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bimboamyrose · 4 years ago

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On the Scarlett Sea Part 2 / 2

A ~Pirate~ Metamy Fanfic - [Link to Part 1 & Synopsis] - [AO3 Link]

In collaboration with @mmm-asbestos & their pirate Metamy AU Happy 2021 everyone ❤ ❤ ❤

Part 2

There was no natural light to be found in Amy’s room even in the morning. The ship was incredibly quiet as it sailed on calm waters with its skeleton crew. This combined with the lack of any sort of alarm made it very easy to sleep- maybe too easy. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG! Amy had no idea what time it was and felt disoriented and started when she awoke in the dark, unfamiliar room. CLANG, CLANG, CLANG! The metallic pounding on the door would have sufficed to wake a village.

“Alright, I’m awake… Hang on…” Amy turned on a small desk lamp and stumbled through the dimly lit room to its door. Little more light entered the room. “Where…” she nearly missed the small robot that had awoken her until he tapped her leg. “Oh… which one are you?” she squinted.

“That would be H1.” Metal Sonic stood just down the hall with arms folded neatly behind him.

Amy turned her attention to him groggily. “Why did you wake me…”

“You’ve been in there for 16 hours. I thought you might be dead.”

She blinked at him incredulously. “What time is it?”

“About noon, local. Would you join us on the main deck?”

“Why?”

He stood stoically, looking apathetic. “Aren’t you bored?”

“Are you?”

There was no response from Metal except a mechanical scoff, as if letting out steam. He turned back upstairs without another word. Amy grumbled something under her breath and took her time getting ready with whatever she could find in the room. When she emerged, H1 was still standing guard in front of her door, staring up at her blankly. She stepped around him awkwardly, his gaze following her as she went. Okay, less cute...

The midday sun left Amy squinting on the upper deck. She found Metal Sonic standing nobly right at the bow, watching the seas ahead. Might as well…

Amy came up next to him, mimicking his stately pose. “I had to sleep in this dumb outfit, you know.”

“You really must stop being so irritating when I cannot properly roll my eyes at you.”

“Pft-” Amy tried to hide a snicker. This amused Metal. “So… No clue how far this treasure is, huh? I wonder how long it’ll take.”

“I estimate no more than 12 days; That is how long it takes to navigate to the border of this sea at our velocity.” He glanced down to find a grouchy look on her face. “But… may be quicker.” Unless it’s in a different sea entirely , he kept to himself.

“Great,” she sighed. “So, what do you plan to do for up to 12 days?”

“Hm…” Metal brought his thumb and forefinger to his chin. “... we could spar.”

She whipped her head around to face him. “Again with the swords? What’s with you?”

He shrugged “I learned about the art while researching pirates. I believe I’ve mastered it but I would like to try with a worthy opponent.”

Now it was flattery. He really was impossible to understand. “Well thanks, but I don’t know the first thing about sword fighting- and it sounds like you don’t, either.”

“I assure you, I know plenty ,” he challenged, looking directly at her.

“You can’t learn how to fight by reading about it,” she scoffed.

“Well, perhaps you can’t…”

She raised a brow. “You know, you’re really gonna have to get used to ‘organic’ limitations soon. Unless that’s not really what you want…”

Metal could see that the girl was still doubtful about his intentions. She was unexpectedly clever- he supposed exploiting her kindness would only go so far. Perhaps he should try to limit himself for the time being. “You misunderstand. I am capable of mimicking movements as part of my programming. I don’t usually use weapons and simply wanted the ability to defend myself once I gave up this body.”

“Right…” If it was a lie, it wasn’t a bad one. Maybe he really was bored. “So is there a way you could teach me without all the sharp bits? Something tells me only one of us would get injured, and I’m no mechanic.” A sly smile found its way onto her face.

Now that was an amusing reaction, he thought, if only because she was so quick on her feet. A low snicker radiated from Metal as he beckoned her away. “We shall use the prop swords… for now.”

The pair soon took to the main deck with its wide-open space. Amy did what she could to tie the ridiculous skirt up at her waist and out of the way. Then, Metal Sonic tossed her a cutlass which held a surprising amount of weight when caught. It looked just like a real sword.

“Uh, are you sure these are props?”

“They are real antique swords, but they have been dulled. I assure you they won’t break your skin… Unless I want them to.”

It was hard to tell if he was joking. Ignoring it, Amy jumped out, holding the sword ahead of her with her feet spread. “Well, this doesn’t seem so hard.”

“That is because your stance is appalling.” Metal came up next to her, demonstrating the “proper” way, his pose looking much the same as hers. Her confusion was evident as he described the stance. “Keep your back foot out at a 90-degree angle… sword arm bent at 45 degrees… your feet really should be 91 centimeters apart-”

“Okay, you need to stop throwing random numbers at me,” she pouted.

“Alright…” Metal dropped his sword. With his hands at his hips, he took another look at how she posed. Then he kicked her back foot into the right position.

“Hey! You could be a little more gentle, you know.”

“Very well,” Metal made an exasperated motion as he moved behind her. Amy tried to follow him with her eyes but he grabbed the top of her head and turned it away. “Look forward. Now…” He extended his reach around her, using his hand to lift her elbow slightly. She shuttered a bit at the cold touch. “Does it feel a bit heavier now?”

Amy cleared her throat. “Ah… Yeah, a little.”

“One more thing,” he grabbed her other arm by the bicep, pulling it back toward him forcefully. “Keep this behind you, unless you’d like to lose it.”

A slight gasp escaped her lips at the abrupt movement. She tried to remain unphased. “Okay… Now what?”

He pulled away and stepped to her side. “Try a lunge. Extend your sword.” Amy lifted her elbow, fully extending her sword arm forward. “Good. Now, push off with your back foot to lunge forward.” She did as instructed, jumping forward slightly. “Again- Keep your back foot at the correct angle this time.” Amy’s eyes rolled in her head as she tried the motion again, focusing on keeping her body aligned. “Better… Try it as one swift motion.”

Awkwardly, Amy pushed her sword hand ahead and propelled herself forward all at once, losing her footing slightly. “Ugh! Wait-” Taking a deep breath, she tried the move again. And again. And again. Metal patiently watched her determination as she became slightly better with each thrust. It was so amusing to see the sheer effort it took her. The 16th time was the charm, as she was able to lunge swiftly without losing her footing. “Ha! How was that?”

“... It was fine. Anyone can do it once, though,” he derided.

“Hmph. Let’s see how many more I can do, then.”

To his surprise, Metal didn’t seem to get bored with such basic practice. Her tenacity was enjoyable to experience and she took instruction well, even if she stumbled. Metal moved on to demonstrating how to parry and eventually had her practice the motions together. Around two hours into practice, he came up in front of her, pointing his sword. “Not bad. Why don’t you try to parry an actual lunge?”

“Actually, can we stop for now? I kinda haven’t eaten anything all day.” Amy stood naturally, holding the sword down in front of her with both hands. She went from threatening to sweet in a second.

“Oh- Yes,” he brought his sword down to his side. “Of course. And I should check that we are still on course.” She handed him her cutlass hilt-first but he refused it. “Try carrying it on you. I’m concerned you may forget it’s not as easy to summon as your usual weapon.”

“Pft- You’re concerned about me? That’s new,” she smirked.

“Do not confuse it with amity,” he said flippantly, walking off toward the helm. “You know where the galley is.”

“Whatever, weirdo…” Amy affixed the dulled sword to her waist by the side, undoing the ties that kept her skirt girded around her hips. How anyone got things done with such a cumbersome garment, Amy did not know. The choice of theme still didn’t make much sense to her.

-----

“That should do it,” Tails closed up a hatch on the ship’s engine. He gave the operator a thumbs-up and before anyone knew it, the loud humming and rattling indicated that it was once again fully operational. Some of the crew hung around, cheering, as one of the cameramen leaned in close to the boy.

“Color me impressed.” Rouge sat atop a stack of crates watching the operation. She now wore a much more official-looking fitted navy pantsuit and captain’s hat. “All fixed in under 24 hours! Any chance you’d like to become a permanent member of the crew?”

“Thanks, but I have my own crew,” Tails laughed.

She pouted with a slight sigh. “Suit yourself…” She hopped down from the stack of crates, floating her way up toward the stairs. “I’ll let the crew know we’ll be moving soon. Everyone here, back to your posts.” The cameraman scrambled to shift his focus and follow her up.

A few of the crewmates patted Tails on the back and congratulated him as they got ready to return to their posts. Tails made some small talk until they’d all filed out a few minutes later.

Knuckles stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. “Finally, we can get a move on. Do you think we’ll catch up to Amy and Metal?”

Tails nodded. “It’ll take a couple of days, but yeah- this ship’s faster.”

“Amy’ll have to hang on ‘til then…” Knuckles held up the compass that Rouge had recovered- it was identical in size and shape to his except that it was gold rather than brass. The arrow pointed in the same direction, though the inscription on the back was different. “ The time has come to find me- it is my turn to bleed. -Scarlett .” The boys found it kind of creepy, but it seemed to serve the same function so it was good enough.

“ Attention all crew: the ship is now fully operational. We will be setting sail in 30 minutes. ” Rouge’s voice was heard over the intercom.

“That’s our cue- come on.”

-----

Back on Metal’s ship, Amy sat on the edge of her seat. She’d brought her lunch back up to the deck and got comfortable under the roof of the helm watching H3 and H4 work. The two little robots ran from task to task, tying various knots and doing whatever one does on an antique pirate ship, sometimes stacked on top of one another for height. Amy clapped in amusement any time they finished something, much to Metal Sonic’s annoyance.

Once they were done, the pair scrambled up the stairs to the helm and gave their master their signature salute. “Very good. That is all for now,” he told them. Rather than scurry off, H4 threw his arms in up, catching H3, who balanced on his brother’s hands with his own.

“Oooh!” Amy clapped and giggled at the silly display while Metal groaned. H4 tossed the other in the air and switched to a handstand himself as H3 landed, their soles connecting. Then H3 rolled into a ball and his brother spun him on the soles of his feet. Amy had burst into full-blown laughter. “Wow, you guys are talented!”

“That’s enough,” Metal interjected. He was authoritative but not harsh in his tone. His henchmen complied, both standing back up on their feet. They waved to Amy as they scuttled off to the lower decks.

“Those guys are fun- did you teach them that?” Amy wiped a tear from her eye as the laughter subsided.

“ No. They were programmed to entertain for some reason. It was not my doing.”

“Well, they’re pretty good at it.” Amy leaned back in her chair, taking a sip of iced tea she’d made to go with her meal. She fanned herself in the heat. “Hey, are they gonna do the same?”

Metal was examining his sharp fingers, having found a scratch in the chrome paint job. “The same what?”

“You know, the same wish. To be organic.”

“What- oh, no,” he shook his head. “They are not the same as me. Or should I say, I am not the same as them…”

“How so?”

Metal had to be careful with his words. “Well… their AI is very simple. They are trained in certain tasks and to look for the right reactions in others as they do so. They’re quite simple- no real ‘emotions’ to speak of.”

Amy placed down her glass. “But you have feelings?”

“They are… simulated. But yes, I suppose you could call them that.”

“Huh. And I thought you operated on blind rage alone,” she chuckled.

Turning to her, Metal leaned an elbow on the railing to his side. “More like… spite.”

“Ha- is that what you feel for Sonic?”

“You could say that.”

The surroundings grew quiet in the absence of Metal’s minions. There was little noise but the gentle swaying of the sea and perpetual whirring from his turbine. Amy closed her eyes and listened as the sails waved in the wind, leaning back so the breeze sailed through her hair to cool her down. The air moved across the soft locks that flowed from her quills. She gently swiped them away when they blew over her face, her sleeves billowing lightly. When her eyes opened, she found Metal staring at her rather intently.

He turned his head away, looking back toward the wide-open deck. “Shall we continue our lesson?”

It was strange, the way he looked at her. She could almost swear there was a yearning in his gaze. She began to seriously consider that he could be telling the truth about his intentions. “Sure, just give me a few.”

Amy hardly noticed how much time had passed during the impromptu “training.” She found that it was much more enjoyable than she anticipated; learning a new skill was fun and Metal Sonic was a surprisingly effective teacher. There probably wouldn’t be time to become proficient at it, but learning to wield a sword was probably at least more entertaining than lounging around the ship most of the day. Still, as daylight dwindled, she was exhausted from the constant exercise and was ready to break for the day. Metal Sonic, for his part, didn’t ever seem to slow down, and was now demonstrating how to perform some combos.All part of being a machine , she supposed.

“Hey, it’s fun watching you and all, but I’m really tired.” She stretched her arms up warily. “Can we stop?”

Metal stopped his demonstration and stood upright. “Hm- Yes, it has gotten late. Will you continue tomorrow?”

Why did he look so excited about teaching her the ropes? Amy wondered how he normally spent his time if he found this to be so entertaining. What else was she going to do out at sea? “... Yeah, sure. It’s fun.” Her smile was sincere this time.

“... Indeed. You don’t learn as slowly as I thought you would.”

“Gee, thanks,” she chortled. “I’m gonna freshen up.” Amy tied the practice sword around her waist and mocked a salute at Metal. She saw his shoulders rise momentarily as if to give her a single laugh. The scenario still felt strange, but Amy was remarkably calm- relaxed, even- as she returned to her temporary accommodation. It was dark by the time she felt ready to leave her room again. It was too early for bed and there was nothing to do, so she returned to the main deck with her lantern in hand.

It was empty. No henchmen, no Metal Sonic- just the swaying ocean and sound of her heeled boots against a hardwood deck. She wondered if she’d have experienced such tranquility while traveling with her friends. Tails’ boat was so much smaller and the three of them already felt like they crowded the space. She missed them. They must be so worried…

Unsure of what else to do, Amy laid down on the bare deck to stare into the dotted sky. It was cold and hard and a bit damp, but the stars overhead were so vibrant she swore she could almost reach out and touch them. She passed some time finding any constellations she could identify in the summer sky.

At the sound of a door creaking open, Amy turned her head toward the captain’s quarters. Metal Sonic stood in the doorway, catching her in his gaze. Only yesterday the sight would ignite Amy’s battle instincts; now she just remained still and silent. There was no reason to fight. It was odd.

Metal looked into her eyes for a minute until she turned her face back to stargazing. His heavy, metallic steps echoed across the empty deck as he approached her. He was otherwise quiet. Metal loomed over her for a moment before joining her, laying next to Amy on the wooden floor and wondering what was so fascinating about the night sky. The way it illuminated out at sea, far from the light pollution of Eggman’s airship and other hiding places, was unlike anything he had seen. He could see why she was so interested.

Amy started giggling after a minute. It was so absurd! They’d normally be trying to rip each other to pieces, but here they were stargazing together.

Metal turned to face her. “What is so amusing?”

“Nothing… Just that, this reminds me of before. Back when you couldn’t talk and I couldn’t fight- you’d kidnap me and we’d just sit there without a word.” The memories weren’t the most positive, but the idea was laughable now. She smiled.

“Ah- yes. Well, I can talk and you can certainly put up a fight now.”

“Yeah,” she giggled. “I had to become strong ‘cause… Well, I was looking for my own freedom, I guess. Like you.”

So she was really beginning to believe him after all. Metal thought that should have been an accomplishment, but his body failed to produce a positive response in his program. What should have translated into pride instead felt like... guilt? That was new. “Did it pay off?” he asked after some silence.

“Well, I got kidnapped again but other than that,” she shrugged playfully.

“Yes, that was… unideal.”

“I get it,” she sighed. “I probably wouldn’t have helped you otherwise. No offense.”

“That is understandable.” Metal turned his attention to the glittery sky, mapping the stars. He was never very interested in it, but he recognized all the common constellations- although they didn’t make sense to him. “Tell me, can you identify constellations?”

“Yeah, I know a few.” She pointed up toward a cluster of stars. “Like… Hercules. It’s pretty prominent this time of year, and it’s easy to recognize.”

“I am familiar with the legend, but this set of stars does not resemble a man…”

“Oh! You gotta, you know, connect the dots.”

His optics allowed him to do that automatically, placing lines between each of the stars in the correct order. The constellation resembled a square with a line coming from each corner, but not a mythical hero. “They are… just lines.”

“Hm… I guess that one’s pretty abstract. How about…” she moved her pointer finger across her vision. “Cygnus. It’s a swan.”

“I have seen swans. This does not look like one.”

“You gotta use your imagination a little!” She scooted closer to him, holding out both hands in front of his face. “See how it kinda looks like a cross when you connect the dots?”

“Yes...”

“Okay. So, the shortest side of the cross is the tail, and the opposite part is like a long neck.” Amy traced each of the stars as she addressed them. “So then, where they cross…”

“Hm… Wings?”

“Yeah!” She giggled. “See? Not so hard.”

It was not how Metal would have chosen to depict a swan. The dots and lines that made up Cygnus were only conceptual, after all. “Perhaps I’ll understand better once I accomplish my goal…”

“Maybe,” she sat up. “Don’t worry if you don’t, though- most of them are nonsense; It’s just for fun!”

That seemed even more pointless. He sat up as well. “I do not comprehend it.”

“You will,” Amy assured. “Things don’t always have to make sense, you know?”

He found some understanding in her words, although “sense” it did not necessarily make. It was amusing, though, he admitted to himself. “I suppose I will.”

They sat chatting a while, Amy trying to explain the meaning of various constellations, Metal doing his best to imagine the abstract figures she described. As clouds moved in and the sky became less visible, the topic moved on to Metal’s interest in pirates. He spoke at length about the life and history of Captain Scarlett and her elusive treasure.

“According to accounts, she used the mirror to become the ‘greatest pirate alive’ and gathered most of her riches during this time. Soon after, her wife, Beryl, became ill and was unable to travel- that is why there are so many letters between them. After Beryl’s death, Scarlett disappeared. It is not known what happened to her or her ship- she likely became shipwrecked and drowned.”

“That’s so sad,” Amy commented. Her eyes were slightly misty.

“Well, piracy had its hazards. Still does. I have a book-” Metal turned his head away, looking intent.

Amy tried to see what he was looking at. “What is it?”

“I hear thunder…” A few seconds later, Amy heard it, too, as a light drizzle began to fall upon the deck.

“Oh, I don’t want to get wet again-” she sprang up.

“To my quarters, then.” Amy sprinted to the safety of the double-doors while Metal followed behind slowly. He was listening for further thunder and determining wind speed. Going in after her, he called to his henchmen, who were sitting at his table playing cards. “H3, H4- Lower the sails. I need to steer.” They both clinked their claws against their heads and jumped past him to start the task.

“Is everything okay?” Amy shook a bit of rain from her hair.

“A minor storm. Stay here.”

Although she had seen many badniks in and around water, Amy worried the rain could affect him. “Will you be alright?” They were both a bit surprised at her question. There was an unexpected tenderness in her concern.

“Yes,” he responded softly. “I am built to withstand worse.”

Amy nodded and he closed the door behind him. It was just her and H1 in the room now. He sat at the table still, cards in hand, and turned up to look at her. She smiled awkwardly, remembering this was the one who was hanging around in front of her room all morning. He patted the chair next to him, inviting her to join.

“So… What are we playing?” He stared at her silently. “Oh, right- you don’t talk. Uh… Go Fish?” H1 gave her a quick, violent nod that made his joints squeak obnoxiously. “Okay, okay! I’ll set up.”

They got two rounds in, H1 pointing at the deck whenever Amy needed to “go fish.” He won the first set but she bested him in the second, and they were now playing to break the tie. The storm outside was intensifying, heavy rain pounding on wood and thunder growing louder.

Amy was studying her cards closely, trying to decide which pair to go for next, when H1 sprang up, making a bee-line for the double-doors and running out into the open deck. “Why did he-” She gasped as her chair slid back and several pieces of furniture were pushed to one side. It didn’t last long as the ship rolled the other way, causing her to crash back into the table with an “oof!” That was more than a bit worrisome. She listened as the thunder and rain grew louder, the ship continuing to sway. Then, a huge crack of thunder boomed in her ears, followed by the sound of splitting wood. Amy quickly made her way to the main deck to see what was happening, immediately being pelted by rain and seawater.

The lower yard perpendicular to the foremast was cracked and practically broken in half, being held together only by H4’s coiling grip. She saw H3 pulling ropes, weighing down that side of the lower foresail to reduce stress on the beam. Metal Sonic was barking orders from the quarter deck above. Amy ran up to the helm just as H1 propelled himself in the opposite direction, toward the bow. His one glowing eye blazed when he spotted her.

“What are you doing? I told you to stay inside!”

“Don’t you guys need help?” Amy held onto the railing as the motion caused her to slip and slide on the wet floor.

“H1 is hoisting the jib, there’s nothing more to do but steer. Get inside, now!” Just then a towering wave came up to their port side. He was sure Amy’s featherweight would be blown off-board if she left the helm now. “Argh! Come here-” Metal steered in the opposite direction, trying to ride it out without capsizing. As the boat rolled, Amy stumbled to his left side and he pulled her in, putting her between himself and the wheel. He held her by the waist with one arm while the other remained affixed to the steering device. “Don’t drown!” he barked.

“What-”

The wave swallowed the elevated deck, leaving Amy and Metal completely underwater momentarily. Metal’s heavy body remained unmoved while her feet were swept off. She’d have been washed away- or at least violently slammed into the railings and water-logged- if he hadn’t affixed his iron grip around her. As the water passed over, Amy sputtered, having swallowed a huge gulp. A whining set of beeps came from ahead of them.

H3 was pointing up frantically, indicating that the top corner of the sail had torn off the yard by the rope. The sail flailed wildly around him until he took hold with both hands again, stabilizing the bottom once again. If the sail ripped any further off the mast it would fold over and become worse than useless, sending the ship to one side with its imbalance. He would send one of his henchmen up if they weren’t already securing half the mast.

“Damn that torn sail,” Metal cursed under his breath.

Amy coughed into his chest in front of him. “Tell me how I can” cough “help!”

He took to his mind frantically, calculating out all the different scenarios in which they would survive if the vessel capsized. He wasn’t too worried about his crew; they could take a beating and were waterproof. But the girl… Whether he kept her by him or sent her away, she had little hope of survival if the ship went down. Their only hope was to hold on and reaffix the sail.

Reluctantly, he made the decision. “The sail needs to be mended. Steer.”

“No!” cough “I can fix it-”

Another wave was about to wash over them. “Shut up and take a breath this time!”

Amy was just able to take in some air before they were engulfed by saltwater for a second time. As it cleared, Metal glanced back at the torn sail. He could fly up and do what he could to reaffix it, but steering the ship and knowing when and where to turn was a lot harder than it looked. He was able to calculate the safest angle with which to navigate into the waves and keep the vessel balanced. Someone without any knowledge on the subject, however...

If she could get high enough, Amy wouldn’t have to worry about being washed off the vessel so long as he kept them upright. “Can you climb?” he asked her.

Pushing her wet hair out of her face, Amy answered. “Yeah!”

“Take that rope and climb up the mast- reaffix the sail by the eye. Here, use my sword to cut the rope. Do you understand?”

Amy nodded. There was determination in her eyes as she took his sword and booked it to the ratline.

“Hurry- Before another wave hits.”

She climbed, struggling against the wind as it vibrated the taut ladder. Water weighed down her long skirt as she went. Once at the top, another wave washed over the main deck, causing the vessel to roll once more. She held onto the ropes for dear life, unsure of how to get to the end of the adjoining yard. Amy turned her gaze in every direction frantically- how do people usually get up there? I could shimmy , the thought, but what do I hold onto?

Despite Metal’s ability, the ship was difficult to control without the proper sails. He felt uncharacteristically apprehensive watching Amy climb as he steered between waves, as if ready to lunge for her if she were to fall. Another wave was now threatening to roll the vessel from the starboard side, so he did his best to focus on steering.

Glancing down, Amy got an idea. She wrapped an arm through the tightly woven ropes and used her free hand to pull out the sword, then promptly sliced through the top of her skirt, revealing the black half-slip beneath it. It was easy to tear off from there and use as an impromptu support system. Amy tied the length of maroon fabric to the yard above her, leaving some room between it and the knot. She hoisted herself up and carefully made her way across the beam on her belly, twisting and dragging the fabric with her. Once she reached the tear, she said a prayer and dropped her body down onto the circle of hanging fabric, hoping it would act as a hammock to support her while she worked.

It wasn’t perfect, but it held. Amy couldn’t believe how high she was, supporting herself with only a bit of fabric on some creaky wood. She was able to do as Metal Sonic had instructed, hanging precariously from the beam and taking hold of it when she felt too much turbulence. Once she’d replaced the rope through the eye of the sail, it was just a matter of getting back down.

A melodic set of rings and tones came from below her. Amy smiled when she spotted H1 on the crow’s nest some feet down. He reached up, uncoiling his extendable arms to pick Amy up and lower her to him safely. “Oh thank goodness,” she threw her arms around the little robot and hugged him close. “I thought I was gonna die up there!”

The vessel was noticeably more stable now that the jib was functioning and the mainsail was secured. Amy heard a whistle and noticed Metal Sonic signaling for them to descend. Climbing down the ratline proved much faster for Amy without the deadweight around her waist, and she rushed back to the helm to see what else needed doing. H1 was already working to tie up the broken beam.

“How are we doing?” Adrenaline rushed through her as she asked.

Metal was taken aback by her excitement; She really seemed to have a knack for putting herself in danger. “Better…. Good work.” He noticed the change in her wardrobe then, but said nothing.

“Oh, it was easy,” she lied. “What else do we need?” They rolled again, listing starboard, and she grabbed onto his arm for balance.

He acted quickly in bringing her between him and the wheel again. “Nothing. We- I need to steer us around the storm.”

The proximity was slightly discomforting now. Amy flushed as she turned away from him to look toward the bow. But the constant motion didn’t allow her to leave his side just yet; They swayed backward while climbing another wave then leaned forward as the vessel crashed down over it. Amy couldn’t stifle a yell when the ship descended, Metal pulling her closer to him still. He wouldn’t admit how much alarm his body was producing as he saw the high chance of tipping forward. The ship’s boom was dunked under the waves momentarily until the entire vessel tipped back, balancing itself like a buoy.

Amy was shaking. Her heart was ready to leap out of her chest, sure she’d be unable to maintain her balance had it not been for Metal’s support. Any rosiness in her cheeks quickly vanished to stark white and she remained speechless in her panic. Metal looked down at her in front of him. He realized he was still clutching her to him, but didn’t ease his grip. He told himself it was in case another wave hit.

They continued to sail over the stormy waters, but it appeared after a few minutes that the worst was behind them. Metal loosened his hold around Amy as her heart rate leveled and her breathing went back to normal. The rain began lightening up, no longer showering the deck. It was a light drizzle by the time either of them found anything to say.

Amy inhaled. “That was… A lot.”

“Yes…” he turned his attention to his minions, who were securing the sail back to the mast. It had been repaired to the best of their abilities with as much rope as they could tie around it.

“So… This ship. It’s kinda falling apart.”

“That appears to be the case.”

There was an awkward silence between them. Amy was still sandwiched between Metal Sonic and the ship’s helm. Now that the shock had faded it was uncomfortable again. “I’m gonna… Step aside…”

“Of course-” Metal removed himself from behind her, taking some steps away to free her. “I did not expect you to do so well.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Amy rung out her locks. They were both soaked, but her clothes were heavy with all the water.

“You may change in my quarters- if you need to.”

“Got another fun outfit planned for me?” she mocked.

“Yes. Come,” he stepped down from the quarter deck toward the captain’s quarters.

Amy scoffed. “I was not being serious.”

Metal addressed the henchmen as he passed. “H1, H3, H4- you did well. We will complete repairs tomorrow.” They all saluted him, and as soon as he turned away, moved on to high-fiving each other noisily. The doors were held open to his room and Amy passed through.

Much of the space was in disarray. The chairs were in different corners of the room, half of them toppled over. The screen had collapsed and any books that lined the shelves had flown off and lay open or bent on the floor. Amy was worried what state her room could be in…

“Well, this is…”

“A mess,” Amy interrupted.

“That is a fair assessment.” Metal made his way to the far corner of the room, bringing the screen upright. “At least this is functional…” He pointed a hand to it, inviting Amy to use it.

