#but yeah.. always on the mind this one.. my little mushroom prince

[monkiinart]

bios drabbles.. i miss him so much

[cerealmonster15]

Now I'm very curious about this Ruggie 2nd Years Rizz...

oh shit now i gotta back up what i said LOL omg lemme think um um ok here are scenes off the top of my head that TO ME are certified ruggie moments w/the second years and also me talking about their vibes,,,

that one vignette story [i think ruggies ceremony robes] where hes helping out at mostro lounge and he and azul have a hive mind moment where theyre bonding over their money grubbing ways, and jamil is also there and says something like 🧍 hmm wow you two are unnverving when you are together actually. and theyre both like "yeah normally i cant stand his fake ass but we can unite over money ♥" what the hell ever common gay goals i guess 😒kljksldfjdskljf they could come up with SO many money schemes together,, a slowburn via ruggie doing odd jobs at mostro lounge... it could happen ejlekjwrlkdjfsf

actually kalim has a flavor of rizz too but in his case it's like "everyone is my best friend and i cannot be deterred even tho it's kind of off putting in hater school but also it's kind of cute" while ruggie is that "lovable scamp who is kind of a bitch and definitely scheming behind your back" vibe LOL and theyre so funny together. i think kalims lab coat story is the one that comes to mind for them where kalims like OH FUCK i have to cancel the party bc jamil said so and cant help sorry everyone :( and ruggies like NO i will NOT forgive you we HAVE to throw the party. with food. and then they go make food together in the cafeteria and it's cute. i think thats also the one where ruggie was like lol teeehee what if we got this outrageously expensive mushroom for the party haha teehee- and then sam was like yeah i have it in stock and kalim was like yeah ok sure ill buy it. and ruggie was like WAIT FOR REAL??? they are just always a silly combo when theyre together fdlskjfskl like prince and the pauper or whatever... ruggie is doin whatever it takes for a free meal or a quick dollar and kalims like "i am sweating cash money and i love my friends ill buy you whatever you want :)" ruggie has the street smarts to keep kalim alive and kalim can keep ruggie fed lol. ruggie would have his hands full forever but i believe in them LOL. but also ruggie calls silver and kalim the "ira fuwa" "facepalm brigade" and how theyre so frustratingly like. nice and/or oblivious and i think that's FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY i like when ships are FUNNYYY so to me. thats more points fklsdjfkls

ruggie and jamil. they are so funny. i already liked them as 🤝 fellow working class boys [similar to why i LOVE ruggie and epels bond but sorry epel youre banished to the first year realm this post aint about u] i lied when i said off the top of my head, bc i had to double check this one but in JAMILS R card regular uniform story it's jamil ruggie kalim and leona at lunch, jamil and ruggie have like a 2 second bonding moment of basically being the attendant of the other two. once again ruggie likes food and jamil really likes to cook so i do feel theres promise there. but then also when GLOMAS halloween event dropped, that was more proof. that one scene where theyre paired off running together and manipulate those npcs to buy themselves more time,,, w/their schemes and lies and similar style unique magic/signature spells.... sjdklfjdskf they could be such an awful little duo together and i love that for them. truly an iconic moment of partners in crime

RUGGIE AND RIDDLE!!! this is one i initially was like "huh where is this coming from" back in ye olden days of twst bc i'd randomly run into this one person who kept making fanart of them and every time it would end up being by the same person lolol. and back then i think they hadnt interacted too much outside of that one scene in book 2 where ruggie steals riddles magic pen [teehee enemies 2 lovers potential,,, tried to push riddle down the stairs/got his best friend instead... also could apply a lil with jamil considering jamil was also one of his victims] anyway i like their opposite energies, kinda like a lite version of floyd/riddle with ruggie taking the role of one being more loose and, again like w/kalim, hes more street smart. riddle was sheltered all his life. i think theres potential to balance each other out. AND THEN ALSO later we got halloween 2 event where riddle ruggie and ortho were in a group together searching for mirror shards. i thought it was cute when they bonded doing a lil puzzle and all talked about doing an escape room together. I saw cute fanart of that once and it hasnt left my mind

ALSO speaking of riddle but also kalim and silver theres the beloved anthology comic which counts in my mind. the one where silver was struggling to stay awake and asks ruggie for his notes and then kalim is like LETS HAVE A STUDY PARTY ILL ASK JAMIL TO HELP!!!! and ruggies like YEAH FREE FOOD also we should invite riddle.

look at that. like ruggie even openly admits later hes literally just there for the feast but he made a point to be like We Need Riddle Here Also and i literally cant stop thinking about it actually. like sure hes right in terms of studying but like did he even give a shit about that part. also since im here and i need to talk more silver/ruggie theres also the part of this same comic where silver touches ruggies ears and he immediately falls asleep

like wtf thats so cute [source btw...] [i cant remember if they had any rule on reposting screenshots but i didnt see any when i was glancing around so i hope i am not killed for this!!!!]

once again ruggie has the street smarts that can assist silver who grew up in the woods with his only other socialization boy his age for years being Sebek Zigvolt jklJFDKLSJKFLS blease teach him what regular(?) boys behave like. and then back again like what i said in kalim's part, where ruggie called them in one of those laundry stories [i cant fuckin remember which vignette it is bc at least 2-3 of them are about laundry and i MIX THEM UP] but i think it's one where ruggie goes with leona to diasomnia and are like "hey bitches malleus' robes got mixed up with leonas" and silver is there and silvers like "oh my god malleus made a friend" and leonas like "i literally do not like that man what the hell" and ruggies like "sorry leona silvers just like that. so is kalim btw." like im obsessed with the concept of silver and kalim being So Sweet And Oblivious that apparently the other second years are all looking at them like a unit and being like "man what is their problem" thank you ruggie for this lore. for my life.

ruggie n the twins r also funny. like what i said with azul i could see him having a slowburn when hes working at mostro lounge lol and i could see it as a haters to lovers thing bc everyone in this place is a BITCH but we love that for them. i think ruggie would be fighting for his life with floyd but tbh who wouldnt be. actually idr much of their interactions except i think they were both in portfest on team performer and even then i cant recall specific interactions fjklfjeklwjflew bc floyd was like fuck this im already good at shit you bitches are on your own LOL but also i remember floyds whole thing bein he can just pick up whatever skill as needed whenever it suits his fancy and he learns real fast. i think ruggie could #respect the grind except i dont think floyd gives a shit about doing it for money. redirects to azul and his schemes JFKLDJSKLFJSD still. i think they could be funny plotting scheming bitches together if they wanted. i think this is my weak spot i cant remember many specifics BOYS WHERE ARE YOU!!! but also theyre the 2 odd ones out in terms of second years w/o an onscreen classmate. thats one point in their box LOL. i think floyd would join ruggie in a little snooping and stealing of snacks. for funsies.

okay and then jade the reason i even brought it up in the tags of this post lololol even they i think havent interacted too much that i can remember <- suddenly remembering book 3 was all about bananaclaw helping destroy octavinelle. except i think ruggie was barely there actually and the twins were mostly in the water so this still tracks. i think. well anyway that's not the point MY POINT IS RUGGIE AND JADE in ruggies R card uniform story is funny. i love that ruggie was in the cafeteria in the middle of the night looting for snacks and then jade just. Was Also There. hello fellow student i am very normal and taking a walk at night <- i actually did this in college all the time so idk why im bullying him but. dont fancy boarding high schools have CURFEWS actually idk. anyway. i love how quick and crafty ruggie is the second he realizes hes FUCKED UP and jade might KILL HIM [and then jade just. god i literally never know when hes being coy or genuinely like 🧍what do u mean i am a regular teenager why ever would anyone fear me.] anyway they kinda matched each others freak A LITTLE a little bit. jade is a bigger freak but i like that ruggie sorta has that octavinelle schemer vibe to him sdkjfklsd "hey you ate my vegetables" "oh FUCK well ill trade u with recipes" "wow these r awesome teach me more" "NO that will cost you >:)" "ohoho i see how it is >:)" like ruggie feared for his life for a second but as soon as he did what he promised he was like alright fuck u im outta here teehee. fears deleted. bastard mode returned. a scheming silly little guy who is good with cooking fits right into the little octavinelle pocket

ok that's enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i actually think about the second years a lot more than i care to admit LOL they are really fun to mix and match but tbh i say that about every group of students. divorce vortex third year toxic yaoi polycule.... second years are all shoved in a barrel that im shaking back and forth at top speed.... the first years are always trying to kill each other but are also kinda ride or die,,, ough it's cute i love sorting characters into groups and drawing connected lines to them jKLFJDSKLFJ ok i have to go draw overblot yaoi now. thats not related to ruggie but it's related to second years. bye!!!

[rejectedanimexp]

New part to Phantom thieves au

Edit: this is part 5 by the way

Lil’ P’s Obsession?; Luigi is an “angel”

Peasley hummed ‘Daisy Daisy’ as he gathered powerups in the darklands for his next heist. Sure, he could gather them in the Mushroom Kingdom, but that would lead to Mario wanting to know why he was gathering them in the first place. Besides, there were tons of rare and unique powerups here!

So trespassing on King Boo’s lands it is. Maybe he’d run into one of Luigi’s villains. That would be fun.

Peasley has just another powerup into the basket on his cloud that was already overfilled when a voice pipes up from above in a nearby tree.

“Why are you humming that creepy tune?”

Peasley abruptly stops humming and looks up to see a wannabe jester on a tree branch.

“Its a nursery rhyme and its catchy. It's not my fault movies like A Space Odyssey made it creepier. Now, London Bridges is a creepy tune to hum.” Peasley sassed back.

Dimentio raised an eyebrow behind his mask. He was pretty sure this was one of Luigi’s friends yet the guy didnt even seem concerned that he was near him.

“You… you do know who I am, right?” Dimentio asked just to double check that this was the green guy that hung around Luigi.

“Yeah, you're the demented jester dude that Red Mustache Man still whines about. Nice job getting under his skin by the way. His ‘holier than you’ attitude really grates my nerves.” Peasley laughed.

“Red.. mustashe man? You mean Mario?” Dimentio chuckled.

“Marco, Marice. Whatever his name is. I only learn the names of people who matter. Red Luigi is not worth the effort of learning a name.” Peasley dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Dimentio floats down closer to him. “What brings a hero wannabe like you to a villain’s territory?”

“Eh, Collecting powerups without Red Luigi poking his nose into my business. That guy is such a party pooper and wouldn’t mind his own business if I did this back in the Mushroom kingdom. And if I did it back in the Bean kingdom, my Mother would ground me or something. So, collecting them where Red dude wouldn't check is my best bet.” Peasley frowned. “Besides, I’m not letting Luigi upstage me in annoying his brother, so I need powerups to annoy Red Man while I break as many laws as possible. Maybe I’ll crash one of his hero parties. I don’t know. I just like annoying him. It's fun and it cures my boredom. And who said anything about being a hero? You save your kingdom one time and everyone thinks you want to be some superhero. Please. No thanks.”

“The hero wants to rebel, how cute.” Dimentio pulls out a dagger only for Peasley to roll his eyes and pull out two of his own.

“Did you know, you should always have 22 knives on you at all times? You never know when you need them. And at least half of them need to be poison-tipped. I wanted to have more on my but Luigi and Daisy limited my spending on them because it was starting to raise suspicion on me.” Peasley piped up cheerfully.

“Slow or fast-moving poison?” Dimentio asked, slightly intrigued.

“Both.” Peasley beamed. “Depends on the situation. Do I need to silence someone or do I need them to suffer?”

“You’re awfully violent for someone hailed as a heroic Prince.” Dimentio snorted.

“Well, maybe I’m tired of being labeled as some idiotic hero wannabe by everyone. Nobody sees me for anything but the try-hard hero wannabe and it's annoying.” Peasley clenched his fists. “So when Luigi snapped and decided to take advantage of people underestimating him, I decided to follow suit. Figured I might as well take advantage of it as well.”

“This isnt some game for little boys to play you know. Villianly is a serious profession and-”

Dimentio is cut off by a pouting Peasley who throws his dagger art him.

“Fiesty, huh?” Dimentio mused as he looked at the ornate dagger that embedded the tree next to his head.

Peasley just smiled that innocent smile he had perfected. “I have no idea what you mean, good sir. I’m just a normal upright citizen. I totally don’t plan to be an inconvenience and menace to society.”

“You are a gremlin,” Dimentio concludes.

Peasley’s eyes light up. “You really think so? I tried to perfect my perfect innocent child smile to throw people off. Luigi likes to joke that im a demon spawn.”

Dimentio felt slightly uncomfortable by the look Peasley was giving him. He felt like Peasley was staring at him like a new shiny toy and it was unnerving. “Yeah… sure. You seem really annoying.”

Peasley claps his hands together as he smiles widely. “I like you. You’re so cool. What kind of dagger was that that you pulled out earlier? Is it true that you can easily defeat Red Man? How many knives do you have on you? What's your favorite knife or dagger? Why do you wear that mask all the time?”

Dimentio sweatdropped. He definitely felt uncomfortable now. He should have stayed in King Boo’s Mansion.

“You’re the coolest villain ever, Dimentio-senpai.” Peasley gushed which made Dimentio regret ever getting up today.

Later that Day with Luigi

Luigi sighed as he let the loud casino noises around him blur into white noise. Ever since Waluigi disappeared (aka died), Luigi had to take over some of his shifts at Waluigi’s casino.

Strangely, it is still running even after its owner has gone missing. Just Luigi’s luck he supposed.

Luigi mainly ruins the bar and deals cards. Let it be known Luigi takes his job very seriously. That being said, he also takes his rivalry with the 3 purple nuisances seriously. 

So you can imagine his reaction to overhearing Wario of all people making fun of the three villains about how pathetic they are to lose to a weakling like Luigi. 

He rightfully got passive-aggressive of course.

Luigi hummed as he shook the drink and tossed the shaker into the air. As much as he was clumsy at times, he was rather skilled at making any kind of drink no matter how complicated it got when shaking the drink shaker.

Luigi poured the drink over ice and handed it to the random customer before sighing as he whipped the shaker clean.

His attention was soon drawn to what seemed to be King Boo, Dimentio, and Antasma. They seemed to be arguing with Wario. Luigi told his coworker to cover for him before he silently made his way over to them.

Luigi caught the tell end of Wario’s teasing. 

“You guys call yourselves villains? Don't make me laugh. You guys cant even defeat Luigi and he’s the most pathetic person on the planet. He guy is afraid of his own shadow… yet you guys lose to him? You’re jokes.”

Luigi felt something rather dark bubble up inside of him as he clenched his fists. 

How dare he. HOW DARE HE! His fights with them were not something to laugh at. 

Green lightning cracks around Luigi’s fists as thunder is heard outside despite it not raining.

Dimentio, who knew about the Thunderhand powers due to Mr. L, noticed Luigi first. Dimentio knew something was about to go down.

Luigi cleared his throat as he held a tight smile that screamed murder. Wario turns around to see Luigi with an unusual look on his face.

“I heard you were talking shit about me?” Luigi hissed.

Just then more green lightning strikes outside, hitting Wario’s car. Wario looks over to see through the windows to check for storms only to see his car was on fire.

“Oh, talk about bad luck. I hope that strange lightning doesn't hit your house.” Luigi said sweetly as faint green lightning cackled around his hand.

“You little shit-” Wario goes to attack Luigi, only for Luigi to swiftly sidestep him.

“Dear me, you sir must of had a little too much to drink. You don't think I had anything to do with the unnatural weather do you?” Luigi spoke loudly in a fake innocent tone.

People all around look over to see the angry guy in yellow trying to attack the innocent and wimpy younger brother of Mario. They all saw how Wario tried to blame Luigi for the lightning. No one believed him and a group of people were mad that he would attack defenseless Luigi when he wasn't doing anything.

Within a matter of seconds, customers were trying to drag the irate Wario away from Luigi who had fake tears and an amazing act of fear going on.

“By Wario! I hope you get well from your anger issues soon.” Luigi called out with fake innocence just to sell the point that he was the victim.

Meanwhile with Mario

Mario sighed as he scouted the library for any clues that the two villains might have left behind. He knows Peach’s guards found nothing but it couldn't hurt to double-check just to be sure.

Lil’ P and Lady D seemed to have stolen a magic book and crystal according to Princess Peach. What they needed with those ancient items was anyone’s guess. But Mario knew that villains make mistakes. He just needed to find it.

He will bring down Mr. L and his two sidekicks if it's the last thing he does. 

To Be continued…

[arcsparkasriel]

Vtubertale Profiles: Ralsei Dreemurr

For those who heard the story from my first post, you probably already know the gist of it. However, I'm sure those among you want to know the story of my adorable little brother Ralsei again! Or at least with a bit more detail.

After "The Plan" failed quite catastrophically, when Chara and I...expired. Mom and Dad were pretty darn distraught. I still have issues from what happened, but I'm glad I have everyone to help me through it. Mom doesn't like to talk about that day, but I think I know what happened. All Mom could do was cry for the next three days until her mind and body couldn't cry anymore. I wish I didn't know how badly our selfish plan would affect them. Dad took it really badly too but in a different way. Yeah, shocking I know. Going nuts after watching your children die. He did not cry, he hardly spoke, and seemed to shut down completely, having retreated inwards. Then you know the rest. Dad let his mouth move before his brain could and declared war on humanity in a fit of rage.

Mom being disgusted with him and everything that had happened, had enough. Leaving her role as queen and essentially divorcing Dad, moving back to our old home in the Ruins, never to be seen for years.

However, Ma and Dad...ahem, most definitely...had a moment of romance any day at least a month back before this all happened. I did the math a long time ago. Understandable I suppose. Mortifying thinking about the details as their eldest son, but understandable. On the day of "the plan," I was only a week away from receiving my first weapon as a Monster, and my own royal circlet, officially being called a Prince. Ma and Dad were about to have their 1st honeymoon in centuries. So spirits were high at the time...until they weren't.

Another month after she left, did Mom realize she was with my first biological sibling. I've only gotten a few details from Mom about her time of pregnancy and I only remember a few scattered memories while being stuck inside that FLOWER. The Flower though didn't appear until she was further along. Maybe five months down the line? I do remember hearing her talking to herself...or Ralsei rather every day while she was carrying him.

"You'll always be safe with me. I'll teach you everything you'll ever need to know."

"We'll have so much fun together."

"We may not be the fullest family anymore, but I'll be all the family you'll ever need."

Stuff like that. The Flower didn't think much of it and probably scoffed at the comments at the time. Thinking back on it, however, I could tell Mom was barely hanging on to sanity. Frisk and I just convinced her to go into therapy just a few weeks ago. Both of us are convinced Mom was only an edge away from snapping and doing something insane. Yeah, I know all about the "Underfell" and "Horrortale" versions of Mom that did break and lost their sanity. One of my other selves told me as much. Those possibilities scare us every day. How Frisk and Ralsei managed to keep her from snapping I still don't know. We love her so much though. Mom is worth it.

When the day came...maybe enough of my soul seeped through the Flower to remain near Mom. Cause I vividly remember hearing every labored scream throughout the whole process. I was right outside the window. She was in the kitchen, just out of sight. Days prior, the Flower saw her gathering durable rope, a ceiling hook, a large bag of pain-dulling mushrooms, dozens of pillows, rubbing alcohol, and a large plastic tarpaulin. Typical, always thinking hygienically that mother of mine.

Jeez, she actually had to go through it the ancient way with no pain relievers or access to the royal hospital. Well, she was once a shield maiden before the war. So maybe Mom was just defaulting. Yeah, maybe I'll share that story with you all in a future journal. The labor itself probably took a full day, which still makes me mentally cringe and sympathetic. I don't know how I managed to keep the Flower still during all that time, the details are really fuzzy. I don't put too much thought into "the power of love" but perhaps there is something to that.

The next thing the Flower heard was the baby's first cry. And Mom doing her best to stifle her own joyful sobbing. She must have been exhausted but pushed through all of it. I got the best Mom ever. I could hear her voice shushing the baby and trying to soothe him. Surprisingly it worked. A small gasp I remember from her, but then a moment of silence and a soft cooing like a dove's call.

"Born in the dark, I suppose this was going to happen. I love you anyways, my little baby boy. It's nice to meet you, little one. I'm your mama. My little Darkner. We'll need to make sure you're covered. The light might be too much for you. For how long I cannot say."

I don't think the Flower quite understood what she meant until Mom somehow stood up to stumble into her room six hours later. The tiny wrapped bundle cradled in her arm. She was wearing a simple lilac gown in place of her royal robes. She was visibly drained of stamina and exhausted in every possible way. Bags under her eyes, a slow gait, and heavy breathing.

The Flower saw what the child looked like. 'Unnaturally pale with some pinkish hues coming through the fur. His tiny nails as well as his horns once they grew in would be that same pinkish shade.

"Albino" I remember the flower saying. And then laughing that horrible laugh that never leaves my thoughts. "Albinos never last long in the wild, let's see how long he lasts in captivity. Even if the barrier breaks, he'll fry like an egg in the sunlight."

After that, the Flower regained control and that's the last thing I remember.

Over the next few years, the Flower popped around to spy on them. Ralsei grew quite fast and took to his immortality quickly. By that time, the loop had already started to take effect and I had reset quite a few times by this point. For Ralsei's fifth birthday, Mom got him green robes and a pointy hat, for his eighth birthday, she made him a long hot pink scarf and gave him an ancient crucible steel human cauldron that fell from the surface. Just last week, we took it to be appraised by a professor at the nearby university. Ancient Celtic apparently. Very well preserved. Probably thanks to Mom's efforts. Ralsei still uses it to practice his unique "Cauldron Cooking". Not that much different from using a crock pot. Ralsei's Sea Salt Ice Cream Cakes are quite good.

When the human children began falling down into the Underground, Mom tried to help and adopt each and every one of them as her own. Ralsei was so excited each and every time to make a new friend, never having anyone else other than his own mother to play or talk with. It was quite a lonely existence in the Ruins.

Which only made their deaths all the harder on both of them. And every time it happened, a piece of their hearts broke. Ralsei just became more and more fragile. Mom only got angrier and angrier at Dad. Ralsei retreated further into the safety of his mind. The Flower from time to time would pop out and torment him. I still feel guilty about that.

I often saw Ralsei hanging around the flowers at Chara's grave by the entrance to the Ruins. Maybe some part of him knew something was there, even though Mom would never dare speak of Chara or me. The memories were still too painful.

When Frisk arrived, everything changed. There's something special about him. You know, other than the master of time manipulation, ability to fight infinitely stronger opponents, and superhuman willpower to keep his soul together. Once Frisk connected with us monsters, we couldn't help but love him.

After Chara betrayed us, I not only thought I was incapable of giving love but receiving it too. Sure, there was a time when she was my best friend too. She was my sister. Mom, Dad, and I wanted to save her all that time. To give her a family and a place to call home. Unfortunately, vengeance blackened her heart long ago. Mine nearly was. I walked the abyss of the Underground every day for centuries of time loops. Somehow I avoided falling in permanently. Chara just...didn't want to be saved. She fell into that pit years ago, and nobody, not even I could have pulled her out of it.

You definitely know the tale of how Frisk escaped Mom and began his journey right? Well, it happened just a little differently. Ralsei didn't want to stay trapped in the Ruins either. He had grown too attached to Frisk and didn't want to see him go. So he slipped some melatonin into Mom's pie. I'll have to ask him what kinds of things Mom was teaching him. Frisk confronted her at the exit like normal, except Ralsei disobeyed and followed them. After Mom allowed Frisk to go, Ralsei told me Mom was losing consciousness quickly, so he dashed out of the Ruins after Frisk.

Ralsei caught up with Frisk quickly and started following him on his journey. I think everyone in the Underground had an inkling about what Ralsei was, even with his robes on and his hat covering his head, including the smiley trash bag. But for whatever reason they chose not to say anything.

Most of the journey went just as how Mr. Toby Fox displayed it in the game he made about our story. With the addition of maybe a few extra conversations Ralsei and Frisk had with the other monsters and each other. I wasn't around them the whole time, and I'm still learning details as time went on.

At the end, Mom was livid with Ralsei, but forgave him immediately when she reunited with Frisk. And then there's Dad...

Meeting Ralsei for the first time was... wonderful, but hard for Dad. Not knowing that he had another blood son. Never being there for his birth, his birthdays. Never being there to make his first toy, or play ball with him, or anything really. It was even stranger for Ralsei. Since he had never known or been told about Dad from Mom. He wasn't angry at Mom for never telling her. Ralsei isn't one much for cliched responses. All he wanted was to learn more about his father.

The details after that go into how I came back, which I'll cover in good time. All you need to know is officially meeting my new little brothers for the first time as myself was probably the best moment of my life.

These days. only a year after we left the Underground, life is finally getting better. Not always fantastic, but so much better. Every day, one step at a time. Ralsei, Frisk, Susie, and I are still close as ever. We all live together in a seven-room multimillion-dollar apartment, paid in full by the government of England. Susie having just joined our family only a month ago. On the surface, Mom thought Ralsei should have new more modern clothing. So he traded out his robes for a modern-style Poncho to cover his Torso.

When he goes out into direct sunlight, we always try to get him to wear his pointy hat or a sunhat that Muffet made for him. We had to swap out his old glasses for some professionally made ones. Of course, boss monster-sized glasses for big monster eyes weren't readily available, so we had to get his custom-made from a company in America.

His cooking is starting to rival Mom's and my own. His Cauldron Cooking is quite top-notch.

Our apartment is very much like his own little kingdom. Since he can't always go outside, he takes care of most of the chores and cooking when Mom can't. We have our own sizable library that he's been spending a lot of time in. For work, I've been having to learn a few different languages being so close to other countries. Spanish, French, Polish, German, Italian, and Danish. And the ancient languages that I'm glad to have persisted. Celtic, Welsh, Latin. So I bring a lot of language learning books home that he snags almost every time.

