#cause the scenery is more complex in them | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

qyxzun · 3 months ago

Text

𝟓┆𝕳𝐎𝐌𝐄.

❝𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐔𝐏,❞ the prowler grumbled behind his mask with a distorted voice as he slung a hook across the city's highway. He ran and leaped from the high distance before he pulled himself above the many cars from below. Miles followed behind him, his webs constantly leaving his wrists while he aimed and propelled himself in his direction.

He watched how the prowler expeditiously swung through building from building with agility despite the thick fog that started to settle in from the rain. Miles looked down to catch a glimpse of the scenery yet what he saw made him realize how this dimension and his contrasted. The numerous policemen were all over the place, but they couldn't provide the same protection as a spider-man could. It made him realize how important such an individual like himself or any spider-variant was. But if Miles had to describe Earth 42 in one word, he'd call it dystopian.

"Sooo, how far away until-?" Miles inquired until his counterpart interrupted him already, flitting faster in the air like it was a race"

"Few more minutes inquieto. (restless)" Miles G. voiced as he jumped down the building despite the extreme heights. The spider-man only sighed as he watched his twin surprisingly already ahead of him.

He persuaded him further until they reached close to an area where light didn't shine. The two Miles landed on top of a rusty tower crane as they observed their surroundings. The darkness obscured Miles' view but upon further observation, he could make out a complex building of considerable size - bigger than a baseball field. The fences were wired poorly with no sign of a main entrance and multiple banners with warnings to leave were plastered everywhere, which left Miles a weird feeling down his gut.

"This was the Alcemax," Miles G. voiced before his mask distorted, probably because of the rain. Miles looked back at him, confused.

"Why does it look abandoned?" He asked curiously. His response took a while, making his suspicions grow when he saw his twin's visage. It was indecipherable yet all he did was look and stare down on the dark Alchemax.

"I destroyed its collider. It caused a meltdown." Miles G. responded with a low tone before the curly-haired teen's eyes rose in astonishment from such news.

"How the hell did you destroy a collider all by yourself?" Miles questioned, perplexed and surprised by such a response. He watched how his stern expression turned slightly softer. "No goober or anything at all?" Miles G. looked back at him, returning his look of confusion with a slightly stern expression. The spider-man's question made him look like a fool thanks to his words, guess only spider-people knew what a goober meant...

"Didn't do it alone. Y/N helped me," the prowler retorted with a sullen tone before he huffed. "She was so smart.. fine too," he rambled like a fool in love while Miles continued to listen. The rain still cast down on the two, but it didn't seem to bother them.

"She told me how to shut it down, but guess I was just too aggressive with that damn collider, not that I ever liked it anyway," The prowler's glum face hardened more before his mask glitched back.

"Let's go," He said before launching himself off the tower crane and leaping midair towards the abandoned Alchemax. Miles hastily followed, his webs firmly pulling him behind the anti-hero. The breezy air through the night easily got Miles to swing with no worry, yet it gawked him to see his twin advance with precision and speed. His equipment and boosters must have helped him glide recklessly but competently through the wind. Either way, his talent was worth praise.

They both landed on the dirty rooftop, their shoes clicking on the broken floors and the displeasing mud created by the rain. Miles G. advanced further with his twin behind him before they reached a malfunctioning door. The texture was smooth and clean if it weren't for the grime and squalor it presented. The prowler easily opened it while Miles followed along inside the dark edifice, the barrier behind them closing as it created a loud thud. He assumed he'd be seeing nothing but pitch-black until he noted how the lights flickered, creating a path to follow despite the anxiety it could impose on an unlucky person who could wander inside. Then again, who would come here?

The place looked ghastly and left an ominous aura that would leave others a sense of foreboding. The prowler appeared unperturbed and continued forward, he must've had doleful memories upon entering here since he mentioned you again. But then again, he was the one who came up with the idea to venture inside.

Miles was probably overthinking, it wasn't his business to pry into his other version's past. He was just curious of course, you could say he was looking out for himself.

They stopped in front of another broken entryway. The spider-man wondered what could be behind the secure entrance before his wonders were answered when the prowler suddenly slashed the wired board beside them. The door automatically malfunctioned yet slowly divided, letting the two look-alikes pass through.

The two ventured further as Miles could recognize more grubby machines and equipment. The deeper they went, the less often the lights flickered. While descending, he felt the air become more chilly and as the two entered another room, he recognized the discarded documents that were scattered on the dirty tiles under the flickering lights. From what he could find, the papers depicted diagrams and reports; mostly progress about the collider or test subjects they ran on. The spoiled files must've been vital information for the scientists before this place turned for the worst and remained deserted and untouched by the people of Earth 42. If anything, the files were nothing but forgotten memories of what really happened.

No one knew the complete story behind the Alchemax's meltdown, except for Miles G. He knew it remained better that way. Who would look him in the eye anyway after he destroyed an important piece of Brooklyn that the corrupt government and KingPin funded? Who wouldn't want to kill him after he destroyed these scientists' families, all because he wanted to avenge your death? He was selfish, but he would've never forgiven himself if he had never done something, your decease would've been for naught.

You were the only one that made him believe peace was still an option in this sick unforgiven world, yet those malignant fucking scientists.. the same people you supported for the project and killed you, he'd never forgive them.

"Yo Miles!" his counterpart interrupted his train of thought before he looked up to meet his gaze behind his mask. He was a little envious to see his other version of himself slightly taller than him. When his attention was turned to Miles, he continued.

"You gotta check this out," the spider-man disappeared into another room from a two-door way after he said that. Miles G. followed him inside the eerie room, and the moment he took another step, he felt the memories flush back into his mind.

They were in the collider room, the same room where you died. If he just looked further down, he would've seen your blood stains on the debris. God forbid you'd die in a place as filthy as this. You rested in peace, in a comfortable coffin of your favourite colour the vigilante provided. The room reeked of death, some bodies were piled up behind desks, but they didn't look so harmed as the radiation must've killed them. That fact didn't make the prowler's guts churn, he'd seen more bodies than a normal teen would. On the other hand, Miles was disturbed by such a place, but he had to continue, this Alchemax was his only shot at getting home after all.

"Don't forget," Miles G. asserted as his mask fell apart once more. He had the same morose expression, while Miles looked back at him with a befuddled one. "We're saving Y/N. You leave without saving her, I'm huntin' you down." He glowered with a stoic stare.

He must've really cared for you before you died. Miles could understand, you were friends with Gwen. But after that whole fiasco with her, Peter and Miguel.. he figured you knew and lied to him like the rest of them did. Yet, why does he still appreciate how you offered to catch bad guys with him? Why does he worry about you when he barely knows you? How come his counterpart had a version of you in his dimension while he was alone? Sure, Gwen was there, but she didn't last...

Maybe if you both had more time together, you and Miles could be friends too, even if canon events separated you two.

"Still don't trust me, huh?" Miles joked before his twin's expression only hardened. He ignored his sternness as they further ventured into the ginormous test room. Behind the gargantuan glass that had already shattered, the Afro-haired teen saw the closed collider, its parts folded into each other. He didn't have to approach it to know it was dusty from how long it was unkept, as it created some tingling sensation in his nose, almost making him sneeze like he had allergies.

What he definitely didn't expect was the collider suddenly unfolding and activating. Miles' eyes widened, and he turned back to his other self. The prowler was behind a desk that was surprisingly still functioning. By the look in his eyes, he knew what he was doing but it wasn't enough to trust him. Miles rushed towards him with his webs, looking down at the electronic table with wires and buttons before looking at him.

"What's Y/N's dimensional coordinates?" Miles G. asked in a rushed tone to which Miles looked like he was utterly perplexed.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" his eyebrow was raised as he retorted. His confused expression made the braided teen scoff.

"Aren't you her friend?" Miles G. jabbed back. It made Miles chuckle nervously. "I just met her..?" He responded to which his twin looked back at him with an "Are you serious right now" look. He grumbled and turned his mask back on. His boosters activated before he suddenly bolted like a dash through the broken glass behind the collider. "Wait f'me," the prowler asserted under his voice modulator and leaped down below the complex apparatus.

The black and red-suited hero was about to follow him yet when he turned around, the collider caught his attention. It was turned on. Miles hated betrayal and lies but with the grand machine already running, it was his chance to get out of there, to save his dad. Miles knew you were worth saving as well but he had no time left to waste, hesitation made him tap his foot against the floor. He kept glancing back and forth to see if his counterpart returned. He was taking too long.

With a conflicted sigh, Miles advanced towards the electronic desk as his fingers trailed down on the mechanisms and buttons. The collider further operated as dark matter started to appear from the formation and with that, he typed in his earth's dimensional signature. This was it, he was almost home. Just a little bit of time, and he could get out of here.

"I—Initializing co— collider.." the system announced through the speakers, its voice distorting like a broken record. Miles placed a hand on the initiator, preparing to pull on the lever for commencement.

Yet before he could even do so wrap his fingers around the trigger, a sharp pain shot through his neck from behind before his spider-senses could even get the chance to react. His spider-senses reacted late once more, causing his consciousness to slip again...

"F'r real? You were just gonna leave your twin like that?" The prowler sneered after he elbowed a nerve behind his neck, rendering him unconscious. A sardonic tone accompanied the odious glare present on his face. His animosity for the spider-man seemed to grow once he saw the collider already open with a portal to his dimension. 'He accessed it himself' He wondered.

"So much for trust and relation.." The anti-hero snarled before letting out a scoff. His hands were balled into fists yet they were careful to keep the vile of your blood safe. How did he retrieve it? Though his actions blossomed a memory and a tight feeling in his chest, Miles G. had jumped down at the bottom of the collider room earlier to reach where he had last seen your corpse. He doubted at first, but your blood was still there and surprisingly easy to liquify. Your sanguine liquid was an important key to the collider anyway.

Ignoring his passed-out identical other on the dusty floor, Miles G. entered a sequence into the commander circuit before he poured small drops of your blood on the transparent cuvette attached to the device. The black matter from the collider seemed to intensify and change as the vigilante's gloved fingers continued to type cryptic information on the malfunctioning screen, too fast to understand to the naked eye.

"Identifying the closest di—dime— mensional traces; Earth 61806N" Lights started to flicker quicker, and the ground began to shake from the frail and broken foundation below the functioning collider it was starting to create more of a mess. His mask was automatically placed before the vigilante fled at the speed of light through the broken glass to the opening portal. His calculations were never wrong, he believed— no, knew that upon entering that vortex, he would find you and reunite with you again.

Without further hesitation, Miles G. jumped into the glitching portal, an explosion muffled from his ears occurred behind. He didn't know what happened or when it occurred but he lost control of his body as all he could do was see countless stars, colours, galaxies, all impossible to count. He felt like a corpse but his consciousness was strangely still inside. He knew but didn't know what was happening. He could feel everything but nothing at the same time, what was happening? He had no clue.

The vigilante's moments stuck into infinity were short-lived when a hole was torn open in the middle of time and space. He was thrown out aggressively before his body crashed into the brick wall behind him. "joder.. eso duele, (fuck.. that hurt)" Miles G. coughed from the air that was knocked out of his body. He slowly got up, patting the dust off his clothes.

The scene was something he hadn't seen in a while; it was a city so peaceful that contrasted his own. No fires, not so much crime in the middle of the city, just normal for once. What baffled him was how he could rarely find anything Western-related. His eyes darted across the signs, all were bizarrely in Japanese. Why was he in Japan? Isn't he supposed to be on Earth 61806N? Or at least another version of Brooklyn? It was extremely fortunate he knew basic Japanese. His linguistics study sessions with you before you passed away proved to be successful.

Miles G. jumped down the tall building, leaving claw marks on walls that dropped him to an alleyway. It felt ominous and shady to a normal person but coming from someone who experienced with worst, he could care less about it. The anti-hero hid in the shadows once he heard a series of footsteps and police cars blaring in the distance, guess his first impressions were shortlived. Miles G. then peeked at the corner to see what was happening.

His perplexity didn't seem to shrink as he spotted a woman with scales, hair for live serpents and a grand tail resembling a snake. She was struggling and screaming with fury when a man bigger than her apprehended her. He dressed bizarrely, his beard and suit seemed to be on fire too. It made Miles G.'s eyes widen, how the hell isn't he affected by the flames? He could tell his grip on her was tight and secure, displaying she was a threat.

"GET OFF OF ME! YOU DAMN BASTARD HERO!!" She shrieked, her fangs showing. Miles G. watched how this supposed hero lifted her up easily, avoiding eye contact with the lady before he plastered a blindfold over her eyes. The medusa-looking woman struggled but the tall man eventually succeeded. "It's Endeavour, you low-classed villain." he hissed with a tone that didn't match the term hero at all. To say he was burning with anger might've been a fact.

Miles G.'s gaze soon left the two once he started to take her away. This place was weird, way too weird. The fact the creature and the hero's looks were normalized made the prowler uneasily out of place. Where really was he? Did he make a mistake coming here? No, of course not. He knew you were here, somewhere. He was about to walk further into the alleyway when suddenly, a large indescribable pain surged throughout his body. "Fuck—!" He grunted, almost falling down. When the pain stopped, he stumbled and leaned against the wall for support. He should've known this glitching effect would come early.

His grunt of help seemed to catch someone's attention behind him. Though Miles G. didn't possess the powers of a spider-man unlike his twin, he had some kind of danger-senses that sometimes helped him. When he turned around, he saw a man, a height that matched his own with pale hands, that stood out the most, plastered all over his upper body and his face. The vigilante doubted they were decorations after seeing how bizarre this place was. Between its fingers, his orbs were hidden behind his long, very pale cerulean-coloured tousled hair. His clothes were all wrinkled and dishevelled as if he repeatedly took them out of a hamper and refused to clean it.

"Look at this, a foreigner.. did you lose your tourist guide or something?" His hoarse voice taunted Miles G., he sounded annoyed like he just had a week's worth of bad luck. His finger crept up to his neck and began scratching, an unpleasant sound of skin ripping made the braided-teen scowl. The sound disgusted him but the fact he was picking a fight when he was just minding his own business made him realize how stupid he must be.

"What's with the hands then weirdo? You ugly behind those?" Miles G. scoffed with a pissed-off glare. He could tell from the tense silence that the light silver-haired guy was speechless by his perfect Japanese while also fuming. It didn't stop him from scratching his neck more. It didn't concern the vigilante but he was surprised he wasn't bleeding yet.

"You're as terrible as the hero society.." He sneered maliciously. "The same type of people who don't know their place, who believe they're superior.. always feeding their ego," He continued as his back curved more, both of his hands were scratching his neck like mad, so profusely. Shigaraki's nails dug deep in his flesh, why was he getting so triggered over a tourist like him? Why is he not afraid? Why the fuck was he here?! In enemy territory out of all places?!

"You're the type of people I hate the most!" Tomura snarled with disdain. He darted towards him, it felt like his body reacted without thinking straight. His animosity blinded him to rationally think before he could realize he was about to kill someone just from a few words.

All of his five fingers extended to touch this braided guy's face. But when his dry digits hit his dark skin, his eyes widened. He wasn't decaying, he wasn't dying or even groaning in pain. He was still there. What the hell was happening? Did he have an erasure quirk like that damn Eraserhead? That must've been it!

"Get your fuckin' hand off me!" His opponent yelled. Shigaraki reacted late once more as he suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his face. His grip was tight enough to break his wrist that it created a crack sound. A gut-wrenching hiss escaped Tomura's lips loudly. He didn't even get a nanosecond to realize what was happening when the figure in front of him wrapped his clawed gauntlet around the villain's throat. The fingers were sharp, they irritated and dug into Tomura's mortally wounded scratches while air couldn't enter his lungs.

Miles G. slammed his head into the brick wall, causing the building behind his capture to slightly shake. His opponent coughed and gagged, struggling in vain to punch him yet all the prowler could do was ruthlessly choke his poor throat. The anti-hero glared at him with disdain. "Shame I have'ta kill you,"

"Ku-Kurogiri! Send me away!!" Tomura wheezed, moving his head frantically in a panic frenzy. Miles G. tightened his grip further when all of a sudden, a dark violent purple fog emerged behind the choking bastard. He fell behind and disappeared but the prowler, not for one to let his victims get away, dashed inside the mysterious fog.

His shoes stumbled on the hard wooden floorboards before his gaze darted back at the light geyser-haired man gasping for air on the floor. His prowler gauntlet charged up as he began to walk over to him, ready to kill. His efforts were in vain when a sharp blade suddenly penetrated his shoulder. He let out an injured cry as the figure behind him pinned him down on the floor.

When Miles G. looked up, a tall dishevelled dark-haired man with a torn-up mask gripped the katana stuck in his shoulder. He pulled the sharp blade out with a maniacal smile and licked a drop of blood. "What the fuck? Gross..." The prowler's nose wrinkled in disgust. With a harsh kick, he sent the man flying to the brick wall before he let out a grunt of pain when he got up.

The black-haired man easily recovered but his eyes were wide open like he was shocked. 'That's strange.. my quirk didn't work...' He wondered under his breath and licked most of the blood off his katana once more. He watched how the dark-braided teen got up from the ground once more, shocking Shigaraki and himself.

"What the fuck is this.." the hero killer Stain seethed, his gaze turning to the injured Tomura.

"He's no normal fiend.." Shigaraki grunted, stumbling on the floorboards. "Ya think? Cancellation quirks are far rarer than it already is..." Stain rolled his eyes. Shigaraki winced from his broken wrist but, being the stubborn man-baby he was, tried to ignore it. When the prowler's back faced him, he rapidly bolted and placed all five of his fingers on his shoulder yet again but nothing happened.

The anti-hero grabbed his wrist from behind and threw him on the ground, creating a large gap on the floor. His claws reflected into the light before Miles G. pinned the hand-covered man down and slashed his right thumb off clean, blood spattering on the wall. Shigaraki let out a loud hiss of pain, small drops of tears forming in his eyes. He definitely couldn't use his quirk on his right hand anymore.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something.." A sudden voice appeared again. The prowler tilted his head up and saw the small monitor on top of the table bar distorting. It didn't show a face, only displaying sound. "Hm.. a new recruit, Shigaraki?" The voice answered with a calm tone.

"Fuck no." Miles G. smouldered with resentment. "Your lil' shitstain here had a problem with me, you wouldn't mind if I killed him would you?" He mocked as the voice remained silent for a few moments. A chuckle escaped the masculine voice's lips.

"How impressive, you managed to find the League of Villains' hideout and even beat my poor prodigy to a pulp. Yet instead of calling the police or other pro heroes, there's a fire in you that rages you to kill." He spoke before he continued. "What pushes you to do such a thing?"

"If all you're gonna do is yap about heroes n shit, I'm not interested," Miles G. scoffed. "You think I wanna join your stupid group? Is your head located in your ass?" He grumbled, ignoring the glitching effect that surged through his body again. It made Stain and Kurogiri's eyes widen. What the hell is happening to him?

"Hmm... a strange phenomenon indeed," He mumbled under his breath. There was a brief pause until his carefree attitude let out another chuckle. It made Miles slightly concerned how this person behind the monitor was just acting so untroubled. "Oh, you just keep getting better..." He voiced with an amused sigh.

"Another variant from another universe.. what a grand surprise, a spur of the moment indeed," The faceless man chortled, making the prowler's eyes widen in shock as well. His glitching repeated yet he could care less.

"How the fuck do y'know?" Miles G. inquired with a glare.