Amy was weirded out again by his interest in her attire but was even more uncomfortable in the drenched outfit she had on. She made her way to change while Metal Sonic hung around the room, picking books up from the ground. He’d left her another period-accurate garment to dress up in. The sight of the long-sleeved white nightgown annoyed her at first, but she was glad she at least had something comfortable to sleep in.

When she stepped out from behind the screen, Amy made her way to pick up the floor mirror. It was cracked at the top from having toppled forward but was otherwise functional. She looked ethereal in the white gown, even if it was a little costumey.

“I hope it is to your liking,” Metal said as he approached her. “I understand you were uncomfortable resting in the other clothes.”

Amy had forgotten that the first thing she’d done that morning was to complain about the outfit to him. “I’m surprised you cared to remember.”

“I have ample memory storage; I do not forget.”

“But you still cared.” She smiled up at him.

“... I didn’t want to hear your whining.” Metal stepped away, continuing to tidy up his quarters from the whirlwind.

“Sure.” Amy pretended to study the dress in the mirror, actually watching Metal in its reflection. It was all so elaborate- the ship, the costumes, the sword fighting. What was the point of it all? “Hey, Metal… How come you’re so invested in this pirate act? It seems kinda…”

“Illogical?” He did not turn to look at her.

“I was gonna say inconvenient, but…”

“Hm.” He straightened up the last chair. “I suppose I just wanted something to control,” he shrugged. “It seemed on-theme.” It wasn’t a lie.

Amy had no idea what to expect but the answer still shocked her. It was becoming difficult to doubt him when she realized that she could relate. He really did have nothing to gain but his autonomy. “I understand,” she said simply.

Metal made to return to the deck, holding a door ajar. “Perhaps it will pay off for me, as well.”

“Yeah,” she smiled.

Amy gathered up her wet clothes to dry in her room. It was hard to tell how long she’d spent on deck chatting and then weathering the storm, but she was exhausted- and hungry. She was lucky everything in the kitchen was bolted down but felt less so when her suite was in complete disorder. For once, she didn’t care- simply plopping herself on the mess of sheets and pillows that she could gather atop the plush mattress.

-----

“I am… so sore.” Amy lay on her back directly on the cool wood of the quarter-deck, groaning. “Everything hurts. And it’s sooo hot...”

The ship swayed slightly on the calm water, as Metal turned the helm sharply. “I suppose that means you are too weak to train, then.” He watched the compass eagerly. They had been blown off course by the storm the night before and the arrow was constantly changing direction now.

Ignoring his little insult, Amy darted her eyes up at him. “Is that all you think about?”

“What else are we to do?” He made a frustrated, metallic ring as he turned the ship in the other direction. “How does this ridiculous thing work?”

“How should I know…” Amy yawned. “You seem too busy steering to train me, anyway.”

“H1 can take over once he’s finished with the sails. I suggest you get ready.”

Amy clicked her tongue at him, crossing her arms over her torso. She rolled her head to the side, watching the horizon pass them by. “When you have muscles, you’ll see…” But he was right, there was nothing better to do. It made her think about what her friends might be doing then. Would they catch up to Metal’s ship? She dreaded confronting them at sea, having to convince them of Metal’s plan. Even if they were worried, Amy would rather deal with them after the fact, asking them for forgiveness rather than permission.

Metal stared down at Amy. For all the spying and research he had done on Sonic and his friends, Metal was still astonished by her bravery and tenacity in the face of danger. Looking back on their early meeting, he always categorized her as a weak, defenseless being. Even as Amy had grown strong over the years, this was the first time Metal experienced her pluckiness on its own, unadulterated by the presence of her teammates. It impressed him more than he cared to admit.

The maneuver she’d pulled climbing up the mast had left Amy with a pretty noticeable wardrobe change, too. The short half-slip she wore under the layers of scarves at her waist allowed for her usual mobility; he was almost excited by the prospect of sparring with her now that she could move more freely. Her boots and stockings were in full view and the oversized frills of her blouse were more striking now. Metal had found the billowy ankle-length skirt fetching in its historical context, but now she looked...

“Couldn’t we do it at night when it’s not so hot?” she interrupted his thoughts.

“I am not looking forward to becoming as sensitive as you,” he quipped, getting his mind off Amy’s appearance. “But fine.”

The compass appeared to stabilize again. When he set off to research pirating, Metal failed to realize the amount of waiting involved on seafaring adventures and began to wish he’d commandeered a faster ship. But, at least the company was good.

It was more than Rouge could say for her guests. “Look, I appreciate your help fixing the ship and helping us navigate around that storm, but I’ve been hired to recover whatever’s on that island!”

She and Knuckles argued over the fate of “her” treasure for hours. “I’m telling you I just want one thing!” he asserted.

“And I’m telling you I can’t just hand you an artifact when our funding is on the line. There are legalities-”

“Since when do you care about what’s legal? This is more important than that!”

Rouge huffed, plopping into her desk chair with folded arms. “Maybe if you just told me why you’re after it I could talk to my patrons about-”

“No! No one can know what’s in there!”

“ Stop interrupting me! ” Rouge’s wings flared out behind her as she slammed her hands down on the desk. The two glared at each other, neither relenting until a knock came at her chamber door.

Tails pushed it ajar with sheepish caution. “Uh… Am I interrupting?”

“... You’re fine,” Rouge sighed in exasperation. “Sit.” She rubbed at her temples, taking a breath. “I just want to know what we’re after so I can help. Can one of you please explain what the fuss is about?”

“Come on,” Tails nudged Knuckles. “We’re on the same side…”

Knuckles groaned under his breath. “Fine.” Rouge leaned in to listen, resting her wary head in her hand as he continued. “We’re after a Knuckles Tribe artifact known as the Stone Mirror…” He explained some of its history and how they knew that it was buried among Scarlett’s treasure.

She waited until he was done, and then slid her chair back, pulling a large scroll from the top drawer of her desk. “I’d like to show you something.” Unrolling it revealed a copy of the same map they’d used to navigate, stitched-together from a set of letters written by Scarlett. “These letters were addressed to Beryl over the course of several months- she and Scarlett were married. It seemed Scarlett wasn’t too eager to reveal the location of her stronghold, even to her wife. Some say she sailed there alone after, well…” Pointing to one of the letters at the bottom, Rouge read some of its contents aloud.

“ I am sorry for how my selfish desire has destroyed our happiness. You slit your palm and gave your very blood for me, and in my deception we were cursed. It was the mirror that took your health, and my guilty action that will take you if we do not act. These riches were meant to be your assurance in case of my demise; Instead, I must seal away all that I have earned in the hopes of saving you. There is no time to waste coming for you- Please find me. Love, Scarlett. ”

She set down the scroll. “Earlier in it she writes about meeting some mystic that gave her information about a mysterious mirror and its curse. Something about lying toBeryl?”

“So she mentions it…” Knuckles pondered. “Legend states you need a blood sacrifice from someone else who’s ‘willing and knowledgeable about your intentions.’ Basically you lie and the other person gets cursed. Guess she found out a little too late.”

Rouge sat back in her chair, staring down at the collection of letters. “It’s well recorded that Scarlett recounted making some wish to become a great pirate. Historians just attribute it as a tall tale. Shame about Beryl, though,” she sighed. “In any case- this ‘Stone Mirror’ sounds dangerous.”

Knuckles nodded. “I don’t know how he found out, but I’m assuming it’s what Metal Sonic’s after.”

“... Okay. We’ll create a diversion to snatch up the mirror before the cameras can record it. But we’ll have to beat Metal Sonic there.”

The three of them nodded in agreement- Knuckles promising to find a way to destroy the dangerous artifact. And if they ran into their unexpected enemy at sea, there would be no choice but to subdue Metal Sonic before he could get his hands on it.

-----

Three days went by and there was still no sign of this mystical secret island, orany land for that matter. Actual pirates may have had work to do, but Metal Sonic’s three henchmen seemed to do the all work of a full crew in a quarter of the time. It left Amy and Metal with very little to do other than practice their swordsmanship and chat late into the night.

Amy picked up swordplay like it was second nature. It helped that there was little more to do, but she’d never had issues with swinging a weapon around. After a fourth day of practicing she was getting the hang of perrying against Metal Sonic and was serving combos that would give any other beginner a run for their money. Though she complained of sore muscles and exhaustion constantly, Amy fought against it nevertheless, advancing far quicker than either of them anticipated. Metal was forced to admit that he found it admirable- though he didn’t express it out loud.

Metal, for his part, found himself appreciating Amy’s companionship. Her witty nature complimented Metal’s droll quips, and she found it funny that he put so much effort into his tough pirate charade. He didn’t have anything to counter with when they’d shot back petty insults at one another and she’d finally burst into laughter, remarking on how insistent he was on appearing superior. Metal supposed she had a point, getting his own chuckle out of it. Amy continuously commented on how he would feel differently when his body was organic as if to test him. Of course, Metal played along, but each time he did, there was a nagging twitch in his mind.

The guilt Metal felt over manipulating Amy was beginning to weigh. For years, he’d waited for this kind of opportunity to get the upper hand on Sonic, to become something that not even his rival could imagine. Metal wasn’t sure what form he would ultimately take when he finally got hold of the Stone Mirror, but it was so far from the average organic being that Amy imagined for him. “I wonder what color your eyes will be,” she had mused aloud during an evening conversation- what a wholesome thought compared to Metal’s. He said that he hoped they’d be green like hers and got a laugh over her flustered babbling.

Out of all the things that could go wrong with his plan, feeling remorse was not something he prepared for. It’s not as if he’d ever felt guilty for acting in his own interest in the past, but Metal realized that he’d never worked with someone on a team as an equal, either. There was a sense of kinship between them that grew from fighting against the harrowing storm; They both quickly became comfortable in the other’s presence, as if having been friends for years. That was a first for Metal.

But he couldn’t let all his plotting and past failures go to waste. Metal wasn’t about to let one of his former enemies sway his plans. Amy was nice to have around but there would be others; this was the only time he’d get this opportunity.

But I may as well enjoy myself, he thought. After four days at sea spending most of Amy’s waking moments together, Metal had grown to enjoy their time together; It was a shame it wouldn’t last.

On day five, they met in his quarters while Metal dug around for another sharpened sword. He tossed props aside from a closet as he searched.

Amy stood at the shelf on the opposite end of the room, perusing through a book. “What are you looking for?”

“A sharpened sword,” he answered plainly.

“You have a sword… And claws...”

“It’s not for me- Ah, here we are.” Metal turned back to her, a sheathed sword in one hand and a long, red garment draped over the other. “H3 does find the strangest places to store things…”

Putting the book down, she spun to him curiously. “What’s that?”

“I missed seeing you in red,” he said in the most pompous tone he could manage, holding it out to her.

She took it with a smirk. “Another skirt?” Amy unrolled the garment, revealing a long, notched jacket with gold piping that framed it intricately.

“No, something more fitting this time.”

She threw it over herself excitedly. Belting the jacket at the waist, Amy smiled at her reflection. “Oh, it’s pretty. And way more functional,” she giggled, turning her friendly countenance to him. “Thanks.”

“I thought you would feel that way.” Metal unsheathed the sword and handed that to her as well. “Now we can really spar.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Seems kinda dangerous…”

“Hmph- I doubt you’ll land a hit,” Metal replied confidently. “And rest assured I will stop before the blade touches you.” He pointed the weapon at her theatrically.

Amy rolled her eyes. “It’s lunchtime- I’m taking a break.” She snatched the weapon from him, hanging it gingerly around her waist and making her way down to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Metal Sonic tagging along behind her. “You hungry?” she smirked.

“Something like that…”

She snickered a bit, not sure what to make of the comment but finding his presence enjoyable nonetheless. Amy got to work preparing her lunch while he observed her from across a high table, his cutlass drawn up to his eyes so he could look past it at her dramatically. She glanced at him with a scoff. “Making sure it’s sharp enough?”

“I can assure you, it is.”

Amy stuck out her tongue at him, sitting down on a tall stool to eat her lunch. “You are just as cocky as Sonic…”

Even if that was true, her comment irritated Metal. He sauntered around the table to her side, the sharp point of his weapon aimed at her. She didn’t appear phased. “I doubt that Sonic knows much about swordsmanship.”

“He’s apparently pretty skilled at it, actually,” Amy said, taking another bite.

“Seriously?”

With her mouth full, Amy shrugged. Metal lowered his sword, pacing around to her other side and looming over her shoulder. She continued to ignore his taunts as she ate. “I’m gonna grab some water…” Amy stood, continuing to watch him out of the corner of her eye. Turning back, she heard him speak again.

“En garde,” he announced with a lunge. The tip of his sword stopped just shy of her chest.

Glancing down at his weapon, Amy returned with a sweet smile. “Aw, how am I supposed to take you seriously if you won’t follow through?” She looked back up at him with doe eyes.

Metal met her soft gaze, locking his vision on her endearing face. “Well, would you like me to-”

Before he could finish, Amy had drawn her sword and gone for a parry, knocking his blade to the side. Then she lunged, closing the distance between them and bringing her weapon over his head. He swung his sword back up, blocking the hit. “Hmph! You’re just as impatient as Sonic, too,” Amy smirked.

“Argh!” Metal pushed her sword off and away from him, brandishing his in a ready position. “Will you continue to compare me to that imposter when I am organic?”

Amy held the same pose, teasing by twirling her weapon around in circles. “Depends. Are you gonna keep letting your life revolve around him?”

“Hm- How else would you and I get to spend time together?” Metal lunged, backing Amy against some kitchen equipment until she countered his attack with her own swing. She ducked underneath his next attack and backed away.

“You wanna hang out that bad?” she giggled. “Maybe just ask me out to coffee.”

“Oh,” Metal approached her slowly, his sword still drawn high. “What are those called again?”

“What are what called, weirdo?”

“Let me see…” As he continued his approach, Amy backed out through the kitchen door and into the narrow hallway. “Oh, a date ?”

Caught off guard, Amy lowered her weapon momentarily. He did the same as he neared her, their eyes locked. “Th-That’s not really-” His sword was upon her again a second later. She dodged, not having time to counter the sudden attack.Should’ve expected that, she thought, planning her next move.

But there was little time to think as Metal lunged toward her again, swinging from every direction as she struggled to block with her sword. They continued down the hall, clinking and striking their weapons together. Amy was just managing to remain defensive; he wouldn’t give her an opening.

Finally, Amy got in a parry after ducking from one of his swings and rolling behind him. When Metal turned back around, he narrowly avoided a swing that passed just under his chin. He sprung back. Out of striking distance, they both stared at each other, Metal holding his weapon down by his side. He was surprised that he didn’t feel the need to hold back more, feeling somewhat proud of Amy’s progress. But he wouldn’t let her know any of that.

“Ready to give up?” she teased.

He drew up the cutlass again, taking a step closer. “How easy could I possibly make it for you?”

Rather than fall back, Amy took his challenge and moved in his direction. “I don’t know… Looks like you’re having a pretty hard time to me,” she sneered. She was having more fun than she expected.

“I could say the same!” He rushed her then, Amy countering the next few swings.

Suddenly, they were each backed close to a wall as they stood in tandem in the narrow hallway, Metal just in front of a set of doors. As he swung again, she dove under his attack and through the double-doors. When the room came into full view, Amy looked on in awe. It was a grand ballroom, elegantly decorated in white and champagne- presumably for the wedding that was meant to be held there. Metal nearly landed a hit on her while she was distracted, but Amy seemed to be a master at dodging his lunges.

“Don’t get too distracted,” he taunted her.

“Hmph!”

Locked in battle, they continued moving down the length of the ballroom, circling around the winding rows of banquet tables and chairs. Metal was coming at Amy in full force, giving her little opportunity to counter. He could see her growing more tired now, her heart rate increasing exponentially as her breathing became more shallow. Taking advantage of this, Metal increased his speed and continued his swings, varying the direction so she couldn’t duck behind him again. They fought their way to the front of the room where the space was more open. Footsteps clicked as they stepped across the hard dancefloor that spanned from wall to wall at the front of the ballroom. Soon, Metal had completely backed Amy into a wall as she panted.

Amy realized that she was, perhaps, a bit too confident. Even if she were to get to a point where her skills surpassed his, Metal Sonic couldn’t tire in battle as fast as she would. She had to find a different advantage.

When she tried to perform an unexpected lunge, his sword made contact with her own so harshly that she lost her grip. It clanged to the ground next to her. Metal used his forearm to pin Amy to the wall by her chest.

She let out a grunt as she clashed with the wall behind her. Panting, Amy glared up at him in exasperation. “Are you satisfied now?”

“I am… impressed.” Metal cocked his head to one side, observing as her chest heaved under his grip. “But I knew you wouldn’t best me so easily.”

“Really? I thought you had more confidence in your teaching skills. I know I’m a great coach...”

Metal stared on at her curiously. “Is that so? And what do you teach?”

Amy gestured to the floor with her eyes. “I taught Sonic how to tango pretty well-” She was cut off as he pressed his forearm against her more firmly.

“Hmph- if you think that will distract me-”

“Hey,” Amy’s face softened into a smile as she interrupted him. She reached a hand up, taking hold of Metal’s lapel. He glanced down at the gesture in confusion. “You wanna know how else you’re like Sonic?”

“... Do tell.”

“C’mere.” Amy held an almost saccharine expression as she gently tugged his collar toward her.

She hardly had to pull as Metal allowed himself to be drawn into her. It may have been a ruse- he was fairly confident in that- but he was greatly interested in what she had to say as she lifted her chin to speak into his ear. Metal remained vigilant as Amy continued.

“You’re really cute,” she whispered.

Staggering back, Metal fixed her eyes with his. She twinkled back at him. “What do you-”

A sharp blow to the side of his head sent Metal off from atop Amy and to the ground. He lost command of his sword just as her enormous hammer came into his peripheral view. Of course - the thought ran across his mind as Metal landed on his side noisily. Amy sprinted to snatch his sword from off the ground as he readied to come back on his feet- but her boot heel was upon his chest before he got any further than facing her. Metal’s heavy body banged on the hard dancefloor as she pushed him down under her foot. Amy stood over him with his own sword pointed just under Metal’s chin. She was grinning from ear to ear as she watched his broken eye illuminate for a moment.

Metal would have been furious if she’d looked malicious, but her sparkling grin was so… cheery. “It’s cute that you think you can beat me so easily!” Amy laughed with genuine amusement as she removed her boot from his body.

His left eye now flickering again, Metal could only manage to glare for a second until he found himself chuckling as well. “That was most certainly cheating…”

“Didn’t know you had such strict rules.” Beaming, Amy allowed the hammer to disappear from her grasp and offered Metal a hand up. The lights in his left eye sputtered out again as he stood. “Hey, I almost fixed your eye! Maybe another wack will do it,” she smiled.

“Somehow I doubt that.” He hadn’t let go of her hand, instead using it to jerk her toward him. “But perhaps you could show me your little dance now?”

“Ah… I don’t know if you’d really enjoy it.” Amy offered Metal his sword, holding it between them.

He took it from her gently and slid it down by his side. “Won’t you indulge me?”

Her cheeks flushed lightly. Amy had just said it to distract him; she could teach, but she suddenly felt flustered in such close proximity. “Well… Maybe-”

The room shook then. Metal kept Amy from losing her footing as the ship rolled unexpectedly. They gave each other a look of concern.

“Is it another storm?” Amy asked.

Metal shook his head. “No- come to the deck, don’t forget your sword.”

He was floating out the door before Amy could find the words to respond. She followed him, picking up the weapon she’d dropped to sprint down the hall and up the long staircases.

“Surrender Amy Rose and the artifacts at once!” Rouge was flying above her deck speaking into her megaphone with Knuckles, Tails, and her crew on deck below. Her ship floated across from Metal Sonic’s as cameramen focused on both of the captains.

Metal stood nonchalantly with his arms crossed behind, amplifying his voice to speak. “I can assure you she is under no duress.”

Knuckles had managed to snag a megaphone of his own and was now putting the full force of his voice into it. “Then where is she?!”

Metal squinted at the rumbling noise, his receptors vibrating uncomfortably. “Argh- You do not need to yell into that, I can hear you just fine.”

“Tell us where she is now!” Knuckles was getting ready to threaten him as Amy busted through to the deck. The three henchmen burst through just behind her.

When she spotted her friends, Amy’s face lit up and she ran to the ship’s railing. Metal remained in his stately pose behind her in an attempt to indicate that there was no threat. “Guys!” Amy waved, “I’m okay!”

Leaning close to the rails, Knuckles yelled into his megaphone again. “We can’t hear you-”

“Knuckles, that’s enough! I can hear her just fine so shut up,” Rouge snapped down at him. He crossed his arms irritably, grumbling. “Amy,” she continued, “we’re here to rescue you; are you hurt?”

Waving her hands in front of her, Amy answered as loud as she could. “Rouge, I’m fine! Are you guys okay?”

“Us?” she looked puzzled, “You were the one who was kidnapped...”

“It’s okay, I’m, uh…” she turned to beckon Metal, who looked almost bored at the turn of events. He approached her slowly, keeping an eye on the others. Once he was within reach, Amy clung to his arm in a friendly gesture as his expression became nonplused. “I’m helping Metal! Let’s team up!”

He whipped around to her with reproach. “That is not part of the plan!”

“Plans can change,” she responded in a low voice before addressing Rouge again. “Let us aboard and I’ll explain!”

Completely perplexed, Rouge didn’t know how to respond. Knuckles was shouting at her to repeat what Amy was saying and Tails began to call out to her as well. “Don’t move,” Rouge directed a command at Metal with a glare before floating down to the others. “What do you two want?!”

Tails pushed Knuckles aside in order to get a word in. “We’ve detected an island 30 naughtical miles from here in the direction of the compass- there’s no other land within range. It has to be the place. We can be there in the next couple of hours. We need to get Amy back ASAP.”

“We’re that close?” Rouge glanced back across the way to the other ship, where Amy and Metal appeared to be… arguing? Their tones were too hushed to decipher the speech, but neither was fighting the other. Though they both waved their hands around in apparent annoyance, Amy held him close to her without any resistance. Rouge didn’t know what to make of it. “She said… she’s helping him.”

“Helping Metal Sonic?” Tails looked just as confused now.

Knuckles butted back in, shoving Tails aside. “She said that? What’s his game?”

“How should I know?” Rouge brought her hands to her hips in frustration. “She said she wants to come aboard to explain.”

“That sounds like a trap!”

Rouge nodded in agreement. “But it’s the only way to get her back peacefully. We’ll just have to be ready for him.”

The boys each nodded in reluctant agreement. Rouge took a breath and quietly signaled her crew to be on alert. Approaching the side of her ship, she called out to the others. “You may board. We will extend the bridge.”

Amy and Metal paused their arguing to come to her attention. “Don’t you-” he started before Amy interrupted him.

“No need, we’ll fly over!” She faced him. “Come on, let’s go.” He glared at her with resentment, worried he’d just be ambushed and forced to engage, putting his plan in jeopardy. Amy tightened her grip on his arm and lowered her voice. “I’ll hold on to you so they don’t attack.”

His glare softened. That should work , he thought with some remorse. He wished he could feel more positively about tricking Amy so well she was willing to risk her safety for him. When Metal nodded, she climbed into his arms readily. She really held no doubt in him.

“You three,” he told his henchmen, “... be on alert.” H1 shot forward, standing on the ship’s railing and pointing ahead. “... Yes, I suppose I should bring one of you. Move.” Metal could the others’ clinking salutes as he and H1 lifted off, Metal flying over the sea carefully with Amy. A cameraman on a lower deck followed their path while another stood near Rouge, recording their landing. The little minion stood readily by Metal’s feet as the crew took steps towards them, encircling them steadily. Metal gazed around at them but did not move.

Knuckles came the closest. “It’s time to drop her,” he demanded.

“Very well.” Metal lowered Amy to her feet and she quickly wrapped herself around his arm, taking a step in front of him.

“I’m okay, Knuckles. I’m gonna hang onto Metal for now, okay?”

“Why? What is this?” Knuckles was shouting again, continuing his approach. “Did you do something to her brain?”

Metal scoffed, standing his ground. “What exactly do you think I could do?” A camera came up close to the side of his face while a mic loomed above. He turned his head sharply, his single blazing eye catching the crewmember off guard. “Is there something I can help you with?” The cameraman scrambled back, making himself scarce.

“Metal, just ignore it,” Amy tugged on him while his eye rolled around his screen.

“Alright,” Rouge’s assertive voice cut through the crowd that was quickly forming in front of them. “Everyone back off, you’ll hear my signal if I need you. That goes for you, too, Knucklehead. Move!” As her crew dispersed and the cameras backed to a safe distance, Rouge stood some feet in front of them. “So you made friends with Metal Sonic? I’d find it cute if I wasn’t still bruised from his last attack.”

Amy chuckled awkwardly back at her. “Yeah, well… you look great in your new uniform.”

“Hmph.” Rouge cracked a smile as she saw Amy there, protecting her unlikely friend from attack. It was almost sweet. “Well I’m relieved you don’t look too bad yourself. Cute jacket.”

“Thanks, uh… Metal picked it out,” Amy smiled.

“Really?” Rouge turned her attention to him. “Charming. Now what is it you want?”

When he didn’t respond after a few seconds, Amy cut in. “Metal has a… request. For the Stone Mirror.”

“What?!” Knuckles came booming back, stomping his feet.

Rouge held her arm out in front of him with a brief glare, then continued. “We’ll talk in my quarters. No cameras. Come on,” she turned on her heel and beckoned for only Amy and her “friends” to join her. They all followed behind Rouge awkwardly as the crew murmured around them, cameras following their every move.

Rouge locked the door behind them once they were in the privacy of her office. Then she faced Amy and scolded her. “You cannot go around mentioning magical artifacts in front of the crew. Why do you think you were all after it in the first place?”

Amy shrunk back, still clinging to a silent Metal Sonic. “Sorry… You’re right…”

Rouge sighed with exasperation, sinking into her chair. “Will you all sit?! You’re making me anxious.” As everyone complied, Knuckles most reluctantly, Rouge addressed Metal Sonic with some sarcasm. “I would love to hear what you have in mind for the mirror.”

After some seconds of silence, Amy nudged him. H1 climbed up the chair legs to sit in his lap, staring up at him. Metal shot them each an irritated look before starting. “I would like to use the Stone Mirror to become… organic.” He’d lied to Amy so easily, but was almost embarrassed to show such vulnerability with the rest of his enemies.

“Organic?” Rouge massaged her temple. “I don’t even know what to say to that. And Amy, you believe this?”

“Doesn’t matter if she believes it or not,” Knuckles butted in, “there’s no way Metal Sonic’s getting his hands on the mirror!”

Rouge nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m inclined to agree.”

Amy ignored Knuckles and spoke to her instead. “For the record, I do believe him. And I think it’s a good reason to use the mirror.”

Rouge shushed Knuckles before he could start again. “Amy… There’s something you should see.” She opened the top drawer of her desk and retrieved the same copy of the map she’d shown Tails and Knuckles. “I’m sure you know about Scarlett’s treasure and her letters to her wife, Beryl.” Metal’s piercing glare was already scanning through the text in the letters as Amy nodded. Rouge explained the entirety of the Stone Mirror’s curse, blood sacrifice and all, as Amy listened in shock.

“Amy,” Rouge’s tone softened. “This is a big risk for you…”

“Look, this thing cursed Beryl because of her wife’s dishonesty.” Knuckles got up angrily, pointing a finger at Metal Sonic. “Are you really willing to risk that for him ?”

“ Oh, ” Amy lowered her eyes in thought, her grip on Metal’s arm loosening slightly.

“The only way to lift the curse was for her to give her own blood and leave everything she’d gained behind; Hence why she sent for Beryl to meet back with her on the island. She tragically passed before making it off the ship.” Rouge stood from her desk and circled around to the front, facing Amy and folding her arms. “And I’m sorry to say I don’t trust Metal Sonic as far as I can throw him.”

