able to stand it until Geralt began digging tickling fingers into whatever thigh wasn’t currently being targeted by his lips. As much fun as it all was, it was too much for him to take. He slapped his hand against the bed a few times, and Geralt immediately stopped. Jaskier panted desperately for breath as Geralt firmly rubbed away the remaining tingles from his mouth and fingers.

“Alright?”

Jaskier laughed. “Alright?” He asked. “Alright?! I’m fucking incredible, dear. Now, come down here and cuddle me. I’m going to fall asleep at any moment now.”

Geralt did as he was told, shuffling back up the bed and laying next to Jaskier, pulling the furs and bedsheets over the top of them. They exchanged a few chaste goodnight kisses until Jaskier was too drowsy to even move his lips in response anymore, and settled down against the expensive pillows to finally rest.

Jaskier’s revenge could easily wait until the morning.

[stormcrawler75]

Wooing a Light Side Part 1

Summary: Virgil gets captured by Pride, the fearsome Dragon Witch of the Mindscape. Only he may not be as fearsome as everyone thinks.

Notes: Okay, so, this was created before Remus was revealed and I used Pride. This was also created before Virgil was officially revealed as a Dark Side so I have him as a Light Side here. I still wanted to post this though and I really hope that you all like it.

Warnings: Pre-AA, mentions of Deceit.

Wordcount: 10,221

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Virgil sighed and curled tightly in on himself, looking around the room he had been locked in. The room was dark but cozy, with a large bed pressed up against the wall and a fireplace roaring across from it. There was a plushy loveseat by the fireplace and a chessboard in front of it. In any other circumstance, Virgil would be glad to be in a place like this! It was just so beautiful!

But, Virgil wasn’t here by choice. He was a prisoner in Pride, otherwise known as the Dragon Witch’s castle.

It had been a total accident that he was here in the first place. The others had ventured into Roman’s realm for a nice picnic with, as Roman had spat, “no Anxiety around to ruin everything.”

Virgil had decided to roam through the Subconscious checking for any signs of Dark Sides sneaking around the Light Side. It was his job and Virgil took it very seriously. He had meant to go straight back to his room afterward to avoid meeting the others on their way back and having to see their bright smiles and the grass stains on their clothes from running around and having so much fun with each other as a family that Virgil wasn’t a part of.

But, he had forgotten one thing. The Subconscious was connected to the Imagination. Roman’s realm. One wrong step sent you right into the Imagination if you weren’t careful and Virgil had been so focused on checking for threats that he hadn’t noticed something was different until he realized that there were stone walls around him now instead of the grey wall of mist of the Subconscious.

It had taken only a few seconds of him stretching out his senses to realize that he was in the Imagination now. Now, that normally wouldn’t be so bad. Virgil had accidentally gone into all of the other’s realms before. Hell, he knew the Imagination so well that he could have sneaked out faster than Princey could recite one of those poems he liked so much. He might not have been able to sink out directly to his room since it was Roman’s realm but that never stopped him before. He knew other ways.

But he hadn’t factored in one thing. The thought that had sent him straight into the subconscious, was one about the Dragon Witch. A name that Roman had come out with for the Side that also had power over the Imagination, though not as much as the Creative side.

Virgil had not taken the discovery well. He had taken being captured by small dragons that came up to his knees and knowing that no one would come for him even worse.

The Dragons had brought him to the cushy room and had locked him in. Virgil had begged them to let him go but all they said, in a low and raspy voice, that the King had ordered for him to be kept in comfort until he himself could speak to Virgil.

Virgil sniffed and hugged one of the pillows to his chest. His hoodie was wet from the fog of the Subconscious and it had been sticking to his skin so he had taken it off and laid it out to dry in front of the fireplace, leaving him in his jeans, that had dried quickly, and a black long-sleeved shirt.

He flopped down on his side with his back to the door and buried his head in his pillow. Tears started to flood his eyes and Virgil bit his lip to stop them from flooding. He really wanted to believe that the other Light Sides would come to save him. That Roman would burst in on a white horse with his sword out to slay the Dragon Witch. That Logan would come to use his smarts to navigate the castle in their escape. That Patton would pull him into a tight hug and assure him that everything was going to be okay.

But Virgil wasn’t a part of their family. Virgil was Anxiety and how many times had they wished that he would disappear? As far as they were probably concerned, Virgil was right where he should be.

Virgil had been so many lost in thought that he didn’t notice the creaking of the door to his room cell or notice the eyes watching him. His eyes had actually just started to close when the sound of a hand closing the door startled him. He yelped and jerked up. Virgil whirled around to see him, Pride. The Dragon Witch.

Pride was looking at him with intrigued blood-red eyes. Like all of the Sides, he resembled Thomas but with differences. Pride’s eyes were red with brown hair hanging in front of them. He was dressed in black robes with red accents and was about 6 foot, a whole foot taller than Virgil. But, the things that drew Virgil’s gaze was the dull blue horns on his head and the same coloured tail that was peeking out of his robes.

Virgil’s breath hitched and he tangled his hands in the sheets of the bed. He slouched and ducked his head, not wanting to meet Pride’s eyes. He flinched when footsteps started to echo closer to him and his hands started to shake a little. Pride stopped right at the edge of his bed and studied Virgil intently. Virgil’s eyes flicked up and then it was like he couldn’t look away.

“So,” Pride said, “you are Anxiety.”  His voice was smooth and curious and it only served to make Virgil’s nerves spike.

Virgil swallowed and nodded, frozen with fear. It didn’t escape his notice though that Pride didn’t ask for his name or offer his own.

Pride hummed and his tail flicked back and forth. “I see. And, what is a Light Side doing in my castle?” His voice got a little more dangerous. “Did Creativity send you, little lamb? Did he send you to cause trouble in my castle?”

“No,” Virgil whispered, unable to speak any louder. “N-no. He doesn’t know I’m h-here. Roman doesn’t let me in the Imagination. It was an, an accident.”

Pride’s eyebrows shot up. “An accident? Is that what happened, little one?” He raised a hand to his chin and Virgil got a good look at the sharp red nails that looked a little like talons. “I fail to see how this is an accident. Explain it to me.”

Virgil sat up straighter, pulling his knees up to his chest in an attempt to comfort himself. He was not in a position to not answer a simple question just because he was terrified scared. “I was checking out the boundaries of the Light Side,” he muttered, “to make sure that Deceit wasn’t sneaking around again.”

Virgil had expected a lot of things. He had expected more questions or maybe even torture for getting in the way of a Dark Side. What he didn’t expect was a grin to stretch across Pride’s face.

“You’re the little Side whose been giving Deceit so much trouble? Shooing him away from the boundaries?” Pride asked. He smiled wider when Virgil nodded shyly and Pride plopped down on the bed, keeping plenty of space between the two of them. “With the way Deceit’s been grumbling, I would’ve thought you would a lot taller. More muscle too. Maybe with a big sword like the one Prince Pompous has.”

The nickname for Roman made a startled snort burst out of Virgil and he quickly held a hand up to hide his smile. For a brief moment, he had forgotten that he was Pride’s prisoner.

Pride huffed out a little laugh and he shook his head. “I simply can’t believe that a little Side like you have been defending the Light Side so well.” Pride quickly held up his hands in defence. “Not that I would ever attack the Light Side. The only one who ever does that is Deceit and even he has no plans to truly attack it. He just likes to cause some mischief.”

“Yeah, well,” Virgil shrugged and glanced away, “I’m quick. Quicker than that snake.”

That answer sent Pride into a laughing fit, absolutely startling Virgil out of his skin. Pride threw his head back and clapped his hands on his knees and howled with laughter. Virgil stared at Pride in shock. Pride’s horns were practically quivering with the amount of laughing Pride was doing.

It took about a minute but Pride finally stopped laughing and looked directly at Virgil. Virgil’s breath caught. Before he had only been only to catch a glimpse of the other Side’s face but now he could make out every single detail, including the dark red lipstick that Pride had used on himself.

Pride must’ve noticed his, rather obvious, staring because he leaned a little closer. “So, Why weren’t you with the other Light Sides on their little bonding day?” He asked with a little smirk. “Why would they allow someone as precious as you out of their sight for even a moment?”

Pride’s words might’ve been meant as light and teasing, but all it did was remind Virgil just exactly how much the other Light Sides actually liked him and he looked away, biting his lip. Pride frowned and moved to try and catch Virgil’s eyes. “Little lamb?”

Virgil shook his head once and his hands curled into fists. He kept his gaze down on the bedspread and didn’t speak.

Pride waited for an answer and sighed dramatically when he didn’t get one. “Very well, little Anxiety. You may stay here for tonight and then you can be on your way tomorrow.” Virgil finally looked up at him.

“But,” Virgil protested, “what if Roman finds out I’m here? I’m not allowed in the Imagination!”

But, his protests were waved away by well-manicured hands. “Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Pride said with a smirk. “Creativity may have more power over the Imagination but the Imagination is big and he stretches his power far. I prefer to keep my powers in my land. He won’t know a thing, I promise you.”

Those last words about no one knowing he was here sent Virgil’s heart pumping a little but he managed to take a deep breath. ‘Pride said I can leave tomorrow,’ he reminded himself. ‘Wait until then before you start panicking.’ It didn’t help his peace of mind much but it did help him from panicking too much.

Pride stood up and smoothed down his robes. “Please feel free to explore my castle, though I’d suggest getting some sleep. You look positively exhausted, little lamb.”

Virgil looked over to the door suspiciously. He didn’t know how he thought about the door being open for anyone to be able to just walk on in when he was sleeping. The thought made his insides squirm.

Pride followed his gaze and he nodded. “There are guards from my own Kingsguard at your door. They will not enter your room unless they suspect you’re in danger. You are my guest here tonight.”

“How different is that from being a prisoner?” Virgil asked with a little edge in his voice.

The edge seemed to surprise Pride but also amuse him. He laughed and started making his way out of Virgil’s room “Ohhh, the little kitten has some claws. Don’t you worry. Being a guest in my castle is very different from being a prisoner. For one,” he looked back at Virgil, pausing at the door, “they’re not allowed to keep their comfort items.”

Virgil scrunched up his face. “Comfort items? What the heck are you talking about?”

Pride chuckled and pointed one of his fingers over at the hoodie drying out by the dryer. “I was told that you were clutching at your hoodie when you were brought here and hissed at one of my guards when they attempted to take it from you to dry it properly.” He left before Virgil could say anything back.

Virgil stared at the door for a few minutes and then slowly laid back down on the bed. He was sleeping here for the night, there was no way around that. Virgil would just have to be vigilant for now. No matter what Pride said, and Virgil did think that he was telling the truth, that didn’t mean that his guards wouldn’t listen to him and not come into Virgil’s room to hurt him in the middle of the night.

Virgil pulled his pillow to his chest and took a deep breath. This was going to be a long night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ser Anxiety!”

  Virgil’s eyes snapped open and he looked over to the door where someone was knocking. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the pleasure of not remembering what happened the day before. Virgil remembered each second of what happened and it only helped him a little from freaking out about being in a strange room. As it was, Virgil could feel himself tensing up.

  “Ser Anxiety!” The knocking came again and Virgil shied back into his bed. “I was told to wake you, Ser Anxiety! King Pride wishes to have a meal with you before you take your leave!”

  Virgil swallowed and slipped out of bed. “Coming,” he called. Virgil winced when his voice cracked. Virgil’s hands were shaking a little so it took a few seconds for him to open up the door when he reached it.

On the other side was one of the Dragons from last night. They came up to Virgil’s knees but Virgil had no doubt that this tiny, baby blue Dragon could absolutely destroy him if he wanted.

The Dragon bowed. “Ser Anxiety, good morning. I use the pronouns he/him, sir.” He nudged the pile of clothes that had been laid between the two of them. “King Pride had clothes made for you to wear for your journey. He’s asked for you to wear them to breakfast.”

Virgil’s stomach twisted and he glanced over to his now dried hoodie. The Dragon caught what he was looking at and he nudged the clothes again. “Lord Pride said that he would not be offended if you tied your hoodie around your waist or shoulders.”

Virgil let out a relieved breath and crouched down, scooping the pile of clothes in his arms. “Okay. Uh, thanks. I’ll be right out.”

The Dragon nodded and backed up. He turned his back to Virgil and sat down, seemingly prepared to wait for him. Virgil closed the doors and sighed. Okay, this was almost over. Just one breakfast with a Dark Side and it’d be done.

He changed into his new clothes quickly and awkwardly left his jeans and T-Shirt folded on his bed. He glanced down at his new clothes and sighed in relief. It was not as flashy as Pride’s own outfit, thank God for that. He was wearing a pair of dark black pants and a royal purple, button up shirt with black buttons. Pride had gifted him with a pair of comfortable black boots that somehow fit Virgil’s style perfectly.

Virgil picked up his black hoodie and tried it around his waist. He really wished that he had finished his new black and purple hoodie but it was still hanging half-finished in the closet in his room. So he had to deal with old reliable.

The Dragon was in the same spot Virgil had left him and glanced up when the door opened. “Follow me, please.”

Virgil followed the Dragon through the halls and tried his best to keep mental notes on which way they kept turning. But, the castle was so big that Virgil really didn’t think it made a difference. So he kept following his Dragon guard until he stopped outside large, ornate doors and bowed to Virgil again.

“Ser Anxiety,” he said, “King Pride is waiting inside for you. He is looking forward to dining with you.”

Virgil took a deep breath and curled his fingers in his hoodie, grounding himself. “Yeah, alright. Uh, thank you for bringing me here.” He nodded awkwardly to the Dragon and then pushed the doors open, stepping inside.

Pride was seated at the head of a long table that was probably meant more for feasts than a for a breakfast for two. There was only one other chair and it was the one closest to Pride. Virgil stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say, but then Pride caught notice of him and stood up beaming. Pride’s blue tail was swishing behind him happily.

“Ah, Anxiety!” He smiled at the Anxious Side and beckoned him closer. “Please join me for some food, my little lamb.”

Virgil walked up to him, digging his nails into his palms nervously. Pride watched him approach and frowned when he saw how stiffly Virgil was walking. “Is everything alright, little one?”

"Yeah,” Virgil mumbled. “I’m good.”

Pride’s eyes narrowed and he tilted his head. “Do I make you nervous, little kitten?”

The cutesy nickname made Virgil scowl and he glared at Pride. “Don’t call me that,” he snapped, seconds before thinking that snapping at the Side whose castle he was in with hundreds of Dragon guards was probably a bad idea.

Luckily, Pride just seemed amused by Virgil’s insolence and laughed. “Of course, little one. Sit down and join me for a meal. I had my servants make some breakfast for you before you head on your way.”

Virgil gulped and nodded. Pride drew out his chair from him and pushed it in when Virgil sat down. Virgil watched Pride sit down and his tail sliding through a little hole in the back.

Pride snapped his fingers and plates appeared in front of them both with two pieces of toast with a poached egg on each and a kipper next to them on the plates. “Please, dig in.”

Virgil picked up his fork and knife and cut through one of the eggs, watching it spill out onto the toast. Pride cut off a piece of kipper and ran it through some of the yolk from his own broken egg. “So, Anxiety, you seemed quite upset when I mentioned the Light Sides earlier. Care to share?”

Virgil’s answer was a blunt, “No.” He bit into his piece of toast and narrowed his eyes at Pride. “Why are you asking?”

Pride shrugged. “I am curious on why the other Light Sides would allow such a precious Side like you out into the Subconscious alone. And, Deceit has mentioned several times that you seem like an outcast in our dear Thomas’ videos.”

Virgil glared at him and just barely managed to hold back a hiss. “And so what about it?”

Pride took another bite of his kipper and smirked at Virgil. “Well, as I said, little Anxiety, I’m curious. You are such an essential part of Thomas and yet the others don’t seem to treasure you as such.”

Virgil’s heart started to pound and he swallowed. “What is this?” He hissed. “What, is this some sort of recruitment thing? You want me to betray the Light Sides?”

“First of all,” Pride cut in, pointing his fork full of kipper at Virgil, “I would never ask that of you. Not only would that do nothing for me, as I know you would refuse, but also I have no reason to do that.”

Virgil crossed his arms and huffed. “You’re Roman’s Dark Side though!”

Pride tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. “Um, yes? I fail to see what this has anything to do with this, Anxiety.”

“It has everything to do with this!” Virgil snapped, waving his arms around. “You’re a Dark Side! Roman’s always talking about how he fights against you to stop trying to take Thomas over, just like the other Dark Sides!”

Pride frowned and when he next spoke, his voice had a bit of an edge to it. “Really? And, why do you believe that we’re attempting to take Thomas over? Have we ever attacked the Light Side? Have we ever done anything terrible to Thomas besides doing our job?”

Virgil flinched back at the hard tone and held onto his fork a little tighter. “No,” he muttered.

Pride seemed to soften at Virgil’s flinch and sighed. “I apologize for snapping, little one. It should be assumed that you would have a negative view of us if you have to listen to his comments all the time.

Virgil crossed his arms. “If this is going to be a big speech about how I should come over and be a Dark Side then you can save it.”

Pride stared at Virgil for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. He rocked back in his chair and threw his head back, horns knocking against his seat. “You!? A, a Dark Side?”

Virgil watched him and, to his surprise, felt a stab of shame. So, Virgil wasn’t good enough to be a Light Side or a Dark Side. Well, there went any drop of self-esteem Virgil had left.

Pride chuckled and wiped at his eyes. “Apologies, my little one, for my outburst. It’s just the thought of you being a Dark Side is amusing to me.”

“Why?” Virgil asked, voice trembling.

Pride narrowed his eyes and smirked playfully. “Because you’re a Light Side. It’s who you are. There’s no changing that.”

Virgil crossed his arms, getting frustrated. He couldn’t count the number of times Roman had dismissed him as being a Light Side. Even Logan and Patton agreed that Virgil was just a little too dark to be one of them. But now sat Pride, an actual Dark Side, saying that he was, 100%, a Light Side. He didn’t know who to believe. “Okay, So, what're the requirements for being a Dark Side?”

Pride shrugged. “To be frank with you, I’m not sure. I just know that you’re not one.” He looked Virgil over, giving him a sultry look. “You practically shine with light. It only adds to your beauty.”

A pink blush stained Virgil’s cheeks and he looked away. “Right,” he squeaked. “Um, yeah. So, I’m a Light Side. Got it.” Virgil put down his half-eaten piece of bread and stood up. He felt overwhelmed with all this information and Pride’s gentle teasing and flirting. “I, uh, should probably get back. Before someone notices I’m gone.”

Pride frown, obviously displeased with Virgil’s decision to leave, but nodded and stood him, his tail sliding out from the chair in a practiced motion. “Of course. I will show you to the exit. Do you require me to bring you to the main exit from the Imagination or will you be able to find it yourself?”

Virgil smirked and shook his head. A route out of the Imagination and into the Subconscious was already being drawn out in his head. “Just show me out of your Kingdom and I’ll be fine. I got my own way out.”

Pride returned Virgil’s smirk. “My, my. This little kitten just maybe slyer and sneakier than I once thought.” He took a step forward and Virgil’s breath hitched when Pride trailed his fingers down Virgil's cheek, barely touching the skin. “I will have to keep that in mind for future meetings.”

Virgil swallowed and he felt his cheeks warm under Pride’s gentle touch. “Um, right. I should,” he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder nervously, “Right.”

Pride’s smirk turned a tad teasing and mischievous. “Yes, I suppose you do. Come, I’ll show you the way.” He walked toward the exit of the dining room and Virgil had no choice but to follow. He jumped a little when a hand landed on his shoulder. Virgil glances over at Pride only to see a cocked eyebrow. The message was clear. ‘Is this okay?’

Virgil nodded shortly and without another word, Pride led him down hallways until they left the castle and came to the drawbridge. Dragons were milling around the courtyard, giving Virgil curious looks but otherwise seemingly happy to leave his to their King. Pride stopped at waved at the drawbridge. “You will find that you’ll be able to sink out of the Imagination after you’ve walked north for around an hour or two. Are you sure that you don’t want me to take you to the main exit though? It can be very difficult to sink out of the Imagination. I could explain the situation to Creativity.”

The thought of facing Roman, Roman with his sharp sword and his hatred for Anxiety, made Virgil break out into a cold sweat. “No,” he said shortly. “I’ll be fine. Um,” he glanced down at his new clothes and looked back up at Pride with a raised eyebrow. “How can I return these to you?”