"Poor anomaly, with nowhere left to go and in constant pain..." the voice continued. "The study of the multiverse is indeed fascinating, to know that it is actually real has given me more opportunities." He sounded optimistic of such news yet he gave off a strong enigmatic aura despite only hearing his voice.

"If you value your life and wish to stay longer in this world, you need nothing but to stay under this roof and sojourn. After all, you must've come here with a plan. You should be thankful I'm this generous, I'll lend you my support when the time has come." He persuaded with an elusively cryptic voice. Miles G. could tell behind that monitor, he was smirking to his fullest.

The prowler moves in shadows and acts independently but without anything to support him, he'll end up caving and suffering. What other choice has this stupid voice left him? He knew it felt humiliating but he had no other choice. And with a sigh, he got off the bleeding Shigaraki and deactivated his gauntlet... for now.

"Excellent," All for Onesmirked.

"Have you tried Earth F90J?"

"What about Earth 251OL?"

"Earth 36NMA9?"

The overlapped talk from the countless spider-people in the society caused the majority of them to have a headache, yet they didn't stop. Screens, holograms, dimensional traces, DNA, they were all that these spider-variants had been using these past few hours and talking about them non-stop. The atmosphere in the spider-society used to be optimistic, and full of joy, yet they all felt on edge.

"Get every available spider-man and dispatch them to untravelled universes Lyla, I don't want a single earth unexplored!" The Latin spider-man ordered fiercely, a harsher expression present on his face. His whole body was tense and any more bad news could cause another desk to be thrown at a wall. Miguel has been hard on work the past day just to find you or that damn anomaly Miles. After he sent Gwen home with the Go Home Machine, he lost all his leads finding the two missing teens.

"Yelling at me doesn't speed up the process Mig," Lyla rolled her eyes behind her cute and pink heart-shaped glasses. Her hologram glitched away, appearing behind Margo who was looking through the Go Home Machine's archives with a semi-stressed expression. He rolled his eyes at the lyrate lifeform's attitude before he let out a groan and pinched his temple out of frustration.

Miguel needed to find you and Miles, or else it'll turn for the worst.

𝕾𝐏𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄.

#atsv #fanfic #across the spiderverse #spiderman across the spiderverse #mha #earth 42 prowler #spiderman #miles morales x reader #mha x reader #shigaraki tomura #shigaraki x reader #my hero academia x reader #boku no hero academia #atsv miguel #miguel o'hara #miguel spiderverse

61 notes · View notes

arysbruv · 10 months ago

Text

Overtime - A New Customer [prologue]

You’re new to town, only having moved here a week ago. After exploring for a while, you found a quaint little cafe near your work with amazing coffee and a hot barista! Thus, that place has become your regular visit after work.

Meanwhile, Nanami Kento has been a worker at the cafe for a long time; working there after his regular job for a few extra bucks. The people who visit are always the same boring people, that is until a new visitor comes in and shows him a new world.

pairings: nanami kento x gn!reader

warnings and whatnots: cafe au! turning into a series! Nothing much happening in this chapter. Haibara mentions 💕💕 I hope you enjoy’

MASTERLIST | -> NEXT |

Tokyo was beautiful.

When people told you that the place was busy and stunning, you never thought it would be like this. Yet, as you rounded your way through the innards of the city, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe get instilled into you.

The sun was setting. The golden rays of light hitting the scenery and causing the landscape to grow in beauty. You smile to yourself.

You recently moved in from a smaller town outside of Tokyo, having gained a good office job in the big city. It had been a week and you were still baffled by the complexities and intricacies of the city. You always found a new area to explore every time you went out.

Today, you decided to check out your new office. It was a Monday, and you wouldn’t start working until tomorrow, so you thought it would be a good idea to get a gist of your surroundings. As you rounded into an alleyway near your office building, you spot a small sign lit up with LED. You tilt your head, heading towards it. Excitement growing in you as you realise it was a cafe.

How fortunate! Lord knows you would need a coffee after a hard day’s work. You hope that the coffee in that place was good.

Entering the cafe, a small bell rung, announcing your presence. The cafe was quiet, only a few people sat there on their laptops, working. There was a small queue.

That must mean it’s good. You think to yourself.

Heading towards the counter, you look at the coffee and teas on the menu. All of them looked so creative and good! Your mouth salivated as you read the descriptions. What should you get?

•

Nanami was done with his job. But, he needed the money.

The cafe was slow but brought forth a sizeable income, mixed in with his 9-5 job, he had a good flow of cash flowing into his account. He sighed as he made another iced matcha latte, listening to his coworker, Haibara, chatting away to the elderly lady in front of him. How was he so energetic at the time of day?

The soft sound of the bell ring through the cafe, announcing the arrival of another customer. Nanami quickly glanced up, noticing your figure walk in, looking at the menu. He had never seen you before. Normally, the people who go to this cafe were regulars. Seldom came new customers.

He shrugs it off, continuing to make the coffee and putting it on the counter, calling out the person’s name. He leaves it there as he goes to make another order.

Raspberry frappe.

He moves quickly. He had gotten used to the mechanics of each machine he had to use, making him quite quick in preparing all the orders. That’s why he had always been the one making the coffee whilst Haibara handled the customers. Haibara was more amicable. He was pleasant to talk to and could break down people’s walls easily. That’s how he and Nanami became friends quickly. Haibara was patient with people. Not to say he wasn’t, but he would rather handle the backstage work then talk to the crowd.

A tap on the glass followed by a small ‘excuse me’ pulls him from his thoughts. He looks to his side, noticing you looking at him through the pastry case. You give him a soft smile.

“Yes?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows. “You need to line up if you are to order a pastry.”

You lean back, standing straighter. “Hm, no, I wanted to order a drink, but I don’t know what’s good. Do you have any recommendations?”

Nanami thinks for a second. No one had really asked him that. He wasn’t prepared to answer such questions. He left those to Haibara. He glanced at the brown-haired boy who was now quickly talking away with another customer. Truth be told, he had never really drank any of the drinks. He found them to be a bit too expensive on his budget.

“I…” He trails off, not knowing what to say. He glanced at his hand. “The strawberry frappe is good.” He manages out.

You give him an encouraging smile, pleased with his answer. Somehow, that made him more motivated to speak.

“Truthfully, I’ve never drank anything here. But, our most popular items are Iced Matcha Latte, the Butterfly Tea, and our Strawberry frappe.”

You nod along, giving him a smile. “Thank you sir!” You say, moving to the back of the line.

His eyes follow you as you move. He nods at you before continuing on with his work.

•

You walk up to the counter finally, smiling at the brown haired boy in front of you.

“Hi! I’m Haibara. What would you like?” He asks positively, his voice full of care and love. You smile back at him, recalling what his coworker had said.

“I’d like the Butterfly Tea please.”

He smiles jotting down the order, making quick conversation with you about your name, the level of sugar you want and ice.

“Are you new around here? I’ve never seen you before!” Haibara finally lets out, masking his excitement. You nod, explaining that you had gotten a new job recently which caused you to move here.

The conversation between the two of you didn’t fall on deaf ears to Nanami. As he made your drink, he listened offhandedly to your conversations He listened up until you went to the side to let the customer behind you order. You smile at Haibara before moving to the end where your drink would end up, watching Nanami focus on mixing your drink up.

“Your drink.” He says to you, handing the drink to you. You give him a warm smile, taking it from him. Your fingers grazed his cold hands.

“I like your hair.” You state nonchalantly, pointing over to his blonde hair.

If you were being perfectly honest, the barista whom you didn’t know the name of was quite good looking. Hell, he was handsome. If the coffee wasn’t good, maybe you would just come over to gawk and admire the blonde haired man who made drinks. He couldn’t have been any older than you. Maybe… you shake the thought away. First week in the city and you’re already having thoughts on marrying the first hot guy you see.

The unnamed barista smiles at your compliment, nodding politely. Your eyebrows lower down slightly, saddened a bit by his lack of conversation. It was no wonder why Haibara was the one treating the customer and not him.

Either way, you move towards the entrance again, waving goodbye as you leave, fully intending to come visit again even if the drinks were bad.

#nanami x you #nanami kento #nanami x reader #nanami fluff #kento nanami #jjk kento #kento nanami x reader #jujutsu kaisen nanami #jjk nanami #nanamin #kento x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu nanami #jujutsu sorcerer

70 notes · View notes

boxheadpaint · 4 months ago

Text

juice induced hill depression. Back on meds again and hopefully going to get in touch with a new psych who can prescribe me something else. Have been very tired and unjoyful the past week but better now and playing modded Skyrim, initially just to make my oc in it but then just kept slamming more thangs in there. Mod that puts bunny rabbits everywhere. Also is there a mod that adds cute animal ears/suits as wearables or one that even makes the girl armor less sucks. Like im either fully leaning into the immersion breaking for self indulgence sake or im getting rid of the annoying shit.

visiting mom in Vegas earlier this month was nice except for the part where I hate Vegas. I know im not great with travel and settling into places can be a tough one for my brain but also my god it’s just evil there. Brilliantly so but still evil. I would have loved to enjoy the scenery surrounding the place more as deserts are just very beautiful and fascinating places but at no point during the day was the temperature less than a full hundred degrees Fahrenheit. It barely dropped during the night either. Between that and varying physical ailments (Oof Ouch My Digestive Sensitivities Lol) (Oof Ouch My Tendons Lol) (Oof Ouch The Agony Caused By Using Stairs Lol) it was the perfect conditions to be a miserable pile when I wanted to be with my family. As sad I was to part ways again I was not sorry to leave that place. Gained a new appreciation for changing up what I eat randomly to keep my body on its toes. At one point mom brought us to a pub and her husband asked for Diet Pepsi while I asked for regular Pepsi. Visually there’s no difference so we got handed the others pepsi and swapped. And then later after he refilled his Diet Pepsi another waiter came up and wordlessly refilled mine as well. With Diet Pepsi. Wasn’t even asked. Fucking stunned. Also went to a near dead mall that was nice anyway

stuck on brain zaps as a symptom of Specifically antidepressants withdrawal. There’s some things describing them as “mini seizures” in function. To me it’s like the body noticing the usual isn’t happening for some reason so it tries to jumpstart the brain into working good like before. universities I can go to with my theories. Back in and at it this week, hopefully to remain consistent for longer than before which will also likely help with the depression and anxiety. More people should just put stuff in their blood if they can

it can be embarrassing to express your misery more clearly to someone, specifying the fact fact thoughts running through your head. But then again it’s only embarrassing because your mind convinced you so, and will convince you that holding it in is also cruel and selfish. Finding it funny that animals probably don’t have as complex spirals and bouts of depression because they dont have a language to articulate to themselves in their own heads that something is awful in a very specific and contradicting way. Or actually no because there is still pattern recognition but that’s more a paranoia learned thing. Is there an animal that can randomly, for seemingly no reason evident to anyone including itself, experience crushing dread and self doubt. Is there an animal that feels shame besides man

had a tilt table test that was embarrassing too but for much more clear concrete reasons. Somehow didn’t know about that second part, and did complain through most of the first part because Oof Ouch Everything Hurts Lol. REALLY did not know the iv thing and had to once again sadly state that no, It has to go in the hand . I will say the experience was funny in the second part from the other ways because my first reaction was literally just “Uh Oh.” The moment I realized it was going to get worse. all I know is my blood pressure stayed consistent throughout, I don’t know what else im gonna hear about it. Hopefully something helpful.

is setting up an ABLE account difficult? Can anybody do it? It’s an issue dealt with by a lot of people but I should at least try to find a way to save money from benefits for the future or in case some stupid medical shit happens that the health won’t cover. I just looked up and saw Vinny sleeping while propping lubics head up with his foot. Hoping I can enjoy things normally again shortly,

8/26/2024, Still better than july

#Diary

23 notes · View notes

crusherthedoctor · 26 days ago

Note

No hate on anon, it’s just shitting on something you clearly enjoy to prop up another piece of media isn’t the way to entice people into your recommendation. It’s also not fair to compare mouthwashing to sonic. Since it’s essentially comparing a deep complex adult narrative with dark adult themes to a family friendly series for everyone. That doesn’t mean that one’s better than the other, when they’re trying to do their own seperate thing.

It hasn't worked for other games and other media that people have tried selling to me, so I don't know why they thought it would do the trick for this one. Not to mention it's not really a secret by this point that these type of works generally don't tend to interest me (disclaimer: because my tastes and sweet spots usually lie elsewhere, not because I'm too stupid to understand particular themes or because they're too much for me to handle; on the contrary, and not to sound like a know-it-all, but I think I tend to understand what's actually going on more consistently than a lot of their supposed diehard fans tend to, probably because due to said indifference/casual glancing, I'm not pulling baseless fanon out of my ass and passing it off as canon). So for something like Mouthwashing, there's certainly a place for stuff like that, but for me personally, it was pretty clearly going to be a Thanks But No Thanks even without them shitting on Sonic in the process. If anything, I'm surprised they didn't take a swing at Spyro/Crash/Paper Mario/etc alongside him.

In general, people who go "shouldn't you be focusing on this complex and mature thing instead of *thing you like*?" annoy me just as much as puritans do, because it's that mentality which leads to the zombot arc being hailed as peak storytelling, and it's what causes fans (or "fans") to flock to SA2 for being "the one where the girl dies, omg so dark". I'll admit I have a slight stick up my ass about this lol, because I've had to deal with it for two decades now: just because most of my recurring interests often relate to lighter stuff doesn't mean I'm a literal caveman who can't understand or appreciate complexity, and even if I was, why would you (general you) even care? Am I getting in the way of your own enjoyment of Deep Thing™? Am I telling you to not like the thing? No, I'm over here in my corner making Eggman memes and confessing to my crippling scenery description addiction.

Making personal tastes a contest of who is more intellectual or enlightened has always been one of the more exhausting downsides of the fandomsphere.

#Crusher's Asks #Opinion

10 notes · View notes

tomatoswup · 2 years ago

Text

el chico del apartamento 512⋆ ˚｡⋆୨💌୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

summary: that new boy-next-door Vash from 512 sure is cute! Maybe you should write him a letter~

title translation: the boy from apartment 512

warnings/tags: shy/anxious reader, the usual nerve-wrecking feelings that come with a crush, tesla jumpscare, kabedon! by vash, i edited this at 4am might have mistakes, cute~, Modern!AU

A/N: I....don't know if i wrote this right...but this song had me delusional..... :D,,, I really wanted to write a cute boy-next-door kinda oneshot with Vash and boom, here yall go :P enjoy! I recommend listening to Selena's "El Chico Del Apartamento 512" since this fic was a direct inspir. from the song~

pairing: vash x reader

Life in your apartment complex was, in your own words, quite boring.

Bland scenery, the shouts and complains of neighbors and the ridiculous "problems" that shouldn't even be called problems you had to deal with.

Oh cmon, can't you park in your own fucking parking space?!

But there was a certain someone that made the hell of a place a bit more better. Your new neighbor from apartment 512. You first met him by accident when you dropped the groceries you were hauling up to your apartment one day, to which he helped you and struck up conversation.

From there, fate couldn't help but let the meetings between the both of you continue as the two of you talked more and more. Often times, he'd find you reading at one of the various apartment complex picnic tables, joining you in your times of relaxation.

"You okay?" You asked one day as the both of you sat at the table, sharing a bowl of fruits you had cut up to enjoy the afternoon with. He turned his attention towards you, orange sunglasses resting on his head and mouth full of watermelon causing his cheeks to puff out like a chipmunk "Mfph?"

You had a good ol' laugh as the poor man tried to chew as quick as he could to respond, but truly just ended up almost choking on the poor watermelon. You had to smack him on the back in the end so all the juice left his lungs.

Life, work, and flowers that the both of you liked, sometimes the two of you conversated for hours on end. And sometimes, you two just liked each others quiet company.

You admired that.

But you also admired something else.

ooo girl he was cute.

You couldn't resist the butterflies in the pits of your stomach whenever the two of you took your walks together, coming home from work late nights. The closeness of your shoulders and his made you a bit more delusional than you had wanted to be.

Or maybe you did?

GOD MAKE UP YOUR MIND!

Vash, that was his name, was your boy-next-door crush. To be honest, you never expected to find yourself attracted to someone like him. But man, did he have your heart running its laps.

Every.

Single.

Time.

The glances he would sneak at you from afar felt like honey for your little ol' fragile heart. And no, you never forgot those frequent very frequent times where you would find him knocking at your door. Opening it, there he was, the cute tall spiky haired blonde awkwardly standing there with a flower pot, little flowers already growing inside.

Shifting his weight from his feet left to right, he would use the excuse of "I bought a bit too much for my balcony!" to keep giving them to you.

It was adorable! You never failed to blush every time and whenever he accidentally touched your hand when he handed them to you. You didn't notice his own red cheeks though.

You had a small collection of these plants in your home now that you made sure to water every morning. And as a thankful gesture, you often invited him over for dinner at your place.

That was....flirting right?

Jesus fucking christ you really had no rizz..

You often found yourself lying in bed some nights, not knowing how to address those bubbly feelings of yours towards the dorky man.

How would you tell him either way? How about a date?

Oh no no no, you didn't have the balls to tell it to his face... Did you?

You contemplated for a second.

Nope, definitely not.

If he said no, you would have to think about finding a different apartment at this point.

oh my goddd this was embarrassing..

But cmon now that cute mole on his face? How could you resist those funny faces of his? You groaned loudly into the air as you slapped your hands on your eyes in exasperation.

'What if I write him a letter?' You froze in your mini moment of despair before shooting up from your laid down position. "Okay, okay, maybe this can work." You gasped out, stumbling and slipping off your bed, looking around the room trying to find a pen and paper.

Pen..Pen..Digging out a pen from your bag, you held it up into the air as if it were a holy grail.

Settling with a nice purple colored one and a page from a notebook that you carefully tore out, you wrote your "confession" letter on that messy wooden desk of yours.

That'll do that job! please

By the next morning, you had the letter sealed and ready to be given to him, but damn were you on the verge of wanting to throw up because of how nervous you were.

You even added a cute dried flower on the letter to make it look pretty maybe he could ignore the little tear marks of yours on the note

Okay, go to his door, knock, give him the letter, then run.

PERFECT! Completely foul proof plan!

Wash, rinse, repeat.

You put on one of the more nicer outfits from your closet, and paced around your room a bit before finally leaving the apartment. Letter clenched in your hands, you walked only a few steps from your door until you saw the numbers 512 glaring down at you.

Ummm…

You felt sweatier than usual as you frantically brushed down your hair before straightening your posture. It took you only 2 minutes of self-reassurance before you knocked.

knock, knock, knock

Pulling your hand back, you stood there holding the letter into your chest.

...

No response. That's fine! That's totally okay!

You took a moment to breathe in and out before knocking again. Finally hearing movement from the other side of the door, you took a step back, bracing yourself from seeing his face as the door swung open.

"How can I help you?" A feminine voice rung out.

Opening the door was a blonde girl somewhat a bit older than you. Her long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes making you do a double take as your mouth gaped open at the pretty girl. But that surprise was taken over by your heart dropping at the sight. She was wearing a white sweat jacket

His jacket..

HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND!?

'ABORT! ABORT MISSION!' Your subconscious yelled at you as you stumbled to find words to reply to the girl "I-um, well uh-"

The burning feeling in your chest started to hurt as you felt the desire to just drop dead right on the spot. There was no way you just... Oh my god..

Before you could respond, the girl's expression widened into somewhat recognition. "Oh! You're the neighbor from next door! Were you looking for my brother?"

Eh?

"...Y-Yes?" You tilted your head in a somewhat cheeky sweaty smile you were dying on the inside before she turned from you and looked back into the apartment.

