#he got tired of his singular star and threw it away.

[seashaper]

and then there was the sun.

[sm-baby]

Family Vacation (Chapter 2) - “The Motel Room”

HI. IM TIRED. HERE HAVE THIS FIC I WROTE. BYE.

Word count: 7,968 words 43,913 characters

This had 7,000 words! 7,000 words!! How do yall write 10,000!! This might not be much but my other fics only reached 2000 at most! aaaa my fingers are falling off...

ok here i go bye bye have fun TwT I can finally draw these now that Im done 

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      “We’ll be separated into four rooms.”

      The two families gathered around each other as soon as Leonardo got the keys from the check-in desk. “Flint, you’re stuck on babysitting duty, you’re sharing with Noah and Wilbert.”

      “FUCK YEAH!!”  Flint’s eyes dilated as soon as they saw their grandfather offer them the key, Wilbert and Noah were quietly shocked and excited by the news of being able to stay in without their parents around. The adults were just staring at them taken aback. And by that I mean Grace and Simon, the others were either impressed or holding in their laughter.“...I mean… Oh nooo, how could you, papa, this is gonna be so stressful- oh gosh- oh man…”

      lowered himself to their height, practically dropping the keys in their hands. “...Have fun.”

Flint flapped their hands in excitement. Finally, they get to be responsible for something. They quickly turned to their cousin and friend and ran off outside where the rooms were. They were poking and pushing each other excitedly with giggles of glee at the side.

…The adults sighed in relief knowing that they didn't have to handle that.

      Sheldon shook his head and shrugged “Ah, kids these days.”

      Erma chuckled and leaned to whisper to him “Cute. Imagine being that excited over rooms when we were younger.�� They laughed.

      “And since you two just can't get enough of each other, You two are reserved the room upstairs.” Leonardo handed Sheldon the key with its number still clearly printed. Sheldon didn’t think much of it at first, but as soon as Erma saw it, she quickly got excited.

      “I KNEW IT! SHELDON COME ON!” Erma pulled him by the sleeve and started excitedly jogging off towards the outside.

      “Wh- What’s so special about it??”

      “YOU DUMB WHORE, IT HAS THE MOST BOOKS IN IT”

      “OO” Sheldon was practically getting dragged away but he manage to give his father one last salute ”PA, I OWE YOU MY LIFE”

      “Don’t get too excited, You have luggage to help carry.” 

      “Will do!” and when he can’t even see his face from the door, Sheldon gave him a thumbs up. Leonardo was pretty sure he wasn't even using his legs anymore, Erma was carrying him by his sleeve.

      “And for the newly engaged,”

      “Alright, which one did you put us in, Papa?” Catherine raised a brow and crossed her arms. Her father always had a bit of a funny habit of playing jokes with Simon and Catherine. Whenever they get a chance to ever be affectionate, he’d always find a way to interrupt or separate them. It became a bit of an inside joke for the family. The man was just taken aback at his daughter’s audacity to point it out.

      “...One with a singular king-sized bed.” He threw the key to Simon that had-- almost dropped it-- but caught it after a bit of trouble.

      “W..Wait really!?” Simon froze after hearing the news,  “No catches?? No anything???” 

      “No catches. No anything.” Leonardo put his hands up. Both to show his innocence, and that he, indeed, has no catches, and no anythings.

Simon turned to Catherine for her response. He wasn’t sure if his future father-in-law was even telling the truth! He had no idea how to read this man! For all he knows anything can be sarcastic!

Everything seemed to be looking up though because his dearest Catherine’s expression turned excited as she turned to her fiancé. They both made eye contact, and soon enough Simon picked up on the good news on her face, quickly getting excited.

      “Oh.. my stars…” 

      And with that, Catherine left her father a kiss on the cheek and a thank you. Simon was still processing what was happening; he was standing in place. It wasn’t until Catherine wrapped an arm around him did he start walking off with her. Leonardo faintly heard him muttering to her as they left. “Ah… Does this mean he trusts me??”

      “Yeah, probably!”

      “Oh gosh..!” 

He saw the white richman cover his flustered face with a palm, and later flap his hands in the air.

Leonardo stared off at the two of them. Nothing like starting off vacation by placing hints that they have your blessing as a future father-in-law… He will never understand romance. But his daughter was happy, so she can have at it all she wants.

He sighed and turned back to be met with the last person with him. 

      "Your majesty?" 

      “Grace,”

Grace looked up at him, eyes just a tad worried, but she still tried to keep a straight face. She was honestly embarrassed to talk to him after he gave her his jacket. It made her feel small, and she was hoping that he would've gotten different quarters to avoid any potential awkward interactions or embarrassment.

But…’ four rooms’… She wasn’t so dumb as to not fill in the blanks. 

      “You're staying with me. I got us a two-person bedroom upstairs. ” he took the last key out. What once was a fist holding the key, turned to gently cup it in his palm as he offer it out to her. “It has white decor specially made for white covens. You can’t miss it.”

That was a pleasant surprise. She felt her shoulders calm at the thought of staying in a familiar room.  At least that was a tad more comforting…

      "Thank you, your majesty."  And with an equally gentle hand, The white maiden took the remaining key, losing all eye contact with him.  

      "Grace, is everything alright?"

      "Hm? No, everything is fine."

      " Are you sure?"

      " Quite."

The Ares raised a brow at that. The madame answered way faster than how a ‘totally fine’ person would. He sighed, shaking his head, and decided to let it go. He had other things to tend to. 

      "Alright. Go open the doors for me and get familiar with the room. I'm going to get the luggage." 

      “Of course.”

The King left to join the others outside. Grace saw his son holding their belongings, waving to his father for help as his purple friend stood at the side, leaving the job to the men. As a lady should. 

The woman honestly was too awkward to reach her room from there. She already saw that there were stairs inside, leading to the rooms above and she preferred to follow that for the time being. 

She took one last look at them as she moved up. When The Ares was far enough away, Grace saw her son go up to him and ask him questions she couldn't hear. A few seconds in, Simon turned to her and back to The King. He had a smile on his face. It was the happiest she’s ever seen him and he wasn’t even anywhere near her.

Grace’s brows furrowed at the sight. But as soon as she felt her emotions build up, she took a deep breath and reminded herself of what she was here for. She and The king discussed this before. If she wants to be better, then she needs to be better. And yet, seeing her son smile without her felt like a slap in the face. She exhaled. And continued walking up. What silly thoughts you have, Grace.

Turning on the lights in the room, she was impressed to see how well kept it was. It was smaller than she thought but she didn’t mind; everything was white and clean. 

The two beds were on the right from the entrance separated by a table with a lantern in the middle. There was a door leading to what she would assume is a bathroom opposite to where the entrance was. A few shelves were attached to the wall, one or two hanging mirrors were attractively decorated, a beautiful white carpet took over most of the floor, and there was a white vanity dresser opposite of the beds! Separated by a semi wall was a kitchen space with all sorts of appliances!

The beds were pleasantly big and felt comfortable! The bedframe was carved from beautifully rich dark oak. The post-board was absolutely captivating with beautiful carvings, she can’t help but trail her fingers on it and-... o-! It was smooth too! 

It was ridiculous how someone as noble as her could be so pleased with something so simple. She looks like an idiot sitting in bed, eyes dilating at the sight of a bedframe. Her attention was everywhere.

Mrs. Simpleton… was not the most typically minded…

Standing beside the vanity table, she trailed a singular finger across the desk. Not a singular blot of dirt was leftover on her glove. Ah, what a wonderful sight. The madame sighed happily and sat down at the chair beside it. Now, this was more like it. This felt more at home.

After helping his family with their belongings, visiting each room to see how they were doing, and saying goodnight to his rascals, Leonardo finally had the chance to head to his own quarters. He didn't get a chance to see it that whole time. He doesn’t even know what it looks like.

Simon offered to bring his and his mother’s belongings up himself. Though, the boy hasn't come back since then. Only his daughter was there when he visited.

He could faintly hear their voices the closer he got to the door. He expected that. Of course, he was talking to his mother. Why else would he be gone for so long? 

     “Oh, I’ve been having such a wonderful time, mama! I finally get to share a space with Cathrina!” said a particular know-it-all behind the door,  “I mean-- I have before, but definitely not with Señor Birch around.”

      “That’s wonderful, Hijo”

Leonardo, endeared, rolled his eyes at the boy’s excitement. He figured that was enough eavesdropping for the night. Opening the door, he-

      “And you, Mama? Has the vacation been treating you well also?”

He stopped in his tracks.

      “Oh! Perfectly fine, Hijo!”

      “Positive?”

      “Si! Si! Ehm… I get to have the most perfect room out of all of us, And I don’t have to worry about a dime, I’m as grateful as I can be.”

      “ And Señor Birch?” Simon asked. ”I know you’ve met him before, but I hope he’s been treating you as kindly as he has been treating me.”

      Though hesitant, His mother found it in her to speak. “His highness has been the kindest man I have had the pleasure to talk to today. I am so happy to be able to share such an occasion with him.”

The room went quiet.

      But the silence was broken by a sigh. And with the softest and most relieved voice, Simon spoke. “I am so glad to hear that, mama…”

Leonardo huffed at what he heard. He was impressed, don’t get him wrong; she was definitely making progress. But the man thought she might have misunderstood what she was meant to do. He was at least glad he wasn’t the only one that got that answer. 

      “Now don’t let me distract you ha? Go go! Go see your- amor- necesito ir a dormir!”

      Simon laughs! “¡Si, mama! okay!” a few footsteps were heard behind the door. “Qué tengas buenas noches, Te veré en la mañana”

      “Si, Si, Buenas noches, hijo”

The door opened and Simon was pleasantly met with ~Le Señor~ himself! Simon seemed happy to see him. He looked like he was just glad to have a lovely chat with his mother.

      “Señor! Good evening.”

      “Simon.”

      “How much have you…” He laughed nervously “Not that I mind, I just wasn’t exp-”

      “I just got here.”

      “Oh! Alright alright, don’t let me get in your way!” He moved over to the other side of the door, clearing the entrance for him and joining him outside. “Is Catherina in our room?”

      “That she is.”

      Simon clapped “Well I’m glad! And Flint? How is he- they-! How is they? How are they?”

      “They didn’t take too long to fall asleep. The children were already struggling to keep their eyes open when I left.”

      “Oh, that's a relief. Kids, am I right? Don’t want them all-- complaining for tomorrow’s trip!” Simon elbowed The man's arm.

Silence fell. He raised his brow at him.

Simon maintained his awkward smile. 

…

Leonardo was honestly enjoying making him feel embarrassed.

After a deliberate long pause, The bigger man placed a hand on Simon’s shoulder and calmly looked him dead in the eye.

      “Go to bed, Simon.”

      “Of course, sir.”

And with that, the richman walked off with shame in his step. He must have felt so embarrassed, though Leonardo knows that his daughter would absolutely laugh her ass off if Simon told her what happened.

he closed the door behind him. And before he knew it, the noise from the outside was canceled out. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was how the walls were built, but the silence in the room was deafening compared to the outside.

He was met with Mrs. Simpleton sitting at the dresser, grooming herself in the mirror. She sat straight and wore a white nightgown. Her hair was down and relaxed, not brushed back like it usually was. still well-groomed, but he can tell that there were slight curls and it was much thicker

She wasn’t turned towards him. Part of her hair was on her shoulder and she seemed to be silently brushing it. The room was so quiet, The Ares could hear the comb.

      “Grace.”

      “Your Majesty.” Grace replied, not moving a muscle.

      He went over to his bed. “So. Simon came to visit you.”

      “That he did.”

The first thing he did when he sat down was take his shoes off. He hasn’t been able to sit down since they were in the cart, this man needed to rest. As soon as he got his luggage on the bed with him he pulled out one of his rolled-up shirts.

      “Are you enjoying the trip so far?”

      “Of course.”

Leonardo frowned at her response, tossing his coat and shirt on a hanger at the side. The man usually wouldn’t mind these kinds of responses if it weren't for the fact that they were clearly passive-aggressive towards him. Grace was usually a bit of a loudmouth, the contrast was appalling. 

      “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

      “I don’t see why.”

The Ares took that as a yes and carried on.

With his new comfy red shirt on, The king just laid down in bed, hands behind his back, and closed his eyes. Leonardo liked the white noise from where he was. It didn’t take much to entertain an old fellow such as him. After a long minute of this, he noticed that outside started sounding like… whistling. He felt a slight cold in his fingertips and toes, but nothing he was totally bothered by. Little prickling noises later come from the ceiling and window. Leonardo opened his eyes and turned his head. Ah, no wonder it was cold. He saw some tree leaves being swayed from the wind. The rain has started to fall a little slanted.

Wind and Rain… What a nice weather mixture. 

The man felt pleasantly cold. He could wear a blanket but...Nah. he’ll do it later. His body was already great at dealing with colder temperatures. And this time around he was enjoying it too much to change it.

Leonard heard a verbal flinch on the other side of the room.

      “What is it with this Bloody temperature!” It was Grace, still, with her back turned. She seemed to have been in the middle of writing a letter when she was interrupted by her body’s response to the cold. Her hands were all over her shoulders trying to find any sort of warmth with herself.

      “...Do you want my coat again?”

      “¡No! ” She shouted, quickly bringing her voice down when she heard herself “No, I-.. don’t need anything, Your Majesty.”

The Ares raised a brow and sat up. He did not trust a word she was saying. He thought pushing it might worsen the situation, but she was clearly not enjoying her time and he wanted to do something about it.

      “Well, I do have some cocoa with me. I was going to ask if you wanted any.”

Grace went quiet.

      “I wanted to save it till we got there, But I’ve been craving it the whole day.”

      “I’m… I’m honored that you thought of me, but I’m fine really.”

Leonardo stood up, shrugged, and opened one of his bags again.

      “The offer is here anytime if you need it.”

As time flew by, Grace still wrote her letters on her desk. It seemed she was addressing two people when she was writing. 

The one on her left was only a singular page, it was short and sweet, wishing the receiver an excellent holiday with perfect grammar, precise word choices, and loving wording. At the bottom of the paper she signed: 

      “-Your youngest daughter, Gracious Simpleton”.

The one on her right on the other hand had gone on for more than 3 pages and she was still writing! It was longer, more ranty, question mark after exclamation mark! She was definitely more regal sounding than most, but she was much more grammatically incorrect, crossed out some words, and had clumsily written some of her cursives. 

However, At the beginning of the letter, she seemed to wish them well and asked about their livelihood. It was much calmer and definite comfort, there were signs of incorrectness but it wasn’t that noticeable. At the top addressed the receiver, marked

      “My dearest Sister,”.

Grace had moments where she had to take a break from writing. Sometimes she’d blow hot air into her ungloved hands. A few annoyed groans exited her from time to time. The colder she was, the shakier her writing got. 

Leonardo heard a bit of this from the kitchen area. He wasn’t bothered by it in any means, but he did have the urge to help with whatever was annoying her. Mrs. Simpleton was tiny compared to him and not to mention thin. She didn’t have the frame to withstand the cold. He honestly felt a little bad for her. She reminded him of Simon when he first met him… Nonetheless, he didn’t want to let it disrupt his mood. It was a good night for him and he did quite like the weather. While making the cocoa he’d sometimes close his eyes and enjoy the stay.

Grace, deciding to fully put the quill down, held her head. All the ranting had left her honestly exhausted… Thinking about what she had to write in detail wasn’t exactly the best way to get your mind out of it. 

Clump–! goes the mug on the table. Grace flinched, putting her hands out of her face, and turned to what made the noise. It was The Ares! He placed the mug from his left hand on the desk, and the right one stayed with him. Grace was staring up at him, She looked jumpy and confused. her breathing was strange but she later collected herself after seeing what he was doing. He finally got to look at her face after all that time, and the first thing he saw was distress over seeing him…

      “Your majesty, I said I didn’t need a drink”

      “And I said that the offer was there.” He leaned on the table, resting his hand flat on the desk. “ If you don’t want it, I can have it. I’m a big man.”

Grace looked down at the mug and not-so-subtly moved her letters away from it. Leonardo didn’t take anything from it. He did give her the choice to not take it after all. He stood back and stirred the mug he had with him.

      “By the way, I want to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?”

      Grace flinched at that sentence. “You- I...” she looked at the letters and then up at him. She felt as if she was obligated to make a decision by that time. He sounded… serious. Did she do something wrong again? Oh, she must have! She can’t possibly say no to the King! Imagine what he’d do to her if she had said no! She wasn’t at all ready either, a warning would have been nice. She was in a completely different headspace prior to this, she wouldn’t be able to think straight if her life depended on it!

Leonardo’s attention trailed off from her face to what she was writing. It didn’t take long for him to see who they were addressed to and what she was doing.

      “Oh, so you’re writing to family. You can go finish that. We can talk later.” The man looked back down at the poor woman and gave her space.

      Grace sighed from relief. “Si- Yes, My King. Thank you.”

      “Don’t thank me. Join me when you’re ready.” And with that, The King walked off, sipping at his cocoa… He made a pretty good brewer if you asked him. Though he could really use some marshmallows.

Her eyes followed him as he left to his bed. She noticed him pull out a book from the bags that had a map written inside. As soon as The Ares opened it, it reflected a landmark in the air made of light. Grace recognized that book. It was the book that woman used in the carriage. She didn’t know that he had it.

The King stared back at her. Though it took a while for her to notice, Grace quickly turned away and went back to writing.

Leonardo decided to explore more of the Motel in the book. It was nowhere near a normal map. Given to him by his most powerful allies, it had landmarks that you can see far or up close accompanied by their names and history. From the most mysterious of forests to the simplest buildings. Anything their greatest cartographer could take note of. 

It updates every now and then. Leonardo would usually use it to plan out strategies and lead their men. Now it was used to find the nearest coffee shops and, well, motels. It was a gift his men insisted he kept for himself. Therefore he’s going to use it however he pleased. 

Ooo there was a kitchen downstairs for the guests. How fancy. He wouldn’t mind having a bit of breakfast in the morning before they continue their journey. 

In the corner of his eye, he saw Grace stir the hot chocolate he left on her desk. She took her hand off it right after… She rested her petite fist against the table and tapped her finger as if she was debating something.

And although hesitantly and slowly, He saw her take the spoon and taste the cocoa with it. There was a pause… and It didn’t take her long to forget the spoon altogether and just briskly bask in the taste of the hot beverage.

      What’d he say? He's an amazing brewer.

Tens of minutes passed and the man was off reading a different book. It was a novel he picked off of the shelves. It was something about a rich young woman and a poor artist sailing into a cruise of some sort? Huh. That’s inventive. Leonardo sipped from his newly refilled mug.

Stuffing the letters onto their envelopes, Mrs. Simpleton finally finished writing. She stretched her back. As she cleaned her desk, she noticed that she had more cocoa left in her mug. It was a bit of a pleasant sight as she did like the taste of it… and… she didn’t have the audacity to ask for a refill.

Speaking of talking to the King. She swallowed. She was finally a tad more ready to speak with him. She was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. On one hand, the king didn’t look too mad, on the other hand… This man wasn’t that readable… He’d tell her that he did the dishes and she’d take it as a threat to her position.

Leonardo raised his brow over Jack holding Rose near the railings. It was stupid. She could fall. But the old geezer can appreciate when a book executes silly ideas well. They won't fall off the railing, what kind of writer would kill off such a sweet two? He liked this couple. Ten out of ten.  

From the corner of his eye, he saw more movement from a certain someone that he had been expecting. Ms. Simpleton stood from where she sat. On the right hand, she held the handle with a pinky up; On the left, she placed the tip of her fingers below the mug. She seemed very natural with how she moved. The madam must have been taught this at a young age.

      “Your Majesty.”

      “Grace.”

Grace made her way across the room to her bed, which promptly made The King put the book away. He turned to see her gently put her cup on the table, which he followed not long after. Only his was just-- not as lady-like. The man looked up and saw Grace peacefully sitting on her bed, hands neatly folded together and posture confident facing towards him. At this point, Leonardo couldn’t tell if this was how she usually went about her nights or proper etiquette.

