#but once it comes my room will be even cuter!!! i have this vine of fake rose hips that i��m gonna put around it

[chiritori]

basically done setting up my new room YEAAAAA

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

Another Devil royal again please? And this got me questioning: what of Bradley? Is he in this too?

((Hi there and good morning, hope your well. And sure, I can write up another one if you like. Second, oh boy..you had to ask huh? Well, I'll let you read to find out for yourself. And others spoken of in this or some belong to my friend @demon-blood-youths ))

Silver butterfly mun/Peahen mom

~~~~~~In Jinx's kingdom~~~~~~~

"So I'm meeting this woman to be my future wife?" A male asked walking down the hallways of this place. It was huge! Though, back home his kingdom was just as big.

"Yes, I was told you were going to be wedding the heir or next in line named Jinx or something. Though, I can see why. Maybe that means you'll finally get a wife that will do you good for once." another walks by but the other sighed.

"Your not helping big brother. I never expected the kingdom to ask to have me marry someone." Yuji Itadori said while walking down the hallway. However, his big brother Sukuna 'Ryomen' Itadori was following him while looking bored. He was told to lead his brother to meet his future wife.

"But isn't a wedding a lot more complicated than other things?" Yuji asked but Sukuna raised a eye brow to look at him.

"Depends. Besides, I'm married to my princess and she's so precious. Kinie was always a precious sweetheart to me and she's even cuter up close." he sighed smiling and thinking about her 24/7 even if Yuji sweatdrops. His brother always spoke about that devil from another kingdom even if he was one himself.

"Uh huh.....well, I guess it won't be so bad..maybe.....I hope." he said nervous of what she will be like. Will she be evil? Mean? Scary? Rude? He didn't know but he will know as soon as they saw the large black metal doors that two guards open leading to the main throne room. It was large with a giant throne having a devil there. Yuki, the devil of this kingdom and head leader was speaking to another. He was in his human apperance showing the two panther tails with the tips having a black flame on them. His ears were up while listening to the woman speaking.

"Oh come on Dad, can't I just head out for a bit. You said my so called fiancee hasn't even showed up yet." she mutters only to see him sigh.

"Jinx, I told you to wait. I got word he should be coming with his baby brother. He was the one you are to marry so at least meet him." he said even if she rolls her eyes.

"You said that 4 hours ago though. Can't I just go?"

"Wow, and here I thought she would be well behaved. She's just like you little brother." Sukuna joked.

"Hey!"

Hearing the voices, Yuki looks up to see them. "Ah, you finally arrived, welcome." he said.

"Yes. Sorry we are so late. I had to do something before coming here. But I did bring my baby brother so he could meet his...ahem, future bride." he looks showing Yuji off as Yuki looks seeing the young man. Huh, looks like him alright but he heard they were twin brothers.

"It's fine, no worries. My name is Yuki, devil of the cursed black hell flames and this is my daughter and heir next in line. Jinx."

Yuji looks only to see the woman turn and face them. Right away, Yuji's eyes widen. She looks to have an average normal triangle body shape with board shoulders, some might think she’s athletic for her age but it’s due to her always exercising herself when she can. Med Ivory skin with dark reddish brown hair but some looked to be a dark magenta red color. She had yellowish red eyes that seem to have a glow to them.

He did notice a healed burned scar on her right elbow and arm. Even the black demonic marks that is in the form of vines and thorns these are on her shoulders to her upper arms. To him, she looked pretty cool!!

Yuji saw the woman walk over but she tilts her head to show a smile friendly to him. "Hi there! Welcome to our kingdom. Names Jinx and you?" she even held a hand to him as Yuji blinks but reaches to take it, giving it a shake.

"Umm thanks. Names Yuji Itadori and it's nice to meet you too Jinx." he smiled as the two smiled shaking hands even with Yuji and Sukuna watching. This should be something.

~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~

Oblivion was going to see Yuuka again to check up on her. She got word more suitors have come to ask for her hand to marry but she ignored them right away. These leeches were getting greedy wanting to marry her and it made Oblivion upset but..something else.

~~~~~

'Come on Oblivion, it's obvious. Your really worried about your friend and when it comes to her wanting to marry others.' she heard her devil said while she was getting ready to head out to meet Yuu.

'I said I was worried that's why I'm going to check up on her. She told me suitors have gotten worse and now their getting more ruthless in wanting to marry Yuuka.' she said picking up her bag but was ready to go as the guards stay where they are.

'That means you really are worried about her, Tae.' Rave said but she remains quiet.

'Look, I won't say too much or stop you but maybe it's something else. Being this worried says a lot Oblivion. I just still think you could think about getting married and being happy at least...'

'...Even if I am happy. Why ask me this now?' she asked looking at him. With a sigh, Rave looks to her.

'Because I know you and you seem to really deeply care about her. I can tell she does with you too....just be sure you at least do something in your way..or you might lose that chance..' he warns as Oblivion said nothing but nods, turning to head out quickly.

Rave watches her leave but sighed. 'If that's the case...I do have a back up plan and Cal did give me something that might help in case she does what I think she is planning.......' he thought seeing her leave.

~~~~~~~~~

She didn't know what he means by that and yet, hearing the final words got Oblivion worried. Lose Yuu? Did it mean whoever she married might not let her do things freely? Or let her speak her own way. It was hard to say. For now, she only remains quiet walking.

Oblivion had a feeling something was going on at Yuuka's kingdom and she didn't like. She saw it up ahead and seems it got fixed up after the last suitor tried to fight Yuu for her hand. And lost. As she heads inside, she looks for Yuuka only to hear some argument inside.

"????" Right away, she hurries off to find her. She gets inside the kingdom still hearing some shouting but she gets to the door to see that their was another there and heard the voices.

"Surely we can make some agreement. I know my heir needs a wife to marry so I'm offering my son. He seems to be nice and he always fallen for your daughter." Another devil was there but she heard Yuuka's devil Zeko looks at this other devil who's son was flirting with Yuuka who looked annoyed.

"I assure you I don't think my daughter is taking a high liking to your son. So I don't see how this is going to go." he had his arms crossed but the other devil sighed.

"Well, I'm sure I can pay so we can have this wedding. I want my heir happy and you still keep getting suitors for her right? I just wish to help out." he said but heard a smack seeing Yuuka hitting the other male away.

"Will you leave m..me alone! I don't even like you nor know you!" she said but the male chuckled holding her hand.

"Oh come on babe, I won't bite. You really are beautiful and should marry me. We'll make so many cute kids when ruling in the human world." Bradley was his name but he sees her glaring at him.

"I told you no! I don't wanna marry you. Now let me go or I'll burn you!"

"Now now, no need to fight. My heir just finds you beautiful....it wouldn't be nice to reject someone's love my dear." the devil said even if he was already seeing Zeko getting annoyed.

"As my daughter said, she is not going to and I won't approve it unless she's alright with it. For now, you should leave with your son before I get you escorted out." Zeko warns but the two didn't leave seeing the other Devil named Hans chuckle.

Oblivion heard this but her eyes widen. Wait, marry!? Was this fool trying to marry Yuuka!? Her eyes were wide but she slowly felt angry. How dare this asshole try to marry her! She don't even like him and already trying to force himself to have her love him. She could hear and tell Yuuka didn't want to marry this jerk before hearing another slap along with a yelp.

"Stop touching my butt!" she said mad.

"But your so soft and cute!" Bradly happily nuzzles her that Yuuka glares with purple toxic flames showing as she was about to poison him.

"See? Their getting along." Hans said to Zeko who had one eye twitching.

"Clearly she's not! I'm ordering you both to leave right now. My daughter won't wed your son!" he said.

"But who would marry her then? You said all her suitors have left or was chased out. Besides, who would even wish to marry her? It's not that hard. Someone shows they love her and it's my son. Now....unless another comes and shows they wish to marry your daughter, I think we have a winner by default or did you forget the arranged marriage rule? " he smiled even if Zeko wouldn't do that but given the choice it was that or forced marriage.

"It's that or my son has your daughter...what will it be Zeko?" he said seeing him still saying no but he knew the old rules stated if one didn't find a mate or fiancee in time, it would lead to forced arranged marriage.

In the hall, Oblivion remembers. Arranged marriages. She heard a few in the past went through that and was miserable. Only a little or few had a happy marriage but others had worse ones. Though, the thought of Yuu marrying this jerk made her blood boil. She would be forced to marry her hand to a guy she don't even know or could do worse to her! She couldn't have that!!!

"......" Trying to calm down, she remembers what Rave said.

~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~

'Look, I won't say too much or stop you but maybe it's something else. Being this worried says a lot Oblivion. I just still think you could think about getting married and being happy at least...'

'...Even if I am happy. Why ask me this now?' she asked looking at him. With a sigh, Rave looks to her.

'Because I know you and you seem to really deeply care about her. I can tell she does with you too....just be sure you at least do something in your way..or you might lose that chance..'

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

That's what he said. Do something before it's too late. If she didn't, she would lose Yuuka forever. She can't have that. She won't let it happen!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Now, with that situated, I think we can call this done. My son will wed your daughter." Hans smiled but Zeko was quiet seeing Yuuka trying to get away from Bradley but he wouldn't let her go even looking quiet.

"Now..your answer?"

"............" he saw Bradley about to kiss Yuuka who was ready to punch him in the face. "I......."

"I'LL MARRY HER!"

"!?" Zeko and Hans looks hearing the female voice turning to see a woman there. Bradley and Yuuka looks too but he blinks wondering who she was but Yuuka knew.

"Who is-"

"Oblivion!"

"What? What did she say?" Hans said seeing Oblivion walking in but she gets to Bradley who held Yuuka before she glares at him.

"I said I'll marry her now let Yuuka go you asshole!" she said to Bradley who was shocked.

"Hold on, what!?!?" he said only for her to get there and suddenly sucker punches Bradley away from Yuuka. She got let go seeing him crash into the ground holding a black eye as Yuuka looks to him.

"OW!"

"What is the meaning of this!? Who is this woman!!" Hans said but Zeko looks seeing Oblivion who was looking at Bradley walking over but he tenses to sit up holding his eye.

"H..Hey, lets talk about this babe! I can have two mates if you like me to!" he said but Oblivion clicks her tongue to kick him in the face. "Ow!!! Stop kicking me!"

"YOU stay away from Yuuka you hear me!? I won't let her marry some pervert jerk like you! I also made my words clear, I said I'm going to marry her! Not you!"

"..Y..You!?" he said in shock but Yuu was also in shock. Wait, she wanted to marry her?!?

"Oblivion?" she was worried but she sighed to look at him with a cold expression.

"You heard me. I won't let her wed a idiot like you. I suggest you find your fiancee somewhere else because it's not here. Now, unless you want me to send your ass to the lower areas of the devil world.." she got more scary showing sparks of electricity.

"Get. Out."

"!?!" Seeing this, Bradley leaves in fright with his devil following him to leave Yuuka and Zeko silent as she looks seeing Oblivion calm down. She didn't expect her to come in and do that!

"O..Oblivion?" she saw and heard a sigh before Oblivion turns to face her looking at the other. Before speaking, Oblivion quickly hugs her that made Yuu squeak but only held her back.

"Oblivion? what's the-"

"I won't let another take you from me. Even if it means I can stay with you forever......that's why I wanna marry you Yuu." she mutters but Yuuka said nothing hearing this. She blinks only hugging her and yet she was holding to calm her down.

"That's way..Zeko, I wanna have Yuu as my fiancee and future wife.."

"You wish to wed my daughter, Oblivion?" he asked seeing her look at him but nod.

"Yes. I rather stay by her side and insure she will be safe but...I want her to be happy..that's all i wish for. She means a lot to me even when after we gotten to know one another and..I am more happy to know she's safe and well. I'll do what I must to ensure of that. So I'm asking......let me ask for her hand."

Zeko wasn't expecting this but Yuu was speechless with her eyes wide. She was serious to see Tae look away but keeps hugging her nuzzling her chest. She wouldn't let another jerk take her away.

"......Tae..." she was worried hugging her but Zeko said nothing and sigh.

"If that's what you wish....then I'll accept it. Please take care of her, Oblivion." he said.

"I will.." she mutters while Yuu hugs her.

Unknown to the two, Zeko had another see this from a viewing mirror showing Rave looking as well. He had a feeling this would happen but at least he hopes Oblivion would be happy.

"Seems I was right to get that potion from Cal. Even if she's going to wed Yuuka, I can still see a cute heir from them. Thanks Cal!" he smiled excited but it seems Yuu and Oblivion were going to be engaged.

[returntosaturn271995]

Tuesday, June 27th: Allen Cohen

Today I took my walk later than usual. In a bid to stop ordering late night food, I crashed out last night after reading Fourth Wing and listening to the accompanying playlist on Spotify (nerd, I know). Anyways, because I didn’t shove my face full of Taco Bell, I woke up oddly early and starving so I made scones at 6 am. Hannah seemed genuinely alarmed to see me before the crack of 9.  

Once I get mentally healthy, it’s over for these hoes. 

I said as much to my mom walking down the street today, late afternoon sun on my heavily sunscreen-ed skin. We were talking shit about my Dad’s mom, who has been drunk texting me lately. That’s a trait that does not get cuter with age. Grandma has been left on read for the good of all parties.  

It was my second long phone conversation of the week: Emily and I Facetimed for 2 1/2 hours yesterday because we are incapable of having a short conversation. I can’t believe it’s been a year since she moved. The potted pothos she gave me before she left, appropriately named Emily Jr., is still thriving. 

That actually reminds me, I need to water my step-plant. 

On my way back from the beach, I saw a house on Missouri St. that was butter yellow and had a large floral mural wrapping around it, the last vine stopping as the garage door opened to show an epic collection of art, mostly paint on canvas, but of all kinds of styles. Being nosy, I walked up the driveway.

There were fallen palm tree leaves painted to look like various tiki faces, African style art, a recreation of “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” with surreal elements, a 30 X 30 romantic water color of a woman reading a faded letter on her bed, a black and white sketch of a tornado hitting a Kansas farm with a lurid bright rainbow cutting through it, a glowing blue fairy sitting a on a leaf on a black pond. Allen Cohen ‘79, ‘88, ‘96, ‘04 dotted the corners of the frames, and in the corner of the garage sat the man himself. The top of his head was barely visible through a thicket of paintbrushes, stained bristles standing like tall grass. 

He had to be approaching 70 and I would come to find out, did this solely as a hobby. “I’ve played around with a lot of styles over the years, I went to school for art but worked in restaurants to pay for school. I ended up staying in the restaurant industry my whole career, but kept painting.”

I asked if he would ever sell. He shrugged, standing in front of what I have no doubt was over $100,000 worth of art. Although likely priceless as a lifetime of artistic moments surrounded us like a cluttered and beautiful mural of his mind. Standing in his cramped garage workshop I felt overwhelmed, remember this. 

Remember the portraits of his family members on the wall, the huge canvas of a faceless girl at an open mic in a spotlight that I knew was standup rather than singing, a photo of his father smiling from the 1950′s in a suit Sinatra would have worn. 

Today also weirdly happened to be the day I got to a 400 entries of this blog. Although, obviously, not nearly as inspiring or dramatic. Tumblr gave me a little chatter box badge. Jesus lol. 

Still, people find ways to express themselves, often in a way that’s delightfully not for sale. It adds up to its own kind of gallery. With varying styles and recreated personalities. Moods and eras and emulations of other work. 

“I didn’t have models so I used to tear things out of magazines”, he indicated a canvas of a brunette woman reading in bed on a white comforter, sheets askew and in a slant of light that told you it was a Sunday morning in whatever universe she lived in.

I smiled, remembering the hideous collage I covered a wall of my room with magazine cut outs when I was 15. I was obsessed with advertising even then. Scotch tape and scissors in my teenage hands, AC Newman on my pink ipod shuffle. 

The work closest to his desk, protected by a barricade of completed canvases, was a portrait of him and his wife. 

[theamberwriter]

Drawn to Love [Katsuki Bakugo]

[ONE]

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugo x Reader

Word Count: 2982

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: Lmfao, so - Lumix and Aurelius may or may not be from a comic of my own that I came up with ages ago! I’ve been having a lot of fun writing this! I hope you guys like this just as much as Drawn to You!

"Why don't we hang out in your dorm tonight?" Katsuki asked as the two of you walked back to the Heights Alliance. You panicked, there was a reason you hadn't let him in your room.

You smiled warily. "Why would you wanna do that -"

"I've never been in your dorm, first off. Second, my floor is getting too freaking noisy to study." He glared straight ahead, his grip on your hand tightening a little. He was right though. The people on his floor had been running amuck lately. 

You groaned. "Fine."

"What? Got something you don't want me to see?" Katsuki teased. "Did you save one of those Papergos to sleep with at night?"

Your face grew hot as you remembered the incident a few months before that lead to your dating. "No! My room is, uh, just a little cramped. That's all."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. He wasn't buying it. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever."

Your stomach twisted as you got closer to your room. He was going to think that you were weird. You just knew it. Your quirk was fun, what could you say? It brought you endless hours of entertainment.

"Uh," you stuttered, standing in front of your door. "Are you sure you don't want to -"

"You're not getting out of this, nerd." You could see the amusement in his eyes. No matter how he tried to hide it.

Your shoulders slumped. "Rude."

To say Katsuki was a little confused when you opened the door was an understatement. There was a lot going on at once. Lots of movements, noises, and colors. Shapes he recognized but were a little off. Mostly due to the materials they were made of.

Over the years, you'd drawn and brought to life many things. One of your passions was making pets and plants that didn't need upkeep. As Katsuki stepped in, a little paper dog and cat circled around his feet. Tiny creatures scurried and flew about the room. A colorful paper toucan was propped on a paper tree growing out of your wall. On the other side of the room, an owl hooted from a tree trunk jutting out.

Paper vines hung from your ceiling, clinging to the walls. All pulsing with life. Paper plants, which actually had color and scent, were growing in real pots. Some were even sentient, nudging your leg as you walked by. You patted them on the head. Your room was alive, basically.

"Uh, welcome to my dorm," you said, stretching out your arms. The owl flew out, landing lightly on your shoulder. "You see why I didn't want to hang out in here? I - uh - I got a little carried away -"

"This is amazing," you barely heard Katsuki muttered. You could see the slight freak out in his eyes as the toucan flew to him and landed in his hair. It nuzzled down, apparently not planning on moving anytime soon.

That's when your bathroom door slid open and out walked two people. An extremely tan boy with cinnamon red hair and facial stubble was talking to a pale girl whose purple hair dragged the floor behind her.  "- No, you're an idiot, you can't just - [Name]! You're back!"

The girl flew over and wrapped you up in a hug. The owl hooted at her aggressively and went back to the hollow in the tree trunk. "[Name], you're back! You've been gone forever."

"What the f -" Katsuki started.

You grinned at him anxiously. "Aurelius, Lumix - I brought someone."

The girl, Lumix, dropped you and got in Katsuki's face. The toucan in his hair didn't even flinch. The guy, Aurelius, pulled her back by the shoulder. "Lumix, don't be rude."

You rushed over, grabbing Katsuki's arm. He looked ready to blow them up. "GUYS, this is my boyfriend, Katsuki Bakugo. Katsuki, meet Lumix and Aurelius. They're, uh, characters from my comic."