"HEY VASH!" She yelled, holding the door open with her back as she crossed her arms, and from the depths of the blue-wallpapered apartment nice choice! you heard his voice.

"WHAT!?" There were sounds of blankets or something moving coming from where he was inside.

Her eyes flickered back to you before giving you a playful wink "I think our neighbor from 511 is knocking at the door! Are they the-!"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT DON'T OPEN IT WAIT!!" His sudden screech emitted before the sudden mess of things falling to the ground and objects breaking echoed through the apartment.

Was he okay?

"GYAH!" You heard Vash yelp before he tripped into your sight right around a corner, shirt half messily on him as he attempted to slip his arm through the hole of the shirt. The scattered scars on his body prominent to your eyes as he struggled for a second.

Wow look at that bod-

You quickly averted your sight, feeling the heat crawling up your neck and into your cheeks as he picked himself off the ground as fast as he could with only one hand. You noted that he didn't have the time to put his prosthetic on in that sudden rush of his.

"T-thanks Tesla!" He breathed out, smoothing down his shirt as Tesla left her spot by the door, leaving it ajar as she gave you a small wave before leaving into the apartment and what you presumed back into her bedroom.

"Sorry about my older sister, she's just visiting for the week..." Vash cleared his throat before leaning his arm his only arm at the moment on the door frame, humorously deepening his voice "So, how can I help a beautiful person on this most wonderous night?"

You giggled at his try to hide whatever happened, the tense muscles in your shoulders softening as you silently held out the letter you had.

"Hm?" His eyebrow rose as he relaxed himself, slowly grabbing the red envelope out of your hand. Turning it around, he scanned the writing on the top.

To Vash

And attached to it, was a red geranium, one of the flowers he had gifted you. He couldn't help but give the envelope a blushed smile before looking back up to ask you what it was.

But there was no one?

"E-Eh?" He stuttered as he quickly stepped outside, only seeing a flash of your body running through your door as you shut it quick behind you.

Did... Did you just run back to your apartment?

Vash let out a pout as his shoulders slouched down, barefoot on the concrete floor of the apartment complex corridor.

"I missed the chance to say it.. Damn it.."

Meanwhile, you had shut the door and slowly slid down it, covering your mouth with your hand in amazement.

YOU DID IT!

YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! YES!

OH FUCK YOU DID IT.

ohhhh shit.

"what did I just do.." You groaned, pushing your knees up to bury your face into.

For the next couple of days, you tried your best to avoid Vash as much as you could. Taking all the early shifts at work, racing into your apartment whenever you saw him sitting at the picnic table with a bowl of strawberries.

Maybe he didn't feel the same way, how could you show your face to him? You were scared..What he would say?

Disgusting?

I'm interested in someone else?

That night was one that had you up late, running through all the things he could say about your letter, bad or good.

But one day. you had been forced to take the late night shift again and found yourself walking down one of the many apartment complex hallways alone. You actually kinda missed your lil nightly talks with him…

"Hey!"

Hm?

Turning your head to the left, you spotted the pretty blonde man, racing down the path in slippers, sweatpants and a long sleeve, no glasses of his in sight.

"V-VASH!?" You squawked out, the man closing in as in a panic, you closed your eyes. Feeling your back hit the hard wall behind you, you were only able to throw a hand out to put a cushion to whatever was happening.

What?

Slowly peeping your eyes open, your vision was covered by the sight of his chest. His large frame practically covering your body and both arms of his caging the sides of your head, most likely to prevent you from meekly escaping.

"I finally.." He let out a deep breath as the hot sensation of it lightly hit your face "..caught you." His gaze only focused on you as you noticed the grip you had on his firm shoulder. Ah... He was trying to talk to you again..

Did the letter not make anything awkward?

"Vash?" Your breath hitched, the intense stare of his eyes just on you making that stomach of yours develop butterflies once again.

"You never gave me the chance to give you an answer.." He muttered before chuckling "Didn't think it'd take me this long to finally see you."

Moving your gaze away and to the side, you tried to escape his eyes in attempt to calm yourself down "I thought I made things awkward...Ha." You gave him a small pained grin, the urge to cry out of humiliation was making the lump in your throat push upwards.

One more word out of you and you'll accidentally let it out, tears and all.

Vash looked down at you with a curious expression before the look of adoration riddled his face "Aw cmon now, look at me. You'll never make things awkward between the both of us..." Hand off the wall, he softly put two fingers under your chin, moving it so you looked back into those endless bright blue eyes of his.

"Ya know, you actually beat me to it first."

"I-I did?"

He gave you a cheeky smile "Definitely, I was gonna come over but.." The corners of his mouth moved downwards "I didn't get to see you anymore. Even after work, I made sure to wait a bit to spot ya. Guess today's my lucky day."

oh fuck, you felt so bad.

he…was actually looking for you.

shit.

"I-" You choked out, silencing Vash as you felt your eyes start to blur with the tears. You couldn't hold it in anymore. All those embarrassing moments and thoughts.

"I was scared about what you were gonna say... I thought you weren't going to like me anymore after that letter…” You tried to regulate your breathing as your furiously wiped the tears out of your eyes “Stupid right?”

Using both hands, Vash slowly took your hands away from your face, before swiping his thumb against the apples of your cheeks "Well, whatever you thought that was gonna do, did quite the opposite.."

Face to face, just centimeters away from each other.

"I like you even more.." His thumb brushing the bottom of your lips as you observed him, eyes still red from crying. But the red of Vash’s own cheeks got brighter and brighter.

"May I?"

And with no words spoken, you nodded and he caved, leaning in. You felt like melting as he wrapped his arms around your sides, those pink lips of his deeping into your own as the taste of mint seeped into your mouth.

The sweet taste of his was one you imagined at night, and have never thought to ever taste until now.

Now that you tasted him, it felt so intoxicating. Every touch of his tongue in your mouth, the grip he had on your waist.

Okay slow it down a little cowboy~

Pulling away for air, the both of you just stared at each-other, eyes wide and quiet.

Until laughter came about, Vash had started giggling and you tried your best to stifle your own until you couldn’t. And the two of you continued laughing as Vash kept you close in his embrace.

"I was wonderingg~" Vash whistled out after getting those cute giggles out of his system "Are you doing anything this Saturday?"

You tilted your head to the right, giving him a shy smile "Not necessarily, I was just gonna order some pizza and stay home alone.."

"Maybee..I can keep you company?" He jokingly puppy-eyed before you gave him peck on the lips just one more time

"Always~"

A sharp gasp was suddenly emitted from your right side, causing you to almost yelp in shock at the sudden disturbance as Vash whipped his head to the direction. And there stood your upstairs neighbor, an elderly hispanic lady and her husband with a little cart full of folded laundry.

"Mire! El chico del apartmento 512 se junto con el rentero de 511. Ay que bonito~" She cooed as her husband nodded in agreement.

You returned a blushed smile, feeling Vash's hand slip into your own.

Oh how sweet!

translation: Look! The boy from apartment 512 got together with the renter from 511. How pretty~

#vash x reader #trigun imagines #trigun headcanons #trigun #vash imagine #trigun stampede x reader #vash the stampede x reader #vash the stampede #vash the stampede imagine #trigun x you #vash x you #UN CHAVO QUE ME DICE QUE ME ESTA ESPERANDOOOO

208 notes · View notes

tiredofpeoplebutstilllovethem · 2 months ago

Text

Stupid TMNT AU

Hello it's been a while how is everyone doing?

Good? That's great. Now for the very stupid very dumb TMNT AU I think to me at least

Okay this AU just pop into my head without warning even though today I have a collage exam but,

This is inspired by Two Souls by Virgilisspidey

see your name in shining lights by mlmtelephoneboy

Out Of The Shadows and Into The Neon by ObsidianCreates

Prompts inspired from @misteria247

Prompt also inspired by @tending-the-hearth

I think there's some more but i don't quite remember when I remember I will edit it here

This take place in Post TMNT 2012, like the 2012 group adventures are over, people accept them are very protective? or more like the human is just getting used to mutants but, slowly warming up to them so if anyone from outside New York moved a police men or any authorities in New York would be like "Okay, you can stay here and lived here but, there is a conditions you have to fulfill break them you have to find a new home got it? Okay so......" and for the ROTTMNT it's Post movie

Like there's an earthquake that is a happening around New York or around the world studently like it's too late to give warnings because of how fast the earthquake happened and while evacuated everyone from the perimeters 12 Leo sees someone running then a building was about to fell on top of them, 12 Leo being the martyr complex he is save them but gets pile on by the rumbles hard 12 Leo can't like get to his T-Phone because his arms are like pinned under the rumble moving would make the rumble crush him more, so 12 Leo stays there stuck hoping anyone would tell his brothers where he is that he is stuck and can't get out

But by the time 12 Leo's brothers did manage to be informs It Would Be Too Late

Then 12 Leo wakes up feeling something is wrong and sees he's a human and a baby?! What the fu-shell shell what the shell wasn't he just getting crushed by a building? 12 Leo looks around and sees people that we're supposed to be his parents, 12 Leo founds out his name would be ............(because I don't know what named suits him I didn't get far into here really this is just me rambling) and 12 Leo notice the place is way to bright to be his dimension, 12 Leo has a suspicious but can't prove it yet, so 12 Leo just accept like he had no other choice because hey he is a child and he pretty sure he can't go back to New York cause he died.

It's been around years since 12 Leo who is now maybe 12 or 15 year old? not sure, was reborn here everything's fine, he has a somewhat good relationships with his parents, but he still missed his brothers and the people back in his dimension dearly. One day 12 Leo has to moved to New York and he is excited since because 12 Leo thinks he is not in his own dimension because of how bright the colors are and the people around and himself here are 2D that means he is in a new dimension, 12 Leo thinks it's a different one from the 1987 version.

Either 12 Leo is made to moved to New York alone or with someone, after moving in his new apartment 12 Leo take a walk outside, walking around taking in the different scenery of New York then his own dimension, this place makes 12 Leo a little disoriented but he manage, Leo then buying coffee from a cafe he found and a croissant, before heading to the groceries store to buy some instant food and some ingredient to try to cook something simple that he can actually cook without burning the apartment down.

Everything goes smoothly for 12 Leo, he goes to a new school, meet many people, doing human stuff and studies, and slightly learning things like a bit chemistry, technology, arts, cooking, and a bit of skating, and a few more as his hobbies, doing anything that remind 12 Leo of his brother and friends to makes him feel like they are with him, and also probably because if he did live alone in the apartment 12 Leo can still take care of himself. Months goes by and nothing happened that makes 12 Leo paranoia because if things is going smoothly shit going down around the corner.

And it did one day when 12 Leo was groceries shopping he notice someone or someone's are jumping from rooftop to rooftop, 12 Leo could make out the silhouette of four turtles and 2 or 3 humans and 12 Leo is just like "Yup diffidently another dimension"

That leads to Leo getting snatch by the remaining of the Foot Clan, to take as hostage and then the rottmnt came to save him, only to find 12 Leo who has the chair he is tied up to as a weapon and a few knock out Foot Ninja's and 12 Leo noticing them was like "Uhhh I better get going" and just ran.

I stop here for now I guess.

#tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt fandom #Stupid AU #Question everything my brain throw at me #I tag other dimensions TMNT as well because why not because my brain also thinks it's being funny #tmnt 1987 #tmnt 2003 #tmnt 2007 #rise of the tmnt #tmnt bayverse #rottmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt vs batman #the last ronin #At this point all tmnt versions if it can be make sense #I can't write for the lifing daylight so #I just write it here so it would stop I hope

15 notes · View notes

packedlunchmeat · 10 months ago

Text

COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

HOWDY Y’ALL!!!!

I’m deciding to open commissions once more! And finally making them public rather than just offering to friends.

This took a TON of deliberation, as I fear as an artist being taken advantage of for my time. And so, before we get into pricing and my boundaries as an artist, lets talk ground rules! Just so you, as a potential customer, understand my expectations as the artist.

(Also please be patient with me as I work 12 hour shifts at a hospital, so it may take a few weeks to get to yours if it’s behind a lot of others in the queue)

RULES & EXPECTATIONS

First come, first serve

This is mainly because I like to prioritize those who come to me first. With this being said though, if you express interest in a commission from me, but do not state what you are wanting, as well as a price range you are going for, I will prioritize a person who has already given me a commission request. Basically! I put you in the queue the moment we have a request worked out! :-)

No revisions after a finalized sketch

This is mainly to protect myself as the artist, and you as the customer from being in a perpetual revision cycle, after already finalizing the sketch. If you aren’t happy with something, please let me know before I begin the line art process! Once I begin to do line art or color, I enter a zone where doing any sort of serious revision could cause the quality to diminish!

Make sure it’s my art you are wanting!

I do do a plethora of art style mocks like persona 5 eye cut ins, as well as other sorts of persona art style stuff. But I don’t wish to copy another artists style thats already offering commissions. If you’re wanting a certain style that isn’t adjacent to mine, you’re better off saving up for the artist you truly wish you could commission :-). I like to feed into fandom wants and needs, but I don’t want to take away from other freelance artist’s business.

I will not send the art until paid

Since I manage to work rather fast, I don’t mind making pieces that don’t get paid for, as any piece I do is good practice!! That being said, I won’t send my art until I have proof of payment for the time I spent on it. I will always be super clear on which part of the process I am in, but to protect myself from being scammed, I cannot send the piece until payment is proven.

DETAILS

Now lets get into the fun stuff!! To start, I do not charge my commissions based on how complex the art is, rather, how long it took me to make it. Which is the reason I can’t ask for up front payments. I charge, instead, by the hour. And my pricing is based on my state’s minimum wage. The software I use to make my art (Procreate) tracks the elapsed time I’ve spent drawing, and so I calculate the owed amount based upon that. So, to start:

I CHARGE $15 AN HOUR (USD)

METHOD OF PAYMENT IS THROUGH PAYPAL.

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what I CAN and CAN’T draw!!

THINGS I ABSOLUTELY WILL DRAW:

Character references! (TTRPG CHARAS, OCS, ETC.)

Armor (I can do mecha, but because of the complexity it may bump up the price just because of how long it takes)

Main stream art style replication (Persona 2D Sprites, Ace Attorney, Steven Universe, The Owl House, and a few others as well)

People

Portraits

Couples (hugging, kissing, holding hands, cute stuff :3)

Inklings & Octolings (anything splatoon related pretty much)

THINGS I CAN DRAW (BUT WILL PREFACE WITH THE FACT THAT I AM LESS SKILLED IN THESE AREAS)

Furries

Animals/pets

Scenery

Pixel art

Vehicles

Weapons (this ones tricky because I can draw swords pretty quick, guns take quite a bit of effort to get right though)

THINGS I WILL NOT DRAW

NSFW/suggestive content

Gore

With the parameters out of the way, I’d like to talk about pricing now! Since I charge by the hour, I’d like to make it clear that I am 100% willing to work with money difficulties! I draw pretty fast, but as there are certain things that cause my pieces to take longer, it’s only fair I let you all know what those are, so that you can know what to avoid if you’re wanting some art from me!

THINGS THAT WILL CAUSE MY ART TO TAKE MORE TIME!

Lineless

Complex mecha/outfits

Complex props (e.g. instruments)

Anything in my CAN DRAW list

Complex backgrounds

And lastly…

EXAMPLES OF QUALITY OF WORK

(With time spent and how much they’d be priced)

ROUGH FULL BODY

Time spent: 30m

Calculated price: $7.50

STYLIZED TAROT

Time spent: 2h 16m

Calculated price: $34.00

SIDE ORDER LINELESS

Time spent: 3h 44m

Calculated price: $56.00

FYNN 1920S ‘IT’ GIRL PIERROT

Time spent: 5h 24m

Calculated price: $81.00

Anywho!! If anyone is interested, please DM me! I’ll hand over my discord so you can send me pictures easy :-)! Reblogs are greatly appreciated!!!!

28 notes · View notes

redheadspark · 2 years ago

Note

👋🏿 for your falling in love Prompts

3. One character going "so this is really awkward cause I know I told you I wasn't looking for love but then I kinda fell in love and I would like it if you'd take me." With Druig

Happy Writing! 🙂

A/N - I find this beyond adorable with our Mind Controller! Thank you for requesting this, Stella!

Reunited

Summary - After their much needed reunion in the jungle, Druig has some things to get off his chest

Warnings - Just some good fluff for our Druig!

The jungle was quiet, quiet and yet nosy at the same time.

You never thought you would be here, given the world about to end and the recent news of your leader's death at the hands of Deviants. Still, this was the past place you thought you would end up with the others, merely because it's been 500 years, Secondly, you all left under different circumstances.

You left a member of your family behind: Druig.

He saw the genocide that unfolded in front of all of you that fateful night, soldiers slaying and murdering innocent citizens in front of his very eyes and he only had to watch with no signs of stopping them. You saw it on his face, as you did plenty of times before when he was forbidden to intervene with humans and their sins with one another. The look of rage and pain, the gaze of anger and distant.

The stare of betrayal from Arishem.

He chose to leave you all, taking some of the soldiers with him under his Mind Control and going deep into the forest. It was the last time you ever saw him, and you etched that image of him forever in your mind. The tears in his eyes, the solemn look of his decision being made, it was forever implanted in your psyche.

You never minded it, only because you cared for him.

You both were cordial with one another, merely friends who relied on each other in dire times just like the others. Druig was never cross with you, not like he was with Ikaris or Ajak at time. He was more gentle with him, his softer side with a hint of sarcasm was always there in your talks and interactions. He loved watching the humans and seeing them evolve, almost being a fly on the wall as they continue to develop and grow on the planet. He even wanted you to watch with him sometimes during their feast or when they were out and about. You indulged him, finding humans just as a fascinating and complex creatures.

Plus, spending time with Druig was not a bad thing either.

Yet now, 500 years later, you wonder where to go from here.

Being away from the others for so long, traveling the world on your own and seeing how the humans have evolved through your own eyes. Inwardly you knew what Druig felt the you saw humans tearing each other, but also the they built each other up again. There was goodness in the world, and thank to Druig and all of his talks and theories he had with you, it made you miss him all the more.

"Out of everyone that is here, I figured you would love the jungle the best,"

Your back was turned, but you sensed his presence was evident as he was behind you. You said nothing, folding your hands in front of you and scanning the scenery in front of you.

"You made a beautiful place here, Druig," you hummed, hearing his footsteps behind you as he was walking up slowly, delicately, maybe thinking that a brash approach wouldn't work, "It's funny....I always pictured you here,"

"Away from the rest of the world?" Druig asked, not wishing to sound brash or harsh with you as he was watching you look at all the foliage"

"No," you hummed, "Living in peace. I think out of all of us, you needed it the most,"

Druig said nothing, having you finally turn around and see him stand there and watch you with intrigue and curiosity on his face. it was a contrast to before when you are all in the meeting hall, his anger and demeanor getting the best of him after hearing all that Sersi discovered from Arishem. You are mad too, hearing about your own existence was a lie, and you were meant to destroy planets for the birth of Celestials. You still haven't wrapped your head around it, so you couldn't only wonder what Druig was thinking.

"It's been awhile, Druig," You voiced to him, watching him slowly nod his head while he folded his hands behind him.

"It has," He agreed, cocking his head slightly at you as you watched him, "I know the last time we were together like this, it didn't end well,"

"You had to do what you had to do," You reassured him, your voice trying to sound sure but it was hesitant. Maybe Druig picked up on it, the small lingering thoughts in your minds that you wish to express. How would you tell him though? In what way can you tell him?