      “You said you had something you wanted to tell me?”

      “Grace, How are you feeling?”

      “Oh, so, that's what all this is about! I’m doing wonderfully, My Lord. This doesn’t need any sort of discussion”

      “Truthfully.” Though he didn’t cut her off, he did reply fast. “ I want you to answer truthfully. I don’t want you to say it because it pleases me. I want to know if you’re doing well.” 

      “The reception has been attentive, our stops have been lovely, and my son is happy. I don’t see why I would not enjoy it.”

      “Just because the trip is going to plan doesn’t necessarily mean you’re happy with it. '' Leonardo saw Grace starting to revert her gaze. Though her eyes were forcing themselves to go back to him, they’ve started trailing off. “I need you to talk to me.”

      “There’s nothing to talk about.”

      “It's okay to admit that you’re not happy with everything. You can even say that I’m the one making this unbearable for you, which is alright.”

      “It’s not...you, It’s…” Grace closed her eyes and once she opened them up again she had completely lost eye contact with the man. “How… difficult you are.” 

      “Difficult.”

      “You…” Grace spoke as if she was holding her breath, completely preparing herself with anything that would happen. “… are the kindest a man has ever been to me in…a while. And that scares me.” She felt herself self-stimulate with her fingers. They were rubbing up against each other nervously.“ Every time a man has led me to a sense of security, all they did was use it against me. So my apologies If I don’t want to tell you everything.”

Maybe Grace hadn’t noticed it, but Leonardo saw her straight posture become stiff, other than confident. He sighed and put his hand on his forehead. So that was it. It really was him.

      “It’s not your place to apologize. I know I can be very intimidating to many, but yours is a special case,” he said. “I’m sorry If I came off as angry or any sort towards you. I’m not.”

      "Not quite.” Grace shook her head.” Sometimes you make me the opposite of afraid. Which in itself is terrifying. The only faults you’ve done are small and not even worth mentioning.”

      “…What do you mean?”

      Grace paused. Oh no. “I don’t… I mean- nothing. it’s nothing. I was just being ridiculous.”

      “No, I want to hear it. Even if it is ‘Nothing’ I still want to know about it.”

      Grace took a deep breath. She feels she knew what was coming if she spoke her mind at that moment, but why did she feel calm? The anxiety was there but it felt more internal than anything.

      “…While we were planning for the trip, despite me insisting on you telling me where we’re headed, you wouldn’t answer me.” She paused to think about what to say. He wasn’t going to interrupt her. ” That made me feel isolated when you knew I was already scared enough to go to Poseidon.”

      The man paused and tried to understand where she was coming from. He was putting himself in her shoes. And yes, it does feel degraded. “So i. Dismissed you”.

      “Yes.”

      “And that made you feel unlistened to and lose your trust in me.

      There it was! “Yes! You didn’t listen to me! I felt- I felt…”

      “Disrespected? I disrespected you and made you feel unequal to me.” Brow furrowed, Leonardo turned his head, placing his hand on his chin. He looked at her waiting for an answer. 

      “And small. I might not be equal, yes I understand that, But I at least wanted to be treated as an adult.”

      “Me being in a higher position as you systematically is not an excuse for me to treat you any differently.” Leonardo shook his head and waved a hand in the air disagreeing with her. “When it comes down to it, you are right. We are adults. And I didn’t make you feel that way. “

Grace stared at him. She looked as if she was trying to speak but she had nothing to say in mind. She tried multiple times. Leonardo waited patiently each time, But all in all, she stopped trying. She was right. A man acknowledged that she was right. What is she supposed to say about that? What now? It felt almost wrong to take the validation of a man like that.  But it felt nice? What..?

      “Grace Simpleton, I, as Leonardo Birch, Apologise for making you feel disrespected, unlistened to, and lose any sense of control of the situation,” Leonardo spoke confidently, without hesitation.  ”I should have considered you and I didn’t. I am sorry.” 

Though his tone was strong, Grace didn’t feel threatened at that moment... It was quite the opposite. It was strange to have a king bow for your forgiveness. She’s had people apologise to her before, and she’d relish in it. But this one didn’t feel earned. It didn’t feel like a trophy. She didn’t feel small, She didn’t feel big either. She felt. Equal. She didn’t need to fight for any sense of dominance.

      “And. Since I didn’t tell you where we’re going, I owe it to you to have you see it for yourself.” Grace snapped back to the conversation. Excuse me? “I can tell you where it is, and you will know all you want to know.”

She saw Leonardo turn behind him to fetch the familiar red book. It looked used, It looked complicated, it looked as if it was ridden in history. And he was reaching his hand out to offer it to her as an apology.

She took it, gentle as ever, and place it on her lap. All she did was stare. She wasn’t even sure what was happening. Everything was moving so fast.

      “Are you alright?”

      “I’m…confused.”

      “That’s okay.”

      “I don’t understand.”

      “You have all the time you need to understand.” Leonardo noticed that her posture was nothing compared to the one at the start of the conversation. Hands that were once folded were massaging her temples, a frame that was once confident was now bent, eyes that were once calm were now fickle and confused. “…Do you want me to leave you be?”

      “…Perhaps, your Majesty..” 

      “Of course.” The King put his hands up and changed positions from where he was, specifically turning away from her to help her feel like no attention were on her. 

Grace was stuck in the position she was in for a short while, but she did follow his lead not long after. She sat back and tried to process everything. She was having trouble, as, it was already getting quite late and she is getting drowsy, But she also can’t really begin to process what happened. She doesn’t even know where to start. She put her hands on her face in an effort to take a breather. That was messy, It was really messy.

3 am. The lights were turned off and the King was sleeping. He had a loud snore and somehow slept through the weather without a blanket on. 

Grace, however, was awake, Staying up MUCH later than she usually would. This time was just a bit of a special occasion. She sipped the last bit of Cocoa she had left and kept staring at the book beside her. The woman still can’t believe she has it. She trailed her fingers on the hard leather cover, later tapping on it thinking to herself. 

It had scratches all over it. Even when closed you can see torn pages and bookmarks. Some pages were even burnt. It must have seen so many things… so many dead men… She can’t believe she had an object of war in her possession. And the king gave it to her? So she could see a vacation home? What was she doing? She sucked it up and went to grab it… Let's see what this bad boy can do…

Though fully asleep, Leonardo looked less than peaceful. He didn’t think he was that bad, but he somewhat felt sort of guilty from the madam’s reaction. Did he talk too much? Was he too hard on her? What could he have done to make it better? There might be a few things he could work on. Though he knew that this was normal, he just hoped he didn’t shake her too hard. They didn’t exactly end the conversation on a good note.

He was awakened by the strong sight of light hitting his eyelids. He opened his eyes to see the panicked maiden flipping through the pages, not exactly knowing what she was doing. The light was blinding in the dark compared to how it was in the morning. Leonardo wasn’t too bothered by it, but it did disturb him still. He groaned, covering half of his face with a hand.

      “Mm… Grace, what are you doing?”

      Grace looked to him desperately. The light was completely covering her face and she had to peek from the side to look at him. She looked guilty and awkward. This poor woman. She was too panicked to let a word out: She only made an ‘I DON’T KNOW’ with her lips. 

      Leonardo sighed and buried his face onto his cushions “Close the map to restart everything”

SLAM!

      “Okay not that hard”

      “Apologies”

      “It’s alright”

      The King looked up at her, yawning and scratching himself. “What were you trying to do?”

      “I was-- trying to use it, Your majesty. I didn’t mean to wake you..!" Grace put it down on her bed "Here, you can have it back!”

      “Noo.”  He whined, “Don’t give up that easily.”  He sat up as well, back hunched, and rubbing his face to wake himself up at the moment. He opened his eyes to look at her. They have completely adjusted to the dark and can easily see her. Though the moon did provide a bit of light. “I can teach you. Come on. Pick it up. ”

Grace stared at him, at the book, and back to him. Slowly reaching for the book again she gave him an ‘are you sure?’ look on her face. She heard him encouraging her the closer she was.

      ”There we go, good job.”

WELL, THEY’RE DOING THIS I GUESS! The book didn’t light up when she opened it again. Nothing about it would have stood out. Earlier when she first opened it, every page was completely blank sans the first few pages claiming The Ares’ name to its ownership. She didn’t know what she did to warrant such a reaction from last time.

      “Now, do you see that gem print at the top of the page?”

      “Yes?”

      “Put a finger on there for a fingerprint scan.”

As The King said, There was a near-empty page at the beginning that showed an orange gemstone at the top. After pressing her middle finger on it, Grace flinched.

      “I did… uhm, a bit of text appeared on the page.” The mentioned text glowed a similar white glow from earlier.

      “Don’t take your finger off, read the text to access the book.”

      “I, Gracious Simpleton, recognize that The Book Of Maps is a Military owned artifact. Any and all contact or information I share with these scriptures will be recorded and be part of military history,” though her voice continues to be confident, she squinted her eyes and leaned closer making sure she was reading the right thing “For if any piece of information taken from this media is used for treason, I am to be punished by death and law- WHAT?!”

      Grace yelped and stumbled back at the sudden light that hit her face. It was the familiar bright light again! She seemed annoyed when she picked herself up but was met with Leonardo cheering her on.

      “There it is. You opened it, good job.”

      “I--!” She shook her head, coming to her senses “Your Majesty!”

      “Eh, what are you afraid of. You're not planning to use it illegally, are you.”

      “No..!”

      “Great.”

Grace’s attention went down to the book. Quickly skimming it she noticed that at the back of the book was a list of names under ‘Users’. There was only a handful in. She recognized a lot of Military colonels and commanders as well as high Illiger lords. The Ares’ name was there as well alongside that woman from the carriage. And now… A new name appeared. Gracious S. Simpleton. She returned to the gem print. What was once an Orange Tourmaline was now a Rose Quartz.

      “Hey.” said Leonardo. Grace looked up at him “Your eyes are glowing.”

Grace looked into a hanging mirror. He was right! A gentle glow; her eyes were somehow brighter than they usually were. She put a palm on her cheek and almost looked proud of herself. It wasn’t like this earlier. Earlier when she felt a glow she’d panic. But this time it was under control. Safe.

      Amused, Leonardo rolled his eyes at the state she was in  “Now, what are you looking for?” He said, trying to take her attention.

      “Oh! um, um,” She sat back down “The vacation spot, My Lord!”

      “Skim the pages till you get to Poseidon. There should be a blue bookmark there you can just flip it over.” Grace did what she was told, and to no one’s surprise, the first Chapters of Poseidon were filled with all sorts of ocean and water. “Now focus on the name ‘Percy Seas’. repeat it in your head over and over if you have to.”

Plop! Reflected a screen made of light in the air! Multiple options under the category appeared. It all seemed to be luxurious-looking houses. They were nothing compared to Zeus of course. But she supposes she was… sort of impressed. 

      “That one. Point to that one over there.”

      Grace had to return her attention, quickly looking to where he was pointing and doing what she was told. “This is it?”

      “Yeah. Erma picked it out.”

      “It looks… wonderful…” she ran her fingers over the screen, zooming in and out of the map and looking into the side for the reviews “Five stars… a beachfront… and it's completely isolated! ” Grace said, “Oh heavens, look at the beautiful view!”

      “Yeah, the views are my favorite in Poseidon.” The Aries yawned and leaned back onto his pillows, taking his attention from her to himself “Look at the balcony. I think you’d like it.”

      "Oh goodness..!" Grace found herself lost in the natural trees and plants...she could spot the distant mountains despite the isolation of where the house was. Even the clouds were beautiful. In the kingdom, she had to order natural life. Most of where she lived were either entirely made of quarts or cement.

The Ares was laying back, hands behind his head. And occasionally replying to her as she swiped and zoomed through the screen. It didn’t take long for Leonardo to remember how late it was. A quick glance at the clock and-- 4 am? Already? He’d be awake by now!

      The man stretched his body, and sat up again, turning to her. “Grace put down the book, I need to tell you something.”

      Grace turned to him while shutting the book closed. She felt the gentle glow leave her eyes “yes?”

      "I need to go to sleep, It's getting late. I don’t know if you went to sleep at any point tonight, But I want you to sleep too." He answered again with that familiar soldier tone. He almost always had it when they first met. Nowadays he's started to use it less. "You can play around with that thing all you want, but unlike tonight you will not have a comfortable bed in the morning. Have I made myself clear?

      "Ofcourse!"

      "Good." Leonardo took a deep breath, and with an exhale, left the sharpness of his voice. This time it was almost on purpose. Though he was still naturally intimidating, there was a clear gentleness there. "How are you feeling?" 

      "Well."

The Ares seemed disappointed at that response. His face doesn't move much, but he can barely feel himself frown more than usual. That was alright. She just needs more time to-

     “But… "Grace continued. "...I'm perplexed. I think it's… going to be a while. Till I-" Grace made jittery hand motions in the air, trying to find the right words. “...Understand… anything that happened today.”

      Huh. A pleasant surprise. "You take as much time as you need."

      "Thank you, Your Majesty." 

      "You can call me Leonardo, you know. I’m not here to be on Duty. " He yawned and got himself in bed. " Try it, it might help with the way you see me. Even  your son has started calling me by less noble names." He was laid on his stomach, his voice was now much sleepier and dazed than it usually is. The protective papa bear was now more akin to a panda." 'Señor Birch'. I like it."

There he went, quickly dozing off. Grace stared at him for a little longer before she returned to what she was doing. Tonight was a strange night. Somehow more complicated than most of her business deals. Nothing like any other vacation she has ever been on. Did she enjoy it? She couldn’t say. But did she hate it? She couldn’t answer either. As she said she was figuring it out. But at least at the moment, she felt… well.

      BANG BANG BANG BANG! "Papa!"  It was morning! 

Though the windows were fairly covered it showed off more lights than the two were comfortable! Grace groaned, easily covering her face and ears with a pillow, but Leonardo basically had front row seats as his bed was closer to it.

The two were awoken by the loud banging and a familiar young voice outside. At first, they didn't want to deal with it and hoped they would go away after a while of ignoring them. But at some point, they noticed that it was probably encouraging them to be louder. Grace covered her face with another pillow, while Leonardo was better at playing dead.

      "Papa!!"

Oh enough of this! Annoyed, Grace clicked her teeth and groaned, lifting her head up to see Leonardo from the other bed. Simon was never this loud!

      "The children!" 

      "Alright! Alright!" 

Leonardo opened the door to the three darlings at the foot of it. First, his grandchild, Flint stood to the left with a pen and paper out. On the right were 2 rascals, Wilbert sitting on Noah’s shoulders, looking proud of himself: Leonardo suspect that he was responsible for the banging. Though he was conscious during the knocking he was barely awake and his eyes were hardly open. The poor man even had to lean on the door frame to balance.

      “Whatt..”

      Flint spoke up “Извини, дедушка! Did we wake you?”

      “...нет.”

      “Good!” Flint smiled, preparing their pen and paper out “Mom and uncle Sheldon are making food in the downstairs kitchen area. They wanted us to ask if you wanted anything.”

      Leo hummed, rubbing his face. “Mm…Porkchops and…Baked potatoes..” 

      “Alright!” The witch wrote on the piece of paper “And Misses Simpleton?”

      Leo turned behind him. “Grace, do you want anything!” Grace, still faceplanted on her bed made an x gesture with her arms, wordlessly indicating that she didn’t need to eat. Yeah, no, he didn’t take that as an answer “She says she wants what I’m having.” a muffled whine was heard from the room after he said that.

      “Ookay!” hummed Flint, jotting it down on the paper, later leaning over to give grandfather dearest a kiss on the cheek. “That's all, papa. Thank you!” And now with the other two off from each other’s shoulders, Wilbert and Noah held their hand and started walking off.

      Just before the young witch was too far, The sleepy man was finally a little more awake to remember what he wanted to say. “Flint! ”

      “Да?”

      “Tell Simon to eat.” He emphasized, “ I don’t want that man getting thinner than he already is.”

      “Will do, Papa!” They turned to him, saluted, and left.

Leonardo sighed and closed the door behind him. He was met his lady friend on the other bed. She was staring at a hand watch she took from her purse, groaning at what she saw

    “ 6 am? that's so early…!”

Unlike most, her voice isn’t as deep when she wakes up in the morning. At most, it was softer and raspier than usual.  “When are we leaving?”

     “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Leo just climbed back in bed, finally putting a blanket over himself from the colder weather. Ah, sweet sweet comf- he realized what he just said. He stopped and corrected himself “10. We’re leaving at 10.”

     “Alright…” Grace murmured under the blanket. She put the watch aside and rolled over in bed. She had completely covered herself except for her eyes.  Grace was practically curling into herself and yet she was still shaking. The leftover wind and rain last night must have left a chillier morning.

Leonardo facepalmed, rubbing a hand all over his face again. He saw what was happening. He heard her hands rubbing together and her blowing hot air into her palms. She wasn’t subtle.

The woman squeaked at the feeling of an extra blanket thrown over her body. When she turned to the perpetrator all she saw was Leonardo himself standing over her bed. He only made brief eye contact before returning.

      “What about you?”

      “Ehh, I’ll manage. I wasn’t using it the whole night anyway” He collapsed back in bed. That was enough standing; the poor man just wanted to sleep.

Grace wasn’t complaining. The extra blanket was a big help for her. If he insisted, she guessed she wouldn’t mind. The woman looked like a cocoon with how she positioned the blankets over herself. 

She can’t bring herself to look at him or turn her body towards him, but she did appreciate the gesture. He did it completely without needing for her to ask; she can’t deny that it was very kind to him.

     “Good morning, Leonardo.”

The man turned to groggily look at her. He rolled his eyes and peacefully laid his head back down. 

     “Good morning. ”

[moodymidnightkitten]

Fangs and Flowers 1

Pairing: AU Garou x Fem! Reader

W/C: 1.6K+

Genre: Fluff (mostly building the setting)

Warnings!: slight swearing but not all that much

A/N: After 3+ months after my car accident I can confidently say I'm ready to get back into the game and I'm so happy that even over these months I'm blessed with Tumblr users who come to my dash and liked and reblog things, y'all have really kept me going and I love you for that, thank you. And if anyone needs any emotional help in regards to traumatic experiences please give me a shout, I know things can get scary sometimes but I will be here always, to listen whenever you need me.

psst heres my masterlist

Why is it that when you finally have everything figured out life just switches up on you. Landing yourself in a world you’re not too familiar with. You try not even thinking about how your father is going to feel when he’s learned that you seriously couldn’t control your powers this time. How were you even going to get back?

You’re a combination of powers from your mother and father, healing and universe traveling. A mix that made no sense but blended quite well together. Or so you and everyone you thought.

You looked around, the signs on buildings decorated with flowing symbols, those must be words. You looked at them longer, waiting for them to make sense to you, as it usually happens. A little backstory, your people are considered the be all kinds of people, the people who, in combination could do anything and everything but not one person was capable of doing everything themselves, most people, like yourself in your clan had a max of three, and that really depended on your lineage. Lucky enough for you, your parents and ancestors were the strongest in the clan, every first born naturally developing three abilities. And here you were, the first born waiting on your grandfather's power to radiate to and through you.

It took what felt like forever but it finally came to you, the sign slowly making sense in your mind.

“...C-ci-ty Z?” you squinted a bit. “City Z, interesting, it’s blocked off.” ignoring the other signs littering the way claiming it wasn’t safe, not possibly feeling as though where you are could threaten you, you walked through the gates, your long black cloak swaying as you walk through the quiet streets. You came to the conclusion after walking for five minutes that where you were in a desolate area, abandoned even, whatever happened here must’ve been serious.

