#chirps happily. What is that . I hear whistling in my head

[solargeist]

confession, when I read fanfiction and they describe Grian making bird noises like chirping i have no idea what they mean

[tinydefector]

Marine Centre 9 - Merformers

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: none

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Have the collection of the Oceanides I have art finished of

________________________________

After the incident with Big Blue and Angelfish they had distanced themself slightly, more out of embarrassment over anything,  the felt bad for Big blue they had been pestering the crap out of him and he had been avoiding them due to ‘that’.

They felt stupid more than anything, it was getting close to a lot of animal's breeding season so it was only expected the oceanides would be going into season as well. They couldn't blame him for avoiding them, if the roles were reversed they would have been mortified. 

They are snapped out of their thoughts as the small group of kids walk towards the entrance of the centre. a smile crosses their lips as they see their little cousin bouncing towards them. “Hey kiddo, woah look how tall you have gotten!” They laugh while ruffling their hair. 

“Mum and Dad said you asked if I wanted to visit!, woah are those the Mermaids you work with! They are so pretty!” They exclaim in excitement as they move to rest on the jetty. The three other kids move closer to watch as well. 

"Look, it's coming over! Can it understand us?" one boy called. 

A girl squealed as Angelfish swam near, clearly awestruck. "Mum, its staring! I think it wants to say hi!" As she waves slightly at him. 

"Hello fishy! My name's Jill. What's yours?"

Angelfish chirped softly, tilting his head at the odd, high-pitched sounds. Their enthusiasm, like playful otters, was infectious. He trilled in greeting, watching with amusement as Jill gasped.

"He talked to me! Did you hear?" 

Her brother laughed. "Silly, it doesn't have a name or talk. It just makes noise like a dolphin." 

Jill pouted stubbornly as Angelfish whistled quietly, hoping she'd understand he was friendly.

They shake their head softly at the kids. "Alright everyone. These beautiful beings are Oceanides. Or as I'm sure you all call them Mermaids, merfolk." They explain to the children. "All of them here have names. This sweet boy here is Angelfish. And if you're really good some of the others might come over to say hi" they hum while motioning to Angelfish. As they sit down ushering for the kids to move closer. 

The children gasped in awe, gathering around eagerly as Quin sat with them to tell more. "Angelfish is curious about you all too," she said with a smile at the sweet oceanide. "He knows 'hi' and can understand something. Can any of you say hello to him nicely?"

��Two brave kids leaned forward, waving. "Hi Angelfish!" 

He chirped happily in response, floating closer as he twirls and shoes off in delight. "He's so cool!" exclaimed a boy. "Can he really talk?"

"Well, not quite like us," Quin explained. "But Angelfish and his pod use special whistles and clicks to communicate. They can recognize each other, share danger signals and even tell stories that way. It's amazing!"

"They sing a lot, Angelfish here loves cuddles but you have to remember they are wild creatures and not all of the mers are the same. We have a big one here who doesn't really like people. His name is The Meg but i call him Big man, but then we have Angelfish, Cherry and Babybee who do very much like people" they explain as Bluestreak presses his head into their lap.

The children listened, enthralled, "Angelfish seems to really like you," noted a boy. They smiled, stroking Angelfish’s frilled head where it rested against their leg. "I've spent time getting to know them all. Angelfish was the first to become cuddly towards me” 

Jill raised her hand eagerly. "What's Babybee like?" "Oh, he's the sweetest little thing, so curious and playful! Not much bigger than you. Just don't squeeze too tight if you're lucky enough to meet him." 

Questions kept flowing as the youngsters soaked up every detail. "Quin would you mind taking them to meet the Turtles and show them the Ray's?" They ask with a smile as they watch the group of kids. Their little cousin looked excitedly to spend time with them away from the other group.

"Of course!" Quin replied warmly. Gaining the children's attention, she spoke with kind enthusiasm. "Who would like to learn more about our shelled friends and the stingrays we have here?" 

A chorus of raised hands answered, swarming Quin as they stood. 

Quin grinned at their eager faces, leading the way. "Now everyone listen closely please no loud noises or quick moves that might startle. The sea life once we head inside"

As the other kids and their parents walk away with Quin, their little cousin stays with them, moving to sit beside them on the jetty. "Would you like to meet someone very special to me kiddo?" They ask giving their little cousin a slight nudge with their elbow. 

The kid nods eagerly, bright eyes alight with curiosity. "Yeah! Who is it?" Their feet kick softly against the worn wooden slats, "Is it one of the Mermaids? Do you think they'll let me touch their tail?" They inquire while watching the oceanides.

"I'm sure you can if they let you, but just wait" they make a loud whistle which catches the oceanides attention but it's a quick little blur of yellow and black that comes darting towards the jetty, cooing and calling. "Yes, yes hello bubba!" They laugh as the pup nearly climbs up onto them. Their cousin gasps in delight as the sunny blur of scales comes clicking and chirping over the water. "A puppy! No, a Guppy!" 

Small hands reach out eagerly to greet the bouncing bundle of yellow and black with a careful pat and giggle. Up close, its skin gleams so smooth, like the jewels piled in tidepools but alive with vibrant colours. Their wide eyes drink in every shimmering detail. The flicking fins, bright little face, bubbly noises of joy. "Omg! He's so cute. What's his name?" 

" This is BabyBee, he's the only pup we have here, remember when I had to look after a really sick baby mer, well this was him. He's rather attached to me now" they chuckle. Hoisting him closer so that their little cousin could meet him. "Say hi Baby" they coo softly to the pup. 

The kid grins wide, gently waving hello. "Hi BabyBee! I'm so glad you're all better now. Thank you for coming to visit us." They gently pat his shimmering skin, marvelling at the silken texture. But even more amazing were the strange sounds he made.

"Bubba hi! You nice," Babybee chirps back, nuzzling their palm for scritches. His caretaker hugging him sends joy bubbling up his frame. They chuckle watching their little cousins face in shock hearing bumblebee talk. "Shhh, you're the first person outside of me to hear him talk. Don't want a lot of people knowing. " they whisper. As Babybee purrs and plays with their fingers.

Quickly pressing a finger to smiling lips, they nod eagerly. "It's our secret, I promise!" they whisper back. Gently wiggling fingers to play peek-a-boo. Bee wiggles his fins and frills giggling as he plays. His joyful chirps and trills make them smile in delight over being so taken with someone to play with. 

"He's the reason I asked your mum if you wanted to come stay with me for the weekend. Once the tours over with the other people I'll take you to the beach. You can come play with him and meet the others" they explain. Their cousin's eyes light up brighter than the midday sun. "Really?! I get to come here and play with Babybee all weekend?"  

"Thank you thank you! It's the best present ever!"

"Anytime kiddo" they give a partial hug to them. "All right bubba, you gonna go back in, I'll be back later" they coo to the pup as they settle him back into the water.

_______________________

From his perch on the rocks, Megatron watches the unusual exchange with contemplative interest. He hadn't ever seen the caretaker with spawn of their own, but to see how close this small one was with them he could only suspect.

Meanwhile, chatter rises high as ever among the gathering pods. "Didja see that?" Skywarp titters eagerly. "They are introducing their own kin to Bumblebee!" 

Ever-hopeful Bluestreak chirps with joy. "Just think of all the fun those bitlits will have playing! Don't that just warm your frills, Ratch'?.  Bumblebee has a playmate now"

Ratchet hums softly, as Bumblebee trills a farewell before darting back to play, Bumblebee chirps and whistles eagerly, spiralling around the gathering pods with buoyant glee. 

"Didja hear dat, didja hear? De bitlit coming to play wif me!" His words are quick and jumbled in his delight. “I saw pup, making new friends are you” Ratchet coos while checking the bitlet 

Rodimus rumbles a muted warning to his peers. As they swam closer, frills flared showing off the colours "Easy now, don't scare our soft-skins with your antics." 

But Sideswipe whistles an impish laugh, spiralling through the water with flared colours on proud display. "Aw, come on Roddy! Let'em see what they're missing!"

Bluestreak chirps from the jetty, a webbed hand resting on their leg as he coos up at them again. He whines softly before attempting to mimic one of their words again. “Bu..bubba?” He calls out his big black and blue eyes staring up at them pleadingly. 

Ever eager to one-up his peers, Sunstreaker slowly swims his way closer. He lets out a small growl at Bluestreak only for the soft skin to growl back at him. A smug look crosses his face as he lets out a pleased rumble.

Meanwhile, Jazz and Mirage watch in amusement. “You'd think if they were that desperate they'd go looking for another walker” Mirage states and Jazz just shakes his head in amusement. “five shells Sunstreaker is the one who woos them” Jazz hums to the other. 

Arcee watches before finally deciding she was going to give It a shot. “Move out of the way Guppies” she calls, pulling herself up onto the jetty partially as she flares her frills and calls out in a little melody at the softone even as they begin to walk away. It earns a look from them and it makes her feel rather smug. 

“Eat my tail you lot” she sparks at the boys.

__________

Later 

Laughter echoes across the sand as Their cousin runs across the sand towards the water. giggling wildly, as they move up onto the rockpools that line the coast. 

Bee zips towards shore with gleeful whistles. Breaking the waves as a bubbly blur of yellow and black scales. "Bubba! Bubba, here! Play now, yay!" He trills, wriggling onto the rocks and into the pools to follow. 

Small hands pat his slick hide with utmost care and delight. "Hi Babybee! I'm so happy to see you again. Did you have fun while I was gone?" Together they tumble into the foamy surf that washes into the shallow area of the rock pools, the pup chattering eagerly. "Don't leave the rock pools please, you two can play in the water but don't leave my sight" they state in a stern voice.

Babybee chirps obediently, while their little cousin nods eagerly at them. "We'll be good, we promise!" they call, small hands clasped around smooth yellow-black scales. Together pup and child splash and play among the glittering tidepools teeming with hidden worlds. Shrimp dart from probing fingers, anemones bloom neon against stones. 

Babybee chatters happily, chasing crabs and crunching down on them when he catches one, holding out some to his new friend who declines the crustacean. but trading shells and stones that they find as they giggle and play together. 

They move to sit with their feet handling into the water of the pool, eyes watching them cautiously as they settle into the shallows chasing little fish and crabs. It was peaceful even as the oceanides began pulling themselves out of the water to watch in delight to see the pup having a playmate. 

The Megs massive silhouette glides unseen amidst the dark swells, scarlet gaze fixed upon the two playing in the water. Within the pools, Bee chitters happily as he snaps at darting fish, kicking up frothy swirls for his small companion to squeal and giggle over. 

They feel the large presence of Oceanide behind them, tilting their head back slightly before smiling at the large Mer. " Hey Big man, you want a cuddle?" They coo softly as he makes himself comfortable on the rocks, chin resting against his arms as he watches the two younglings play. 

He regards them as they lean against his bulk with a considering hum. His rumble carries distant notes of laughter. Gently his serrated tail curls to grant shelter from the sea breeze. Bee's little trills echo the puppy's pure joy, swimming circles around their companion. 

They go quiet for a moment as they lean against him as they watch the two. "I'm sorry I couldn't save your pup, I keep thinking back to what I could have done." They mutter softly. "It should be your pup out there playing with Bee". 

 They nearly gasp as he moves, bright scarlet eyes locked on theirs as he brings his forehead to rest against theirs. With great care he nuzzles their brow, letting a soft whine leave his throat.

They hold onto him as they both continue to watch Bee and their little cousin. The Meg remains a watchful, silent guardian. 

______________________

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[cynthffxiv]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Day 10 - Stable

No spoilers, time of occurrence is ambiguous

As she walks around the side of her house, Cynthia hears her chocobo happily kweh.

“Good morning, Lute!” She says, laughing when he pushes his head up into her hand as she pets him. “Well, aren’t you excited today? It’s because you know what’s in my garden, isn’t it?”

When Lute happily whistles in response, she kisses the top of his beak. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your treat soon! But first, I have some work to do!”

Lute watches her clean his stable, tilting his head back and forth as she hums a tune- and then starts whistling the tune back at her.

“Did you just-” she whips around, mouth open in surprise, “did you just copy me?”

Lute repeats the tune.

“Well, that’s new. Would you like to sing along with me while we work?”

And the two hum, whistle, and sing songs at each other while she cleans his stable, and for once Lute is so distracted that all throughout Cynthia bathing him, he doesn’t try to steal the hose and spray her with it.

“Aww, good boy! Let’s go harvest the sylkis buds!”

Lute watches impatiently as Cynthia plucks the buds from the garden, putting them into a basket and then washing them.

When she turns around to give him one, he flaps his wings, chirping and flapping his wings.

“Catch!” she yells, tossing one into the air for Lute to bite happily.

[msweebyness]

DuPont School for Monstrous Youths- Greenhouse of Terror

It’s ya girl, Weebie! Comin’ at ya with a new Monstrous Youths short! This time around, Adrien’s helping Mylene out in the greenhouse, and he’s about to meet her babies! Enjoy! @imsparky2002 @artzychic27

“Thanks for coming to help me take care of my plants, Adrien! Ivan has band practice, and no one else could make it today and, believe me, my babies can be a handful!”, Mylene said to the blonde boy entering the school greenhouse alongside her with a smile, small flowers blooming in her vine hair at her happiness.

“No problem, Mylene! I’ve been wanting to see the inside of the greenhouse for a while now! I’ve never seen plants like a lot of these before!”, Adrien answered brightly, looking around with fascination.

Mylene giggled softly as she turned on the fluorescent lights in the room, illuminating the tangled jungle of unique and bizarre flora.

“Well, let’s get started then! I can’t wait for you to meet my little sweeties!”, she chirped, leading him to the center of the mass of plants. Adrien quirked an eyebrow at this, but followed her nonetheless.

When they reached the a certain point in the path, Mylene stopped with a smile and let out a whistle, slightly startling Adrien.

“Brutus, sweetheart! Wake up, mama’s here with your breakfast!”, she called, and Adrien watched as a mass of large leaves moved, before a huge, flat head at the top of a thick stalk rose, moving into the light.

Blinking a few times, Adrien stared in wonder at what appeared to be a massive venus flytrap with sharp teeth like those of a lion protruding from its green jaws as it released a happy growling sound and nuzzled Mylene.

“Adrien, could you bring the wheelbarrow over, please? It has Brutus’ food in it!”, Mylene said as she scratched under the flytrap’s ‘chin’.

“Sure.”, Adrien said, going over to fetch the wheelbarrow they had brought with them. He rolled it over and took off the cover, finding a deer carcass within. He swiftly jumped back as Brutus lunged forward and snapped up his meal, downing it in a few seconds.

“Slow down, baby, don’t choke yourself.”, Mylene chided gently, petting Brutus’ thick stem. After a few more minutes of tending, they bid him goodbye and continued on their way.

It was only after they’d walked for a brief time that Adrien began to hear a peculiar sound. A high, vibrating trill that almost seemed to be humming some sort of melody. As they continued to walk down the path, it grew progressively louder, until eventually they came to a tall, hydra-like plant with glowing white feelers at the ends of its long tendrils.

“Adrien, meet Cookie!”, Mylene said cheerfully, laughing softly as the plant gave her ‘kisses’ with its tendrils.

“Okay, Adrien, while I help prune Cookie’s tendrils, could you play some of Jean’s songs? Or anything from Monster SMASH? Cookie doesn’t enjoy pruning, but she does love music, and she’s probably Jean’s biggest fan!”, Mylene then instructed, with Adrien obeying, hooking up his phone to play one of their phantom friend’s rockabilly hits.

Cookie immediately began to trill happily as she swayed to the music. While this went on, Mylene showed him how to gently trim the stray wisps from her tendrils. After this was complete, they bid her goodbye and went on their way.

After another short bit of walking, they ended up in a clearing. In the center rested an unusual tree. It was tall but stout, with blood red bark and a jagged opening in the center of the trunk. Its branches twisted out every which way, brimming with a mix of thorns and leaves. Mylene instructed him to be careful and quiet as they approached.

“Roach?”, she called gently, “It’s time to tend your roots, sweetie!”, before the tree began to stir, letting out a high keening sound, using its branches to greet Mylene with a ‘hug’.

“Okay, Adrien, we need to adjust and massage Roach’s roots. Just be very careful and don’t make any sudden motions. Roach spooks easily and he lets out poisonous gas!”, she cautioned, before they went to work tending to the mutant tree.

Around ten minutes later, Mylene was able to keep Roach calm despite a few mishaps from Adrien’s inexperience, and they completed their task. After assuring Roach that she would be back to see him soon, she and Adrien continued on their way.

It wasn’t long before they were pushing their way through a thick patch of brush, a low sort of rumbling hum meeting their ears as they went on. When they finally emerged from the brush, Adrien was face to face with what appeared to be a gigantic mushroom with a bevy of long spines. As they approached, the spines began to rustle as the creature let out a dissonant thrumming noise.

“Morning, Oggy!”, Mylene told it as she pulled out what appeared to be a bag of organic mulch, “Adrien, this is Ogg. We need to change out his bed, so it’s fresh and he can breathe right.”, and Adrien nodded.

Adrien observed as Ogg’s spines seemed to feel around in the air and on the ground. Smiling, Mylene explained that this was how Ogg observed his surroundings. His spines were full of sensitive nerves that could pick up vibrations in the air and ground.

Finally, they finished with the mulch, said goodbye to Ogg, and trekked back out of the brush. As they circled back near the front of the greenhouse, Adrien noticed that numerous vines now stretched over the ground, and Mylene told him to be very cautious not to step on them.

As the vines grew denser and denser, Mylene finally stopped and called out:

“Gigi! Are you awake?”, and was answered by a low hissing sound, a number of the vines rising and greeting her affectionately. Adrien couldn’t see a specific body of the plant, and figured that Gigi must be the huge cluster of vines itself.

“We need to make sure there are no tangles in her vines that could stop her breathing or hurt her. Then we can give her some water, and you can go get ready for class!”, Mylene explained, and they began to work gently with Gigi’s vines.

After they finished tending to the vines, Mylene said goodbye to Gigi, before preparing to do a bit more housekeeping in the greenhouse, as Adrien began to get his school bag ready.

“So, what did you think?”, Mylene asked, “It’s a lot of work caring for them, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything!”, Mylene said with a blissful smile.

“Yeah…”, Adrien said, smiling himself, happy to have been able to see a unique part of monster culture, “I think I might be back to visit soon!”

These plants may be monsters, but they’re big old softies! Leave your thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

[library-of-cronos]

Bad habits lead to chance encounters

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46425628

“Danny's favorite thing to do when bored is learn lost languages and speak them to unsuspecting strangers as a little joke. One day, this backfires as a stranger responds to ghost speak.”

