#chonny jash fanfiction

[44-mr-midnight-44]

Imminent Sunrise

Lost at Sea (CCCC AU) story, seventeen-hundred and twenty-one (1.721) words

A simple no stakes fluff fic where Heart and Mind talk on a rooftop and Soul stops by to reminisce.

WARNING: Canon-divergence up ahead!

(Read it on AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/53570137)

“(Where do we go when we die?)”

A soft layer of a muted magenta hued the horizon.

A duo of unsightly beings seated themselves at the oak brim of a tall building, tired eyes swallowing the large sight of extending ocean.

“[I feel like you ask me this at least three times every month.]”

Consumed cans of strong beverages lay awkwardly compressed, if not slightly destroyed, occasionally set into a roll by the seaside wind.

Cool dew began to appear on neighbouring plant life; quiet water sifted and shuffled atop itself and crumpled at the shore, far below their point in the sky.

“(Yeah, but I mean… Have we ever came to a solid conclusion?)” Heart asked, finger wrapped around the open side of another can. “(Reincarnation, afterlife, oblivion… do we really know, mate?)”

“[We don't, there. Will that put you to rest?]” The robotic id ruffled the other’s fluffy violet hair.

The Sun at once begun to march up the quiet distance.

A dangling blue light hung from Mind’s esca; a luminescent white eye watching.

“(I don't think so. Sometimes I wonder if you and me have had lots of previous lives, each where we were strange, out-of-place beings with no ties to the nature of this world. Or sometimes I wonder if we’re both angels, anchored to this reality without a trace of our memories until we can prove ourselves…)”

“[…Or maybe we’re just really strange animals that bear no difference to the fauna among us, and we just put ourselves on a pedestal for being supernatural.]”

Mind swallowed a sip of hardy flavour; a fine twinge of pine-like water added to his mouth.

“(You’re boring, you know that?)” Heart said, shoving his brother.

“[Watch it, I wouldn't survive a fall at this height.]” Mind smirked, steadying himself.

The waking cries of gulls had sliced through the otherwise silent morning, daybreak crossing the brightening sky.

“(Soul says when we die, we go to Heaven. What do you imagine Heaven is like? There, that should be easier.)”

“[Well… I like the thought that we would be happy. And anyone we’ve loved will be there, and if we don't love them anymore, we can love them again. All those friends we never got to see again… All of those faces we saw a final time… All of those passerby aquaintances… We’re in a state where everyone loves each other.]”

“(How boring. I like the thought that we fight until only one of us remains, and then that person gets to make the next sentient planet.)”

“[Gee, someone’s got an imagination.]”

Soft feathery appendages shifted and contorted into a fine stretch, several tiny crackles clicking from each as they lengthened.

Long violet feathers stretched from the id’s rear; swaying across the wooden rooftop.

“(Okay, but in all honesty… I think when we die, if there’s a Heaven at all, I like to think we’ll live our best lives. If you've always wanted to be a bird, congrats! You're a bird now, but you've got all the advantages of being a human that you liked. Have you always wanted to live at a waterpark? Well good news Thomas Ralph the IV, now you have a waterpark all to yourself that grows forever.)”

“[But why are we even alive then? Why would we want to exist when we could just die and then live happily forever? Seems like give or take eighty years of ‘meh’ and then forever of wonders seems pointless, don't you think?]”

“(Maybe… Maybe we only get a free trial, until the world has ended.)”

Croaks and groans of feet hitting stairs sauntered up the entrance to the hangout area.

The two ids suddenly bore a frantic expression as they scrambled to gather each can and collect them into a decently neat, insidious pile.

“{Did you two stay up again…?}” Soul said, creaky hands washing the sand from his eyes.

“[Yes.]”

“(No.)”

Trailing towards his two beloved parasites, the Host deposited his form into a comfortable slouch, and snatched a can for himself before taking a greedy string of gulps.

“{Ugh, you two brought the weak stuff.}”

“[It makes my head hurt…]”

“{Can’t believe you two came from me.}” Soul tossed the can from his palm to a long plummet down to the sand. “{…I'll clean that up tomorrow.}”

“[You’d better! Did you know fish and seagulls can get their heads stuck in those?]”

“(It’s true! I had to rescue a good few of them!)”

Soul chuckled.

“{For being such little menaces, you two really do care about everything around you…}” He spoke, words like tepid frost, both hands offering firm, soothing scritches into their hair.

“(Well, our time on this Earth is limited. Why not put what we have to good use?)”

“[We don't belong here… we weren't invited. I think it's only fair we help a tad with the housekeeping.]”

With a violet and indigo form leaning on oppositional sides of him, Soul stared out into the approaching dawn.

Their tall, birch home towered into the cold sky; a tiny island among a limitless sea.

Just little visitors in the vastness of this world. Imagine that: These little parasites are just a glimpse into the possibility of what can and can't happen.

Soul remembers the good old days, just when the two were little kids; they were no ordinary children, of course, but it brought a certain charm.

He’d just found refuge from a dark family life, and out split from him were two small souls; one hued purple, the other hued blue.

They had no mouths, but had a lot to say alright; those things sure loved to whimper and whine.

He wasn't even sure if they realised they got all their food from Soul eating overtime; he’d have to grab a lot more bites than usual to sustain them, but it was worth it for their elated faces.

“Oh!” Cameron said, a happy gaze settled on the little page scrunched between two small paws. “What is this?”

“…!” The idfant whined.

“Is it a dragon…?” He cocked his head, an awkward smile lapping at his lips.

The idfant only stared back.

“Or is it… a crocodile?”

Its face lightened.

“A saltwater croc? The one you see on those little shows you like?”

Suddenly, it was bouncing and whimpering with ecstasy.

“Oh, you did such a good job!” It didn't really. He could barely tell what was its mouth and what was its claws.

But everyone starts somewhere, don't they?

As the two idiots melted into his arms, Soul’s eyes settled on a peaceful, sleepy expression.

He didn't expect to become symbiotic in his lifetime, no-less with these two. But he’s sure happy that he got to be the one selected to be a Host.

“What are you building there, little tuna fish?” Cameron smiled, knees bent beside the indigo idfant.

“…” He removed his hand’s position on a brick, then positioning them on a stack of Legos, bundling the flimsy blocks into his palms and propping them to meet Cameron’s eyes.

“Oh!” Cameron’s hands made a rapid series of collisions. “You did that all by yourself?”

“!” Mind nodded hastily, struggling to hold his excitement within his little body.

“I’m so proud of you,” Cameron grinned, giving his hair a firm, delightful ruffle. “I could personally never get into Legos… I never quite had the attention span. But I assume for someone like you, who loves all things logical and analytical, building things that require such attention-to-detail and intricate focus must be very relaxing, yeah?”

From the looks of it, Mind just ignored everything he said.

“Heh… too many big words?”

He seemed to have appreciated the love in his Host’s voice nonetheless.

“I love you. I’ll be sure to buy you lots of Legos this Easter, alright?”

The reminiscing that poured out of him rocked to a sudden standstill as Soul felt his two ids form strokes of heavy breaths at his sides, and Soul made a little smirk.

“{Tired?}”

“(Mmm…)”

“[Kkkkkh…]”

“{That’s what I thought.}”

As a second set of arms poked from Soul’s abdomen, the two ids were collected into his grasp, and he descended the upwards-leading staircase, leading-downwards into the cosy confines of his own room.

Albeit definitely foul-smelling, kicking past the empty energy drinks that made a metal ruckus the Host then lent the two the safety of being bundled up within a large comforter.

Tucked between thick sheets, Heart sunk into Mind’s chest and limbs, the latter burying his chin onto the former’s head.

“{Before you two collapse, would you like one last story?}” Soul smiled, seated beside the cot.

“(Mm…)”

“[Yes…]”

“{Next time I'd like a ‘please’, but okay. I’ll tell you my favourite one: }”

A finger bitten by a worn fingerless glove twirled and pirouetted through the two parasites’ hair, and a simple hum drew from him.

“{Once upon a time, there was a little human child. You may know him as Cameron: Or me. He was very handsome, and very good at everything, as you may remember from yours truly. But he was very sad… and very lonely. He wasn't happy with his life. He was hurt by everyone around him. Everyone wanted to either leave or hurt him…}

“{But he didn't lose hope. He was still kind, and still decided to love. He hung on until the very end, which hasn't come yet in the story. But even then… things could still be rough. It didn't feel worth it sometimes.}

“{And one day, he felt something inside of himself. Just this crazy, burning feeling, that he had to get out of there. So he did! He went to the local beach, and walked across the sea. And he walked, and walked, and walked… until he found a new home waiting for him. And out he released two little baby ids, whom would have made all that pain worth it.}”

Heart and Mind had buried themselves into one another, their breathing hushed and heavy.

“{Alright, that's the abridged version. Go to sleep, you two. We’ll have lots of time to relax tomorrow.}” Soul cooed, crawling into his cot among the two and enveloping them to his body, his warmth seeping into them.

The lights fell to a silent darkness.

Everything was okay in the world, maybe just this once.

[birdbutbetter]

hello jashers!!

me and my brother @therealqa have been working on an angst fic called metamorphosis for the past week

it's finally out if you'd like to read it !!

please do mind the tws, it's heavy

[thewandererh]

THISTHISTHISTHISTHIS!!!!!!!! the writing is SUPERB!!! and the dialouge,,, auagh the { } and ( ) is so cool!!!!

i really really like every little aspect of this—heart’s pain and emptiness toward being unable to see, heart tying anything he was able to see in the past to nostalgia, soul’s explanation and rather impulsive(?) initial question (he wants to reminisce on something he loves with someone else. maybe he didn’t think about the question enough? maybe he thought heart would know bc he’s tied to the moon?), heart letting himself answer the question and remember the stars to benefit from it and visualize them again, the little tidbits about their world compared to space…

ahagsdhAhshskdhHAGSHDHDUD ITS SOO GOOOD!!!!! this is what i took away from it (with what i admit is a ‘just woke up gonna scroll over my tumblr likes and go crazy over posts i love’ mindset). i really love literatur you can analyze and wanted to contribute!! thank you so much for this gem of an excerpt-blurb-fanfic-scenerio thing 💛💛 the art and scenerio are beautiful and creative!! i love ur style of drawing and writing sm 😭✨

{ " Do you like the stars ? " }

It was a strange question, one that he was sure Soul knew he couldn't answer. It'd been too long since he last had seen them for Heart to know anymore.

( " Hm… can you describe them to me ? " )

He could've just said no, that he can't possibly see them, that the question was useless, but something in him wanted to know, to try and simulate the tiny little dots that painted the sky in his mind. It wasn't the real thing, clearly, but it'd be enough to satiate that little part of him that wanted to remember, that nostalgic little corner of his heart that ached at the thought of it.

Soul was silent for a while. Heart could almost hear him trying to string the sentences together into something that made sense.

{ " They're… brighter now, than on most nights. Despite the clutter in the sky, you can see them pretty clearly. All the little sizes and colors that they come in. That doesn't happen very much, these days . " }

I can only assume why. Heart gave a small nod.

{ " There's so many of them, you know? And even if we can't see them that closely, to know each and every little one is unique in their own way… It's beautiful. I wish we got to have this more often . " }

Heart had a picture in his mind, a distant memory of being in this exact place before, the endless expanse of space stretching beyond their little corner of the universe. The sky, dotted with red, purple, orange, blue, left unhidden by the excess light that usually blocked such sights. Benefits of living in a non-existent world… He could almost see it again.