When he does go out, he's often visiting Dad and my other work friend Noelle and her sister December.

Ralsei, Frisk, and Susie aren't quite ready for public human schools, so until we can find something suitable for them, Alphys often stops by to be their tutor.

It's getting late, but I will expand on more details of Ralsei's life here later. Maybe you can catch Ralsei and Susie hanging out silently in my streams! Howdy to you all and I hope to see you again next time!

[silly-inky]

So I'm working on this fan fiction inspired from @penbwl post about a bowuigi prompt (I will repost it here if I am allowed) this is what i have so far, still a work in progress but yeah

*Kamek POV 3rd person*

"Everything is preped and ready your maliciousnous" The old Magikoopa spoke firmly, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Stepping into the Hall as the guards shut the Giant doorsbehind the old man.

Kamek, the right hand man and royal adviser to the king, made his way through the massive throne room, following the Crimson Carpet with golden trims, allowing himself to be guided towards the King.

"Good. I hope that this will run smoothly Kamek, we don't want to miss such an opportunity" The Kings grugh voice boomed throughout the hall.

Sat a top his Large Throne, that was made as intimidating as King himself was. It was made of stone and metal, and encrusted with the most vibrant of Amythests and Ruby's, hints of the Crimson Lether padding, cushioning the Throne could be seen from certain angles where the kings massive frame was not blocking the view. Spikes pertruding out of the top of the throne, Imitating the spike the king himself adorned on the back of his shell. Truly a Bold statement, but fitting for the King of The Koopa Kingdom.

"I assure you that the plan will run smoothly on my part, I have made sure of it. " Kamek promised the King, finally standing before the Throne, after his long journey through the Hall, almost leaving him breathless.

It was so much easier when Kamek was in his prime, still young and spry, but that was years ago now, in fact the last time he could recall even being able to run was when the King was still a child under the Magikoopa's care, his highness was always a bit of a trouble maker, so he was always chasing after him. The quick trip down memory lane made Kamek sigh with slight discontent, although he would never say it to the King, he missed looking after the little prince.

"Anyways!" Kamek said, snapping himself out of his funk "it should be ready for next week your grumpiness"

This plan had been in the works for well over a month, as gathering all the necessary research and practicing the spell was time consuming, even for such an experienced Mage such as Kamek. But non the less it should work, Bowser had full trust in his advisor, and had even more confidence in his brilliant plan.

Normally Bowser's plans where foiled by Mario, being the no good “Goodie too-shoes Hero” he is, but this one definitely was not only fool proof, but dare he say Mario proof!

You see, Bowser had come up with a plan to get into his arch nemesis’s head, well in a matter of speaking. So Kamek did some diging, to make this a reality. The spell that he was to perform on the King would allow him to be able to read the mind of the first person he touches, which of course would be Mario.

How would Bowser do this you ask? Simple, an event, to be more precise the annual sports tournament was next week, the Kings beloved Princess Peach would organise and host these events to try and ease tensions between kingdoms and try and grow relations and bonds with others outside her own kingdom, as well as, some good old fashioned fun never hurt anybody, right?

Anyways back to the point, the plan would be, that Bowser would allow Mario to win a match of something, probably tennis, and when he would go to shake his hand at the end of the match, as a sign of good sportsmanship, BOOM. The spell would be in effect, and he could ascertain information about the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mario Bro's personal life, which could be very useful down the line.

But for this to work, the King had to put his one pride aside, which was not easy for him. As much as Bowser hated loosing, he and everyone else knows he would never show an ounce of sportsmanship towards Mario if he had won the match.

" I can't wait! Oh to hear I get on Mario's nerves when i beat him in the games, that would be brilliant!" Bowser exclaimed with a harty laugh

Bowser then frowned at the thought of even pretending to be civil with his rival, even if he didn't have a plan in place. But in order to attend the tournament he would have to sign a temporary peace treaty, so that way he couldn't harm any of the Mushroom Kingdoms residents (on purpose anyways) or other people at the event. But hearing Mario's agitated thoughts would make up for that.

"Will the Koppalings being just attending, or will they take part in the event with you this year your Moodiness?"

Kamek asked, attempting to break the silence the King had left after his chuckle

"What? Oh. No they will not, they would rather stay at the castle than spend time with their own man, pssh. Jr will be though so do make sure everything is prepared for him as well"

Bowser said caught off guard after his train of thought was broke.

"Very well, should I tell them about your plan?"

Kamek questioned again

"No. As much as i love the little twerps, they tend to get a bit to excited when i do this sort of stuff, we can't have the plan foiled even if done unintentionally"

Bowser said, feeling slightly guilty for keeping his children out of the loop

"Alright, if that is all i will take my leave"

"Yes that will be all, you are dismissed"

Bowser said waving his hand, shooing the MagiKoopa away. Allowing him self to slip back into his thoughts of presumably wiping the floor the Mushroom Kingdoms" Hero"

Kamek let out a sigh after exiting the throne room, as much as he ha faith in the plan, he can't help but feel like something is going to get in the way. No time to dwel on those thoughts though, he has to make sure Jr has all of his needs sports gear, and if any if it needs replacing.

[mirclealignr]

- PET NAMES I THINK HP CHARACTERS WOULD USE

(pls these are just my opinions, you are absolutely entitled to disagree but pls don’t be rude — i’m just having some fun)

HARRY POTTER -

- probably starts off calling you ‘mate’ ckfjff sorry but he does.

- and no offence to our little awkward boy, but he’s a basic bitch and would 100% use ‘love’ and pretty much nothing else

- yeah....i love him but yeah.....

RON WEASLEY -

- not an expert on our king here but i feel like he’d call you ‘jellybean’. don’t @ me

- i feel like he’d also call you ‘cutie’ ? idk something about ron just makes me think that.

- also think he’d call you ‘muffin’.

HERMIONE GRANGER -

- i feel like she wouldn’t use them very much. she just doesn’t strike me as the sort to really use terms of endearment or pet names.

- but when she’s feeling extra cutsie or trying to comfort you, she probably uses ‘lovely’ or ‘my lovely’

DRACO MALFOY -

- mf rich boy has an array.

- probably starts off hella basic as he’s getting to know you like ‘love’ — very generic for him, doesn’t wanna get too close too fast.

- then it gets better as he starts getting to know you, using ‘darling’ and probably like “hello beautiful” coz he cocky.

- when you’re together he absolutely just goes full on : ‘my darling’ (yes it’s different), ‘princess/prince’ , ‘my heart’.

CEDRIC DIGGORY -

- he’s an absolute cutie (change my mind) so defo uses pet names like ‘sunshine’.

- he 1000% uses ‘sweets’, especially when you wake up in the morning and are in the great hall for meals together.

- i think in more intimate settings he’d use ‘cupcake’, bc idk i feel like that’s just for you and close friends to hear.

- ‘peanut’ — do not argue.

GINNY WEASLEY -

- this confident ass stunning woman has no problem calling you ‘beautiful’ even before she knows you

- ‘alright, beautiful?’ — yes. continues to call you that.

- when ginny is feeling all soft though, she calls you ‘biscuit’

LUNA LOVEGOOD -

- these i just think completely fit Luna’s personality, but i don’t think she uses many. Genuinely think she, instead, says your name...a lot.

- but i think she’d use ‘angel’ simply because i think she’d see you as that and nothing less.

- tell me if i’m wrong but on special occasions or extra quirky days, she calls you ‘mushroom’

- side note, i hope you call her ‘dreamy’, i feel like that would make her really happy.

NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM -

- please he’s so awkward and shy at the beginning, my mind just immediately goes to something like ‘hey buddy’ fkfjjfjf

- okay but seriously i think he would use ‘my dear’, especially when he’s older and wearing those adorable sweaters.

- he probably only says that around you though.

- once he’s really comfortable around you though, he’d use like ‘flower’ and ‘buttercup’, maybe ‘rosy’ — coz like....herbology.

SIRIUS BLACK -

- this man just always wants to shower you in affection — always. and he’s theatrical, there’s no debate.

- even before he knows you well i think he’d use ‘darling’ but he’d also continue to use it after you’re close/together, probably adds ‘my’ when you’re closer.

- don’t tell me he doesn’t know french — ‘mon amor’ is just a definite. it’s a given.

- probably calls you ‘precious’ as well.

REGULUS BLACK -

- honestly feel like regulus is just so bloody grateful for you, like inexplicably.

- probably calls you ‘treasure/my treasure’ but that’s when you’re v close / have been together a while.

- personally think he’d call you ‘dove’ — idk why i just think it’s something he’d use. Probably uses it before ‘treasure’.

- ‘mon chéri /ma chérie’ — won’t take criticism.

REMUS LUPIN -

- is absolutely the purest of beings so i stand by all my choices here.

- honestly even if you were just friends, remus would definitely call you ‘sweetheart’ but he’d also use it if you were more too.

- i am certain he’d call you ‘dearest’ after being together. like bc you absolutely are the dearest thing to him.

- definitely calls you ‘my dear’ as well — more when he’s older.

JAMES POTTER -

- bless this boy’s cocky heart, am i right?

- first meeting, first time he lays eyes on you, he calls you ‘gorgeous’ ( “hi gorgeous” ) and just never stops calling you that.

- ‘sweetness’ i think just fits his personality and i think he’d call you that a lot in earnest but also a lot when he’s joking or trying to get his way.

- if you use she/her pronouns or are comfortable with feminine terms of endearment, i feel like he’d call you a goddess.

LILY EVANS -

- okay yeah she’s a badass but also she’s pure as hell, especially when it comes to you (and i see her as like a mother hen ) so....

- ‘sweet pea’ — i mean can you not just see it, hear it? she does.

- idk why i just see this so much, but ‘cookie’ - feel free to disagree with me on that one lmao

[thelittlequeerpumpkinwitch]

So I've been thinking about mushroom boys for awhile, and so like ... Lost Forest Princes AU.

The Forest has existed since time immemorial. ( i am sure it has many, many much cooler names, but it is one am and whatever part of my brain handles naming things is asleep. ) It's somewhere between a place, a being, and a dream - living and breathing and thrumming with magic, malleable and ever shifting, and yet it's boarders are strictly defined.

The Forest is home to a wide variety of beings and creatures; some in long settled ancestral homes, some wanderers enticed to settle in a land that protects them, some entirely unique to the Forest itself.

They say that any human who enters the Forest will never return, destined to suffer a fate worse than death, and that is only ... partially true. The Forest protects its Children, and its Children protect the forest; anyone who enters with ill intent will be swiftly dealt with. The Forest is also near un-navigable without some level of magic or magic awareness, and many humans who wander in are simply lost to the elements. There are also those who earn the Forests affection, and are accepted into it. These sort rarely choose to leave of their own will, content to spend the rest of their days there. It is possible to pass through unscathed, however, if you keep your wits about you and are kind to the Forest and the inhabitants, without being taken by their charms.

One such Chosen was a man by the name of Romulus. After losing his wife and daughter during childbirth, he grows despondent, and enters the Forest to spend the rest of his days in solitude. Only, there isn't really any solitude in the Forest, because the Forest itself is always with you. He comes to love the Forest and it's people, and decides to dedicate the rest of his life to caring for them, and he becomes a Favorite of the Forest.

Time moves differently in the Forest, and weeks become years in the blink of an eye. Romulus becomes steeped in the magic of the Forest, in its very lifeblood. He realizes he could live forever, if he wants to. He thinks of his wife and their child, waiting for him beyond life, and realizes he doesn't want to. The Forest grieves his choice, but it won't deny him his wish. And he promises he won't leave it alone, nor unguarded. The Forest yearns for another like him; for an heir, a prince.

Romulus takes his time preparing for his departure. He doesn't want to leave his family too suddenly, and he wants to bring his heir into a place that is ready to care for him. He gifts his favorite apple tree to a glimmering young snake, and in turn he's gifted a silver dragon's egg that's never hatched - hibernating, but not quite gone. It awakens in his hands and a clumsy toddler, all claws and scales and wings too large, tumbles out, eager to scramble about at his heels. A prince out to have a loyal companion, and a dragon makes a wonderful friend. He names her Rhea.

When the day finally comes, they treat it as a celebration of life and not a time for mourning, as Romulus has asked them too. Everyone is a bit surprised when two infants emerge from the tree fruit they were growing in, but it's a lovely surprise. Two Princes of the Forest to be celebrated, two darling children to love. Romulus uses his own life to forge the bond between the Princes and their Forest, and his body is buried beneath the tree.

The denizens of the Forest argue for days about what to name the boys, whether they even need names at all, until finally the serpent leaves his apple tree, coils around the Princes and their Dragon, and declares their names to be Roman and Remus in a tone that leaves little room for argument.

For awhile, there is only joy in the Forest. The children grow, beloved and adored by all, and soon the sound of bell like laughter and tiny feet become a constant music. It doesn't last.

There's a human village just beyond the edge of the Forest. They've lived there in peace for generations, but that too doesn't last. The children stray too close to the edge of the Forest, and spot a bright eyed, curly haired human child. Lured in by their curiosity, they wander over to make friends - and are soon snatched up by the adults minding the child. Only Rhea escapes, racing back into the Forest to cry for help, but it comes too late. Beyond the grasp of the Forest, the humans flee, taking the precious Princes with them.

The Forest is shaken to it's very core. Overwhelmed with grief and rage, it bursts past its borders and curls itself around the village, choking the light and the life from it - but the Princes aren't there, and so it pushes itself farther and farther, growing larger and more volatile each day as it searches for its stolen children.

The Forest and all within it mourn, wishing for the say their Princes return to them. And one day, they do.

Notes: Yeah Janus is the serpent, and the human boy is Patton. Virgil is another denizen of the Forest, absolutely a spider boy because I love that shit. Logan is most likely a young sorcerer/researcher who will enter the Forest with Patton to search for Roman & Remus, who have disappeared into the Forest. Rhea is my version of the Dragon Witch, Romulus is indeed a reference to King Creativity. The twins are capable of altering the Forest's landscape because of their connection to it, though they aren't initially aware of that, leading to a scenario like mushroom summoning and bouncing.

Will expand on this later for sure.

[bookjonsa]

"Of Sansa brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing Jon Snow" seems straight out of a cheesy romance novel lol. Lets be honest here.

Yeah, that's our Jon, a romantic at heart:

Calling his half sister Sansa “radiant”:

Sansa looked radiant as she walked beside him, but Jon did not like Joffrey's pouty lips or the bored, disdainful way he looked at Winterfell's Great Hall. 

—A Game of Thrones - Jon I

Dreaming about his mother:

Not my mother, Jon thought stubbornly. He knew nothing of his mother; Eddard Stark would not talk of her. Yet he dreamed of her at times, so often that he could almost see her face. In his dreams, she was beautiful, and highborn, and her eyes were kind.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon III

Playing the hero: 

Every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; Snow and Stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of Winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see. They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight,*" Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." Or Robb would say, "I'm the Young Dragon," and Jon would reply, "I'm Ser Ryam Redwyne.**"

—A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

*Ser Aemon the Dragonknight, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he crowned Queen Naerys his Queen of Love and Beauty.

**Ser Ryan Redwyne, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he crowned Queen Alysanne his Queen of Love and Beauty.

Giving courtesies:

"I don't even know your name."

"Gilly, he called me. For the gillyflower."

"That's pretty." He remembered Sansa telling him once that he should say that whenever a lady told him her name. He could not help the girl, but perhaps the courtesy would please her. 

—A Clash of Kings - Jon III

Playing the honorable knight:

After that he had taken to using Ghost to keep her away. Old Nan used to tell stories about knights and their ladies who would sleep in a single bed with a blade between them for honor's sake, but he thought this must be the first time where a direwolf took the place of the sword. 

—A Storm of Swords - Jon II

Straight out the book of courtly love...

Wooing a girl:

If I could show her Winterfell . . . give her a flower from the glass gardens, feast her in the Great Hall, and show her the stone kings on their thrones. We could bathe in the hot pools, and love beneath the heart tree while the old gods watched over us.

—A Storm of Swords - Jon V

Wishing for a domestic life:

I would need to steal her if I wanted her love, but she might give me children. I might someday hold a son of my own blood in my arms. A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall. I could name him Robb. Val would want to keep her sister's son, but we could foster him at Winterfell, and Gilly's boy as well. Sam would never need to tell his lie. We'd find a place for Gilly too, and Sam could come visit her once a year or so. Mance's son and Craster's would grow up brothers, as I once did with Robb.

He wanted it, Jon knew then. He wanted it as much as he had ever wanted anything. I have always wanted it, he thought, guiltily. May the gods forgive me. 

—A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

Calling his mare “sweet lady”:

The mare whickered softly as Jon Snow tightened the cinch. “Easy, sweet lady,” he said in a soft voice, quieting her with a touch. Wind whispered through the stable, a cold dead breath on his face, but Jon paid it no mind. He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. “Ghost,” he called softly, “to me.” And the wolf was there, eyes like embers.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon IX

Being friends with soft boys:

Whatever pride his lord father might have felt at Samwell’s birth vanished as the boy grew up plump, soft, and awkward. Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs, to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks, drinking in the rich smells as he snitched lemon cakes and blueberry tarts. His passions were books and kittens and dancing, clumsy as he was.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon IV

Sam remembered the last time he’d sung the song with his mother, to lull baby Dickon to sleep. His father had heard their voices and come barging in, angry. “I will have no more of that,” Lord Randyll told his wife harshly. “You ruined one boy with those soft septon’s songs, do you mean to do the same to this babe?” Then he looked at Sam and said, “Go sing to your sisters, if you must sing. I don’t want you near my son.”

—A Storm of Swords - Samwell III

The boy claimed to be eighteen, older than Jon, but he was green as summer grass for all that. Satin, they called him, even in the wool and mail and boiled leather of the Night’s Watch; the name he’d gotten in the brothel where he’d been born and raised. He was pretty as a girl with his dark eyes, soft skin, and raven’s ringlets.

—A Storm of Swords - Jon VII

“Night gathers, and now my watch begins,” they said, as thousands had said before them. Satin’s voice was sweet as song, Horse’s hoarse and halting, Arron’s a nervous squeak. “It shall not end until my death.”

(…)

He could smell Horse’s unwashed breeches, the sweet scent Satin combed into his beard, the rank sharp smell of fear, the giant’s overpowering musk. He could hear the beating of his own heart. ”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon VII

Satin was all grace, dancing with three serving girls in turn but never presuming to approach a highborn lady. Jon judged that wise. He did not like the way some of the queen’s knights were looking at the steward, particularly Ser Patrek of King’s Mountain. That one wants to shed a bit of blood, he thought. He is looking for some provocation.

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

Imagining his half sister Sansa calling the lands beyond the wall “an enchantment”:

The pale pink light of dawn sparkled on branch and leaf and stone. Every blade of grass was carved from emerald, every drip of water turned to diamond. Flowers and mushrooms alike wore coats of glass. Even the mud puddles had a bright brown sheen. Through the shimmering greenery, the black tents of his brothers were encased in a fine glaze of ice.

So there is magic beyond the Wall after all. He found himself thinking of his sisters, perhaps because he’d dreamed of them last night. Sansa would call this an enchantment, and tears would fill her eyes at the wonder of it, but Arya would run out laughing and shouting, wanting to touch it all.

—A Clash of Kings - Jon III

Giving up his deepest desire and by that, refusing to despoil his half sister Sansa of her rights:

“How can I lose men I do not have? I had hoped to bestow Winterfell on a northman, you may recall. A son of Eddard Stark. He threw my offer in my face.” Stannis Baratheon with a grievance was like a mastiff with a bone; he gnawed it down to splinters.

“By right Winterfell should go to my sister Sansa.”

“Lady Lannister, you mean? Are you so eager to see the Imp perched on your father’s seat? I promise you, that will not happen whilst I live, Lord Snow.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

Jon said, “Winterfell belongs to my sister Sansa.”

“I have heard all I need to hear of Lady Lannister and her claim.” The king set the cup aside. “You could bring the north to me. Your father’s bannermen would rally to the son of Eddard Stark. Even Lord Too-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse. White Harbor would give me a ready source of supply and a secure base to which I could retreat at need. It is not too late to amend your folly, Snow. Take a knee and swear that bastard sword to me, and rise as Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.”

How many times will he make me say it? “My sword is sworn to the Night’s Watch.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon IV

And of course, as if he sensed he was going to die, informing us that his fondest memory of his half sister Sansa is the following:

He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon’s breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady’s coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird’s nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back …

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon XIII

He's so fluffy!  I'm gonna die!

Thanks for your message.

Good night.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2021 Megaman Valentine’s Day Contest - Rules Thread *CLOSED*

Welcome to year #14 of my mostly-annual Megaman Valentine’s Day Fanart Contest!

Two categories, in which you are allowed to submit one entry for each category, if you would like. If you place in one category, you will be automatically disqualified from the other, for reasons of fairness, and to give other people a chance to win a prize.

CATEGORY 1:  Kiss From a Rosered (Talent)

Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a Rosered on Nebula Grey Ooh, the more I think of it, the stranger it feels, yeah And now here to give a rose to Split Mushroom A light hits the room on Jet Stingraaaaayyyyy~

Ba-da-da, ba-da-da-da-da-da, ba-da-da

For this category, your goal is to create a scene between the Megaman characters of your choice involving roses being given to one's Valentine. Simple enough, right? But there is a little twist. For those who don't know, the color of the rose actually has some meaning behind it. We are all used to the standard red rose as a symbol of love more than anything. But just as there are different forms of love, there are different concepts these various colors can represent, when giving someone you love flowers.

The other part of the challenge for this talent category will be your use of color in your pic. Just as you choose a color to convey meaning with this rose, and theme your scene in a similar manner, I'd also like to see you utilize this color as the strongest within your piece. 

So, while I don't expect all of these submissions to be purely monochromatic, or a single hue when coloring, your goal will be to try to make your art have your rose color as the dominant color in your piece. Whether that means the characters you choose are predominantly that color too, or, they have a pallette change with their outfit/armor/etc. to echo or help contrast the color theme. 

Content Requirements: 

* Megaman characters of your choice giving roses to their special someone on Valentine's Day

* Utilizing the symbolism of specific rose colors within your artwork (see a list with examples here: https://www.proflowers.com/blog/rose-color-meanings) to help set the scene. 

       For example, if you are using purple roses, it often represents love at first sight. Your artwork should convey characters involved in a love at first sight scene.  

* When coloring your art, keeping the color of the rose you chose to also be the predominant color of the piece. (This does not mean you have to stick to a single hue when coloring. You are free to be as creative as you can with this in mind!)

* Judging will take all of these content requirements into consideration, and how well you are able to mesh all of them together in your piece. 

CATEGORY 2: Kawaai-rimi (Humor)

From lining store shelves this time of year, to carnival prizes, or even life-size 30th Anniversary editions, there's nothing that says love like a soft, cuddly plush character to snuggle. 

One of the more memorable Mega Man plushes comes from the Battle Network series, specifically the kawarimi/anti-damage doll of Megaman.EXE. So, using that as the basis for this category, your job will be to create a Valentine's Day-themed plush of a Megaman character. But again, with a little twist.

The Megaman character of your choice is in a scenario where they need to give a gift to their sweetheart, and they need one very quick. Who pops up to help? Why, it's Shadow Man (or any ninja character from any Megaman series of your choice)! To help this character in a bind, your ninja character instantaneously produces a specially-made Valentine's kawarimi plush. Your character can then give this plush doll to his or her Valentine. 

For example, a cute little Sir Crescent Grizzly bear, who just wants to hug-a-lot with his sharp claws, or a charming Toad prince, who wants to give kisses with a little tongue. Have fun thinking of funny, but cute plush concepts!

Content Requirements:

* A Megaman-related character created in Valentine's Day plush form. Draw the most clever, unique and hilarious design for this plush

* A ninja character in the scene, who can instantly produce this plush for your character who is in a bind to give a gift to his crush

* As this is the humor category, judging will be based primarily on how funny your piece is. Creativity, concept and execution may get you some points, but the focus of this category is how you make us laugh! 

PRIZES:

Due to Covid still causing havoc around the world, physical prizes are going to be a little tougher, with some regions still seeing postal restrictions. So the main prizes for winners will still likely be cash, sent via Paypal.

The winners for both the Talent and Humor categories will receive the following:

1st Place: $100 USD  2nd Place: $75 USD  3rd Place: $50 USD 

(...as long as I don't bankrupt myself helping with a certain auction before this...*ahem*)

PARTICIPATION PRIZE RAFFLE:

However, I am still going to try to give away 2 cels in another participation prize raffle this year. I don't want to limit this to US entrants only, although given the circumstances, it might be hard to send to certain countries. I will certainly try to send either of these worldwide. But just know it may depend on postal regulations, as the ripple effects of this awful virus continue into the following months.

In any case, when you submit, please mention which cel you would like to be entered into the raffle for.

If you draw a pic for both the Humor and the Talent Categories, you can double your chances to win! (Odds of course, depending on how many others enter and also draw two pics.) You will be able to add your name into the drawing a second time for the prize you are most interested in, or have a chance at both!

Raffle Prize #1 – Captain N Mega Man with genie lamp

Raffle Prize #2 – Captain N 'Cuts Man'

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: 

When you submit, I would prefer you to include the following information in this format, along with your entry:

• (Your name/preferred alias) – As much as I usually know who you are, there’s always someone new or somebody who has a different preference from what their email name says. 

• (Category this entry is for) – You can either say 1 or 2, or Talent/Humor

• (Participation Prize Eligibility) – Again, you can say either 1 or 2, or Mega Man/Cut Man

In the event you are submitting your second entry, please specify which cel you would like your bonus chance in the raffle to be put towards. 

Only submit your own work, as usual. Any character, major or minor, from any series is allowed. Pairing characters from different series is totally allowed. Same-gender pairings are completely fine. OCs are allowed, as long as your art contains at least one canon Megaman character.