“Absolutely wonderful, I should assume I won’t be home for awhile so this will probably be the best place for me to be for the time being, I can settle down here,” you said talking to yourself, pondering over all of your living possibilities, you kept your thoughts to yourself for now, finally coming to a stop in front of a tall grey building. You walk in and settle for the open apartment on the fourth floor, with two bedrooms and a spacious communal area, not that you needed all of the space, it was still nice.

You rummaged through the apartment, it was almost empty of food but the electricity and running water was working, odd but okay you thought to yourself. You came to the decision that you would need to go out and grab more things, get used to your new home for now. Luckily whoever was living here before was also a female of the same size, stature and taste. You pulled out a light beige dress with black lace trimming, it hugged your hips perfectly, you twirled in the mirror and loved how it blew out around you, a bit above the knees, airy but not too short. You also found a cute pair of beige flats that had a glossy overlay to them. No you looked like you really belonged.

You waltzed out of the apartment and back outside, where it was luckily still quiet out. Looking back to make sure to remember the building. You dangled the empty bag you grabbed before leaving by your side before coming up to the least damaged grocery building and restaurants. Everything fresh was still good thanks to the power that was maintained in the area. But you still grabbed as much as you could just in case, it was certainly more weight than you should carry but it wasn’t killing you. Grabbing food and basic first aid supplies as a generic thing, just in case, you didn’t know what kind of diseases or harm this place could do but it seems as though this first aide was something universal. Even though you could heal yourself, it has its limits, like everything does.

You easily got lost in thinking within yourself, taking in your new surroundings and enjoying everything you’re seeing, until you come up to a peculiar building, one intact except one thing, a body shaped hole in the side, weirded out but so highly intrigued you walked up to the building and placed the bags you were carrying by the building. Peering into it you could see the front of the building wasn’t doing as well as the back, You averted your eyes from the tops and to the sides of the building finally looking down to notice there in front of you was a man. Naturally you were startled but grew some confidence to finally submerge yourself into the building to get a closer look. You bent down, laying a hand on his back, he was breathing. That was good you thought, at least he is alive but not conscious, his heartbeat was still going too slow for comfort though.

As you started to channel your healing ability to the palm of your hand your eyes grazed over his body, beaten badly, he was decorated in cuts, scrapes, bruises and what lies beneath you’re more than sure is a couple of broken bones and an illness, everything was more than you could handle healing in one setting. So you took your time, you’re going to wait it out until he’s healed enough to awaken again. After a few minutes more of assessing the person beneath your hands you began to notice his odd features, from his spiked up white hair to the strained and tired but well built muscular figure, he seemed as though a man not to be reckoned with.

And there it was, after sitting with him for ten minutes you felt his heart rate pick up and a small cough, it startled you, causing you to fall back from your knees, your butt now on the ground. The man took a deep breath and pulled himself up onto his elbows, rolling himself over, face up to the ceiling now. You watched in awe, finally seeing the rest of him, the jawline and color of his eyes, how much worse he looked when you saw his face. He put a hand on his chest and fell into another coughing fit. You were just sitting still, unmoving, breathing quietly, waiting for him to notice another presence within the same space as him. He began to sit himself up, legs criss crossed underneath him, taking a deep breath. You noticed how his muscles tugged at the shirt that was tattered, how they flexed so beautifully you could mistake it for water flowing in a stream.

“What are you staring at?” he said quietly, with a tinge of annoyance dancing on every vowel.

“My apologies...I noticed you were hurt badly, where I come from I heal those in need…” You were nervous in the presence of this man, a man with such delicately beautiful looks it could put all the men from your clan in shame. You could hear the man click his tongue against his teeth, trying to stand up he just grunted loudly and sat back down.

“Then heal me dammit instead of just sitting there,” he hissed to you. Your mind racing a mile a minute, even when he’s hurt he’s still as venomous and powerful, his aura eating away at the beautifully crumbled atmosphere.

“I...I can only do so much in a certain period of time, I used up everything I had to even get you awake...but I can help you over to my living establishment and I can continue to help you there, I know I’m rambling but there is a lot wrong with your current state and would also like to heal you to the point of resolving all internal and external injuries.” He sat there in silence peering at you through the corner of his eyes, concentrating on your proposal. A small grin also spreading across his face, your heart jumped, this man was more than a singular force, he was the whole beast, a predator, a blush crept along your face, as new to this world as you are this was about to become an amazing ride and you couldn’t wait.

“Help me up,” his tone shifted from annoyed to less annoyed but welcoming. You scrambled to your feet, crouching alongside him as he lightly draped his arm on your shoulders, using your right arm and put it flat against his back to offer as much support as you could, a blush lacing across your cheekbones. As you two began to stand up you noticed his build in all its glory, he towered over your small and frail frame, putting weight on you, grunting with most motions to get himself onto his feet. He also understood the size difference between you both, he’s either feeling better standing or is holding in the pain in consideration of how much of him and his weight you can handle.

“My name is Garou by the way,” he muttered out softly and in between huffs of air.

“Mine is y/n, nice to meet you Garou...even under these circumstances..” You looked to the ground smiling, even without looking at him it was as if the feeling of him grinning with just boring into you. You two have made it out of the building and you grabbed your bags and threw them over the other shoulder that was free of the damaged and in pain predator Garou and started walking to your new home, the feeling of giddiness feeling like twinkling stars against your skin.

[owlheartt]

Star Sanses Extended Chapter 3: Error

Here is chapter 1 on AO3

“YOU CAN’T-” Undyne began, her face furrowing together in a sort of pure anger that felt very unlike her.

“PLEASE, WAIT FOR EVERYTHING TO CALM DOWN. MY FRIENDS AND I CAN EXPLAIN IN A BIT, BUT I CAN’T STAY HERE TALKING TO YOU.” Papyrus said, trying to be patient and not show how unnerved he was. It occurred to him that talking to Alphys might help her some, and he used blue magic to carefully grab her SOUL. Then, with full concentration, moved the blue bones and Undyne herself to the blubbering Alphys in the corner who had stayed where Papyrus had asked her to.

Behind him, he could hear a sound almost like a soft gust of wind. Turning around, he found Mettaton’s body collapsed on the floor. There were bones sticking out of his middle, solid ones. His arms looked burnt, like he had been hit with a Gaster Blaster and deflected it using them. Dream and Ink didn’t have blasters or bones, Dream had told him earlier. Therefore, Papyrus could assume Error had done this. Papyrus looked at the black boned skeleton. He had a scratchy grin scrawled across his face, and his expression was comically like a cartoon villain’s.

“Drreeaamyyy boyyy!” Error said, taunting. His voice was glitching in such a way that it sounded like an old radio’s version of nails on chalkboard. Dream threw a mourning glance at Mettaton’s crumpled body, which felt mildly excessive since he had only run out of battery.

“Error! Please! Leave this timeline alone!” Dream begged, stringing another arrow. He didn’t sound exactly desperate, more like he didn’t want to deal with any of these shenanigans.

“Pretty please?” Ink called from the ceiling, blinking his eye sockets and grinning.

“Can it squid!” Error said, his voice no longer sounding so ear-grating.

“FRIEND…” Papyrus trailed off, struggling to find the right thing to say. He wasn’t following what was happening. He wasn’t done training with Dream. He had just plunged into his first Alternate Universe and came face to face with a troubled skeleton he didn’t know that looked horribly like his brother. He just met Alphys for the first time and she was rude and terrified. He just met a grieving Undyne. The Underground felt like it had been flipped upside down and things were moving too quickly.

“Friend?” Error said, laughing. The glitching in his voice made his giggles sound halting. “We’re not friends, you idiot. In fact, I will be your downfall,” Error reached his hands up to his eye sockets, his fingers snagging on something Papyrus couldn’t quite see. Then he pulled them away, dragging brilliant blue strings that matched the permanent tears streaming down his face. He appeared braced to move, and then Dream grabbed his forearm. Error’s expression of glee turned to shock, then the errors and glitches riddling his body multiplied until it was hard to see any bit of him. Dream drew back, looking relieved.

“So. Now you’ve met Error,” Dream said, sighing. “I’m ready to go home, how about you?” He gave Papyrus a tired grin, and his slump showed he was just about ready to drop on the spot. Papyrus nodded, and shot solid bones to cut Ink loose. He reached out his SOUL magic to catch his falling friend, but he missed. Somehow. It was almost like there wasn’t a SOUL there for Papyrus to catch. Ink hit the ground and rolled, coming to a full stop splat on the ground like a puddle.

“Thanks!!” Ink said, grinning. “Ooone moment!” He danced forward (yes, danced) and scooped his brush off the floor. He then splashed bright blue ink all over Error that solidified into chains.

“Ink, the SOUL.” Dream said patiently. Ink looked at him blankly for a moment, his expression mirroring Papyrus’s feelings, then a little light bulb went off on his eye light. He splashed a pool of ink on the floor, just like he had when he made the shortcut, but this time all he stuck was his hand in. Then he pulled out a Determined human SOUL, just like that.

“WHERE’D THAT COME FROM?! DO WE NEED TO RETURN IT?!” Papyrus said, alarmed.

“No, no.” Dream said, walking over to Ink and reaching a hand out. “This SOUL belongs to this timeline. Error took it so that the timeline couldn’t RESET.” Papyrus opened his mouth to ask a question, but Undyne interrupted him.

“Who the hell are you guys?! Let me go and we can have a real fight!!” She yelled from the other side of the room, where Papyrus had left her.

“RIGHT, SORRY FRIEND,” Papyrus said, reaching out a hand to dissipate the bones.

“Paper, wait.” Dream said. Papyrus turned to him questioningly, but before he could ask Dream continued. “I’m going to show you something, alright? Come here.” Papyrus strode over and crouched to see the brilliant red SOUL Dream was holding.

“WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH IT?” Papyrus said tentatively.

“RESET the timeline. Do you know about RESETs?” Dream said. Papyrus felt his SOUL drop past his ribcage. The word felt… familiar. It did not feel good. But for whatever reason, he couldn’t place it.

“I’M… NOT SURE. I THINK I DO, BUT YOU BETTER EXPLAIN IT ANYWAYS.” Papyrus said. Dream nodded, his expression saying that he was thankful Papyrus was honest.

“Determined human SOULs have the power to manipulate time itself. They can SAVE, LOAD, and RESET. SAVING is when they place a bookmark of sorts in time itself. They can LOAD and come back to the savepoint. RESETTING is when they go back to the beginning, typically when the human first fell into the Underground.” Dream explained. Pieces were beginning to come together in Papyrus’s skull.

“SO WE CAN BRING THIS TIMELINE BACK TO BEFORE OTHER ME… LEFT.” Papyrus said, exited.

“Exactly!” Ink said, jumping up to sling his arm around the crouching skeleton.

“WHAT ABOUT ERROR?” Papyrus said, looking towards the skeleton, still glitch-ridden.

“Eh, he’ll be out for a while. We could take him with us for lunch though, he might like that!!” Ink rambled. “Do you have any chocolate?”

“I BELIEVE SO, WHY?”

“We are not bringing Error for lunch.” Dream said firmly, nervously glancing at Error. “Ink, please take him back to his anti-void.” Ink pouted before making another shortcut and dragging himself and Error through.

“MAYBE HE JUST NEEDS A FRIEND,” Papyrus said ponderingly. Dream barked a dry laugh.

“Ink’s his friend. If either of the idiots can remember it.” He said.

“THEN WHY DO THEY FIGHT? AND WHY CAN’T WE BRING HIM FOR LUNCH?” Papyrus said. If Error was a friend, then why did he act the way he did? Error needed to take some friendship classes.

“You know how Ink forgets everything if he isn’t looking right at it?” After Papyrus nodded, Dream continued. “Error’s the same way. He can even do it staring right at you.”

“I WONDER WHAT IT’S LIKE TO NOT REMEMBER YOUR LIFE.” Papyrus said.

“I don’t know, and honestly? I’m too concerned already to find out. Now, I’m going to RESET then teleport us straight to your place. Don’t worry, we’ll come out right outside of your door.” Dream said, closing his eyes in concentration. Papyrus refrained from saying anything in case he broke Dream’s concentration. A small blip, then two glowing buttons appeared in front of the human SOUL. One said LOAD and the other RESET. Dream brought a hand up and brushed a finger along RESET. A white flash, tinged with gold and red, then they were in Snowdin.

Snowdin looked just the same as he had left it. Nothing was changed, nothing at all. It didn’t feel different like that red timeline. It felt so bizarre, having just gone on this adventure, and home was the exact same. What was he going to tell Sans? The truth, obviously, but where to start? Papyrus’s fantastic mind had barely been able to keep up with it all. But it was lunch time. He could pause and think over lunch. Surely, nothing would happen over lunch.

“Come on, unless you’d like to eat elsewhere?” Dream asked. Papyrus straightened, realizing he was still crouched.

“NO, PLEASE! COME IN. I WAS SIMPLY ENJOYING BEING BACK AT MY FANTABULOUS HOME.” Papyrus said, striding forward to the door. He heard Dream mutter something to himself that sounded a bit like “is… real word?” before his boots thumped in the snow behind Papyrus. Papyrus swung open the door, ready for food (and his brother). Sans was, in fact, inside, and right in front of the door.

“hey bro,” Sans’s eye lights were out, which made Papyrus pause. Sans’s eye lights didn’t go out often.

“SANS, IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG?” Papyrus said, concerned.

“nah, nothin’. but uh, did ya’ know we got some visitors?” He said, turning his skull slightly to the couch that had a broom thrown behind it.

“AH, MY APOLOGIES DEAR BROTHER! THAT’S MY NEW FRIEND. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME WITH ME, BUT I GUESS HE GOT EXCITED.” Papyrus said.

“... friend? as in singular?” Sans said, his eye lights flickered back on, but he still looked concerned.

“WELL I HAVE A SECOND ONE HERE, SAY HELLO DREAM!! THIS IS MY BROTHER SANS.” Papyrus said, only after realizing Dream knew this.

“then uh, why’s he got a buddy?” Sans said, waddling towards the couch. Well, he was really walking, but Papyrus liked to call it waddling. He did look like a penguin. Papyrus followed, with Dream in tow, only to find that Error had been plopped on the couch with Ink.

“Heyyy buddy friend pal!” Ink said excitedly. “What’s for lunch?”

“I thought I was clear, Error is not having lunch with us.” Dream interrupted, stepping in front of Papyrus and his brother.

“Aww come on, why not??” Ink whined. Dream began lecturing him as Sans sidled up to Papyrus.

“hey bro, i’m glad you're making friends don’t get me wrong, but could ya’ have picked… better ones?” Sans said, raising an eyebrow bone (honestly I don’t feel like googling the terminology just shhhh).

“THESE REALLY ARE GOOD FRIENDS! WELL, ERROR ISN’T, BUT I’M SURE WE CAN HELP HIM!!” Papyrus said, trying to be reasonable and look at it from Sans’s perspective. “THEY’RE VERY IMPORTANT, I CAN EXPLAIN OVER LUNCH.”

“aight, guess that brings us back to lunch, huh? whatcha want? i can make it today, so you can keep hangin’ out with your buddies.” Sans said.

“MAC AND CHEESE, PERHAPS?” Papyrus offered. Sans nodded, and was beginning to walk into the kitchen when there was a shout.

“SQUIIIIIIIIID!!!” Error shouted, his voice escalating and glitching hard. Ink paused, looking at the mad skeleton.

“Uhh… yea?” He said, an eye light flipping pale green.

“Why the hell am I here?!?” Error said, glaring at his ‘friend.’ It did not look like they were friends.

“Oh- I thought you might like lunch!” Ink said cherrily, throwing his hands up.

“You are perfectly welcome to leave,” Dream said in a voice that would’ve been icy had it been used by anyone else. Dream himself was so warm though that it was impossible for his words to have the same edge.

“Fucking hell squid, how many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?!” Error growled, standing up. As much as he was pretending to not be listening to Dream, he seemed about to accept his offer.

“I HAVE CHOCOLATE.” Papyrus said, remembering what Ink had asked him. Error whipped around and stared straight at Papyrus, locking eye sockets. He glared for a moment, and Papyrus got worried that Ink had remembered something wrong (again). Then, Error sat back down.

“Fine, I guess I can stay for lunch.” He said, scoffing, pointedly not looking at Ink. Sans grabbed Papyrus’s arm, yanking him into the kitchen.

“papyrus, where did these guys come from?” Sans said, keeping his voice low enough that the others couldn’t hear.

“THAT’S… HARD TO ANSWER. ELSEWHERE, I SUPPOSE. MAYBE HERE. THEY ARE ABLE TO EXPLAIN BETTER.” Papyrus said. It felt like he was telling a lie, or avoiding the truth. Even though he just couldn’t find the right words. He hoped Dream would clear everything up. Sans just sighed.

“that’s aight. go back to the living room, i don’t want your glitchy buddy tearing up the couch,” Sans said. Seeing Papyrus’s look, he added, “i’ll get the chocolate for him, don’t worry. and i won’t burn anything.” Sans relaxed his expression, the previously strained smile looking a bit more natural. As Sans turned to the cupboards to search for food, Papyrus walked back out to the living room.

“MY CARING BROTHER IS TAKING CARE OF LUNCH, IT WILL HOPEFULLY BE READY SOON.” Papyrus said. Error scoffed again, turning to look at the door in what appeared to be longing. “ERROR, I DON’T BELIEVE I INTRODUCED MYSELF TO YOU EARLIER.”

“You did.” He said dryly.

“I- I DID? REALLY?” Papyrus said.

“I’ve got no clue if you did or didn’t, but I know who you are and I’m sure golden there told you who I am.” Without moving his head, Error drifted his eye lights back over to Papyrus. They were mismatched, Papyrus realized. Dream huffed.

“Don’t bother Paper. Error’s a prick.” Dream walked over to Ink, shoved him closer to Error, then sat down at the very edge of the couch.

“He’s not a prick per say…” Ink said in a wheedling voice.

“Sure, go ahead and talk about me as if I’m not in the room.” Error said, his eye lights gliding back to the door.

“I APOLOGIZE FRIEND. LOOK, I RECOGNISE THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF, BUT I WOULD.” Papyrus stuck out a hand. Error glared at it. “GREETINGS! I AM PAPER. I BELIEVE I’M FROM UNDERTALE.”

“I’m Error. I’m an outcode. Leave me alone.”

“I call Error’s AU Errortale!! There are others from his timeline out there I think…” Ink said, trailing off into thought that would surely be forgotten.

“They don’t fucking matter.” Error grumbled, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Would you lighten up on your language?!” Dream said, snapping a little. He had squeezed his eyes shut.

“Fuck shit damn,” Error said, and Papyrus could see a little smirk appear on his face. Error was proving to have… a difficult personality.

“keep the cuss words down in m’house please!” Sans called from the kitchen. Papyrus winced, realizing that this was Sans’s first impression of his new friends.

“HOW ABOUT THIS- DREAM AND I CAN FIND A BOARD GAME WE CAN PLAY WHILE WE WAIT FOR FOOD!” Papyrus threw a glance at Dream. His eye lights had reopened and he stood up. Error rolled his eye lights and Ink just looked passively happy. Papyrus walked behind the couch to a tired bookcase. It had puzzles, games, and cards that he and his brother played with when their free time lined up. Or when the snow outside was too much to go anywhere. While Papyrus and Dream pursued the games, Ink blathered to Error in the background.

“What about this one?” Dream said, pulling out a tan box titled “Munchkins” with cartoon humans on the front. Undyne had given it to him a few months ago, he and Sans had played it once.

“AH, ALRIGHT. FRIENDS! WE’RE PLAYING MUNCHKINS.” Papyrus said, walking back over to the couch and sitting down uncomfortable in front of the TV. Ink slipped to the ground happily, and Error made a big show of getting up and sitting back down, dragging a pillow Sans had left from the night before to the floor with him. Dream plopped down between Papyrus and Ink. It was game time, and Papyrus was ready to be competitive.

[foulserpent]

ned meets sheogorath (1836 words)

cw: suicide mentions

"HELLO Nedirael! Glad you could make it out here!" the voice boomed, familiar and all the more alien for it. 