( " … Yeah, " ) The Moon says, finally answering Soul's question. ( " I like them, I mean. They're cool . " )

Soul smiles, and Heart could feel his eyes on him, before he turns his gaze back to the sky. Heart expects him to say something, but the rest of the night is silent.

And for once, though it feels like it leaves an empty space in his chest, he's alright with that.

[daellauchiha]

Memories of the night

Jason Todd × reader

Warning: +18, Mention of sex

Summary: You remembering last night

Masterlist

You were lying on Jason's bed, in Jason's apartment and in Jason's city.

He was next to you, reading Jane Austen.

For the 10th time this year, probably.

He was focused. And it felt good when he did that, and how he did.

You lick your lips, thinking about last night, how he sucked you off and then fucked you until your legs went weak.

Damn hot nerd who fucks well.

Putting your cell phone and thoughts aside, you stand up and take the books from his hand. Making Jason raise his eyebrow in question.

Putting the book on the table next to you and crossing your leg so that it was on top of Jason's muscular thighs.

He smiles, when he realizes your intentions and licks his lips, looking at your mouth, putting his hand on your waist and the other on the back of your neck, grabbing your hair. You put your hands on his shoulders.

- You know... I was remembering some things. - you say, sliding on his lap, making you feel his hard cock.

Jason sighs, closes his eyes a little and lets out a 'hmmm'.

- What things? Maybe you could jog my memory.

- I certainly can. - You say and kiss his mouth.

Jason runs his hand down your back, squeezing it there so that you are closer to him. With his other hand, he pulls your hair while kissing you.

[sunnydayaoe]

{Dress up}

[CCCC FIC] Contains: Platonic Soul and Whole, sfw Petre[~4,500 words]

Soul really could not be normal. Clutched in His hands, the cutest little calico cat ear headband he'd ever seen. He gestured to himself, to Whole, to them, voice squeaky, "Is that-" for me? He really couldn't finish any sentence today, staring into His eyes: Deep brown and probably considering just how pathetic Soul was being. He shouldn't have asked. He could feel the shame, red like his halo in the midst of cacophony, creeping across his face. -- Dress up!!! Whole buys Soul some cat ears :]

Fic under cut! or on AO3

One would assume, wrongfully, that he would know better than this. He had assumed he knew better than this. Mocking him, taunting even, a little plastic bag carried the cause of his strife. Innocently sitting on his kitchen counter, contents spilling out the slightest bit: calico cat ears and a matching tail.

Pathetic to be so worked up over such a simple thing. It made him infinitely grateful Mind and Heart had left for a walk earlier and his Soul hadn't left its room for the day yet; Whole assumed he was just enjoying some alone time with both its ids and Whole out of the house.

He cringed as his thoughts drifted back to his Soul. The calico themed ensemble had been bought for him, after all.

Nothing was wrong with them, at a glance. Plush, soft to the touch, colored bright and cheery, they seemed exactly what someone who'd buy them would want out of them. What had drawn his eye in the first place, the signature black and orange splotching reminding him terribly of his Soul, looked charming even in the shitty kitchen lighting. He groaned, slumped over the counter, annoyed with how easily he was taken in by them.

It wasn't just that he'd gotten cat ears for his... friend, before he could think better of it. It was that Soul would definitely balk at the idea of wearing them.

He didn't think there was any shame in wearing cat themed paraphernalia, didn't even think Soul would find it shameful to wear them, but that wasn't the problem here. Soul already had fuzzy ears and a short little tail, rendering this wholly unnecessary.

Frankly, he would just look downright goofy in the whole ensemble. Curved, sharp horns with a cat-ear headband at the base, further down real goat's ears, and then even further a fake cat-tail to hang beside its real fawn. And, well... It would look cute. He just didn't think his Soul would have a similar view.

He slid his hand over his face, another noise escaping his lips. This was just embarrassing.

He knew Soul didn't need any new equipment for pet regression: at least, he'd never asked for or made any himself. Doing this, getting him things he definitely didn't want and would probably feel stupid wearing, was another tally in the mess he'd made of his Soul's existence.

He wished there was a guide to being someone’s... to being someone’s.

He'd flipped through article after article about " how to be a good roommate, " " all the things that only your good friends would do for you, " and even several blogs about being a good caretaker, yet none of them seemed to know the answers for all of... this.

He should throw them away. A waste of money, a waste of time, but what wasn't, nowadays? It'd be a bigger waste if Soul saw them and finally realized Whole wasn't worth as much as he clearly thought he was. He could see it so clearly. His Soul's eyes, wide with wonder and adoration darkening with understanding; seeing Whole for who he clearly was, a waste of time and effort.

Maybe that would be a blessing: getting it over with. It probably wouldn't fix anything. Soul- and Heart and Mind- were all stuck with him, their only Whole.

He shook his head. He couldn't be getting bogged down by thoughts like that now.

The bag was in his hand and he was halfway down the hallway before he could start overthinking again. His own trash-can would be best; he could just imagine the reactions if any of the three found his mistake in a more communal trash-can. He'd never live it down.

He made it to his room without interruption, thankfully.

With a 'oomf' he flopped into his desk chair, the bag ending up on the desk itself. He should throw it away, but...

The headband was in his hands, horribly soft. He fidgeted with it, and tried not to imagine them on Soul. Failed, like many other things, but the picture did bring a smile to his face. His Soul would look extremely goofy in them; adding the tail to the mental image brought out a giggle.

He was just having a little thought experiment before he threw them away, that was all. It wasn't hurting anyone.

Maybe this earned him karma's ire though, or maybe it was another bullet on the long list of problems he'd caused. Either way, lady luck was not smiling upon him.

His door creaked open, Soul peeking in, a smile drawing across his face in an instant. "Whole, you're back! Would you like to ha-"

He knew why he stopped.

Single visible eye dilated in, focused on the headband in his hands. It reminded him of that searching look Soul got on his face anytime he hadn't seen Whole for any notably long amount of time; searching, intense- looking for faults, for why he cared about him at all, probably.

"Is that...?" Soul gestured vaguely, like he didn't know what it was trying to say but trusted Whole implicitly to understand.

Whole did Not understand.

------

The day had been going well. Almost unreasonably well.

Heart and Mind had been civil, even affectionate, all morning. They'd left the house together some time early in the evening. A part of him {one he had been listening to less and less as of late} feared they wouldn't be returning, at least not in one piece. Most of him just hoped they got back early enough to join them for dinner.

Most of the unease was centered on the fact that Whole had gone shopping, though.

It made him feel clingy and a bit pathetic to worry so much when all He was doing was a simple errand, but oh, Harmonia, was it hard not to imagine something horrible happening to his Whole while he was not there.

It was fine, he could deal with it! Harmonia would return, probably with a little extra treat He'd gotten while He was out, and a satisfied smile. Getting out would be good for Him. Soul really should just... calm down.

That was what he'd tried to tell himself all morning, anyway.

He could feel the stress sinking in further, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up against Harmonia and forget all the stress of being apart. That would be dreadfully embarrassing though. He was probably going shopping to get away from them for a little bit {and, well... Shop.}, Soul attaching himself to His hip right as He got back would be tantamount to going right against Harmonia's will.

He could be normal! He... he could be normal just as soon as he gave Him a little check in. The footsteps, quiet as they were, let him know Harmonia had gotten back from His little trip. Maybe Soul could ask if He'd want lunch. Maybe they could eat it together...

He slapped his cheeks, shaking his head out like a dog. Getting ahead of himself again, daydreams filling his head. He needed to get a grip!

Just... just be normal, he reminded himself, with a final steadying breath. His door had been left open a crack, and with that note he pushed Harmonia's door open.

"Whole, you're back! Would you like to ha-" the sentence remained unfinished.

He really could not be normal.

Clutched in His hands, the cutest little calico cat ear headband he'd ever seen. He let out a near inaudible noise, though from what he could see He didn't seem to notice.

He gestured to himself, to Whole, to them, voice squeaky, "Is that-" for me? He really couldn't finish any sentence today, could he.

Whoever said that eyes were the window to the soul was clearly lying out of their ass, because what Soul saw in Harmonia’s eyes was not himself. Deep brown and probably considering just how pathetic Soul was being. He shouldn't have asked. He could feel the shame, red like his halo in the midst of cacophony, creeping across his face.

What was he waiting for? Soul to finish his sentence? That ship had clearly sailed and crashed… maybe he was trying to figure out how to let Soul down gently; that made more sense. His Harmonia was so sweet, of course He wouldn't want to be too cruel in His rejection.

Of course those sweet little trinkets wouldn’t be for Soul.

Whole moved, snapping Soul out of his thoughts immediately. Eyes wide, searching for any sign of what Soul was supposed to do. How he could be perfect.

His arms, holding the headband, had curled inwards. Like praying {like Soul}.

Harmonia, Whole, cleared His throat, like He didn't know what to say. He didn't say anything for a moment longer, awkward. Another cough. Soul was slightly worried He might just be sick. Soul's throat ached in sympathy, or maybe that was just because he'd stopped breathing.

"Soul-" He finally started, "This is- I just... I bought these earlier. Ah, while I was doing errands." He cringed, like He didn't really want to be talking about this. Talking to Soul.

Soul should probably answer, "Oh." No sound came out when he tried to continue, so he quickly shut his mouth. Maybe he would Not be answering with more than that. Maybe he should just walk out the door and dig himself a pit to lie in. Maybe Heart had the right idea.

Whole cringed back even further at that; Soul definitely made a mistake. Should he... try talking again? Before Soul could try another attempt at normal conversation, a futile effort, Harmonia was continuing.

"You can, ah, have them. If you want." He made a little motion to come closer; it was kind of an awful effort, motion aborted half-way through like He was embarrassed to be taking up more space than He already was.

It was all Soul needed though, and with a motion more practiced and sure than anything else that evening Soul had stumbled forward and landed on his knees before Him. The position, the cat ears it wasn't even wearing, the fact he'd felt stressed all day... It was hard to stay present, to not regress.

His Whole was already so stressed, He probably didn't want to deal with that right now. Soul could keep it together, for Him. {He knew he couldn't. Everything already felt a little fuzzy. Weak, but maybe Harmonia would forgive him.}

His face was a little twisted up, something sour that quickly smoothed out into calm. "Do you want me to put it on you...?"

Soul thought that was already the plan. He really kept embarrassing himself, didn't he? He did a little almost imperceptible nod, something Harmonia had to lean down to see.

Finally something that wasn't negative; He smiled, sweet and small and lopsided and perfect. "Let me..." He murmured, quiet, before slowly reaching out with the headband. Soul tried to stay still, really, he did. His efforts were fruitless, because the instant His hands dipped around his ears, gently sliding the headband on, he was had.

As if his body and mind were not one {ironic, because he was not the one split in three in this room,} he leaned into the hands with a hum. Warm, soft, kind. He made a noise at that, surprised and amused. With the smallest adjustment to the headband, His hands moved forwards to cup his face instead, tilting it up to stare up at Him.

"Cute...."

Soul's face was bright red. That didn't stop him from leaning in until nearly his entire head was supported by Harmonia's hands though. He scooted the smallest bit closer, head nearly in His lap.