It was a bad habit, Danny knew. Sometimes strangers try to talk to him on the bus, or make conversation in coffee shops. He knew they were being polite, and most often than not, he didn’t mind a little small talk. But some days he just wanted to be left alone. The best way to do that, he figured out, is by speaking a language no one knows.

Clockwork had been teaching him old, lost languages. Not languages like Latin, which were still sometimes taught, but ghost languages, the echoes of the past which ghosts still clung to. Languages that didn’t have an English equivalent, or an exact translation. Every month it was a new one.

The time ghost seemed to enjoy indulging in his hobby enough to give him weekly lessons and books that archaeologists would kill for.

As part of his practice, and sometimes as a way to get out of conversations he didn’t want to be a part of, he spoke the language to unsuspecting strangers. No one knew what to do when confronted with a strange language, so they left him alone and Danny could enjoy his coffee or bus ride in peace.

Of course, today happened to be the day Skulker zapped him half to death, short circuiting his powers just before he was sucked into the thermos. It was late, and he was sure to miss curfew and get yelled at. The only lucky thing was that he was near a bus stop and had his wallet on him in human form, if not his backpack, which he lost along the way.

The bus that he only spent a few minutes waiting for was mostly empty, save for an old lady with a cane in the handicap seats, a couple teens in the back chatting it up, and someone with headphones and a big hoodie on. The driver yelled at him to sit down, and Danny hurriedly took the seats across from the old lady for fear of getting kicked off.

The bus took off after he sat down. The streets were mostly empty, and the bus was mostly quiet save for the teens. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep, but a voice started talking to him before he even got the chance to dose.

“Running late?” The old lady asked. Her tan and red shawl hung over her shoulders and wrapped loosely around her head. Her cane leaned against the seat next to her, and she sat neatly in the seat.

Part of Danny wanted to be nice to the old lady with wrinkles and smile lines, who looked like she could never hurt a soul and volunteered at soup kitchens in her spare time. But he was just so tired. This month's lesson was on ghost speak. Ghost Speak was a combination of trill, clicks, whistles, and chirps (and some hums that were past the human range of hearing). There were a few obscure languages that used some of the same chirps and whistles, but they weren’t the same. If any language would weird her out, it would be Ghost Speak.

He chirped at her, in the English equivalent of “Hello, miss.” The next trills and whistles were “Enjoying the bus?”

She blinked a few times at his strange language, but her face wrinkled up into a smile as she responded to him in ghost speak.

Her accent was a bit thick, and her speech was slow, but without a doubt she said “Yes, deary.” She clicked and trilled as she smiled. “Though I can’t say I’ve met someone who speaks like I do.”

He tilted his head in shock. “You know Ghost Speak?”

She nodded happily, yet slowly. “Is that what it’s called now?” She hummed in thought, a tone so low that supposedly only ghosts could make or hear. “When my husband was around, it was called-” She stopped, blinking owlishly. “There is no English word for it, but the closest we would have is ‘The tongue of songs’.”

Danny would have to ask Clockwork about it, but he was sure this lucky meeting wasn’t so lucky, if the time ghost wanted to teach him a lesson about giving up his bad habit of scaring people off with ghost languages.

“Your husband?” He asked, because not only was he in too deep into his own mistake, but he was a little curious.

She smiled fondly, an action which brightened her whole face. “What a wonderful man. I was so young then, and I certainly didn’t know what a demon looked like. Though if what you call his language is accurate, he might not have been one after all.”

He was probably a ghost who came through a natural portal. They popped up everywhere, in every time period. People back then would have probably seen a ghost and assumed demon or monster. It was how a lot of myths and legends came to be, after all.

“He came from a place of green, swimming with fantastical creatures and floating purple doors.” That certainly sounded like the Ghost Zone. “He invited me in, to join him.” She smiled again, softly. “But I liked my home, my mother, and my sisters. The Worth family stuck together. I refused. He decided to stay and see what I liked so much about Earth.”

Danny nodded, urging her to continue, but he knew their time was limited. The bus chimed with what he knew was the third stop before his.

“He was so sweet to me those seventy years. We were inseparable, though he didn’t age like I did. We had so many memories together.” Her smile turned somber. “Sweet times never last, I suppose. He left the way he came, and I bid him farewell. He told me he would die without going back home once every century. I loved my granddaughters too much to leave with him, without knowing if I would ever come back.”

She had fallen in love with a ghost, spent her whole life with him, and then he left. Danny understood why. Ghosts couldn’t be too long without ectoplasm, and it was easiest to consume in the Ghost Zone, where it was abundant. Danny himself could only go about a week or two without dipping back into the portal for an hour to soak up some ectoplasm, otherwise he would grow weak and tired.

The bus chimed with the second to last stop before his.

If the ghost she married could go a century without it, though, then how strong was he? Even ghosts who were stronger than him had to refresh nearly as often as he did.

“He sounds nice.” Danny hummed in appreciation of the story, then got up as the bus stopped just across the street from his house, Fentonworks sign lighting up the sky. “It was nice meeting you.”

She trilled happily as she smiled, crooked teeth showing proudly. “You as well, young man. It was lucky for us to meet. Perhaps this means I will see my lovely Charles once more.”

He nodded at her, chirped a quick “goodbye”, then stepped off the bus and watched it disappear into the twilight distance. He closed his eyes for a moment, just resting before the storm that would be his parents when he got home past curfew, before his eyes shot open again.

Charles Worth?

[roadkill-frankenstein]

Candle in a Catacomb

A collaborative story with an art piece to match. The artwork was done by myself, and the writing was done by my good friend @raelhbishop. Featuring our D&D characters from my home-written campaign.

Grim Blackburn belongs to @vultureteeth-0.

Theoxenia Trismegistus belongs to @raelhbishop.

Content warnings: Talk of sex and sexuality, Violent implications and imagery, Character with PTSD

⎈

The heavens are a dark shade of indigo, not their usual dark blue or even void-like appearance.

Nights like these tend to harbor a mystical quality. Past, present, and future seem to happen all at once. Nights like these burn themselves into one's memories.

If one's lucky, they're shared with someone else.

The Scourge of the Serpent clips across a sea of black, the moon and stars acting as its only guide. The crew and adventurers onboard are either fast asleep or in a drunken stupor below deck.

Captain Grim Blackburn stands alone at the helm, steering the ship and checking its course. Previously engrossed in his work, the golden-armed pirate stops and pivots his head.

He doesn't hear the crashing waves of the ocean on his ship, for that's second nature to him. Nor does he notice the sound of breezes gliding around like ghosts, the crackle of lantern lights, or the ship's groaning and creaking.

No, his undead ears detect the tunes of a pan flute being blown.

It's that damn satyr from the group he picked up earlier. He seemed a chipper enough fellow when he met him in the bar - they even exchanged a salutary high-five.

Given his... phenotype, he thought the fellow would've been a bit more like him – lecherous, loud, libertine. Though perhaps for different reasons.

Instead, he's been... different...

Grim checks everything one final time, then descends from the helm and summons a dogsbody to take over. He takes a mug with him and heads to the bow.

⎈

A bird sits next to Theo. A nearby lantern gives a natural warmth to their appearance.

Theo whistles and blows a few notes on his pan flute, selectively. A response comes from the bird in similar tones. They've been back-and-forth chirping and fluting for a bit now, rather happily.

A slow series of creaks emerges from further inside the ship. Theo's goat-like ears perk up a little; he continues fluting.

The creaks grow closer and closer. Feeling unnerved, the bird flies away, despite Theo's calls to the contrary.

He turns. "Oh hey Grim! What's up?"

"Just coming over to see what all the raucous was about."

"Just chilling." He resumes blowing at the pan flute, this time in a more musical manner.

Grim sips from his mug and steps closer. "Were you... playing for that bird?"

"Oh, no. I was speaking with it."

"Speaking?"

"Yeah. My accent is, like, kind of thick, so the flute helps."

"The bird can understand you?"

"Yup. Little dude's been flying for a few days now. I gave them some hardtack to help them along. They've had a most strenuous adventure." He resumes fluting. Some crumbled hardtack still remains to Theo's right.

Grim sips from his mug and listens to his playing.

"...can I sit here?"

Theo nods.

He sits and continues listening, watching him play. Theo seems to be in his element here, playing an old folk song Grim can vaguely recognize.

Grim's not sure why he felt the need to sit and watch him. But something's drawn him in.

It's calming, in a way.

Theo switches to another folk song, one Grim better recognizes; something about a bloodied horse returning without its rider. It seems like he misses a few notes at first, but then turns it into another song entirely, improvising.

After a bit, Theo takes a rest. "You ever play music, Grim?"

"I haven't in a while."

"Do you like music?"

"I..." Grim hesitates. (He hears screams and shrieks from within, scenes flashing before his eyes.) "...it's kind of painful for me, tell you the truth."

"Oh." He puts his pan flute to his right. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No, I didn't mind it. Actually. I liked hearing you play it."

Theo smiles. "Thank you. I really like music. It's the only thing I'm good at. Maybe we can try something less painful. Do you like stories?"

Grim shrugs. "Sure."

"Great! I love stories. Let's see... did you hear about the one with the sailor who found a lamp with jeans in it? No, wait, I don't think it was jeans in the lamp... was it sesame seeds? But, then, why would they, like, put sesame seeds in a lamp? No, hold on... I know this other one, where there's a king, who's a most righteous dude, and there's this monkey, and, like, the king is a god... no, wait, is the monkey a god? Well, there's this guy that steals the king's wife, and... I think there's a monk somewhere? Or is it a dragon?"

After stumbling on his words, Theo stops speaking. He sticks his tongue out sillily.

Grim chuckles a little. For once, it doesn't feel forced.

"Maybe I should just stick to singing... hey, do you know any stories?"

Grim thinks for a moment. "Did you ever wonder how this ship got its name?"

Theo nods. He gets the feeling this is gonna be a good one.

A story of how, one stormy day on the seas, the very ship they're on took its maiden voyage. A half-rate crew of misfits, concealed criminals, and a single swaddled infant took to the high seas, Grim being the most sea-fared. He recounts how they ventured further into the dark-on-dark seas as day turned into night, how lighting singed the wooded sides of the ship, how many below feared they wouldn't make it out alive.

As the story goes on, Grim seems more animated than before; he speaks with immense gusto, the events pouring freely from him like the grog sloshing from his glass as its tossed about with his motions. Theo's engrossed in the story, as if he's witnessing it firsthand; he even jumps a little at the sound of non-existent lightning.

He goes on to tell how the unnamed boat's hull was rammed by an unseen foe – a serpent, larger than the very ship itself, dare one say even larger than the port they left behind. It smashed through the sides of the ship with its infernal scales, ripped holes in the hull with its adamantine teeth, and curdled the blood of his crew with its growls.

Grim hatched a plan. He told all his crew to assemble below deck, stand-by for repairs, and keep the (he almost says 'his') child safe. With everyone gone, Grim, equipped with a glaive and a rope, leapt from the bowspirit, and hurdled towards the leviathan's-

"Did it take your arm?" Theo's on the edge of the ship's railing, filled with suspense; any more, and he might fall off the damn thing entirely.

"No, that was... something else entirely." Grim can hear a single shriek, feel a singe, feel the sensation of flesh decaying into nothingness.

Theo reads Grim's face. He figures he should change the subject.

⎈

"What's your earliest memory?"

Grim groans. "I... try not to look back that far."

"So, my earliest memory... I'm a little dude, a very little dude, like, not quite a baby but not like a big kid either...

"I'm just chilling in a field. There's grass and flowers all around me. I've always liked sitting in fields. I do it when I can. You ever sit in the grass and just relax?"

Grim shakes his head. "Can't say I have."

"You totally should some time, dude. It is most pacific. Anyways, so there I am, little dude baby thoughts going across my mind. Then someone comes over and puts this 'reed thing' in front of me.

"Now I'm looking at it all curious, and you know how little dudes do things, they put it in their mouth and all that. And then I start blowing air through it, but then I realized that, like, each tube of this thing makes a different sound.

"And that I can copy sounds with it. I listen to the birds in the trees and I start blowing on the different reeds and I try copying their songs. All of a sudden I am fully aware of all of the noises around me. It's no longer just noise, you know. It's like there's this whole band going on in nature.

"That pan flute was my very first instrument. It's still one of my favorites. And I still carry a little piece of that flute to this day."

He picks up his pan flute and shows a teeny piece of rotted wood tied to it.

⎈

It's well past midnight now. As Theo recounts what is (essentially) his entire childhood, Grim's mind vexes him. He enjoys the satyr's company and all that, but he can't understand why. His patience for people doesn't tend to last this long these days.

It could be he's attracted to him, physically. After all, it's not hard to be drawn to someone who's got a real tan and wears nothing but a grass skirt and some odd amulets and wraps here-and-there. Hell, the thought crossed his mind to have him be a one night stand.

Yet he didn't. Something stopped him.

Actually, something's been stopping him the whole week.

For once, Grim wasn't seeing him as a commodity, as a set of erogenous zones for sale like quarters of meat hanging in a butcher's shop.

He wasn't just seeing a bunch of parts.

He was looking gestalt – looking deeper.

It couldn't be mere eroticism drawing him in. That mechanical, fire-like feeling in his nether wasn't alone. Something oddly familiar, yet seemingly foreign, was setting in.

There was this tickly, bubbly feeling emerging from the pit of his stomach. A sort of featheriness to the back of his mouth, a sort of strange transmogrification of admiration into embarrassment.

Grim drops his beer stein.

Oh god.

"Dude, you okay?"

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

He was in love.

He hadn't been in love for so long, he'd forgotten what it was like.

Grim panics. He readies to get up and leave, but a hairy hand stops him in his tracks.

"Hey, is everything alri-"

"Do you love me, Theo?"

Oh god. He said it. He didn't even have time to think it. It just fell out. He would've gone pale if there was any blood in his cheeks to begin with. He's always been a wild card, a man who speaks his mind, but now for once he's mortified, filled with regret, filled with panic, with fear, filled with a need to flee-

"Of course." He blows absentmindedly at his flute.

"...you do?"

"Absolutely. You're my friend. Just like how I love the birds in the trees, or my pipes, or the sound of waves crashing on the-"

Theo's eyes drift to Grim's face. It doesn't seem to express anything at first glance.

He puts the flute down. "It's funny how we use the word 'love.' It covers so many different things."

"Love is love," Grim says tersley.

"Well, what do you mean by that?"

"Fiery passion. Seeing someone and feeling the need to go over to them and get physical."

"Huh?"

Grim looks at Theo quizzically. "You've never been aroused?"

"I've woken up before, I don't understand what that has to do with it."

Grim sighs. "No, haven't you ever... felt attracted to someone?"

Theo thinks for a moment. "I think I know what you're getting at."

"Do you, now?"

Theo nods. "That sort of, like, feeling, where you need to stop in your tracks and take a second look. When your eyes can't help but stare at someone else's body. They're searching up and down a dude's entire being. This strong, primal urge to go over and, like, get to know them, to hold them, to spend every moment with them, to never spend a minute apart from them, to spend every day adorning the temple of the dude's body."

Grim nods after each pause, more vigorously and excitedly with each nod.

"Never felt it."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I've never felt it."

"But don't you ever get the urge to... you know..."

A rogue wave splashes against the bow of the ship, spraying foam upward in a single jet.

Theo replies. "Well, yeah, but not often. It's just like eating or sleeping."

"You must've felt it somehow if you can describe it that well."

"Everyone blabbed on about it back home. The satyrs and nymphs. I've heard it all before. But I just never felt that way. When I see a dude, I don't see a bunch of body parts, or the stuff they carry. I see a dude. I see this... wonderful collection of... thoughts, and feelings, and memories, and songs and stories. Someone to discover, someone to have fun with, someone who is... unique. Sometimes they're happy dudes, sometimes they're sad dudes, and sometimes they're..."

Something clicks in Theo's head. He's been looking at Grim's eyes the whole time, unsure of his stony gaze.

It's a stoic gaze.

The mouth changed between a slight smile and a neutral frown as they talked, but the eyes remained the same.

They look tired. Anguished.

Come to think of it, they've looked this tired the whole time.

Even when he was boisterous in the bar, or cracking jokes with the crew, that same tired set of eyes was there.

Except once.

That afternoon, when Grim had Theo touch his chest to show its absence of a heart...

⎈

It's a week earlier. Theo's sitting by the helm, strumming a little song on his lyre (his other instrument of choice). It's an old song, about a man who searches for the secret to eternal life... whose ending gets cut short by Grim walking by.

Theo waves, his left hand still sprained from giving the pirate's golden arm a full-forced high five.

Grim waves back. He smiles at the satyr, unconsciously.

"Hey, Mr. Pirate dude-"

"You can call me Grim."

"Cool. Mr. Grim dude. How old is this ship?"

"Very old. Probably every piece in it has been replaced once or twice."

The satyr stops his strumming and thinks. "So, does that make it the same ship? Or is it a different ship with the same name?"

"It's got the same captain, that's all that matters."

"So... like... how old are you, Mr. Grim dude?"

He doesn't quite know.

"So, like, sixty? The oldest dude I knew was my tribal elder, he was sixty or seventy. But you don't look anything like him."

Grim looks off to the distance. "You've heard about the avatar crisis, yes?"

Theo nods.

"I was around during then..."

You can hear the cogs turn in Theo's head. "So... older than sixty?"

"Much older."

"...are you an elf?"

"No."

"A vampire?"

"Do I look like I'm burning in the sun to you?"

"No, but someone in the bar said you were 'on fire.' I don't see any flames though." Theo ponders for a minute.

Grim hears the internal screams. Screams of terror. Screams of agony. Blood-curdling shrieks from creatures not meant to be seen by mortal eyes...

He sighs. "Here, let me just..."

He reaches over and grabs ahold of the satyr's arm.

...Grim can feel the thrashing of his limbs against straps, the bloodied beating of his back and arm against a stone altar...

The hand draws closer and closer.

...the piercing of a bloodied dagger shoots across his mind, the sensation of his chest being ripped open as clear as day...

Fingertips hover over his chest.

...his body lies in old snow, cold snow, hard snow. Blood pours out, draining his will with it. An all-too imposing vacancy plagues his mind, his being, his soulless body. He cries to the gods for solace, but hears no response. He closes his eyes, hoping to feed the crows...

Theo's hand touches Grim's chest. It feels no beats.

It feels warm.

...warmth. He wakes in a room, feeling warmth. A grand fireplace burns several feet in front of him. He scans the room, lavishly covered in artwork. He feels the gash in his chest with his remaining arm; nothing but a black-ooze filled cavity remains...

...a woman approaches him, tending to his wounds, draining the heartless hollow. His eyes lock with hers. There's a certain... draconic quality to the woman's gaze...