"AAAHHHH, FINALLY!!!" Lumix yelled. "You're a lot cuter in person."

"They're what?" Katsuki sounded angry and baffled at the same time. "You can bring people to life?"

"You know it!" Lumix cheered, spinning around in a circle. Katsuki realized then that she was in futuristic garb. Nothing like he'd ever seen.

"Uh, yeah," you laughed nervously, pushing him towards the far end of your room. "It's a war story about different countries. Each have a theme. These two are are sci-fi and steampunk. It's a whole - nerdy - thing. Uh, let's get to studying."

"Why are some things colored but some not?" Katsuki asked suddenly. And something dawned on him. Something that made his insides burn with guilt. He really could be dense. He had so many questions. About your quirk, about you, about everything. 

"Wha -" you started, turning to find Katsuki's face scrunched in obvious annoyance. "Hey, 'Suki, you okay?"

Katsuki could act cool and hard all he wanted. But, and he found it weird and irritating, he'd already imagined his whole life with you. Even after only knowing you since the school year started. You'd really gotten under his skin and into his heart. Katsuki sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just realized, after all this time, I don't actually know a damn thing about your quirk. Or about you, really."

You smiled and waved him off. "I'm nothing interesting. My quirk is stupid and full of rules and technicalities. It's all super boring -"

"I don't care how damn complicated it is," he started. Katsuki sat on your bed. Your heart ached. He really looked like he belonged there. Amongst all of your drawings, and the craziness that you could bring to life. You sat next to him. He turned your face to look at him. His eyes were very serious.

"I don't care how dumb you think it is. If we're doing this, being together, then I have to know. - I want to know. About this." He pointed to the toucan. Then to Lumix and Aurelius who were listening intently. "About these nerds. About you."

Your heart felt like it swelled. An overwhelming feeling of happiness overtaking you. But it was cut short as you watched in horror as he reached for the toucan. Your eyes grew wide as he tried to pull it out of his hair. "Wait - no! The toucan -"

But it was too late. Katsuki's gentleness disappeared as the bird chomped down on his finger. He immediately lit it on fire. Only realizing as ashes fluttered in front of his face what he'd done.

"Bites," you finished weakly. You barely held in your laugh.

"Oh, shit," Katsuki muttered, then louder, "Damn it! I didn't -"

You got off the bed. "It's fine. I can remake him."

You rummaged through your desk until you found your drawings box. You took out a binder and held it up to show him. "This is a comprehensive collection of everything I've brought to life. This is a technicality of my quirk. You can destroy what I've made, it will simply go back to being a drawing. However, if you destroy what it's drawn on -"

"Then it's gone forever," Aurelius stated dramatically.

You nodded, then flipped through the pages. "You can see these are all blank. - Except for this one, with the toucan."

"Are you sure that's a toucan?" Katsuki asked, squinting at the page. It was just a vague shape. You thumped him on the head with the binder. That earned you a small glare.

You rolled your eyes. "I was small when I drew him. We'd gone to the zoo and wanted to make one for me. It may not look like much, but I bring to life what's in my mind's eye. Watch."

You focused for a second. Thinking about how you wanted the toucan to appear this time. Then put your hand to the page. In a glow, the marker toucan peeled away from the paper as you lifted your hand. Bringing life was a bit more elaborate than just producing a building. The marker outline rose, rotating until the toucan was up and down.

The marker lines bent into a recognizable outline of the toucan. Then the outline started to expand like a bubble. Soon a white, 3D, paper bird floated there. Then the colors flooded in, like someone pouring paint. They were totally different than they'd been before. With a final flash of light, you could see the spark of life flood in.

You cupped your hands under the toucan to catch it. It plopped right into your waiting palms. Katsuki stared in amazement, not even trying to hide it this time. That's when the toucan turned to stare him in the eye.

"I must thank you," the toucan said. The color drained from your boyfriend's face. "If you had not blown me up, I may never have gotten the gift of speech. Also, thank you, [Name], for the new coloration. It's quite beautiful."

"Why thank you," you said, smiling. "Back on the tree, then?"

The bird nodded. "Yes, please, if you would."

You climbed on your bed to put the toucan back in his perch in the corner. You sat back beside Katsuki, who was weirdly silent. He looked disturbed.

"You okay?" you giggled. "Not used to the 'miracle of life'?"

He was silent for a long moment before asking, "That bird isn't going to hold a grudge, is it?" 

"Sir Beaksaplenty?" You raised an eyebrow, smirking. "No. He's a very forgiving bird. I've destroyed himself by accident before. I just have to promise to bring him back better than the last. I'm thinking about giving him a top hat and monocle."

Katsuki eyed the bird's perch warily. "And he remembers everything?"

You nodded. "Only if I want him to."

Katsuki nodded, but you didn't think he was convinced. You were quiet as you watched him take in your abilities. You could see something flicker in his eyes. He kept looking around. His eyes going to where Aurelius and Lumix were arguing over a board game on the floor.

You took Katsuki's hand gently, giving him a smile. "I'm an open book. Ask me anything you want to."

He seemed to flip through a few ideas in his head. "You never answered my question before."

"About the colors? Well some I accidentally brought to life, like the Papergos. And some I was too tired that day to give color. If I don't have enough juice left or enough focus, they come out the same color as what they're drawn on." You shrugged. "Some I colored before bringing them to life. Like the flowers, I used scented marker so they'd have smell nice. Others, like Beaksaplenty, I had to concentrate. See the colors in my mind as I brought him to life."

"So far nothing you've told me has been complicated," Katsuki teased. "Can you bring something to life out of anything?" 

You nodded. "Yep, I drew Lumix and Aurelius on chunks of wood meant for carving. Their bases are in this box." You pulled out two one-inch wooden cubes, showing your boyfriend their blank sides. "I keep everything in here for safekeeping. I don't think I could reproduce these two."

Lumix grinned. "We're one of a kind!"

"Do they just follow you everywhere?" Katsuki grunted, thinking about how this would affect your future living arrangements.

"I did try to leave them with my parents," you groaned, glaring them down. "But two someones decided to sneak into my suitcase."

Lumix pouted. "We didn't want to get left behind! School is much more fun than home!" 

"How the hell you even fit in a suitcase?" Katsuki asked.

"Easy!" Lumix shrugged, shrinking down to the of a doll and then growing again. "We can shrink to the size of the object we're drawn on. And as big as we are in context. We can't grow any bigger than this. But we'll also never be the size of ants."

Katsuki looked at you. You shrugged, laughing, "I told you. Rules, technicalities."

"I guess I still have a lot to learn, huh?" he noted, mostly to himself.

You took his hand, interlacing your fingers. "It's nothing time won't fix. And we have all the time in the world."

Katsuki's heart fluttered at those words. Not that he'd ever admit to being soft. You two spent the night talking. He would ask you questions; when did you draw this? or how did you do that? or what was the biggest thing you made? His subtly slipping the more you talked. The closer the two of you got.

Before you knew it, it was late and dark out. The two of you wrapped up on your bed. He was thinking deeply about something, you could see it in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything. Aurelius and Lumix were passed out on the floor. Lumix had asked Katsuki a million questions of her own. She’d finally worn herself down.

“I’m sorry about them,” you said softly. “I should’ve told you. - But I was afraid.”

Katsuki grunted, looking at you out of the corner of his eye. “Afraid of what?”

You hesitated, playing with his shirt. Katsuki grabbed your hand and turned his head to look at you levelly. You sighed. “Of you. What you would think. How you would react. I was afraid that you would think I was weird. That you’d leave me because of ...all this.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “You’re really an idiot sometimes. - Do you really think any of this would change my mind about you? You’re mine, damn it.”

“Katsuki…” you breathed. You lifted your head to look at him, his cheeks were pale pink.

“You have a damn cool quirk. You’re strong and use it well. All this is just like training,” he said, a bit softer. “There’s no point in being able to bring shit to life, if you don’t use it to make yourself happy every once in a while. - How many people can say they do what you do? I’m guessing not fucking any. Leaving someone for their quirk is damn stupid. Especially someone as amazing as you. So don’t be an idiot.”

Katsuki kissed your forehead, which sent a herd of butterflies teaming through your stomach. He yanked your head back down to his chest. Then he pulled you tightly against him. Your heart felt warm as you wrapped your arms around him. You wanted to be like this forever.

After a long while in silence, Katsuki spoke softly. “Why would I think your quirk was weird? I knew damn well what I was getting into. I wanted to be with you, even after you unleashed a bunch of mes into the dorms. - That paper runt was right. I was flattered that you’d drawn me.”

You played with his shirt again. You muttered sleepily. “Well - there have been a few times in the past that people haven’t reacted well to my quirk. They want me to draw them. Then bring them to life. But people never see themselves from the outside. They accused me of messing with them when I brought them to life. But I hadn’t. They just didn’t like themselves, and who they truly were from the outside. Mina loved the doppelganger I drew for her. That’s how we became friends in the last year of elementary school. In middle school, I hid my quirk. But, when someone asked me out, I always made something. The few that asked me out thought I was some sort of mad scientist. Saying they’d heard about me and the things I’d made before.

“So I was terrified for you to meet Lumix and Aurelius. I thought you were going to think I was some sort of freak. Assume I was doing something pervy. Or that I was so pathetic, that I had to create my friends. Or some sort of mad scientist, just like the others had called me. Or just - completely freak out about something else. I know those two can be a bit much to handle. And, sometimes, they’re very 2D. So you can tell they aren’t real. But I gave them the ability to learn and become more of themselves. Not just how I imagined them to be. I just laid the groundwork. They did everything else. They’re much more real now than they’d been when I made them. I love them like family, regardless. Even if it makes me Dr. Frankenstein.”

“You worry too much,” Katsuki stated. “And those people were idiots. What you do is fucking awesome. Raccoon eyes gets on my damn nerves. But I’m glad she stuck around.”

Your face filled with heat. Mina was the only one to ever call you awesome, or call your quirk cool. No one you were interested ever though what you could do was neat. Or they only thought it was a pathetic parlor trick. They never took your powers seriously. You grinned to yourself, thankful to the darkness. You were embarrassed, honestly. You silently chuckled in excitement. 

“Also,” he added, sounding more asleep than awake. “Frankenstein would be a fucking cool hero name.”

Soft snores followed. Katsuki’s breathing evening out, his heartbeat slowing under your ear. You honestly felt so relieved. He was going to stick with you. Even after you’d accidentally brought a bunch of Papergos to life. Finally, someone who didn’t think you were a joke. Finally, someone you could actually invite into your paper world. Someone you could actually love. Someone who would love who and what you made, just like you did.

You gave Katsuki a light squeeze. Letting your mind wander. Playing around with ideas about raising children in your world of drawings. How Lumix and Aurelis would be as babysitters. How you all would be as a family. How Katsuki would handle an apartment with you. You could see it all. You fell asleep to a sweet, warm image in your mind that you hoped you could bring to life.

[sabraeal]

Clean Cut

All Tangled Up

Obiyuki AU Bingo Rapunzel AU

“Are you ready to be rescued?”

In retrospect, it’s a stupid question to ask. He’d meant it to be rhetorical; most women in her situation-- not that Obi goes around rescuing women from towers, but he assumes-- would jump at the opportunity. They would squeal, falling into his arms, eyes wide and limpid, and thank him profusely. They would throw their arms around his neck and tell him how strong and impressive he was, how handsome, how clever. After all, flattery could get you anywhere-- he would know.

Instead, barely missing a beat, this girl says, “No.”

He blinks. “What?”

“Oh, not that-- yes to the rescue!” she clarifies, screwing the lid back on the ointment. “But I’m not nearly ready! Can I have a few minutes?”

He should have said no. He should have tossed her over his shoulder and hauled her out the window like the brigand Sir thinks he is.

Instead, he says, “Don’t see why not.”

Oh, but now-- now he does.

“We do need to to get a move on,” he reminds her, watching her disappear behind the wardrobe door. “This is a rescue, Miss.”

“Oh!” She peeps back around, those bright eyes all wide and glittering. “Just one more minute! I’m almost finished.”

Obi strangles a sigh, hand rubbing at his shoulder. When His High and Mighty told him that he’d have to rescue a girl in a tower, he’d imagined a crooked, vine-covered thing, its stone crumbling and its wide-eyed ingenue dressed in rags, her sweet voice trembling as she asks, are you a man?

Needless to say, this is a bit of a let down.

Or it would be, if the waifish ingenue hadn’t turned out to be-- well, entirely different.

This place is a far cry from a dismal prison. There’s no choking vines; instead the room is awash in green, plants creeping out of pots or suspended from the ceiling above, every single one fresh and healthy. The girl’s never been outside, oh no, but it seems she found a way for the outside to be brought to her.

And that’s not even talking about this furniture. Someone could have swiped it all straight from some queen’s boudoir it’s so fancy, all dark carved woods with enamel inlays. She might be a prisoner, but this girl hasn’t suffered from lack.

“Take your time.” One finger plucks at the contraption on her table, something with steel balls hung from wooden dowels. He lets go of one, and it hits the other with a clack-clack, sending the last flying, and--

All right, he’s getting distracted. Leave him to underestimate the sort of clutter a girl could accumulate when she’s kept by a king.

“After all,” he mutters, “it’s not like we could be interrupted by your royal jailer--”

“He’s not my jailer.” The words come out, whip fast. “King Shenezard has kept me safe since I was a baby, and not once has he ever treated me poorly.”

Bold words, coming from a girl walled up in a tower. “Right, and that’s why you’re so eager to get rescued. Makes sense.”

There’s no impassioned protest to that, just an uneasy silence that settles in the air, setting him on edge. She’s second guessing all this; he can tell by her harsh rasp of breath, by the way she kneels, unmoving, in front of the wardrobe.

Well, that won’t do at all. He’s got a reputation to maintain.

“Hey,” he ventures, leaning just enough to peep around the door. “What’s taking so--”

For a solid minute, Obi forgets how to talk.

It’s a king’s ransom in there; gowns made velvet and brocade, kirtles of silk and paper-thin cotton, every bit laced and bejeweled with the sort of embroidery it takes a host of skilled seamstresses months to make. He could make a killing just selling one of those dresses, let alone a closet full. He’d have enough guilders to retire to a nice little island and sleep on a giant pile of money.

“Sorry!” she pipes, finally rolling back into action. “I have all I need from my plants, I just have to get clothes. Can’t walk around naked, after all!”

He just bites back, why not? Not the right crowd for that kind of talk. Not with Sir Stick-Up-His-Ass waiting for them back in the bushes.

Instead, he sits back. Her bag sits open at her feet, already almost full to the brim, and he can’t help but laugh thinking how she might fit those walking rob me signs into it, but--

But she doesn’t touch them. Instead, she reaches into the drawers beneath, pulling out humble muslin dresses, rolled with delicate care. One after another she compresses them tight, careful to stuff them over and around her samples. Soil smears on more than a few, but she pays it no mind, almost as if--

As if she did not care for them at all. As if all they were good for was to cushion her more precious treasures, sealed away in their paper envelopes.

“If you’re not going to take those,” he starts, left-footed and awkward, no longer sure how to speak to someone who doesn’t even know what fortune she’s sleeping on, “then I’ll take my finder’s fee in cl--”

Her skirt moves, skipping up over her ankles as she settles back on her heels, and--

And she’s not wearing shoes. Where he’d grown up, that would hardly raise a brow, and it’s not like this young miss has ever gone out to feel the grass under her feet but--

All these riches, and she’s barefoot, like some beggar girl. Even at a glance he can tell: there’s not a slipper’s toe to be found in that wardrobe, nor a boot’s lace. No point to keeping a girl in a tower if she could just walk away.

His stomach churns, his jaw clamping down before a single thought could slip from between his teeth. It’s not his business. The job is not for him to pity this girl. Besides, His Handsome Highness will see to it that she has more footwear than feet the moment she steps inside his castle.

At least, Obi hopes.

He settles back against her desk, the plants pricking at his coat. This isn’t his problem. He’s supposed to get her to her prince and go. Not--

“Aaagh?” squawks a little monster, squatting right by his elbow.

It’s been years since any man or beast has gotten the jump on him, but one look at this little hellion and Obi leaps sky high, scrambling to get back. He may even say some choice four-letter words.

The young miss peeks around the wardrobe, every inch of her frown steeped in disapproval. “Don’t yell at Ryuu! He’s very shy.”

Funny, it hadn’t felt very shy when it tried to put one of those funky little three-toed hands on him. Still, she’s looking pretty cross, and the little guy has turned terracotta, trying to hide behind one of her pots. “Ah, sorry.”

Her frown deepens. “Don’t tell me, tell Ryuu.”

Obi stares down at the beady-eyed thing. Right. Apologize the to hellbeast. That tracks. “Sorry, Ryuu.”

That pleases her, at least. She sweeps over to them, cradling the strange thing in her hands. It croaks when she brings it up to her shoulder, settling right by her neck.

“Ryuu understands,” she assures him, quite serious. “He surprised you.”

And it’s an unearthly creature that probably drinks blood or eats human flesh, but sure, Obi can go with that.

“He’s still very shy.” The young miss fixes him with a stern look, fists on her hips. “I don’t think he’ll be comfortable with you for a while.”

“That’s...” Fine by him. “...too bad.”

“Don’t take it personally.” She reaches at a finger, rubbing at the ridge between its bulbous eyes. “It took him forever to venture out of the plants and say hello! I’m sure he’ll like you once he gets to know you.”

That is generally not how the trajectory of his acquaintance goes, but thankfully he won’t be around long enough for her to know that. “Are you ready to go?”

She blinks, peering down at her bag as if she forgot she even held it. “Oh! Yes! Are you?”

He grins, enjoying the way her lips curve in reply. “Born ready. Now we just need some rope.”

Her brow furrows. “Rope? Can’t we do what you did on the way up?”

Obi shakes his head. “I can do that by myself, but with you...” He stares pointedly at the braid wrapped around both her feet and half the room. “You’re a bit of a heavy load for free climbing.”

Her mouth rumples thoughtfully. “I don’t have any rope.”

Right. That would go hand-in-hand with the whole no shoes thing. No point in locking a girl in a tower if she can just leave any time she wants. “How’d His Highness even--?”

His teeth snap shut over that question. He already knows the answer; he’s been trying his damnedest not to step on it since he got up here.

“Hm.” A light sparks in those eyes of hers, lips curling into a smile that fills him with an immediate, visceral bad feeling. “I have an idea.”

“Miss--”

“Can I borrow your knife?”

There are a host of appropriate answers to that question: no, hell no, absolutely not, are you crazy?

Too bad he picks none of them.

Her laugh is sweet when the blade pops from it’s handle, pleasantly surprised. That’s what paralyzes him; this small girl and her bubbling laugh, holding a knife that left red on the rag the last time he cleaned it. There’s no other reason for him stay still, not when she lifts it so close to her neck and slices.

Red pours over the blade now, slipping like silk down its sharp edge but--

“Oh,” she hums, displeased. “I thought this would be much easier.”

He blinks, staring at the severed braid. Or rather, a quarter of it; even with such a sharp edge, nothing could cut all the way through that in one go.

“You’ve got a lot of it,” he remarks helpfully. “Only makes sense you’d need a couple whacks.”