Harmonia's thumb gently rubbing along his cheek was the last straw. He shouldn't have expected not to fall like this, He was just being too indulgent, affectionate. How was he supposed to resist...?

He nuzzled into His hands, shuffling the last few inches closer until he could set his head in His lap. Like a lapdog, or perhaps a very large cat, he looked up at Harmonia, eyes half-lidded. Harmonia seemed taken aback by his boldness, but Soul was too busy enjoying the feeling of His soft denim pants, skin-warmed, against his cheek to notice.

Another moment frozen, a moment where Soul started to almost regret his actions, almost came back up. It only lasted that single second though, His hands beginning to move again. One stayed against his cheek, the other drifting back behind his ear. "Are you a kitty right now...? I should have expected this." A ting of self deprecation, like He couldn't get over how stupid He was.

Soul wouldn't be standing for that, not when Harmonia was the definition of perfection. With a whine he nuzzled against his lap, staring up at Him with large baleful eyes. His arms reached up, paws on his knees. The picture of a pleading kitten.

He laughed, attention redirected back to Soul. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you, bud."

That laugh was nearly angelic. Everything he’d ever need to hear for the rest of his life. He hummed, nuzzling further against Harmonia, trying to elicit more giggles and coos.

Anything to make his Whole happy. Anything to keep Him content to lower Himself to his presence.

It was like that for a few more moments, Harmonia’s hands carding through his hair. His nails were bit short, blunt, but still wonderful against his scalp. Still, like all good things, it could not last.

“Soul,” He started, before stopping. Words coming out before He’d considered them, or maybe the pause added in for some secretive sort of purpose Soul wasn't able to get, world so fuzzy at this point.

The lack of structure was unideal though. He couldn’t help but be reminded of that awful song He would sing when existence became too taxing. Each word drifting further and further from one another…

“Do you want off the floor?” A question interrupted his musing. "You can, ah-" He paused, the hesitance back, His face a bit red, "you can sit in my lap, if you want..."

He nodded with barely a moment's consideration. The floor was nice, if only because he had easy access to Harmonia. His lap, though…? That sounded heavenly.

The right answer, of course. Smiling down at him like a forgiving deity, practically glowing. It made him forget to start moving, just admiring instead. The smile faltered after a beat of him proceeding to do absolutely nothing, confusion clouding His eyes. Seeming to realize Soul wasn't going to be getting up himself, He reached down, arms a bit hesitant as they curled around him.

Of course Soul was nothing but relaxed in His arms, nearly going limp the second he could feel Him supporting him. A faux purr started up, the noise interrupted every other second with a giggle. He needed to calm down- but it was so so hard to, when He kept looking at him like that.

"And there we go!" With one last motion and a little scrabbling from Soul he was finally in His lap. "That better, bud?"

He nodded, face pressed to His shoulder. All the stress that had been plaguing him seemed to melt away in His arms, warm and present and undeniably there. It was hard, at times, to believe this was really his reality, but even dreams didn't feel this nice: undeniable proof that concord had been achieved.

And could anyone blame him? He’d like to see a single person who wouldn’t melt into these arms.

Gentle cooing, hands slowly carding through his hair… on second thought, the idea of someone else getting this instead of him sounded awful.

He cuddled closer, the side of his left horns bumping into Harmonia’s chin. In his haste, he finally noticed a detail about the calico cat ears: they had bells. Little jingly ones that made a sound anytime he moved his head. Delightful!

He shook his head, trying to get more of the clinking noises. This also earned him a squeak from Harmonia as his horns were shaken about as well.

He pushed Soul away the slightest bit, hands gentle on his shoulders, “be a bit more careful, bud? Those horns are sharp…”

He didn’t look too angry though, just amused at his giddiness. So forgiving and perfect! He leaned in to nuzzle his face, careful of His horns this time. His cheeks were warm and only slightly rough with stubble.

Harmonia laughed as he nuzzled against Him, trailing along the side of His head. Tucking his nose into His collarbone, he pressed the rest of his face to His neck. The way he shook and rumbled with laughs felt so nice…

His hands trailed along Soul’s back, lightly scratching just enough to feel through his shirt. Arching into it with a happy little hum, close enough to a purr to make him feel all fuzzy inside.

Then they stopped, leaving Soul to whine in confusion. Removing himself from His very comfortable embrace, head tilted back to look up at Harmonia, he let out another confused noise. Why no petting…? His Whole was smiling, crinkly in the corners like an old wrapper, saying cushy soft little things like, “don’t worry bud…” and “you can keep going,” so Soul probably hadn’t been Bad, so what could it be?

His attention was drawn to movement at the corner of his eye, Harmonia had reached for a bag on his desk. Plastic, probably from his shopping trip earlier… what could… oh!

Stoic and normally so composed, he could do nothing but perk up in excitement; was it a treat? Did He have a treat for the Soul? For being so very good and nice and responsible all the time?

His halo must have brightened at that, because He squinted a little, face scrunched up further, face painted a bit yellow by the light. He looked like what every painting Soul had tried to make strove to be: his Harmonia, bathed in the light of harmony.

He didn’t pay that any mind, more taken in with the possibility of a snack or toy. Shifting around and leaning over Harmonia's arms, using His chair for leverage he tried to stick his face into the bag.

“Wouh!” Harmonia snaked an arm around his waist and pulled him flush against His chest before he could investigate further, the chair wobbling precariously from all the sharp movements the two were doing, “settle down Atlas, I’ll show you in a moment.”

He squirmed and grumbled in His arms for a moment before doing as asked. Even without the treat this was still pretty nice…

With a flourish the treasure was finally presented to him. A matching calico tail to the ears he’d been given, equally adorable and colorful. 

This confidence waned as quickly as it came, the arm around his waist relaxing and the hand holding the tail stiffening a little. “Do you like it…?”

He answered with a happy trill, head butting His hand affectionately, careful not to catch any skin, or the tail, with his horns. Harmonia relaxed into His chair with that, eyes softening with relief as He let His fingers card through Soul’s hair.

“Want help putting it on?”

He nodded, squirming around on Harmonia’s lap until He was in a position where He actually could put it on Soul, half straddling Him. His Whole’s arms reached around him again, one just holding him still against His chest and the other actually clipping the tail to one of his belt loops.

With that, He was done, leaning back to admire His work. Soul tried to do the same, but there wasn’t really much room to do so in Harmonia’s lap. He turned a bit, motions awkward and giving him very little opportunity to actually see the tail or feel it swish around.

Gentle, like He didn’t know if this would net Him a positive reaction, he offered a suggestion. “Would it be easier to see that out of my lap?” He quickly continued, not frantic but not wholly relaxed, “you can always sit with me later… I can just get some work done, and you can enjoy that yourself, on the floor nearby…? I ah… don’t really have any cat-toys…”

The idea of being separated from Harmonia wasn’t the most appealing, but he really did want to move around more… if he really could just come back anytime he wanted, there probably wasn’t any harm in a little play-time; if he didn’t like it he could just come right back.

With that decided, he slipped off Harmonia’s lap and onto the floor, already feeling bereft of His warmth. An encouraging, “have fun bud!” Kept him from returning straight away though; he was going to have fun!

Doing a tight little circle to watch how his tail moved around with the motion, he couldn’t help but feel a little euphoric at the swaying faux fur. It was very very cute. But maybe he went around a few too many times: he ended up a bit dizzy after.

It was very much worth it though, because all the spinning reminded him of the little jingly bells on his cat ears.

He gave it a good shake, admiring how clearly the sound rang out. Batting at it a few times for good measure, knocking it a little loose. Half-on half-off it wasn't as comfortable.

Trying to fix it, he brought his paws back to his head and tried to bat at it again. Of course, this only knocked it off fully. Landing on the floor with a few more little tinkles. He could have probably just grabbed it and put it back on, but it did a little bounce and it just kept Jingling and he was pouncing before he had a conscious thought.

Batting around the improvised cat toy was way more enjoyable than it should have been -maybe because Soul hadn't really gotten to play with toys in kitten space before.

Harmonia had stopped watching him after a little bit, and he let himself fully get into the zone. One, probably too forceful, hit landed the headband on Whole's bed.

He made quick work of scrambling over to the bed and jumping up, enjoying the way his tail trailed behind him when he moved fast enough. The springs protested the motion, but he paid them no mind, seizing his prize.

Mantling over it, he just enjoyed the fact he'd "caught" it. Slowing down like that let him process the fact he was in Harmonia's bed, too. Soft and unmade, it was, overall, extremely normal. That didn't stop a little nervous feeling enveloping him, scared he was doing something wrong.

Looking over, He didn't seem to be paying much attention, though after Soul stayed quiet for a bit He looked over. Apparently not seeing anything amiss, He gave a little wave, before getting back to work.

So this was... allowed. He guessed it makes sense, Whole hadn't made any other fuss about him being on the furniture as a kitten, so this wasn't that strange. Slightly more secure in the fact that he wasn't breaking any rules, he flopped over and cradled the belled headband.

His bed smelled nice {or well... it didn't smell That nice, but it smelled like Him}, and he couldn't resist the urge to roll around a little. He stretched, enjoying the ambience. It was.... pleasant;: calm. He hadn't really let himself relax all day, too many distinct variables to keep track of.

Now though... he could just relax in His bed, content that things were okay. Mind and Heart were still out, but that felt less pressing. He knew they were getting along now, spending time together...

And centering, grounding, Harmonia worked at his computer several feet away. Safe.

It was all just... so very nice.

------

"We're home!"

Heart and Mind had come back, Heart's cheery voice signaling their return. Just as his fingers were starting to cramp too, a sure sign Whole had been working too long.

He stretched out his hands with a groan, taking off his head-set as well. As he got up, his eyes were drawn to his bed, where Soul was sound asleep. He'd assumed the third had left, quiet for so long, but it seems he just tuckered himself out instead.

After a moment's consideration, he decided waking Soul up was probably for the best; it was around dinner time now, and the Sun and Moon probably grabbed food while they were out.

Creeping up to the bed, quiet in a way he probably didn't need to be-- he was going to be waking him up either way-- he sat down next to him.

His Soul was curled around the calico-themed headband, a relaxed smile spanning his entire face, halves mismatched but both softened by concord.

He touched his own face at that, surprised. The darkened half was supposed to mirror his own; he didn't know the last time he'd smiled like that. As if brought on by the attention, he finally noticed how much his face ached from smiling.

He shook his head, knowing he couldn't be dwelling on this. Focusing on the present instead, he shook his shoulder, "Soul? Can you wake up, dude?"

He curled up further, getting further into that catlike ball. Cute, if he didn't worry he was actually annoying him. Maybe he shouldn't be trying to wake him up...

The choice didn't seem up to him though, because there was a harsh knocking against the door. Three sharp raps: Mind. Its voice coming through a second later only confirming that, "We got dinner; get out here soon."

He called back an affirmative, trying to keep his voice down, but the effort was characteristically worthless. Mind wasn't one to control his volume, and he could already see Soul shifting to wakefulness.

"Hey Soul..."

"Urghgh- Harmonia?"

That word, usually he didn't use it out loud. It seems that was who he was to Soul still, "Dinner time, Heart and Mind came back."

He just blinked up at Whole, visible eye half-lidded and sleepy, "You're so pretty..."