The new information shouldn’t have changed Metal’s plan. He was willing to do anything for an advantage against his nemesis- or so he thought. But now, spending a few days with one of his enemies was enough to sway him? He supposed he could get The Doctor to sacrifice for him- he would revel in the opportunity to take Sonic down... No, he thought, I can’t let her get in my way. It wasn’t as if she’d be safe from him when he finally transformed into whatever monster he could conjure. And yet…

“If I may,” he spoke finally, placing his claws softly over Amy’s hand as it held his forearm. “Your blood will not be necessary. Someone else can take the burden.” He turned to Rouge. “I am only asking for use of the artifact to fulfill my wish.”

“Fat chance,” Knuckles interjected. “I still don’t believe you’re telling the truth- no way I’m letting you turn into a monster again. No deal.”

“Knuckles…” Rouge strode over to him. “Can I have a word, privately?”

He raised a brow at her but agreed. “... Fine. Tails, keep an eye on Metal Sonic.”

“Sure?” the boy looked at his enemy, sitting calmly with one of his best friends at his side. He hardly looked threatening.

As they stepped out, Amy faced Metal again. “Who’s gonna help you if I don’t?”

“... I believe The Doctor will be willing.”

Tails looked at them skeptically. “Eggman knows you wanna do this?”

“No,” Metal replied, once again carefully curating his words so they did not sound suspicious- or make him feel any worse. “He has few details of my plan. I am not sure how he tracked us a few days ago, but I do not believe he will deny me. I wanted to complete the task independently, but I will do what I must.”

“Well I’ll help you if he won’t,” Amy assured.

“Amy, you’ll die if he’s lying,” Tails shot back.

She scoffed as if it didn’t matter. “We’ll all die if he’s lying.”

“How is that better?! How can you be sure he’s telling the truth?”

Amy paused. She felt his steely fingers on her and focused her ears on his gently whirring engine. H1 looked at her from Metal’s lap expectantly. It wasn’t clear to her just why she’d grown to trust him so quickly, but she knew in her heart he would do the right thing. “Because he wants someone to kick his butt at sword fighting,” she smiled. “I’ve gotten pretty good at it the past few days, you know.”

Metal could no longer look at her. He removed his hand from atop hers and sat silently, trying not to let the guilt overcome him.

Tails’ face contorted. “What are you even talking about?”

The door cracked open then, Rouge stepping back inside. She addressed Metal Sonic directly. “We will allow you use of the Stone Mirror,” she began. “Knuckles will take it immediately after. No one on my crew is to know about it- we’re after the treasure only. We expect to come up on the island in the next hour, so get back to your ship and wait for a tow.”

“That soon?” Metal asked.

“Yes. You are not to step foot on land in order to avoid suspicion. We’ll recover the artifacts.”

“... Very well. Let us return, then.” He removed H1 from his lap and rose, Amy’s fingers slipping away from him.

“Amy’s staying with us,” Knuckles called from the door.

Amy’s cheeks puffed indignantly. “ Amy’s going where she wants. I’m staying with Metal.” She stood and pushed Knuckles out of her way, taking her leave.

Metal thanked Rouge and went past the others without a second glance, his lackey scurrying behind. There was no doubt they were plotting something against him, and Metal was determined to make it onto that island and get his hands on the mirror himself- by force if necessary. He would do anything. Almost anything .

The second Amy and Metal stepped out, a set of cameras once again bombarded them. It assured they went away and off the ship quickly so Metal Sonic couldn’t hear what was being discussed in Rouge’s quarters without them.

Inside, Tails got up from his seat. “Are we really just gonna let Metal Sonic use the mirror?”

“Absolutely not,” Knuckles shot back.

“But Amy doesn’t need to know that yet.” Rouge leaned back on the front of her desk pensively. “We’re getting ahead of him so he can’t threaten us with whatever he wants to do with the mirror. No doubt Metal Sonic will get... forceful.”

“Stubborn girl,” Knuckles grumbled. “It’d be easier to keep her safe if she’d stayed here…”

“Arguing with her would blow our cover; and she can take care of herself. Let’s just be ready for whatever he throws at us.”

Tails’ ears drooped slightly. “I wish Sonic could help us, he’d make quick work of Metal…”

“Who needs him?” Knuckles puffed his chest out confidently. “I’m bored of watching them fight anyway!”

-----

Metal and Amy stood at the bow of his great ship, the breeze blowing through Amy’s hair gently. She leaned forward, looking into the horizon, waiting to spot land. They were moving a little faster now as Rouge’s vessel towed them across the sea. Metal stood next to her watching the compass intently. They continued on the right path. It was minutes away now.

Suddenly the hidden inscription on the back made a lot more sense. He shone a pale violet light over it and read- The Mirror’s bloodlust was nothing to me, for I’d have bled myself dry for you. It didn’t just seem like useless theatrics, but the caring words of someone willing to sacrifice for another. What Metal didn’t understand, however, was how Amy was so ready and willing to do the same for him. Worse than deceptive, it felt undeserved.

Spotting his intense concentration on the compass, Amy spoke up. “Crazy how Beryl gave everything to Scarlett like that, huh?”

Metal did his best to shake his head clear of the guilt. “Yes. I suppose she cared for her.”

“That’s an understatement,” Amy chuckled.

“Is it? Then... what is it you feel that makes you so willing to do the same for me?”

Amy swiveled over to look at him directly. He stared down at the compass, not meeting her gaze. “I guess I think it’ll be good for us both.”

“How can you be so sure? Are you convinced I will immediately betray The Doctor and join your team?”

“I guess not…” Amy frowned at the thought. She knew it was an unrealistic expectation, though she remained hopeful he would change for the better somehow. “But I think we should all be free to make our own choices. Maybe you’ll make some good ones.”

“I am not so sure…”

There was a drawn-out sigh as she leaned her back in contemplation. Amy couldn’t help but see the good in people, and when she looked at Metal now, she saw more than a lifeless machine. There was passion in his voice and enthusiasm in his demeanor whenever they indulged in his interests. There was a small sparkle in his eye when they spoke. She had seen him joyful, and concentrated, and playful, where all she would have previously associated him with was rage. But more than that, Amy felt a connection, like perhaps this was something they were meant to do together. How else could they have become such fast friends? Friends, she smiled at the thought. It filled her with optimism. She rolled her head back on her shoulder to look to him again, their eyes locking this time. He’d been staring- it wasn’t the first time she noticed, but he didn’t dart his eyes away this time.

Softening her eyes, Amy looked at him dreamily in the late afternoon light. “I think you’ll do what’s right for you. That’s enough for me.”

Seeing that honeyed expression and hearing such genuine words, Metal never regretted anything more than he regretted bringing her along. I should have just worked alone, he scolded himself. How could he have miscalculated the outcome so terribly? In his mind, Amy would reluctantly agree to help and he’d otherwise use her as a shield against her friends’ attack;. Nothing prepared him for feeling something toward her. There was a kinship, a bond that quickly formed like puzzle pieces fitting together. They managed to just… click. There was no room in his plan for that. But he was so close…

“I do not believe your friends have such faith in me,” he said finally.

“Yeah, I kinda got that feeling. I think we’re gonna have to sneak onto that island first if you want a chance at the mirror.”

That was nothing short of surprising to hear. “You would deceive your friends?”

“It’s for a good cause- they’ll forgive me. You’ll see.”

For the first time in days, land came into view on the horizon. It was a lush green island with little more than a tall mountain rising from its center. It was tiny even as they approached. Metal and Amy exchanged looks as they spotted it.

“Looks like this is it,” she remarked. “Just a teeny island with a little mountain…”

“It appears that way.” He scanned as far as he could zoom with his optics, getting a closer look at the landscape that was still some miles away. “That, however, is a volcano.”

“No kidding...” Amy glanced around the side of the vessel. “Is there a boat around here? We need to sneak ahead if we want to reach the treasure before the others.”

“I have a better idea...”

As Rouge and her crew were making preparations to dock, Tails spotted something flying in the distance. A look through his binoculars revealed H3 and H4 flying in tandem at full speed, apparently trying to get ahead of both ships. “Hey, those are Metal’s lackeys over there.”

Rouge ripped the binoculars from his hands. “They’re trying to get ahead of us, then? We’ll see about that. Tails, come with me; Knuckles, maybe you should pay our friend a visit.” Knuckles nodded as the others both kicked themselves off and toward the flying robots.

They caught up to them quickly and tried to block their way, but were soon engaged in battle. H3 and H4 used primarily evasive tactics and steadily drifted them in the opposite direction of the island while Knuckles made his way across Rouge’s ship and over to Metal’s.

Knuckles climbed over the tow rope that connected the ships and landed on deck with a shout. “Metal Sonic! Call back your minions, now!” Not hearing an answer, Knuckles stomped across the hard floor until he found the entrance to the captain’s quarters just below the helm. Not one to wait for invitations, he made quick work of the door with his fists. He punched through the splintered wood, finding Metal Sonic sitting across the room, the back of his captain’s hat visible over the winged armchair that faced away from the door. “I said call them back now!” Metal did not respond. “Did you hear me? And where’s Amy?!” Knuckles marched over to the chair, swiveling it around to face him. “I said-”

Instead of Metal Sonic, Knuckles was met with H1, who quickly ambushed him with his long rope-arms, holding him in place. “Damn you little-” Knuckles continued to struggle against H1, his master nowhere to be found.

“Well done, H1,” a shrill voice chimed from the door.

Knuckles twisted his body around clumsily to look. The rage in his eyes grew when he saw him. “Eggman!” Knuckles yelled just as his voice was swallowed up by H1’s coils around his mouth.

Meanwhile, Metal carried Amy swiftly over the water, floating quietly close to its surface. They stuck near the side of Rouge’s ship until they snuck ahead of it. The pair managed to make it to shore well before Rouge’s crew as she and the others remained distracted with Metal’s henchmen. They booked it across the sandy beach and onto the greener area, searching for another clue as to where exactly they’d find the treasure.

“Okay… what now?” Amy’s eyes darted around the scenery looking for any hint of a hidden treasure.

Metal looked to the compass that continued to point northward. “This way,” he instructed, accelerating into the small forest of palms that surrounded the volcano’s base with Amy on his heels. They ran deep into the tropical thicket as the sky above changed hue, the sun nearing the horizon. It wasn’t long before they reached a black stone wall overgrown with moss.

“Looks like this is the end of the line…” Amy ran her hand along the wall in search of another hint.

As Metal approached, he found the hand that held the compass was repelled, as if an invisible force pushed it away. Intruiged, he held out his other arm, feeling no such push. The device’s hand spun left and right wildly as he waved it in front of the wall. “Interesting…” He placed a claw on the wall, scratching at it. He was able to make a mark on its surface with little effort. “This is some kind of volcanic rock. It repels whatever this is made of…”

“Really? Must be why it points in the other direction?” Unsure of what else to do, Amy pulled the little crystal spyglass from her pocket, looking through its eyepiece. She scanned the wall up and down, the atmospheric light turning deep red as it had just before they’d set sail together. She stopped, finding a small spot that glowed faintly. It was a small divot in the rock. “There’s something here...” Amy pawed at the vines that crept up its surface, scratching off years of moss that had grown over the glowing spot.

She finally revealed the formation under all the greenery. “Oh! It’s shaped like-”

“Like a heart,” Metal interrupted, shining his own violet light upon the small heart-shaped crater. He approached it slowly, eyes fixed on the compass. Its rapidly twisting arrow straightened as he neared the spot. The correctly pointed side of the arrow indicated straight ahead. Reaching out, the compass practically jumped out of his hand from the magnetic pull as he moved to place it in the glowing divot.

To their left, the rocky base of the volcano rumbled. They whipped around to find a wall shifting, vines and moss tearing apart as a stone slab lifted off the ground to reveal a narrow entrance to a hollow cave within.

“Well that seems like a pretty clear path to me,” Amy grinned. But it was short lived as a sudden explosion boomed from the direction of the beach. Worried for her friends, Amy looked at Metal with concern. “What was that?”

Metal was just as shocked. “I don’t know…” He raised his eyeline to scan the sky, seeming to spot something not far away. Why here? He asked himself as he recognized the round figure.

“Why are you here?” he amplified his voice to The Doctor.

“To help you get the Stone Mirror, of course!” he called back giddily. “I’ll be happy to give you what you need! What form are you taking?” Another silhouette came into view above not far from them.

Metal shot a glance back at Amy. “When did you call him?” She stared up at Eggman with confusion.

“I didn’t,” Metal responded. Before he could think of what to tell Amy, he watched as H1 hovered down next to The Doctor, his arms still tangled around an enraged Knuckles. But Metal didn’t call for H1, either- which could only mean it was The Doctor’s doing. “Is this how you found me?” Metal growled, incensed at the realization.

“Wasn’t H1 useful?” Eggman cackled. “I know you wanted to work on your own, but aren’t you glad I was watching now that you need me?”

Metal was within reach of completing his mission on his own terms. The sight of his master infuriated him, his determination to succeed without The Doctor's help returning in full-force. He’d convinced Amy, he’d made it to the island- he was going to complete his objective. Why should he feel guilty about that?

“I don’t need you!” he roared. “I have everything I need!” He accelerated toward H1, grabbing the smaller robot by his shoulders as Knuckles uttered muffled curses while they flailed around in mid-air. “ Double-crossing heap of scrap metal! ” Metal’s voice rang out with a harsh mechanical twinge as he took hold of either of H1’s arms and swiftly ripped them out of their sockets, dropping Knuckles a few feet to the ground. As H1 kicked his feet around helplessly, Metal grabbed him by the head and catapulted him out of sight, far back in the direction of the beach.

His eye radiated a fierce, burning glow as he whipped around to face Amy, who looked horrified at his actions. “We need to go, now!”

“What? But what about-”

“Go!” Metal extended his arm out, shoving Amy through the cave opening.

“Metal!” Eggman shouted, “What’s gotten into you? That’ll take me all evening to fix!”

Ignoring him, Metal flew back toward the opening as Knuckles began to slip away from the heavy uncoiling tubes. “I’ll leave you to deal with him, ” he called back to The Doctor. Once inside the cave, Metal shot his arm out once more, grabbing and ripping the compass from its spot in the wall. The limb retracted back past the opening just as the stone wall fell back into place, narrowly avoiding crushing his hand.

They were swallowed in the pitch darkness of the cave. Metal illuminated his thermal vision in search of a path ahead, but was met with Amy’s panicked eyes first. Unable to see, she groped around for a wall to follow until Metal grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

She did not look the slightest bit relieved. “Metal! I can’t see anything…”

“I can guide us; let’s go.”

“Wait- what was…” he saw her glance back toward the direction of the cave entrance unhappily. “I mean, wasn’t that kinda harsh? What you did to H1…”

“Perhaps- but he was a traitor as far as I’m concerned.”

“Yeah, but, you really seemed to hurt him...”

The clock was ticking and there was only so much time before the others would come after them. “He will be fine,” Metal grumbled impatiently, starting forward.

Amy let herself be pulled along, but she wasn’t dropping the question. “It’s just… is that really the kind of person you want to be?” Amy quickly remembered how she’d thought of Metal. She had forgotten how absurd it was that she’d agreed to help him and how he’d coerced her into it to begin with.

“I’ve been betrayed, how would you have liked me to react?”

“Were you? It really sounds like Eggman was trying to help you-”

“I don’t need his help!” He cut Amy off. Her eyes cast down anxiously and Metal registered the doubt and unease in her face. She almost looked sick, stumbling in the dark and frightened by his violent reaction. He knew she was right to feel that way, but his mind was made up- he would do whatever it took to use the Stone Mirror without The Doctor’s help. And Amy had to be willing, so something had to be said to assuage her. “I can’t be indebted to him any longer. I need to do this alone.”

“But you can’t do it alone, Metal, that’s the point!” Amy’s hands fumbled over his arm until she reached his shoulder, facing up at the single glowing eye, the only thing she could see. “I know you wanna be independent, but we all depend on people. Don’t you think he cares about you if he’s willing to give you this much freedom?”

In a way, she was right- but without knowing the truth, Amy would never understand. Metal highly doubted The Doctor would actually help if he’d really wished to become organic, but he could not deny his master’s well-meaning interest. They had the same goal, after all… Metal just knew he could accomplish it without him. Perhaps then he could feel as if he were an equal in his empire and not just some high-ranking lackey. But how much of that could he really tell her?

“It is different… He created me, and he can control me. I cannot escape his shadow.”

“Is having flesh and blood really gonna change that?”

“... I do not know.” Any illumination provided by Metal’s eye turned to darkness. To Amy, it looked like he’d closed his eyes, though he continued to lead her forward without issue. He just wanted her to look away, making the guilt easier to beat down- but she held her ground. Metal continued, turning his face from her. “I believe that changing my form will give me some sovereignty, making me more respectable in his eyes... It is complicated.”

“I know.” Amy looked for the red LEDs to come back on so she could look Metal in the eye, but they remained out. “But I think you can accomplish that as you are.”

Metal stopped as they approached a wall. He could still see Amy looking lamentful in his peripheral vision, her hand in his as the other clung to his shoulder assuringly. This must have been where the treasure was stored, but he wasn’t sure he could still bring himself to deceive her. He made himself visible to her again, shining his red light on her face. He felt her exhale, as if relieved, when he did. “Are you… still willing to help me?”

A small smile spread across her lips. “Of course. I just wanted you to know that I think you’re capable, you know?”

Perhaps secretly, he’d hoped she would refuse. But there was no turning back now. “I believe we are here...”

“What is it?”

“A door… without a handle.” He stared at the wall head, a smooth slab that extended from the floor to the ceiling of the cave. The shape of a door looked to be carved into it, a circular cavity in place of where a doorknob would be. Words were painted in a neat script following the shape of the hole, appearing to have faded over the decades. “There is a bore hole. It reads, ‘For my greatest treasure: my gem, Beryl.’”

“Oh, ’cause Beryl is named after a gemstone, right? Pretty romantic,” Amy teased, wanting to lighten the mood.

“It is… clever.” Metal examined the hole in the door, measuring its diameter and determining its depth. Amy knelt ahead of him, her hand sliding off his shoulder and reaching out to the wall. She ran her fingers blindly along its surface in search of a clue. He watched as she felt around the great stone barrier, apparently determined to do whatever she could to help. With Amy’s other hand still held in his own, Metal led her to the carved edge of the doorframe. “This is the door,” he said, her fingers tracing down the groove in the stone. “And the bore hole.” He pulled her hand to the spot in the door where one would find a doorknob.

Amy placed her palm over it. “It’s kinda warm,” she remarked, feeling as balmy air flowed through from the other side.

“Yes,” he agreed, hesitantly pulling away.

“ My gem, Beryl, ” she repeated. “Hm…” Fumbling around her pocket, Amy pulled out the spyglass and held it up with the bluish crystal at the end. “Does this look like beryl?”

Metal’s hard claws clicked against the crystal as he held it between his thumb and forefinger. “It does… how theatrical.” There was amusement in his voice as he realized. “Shall we?”

Amy nodded, beaming with excitement. She brought the eyepiece end up to the hole in the wall, letting Metal push the crystal into the divot until it clicked. Pulling herself up by his arm, Amy gave him an encouraging nudge. Metal paused. He stared down at her a moment. “Go on,” she insisted with a smile.

Before they could move ahead, however, a sliver of orange light entered through the floor of the stone corridor. Looking back, Metal and Amy found the door to the cave once again rising, Rouge’s silhouette just illuminated in the late sunset as it rose. Knuckles and Tails weren’t far behind her but neither Eggman nor any of the henchmen were within sight. “This is the end of the line!” she commanded, stepping into the cave.

Metal and Amy shared a brief glance, and she gave him a single nod. “Do what you have to, but be careful, okay?”

If there was a time for Metal to reverse his decision, it was now. But though he hesitated, Metal returned her nod and turned to face the cave opening. The cavity in his chest began to glow with a white light that quickly brightened, luminous with energy. “I suggest you remain where you are,” he warned Rouge.

She stepped back slightly with a gasp, unsure if she could block his attack. “Amy, call him off before someone gets hurt!” she demanded.

Amy shook her head desperately. “Just stay back!”

Knuckles came charging in then, his eyes ablaze as he rushed past Rouge and started down the length of the corridor. Tails made a fruitless effort to stop him but was quickly pushed out of the way.

Rouge yelled, following after Knuckles. “Don’t!”

The compression chamber in Metal’s chest was charged, brilliant with energy. He turned his head slightly to Amy. “You stand back as well,” he advised. Not letting Knuckles get too close, Metal levitated a few inches up and aimed his chest engine up toward the cave ceiling. Rouge just managed to tackle Knuckles to the ground as Metal’s laser fired into the stone ceiling, causing a pile of gravel to rain down between them. Metal shot himself backward and away from the falling stone. As his feet hit the ground, he forced Amy to the wall and stood between her and the collapsing ceiling, blocking the stray debris with his body.

She shut her eyes and used her arms to shield her head, but Metal didn’t let so much as a pebble past his frame. As the dust cleared, Amy peeked up. Metal towered above her crouched form, only his glowing eye once again visible in the darkened cave as it stared down at her. Amy hid her face, slightly flushed from the excitement- and the proximity.

Metal pushed himself from the wall, offering her a hand. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she squeaked, accepting the boost. “What about you?”

“No sustained damage.”

They stared at each other for a moment, once again hand in hand. Metal listened to her quickened heartbeat and observed the warmth surrounding her face. Amy panted lightly. She looked especially radiant in his thermal vision, her cheeks illuminated bright red. “Thank you,” Metal blurted out.

She looked at what little she could see of him with wide eyes. “What… what for?”

He wasn’t sure. “For… everything.”

“Well,” Amy slipped her hand away from his gently. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re almost there! Oh-” she hopped past him and lifted her voice, hoping it reached the other side of the debris pile. “Are you guys okay?”

There was a short pause before Rouge called back. “You’re lucky no one’s hurt!”

Amy released her tense breath. “Thank goodness! I’m sorry, we’re going to the treasure room now!”

“The what?!”

They could hear Rouge cursing from across the heap momentarily. Then Metal could just catch Tails utter something before their voices quickly faded away.

“I think we should hurry,” Amy said, hurrying back to his side. Metal simply nodded, reaching for the eyepiece in the wall.

The crystal spyglass turned like a knob in a door. Metal pulled it open and was immediately greeted with a burst of hot air that shot past them, the stone door acting as the only barrier to keep them from being scorched. As the air passed, the enormous chamber beyond became illuminated with torches lining the walls. On the farthest wall, a thin stream of magma flowed down the height of the farthest wall, making the space sear with radiant heat.

Standing ahead of her to look past the door, Metal cautioned Amy. “We are here. But for some reason Scarlett decided to store her treasure in a magma chamber.”

“That’s… terrifying. What else is in there?”

Metal stepped from the back of the stone door, standing in the entrance of the mysterious chamber with its seemingly magical torches and streaming lava. And then there was the treasure; Mounds of sparkling gold coins that glittered even in the dreariest of light were speckled with ingots and gilded statues all across the dusty ground. The center of the room was covered inches deep in jewels, silvery blades buried within the treasure to their gem encrusted hilts. Within it, on a platform mounded with riches, sat an ivory casket, its edges shining with golden filigree inlaid with rubies and sapphires. And finally, atop it all sat a simple stone box, its dull surface clashing with the glimmering room. “What we have been looking for,” Metal said with more lament than he intended.

Pushing past the door, Amy stood next to him and took in the magnificent sight for herself. She gasped with awe, her wide eyes shining with a golden halo in the warm light. “It’s beautiful,” she sighed. Amy stepped inside, giggling. “Rouge is gonna freak!” The balmy air was stifling, but she ignored it and moved ahead, approaching the room’s center.

He followed her in cautiously, kicking random bits of treasure aside. “Be careful, there could be traps…” He watched as she pushed ahead, seeing her trod through the thick blanket of coins that littered the ground without hesitation. She fanned herself and pulled on her blouse collar uncomfortably, but headed straight for the macabre chest that sat in the middle of it all. There was no uncertainty in her stride- Amy was determined to help Metal in any way possible. He didn’t expect that to be so devastating.

Amy made her way up the elevated platform, standing on her toes to reach up to the top of the casket. There was an inscription on the lid of the stone box that sat on it. “ DO NOT OPEN,” it read. Raising a brow, Amy leaned in closer to find additional words on the front. “There’s an inscription on here…” She read it aloud: “The box reads, ‘In this casket lies Beryl, all I loved besides the sea. In this box, my remorse. Leave this cursed object where you found it; The remainder of this wretched treasure is yours. Scarlett.’ Oh…”

Reaching her side, Metal stared at the inscription that just reached his eye level.Remorse, he repeated to himself silently. “I suppose this is what we are here for.”

Amy sighed. “Yeah, I guess we should do this quick,” she reached out to the box.

Metal thought about stopping her, taking her hand and pulling it away from her cursed fate, but he did not get the opportunity. Something suddenly came crashing through the rocky wall of the chamber, chunks of stone booming as they scattered to the ground.

The cavern rumbled. Amy held onto the edge of the casket for support while Metal stabilized himself and turned his vision to the crash site. The bow of a metallic ship had pushed its way through to the cavern, its steely peak unaffected by the collision. As the rubble settled and the early moonlight seeped in through cracks, Eggman strode out onto the deck with a cackle. “What do you think of my new ship?” He extended his arms proudly. “She floats and flies!”

Metal was fuming. There he was, pushing past his immense guilt and moments from fulfilling his goal, only to be interrupted by The Doctor once again. Amy could sense his anger. She quickly found her balance and lifted her hand to his shoulder, trying to give him a reassuring look. He tensed up but did not look in her direction.

When neither of them responded, Eggman continued. “Don’t you like it? I thought we’d get you a better pirate ship for your-”

“Why do you insist on interrupting me?” Metal cut in bitterly.

“Oh come now,” The Doctor continued, “We’re on the same team! You made it this far- don’t let your pride get in the way,” he warned.

As he leaned forward on the bow of the ship, H3 and H4 popped in from the crack in the wall, squeezing their small bodies through the narrow space. Everyone watched silently as they flew crookedly toward Metal. They were scuffed and scratched, one of H4’s arms missing as the socket sparked out weakly. They landed on either side of Metal, clinking their hands to their heads weakly. “Yeesh, what happened to them?” Eggman asked with a grimace.

Clearing her throat, Amy cut in. “Look, I know you wanna help, but we have this under control. So please leave before someone gets hurt!”

“What?” he chortled. “Do you still believe Metal wants to be, what was it- ‘organic’? Ha!”

“Be quiet!” Metal spat back, his voice cutting into a dissonant metallic ring. Amy drew back her hand as she recoiled from the harsh noise.

“ Oh ,” Eggman snickered at the realization that Metal was trying to protect the girl. “Very interesting! But no need to keep up the charade, just grab her along with the mirror so we can get out of here.”

Looking between Eggman and Metal, Amy took several steps away from the robot. “He’s not lying, is he...?”

Metal stared back at her blankly. She would never help him now- his self-reliant plan had no hope of succeeding. If only he hadn’t hesitated…

“Well, hasn’t this been cute?” Eggman cackled cruelly at her fear before addressing his creation once more. Lowering his brow, The Doctor’s demeanor quickly became more serious and authoritative. “Metal, you need me in order to complete your objective. Time for action!”

He was right. Finishing the mission the way Metal had envisioned was out of reach, and Amy would never trust him again. All that was left to do was complete his objective. “It will be easier if you surrender,” he threatened her, narrowing his vision.

“ Of course you were lying.” There was bitterness in Amy’s voice as they glared at one another. She was trapped and outnumbered, but she wasn’t one to go without a fight, and he knew that. She took her gaze around the room frantically, surveying her surroundings. Just as she was deciding her next move, Amy spotted something red in the corner of her eye. She quickly shot her glare back at Metal Sonic, inching away from him.

Knuckles had slipped in through a crack in the stone, quietly scaling the wall near Eggman’s ship. Amy also spotted Rouge and Tails hidden in the ship’s shadow by the cave floor. Rouge brought a finger to her lips as Amy saw her. She knew that Metal would sense her friends if she didn’t keep his attention, so she kept talking. “Why’d you teach me how to fight if you just wanted me to surrender?”

“If you think you will best me in a real fight, you are mistaken. Give up before you get hurt.”

“Hmph! You were gonna kill me anyway- or were you just gonna let the curse do the work?”