Miss’s mouth bows into a frown. “It sounds so much easier in stories.”

She raises the knife again, and this time her hair parts easily beneath the blade, sliding from her like a snake’s skin, making her a new creature entirely.

An even cuter one, unfortunately.

“Wow,” she murmurs, staring at the endless coil of plait at her feet. “My head...doesn’t hurt anymore.”

His jaw snaps shut, and he swallows, trying to bring back some wetness in his mouth. “I don’t see how that’s helping us get out.”

“Hm? Oh.” Her smile parts, rucking into a mischievous grin. “That.”

She heaves the braid into her arms and marches to the window, dropping in unceremoniously onto the sill.

“There,” she says, and with no fanfare at all, drives his knife through it.

Obi has lived an exciting life. He’s done several very intriguing things with some very improper ladies in his time, sometimes in some very dangerous places, and yet--

It all pales to the smack of desire that hits as he watches her arm arc down, catching the braid square in the middle of the plait. Not a single woman on her knees can satisfy him the way her eyes do in that moment; not a single pair of pouty lips have ever enticed him as much as her smile.

A terrible thing to realize, when her princely suitor is keeping her throne warm for her.

The young miss straightens, proudly surveying her work. “That’s as good as any rope.”

Obi saunters over, giving it a good tug. “Nice and sturdy. Well done.”

She beams at him, so bright it puts the sun to shame, and--

And he needs to get going. Now. With or without her. Before any of this gets worse.

“All right then, Miss.” He hops onto the sill, back toward her, wrapping the plait tight around his palm. It’s silky, softer than rope, pleasant against his skin.

She hesitates. “Erm?”

“I’ll see you down safe.” He tosses her a grin over his shoulder. “Just grab on.”

“This really isn’t what I meant,” Obi grunts, adjusting a pale arm so it’s less against his throat. “You don’t need to hold so tight, Miss.”

“It’s a long way down,” she mentions conversationally, gasping as his grip slips along the rope, dropping them down another few inches. “I think I need to hold on as tight as I can.”

“Yes, but if you choke me, then I’ll pass out, and we all fall to our deaths.” He grits his teeth as a tiny hellbeast tongue darts out against his cheek. “You said these things don’t drink blood, right?”

“Ryuu would never!” That’s not the question he asked, but she plows on, “He wouldn’t hurt a fly if he didn’t have to eat them!”

“Great,” he mutters. “Just what I wanted to hear.”

It’s a relief when he finally stretches out a toe and feel sweet, sweet solid ground beneath it.

“Here we are,” he huffs, dropping down to the flat of his feet. The young miss tightens her grip, arms nearly choking him as her thighs hug his hips and-- well, his head is getting all sorts of mixed reactions from that combination. “The great wide world.”

Her hand eases from his shoulders, dangling over his chest, and she hesitates, pressing her weight into his back.

“Didn’t you hear me?” He turns his head, brushing cheeks. “You’re free.”

He doesn’t expect the fear he sees there, the reluctance. She stares at the ground, the white nearly all around her eyes, her fingers trembling where they grip his shoulder.

“Oh,” she breathes, gathering herself. “Just-- just give me a moment.”

“Take your time, Miss.” The words come out too soft, too-- too much. He lets a grin slant his lips, and he ventures, “I’m getting real used to having your legs wrapped around--”

“Oh!” She drops off him with a gasp, cheeks pink, taking a few flailing steps away from him. “I didn’t mean-- ohhh.”

Her toes curl experimentally in the grass, and she looks up at him, smile too wide, too bright. “It tickles!”

He need to-- to be doing anything else right now, anything at all that isn’t staring dumbly at her, risking more-- more tender feelings. His Highness might be paying him a mint for this job, but things like that are still a luxury a man like him can’t afford.

“Hey.” He jerks a thumb back toward the tower. “You want the hair?”

Her gaze sweeps back at it, and her face sets, hard, determined. “No. If Raj likes it so much, he’s welcome to it.”

Another donkey kick of heat flashes through him, and oh, this job can not end fast enough.

“Shirayuki!” Tall, dark, and dutiful bursts from the brush, stampeding over to sweep the girl into a hug tight enough to kill an elephant.

“Mitsuhide,” she gasps, patting him hard on the back. “It’s so good to see you.”

Mister sets her down, hands eclipsing her small shoulders. “Are you all right? Did you get hurt? Shall I offer you assist--”

“I’m fine!” she assures him with a laugh. “Obi took good care of me.”

The knight straightens, mouth thinning as he remembers that Obi exists, that he’s standing right there probably thinking unlawful thoughts, or whatever paragons of virtue worry about. “Ah. Right. Obi. Of course.”

Begrudgingly, as if every word was a thorn dug into his side, he adds, “Thank you.”

It’s a sentiment immediately belied by the way he draws the shackles from his pouch, holding them out with an air of impatience that rankles.

“Aw, come on, Mister,” he wheedles, shuffling a step back, “haven’t I earned my freedom?”

The man stares, as imposing as a cliff face. “How.”

Obi bats his eyelashes, attempting his most winsome expression. “Good behavior?”

He hesitates. “Shirayuki, did he say anything untoward to you while you were alone in the tower?”

Wuh-oh.

“No!” The young miss draws herself up to her full height, a good foot shorter than her knightly companion. “Obi was a perfect gentleman.”

He nods, reluctantly removing the shackles from the conversation, stuffing them in--

“Well.” The girl taps a finger to her chin. “I don’t think so.”

To his everlasting horror, she adds, “What does--” she repeats some choice four-letter words-- “mean?”

Sir stares. The shackles jingle.

Obi holds out his hands with a sigh. “Yeah, all right. I deserve this.”

The knight sighs, iron closing with a clank around his wrists. “Let’s go, reprobate.”

[dadzawa-adopt-dabi]

meet cute pt2 (everybody knows)

Shigaraki does end up texting the number Natsou gave him, a lot more often than he expected to. It isn’t a good idea, he knows. However it does prove handy when Shigaraki needs to get into the library or when he needs to know how deep a cut has to be before you need stitches. So he uses the excuse that Natsou is useful and keeps texting him.

Even when Natsou continues to flirt with him and starts giving him the nickname of ‘cutie’. It caused him to blush every time. Natsou hadn’t gotten tired of watching him get flustered yet.

“Hey Nat can you come grab a book for me? I can’t reach it and I haven't seen a stool or anything around”  Shig asks.

He gets up from his textbooks and comes over.Instead of following where Shigaraki was pointing though he wraps his hands around Shigaraki’s waist and lifts him up.

“This work cutie?”

Shigarakis stomach swoops pleasantly, shit Natsou was strong. He lets his brain take a few minutes to reboot. 

What was he after again? Was Natsou even struggling to hold him up as he tried to repair his brain? 

“Really? I've told you I have a destructive quirk, what if I had used it on you?” He fakes some annoyance while he grabs the title he had been looking at. 

“You wear gloves all the time just so you don’t accidentally destroy something with a quirk you've lived with for 16 years. I highly doubt you’d ever use your quirk on me without meaning to” he reasons.

“Put me down” Shigaraki demands and holds on tightly to Natsou’s well muscled arms until his feet are safely on the ground again. Just because Natsou might drop him and no other reason.

“Maybe I just wanted to hold you for a bit? Besides, your face is even cuter when you're flustered Shig.” Natsou smirks.

“You really need to get your damn eyes checked.”  Shig sasses as he heads back to the tables.

“I’m pretty sure I can see just fine.” Natsou shoots back as follows him.

They study in relative silence for a few more hours until Natsou starts to pack up. It’s a little earlier than he normally does and Shigaraki glances up in confusion.

“Want to get some coffee? I know a cafe nearby that's 24 hours and you're here later than I am every night. I refuse to believe you can do that without caffeine.” Natsou asked as he shoved the last notebook into his messenger bag.

“You just want an excuse to take me out,'' Shigaraki grumbled.But he smiled while doing so. He was sweet and seemed to mean all the compliments he kept throwing Shigs way. If Natsou ever actually asked him out on a date he would go. Man is way out of his league and Shig knows it, he probably was just joking. He started packing up anyways, he has to be up in a few hours for LoV business.

“So that’s a yes?” Natsou grins and adjusts his bag a little on his shoulder.

“Wait, you're serious? You're actually asking me out?”

“Wait, you thought I was joking about finding you attractive?”

“Yes? Not in like a bad way I guess, but I didn't think you would seriously want to take me out either?” Shigaraki winced his own self doubt in his voice. He sure as fuck didn’t sound like the leader of the most dangerous villians in japan right now.

“Well, I wasn't. I'm serious. Would you like to go on a date and come get some coffee with me Shig?” Natsou smiled and held out his hand.

“You know what? Why the hell not. I’d love to Natsou.” Shig shoved his notebook into his own backpack.

“You seem to care about your roommates a lot? What’s the story there?” Natsou asked as they left the library and started walking to the cafe.

“I'll tell you what the story is if you tell what the story is with you studying your ass off in a library by yourself every night is” Shigaraki said hoping Natsou wouldn’t actually answer and drop the subject. He has no idea how to explain the league to anyone not in it. How close they are and what they've gone through.

“My dad is an ass hat who only thinks about quirks and power. He’s wealthy but wont help me out, so I've got to keep my grades up for a free ride scholarship.”Natsou didn't look at shigaraki as he spoke in a calm voice.

“Quirks aren't everything and I think you're doing more for society as is than anyone else is right now, heros are glorified cops. On a power trip. The general public’s reaction to them makes it so much worse. No one helps out their community anymore.” Shigaraki didn’t sound as crazy as he once would have. Tearing down society would only create more situations like what the league members had come from.

“My roommates and I are very close to answer your question. We’ve all had a rough time and some bad luck. So we tend to look out for each other.”

“How’s your friend with the villainous quirk doing? Or is there a better term I can use for that? Quirks don't make a person so it feels wrong to call her a villain based on that? I have to admit i don't have many friends and don't know what most people with quirks like that call them.”

“The fact that you're asking is everything she could ask for. Just call it a quirk. She actually likes her quirk; it's everyone else that's the problem.” the fact that Toga is a villain didn’t really matter. So was he and yet he was out on a date with a pre med student who was way out of his league.

“We’re here, I think you're going to like this place.” Natsou brings them to a stop outside a small cafe.

“You brought me to a cat cafe?” he whispers. There’s a black cat about a year or so old that’s walking back and forth along the window. When Shigaraki makes eye contact it puts it paw up against the window and paws at the glass separating them. He can faintly hear the purr through the glass.

“If there’s one thing cuter than cats it's a cutie holding a cat” Natsou squeezed his hand in his.

“I still can’t believe you think I'm cute?” It was just a little unbelievable to shig, that someone so attractive looking and smart in a field where he could truly help others would take an interest in him.

“You're very cute Shig, like how you hide behind your hair when you're flustered and how you blush when I give you compliments, what made me want to ask you out is that you care so much about your friends. you sneak out every night into a library and study as hard as a premed student.” he states seriously and when Shigaraki goes to hide his face behind his hair again he grabs his chin gently, so he can look him in the eyes.

“I-Okay. You know I find you attractive too right?” 

“I hope so! You're finally on a date with me!” Natsou jokes and holds open the door for him.

The cafe is split in two parts inside. One half has the cats and some chairs and toys set up among the cat trees and beds.The other half of the cafe is covered in plants. Every table has at least 2 and the door has some sort of exoctic and colorful vine growing all around it. If Shigaraki didn't know better he would say it moved when they came in. There's no cheerful bell to announce them coming in but the barista behind the counter seems to hear the door open anyways and greets them without looking up from wiping down the counter.

“Hello, I'll be with you in just one moment.” 

Shigaraki froze, he had forgotten that he was a nation wide known villain and that he would be recognized if he did something as simple as go to a cat cafe.

Shigaraki stood awkwardly next to Natsou and looked at the menu. He had no idea what a purrachino was or a meowchiato but the cats next to the images looked adorable. He ended up ordering a random drink. Hoping the red head wouldn’t look up the entire time he was there.

Natsou ordered tea and brought out his wallet. 

“Your total comes to - Oh i know you.” The redhead who’s name tag read kurama stared at Shigaraki in shock.

He couldn’t believe he had forgotten, That his roommates and himself were all wanted villains. Very famous wanted villains. He winced and started trying to wiggle out of one glove while the other stayed in Natsou’s hand. He would probably have to decay kurama and fight his way out to avoid being arrested.

“Hello , it’s nice to see you again.” he tried to play off like he knew the barista. Maybe buy himself a few seconds and get the damn glove off. He was going to miss the quiet evenings with Natsou.

Kuruma looked down at his hand linked in Natsou’s and his attempts to get out of his glove.

“It’s okay! Um we didn’t get along in school but everybody gets a new lease on life or something right?” kurama smiled at them and set about taking the money from Natsou. Acting like nothing was wrong and even throwing Shigaraki a lifeline to get himself out of the situation.

“I hadn’t thought I would see anyone from umm school.” He mutters and as hard as it is for him to not look at the floor he holds eye contact with kurama.

“I won’t tolerate the same kind of trouble you got up to in school in my cafe but you're welcome here anytime you want some coffee and a quiet place to bring your friend” kurama smiled and placed the hot drink’s down down.

“Can we go see the cats?” Shigaraki asked to change the subject. Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth but also really wanting to pet the cats pacing alongside the window in the other room.

“Hmm no one else should be coming in for a couple hours and although we usually lock them away at night i can make an exception for you two.”He grabs a set of keys off the wall and lets them in. 

“Don’t pick them up but we can see if they will sit in our laps when we sit down.” Natsou waves his fingers at a giant orange cat that was beelining for him.

“Do you  come here often? That one seems to know you.” Shigaraki sat in a nearby chair and the cat black cat from before crawled into his lap. He stroked the fur baby and he tried to find the name off one of the sheets on the wall. The sheets on the wall had their pictures names and information about how to adopt them.

“I do, I would take this big guy home but my dorm doesn't allow cats. The guy you're holding is called spade. He doesn't usually warm up to people.” Natsou said and watched as two more cats came and curled up around Shigaraki. Another cat came and curled up in between them an older tortoise shell named turtle. A tiny white one started dragging a wand toy over.

Natsou smirked and took out his phone. His boyfriend was being buried in cats and it was too cute to not become his background.

Shigaraki sipped at his coffee and stroked the cats around him. He hadn't been sure what it was when he ordered it but it tasted heavenly. A mix of coffee, chocolate and something that made it slightly spicy with whip cream. 

“I took a picture of you for my background. Is that okay?''

“Only if you don’t show anyone else” He had already gotten lucky with the barista recognizing him and not calling a hero or freaking out.

“Aww are you embarrassed? you look so cute here!” he teased and Shig tried to turn his face away before Natsou could see him blush.

“A little” he admitted and started playing with the toy the cat had dragged over to him.

“At what? Me taking pictures? Me taking pictures of you or me talking pictures of you playing with the cats?”  he gently prodded.

“Both I guess?”

“Look at how cute you look Shig” Natsou showed him the photo he had just taken.

The photo showed Shigaraki differently than he was used to seeing himself. He looks normal for once. In jeans and a regular shirt instead of dirty sweats. Hair cleaned, brushed and bangs pulled back on top of his head with a hair tie stolen off Magne. He actually looks decent if you ignore the scars on his neck or face.

“Yeah I'm okay with it I guess, you know you're kinda a sap. Calling me a cutie all the time and paying for me. You're even taking pictures of our first date and setting me as your background.” he smiled.

“I mean it when I say I like you Shig and if we get the chance to let this go somewhere I really want to be able to look back on our first date”

“A sap. You're a complete sap.”

‘Says the guy buried in cats- hey charlie! You've betrayed me.” the orange cat that had been getting attention from Natsou moved on to Shigaraki and started rubbing up against him. The tiny white cat that had been playing had exhausted herself and already joined the black one in his lap.

“I'm being buried in cats Nat! Help!” Shigaraki, honest to god giggled. They stayed for about a half hour and then had to leave. Their time was up.Shigaraki had a team to lead , although he told Natsou he had to work, and Natsou had to go to class. 

Kurama stopped them on their way out the door.

“A few years ago I needed a fresh start and I got one, if you are working towards the same thing I'm happy to help Shigaraki san.”He gave Shigaraki a fern with purple flowers.

“A gift , it will help you on your way to a fresh start” he smiled and wrote out a short list of instructions while they waited.

“Thank you kurama san.” Shigaraki says and checks his gloves before he takes the potted plant. It shivers twice when he takes it and then is still.

Natsou smirks at Kurama and nudges Shigaraki's shoulder.

“He gave me a plant too the first time I came in. They seem to be hard to kill. No matter how often I forget to water it, it always bounces back to life.” He smiled and grabbed a knitted hat from a box.

“If I got you a cat ear hat would you wear it?” 

“Give it here and we’ll see” Shigaraki snatched the bright blue blob of fabric and immediately put it on. Once it was on he quickly pulled out his phone and took a selfie with Natsou. Natsou was looking at Shig and had one arm around his shoulder. You could practically see the hearts in his eyes as he looked at Shig. 

“Now I have a new background too” he put his phone away and went to put the knitted hat back in the box Natsou had gotten it from.

“You can keep the hat’ kurama started shutting off lights as he shooed the two of them out.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, and it's too late for you to argue with me.  I have to close up shop so i'm afraid i have to kick you two love birds out.”

“We’re going kurama, thank you for everything.” Natsou grabbed Shigaraki’s hand and pulled them out of the cafe.

“I guess we have to go our separate ways now” Shigaraki pulled the cat hat back on. 

“Yeah i guess so,but um you have my- can i kiss you Shig?” Natsou blurted out.

“Please” Shig met Natsou halfway. Leaning up to meet Natsou’s lips. It was sweet and chaste and everything he wanted a first kiss to be. Soft and pliant and with someone he really liked being with.

“Call me?” Natsou leaned down for another kiss.

“We got stuff to do Nat, I’ll call you later tonight.” Shigaraki pulled himself away from Natsou and started his long walk home.

@night-owl-1234 after a long wait i have a update!

[hermits-that-craft]

Area 77 : Counter - Chapter One

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25251397/chapters/61214353

“You have an alien too?” Scar asks, smiling at Doc as he tries not to giggle.

“Wait what do you mean by ‘too’?” Doc asks, confusion clear in his voice “Wha-”

“Oh I have one.” Scar shrugs, as though aliens are the most normal thing a person could have. Perhaps they are the most normal thing a vex can have, but Doc’s head is spinning.

“What?” Doc’s voice can’t contain the amount of sheer confusion that he has.

“Yeah.” Doc shuffles besides the desk, sending a quizzical look Scar’s way. “Yeah I’ve had him for basically the whole season.”

“The whole season?” Doc’s voice is incredulous now. “What do you mean ‘the whole season’?”

“Yeah, I’ve got one, he lives out in the jungle.” Doc freezes at that, memories of the nHo come crashing through his mind, though they are unwelcome. Scar’s voice is innocent, he can’t have known that the nHo died because of-

“Can you take me to it?”

“Sure!” Scar smiles, leading Doc out of the giant Scar head. They fly over the server, before the smell of smoke hits Doc’s nose. Scar banks, leading Doc down towards the fuel fire. The fires are small, contained, and provide some small amount of warmth against the cool night air. Mobs rattle around, and Doc hisses to a creeper that had started to approach them.