Pride smiled softly at him and shook his head. “No, little one. Think of those clothes as a gift. The outfit suits you. A true Prince.”

‘Roman’s the Prince,” Virgil thought, a touch bitter. But he didn’t voice his thoughts, instead of averting his gaze and shrugging. He could feel Pride’s assessing gaze on him and finally, he said, “Thanks for letting me stay the night.”

“It was no trouble. You’re a good guest. Perhaps,” Virgil could practically hear Pride’s smile widened, “you’d like to come again sometime. I’d love to properly show you my castle.”

Virgil looked up at smirked at that Prideful Side. “You usually take prisoners on a tour of your castle?”

Pride matched Virgil’s smirk with his own. “Well, you are a special case. I rarely have prisoners so intriguing that they somehow become my guests. Especially one that I’d like to see return.” His smirk softened. “Have a safe journey, Anxiety.”

“I’ll try my best.” Virgil went to leave but stopped, a thought nagging at him. He turned back to Pride and asked, “You never asked my name.”

It had become a common occurrence over with the Light Sides. Virgil couldn’t take one step without someone asking, or what often felt like demanding when he was going to tell them his name. Virgil felt like he was going to explode out of frustration. They all wanted his name, not because they liked him, but because they wanted “the full collection”. He could practically feel Thomas’ urge to learn the name of the scary, terrible, awful Anxiety. So it was certainly a change of pace to go a full day without someone breathing down his throat about it.

Pride raised an eyebrow at him. “You didn’t offer it. Nor did you ask mine. Quid Quo pro? My name for yours?”

Virgil immediately shook his head, hunching in on himself. “No way. Not fucking happening.” His name was the only thing he had that he was proud of. Virgil, Vigilance. It was his and he would be damn if he gave it up like it was like some sort of thing that people were entitled to. It didn’t matter if that meant that he wouldn’t get to know Pride’s name. It also meant the most hidden part of himself would be safe.

“Very well, Anxiety,” Pride said, giving a careless shrug. “Perhaps another time. For now,” he dipped into a bow, giving Virgil a playful smirk, “until we meet again.”

Virgil, cheeks burning, muttered, “Yeah, can’t wait,” before he ran over the drawbridge and down a valley, leaving Pride and his castle of Dragons behind him. But, he couldn’t outrun the memory of that playful smirk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took Virgil a little over two hours to leave Pride’s lands and he could feel the Mindscape open back up to him, giving him the wiggle room he needed to sink out from the Imagination back to the Subconscious. Sinking out to his room would’ve been difficult and Roman might’ve been able to feel the brief energy coming from Virgil’s part of the Mindscape. But, the Subconscious and the Imagination were connected and they mixed together often enough that Roman wouldn’t even question it.

Virgil sighed in relief when the grey fog of the Subconscious surrounded him, happy to be back in a place that he understood, even if it was an unpredictable place like the Subconscious. He gave himself a moment to rest before sinking down into his room. No need to go through the Commons and see the others eating lunch together or watching a movie, not even realizing that Virgil had disappeared for a full day. Virgil didn’t need that extra bit of heartbreak.

His room was the same as when he had left it. His bed was made and his computer waiting for him by his pillows, ready for another journey into Virgil’s favourite hellsite. His pyjamas were folded beside the computer and Virgil eagerly accepted their call, stripping out of the outfit Pride had given him and dumping it on the floor. Virgil pulled on his sweatpants and his oversized t-shirt, feeling any leftover tension just melting off of his shoulders. He sighed and went to crawl into his bed but paused, looking back down at the discarded outfit. Virgil hesitated before stooping down and quickly picking up the clothes, folding them and quickly shoving them under his bed. No need for them to be out in case someone saw them and asked where they came from.

Not that anyone ever came into Virgil’s room.

Virgil pulled his covers down and got into bed. He sighed and looked over to his computer, thinking of maybe working on his PJO fanfic, before grabbing it and placing it on his bedside table. It had been a long day and he didn’t think that he could handle Tumblr’s shitty new policies about text block limits right now.

He snapped his fingers and the lights turned off, his room pitch black except for the soft glow of the night light on the other side of his room. Virgil closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep.

But, all he could think of was those red eyes and that they had looked at him with more compassion and kindness than anyone else had ever had in Virgil’s life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As expected, no one had noticed Virgil’s leave of absence.

Virgil walked down from his room the next morning, back in his comfortable black hoodie, and into the kitchen to be met with Logan’s wary stare. Somehow, even though Logan was nervous around him, he still managed to be condescending. “Ah, Anxiety. Finally decided to leave your room and be productive, hmm?”

Virgil didn’t answer beside a grunt, opening up the fridge and pulling out the plain, black water bottle he had stored in there. Logan watched him and sniffed. No doubt he thought Virgil was drinking blood or something equally as disgusting

Whatever. He could think whatever he wanted as long as he left Virgil and his honey and strawberry smoothie alone.

“Thomas has a meeting with his friends today,” Logan said, sitting down at the kitchen table. “I trust you won’t be present for it, correct?”

Virgil bit back a sigh and nodded. “Yep,” he muttered. He took a sip of his smoothie and then sneered at Logan. “I’ll be out of your hair, don’t worry. Wouldn’t want Anxiety ruining Thomas’ day.”

Logan nodded. He took a long sip of his coffee and then said dryly, “Quite right. I applaud you using your brain for something more than thinking of new ways of, as you said, ruining Thomas’ day.”

Virgil turned away to hide how his face tightened a little at that comment. He shrugged and went to leave the kitchen but was blocked by Roman stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the doorframe. Virgil’s eye twitched a little. He was so not in the mood for this today. “Mind moving, Princey?”

“Certainly, Robert Downer Jr. “ Roman smiled mockingly down at him. He moved and waved his arm with a flourish. “By all means.”

Virgil moved past him, ignoring the face Roman made as he left him and Logan alone. He pushed down the bitter feeling that came with him knowing that he’d be spending the rest of the day alone again. Just what he wanted, he tried to convince himself. He was probably going to need a day to fully get his mind back on straight after the day he had before.

Patton was going down the stairs and gave Virgil a happy little wave when he saw him. “Morning, Anxiety! I’m glad to see you today!”

Virgil mustered up a smile for the one Side in the Light Side that tolerated him. “Morning, Patton. Good day so far?”

“Yeppers!” Patton grinned. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and smiled hopefully. “I missed you yesterday. You’ll be staying outside with us today, right?”

Guilt settled in Virgil’s stomach and he shook his head. “Not today, Pat. Thomas got friends coming over and no need for any anxiety to get in the way of that, right?”

Patton sighed and shook his head. “I guess you’re right.” Virgil forced back tears at those words and his smile wavered a little. He moved up the stairs before Patton could see just how much trouble Virgil was having holding back tears. Not that he’d even think that something he said might hurt Virgil. Anxiety was a bad guy and bad guys didn’t get their feelings hurt.

“But you’ll come downstairs for dinner, right?”

Virgil could hear the tentative hope in Patton’s voice and he pushed down the urge to immediately agree to anything Patton asked of him. “I dunno, Patton,” he sighed, stopping at the top of the stairs. “I don’t think Logan or Princey would want me there, you know?”

Patton’s voice hardened. “I don’t care if they want you there or not! You’re my friend and I want you there. Please, Anxiety? Come to dinner?” There was a long pause. “Please?”

Virgil closed his eyes and found himself nodding. “Yeah, alright. I’ll be down for dinner tonight.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil did not end up going downstairs for dinner that night. And it was all because Virgil couldn’t handle a stupid argument between friends.

As much as Virgil had tried to remove himself from the situation with Thomas and his friends by staying up in his room all day, he was still a part of Thomas and he couldn’t just shut himself off. He would always be there with Thomas and it wasn’t his fault that when Thomas and Terence started arguing about something so damn stupid that Virgil couldn’t even remember what it was, Virgil started panicking.

“He’s going to leave you,” Virgil whispered, curled up on his bed with his hands tangled in his hair. “Oh fuck, he’s going to leave and then everyone else is going to leave and we’ll be all alone.”

The lights in Virgil’s room flicked and the shadows seemed to extend toward him. And it certainly didn’t help that Roman came up to Virgil’s room, banging on Virgil’s door and screaming at him to stop ruining movie night.

Yep. Virgil not only had to try to deal with the fact that one of Thomas’ best friends would be dumping him soon, but he also had Princey to deal with. Needless to say, Virgil had a difficult and stressful day. And after Patton and Logan had finally managed to pull Roman away from Virgil’s door, calming him down with promises of a movie night with only Disney movies, Patton had returned.

“Hey, Kiddo,” Patton called through the door. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come downstairs for dinner tonight. Roman’s pretty upset about what happened.”

Judging from his tone, Patton wasn’t too happy either. Virgil closed his eyes and curled up tighter on his bed. He hadn’t meant to make such a mess. He never meant to.

Patton kept talking, words a little gentler. “I’m going to leave a plate of dinner outside, okay, Anxiety? I made meatloaf and veg tonight with some boiled potatoes. I really hope you like it!”

‘I hate boiled potatoes,’ Virgil thought distantly with no real force. Instead, he buried his face in his pillow, just waiting for Patton to leave him alone in his misery. He just wanted to sleep and have this day be over already.

Back outside, Patton heaved a heavy sigh. “I just I’ll see you tomorrow, Anxiety. I love you.”

‘Liar,’ Virgil thought, tears burning in his eyes. ‘I love you too.’

With that, Virgil heard another small sigh and footsteps walking away from his room. The smell of meatloaf wafted into Virgil’s room but he couldn’t find it in him to get out of bed and get it. He just laid there staring up at his ceiling, wishing that Pride’s Dragons were there to just end his suffering. Or maybe Pride himself. He could turn into a Dragon, or Virgil was pretty sure that he could.

He laid there for who knows how long until Virgil felt a gentle tugging like someone was trying to summon him. Virgil blinked his eyes open and tried to wave the tugging away. He so wasn’t in the mood to deal with Thomas asking what the heck the extra anxiety during the fight with Terrence was about.

But the tugging wasn’t Thomas or the Light Sides. No, it was different. It was gentler but not the demanding tug that he felt from any of the others. It was a presence that he wasn’t used to but it was familiar. It was Pride. Pride was summoning him. But why? And should he go to him?

Virgil stared up at the ceiling for a few more minutes before sighing. Really, why not go at this point? What was here for him? Cold meatloaf and boiled potatoes? Another night alone? At least this way, even if it was a trap from the Dark Side, Virgil wouldn’t have to be alone with his thoughts anymore.

Besides, maybe seeing Pride again would get rid of the strange knot of emotions forming in Virgil’s gut whenever he thought of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sneaking through the Imagination was easy as always. Especially now since he had a place that he could focus on and imagine in his head. As it took was five minutes of walking through the Subconscious with the image of Pride’s castle at the forefront of his mind for the mist of the Subconscious to clear and Virgil’s destination to appear just a short five-minute walk away. Already, Virgil could see the dragons flying in the air and, standing in front of the gate waiting for him, was the Dragon Witch himself.

Pride gave Virgil a welcoming smile. "Ah, little lamb! And here I thought that you wouldn't be coming."

Virgil had his hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets and slouched over nervously, the stress from the day still eating at him. "Well, you called," he said, trying to put even a little enthusiasm into his words. Judging by how Pride's smile didn't fall, Virgil guessed that he may have succeeded.

"I did call." Pride took a step forward and offered his arm, his tail flicking through the grass happily. "I remember offering to take you on a tour of my castle. And I find myself lacking company tonight." One of his eyebrows was raised and his lips quirked up into a little affectionate smirk. "And I couldn't think of better than my little lamb."

Virgil cursed the blush that was already staining his cheeks and avoided Pride's gaze, placing a hand on Pride's arm. "Couldn't think of better company other than Anxiety? Jeez, you must be really lonely."

Pride pouted, drawing Virgil's attention to his cherry-red painted lips. "Who else would I call? Deceit? He might have an eye for art but that Side wouldn't know good conversation if it bit him in the ass. I mean, really, philosophy is good and all but I'd like to talk about something else for once!"

Virgil bit down on his lip to cut off any laughter that had been forming. The thought of Deceit, a Side who Virgil only knew from ushering him away from the Light Side, waxing poetic about philosophy was almost amusing. He would never have pegged Deceit as one to like philosophy like Pride was suggesting. "Well," he muttered with a smirk, "I don't know how much better I'll be. I'm not," he swallowed and glanced away. "I'm not feeling the best right now."

But Pride only shrugged carelessly. "Perfectly fine. Actually, I've been told that my voice can be rather soothing so it's really fortunate that you've come." He winked at Virgil flirtatiously. "You just listen to my dulcet tones and you'll be feeling better in no time."

Virgil snorted and shook his head, following Pride into his castle. For some reason, the guilt, misery, and fear from the fight with Terrence and what had happened afterward disappeared almost as soon as Pride started talking. It didn't take long for Virgil to figure out why. It wasn't often that someone talked to him without even a nervous glance in his direction or a hint of snideness or fear in their voice.

But here Pride was, chattering away about his castle, his subjects, and complaining about Deceit and the other Dark Sides without any nerves or fearful glances. He didn't even try and keep Virgil at arm's length, letting him walk right next to him with his hand still on his arm.

It made something in Virgil's chest tighten and made his eyes a little wet.

"So, Anxiety. Just what has you looking like a kicked puppy and would you like me to kill it for you?"

The two of them had moved into a cushy and cozy den with armchairs placed near a roaring fireplace. Pride was sitting back in his with all the grace of a King, his arms on the arms of the chair and legs crossed daintily. Meanwhile, Virgil was curled up in his own chair with his legs pulled tight up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs.

Virgil blinked at him numbly. “What? No, I’m fine.” His eyes flicked down when Pride raised an eyebrow incredulously. “I’m fine.”

“Sure,” Pride drawled. “Really, I don’t know why you’d be okay. I mean, Deceit was positively furious about what happened with Terrence. And Shame was in tears. The poor dear cried herself to sleep.” He waved a hand toward Virgil. “From how anxious Thomas was and still is, I’m guessing that you’re not doing too well either.”

Virgil curled into a tighter ball and his lips turned down into a scowl. “Yeah,” he muttered. “It’s all my fault. Evil Anxiety ruined everything like always. Just ruined the whole day Thomas had planned with Terrence.” He dug his nails into his legs. “That’s what you get when you have a Villain in your head.”

Pride narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, uncrossing his legs. “And, just how is this your fault? You didn’t start the argument with Terrence nor are you responsible for how Thomas is feeling now.” He tapped his fingernails against the arms of the chair. “Why would you think that?”

“Because it’s always my fault,” Virgil said bitterly. The day that he had just had, the snide comments from Logan, the mocking words from Roman, the fight with Terrence, and the disappointment from Patton caught up to him all at once and then he was fighting back tears. “Thomas got anxious about that stupid, goddamn fight and I ruined the entire night because I kept freaking out and, and,” he trailed off and scrubbed at his eyes furiously. “It was just so fucking stupid and now we’re going to lose one of our best friends!”

Pride chuckled and waved a hand in dismissal. “We’re not going to lose Terrence over such a silly argument. He’s our friend after all.”

Virgil glared at Pride, barely holding back his tears. “We fucked up! Terrence would be an idiot if he didn’t get the hell away from us! We always ruin everything!” He threw his hands up in the air, getting worked up now. “He’s gonna leave and then all of Thomas’ other friends are gonna leave too and we’ll be all alone and Thomas will be ruined!”

Pride tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, but why? Terrence and Thomas have had many, many arguments in the past. He’s had arguments with all of his friends before and they’ve all stayed.” A proud grin grew on his face. “Thomas does have rather brilliant friends, doesn’t he?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” Virgil said, blinking at Pride in confusion and a few tears escaping him. “That’s obvious but,”

“So,” Pride continued, leaning forward and wiping away Virgil’s tears with his thumb, Virgil too surprised to stop him. “If our friends are so brilliant and loyal,” he raised an eyebrow. “They are loyal, aren’t they?”

“Of course they are,” Virgil snapped, insulted that Pride would even suggest that.

“And they love Thomas.”

Virgil glanced down at the ground, feeling small and stupid as he got what Pride was trying to explain to him. “And they love Thomas,” he muttered.

Pride smiled at him, soft and kind. “Exactly, little lamb. They love Thomas and that means that none of them, Terrence included, are going to leave us.” He chuckled, not mean or cruel but kind and soft. “They’re not going anywhere, little lamb, I promise.”

Virgil closed his eyes and his shame for overreacting, again, heightened “Right,” he muttered. He suddenly felt stupid, feeling so stupid and terribly that he went to a Dark Side, the Dragon Witch, for company. The armchair he had been sitting jerked as Virgil stood up abruptly. “I-I should go.”

Pride stood up too, tail sliding out of the hole in the armchair easily. He frowned at Virgil in something that Virgil could almost read as concern. “Go? But why? You just got here not that long ago.” He stepped forward, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “Is anything alright, Anxiety? You’re looking positively pale.”

Virgil shook his head, his hands shaking and his gut twisting. “No, I should leave,” he muttered. “Sorry, this whole thing was stupid, I was just being so damn stupid coming here, getting upset. Sorry, I should yeah,” he turned to leave but Pride caught his hand in a tight hold.

“Anxiety,” Pride said, said in a tone that was far gentler than Virgil was used to hearing. “What’s wrong? Tell me, little one. What happened? Tell me what ailed you and I will kill it, I swear it.”

Virgil avoided Pride’s eyes and swallowed down the bile that had risen at the Dragon Witch’s words. Roman had forever ruined that phrase for him with the fear that one day the Prince would find what ailed Thomas, Virgil, and kill him. It was something that kept Virgil up most nights. And in the hopes to change the subject as quickly as he could, Virgil spat out the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re a Witch!”

Embarrassment and horror quickly followed and Virgil wanted to sink through the floor and die. ‘Great thing to say, really,’ Virgil thought. ‘It’s obvious and it shows just how awkward and stupid you are. Brilliant Virgil, you’re just brilliant.’

Thankfully, Pride just smirked and nodded. “A Dragon Witch,” he said, bowing his head a little to show off his horns. His tail twitched a little like he was pleased that Virgil had noticed. “A King too but we were talking about me being a Dragon Witch, not a King.” He smiled at Virgil and chuckled. “I’d offer a demonstration but it’s all rather startling, turning into a Dragon and all. But, perhaps instead I could offer you a quiet dinner and a room for the night?”

“I should get back to the Light Side,” Virgil said reluctantly, not really wanting to go back to his room and eat the, by now cold, meatloaf and boiled potatoes. Hearing the others downstairs having their fun, family movie night would only make it worse. “In case anyone misses me.”

Pride’s lips dipped down into a perfect pout. “Oh, stay, please. I’m so much more fun than boring old Princey and the other Light Sides. Besides, and I hope you won’t mind me saying this, but you seem almost as lonely as I do.” He tilted his head. “Just a few hours and maybe a quick dinner? Please?”

Something squirmed in Virgil’s gut, weird and different and something that Virgil had never felt before. It felt almost exactly like the saying that Patton liked to toss around every so often. Like he had butterflies in his stomach.

“Um, just for a bit,” Virgil stuttered. “I guess that that would be okay, I guess.” He glanced down, having trouble looking right into Pride’s eyes for some reason.

“Perfect,” Pride cheered, pulling Virgil to his side. Virgil choked a little on his spit, his whole face turning pink. “Come, let’s have some dinner! Though, we must have you in proper clothing. After all, I made my little corner of the imagination a castle for a reason. Do you have those clothes I made for you?”

Virgil swallowed nervously and nodded. “Um, y-yeah. Just let me, um, yeah.” He snapped his fingers and the pile of clothes that Pride had given him landed on the chair that he had just been sitting in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman jerked up with a frown on his face, his connection to the imagination rippling with a strange energy. Patton frowned up at him from where he was cuddling with Logan on the couch. “Roro? Is something wrong, Kiddo?”

“Um,” Roman blinked and tried to focus on the energy he had felt. But the energy was already fading and he couldn’t get a grip on it. “Nothing, nothing. Probably just one of Pride’s stupid Dragons getting near my edge of the Imagination again.” He shook his head and pulled at his sash thoughtfully. “Probably nothing.”

He’d look into it later. A movie night with his family was much more important than some stupid, strange energy in the Imagination. Yes, later. He’d look into it later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pride had left him in the sitting room to let him get dressed and once Virgil was back in the clothes that the Dragon Witch had made for him, with his black hoodie wrapped around his waist, Pride led him back to the same room where they had eaten the day before. “I know that we had breakfast last night, pretty odd since it was rather late when we ate it, but I had my Dragons cook up a proper dinner for us tonight. I know that you’ll love it!”