That you cared for him and his tender heart for year? How you wished to bring him peace if you could since you knew he would fight for the peace of humans.

That you loved him for centuries?

"Still, I wish we both would have left things on a better note," Druig explained, "I want to know all that you were up to for the past 500 years,"

"I want to tell you," You reasoned, pausing again and trying to get your mind back in order as Druig was taking another step closer to you.

"But?" Druig asked, being ever patient. You sighed, rubbing the back of your neck and trying to find your bravery again.

"Given the circumstances we're in, and the world could be ending and everything, I had held some things from you....for awhile...that I think you should know," You explained to him, fiddling with your fingers. You looked from the ground into his eyes, seeing how still he was and waiting to hear what you had to say. You loved that about Druig, he never looked past you but into you as if he was trying to find all that was nestled deep inside you. He never pried with you, not once in all the centuries you knew him,

So, with the end of the world at your doorstep, you might as well let it all out of the beg.

"I've had feeling for you for sometime,"You informed, seeing him still keep his stare at you and not move with his facial expressions, "You andI were close all those times we were together, and I considered you a friend. Not just a friend, actually, but as someone who knew me more than i knew myself. And because of that, I was afraid,"

"Why?" Druig sheepishly asked, taking another step to only be a hand length away from you. You gulped, eyeing him and how he was still staying there'd listening to you unfold all of your heart to him, at his home. You could breathe in the small scent of his sweat, you could see the beauty mark on his arms and the the small scar mark on his cheek. Most of off, you saw his blue eyes glistening in the moonlight above you.

"I never believed in love, not for the longest time," You answered, "I thought it was meant for humans and their tall tales. I know it is part of their biology and their evolution to love and rely on one another, but I didn't think it could happen to us, to me,"

It was true: loved seemed to be something only for the humans to have and to keep to themselves. You could only watch from the side, inwardly hoping and longing for something like that in your life. Were you meant to have that? You doubted it at first, up until Ikaris and Sersi together. Gilgamesh and Thena had a familiar love with one another, it was evident that there was no romance but a platonic kind of relationship.

Yet as the years went by, love was growing on you and shooing away the doubt that was festering in your soul. It saw it all around you, in all the cities you visited and with all the years coming and going. Inwardly, you were wishing that you had the love with someone in particular, knowing it was too late.

Yet the time was now.

"So this is really awkward cause I know I told you I wasn't looking for love, but then I kinda fell in love and I would like it if you'd take me." You sheepishly said to him, wearing your heart on your sleeve and waiting for him to crush it within his fingers. He had every right to, you knew that since this was no one way road. Druig could turn and walk away, he could yell at you for placing this on him while the world was about to crumple around you.

But he didn't. He didn't something unexpected.

With his strong and yet soothing calloused hands, he reached up to place his hands on your upper arms, having you think he was going to hold you in once place. Yet he was watching you with the kindest eyes you have ever seen him use, and you were about to question him before he leaned in and pressed your lips against his.

You felt it then, all over your skin and in your blood. Love.

Your hands reach up to frame his face in your hands when you pressed your lips against him. Druig wrapped your in your arms, you both were kissing under the jungle branches and in the pure peace of the scenery around you. This was what you wished you had years before, before everything changed and you both went away from one another. Maybe you wished you could take it back, maybe your should have said your feelings to him sooner and not bottle it up.

But if this was what you were going to have with him, even for a shiver of a moment before you would have to fight for the planet, then so be it.

Druig pulled away from a moment after you two kissed, licking his plump lips and scanning your eyes that seemed warm all over again. His hands along your waist, his scent invading your nose, it was too much and not enough at the same time.

"I'm a coward in not saying anything to you either," Druig explained to you as you searched his eyes, "Makkari tried to convinced me to say something back in the Crusades, but I couldn't bring myself to,"

"Makkari knew?" You asked with a hint of shock, you and Druig breaking into into childish grins as he laughed and nodded his head.

"She saw it before I realized. Yet I was still afraid, I had no clue if you would love someone like me," Druig sheepishly explained to you. It seemed rather morbid for you bth to go through your confessions to one another right before you would have to stop Tiamut, yet there were no better time really.

So all you could do was kiss Druig again, feeling him pull you close and kiss you back. Love was once a dream, but now it was a reality for you both.

Even if you only had for a few days, those days would be worth it with Druig at your side and loving you too.

The End.

Tagged: @a-lumos-in-the-nox @basicrese @heartofwritiing @virtueassassin @hottpinkpenguin

Valentine Prompt Session

#druig fluff #druig x reader #druig x oc #druig eternals #druig x female reader #druig x female eternal reader #marvel cinematic universe #marvel cinematic fanfiction #marvel cinematic universe fanfiction #mcu writing #mcu fanfiction #mcu #marvels eternals #eternals fan writing #eternals fanfiction

124 notes · View notes

the12thnightproject · 1 year ago

Text

Chapter 37: Schrodinger’s Kat: Too many things might not be what they seem. Or they… might.

Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)

All Chapters Archived on Ao3

Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?

CW: Battlefield scene

Mitsuhide did indeed let me grab my fur cloak (ok, my borrowed Imagawa cloak) and went so far to make sure that my feet were well covered. Then, he urged me outside, into the garden, where it was once again snowing and the sun had already set. In the glow of the lanterns, I could see that the snowflakes collected on top of his head, turning that salt and pepper wig into a semblance of his normally silver hair.

We came to a halt just past the ice covered koi pond. I didn’t check whether or not the fish were still in there somewhere. I didn’t want to see if they had frozen to death. Schrodinger’s fish. “I was going to send you a message.”

“Were you indeed? Where would you have sent it from? Here? Or would you have waited until you settled in Kasugayama with the Imagawa?” Before I could respond to that odd line of questioning, Mitsuhide pulled us into the shadow of the wall, rendering us less visible from above.

Kasugayama? What was he talking about? Not willing to spend the mental energy trying to read his expression, I shrugged and continued my original explanation. “From here. I planned to flag down that spy who followed us from Sakai. To let you know what Yoshiaki was doing… that Kennyo is still alive. But I guess since you’ve been here all week, then you’re already aware. And if Nobunaga is not aware, he will be soon…?”

He acknowledged that with a brief nod. “I’m also aware that it’s an open secret that Yoshimoto has taken his page as a lover. His vassals are –“

“Idiots.” And causing Yoshimoto more trouble than he could handle.

“That is not the point. I’ve witnessed your relationship for myself. Watching as he takes your hands and touches your face.” Mitsuhide brushed his hand over my face, much the same way Yoshimoto was wont to do. Unlike Yoshimoto’s touch, Mitsuhide’s burned, even though, as always, his fingers were cool.

Unable to stand that internal heat, I stepped back. “That’s just Yoshimoto… he’s a touchy-feely person. It means nothing. But even if it meant something, that’s no longer your business.” You let me go.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, when he finally spoke, it was a return to that teasing tone. “You are correct, Brat. No business of mine, save for my ego. It was simply meant as a warning. The ex-shogun is a vengeful man. One full of petty jealousies and complex plots.”

“Yoshiaki has no idea that I even exist.” I was sure of that. “Servants are simply part of the scenery to him.”

“As I was saying before you interrupted-.” Mitsuhide put his finger on my lips to ensure no additional interruption. “Imagawa’s vassals haven’t ceased complaining about how their lord is obsessed with his new page. How he fondles you in public, and holes up in his room with you for hours.” He shot another glance up toward the castle walls and pulled me further into the gloom. I suddenly realized that the person who had been watching me for the past few days was Mitsuhide himself. “If Yoshiaki hasn’t already heard of this, he will soon.”

“Why would Yoshiaki care?” And then the recollection of that first day here returned. Of that possessive, slighted tone in the ex-shogun’s voice when he spoke to Yoshimoto. “Oh. He’s the one with the obsession.”

“Indeed. He is the one with the obsession.” Mitsuhide took a step back, as if he were evaluating the nature of the word obsession. “I find it somewhat… ironic… that in my attempt to get you out of the line of fire – for Yoshiaki would also be happy if a woman important to … to the Oda were to fall into his hand – you jumped right back into it.”

There was a lot to that statement, and I wished I had the time to parse it out, to discover what those odd pauses in Mitsuhide’s speech meant, but as it was, all I could say was, “I’m not important to the Oda.”

He merely looked at me. His face was shadowed in the dark, but for a moment, he half turned and his eyes gleamed in the lantern light.

Am I important to him?

Did he truly push me away to keep me safe?

There were a hundred questions I could have asked at that moment.

I said nothing.

It was not the time.

It was certainly not the place.

He reached out, took both my hands in his, carried them to his lips, and kissed my knuckles. The gesture was oddly reminiscent of Yoshimoto’s and I wondered if he was doing so to place a claim of possession on them… to erase any memory I might have had of Yoshimoto’s touch.

My silence was enough of a response. He pulled me closer, pressing me into the wall, and kissed my forehead – almost a benediction. That gesture of peace became one of passion, as he melted into my side, nipping at my neck, biting my ear –

I groaned… I would always be weak to that… to him, my need for his touch rushing through my veins. Until he spoke. “Goro – my spy – is waiting on the other side of the wall. Leave. Leave now. I will explain it to Yoshimoto.”

Stung by reality, I yanked myself out of his embrace. Had all that been just to distract me? Even now was he still trying to force me to his bidding? Was this another feint, another character, another act? I imagined that my very existence here, in proximity to Motonari, who knew of the Kaya identity, was interfering with his own mission for Nobunaga. The mission that brought him here to begin with.

Of course… it had never been about me.

“No.” I scooted further away. “Iekane knows where Aki is. I’m sure of it. Don’t worry. I will keep far away from your investigation. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“You’re impossible to ignore. I couldn’-“

“Just. Don’t.”

Before he could grab me again, I hurried out of the garden. He wouldn’t be able to follow me without giving himself – or me – away. I didn’t look back this time either, and stopped only to steal the bucket from beside the well. The well water was already frozen – no one would miss it. I filled the bucket with snow, knowing that if anyone questioned me on my way back inside, I would have a built in excuse for my absence.

Then I casually walked back into the castle as if I had every reason to be there. I even nodded at one guard at the main door. He returned my nod, then returned to his business.

Good. I hurried up the stairs toward Yoshimoto’s quarters but, just a few meters away from being home free, I nearly barreled right into Motonari. Shit. I bowed low, keeping my face turned away from his. “My apologies Lord Motonari.”

He grunted in response, and hurried past… then he stopped. I sensed him whirling back toward me. “How did you know my name?”

My face stayed averted. I was good servant, not allowed to gaze at one of a higher caste. “Lord Imagawa requires I be able to identify all the daimyos and warlords and not offer any insult or impropriety.”

“Humph.” After another excruciating pause, he continued on his way.

Had he recognized me? I… couldn’t be certain that he hadn’t.

Without taking time to sigh in relief, I hurried into Yoshimoto’s room, where Yoshimoto was kneeling on his futon, his eyes closed.

As soon as I entered, he opened his eyes and looked at me. "Katsu, that seemed longer than it ought to have taken to-"

"Get you your water? My apologies Lord Yoshimoto." I handed him the bucket full of rapidly melting snow. "Your drink."

Yoshimoto blinked. "Snow?" He kept his voice low.

“You did say you wanted to taste the pristine moonlight touched flakes." I winked at him. "This is the coldest freshest water in the area."

A slight smile touched his lips. "That does... sound like something I would say." He drank from the bucket. "You are frighteningly good at that." He dropped his voice lower, below the threshold of what someone listening in the next room or the corridor would be able to hear. "And your search?"

"Inconclusive." Then, in order to give him some better news, I added. “The correspondence we previously discussed is on its way to its intended target.” At least Mitsuhide had hinted as such. I ought to tell Yoshimoto about Mitsuhide being here. “Well, the second target. As it turns out-“

Yoshimoto had stopped listening. "I'll be happier when we can be on our way, too." Our way? Was that for any spies?Or was Yoshimoto assuming that we would continue travelling together? I couldn’t think that far in advance. Perhaps anticipating my thoughts Yoshimoto asked, "If it turns out your father is dead, what will you do next?"

Though I didn’t want to imagine that prospect it was a fair question. "Return to his manor and try to salvage his... interests."

"If you want or need another option, you are welcome to return to Kasugayama with me." He smiled at me, but with the resignation of someone who didn’t have any expectation of success.

"There you go again, inviting me to be a guest in someone else's home." The home of a person whose disdain for women was pretty common knowledge.

"As long as you can fight, Kenshin won't care." He took a sip from the container of now melted snow, "It is really good water."

And in about 450 years people will have to pay one hundred and fifty yen for a bottle of something this fresh.

For a long moment, he was quiet, thinking those inscrutable Yoshimoto thoughts. Finally, he sighed. “Katsuko, you must know that-”

That was as far as he got before the sound of shouting and running feet reached our ears. Before I could do more than grab my sword, the door to the room slid open and four of the Kanamori vassals rushed in. Their weapons were out, so I presumed they aren't joining us for the fresh mountain water.

Yoshimoto was already on his feet. "What is the meaning of this insult?"

"We are taking him into custody." That was apparent. They had me surrounded. “Lord Motonari’s orders.”

Dammit. I guess he had recognized me after all.

“Unacceptable. Katsu is a valued member of my household." Yoshimoto threw on his clothing faster than I thought he could move. "I refuse to part with him."

"You'll have to discuss that with Lord Iekane.” Without another word, they confiscated my sword and "escorted" me through the corridor, with Yoshimoto protesting at their heels every step of the way. The darkened stairwells and hallways were no less forbidding in reverse as we were marched out of the castle altogether.

Outside.

Outside is bad. It means they think there will be blood and they don’t want to clean it off a tatami mat. (Actually you can’t really get blood out of a tatami mat). At least I hadn't had time to take my cloak off, but Yoshimoto had to be freezing.

The vassals rushed me through the gardens, and to a stairway that led to the top of the castle wall.

Iekane and Motonari were waiting for us there, along with more of the Kanamori guards… including, I noticed, Mitsuhide. His disguise was still complete and he appeared to be regarding the scene dispassionately.

So far, Motonari hadn’t realized he was here, but if he did, especially when we were this badly outnumbered, it would be the end of both our missions.

Making sure not to look at him, not even look near him, I tried to mentally broadcast an apology to him. This… was probably exactly what he had been afraid would happen.

Before I could begin to formulate a way out of this, Yoshimoto addressed Iekane, "Master Iekane, what is the meaning of this insult?"

"This doesn't concern you, Lord Imagawa," Iekane said in that ingratiating tone that … really didn’t go along with the role he was playing as the acting daimyo of Genba. Then again, Yoshimoto was an Imagawa, and Yoshiaki revered him, so maybe that tone was real. "Motonari has a problem with a member of your household."

"I don't see how. My page has devoted his attention to me since the moment we arrived. Any insult would have come about because he was merely doing my bidding." In other words Yoshimoto was insinuating his own servants were more important than Motonari - which is not how I would have chosen to play this, but now it seems we were committed.

Motonari stepped forward and looked me over from head to foot. "Lord Imagawa, yer page is a spy who works for Mitsuhide."

With, people, with. And not any longer.

Yoshimoto whipped out his fan and semi-concealed a theatrically fake yawn. "Of course she's a spy. But she works for my cousin, not Mitsuhide."

Takeda Shingen? Wait. Yoshimoto if you're going to change the script, it would be nice if you handed me the updated sides first.

Iekane started to speak, but Motonari got there first. "Shut up."

Oooh. Someone doesn’t like Iekane. I... think I can work with that.

He turned back to me. "Yer one of the Mitsumono? Why’d ya help Mitsuhide?"

Um… I did a rapid revision to Kaya's backstory. I didn’t dare look at Mitsuhide. Did he believe I was a Takeda spy? Maybe… that would be for the best. It would be the easiest and fastest way for him to wash his hands of me and continue on his mission.

“The best way to gain his trust was to help him.” Ok, think think, what else? “And of course once he pulled us off your ship, I figured the only way I was going to get back to Kasaguyama was to work with him."

“By burning down my camp." Motonari’s words came out as a growl, but there was a different kind of light in his eyes.

"Next time tell your men not to store, the gunpowder so close to open flame.” Hoping that I had judged his character correctly, I added a purposeful careless shrug. "Hell of a fire though."

He looked startled for a moment, then his laughter rang out across the dark night. "Hell of a fire."

Behind me, Yoshimoto shifted uneasily. Yeah so I had flipped the script too... but we were going to need Motonari to defuse this Yoshiaki mess, and the only way that was going to happen would be if we eliminated Iekane’s influence. One way or another.

The Kanamori guards seemed not to know what to do with Motonari's sudden outburst. Once again Iekane stepped forward, but no, I couldn’t let him take control this narrative. His, for want of a better word, superpower, was the long con. It had to be for him to have been able to fool Aki for so long. I gestured to Iekane. "Lord Iekane knows this, because he and I were both originally trained by the same spymaster." I glanced over my shoulder at the Kanamori guard who was still poking me with a sword. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to get a food taster in for Mozumi's meals and drink."

I wasn't going to outright accuse Iekane of anything, especially since I hadn’t found any evidence that he was responsible for Mozumi's condition, but all I needed was for them to hesitate before acting.

Iekane put his hand to his heart. "Are you accusing me of harming my dear father? The man took me in, saved my life. I'm devoted to his health."

"Yes, of course you must be." Finally Yoshimoto picked up on the good cop bad cop routine. We really should have rehearsed this. "A poor orphan is always grateful to the rich man, especially if he has no other living offspring."

The Kanamori guard became less poky with the sword in my back. So that's one thin-

"Heh. This is all very interesting." Motonari's tone said it was the complete opposite of interesting. "I don’t care if Iekane is offing his Pap, it all ends up the same in the end. Imagawa ya in for destroying Nobunaga and getting this party started or not?"

Crap. Iekane was my goal, but if I could throw a bit of help toward Mitsuhide’s mission, it would be a good thing too.

"The desire of my vassals is clear." Yoshimoto snapped his fan shut. The metallic clang was like the locking of a cell door. "That said, I do not agree that Sakai is a worthwhile target."

Ok, good, he'd given me an opening. "Iekane when you caused the cart accident, was your target me... or was it Hiko?"

"Accident?" Iekane’s laugh was on the disbelieving side of sarcastic. "Kaya, you've always been clumsy. And little boys, well, they can get into so much mischief."

And… that was an unforced error to Iekane.

"Lord Motonari." I turned and directly addressed the pirate. "Has Iekane ever met Hiko?"

He frowned, either at the non-sequitur, or because he might have figured out where I was going. "No. He ain’t been to Sakai. Do you have a point, spy? Or are ya wasting time waiting for reinforcements?"

Reinforcements… well, that would have been a good idea. Too bad none of us thought of that.

"How does Iekane know Hiko is a little boy?" Before Iekane could formulate a bluff, I kept going. "Hiko is in danger, from Iekane. Before my former master disappeared, he sent me a letter, asking me to find Hiko and protect him from Iekane."

Don't ask me why. Don't ask me why.

"Why, why would I care about some street kid?" Of course Iekane asked.

"Because," Yoshimoto took up the thread of my logic and embellished it into a telenovela. "Hiko is actually Mozumi's son. His blood son."

Yoshimoto, WTF? Then… I considered. Oh…that's actually… pretty good.