...they both know what they are. But neither of them could've anticipated what they'd be together...

...what they'd enjoy...

...what they'd share...

...what they'd lose...

...what would fade away, when fate and the gods separated them...

⎈

...that afternoon.

Those eyes shifted. They opened a little.

There was even a little glint to them.

Even now, there's a little trace of that glint in them.

His emerald eyes were somehow less like jewels and more like a candle lighting a catacomb.

And he sees the glint slowly fading from the now-sulking captain.

...

Waves beat on the side of the boat.

He reaches over and grabs Grim by his good hand.

It takes Grim a second to register it. The candle flares up; the eyes widen; the glint returns.

"I think you need this."

Gently, he pulls Grim forward and wraps his arms around the tired husk.

Grim closes his eyes, reciprocating.

The sensation of a cold, metal hand touching Theo's bare back makes him jostle a little, and the resting of his metal claws scratches his flesh.

He doesn't mind, though. A little pain is worth making a friend happy.

[setoangel01-fanfiction]

Through the Jungle

The Prodigal Son - Chapter 2 (Previous Chapters)

Fandom: FFVII

Pairings: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Zerith) and minor Cloud Strife x Tifa Lockhart (Cloti)

Rated: T

Story Summary: Zack Lives AU. Leaving the Golden Saucer behind, the group heads to Zack's hometown of Gongaga, where after nearly a decade apart, Zack finally reunites with his parents.

Chapter Summary: Arriving on the shores of Gongaga, the group make their ways through the perilous jungle awaiting them.

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

"Damn…" Cloud muttered softly from the driver's seat when the buggy came to a full stop. The tires jostling slightly atop the sandy beaches near the entrance to what could only be gateway to the dense Jungles of Gongaga.

Zack allowed a smirk to cross his lips hearing Cloud's awed tone as well as the similar reactions crossing the expressions of all the other passengers that were all unabashedly staring at the absolutely impressive jungle awaiting them. Widened eyes and gaping mouths of his companions had him feeling relieved to see the sheer majesty of his home hadn't changed much since he left it behind a decade ago.

For a few blissful seconds, Zack took it in himself as the group exited the buggy to get a closer look.

Feet firm on the sandy beach, a dainty hand suddenly grasped at his arm. He looked down to see his girlfriend's awestruck expression, marvelous emerald eyes wider than he could recall them being, peering eagerly at their surroundings.

"Wow! Oh Gaia, everything is so…green!" Aerith chirped happily with an adorable little bounce in her step. Her exhilaration was palpable and Zack couldn't be happier about seeing the wondrous expression gracing her beautiful face.

A low whistle sounded beside them, "Gotta agree with ya' there, girlie. Fuckin' hell, I don't think I've ever seen so many damn trees in my entire life," Barrett muttered, reaching out to touch a nearby frond as if in a hypnotic daze.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Zack suddenly yelped, grasping Barret's outstretched arm before he could make a terrible mistake.

"Da fuck!?" Barrett yelled, pulling his arm back from the plant as if he had been burned.

Zack chuckled nervously, "Sorry but you'd thank me if you'd seen what even touching that shit does to your skin!" Zack shuttered in remembrance when he learned that lesson the hard way as a boy, "It'll give you the itchiest most annoying rash you'll ever get in your life! Believe me! You gotta avoid the plants with the thorns and red tipped leaves, but those bluish ones beside it are alright, though." As if to showcase his truthfulness, Zack brushed his glove-less hand against said greenery with a fond smile on his lips.

Yuffie guffawed at the horrified look that still hadn't left Barrett's face. The man in question swatting at her before the self-appointed 'most beautiful and greatest ninja of all time' promptly bent over with her nauseous stomach roiling unhappily at the sudden movement.

"Serves ya right, ya brat!" Barrett shook his fist at Yuffie, who while acting like she's only seconds from certain death, still somehow found the energy to stick her tongue out and flip him off.

Aerith giggled into Zack's bicep as Tifa rubbed the loudly whining Yuffie's back.

"So…anything else we need to watch out for here, Zack?" Nanaki's soft drawl asked from near his left hip as the feline sniffed cautiously at a patch of bright purple flowers.

Zack hummed, putting his hand up to his chin and peered around. "Well…Yeah. There's some more plants I'd steer clear from but it's mostly the fiends you gotta watch out for. The Kimera bugs are bloodthirsty bastards, there's also these giant flying jellyfish that love to paralyze you with cheap-shot lightning attacks…Oh! And whatever you do, stay the hell away from the Touch Me Frogs! We don't have any Maiden's Kiss on us and if we were all attacked together by a nest of 'em, that would be really, really bad news..."

"...Maiden's Kiss?" Aerith asked with a curious tilt to her head.

"Yeah! It turns you back to normal when you get 'Frogged'!"

Cloud stared at him strangely for a moment before he felt compelled to ask, "…'Frogged'?"

Zack blinked stupidly at him. "Yeah. The Touch Me's will actually turn you into a frog. Can't tell you how many times it's happened to me…" he admitted while scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Yuffie huffed out a laugh, "Now that, I believe," which Zack would have given her shit for (and an atomic noogie) if she didn't look so damn miserable with her greenish complexion and arms wrapped protectively across her stomach. "Urk…Nope. No more laughing…Bad idea."

Tifa peered in concern at the teen for a moment before she suggested, "Alright then. I say it's a good idea to stay clear away from weird plants and any monsters, especially those frogs, until we can stock up on that certain potion."

"Uggghhhh…" Yuffie moaned as she leaned her head miserably against Tifa's shoulder.

"...And maybe we could also stock up on some stomach medicine while we're there," Tifa continued, allowing the loudly grumbling Yuffie to lean her slight weight on her.

"Hell yes..." the Wutain groaned into Tifa's generous chest as the older woman comforted her with gently pats to her back.

"Oi! Dat's a fine idea dere, Lassie!" Cait Sith piped for the first time since they arrived, the quick-footed robotic feline suddenly launched upwards and made himself quite comfortable atop Barrett's shoulder, much to the latter's dismay.

"Hey! What the-!? Whataya!? Urg!" The dark skinned man cut himself off, glaring certain death at the robot. Yet Cait Sith remained unfazed, merely smiling in the face of his anger, Barrett muttered, "fuckin' cat…" under his breath rather than knock his furry ass to the ground.

Zack thought the scene was strangely sweet.

All the while, Cloud peered out at the group as if in deep thought before glancing back toward the jungle. The blonde looked way out of his depth and uncomfortable which was odd considering how quick he assumed the leader role under Zack's advisement. Yet now he seemed hesitant at the prospect of the looming vegetation when he turned to peer back at Zack.

"That's the plan then. Looks like you're in the lead, Jungle Boy." Cloud announced.

Zack laughed loudly at the sudden declaration, slapping Cloud hard on his un-armored shoulder before he eagerly took over the leader role of the group with Aerith always faithfully by his side. Her adorable giggles and bouncing steps right beside his own.

"Damn straight I am, you Mountain Hick!" Zack called out to the blonde over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tifa's affronted voice called back.

"Not you, Teef! Now, come on, everyone! Let's mosey!" he stated happily to the rest of the party.

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

Cloud stood there for a moment, merely rubbing his sore shoulder, and while trying to hide it, he couldn't help but smile at Zack and Aerith's retreating backs before following them into the jungle.

"Oh my!" It was Tifa's voice that broke out when they first saw the field of bright pink mushrooms lining a mossy cliff-side. The excitement encapsulated her cherry-cola eyes and a huge smile gracing her lips as the group approached Gongoga's world famous import hidden deep inside the jungle."These are Gongaga mushrooms, right Zack?" she inquired, peering questioningly over her shoulder at him. The martial artist was already kneeling next to a large patch of the smaller mushrooms resting right underneath the shade of one a thousand times larger.

Zack knelt beside her and once he saw they were indeed the correct mushrooms and not some poisonous look-alike imposters, he happily replied, "Yep! These are Gaia's famous Gongaga Mushrooms! In fact, this is the only place on the planet they're grown."

"Really?" Cloud asked curiously as he squatted down near Tifa to get a closer look.

"Yeah. Something about the temperature and soil I think makes them only able to flourish here," Zack replied as Aerith plopped herself in the thick grassy patch beside him, green eyes wide as she brushed her hands over the bright pink fungi and marveled at the size of one of the nearby giants.

"They're such a pretty color too!" Aerith added while Nanaki walked over to sniff at them curiously; the feline 'hmmed' lowly in his throat as if pleasantly surprised at their rich meaty aroma they exuded.

"Wow." Tifa mused softly on the information, gentle smile never fading as she lightly ran her fingertip along the edges of a few. "I've always loved to cook with them! They add such amazing flavor to every dish, but in Midgar they're always so expensive the rare time I seen them come to the markets. I could only afford to use them in a few dishes on a couple special occasions."

Zack watched with barely concealed giddiness as Cloud peered at Tifa's contemplative expression, those light blue eyes of his doing nothing to hide his obvious adoration for the gorgeous brunette. The way Cloud and Tifa shyly danced around each other, yet were so damn in love that anyone with eyes could see it, was as cute as it was frustrating to witness.

Seemingly psyching himself up, the blonde ex-infantryman gently nudged at Tifa's shoulder with his own before offering, "Hey, uh, why don't we stock up on some of them here? I'm sure they're a lot cheaper since they're grown here."

"Hmm, you're right. Maybe they even have them dried to make them more portable," Tifa wondered with a dainty finger pressed to her chin.

"Yeah, and uh, I'm sure the dishes you make for us on the road would be even better," he quickly cleared his throat and looked away with cheeks that nearly matched Tifa's eyes, "You know, if that's even possible."

Tifa's eyes widened at the sudden compliment but a warm smile quickly overtook it instead, "Thanks, Cloud. I think I'd like that…" she shyly responded.

Zack and Aerith watched their interaction with bated breath, and once it was over, they shared a pleased look and quietly fist-bumped at the progression those two were making.

Of course the adorable moment didn't last long when Yuffie suddenly piped up, "I don't get it," she grumbled, bouncing a few (most likely stolen) materia on her knuckles as she waited for them all to get a move on, "What's so special about a bunch of pink mushrooms?"

Zack smirked at the ninja, "Just wait til you taste my mom's cooking and then you'll see."

Barrett chuckled, tapping Yuffie's shoulder that sent the thin teen nearly careening into a nearby tree, "Damn straight! There is truly nothing that tastes as good in the damn planet like home cookin'." The older man pursed his lips, "Hey, uh, SOLDIER boy, I shoulda brought this up earlier, but do ya think your folks would be alright with all of us bargin' in on them without any warning?"

Zack quickly stood to his feet and offered his hand to Aerith as he replied, "My mom always was looking for any excuse to cook so I'm sure they won't mind." His voice was steady even if Zack himself remained unsure of his parent's reaction to his sudden presence. Wanting to put his friends at ease and wipe the concerned look Aerith shot his way, he continued, "We didn't have the biggest house so we might have to eat outside or find other lodging to fit us all overnight, but hell, we're used to doing that already so it shouldn't be a big deal."

Barrett's brows pinches for a moment. "Hey, Zack, ya know we wouldn't wanna to intrude if ya want some time alone with yer folks either." Barrett said with a kind, fatherly expression Zack wasn't used to seeing aimed at him since Angeal died. The very same look his father bestowed upon him while resting a firm yet comforting hand on his shoulder after gifting him his first real sword on his 13th birthday.

Now Angeal was dead (by his hand no less) and he'd left his father a week after that night without a word. All of it given up more than 10 years ago for a dream that ended up in a hellish cacophony of greed, delusion, betrayal, and concluded in a town filled with fire and smoke.

A sharp wave of grief of the past 10 years hit him abruptly, yet before he could think of anything to reply to the kindness he didn't deserve held in Barrett's eyes, Yuffie interrupted.

For once, Zack was damn grateful for the distraction.

"Ughhh! Great! Than let's hurry the hell up and go already! Anything to stop staring at a bunch of dumb mushrooms, ya old fogies!" Yuffie piped up, her arms now full of the protesting Cait Sith who was the latest victim of her Materia "borrowing" scheme.

"Hmm. Yes. Let's continue. I'm rather intrigued. I'd love to see how they taste when cooked, especially if it's as good as Tifa states." Nanaki commented, licking the edge of his mouth where a pink speck of mushroom fell to the ground by his feet.

Zack looked down in bewilderment hoping eating them raw had no adverse effect on the large feline but decided not to say anything and to merely keep an eye on him.

Shaking off any lingering feelings of his past coming back to haunt him, Zack slipped back on his normal happy puppy mask and stated, "Alright, alright, hold onto your Chocobos, Yuff."

"Stop calling me that, ya jerk!" she grumbled but Zack continued unperturbed.

"I promise we'll leave real soon but we can't show up empty handed! C'mon, give me a hand with picking some of these!"

Cloud looked skeptical yet he followed his friend to the patch of mushrooms regardless, "Wouldn't your folks already have some?"

"Probably, but the ones that grow furthest from the village always tasted better in my opinion. Now come on, there's a special technique to picking them so they don't break!" Zack motioned for the others interested in learning to join him near a large cluster of the pink beauties situated in a little alcove a few yards away. The plump pink flesh perfectly ripe and the woodsy smell lingering near them was rich and aromatic.

Perfect for picking!

With that, Zack showed the group the specialized Gongaga technique for picking the mushrooms so the tops and stems were left attached and completely undamaged. Zack's smile grew as Aerith and Tifa both did it perfectly on their first try and gave each other a high five in celebration. Yet Cloud wasn't as lucky for he broke his first mushroom right in half while angrily swatting at the mocking Yuffie, who wasn't any better when her mushroom practically exploded into pink chunks of shrapnel. At least Nanaki was happy not to waste the rare fungi and ate the pieces.

Barrett and Cait Sith seemed merely happy watching it all unfold.

Zack leaned back on his heels as they continued their mission. A gentle smile curling his lips at getting to watch his girlfriend and friends as they (after another brief instruction) began gathering the mushrooms like seasoned pros. Yet his unperturbed mask he relied on far too much lately faltered slightly once he realized he was actually happy for any excuse to help delay the trip to his hometown just a little while longer…

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

A plethora of Gongaga mushrooms safely stowed away in Barrett's knapsack, the group continued into the denser region while trying (and failing) to avoid the fiends along their way.

Clusters of large Kimera bugs were easily dispatched while they almost got overtaken by Grangalan, the annoying egg-like creatures that reproduced faster than Grassland rabbits. As they got deeper into the thick foliage, they ran into a few nesting Mastodons they fortunately slipped past without fighting. Unfortunately, in a case of bad luck named Yuffie Kisaragi, they landed in a field of poisonous plants called Frightflowers. The evil flora were a pain in the ass if they weren't killed immediately and if it wasn't for Aerith's masterful Ensuna casting, the fight could have been deadly with their poison effect alone.

When all was said and done, nearly all of them were nursing more than a few new scrapes and bruises they didn't bother wasting potions on, but thankfully, nothing worse than that. Zack was merely grateful that they hadn't run into any Touch Me Frogs, but in an effort to avoid their spawning areas, it still stalled their progress more than he'd like.

Zack had also forgotten how strenuous traversing this jungle could be. Hanging ropes and vines, rickety wooden ladders, tons of hiking mountains and crossing fast-moving rivers greeted them the further into the jungle they went. And while himself and most of the group could easily handle the extra physical strain, it was obvious his girlfriend was quickly falling behind.

Flushed cheeks, sweat heavily lined her brow and her wispy chestnut locks were flattening as the exertion plus the humidity in the air began to wilt down her energy to a mere whisper of what it was mere hours prior.

Zack tried his best to take plenty of rest stops so she could have a moment to catch her breath, but it was an uphill battle. They were also losing daylight and it was a special kind of hell to get trapped in the jungle after nightfall where you couldn't even see your own damn hand in front of your face. Not to mention, the hungry nocturnal fiends he'd rather not deal with in the inevitable low lighting.

"I'm so sorry, Zack." Aerith's voice tore him from his musings. The last Cetra breathing heavily as she plopped down on a downed tree log and looked so incredibly miserable that it hurt his heart. "I know I'm slowing everyone down, it's just… Ugh! I thought after a few weeks of non-stop traveling I wouldn't be huffing and puffing like this anymore. I feel so weak…" she grumbled angrily while wiping her perspiring forehead with the back of her trembling hand.

"What are you talking about!? You just saved our asses back there! Don't even think that you're weak because you're one of the strongest people I know!" Zack chided while sliding to sit next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Aerith smiled at the statement but he still saw the doubt in her eyes and it broke his damn heart.

Zack bit his lip, yet before he said anything further, he lifted his blue eyes to the figures of the rest of the group standing at a nearby creek filling their canteens with fresh water. Seeing they weren't in hearing range, he continued, "I'm serious when I say you're actually doing great, sweetie. Traversing these jungles isn't easy whatsoever and the heat and humidity only makes it that much worse, especially if you're not used to it."

"I still feel bad… It's like everyone is always catering to me because I can't keep up," Aerith muttered lowly, playing with the ends of her frayed braid in an effort to keep her eyes away from Zack's concerned expression.

Zack pursed his lips, hating to see the self-deprecating look on her face and wanted nothing more than to reassure his angel, "That's not true! We've stopped plenty of times for the others. There's Barrett for instance in the Shinra tower with the giant ass flight of stairs and Yuffie whenever she needs to hurl every damn time she steps into a moving vehicle."

"Yeah, but that's not the same," Aerith pouted.

Zack bit his lip for a moment before he asked with a soft smile, "Hey, did I ever tell you about my friend Satatoro?"

Aerith's eyes perked up at the sudden new information he was sharing and he cheered inside at the interest in her pretty green eyes. "No, you didn't."

"Well, we both were born here and were friends since before we could walk. We were both so determined to join ShinRa to become First Class SOLDIERS yet he'd always be focused so much on strength and trying to pack on muscle that he never even bothered to do cardio to build up his stamina. The dude would nearly pass out when going for a light jog to my secret workout spot!"

"...So, you're saying I need to work on my stamina, hmm?" she teased lowly while brushing her hand on his thigh, loving to watch the adorable shade of coral red fill the apples of his cheeks.

Zack chuckled, "Babe, all I'm saying is that he lived here his whole life and he would have given up on this trek hours ago and yet here you are still pushing through!" he grasped at her wandering hand and held it against his chest, smiling so tenderly it made her heart throb against her sternum. "You're doing wonderful, Aeri. Don't you ever think otherwise. …Promise me?"