As always, participants are allowed to submit from all over the world. 

Paypal is still the preferred method for cash prize payouts. Please have a valid account to receive your winnings. 

Youngin's, get your parents permission before entering.

Entries do not need to be fully colored, but it is preferred. The more effort put into things, as always, the better chance you have!

Entries can either be e-mailed to me at rock2125[at]hotmail[dot]com, or you can just PM/note me a link to your pic. 

DO NOT post your pics in this journal, your dA galleries, Twitter, tumblr blogs, other sites, etc. until the contest is over. This is the fairest way for competitive reasons. I prefer to keep them all secret until the deadline has passed. 

I'll edit a confirmed entry list in this thread when I receive them. So you won't be in the dark about whether or not I've received your entry. 

DEADLINE: 

The deadline for this contest will be Saturday, February 13th, 2021 by 11:59PM (global end of the day). This gives you a little more than 5 weeks to finish your entry! 

MISCELLANEOUS INFO: 

- As usual, If you don't plan to enter, but would like to help me judge, please let me know through DM or mention so here. Never hurts to have extra opinions on all the entries.

Bug me with questions if you have any. Please join in, and good luck to everyone who enters! 

Confirmed Entries:  

Cat. 1 - Forceway, @dragonmarquise, @digitallyfanged, donnie, abilityfield, @aw-colorcat, Mattasaurs, Dark-Dullahan, Sapphire Cat. 2 - Mattasaurs, ColeManX, @destinywillowleaf​

[irishmacguirefucker]

I need to know about the barn cats for emotional support reasons

FUCK YEAH I CAN DUDE. Be sure to read past the cut, I talk more about the kittens in the second half.

It started with one really. They were having a bit of a mice issue and figured what better to deal with it than a little hunter. The plan was to ask around, see if anyone had some to sell, but one kinda fell into their laps. Lenny, Mary-Beth, and Hosea had taken a little trip into town. There was a beautiful old bookshop they were headed to, looking to spend a bit of their new earnings on some novels. After spending far too long in the bookshop, they were heading to the general store for supplies.

When they were nearly there, there was a commotion across the street. They watched as the barkeep of the saloon chased a scrappy looking cat out of his bar with a broom. Without thinking, Mary-Beth ran to defend the poor animal. She’s always been quick, and she managed to scoop up the fleeing feline before it could get underneath the porch of the general store. The angry barkeep stormed up to her broom in hand, and Lenny and Hosea took a protective stance directly behind her. “That your cat, girl?”

The brunette responded with just as much venom. “Yes she is and I don't appreciate you beating her like that, she ain't done nothing wrong!”

She glared right back at him, and he looked offended that she would dare to speak against him. “She was sitting on my goddamned bar! Keep your animal in check, next time I ain't gonna be so nice.”

Lenny bristled, and nearly pushed the man from where he was getting so close, but Hosea held him back before he could.  “Now there’s no need for all this ruckus, we’re taking the cat away now. Come now Mary-beth, we had better get her home.”

The barkeep was still red-faced with anger but didn’t say more as the small group walked away. They got to the porch of the general store, and Hosea was about to address Mary-Beth when an old woman sitting on the bench outside spoke up.

“Now you don't mind old Larry, he’s nothing but an angry bastard.” She said, putting down her knitting on her lap.” That your cat there, young lady? I could have sworn she was the stray that's been running ‘round here since the springtime…”

Mary-Beth flushed at the slight chastising tone in the elderly woman's voice, but she just laughed. “Don’t worry girl, I’m just glad someone is looking out for her. Are you going to keep her?”

Mary-Beth turned to Hosea with the biggest puppy dog eyes. “Please Hosea, she’s all alone! And we need a cat to take care of the mice, let me bring her home!”

Hosea laughed kindly at her pleading. “Now how could I say no when you ask so nicely. Come on Lenny, it seems we will be getting the supplies ourselves since miss Gaskill has her arms full.” Lenny just laughed along and followed the older man in.

Mary Beth nearly followed him when the older woman stopped her. “Now don’t go bringing her in there, they’ll have your head for bringing an animal inside. Come, sit by me while you wait on your father.”

Mary-Beth didn't bother to correct her as she sat on the small bench. The cat had begun to calm down, now focused on aggressively sniffing Mary-Beth's perfume scented curls. “We needed a barn cat, she’s quite the little blessing!”

The old woman smiled kindly. “She’ll be good at her job, she’s been killing mice ‘round here for months.”

Mary-Beth and the woman conversed for a while as the men got supplies. It was nice to make conversation with the locals, it wasn't a pleasure they really had back in her outlaw days. Never without a motive at least. The men walked out and they each said their goodbyes to the sweet old lady and headed back to the wagon. By now the cat was completely calm, just enjoying the scratching and petting from her saviour.

Mary-Beth reluctantly handed her to Lenny while she climbed into the back of the wagon, and when Lenny carefully placed the tabby in the wagon as well it immediately went and laid beside the girl. It was a calm ride home, and everyone was happy to see that they had found an answer to their mouse problem, and an adorable one at that.

-

In Mary-Beth’s defence, she had no way of knowing the cat was pregnant. 

She hadn't been so round when they picked her up, but now a few weeks later she was looking ready to pop. She had become quite the spoiled cat in her time at the ranch, but she had no interest in actually staying in the ranch house. She spent a lot of time exploring the property, and some of the gang were a little worried she might just run off. Luckily she stuck around, taking a particular liking to the loft above the barn.

To everyone's surprise, Molly was practically the cat’s biggest fan. She had cats back in Ireland and had liked them since she was a little girl. Whenever she saw the pregnant tabby she would give her a little treat, or pet her until the feline got bored. The redhead was a little sad that the cat didn't seem to spend much time inside the ranch house, but in a way, it encouraged molly to go outside herself. She was the one to find out the cat was giving birth. They all knew she was close and each member was a little worried about finding a litter of newborn kittens in their beds, but the only one hoping to be there when it happened was Molly.

She hadn't seen the cat in nearly two days and she was worried. She asked around, and nobody had seen the feline. Eventually, she recruited Jack, Mary-Beth, and Tilly to help her look for the cat properly. After nearly two hours of searching, Jack burst into the main house and grabbed Molly by the hand to drag her outside. He was speaking a mile a minute, but the moment she heard the word ‘Kittens’ she was running to keep up with the boy. When she got to the barn, she saw Kieran climbing down from the loft. He had been working in the barn at the time and climbed up to help the girls look, and found the healthy litter with their mother.

She had 6 little kittens, each of the suckling from their mother in the straw. Kieran explained as much and one at a time each of the girls climbed up to take a look. They were all surprised when Molly climbed the ladder, but she was determined to get a look at the babies. As she sat among the straw, gazing at the squirming babies she called down to the others. “Will they be alright up here? It's so cold…”

Eventually, they decided that when the kittens opened their eyes properly they would try and move the little nest into the main house to be watched properly. After helping Jack take a look, Molly very carefully climbed back down the ladder and followed the others into the house once more.

A few weeks later, there were kittens roaming the whole ranch. It took a little getting used to for some, trying not to let them get underfoot, but it was nice. They had all taken to calling the mother ‘Mama’, and Jack had named nearly all the kittens after spices from the herb garden. One of them, however, Molly named. It was a stark white kitten that she had her eye on from the start. It acted a little different from the others and the mother always had an eye on it. Eventually, they determined that the white kitten was deaf, though that didn't stop him from rolling with his siblings just the same. Molly had been enamoured with it from the start, spoiling it and carrying it around. She named him Shamrock and called him her lucky little prince. He ended up being the most spoiled cat of the bunch and followed Molly around the house like it was his job. The moment she sat anywhere, he was in her lap. His fur grew to be long as his mother’s, and Molly brushed it often. Not to say she didn't also brush the other cats as often as they would let her, but Shamrock was the only one who seemed to enjoy it rather than just tolerate it.

Dutch is not a fan of Shamrock. He does not appreciate that he’s basically stealing his girl. The cat also does not like Dutch, he literally growls at the man when he leans over to kiss Molly. It's very funny.

The other kittens are Yarrow, Mint, Basil, Sage, and Mushroom. Yarrow is a near copy of her mother, just smaller. Mint and Basil are nearly identical orange longhair Tabby’s, both male. Sage is a grey tabby but she has short fur. Mushroom is solid grey.

Jack named them, it was right around the time Charles and Hosea were making the Herb garden and teaching the boy about different plants. The boy is mushroom's favourite. The grey cat almost acts like a dog, wrestling with Cain and climbing all over Jack. They go on adventures, the three of them, like a little team.

Yarrow is the best hunter, just like her mom. She's particularly great at catching birds, when she got bigger she actually took down a few crows in the garden.

Sage is a menace. She can get into anyone's home somehow and will climb all over their stuff. It drives Grimshaw absolutely crazy.

Mint and Basil can only be told apart by Mint’s one white sock and the white tip of Basil’s tail.

[japaneseadventures]

“National Tournament Report” Tezuka and Fuji Version Part V

INDEX: [Part I] [Part II] [Part III] [Part IV] Audio commentary from Prince of Tennis OVA: National Tournament Arc, FAN DISK White heat Remix, translated by me. It's finally the last part!! Part V is Tezuka and Fuji’s commentary on Echizen vs Atobe match. Audio linked in the Content Source below.

Fuji: It’s finally the last match. Tezuka: Yeah. Fuji: I was convinced that you wanted to have another match with Atobe. Tezuka: Atobe and I know each other’s cards too well. That’s why I wanted to try placing my bet on Echizen’s potential. Fuji: Hmm... Tezuka: What? Fuji: That’s not the only reason you chose to have him play Atobe though, is it.  Tezuka: Hm? Fuji: If you get him to play against Atobe, Echizen’s skills would definitely grow. Wasn’t that why you placed him in Singles 1? Tezuka: Ngh. Fuji: Right on the mark, huh. I can tell how big your expectations are for him from that. Tezuka: I think of this year’s tournament first and foremost, of course. But this year isn’t the end of Seigaku Tennis Club. I’m the captain. I have a responsibility to make sure the club 2-3 years from now will be strong. Fuji: *laughs* Tezuka: What? Did I say something funny? Fuji: No. I just thought of how I liked that part of you. I’m really glad you are the Seigaku Tennis Club’s captain.

Tezuka: Is that so? Fuji: But to be honest, it’s not the club’s future I’m interested in; I just want to see Echizen climb higher and higher. That’s it, really. Tezuka: I too want to see where Echizen will end up. Fuji: *laughs* So that really is the reason you had him play against Atobe. Tezuka: Developing one’s skills is best done in real matches. There’s no better way to learn than fighting someone strong. Fuji: That reminds me, Inui said something similar in his memo. He wrote that there’s no better training than playing matches with someone strong. According to one of Inui’s sources, before the tournament, Atobe apparently went to Rikkai  Dai Fuzoku alone to have a match against Sanada and the others. Tezuka: Did he really? Fuji: He got the info from Yanagi of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, so it must be true. Tezuka: Inui’s childhood friend of sorts. Fuji: How surprising. Atobe seems like a cool-headed guy at a glance, but he’s actually pretty passionate. Tezuka: Atobe is the passionate type. Fuji: Oh? You really understand Atobe very well, don’t you. Tezuka: No, I don’t. That’s just the feeling he managed to convey when we played. Fuji: I see. Speaking of which, was Atobe not offended when you told him you’d be absent from today’s meeting?  Tezuka: No. He called to talk about how the meeting would progress, and when I told him I wouldn’t be coming, he said, “You weren’t invited in the first place.” And quickly hung up.  Fuji: I think you should be more concerned about that... Tezuka: Why? Fuji: He’ll resent you for that.

[Atobe in video: Even here you’re still getting in my way, Tezuka?!]

Fuji: *laughs* Look! He’s mad. Tezuka: But that was clearly a move Echizen pulled off with State of Self Actualization. There’s no reason for him to blame it on me. Fuji: I guess that’s just how much everyone is affected by you. Tezuka: I still don’t see how it’s my fault. Fuji: Around this part, they started pulling out all their skills, and it became more of a battle between their stamina and mental strength. Tezuka: They were very evenly matched. Fuji: When one side gains a point advantage, the other side is quick to change the tide. Neither of them yielded, did they. Tezuka: Mm. Fuji: Your match with Atobe was pretty fierce too, but this was also a great match. Even just rewatching it in video gives me chills.

[Lights fall during Atobe-Echizen match]

Fuji: Oh, this moment unsurprisingly made my blood run cold. Tezuka: Mm.

[Atobe: Tezuka! Seigaku’s going to lose because you let a little first year become Seigaku’s pillar!! Tezuka: He's not the pillar yet.]

Fuji: But you always give a proper reaction to what Atobe says, don’t you Tezuka. Tezuka: Mm. Fuji: Tezuka? Tezuka: Mm. Huh? Oh, I was… I apologize. Fuji: You were thinking of something else again. Tezuka: I can have-- Fuji: 10 different thoughts at the same time. Tezuka: You have a good memory, Fuji. Fuji: Out of curiosity, what exactly is going through your mind right now? Tezuka: Listening to you. Fuji: And? Tezuka: Analyzing the video. Fuji: And? Tezuka: Whether Oishi is holding up well. Fuji: And? Tezuka: Having to collect the club budget by tomorrow. Fuji: And? Tezuka: Needing to get the book I reserved at the library. Fuji: Get it then. Tezuka: This year’s sweetfish fishing season started early. Fuji: Is that really relevant right now? Tezuka: I’m planning on climbing the Southern Alps next. Fuji: Shall I lend you a map? Tezuka: loga aᵇ=? Fuji: b. Tezuka: Ich liebe dich. Fuji: When exactly do you plan on using that line? Tezuka: Lastly, answering your question. Fuji: *laughs* I see. Tezuka: Mm. Fuji: Say, I tried to be like Inui and collected some data. Tezuka: Oh? Fuji: The truth is, the real reason I called you out here today was to show you this. Tezuka: How intriguing. Fuji: Look at this. Tezuka: What is this piece of paper? Hm? I see a lot of tally marks. Fuji: I tried my best to count it all while watching the whole video. Tezuka: Sounds tough. But what for? Fuji: What do you think? Tezuka: I’m sorry, but I have no idea. Fuji: It’s the number of times you ignored someone else’s comment. Tezuka: Ignored? Fuji: When you watch people’s matches, you only ever listen with half an ear, even when someone’s talking to you, don’t you. Though you may not be conscious you’re doing it. Tezuka: What’re you talking about? Don’t tell me this is the problem you mentioned earlier? Fuji: Honestly, it’s just like you, not to notice. Oh, right! There’s something I need to do after this. Tezuka: You’re leaving? So did you find a solution for your problem in the end? Fuji: Sorry, but I have to leave the cleanup and lockup to you, Tezuka. See ya! Tezuka: Oi, Fuji! Fuji! Fuji! He left… But what exactly did Fuji want to say? I don’t understand. I’ll at the very least clean up and lock up before I leave… But what exactly did Fuji… What…. Need to lock up... Fuji: Tezuka sure is interesting!

♔ Tezuka, after Fuji presents him a tally of the times he ignored someone: So what was the problem????       Gee man, I wonder what.😂 ♔ It’s been more than a decade since I studied about logarithms, and I didn’t even study how to do math in Japanese, so this was interesting to say the least lmao. I had to read about log identities on Wiki and double check with a similar question on Quora, no big deal I guess.🙃🤣 (It’s correct, right? Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong😂) Honestly I had to look up wild plants, mushrooms and fish for Dokidoki Survival and that was funner than this lmao. I kind of hate Tezuka now for making relearn math and science (in Part I).😂 ♔ I wonder if Tezuka meant the Southern Alps in New Zealand, or the Southern Alps in Yamanishi prefecture, which is also the second highest mountain in Japan. I guess its more likely the latter tho, since that’s what first comes up when searched in Japanese. ♔ Every time Atobe addresses Tezuka while he’s having a match with Echizen, everyone’s just like... who exactly is he having a match against?😂

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch13 Dealing With The Past P2

"WHEN were you going to tell me about this exactly?!," Snatcher whisper screamed at the little girl.

Finding out Poppy was ok was a MAJOR relief of the girls' heads and Snatcher had allowed her to be lead into his home where she could rest for a small while. Currently she was sitting on the footrest he never really used since, well he had no legs and was slightly scowling picking all the leaves and sticks from her tangled, messy hair. Bow was currently resting and was absolutely THRILLED to discover the thing she thought was a weird plant randomly put on Snatcher's chair was in fact. A cat. And Bow having been raised in the Nyakuza City surrounded by cats was of course adored all things kitten like. She had shouted 'A kitty!' quite loud when Rough Patch woke at the sounds of new comers to his home. Of course being the lovable creature he was, didn't even fight back when the young girl picked him up and held him. He just did was he usually did, lazily lay there and purr as Bow curiously pet his leaves. Snatcher had pulled the little girl aside once he had the chance and demanded to know what the peck was going on around here?! Poppy had also wearily been glancing at the few subconites that had gathered around around and peered curiously at her while she did so, but Snatcher had assured her they wouldn't harm her. Besides, they couldn't even harm a small mushroom even if they tried, let alone a grown woman who once upon a time sold flowers to them at one point.

"Um...B-Boss?" One of his minions had tottered over to him and pointed a hand at Poppy worriedly. "I-Isn't that-"

They were hushed up when Snatcher snapped a deep scowl towards them and hissed. Some of the minions still had their memories after death and it looked like they recognized her as much as he did. "Yes. And if any of you say a word of that to her, you'll be put on 'checking the manor' duty! Not ONE word out of any of you!"

The minion looked suddenly nervous and backed off. "Y-Yes, Sir! No, Boss! Right away!" Before he ran back off towards the small group. Not wanting to risk being put on that duty.

Satisfied he snapped back towards the little girl who looked back up to him without so much as a shread of fear, as if used to his anger by now. "Now what in the pecking world is going through that little head of yours?! She told me you let her fall from the sky like a rock! Are you just an expert at dropping things from the sky, kid?"

She pouted like any child her age would. "I didn't mean to! I didn't know she'd be so heavy for teleporting with me! And she's ok so everything's ok, right?"

......He literally facepalmed himself and dragged his claws down his face before looking back at her. "That ISN'T the point, Kid! You gotta be more CAREFUL with these things. Especially when you KNOW it might hurt someone. I thought you learnt this after you dropped those time peices from the sky TWICE!!"

"HEY!! The mafia broke my outer door! And then Mustache Girl stole them! It's NOT my fault!" She ended her rant by crossing her arms.

"Yeah. Well, you did a fantastic job protecting the time peices. But in any case, WHY did you even bring her here in the first place?!"

Her pout melted a little. "Well...She was acting really weird. Like she was sleeping but her eyes were open and she wasn't saying anything. Grown ups always act so weird. So I thought since you're a grown up too and like to be quiet all the time you can help!"

The innocent smile dawned on her face was what made Snatcher sigh and take a glance over at Poppy who just took another small piece of twig from her hair, scowled and flung it to the outside. Seemed like a good enough reason to a child. And he's seen her to crazier things for wackier reasons than wanting to help someone. But out of ALL the things she could've decided to do she brought him his dead, long lost lov-.....Friend. He groaned reaching a hand up to grip at his head. Out of ALL the crazy things to EVER happen to him THIS was the weirdest. Dying and becoming Ghost King of all of Subcon? Weird but he saw it as just rewards for what Vanessa did. She took everything from him so he took everything from her. Finding out there was a sentiant peice of him trapped in another plane of existance? Ok. But that comes with all the cursed magic that came with him. Having shiny time pieces fall into his forest and having a small alien invade his forest? No big deal. He always suspected life beyond his planet with the moon penguins and being able to visit the sun be a thing. So an alien with weird other worldly powers wasn't too much of a shock when he's already seen so much weirder things over a thousand years. Adopting said alien?.......Well.....He guessed he's always wanted a kid deep down. Vanessa did to and he was happy she was willing to have one with him way, WAY back then. But Vanessa was moving WAY too fast and in the end he did always end up with what he wanted. He was SO thankful Hattie wasn't related to Vanessa in any way. Hiding inside a crate to go on a well deserved vacation after getting his but kicked by said alien? HEY. TICKETS. ARE. EXPENSIVE. PERIOD. There was NO way he was paying 152 pons just for a measly few days on a ship in the middle of no where. Accidentally bringing everyone back to life with a time piece? OK! That one was on him. He could admit that. Those things really were too much trouble and he clearly wasn't thinking straight at the time. Coming face to face with the woman he secretly fell in love with?

........All the guilt and what ifs were still there and he still had nightmares about it every so often. But now she was here and....When he first saw her the hard slap of reality in the face sent a shockwave throughout his being like being trapped in ice again. Then everything came rushing back.....EVERYTHING!! The very first time they officially met when he saw her building her makeshift stand in the square. She was about to fall off her ladder trying to paint the sign above her flowers. And he was passing by at the same time and he couldn't just let an innocent lady fall and hurt herself. So he dropped what he currently had in his hands, ironically a couple wild flowers he picked from the woods for Vanessa, and managed to catch her bridal style before she hit the cobblestone roads.

"H-Hey." His brown eyes looked over her worried for any injury to the woman in his arms. "A-Are you alright, Ma'am? Have you hurt yourself? That was quite a stumble."

She rubbed her head before looking at him. "Nah. I think I'm alriiiiiiii-...IGHT!! T-T-THE PRINCE!?"

Her blue eyes went so wide when she found out she was in the arms of none other than the famous Prince Philip Snider. But that lasted only a moment before the memories were blasting at him faster than he could physically remember. It happened so quick remembering all those things at ounce. He remembered after a while he was curious about the flower stand in town, so whenever he visited Vanessa he would just instead stop by there. At first he wasn't too sure about spending all those pons on the flowers when he could pick wild flowers for free, but when he saw them. He had NEVER seen roses so red. Like the color of the prettiest red paints. Or Tigerlilies with such bright tan petals and deep dark black stripes. Resembling the beast in all it's glory. And lilacs so purple like the twilight at the very beginning of sunrise. Better than any wild flowers he'd ever seen. Vanessa thought so too. And after all at that point in his life he beleived Vanessa deserved nothing but the best and Poppy's flowers were the best he'd ever seen. That's how the two began talking. When he complimented her amazing flowers and she proudly told him all she did to make her hard work so beautiful. And he always admired hard work. Back in his day it was VERY hard for a lady to get a successful career by themselves outside a maid, cook, teacher, or very few they were born in, and as a future leader his life was full of hard work to prepare him to run a country one day. Even when his days from Vanessa's obsession became hard, she was always able to make him smile with her spunky attitude, good advice, or just any of the small things he noticed her doing Vanessa would've never done. Poppy was kind and gave him the patience and space to be himself when vanessa couldn't. Sure they were both stubborn and spoke their minds all the time. But there was a big difference. With Poppy it was when she was often giving the hard truth and her honest opinions on things. Even when she gently tried to tell him the things Vanessa did was unacceptable, it was always her being honest with the intent to help. With Vanessa it was her always giving criticism and demands.

Give her a expensive gift. "...I thought my prince could get me better than this. You're supposed to be pining for my love!" Give her flowers. "These are beautiful. But not as beautiful as me. You shouldn't be trying to compare me to small plants that will lose beauty." Do any lil itty bitty small thing she disapproved of. "Don't slouch over like that reading. Sit formal at all times or you'll ruin you're entire posture when you get older. Are you trying to grow a beard? Shave it. You look better without it. Don't thank the cook again. They are below us and should know their place. In the kitchen to serve ME. I thought you knew better than that!" And then their relationship grew into a casual convo every time he visited, to a good friendship, and then....well at least to him a one sided love. And then the very last conversation they ever had, his one last chance he ever had to tell her how he felt or to do something to save everyone, slapped him hard enough with the guilt to make him scream. All the shock and reality making his self twist into a tight not and suddenly being pulled loose letting it all out. But that wasn't the problem right now. Right now he had to solve a question. What does he do now? This was too early. Way, WAY too early for any talks or to even come up with a proper plan on how to even go about this. Where would he even start?....Well, he guessed he already had done it. When he first came back to his senses after seeing her, he was angry and frustrated. Was fate toying with him again? But then he looked at her and got a good sense it wasn't and just liked throwing the past in his face a lot. Once the notion of this really being Poppy came to him well....He.....MAY have gotten a little carried away with the sudden feeling of possession and needing to stake a claim to her. Especially when he now has her to himself it has a ...fullfilling feeling to it which almost mad him feel guilty in a way. But what was he gonna do? Let her walk away like that? Besides. This new deal benefitted them greatly now. He can ask her for small favors, maybe a talk...or something? he was still figuring that part out, and in return she gets his unlimited protection, immortality, and all the benefits of still owning her own soul. Which he's only ever done once ever before. So this works out greatly for the both of them. Hattie tilted her head at the sudden silent eternal monoluge of the ghost and tried waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. It worked as he blinked and resumed his scowl at the small child.

"Uh...A-Anyways, why did you think I could help?"

"Because you're a grown up?...." She hummed. "Maybe Cooking Cat can help instead. She's a lady too."

"HA! That cat couldn't even run a full lap around a house and not be gasping for air. 'Sides, Kid. Whatever she needs I can handle it, can't be hard. Mortal dilema is sorta what I'm an expert in by now. And I'm pretty sure I already handled any poor imminant danger by making her sign a contract."

....

.........

..............

..........................?!

WHAMP!!

"OW!!" His claws immediately snapped up to cover his face where an umbrella suddenly wacked him in the face and everyone looked up for a moment at the loud yelp from the ghost, except for Rough Patch who still laid there. The ghost hissed and stared back down at the angry little girl with a scowl that could scare himself. "KID!! WHAT THE ACTUALLY PECK-"

"You stole her soul?!," she asked just loud enough for him to hear her.