Ned stood across the hall of a grand throne room, weary and bedraggled and half clad in a weak leather armor he’d found himself not needing. A great tree loomed in back, its leaves an autumnal blaze of reds and oranges that bathed the room alien sunlight. Two torches burned a bright icy blue and a pink to either side of the throne, setting the stained glass to either side into a dizzying array of sparkles far too overwhelming to see what they depicted. Everything seemed to bend inwards, space itself being pulled to a singularity at the center.

There sat Sheogorath.

They looked a lot like Xikeel, much as they did when they had appeared to Ned weeks before, almost a decade after he had last seen his friend alive. They were a brighter red and crowned with teal horns, with scales that reflected with iridescence in every color he could imagine and some beyond that. They wore a robe almost equal in vividness and fluttering ceaselessly. It hurt Ned's head to try and see where embroidered fabric ended and tiny, colorful butterflies began. 

Perhaps most striking of all was the beard. How the hell had she grown a beard?

"Hi, Xikeel." Ned said as he made his way down the aisle.

Sheogorath shifted in their seat, resting their hairy chin on three hands with an expression of exaggerated annoyance. Some butterflies swarmed upwards, before settling back into the shape their sleeve.

"Don't you know my name?" Sheogorath asked. "I didn't work so hard just for nasty little mammals to come in here and call me all manners of nonsense words."

The butterfly-robe scattered yet again, their little bodies intertwining and blending like paint on a brush to form another scaly arm. The daedra began to drum that hand onto the throne.

Ned grimaced. If there was any doubt that his old friend had really changed into something else, it was dead and buried.

"For fucks sake Xikeel," he said, ignoring the daedra's many eyes rolling. "I thought you were dead, I thought- I thought the Blades took you out, or you went off and, uh,"

"Tried the same thing you did? And did a better job at it?" Sheogorath grabbed the edge of thin air and lifted off of their throne. They made a great show of crossing their legs in midair, before slouching into another relaxed position. 

"No, no, no, your friend just got lost. Can't blame her. It's sooooo much nicer here than out there!" They punctuated by even more arms flinging themselves into existence in a gesture of pride, before dissipating into more fluttering insects.  

"So, what actually brings you here? Surely not just to stand around and gawk."

“I-” Ned started, but he was interrupted. 

"I hope you like my palace? And my realm? I changed things up around here. My saints really want to kill you, and most of the beasts here wanted to eat you or lay eggs in you, but I told them, 'no! This is a guest of honor!'"

The Golden Saints half hidden in the dizzying light of the room gave no acknowledgment, though they all stared down at him with unblinking needle-slit pupils. Ned continued to ignore them.

"Okay, so if you aren't Xikeel, then what makes me the goddamn ‘guest of honor’?" He asked.

"I mean, if you want my Saints to hunt you for sport I guess I'm open to-"

"No, no, I'm good." Ned interjected. “I’m just. What happened to you?”

“Nothing happened to me. Well, something did. Happens every thousand years or so, but I’m back to normal. I’m my own man. I’m brand new!” Sheogorath cheered, then lowered their head in seriousness. “And to answer your obvious question, your friend helped with that. So I returned the favor. Said goodbye for her. Like, ten or a hundred years or something late, but I did. Sorry, I forgot.” 

Ned felt his head start to ache. 

“I didn’t come all this way to listen to this, I mean holy fuck are you getting this?” He threw his arms out. “I thought you were dead.”

“Well, that’s kind of a you problem, isn’t it?” Sheogorath yawned.

Ned’s rubbed his face in exasperation, sucking air between his teeth.

"Xikeel... Can you please-" He paused, a stupid question forming in his throat. He already regretted it before it clumsily fell from his tongue. "Please just stop it?"

Sheogorath gave him a blank stare.

"Oh, okay!" The daedra said. 

With a puff of smoke, Xikeel stood before him. She was as he remembered, small and spindly, dull red and broken-horned. She wore the same cheap shirt and trousers as that final day. Everything was just as he'd last seen her, standing in the doorway ten years ago, saying "I'm going out" and getting only an "okay" in return, walking out of the door and out of his life and out from the world.

Ned froze at the sight of his friend. He could scarcely bring himself to breathe, feeling as if the very act would blow her away. She gave him a smile - just slightly parted teeth. Not an argonian smile, but one she would give to him, to Martin. A gesture that could soothe a mammalian friend more easily than the subtleties of argonian facial expression. She smiled under blank, golden eyes.

"Did you really think that would work?"

Ned went cold.

Xikeel's body twisted back into oblivion.  It stretched and lengthened until they were something like a dragon, long and blazing and too familiar. They danced in airborne circles around Ned, trailing sparks as they passed.

"Alright, here's one for you. Imagine you find the last surviving shard of your family, blackout drunk, drowning in a river!" They spat the words like venom.

Ned's stomach dropped even further.

"And you pull it out and pull the water from its lungs, and you say, 'Please don't go! I need you!'" They shrieked. A mockery of tears bubbled up from Sheogorath's many eyes as the daedra swam in dizzying loops around the man. "I need you so much! I can't do this alone, please!" They cried.

"And after all that, after everything, it does it again. And it punches your idiot face when you try to stop it!" Sheogorath spun one last loop, catching the tears in their cavernous mouth before swooping up towards the ceiling.

"I'm sorry." Ned said.

He had just wanted to die. He had enough of getting back onto his feet only to have everything he built be ripped out from under him again. He had been so tired of being kicked and beaten until he was reduced to some scarred thing that somehow hadn't yet learned not to rest its head in any open hands that were offered to it. He had only seen one way out. God, he didn't want to hurt her. 

Sheogorath now twisted in tight spirals, filled with some frenetic energy and half screaming.  "Yeah, that really is the kind of thing that changes a person! You're getting it now!"

"I'm sorry." Ned said. "I'm so sorry, Xikeel."

Sheogorath dropped like a shot bird, landing on four legs with a heavy thud. They crawled towards Ned with a terrible speed. The man flinched but did not move. The daedra loomed to their full height, sticking their whiskered snout into his face.

"Who are you apologizing to?"

Ned's face contorted with pain. Finally, a sob tore through his throat.

"Who are you apologizing to?!" Sheogorath roared, yellow eyes flashing like stars far beyond the border of their face. They cut golden fractals through his tears.

"Who are you apo-" Sheogorath was cut off as the man flailed, batting their face away. Ned stepped back, frame now wracked with sobs. He dragged in a shuddering breath, and screamed.

"Fucking STOP IT!"

The palace was silent. A heavy absence now choked out the air. Ned's shuddering gasps came to Sheogorath as if through water, a thick dark river their gills fluttered against in vain.

"Xikeel.. I know... I know..." Ned trailed off as he broke into sobs.

Sheogorath hadn't felt the man's touch. They weren't this body, they were the whole room. They were the whole city. They were the whole realm. The body was merely a face for it, cradled in the daedra's own churning belly. How had it felt the man's touch?

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

The daedra did not have tear ducts. Their eyes could hardly even be called eyes, really. They came and went as they pleased. 

"I'm sorry."

Sheogorath did not know if it was the man who now spoke, or their own. They didn't move closer. They just sat on the ground and bent their head.

Bridged in misery, the two rode out their sobs.

"This place isn't safe for you." Sheogorath finally said. Their voice came out a soft monotone. It was smaller now, too much of a fragile hollow-boned thing to come out of a god's mouth.

"I know, I know."

"People who come in here have a hard time getting out, sometimes."

Ned laughed. It caught in his throat and shuddered into another sob. "You think?" He asked.

Sheogorath slithered next to him. He didn’t look at them, far too occupied with wiping tears from his face, which fell in spite of his efforts. His wet face sparkled in the firelight, and he was smiling in a way hurt things do. Sheogorath took one last look, setting all these features to memory and holding them close.

Ned finally looked her in the eyes.

Without another word, Sheogorath opened their mouth and swallowed him. For just a split second, Ned saw an alien sky full of stars. He was a weightless mote, adrift in a sea that stretched shoreless long past any horizon. Wind whipped his sides, eroded him away to a core and back again.

Then, warmth. A sun that was not his sun caressed his skin yet again. He realized, with a start, that he'd been holding his breath.  

He opened his eyes.

Ned stood on the edge of the portal where he had come in just a day before. Brightly colored butterflies drifted around the edges, burning to sparks as they hit the barrier and flaring back into life as they bounced away. He was alone again. Unharmed and untouched, with eyes still burning with stars and tears. His breath came in shudders.  

He was facing the twisted reflection of his own world, far away beyond comprehension and close enough to touch. It was morning. There was the lake near Bravil, the treeline in the distance. He thought he even saw the dim outline of the tent Shap had pitched to wait for him.

The message was clear. It was whispered in the wind, punctuated in the beating of chitinous wings.

Go home.

"I’m sorry.” Ned whispered.

Go home.

[curedeity]

The Dragons Scale

Summary: (metal fury spoilers) Ryuga is dead, shouldn't Yu be sad?

He was going to smash the clock on his wall. Yu didn’t know why Tsubasa had gotten him one of those circle-clock things when digital clocks existed! All it did was tick-tick-tick annoyingly away and keep him awake.

    Well, that was a lie, it wasn’t the clock keeping him awake, but maybe if he threw it out the window he’d be able to sleep. All he’d need to do is launch Libra, just a teeny-eenie bit. But no, Tsubasa didn’t like it when Yu broke things around the house, so awake he’d remain, listening to that clock’s counting clicks. 

    He and Kenchi had called earlier that day for their weekly chat. Or was it yesterday? When the clock passed midnight was it earlier or yesterday? Time was confusing and Yu didn’t like it. It was supposed to make sense because it was linear, but it was too circular to be comprehensible.

    Yu also didn’t like the conversation he and Kenchi had. Not that he didn’t like talking to Kenchi, Yu loved talking with all his friends! They were all really annoying though with how rarely they answered, it was really rude that no one ever seemed to have time.

    Yu ignored his own tendency to forget phones existed.

    Kenchi and him had been laughing over training methods. Tsubasa was such a pain-in-the-ass about having to train the proper and uptight way. He was all about movement and grace and doing perfect launches a hundred times. Yu tended to pour water on his head and then run away giggling as he was chased down by an angry Eagle.

    Kenchi had complained about how Hyoma’s training seemed to amount to taking him out into the forest and seeing what happened. Yu got the feeling that if he and Kenchi switched mentors, they’d both have better times, Yu liked just exploring!

    Then Kenchi had started comparing it to Ryuga’s training method, and Yu had ended the call shortly thereafter.

    Ryuga…

    The name still sent shivers up his spine, very annoying because Ryuga was dead-in-a-ditch and there was nothing to be scared of, except maybe the concept of death but that wasn’t very creepy, just kinda boring. And shouldn’t Yu be sad, like everyone else was when Ryuga was mentioned?

    With a sigh, Yu pushed himself out of bed and softened the squeak of his socks against the wooden surface as he tippy-toed out of his room. Of course, Yu wasn’t supposed to leave the house in the middle of the night, but Tsubasa wasn’t the boss of him, and they’d agreed that leaving a note worked well enough.

    So Yu scratched some meaningless words against a post-it note, and wandered out of the house.

    It was a nice night outside, Yu supposed. If he looked up he could probably spend the rest of the night-morning connecting constellations, and falling asleep outside sounded like a nice idea.

    But his skin was still crawling, and his brain was too full of thoughts of Ryuga leaving and Ryuga hurting them and then Ryuga dying to really care about some stupid tiny stars right now.

    Yu brought out his phone and dialed it the number of the one person who seemed still more fearful of Ryuga than himself: Hippity-Hop.

    She arrived at the house half an hour later, wearing sweats instead of the fancy outfit she had while working. That was nice, because when she wasn’t wearing her fancy clothes she was much more willing to play with him. He hadn’t brought out anything to play with though, except Libra, and Hippity-Hop didn’t seem to be in the mood to battle. She rarely was.

    Yu skipped ahead, stopping every block to let her catch up. Because she was slow there wasn’t really much time to talk, unless they wanted to be calling out to each other, so Yu let the chirping crickets crackle through the air.

    The burger place they arrived at was completely empty, floors shining from a recent cleaning and tired employee glaring. They got their soda-pop and food and sat down at a booth, far away from the only pair of prying ears.

    Yu liked the sugary-sweet rush of soda-pop. Tsubasa didn’t let him have a lot because water was better for their health or something, so Yu had to go out to get his own most of the time. At least he had his own money he could spend on whatever he wanted, instead of having to ask Tsubasa like he’d had to ask Doji-

    He slurped on the liquid sugar drink he’d gotten, coughing at the fizz.

    “So, Ryuga,” Hippity-Hop began, swirling her straw in her drink. It wasn’t as interesting as doing it with coffee. When she drew stuff in coffee, the swirls would remain for a while, and Yu loved watching that. Soda-pop was much more boring in that singular way.

    Yu hummed, swinging his legs back-and-forth, back-and-forth. “So, Ryuga,” he echoed.

    Hippity-Hop sipped her drink, a long pause stretching out between them, before she lightly slammed the soda-pop back down on the table. “He’s a bitch.”

    Yu cackled, laughing as he fell over in the booth. Sure, her voice had trembled when she’d brought up his name, and he’d seen the breath she’d needed to take. But it was a relief to hear someone just say that.

    And it was a tragedy, because Yu didn’t know which way to feel about him.

    “He’s a bitch who didn’t deserve to die because he was just a used kid, but a bitch is a bitch nonetheless,” Hippity-Hop nodded sagely. It wasn’t often she swore around Yu, having prescribed to Madoka’s ideals that Yu was too young to know the fuck words, but this was the singular subject he could always draw profanity out of her with.

    “The others don’t really talk about him to you, do they?” Yu asked, poking his straw at her.

    “Not really,” Hippity-Hop shrugged, fully aware of the reasons why. They both were, he’d called her for this conversation after all. “Sometimes Kyoya, Tsubasa and I gather up and discuss him, but then I kinda end up wanting to punch them sometimes.”

    “I want to punch Kenchi when he brings up Ryuga sometimes, which isn’t really fair because he’s really sad when he brings it up and I don’t want to make Kenchi sadder,” Yu nodded in understanding, bobbing his head up and down very grown-up like.

    “Truly, the struggles of all of us having valid viewpoints and trauma of the man,” Hippity-Hop slurped her soda-pop.

    “I just don’t want him to talk about Ryuga to me sometimes!” Yu threw his hands up in the air. “He and everyone else are always so sad when they talk about Ryuga, and then I have to be sad when I don’t feel sad sometimes, just angry!” 

    Hippity-Hop hummed. “Maybe you ought to tell them.” It was her turn to point the straw at Yu.

    Yu pouted at her, “But they are really sad and I’m supposed to be there for Kenchi, right-”

    Hippity-Hop cut him off. “Nope, no. Yu, you’re like 5-” Yu squealed at that, ready to tackle her for that comment. “-you have no obligation to be able to deal with anyone’s feelings. Especially because of your own experience with Ryuga. The reason no one talks about him with me like that is because they all know I can’t handle it sometimes, because, for better or for worse,” Hikaru’s face twisted into something indescribable, conflicted. “My trauma over Ryuga’s actions was incredibly fucking obvious to absolutely everyone. What most likely happened is that everyone forgot how complicated your feelings about him were. You just gotta remind them.”

    Yu took the first bite of his burger. It had pickles in it. He picked them out slowly. He didn’t look at Hippity-Hop.

    “I want to be sad,” he whispered, and was this ok? Was this okay to tell her? He shouldn’t be discussing this in the first place with her, even though she was the most understanding maybe what he wanted is what he should offer her-

    “Yeah, I want to be sad too,” Hippity-Hop sighed, and dug into her own burger.

    In the morning, Yu would talk to Tsubasa and try to figure out why he was still so scared and sad and angry at Ryuga. Tomorrow, he would call Kenchi and explain that he couldn’t talk about Ryuga, not yet. Tomorrow, Tsubasa and Mr. Phoenix would once again put a list of therapists in front of Yu. 

    Tonight, he and Hikaru ate terrible burgers and insulted a man neither wanted to be dead. Sibling bonding.

[popculturebuffet]

Close Enough Season 2 Review! or Josh Murders About 10 People

It's been hard to put into words just how wonderful a surprise this season getting released this month was. For starters before JG Quintel announced it last year shortly after season 1, I honestly was convinced season 2 wasn't happened. Do NOT get me wrong, Season 1 of Close Enough was one of the best parts of last year: It was funny, had a lot of heart, a great voice cast, and a great cast of characters that was throughly likeable and broke sitcom stereotypes, having a doofy husband and more straight laced wife with layers who clearly love and respect each other and BOTH can be prone to taking things too far instead of JUST Josh screwing up. Add in two great fellow leads Bridgette and Alex played by two of my faviorite va's, Kimiko Glen and Jason Mantzokus, whose name I finally learned how to spell, an adorable daughter and neat but out of focus neighbors and supors pearle and randy, and the show was just damn near perfect and felt like an improvement on regular show, taking the same humor and animation style but to an older cast and audience with more nuanced and likeable characters, and far more character development per episode. I wanted to see where the show would go.. but I was convinced given the show was leftover inventory from an animation block that never happened held over to give HBO Max some content it'd be canceled after one season, because I can't have nice things. But....

And very happily so: JG Quintel revealed the show had been picked up for season 2 not long after season 1 dropped, having listned to fans. As it turns out though they hadn't.. they just had a ton of faith in the show as I got ANOTHER bombshell earlier this month. While the show had showed up on the schedule for this month late in January, with no release date on said schedule, I wasn't 100% sure the show was coming back this month or that it wasn't just an error. But once again, I was wrong, it was earth all along, and they merely saved it for the press release for their adult animation lineup: alongside the huge and welcome bombshell they were the ones picking up the Clone High reboot and for two seasons, Close enough not only got two more seasons publicly announced, but fimrly revealed season 2 launched February 25th. LIke they likely had with infinity train the show was quitely picked up for another season, and they simply waited to announce it till the right time. Though unlike infinity train, they had faith in it to become a big hit and while they SHOULD HAVE with infinity train and should've accepted it was already a big hit simply not with the target demographic, it's still nice to see that after all it went through Close Enough not only got renewed but is now the network's flagship adult animated show, closely tied with harley quinn, and will likely go on as long as it wants to.

So naturally given I reviewed all of season 1 in the hopes i'td get renewed, I was happy to make room for season 2 and continue covering it and over the moon it was happening so soon. However I'm doing things diffrently this time: instead of flooding the tag with individual longform reviews, i'm reviewing the season all one go, to see if this format could work for me as I have tons of other shows i'd love to cover in this format that are either heavily comedic like say the Great North, regular show or the simpsons and thus dont' lend themselves to riffing as much and leave me less to do per episode, or more seralized shows like she ra or ones that are entirely complete like Steven Universe or Gravity falls that I could cover alone but this format could help expidite covering. Gravity Falls is also one of my patreon stretch goals if your instrested as is a whole lot of ducktales stuff, link on my blog. It also works with my much larger workload with a much tighter schedule, 6 reviews a week with a flex day in case I get behind so everything comes out as good as it posisbly can be, versus my original method of...

TLDR: One big post with smaller reviews each episode and an overall coverage of what changed this season and how good it is as a whole. We good? Good, then join me under the cut for some delightful sentient presents, couch ghosts, and jim fucking crunch as we get close enough to the heart.

I will never get tired of that image. I want it blown up and put on a banner at my funeral. But death plans aside let's get into the season

Slight Tweaks to a Great Formula: Given it's slice of life format based largely around likeable multi layered characters in comedic absurdity, not a lot has changed nor did it need to. What has are just simple tweaks to make things even better. For starters a natural result of getting to the episodes now produced directly for the 11 minute format means the pacing is much focused, subbing in full subplots for the occasional runner instead, and often only using what characters the episode needs. It will use the main five often, but the lack of subplots for the most part allows stronger focus on one or two characters to give the stories added weight and nuance and often laughs. While i'll always love season 1, this allows for much tighter stories and allows for everyone to get some major screen time instead of mostly Josh and Emily in season 1. It does mean we sadly get less of my boy Alex per episode but it's a sacrifice i'm willing to make if it means the show can grow and take more risks and evolve naturally. Though the former probably wasn't help by two of his three episodes being kinda weak, but i'll get to that.

