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suituuup · 4 years

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Could you do a follow up to the amputee Beca story where she and Chloe talk about Beca’s time in the military and Beca opens up about how she really feels about being a double amputee? And how Chloe felt seeing Beca’s residual limbs for the first time. Love what you did with the prompt.

Thank you! Here you go :)

home is wherever I’m with you

rating: T

word count: 2k

ao3 link

The knock on the door jolts Beca out of her thoughts, her heart doing a happy flutter.

Chloe’s here.

After graduation, Chloe moved to California to attend Davis’ vet school, and Beca’s dad finally agreed with Beca’s plan to go to LA and to support her financially until she found herself a job in the music industry.

Fast forward to after the summer, Beca’s now an intern in one of the country’s most praised labels. Sure, she’s not making any money yet, but at least she’s got a foot in the door.

(well, figuratively speaking.)

She and Chloe have been doing long distance for four months now, and they were able to see each other twice, Chloe flying down to LA every eight weeks or so. Past the fact that it’s easier for Chloe to travel, she lives in a dorm while Beca has her own studio, which grants them more privacy.

Rolling away from her desk, Beca heads to the door, unlatching it and pulling it open. Chloe is straddling her a second later, Beca’s squeak swallowed by the searing kiss she’s pulled in.

“Jesus,” she croaks out when they part, her hands drifting down to Chloe’s ass as she rests her forehead against hers. “Miss me?”

Chloe answers by kissing her again, and Beca can only respond in kind, her own body throbbing with want. She’s thankful Chloe chose to wear sweatpants as she slides her hand down them minutes later to give Chloe what she needs.

“Wanna order a pizza?” Beca asks as they lie in bed an hour later, spent and hungry from their earlier activity.

“You mean you didn’t whip up a romantic dinner for your girlfriend?” Chloe teases, knowing damn well Beca can’t cook to save her life. She pushes a kiss to Beca’s lips. “Pizza sounds great, babe.”

Beca reaches for her phone off the bedside table, wincing as another pang of pain shoots through her leg. A leg that’s no longer there. She’s been experiencing those a lot lately, and upon visiting a physical therapist, was told they’re called phantom pains.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe asks as Beca dials the number of the pizza place on her phone.

“Nothing.” She hasn’t told Chloe about it, finding it difficult still to address anything related to her amputation. But the look Chloe gives her tells Beca she won’t let it rest, and Beca heaves a sigh. “I-I sometimes have pain like-- it feels as though my legs are still there and they’re burning.”

“Phantom pains?”

Beca blinks, putting her phone aside. “You’ve heard of it?”

Chloe nods. “When we started dating, I… did some research about all of it.”

Beca’s heart does a funny thing at that. “Oh, right.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“He suggested the mirror therapy where I should stand in front of one so my brain can integrate the fact that I no longer have legs, and also massaging my residual limbs.”

“I can do that,” Chloe murmurs. “Give you massages, if-- if you’re comfortable with that.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t.” Chloe’s hand drifts to cover hers. “I want to help, if I can.”

Beca purses her lips, hesitantly glancing at her girlfriend. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Let’s have dinner and then do that?”

“Yeah, okay.”

After dinner, Beca tells Chloe where she keeps her oil and settles back on the bed, over a towel to protect the sheets. “You’ll tell me if you feel uncomfortable, right?” She asks just to make sure as Chloe settles down beside her.

“Yes,” Chloe says with a smile, brushing a kiss to Beca’s lips. “And likewise for you.”

“Yeah.”

Chloe rubs some oil between her palms and starts kneading Beca’s left thigh, a groan flitting past Beca’s lips as the relief is near instant. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back against the headboard, exhaling deeply.

“That helps a lot,” she murmurs, brushing her fingers over Chloe’s upper arm in an affectionate gesture as she looks at her. “Thank you. I’ve always… been self conscious about how I look, ever since the procedure, and I was convinced you’d find it gross or something.”

“Seeing it for the first time at your PT appointment was a bit unsettling, yeah, because I couldn’t help but think about the trauma that triggered it. But did I think it was gross?” Chloe shakes her head. “Never. I promise. I know it’s easier said than done and your feelings are entirely valid, but your body is beautiful the way it is, baby. I hope you learn to accept it someday.”

Beca is silent for a little while, letting Chloe’s words wash over her and settle the anxiety swirling in her guts. “We drove over a landmine in Afghanistan,” she croaks out after a minute or two, the memory still fresh in her brain even though it’s been two years. She feels Chloe’s movements pause but doesn’t look up. She can still smell it. The tires burning, the oil leaking, the blood. “The back of the truck blew up. It’s still blurry and I’m not sure what happened next but I got stuck under the side of it and my legs got crushed,” she takes a pause, emotions rising as she’s never told the story aloud except to her therapist. “Help arrived pretty quickly and they managed to free me. I was choppered to the nearest trauma center.” Beca inhales sharply as tears burn behind her eyes. She can still hear the whines and cries of her comrades before they drew their last breath. “My two best friends… they didn’t make it.”

Chloe shuffles up to sit by Beca’s side, draping an arm around her waist as she rests her forehead against the side of Beca’s head. Beca leans against her, her hand resting on Chloe’s forearm. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

Beca swallows, licking her lips. “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you what happened. It’s still… hard to talk about.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Chloe murmurs and presses a kiss to Beca’s jaw.

“Thank you for being you,” Beca replies, twisting her head to look at Chloe. Her hand drifts up to cradle her cheek. She’s still in awe of how lucky she is to have found such a beautiful person who loves her as much as Chloe does despite everything; being a double amputee, the nightmares, the PTSD episodes. “I love you so much.”

Chloe nuzzles Beca’s nose, then brushes a kiss to her lips. “I love you, too.”

They experience some ups and downs over the next two years as sometimes long distance is hard to handle, but their relationship only comes out of it stronger. Beca lands a job as assistant producer in the same label. Chloe finds a job in LA after graduating, and they move in together in a cute one bedroom apartment in Pasadena.

“What do you mean that last scene was ridiculous?” Chloe asks, seemingly affronted. They’ve just come out of the theater after watching a romcom Chloe dragged Beca to. “I thought it was cute.”

Beca rolls her eyes as she walks beside her girlfriend. “It was cheesy as f—”

A loud BANG! cuts Beca off and she visibly shrinks, her mind and body going into shock so quickly she can’t stop it. She leans against the nearby street post, her legs feeling like jelly.

“Babe?” Chloe’s hand comes to rest on her shoulder but Beca recoils from it as her breathing turns labored. “It was a car backfiring, Becs. We’re safe.”

Beca shakes her head, panic having already gripped her insides and shut out any kind of rationality. Flashbacks jump her mind and sounds that still haunt her in her dreams weave themselves in a continuous loop.

“You’re okay baby,” Chloe soothes. “You’re okay. You’re in LA, with me, not at war. You’re safe. ”

Beca hears Chloe’s words without really registering them; they get lost in the cloud surrounding her brain and keeping her from going back to reality.

She doesn’t know how long it takes, but she eventually snaps back into the present. Street chatter replaces the cries of her friends, cars passing by are quieter than the crawlers of tanks crunching the dry ground, and Chloe is here.

Beca leans against her, clutching on for dear life as she tries to bring her heart rate back to normal.

“It’s okay,” she soothes, brushing a kiss to Beca’s temple. “You’re home.”

A year later, Beca proposes. There’s no big speech or romantic meal planned; she asks Chloe as they lie in bed one lazy Sunday morning after making love. The sun is shining over them through the window, and Chloe is pressed snugly against her, laughing at one of her lame jokes, and it’s just… perfect.

They get married six months later at a resort in Northern California, surrounded by their close friends and families. The next few years are a blur of domestic bliss, before their lives get a whole new meaning with the arrival of their baby.

Beca’s not quite used to being woken up in the middle of the night, and she jolts at the shrill cry coming through the baby monitor.

“I’ve got her,” she rasps when she feels Chloe shift next to her, and uses her arms’ strength to transfer herself in the wheelchair set next to her side of the bed.

They moved into a larger place when Chloe found out she was pregnant, a house with a garden on the outskirts of LA. It has no stairs and large rooms, ideal for Beca to manœuvre her chair around as she tends not to wear her prosthetics at home. They got a custom made crib which slides open on the side so Beca can easily pick their baby up from her chair, and their changing table can also be lowered to her height.

“What’s up, sweet pea?” She coos as she undoes the latch and slides the side of the crib open, leaning forward to lift the three month old. She knows it’s her hungry cry, and with Emma on her lap, rolls towards the kitchen to heat up a pouch of breast milk. Much like the stroller, the wheelchair movements momentarily sooth Emma.

“Here we are,” Beca murmurs minutes later, cradling Emma in the crook of her elbow and presenting her with the bottle. She’s still completely in awe of this tiny human being who’s captured her heart the moment Beca held her in her arms for the first time. It’s like she felt her heart double in size to be able to accomodate all the love she held for her wife and daughter. Yeah. Motherhood has turned her into a real softie. She smiles as Emma’s big blue eyes lock on her while she feeds. “You had to have your mommy’s eyes, huh? How am I going to be able to ever say no to you?”

Once Emma finishes, Beca heads back to the nursery to change her and sings her back to sleep, carefully setting her in her crib.

“Mama loves you, my sweet girl.”

She rolls back to the master and parks her wheelchair next to her side of the bed, locking the brakes before transferring herself back into bed. After years of practice, it doesn’t take Beca as long as it used to.

Chloe snuggles into her side as soon as Beca’s settled down. “All good?”

“Mhm,” Beca hums, brushing a kiss to her wife’s hair. “Everything’s perfect.”

#bechloe #bechloe fanfic #beca mitchell #chloe beale

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fanmoose12 · 4 years

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mayi request a scenario where hanji saves Levi in an expedition and in the process ends up dying. Levi's been distraught ever since/hasn't been the same. and maybe a scene where after he dies he reunites with hange?

Captain Levi was acting strangely.

Not that it was unexpected, of course. After all, it’s been only a month since they’ve lost Squad Leader Hange Zoe.

The whole Survey Corps was mourning her death. Even those, who hated her, who didn’t understand the true purpose of her research, those, who called her titan-lover freak and insane, even they missed her boisterous laugh and her cheerful voice.

Without her uplifting presence, the halls of Survey Corps seemed empty, almost lifeless.

And those, who were close to her, grieved for the late Squad Leader the most.

Her former subordinates, Nifa, Keiji and Abel, were roaming around the hallways aimlessly, lost without their superior’s guidance. Fellow Squad Leader Mike Zacharius was just as stricken by the loss of his dear friend. He didn’t laugh anymore and almost never smiled now that the person, who always managed to put him in a good mood, was gone. Even Commander Erwin, strong as he was, missed one of his most trusted soldiers. It seemed that without Squad Leader Hange, his voice didn’t boom as convincingly as it did before, and his blue eyes, which shone so brightly before, seemed to lose some of its fire.

And her right hand man Moblit, her most ardent and loyal follower, was taking it the worst. He blamed himself for her death, the thoughts of what ifs plaguing his mind every time he closed his eyes. What if he was quicker, what if he was stronger, could he had a chance of saving her?

But those musings were pointless, and he knew that. Squad Leader Hange was gone, and nothing could bring her back. So Moblit threw himself into work, trying to continue pursuing the ideas of his beloved superior. He wasn’t smart as she, wasn’t nearly as brilliant as Squad Leader Hange was, but he didn’t let it stop him from his research. He worked hard, reading and rereading every book on Titans he could find and shifting through hundreds of pages in Squad Leader Hange’s journals.

He pushed himself nearly to the point of exhaustion, and when he was near the edge, when his grief and guilt almost made him go insane, Moblit would lock himself in his room and then drink even more excessively than he did before.

And amidst all of this, surrounded by his comrades, who mourned Squad Leader Hange so heavily, Captain Levi didn’t seem to feel the same. His own squad watched him carefully, searching for any sign of his pain, but they saw nothing. He still acted the same as before. He still was the same cold and emotionally detached Captain they all knew.

And that was… strange.

Members of Levi’s squad were sure that Captain was very close with the late Squad Leader. After all, they’ve watched them bicker and tease each other more times than they could count. And during expeditions, Captain Levi kept a close eye on a careless scientist, he was always the first one to come to her aid, when her excitement landed her into a precarious position.

And it wasn’t like his subordinates expected for their Captain to wander around corridors of Survey Corps’ HQ, wallowing in pain, but still. He gave no indication of his mourning. He wasn’t visiting her grave with Squad Leader Mike and Commander Erwin, he didn’t start drinking like Moblit. It seemed like he didn’t even miss her. Of course, he seemed to be working harder than before, but Captain Levi was known to be a workaholic. The only thing that really changed about him was Captain’s new route to his room. Now he deliberately chose another stairwell, to avoid passing Squad Leader Hange’s now empty room.

If you asked Petra, Oluo, Eld and Gunther about this, all of them would have name a different reason for their Captain’s strange behavior.

Oluo would say that maybe Captain Levi didn’t actually like Squad Leader Hange that much, and that’s why he wasn’t grieving (that answer would surely earn him a hard smack from Petra).

Eld would shake his head and answer truthfully that his Captain was a very hard person to understand and see through, so they shouldn’t make any assumptions about what was going on inside his head.

Gunther would remind them that Captain always tried to act colder than he actually seemed, and maybe he was actually in a great pain, but no one could see it.

Petra’s eyes would fill with sadness, as she would begin to lament about her dear Captain. She would wonder, why couldn’t he just open up to them and let them help him. But she didn’t doubt for a moment that his heart was broken and that he tried to hide it, as always.

Another month came, and another expedition was announced. As Scouts sat on their horses, waiting for the signal to advance, everyone could feel the tense atmosphere. It was too quiet without Squad Leader Hange’s excited shrieks and her happy laughter.

During the expedition, when Titans began to attack, everyone was surprised by Captain Levi. He fought even harder than before, cutting the human-eating monsters with viciousness and fierceness no one had ever seen in him before. He didn’t seem to stop for a single second, flying from one Titan to another, leaving after himself only the smoke of their disappearing bodies.

To say that everyone was impressed was a huge understatement.

“Have you seen Captain today?” Oluo gushed, when he and his squad gathered at the cafeteria to discuss the expedition and drink their evening tea.

“I’ve never seen him fight like this,” Gunther agreed. “He moved faster than my eyes could follow.”

“Don’t you find it a bit strange?” Petra asked tentatively, holding the cup tightly in her hands. “I mean, I’m not saying that I expected him to become suicidal or something, but… I also didn’t expect him to fight so fiercely.”

“Maybe, Squad Leader Hange’s death fueled his hatred for Titans or something,” Eld proposed.

“It’s not that,” said a voice behind them.

The members of Levi’s squad all turned their heads simultaneously. There, in the dark corner of cafeteria sat Moblit. He looked awful – his eyes were bleak, the shadows under them almost black, his face became thin and he didn’t even wash the blood from his uniform after today’s expedition. As always, in his hands he held a glass, which was filled with alcohol.

“Moblit?” Petra got to her feet and sat next to him. “What do you mean?”

“Squad Leader’s death didn’t fuel Captain’s hatred or anything like that,” he explained, his words slightly slurring. “I was there, you know?” Moblit looked deep into his glass, refusing to look at anyone, and continued. “When Squad Leader Hange… died… I was there. Along with Captain Levi. The situation was desperate, none of us had any gas left and most of our blades were broken. Captain’s horse got spooked and ran away and mine was squashed by a Titan. We only had one horse and it couldn’t possibly carry three people at once.

“So we had to choose. Of course, I volunteered to stay. Captain Levi and Squad Leader Hange were the strongest and most important soldiers of Survey Corps, I couldn’t let them die, but… Hange-san was heavily wounded, her leg got almost bitten off by a Titan, so she ordered us go. I try to protest and Captain Levi tried to argue, almost begging her to come with us, but in the end,” Moblit wiped at his eyes, holding in a sob. “But in the end, Hange-san was more stubborn than the two us. She convinced us to leave her, and before we went, she… she made us promise something. She made us swear that we wouldn’t let her death ruin us. That we will continue fighting and trying to carry on her legacy. And that’s why… that’s why Captain Levi acts like this. He just tries to fulfill her last wish.”

“Oh…” Petra felt her own eyes fill with tears. She laid a comforting hand on Moblit’s arm. “I’m so sorry, Moblit, we didn’t know…”

“No, it’s fine, it’s fine. I just…” he covered his face with a hand. “I just miss her so much. I try so hard to move on, to continue her work, but I’m not her. I can never be like her. I can never be enough.

“Stop it, Moblit,” Eld softly chided, squeezing his shoulder. “No one can ever replace Hange-san, but you’re doing more than enough. I’m sure she is very proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Moblit looked up. His eyes were red from crying, but there was a smile on his lips. It’s been awhile, since anyone had seen that expression on his face. “I think… I’ll head to bed now. I’ll need to wake up earlier tomorrow, to start my report.”

He shakily staggered to his feet.

Oluo hovered over him. “Are you sure you can walk, man?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Moblit waved him away. “Thanks again, guys, for listening to me. That means a lot, really.”

“You’re welcome,” Gunther smiled at him. “Just take care, alright, Moblit? Whatever you need, we’re always ready to help.”

Moblit gave them one last smile and then exited the cafeteria, leaving Levi’s squad alone with their troubling thoughts.

Levi staggered into his room, taking off his jacket and heading into the shower. After he washed all of today’s grime and sweat, he got out and fell onto his bed. He sighed wearily and closed his eyes, impatiently waiting for sleep to come and claim him.

It was always like this ever since she was gone. Levi worked hard, harder than he ever did in his entire life. He trained, until his limbs would tremble from exhaustion, and he then went into his room and worked on his paperwork, until he couldn’t see any letters on the paper. Then he took a quick shower and almost immediately fell asleep.

She always came to him in his dreams.

Every night, as soon as Levi closed his eyes, he would see Hange. She would smile at him and take his hand. Only after he fell asleep, Levi could be finally reunited with her.

He would get to see her eyes, as she gazed gently at him. He would get to feel her hands around him, as she pressed him close to her chest. He would get to hear her voice, as she would tell him how proud she is of him, and how happy she is that he is continuing with his live, moving on from this loss.

Levi never had the heart to tell her that it was a lie.

Because every morning, every time he would open his eyes and realize that it all was just a dream, that Hange had died two months ago and there was nothing he could to bring her back, Levi would clutch at his chest, feeling his heart break for the hundredth time since he had lost her.

He would sadly realize that when he walks out of his room, there would be no one to yell greetings at him. During breakfast, there would be no one to keep him company, there would be no one to tease him and no one to make stupid jokes about the way he drinks his tea. When he would come out to the training field, he wouldn’t hear someone’s excited shouts, as they fly past him, fast, but graceful. When he would return into his room in the evening, exhausted and weary, there would be no one lying on his bed, a book in their hand and a smile on their lips. There would be no one to keep him warm at night and no one to guard him from his nightmares.

And Levi hated this, he hated his life without Hange, he hated her for dying and leaving him all alone once again and he hated himself for not being strong enough to save her.

What was the point in him being the humanity’s strongest if he couldn’t even save the people he loved?

Those sparks of anger were frequent, but very soon forgotten, as Levi remembered Hange’s kind eyes and her gentle smile. He remembered what she asked of him, and he was determined to fulfill her last wish.

He would try his hardest to survive as long as he could. Maybe, his life wouldn’t be happy, but he would continue this fight.

So when they get reunited in the afterlife, or another world, or some other stupid shit Hange had told him about, she would smile at him and tell him she is proud. And then she would embrace him and nothing would be able to separate them ever again.

#me?? putting all focus on moblit once again???#its more likely than you think ;)#snk #levihan #levi x hange #levi and hange #levi x hanji #levi ackerman #hange zoe #hanji zoe #rivahan #snk fanfiction #aot

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alison-anonymous · 4 years

Text

flawsome bandits pt. 19 ♡ sonic

Flawsome Dealbreakers

Apologies to such a late update, but I promise that things are going to turn up very soon! This chapter is very sad, but is also very necessary for the progression of the story. I believe there are about 5 chapters left I have planned for this series, so I just want to say thank you to all my fans for such amazing support. It means the world to me and I love you darlings so much ♡

Warnings - much angst, THIS IS NOT A HAPPY CHAPTER

♡♡♡

Before the sky had even woken up, Y/n was already wide awake.

It had felt like she was treading through a thousand knives as she pulled herself away from her sleeping boyfriend and pulled her shoes on, making sure to not make a sound and disturb her other comrades. Even though every fiber of her being was begging her to stay, she did her best to force herself not to think too much about what she was going to do. Because if she stopped to think, then she would convince herself not to go and if she didn’t go, then she would be putting everyone she cared about in danger.

I have to do this, she told herself. It’s the only way…

Rain clouds boomed above her head as she made her way through the thickened forest, stepping carefully over fallen branches and moving through sun-dried clearings. The silence made her skin crawl as she had gotten used to travelling with her chatty friends, but if she was going to go through with this, well… let’s just say she would have to get used to the silence.

Wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm, she finally came up to the site where Robotnik had been staying. It had changed immensely since the last time that she had seen it. He had made a makeshift trailer out of spare parts that he had dissected from his drone as well as some other pieces that she was sure he had sent Shadow to fetch for him. A steady stream of chalky black smoke arose from behind it, and she stopped just before the clearing where she was still partly hidden in the darkness of the trees. Y/n stared with wide, petrified e/c eyes as some of his eggbots were sweeping the area for any intruders. Was she really doing this right now? It’s not too late, she could just go back right now and no one would need to know about it. But as Sonic, Spirit, Tails, and her parents’ faces flashed through her mind, she knew that she needed to do this.

Sucking in a shaky breath, she dropped her arms limply to her sides and stepped out into the clearing. Instantly the egg bots turned to her, and began to fire up their lasers. Panic began to spike through her heart as she quickly put up her hands in surrender, staring straight into the lens. She didn’t know if he was sitting behind the scenes watching them, but it was her best bet right now. Just in case she had to move, she let out a gentle hum, feeling the electricity surge through her body.

“I come in peace,” the icy blue hedgehog shouted, hoping that he could hear her. “I don’t want to fight. I have a proposal for you, Robotnik.”

She waited, but the bots didn’t move. After what seemed like forever, they finally continued on their path of scanning the rest of the area around her, checking to make sure that she was alone. A little green light turned on the top of one of the bot’s heads, and before long, a very strange looking man popped out of the makeshift trailer. Y/n’s eyes widened in horror as she took in the bloated belly, the sausage length whiskers on each side of his face, the bald head, and oversized goggles that were placed over his eyes. But the one thing that she instantly recognized was the crazed smile that only a lunatic doctor wore.

This was Doctor Robotnik.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here,” Robotnik snickered, flipping his goggles on his forehead as he lumbered his way over to her. She couldn’t help but wonder how he could seem so casual coming towards her since she was his enemy, but then again, she was greatly outnumbered at the moment. “Did little Bonnie lose her Clyde?”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Y/n muttered, shaking her head quickly. Remember, Y/n, she told herself. Don’t think. Just do. Don’t think. “I want to make a deal with you.”

Robotnik stops a couple feet in front of her and taps his gloved hand to his chin, his eyes scanning over her body in concentration. “You want to make a deal? I got to admit, I didn’t think you would have the brain capacity to come up with such a concept.”

Y/n ignored the retort, and took a deep breath for courage. Would he accept her proposal? Well, there was only one way to find out wasn’t there? Of course it would mean signing away her entire life to this lunatic, but if it meant saving those that she cared about, then she would gladly die for that cause. She bit her lip, and forced herself to meet his hard gaze, making sure that he saw how serious she was.

“If you promise to leave Sonic, Spirit, Tails, Knuckles, my family, and Green Hills alone, then I will give myself up.” Robotnik’s eyebrows raised in shock before he could stop them. Was he hearing this correctly? “You may do whatever you like with me. I will consent to any experiments and I won’t fight back, ever. Even if it means that you end up killing me. Just as long as you leave my friends and family alone.” Y/n had to fight back the tears that were beginning to build up as she spoke, knowing that she was practically committing suicide. I have to do this… “I know you’d only be getting one hedgehog, but my powers have been expanding whereas Sonic’s have not. Do we have a deal?”

Robotnik could only stare at her in shock. Y/n Wachowski, the girl that had once told him off when he had nearly killed her boyfriend, was now giving herself up in order to save her friends and family? It was almost laughable, and it gave him a big self-esteem boost knowing that she feared him. But even though this threw a wrench in his previous plan, this is why he always made sure to keep a plan B, C, D, and E. In that order.

A slow smirk made its way across his lips as a new plan began to set in motion. “Alright,” he nodded slowly, watching as Y/n’s expression sank. Of course she didn’t want to do this. Why would she? Selling herself to a doctor in order to save her friends was hardly an easy choice, but there were some things that still needed to be taken care of. “We have a deal. But there are some conditions. Before we get into that, I have to ask, why are you doing this?”

It was Y/n’s turn to look shocked as the color from her face began to drain. She let out a small sniffle, signifying that she was on the edge of breaking. It made Robotnik ecstatic as he watched the once mighty Bonnie break down before him.

This is how you break a hedgehog, folks. All you have to do is threaten everything that she holds most dear.

“I am doing this to save my family and friends. I would much rather die than let them get hurt over something that I could have done something to prevent,” She answered truthfully. Robotnik nodded, pleased with her anwer.

“Fair enough. Now, dear, there’s just one little problem,” he bent down on his knees so that he was eye level with her, and she instantly felt her blood run cold at his closeness. But she forced herself to stay still, knowing that she had to live up to her promise. No matter how afraid of this man she was, she made a promise. No more fighting. “How do I know that this isn’t a trick? Or that your little boyfriend isn’t going to come and try to rescue you?”

Unfortunately, Y/n had already thought ahead and knew exactly what she had to do. It was going to kill her, perhaps even before Robotnik had the chance to do so, but it needed to be done.

“I’ll take care of it.” She spoke dryly, but her sincerity still remained. Robotnik grinned maliciously and patted her head, causing her to wince.

“Good little dolly,” Robotnik chuckled, his eyes growing dark. “You know what you have to do.”

♡♡♡

Before Y/n even made it back to their campsite, she was already finding herself being swooped off her feet into the arms of a worried electric blue hedgehog.

“Y/n?” Sonic cried, hugged her tightly against his chest. “Oh my god, is it really you? Thank God, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Well, we have, but mostly me! Where were you? Did Shadow take you again?” Y/n felt the instant fluttering in her stomach of knowing how much he cared about her, but it died just as quickly as she reminded herself of why she came back here. Very hesitantly, she pushed against Sonic’s chest so he would put her down, and took a couple steps away from him. Sonic’s brows furrowed in confusion, and before he had a chance to say something else, the others were making their way up behind him as well.

“Y/n! Oh my god, you’re okay!” Spirit cried out in relief, and smiles made their way onto Tails and Knuckles’s lips. But all of it was short lived as they took in Y/n’s restricting form.

“N/n?” Sonic asked softly, moving towards her. But the second he took a step in her direction, she took one back. He froze, instant fear beginning to set into his chest.

Something was really wrong.

Y/n wasn’t acting like herself at all. She felt her chest beginning to close in as she tried to think about what she was going to say. Don’t think, Y/n.

Don’t think.

Just do.

“I… I’m not going to fight on your side anymore,” she murmured, her voice croaky and hoarse. Her friends's eyes widened in shock. “I’m joining Robotnik’s side.”

Thunder snarled in the sky above as Sonic’s eyes flashed an electric blue. Y/n’s body began to hum on its own, and Spirit, Tails, and Knuckles took a small step back as they watched the scene unfold. What on earth was happening right now? Y/n had to be joking right? The girl that had once been so full of optimism and fire was now replaced with nothing but a trembling shell of who she used to be. It was hard for any of them to even recognize her.

“W-What do you mean you’re switching?” Spirit stuttered, running a hand through her hair in anxiety.

“You can’t join Robotnik!” Tails cried out, tears beginning to prickle. “You.. You can’t!”

“Y/n, what’s going on?” Sonic asked, trying once again to take a step towards her. In turn, she simply took one staggering back. As their feet touched the ground, little sparks of electricity burned in the dirt. “This isn’t you. I thought we were in this together.”

He could practically feel his heart breaking in his chest as he watched the girl he loved walk away from him. No, this wasn’t real. This had to be a dream. He was going to wake up any second now with Y/n in his arms, and they were going to have another great escapade together before they defeated Robotnik.

They were Y/n and Sonic.

Bonnie and Clyde.

She was his home. And… if his home left him…

Y/n’s gaze slowly raised to meet Sonic’s emerald eyes, and he almost had a panic attack when he saw the look in them. All signs of emotion were gone. Her eyes were dead.

“We’re done, Sonic.”

His heart stopped. No. No, he hadn’t heard her right. She had said something else. She had to have said something else. He refused to believe it. “What?”

Y/n’s gaze fell onto the floor, and for the first time since she had come back, she looked like she was going to cry. A small sliver of hope filled his chest. Maybe this was all just a prank, maybe this wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

“Look me in the eyes and say that again.” He said slowly, refusing to look away from her for a second. Every fiber of Y/n’s being was screaming at her to take it all back, to tell him that she loved him and that she would never let him go.

Don’t think.

Don’t think. Just do.

“We’re done, Sonic,” She looked him straight in the eyes as the words left her mouth. But she knew that just those words wouldn’t be enough. She had to say more if she was going to protect him. “I… I never truly loved you.”

Bolts of electricity went up and down Sonic’s quills as he shook his head, not understanding what was going on here. “W-what? You… you don’t love me?”

Y/n swallowed her tears, even as her body began to glow a luminescent blue. Their abilities were betraying each other. “I don’t love you. I never did. You’re too risky. You’re always trying to put me before yourself and I don’t- I, I can’t-”

No. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this, what was she think-

“There is nothing that I wouldn’t do to protect you, Y/n,” Sonic interrupted her thoughts, and as she looked back up at him, she was shocked to see tears beginning to drip down his face. She was breaking him. “I love you, Y/n.”

“No…” She slowly shook her head, tears beginning to fall out of her own eyes as she took a few shaky steps away from him. No, this wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Rain began to drip down from the sky as Spirit, Knuckles, and Tails watched helplessly from the sidelines, unsure of what to do. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go - Sonic wasn’t supposed to tell her that he loved her! No, how was she supposed to do this now?

“I love you,” Sonic repeated, taking another step towards her and she was quick to take one back. But as their emotions began to grow, so did the storm. Flurs of electricity began to move through their bodies and up into the air, startling the winds and making them angrier. More sad, more desperate, more anguished.

They were breaking.

Wind began to ruffle their fur as the other three tried to take cover underneath a tree, and their tears began to stream down faster.

“I love you! You know I do, and I know you love me too!” Sonic screamed as the thunder boomed through the sky. Y/n’s heart pounded in her chest, and she felt her powers pulsing against her skin as her eyes suddenly turned a blinding white.

“No!” She screamed, and Sonic’s eyes widened in horror. Y/n threw her arms up into the air and slammed them back down against her sides. “Stop it!”

The rain froze.

Little droplets of water hung, frozen in the air. Even the thunder had ceased, the sky obeying Y/n’s command. The earth had turned silent, and the only sound to be heard was Y/n’s panicked breaths as she stared at nothing, her eyes still a blinding white. Sonic’s mouth dropped open as he stared in amazement at the particles. Y/n… Y/n had stopped the rain with her telekinesis. She had never done something like this before.

He turned back to his girlfriend, fear and worry beginning to take over, but the second he raised his arm in her direction, she broke out of it and her eyes returned to normal. The rain resumed, soaking their fur all over again.

“Y-Y/n-”

“Don’t,” She shook her head sadly at him, her e/c orbs filled with an emotion he couldn’t understand. No, this couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening right now. “Goodbye, Sonic.”

And just like that, she was gone.

As Y/n walked away, only then did the tears begin to fall.

I have to let you go.

♡ a.a.

#sonic #sonic x reader #sonic imagines #sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog x reader #sonic the hedgehog imagines #sonic the hedgehog 2020 #sonic the hedgehog 2020 x reader #sonic the hedgehog 2020 imagines #sonic the hedgehog movie #sonic the hedgehog movie x reader #sonic the hedgehog movie imagines #flawsome bandits

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reddie-fangirl24 · 5 years

Text

Losers Face the T-Rex at Jurassic Park (An IT Crossover)

NOTE: This is a crossover I thought up with the Losers in Jurassic Park in the scene where the T-Rex escapes from her paddock. I love writing crossovers! If anyone has suggestions for my future IT crossovers, let me know! Enjoy!

“Boo!” Richie jumped up onto the passenger side seat wearing these thick night vision goggles with a green glow, startling Stan and Eddie.

Richie laughed at Eddie, removing the goggles. “I told you that you screamed like a girl!”

“Where did you get those?” Stan asked sternly.

“They were in a box under my seat. Pretty cool, huh?” Riche responded checking out the goggles.

“Are they heavy?” Stan asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Yeah.”

“Then they’re expensive, so put them back before you break them!”

Richie scoffed, crawling his way into the back seat. “Sure, dad!”

Eddie lightly whacked his friend in the arm. “Don’t scare me! This place is giving me the creeps!” he said staring out the window at the thick dark jungle behind the fence. Rain pelted against the car. Now, the cars had been stopped for a while now. Why didn’t one of the adults go with them?

“What are you crying about? Your Grandfather owns one of the soon-to-be most popular dinosaur attractions in the world! The place is awesome!” Richie played around with the night vision goggles, excitedly exploring outside through the windows. He took a look into the other Explorer car which held their fellow remaining Losers.

“Is Bill actually drinking rainwater?” Richie laughed.

“Drinking rainwater does keep you hydrated,” Eddy commented.

“Bev looks bored out of her mind! Ben, man, you’re sitting right next to her! This is where you put your arm around her shoulder!”

“Rich, would you quit spying?” Stan warned him.

“Who put you as the parent in charge?” Richie retorted. He looked out at the goat which was still outside, standing behind a gate made up as bait for any dinosaurs.

Meanwhile, in the other car, Mike tapped at the car, trying to get a response from the computers. “Do you think I should check under the hood?”

“No, the cars moved on a track. It must be a technical difficulty,” Ben pointed out.

Bev looked out the window at the falling rain. She watched as water droplets race each other. Something about all this wasn’t right. The cars wouldn’t just stop. Today had been one of the most incredible days she could ever experience. First, she got to come back to Derry to visit her friends after a year. It was strange how at first she didn’t recognize Bill’s voice. And that was when everything came back to her from the summer before.

Dinosaurs. Real-life actual dinosaurs! None of this felt real. Eddie’s grandfather really wanted their opinion on this part to open it to the world?”

“D-Do you think we sh-should walk?” Bill proposed an idea. “It’s not that far to-to the g-gate, right?”

“No, Bill, we should stay put,” Beverly advised. “It’s raining.”

“And we don’t know what could be out there,” Mike pointed out. “I’m sure the power will turn on in a bit or Eddie’s grandfather will send some help.”

Time crawled by. It was getting later now. Stanley shut his eyes for a little rest as Eddie was in one of his long tangents about... well, whatever was on his mind as Richie kept looking out the window through the night vision goggles. That was when he... felt it.

Crawling towards the backseat, Richie pressed a hand against Eddie’s shoulder, interrupting him. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?” Eddie asked, looking up at his friend, alert. Oh, if this were a trick...

Without answering, the ground shook. No, it was not an earthquake. Glancing at two cups filled with water, at each moment that they heard something pound against the ground making the water ricocheted in perfect circular rings. This wasn’t good.

“Maybe it’s the power trying to come back on,” Stanley tried to think positively, although he sounded scared.

Richie looked through the night vision goggles again. He looked out at the spot where the goat was. But, there was no goat. The chain that held the goat swung back and forth in the air without an owner.

Eddie grabbed his inhaler in his pocket. “Where’s the goat?”

Something hit the window. Looking up, Stanley and Eddie gasped in disgust at the half-eaten bloody leg of the goat.

His mouth hanging open, Richie removed the night goggles to stare up at the gigantic, sharp-tooth T-Rex standing right behind the fence in which separated them. The creature devoured the goat in one thick gulp. And then it turned its head and looked right at him! Its claws clung to the fence. Di it... know that her electricity was off? Yes, it was smarter!

“Jeez, on jeez!” Stanley uttered in horror.

Turning around when they heard a door open, Stanley ran out of the car!

“Where the fuck is he going?” Eddie screamed.

Richie saw him run into a bathroom which was luckily close by. “Well, when ya gotta go, then you gotta go.”

Stanley locked himself in a stall. He was a sissy to run away! He kicked himself for doing that when his friends were in need. Losers stuck together after all. Something told him that it wasn’t a good idea to come here in the first place.

“Should we leave, too?” Ben asked when he saw Stan disappear into the bathrooms.

“No, we should stay put,” Bev told them. “It’s going to...”

Hearing this horrifying creak, the group witnessed the T-Rex biting through the wired that once kept her from escaping the paddock. The poles tumbled into the mud just inches from even hitting the cars. The T-Rex stomped out of her paddock, emitting this loud and terrifying roar that made their bones raddle.

“Oh, God...” Beverly shivered. Ben placed a calming hand against her shoulder.

Bill’s heart pounded. “J-Just keep very very still...”

Eddie scrambled into the back of the car. Anything. There had to be something here to get the other car’s attention. Opening a suitcase, he found a flashlight. Bingo!

Turning it on, the flashlight had the opposite effect that Eddie was hoping for. The Losers noticed the frantic light, but so did the T-Rex who was already walking towards the light.

“Turn the light off. Turn the light off!” Mike gritted through his teeth.

Richie grabbed for the flashlight. “What the fuck are you doing?!”

“Sorry!” Eddie cried trying to figure out how to turn it off.

“Turn it off!”

“That’s what I am trying to do!”

Hushing themselves, the T-Rex was right next to the car. The driver’s side door! It was open! Wow, Stanley didn’t even shut a door behind him.

Slowly, Richie crawled up to the front seat. He heard Eddie mutter something, but he ignored it. While the T-Rex was distracted, Richie reached out for the handle and shut the door. Unfortunately, the dinosaur heard and the creature snapped its head, staring at Richie with her ferocious eyes. Why-Why did those eyes look familiar, like another diabolical figure he knew all too well?

Staying as still as statues, Richie just slightly turned his eyes to look at Eddie. The poor boy was shivering out of his skin. His breathing hitched, choking. The dinosaur peered in at them through the windows, staring right at Eddie who shined the light in her eyes.

“Nice move on the flashlight, dimwit!” Richie whispered.

“I didn’t know!”

Growling, the T-Rex studied the car. This gave time for the two to scoot as far back as they could. Then, thumping its mouth against the car, it dangerously rocked back and forth. Eddie screamed while Richie clung to whatever he could. What was she trying to do?

Richie climbed into the backseat, grabbing the flashlight from Eddie. “How dod you turn this thing off?”

“I don’t know!”

“How could you not know?!”

“Just find the button! It should be this one right...”

Right in sync, Eddie and Richie looked up to see the dinosaur plunging at them, breaking the glass window on the roof! It didn’t break into pieces, luckily. Screaming, Richie and Eddie could only hold the glass in front of them to avoid the T-Rex from grabbing them. What were they to do? Listening to Eddie scream in terror was bad enough, but it was the part about being helpless to do anything was what made Richie feel terrible and hopeless.

Listening to the horrific echoes of their dear friends, the others were trying to figure out how to help their comrades if they could help them.

“We have to do something!” Ben yelled.

Beverly was already scrambled in the trunk trying to find something. Anything! “I got something!” She showed them a flare.

“Give it to me!” Bill ordered with a plan in mind.

“What are you going to do?” Mike asked him.

Now, the T-Rex capsized the Explorer making the two boys tumble with it! Pushing down on the car with her ginormous foot, she bit into the wheels. Muddy water pooled inside the car as Richie and Eddie struggled to do something.

“Richie!” Eddie hollered in fright and disgust. Were they going to drown? Oh, his mother would go insane if she were here!

Richie’s glasses were filthy that he could hardly see anything. “I’m here, Eds!” He called out to him.

Eddie managed to crawl over to his friend and grasped him as the seats, now above them, were slowly being crushed against them. The boys held each other tightly. “Don’t let go!”

“I got you! Just uh... think about your mom sniffing dog poo!”

“She doesn’t do that!”

Bill got out of the car, lighting the sparkler. “HEY!”

The T-Rex roared at him. This was insane! Here was attempting to battle a dinosaur. Sure, this nothing out of the ordinary. He battled against crazier things!

Slowly, moving the flare around as if the dinosaur was a dog, the T-Rex actually fell for it, curiously watching the movement. Bill threw it as far as he could to the side. It proved to be the perfect distraction. The T-Rex went after it. Good, now he could help Richie and Eddie.

“Hey, hey!” Mike’s voice called out. Oh no, Bill thought to himself. Mike caught the dinosaur’s attention carrying a flare in his hand, too.

“Mike, freeze!” Beverly screamed at him. Ben held her back so she wouldn’t make a move to leap out of the car, too.

“G-Get rid of the flare!” Bill ordered.

“I got it under control!” The T-Rex changed her course, chasing after Mike who went into the direction where the bathrooms were.

“Mike, no!” Ben called out.

“Get rid of the flare!” Beverly called out to him.

Stanley felt the whole bathroom shaking. No, it was coming towards him?

Lucky for Mike, whose foot was bitten into, the T-Rex crashed into the small hut, destroyed it altogether. Mike was covered in the rubble, passing out from the pain. Stan ducked out of the way, hiding under a fallen stall. What was he to do now?

Bill fell to his knees, almost touching his head into the muddy ground to look into the mess of the car. He could just barely make out Richie and Eddie huddling together, crying. Eddie was gasping for breath.

“Hey, guys, I’m right here!” Bill told them, reaching his hand in. Beverly and Ben also arrived, falling to their knees to help.

Eddie looked up, his face completely filthy, but relieved. “Thank God!”

Richie pushed him towards the others. “Go on!”

“No, we go together!” Eddie begged, reaching for him. Bill already had his arm.

“I’m stuck! Don’t worry, I’ll get out of here!” Richie said trying to pry his foot from under one of the seats.