Immediately his face became one of shock when he jumped and slapped one of those clawed hands over her mouth and snapped his head back to the house. Some minions were still looking at him but Poppy seemed more interested in unsticking a small stick from her tangled hair than she was seeing a ghost argue with his adopted alien daughter. ....He turned back to her feeling Hattie struggle against his hand and he leaned close. "NO! I didn't steal her soul, Kid! I'm not completely heartless! I just.......Gave her the same contract you have that doesn't involve any life threatening plots or perils."......She suddenly looked confused. "Y'know! Protection against danger wise."

......She blinked and tilted her head. A contract just like....hers? Then did that mean- Her blue eyes suddenly went wide as she looked at him in wonder. "Does this mean I get a big sister!?"

He looked confused for a moment....before shaking his head. "No, Kid. Not adoption papers. I meant just...." What was the simplest way to explain this to a child? "I meant she signed a contract that means she'd be working for me, but nothing dangerous. And she's going to be very protected. Ok?"

She stared at him a moment longer, but nodded and seemed to understand. "So...She's not family?"

"I-.....Family?"

Family......A family.....HIS family. His head turned back to Poppy and how she was now bending down and letting Bow nicely help her clear any more stuck leaves and sticks from her long hair. She always had a natural way with kids. Almost a ...motherly way if he did say so. His yellow eyes widened as that thought hit him and bounced around over and over again in that head of his. Slowly his eyes looked back down towards Hattie who still looked confused at his actions. A family. He's always wanted one when he was alive. He and Vanessa had discussed a couple times what they would do once their wedding had come and gone. Children were almost always a topic Vanessa discussed and insisted on. If it was a girl she would be the most perfect princess who would take after her of course and she WOULD be named Victoria and if it was a boy she'd make sure he wouldn't make any mistakes in becoming the perfect King one day. Any slip ups he made were going to be made sure he didn't and he WOULD be called Charleston. Vanessa thinking back on it now, would've made a terrible mother, Poppy on the other hand......She'd would've made a great of a mother as she would've been a Queen. As the few times he had ever been back to that manor or the dreaded nursury, the what if's had crossed his mind a couple times especially back in the early days of being a ghost. What if they had had a child? Would they had been like him or her? But all those what ifs soon died out once he had actually aquired children of his very own at last. And made sure to securely put his claim to his new eternal fatherhood. But-.....What IF the girls had a mother figure in they're life? They could use one right? Surely Poppy could be better than that Cooking Cat and WAY more better than Vanessa could've ever been. And looking back at Hattie specifically, she did have almost the same shade of brown hair he had when he was alive, and blue eyes Like Poppy's. It was almost like she was a mini mix of the two......Yeah...YEAH!! Guess who just found out the new placement. This would work out great too! Poppy loved kids, and these two won over everyone eventually.

"....Actually, Kid." That familiar fanged grin she knew came back to him. "She's a very new friend."

"You know her?"

"I-....Well no! And you're NOT allowed to tell her who I am! I mean who I was as a human! It's our little secret." He couldn't have this blown up in his face right now.

"Why?"

"Because I said so, and because it'll help us solve her problem. You want me to help her get better right?" She nodded her head yes. "Well there you go. Just keep your yapper shut and let me handle it ok?" She nodded again. Of course he....wasn't sure how to handle how to go up to her and say 'Hey! You know that prince who secretly liked you a lot but too afraid to say it? No? Well that's me! Im the ghost who tricked you into signing a contract and possibly made you lose everything by Vanessa but life happens. Right?'....Yeah. no. He'd figure it out later. Much. MUCH later. He nodded back. "Good girl. Now why don't we go meet your new...'mom' figure?" He turned back towards the tree house and started towards it.

"Mom?" Her face turned to one of wonder and curiousity again as she bounded after him again.

"Well....Kinda. She's going to be more of a live in nanny. I had one of those when I was your age." He couldn't remember the name of his parents old Head Maid too well, just her friendly old face and that she took care of him when his parents were too busy.

"What's a nanny?"

"A babysitter," he clarified before turning his gaze back towards the home. A long shadow came over the two girls pulling the last few bits of debry out of her hair, but both looked up towards the giant ghost looming over them all and smiling that familiar fanged grin of him. "Alright. New employee. Are you ready for your first contracrual obligations as my newest servant?"

Poppy Blinked up at him in shock. "N-Now?...So soon?"

He chuckled. "Of course. But what better way than seeing if you made a good investment than by testing out the product early on?" He waved a hand at her skeptical look. "Look. You signed the contract, it's only fair I ask you to do one thing for me in return. It's not even that hard."

....Poppy sighed and looked down. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope! But relax. I'm giving you all the easy tasks compared to any and all of my previous mortal helpers!" He rubbed his hands together before smiling and putting his hands on Hattie's shoulders. "I want YOU....to help me take care of these two little troublemakers from now on."

She blinked. "Excuse me."

"They can basically take care of themselves with my help of course. They're practically invincible by now, running off all the time around this planet and my forest. But they could use an older woman's touch around the place. Cooking, stories, playing. Y'know the stuff a mother would do."

"I'm sorry. You want me to play the part of being their MOTHER," she asked almost feeling like laughing at the ridiculousness of the question.

Yes he did. But of course instead he answered with, "No. I want you to basically help ME watch THEM. Like a nanny kinda."

"Ha! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Does it LOOK like I'm joking around, Lady?" He absolutely wasn't. "Look. I was generous enough NOT to take your soul, take you under my wing, and if it wasn't for my slip up you probably wouldn't even be not frozen." Which was true in a sense. His mistake technically did unfreeze her. "So asking you to just help out can't be too far a stretch don't ya think?"

She scowled again. "HEY!! Being a nanny wasn't in that resume!"

"Well I can argue it IS since it didn't state what specific work I needed your help with. Just that you'd agree to help me out with, Lady. I run a whole haunted area of the land full of thousands of ghosts and undead creatures, deal with an annoying corpse at night time, and have to care for two girls in outer space or where ever they decide to go. Not to mention the trouble they cause, intruders in my woods, and hundreds of employees under my command. Please don't make me regret sparing and hiring you now. I can always change my mind." He was bluffing on the last part. He'd never do anything to hurt her especially now that he had her under his claws but the look on her face wasn't one of terror it was a deeper angrier glare.

"I THOUGHT you said you were going to help ME! Not use me as your free nanny now!"

"I AM! Who wouldn't want to be able to have a normal job after being frozen to death?!," he argued back.

"You MADE me have no other choice to sign that pecking paper!! YOU PURPLE ONION VINE!!"

"HEY!! I HAPPEN TO BE KING OF WHAT'S LEFT OF YOUR PAST PRECIOUS SUBCON, 'PRINCESS'!!" He shot back leaning down closer to her.

Poppy dared to stand up and shove her face and scowl back at the ghost's. "OH!! EXCUSE ME 'YER MAJESTY'!" He mock bowed. "IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD DO?! HOW ABOUT TIDY UP THIS LIL HUT YOU GOT GOIN' ON?!"

"HEY!! MY HOME IS THE BEST HOME ANY GHOST COULD EVER WANT!! YOU THINK IT'S EASY FOR A POWERFUL OVERLORD OF THE DEAD TO WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS WHO PESTER ME ALL THE TIME?!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING 'BOUT BEING THEIR FATHER?!"

"I. AM. NOT!!! IT'S JUST HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM ON THE JOB!!"

"AN ALL POWERFUL SPIRIT CAN'T WATCH TWO LITTLE GIRLS?!"

"HEY!! THEY'RE NOT ORDINARY KIDS I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW!! NOW STOP UNDERESTIMATING ME IN MY OWN HOME IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!! YOU.....YOU....ROSE HEAD!!"

"OH REAL CREATIVE!! VINE BODIED!!"

"UNGRATEFUL WOMAN!!"

"JACK O LANTURN FACE!!"

"DOTTED FACE!!"

Hattie gave a deadpanned look as the two continued their petty arguement and Bow blinked in her direction before slowly putting Rough Patch down and getting up to walk over to her. The two little girls watched the two keep going at it like an old married couple for a moment, the minions watching in confusion just as much as Bow. Poppy didn't look afraid of him at all. Even arguing with him with an equal temper. Snatcher honestly....Didn't look enraged like he usually would have been if a total stranger who signed a contract with him had been fighting about duties he wanted them to perform. He just looked....average person annoyed, like two siblings or friends having a small argument over something useless.

"Uh....What's happening?," Bow asked Hattie without looking at her.

"I think no one here is a grown up anymore," Hattie replied flatly still watching the adults argue.

"ALRIGHT!! WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE QUALIFIED AS 'HELP' FROM ME TO YOU?!," Snatcher asked finally wanting to end this pointless argument.

Poppy actually stopped for a moment....Looking at him for a long time in silent thought at his words. What.....What DID she want help with really? She was lost. Both literally and thoughtfully as she still blankly stared at him thinking........What DID she want help with? She couldn't...She couldn't get anything back at all, and what was a dead person going to help her with anyways? From what she knew from what they said to her, all she got excited over was the fact there was someone in her situation...Ok. Maybe not exactly her situation persay, but similar at least. She was dead for crying out loud and now she's living basically a wild story some toddler thought up of. The quiet thinking seemed to catch Snatcher's attention as his scowl slowly by surely softened and watched as her's became even more unsure and deep in thought. He HAD helped her....Sure took a 'little' trickery, but it all worked out in the end. But he guessed like him when he first died, she was more than just lost-

"I......I don't know," she finally answered in just above a whisper. Looking back up to him with an almost panicked face. "......I really don't know."

Snatcher stared at her, a pang of worry and something else flashed across his face and through his shadowed body. All too familiar a situation and feelings. So it was kinda surprising to everyone when he lowered himself to not loom over her, but to look her in the eyes. As if she was an equal. A calm look over his face now and the angry aura from earlier disappearing as he spoke.

"Hey. I can understand that. Believe it or not you're not the only one who's gone through that kind of thing....I'm certainly no stranger to feeling like that. In fact it took me forever literally just to realize my place after I got lost," he spoke in a calm and steady voice to her. MAking the minions and girls around him give each other confused looks.

"B-But.....H-HOW did you do that?!," she demanded glaring back at him again, "I w-wanted HELP!! Not a job-''

"Lady-.....Poppy. Do you mind if I call you that? I think I would like it better if I did. Make it easier to talk for the both of us." She definately stared at him with 100% surprise now....to which he sighed and reached a hand up to rub his safe. Sentimentality REALLY wasn't his best side. "Ok. To make it in mushier terms..I DO want to help you ok. Believe it or not I do and I have my reasons. But you gotta know I can't change the past no matter what. Trust me I have TRIED and look where that got me. Stuck fused with a mushy corpse and having to lead a whole bunch of strangers through the forest like a tour guide." he glanced at her confusion again. "Uh..B-But that's not important. The important thing is that I can't change or fix anything that's already happened alright? I can't send you back. I can't give you anything from your old life......And I can't change what happened to you." Her face dropped and eyes widened even more- "But, I can help make the future easier and help you with whatever you need to settle down with alright? But you got to understand that it's NOT just going to be with a snap of my fingers. I know, I've experienced it for hundreds of years. Just know that...You're not going to be alone in any of this alright?" He without thinking offered out a clawed hand to her with a small smile. "Do you trust me?"

She still stared at him, and for a long moment no one said anything. The girls and minions were looking on in surprised wonder at the caring tone and meaning of the words that flowed out of the giant ghost's mouth, but no one made any more to do or say anything in fear of the quiet being shattered. It took a moment for anyone to react, but a bit reluctantly the red haired woman's shaking hand reached over and settled inself into the larger purple claws that came around her. ....Huh. Weird. She would've thought a ghost would've felt cold as stone, but instead he felt warm but not too hot either. Kinda like a crisp fall evening. Either way it wasn't what she was expecting when she allowed her bare skinned hand to hold his, and he felt...Oddly soft as well. Almost how a peach felt. Maybe he had fire inside of him keeping his being warm? Possible. His eyes and the inside of his mouth glowed as he spoke. But she wasn't too sure with ghosts since she never was one.

Poppy hiccuped again and reached a hand up to wipe at her eyes to get herself to stop crying before she started crying again for the third time in a span of hours. She still didn't know what time of day it was. "Y-Yeah...Ok?" Her voice came out soft and meek. And a little shaky too indicating she wasn't trying to cry and Snatcher quickly caught onto that. Seeing two little girls do a similar thing once.

"Hey. You know...I-It's alright to cry. Happens to everyone at some point right?" That got a small huff of a chuckle out of her and his smile (which he still didn't know he had) got wider....When a thought hit him with the speed and force of a meteor. "Hey! I know what can help a little bit. Y-You like flowers right? "

".....H-How do you know that?"

He had a flash of panic fly over his face for a moment before he coughed and shrugged. "You said you had a flower stand before Vanessa sent her goons to take you right? O-Obviously you must've liked growing things then. Or at least flowers."

"O-Oh. Yeah. That makes sense."

he sighed. Close call. But went back to that small smile. "Look. If you don't want to look after a stranger's kids I get that, but all I'm asking is a little help in return. And who knows. Maybe starting with something simple like this will help you settle down and get your thoughts together. Y'know. Something small then work our ways up to where we think would be the best action for you. Alright?"

She still stood there for a moment, before sniffing and nodding her head again. "'Aight. Sounds nice."

"There. See. Don't worry about anything. As long as I'm around there's not going to be any misfortune to you. I can promise that." He stopped when he felt a tug on his tail and turned around. "Hm? Oh. It's you." Hattie stared up at him with a confused look. "Well what's that face for?"

"Are you feeling ok? You're acting kinda funny...."

"WHAT?!" His hand was removed from hers as he stared down at the girl. "I-I'M PERFECTLY FINE!! I WAS JUST HAVING A BUSINESS TALK WITH MY NEWEST EMPOLYEE!! THAT'S ALL!!" He crossed his arms before looking back to all the minions surrounding him. "Well?! Don't just stand there! Back to your posts!"

The minions immediately did as their leader ordered and jumped and scrambled in all directions from his scowl. Poppy blinked again and looked at the still deadpanned child staring up at the ghost. "Is ....Is he always like this?"

She shook her head. "No. Usually he's more cranky. But maybe he hit his head too hard doing that weird crawl with human legs."

In an instant Snatcher snapped to her. "HEY!! YOU AGREED NOT TO MENTION THAT AGAIN!!" She stuck her tongue out at him and he grumbled before nudging her with his tail. "Well....Go take her home or something. I have some...business to take care off." Or more like to plant as he turned his head around to look in the direction of the Subcon Village.

Poppy blinked up at him. "Wait. You're leaving me? Now? So soon after I just got here?!"

"Yes," he stated bluntly. "I got something in mind to help you, but I can't risk you all running around while I'm trying to conduct business. "

She laughed unbelieving. "Unbelievable! What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

"I don't know. See the ship? Have the girls show you around, I have to work."

Poppy still stared unbeliving before Bow smiled and grabbed her hand. "It's ok. He can be really.....um...Straightforward, but whenever Snatcher has an idea it USUALLY works. He doesn't like it when everyone interrupts him." A small tug to her hand made Poppy stumble a bit as Bow happily pulled her away from the ghostly home. "Come on! I can't wait to show you the Metro room!"

"The what?"

Hattie still stared at the leaving ghost with a raised brow at his strange behavior and hummed...Before shrugging it off for now and turning to bound after the other two girls. Oh, well. Snatcher was probably just having the mood swings as he called them. Grown ups were so weird.

[markleesthighs]

Mea Bella | Chapter 2

Pairings: Reader x Jaehyun, Reader x ??? Genre: NCT royalty!au, angst, fluff, subtle flirting Warnings: flashbacks, forbidden love, smutty Words: 2.5k

Chapter 2 - One More Day

You were hanging laundry up to dry on clothespins when you saw Jaehyun and his advisors and planners with him in the garden, picking out what flowers to use for the decorations. When they caught your eye, you curtsied and allowed them to continue. However, you felt Jaehyun's eyes lingering upon you, gazing at your features and beauty. Jaehyun was so distracted that he almost fell into the fountain.

"Prince Jaehyun, please look where you are going," said his royal advisor, Taeyong.

"R-right, thank you."

You smiled as you walked back into the castle to finish cleaning before helping the needs of Jaehyun. You cleaned and organized his room, closet, and office and eventually met up with Jaehyun around noon. You went to serve them lunch, and they were discussing the guest list.

"The Lees, Suhs, Moons, Kims, Wongs, and Parks have RSVPed so far."

"Fantastic. Hopefully, everyone else will as well."

"Prince, I am required by law to invite princess-"

"Yes, I know, and I am fully aware that she and her family have RSVPed."

"Now that everything is in order, you still have a tasting of the food and outfit fittings left for the Prince Jaehyun."

"Thank you for your kindest services, now let's eat."

When you walked away, you wanted to know who the lucky princess is. You hoped some of the other maids in the kitchen had heard anything. From what you heard, they said that she was a flirt and slept with wealthy men to reach the top, which is how she became a prospect for Jaehyun. You felt sick by this and hoped that Jaehyun wouldn't fall for her, but he might have to marry her.

Jaehyun finished his lunch but still had to taste the food for the midnight ball. You walked out to see him sitting by himself, awaiting food with a list and quill in his hand. He notices you walking in and smiled at your presence. You walked over to him, and he immediately gave you a quick peck on the lips.

"Is this the first course I'm tasting?"

You laughed while blushing.

"Because this tastes REALLY sweet."

He pulled you in for another kiss that was longer than the first one, but you pulled away in fear that someone would see.

"I'll go get your actual course."

"Come back quick before I perish from loneliness."

"Don't be so dramatic."

You brought out some hors d 'oeuvres such as deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and pate. Jaehyun ate and checked off or crossed out the foods he wanted for the ball. But he had been talking about 10-15 minutes with each hors d'oeuvre, and you still had more food for him to taste.

"y/n, tell me what you think of this"

"b-but Jaehyun, it's caviar, you should be tasting these things."

"Yeah, but I need another outside opinion, you know?"

"I don't know…"

"Do it for me?"

"Fine…"

Jaehyun put some caviar on a cracker and fed it to you. You swear it was the best thing you have ever tasted in your life, and you wanted more of it.

"Jaehyun…This is really good, and it's creamy and salty. I like it."

"Do you know what's also creamy and salty?"

"Oh, shut up."

"Here, try the smoked salmon with cream cheese."

Jaehyun fed it to you again, and you smiled back as you tasted the smokey fish and cream cheese touch your tastebuds. It was a perfect combination of food.

"Hey you got a little cream cheese on your face, let me get it for you."

Jaehyun licked his thumb and rubbed it against the spot on your cheek where the cream cheese was, and you felt your face turning red.

"I-is it gone?"

"Nope. I missed a spot."

"Whe-"

Jaehyun pecked your lips, which made you throw your head into his lap out of embarrassment. Jaehyun caressed your hair and attempted to calm you down while smiling at your shy figure.

"Ahem."

You and Jaehyun turned to see his mother staring at you and Jaehyun intently to intimidate you.

"I understand that both of you are close friends, but you must not act this way at the ball, we have guests and a reputation to uphold. Jaehyun, your father would not be too pleased to see you like this infant of your potential wives. If you both continue to fool around, then you won't be matching this year, understand?"

"Yes, mother, I understand, I'll continue tasting now."

"y/n?"

"Yes?"

"Can you please go to the fitting room, to kill two birds with one stone so that Jaehyun can focus and that you can get fitted for your dress."

"Of course, enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

You bowed to both of them and walked up to the seamstress' room where they took your measurements and fitted you for the dress. They also took notes on what hair and makeup you'll be doing to accommodate the dress as well. You noticed a suit that looked similar to the fabric the seamstress was working on.

"Is that Jaehyun's suit?"

"Yes ma'am, would you like to peak?"

"If I may?"

"Of course."

She pulled to mannequin out from behind the divider, and you saw a beautiful royal blue suit with black detailing, symbolizing the colors of the kingdom, meaning confidence, wisdom, intelligence, and strength. You felt the soft fabric and saw on Jaehyun's suit a sash with all of his badges from the military and inherited ones from his ancestors. Each badge was perfectly polished and shined brightly in the light. You admired Jaehyun, and he had accomplished so much for an (almost) 18-year old. However, one badge caught your eye; it was an amber gemstone in the center of what appeared to be a flower or a daisy. That badge was a badge you gave to Jaehyun for helping him pick flowers with you, it was a cute badge at the time, but now you look back and realize it was a badge Jaehyun never took off. The seamstress noticed you were staring at the badge for a long time and decided to give some input.

"Ever since Jaehyun was young, he refused to take off that badge. It was very special to him. I also heard that he never took it off in battle too, whenever it was becoming rusty or old he constantly wanted it polished and fixed right away, it was very sweet. When I asked him about it, he said someone very special gave it to him, and it motivates him that he can do anything as long as he has his heart set on it."

You smiled and have never felt warm and fuzzy about something in your life. But it only made it bittersweet when you realized that Jaehyun was going to be courting people wearing your badge. You said your goodbyes and thanks to the seamstress and continued your daily routine. Preparing bread and food for dinner, cleaning and dusting several parts of the castle, and having to assist Jaehyun when he needed it. You were helping Jaehyun with selecting flowers, and he asked for your opinion.

"y/n, roses or lilies?"

"roses, they look more elegant and fitting for the ball."

"hm, good choice."

Later that night, it was dinner time, and you were helping serve dinner as usual, due to this, you were always exposed to the daily conversations at the dinner table.

"Did you see if your suit fits?"

"It does mother."

"How about the food is everything suitable, presented perfectly, and tastes lavish?"

"Of course."

"Have you looked at the list of princesses attending tomorrow evening?"

"…no.."

"Jung Jaehyun! I told you look at that weeks ago! You must have done some research in the library!"

"My darling, leave him alone, I didn't even research you because there was no need once I spoke with you."

"Can you stop being so irrational right now! I just want what's best for our son!"

"He will choose what is best, I've taught him to have a good heart."

"Have you heard of the rumors of some of these princesses? If my son marries, please excuse my language, but a whore, I won't be able to breathe."

"Mother, will you please relax, there's nothing to worry about."

While Jaehyun's mother looked in distress, she saw you fill her glass with more water, and she turned to you and began to speak.

"Ah, y/n, since you are attending, can you please make sure that Jaehyun stays clear of the troublesome princesses? I trust you because you know as women, we know how vicious we can be."

"Of course, my queen, I will try my best."

Great, picking Jaehyun's future wife while you are secretly dating, doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. You turned to Jaehyun, giving him a small smile before returning to bring out dessert, raspberry tarts.

After dinner, you helped clean up when you saw Jaehyun waiting so you could help him with his nighttime routine of bathing, getting dressed, and going to bed. You walked up to his room to see him sitting against his window, still looking out into the starts.

"I'm not ready, y/n."

"I don't think anyone is ever ready."

"It's a big moment in my life. I don't think I'll be able to do it, especially when you are going to be there."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

"But it's not okay!"

"…"

"I- I love you, y/n! to have you watch me go off with another girl is just wrong! I-I don't want to hurt you!"

"Jae, it's fine, we both knew this day would come eventually….trust me, I'll be okay."

"Are you sure, my daisy?"

"Of course, I will always love you, no matter how many times you could break my heart."

"I promise I will find some way for us to be together, and I promise I will have a dance with you at the ball."

Jaehyun kissed your hand as you bitterly smiled, and you went to go prepare his bath filled with rose petals and lavender. The aromatics in his bathroom were warm and florescent. Jaehyun noticed how monotone your face was while filling his bath, so he came behind you, only in a robe hugging you from behind.

"Join me."

"W-wh-"

"Please, it might the last time we have this chance together."

"B-but Jae I'm just a maid I'm not supposed to- let alone see you naked."

Jaehyun looked at you with puppy-like eyes begging you to take a bath with him, and you couldn't resist.

"Fine, but you are getting in first."

Jaehyun smiled as you turned around because you were too shy to see Jaehyun naked, your mind would go lewd places. Jaehyun laughed as you heard him, slowly dip into the bath. You started to strip your clothes and tie up your hair with a black ribbon so your hair would not get wet. You hesitated to turn around once you removed all of your clothes, but Jaehyun encouraged you to turn around. You turned around slowly looking at the floor, but you could sense the smile forming on Jaehyun's face. He reached out a hand for you to join him, but you were still looking at the floor when you walked to the edge of the bathtub. You looked at Jaehyun's loving gaze as you slowly dipped into the bath, now only looking at the candles around you trying to avoid looking at Jaehyun and his body. Your back met Jaehyun's chest, and you felt Jaehyun pull his head down into your neck. His hands started to rub your arms and legs lightly, massaging them. You felt your cheeks blush, and your whole body feeling hot.

"J-Jae-"

"Shh, let me love you, my daisy."

Jaehyun started to kiss your neck softly, and his hands moved all over your body, making you become breathless under his touch. You turned your head to meet his eyes, kissing him delicately while the bright candles and warm water hug both of you. It was as if time stopped, and you turned your whole body to straddle Jaehyun deepening every kiss. Jaehyun wrapped his arms around you hugging your waist tight, wanting you to be closer to his body.

"God, you are so beautiful," Jaehyun moaned.

You felt his member get harder against your thigh begging to enter inside you, and you felt hungrier for Jaehyun. You looked at Jaehyun's eyes filled with lust, pleading for you. Jaehyun whispered in your ear.

"I'm going to put it in, okay? Relax, you'll be okay love,"

With that, he entered inside you, kissing you every second of the way and whispering words of encouragement to keep you relaxed. You felt the pain and pleasure scratching Jaehyun's shoulders, moaning loudly like music to his ears. Tears streamed from your eyes from the pain, and Jaehyun lifted your head from his neck and wiped them away, kissing your neck.

"Is it okay for me to move?"