“Alright, you meant this jungle?” Doc asks, relaxed. Of course it wasn’t the season five jungle - they had left that world - but Doc still had some fear around it. Jungles have always had fog, now he can’t trust that it's natural.

“Yes.” Scar hisses, rubbing his left arm. “This is where we had our, uh, rapid deceleration from the atmosphere.” Scar points to a small wooden cage, hanging precariously from a chain. “And this is where it originated from.”

“Oh.“ So the alien came from season five. Doc doesn’t know what to say about that, but the worry and fear creeps up his throat like vines like water. “So, does it have a name?”

“Oh, no.” Scar doesn’t seem worried, almost at home in this environment. “It’s just my pet, we can name it later if you want.” The vex doesn’t seem to care about the danger it holds.

Scar’s talking to Doc, but Doc can’t hear him. An eerie howl echoes through the jungle, one that Doc recognised, one that he wishes he didn’t recognise.

“-Think he can read minds. But thats okay!” Scar hands Doc a helmet, and Doc puts it on, holding his diamond helmet in his hands.  Scar hands Doc a trident as well, claiming precautions.

“You lead the way.” Doc’s voice is quiet. He doesn’t want to see Scar’s alien, no matter what Scar says about it being nice.

“It’s a little bit of a hike. Just a hike through the woods. Doc he’s super nice, well, if you have meat that is.” Scar giggles to himself, and Doc worries about Scar’s mind. If the alien can read minds, perhaps it could control them as well? “But just stay behind me. It’s totally safe! But uh, stay behind me.”

They walk up a small set of stairs, the well trodden path leading towards the mouth of a cave. Doc shivers, wishing that the sun would come out. He wraps his torn lab coat around him, wishing that he had the layers that Scar wore.

“So you’ve kept it here for almost a year now?” Doc asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah!” Scar smiles. “He’s my friend. Now the plan was that if he got away we’d have to eliminate him-”

“We?”

“Cub and I. But I just couldn’t get rid of him, he’s too cute! He’s my friend.” Doc wonders if Cub knows that Scar had kept the alien alive, deciding on a definite ‘no’. “He’s down here.”

Scar leads Doc to a hole, going deep down into the ground. Doc gets a sick feeling in his stomach, gripping the trident tighter as he walks towards the lip of the cave. The feeling only grows worse as he spies some bones down there, blood on the dirt floor and a head.

Etho’s head.

God, Doc prays that it is decoration. That Scar gave the alien a toy, one of the fake heads. Etho disappeared almost a year and a half ago, and Doc stumbles back from the ledge, though sickening curiosity urges him back to it.

“Here, let me throw down some food. Lure him out.” Scar offers, throwing down some raw steak. A white creature dashes across the cave, grabbing the steak and Doc turns, running out of the cave.

“Oh my god.” Doc chants, over and over again, trying to calm himself down. That creature killed the nHo. That was Etho down there. Scar and Cub brought it here ?

“Doc, are you alright?” Scar’s voice is gentle, and Doc can’t bring himself to care about the danger that Scar’s alien poses. He has to be strong.

“It has to be contained, Scar. I would like to bring you into area 77 as the builder of the facility.”

Luckily for Doc, Scar agreed to his proposition.

---

The building was going smoothly, or as smoothly as it can when no blocks have been placed down. Scar was wandering the terrain, Doc following him so that the vex wouldn't fall down a hole or walk into a tree. Scar was humming to himself, a tune that Doc doesn't recognise, and he was sketching while he walked, designs of hangar bays and runways for planes, occasionally showing Doc the sketches. Doc doesn't mind the drawings, if he was truthful the vex put his drawings down too much, and he green lights most of the drawings, though a few look too hard to build, or too gaudy. Scar finds an area that he likes, not too far from where the aliens are kept, and begins to place down blocks, his sketchbook abandoned in favour of placing down the outline for the building. Doc leaves him to it, leaving area 77 to gather some materials, Scar sending him out with requests for a monumental amount of stone and dirt after he found Doc watching him build.

Doc arrives back, the cool twilight air brushing against his skin. He shivers in the cold, wishing once more that his coat was thicker, and finds Scar. The builder sits down on a chest, his jacket abandoned and a bottle of water in his hand. Scar's coated in sweat, and Doc realises with slight guilt that Scar had been building through the hottest part of the day.

"Hey Doc!" Scar calls, picking up his jacket and walking over to the creeper. "Did you get everything?"

"Yes." Doc smiles, showing Scar the shulker box of smooth stone. "Are you-"

"Great!" Scar takes the shulker off of him, carrying it with ease to the monster of shulker boxes in front of the frankly massive chest monster that popped up. Doc steps back, talking in a breath as he looks over the building. It looks amazing, the build looks nearly exact to the picture that Scar drew, and Doc looks on in amazement at Scar.

"This is amazing my dude." Doc praises, and Scar blushes, punching Doc's arm.

"It's nothing, not done yet. I'm going to expand the inside." Scar brushes off the compliments, but Doc doesn't want to have any of that.

"It's still amazing. I'm glad that I asked you to help out, I don't think anyone else would have done as good of a job as you did."

"Aw, Doc," Scar waves him off. "that's sweet. Anyways, you haven't shown me your aliens. I've been dying to meet them."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Doc laughs, and Scar joins in.

"So, do I need a tinfoil hat or are they unable to read minds?" Scar teases, walking over to Doc's side. "Now I follow you through a forest at night. The hermits are going to create scandals out of this."

"The hermits will create scandals out of anything." Doc smirks over his shoulder. "Now, I'm going to just come out and say this, my aliens are cuter than yours was so don't feel too jealous."

"I bet they're hideous." Scar smirks, following Doc into the garage. "Oh god, I was right."

"Excuse me?" Doc asks angrily.

"They're so ugly Doc, look at those eyebrows!" Scar's voice is jovial, and he's clearly joking.

"Don't look the kids in the eyes." Doc warns, suddenly realising that he forgot to tell Scar about that.

"Kids?" Scar asks. "Are you breeding them Doc?"

"That's above your clearance, Scar." Doc winks, and Scar snorts.

"So you are breeding them. I hope there's a good reason that's under my clearance , Doc."

Doc notices the aliens, watching them out of the corners of his eyes. They seem to be extremely interested in Scar, and they watch the builder as he laughs. Scar turns, and panic seizes Doc as Scar makes eye contact with one of them. The alien grins, and Scar screams.

The scream is haunting, echoing not only through the room but through Doc's mind. Scar's hands reach over his eyes, as though he's trying to scratch them out, and Doc goes to grab him, but the builder begins to glow. Doc's arm falls as he watches, as helpless as he was in season five, as another one of his friends seemingly dies. A glowing white line appears, as though it was dividing Scar into two. The line waves and the aliens laugh as Scar's body begins to split into two, at the head. A new head appears, and both of Scar's heads scream as Scar is split into two.

The two Scar's drop and Doc lunges over to him - to them - and he picks them both up, taking them outside. One is clearly the original, in Scar's normal clothes sans the jacket that still lies on the floor of the garage, but the other is different. Stranger.

He wears a military outfit, and Doc notices the badge that designates him a captain. He looks angry, even asleep, and Doc dubs him Captain Angry Eyebrows until he can learn the second Scar's name, if he even has a different name.

Doc sits, watching as the two men breath, and he messages the group, too out of it to even consider privately messaging Cub and Xisuma. The sounds of rockets break the unnatural silence - even the mobs were avoiding this place - and Xisuma and Cub land. Cub frowns deeply at the sight, though Doc can see the fear on his face, and Xisuma gasps, quickly walking over to Scar and Captain Angry Eyebrows. More rockets sound, and Doc looks up to see Stress and Joe land, the ice queen holding potions in her hands, while Joe holds bandages.

"They'll need strength potions love." Stress says to Xisuma, and Joe turns his attention to Doc.

"You need sleep." He says. "You're clearly stressed over them. C'mon, lets get y'all to the village."

Scar groans, sitting up and rubbing his arm, and Doc feels wide awake. Scar looks around for a second, frowning at the amount of people around.

"What's going on?" He asks. "My stabilisers didn't break, did they?"

"No Scar, you were cloned by aliens." Xisuma says plainly, though everyone winces at the tiredness in his voice. "Doc panicked and told the group chat."

"Oh, was that all?" Scar smiles at Doc. "I thought it might be something serious."

"You are going to be the death of someone." Cub shakes his head, breathing a sigh of relief. "Probably Doc or I."

"Now, why would you say that?" Scar giggles, standing up shakily. Doc and Cub both help Scar up, though Scar brushes them off as quickly as he can. "I'm the least safety adverse of us all! I always make sure to stay safe!"

"He's going to be the death of all you guys." Stress giggles. "Well, I'll be heading off, you flying my way Joe, Xisuma?"

"Yeah, I'll come back with you." The admin says, and Joe sends a sly smirk to Cub.

"Why of course I'll accompany you, Stress and Xisuma." Joe smiles, and the three hermits take off. Cub frets over Scar for a moment, and Scar laughs. Doc relaxes at that, helping Captain Angry Eyes up as he wakes.

"Who are you?" He asks, his voice gravelly. He sounds confused, almost scared, and Doc half wants to go into the garage and beat the aliens for doing this to Scar, but he convinced everyone that the aliens left. "Where am I?"

"I'm Captain Doc. That's Captain Scar over there, with Cub." Doc points at the men, and Scar perks up, turning to look questionably at Doc as he hears the words 'captain Scar'. "You're in area 77. Do you have a name?"

"I'll think of one." Captain Angry Eyebrows says quietly, before yawning. “Can I sleep here?”

“I’m sure that I’ve got a spare bed, I’ve been staying here as well.” Doc offers. “Scar, do you want to stay here as well?”

“No, I’ll head back to my base.” Scar says, waving. “I’ll see you guys in the morning, I can’t wait to finish up the bunkers!”

Cub and Scar fly off into the sky, and Doc smiles, waving them both off. Scar and Cub both wave at Doc, before rockets spam and they disappear over the horizon. Captain Angry Eyes hums a note, seemingly deep in thought, when a small explosion goes off.

“Wanna go check that out?” Doc asks, turning to the clone. Captain Angry eyes grins, and Doc gets the feeling like the captain will be beneficial to the collection of potentially dangerous items. Not so much theft as it is forceful borrowing, and Doc knows that Scar won’t be pleased with this in the morning.

[hopeaterart]

I’m gonna be there chapter 16

Trigger warnings: Mentionned/implied rape/noncon due to J. Geil being there, and graphic violence. Granted, most of it is directed toward the rapist, but still. If you’re sensible to that kind of stuff, I suggest being careful while reading this.

“...Okay...” Holly muttered to herself, locking the front door to keep Hol Horse out as she withdrew her Stand from her arms, frowning and getting her phone out. “Breath, Holly. You’ll figure something out. You always figure something out...” She hit call. “Sadao?”

“...”

“Can you please come home now?”

“...?”

“Sherry’s killer is here, there’s a man with a gun outside of the house, and Polnareff is about to do something stupid. I need you to come back right now. Please?”

“...” Her husband then hung up.

She sighed in relief, and turned toward Polnareff. “Do you know what his Stand is like?”

“Uh... I don’t know. Maybe something with water?” He proposed. “Sherry’s friend said the rain completely avoided him, forming a dome around his body.”

“That means he’s either in the kitchen or one of the bathroom’s...” she quietly noted to herself. “So until we figure something out, we need to avoid those areas.”

“Alright, here’s a plan: I run into the room, and skewer him onto the end of Silver Chariot’s sword!” Polnareff exclaimed, Silver Chariot raising it’s sword in agreement as it gleamed dangerously.

“That would be tactical suicide.” Holly noted. “We don’t know what he’s able to do. Meanwhile, Dio probably told us what you could do, and I’m still unsure what I can do. We need to catch him off-guard.” She explained, putting her hand on Polnareff’s shoulder in an attempt to keep him in place.

“Why!? He’s so close, it’d be so easy to just kill him! I will not miss my chance to kill him now!”

“Polnareff, you have to calm down, or you’ll get killed-”

“I need to take revenge for Sherry, alright!?” He snapped, tears at the corners of his eyes. ”It’s the only way she’ll find peace- the only way I’ll find peace! Putting this monster six feet under the ground is the only way I can atone for not being there that day! I don’t care for the cost. At the end of the day, the rest isn’t important-”

“YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT THING I CARE ABOUT, JEAN-PIERRE POLNAREFF!” Holly snapped, startling the frenchman. She took a deep breath. “I care about you, alright? And you’re so young, you have so much to live for, and- I wish I could tell you it’ll stop hurting.” The image a younger blond woman boarding a plane with a small smile flashed in Holly’s mind. The last time she, and in fact her entire family, saw Gioia. “But it won’t. The only thing you can do is try to go on like they’d want you to. So let me ask you this, Jean-Pierre: what would your sister want for you to do?”

Polnareff blinked, before turning away from Holly, deep in thought. “She’d... she’d want me to live, and find happiness. But...” A ugly sob ripped itself out of his throat. “I don’t know if I can.” He startled as Holly dragged him toward her, before relaxing when he realized she was hugging him.

“You can.” She reassured him. “It’ll be hard, and a long process, and the pain will never truly go away, but... you can. And you will. So now...” She separated herself from him, her hands on his shoulders. “Here’s what we’re gonna do...”

-

Holly walked to the kitchen. It was the last area of the house they hadn’t checked. Polnareff was at the end of the hallway, and she stood from distance from the door. She took a deep breath, letting her Stand coil up under her skin. Here goes nothing.

She stood in the entrance of the kitchen, and surely enough, there was a man in there. “You’re with Dio, aren’t you?” She asked, narrowing her eyes in disgust as he turned toward her. He was as hideous on the outside as inside.

His lips moved in a way she supposed was a smile. “You’re the Joestar woman...”

“Kujo. My name is Holly Kujo.” She corrected, taking a step back. Out of the man’s sight, vines were starting to creep up along the floor of the hallway, and Polnareff was starting to shake.

A sound came out of the man’s mouth, Holly taking a second to recognize as a laugh. “You look even cuter than I thought you would, especially for an old hag.”

She did a motion with her mouth that she hoped looked like smiling, because it felt more like barring her teeth. “Well, aren’t you just a scumbag. What does Dio want from us?”

“What, Dio?” The man sneered. “I don’t know, my mother just found him one day. All I care about are the women I get by working for him.” Holly took a step back at that, the flowers under her skin nearly bursting into reality.

She had to remind herself that him taking a step toward her was what she wanted. Stay calm. Lure him into the trap. 

“You’re really not going to tell me anything?” Holly attempted one last time as she took another step back, the man starting to get nearer and nearer. “Really?... your loss.” She then turned around, running in the hallway as she heard the man call after her.

It was shortly followed by the sound of her Stand lashing out and a scream of pain. She reached the end of the hallway, skidding to a halt as Polnareff came into view. She turned around as he hissed. “You... I’ve finally found you, bastard!”

“Wait... you’re Polnareff?” The man laughed, taunting him as light shifted in his eyes. “You’re the guy who’s been hunting me for the last four years!?”

“Yes.” The frenchman started, taking a deep breath. “And you’re not going anywhere this time, monster- URK!” Polnareff suddenly fell back, a large cut on his torso appearing out of nowhere.

“Jean-Pierre- !” Holly was suddenly stopped in her tracks of turning around, feeling something take a hold of her arms and locking them behind her back as the man tied in spectral vines laughed once more. She turned toward him, a hateful frown on her face.

“You idiots!” He taunted. “You really thought you could stop me!? You don’t even know what my Stand can do! You’ve finally caught me, only for you and your friends to die pathetic deaths! While I will continue to live a happy life surrounded by cute girls!” He then looked at Holly with a lecherous look, licking his lips. The blond woman reacted by closing her eyes, taking her breath back under control. “Now that I think of it... your sister was rather good at crying.”

That does it. Holly took a deep breath, letting the vines that she had the creep tied in spread to his eyes. Her eyes then snapped open, burning hatred filling them. Hamon sparked all over her body and spread to her Stand, roses blooming open as the monster’s eyes were burned into fusing with vines, before being ripped out by Holly jerking her head to the side, vines following the motion.

She felt the hold on her arms fade away as the monster in front of her screamed in pain. “Spending the last seconds of your life sobbing and begging for a mercy that won’t come is the only thing and Sherry Polnareff will ever have in common.” Holly coldly told him as she helped Polnareff get up. “Jean-Pierre.”

“It’ll be fine.” He got up, glaring at the man. “My name, is Jean Pierre Polnareff. So the soul of my little sister, Sherry Polnareff, may rest in peace, you will be sent to hell by my hand.” He summoned Silver Chariot, and the gleam of it’s sword seemed much more malevolent than usual. “However, there is on thing I cannot trust the guardians of hell to do... and that is to turn you into a pinchushion!

And with multiple, furious strokes of Silver Chariot that were too fast for the human eye to see and a massive jet of blood, it was done. 

Sherry’s killer was dead.

Polnareff collapsed on the ground, Chariot fading away, and Holly quickly came to his side, checking if he was alright. “Jean-Pierre? Are you alright?”

The white haired man turned toward her. “I... I don’t know. I’m happy he’s dead, but... I was expecting to be happier.” He admitted, rubbing his arm as if he was ashamed.

Holly sighed. “For revenge to be properly taken, you need to take back what was taken from you. And you can’t bring the dead back to life.” She hugged him. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’ll... it’ll be fine. At least, she can rest in peace now.” Polnareff noted, a sad note to it.

Holly held him for a few more seconds, before getting up. “I’ll get his body to the bathtub. You go make sure our cowboy friend isn’t going anywhere.”

Polnareff smiled, rising to his feet and wiping away his tears. “Got it.” Holly smiled at him, taking one of the corpse’s leg and dragging him to the bathroom as her companion walked to the front door, undoing the lock and opening it.

Hol Horse, for some reason, was still there. “So, finally decided to give yerself up?”

“No.” Polnareff deadpanned, leaning on the doorframe. “What is Dio even offering you, man? You do not look like the usual type he hangs around with.”

“Money.” The cowboy responded. Polnareff tilted his head.

“No fleshbud?” The cowboy responded by raising his hat, showing off his (bud-less) forehead.

“Nah. That Dio dude’s creepy. Better just accept his money and be done wit’it.” Hol Horse frowned. “Wait a minute- why hasn’t the other creep taken care of y’all yet!?”

“Because he’s dead.” Holly bluntly told him as she appeared in the doorway. “We took care of him. And now, we’ll take care of you.”

Hol Horse looked at them, impassive. He then suddenly turned, and started running as fast as he could, startling Holly and making Polnareff yell. “Hey, come back over here-”

“Nah! I’ll get y’all another day-” Suddenly, an extremely beat-up and familiar-looking car veered into the drive-way, Sadao screaming at the top of his lungs as he hit the gas pedal and hit Hol Horse, who had skidded to an halt. Polnareff flinched as Holly stood there, confused.

It’s only as Sadao came out of the car, sliding out of the shattered front window and down the hood before kicking Hol Horse, screaming obscenities and to stay away from his wife in japanese at him that Holly snapped out of her daze. She ran toward her husband, dragging him away. “Sadao! It’s fine. We took care of the killer. I’m fine.”