The question lacked an answer. For however determined Metal was to get ahead of Sonic, he didn’t want to have to do it at Amy’s expense... Yet there was no calculable scenario in which he would defeat his rival where she wouldn’t intervene. There was no choice but to destroy her, too- whatever he did would only delay the inevitable. “Does it matter?” He took an imposing step toward her.

Amy reached the end of the long casket, turning the corner and putting it between them so Metal faced away from Eggman- and her team. She knew it wouldn’t hold him for long. “So I guess wanting to be friends was a lie, too…” There was genuine lament in her tone, her eyes squinting back sorrowfully. Amy couldn’t believe she’d let herself become attached to Metal- and in such a short amount of time. Whatever connection she’d felt was as good as severed now.

Metal stopped his advance, standing across from her. “...I never said that.”

“You sounded pretty eager to ‘spend time together,’” she quoted him.

“I…”

A loud ZAP was heard behind Metal. He quickly whipped around to find Knuckles falling to the ground before Rouge swooped in to catch him. “Did you really think I wouldn’t put up a barrier? Come now!” The Doctor laughed as he pulled out a small remote and the invisible barrier flashed around the ship. He pressed a button that sent at least a dozen sword-wielding badniks jumping off the deck and after Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge.

In the confusion, Amy jumped up to snatch the entirety of the stone box from atop the casket. Upon pulling down the heavy container, an ivory switch came up from the casket with a distinct CLICK . The cavern immediately began to rumble, Amy attempting to circumvent the treasure-topped platform and run back toward the direction of the ship in all the chaos.

Realizing this, Metal addressed his minions. “You two block her- the box is mine .”

Amy ran, struggling to keep her balance on the shifting cavern floor. Metal quickly propelled himself after her, reaching out with a clawed hand. Thinking fast, Amy tossed the solid stone lid back at him, hitting him square in the forehead. “Augh!” he groaned as he was knocked off route. As his henchmen closed in ahead of her with arms extended, Amy charged directly at them. Just as they reached out to stop her, Amy hit the ground and slipped between them, scraping against the hard floor. H3 and H4 collided with their arms entangled as she hurried to dust herself off and continue forward.

The cave trembled as the single thin stream of magma at the far wall thickened, now forming a pool on the cavern floor as its exit overflowed. A crack near the chamber entrance also burst open, sending boiling lava spewing over the door from which they had entered. Amy pushed forward through the surrounding heat, lugging the heavy weight toward the direction of her friends- and the oncoming battalion of badniks.

But Metal was quickly upon her again, his eyes blazing with the left flickering wildly front the blow to the head. Knowing he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice, Amy instinctively ducked as he approached her. The hefty container slid in front of her and Metal lunged for it, snatching it off the ground to remove the artifact he’d been after- But there was nothing inside except dust.

Peering back at Amy, Metal found its rocky handle in her grasp. She had picked up the Stone Mirror- a simple rounded hand mirror with a handgrip and no discernible features other than its distinctive lack of any actual reflective surface. Amy was turning it back and forth in her hands, wondering if this was really what they’d been looking for. It resembled a hand mirror in shape alone, failing to function as an actual looking glass.

Ahead of them, Amy’s friends were already taking on a troupe of robots. After giving one a swift punch to the head that knocked it clean off its body, Knuckles caught sight of Amy- and the Stone Mirror. “Amy- don’t let him get his hands on it! Destroy it!” he called back, just dodging a swing from another badnik.

Hearing this, Metal tossed the useless box aside and flung himself at Amy once more, drawing his sword. As he brought his weapon down over her, Amy held up the mirror at both ends, blocking his attack with its handle. His sword made contact, but bounced off as he hesitated at the last second. Drawing her own sword, Amy pointed it at him sharply. “I’m not going down so easy!” She lunged at him, managing to push to the side as she changed direction toward the pooling magma at the other end of the chamber.

“H3 and H4, corner her!” Metal commanded. The henchmen had just managed to detangle their limbs. H4 launched himself forward at her while H3 came up on the other side.

The heat thickened as she approached the impossibly hot lava, panting and sweating, struggling to run ahead. Metal Sonic was faster than her and closed in quickly behind. Amy could already see H3 and H4 cornering her into the far wall. Rather than wait to be trapped, Amy swung her arm and pitched the mirror fiercely toward the magma. H4, however, threw out his remaining arm, catching it before it made contact with the boiling pool. “Take it back to The Doctor,” Metal instructed him.

“Crap!” Amy cursed. She spun around and pointed, calling out to her friends. “He’s got the mirror!”

Unfortunately for the little robot, the damage he’d sustained made it impossible to fly straight, and he struggled to avoid obstacles. This made it easy for Tails to fly by, grabbing the Stone Mirror to try and pry it out of H4’s tightly clamped claws. Not having another arm to entangle the boy with, H4 swung the coil around wildly, trying to throw Tails off like a mechanical bull. Seeing this, Metal ordered H3 to help his brother and the minion quickly wobbled off.

Eggman watched in frustration as it all unfolded, most of the robots lying in a heap of scrap at the base of his ship. “This is getting boring,” he yawned, and he flipped another button on his remote that sent out another wave of badniks. “I’ve had enough of this; go after the girl! Make it quick.” He wanted to draw the others away from the ship for a quick getaway once the mirror was secured.

Knuckles groaned in annoyance at the new wave of badniks. “I’ll deal with them- help Tails grab the mirror,” he yelled to Rouge through fierce swings of his fists. She nodded and shot herself toward the battling minions.

Meanwhile, Amy was cornered- Metal Sonic ahead of her while searing magma pooled behind her. “Surrender!” Metal commanded, pointing a steely claw at her while he held his sword down by his side.

“Never!” She had no choice but to get out of the way as lava threatened to melt her boots clean off, so she lunged at Metal Sonic with her sword, putting her full force into the attack. His stance quickly changed and he blocked her attack with his sword.

Metal attempted to counter, but Amy kept after him, swinging at him so furiously that he couldn’t get an attack in. “You lied to me!” she screamed out, her eyes brimming with fury.

“Argh- I did what I had to!” he spat back, holding his weapon against hers.

She gripped her sword fiercely with both hands, pushing against him. Angry tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “I thought we had something!” she wailed. Metal’s guilt bubbled to the surface and he faltered momentarily, giving Amy a chance to push his weapon away and plunge toward him. Metal lost his grip and the sword clattered to the ground away from him.

Amy’s lunge would have impaled him through the chest if it wasn’t for the interference of one of Eggman’s badniks. The robot cut ahead of Metal, blocking her swing. As Knuckles struggled to keep them all back, four more of the rotund bots arrived, surrounding Amy and Metal. She brandished the weapon in front of her frantically, pointing it from badnik to badnik. “Rouge,” she called, “Use the sword!”

Metal’s sword had landed just below where she and Tails struggled against H3 and H4. She kicked H3 aside and shot down, seizing the sharp weapon from the cavern floor. “Tails- move!” she warned. The boy quickly propelled himself away as he saw her aiming the sword at H4’s remaining arm. Rouge flung it at the robot, slicing his hand off at the wrist, sending his clamp-like fingers falling to the ground with the Stone Mirror still in its clutches. “Hold them off!” Rouge caught it mid-flight, clamp and all, and got moving in Amy’s direction with the intention of tossing the artifact in the magma and picking her up on the way back.

“Metal,” Eggman howled from a speaker, “Stop that flying rat and retreat with the mirror at once!”

Giving her a final glare, Metal lifted off the ground. “I wish you’d given up,” he told Amy before thrusting straight up to intercept Rouge.

“Why do you care?!” Amy‘s chest heaved, her weak hand wiping the sweat from her brow as the group of badniks slowly pushed her closer and closer to the bubbling magma behind her.

Rouge wasn’t fast enough to dodge Metal Sonic. All she could do to keep the mirror out of his clutches was to hurl it in the direction of the lava pit just before he made contact with her, sending her plummeting to the cave floor- without the Stone Mirror in hand.

As if slowing time, Metal shot his gaze toward the mirror as it fell. His systems worked at lightning speed to determine its velocity and the likelihood that he could catch it before it was destroyed. Metal was tough, but not indestructible- he wouldn’t survive a plunge into the magma. But it was when he was calculating the possible outcome, already drilling his body through the air and down toward the sizzling pool, that he spotted Amy Rose cornered by badniks against boiling magma, mere feet from being pushed into it.

Suddenly, there was a second option to his trajectory. It was her or the Stone Mirror. Save Amy Rose, or be closer than he’s ever been to fulfilling the very objective to his existence. Why was it a question? So much as considering her over his purpose went against his plan, the very core of his programming; And yet, he had already decided the moment he saw her in mortal danger. Before he could comprehend why, Metal had already shifted his flight path.

Amy was panting and swaying, dizzy from the intoxicating heat of the cave. Her vision was blurry and wet with tears as she fought off the attacks from several opponents at once. If they didn’t end her, the magma would. One of the badniks lunged at her while she parried another and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. Just as Amy thought she would have to say a final prayer, Metal Sonic landed between her and the robot, arms outstretched to form a barrier between them.

The sword-wielding badnik stabbed its weapon forward with no time to stop before the sharp end impaled Metal through the chest. The sword cut into his turbine, causing sparks to fly out as the engine sputtered. He heard the devastating sound of the Stone Mirror falling into the magma next to them, watching it sizzle from the corner of his eye as it sunk in. There went everything he had worked towards- yet this regret was so much less than the remorse he’d felt betraying Amy.

“Metal!” Amy gasped.

“You scrap-heap!” Eggman shrieked at the badnik whose sword was stuck in Metal Sonic’s engine. “When I’m through with you-”

There was no time to finish the statement. Glowing-hot lava began to burst from cracks in all the interior walls as the cavern quaked. Gravel fell from the ceiling as the space began caving in. “Retreat at once!”

All of Eggman’s remaining robots dropped what they were doing to run, leaving Knuckles free. He spotted Rouge crawling across the ground and Tails kicking H3 away from him a final time. Knuckles ran to Rouge, supporting her as she stood. “Where’s Amy?” he asked frantically as they struggled to stay upright on the unsteady ground.

Rouge turned her head back as Tails joined them. “Oh, no…”

Metal gripped the hilt of the sword that stuck out from his chest and quickly drew it out, tossing it to the side. The increased lava flow had left them completely surrounded on a precarious island that would soon be inundated. In her surprise, Amy shook the daze from her head. The tears that had welled in her eyes overflowed as she looked up at him in shock. “You- You came back!”

“I am as surprised as you,” he said, drawing her close to him as the boiling magma rose around them. “Hold on.” Metal lifted them off the ground, faltering as he did. His engine stalled, causing him to hover up and down unexpectedly until they finally passed the pooling lava, crashing onto the cavern floor. They were past the immediate danger, but Metal could no longer fly. As Amy stood, he found that his legs had given out as well- only enough power left to operate his upper body. He ordered his minions over hurriedly. “H3, H4, I need you here.”

The little robots did their best to fly over, dodging falling pieces of the stone ceiling. Metal was taken aback by their appearance. “H4? Where’s the rest of you?” The minion shrugged with what was left of his right arm, only the long coil hanging down from its socket. Realization set in for Metal. He looked back at Amy’s panicked face. “H3 cannot carry me alone. I will have to stay. You go with him-”

“No!” Amy shook her head furiously. “You can’t!”

“My weight exceeds his capacity-” Metal tried to explain.

“Don’t be stupid!” She grabbed hold of one of Metal’s arms, dragging him across the floor at a surprising pace.

Her strength was impressive, but they would never make it out before the chamber caved in at this rate. “We are too slow! Just leave!”

“I won’t!” Amy struggled. “H3, a little help would be nice!”

He and Metal exchanged glances for a moment. Metal quickly realized the stubborn girl wouldn’t be leaving him behind. “Well, help her!” he commanded.

H3 obeyed, swiftly grabbing his master by the other arm and dragging him along. They moved at a running pace now, nearing the half-collapsed wall from which Eggman had crashed his ship.

“Amy, what are you doing?!” Knuckles called out. He’d handed Rouge over to Tails to fly out with and now ran alongside her and Metal.

“Just shut up and run!”

As they all neared the threshold and The Doctor caught sight of Metal Sonic, his ship began to back out from the wall. “Hurry!” he yelled at them as it floated back.

The ceiling was falling down behind them, burying the chamber and all its treasure under mounds of solid stone and liquid earth. The entire cavern was seconds from collapsing. Tails was the first out with Rouge in his grasp while H4 and Knuckles followed closely behind. Finally, Amy and H3 dragged Metal past the cave’s external wall as the entirety of the cavern came down behind them. Stones boomed, pounding to the floor in the direction they’d come from. The crashing stone wall rattled and broke the ground outside, lurching everyone forward and away from the entrance with a gust of wind.

It was a rough landing, but the side of the volcano they’d come out from faced the sandy beach. Knuckles groaned, spitting sand out of his mouth after landing face first. Tails came down, landing softly beside him with Rouge. He set her down on the beach and collapsed onto the soft ground, exhausted. Eggman’s steel ship floated above them as he hung over the rails looking relieved. Metal’s henchmen floated about for a moment before a faint beeping drew them away into the palm tree thicket nearby.

Amy couldn’t bring herself to sit up. She lay in the sand, sweating and heart pounding, staring straight up at the night sky as the adrenaline subsided. Metal’s half-functioning body was strewn beside her face-down. He pushed himself from the sand, flipping over to look straight up. Metal fondled the ground desperately, leaving drag marks in the sand with his sharp claws until Amy’s hand happened upon his, locking their fingers together. He relaxed, relieved to still have her by his side. It was the least he could hope for after giving up his plan to save her, he told himself- but he knew it must have been more than that. They sat in silence for just a few moments.

“... It does look a bit like a swan,” he muttered, staring into the starry sky. Cygnus was in full view over the island.

Amy couldn’t keep from snickering as he spoke, noticing the constellation suspended above them. “Guess you didn’t need to be organic to see it after all- ow! Laughing hurts...”

“Seeing as I am still mechanical, I’m afraid I cannot relate…”

She burst out in laughter, holding her ribs with her free hand. Amy’s shoulders bounced, highlighting the dull soreness in her arms from having dragged Metal’s heavy body across the collapsing cavern. “Don’t start-” she giggled. It always seemed to amuse her when he made those snide remarks.

Some yards away, Rouge sat up, holding the back of her head. “There goes my treasure… Is everyone alright?”

Tails flashed a lazy thumbs-up as Knuckles stretched beside her. “I’ll live,” he remarked gruffly. “What could those two be laughing about…?”

“Who knows?” she grumbled. “A bit cheery for a pair who just cost me my treasure.”

Quick footsteps were heard from the far side of the beach. Rouge’s crew and a set of cameramen were hastily running to meet with her. She sighed. “Back to work, I suppose.” As they stumbled near, Knuckles came to his feet and gave her a hand up. Tails dusted himself off groggily and joined them. The trio were surrounded by sailors and cameras soon enough as Rouge immediately began giving orders, playing up the authoritative remarks for the cameras.

Down the beach, Metal’s minion’s floated near him, H3 holding H1’s sparking body in his arms. Metal pushed himself to sit up, looking at the dismembered robot with remorse. “Perhaps I was a bit harsh…” He took hold of H1 as the metallic husk beeped intermittently and automatically, not appearing to be active.

Pulling herself into a sitting position, Amy groaned. “Is he gonna be okay?” she motioned to H1.

“Yes… I can repair them all. We will be fine.”

Eggman hovered down in his floating Eggmobile, coming to a landing and jumping out to address his creations. “Metal! What happened out there? Is your turbine functional?”

Metal glared at The Doctor for a moment. The lights in his left eye flickered weakly every time he moved his head. He believed he should have been furious, but he had neither the energy nor any strong feelings against his master in that moment. “No,” he responded simply.

“You sure did a number on him,” Eggman said, referring to H1 as Metal held him. “Well, we’ll get ‘em next time… Here, charge up so we can go.” A battery pack was quickly hooked up to Metal’s back, steadily providing his body with the power to operate his legs. Amy watched fondly as Eggman doted over him, a sly smile appearing on her face. The Doctor noticed her peering. “What are you looking at, you pest? You should consider yourself lucky to be alive-”

“That is enough,” Metal said plainly. “Give me a minute…”

“... Fine,” Eggman relented. “I‘ll make preparations to ‘set sail,’” he snickered, getting back into his hovercraft and floating away to the flying ship.

H3 and H4 sat in the sand by Amy and Metal, patiently waiting for him to regain his energy. As The Doctor’s attention turned away from him, Metal pulled the charging cable out from his back and connected it to H1’s body. The narrow strip of light that formed his visor powered on as Metal held him in front of his chest.

“You are quite the little spy…” Metal stared at H1 as he activated, the small robot bobbing his head around as if nervous. “... Very good work. I shall keep you around.” H1 stopped his frantic movement, tensing up for a moment before relaxing. Amy giggled as Metal set him down in the sand between them, reaching out and straightening the bandana around his neck. Metal turned to face her so their eyes met. “Thank you for bringing me with you. I am not sure my body could have been recovered from all the rubble.”

She was beaming warmly. “Well, you didn’t let me die in the end, so…” she gestured vaguely. “Call it even for now.” Amy winked.

“Hm. For what it’s worth, I was not going to permit you to sacrifice yourself. Though I cannot comprehend why…”

“Oh thanks,” Amy snickered through her sarcastic response. “Well, even though you lied… I think I believe you,” she shrugged.

Metal never felt like he needed to justify or excuse anything that he’d done in the past; He only ever did what he had to in the name of completing his objective. And though he resented losing this opportunity, the guilt he felt from lying was somehow much stronger. “Yes, well- I have never apologized for anything in my entire existence, but… I do regret that. I am sorry.”

“Really?” She ran a finger through the sand, leaving faint lines. “Ah, at least I got a sword lesson out of it ...I’ll think about forgiving you,” she responded with a coy smile. Metal Sonic was a bit of a mystery, but she could sense that he was apologetic in saving her and as he reactivated H1. She felt it was genuine, though she promised herself to keep him on his toes if they ever say one another again. “Anyway, don’t you need to charge, too?” she asked.

“There is enough for us both. In any case, I can spend a bit more time with you this way.”

She grinned playfully. “Yeah, too bad we’re in no shape for a dance lesson.”

“I suppose not... Perhaps next week, then.” He forced it out indifferently, but there was hope in his response.

It was unclear whether he was just teasing her. Amy flushed suddenly, turning her gaze away. Nothing could have been stranger than feeling this fondly toward Metal after the emotional roller coaster of the last several days, but the idea of being that close again didn’t sound so bad to her now. Only time would tell how the unusual new friendship would play out from opposite sides, but Amy was more than willing to find out. “Yeah, I guess that’ll work,” she responded finally, smiling back up at him. She couldn’t help but think that he’d be grinning back if he could.

-----

“ The treasure has been… compromised, ” Rouge explained. Footage of her on a beach played on a small hand-held tablet. She was wearing a scuffed-up navy suit but stood with confidence and authority. “ There were some… complications. It may be too dangerous to excavate. ”

B-roll of the surrounding area played as a news anchor reported the story. A dark, tropical beach with a mountain at its center. A pile of rubble surrounded by crew members as Tails pointed at and discussed various spots. Rouge storming off the beach as Knuckles followed after her angrily.

Sonic watched the morning news in awe. He’d been lounging groggily near the Master Emerald when he sat up at the appearance of his friends.

“ … and perhaps most strangely of all, the missing historical ship, the Royal Fortune, was found drifting just offshore. She appears to have sustained some damage over the week or so since she went missing. Her disappearance seems to be related to the notorious Dr. Eggman. ” As an announcer spoke, the recording showed a short clip of Metal Sonic and Amy chatting at the bow of the now-anchored ship, her leaning over a railing nonchalantly and giggling while he stood in a stately manner, his gaze fixed on her. Amy then ducked out of the shot when she spotted the camera. Metal Sonic turned to face it directly, glaring with his left eye flickering eerily. The shot quickly panned away.

“Is that…?” Sonic’s jaw dropped as he watched the clip, unable to fathom just what kind of adventure they’d ended up on. Seeing Amy lounging around with Metal Sonic on a stolen vessel was by the far the strangest, but everyone appeared to be safe and would likely be returning soon, so there was no need to worry. “Heh, can’t wait to hear about this.” Sonic went back to his leisurely position as the story ended, grinning over the unexpected footage of his friends and eagerly waiting to hear about all the fun his team was having without him. Still, he doubted it would be enough to get him tagging along on the next seafaring adventure.

-----

wow so that ended up being like twice as long as intended~ i hope yall enjoyed it. meant to have it up earlier but. that’s life.

this is of course part 2 to what i was working on for @metamy-ship-week

a very very very special thank you to @mmm-asbestos for inspiring this fic and brainstorming the story with me. i am incredibly thankful to have worked on something with someone who inspires me so much ❤ i had a great time

happy new year friends~ i hope 2021 treats you all with kindness.

#reblogs appreciated #metamy #metal sonic #amy rose #metal sonic x amy rose #sonic fanfiction #sth #MetamyShipWeek2020 #metamy ship week #pirates

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royallyprincesslilly · 5 years ago

Text

Title: Distraction {One-Shot}*

Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: Silliness, Cursing, Mild NSFW

Words: 1.9k

Note: So, this came in and I thought this is cute. It got me thinking how this would go down for both Chris and Jason. So, this is for Chris and I’m thinking of doing one for Jason as well. Anyway, I hope I did this right and I hope you guys enjoy this. Thank you, as always for reading!!!❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

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

You were very active on social media. As a model social media really gave you the free exposure that kept your name on everyone’s lips. These days, a girl had to use every tool at her disposal, and social media was a massive tool. Your management team thought it didn’t hurt you, so they allowed it. Of course, there are some things you kept off of social media completely, and sometimes you teased at.

At the beginning of yours and Chris’s relationship, both of you thought it was a good idea to keep things quiet. You didn’t want the hoopla about being his “new fling,” and he didn’t want you exposed to that kind of negativity. He knew his fanbase was insane. For the first year and a half of your relationship, it was kept so quiet that no one but your families knew what was going on. By the time the public got wind of things, you and Chris had been together for two blissful years.

Today, at almost three years in, your relationship was not a secret. Everyone knew how crazy Chris was about you. He was not quiet about expressing his love for you, and he was not shy about posting pictures or little snippets that were about you. You two were crazy in love and had yet to get out of the honeymoon phase. When you got the message from Scott, you didn’t think anything of it. When you opened the link attached, it brought you to a Tik Tok page.

The girl was whispering to the camera about doing some sort of prank. She was going to walk into the room naked while her boyfriend was playing video games to see what he would do. You watched her drop the towel and everything and prance into the room. As expected, it took her boyfriend a whole of ten seconds to look at her and one second for him to drop the controller and approach her. When the video ended, that started your descent down the rabbit hole. You watched video after video of girls and guys doing the same thing.

Almost all the videos of the girls doing it ended just as how you’d expect. The videos of the guys doing it were mostly met with giggles, but a few you could guess what happened after the screen darkened. Thus started your wheels. You spent the next ten minutes trying to come up with a plan. You didn’t need a reason to be naked in your own house, but you wanted optimal results. You could pretty much imagine what was going to happen. You got on IG and posted a quick live.

“Hey guys it’s your girl Y/N. I hope you guys are well. So, I just got sent a video from one of my favorite humans on this earth, and it gave me a wonderful idea. I’m bored, and you know what they say idle hands do the devil's work.” You gave a sinister smile.

“Tune into my Tik Tok for just exactly what I mean. Bye, guys.” You blew a kiss to the camera and ended the video to post it.

A message came in from one of your friends.

MSG Simone: What are you about to do now?

MSG: Nothing, just mess with Chris a little.

MSG Simone: That poor man. I know he’s about tired of you during all this free time.

MSG: LOL. 😂 I know you’re right. TTYL.

As you were finishing up formulating your plan, you scurried downstairs looking through the rooms of Chris and your Boston townhouse. He wasn’t anywhere you expected. When you got to his office there he was behind his desk.

“Hey beautiful,” Chris greeted with a smile as he reached out for you.

“Hi, baby.” You approached him and allowed him to wrap his arms around your waist as you sat on his lap. Chris moaned and nuzzled his cheek onto your breast.

“Perfect attire you have there,” you pointed out, nodding to his half-dressed state. He wore a short-sleeve fitted Henley and his boxer briefs. He snorted.

“What? I think this is the perfect attire for where we are. Don’t you?” He nudged his hips up, sending his half-hardened member on your ass.

“Woah, calm down.” Chris trailed kisses along your collar up to your neck and your ear. Once there, he softly nibbled and sucked your earlobe. He was doing such a good job distracting you that you didn’t feel his hand creep underneath your tank top to grip your breast. When he gently pinched your nipple and rolled it between his thumb and pointer, you groaned. With his free hand, he trailed it into the front of your lounge shorts and quickly found your clit.

“Fuck.” You sighed out and closed your eyes, enjoying the feel of his hands on you. His moan was like a croak, and you knew what he wanted.

“Nope. I did not come down here for this.” You got off of his lap and took a few steps away.

“Come on. You’re really gonna say no to this?” He motioned to his lap where he was hard enough to proceed until he reached peak hardness.

You bit your bottom lip because are you kidding, your man was a whole snack, and he had dinner right before you. Shaking your head, you focused.

“I’m gonna say no. I wanted to know what you wanted for dinner.”

“I’m looking at dinner and dessert.” He rose his eyebrows, and you couldn’t help but snort.

Turning your back, you saw the perfect spot for your phone. Playing it off and knowing his eyes were focused elsewhere, you poked out your ass a little while you planted your phone, ensuring it was recording. When you turned to him, he looked ready to pounce.

“Fine, since you won’t tell me seriously. I’ll make whatever.”

With that, you turned and walked out of his office. “I know you want me!” You smiled at his cocky but absolutely true statement.

When you got back upstairs and calmed yourself down, a message came in from Chris.

MSG Chris: About to hop on this Zoom with the group. You wanna come join me?

A wide smile spread across your face. You couldn’t have planned this better.

MSG: No, I’m going to hop in the shower.

MSG Chris: Ooh, want some company?

MSG: One track mind. Didn’t you say you were getting on Zoom?

MSG Chris: They’d understand. We can reschedule in an hour. What else do they have to do?

MSG: Keep it in your pants. I’ll shower alone. Tell them I said hi.

MSG Chris: Boo!

This was perfect, you thought. In order to make it a little believable, you answered a few emails and got a little work done in order to pass a little time. After a good fifteen to twenty minutes passed, you got yourself primed and ready by stripping down, grabbing your towel, and just adding a little natural colored lip gloss and making sure your hair looked right. After being pleased with your reflection, you felt the nerves. This could go either way, but you were more than sure he would be embarrassed.

As you walked down the hall toward Chris's office, your excitement returned. You couldn’t wait to see his reaction. The closer you got, you could hear the voices from the Zoom. You heard Mackie, Pratt, RDJ, Scarlett, Seb, and Hemsworth. They were carrying on as if the zoom was nothing. They were laughing and everything. You also heard the sound of the tv. They were watching some old boxing match. This was a modern-day bro’s fight night and chill. You shook your head.

Before you walked into his office, you took a few deep breaths and dropped your towel, and walked inside.

“Aw come on, that was clearly an easy takedown he should’ve--,” Chris paused midsentence and just watched you enter the room. In one hand, he held his beer bottle, and the other was raised in the air to the TV before him.

“You alright, buddy?” You pinched your lips at RDJ’s inquiry. He sure was not alright.

“Uh—what’re—what’re you doing?”

“What?”

“Is that Y/N?” Scarlett’s excitement fully came through.

“Hiiiiiiiiiiii,” they all exclaimed in unison. Chris didn’t look as if he were breathing.

“Come on, dude, let us see her. Don’t hog her all to yourself,” Pratt groaned out. Chris gulped.

“Nope, you can’t—can’t see her. uh-uh.” You smiled and walked further in going in front of your phone, knowing that the angle wouldn’t show anything.

“Jesus Y/N.” Chris stood, and everyone on the zoom shouted out.

“Woah! No one wants to see that!” Hemsworth’s protest was loud.

“Put that thing away!” Seb mimicked the vomiting sound.

“What the hell is going on, man!” Mackie just sounded through with all of it.

You couldn’t conceal your laughter anymore and busted out.