He tried to ignore the flutters he set off in his chest, nervous, giggly, "Hey- hey. Eyes on the prize, dinner time."

He hummed, folding out in a cat-like stretch; he seemed to be categorizing the feeling of the bed before, almost like a flip was switched, he froze.

Sitting up like he'd been dragged up, he grinned at Whole, "Ah- morning." A glance at the clock, "Evening, I mean. Sorry to keep you here so long... it's dinner now, right?"

Hoping he wasn't overstepping any bounds, he placed a hand on Soul's shoulder, "Anytime, Soul. I'm just glad you enjoyed the gift."

The thirds hands shot right back to his lap at that, clutching the headband, like he'd forgotten it was there at all; the motion making it jingle all over again. "Yeah... it was nice."

Soul was still a mess from his nap, relaxed in ways he usually didn't allow himself, and Whole couldn't help but admire the way this experience had let him see that. See the way even stripped bare of his mask, he still looked at him like he hung all the stars in the sky. He still didn't know what he'd done to earn that.

He didn't think there was anything he'd ever done that could measure up. Maybe that was okay though. Maybe it was time to accept that he didn't have to earn every scrap of happiness in his life.

Another call from the kitchen, breaking the two out of their reverie.

He didn't mind, trailing after Soul to meet the other two in the kitchen. Warm, soft, another domestic day. He wouldn't have it another way.

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: A gift for for my friend Duck who created Darrell the Chicken A compilation of domestic moments with the trio and their newly beloved chicken.

Author: @avicryptidbard

Submitter: @twig-gy

[graementality]

The first two chapters of my AU 'The Heart Forsaken' are up!!!

Summary:

When Harmonia shines, Atlas beholds him. Without a Heart, how does a man continue on? When his Soul is decrepit and shaved down to its bare bones, how does he keep up the facade of life? When his Mind is the only thing left standing after the gruelling war, how does he not fall victim to its lies just the same as everyone else has?

Or

Heart is left behind in Apathy to rot while the others become whole without him. Surely this won't have any negative consequences, right?

Go check it out!! My first time actually publishing a fic so I'd love feedback and stuff :3 enjoy!

[residentrioters]

Okay, time to promote our fanfiction to tumblr i guess haha

Atlas' Denial

TW for: major character death, corpses, puppeting of corpses, bugs + corpses, and Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.

Read the tags on this one!

What if everything after TSE was in Soul's imagination after he killed them? What if their concord was all play-pretend?

[thewandererh]

@calico-jamie (the @ isn’t working ?? this person :3)

(reblog of Symptom of Danger)

THANK YOU SO MUCH WAAUGHH 😭😭💛💛💛 simon is. literally me. he is my SOONNN <3333

[mercymermaid]

after three months of kicking my ass, this fic is out!!!

tl;dr, heart insults mind's robotness, mind takes it too seriously, and proceeds to have a late-night crisis in which no good decisions are made, at all. 

mind the tags! (no pun intended)

[markerofthemidnight]

🫥 and 💬 and 🚬 if you want.

🫥 A headcanon about your comfort character that’ll probably never come up in one of your fics?

Because it doesn’t seem like I’ll write something about the Lords’ extended family as of now…

The reason why the Lords in Black are so hyperfocused on invading Earth and not any other society in the infinite cosmos is because they’re trying to use it to escape their family: specifically, their father.

This is especially fun because, when you think about it, it’s the exact same thing that Lex and Hannah are trying to do.

💬 The best comment you’ve ever received?

@squid-ink-on-toast on Cacophonous Concord, Chapter 2. Specifically, they said that they were “in support of Heart’s transition to being Wikipedia”.

I don’t know if you’ve read Cacophonous Concord, but the best part of that comment is that it’s not just funny but also surprisingly accurate.

🚬 Best crackfic idea?

I’d say The Catwhisker Effect, but when I made this I specifically meant ones that haven’t been published yet. So…

A week ago, when I was thinking of fun Halloween-based prompts I could write fics around, I came up with the idea to write something I liked to call “The Kits in Black”, inspired by the trope of witches with black cats as familiars.

Basically, it’s just Greyscale except the Lords somehow get turned into black cats instead of humans. Even crazier shenanigans ensue.

[bludraws094]

new fic!

reblogs > likes

[dontlookforme00]

Morrotober, Oct 3. Dream / Sleep. "Let me close my eyes."

[TW for insomnia, and a description of a panic attack, and loss.]

Morro was exhausted.

It was no surprise, it was nothing new. Morro could no longer remember a day he hadn't been exhausted, it was simply all he knew.

But such is the nature of exhaustion to be painfully aware of it, to have its ball and chain biting at your ankle, to have it linger just behind your eyes. Constant.

There was nothing to be done. Morro avoided thinking about it, because it wouldn't do him any good. Ghosts couldn't sleep, and that was that. This was the price he paid for being a part of the Pre-eminents plan, and though he knew it was worth it, he still cried inside for a reprieve. He cried out for a chance to relax his unfeeling body.

But it wasn't possible to relax a muscle if it was never really tensed. He couldn't escape it.

On and on the days had led, the months, the years. Moments in the Cursed Realm were never boring, something was always happening. Morro wondered how much longer he could go on. Surely, forever. His body was incapable of collapse, and some part of him hated that.

Though, every time he remembered why he was doing this, every time he heard the voice of the Pre-eminent and every time he felt her presence, he was invigorated. He would grin wildly and freely.

The apprehension and responsibility of his role was nothing short of his lifeblood.

It made him forget the spinning of exhaustion, and instead gave him purpose.

Sometimes, she'd go days without talking to him, without talking to any of the generals. Morro couldn't help but wonder what was so important as he found ways to fill his time. He'd train, he'd fight, he'd give orders and he'd sit and watch from the darkness. None of these ghosts were warriors yet, not like him. They were ordinary scum, who'd done things horrible enough in their lifetimes to end up here.

They were pathetic, and useless.

It was no wonder the Pre-eminent had chosen him. She was the only destiny that mattered now, anyways. Bigger plans than him were in motion.

And yet, she still left him in silence for weeks on end. The exhaustion would creep back up, forcing its way into the cracks of his being, blurring the edges of his vision. Planting aching into his bones. And he'd find himself sitting on the edge of his prison, trying so hard to not think about the way he couldn't feel his breaths, nor the hands he dug into his scalp, nor the way closing his eyes did nothing to dim the light.

He'd find himself remembering times from his life–in flashing memories, like on the reflection of a river– times like when Wu would tuck him into bed and he'd fall asleep slowly and carefully. With the weight of the blanket keeping him safe.

If only he'd cherished those days more, if only he'd known how much harder things would get.

Morro was driving himself insane.

He kept trying to imagine he was that child again, on the bed, so sure and so confident, and so readily falling asleep. But no matter how hard he pretended, the Cursed Realm had tainted his mind.

Closing his eyes did nothing. He could still see the murky green of the floor he sat on, wisps of grey trailing past his feet. He tensed harder, curling in on himself and clenching his jaw. Morro pressed his palms against his eyes to no avail.

It wasn't fair! He wanted nothing more truly than to be able to close his fucking eyes! Why couldn't the Pre-eminent grant him this one wish? Was he so unworthy? When would this hell pay off?

When would he be free-? He shoved the thought away as soon as it spoke, but its message lingered. He reminded himself that as long as he served his Mistress, he was freer than he had ever been with Wu. That, he knew.

Although, he could admit to himself that he would sell his soul a second time just to be able to experience the unchallenged calm of slumber.

Was he shaking? Was that possible?

He couldn't panic. He wouldn't panic. He wouldn't think of the fact that he had no way of knowing how much longer he'd have to live like this. Wouldn't think about the fact that he could be stuck in here for decades more–

He was definitely shaking. He tightened his grip on the roots of his hair, now having curled in on himself completely. Nobody could see his face, and it was a damn good thing. Because he was sure that he looked as insane as he felt.

"Let me close my eyes." The growl came out high-pitched, pained, yet desolate nonetheless. He didn't know why he let it escape. He didn't know who he was begging to. It wasn't like anybody could hear him.

Morro grit his teeth and swore, trying to gather himself back. But he couldn't seem to untangle his arms, couldn't seem to untense his tremoring limbs. He was falling apart. "Please." He whined. "Let me close my eyes. Let me close my eyes. Let me close my eyes, oh my fucking-.." The tearless sobs became more erratic as he truly comprehended that there was noone there to listen. Nor care.

Morro could still hear the endless cacophony of screeching in the cages, and he couldn't help but think that despite all his power, he was just as imprisoned as the ones in chains.

"Morro?" A haunting voice, rasped by screams. It was Bansha.

Morro jumped, falling back. He sprung back and covered his face with his hands before he could even look at her. He tried to muffle his panting.

Their silence was taut in the air.

Fuck. Bansha? Of all people? The only fucking one with enough authority to snitch on him? To really make this all for nothing?

All Morro could do was pray that the jealous bitch had enough self decency to pretend she'd never seen anything. His hands were still trembling, like a child, like a fucking child. And he could still see the ghostly green of Banshas presence reflecting off the ground, even if he wasn't facing her.

He knew he was supposed to say something. He knew he was the loud one, the cocky general, the ecstatic child, the threat. He was the arrogant one. He was supposed to talk.

But his tongue failed him, for once in his life. At the very worst time.

Even though she still stood there, he could feel the panic wash over him yet again, the lack of sleep, the hopelessness, the unsettling sense of being caged. He needed to leave this conversation, before something horrible happened.

Morro shifted so that his line of vision peeked through the fallen strands of his hair, he saw Bansha.

She was, as usual, almost entirely unreadable. The mask, and hood, and all the tattered robes that she'd been Cursed with served her well here. Her spectral eyes glinted as she narrowed them, slowly looking over Morro. Morro prepared to leap up and shove past her, but then she spoke again, in that same, crackling voice. "Are you…"

He tensed as a thousand possible endings to that sentence ran through his head. Are you crying? Are you really so weak? Are you really so pathetic?

"...okay?"

Morro felt himself freeze. He sat there for a good few seconds. Then, he looked up at her, not caring to swipe the hair out of his eyes.

They looked at eachother, and he still couldn't read her. He knew she was probably tricking him, but the initial shock was still affecting him.

Something in the air began to shift, he could've sworn that he could feel as he shrunk in his clothes, became nothing but a weeping little boy on the side of a street. As some impossibly tall, unimaginably wise adult stood over him.

He didn't like it.

Morro shot to his feet, shoving his face up to hers, forcing her to take a few paces back, as he stole them off her. "What did you just say to me?" He challenged, desperate to destroy this power imbalance that he'd imagined himself.

Her eyes didn't change, simply cautiously searched his. "Morro, please."

He was still shaking. He was still tired. Snapping at her didn't take the bite off his creeping, seeping, sickly fatigue.

Bansha must've watched the exhaustion creep back into the depths of his eyes, as he fought to keep up his violent facade. Slowly, he stood down. Her face did not change once.

Morro turned away, not daring to give away any more than he needed to. "Morro.." her wailing voice was low, like the scratching of a cat at a door. There was something familiar about it. Morro didn't know why she wasn't ridiculing him.

"I know we're not friends. I know we never will be. But I can promise you that we'll both make it out of here."

Morro was still.