Sadao looked at her, a panicked look on his face as he hugged her, sighing in relief. “Did he hurt you? And where’s that piece of shit, now?”

“Nothing I won’t recover from, and being drained of his blood in the bathtub.” She answered, patting Sadao on the back. “Also, are you alright? And what happened to the car?”

“Oh, that? Run in with a Stand User, Joriko is alright and she’ll be staying here for the day. Joriko!” The thirteen years old peeked out of the car from the backseats. “False alarm, there’s no danger anymore.”

“Oh, that’s good.” The younger girl said, opening the car door before coming out, walking up to her uncle and stepping on Hol Horse in the process of doing so. “He’s a bad guy, right?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Holly reassured the younger girl, hugging her. “Your uncle is probably going to let you and Jojimi go back to your house tonight. But for now...” She turned toward the passed out cowboy. “I have some... questions to ask.”

[namjoontunes]

Lost and Found, Chapter Ten

BTS Members x Reader

Genre: Fantasy AU, Fluff, Minor Angst

Warning: N/A

Word Count: 1.7k

Author’s Notes: You guys are always so sweet in between updates T^T I may not respond to your comments but I always read them and they make me so happy

AO3

Previous || Next

Prologue || Most Recent

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"I think I underestimated how heavy all this food would be," Taehyung whined, dropping the picnic basket to the ground dramatically. 

"We've only been walking for ten minutes," Y/n pointed out, giggling as Tae gave an exaggerated sigh. "What did you pack in there anyways?"

"Well, I'm still not 100% sure of what foods you like and don't like, so I packed as much as I could," he responded, "but then Jimin saw me trying to shove a baguette inside so he helped me put an enchantment on it that makes it bigger on the inside."

"Wow, he can do magic like that?" She admired, walking over to the picnic basket to examine it.

"Yeah he's actually really good at magic," Tae said proudly. "But he gets shy about it, so he doesn't like showing off much."

"Well, you can do magic too, right? Can you make the basket levitate?" She asked.

There was a moment of silence as Tae stared blankly at the basket, and then turned his eyes to Y/n. “You’re a genius and I think I’m in love with you.”

She laughed, cheeks turning pink at his praise. “Well you probably would’ve thought of it eventually, but I love you too!” She reassured, watching as he sprinkled a glittering dust over the basket. She was so busy watching his magic that she hadn't noticed Tae's cheeks turning an identical shade of pink. A few moments after the dust settled the basket began to glow a soft green color and floated a few inches off the ground. Tae scooped it up with ease, satisfaction clear on his face. 

“Well, now that that’s taken care of, shall we continue?” he asked.

As they walked through the forest, Y/n would occasionally point out places she remembered from her time spent living there. She didn’t mention the bad memories, but she still found herself visiting those places, trying to replace those memories with happier ones of a hike with one of her best friends.

"Oh and this is where I got stuck in thorns for a full day!" Y/n explained excitedly, running over to examine a wild tangle of thorns. 

"A full day?! That sounds so painful…" He shivered just imagining it. 

She shrugged, plucking a raspberry off the vine and popping it into her mouth. "It wasn't so bad… the bush was just past its prime harvest period so the remaining berries had started falling onto the ground, so at least I wasn't hungry! My fur took forever to grow back though…" 

"Well Jin mentioned getting you a cellphone so if that ever happens again you can just call one of us and we'll get you out, okay?"

"Alright! But you gotta call me if you need help too, okay?" She asked, suddenly super serious in a way that made her look even cuter. 

"Deal," he agreed.

She gave him a big smile, and wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug, which he returned eagerly. 

"Hey, I bet I can fly faster than you," she teased as she stepped away from him. 

"Oh you're on! Last one to the river is a rotten mushroom!" Tae declared, quickly zipping off in that direction as Y/n's now falcon-like form chased behind him, laughing the whole way. 

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

“Jin, have you seen Tae?” Jimin was standing in the doorway of the older boy’s room, his phone clutched nervously in his hand. “I’ve been trying to text him but he isn’t answering…”

Jin frowned, putting his own phone down. "He was doing dishes with Y/n a little more than an hour ago, maybe she knows where he went?"

"Oh… okay I'll ask her." Jimin answered, disappearing as quickly as he had arrived. It wasn't unlike Tae to go off to do his own thing, but he usually mentioned where he was going to at least one other person. Maybe he had remembered something he had to get done and had left in a hurry. 

Jimin came back a minute later, looking more distressed than he had been previously. "Y/n is missing too, and Hobi and Jungkook haven't seen either of them since breakfast."

"Well hold on now, it hasn't been very long since they were here so let's not officially call them missing just yet," Jin reassured. "Tae probably forgot to charge his phone again, but he can't be too far. Let's wait an hour or so and see if they come back, okay?"

Jimin nodded, looking a little calmer though not entirely at ease. Since they first became friends, Tae and Jimin had been pretty inseparable. If they weren't together then they usually knew exactly where the other one was, so Jin understood how this new uncertainty could be making him anxious. "You're probably right," Jimin replied, trying to convince himself to calm down. "At least they're together, whatever they decided to do…"

An unpleasant feeling settled into Jin's chest, but he quickly pushed it away. Of course Y/n would like spending time with Tae, she loved everyone in the house. Sure, Tae was the first person Y/n trusted enough to tell her true identity, but it didn't mean there was something else going on there. 

"Yeah… they're with each other so you don't have to worry so much, okay?" Jin reassured, patting Jimin's shoulder as he moved past him into the hallway. 

"Okay… but where are you going?" He asked. 

"Oh I just have to ask Namjoon about something," he responded nonchalantly. If Y/n was out of the house, it might be the only chance he'd get to have this conversation. "Why don't you go see what Jungkook's up to until Tae comes back?"

Jimin nodded at Jin's suggestion and disappeared to go find him. Jin still waited a few moments to make sure he was gone before entering Namjoon's room.

"Oh please, do come in. Thank you so much for knocking so you didn't interrupt anything important or catch me naked," Namjoon deadpanned as Jin walked in, not taking his eyes off his book. 

“Cut the sarcasm Joon, I need to talk to you about something,” Jin retorted, his voice low as he closed the door behind him.

Namjoon looked up at Jin, setting down his book as soon as he saw how serious the other boy looked. “What’s going on? Is it about Y/n?”

“Yes. Kind of. I need to ask you about something. Do you remember that night a few months ago, when we hadn’t given you enough to eat before the full moon?”

Instantly he could tell that Namjoon remembered. The way his concerned expression sank into guilt, shoulders slumped and eyes looking anywhere but at Jin, and how his fists gripped the fabric of his bed as if it were the secret he was desperately trying to keep in his grasp. He already knew what Jin was going to say next. He had realized it a long time ago.

“Don’t…” Namjoon whispered, voice soft and desperate, but also resigned, as though he knew there wasn’t anything they could do to fix what he’d done or keep the others from knowing for much longer.

Jin sighed softly, sinking onto the bed besides Namjoon, a comforting hand on his leg. “So you already figured it out?”

“That I attacked Y/n? That she almost died because of me? I-” His voice caught in his throat and he paused to collect himself. This was the first time he had actually vocalized the thought that had been plaguing him for weeks. Saying it out loud hurt more than he had imagined. “...I realized it when she first told us how she got hurt before coming here. As soon as she said wolf I knew it was me I...” Finally he looked at Jin, tears welling up in his eyes. “What do I do, Jin? I don’t want to scare her off forever, I don’t… I don’t want her to hate me..."

 Jin felt his heart ache as he pulled Namjoon into a hug. He wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, that Y/n was a forgiving person who wouldn't hold something like this against him. After all, it wasn't like Namjoon had been hunting for sport or had been in a clear mindset when he left that night. He was a wolf, and he was hungry. So he did what any other wolf would have done: he hunted.

He wanted so badly to tell him that Y/n would understand all of this and brush it off like it was no big deal. But… the truth was he didn't know how she was gonna react. It seemed like she loved living there and loved each of the boys, but she was still clearly on edge, always waiting for something to go wrong and ruin her dream home. And from what Y/n told them about her past, she also seemed like someone who's first instinct was usually to run away from danger to protect herself. 

"I don't know Joon…" Jin admitted, pulling away from him. "We still don't know her that well so I can't tell you how she'll react. But what I do know is that you need to tell her before the next full moon. It'll be easier for her to hear it from a friend than find out from seeing the wolf that attacked her."

Namjoon nodded solemnly, wiping the tears from her eyes. "How do I even start to tell her something like that? 'Oh hey by the way I almost killed you once but I didn't, are we cool?' Should I like… take her for a walk and tell her in priv-?"

"Nope nope absolutely do not do that one," Jin interrupted, shaking his head vigorously. "At best she will be nervous on the walk back and at worst she will assume you took her out there to finish the job."

"...Right." Namjoon agreed. He sighed and let his head fall into his hands. "I don't know how to do this Jin… I'm gonna fuck it up and we're never gonna see her again…"

Jin frowned, rubbing his hand along Namjoon's back. "No you're not, because we're gonna work together, and we're gonna figure this out, and she's gonna forgive you in no time, okay?"

"...Alright. I trust you Jin."

[pastelwitchling]

Blame @malex-allthehearteyes (≖_≖ )

Love at first assassination attempt.

***

               “You still up?”

               Alex looked up from his computer, his eyes dry and burning. He blinked several times, his vision clearing to reveal a tall man with a badge at his belt. His arms were crossed as he looked down at Alex with a frustrated fondness.

               Alex sighed, and leaned back in his creaking chair. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, groaning as the burning slowly faded.

               “I’ll just be another minute,” he said, and his friend sighed.

               “Manes, you said that two hours ago.”

               Alex kept his eyes on his computer screen, the picture staring back at him almost tauntingly. “I’m close, Evans. I can feel it.”

               Max pulled up a chair beside Alex, his eyes narrowed at the screen. He reached for one of the many papers Alex had scattered all over his desk, and looked it over. “How long have you been scanning this stuff?”

               Alex tapped his finger on the desk, trying to match the culprit’s stare. “Alison Oswald.”

               Max ducked his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Alex—”

               “Seventeen, Max. Seventeen. How am I supposed to stop knowing two girls barely out of high school never made it home last week?”

               “The same way we always stop,” Max said. “By remembering that we’re only human, not machines. If we don’t rest, we fall. You’re no good to anyone half-dead, Manes.”

               Alex rubbed his jaw, finally forcing himself to look away from the criminal on his computer – his curly hair, his bright eyes, his smug smirk directed at Alex as if he was teasing him, telling him that this was one case the famous Alex Manes would never crack – and he sighed, the corners of his lips slightly quirked upward. “Is that your chief of police wisdom?”

               Max rolled his shoulders and smiled at Alex, though Alex could tell by the dark circles under his eyes and the way his lids seemed half-closed that Max was no less exhausted. “Well, we’re a highly intelligent species,” he said. “I’d listen to me more if I were you, unless you want to end up like Peter Kaenik.”

               Alex raised a brow. “Who’s Peter Kaenik?”

               Max winked. “Exactly.” He stood, patting Alex on the shoulder. “Come on, McGarrett—”

               “Don’t call me McGarrett.”

               “I’m officially giving you a curfew. Go home.”

               Alex shook his head. “I’m not McGarrett!” he called after Max who was already making his way to the door.

               Max turned to him, walking backwards. “You’re both crazy enough.”

               “I’m not nearly as crazy as that guy is!”

               He shook his head, and turned back to the door, raising a hand in farewell. “Goodnight, Manes.”

               The door to the office opened and Max soon disappeared behind the elevator doors. “Goodnight,” Alex muttered with a sigh as he returned his attention to his computer screen. Eventually, he shut his eyes, forcing himself to stop, and he exited the file.

               By the time Alex got back to his apartment, his entire body was aching. He felt like his bones were made of lead, his breaths were labored, and the exhaustion settled on his eyes like anchors, tempting him to just fall asleep in the elevator.

               He groaned, rubbing his eyes with his forearm, the files under his other arm heavy. He was making plans to set an alarm as he unlocked his door, and walked into the dark place. He would sleep for four hours, he didn’t need any more than that. He’d have an apple in the morning, maybe buy some coffee and a bagel on the way to work, and get back to his case. He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter, setting the files beside them, wondering if maybe he should spend another half-hour before bed taking another look at the forms. Maybe there was something he had missed.

               He heard a creak and he froze, all plans coming to a halt. He looked up from his fridge and saw nothing. He thought it might have been a tree branch or his neighbor’s cat walking on the ledge again, though something in his chest itched uncomfortably. He leaned down again to grab a bottle of water, and felt a presence behind him. He subtly grabbed his small gun off his belt before he suddenly turned, his weapon aimed.

               As he had suspected, there was a man casually leaning against his counter, his arms crossed in his brown leather jacket. He had a gun at his belt as well, though he made no move to take it. He seemed to be content with just watching Alex, his expression amused. But his face… Alex knew that face. It was the same face he’d spent an entire week staring at. Only this time, his curls looked almost blonde at the tips, his eyes were a brighter green, and as his eyes raked Alex’s body, his smirk widened.

               “Tsk, tsk, Alex,” the man said. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting? I expected you back hours ago.”

               Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Michael Guerin.”

               His eyebrows rose. “Oh, so you do know who I am. Impressive.”

               “Not the exact word I’d use on you.”

               He tilted his head. “Damn, I was right. You are cuter in person.” Alex said nothing, following him with his gun as he stood straight. He remembered pictures of Alison Oswald’s body, the way it had been found in the forest – naked, beaten, and pale – and he resisted the strong urge to pull the trigger. If only Michael had a weapon, Alex wouldn’t have needed to hesitate at all.

               “You want to put that down?” Michael asked, turning toward the living room. “We both know you’re not going to shoot me.”

               “We do?” Alex said. “Because I can think of a few ways this could go, and they all end with you on the floor.”

               Michael swung around to meet his eyes, smiling. “That does sound fun, Manes. You look like you’d know all the right places to hit.”

               “You know my name. You know who I am, you know I’m studying your case, why are you here?”

               Michael turned the lights on in the living room, and settled in a large red armchair. His body was spread out, his legs slightly spreading wider as he beckoned Alex forward. Alex kept hold of his weapon and came to stand opposite him, against the wall.

               The criminal pursed his lips. “You’re too far away.”

               “I’m close enough.”

               “Can you at least put the gun down?”

               “No.”

               “You sure you could even hit me from that distance?”

               Alex was getting annoyed. His apartment was small, and even on opposite ends of the wall, he and Michael were no more than a few coffee tables apart.

               “I’m a good shot,” he said, a humorless smirk at his lips. “Now talk. How’d you find out about me?”

               Michael matched his glare for a second, then two, then five, then he sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Homicide detective, right?” Alex said nothing, and Michael almost pouted, as if he didn’t like the fact that Alex wouldn’t humor him. “I’m used to being on the police’s radar for theft, but homicide? I heard through the grape vines that you guys were looking into me for murder. When I tried to find out which cop was on my case, sources led back to you.”

               “You’re surprised?” Alex asked, the edge evident in his voice despite himself. “Where do you think killers are usually supposed to end up?”

               Something turned dark in Michael’s eyes, his shoulders gone stiff. “Why’d you take the case? I’ve been watching, Alex, and I know what they call you; Steve McGarrett. It’s because you’re always working. Why?”

               “You’re asking me why I want to stop a murderer?”

               “I’m asking you why you try so hard,” Michael said, and Alex was surprised to hear no mockery in his voice. He smirked, but it seemed empty, something to hide a genuine emotion there. What was this man trying to tell him?

               “I want the truth,” Alex said simply, and realized that he had been lowering his weapon. He sucked in a sharp breath and held his gun back up.

               Michael watched him thoughtfully, then, “You didn’t say me.”

               “What?”

               “You didn’t say you wanted me.” He stood. “The truth,” he repeated, as if it was a foreign word, something he thought had once existed, and then had lost all faith in. “You sure that’s what you want?”

               Alex stared. “Don’t tell me,” he said slowly. “You didn’t actually murder anyone.”

               Any pretense of humor fell away from Michael’s face, and he took a step toward Alex. “I’m a thief, the best there is, and I’ll admit to that. But I don’t kill.”

               “And I’m supposed to believe that?” Alex asked, but something felt wrong. For a week, he’d looked over Michael’s files, his past felonies, and he’d struggled with it more than any other case because something just didn’t add up. Could the reason he’d been having such a hard time pinning Michael to the crime be the fact that Michael hadn’t actually committed it?

               “I told you,” Michael said, taking another step, and Alex held his gun straighter. Michael seemed unafraid. “I’m a thief. I’ve taken your archived files, I’ve seen your work on past cases. You’re smart, Alex, you know I didn’t do this.”

               “The murder weapon points back to you,” Alex said, though even he couldn’t focus on what he was saying. If Michael knew how good Alex was, why show up here? Why risk getting caught? Unless he was desperate… “Your fingerprints were on Alison’s discarded dress.”

               “Then whoever is doing this knows how to get to me,” Michael said.

               Alex blinked, realization dawning. “Someone close to you.”

               Michael nodded, though the expression on his face indicated he would’ve rather not come to that conclusion.

               “You think they’re framing you?”

               “It’s the only thing that makes any sense.”

               Alex shook his head, his thoughts already running a thousand miles per second. “Depending on who it is, there could be a number of motives,” he muttered. He would have to look into Michael’s family, his friends, pull up his older records again. There may be someone, another criminal, that had been in contact with him, that maybe Michael had helped get into trouble. Maybe a past crew member, or a jealous boyfriend or girlfriend—

               “I can see you thinking,” Michael suddenly said, his face mere inches away from Alex’s and Alex gasped, standing back against the wall with his weapon held up in less than a second. He clenched his jaw to keep himself from panting. What had happened to him? Since when was he ever caught off guard?

               Michael held his hands up in defense, as if afraid that he would send Alex further away if he stepped any closer. Damn it, Alex thought. Why was his heart racing?

               “Don’t come any closer.”

               Michael shook his head, his eyes searching Alex’s face. “I already know you’re not gonna shoot me, Alex.”

               “I could.”

               “You already know I didn’t do this,” Michael said. “Which means you’d be shooting an innocent man.” Alex scoffed, and Michael tilted his head. “You’re one to talk about innocence, you think I can’t see that blush on your cheeks?”

               He stepped closer, his hands still up. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said when Alex moved back. “I think it makes you even cuter.”

               “Suppose I believe you,” Alex said, ignoring Michael’s comment. “Not that I do, but if I did… would you have any idea who might be trying to set you up?”

               Michael blinked, and Alex didn’t fail to notice the shock that passed his features, as if he hadn’t been expecting anyone to believe him at all about being framed. “Noah Bracken,” he finally said. “My brother-in-law.”

               Alex’s brows furrowed. Noah Bracken. He’d read that name in Michael’s file last week, barely glossing over it. He remembered there had been something that bothered him about Noah’s clean record, though he had been called into a meeting before he ever got the chance to figure out what, and had come back to his files having lost that train of thought.

               He stepped closer to Michael, and after a lot of hesitance, lowered his weapon. “If you’re lying,” he said, his voice dark, “I’ll hunt you down, and kill you myself.”