Eddie was pulled out, once again, mud pouring all over his face, even into his mouth. Ben sat him on his knees, helping him clean up, as Bill and Beverly helped Richie.

As soon as the mud was brushed out of Eddie’s eyes, he screamed. “GUYS!!”

Ben slapped a hand over his mouth. Bill and Beverly stayed perfectly still, holding hands.

Could the T-Rex really not see them if they were completely still? The dinosaur covered over them, its warm breath in their faces. Beverly shook. Its eyes. Why did they...

Right then, the dinosaur hit the car, turning it to the side, taking the Losers with it. Fortunately, it gave a new opportunity for them to hide as they were facing away from the creature.

“Richie, are you okay?” Eddie asked, bending down to look into the broken windows.

“Yeah, I’m fine! My foot’s free. I can get...”

The T-Rex rammed its snout against the car, making the group back into the wall. The car was going to crush them! “Get up on the ledge!” Bill called out.

They all climbed up, nearly falling over into the paddock. The T-Rex wanted to drop the car all the way down there?!

“What do we do?”

“We have to get Richie! He’s still in there! We gotta help him!” Eddie cried. Ben was just holding him back from going to help his friend.

Bill looked around, spying a rope. “Climb onto my shoulders!” He told Bev. “Ben, take Eddie!”

Following orders, the Losers shimmied down the wall of the paddock as the car dangerously learned over, about to fall at any second.

“What are we going to do now? The car is going to hit us?” Beverly alerted.

There was another rope just off to the side, out of reach. “B-Beverly, Eddie, gr-grab the rope! Ben, we have to-to swing ourselves to that rope!”

“Huh?” Eddie was so pre-occupied about Richie still being in the car that was falling over the edge, several feet below them.

“Hey, Eddie, you’re choking me!” Ben croaked.

“S-Sorry!”

Traversing along the wall, it took a couple of tries until Bev grabbed the rope just as the car came careening into the paddock, landing in a tree.

The T-Rex let out another ear-piercing roar and then stomped off.

Making it to the ground, some members of the group cleaned off by a nearby tunnel spewing water. Eddie was trying to breathe. Bill walked up to the tree which held the car up in the branches like an apple. The headlights were still on.

“Richie? H-Hey, Richie?! Are you okay?” Bill called out.

No answer.

Eddie walked up to the tree, shaking, his breath hitched. “We gotta go help him!”

“What about Stan and Mike?” Beverly asked, noticeably shaken.

“Should we go help them?” Ben asked.

“N-No, first we help Richie, and then tog-together we go see if Stan and M-Mike are okay! You guys, w-wait here, hide, and I’ll go get Richie.”

“I’m going with you!” Eddie stepped in.

“No, Eddie, you should...”

“I’m going with you, Bill! I have to see if he’s okay. Besides...” he paused. “What if he’s hurt?”

With no more questions, Bill and Eddie climbed up the tree as Beverly and Ben hid in the tunnel. What was going to happen now?

Getting closer as they climbed the tree, there was no sign of movement in the car. “Richie?” Eddie called out. Right when he was close enough to look in, huddled up in the corner of the passenger side of the car was Richie, shivering and sniffling.

Bill opened the door which was tricky at this vertical angle.

“Rich, are you okay? Say something!” Eddie gently said to him.

Slowly, Richie lifted his head to reveal his tear-streaked face. “I fuckin’ threw up...”

Both their faces fell at seeing their usually uppity and energetic friend look so sad and scared. Bill reached in touching the wheel to get a better grasp, inadvertently touching the wheel.

“Come on, Rich, it’s going to be okay. Let’s get out of here,” Bill urged him.

Richie just stared at him. “W-What are we going to do?”

“Stick together, Rich! We’ll find Stan and Mike and then we’ll get back to my Grandpa’s!” Eddie said to him with a smile.

The young man still didn’t show any signs of moving. It was starting to scare them.

That’s when Eddie had an idea. “Hey, Rich?”

Richie made eye contact with him as another tear fell.

“Who do you think is smarter? That T-Rex or your mom? I’d have to say the T-Rex!”

And finally, Richie movie, grabbing Bill’s hand and climbed out of the car. “Just you wait and see who’s smarter!”

Now, they had to get out of the tree. Slowly, climbing down the branches, the three easily made progress getting closer to the ground. “I’m never climbing trees ever again!” Richie said.

Just then they heard a snap. Oh no, the car was going to fall. Scrambling, as the branches broke Bill, Richie, and Eddie hurried down each branch. Getting his foot stuck, Eddie thought he was about to get killed just as the branch above him stopped the car from colliding with him.

“Come on!” Bill urged, helping Eddie.

Just as they got out of the tree, the car landed on the ground, tipped over, and the three boys fell in the line where the hole was in the car, as it smashed to the ground.

Beverly and Ben ran out of the tunnel. “Bill?! Are you guys okay?”

“Well we’re back in the car again,” Richie lightly jabbed, catching his breath.

“At least you’re out of the tree,” Bill said looking at the bright side.

#Jurassic Park #It 2017 #It Movie #IT Fanfiction #Reddie #Stozier #Benverly #Billverly #bill denbrough #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #Stanley Uris #Mike Hanlon #ben hanscom #Beverly Marsh #Reddie fanfiction

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elyssebeeart · 4 years

Text

Your Warmth

A writing commission for @visionsofwings (PDF on dA)

Series: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go Pairing: FandomxCanon (MhairixGibson), CanonxCanon (SparxxNova) Word count: ~6.7k Rating: G Previous: Starlit Garden Next: What About Us

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“It’s picking up out there.” Nova looked through a window, the yellow cyborg monkey watching trees leaning as the wind blew increasingly more violent. Bits of white carried on the wind, sticking to the window as the temperature was dropping past freezing. She suppressed a shiver as she hugged herself tighter, “Ew, so cold.”

“We’d best hurry back to the Super Robot before it gets worse.” Chiro joined her to watch the gusts that were surely frosty, Flint the little red dragon nestled on his shoulder. “At least we made it to this inn before it started.”

“I didn’t think the mission would take so long, the storm just snuck up on us.” Gibson observed as he stood away from the others, looking pensive. “The weather patterns showed no hint of a tempest approaching until we reached here.”

Beside the chief scientist, Mhairi was looking wide eyed at the storm, mug in her talons as she drank a complimentary drink that was intended for the road back to the Super Robot. The Grypherian didn’t look excited at the prospect of racing to beat the brewing storm, “It looks wet out there... just a bit.” She took a quick sip and edged closer to the nearby fireplace.

Sparx joined Nova’s side, slyly putting an arm around her shoulders, earning a blush as he smirked, “Last save point, anyone?”

“Perhaps we should wait a while before venturing out.” Antauri suggested, the silver robotic monkey tilting his head as he observed. “We are unfamiliar with the planet’s weather after all. I’m sure the Super Robot will be fine on its own in snowy conditions.”

“Ooo! Ooo! Anyone want to build a snowman?!” Otto exclaimed, rushing toward the front door, only to be barricaded by a large horned, white-haired being.

“Absolutely not!” The furred creature bellowed, possibly glaring down at Otto but it was hard to tell thanks to the shaggy hair covering its eyes. It crossed it arms as it blocked the way out. “No one goes out in weather like this. You won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face within a few minutes, never mind you ending up an icicle! It’ll last at least a day if we’re lucky,” it finished with a snort, as if daring to be challenged.

“Uh...” Chiro and the others stared at the native being who towered over them all, the furry biped looking far from warm and huggable despite the thick fur.

“What my mate means is you’re free to stay here until the storm passes. It’s not like we’ll be having any more guests coming.” Another voice spoke, calling attention to a slightly smaller being of the same species though it had larger horns. The more friendly of the pair smiled, showing off sharp teeth as they gestured to the interior of the inn, “It’s on the house since you came to help our people out. Wouldn’t be right not to offer hospitality as thanks. Plus you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The bigger of the mates let out a snort of agreement, nodding but refusing to move from in front of the door, physically blocking any further progress. “We have five rooms available you can use.”

“That’s generous of you, I suppose some of us will double up being there’s seven of us.” Antauri gave a polite bow to their hosts. “Thank you for your generosity.”

“Not to worry, the rooms are spacious. Plenty of room for two.” The shorter innkeeper assured, smiling wider and showing off a pair of tusks. “Right, Yet’ta dear?”

“Indeed, Bentley sweetie.” His mate smiled, seemingly relaxing as the two shared a private moment despite their guests that stood between them. “You’ll all be quite comfortable. We’re not highly rated for nothing, even if we’re the only inn for miles.”

Bentley let out a snort of laughter, trying to cover it up with a cough. “We’ll leave room arrangements to you but they’re right down that hall.” He pointed in the direction, maintaining a polite business like smile, though as hair swept out of his eyes for a moment one could swear they twinkled.

“Well, Nova and I get the first room.” Sparx piped up, his arm still around Nova who, despite their public and hardly shy relationship, blushed once more and bashfully smacked him, the unintended force sending him stumbling.

“That’s one room down, as for the other four I suppose-”Antauri turned toward the others but was cut off.

“Hey, Gibson! You and Mhairi should get your own room too!”

Gibson immediately sputtered at Otto��s unwarranted suggestion while Mhairi, who had been enjoying her drink to push away any thoughts of getting wet from an outside venture, inhaled on accident and entered a small coughing fit.

As Mhairi tried to recover from choking and the shock of the proposition, noticeably beginning to turn red, Gibson looked wide eyed at his green teammate, mouth hanging open, “Wha-wha?! Otto! Why would you say that? That is highly inappropriate for you to suggest!”

“Why not, Gibson? Afraid you’ll scare her off if she has to share the room with you all alone? All night?” Sparx barbed, grinning mischievously as he watched the two turn similar shades of red, Mhairi out of embarrassment and Gibson possibly out of embarrassment and anger.

“That’s not-”

“Hey, guys it’s no big deal. I can just bunk with Otto or Antauri,” Chiro held up his hands as Gibson glared at his cheeky comrade, Mhairi suddenly looking overly interested in her mug, while Nova glared at Sparx and elbowed him, earning a wince as she disapproved of his teasing. “That way Mhairi can have her own room as well as Gibson.”

“Aw, come on guys!” Otto exclaimed, waving his hands as he tried to plead his case. “Why not share a room? You’re dating and hang out together all the time! Spending the night should be fun! Like a sleepover! Ooo, we can all do a sleepover!”

“Not this time, Otto. Maybe once we’re back on the Robot.” Antauri quickly slipped in, redirecting Otto’s innocent proposal. “We should let each choose for themselves their room arrangements. No sense forcing it and causing ill feelings.”

“Even if it makes perfect sense.” Sparx muttered not too quietly, earning another glare from Gibson and a disapproving “Sparx!” from Nova.

“My protest was the fact someone else suggested it.” Gibson countered, folding his arms as he told a half lie, heart quickening at the prospect of sharing a room with his girlfriend. “I never said we wouldn’t share a room, it’s our business. Right, Mhairi?”

Mhairi, still red, opened her beak but then closed it, giving a quick nod as she tried to become one with the wall. The agreement from his paramour solidified Gibson’s confidence, his pride soaring despite the tempting intimate thought as he smirked at Sparx, “Besides, shouldn’t you be worried Nova will kick you out, Sparx? Noisy awake, noisy asleep; perfectly logical.”

“I think you’re getting our situations mixed up.” Sparx challenged back, sparks flying between him and Gibson as both refused to back down.

“Sparx, stop making a scene in the middle of the inn.” Nova hissed, glancing around as other guests were presently tucked in their rooms or milling about.

“So I guess it’s in agreement for who has the shared rooms. Guess Flint’s with me.” Chiro shrugged, trying to bring the discussion to a close as he felt embarrassed at the bickering though it was nothing new. Flint let out a small cough on his shoulder, a puff of coal dust escaping him.

“Of course!” Gibson declared with fierce look of determination as he couldn’t let Sparx win. “A room for Mhairi and I! We claim the one farthest from Sparx.”

“Why, afraid of what I’ll hear?” Sparx grinned mischievously before Nova had enough and elbowed him once more, grabbing his audio antennae and telling him to knock it off and stop making Mhairi feel uncomfortable.

“Okay, that’s settled!” Chiro announced, looking relieved. “Antauri and Otto can choose their rooms and I’ll take whatever’s left over.”

“Whoo! Let’s go check them out!” Otto exclaimed and dashed off in the direction of the rooms. The others followed, leaving their hosts looking bemused, though two of them remained behind.

“It’ll be fine!” Gibson turned toward Mhairi who was looking a little too intently at the fire, the flames making her even hotter as she tried to hide her flushed state. He smiled at her, hands on hips as he brimmed with confidence now that Sparx had been brought to heel, thanks to his levelheaded girlfriend. He ignored the flutter in his chest, focusing on keeping his emotions in check and not push boundaries on accident, “All the privacy we need and with room to spare! Room for two, right?”

“Y-you’re right.” Mhairi managed, looking at him and smiling though she looked shy. She drew closer to him, leaving her mug on a nearby table as she gave a wider though nervous smile. “It’ll be fine.”

* * *

“This is NOT fine!”

Gibson and Mhairi stood in their room which indeed was spacious given the default size seemed to be for the natives of the planet Maelaia. The accommodations were nice and cozy with little room for complaint except for one major detail staring at them in the middle of the room.

There was only one bed.

“Uh…” Mhairi was flushing as she look at the sizeable bed that indeed left plenty of room for two while also speaking volumes about the present status of their relationship. Gibson, being the one to insist the sharing of a room under the assumption there were two beds, could feel panic mounting in his chest. He immediately thought of Sparx’s expression and could practically hear his laughter in his head at the realization all the rooms must share the same layout. The simian troll was probably ready to rush down to their room and inquire about the accommodations, smug look and voice saying it all. His alarmed state only escalated when Mhairi looked at him in her own panic, her face beginning turning red again as they locked gazes.

“Perhaps there’s another room available, we can simply switch with another guest if possible. I mean why say there’s room for two and there’s only one bed when there is two of us? Surely there is a pullout bed somewhere. Maybe a trundle!” Gibson babbled, racing toward the bed and looking under it in hopes of finding a hidden mattress that would qualm his growing hysteria at the predicament.

Alas nothing was under the bed, not even a dust bunny.

While Gibson kneeled on the floor looking like he was considering in believing in divinity and prayer right there for an answer, there was an excited cheer from next door that sounded like Otto.

Instantly there was the faint sound of sequential squeaks followed by a cheery, “This bed is humungous! Oh! We should play Five Little Monkeys! We have five monkeys! Hey guys!” The squeaks stooped, followed by a thud as feet hit the ground and Otto apparently stuck his head out into the hall. “Anyone want to play?”

“Um, no thanks, Otto.” Mhairi managed as she called over her shoulder toward the door. She fiddled with her talons as she looked at the floor to the bed to Gibson and then the ceiling.

“I can’t go out there. Sparx will be right outside, I know it. He’ll rub it in my face and I won’t hear the end of it.” Gibson was mumbling, hand on his forehead. “Those innkeepers absolutely set us up, didn’t they? I’ll file a complaint—no the others will know. The floor is an option, I mean we have plenty of pillows. What kind of service is this anyways?”

“Uh, we could... I mean...” Mhairi attempted, the feathers on her cheeks puffing slightly as she grew warmer. She began to twiddle her talons, looking at him uncertainly, “You... you know. Share the bed. It’s not fair if someone sleeps on the floor. And we don’t want to be teased for backing out by sharing with one of the others.”

Gibson looked at her, mouth hanging open as he tried to process the unexpected proposal. “Y-you... I mean, that’s completely... that is... we... uh... you’d be fine with that?” He turned red as the words left his mouth.

“I mean I shared the bed with Echo and Flint plenty of times! And there is room to spare, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like we’re strangers or anything.” Mhairi hastily explained, twiddling her talons as she looked at the ground, turning redder as she fought to control her wild thoughts that her abundant romance novel collection spurred. “I’m okay with it if you are... it’s just a bed.”

“True.” Gibson relaxed a bit seeing Mhairi was in agreement. “It’s just a bed, we’re simply sharing it. It’s not as if we haven’t shared seats next to each other. We’re merely resting within close proximity!”

Both fell silent and shifted their gazed elsewhere, still red. It was hardly the intimate set up either was ready for despite being in a relationship for a while. Still the sudden jump to an intimate scenario Sparx was hoping to tease them about left them both a mess as neither were prepared nor had talked about it before.

It was just a bed. Being shared by two people. Why did it have to be a thing more than that, until they were ready? The teasing certainly did not help the innocent scenario nor did their actual romantic relationship, awkwardness mounting.

“I, uh, should get changed.” Mhairi stiffly pointed toward a nearby shelf, trying to move the situation along. “It looks like there’s a bunch of complimentary pajamas for various sized guests.”

“Ah, yes. Indeed. Good idea.” Gibson nodded, looking to the pile though his mind was elsewhere.

Mhairi made her way over and picked through the pile of clothes before finding one small enough for her. “I’ll be back in a bit.” She hurried off toward the open bathroom door and shut it behind her, allowing Gibson to let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Great Scott, what a mess.” He pressed a hand to his head as he looked back at the rather excessively comfortable-looking large bed. Indeed there was enough room without invading personal space but the thought of laying next to Mhairi as they slept made him blush again. “Get yourself together, Mr. Hal Gibson! It’s just for one night; she’s fine with it so you should be too. Either way Sparx is going to tease you, but if he knows you chickened out it’ll be ten times worse!”

Meanwhile on the other side of the bathroom door Mhairi was pressing her face into the pajamas, muffling a barely contained scream as she turned a brighter red. The fabric was soft and fluffy but it wasn’t enough to distract her as she was trying to control her emotions regarding the situation.

She lifted her face after a minute, taking a breath, “Pull yourself together. You’ve read plenty of romance novels that handle this very scenario. You’ve got this covered; you’re totally prepared. Besides, we’re just sharing the bed, lying next to each other. We’re not…”

Her brain stalled as she grew even warmer, feathers ruffled as she turned a near impossible shade of red. She pressed her face into the pajamas once more, letting out a mild screech as her romantic daydreaming tendencies were not helping the awkward situation. Eventually she pulled back, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm down. “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just for one night. Besides I’m the one who basically said it was no big deal!”

She turned to look into the bathroom mirror, taking in her flushed cheeks and puffed out fur. “Get it together, Mhairi. This is the real life, not one of your romantic stories… even if they’re all I have to go on…” She reached up one talon and patted her cheeks, trying to smack some sense into herself as well as pat down her ruffled fur. “If I take too long Gibson’s going to know something’s wrong.”

She exhaled once more, determination replacing her flustered expression. She glanced down at the pajamas in her arms and unfurled them to lay them out as she changed. Instantly she tensed as she looked at the cozy clothing, her cheeks growing warm once more. “This… isn’t going to help.”

After some minutes of silent contemplation of perhaps making an excuse of why she should sleep in her day clothes or dare stepping out to pick through the clothing pile for perhaps an alternative outfit, Mhairi surrendered and slipped out of her clothes and put on the nightwear. Following fussing with her hair for minutes, trying to buy more time to gain nerve, she stood in front the bathroom door. She took a few breaths as she braced herself before reaching for the handle and slowly opening it, color in her cheeks once more while looking down shyly.

“Gib-… what’s going on?” Mhairi’s embarrassment turned to confusion as she looked up only to see her boyfriend’s head was hidden from view behind a partly open front door, apparently looking out with his attention clearly elsewhere.

“Our hosts were a bit concerned to find Flint in the fireplace.” Gibson explained as he pulled his head back from the open door, closing it. “Seems he slipped out on Chiro and decided he wanted to sit in the flames for a moment. It’s perfectly alright, Chiro has it hand-”

Gibson’s words died as his gaze went to Mhairi, his jaw falling open as he stared. Instantly Mhairi felt self-conscious and blushed, talons behind her back to hide her fiddling. Her tail curled around her feet protectively as her gaze shifted, unable to meet his wide eyes. “O-oh. That’s good… Flint does love curling up in the hottest place he can find…”

Gibson was silent, his eyes glued on Mhairi with a gaping mouth before something in his brain clicked and the ability to speak slowly was realized, “Mhairi… you… wow. I…”

“Is it that bad?” Mhairi flushed as she fidgeted, swishing the comfortable silvery nightgown she wore, the fabric suspiciously looking similar to their host’s fur. “M-maybe I should change into something else. I-It’s really soft but a gown in this weather, even if inside, really isn’t practical, don’t you think? Yes, maybe I should see if something else would be a better choice-”

“You look beautiful.”

Mhairi’s beak snapped shut, cutting off her nervous rambling as her eyes left the floor to look at Gibson. Their gazes met and silence fell, Mhairi red while Gibson looked speechless, both regarding each other. Mhairi bit back a squeak and ran her talons through her hair. “R-really?"

“Of course!” Gibson exclaimed, his cheeks turning slightly red. “I mean, that is… you always look beautiful… just…” He let out a slow exhale, his eyes on her as his voice went lower, “you look absolutely stunning.”