The other noticeable change is Pearle and Randy. While they were promoted as main characters, even getting profiles along with the rest, they were in practice recurring characters in season 1, showing up pretty frequently but with only one starring episode for Randy and none for Pearle. And givne Pearle has an interesting backstory as a cop who likely had to put up with a LOT being a black woman officer, as well as raising a white redneck, while also being hilarious and having a fun energy to her, I felt they kinda wasted her in season 1.

Here though? Both have been bumped up to main cast proper, getting two focus episodes a piece (compared to the other main adults each getting three, some of those shared, and Candace getting one, hopefully more in the future as it was really good, along with, to my delight, mr.cambell also getting one), appearing far more in supporting roles and generally showing up with the main group a lot more. They still don't hang out with our loveable family all the time, but it makes sense as they have their own apartment and stuff to deal with, but it feels far more like their part of the main group. The show always treated them like this mine, but showing up more makes their friendships with their tenants feel more genuine, as it feels like their part of their lives more, whlie having their own to deal with we get to see now.

So while the series didn't change much, as I said it didn't need to and all of this is stuff is the kind of thing I wanted, especially Pearle getting a larger role and Randy being fleshed out from a dollar store version of muscle man into his own similar but difference character, and i'm happy to have it. So now i've talked about how the seasons' changed, let's talk about the episodes themselves. Grab a snack this is going to take a bit.

The Episodes!:

Josh Gets Shredded: 

Our premier and honestly it's a solid one with a singular premise on poking fun at gym culture, though in a nice twist Jim Crunch, the guy who runs the Gym Josh ends up going to to strengthen his core to play with Candace and whose voiced wonderfully by Kevin Michael Richardson is a genuinely good guy and there's no horrifying twist with him. He just wants Josh to get ripped and dosen't know his training is keeping josh from candace. IT's a simple setup of a father doing something for his daughter but getting distracted by it and while not new it works well here and we get plenty of fun gym jokes, including an exchange from Jim and Josh when Josh wants to become an "absolute unit", which in this case ends up meaning turning into the hulk but with the glowing firey eyes of an angry god, feels like it came straight out of the hockey bros from letterkenny, which is a good feeling to have. There's also a nice setup with Candace wanting to play king kong with Josh due to seeing it in class (Specially the Peter Jackson remake, also Candace knows who jack black is which I buy because of who her daddy is. I wouldn’t be surprised if Josh had Saving Silverman on a loop for several days until emily threw it out the window like a frisbee. ), which kicks off the whole thing.. and ends with ultra instinct hulk josh taking her to the top of a building and swatting away helicopters. It’s more of an average episode for the series and the runner about Emily being REALLY hot for buff josh comes off as a weaker version of the plot from family guy where Lois likes a thinner peter, apart from one inspired bit where in order to talk to him about candace without getting distracted, Emily pours an entire bag of ice down her pants.. and subtly after Josh talks about becoming an absolute unit, it’s gone nad rather than animation I like to believe it melted. Still a decent start to a great season. 

Meet the Frackers: A Randy Spotlight episode and unlike his season one episode rather than be a subplot in another episode it’s a full episode about him. And the starting incident is great as the gang gets their ancestry results back from costco, with Emily and Bridgette having ancestors in Guadalajara and Kiyoto.. and Josh being white (”Can you believe it?”). Alex coming from a long line of creeps is also pretty funny, those are his actual results by the way. 

But what the episodes truly about is Randy finding out his parents are alive in Malibu after Pearle claimed they were dead when he was a kid. She had a very good reason though: Randy’s parents were serial gas thieves, and Pearle nearly caught them one night with the two chucking him at her to escape. And to her credit Pearle TRIED to reach out to them once they ended up in jail for their crimes.. but they again chucked him at her which is hilarious. She simply didn’t want him to feel abandoned. He instead feels betrayed. 

His parents are hilariously white trash and played by two faviorite va’s of mine, David Kochner and Wendy Malick, who i’m happy is finally playing a lead roll on Owl House. They drink redneck maragretihas and eat mcribs (As Randy puts it “God’s favorite sandwich!”) every day and still steal gas, just legally now as frackers. Naturally though the two are still assholes and soon use a carnival as a cover to illegally frack and it’s up to Randy an dhis real mom to stop them> It’s a touching story with Randy genuinely wanting to hlep his mom, though I feel it would’ve been more interesting if Randy’s parents hadn’t been scum an dhe had to genuinely deal with having three parents now. Still it was worth it for some great lines from Malick and Kochner , so it works. Decent ep. 

Sauceface: Now we come to both one of the best eps of the season, and the series so far, and one of it’s most unique as it stars Candace and dosen’t feature the other main cast hardly at all, only Emily who kicks things off by, in a great bit, breaking Candace’s illusion their rich as “they live in a castle with alex and bridgette”, with her slowly realizing “Were poor”. Which is just a very kid thing to think that your parents are rich when they very much aren’t. 

But the episode really is a crime boss parody story, as the title would imply as Candace and her best friend start selling hot sauce, which is banned from the school due to it’s political correctness having gone mad and it being offensive to “sensitive palates” (They’ve also banned general tso’s chicken for mitlarialism and everything bagels for being “too much”). This leads where you’d expect: Candace getting drunk with power and forgetting why theys tarted, wet willies, and an art room brawl, all leading to candace’s friend getting pinched and candace having to use the money to buy Mr. Cambell a pelaton to get him off their backs, which leads to this lovely exchange “YOur letting them off just because they bought you a present?” “This is a 2000 dollar bike”. We also get the subtle reveal Mr. Cambell is gay which given how straight the main cast is, is nice.  But this was a great one with too many good gags to mention, a great setup, a great rolling stones song played during the montage I do not know the name of, and I hope we get other candace advnetures at her school in the future, because this was a real delight. Again one of the best episodes of the season. 

The House Guest From Hell: Speaking of best episodes, this is probably the best pairing of episodes yet, as both are standouts of the season. 

Emily’s old friend Becca drops back into her life, to everyone’s annoyance as Becca is an utter leech who constantly take advantage of Emily’s lack of boundaries with her to constantly talk about whatever drama she’s wrapped herself in and mooch off her. Josh and Bridgette want her to set firm boundaries, but Emily fails to and instead only gets Becca to set boundaries with her boyfriend.. which leads to her moving into the apartment temporarily, and annoying the hell out of everyone. Becca is a great character, being that asshole in the most over the top and annoying way possible, to the point she takes alex’s room, watches tv on a loop and doesn’t seem to realize Emily is married (Despite being part of her bridal party), or that candace is Emily’s daughter and not a tiny butler (Which Candace assumes is a game. )

Naturally for this show things escalate hilariously as Emily finds out she’s pregnant when she tries to throw her out and the pregnancy is escalated.. and we soon find out it’s because the pregnancy is demonic: She has Hecate as her dula (And Alex naturally asks if she’s single, get it guy get it), needs goats hoves, locusts and the blood of the innocent (Which is the only item that trips josh up who hopes they can get it at costco, which made me have to pause as I could not stop laughing). This would be funny enough. .but what takes it into making this episode a classic is when Emily tricks her boyfriend Luke over he’s unsurprisingly a devil.. but also a hilariously over the top douchebag dudebro played by Beck  Bennet, who it’s not only nice to see outside of ducktales, but is also just totally game. Luke is so odious it wraps around to being funny, to the point he unsurprisingly hits on Bridgette while his girlfriend is in labor, messily makes out with her and they try to move in, though thankfully Emily cathartically screams Becca out midbirth. Also they end up going to hell, with Luke getting there by doing donuts. Yes really. This episode is a treasure and does the series schitck of taking a relatable problem and escalating it to perfection. 

Joint Break:

Another unsurprisingly good one, as Pearle deals with the fact that despite her decades of service, the force’s health plan doesn’t cover her needed hip surgery after she slides over a car wrong (Which also leads to a great riff on the old csi Miami parody). She then finds herself between her oath as an officer and her needs for help as she befriends a gang of saucy old women at water aerobics who are also bank robbers and want to cut her in. And they provide a tempting offer, getting what their owed and ti feels like a genuine dilemma, even if Pearle ends up siding with the police, not that she should. It’s also full of great bits of the old lady gang weaponizing stereotypes about old people, with the three of them dawning classic old lady getups to fool an officer, and having one of them i a walker slowly cross the street to stop an armored truck. Fun stuff helped by their leader being voiced by Jane Lynch, continuing this season’s red hot guest star streak, not that the series has ever been light on them (They got David Hasselhoff and weird al in season 1, so yeah), but this season ramps up the good guest voices to the point there’s one per episode almost. 

Cyber Matrix: This one’s okay though the setup is good. Unsurprisingly given both his dale gribble-esque penchant for conspiracies and his hipster holier than thou ways, Alex has never had a smart phone, and has a very old flip hone that’s horrifc to look at and naturally gets destroyed, leading to him getting addicted to the thing.. and this being the show it is fusing with it. What makes this one is the climax, as the rest of the main group scramble to take out the cell tower so Alex’s phone doesn’t upload him to the cloud while Josha nd Alex open everything they can to slow her down. The result is the phone hacking Emily’s and ordering packages, task rabbits to punch her inthe face (With randy taking it so they can go) and outright hijacking a car in a clever chase. The ending though does sink this as suddenly their in veirutal reality again and it just feels weird given the series, while not really using continuity much so far, dosne’t have negavite continuity punch out endings outside of this one ep and I hope this dosen’t happen again. Otheriwse a decent one if sadly not one of Alex’s best and he equally sadly onlyg ets one truly great episode this season, compared to having a good chunk of the best plots last season. Still you can’t win em all and i’m sure my boy will return to form and said great episode, which we’ll get to soon, certainly shows they didn’t loose their touch. They just fumbled a bit and that’s okay. 

Haunted Couch: Balancing that out is the fact that Bridgette, who didn’t get nearly as many good eps as Alex or as much focus as the rest, gets some great episodes this season with this one being my out and out favorite as it fleshes her out more and has some really great gags. Josh brings in a street couch (And he and Emily’s argument over it is great including him using the fact she forced them to get a savings account as leverage somehow), just as Bridgette is in emotional turmoil over her latest boyfriend suddenly ghosting her. 

Naturally she ends up falling for a REAL ghost, a french couch designer who had a habit of cheating on his lovers, died for it by one of their hands, and his soul ended up bound to the couch. Naturally hea nd Bridgette hit it off and we get a LOT of good stuff in a montage as the two take the couch everywhere, and her friends, minus Alex who surprisingly rather than being jealous, simply dosen’t like the fact there’s a ghost in the house technically haunting them which surprisingly goes nowhere, are happy for her and like him after the initial shock wears off, though Josh still wants to sit on the couch. He and Bridgette even have really good sex using Randy’s body, with him being a willing vesel for Marcus. And i’d just like to point out that an intensely weird comedy show that also has a sentient present, bob vila with saw hands, and dude bro satan in this very season, 2/3 of those to come.. STILL did this better than wonder woman 87, as they actually asked someone to let the ghost of the couple use his body so they could fuck, and he gave full consent to it. And no I sitll haven’t let that go, it was a very bad plotline with nightmarish implications and the fact close enough did it better in a joke, they also have the song from ghost in the background by the by, than a big budget movie from the same company, is a really large bilboard saying:

But while the episode was thoroughly interesting and funny.. it’s what happens next that makes it one of the series best. While the series is amazing at comedy, it’s the character growth slid in between it that makes it so awesome and this episode is a great example. Bridgette turns cold towards Marcus as it’s clear he’s serious, and he’s even moved a tooth brush in. She gets more and more hostile until eventually Marcus calls her on it, and prevents her from leaving with a vortex of furniture.. which could’ve gone bad very quick but instead just means she has to face him.. and is hit with a rather painful relization when he asks “Do you what me to, how you say, ghost you?” (She explained the concept earlier). She says no.. but quickly a series of flashbacks puts the previous breakup in context as the guy she was seeing asked to leave a toothbrush, a  simple escalation and she got real nasty real quick without saying what the problem was. We see more of this with a previous boyfriend and hilaroiusly one before that guy who not only had a toothbrush in a ringbox but was also in a hot air ballon she casually cuts the anchors too and has float away. Which does mean Bridgette probably killed a man but that’s one compared to josh’s 10 this season. Yes, 10. We’ll get to that. 

Point is she realizes “oh shit i’m the dick”, and has a genuine talk with Marcus, realizing why: “You know how women feign being submissive because society’s taught them to so they don’t get raped or murdered or kidnapped?” “Oui”, best bit of the episode and damn if it ain’t horribly true. But due to tha Bridgette simply got terrible quick to scare guys off when she really just wanted to break it off instead of take things further and breaks it off with marcus.. and is surprised and relieved when he doesn’t want a big fight and takes it acceptably, Marcus having grown from his past of being a women using cad and genuinely wanting to treat them better. For once Bridget gets to have an emotionally mature breakup with someone, and while you could say her relationship with alex is like that, it’s very clear from an upcoming episode it wasn’t a very clean break at first and while their amicable now their marriage was a hot volcano of arguments. This allos Marcus to pass.. if also destroying the couch to Josh’s misery. An instant classic and one of the season’s highlights and one that really fleshes Bridgette out a bit by giving another reason for her relationships not working besides alex that fits the character perfectly and has her grow from it. 

Also just a quick sidenote, this episode vaguely reminded me of the Nightmare Time, theater troupe team starkid’s zoomcast I highly recommend set in their hatchetfield multiverse, episode “Jane’s a Car” , which is about a man’s wife possessing his car and also involves an object. Both are very diffrent mind you, Jane’s a Car ends up way more depressing, but its’ stil la story involving ghost fucking though Bridgette found a vesel instead of straight up fucking a couch the way tom went to town on that car. It also involves the lead’s perosnal issues, if far more severe in Jane’s a Car’s case, reflected by their relationship with a ghost. I mean it is a stretch but these are the weird connectoins my brain makes and I mostly bring it up because an  upcoming episode in the season goes from kind of similar but only to me to very similar, and a very fun concidence that these two episodes existed in the same year, especially since this happened last year with this show and Ducktales. But first josh doing a murder on some people. 

Man Up:

Okay for starters the title man up reminds me of this short lived abc sitcom I never saw but given it was about three guys tapping into their “inner man” it sounds like aresnic somehow took the sentient form of a tv show. This actual poster for it not only proves the point but why it lasted one season if not why the hell I remembered this existed at all despite never seeing it, not recognizing anyone in it and not wanting anything to do with it. 

Given I have 8 more episodes to go after this one, I do not have time to disect all the way that poster is a waking nightmare, though i’d love to, and instead i’m going to talk abotu the episode itself. The intro is funny enough, with the Ramierz-Singletons going to a bank for Candace’s first bank account, the Bank of Hollywood. An alien seemingly attacks, it turns out to be a promotional stunt with high budget effects a great gag in of itself, but Josh runs out on his family.  Naturally he’s horribly rattled by this, and wants to be a better dad, a John McClane type. So two things: I now want a crossover with this show and brooklyn nine nine along with the hatchefield one in my head and the regular show one most fans want. And the second is that John wasn’t the best dad or husband, and both the original film, the sequel josh saw, and the fourth film all spell this out. The fifth does too but I feel if I wish hard enough a good day to die hard will just spontaneously cease to exist and we’ll all be happier that way. 

So Pearle agrees to help him, and we get a fun training montage, with Josh protecting a candace made of eggs Alex made, because of course he did, and an emily made of the same because of course he did, and get punched in the junk by randy in a dog costume, as you do. He actually feels tough and is ready for phase 2, pearle hitting him with something unexpectdly.

Instead what he thinks is Phase 2 is actually a die hard style hyjacking of Emily’s company christmas party, which josh misses due to being in the bathroom after panickily running into corn. As a result.. we get josh killing about 8-10 people not realizing it’s not a simulation but not really caring about that part when it’s revealed. Which granted it is in self defense but he still kills a LOT of people this episode, and I will be forever haunted by the fact that stringbean can REALLY do some murders. Seriously who knew JOSH had it in him. That is terrifying to comprehend. Naturally after he john mclanes his way up, he finds out it wasn’t a simulation panics but instead of running away runs the hans gruber knockoff, whose sadly not very entertaining out of the building and onto some exploding corn, saving the day, earning his family’s respect and cemnting himself as a badass. The reveal of what the text actually was is just.. perfect as it’s just a bat on a string with Alex saying “he’s totally going to shit”. The perfect capper to good ep only hampred by hans being really weak.. seriously he just has a weird sentence sturcture tha’ts hte joke. They can do better. Otherwise a good die hard parody. John would be proud. 

Handy:

Another decent one not a standout but it has a truly astounding bit. Randy finds out, after going to Guy Fieri’s flavor diaster for Pearle, that she hired another handyman and he’s not good at his job as as he puts it “I’m going to do what troubled young men have done for years : i’m going to sea!”. Which is funny enough but leads to him stranded on a desert island, hallucinating and then meeting his idols in handy manning who may or may not be hallucinations: Bob Vila, The Ikea Mascot (Who speaks only in pictures and is a fun gag despite never having seen him before this episode) and my favorite tim the tool man taylor, whose tie is constantly pointed up for some reason and who amazingly only speaks in grunts. I didn’t know I needed this so thank you close enough. We also get the three helping with bob turning his hands into buzzsaws, ikea man creating nails and screws and Tim using his head as a tool. All accurate to their original shows and in ikea man’s case brocures. Really good adaptation. But through this he discovers the clog the guy is trying to fix at the house is loadbearing and rushes home to save the house, leading to a fun actoin scene and a weird version of the celebration from the end of return of the jedi, complete with force ghosts. So we also get a tim taylor force ghost which I did not know I needed and as much as that show makes my stomach churn I badly hope shows up in the finale of last man standing. A decent one and givne how I keep sayin ga decent episode over and over you can kinda see why I didn’t review all these. LIke season 1 I simply don’t have a full review in me for every single one of these episodes. We’re now at the halfway mark, only 8 more to go, I envy the dead, let’s do this. 

Birthdaze: This was the episode most heavily promoted in the trailer and for good reason as it’s the best of the season. Also relatable as while not having kids I do get how Kids Birthday parties feel and how they often end up weirdly close together. In this case both coalse as Josh and Emily have three birthdays in one weekend, their friends Emily’s friend Trish from “Cool Moms”, who is so far some of the only continuity the series has, but a nice sign it has it, and that we could see Jim Crunch (who rose from the grave after an utterly wonderful funeral) or Dog Boy again. Or this episode’s standout gifty. But we’ll get to that in a second.  So Josh and Emily well intentiondly decide to throw a party for the parents at the same time as Candace’s.. but end up neglecting Candace. While their idea is good, to reward the other parents for having to sit through so many parties, putting it at the same time was a horrible idea as giving a bunch of pent up people with low alcohol tolerance booze ends up resulting in drunken antics and them heckling the magicain... and given the world we’re in, that’s a horrible mistake as he makes the children disappear to a world of perptual brithday parties and forces JOsh and Emily to follow him if they want their child back.  What results is an utter delightly as we meet the wonderful and incomprable Gifty, a giant living present who works iwth the magician, named sardini, and is voiced by Kate Miccuci, heart eyes> Just.. evey bit with gifty is great, from her genuinely being animated and looking like a muppet, to her casually going demonic to explain if the kids stay too long they forget parents, to as seen up top playing a pipe organ that is apparently made of gold plated clown bones, and her best bit, which I posted on this very blog, where she assures the trapped kids if JOsh and Emily fail their final test, they’ll get to live of nutricious necco wafers before vomiting a giant cloud of them at the poor children. Those things are gross and we now knwo it’s because they come from a giant present’s stomach. 