Since Yoshimoto had his bard on I kept quiet and let him continue. "Hiko's mother was one of Mozumi's concubines. But Mozumi's second wife Osumi was jealous of Niwa, and arranged for an attempt on her life. Frightened for her safety and realizing she was carrying a baby, Niwa decided to fake her death, at least until the child was born. Unfortunately, during childbirth, poor Niwa’s death became a reality. This was when her sister decided to raise Hiko as her own. She already had a daughter, Sho, and the children were devoted to each other."

Yoshimoto finished his epic with a flutter of his fan, and I could tell he was holding back from actually bowing. Ok, a little over the top, but at least he had remembered to account for the existence of Sho. Mozumi's vassals might not remember all of his former concubines, but they might remember the existence of a daughter.

"And that is why Iekane plans to attack Sakai. It would be easy enough to kill one small boy in the confusion and make it look like an accident of war." In fact, that probably was why Iekane had chosen Sakai. Or at least one reason. Once again I was glad that Yoshimoto, or rather the Takeda mitsumono, had taken Hiko to Kasugayama.

"That's ridiculous." Iekane addressed Motonari, "Lord Imagawa has spent so much time on the arts that it’s rotted his brain. No true warrior would believe such a fanciful tale."

I heard a whisper from the direction of the Kanamori guards. A rather familiar voice, in fact. “Mozumi did have a concubine by name of Niwa.”

And thank you Mitsuhide for backing up Yoshimoto’s flight of fancy.

Iekane took a nervous step in that direction, trying to read the Kanamori guard’s faces.

Another voice, from one of Mozumi’s vassals. “Lady Osumi was the jealous type.”

That… had also been Mitsuhide, once again employing that ventriloquism trick he’d used back in Sakai.

“Are you really believing this nonsense?” Iekane looked around. But he was nervous. As he spoke, fumbled for something he had in his kimono. Something black and shiny. A pistol?

In that moment, I didn’t know who he planned to shoot, but only Mitsuhide would be familiar with the quicker action of a western pistol. But if he acted, it would be the end of his mission – because Iekane wasn’t his target. Iekane was mine.

I allowed myself a fast peek at him, trying to determine whether he had something in mind. He looked, for the first time in my memory, agonized. Indecisive. If this incident deterred him from his mission, I knew he would hate himself forever.

And so before Iekane could even point the thing, I jumped at him, hoping to knock it out of his hands.

Instead of pushing me away, Iekane grabbed my wrist. Only then, I could see it wasn't a Nanban pistol at all. It was dark and oblong, gleaming of some unfamiliar material.

Our action carried us backward, and then, rather than twisting, or braking, Iekane let us continue to fall backward, over the wall of the castle entirely in front of the started gazes of Yoshimoto and Motonari… and though Mitsuhide leaped forward, his hands reaching for me, he was not in time to prevent us from sailing over the edge.

Oh shit, this is going to hur-

We never hit the ground.

There was a flash of light, and I felt a bit of a jolt of electricity, and then the world was replaced by stifling grey.

Fog.

I've been here before.

“You are indeed stupid, putting me right where I wanted to be.”

It was as if I were back in that crate, as closed in and impenetrable as a coffin, yet without any physical walls that I could pound on or kick. I tried screaming but nothing came out of my mouth.

Wormhole?

Find a piece of yourself that you can hang onto through all of the roles you play. Some thing. Some goal that’s more important than who you are portraying at that moment in time. If you lose that piece, you’ll lose yourself in the game. You might never find your way out again.

The memory wasn’t of the wormhole that pulled Toshiie and I into the Sengoku. No it was of a thick endless grey. A grey where time had ceased to exist. Iekane had pushed me and I’d become trapped, alone, dissolving…

No… not me.

Someone else’s memory?

And then I felt Iekane grab onto my wrist, as I could tell he was preparing to throw me off him. Fling me somewhere. Somewhere into the grey. Again. His voice was harsh in my ear. "Give my regards to your father."

“Oh no you don’t. Not this time!”Mine or not, that vision was a warning of what could happen if I allowed him to throw me deeper into the wormhole.

I grabbed onto his arm, snatched that odd device from his hand. The wind whipped around us, pulling us in all directions, as we battled over it. Lightning crackled in the distance and Iekane yelped as if he'd been shot.

I tightened my grip on the thing, kicked out, and in the weird gravity field of the wormhole, we ricocheted away from each other. With a howl of rage, Iekane disappeared from my view, spinning, tumbling head over heels, his hand still reaching for the device.

The fog faded, pushed away by a fetid heavy breeze that carried a stench of blood and ash and decay.

As the wormhole gave way to smoke, that eerie silence was replaced by shouts. I had the sensation of falling into intense heat. It was all the warning I had before my feet touched ground. I ran three staggering steps, through the dark haze, tripped over something soft…

… and landed on a body. Even in the heat around me, the person was limp, his clothing soaked and -

Where’s the rest of -- ?!

Oh God.

Get away from him-

They're…everywhere!

I'd seen battlefields from a distance.

There had never been a desire to get any closer than my perch from a tree in a nearby forest. Though that distance had been enough to give me an idea of how much smoke, noise, and confusion there could be, nothing could have prepared me for the smell or the heat.

Or the feel of a dead body beneath me.

@selenacosmic @lorei-writes @bestbryn @lyds323 @tele86 @akitsuneswife

#10things #10 things I hate about Mitsuhide #mitsuhide monday #ikemen sengoku #fanfic #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen fanfic #ao3 link #ikemen sengoku fanfic #mitsuhide akechi #Ikesen yoshimoto #ikesen motonari #oc katsuko #katsuverse

15 notes · View notes

rennivere · 8 months ago

Text

His words had Aletheia peering up towards the sky, her eyes squinting past the light that filtered through the treetops high overhead. She couldn't argue with that, she supposed. When she looked back down, he stood, facing her, outstretching a hand, palm up, beckoning. She blinked once, her brows slightly furrowed, but before she could second-guess herself, her free hand lifted, slotting gently atop the Ascian's palm, his fingers dwarfing hers as they wrapped around her digits. They lingered for a brief moment, having similar looks of perturbation on their faces as Emet-Selch lightly squeezed her hand, before pulling her along without a word, presumably to find a place in the shade to speak.

As Aletheia and Emet-Selch ventured out of Slitherbough, the dense foliage of the Rak'tika Greatwood enveloped them in a canopy of shadows, shielding them from the harsh glare of the sunlight. The air was thick with the earthy scent of moss and the faint sound of chirping insects.

Emet-Selch walked beside Aletheia in silence, his presence an ever-present reminder of the complexities of their situation. Despite the uneasy alliance they had formed, there was still an underlying tension between them, like a taut string ready to snap at any moment.

As they walked deeper into the forest, Aletheia couldn't shake the feeling of Y'shtola's piercing gaze lingering on them as they departed from Slitherbough. The Miqo'te had taken Aletheia's confession in stride, her pragmatism shining through as she listened to the mage's words. But underneath her composed exterior, Aletheia sensed a wariness, a caution born from years of conflict with the Ascians.

Aletheia could hardly blame her, of course. She peered at Emet-Selch with the same level of suspicion and uncertainty, and yet the Ascian seemed insistent on lingering.

She had given up trying to shoo him away... though she would also be lying if she said a small part of her wasn't grateful for his presence. It wasn't a matter of feeling safe with him, mind you. Oh, no: quite the opposite, in fact. She felt perpetually on edge as he meandered through the Greatwood at her side, remarking on the scenery or making otherwise unrelated, unhelpful remarks.

And yet, when she thought at one point that he might slip into the shadows, she looked at him with a furrowed brow, her jaw tightening. Something in her eyes must have given her away, because he hesitated.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," he said lowly, enough that his voice rumbled a bit around every word. "What? Fear you'd be lost without me? Need help finding your way back to Slitherbough?"

"Hardly," she huffed indignantly, lips pursing to form a line as she forced her gaze forward, away from the man, "...I simply wonder why we've journeyed this far together, and you've yet to actually tell me about your world. The one you wish to bring back."

Emet-Selch paused in his stride, causing Aletheia to do the same after a few more steps, the mage pivoting slightly around her staff to peer at the man past the intricate focus that glowed faintly at the top. The Ascian peered at her, eyes squinting, and for a wordless moment, he looked at her with genuine intrigue.

"You truly wish to know of my history - our history? I have to wonder if telling you would be worth the time, to be frank... unless you mean to tell me you are open to possibly considering rejoining the cause after all...?" He questioned, a brow quirking as he peered at the mage.

Aletheia gave a derisive snort in response.

"Like you, I remain steadfast in my beliefs... but if I learned anything from serving under the Emissary, it is that one needs understand their foe. If you would follow me around in an attempt to learn what drives me, then I would know more about the world that has driven you to commit atrocity after atrocity in the name of your God and the Rejoining,"

Her words seemed to surprise Emet-Selch, his brows lifting. For another moment, he quietly peered at her, searching her face with a narrowed gaze. Aletheia thought he might've been inspecting her, searching for any sort of dishonesty or ulterior motive... but there was none. Behind her silver gaze was something... genuine. Almost... innocent.

She was curious. Behind her rough exterior was a girl in search of answers, desperate for information and understanding.

When he saw it, Emet-Selch's expression softened slightly, though the look of gentle consideration he gave her for a brief moment was quickly replaced by the heavy sigh that spilled from his lips as his shoulders and head slumped forward in surrender.

"Fine, fine," he practically groaned, "If you insist on making me waste my breath and your time, then I will share with you the truth - at least as much of it I deem you worthy of. But first, come: Let us find a spot in the shade to rest. I tire of this beautiful, damnable sun."

His words had Aletheia peering up towards the sky, her eyes squinting past the light that filtered through the treetops high overhead. She couldn't argue with that, she supposed.

When she looked back down, he stood, facing her, outstretching a hand, palm up, beckoning.

She blinked once, her brows slightly furrowed, but before she could second-guess herself, her free hand lifted, slotting gently atop the Ascian's palm, his fingers dwarfing hers as they wrapped around her digits. They lingered for a brief moment, having similar looks of perturbation on their faces as Emet-Selch lightly squeezed her hand, before pulling her along without a word, presumably to find a place in the shade to speak.

That simple gesture would build itself a home in her mind, lingering, leaving the mage feeling confused and uncertain as they made their way through the forest to find a place of respite from the sun.

As they settled into the cool embrace of the shaded forest, Aletheia and Emet-Selch found themselves seated on a fallen log, surrounded by the gentle rustle of leaves and the distant hum of insects. The air was thick with the earthy scent of moss and the sweet fragrance of wildflowers, creating a tranquil atmosphere that belied the weight of their conversation, distracting from the everlasting light that loomed overhead.

Emet-Selch began to speak, his voice soft and melodic as he wove tales of a world long gone, a world of beauty and wonder before the Sundering. He spoke of Etheirys with a fondness that caused an ache to form in Aletheia's chest - a sense of loss and longing as if it were just as much her world.

She supposed, in a way, it was.

"It was a city unlike any other," he said, his eyes distant as he recalled memories of a time long past. "Amaurot, it was called. The heart of our civilization, the pinnacle of our achievements. It was a place of art and culture, of knowledge and wisdom."

Aletheia listened intently, her gaze fixed on Emet-Selch as he spoke. There was a passion in his voice - though not the insincere theatrics that often accompanied his words, but instead genuine adoration - a longing for a life left behind. It gave the mage pause, a slight warmth beginning to fill her chest.

He spoke of Ancient society with reverence, painting a picture of a utopian existence where all were equal, where knowledge was valued above all else, and where the pursuit of truth was the highest calling.

"We lived in harmony with the world around us," he continued, his words tinged with nostalgia. "We were caretakers of the land, guardians of the elements. We knew the secrets of creation, researched the mysteries of the cosmos. We were masters of our own destiny."

As Emet-Selch spoke, Aletheia found herself captivated by his words. There was a depth to him, a complexity that she hadn't fully appreciated until now. He wasn't just a villain, a faceless enemy to be defeated. He was a man with hopes and dreams, with memories of a life long gone.

Despite herself, Aletheia felt a pang of sympathy for him, a sense of understanding that transcended their differences. She could see now why he fought so fiercely for his cause, why he clung so desperately to the hope of restoring his world. It had the mage's brows furrowing as she finally tore her gaze away from him. (How long had she been staring, she wondered?)

A scoff from the Ascian startled Aletheia from her thoughts, prompting her to look towards him once again with a furrowed brow.

"And then, in what was nearly an instant, it was shattered. Chaos overtook the land, our creations turned against us. Suddenly, we were faced with a decision that would shape the future of our star in ways we never could have predicted at the time. We sought only to save our world. So we did what was necessary to fight back against the plague that threatened to destroy us all."

"Zodiark," Aletheia finally spoke, looking at the Ascian, who quirked a brow at her before nodding.

"Aye. We summoned Zodiark. If you know that part, then I assume the Emissary had enough sense to share the rest of the tale with you,"

"Not everything, I imagine," she muttered in reply, turning her gaze to peer across the brush before them, eyes fixating on a distant critter as it scurried up one of the towering trees, "But I know that some were sacrificed to save the many. I know that Zodiark was able to cast out the darkness, but that the damage had already been done to the land."

Emet-Selch peered at her closely, giving a slow nod as she spoke.

"Indeed. Our utopia was shattered, doomed to never return to its former glory without further sacrifice. And so, a decision was made... A decision that not all agreed with,"

His tone grew bitter at the end as a scowl made its way across his thin lips, his brows pinching further together above the bridge of his nose.

(Aletheia forced herself to pay no mind to the sudden urge she felt to reach over and smooth it out beneath her thumb. Instead, she stayed static, frozen.)

"So tell me," he went on, thankfully distracting the mage from her thoughts, prompting her gaze to meet his as he paused to ensure he had her attention, "Did the Emissary deign to share with you what happened next?"

Now it was Aletheia whose brows furrowed as a moment of silence fell between them, followed by a slow shake of her head.

Emet-Selch snorted in response as he leaned back, rolling his head to the side enough that Aletheia could hear an audible pop from the man's neck, his eye twitching with a slight grimace from the sensation.

"No, I suppose he wouldn't have," he said dryly as he leaned forwards again, resting his arms on his knees as he sank into his habitually horrible posture once again.

She'd half expected him to continue, but Emet-Selch returned to silence afterwards, causing her brows to lower further, her jaw flexing for a moment before she finally spoke.

"So? What happened next?"

The man's gaze flicked towards her once again as an arched brow raised, and for a moment, Aletheia thought she saw amusement twinkle in the man's eyes.

"What happened indeed. Your beloved Hydaelyn happened, of course - though I'm not yet sure that you are either ready or worthy of learning the specifics. Either way, I tire of story-telling, so for the time being, that is all you will get."

Aletheia’s frustration was palpable, her fingers curling into fists as she leaned forward, trying to suppress her annoyance. The tantalizing glimpses of Emet-Selch’s past had left her yearning for more, and his sudden refusal to continue felt like a cruel tease.

"You can't just leave it at that," she argued, her voice barely above a whisper, yet carrying an intensity that made Emet-Selch glance at her with mild surprise. "If you want me to understand, to truly see things from your perspective, you need to give me more than just half-truths and vague hints."

Emet-Selch chuckled softly, a sound that grated on Aletheia's nerves. "Oh, Aletheia," he said, his tone patronizing. "Answers aren't something that can be forced. They must be earned, and frankly, I’m not yet convinced that you deserve the full tale. You may despise me, but make no mistake—Everything I do is for the betterment of the star."

Her eyes flashed with defiance. "You speak of betterment, yet your methods are steeped in blood and suffering. How can you reconcile that? Sacrificing countless lives to summon Zodiark, and single-handedly sowing chaos across the shards."

Emet-Selch's gaze hardened, his expression growing cold. "And what of your precious Scions? Are they so innocent? History is written by the victors, and the victors often forget the price paid by those who lost. The summoning of Zodiark was necessary to preserve what little remained of our star. To safeguard the future, sacrifices had to be made. Our choices were not made lightly, nor were they made with cruelty in mind. As for the Shards... need I remind you that your lives are meaningless to me, a necessary expenditure to help restore the lives of those lost from my world."

Aletheia opened her mouth to retort, but the words caught in her throat. She could see the anguish etched in Emet-Selch’s features, the pain of a man who had lost everything. It was a stark reminder that, for all his flaws, he was not devoid of emotion or regret.

"You speak as if you had no other choice," she finally said, her voice softer now. "But was there truly no other way? No path that didn’t lead to so much destruction?"

Emet-Selch sighed heavily, the weight of centuries seeming to press down on his shoulders. "Perhaps there was, once. But hindsight is a luxury afforded to those who do not bear the burden of leadership in times of crisis. We did what we believed was right, what was necessary to save our world, and that is something I continue to do to this day. You cannot understand the depth of our sorrow, our desperation."

Aletheia's gaze softened, her own heart aching at the palpable grief in his voice. "I want to understand," she said quietly. "I want to know what drove you to such lengths, and maybe then, we can find a way to move forward without more bloodshed."

Emet-Selch looked at her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers as if trying to gauge her sincerity. Finally, he nodded, though the gesture was laced with reluctance. "Very well. I will tell you more, but not now. Let us rest for a while. The weight of the past is heavy, and even I grow weary of it."

Aletheia nodded in agreement, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie with the man who she thought would be her enemy. As they sat in silence, the forest around them seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with the unspoken understanding that had begun to form between them.

After a while, Emet-Selch shifted, reclining slightly against the log. His eyes, once filled with cold calculation, now held a glimmer of something softer, more human. "You remind me of someone," he said quietly, almost to himself.

Aletheia turned to him, her brows furrowed, curiosity piqued. "What? Who?"

"Someone," he replied unhelpfully, a small, sad smile playing on his lips. He peered at her closely for another moment before continuing, his eyes squinting, as if trying to peer at the mage through a thick fog. "Someone who, like you, sought to understand rather than to judge. Someone who sought ways to save even the smallest, most inconsequential life," He sighed then, letting his gaze linger on the woman for another moment, eyes flicking over Aletheia's face with a look of slow familiarity. But before she could question him further, he spoke again. "Perhaps, in time, you will come to see why I do what I do. But for now, let us simply exist in this moment of peace, however fleeting it may be."

Aletheia nodded, allowing herself to relax slightly. Despite the tension that still lingered between them, there was a sense of shared purpose, a glimmer of hope that perhaps, just perhaps, they could find common ground.

#ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv wol #warrior of light #ffxiv gpose #gpose #wol #wolemet #shadowbringers #shadowbringers spoilers #wol: aletheia #emet-selch #writing

13 notes · View notes

triangularitydubs · 8 months ago

Text

The long awaited

Digital Hearts Episode 3(Part 1)

Murder Drones

POMNI:

Umm… Bubble?

BUBBLE:

Yeeeeeees?

POMNI:

Are you sure we can handle this?

BUBBLE:

Of course, you’ve got this!

RAGATHA:

Now, how do we get to those other worlds?

BUBBLE:

EASY!(Bubble made other smaller bubbles appear with different sceneries in them)

(A snowy wasteland, A 1920s Speakeasy Bar, A large hotel, a Skyscraper, A suburb, A camp, A kids cartoon looking place, a desert, The Interior of a House, A quaint neighborhood, A toy factory, An Apartment Complex and The Underground)

POMNI:

I guess the first one?

BUBBLE:

Ooh! That's good!

(The bubble enlarges to the size of the characters, and swallows the three whole; this was the mode of transport for some reason. A short time later they were in the Snowy Wasteland)

POMNI:

(She had gotten up and fixed her hat before looking at Jax and Ragatha, that made her jump back and fall instantly)

(They had looked like robots with needles at the end of a long cord. It terrified her)

RAGATHA:

Pomni, dear what's wrong and why do you look like a robot?(She glanced at Jax too) What's going on here?