“Wow, okay, so I’m gonna go, guys. I have some work to do here.”

“Ewww, work?” Scarlett sounded disgusted.

“Please mate, we know we’ll see you in ten minutes,” Hemsworth teased.

Chris dipped down and looked into the camera of his laptop.

“Ha, that might be how they do things down under, but here in the Evans house, work doesn’t end until me, and my woman are thoroughly drenched if you catch my drift. Later.”

“Wow, dip on us for some pus—,” Mackie’s sentence was cut off by Chris, closing the laptop and damn near pouncing on you like the predator he was. You screamed and ran out of his office, but you weren’t quick enough before he scooped you up and threw you over his shoulder. You laughed the entire way back to his office.

“Where you going with all of this running from me?” Chris attacked your neck and dropped his head to your nipple. You moaned and got lost again before you remembered.

“Wait, wait. My phone.”

“Nope, you don’t need it. I need your hands free for what I want you to do.”

“No, Chris, my phone. It’s recording.”

“What?”

You pointed to your phone on the ledge underneath the wall mounted tv.

“Why is your phone there and recording? Did you want to make a video?” He wiggled his eyebrows again, and you laughed again.

“No! oh my god, it was a Tik Tok thing. Walk in naked while your boyfriend is doing something to see his reaction.”

Understanding washed over Chris’s face before he laughed.

“Wow, so this was all a little trick?”

“Stop recording, or this will turn into a very different video.”

Chris’s eyes darkened, and he smiled widely. “Guess it’s turning into a whole different video. I’m not stopping anything.”

You stared at each other, and you could tell he was serious. Chris pushed you back onto the desk and plopped your legs wide open and got to work.

“Oh, fuck!” One lick and everything fell to the wayside. You could edit it out after all.

#distraction one shot #Chris Evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans one shot #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x black reader #black fanfiction #chris evans smut

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twokinkybeans · 4 years ago

Text

Stark On Ice: Starker Figure Skating AU Chapter 1

Summary: Six months ago, the broadcasters asked Tony to participate in Celebrity Spin-Off; an annual TV series where celebrities get paired up with a professional figure skater and compete against each other. Well, he’d laughed in their faces, wondering why they’d even ask. Were they really that stupid? He had better things to do. “If you can find me a male skater who lets me lead, I’m in,” he’d scoffed sarcastically to brush them off.

He didn't expect them to take his answer seriously.

Masterpost (to be posted) Find On AO3

---

Chapter One: Let Me Entertain You Tony readjusts his jacket as he walks into the large building that is the Midtown Ice Arena. It’s a few minutes before 7 AM, and he already downed a triple espresso on his way here - amusedly ignoring Happy’s complaints about it being so damn early. He will give the man a raise soon. Tony can’t say he’s a morning person, but having to get up this early every single day for three months in a row helps to get used to it. Today is different, though. He feels jittery and on-edge just thinking about today’s events. It’s the final rehearsal. Tonight he’s going to skate in front of the entirety of the States. He knows many people won’t even bother to watch the TV series, but the idea has him slightly nauseous anyway. His first live show…

Live show.

Tony chuckles sarcastically at himself as he sits down on one of the benches in the changing room. Live show. Six months ago, the broadcasters asked him to participate in Celebrity Spin-Off; an annual TV series where celebrities get paired up with a professional figure skater and compete against each other. Well, he’d laughed in their faces, wondering why they’d even ask. Were they really that stupid? He had better things to do. “If you can find me a male skater who lets me lead, I’m in,” he’d scoffed sarcastically to brush them off.

He’s still not sure why they took his answer seriously, but they had. Tony Stark doesn’t back out of a promise, though. So, here he is, lacing up his skates after three months of intensive training, ready to work through his choreo together with his assigned partner Peter Parker. From what Tony’s heard, Peter is a pretty big deal in the skating world. He’s a sweet, enthusiastic 21-year-old who has enough talent and skill in pair skating to participate in the Olympics, yet he’d chosen not to. Instead, he tours across the US with Stars On Ice, coaches young kids at Midtown, and has a YouTube channel where he and his partner MJ post routines with traditional gender roles reversed. Tony admires Peter’s passion. The man doesn’t like other people very fast, but Peter was something else entirely. He’s endearing in a way. It’s easy to like him. Which, thank god, is a positive thing. They’ve had to train together for a minimum of eighteen hours for the past three months - both on ice and off. Tony had been surprised to see that the theory classes and off-rink practice were just as important.

When Tony finishes lacing up his skates he walks towards the rink, finally knowing how to do that without looking like a waddling duck. A smile creeps onto his face when he spots his partner on the ice already. The boy moves around ever so graciously, practicing his triple axel. A few days prior, Peter told him he hadn’t done it in a while, and he and MJ intend to use it in their new YouTube tutorial, so he’s been wanting to perfect his landing. It’s not like he pops it, but the boy isn’t content very easily. Tony enjoys watching him rehearse no matter how he lands. He’s so beautiful out there. Like he was born to skate. After landing perfectly three times, Peter slows down to give himself a short break, and that’s when he spots Tony at the entrance. The man waves awkwardly and Peter grins. “Mornin’, grumpy-head!” Peter laughs as he skates towards him. “Well, look at you. Always a beaming ray of sunshine, aren’t ya?” “You know me too well, Mr. Stark. Hope you didn’t forget to apply your sunscreen today!” Peter jokes, jumping off the ice to give Tony a short hug. Tony hates to admit he likes that Peter greets him like that every single day. The boy isn’t scared of him, unlike most other people. Another reason why Tony likes him. He grunts as a response to the joke and nudges Peter. “Think it’s time to start training. Steve here yet?” Tony asks, looking around to see if he spots their coach. Peter shakes his head. “No, his car broke down a few blocks from Midtown, he’ll be here soon enough. Let’s start warming up so we can dive right into the sequence when he gets here.” “Yes, coach.”

“Why- Why do these outfits have to be so glittery,” Tony jests as he eyes himself in the mirror. He’s wearing a tight and stretchy black button-up with thick, gold seams and shiny gold beads all over it. Thank god his pants are a simple plain black. Peter is adjusting his hair right next to him. The metallic gold tee hugs the boy’s skin so incredibly tight that Tony can’t help his gaze from wandering down a little, peeking at the boy’s gorgeous abs. Peter grins as he follows Tony’s gaze. “Well, I guess that’s why,” Peter retorts, and Tony blushes. He sniffs, staring at his own reflection again. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Says the man who asked for a male partner. I still don’t-” “Oh shush,” Tony cuts him off playfully and waves his hand in the air. Peter simply chuckles and finishes styling his curls. They’re silent for a moment and Tony’s thoughts wander. He hadn’t meant to stare like that. Yes, he was bisexual but that doesn’t mean he liked Peter like that. They were already making headlines on entertainment websites. He can’t even imagine what’d happen if they’d actually feel something for each other. That’d be insane and highly unprofessional. The kid is too young, and- No. Tony doesn’t even have to make excuses for himself. Peter is nice. That’s it.

Thinking about them making the news doesn’t exactly settle his nerves. People are interested in them. Tony Stark on skates must be high-end entertainment for many people in itself, but the fact that they’re a male couple… He knows the public’s eye is on them tonight. “So tell me, kid. How does one contain nerves for a show, uh?” Tony asks, trying to keep it casual but failing massively. A gentle smile tugs on Peter’s lips. “Experience. Trusting yourself,” he starts. “You know, Tony. You won’t be flawless tonight. But that’s okay, remember? No one will be. Flawless is not what we aim for. Chemistry. Engaging the public, and-” “-just having fun on the ice,” Tony finishes for him with a nod. Peter has told him this many times before, but the reminder does settle his nerves. Tony’s a beginner, but he’s got the name and his charm. And Peter... They’ve got a pretty good shot. “Exactly. Now, tell me- what are you most nervous about?” “Honestly?” “Well, yes.” “Dropping you.” Peter sighs and takes a step closer to Tony. “You won’t. You’ve only dropped me once, and I wasn’t even hurt. Even if it were to happen, I know how to take a fall. We’ll be alright. You’re one of the best skaters in this competition. You’re gonna ace this.” “Thank you, Pete. Hey, for what it counts, I’m glad you’re my skating partner.” “And I’m glad you’re mine.”

Tony’s throat is dry, his heart beating rapidly in his chest when his fingers tangle into Peter’s. The boy is so close to him, just like during practice. It grounds him. The floor manager smiles at them. “Good luck out there, you ready for it?” Tony nods, his lips pressed together in a thin line. Smile. He should smile. Peter squeezes his hands once and Tony takes a deep breath. He’s got this. They’ve got this. The floor manager signals, “-Standing by…” Oh, God. This is it. Tony sniffs. His hands feel sweaty, his stomach knots together once more. As much as he appears to be comfortable in public, the moment right before always has him on edge. Any moment now. His gaze focused on the floor manager. Waiting for her cue. “And go!”

Tony forces his most charming smile on his face when he skates forward in unison with Peter, the cheers of the audience enveloping him. They stop in the center of the rink and he guides Peter in front of him. The boy’s arms are crossed in front of his chest. Tony puts a hand on Peter’s right shoulder. It’s quiet for a second, but then the familiar tune starts playing and Tony licks his lips. Peter smirks, pushing his skates into the ice to circle around the man, Tony’s gaze tracking him until he’s in front once again.

Hell is gone and heaven’s here There’s nothing left for you to fear Shake your arse come over here Now scream

Peter twirls and presses into Tony’s side. They grin at each other and skate forward, towards the edge of the rink. Tony’s nerves finally settle when he focuses on just how smooth Peter glides over the ice. The loud music cuts off the sounds of their blades crushing the frozen surface beneath them, but Tony hears it in his mind instead. He knows exactly where to turn, where to move. Peter sends him a little nod right before they go into the crossovers. Tony doesn’t like crossovers all that much, it makes him feel stiff and uncoordinated. Yet, somehow his body seems to do it on autopilot today, simply mimicking Peter’s lead.

I’m a burning effigy Of everything I used to be You’re my rock of empathy, my dear

Tony feels powerful in a way, his movements loosening up with every passing second. It’s time for their waltz jump. He turns around to transition into backward crosscuts and then shifts his weight from the right outer edge to the left one, throwing his right leg up in front. He gasps when he feels how smoothly he lifts off the ice. He’s flying through the air, weightless, and a quick glance confirms that Peter is too. When his right foot hits the ice again, he bends his right knee and extends his left leg behind him. The applause envelopes him like a warm blanket and the adrenaline coursing through his veins is an exhilarating sensation. He did it. He did it!

So come on let me entertain you Let me entertain you Let me entertain you

Tony turns around again to find Peter skating in his direction with a proud and goofy grin on his face. Tony’s heart leaps out of his chest when he realizes his partner is just as impressed as he is. Their hands find each other as they increase their speed to make it through another set of crossovers. Tony doesn’t even worry about them anymore at this point. Everything is just fucking amazing.

Let me entertain you Let me entertain you (let me entertain you) So come on let me entertain you (let me entertain you) Let me entertain you (let me entertain you)

Tony takes a deep breath when he realizes it’s time for their lift. He sets off for his continuous three turns and feels how Peter starts leaning into him. The man prepares for the boy to jump up from the ice gracefully. When Peter does so, he easily catches him and they spin into their rotational lift. Tony loves this one - loves to have Peter in his arms bridal style while spinning around and around and around while remembering his words. Don’t be afraid of the speed. Stalling is falling. Tony doesn’t feel like they’re falling. No, it feels like they’re floating, setting off for space.

Come on come on come on come on Come on come on come on come on Come on come on come on come on

Peter moves slightly, indicating it’s time for Tony to help him back down again. They transition into forward strokes toward the center once more and slow down. Their arms are spread wide proudly. Peter then circles Tony just like he did in the beginning, leaning into Tony’s side when the music comes to an end. He can’t help wrapping an arm around him to pull him in closer, bathing in the applause and the cheers that are thrown their way. Oh my god. They pulled it off. He can’t believe they did it. Of course, he doesn’t have Peter’s finesse but fuck. As Peter would say, they aced it. Together.

---

Next Chapter: To Be Posted

#adult peter parker #peter parker #peter x tony #tony x peter #tony stark #ironspider #starker #fanfic #fanfiction #fan fic #fan fiction #ao3 fanfic #marvel #mcu #stark on ice #au #alternate universe

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smegdwarf · 4 years ago

Text

But Who Could Love Me? (Rimmer x Reader) - Chapter 7

A/N: ...I ...erm ...yeah enjoy!

Warnings: None really, all fluff

Summary: Basically giving Rimmer the love he deserves.

Your eyes slowly fluttered open as morning gradually rolled round, caught off guard as your hand grazed the computer generated body next to you. In almost disbelief that it was real, that Rimmer was actually still lying next to you in your bunk. The soft sound of his breathing as he slept peacefully beside you, stirring slightly as you moved.

“You stayed?” You smiled sweetly as you gently brushed back the loose brown curls from Rimmer’s face as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Good morning” He mumbled, his light brown eyes like warm cinnamon as they caught what little light remained in the dimly lit room.

“I can’t believe you actually stayed” You repeated as you let your hand softly rest on his cheek.

“You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to disturb you” Rimmer replied with a yawn.

“Were you not worried about the others coming back and finding us?” You smiled as you snuggled into him.

“Ace was right” Rimmer smiled too as he laid face to face with you “What do I have to lose?”

“Absolutely nothing” You grinned “Are you and Ace best buds now?”

“Oi you!” Rimmer chuckled.

“I’m joking” You smiled as Rimmer leant in to kiss you, your hand gently pushing against his chest to stop him “oh I wouldn’t, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet”

“We’re holograms remember” Rimmer chuckled as it dawned on you that holograms aren’t inflicted with morning breath.

“I forget about that sometimes” You let out a small giggle as you hid your face in the pillow.

“And anyway nothing would keep me from kissing you” Rimmer spoke quietly, leaning in once more but being interrupted by a loud rumble through the ship.

“Except that” You teased as Rimmer sat up.

“I swear if that smug git has scuffed up Starbug I’ll kill him” Rimmer grumbled as he got up and walked across your quarters.

“Definitely not best buds then” You smirked as he shot you a ‘don’t make me come back over there’ look which you were more than tempted to act on.

“Come on we should probably head down to the landing bay” Rimmer suggested as you sat on the edge of the bunk.

“I thought you didn’t care about them knowing anymore?” You raised your eyebrow.

“I don’t ...but I’d rather tell them properly than get caught in the act” Rimmer gave you a smirk.

“Are you sure about that?” You tried to see if he’d crack anyway.

“Yes I’m sure” He chuckled and with a click of his fingers he changed into his uniform with his puffy blue jacket.

“Well you can’t say I didn’t try” You smiled as you stood up, clicking your fingers to change too “Let’s go”

As Rimmer watched you leave your quarters he couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be a day he wasn’t taken back by you. His hand appearing on the bottom of your back as he caught up to you, making you jump a little before sliding his fingers between yours.

“Let’s tell them” Rimmer smiled down at you.

“What now?” You asked, surprised at how fast Rimmer was suddenly progressing things.

“Why not?” Rimmer replied gently giving your hand a squeeze.

“Ok ...let’s do it” You grinned as you continued making your way to the landing bay.

“Nice trip lads?” You asked as the boys clambered out of Starbug.

“Yeah not bad actually” Lister replied more focused on the luggage he was trying to get down the steps.

“It’s always fun when goal post head isn’t around” Cat teased, earning a low grumble from Rimmer as his nostrils flared, it was then that Cat spotted something “Hey so it is true?”

“What’s true?” Rimmer scowled as you ran your thumb across the back of his hand and feeling him almost instantly relax.

“Isn’t there something you wanted to tell them Arnie?” You smiled up at him.

“We already know” Lister smirked as you felt Rimmers hand tense up again in yours.

“You told them?” Rimmer’s eyes shot straight to Ace who immediately threw his hands up.

“Woah Arn, it’s not what you think?” Ace tried to explain but before he could get a chance Rimmer had already let go of your hand and walked away.

“If Ace didn’t tell you how did you know?” You asked as you walked right up to Lister, a little smegged of yourself and you knew very well why Rimmer was so upset.

“We kind of just figured it out” Lister just about managed to squeak out that sentence, you were small but you were definitely mighty, just enough to make any man shake in their space boots.

“Yeah especially when you showed no interest in Ace!” Cat smiled “It only made sense that you had it going on with alphabet head”

“I’d keep a very close eye on that wardrobe of yours if I were you” You growled as you walked up to Cat, so close your noses were almost touching.

“Maybe you ought to find Arnie, see if he’s ok?” Ace tried to diffuse the conversation he somehow ended up becoming the center of.

“Yeah well nobody else will” You muttered under your breath as you stormed out, you were somewhat pissed that they had found out before you could tell them but ultimately you more pissed that they stole Rimmer’s thunder. He finally had something, or rather someone, that he could and most definitely wanted to show off and brag about. He had finally got a break after so long of nothing and he had the glory ripped away from him.

“I thought I might find you here” You spoke softly with a smile as you found Rimmer in his usual spot at the observation dome.

“Why can I never have anything good?” Rimmer sighed, leaning on the railing staring out into deep space.

“Hey, you got me didn’t you?” You smiled, resting your chin on his shoulder as your hand rubbed the top of his arm.

“That’s true” A small smile took over his lips “Sorry if that offended you”

“Of course it didn’t” You laughed a little, you weren’t in the least bit offended.

“Well I guess everyone knows now” Rimmer mumbled, something was still bothering him.

“Anything else you’re worried about?” You asked as he took a deep breath.

“It’s nothing” Rimmer tried to smile but you could see straight through it.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Ace trying to take me away from you would it?” You knew you had hit nerve when his arm tensed up beneath your palm.

“Well he is a better version of me, I wouldn’t blame you for choosing him” Rimmer looked away.

“Now why would I want to do that?” You raised your eyebrow at Rimmer who still refused to look at you.

“Just look at him” Rimmer grumbled.

“He’s a pompous git who needs a haircut” You heard a soft chuckle from Rimmer “I like the Rimmer standing next me”

“You’re the only one that does” Rimmer finally turned to face you.

“Hey stop putting yourself down” You reached up to cup his face in your hands “If it makes you feel any better I’ve got a few ideas on how to wind Lister and Cat up now they know about us”

“God you’re perfect!” A grin took over Rimmer’s face, he not only got to love and be loved but he also got to wind up his crew mates with you and it wasn’t long before the two of you got to work.

A normal ordinary afternoon on the dwarf with not a lot to be done and not a lot to do, you and Rimmer enjoying each other’s company in his bunk to change things up ...much to Listers annoyance.

“Arnie why do you have your swimming certificates framed on the wall?” You giggled, your head resting on his shoulder as you looked up at the frames on the wall above you.

“Why not?” Rimmer chuckled “And before you say it I know it’s not cool”

“No no, I’m just wondering why you only got your bronze and silver?” You smiled.

“It took him so long to get those two, he was too old for the swimming club” Lister teased from the bunk above you.

“Lister shut up!” Rimmer snapped back as you tried to hold back your laugh “Oi you!”

“I didn’t do anything?” You giggled.

“You laughed!” Rimmer raised his eyebrow with a smile, he could never be mad at you.

“And what are you gonna do about it?” You smirked as Rimmer chuckled.

“I know what you’re doing!” Rimmer tried to keep quiet as he pulled you closer.

“Don’t even think about it!” Lister growled from the top bunk.

“We haven’t done anything?” Rimmer replied, his eyes glued to yours as you both tried to hide your laughter.

“Oh don’t give me that” Lister clearly wasn’t happy.

“Oh you mean this?” Rimmer grinned at you before leaning into kiss you, making as much noise as he possibly could to piss Lister off even more.

“FOR SMEGSAKE!” Lister covered his ears with his pillow “Why are you still here?”

“It’s my bunk Listy?” Rimmer was enjoying the wind up far too much.

“Not you ...her!” Lister spat.

“Look I get you’re pissed but don’t take it out on her” It felt weird having Rimmer stand up for you and protect you, it was almost always the other way round.

“Maybe I should go” You sighed as you tried to get up, stopped by Rimmer’s arm across your waist.

“Hang on, why should you leave just because he’s jealous that we’re happy” Rimmer looked at you a little upset that you were about to leave.

“You know Cat won’t come in the room if he knows you two are in here?” Lister grumbled.

“Oh please he very rarely entered a room if I was in there anyway” Rimmer wasn’t about to let this go.

“Come on let’s go to my quarters, let Lister calm down” You smiled as you got up.

“It’s not fair you know, just because you’re miserable and thinking about Kochanski again doesn’t mean we should have to suffer” Rimmer growled at Lister as he too got up.

“Arnie let’s go” You tugged at his hand.

“Arnie let’s go” Lister mimicked you in a full blown strop.

“I don’t care what you do or say to me but leave Y/N alone” Rimmer’s dropped as he scolded Lister.

“Or what? You’re a coward Rimmer, you won’t do anything?” The tables had turned and now Lister was trying to piss off Rimmer ...and he was succeeding.

“I’m hard light, don’t think I won’t use it Listy!” Rimmer warned him as you tugged his hand again.

Once you were far enough down the corridor that you couldn’t be heard you started to talk.

“Arnie promise me you won’t do anything stupid and get yourself hurt” You looked up at him with concern in your eyes.

“Are you really suggesting I just let him get away with being an ass to you?” Rimmer was clearly riled up and you had never seen him like this.

“Hey I can protect myself ok!” You held his face in your hand as you stood on your tiptoes to place a gentle kiss to his lips before continuing to walk on.

“Yeah alright Mighty Mouse” Rimmer smiled as he followed, a little confused when you turned in the opposite direction of your quarters “Erm you’re quarters are that way?”

“We’re not going to my quarters” You gave him a sly smile.

“Then where are we going?” Rimmer raised his eyebrow as you pulled a small black switchblade from inside your boot.

“We’re going to find Kochanski’s holo disc” You smiled as you flicked up the blade.

“Ok that’s not worrying at all” Rimmer chuckled at you with the knife.

#arnold rimmer #red dwarf #arnold j rimmer #arnold judas rimmer #rimmer #hologram #arnold rimmer x reader #rimmer x reader #arnold rimmer fluff #red dwarf fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #fluff fic #fluff

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louisapennyfeather2021 · 4 years ago

Note

Can you do a newsies JoJo x reader where JoJo was self conscious bc all the other boys thought he was a pushover, so the reader comforts him

I did it! I finished this before Friday! Successfully, I think!

Anyway, here is a nice little Jojo x reader fic!

Reader is referred to in They/Them pronouns.

Warning: just the Newsies doing something really dumb.

A/N: I wrote this in about an hour because I have not a lot of school work(unless we're talking about updating Welcome to Camp. Then I have tok much school work and very little inspiration)

***

"Betcha won't do it!"

"C'mon, Jo, ain't gonna be that bad!"

"You ain't scared, are ya?"

"'Course I'm not!" Jojo huffs, briefly narrowing his eyes at Ike as he silently mocks Jojo before him and the others start cackling again.

"I can give ya a pass out, but it'd cost ya." Race jabs his elbow into one of the other fellas, keeping up a cool exposure. While the others keep on laughing, Race gives Jojo a look. It's the look Race always gives him whenever the other guys try to get Jojo to do something. Race is no stranger to antagonizing and teasing, but it's no secret that he's willing to keep his really close friends from doing something that makes them too uncomfortable. No Newsie purposefully oversteps boundaries, but there are a few like the twins who just don't know where the boundary line is.

"It's just a bet, 'less you're too scared you'll get stuck!" Mike grins. Of course, his outlandish bet has something to do with climbing a fire escape and then jumping to try and swing on a lamp post.

"I told ya, I ain't scared!" Jojo snaps, clenching his jaw before stalking towards the fire escape. He climbs it, focusing on the fellas cheering and laughing still as a distraction. Jojo gets to the platform level with the top of a lamp post and he clenches his fists. It's just one of the posts outside the lodge, but for some reason it seems miles away.

"Don't chicken out now, Jo!" One of the guys yells from below. Jojo, despite the feeling in his stomach telling him to stop, squares his feet, takes a deep breath, and launches himself at the lamp post.

***

"Of all the idiotic, no brain things ya could'a done, it had to be jumpin' off a fire escape?" Jack shakes his head and crosses his arms.

"Keep your pants on, Kelly. Jo was just tryin' ta get the fellas to shut up." From next to Jojo's bunk, the one and only Y/N of the Manhattan Newsies uses a damp rag to wipe at Jojo's scrapes. They use a cleaner rag to wipe around the huge bump on Jojo's forehead, making the newsie flinch and wince.

"That ain't no excuse, Y/N! He jumped from a freakin' fire escape. The Newsies of Manhattan are many things, but fire escape jumpers ain't one'a them!" Jack paces back and forth, throwing his hands up. Jack mutters to himself while Y/N shares an exasperated look with Jojo. This goes on until Y/N had a bandage around the knot on Jojo's head. Well, it's more like torn fabric from old bed sheets and not a bandage, but it does the job. Jack comes to a stop with his hands on his hips. "They make ya do it?"

"No one made me do anythin'." Jojo mumbles, his head bowed in what can only be assumed as embarrassment. Jack raises an eyebrow at Jojo and stares at him until the boy looks up and huffs. "They bet me, but have me a way out b'fore I did anythin'. S'my fault it happened. Just let it go Jack."

"Uh-uh, no way. I'm gonna go have a chat with the fellas about not makin' each other do dumb stuff that gets ya hurt." Jack storms out of the bunk room and Jojo groans in annoyance. Y/N has to bite back a laugh when Jojo starts trying to rub his forehead and he flinches when he hits his bump.

"Maybe take Race up on his offer on an out next time." Y/N offers with a tight smile. Jojo sends them an unamused look. This isn't the first time Y/N has had to deal with the aftermath of a bet gone wrong with the fellas, specifically Jojo. It just so happens that Jack somehow found out and is now mother bearing out on everyone.

"I ain't gonna look like a baby in front'a the fellas. S'ides, I've been through worse." Jojo mutters. Y/N silently wonders why Jojo keeps putting himself through so much, specifically when it comes to taking bets. Maybe he thinks he's being brave or something. Suddenly Jojo's standing and moving towards the door to the bunk room. "M'gonna go get Jack b'fore he gets too upset 'bout it." Jojo calls over his shoulder. Y/N follows, knowing from experience that Jojo could get dizzy and fall on his face from the hit to his head. Y/N can't figure out how he was so alert when Race brought Jojo into the bunk room. When Race told Y/N what height Jojo jumped from on a bet, Y/N had a panicky feeling that maybe Jojo's head had taken too much damage.

"Slow down b'fore you make yourself sick!" Y/N calls after Jojo. The boy keeps walking, briefly rolling his eyes. Y/N has always tried mothering the rest of the Newsies, although their habit tends to be heightened with their more frequently hurt newsies. To put it simply, Y/N sees a lot of Jojo.

"M'not gonna get sick, i-" Jojo stops at the door of the lodging house. It's cracked open with the warm evening breeze of July giving some relief to the heat of the day.

"- you fellas gotta stop with the bets, someone's gonna get seriously hurt." Jack scolds from outside. He's not too far from the door, but he's not right in front of it.

"Hey, it ain't our fault Jo's such a pushover!"

"Yeah, this wouldn't be a problem if he'd just grow a pair 'nd tell us t' stop!"

"It ain't got nothin' t' do with that. What it does gotta do with is that you guys don't know when t' stop." Jack goes on to scold the fellas even more, but Y/N is more focused on Jojo's deep frown and the way his eyebrows turn up.

He turns quickly and hurries through the lodging house towards the stairs. He skips steps to the top and disappears behind one of the walls. Y/N doesn't follow him, being more focused on the other side of the door. They don't hesitate to grab the metal handle and pull the door open. Jack stops mid-sentence and all eyes turn to Y/N.

"I hope you fellas are happy. Blamin' Jojo instead of yourselves 'cause ya don't wanna take responsibility for your friend gettin' hurt. It ain't his fault you guys tease him 'till he gives in. And don't pretend like this is the first time this has happened." Y/N snaps. They wait long enough to see everyone's bowed heads before they turn around and hurry back inside. They hear Jack make some weird noises before his voice gets louder, asking about how this isn't the first time this has happened. Y/N just shakes their head and hurries up the steps after Jojo.