Aerith pursed her lips indecisively yet Zack didn't give, his big pout and patented puppy dog eyes she could never refuse had her throwing in the proverbial towel. Zack could be the most stubborn man on the planet when he set his mind to it. The Last Cetra finally relented with a sigh. "Fine. I won't say that anymore, okay?"

"Great!"

The Flower Girl huffed out a laugh before smiling at her wonderful and encouraging boyfriend. She quickly leaned up to place a quick kiss on the edge of his smiling mouth before resting her slight weight against his unmovable muscular frame. Bonelessly, she leaned against him, not even bothering to hide how absolutely exhausted she was anymore. "While I know I'm doing okay for making it this far, I still feel like shit for slowing us down… and now I can't feel my feet anymore."

Zack peered at her in concern before a brilliant idea popped into his head that had him smiling.

"...What?" Aerith asked when noticing him staring at her with barely restrained glee.

"I think I can help with that!"

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

"...Are you sure this is okay?" Aerith asked, her thin frame cradled tenderly in Zack's arms in a bridle carry, the Buster Sword strapped to his back didn't allow for piggy back rides after all.

"Any excuse I can carry you is valid to me, babe," Zack sent her a bright smile down at her. "Besides, once we get some Chocobos, it'll be a helluva lot easier to traverse this terrain. Believe it or not, but they can even jump on the giant mushrooms to get to the tops of some of these cliffs! I think you'll love the color of their feathers too. They're a green super similar to your eyes, but of course, your eyes are much prettier," he winked at her.

Cheeks warming at his flirty words, Aerith smiled. "Wow, really?" she asked, glancing at the giant mushrooms and all the unexplored areas they could reach using those.

"Yeah… I wonder if my Chocobo is still around…"

"You had a Chocobo growing up? You never told me that!" she slapped his chest lightly and sent him a pout.

"Sorry!" Zack chuckled when she tried to pinch him. "I thought I did but must have forgot to mention it, but yeah, I did! Raised him since he was a chick. I named him Mochi after my favorite treat my late grandma used to make me all the time as a kid."

"Oh my! How cute!" Aerith's beamed, instantly picturing a tiny Zack running around with an adorable green Chocobo Chick following faithfully behind him. She hoped his parents had pictures she could see of that!

"He certainly was. We were both always getting into trouble but it was fun. I hope he's still around. He was kind of a wild bird so he might have taken off when I left, but if he's still around, you can ride him around. It would make the trip a lot easier and I'm certain he'd fall in love with you just as quickly as I did." he said with a tender smile.

Aerith eagerly returned it, her heart thumping at just how happy Zack made her without even trying.

The love and adoration he showcased with every little act of kindness and encouragement he bestowed upon her without asking for anything in return. He truly was the sweetest, gentlest, most wonderful man on Gaia filled with a heart of pure gold. She truly felt like the luckiest woman on the planet to have a love like hers, one that fought fate to make it back to her... And now she was on a journey with him and all her new friends and heading towards the place Zack grew up! Somewhere he always talked about and now she really was here with him at her side…

It was as if all her tiny wishes had come true.

Overcome with the sudden rush of emotion, she burrowed further into his embrace.

The close contact and warmth of his body filling her lungs like a haze, she couldn't help but reply, "I dunno, Zack," The Flower Girl whispered lowly while leaning her head into the comfortable crook where his neck met his shoulder. Resting her flushed cheek on the thick woven black turtle neck until her nose brushed across the skin of his jaw. Aerith bit her bottom lip when she felt Zack noticeably shiver at the unexpected intimate contact. She leaned closer until her mouth brushed against his ear. "I think I prefer you carrying me better."

Zack swallowed thickly, his flushed cheeks and darkening blue eyes peering down at her; the expression on his face filled with so much love and admiration it made her head spin. "Yeah?" he asked, glancing down at her lips and holding her just a little tighter against his chest.

"Yeah…"she whispered, leaning closer to him.

Yet before their lips could meet, Yuffie ruined it with a groan.

"Alright! Alright, lovebirds! We get it! You're in love and don't get enough 'alone time'," Yuffie announced crankily from right behind them, angrily stating some words with finger quotes, "But please, for the love of Leviathan, just stop it! I'm nauseous enough already without you guys always finding every damn excuse to suck face."

"Excuse me?" Aerith reprimanded with a rare glare.

"Yuffie! Leave them alone! They're cute!" Tifa chided, lightly smacking the teen on the shoulder.

"Heh. Yeah, yeah, Boobies, I bet pretty soon you and the Chocobo over there are probably gonna be following SOLDIER and Pinky soon enough and then I'll forcefully be subjected to more PDA no one asked to see!"

Tifa's face turned an alarming shade of red and Cloud actually stumbled over a blade of grass.

"Fuckin' hell, girlie! That's enough out of you! If you're mouth is working that good, you're not walking fast enough!" Barrett pushed the teen forward while rolling his eyes at her non-stop antics that were getting rather exhausting, "The faster we move our asses, the faster we'll be there! Now, hurry up!"

"Dat's right, lassie! According to my calculations, we should be arriving fairly soon!" Cait Sith piped up from his perch on Nanaki's back, the cat doing his best to stay away from Yuffie's grasp and from losing anymore Materia to the sticky-fingered teen.

Zack bit his lip to stop from grinning like a madman at how, when things quieted down again, Cloud and Tifa glanced at one another before looking away with their lips curved in shy smiles. Nanaki brushed by his leg and flashed him a conspiratory grin. Zack peered back at Aerith to apologize for their ruined moment and hoping to get it back, yet all of a sudden, he froze when Cait Sith's words finally settled low in his gut.

The damn robot cat was right.

The widening of the brush and a more well-worn walking paths were becoming clearer the further they continued. More and more of the areas they passed and the sight of them mixed with all the years he spent growing up, the same locations and sites were ones he saw frequently. The cliff-side his dad would take him on short camping trips over the weekend. The creek him and his childhood friends would go and catch fish during the long summer. The fields his mom would take him to pick mushrooms and other vegetables for dinner. That familiar patch of giant mushrooms him and Mochi would jump off of to go explore the topside mountains.

…Fuck.

They were getting close.

Within a few minutes, they'd turned another corner past two tall grassy cliffs and a beautiful clear waterfall pouring loudly into a shallow river when Zack's heart nearly trembled at seeing the green tops of trees give way in the distance to painfully familiar domed roofs…

Gongaga was right there.

The anxiety he'd held down for nearly the whole journey was now boiling like Ifrit's fire deep in his stomach, twisting his gut uncomfortably as the wooden gates of Gongaga slowly came into view in the distance.

Yet before he could commiserate on this any further, Zack's SOLDIER senses rushed into high gear.

With one swift move, he'd gently placed the confused Aerith back on the ground and silently maneuvering her to stay behind him. With a flex of his bicep, the Buster Sword was off his back with a satisfying shing sound and he'd instantly taken a protective stance in front of the most important person in his entire life. The others nearby noticed his alarm and immediately jumped into action.

Within seconds, the entire group was aiming their various weapons at the figures that suddenly appeared out of the thick brush that surrounded them.

Zack cursed himself for not noticing them sooner but regardless, he was ready for anything they could throw at him.

Yet any fight or flight response honed from years of being in SOLDIER and that hellish year on the run fighting for his and Cloud's survival faded completely away when he saw the familiar face of the leader, someone he never thought he would again in this lifetime.

"...Cissnei?"

[numericalbridge]

Title: Mallow (part 2/3)

Fandom: The Owl House

Rating: G

Word count: 3414 (Full fic - 9340)

Main characters: Darius, that one little abomination (Mallow)

Other characters: Eber, Raine, Luz, various palismen; in the first part - the previous Golden Guard (Virgil)

Summary:

An AU where the little abomination was the previous Golden Guard's palisman

[part 1] - x - [part 3] - [full story]

4. Introductions.

“What is this? Who is this?” Eberwolf chirped and pointed at Mallow’s hiding spot.

“Nothing, it’s just…”

“I can smell them!” Eberwolf sniffed the air, intentionally loud. Darius cringed. Disgusting.

“It’s just an abomination of mine. Useful for certain types of covert work.”

“Nah, I can smell the difference. The old wood, hiding under the goo. Smart.” Eberwolf grinned, pleased with herself.

Darius considered her. They were tentative allies for now, and he thought he could trust her… for the most part. “Trust no one in the Castle,” Virgil would’ve said. Open up to no one. And trusting her with Mallow especially…

“Come out, little one,” Eberwolf barked. Then she whistled. Loud.

“What’s this accursed sound?” Darius scrunched up his nose. The damned demon was capable of making noises that would awaken the Titan himself!

“Palismen love the whistling,” Eberwolf chittered. “Oh, Hell-o!”

Mallow emerged, blinking sluggishly in the light of the room, and slowly toddled towards Eberwolf, evaluating her with their perpetually serious green eye. Then they looked at Darius.

“Mallow, this is Eberwolf the Huntsman. She is my ally.”

Eberwolf yelped happily. Mallow considered her in silence. They were thoughtful just like that.

“And this is Mallow...”

“Hi, hi, hi! Nice to meet you,” Eberwolf greeted in a sing-song... growl… and offered them her paw.

Mallow blinked, nodded to Darius, and retreated back to their hiding spot.

Eberwolf stared, crestfallen. Perhaps even a little hurt. Her ears flicked.

Darius snorted, “Oh, they are not like one of your obedient beasts. Mallow doesn’t trust just anybody.” He considered his nails. “I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”

Eberwolf turned her head away. Her ears twitched and lowered in embarrassment. Or shame. Ah.

Ugh, perhaps Darius was far too generous for his own good: “Don’t worry too much about it. They clearly accepted you in their own way.”

Eberwolf gave him the side-eye.

“They don’t really have much experience working with others. So if you want to work together with them, you should be considerate and… Wha...” She was climbing onto his shoulder. She was climbing his cape.

“Stop this immediately!” he spat.

“I just want to hear you better,” she sang innocently.

“No! Behave yourself, you’re acting like some... feral mutt!”

Eberwolf growled into his ear.

“Get down!” He tried to shake her off. “What a nerve!”

She was doing it on purpose! Moreover, he spotted Mallow’s green eye following them with an almost amused expression. Traitor.

----

Something is changing again. Mallow doesn’t know whether they like the change. Before, Mallow and Darius were the same: disconnected from everyone, but united in their strange alliance. Now there are others. Darius is talking more, in a weirdly animated way, and Mallow doesn’t understand what this change in him will bring. In the past, when he was alive, Darius didn’t pay Mallow much attention. He called them ‘cute’, but they weren’t his ally.

Now Darius has new allies.

----

“Foxglove, no! Stop it!”

The fox was clawing at the wall of Virgil’s old Latissa hideout. Titan-damn, Raine and their palisman.

“Rein in your fox!”

“He’s just curious about something,” Raine replied lazily, zero apology in their voice.

“It’s because of Mallow,” Eber offered from the bunk bed where she was lounging and sharpening her claws on a whetstone.

“Mallow?” Raine raised their head and adjusted their glasses, curious.

“Yes, I suppose I should introduce you now,” Darius decided. “Since you’ll be working with them. Just control your uncouth beast.”

Raine clicked their tongue. Foxglove trotted up to them and circled their legs excitedly.

Darius knocked on the secret panel, and it slid aside. Mallow stepped onto his palm.

“Mallow. Raine Whispers.”

Mallow squinted at Raine, then looked up at Darius, questioning.

“What? Yes, this is the Raine I’ve told you about,” Darius admitted in a low voice. Can’t let Raine hear.

“A palisman?” Raine leaned forward to have a good look at them, Foxglove yapping from the floor. “I didn’t know you had one.”

“Well, I don’t,” Darius replied. “Mallow’s not mine.” He set them down on the big table in the center of the room.

Mallow warbled. Foxglove yelped something at Raine that made them look at Mallow even more intently. “Oh?”

Mallow cooed. Eber was staring too. Darius’s ears twitched. Were they all onto something he didn’t know?

“We are working together. I’ll use Mallow to send you and your associates – students or whatever – messages. In the Castle too. You understand?”

Mallow waved at Raine. Eber groaned – still bitter about Mallow’s standoffish attitude towards her.

Raine either wasn’t convinced of Mallow’s abilities or they didn’t get what ‘the palisman is not mine’ meant. Their eyes glinted mischievously. “Why do they have your… em… hair, then?” they asked.

Darius groaned.

“Because,” Raine continued, “I remember you’d thought that Alador’s miserable rat was, I quote, ‘cringe’?”

Darius sighed. Checked his gloves for dust. This meant ‘don’t ask me any more stupid questions, don’t give me a headache’. “Stop being silly, Raine. The hair… that was to make them blend in with my other abominations.”

Mallow warbled again, fast.

“Ah, yes,” Raine grinned, “because all your other abominations having the same hairstyle as you is absolutely not…”

Foxglove yapped and growled.

Raine blinked. “Oh? Emergency operation? Ah, really? He saved you?” Raine addressed Mallow this time, but Darius noticed the quick look they gave him. What was that? Surprise? Of course it was…

“That was very sweet of him,” Raine grinned wider.

Eber jumped from her bunk bed and hopped up to the table. “What? What happened? Because Eber wasn’t told the full story,” she demanded.

Darius paid her no mind. Raine… “How do… how would you know what happened to Mallow?”

Raine reached down and scratched their palisman behind his ears. “Foxglove told me. They have very deep connections of their own, you know? The palismen.”

Darius looked at Foxglove. Then at Mallow, propped up royally on the table, their eye glimmering mysteriously. Darius often wondered, perhaps a little obsessively, what were they thinking about. What do they know?

And now even Raine, who was willing to let him and Eber die just a few weeks ago, could understand them? Raine would have happily destroyed Virgil’s legacy as if it is nothing.

“Wait, how do you communicate with them?” Raine suddenly asked.

“I… we just sort of guess?” Darius squirmed under their stare. No, he couldn’t be bitter over a palisman that wasn’t even his. No way. “They can sign a little, and they can point at writing or pictures to communicate with me. We have a perfectly fine, well-thought-out system,” he assured them.

Mallow nodded sagely.

But this wasn’t a real bond, Darius guessed, looking at Raine and their fox. Was it disappointing for Mallow? Painful? It wasn’t even like the connection Eber had with her beasts.

“Ugh, time to go back,” Raine sighed heavily, checking their scroll. “But I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Mallow.” They winked at the palisman.

Mallow waved at them and then at Foxglove.

Eber copied Raine, but Mallow ignored her as usual. It was a sort of a game between the two... or so Darius hoped.

He translocated Raine and Eber back to their places. Then he finally was able to sink into the bed, groaning.

“Praise the Titan, now I can rest,” he grumbled to Mallow. “But, oh, that bard and their Foxglove…” Of course they had been hiding their palisman successfully, didn’t have to give him up. Just like a real hero.

A tug on his cape. “What?”

Mallow signed: “There is another.”

“This again?” Darius had assumed Mallow meant Foxglove, but now it seemed that they thought there was a different hidden palisman in the Castle, and for some reason it made them nervous.

“Are you sure?”

Mallow nodded, agitated. A bird, very old. A boy.

Darius put his chin on his hands, thinking: the youngest scouts and staff… that one weird guy Steve – it seemed like he wasn’t a complete doormat…

Mallow was very persistent and kinda upset about the palisman, but the limited communication between them just wasn’t enough.

Darius felt another headache coming on. “Well, maybe you can explain all this to Raine’s palisman, and then he will tell them, and then, finally, they will inform me.”

He wasn’t showing his bitterness, right?

“What? Don’t give me that look. I saw it! And don’t pull so hard on the cape, thank you very much!”

Mallow glared at him, then crossed their arms and turned away. Pouting. Or just thinking about something. How could Darius tell?

This was Darius’s closest ally in the Castle for years! Yet, Darius realized, even they were as distant from him as everybody else. What could they be thinking about? He couldn’t even guess.

A palisman, not his own. A rebellion where he was playing a villain. When he was little, he had a bond even with his damn rust-toothed cat. Now?

This was probably concerning. Disturbing even.

Was this what the look Raine gave him after he introduced Mallow was really about? Of course, Raine had had the luxury of staying away from the Castle for so long. They still were able to get bothered and to worry about their secrets from Eda and all that nonsense. Acting like a nice person. Teasing him, like they weren’t looking down on him for all these years.

Eber claimed they were ‘buddies’… Yet just how well did they know each other, really? Darius was always annoyed, and his particularities clashed with hers. How long would she tolerate him once the rebellion is over?

Does any of this matter? The rebellion and the Day of Unity were the only things that mattered. Virgil would’ve thought so too. Looking up to a witch who is long gone.

And what kinds of relationships and bonds did Virgil, ever so secretive, have in his life? Darius wondered, tickling Mallow with an abomination tendril, the way they usually liked. But they were still pouting.

Only the Day of Unity mattered right now. Don’t waver, don’t doubt, don’t get distracted.

Finally Mallow shuddered and tried to push the abomination away, cooing with what – for them – was laughter.

----

There is another palisman in the Castle. He is old and independent in a way that almost scares Mallow. He calls for them just like the others, but there is something else. The loss. It frightens them – the connection so unwanted, yet so familiar.

But it’s all right. Mallow doesn’t want to talk or bond or chirp. They are all right. The others – their brethren in the forests, the bird in the Castle – lose someone, and they find new connections. But Mallow has their job to do.

The Big Day is near, and Darius seems busier, more haunted. Mallow has their own duties – spying, watching, conveying. Always one step away from the Monster of the Heart Room. So it’s all right, even if the promised big changes scare them so much that sometimes they almost forget his wish.

----

Darius was surprised to find the human child in the kitchen in the middle of the night. His aunts surely would have made a great fuss and send her to bed immediately, but, honestly, he had no energy to argue with yet another teenager.

“Are you supposed to be awake at this hour?” he asked just out of obligation. “Any responsible adult would greatly object to you staying up this late. And you will probably fall asleep during the day,” he added.

The girl raised her head. She looked very young and very tired. That little outburst of hers over Eda must have been exhausting. Darius couldn’t imagine how she managed to find the energy to get all aww-y over Raine and some stupid team name… Perhaps Raine does actually possess some kind of teacher’s intuition.

Darius put his hand under his chin and narrowed his eyes. “Although I suppose Eda isn’t one to reinforce the curfew,” he noted. Has Eda actually managed to become some kind of responsible adult? he wondered.

“Oh, I just wanted to sit with…” the girl gestured at the egg-shaped palisman carving on her lap. “I’ll stay just a little longer, if it’s all right?”

Yes, there was a stark difference, Darius decided, between her chirpy, bouncy attitude from before and this more subdued, almost depressed demeanor.

“Hmm, so this is your palisman?” he asked.

“Well, yeah,” she perked up. “They haven’t hatched yet. I decided to give them a chance to decide themselves what to be, right?”