He didn't understand. He wiped away some imagined itch on his face, eyes darting back and forth between Bansha and the ground.

Was she… speaking badly against the Pre-eminent? More importantly, was she trying to comfort him? Bansha? He was so aware of how his breaths passed through him. He was still shaking. He was still not asleep. But maybe… maybe she was right.

If she believed they could get out of here, maybe it was true. An opinion outside of his warped, delusional perception seemed endlessly more plausible.

Morro watched the mist hiss past him, faint wailings of agony echoed through the walls.

And he nodded. He didn't look, but he knew Bansha saw.

Even if he didn't believe it, maybe he could just cling on. Cling on to the promise that he wouldn't be condemned here forever. Maybe, deep down, he needed that reason to keep going.

Morro looked up at Bansha, feeling strangely thankful that he couldn't cry anymore. He stared up at her, where she looked right back at him. And they both understood that they had to survive a little longer.

------○------

[Timeskip, to a revived morro au.]

Morro jolted awake, calming his breathing within seconds. He'd been dreaming, some sort of nightmare. Nothing he could recall.

He was sat on a sofa, the room in complete darkness apart from the stark, flashing lights of the television in front. Its rays seemed to bounce off every corner of the room, back and forth and back and forth. He could barely make out what was even going on.

Morro groaned, and lifted up a hand to block out the light from his eyes. That was when he realised that Lloyd was asleep, leaning his head on Morro.

Morro managed to suppress his instinct to throw the boy off, and instead made himself relax. He wouldn't be the one to wake Lloyd.

How the hell had anybody fallen asleep with this thing on, anyways? Morro grabbed a remote, carefully, and turned it off after mashing a few buttons. The darkness afterwards was so plain that it was relieving. Silence rang in his ears, but he didn't quite mind.

Morro leaned his head back against the sofa, trying to remember what nightmare had been so bad that it had woken him.

Lloyd's breathing was slow, and low. His warmth unsettled Morro.

That position couldn't be comfortable for Lloyd's neck. Morro found himself worrying– no, that was stupid– Morro found himself wondering. Wondering about whether or not Lloyd would appreciate a blanket.

Ah, fuck it. He grabbed one from the opposite side of the sofa, and draped it over Lloyd. Then stilled again.

…Bansha. She'd been there, in his dream. He was almost certain of it.

Morro didn't like to think of Bansha, for obvious reasons. She reminded him too much of far too many bad things, despite the fact that she might've been the only alright thing in the entire Cursed Realm. Sometimes.

He couldn't help himself. Morro found himself thinking back to any times they'd talked. He'd been forgetting things like that recently, and he wanted to preserve her memory. Because despite all that she did, she was the only one who comforted him— wasn't she? Even though he definitely didn't deserve it at the time, the little shit that he'd been, she was the only one who saw past his exterior and cared.

Morro weeped internally for every day that his younger self had spent in that hell. He wished he could've gotten those days back, he wished he could've spent them growing up instead.

He remembered something she'd said, a long, long time ago. She'd promised that they'd both make it out alright, no matter what.

Morro stared into the dark of the room, his mind slow, and wandering. Reminiscent. Melancholy.

Well, look at him now. Falling asleep watching shows with the chosen one he'd sworn to destroy. In a normal living room, with normal furniture around them, warm air in his lungs.

And he knew he was safe here.

It was a bittersweet thought. After all that, her promise had come half true. He'd never really believed it.

Morro wished he knew what had happened to Bansha. He wished he could help her the way that the ninja has eventually saved him. He wished he could repay the favour. It seemed unfair that he was alright, and she was lost.

Maybe that debt would never be repaid. He'd probably never know. But maybe he owed his life now to her, and she'd never even know. That thought made him smile.

And so, comforted by the mere thought of what had been but a scrap of kindness in the dark, Morro closed his eyes.

He slept for every night that he had spent painfully awake, and for every night that those he left behind would miss.

[eclipsingbeams]

Guys I wrote two chapters of fics today total, both my chapter fics got an update, who cheered?

( Reanimated AU - https://archiveofourown.org/works/53046679 )

(TLTHTES - https://archiveofourown.org/works/50026381 )

[jaguz123]

Thermodynamic Lawyer

aka: a chonny jash fanfic

yes ! hello ! idk if this is how it works really , but i've decided to cross post stuff onto here as a test i guess

... will release new parts, hopefully i can figure out how to navigate tumblr in the meantime

---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_

They stood there. Almost seamlessly. They fit into the image so well, as if they were meant to be there. But they were pasted there like patchwork- glue and shreds of paper stuck to their edges ruining their view. Freud had underestimated the power that they held, grimy fingers reaching for any ounce of influence over his sovereignty, hissing and clawing at each other.

He watched the advisors in action with a gloomy look in his eye. They threw everything they could at each other. They screamed obscenities, they slammed each other's skull in the wall… And Soul laid there, staring. He could do nothing but glare at them and their profane forms. He couldn't tell if his head was in the clouds or if it was six feet underground- fiberglass fanned across his skin, cotton in his ears. He was resting, watching as they fought, far too tired to bring out his trident.

He could offer the usual assurances. Tell them that they were the same. He could stand like that, better than them, but they looked at him as if they knew something he didn't.

Always and forever, he thought. Better. Superior.

Yes, he watched the Avian screech and sob as the Automaton ripped into his flesh with an almost guilty look in his gaze. Unwilling to indulge in his anger, and yet he committed the integral act anyway. To commit the atrocity wasn’t what was bad- it was to give into the emotion that oversees it. Mind was filthy nonetheless. Heart was soaked in the core-rotting metaphor synonymous for the trivialities of suffering that- meaning something important maybe in some other world- he had forgotten the name of. It was likely an overused proverb. Decayed trite and worthless, frayed at the edges by its repeated utterances. Paper can only stand the test of time for so long.

Soul thought, The first law of thermodynamics states… That if 2 systems are in equilibrium with a third system,- 

The Weeping Angel struck the machine in front of him with a harsh cry, wings flaring, screaming in agony, “Your fault! Your fault, you knew it, you know it! You- god, I missed! I wish I hadn’t of missed!” 

-then they are thus in equilibrium with each other. It is common sense. He lightly coughed into his palm. He watched with dying interest. His body still felt exhausted. So did he. The only difference between him and his weighted body was the fact that one listened to what he wanted, the other completely disregarded it. Guess which was which.

“Alright,” He sighed, finally at least somewhat fulfilled with his rest, tired of their bickering- “uh… Now, if I must-” grappling for his line… What did he always say here again? “You two are one in the same… Why do you always fight?” He drew out the last sentence, begging the clock to stop ticking, wailing for the bird to stop its call. Asking so kindly for the ruler to stop his parade. Not a soul in that room would listen. 

Again, they looked at him with that snobbish look of theirs. They looked tired of that bullshit of his- maybe they were just blind to their own- looking at him as if he were a child fresh from the womb.  He would crawl his way back up their expectations again maybe, perhaps he’d drag his broken body up the bell curve and label himself the average- average life expectancy, of course, if he wanted to hang by the rope then they all would.

“Are you… Blind, or something? I’m fighting for your case.” He was a thermodynamic lawyer of sorts- oh, that sounded familiar. Where’d he hear that from? Whatever. It didn’t matter. The sentence wasn’t that grand anyway. 

It appeared as though they had finally separated from their quarrel- they had found their bodies, but not their eyes. Pathos might finally come together with Logos to rise against the hypocrisy of Ethos, discreditable sources and quotes from lawyers of the past, the one who had held himself in contempt- and the third-eyed joke of a man.

(nothing against will wood btw this is just for the story)

“And… What do you think you hold against us? A noose?” Heart hissed at him, before turning around and stomping away. Mind stood rooted there like a dead tree managing to stand the weathering of lifeless bark, tolerating every force pushed against it even in its death. 

“Do you propose we sit down and have a chat?” Soul asked. He ignored how the canvas in front of him was blank. He disregarded how the clock struck twelve, pushing the ticking out of his thoughts as if it had a lack of relevance. Really, it was the most important thing he could hear at the moment. He was aware of the glare shot at him. He wouldn’t turn his back on a fucking knife, so he kept gazing at the machine-like creature in front of him. Shame he couldn’t grow a face on the back of his head to keep an eye on the mirror behind him.

“No, no- I don’t suppose I do. Just a word would be fitting.” That look. That pathetic look. It was almost pitiful, the look you’d offer an overly optimistic child that still thought the world was sunshine and rainbows and friendship bracelets at school, ketchup stains on your shirt and your hands filled with scribbles of marker. 

“Oh-” The talk would be long. Or at least agonizing. Coming from the man who had glared at himself through the glass, he knew what to expect from that attitude. To expect anything more was to expect the faceless author trying to fill some self-set quota to come up with her own clever lines, desperately scratching the surface of such demands to figure out how she even saw herself at that point.

At best, the reflection was blurred, the outcome hazy- he might slip out of this with only one or two bruises to his identity. He could try to get the superego under control, but the rider of the horse was only as strong as he willed himself to be. The mount could rear him off easily.

“You don't know yet. You truly have no idea. Of course, nothing new from the man that copes by making Tally Hall covers-" He paused for the presumed effect, “-you really are just this brand new breed of pathetic that I don't even know what to name you as.”

Soul started back with a grimace. Oh. Okay. Shit.

He blurred it all out. The anaesthesiologist had done his work well. He couldn't feel the knife digging itself into his chest, he couldn't feel it dragging chunks of his flesh out. He watched as it happened with a hollow stare- apathy was the main numbing agent. He wished he could just sink into repose like he had before. The reprise of the situation would happen again next time. Reprise? Repose? They were synonymous. Again and again, until something breaks. Something would put him to rest and he would wake up again like he had before.

“I am the lawyer fighting for your case, I am the jury arguing against you…” Soul whispered, drawing his breath near and close, almost afraid to share anything with the man in front of him. "Thermodynamics states that you are the same… The same as he… Threes, not thirds!” 

The Automaton leaned down at this, glancing at his disheveled form with slight confusion. He asked, "Pardon?”

Soul didn't listen. He was too busy hearing the ringing of the Bell curve, skull pounding in rhythm with the metronome, painting himself as the sane minority. It's the same as insane, if you really think about it. The right to a stable mind is an unobtainable privilege, but it is wholly possible in the eyes of the beholder. If only Soul was his own protagonist, then he'd be able to behold the fruits of his labors quite well. 

He leaned his head back with an almost tipsy look in his eyes, a laugh in his throat swirling with a gag. 

“Oh you think you're so smart for that… Don't you!-” He found himself suddenly hissing and lurching forward, before reminding himself of his own foreword and recalling the fact that lawyers probably don't harm their clients. Even if they're unwilling. No, he was a good person. He was whole. The other two were just parasites that had happened to stumble about. Why did he still defend their right to exist? They refused to acknowledge that they were the same.

He refused to acknowledge that the three of them were insane.

He held that thought at his lips, before standing up and nearly attempting to spit it out with a heave. 

Mind rushed towards him, joints grinding against each other artificially. He stared at him with the eyes of a snake, like some peasant trying to rid the king of his crown. Tridential regicide! God!

“No! No! This talk is over! Not another word from you!” Soul gasped, scrambling away. He collapsed just a few steps into the hall, dragging himself the rest of the way to his room.