They don't find him in the narrow hallway, but they do notice one of the windows leading to the fire escape is open. Y/N sighs and hurries over to the window. They peek out of the window before squeezing out of the window. Jojo sits near the railing with his knees pulled up and his arms resting on top of them. He's looking down the alleyway with his cheek on one arm.

"Ya ain't gonna jump again, are ya?" Y/N asks. Jojo jumps and his head whips around to Y/N. He huffs and rolls his eyes before looking at the wall of the building on the other side of the alley.

"Wouldn't dream of it, don't wanna be a pushover, right?" Jojo scoffs and starts picking at his pant leg where his knee bends. Y/N sighs and walks closer to Jojo. They slide down the brick wall of the lodging house until they're sitting next to Jojo, mimicking his position. Y/N picks at their nails as both newsies sit in silence, Jack's voice from occasionally echoing from the front of the building. Y/N snorts a laugh, shaking their head.

"Jack's gonna go nuts once everyone fesses up to all the dumb bets you fellas do." Y/N smiles at the wall across the street. Jojo scoffs quietly, making Y/N sigh. "Ya know, we've told you a lot that you don't listen to the fellas. They just say what comes into their heads and don't think about it."

"Hard t' ignore when they're right." Jojo mumbles.

"They ain't right 'nd you know it. The guys tease at folks 'nd don't stop 'til they get what they want. 'Nd if you don't do it, they tease you more. No crime to tryin' t' get a newsie t' shut up." Y/N briefly leans over to bump their shoulder against Jojo's. Jojo glances over at Y/N and seems to ponder the thought. Y/N huffs and quickly shrugs. "You tryin' tell me it's easy t' get newsies t' shut up."

"We both know that ain't true." Jojo snorts a laugh and Y/N starts laughing. The two laugh for a few seconds before taking deep breaths and relaxing into temporary silence.

"Listen, the fellas don't mean t' be the way the are 'nd we both know it. Just gotta ignore 'em, y'know?" Y/N reaches over and gently shoves Jojo's shoulder. They stand up and straighten their pants before looking down at Jojo. "I'm gonna go do damage control with Jack. Don't stay out here too long, don't need the fellas findin' you and gettin' anymore dumb ideas."

"Will do." Jojo mock salutes Y/N, receiving a half-hearted glare. "'Nd thanks, Y/N."

"S'no problem." Y/N grins before turning to the window and squeezing back inside.

#newsies memes #newsies #newsies imagines #newsies broadway #newsies imagine #jojo imagine #jojo newsies #jojo de la guerra #jojo #jojo x reader #they/them pronouns

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kyosohmastan · 5 years ago

Note

For the prompts. #27, and Kyo/Tohru

I’m slowly making my way through these :))) So this one is post-canon where Tohru asks Kyo to try some of his martial arts moves on her.

#27 “Is that a threat?”

Noon had become a ritual as well as a new favorite time of day for her. She’d gotten in the routine of leaving to Kazuma’s dojo on the weekdays to deliver her husband’s lunch. She was so excited to see Kyo every time. She would continuously miss him throughout the day, then be filled with relief when she would see him during lunch and in the evenings when he’d come home and keep her in his arms for the rest of the day.

She hopped along the stone pathway leading to the dojo where Kyo was seeing the middle school class off. She always smiled when she saw him with his children students. He had become so accustomed to working with children that it made her excited for when they would have their own child someday. They didn’t plan to wait much longer.

Once the kids were gone, she entered the spacious room where the mats from the class were still spread out. Kyo was picking them up one-by-one, his back turned to her.

She held the lunch bag behind her back as she tiptoed over to him as quiet as she was able to. Her smile grew with each step, then she plunged onto his back, the bag hitting his chest as she threw her arms around him.

He jumped for a moment, whipping his head back in her direction. “You’re not going to scare me that easily.”

“But you jumped, so I did!” She laughed, hopping off of him. “I did scare you!”

He draped the mats over his arm, his smile mimicking hers. “Okay, you did.” When he met her for a kiss, her heart thumped rapidly like it always did when he kissed her. She never got over it.

She pulled away and held the bag out to him. “It’s fish and rice,” she said, knowing that it’s been his favorite as long as she’s known him.

“Nice,” he replied and took the bag, setting it on the floor beside the mats. “You have any plans?”

“Nope!” she said, rejoining him in the corner of the room like a puppy who had the inclination to follow him. “Why do you ask?” She feigned naivety in a playful manner.

His grin told her that he saw right through her act. “My next class isn’t for another two hours. We can hang out if you want to.”

She clapped her hands. “Of course! I would love to!”

He took her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “And what should we do?” he asked.

“Hmm,” she hummed, resting her free hand on the sliver of skin on his chest that his uniform exposed. “We are in a dojo. Practice some of your moves on me!”

He jerked his head back an inch. “Are you nuts? I’ll break you.”

“I’m serious! And I’m not that weak. I can fight!” she said, jumping back from him and holding her fists up.

He laughed and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle it. “You couldn’t hurt a bug, Tohru.”

“But it will be fun,” she said with a small whine in her tone. “Fight me or...I won’t go easy on you.”

He crossed his arms, tilting his head. “Is that a threat?”

“Yes!” she replied with her signature goofy smile that left Kyo weak in the knees. She always used the fact that he could never tell her "no” to her advantage.

“Alright, but I’m not going to go all out on you.” He stepped back, getting into a stance that Tohru had seen him do many times. She watched the muscles in his arms flex as he held them up, morphing his hands into fists.

How was she supposed to fight him while distracted by each move his body made? It certainly wasn’t the time to check him out. She had plenty of other times where she could do that.

She shook her head to make the lingering thoughts go away and copied his stance, holding her arms up and bunching her fists to her chest.

Kyo smiled while checking out her form. “You already need work,” he said and threw a punch that flew past her shoulder.

She jumped with a gasp and made her fist punch the air inches away from him.

He chuckled and grabbed her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Her body felt a rush of tingles at the contact.

“Got you,” he muttered near her ear.

She blushed, an influx of conflicting emotions harboring inside her. She turned and caught his fist as it came towards her. “Got you!” she exclaimed with a puff of her chest. She laughed, the sound so happy, it made the birds in the garden outside sing louder.

He stared at her for a moment with a certain wonder in his gaze. He blinked and drew his leg out, swiping it through her feet.

She yelped as she disintegrated downwards, but she was caught swiftly by a pair of strong arms.

Kyo held her like a child as if she weighed nothing. “The most important advice I can give you if you want to win is to never let your guard down in the middle of a fight.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” She giggled and hopped out of his arms effortlessly. She turned with a jump in her step and pinched her eyebrows together, more determined than ever. “I’m gonna get you this time!” she proclaimed and came surging towards him, throwing punches with no clear aim.

He walked backward with each step she made as she punched in his direction. He caught each throw of her fist in his palm with ease, an amused grin gracing his face.

Tohru groaned with frustration for each punch he caught, swinging again and again even though she was quickly running out of steam. She ventured on, determined to at least make a mark on his chest. A very defined chest that was exposed to her line of vision.

She stared at it, her fist stopping for but a second. It was enough time for him to sweep her off her feet and tackle her to the ground.

She squeaked as his form came down on her. He held himself up by his arms, his leg pressed between hers. He panted softly, and the sound made her flush profusely. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes like she was seeing an angel. She lifted her hand and wiped the sweat off his brow.

He took in a deep breath and met her gaze with his. “You need a lot of work.”

She laughed a sweet, joyful sound. “I’m no match for you, Kyo-kun.” She held his cheeks and moved her lips closer to his. “But I love seeing you fight. I love seeing you so…passionate.”

His eyes softened, focusing on her lips. “That’s not the only thing I’m passionate about,” he mumbled.

She made a smile that lifted her rosy cheeks. Once he pressed his lips to her own, she felt a sense of happiness that came each time he gave her affection. To that day, a year after being together and months after being married, she always felt the same amount of insurmountable love for him as she did from the start. She hoped it never went away.

She moved her lips against his in a careful dance, letting her arms fall beside her head and into her splayed hair.

In the newfound silence, she could hear the sound of someone clearing their throat clearly.

She opened her eyes and looked to the entrance to the dojo where Kazuma was gazing at them, smiling endearingly. “Am I interrupting?” he asked.

Kyo lifted his head, his face turning several shades of red. “N-no, not at all,” he stuttered, lifting himself onto his knees.

Tohru sat up as well and shook her head. “Kyo-kun was just practicing his moves on me.”

Kazuma entered the space, tilting his head. “Kyo, the dojo is not the time or place to practice moves on your wife.”

“Not those kinds of moves!” he responded while jumping to his feet.

Tohru laughed while covering her mouth. It looked like they’d been caught at the wrong time, but she wasn’t too embarrassed. She was proud to have him as her husband, so much so that she never minded public affection with him.

She caught a glimpse of the smile Kazuma still had as he looked to his son, and Tohru concluded that he too was proud of him for having someone to show his affections to.

She took Kyo’s hand in both of hers and kissed the corner of his mouth. His tense limbs turned to goo instantly and left his eyes twinkling with a special sort of joy.

Kazuma’s eyes shifted between the two before settling on Kyo once more. “As long as it makes you happy, you kiss her during breaks as much as you want.” He looked away as he chuckled. “Just not when the children are present, please.”

I didn’t really know how to end this lol. But I, in some way, wanted Kazuma to catch them making out~

#fruits basket #furuba #fruits basket 2019 #kyo sohma #tohru honda #manga #anime #kyoru #fruba #kyo x tohru #fruits basket fanfic #fruits basket fanfiction

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eddieeatsass · 6 years ago

Text

Stripped Bare - Chapter 2

Summary: Eddie gets an offer from his company to work in Barbados over the summer. Beautiful weather, all expenses paid trip, and a stay in a suite at one of the most highly rated resorts in the world. How could he say no? Unfortunately, Eddie soon realizes there were a lot of reasons to say no. His skin doesn’t take kindly to the harsh sun, his suite ends up being the size of a shoe box, and, oh yeah, it’s also a nudist resort. Pairing: Reddie (side Benverly and Stanlonbrough) Rating: E Warnings: Eventual smut, explicit language

Read on AO3

“So yeah, she’s probably one of the most bad-ass people I’ve ever met.” Bill finished off his story with a thoughtful nod, as if he was lost in his own memories while recalling them. “I would not want to be on the wrong side of Beverly’s fury.” He explained as an after thought.

Eddie had been listening to Bill talk about his best friends for 10 minutes. Technically, they were on the job, but no one had flagged down Eddie yet and he welcomed the distraction from the naked bodies he still hadn’t gotten used to. Plus, it was cute the way Bill’s eyes lit up as he talked about his friends. Eddie secretly hoped he could be on that list one day.

“And then there’s Richie.” Bill started back up, a fond smile accompanying his words.

Eddie leaned against the lifeguard chair that they were both standing under and focused on the way Bill’s lips moved as he talked.

“He’s a huge fucking dork. I love him, but I mean that guy has a bigger comic book collection than anyone I’ve ever met. He also never shuts up, we call him Trashmouth because-”

As Bill continued describing his friend in great detail, Eddie found himself thinking about Stan. He felt kind of guilty that he’d tricked Stan into coming. He’d be arriving later that day and he had no idea what to expect. Eddie had been there for a few days now and, granted, it did get a little easier once you got into the habit of keeping direct eye-contact with everyone you meet, but it still wasn’t comfortable. Stan was going to hate it, was going to hate him.

“Anyway, they should be here soon, you’re gonna love them.”

“W-what?” Eddie stared at Bill dumbfounded. Clearly, he’d missed something important when he zoned out.

Bill just laughed, not taking any offense to Eddie’s spaciness.

“Richie and Bev, I mentioned earlier that they come here every year. I get an employee discount that extends to friends and family, so they usually spend the majority of the summer bothering me while I work.”

“Oh, that actually sounds kind of fun, having your best friends around.”

“It’s fun until the 3rd time Richie pretends to drown just to get me riled up.”

Eddie laughs at that visual, picturing a big dramatic scene ending with Bill stone-faced as he returns to his lifeguard post, now unnecessarily wet. The image is enough to make Eddie completely miss the new presence suddenly behind him.

“I hate you.”

Eddie recognized the monotone drawl immediately. He doesn’t turn around though, is too afraid to face Stan right away. Instead he keeps his gaze trailed on Bill who is flicking his eyes back and forth between Eddie and the face behind him, silently questioning the situation.

“You’re not gonna turn around?” Stan asks.

“Mmm, nope. I like it here.” Eddie responds matter-of-factly, planting his feet a little more firmly in place.

Bill’s confusion finally gets the best of him. He peeks around Eddie’s body slightly, addressing Stan directly as he introduces himself.

“Oh yeah, sorry, Bill this is Stan. Stan, Bill.” Eddie supplies without moving.

“Nice to meet you, I think?” Bill says hesitantly, checking Eddie’s face for confirmation.

“Don’t mind him. He’s just worried I’m gonna be mad that he tricked me into working at an all-you-can-ogle buffet for the summer.” Stan says.

“Are you?” Eddie asks.

Stan sighs, but Eddie could hear the smile when he spoke. “No, I’m not mad. Confused, maybe.”

The second Eddie had confirmation that he could let go of his anxiety, he was whirling around to face Stan and talking at the speed of light.

“Oh thank god because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to survive this summer without you here! I mean this is so weird, right? Like ‘excuse me sir can I have a towel’ oh yeah sure let me just wade through this sea of naked bodies to bring you a towel that you won’t actually use to cover anything up. And this can’t possibly be sanitary, right? How often do these patio chairs get cleaned? And the water, I mean how many people do you think have free-peed in there today alone? AND WHAT ABOUT BONERS!?”

Stan has his hands on Eddie’s arms before he could spiral any further. Stan chances a glance over at Bill and is surprised he’s still standing alongside them. He gives Bill a mental check-mark for being able to deal with Eddie’s neurosis and then turns his attention back to the task at hand.

“We’ll deal with it.” Stan says, his tone surprisingly convincing.

Eddie nods in agreement. “Okay, yeah, we’ll deal with it.” He repeats.

Having gotten that out of his system, and with the new presence of his best friend, Eddie actually sported a real smile for the first time since he’d arrived at the resort.

“Why are you here so early, by the way?” Eddie asks, once he realizes what time it is.

Stan shrugs. “They got me a direct flight.”

Eddie’s jealousy shows in the way his nose crinkles up. He didn’t get a direct flight.

Stan just smiles and opts to change the subject.

“So, our supervisor is hot.”

Bill and Eddie both agree embarrassingly fast, looking at each other afterwards and sharing a laugh.

Stan got a grasp on things considerably faster than Eddie did. A week and a half in and Eddie was still struggling with the environment, years of sexual repression making it hard to normalize it in his mind. Stan, on the other hand, had adopted a rather naturalistic approach.

“Bodies are not inherently sexual, Eddie.”

Eddie huffed out a groan in Stan’s direction. They were in the supply room grabbing towels for guests, Eddie taking a purposefully long time just to avoid going back out there.

“I know that, Stan.” Eddie bit back with no real bite.

“We’re born naked, it’s normal. None of these people are here for sex, just to enjoy their time in the freedom of their body.”

“It’s not normal to see your neighbor, doctor, and teacher’s dick.”

“None of these people are your neighbors, doctors, or teachers. You don’t live here.” Stan challenged.

“You know what I mean!” Eddie rushed in response.

“Try and think of it this way, you’re never going to see these people again. So what if you know what Mr. Fraser’s dick looks like? In a few months it’s just going to be irrelevant information your brain stores away to be forgotten.”

Stan had a point. It’s not like Eddie was going to form any type of meaningful relationships with any of the guests. This was strictly professional, and the same way that you don’t remember every customer’s face, you also won’t remember every customer’s genitals.

“Are you about done folding those towels or do you need another minute?” Stan teased, nodding towards the small stack of towels he’d been folding and refolding to procrastinate for as long as possible.

“Yeah, I guess.” Eddie conceded, tucking the towels under his arm and following Stan out of the room.

They made their way back out to the deck and distributed towels to the guests who had requested them. Just as Eddie had handed the last two towels over to an older couple, he heard a voice calling him over.

A few seats over from where Eddie stood, a hand was waving at him. Being caught off guard, Eddie didn’t have time to concentrate on keeping his head eye level, and boy was that the biggest mistake of his life.

The man in question was unmistakably naked, that much wasn’t surprising given where they were, but what was surprising was that he was hot. So far, Eddie had counted himself lucky that he hadn’t seen any guests that he found particularly appealing, but this guy changed that real fast. He was tall, Eddie could tell even though he was sitting down. He had long limbs that stretched out from his body in an almost lanky way, but it worked for him somehow. He was well defined but not obnoxiously so, and atop his head was an unruly mop of black hair that mimicked the dark happy trail that lead down to…

The biggest cock Eddie had ever seen in his young life.

Well, fuck. If he hadn’t been staring before, he definitely was now. How could someone be so big while flaccid? Eddie almost bypassed being turned on just to admire how impressive that length was.

“Excuse me?” The voice rang through the space again, bringing Eddie’s eyes up to meet the pair gazing towards him. He didn’t look like he’d noticed Eddie staring, but then again, maybe he was just being polite? Oh god, or what if he had noticed and now he was calling Eddie over to tell him off. No, this guy didn’t look like the type to chew Eddie’s head off.

Eddie kind of wanted him to chew his head off... But, in a sexy way.

“Sorry to interrupt your inner monologue, I was just wondering if you could get me something from the bar?”

Eddie’s throat was dry. Something from the bar sounds great right now. He could chug a gallon of water right on the spot and still be dehydrated. He realizes with a start that he still hasn’t said anything since being waved over and the guy was probably starting to wonder if Eddie was mute.

“Yes.”

Okay, great job Eddie. That’s a start. Now just continue with what you say every day.

“What can you get me.”

Nope, that’s not it.

The stranger’s eyebrows shot up, a smirk that had no business being so charming taking over his features.

“I don’t know, what do you want?”

Okay, so the stranger was smoother than Eddie could ever dream to be, but he was also teasing Eddie, and in any other circumstance he’d be peeved. But this wasn’t any other circumstance, and Eddie had to admit it was kind of endearing.

“What can I get you.” Eddie corrected himself, choosing to ignore the man’s last comment.

He chuckles. It’s deep and throaty and Eddie wants to swallow it whole.

“Just a virgin sex on the beach, please.”

“You’re a virgin!?” Eddie blurted out, before his brain could catch up with his mouth.

The stranger seemed to stall for a moment, before his grin grew even wider than before.

“Well, I haven’t had sex on the beach, if that’s what you’re asking. Too much sand getting in too many places.” He played along.

Eddie didn’t want to think about this man’s ‘places’. Eddie wanted to die.

He decided quickly that the only way he would get out of this interaction with at least some of his dignity left intact was if he left as soon as possible. Clearly his mouth couldn’t be trusted, and neither could his eyes, apparently, since they were already wandering back down the man’s body on their own accord.

Eddie forced his eyes to the ground and mumbled a quick “I’ll be right back with your drink.” Which he’s surprised to get out without some sort of slip up. His feet were carrying him away before he even got an answer. He was headed in the wrong direction, not even relatively close to the bar, but he couldn’t get himself to turn back around. Now that he’d put distance between him and the hot stranger, his heart had started beating irregularly fast, and it wasn’t because of a panic attack this time.

Eddie flung the door to the storage room open, startling one of his co-workers who was exiting the room. Eddie gave him a meek smile, a “sorry for almost beheading you with the door” apology. The co-worker, who Eddie wouldn’t be able to name even if he cared to try, just returned the smile and passed by Eddie.

He only waited a few seconds before slamming the door shut behind him and slumping against the surface, face pressed into the hard wood. He groaned audibly as he let the embarrassment finally swallow him whole.

“Poor Jack is going to be traumatized now.”

Eddie just about jumped out of his skin at the sound of another voice near him. He turned around to see Stan leaning against the wall with an amused smirk.

“Who?” Eddie asked.

Stan nodded towards the door. “You threw that door open so violently I thought the poor boy was going to shit his pants.”

Eddie felt bad now, knowing he may have given his co-worker PTDS, post-traumatic door stress. Jack may never be the same.

“So, are you done being dramatic or do you need another minute?” Stan asked.

Eddie walked over to the stack of clean towels neatly folded on the counter, calmly placed his elbows on either side, and proceeded to smother his face in the fresh cotton. He let out the loudest, longest groan he could, letting the sound muffle through the layers beneath him. He kept going until there was no air left in his lungs, and then, taking a deep breath, he lifted his head back up to face Stan.

Stan’s eyebrows were raised as he waited for an answer beyond a groan.

“I saw a cute guy.” Eddie offered.

“Okay.”

“I made an idiot of myself.” He added.

“Mhm.”

“I need you to bring him a virgin sex on the beach, so I can spend the rest of the day wallowing in my misery.”

“Eddie,” Stan sighed. “You can’t just avoid him.”

“I can and I will.” Eddie declared stubbornly.

They had a stare down for a few moments, until Stan finally took pity on his best friend.

“Fine, what does he look like?”

Eddie proceeded to describe the stranger, leaving out the part about his big dick and stunning physique. Once Stan was pretty sure he couldn’t miss him, he left, leaving Eddie alone with the towels and his shame.

Eddie managed to go three days without seeing hot stranger again. He didn’t see much of anyone, actually. Bill had switched his shifts around with another staff member for a couple of days while his friends got adjusted to being in town. Eddie had yet to meet them, the infamous Richie and Beverly, but he was sure it was only a matter of time. The resort wasn’t that big, after all.

Stan had gotten heat stroke within his first few days of working, so he was on mandatory bed-rest, per Mike’s instructions, until he felt well enough to work again.

This left Eddie working his shift one man down, and alongside employees he hadn’t gotten to know yet. He supposes he could try and be more social, chat up the lifeguard who’d taken Bill’s shifts, but the woman who now sat up on Bill’s lifeguard chair had a look of judgement in her eyes that reminded Eddie too much of his mother. It made his solitude much more enticing.

The day dragged on. Since Eddie was the only pool boy working that day he was constantly running back and forth to fetch things for the guests. He thought he’d finally caught himself a minute of downtime when someone new was waving him over. With a discreet sigh he steeled himself, plastering a customer service smile on his face before he made his way over.

The hand belonged to a girl, probably around Eddie’s age if he had to guess, who was easily stunning enough to be a model. Eddie was as gay as they come but that didn’t mean he didn’t have his few exceptions, and this girl could definitely be one. He didn’t want to fuck her, that would be a bit too much whiplash for his dick, but he did want to spend hours running his fingers through her hair and telling her just how pretty she was.

Speaking of, her hair was the most striking color of crimson he’d ever seen in real life. It was long, falling down her freckled back and ending at the dip in her waist. Despite being completely nude, she had a delicate gold chain around her neck that settled just between her breasts, adorned with a small key. It looked old, worn in, and Eddie found himself starring at it before he realized it probably looked like he was staring at something else in that area. He flushed pink before his eyes flickered back up to meet hers, a daring blue that rivaled the red of her hair but held the same fire.

“Hi! Sorry, I know you’re busy. I was just hoping to get a glass of lemonade when you have a chance?” Her request was accompanied by a warm smile. It made Eddie feel safe. It was an odd feeling, but not unwelcomed.

“Pink or regular?” Eddie asked, only a bit shaken by her politeness in contrast to the other guests he’d served that day.

“Just regular. But no rush!”

She sounded so genuine that Eddie couldn’t help but smile back. Just then, as if to drive home his point, he was being called over by another guest as she rudely snapped her fingers in his direction.

It took about ten minutes before he found the downtime to pick up the lemonade from the bar. He made sure to get the bartender to garnish the glass with a little wedge of lemon and an umbrella. It was silly, and probably too extra for something as simple as a lemonade, but he liked this particular guest and wanted to do something special, even if it came in the form of miniature plastic umbrellas.

He made his way over to the area where he’d last seen the redhead but instead of sitting in the spot she’d been in previously, she’d moved a few chairs over and was now talking to another guest. From their body language, Eddie guessed they didn’t know each other, but they were definitely trying to. The redhead was sitting on the edge of the chair, leaning in to listen intently to whatever the guy was saying.

He was extremely animated as he talked, his face lit up in an endearingly cute manner. He seemed to be a tall guy, but while hot stranger had been tall and lanky, this man was tall and broad, filling out his frame with strong arms and a round belly. He was quite hairy, but not in an off-putting way. Blonde locks eased into neatly trimmed facial hair, a round beard that framed his equally round cheeks perfectly. Eddie knew from a quick glance that he was hairy in other places too, but he didn’t want to be caught staring again, so he forced himself to behave.

Eddie wasn’t sure how to approach the situation, to be honest. He didn’t want to interrupt their conversation, which they were both too engrossed in to notice him awkwardly standing nearby, but the lemonade in his hand was keeping him from getting back to work. Not that he wanted to get back to work, standing around and people watching (see: eavesdropping) was definitely favorable, but he didn’t want to get behind on an already busy day. Just as he was preparing himself to step in, a presence from behind spoke up.

“You better jump in now before she jumps him.”

The voice was right in his ear, it startled Eddie so much he lost his footing as he tried to swivel around to see who was behind the comment. He saw a flash of black hair and dark eyes receding quickly from his vision, and he realized too late that he was falling. He tried to put his hands out behind him to catch himself but was enveloped by water instead. The water quickly filling his lungs burned, his wet clothes weighed him down, the chlorine stung his eyes. He knows how to swim, knows he should be trying to, but he’s too overwhelmed by the suddenness of the situation to think clearly.

Then there were arms circling around him, a strong pressure against his back, and in seconds he’s breaking the surface of the water. The body behind him doesn’t let go, which Eddie is grateful for considering he’s too busy coughing to focus on anything else. He can tell they’re moving but his orientation is all off, he can’t differentiate up from down yet.

He’s being pressed up against the edge of the pool within seconds. His head is still cloudy with water and panic, but the feeling of steady ground against the palms of his hands helps to ground him. He vaguely starts to register that his feet don’t touch the ground of the pool, and the only thing keeping him up is being pinned between the ledge and the stranger behind him.

At that realization, Eddie swiveled his head around, trying desperately to figure out who had been his savior. The face was too close, featured fixating into nothing more than a blurred cyclops from Eddie’s vantage point. He blinked a few times, trying to get the water out of his eyes as if that would make a difference. When he opened his eyes again, the stranger had leaned back as much as he could without letting go of Eddie, and that’s when he realized who had saved him.

Hot stranger. Hot stranger was holding him. Hot stranger was appraising him with a look of worry. Hot stranger was… Shit, he was saying something that Eddie couldn’t hear through the water in his ears.

“What!?” Eddie said, probably a bit too loudly.

Hot stranger chuckled, his smile even more charming up close. When he repeated himself this time, Eddie heard him clearly.

“You really fell for me, didn’t you?”

He was… making a joke? Right now? While Eddie was dripping wet and fighting back mortification and still struggling to get his breathing back under control? What kind of asshole makes a joke before apologizing?

Eddie knew his anger was unwarranted, a by-product of his ever-growing embarrassment, but just because he was self aware didn’t mean he was good at controlling it.

Choosing not to acknowledge the comment, Eddie sent him a glare over his shoulder. He tried wiggling in his spot, searching for leverage to pull himself out of the pool while still wedged between a rock and a hard place. He re-settled his palms on the granite surface beneath him, ready to hoist himself up and out of the pool, when he felt it. The hard place.

Hot stranger was still holding him up from behind, lithe arms circled around Eddie’s torso and chest pressed to his back, crotch rested against the curve of Eddie’s ass. The thing was, hot stranger was still naked. Meaning, Eddie had a cock pressing right up into the backside of his wet uniform, which clung to him much more now than when it was dry.

What happened next isn’t Eddie’s fault. It’s biology, a Pavlovian reaction. Eddie’s gay and right now there was a dick pressing against his ass. That does something to a guy.

“Get off me!” Eddie seethed, grabbing hot stranger hands and removing them from his body. He bobbed down in the water at the sudden loss of support but managed to keep a hand on the edge of the pool which aided him to hoist his body up and roll onto the deck, much less gracefully than he would have liked.