Virgil had his hand back on Pride’s arm and was doing his best to talk through the utter squirming in his chest. “Bet,” he mumbled, wincing at the stupid word choice but Pride just laughed affectionately and the end of his tail wrapped around Virgil’s wrist.

“Bet,” Pride echoed. He led Virgil over to the table, sliding the chair out for Virgil before walking around the long table to sit across from him. Plates and a glass full of some dark liquid appeared right in front of them both almost as soon as Pride sat down and Virgil’s mouth watered at the smell and the sight

Pride chuckled at the look on Virgil’s face and he gestured to him. “Are you going to eat it or just stare at it all day, my little lamb?” He picked up his own knife and fork, cutting into his steak with ease.

Virgil swallowed and followed suit. “Right, right. Um, thanks.” He cut into his own steak, eyeing the salad on the side with hungry eyes. There were no potatoes on this plate and Virgil was about two minutes from promising to never leave if Pride was going to make him food like this at every meal.

Hell, he was two minutes from promising that anyways if Pride kept up the kindness and not treating Virgil like he was evil incarnate.

“So, you’re Pride,” he said, trying and failing miserably at starting a conversation.

“And you’re Anxiety,” Pride said back. He smirked at Virgil, sending a spark through Virgil’s heart. “A Dark Side and a Light Side sitting down for dinner together. Strange, isn’t it?” He leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow. “Something that I’d like to do more often. Especially with my favourite little lamb.”

Virgil’s face warmed and he glanced away, biting off another of steak just so he wouldn’t say something weird and make things awkward. But the bite of steak was eventually eaten and Virgil had to say something. “So, why Dragons?”

Why Dragons. Virgil was one of the stupidest Sides in existence, it was proven.

Pride only shrugged and started swirling his glass around. “Why not? I admire them. They know what’s there and they protect them. If you think about it, you’re a bit of a Dragon too.”

That really shouldn't hurt Virgil as much as it did, especially since the comment was meant as praise and given by a Side who willingly called himself the Dragon Witch. But, after hearing all about how Dragons were villains and evil from Roman, the comment certainly stung. Virgil could barely cut his steak again, his hands were shaking so much. “From what Prince Pompous told me, that’s not much of a compliment,” he muttered.

“But why not?” Pride took a sip from his glass and raised an eyebrow. “What’s so bad about Dragons? Like I said, they know what’s theirs and who they are. They’re proud of what they have and who they are. To me, that’s a good thing.”

Virgil stared down at his plate, appetite quickly leaving him. “But I'm not proud,” he said softly. “Not of myself, of my stuff, of anything. How am I a Dragon?”

“First of all,” Pride said with a little frown. “You should be proud of yourself. You’re one of the Sides who protect Thomas and all of us. How many times would Thomas have died if you hadn’t been there?”

Virgil said nothing so Pride continued, pointing his fork at Virgil. “Secondly, you are a Dragon. Dragons protect what are theirs and you do that every single day by just being you.”

“By...just being me?”

Pride’s entire demeanour seemed to soften and he smiled at Virgil gently, making Virgil’s heart flipped. “Yes, my dear Anxiety. Just by being you.”

Dinner passed quickly after that and Virgil found himself disappointed when he glanced at his phone and realized that it was eleven o’clock. He winced. Ugh, the others would be finished up with their movie night by now and it would be almost impossible to leave the Imagination since Roman liked strolling through the Imagination before he went to bed. Not completely impossible but it would be annoyingly hard.

Thankfully, Pride refused to even hear of Virgil leaving his Kingdom that late. “Not a chance,” Pride huffed. “Let you leave at this time of night? No, that is out of the question. I’ll escort you to your room for the night and you can sleep here. I’ll have the same guards that guarded your room the last time do so again. Good? Good.”

So that’s how Virgil found himself spending yet another night at a castle crawling with Dragons and ruled by a Dragon Witch. But, it was only for the night. It wasn’t like he’d ever go back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Virgil kept going back.

Honestly, it wasn’t his fault. Pride’s kindness was like a fucking drug and Virgil was high off of it. After years of getting nothing but snide comments, fear, and Patton’s wary care, being talked to like he was an actual person felt like being on cloud nine all the damn time. Pride could be actual confess to manipulating him and Virgil would probably be completely fine with it as long as Pride kept up talking to him, giving him little hugs, and calling him “Little Lamb”.

Yeah. Virgil was so fucking pathetic.

It started getting to the point where Virgil spent almost all of his time with the Dark Side, not leaving Pride’s side of the Imagination unless Thomas needed him for a video. If the other Light Sides noticed anything amiss then they didn’t say anything. Thankfully, Roman didn't seem to notice the brief energy from Virgil stupidly summoning his clothes from his room, which took a huge weight off of Virgil’s shoulders.

Virgil’s life had actually started getting a little better after meeting Pride. Having someone to talk to and actually listen to him and his concerns was something that Virgil had been looking for since he had manifested and had been denied every single day of his life. He was trying to look a little more on the “light side”, especially with Pride there to talk him through any concerns he had. It felt like, for once in his life, Virgil was actually in a good place.

And then came the cartoon episode and everything came crashing down around him.

Every good thing that had been happening in Virgil’s life seemed utterly insignificant in light of what had happened. Having one of his dreams of being a cartoon, a dream that he should have known better than to share with the other, and having it twisted to be where he was a villain again was like a slap back to reality. He wasn’t good, he wasn’t soft or a protector like Pride insisted. He was a villain and villains never got redemption stories. They didn’t get good things or people who listened to them and helped calm them down from panic attacks or stupid thoughts. They were forced to fly, Virgil hated heights, and got punched by the person that they were trying to protect.

So was it really surprising that when the video ended, Virgil walked straight to his room and locked it from the inside, intent on throwing away the key? After how far he was pushed? After everything that he had been through? Was it really surprising that he no longer wanted to be hated and to be holding Thomas back?

He was useless, he was evil, he was done. Virgil couldn’t do this anymore. So as soon as he had locked the door, he placed the key on his bed, cut himself off from Thomas, grabbed his new purple and black hoodie, and sunk down into the unconscious, intent on walking through the unconscious forever.

But, of course, it didn’t go Virgil’s way. Why the hell would it? No, nothing ever went Anxiety’s way. Only after walking five minutes through the unconscious, someone settled in by Virgil’s side, walking with him. Virgil didn’t even flinch. He had with this person far too much to not recognize his energy signature by now. “Hey,” he croaked.

“Hello,” Pride hummed. His tail reached up, wrapping around Virgil’s waist. “I was watching the most recent video.” The tail tightened around Virgil’s waist. “I’ve never seen one before. The way they treated you.” He stopped them both and gently turned Virgil around and brushed a gentle thumb under Virgil’s black eye while cupping Virgil’s cheek with his other hand. “I once offered to kill whatever ails you. The fact that the things that ails you are the other Light Sides doesn’t change this in the slightest. Say the word and I’ll destroy them for you, I swear it, my dear Prince.”

Virgil’s throat tightened at Pride’s words and his lower lip wobbled a little. “No,” he whispered, leaning into Pride’s hand. “No, don’t kill them. T-they’re r-right, I’m a v-v-villain and they’re, they’re,” the words died and he trailed off. The Dragon Witch and Anxiety were silent for a few moments, the fog of the Unconscious drifting around them.

“Come with me,” Pride whispered. “You’ve cut yourself off from Thomas, I can feel it. I can’t stop you from doing this but I can protect you.” His red eyes stared at Virgil pleadingly. “Please, come with me, Anxiety. Please.”

Virgil closed his eyes, feeling small and hopeless in this one moment and as if the only person who cared for him was Pride. Like Pride was the only person in the entire world who loved him. Not that that was exactly wrong. And in that one moment, he could think of only one thing to say. “Virgil.”

The hand that had been brushing Virgil’s thumb fell from Virgil’s face in surprise and the hand on his cheek loosened. “Virgil,” Pride repeated. The name was drawn out and spoken with such love and gentleness that Virgil almost cried. “Virgil. Virgil, my Prince, my little lamb.” His tail pulled Virgil a little closer to him and Pride rested his forehead against the Anxious Side’s. “My name is Adam, my dear Anxiety. And Adam the Dragon Witch, Thomas’ Pride, ruler of the Dragon Kingdom, will care for you from now on, my Dear.”

Virgil opened his eyes and looked up at Adam with teary eyes.“I forgot the clothes you gave me in my room,” Virgil croaked.

“I’ll make you new ones,” Adam promised. “Clothes fit for the Prince you are.”

And with that, Adam the Dragon Witch pulled Virgil down into his Kingdom to rest.

[millysaurusrex]

Your Gendrya fics are giving me life 😍 can you write about their wedding day/getting married? Thank you!!!

Soooooooooo it took me a year to actually do this. But......here it is 😂

The wedding between Arya & Gendry as seen by the old gods

The lord smith is not of the old gods. He was born beneath the eyes of the seven, in a small tavern near the Sept of Balor - though he does not pray to them either. He is southern borne, with warm skin tanned by a lifetime of working blazing fires, and eyes blue like the sea that crashes upon the rocks. He is different from the southerners, not perfumed and ceremonious. He is different than the northerners, too, with their cold roughness.

He is of soot and steel and fire.

The smith cuts an impressive figure in black and gold, a crowned stag salient stitched proudly into the fur of his cloak. His blue eyes nervously sweep over the thick circle of trees that make up the godswood. It is a small, intimate affair with only the lady Sansa, her brother lord Bran, ser Brienne and the newly knighted ser Podrick in attendance. A heaviness sits over the holy grounds, a sense of mourning for a small family which once was larger, and an eerie silence which once was filled with laughter.

Through a clearing of trees, a girl stills her breath. She knows how to quell the heavy beat of her thundering heart. She stands tall and brave, as women of the North often do, and shifts her grey eyes to where her betrothed awaits. He cannot see her, behind the trail of trees that twist and turns into the courtyard, but it’s as if his eyes still meet with hers. It is how it’s always been, how it has been through weeks and months, years and centuries. They have only just found one another again, but they have been linked together for eternity.

The gods know this. They’ve seen Stark after Stark married beneath the weirwood tree from Bran the Builder to Ned Stark. They have watched as this love story played out over and over and over. Those that follow the seven call it fate, but in the north they know it is the gods will.

For these two souls have always been in the gods plans. Their souls have found one another time and time again. It was always how it was to be.

Sometimes, the souls meet here, in the cold and distant mountains of the north. Sometimes, they meet far beyond the ice wall, wild and free. Sometimes, they meet as children. Sometimes as young lovers. Sometimes long after their first husbands and wives are dead. But they’ve always been bound to one another.

She is still and serious, a slight flex of her fingers the only telltale sign of her discomfort. She is as formidable a sight as the lord smith; the dark grey fur of her maidens cloak a sharp contrast against the white snow. Her hair is dark, curling down around her shoulders. Her face is pale, marred with scars and bruises that might never heal.

“Are you nervous?” The Targaryen lord asks. She turns to him, seeing a different face, the face of a boy who always loved her, though he feared he’d never belong to their family. He is not her cousin, she knows. For if some bastard boys on the kings road can become her brothers, then surely so can this man. So she refuses his name, the one his mother whispered as she bled out in a lone tower far away. He will always be Jon Snow to her.

“I never wanted this.” She says softly. And it’s the truth. She’d never wanted this life, the life of a bride, the lady of a lord husband. She couldn’t be that person. So she became someone else.

“It’s not too late to turn back.” Jon says, touching her elbow with a gentleness that is all brother and not would-be-king. “You can refuse. Gendry will understand.”

It is also the truth. The lord smith would never force her. She has done it before, turned him away, told him she could not share that life with him. He would never hate her. But she might hate herself.

“No. If there is anything I’m sure of, it’s him. It’s always been him.”

And so Jon links his arm with hers and they make their way to the heart tree, where her everything waits. She has searched the world for all that she has lost: love, hope, strength, family. But she knows it is all there, wrapped in the colors of a home he’d never known. He was nearly as lost as she was - two

children of dead lords trying to make it back home.

Her steps are silenced by the thick snow and she baits her breath, her face steely with determination. Even this child of winter, this wild wolf, cannot deny the pull. The gods have led her to her mate, like her family’s sigil. The wolf and the stag. Beast and prey. She has always been the hunter, and he the hunted. But, in this moment, as she makes her way through the trees and catches his eyes, it is she who feels like prey.

His wild blue eyes capture her attention until they are all she sees. The godswood have never been quite so beautiful, it is the perfect day for a winter wedding, but it is he she sees, and only he.

He looks so serious, so confident, almost regal, she thinks, and the thought that this man, this bastard boy from the slums of King’s Landing, could be this noble lord in front of her is almost laughable. But, her heart fills with something heavier than laughter, something that fills it completely and it is a blessing that Jon is holding her arm, else she might run like a fool to the lord smith.

She has never been quite so sure of anything.

When they reach the heart tree, and Jon places her hand in Gendry’s, Arya feels it. The sudden, audible silence that fills the godswood. It is as if the wind has paused, the winter birds have silenced. The lord smith notices, too, although he does not know these gods and the magic of the godswood. He is just in tuned with her.

His eyes shoot to the sky, thick brows furrowing. She squeezes his hand reassuringly, and when he looks to her, his eyes tell her everything. There is magic here. Magic older than any of them could imagine.

It is Maester Tarly who marries them. His smile is sheepish but kind. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t had the pleasure of doing one of these before.”

She smiles and reaches out with her free hand, squeezes his arm. “I don’t think any of us have.” Her betrothed grins, too. After all they had been through, a wedding seems so foreign.

But Samwell carries on. He asks who comes before the old gods, and one by one they announce themselves.

“Arya Stark of Winterfell.”

“Gendry Baratheon of Storms End.”

And soon they are kneeling, cold snow seeping through their fine clothes, as they bow their heads and pray. Well, she prays. She is not sure Gendry believes in her gods, but he closes his eyes anyhow, and it is silent all around them.

All around her she feels eyes staring at her. And in her minds eye, she sees them. Sees father and mother, Robb and Rickon. Even Summer, Greywind, Lady and Shaggydog are there, watching them. Jory, Maester Luwin, Old Nan. A woman who looks like her, a flower crown neatly in her long dark hair. Her aunt Lyanna. And a man, built like Gendry with the same stubborn blue eyes. It is hard to remember the king, but here he is younger, healthier. Ghosts bearing witness to this moment.

She prays to gods she has not prayed to in ages. Asks them to watch over her and her new lord husband, asks that, after all the horrors they have endured, that they at last find some happiness.

It is only when Sam gently clears his throat that Arya opens her eyes, unwilling to let go of the warmth of feeling her family surround her. But, they are once again in the godswood with what is left of her family.

Gendry squeezes her arm, and her eyes meet his, Baratheon blue and Stark grey and she is suddenly filled with the sense that they have built a new family, a family of their own. Sansa, Jon, Bran, ser Brienne, ser Podrick, ser Davos, even Sam and Gilly and little Sam. They are here to witness the joining of House Stark and House Baratheon, as the gods always have willed. It was always meant to happen.

So, when the lord smith carefully removes her maiden cloak and wraps her in black and gold, the snow birds begin to sing and the godswoods are filled with distant howling. Tears prickle her eyes as his warm hands flatten against her cheek and she leans in to kiss her new husband.

Yes, the gods have always willed it.

[pinktintedmonocle]

Blue Is Not The Only Colour - A Red Dwarf FanFic - Chapter 3 - NFSW

Lister and Rimmer finally get down to business but the sex is somewhat hampered by the presence of Holly and the size of their bed.

Chapter 3: The Bunk

Lister strode purposely down the corridor, breathing deeply.  His heart was beating so fast that it felt as if it was attempting to escape from his body with all the desperation of a Tory MP trying to get away from a member of the working class.

When he got to the entrance to their quarters he took a final deep lungful of air.  He could do this, he could fix his relationship with Rimmer.  He had to fix it; the alternative of spending the rest of his life in a kind of cold war with the hologram, sharing nothing more than the occasional venomous look, was too painful to even think about.

Lister pressed the button on the wall and the doors slid open.  He took a few tentative steps into the room and paused by the table.  Rimmer was curled up in his bunk, his front facing the wall.

“Hey Rimmer”, he said softly.  “Are you asleep?”

“Yes.” Rimmer replied croakily.

Lister sighed.  “Come on, man, I just want to talk to you.”

The hologram huffed and turned over but pointedly avoided making eye contact with Lister.  “What do you want to talk about?”

“About us, Rimmer.  We need to talk about us.”

Rimmer snuffled and pulled the duvet cover up tighter around his chin.  “I don’t know what we’ve got left to talk about.  You’ve had your bit of fun at my expense.”

Lister frowned in confusion. “Fun at your – Rimmer, what are you on about?”

“Your big joke, Listy!” Rimmer spat back.  “I must say, it was a whopper!  Definitely a step up from your usual favourite gag of leaving one of your socks between the pages of Napoleon’s diaries so every time I pick it up for a spot of bedtime reading it flops onto my face like a tiny stink bomb.”

Lister just stared at the hologram.  “Rimmer, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rimmer swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood up and strode over to the console by the door. He started pushing random buttons, eyes glued to the screen.  “Of course you do!  It’s the jape of the century.  Holly would be proud!  Convince poor sad Rimmer that you might actually return his pathetic feelings and ask him out on a date, only to feed him disgustingly flavoured food and then insult him until his leaves.  Hilarious! I’m surprised you’re not still crying with laughter about it!  I bet you had a good chuckle with Kryten and the Cat after I left.  I bet you were all slapping your thighs and howling with mirth.”

Lister’s mouth fell open in shock and it was a few seconds before he found he could speak again. “Oh Rimmer, you don’t really think it was all just a joke do you?”

Rimmer continued to pretend to work on the console.  “Of course! And how hysterical it was!  Side splitting, pant wetting levels of hilarity! Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some work to do.”

“Rimmer, it wasn’t a joke!” exclaimed Lister.  “Do you really think I’d be that cruel, that heartless?”

Rimmer whirled around to face Lister, his features contorted in an ugly snarl.  “Why not?  I mean, you don’t actually like me do you?  Nobody really likes me.  Nobody ever has and nobody ever will so I would appreciate it if you could just stop pretending and sod off.”

“I’m not pretending!” Lister yelled.  “I love you Rimmer, I really do!  I feel the same about you as you feel about me, and I’m sorry our date was such a smegging disaster but I really think we can work this out if we just talk about it!”

Rimmer scoffed and crossed his arms defensively.  “I was on to you from the very start of this gag and I only turned up for that joke of a date to see how far you’d actually take it.  I don’t have any feelings for you Listy.  I don’t know where you got that idea from but I’m afraid you’re sorely mistaken miladdo!”

“I got it from you, Rimmer, just a minute ago!” countered Lister.  “You said that you thought I was trying to make you think I returned your pathetic feelings.  Except that they’re not pathetic and I do return them Rimmer!”

“Stop it!” screamed Rimmer, and Lister noticed that his bottom lip had started to tremble and his eyes had filled with tears.  “Stop giving me false hope!  Do you have any idea how painful this is for me, having you tell me that you love me and calling me your moon and holding my face like you did in the lift and asking me on pretend dates?  I can’t do this anymore Listy.  I know I’m already dead but it’s killing me, this constant cycle of making me feel wanted and then treating me like something you just scraped off the bottom of your boot after clomping around the diesel decks.  I can’t do it anymore, I can’t do it, I can’t-”

Rimmer’s rant was cut short by the sudden presence of Lister’s lips on his own.  Lister brought up a hand to gently cup the hologram’s face while he rested the other on Rimmer’s waist.  For several seconds Rimmer seemed to be frozen, his mouth not responding at all to the kiss.  Lister was just about to pull away when an arm snaked around his back and pulled his closer.  Rimmer’s lips parted to allow Lister’s tongue entrance to his mouth and they stumbled back, Lister’s arse colliding with the table.  Lister’s groan of pain quickly turned to pleasure as Rimmer deepened the kiss. The hologram spun Lister around and pressed him down into the lower bunk.  Lister could feel the beginning of Rimmer’s erection pressing into his thigh and the sensation made Lister’s own cock start to harden.