Mhairi barely suppressed a squeak as she combed her hair with her talons faster, unsure how much warmer she could get as a tingling sensation settled over her. “It’s n-nothing really… I mean… th-thanks.” She stammered, managing to look him in the eyes despite feeling overwhelmingly self-conscious.

“Ah, yes, well… uh, I better go freshen myself up as well! Nothing like a quick grooming before bed!” Gibson announced, clearing his throat as he made a beeline for the bathroom, movement slightly stiff-legged. He disappeared into the room with a click from the door closing and both flustered parties let out a deep breath on either side.

Mhairi looked from the bathroom back to the bed, fiddling with her talons for a few minutes more. “You got this, Mhairi.” She strode over to the sizable bed and with a slight hop managed to land on the mattress.

Instantly soft blankets molded to her talons and the softness of the bed seemed to swallow her up. Surprised, Mhairi patted the covers before flexing her talons, feeling the blankets bunch underneath. A small sigh of relief escaped her at the plush material followed by a small trill that formed in her throat naturally.

“Ah, the bed’s really soft.” Mhairi announced with warm cheeks as she heard the bathroom door open and the purr ceased out if embarrassment. She quickly smoothed out the plush blankets, patting it down to hide the fact she had been kneading the fabric. The gravity of the situation pressed down once more and her heart fluttered as she looked at Gibson, any other words failing her as her brain sputtered to a halt.

“It looks like it.” Gibson replied, not moving from the doorway, clearly stalling.

Mhairi fought her bashfulness and gave the bed a gentle pat as she scooted over, warmth spreading throughout her body. Her heart quickened but she gave an encouraging though shy smile, “Maybe you should try it. Bet it’s nothing like you’ve felt before.”

“Oh I’m certain; I trust your esteemed judgment,” came the stiff reply, awkward and guarded though sincere as Gibson nodded, giving a strained smile.

Mhairi’s expression turned to mild confusion, “Do you… want to sleep on the bed?”

“I think I’ll wait a bit before I retire. Maybe read in the chair since we have a few books of choice to peruse. Or perhaps soak in the tub. It’s been a long day, plus it’ll give you some privacy.”

“Oh… uh, okay.” Her face fell, her grip on the bedding tightening before loosening, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. “I mean, thanks. I appreciate it. M-make sure you don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Of course. I’d just hate to keep you awake while my mind is abuzz. Have to first let my brain unwind after such a busy day!”

“I guess that’s true…” Mhairi seemed to resign, hit by a pang of disappointment and envy at the thought of Sparx and Nova sharing a room with little trouble—unlike them.

Awkwardness seemed to blanket the room, Mhairi on the bed with a mixed expression and Gibson still by the bathroom. Both pointedly ignored their increased heartbeats and the storm of feelings that matched the raging blizzard trapping them at the inn.

Gibson hesitated, curling and uncurling his hands before opening his mouth. However as he did so he stilled abruptly. His eyes shifted to the floor, pinpointing what had caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. His optics adjusted, zooming in like binoculars as he went on alert at the suspicious movement.

He stared with scrutiny while whatever caught his attention halted inching across the floor and seemingly stared back. It made the mistake of twitching, flipping a switch in Gibson’s mind.

“BUG!” Gibson shouted, letting out a primal monkey screech. He leapt high into the air, fur bristling, and landed on the high bed with an audible thump despite the professed softness. The insect seemed to react to the sudden sound by wriggling furiously and shooting out a long white substance in apparent panic and defense like a party streamer.

“What?! Where?” Mhairi instantly was vigilant, blue eyes wide as she scurried over to the edge of the bed and peered over. She took an interested look at the wriggling creature without a hint of fear, eyes shining with curiosity, “Oh! A silkworm? Huh, I guess that explains the silk threads in my nightgown and the bed. Our hosts must use them to create fabric. They’re harmless!”

“It’s. A. Bug.” Gibson breathed, heart thundering against his ribcage as if it were about to perform a prison break. He stood ridged on the bed, grimacing as his fur stood on end. “A disgusting, crawling organism that I do NOT appreciate being in the same vicinity as me. What sort of inn are they running, letting those things crawl about?!”

“Well, it’s gone now. I think you scared each other.” She informed, watching from the edge as the alien silkworm displayed incredible speed and shot under the door where there was a small crack. “It’s safe to get down.”

“I think I’ll stay here for a while.” Gibson stiffly informed, still looking spooked. “I mean, the bed is high-I mean comfortable. It feels like I’m on a warm cloud—that is if clouds were physical and not just vapor and water. Why should I get down now?”

Mhairi blinked at his rambling, noting the nervousness and paranoia he tried to cover with logic. She tried not to smile at his expense and simply nodded, “I’ll just… lay down over here. Though, I can check and see if it’s gone-”

“NO! I mean, no, it’s fine. No need to inconvenience yourself for my sake. You’re already comfortable. It’s not like if we open the door there’s going to be a parade of them marching off to go cocoon or forage,” He added the last part nervously.

“If you say so.” She resigned, slowly edging back toward the middle of the bed, trying not to stare though she snuck a glance. Catching a curious look out of the corner of her eye she adjusted her seat, sinking into the material a bit more. Conversation escaped her as she tried to grasp for something rather than the nervous energy between them, “Well, at least the bed is heavenly.”

Gibson twitched at the change of subject, eyes still glued on the crack. “Huh? Oh, yes. It is.” He nodded, attention clearly elsewhere. After a few watchful moments, he slowly sat down, hands running over the covers.

The conversation lulled and the two remained on the bed in silence, Gibson mumbling to himself over the components of the mattress and blankets as a distraction and Mhairi quietly staring at the ceiling, fiddling with her claws.

She snuck glances at Gibson once in a while, nervousness buzzing through her veins. Her beak opened slightly a few times, searching for words but resigned to focusing on the ceiling’s wooden beams to seek out a pattern to distract herself with. Her tail flicked slightly and curled as a sense of longing settled in her chest, invoking warmth that spread and rose to her face.

Gibson let out a sigh to decompress as he lay down, searching for a new distraction as time stretched on. He fought the urge to drum his fingers, and eventually his mind went back to Mhairi’s hair; it looked so soft and beautiful.

The impulse to touch and run his hands through it grew and Gibson was lost in fantasy until he felt something lightly brush against his tail. He was jerked out of his thoughts, fur bristling as his head whipped toward the source. Paranoia overcame him over the thought that another unwelcomed insect was in the room with them. A barely muffled screech formed in his throat that he fought to keep contained led to a high-pitched bewildered, “Wha-“

“S-Sorry!” Mhairi blurted, jerking her wandering tail away from him and curling up tighter. Color flushed her cheeks as she glared at her tail as if about to scold it like a naughty pet.

“Oh… Oh! It’s alright! I was just startled out of my thoughts.” Gibson assured, looking at her though his eyes went to her let down hair before back to her bashful expression. Warmth crawled up his neck and he let out a cough, his gaze shifting back to the ceiling as if he could pin the growing want in his chest above him, “Got a lot on my mind.”

She gave a nod, still flushing. Both fell silent once again, the faint noises from the lobby barely penetrating the walls. Next door, Otto seemed to have tired himself out from playing as not a sound escaped from the other room. Thoughts of embrace teased the two as they were over an arm’s-length from one another, the pleasure of looking at the other’s face while they lay sleeping-

“Oh!” Mhairi squeaked, flinching and looking down in time to see Gibson’s tail stroke hers, caressing it gently. Her eyes widened as she watched the retreating tail, shifting to Gibson’s face with a look of confusion and curiosity.

“Sorry.” Gibson apologized, suddenly very self-conscious as his own tail betrayed his yearning. The thought of being nearer to Mhairi resulted in his tail subconsciously seeking her out. With warm cheeks he swished it away, laying stiffly with resolve to mind his manners no matter the desire burning in his chest.

Both lay still, awkward and flushing, very aware of the distance between them.

When it was nearing an hour and sleep still evaded both of them, Gibson steeled himself. Anxiety was humming through his body as his heart continued to thud, urging him to sneak a glance at Mhairi once more, which he finally did after adamant deliberation. She was still pointedly watching the ceiling, but he noticed, despite the warmth he felt increasing once more, that she was wearing the bell collar he had gifted her to bed. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise; he had been too preoccupied with her emergence from the bathroom in the flattering nightgown and hair down to note that detail.

“Oh, you’re wearing the collar.” The comment slipped out before he realized it and Mhairi stilled at the break in silence.

“Y-yeah… I never take it off. Uh, that is, if I take it off I don’t want to chance losing it. It’s really comfortable and it’s not too noisy. It doesn’t bother me to sleep with.” She babbled, her gaze darting away as she seemed to grow red again. Her voice came out soft, tinged with embarrassment and tenderness, “It’s an important gift from you.”

Gibson stared at her for a moment, taken aback as she fidgeted, touching the collar fondly. Plucking up his courage to speak his mind with sincere reassurance and praise, he hesitantly began, “I just... I wanted to say how pretty your hair looks. I’ve never seen it down before.”

“Oh?” She squeaked, blue eyes widening with surprise as she turned toward him. “Y-you think so? I-it’s nothing special.”

“It’s different and I like it. Though, to be accurate, it is special since it’s just another aspect of you.” He paused, feeling flushed and his voice came out low, “You… are amazing, Mhairi.”

“Wh-What?” She sputtered, staring at him. “What brought this on?”

Gibson swallowed his hesitation, unlocking his intertwined fingers and gesturing, “It’s the truth. I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that. Let you know you’re appreciated. And you really helped out earlier.”

“Well, of course; I’m part of the team. I do what I can to help.”

“Right, but I still wanted to voice my affirmation.”

“Oh… well, I… We wouldn’t have pulled through without your keen observation. But aside from the recent mission…” Mhairi turned to look at him, feathers slightly puffed with a red shade on her cheeks, “you’re pretty amazing too.”

“I guess the verdict is unanimous.” Gibson attempted to joke despite his heart fluttering and Mhairi gave a little nod and shy smile. Although the ice had been broken, the awkward situation still lingered over them, nerves beginning to rise again once the distraction of conversation was gone.

Gibson caught movement out of the corner of his eye again, slightly tensing only to see Mhairi’s tail slowly moving in his direction with growing flicks. As he regarded the nearing tail with amusement, Mhairi let out a gasp in realization and pulled it back once more. “It’s alright.” Gibson assured though she looked petrified as if ready to die from embarrassment. “There’s plenty of room.”

“I-I know. I…” Mhairi hesitated, debating silently before saying with a deeper blush, “I just don’t want to be in your space... Er, I mean, I do! I really want to be!”

Gibson blinked in surprise, earning a hasty explanation and an even redder Mhairi who blurted, “I really want to cuddle! It’s all I’ve been thinking about while lying here! I’ve been wanting to snuggle since we got into this situation, to be near you and embrace you. L-Like the lovers in my books! I really wanted to experience it for myself, with someone I completely care for and love and… Ancestors! You must think I’m a selfish, hopeless romantic.”

Gibson regarded Mhairi, her face hidden in her talons, while he felt himself grow warm as well, at a loss for words. He was stunned for a few moments before smiling softly and shyly, “I wouldn’t mind.”

“Y-you wouldn’t?” Came the half-muffled response, Mhairi peeking partly through her talons.

“No, the warmth would be nice…” He shifted and moved slightly closer, his circuits buzzing as his heart pounded and soared, “Your warmth would be nice. Honestly, I’ve been thinking of being near you this whole time, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to initiate or not.”

“You have!?” She exclaimed, talons pulled away from her face as she looked at him in disbelief. Her eyes shone with hopefulness, but still shy and embarrassed.

Gibson offered a wider smile and reached out slowly. His hand brushed her hair gently, lightly caressing her face as he moved a few locks out of the way. “Absolutely consumed by it, like solving the unknown realms of quantum physics.”

Mhairi’s shade of red deepened and she let out a squeaky, “O-oh.” Her eyes flickered down and for a few moments she did nothing. Then slowly, she scooted closer, her tail flicking before swiping across Gibson’s legs and moving down, brushing against his tail with longing.

Gibson smiled and flicked his own tail, gently wrapping his around hers to keep it from slipping away, a light blush on his cheeks as he accepted the gesture. The reciprocated action startled Mhairi, her eyes widening but she did not pull away, instead letting her tail intertwine with his.

“Th-this…Is nice.” Mhairi confessed, looking as if she were about to combust at the intimacy she craved so deeply and was now being indulged with. She inhaled, taking in Gibson’s scent, feeling his body radiating heat since they were currently only a few inches apart. “It feels...”

“It feels right,” Gibson smiled, slowly extending a hand toward her, palm up in invitation. Mhairi hesitated briefly though she slowly reached out to gently grasped his hand, to which Gibson repositioned their hands upright to intertwine their fingers.

The two lay in silence, unsure of what to say as they simply soaked up the sensation of the other’s touch and gazing shyly at one another. Mhairi flexed her talons slightly, giving a tender squeeze that Gibson returned, sending a ripple of comfort through both of them.

After a while Gibson curled closer, letting out a sigh of contentment. “You were right before; this bed is quite comfortable. I could fall asleep at any moment. I wonder what they use to stuff the mattresses? Some type of plant fiber? Our hosts’ own fur perhaps? I can see why Otto wanted to play; this is another dimension of comfort.”

A giggle escaped Mhairi as blush crept across her face once more, “Think that’s how they really trap guests here? The beds alone will make you never want to leave, never mind a storm.”

“Maybe, it’s a diabolical scheme. This bed might swallow us up with its alluring comfort.” Gibson teased, smirking at his companion. “Do you suppose we’ve stumbled onto some villains hiding in plain sight?”

“Oh you know it!”

“Perhaps we should alert the others. Clearly it’s a very serious matter.”

“The dastardly acts of hospitality must be investigated!”

The two laughed lightly, the bed quivering slightly with their mirth. The detour was proving itself manageable thanks to the amount of comfort the inn offered as well as the company being kept.

Gibson smiled, inching closer to Mhairi as he felt emboldened, “I’m glad I’m here with you.”

“Me too.” Mhairi drew closer until her knees brushed against him. Soon the two were embracing, Gibson running his hand gently through her hair and fur, and Mhairi through his, “Definitely worth it.”

Gibson could only smile wider and hug Mhairi closer. The two lay still, limbs entangled and tails wrapped around each other. As they snuggled Mhairi let out a sigh, a light purr escaping her and Gibson blushed.

“I love you, Gibson.”

“And I love you.” Gibson gently kissed her forehead, feeling warmth throughout his body at her words, his own confession coming out easily. Mhairi curled closer before turning her head upward and giving him a tiny kiss.

“Sleep well.”

“Sweet dreams, Mhairi.”

Both continued to lay together, a mix of small kisses and purrs as the night went on. Finally the day caught up to them and the feeling of comfort and warmth carried the two off to sleep.

* * *

Gibson awoke the next morning with something warm pressed against his chest and a tickling sensation on his chin. Confused for a moment he drowsily pulled his head back to find Mhairi curled against him, her talon resting gently against his chest while her hair brushed against his chin. Instantly he remembered the night before and where they were.

As he looked at her sleeping face with a fresh blush spreading across his own, his breath catching, which in turn caused his chest to shudder. Mhairi’s brow scrunched together in slight vexation and curled closer to him, letting out a sleepy murmur, “Just five more minutes.”

Gibson suppressed a chuckle as he watched her. He dared to wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer and running his fingers through her hair once more. As the sunbeams from outside shown through the curtains on the window, Gibson’s thoughts drifted. What time was it anyways? He’d lost track as they had laid together for who knows how long until they had drifted off to sleep. He could faintly hear noises from outside, alerting him that it was late enough for other guests to be awake.

Suddenly there was an energetic knock on the door as he was just about to check his internal clock. Before he could answer, the door flew open—mortifyingly reminding Gibson he had forgotten to lock it the night before—and banged against the wall with a resounded smack.

“WAKEY, WAKEY! EGGS AND BAKEY!” Otto declared, throwing his arms out dramatically as he stood in the doorway, beaming.

“Otto! What are you doing!?” Gibson demanded, bolting upright and jostling Mhairi who let out a startled noise. He had half a mind to throw a blanket over the two of them as if something scandalous had been discovered.

“Sparx said you might need a ‘courtesy call’ since you guys overslept!” Otto smiled wider, looking at the two of them without a hint of embarrassment or shame. “Morning~”

“Of course he did.” Gibson dragged a hand tiredly over his face, certain he could hear Sparx’s snickers from around the corner.

“Mhmmm, what?” Mhairi sleepily wondered, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. She blinked sleepily at Otto and the open door. Instantly her eyes widened and a startled squeak escaped her as she turned a fresh shade of red and pulled the sheets to cover herself despite the nightgown she was still wearing.

“Otto… could you please give us a moment?” Gibson asked as politely as he could manage, his annoyance and exasperation nearly at a record high.

“Oh yeah!” The green monkey nodded, turning around to grant them some privacy. “I’ll let the others know you’re coming!” He paused as he pivoted, tensing with realization, “Oh, I almost forgot! I have something really cool to show you!”

“Can it wai-” Gibson began as Otto grabbed at something behind his back.

“Check out this cool worm I found!” Otto beamed with childlike wonder, holding up an all too familiar form that instantly wiggled as if on cue.

Needless to say anyone else sleeping in was instantly woken by the sound of a high-pitched scream that resounded throughout the inn and shook the nearby mountain clear of its freshly fallen snow.

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curekibouka · 4 years

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Memento (one-shot Pandora Hearts fanfic)

Summary: How should one advance onward, when one’s preferred reality was the past?

A/N: So, this is my first Pandora Hearts fanfic posted on tumblr (and it’s my worst one yet 🙂). I tried to convey something sad and something light-hearted at the same time and I don’t know how you guys would take it.

*This fic is also on FF.net and Quotev.

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

“Break?”

Ah. Right.

He was gone.

Forever.

Sharon sighed, it appears she had to do her hair herself today.

A week had passed already. And her habits still refused to be changed. He had always been the first person she’d greet in the morning, and the one she’d count on to arrange everything for her, and the one she’d bid goodnight to right before she slept.

15 years had been such a long time. Sharon couldn’t even begin to imagine what her life would have been like if she hadn’t found him that day.

But she reckoned that forever was a time longer than anything she could conceive of.

It had barely been a week, and she was already missing him so, so much that it felt as if her heart could shatter into a thousand fragments with the slightest touch.

How was she going to live with the knowledge that he was gone forever?

From time to time, the sensation of his head resting on her shoulder still remained. It plagued her to no ends.

His exhausted, raspy voice. His pale complexion. His skin losing its temperature. All of it…

…had felt so surreal.

They all knew Break was going to die one of these days. Besides, he had had just about a million near-death occasions due to his one-man show persona, this really shouldn’t come as a surprise.

But it didn’t feel right at all.

It didn’t feel right talking about him in past tense when she delivered the eulogy, he had always been the liveliest creature in the room.

It didn’t feel right seeing him being placed in a coffin and buried underground, left to rot and perish and decompose, alone.

It didn’t feel right placing little flowers there, those flowers belonged in his once beautiful long, silver hair, not on that dreary, grey tombstone.

It didn’t feel right not being able to watch over him as he rests while calling out his name, pleading him to wake up. That was what always happen when he had used too much of Mad Hatter’s power. It was always terrifying, but at least she’d see his weak breath and his slight movements, at least she’d be by his bedside, clutching his hand, praying.

She had been allowed to hope every time he had collapsed. But she had smelled the sweet aroma of candy when he had breathed his last on her shoulder, and that had crushed every glimmer of it.

Setting down her hairbrush, she felt a churn in her stomach. The truth had been so abrupt, so nonsensical, so uncomfortable, it made her feel sick how her life seemed to be unchanged still.

It was almost repulsive to her. How dare the Earth continue to orbit when he was gone?!

She clutched her head, messing up her hair again. She should not think this way — Break would not want her to think like this.

If Break were here, he’d…

“Sharon-sama?” Reim’s voice came with a few knocks on the door.

“Oh, come in,” she called out, forced to regain her composure.

How rare, Reim was in a casual suit instead of Pandora’s uniform. She tried to remember if today was some special occasion.

Reim saw her assessing his getup, he sighed, “Today is the tea party, Sharon-sama, have you forgotten?”

“Tea party…?” she murmured, and then practically jumped up when the memory hit her, “Oh dear! I did forget! Ahhhhh…! How careless of me! Why did Break not… remind… me……?” She slowed down on the last few words as Reim’s brows furrowed instantly.

“I…” she stuttered, faking an apologetic smile, “Please… pay it no mind, Reim-san. I have yet gotten used to daily life without a valet is all. It’s noth—“

“If you do not wish to go,” Reim said, “if it’s too painful to bear, I shall inform Gilbert-sama of your predicament so that he would not expect you.”

“No. No, I’m fine. Truly.” Honestly, she thought she didn’t really have a reason not to go. Almost everyone who would be there lost someone precious. Leo lost Elliot. The Baskerville lost at least half of their comrades and Fang. Ada lost her family. And even Gilbert, the one who insisted on organising this tea party Oz proposed, lost his master, and a dear friend, and someone who he had almost treated as his own uncle.

Gilbert probably learnt that if sorrow and grief were kept locked away in the darkest depths of a person’s heart, that person would never see the light and might do something foolish they’d end up regretting, mostly because of Vincent’s case. As such, he wanted to do something for everyone, he wanted everyone to get along and try to be happy, even for just a brief hour or so.