The redheaded lemonade girl from earlier, who had probably been watching the whole show unfold, was offering him her towel. It was a nice gesture, but Eddie couldn’t risk getting caught with a hard-on, especially not while working at a place like this, so without a word he pushed past her, running towards the doors to the storage room.

He didn’t worry about anyone else being in there, threw the doors open and let them shut behind him with a thud as he paced towards the back of the room. He removed his soaked clothing in the process, stripping down to his underwear and grabbing a clean towel when he reached the small hidden alcove.

He wasn’t proud of his next move, screwing his eyes shut before shoving his hand into his briefs unceremoniously. He brought the fresh towel to his face to soak up some of the water as his hand moved rapidly, spurred on by his anger and embarrassment and shame. It didn’t take long for him to release into his fist, his moan muffled by the towel. Once his breathing evened out again and his head was clear, he rid himself of his sullied underwear and wrapped the towel around his waist.

He gathered his discarded clothing, moving slower now, almost lethargic. He threw the garments into one of the empty washing machines, throwing in a few of the used towels that were piling up as well, so he could at least pretend he was still doing work. Then Eddie slid to the floor, hung his head between his knees, and began making a list of all the things he wanted to yell at that stupid, arrogant, unfairly hot stranger.

#reddie #reddie fanfic #reddie fanfiction #reddie lemon #reddie lemons #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #it fanfic #it fanfiction #reddie smut #it smut #my posts #my writing #Stripped bare

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sebseyesandbuckysthighs · 7 years ago

Text

Love is For Children (2/2)

summary: You’re a former mercenary turned Avenger who joins the team after fighting, and defeating, each member that tried to recruit you. You’re confident in your abilities and even challenge the man formerly known as the Winter Soldier. A battle of egos ensues and it’s Bucky that fights to get your attention but you’re a professional and won’t fall easy for his charm.

pairing: bucky x reader wc: 4832 (sorry???) a/n: Oh hello again. Don’t mind me, just thought I’d pop in for a bit to confirm that I’m still living and also here’s part 2 of a fic I posted over a year ago!

More importantly, I want to dedicate this fic to one of the most amazing ladies I know and a true friend, @avengerofyourheart Today is her birthday and if you know Anika then you know just how kind and sweet and absolutely brilliant she is. I met her through tumblr a few years ago and she remains to be an important person in my life. She’s never given up on me and she continues to be the most supportive and caring friend I’ve ever had. So if you haven’t already, please head over to her blog and leave some love for her! ❤

tl;dr I’m still a pleb but not dead and Anika is the birthday girl! 🎉🎂

ALSO the song mentioned at a certain point in the story is Ariana Grande’s ‘Dangerous Woman.’

READ PART ONE HERE

~previously~

“I think you’ve met your match, Buck.”

“Real smooth, Barnes.”

Bucky ignored them and turned to lay flat on his back again. He shut his eyes and pictured you on top of him, looking down with an innocent smile and that devilish glint in your eyes.

“You okay there, Bucky?” Steve asked, humor in his tone.

“I think I’m in love.” He sighed whimsically and the three men laughed together.

You were alone in the kitchen waiting for the machine to finish brewing your favorite blend of coffee. The Compound would be hosting it's annual charity event tonight and although you weren't typically into the whole 'formal attire' scene, knowing that it was all for a good cause made you happy to attend. Still, these parties usually lasted well into the early morning hours, so you felt the need to be as caffeinated as possible. The smell of fresh coffee seemed to act as a beacon and called the attention of a few like-minded individuals the second the pot was done.

Clint and Tony were a blur as they rushed in, barely acknowledging that you were even in the room. You laughed them off, though, thankful that you had the foresight to make enough for at least 10 servings and surprised that they managed to leave enough for maybe two. You were tempted to take the rest for herself when Bucky strolled in. He was dressed casually in his typical everyday outfit, and as annoying as he was, at least he was easy on the eyes. His grey v-neck tee was sheer enough that you could see the dog tags resting on his chest and dark wash jeans hugged those thick thighs so affectionately. It was a good look, but clearly not what he would be wearing for tonight. You were in a bit of state yourself since you were in the process of getting ready when the need for caffeine interrupted. Fresh out of the shower with your hair wrapped in a soft towel, damp strands sticking out in random spots, and wearing nothing underneath your light robe. You were definitely a sight to see. Bucky took a brief pause to groan appreciatively at your appearance before preparing his own mug.

“You gonna save me a dance tonight, doll?” he asked, watching you from the corner of his eye.

You stuck out your bottom lip in mock disappointment. "Aw, isn't that sweet? Not a chance in hell, darling."

"We'll see about that, Y/N." He took a sip of his coffee as he leaned back against the counter.

As silence fell over the room Bucky took the time to shamelessly look over your figure more intently. His eyes leisurely trailed up your exposed legs, lingering on your thighs. His mind flooded with images of having them wrapped around his waist, holding you tightly against him while he ravaged your lips, neck and chest. Yo u were both always so brazen when it came to checking each other out. Not the slightest bit ashamed or embarrassed because you liked the attention. You let him stare a bit longer before clearing your throat and directing his eyes away from your chest and back to your face.

Once you had his attention, you started scanning the room thoughtfully for a moment. “I count 16 in this room,” you announced. “19 if I wanted to get a little creative.”

Bucky smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. “Bare hands?” he asked. You mimicked his stance and said, “First on the list, as always.”

“Then I make 21,” he countered. “24 if I want to get my hands dirty. Which I always do.” You watched him pull his bottom lip between his teeth, a habit that made most women want to fall at his feet.

Too bad for him you were not most women, but that didn’t stop you from having a little fun. You made a show of swaying your hips as you stepped up to him, getting close enough to trace your fingers along his shirt collar and toying with the bit of chest hair that peaked through. "Tryna impress a girl, huh Barnes?"

"Mmhm,” he hummed. “Is it working, doll?” He smiled as he thought over his list for you. If it were possible to die from multiple orgasms, would that really be such a terrible thing?

You noticed the dark glint in his eyes and decided to push him just that little bit further. Standing on your toes, you leaned forward until your breath tickled against his lips. His eyes fell shut and nostrils flared as he breathed in your sweet scent and sighed. You were surprised that he actually managed to respect your 'no touching' rule this time. Even though he was clearly struggling his hands remained at his side clutched tightly into fists.

Satisfied with his reaction you smacked his chest and pushed him out of your way. “Nope! Sorry, Buck. Better luck next time. Have fun tonight, though.” You scurried off trying to contain your laughter when you saw the indignant look cast over his face.

This was the type of relationship you had forged with Bucky ever since you moved in. Threatening each other, fighting over dominance and playing silly games, like counting how many objects you could kill each other with in any given room. That was all it was, though, a game and nothing more. It had to be. So you ignored the warmth in your belly and increased thumping in your chest as you reached your room to get ready for the night. Unaware that Bucky was feeling the same while also trying to readjust himself in pants that felt just a little bit tighter now.

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

Hours later, you were sitting at the bar of the Compound's large party room drinking from a glass of punch. Compromising your senses in a crowd was never appealing to you, so you rarely drank in public, but you still enjoyed the atmosphere. The active bodies on the dance floor moving together to a loud beat, everyone with a drink in their hand, and all inhibitions left at coat check.

You listened to your friends share stories that wouldn't typically be brought up if they were sober. Like the mission where Steve, Nat, and Clint had an unfortunate run-in with leeches and were forced to strip themselves of their uniforms. The rest of the team waited to rendezvous at the jet for almost an hour, but all impatience was forgotten when they saw them finally approaching. Completely naked. Natasha had taken possession of Steve's shield to cover herself while the two men cupped themselves protectively. The group howled with laughter and you almost choked on your drink when Steve’s face turned a deep shade of red at the memory.

As the night progressed, it seemed like every five minutes a different man would approach you with an invitation to show you a 'good' time. Judging by their liquor-soaked breath and clumsy advances you severely doubted it and shot each of them down. After an hour of this you noticed that there was one man that had yet to make his usual attempt at seducing you.

Bucky was at the other end of the bar with a positively beautiful woman keeping him company. She was clearly having a hard time deciding which part of him to keep her hands on. The muscles in her arms strained as she kept pulling at him, a definite indicator that she wanted him to take her somewhere less crowded. But he wasn't budging. Bucky's attention was focused on you from the minute she walked up to him. Your eyes locked in a silent battle to see who would blink first.

“Mhm,” someone murmured as they stood next to you. “Can't take your eyes off Barnes, huh?”

You didn't even as you took a sip of your drink. “Take a break, Wilson.”

“When are you gonna admit it, Y/N?" Sam's inquiry was met with a stony silence, so he continued. "It’s obvious you have feelings for tall, dark, and dumb over there.” He nodded towards Bucky.

You abandoned the staring contest to glare at the man beside you instead. “We’ve been over this, Sam. I’m a professional, I don’t do feelings. Especially feelings for Barnes.”

“Uh-huh." He rolled his eyes and you narrowed yours.

Lately, Sam and even Steve were in the habit of calling out your friendship with Bucky, trying to turn it into something more. You dismissed them outright. Not ready or willing to accept that even you started to notice a change. Sure, it was fun messing around with the brunette super soldier, turning him into a drooling mess of lust and temptation while you walked away unaffected. Except that last bit was happening less frequently now and, concerning as it was, you chose to ignore it.

While you were trying to figure out a way to dodge Sam's judgment, the next song started playing over the speakers giving you a wicked idea. It was certainly fitting for the moment and also might help you prove a point.

Sam instantly recognized the mischievous sparkle in your eyes and sighed. “Just be careful, Y/N. He's an old man. Don't go giving him a heart attack.” He paused, thinking to himself for a moment. “On second thought, you go girl!”

You rolled your eyes at Sam and stepped away from the bar, striding towards the dance floor. The golden silk dress trailed behind you as the large slit coming up your left leg showcased your thigh almost up to your hipbone. The supple curve of your breasts peaking over the neckline was practically modest in comparison to your completely exposed back. The loose material draped just below the small of your back, calling more attention to your round backside. Even before you turned to face him, you knew Bucky had his eyes trained on you the entire time.

As the song played you started dancing provocatively to the beat. Hips swiveling as your hands roamed up and down your body before reaching into your hair to play with the loose tendrils. You crooked your finger towards Bucky and motioned for him to come closer. He didn't give it a second thought as he broke away from the other woman and began his journey over.

Strutting towards you with such purpose and ferocity, you almost couldn't tell whether he was coming to ravish you or murder you. The way his dark hair framed his face casting a shadow over his lust-crazed eyes added to that predatory effect. He had abandoned his suit jacket early on, leaving him in just the crisp white dress shirt with the cuffs rolled up to show off his impressive forearms. One muscular flesh, the other shining metal, both distracting and enticing as hell.

You turned your back to him as he closed in and it wasn't long before his warm arm was wrapped around your midsection pulling you to his chest as you started dancing together. Cool metal fingers trailed up your arm and moved your hair aside exposing your neck to him.

“You looked a little jealous there, doll.” His voice was low and gravelly, lips barely making contact at that sensitive spot below your ear.

You placed one hand on his and lifted the other to hold the back of his neck. “Oh I don't get jealous, sweetheart. I'm just proving a point.”

“Mmm, and what's that?” Whatever it was, he liked where this was going.

“That you're willing to drop everything the second I wave a finger just so you can get your hands on me for a minute. You got it bad, Barnes.”

He chuckled softly. “Maybe I do,” he whispered in your ear, sending an unexpected chill up your spine. “You’re an incredible woman, Y/N. You’re smart. Strong. Can take care of yourself in a fight. And you’re fucking beautiful. You got me going crazy, doll. I can’t get my mind off you.” He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck and held you tighter.

Maybe it was the low timber of his voice or his metal hand gripping firmly on your exposed thigh, but suddenly you felt your skin prickle with heat. His hips followed the languid rhythm you set and you loved how comfortable and strong his thighs felt behind yours. His hard chest pressed against your exposed back, the buttons of his shirt practically digging into your flesh from the friction. You moved your hand into his hair and started pawing at his scalp, tugging on the soft strands. A deep growl reverberated through his chest and traveled straight down to your core.

What he said, the way he moved and the sounds he made, it was all making you feel lightheaded. You had to bite down on your lip to stop yourself from whimpering when a devastating roll of his hips had your ass grinding against his hardening length. Being so lost in the moment, in his touch, you forgot what point you were trying to make in the first place. You needed to walk away from this.

Somehow you managed to compose yourself enough to escape his embrace and back away from him, smiling softly when you saw yet another dazed look on his face. “Well I guess I saved a dance for you after all. Don't say I never do anything for you, Buck.” You didn't look back as you left, pretending that your arousal hadn't just soaked through your lingerie.

“Fuck,” Bucky groaned as he watched you saunter away. Your hips swayed just as they did against him seconds ago, leaving him with only a throbbing ache pushing against his briefs as a reminder. “She's gotta stop doing that.”

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

It was 3am and even though the guests were gone, the team didn't want the party to end just yet. After changing out of their formal wear, everyone gathered in the lounge to continue the fun. Nothing too scandalous, just a couple of drinks and some games amongst friends. How the hell it ended up turning into an arm wrestling contest was beyond you.

Clint was paired with Sam, who was drunkenly boasting about his inevitable victory against the archer. Their friendly rivalry was made all the more hilarious when they were drunk off their asses. Seconds after the match began, Sam was pinned and Clint was flailing his arms and legs like a giddy child as he celebrated. Natasha took the rest of his drink away immediately.

“Slick move, Barton. Getting your girl to throw me off like that.” Sam pouted, claiming that Nat purposely distracted him. Steve had to take away Sam’s beer when he started arguing that blinking rhymes with winking, so she was obviously flirting with him.

“Don't try to pin this on her, Wilson." Clint objected. His voice sounded a little scratchy and he could barely keep his eyes open. "What do you think I shoot arrows with all day, huh? My feet?” He started showing off his muscular forearms and biceps in a series of ridiculous poses. “Now if this was a contest to see who could break a watermelon with their legs, you'd take that one easy, buddy.”

Sam considered his words for a minute before smiling lazily, nodding in agreement. “You're right about that. I do have some great thighs.” He started rubbing his legs and praising them for being so thick and perfect.

The group laughed at the pair of drunken aviary Avengers as they stumbled away from the table. Tony was declaring the matches and after a brief chat with Natasha, he called out the next pair.

“Alright, we have a theory that needs testing. Barnes. Y/N.” He clapped his hands on the flat surface. “You're up!”

“What?! But I thought I was sup–"

“My God, Rogers!" Tony interrupted, turning to face the now pouting Captain. "Must you and the tin man do everything together? Could you just share him for a minute? I'm sure Y/N won't steal him away from you.”

“No promises,” Bucky said, blowing a kiss towards you and making you stick your tongue out at him.

“Sit your ass down, Buck. And keep your pretty mouth shut for everyone's sake.” You tried to sound serious, but your smile said otherwise.

Once seated, you both made a show of stretching out your muscles before putting your elbows on the table. Bucky was about to make a comment that was sure to have your skin crawling but you stopped him. “I don't think so, pal. I want the other one.” You pointed towards his left arm instead.

He quirked an eyebrow, but still switched arms. The light reflected off the metal plates when he flexed and waved his fingers at you. “You sure about this, doll? I know you’re tough, but c’mon, you don’t stand a chance here. I don't wanna hurt you, baby girl. Unless you're into that sorta thing.” His suggestive wink and smug tone only solidified your resolve.

“Oh I love it when you sweet talk me, baby." You rolled your eyes and grabbed his hand. "Let's do this, Barnes. You're going down.”

He smirked and pulled you in a little closer, the soft whir of the metal plates vibrated against your palm. “On you, maybe later. First I got a match to win.”

You choked back a gasp, quickly disguising it as laughter and hoping that it would distract him from the sudden blush that filled your cheeks.

“Okay lovebirds,” Tony clasped his hands over yours and Bucky’s. “The second I let go of your fists, the match begins. We don't frown upon cheap tricks here, but just don't be a whiner like Wilson.” Tony repeated the rules, ignored Sam's slurred insults, and checked to make sure you were both ready.

Without breaking eye contact you nodded your heads and confirmed that you heard him. Stark let a few more seconds pass to build suspense before finally pulling away. The second he did, you lunged forward and crashed your lips against Bucky's. The unexpected contact caught him completely off guard and while your lips were connected, you pinned his arm. Your lips lingered on his for a moment longer before you pulled away and met your victory with a series of whistling and applause.

Bucky sat motionless. Staring at you wide-eyed and speechless, trying to process what just happened as the group congratulated you on a clean win. His lips were still tingling from your kiss. This was something he'd fantasized about for weeks but never expected for it to happen like that. Game or not, he couldn't deny that there was something more behind your motive.

He needed to pull himself together before anyone called him out, so he donned his signature grin and congratulated you. “Well played, Y/N.”

“Element of surprise, doll,” you jeered, proud of yourself for pulling it off.

After Tony was done cursing Bucky under his breath, he paid Natasha for losing their little bet and moved on to face off against Steve. You watched for a minute as Tony desperately tried to pin the immovable super soldier with both hands. At one point, he was basically dangling off his arm while Steve cackled. Positive that Tony was only seconds away from summoning his armor, you decided now was a good time to slip away towards the empty kitchen and get a drink. After grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, you turned to see that you were no longer alone.

“What was that about, Y/N?”

“What are you talking about, Bucky?” you answered his question with one of your own.

“You know what I’m talking about.” He nodded towards the other room. “What just happened back there?”

You shrugged, drinking almost the entire bottle while avoiding eye contact. "What about it? It was a game. Don't be such a sore loser."

"It was more than that, Y/N." He stepped closer as he spoke. "And the dancing earlier.”

He was close enough that you could smell the light yet incredibly intoxicating scent of his cologne. It mixed beautifully with his own indescribably scent and you silently cursed him. Since when did he smell so good?

"It was a tactic, Bucky,” you explained. “I was just trying to throw you off by doing something stupid. And it worked didn't it? I won fair and square. And the dance was just a dance, I was messing around. It was nothing."

You moved to walk away, but he reached out for your arm turning you to face him. "I don't buy it, Y/N. Sounds like your trying to convince yourself rather than admit the truth. I know it wasn't nothing."

Now you were getting frustrated. Why did he have to keep on pressing the matter instead of letting it go like he usually did? Why now?

“Oh really? What was it then?” you seethed. “You seem to know better than me, so tell me. Why? Because you're Bucky Barnes and no woman can resist you? Bullshit.”

“No, because I have proof,” he stated, still holding onto your arm and his face serious.

Biting back a scoff, you looked up at him expectantly. “What proof?”

He took a cautious step towards you and when you didn't pull back, he moved in a little closer. Metal fingers barely grazed your skin as he trailed them up your arm. With every inch they climbed, your body reacted to his tentative touch. The slow drag of his knuckles along your collar bone up to your jawline, a trail of goosebumps followed. He leaned forward, nudging your nose with his and feeling the warmth of his breath against your lips. Lips that you just learned were softer than you could have imagined. You were struggling to keep your eyes open when he finally pulled back. His long warm fingers still wrapped around your wrist, lifting it to rest on his chest while his metal hand moved to your hip.

“Your pulse beats faster whenever I’m close to you,” he whispered. “Your pupils dilate and your body temperature rises.” He looked into your eyes and cupped your cheek. “I know because you have the same symptoms as me and I have feelings for you, Y/N.”

There was no trace of smug ego or cocky bravado in the way he looked at you with those unreasonably blue eyes. His smile was so warm and genuine you could practically feel your walls crumbling apart. This was all new territory and you didn't know how to deal with it. You couldn't admit it to yourself, let alone Bucky, that you started to develop feelings for him. You spent your life in the company of heartless criminals, training and killing for faceless men. None of this allowed room for a chance at romance and you were fine with that!

You were fine with that.

Standing here with Bucky now, your bodies close and your mind and heart racing, you didn't know what to think anymore. But you were too damn stubborn for your own good.

“No,” you choked. “Enough. It was nothing.” Your hands curled into fists on his chest. “Dammit, just stop it, Bucky.” You pushed him away and ran out of the room, leaving him to stare at your retreating form once again.

So damn stubborn.

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

After that night a few weeks ago, you and Bucky hardly saw each other. Both choosing to deal with the others absence as though you were dealing with a loss. For the first couple weeks, you were upset and hurt, with yourselves and with each other. Wishing for things to go back to the way they were before either of you realized your feelings were changing. That obviously wasn’t going to happen with two such hardheaded people. Sadness shifted into denial which eventually led to anger and frustration, your current and most volatile stage. However, you were both professionals and whatever was happening between you was not about to come in the way of work. Or so you thought.

While out on a mission, you and Bucky were ordered to distract a number of hostiles away from the others so they could slip into the target building unnoticed. Despite finding yourself a little outnumbered at one point everything was going according to plan. That was until Bucky came barreling out of nowhere redirecting all enemy fire away from you and onto himself. You both managed to get away relatively unscathed, but he ended taking a bullet to his side because of his own stupidity.

Back at the compound and standing outside the medbay, you watched as they extracted the bullet and stitched him up. When they were all done he got up and headed towards the exit where you were waiting, silently fuming.

“What the hell were you thinking, Bucky?” you screamed as he came out the doors and started walking away.

“I was thinking I was doing my damn job, Y/N.” He knew you were pissed off when you didn’t say anything the entire flight back, instead choosing to sit in the corner of the jet while Steve hovered over him like a worried parent.

He continued to try and get away from you, navigating the hallways and heading towards the compound's living space as you shouted at his back. “Your job is not to get yourself killed by doing something stupid like that!”

He stopped and turned to face you. His expression was so intense, almost threatening, and instantly halting you in your tracks. “Making sure you don’t get hurt or killed isn’t stupid to me, Y/N!” Bucky yelled, his voice echoing through the empty corridor.

You stood completely still as you stared blankly up at him. He sighed exasperatedly. “Y'know when someone takes a bullet for you, the polite thing to do is say thank you or something. Not bitch at ‘em for saving your life because you’re too damn arrogant to admit you needed help.”

You folded your arms over your chest, instantly offended. “I had the situation under control, Bucky. I am not your responsibility and you are not mine. Pull a stunt like that again and I’ll shoot you myself.”

He dragged his fingers through his hair and growled furiously. “You're so fucking stubborn!”

“So are you, asshole!” you barked back.

You were so worked up that you started shoving and hitting him. He stood there and took each hit without complaint, letting you work through your emotions. Though your words and actions said one thing, anytime you touched him you made sure to avoid the areas you knew were wounded. Truth was, it scared the shit out of you when you saw him get hit and fall to the ground. The sight of him clutching his side as blood seeped through his fingers was an image you never wanted to see again.

Once you had calmed down enough you wanted to run, but Bucky grabbed you and pinned your back to the wall with a thud. He went to cage you in with his arms, but you were quick and took him by the collar of his uniform, spinning your bodies until his back was against the wall. Any frustration he still felt resolved into amusement as your grip on his uniform loosened, but your hands remained on his chest.

“You’re mad cause you were scared that I got hurt. That’s it, isn’t it?” he asked, moving his hands to rest on your hips.

“No,” you replied a little too quickly and not at all convincing. He laughed. “Aw, you were worried about me, huh doll?”

“Shut up, Bucky,” you whined.

“Guess you kinda like me more than you let on. Don’t deny it, you think I’m cute.” He batted his long eyelashes and smiled that toothy grin. Out of all the people to fall for, it just had to be a man that was just as capable of irritating you to no end as he was to leave you weak at the knees.

You shook your head and let out a tired laugh. “You’re such a child.”

His shit-eating grin could not be contained as he said, “You still love me though.”

You finally looked at him, seeing the same sincerity and affection in his eyes that you knew matched your own. “Yeah well, so what if I do.”

His hand came up to caress your blushing cheek and you instinctively leaned into his touch. “Finally,” he whispered before pressing your lips together. You both sighed happily as you felt the soft plump flesh again. If kisses like this were what you had to look forward to then it was definitely a feeling you could get used to.

“For the record, I love you too,” he murmured against your lips when you pulled back a little to breathe.

“Of course you do. I’m amazing,” you said, suppressing a giggle as he shook his head affectionately.

“I know you’re expecting me to come back with some witty or cocky comment, but I’m just gonna agree and keep kissing you instead. Sound good?” His thumb swiped across your bottom lip, tugging it down slightly before letting it fall back in place.

You squinted your eyes and pretended to think about it for a moment before Bucky pinched your sides. He jutted out his jaw seductively and licked his lips when you squealed.

“Sounds good, Barnes.”

<< part one :: part two (end)

feel free to leave me some feedback ❤

tag list (which I’ve lost so I’m just gonna tag everyone who was tagged in the first part)

@avengerofyourheart @buckysberrie @marvelingatthewonder @buckyywiththegoodhair @imaginingbucky @memiskypirate @anya-lv @heismyhunter @melanie451 @palaiasaurus64 @fantasticimpaladoctor @the-renaissance @bucky-on-a-bike @whatsbetterthanfantasy @jbb-98 @fallingpanickedkilljoys @feelmyroarrrr @annadier @no-im-not-dead-nor-i-have-a-pool @tatortot2701 @blogdebooklover16 @cassiopeiassky @aenna-4 @lilasiannerd @alphadareme @badassbaker @chrisevans-imagines @sergeant-angels-trashcan @aenna-4 @lilasiannerd @mrs–healy @dead-inside52 @nea90sweetie @callingmrsbarnes @tempestinatea-cup @dearmisterhiddles @flowercrownsandmetallicarms @imshalida @sarahjeaniejean @phvckingphandoms @re2d2 @the–baroness @rebel-different @the-witching-hours12-3 @buckyandsebsinbin @sighodinson

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfic #love is for children #my writing

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sarahwritessirens · 4 years ago

Text

Does Corn Stalk?

I’ve decided to post a short story that I wrote a while ago when I was for certain, absolutely, no take-backs going to run a podcast of Midwestern gothic stories. I have another one I’m working on. They all take place in this little nowhere Midwestern town (like where I grew up!) and the residents have odd stories to tell about their home. I need to continue working on these, but for now, I think I’ll post some short stories/snippets of full-length stories that I’m working on.

***

“Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address?”

Nate had heard his grandfather’s joke every day for his entire thirteen years on earth. He wasn’t sure if the old man thought he had never told it, or knew good and well Nate knew the answer and just didn’t care. But, then again, Nate loved the reaction he got, so he appeased him every time.

“I dunno, Grandpa. Why don’t you?”

“Because corn stalks!” the old man answered before the round of coughing laughter that all grandpas seemed to revert to. His eyes closed tight, the edges folding into gleeful wrinkles as he slapped his knee, rocking a little in his chair on the porch.

The joke was hilarious when Nate was little. Now, it had run its course. Still, it was hard not to smile when his grandpa was happy. Those days were rare after the accident.

It was a warm day at the tail end of summer. It was a corn season, and the stalks across the road from them reached high into the sky. In the past, Nate would be running through the fields chasing his friends, trying not to knock down any stalks, lest the sharp crack of the fall alert the farmer that the kids were playing in his crop again. They would get lost in the waxy, waving leaves of the plants, occasionally ripping one in half, or peeling one down to just below their knees to mark their route.

After the accident, Nate was told to stay out of the fields. The one time his mother had found out he had disobeyed her, he couldn’t sit comfortably for a week. More than the pain, the fright that came over his mother’s face when he came walking out of the edge of the field had shocked Nate. His mother hadn’t spanked him since he tried to touch a hot burner as a toddler, and even now, a year later, the terror on her face did far more to deter him from ever entering the field again than the pain.

“I’m gonna heat your lunch for you, Grandpa,” Nate said, patting the old man on the shoulder as he walked across the front porch and opened the front door. “Mom made you a feast, hope you’re super hungry.”

“Oh, yeah?” the old man asked, standing up with a creak in his knees. “What’d that woman send me today?”

“We got some meatloaf and mashed potatoes with cornbread.”

“Ah,” his grandpa responded. “So glad she found my son. Your dad can’t boil water without burning it.”

Nate laughed a little as he walked into the kitchen to put the glass pan in the oven. Ten minutes, he thought in his head. Not longer than ten minutes.

“So, any updates from the tryouts?”