The kiss was desperate and messy and perfect; it was everything Lister had imagined it would be and more.  He hadn’t felt this happy since the day in the orphanage when he’d been told there was a family who wanted to adopt him.  He felt lightheaded and dizzy with what he initially thought was joy, but as his lungs started to ache he realised that it was more likely oxygen deprivation. He broke the kiss reluctantly, gasping for air.  He opened his eyes to find Rimmer staring at him in awed silence.  After a few deep breaths Lister’s face cracked into a wide grin. “Now do you believe me, Rimmer?”

Lister half expected the hologram to start shouting at him again, but instead Rimmer just nodded mutely before clearing his throat.  “Yes, well, I must say the evidence you have provided is quite convincing.  But are you sure?  Don’t you want to get to know each other a bit more before we take this any further?”

Lister rolled his eyes. “Rimmer, we’ve been getting to know each other for thirty years!  So just shut up and kiss me again, alright?”

“Alright” agreed Rimmer, and their lips glued themselves back together.  

As the kiss became more heated, Lister’s hands started to wander around Rimmer’s body.  He’d thought the hard light body felt good in the lift, but now that Rimmer was actually on top of him and they were touching all over, Rimmer’s body felt amazing. It was smooth and cool and that lovely low grade thrum of electrical current seemed to pulse in tandem with the beat of Lister’s heart.  As he trailed a hand down Rimmer’s slim waist he began to think about what Rimmer would look like naked.  He hadn’t seen his Rimmer nude since the psi-moon and that had been years before. Presumably the software that caused Rimmer’s face to age also affected the rest of him, and Lister found himself wondering exactly how Rimmer’s body would have changed.  As he contemplated this Lister allowed one of his hands to crawl slowly up Rimmer’s left thigh.  When he reached Rimmer’s groin he gently cupped his erection.  The hologram let out a small yelp and broke their kiss.

“You OK, Rimmer?” Lister asked.

“Yes, I’m fine – I - I just – look, can we just stop for a moment?” Rimmer stuttered.

After finally getting the object of his affection into bed after so many years the last thing Lister wanted to do was stop, but there was a look in Rimmer’s eyes that told him something was not quite right.  “Of course man”, he said.  

Rimmer rolled off Lister onto his side and propped his head up on one hand.  Lister followed suit and they lay nose to nose on the narrow bed.

“Look” said Rimmer, seeming more uncomfortable than a politician who had been tasked with having to read out a particularly large number on TV.  “It’s not that I don’t want to have sex with you.  It’s just that I’m not entirely sure … how”.

Lister frowned.  “What do you mean?  Look, I know you haven’t had many partners but you have had sex before Rimmer.”

“Yes, but never with a man!” exclaimed Rimmer.  He looked down, clearly embarrassed.  “I don’t really know where to start.”

“Ok”, Lister replied slowly, trying to think of a way to put Rimmer at ease.  “How about you just think about how you like to be touched and then touch me like that?”

Rimmer took a deep breath. He mirrored Lister’s earlier move and rested his hand on Lister’s crotch.  Lister hummed his approval and Rimmer stroked Lister’s erection, softly at first and then a little firmer.  Lister gasped in pleasure and captured Rimmer’s lips in a deep kiss. As they kissed Lister put his own hand back on Rimmer’s crotch and lightly squeezed the hologram’s balls through his trousers.

“I think it’s time we took our clothes off.” Lister breathed.

“God yes.” Rimmer moaned. He scrunched his nose up in concentration and a split second later his uniform was gone.

“Smegging hell!” Lister exclaimed and let out a low whistle of approval.  Rimmer’s body was much as he remembered it; lean and muscular, toned to perfection after years of early morning star jumps and nervous pacing. There was a smattering of brown and grey hairs on his chest, a colour palette that was reflected in his pubic hair. Lister’s eyes widened as he stared at Rimmer’s cock.  Blimey, he thought, no wonder Ace got around so much.  

Rimmer cleared his throat. “Are you just going to gawk at me all night or are you going to remove your own clothes as well?”

Rimmer’s words snapped Lister out of his reverie.  He began to wiggle out of his own garments, a task made awkward by how close together they were in the narrow bunk.

“Give us a hand, would you?” Lister asked, his fingers fumbling as he tried to unbutton his shirt. “It’s not as easy for me as it is for you; I can’t just twitch my nose or snap my heels together and be instantly nude.”

“Right”, said Rimmer. He surveyed Lister’s body with the intensity of a general planning a complex battle strategy.  “You take the bottom half.  I’ll take the top.”

Lister nodded and shuffled out of his trousers while Rimmer made quick work of his shirt.  Soon he was down to just his pants, which he pulled off with a final flourish.  Rimmer leaned back in the bunk slightly and stared at Lister’s body.

For the first time since he’d kissed Rimmer Lister felt nervous.  He was aware that a diet of curry and beer combined with little exercise meant that he wasn’t exactly in great shape, or even in fairly OK shape.  In fact, the only shape he resembled these days was probably a circle.  As Rimmer continued to scrutinise him Lister braced himself for a crude remark so was surprised when Rimmer instead just said “You look amazing.”

Lister glanced down to check it was definitely his body that Rimmer was looking at.  “Really?” he asked.  “I mean, I’m flattered man, but your body is seriously incredible and mine is just, well-” he glanced down at his stomach and felt his cheeks redden. “A bit soft.”

Rimmer reached out and trailed a slender finger down Lister’s side, a sensation that made Lister shiver in anticipation.  “You’ve always been a bit soft.”

“Well, yeah”, Lister agreed with a grimace, “but I’m even softer than that these days.”

“I like it”, Rimmer replied. His hand skimmed down Lister’s hip and came to rest next to Lister’s cock.  “You’re gorgeous.  Just like I imagined you would be.”

“Come here, man”, Lister said breathlessly and captured Rimmer’s lips in his again before clambering on top of the hologram.  He started to grind against Rimmer, their cocks rubbing against each other.  

Rimmer let out a strangled gasp of pleasure and brought his hands up around Lister’s back to hold him closer but then quickly pulled back.  “Hang on; do we need to use protection?”

“Protection against what?” asked Lister.  “Look, I know I’ve gotten pregnant before but I think it’s pretty unlikely you’re going to get me up the duff.  A, you’re a man and B, you’re made entirely of light.  What would the baby be, a 40 watt bulb?”

“I didn’t mean pregnancy, Listy.  Look, I’ve never had sex with a human as a hologram.  I don’t know if it’s safe!  What if I ejaculate lightning and accidently fry you to a crisp?”

Lister looked down at Rimmer’s penis in alarm.  “Do you normally cum lightning?”

“Well, no” admitted Rimmer. “But you never know!  Perhaps we should use a condom.”

“Why?  If a seventy foot oak tree can be split in half by a single bolt of lightning then I don’t think a latex sheath has got much of a chance.” Lister deadpanned.  “Look, it’s fine!  Kochanski and her Lister had loads of sex and he was a hologram.  So it’s safe, alright?”

There was a polite cough from the corner of the room and both men turned their heads sharply to see Holly’s disembodied head floating on the screen.  “He’s right, you know.  It’s completely safe for a hologram and human to have unprotected sex.  No diseases can pass between them and when a hologram ejaculates nothing actually comes out.  It’s a bit like a radio play; it’s like being in the theatre but there’s bugger all to see.”

“Holly!” cried Lister. He rolled off Rimmer and clamped both of his hands to his nipples.  He realised, belatedly, that this meant his cock was still on full display.  Rimmer, apparently sensing his discomfort, used one of his own hands to cover Lister’s penis before using his other to cover one of his own nipples.  As a result they ended up in an even more compromising position than before. Lister quickly pulled the duvet cover over both of them.  “What the smeg do you think you’re doing?”

The computer seemed completely unfazed.  “Delivering important information to a crew member in order to validate a statement they’ve made.  Why, what are you two doing?  If it’s strip poker then I think both of you have lost.”

“Smeg off Holly!” Rimmer yelled, while Lister reached over the side of the bed and picked up one of his boots which he lobbed at the screen.  Holly ducked to the side as the boot hit the centre of the monitor, then turned to frown at the two occupants of the bed.  “Oi!  No need to get violent!  If you want me to leave you only have to ask politely.”

“Please leave, Holly” Lister asked through gritted teeth.

“See, that wasn’t so hard was it?” said Holly.  The monitor went black and Lister let out a long breath and flopped down, burying his face in the pillow.

“Gimboid!” Rimmer screeched at the screen.  “I’ll cut your floppy disk up into tiny pieces, cook them in tomato sauce and feed them to the skutters on Italian cuisine night!”

“Rimmer man, calm down! He’s gone now” said Lister.

Rimmer rolled onto his back and glared up at the underside of Lister’s bed.  After a few moments his anger abated and he puffed out his cheeks in frustration.

Lister threw the duvet off and ran a hand down Rimmer’s chest.  “Why don’t we just pick up where we left off?”

Rimmer grimaced and looked down at his softening cock.  “I’m afraid that goit has killed my arousal.”

“No worries”, said Lister, a wicked gleam in his eye.  “I know just how to fix that.”  Before Rimmer could say another word, Lister ducked his head down to the hologram’s groin and swallowed his penis whole.

Rimmer’s cock tasted like nothing Lister had ever experienced before.  It was a little like licking a battery, but without the sudden electric shock; instead the electricity felt warm and pleasant and ticked Lister’s tongue in a way that made his own erection, also a little deflated from Holly’s interruption, regain its hardness.  Lister dragged his tongue slowly up the shaft to the head before teasing the slit.

Beneath him, Rimmer whimpered as his hips bucked.  Lister grinned around Rimmer’s erection and cupped the hologram’s balls, squeezing them gently.  After a few minutes, Lister pulled back with a wet ‘pop’ and looked up at Rimmer.  The hologram had his eyes closed and his face was a picture of ecstasy.

“Are you enjoying that Rimmer?” Lister asked cheekily.  “’Cause you know, I can always stop if you’re not really in the mood anymore.”

Rimmer swore under his breath.  “Oh God, that feels amazing.  Don’t you dare stop, you goit.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet”, said Lister before taking Rimmer’s cock back into his mouth.

Although Lister had generally favoured women before the accident that had left him stranded three million years into deep space, there had been a few cases where a good looking guy had turned his head.   One memorable man had introduced him to a particularly pleasurable move that had resulted in one of the most intense orgasms of Lister’s life, a technique that he now demonstrated on Rimmer.

Rimmer gave a strangled cry. “Oh God!  I don’t think I’m going to last much longer” he said breathlessly. A few more deep sucks from Lister later and Rimmer came, his whole body shaking.  Lister let go of Rimmer’s cock and pulled himself up the bed so they were lying face to face.

Rimmer stared at Lister with more love in his eyes than the Cat had when gazing at his favourite suits. Lister, already panting with arousal, felt the breath catch in his chest.

“Wow, Listy.  That was, that was…” Rimmer frowned, as if struggling to find the right words.  “…good” he finished lamely.

Lister laughed. “Thanks man.  It’s been a while so I’ll take ‘good’.  And you’re still here, you haven’t run off to re-arrange your wire collection or order a pizza, so it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“N-No!” Rimmer stuttered. “Look, I didn’t mean ‘good’ as in ‘fine’.  It’s just that I couldn’t find the right words!  Because it was better than good, Listy, it was great, it was-”

Lister clamped a hand over the hologram’s mouth.  “I know what you meant, Rimmer.  I was only teasing.  It was more than good for me too.”

Lister was half expecting a snarky comment when he removed his hand, but instead Rimmer just smiled widely and leaned in to kiss him again.  Smegging hell, he thought as Rimmer’s tongue tickled the back of his throat, if all it takes to mellow out Rimmer is a blow job we should have done this three million years ago.  Lister’s erection brushed against Rimmer’s thigh, and the hologram pulled back in surprise.

“Oh!  I almost forgot you haven’t…um, let me-” Rimmer tried to get on his knees and manoeuvre down the bunk to Lister’s crotch, but just ended up banging his head on the bottom of Lister’s bunk.

“Smeg!” yelped Rimmer, before he tried again and promptly kicked Lister in the knee.

“Ow!” Lister cried.  

“Right, sorry!” blustered Rimmer.  “Let me try again.”

This time one of Rimmer’s legs collided painfully with Lister’s left ankle.  Lister grabbed Rimmer before the hologram could hobble him further and pulled him back down so they were lying nose to nose again.

“Just use your hands Rimmer, OK?  We’ll try the other stuff next time when we’re in a bigger bed.”

“Alright”, Rimmer agreed a little petulantly, but he still took Lister in hand.  He fumbled a little at first, but soon got into a rhythm and worked Lister’s cock with cool, hard strokes.  

Lister lost himself in the sensation, enjoying the tingle of Rimmer’s fingers.  When he came he came hard, seaman splattering against his own stomach and Rimmer’s hands.

As Lister recovered, Rimmer eyed him nervously.  “Was that OK?”

“No Rimmer, it wasn’t OK.” Lister replied.  Just as Rimmer’s face crumpled Lister grinned so wide he thought his cheeks might split.  “It was fan-smegging-tastic.”  He buried his face in the hologram’s neck, laughing deliriously.

“You’re a goit, you know that?” grumbled Rimmer, voice a little muffled by Lister’s embrace.

Lister pulled back, still beaming.  “And you’re a smeghead, Rimmer.  But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

They kissed again, slowly and languidly.  When they separated, Rimmer’s nose wrinkled as he took in the sticky sheets.

“I think we may have to move.  You’ve soiled my bedspread.”

“Alright” agreed Lister. He got up reluctantly, swigging his legs over the side of the bed and hauling himself a little stiffly to his feet. “I’ll take a shower then we’ll sleep in my bunk tonight.”

Rimmer wrinkled his nose. “On second thoughts, I think I’d rather sleep in spunk than in day old puddles of vindaloo!”

“Hey!” Lister protested. “My bed is a curry free zone!”

Rimmer raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes!” Lister said defensively.  “Kryten changed the sheets this morning so the curry is all gone!”

Rimmer rolled his eyes. “You’re a disgusting slob of a human being, you know that Listy?”

“Yeah”, Lister agreed with another grin, “but you love me anyway.”

Rimmer sighed deeply. “Yes”, he said, “I do.”

**********************************************************************************

Later, as they lay spooning in Lister’s bunk, Rimmer ran a hand down Lister’s arm.  It seemed insane that he could just touch Lister whenever he wanted.  He still half expected Lister to turn around at any minute and reveal that it had all been a joke, then shout ‘Got you!” while Kryten and the Cat sprang out from a secret hiding place and pointed at him and laughed.  But with every moment that passed it seemed a little more real, a little more solid.

“Listy?” he said softy.

“Mmmm?”

“Earlier you said something about a bigger bed.  What did you mean?”

Lister yawned.  “Well, it doesn’t make sense does it, us sleeping separately now that we’re together?  And it seems pointless for us to share a bunk when the Captain’s quarters has an empty queen sized bed.”

“You want to move into a room where we share a bed?  Like, on a permanent basis?  Are you sure?”  Rimmer shifted uncomfortably.  “I just mean, I don’t want to rush into anything you might come to regret.”

Lister rolled over and cupped Rimmer’s cheek with his hand.  “Rimmer, I know you’ve had a smeggy time in the past with relationships, but I promise that I’m never going to leave you.  I love you, and I want to sleep in your arms every night and I’m not ever going to change my mind about that, OK?”

If Rimmer had a heart, it may have burst with happiness at Lister’s words.  Instead he just nodded, trying to fight back the happy tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.

And that night, for the first time in his life, Arnold Judas Rimmer (Bsc, Ssc) fell asleep with a smile on his face and not a care in the world.

[sweetboybucky]

Pumpkin

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Word Count: 1700

Warnings: It’s all floof, y’all. It might kill you. Maybe a swear somewhere in there.

Summary: You come home with a fun little surprise for the boys. 

A/N: This is my piece for Mimi’s Fall Into Marvel Challenge hosted by @captain-rogers-beard . My prompt was “carving jack o’ lanterns” and it turned into completely pointless fluff. There is basically no plot here, just happy stuff because nothing has changed and I am still a flower. This could be read as a sequel to Flowers, but you don’t have to read that to understand this. Also, I know I just posted something about having a bit of writer’s block right now, but this just came out and I wanted to post it. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I hope you like it. 

This is also dedicated to my love and light, @marvelous-avengers because she is incredible and I adore her. I hope it makes you smile, angel. 

My Masterlist

***

Steve doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it.

The soft scent of vanilla coming from the air freshener you plugged into the wall. Warm, autumn colors littering the walls. Filling the vases and draped over the back of your favorite chair in a thick quilt. Weight against his side, Bucky’s body under his arm as those steely eyes trace over the video playing on his phone. Something Steve can’t understand.

Your house around him.

No, that’s not right anymore.

His house.

Because you opened it up for them. Let them in. Gave them a home in the walls around him and in your heart, as well. Kissed them and told them they could stay. They could always stay.

He smiles.

He’ll never get used to it.

Blue eyes flick around the maroon decorations you bought at the beginning of the season. The oranges and pale yellows. The new crimson, fuzzy blanket resting on his lap. Lying under the book he has resting there and pulled up to Bucky’s chin.

Fingers run through the dark hair fanned around his chest. Strong shoulders shake at the happy hum he gets in return.

And it’s like all those years ago in Brooklyn, in some ways. Holding Bucky. Bucky holding him. Resting on the couch with that familiar weight pressed into him. Tilting his head and kissing the pale skin of Bucky’s temple. Looking at a face he’s known for a century, a face he’ll never tire of seeing.

But it’s different, too.

Because they’re not hiding anymore. They don’t need to.

And there’s you.

Stepping through the door. Grocery bags in hand - more than Steve assumes necessary for a simple trip to the store, like you’d told him you were making.

He catches your eye once the latch clicks. Once you’ve started making your way to the little table. And there’s a moment where you seem to search the scene in front of you. Watch the way Bucky nuzzles into Steve’s chest, pulls his phone a little closer to his face.

A fond smile curls your lips, and Steve finds a grin of his own at the sight.

Because you’re beautiful.

His jacket blanketing your shoulders. Deep blue and heavy. Bucky’s sweater resting beneath that, thick and dark gray. Warm. Sweet in the careful darkness of early evening coming in through the windows.

He looks the glow of the dim light in the room around you, the only source being the lamp on the end table. The lamp he flicked on to read a book he’s long since abandoned in favor of looking at the man next to him. Thinking of you.

“Hey,” he whispers, lips parting just enough to form the word. Still sitting in that soft smile. “Find everything you need?”

You chuckle. Swipe a hand across your face and start pulling something out of one of the bags. “Mostly things I didn’t need. But what’s new?”

And Steve laughs because it’s true. Because he wonders why he ever lets you do the shopping. Can already imagine the new array of things you bought that will never be eaten or used.

But then orange comes into view, more than the shades tinting the decorations you scattered around the house. Brows furrow and the head on his collarbone shifts a little before lifting entirely, that handsome face looking so adorably sleepy from where Steve can see it out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s that?”

Bucky beats Steve to questioning. Rubs his eyes and sits up.

You smile. “It’s a pumpkin.”

Steve blinks.

“Why did you buy a pumpkin?”

A laugh punches from your chest. Makes your eyes fall shut and that beautiful smile on your face grow. And Steve wants to laugh with you, but he wants an answer to Bucky’s question, too, confusion and curiosity rising within him.

“I thought we could carve them,” you say, holding the little thing up and tracing one of the ridges with your fingers. “Got one for each of us.”

Bucky makes a happy, appreciative sound. Stands and steps over to you, scoops the pumpkin from your hands and inspects it.

Steve watches with careful consideration. Measured silence as Bucky gives you an excited look before turning back to him, another set of eyes landing on him as you follow suit.

And there’s this hesitant happiness in your gazes as flesh and metal alike skim against the skin of the small pumpkin. A look Steve hasn’t seen on Bucky in a long time. A look he would like to see on you more often.

So he sighs. Thinks he has more kids than partners as he says, “Okay.”

Happy noises fill the room. Feet pad across the floor as you step over to him. Wrap him in your embrace as he stands to meet you. Kiss his jaw and the base of his throat.

“But we need to cover the table.”

A laugh against his skin. Your next words are muffled into the cotton of his shirt, “Why?”

He scoffs. Runs his fingers against your sides and feels a familiar warmth blooming in his chest at the noise you make. Looks down at you and answers, “So it doesn’t get pumpkin guts all over it.”

You wrinkle your nose. Steve wants to kiss it. “Who cares if pumpkin guts get all over the table?”

“I do.”

“I bought that table,” you counter.