               Michael’s smirk widened, and in a second, he was in Alex’s space, his breath fanning Alex’s lips as he said, “I’d expect nothing less.”

               And with a quick peck to Alex’s lips, Michael was on his window ledge. When Alex blinked, the thief was gone. Alex slowly reached up and touched his lips where Michael’s had pressed his, and he swallowed. Maybe he was as crazy as McGarrett.

***

Okay, wait, I know it deviates since Michael doesn’t actively attempt to kill Alex here, but I really, really wanted and envisioned a lot of flirting on Michael’s part, and if he had tried to come in and kill Alex, and then they got to seriously talk with the potential of a sexy and romantic relationship, it just wouldn’t have made sense! At least, not to me. Not in a one-shot.

I’m sorry it’s so different, but I hope you enjoyed reading regardless. As for the prompt, well you roped me into that, so. There.

[fresh-outta-jams]

Tattoos and Tutus: Part Two

Tattoos and Tutus

Jungkook x Reader

Author: Admin MoRo

Summary/Prompt: You get a call in the dead of night, “Y/N-ah….I need you…please…It’s Ji Ran…” And you thought you were just his daycare provider who’s day ended when the last child left but you were sorely wrong.  Single Dad! Jungkook x reader

Notes: Finally Part Two is done!! Sorry it took so long everyone. School got in the way and I got writers block occasionally. I hope you all like it! I also have something planned. I was thinking about doing a Single Dad! AU for every BTS member starting with Jungkook (obviously). Let me know what y’all think! 

Warnings: Fluff with some slight angst but I make up for it with more fluff

Word Count: 4.4kish

Parts: 1, 2

A few days after the hospital incident, Jungkook asked you out. Your butterflies never left after the hospital incident even though you hadn’t seen him in a few days. And when he asked you to go out with him, they fluttered and bumped around at max speed.

"Y/N-ah. I have a question." He asks you. You look up from the blocks you were picking up, trying to calm down the annoying butterflies. "Yes Jungkook-ah?"

He began to rub the back of his neck again. "Will you go out with me..." The careful placement of blocks you had fell down with a crash. He quickly back pedaled. "I-i didn't mean like an actual date date just a dinner with me and Ji Ran tonight as thanks for the whole hospital thing..." He trails off trying to cover his stutter.

Your heart beats faster then drops into your stomach at "not an actual date date". Why were you disappointed? Did you really think he was going to ask you out on a real date? You scold yourself for getting ahead of yourself and thinking like that.

Hiding your disappointment, you slowly repick up the blocks. "O-oh.. um I don't think I can tonight. I already have plans. But thank you, you don't have to do anything special. I already told you that. Ji Ran being healthy is enough for me." You lie through your teeth at the already having plans part. You couldn't become wrapped up in this little crush you had. Jungkook didn't feel the same way towards you and you didn't want to ruin your friendship with a stupid crush.

Jungkook's hand dropped off his neck, hitting gently against his thigh. "Oh okay... um I hope you have a fun time then. Maybe next time?" He says sounding disappointed. You nod in thanks. "Goodbye then Y/N-ah, I'll see you tomorrow morning." You wave up absentmindedly from your spot on the floor, trying to busy yourself with cleaning.

Jungkook walks out of your daycare and huffs loudly. "She already has plans?.. since when does she ever have plans... unless... no she can't. I would know for sure if she had someone." He shakes his head, trying to shake those thoughts away as they slowly squeeze on his heart.

The next few days Jungkook was a lot more quiet when he dropped off and picked up Ji Ran, giving you only pleasantries like "Hi" and "Goodbye". You began to miss those dumb smiles and the countless bothering. Next time he came in, you vowed to ask what was up.

The following day Jungkook brings Ji Ran in and seemed distracted. But before your courage fails and the butterflies overwhelm, you call out to him. "Jungkook-ah! Can we-"

"I can't right now Y/N-ah I've got to get to the shop, I'm super booked today. When I pick Ji Ran up then?" Jungkook says cutting you off, looking frazzled as he keeps checking the time on his phone.

You nod, "Y-yeah that's fine." You say softly as he bolts out of the daycare like a man on a mission.

The butterflies in your stomach drop one by one, creating a heavy weight. You drag that heavy weight all day, waiting to tell Jungkook what's on your mind.

You watch the children get picked up and leave, waiting for Jungkook to pick up Ji Ran. Time passes and no Jungkook. "Maybe he got stuck in traffic or something. Hopefully nothing happened to him..." You think to yourself, growing more worried every second. Ji Ran waits with you, yawning every so often.

Even more time passes and still no Jungkook. Ji Ran looks up at you with her big dark eyes. "Did Daddy forget?" She softly asks.

You wrap her in a hug. "Oh no sweetie, he probably just got caught up with something. He'll be here soon I know it." Then you have an idea. "Ji Ran, why don't we go to Daddy? I can drive you there. I don't have any plans tonight."

Ji Ran lights up at the fact of spending more time with you. "Okay!" You get her ready and put her into your car. Pulling up "Euphoria Tattoos" on your GPS, you head in the direction of the parlor.

When you pull into the parking lot of the tattoo parlor, it's nothing like what you thought. You expected lots of barb wire paintings and tacky roses like every other parlor but Jungkook's was... pretty. The front was black painted brick so it was all uniform yet stood out against the surrounding buildings. White painted accents brought out the architecture of the building with Greek pillars and scalloping. Huge glass windows gave you a peek inside the shop, lighting it up. It was an old building but gave off a warm feeling.

You unbuckle Ji Ran and carry her inside the shop, holding her on your hip as you maneuver the door open.

A young man behind the counter looks up from his book as he hears the bell on the door ring. Confusion then recognition passes across his face. "Princess Ji Ran-ah!" He says with a smile and a small bow. Ji Ran giggles. "Hi Uncle Jae Joon." She smiles big back at him. Then Jae Joon turns his attention to you. "And you must be hyung's girl?" He says with a cheeky smirk.

You feel your face instantly heat up at his words. Flustered, you try to respond smoothly. "I-i-i'm Ji Ran's daycare lady." Jae Joon gives you another cheeky smirk. "Oh I know Y/N-ah." Your ears are now burning. You try to nonchalantly reach up to feel them. Your thoughts are taking off at Jae Joon's comments. "Jungkook-ah's girl? But I thought he didn't feel that way about me?.."

Now you're even more confused. But before you can ask any more questions, a flustered Jungkook bursts out of the backroom.

"Y/N-ah! Ji Ran! I'm so so sorry! I-i got caught up in this tattoo and I didn't realize what time it was and... And I'm sorry for making you come all the way here." He apologizes profusely.

You look at the man in front of you. He didn't even take off his black latex gloves yet. His bare muscular arms were being shown off in a tight black tee, his arm tattoos on full display. You followed the flowers and vines on his arm, wrapping up and around his forearm before going into hiding underneath that black tee. You see a peek of leaves and black and white cherry blossoms on the side of his neck. You never noticed that before.

He lifts an arm up to wipe sweat off his forehead, pushing a sleeve up impossibly higher.

Your tongue won't work as you just stare openly at Jungkook. Jae Joon clears his throat, shaking your from your trance. "So are you done in there hyung?" He asks trying to distract the situation. You feel your cheeks burning once again, hoping Jungkook didn't see you looking at him like a freaking piece of meat.

Said man sighs, pulls off his gloves and absentmindedly pushes his shaggy hair off his forehead, ruffling it. "Yeah I think so. There were some complications because the client wasn't entirely honest about their medical history. But it's all good now." He huffs and ruffles his hair again to expel excess energy. Jae Joon nods and walks into the backroom to go clean up.

Ji Ran squirms in your arms until you let her down. She runs to her dad, who automatically drops down on one knee. He wraps his arms around her and plants kisses all over her face. This time you don't look away at their display of affection. Jungkook stands up with Ji Ran in her normal position, arms wrapped around her father's neck, leaning into him. He smiles at you and gestures towards his daughter.

"Thank you again Y/N-ah. Really. You keep helping me out and I haven't been able to do anything for you. You do so much for me." His cheeks seem to be getting pinker.

"Oh don't worry. It's nothing, I'm glad to be of help."  You successfully get out without letting your words show how fast your heart keeps beating. Seriously this stupid crush is getting out of hand.

Jungkook looks down at the ground then around the room as he speaks. "So.. um would you like to go eat dinner tonight as thanks? I mean u-unless you're busy with someone- I mean something else..." He trails off, his face growing pinker as he tries to hide it by looking away which just reveals his red tipped ears.

"Oh my goodness can he get any cuter?"  You think to yourself before scolding yourself for that thought. "No. Stop. You can't think like that. He's your client."

Jungkook finally looks at you with wide soft eyes, awaiting your answer. Your heart continues to pound, threating to make you go into cardiac arrest. You take a breath to steady yourself. "Oh um I'm sorry I can't tonight... I have plans."  You lie again. The light in Jungkook's eyes fades as he drops his head slightly and his shoulders slump a little. "Oh okay... it's alright.. I understand." You can hear the defeat in his voice even though he desperately tried to cover it up. Ji Ran looks at you as if she's trying to remember something.

"You don't have plans. That's why you took me to Daddy." Ji Ran pipes up, exposing you. Your eyes widen, suddenly remembering what you said to her when you were putting her into your car.

You're not sure how to recover from this. "Ah ah I mean..."  You stutter, backed up into a corner by a three year old. Jungkook looks you then Ji Ran and back to you again. "What does she mean Y/N-ah?" He asks gently but with some force.

You look down at ground and shift your weight. "I-it's not what it sounds like."  You dare a glance up at him. He looks at you with confusion and hurt. It breaks your heart. Why do you have to feel like this? Why can't you just be friends? You were so worried about this friendship and didn't want to screw it up but look at you now. "Can you explain then please? Do you not want to be friends anymore?" He asks.

Your eyes get prickly with tears as you blink fast to try to keep them from falling, but one escapes. You quickly wipe it away, hoping Jungkook didn't notice. "Y/N-ah...are you crying?"

Oh crap he did.

You shake your head almost aggressively. "N-no I'm not."  But your sniff gives you away. He gently sets Ji Ran down. "Ji Ran, go see if Uncle Jae Joon needs you to help him please?"

Ji Ran looks at her dad with big eyes and nods. She toddles up to you and pats your leg once before running into the backroom.

Waiting until she is gone, Jungkook turns back around and looks at you with concern in his eyes. He takes a step closer.

"Y/N-ah what's wrong? I'm not angry. Is everything okay?" He asks gently, trying to close the distance between you two with every word.

You take one step back but then become rooted in place. Jungkook reaches you and ever so slowly, as if to not scare you, wraps his arms around you.

When those strong arms encircle you, you just melt. Your knees give out slightly making you wobble. Jungkook tightens his hug to help hold you up. You bury your face into his chest, throwing your carefulness into the wind. You couldn't deny your feelings any more. It just hurt too much.

Jungkook drops his head to your shoulder so his mouth is next to your ear. You can feel his warm breath on your ear. He starts to rub circles on your back to ease you.

Softly again he asks, "Y-N-ah... what's wrong? Tell me please. I don't like seeing you like this." You hear the caring in his voice. How can one man break and repair your heart all in the same moment?

You just sniff some more and say nothing. Jungkook sighs and continues to rub circles on your back, his fingers burning hot. Every nerve seemed to be alive where he touched. "I'm not angry about you having plans. I understand you get busy and especially if you... if you have a boyfriend..." He trails off.

"No." You say harshly into his cloth covered chest. "I don't have a boyfriend." You feel Jungkook's shoulders relax and he pulls you closer to him. "A-ah I see..." He tries to cover the relief in his voice. "So what is it then..? I mean we're friends right?"

That word sends a small stab of pain right into your heart. You nod, "Mmmhmm..." You whisper.

"Friends hang out right?" He continues. You nod again, "Mmmhm..."

"So why don't you want to hang out then?..." Jungkook pulls back to look at your face. You avoid eye contact and look down again.

"W-what if...if I wanted to be more than just friends...?" You say so softly Jungkook has to lean in close to your lips.

"What did you say?" He asks.

"W-what if I wanted to be more than just friends...?" You say in a breathless voice, your heart beating a mile a minute and your face gaining more heat with every heart beat. You avoid eye contact with Jungkook, knowing you've just stepped over a line that can never be crossed back over again. Your heartbeat thunders in your ears as you wait for his response.

Jungkook is stunned by what he hears. "W-what did you say?..." He asks not computing what he heard. "Did you say you want to be more than friends? You mean like d-dating? Like being together?" You nod your head, not having the courage to look up.

Jungkook puts a finger under your chin and forces your head up, so you are looking at him. He smiles big at you, those dark eyes lit up from the inside out. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that Y/N-ah." He gushes. Stunned you just stare at him. You can barely breathe for how fast your heart is pumping, the butterflies fly around making a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach.

His eyes flick down to your lips and then back to your eyes. "C-can I?..." he trails off while biting his bottom lip slightly.

"Yes." You breath out.

Jungkook smiles again and instantly closes the space between you two. His lips capture yours in a searing kiss. You feel all his wanting and longing in that kiss as he lets out a soft groan. His plump lips move against yours, not wanting to leave ever. Eventually, he moves from your lips to kiss the soft spot under your chin before going back up to your forehead for a chaste kiss.

He rests his forehead against yours and looks into your eyes. "I've waited so long for you Y/N-ah."

You bring your hand up to cup one of his cheeks. "Why didn't you just tell me pabo?" You tease him and give a small smile back. He grabs your hand in his, holding it to his cheek while chuckling softly. "I never felt like there was a right time but I knew after the hospital incident I needed to tell you. The way you are with Ji Ran and have been through out these years...it's only one small thing I love about you." His words make you blush impossibly more. You smile bigger and run a finger up and down his tattooed arm, following the vines on their path up his skin.

"I've always wanted to do this.." You say softly, still not believing what is going on. "They're just so beautiful..." You trail off. You feel Jungkook shiver underneath your touch. He pulls you closer to him, your hips flush against his. "Not as beautiful as you though." He says in a husky voice before leaning in to kiss you again. You turn your head up into the kiss. But before his lips meet yours, you hear a voice and clapping.

"It's about time hyung! Took you long enough." There's Jae Joon with Ji Ran hanging onto his leg. He was clapping at the scene in front of him. Jae Joon smiles big at you. "I had to listen to him all these years pine over you, never manning up to tell you how he felt." He smirks at his hyung.

You laugh at Jae Joon's comment. "Oh poor Jae Joon-ssi. You put him through so much."  You lightly hit Jungkook's arm, teasing him. Jungkook squeezes you a little making you squeak. "He was fine. Don't let him fool you." He smiles at you and your heart stutters. You feel like you're floating and nothing can bring you down. "Now what ?" You ask him.

"Now do you have any plans?"

You want to punch him but instead you just roll your eyes. "I don't. Do you want to do dinner before my schedule fills up?"  You give it right back to him. "Oh sweetheart, you better clear your schedule for a while. We have a lot of lost time to make up." He gives you a wink and a lip bite. Your face flushes red before you playfully push him away. Jungkook laughs out loud at your reaction before bending down to scoop up Ji Ran. "Hi baby, do you want Ms.Y/N to come eat dinner with us?" He asks his daughter. She smiles brightly at him before turning to smile at you. "Yes!" Jungkook chuckles at his daughter's enthusiasm.

Ji Ran leans towards  you and clenching and unclenching her hands at you. Jungkook transfers Ji Ran into your arms and she grabs your cheeks, before planting a kiss on your forehead. Surprised, you giggle as Ji Ran giggles with you. "I saw Daddy do that."

Jungkook makes a choking noise. "I better be careful...." He ruffles his hair and gives a cheeky smile. You laugh at him and bounce Ji Ran in your arms. She giggles the more and more you bounce her. Jungkook's heart swells at the sight in front of him. The way you are with Ji Ran is what he has always wanted for her. A quick flash of fear pierces his heart but then it melts away. He knows you, you wouldn't leave Ji Ran or him. He had a good feeling about you, you wouldn't be like Ji Ran's mother. Smiling through his thoughts, he walks up to you and Ji Ran and takes both of you into his arms.

"Do you want to go eat dinner now? I'm done with my clients today and Jae Joon will clean up and close up the shop." You nod and snuggle into his arms as Ji Ran does the same. Releasing you both, he looks back at Jae Joon. "You good here Jae Joon?" Jae Joon nods and waves his hyung away. "Yeah yeah I'm good here." Jungkook smiles and turns back to you and Ji Ran. Grabbing his helmet and keys from behind the counter, he reaches for your hand and locks your fingers together. The warmth and roughness of his palm is a new sensation for you. You love it. Smiling back at him, you give your locked hands a quick squeeze.

Jungkook groans and throws his head back. "Ugh if you keep looking at me like that I may die from a heart attack caused by your cuteness." You laugh and bump your shoulder into his. "Yah stop that."  Jungkook flashes you one of his bright white smiles and shakes his shaggy hair.

He puts Ji Ran into your car and gently closes the door. "I'll meet you at my house? I'll text you my address." You nod in response. Jungkook looks down at your lips and leans in. "One for the road?..." You meet him and press your lips against his. He hums and you feel him smile against your lips.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of that." He says as he pulls away. "Back at you." You smile at him. He throws you one last smile before pulling on his motorcycle helmet and settling onto his bike. He kicks the stand up and revves the engine once, knowing you are watching him. You smirk at him and wave before getting into your car. He waves back and speeds off out of the parking lot.

You pull into Jungkook's driveway and park your car. After getting Ji Ran out, you look up at his house. It's a cute little thing, not too big but not too small. Walking up to the front door, Jungkook flings it open and gestures inside. "Welcome!" He has a big grin on his face. You smile back and walk inside the house.

Letting Ji Ran down, you help her take off her jacket and shoes. Once free of her outer wear, Ji Ran takes off into the house. You stand there with her coat and shoes in hand, laughing at the little girl. Jungkook laughs and takes Ji Ran's clothes from you. "Sorry, she has a bad habit of doing that." He says rubbing his neck. You laugh and wave your hand. "No no it's alright."

Jungkook gestures to the kitchen. "I'm going to start making dinner. You can come with me if you want." He starts but before you can answer and little voice calls out from some where in the house. "Ms.Y/N! Come play with me!" You look in the direction of the voice. Jungkook chuckles and smiles. "Looks like someone wants you." You smile sheepishly. "I'm sorry I'll go play with her for a little and then come see you." You tell him. He nods and gives you a quick peck on the cheek before going into the kitchen.

You wander around the house until Ji Ran pops her head out of a room. "In here Ms.Y/N!" You walk into the room and see a doll house. Sitting down Ji Ran gives you your dolls and you begin to play. After a little while you hear music floating into the room. Curious you get up. "Ji Ran I'm gonna go check on Daddy is that alright?" Ji Ran looks up and nods. "That's alright." You smooth down her hair with your hand and give her a smile.

Making your way back to the kitchen, you stop at the scene in front of you. Jungkook is facing away from you and a speaker is near him playing a soft song.

"You know that I can’t Show you me Give you me chorahan moseub boyeojul sun eopseo tto gamyeoneul sseugo neol mannareo ga But I still want you..."