"M-maybe one more- ah- second- mmh-"

"Of course, take all the time you need."

You took about 2 minutes before you told him that it was okay for him to move, and he began moving at a slow pace, for you and him. Jaehyun eventually picked up the pace while kissing you and caressing your entire body, splashing water, petals, and moans scattering all over the bathroom. It eventually led to Jaehyun, making you both reach your climaxes at the same time. You both panted, taking deep breaths to relax your breathing. You straddled off of Jaehyun, sitting in between his legs, and you laid against his chest, fiddling with his fingers.

"Are you alright, my little Daisy?"

"Yes, Jae, I love you so much."

"I love you too, y/n."

Jaehyun got up from the bath and carried you out, knowing that your body would be a little sore, and you would not be able to walk. He wrapped you in a towel and laid you down on his bed, letting you dry off and relax.

"Wait, Jae, I'll clean- the bathroom- ah-"

"No, no, no, you've cleaned up after me several times, let me."

"But-"

"Please rest, for once, let me take care of you now."

So, you laid on the plush bed as Jaehyun started to clean up the bath, throwing the petals out the window and draining the tub and cleaning the floor with a cloth. Once he finished, he kissed your forehead to wake you up from your small nap. You smiled, looking at Jaehyun, who smiled back and left to get your nightwear from your room. He removed the towel and helped you get dressed. He also prepared clean clothes for you the next day when you woke up. You could barely walk, so you stayed with Jaehyun for the night. Jaehyun changed out of his robe and into his pajamas, cuddling up next to you, kissing your neck.

"Goodnight, my daisy."

Follow me for updates and to follow the series! also, dm me your thoughts I would love to know 🥺

~ n ✧*:･ﾟ

[sareyen]

X-Pressions of the Heart: A Boyband  AU (Part 2/3)

Read on ao3

Chapter 2

When Charles and Erik entered the café, it was relatively quiet. Still, Charles kept his head down, not wanting to be recognised, because then he’d have to do the ‘yes, I can sign whatever you want’, ‘yes, I’ll take a selfie with you’, ‘oh, you’re too sweet, darling’ schtick. He didn’t mind it most of the time, since it was flattering when fans recognised him, but frankly he wanted to just spend time getting to know Erik. Erik, who had been noticeably less prickly since their brief conversation in the Hellfire foyer.

Charles caught the eye of the barista, a bubbly girl named Kitty that always served Charles with a friendly smile like he was any other patron. Kitty silently pointed to one of the back tables that was partially hidden by a partition, the most secluded table in the café. Charles beamed back at her, mouthing ‘thanks’, before nudging Erik’s arm to the table.

The two men sat down, Charles taking off his cap and sunglasses, Kitty soon walking over to them with menus.

“Hey, Charles,” Kitty said happily.

“Hello, Kitty. Busy day?” Charles replied gently, the girl nodding, letting out a huff.

“Yeah, the lunch rush was pretty bad today,” Kitty said, scrunching up her nose.

“Your boss still hasn’t hired someone else? Jubilee’s mum made her quit because her grades have slipped, right?”

“Yeah, you remembered,” Kitty said, smiling a little. “But to answer your question, no, we’re still understaffed. It’s a nightmare.”

“I can imagine,” Charles said, sounding like he really understood. Kitty just shrugged, mentioning that it was part of the job, before turning to Erik. “Oh! Right. Kitty, this is Erik Lehnsherr. He’s a music journalist doing a piece on X-Boys. Erik, this is Kitty, the best barista in the city.”

“Introducing me like that isn’t going to make me slip you a free piece of cake, Charles,” Kitty said, Charles humming like he didn’t believe her, making the girl and Erik laugh. Erik shook Kitty’s hand, the girl nodding chirpily, quickly running through the specials of the day, before ducking off to wait on another table that called her over.

“You must come here a lot,” Erik said conversationally, Charles nodding as he barely skimmed the menu, already knowing what he was going to get.

“I actually used to come here often before joining X-Boys,” Charles said, tapping on Erik’s menu where it said ‘black forest cake’. “Best cake in the city, alongside the best coffee.”

“I’m not surprised that you have a sweet tooth,” Erik said, Charles grinning.

“Isn’t this where you’re supposed to say something cheesy like ‘you don’t need cake, you’re sweet enough already’?” Charles asked, putting on the voice of a sappy, melodramatic soapie star. Erik snorted, putting down his menu after deciding to trust Charles’s earlier recommendation about the steak sandwich.

“Has that line ever worked for you before, Charles?” Erik teased, the singer wiggling a brow.

“You’d be surprised, Erik. I have ways of getting what I want.”

Erik let out a ‘hmph’, but it was by no means bitter. In fact, Erik had a slight smile on his face, small but present nonetheless. On someone who seemed like they were born with a frown, even a slight quirk of a lip was big thing.

“I’m sure you do,” Erik then said quietly, staring at Charles. Charles was drawn in to Erik’s eyes, and he found himself falling forwards into the journalist’s orbit without knowing. Charles’s tongue flickered out to wet his lips, and Erik’s gaze dropped there, before he smirked and sat back in his chair, away from Charles.

It was Charles’s turn to let out a short ‘hmph’, making Erik chuckle at the pout now present on the singer’s lips. Oh, Erik was flirting, alright. Teasingly, maybe, but Charles could read the signs.

Charles was just about to bite the bullet and ask Erik if he wanted to go out for a drink later, or maybe dinner, or maybe just skip both and head back to Charles’s opulent high-rise apartment and eat him out in bed instead, but Kitty had wandered back to them asking if they were ready to order. Charles had to restrain from banging his head on the table in frustration, but that would have probably scared Kitty and he genuinely liked the younger girl, and she didn’t know that she had her A+ service had inadvertently cock-blocked Charles.

Erik maybe knew, though, considering he now had a wide and smug grin etched onto his face, showing all too many teeth but making Charles’s heart stutter. He looked intimidating, but in a way that only turned Charles on more.

Charles ignored the heat pooling in his gut as he ordered the mushroom risotto and a vanilla and caramel macchiato (which Erik snorted at), the journalist ordering the steak sandwich and a coffee, black, no sugar. Of course.

Their drinks came quickly, and Charles made sure to remind Erik and Kitty that they had been made by the best barista in the city when she served them, the girl rolling her eyes but whispering ‘do you want red velvet, black forest or lemon vanilla today?’. Erik had laughed when Charles’s eyes lit up like lights at Christmas, immediately saying ‘black forest’. Kitty laughed, nodding, before heading back to the display case of cakes and saving them a piece.

“You really have everyone wrapped around your finger, don’t you?” Erik said, Charles raising a brow, adding a sugar into his already sickly-sweet coffee, making Erik grimace a little.

“Has the interview started?” Charles asked, Erik shrugging.

“I’m not recording it right now, so it’s up to you,” the journalist said, Charles smiling. “Depends how honest you want to be.”

“Hm. Then, how about just a conversation between friends, to start with. As long as you promise not to treat me like Worthington,” Charles tacked on at the end, Erik letting out a loud laugh.

“No promises, Charles. If you start comparing yourself to Elton John or Queen, then…”

“I was thinking more along the lines of Prince,” Charles said, Erik feigning an appalled expression, only tempered by the way he was struggling to control his smile.

“You’re worse than Worthington. Interview over, I don’t even care if you sue me, I have to expose the real you to the world, Charles,” Erik said, Charles letting out a faux gasp.

“No! But my career, Erik! You can’t taint my career like that, what would I do? I don’t want to have to go back to bartending at a shitty bar down town, flirting with men for tips,” Charles whined, Erik raising a brow. Charles laughed at Erik’s curious expression, winking. “But yes, I was tipped generously, if you were wondering. Very generously.”

“Like I said, you have everyone wrapped around your finger,” Erik said, Charles taking a sip of his whipped-cream-laden drink. A little cream lingered on his lips, and he swiped it with his tongue slowly, locking onto Erik’s eyes as he did so. Erik swallowed thickly, licking his own lips in response, a reflex.

“Everyone, you say. Does that include you, Mr Lehnsherr?” Charles asked impishly. Charles smirked, but his expression was broken when he felt Erik’s foot nudge at his ankle. Charles jumped in surprise, Erik smirking at the reaction.

“No, I’m not interested in Charles Xavier of X-Boys,” Erik said slowly, foot slipping under the cuff of Charles’s jeans, nudging at his bare ankle. Charles’s breath hitched as Erik leaned forward, elegant fingers sliding around the rim of his coffee cup. “But the real Charles Xavier?”

“What about him?” Charles asked, corners of his red lips curving upwards.

“Yeah,” Erik said, just as Kitty came with their meals. “Yeah, I’m interested.”

***

Erik had scrapped the interview questions he had prepared for Charles. Reading them off like a shopping list when the conversation between them just flowed so naturally seemed wrong. Sitting in the obscured corner table was not a boy-band member and a journalist, but a flirty 24-year-old that was also an incredibly intelligent Oxford graduate, and a slightly misanthropic music snob with a surprising passion for cooking.  

Charles and Erik talked about lots of things, moving back and forth between one topic to another smoothly, never stuck in a bout of awkward silence. Erik found out that Charles held a degree in genetics, which surprised him immensely, especially when Charles talked about the topic with such vigour and excitement. Charles told Erik that he would have liked to pursue a PhD in the topic if he hadn’t dived into a career in music, and Erik had teasingly quipped that with his cardigans, he was already half way there to being a professor.

Erik also learnt that it hadn’t been Charles’s intention to join X Factor, but that his sister had secretly signed him up, partially as a joke but also because she was sick of hearing his solo shower concerts through the door. In return, Erik talked about how he was born and raised in Germany, but had come to the US because of the music. He also talked about how he liked cooking and baking, and Charles was less-than-subtle about wanting to try it sometime. Erik had, surprisingly, said ‘yeah, some time’, making Charles beam that bright, megawatt smile that lit up his eyes.

Talking to Charles properly made Erik truly realise that the slightly younger man was shockingly intelligent. He went to Oxford and graduate top of his genetics class, and despite the terrible lyrics in X-Boys’s songs, he could recite poems by John Donne and passages from Jane Eyre even more easily than the lyrics from his last album.

If Erik had been attracted to Charles’s appearance before, knowing that his mind was equally as attractive – or even more so – just sealed the deal for Erik.

It had only been a matter of hours, but Erik liked Charles Xavier, at least on a primal, basic level. If Charles Xavier had been in a bar, Erik would have definitely bought him a drink, and in less than a matter of hours, he would have him writhing beneath him in bed.

But, even though they talked, flirted and teased each other over food and coffee like they had known the other for years, Charles was still a celebrity, and Erik was still a journalist supposed to be interviewing him. It wasn’t professional, or prudent, but it was tantalising.

Charles was tantalising.

Erik didn’t give a fuck about X-Boys – his stance on them hadn’t changed (because Sweet Love was a disgrace to all music). But Charles. Charles was so much more, and G’tt, Erik wanted him. It was obvious that Charles felt the same way about him, too.

It was when they were sharing the single slice of black forest cake Kitty had slipped them under the table that Charles asked Erik if he wanted to meet up at his apartment later. Erik said yes immediately, and earned him another endearingly honest, joyous smile from the singer.

“Fantastic, my friend,” Charles said, unlocking his phone and sliding it across the table to Erik, letting him insert his number. Erik slid the phone back, fingers brushing Charles’s as he took it from the other man, before calling Erik. Erik’s ringtone, his mother’s favourite Elton John song, buzzed from his pocket before Charles hung up.

“Good song,” Charles said, though he gave Erik a joking look. “Sweet Love would be a much better ringtone, though.”

“Is it yours?” Erik asked, Charles jerking his head to where Erik’s phone now sat on the table.

“See for yourself.”

Erik, curious, rang Charles, and was surprised when, out of all the songs it could be, Starship’s Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now started playing.

“Are you serious?” Erik asked, just before he fell into hysterics as Charles began singing to the 80s classic, looking far too engrossed in the song, even as he adopted a more feminine tone for Grace Slick’s female parts. He continued singing for a few bars after the call had cut off, and Erik noted that his voice was quite lovely, even if he was only playing around.

“It’s a great song,” Charles defended, Erik unable to hold back the cheek-splitting grin he had on his face, his cheeks hurting with how much he had smiled in the span of the past hour. “It’s my go-to karaoke jam.”

“I thought you said that was Celine Dion,” Erik said, Charles shaking his head.

“No, she’s my shower jam,” Charles clarified, Erik humming, as if everything Charles said made complete sense. The two men looked at each other, before dissolving into amused snickers, Kitty coming over with a confused look on her face to hand them the check.

“… You two okay?” Kitty asked, a little apprehensive when Charles wheezed, Erik snorting loudly at the inelegant but adorable noise.

“Peachy,” Charles said through a hiccup, laughing again when he caught Erik’s grin. “Thanks for the meal, Kitty. Tell the chefs that it was great, once again.”

“Will do,” Kitty said, still giving Erik and Charles an odd look and sorting out the bill. Charles tipped generously, as always, and before they left he slid is sunglasses and cap back on.

“I have to get back to Hellfire,” Charles lamented as he and Erik stepped out of the café. “Moira’s making us sign some of the merch Shaw wants to sell on tour. It’s a ridiculous price mark-up, if you ask me – I could be signing something silly like “Xtreme Cockerspaniel” and they’d just think it was me being pretentious and signing things “Xavier Charles” like I was Bone, James Bond or something.”

“What a tough life you live, Charles,” Erik said, the singer huffing. “I’ve got to get back to the office anyway to transcribe some of my recordings.”

“Remember to only write flattering things about me,” Charles said, leaning in a little, like he was whispering a secret. And in a way, Erik supposed he was. “I’ll see you at mine later? For a drink and… well.”

“Mm. Later,” Erik echoed, Charles smiling.

“Later.”

***

When Erik got back to the office, he did not transcribe his recordings. No, instead he locked himself in his room, got out his headphones, and began searching up everything he could on Charles Xavier.

Yes, it was mildly creepy, but Charles was technically a public figure, even if he didn’t feel like one to Erik, not any more. And, since Erik knew the man personally, he wasn’t like all of those 14-year-old fan girls erecting shrines with Charles’s face cut out and stuck onto voodoo dolls and professing their love for him on Tumblr.

That was not Erik, even if he was currently searching up Charles Xavier on YouTube and opening each video result in a new tab, testing the limits of Google Chrome’s processing abilities.

Most of the videos were poorly cut and edited fan-videos that were really just a conglomeration of clips taken from various official X-Boys videos. Still, Erik watched them, in awe at how Charles’s face was so fucking cute, and yet could look at Erik in public with nothing but sex in his eyes. How other people never noticed that Charles was dirty as hell was beyond Erik.

Erik scrolled through the comments, cringing at the excessive use of “OMG” and “MY HUSBANDDDD”, but agreeing with the comments that yes, Charles was ridiculously adorable yet hot at the same time, and yes, his eyes are ridiculously blue (and even bluer in person, if that was even possible). And yes, Charles did have an amazing voice, especially for someone whose vocals were drowned out by 4 other voices in a sea of electronic beeping and thinly disguised autotune.

Erik had only heard Charles sing a little when he had begun jamming to his own ringtone. Charles hadn’t been serious at all, but Erik recognised that he could actually sing, and that he had range, climbing up to high notes with ease. Why Shaw forced him to stay within a single octave range almost enraged Erik, who stewed with the thought ‘why isn’t Charles given a chance to really shine?’

G’tt, Erik was starting to sound like a 14-year-old k-pop fangirl complaining that her bias (or her ‘Oppa’, whatever that meant) didn’t get enough lines to show off his talent.

Erik was curious to see what Charles’s voice sounded like, stripped back and singing songs that weren’t just ‘your sweet love sustains me, girl’. Erik eventually, after replaying a video titled “Charles Xavier being ridiculously cute for 8 minutes straight” (which made Erik snort because Charles was the furthest thing from straight he could possibly get), Erik found himself on a simple black-and-white casted video of Charles sitting by an upright piano. He wore a crisp white shirt and black slacks, looking much more mature in the simply ensemble than the colourful costumes he wore in other videos.

[Charles Xavier Original Song – Paralysed – Live Version]

“Original song?” Erik read aloud, wondering if Charles wrote the song himself, or if by ‘original song’ they just meant ‘not a cover, just a song written by someone else, like all of X-Boys’s discography’. Consulting the comments, Erik found out through Charles’s die-hard (and stalkerish) fans that this was a live recording of Charles’s X Factor audition song, which he said he wrote himself, lyrics and everything.

When the song started, Erik watched in anticipation, Charles’s fingers gliding across the piano keys like they were a part of him, a gentle yet melancholy melody sifting through Erik’s headphones. It was pretty, and nothing like X-Boys’ boisterous music. Soft and gentle, but simmering with light and unexpected power.

Much like Charles, with his soft cardigans which hid the flame of passion and mischief deep down in his soul.

Erik was already enraptured the moment that Charles’s started playing the piano, but the moment he began to sing, Erik’s mouth dropped open.

Erik suddenly felt like he was breathing too loudly, so he stopped altogether, wanting nothing more than to hear Charles and only Charles. His voice was… transcendent, soft but unyielding, the hint of a tremor underlying his rich timbre. This was no ‘Sweet Love’, ‘Love Me, Hate Me’ or ‘Strawberry Crush’. No, this was a song that was written from the heart, and Charles laid it all bare in his melody and his lyrics.

‘I can’t run away from you, even if I tried My legs of lead, wading through tar while you push me down Down so far I can’t get up, can’t see the surface You control me, fear encages me Begging, but no one hears me Crying, but no one cares And God, I want to push you away The you who hurt me But I’m paralysed Oh, I’m paralysed’

The video finished playing, the light spinning around the ‘replay’ icon, but Erik was frozen. Paralysed.

Erik didn’t even realise he had tears in his eyes until Emma walked into his office, breaking her usual Ice Queen demeanour when she gasped out “Good God, sugar. What the fuck happened to you? Who died?”

Erik couldn’t answer, and Emma quickly sashayed her way around Erik’s desk, placing a hand on the back of his chair and leaning down to squint at his screen. Her painted mouth moved silently as she read the video title, as well as the million and one open tabs of Charles Xavier videos on his webpage, turning to Erik with a sharp snap of her blonde hair.

“Jesus, you come back from interviewing the group once and you’re a vapid fanboy now? You, Erik Lehnsherr, who made Warren Worthington cry with your review of his single ‘Angels Never Cry’ and then cackled in his lawyer’s face when he threatened to sue us?” Emma looked at Erik like he had been possessed by the spirit of a 14-year-old fan girl, waving her manicured hand in front of his face.

“Emma,” Erik said, voice thick as he turned to her, taking off his headphones. “Have you heard Charles Xavier sing? Have you heard this song that he wrote himself when he was apparently 14 and going through a really hard time? So hard that he felt paralysed, like his legs were lead, wading through tar? Emma.”

“Oh my God, there is something wrong with you,” Emma said, snatching the headphones away from Erik and pressing one side to her right ear. Erik frowned at her, grabbing them and forcing them on her head properly, because it was rude to Charles to listen to him with just one ear. No, you needed to listen to Charles – to love Charles – with your entire soul, and that still wouldn’t be enough.

“Listen,” Erik ordered his boss before pressing the replay button, who just rolled her eyes, not expecting much at all – just like Erik had, before he met Charles Xavier.

Had that been just this morning?

Yes, but you could fall in love with a song and an artist in the span of a song, in the length of a chorus, in the breath of a note.

One morning was plenty of time to fall in love with Charles Xavier.

Erik didn’t know whether he wanted to stare at Charles’s tormented face on the screen or at Emma to gauge her reaction, just switching between the two. He saw Emma’s eyes twitch a little in surprise as the song started, her mouth then dropping open as Charles hit the chorus for the first time, her head tilting in curiosity when he reached the final verse, voice tapering off into a weighty silence.

When the song ended, Emma slowly peeled the headphones off, turning to Erik with a serious expression.

“What the fuck is he doing in X-Boys with talent like that?” Emma asked seriously, Erik nodding vigorously.

“I know. Emma, I want to write a piece on him. Just on him,” Erik said, Emma’s eyebrows rising up to her hairline.

“You want to write a piece about Charles Xavier of X-Boys?”

“Just Charles Xavier,” Erik said, dropping X-Boys completely. “You heard him, Emma. He’s… mein G’tt.” I love him. “His music.” Him.

Erik left it there, hoping that was enough for Emma to understand.

“I mean, yeah, his music is amazing, and his voice as well, but Erik – I’m not going to let you drop the X-Boys article. We need that, and if you’re going to drop them to write a solo piece on an artist who isn’t even a soloist, you’re going to anger a lot of fans,” Emma said, Erik rolling his eyes.

“I don’t give a flying fuck about those fans, not when they’ve been sleeping on Charles’s talent,” Erik said, vehement. “Anyone who… cages Charles in a group like X-Boys deserves death. Right now, it’s not fear that encages Charles. It’s your ex Shaw and his stupid company, as well as the stupid little fangirls who keep saying that they… what, ship Charles and that Summers kid together. Anyone who genuinely thinks that they belong together can’t be trusted.”

Emma stared at Erik, frowning now and looking terribly tempted to call for an ambulance, because Erik was either high on drugs, drunk out of his mind, or suffering some kind of stroke. Then, it dawned on Emma that Erik…

“Do you have a crush on Charles Xavier?” Emma asked, almost appalled that she even said the question out loud. When Erik didn’t answer and just glared at her, Emma clapped her hands together, doubling over in peals of chime-like laughter. “Oh, sugar. This is… Oh, oh, this is priceless! I have to tell Angel, I have to tell everyone. Erik, if that’s the case, go right ahead and write a piece on your boy crush. But, I’m still expecting one on X-Boys as a whole too. You’re capable of working two large projects at once, no?”

“Charles isn’t a project – he’s an artist and a visionary, and someone that’s really cute in cardigans and-”

“Oh, gosh. Hold that thought, sugar, I can’t take any more laughter for today. I’m going to develop laugh lines,” Emma said, sucking in a breath as she tried to gather her wits again, morphing back into the Ice Queen the office was so fearful of. “Charles Xavier, he’s really a force to be reckoned with.”

“He invited me to his apartment tonight,” Erik said quickly, Emma blinking.

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah,” Erik said, nodding. “I know.”

“Why you?” Emma said, Erik flipping her off. “I mean, I adore you, sugar, I really do, but how? You’re…” Emma just gestured up and down at Erik, like that was all that needed to be said. Grumpy. Taciturn. Rude. Judgemental. An A-grade asshole. Sounded about right.

“Yeah, well, he did, so can you let me off early today?” Erik said, Emma nodding, sitting on the edge of Erik’s desk as he stood, grabbing his leather jacket from the back of his chair.

“Charles Xavier’s music is one thing, but Charles Xavier himself is… interesting,” Emma said as she watched Erik grin widely.

“Emma, you have no idea.”

***

“You met a guy?!” Raven screeched through the phone, Charles wincing. Plucking his mobile from where he had it wedged between his ear and cardigan-clad shoulder, Charles switched it to the same position on other side before returning to where he was tidying up his apartment.

Charles had never been the neatest person in the world, putting it down to being an artist that needed to work in organised disarray, as he put it. Controlled chaos, restrained passion, what have you. At some point, between gruelling dance practises and X-Pression promotions, that organised disarray had turned into a nuclear warzone, and Charles had spent the rest of his afternoon after finishing work at Hellfire Records to clean his apartment in preparation for Erik’s arrival.

Charles was busy putting books back into his over-stacked bookshelf as he chatted to his sister.

“Yes, Raven. I don’t know why you’re so surprised that I met someone, you know I’m not exactly picky. You visited me at Oxford for a week and met, I don’t know, more than 7 guys I’d hooked up with,” Charles said, Raven groaning at the memory.

“Yes, but that was before you became a prominent fixture in every hormone-driven teen’s wank bank,” Raven said, Charles rolling his eyes. “How? When? Where? Who?”

“Journalist covering the X-Boys tour, this morning, at the dance studio, and Erik Lehnsherr,” Charles replied quickly, and Charles heard Raven’s rapid typing even through the phone.

“How do you spell ‘Lehnsherr’? I’m not getting anything that screams ‘Charles’s type’,” Raven said.

“Raven. He’s the guy that made your childhood crush cry,” Charles said, the younger girl silent on the other line.

“Azazel? The guy you’re talking about is the guy that called Azazel a… man in a red gimp suit who thinks his accent is actually a character trait? That guy?”

“One and the same,” Charles said, chuckling fondly.

“Charles! No! You can’t! Can’t you see that he’s trying to get into your pants to draw out all of your dirty little secrets before he writes a damning article about you and ruin your career?” Raven yelled, Charles wincing again and just putting his sister on speakerphone.

“Raven, Erik isn’t like that,” Charles said, his sister snorting.

“Suuuure. Have you heard from Azazel since that interview? NO. You haven’t. And that’s because Erik Lehnsherr single-handedly ended his music career. Charles, he’s going to finish you!”

‘I hope he does finish me. In bed,’ Charles mused to himself, snickering silently.

Audibly, Charles just sighed at his sister.

“Raven, I know that you’re worried and that is very sweet of you, but you never had a hand in my dating life before you made me join X Factor, and frankly, that hasn’t changed now. So, thank you for worrying, but really, there is nothing to worry about. Erik is…”

Perfect? Amazing? Everything I wanted wrapped up in a not-so-little German hunk?

Mhmm.

“Don’t come crying to me when your face is plastered all over TV after Lehnsherr writes an article calling you a ‘posh and pompous British twink who takes it up the butt’,” Raven warned, Charles laughing.

“Would he be lying, though?”

“True, but that’s the problem – it’s true, so you can’t even deny, deny, deny.”

“Raven, it’ll be fine.”