“Want me to reimburse you?”

“Okay,” you quip. There’s no bite behind it, but Steve can see that little spark burning in your eyes. “We can cover the table.”

“Gosh, Stevie,” Bucky begins, “Don’t you know half the fun is the mess?”

“Yeah,” Steve answers, dropping a kiss to your hair before untangling himself from your grasp. “I’m sure you two ditching me to clean the mess myself would have been really fun.”

Bucky barks out a laugh. And Steve catches you covering your own amused grin with your hand as you round the table.

Everything is so wonderfully foreign. The domesticity he’s found. The morning coffee you make for him and the routine kisses against his back as he makes breakfast and the way you both fall asleep on him on the couch most nights. The prospect of carving pumpkins with the loves of his life in his cute little house just outside the city.

And he may not be used to this, the life he’s lucky enough to lead, now.

But he’s happy to have it.

It’s minutes later that you’ve found a tarp to cover the surface of the table - Bucky asking, “Where the hell did that come from?” - and everything is set out. Steve is looking at the two of you, grinning like kids.

Bucky has three knives in front of him. Knives Steve is sure didn’t come from the drawer in the kitchen. And they’re already at work before Steve can say anything about it, the two of you slicing into the flesh of the things. Getting started.

It isn’t until you look at him, cock your head to the side just a little and give him a questioning glance that he realizes he’s worlds behind the two of you. That he’d been so caught up with memorizing your happy expressions, he hadn’t started his own carving.

“You going to do some carving there, Steve?”

It’s teasing. Breathed through careful laughter as your hands still where they’ve started to cut into the pumpkin in front of you, seeds littering the table.

Bucky doesn’t even look up as he answers for Steve, “He’s just scared that my pumpkin is going to turn out better than his.”

Laughter parts full lips. Fans out into the air as ocean eyes shield themselves behind pale lids. Steve can hear your amusement joining his. Your voice scolding Bucky as he finally leans forward and lifts his gaze. Finds that happy little smirk on familiar lips.

Steve sighs another quiet chuckle. “Sure, Buck,” he answers. “You got me.”

Bucky’s eyes flash with a certain fondness. One Steve feels so deeply. One he’s happy to share with the two of you.

And it’s that - the affection resting in his heart - that makes the stress of pumpkin carving better. The number of times he nearly slices off his thumb. The choked laughter from Bucky as Steve struggles to get the basic shapes down.

“Thought you were an artist,” Bucky says.

Bucky’s name is light on your lips. Gentle scolding and a soft smile curling around the letters.

Steve finishes his pumpkin long after you and Bucky. Takes one look at the lopsided, ugly little face he’s carved into the ochre flesh and tilts his head down, chuckling to himself. 

A hand squeezes his shoulder as Bucky moves to stand behind him, muttering a teasing, “You finally done?” before he’s howling beside him. Doubling over and spitting out unintelligible sentences.

He doesn’t care.

He hopes Bucky never stops laughing like that.

“Is it that bad?” he asks anyway, keeping his eyes on Bucky. A metal hand waves in the air, a gesture Steve can’t decipher the meaning of as flesh fingers wipe at a tear that managed to escape one of Bucky’s steely eyes.

You’re coming around soon enough. Draping your arm across Steve’s shoulders and leaning into him. He tucks himself into your embrace, presses his nose to your ribs and feels them shake with your amused words.

“I think it’s cute,” you tell him. Fingers stroke through golden hair as another hand reaches for the stem and places the pumpkin in his lap.

He looks up at you, then. Lets the pads of his fingers ghost over your cheekbone as you lean down and press your lips to his forehead. Whisper, “Just like you.”

And Steve doesn’t really know what to say to that. He isn’t sure what words can capture what your gentle statement makes him feel. What he feels for you and the man trying to squeeze onto his lap, laughing the whole time.

“A work of art you’ve got there, pal,” Bucky tells him, pressing his nose to the side of Steve’s neck.

“Think you’re talking about the two of you, Buck.”

Bucky huffs out quiet laughter but smiles something genuine and full despite it all. Drops a sloppy kiss to the spot just under Steve’s ear and whispers, “Real smooth, pumpkin.”

A chuckle rumbles through his chest. And Steve can feel your amusement, too. Pressed into his side, muffled into his hair.

Steve holds the two of you close, listens to the laughter that fills your home.

His home.

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[felicismagic18873]

Beyond the Blaze(3)

Summary: 4 Years old, Alyssa Potter finds her life taking a magical turn as she steps into a world of cute green giants, talking robots and misunderstood aliens. All of it is almost enough to make her forget the probable destruction of her own world.

Word Count:2.2k

"You daren't meddle with fate." The deep voice echoed in the crystal plains. Her hair floated around her and Melina felt determination and fear grip her insides.

"She is not fated to perish in this way...her destiny lies elsewhere."

It was eerie to look into the abyss and see it looking back. A sweet sound echoed around her and Melina felt like she was being laughed at.

"I see." There was silence for a short while as if the entity was contemplating "What will you have me do, Daughter of magic "

"You marked her," The air grew cold, it was a secret not meant to be spoken, "marked her as your own." She continued insistingly, pushing down the fear that rode up her throat "She belongs to you Death, not to me nor to mother. She can cross over,  you can let her do it."

"And send her to a world unknown?"

Melina hesitated for a while, but she had firm faith in her child. She will find a way to survive. "If it can save her, yes."

"Surely you aren't foolish enough to think there wouldn't be a price."

"I am willing to negotiate." Melina sat down on the ground, this was going to take a while.

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

The howling of the wind made the stone walls seem even more frightening. Professor Minerva McGonagall raised a hand and touched one of the walls. The stone walls that once thrummed with magic felt cold and empty under her fingertips.

"Minerva?" Minerva let out a relieved breath and turned around. She wasn't sure how long she could stand there. A place once filled with the laughter of children, now just a sign of what was coming.

"Are the rumors true, Albus?"

Albus Dumbledore, "I'm afraid so, Professor. But you already knew that." Albus looked at her over the top of his half-moon glasses in his annoyingly endearing away.

"This is it then, the beginning of the end."

Albus chuckled, the voice echoing in the, for once, silent corridor. "Now, now Minerva. Letting go of hope is indeed the most grievous of sins."

"I have to disagree, Albus." She turned towards one of the windows and looked out. "At this point holding onto hope is foolish. Do you not feel it? In the air."

"Feel what, my dear friend?"Albus stepped next to her and she knew he was looking at the same thing as her. The abandoned forbidden forest.

"Precisely. There is nothing to feel. The magic, it's flowing back to Earth. Soon, it will be drawn from our bodies as well. What then, Albus?"

"Perhaps-" Albus looked thoughtful for a while. "Perhaps this was how it was meant to be, Minerva. Maybe time was too tired of waiting for us to change so it took reigns in its own hands."

"And where will this take us?"

"Beyond." Albus let out a small smile." Beyond the petty prejudices and boundaries. Do you not see my dear? This is a trial for us. We were put through one hundred of years ago and came out lacking. She is testing us."

"Who is?" Minerva asked although she had an inkling about the answer.

"The entity whose existence was forgotten over time. Whose wrath and mercy hold equal power. Hecate. The Bestower of Magic."

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

Dawn broke the cold night with a soft burst of color. While the rest of the neighborhood slept unaware Alyssa Potter was sitting on her bed, reading her storybooks for the last time. She had said goodbye to her Uncle, Aunt and Cousin even though it had only earned her,  'She has finally gone mad, Vernon.'

"Its time, Alyssa."

Alyssa broke out of her thoughts looking up with a wavering smile.

"Do-Do I have to Mel?" She asked with a brokenly even though she knew she had to. The magic she always felt around her was leaving. It felt.... empty.It made her feel scared and uncomfortable.

"Yes, You do. But never be afraid, My love for I am with you."

Alyssa smiled and took her hand, feeling the sensation of traveling the way only Melina could.

It is dark, was Alyssa's first thought. It felt like the only light came from Melina and the blackness was trying to take that away as well. She looked up with a question on her lips, before stopping abruptly.

"Mel-Wha...Are you- crying? Why are you crying, Melina?"

"I'm going to miss you my dear heart. J-Just know that all I have done and am doing is for you just for you."

"What are you saying? You're coming with me. Aren't you -Mel?" Melina shook her head with a sad smile. Her eyes looked sorrowful as if she had lost something precious and maybe because she was.

"I am not leaving you here!"

"Ally-"

Alyssa shouted fearfully, "No! She is taking away magic from everyone. You're magic Melina. Wha...If the magic is gone then...You promised Mel...You promised you'll always be there!" Tears rolled down her cheek.

"And I will be. The change won't affect me. It might take some time but I promise we'll see each other again." Melina knelt down, wiping her cheeks with her fingers.

Alyssa took a deep breath, the admission making her racing heart calm" Promise?"

"Promise. Now you need to go, we can't hold back her power for much longer."

"Okay"

"I-I love you Mel."

"I Love you as well. Now go. Just keep walking and whatever happens no matter what you hear don't look back."

So Alyssa did.

She walked and walked until she could no more. Then she rested and walked more. She hummed under her breath. Walked. Walked.

One step after another.

On and on.

Until her body gave out and she collapsed. She could see the light but she could never reach it. It seemed every step she took, it moved further away.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Promise."

Then the darkness took over her.

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

"Let me tell you a story, dear heart." Melina felt Alyssa nod her head from her lap.

Alyssa could feel her eyes dropping but struggled to keep them open.

"At the beginning of time, when Mother Earth Gaea created mankind with her power the other beings also wanted their own creations. Aphrodite created some of the most beautiful creatures, High Elves, and Veela-"

"Elves? Like-Like House-elves Mel? But...But house-elves ar'n't pretty." She interrupted with her wide-eyed question.

Melina chuckled, "No not house elves, you'll understand soon. That is, if you listen." Melina had spent the last few weeks teaching her about different creatures of magic so she wasn't surprised that the thought confused her.

Alyssa buried her face into Melina's dress, smiling bashfully.

"As I was saying, Aphrodite created High Elves and Veela but they lacked the ability to survive in this harsh world. Her creations were too beautiful, innocent and pure. Hence Hecate, the goddess of magic,-"

"Your Mama!" Alyssa giggled.

"Yes, my mother," She caressed Alyssa's head. " gifted them enough magic to survive, as she did with many other creatures like merman and dragons. They repaid her by never forgetting her gift, keeping her at the highest regard. Now as darkness in the hearts of men increased, Hecate gifted the purest of them magic to brighten their heart and balance out the darkness."

"Like the great Merlin."

"Yes, Merlinus Caledonensis was one of the first to be gifted. Mankind flourished with the power, it seemed like all was well." Melina looked far away, gathering her thoughts.

"But darkness it seems never goes out, it just fades for some time." She sighed, " Greed for power made mankind or more specifically wizards do unmentionable things."

Alyssa sat up, looking at Melina with wide eyes. "What did they do?"

"They took and took until there was nothing left. So many creations of magic were destroyed by their hands. They twisted the wishes of their Bestower to suit themselves, they still do. Hecate's children were captured and captivated to make them reveal their knowledge. Killed for a chance to take their power. Most of them chose to return to their Mother, deserting Earth but others could not."

"Did High-High elves des-deser-leave as well?"

"Desert. And yes, Wizards chose to mock them by calling these creatures Elves."

"Oh", Alyssa looked down at her lap "That's not very nice."

Melina's smile had a sad tinge to it, "No it's not. And it has made her angry."

"Your mama?" Alyssa tried to understand the concept of such -wrong- in her mind.

"Yes, she-she doesn't like what they have done using magic. The hurt they have caused, so she wants to take away their magic "

" I understand." Melina looked at her with what seemed like surprise and pride. "Understand what?"

Alyssa looked at Melina with a childlike strength, "When someone gives you a gift, you take care of it. Like-Like when you gave me this," she pointed to the lily necklace hanging around her small neck. "this is a gift. I-I have to take care of it. If I don't that's not nice and you'll take it back. A gift should be protected"

Melina put a hand on her head, "Such wisdom for such a young one. But isn't the point of a gift-giving without expecting something back?"

Alyssa looked thoughtful, "I dunno, I'm just four Melina!"

Melina laughed, "I thought you were a big girl?"

"I-I am! But sometimes I wanna be little too!"

"Okay, okay." Melina pulled her back into her lap, burying her nose into her hair and inhaled the scent that was purely Alyssa.

Alyssa reached out a hand and picked a strand of Melina's hair, twisting it on her finger.

Sometimes it looked white and sometimes it looked yellow, she couldn't understand what color it was, "What happens when she takes it away Mel? Is she gonna take mine too? My Magic? My gift?"

"Not yours, My love. Never yours. I-I promise."

Alyssa couldn't imagine a life without magic. How could magic even go away? It was everywhere! How could- But if-

"But if magic is gone-will....will you go too Mel?"

"No.No, My love. I'll never leave you. I live in your heart you know, just like you live in mine."

Alyssa burrowed in her embrace, something told her she should treasure all the moments they have together.

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

Light. Light and Green.

Something was holding her. Air. Alyssa could feel air in her face as if she was flying on a broom.

Roar

Her eyes opened wide. Green.Blue.

Big Blue Eyes were looking at her.

"Cute Teddy" She giggled drowsily caressing the giants face.

The big green person tilted his head,

"Little Girl okay??" It-He?- spoke loudly.

Alyssa cuddled into the Giant person's chest, "Emmm Yes. But I wanna sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Yes, Sleep."

"Little Girl, Sleep."' Alyssa felt her being lowered down and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No." She cuddled into him, sighing with content.

"No?" She felt the rumble of his chest and shook her head to confirm it.

"No." And darkness greeted her as an old friend.

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

"There is a Tiny person on Hulk. A Tiny Person. On Hulk. Is anyone seeing this? Why is there a tiny person on the Hulk? This is precious. JARVIS-"

"Recorded and saved, Sir."

"I knew I liked you for a reason, you take after your daddy."

"Always a pleasure, Sir." Tony kept looking at the chi-nope! Tiny person, cuddling-cuddling-with the Hulk on his very very expensive and very much damaged couch.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'child' Stark," Barton stated with a tired but amused smirk coming to stand behind me.

And Tony. Just to show Barton what a smirk actually looked like, signed JARVIS to retract the helmet. "Nope. I know exactly what I am saying Legolas. Because this," He gestured around with his arm, he made a mental note to improve the mobility of the suit. " is a no child zone. More so now. Hence the only logical conclusion is that that must be a tiny person."

Hulk was looking at them with a steady gaze.

Barton just rolled his eyes at his antics, "I'll get the child." He stepped forward towards the couch.

"Hulk smash." A low rumbling voice raised the hair on Clint's arms.

"Barton, I suggest you step back." Steve who had just stepped into the room tried to diffuse the situation. Hulk is holding a child, Steve thought hysterically but tried to calm himself. He could fix this, they just needed Banner back,

"Hulk doesn't mean anything by it." Barton stated casually, " Those are probably the only words he knows."  He tried to reach for the child only to be pulled back by Tony.

"Stark! You're wearing a freaking metal suit. Not all of us are super soldie-" His mouth shut as he realized exactly why Stark had pulled him away.

Hulk was growling at them, actually growling. Like a wolf or something-did wolves growl?- Clint just didn't care and stepped back instinctively.

"Buddy, I think you need to retreat. Green Bean seems to like the....child" Tony said the word as if it physically pained him. " Jarv Baby. Face recognition."

"It is already under process. Honestly, Sir." Tony could almost hear the exasperation in his AI's voice and grinned in return.

[bard-secret-santa]

Happy Snowdown

A/N:This is for the Bard Secret Santa on Tumblr. @macabrelamb, I hope you like this. I couldn't decide between Draven or Darius, so... Why not both? Heh. Enjoy! Also, Ao3 link here! [x]

Summary: Darius has just returned from a campaign, but while he wants nothing more than to sleep, his brother has other plans... A Secret Santa gift for @macabrelamb on Tumblr!

Strings of lights, red and green and blue and gold, were all strewn about, flickering and bright against the dusk. Some lined rooftops and windows, while others twirled around bushes. Snowdown decorations littered any free space in entrance-ways, and parked in plain sight through every open window sat Snowdown trees, trimmed with ornaments and covered in tinsel. All around, people flocked to parties and bustled with energy, despite the late hour. Noxus was always crowded, with so many gathered in such tight walkways, shoulder-to-shoulder, Darius found it silly for him to have worn any furs at all. The streets were warm from so many crammed bodies, but at least when people saw him, they stepped aside. 

  It was late, and Darius was long overdue for a good rest. Late nights of strategies and training were draining enough, but he had been assigned to a small faction. An elite force, handpicked by Cyrus, that had traveled to the rough lands of Freljord, where the winds howled and the ice cut. They had seiged and captured a key border fort, and upon their return, the soldiers had been praised for their successful campaign, and given an audience with Emperor Boram Darkwill himself.

  Darius was proud of what he'd accomplished, but he was also tired. His limbs were sore from marching, and as he finally reached his doorstep, he still hadn't decided whether he should take a warm bath or fall asleep on his bed first. The door was bare, the lights off, just as they'd been when he'd left, months ago. The key slid into the keyhole just the same, and the doorway was as finicky as ever, squeaking in protest as he pushed it roughly ajar. He stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and turned the lights of the entrance on.

  "SURPRISE!!!"

  Darius winced at the sound, half-way into a crouch already, before he registered who the voice belonged to.

  There was his baby brother, leaning back on the couch, looking as comfortable as ever. His legs were kicked over the edge, and his boots dangled lazily in the air. Draven's moustache was tidy and trimmed to perfection, and he donned a Snowdown suit, right down to the red, fuzzy hat. Darius had definitely not given him a key to his apartment, but he should have known that wouldn't stop him.

  This was not how this meeting had gone in his head. 

  Before he left, Darius had had a rough argument with Draven. His little brother, upset that he hadn't been chosen for the campaign, had walked away fuming and cursing. Darius himself had been just as frustrated, but had pushed the fight aside to focus on his mission. Now, he was home, and having to confront his brother when he was on the brink of exhaustion was just about the last thing he needed.

  But of course, Draven was as nosy as he'd been since childhood, and endearing though it might be, Darius was simply too tired to match his brother's energy, let alone settle a fight. He relaxed his posture, slipping out of his crouch, but kept his narrowed eyes on his little brother.

  Draven's grin quickly turned downward.

  "Jeez, no reaction? You'd think you were dead inside or something," he said. He made no move to leave the couch, or even lean forward, for that matter; rather, he seemed to settle even further back. "I mean, I know hanging out with frosty cavemen isn't anything like being in my company, but did you really forget how to smile?" Draven gestured at his own face, and he broke out in a wide, toothy grin. "Shee? Laike dish." 

  Darius stood there for a few moments before walking past his brother.

  I'll go to bed, he thought to himself. Draven can wait til--

  "Darius!" There was a distinct clatter as Draven hopped out of the couch and rushed to catch up. "Hey! It's Snowdown!"

  Darius stopped walking, took a deep, calming breath, and turned around.

  "I'm tired," he said. "I've been gone for months, and I want to rest."

  Draven waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, that can wait. You can sleep after this." Draven struck a pose, and Darius would have rolled his eyes if he'd had the energy. "I brought you your Snowdown gift!"

  Darius didn't move. "It can wait until tomorrow," he said again. 

  Draven shook his head. "No, it really can't." He flashed his toothy, curled grin at his brother. "Trust me."

  Darius sighed, raising a hand to rub his forehead in exasperation. Draven always had a way of getting under his skin, but... Darius turned around.

  "Let me unpack first, at least," he told his brother. Behind his retreating form, he heard Draven let out a victory cry. He could almost imagine him leaping in joy.

  Sighing again, Darius carefully placed his pack onto his bed, and began to gently rummage around inside it.

  --

  By the time he wandered back out to the living room area, Darius found that his brother had managed to produce a small tree, feebly decorated with five bulbs and a half-hazard tinsel job. He'd placed it by the window and opened the curtains. He heard his brother humming Snowdown tunes to himself as he sat by the tree. By his side was a small box, wrapped in paper covered in candy canes. When his eyes met Darius's, he grinned, practically glowing with pride.

  "I did the decorating myself," he said, as though it wasn't obvious. "It's not... flashy enough in here, you know?" 

  Darius allowed himself a small smile. "Flashy is for you, not me."