The second law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed- that it can only change forms. You could suppress your urges in one field to invest in another- but you can never shove down your own zeal completely.

Soul slammed the door shut, falling down completely, laying on the floor with an almost awestruck expression on his face. The very root of his issues had clawed its way out of its own grave, told him what was wrong with what Soul always did, and crawled his way back down again. The visage was rotting, the corpse was alive- the carrion was walking, its eyes on the prize! The price was anonymous, probably costing nearly two thirds of a dollar, but pest control was sacred! He needed them gone!

And even though the war would never be over, the causation of depression nearly always fighting against him and the two passengers along with him- if he could get rid of those two neat sections of the load, maybe the boat would finally stop sinking.

Or maybe it would drag him down deeper. Maybe without his two counterparts, he would be weaker. Maybe none of them were meant to tear away from the abyss, born from the sacred flesh in which their forms were sculpted from. 

Such a disgusting thought. They always swarmed around his head like flies or vultures, maybe he was the dead man walking here. Maybe that was why Heart's gaze was blind- Mind's was fresh- and his was merely atrophied from a lack of true vision. 

His ego had told him to shun away the evidence of their faces and their uncanny resemblance. It had told him to neglect how they were lacking and completing, and he had listened. He hadn't even turned to look back- as it had stolen away the whites of his eyes too, and it had sealed the half of his decent side into some merciless black. 

The closed system that he had barricaded and built around himself was loosening. It was leaking energy he would never get back. Entropy was freezing him in that very spot, the thing that kept him moving- going against the laws we have accustomed to build reality- had begun shattering in midair and fizzling out like dying oil lamps or active fireflies. He was unsure which was which, he was unsure if he would ever be sure. 

Those laws must be nonsense. If they had any stable foundation in reality, why did they desert him in the most desperate throes of looming consciousness? He didn't want to admit that he might be wrong, even if that would make him right, because there's always the possibility that the assumption of self satisfaction was to be a lie. His hands laid outstretched towards the sky, reaching out and, with dying resolve, attempting to reach for that final dream that lay beyond even the most final frontier. Fragile at closer inspection, ready to shatter, and even more ready to drag itself together because of gravity. Again, and again- and again.

No matter how many times he said again, no matter how many times he yelled cut- no matter how many directions he yelled into the void, it would happen again. The world would cleanse itself of the memory- the good and the bad. The fact and the fiction. It would recall the lines drawn between Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. The rest was irrelevant. The evidence was trite. It all existed inside of their head, things being made up inside of their individual pseudo-consciousness. What was the difference between truth and false when one lacked the confidence to attempt to differentiate between the two? Nothing.

Soul was- he was- oh, who was he fooling here if not himself? He was nobody. Not even relatively close to the identity he was supposed to be. If anything, he was cripplingly tired, and that didn't help a damn thing. He lay there with the very black sunken eyes Heart owned, and he spoke with the same sharp tongue that Mind was too preoccupied with using to detect it in his voice. Just because they only found the flaws in him that they were concerned with didn't mean that the others didn't exist. 

Heart and Mind were the same. He was different. He had to be different. Mediation was impossible then if he couldn't rip himself away from the other two. They could never be whole if they truly were the thirds they were supposed to be. They were three, and he needed to pacify them so they would finally fade away. Then he could be one. Not just one with Whole- but one as Whole.

Something in him doubted that. 

He would recite the laws. He would split off and separate himself from the bad apples, he'd roll back to the tree- the tree towering so high over them. The tree that he would have to be.

Survival of the fittest, a lawyer in the making. His finality. His solution. The one he strived for- and he was so unbelievably close. He had to ignore that nagging voice holding him back. 

---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_---_

AN: mid as shit ... but anyway planning for there to be three chapters in total

barely beta read/looked over ... my neglected child , we're dying like soul's ego and likely fanon god complex

[sunnydayaoe]

{This isn't Normal}

[CCCC FIC] Contains: Platonic Soul and Mind [~6,000 words]

CW // attempt at romance [no actual romance], uncomfortable kissing [they figure out they don't like kissing and talk it out]

As if sensing the fact it was thinking of him, Mind tightened his arms in his sleep. Usually the robot tried not to be so grabby, but in its sleep it seemed to have no such reservations. It was almost cute, like every daydream Harmonia had ever had about a partner. Soft and domestic, downright cozy. {The idea of Mind in that dream made him want to puke.} - Or, Soul VS. Amatonormativity; considerations on what friends should act like

Fic under cut! or on AO3

{This wasn’t Normal}

The sun was freezing cold, leeching any warmth he had like the parasite he’d always claimed they were. Somehow, he couldn’t summon any of the vitriol that would have accompanied that thought mere weeks ago. His Mind, comfortable and healthy and There in his arms. It almost felt like blasphemy to feel the moment could be perfect, if he let it.

As if sensing the fact it was thinking of him, Mind tightened his arms in his sleep. Their legs were already tangled, its hooked around his, and its arms were twined around his waist, but it still tried to worm its way closer. 

Usually the robot tried not to be so grabby, but in its sleep it seemed to have no such reservations. It was almost cute, like every daydream Harmonia had ever had about a partner. Soft and domestic, downright cozy.

{The idea of Mind in that dream made him want to puke.}

So why wasn't it perfect? What about this set off so many red flags in his mind? Was it the way it drooled a little, fast asleep as it was and mouth parted in a little smile, utterly relaxed? The way it had decided that, regardless of all that he had done, this was what he deserved?

Or was it the fact that Soul had just noticed how close it was. Did friends sleep so close together, snuggled together in bed?

He shook his head, that was - this was - irrelevant. He just needed to get to sleep. Just had to accept this was supposed to be ideal. He just... had to ignore the nagging voice at the back of his mind. There was nothing to worry about- It's just- {his skin was starting to crawl-}

Mind rolled onto the mattress with a muffled thump, still sound asleep, now on its side. The half marked by their cacophony. Exposed teeth stretched into a rictus grin, a smile carved free from its face, even unconscious. Cute, the way an ugly dog was. It hadn’t noticed Soul sitting up {flinching back}.

{Soul hadn’t noticed a lot of things either. Like a boiling frog, he’d been oblivious to the slow shift in their relationship. When had he started letting it sleep in his bed? Getting so close to him?}

He... why was he freaking out. This wasn't new. {And wasn't that the problem? Why did he let it go so far?} He needed to get over it; what would Mind think, if it woke up tomorrow and Soul... was acting like this. Surely it would be worried. Stress during Concord; he didn't want to be the cause of that.

He needed to get back to... what had become the status quo. He reached out a clawed hand, thumb against its pulse point, testing. Cold, even still, but relaxed; wholly within his control. Safe.

It remained un-tense at his prodding, a lamb before a butcher. Nothing was wrong here, he reminded himself. {He should be gentle, but} His hand tightens, unconscious as the creature beside him. Its throat felt so malleable, under its hands. Delicate, like if he squeezed-

The whir of a fan stopped him. A furrow had found its way onto Mind's brow. Lips and teeth parted slightly as if to breathe more easily, a near silent pant, wheezy, starting up. 

Taking in a breath, deeply, slowly {an attempt to get away from that blistering confusion}, he shifted his hand from throat to shoulder. A safer place. It brought his attention back to the present moment. 

His Mind leaned in, like he hadn't just been choking it. {And hadn't that been their whole relationship? Him, hurting it, and it crawling back, forgiving him for things it had no right to.} He couldn't bring himself to let go. {He shouldn't be enjoying this, the gentle give of its skin, the cool emanating from it even through its shirt.}

It had always burned, like dry ice. Why not tonight? {Not quite a lie, but not the full truth either; he hadn't felt the skin crawling sensation anytime they'd done... this.} Would it even stop him, if it did? Mind, a purposefully apathetic grin on his face, image ruined by a blue blush dusting its cheeks. No new bruises, skin clean of cuts. Awkwardly, stiltedly, asking for some time together. Would he say no to that, even if it burned? {He knew he would. Selfishly.}

He lied back down, on his side, facing his Mind. Closer to it now. He was reaching out before he'd even considered what he should be doing. Cupping the back of its head with its one free hand, {tangled into its hair, thumb gently --because he needed to remember to be gentle-- pressed to the side of its neck, feeling the cold, sluggish pulse}, he tipped its head back. An almost instinctual action he had from checking bandages, even months after it had fully healed.

Ugly scars marred its throat; stretching from its cheek to its collarbone, blue lined circuits exposed with the scars. It didn't even stir at this, seeming to have, even unconscious, grown used to the motion just as much as Soul had. A level of trust that just couldn't be deserved, earned. 

They... shouldn't be doing this, should they.

He shook his head; He couldn't be having these thoughts at 12 AM. He should at least wait until morning before bringing up any of these topics. Waking up Mind now would only only make it grumpy and difficult about it; he should push these issues aside for the future. [He knew he'd probably never bring it up, push it off until it loomed on the horizon like an approaching storm.]

All his shifting had untangled their legs, had dislodged Mind from its comfortable place pressed against his side, his own panic ruining their little slice of harmony. It would definitely notice, if it woke up like this, that Soul had not slept soundly. More and more undue stress inflicted upon it, like he had not done that enough during cacophony. 

If it woke up in the same... general closeness it had fallen asleep in, it would probably be fine. The best option, if he wanted not to worry it. {and not, of course, because he wanted to be closer, to have it back in his arms.} He would not be spiraling tonight. It was just a bit of cuddling, just returning to their flawed status quo. Nothing wrong with that. {May Harmonia forgive him.}

He let his eyes drift to its throat, still bared, still trusting. It would be... fine with this, he supposed. Just settling it back into where it had been when it fell asleep. He was sure it wouldn't protest this. {He wondered who it'd blame if he went too far. He knew it wouldn't blame him.}

He inched the smallest bit closer, gently tugging it in turn. His arm sled down its back, feeling the sharp, metal ridges of its spine, the slight rubbery give around it. An action that all the world looked like someone soothing a partner. {He knew he was the only one getting soothed by the action.}

Gentle, cautious, one hand tugged its face to his neck, tucking it flush against him, while the other inched across its back. Something so cold shouldn't be so enjoyable to cuddle, yet Mind felt almost perfect in his arms. He hooked his leg around its, tangling them back together under the covers, the gentle creaking of metallic joints humming at all the movement.

It snuggled closer against his neck, movement in its sleep, exposed teeth pressed against him; gross, but he didn't mind as much as he thinks he should have. Another tally in the mess he had become with Mind. He tightened his arms, he doesn't want to think about it.

Cold and heavy, like a weighted blanket, perfect for a night like this. He thinks that was why he let it sleep in his bed with it, or... what he'd told himself he was letting it do this for. Sitting under the covers with it snugly held in his arms was downright pleasant. He reminded himself he was doing this to reinstate the status quo.

He could hear its breathing, so close to his ear. No dreams, good or bad, seemed to plague his Mind, breathing smooth and uninterrupted; sometimes {and how long did he have to spend sleeping beside this to note?} when it dreamt, it seemed to forget all the damage that had been inflicted onto it. Every breath pulled in a bit stilted, like it couldn't remember how to around the unfamiliar damage. He supposes maybe in its dreams it was unbroken. 

He could feel himself relaxing further into it, relaxing in the haziness night brought. Maybe... this could be okay. For the purpose of not stressing Mind out, of course. 