Nate finished setting the over and sighed, leaning against the counter as he looked toward his grandpa, who was taking a seat in his chair at the table.

“Nothing yet. I dunno, Grandpa, I don’t get my hopes up too much. I’m the shortest kid in my grade.”

“So?”

“So, that matters a lot in basketball.”

“Listen here, Nathaniel,” the old man said with stern authority. “You may not have the height of other boys, but by god if you aren’t the most agile and fastest boy in the whole county. Your uncle used to play, and he wasn’t over two hairs taller than you are now. But nobody, absolutely nobody could ever catch him when he ran across that court. Seeing him zero in on that hoop was like watching a snake after a field mouse in the corn.”

Nate looked down at the ground for a moment. It was happening. The darkness that took his grandpa away was creeping in, fooling him with pictures of children that his grandpa didn’t have. The old man’s eyes were darkening like a sky overtaken by a sudden storm.

Nate never quite knew how to handle it. No big shocks, his father always warned. Don’t let him think too long. Ten minutes. Not longer than ten minutes.

“Have you thought about what color you want the house painted?” Nate asked, shifting from one foot to another. “The best painting days are almost over. We don’t know how bad the autumn is going to be yet.”

The old man watched Nate with a lost, empty gaze for a moment, and then the darkness lifted. Light poured into his eyes again and he focused on his grandson.

“Your dad said ‘no’ to the lime green request, eh?”

“I tried to fight that one for you,” Nate said.

“Course you did. You’re a good kid. Well,” his grandpa said, looking around the room. “Maybe just a nice, clean coat of white. Maybe some lime green shutters, though,” he said with a wink.

Nate laughed as the stove timer buzzed. Not longer than ten minutes.

“You got it, Grandpa. That way, we at least win something,” he said, putting the oven mitts on his hand to pull out the container.

“We take what we can get,” his grandfather said with a sigh, standing to his feet with another creak in his knees as he walked toward the dish cabinet. He pulled out a plate and a fork and set it down on the table. Then, he reached into the fridge to grab a bottle of root beer—his favorite—and sat down.

Then the silence. Nate could feel it. The storm was rolling back in.

“I hope your hungry,” Nate said, with forced cheeriness as he set the glass pan down on the table. “Mom cooked enough to feed—”

His grandfather grabbed his arm just as he set the plate down, his grip so tight that Nate yelped. Shadows smothered the old man’s eyes as he stared into Nate’s.

“Don’t ever trust it, kid. Don’t you ever trust that thing in there. It’ll take what you love and leave you with a hole that you won’t ever cover up. Nothing can stop it. It stalks you. Don’t let it know anything about how to get to you, because it stalks you.”

Nate was frozen aside from the all-over body trembling. “Grandpa,” he managed to squeak out. “Grandpa, you’re hurting me.”

The old man never broke his stare, but promptly let go of Nate’s arm. He stared at the boy for a moment more, that cold, deep darkness still clouding his eyes.

Then the light came back and the man looked at the table with a smile, as though nothing had ever happened. “Well, that looks great, doesn’t it? Sure glad you mom found my son, he can’t boil water without burning it.”

***

Twilight fell over the fields as Nate started walking down the road.

Keep straight ahead, he told himself. He could feel the lure of the field pulling from his right. He always felt it on his walk home; something begging him to explore the cavernous veils of shadows between the stalks. But his mother and father had ordered him to never go into the field again. If he heard or felt anything funny, he was to keep looking straight ahead and, most importantly, keep walking.

The wind picked up and rustled his hair. It felt familiar and soothing. It reminded him of his grandmother, when she would smooth his hair out after he had come in for lemonade breaks while playing with his friends. Long ago, before she died.

Before the accident.

The wind came in small gusts now with a frigid bite—warnings of an evening storm that Nate didn’t want to be in. He picked up the pace, hoping the weather would hold for the remaining fifteen minutes he had left to walk.

“Nate.”

The whisper broke through the stalks. Nate froze in his step. He didn’t dare look at the field, but he listened again. Had he just heard his name?

“Nate.”

There it was, much clearer without the footfall. He could feel his skin prickle as though walking through fir trees. His breathing was jagged as he tried and failed to keep it quiet. What should he do? Should he run the rest of the way?

“Nate.”

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“Nate, come in here. I’m lonely, Nate.”

The voice was stronger now, and there was no mistaking it.

“Gran?”

“Just step into the corn, Nate. I miss you so much, I just want to see you. Nate, just come in.”

Nate turned slowly to look into the stalks.

Nothing. No movements in the darkness, no shadows out of place.

He took a step toward the edge, squinting. He stood at the very edge of the concrete, his toes just against the border of stone and dirt.

“Gran?”

Silence.

He stood for a moment more, staring into darkness.

After moments of nothing, when he was just about to turn around, he saw something. It was slight, farther back than he could see to make out details. It looked like a ripple of dark cloth.

“Gran?”

“Come here, Nate,” the voice said. Nate took another step, now in the dirt. He could have reached out and touched the stalks at the edge of the field.

“Gran, can you come here?” he asked, his voice shaking again.

“I miss you, Nate. I’ll give you anything you want. Please come closer. Come talk to me.”

Nate took two, slow steps to stand right in front of the field. There was another rustle of movement, this time much closer. Nate could make out a tall, wide figure that looked like it was draped in dark cloth. It wasn’t his grandmother, but its presence radiated as easily as her voice had. It was foreboding, as twisted and dark as the shadows it moved through.

Nate gasped, taking a step backward.

“Where are you going, Nate?” His grandmother’s voice was different now, as though somebody was mimicking her with a twisted, grating growl. It sounded scathing and derisive. “I want to come, too, Nate. I’m so lonely out here.”

Before Nate could turn, a cold settled over his shoulders and knees. He fell to the ground as the wind began to roar, screeching all around him. He tried to yell, but the air was pulled from his lungs and he swore it was replaced with ice. He gasped and gaped from the pain, covering his head as the wind shrieked all around him. He felt pressure buiding up inside his head, feeling it pulsate from the base of his neck to the top of his skull, feeling as though it might be crushed at any moment.

Then, it all stopped. There was nothing but silence.

Nate took a big gulp of air in as he coughed and repeated. He laid on the ground for what felt like the whole night, though it had to be less than half an hour.

Slowly, he stood to his feet, pushing himself up with his hands. He took one shaking step to the road. Then another. Then another. Finally, he was back on the concrete.

And then, Nate ran. He ran as fast as he could, past the towers of stalks, over rough potholes that slowed him down when he tripped. It never stopped him, though. He would jump right back to his feet and run again, sprinting despite the pain of breathing in. He felt small pitter patters of raindrops hit his hair, his hands, but he never stopped. He ran as fast as he could, past neighbors’ houses, past intersections, until he saw his porch. He stopped only to open the gate, made his way across the large front yard, and then threw the front door open, running up the stairs to his room. He slapped the light switch on his way to his bed, where he pulled the covers over his head, shaking.

Once his adrenaline faded, he felt every stitch in his sides from his run. His legs shook and his mind swam, trying to make sense of what had happened out there.

He had heard her. He clearly heard his grandmother’s voice. Was she trapped out there? Or did that thing pretend to be her the whole time?

A knock from his door made him jump.

“Nate, is that you?”

Nate didn’t come out from under his covers. It sounded like his mother, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was the thing from the corn again?

“Nate?”

“Yeah,” Nate said weakly.

“Did you give your grandpa his food?”

“Yeah, he ate.”

There was silence on the other side.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Mom. Just really tired.”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He heard footsteps fading away from his door. It seemed like his real mother. But, then again, the voice between the stalks seemed like his real grandmother. Had the thing followed him? Was it waiting for him to come out of the room?

He tried to sleep that night, but just as he would doze off, he would hear that voice, his grandmother’s voice.

“I’m so lonely, Nate. Please come in here.”

***

The days were quieter after Nate saw the thing in the corn. No new voices spoke to him from the darkness. Nothing rustled the leaves of the stalks when he walked to his grandfather’s house. Whatever had happened that night, the event seemed to be done.

What Nate couldn’t see was that he was also quieter. He rarely slept through the night, jumping at every noise. He felt a heavy feeling in his stomach as he waited for something terrible to happen, and it made him nauseous to even consider eating more than a few bites of food.

“Are you okay?” his parents repeatedly asked. Nate assured him that he was, but they weren’t convinced. Doctor’s visits, x-rays, and constant phone calls and muttering filled the days after the thing in the corn.

Eventually, it was decided that Nate was showing the early stages of depression. This was an unthinkable taboo in their small town; how would his teachers react? His pastor? His friends? He wanted to tell everybody what he heard and what he saw, but would they believe him? Or would they just think that he was even crazier? They may even want to put him on medication.

In the end, the doctor suggested that Nate should take up more physical activities with people he was comfortable with. His parents believed that staying with his grandfather and helping him prepare the house to paint might be helpful.

As he was packing some clothes into his duffle bag, he heard a knock at the door. “Can I come in?” his mother asked.

“Sure,” Nate said, looking for the oldest, dirtiest shirts he could find to help clean in.

His mother entered his room and watched him for a moment. He felt her eyes following his steps, his hand movements.

“Nate, you would tell me if there was something on your mind, right?”

It wasn’t really a question. Nate’s mother had a way of sounding polite and insistent at the same time.

“Yeah, Mom,” he said, avoiding her eyes. “Like I said, I dunno, I’ve just felt a little weird lately. It’s probably just stress, you know?”

“Nate, look at me.”

Nate took a breath and turned around. His mother watched him again, that kind-but-firm look, as though she were penetrating his eyes and saw straight into his brain. “Please tell me what’s going on,” she said, the calm tone dragged down by a hint of desperation.

Nate watched his mom as he shuffled a little, unsure of what to do. Part of him wanted to tell her everything that happened. But the last thing he wanted was to be branded as crazy by everybody else.

“Mom, if I asked you something, you would tell me the truth, right?”

Her brow furrowed in bemused curiosity. “Of course.”

Nate took a deep, steadying breath. “Mom, what…happened to Gran? I mean, people keep saying it was an accident, but how did she get in the middle of the cornfield accidentally?”

There was a falter in his mother’s stern gaze. She pressed her lips together tightly, her fingers tugging at her sweater a little.

“I told you, Nate, you don’t need to know—”

“You said you’d tell me the truth, Mom.”

His mother looked down at the floor and sighed, sitting on the bed.

“Gran was walking back home when we got a call from your grandpa that night that she never turned up. We went driving down that road and couldn’t find her. We called the sheriff’s office and asked if they could wake up Jennison to see if she had somehow fallen into his corn where we couldn’t find her. But you know how nervous Jennison makes them. They told us to call back in the morning if she didn’t show up.”

“So…Gran was out there alone in the field?” Nate asked, his legs feeling weak, thinking of how she must have felt. She must have been frightened.

Frightened and lonely.

His mother nodded. “We called the next day and, sure enough, they found her in the middle of the field. She was covered—well, she looked bad, but there wasn’t a mark on her.”

“Mom, what happened,” Nate asked, tears welling in his eyes as desperation grabbed his breath from his throat.

“They…never could tell us, Nate,” his mother said, looking at him sadly. “They just said it was an accident.”

“Did they talk to Jennison? Did they think he did anything?”

“No,” his mother said. “I mean—” she looked up and took a deep breath. “Yes, they did talk to him, but they didn’t stay long, and they just said that they couldn’t find any evidence that he did anything.”

Nate couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that his mother was content with the story they gave her. His lips moved soundlessly, trying to tell his mother that she was wrong, that somebody…something…had trapped his grandmother in the corn.

“It’s time to go,” his mother said, trying to snap cheeriness into her voice. “You’ve got everything? Your toothbrush? Socks? Underwear?”

“Mom,” Nate said, dragging out the word, “yes.”

His mother stood and gently pushed against the back of his head, ushering him to the door.

Nate knew there was much more to the story than his mother was telling him. Maybe more than she knew. He knew he needed to find out the truth. This meant that he had to investigate for himself. He had to go out there.

He had to go into the stalks.

***

Three days after Nate arrived at his grandfather’s, he had been tasked with helping to scrape the old, peeling paint off the porch. The task was demanding, but it was simple enough to talk and work at the same time after he found his flow. He and his grandpa talked about all the new goings on, from Andy’s missing work at the mechanic shop again to Isabella’s new friend from out-of-town coming by her fabric shop all the time. As in a town like this, it seemed nobody could keep a secret very long.

Nobody, Nate thought, except for one person.

“Grandpa, why are the police afraid of Jennison?” Nate asked, scraping paint off a particularly obstructive knot near the window.

His grandfather scoffed as he slid the scraper along the railing. “Kiddo, I’ve known Jennison since we were schoolboys. He’s always been an odd bird, you know? A lot of people sorta looked up to his family as some of the original settlers here in town, but the family also isn’t known for being communal and neighborly. Plus, the rumors that have been slung around here sure don’t help ease the nerves of young officers.”

“Rumors?” Nate said, stopping his scraping momentarily to look up, “how come I’ve never heard of any rumors?”

“Don’t know, you’re a pretty big gossiping goose in this town,” his grandpa said, laughing. After he settled a bit, he said, “rumor has it they’re into some strange things. Selling souls and blasphemy kind of things. Supposedly started way back when they got acres of worthless land and somehow made it useful.”

“Their land was worthless?”

“That’s the story,” his grandpa said, moving down the rail with smoother scrapes than Nate was capable of. “Mind you, I wasn’t born yet. Shocking, I know, but there was a time before my time. The story goes that when they came here, the other settlers already mistrusted the original Jennisons. They gave them a ‘generous’ acreage in dead, barren land, hoping they would continue onward and leave. Well, after the first season, a terrible plague hit the other farms. Everybody’s crops rotted on their grounds. The Jennisons, however, grew some of the most bountiful crops any of those more experienced farmers had ever seen.”

Nate looked down at the pale, dead wood of the porch. Dead land didn’t produce live crops, much less bountiful ones.

“Do you know what kind of stuff they were supposed to be doing, Grandpa?”

His grandpa gave one last big scrape and turned around to lean against the rail and watch Nate’s work. “Don’t know much. Had something to do with a bucket of goat’s blood and a missing woman. Paul Fellin said the whole thing was hogwash and that there were documents proving that the woman in question was found and cause of death was determined to be exposure. Lots of people still doubt it, though.”

Along with being the owner of the largest reality firm in town, Paul was also the town historian. He held degrees in both anthropology and historical preservation, and few people every doubted his expertise. If “lots of people” doubted his word, there was definitely some detail missing.

“Look, you don’t worry about Jennison, okay? You stay out of that field and mind yourself around it.”

He could hear the shake in his grandpa’s voice. Nate looked up and saw the darkness clouding again. The darkness that would take his beloved grandfather away and replace him with something different—something scarier.

Nate cleared his throat. “Did you hear about the little Owens girl?”

His grandpa was silent for a moment more, then the darkness lifted again and light came back into his eyes.

“They find her down by the lake again?”

“Yep. She said that she was watching people dance.”

“That dear duckling of ours is a strange one, that’s for sure.”

***

The day moved quickly for Nate. By supper, he could barely lift his arms or keep his eyes open, occasionally nodding off midway through his pork chop.

“Nothing like a nice, long work day to make you appreciate your bed,” his grandpa said, stretching as he stood from the table. He grabbed Nate’s plate of half-eaten food and took it to the counter. “You go on upstairs and sleep. I’ll cover this up for tomorrow’s lunch and we won’t let your parents know that you ate about three bites of dinner.”

Nate only had the strength and awareness to mumble, “thanks.” He slid from his chair and walked up the creaking wooden stairs to his room. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was drifting off. He slowly floated away from the outside world, into the softness of a happy dream. He was running with his friends through the corn again, laughing and yelling, weaving expertly in and out of the stalks.

Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address?

He was racing them to the middle of the field. They had never gotten that far, and he was determined to be the first one to reach it.

Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address?

It was a warm day, the heat soaking into his skin as he ran. The other boys were floundering with the big stalks behind him. This was easy for him. There was no boy in the whole county with his speed or agility.

Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address.

A breeze shuffled through the leaves of the corn, his friends’ laughter slowly fading behind him. He was going to win for sure.

Nate.

The air seemed to cool as the breeze moved across his skin like a breath from somebody looking over him, just out of sight, beyond the stalks. He must have been deeper into the field than he had ever gone. Shadows started to grow all around him.

Nate. Come here, Nate.

The air was crisp now. The shadows stretched further, overtaking the spaces between the stalks. The leaves grew more dense around him.

Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address?

Ahead, he saw a shape in the clear row. It was huddled in a mass, pale and covered in a ratty cloth.

He wanted to stop. He wanted to run back to his friends, but his feet carried him faster to the shape. Everything around him was black, now, except for nearby stalks and the shape, which started to stir.

Nate, stay here. Stay with your gran, Nate.

He saw the shape straighten up and was too terrified to scream. Clammy pale skin made his grandmother seem more like a movie prop than a person. As she lifted her head and her bloody, matted hair fell from her face, her white, dead eyes met his.

Why don’t you ever trust corn with your address?

Because corn stalks.

Nate tried to scream. He put his arms in front of his face, trying to shield himself from the shadow of the figure that was once his grandmother as she started walking toward where he was running.

I’m so lonely, Nate.

***

Nate woke with a sharp gasp. He panted and huffed as though he had just run a marathon. He was shaking all over as the images of his grandmother started slowly to fade from his memory.

Darkness had fallen outside. He looked at his phone. 2:38 a.m. His grandfather would be fast asleep. Now was the best time to investigate. Nate pulled out the black nylon backpack from the closet and pulled out his flashlight. He quietly dressed, lacing up the work boots he packed for the yard work and grabbing his jacket more for the feeling of comfort and security than for warmth.

Quietly, Nate crept down the stairs, freezing with every creak. When he reached the bottom, he stopped. He stared at the door, so close, and so easy to exit. He knew he was breaking his mother’s rule. He knew he was dismissing his grandfather’s warning.

But he had to know. He had to know the truth.

Nate walked across the living room and opened the door. He stepped out into the night air, warm and still in the darkness. In the moonlight, he saw the road ahead of him. Beyond that, the large stalks loomed into the black sky, their depths hoarding a darkness that seemed ethereal and limitless. He trudged across the yard, taking deep breaths. He stepped to the edge of the road. His heart quickened, and he felt a shiver creep across his skin despite the warmth of the night. His right hand started to sweat around the smooth metal of the flashlight as he peered into the shadows between the leaves of the stalks.

Was that movement that he saw?

Nate walked across the road, stopping just at the spot where gravel met dirt.

Through the night symphony of crickets, he heard the breeze blow.The stalks rustled with a small sigh. It was as if the entire field was slowly waking up. He could sense, rather than see, something deep within the darkness between the massive reeds of stalk and leaf. But there was no voice.

Was it waiting for him? Did it know he intended to walk inside, into the darkness?

He took a breath, then a step onto the dirt.

Nothing.

He took another step.

Nothing.

Soon, he was at the edge of the field, within fingertips’ reach of the first stalk.

Nothing.

Though the field and air and night stayed silent and still, Nate didn’t feel reassured. There was a nagging in the pit of his stomach, as though he was walking close to an angry rattler just out of his sight in the darkness; one that he couldn’t see, but could see him very well.

Nate flicked the switch on his flashlight and stepped into the corn.

The surrounding darkness seemed to conform to his body like water as he moved. Yet, the night stayed silent and still. He began meandering through the stalks, hearing nothing but his own footfall.

He walked deeper and deeper into the field, as though following an invisible trail. Occasionally, he would rip a leaf to mark his way.

Soon, the crickets’ song faded, as though before a major storm. The hairs on the back of Nate’s neck rose as he heard a new sound. It sounded as if there was another set of footsteps falling with his own.

Nate’s hands trembled as he wheeled around in all directions, shining the light into patches of deep shadow. The light bounced only feet in front of him, as though hitting a wall in the darkness.

“Is somebody there?”

He noticed his voice didn’t echo. The darkness felt closer, almost suffocating.

“Nate,” a raspy voice called out.

“Who are you?”

“Nate.”

His entire body froze. He tried to back up, but he wasn’t able to move his foot.

Come on, he thought to himself, willing his feet to take him out of the corn.

Finally, they moved—but slowly propelled him forward.

Nate’s breathing went jagged as he felt his heart beating in his throat. He felt as though a giant, invisible hand was grasping him by the shoulder and pushing with otherworldly strength.

“Help!” Nate screamed, knowing deep down that nobody could hear him. “Help me! Help!”

“Nate…they’ll never know you’re gone, Nate. They’ll forget you were ever alive.”

Nate tried to fight, not wanting to know what this meant. He tried to get away from the force.

But then the blackness surrounded him completely, and everything was silent.

***

When Nate awoke, he found he was bound tightly to something hard behind him. It took him a moment to remember where he was or what had happened. Once the memory slowly drifted back into his mind, he began to struggle and scream.

“You’re awake,” he heard a familiar voice. “Good. He hates when they sleep through the whole thing.”

Nate craned his neck as far as he could, but not seeing the figure didn’t matter; he knew Jennison’s voice after all the times the old man yelled at him for playing in the corn.

“Please,” Nate whimpered through tears. “Please let me go.”

“No can do,” Jennison said, and Nate could tell he sincerely felt some sort of regret. “There’s a pact here that has to be fulfilled. It’s an inheritance that I didn’t get to choose, but it is what it is.”

“No, no, whatever—” Nate gasped for air as his chest constricted with fear, “—whatever it is, you don’t have to do it. Please, let me go. My grandpa already lost my gran, and if he loses me too—”

“Yeah,” Jennison said, sadly, now moving to stand in front of Nate. The farmer was wearing something that looked more like a priest’s attire than farm wear. A black, long sleeve shirt was tucked in to black pants that fell just over black shoes.

“Yeah, your grandmother. Look, I’m really sorry about that whole thing. She came in here looking for her son, and he found her, and….”

Jennison trailed off and shuddered. Nate felt a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach. “What? What do you mean, ‘he found her?’ Why was she looking for my dad out here?”

Jennison sighed, rubbing his face. “Not your dad. The one that she lost. The one your grandpa…well, the one that barely made it to adulthood. She probably missed him so much. Probably heard his voice in the corn. They always hear a voice in the corn. Bet you did, too, didn’t you?”

There was a soft breeze blowing. Nate thought he could smell something faint but sharp, like rotten fruit. He struggled against the binds. “Please, please, I won’t tell anybody about this, please let me go back home.”

“Sorry, boy,” the farmer said. “Sorry, but I can’t. My family made a deal with him a long time ago. He’d take care of us, he’d look out for us like nobody ever had before. The Jennisons weren’t a noble group, you see. When we came here, we had a reputation of being thieves, drunkards and liars. They didn’t like us here. But he did. He’s been here forever, and he wanted to help us. He wanted to make sure we survived, that we were dressed and fed. All we had to do in return was feed him.”

“Who is he?” Nate asked in a shaking voice.

Jennison shrugged. “He never told us. We just know that he was here in this land before anybody existed. He won’t leave, either. He does feed, but he isn’t cruel, you know. Oh, no, your family will never know that you even existed, if they just don’t fight too much. Your grandmother fought to keep her memories. Your grandfather did better, but from what I heard in town, people say he’s ‘losing his memory.’”

“Please just let me out,” Nate pleaded again, struggling with futility against the binds.

“That’s a real irony, isn’t it, though? He’s not losing his memory, he’s gaining it back. He’s remembering things like they were before. I imagine he remembers how his son died. How drunk he was when your granddad kicked him out of the house for fighting. That kid always loved speed. Always had to be running or skateboarding or hauling down an old road that he thought was safe.”

“None of this is true,” Nate said in a weak voice. “It isn’t true.”

“Oh, it’s true. If your uncle wouldn’t have been out that night, he would probably be alive. But he crashed into a ditch, right into my corn, and took off running. He ran in here to get far away from your grandfather and, well, he did, alright. My friend was hungry. But my friend did a good thing for your family; he made them forget. Everybody but your grandmother, that is.”

The wind began to pick up, the rotting smell was stronger, making Nate’s stomach turn.

“No, no, please,” Nate begged, “please don’t do this.”

“Sorry, kiddo,” Jennison said again. He walked behind Nate and grunted as he picked something up. He returned into view with a dark, silver washtub filled with an inky liquid. For a second, Nate had no idea what it could be, until the metallic smell rose above the smell of rot and the moonlight hit it just right, highlighting the red.

Blood.

“Oh, come, ancient one, in your sacred field, I offer you this meal so you may protect our family from the adversity and cruelty of the world outside.”

“No!” Nate screamed, frantically struggling with the binds. It was useless; in one, swift motion, Jennison hoisted the wash bin up and tipped it over, pouring it over Nate’s head. He screamed as the thick liquid coated him from his head to his hands, even dripping onto his shoes. The rotten smell had grown stronger, and Nate could hear something that sounded like a long, unending growl in the wind.

Then he saw it, in the long black cloak as it emerged from the stalks. He couldn’t see its face, but its decayed hand was a pale, oozing green against the dark green stalk. The growl was now in Nate’s head, followed by that twisted, rumbling voice that mimicked his grandmother.

“I’m so lonely, Nate. I’m so—”

“Nate! NATE!”

Nate wheeled his head around as something came crashing through the stalks. He saw his grandfather panting and huffing, stopping to take in the scene.

“Let him go! You let him go, Jennison, you hear me?”

“I can’t! I can’t, he has to feed. He has to eat. It isn’t just my field, don’t you get it. If he can’t eat here, he’ll go out looking.”

The creature moved closer to Nate, extending a decrepid hand toward him. Nate felt his stomach try to force out its contents and his blood turn to ice.

“Jennison, he’s a boy. Let him go! You can’t—”

“He needs to feed!” Jennison repeated, more frantic. “And you should go. Go and for the love of God, forget everything when you have the chance to! I would take that if I could. You don’t understand the luxury you have.”

The fingers brushed Nate’s neck as the dark abyss just under the hood loomed over Nate. He could no longer beg, he could no longer scream. He resigned himself to his end. He felt his energy—his very life—begin to leave his body.

“Then take me!” his grandfather snapped. “You let the boy live the rest of his life and you can gladly have me!”

The creature’s grip loosened a little. Nate wanted to protest, but he was too tired, too weak.

“My friend, this is a good deal. We can leave the boy and you can have the husband and father of your previous meals.”

No, Nate thought, but darkness had begun to overtake him. He fought against it, watching the creature round on his grandfather, watching it grab his throat and watching his grandfather’s body slowly go limp. Nate fought against the darkness until he saw his grandfather crumple to the ground like an empty husk.

Then he saw nothing more as the darkness won.

***

It was a warm summer during corn season. The long, stalks at their greenest, just before the farmer would plow at the end of the month. Nate ran around his father easily as he made a beeline for the hoop above the garage. The ball went up and cleared the rim without so much as a tap against the metal, making that satisfying swish sound as it fell back to the ground.

“Holy cow, kid, those practices are turning you into a pro! Hope you get scouted soon.”

“You and me both, dad,” Nate said, looking out past the houses across from him, into the fields of corn as he sat down on the ground to catch his breath. Those fields filled him with a wave of emotions that he didn’t understand. One feeling stood out, though.

Loneliness.

“Hey dad?” he said. “Why don’t you ever give corn your address?”

His dad tensed a little and looked down at Nate with an odd expression of shock and confusion. “Why don’t you?”

“Because corn stalks,” Nate said. The words didn’t seem funny, though. They seemed dark—almost foreboding. Corn stalks.

“Where did you hear that from?”

Nate shrugged, looking at his dad. “I don’t know. I just thought of it, I guess.”

His dad gave a soft laugh. “Your grandpa used to tell that joke over and over when I was your age.”

“Really?” Nate asked.

“Yeah. I thought he made it up. Don’t know how you know it, with him dying before you were born.”

Something about the sentence seemed off. Nate had no memory of his grandfather, but he always felt connected to him, like he had known him a long time ago, as a different person.

But something about his grandfather also filled him with sadness and fear.

“Come on,” his dad said, breaking his thoughts. “We need to get in before your mom throws our dinner away.”

Nate stood up and started to follow his father into the house. Before entering, he stopped and looked back out into the corn, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Because corn stalks.

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