  "Truer words have yet to be spoken," Draven declared, enthusiasm pouring from his voice. Then he sat up taller, eagerness lighting up his eyes. "Snowdown time!" He stood, and the bells on his belt jingled as he pulled the box up with him. "Here." He sat beside his brother on the couch and handed him the box. Darius took it, but he put it down on his other side, then turned to face Draven.

  "We need to talk," he said. Draven made a face; he knew that tone from when they were young. Darius reserved it for only the most serious of situations. 

  "We are talking," Draven replied. Darius didn't bother answering that; Draven slumped forward, looking across the room. He avoided his brother's gaze. He sighed then, and Darius knew he'd resigned himself to their discussion. "Fine... About what?"

  Even though Draven refused to meet his eyes, that didn't stop Darius from seeking him out anyways. His brother was young, but he'd gained a few scars since Darius had left, and they made him seem older, just a bit. Even so, he was still more or less the same spirit he'd been as a child, overeager and proud and quietly, quietly afraid of his shortcomings, afraid of being a shortcoming. 

  "I know you wanted to go on the campaign," Darius said. He had meant it to be quiet, but as always, his voice was gravelly and deep, projecting more than he'd intended to. But he pressed on. "But you weren't ready."

  Draven let out a gust of air he'd been holding.

  "You always say that," he said, "But I've proven myself plenty." His hands clenched into fists against his knees. "But I just didn't want..." He trailed off, then started again. "I'm always by your side. So you going, and me staying... It just... Felt weird. Wrong." He hesitated. "Does that make sense?"

  Darius let out a breath of his own. "You don't need me to stay with you anymore," he told Draven. "You're not a kid anymore. And we have duties, to Noxus--"

  "I know, I know," Draven cut him off. His clenched fists finally relaxed, settling together as he leaned forward. "I'm not saying I need you around to coddle me. I'm not a child. I just..." Draven struggled to find words for a moment. "I want to be... Equal. Your equal."

  Darius shook his head. "Our strength isn't equal. That doesn't make you weak. As you've said, you've proven yourself plenty."

  "Hm." Draven let out a hum, and Darius let him ponder his words in silence. For a time, there was nothing but their breathing and the dusk light creeping through the open window. 

  Finally, Draven looked up to meet Darius's gaze, and he found resolution in them. "You're wise beyond your years, big brother." 

  Darius smirked. "Of course I am." Without missing a beat, he tore into his gift. Draven started, surprised, but he beamed widely as Darius peeled the paper away.

  "It's awesome, I promise!" he said. Darius lifted a penguin snow globe up in his palms. "See?" Draven grabbed it from his hands, turned it upside down, and twisted a key beneath it. A Snowdown tune began to play. "It's so cool!"

  Darius chuckled. "Thank you," he said. He searched the room for somewhere to put it. His eyes fell on the windowsill. "It is pretty bare in here."

  "Exactly!" Draven said. "That's what I was sayin--"

  A thump from Darius's room made him cut off. He stood, glancing down at his brother in curiosity.

  "Go see," Darius said, his smirk growing into a full-blown grin. "it's for you." Draven wandered off excitedly, and Darius looked out the window.

  It was a lovely night, made all the better by a warm home and brother. He was still going to bed, though, right after Draven found--

  "Oh my Gods, is this a--?!" Draven's laughter tumbled down the hallway. "It's a poro! A poro! Oh, Gods, you're heavy, dude... I'm naming him Glory!!!" 

  Darius heard his brother stomping back to the room, squeezing the life out of a fluffy foreign creature, and he met his gaze with a smile. "Happy Snowdown," he said. Draven grinned back, eyes wide and bright.

  "Yeah," he replied, "Happy Snowdown."

[kuchee1]

Kindling

(humour, fluff) 1.8k words of the Zutaraang revival of my heart 2k18, based on this post 💨🔥💧

Summary: Zuko and friends on a cool summer night. If 'friend' was even the right word for people whose current purpose seemed to be annoying him to no end. He wasn't flustered.

Zuko stretched his feet out against the cool, stony Earth. The sun had almost disappeared over the horizon, and a few bugs were beginning to buzz around the fire, settling down and soon enough flying again to capture its elusive warmth. Staying at the Western Air Temple had always been a respite of sorts for him - right from the days when he and Aang would escape here to take even half a day's break from the long and arduous work of putting the United Republic together (and keeping it running), all the way to the present day. Regular Fire Lord duties definitely took their toll too.

He looked around the circle. Sokka and Suki sat across from him, the blanket of evening sky guarding their backs. Toph was perched on a recently-erected stack of her own, feet dangling far above the ground (Zuko figured this was her way of resting her eyes). Aang sat cross legged, tending to the fire in the middle. The altitude up here and the cool breeze tonight weren't really conducive to the campfire atmosphere they had been going for.

Nevertheless, they were here. It was rare enough that the whole gang found themselves free of some duty or the other to gather together these days, and Zuko knew that they were all going to take what they could get. He stretched and lifted his head to let the breeze ruffle his hair. Katara shivered next to him, and he drew his arm around her. Toph was explaining some anecdote to them, but he hadn't been keeping up. The weight of Katara leaning against him, and the cool wisps of her hair brushing his cheek occasionally, might have had something to do with that. Well. He tried not to dwell on that. Instead, he was content to just hear the chatter, which now seemed to consist of Sokka contesting some detail of Toph's story, so really, it was more like bickering now.

He felt calm and he treasured it. It was crazy to think that this was the same place he had approached them a million years ago, offering his services and pleading for their acceptance. They didn't know then, how the course of Zuko's life had depended on their whims. Maybe he should have stopped being grateful years ago, but a night like this, surrounded by friends, made him feel no other emotion more.

Aang, being Aang, had planted the first seeds of Zuko's… renewal. And no, he wasn't being dramatic with that notion.

He was currently twisting his hands in frustration, mouth quirked into an annoyed pout as he worked the fire. It was a little crazy how he still managed to give off that same guileless air he did when Zuko first met him as a tiny, overexcited kid aged twelve; despite being the most powerful being in five nations, a formidable political figure, and even, maybe possibly slightly taller than Zuko.

Zuko took pity on his friend. "That's not how you do it - you need more juice, Aang. Focus on getting the centre hotter, not making the whole thing bigger."

Aang made a face that really should have been less endearing than it was. "Hey, are you telling the Avatar how to firebend?"

"Are you telling the Firelord how to?"

"Oh, not at all, Your Fieriness." He changed tactic, finally concentrating on holding his palm still over the feeble fire.

"I'm just saying, it's not going to keep burning on its own until you make it hotter."

Sure enough, the flames began to glow brighter as Aang continued. Aang glanced at him sheepishly, and Zuko wasn't too big to not feel smug over that. It caught him off guard, even now, after they had worked together for so long. Aang would always take his advice so freely, like he wasn't the one who had saved Zuko, and seen Zuko, and bothered to stay and build Zuko's life again after the war.

Well, not just him. He shifted so he and Katara were leaning on each other. She smelled like the sea, which revealed that she had been back home recently, even more than her relaxed demeanour today did. She smiled and nuzzled his shoulder. It was the rare nights off like these when that normally aching, confusing draw towards them felt almost normal, like it should ease him instead of worry him. It wasn't jealousy, exactly.

He had family. Family that would make his breath catch and his heart stop when he caught them pulling each other close in a corner, but still. He didn't begrudge either of them anything. Not the swift hands Katara pressed over her husband's ears as she embraced him (the same ones that healed Zuko's scars, though not literally, through reassuring touches over their many late night conversations); not the way Aang seemed to melt and sober the moment his eyes rested on her face, an expression that stirred Zuko more than he would like to admit.

Aang watched the fire with a pleased expression. "Well, it looks like I defer to your expertise, Your Hotness."

"Don't call me that," Zuko snapped.

Aang only laughed. He leapt to his feet and sprang in front of Zuko, bowing so deeply that his knees began to wobble under his tunic. "Sure, Your Hotness."

Katara giggled in delight next to him. Zuko grumbled incoherently under his breath. Seriously? He saw the gleam in Aang's eyes as they met Katara's over the fire. He felt like he should look away. He would have envied the way they seemed to understand each other, play off each other, and the steadfast way they could reason with each other; if that wasn't also the main reason she was squeezing Zuko's arm now, full of affection and not fury.

"I said don't." He felt his face flush, caught between them.

Aang's face lit up with pure glee, even by his standards, and that was clearly egging Katara on to join in. She nodded seriously, "Fire Nation etiquette says you must always use the appropriate title."

"It's true, Your Hotness," Aang concurred, briefly looking at Zuko before lowering his eyes in mock deference.

"Shut up, Aang."

Aang and Katara were heedless, clearly having their own conversation via smug looks in firelight. Aang whizzed towards where they sat, not taking his eyes off Katara's for a second, and sat by her feet. Satisfied, he looked up at Zuko earnestly, though his lips were threatening to twitch.

"I'm sorry, but I have to be honest, Your Hotness, " he said, his face the picture of innocence.

What did Zuko do to deserve this? He really, really wished he was imagining the way Aang reddened, despite his tone, but to tell the truth it wasn't that dark yet.

"Careful, Twinkletoes, your wife can see you blushing," came a sing-song reply from their audience.

Trust Toph to make it worse. Zuko put his head in his hands.

"Well," Katara's voice glittered with humor, low and silvery next to him. Was she doing that on purpose? "I like it when he's blushing."

She sidled up so she was resting against the back of the dais, and slid her arm around his shoulders. "And besides, who wouldn't call Zuko Your Hotness?"

Mortified, Zuko opened his mouth noiselessly before closing it again and hiding his face in his hands. "Please, please shut up."

"Touche," Toph remarked, impressed with Katara's reply, as Sokka screeched and mimed gagging into the bowl of mini moon cakes that was making its way around.

Aang, Zuko suddenly realised, was also covering his face. No doubt, it was Katara's comment about the blushing that was the one to put him over the edge.

(Zuko didn't need to admit it for her to know that he silently agreed).

He appreciated the solidarity of that facepalm, until Aang lifted his head and piped up through another bout of giggling, "Your Hotness, I readily defend that statement regarding your hotness."

Zuko would gladly have liked to pass out right then, or have Druk come and rescue him immediately with some important Fire Nation business, if it wasn't for the way Aang beamed up at Katara and him, eyes bright and flitting preciously between their faces.

He wasn't kidding, then. Oh.

Zuko fidgeted, adjusting his collar. He hoped Katara didn't notice, but every bone in his body told him she definitely did.

The snack bowl made its way around to Katara. Immediately she grabbed it with both hands and urged, "After you, Your Hotness."

"Oh Supreme Lord Hotness of the Fire Nation," Aang was whispering solemnly. Suki and Sokka howled in delight, and Aang's expression betrayed nothing. "The mighty and regal Hotness." He pulled Zuko's wrist into Katara's lap and gave it a friendly squeeze, and held on to it, maybe as a strange sort of consolation for the embarrassment, Zuko supposed. Well, it didn't help.

"Hotter than all Firelords past, present and future," Katara added.

"The hottiest."

"Guys!" Okay, now it was more than ridiculous. He felt laughter rise in his chest, despite himself, and that just irritated him more.

Aang was on a roll, "Oh, do bestow that Hotness upon your humble subjects - "

"-Your Fiery, Hotty, Hotness," Katara cooed into his ear. She didn't release him.

Toph's loud laughter echoed the walls as she loudly slapped the stone next to her. Suki stifled hers behind a hand, eyes twinkling. Aang was almost horizontal. It wasn't that funny.

Sokka stood up, shaking his head. His voice was high in disbelief, "O-kay, I think that's all the weird foreplay I need to see tonight," He pulled on Suki's hand, "Come on. I'll see you guys in the morning." Toph followed suit soon after.

Zuko mumbled a goodnight to his friends, Katara and Aang only managing brief waves, still giggling at their own stupid joke. The moment they were alone Aang leapt up to sit on Zuko's other side. He made himself comfortable on Zuko's shoulder, glancing amusedly at Katara across his stiff frame. Their laughter faded away to amused little sighs.

"Uh - guys," Zuko managed, before realising they probably weren't going to budge. He tried to calm himself down a little. Steady breathing. Aang caught his eye, and breathed along with him - something that made him smile instantly (not shyly) despite himself, recalling the days they would practice their firebending with each other.

Katara's arms were wrapped firmly around his waist, and she seemed deep in thought. She nudged his arm until she was under it. Zuko wrapped his arm around her shoulder, breathing in her hair deeply.

They must have felt it, the fast, awkward catch of his heartbeat, yet they were both still here.

That's what family was, he gathered. He sat back and relaxed into it, watching the flames flicker and the moths gather, feeling stupidly grateful for even those tiny things. He was grateful for the cool wind keeping certain other things in check, too.

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

// The Rotten Royals - A look at how fucked up the ‘good’ Royal Family of Spirit of Justice really is.

So having finished SOJ and having had a little time to mull it over, I gotta say that I still find a lot of the antics of the supposed “good” royal family pretty fucking fishy. 

We’ve got an emotionally insensitive king-consort, a skeevy prince and a woefully useless queen, all of whom are fiercely protected by the writers’ mouthpieces in the game.

The title is a little misleading as only one of the people mentioned actually has any royal duties, but the point here is to point out how the writers accidentally made their supposed ‘complicated heroes’ into straight up assholes. 

Each section will be prefaced by a name in case you’d rather just read one section rather than all of them (cause there’s a lot to write)

So, as promised, here’s my little analysis of the Royal Family of Spirit of Justice.

DHURKE

So let’s start off with Dhurke, shall we? Because Dhurke sucks.

Now I’m going to be as fair as I can while still maintaining my grievances. As I’ve mentioned before, I can see where they were going with Dhurke. They wanted him to be the awesome rebel leader who laughs in the face of death and danger, and who roguishly rescues the poor endangered hostages. etc.

And I can accept him as that. I can accept him as a rebel leader. What I can’t accept him as is a reliable, caring or competent father figure.

Since the points are numerous, I’ll put them in bullet form and then expound. Oh look! One bullet per shot in Dhurke’s chest. Nice!

•Dhurke provided no emotional security for either of his sons, sometimes even the exact opposite 

Early on, Apollo recounts a particular story that happened in his childhood; when he was small, he and his foster brother Nahyuta were playing by a river when the two of them fell in. Dhurke quickly rushed to their rescue and scooped them out of the water, insisting that any time they need him, they should call, and he’ll come running (a little hard to pull off for a kid with a lung full of water, but i digress). However, he also proceeds to essentially tell his two toddler aged sons to “suck it up; boys don’t cry” about nearly dying. This kind of ‘manly man’ behaviour persists for the length of his character, despite the fact that he lived in a Matriarchal society that most likely wouldn’t have those kind of roles enforced on their boys.

Later on in the case, Apollo nearly drowns again, and while Dhurke saves him a second time, the moment Apollo comes to, Dhurke proceeds to make light of the situation. One could say he was trying to lighten the mood and comfort Apollo, but the fact that he allows Datz to howl with laughter at Apollo’s expense (not to mention Trucy if I remember correctly,) proves that he doesn't see the situation as very upsetting because Apollo survived, despite what Apollo might feel on the subject. 

Dhurke also appears to Apollo right the fuck out of nowhere, without a single word of warning, after FIFTEEN years of complete radio silence. Apollo is understandably pissed off, but Dhurke makes no attempt to talk Apollo’s feelings through with him OR apologize– he simply does everything he can to play off this awful behaviour as no big deal, and even asks Apollo for a favour. When Trucy gives Dhurke the benefit of the doubt, not knowing their shared history very well (and having Daddy issues of her own), Dhurke immediately suggests Apollo marry her, apropos of nothing– implying he wants nothing more than Apollo to immediately accept him, rather than confronting the emotional issues he started in the first place. 

Apollo isn’t the only victim of this either; when Dhurke interacts with Nahyuta, both his tone of voice and sprites indicate a bewildered sort of patronizing air. He asks why Nahyuta has betrayed his cause, but doesn’t seem to show much actual betrayal or hurt on the subject. The way he treats Nahyuta while talking about his motivations and morality makes it seem like he doesn’t actually care about how Nahyuta feels or thinks– he sees him as more of a piece in his game rather than a beloved member of his family. 

This seems even harsher when we take into account the fact that Nahyuta is doing all of this against his own will– so not only does Dhurke seem completely indifferent to him, but he admonishes him like a child when Nahyuta himself is going through an incredibly difficult time. 

Dhurke doesn’t even trust his own son, not for a second wondering if perhaps there are extenuating circumstances behind his supposed betrayal, despite knowing what kind of a woman Ga’ran is. 

•Dhurke often undermined Apollo’s skills, and kept glaring secrets from him

One of Dhurke’s first orders of business on arrival to America is to give Apollo a plate of sushi and say something to the affect of “wow! you’re doing WAY better than i imagined you would be, son!” which, to someone like Apollo, must sting a lot. Dhurke does say that he believes in Apollo later on, during the trial, but considering the other evidence, it seems disingenuous, and more like he was just trying to pep him up so that he could achieve his desired result. 

Continuing a point from the previous bullet, Dhurke pops right the hell out of nowhere to visit Apollo after years of neglect. Sure, he may not have been able to leave the country, but considering the stuff he did manage to do, there was nothing stopping him from secreting letters to his son. Either way, his motivation to finally visit his son was the fact that he’d run out of time to do just that. He was DEAD, and he knew he had to see his son one last time before he went. Seems kinda sweet.... until you remember that he also went to secure Apollo’s services to help him in the final trial against Ga’ran. 

And thats what brings us to his ridiculous secret keeping– the fact that he kept his death a secret made a load of the final trial an absolute chore to get through. If he’d simply explained to Apollo that he was already dead, a lot of the contradictions in the trial would have been removed, thus making it easier to come to the truth. He actively sabotaged his son’s chances of winning to keep up a useless charade. Because whether he told him then or after, Apollo would have to live with the fact that Dhurke got himself killed before he ever managed to see Apollo again. Sure, letting Apollo believe he was alive at first might have spared him a large amount of initial angst– but in the long run it was an absolutely idiotic move. It put Apollo in deep emotional turmoil while in the middle of a very sensitive case, and directly decreased his chances at surviving the ordeal. 

One could say that Dhurke simply kept the secret so that Apollo would cooperate with him more willingly, thus giving the trial (and therefor the revolution) a better chance at succeeding... but that would simply support my point by showing that Dhurke’s a cold, calculating bastard who used Apollo as an unwitting pawn. 

Either way, his decision to keep his death a secret was deeply disrespectful to Apollo’s feelings, and his refusal to grant important information nearly killed his entire family. 

•Dhurke often put people in needless danger for absolutely no reason at all and performs insanely boneheaded moves for the supposed head of a revolution. 

Let’s start chronologically with a problem that’s been glaring at me from day one. 

Upon becoming a fugitive, Dhurke sent Apollo to America to keep him safe from the dangers in his country. This, at first, seems like a kindly move on his part. But it falls apart when you consider the fact that he kept Nahyuta with him, and the consequences it had.

His decision doesn’t work emotionally or practically, because.... 

-On the practical side, he sent Apollo away to keep him safe, but keeping Nahyuta meant putting Nahyuta through the very danger he wanted to protect Apollo from. Not only did Nahyuta risk imprisonment or death by his association with Dhurke, but he was also canonically ostracized by all members of his society and affectively made a pariah until he became Ga’ran’s right hand man. This makes Dhurke look like he considers Nahyuta his property (being his biological son) rather than a loved member of his family. Sure, sending Nahyuta away to America would leave him childless, but it would assure Nahyuta’s safety, and being with Apollo would mean he wouldn’t be alone. Practically, this would also mean Dhurke wouldn’t have to actively worry about his children’s safety while rescuing Amara and getting the revolution underway.  

-On the emotional side, he sent Apollo (his adopted son, therefor not his flesh and blood) away to a place the child knew nothing of, to grow up an orphan abandoned by his birth and adoptive parents. It’s notable that during flashbacks, Nahyuta calls Dhurke ‘father’, while Apollo simply calls him ‘Dhurke’. These two together make Dhurke look like a callous man who didn’t consider Apollo his real son, or a valid member of his society, and simply sent him away to prevent him from becoming a hindrance. 

Neither option paints him in a kind light, and it makes you wonder what was going through his head at the time. To be a little more meta on the subject; the decision makes sense to the writers, who have to shoehorn this backstory into Apollo’s established past, but they failed to realize how awful it made Dhurke look as a human being.

Now onto the next point. During the trial, Dhurke keeps numerous important secrets, mouths off at the queen and generally behaves very difficultly the whole time. This would be nothing more than an annoyance during a normal trial... except this is a trial where the DC act is in place. And Dhurke knows that.