Sharon understood Gilbert’s intention, and she did not want his efforts to go to waste.

“I will go.”

Though she doubted his efforts would be of any help to her.

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

“Glad you both came, Sharon, Reim,” Gilbert welcomed the two of them as they stepped out of the coach.

“Good morning, Sharon-chan,” Sheryl was already there with Rufus.

“Good morning, grandmother. Good morning to you too, Duke Barma,” Sharon curtsied, and went along to greet other people she knew.

The Baskervilles were surprisingly friendly, it was actually nice to hang out with them and to know that they weren’t sworn enemies anymore. Lottie even complimented her dress, and she complimented her hair in return.

But it was no use. Her mind refused to let go of her precious Xerx-niisan for even a second.

She was constantly picturing him standing right beside her, glancing at the scrumptious-looking desserts in front of her over her shoulder. Or him sitting on a table and laughing at the most ridiculous thing ever. Or him bickering with Vincent with an apparent hint of bloodlust behind those sweet smiles of theirs.

Her surroundings felt eerily empty when he wasn’t in it.

A child’s voice pulled her back from her trance, “Hey, Eques… I mean, Sharon.”

She turned to see Lily tugging at her skirt to get her attention.

“Hello, Lily-san,” she immediately put on a smile, as any proper lady would to appear polite, “You look very cute today.”

“Thanks,” Lily looked at her feet like a child found guilty of shattering her mother’s favourite vase.

“Is something the matter?”

“Well, not exactly~~” Lily drawled, “I just really~~ wanted to apologise for what I said and did back… when the Hatter… died. It must’ve scared you, when you were in that state of mind.”

“I…”

“I’m sorry! Tell me how to make it up to you, I’ll do anything I can~~”

“It’s… it’s all water under the bridge now,” Sharon quickly said, half-genuine, half only wanting to drop the topic, “Besides, you and Bandersnatch protected us afterwards, no? I’d say we are even.”

“Eh?” Lily snapped her head up at once, eyes sparkling with joy, “So you’ll forgive me?”

“Of course.”

“Yay~~! Since you and Reim seem to be really close, I thought we might as well be friends too!” she flashed Sharon an innocent smile.

“Friends… that sounds… very nice,” taken aback by the little girl’s proposition, she stuttered, but at least she was genuine this time, “I would… love to be your friend too.”

“Yay~~~!” Lily jumped to hug her, “Oh, I almost forgot~~” She landed back on her feet and delved into a little pouch she was carrying, “I have to give something to you~~”

“To me?”

“Yup! Lottie found it back then~~” she whipped it out and placed it in Sharon’s hands, “Here!”

Sharon’s eyes shot open, gasping, “E… E… E…mi…ly…” Her hands trembled violently, dropping Emily on the ground, herself dropping to her knees along with the doll, tears spilling out uncontrollably, blended with screams.

Reim and Ada both rushed to her side, worried, trying their best to calm her down.

“Lily, what did you do?” Lottie and Leo interrogated the little girl.

“Eh…? I… I don’t know!” Lily was also freaking out, unable to comprehend Sharon’s extreme response.

“No… I…” Sharon defended her, “It was my… fault… When I… saw… Emily… I just…”

She picked up Emily again, held it close to her chest, and continued crying.

At that, Ada also couldn’t help but start weeping along.

“Ada-sama…” Vincent placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I… I am sorry… My mind… starts thinking… about Onii-chan and Uncle Oscar again…”

“No fair…” Lily pouted, “I wanna cry too…! You’re not… the only ones… who lost people you loved…!”

“Lily…” Lottie embraced the child tenderly.

“Fang~~~~~~~~!” Lily bawled, yanking on Lottie’s arms.

“Sharon-sama…” Reim knelt in front of Sharon, not that he knew what to do, he was about as scared as Break had been when Sharon cried.

“Sharon-chan…” Sheryl clearly yearned to take it upon herself to comfort her granddaughter, but Rufus didn’t move her wheelchair.

“The grief of the bereaved could only be fathomed by those who bear the same heartache, ‘tis best to allow them the liberty to manage the situation by themselves,” he said.

Sheryl was about to retort. In her eyes, the scene was full of depressed and confused children, unable to pull themselves together in the midst of woe.

But those very children proved her wrong.

Gilbert trod to Sharon wordlessly and placed a hand on her head.

“Master Gilbert?” Reim questioned.

Gilbert took Emily and strained his voice to sound like how Emily usually sounded, “ShARon, yOU cRyBABy! KeKEkEkE!”

He continued in his normal voice, “It’s a lame quip, I know. But I had the feeling that Break would’ve tried to cheer you up with some distasteful jokes of his if he were here.”

More tears trickled down Sharon’s cheeks when he said that, but she nodded with certainty.

Gilbert joined his brother and Ada next. “Ada-sama, if Oz were here,” he gave Ada a quick embrace, “he would surely allow you to weep on his chest like this.”

“And if Oscar-sama were here,” Vincent added, stroking Ada’s short hair and wiping her tears away tenderly with his thumb, “he would have done this.”

Gilbert turned his focus to Vincent.

“I’m fine, nii-san, Noise… Echo did well. I’m proud of her.”

“Leo… Master,” Gilbert continued.

“I already know what he’d do, Gilbert,” Leo gave a small smile and glanced at a book he brought, “He would’ve punched me playfully and quoted from Holy Knight volume 11, when Edwin taught the readers how to cope with such grief.”

Gilbert reciprocated the smile and moved on to Lily, the (physically) youngest of them all. Lottie seemed to be at her wits’ end as well, for Lily hadn’t had the chance to go on a rampage like this to mourn for Fang before.

“I… don’t know much about Fang, Lily, I’m sorry. But…” he scooped her up and placed her on his shoulders, “but I know how much you loved the piggyback rides he gave you.”

Lily bawled even louder and bashed him on the head, “Gil, you idiot~~~~! Your piggyback ride is NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS FANG’S!!!!!! I want Fang’s piggyback rides! I WANT FANG TO BE HERE~~~~!!!!”

Lottie couldn’t help but let out a whimper at that too and Doug clasped her shoulder in comfort.

“And I’m sure that,” Gilbert declared to everyone, “if Stupid Rabbit… Alice were here, she would’ve offer to bite everyone’s cheeks.”

Some managed to laugh at that, which proved Gilbert’s attempt fairly successful.

“I cannot speak for everyone,” he returned Lily to her companions and continued to announce, “I understand that everyone deals with grief differently, and that it may be painful for some to remember the past where your loved ones were by your side, only to be pulled back to the present, where they are not. But for me…

“For me, as painful as it is to remember, these wonderful memories also brought me solace. I had cried like you all, I had screamed like you all, but when I cry and scream, they faces would always come to mind. They are not gone, they are and will always be living here in our hearts, forever.” He averted his eyes from everyone, “That is… what I think Oz would’ve said to cheer everyone up.”

“But… But I don’t want Fang to be in my mind~~~!” Lily bursted out, “I want him to be HERE!!!!!”

Surprisingly, it was Sharon who approached the little girl and hugged her tightly.

“Eques…?” Lily sobbed.

“I… understand you, Lily-san…” Sharon spoke with her still trembling voice, “Break… was like a caring elder brother to me too… just like… Fang-san was to you… And I… I do not think I can bear… with the knowledge… that he can only be… in my mind from now on… either…

“But remember… Fang-san must’ve… left the stage… while pursuing the path he had believed in,” she looked Lily in the eye, her cranberry-coloured one’s about as teary as Lily’s light blue ones, “If we… halted in our steps now… they would surely be… disappointed… would they not? For they… had created our paths… one way or another…”

The memory of the blade protruding from Fang’s back instead of her own, the image of his body crumbling to dust, the terror and the fury and the sorrow all recurred to her now. She leant into Sharon’s chest and shrieked madly.

“We must… advance… on their behalf,” Sharon wasn’t very sure whether she was saying this for herself or Lily anymore, “We must… carry their courage… and their will on our shoulders… and move forward…”

If Break were here, he’d surely have implored them to do so. He’d surely have ushered them on the path to that sunlit finale he never managed to reach.

A pair of arms wrapped around the both of them and caressed their heads softly. It was Reim, dutifully holding back his tears even now.

“That’s right,” Gilbert nodded in agreement to Sharon’s words. He spoke with the decorum befitting a proud (adopted) son of the Nightray House, “We stand here today, thanks to our loved ones who had instilled in us the strength to live. Let us commemorate their courage, perseverance and love; and let us remember their fears and mistakes, so that we learn from them.”

Lily looked up at Reim and Sharon, and forced a smile, “Thank… you… I’m happy… to have become friends… with you~~”

Gilbert raised his teacup, “Let us celebrate, today, the wondrous memories they had etched in our hearts, and the lives they had relayed onto us.”

“Happy unbirthday!” everyone cheered, on behalf of those who had cheered alongside them the last time.

And the morning sun shone upon the hopeful paths of those who had overcome the tears and would continue to advance on.

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

The End

#pandora hearts #pandora hearts fanfiction #lily baskerville #sharon rainsworth #reim lunettes #paindora hurts

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pearlplusau · 5 years

Text

Chapter 4, The bright light Part 1

In the midst of the red, dark battlefield, multiple gems lay poofed or shards scattered as far as an eye could see. The war had yet concluded.

With the crystal gems gaining the upper hand, the leader of the rebellion, “Rose Quartz”, in the heat of battle, her shield rose, her sword gripped, her comrades fighting as one. As Pearl fends off an elite soldier all on her own in a distance, her spear shining as she fought with grace and elegance within the cacophony of battle. While Garnet charges and finishes the jaspers, Coral stood alongside Rose, with her lance fencing off surprised attacks from the sides, and whacks a topaz on her head. “Poof!” as yellow smoke dissipated and her gem on the ground.

Rose thought to herself with glee, “We’re almost there! We’ll finally be able to stay here after all this is over!” Victory seems to be closer and closer, but none of them will be leaving without consequences.

On Homeworld,

A red ruby ship approaches the landing site, as it descends, a tattered up Amethyst guard faceplants off the ship, “Ughhhhh!” She moaned, her long, puffy white hair in horrendous state and she was wearing a uniform that signifies her diamond in serving, Pink Diamond.

This Amethyst guard had never been to Homeworld before, but her orders were clear, “ONE OF YOU UPPER CRUST! Find the Diamonds! State the situation and request back up!” In a rush, her elite sisters decided to send 8XWJ, a soldier that’s not in the fighting shape anymore, and threw her into a small ruby ship and launched it manually from the control panel on Earth.

The amethyst regains her strength, and proceeds her mission.

She knew the urgency of this message, but she couldn’t stop from gawking as the scenes in Homeworld get more and more alien than what’s she’s used on Earth. Instead of forests and hills and rocks, it’s buildings, skyscrapers, and fellow new gems!

She’s never seen other types of gems other than herself and jaspers, so seeing so many gems who are clearly in higher positions intimidates her.

“You there!” A blue gem approaches her with the sound of heels “clonk, clonk, clonk” getting louder and angrier.

She begins to panic! She raced through her mind and forgot what to do. What was she supposed to do when greeting a higher level gem? Oh right! The diamond arm thing! She shaped her arms as the big gem stood right in front of her.

“State your purpose!” The blue gem ordered, but 8XWJ has no clue who or forgot what she has to say as she begins to get very nervous and sweats. “I…ahh…uhh…” 8XWJ stammered and fiddled her fingers, the blue gem narrowed her eyes, “Newcomer huh?” She smirked and continued, “How am I not surprised?” Her tone was filled with disgust and prejudice.

“I am Holy Blue Agate! I have been urgently assigned to receive a message from an Amethyst guard from Earth by a fellow Hessonite, now tell me…”

She reached to the back of her head, where her gem placement is, and conjured an electric whip full of static! She flings towards the purple gem, grips her hip, and sends a wave of electricity as 8XWJ screeched in pain and got yanked towards Holy.

“What…is…THE MESSAGE?!” she screams as she grabbed her by the uniform, and shook her as violent as she was allowed.

“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!” 8XWJ shouted and plead, the whip dissipates and she fell on her knees, which was painful as her gem is located on the left.

She explained the situation on Earth as the soldiers were close to losing the battles, and she was told to inform the diamonds personally by another commander, but was cut short when she heard Holly laughing.

“You? Informing the Diamonds? Ha!” She mocked and continued, “Don’t even try, you won’t even make it to The Great Ballroom without another few centuries in this confusing labyrinth! I’ll deliver the message to the diamonds myself.” With that, she turned and walked back where she came.

The amethyst plead, “Wait! Wait a sec!” With her raspy voice, she requests permission to follow the Agate. The blue gem scoffed and said, “What makes you think I’ll let you?” She looked at AXWJ as if she’s gone corrupted, “An Amethyst guard with an Agate! What will the others say?”

Looks like AXWJ was stuck finding her way back to the ship, she turned and sighed, “Guess I’ll just find another way back then…” she considered tracing her steps when the agate changed her mind, “Fine, you can tatter along, but just so we’re clear, I will be the one speaking to the diamonds! Don’t make a pip while I’m talking!”

Before they proceed to the diamonds, AXWJ made another diamond symbol and request to speak freely, “What was the whip all about? It hurts so MUCH!”

Holy smirked, “That, was just a little fun I needed, and also the tip of the iceberg, step out of line or waste my time again, you’ll be wishing you were never made.” 8XWJ gulped and nodded.

In Blue Diamond’s chamber (pool),

A blue themed chamber, with pillars connected to each other and tubes beneath the pathway up to the pool, where the three massive diamonds are present. The water resembles the color of lime, with the beautiful White Diamond in front of the waterfall, and Blue and Yellow on her left and right. They stayed still and quiet, as they were finally done with their work and tried to relax for a bit, but Yellow had something in mind she wished to share.

It wasn’t long until relaxation was over, Yellow decided to drag work into everything once more, “An idea occurred to me the other day, as you both know, Pink’s colony is still a work in progress after all those centuries given, as not much resources are useful towards our expanding Empire anymore, so I propose…an Alternative.”

White opens her eyes as a sign of interest, and turned to her fellow sister, mouthed “Go on”. Blue however, was not pleased as their time together has been restricting since pink’s absence, she just wished they could all have some quality time together, but sometimes opportunities like this are extremely rare, so she understood why Yellow decided to bring up work into their bonding time.

Blue sighed, “What is it you have in mind Yellow?” As she was interested as well, but would still rather have a nice quiet pool time, so maybe it’ll be over soon.

“Pearl?” Yellow summoned her little servant and continued, “Bring me the blueprints marked EX-293.”

The yellow pearl shaped her arms and bowed, “Right away my Diamond!” and scurries off to the exit.

“A few days ago I was experimenting with the “Fallen” soldiers from battles, I pieced them together and see if it would reform as a fusion, and sure enough, it did, with very little resources, I produced hundreds of little monsters crawling around, in very little time might I add, so I propose…”

She paused as her pearl had retrieved the data she needed, it was a palm-sized green sphere, the poor pearl had to use all her strength to push the sphere into the water. As it finally drifted in the midst of the diamond, a hologram projected above the pool and showed the data of what she experimented.

“From what you see here are the results of the experiment aforementioned, the duration of each fusion depends on its size and quality, each of these has the capability of mass destruction to anyone in their path, so…” The image flickered to a blank state, but with a slight touch on the screen, millions of shards grouped into a massive form, its gem size was bigger than White Diamond herself!

“I call it, the Cluster.” She presumes as the image regained its form. “When it emerges, it will tear apart the Earth, forming as a massive Geo weapon, and with it, conquering the galaxy would be so much easier and effective with it on our side!” Yellow Diamond pictured the cluster on a rampage on their enemy territory, declaring victory and taking over the galaxies.

“But…it will tear apart the Earth?” Blue Diamond was concerned on that particular segment, “Was Pink in on this Yellow?” She hoped to receive comfort with Pinks agreement with the plan.

“This…is the alternative for when she… Fails, Blue.” Yellow was expecting comments from the leader, but she was quiet and tranquil, as if she knew their faith in their youngest diamond would be diminished somehow.

“You…”Blue was in disbelief! Pink losing her first colony just because she couldn’t handle the little “issues” she stated a few decades ago. She had to do something! She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, she wanted to let her anger loose and end the conversation! But she knows nothing will change Yellow’s mind once she establishes a plan for it, but she still wants to try, for her dear Pink.

The faint lime colored water retreated into the “drain”, as Blue stood up, she spoke, “I…object this proposal, Yellow…”

Back to Holly,

The two gems were almost there, they just need to gain access into The Great Ballroom which was guarded by two topazes and an aquamarine.

“State your facets, cut and purpose.” The small floating gem requested while adjusting her wand/hairband.

“Holly Blue Agate, facet 2D cut-22, and this is…” Holly gestured to Amethyst, who was trying not to stare at the giant golden doorway shimmering, reflecting rays of light into her eyes, which cut her back to reality and stammered.

“Amethyst, facet 5 cut 8XWJ! I was sent here by the orders from the military force, Jasper 3LJ, to deliver important information to the Diamonds!” She stated with her best.

“How lovely! An Amethyst delivering vital information to the Diamonds? Ha! Don’t make me laugh!” She definitely looked like she was somehow offended and shamed. “Unfortunately, the Diamonds are not in the Great Ballroom, if you wish to see them right away, they are currently in My Diamonds pool chamber, please await here for their arrival, they would be free to hear your “vital” information in another few decades or so.”

“Wait what!?” Amethyst 8XWJ slipped a bit but remained calm, “I mean...the war is in progress as we speak! The commander request back up from the diamonds immediately! Can’t you just let us cut or something?”

“Oh, sure you can! I mean, where would we be with all this waiting and order? Just go to the diamond’s chamber pool and see if they’re willing to take the time for you.” The tiny floating gem replies with much sarcasm, but Amethyst took no notice.

“Great! Let’s go Holly!” The amethyst said but abruptly stopped, and gulped…

“Oh let’s go indeed! And it looks like you know exactly what will happen next!” Holly spoke with such cheer and enthusiasm it was scary…

To be continued…

(A/N: Sooo, as you finished reading you will realize I will be heading towards story interpretation of what might have happened from different perspectives. By reading these, you will see how scenes MIGHT lead to the title, the bright light.

Most of you might be thinking, “I'm here for Pink Pearl and HER au! Just because you include her as a small character in this story doesn’t make her your main focus!”

And to that I say,

Yeah you’re right.

But prior to this story, the other story not really focusing on Pink Pearl, “Coral” is Part 2 of Bismuth, which is similar to this chapter, writing mainly the story of how it might have went, cuz honestly, im pretty curious how everything happened from the rebellion to the corruption even to the cluster.

So if theres any questions or confusion, feel free to ask them so you can get the clear picture. I won't reveal my next chapters tho, that would be a surprise for yall.

So this tells me you read the whole thing, which is pretty impressive, Part 2 of this chapter will be coming up in a week or two.

Happy reading and till next time!)

#holly blue agate #stevenuniverse #Rosequartz #Bluediamond #Yellowdiamond #Whitediamond #corruption #owninterpretation

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loyalflutist · 5 years

Text

Fusion (F!Byleth x Dorothea)

Challenge: Bylethea Week 2019 (Twitter) Day 3: Fusion

A/N: I could’ve gone for the other easier prompt, but yolo, I wanted to take a spin on this unique one! Also, I seem to be writing more and more references for Edelgard x Ingrid for some reason...

---

“Um, Dorothea, do you know where the professor went?”

“…”

“Dorothea?”

“She probably went to see Lady Rhea, Hubie.”

“Oh, okay then. Guess I’ll ask her later.”

“Can I relay the message for you?”

“Hm… just let her know that I’m looking for her.”

“…”

Dorothea, who had waved farewell to Hubert, felt an invisible tug pull upon her arm. A couple of steps were taken to the nearest bookshelves. Then, the opera singer reached out towards the thick covers, her fingertips brushing upon the spines. She frowned and harshly whispered,

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Then, from the same mouth, she said, “I’m looking for the solution.”

Although she was alone in the library, if anyone were to catch sight of her, they would have mistaken her as being mental. Just who in their right mind would speak to themselves? It didn’t help that Dorothea’s features would switch between expressionless and annoyance every ten seconds. She had spooked Bernadetta already by accident this morning. She didn’t want a repeat of it again with someone else. She wasn’t in the mood to explain their predicament either… if anyone would believe in them, that is. The student loudly sighed and lowered her head, her hand acting on its own accord.

“I still can’t believe this isn’t a dream, professor.”

“…”

This morning was rather eventful. The two females yesterday shared a late-night tea session. Since they were already in a relationship, both Byleth and Dorothea shared sweet romantic words to each other (though awkward) and cuddled in bed. When it had gotten too dark, the two parted ways, with Byleth taking her leave from Dorothea’s bedroom. By the time they woke up, Dorothea found herself staring in unfamiliar territory.

She was in Byleth’s room. A glimpse around told her that Byleth was nowhere to be found. The young lady had panicked as she had no recollection of what led her to the professor’s private quarter. It didn’t help that the instant she slammed open the door, Edelgard was in the midst of knocking on the wooden barrier. Seeing her classmate dressed in nothing more than undergarments invited a full red makeover of the noble’s face. Steam wafted from the top of her head as Edelgard excused herself from the premise.