POMNI:

You're a more scary Robot…

JAX:

Robot Shmobot, it's probably some weird gimmick of this world, right Bubble?

BUBBLE:

Right you are Jax! Some world's you enter will change your appearance so you fit in more! This is one of them! Neat huh?

JAX:

Hell yeah it is, look at this tail thing!(He has been swinging his tail around)

RAGATHA:

(She helped Pomni up) Well, suppose we should figure out what we need to do here.

???:

What you need to do is turn to me slowly.

(Jax's tail stopped and he froze with the others)

???:

Turn around now.

(The three turned around, to see a robot with a beanie, purple hair and a black jacket)

???:

Lay down your giant key. And you two needles where I can see them.

(The three did as they were told, but Ragatha spoke up)

RAGATHA:

We don't mean any harm to you whatsoever. We're trying to help save this world from the darkness!

???:

By the darkness do you mean those weird glitchy abominations?

JAX:

Exactly.

???:

(The robot sighed) So what you gonna try and stop them?

JAX:

That's the plan.

???:

Well I'm helping. My name is Uzi. Those things have captured my friend, N. And on top of that they're working with this corrupt human named Tessa.

RAGATHA:

Well, Uzi, we're happy to help! We can defeat Tessa, and get N back!

(Bubble popped out of nowhere)

BUBBLE:

OOOH CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW SIDE QUEST GUYS!!

(A display saying Save N and Defeat Tessa appeared.)

BUBBLE:

You guys can do this while you're clearing out The Abstracted! I'm willing to bet this Tessa person IS the final boss of this world if not a mini boss!

UZI:

Side Quest? Saving my best friend is top priority to me. If you guys aren't gonna help…then I'll save him myself.(Uzi ran off into the wasteland)

(The Gang was trying to figure out what to do next, and of course it wasn't long before Uzi found herself in trouble, as she screamed)

(The Trio rushed in the direction Uzi went to find her face to face with an abstracted Disassembly Drone, who she was struggling to beat)

JAX:

Hey Uzi! Want our help now?(Jax said in a mocking tone)

RAGATHA AND POMNI:

Jax!! Not helpful!

UZI:

Yeah sure help I guess!

(BATTLE START)

(After back and forth fighting The Drone is defeated. 200XP for everyone!)

UZI:

Thanks for the help. You three are good.(She sighs) Guess I do need help saving N. Let's go find him.

(The crew ventured off)

UZI:

I thought Tessa was dead, but I think she took N back to this weird ancient temple. Place is corrupted on its own by a rouge Drone, and this glitchy mess-

POMNI:

Abstractions..

UZI:

Right. The Abstractions came along and messed everything up bad to where lots of folks I know and Disassembly Drones are getting the short end of it.

RAGATHA:

Well maybe we can save some of the ones that are your friends..

UZI:

(She shook her head) Already tried. Once Abstracted, they're a lost cause. Learned that the hard way.

RAGATHA:

Well gosh um… I'm sorry to hear that.

(As the venture continues, The Gang defeats abstracted and talks about their lives sorta and N.)

(They eventually come up on Tessa talking with…. THE DARK ONE?!

(The Gang rushes over and sees Tessa even has an unconscious N in her custody, Uzi quietly tells the others to hide behind a nearby rock to eavesdrop.)

TESSA:

So if I release it, then I can have all the power in the Multiverse huh?

DARK ONE:

That's right. Make sure it kills King Caine's Lackeys. They cannot complete their mission.

TESSA:

Works out but I've got one concern..

DARK ONE:

What's that?

TESSA:

It's more than likely that annoying purple haired worker drone will try to come and save her buddy here(She motions towards N).

DARK ONE:

Take some of my help then(Dark One touched Tessa's arm and it abstracted, making it bigger and probably dealier) DO NOT LET ME DOWN. (He disappeared)

(It was at this point, Jax and Uzi rushed to attack at Tessa despite Pomni and Ragatha trying to stop them)

(BATTLE START)

The battle between the heroes and Tessa was intense. Uzi kept calling Tessa a traitor and some other words. In the end the only one standing was Uzi and Tessa, the other three fell to some strong enemies that Tessa had summoned. Uzi got them too.

UZI:

Do you REALLY think that hooded dude is going to give you what you want?!

TESSA:

(She smirked) Yes actually I do, you little eavesdropper. You weren't here for the full conversation. He hates you Drones just as much as humans do. Truthfully, he was probably human too. So it makes sense.

UZI:

Why?! We sought YOU out to help and now you betray us not once… BUT TWICE?!

TESSA:

Well it's not betrayal if I wasn't allied with you to begin with. Soon enough though your little buddy N here will finally be apart of The Experiments AND Abstracted…(She chuckled) When the dark one introduced me to Abstraction, I became fascinated with the behavioral aspects. Thus, why I was able to control the ones that seemingly killed your allies here and be able to withstand this powerful abstracted arm.

UZI:

Whatever. I'll kill you again.

(She shot her gun multiple times at Tessa, which for as relentless it was, down she fell)

BATTLE END

(UZI gained 600EXP Points!)

(UZI is now level 4!)

(The other three were revived.)

RAGATHA:

You did it, Uzi! I think we oughta upgrade our abilities after we save N

(Of course, Uzi was already on thr case as N rebooted, Jax had been hovering over while Pomni and Ragatha stayed back.)

(He finally booted up) Uzi?

UZI:

N! Thank God! I thought they'd killed you!

Hah. Nope I'm as chipper as ever. Still kicking even though I..um..(He trailed off) Hey! Who are the new guys?

UZI:

Oh, well this one right next to us is Jax. Then over there is Pomni and Ragatha!

Sweet,(N shook Jax's hand and they both hit it off right away, cracking jokes and laughing)

(N JOINED THE PARTY!)

(Then our crew set off closer to the temple, fending off all sorts of Abstracted along the way.)

(He had pulled Uzi aside)

Uzi, something isn't right here.

UZI:

What do you mean?

Think about it.. we just started having issues with that Cloaked guy, those abstracted JUST showed up and suddenly there are three heroes to get rid of them?? This isn't reality, this is just some-

(They failed to realize Pomni was listening in)

POMNI:

You think this is fake?

Think about it. Isn't it a bit strange we had no hints about the abstracted until now?

POMNI:

I mean, we know it's the Dark One that caused all this. King Caine said-

No. Listen. We don't know a King Caine. There's no one in this universe by the name of Caine. I mean think back yourself, along this journey you've all about Hollow Chesstion…and how King Caine just appeared…..

POMNI:

Well the real king got influenced by The Dark One a-

It DOESN'T MAKE SENSE! Doesn't anyone else see HOW CRAZY THIS I-

BUBBLE:

LOOK! It's The Temple!

Oh cool, that's where we gotta go next!

POMNI:

Weren't you just…complaining about how crazy everything is??

What?

TO BE CONTINUED…..

7 notes · View notes

secret-fiction · 15 hours ago

Text

Sonic & Stick's Hold Hands

When Sonic visits Sticks at her burrow on Bygone Island, she takes the opportunity to ask him a question that's been on her mind. What ensues is the two of them going out together on a short adventure, giving Sticks the opportunity to see some of the world she usually hides from.

General Audiences, Friendship, Romance, Oneshot 6,733 words. A Secret Santa gift fic, and a neat challenge!

Even from within her Burrow, one of the only places comfortable and safe enough for her to sleep, Sticks the Badger heard Sonic approach. The breeze trailing behind him jostled bells she’d hidden in the jungle branches, making a song distinct from those of natural wind gusts. None of her other friends or enemies moved that fast while also evading the traps. Yet he still couldn’t outpace her broad attention, allowing her a full second to process his arrival before he knocked on the door.

Sticks bounded over to the door, but stopped short of opening it. A sudden worry had frozen her, compelling her to press her ear to the door and double check it wasn’t some government imposter. Arguing with such worries was pointless. It was easier to listen to the distinct footfalls of sneakers on her driftwood doormat, accompanied by a familiar post-run breath. Finding this confirmation, Sticks threw open the door before any more worries could interject.

“Sonic!!!” shouted Sticks.

Sure enough it was Sonic the Hedgehog, arm outstretched to knock on her door as a breeze of leaves and dust caught up to him. He smirked immediately with a soft chuckle. “Wow! How'd you beat the fastest thing alive to your door?”

“Cause I can hear ya from a mile away! Even when you somehow dodge all my best booby traps.”

“Gotta say you had some fun ones this time,” said Sonic, stepping aside to gaze at the jungle where his trail passed a gauntlet of well concealed traps, having narrowly avoided setting them off. “Didn’t know you knew how to build a trebuchet.”

“What’s a trebuchet? D’ya mean my intruder launcher?” said Sticks.

“Guess you didn’t either!” said Sonic.

“What brings you to Bygone Island today? Need help getting off the grid? Or hiding from G-U-know Who?” asked Sticks.

“Psh, they’re hardly worth hiding from,” said Sonic, wiping his nose and leaning casually. “I just felt like headed this way today. Oh! Amy also wanted me to give you something.”

Sonic pulled a small binder of photographs from his quills and offered it to Sticks, who immediately accepted it. Inside were photos of Amy, taken of herself in a wide variety of locations. Some she was with friends like Sonic & Tails. Others she was alone with some scenery. Each one had a small note written on it as well, like custom postcards inviting Sticks specifically to join the others on one of these adventures.

This gift made Sticks happy, but it was that annoyingly complex kind of happiness that made her want to cry. Especially the photo of Amy, Sonic, Tails, & Knuckles in Station Square. Behind them one tower was taller than the rest, a multimedia headquarters covered in satellites & antennas. Able to distract herself with this detail, she pulled the photo up close and looked for signs of tampering.

“I also got a bit to hang out today if you want, after you're done looking that over,” said Sonic.

“Huh?” Sticks glanced up at Sonic and back to the photo a few times. It was hard to ascertain if his height matched with the distance from him to the tower. If this was a fake background, it was professionally edited. “Oh, sure, whatever. More importantly, is this photo real?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Sonic leaned over and cocked his head. “I wind up in Station Square all the time.”

“If it is real, then it further disproves the Postcard Conspiracy,” said Sticks.

“The Postcard Conspiracy.”

“Y’know, the one where they make up whole cities to sell ninety-cent postcards.”

“Can’t say that I do.”

“What? But I thought you watched TV!” said Sticks, staring closely at him with her inquisitive glare.

“I thought you didn’t!” said Sonic, copying her inquisitive glare.

“Well I don’t, but I overheard it on someone else’s TV in town. Which is why I don’t fully trust the idea, because-”

“Because TV can’t be trusted.”

“Exactly!”

Sticks and Sonic nodded to each other, affirming the logic she’d worked through.

“But yeah I was there. That tower is real, as is Station Square.” Sonic put a hand to his chin as he processed Sticks’ information. “Honestly I’ve probably been to most places you could get a postcard of.”

How had Sticks never considered this before? Of course he could reach any place on a map with his speed! She dashed into her burrow and dug through her pile of evidence boards, easily finding the one she’d nailed every postcard she could acquire to. It wasn’t her best work, but only because she had known this conspiracy was probably being spread on TV to waste her time.

“Quick, tell me about each of these!!” said Sticks as she pushed the board into Sonic’s arms, allowing some loose cards to fall off.“

“Hm, alright!” Sonic leaned the board on a wall then cracked his knuckles.

Having apparently taken this as a challenge, Sonic picked through each postcard at an increasing rate. After stating that each was real, he stacked them in a pile on his right. Based on this, Sticks could discern that he’d place any faux locations on his left. After a minute all had been sorted, only one laying to Sonic’s left in the fake pile and the last one in his hand.

“Hmmm, nope, never been here,” said Sonic as he turned to show Sticks the postcard. It depicted a wide waterfall, labeled as Geauga Falls. Sonic’s finger tapped an additional note on the bottom that Sticks had written, saying the scene would be awesome if it is real. “But that doesn't mean it’s not there. Y’know you could go see places like this if you wanted, right?”

Sticks felt her teeth clench for some reason and had to shake her head to clear it enough to form words worth speaking. “Yeah yeah, I just don’t got the time. I’m a busy gal! Or guy! Or whatever!”

Sonic leaned around Sticks to glance inside the burrow, no doubt taking notice of her well organized hoard of potential crafting materials. “I can see that.”

“Also if any of these places aren’t real, they could be some kind of a trap! For Tourists! A Tourist trap!”

“Oh, several of them are definitely also tourist traps,” said Sonic. As he made eye contact with Sticks again, his eyes widened for some reason as he continued, “But there’s no danger if you don’t have money with you.”

“Ah, I see! A financial incentive.” Sticks let herself snarl at the concept of finance for a moment, she knew Sonic would understand. “Of course they’d save money too by setting these traps at preexisting real locations!” She glanced back at the postcard stacks again, remembering the single one sorted as ‘not real.’ “What about that one?!”

“Oh, that’s just art of a place called England. It’s the setting of a popular book series, completely fictional… I think.” Sonic’s eyes trailed to the ground for a moment. “Anyway, they sell them as gifts for the fans.”

“If they keep that up, one of these days some poor schmuck will think this here ‘England’ would be a good place for a vacation, and then they’ll try to find it!”

“Well if that does happen, somehow, that theoretical person will still get to experience the journey of trying to find England.”

Sonic smiled in that way that he often did where he looked truthfully content. He’d leaned back against her Burrow with his arms behind his head, gazing up at the treeline or sky. Looking down at all those postcards made Sticks wonder, were all these places really that great? How could they be, especially the cities, where so many eyes could be upon her.

“Okay seriously, I gotta know something’ while I have you here,” said Sticks, taking a deep breath to brace herself. “How the heck can you stand being in all these places where the Government, Eggman, or whoever else could find you?! Spy on you! Especially the big city, where the ole’ big G can watch every step you take?”

“Oh!” said Sonic, for a moment looking at her with that ever frustrating incredulity. Soon though, it shifted to what seemed like thoughtfulness, before he stood up from his lean and answered. “I guess… I just never really worried about that.”

“Wha-HOW?!” said Sticks as she grabbed Sonic by the shoulders and almost gave him a shake before realizing her teeth were barred, certainly betraying a hint of desperation. “I mean, weren’t you arrested in Station Square?!”

“Oh yeah, twice! In a row!” said Sonic with a chuckle.

“Then HOW do you go back there to see Amy and be certain you won’t get captured again?!”

“Well for one, the President and I made a truce,” said Sonic.

“Which you’d be a fool to trust!” said Sticks.

“But also, now that I think about it, it’s probably pretty hard to track me,” said Sonic.

“How do you figure?” asked Sticks.

“This isn’t just me bragging about my speed again,” said Sonic as he calmly pulled Sticks’ hands off his shoulders. He then dashed a superspeed loop around to behind Sticks, of which she was able to follow on her heel to keep facing him. “Though I am pretty fast. I think setting a trap for me can be hard because I move in what I’ve been told is an… ‘erratic manner’.”

“You mean you don’t know where you’re going?” said Sticks.

“I know what’s ahead of me, and I always figure out how to find my way through any obstacle. But more importantly, I only really decide where I’m going and how I’m going to get there as I'm on the move!” said Sonic.

“Yeah okay, but who’s to say one of these times you wind up on their doorstep, the government won’t just decide to snatch yo up?!” said Sticks.

Sonic folded his arms and looked around, then walked under one of the taller nearby trees. “How fast could you build a trap in this tree, one that could catch me.”

“Oh, pretty fast,” said Sticks. She started walking a semi-circle around the tree, pretending to look for a good place for a trap. Then when she reached the trigger vine hidden among other vines on the ground, she casually tripped it with her boot.

The secret trap that Sticks had already set in the tree went off, using tension to send a weighted net down upon Sonic. It hit the spot he was standing hard, kicking up a cloud of dust. However she did not see his silhouette trapped there, finding him instead standing on a tree branch a few meters away.

“That doesn’t prove anything! We're talking about people with resources & budgets way beyond mine.” said Sticks.

“Hm, I suppose so…” said Sonic as he jumped down from the tree branch and rolled across the ground, popping back up into a casual lean against the wall of her burrow. “Honestly the easiest way to show you what I mean would be if you came with me for a day or two.”

Sticks’ heart jumped, but it felt like a different kind of worry than usual. Her fur bristled as her nerves spiked further due to her considering his offer. Gripping her arm to feel the bristling fur, she couldn’t help but wish her reaction to the idea of going on such distant adventures wasn’t so negative. Yet this time, her breath felt light but her thoughts weren’t so dreadful. Just a day? And with Sonic the whole time? That could be safe enough, couldn’t it?

Sonic started to speak again. “I just figure-”

“I want to go!”

Sticks made eye contact with Sonic again, trying not to care how much terror her wide eyes betrayed right now. This was the closest to willing to travel she’d felt in a long time. Something about the joy she saw on her friends faces in the photo binder got her yearning. Still, thoughts started creeping up to hold her back, to stay home and safe. Looking around for an excuse to take up Sonic’s sudden offer, her eyes fell on the postcards.

“I want to see for myself that this place is real,” said Sticks, lifting the postcard for Geauga Falls to Sonic's view.

“I mean it probably is…” Sonic looked up to Sticks’ face, then gave her a smile. “But y’know what? I can see myself taking a short trip there.”

“Good, let’s go now!” said Sticks.

“Really?” said Sonic, his voice raising in excitement. “No one’s ever ready as soon as I am.”

Sticks could not afford to give the idea of preparing any thought, she knew herself. Her mind would continue finding issues with this plan until she couldn’t go. So she needed Sonic to help her outrun that zipline of thought before it could get going. Instead of telling him that though, she said, “Well that’s been disproven just now. Let’s go, no more yapping!”

With a chuckle, Sonic smiled, then pointed out the direction he’d landed on the beach. The two of them took off in a race, exclusively sticking to the jungle branches and canopy. Sticks had a lot of experience traversing this whole jungle, which allowed her to not only keep up with Sonic but to overtake him several times. Meanwhile he sped up everytime she swung ahead of him, almost cornering himself in the canopy leaves half of the time. Yet he always got around it without her help, at the cost of adding a few leaves to his quills.

The Tornado Mark-whatever-it-was-now had been left tied off on a pier near the beach, floating on air filling things. Sticks herself had enough momentum to swing from a vine and whip herself toward it in the air. As she landed atop its wing, Sonic dashed up and touched it at the same time she did. Managing to make the race a tie.

With how winded this had left her, Sticks felt more content with the idea of strapping into a seat and letting the plane do the flying for a bit. It was hard to tell if Sonic was good at hiding physical exhaustion or if his stamina legitimately had yet to be challenged. As the plane started and Sonic started directing it faster through the water, Sticks found her rate of breath not decreasing. It wasn’t due to fear of flying, she’s done that fine before. This had more to do with the view of the horizon ahead of her.

Sticks did not look at the horizon for the rest of that flight, instead holding onto the seat ahead of her and keeping her eyes pressed onto her boot. This whole operation started to feel like a horrible idea, who knew what dangers were ahead? She wanted to think about anything else, but that was not easy. So she was left bickering with every worry. The only reason she was able to keep a leg up on that internal debate was thanks to Sonic’s presence.

With a lurch the Tornado landed once more, skidding across the waves of the continental coast. This wing of the journey had been shorter than she worried it would be. Releasing her deathgrip on the seat in front of her, Sticks realized her nails had poked holes through to the stuffing. “Well, now I owe Tails an apology.”