Dhurke knows full well that if they lose, Apollo, Phoenix, and his entire rebel group (if captured) will be put to death. Yet he continues to act like a roguish piece of shit the entire time.

This makes Dhurke look almost sociopathic– he cares more about being rebellious than the safety of his own son and numerous other people. Because he’s already dead, his line of reasoning appears to be “well, i’m dead! who cares if they kill me?” which once again means that he’s completely disregarding the other lives he has on the line by putting them in this predicament in the first place. 

As mentioned above, not telling Apollo about his death put major obstacles in Apollo’s way to winning the trial, thus putting him in grave danger. If we assume that Dhurke was trying to spare Apollo’s feelings for as long as possible, you just want to shout “Apollo’s life might be a little more important than his emotions right now, Dhurke!”

This leads me to my second... third? Point.

Correct me if I’m wrong, because I’m still totally mystified on this…

Why did Dhurke take Maya back to the hostage situation? 

Dhurke rescued Maya from Inga and got himself killed (in the most idiotic and short-sighted way possible– good job o glorious rebel leader) and then asked Maya to channel him so that he could visit Apollo for the last time.

Ok, that seems all very well and good. Except... why would he take Maya back to the hostage situation he rescued her from?!

This was days after he’d saved her life, and even more importantly, he knew that he had done so. It wasn’t like with Dahlia, where she didn’t realize Maya was the one channeling her– Dhurke knew full well why he was still on earth, and who he was cruising around inside (which also makes his actions in the cave a little nasty too– being pretty careless with MAYA’s body, aren’t you, Dhurke?).

Returning Maya to the hostage situation not only put her in danger, but it also allowed Ga’ran to put forth her evil plan in the first place. It’s not clear if Dhurke knew about the plan from the beginning, but if he didn’t, there’s literally NO reason for him to make the “exchange” for a girl who isn’t there. In fact, why did Inga even think he still had a hostage? Dhurke rescued Maya days ago.  What the hell was anyone thinking?!

Let’s say this does make sense; let’s say that both sides “collaborated” for different reasons to bring this sham together so that we could have the trial of our final case (Ga’ran wanting to crush the rebels, and Dhurke wanting to crush Ga’ran).

- If Ga’ran knew Maya was already rescued, what reason would she have to assume that Dhurke would return with her, rather than taking her to safety?

-If Dhurke knew about Ga’ran’s plan, why wouldn’t he try to sabotage it and expose Ga’ran right then and there?

The entire ending of the game, including Ga’ran’s plot, seems to hinge on completely backwards actions. I really cannot fathom why Dhurke would bring Maya back to a hostage situation he’d already rescued her from. 

Granted, for this point I will say that the plot is so convoluted that I may be missing something that makes sense of it... But considering the quality of the writing, I doubt it.

The final point I will save for Amara’s section, as it concerns her. But rest assured, it is an ENORMOUS plot hole.

NAHYUTA 

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. Sad-mad indeed. Not only is Nahyuta a complete ripoff of Simon Blackquill (who in turn is a ripoff of Miles Edgeworth and Jowd) but he’s an even more unlikeable ripoff of said character.  

Right from the beginning, Nahyuta is presented as a smug, holier-than-thou douchebag who uses the excuse of “it’s my religion!” to treat people abominably. 

His accusations are shaky at best, and his reasoning seems to be less fuelled by logic and more by malice. During the two turnabouts he faces in America, Nahyuta claims the defendant would kill over incredibly trivial or easily manageable matters, and claims that he's completely right because... karma..? Yeah– his Prosecutor Power isn’t even ever explained, and rarely brought up. We know Simon is a manipulative bastard, but Nahyuta’s “karma” powers are never satisfactorily explained in any way, shape or form. 

His odious nature is amazingly difficult to deal with, and the poor attempts of Lol Foreign Guy humour they throw in barely makes up for it. Godot was an asshole, but he was charmingly eccentric and charismatic. Edgeworth was an asshole, but he showed proper logical thought in his deductions. Franziska was an asshole, but she and Edgeworth share the Von Karma excuse, as well as also being quite clever in her rebuttals. Simon was an asshole, but he had a generally good reason to keep up his nasty behaviour. 

Nahyuta? Well, he shares the same excuse– he’s trying to protect someone by acting the part of the evil prosecutor. Except... he only really has to do that while he’s under Ga’ran’s eyes, e.g., in Khura’in.

While in America, Nahyuta has NO excuse to act like such an insufferable prick. Not only does he force his religion’s dogma down others’ throats (which would be equally obnoxious if it were any other religion, say, Christianity) but he’s actively malicious for no good reason. As I’ve mentioned before, but must mention again– He directly tries to use Athena’s PTSD against her to make her unfit to act as Defence.

When we get to the reveal, Nahyuta claims he’s being blackmailed with his sister’s safety into submission by Ga’ran. However, this doesn’t explain WHY he has to act like such a terrible person. He could very well have simply acted as a devout, if civil prosecutor, doing what Ga’ran asked of him without any further malice. But let’s say he put on a horrible facade to further placate Ga’ran.

Then why does he keep up the charade while out of her line of sight? If he truly hates his situation, as he says, one would think he’d find foreign trials to be a welcome respite from his terrible, exhausting act of villainy. 

But no– he gleefully flings self-righteous abuse at foreign lawyers, while in THEIR COUNTRY, serving under THEIR LAWS. And this, combined with the fact that he only puts up a resistance to Ga’ran when Apollo already has her on the ropes makes him look like a bully who actively enjoys his power, and quickly defects to align himself with whoever is suddenly on the winning side. 

AMARA 

And at last we come to Amara, who is the least malicious and most mysterious of the three. 

Amara is held up by the people of Kura’in as a just, benevolent queen who brought them prosperity and peace. Her death is greatly mourned by her people, and much rejoicing is had when she returns to them.

But is Amara really that great? Well, considering the circumstances, no.

Amara’s excuse for siding with her villainous sister is the same as her sons; she’s scared of what will happen to Rayfa if she disobeys. 

Now, while it’s never directly stated, this is supposedly what prevented Amara from simply revealing herself to be still alive, thus dethroning her horrible sister. 

But there’s a window of time that doesn’t match up with this excuse– and that’s during her pregnancy. 

Here’s the excuse the game gives us: 

- Amara claims that she didn't trust Dhurke when he rescued her, which is why she returned to her sister’s service.

This is most likely a lie, because she says so while still under Ga’ran’s power. But if it IS a lie, it makes no sense why she wouldn’t out her sister at the nearest available moment. 

If she trusted Dhurke, it would be easy to deduce that Ga’ran was behind the initial arson. After all, the chain of events went thusly:

Amara’s house nearly burns down, but she miraculously survives. Her sister claims that Dhurke caused the blaze, and encourages Amara to fake her own death to ward of any further assassinations, meanwhile giving Ga’ran the crown. Ga’ran keeps Amara under house arrest and has her make it look like Ga’ran can channel spirits. Ga’ran puts a law in place that outlaws defence attorneys, and makes defence of criminals punishable by death.

When Dhurke convinces Amara that he didn’t set the blaze, then the only logical (or at least, deeply suspicious) culprit is Ga’ran. 

If neither Amara nor Dhurke realized this, when putting their respective stories together, they’re colossal idiots. If Amara DID realize this, then her inaction is inexplicable. And finally, if Amara really didn’t trust Dhurke... then the writers of Spirit of Justice are implying that Rayfa is a child of rape. Because I highly doubt a woman would willingly consent to sex with a man she believed tried to kill her. 

Later on, there’s a second excuse for why Amara didn’t try to challenge her sister.

- Amara was a kind soul who loved her sister, and didn’t want to hurt or mistrust her.

Well this is absolutely ridiculous. If Amara simply didn’t out her sister because she loved her, then she’s an absolute shit queen. This means that she cared more for her sister’s peace of mind than the wellbeing and safety of her own people. She was foolish enough to believe that the woman who framed her husband for murder and usurped her crown would be a fair and just ruler. And letting– LETTING her sister impose the DC act meant that she was indirectly responsible for the oppression and death of many of her people. 

Her inaction during her time on the run with Dhurke cost her country hundreds if not thousands of lives, culminating with that of her own son.

One might say that Amara might not have been safe enough from Ga’ran’s forces to reveal herself– yet, she was protected by Dhurke’s rebels, and the royal guards would most likely have still been loyal to her at that point, especially if she revealed that her sister couldn’t channel (which appears to be the only reason they follow her. what a delightful system they have in place)

Even during the time when Rayfa’s reputation (and possibly life?) is at stake, Amara makes no attempt to even try to oppose her sister. She simply sits idly by while her people suffer and die under her sister’s iron-fisted regime. Sure, it would probably be dangerous to attempt, and it would be a tragedy if Rayfa’s life was taken in the process... but compared to the hundreds of other families destroyed by the DC act and Ga’ran’s corruption, it seems like a smaller price to pay. Sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions for the good of their people –something that is deeply impressed upon poor little Rayfa throughout the game– and Amara fails to rise to the challenge. 

So in the end, Amara’s portrayal makes her look naive and childish at best, and callous, apathetic and neglectful at worse. She is, at least, certainly not the excellent queen everyone makes her out to be.

In general, the Sahdmadhis are all kind of assholes. And what’s most depressing is that if the writers had put just a little more effort into writing them (instead of having other characters mindlessly extol their virtues), they wouldn't have been. With a few simple dialogue/story tweaks, Dhurke could have been a complicated, but ultimately sympathetic and loving father. Nahyuta could have been a deeply conflicted but ultimately virtuous person in a desperate situation. Amara could have been an intensely tragic character who tried to protect those she loved, but was ultimately rendered powerless by forces beyond her control. 

But strangely enough, it seems that all the failings the writers accidentally heaped onto these three are completely absent, or explored in depth in...

RAYFA

Little Rayfa, only fourteen years old, who has been spoiled and abused all her life, somehow manages to be a better person than all her family combined.

Once Rayfa is exposed to a different way of thinking by Phoenix as early as the third case, she begins thinking critically about her situation and actions. Despite being a child, and being raised to think a certain way and never question it on pain of... well, something horrible, Rayfa not only shows a surprising amount of compassion for her stunted moral growth, but actively defies her “mother” several times. She puts herself in a surprising amount of danger to help two people considered criminals in her country– simply because, despite her conditioning, she sees something wrong with the situation, and wishes to fix it. 

Rayfa stands tall where Nahyuta cowers, she reaches out where Dhurke pulls back, and she looks deeper where Amara looks away. 

If this were intentional on the part of the writers, it would be a deep and interesting moral. But considering the context, Rayfa is just accidentally far more heroic and sympathetic in comparison with her family.

As I said during my play-by-plays, I don’t loathe Spirit of Justice, and I think the game introduced some interesting concepts and ideas. It simply failed to play them out with any sort of competence. I don’t judge anybody for liking Dhurke, Nahyuta or Amara, but I can’t sit idly by without pointing out the piss-poor writing job the characters had. 

You can’t just write a character who makes terrible decisions, and then make them “good” just because everybody else says so. A complicated character needs effort put into their portrayal, and this effort is simply something that the SOJ writing team didn’t bother with. 

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the characters are out of luck. We’re role-players– writers! We have the power to fill in the gaps the original authors neglected or forgot. There’s hope for the royal family yet– it’s just not in the hands of Capcom.

[werenskheeyyy]

Surprise - Auston Matthews

How could you not like that smile???? Absolutely unreal, what a cute human.  Also I like how this turned out and I hope you do toooo!  Much love pals! <3

Word count: 992

Warnings: just fluff!!

Request: “Heeeey, could you please write an Auston Matthews imagine, one where you end up pregnant, and his reaction! Thank youuuu, your writing is amazing 💕💕” - @jessicaa1994

Up next: Teuvo Teravainen

************************

“Are you sure? Like you’re not reading it wrong?” your friend questioned from the doorframe of the bathroom.  

You silently nodded, sitting in the counter and staring at the little stick in your hand.  Your friend moved to stand beside you, the two of you sucking in a breath as the reality hit you, you were pregnant.

“When are you gunna tell Auston?” she asked quietly.

“I should tell him as soon as possible, but definitely in person.”

“What about on Wednesday when he gets back from his roadtrip?” Y/F/N suggested.  Today was Monday so it gave you a couple days to prepare.

You nodded in agreement, “that’s perfect, then I can figure out a cute way to tell him” you smiled, eager butterflies already building in your stomach.

“He’s gunna be so excited to be a dad!” your friend grinned, giving you a huge hug as you jumped off the counter.

“I hope so!”

You and Y/F/N spent the rest of the day brainstorming ways to tell Auston the big news.  You decided on customizing Leafs jersey’s, one for Auston that said ‘Dad’ on the back and another for you that said ‘Mom.’  You were going to plan a photo shoot and wear the jerseys and that’s how he would find out!

*****************

It was now Wednesday and Auston was supposed to be home any minute.  Your stomach had been in knots for the past couple days with anxiety and excitement.

You sat on the couch playing on your phone when you heard the front door unlock.  You jumped up, rushing to the door to meet your boyfriend.  “Aus!!” you squealed, jumping up and wrapping your legs around his waist.

He stumbled back a step but then steadied himself, grabbing the bottoms of your thighs and letting out a chuckle, “I’ve missed you!”

You leaned your forehead against, “I’ve missed you too!” you murmured, slowly leaning in to press your lips to his.

Even though you had only been apart for a week it always felt like so much longer, you just hated not having Auston around.  Your lips moved in sync for a couple moments then you both pulled apart breathless, you letting out a giggle.

You placed your feet back on the ground and looped your arms around Auston’s neck, “so I know you just got in and probably want to sleep for days but I have a little surprise for you!”

Auston grinned, “of course I wanna sleep but who can say no to a surprise! Especially when you planned it!”

“That’s the spirit!” you pecked Auston’s lips, grabbing your purse which had the jersey’s hidden inside and dragged Auston back out the door and to the car.

****************

Auston placed his hand on your thigh and told you the highs and lows of the road trip, mixing in a couple stories about Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner doing karaoke on the bus, which really didn’t surprise you.  You were howling with laughter by the time you pulled into the parking lot for the beach.  

“What are we doing here?” Auston questioned as you both hopped out of the car.

You walked along the path to the beach, walking hand in hand, “well this is where you asked me to be your girlfriend all those years ago and I thought we could have a little photo shoot since our anniversary is coming up!”

“Aww how cute are you!” Auston pressed his lips to the top of your head, snaking his arm around your waist as you walked.

You made it to the beach, meeting up with the photographer.  He gave you directions as to where to stand while you and Auston posed.

“Oh that’s a good one!” he yelled, crouching down to get different angles.  Auston pulled you in for a hug, resting his chin on the top of your head.  You smiled as the nerves began to build up again with the big reveal getting closer.

“Hold on one sec!” you said to the photographer as you ran over to get the jersey’s.  You gave one to Auston, and slipped yours on, making sure he didn’t see the name on the back.

You hopped on his back for a cute one of him piggybacking you, you pressing your lips to his cheek.  “Perfect!  I love that!” the photographer called.

You hopped down, the photographer saying he wanted one of the two of you sitting on the sand looking out at the ocean.  You both sunk down, Auston putting his arm around your shoulder and you leaned into him.

The camera went off a couple times then he asked if you wanted to take a look at some of the pictures, Auston nodded and stood up.  His eyes grew wide as he saw the pictures, realizing what was going on.

“Wait” he stuttered, “are you…?”

You slowly stood up, a couple tears forming in your eyes as you smiled, “yea” you said quietly.

Auston’s face broke out in the biggest grin you had ever seen.  “I’m gunna be a dad??” He picked you up and swung you around in a circle.

You threw your head back in laughter, “you’re gunna be a dad!  We’re gunna be parents!”

The photographer clicked the camera capturing the priceless reactions from the two of you.

Auston set you down and pulled you into his chest, placing one hand on your cheek, pulling you in for a tender kiss.  Your lips met his and you felt the passion behind the kiss.  “I love you so much” he murmured into the kiss.

You pulled back, “I love you too Aus, I’m so excited to start this chapter with you!”

“I can’t believe this is really happening” he shook his head in disbelief, “We’re gunna have a little Matthews running around the house.”

You grinned at him, “ready to be called daddy?”

He gave you one of his signature smirks, “absolutely, and not just by you!”

[kaitoujokerscans]

Reminiscence Diamond Memory CH1

Notices from three phantom thieves...!!

"Under the full moon tonight, I'll come to take Mr. Nabakov's 'Beyond Twilight'! Phantom Thief Joker"

"Tonight, I'll be taking 'Beyond Twilight' from Mr. Nabakov's posession. Phantom Thief Queen"

"At the party held at the Nabakov residence tonight, I'll take 'Beyond Twilight'. Phantom Thief Spade"

<1> Thieves at the Party

A sumptuous party was held at Mr. Nabakov's manor that night. A broad courtyard stretched across the front of the grand mansion. In the center, a pond with a lit-up fountain spurted water. Placed around the pond were gourmet dishes from all over the world, and close by acrobats displayed their remarkable skill with balls and knives. The courtyard was filled with wealthy persons invited from every country imaginable: both gentlemen in well-tailored suits and fine ladies in sparkling dresses graced the party. At the edge of the throng, two men stood side-by-side with champagne glasses in hand discussing the party.

"Keeeh, it's so vexing, indeed! Calling me to a party as ostentatious as this just to gloat! Nabakov is indeed an utterly boorish man!" spat Mister Kaneari disparagingly. With disagreeable eyes set in a large rectangular face and a gaudy golden scarf draped over his white suit, he was the very picture of noveau riche. A giant ruby shone on the hand he held his glass in, demanding attention.

"Ha ha, you're just as boorish as he is." The gentleman with grizzled hair beside him chuckled. Cadillac, who had also been invited to the party, was Kaneari's old friend.

"Shut your mouth, indeed! I indeed came to make a deal, to buy his diamond 'Beyond Twilight'!"

"Hoho, 'Beyond Twilight'. I saw it earlier, but I heard that Joker had sent a theft notice for it." Phantom Thief Joker -- a miracle maker and the world's greatest thief. Trotting all over the globe, he makes a show of stealing treasure by use of surreal tricks, as if he were a magician. Both Kaneari and Cadillac had been targeted by him before and experienced bitter defeat.

Cadillac's eyes hovered toward the courtyard terrace. A tent had been set up in the terrace, displaying 'Beyond Twilight' within. It was a large diamond that boasted an exceptional cut. The name likely came from the slight red tinge it had. The women invited were all captivated by the diamond. To tell the truth, it would be no exaggeration to say this party was being held to show off that very diamond.

"Joker indeed has nothing to do with it! If I buy the diamond before Joker steals it, its safety is guaranteed!"

"On the contrary, I believe that would be more precarious... Haven't you heard that Nabakov has prepared the latest security systems for the diamond?"

"Ho ho ho, they pale in comparison to my mansion's security devices!"

As Cadillac sighed in exasperation, a man approached the two, guffawing loudly. "Geheehee! Kaneari and Cadillac! How are you two enjoying my party so far?" It was the lord of the manor and the party's host, Nabakov. He wore a golden suit and jangling gems around his rotund body, and both a strange accent and the smell of liquor emanated from his mouth. By all means he looked to be just as boorish as Kaneari.

"Enjoying this remarkably dull party, indeed! Let's complete this transaction so I can retreat already, indeed! Kaneko!" At Kaneari's call, a bespectacled woman in a suit appeared out of nowhere, handing Kaneari a box of manju with a small gesture. "These are indeed my specially-made 'Mister Manju'!" Opening the box marked with Kaneari's face revealed a check of substantial face value lying on top of manju buns. "I'll exchange this for 'Beyond Twilight' and return, indeed."

Nabakov simply leered, not even touching the check. "Geheehee, about that... I've decided I won't be selling 'Beyond Twilight'."

"Eh? But why?" Kaneari's eyes widened in surprise.

"Notices from three thieves came for it. Phantom Thieves Joker, Spade, and Queen, were they? If three phantom thieves are after the diamond, doesn't that make it quite the prize?"

"Wha... Joker, Spade, and Queen, indeed!?"

"Geheehee, that's right! From what I hear, you've had plenty of your collection targeted by Joker and been worse off for it. But you've never had three target you at once, I'm sure?"

"Ghh..." Kaneari glared at Nabakov, biting his lip.

"That's why I won't be letting you have it! Don't hold a grudge over the matter, gehehe!"