It didn’t take long for Dorothea to figure out what sort of unintentional message was conveyed… and she didn’t appreciate it.

“Edie gave me these strange looks, you know!”

“It’s not my fault that I’m stuck inside of your body now.”

The opera singer shrugged in conjunction with Byleth’s thoughts. True enough, Dorothea was not only forced to deal with the flustered Edelgard whenever they made eye contact, she nearly got a heart attack when her mouth started moving on its own. It took a solid five minutes for Dorothea to believe in Byleth’s words, originally thinking she was possessed by a ghost.

“Ugh, and you saw everything when I had to get dressed!”

“Um… this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you naked though.”

“T-That’s—” A deep blush tainted her cheeks. “What are you trying to say?!”

“I still don’t understand what’s the embarrassment. We’ve seen each other naked when we were—”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” She slapped over her own mouth, muffling Byleth. When her girlfriend stopped trying to talk, she removed her hand and quickly added, “That’s different! You really need to work on your social skills, you know.”

“People tell me that all the time.”

“And I think you should listen to them.”

“Father doesn’t have a problem though.”

“Captain Jeralt is… different.”

Dorothea shook her head and rubbed her temple. This is such a hassle. As much as she loves her teacher, this was inconvenient for the two members, especially when it came to more… sensitive and private matters. Then, she felt her hand slid down to her chin, cupping it. A faint hum slipped past her lips. Dorothea watched her control slip out of her reign as Byleth began to take their leave from the library. Their search— or rather, Byleth’s search, was fruitless. Not a single booklet contained the information they needed about their definition of bodily fusion.

“Oh, Dorothea, I want to talk to you.”

Byleth stared at the person speaking to Dorothea right outside of the hallways. She retracted her hand and observed the speaker through her girlfriend’s vision. It was a male guard. Though unlike the Gatekeeper that the professor has come to know and like, this one was a little rough on the edge.

“You still haven’t responded about the date.”

Her eyes widen. Okay, maybe he was more than rough around the edge. Byleth could feel Dorothea bubble from within her chest in order to regain control of her own body. Yet she didn’t allow it. There was a powerful force that pressed the host away from the panel. Dorothea resisted the temptation to exclaim. It’s unfortunate that their fusion didn’t allow the transmission of thoughts between each other. Though on second thought… It might be for the best. There are some things Dorothea prefers Byleth not to know and vice versa.

Dorothea was forced to remain silent as Byleth… crossed her arms. She almost wanted to slap herself on the forehead as the student rarely, if ever, would do so. It wasn’t part of her routine! Regardless, this professor’s habit went unnoticed as the guard approached them. Byleth narrowed her eyes. He was taller than them.

“I hope you understand that I’m already in a relationship.”

“With who?”

“Do I need to tell you?”

He clicked his tongue. Despite the blunt answers, his persistence stayed. The young man took another step forward, closing their distance to an uncomfortable degree. Dorothea nearly gagged when she felt his breath tickle her nose.

“Actually, you don’t need to. However, it wouldn’t hurt to go out with me just this once, right? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

“SHE would mind.”

“Oh…” Byleth’s glare didn’t scare him away. The response she provided had fueled his next reply, making him sound even worse than he already did from the beginning. “She wouldn’t know how a man treats his lady. Let me teach you, yeah?”

Dorothea nearly took control of her body by sheer instinct when his hand snaked around her waist. From the distant, it would appear as though he was ready to meet their bodies together, his lips yearning to touch for hers.

“Can you stop!?” the student vocalized her objection. “Leave me alone!”

That didn’t budge him. Byleth widens her eyes and felt… a rush of emotions she has rarely felt: fear.

It’s clear that there was no consent between the two. Not that it lasted long anyway. Dorothea quickly took partial control and slapped him. But her ownership did not last long, the older female taking it away like previously.

Byleth hadn’t knocked his hand away. She kneed him. Hard. The guard instantly pressed against his abdomen and felt the wind knocked out of him. She didn’t let up, her elbow came crashing down onto his back. This forced him down onto the ground with a loud slam. As he groaned, the professor stared at him. If looks could kill, she would have murdered him ten times over.

“Since you pose a danger to her, I’m going to make sure you’re removed from the monastery.”

“H-Her?”

She didn’t answer. Byleth turned her back towards him and, to their luck, spotted Caspar and Ferdinand. One flick of her wrist was all it took to bring them over.

“Take care of him,” she mumbled and walked away. “I don’t want to see him ever again. Make sure he stays away from everyone.”

Ferdinand and Caspar had plenty of questions for Dorothea. Just what happened? However, the youngsters had their hands full with pulling the man up. Though the scenario was unclear, what was clear for sure were the outcomes. They know their comrade enough to heed her words. After all, Dorothea would never lie when determining how bad an individual is. She was never off the mark either.

“Byleth…”

“…”

Byleth had stepped back from the wheel and allowed Dorothea to regain full motor skills with her own body. The songstress curled and uncurled her fingers. She called out to her girlfriend again once they were in the safety of Dorothea’s bedroom.

“Byleth…?”

“…”

The brown-haired sat on the edge of her mattress when Byleth finally spoke up, alas in a small whisper.

“That man is disgusting.”

“I know, right?”

“I can’t believe you deal with this every day.”

“It’s normal.”

“Normal? I don’t want it to be normal.” She felt her grip ball into a tight fist. Oddly, her eyes became watery, Dorothea feeling her heartache from Byleth. “I’ve never felt so angry.”

“I could tell.”

“I… I don’t want this to happen to you anymore.”

“I would love that.”

Just because it's happened so many times doesn't mean she's gotten used to it. There is no "getting used to it" anyway. This sort of situation always invites disasters and trauma. History of men and women that proposed and attempted nonconsensual activities back during her opera era were always in for a beating. Yet that fear never went away. If she was unable to protect herself or if Byleth wasn't present... What would happen? Dorothea shook those hypothetical scenes off, her attention fully set on Byleth. This situation wasn't only affecting Dorothea.

Byleth bit the bottom of her lip.

“Just… why? Why would they do that to you?”

“My dear Byleth, oh, how much I want to hug you right now.”

Dorothea wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, even more tears falling from her eyes. Byleth was always publicly known as the Ashen Demon. Not a lick of emotions would be expressed. To be frank, it had worried everyone in the monastery. Some students and staff hardly paid attention to this part of the professor. Others, especially Edelgard, Mercedes, Raphael, and Dorothea, were concerned about it. They didn’t know if Byleth was repressing them or if she was actually THAT emotionless.

Turns out moments like this proved otherwise. Behind closed doors, Byleth would cry to herself, having no one other than her father to consult. Sometimes her father wasn’t even helpful, Jeralt either out of the monastery or his perspective was unhelpful for the situation. Dorothea felt her chest ache again, its impact doubled as she resisted the temptation to hug herself.

It was a mixed reaction as control wildly shifted back and forth. Comforting Byleth made her look silly on the outside. She was wiping her own tears and giving the occasional pat on the arm. Soft hushes ushered the poor adult to her normal state, her silent cries coming to a cessation.

“I’m sorry to show you that side of me," Byleth finally voiced, though it somewhat cracked. "I shouldn’t act this way.”

“Don’t be so uptight, professor,” Dorothea smiled. “I’m always here for you… just like you do for me.”

“Mhm…”

The rest of the day was spent in leisure within Dorothea’s bedroom. Since Byleth was physically absent, the Black Eagle’s lectures were canceled for today. It was safe to say that Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn were desperately calling for a search party to find the teacher. All three house leaders were forced to partake in the mission themselves. As for the other students, they were responsible for keeping their eyes peeled on campus.

Nightfall descend upon the land… and morning occurred before the two. The search results were futile. Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude returned exhausted after staying up all night with the soldiers and scouts. Jeralt himself was a bit frazzled for having lost his daughter. All participants, excluding Edelgard, hurried back to their dormitory for their long-desired sleep. (Thank goodness it’s the weekends too.)

Dorothea rose up from the bed, rubbing both her eyes. She yawned and dropped her hand on top of Byleth’s bareback. The songstress turned to the naked professor and— Wait a minute… Whatever drowsiness the student was inflicted with vanished without a trace. Dorothea blinked a few times at the sight of her sleeping instructor.

“…”

She leaned forward to get a closer look.

“Zzz…”

“Oh my gosh, we’re separated!”

Jolly, this is wonderful! This couldn’t be a dream, right?! The opera singer pinched her own cheeks, leapt off from bed, and ran to the bright windows. It was real alright, and the outcome was exactly what she wanted. Questions about the abrupt fusion from yesterday lingered in her mind. Yet those could be searched for later. Right now, she has to wake up Byleth and tell her about the good news!

Dorothea heard a few knocks on the door. Her ecstatic state rendered her capability to critically think to a lesser degree than normal. The young lady opened up the door for their guest.

There stood Edelgard… and Edelgard’s features were… completely red. Unlike yesterday, she rooted herself by the entranceway and coughed into her fist.

“D-Dorothea… I… um… wow, I’m surprised you’re not cold in those undergarments.”

“Under— Oh… Yeah, I don’t sleep with my clothes on.”

“…Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and let you know that we have yet to find the professor— !!!”

The redness that discolored her friend’s face darkened in its shades. Edelgard lost her ability to speak. Dorothea wasn’t sure what the cause was until she glanced over her shoulder.

“Is there something you need?” Byleth asked, her figure going full commando from behind the songstress, blanket just covering her nether region. “I’m sorry I was out of commission yesterday.”

“DOROTHEA…………………..”

‘ Oh goodness… I have a feeling I know where this is going… ‘

“Don’t tell me that the reason our professor went missing was that you were having… sex with her?”

‘ GOD DANG IT. ‘

Dorothea viciously shook her had. “N-NO! W-W-What kind of conclusion— Why— How did you—”

“I mean…” Edelgard motioned to the naked ex-mercenary. “She doesn’t have clothes on… and you don’t have most of yours on either… like yesterday… in her room…”

“#$@&%!!!"

"I know you both partake in these nightly activities... as Hubert and Ferdinand do... but I've never seen the professor out the entire day. You... didn't do her THAT hard, did you?"

"%#$@!!!!!!”

Meanwhile, Byleth tilted her head from behind, unaware of where the conversation was leaning towards. Common sense didn't apply to the warrior. If she casually joked about "night crawling" to Dorothea... there are already problems. Dorothea got down on all four and frantically tried to explain their situation to their house leader.

Least the fusion issue was over with. Sothis shortly stopped by to tell Byleth she accidentally screwed up their inner dynamics and, well, just happened to transcend Byleth into spirit form and inhabit Dorothea’s body. The short female earned a bop on the head from the professor. A very strong one.

As for Edelgard… Dorothea and Byleth found themselves in an awkward relationship with her. Edelgard can’t seem to see them in the eyes anymore…

"Is something the matter?" Ingrid questioned her girlfriend during lunchtime. The two sat right outside of the Mess Hall, their private meals shared with one another. As she took a bite from a slab of meat, the knight lightly elbowed the noble. "Did you both get into a fight?"

"...hardcore..."

"Excuse me?"

"...sex."

"El, just what is going through your mind?"

#loyalflutist #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #dorothea #dorothea arnault #byleth #f!byleth x dorothea #byleth eisner #f!byleth #byleth x dorothea #fan fic #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfiction #one shot #oneshot #os #byletheaweek2019 #day 3: fusion

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helvetious · 6 years

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The Blood Pulls Harder:: Linked Universe ::

Inspired by the incredibly fun Linked Universe AU by @jojo56830 , (@linkeduniverse) and their latest updates. I do not know how the real plot is, and I’m taking free takes on their interactions and stories. I just want to show my appreciation towards this wonderful AU.

By the middle of the day and with Malon's help and guidance, the Hero of the Wild made lunch for everyone without delay. It was so much easier now that he had actual expert hands helping him feed this many mouths.

Several baskets of food he and the Hero of the Winds helped bring to the corral near the race track. The Hero of Hyrule brought some mantles, and a picnic was set.

Bread and cheese passed from hand to hand, hearty radish soup was served in cups- pork meat, salted rice with onions and laughter were all shared. There was a modest tomato salad, too.

"You all worked really hard" Malon said, "we thought you'd be more comfortable eating outside where there's more space."

"We're really thankful" said the Chosen Hero, sipping on his soup and smiling at the warm, creamy sensation on his tongue. He rose his cup to the Hero of the Wind.

"I know this is yours" he winked at his friend. "Your culinary touch is unparalleled."

The Hero of the Wild chuckled softly and drank of his own cup, both because he was hungry, and to cover his face behind the cup for he felt embarrassed by the praise. He whispered a soft "thank you."

The Hero of Twilight laughed at the scene, and wrapped an arm over his protege, taking advantage that he was the only one allowed this much physical contact. "It is delicious."

"Take the praise with pride for we say truth only" added the Hero of Time, "you did good work."

The rest rose their cups and cheered, Twilight squeezed him for a few seconds before letting go.

"Everyone here worked really hard, I'm proud of you all" Malon said, too. She then pointed at the Hero of Twilight, gave him a knowing smile. "I saw you out there carrying way too much a trip from one barn to another, you must watch not to hurt yourself."

Twilight let out a small snort, but she gave him a weak glare.

"I am fine m--ma'am" he cleared his throat, composing himself. He looked up at her, "I am the most experienced here on farm work."

"That I cannot deny" she said, "but it is still heavy work even for people like us, and I don't see you using no artifacts to help you with it like the others."

She was talking about magical items.

"Oh I don't rely on those" said the Hero of Twilight."Only natural strength."

Malon rose her eyebrows high. "Natural strength eh?" she said, curious.

The Hero of Twilight laughed, "I just drank a lot of milk as a child I guess" he told her, "I'm pretty strong."

"Really?" she smiled, scooting closer to where he was. The chatter on the mantles were still on and playful. "Well I shall believe you- after all, I am pretty strong myself." She spoke above the laughter of the other young men. "And I always assumed it was because of the milk, too."

"My," the Hero of Twilight chuckled, resting his head on the Wild Hero's own head, who sipped his soup, amused at the conversation.

The Hero of Time approached them, then. "I second her claim" he said. "I’ll have you know this woman lifted a cow into a tree house."

Twilight's smile grew wider, his eyes fixed on her. "I wouldn't doubt that for a second."

Malon was cackling, giving her husband's arm a playful push, who decided he should tell everyone how in fact the cow incident happened at all.

The Hero of the Wild let out a small, soft giggle before raising his head to speak, so low only his senior would hear.

"I love this place."

The Hero of Twilight chuckled, looking at his protege. "Feels like home, huh?" he asked.

"Yes" it was unusual to see such a big smile on the Wild Hero.

The Twilight hero picked his plate, feeling warm all over.

"It really does feel like home, indeed" he said, pushing some pork into his mouth.

Her voice was beautiful- truly, she sang like an angel sent by the very Golden Goddesses, to bless this world. She charmed the horses to come over to her, into the corral- and also the boys, and her husband.

All so they could hear her.

The tune was one the Hero of Twilight had known all his life. One he could reproduce himself with a few instruments, even.

She had her back to him, her singing interrupted by soft giggle as the oldest horse of the farm approached her. Just like any other farm creature, he found himself drawn closer and closer, to where she was.

Her laughter was too, a song.

And then Epona- his Epona, younger and stockier, came as well. She snorted close to the ear of the woman, who gasped and turned at her.

"No need to get jealous now, ladies" she joked, as she patted each Epona on their noses. "The mistress has two hands."

At that, the Hero of Twilight let out a soft titter. Malon turned to him, then.

Her smile as warm as the sun, the look in her eyes full of the calmest affection.

"Hello, puppy" she said, and he felt his ears twitch at the sound of her voice, regarding him.

"It's pup, uh- no, actually" he choked. The Hero of Twilight could only assume his face looked as red as he felt it hot. "I don't answer to none of the nicknames your husband calls me by, I just-"

"You break my heart" he heard behind his back. He could hear the smile on the Hero of Time's voice. He ignored his senior and gulped, eyes fixed on the woman and just her.

Malon laughed. "Oh I understand you, child" she said, "I'm the creative one in this relationship. Nicknames are my forte."

"Because fairy boy and grasshopper are oh so creative" they heard her husband say.

Malon gasped once more and then laughed, her eyes danced to past the young hero, to where her husband was. "Go be a terror somewhere else, will you dear?"

There was more laughter, from his senior and his comrades, behind him. Then, footsteps- everyone was getting back to work, now that the concert was over.

She looked back to where their horses were, now regarding one another with snorts and sniffles. Malon smiled.

"They seem to like one another" she said.

The Hero of Twilight smiled, too. "As if they've known each other all along."

"Perhaps they do" said the ranch owner, her smile growing. "A mother would always tell her own apart, my old girl would never deny her nature."

Suddenly, a cold sting ran up his spine. The sudden change in temperature within him must have messed with him somehow, for his knees felt weak.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Malon said, amused. But her eyes were fixed on the young hero. "Perhaps my girl is asking yours, 'Are you mine?'"

The Hero of Twilight felt goosebumps crawl under his tunic, and he turned to meet her eyes slowly, nervous.

"What makes you think your horse and mine-" he coughed up, and then swallowed, unable to finish. He looked at her with wide blue eyes, the same shade her eyes were.

"You know what they say," Malon looked at him with quiet adoration. The same kind of look the Hero of Time has given him, too. "The blood always pulls harder."

The Hero of Twilight went very, very still.

"I know what they say" he whispered.

After the Hero of Time told the story of the cow incident, it was no surprise that, throughout the day, the other heroes wanted to try and reach the record on the old race track in the ranch. All fruitless attempts, of course.

"After him, I don't give away no more cows" Malon let out a dramatic sigh.

The Hero of Time- her husband, crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh no," he said with a scowl, "she offered 'The kiss of a sweet maiden', instead."

The rest of the young men shared a laugh. Malon rolled her eyes. "He beat his own record six times."

The Hero of Time placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him- till her soft bosom pressed against his hard chest. A sensation he had missed dearly. Smiling, he said. "Seven times, mavourneen."

She laughed, "By the seventh time, I told you to just ask me out."

"I proposed."

"That you did, you terror."

"Just jumped out of my horse" the oldest hero turned to their public. "Fell on my knees and gave her-"

"The tackiest possible ring!"

"Hey now," he chuckled, "you should've seen the horde of monsters I fought for it!"

Malon shrugged theatrically, a teasing smile on her face. "Pity" she said.

They both knew the dungeon in which he found that ring had been empty way before he ever went there. But the boys didn't need to know that.

Husband and wife met their eyes and smiled. Malon pressed both her hands on her husband's chest, fingers spreading over his shirt. Her hands traveled upwards to cup his jaw and pull him down; his hands however, traveled south with mischief sparkling in his one healthy eye.

It was the first time the Hero of Twilight- or any other of the team truly, had seen their senior this relaxed, calm and fun. But of course, he was safe here.

This was his home.

They watched as their senior nuzzled his darling wife and she giggled, and when their smiles finally met, pressed one to another in a tender, longing-

The Hero of Twilight had to look away.

To the race track.

He gulped, and to his annoyance he could feel his face hot all over once more. He felt embarrassed sure, but also too happy for his heart to bear.

Everyone was happy to know there was hope, that this was a possible future for all of them.

Moved by the scene, the Chosen Hero could not help but let out a soft, "Aww," a hand pressing to his cheek.

It broke the spell right away.

The spouses broke their kiss, for a second Malon pressed her face to her husband's chest as she laughed. Her ears were red.

The Hero of Time turned to the boys, blinking his one eye several times as he just remembered their presence. When his sight sank on the Hero of the Wind, he swallowed loudly, and slowly began to pull his hands upwards to his wife's back- where it was proper.

Then all the heroes' eyes were on the Chosen Hero, who froze.

"Oh boy oh dear- did I cause that?" he said, the hand on his cheek traveling to his mouth in shock. "I am so sorry, please continue!"

"Yes," hissed the Hero of Warriors, grabbing the Chosen Hero's shoulders from behind, shaking them a little. He turned to the couple sporting his most charming smile. "Please, continue."

Malon laughed aloud then, and finally pulled away from her husband to walk towards the house. The Hero of Time's slouched just a bit as he watched her go, and he sighed.

And so did everyone else.

The boys began to return to their duties, but not without the Hero of Legend turning to the two guilty young men.

"You're both perverts" he said, and turned away.

The Hero of Warriors let out a snort, this wasn't the first time he was ever told such a thing.

The Chosen Hero however, had his eyes grow wide- both hands pressing to his chest as he opened his mouth in the loudest gasp.

But Malon didn't reach the house before someone caught up to her.

"Ma'am" she heard, and with a smile she turned to the voice- its owner a breathless, big boy she'd come to adore. And how couldn't she?

The blood in her veins pulled her to. That beautiful boy before her had only given her so much joy with just his face, just his eyes, his hair. His nose. She felt she'd known him all her life.

Are you mine?

"Yes, child?" she asked instead.

The Hero of Twilight composed himself before speaking. "I want to race."

Her smile grew wider.