“Oh don’t worry, I have to apologize to him all the time for what my quills do to the cushions when I’m tense,” said Sonic.

“How’d you know I’m tense?! Was it the interrobang in my punctuation?!” said Sticks.

“Because you just told me, Badger girl!” said Sonic, before spitting up a laugh. ”Sorry! Gotta remember If I keep mimicking Egghead like that I might start talking like that for real.”

Seeing Sonic’s logic, Sticks took a moment to steady her nerves to a nice level of ‘totally panicked’, down from ‘a catastrophe is imminent’. She then took to running alongside Sonic again, quickly passing through a small coastal community into lands of open fields. There was a concrete road nearby occupied by cars, dangerous metal machines powered by a flame combustion engine. Luckily Sonic already took the lead up some dirt roads to head further inland.

As the two of them passed over a knoll, Sticks saw a vast hilly landscape ahead of them. Possibly more land than she’d ever seen all at once. She couldn’t help but gasp. It was immense, terrifying, and fascinating. Most of the land was covered by forests, grassy fields, and crops broken up occasionally by barns & houses. This must be that ‘industrialized agriculture’ she’d heard all about.

At this point Sonic moved up to her side and held out an arm. “We can move faster if you want!”

Sticks was already breathing heavily, though at a pace she could maintain. Any faster on her own and she’d burn out. “Sure, you gotta show me how you move around after all!” Sticks wrapped her arm around Sonic’s. “You better not hold back!”

“Alright! Here we go!” said Sonic.

Sonic's footsteps increased in pace, the sound of his patter on the ground reaching an impossible rate. Staying right with him made that sound so much more distinct in her ears somehow. As they speed down this incline Sticks was able to keep herself mostly upright by keeping pace with her legs, but not able to contribute at all to their speed. She could feel his movements and hear his breath. That gave her enough information to match with each of his moves.

It felt absurd how fast they met the bottom of the first hill and moved up the next. Within a moment they’d reached the next knoll and launched off of it, flying several feet into the air. There was a tractor below them, the driver looking up in disgruntled awe. Frankly, there was something awesome about being beyond anyone’s reach like this. She could feel a wide smile on her muzzle as she and Sonic arched toward the downward slope of the next hill.

They let go of each other long enough to make a rolling landing, Sonic going ball mode while Sticks reached out like a beast pouncing on prey. She threw herself into a roll upon hitting the ground, tumbling several times before kicking herself upright hard enough to bounce back into the air a bit. A frenzied laughter overtook her between laboured breaths. She turned to watch Sonic unroll beside her, looking behind himself before facing her with wide eyes. They both then grinned wide as he reached out and took her arm again.

Their ensuing journey continued at an incredible pace as Sonic listened to Sticks and did not hold back. Soon the landscape was constantly changing around them. Farms shifted to wildflower fields, then to forests. Their route involved several sharp curves. While Sticks watched their surroundings, she noticed Sonic kept his eyes ahead a lot of the time while his ears kept a lookout of his sides. Then occasionally his head would turn one way or the other for a split second before he decided whether or not to turn.

After what felt like a half hour Sonic gasped and came to a sudden sliding stop that almost sent Sticks tumbling into the trees if not for her agility. He then ran backward a bit to a particularly large tree and looked up.

“Why’d we stop?” Said Sticks between fast breaths.

Sonic pointed up the tree and said, “Bees!”

“Huh?” Sticks followed Sonic’s line of sight up. There indeed on a branch pretty far up was a massive swarm of bees.

“Bees.” said Sonic.

“Bees…” said Sticks.

After a moment of watching the swarm in silent appreciation, Sonic bumped Stick’s shoulder and asked, “Whaddya think they’re doing?”

“They seem lost,” said Sticks, tilting her head to listen to the patterns of buzzing better. “They’d only be out in the open if they needed a new place.”

“Oh… wonder if I can help with that.” Without any warning Sonic dashed off around the forest for a moment. He then returned to Sticks’ side and pointed. “There's an empty unoccupied hollow tree that way. But, I also remembered I have no idea how to communicate with bees.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” said Sticks.

Sticks jumped up the tree and dug her nails into the bark, scrambling up to the hive. Once up close, she looked at the mound of bees hanging from the branch closely, soon finding one that was not like the others. She carefully snatched it up and cupped her hand around it before dropping back down to the ground.

“Hold this,” said Sticks.

Sonic accepted the queen bee into his hand and looked at it.

“Don’t let her fly away. I just remembered how awful pine sap smells, so I’ll wash that out of my claws and be right back.”

Sonic nodded and gave a thumbs up with his free hand. So Sticks hurried to a nearby audible stream and scrubbed her hands with freshwater and silty clay. She also took a sip of the stream, finding this freshwater tasted a bit different than the stuff on her island. Then after a minute or so she returned to Sonic, seeing his quills coated in an increasingly large swarm of bees.

“Okay, looks like they’ll follow you now!” said Sticks.

“Cool! Gotta say, I assumed they’d be mad I was holding the queen bee,” said Sonic.

“Oh yeah there was a chance they would be.”

“Well, glad they aren’t!”

Moving with more care, Sonic paced over to the other tree, climbed up to the opening of its hollow interior, and put the queen down inside. He then gently shook the bees off of his quills into the hole. Soon many more showed up flying along the air to coalesce at their new home. Sonic then dropped down beside Sticks and took her arm again.

“Nice thinking, glad I didn’t get stung!”

“Eh, bee stings aren’t that bad. It’s the venomous ants ya gotta watch for!” said Sticks.

The two of them started running again, quickly reaching the edge of these woods. As they passed under nearby electric pylons, Sonic skidded to a stop again.

“Wait! There was another reason I stopped,” said Sonic.

“What?”

“I have no idea where those waterfalls are. Gonna hafta to look at a map.”

“Oh.”

So Sonic took Sticks to follow along the Pylons. Soon the skyline of a city appeared ahead and drew closer before Sticks could mentally prepare for it. Then the towers of the city were over them. Its people, machines, and stores around them. All a blur that faded into clear view as Sonic slowed to a leisurely stroll. Though they were moving a manageable speed now, Sticks tightened her grip on his arm.

“Okay, just gotta find a map now…” said Sonic, loosening his grip but letting Sticks hold him.

“Sonic!!!” Shouted another familiar voice.

“Amy?” said Sticks.

Sure enough it was Amy Rose, shopping bag in one hand as she waved the other. She ran across the street, having to jump out of the way of a moving car, landing her boots on its hood before jumping to the sidewalk. Her landing was absurdly graceful. Then up close, she gasped and dropped her shopping bag to jump onto Sticks with a hug.

“STICKS!!! Oh my gosh! I’m so happy to see you!”

“Hey Amy,” said Sonic with a wave.

“Hrgh, Amy…” muttered Sticks. This much contact so suddenly was a bit overwhelming, she couldn’t help but start to squirm.

“Oh sorry!” Amy pulled away and looked Sticks in the eye. “I wasn’t prepared to see you, joy got the better of me.”

“It’s okay, this whole trip is kinda random,” said Sticks.

“By the way Amy,” said Sonic, pulling the relevant postcard out of his quills with his free hand. “D’you know which way Geauga-”

Amy held her arms out and looked at Sonic with wide charming eyes. So he held his arms out and let her hug him for a second as well. He tensed up for that moment, but didn’t stop smiling.

“Thanks! What were you saying?” asked Amy.

“Geauga Falls, on this postcard, you ever been?” said Sonic.

As Amy took the postcard and looked at it, Sticks watched Sonic relax. She wanted to do that. Why couldn’t she do that? Just, exist with ease in a place like this? Even before the surprise hug she was all tensed up, to the point of still gripping Sonic’s arm tightly. All those people around, cameras by the storefronts, and so many windows above them anyone could be watching her from.

“I’m afraid I haven’t, though it’d be a nice spot for a date,” said Amy, pulling Sticks back to the present conversation.

“Do you happen to know which way it is?” asked Sonic.

“It’s of vital importance! I have to check if it’s real!” said Sticks.

“I’m sure it is! Oh I bet you’ll love the view Sticks!” said Amy, “Hang on, we can check the travel maps in that store over there!”

Everyone turned to walk toward a nearby convenience store, but Sticks quickly stopped. There were so many security cameras positioned around its door. This sent a flood of possible motives into Sticks’ mind, all speaking of reasons to stay away. Sonic kept walking, until Sticks’ grip on his arm anchored him down.

“Everything okay?” asked Sonic.

“We can’t go in there! They’re obviously using those cameras for nefarious purposes!” Sticks turned to Amy, trying to find the words to impress upon her the severity of the threat. “They could be stealing everyone’s fashion sense for marketing data, even yours!”

“I… Kinda doubt that. The cameras are probably for crime,” said Amy.

“Criminal purposes? Maybe! All the worse!” said Sticks.

“Hey, it’s okay,” said Amy, putting a hand on Sticks’ shoulder. “I can check it if you want to stay out here.”

Looking around the street, the number of people out here, everything, did not make staying out here seem like a safer prospect. She wanted to hide. Dig a hole if necessary! But the concrete below here was clearly placed to block that sort of escape. This whole place was a trap. If it wanted, the city could corner her. All she had here was her claws, teeth, and… her friends.

Sonic took hold of Sticks’ hand, and she loosened her grip on his arm. It was okay, she was safe from hypotheticals with him here.

“Do you want to leave?’ asked Sonic.

“Don’t worry if you can’t stay here,” said Amy. “I forgot how scary the city can be on your first visit. I just really appreciate getting to see you.”

“I don’t-It’s just… How can you guys handle all the eyes on us?” Sticks tried to keep her eyes on Sonic and Amy, despite compulsions to check her surroundings. Even though it never worked before, she hoped they had some answer that’d give her enough of a leg up on any hypothetical to stop needing to worry.

“Hey, let’s get a bit more altitude for now,” said Sonic.

Despite uncertainty of how it’d help, Sticks nodded.

Sonic proceeded to say something to Amy, then take Sticks into a run again. They ran a lap around several city blocks, blurring the view of the city around them. Then they jumped onto the side of a skyscraper and dashed up it. Their momentum slowly faded until they reached the peak and fell onto its roof. The only thing standing above them here were radio towers and satellite dishes. Every other structure of the nearby city lay below.

“This is a lot better,” said Sticks, before releasing Sonic's arm. “Sorry.”

“Eh, we were standing still longer than I’dve liked anyway.”

“I like Amy, I like you, ugh.” Sticks leaned onto the ledge overlooking the city, taking in all the visual information she could and trying to process through it.

“She’s gonna check the maps and come up here,” said Sonic, “But if you want to go back home we can do that too.”

“No. I want to see how you travel. That’d… that’d muck it all up.”

Sonic nodded to that, and joined her on the ledge gazing at the city. While her eyes darted between details, trying to map potential intentions, he looked across the city as a whole. After seeing this, Sticks tried to copy him. However, it brought no relief. Her mind bombarded her with worries of hidden dangers she might be missing. Unlike at her home jungle, she hasn’t had most of her life to memorize the environment enough to just live. If Sonic weren’t with her, wasn’t a tangible route of escaping any surprise scenario, Sticks doubted she could even think straight.

A surprise scenario such as some sort of jet engine approaching from below. Was it the police? Eggman?! Sticks turned to Sonic, but paused as she saw no worry about the noise from him. Was he actually just a total fool?

“Sonic! Sticks!”

That was Tails’ voice! Flying up in a cross between a robot and a jet was the fox himself, with Amy in the passenger seat. He landed it on the roof and immediately jumped over to Sticks.

“It is you! Sticks, you gotta try this!” said Tails, holding out two paper bags that smelled of greasy food.

“Oh!, is that-” started Sonic.

“Street vendor chilidogs? YES! With chips and Sandwiches!” answered Tails.

“Awesome! He’s right Sticks, you gotta try this food!” said Sonic.

“Alright, sure.” Sticks accepted one of the bags, finding a chili dog in a basket with chips inside. “Just as soon as you guys start eating.”

“I got you ice cream too!” said Amy, walking over and presenting a waffle cone of vanilla ice cream. “I realized you’ve never had anything from my favorite parlour!”

“Oh! Thanks, gimme a minute here.”

While Tails did take a moment to exchange a fist bump with Sonic, he soon returned to focusing on Sticks. Between him and Amy, they gave Sticks a long list of potential eateries she should try if she’s ever in Station Square again. She might’ve doubted their judgement if the warm chili covered hotdog wasn’t actually pretty dang good. It was gone almost as fast as Tails’, though devouring a whole meal didn’t seem to slow his rate of talking. After his fuzzy muzzle was completely covered in grease, Amy made him wipe his face with the provided napkins.

Meanwhile Sonic ate his food at a surprisingly reasonable pace as he sat there cross legged, listening intently to their friends talk. There was something to the fondness in his eyes. Every recommendation, all their enthusiasm, seemed familiar to him. At least that’s what Sticks deduced, finding focusing on the subtleties of his expressions much less stressful than focusing on the city surroundings.

The icecream was also really great actually, though Sticks was so slow and careful to avoid a brain freeze that it started to melt. At that point, with some advice from Tails, she treated it like a drink with an edible cup. Soon it and all the chips with her meal were gone. This almost felt like the days when everyone, including Knuckles, spent time with her on Bygone island. Although the food here was much better.

“Amy, did you find out about those waterfalls?” asked Sonic in a break of conversation.

“OH! I did!”

Amy released Tails’ head and he scrambled away from her to Sonic’s side. Though the cleaning had already been done. His muzzle was spotless aside from one crumb, of which Sonic wiped off with his thumb.

“It’s a little ways up north, one of the rail lines actually goes that way if you want to take it!” said Amy.

“Ehhh…” muttered Sticks.

“We’re gonna run there actually,” said Sonic, standing up and dusting off his legs. “I'm tryin’ to show Sticks what it’s like to live like me.”

Tails gasped, looking at Sticks with stars in his eyes. “That’s so awesome!”

“Yeah, turns out going fast feels like going fast,” said Sticks.

“No! That is Sonic praise! You’re honored!” said Tails.

“I am?” asked Sticks.

“He’s making a reference to a show I showed him,” said Amy.

“I’m also speaking the truth! Have fun!” Tails turned to Sonic and gave him a hug. “I’ll see you later! Bring Sticks by the workshop later if she wants to come too!”

“I’m glad I got to see you today!” said Amy, taking Sticks’ hands and visibly resisting the urge to hug her goodbye.

“Thanks… that means a lot.”

“HEY!” shouted a man in a suit as he pushed through a door to the roof. “WHAT are you critters doing up here?!”

“Time to go, ready Sticks?” said Sonic.

Sticks nodded and took Sonic's hand. With that, everyone left the top of the media tower. Tails and Amy flew away overhead while Sonic took Sticks down the side of the skyscraper. Instead of going all the way to the streets, they jumped onto the lower ceilings and awnings of the city storefronts. This route involved a lot more jumping and dodging as they navigated elevated cables, street signs, and even the odd pole decorated in traffic cameras.

Sticks found a good use for the leftover paper bags from that lunch by covering a couple of the cameras they leapt over. Just as a bit of punishment for the dread being under them caused. If anyone was bothered enough to stop her, they weren’t able to catch up to Sonic’s speed. Soon enough they were on their way to the outskirts of the city and picking up pace. Suburban homes blended into a boring beige blur until they reached the countryside again.

They traveled for several more hours together, passing towns, rivers, and flora of all sorts of colour. After so much running and agility, even with Sonic providing the momentum, Sticks started to get a tad sore. Mostly in her abdominal muscles, which is something she hadn’t actually considered worrying about even after that meal in Station Square. As she came to terms with this, she noticed they’d begun running parallel to a reasonable-speed train.

“I’m gonna take a break, that alright?” asked Sonic.

“Yeah, sure!” said Sticks, holding her torso in less-than-subtle pain.

The top of the train offered the breeze and travel progress of a run alongside an opportunity to sit down, which Sonic did. Sticks joined him on the sun-heated metal roof and came to the realization her legs were feeling a tad wobbly as well. If Sonic was sore at all, he showed it by laying down on his back and looking like the most comfortable guy ever to ride atop a train.

After watching the passing landscape for a moment, Sticks glanced back at Sonic to find he’d closed his eyes. “Are you asleep??”

Sonic’s ear flicked slightly, but his breathing remained slow and steady. This blue hedgehog was asleep. On top of a moving train, in a part of the continent he’d never been to before. How was he asleep?! How was Sticks so calm about this as well? She looked around, seeing no obvious threats on the landscape ahead of them. But clearly someone had to keep a watch for any danger, Sonic must’ve just trusted that task to her.

Sticks sat upright for a little while, occasionally staring down the occasional passing airplane or car. Nothing turned out to be worth waking Sonic for. In the meantime the warmth of the sun felt nice. Who knew steel made for such a good basking rock? At the behest of her legs and cramping abdomen, Stick laid down on her back as well. Just for a moment. Yet, with her side to Sonic’s side, it became hard to keep worrying. That was… the opposite of what her trouble usually was…

Sticks woke up when the train steadily slowed to a stop. The Sunlight in the sky was notably more orange than when she’d closed her eyes. She shot up and looked around with this realization. Sonic wasn’t at her side anymore as he now sat at the edge of the train, his legs dangling off of the roof. Everything else was as it had been, aside from a massive river now being in view less than a mile from the train.

“Oh hey, I think we’re arriving!” said Sonic with a smile.

Sticks’ breath hitched. This wasn't panic, but not knowing what it was made her worry in a new way. At least she trusted Sonic. At this point, she couldn't find any reason to feel any major doubt in who he was. It was just so obvious, he was Sonic.

“I like you,” said Sticks.

“Oh!” replied Sonic.

“I like Amy, and Tails, and especially Knuckles too. But today is the first time in a while it’s been so easy to say.”

Sonic reached out his hand. “Let’s hop down before the train gets moving again.”

“Good idea.”

Once on the ground, they made their way from the small train station toward a hill. Not running, just walking. With the echoing noise of water over the hill, the voices of other people, and the cool feeling of the breeze, going any faster would clearly be a waste. Over the knoll, there was a grassy hillside that led down to a wooden pier. All of this overlooked what was indeed a massive waterfall. Geauga Falls was somehow simultaneously bigger and smaller than Sticks expected it to be. It was real.

As several other people watched the falls down on the pier, Sticks and Sonic sat on the grass. It’d be a lie to say the nerves under Sticks’ hide had subsided. But they didn’t feel as overwhelming now thanks to the other feelings here.

“I like you Sticks, we all do,” said Sonic as he gazed at the rolling waterfalls.

“I know, I should know this,” said Sticks.

“I’m not sure I thought out what taking you with me for the day would be like for you.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. I haven’t pinned you as someone who ‘plots and schemes’.”

“Heh, I’m usually the one who has to spin it as a good thing,” said Sonic, letting out a sigh and he laid back onto the grass.

Sticks let herself flop down onto the grass as well, the feeling of it on her hide helped occupy her mind. “Somehow, I’m able to worry a little less around you. I’ve been beginning to think I might, possibly, worry a little too much.”

“Yeah, you kinda do.”

“Everyone just-, they act like they don’t see everything I do. But man, am I beginning to envy you.”

“Envy me? D’ya wanna improve your super speed? Tails can-”

“No no, I envy the way you somehow have everything sorted out already.”

Sonic sat up and looked at Sticks. “I… I really don’t think I do.”

“For every possible problem, you already have a way to deal with it!”

“Well, kinda. I mostly just apply the same solution to everything.”

“But it works somehow!” Sticks huffed and wiped her face, taking a moment to try turning her thoughts into actual words. “I feel safe with you in a way I otherwise can’t. So I’m trying to figure out why!”