As Nabakov began to laugh even more coarsely, Cadillac, who had been silent until now, spoke at last. "Now I see. That's why you upgraded your security."

"Heeheehee, that's right, Cadillac! The security is the very latest in voice recognition technology, designed to respond only to my name!"

"Hoho, that's impressive! As I recall, your full name is Nabakov Hamrose, correct?"

"It's 'Nabakov Pomidor'! Are you going senile already, Cadillac?"

"Hahaha, my apologies. With your permission, I'll continue to enjoy the party," Cadillac replied with a refined smile.

"Geheehee! I don't mind if you eat as much as you like. I'm sure you don't eat this well every day, anyway. Geheehee!" Nabakov glanced at the Mister Manju once more, then walked away, leaving unpleasant laughter in his wake.

Kaneari shrieked as he watched Nabakov from behind. "Geeeh, what an attitude he has! I've never been so insulted in my life, indeed! What an oafish, dim-witted, hard-headed hack of the lowest level!" Kaneari's face was red with anger.

"Don't let it bother you."

"Bother me! I was mistaken from the start to attempt to bargain! Kaneko, we're leaving!"

As Kaneari turned heel and started to walk clumsily back, Cadillac glanced up. "Hm?" On the manor's roof, two silhouettes were standing in front of the full moon. "That's..."

At Cadillac's exclamation, Kaneari looked to the roof as well. "Joker, indeed!?" A commotion spread through the guests as they all gazed up. Standing on the roof was not Joker, but a handsome young man wrapped in a white longcoat. His long and straight blue hair and violet scarf fluttered in the night wind. The ruffled crest of yellow hair above his brow glistened in the moonlight.

"It's Phantom Thief Spade!" cried out Cadillac.

Spade nodded softly. His mellow voice echoed in the darkness of night. "Heh, that's right. I'll have to interrupt your good time."

"Kyokyokyo! The show is starting!" voiced the slim silhouette beside Spade. It was Spade's assistant Dark Eye, their face hidden behind bandages.

Nabakov shouted back. "So Phantom Thief Spade is the first to arrive! Capture him!" At his command, the performing acrobats threw their knives toward the roof in unison. Several dozen knives flew straight toward Spade and pieced through him! -- or so it appeared. Spade and Dark Eye's bodies were burst like balloons by the sharp edges of the knives.

"Gehe, what happened!"

"Ha ha ha. Mr. Nabakov, please don't underestimate me. That was a dummy made out of image gum," Spade's voice explained from somewhere.

Let me explain!

Image Gum is one of the phantom thief tools used by Joker, Spade, and Queen. An image formed in the mind is transferred to the gum through the nervous system, and by blowing the gum, it can be formed into any shape. The thin film can even faithfully recreate a human form. However, as the creation is only an effigy, the gum should not be able to move without someone inside it...

"How!? It was moving as if it was really alive!" Nabakov howled.

Spade answered in lilting tones. "Did you know? Humans judge if something's alive by the movements of the head and eyes. Thus, if only the head of a distant dummy is moved by thin strings, the human brain is tricked into thinking it's alive," said the real Spade as he and Dark Eye suddenly appeared standing beside the tent where "Beyond Twilight" was kept.

"Wha- when did they!?"

"We walked over while everyone was looking up."

"Kyo kyo, you let down your guard."

"Now then, I'll be taking 'Beyond Twilight'." The moment Spade reached for the diamond, a shadow descended from above and ripped apart the tent.

"...!"

"Hold on." Standing between Spade and the case was a lone girl. The girl wore white clothes accented with red, her long and shining blonde hair tied into two tails. In contrast to her cute exterior, there was a long sword in her hands, and her sharp, cold gaze was fixed on Spade. "That diamond is my target, Spade."

"Queen, I'd appreciate it if you didn't get in my way."

The girl called Queen wordlessly shifted her stance, pointing the sword at Spade. "Looks like this won't be over without a fight..." Spade slowly moved his hand to his hips, preparing for battle as well.

However, Nabakov broke the silence between them. "Catch both of them!"

"!" Spade and Queen quickly came back to reality. "Right, this isn't the time to be doing this." "First we have to get the diamond!" The two of them instantly turned around. Queen split the case clean in two, taking the diamond inside. As she did so, Spade blew up two portions of gum. They were a formidable combination.

Just as the acrobats' knives were about to hit them, the three of them, including Dark Eye, held the inflated gum above their heads and gently began to float up.

Let me explain once again!

What they are using is another phantom thief tool called Balloon Gum. The exhaled air reacts with the gum's ingredients, producing a gas far lighter than air. Thus, the inflated gum is able to lift up an entire person and hover freely.

"Adios, Mr. Nabakov!"

"The diamond is ours!"

"Kyo kyo~!"

As the three of them approached the roof, looking down on the furious Nabakov below, they could hear a voice calling. "Queen!" A long-eared white dog on the roof was looking up at them: Queen's partner, Phantom Thief Dog Roko. Roko's body had been modified in experiments on animal evolution and he could now understand and speak human language.

"Roko, what's up? We've got the diamond, let's go!"

"Please wait! Don't you think this is a little strange?"

"Strange?"

"Spade-san and the two of us, we aren't the only ones after the diamond, right?"

"...You're talking about Joker?"

"Yes. We snatched the diamond with no problem, and Joker hasn't even shown up."

To the side, Spade stroked his chin. "True... Why hasn't he shown up?" He pondered. The three of them had already taken to the sky, diamond in hand, so all that was left was to board the airship and make their getaway. There wasn't any opening for Joker to take the diamond away from them... Meaning...

Queen had reached the same conclusion. She closely observed 'Beyond Twilight' in her hand.

"Ho ho ho! Spade and Queen are running away already, indeed!" Kaneari's roar came from the courtyard, laughing as if he were deeply pleased. If what he wanted couldn't be his, better that it be carried off by thieves. Let it be taken by force! He had always had a hard time himself, but it was so exhilarating to see the treasures of others taken! "That impertinent Nabakov has finally had one pulled over him!" Guffawing, Kaneari made no attempt to mask his foul thoughts. Perhaps because of that, he was completely unaware that Cadillac, who had been standing beside him the entire time, was no longer present.

§§§

Cadillac had escaped the ruckus in the courtyard and was now climbing the stairs of Nabakov's manor. He reached the third floor, and upon making sure there was nobody around, quietly leaned into the shadows of the hallway. The next moment, Cadillac's body started to expand, soon becoming round, and then burst with a "pop!". Cadillac had been a disguise made of Image Gum. Inside was a young man in a suit. He wore a blue shirt and yellow necktie, covered by a narrowly tailored, bright red suit. Glistening silver hair stuck out from under a stylish blue silk hat decorated with a checkerboard pattern. A purple cape swayed on his back, and a golden broach in the shape of the letter "J" shone on his chest. Phantom Thief Joker had appeared!

Mischievous eyes shining from under his softly draped bangs, Joker grinned. "Phase complete, Hachi." Joker looked up at the small ninja boy riding on his shoulders.

The boy called Hachi jumped down with with a thump. "Right. But Joker-san, why go through all this trouble?" he asked. Hachi was Joker's assistant. His eyes, peering out from under an aqua hood, were still guileless.

"That's obvious. We're going to steal the real 'Beyond Twilight'!"

"Huh...? You mean the one in the tent outside isn't the real thing?" The two of them walked down the hallway, their feet making no sound.

"That's a downright fake. When you look at it from close up, you can tell that the brilliance is wrong."

"So that means... Mr. Nabakov was displaying a counterfeit from the start?"

"Probably. I bet he got too scared to show off the real one when Spade, Queen, and I targeted it. Just a quick look in that dark tent wouldn't be enough to tell it was fake! In short, the real diamond is hidden somewhere else!" Joker stopped in front of a large door at the end of the second floor hallway. Upon checking that the door was locked, he took a playing card from his pocket and inserted it into the door crack. The quiet "poof!" of an explosion came from inside, and the lock was undone. Inside was Nabakov's bedroom. A luxurious king-size bed stood atop a shaggy carpet thick enough to bury one's ankles. There was a small bedside table by it, and the walls were crammed with an assortment of paintings.

"Now then..." Joker surveyed the room, then approached the small, innermost painting in the room. "This painting is from a different period than the rest. Which means..." He gently lifted the picture off the wall to reveal a microphone-equipped machine built into the wall. "Bingo."

Joker pushed a button. "Conducting Voice Identification," announced a robotic voice. Joker took a small device out of his pocket, fiddled with it, then pushed a button. The conversation he had at the party earlier began to play. "As I recall, your full name is Nabakov Hamrose, correct?" It was Cadillac's voice, who Joker had disguised himself as. The device appeared to be a miniature recorder. Nabakov's voice came on next. "It's 'Nabakov Pomidor'!" The built-in machine beeped in response. "Verified as Mr. Nabakov," rang the robotic voice again.

"Gotcha."

"I see, so you disguised yourself as Mr. Cadillac so you could get Mr. Nabakov's voice!"

"Heh heh~" Joker cackled in triumph. Behind him, the bedside table rose with a rumble.

"Wahh, what's happening?"

"That's where the real 'Beyond Twilight' is hidden. Now then, I hear the genuine diamond has an amazing brilliance. It's got a red tinge, so they say the light of the beautiful sunset of Ireland is sealed inside!"

"Wow, I'm looking forward to it!"

The table rose to the ceiling, revealing a tough-looking rectangular glass case. However...

"Joker-san, where's the diamond?"

"Huh~ that's weird..." Joker tilted his head. The case was empty. "Did he get suspicious and change the hiding place..."

"Hm, Mr. Nabakov is pretty good too."

"No, you're wrong." Upon hearing the man's accented words, the two hurriedly turned around. Nabakov was standing in the doorway and brandishing a small gun at them. "'Beyond Twilight' isn't here anymore..."

"You moved it somewhere else because you knew that I was after it?"

"No..." Nabakov shook his head dejectedly. "'Beyond Twilight' was taken..."

"What!?" This was the first Joker had heard of it.

"The other day, I lost a gamble at the Underground Casino, and 'Beyond Twilight' was taken from me... I held this party to get contributions from people who could fund my enterprise..."

"I see. You didn't really have a treasure to lure guests with."

"That's why I'd be in trouble if anyone found out..." Nabakov glared coldly at Joker, gun pointed straight at him.

"Ghh..."

"Joker-san!"

Joker was visibly agitated. Nabakov's finger hovered over the trigger. "You'll die here, Joker!" At that moment, the sound of something being sliced apart came from above. A circular chunk of the ceiling fell down with a crash. "Wh-What!?" A figure descended amidst the three and cut apart the gun in Nabakov's hand. "Wha...!?"

"Really, so that's what it was!" Queen, sharp sword in hand, had come through the collapsed ceiling. Beside her were Spade, Dark Eye, and Roko.

"So the diamond on display was a fake. That's why you didn't show up." Spade sighed.

Joker grinned. "Haha, you found out."

"You were in trouble there."

"There's no way Joker wouldn't have come."

The three of them looked at each other and smiled.

"Ohhhhh! What am I to do!" The exclamation ringing through the room made them all turn at once. Nabakov was on his knees, crestfallen. "If this many people know the diamond is fake, I'm ruined! I won't be able to raise money, and my enterprise will fail!"

"You know..." Joker composedly approached Nabakov. "We don't really care at all about your secret, to be frank. All that matters is that 'Beyond Twilight' isn't here."

"What?"

"So chill. We won't be telling anyone else about your secret. Right, Spade, Queen?"

"Yes, of course. Go ahead and swindle all the greedy rich people you want."

"We're not interested in anything besides treasure."

"So rest assured! Straight Flash!" Joker waved his cape and pulled playing cards out of his pocket. When he aimed the Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, and Cinque of Hearts at Nabakov, the cards radiated a blinding light.

"Gah!" Nabakov closed his eyes and looked away on instinct. The light eventually faded, and by the time Nabakov could see again, the three phantom thieves and their assistants were gone without a trace.

[pixiescribbles]

Chapter 3 : The Interrogation.

We were walking down the spindling stairs to the dungeons underneath the guild. I had no idea that the guild actually had a dungeon. I knew we had a cellar where they keep the booze, but apparently we had a dungeon underneath that! Who knew?! Well, I do now and honestly I wish I didn't know. It's a scary place, and Happy keeps on scaring me!

"Happy! Can you stop? One more jump scare and I might fall down the stairs!" I complained while trying to keep some balance on the tiny steps down. My plea, however, didn't work. A few minutes later, Happy flies by with a loud "BOO" and startles me the moment I try to place my foot on the next step. But because of that stupid cat, I miss the step and am now, again, falling face first. I can't see the bottom of the stairs yet so I suppose we still have to descend some more. Oh man I'm gonna be black and blue after falling down these. I try to brace myself for some kind of impact but it never comes, I am floating mid-fall embraced in some arms. As I turn to see who, I see Natsu has his arms wrapped around my waist to stop me from falling. He is hugging me against his chest securely, as if to make sure I don't slip again.

"Oi, Happy! Knock it off! We need Lucy in one piece for this mission, making her fall off the stairs won't keep her in one piece!" Natsu scolded Happy. After Happy apologized, I wanted to continue descending, but noticed Natsu still had his arms wrapped around me

"Eh, Natsu? You can let go of me now." When I turn back to look at his face, it looks like he's blushing, but he hides it by turning his face away so I couldn't see properly.

"Y-yeah, s-sure" He stutters. Is he shy about something? He lets me go and we continue down the stairs to the dungeons. On entering the dungeon we find Master Makarov, Erza, Mira and Laxus there. Gray, Wendy and Carla follow us soon after. Once Gray spots where I am he makes his way over to my side and cups my face in his hand, caressing his thumb over my cheek and gives me a smile.

"Now that we're all here, let the interrogations begin, shall we?" Master announced with a hint of malice. I'm kind of confused, why do we need so many people here for the interrogations? As if reading my thoughts, Natsu went and asked the question for us.

"Master, why are there so many people here for the interrogations?"

"We'll Natsu, you and Lucy need to observe their mannerisms if you are to impersonate them. And Erza is leading the interrogation." This still isn't really answering why the rest is here, and it seems like Carla feels the same way.

"Then there's no need for Wendy to be here."

"Actually, there is. We don't expect them to give us the answers we're asking them. We might have to use some, alternative, interrogation techniques. We will need Wendy for healing."

"My god, you're gonna torture them?!" I'm not sure what I am hearing, since when do we torture people?

"Only if we need to. Erza can be herself during the interrogation, Laxus and Mira will be interjecting when they won't answer. Gray is here as back up, if Laxus and Mira's method wont work." Master calmly replied. Wendy, Carla and I all wear the same look of horror on our faces. I look over at Gray and he can't fully meet my eyes.

"Did you know about this?" I ask him with horror in my voice.

"Yeah, I did. Master asked me the other day when we captured them. Sorry I didn't tell you." Gray admits, looking guilty. I'm horrified. I didn't picture him as a torturing kinda guy.

"Look Lucy, I'm only here as back-up. With Laxus and Mira there, I highly doubt they will need me." Gray pleads with me.

"It's okay Gray, I understand. This situation is just a little much to take in at the moment." I smile at him. I can't really blame him for not telling me, I probably would've done the same thing if I had to. We enter the dungeon we hold the 'prisoners', they are seated on chairs with their hands bound behind their backs. I go and take a look at the man. He has such a handsome face with cerulean blue eyes, deep hazel brown hair and a jaw line so sharp it could cut Erza's cheesecake perfectly. And the woman is also really pretty, she's got big emerald green eyes with long curly lashes, long blonde hair down to her waist and high cheekbones that accentuate her face. This is a beautiful couple. I can't help myself from staring at them.

"What are you staring at?" The blonde sneered, looking me dead in the eye.

"I-"

"We're not here to answer your questions. We are here, so you can answer ours." Erza demanded, walking towards them with Laxus covering her left and Mira covering her right. They look utterly terrifying. Hell, I would be peeing myself if I were in those chairs, but they look like they're on spring break, basking in the sunlight on the beach!

"First things first, state your name and your objective!" Erza demands of them, but they don't seem eager to oblige.

"It doesn't seem like they want to talk do they, Laxus?" Mira steps forward with her ever friendly smile while Laxus only grunts in reply, leaning with his back against the wall. The whole atmosphere in the room changed, but it seems only we noticed it, because everyone takes a step back.

"Now, please don't be shy, tell us your name and what your objectives are." Mira says, same smile on her face but her eyes are gleaming different this time. The woman in the chair noticed too and decided it was a good idea to spit in Mira's face. I gasped. Natsu and Happy gasped. Everyone in the room gasped. Mira is still standing in front of the woman with a smile on her face. I look over at Laxus, who looks furious. There is an electricity current in the room, and its radiating off of Laxus.

"Did you just do, what I think you did?" Laxus growled at the woman, taking a slow step closer while the lightning flashing off of him is almost unbearable to stand around. The woman and man seem unimpressed until they realize who exactly is in front of them.

" You.. You are.." The woman stammers, clearly in some kind of panic.

"You are the Demon, and Lightning Dragon Slayer… The Lightning Demon couple." The man stammers in distress. He looks over to his wife, and back to Laxus closing in on them over to Mira, now with a cleaned face, still standing there with her kind smile who has her purple demon glow over her.

"Please, please don't hurt my wife! I'm sorry she disrespected your lady, Sir Dreyar, sir! We'll talk, we'll tell you anything you want to know!" The man howled, but Laxus didn't look like he was going to stop, as he continued to walk towards them. He stopped next to Mirajane, as she set her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright dear, they're willing to talk now. No need to continue ruining our hair with the electricity current in this room." Mira joked with Laxus while placing her hand on his cheek to calm him down. He immediately dropped it at her touch. He looked at the prisoners direction one last time and scoffed a threat their way about touching Mira again, then walked out of the dungeon. I'm surprised they gave in so easy.

"Now I'll ask you again, state your names and objective!" Erza stepped forward again after Mira and Laxus put up their show..

"We are William and Bella Thorns. We're the representatives of a dark guild called Screaming Shadows, although you already knew that. We were sent by our master to meet up in Crocus at a bar called Vile Beers." William began

"I've heard of that place! Apparently its on the outskirts of the capital, close to the mountains. The food is okay but the beer is, well, vile. It's not something you'd wish your enemy would drink." Gray whispered in my ear. This is, weird information. Now I have this vision of Gray drinking this beer and spitting it out straight away. It's not a charming thing to imagine.

"The master sent us there because we received a letter that some dark guilds from the other continent wanted to make some alliances before crossing the border, we were sent there to see if they has something interesting to offer." Bella explained. As I glanced over to the table behind them, I noticed keys, golden keys. They were celestial keys!

"Are those celestial keys?" I asked the woman. She looked up at me with a smirk on her face.

"Why yes they are. The golden keys are my latest victory. Now I have Libra, Pisces and the mystical Ophiuchus keys in my possession." Bella belts out followed with a maniacal laughter.

"Every dark guild knows about my victory! And it's only been a week since acquiring them! I haven't made a contract with them yet. So I should do that very soon." She continues boasting about how she was able to get the keys. Bella has Yukino's keys? I can't believe it. How was this able to happen? Tears fill my eyes, and without realizing what I'm doing, I'm reaching for Fleuve d'etoiles. I'm ready to kick her ass, defenseless or not. I start to run over to her but am held back by a few arms.

"Lucy, don't it's not worth it!" I hear Natsu say, while holding on to my arm.

"Lucy, calm down. You can't let her get to you this way, calm down." Gray is at my other arm, his hand over mine gripping the whip trying to relax my grip so I let go of it.

"Natsu, Gray! Take Lucy out of here, you are done for today" Erza orders, and they both drag me towards the stairs.

Upstairs in the guildhall we find an angry Sting, trashing around the guild hall.

"They're here?!" Sting yells out when he sees us.

"The wizards that attacked Yukino, they're here?!"

"Yes they are, but calm down. We have them in our custody for a mission." Gray tries to explain.

"They attacked Yukino! She's been lying in the infirmary for about a week now!" Sting cries out. I feel so bad for him. I know just how he feels, I mean I almost attacked the woman a few moments ago. I walk over to Sting and in attempt to calm him down I place both my hands on his shoulders.

"I know how you feel, trust me. But it's not worth it, trashing and raging around like this. Yukino need you now more than ever. I'll take care of her keys, and return them to her once this mission is done." Sting just looks at me with surprise, followed with gratitude.

"Lucy, thank you. Thank you so much!"