His Epona was younger, bigger- and a little brutish. She was faster, too.

And he was a much, much better rider.

The Hero of Twilight patted the neck of his horse, wet with sweat for she rode, hard, around the track.

"Just one more jump, love" he told his precious Epona. "One more and we're done."

He could hear the cheer of his friends and the laughter of a lady. It reminded him of Ordon, when he also showed his skills with his darling mare.

It felt like home.

The obstacle- an old fence, become closer and with it, his triumph. Epona jumped high and he felt every hair of his body rise with adrenaline.

Her hooves met the ground once more, and the public roared.

He felt the wind hit his eyes with the speed, but did not make Epona relent until he was close enough to where Malon awaited him, back at the start of the track.

"My my, would you look at that" she said, clapping her hands and laughing. "You have established a new record!"

He jumped out of his horse and his feet met the ground unceremoniously- tired as he was, breathing through his own mouth, just like his horse beside him.

His friends came to pat his shoulders, his head- they patted Epona, too. The Hero of Swords took her reins, and walked her to the shade. The Hero of Hyrule brought her a bucket of water.

"I must warn you though" said Malon, "the prize you won has changed a little bit- but" she teased, "you didn't race for the prize now, did you?"

At that, the smile on his face instantly disappeared. It dawned on him: he didn't consider the prize at all. Why did he do it?

Why did he race? He knew there was no way his senior- The Hero of Time, could reclaim the title again with his old Epona, and his with his own prime being no more. He just erased a mark of his master, in his very home. What for? To leave his own? He wasn't supposed to ever be in this ranch at all.

The pride of his triumph disappeared and all that was left was guilt and dread.

Why did he race to win?

Malon didn't seem to notice, and she continued. "You see, I am no longer a maiden" she explained.

"And she was never all that sweet to begin with" added her husband with a laugh- and when she slapped his arm, he laughed again.

"Hush you," she told him, and turned back to the boy. "Plus, I married a very protective man."

"Well excuse me," said the Hero of Time, "I don't go around kissing every lady who beats me in archery."

She laughed and winked at him. They both knew he always let her win. Malon had joked many times that her victories are still fair, for she may not win the game properly- but she won him.

"What's be the praise then?" asked the Hero of Legend. "Money?"

"Oh it is still a kiss" said Malon, "just not from me."

The Hero of Twilight blinked once, twice. Then he looked at his master, who opened his arms.

"Come here" said the Hero of Time.

"Oh- oh no," the Hero of Twilight said. The universe apparently had a grudge on him and whatever happened in this ranch was just done to embarrass him. "No no no, no no no-"

When his senior took a step towards him, the Hero of Twilight broke into a sprint into the nearest corral. A foolish choice, he realized. As he met the fence, the collar of his shirt was caught before he could jump it.

He may be old, yes, but the Hero of Time was still a hero.

The Hero of Twilight felt a strong arm encircle his shoulders, pushing his chest down as his back crashed against his master's front. He felt a small, rough pressure at the top of his head, on his hair.

He laughed the entire time. "Ew" he said, too.

The Hero of Time tittered, "Come on now, it didn't hurt you one bit!"

But when he forced the boy to turn and see him, the senior saw tears with that laughter.

He cupped his junior's face, he let out a soft chuckle at the trembling smile before him. His thumb began to dry the boy's cheeks.

"What's this?" he asked.

The smile dropped entirely, and the Hero of Twilight choked.

"I beat your record," he said.

The Hero of Time gave him a tender, adoring smile. One his junior has been seeing way too often since they came to the ranch.

"My boy" said the older man, his voice full of pride, "you're supposed to best me." His own smile opened into a happy sigh, "if you don't, then I'm failing at my job."

He pulled the boy into a tight hug and let him sob just a bit, and then he heard footsteps, and his wife's voice.

"My my, did you traumatize the poor thing?" she teased as she got closer.

He didn't turn to look at her when he replied. "I don't know what I did- I thought I was good at this!"

"Clearly you aren't!" she stopped by his side and patted the Hero of Twilight's head.

"You liked when I do it to you" said the Hero of Time, and his smile grew when she gasped and when he heard his embarrassed junior groan against his shoulder.

The Hero of Twilight began pushing away, "Oh I do not want to hear wherever this conversation is going" he said.

But the moment he freed himself from his senior, his face was caught by the hands of his senior's wife.

She pulled him down and pressed his ear onto her chest, patted his cheek. "There there," she teased. And he knew she was teasing because both spouses were cackling.

But he could hear her heartbeat, and it soothed him. He felt the beat of her heart into his very veins, pulling on his blood.

It didn't just felt like home, he realized, as the Hero of Time ruffled his hair and joined the hug.

The Hero of Twilight was home.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #jojo56830 #malink #mortisfic

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hindifaq-blog · 5 years

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download Tamil movie in hd site

Tamilrockers, similar to its name proposes, was restricted to Tamil film industry however has since extended to Bollywood and even Hollywood movies.

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Tamilrockers spills Guna 369 motion picture on the web: Guna 369 has turned into the most recent casualty of unlawful downpour site Tamilrockers. Coordinated by debutant Arjun Jandyala, the film stars Kartikeya Gummakonda and Anagha LK in lead jobs.

Telugu film Guna 369 has turned into the most recent casualty of unlawful downpour site Tamilrockers. Coordinated by debutant Arjun Jandyala, the film stars Kartikeya Gummakonda of RX 100-notoriety and Anagha LK in lead jobs.

Promoting

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Said to be a romantic tale motivated by genuine occasions, the activity show film rotates around the narrative of Guna and Gita. Delivered by Anil Kadiyala and Tirumal Reddy under the flag SG Movie Makers, the music is formed by Chaitan Bharadwaj.

Tamilrockers releases Dear Comrade motion picture on the web: Directed by Bharat Kamma, Dear Comrade stars Vijay Deverakonda, Rashmika Mandanna, Shruti Ramachandran, Jayaprakash, Brahmaji and Sukanya among others.

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alixofagnia · 7 years

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Dear Star Wars Diary,

Today, I went to my fourth and final big screen viewing of TLJ. It was bittersweet because I will likely not be watching this movie in its entirety again until I own it. What follows are some musings I had as I watched it for the last time, in all its theater-experience glory.

SNOKE

I don’t want to get into the whole “Kylo Ren is abusive and a mind rapist beh!” debate because it’s stupid, on several levels.

I just want to make the point: Snoke is the abuser and the not-an-actual-thing mind rapist in this story.

PAIGE and the BOMBERS

On my first viewing, I thought the opening bombing scene was insanity. Like, it was awesome and beautiful, but totally insane. I was seething: “Tallie! What happened to protecting all the bombers?! Also, why did you send so many?”

[Numbers, of course, increase the chances for success. But still. Surely they didn’t have to send ALL the bombers? Leia’s rank over Poe should’ve disengaged the bombers. I don’t know if this is supposed to be addressed with Poe’s cutting off communication with Leia or in an implication that the Resistance squadrons and bombers are simply more loyal and/or responsive to Poe, which is a troubling notion.]

But these are small quibbles in a bigger picture because you know what? The bomber scene is probably one of the most memorable moments for me as a female moviegoer of Asian descent. I’m not someone who actively seeks/looks for cultural representation or diversity in movies of any scale. But I have to admit…I was really moved.

The images: a lone bomber flying toward destruction and glory; a sole survivor with dogged determination and belief in her cause; calm composure in the face of Death.

Ugh. My heart.

I do like Rose, but I was more affected by Paige’s death than I felt I should’ve been, and I think it’s because I felt an added touch of pride. Here, for the film’s first lesson on failure, our teacher is a female character with a face like mine. And she literally has a single spoken line: her comrade’s name.

That is awesome.

LEIA’S LONG LOOKS

-Sensing Kylo through the Force

-Leaving Holdo on the Raddus; watching Holdo die

-Staring down the TIE fighters on Crait (Seriously! I can’t believe those TIEs stayed airborne!)

-Feeling Luke’s death

These are just my personal favorites. Carrie Fisher got some good one-liners in for Leia. But I think she was never more powerful than in her silent acting. It’s just so exquisite. I trust how J.J. Abrams and co. will handle her absence from IX, I really do. That being said, I personally feel like Leia’s death will have to be written in: after her performance in TLJ, it’s just not plausible to have Leia alive but not at the center of the action, nor is it plausible to have her alive and just never show up in the entire movie, to just have her constantly be referred to by other characters.There’s no closure there, and this is a character who demands closure of some kind in this trilogy.

People have theorized on a funeral opening the film or occurring early, and I think this is generally a good idea. It really sucks to have her die off-screen. But under the circumstances, I don’t think it would be wise to have a scene where her ship explodes or something of that nature because it seems unnecessarily cruel but, more practically, could take time away from moving the story forward; everything would have to sort of revolve around that and stall. But if the death occurs off-screen and we open on a funeral, it’s a better jumping off point for the narrative and characters. If Leia’s life in IX was going to be a plot device, particularly as it pertained to her son’s arc, then her death (harsh as it is) could also conceivably serve the same purpose.

LUKE the LEGEND

I’ll be honest: I was never a big Luke Skywalker fan. I liked him by virtue of the fact that I was supposed to because he was the hero in the hero’s journey storyline. But I didn’t feel any deeper connection to that character, although I did feel like he began to ascend to legend status in RotJ and I always liked him best in that movie. So, that’s sort of where the character ended for me; I never read any of the old EU and I didn’t have him built up in my mind the same way some people obviously did.

I absolutely love that Luke became a legend in his lifetime after RotJ. But I love that he succumbed to hubris even more. It’s so real, so human. The higher you go, the harder you fall. What I really can’t understand about all these butt-hurt fanboys, who expected Luke to always be Luke the Legend and never-stop-nevering, is that not only did you get a humanized presentation of your hero, but he did in fact re-ascend to legend status in TLJ. That isn’t bad story-telling; that’s amazing story-telling!

I can’t believe there was anyone who didn’t get chills when Luke Skywalker stalked out of that burning cave to the staccato of a stirring John Williams march. Like, where the fuck are you in your head?

Luke the Legend projected himself across worlds to bring hope to his sister, who had finally used up all of hers, and to a rag-tag group of rebels forsaken by their allies. Luke the Legend projected himself across the galaxy to apologize to the nephew he had wronged, preventing Ben Solo from adding to the blood already on his hands, thus saving him in the only way he could.

Luke the Legend gave his life to save those he loved.

What is so fucking character-destroying about that?!

HOLDO and DJ

Two of my favorite characters from TLJ were Holdo and DJ. One of the most common complaints I’ve heard/read about the them is that two excellent actors were wasted.

That is so insulting. That’s a back-handed compliment. “Oh, hey, Laura and Benicio, you guys are really super great and talented. But you were shit in TLJ. They did you real dirty.”

Because, actually, both Holdo and DJ were there in case the GA got lost and confused about the whole “failing is learning” theme. It’s a credit to the talents of Laura Dern and Benicio del Toro that they actually did as much as they did with what little screen time they had. Darth LeakyLungs from RotS had all the screen time in the world and I don’t even remember his name! (Wait, was he even a Darth? I dunno.)

Look, you can tell me that you weren’t able to care about either character. That’s fine. That’s legit. Not all characters, big or small, will resonate with everyone.

But don’t you dare tell me they were pointless or that the actors were wasted, because that’s a terrible lie and you know it.

KYLO REDEMPTION

Ahhhh, my most favorite topic.

Every time I’ve gone to see TLJ, I’ve gone in trying to be convinced that this was the end of Kylo’s arc. He’s done for. IX will be all about his actual, for real downfall, he will no longer be conflicted, he will die and he will die in the Dark. It’s finished.

Wonder of all wonders, I’ve never been more convinced of a redemption in some shape or form. It’s that final shot of him, the literal final shot of him, hanging his head, staring at the ground, where there is nothing JUST LIKE WHAT’S LEFT OF HIS BUSTED HEART.

Here’s the thing: if they weren’t intent, from the outset of this trilogy, on sending Kylo Ren on an arc of some kind (the anti-hero’s journey to Rey’s hero’s journey where they meet in the middle), then they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to portray him as conflicted in TFA and they definitely wouldn’t have devoted AN ENTIRE MOVIE to humanizing him, all without resolving the conflict he started with. If anything, TLJ should’ve left him on a slightly less ambiguously conflicted note.

The point is if he were slated to stay and rot in hell, we would’ve left him in TLJ on that long-suffering, rage-fueled scream after Luke disappears. That’s the perfect note to end a going-nowhere arc on. If it ended there, I would 100% be on board with Kylo Ren: Irredeemable Asshole. Prepare for him NOT to finish what Vader started. (What does that even mean, btw? I’ve always wondered. What did Vader start that he didn’t finish? The 2nd Death Star?)

But we freaking didn’t leave him there! Oh no, we left him broken to bits on some dirty floor in the middle of nowhere. Furthermore, if he wasn’t going to be redeemed, we certainly would NOT have been shown that he’s still Force-connected to Rey, who now –lacking Leia– must serve as his only (corporeal) thread to the Light.

I just want one thing: Let Kylo Ren turn however he’s going to turn –Gray, Yellow, Pink, Blue, whichever color– just do it early-ish. I cannot sit through another entire movie of Flip-Flop Kylo only for him to make an actual decision in the closing five minutes.

Talk about doing a character dirty.

REYLO HUG

I don’t know why it was this one of all viewings, but today when I was watching the Austen Proposal, all I could think was, “Ehrmygawd, Rey! You need a hug! And he needs a hug! Just go hug him!”

I love Reylo, but I’m exhausting myself on this ship lol. I love and generally agree with all the metas on why it couldn’t go the way she wanted it to or the way he wanted it to. But I just kept thinking, as I was sitting there watching their sticky, weepy-eyed faces for the millionth time, Seriously. Go hug him!

Like, after being hit in the face with the blunt truth, what if Rey had said fuck it to the hand and just thrown her arms around him? It wouldn’t have fixed their problems, obviously; it actually probably would’ve made them worse.

But it would’ve fixed mine for the next 2 years!

#reylo #rey #ben solo #kylo ren #leia organa #luke skywalker #amilyn holdo #poe dameron #paige tico #dj #star wars the last jedi #star wars episode ix #snoke

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theheartsjourney · 4 years

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The Public Square (1923) - Will Levington Comfort

D. Appleton and Company, New York. 320 pages.

“This isn’t an English-Indian story. It’s a story of all the world.“

CW: murder/massacre, animal (horse) death, war

The book primarily follows its first narrator, Pandora "Pidge" Musser, although it varies from chapter to chapter. Fresh from Los Angeles to New York to work independently as a writer, nineteen-year-old Pidge enters a rooming house on 54 Harrow Street in Greenwich Village. The owner is the calm and experienced figure of Miss Claes, an Indian-American, who takes the role of a mentor figure to Pidge.

Others who take residence in the building are Nagar, or Mr. Naidu, Richard "Dicky" Cobden, and a "couple of girl-pals; one works in a restaurant to support the other who is to become a prima donna; [and] a couple of decayed vaudeville artists looking for a legacy" (32) who--to my great disappointment--never appear.

Nagar is the writer and Hindu friend of Miss Claes. He presents his story, "The Little Man" to the Public Square, where Dicky, the weekly paper's reader, is enthralled by the narrative of Gandhi. Dicky leaves his wealthy home on East 50th Street to join the others at Harrow. There, he believes he'll find inspiration among the artist-types to write his magnum opus.

Loves tangle from there. Two additional characters are introduced to complete Comfort's commentary on relationships: Fanny Gallup and Rufus Melton. Fanny, the destitute, worldly girl from the Lenox way factory, embodies woman ruined in her search for love, and Rufus the type of confident man who loves for himself--even if he must beguile and silence for it.

Pidge's struggles with love are raw and convincing. Despite craving comfort, she refuses to allow Dicky to love her by his imaginary ideal of her. She prefers the independence she escaped Los Angeles for--even if it exhausts her and starves her to keep. The peace a husband's salary could give her is too easily won for her to accept.

Yet the past combines with her need for "experiences, life" (107) in Rufus Melton, a man whose self-serving love is still a constant battle for her to accept. She never manages to change herself for him--rather, in the same way she did for her father, she adapts, ignores, and tolerates his presence as she can. Comfort compares the two directly: "she was lacking in the ability to detach herself from Melton, as from the influence of her father" (93). When she first capitulates to Rufus' advances, she even blames it on being her “father's child (134). As her tenderness for Rufus wanes, the narration also comments that “Rufus thought her extremely selfish. So had her father" (157).

Rufus again acts as a foil to her father in the way his character is treated off-scene. Chasing a story, he departs for WWI France--and is promptly forgotten by the narrative. When he reappears, he is trapped in a new marriage and is potentially shell-shocked. Dicky frees him--and he is forgotten again. His absence does not have the same power over her as Adolf Musser did, yet even his wanes as Pidge matures: when Adolf falls ill and Pidge rushes to him, she “suddenly discovered she had a father” (221) as though she had forgotten him.

To an extent, the act of saving Rufus and forgetting him places Dicky in the same role as Pidge. While Dicky is away in India and France, Pidge has taken his place in The Public Square as reader, completing the exchange of roles. Their codependence and unshakable link remains throughout the novel. This relationship asserts that their link is not as lovers but comrades.

When rejecting Dicky's proposal a second time, Pidge states:

“Do I have to begin by saying how dear you are— how kind, how utterly good it is to know you; what it means to have faith and trust in one man?”

“Please not, Pidge.”

“But never forget it, Dicky. It’s the pedestal upon which everything’s builded. Always remember that I know you underneath; that I turn to you in trouble—not like a brother or father or lover, but what our word *comrade* means—what it will sometime mean to many people!" (106)

The word "comrade" calls to Comfort's language in his Will Levington Comfort Letters (1920). He dedicated the volume of letters "To The Comrades," referring to his compatriots in the spiritual sect he headed called The Glass Hive. In the first letter, he states that "We should belong to one another better in the Long Road sense, in the sense of the real meaning of the word Comrade" (WLC Letters, 2). The second letter clarifies that his purpose in the volume is "to touch the real Comrade within you, for I have an Immortal Friend there, one who would die for me every day" (WLC Letters, 8).

When Dicky attempts to make a lover of her, she refuses: comradeship is the higher relationship to her. None of Pidge's relationships have the power to alter her character but the one with Dicky. Her empathy for others in financial hardship is sourced from her time working in the exhaustion and hunger of the labeling factory. Nothing in her sense of value or work ethic was dictated to her by another. But after rejecting her novel manuscript for being too shallow, Dicky unwittingly changes Pidge: she sets her writing aside, understands the naivety of it and herself, and matures as a reader instead.

Dicky does not understand this relation at first, and in contrast, he does nothing but develop based on others' influences. Most of those influences are Indian: Nagar's "Little Man" tale inspiring him to write an equivalent story, Miss Claes' wisdom at the Punjabi dinner where they gather after the fallout of his first failed proposal, Gandhi's comment on marriage that reawakens Dicky's love for Pidge. In the critical scene of Pidge's second refusal of Dicky’s proposal, she states, "Miss Claes and Nagar lose themselves in nations. You’re getting to be like them" (107). Furthermore, Dicky’s development moves in tandem with that of India throughout the climax, which Comfort summarizes as "there had been death and birth for India and for himself" (283).

In its later pages, the novel places Dicky amidst the Indian nationalist movement of Gandhi. In particular, Comfort references "The Rowlatt Bills," likely referring to the "Black Bills" which preceded the Rowlatt Act. Introduced March 18, 1919, this act allowed the government to arrest and incarcerate without trial anyone on grounds of inciting terrorism in support of the Indian nationalism. Dicky arrives in late May to reunite with Gandhi and understand the position of "The Little Man" in international politics. The pacing swiftly moves onto April, where Dicky is nearby the arrest of Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Kitchlew--public figures who campaigned against the Rowlatt Act and who, being Hindu and Muslim respectively, promoted unity. The resulting Jallianwala Bagh massacre is also covered.

I adore this excerpt of from the Jallianwala Bagh scene. Dicky confronts General Fyatt (Reginald Dyer) at the head of the massacre

Dicky felt the horrible slowness over everything—that somehow there was not in this man’s volition the power to order the firing to cease. No recognition showed in Fyatt’s eyes. He stared. It was like the man who had stared at him on the docks in Bombay, when he heard that America had entered the War.

“I only wanted to ask —” Dicky stopped and raised his voice above the tumult of shots and voices. “Cobden of New York—saw you in France!’’

[...] “Ah, Cobden. Heard you were in town. Busy, you know!”

“I see!” the American yelled back. He felt like a maniac. “I see! I merely wanted to ask, General, if you had gone mad—or have I?” (277-8)

Comfort’s description style of the massacre closely resembles his techniques to describing the trauma of WWI combat in Red Fleece (1915). His sentences are fragmented and disorderly, and smooth comprehension is abandoned for the narrator’s uncertainty. Another mirror in his combat writing is through specters. Dicky notes feeling as though Pidge were with him through his transformation into a “world citizen” (292). Despite recognizing the absurdity of it, he allows himself to find comfort in her imagined presence--and he notes that "things of this kind had often happened to soldiers on the battlefields of France" (285). The phrase has merit in Comfort's experience and in others. Sassoon (Diaries 1915-1918, 68) and Bird (Ghosts Have Warm Hands, 38), for example, describe seeing loved ones in moments of stress. Twice the protagonist in Comfort's second WWI novel senses his love nearby: "he fancied her near..." (Red Fleece, 134) and "she had been near" (Red Fleece, 148).