You hold your breath, not wanting to disturb this moment. You didn't know Jungkook could sing. His voice was... amazing. The song was so touching and Jungkook's voice made your heart break. It wrapped you up and warmed you up like your favorite fluffy blanket. You could almost feel it caress against your skin. You step into the kitchen and Jungkook  notices you. His eyes grow big and he stops singing. "I-i didn't know you were there." He stutters out. You walk up to him and wrap your arms around his neck. "No no you're amazing..." You say softly, not wanting to talk over the song. Jungkook's cheeks get red and he looks away from you. You pull his face towards you. "Don't be shy Jungkook-ah, you have a gift." His face gets even redder with your compliment. "Thank you Y/N-ah... I don't let anyone except Ji Ran hear me.. bit weird for a big tattooed man to have a nice voice.." You laugh gently. "I don't think so. It makes you, you." You smile up at him. He smiles back at you and buries his head into your shoulder. "Have I told you how much I freaking lo-" He stops abruptly and tenses up.

You notice that slip. "Love me?" You finish for him. He nods into your shoulder, not daring to look at you. He doesn't say anything. "I love you too Jungkook-ah. I think I have for a while but never realized it." Finally he lifts his head.

"Really?" His dark eyes look deep into yours. Your heart swells again and the butterflies are back. You nod, "Really." Jungkook's face breaks into another smile and he grabs your face, pulling you to him.

He tenderly kissed your lips, just barely touching them before deepening the kiss. You didn't how you lived your whole life without his kisses. They were quiet nights watching the stars. Playful days running in the warm summer rain. Long car rides, with the windows down, letting the wind whip your hair around, laughing without a care in the world.

You eventually have to pull apart and all you wanted to do was kiss him again. "Wow..." Jungkook says looking blown away. He shakes his head, at a loss for words. "Just... wow..." You blush and smile shyly. His phone on the counter starts to vibrate. Jungkook lets go of you and checks it. "Oh the timer went off. Dinner is done!"

After dinner, you, Ji Ran, and Jungkook all retire to the living room to watch a movie before putting Ji Ran to bed. "What movie do you want watch Ji Ran?" You ask her while Jungkook surfs through the movies. She ponders for a moment watching all the movies go across the screen. "Moana" comes into view. "Moana!" She exclaims. Jungkook groans. "Ji Ran you've seen this one like a hundred times." You hit his arm. "Clearly she likes it, and besides I want to watch it too." You tease him. Jungkook huffs jokingly and plays the movie, wrapping one arm around you, snuggling you to his side.

Unsurprisingly not too long into the movie, Ji Ran falls asleep. You look up at Jungkook to see if he notices she fell asleep. You cover your mouth with your hand, trying to stifle your laughter. He was asleep too. "Like father like daughter." You whisper softly. Jungkook moves around a little in his sleep, pulling you closer to him, resting your head on his chest. You sigh softly, taking one last look at him before closing your eyes too. 

Waiting until he knew you were asleep, Jungkook opened his eyes and gave you a soft kiss on the forehead before falling back asleep with you in his arms. 

[sun-kissed-star]

could i request some extremely fluffy Elmer content please?

@suddenly-im-respecsable this is for you because i told you i’d post almer fluff tonight

also because Albert is a Tree Boy and i can relate

“El, you gotta take the bus home.”

Elmer looked up from his English notes. He wouldn’t say he’d put off studying for the test, except that’s exactly what he’d done and he was starting to regret watching Buzzfeed Unsolved all night instead of memorizing adjectives.

“Hm?” he said, swallowing a mouthful of cereal. “I thought you only work in the morning and evening on school days, though.”

Ed, one of his older brothers who also happened to be his usual ride home, rolled his eyes. “Big boss man’s giving me overtime. And everyone else’s got clubs, college visits, interviews, yadda, yadda. So you’re on your own. Sorry, kid.”

Elmer sighed, tapping his spoon on the table. “Gotcha.”

Some kid rammed into Elmer’s shoulder as he ran off at his stop, and as the bus jolted forward, Elmer’s face slammed into the seat in front of him.

“Take the bus home, he says, it’ll be fine, he says,” Elmer grumbled, rubbing his nose. He leaned his chin on his hand, staring out the window to watch for his neighborhood. He’d missed his stop four times in a row once when he was in seventh grade, and his sister had claimed he was being “dramatic” when he’d claimed he was traumatized, but better safe than sorry.

The bus rolled to a stop in front of a small pond a few neighborhoods away from Elmer’s. A few people got off, and as one shuffled past him to squeeze down the aisle, Elmer leaned closer to the window to make more room.

He turned his head out at the pond, focusing on a kid sitting in a tree down by the sidewalk. He was in a spot between thick branches, looking at the phone in his hand. When Elmer squinted, he could see red hair peeking out under a baseball cap.

Before he could get a better look, the bus started up again and turned around the corner.

Ed: take the bus again. covering for a girl at work

After checking the text for the seventh time, Elmer put his phone back in his pocket and dragged himself on the bus. Again. It wasn’t like he blamed Ed for working more or his other siblings for having lives more interesting than picking up their little brother from school, it was just that the bus smelled like sweat and high schoolers that didn’t know to use deodorant.

When the bus pulled up to the pond, Elmer found himself perking up a little. His eyes wandered out the window, and sure enough, the boy was sitting there again, in a higher branch in the same tree. His legs were dangling on either side of the branch, his hands tucked under his chin like a house cat.

He glanced up at the bus and Elmer’s eyes shot down, as if he could see Elmer looking at him from forty feet away. Eventually, the bus left again, but Elmer could still feel the heat in his cheeks even after the boy was nothing more than a blur.

Ed had work for the rest of the week. On Monday morning, he ruffled Elmer’s hair as he came into the kitchen and grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

“I can pick you up today, kid,” he said, putting the mug under the coffeemaker. “I think my boss is finally taking pity on me.”

Elmer shouted, “No!”, almost choking on his orange juice, surprising them both. Ed cocked an eyebrow as he filled his mug to the brim, and Elmer rubbed the back of his neck and said, “I mean, uh, no. It’s fine, I’ll take the bus again.”

Ed laughed, taking a sip of his coffee without bothering to add creamer. “Didn’t know I was that bad,” he said, “but alright. If you wanna be squeezed in with a bunch of juniors that don’t take showers, go for it. I’m not here to judge.”

Elmer reached over the table to swat at him, and Ed caught his hand, still grinning. “Okay, okay. Maybe I’m judging a little.”

The pond (and, okay, maybe Mysterious Tree Boy) was starting to become a familiar that Elmer hadn’t even thought twice about before. So when the bus stopped and people started filing off, he automatically craned his neck to see the boy crouched in the tree.

He wasn’t there.

No bright red hair tucked under a snapback, no feet kicked up against the trunk of the tree, no awkward arms sprawled out on the branches.

Elmer felt his heart leap, and he silently cursed the anxiety pooling in his stomach for a boy he’d never said a word to. But he’d been riding the bus for a week and a half now, and he hadn’t given up Ed’s ride home just not to think about a boy he’d convinced himself was living in that tree.

Sighing, he grabbed his things and squeezed into the aisle. He would have to forget his seventh-grade fears of getting off at the wrong stop for a while if he wanted to finally put a name to a face.

He hopped off the bus, thanking the driver that was looking at him suspiciously, and walked down the sidewalk to the pond. It was peaceful. The second his shoes sank into the grass, the fresh air swept the stress off his shoulders. He shrugged his backpack off, feeling the pollen tickle his nose. He couldn’t blame that boy for spending so much time here, even if he was M.I.A. that day.

“You don’t usually get off here.”

Suddenly, it didn’t seem so peaceful when an unfamiliar voice broke through his thoughts. He yelped, jumping back from the tree. No one was around. So it was a talking tree now. Cool.

“Hey,” someone snapped their fingers, “I’m up here.”

Elmer stepped up to the tree again, peering up at the branches. Hidden by a bigger clump of leaves at the top, the boy he’d been looking for was perched up there, snapback and all. He was wearing a dark red sweater that covered his hands, a notebook and a pencil sitting in his lap. Definitely not a talking tree.

“Oh,” Elmer said, breaking out in a smile. “Hi.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “Hey,” he said, tucking a strand of hair under his hat. “I said, you don’t usually get off at this stop.” Elmer stared blankly at him, words clogging his throat. “On the bus. Big yellow thing? Usually full of annoying kids?”

“Uh, yeah,” Elmer said, snapping out of it right when he realized he was acting more like an idiot than usual in front of a boy that was a lot cuter than he looked through a dirty bus window. “Um, my brother usually picks me up? I have eight older siblings and my parents are usually at work but he had overtime so I started riding the bus and - I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”

The boy was looking at him with something Elmer couldn’t place in his eyes. He had that dumbfounded expression on his face now, and when he shook it off, he was blushing from the ears. “Nah, keep going,” he said. “You’re pretty cu- uh, company. You’re good company.”

“Not much more to tell,” Elmer said. “I was riding the bus today and I saw you weren’t here, so I got kinda -” He stopped. Huh. That was a little weird, now that he was saying it out loud.

“- worried?” the boy finished. He didn’t look creeped out. He was smirking. Grabbing the branch above him, he dropped his notebook to the ground and came down like he was swinging on a vine, landing on his feet. He was taller than he looked curled up in a tree. “Nice to know you care, uh…”

“Elmer,” Elmer said, pointing at himself. “Elmer Kasprzak.”

“Elmer,” the boy said, shaking it. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Am I gonna get a name? Y’know, so I don’t have to keep calling you ‘guy that lives in a tree’?”

The boy smirked again. “Albert DaSilva. And nah, I don’t live here,” he said, looking up at the tree. “Close, though. My brother raises me, but he has to drive my other brother to this debate club thing every day. I walk home and hang out here until they come back with whatever takeout they order for dinner.”

“Why don’t you just take the bus?” Elmer said.

“A junior on the bus is killer weak.”

“That’s from Be More Chill, right? I like you already.”

“Sure hope you do,” Albert said. “You’ve been here for,” he checked his phone, “ten minutes. That’s a new record from the kids that think I’m weird for hanging out in a tree for hours.”

Elmer laughed. “I’ve seen worse.”

They fell into an awkward silence for a minute, and just when Albert looked like he was about to scramble back up in that tree like a monkey, Elmer blurted out, “Uh, why don’t you have dinner at my house sometime? I’m pretty sure at least half my siblings know how to cook. Be careful around me, though. My mashed potatoes come out looking like cottage cheese in disguise.”

Albert nodded, unlocking his phone and pushing it in his hands. “We have one more thing in common, then,” he said as Elmer typed in his number. “I almost burned the house down trying to make pasta. I dunno why my brother keeps me around.”

“You can tell me all about it when you come over,” Elmer said. “I’ve got four blocks to walk to get home before my brother comes back and thinks I got kidnapped, and I’m sure you wanna get back to your tree.”

“I will,” Albert said. He waved, wriggling his fingers, then dropped his hand and wiped it on his pants. “Uh, yeah. Bye. Elmer. Elmer, right.”

Elmer ended up sprinting to get home in time, but by the time he stopped in front of his house, panting, he was pretty sure his cheeks weren’t red just from the long run.

TAG LIST

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[rowanstories-blog]

The Roles We Play

"Time to get us some grub! Now remember kids, play smart, play safe, and don't go into my office!"

The trio of kids mouthed the words as their father said them. After hearing him say the exact same words more times than they could count, which was not just because they hadn't learned numbers above 50, they could hear it in their minds and parrot it back with no effort whatsoever.

To any other children, the addition of "don't go into my office" would inevitably lead to just that. The Morrison children were no different. The third time they heard that phrase, curiosity overwhelmed them and led to a clumsy romp through the forbidden space. It was then that they found... nothing. Absolutely nothing. Papers here and folders there, but none of the secret pet dragons or superhero supplies that they expected with all of their naive hearts. They went in a few times more, just in case, but after several journeys into the room proved to be a waste of time, the three gave up entirely. They could not tell their father that they had absolutely no interest in the boring room, however, because then he'd know they had seen it and found it boring, so they instead gave bored glances at one another as their father went down the hall and vanished out the front door.

"What now?" asked Marco, with the confidence and leadership that he gathered in his twelve lived years.

"We could play Princess Criminal," Maria offered, testing the waters with her brother, knowing the two year age gap between them could lead to her ideas being veto'd for no other reason besides her comparative youth.

"Ugh, I don't wanna," Max groaned back, accepting that, at age seven, his ideas would never be listened to, so all of his power went into complaining about the current options his two older siblings debated.

Marco nodded. "Princess Criminal is for ten year olds," he explained to the ten-year-old Maria. "We've got to go on more mature adventures than that!"

"Mature?" Maria asked. "Do you even know what that means?"

"I do! It means there's guns and swears and stuff! I saw it on the back of Dad's videogame," Max shouted, beaming with the pride of sharing knowledge.

"We could go into Dad's office again," Marco wondered aloud.

Maria and Max groaned continuously, leaning closer to Marco and getting louder until he got the point.

The three ended up collapsed on the couch, all watching whatever Marco, as the Remote Overlord, wanted to watch. The past few months led to this exact scenario playing out on repeat. Their mother's later hours at work and their father's chores after he came from his job left an hour gap where neither parent ruled the household. At first the sudden freedom filled them with unbridled joy, but after a few weeks the freedom became normalcy, the desire for adventure fading away in routine.

Just before Max could complain for the eighteenth time about the show Marco chose, the front door creaked open. They heard the familiar sound of high heels dropping onto the floor. The force that the heels hit the ground always gave them an idea of just how much nonsense their mother had dealt with that day. Judging by the harsh clack followed by a bit of clatter, her day had been exceptionally annoying.

"What a day," their mother sighed as she made her way to the living room. "How're my kids doing? Are they behaving over here?"

"Marco's making us watch turd," Max whined.

"That's not how you use that word!" Maria complained.

"This show is good and he's just trying to annoy me!" Marco shouted.

"Never change, kids," their mom said with a laugh.

When their father returned minutes later, the five of them sat down for the dinner he had bravely ventured out to get: pizza and pasta. Their dad monitored the boxes and take-out bowls as they piled food onto their plates, reminding them to come back for seconds instead of taking too much and letting it go to waste. Their mom sat at the table with a single slice of cheese pizza, eyes unfocused.

"I'm sorry," their dad said, seemingly unprompted. "I planned to cook the hamburgers tonight, but-"

"It's not that," their mother said, looking up and returning to reality. "It's just... work stuff." She said the second part after a hesitated look at the children around her, all only listening to the sound of their own chewing on the cheesy carbs around them.

Their father took his seat next to his wife, with only pasta on his plate. The kids never understood how a man could not like pizza, and at one point doubted whether he really could be their dad because of it. Once their mother commented that his dislike meant they could have more pizza to themselves, they quickly dropped the subject, allowing him to enjoy pasta in peace once more. "More rude support tickets again?"

"That's a given, sweetie," their mom said with a muffled laugh. "No, it was Ian again."

Their dad put down his fork with a furrowed brow. "What happened this time? Is HR involved?"

"He snuck a book into my purse when I wasn't looking." She sighed. "He didn't sign it though, so I can't prove it was him. But he did it, I know it. He's always trying to give me gifts like he's some kind of sugar daddy!"

"Is Dad a sugar daddy?" Max asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"Does that mean he's made of sugar?" Maria asked, eyes wide.

"No kids," their father said, trying to hide a wide smile. "A sugar daddy isn't made of sugar, it's like... a guy who gives you gifts."

"Like Santa!" Marco proudly concluded.

The two parents tried hard to stifle their laughs as they told the kids to forget the whole thing. At first their young minds refused to let it go, but after a quick bribery to the tune of a whole extra cookie after dinner each, the three ate their cheese and bread products in relative silence.

---

Just before bed, Maria skipped her way toward the shared bathroom, looking forward to playing with her new singing toothbrush. Between her room and the bathroom were many doors, but only one was partially ajar: the parent room.

"Let's just throw it away," she heard her mother say.

"But what something more happens?" her father asked. "It could be evidence."

"I can't prove it was him, though."

"Maybe we should take pictures at least?"

Maria loved pictures. She especially loved pictures of her, all dressed up in the fashion of the kid world. Tonight she donned a horse-pattern nightgown, one of her favorites ever since her aunt remarked that it made her look even cuter. She bounded into the room with a huge smile. "I want a picture!" she declared, ready to model.

"Oh sweetie," her mom said from her seat on the bed, wiping her sleeve across her puffy eyes. "We weren't talking about that kind of picture."

"But we can take some pictures of you tomorrow, if you want," her dad added.

Maria turned to face him and agree to his proposal, which is exactly when she noticed something in his hand. A small book, with painted vines along the spine. Between his fingers she could make out the image on the cover being some sort of wizard stand-off, with one of the characters standing next to a beast she couldn't identify. "A book!" she declared as soon as her brain worked out what she saw. "I want to see!"

Her parents shared a concerned glance. During that moment of distraction, Maria ran up to her dad and tried to grab the book from his hands. Pulling it down, she could see the cover clearly: two characters, a knight and a wizard, fighting against another wizard next to a huge beast, the colors of the characters bright and vibrant, standing out clearly from the dull, aged material of the cover.

Her dad quickly pulled it away and held it up, out of her reach. "Woah now, this book is your mother's," he said.

She turned to face her mom. "Mom, can I see the book?"

"You want to read it?" her mom asked with surprise. None of her children showed any sort of interest in reading before.

"Does it have magic in it?" Maria asked, ignoring the question entirely.

Her dad brought the cover down to face level, investigating it. "I... guess?" he answered, with all the certainty of a student who hadn't studied at all for a test.

From Maria's point of view below him, she could only see the back cover, which, instead of English, had a blurb area filled with little nonsense symbols. Whatever the language was, it was clear that her dad couldn't read it either. The mystery only increased her interest and excitement. "I want it!" she began to chant, a trick she saw her friend use in a supermarket to get a candy bar once.

"Is it even appropriate?" her mom asked over her chant.

"I don't know, the back's not in English. Must be a misprint or something." her dad shrugged.

"We can't just give it to her, what if it's all blood and gore?"

"Blood and gore!" Maria chanted even louder than before.

"Maria, Maria, honey," her dad said as he got down on his knees, now on eye level with her. She quieted down. "How about... I read it first? And then we'll give it to you. Just to make sure it won't bore you, okay?"

Maria considered his idea. "Okay," she decided after minutes of internal deliberation.

"Perfect!" He got up, placing the book on the top of a shelf drawer above her reach. "Now how about you get to bed?"

She complied, mind swimming with ideas about wizards and beasts battling it out on the pages of the book.

"Are you really going to read that?" she heard her mom ask as she exited the room.

"Yeah, why not? It's ours now, might as well. You can tell Ian that your husband is loving his gifts!"

Maria heard a groan from their room as she closed the bathroom door. Moments later, her toothbrush brought the tunes of Miley Cyrus directly into her skull, driving out all thought of the book.

---

The weekend came and went as it always did for the Morrisons. Their mother, off work for a blessed two days, would take the kids, unencumbered by the demands of the educational behemoth, out on trips to the movie theatre, or the park, or the mall, or anywhere else they could imagine and reach in their decade-old minivan. Their father locked his office and went to work, emerging only for bathroom breaks and to grab a bit of whatever their mother left out for him. The kids understood that their dad didn't have a weekend like they or their mom did, so they did their best to find other places to be so he could have the house to himself as he worked on things they didn't entirely understand.