“An interesting choice,” Darius conceded. All he wanted was a cup of char tree tea to drive away the headache. Just two more days… Two more days, and then... it’s over?

“And I wanted to ask,” the human raised her hand like she was in school. “Ah, is this, like, your super secret cool spy hideout or…?” She looked around, as if distracted by a completely different thought. “Because there are all these cool weapons around, and King will, maybe, want to play with them when he isn’t so tired…”

Darius tensed. “No, those aren’t mine.” Should he really explain this? “And I’m just using the place. It used to be Virgil’s… my late mentor’s apartment. He liked to collect old weapons.”

Or he was preparing to arm himself and others in an insurrection against the throne. And was Darius really going to blabber on about his dead mentor and the good old days to this human child? Right now, just before the Day of Unity, when he needed concentration and all the rest he could get?

But the girl sat up like she was waiting for a story. What would be the point? At least when Terra recounted her youthful adventures during the Coven Head meetings, there was always some sort of bloodthirsty moral to it.

Don’t get too attached, it will hurt you and twist you into something you won’t like. Here, the moral.

“But those weapons are certainly not toys,” he forced himself to say instead. He hoped this marked an end to the conversation. He turned to rummage in the cupboard.

“So, was your teacher a rebel too?” The girl certainly didn’t get the hint.

Was he? A rebel? Darius didn’t know. He certainly imagined Virgil as a rebel, but that was just a guess poisoned with sentimentality. Mechanically, Darius pulled a cup from the cupboard. A mournful green eye stared up at him. Mallow! How did they get in there? Were they listening? Did they understand?

“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Did I ask the wrong thing?” the girl practically leapt out of her seat, fumbling with her palisman carving.

Mallow. The girl. Whatever. He could do whatever Raine could do.

Darius slowly turned the cup upside down, and Mallow fell out.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not a big deal. Please, stop apologizing! He’s gone, and that was a long, long time ago. I don’t know where his true loyalties lay, or what his real motivations were.” Mallow might know. Maybe even other palismen. Darius nearly laughed out loud at the thought, but stopped himself. Ah, yes, do what Raine would do.

“This is Mallow, by the way. His palisman.” He stepped aside so that she could see. “This is Luz the Human, the Owl Lady’s ward... And her future palisman, I suppose.”

“They are sooo adorable!” Luz made a gesture as if to pinch Mallow’s face. “Who is the adorable squishy?”

Mallow cooed, mildly offended.

“Aww, do you work for the rebellion too?”

Mallow nodded solemnly.

“Well, they have a talent for, as you would call it, spy work,” Darius explained. He was glad that the talk about Virgil was seemingly over, yet a part of him, he realized with disgust, yearned to reminisce more. This wasn’t the girl’s problem, though. Judging by her reaction to Eda’s capture, she knew all about loss. How strange, to picture Eda in Virgil’s place. It would have been unsettling to imagine someone in his own role. Trapped by one’s own mind.

“But they are not your palisman now?” Luz asked suddenly, frowning in her sad way. “You don’t have a palisman?”

“No, as I’ve said…” What was on her mind? Her thoughts seemed to move from one thing to another very fast, and he couldn’t follow. And why was this reminding him of that old conversation? Should he talk about his cat now?

“A-ah! I know! Have you heard – I suppose you should’ve, being a Coven Head and all – we have a program at Hexside now, adopting out the palismen who had lost their witches or demons,” she jumped up again, excited. “Sooo?”

“So?” He supposed when everything would be over Mallow might want to find someone new. It would be good for them. Darius didn’t look at them. Then, the last reminder of Virgil will be gone. But Mallow wasn’t Darius’s property. It was ridiculous and cruel to feel bitter. Yet he couldn’t look at them…

“So you can adopt Mallow as your own palisman!” Luz threw her arms wide as if already celebrating the adoption.

Darius startled, yet again strangely and vividly reminded of Virgil. But could he? He met Mallow’s eye. Their expression was as unreadable as ever.

“No.” The connection, the one Hunter had spoken about, the one between Foxglove and Raine, it just wasn’t there. “I think our situation is different.”

“Oh.” Luz’s face fell for a moment, as if this was, somehow, her fault again. “I… I see…”

Darius leaned back against the kitchen counter. “It’s not like it’s a bad thing,” he said. “We already work very well together. Right, Mallow?” They nodded and murmured.

“And…” Darius threw a deliberately exasperated look in the direction of the doorway that led to the main room, “unlike my other colleagues and co-conspirators, Mallow is well-behaved and isn’t prone to bringing in dirt from outside. They definitely have more sense than some people I know.”

Luz giggled, and Mallow muttered in agreement.

And, perhaps, it really wasn’t so bad? Was it weird? Darius supposed it was weird, to seriously ally himself with his dead mentor’s palisman... but it wasn’t bad; and with Eber and the rest of them – he supposed he should’ve given up by now on not being weird. And, if it wasn’t for Mallow he would have…Did he need that special magical bond to connect with the creature? He just wished he knew their thoughts on the matter.

“We can work with what we have…” he concluded. Would have…

“Oh, I get it, I think…” Luz said, now contemplative.

“Still, I wish this little guy would hatch soon,” she added, looking down at her palisman carving and patting it gingerly. “Is it bad? Am I impatient? Or, like, selfish? But humans don’t have palismen, so what if…” she trailed off. What if I did something wrong?

Darius shifted uncomfortably. Titan, even navigating the Coven politics was so much easier than this. “Well,” he started. “You are young, so it is natural that you are impatient…” He knew how to shut his fellow Head Witches up, how to spot a trap… but this? This?

Mallow warbled and gestured with their arms.

“What? Well, I am glad to announce that, if I understand them correctly, Mallow doesn’t seem to think that there is anything wrong with your palisman. So that’s not a problem.”

Luz raised her head. “Ah, thank you, Mallow,” she muttered awkwardly.

Darius hesitated. “And there is nothing selfish in you wanting this, I am sure anyone will tell you the same thing. Look, even adults need time to sort things out – just ask Eda!”

“Yes, I suppose,” Luz looked contemplative again, gently cradling her palisman.

“Now, child, go to bed, it’s too late,” Darius remembered that it was the middle of the night. He made a shooing motion with his hand. “I swear, if my aunts were here, they would have given you an earful.”

----

If there is a change, if there is someone who will call to them again, who will find them again… Mallow trembles at the thought. Is there a future if the Monster is still in the Castle, and his voice still calls to them and orders them to run and hide?

Yet isn’t the Castle their home? The Castle is not as terrifying as the Forest of the Voices or even Latissa where they were given form.

Yet the Castle is a trap.

Both their home and a trap.

[wings-of-an-antelope]

You're going to sunburn!

Ice X reader

Warnings- None

Summary- Ice loves the way you fuss over the little things, he's always up in the sky out of reach but when he touches the ground he knows he'll be loved.

Stepping out onto the side walk, Ice makes his way up to the door, keys jangling in his hand as he whistles a little tune. It was all he could do to curb the excitement building in his stomach as the smell of cookies wafted heavily in the air the closer he got to the door. He could hear you singing in the kitchen, a song playing on the radio, the sound of the door hidden by the music he was able to slip in, set down his things and watch you from the door.

The way your hips swung to the music, the way your lips formed the lyrics, hair swaying about with your movement, Ice was utterly enthralled with the sight before him. He must have made a noise, or brushed against something because you turned around and smiled, the soft secret smile reserved only for him. It made his heart flutter helplessly in his chest as you place the hot cookies on a tray setting on the counter.

"I didn't hear you come in, my love." You chirped, molding yourself in his embrace the moment his arms spread open in front of him, your eyes staring adoringly into his own.

"I snuck in, darlin'. Couldn't bring myself to interrupt your groove." He chuckled, leaning down and placing a tender kiss on your lips, as you pull away he give a little smirk and pushes the tips of his fingers down into your fresh sugar cookie dough.

"Mmm, no distractions right now, Mister. We're going to the beach with everyone today.... In like two minutes, you should go change." You smile up at him when he raises his brow at you, his signature grin sliding into place on his face.

"You are a very busy body." He chuckled making his way down the hall and into your shared room to change into shorts.

The sun beat down on the sand unmercifully, though it went unnoticed by beach goers, the water serving to cool them down, various sports being played served as a distraction. Ice however watches you playing in the sand happily, you've got a pretty great sand castle built, then as you look up at him he's shocked to find a worried expression blemishing your perfect face.

You rummage through your bag pulling something from it and jogging over to him hands outstretched, knowing he would move into them.

"What are you doing, Darlin'?" Ice asks as your fingers slide over his cheeks, nose and forehead with a slippery substance before moving down to his chest and eventually around his back.

"You're going to sunburn!" You pout prettily up at him, your eyes gazing deeply into each other.

"You don't like it when I look like a lobster?" He asked, his voice tinged heavily with amusement at the look on your face, your head shaking vigorously.

"Hey! Ice! We need another player!" Maverick called out from the volleyball court, pulling Ice's attention briefly to behind him, you took the opportunity to cover his neck in sunblock as well.

"Go have fun my love, I'll be cheering from the sidelines." You shoo him off, moving your resting area closer to the court so that you could cheer for him.

By the end of the night everyone was tired, and more than a little excited to be going home, the only one sporting a sunburn, making him look like a lobster, was Maverick.

Ice had the perfect life, his rival was suffering mildly, the love of his life was laying in the passenger seat of his truck, trying to keep their eyes open and best of all. Your love was absolute, and the one thing he could count on in his life to never change.

A/n- It's really short and kind of lacking, I appologize.

[ghouligancentral]

The Job

Aether Morgan X fem!Reader

Part 7 of The Bandit (link to Masterlist)

Summary- The time for the job has finally arrived.

Chapter rating- Mature (no smut)

A hazy mist covers the darkening landscape as you open your eyes. You have no idea where Sean has gone off to and Arthur is still asleep beside you. The others must be getting there soon, so you stand to dust yourself off in an attempt to look as presentable as possible. After whistling for June, you stroll over to begin prepping your saddle. Upon turning around, you find not only has June responded to your whistle but so has Boadicea. 

“Hello you two,” you smile as you give both horses a gentle pat. You jump upon hearing a light chuckling coming from somewhere behind you but settle quickly when you realize whose voice it belongs to. 

“She don’t do that often.” 

“I thought you was still sleepin’,” you reply, still giving your full attention to the horses. 

“ and miss out on getting you alone for a moment.” 

Your smile widens as you feel two strong arms wrap themselves around your body. Arthur hums happily as he rests his chin on your head and watches you interact with his prized mare. My two favorite ladies , Arthur thinks to himself. The two of you remain like this until the sound of a wagon rattling down the road off in the distance catches your attention. 

“Arthur.” 

“Mhhh.” 

“The others are gonna be here soon. You gotta let go of me so I can saddle up the horses,” you gently say as you try to untangle yourself from his arms. With a sigh Arthur relents and lets go of you. You start with your own saddle before quickly moving to do the same with Arthur’s. 

“You ain’t got to do that, I got it,” Arthur utters as he moves to try and take the saddle away from you. But before he has a chance to get his hands on the seat, you set it on Boadicea’s back. 

“I got this, you go find Sean and make sure he’s ready. I’d really hate for him to miss this,” you smirk before returning to the task at hand. 

“Yes ma’am,” Arthur replies with a tip of his hat as he sets off in search of the rogue Irishman. 

Arthur finds Sean shooting at some bottles off in the woods. 

“Yet terrible at that,” Arthur chuckles as he leans up against a tree, watching the younger man miss yet another shot. 

“What’s it to you?” Sean sneers back, he really isn’t in the mood for Arthur’s critiques. 

“Cause I don’t want to get shot!” 

“Yer real fuckin’ funny, aren’t ya?” Sean jabs before taking another shot at the bottles. 

“What’s gotten into you boy?” Arthur asks as the smile on his face forms into a scowl. He can tell there is something more than just playful teasing behind Sean’s words. 

“Nothin’ I’m always like this, aren’t I?” Sean snaps. 

“Yer always an asshole but not like this,” Arthur retorts as he draws his pistol and shoots one of the bottles. This action just makes Sean even more angry. 

“You better sleep with yer eyes open Arthur Morgan,” Sean huffs, “ or at least get Clara to, seein’ as she spends every night in bed with you.”

“Hey! Don’t bring her into this!”

“Why not? You're scared that she’ll get a good look a ya and come running to someone younger,” Sean seers. 

“Wait? Are you… are you jealous of me?” Arthur asks, a little taken back at the idea. The look in Sean’s eyes tells him all he needs to know. 

“No,” Sean quickly snaps back,” … maybe.” 

Sean huffs and turns his back to Arthur, taking one last shot at the bottles and finally hitting one.

“Listen, Sean-“ 

“What are you doin’ here kid?” a voice interrupts Arthur. 

“I’m comin’ with ya!” Sean chirps. 

“I said you wasn’t comin’” John replies with a scowl. 

“Well Artur said I could, and he’s in charge,” Sean retorts. John cocks an eyebrow at Arthur who just gives a defeated shrug in reply. 

“So who’s this gun Hosea told us you were bringin’?” Charles questions as he approaches the rest of the men. 

“Huh?” John is even more displeased at this point, Hosea hadn’t told him anything about another person joining the job. Great, now I have to watch out for another person, John thinks to himself. 

“That would be me,” you utter as you approach with the horses in tow. John’s eyes widen in disbelief. Oh here we go. 

“Everyone, this here is Miss Winters. The finest shot a man could hope for,” Sean introduces you with a smile. The big guy moves forward to offer you his hand. 

“I’m Charles. It’s a pleasure to meet ya, miss Winters,” Charles greets, offering you a friendly smile. 

“Nice to meet you. You can call me Clara,” you respond as you shake the man’s hand. John makes no move to greet you. The disbelief on his face has turned into a scowl. Sean notices the frown on John’s face and steps closer to you. 

“That’s John Marston,” Sean explains before dropping his voice to a whisper, “ he’s not the friendliest sort.” 

“Clara,” John scoffs as he turns his back and storms back over to the wagon. Arthur furrows his brow in response to John’s cold attitude. He thought John would be happy to see an old friend. However, you had conveniently forgotten to tell Arthur how things had been left off between the two of you. 

________________ years earlier_______________

The sun shines down on the two of you as you lay sprawled out in the field. The sweet scent of wildflowers fill your lungs as you take a deep breath. However, the joy that you should be feeling in this moment is clouded by something else. I have to tell him . You have been dreading this day for a week, ever since your father told you that you both were leaving the gang. You know you should have told him earlier, but this was your last chance. You are leaving tomorrow.

“John,” you utter as you watch him stirl slightly in the grass beside you, “John, are you awake?”

“Am now,” John mumbles sleepily as he lifts the brim of his hat up off of his eyes. 

“I need to tell you something,” you continue, feeling the anxiety building within you. 

“What a coincidence, I’ve been meaning to ask you somethin’ myself,” John voices as he reaches up to pull you down next to him. 

“John, stop. This is serious,” you giggle a little as he wrestles you into a spooning position. 

“I am bein’ serious,'' John teases as he finally manages to pin you down, “ but, seriously, I know these past couple weeks have been rough on you. Ya know, with your ma dyin’ and yer dad startin’ to get drunk every night and Dutch hoverin’ over ya–”

“Does this have any point other than reminding me of how terrible my life is at the moment?”

“I’m gettin’ there. Hold yer horses,” John props himself up on his elbow and looks down at you, “my point is we should run away together.”

“What?!” You quickly sit up and turn to look at him, half expecting to see a teasing grin on his face, but all you see is honesty. 

“I mean it. Let’s just get out of here. You and me, we could start our own gang. Wouldn’t have anyone telling us what to do, we could just live, ya know.”

John watches as you just stare at him incredulously “We’re too young. We’re still kids.”

“Yeh, I guess you’re right. Well the whole point to this is that I want you to know that I’ll always be there for ya,” John smiles. 

“Oh look at that,” John says as he points out to the camp at the base of the hill, “ look’s like someone is packing up for a long job. Wonder who it is.” 

That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach makes itself known once again. 

“That’s for me and my dad,” you utter, turning your face away from his so he couldn’t see the tears welling up in your eyes, “we’re leaving.”

“What do you mean ‘leave'? Like going on a job leaving or ….?” John’s words trail off when the reality of your words hit him. 

“My father is leaving the gang and takin’ me with him.” 

“He can’t do that! He can’t just force you to go with him. Maybe we can talk to Dutch or Hosea about you staying here. I bet Grimshaw would take care of you, I mean–” John rambles, trying to think of any way you wouldn’t have to go. 

“John,” you say as you find the courage to look in his eyes, “ I.. I want to go.”

“You want to go? You actually want to leave the gang? But why?” John looks at you with hurt in his eyes. 

“Like you said before my life here is pretty bad, I want to get a fresh start, maybe even try goin’ to school and doing some honest work–”

“Oh so when were you planning on tell me?” John questions as he feels anger bubbling up inside him, “or were you even planning on telling me?” 

John stands up and begins storming across the field away from you. He is not entirely sure where he is going. 

“John! John wait” you yell out, tears welling up in your eyes. John ignores your pleas and keeps marching across the field. 

“Leave me alone!” John yells, keeping his back turned to you. 

“John, just let me–” you call as you chase after him. John suddenly stops and turns back to face you, fire in his eyes. 

“Let you-what? What can you possibly say that will change any of this?!” John growls as he watches you stumble to catch up to him. 

“I..I’m sorry, John.”

“Sorry? You’re sorry?” John questions. 

“Yes, I’m sorry,” You utter through broken sobs. The sight tears at his heart. He can hardly stand to watch the girl he is in love with cry like this, but he’s too hurt at the moment for it to make a difference.

“Well you know what! I’m sorry too! I’m sorry I ever let myself fall in love with you,” John barks as he turns to storm off once more. 

That was the last time you had ever seen John until today, and by the looks of it he was still not over it. 

—-----------------------------------

The five of you now begin to gather up the last of your things before heading out. 

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Arthur asks as he mounts Boadicea. The rest of you give a collective ‘yes’. John and Charles climb back onto the wagon while you and Sean mount your horses. By the time you reach the tracks, the sun has fully set. John pulls the wagon up so that it sits on the tracks blocking the train’s path. You dismount June before grabbing your rifle and bandana from your pack. After sending her off in the direction of the woods, You tie the bandana around your face as you watch John, Charles, and Sean all standing together checking their ammo and chattin. Arthur waves you over to him.

“Come ‘ere and help me unhook these horses,” Arthur calls. You walk over and begin unbuckling the leather straps of the harness that connect the horses to the carriage. 

“So John seems a little–” 

Arthur pauses, searching for the right word. 