“You and relationships are never fine, Charles. But fine. Tell me everything after. Well, not everything – just the PG stuff. Gotta go – Irene is calling me,” Raven said, sending Charles a kiss through the phone, which he returned before tucking his phone into his cardigan pocket.

As Charles cleaned, he thought a bit more about Raven’s words, wondering if it would really be so bad to just… rip off the façade given to him by Shaw and show the world who he truly was. Someone who was a little damaged by his traumatic childhood but was saved by the love of his sister. Someone who was bisexual with a slight leaning towards men, who was known around Oxford as charming but a bit of a slut. Someone, who had never really been in love, so he could only sing love songs about girls ‘sweeter than melted chocolate and lemon drop candy’ because he didn’t have to believe it to sing it. Someone who could only write songs about hurt, ramen and genetics, and was really an average dancer, but stayed up late just so he could nail the complex footwork in the second verse of Love Me, Hate Me.

Someone who wasn’t Charles Xavier of X-Boys, but just Charles.

The Charles he was with Erik.

As he waited for Erik to come, Charles began thinking that revealing himself may not be bad, because if Erik Lehnsherr accepted him, surely others would too.

***

Erik was a successful journalist, and even though Brotherhood of Music had slumped in terms of income recently, he hadn’t been in want of money. He was comfortable, and had a nice apartment and a good, reliable car.

Still, he had been momentarily stunned when Charles had opened the door to his penthouse apartment, ushering Erik in with a wide smile and a joking “Welcome to my home, AD.”

“Nice place,” Erik said as he glanced around, pulling off his light jacket for Charles to hang on a coat rack by the door.

“Honestly, it wasn’t that nice a few hours ago,” Charles admitted, giving Erik a wry grin. “Don’t, uh, look in that closet over there. I may or may not have just thrown my mess in there to deal with later. It’s my proverbial ‘rug to sweep everything under’.”

Erik chuckled a little at Charles’s admission that he was normally a bit of a slob, the singer leading Erik further into his home with a lingering nudge on his elbow.

Though Charles didn’t live in a sprawling mansion (though Erik believed that he probably owned one somewhere in the city, or maybe another apartment in New York or the like), his penthouse was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the LA night. The furnishings were all understated but with an air of elegance, and Erik could tell that everything in his home was quite pricy.

Still, none of it seemed out of place; other homes could sometimes feel like a showroom, beautiful to look at by so impersonal. Charles’s apartment, though well-designed, looked lived in, things neat but not perfect. The blankets on his large L-shaped couch were rumpled, like he had been snuggled up under them just a moment ago, and there was an empty mug with a lone tea bag sitting on the coffee table next to a worn hard cover of ‘The Once and Future King’ – surprisingly, Erik’s favourite book.

The journalist’s eyes followed the title to a wall of books, all of which looked to have been read sometime before. They were crammed in there and almost over-flowing, with no order to them; they weren’t stacked alphabetically by author or title, and the coloured spines clashed with each other in a mish-mash of hues. The lower shelves had books that looked more worn than the others – Charles’s favourites, he supposed. Everything was in slight disarray but kept safe and clearly loved – that seemed so like Charles.

Erik turned back to the man then. He was still wearing the jeans from earlier, but instead of the T-shirt and cardigan combo, he donned an oversized and fuzzy knitted jumper which swallowed his shorter frame up. He was painfully adorable, and yet, he was looking at Erik like he had been in the dance studio – full of want, desire and heat. Erik swallowed, suddenly very aware of how warm the apartment was – or was it just him that was warm?

‘G’tt, I’m wearing too many clothes right now. Is Charles feeling warm, too? He must be boiling under that jumper, he should just take it off, along with everything else he’s wearing.’

Clearing his suddenly parched throat, the journalist quickly handed Charles the bottle of wine he had brought. Erik’s mother had taught him to never come to someone’s house empty-handed, but Erik had no idea what to get Charles who was someone who probably already had everything. So, Erik just went for the simple option and bought wine.

Charles let out a joyous laugh when he saw the wine Erik had gotten him.

“You remembered my favourite wine,” Charles said, and Erik shrugged, a little embarrassed.

“You only mentioned it earlier this afternoon, it’s not like it’s been a long time. Nothing to be so worked up about,” Erik said, Charles shaking his head and placing the wine down on top of a bench in the spacious living room.

“No, it shows that you cared enough to listen. Not everyone does that, you know,” Charles said, Erik frowning.

“You must have only talked to shitty listeners then,” Erik replied, Charles chuckling.  

“Seems that way. Although, they all turned out to be shitty people, too. Different from you, I’d wager,” Charles murmured, stepping towards Erik, until they were almost toe-to-toe. Their eyes locked, the attraction that had been simmering almost to boiling point still there. It had been a constant thrum under Erik’s skin since they parted at the café earlier, and from the look in Charles’s eyes, he knew the younger man felt the same way.

Charles tentatively pressed his hands against Erik’s chest, leaning into him. Erik could smell Charles’s shampoo like he had freshly showered, and his hands were hot even through the fabric of Erik’s shirt. Charles let out a breathy laugh, tilting his head up to look at Erik’s, lips just one little twitch away from Erik’s own.

“I know I invited you over for drinks first, but…” Charles whispered, eyes dropping to Erik’s mouth, eyes dark.

“Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t care less about drinks right now,” Erik breathed out in a rush, reaching up to cup Charles’s face, leaning forward to kiss him, hard. Charles immediately surged into Erik’s touch, hands scrabbling at the taller man’s chest, then moving to slide around his neck to pull him closer. Erik groaned at the way Charles nipped at his lower lip, teasing his lips apart. Charles’s mouth knew what it wanted, and Erik gave it to him willingly.

Charles kissed deeply and frantically, moaning as their tongues tangled wetly and Erik met his enthusiasm blow for blow, hands sliding down Charles’s neck and torso to rest on his hips, digging in there. The squeeze of his fingers made Charles gasp into his mouth, the sound stirring Erik up. Erik began stepping forwards, Charles moving backwards with him until he was crowded against a wall, groaning with desperation.

“You’re wearing too many bloody clothes,” Charles muttered when Erik detached their lip with a slick noise to mouth at Charles’s jaw and neck. Erik huffed out a strained breath.

“That was exactly what I was thinking, you’re reading my mind,” Erik murmured against Charles’s skin, feeling the column of Charles’s neck move as the younger man laughed, hands sliding under the hem of Erik’s shirt.

��Darling, I think we want the same thing right now,” Charles smirked, pulling Erik’s shirt over his head and dropping it without ceremony to the ground. “Bedroom?”

Erik grinned, nodding and pulling at Charles’s own shirt, the man laughing.

“Yeah. Bedroom.”

***

Erik woke up first, feeling tired but sated, and maybe even a little sore. He and Charles had fucked well into the night, not having to hold back since they both knew they had the next day off.

After coming twice each, they had managed to pull themselves out of bed to soak in Charles’s grand jacuzzi bathtub, the two of them lazily wrapped up in each other’s arms surrounded by rose-scented hot bathwater, smelling like the same shampoo and sharing warm kisses that weren’t like the earlier, more frantic ones.

The kisses they shared in the bath weren’t done to get somewhere, as a means to an end. They just kissed because they wanted to, and because they could, revelling in the feel of each other.

So, they kissed and drank wine as they lounged in the bath, Charles sitting between Erik’s legs and leaning against his chest, head dropped back on the slope of Erik’s shoulder. They had stayed in the bath until the hot water cooled and their fingers pruned, drying each other off with fluffy towels before falling back into bed, limbs tangling before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Even though they had gone to bed later than Erik usually would, he was a natural early riser and found himself groggily opening his eyes at a time that felt premature. Sunlight drifted through a gap in the curtains, casting a line of gold across Charles’s bare chest.

Erik blinked, rubbed his eyes blearily, before smiling. Erik took the opportunity to brazenly stare at the man beside him; smooth, freckled chest rising and falling with soft puffs of breath. He had one hand resting on his belly, just above where the blanket covered his bare lower body, and his other arm had been stretched out beneath Erik’s neck. His face was serene, red lips slightly parted as he breathed lightly. He didn’t snore, but every now and then he let out small sighing noises, nose twitching and dark lashes fluttering against his soft cheeks. His hair was sex-mussed and tousled with sleep, and Erik was sure he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his 30 years on earth.

Erik was surprised Charles didn’t wake up from the feeling of someone staring at him, or when Erik couldn’t hold himself back from running his fingers through Charles’s messy hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead. Charles’s nose just crinkled adorably, the man mumbling something incoherent, naturally shifting towards Erik’s warmth.

Charles rolled over towards Erik, and the older man chuckled, letting him nestle himself in Erik’s arms and enjoying how he felt tucked beneath his chin. Charles settled further into his embrace when the man began to draw slow lines up and down the bumps of Charles’s spine, tracing the curves of each of his vertebrae with the rough pad of his finger.

Erik had counted to 19 when Charles woke up with a throaty moan, tightening the grip he had around Erik’s waist.

“Nnngh, s’ too early,” Charles mumbled, nuzzling his face into Erik’s chest.

“I don’t think it’s early any more, it’s already-”

Suddenly, ‘Sweet Love’ started playing from Charles’s bedside table, Erik jumping while Charles just buried his face further into Erik’s chest, groaning.

“Erik, turn it offff,” Charles whined, patting Erik’s back pleadingly. “I forgot to turn off the alarm last night. I got… distracted.”

“Charles… your alarm tone is ‘Sweet Love’?” Erik asked, astonished. “Seriously?”

“Sweet like melted chocolate, ngh, lemon drop blah blah,” Charles mumble-sang through a yawn, and Erik could feel his hands moving behind his back in what he figured was a half-asleep version of the choreography. Erik let out an amused grunt, Charles shifting as the other man moved to reach over him to slam his hand down on the alarm, shutting off the bloody song.

“Well, I’m wide awake now,” Erik grumbled, Charles chuckling, pulling back and rubbing at his eyes before looking at Erik.

“It’s a great wake-up song,” Charles said, Erik rolling his eyes and leaning down to capture Charles’s mouth with his, the younger man sighing happily into the touch. “Mm. Good morning to you too.”

“Good morning,” Erik murmured in return, flopping over onto his back. Charles followed him and curled up to his side, kissing his shoulder.

“Sleep well?” Charles asked, rubbing a hand up and down Erik’s toned arm, resting his chin on the journalist’s shoulder. Erik smiled and turned his head to kiss the crown of Charles’s hair, humming with contentment.

“Yeah. Sleep was good,” Erik said, Charles purring happily.

“But waking up was even better.”

Especially when I get to wake up to this.

Next chapter (3/3) →

[authoressskr]

Howlite and Hearts

Characters: f!Reader, Melanie (OFC), Tania (OFC), James “Bucky” Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, James Rhodes

Warnings: Language and no Beta   ::   Word Count: 8,465

This was written for @moonbeambucky’s 5k Writing Challenge!! I went with a dragon!soulmate!au, which I hadn’t seen before, but I did have a nifty dream about it that spawned this whole idea. He’s still an Avenger. Events are basically still the same, just with dragons. ‘Cause who wouldn’t love a dragon companion??

Prompt: “You said you would come back for me.” Bolded in text below.

Please do NOT repost, copy & paste, post or share my works on any other platform without my EXPRESS PERMISSION.

-+- REBLOGGING is fine and very appreciated! -+-

Since men emerged from caves, began using tools and reshaping their environment, they have been intrigued by the draconian terrors of all shapes and sizes that roamed the world. The first records of man and dragon working together are from Mesopotamia, pieces of shattered pottery pieced back together showing a dragon standing beside a woman. Assyrian artifacts depict water dragons helping farmers in the field. Egyptian murals show dragons protecting the Pharaoh and his family, others showing different breeds of dragon fetching books from inside the Library of Alexandria.

History is dotted with famous dragons and their bonded humans; King Arthur and his steel-colored dragon, Excalibur. William Shakespeare and his dragon, Bard. Cleopatra and Bucephalus, named after Alexander the Great’s legendary steed. Abraham Lincoln and his dragon, Crusoe.

Over the centuries, dragons have become smaller from the giants painted in mythology, old texts and wall murals. The biggest dragon these days are about the size of a large crocodile, with the biggest recorded in the last decade almost as big as a hippo. Height varies on the type of dragon - with the tallest one balancing on its tail, hits almost eye level with a giraffe.

Classes have been taught for centuries about dragons and the bond between them with humans. Dragons will sometimes die right after their human counterpart and vice versa. Dragons who have lost their counterpart will sometimes live, seeking out their counterpart’s soulmate to stay with their draconian mates as well. It is not an uncommon thing - especially after times of war - for soulmates to have both dragons if one has died.

Dragon pairs will usually have the same colors and markings, even though they will often not be the same type of dragon. Dragons may look similar to the human eye, but a dragon will know it’s mate no matter what. It has not been determined how the dragons know their mate almost instantaneously, but after millennia humans have begun to follow the dragon counterpart’s knowledge in this area. Marriages of alliance and royalty have often been changed or dropped when one party finds its soulmate. In the same vein, marriages have also been arranged due to this circumstance as well. Cinderella is the most referenced fairy tale of this, with Cinderella having the same sapphire and gold colored dragon as the prince (*Dragon color varies by region and culture).

With the reemergence of Captain America and his dragon, it has helped scientists and theorists who now believe that the dragon and human bond is stronger than initially thought. Steve Rogers, known as Captain America, and his dragon Rak, were frozen for nearly 70 years and both proved to be in perfect health with an unbroken bond after thawing from the ice. Several theorists are pointing to a pieced together story found in Egypt about a man who was thought to be dead during a war, his dragon dying alongside - only for the pair to wander through the desert for nearly two years before arriving in Constantinople. The pair nearly died of dehydration several times but emerged with a stronger bond than before. The man claimed to the writer that it seemed as if after his trouble, he and his dragon experienced more than an emotional bond. It was as if they were linked in their minds and hearts. Whatever the case, it seems as if the bond between human and dragon is strong, it can always be strengthened. The only bond that is stronger - most noted and pointed out - is that of a matched pair with both dragon and human with their mates, protecting each other.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

You slide into the restaurant’s plush booth, smiling across the table at your best friend of nearly 13 years as you toss your purse further onto the bench.

“How was work?” You ask as you settle in, your dragon climbing from the inside of your jacket where she’d been resting earlier to drape her long body over your shoulders while your soulmate’s dragon settles his bulk over your feet under the table, his tail curling around your leg.

“Awesome. Matt finally asked me out.”

“Ooh! Congrats! When are you two supposed to go out?”

“Saturday!”

“Nice.” Your conversation pauses as the waitress appears, cheerfully asking for your drink order as a little yellow head pops out of her apron pocket.

“Iced tea and water, please.” You request, fingers coming up to scratch under Cloud’s chin.

“Gin and tonic, please. And water, as well. Thank you.” The waitress bounces off, high ponytail bouncing. Mel leaning a bit forward with a grin. “We could double date.” A deep growl sounds from under the table, making you chuckle.

“Godzilla says no.” Mel frowns at the table before shifting her brown eyes back to you. “He’s a good boy,” You coo before continuing. “He’s just keeping an eye on me until we’re reunited with my soulmate.”

“You gotta stop letting him do that. And you can’t reunite with someone you’ve never met.” Mel mutters as the waitress arrives with your drinks. You both thank her as she withdraws her pen from her apron, causing her little dragon’s yellow head to pop from the black apron pocket again.

“What can I get you ladies?”

“May I get the alfredo with chicken and mushrooms, please?”

“Side salad or soup?”

“Salad. Italian dressing please.”

“Of course! And you?”

“Shrimp carbonara. And a side salad for me as well. Ranch. Thanks.”

“I’ll get that out in a jiff!”

“Semantics. He and I will finally meet. Godzilla will be reunited.” Stroking his lifted head under the table a few times before he settles back into place again.

“Did your time off get approved?” Mel switches the subject before taking a hearty sip of her gin and tonic, both of you thanking the waitress as she sets your salads down before bouncing off again with a big smile. Melanie’s long serpentine jade dragon slithers from her purse, using a little flap of its peacock-colored wings to get it to the tabletop and chirps until Melanie surrenders all her croutons to him. “Bread thief.” She mutters as it chomps happily away.

“Yep!” You mutter cheerfully around a mouthful of greens. “Two freakin’ weeks! Soooo happy and ready for this road trip.”

“Model employee, you are.”

“Thank you for that high praise, Yoda.”

“When I finish this salad, I’ll dig out my proposed itinerary outline for the trip. I’m already so excited! Five days and we’ll be on vacation!” She does a happy little wiggle, Linus mimicking her with his little jade body. You both giggle at his antics.

“Did Tania get off? I text her on Monday and she said it was ‘Pending’ in the system.”

“Yeah, she texted me yesterday morning to say she got it off. But her brother’s wedding is on Saturday. In Dallas. So she’ll fly out late Sunday afternoon so we can all start out from San Fran on Monday.”

“Keep her hydrated Sunday night. Got it.” Your bouncy waitress reappears to whisk the salad plates away, promising the food will be out in just a few minutes. Godzilla’s heavy tail thumps against your leg and the booth, making you grin at your chunky boy. “Is Chinatown on your itinerary?”

“I keep forgetting you’ve never been there before…” She digs her little notebook from her purse and hands it across the table to you. “I’ll add it to the couple of days when we come back.” Cloud nudges at your jaw as you read through the daily logs.

“I like it. Taking our time everywhere. Plenty of adventure and time out for the fluffernuggets.”

“You call them by the weirdest names...” Mel mutters with a big smile as the food arrives, thanking the waitress before you take a long drink of your tea.

“They love them.” You take a couple pieces of chicken and pass it under the table, Godzilla happily chomping as you pass a piece to Cloud. “And jealousy is an ugly thing, Mel.” She passes a piece of shrimp to Linus, his little fingers on his wingtips holding onto the shrimp to tear it two.

“Uh huh. Sure.”

“So, what are you gonna wear on -” An older couple walks by, the woman tutting as she sees Godzilla’s tail under the table. You can see her counting and mentally steel yourself.

“Three.” She mutters loudly to her husband, who gives a solemn nod and steers her away. You feel a hand on top of yours, a gentle squeeze making you turn your attention back to your food.

“She’s just an old hag who doesn’t know anything.” You nod.

“She just really brought down my happy mood.”

“Then we’ll a couple drinks and go to that bookstore you like.”

“You always know the right thing to say to me.” She snorts, making you grin at your oldest friend.

“I should fucking hope so by now, honey.”

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bucky and Sam sit on the patio closest to the hanger, playing poker when Steve comes around the corner, tapping on his phone.

“How’s it going today guys? Missed our morning run.” He leans against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk.

“We stayed up drinking loooong after you left last night.” Sam chuckles out, throwing a card down and picking up another.

“Alcohol doesn’t affect Bucky.”

“I slept in and didn’t drag my ass out of bed that early in solidarity.” Steve snorts but nods.

“Yeah. Okay, pal. Keep lyin’ to yourself.”

“I can and I will,” Bucky replies, using his vibranium hand to scratch the scruff on his jaw with a lazy grin plastered on his face.

“Hey, guys! Uh, I mean Mr. Rogers, sir. And Mr. Barnes. And, um, Mr. Wilson.”

“You don’t have to -” Steve starts, shaking his head at Peter’s formality.

“Nah, I think I like being addressed as Mr. Barnes.”

“Just stick to first names, kid.” Sam orders, tossing down another card and making a face at Bucky.

“Right. I can do that. Mr. Stark asked me to come and get you,” Steve pushes off the wall. “Mr. Barnes. Uh, Bucky, sir.”

“Okay.” Bucky grins before laying his cards on the table. “I win. You’re cookin’ me breakfast for the rest of the week.”

“Damnit.” Sam curses as he tosses his cards onto the table.

“See you all in a bit. Lead the way, kid.” Peter leads Bucky down to the lab he built for Bruce, the two farthest walls projecting documents and a few pictures of the West Coast of the United States. Bucky carefully scans the walls as Peter eagerly announces Bucky’s arrival.

“Ah, Barnes. Just the man I sent the kid for.” Tony comes around a table and points to the documents on the left wall. “What do you see?”

“Intel on a Hydra base by the Washington/Canada border. You think it’s active?”

“I wouldn’t have. Except for this morning, the power kicked on there.” Bruce comes into the room behind Bucky, pointing to the map as Tony zooms in on the border.

“We only know this because Fury cleared that particular base after he became director. He set up sensors to alert S.H.I.E.L.D. to any unwanted visitors.”

“And I hijacked all their sensors, systems and alerts,” Tony add smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So you want me to go scout it?”

“No, I’ve sent a suit to go do some recon. I want to know everything you know about this base… Anything they might’ve had there. Any reasons you can think of to why they’d attempt a reactivation there.” Bucky gives a little sigh before he walks up to the wall, flipping through each piece of intelligence information, racking his mind for any and all information he possessed on that base.

“Smuggling arms from Russia would be my best first guess...my second would be the terrible answer of human trafficking.” He then begins to explain the ins and out of the base, what he remembers being at the base and some of the areas they used for experimentation there.

“Jeez.” Bruce exhales loudly before rubbing a hand over his face, his dragon lifting its head from the chair in the corner, looking quizzically from Bruce to Bucky. Tony taps his fingers on the tabletop across from Bruce, thinking.

“Okay. We’ll wait for the suit to report back before alerting the rest of the team.” Bucky nods, casting an envious glance towards Bruce’s now sleeping dragon. The quick look makes Tony’s stance soften a little, something unnoticed by Bucky as he turns to leave. “Wait.” Bucky turns himself back around. “I’ve been scanning for a dragon that matches your descriptions and archival photos.” Tony has a ghost of a smile dancing in his eyes as he drops this bomb on him.

“That’s why you don’t have a dragon?” Peter pipes up from the other side of Bruce.

“Mine didn’t go into the ice with me like Steve’s. He probably ran away from the base when I fell from the train...I don’t think Howl has survived to now.”

“And you couldn’t have survived a fall from a train. Steve couldn’t have survived the ice-cold grip of the Arctic.” He leans his butt against the table he’d just been tapping on, arms crossed over his chest with a smile. “Yet here we are, Barnes.”

Bucky clenches and unclenches his jaw, fear curling in his gut at the question he’s about to ask.

“Did you find anything?”

“Got two hits so far.” Bucky’s heart stutters in his chest. “One in Scotland, the other in California.” Tony gives a sly smile as Bucky gives a firm nod, turning to leave with his human hand clenched tight.

“Hydra first.” He manages to grit out before opening the door, ready to escape to the woods just outside the base to get his thoughts straightened out.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Portland here we come!” Tania yells as you start the rental car, making you laugh as you pull onto the road, heading to the freeway entrance.

“I can’t believe it’s been two months since all three of us have been together!” You say excitedly as you merge onto the freeway - officially starting your road trip to Portland.

“Two months too long!” Mel yells from the second row.

“So, Tania, you gotta fill us in on your brother’s wedding!”

“Ugh. Ultra small. They just had her immediate family and our immediate family plus, like, his two idiot best friends and her best friend.” She pauses, shoving a handful of thick black curls away from her lovely face. “Beautiful though.” She sighs out with a small smile on her face. “Almost exactly the colors I’d like to do for my wedding one day; light blue and black, with silver accents. Dinner was delicious! Whew! Glad I wasn’t interested in getting laid, cause all that food was too good to pass up.” Mel nearly snorts behind you as Tania continues. “A nice long dinner, some light dancing and a few rounds of shots between siblings and friends. Then I got to tuck myself into a plush hotel room, watch ‘The Wedding Date’ and nod off to sleep.”

“I think that’s the least stressful wedding you’ve ever told us about.” You remark with a quick look at Tania.

“That’s cause this is my oldest brother. Typical big bro. Looking out for everyone else. Dated Katherine for like 3 years before he popped the question. He thinks everything through. Unlike my younger brothers. Those two are idiots.”

“Hot idiots.” Mel pipes up from the back as you and Tania make faces.

“Nope. Nope. Nope.” Tania says seriously before half turning in her seat. “So, how did your date with Matt go?”

“All he wanted to talk about was work and who I thought was going to get the new promotion...How he was waiting for his soulmate after three bad relationships. Total bust.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. Need me to find a coffee shop before we officially head out of town?”

“Nah, she ordered a dessert to go at her busted dinner and I’ve bought her like four cups of coffee since yesterday.” You interject, watching Mel’s face break out in a big smile in the rearview mirror. Tania’s dragon slips from the folded down third row up to the front, crawling into her lap and sticking its head out the window, the soft black hair on its head and back twisting and turning in the breeze.

“Our first stop?” Tania asks Mel, stroking a hand over Falkor’s black wispy hair.

“Wherever you want it to be.” Mel grins out, brown eyes meeting yours in the rearview.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was about two hours down the line before Linus began chirping and growling, so you pulled over at a roadside area and let all the dragons out to go the bathroom and explore. You stake out a nice shaded bench to watch the four dragons play with a pair of Golden Retrievers. Dragons tended to love cats and dogs, and this was also a good chance for them to get out some of that pent up energy.

Tania demands a few selfies set against the coastline views and you suggest one with the dragons rolling around with the dogs, making you all laugh. After nearly fifteen minutes, you wander over to the middle-aged couple with the dogs, introducing yourself and thanking them for letting their dogs wear out your dragons. A few pleasantries and a loud goodbye, followed by some pets for Thelma and Louise, you herd the dragons up the hill to the bench for some water and a few snacks.

“That was a workout for everyone.” Mel chuckles, patting your back as you all head back to the SUV.

“Laugh it up. Next time wrangling is up to you, Melanie.” She just laughs as you climb back into the driver seat.

“Next stop, Fort Bragg.” Mel pipes up, holding her cell phone up for Tania to see.

Luckily, it only takes another two hours to get to Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, where Mel had mapped out your first official stop on the road trip.