They returned from school on Monday to find that, instead of being out to greet them in the living room as usual, their dad was nowhere to be found. After a quick look through the house, they determined one place that he could be which they had not yet checked.

Marco hesitated, but gave the office door a knock. "Dad?" he called out, two siblings hiding behind him, too scared to speak, but too curious to leave.

"What?" a voice barked out. The difference of tone between this voice and their dad's usual speaking voice made them instinctively back up and huddle closer together.

"Dad, we're home," Marco said. "Are you still working?"

No response.

"Dad, what's for dinner?" Max yelled, his fear outmatched by his short attention span.

A few seconds passed in silence. Suddenly the door swung open, their father barging out, his clothes hanging loose on his body and covered in stains. His eyes, bloodshot and with deep bags under them, stared down at the trio of kids, now shoved up as close as possible to each other. "Food, food, I'll get the damn food," he mumbled as he walked around them, put on his shoes, and went out the front door.

It took several minutes before the kids felt safe enough to release their protective huddle on one another.

"Why is Dad mad?" Max said through tears.

"Maybe his work is bad," Marco pondered aloud. "Or someone messed with his computer stuff again, he hates that."

"Maybe he doesn't like the book," Maria added.

The two brothers looked at her. "Book?"

"He's reading a book for me," she said, a hint of pride showing through her voice. "He's making sure it'll be good before I see it!"

The brothers glanced at each other. Why didn't they get  a book?

"Well if it made Dad so mad it must be awful," Max sneered, trying to bring Maria down a notch.

"Is not!" Maria declared, feet planted firmly on the ground.

"Is too!" Max said, accepting her challenge.

Before the war could begin, Marco put a hand up between them. "Guys. Guess what?" he said.

The two couldn't resist the allure of the age old question. "What?" they said in unison.

"Dad didn't say not to go into his office this time."

The three stood in silence for a moment, all looking at one another. Previously, their dad always said not to go into his office, and when they went it was boring. This time, he didn't say not to go, which is the opposite of the usual. Following that logic, the second statement, the status of the office, would also be an opposite. The three reached the same conclusion at the same time. Clearly something cool was in the office.

The siblings forgot their previous fear of their dad's strange behavior as they rushed into the office.

"We're not going to find a dinosaur," Marco said as he turned on the lights, trying to prevent hopes from getting too high.

"You don't know that!" Max yelled from near the bookcase, unwilling to change his expectations.

Maria hopped onto the chair behind the desk to get a good view of its contents. "My book!" she yelled. The others ran over to it as she picked it up from its place in the middle of the desk, losing track of which page her dad left it open on.

"What's it about?" Marco asked, entranced by the action-packed cover. A wizard and a knight fighting against a snarling beast and a... ghost? Marco couldn't really tell what the faded character next to the beast was supposed to be. Unlike the other characters, the one next to the beast had faded somewhat, making its features hard to identify.

"I don't know, but Dad says there's magic in it!" Maria said with a huge smile.

"Well then, I wanna read it," Marco shouted, reaching out for the book.

"No way, it's mine," Maria refuted, using her added height on the desk chair to keep it out of his reach.

Max lost interest and walked away, continuing his search for dinosaurs, or at least their eggs. Even a footprint would be better than nothing, and it certainly would be better than reading. He did enough of that in school.

Marco groaned, realizing Maria had height advantage, which trumped his age advantage. "Can we read it together?" he asked.

Maria hmmed and hawed for a bit, making Marco squirm as she dramatized the act of thinking. "Yeah okay," she agreed. "But I get to turn the pages!"

Marco reluctantly agreed, and she dropped down off the chair and took a seat on the floor. Marco sat beside her as she opened the book and the two began to read.

---

Marco blinked and found himself outside, in the middle of a dirt path. People bustled around him, mostly walking, but some on wooden carts pulled by strange creatures. The building around him were made from stone with straw rooftops, and each one had a tent with various products underneath, such as food or pots. As he looked around him, mind still adapting to the sudden change of scenery, he felt someone pull him to the side.

"Marco!" Maria yelled from beside him, forcibly turning him to face her. He immediately noticed her clothes, before a simple t-shirt and skirt, but now a colorful robe.

"Maria!" he replied. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," she said with worry. She started speaking again, but instead yelped and hid her face in his chest. He looked over to where she had been looking and noticed one of the large lizard-like creatures pulling a cart nearby.

"Wait," he said, suddenly struck by a realization and pushing her away to see her face. "Those things were on the book! On the cover!"

She made herself look over the shoulder at one, but only for a moment.

"We're in the book!" he concluded confidently.

She looked at him blankly. "That's stupid."

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's check it out."

Maria pushed herself closer to the wall between the two fruit stands around them. "Why?" she asked.

"Well," he thought out loud, "we don't have to sit around and watch TV today because we're here. It's like vacation, and with no one telling us what to do. And Max is home in case Mom and Dad come back, and he can cover for us."

Maria nodded, won over by this perfect logic. "Okay, but I don't like the lizards."

"You're gonna touch a lizard."

"No."

"I'll make you!"

"No!"

"Hey!" The two siblings jumped at the gruff voice of a large man hanging over the side of the stall beside them. "What're you kids doing over here?"

Marco's eyes darted around the stall the man leaned out from. "We were... deciding whether we wanted an apple or banana." Maria nodded, catching on.

The man chuckled. "Well you can do that from over here," he said, gesturing them to the front of the stall. They obliged, choosing one of each. In truth they didn't like either, but the stall had no chocolate items, or any sweets at all.

"That's 12 zel," the man said, picking up the fruits from their respective boxes.

Marco chuckled nervously. He didn't have any dollars, let alone whatever a zel was.

"Will this do?" Maria asked. Marco and the man looked over to see her holding a large golden coin.

The man nearly choked upon seeing it. "Yes, yes, that'll do quite nicely!"

"Where'd you get that?" Marco asked her quietly.

Maria shrugged. "My pockets are full of them."

---

Marco and Maria quickly learned the value of a dollar, or in this case, a zel. The coins in their pockets made everyone they met treat them like royalty, which the two were sure to take absolute advantage of.

"We wanna go on an adventure," Marco declared as he and Maria played with the swords of the guards in a tavern. "Who can we fight?"

"There is a pickpocket running loose in town that you could hunt down," one of the guards remarked.

"No, not a person!" Marco complained. "A monster!"

"Or someone evil!" Maria added.

"Perhaps Ryoth, the cave beast master. He loves the darkness and meat, just like the cave beasts he raises. He's been quite a bother for the kingdom."

"Is he the one on the cover?" Maria asked.

"I have no idea what that means," the guard shrugged. "Besides, I'm not sure if that's a quest for two eight-year-olds."

"I'm twelve!" Marco said, blatantly offended.

"And I'm ten," Maria said in a proud stance.

"And we'd pay for an army," Marco said, jingling the coins in his pockets. The metal loops of his chain-mail shirt clanked along with them.

The guard sighed, but gave up his corrections. The money these children threw around clearly indicated royalty, and their clothes matched those of nobility learning the ways of the sword and magical crafts. Since their king couldn't remember which of the neighboring kingdoms had royal kids, it was best to treat them well until a messenger came looking for them.

That night, the two collapsed on the beds of the tavern, exhausted from their playing through the town.

"This is a good vacation," Maria said.

"We need something to fight!" Marco said, swinging an imaginary sword in the air with what little energy he still had in his arms.

"Tomorrow," Maria said, turning away from him in bed.

"Tomorrow," Marco mumbled back, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

---

"Guys! Guys! Guys!"

Marco and Maria opened their eyes and found themselves staring at Max. His face was inches away from theirs, shouting at full volume.

Marco shoved Max away, sending him tumbling backwards.  

"Guys," Max repeated, now starting to cry, "that was so mean, you're both mean!"

"Then don't shout at us," Maria scoffed.

"I'm gonna tell Dad you were hiding from me in the office," Max threatened, forcing back tears.

"Hiding?" Marco put a hand in front of Maria's face to interrupt her next verbal jab. "Why do you think we were hiding?"

Max sniffled. "I was looking around, and you were reading, and I turned around, and I looked back, and you were gone," he said, each 'and' making him talk faster and louder, "and I was looking for you, and I couldn't find you, and I was yelling and looking all over the house, and, and, and that was mean, that was so mean!" At the final word he began bawling.

Maria and Marco looked at each other, then at Max, then at the book. Before he could act, Maria ran over to Max and towered over him. "We weren't hiding, dummy, we were in a book."

"I'm not a dummy," Max complained, "and you're a liar."

"Am not!" Maria protested.

"Am too!" Max yelled, still crying.

The two continued their stand off, so Marco took that moment of distraction to snatch the book off of the floor and investigate it further. The knight and wizard on the cover looked oddly dull compared to the vibrancy of the dog-beast and surrounding vines. He turned it over and tried to read the back cover, but the random symbols made no sense at all.

A door slammed shut.

The three jumped, jolted from their respective thoughts, and shared a glance. Simultaneously, they threw the book back on the desk, moved things back to generally where they were before, and bolted out of the office.

---

As the days went by, the Morrison children's father chose to work from his office full-time, keeping the door locked shut for almost every hour. "I can't have any more intrusions," he said to the kids after a hefty scolding the night they found the book. After that he stopped getting the dinner food entirely, and about a week in began sleeping in the office instead of upstairs with their mother. Nothing their mother said changed a thing, and the three could only watch as their mom became bitter and drained from the ordeal.

Two weeks later, their father had an announcement. "I'm going to be a dog breeder." Their mother protested, but in the new family dynamic, his word was law. Not two days passed before he had several dogs locked up in the office, walking them in the dead of night. At first the children loved the idea of having dogs, but the dogs only barked and snarled whenever they saw them. The children quickly became afraid of the dogs, thankful that their dad seemed to want them all to himself.

As each day felt more strained and tense than the last, Marco and Maria found themselves craving the world of the book. They stayed up after bedtime to tell Max about what they saw, telling him about all of the adventures that awaited if he went into it too. He agreed to go with them, but the three never got the chance; their father never left the office door unlocked, and even if he did, the snarling dogs kept them at bay. To try and keep their minds at ease, they both pursued new after school activities; Marco chose to try karate, and Maria opted for learning magic tricks to show at the next school talent show.

After a month of changes, the children awoke from their sleep to a clamor downstairs. They heard frantic barking, starting loud but becoming softer and softer. As the barking faded, the shouting began. The three kids met up in the hallway and slipped their way down the stairs. The living room lights were still on, the TV still droned on without an audience, and the fireplace's flames crackled away on scorched wood. They directed their attention to the kitchen door, where they heard the voices.

"You have to get them back," their dad's voice shouted, the rattle of pots and pans following closely after. "If any of those dogs are hurt, by God, you'll be paying for it!"

"Those dogs are better off in the shelter than with you," their mother's voice replied, breaking. "I can't believe what you've become! What happened to my husband?"

The trio approached the kitchen door, leaning closer to hear the conversation.

"Damn it, am I not allowed to have dreams? Ambitions?" their dad said.

"Hurting dogs and locking them in an office is not a dream, it's a nightmare," their mom said. "And it's not one that I'll be exposing the kids to any longer."

The three kids visibly winced as the argument continued, their mom talking about living at Grandma's and their father screaming obscenities and insults too personal to re-tell.

Max, ready to cry, moved away from the door. "I don't want to live with Grandma," he said through sniffles. "She smells, and her cats are mean."

Maria patted his back. "It'll be okay," she said in her best reassuring voice, trying to hide her own tears.

Marco noticed something around them. "Guys," he whispered, "what if we lived in the book?"

Max and Maria stared at him as he pointed to something nearby. Their eyes followed, all three seeing the office door fully open, the doorknob hanging loosely from the wood.

"We'd be rich and have adventures forever," Maria said, the realization making her smile despite her tears.

"What about Mom?" Max asked.

"She can't come, she'd bring Dad too. She can live with Grandma," Maria said.

"We can't just leave Mom!" Max protested.

"Stop being a dummy," Maria replied.

Marco held his hands up, stopping his siblings. "We'll figure it out when we're in the book. But we need to get it now. Before Dad sees."

The three nodded in agreement and quickly slipped into the office, the arguing voices of the parents becoming loud but unintelligible background noise. They clicked the lights on to find the office in near ruins. All of the lamps laid across the floor, most of them with cracked, unlit bulbs. In the dim lighting from the remaining lights, they saw the damage. The bookcases and desks sat in piles of wood and paper, covered in bite marks. The rug reeked of dirty dog smell, and the papers from the desk laid across the floor like bedding. A large heap of tattered fabrics and book remains covered one corner of the room, with a person-sized indent across the middle of it.

"Did the dogs do this?" Maria asked.

"Did Dad do this?" Max asked.

"I think they both did," Marco answered, voice shaking.

They all forced themselves to touch the dirty, stinking papers and fabrics around what once was the center desk, digging through uncomfortably damp materials for anything that looked like the book.

"What if Dad or the dogs destroyed it?" Max asked.

Marco and Maria shared a glance. "Maybe," Marco said, "but we've got to look anyway."

Maria pulled up one of the fabrics on the corner pile and yelped in surprise. "It's here! The book, it's okay!"

The others quickly swarmed to her. They stared at the cover, once again entranced by the action. The knight and wizard remained clear to see, but the beast and the character next to it were faded significantly, barely visible against the coloring of the cover.

"Are you ready?" Marco asked. Maria nodded. Max whimpered. "Okay, then let's go." He opened the cover.

As Marco opened the book, Max couldn't stop thinking about leaving his mom behind with their mean dad and all of the angry dogs. He imagined her sitting on their beds crying, wondering where they went. He'd rather live with Grandma and the smelly cats than leave her behind and make her cry. Max closed his eyes and kept them shut, overwhelmed with the thought.

He heard a thud next to him. When he opened his eyes, his siblings were gone, leaving only the book behind. He picked it up, investigating the faded characters on the cover.

"Hey!"

Max jumped up to see his father towering in the doorway, face contorted in fury, the shadows on his face stretched and intensified by the dim lighting from below. His heart stopped, and he held the book firmly to his chest.

"That's mine," his father growled, stepping closer to him.

Max's feet worked before his brain caught up, and he found himself sprinting across the room, dodging his father's hands and escaping the office. Once out, he saw his mom, face in her hands, standing by the fireplace. He immediately ran up to her, stuffing his face into her leg and sobbing. He tried to explain what was happening, but his words became garbled and lost through his tears and snot-filled nose.

His mom pulled him close, staring up at his father. "What is wrong with you?" she shouted, moving the two of them away from his father's hulking figure.

"Give it back," his father snarled.

"Give what-" his mom started, then paused, noticing the book held between her and Max through the force of his hug. She grabbed it and pulled it up, holding it in one hand and keeping Max close with the other. Her eyes skimmed the cover, noticing how dull it looked in the firelight, then raised them to look his father in the eye. "Is this where all of this is coming from?" she asked, her breath heavy with repressed anger.

"Give it back," his father repeated.

"He's been hiding it," Max managed to say. He tried to tell his mom more about the book, but his sniffles and quick breaths kept interrupting him.

"Is this what this is all about? Ian's stupid gift?" She scoffed. "What is this, some messed-up expression of jealousy?"

"Give it back."

"Do you think I wanted him to give me things? To get so obsessed with me? I can't help what he does! You know I love you, I-"

"I don't care about that," his father barked. "He can fuck you for all I care!"

His mom stopped, then slowly nodded. "I see." Staring directly at his father, his mom flicked her wrist, tossing the book directly into the flames beside her.

Max's heart froze. For a second, both he and his father didn't respond, couldn't respond. That second, seeing the book that contained his siblings, felt like eternity. After that eternal moment, time resumed.

"No!" he heard his father scream, heavy footsteps getting closer to him and his mother.

Max shoved himself away from his mother, sending her to the floor, and grabbed the side of the book. His fingers burned, but he kept his grip and pulled it out of the flames, swinging it back. The flames of the book followed and lit the room, making his father stop running and step back, blocking his eyes with a growl. He hit the book against the rug in an attempt to put it out. The rug ignited, but the book's flame fizzled and died, leaving the rest of the book intact.

"Give it back," his father hollered, blocking the increasing light of the flames with his arm.

Max's feet once again responded before his thoughts, and before he could acknowledge the danger of the situation around him, he found himself outside in the darkness, sprinting into the woods behind their house, away from the increasing smoke emerging from what used to be his home.

---

Maria and Marco opened their eyes and found themselves back on the dirt road, surrounded by the bustling activity of the old village.

"We did it," Maria cheered, "we're back!"

"Where's Max?" Marco asked.

The two looked around, seeing no signs of their little brother anywhere.

"He must have chickened out," Maria scoffed.

"Then we have to go back," Marco said.

Maria rolled her eyes, but nodded. They walked up to the guards, as they did in their last quest. "We need you to lead us to the inn so we can sleep," she said proudly, remembering their treatment before.

The guard didn't move. "Are your parents at the inn?"

"No, but we have-" Maria stopped mid-sentence. She patted her pockets, but found them completely empty. Looking down, she realized her clothes were not the flowing robe she remembered, but a dirty fabric tied with rope. Her eyes widened, and she looked to Marco for help.

Marco felt his pockets but found they, too, were empty. His clothes, too, were changed, from chain-mail and metal pads to the same dirty fabric Maria wore.

"Run along, kids," the guard said, gesturing them away. "Go find some merchants to beg from or something."

The two obeyed, unsure of what else to do. An hour later, they managed to find a nearby field to lie in without any disturbances.

"We'll sleep here," Marco said, "and return to Max, so he can come with us."

"But we don't have the money," Maria said with a huge frown.

"Maybe we'll have it next time," Marco reasoned.

The two closed their eyes. It took several hours, but they managed to drift off to sleep. They later awoke to see the darkening sky, stalks of corn blowing in the breeze all around them.

Maria jolted up. "We're still here. Marco, why didn't we go back?" she asked, eyes watering.

"I don't know," he said, voice barely above a whisper.

"What do we do?" Maria asked, staring at him.

He held onto her arm, pulling her close. "I don't know."

The two stayed huddled together in the cornfield as night fell, holding each other close as they cried in silence, their hearts falling and falling with no end in sight.

---

After running for longer than he ever had, he stopped in a small cave down a rocky ravine, catching his breath. He couldn't go back. His father wanted the book, and his mom wanted to destroy it. He couldn't let either of those things happen, not with Marco and Maria inside of it. He looked at the book, checking the damages in the moonlight. The cover took most of the damage, with the wizard and knight characters barely recognizable through the scorch marks. Some of the pages were equally unrecognizable.

Cold, tired, and alone, Max finally gave in to the idea of entering the book world too. Their father and mom would never find it in the woods, and it would stay safe in the little cave. He took a deep breath and opened the book, reading the text in the dull moonlight.

One page passed and he still sat in the cave. He turned to page two and experienced the same. As he kept reading, he remained painfully in reality, and learned what, and who, the story was about. He tried to cry, but found he had no tears left in his body. His nose ran and his breath jolted with sobs as he read, but his eyes stayed painfully dry. His fingers burned, his eyes burned, but most painful of all was the burning in his chest, as he realized in those moments just how alone he truly was.