“Oh. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, why?”

“There you go!”

Sonic flopped onto his back again, but Sticks turned to look him in the eye.

“It can’t be that simple.”

“Maybe it isn’t.” Sonic put his hands on his chest and smiled. “But it’s close enough.”

They sat in silence for a few moments after that. The sun continued to set, and the air already started growing colder. For some reason, ruminating on why she felt comfortable around Sonic was starting to make Sticks worry. She hadn’t realized she’d reached for Sonic's hand until he held hers. It was calming. It felt like no matter where she was, she’d feel safe with him.

“I like you,” said Sonic.

“Thanks,” said Sticks.

Sonic squeezed her hand, then rolled over to look her in the eyes. “...D’ya wanna ride down the waterfall before we leave?”

Sticks gave Sonic a sharp toothed smile. “Heck yeah I do! Let’s find a boat!”

If you made it to the end, please tell me what you thought of this however short or long you want in the comments or tags! It was fun to write this! I don't usually write romance, so it was interesting to try finding an angle two characters can have chemistry, especially two I've never seen shipped before. For this I actually drew on personality traits I've imagined both Sonic & Sticks could have before. Ones that makes interactions between them still interesting but amicable/friendly. I do worry a bit that I took an "easy route" for the ending by leaving it open ended what way Sonic & Sticks feel about each other here, but I at least personally kind of like it.

#Sonic Fanfiction #Sonic the Hedgehog #Sticks the Badger #Sonic Fanfic #Fanfiction #Writing #Secret Person

2 notes · View notes

drcomttheo · 2 days ago

Text

Amidst the Chaos

Amidst the Chaos—ML

FIVE:

"I hope he at least got what he needed."

The days after her return grew into weeks, and Allie continued to follow her routine, but her newly adapted schedule caused her to become detached from the Order and less communicative as her silence deepened.

The Order decided to invite her back to Grimmauld Place for a much-needed check-in, eager to bridge the gap that had formed in her absence.

Their meticulous efforts necessitated frequent check-ins, ensuring Allie was always informed.

Messages arrived like whispers in the wind, carried by the swift wings of owls, each note delicately attached or delivered through the ever-reliable Jax, who was always there with the latest news.

A couple of nights a week he would vanish into the night, slipping through the floo network in order to gather knowledge and deliver it back to her, but she never replied.

Allie discovered that she had scant offerings to present to the Order. Mundane routines dominated the weeks that had passed since the start of the new year.

All she did was attend the party her first week and then sit through her lessons. Allie took a moment to gather her thoughts, her fingers dancing over the parchment as she penned a small note.

With a light sigh escaping her lips, she carefully chose her words, crafting a brief message that conveyed her feelings.

"I'm good. I'm glad to be back, and classes are boring, but my grades are great." She wrote, each word a reflection of her current state, simple yet filled with unspoken emotions.

After she meticulously composed her response, she dispatched it to the Order, aiming to alleviate their concerns.

It was often Sirius or Remus who would send a reply back; occasionally, it would be Molly; her writing was always warm, and it comforted Allie like a cozy blanket of love.

They made every effort to reach out, gently reminding her of the rules and the complex web of lies she was responsible for upholding.

However, she would only glance at them briefly before focusing her attention on the engulfing flames, a mesmerizing sight that captivated her in its intense embrace.

Each private letter held a potent enchantment, ready to ignite in a brilliant blaze just five minutes after its unveiling.

After ensuring the removal of the day's letter and sending out her weekly message, she made her way into the courtyard, anticipation building within her as she prepared to meet Harry.

Allie perched on the edge of the stone bench in the courtyard, watching the array of students mingle as she awaited his arrival.

The sun cast a warm glow around her; the weather was nice, and she was excited to stroll through the enchanting trails of Hogsmeade.

The vibrant shops and lively chatter of friendly faces provided the perfect change in scenery, and she was ready for the essence of the place to embrace her with warmth.

It was a thrill to return, finally reclaim the rhythm of her life, and bask in the comforting glow of normalcy once more.

"Ready to go?" A voice she knew all too well broke through the air, and as Allie lifted her gaze, a smile blossomed on her lips at the sight of the boy with the rounded glasses, his eyes sparkling with recognition.

"Oh, hey Harry," Allie said, rising gracefully from the stone bench, her footsteps light as she began to walk towards him.

"Yes, I am ready," Allie declared, her voice filled with determination, and without a moment's hesitation, they set off towards the village, their footsteps light and purposeful, and Jax fell into step just behind them.

As they set forth on their journey, a warm silence surrounded them like a soft blanket; the only sounds that filled the air were the gentle whispers of nature, creating a serene backdrop to their adventure.

The delicate layer of snow beneath their feet crunched softly, and as the leaves whispered secrets to the wind, a symphony of nature's gentle embrace sounded.

As they drew closer to Hogsmeade, a sense of excitement bubbled within Allie as she urged them toward the welcoming warmth of the Three Broomsticks.

Allie could almost taste the frothy butterbeer on her lips—a delightful treat she hadn't indulged in for what felt like an eternity, and as they entered and placed their orders, she and Harry settled into a cozy table nestled away from the bustling crowd while Jax chose a table a bit farther off yet close enough to keep a watchful eye, ready to spring into action if the need arose.

"So, this is really like the first time we've got to properly chat... aside from..." Harry began, his voice tinged with a mix of emotions, and just as Allie opened her mouth to reply, a worker approached, interrupting the moment by placing two glasses down on the table with a soft clink.

Allie inched her glass nearer, a playful smile dancing on her lips as she cast a glance at Harry.

"Yeah, I know; it's just been so wild being back, and I'm sorry for how I reacted," Allie said, her voice filled with a hint of longing as she raised her glass to her lips, relishing the moment.

"It's okay... And honestly, life is just wild," Harry remarked, setting it down gently before turning her gaze to Harry.

Allie lowered her head, a silent understanding flowing between them.

"Yeah, tell me about it," she replied, her voice laced with a hint of exasperation while she shot Harry a knowing glance that conveyed volumes.

"What was that look about?" Harry asked as he lifted his glass to his lips, the cool liquid refreshing against his senses.

Allie met his gaze, her eyes searching him for a fleeting moment before she inhaled deeply, gathering her thoughts.

"I'm just sorry, Harry," Allie began, her brow furrowing with concern. "I know last year was a struggle for you, and I wasn't there when you needed me."

"Hard for me?" Harry shook his head, his voice laced with a mix of empathy and tenacity. "Every year brings its own challenges, but last year was especially hard for you!" He said, his voice lingering on the word 'you' as if it held all the weight of the world, and Allie shook her head, a silent storm brewing in her eyes.

She evaded the topic as if it were a shadow slipping away from the light, aware that dwelling on it would trigger a wave of emotions.

The memories danced at the edges of her mind, threatening to pull her back into that moment, so she skillfully steered the conversation in another direction, hoping to escape the haunting echoes of the past.

Harry noticed a subtle change in her demeanor, her gaze flickering to the table with a hint of unease.

"I'm sorry, Allie," he murmured, his gaze lifting to meet hers, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his features. "We don't have to talk about it."

"No, it's fine; of course, it's hard, but I'm filled more with anger than anything else. Why did he have to do it?" Allie grumbled, her voice barely rising above the clinking of glasses as she took another sip, the liquid swirling in her cup like her thoughts.

Harry felt a deep ache in his chest as he faced her question, longing to provide the answers she sought. Yet the truth eluded him, a shadowy enigma that only Voldemort himself could unravel.

"Why does he do anything? He's cruel and vile," Harry declared, his voice thick with simmering rage. "He has no one to love," Harry continued, a hint of sorrow lacing his voice. "I think that's the real issue. He'll never truly understand love or friendship, no matter how hard he tries. And I'm sorry he killed your parents; I know how that feels," he added, his hand moving to rub the back of his head, a gesture of both regret and empathy.

"I won't justify his actions, ever," Harry said, continuing with slight conflict in his voice as he shrugged, taking another sip from his drink.

"Because I know that they can't be, but—but I think about it, and I think that if the only reason he killed so many people was to be cruel simply, then... then it'll eat me alive," he stated as he dropped his head, the shadows of his mind swirling around him before he continued.

"So I choose to think that it was for the better, and I hope well—I hope he at least got what he needed," Harry grumbled, his gaze locking onto Allie's, and in that fleeting moment, their eyes intertwined, sharing a silent understanding that spoke volumes beyond words.

"That's—that is an interesting perspective," Allie remarked, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"I hope he did, too," she murmured, a bitter edge lacing her words. "I truly hope he got what he needed!" She exclaimed, her voice trembling with rising anger, and in that moment, she steadied herself, taking deep breaths to regain her composure.

"I just wish I could have said goodbye; I can't even remember our last conversations together," she sighed, her brow furrowing in distress, and in that moment, Harry felt a surge of emotion, and without thinking, he reached across the table, his fingers wrapping around hers in a gesture of comfort and connection.

"They know..." he said, a smile playing on his lips. "They knew how much you loved them," he said, and a warm smile spread across Allie's face in response.

Jax had sat there at a distance, quietly observing the whole time, his gaze never shifting from the cloaked figure that sat at a nearby table and who had arrived mere moments after them.

The air around the figure felt dense, and they had an enigmatic presence, igniting Jax's curiosity.

Jax listened intently to every conversation around them; his senses heightened as he observed the figure's posture straightening at the mere mention of Voldemort, a flicker of intrigue igniting in their eyes.

He was oblivious to their intentions; the mysterious figure neither ate nor drank, merely existing in that dim light, and the weight of their silence began to gnaw at Jax, stirring a sense of unease within him.

Jax got up from his seat and walked determinedly to the table where Allie and Harry were deep in conversation.

"I believe it's time we go to a different place," Jax declared, his hand gently lifting Allie from her seat.

"Is—is everything alright?" She inquired, and Jax's gaze shifted ever so slightly to the figure before returning to her. Allie, catching the unspoken cue, followed his line of sight and nodded in understanding, and without a moment's pause, the trio rose from their seats and made their way out of The Three Broomsticks, the air thick with anticipation.

"Should we go back?" Allie inquired, her gaze shifting to Jax, who was scanning the surroundings, searching for the elusive figure that had captured their attention.

"No, no, it's alright; go wherever you'd like; I'll be right here," he said, a gentle push guiding them onward, and Allie seized Harry's hand, her excitement bubbling over as they skipped away towards the sweet haven of Honeydukes.

As they crossed the threshold into the adored space of Honeydukes, their noses filled with the enchanting aroma of licorice.

Allie beamed with delight as the vibrant colors danced before her eyes, the warm embrace of candy wrapping around her like a sweet, comforting hug.

She held a special place in her heart for this shop; the sweet allure of candy beckoned to her; she loved sweets, and they offered a lovely variety.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he witnessed the pure delight that danced across her face as she wandered through the candy aisles, each colorful wrapper sparking a glimmer of joy in her eyes.

Harry trailed just behind her, his gaze flitting over the items as he explored them himself.

"Now, what is this?" Harry inquired, delicately cradling a small vial filled with a shimmering, sugary yellow syrup that caught the light just right.

"Liquid luck?" she questioned, her eyes sparkling with intrigue as she approached him with a graceful stride, her fingers brushing against his as she gently took the object from his hands.

"Lemon?" she inquired, her voice laced with curiosity.

"People do know that it's not real, right?" Harry said with a laugh. "I'm sure it's just a short-time enchantment," Allie said as she deftly twisted the cap off the bottle, and with a determined glint in her eye, she poured the shimmering liquid into her mouth.

Harry felt a jolt of surprise as he observed her raise the plastic to her lips, the liquid shimmering in the light before disappearing down her throat.

"Yep, yuck, definitely lemon," Allie declared, her laughter ringing out like a melody, and Harry joined in, their shared amusement weaving a moment of pure joy between them.

"Well, do you feel any different?" Harry inquired, prompting another melodic laugh to escape Allie's lips.

"Nope, definitely just marketing," she declared with a playful laugh, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And don't worry, I'll pay for it," she said as she grasped the empty vial in her hand.

Allie's eyes sparkled with delight as they strolled through the store's vibrant aisles, each candy a treasure awaiting discovery.

She was the embodiment of a kid in a candy shop, but the happiness soon shifted as Jax's keen gaze caught sight of the exact shadowy figure cloaked in mystery trailing close behind them.

Concern etched on his face, he urged Allie to gather her chosen treats and head to the checkout.

After settling the payment, Jax quickly guided the trio to a concealed corner, shielding them from prying eyes.

"We need to go and go now," Jax declared, his wand grasped firmly in his hand.

"Someone has been following us, and I think it might be best if we end this adventure now and return to Hogwarts before things get any more dangerous," Jax commanded, his voice steady and authoritative, and without a moment's hesitation, the trio set off towards the grounds of Hogwarts.

Jax lingered just behind, his hand resting firmly on his wand, ever vigilant for any unexpected threats that might emerge from the shadows.

As Allie and Harry meandered along the path, the sun casting a warm glow around them, Allie broke the comfortable silence, her voice soft yet curious, "So, how's Ginny?" Allie leaned in closer, playfully nudging him, and a delicate blush crept across Harry's cheeks, painting them a soft shade of pink.

"I don't know what you mean," Harry replied, a playful smile dancing on his lips, and Allie gave him a gentle nudge, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Shut up, yes, you do," she said.

"Seriously though?" She asked after a few seconds of quiet and glanced sideways at Harry as they strolled together toward the school, the world around them fading into a blur.

Harry said, "She's good; we are good; she's brilliant, rather," with a warm smile on his lips.

As he glanced over at Allie, she couldn't help but remember the first time Harry had confided in her about his feelings for Ginny in the fourth year.

"I'm happy for you, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for her," Allie teased, a playful glint in her eye as she walked alongside Harry.

The two of them made their way through the well-trodden paths of Hogwarts, the ancient castle looming majestically in the distance.

***

As the heavy doors of the manor creaked open, Mattheo stepped inside, a sense of urgency propelling him forward.

He could feel the weight of his unspoken secrets pressing down on him, and a sense of anticipation washed over him.

He knew his father would likely summon him soon, and rather than leave him in suspense, he resolved to seek him out without delay, going to the manor on his own.

The atmosphere inside the manor was filled with an eerie sense of darkness; it was foreboding. The flickering candles that adorned the wall sconces bathed the grand dining room in a soft glow.

There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere as Voldemort entered the great dining room.

His devoted followers sat eagerly at the extended rectangular table as they awaited the Dark Lord's following command.

An eerie hush filled the room as he moved to his seat and spoke in a soft, hissing manner.

"Welcome, my loyal followers," he declared, his wand gracefully swaying in his hand as he effortlessly glided along the length of the table.

Voldemort settled into his seat at the head of the table, his presence commanding as he sat diagonally across from his son, an air of tension and unspoken power enveloping the room.

"I have summoned you all to unveil a carefully designed plan," he declared, his tone laced with an undercurrent of menace.

A handful of Death Eaters chuckled darkly, their eyes glinting with mischief, while others leaned in, intrigue sparking within them, willing to lend their aid to the unfolding scheme.

At the far end of the table, Mattheo, the son of Voldemort, sat with a subtle tremor coursing through him as his father's voice filled the air.

Mattheo grappled with the haunting realization that both his mother and father had secretly wished for him to disappear, and he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't simply vanished from existence the moment Bellatrix discovered she was carrying him.

Mattheo deeply understood that his sole purpose in life was to serve as his father's pawn, and they perceived him as nothing more.

He made a concerted effort to suppress his feelings of disdain towards them. Instead, Mattheo embraced the facade of the ideal son, not out of desire but out of an acute awareness of the consequences that would await him should he falter.

Since his return, Voldemort had taken to unleashing his fury upon Mattheo with alarming regularity; the Dark Lord would seize every opportunity to cast the unforgivable Cruciatus Curse, reveling in the torment he inflicted.

Mattheo had become desensitized to the torment that the curse brought upon him, its sting no longer cutting as deeply as it once had.

He was learning to endure; he was well acquainted with it, for before his father's return, his mother would wield the same spell of suffering against him.

Voldemort's voice began to slither through the softly illuminated room.

Voldemort began, his voice a silken whisper laced with chilling malice that sent shivers down the spine. "My son, tell me."

"What knowledge have you gained, my dear son?" Voldemort loomed before him, palpable tension in the air as he awaited the details of Mattheo's excursion to Hogsmeade, his keen ears straining to catch every word that might spill forth.

Mattheo lifted his gaze to meet his father's, a flicker of disappointment dancing in his eyes as if the weight of unspoken words hung heavily between them.

"They—they didn't reveal anything, my Lord," Mattheo stammered, his voice trembling under the weight of his father's gaze.

Voldemort scoffed, a dark amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Well, that can't be," he replied, his tone laced with a chilling certainty as his tongue tetted and flicked with animosity, and without a moment's pause, he plunged into the depths of Mattheo's memories.

As he delved into the labyrinth of his memories, his mind zeroed in on the moments from earlier that day, sifting through their shared words, searching for any glimmer of significance in their conversation.

Voldemort adjusted his posture, a predatory glow flickering in his narrow eyes as he pressed on with his words.

Mattheo clung to a memory, desperate to escape the torment that surrounded him. He pushed it forward and recalled Harry's words.

"He has no one to love. He'll never truly understand love or friendship."

With a chilling laugh, Voldemort broke free from the spell's grasp, his eyes glinting with malevolence.

Meanwhile, Mattheo struggled to catch his breath, his heart racing as he fought to regain control of his thoughts.

"Love?" The shadowy silhouette sneered, "I, the Dark Lord, have love!" He spoke softly, his fingers brushing gently against the side of his son's face, a tender moment suspended in time.

"My son," he uttered, his voice laced with a chilling finality, and in an instant, he unleashed a spell, a dark force that sent his son crashing to the ground, the agonizing tendrils of 'crucio' twisting mercilessly through his body.

"Everything I do is for love," he declared, his wand twisting with sinister grace, intensifying the agony that coursed through Mattheo.

The room was thick with tension as Mattheo's screams echoed, a haunting melody, while Voldemort glided around the table, a dark specter reveling in the chaos.

"Get up!" Voldemort spat with a sharp glare, his hand slicing through the air to point at Mattheo, who fought against the weight of his own body as he struggled to rise to his feet.

"You have failed me." The Dark Lord began, his voice smooth and commanding as he glided back toward his son, the eyes of everyone in the room drawn to his every step.

"But being the forgiving and loving Lord I am, I shall choose to forgive you. However, should you fail me again... Voldemort declared, his voice dripping with a chilling emphasis on the word 'loving,' "I vow to ensure that your final breath escapes your lips; now go, and don't fail. me on this next one," Voldemort hissed, his voice dripping with malice as he dismissed Mattheo to his seat.

The Dark Lord proceeded with his meeting, skillfully crafting a complex plan to sabotage the first Quidditch game of the year at Hogwarts. By using his son as a spy, he managed to retain all the crucial information.

Voldemort had allowed Mattheo to attend Hogwarts this year with the intention of finally bringing Allie to the same cruel fate as her parents, as they had caused him many problems. Instead of continuing to hide his son, Voldemort chose to use him. Mattheo had no choice but to listen and follow his instructions as he laid out the plan for the upcoming game.

#harry potter #ao3 #fanfiction #angst #mattheo riddle #mattheo riddle x oc #draco malfoy #draco x oc #harry potter x oc #fanfic #wattpad #slytherin boys #hogsmeade #amidst the chaos

2 notes · View notes