Feeling along its back, he felt the mechanical engineering it had reduced itself to. Even through the shirt, the robot had a unique feeling... Digging the slightest bit between each ridge of its back, he felt it shudder in his arms. Curling towards him and arching its back in equal measure. Under the covers its tail was wagging, the slightest bit. Its breathing had gotten a bit snuffly too... was it having a good dream now? 

Cute, he thought. He tucked his face right over its shoulder, as if it could see his reddening expression if he hadn't, even fully asleep.

He must have paused, because it squirmed in his arms a little. Soft noises, softer motions, how could he deny it a little more affection? Just to placate it, of course. 

He let his claws skin over its back, dipping along the soft ridges of its spin and the relaxed muscles of its back. His other arm curled around its waist, hand splayed across its lower back and rubbing small soothing circles. 

It stopped its movements, falling limp once more {he ignored how similar that drop felt to when it passed out from the pain, months before}. 

Confidence renewed, and perhaps a bit chastised by its reaction to his stopping, he let himself get a bit more intense with his actions. He dipped his claws into a groove of softer skin along its spine, just below its shoulder blades, feeling the way it let out a little noise at the action; the reaction should have stopped him, even thought it wasn't a negative one. 

He continued anyway. His second mistake. {his first was letting it get this close in the first place}

Humming a satisfied note, he held it close, cool against his warm body. Maybe he could get to sleep like this, ignore the wrongness. Of course, that was when it had to wake up.

"Enjoying yourself?" Groggy, but still teasing. It could tell what he was doing, hugging, cuddling it like a doll. He froze, hearing its voice, but only for a moment. He didn't get this far by showing fear, weakness. He spread his hand out, cradling it, before pulling it closer, chest flush against his own. It could fight back now.

"Quite a lot," he hummed, ear twitching in distance when he heard the way his voice cracked; he didn't know why. He wasn't lying, after all. He was enjoying himself, half asleep and enjoying the comfort of his third against him. Now though, he was brought back to reality; it didn't seem angry at him now, but he knew it would be. How couldn't it? 

He could tell by the slight narrowing of its eye, even half-mask with drowsiness, it had heard his voice shake too. Idly, {to avoid thinking of other things} he wondered what it must assume that meant. Lying? Exited? Too many things for his precious Mind to ascribe meaning when there wasn't. His body was just being... uncooperative.

He didn't allow it the satisfaction of a glib remark; blunt claws traced along the soft spots by its spine, letting them dip further into the soft plastic between metal he knew could get him a reaction. Mean, he knew. 

The choked off whine that turned straight into a growl was his reward, amusing as it was nauseating. At least one of them was enjoying this. Its hands reached out to weakly paw at him before sliding up to his shoulders, blunt nails digging in. It didn't seem to know what to do with all the affection, especially since Soul usually didn't get so handsy. {A sure sign he probably shouldn't be doing this.}

"What are you doing?" it huffed, pulling away from his neck and revealing its face, stained a dark indigo. "You're acting.... odd."

Clearly it didn't like how... affecting this was; Soul would have to note where exactly he'd sunk his claws, for future reference. Of course, there would be no "future" to reference this in. He was already stepping over lines, to continue doing so in the future... a recipe for disaster. "Nothing, my Mind. Can't I be in a cuddly mood? Just for tonight."

"Bullshit."

"I assure you, it's not," he grinned, eyes crinkling and mouth tilted just right to match Harmonia's smile on the left. Perfect, angelic: it must have clashed terribly with how he let his claws dig in, "Plus, you seem to be enjoying it."   It shuddered a bit at his actions as it let out another whiny growl. It sounded distinctly like a dog, the way the sound rolled into a deep low rumble by its modulator. It recovered much quicker, this time.

"Fuck off," Mind didn't believe him, pushing off him the moment it could and sitting up till' it loomed above him. It seemed like it wanted to take up all his vision. He guessed it wanted to feel in control. "You're not acting yourself."

He averted his eyes. {Was this what Heart felt like, accused under that sharp, whited out gaze?}

The glass of water on the nightstand was looking rather interesting, half-empty; he thinks Mind drank it. Lights were off too, dark except what the moon, his moon, illuminated through the window. {He didn't want to look back.}

It seemed he wasn't going to be allowed to look away though, his Mind not allowing it. His face was grabbed and his eyes dragged back to Mind. It was breathing through clenched teeth, {He'd fucked up, hadn't he.} Even still, it was hard not to immediately relax into its hands; would that calm it down or stress it out further? Clearly it was disquieted with his strange attitude tonight, and finding its touch anything more than Tolerable would certainly set off some red flags.

At this point though... he doesn't think he can stress it out further. Surly it won't notice. He relaxed into its hands. Sighing and leaning its cheek into the touch. Its fingers curled, tensed; he ignored that.

"Do we have to talk about it?" Quieter than he meant to say it. He closed his eyes, knowing Mind wouldn't let him look away. Still, he could perfectly picture it's expression. Eyes narrowed, mouth pursed, shoulders tense like it was ready for a fight; it always looked so much less relaxed in an emotional confrontation over a physical one.

Blissful silence, for just a moment. "You know I can't just leave it, if there's something wrong with you, we should... endeavor to fix it."

"And if I don't want to think about it?"

"Well... that is my job, I could handle it."

That startled a laugh out of him. The startled satisfaction on its face certainly let it know it was on purpose. He knew the other wouldn't be dropping this anytime soon. Not when he'd acted so... erratically; he had to talk about it. "You know what we have isn't normal."

"What do you mean?"

Soul reached up to drag Mind down with him, face pressed to its sternum. He didn't want to look at it for this, didn't even want it seeing his expression. "What we're doing. What we've Been doing. This.”

It was silent at that, probably unable to think up a rebuttal. Conceding when someone else was right...? Strange of his Mind. Maybe it was going through the same realization Soul had gone through, that this wasn't okay. He tightened his grip, not wanting it to leave even though they both knew they shouldn't be doing this anymore. Selfish, but what had he not been.

He could feel it swallow, eerily human,  "Why would you think that?"

"You're the smart one, can't figure it out? What, think this is normal? That "friends" cuddle every other night? sleep in the same bed? dress up and play dog?"

"Soul." It tried to pull his face away from its chest. He refused; he didn't want eye contact again. Couldn't look it in the eyes. He heard it sigh overhead. Resignation, probably: tired of dealing with his shit, definitely. He shouldn't have snapped, if there was any chance of this getting shoved under the rug, it was gone now.

"I shouldn't want this." Curled, tucked against its chest, cuddling it like a stuffed animal, it was obvious what "this" he was talking about.

"And if I want this too?"

He laughed against its chest. A new route his Mind had never taken; genuine manipulation. Normally it at least believed the lies it was saying. "You just want to make me feel better."

It let its head dip down and rest on the crown of his skull, cheeks pressed to his horns. It huffed, though didn't fight him on the point, "I do."

His face burned. Mind was probably tired, he'd just woken it up, after all. Probably from a good dream, definitely something that would leave everything tinted a bit pink. It wouldn't be saying this if it was thinking straight. Emotionally repressed, faking apathy, distanced from the two of them; its Mind could not be the one more emotionally present of the two of them right now.

"Friends can't do this." He repeated, refusing to follow up.

It was impossible to see its face from where he was, but he could almost Feel the eye roll it was doing. None of them could be anything but difficult. He wished it could just accept his words, just once.

"Okay than, how about... we not be friends for this."

"Like... partners?"

"..." It was silent for a moment, and just as he was considering the possibility that he'd fucked up, that he'd over stepped and suggested something strange- "Yeah... like partners."

That... could work. It would fix all the problems he'd found; friends couldn't cuddle every night, couldn't sleep in the same bed, couldn't ... couldn't do all the things he'd done with Mind. {And hadn't he compared this to daydreams his Harmonia would have had? It was perfect.} But this would Fix it all! {His skin was starting to crawl.}

He laughed, relieved. "Yeah? You'd do that for me?"

It froze a little, arms tightening around him, it seems like it didn't know how to react to that. 

"...For you, my Soul."

He finally leaned back, allowing it eye contact. Its expression softens at his smile, though its brown remained the smallest bit furrowed.

"That's great! that's... that's great." He laughed again, giggly with the deflating tension. His hands wound right back around to its back, hugging it. It relaxes further, untensing in his hold; perfect, he decided. Really this makes it all finally, *finally*, make sense.

He grinned, he couldn't Stop grinning. Too much energy, he could tell by the way it slowly blinked down at him. The adrenaline drop definitely affecting it.

"So- ah, does this... ah... we're... together?" He didn't want to jump the gun too much, {and maybe a little voice at the back of his head really wanted it to say no.} even though that is what Mind had implied with its decision. Best let his Mind decide, this was its idea after all.

His Mind, his, of course. It would explain its... everything, if he looked at it through that lens. It had always been a bit, well, Odd about him, odd in the way he was odd about it. {It had to. It had to explain it all. Otherwise, he'd have to confront he wanted things he really shouldn't.}

It smiled, awkward. He guessed it had filled it's quota for emotional intelligence for the day, the night. Whatever. It was cute {and he could finally think that without guilt!}. Mind hummed, drooping into the bed, his arms, satisfied with its problem "solved." Soul really had been stressing it out... but that was okay, it was all fixed now. He could make it up to it.

"Sure... sounds good,"

"Now what? Now that we're... more than friends." The phrase left an odd taste in his mouth, but maybe that was because it was new. He'd get used to it.

"Do we have to do anything?" It asked, clearly ready to go right back to sleep. After a searching look, it relented. {Did he really look that bad...?} "Fine. I think... people usually kiss, when they're... Like that."

The words came out awkward, and he giggled at it. It phrased it like it was talking about a particularly odd thing it had seen online, not it's actual life. "Like that?" He repeated, teasing.

It groaned, annoyed, "Like *this.* Whatever. Do you want to?"

"... Maybe."

"That's not really an answer."

"No. Yes. Maybe" he waffled, like he always did. They should make indecision his middle name.

He really didn't know. It was... well it felt like what he was supposed to be doing; they'd already settled that this would fix their little "Normal" vs "Abnormal" equation. So if he wanted to keep everything else, he probably should get used to everything else that came with it.

Mind narrowed it's eye, clearly already over their little late-night emotional breakthrough. That was its thinking face, and he wondered what solution it was going to drop all its eggs into. "How about I do it?"

"The kissing? I think it's a two person activity."

An eye-roll, more a tip of the head than anything else- his Mind didn't really have pupils to roll, after all. Still, it got the idea across.

"Not on the lips, obviously." It gestured vaguely to the rest of its face, "I'll just... try it out elsewhere; perhaps some applicable data could help you decide."

"That is the nerdiest way I've ever heard someone ask for a kiss."

It turned away, embarrassment painting its face a faint blue and highlighting its freckles, "yes or no."

"Fine, yes, give me some new "data," my Mind."

The robot didn't seem to know what to do now that it was given the go-ahead. Did it think he'd say no? {Should he have said no?}

Hands settled back on his shoulders, and it leaned in closer, closer. It paused right before his face, and he couldn't help the amused snort he let out; his Mind always spoke a big game, but had awful follow through.

It growled at him, muttering something he could only hear because of how close it was, "I'm trying to be considerate."

"More like hesitant. I've already said yes."

It huffed, but finally made contact, pressed gently to his cheek.