After admission and grabbing some lunch at Rhody’s Garden Cafe, getting a bowl of clam chowder in a bread bowl and two lamb gyros for Godzilla and Cloud. You give Godzilla a whole one and carefully cut the other into thirds. You give a third to Cloud, putting a travel dish of water between the two before digging into your lunch. Tania joins you next, Falkor perched on her shoulder and eyeballing the two smoked tempeh gyros on her tray with glee. Mel is the last to join with a bowl of tomato basil bisque, a side salad and a lamb gyro for Linus. You discuss the flora and fauna already surrounding you, the faint scent of the ocean blowing through a few times while you all enjoyed lunch.

Forty-five minutes later you’re looking out over the Pacific Ocean, eyes closed at the serenity of it all; Godzilla pressed against your left leg while Cloud is curled around your neck. You knew your soulmate couldn’t feel the contentedness you felt, but you hoped he could.

That was the same thought you had as you laid curled up in the king-sized bed later that night with Mel hogging the covers on the other side.

I hope wherever you are, you’re safe and know that we miss you and want to meet you, soulmate.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Suit came back negative.” Tony points to the screen running the video in the Debriefing Room. “No human traces. Followed the electrical lines back to the main breakers and … nada.”

“Nothing at all? Then who turned the power back on?”

“Still don’t know. There were no fingerprints on the breaker boxes or on the doors to and from that area. The only sign anyone had been there at all was in the semi-buried loading dock to the west of the actual facility’s blueprints.”

“So what’s the plan?” Wanda asks, looking from the footage to Tony.

“I think we should all go there. Clean out whatever S.H.I.E.L.D didn’t and then inspect that buried loading dock.”

“All of us?” Rhodey repeats, leaning back in his seat, trying to ignore Peter’s too excited looking eyes.

“Well, most of us. Leave the broken ribs twins here and Banner, of course. Vision and Rhodey will cover the outside, Steve and Wanda will go to the secret loading dock while Bucky and Sam locate wherever the loading dock’s exit should have been. I’ll recheck the systems, download all the information - if S.H.I.E.L.D left any on the servers - and I’ll call in Rhodey to do the heavy lifting, if need be, of machinery or files we locate.”

“When do we leave?”

“First thing in the morning. Better light for the Tin Man and Birdboy to search in.”

“So considerate,” Sam mutters loudly, rolling his eyes as he looks at Steve.

“Rest up team.” Steve dismisses everyone, Bucky still sitting in his chair, staring at the screen without really seeing it. Steve’s brow furrows, leaning forward in his own chair. “You okay, Buck?”

“Tony tell you he thinks he might’ve found my dragon?” Steve’s jaw drops open. “Guess not.” His entire face changes, his blue eyes lighting up and a smile growing.

“That’s great!” When Bucky doesn’t react except a nod, Steve’s dragon flits from his perch on the back of his chair to land before Bucky, letting a high pitched squeal out until Bucky offers him his hand. The ruby-colored wyvern scampers up his arm until it is able to nuzzle under his jaw.

“Thanks, Rak.”

“Don’t get too excited, Buck.” Steve snarks out, pursing his lips before leaning back in his chair.

“It’s just a lot to deal with. I thought he was dead...I thought I would just be alone, ya know?”

“You don’t gotta be alone now though. You’ll get Howl back.”

“Tony said a woman had him.”

“Your soulmate.” Steve’s breath out so reverently it sent shivers down Bucky’s back. Bucky rubs a hand tiredly over his face.

“I guess.”

“But you hope not.” He clenches his jaw before shaking his head at his best friend. “Jesus, Bucky.”

“I know, Steve. You act like I don’t fucking know.” Rak tugs sharply at a piece of Bucky’s hair at the tense air between the two men, hissing loudly when he drops his hair. Bucky turns to glare at the dragon. “Listen here, pipsqueak, I don’t need it from you too.” Rak blows a little puff of smoke at Bucky before launching off his shoulder to flit out of the room. “Stevie...it’s just a lot. All of a sudden. I mean, damn, there is no easing into it either. Tony just fucking laid it on me this afternoon and -”

“It’s all you can think of now. I get it - trust me Buck - but I wish I was in your shoes.”

“Still different shoes, Steve.”

“Shuri worked with you. You got a good therapist now. Don’t have as many nightmares or sleepless nights...I don’t see why you think you wouldn’t or don’t deserve a soulmate. You’re one of the best people I know, Bucky. Then and now.”

Bucky just sighs again, dropping his head into his hands and tugging on the long strands with frustration.

“It’s not that I’m not excited.” He begins softly. “It’s just that the cons right now outweigh the pros.”

“How exactly?”

“I am a formerly wanted Hydra assassin.”

“They cleared you of all charges against the Vienna bombing. They cleared you for helping me and the guys against Tony. But go on, drama queen.” Bucky raises his head and rolls his eyes at Steve.

“And it’s go off, Steve. I’m over a hundred fucking years old.”

“So am I. We look like we are in our thirties. Maybe she likes older men.” Bucky scoffs at his best friend’s smile.

“I haven’t seen Howl in seventy plus years.”

“Rak and I were in the ice for nearly that long. The bond doesn’t lessen by circumstances or distance. You two are a pair.”

“Alright, we both know someone else came up with that.”

“Coulson,” Steve admits with a rueful smile. “Words are still true.” Bucky rubs his hand over his face again with a sigh.

“Yeah. Yeah. Well, I guess we’ll find out after this mission.”

“I guess we will, pal. And apologize to Rak. He didn’t do anything to you, you bully.” Bucky and Steve both push themselves up from their chairs, making their way from the room.

“I’ll give him some pepperjack. You know he loves his cheese.”

“No more cheese! You aren’t the one who has to sleep with the little gas ball.”

“RAK!! CHEESE!” Bucky yells as he takes off for the kitchen, the little ruby dragon running to catch up at top speed behind the supersoldier as Steve shakes his head.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

You were all up just before sunrise, walking down the abandoned Glass Beach. Tania had been up the night before, googling things to do in Trinidad when she’d stumbled upon an article about the sea glass remains in Fort Bragg. And honestly? What’s better than an empty beach in the morning with your best friends and your dragons happily bringing you seashells, pieces of driftwood and harassing seagulls? Not much.

After an hour or so on the beach, you all make the quick trek back towards town for a large breakfast, where Godzilla swallowed a whole plate of eggs and sausage before looking up at you with big sapphire eyes. You’d given in - you nearly always do - and given him a piece of your toast and Mel had given him one of her pancakes.

“Chunker.” You mutter around a sausage link, giving the other half to Cloud as Godzilla amps up the begging eyes. You don’t give in this time. But Tania does - giving him the last bit of her omelet.

Forty-five minutes later, you’re all headed towards Trinidad. It’s an almost three-hour drive, beautiful and hugged quite close to the coastline. The windows are down and the music is up, with the sea air swirling around the cab.

You arrive, everyone tying on their tennis shoes to trek out to look at the enormous redwood trees that California is known for. You snap a few pictures as Godzilla attempts to follow Cloud and Linus up a Redwood, but his little glider wings aren’t as helpful as they should be. He turns those big blue eyes up at you, with Falkor perched on his back, both looking so sad.

“Oh, Lord.” You mutter as you bend over, “Okay, you gotta help.” His head bobs eagerly before you heft Zilla up, letting his claws lightly dig into the tree to help claw Falkor and himself up. Once he gets above your head, he manages another twenty feet or so before launching off the tree and gliding back down to the forest floor. His little teeth are barely seen in what you have come to learn is his smug smile. “Yes, you did amazing. Glad to be of help.”

You refuse to help him up a bigger tree, so he begins climbing every fallen one you all come across until Mel taps out about a half hour later. You all get back to the SUV, then find a place for lunch before continuing on into Oregon. A quick stop at the state line for a photo op and letting the dragons wander around for about fifteen minutes, Tania gives a sharp whistle to round them up so you can continue on your way.

You get just past Selma when a huge rainstorm blows in. It takes an hour and a half extra to get to the next town of Wilderville. Then have to go another 9 miles to get to the nearest hotel. Mel ran out to get some late lunch/early dinner since the rain wasn’t letting up at all.

An old Godzilla movie is on, Zilla swinging his tail excitedly when he hears Godzilla’s roar through the tv, imitating him happily in his deeper tones.

“That’s why you call him that?” You shrug at Tania’s question, chuckling at all the dragons watch Godzilla battle King Ghidorah enraptured.

“My mom just always called him that. She said cause they both got cankles.”

“They do!” She squeals, withdrawing her pajamas from her luggage. A drenched Mel struggles in a handful of minutes later. She stopped at the little grocery store, getting a small pack of tea bags, some honey, and a little tray of sausages and cold cuts for the scalies. Fried chicken and some salad for you three as you look up how long the storm should last and if there are any road delays ahead.

“So, after tonight do we go to Cannon Beach or Astoria? We all know which I prefer.”

“Yeah, Y/N we know you’d rather go to Astoria.”

“HEY, YOU GUYS!” You shout happily in reply.

“Well, I think Astoria would be good too. There are trails - providing it’s not too wet after this storm - plus museums, cute little shops downtown, antique stores, Lewis and Clark National Historic Park and a waterfall. That’s not including the Goonie house, which we’ll go see for Y/N.”

“Okay, so if it’s mostly clear by like, I don’t know, 5 am then I say we head out for Astoria then. My only thing is that we are kind of off the path Mel first planned. Do we head to Bandon then up to Astoria? Cause it says,” You withdraw your copy of her itinerary. “That it’s about 5 hours from Bandon to Astoria. And right now, it’s almost 3 hours to get back on Highway 1. We could do 8 hours, provided we stop enough to stretch our legs and let out the fluffernuggets.”

“I say we do the 3 hours to get us back to Bandon. Then the next day we’ll head to Astoria. When we are done in Astoria, we’ll head to Portland to grab a hotel for the night and explore it the next day. We aren’t in a rush.”

“That’s right,” As you nod in agreement with Tania, Mel continues. “This is only day two.”

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“Found anything?” Sam’s voice comes in through his earpiece, giving a little grunt as he shoved a part of a fallen tree out of his way.

“Looks like the exit. Covered in moss, leaves and a few fallen tree trunks that must have rolled partially down here. I’m about a click away from where we started.”

“Finally! Two damn days of looking...all this green blurring together. I’ll be there in a few seconds to help.” Bucky tears at the moss and vines around another trunk as he grunts out an “Okay” over the comm before Steve’s voice replaces Sam’s.

“Rhodey, Tony, Wanda and Vision are inside now, so I’m coming out to help you and Sam.”

“Gotcha,” Bucky replies, straightening up with a groan. “I got two trunks out of the way, but the last one is massive...I think the wall is behind it, and we should be able to follow the wall to the collapsed exit.”

“Roger that, Tin Man,” Tony confirms. “The last of the debris is nearly clear on this side. Wanda waved most of it away after we did the heavy lifting.”

“Right. Yes, that was exactly what happened...” Wanda’s voice is heavy on the sarcasm, making Bucky grin.

It’s nearly an hour later that Bucky and Steve manage to dislodge the trunk enough to comfortably get behind it to search the moss-riddled wall. Sam has Redwing searching along what they think is the wall, while Rak and Blackbird - Sam’s onyx little dragon - scramble along the base of the wall.

“Anything yet, Stark?” Bucky settles himself on the large log, fingers sliding into his damp locks and tying them back while they wait for Tony’s reply.

“Well, I haven’t found a secret door yet…”

“What Tony means is: yes Steve - we’ve found a mangled wall panel. Looks like it was smashed.” Bucky snorts at Wanda’s continued sass.

“I am working to fix the panel. Tony has gone back to divert the power to this end of the base.” Vision’s voice fills the comms just before they all hear a loud crack.

A rumble from the stone looking metal door shakes the ground around them as it attempts to roll itself up. By the time Tony makes it back to the dock, the door has managed to heft itself halfway up. Bucky eyes the door warily. He’s seen Indiana Jones...

“I hope we didn’t just do all the hard work for the bad guys,” Sam mutters as Rhodey, Vision, Wanda and Tony all join them carefully on the forest side of the door.

“We should blow it up,” Bucky remarks, Rak crawling up his pants and tact vest to settle on his shoulder. “That way we’re sure. The base is empty - all that’s left in there is old medical equipment I wouldn’t let anyone use, some desks and some chairs. We blow it up and then we just set up surveillance around the base and around Portland.”

Rhodey huffs out a breath in tandem with his dark emerald dragon, looking from Tony to Steve.

“I agree with Bucky, man. We get rid of the base then we get rid of the lure of any fractured HYDRA factions. Then we head to Portland for some delicious food at Proud Mary Cafe.”

Tony gestures at Rhodey, “Is that the place with the crab omelet?”

“Yep.” Bucky’s mouth waters a little at the mention of an omelet, only have a couple power bars since they’d started this morning. Portland sounds delicious at this point.

“Damn, that was almost decadent. Okay, I’m sold on Portland.” Steve rolls his eyes, making Tony smirk as his crimson and amber dragon clamors up his armor.

“We have gotten all files that were left behind. As well as documenting the whole base. We have no need for it if we are not going to occupy it.” Vision redirects the conversation back to the base. “And surveillance along the way, from here to Portland, would be excellent to execute for further knowledge on any HYDRA or other evil entities in the area. As Bucky and Rhodey have stated.” Bucky nods as he pulls a little leftover piece of jerky from his vest to give to Rak, who lets out a happy trill before Wanda reaches over to scratch the top of his head.

“Alright - you heard the Tin Men! Let’s blow her up.” He gestures back towards the half-open door. “Rhodey?”

“Tones, man, I’m gonna buy you a whole tableful of those omelets.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“Jesus. Are we like that?” Bucky mutters to Steve, smiling as Rhodey selects his weapon.

“Worse,” Sam mutters from Bucky’s left, making Steve and himself chuckle before they all head back up the hill in an effort to avoid most of the dust and debris.

“Jealousy is an ugly thing, Sam!” Bucky calls out as Sam and Wanda rise into the air, both of them sporting big grins before Rhodey launches into his destruction of the base.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

“I’ve never had such pretty looking pizza!” Tania exclaims as it’s laid on the table, Godzilla’s tail thumping excitedly against your leg under the booth.

“Edible flowers and mushrooms? Ick.” Mel makes a face before picking up a piece of her fennel sausage pizza before picking up her fork and spearing a piece of the pansotti pasta to give to Linus.

“Well, we can have breakfast wherever you want.” You placate before handing a slice under the table before picking up a piece for yourself. You only got two bites in before Cloud drags it from your hand to devour it by your wine glass. “Apparently I am too slow for you, scaly.” Taking a healthy sip of your wine, you look across the table at Tania. “I saw a flag when we were walking earlier for the Portland Japanese Garden. We should check that out. The dragons like it when they can roam. Looks serene too.”

“As long as I don’t gotta hike, I’m golden with whatever,” Melanie mutters around another piece before handing one under the table for Zilla.

“If we do the Lan Su Chinese Garden, it has a teahouse!”

“Ooh, that sounds nifty Tania!”

“There’s also Powell’s City of Books. An entire city block worth of books.” Mel smiles over the rim of her glass at you. “And a hell of a coffee shop inside too.” Tania laughs, jiggling Falkor who is balanced on her shoulder, nibbling at her slice of pizza.

“If Y/N went in there, she might not come back out!”

“You say that like that’s a bad thing!” You defend, taking the last slice of your shared pizza with a playful glare at Tania.

“Think of all the money you’d spend.” Mel joins in.

“But then I’d have books…” You mutter around your mouthful.

“Your tiny little apartment can’t handle any more books.”

“That’s true,” You concede with a little sigh. “But that doesn’t mean if we have spare time, we can’t go and look!”

“Knew that was coming! Knew it!” Mel cackles, Linus giving her a judgemental look from his perch on the pasta plate as her hand slapped a few times on the table beside him.

“Well, I should fucking hope so by now.” You add smugly, taking a sip of your wine as Tania pulls out her phone.

“Okay. So what place do you want to do for breakfast, Mel?”

“I set up a reservation for breakfast for tomorrow at Proud Mary Cafe. One of the guys at my work, Tomas, says it’s the most delicious place to eat. So I set it up the day we left San Francisco since he mentioned it usually has a waitlist.”

“Holy crap,” Tania says softly as she peers down at her phone. “This food sounds decadent!”

“Read us a bit.” You request as you settle a little more comfortably into your seat.

“Savory french toast: Buttery portabella mushroom, smoked ricotta, chipotle charred greens, paprika crumb, croissant brioche, poached egg.”

“Whew. That sounds amazing!”

“Crab omelet: Singapore chili crab omelet, spicy noodles, bean sprout, and Asian herb salad, crispy onions.” She continues, licking her lips. “God I love crab.” With a shake of your head she looks up, “This is one I know you’ll want. Dutch honey hotcake: Vanilla and ricotta hotcake, mandarin segments, caramel, baked cheesecake, dutch cookie, honeycomb.”

“That’s a fancy pancake right there,” You say, handing Cloud the last piece of pansotti before reaching across to Melanie’s last slice, tearing it into thirds for Linus, Falkor, and Godzilla.

“Maybe pavlova? It’s a classic Australian pavlova with matcha, baked rhubarb, rhubarb syrup, and, ooooh, a custard cream. Damn. We should just order one of everything. It all sounds wonderful.”

“I wouldn’t say no to that!” Mel giggles out as the waitress comes over to ask about any ice cream desserts. “No thanks, we probably need to walk off what we just ate!”

“So,” Tania begins as the waitress goes to get the check. “We gonna walk for a bit then grab an ice cream cone while we’re out?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that!” You chuckle at Mel’s words, sliding the waitress your debit card when she returns.

“Or coffee.” You add.

“Or coffee. Man, I love me some coffee.” Mel replies with a grin, all of you standing after you sign the receipt, leaving a hefty tip for the waitress who had added some sausage on the side of the pasta for the scalies. “Let’s go find a coffee and ice cream place...then a park for the dragons.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Tania agrees, tucking Falkor into her oversized handbag as they exit the eatery, all of them taking a deep breath and headed down the street.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

When they checked into The Benson last night, Bucky was exhausted. Exhausted but hungry. The food nearby was outstanding, though both Rhodey and Tony both kept saying it wouldn’t be as amazing as breakfast. Sam had rolled his eyes, remarking that everything tastes “amazing” to Steve and Bucky who had grown up with boiled cabbage and then hadn’t eaten for nearly seventy something years.

“One thing they don’t need to be - food critics,” Sam had finished as they’d stepped out into the evening air.

“I had plenty of good food back in the day when I was in Italy and France, thank you very much Mr. Won’t Pass Up A Big Mac.” Bucky sasses back, shoving his metal hand into his pocket. He takes about four steps when he felt a tingle up his spine. His head moves subtly from left to right, scanning the people around.

“Buck?” Steve’s voice is soft, straightening up when he sees Bucky’s posture change. All of them are on alert now, but none sure what they’re looking for.

“Just had a feelin’...”

“Like a ‘we’re about to get sniped’ feeling or more like ‘deja vu’ feeling?” Rhodey queries as he watches a group of men cross the street.

“Like something important is gonna happen feelin’.”

“I think he means an innocent feeling or an about to be ambushed one, Sgt. Barnes.” Vision adds, his eyes moving from the building behind them to Bucky. Bucky sees a flash on white, low to the ground up the street a little, but it’s lost in the foot traffic soon after he spots it.

“Nothing malicious. Just an odd, but nice feelin’.”

“Next time, lead with that.” Tony claps him on the shoulder before moving in the opposite direction, talking about a steakhouse with the most flavorful clam chowder he’s ever had. Wanda pats his arm before trailing after Tony and Vision, a small smile gracing her face.

When they’re seated and drinks have been ordered, Bucky still can’t shake the feeling. The light conversation is interrupted by Tony’s phone.

“Uh huh. Yep. Oh really? Did you activate the satellite feed? Uh huh. Bout an hour or so, I would venture to guess. Okay. Yep. Let me know. Thanks, Bruce.”

Steve raises an eyebrow at Tony, who is eyeing Bucky with interest.

“Did you tell them?”

“I told Steve.”

“Well then, I’ll catch everyone else up.” Bucky manages a nod just before Tony begins. “After getting first-hand descriptions, photos, plus information from both HYDRA and SHIELD - I began looking for Bucky’s dragon. I started from the base where Howl disappeared then branched out from there. And then one day it hit me -”

“Here we go…” Sam chuckles out, bracing his elbows on the table as a waiter appears with their drinks.

“Where would a dragon who has seemingly lost its human partner go?” Tony pauses dramatically, taking a healthy sip of his whiskey. “To find it’s soulmate.”

“So you’re saying you found not only his dragon but his soulmate?” Rhodey takes a good swig of his beer. “Damn.”

“I’ve narrowed it down to two women, just from satellite footage, you understand. One in Scotland, one in California. I asked Bruce to keep an eye on them while we were gone. Apparently, our California candidate has disappeared. Nowhere in the state.”

“You think something happened to her?” Wanda questions, looking from Tony to Bucky, who has his jaw clenched harder than is probably healthy.

“Nothing bad.” He takes another drink. “I don’t think. Bruce is readjusting the feed to get her last location and that should take about an hour. So, by the time we finish our dinner, we’ll have an answer.”

“Excellent.” Vision smiles encouragingly at Bucky, who gives a tight-lipped smile back as a mouthwatering steak is set before him. Suddenly his hunger isn’t as all-consuming as it was before...

God, Doll, I hope you’re safe wherever you may be...I don’t know if I can take it if you aren’t…

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

There are quite a few people lingering outside the establishment and a few shopfronts down, settled on benches and scrolling through phones while they wait. It’s cooler than you had expected, the storm you’d encountered earlier in the week still lingering. In a few days it’ll be warmer, something the dragons will appreciate but you will not.

Proud Mary Cafe opens at 7am, but the dragons and Mel had other ideas, and you’d all gotten up right before 6. Mel and Tania had showered the night before, so you hopped in only to be interrupted by Godzilla howling for you through the door. You had to hop out to crack the door open so he could reach you, resulting in the hot water to peter out to lukewarm water in those two minutes. Tania had insisted on doing your hair, like she had many a time in college, letting you slap on some sunblock and then minimal makeup while she twisted and coerced your hair how she wanted. Herding the dragons downstairs and over to the park for some pre-breakfast walkies had woken you up better than the two cups of coffee Mel had already downed.

You’re about to enter the cafe when Godzilla shoots off down the street, you and Cloud both calling out after him. You shove your purse at Tania before tearing off after him, silently cursing his damn monitor-like body as his short but powerful legs carry him away. When you see him, he’s at the end of the block sitting on some poor man’s chest.

“I’m so, So, SO sorry!! He never does this!!” You wrap your hands around his thick black collar, attempting to tug the two hundred plus pound dragon off the man. “Bad Zilla!! Bad!! Off the nice man!!”

“Zilla? As in Godzilla?” You huff, still tugging, finally looking at the man standing beside you. Holy shit it’s Iron Man.

“Off.” The man grunts from under Godzilla, who happily obliges, his thick marble-looking tail wiggling so hard his entire body is moving along with it.

“Holy shit. You tackled an Avenger. Apologize!” You hiss at your wayward dragon, Captain Rogers helping the man up. And holy shit are you glad you said that while you could because of the specimen before you is drop dead gorgeous. Dark hair that’s hanging just past his shoulders with the most intense blue eyes you think you’ve ever encountered. He’s a good head taller than you with just enough scruff covering his cheeks to look almost sinful with his pink lips. Cloud’s sharp nails dig into your shoulder, kicking your mind back towards the fact that Godzilla just tackled the unsuspecting Avenger. “I’m very sorry, Sergeant Barnes. Godzilla has never done that before. He’s been acting off since last night. Must be all the time in the car for the last few days. I really am very sorry.”

“Told you it was a vacation - you owe me fifty bucks.”

“Shut up Tony.” Captain Rogers glares at the billionaire before smiling at you. You turn your attention back to Mr. Barnes.

“No need to apologize. I’m sure he just sensed me last night - like I sensed him.” The dots all suddenly align in your head, releasing your fingers from Godzilla’s collar.

“Oh.” You breathe out, tears coming to your eyes as you look down. “Why didn’t you say something?” He huffs, his tail wiggling dying down before snorting angrily at the super soldier’s boots.

“It’s gonna be that way, Howlite, pal?” Sgt Barnes kneels before the dragon, holding out his flesh hand.

“You said you would come back for me.” You say, causing those intense blue eyes to find yours, while you give him a small sad smile before letting your gaze drop to Zilla - Howlite. He swallows hard then nods, smiling at his dragon.

“I did promise you I’d be right back, didn’t I buddy?” Godzilla eased a little closer, Cloud switching shoulders so she can be closer to her mate, glaring at the former Winter Soldier. “And I meant to...I didn’t mean to...for things to happen like they did. But I’m glad you left. I don’t want you to see me that way, ever. And I don’t want to think about what they’d have done if they found you. You were the best, Howl. You did right and ran. I’m sorry you went seventy years without a home,” He swallows again, blue eyes shining with tears that are being fought back.

Godzilla - Howl, you mentally correct yourself again - moves closer to you, nudging your leg with his muzzle before stepping forward to rub his scaled face into James’s outstretched hand.

“Don’t worry, Sergeant Barnes. He wasn’t alone that long.” Howl is trying to shove his entire hefty body into his owner’s kneeling form, the super soldier’s smile is bright as he welcomes him, trying to wrap himself around the dragon in turn.

“Thank you.” He says gently, but with a light shining in his sapphire eyes. “Okay. Okay. I gotta introduce myself.” Howl happily disengages, his tail thumping happily against the pavement as James straightens up. His hand stretches out towards you, an unsure smile tugging on his plush lips. “James Barnes. Bucky...Bucky Barnes, actually.”