We get a great montage before most of that of our heroes treking through a weird and awesome birthday landscape with too many good parts to mentoin, before finding Sardini who puts them through tests before they can get candace back.. and one of those are you human image tests via the ball from phantasm. As gifty puts it “We have to make sure your not a bot”. But the tests, about candaces faviorite things, help the two realize she liked them because they did it together, and a final talk with candace, as the final test has her ask why theyd idn’t want to spend time with her, with the two warmly apologizing and explaning why they did it but that they went too far. Candace reconclies with her parent,s the kids and our heroes go home, and Sardini finds himself sad no one stayed.. but at least he has gifty... and then start making love to her “Unwrap me!” which is far and away the best gag in the season’s best episode by a mile. 

Time Hooch:

Now to talk about two things I hinted at earlier: The only good Alex episode this season and the one that vaugely resembles one of the Nightmare Time episodes. And while their two very diffrent stories with very diffrent outcomes and only one of them involves this guy

And suprisingly it’s NOT close enough that has the eldtrich horrifying goat monster with a goofy cartoon voice who says things like “I’m coming for your ass Teddy Bear!” But both are stories about a sketchy (mildly for alex, entirely for Ted) middle aged man who feels one moment is where his life went wrong then accidently time travels after drinking 80 tons of liquor and decides to use said time travel to save a relationship, and fails at it in some fashion.  There’s even a jaunt to a distopian future with robots and cyborgs. So while it’s not 1:1, alex is far more sympathetic than Ted, Time Bastard is dark horror comedy, and it again dosen’t involve a horrifying goat man suprisingly enough, it’s till way too many happy coincidences for me to outright ignore. Also check out nightmare time and especially the musicals it spun off from The Guy Who Didn’t LIke Musicals and Black Friday. It’s good stuff. But I couldn’t help but make the comparison, or now imagine Alex, Ted and Professor Hidgens as some weird diasterious power trio. This is how my brain works now. 

But to the episode itself it’s just great from start to finish: Bridgette finds out while rumaging for an old photo in an old box of their stuff that Alex never signed the divorce papers. Turns out he was hoping they’d get back together.. and while not doing it and not telling her was a VERY selfish and horrible action.. you still sympathize with him. He hoped things would work out and they’d get back together, and given they had some close calls with that in season 1, to the point I shipped them, you can see where his sprig of hope came from. But with this he’s realized there probably isn’t any hope and drinks some old moonshine he and Josh made in college.  Said moonshine was from a recipie in an old blues record, the titular time hooch that true to form, allows them to travel back in time. And since he was thinking of when he thought the relationship truly hit it’s breakig point, when Bridgette at a sandwitch of his and he’d said in the heat of it he wished he’d never met her, they end up there and Alex tries to use it to help. Also Jason’s delivery of Alex saying what the recipie was “rye, barely, a dead man’s pocket watch, mixed under a full moon (Laughs) okay we probably should’ve seen this coming.  

Naturally here’s where it really gets intresting. As you’d probably guess, our heroes are the ones who made the sandwitch disappear and in desperation, alex kidnaps his past self before he can say the fatal words> We also get another spectacular bit where all past alex needs from alex to know he’s really him from the future is what year he was born (1982), meaning he’s defintely older than the rest of the cast. Though I wouldn’t be suprised if he was held back.. like at all. Look i’m not thinking too hard into it this is also a story about whiskey based time travel. 

But with that said intresting part takes hold as Josh’s past self reminds him of another fight that made things tense for a while.. and you can see where this goes. Alex keeps going back, and back, and back and back and back and back and back... and back, to try and stop the one fight, only to find a bigger one, leading to a montage.. to the point he ends up at the start of the relationship, the day they met at a college bar. The younger Alex’s have decided screw it it was always wrong, let’s end the relationship. 

We also get more of Alex’s backstory as it turns out he’s at a community college rather than UCLA, where he used to teach because of his own dumb actions: He met bridgette, let her enroll in his class and didn’t try to convince her to take another one. Don’t get me wrong the decade age gap and power dynamics are iffy.. but it’s not as bad as it could be. They met before the class, and it comes off more as both being too stupid or too horny to realize how her being in his class came off before it was too late. She got with him entirely on his merits, and yes he has some trust me.  Case in point.. Alex realizes a few things. The first is that no amount of time travel can save his relationship. They fought all the time clearly, and there were inherent problems. It’s also clear just from the series itself that while they have chemistry their just not that compatible as people. Bridgette is obessed with image, social media, and herself while Alex just two episodes ago called phones the downfall of society and likes feeling superior to the exact kind of person bridgette is. They have chemistry but sometimes it’s jut not enough. You have to have some common ground or your going to fall in a big hole. It’s honestly feels like a much more tolerable and realistic version of Leonard and Penny from the Big Bang Theory. And yes I know that show’s not the most popular with my core audience, nerds, and I bring it up because mom’s been watching it a lately, and any time I see Leonard and Penny on screen it annoys me into a tizzy as the two just have NO REASON to be together other than boning, and even then he’s apparently not a good partner so why then. They have nothing in common and she mocks and belittles him all the fucking time, mocking his hobbies, finding his job boring, and mocking him as a person. And not sharing hobbies or finding his job intresting would be fine, and still work but it’s the constant teasing about it that comes off far more vitrolic than probably intended that just makes me hope for a divorce. Here it’s not only much milder but they did actually get a divorce because their just diffrnet people and i’m not mad the ship was sunk. It was done in a poetic way. 

And part of that poetry is Alex realizing that as doomed as things ended up being, via a very sweet montage of their time together.. he realizes he can’t loose this all together. That sure he’d gain a lot and porbably woudlnt’ be living in a closet, but he’d loose all the good times, and he’d loose a friend. His marriage wasn’t so bad he wants to erase it it just ended and that happens. Naturally the other alex’s don’t feel that way but Alex stops them.. Josh is too drunk at this point to help, and ends up creating a time vortex. The vortex sends our heroes home, where Alex realizes his mistake and apologizes for it to bridgette and signs the papers in front of her.  As for the Alexs we get a horrifying and hilarous gag as, given they’ve all commented each other is handsome.. start having an orgy, and are later found in amber and their dna is used to create our alex apparently. How does that work?

Point is this episode.. is a masterwork. It’s emotoinal, hilarious, and really good character work, with Alex having a really stellar arc that shades him in and putts a final button in his and bridgettes relationship. And having seen many ships I like end horribly, it’s nice to have one end in a satsifying way like this. Also we see Alex in his borat thong, and i’d just like to point out how funny I find it that the same year they made a borat joke, specifically on it being from a decade or two ago, we ended up getting a second Borat movie. Very niceeee. 

World’s Greatest Teacher: This one was alright. On the bright side we got a Mr.Cambell episode! I”ve loved the guy since first meeting him in 100% no stress day, it was the first episode and that hasn’t changed and he’s always a bright spot when he shows up. So an episode about him dealing with a rival teacher, MS. Lake a twice a week music teacher gunning for his job and his students love sounded made for me. In practice he gets a bit too petty to be symapthetic which takes things down a peg, even if it turns out  Ms. Lake really is coming for his ass Teddy Bear, but it has enough good gags to help it still be a fun episode.

The biggest one and the biggest reason I sitll like the episode is Timothy’s coffe mug for world’s greatest teacher.. which naturally comes to life, possibly as a psychotic break possibly for real because of the show this is, and starts speaking in the dulcet tones of keith david. ANd i’ve made no secret I love and am thirsty for Keith David on this blog and never will, and having him voice an abusive fowl mouthed coffee mug  is something I dind’t know I need but boy did I always need it my entire life. Yes even as a baby. It’s just glorious every time he shows up. The climax is also great as the two teachers end up bonding over the greatest love of all and george micheal after Candace invites River to a part sh’esd having for her tooth coming out, and end up becoming frinemies, a nice solution i was glad to see. Even if i’ll miss evil keith david coffee mug. Rest in power my dude. 

Where’d You Go, Bridgette? The second major Bridgette episode of the season and like “Haunted Couch” this one’s an instant classic. After realizing Bridgtte’s already out of control addition to her phone has gotten even worse, Pearle confinscates it and takes her to detox. This leads to two great plots; Bridgette going into withdrawl, complete with an inspired nightmare sequence about her aps and missing her friends death because she was on her phone and the rest of the cast thinking sh’es been kidnapped because she’s not on social media, which while stupid is DELIGHTFULLY stupid and makes some sense given how glued to her phone she is. They end up calling a true crime podcast over, two egosticial college girls who quickly blame them for it despite it making no sense and their fans torm the apartment, and don’t belivie it when bridgette actually shows up.. It takes an inspired speech from Bridgette, whose developed as a person and after actually tasting a late for the first time sees how good they are, and Pearle posting that speech online to dismiss them and our heroes are saved. It’s an utterly amazing plot from josh being excited about the mob attacking them, to Pearle revealing part of the reason she’s so dedicated to helping bridgette is due to her own weird addiction to six flags, which is just so oddly specific I love it. 

The Erotic Awakening of A.P. Lapearle This one STARTED well, with Alex reading his viking erotic to everyone, and not getting that Candace maybe shouldn’t be there, only for Pearle to be the only one to actually enjoy it and be inspired by her enjoyment of his work to submit it to a publisher. The publisher ends up making a valid point that women want erotic fantasy from someone they can feel safe by and alex is well.. alex, so he suggests using pearle as a front. it goes how you’d expect: he wants actual credit, the publisher slowly pushes him out, she regrets it, they fight an army of fans and make them vomit with alex reading the book.. standard stuff. It’s just not very funny or a great insight into either characters, and is easily the weakest episode of the season.. though the next one gave it close compettition. 

Men Rock!

This one was a chore to sit through, and is only ahead of the last one because it has some really good josh bits and musical numbers which is more than the last one gave me so hey. In a nutshell Emily is on the verge of quitting her and Bridgette’s music careers as she feels they’ll never be famous only for their latest song Men Rock!, an ironic title for a sarcastic song poking fun at a bunch of toxic masculinty bs that is a good song, has hit it HUGE in a fictonal foreign dicatroship and get invited to go, reclutantly agreeing. If you haven’t seen the ep, you can still guess how this goes: say it with me THEY TOOK IT AT FACE VALUE. So our heroines have to help inspire the repressed women and inspire a bloody cou, helped by josh finding some improisoned femisinists in a bathroom. They also gain a fan. it has a few good gags, mostly Candace trying to remind her dad to help her find a place to pee after he keeps getting sidetracked by being taken back by Emily’s sucess. I’ts just a very bad, very predictable episode with very obvious misogyn is bad jokes. And misgoyny IS bad but other shows, paticuarlly tuca and bertie with one early episode, have tackeld this topic better. This episode did not. Last one. 

Secret Horse:

This one in stark contrast is one of the series best and an utter joy to watch. On a bad day for the whole apartment with some santa anna winds, an adorable, poofy mained utterly precious horse gets free and ends up at the apartment. Thus we get a vingettte episode, as the horse has a delightful adventure with each of our main 7, and each up tot he last try and hide the horse badly only for the horse to suddenly sprout up and help their mood.

I do love a good vinegtte episode, with two of my faviorite simpsons episodes being 22 short films about springfiled (Minus kirk dragging MIlhouse away from the bathroom, fuck you you balding asshat, it makes the episode hard to watch) ,and trilogy of error, and this is a classic example of it as we get some fun adventures fro each of the housemates: Candace plays with the horse, adorably so, Josh finds it in the garage as his car breaks down and takes them on an install with him, even stuffing them into a suit and we get a great bit of the horse getting fed sugarcubes and josh money. Brigette gets help living in the now instead of posting about it all the time.

My faviorite comes next as Alex needs new patches for his suit but obviouslyc n’t afford them so he takes the ponyt ot he track.. to help him pick which horses to bet on. It’s just such an inherntly funny idea, especially since it works, and really the horse is just hilarious wherever it ends up. It next helps randy win a skating contest, we get a touching story as Pearle misses her old tragically dead horse partner and uses our boy as a subtitute and finlaly we get emily who needs help relaxing and while she naturally calls animal control she hangs up as she falls for hte horse. The group all fight over the horse in the end, the horse leaves and they let it go home, wonder if it was a hallucination and it whizes on thier car. Overall a really great finale and a wonderful note to go out on. 

Overall Ranking I’ve decided eveyr time I do one of these, or a post season wrapup of a show i’ve covered every episode of the season to rank them from best to worst sooo

Birthdaze Time Hooch Haunted Couch Secret Horse Where’d You Go Bridgette? Sauce face Houseguest  From Hell Joint Break Josh Gets Shredded World’s Greatest Teacher Meet the Frackers Handy Man Up Cyber Matrix Men Rock!  The Erotic Awakening of A.P. Lapearle

And i’d like to note that outside of the bottom two hear.. I enjoyed ALL of these. WHich leads to

Final Thoughts; This season was excellent. It had everything the first season had the heart, the character and the utterly great sense of humor, and fine tuned it to be a well oiled machine I could hardly stop laughing at and with tons of great character stuff. Before it had the potetial to surpass regular show but now it has as despite having a few dud episodes itself, as is intievitble in any show, now, they still aren’t as bad as a lot of RS’s early misteps. And Regular SHow as a FANTASTIC show and really stuck the landing, so i’m only saying this is even better and can only go up from here. And even if it stays about the same quality wise, that won’t be a bad place to be. This season was near damn perfect, i’ll probably watch it again and again, and I can’t wait to devour more and given the current tragectory probably will this year. And I couldn’t be more excited.

If you like this blog follow for more reviews, become a patreon to help reach stretch goals or comission a review outright, details for the latter two on my blog. And i’ll see you at the next rainbow. 

[seokiloquy]

Catch Me If You Can - Nishinoya Yuu

AU: Penpal / Travel

Warning: Manga Spoilers

Word Count: 7.6k+

How could he not have fallen in love with (Y/N) back then? The foreign transfer student that regaled stories of her adventures around the world with swinging arm movements and an indistinguishable accent that had been muddled over years of travel. She was a sun among stars. A linguistic animal lover that had a passion for learning and adventure. No one could resist her charm, not for long. She was expressive, loud and boisterous. But when given the chance, the outgoing girl will always sit quietly and listen with a kind smile on her face. How could anyone not want to know her?

It was nearing the end of March in 2014 when they last saw each other. Despite it being the beginning of spring, the sun was shooting down warm golden rays of light that (Y/N) happily bathed in. Nishinoya sat next to the excitable girl, looking at the various pins she had stuck into her worn down and faded hat, tired after years of travelling and use. It was spunky, out there, it suited her quite well. In her hand, she fiddled with a keychain that he had just given her moments prior. A small enamel volleyball that he had a duplicate of.

“I’m going to travel the world,” she said, leaning back against the stairs of the gym.

The graduation ceremony was long. Despite that, the volleyball team had gathered in their gym to send off the 3rd years, announcing Yamaguchi as the new captain, and making everyone cry. The 1st years were the worst, only getting to spend one year with their beloved elders.

Nishinoya smiled, stretching his legs along the steps to lay down beside her. “Where are you going to go first?”

She hummed, “I think I’ll go to Australia, I want the accent back.”

Nishinoya laughed and watched as the traveller held up the chain to her nose.

“I want to meet as many people as I can, get some new experiences,” she sighed before shooting up from her spot, nearly launching herself on top of Nishinoya’s relaxed position. Her eyes seemed to be twinkling as they looked into his, “I’m going to write you letters.”

How could he say no to that smile?

For three years they sent letters back and forth. Occasionally sending a care package, typically coming from (Y/N), who always seemed to have money to spare for the best quality of shipping. Nishinoya was always eager to open her letters. The words on the page would dance in his mind, creating beautiful images of the girl he remembered as she continued her travels. He would feel his heart squeeze with every package, carrying various treats and pictures for him to enjoy. Nishinoya always wanted to travel despite never having the funds to do so. Because of this, he lived vicariously through his long time crush’s adventures, holding every gift he received close to his heart.

He saved every last picture, letter, and gift. Yearning for when he would find the next one sitting snugly in the mailbox of his family home in Miyagi. 3 years since the day they graduated they had been exchanging letters, and 4 months since he last heard from his (Y/N), who had suddenly stopped. 4 months he waited. 

Nishinoya waited desperately for her next reply, but it never came. Leaving him anxious for months as his family tried to calm him down. Nothing worked. Nishinoya spent most of his free time walled up in his room, ducked under the covers of his childhood bed, waiting.

It wasn’t until his grandfather, Mineo, knocked on his door that something happened.

It was the 2nd of July 2017 at 3:28pm.

“Eh, Yuu, there’s something in the mail for ya,” the old man teased, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

Running out of his room, nearly knocking over his laughing elderly grandfather, the youngest Nishinoya ran out of his house, through the gates and to the mailbox. From the corner of his eye, he could see the mailman down the street. Inside the box was a neatly packaged envelope. He pulled it out gently, trying his best not to fold or mark the clean paper.

Once at the dinner table, family surrounding all sides, excitedly waiting for the boy to open the letter, Nishinoya let out a deep breath. His heart was pounding, gripping onto his ribcage like a prisoner wanting to escape. His hands shook, making the paper let out a desperate fluttering sound. He read the front of the paper.

The letter was sent from Australia. Particularly a city named Mutitjulu, which he didn’t bother to try and pronounce as even in his head, the English word seemed to only be a muffle of sounds. English wasn’t something he was good at anyway. He continued, staring at his name that was scripted on the front in a familiar style. One that he’s been reading for years.

“Well, what are you waiting for Yuu? Open it,” his mother pressured. She was excited too, tired of her son’s heaving and hawing over the past four months.

Taking in another wavering breath, Yuu opened the envelope gently and pulled out the crisp piece of paper. As he opened it, a wad of cash fell out, sprawling across the table his family sat at.

His grandfather laughed, “What is this? Some sort of ransom?”

“You’re not given money when you get a ransom note, let Yuu read the letter first,” His father chuckled as he watched his wife gather the money in a neat stack also grabbing the stiff paper ticket that had landed before her.

The first thing on the page was the date, followed by (Y/N)’s handwriting.

14 August 2014

Dear Yuu,

Australia feels like a home I wasn’t born into. It’s hot and my hair hate’s the humidity, but it’s a beautiful country. The accent makes it all worth it. While writing this, I sit at the bottom of one of Australia’s many sites, Uluru, a giant rock that would make you look like a worm in comparison. There are flies everywhere, and we’re painting stones in dotted patterns. I painted a lizard.

I’ve spent the last week in the outback with a group of born Australian’s working with Kangaroos. They are the funniest creatures, easily aggravated in the wild, but these ones have become used to humans over the years.

A man named Joshua has become my companion for the week. He’s taught me a lot, I can’t say it all in a singular letter, but here’s a funny story. One kangaroo, lovingly named Swipe, stole his hat on a particularly hot day, hiding it somewhere we never found. I had to give him my hat. When you see him, please, ask for it back, I miss it and will have more pins to add later.

Oh right, the money and the ticket. Well, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but I wanted it to be a surprise. By the time you get this letter, it should be about mid-summer of 2017. You know how you’ve always wanted to travel the world? Well, I’m picking out your stops. You won’t be able to contact me, that eliminates the fun out of it. But, that’s your mission.

Come and catch me~

Love,

(Y/N)

Nishinoya had to give it to her, Kangaroos were soft. And even in the heat of the Australian winter, he desperately wanted to snuggle up to them and bury his head into their chests. He had jokingly told Joshua that he wanted to be a joey in his next life, to which the Australian born man laughed and slapped his back. 

It seemed as though, despite (Y/N)’s appearance in Mutitjulu having been 3 years prior to his arrival, that she had planned out his whole trip. Getting Joshua to walk him through every landmark and location in Australia that she had visited on her solo trip.