“Pissed? Yeh I picked up on that,” you utter as you continue your work, “ we didn’t exactly part ways on a good note.” 

Arthur nods in understanding before finishing with his side of the harness. He smacks both horses on the rear to get them heading off towards the woods before stepping over the harness to get to you. 

“You be careful, alright.” Arthur murmurs as he lifts your chin so that you are looking in his eyes. He leans down so that his forehead rests against yours. 

“You too,” you reply with a small smile. The two of you separate and you make your way off of the tracks over to where Sean stands. 

“Charles, Sean and I will make our way through the train while John and Clara serve as our lookouts,” Arthur announces as he ties the black bandana around his face. John throws you a nasty look. 

“Why can’t I go through the train and you be the lookout? Or Sean? Or Charles?” John questions, stepping up to face Arthur. 

“Because,” Arthur grunts, as he bends down to retrieve his rifle, “ I have to babysit Sean-”

“Fuck ya Arthur!” Sean calls from beside you, even in the dim light you can see a grin on his face. Arthur just rolls his eyes and continues with his explanation. 

“And Charles, well Charles is more intimidating than you.” 

“Fine,” John grunts as he turns around, but before he can go anywhere, Arthur tugs him back by the collar of his jacket. 

“If you let anything happen to her just because of some shit that happened years ago, I swear to God I will have no issue putting a bullet in your head. Do you understand?” Arthur threatens, just loud enough for only John to hear. 

“Why do you care what happens to her—”

Arthur casts his stare downwards at the ground to avoid eye contact. 

“Yer.. yer in love with her aren’t ya?” John questions as Arthur meets his gaze once more, “I made that mistake before.”

Arthur squeezes John’s collar a little tighter as a warning. The sound of a train whistle causes them both to break eye contact for a moment before resuming. 

“Okay! Okay! I’ll keep an eye on her. For your sake. But don’t say I didn’t warn ya,” John mutters as Arthur lets go of his collar. 

“Remember these are innocent folks, if we do this right no one has to die,” John explains to the three of you. 

“When she slows, board her,” Arth calls from his position on the track. 

“Any you?” Sean asks.

“I’m making sure it stops,” Arthur grins as he pulls the bandana up over his face. 

You watch from your position in the woods as the train’s light floods into the trees, quickly stepping back behind a large oak as to not be seen. As the train begins to slow, you follow behind Charles with Sean and John trailing close behind. The train comes to a stop four or so feet in front of the wagon. A rather confused looking engineer hops down. That was his first mistake. 

“What’s going on here?” the engineer yells out, only to be knocked out by Charles. The five of you boarded the train, with Arthur, Sean and Charles beginning to make their way through the passenger cars and you and John climbing up on top of the third train car to serve as lookouts. 

The both of you kneel down and begin scanning the surrounding area. The only sounds that can be heard are the chirps of crickets and howl of a pack of coyotes off in the distance. 

“So how’d ya get that nice scar of yours?” You question, trying to break the awkwardness between the two of you. 

“Wolves,” John replies shortly. 

“Wolves?! Marston, you know you can’t just go tellin’ me wolves ripped off half your face without goin’ into more detail.”

“Not much to tell.”

“Marston, you tell me right now.” 

John smiles slightly under his bandana. This was the Clara he remembered from his youth. Headstrong, curious, and stubborn as an ox. 

“The gang was out west, up in Colter, during a snowstorm I got lost and they attacked me. Not much more to it than that,” John utters, allowing himself to relax a little. 

“First you escape from hangin’ then you escape from wolves. You’ve gotta be both the luckiest and unluckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met,” you chuckle. You can tell John is now more open to talking to you, so you decide to push a little further. 

“Listen John, I’m sorry about how we left things,” you utter as you turn to look at him. The statement catches Him off guard, he really wasn’t expecting you to remember or care. 

“You really want to talk about this now?” John mumbles as he cocks his eyebrow at you. 

“Yes, I can tell you are still hurt.”

John grunts at your comment and goes back to scanning the area. 

“Just because it’s been 10 years, doesn’t mean that I don’t still care for you. After all you are still my friend,” you state while looking up at John. John can’t help but take a glance at you out of the corner of his eyes. The way your eyes watch him makes his heart flutter a little, just like when he saw you all those years ago. John gives a small nod, letting you know that he understands. 

“You certainly have an awful taste in men,” John smirks, his teasing nature showing once more. 

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Outlaws. Not exactly the best choice of partner, don’t cha think? First me and now Arthur.”

“Arthur told you?” You question in surprise, you didn’t really peg Arthur as one to go around boasting about his personal affairs. 

“No, not exactly, but I could see it in his eyes,” John explains, there is something akin to sadness in his voice. During a lull in the conversation, you can hear Arthur shouting at one of the passengers in the car below. 

“So ya got someone waiting for ya back at camp?” You ask, trying to start the conversation back up. 

“Yes, Abigale,” John mutters. You relax , feeling a little better that he was able to move on and find another woman to take care of him. 

“and I got a son, Jack.”

Your eyes widen at this knowledge. 

“A kid? You? John ‘I’d rather drown myself in the lake than have a child’ Marston, have a kid?” 

“Didn’t mean to,” John grunts, feeling a little embarrassed about the whole situation. Oh, shit. 

“Do you like it? Having a kid I mean,” You ask, trying to ease the tension. 

“Kinda. But I am shit at it,” John chuckles.

“You’ll figure it out John, yer a good man.” 

The sound of a twig snapping draws both of your attention. 

“Hey, what was that?” John whispers as you both look in the direction of the sound. You are barely able to make out a couple of glowing lights, which seem to be getting closer. 

Shit. 

“We gotta get out of here!” John calls out to the others. Sean pokes his head out of one of the cars as you and John are climbing down from the carriage roof. 

“How many of them are there?” Arthur asks as he nears Sean’s position. 

“I just see a pair of ‘em” Sean replies. 

“In that case, we’re fightin’. You three get ready,” Arthur whispers across the car. You duck behind a large crate to prepare yourself. 

“Come down off that train now,” one of the lawmen shouts. “I said come out now!”

“There’s only two of ya!” Arthur calls out before proceeding to insult the men. 

“Uhh Arthur, there’s a few more of them showing up,” Sean comments. You peek over the crate to see at least five more riding closer. 

“Me and my big mouth,” Arthur mumblesunder his breath. With that the shooting begins. Bullets fly past as you try to pick off the men aiming for you. You watch as three of the men are shot off their horses before a bullet grazes your cheek. looking up, you see the man who had taken the shot, and if you had to guess, you’d say he almost looked smug about it. He returns his aim to you. That’s it, he asked for this. 

You stand up and take the shot, nailing the man in the forehead. The cry of another man can be heard as he falls off his horse. Two remain shooting at you while one falls back and rides off into the woods. Mostlikely to return with help. 

“Let’s get outta ‘ere!” Arthur calls as the bullets keep whizzing by. 

You whistle for June, who promptly comes running out of the woods. You jump off the train and onto her back before riding off at a breakneck speed. Shots continue to ring out. You place your rifle securely on your lap before turning to look back to see if the others have followed, and they have, but so has the law. You draw one of the pistols out of your gun belt and aim it at one of the pursuing men and you pull the trigger. A grunt escapes the man; the bullet flies through his shoulder, knocking him off his horse. 

“This way,” Arthur calls out to you and Sean, motioning for you to follow him into the woods. The sounds of the law men fade as you make your way through the trees. Out of the corner of your eye you can see Charles and John riding just a little ways off. 

After about two miles, Arthur feels that you have successfully evaded the law. He signals for the five of you to stop.  

“Woah! That was fun! Real fun boys!” Sean exclaims as he comes to a stop, riding the high of adrenaline. Arthur reaches into his bag and pulls out two wads of cash. He tosses one to Sean and the other to you. 

“Shut up.”

“We made some money! What did I get? There’s gotta be at least a hundred dollars here,” Sean continues as a smile spreads across his face. 

“You weren’t even invited,” Arthur grumbles. 

“Was that a set up? The law turned up real fast,” John asks as he looks from Arthur to you. 

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Arthur huffs,”but I’m startin’ to get nervous.”

“Think they followed us from Blackwater?” Charles questions. 

“Maybe. But I think this lot was just locals,” Arthur grunts,” either way we should all go it alone back to Horseshoe. Clara, you’re comin’ with me.”

You give a nod in agreement.

“Alright, you know the deal. Don’t be followed,” Arthur continues as he rides up next to you . 

“Oh course not boss,” Sean calls as he rides off. Charles gives the two of you a nod before setting off in a different direction. 

“It was good seein’ you again,” John utters as he too begins to ride off. 

Once you and Arthur are left alone, the both of you start off down the dirt path. Arthur turns to you and begins to speak. 

“I see you and John made up,” Arthur comments as his eyes search your face for a reaction. 

“Yes. It was nice seein’ him again.”

“Yer hurt.”

Arthur reached out his hand to gently rub his gloved thumb over the graze on your cheek. You hiss a little at the feeling. 

“It’s nothin’. We can deal with it later. Right now, I just wanna get outta here. Don’t want any law showin’ up.” 

With that you and Arthur continue with your ride to Horseshoe. Arthur explains that this way will take you an extra day. You feel relieved that you were able to start patching things up with John. Now you just have to face Dutch. 

[calpalirwin]

Permanent Vacation

Summary: Calum falls for a musician.

A/N: I just really wanted an excuse to use Arrows in Action newest releases in a fic. (They’re bangers. You should go give ‘em a listen.)

Word Count: 2.8k

And away, and away we go!

__

The sun was hot as it beat down on my neck, the line for the beerstand long, and the noises of people chatting excitedly were loud in my ears. But I didn’t care in the slightest. After the isolating shitshow that was quarantine, I was more than happy to be out at a festival with, wait for it, live fuckin’ music. The only way I could be happier was if my band was in the lineup, but this was still a pretty close second. To be surrounded by musicians and people who loved music was a breath of fresh air after so long. A breath of very hot fresh air. But still.

Behind me I heard the girlish giggling and whispers of my name, which drew the attention of the group in front of me: three guys, and a girl around my own age, two of the guys a good shoulder and head taller than the other man and girl. The shortest of the guys whispered, “Could you imagine if we got noticed like that?”

The tall brunette’s eyes went wide as he pulled a face and shook his head. “No, thanks. I think I’d cry.”

The other tall one with purple hair laughed loudly, “Aw, c’mon, that would be rad! His band’s not even in the lineup and he still gets recognized. Could you imagine?”

“He has a name, and can hear you, J,” the girl hissed with a playful eye roll. Then, she flashed me a smile before calling out in a loud voice, “Hey, man! Good to see ya! How ya been?” to me, before taking a step forward and stretching up to wrap her arm around my shoulders like we were old friends. “Just go with it,” she added under her breath. “Nobody’ll bug you for pictures and autographs if you’re with a bigger group.”

“Thanks,” I laughed at her rescue attempt. “But it’s fine if they do. I don’t mind.”

“Yeah, but they can at least let you buy a fuckin’ beer first.”

“Well, thanks again,” I said, not sure of what else to say, or do so I let her pull me up with her friends who were all staring at her with I’m sure the same look of soft shock I had on my own face.

“I’m Y/N, by the way.” She let go of me as she started introducing her friends to me. “And this is Jesse.”

“Hello,” the tall one with purple hair smiled warmly.

“That’s Matt,” she nudged the other tall one.

“Hey.”

“And this is Vic,” she finished, looking at the shortest man who waved.

“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Calum,” I said, then realized how stupid that was. “But, you already knew that, huh?”

Y/N grinned, holding her thumb and index finger close together. “Just a smidge. But it’s cool. So, any bands you’re particularly excited to see?”

“The Maine and All Time Low mostly. I’m a huge fan of The Maine, and All Time Low are friends of mine.”

“Both are great bands. And the All Time Low guys are good friends to have, for sure.”

“Oh, you know them?”

“Yeah, we worked with them a few times.”

“Worked with? Fellow musicians, huh?”

She laughed. “We’re up and comers, yeah.”

“Your cool aunt’s favorite band,” Jesse grinned at me.

Y/N laughed more at the confused look that crossed my face. “That’s one of his favorite ways to refer to us. Like we’re the band you find out from word of mouth from the cool relative that’s always discovering new music.”

“Ah,” I said, nodding in understanding. “Been there. Are you guys in the lineup?”

“Yup!” she chirped happily as we got to the front of the line. “5 beers, please,” she told the person working the counter.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” I tried to decline, reaching quickly for my wallet.

“Relax, it’s just a beer,” she told me, passing me one of the cups being placed on the counter. 