He doesn't know what he expected. Fireworks? A rush of energy? An orchestral swell of music, perhaps?

All he got was teeth and skin. Getting kissed by someone with half a face, of course, meant teeth. Sharp and cold, like silverware, and slightly damp. Definitely a bit gross. Not unbearably so, though.

Its lips were similarly chilled, but soft against his cheek. Not the ice cube of its teeth, but comfortably cold. Really not as unexpected as he felt it was.

Mind pulled back near instantly, brow furrowed but unspeaking, worried for his reaction, probably.

He hummed, considering, "Not bad... could you try without shoving your teeth into my skin?"

"Not my fault."

"Well, the way you use those things definitely IS."

It narrowed its eye at the jabs, but leaned back in for another gentle kiss, slightly to the right of the first. Less teeth, how kind of it.

It really wasn't all that bad. He liked how gentle it felt, considerate of him in a way he'd started to enjoy in the last couple months. Sweet, if he had to describe it.

He let his eyes fall shut, humming at the sensation. It was nice; not the way he'd expected this to feel, but certainly not Bad. He wondered when it would start to feel the way others described it, though.

Seeming to take his relaxation as approval, it continued. Gently peppering his cheeks in little half kisses, it seemed like it was trying to make up for the fractured lips with twice as many pecks.

{He wondered if his face would end up covered in blue lipstick by the time they went to sleep. He guesses there wasn't anyone to see it.}

It drifted slightly closer to his lips, pressing one final kiss to the very edge of his mouth before pulling back.

"So... that enough data?" It coughed, clearly struggling not to look away. Its face was a bit blue, and he knew his was definitely tinted red, but his Mind seemed determined to look at this as "logically," as it could-a habit it had started to break in concord, but he guesses everyone had their ways of dealing with new situations.

He rubbed his cheek, it felt burning, warm from all the cold kisses. "Yeah..."

"Yeah?"

"Impatient, much?" He teased, trying not to let it show how much he... didn't know if he wanted to go further than that. The kisses were nice, very nice, even, but the idea of going further than innocent pecks...

"I want to go to sleep." it said, "We can stop here, if you want. Figure this shit out tomorrow."

"No, no," sitting around doing nothing, waiting for his problems to be solved rarely got him anywhere, and trust him, he'd Tried. "We can kiss now, if you want."

It hummed, like it hadn't actually considered Soul agreeing and didn't know what to do now that he did. "Yeah... lets."

There was an awkward moment, where both of them waited for the other to make the first move. Mind had done it first, but shouldn't that mean Soul should have his turn as well? or does that mean it should just continue what it had started. 

Seeming to care more about the prospect of getting to sleep after the deed was done than it was with the slight tension that had entered the air, Mind went for the kill.

It was, in a word, awful.

Mind went in a little fast, and Soul couldn't say he wasn't to blame either, leaning in when he saw it moving forward. Teeth against skin, lips mushed together in an uncoordinated mess. He thought concord was supposed to make them on the same wavelength, but clearly that was a critical misunderstanding of their newfound harmony. It was bad in a way independent from the physical sensation, like he was doing something against his vary nature. Like a wider example of all the little doubts he'd had about this "solution."

He powered through for only a moment longer, before it became very much unbearable. It burned, and not in any pleasant way: like someone had shoved mercury under his skin, blood lit up in a horrid prickling wrongness.

He pulled away with a shudder, and opening his eyes he could tell Mind didn't seem to have enjoyed it either. Fuck. Really bad. 

It was silent between their breathing, neither wanting to admit fault or mistake. Trapped between the urge to suggest a do-over, to try it again, that really it shouldn't have been that bad, and the bone-deep need to pull his skin off, he couldn't say a thing.

Mind never was able to shut up though.

"That was... an experience."

"No shit," He hissed, voice beckoned by Mind's nothing observation.

"I take it that wasn't to your liking either, my Soul?"

"How could you tell?" Snappy, yet again. 

It just looked at him. He stared back, for just a moment, before tearing his eyes away. He couldn't deal with this right now. The worst part was that it wasn't just the kiss though, that was just highlighting the problem. His Fix wasn't the golden path he'd decided it needed to be, and now he was left to deal with the problem once more. They weren't normal. 

It reached out, gentle as it could be half metal, "Hey, we'll... figure something else out."

"How?" and his voice came out split, like two people were speaking at once. He dragged in a shaky breath, he shouldn't be snapping at Mind, it had indulged him in his wild frenzy for answers tonight, had done nothing wrong so far. Oh Harmonia did he want to get angry at someone though. Another sin to add to his tally.

It brought its hand right back to itself, hesitant to be touching him now that he'd gotten himself into a mood. Probably for the best, he doesn't know how he'd handle more of that cold against him.

"We'll figure something out."

He didn't think they would. It didn't look like it thought they could either; shoulders tense and jaw clenched. Nervous. Lying.

"You don't believe that." He barely kept it from turning into a snarl.

It cringed back, probably unhappy with its lie called out. It took a breath, a rebuttal already coming out, it really couldn't shut up, could it? "Soul-"

He turned around, back to his Mind. He couldn't get mad at it, he reminded himself; it was only trying to help. Ineffective, but he had to forgive it. Harmonia would forgive it. Hands clutched to his ears, knees pulled up to his chest, he could hear it spluttering behind him.

"That is so-" it stopped, but he knew what it wanted to say: childish. Why stop itself? It would be saying the first truthful statement of the night, if it didn't.

He curled up further, not wanting to listen, to care. Freaking it out, earning its ire, having convinced it to go alone with his horrible horrible ideas... he didn't know if he felt more shame or anger. Which was safer? Which one was he supposed to be feeling?

There was a sigh, tired, from his Mind. He tried not to take it personally. A second more of shifting, moving blankets. Was it leaving? That would make the most sense. {He ignored the voice in the back of his head screaming to stop it. He didn't want to be alone.}

Before he could stew too long, a blanket was dropped over his shoulders, a barrier between him and Mind. Considerate of it, though he doesn't know why it would do that, he was entirely capable of tucking himself in when it lef- He startled as it settled against his back.

He couldn't feel the cold through the covers, only the pressure, the knowledge. Arms draped over and chest to his spine.

He couldn't cry right now. That would send the wrong message. It was pushing his buttons, he'd made it very clear he was trying to avoid even looking at it and yet- It wasn't touching him. It was trying. Fuck.

He didn't want to cry right now.

"That may have been a... misguided attempt to fix the problem, but there must be a solution. We just haven't found it."

"Don't think so..." He muttered, barely audible.

"Well I don't care."

That startled a laugh from him, wheezy and a bit choked up. "Wasn't this whole thing supposed to be about making me feel better? You can't say "I don't care""

He could almost feel the smile the laugh gained him, the way it relaxed even through the blanket. He stared intensely at the wall, not wanting it to distract him from the issues at hand.

Its next words were soft, going after the small opening in his defenses, "We figured it wasn't romantic. That can just be... a starting point. We know its not romantic, at the very least."

"Fine... okay, I concede we at least learned a little from that..." He paused, considering his next words carefully, "Most of the kisses were fine, really, just... not on the lips."

There was silence for a moment, and he worried that maybe he'd fucked up, said something he shouldn't. Maybe it hated that part too. Maybe it just hated him.

Shifting behind him, than a crackling voice, "ah... me too. That's good, yeah? More information to work with."

He hummed an agreeing noise, "I guess."

It settled its head on his shoulder, another inch closer to him. He didn't push it away, and it relaxed into him, taking that as permission. He shouldn't be letting this happen, not when they still didn't know what This was.

"We don't want our relationship... romantic." The word came out a bit awkward, like it didn't even want to acknowledge they'd tried to go in that direction at all, "And you've decided it can't just be a friend thing-"

Soul huffed, "what do you mean, "decided?" I thought you agreed. Use your logic, my Mind."

It growled behind him, clearly unamused at being interrupted, "Well the romantic angle definitely didn't pan out, and while I see your misgivings about it being wholly platonic... I am beginning to think they may be unfounded."

"Well, good thing your not the emotional interpersonal relationship third, because I don't see reason to heed those misgivings."

"Heart wouldn't give a shit about whether we were calling it romantic or platonic and you know it."

That stopped Soul in his tracks. The words were definitely only meant as a glib comeback, a way for his Mind to have the last laugh but they struck a cord with him. Heart probably wouldn't care whatever Soul and Mind called their relationship, as long as all three of them could live happily.

Was this... another false construct? He thought he was over this, that he'd excised all the rot from his worldview. He couldn't tell.

It just made Sense for there to be things friends shouldn't do. Logical sense, except his logic was cuddled against him and clearly not against being friends through it all.

Awful. He needed to think. He couldn't just... He didn't want to have to throw away more of how he viewed the world. So much of it he'd come to realize was holding him back; the thought that there was still more he hadn't figured out felt sickening.

"My Soul...?" It had gotten all soft again, the teasing air disappearing as quick as it had appeared. He'd probably been silent too long, destroying the moment.

"Sorry, sorry." He mumbled, suddenly nervous all over again. "I just... can friends really be like this?"

It hummed a considering thought, "A friend is someone who is not an enemy or who is on the same side: a familiar or helpful thing. That definition doesn't exclude a bit of... cuddling and kissing, I think."

"..." He narrowed his eyes, ears twitching, "was that a dictionary definition of "friend?""

Silence.

"Cute. When did you even look that up? You can't have done that tonight."

"Ah... near the start of concord."

He laughed, "Why didn't you pull up that definition sooner?"

It tucked its face into his neck, as if to hide it. Ironic, because Soul couldn't see it's face either way, but now he could definitely feel the way its face was steadily getting colder. Blushing. "I... may not be firing on all cylinders. It's late. You woke me up in the middle of the night."

He couldn't help a laugh, "I thought your logic was absolute, yet you can't handle a nighttime conversation?"

"Well I don't see you handling this much better."

"I'm not the one who suggested the first faulty solution," Haughty, like he wasn't at fault for that same suggestion failing.

An indigent sound from behind, like it didn't know what to do with that, "Well excuse me! I wasn't the one having a little crisis he needed his Mind to try and fix."

That got him to turn around, squirming around the blanket until it had fallen off his shoulders and freed his arms. Using the newly acquired mobility, he gave his Mind a little shove, playful, "shut up, you"

It grinned, victorious, and grabbed his arms before he could pull back and dragged it into a hug. Still, it was gentle, or at least as gentle as the mechanical limbs could be, something he could easily struggle out of. All his squirms were token though, and he let himself be dragged into the embrace. 

He huffed, "Was that a ploy, my dear Mind? I thought you over such petty tactics." There was a grin in his voice, one he didn't want to admit was there.

Its smile just widened, "All is fair in love and war, my Soul."

"And so what is this? Love or war?"

Another question he shouldn't have asked, but it answered without hesitation, like it had been planning to it before he'd even finished his question. "Love."

Letting out a laugh, he tucked his face against its chest, "Yeah? That still fit your definition of friend?"

Its arms wrapped around him, steady, safe. "Of course."

"Sure, fine, I'll believe that." He didn't know if he fully did now but... maybe he could. Another day, another week, month, maybe even year but... maybe he could. 

"That's all I ask." Sleepy, content. The stress finally leaving it; a cause enough to pretend to believe it, at the very least.