He was a tall man, tanned to a golden ochre colour from his days working under the blistering sun, and you could tell he did hard physical labour from his well built physique. Nishinoya would stare at him occasionally, mostly jealous of his overwhelming height.

The two men were visiting the Sydney Zoo, watching a gigantic alligator eat a whole chicken when Nishinoya asked the older man a question in broken English. He still needed practice.

“Did you help plan everything?” he asked referring to his tour around the continent.

The Aussie shook his head, making his messed up sandy coloured hair bounce. Turning away from the reptilian show, the tanned man looked at Nishinoya with a large smile.

“She did it all herself. Every last detail. You wouldn’t believe it when she told me her plan, she was going to burst!”

Leaving their suitcases at various hotels over the 3 month period and grabbing the bare minimum so they could trek through the day felt new to Nishinoya. He had spent his whole life in one location, only ever needing to carry around a bag or two wherever he went. Joshua carried around a leather satchel everywhere. At every location they stopped at he would reach into it and pull out a photo that (Y/N) had taken while there, handing over to Nishinoya. 

“Keep it, I’ve made copies,” he said when Nishinoya tried to give them back.

Noya bought a photo album after that, carefully storing the photos in the slots that were available. He would flip through the pages until late when the birds started singing. The late nights staring at your photos led to beautiful dreams of hiking through forests and petting koalas together, holding hands and watching the sunset. He wanted that. Minus the gigantic spiders. 

It was at the end of September when Joshua barged into Nishinoya’s room early in the morning and threw something at him.

“Oi! Get up, get packed. You got more than just a plane to catch.”

Noya, still tired from a long night of drinking — likely being Joshua’s way of sending him off — groggily grabbed at whatever had been bounced off his head. He rubbed his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the light that Joshua had so graciously invited in beyond the curtains.

Groaning, Yuu turned his attention away from the bright sun and onto what laid in his hand. A familiar hat, worn out and covered with pins, it’s original colour faded into a dull grey. Next to it, a letter. His spine shot into a straight position as his fingers gently separated the lip of the envelope from its body as quickly as possible. Just like the one before, money, plane ticket and a letter. A noise in the corner of the room caught his attention, Joshua was stuffing Noya’s clothes haphazardly into his suitcases, throwing a change of clothes to the side for him to wear.

“Get changed Cobber, we got to go!”

Joshua steered the tourist onto his plane, not letting Noya take a detailed look at the ticket. At the gate to the airport, Nishinoya was pulled into a strong hug by the Aussie, who rambled into the shorter man’s ear about how he would miss his foreign wisdom and poorly constructed sentences (which had improved over the months).

Before he knew it, Nishinoya was on a plane, reading the note you had sent back for him.

21 February 2015

Dear Yuu,

You like dogs, right? Well, I sure hope you do. I’ve spent the last few weeks in Yukon, Canada (specifically Whitehorse) and HOLY! It is freezing up here in the wintertime. Luckily the group I’ve been working with provides the proper gear you need but still, it’s frigid. So be ready for that. Margaret will help you out. That’s not actually her name, but she says her real name is too hard for us to pronounce.

Anyway, dog sledding. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried it. It’s such a freeing feeling. Oh, and I might have given one of them the keychain you gave me. I’m sorry, but he was so sweet and I wanted to give him something of mine. His name is Mateus. Be sure to give him pets for me!

Make sure to spend that money well~

Love you,

(Y/N)

Although October wasn’t technically winter, the northern hemisphere was cold, too cold. Bundled up in thick layers, covered from head to toe, Nishinoya laid back in the tall snow, rubbing the bellies of eager huskies that rolled around next to him. Yuu laughed and one jumped at him, pushing his shoulder back into the snow and licking any visible skin he could reach.

“Ya! Mateus, please!” The dog backed off, sitting in the man’s lap, panting happily.

Nishinoya sat up, petting the friendly dog’s head with his thick glove. His other hand moved the collar so he could admire the given jewelry. The metal had oxidized, making it look brown and blue. The volleyball has definitely looked better but Nishinoya wouldn’t complain. The dog whimpered at his new human friend as he played with the chain. 

Noya looked the husky in the eyes, “Awe, I miss her too bud.” 

The dog whined again and pushed his head up against Noya’s hand. He obliged to the canines request, rubbing the space behind his ears. The dog lolled his head to the side, then let his body completely fall over Noya’s lap. The other’s came closer, joining the lazy dog puddle that made itself home around their new companion.

“If you keep letting them do that they’ll never let you leave.”

Margaret was a kind woman, older and a bit worn after years of working. She was ruff around the edges but as soon as she got a good look at Noya’s photo album (which now also held (Y/N)’s letters) she swept the young man into a bone-crushing hug, telling him about the memories she had from years prior. Noya listened to every story earnestly.

“She’s a natural,” she said. “Hopped onto the sled, grabbed the reins and off she went! Over the hills through the trees and the wolves listened to her every command.” 

Margaret’s movements were a shadow of the girl he remembered. Large and unapologetic. He took a sip from his hot chocolate as he watched the woman’s arms wing in fluid motions. The fire that was lit next to them cast a shadow behind her, like a puppet. Other volunteers around the lodge watched in awe as she continued telling her of (Y/N). Just how did she manage to make everyone fall in love with her, would there be any room in her heart for him? Everywhere she went she seemed to take someone with her and Yuu couldn’t help but think he’d be left out. It nagged at him.

On the last day of his stay in Whitehorse, Margaret sat down next to Nishinoya and handed him a neatly wrapped pile.

“You know, I sometimes wondered why (Y/N) asked me to make duplicates of her photos. But after spending these past couple of months with you, I can understand it. You’ve got yourself a keeper.”

At the bottom of the pile of photos was the letter, sent back to Margaret from his next location. The woman patted his shoulder.

“You better pack up soon, I’ll drive you to the airport.”

3 September 2015

Dear Yuu,

I know the cold must have been ruff. Haha, get it? Ruff? Well, don’t worry, cause where you’re going next it’s all summer and sun (with the occasional thunderstorm but a little rain never hurt anybody).

The Florida keys are hot. I’ve been spending a lot of time either at the beach or indoors where it’s airconditioned, but It’s been a lot of fun relaxing in the sun here. I found a restaurant, tucked in behind the white fences of a narrow road just by the waterfront. It has a large sign saying “CASTAWAY” I think it’s fitting with the whole nautical theme. It has high ceilings and gives off a wood cabin by the lake sort of feel. All the workers are nice, I’m writing this while talking with them.

I recommend the honeybuns!

Love,

(Y/N)

The honey buns were delicious. They weren’t even something you had to order, but Nishinoya did anyway, every single time. Joe, the owner, along with his wife busted the bar table that Nishinoya sat at. He was the only one in there at the moment flipping through his photo album, adjusting all the photos in place, making them look orderly. Without looking, he reached for one of the many bread buns that sat in the woven basket next to him.

“You know Noya, there’s more food other than the honey buns,” Joe chuckled as he snatched the bun filled basket out of the grasp of Noya’s clingy hands, making said boy pout. Joe laughed again before slipping a laminated piece of paper his way, “Read the menu kid, you might find something worthwhile.”

Joe, despite his outward appearance being that of a beer drinking food lover (which he was), was an avid deep sea diver. Often going with Miranda to collect underwater treasures that could be used as decor for their restaurant.

Nishinoya nodded, thanking the kind man as he began to read. The words gave him a bit of a headache. English, definitely something he’s improved on since beginning his journey but still makes him run circles in his head. He rested his chin on the counter, squinting, hoping the change in sight would magically turn the English into Japanese. It did not, and after 5 minutes of continuous grumbling, Miranda came his way.

“Noya, sweetheart, take a look at the drinks would ya?” she laughed, towel and plate in one hand, flicking the back of the page with a long spindly finger from the other.

He flipped the page over.

The (Y/N) Special

“What is this?” he asked pointing to the only spot on the page that had kanji characters mixed in with the English alphabet.

Miranda smiled, leaning her elbows onto the counter. Flicking a chummy finger toward the page she explained, “That right there, is a drink (Y/N) made up on one of the nights she was here. She jumped over the counter and made us all one, then gave us the recipe for later.”

Joe came their way with a cheeky smile, “Give it a go. It’s got a bit of alcohol in it but not a lot, fine for a midday drink.”

Yuu gladly took the drink created and named after his beloved adventurer and gave it a big gulp. It was cold and sweet with a bit of lemon, perfect for the everlasting hot weather in Florida. He could imagine lounging at the beach or by a pool with (Y/N) sleeping peacefully by his side as he drank this, both of them soaking in the sun’s warmth. Noya sighed happily, resting his head in the palm of his hand.

“Hang in there kid. I don’t think there’s that much alcohol,” Joe teased as he flicked Nishinoya’s forehead. “Don’t go dozing off just yet, we’ve got your next letter.”

Noya didn’t even realize that Miranda had left, only just seeing her as she came back out from the restaurant’s back with a box in hand.

The pictures were of her in various places, just like all the others. Now mostly at the beach or at his current location. He didn’t hold himself back from admiring the images of your summer glow as you posed happily for the camera in your bathing suit. One image of your face stuffed with honey buns make him cackle outright. At the bottom of the box was a small corral and your note. 

18 June 2016

Dear Yuu,

Oh YUU~ please don’t be mad at me! I know you probably wanted to see me first out of all our friends but I couldn’t help myself. Brazil was already on my list and where else would I go besides Rio de Janeiro?

Hinata has grown so much since high school, you’ve got to see him play. You should be proud of your Kohai, he’s gotten pretty amazing~ His roommate, Pedro, was really nice too he likes OnePiece and Spiral Knights. Reminds me of Kenma a bit. They were both kind enough to accommodate me for my stay. Oh, Oikawa showed up too.

Be sure to give Hinata a hug for me~

Love (Oh so very much),

(Y/N)

Had they still been in high school, Hinata would’ve probably blabbered about everything upon Nishinoya’s arrival. But, as you had said, Hinata had grown and thus, he learned some restraint. Managing to respect the wishes of his travelling upperclassman who insisted that he kept a tight lip about everything until Noya had begun his travels in Rio.

Noya, on the other hand, was rather discouraged that his past teammate had gotten to spend months with his girl. His girl? His girl. He grumbled, crossing his arms with a haughty huff.

Nishinoya had arrived in Rio in February of 2018, getting the chance to hear all of Hinata’s stories from the beginning of his appearance in the hot city. Heitor, Hinata’s teammate for a tournament they played a couple of months prior, listened carefully to Hinata’s ramblings as he switched back and forth between languages, translating as much as he could. Nishinoya also often found himself admiring Heitor’s coiling hair. A complete opposite texture from his own. (Y/N)’s appearance seemed to be news to Brazilian man as well, but both listened with rapt attention as the carrot head rambled. 

Noya got really pouty when his friend showed him the pictures though, mostly fixating on the one that had Oikawa, Hinata, and (Y/N) all making strange faces at the camera.

“Shoyo, must you torture me like this?”

Hinata only responded with a large smile and wiggling dance.

Heitor and Pedro had become Nishinoya’s closest companions after Hinata left for Japan. Nice, Heitor’s newlywed wife, reminded him of Saeko, making her his go-to whenever he needed to rant to someone. She never understood a word he said, but would always give him a pat on the back and a warm smile. Luckily, Pedro had managed to pick up some Japanese during his time living with Hinata, making the learning curve of figuring out Portuguese a little easier.

At the near 3 month mark of his stay in Rio, Pedro came out of his room with a box that had Nishinoya’s name printed across it. “It. Yours,” he tried to say with heavily accented Japanese, which the streaked blonde man was thankful for.

The name across the top had obviously been done by Hinata, the messy script made it that evident, not that Noya could easily read it anyways. Just like the others, the box held a few remaining photos that Hinata didn’t give him during their time together and her letter. The envelope had a small crease in the top corner, likely from Hinata’s rough handling, but he was eager to read it despite its mediocre condition.

Pedro sat down next to Nishinoya, taking hold of the photo album, and offered to put them in order. Before he did though, he took his time flipping through the pages, listening to Nishinoya as he tried to explain what was happening in each photograph. Pedro smiled.

“I spoke to her quite often, she learned Portuguese rather quickly, I was surprised,” he paused for a moment, watching the memory that played in his mind from the photo he had taken of you and Hinata playing volleyball on the beach. “She is quite an amazing person.”

Despite not being able to fully understand what Pedro had said, Nishinoya could hear his feelings.

Why did she have to be so magnetic that even a near stranger felt her gravitational pull?

With an almost sad sigh, he gave Pedro a nudge and began to read the letter. It was filled with glitter. That was new.

 31 December 2016

Dear Yuu,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I might be a bit tipsy but that’s okay! I’ll write this anyway.

New years in France is filled with alcohol. I shouldn’t be surprised but the wine is surprisingly sweet? And you know me, I can’t restrain myself when it comes to sweets.

Paris is beautiful by the way. I can’t wait for you to see it. Danon has been an amazing tour guild. He even gives me a discount on the coffee from his family’s café. Despite being in the more expensive part of town the café is rather quaint. When his parents are out Donon lets me choose the music, it’s typically 70’s dance and pop music, like ABBA. Who am I kidding, It’s mostly ABBA. Sometimes other customers join me in dancing, Danon can’t because he works but I see him grooving behind the counter. I think I made it a tradition.

Ooh, I also made another friend, her name’s Brielle, she's just lovely.

It’s beautiful here Yuu~

Love you loads.

(Y/N)

 Was Nishinoya jealous when he met Danon? HELL YES HE WAS. The man was their age, and undeniably handsome, clean quaffed brown hair and perfect skin. Nishinoya spent his first few days in Paris giving the other man the side-eye. 

That’s how it was, until one Friday evening, when Nishinoya walked into the café he was stopped frozen at the door.

“Ah Noya, my friend! Come join us!” Danon called over the music once he saw the shorter man enter.

In the Frenchman’s arms twirled a beautiful young woman with dark skin and braided hair that swung at the middle of her back. ABBA was playing, Noya noticed as he entered, weaving through the dancing couples of men and women alike. Danon and the woman met him halfway, and Danon, being the gentleman he is, bowed slightly as he gestured to her.

“This is Brielle. I’m sure (Y/N) must have mentioned her in her letter.”

Brielle laughed, waving her hand dismissively, “The two of us only got a moment together, a week at most. But she did talk about you Nishinoya. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

They spoke in English, with French accents, but Noya was thankful for the familiarity, although it did make him notice his own mangled accent even more.

“So what’s happening here?”

Danon laughed, “It’s (Y/N)’s night! What else?!”

The day slowly turned to night and the Eiffel tower began to glow outside the window. Nishinoya tried his best to dance in the sensual duets that took place in the middle of the floor, but more often than not, he went behind the counter, taking Danon’s parent’s place and giving them a chance to take centre stage. Out of the pairs, his parents were the most infectious. But anyone could look Danon’s way and see that he and Brielle were a match made for the night lights of Paris.

Towards the end of May, Nishinoya sat at one of the tables next to the chalk wall, sipping slowly at his tea. Danon came out from the back, giving his mother a rub on the shoulder before sitting across from the Japanese tourist. He placed a clean stack of images on the table between them. Before pointing to the chalk wall with a melancholic smile.

“She wrote you a message up there, ‘see you soon’, she said that a lot about you,” the taller man slid over the stack.

Noya slowly flipped through the photos, pausing at one that captured a moment of Danon holding (Y/N) in his arms as they danced, being perfectly framed by the Eiffel tower behind them. Noya gripped the photo a little tighter. His heart clawed at his insides again. That nagging feeling was back, making the palms of his hands feel sore and warm. Danon’s voice pulled him out of it easily, the man was a siren.

“She is a remarkable woman. If I had the same opportunity that you have right now,” he trailed off, pausing to take a breath, “I would follow her off the edge of the world if she asked me,” Danon took the photo out of Noya’s hands, giving it a fleeting look before tucking it into the album that rested open on the table.

Gulping, Noya met the man’s eyes across the table.

“Aren’t you with Brielle?”

Danon smiled, “I am. (Y/N) introduced us. Brielle knows of my infatuation but trusts me and I can’t thank her more for it.”

“You two are beautiful together,” Noya said, looking up at your name on the wall. He took another long, slow sip of his tea.

“As will the both of you. If you manage to catch her that is.” Danon spoke softly, joining his new friend in staring at their crush’s smooth writing on the wall. “Can you do me a favour, Noya?”

Nishinoya hummed, continuing to look up.

“Love her for the both of us, okay?”

 8 May 2017

Dear Yuu,

A kind old man was nice enough to let me spend most of my time with him and his dog at their home in Hamburg, Germany. He’s a potato farmer! But sadly he injured his back working, what a spine breaker. Anyway, I offered my help farming in exchange for a warm bed and food. He was happy to help! Oh right, his name is Adal. He’s a bit of a grouch but I know he’s secretly a softy.

I managed to get to a few places around Germany before settling down there for the rest of the trip though. My favourite by far is the torn down Berlin wall. It’s covered in graffiti and art and it’s just filled with so much history. It’s overwhelming but seeing the broken wall is just such a beautiful sight. I don’t even think I can put it into words.

Don’t let Adal be too mean to you~

Love,

(Y/N)

 Nishinoya knew what you meant by the wall being overwhelming. It felt like he had the memories of generations pushing down on his shoulders all while a swell of happiness and relief seemed to lift his chest upwards. It was a sight to behold.

Adelina was a kind but blunt woman in her 40’s. Their initial interaction was a shocking one that left a bitter taste in both of their mouths. Noya, a stranger that had shown up at Adal’s doorstep that was in the middle of vast farmland was greeted with a less than welcoming hello.

“Is Adal here?”

In broken English, Adelina responded, “Adal is dead. What do you want?”

After explaining his now new predicament to the resilient woman, she had broken into a gasp eyes wide as she rushed up the stairs of the house. She nearly tripped coming back down, holding a box that was covered in dust and set it down on the wood table in the middle of the large room visible from the door.

She had sighed while she blew off the dirt, “You must be Nishinoya, correct?”

Taking his shoes off at the door, he entered the premises. Adelina had gestured for him to take a seat in the chair across from her and the box. Nishinoya was understandably nervous at the time, desperately wanting to bite his nail or crack his cold knuckles, but he resisted.

“Adal was my father, he died last year and left everything to me,” she started. “I only met (Y/N) once but she was a kind woman from what I remember. Managed to break that old man’s shell. Not many can do that,” she laughed, tucking a greying piece of hair behind her ear.

Nishinoya listened to every word patiently. Adelina wasn’t a great storyteller, she often had to cycle back, remembering events that would have been told earlier on, and sounded rather monotone as she recounted them. For what it was worth though, once she got on the right track, she seemed to be able to recall every detail word for word despite the stories not having been from her own experiences.

“I know the plan was for you to work in the field, but I sold off the farmland not too long after he died,” she said, placing a glass of water for him on the table. “If I had thought a little further ahead, I probably would have waited until after your visit,” she scoffed sadly at herself. “I guess my mind was a bit preoccupied.”

“No, no. It’s alright. I’m the one showing up unannounced. You probably didn’t even remember the plan until I showed up.”

That night, Adeline offered to take Nishinoya on a grand tour through Germany.

“I should at least fulfill some duty that I was given, he would want me to,” she said, giving him a rare smile. “Diese Dinge passieren, und das Leben geht weiter.”

Despite having given him most of the pictures in the box on the first night, the letter remained untouched until after spending three months in the woman’s care. At the airport, Adeline thanked Noya for visiting and wished him well.

“Chase your dreams,” she said, sending him off with a final wave.

 1 September 2017

Dear Yuu,

Somehow a little town at Italy’s ankle has made me believe that gods exist on earth. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but these architects did an amazing job. The buildings are all colourful and beautiful to admire. Especially during the sunset. The whole town is cast with a warm glow.