“Well, thanks,” I said, raising the cup and taking a sip. “I’ll getcha guys next time.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” she grinned around the rim of her own cup. “Enjoy your beer, Cal. See ya around.”

~~~

I took the last swallow from my beer, cursing myself for not having stopped her to get the name of her band, or at the very least her last name. But before I had a chance to get the words out, I’d been bombarded with requests from fans for pictures, engaging in small conversations with them, and by the time I was done, Y/N was long gone.

So I resigned myself to walking around the festival grounds, my head reeling. It wasn’t often a woman pretended to be my friend to rescue me from the onslaught of fans. In fact, I couldn’t recall one time that's ever happened. I also wasn’t used to being bought drinks, even if I was still fully intending to return the favor. Although that would require me to find her first. But something told me that wouldn’t be too difficult.

I was grateful I’d come on my own, and not with Ashton who would have no doubt teased me about how hooked I was on the girl. The cynic with a crush? Whatever were the odds? And was it even technically a crush when I’d only interacted with her for maybe five minutes? Okay, maybe Ashton being around wouldn’t be the worst thing if he could help me make sense of the jumble of thoughts in my head. The way that man could bounce from crush to crush almost seamlessly was enough to give me a case of whiplash. 

I sighed as I tossed my cup in the trash. Whether or not it was a crush was still to be determined. All I knew was that I liked her energy, and wanted to see her again. And… that was a crush, wasn’t it? God. Fuckin’. Damn it.

A guitar chord rang out loudly, and there was a mad dash of people running towards the stage. Slowly I pushed my way through the crowd of people towards the front, grinning when I noticed it was her on stage, and grinning even more when I noticed the instrument in her hand. A bassist? Fuck, I was definitely in trouble now.

The shortest of the men, Vic, I recalled, started singing, with the other three providing backup harmony on the chorus. Until they got to the bridge that was all Y/N, her voice ringing out “Tomorrow’s a nightmare, I’m dreaming today. And my head is haunted, the past just can’t stay. The devil you know, yeah he comes and he goes. I’m selfish, and vapid, I hide in my prose!” before they launched into the final chorus.

“What up, Anaheim?!” Vic yelled into his mic to a scream of cheers and applause. “We’re Arrows in Action, and that was our newest single, Only Be Mine. I’m Vic. We got Matt over here on guitar. Jesse’s on the drums. And Y/N’s over there on bass. We got a few more songs for you all. And if you’re an awesome crowd, we might have a special treat for ya at the end of our set. Sound good?”

We answered him in whoops of cheers and loud applause, causing them all to grin as they launched into their next song.

They played seamlessly through about three more songs, enjoying the feeling of playing live in front of people again, before Y/N whooped into her own mic. “Whoo! It’s hot! Anyone else hot? Y’all staying hydrated out there?” she asked us, before flickering her gaze across the stage at Matt who was wiping his forehead. “You good, Matt?”

“Dude, it’s like a million degrees up here,” he commented, before taking a huge swig from a water bottle.

Y/N laughed. “Right. Y’all gotta understand. Matt’s from the cold states. Then there’s Vic and I who are California natives, technically, right Vic?”

“Yeah, I was born here. But I didn’t live here as long as you did.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. So Vic and I are used to the heat. Matt, not so much. And Jesse? How you doing back there, J?”

“Me?” the drummer pointed at himself in confusion “Oh, I’m great!”

“Great enough to give this crowd a real surprise?” she asked, her voice laced with playful trouble, as she looked at all her bandmates. “C’mon, boys what do ya say? Wanna give this crowd something special before we go?”

Again, we all cheered and applauded as encouragement for whatever surprise they had in mind. “Alright!” Vic laughed. “Alright, you wanna go ahead and introduce it then?”

She smiled wide as she turned towards us. “Alright, everybody! We’re Arrows in Action. We’ve had a great time with y’all! So, as a thank you, we’re gonna play a new song that we haven’t released yet. Is that cool with you?” She laughed as she awaited the response of screaming, whistles, and applause. “Alright. This is called Permanent Vacation, which will be available on all listening platforms this Friday. Let’s go!”

Matt started playing a series of chords that sounded incredibly familiar, while the other three clapped to the beat. But right before the lyrics were supposed to come in, Vic started talking into his mic. “Wait, wait, wait!” he laughed. “I don’t know the lyrics to this!”

“So it’s just like every other song,” Y/N teased him with her own laugh.

“Nah, I think it’s cuz that one’s not ours.”

“Be rad if it was though,” she said, and I swear she shot me a wink. “Alright, alright. So, that one’s not ours. But this one definitely is. And it’s definitely called Permanent Vacation. And it’s out Friday.”

A new guitar and drum beat started up and Vic immediately started singing, again with the rest of the band providing back up vocals until the bridge where it was all Y/N. A soft build before a wild yell that would have torn my own vocal chords to shreds.

“I’m locked and loaded, fire away! Permanent vacation from my brain. Extend my stay another day. Far from home, not alone,” they all finished with a flurry of chords. “Thank you!” Vic croaked into the mic. “Thank you guys so much! We’re Arrows in Action, enjoy the rest of your night!”

With tired but happy smiles, they all bowed before exiting the stage. I moved to follow, but thought better of it, going to hit the drink stand first where I bought 5 beers and 4 waters. A small challenge, made slightly easier by the person working the stand putting the water bottles in a grocery bag for me. With that hanging off my arm, I held 2 beers in each hand, and my own in my teeth.

“Cal!” she laughed, her face flushed when I found them lounging in the grass. “You didn’t have to do that,” she told me as she rose to her feet to help me distribute the beers.

“I said I’d get the next round,” I offered up simply, setting down the bag and taking a seat with them all. “I brought you guys water, too.”

“You really didn’t have to do that,” she laughed, tossing the bottles out anyway, and sitting back down, this time next to me. 

“Shut up, Y/N, let the man do what he wants,” Jesse said, downing a water bottle in 2 gulps before turning his attention to his beer. “You’re rad. Thank you.”

“For real, man. This was really cool of you,” Vic said.

“Yeah, huge thanks,” Matt nodded.

“What they said, I guess,” Y/N laughed again, following Jesse’s lead of downing her water bottle before going for her beer. “Fuck,” she sighed. “That’s good. Thank you, really.”

“Happy to do it,” I answered. “That set was amazing, by the way. And that joke at the end was pretty clever. How long were you planning that?”

She giggled. “Uh, well Jesse and I are much more the 5sos fans than Matt and Vic are. But we’re all familiar with your music. And when we were writing the song, and settled on the title, I suggested that it would be funny to start playing your version if we ever got the chance to play it live. Which meant bugging Matt to learn the guitar parts.”

“So you’re the troublemaker of the band?” I guessed.

She shrugged, and hid behind the rim of her cup. “I mean… Depends on the day.”

We continued to lay in the grass, making small talk as we all finished our beers, before Jesse cleared his throat. “Uh… Matt, Vic. You guys wanna come with me to get a good spot for the rest of the acts?” he asked, the suggestion in his tone heavy.

Matt and Vic shared a look, before nodding. “Yeah, yeah of course,” they said, all three of them getting up.

“You assholes are just gonna leave me?” Y/N asked, looking up at them.

“Just come find us when you’re ready,” they winked. “Thanks again for the beers, Cal.”

“Assholes,” she muttered again as they all made themselves scarce. “Sorry about them.”

I laughed, waving it off. “Nah, it’s cool. And kinda nice, maybe?”

“Oh?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Uh…” her face flushed. “I mean…” she started to stammer. “Yeah. Yeah.”

I gave a half chuckle, scratching at the back of my neck. “Look, it’s fine if you’re not… I mean, I figure you probably are if they did that for you, cuz they have no reason to do it for my sake. I mean, they’re your friends and bandmates, not mine. But I know a wing man set up when I see it. But if it’s more of a meddling wing man set up, like that’s fine,” I spilled out, before realizing I was rambling.

“No!” she rushed. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all!” She covered her face in her hands, groaning “Oh, this is so embarrassing…” Her hands moved to push through her hair as she took a long breath to steady herself. “Of course I like you, Cal. Like before I even met you. One of those embarrassing fangirl crush type of deals. And I mean, I’m a bassist in a punk band, so you’re also someone I idolize and take inspiration from.” Slowly her gaze lifted from her lap to lock onto mine. “And then I met you today. And  you’re everything I thought you’d be. Thoughtful. Generous. A bit shy, and quiet at times. Nice. And it makes the crush that much stronger, and harder to deal with. Cuz now it’s real. And I feel like I know you. And it’s just… Ugh, it spirals from there, ya know?”

“A good spiral, or a bad spiral?”

“Bit of both? Like the insecurities in me say that you’re an A-list celebrity, while I’m more of like… not an A-lister. My band’s not on the same level yours is. I mean, we play bars and small day festivals. You sell out stadiums and have world tours. There’s a clear discrepancy. But then, another part of me doesn’t give a shit about that. It sees how we’re like-minded. It sees all the ways we click, and all the ways we could work. And that’s where the cocky part comes in, where it sees the like-mindedness and the reasons we could work, and calls you an idiot if you can’t see it too. That, uh, screwed up defense mechanism of it being your loss, ya know?”

“Mhm.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I said a lot. Point is, I do like you. And, that’s that.”

“So the ball’s in my court?”

“Only if you want it to be. And if you don’t, then no. There’s no ball. No court. Just two people who have a few things in common.”

“You wanna hear what I think?”

“Go for it.”

“I think your friends left us for 2 reasons. 1 being that they’re loyal to you, and know how you feel about me. 2 being that they’re also guys. Which gives them a pretty good insight for how I’m feeling too.”

“Uh-huh…” she nodded slowly. “And how you’re feeling is…?”

I could have said the words. But I settled for leaning in, brushing my lips softly against hers for the sweetest of moments, listening to the way her next breath got stuck in her throat. I pulled away, smiling softly at her and shrugging my shoulders.

She traced her lips with her thumb, bewilderment written on her face. “Okay, you really didn’t have to do that.”

“Relax,” I chuckled, stealing her words from earlier. “It’s just a kiss.”

“Well, thanks. I’ll, uh, getcha next time.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

__

Tag List

@aquarius-hood1996 @creator-appreciator @philthepegacorn @myfavfanficsever @cxddlyash @youngblood199456 @stormrider505 @iknowyouthinkimbulletproof @hoodhoran @metalandboybands @maybeememez @1weekago @centerlino @binxiboo​

[wildingrose]

spilt tea

dark alley help part 10

part 9: care

word count: 2.8k

》 ignored kink, cunnilingus, oral sex in office

- ✿ -

You sat on the desk in your office cabin while Cindy watched you hold the pile of documents. Your eyes scanned over the lengths of the legal sized papers that contained detailed information on the clients and their wishful properties. Flipping through them and resting the reviewed next to you, your heart froze when coming across the name of one particular client.

Facing the paper her way, you asked, "Him? He's our client?"

Cindy squinted her eyes to read the inked name and nodded. "Yes, it's your fiancé. He's been our loyal client for a long time."

You groaned at the unofficial title. "He's not my fiancé. Never was." That made sense as to how your mother found him and why she really liked him. "Doesn't he have a gazillion properties? Why does he need more?"

"He mentioned that this one was for... a reunion, I believe. It's a new property under construction and will be underway for closing soon."

Your head pounded painfully and your fingers went up to relieve it in circles. Raymond was purchasing a property just for a reunion instead of holding the event at one of his currently owned hotels. That guy was just flexing his money through property ownerships. "Whatever," you mumbled and took a quick glance at the company name that was responsible for the construction. Then, your eyes immediately fixed on where it was located.

It was the block where Taeyong mentioned that he was working at. You hadn't seen the structure yet, and now you were overjoyed to.

"Oh my God," you muttered and hopped off the table, your hand flying to your mouth in utter shock before your shoulders shook and a loud sinister laugh escaped from you.

Cindy watched you in concern as you jumped gleefully in your spot. "Um, Y/N, are you okay?"

While you weren't hundred percent positive for what his reaction was going to be, you couldn't wait to rub it in Raymond's face that he had purchased something where Taeyong had contributed to building. You waved Cindy off with an ecstatic smile. "Yeah, don't worry. I was just thinking about something."

She stared at you for a moment longer before letting it go.

Shortly, a knock on the door was heard, followed by a head popping in. "Can I come in? I have your tea," Chris smiled, shaking an acrylic tumbler with iced tea. "This should help with your headache and slight nausea."

"Thanks a lot. Of course, come in," you waved him in.

He nodded and strode over to you. You retrieved the drink and took a long sip of the tea, humming happily. "Perfect."

"Hope it helps. Also, there's someone waiting for you outside."

"Really? Who?" Your lips connected with the straw and sucked in another long sip.

His brows furrowed as he tried to recall the name. "I think his name is... Taeyong?"

You spurted out your tea in surprise that he came to your workplace in the middle of the day and set the tumbler down on the desk. "It's Taeyong? Bring him in!"

Chris nodded and went to fetch for your man while Cindy eyed you curiously.

Chris stepped into the main area where Taeyong stood by the desks, more specifically by Shannon's desk who wordlessly stared at him. "Hey man, come on in!"

Taeyong straightened his back and cleared his throat, avoiding the gaze of the young woman drilling a hole in his head. Her gaze remained on his retreating figure with a slight frown creasing her forehead.

Your colleague reappeared with the man that you were looking forward to trailing behind. Taeyong smiled subtly as you jogged over to him with a bright smile.

"Baby," you chirped and wrapped your arms around him. He faintly chuckled and held you close, pecking your forehead. You turned around in his arms and found Cindy's jaw hanging low and Chris whistling in amusement. "He's Taeyong, my fiancé-to-be," you introduced him, mainly for Cindy. Taeyong was stunned by the unexpected title but happily accepted it, wanting nothing more than to be bonded with you in the utmost ways possible.

Chris quirked an intrigued brow. "Now that's some real tea right there. Have fun now," he said and with a salute, he walked out the cabin.

Cindy closed her mouth and reminded you of an important task. "Mr. Riley is expecting a call in..." She glanced at her watch. "... about a few minutes. Should I stay here to help you?"

You shook your head. "It's pretty straight forward so I'll be fine. Thanks though."

She nodded and headed to exit the cabin, closing the door behind her to give you privacy.

You pulled away from Taeyong and asked, "I love seeing you here, but how? Don't you have work?"

He pointed to the window in your office. As if on cue, the light droplets shifted to pouring rain outside. "It started onsite, so we had to stop working. Thought I'd come here and see how you're doing."

You hummed. "Good thinking. But I have work to do, so no funny business," you warned with narrowed eyes.

He exhaled out of his nose and nodded, seeming disinterested by your words as he shuffled his feet towards your desk and hopped on. His eyes landed on your tea and picked it up, taking a huge sip and frowned at the bitter taste before setting it back down. Taeyong then scanned his eyes around the cabin, making observations of how clean and polished the walls were with modern design.

You arched an eyebrow at him to which he didn't catch. Was he really going to sit there and not do anything? Good for you. You strolled over to pick up your client's portfolio and cell phone from the desk. "I have an important call to make. Do not make a sound, and no distractions. Understood?"

Taeyong merely shrugged in response, and you began dialing your client's number. While you waited for the call to be answered, you glanced at Taeyong and noticed that he wasn't doing anything except for swinging his leg.

"Hello, this is Riley speaking."

Startled, you fumbled with your greeting. "Oh hi! Good afternoon, Mr. Riley. I'm Y/N L/N and am calling on behalf of my father regarding your interested properties. I'll be taking his place so it will be a pleasure to work with you," you spoke with politeness.

Taeyong huffed and mumbled, "Only I give you pleasure." You smacked his arm.

"I'm sorry? I didn't hear the last part well."

Your eyes widened. "Nothing!" You gave Taeyong a glare and moved away from him, balancing the folder on one hand. "So, I see your investments and interests..."

Taeyong watched you as the call droned on, getting immensely bored without your attention on him, and so he decided to make himself comfortable.

You took a sneak peak to see what Taeyong was up to and did a double take. "I'm sorry but could you please hold on for a moment, sir?" Pressing the mute button, you gritted your teeth. "Taeyong, why are you unbuttoning your shirt?"

He kept moving his fingers downward, undoing the buttons slowly and pushed the flaps to the side for his handsome torso to be on full display. "I'm feeling hot," he said with his voice laced in pure boredom.

You gave him a pointed look. The air conditioner was blasting in your cabin, therefore having no reason for him to feel uncomfortable. You ignored him, turning your back on him and resumed your call, but now you were partly distracted by replaying his beautiful skin in your head.

Taeyong sighed when seeing you ignore him again and hopped off. He rounded the desk and plopped down into the massive leather chair, putting his feet up on the table and rummaged through the drawers to look for anything that could entertain him.

Your ears picked up on the soft sounds of drawers sliding open and shut. There was a brief moment of silence followed by a container lid clicking open. The faint chewing sounds made you turn around and your heartbeat stilled before kicking into full racing mode. You were paying almost zero attention to your client as you watched Taeyong bite into a cherry, the juice spilling out of its flesh and past his lips, traveling down his chin. He made no efforts to wipe it off as he finished the fruit off, spitting out the seed and discarding the stem onto the lid. Picking up another one, he repeated the action, making more of the sweet red juice coat his chin.

You wanted nothing more than to lick his skin clean, and then straddle yourself on his lap to have a heated make out session with him. But you held yourself back and blinked a few times, shaking your head and focused on the reason why you were doing all of this.

When the cherries were all done, Taeyong huffed out in frustration from having nothing else to do, your phone call seeming to run way longer than anticipated.

Just then, his lips curled into a smirk as an idea hit him.

He stalked over to you with a mischievous glint in his eyes and you didn't notice his approaching presence from behind until he swiftly bent down to grab your waist from the front and hoisted you over his shoulder, holding you effortlessly by your legs. Your hand lost balance of the folder and it crashed to the floor, and your eyes bulged out as he carried you over to the desk.

He put you down on the table and shoved everything aside with his arm, not giving a glance as to what was being knocked over. Taeyong positioned you until you were laid flat on the sturdy desk and crawled on top of you, bringing his gaze to meet yours. With your mouth agape, you stared at his dark eyes as you were no longer processing a single word that your client spoke.

"Ignore me," he mouthed without a single sound and then he began.

He unbuttoned your shirt enough to expose your bra. Your heart crashed in your chest, fearing for what he had in mind when being in the office with a client on the phone and the door to your cabin left unlocked. But you were thrilled to see what Taeyong was going to do while you 'ignored' him.

His tongue poke out to coat saliva over his cherry-dried lips and dipped his head in between the valley of your breasts, sucking on the skin there with his soft lips sending excitement down to your core as you began producing your own sweet juice. Your hand came up to cover your mouth, stopping your sighs from reaching the speaker. You could have muted your voice and took full advantage of the situation, but this was 'ignore Taeyong' game and you were going through with it to see its end.

"Miss Y/N, are you still there?" Your client's voice snapped you back to your main responsibility.

"Oh sorry. Yes, I am." And with that, he resumed talking.

Taeyong pulled back and observed the faint colour of the fruit transferred onto your skin, and you nearly sighed aloud when he took long strides of his hot wet tongue to lick it clean, your grip on the phone tightening. When done, he pulled back with a smirk, and your eyes blew up when one of the most insane things happened next. Taeyong leveled his face with the zipper of your pants and grasped onto the small sliding piece with his teeth, pulling it down undone with such ease that you thought was not possible with the difficult task.

His hands yanked your pants down along with panties to midway. To prevent the hassle of taking your shoes and pants off completely, he crossed your legs, keeping enough space to dive his head into the opening from underneath. His hands firmly held your legs in place to stop you from squeezing around his head. His face leveled with your glistened core till you felt his hot breath fanning over it. Taeyong was amused to see you turned on and took a deep breath in with his nose touching your sweet flesh. "Smells nice, doll," he whispered ever so softly that you wouldn't have heard it if you weren't completely focused on him. Your legs quivered around his head as you spilled more juice out.

At last, his tongue strode over the length of your heat and your jaw hung open without a single sound parting from your lips. He repeated the action and after dipped his wet muscle in between your slick folds. You used every muscle in you to keep your hips grounded to the smooth surface of the table while your free hand clenched into a tight fist beside you. It would have been at his head gripping his hair, but you weren't sure if that counted as ignoring him.

Your walls hugged him as he began rolling his tongue. A small hum was felt against your flesh, causing your belly to tighten and spill more of your delicious juice onto his tongue. He hungrily lapped up every drop, his moist muscle flicking against your clit that resulted you to slip a mixture of moan and whine past your deep breathings.

"Is everything all right?"

Your blood ran cold when you had momentarily forgotten all about the phone call. Your ears had completely droned out your client's voice to focus on the squelching sounds that your man made in your cunt. Your brain quickly tried to come up with a sound excuse. "Oh um, I spilled something on my desk. I'm sorry about that. Please continue."

Taeyong snickered, sending sinful vibrations throughout your body and further tightened your belly for the incoming orgasm. Unfortunately, another desperate whine escaped from your mouth. Mr. Riley was silent for a moment before speaking up. "I do have another matter to attend. We can end our discussion here for now. I look forward to working with you, Y/N."

Finally! "I see. I will too. Have a great day-" and you quickly ended the call before a pathetic moan could travel through the speaker as Taeyong began having a make out session with your cunt, sucking your throbbing clit in between his lips. Chucking your phone aside, your hands lightly played with the wisps of his dark hair. "Oh Tae," you choked out a quiet sob. Your legs ached and trembled the longer it was forcefully kept open.

"Look at me, doll," he whispered.