“I’m Y/N Y/L/N.” You take his hand and both of you inhale sharply at the sensation of your skin touching for the first time. He hasn’t released your hand - not that you’re complaining - so you use your free hand to push a piece of hair out of your eyes. “We were about to have breakfast.”

“What a coincidence! So were we! Proud Mary Cafe?” Tony pipes up, sporting a huge grin.

“Um, yeah, actually.”

“Wonderful. We’ll all have breakfast together. Get to know each other.” Tony gestures towards where you’d run from, Bucky giving your hand a small squeeze before releasing it, his cheeks pink as you both realize you’ve just been staring at each other with dopey smiles painted on your faces.

Bucky walks closely beside you, although not as close as Howl who is pressed right up against his leg as he walks, your arms brushing against each other comfortably as you make your way to the cafe entrance...as if you’d walked like this a hundred times before. And it’s nice - this feeling of finding your soulmate, of finally being able to talk to them and to touch them. In fact, your fingers are nearly twitching with the need to touch him. Bucky holds the door open for you and then pulls your chair out for you when you’re all taken back to the now joined tables. This is all you could’ve asked for.

Plus you did have that week and a half left of vacation time...

Tagging:  @moonbeambucky @thewhiterabbit42 @nobodys-baby-now @unleashthemidnight @stay-frosty-royal-unicorn @chelsea072498 @clockworkmorningglory @sakurablossom4 @marichromatic @blondecoffeecake @ourloveisforthelovely @whinywingedwinchester @feelmyroarrrr

[chaos-societies]

Episode 6, The Seven Chaos Princes’ Crowns

Fire was burning all around. It was inescapable. The distant sound of rushing water was not of comfort however. Waves flooded the scene and there were no means of staying afloat. It became impossible to breathe. The shadow of a man was letting out hearty laughs all the while.

“Past…Future… ”

The words cut through the chaotic event. They were clear and soothing, but there was an air of concern in the voice.

“The plant for creation, the plant for destruction... They’re waiting for the controllers.”

A light began shining. It wasn’t clear where it came from but it was blinding. Suddenly there was no more drowning, no more inferno.

“The servers are the seven chaos…”

…

Amy’s eyes slowly creaked open as a ray of sunlight had slipped between the closed shades of the window and landed right upon her face. She rolled out of the sun’s piercing brightness and let out an accompanying grown. “Five more minutes…” She mumbled mindlessly.

After a decent bit, Amy moseyed out from the bedroom and joined Sonic who was already in the kitchen stirring up some breakfast. “Sleep well?”

Amy let out a yawn. “Yeah…” She said without much conviction.

“Oh come on Ames, don’t lie to me. You were tossing and turning all night!” He quickly flipped the contents of the skillet before placing it back down on the stove. He moved over to the table where Amy was sitting and slid a cup of coffee in front of her. “Tell me, what’s up. More dreams?”

“Yeah…” It seems that was as much of a response she was capable of at the moment, at least until she woke up more.

The two discussed them more over breakfast. Amy told Sonic how Chuck comforted her about these dreams of hers and she made sure to remember as much as she could in case anything from them came to fruition. She even wrote some of them down and started her own dream journal. The one from the night prior for sure being noted as the new voice was surely telling some important information about ‘creation’ and ‘destruction.’

The world outside was moist after a light rain during the early morning. The sun was out but clouds occasionally obscured it and gave the air a cool brisk feel to it. The two walked around the wood surrounding the main village. The faint sound of waves mixed with the rustling of leaves in the wind. The two came across a ring of mushrooms and made sure to go around lest walk through. They discussed many things, mostly around the speculation of the recent events – Stark Ruins, the library in Cap, their run-in with the Reds from Rockbase, Chuck’s concern something menacing was afoot. They pondered what could be; evil spirits coming for vengeance, a forewarning of death. Nothing of their speculation was of the positive nature.

Meanwhile, Chuck was reading more from the Stair na Seacht at his place of study in his hut. The cool moist air battled the warmer sun as the two took turns pouring in through the window overhead. Birds were singing outside and the ambiance added peace to Chuck’s focus.

“Come ere spires…blocking…light? Blocking sun?” He looked over to another book and scanned some pages, turning them with a slow pace as he searched the text. “North the South city of trade…” He stopped reading a moment and thought aloud, “The South city of trade…”

Chuck stopped and looked out the window to see the trees. He thought of anything to avoid what he knew was inevitable if he were to find out what mysteries were starting to reveal themselves. But his concern for what may transpire outweighed his desire to keep those closest to him from venturing out in the world outside the haven of South Island. He let out a heavy sigh.

Outside, Sonic and Amy were walking back from their excursion. Knuckles and Rouge were off talking under an oak tree. Tails was sitting around with his nose deep in another book of some sorts.

As Sonic and Amy came around to the main area of the village, Chuck walked out of his hut in good timing. He looked over at Sonic with a non-verbal message that he needed to speak with him. Sonic said some words to Amy and they split as Sonic walked to join his uncle.

“Sonny boy. Enjoy your morning?”

“So far, what’s up Chuck?”

“I’ve been reading and trying to decipher the Stair na Seacht. I haven’t gotten far but there is a passage that uncovered something nearby. It doesn’t say much but something close is much more manageable than anything if it may bring more clues to what may be going on.” He explained.

“Another adventure!?” Sonic asked enthusiastically.

Chuck smiled behind his bushy mustache. “I knew you’d take pleasure in the prospects of possibly another trek into the wild. Despite my concern for your well being.”

“Uncle Chuck, you’ve done so much for us here. And you know we can keep our own. If there is anything we can do to help out your research.”

“There is.” He said quickly. He began to walk and Sonic began to follow. “There is not a lot of definitive phrasing in the book. It’s almost entirely written in riddles it seems, although I can’t tell if that’s intentional or just so old that what it tries to describe and explain was based on limited information of the world at the time.”

“What kind of riddles?” Sonic asked inquisitively.

“Some of it is plane information…mostly lore and ancient beliefs and mythos. Other parts be like directions to pieces of a puzzle that it didn’t even intend to create. It’s got me arsed if I weren’t lying.”

“So what do you need from me?”

“You and the gang, don’t you forget. Not only do I fear this involve the lot of you, you all have a tight nit that surely come in handy in a pinch. I need you to go north again, to Cap and even a bit past. I will have to owe Eiméar more for your visit a second time but–”

Sonic took the chance to make jest, “She was kind but I think we may have put up a nerve on her while we were there.”

“Oh I’ve not a doubt you did you kook.”  Chuck answered with a chuckle. He got back to the topic at hand. “The book mentions a place. I think it refers to somewhere at the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh north of Cap. If you can’t find anything, don’t mingle about as it doesn’t define a precise location. But it talks about something there, a text or message of sorts. I couldn’t determine exactly. But it was under a chapter referring to the emergence of ancient calamities with the talks of fire and flood. I think it’s relevant based on the runes you saw at Stark Ruins. Might give some extra clues, whatever it is there referring to. And…it wouldn’t hurt to investigate as it will still take some time for me to study the book further.”

“Chuck, you know we’re your guys for the job!” Sonic said with a bounce of his words.

“Ha!” Chuck laughed a bit. “Oh I know you are lad.” His cheery tone at Sonic’s response faded back to emotions of concern as his deepest fear still lingered on his mind; the world could be consumed with darkness and he wouldn’t care so long as he knew Sonic and the rest of his friends and all those in South Island were safe from harm. But he knew there was much at stake and feared it directly involved those he was trying to protect. “Go grab your crew. I’ll let you all decide on when you want to make this journey. The last one was more trying on you than I had ever hoped it to be.”

With that, Sonic departed and bolted off to join the others. Tails was the first one he told as he wouldn’t even consider going anywhere without his best friend and ‘little bro’ as he says. Next was Amy who showed a fair share of concern but also intrigue at the prospect of uncovering more of the world’s secrets. Her dreams were definitely a factor in wanting to know more as well. Knuckles acted annoyed as he would with even the simplest of requests but took the opportunity to give Sonic some slagging saying he saved them last time and they could use his help. Rouge felt similar in the sense of watching out for the group, not so much in the poking fun at them part.

They decided to give it another day or so before heading out. Knuckles took this time to go back to Angel Island. Nack and Bean made jest on how Knuckles was leaving his own chapter of Reds for the Cyans but he was used to this with how much of his time was divided between the two factions of the two Societies. Mighty and Ray were supportive and wished him luck as they knew the dangers of the Greater Area since they too helped rescue the Cyans from their not-so-friendly Rockbase brothers and sisters on their journey back from Cap the last time. Bark was silent as ever.

The time came for the group to depart and was once again sent off by Chuck and Vanilla. The rabbit innkeeper, always the mother, even prepared another care package for them.

The journey to Cap was much like their first, uneventful. A good thing too. They arrived again in the market and were lucky no one remembered their faces based on their last scuffle with the locals. They are a rambunctious crew but were smart and learned quickly. They didn’t want to draw any attention or break out any of their ‘abilities’ as Chuck put it. But that didn’t stop their gaze at the goods and merchandise. Knuckles was particularly fascinated by the hustle of the city. He was too used to the quiet life of Angel Island – the village at South Island was sometimes even too much for him. He would moan and scoff at every Mobians that bumped into him which was a lot based on his larger stature as they walked through the crowded streets.

“Psst, miss.” A voice called out. Amy stopped and turned her head. “Yes you! Lovely pink quills you got.” An older lady called. “I ‘member the days my quills were so well kept. What’s your name lass?” The lady was an old hedgehog covered in a shroud and had many chains beads and pendants hanging from silver wire adorned on her head and shoulders. She had a few gemmed rings and long hanging earrings.

“Um… Amy?”

“Amy, lovely. Short for Amelia?” Amy didn’t respond and continued to stare inquisitively. She looked back at the group who stopped and noticed Amy fell behind. They stood with similar curious looks as to why she stopped. “Ah, no matter.” The gypsy continued. “I can tell you’re special.”

Amy turned back to the older hedgehog. “What?”

“Dreams is it?” Amy was stunned. “Come now, I only wish to help.” Her words were warm and sincere. Amy turned back to Sonic and the others and raised a finger for them to wait a moment for her. She slowly but cautiously followed the gypsy back behind her booth and into a small dwelling.

Amy passed many odd trinkets and oddities as she continued back. The place had a warm earthly glow to it and plants were all around in pots on the floor and hanging from the ceiling. Not too far back, as the place was rather small, the gypsy was sitting at a table. On the table was a cloth with a delicate design and repeating patterns. On top the cloth was a hookah.

“Aye, no need to be alarmed. Tis as much I can say for an old hag pulling a stranger off the street.” The lady said as Amy took a seat. The lady grabbed a hose from the hookah and drew in a large inhale of the substance. She offered it to Amy but she kindly shook her head mostly not even knowing what the thing was. “I saw your lot walk by and must say you are a peculiar bunch.”

“How so?” Amy asked, trying to keep as many words to herself.

“Strong energy coming from the lot of you. Not only that, I remember you all brought quite a stir to these parts a few moons back.” She explained. Amy’s curious yet cautious expression was washed away with a pang of fear. “No need to fret lass. I don’t mind a good show every once in a while. Just happy to catch your lot back through here. Now, last I wish is to intrude but you’ve got something on your mind, something heavy.”

“You seem to already know.”

“So you’re plagued by some dreams. Foreboding yet shrouded in obscurity. I have something to help.”

“Why?”

“Why what lassy?” The lady said as she took another toke of the hookah before standing up and walking over to a shelf full of odd pieces.

“Why are you helping me? If it’s tokens you’re after I don’t have much and am less willing to give them to you. I need them for other things.” Amy explained.

“Ah, though that’d be normally what I’d ask for. Not this time.” She came back with a small box and opened it up to reveal a deck of cards. “On the house this time. However if you ever stroll through and wish to take a gander at me lot then I’d be happy to fulfill those wishes.”

Amy took out the deck of cards and scanned through them. They weren’t any normal cards she had seen being played by the locals in the tavern or out in the street. They each had separate pictures on them, trees, symbols, imagery. “What are they?”

“Tarot cards my dear. To help you translate the messages the world sends you.” She sat back down and grabbed the hose of the hookah except did not take a drag just yet.

Amy continued to look through the cards but then turned to the gypsy with a raised brow. “You never really answered. Why do you want to help me?”

“As I said, I sense a great deal of energy coming from your crew. I sensed it back at your last visit and that was just from watching you tussle around with the street folk. I too have dreams sometimes. And I’ve been waiting to come across you all again. I believe I was told to help you and that is all. I don’t make it a habit to quarrel with the will of the world.” Finally she took a long drag from the hookah and whisked out a heavy cloud of vapor.

“Is…is there anything else you know?” Amy placed the cards back in the small box and rested her hands on it.

“It is not my place, nor yours, to ask questions to the ether. But only receive their answers. This was all I know about you and for both our sakes it may be better that way. Now, I’m sure your friends want to know where you slipped off to ey?”

Amy arose out from the lady’s dwelling to see everyone there waiting for her.

“Ames, what was that about?” Sonic asked.

“I…don’t really know.” Amy answered as she held the box in her hand. She slipped them away in her small pack.

“Probably just some desperate merchant trying to sell her something. Don’t fall to these guys’ scams there girl.” Rouge said as they all started to walk off. Meanwhile the gypsy peered out from behind a curtain in the only window of her home and watched with curiosity as they left.

They made it back to the library and walked in. It did not take long to find Eiméar again, slaving over the task of sorting the books in the magnificent study. “Hello Miss Eiméar.”

They were now back in her living quarters once again drinking tea as she set up for their short stay. “I knew I’d see yer lot soon but I shant have expected this soon.” Eiméar said as they sat. “That coot decided to have you bother me yet eh?”

“We won’t be staying long, no longer than last time. Just two nights.” Rouge explained kindly. “And we again appreciate your hospitality.”

“Well if that old hedgehog keeps his word I won’t complain. As long as you stay out of trouble this time ‘round, that clear?”

“We’ll keep to ourselves.” Rouge answered once more.

“And you got a new lad with you this time. What’s your name?” She said to Knuckles as he stood off to the side.

“The name’s Knuckles. It’s nice to meet you ma’am.”

“Knuckles, well geez, ah could have placed a bet on that one with those sluggers of yours.” She motioned down to his fists. “Another friend or are you some bodyguard of sorts.”

Knuckles smiled and glared over at Sonic to which he just rolled his eyes in response to Knuckles’ leer. “Maybe a bit of both.” Knuckles answered through a grin.

“Aye. Well, what be it dis time?”

“Chuck wants us to look at some place north of here. Said it should be at the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh.” Sonic stated.

“The Stair na Seacht is pretty cryptic Sir Charles says. But he said there may be something there that could fill in the gaps to his studies. Maybe in a cave or a hollow. Know of anything?” Amy asked.

“That I do. There’s an old cave I’ve been told up there with old carvings on the walls. Typically an old smugglers den so best be careful if yer plan to be ‘sploring any. Could that be it?”

“Possibly!” Tails answered. “Do you know anything else about the place?”

“Afraid not. Never been meself. Just heard ‘bout it. Not too far though and quite noticeable I’ve been told, but best go in the morning before the sun is past high. They don’t call em the mountains of shade for nothing.” She looked over at Knuckles again. “And best bring your bodyguard of sorts too. It’s abandoned I hear now but ya never know.”

The morning came quickly and the group set off to see this place. They initially ventured east to hit the base of the Sléibhte Scáthaigh and paralleled it north. There was nothing of particular interest for a good distance. They scanned out to the west in the open area before the mountains rose out from the land like towers but also checked directly at their base in case it was hidden before the sudden cliffs.

“Look!” Tails shouted as he was flying high above the rest for a better vantage. “I think I see something!” He zoomed down to their level and dropped down stirring up a little sand as he landed. “There is an outcropping of rocks and boulders not too far from here. Looks out of place, could be what we’re looking for.”

“Great job buddy! I’ll go ahead and scout it out to see and to make sure no one is around.” Before any objection from the crew Sonic sped off in the distance. It took not even a full minute for him to return. “I think he’s right! There is a sizable opening in the rocks. Didn’t see anyone around either.” Without another word he zoomed off again. Tails quickly sped off to join him. Knuckle and Amy ran as quick as they could in the looser ground and Rouge fluttered alongside them.

They reached the structure and saw it to be exactly as Sonic loosely described, a cave with an opening big enough for the tallest of Mobians to walk right in. They made their way down the entrance. Tails dug through his small pack and grabbed a flashlight. It flicked on and they ventured down. The light wasn’t entirely necessary however as a short bit past the entrance was the darkest part. Natural light began to illuminate the burrow through openings in the ceiling.

Soon they came into a decent sized room, one slightly bigger than any of their huts back at South Island. Closer to the hallway that was the entrance was some crates covered in sand and dust. They seemed abandoned and forgotten but the group took note not to stay long in case their owners made a return.

[x]

The sight beyond that was strange and mystical but beautiful. The light from the high sun poured down through the openings and glistened along the yellow and red rocky walls. It was surprisingly moist there and small puddles were scattered on the cave floor until they grew in size where they reached a small pool at the end of the cavern. The grotto there had two large very out of place trees arising from the pool. They arose tall through a large hole in the ceiling. They were amazed they couldn’t see the trees from outside but figured they may have been shielded by other taller rocks that jut out around the place.

One tree was an ash tree, forked into two halves. Intertwined with the ash tree was a white fir that rose up strong. In the pool were some reeds as well. The fact that all these trees were found in a cave was surprising. The water there must have softened the ground to make for a strong root system and the sun shining through must have been sufficient to keep the trees alive but the less than ideal environment surely stunted their growth.

“Hey guys, there’s something along the lines of what Chuck was thinking I think over here?” Knuckles was over by the wall and pointed to some carvings and etching there.

“Ogham!” Tails shouted as he and the others moved over to investigate. Sure enough, a series of lines with hatches and marks were all over the walls of the cave. There was too much scattered around to take note of all the etchings but they examined them nonetheless.

“Surely we won’t be able to write all these inscriptions down for Sir Charles, there are just too much!” Amy pointed out.

“He told me that more than often the writing was used more to inscribe names for memorials or markers for tribes and boundaries. There are a lot of random inscriptions. I don’t want to miss anything but maybe many of these are like that.” Tails said.

“Kind of like a ‘Sonic was here’ thing?” Sonic said half joking as he scratched his finger over some of the carvings.

Tails gave a chuckle. “Probably. Let’s try and see if anything sticks out.”

“There’s something over here.” Amy called out as she was over closer to the trees. “There seems to be more structure to these. Not only that…” She signaled everyone over, “runes!” There were only a few but the symbol ᚦ was followed by the laguz ᛚ that they knew from Stark Ruins. Then again with the first, followed by cen ᚳ and above both was the symbol ᚫ.

“There’s one on the tree too.” Rouge pointed out. On the white fir was an aged engraving, hardly made out but appeared to be another rune, ᛇ.

Surrounding the runes Amy found was a long vertical line of ogham inscriptions that appeared more like text than the others which just resembled single words.

“If anything let’s write these down for Sir Charles.” Amy suggested. They did so and stayed a little while taking more looks around. They wrote down things here and there that they thought might be of interest. The sun that illuminated the grotto was now passed and little light was shining through the ceiling. They took this as time to make their leave and head back to Eiméar. It was early afternoon and with how close to the Sléibhte Scáthaigh they were, the sun was already starting to fall behind the mountains to the east.

They made it back to Cap with no trouble and divulged to Eiméar what they had found. She again told them that though she was familiar with every text in the library, she wasn’t so familiar with all their context and that Chuck would know more. She also suggested Chuck hand them some transcript to readily read runes and ogham if they were to be out doing more of Chuck’s ‘research.’ They made sure to suggest the same to Chuck once they got back.

The day had past and they settled in their own ways for their trek the next day. Tails was running about in the library picking up and reading books of interest. Rouge dragged Knuckles to the market and they promised not to cause any trouble. Sonic and Amy were talking together over tea.

“So she just…gave these to you?” Sonic asked as Amy had the tarot cards sprawled out in front of her.

“Yeah, it was…odd. She said she knew we were special. Also recognized us from our fights in the market last time. She somehow knew I was having strange dreams. I couldn’t say no to taking them especially as a gift.” She explained.

“As long as they aren’t ‘cursed’ or something.” Sonic said in his typical manner of unserious humor.

“No, I think she was sincere. I just am not entirely sure how to go about using these things. There is a placard describing each of the cards but… it’s still a bit confusing.” She was focused hard on trying to remember the cards and their descriptions and the different meanings behind them and how to read them.

Later that evening Rouge and Knuckles returned and Tails was back with a tired brain. The crew went to sleep and awoke to get ready to travel back. They gave their regard to Eiméar once again and thanked her for her hospitality. She now was surer than ever she would see them again and this time expected it to be soon.

Thankfully the journey back was much less exciting than their last trip from Cap back to South Island. They made it home with enough time for Chuck to not grow any concern. He met with them at once on what they had found.

“After last time I was concerned about setting you out again but I guess you have proven that you don’t always run into trouble.” He said with a smirk.

“I told you we were the guys for the job!” Sonic said proudly.

Chuck shook his head lightheartedly. He looked at the notes they made for him and studied them. “You said these were carved in the wall of a grotto?”

“They were. It was weird, in the middle of the barren land north of Cap, here was this little cave with two large trees growing in the rock!” Amy exclaimed.

“Two trees huh?”

“Yeah, an ash and a white fir were growing together. Some reeds too in the pond surrounding them.” Tails continued to explain.

“An ash tree, a white fir and reeds…?” Chuck seemed interested.

“Yeah. And then a BUNCH of ogham inscriptions on the wall.” Sonic spoke up. “Too much for us to write but Tails said you said most of ogham was used for names and markers so we only wrote down a few. But there was one in particular.”

Chuck cut him off. “The one by the runes?”

“That’s the one.”

“Hmm…” Chuck started stroking his mustache as he did when in deep thought. “Cen and laguz like you saw at Stark. And what seems to be thurisaz before them and ansuz above them.”

“Yeeaahhh… Sure.” Sonic said unfamiliar with the seemingly foreign language his uncle was speaking.

“There was another carved into the fir. It was faded but it should be there on the notes too.” Rouge added.

“Ihwaz.” Chuck said all the while writing down his own notes and flipping through a book in doing so. The group sat patient and with intrigue, with the exception of Knuckles who was in the corner chewing on a stalk of grass. “Interesting…” He said aloud as he continued to investigate.

It took a moment before he finished up and turned back to the group. All of their ears perked up simultaneously with interest at what he had to say. “The thurisaz is a rune meaning giants or strong ones, often in association with a conflict. Ansuz quite literally meaning ‘the gods’ and you already are familiar with cen and laguz, fire and water. So these tell me something about giants or gods of fire and water, possibly in some conflict.” He looked up at Amy as he and her were likely thinking the same thing – her dreams seemed to show some stalemate battle between the two forces. He continued, “And the ogham, seacht anord flaith coróin. Seven Chaos Prince Crown.”

“Seven chaos prince crown? I mean, I get the first half Chuck.” Sonic called out.

“There is an old legend saying the Lords of Seven each wore a crown that had a different shard of chaos bestowed upon them. I don’t know much more beyond that in terms of their significance. But these Lords were said to have immense power.” He answered.

“And the rest of the ogham? Any more hints from that old dead language?” Tails insisted on knowing more.

“Hmf,” Chuck scoffed, “dead language. It’s not just dead, and much less a language in the way we use the common tongue. It’s ancient. Found only in old text about ancient times and myths. I had forgotten entirely about it until you came across it at Stark Ruins. But you were right in that it seems the other inscriptions were nothing more than names and markers. An ‘I was here’ kind of thing.”

“Ha! I knew it.” Sonic said gleefully as he was softly elbowing Amy.

“Shh!” She shushed him so Chuck could continue.

“Why was the ogham in Stark in the common tongue then? And also the rune in the tree?” Rouge asked.

“Ah, well that is another mystery. Maybe whatever forces did that horrific deed at Stark knew who ever would stumble across it would only know the common tongue. But then again, why even make it ogham…” He said more so as a question to himself. “As for the tree, it was ihwaz or yew. Odd to label the tree as if anyone wouldn’t recognize the kind of tree it was. But the yew and even the ihwaz was a symbol in lore of death and resurrection.”

“From Chaos comes creation and creation ends with destruction.” Amy muttered.

“Yes, but creation also come from destruction.” Chuck mused. “And endless cycle of death and rebirth. You should all know this from our,” Chuck and Knuckles made brief eye contact, “from your respective ceremonies. One of the few beliefs all Societies have in common.”

“What of those crowns you mentioned?” Knuckles finally spoke up. Though stoic as he liked to be, he couldn’t help but also be intrigued by the information.

“I think there might be more to them than just ornamental pieces associated to folklore. I only know of one currently in existence and even then there is speculation on whether it is in fact one of the Lord’s crowns or just an ancient artifact from a time long passed. Last I heard it lay locked away in secret in a museum in the city of Westport, many many hundreds of miles from here.” Chuck further explained.

“If it’s locked away in secret, how do you know of this thing?” Sonic asked.

“Because I’m the one that found it.” They all froze in perplexion. “But that is a story for another time. I will need to read the Stair na Seacht more to see if this trail of crumbs is worth following. Go get a pint of gat at the tavern and rest up from your journey. I’ll let you know if I uncover anything of worth.” They all got up and moved out the door. “Amy, a word if you don’t mind dear.”

Amy looked at Sonic and he gave her a shrug. She’d join them shortly. Chuck moved over to the sink and began washing his hands. “I know you and I are both thinking similar thoughts.” He finished rinsing his hands and turned to further explain. “Whether from ancient myths or omens of future, your dreams are connected to this vast riddle we’ve been investigating and exploring. Fire and flood…” He paused, “I fear something of the sorts may come to transpire. And a human you said?” Amy nodded. “I think we need to find these ‘crowns’ before whatever man in your dreams does.”