Still--not wishing to distract from the novel's theme towards India--Comfort spends a brief time in WWI France and Arabia "with young Tom Lawrence, whose fame Dicky Cobden helped to make" (137). The French portion receives a short chapter set near the Meuse–Argonne offensive ("The 'Oregon' forest," 197) which contains a passage I found memorable:

His mount had turned gently away in the thickening dusk, turned on his toe corks through the slush to follow a wind-blown leaf. Plop — a water-soaked trench-siding gave way, and Yorick disappeared into an unused pit. [...] Yorick looked like a monster in the process of being born out of the mud. There was something both humorous and hopeless about the gaunt lifted head that came up into the ray. And now Dicky discovered that Yorick’s left foreleg below the knee veered off suddenly to the left, at a decided angle from the way it should lie. Dicky felt alone in a harrowing underworld. [...]

“Pretty lucky old boy, you are,” Dicky said. “Work done, war over for you, nice warm ditch to lie up in at the last, and I’ve got to take all the responsibility.”

He drew the pistol from his belt and placed it on the little twist of hair halfway between the eyes.

“I ought to take the saddle off first, but I’m not going to. So long, old kid, and best luck.”

The pistol banged in the dugout like a cannon cracker under a flower pot, and the voice of an American sentry above was heard to say:

‘‘Some fool’s blowed his head off, down there. Why in hell can’t a man be patient!”

Although not a complete surprise coming from Comfort's strong anti-war background, the novel references support for the pacifist movement. John Higgans, the Public Square's editor, wrote a pacifist article in outrage of his conscientious objector friend's arrest. Despite knowing it would doom the Public Square, Higgans pushes to publish the article. Pidge convinces him not to, and he cedes ownership of the paper to her and Dicky. Thus, despite its feature on little more than a page, the scene contributes to the novel's imaginary future story: the tale of the press in the hands of Pidge and Dicky.

But the Public Square is not the ultimate point of the novel. Neither is Pidge--which weakens the novel’s impact after spending so much time wither her. Dicky is key. The value of the story is in his transformation, but even that is muddled toward the end.

Even after every change India and Indian culture has wrought in Dicky, he concludes though the trauma specter of Pidge that it was her influence that matured him. He goes so far as to say “The Little Man has made me see [...] the great thing you have done [...] pushing me back into myself ” (292-3). By relegating Gandhi--and India in extension--to a supportive role for Pidge, the novel completely undermines the strength of Dicky’s world citizenship. All his work towards his journalism--watching Nagar be whipped, drilling himself to avoid partisanship, neglecting his family for India--is abandoned for what he suddenly realizes is to “at last to become connected to her this way, though across the world" (286).

Furthermore, Pidge’s character relied deeply on the concept of the Comrade. Instead, her role in maturing him is as a “the man-maker a wife must be” (292). While the novel’s final pages do not state explicit romance, the intention is obvious: Pidge is to be divorced from Rufus, she confesses that she is “dying to be a woman” (318), and she repeatedly asks Dicky for rest--the thing he offered her in his original proposal.

It’s a disappointing finish on an otherwise well-done book. Comfort’s love for his settings genuinely shows. His characters--while not very complex--are effective and generally interesting. The language he uses is beautiful and rewarding, and the way he conveys empathy is clear and moving without grim moralizing.

---

The Public Square dust cover from Yesterday’s Gallery.

Everybody’s Magazine Feb 1923 cover from rarerecordsncollectibles on eBay.

Everybody’s Magazine Mar 1923 image, page 105 by C. R. Chickering.

Everybody’s Magazine Apr 1923 image, page 155 by C. R. Chickering.

Everybody’s Magazine May 1923 image, page 149 by C. R. Chickering.

#the public square #will levington comfort #american #novel #1923 #1920s #love #war #3rd person #pg 300 #wwi #other front #post war #western front

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tahlialynne · 5 years

Text

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d

I When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d, And the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night, I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring. Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring, Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west, And thought of him I love. II O powerful western fallen star! O shades of night—O moody, tearful night! O great star disappear’d—O the black murk that hides the star! O cruel hands that hold me powerless—O helpless soul of me! O harsh surrounding cloud that will not free my soul. III In the dooryard fronting an old farm-house near the white-wash’d palings, Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green, With many a pointed blossom rising delicate, with the perfume strong I love, With every leaf a miracle—and from this bush in the dooryard, With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, A sprig with its flower I break. IV In the swamp in secluded recesses, A shy and hidden bird is warbling a song. Solitary the thrush, The hermit withdrawn to himself, avoiding the settlements, Sings by himself a song. Song of the bleeding throat, Death’s outlet song of life, (for well dear brother I know, If thou wast not granted to sing thou would’st surely die.) V Over the breast of the spring, the land, amid cities, Amid lanes and through old woods, where lately the violets peep’d from the ground, spotting the gray debris, Amid the grass in the fields each side of the lanes, passing the endless grass, Passing the yellow-spear’d wheat, every grain from its shroud in the dark-brown fields uprisen, Passing the apple-tree blows of white and pink in the orchards, Carrying a corpse to where it shall rest in the grave, Night and day journeys a coffin. VI Coffin that passes through lanes and streets, Through day and night with the great cloud darkening the land, With the pomp of the inloop’d flags with the cities draped in black, With the show of the States themselves as of crape-veil’d women standing, With processions long and winding and the flambeaus of the night, With the countless torches lit, with the silent sea of faces and the unbared heads, With the waiting depot, the arriving coffin, and the sombre faces, With dirges through the night, with the thousand voices rising strong and solemn, With all the mournful voices of the dirges pour’d around the coffin, The dim-lit churches and the shuddering organs—where amid these you journey, With the tolling tolling bells’ perpetual clang, Here, coffin that slowly passes, I give you my sprig of lilac. VII (Nor for you, for one alone, Blossoms and branches green to coffins all I bring, For fresh as the morning, thus would I chant a song for you O sane and sacred death. All over bouquets of roses, O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies, But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first, Copious I break, I break the sprigs from the bushes, With loaded arms I come, pouring for you, For you and the coffins all of you O death.) VIII O western orb sailing the heaven, Now I know what you must have meant as a month since I walk’d, As I walk’d in silence the transparent shadowy night, As I saw you had something to tell as you bent to me night after night, As you droop’d from the sky low down as if to my side, (while the other stars all look’d on,) As we wander’d together the solemn night, (for something I know not what kept me from sleep,) As the night advanced, and I saw on the rim of the west how full you were of woe, As I stood on the rising ground in the breeze in the cool transparent night, As I watch’d where you pass’d and was lost in the netherward black of the night, As my soul in its trouble dissatisfied sank, as where you sad orb, Concluded, dropt in the night, and was gone. IX Sing on there in the swamp, O singer bashful and tender, I hear your notes, I hear your call, I hear, I come presently, I understand you, But a moment I linger, for the lustrous star has detain’d me, The star my departing comrade holds and detains me. X O how shall I warble myself for the dead one there I loved? And how shall I deck my song for the large sweet soul that has gone? And what shall my perfume be for the grave of him I love? Sea-winds blown from east and west, Blown from the Eastern sea and blown from the Western sea, till there on the prairies meeting, These and with these and the breath of my chant, I’ll perfume the grave of him I love. XI O what shall I hang on the chamber walls? And what shall the pictures be that I hang on the walls, To adorn the burial-house of him I love? Pictures of growing spring and farms and homes, With the Fourth-month eve at sundown, and the gray smoke lucid and bright, With floods of the yellow gold of the gorgeous, indolent, sinking sun, burning, expanding the air, With the fresh sweet herbage under foot, and the pale green leaves of the trees prolific, In the distance the flowing glaze, the breast of the river, with a wind-dapple here and there, With ranging hills on the banks, with many a line against the sky, and shadows, And the city at hand with dwellings so dense, and stacks of chimneys, And all the scenes of life and the workshops, and the workmen homeward returning. XII Lo, body and soul—this land, My own Manhattan with spires, and the sparkling and hurrying tides, and the ships, The varied and ample land, the South and the North in the light, Ohio’s shores and flashing Missouri, And ever the far-spreading prairies cover’d with grass and corn. Lo, the most excellent sun so calm and haughty, The violet and purple morn with just-felt breezes, The gentle soft-born measureless light, The miracle spreading bathing all, the fulfill’d noon, The coming eve delicious, the welcome night and the stars, Over my cities shining all, enveloping man and land. XIII Sing on, sing on you gray-brown bird, Sing from the swamps, the recesses, pour your chant from the bushes, Limitless out of the dusk, out of the cedars and pines. Sing on dearest brother, warble your reedy song, Loud human song, with voice of uttermost woe. O liquid and free and tender! O wild and loose to my soul—O wondrous singer! You only I hear—yet the star holds me, (but will soon depart,) Yet the lilac with mastering odor holds me. XIV Now while I sat in the day and look’d forth, In the close of the day with its light and the fields of spring, and the farmers preparing their crops, In the large unconscious scenery of my land with its lakes and forests, In the heavenly aerial beauty, (after the perturb’d winds and the storms,) Under the arching heavens of the afternoon swift passing, and the voices of children and women, The many-moving sea-tides, and I saw the ships how they sail’d, And the summer approaching with richness, and the fields all busy with labor, And the infinite separate houses, how they all went on, each with its meals and minutia of daily usages, And the streets how their throbbings throbb’d, and the cities pent—lo, then and there, Falling upon them all and among them all, enveloping me with the rest, Appear’d the cloud, appear’d the long black trail, And I knew death, its thought, and the sacred knowledge of death. Then with the knowledge of death as walking one side of me, And the thought of death close-walking the other side of me, And I in the middle as with companions, and as holding the hands of companions, I fled forth to the hiding receiving night that talks not, Down to the shores of the water, the path by the swamp in the dimness, To the solemn shadowy cedars and ghostly pines so still. And the singer so shy to the rest receiv’d me, The gray-brown bird I know receiv’d us comrades three, And he sang the carol of death, and a verse for him I love. From deep secluded recesses, From the fragrant cedars and the ghostly pines so still, Came the carol of the bird. And the charm of the carol rapt me, As I held as if by their hands my comrades in the night, And the voice of my spirit tallied the song of the bird. Come lovely and soothing death, Undulate round the world, serenely arriving, arriving, In the day, in the night, to all, to each, Sooner or later delicate death. Prais’d be the fathomless universe, For life and joy, and for objects and knowledge curious, And for love, sweet love—but praise! praise! praise! For the sure-enwinding arms of cool-enfolding death. Dark mother always gliding near with soft feet, Have none chanted for thee a chant of fullest welcome? Then I chant it for thee, I glorify thee above all, I bring thee a song that when thou must indeed come, come unfalteringly. Approach strong deliveress, When it is so, when thou hast taken them I joyously sing the dead, Lost in the loving floating ocean of thee, Laved in the flood of thy bliss O death. From me to thee glad serenades, Dances for thee I propose saluting thee, adornments and feastings for thee, And the sights of the open landscape and the high-spread sky are fitting, And life and the fields, and the huge and thoughtful night. The night in silence under many a star, The ocean shore and the husky whispering wave whose voice I know, And the soul turning to thee O vast and well-veil’d death, And the body gratefully nestling close to thee. Over the tree-tops I float thee a song, Over the rising and sinking waves, over the myriad fields and the prairies wide, Over the dense-pack’d cities all and the teeming wharves and ways, I float this carol with joy, with joy to thee O death. XV To the tally of my soul, Loud and strong kept up the gray-brown bird, With pure deliberate notes spreading filling the night. Loud in the pines and cedars dim, Clear in the freshness moist and the swamp-perfume, And I with my comrades there in the night. While my sight that was bound in my eyes unclosed, As to long panoramas of visions. And I saw askant the armies, I saw as in noiseless dreams hundreds of battle-flags, Borne through the smoke of the battles and pierc’d with missiles I saw them, And carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody, And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,) And the staffs all splinter’d and broken. I saw battle-corpses, myriads of them, And the white skeletons of young men, I saw them, I saw the debris and debris of all the slain soldiers of the war, But I saw they were not as was thought, They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer’d not, The living remain’d and suffer’d, the mother suffer’d, And the wife and the child and the musing comrade suffer’d, And the armies that remain’d suffer’d. XVI Passing the visions, passing the night, Passing, unloosing the hold of my comrades’ hands, Passing the song of the hermit bird and the tallying song of my soul, Victorious song, death’s outlet song, yet varying ever-altering song, As low and wailing, yet clear the notes, rising and falling, flooding the night, Sadly sinking and fainting, as warning and warning, and yet again bursting with joy, Covering the earth and filling the spread of the heaven, As that powerful psalm in the night I heard from recesses, Passing, I leave thee lilac with heart-shaped leaves, I leave thee there in the door-yard, blooming, returning with spring. I cease from my song for thee, From my gaze on thee in the west, fronting the west, communing with thee, O comrade lustrous with silver face in the night. Yet each to keep and all, retrievements out of the night, The song, the wondrous chant of the gray-brown bird, And the tallying chant, the echo arous’d in my soul, With the lustrous and drooping star with the countenance full of woe, With the holders holding my hand nearing the call of the bird, Comrades mine and I in the midst, and their memory ever to keep, for the dead I loved so well, For the sweetest, wisest soul of all my days and lands—and this for his dear sake, Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul, There in the fragrant pines and the cedars dusk and dim.

-Walt Whitman

#poem #poet #poetry #poems

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nanigma · 7 years

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Hinoka+Asama - Japanese support

Part one of a request. This was very fun to do and also a surprisingly good support. It’s quite different from the English one, like how it alludes to Hinoka’s trauma over losing Corrin. Also the S-support is a lot better (it actually feels like she has feelings for him), even if it’s still a bit awkward. All in all a solid support chain and pairing imo.

C-support

Asama: Good morning, Lady Hinoka.

Hinoka: Ah, Asama. Morning.

Asama: I see your bedhead is a hopeless as ever today. It almost looks like an insect.

Hinoka: W-what!? Th- that's.. ugh. I thought I had fixed it already.

Asama: And not just that, your clothes have some awful wrinkles in them. Looks like you didn't fold them properly. As a princess, aren't you supposed to be able to dress well?

Hinoka: Uhhh.. you are right, but you need to shut up for a bit!

Asama: Oh, I remember how just a few days ago, you ended up dropping all your belongings and scattering them across the tent during a war council. Ahaha just thinking about it makes me smile. Now wasn't that just funny?

Hinoka: That was.. I was only reaching inside my bag and ended up spilling my stuff by mistake! Do you really have to keep nagging and teasing me about such a trivial blunder? … I never thought you would turn out to be such a jerk when I first met you.

Asama: Ah.. that was when you ended up crashing in the mountains while out training with your pegasus, right? You were such a pitiful sight. I felt so sorry for you that I just had to help you out.

Hinoka: Pitiful sight..? At that time, you refused to be given a reward and left without even giving me your name, so I ended up mistaking you for a wise and noble monk. Still.. to think employing you would cause me such a headache..

Asama: How very rude of you. Didn't you turn over every leaf trying to track me down, only so you could force me into servitude? You were so overbearing, it was like being faced with a tyrant.

Hinoka: I wasn't being overbearing! Anyway, if I had known your true character, I would have never made you my retainer. But then again, your first comment after I offered to employ you was: “You are high-born? When I first saw you crashing with your pegasus, you looked like a tomboyish peasant girl to me.” I still haven't forgotten that by the way!

Asama: Ahaha, so that's what happened? It seems you are much more persistent about your nagging than I am, Lady Hinoka. How unpleasant. It makes me long for the women of the past...

Hinoka: Enough... I already know where this leads.

B-support

Hinoka: …..

Asama: My, my, you seem quite depressed.

Hinoka: Asama... It's not like I can help it. Not after seeing so many recruits lose their lives during the last battle. There is no way even someone as indifferent as you can just shrug that off.

Asama: Is that so? I can't say I really care.

Hinoka: Yeah, I should have known. Do you even have a heart?

Asama: Now now, please do not compare me to a demon or devil. I am but a simple monk in service to the gods.

Hinoka: Then how can you be so relaxed about this?

Asama: Just consider for a moment. Everyone dies someday. That much is certain without a doubt. Sooner or later, death always comes to us in the end. So there is no need to be concerned about people dying.

Hinoka: Then why did you save me from dying back then?

Asama: That was... because of the expression you made. You looked so utterly furious then, clinging to life with all your strength. I found it quite charming.

Hinoka: What..?

Asama: Letting you live might prove entertaining, I thought. I was quite interested in seeing what you would do with your future.

Hinoka: So the people who died yesterday just weren't stubborn enough for you?

Asama: Yes, they didn't make the same impression as you. That's all there is to it.

Hinoka: Although I am indebted to you for saving my life... I don't get you! This entire conversation has stopped making any sense. Just... your only reason for saving me and agreeing to become my retainer, was to see what I would do with my life?

Asama: Yes, that's right. Thanks to you, my lady, I find my days to be endlessly entertaining. I am truly glad I became your retainer.

Hinoka: I see.. Although you could really stand to be more polite, I can't help but get absorbed in what you are saying. Sorry for always yelling at you, Asama.

Asama: No no, it makes for an excellent way to pass the time. Thank you very much.

Hinoka: Pass the time? Heh. Oh, you.

A-support

Hinoka: Kh..! Am I to lose yet another of my dear comrades..?

Asama: Are you perhaps talking about the soldier that was injured during the last battle?

Hinoka: Yeah, he's in critical condition... But I want to save him at all cost! This time.. for sure! The priestesses are still trying to heal his wounds right now. Asama, you will go and help out too!

Asama: That would be a foolish act, Lady Hinoka.

Hinoka: … What are you saying?

Asama: He isn't long for this world. We should only let him die with dignity.

Hinoka: What!? You are ready to give up on him even though he's still alive!?

Asama: Yes, for his sake, for everyone's sake, and for your sake as well.

Hinoka: That's bullshit!!

Asama: It's just like I told you before. People will inevitably die..

Hinoka: AARGH!! This isn't the time for your damned philosophy!! Go and fetch your festal already!! You'll go in there and save him!!

Asama: Are you ordering me.. as my liege?

Hinoka: Yes, that's right!

Asama: I see... If it's a direct order from Lady Hinoka.. there is no way I can refuse.

(scene transition)

Asama: Hah.. My my, that was exhausting. And yet he still couldn't be saved in the end. Did I not tell you so?

Hinoka: …......

Asama: He lingered on for quite a while, then died in terrible agony. And the other healers also exhausted themselves entirely in their efforts to save him. That's the result.

Hinoka: ...Stop it. Please stop making me blame myself even more.

Asama: If you are truly so pained by it, you should have stopped me sooner. You have a gentle nature, but it may well destroy you one day.

Hinoka: Asama....

Asama: My my, I am surprised at my own words. To think I could say something like that to you. But that's right.. Protecting your tender heart may be the reason I am committed to staying at your side and serving you.

Hinoka: Asama.. I can now see how much you care for me. Sorry.. I'll make sure to listen to you more in the future. So please, continue to support me from here on.

Asama: Yes, of course. Since your way of living is so much more interesting than anyone else's, I shall always remain faithful to you, Lady Hinoka.

Hinoka: ..Is that so. Thanks...

S-support

Asama: Lady Hinoka, would now be a good time to talk? Well, even if it's not, I don't really care. … I am coming in!

Hinoka: Whoa, Asama!? H- hey.. how dare you barge into your liege's tent without permission!

Asama: Oh, it's fine for sure. You see, that's because..

Hinoka: Eh?

Asama: You are my future wife.

Hinoka: Huh!?

Asama: I have served under you for several years. And in that time I have truly come to understand you. You are kind, rash and also tender-hearted. It should be obvious that no one else among our comrades can claim to know the same. So that you won't end up destroying yourself.. I shall offer myself as your husband without hesitation.

Hinoka: ... Wh-what? Was that a proposal?

Asama: Yes.

Hinoka: Hah... hahaha, it definitely didn't sound like one. That was the most arrogant proposal I have ever heard.

Asama: It's fine, isn't it? That's just how I am. And? How about it? Do you accept or do you accept?

Hinoka: H-hey, aren't you only giving me one option here!?

Asama: More would be unnecessary.

Hinoka: Good grief... I already thought of you as the rudest retainer in all of Hoshido, but I still didn't expect this. Even so, I find myself admiring your courage. Part of me wants my partner to be someone like you. You are not afraid to tell me what you think of me. And you are right... about having to protect me from myself.

Asama: So you will accept my proposal?

Hinoka: Yeah, since I am the only one who can handle someone like you. Let's be together, Asama.

Asama: Haha. If you say it like that, there is no helping it. Let us be married.

Hinoka: What are you saying that for? You were the one who asked for it first!

Asama: Yes, I apologize. Thank you accepting my proposal. It has made me very happy... Hinoka.

Hinoka: Heh.

#nanigma translates #fire emblem fates #fe14 #hinoka #asama #azama #supports

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