You looked down at the sinful view of his head in between your legs. His gaze heavily burned into yours and gave a few harsh sucks, resulting in the final snap of the coil in your stomach. Your vision blurred as your back arched off the surface to generously cum into his mouth. He hummed as he sucked up every drop of your essence, still lapping over your heat even after it was over, and the sensitivity caused you to push his head away. "No more," you weakly whispered.

He kissed your cunt two times before completely pulling his head out, helping you put your pants back on. "You taste so good, doll," he drawled seductively he licked his lips clean.

You smacked his chest, feigning anger as you buttoned up your top. "We would have lost one of our biggest clients if he figured out what I was up to."

"But he didn't. You did a good job ignoring me... for the most part anyways," he snickered.

A series of knocks was heard and the door flew open, revealing an unsuspecting Cindy. Her eyes went on a tour as it scanned over the dropped portfolio on the floor, your shocked eyes on her, Taeyong's disheveled state and open shirt, and the mess on the desk.

She huffed out at the sight of drenched documents. "If you were going to have fun, couldn't you have done it without getting anything spilt on the documents?"

Your brows scrunched, confused with what she meant until you spotted the acrylic tumbler tipped onto its side with the tea no longer in its container as the papers soaked the liquid up. "Oh shit," you muttered and shot a look at Taeyong who simply shrugged and feigned innocence as if not his fault.

Cindy sighed. "We'll just have to prepare all those again."

"I'll prepare them myself. It's my fault anyway."

She shook her head. "It's fine. I'll help too. You owe me a drink for overtime," she cracked a smile and winked.

You breathed out in relief that she wasn't too mad at you. "Of course."

Taeyong turned to you with bright eyes. "I'll help too." Not only would he be able to spend more time with you, but also receive a free drink, your drink, while at it.

Your jaw slacked, aware of his underlying intention, and pushed him out the cabin with all your strength. "No! You're leaving, mister!"

tag list: @cosmiclatte28 @mel-yjh @johnnysuhisnotmyproblem @kttyongie @chantellsievert

[falconcoast]

songbird | albedo x reader.

his royal highness gets ready for the day. his chirping birds accompanying him as he laments about a dream, his responsibilities, and you. 

general masterlist

a/n: BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH A ROYAL ALBEDO AU!! same context as “the prince and the scholar” (which isn’t necessary to understand this one) but i would say it takes place in the same AU as the aforementioned fic, serving a prequel. anyways, personally, i think that prince albedo can talk to birds. i mean, have you seen his eyes?? they’re so soft, and his voice is so sweet D:

tags: prince albedo, fluff, supposedly one-sided pining but you’d only know that if you read the prince and the scholar

the morning dawn broke over the kingdom hills, spilling into the crown prince’s room. songbirds chirped at albedo’s window, and he rubbed at his eyes. the silk sheets felt much more comfortable than the satin garments he was supposed to get into. 

sighing, he rolled on his side, snuggling up into another pillow. briefly, he heard the fluttering of feathers and the twittering of birds on the open balcony of his tower overlooking the lake. when the blond did not move, the chirping became even louder. 

“i hear you, alright,” he murmured, pulling himself up in bed. he reached for the small braids in his hair, undoing them and running a hand through it.  “you know, i was having the most lovely dream before you went and woke me up.” 

rising from the bed, albedo made his way to the balcony, approaching the small flock of birds who sung their songs. leaning against the balcony, he held out a finger for a bluebird to rest on. “what was it about? that is a secret.”

the warblers whistled out a note of discontent. “i suppose i can tell you, as long as you promise not to tell them,” he laughed, stroking at the silky feathers of the bird. 

he turned a looked out into his garden and the surrounding walls of his tower. the reflecting pools shimmered the hues of the sunrise and painted the cecilias a baby pink. beyond his residence, he saw the tiny figures of servants walking about the front lawns of the castle, already ready for the day. among them would be you, the resident scholar of the palace, and whom he sought the affection of. “it was about that intellectual from sumeru.”

the bluebird chirped, tilting its head. “yes, yes. the one who feeds you crumbs while we have breakfast on the balcony. they are very pretty, are they not?” the flock tweeted happily, dancing on the railing of the balcony. “a wonderful person indeed. i had a dream that we walked together around the castle grounds. we danced beneath the moonlight and shared a kiss.”

the songbirds chirped wildly, conveyed their opinions to the prince. the birds flew up, pecking at his neck and pulling at his hair. “what is the fuss? a kiss is nothing scandalous. i think that it was a pleasant dream.” 

the bluebird on his finger twittered, fluttering its wings at him. “about the scholar? why, they’re lovely. you’ve all seen them when we discuss matters right here on the balcony. gentle, kind, and very beautiful.”

the belltower chimed, causing the birds to hop about. “it seems i cannot even catch a break to enjoy my dream,” albedo sighed, letting the bird on his finger fly into his room. turning, he followed. he stared at his vanity momentarily, gazing at the soon-to-be king of mondstadt. frankly, he didn’t look the part, with his hair askew from his flying friends and cowlick sticking up like a small sprout. he pushed it back once, then twice, before eventually conceding. 

moving to his vast wardrobe, full of silken cloths, satin trousers, and linen sweaters, he eventually picked a simple outfit, one to match the white garments you adorned every day. “i was wearing this same outfit in my dream, you know,” he began humming as he slipped behind the dressing screen, taking his clothes with him.

his royal highness got dressed for the day, and when he appeared from behind the dressing screen, the birds immediately flocked at his shoulders. one gave him a ribbon to tie his hair back, another a brush, and another struggled to drag his golden sash over to him. he took it all gratefully, sitting at the vanity that was covered in the stray beauty products, alchemical devices that he had yet to clean up, and several birds, twittering about. his mirror reflected the morning sun, crossing his cheekbones and turning his hair a golden blond. this was the face of mondstadt’s next king, and the responsibilities that were going to be piling on his plate seemed ever evident. 

quickly, he combed his hair and put on his sash, before leaning on his vanity with an elbow to his cheek. the birds huddled around him, tilting their heads at him as to ask him what was wrong. “nothing, nothing. i’m only slightly melancholic.”

a bluebird hopped onto his hand, whistling a note of sadness. “i am doleful because i can only tell them of my affections in my dreams. if it weren’t for my status, i would have already told them. however, as the crown prince with my duties of getting married on the horizon, i cannot. it’s a sad thought, no?”

a warm breeze fluttered through the white curtains of the alchemist’s bedroom, along with a knock on the door. “enter,” he called, taking the blue songbird on his hand with him as he stood. 

“good morning, your highness,” a familiar voice said, peeking through his doorway. his heartbeat sped up, and the birds whistled softly. you entered, wearing clothes that matched his own color palette, and as beautiful as the morning dew. a basket full of breakfast items sat one hand and in the other, books and anthologies he had asked for the day before. smiling, you motioned to your items. “i’ve brought your breakfast, and the books you wanted to discuss the day before, but it seems you are with company. if you wish, i will only drop them here.” 

“with company?” he questioned, before the bird on his hand twittered. “oh, my apologies. i shall part with them if they are not to your liking.” 

“oh, no. they’re just fine,” you replied, waving a hand. fishing in your basket, you pulled out a small mason jar full of kernels. “i’ve noticed that whenever we have breakfast together, your birds are on the railing. i brought some birdseed for them. may i feed them, your highness?”

“of course,” he whispered, watching as your hands popped open the lid. setting the jar and other items down on his vanity, you pinched some of the feed before letting the bluebird on his hand go into your own. it pecked at your hand, and you laughed.

“it seems this one quite likes me,” you giggled, stroking its feathers. it crooned, leaning into your hand, and your eyes met his, shining softly.  “what do you think, albedo?”

albedo. his name, no honorifics or titles or anything of the sort. it was the first he’d even heard you call him by his name. his heart beat faster, watching as the songbird whistled happily in your hand. the sun made you seem simply divine, and he knew then and there that he was completely infatuated with you. who wouldn’t be; even the warbler was in love with you. 

“albedo?” you asked again. the bluebird tilted its head, chirping happily. 

“yes, it likes you very much,” he breathed out, sighing dreamily as you laughed.

[mischievous-serpent]

Stepping Out of the Shadows

Summary: After leaving the safety of her apartment to buy a cold drink, Y/n gets caught in the middle of a battle between her HYDRA teammates and two of the Avengers.

Words: 817

Chapter 2 (See Masterlist for all chapters.)

***Y/n's POV***

I wake up the next morning to the sun seeping through the blinds of my tiny window. I sigh and slowly make my way into the small kitchen located in the corner of my apartment. I've never lived anywhere too nice before because my job requires keeping on the down-low. I'm grateful for what I have, though, because I owe HYDRA everything.

I still have a couple hours before the HYDRA agents come to pick up the hard drive, so I decide to go get a coffee from the little coffee shop near my apartment. I quickly take a shower and change into denim shorts, a f/c short sleeve shirt, and black and white tennis shoes. After pulling my hair into a ponytail, I leave my apartment. (If you have sort hair, you just leave it down.)

It's a somewhat chilly morning and the heat from the sun feels good on my face. The distant sound of the birds chirping their morning tunes drifts through the air. I start whistling along as I make my way down the dirt path.

As I open the door to the coffee shop, the ringing of the bell signals my arrival. "Good morning, Y/n," Macey, the owner of the coffee shop greets.

"Good morning, Macey. How has your morning been so far?" I ask her in a polite fashion.

"It's been slow. Most people don't come until later in the day. What can I get you today?" she questions.

"I'll have my usual," I respond with a smile.

"One large caramel iced coffee coming up," she announces as she begins to make it.

Five minutes later, I'm happily sipping on my coffee as I head back to my apartment. I'm about to turn the corner when a blast goes off a few feet away from me. The side of the building crumbles as I quickly move out of the way. Large boulders from the building hit the ground in the exact spot I was standing a second ago.

I let out a sigh of relief before turning around to see what the cause of the ruckus is. Two agents of HYDRA are standing in the middle of the street holding guns. I recognize the guns to be the special ones that HYDRA designed themselves. Instead of shooting normal bullets, the guns shoot balls of energy. They can be quite powerful and extremely dangerous if someone gets hit with one of them. I realize that these are the two agents that are supposed to retrieve the hard drive from me.

I hear the agents shouting at someone, and I look up to see Iron Man. Standing below him on the ground is Captain America. "Didn't your mothers teach you manners? It's not nice to shoot at someone before introducing yourself first," Captain America taunts. The HYDRA agents shoot at him, and he uses his shield to block the energy before tossing it like a frisbee. His shield ends up bouncing off of a street lamp and knocks my coffee out of my hands.

Now I'm pissed. "Hey! Over here, Mr. Star Spangled Banner!" I shout before using my own magical abilities to send a burst of blue energy his way. He barely manages to dodge now that he no longer has his shield.

"Hey, kid!" Iron Man shouts before firing his blasters at me. I use my magic to create a dome to protect myself from the blast. He doesn't let up on his attacks, though, and it becomes harder to keep the dome up. I glance behind me to see that Captain America has managed to get his shield back and has defeated both HYDRA agents.

Captain America and Iron Man are standing on either side of my dome. I push my hands forward, which causes my dome to shatter. I then summon two more balls of energy and send them flying at the two self proclaimed heroes. Using the distraction to give myself time to escape, I take off running as soon as my energy blasts hit the ground. I keep running through different alleyways without looking back until I come to a dead end.

I quit running right before I slam into a wall. Panting and dropping to my knees because of all the energy I spent, I take a couple of seconds to collect myself. I'm about to stand up and leave, when something drops onto my back, pinning me down. I crane my neck up to see Captain America holding me down.

Iron Man appears in front of me and retracts his mask. "What do you think, Tony? Is she brainwashed?" Captain America asks.

"Considering she was using magic and helping HYDRA, I'm going to go with yes," Tony sarcastically remarks. His eyes widen when he notices my bracelet. "That's the bracelet the thief that broke into my lab was wearing!"

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[numericalbridge]

TOH WIP 1

Rating: G

Excerpt word count: 402 

Characters: Darius, Eberwolf, that one little abomination (Mallow)

Excerpt from the wip. This is an AU where that one abomination that delivered messages to Raine is the previous Golden Guard’s palisman.

*

“What is this? Who is this?” Eberwolf chirped and pointed at Mallow’s hiding spot.

“Nothing, it’s just…”

“I can smell them!” Eberwolf sniffed the air, intentionally loud. Darius cringed. Disgusting.

“It’s just an abomination of mine. Useful for certain types of covert work.”

“Nah, I can smell the difference. The old wood, hiding under the goo. Smart.” Eberwolf grinned, pleased with herself.

Darius considered her. They were tentative allies for now, and Darius thought he could trust her… for the most part. “Trust no one in the Castle”, Virgil would’ve said. And trusting her with Mallow especially…

“Come out, little one,” Eberwolf barked. Then she whistled. Loud.

“What’s this accursed sound?” Darius scrunched up his nose. The damned demon was able to make noises that would awaken the Titan himself.

“Palismen love the whistling,” Eberwolf chittered. “Oh, Hell-o!”

Mallow emerged, blinking sluggishly in the light of the room, and slowly toddled towards Eberwolf, evaluating her with their perpetually serious green eye. Then they looked at Darius.

“Mallow, this is Eberwolf the Huntsman. She is my ally.”

Eberwolf yelped happily. Mallow considered her in silence. They were thoughtful just like that.

“And this is Mallow...”

“Hi, hi, hi! Nice to meet you,” Eberwolf greeted in a sing-song... growl... and offered them her paw.

Mallow blinked, nodded to Darius and retreated back to their hiding spot.

Eberwolf stared, crestfallen. Perhaps even a little hurt. Her ears flicked.

Darius snorted, “Oh, they are not like one of your obedient beasts. Mallow doesn’t trust just anybody.” He considered his nails. “I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”

Eberwolf turned her head away. Her ears twitched and lowered in embarrassment. Or shame. Ah.

Ugh, perhaps Darius was far too generous for his own good: “Don’t worry too much about it. They clearly accepted you in their own way.”

Eberwolf gave him the side-eye.

“They don’t really have much experience working with others. So if you want to work together with them, you should be considerate and… Wha...” She was climbing onto his shoulder. She was climbing his cape.

“Stop this, immediately!” he spat.

“I just want to hear you better,” she sang innocently.

“No! Behave yourself, you’re acting like some... feral mutt!”

Eberwolf growled into his ear.

“Get down!” He tried to shake her off. “What a nerve!”

She was doing it on purpose! Moreover – he spotted Mallow’s green eye following them with an almost amused expression. Traitor.

[babbushka]

number 33 on the sfw prompts with flip would be so cute!!

1.5k, no warnings, just bickering married couple fluff!

It’s a gorgeous Spring day in your slice of paradise that is Colorado. The sun is shining, the sky a powdery blue, there’s a gentle breeze that makes all the tall grasses and wildflowers sway, and the birds chirp a melody that you can’t help but whistle along to. It’s one of Flip’s rare days off, an attempt by the CSPD trying to balance the amount of overtime he gets from his long cases, and he’s decided the day should be spent outdoors. You don’t blame him, he’s a mountain man after all, and he can only be cooped up inside his stuffy office for so long.

So you’re reading one of your books outside on a large picnic blanket in the backyard of your big house tucked away in the mountains, peeking up now and again as your husband steadies himself for a moment or two before firing at the target he’s set up way on the other side of the property. He fires, and you don’t even need to look to know he’s shot a bullseye. Clapping for him, because you know he likes to hear it, you can’t help but smile fondly.

Flip subtly sneaks a peek at you, trying his best to not look like he’s desperate for your praise and approval, but then he sees you stealing a sneak at him, and he lets out a deep rumbling chuckle that has you raising an eyebrow and asking, “What’s so funny?”

You set your book down when he shrugs one of his shoulders, a cheeky smirk tugging one of the corners of his mouth, making those dimples of his that you adore appear. He adjusts something on his rifle, fiddling with the new scope you got him for his birthday that just passed, and smiles to himself, shy and cocky at the same time, if such a thing were possible.

“It’s just strange to think that this is my life, that’s all.” He raises the scope back up to his eye, positions himself properly, and you both hold your breath for the moment that he fires, listening to the sound of the bullet whipping through the air and tearing through the target.

“Good strange? Or bad?” You ask when he puts the rifle back down, throws another one of his charming smiles your way.

“Good.” He nods, says it so stoic and deadpan that if you hadn’t been married to him for as long as you have, you’d think he’s being sarcastic. “Definitely good. Feels like a fuckin’ dream sometimes.”

He sets up the rifle again, carefully, stoic, and takes another shot. The breeze must have knocked that one a little off center, because Flip’s clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth the way that he does when he’s annoyed by something.

“Example.” You smile, propping yourself up on your side, your head resting on your hand where your elbow is bent and set atop the plush blanket.

“Marrying you. No fucking clue why or how you said yes.” Flip’s decided it’s time for a cigarette break, or at least that’s what he tells himself when he walks with his bowlegs on over to you, setting the safety on the rifle and leaving it over in the grass where it can’t be an issue. “I remember practicing how to ask you out in the mirror. I never thought I’d get this far.”

“You were something of a nervous wreck back then, weren’t you?” You open your arms for him, a teasing playful wink crinkling the corner of your eye, “In your own special way.”

“Don’t bully me.” Flip immediately settles himself down on the big blanket next to you, lights up a cigarette and pulls you into his arms, sucking down the nicotine as fast as he can while you chuckle at him. He pinches your nose and gives your face a shake, mesmerized by the sound of your laugh. “I was young and you were the most beautiful fuckin’ woman I’d ever seen. Still are.”

Sunlight dapples through the leaves of the shady tree you’ve set the blanket down next to, and all Flip can do is stare at you. Sometimes it’s all he can ever do, too in love with you to come up with the words to say just how he feels. Thankfully, you only tug on his ear sweetly, and sigh out happily.

“I wanted you to let me wear your ring so damn bad, Flip, you don’t even know.” You chuckle to yourself, and he does, he knows now. Maybe not back then when he was stupid and oblivious, but now he knows.

“You’ve got one now.” Flip snatches your hand up and presses a kiss to the big diamond right there on your ring finger, the one he worked for so long and so hard to save up and buy you, not wanting to settle for anything less than the best.

“Damn right I do.” You grin, rolling away from him just far enough to lay on your back and look up at the fluffy white clouds that pass along the sky, off to who knows where. “I’m the one living the dream here. Handsome strong husband, beautiful house, money to burn, happy healthy kids? What more could a girl want?”

Flip joins you, the two of you lying side by side on the blanket, pointing up at clouds and announcing what you think they look like. He could lay here forever, Flip thinks to himself as he watches the way the clouds cover the sun now and again, watches as your face gets more illuminated and then less, you squinting against the rays of light with a big happy grin.

He dips down to kiss you, deeply for a moment, sighing against your tongue in his own happy lazy way, before he pushes himself away from you, and goes back to his spot on the grass where he picks up the gun and resumes his target practice. He’s got to keep his skills sharp, after all, especially with hunting season coming up.

“Bullseye.” He says aloud after hitting three more rounds of yet another perfect target, before turning around and putting his hand on his hip, “What, no applause?”

“You’re an idiot.” You laugh, before clapping and even giving him a whistle or two for his trouble, and he bites away his grin, clicking the safety back on his rifle and making a beeline straight for you.

“Oh yeah?” He scoffs, and now you’re up off the blanket and running away from him as your laughter is carried by the breeze, and he’s chasing you down towards the fields of wildflowers that sit on the outskirts of your property, “Take it back -- c’mere -- !”

“Phil! For fuck’s sake -- ah!” You laugh and laugh as he runs after you, letting out a little shout of surprise when he manages to wrap his arms around you and hoists you over his shoulder, your stomach swooping from being upside down. He really was a lumberjack, wasn’t he? You laugh and smack against his back, and he only smacks at your ass in response.

Flip does this sometimes, when he’s in a playful mood like this, he’ll just snatch you up and tote you around, parading you through the house. He didn’t do it so much when you were pregnant, because he was mostly too afraid of hurting the baby, but the babies have long been born now, and this mock-wrestling that you do together can resume, and Flip’s going to take every opportunity to do just that.

It’s a perfect day for it too, he figures, not too hot, not too cold, not rainy or too windy. He’ll keep you outside for as long as he can manage, because dammit the opportunity to see you out in the splendor of nature like this only comes around every so often. So you don’t complain too much when he wrinkles your dress, or accidentally kicks off one of your shoes that you’ll make him go find, because even when he’s scowling and his brow is furrowed in the way that it is, there’s a sparkle in his eye that you wouldn’t dare put out.

Back at the blanket, he dumps you onto it with a thud, and you swat at his thigh for the trouble, winded and so so so in love. He crowds your body against the trunk of the shady tree with his own, caging you between his arms, and you roll your eyes as your arms slink around his shoulders, lightly panting from all the running as you rub your nose against his own.

“You are one sharp shooter, Mr. Zimmerman.” You say teasingly, your lips ghosting over his.

“That’s better.” Satisfied for the moment, Flip indulges in the warmth of your sun-drenched body, kissing you beneath the big tree, and he figures he doesn’t mind all the time cooped up in the office if it means he gets days like these.

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Tagging some Flip lovin' friends! @mochabucky @sacklerscumrag @artsymaddie @bitchydecisions @direnightshade @reyloaddict55 @thembohux @kylorenswhxre @sunflowersinthesnow @babayagakeanu @safarigirlsp @steeevienicks @materialisthicc @hswritingrecs @han68000 @rosi3ba3z @chapterhappygirl @loverofallthings @groovetoob @bxnnywriting @glassbxttless @angel-bxby3 @smallgirlbigpersonality @lovelyyy-luna @2000andwhat @raddo1975 @cornmousequeen @metsienmenninkainen @caillea @painttheskylineforme @holding-on-to-starwars @caitlin-was-here @icarusinthesea