I’ve been staying in Sorrento, (imagine if I was writing this from Torino! Haha). A small town by the bay known for its beautiful view of the water and 14th-Century architecture, very picturesque. I spend most of my time down by the bay, I’ve gone so often that I’ve even made friends with some of the fishermen. They even offered to take me spearfishing out in the bay. Their boats are beautiful but on windy days I definitely prefer the land.

Don’t let the marlins get to close, they’ll stab you~

Love you,

(Y/N)

 “Eh, Noya! You did great! Let me take a photo for you.” 

Donte was a middle-aged man that owned a boat by the pier. Often spending his weekends fishing for marlins to feed his family the following week. His hair was dark brown and mousy, slowly fading to grey at the sides of his hairline that trailed down his jaw into a patchy scruff of a beard that never seemed to grow. Quickly, the ageing man grabbed Noya’s phone off one of the seats in his large fishing boat and angled it to face the other man.

“Say: sorridi!” he cheered.

Noya dropped his borrowed trident like a spear on the tiled concrete and kicked up his left leg onto the large metal cleat at his side and balanced the weight of the large marlin between his arms. The fish’s mouth hung open, but Noya smiled into the camera of his phone, yelling out ‘sorridi’ as the photo was taken. 

“Ah good. C’mon, I’ll treat you to lunch.”

It was during lunch when Donte began to entertain Nishinoya with some stories of (Y/N)’s visit. The big one was how we decided on the name of his boat. He explained that at the time, his ship was brand new when she visited, with (Y/N) being the first to book a time to experience marlin fishing on the new vessel. At the time the name hadn’t been printed on the side, and when Donte had mistakenly tripped over a loose line it sent him into the cold water of the bay. Despite being able to swim, the visiting woman had immediately pulled out the rope ladder tying to the side of the ship and dived him.

Donte laughed as he recalled floating in the water with (Y/N) staring at him with an irritated expression. “I can swim you know?” he said, making her grumble and paddle to the ladder she had set up moments prior.

“The water is nice, but you better get out soon,” she had teased. “Don’t want the marlins to attack.”

“Thought that ‘the Mad Mer’ was fitting. She did look like a goddess while swimming after all.” 

The description made Noya smile happily.

Donte was starting his next story when Nishinoya felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Asahi had sent him a message.

We’re all meeting up today.

Are you coming?

A cheeky grin pulled on the corner of Noya’s face. Swiping his phone across his screen and clicking, without sending a word to his friend the image was sent.

Woah, Noya!

Are you still following those letters?

Nishinoya chuckled.

You bet!

Donte nodded his head in Noya’s direction and took a large gulp of water and a bit of food from his plate. “Who you talking to?”

“Ah, an old friend. Sent him the picture of the marlin.”

On his final day, after packing up all his clothes, Nishinoya flipped through the new photos he collected. His favourite had been taken on the same day that she had dived into the water to help Donte. It was of (Y/N) in a flowing white dress, arms spread wide open, with the sun setting in the background making her dress glow. This photo closed out the passage of Sorrento, Italy.

 30 March 2018 

Dear Yuu,

Hazyview is quite the sight. It’s full of green trees and large expanses of grass. Rolling hills turn into mountains with sharp cliffs and rounded tops. It’s a sight you’ve never seen before.

I got to travel around a bit before settling in Hazyview so I could learn about all the languages they speak. It’s so interesting! I swear some of the people I met probably thought I was some foreign nut job, but I had fun

Working at a sanctuary for elephants is such a rewarding experience. I wish I could have stayed a bit longer to help. Luckily they primarily used English to communicate because of all the immigrating volunteers they get, but even the diverse collection of language there was amazing. But that’s not the point. Elephants. Elephants are the point.

We managed to save a baby and his mother from poachers! The little guy was rather clingy, and I got to name him!

Work your hardest~

Love,

(Y/N)

 Nishinoya was relieved when he was able to practice his English again with fluent English speakers at the sanctuary. Nearly two years of practice has shown some improvement. 

Jabulani was the man that greeted him when the helicopter landed at the sanctuary. His arms were wide open and his smile was big, showing off his pearly white teeth.

“Welcome!” he yelled over the sound of the helicopter’s blades spinning.

It took a couple of days for Nishinoya to get the chance to interact with the large beasts. That time was spent settling in, getting a tour, and learning about the protocol that was held in high regard at the sanctuary (for good reason).

When Jabulani, nicknamed Jabu, introduced Noya to the various elephants that were being rehabilitated he was brought to a pause at one.

“His name is Shino?”

“Ah yes. You’re (Y/N)’s friend. I almost forgot. She talked about you a lot.”

Noya made a large gesture with his arms, throwing them in the warm air. Then he adjusted the old button filled hat on his head to block the sun.

“When (Y/N) said she named a baby Elephant I thought I was going to be small! She named it after me, and he’s that big?!”

Jabu laughed at Noya’s pain. Giving a hard smack on the back. Earning a groan from the slightly saddened man.

“Don’t look at it like that. Think of it this way,” He said as he grabbed Noya’s shoulder, straightening his back. He gestured to the elephant’s trunk that started sprinkling water over its head. “She must think highly of you. Think you can reach great heights like the trunk of an elephant.”

“That height is mediocre when giraffes exist.”

The throwaway comment earned Noya another hard smack.

“Don’t say that around the elephants. They’re sensitive creatures.”

Occasionally, at night when everyone was lounging around the common area, eating food and relaxing, Nishinoya got the chance to listen to Juba and his friends speak in their native tongue. Zulu was something he had never heard prior to coming here, and as he listened to them converse fluidly without tripping over any syllable or sound he couldn’t help but realize why you appreciated the complexities of language so much.

The last letter was short, and when he opened it a picture slipped out. You wore Karasuno’s classic colour; black. You were in a waving salute, your two fingers in the motion of pointing away from your forehead. The back of the black tracksuit was visible thanks to your slightly turned position. You stood on the steps of the volleyball gym, the doors were open. The letter was sent back to Hazyview recently.

 9 April 2019

Dear Yuu,

What do you think? The newest job suits me, huh? I managed to race through school while I waited. World Cultures, I’m excited.

See you on the first day of school~

Love,

(Y/N)

 April 20th of 2019 was the first day of school. Nishinoya had flown in from Hazyview the night before, greeted by his parents who pestered him about all of his adventures on the way home. Still wide awake with jitters of excitement, Noya rambled about every moment and story, flipping through his nearly complete photo album.

He was wide awake until he wasn’t. Despite his eagerness to wake up early to the following day and hopefully ambush you in the morning before classes started, he managed to sleep through most of the day. When he finally did wake up he was groggy from the jet lag but forced himself to change into something more presentable than plane clothes. Be grabbed your old hat, oxidized keychain and his photo album before rushing out.

Once he got to the front gates he breathed in deeply. It had been years, and the nagging feeling had returned to his chest. Students gave him weird looks as they left the school grounds.

How could he not have fallen in love with you back then? But how could he be so naive to believe he was the only one? He thought of Danon in that moment, letting the words replay in his head. Over and over again. For the both of us.

Taking one last breath, he ran towards the old gym he remembered. The doors were slightly ajar and the welcoming sound of air-filled balls bouncing off the wooden gym floor made his heart race. He screamed as he kicked the doors wide open.

“(Y/N)!”

A high pitch screech followed.

“Noya? What the hell are you doing here?”

Despite the change in hair, now back to his natural black, Ukai hadn’t changed a bit. The squealer, Takeda, held his chest tightly as he stood straight, recovering from the sudden scare. The players on the gym floor began to murmur, they’d ask their coaches questions later.

“Sorry, Takeda, Ukai. Do you know where (Y/N) is?” Noya asked, gripping his belongings tightly. “I thought she was going to be in here.”

Takeda let out a shaky laugh, “You haven’t changed a bit, Noya. But did you maybe consider she’d be in the girl’s gym?”

Ukai sent Takeda a confused look, to which the bespectacled man waved off as if saying ‘I’ll explain later.’ 

Nishinoya began bouncing on his toes, ready to move. Wearing a smile, he yelled a loud ‘thanks!’ as he bowed, before running out the double doors.

The girl’s gym, though not one he visited in his past often except for those moments he went to see (Y/N), brought a familiar feeling. The sound of balls ricocheting off of solid surfaces greeted him as he stood outside the double doors, waiting, scared.

Then he heard your voice, heavily accented but pronouncing every word with a sense of style with accuracy. Soothing and sharp with a bit of a raspy bite from years of hysterical laughter and yelling.

“Tiny Hinata! Natsu, can you do me a favour real quick?”

Slowly, he pushed the doors open.

Nishinoya didn’t even see the young orange-haired girl lift the old polaroid camera to her face. He was too busy enjoying the old familiar feeling of his girl’s hands holding his back, hardly even hearing the smack of objects fall from his hands and onto the floor. He melted. Noses brushed against each other as she pulled him into a kiss that was worth the years of patient pining. He let out a breathless laugh when she pulled away, letting his head fall back for a moment as she used her hands to lift him back into an upright position. His hand came to rest on her shoulders, massaging them gently to fully know that she was there.

That nagging feeling finally crawled away, chased out by an eruption of warmth in his stomach.

“I finally caught you, (Y/N),” he said, wearing a dopey grin.

“Took you long enough,” she teased, hitting his arm.

Picking up his belongings that he had dropped suddenly, he held the brim of her old hat between his fingers and slipped it onto her head. Back where it belonged.

The photo was a pretty one, fitting perfectly into the last page of his album.

So this onshot comes from a prompt in my writers notebook that I’ve been wanting to write for over a year. And when talking to one of my firends we got really into multiple different idea’s and then dragged Kiwi into it. So this one is sort of collaborated.

I hope you liked it! it’s the longest thing I’ve written so far and it’s about the length of a regular two or three parted story. - Bacon

Posted: 03/07/2020

[ineffable-snowman]

I wrote a GO Christmas fic!

or am still writing, to be honest, but here’s the first chapter. It’s a human AU, inspired by too many Christmas romance movies that I’ve watched over the years.

You can read it here or on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28245411

Many thanks to the lovely people at the GO-Events discord server who helped me with beta-reading and brainstorming!

Chapter One: December 19th

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!”

Crowley threw his phone onto the passenger seat. Dead battery. And he was in the middle of nowhere and it was close to midnight. He cursed Lucifer and that stupid job and the stupid snow (and ice storms, road works, poorly signposted roads, and zero internet reception). He was completely lost without his phone. What was he supposed to do? Just keep driving, without a clue where Ashville was? Everything just looked the same: heaps and heaps of snow. Why would anyone want to build a factory here of all places? (Probably low property taxes.)

Crowley got out of the car and kicked the bloody snow at the side of the road only to hurt his foot because it was more ice than snow. He cursed some more. His words formed wisps of tiny clouds in the dark and the cold. A gigantic factory would definitely be an improvement for this area. It would mean a bit of variety in this desolate place. Maybe even a signpost here and there. Or internet reception!

Finally, the glint of headlights in the distance. Crowley waved wildly to make the car stop.

The driver rolled down the window. “Do you need help?”

“Yes. I seem to have gotten slightly lost. Can you point me towards Ashville?”

“Ashville? Never heard of that.”

Neither had Crowley before Lucifer had sent him there. “Do you maybe have a phone I could use?”

“No internet reception here.”

“What about phone calls?” Not that it would be much help. Crowley did not even know Lucifer’s number by heart. But maybe he could call directory assistance to ask for the number of that Bed and Breakfast, what was it called again? Something with ‘Book’. Shit. Of course, he had all the necessary information on his phone and only his phone.

“Afraid not.” The driver got out of his car and opened the trunk to pull out an old roadmap.

“Mm, didn’t know these still existed,” Crowley said but was all the more grateful for such old-fashioned things in this situation. Back in Chicago, the first thing he was going to buy himself was a new phone, at least two power banks, and a roadmap.

Crowley and his rescuer – with a bulky flashlight – poured over the old roadmap until they finally located the small town called Ashville. Without ever having been there, Crowley already hated it. He tried to memorise the map (taking a picture with his phone would have been so helpful…) and thanked the man for his assistance.

After half an hour of driving through more snow and trees, Crowley finally arrived at Ashville. Now he just needed to find his B&B. Well, he would simply do it the old-fashioned way: go to the tourist information or, in the worst case, book another place to stay for the night.

There was no tourist information.

There was nothing that looked like a hotel.

The streetlights had already been turned off as well as all the  lights in all the houses. It was not that late, just half past midnight. Did people even live here? It felt like a ghost town.

Crowley drove down road after empty road until he finally passed a house with the lights still on. He brought the Bentley to a halt and promptly slipped on the icy sidewalk when he got out of the car. “Damn it!” Clinging to the wing mirror, he picked himself up and shuffled to the front door. He was tired and cold and hungry, his bottom hurt from the fall and he badly needed to go to the loo. The lights in this house were his only hope.

A friendly-looking man in reading glasses and a beige cardigan opened the door.

Crowley quickly started talking before the man could shut the door right in his face, “Sorry to disturb you so late at night but your house was the only place with the lights still on, so I thought I’d try my luck. Anyway, I’m looking for a B&B in Ashville – I am in Ashville, right? – called something like Books and Bed and Breakfast. It’s meant to be here somewhere.”

“Did you mean The Book Nook?”

“Yes!” Crowley almost shouted in relief. Finally, something that went right today.

“You’ve come to the right place. This is The Book Nook. Are you Anthony Crowley then?”

“Oh, thank God! Yes, I’m Crowley.” Crowley smiled apologetically at the man. He must have kept him up for longer than usual  because, apparently, in Ashville, everyone went to sleep before midnight. “Sorry for being so late but there was an ice storm around Little Falls and the road was closed in Randall and then I had to go back to Little Falls and crawl along those bloody slippery roads again and try to find another way and I got lost about five times because I didn’t get reception for my phone and then the battery was dead. Anyway, sorry. Didn’t mean to keep you up.”

“It’s fine, no need to worry. The most important thing is that you arrived here safely. I am Aziraphale, by the way. Welcome to The Book Nook.” The man opened the door wider. Inside looked warm and cosy. “Please, come in. Can I help you with your luggage?”

“No need, don’t have much with me.” Crowley quickly got his suitcase from the Bentley and followed Aziraphale inside. He found himself inside a crammed little bookshop. Not what he had expected.

His confusion must have shown on his face because Aziraphale said, “Don’t worry, you won’t have to sleep between the books. Your room is upstairs and you have a perfectly nice and comfy bed.”

“Great.” Crowley followed him up a winding staircase, which was decorated with a festive garland. Aziraphale led him to one of the rooms and fiddled with the large key (Crowley could not remember when he had last stayed at a place that still used such keys. Key cards were the standard). Finally, he managed to open the door with a resolute yank.  

“There it is. I hope everything is to your liking.”

Crowley could only stare. It looked like a Christmas explosion had happened here. There were Christmas lights on strings wound around the wardrobe and the mirror. Every available surface was covered with Christmassy knick-knacks: Santa figurines, Christmas baubles, candles in the shape of snowmen, even a nutcracker (What on earth was he supposed to do with a nutcracker???). The windows were decorated with glittery stars and the letters forming ‘Merry Christmas’, missing the dot on the i.

Aziraphale looked expectantly at Crowley. Oh, yes, he had asked if Crowley liked the room.

“Yeah, great, thanks,” Crowley answered, staring in horror at the flowery bedspread and the assortment of plush cushions in various sizes, some of them with ruffles and lace. How old was that guy? Or did he rent his Grandma’s old rooms?

“So, what brings you here to Ashville? Visiting relatives?”

Crowley supposed that must be the only reason why anyone came here. Who would voluntarily go to this place? “Nah, I’m just a tourist on vacation.” He was not in the mood for small talk (and he really needed to go to the loo!) but it would not do to be rude to Aziraphale after Crowley had made him wait for so long for him to arrive, so he tried his best to be friendly.

“Vacation, how lovely,” Aziraphale commented.

Was that too obvious a lie? “Thought I’d do some hiking in the woods,” Crowley elaborated. “Just…find some peace and quiet, you know? Work’s been busy lately.” At least that part wasn’t a lie. He probably could convincingly play the exhausted businessman from the city who needed some time away from the hustle and bustle to find his  inner self or some such bullshit.

“Ah, I see. You would need snowshoes if you want to go hiking in the woods, though. The snow is very deep if you leave the road, you won’t get very far without snowshoes. I think I heard Sara say that they had sold out the last ones but I could ask Arthur if he could lend you his, he is about-”

“No, no, it’s fine, I brought my own.” Crowley did not own snowshoes, of course, but as he would never willingly go hiking in the snow, that was no problem.

Aziraphale dubiously eyed Crowley’s little suitcase.

“I left them in the car,” Crowley explained. “I hardly need them here, right?”

“Ah, no.” Aziraphale chuckled. “Anyway, I’ll leave you alone now so you can make yourself at home. Would you like a cup of tea? Or something to eat? I suppose you haven’t had dinner yet if the journey took you so long?”

Just on cue, Crowley’s stomach rumbled. “Starving.” The only roadside restaurant he had seen during his trip here had already been closed – at 9 pm! Ridiculous, really. “Any recommendations for a good restaurant?”  

“I’m afraid the diner is already closed.”

Of course it was. But another thing worried Crowley much more: “Diner? As in singular?”

“Well, Ashville isn’t that big. There is a pub in Elm Street but they only serve light lunches. And there used to be a lovely restaurant next to the town hall but the owner – sorry, you’re probably not interested in all of this. I have some leek and potato soup left that I could reheat or if you’d prefer sandwiches, I could prepare some quickly-”

“No, soup is fine.” Jesus Christ, Crowley just wanted to go to the loo and he needed to recharge the phone’s battery so he could shout at Lucifer for sending him to this ridiculous place – he did not need leek and potato soup. But asking the guy to prepare him sandwiches in the middle of the night seemed somewhat ungrateful. “Soup is great.”

“Lovely. The kitchen is just over there.” The guy pointed to the end of the hall. “Come whenever you’re ready.” He handed Crowley the rusty key. It had a little wooden guardian angel as a key chain. Then he finally left Crowley alone.

Crowley rushed to the tiny bathroom and groaned when he saw the crimson red and very plushy cover on the toilet lid. He was going to kill Lucifer!

After he had finally relieved himself, he unplugged the Christmas lights (because apparently there was only one socket in the whole room) so he could recharge the phone’s battery. Then he went into the kitchen, which was as crammed and full of Christmas decoration as his own room.

Aziraphale put a bowl of steaming soup in front of him. Leek and potato soup was not exactly Crowley’s thing but he was hungry and cold, so it would do.

“When would you like to have breakfast tomorrow?” asked Aziraphale while rummaging through the kitchen drawers. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you a late breakfast because I have to open the shop tomorrow at half-past nine. You see, the last Saturday before Christmas is always the busiest day of the year. Many people turn to books as a last-minute Christmas present. But if you wanted to sleep longer, I could prepare something for you. Pancakes are easy to reheat, for example, and-”

“Don’t bother, I just have coffee for breakfast anyway.”

“But if you plan to go hiking, you need to have a proper breakfast! Seriously, the cold will wear you out in no time at all!”

It took Crowley a bit of time to calm Aziraphale  down but he eventually convinced him that he would not go for a long hike tomorrow but would just walk around the town for a bit. Then finally Crowley could go into his room. He removed the horrible bedspread (and two woollen blankets underneath it) as well as five cushions. Five! Who on earth needed that many cushions? Most of them not even big enough to rest your head on.

Unfortunately, his charging cable wasn’t long enough – or rather: there was no socket close enough to the bed. So Crowley sat down on the floor next to the socket and texted Lucifer: Just arrived in Ashville. Are you fucking kidding me???? Well, he meant to text him but the message could not be sent because he had no reception. Damn it, this was a town, people lived here! How could there be no reception?

Groaning, Crowley stood up again and left his room. The lights in the kitchen were still on and he could hear plates clatter and water running. No dishwasher, naturally.

“Sorry, could you give me the wifi password?” Crowley asked. “I mean, if there is wifi…”

“Yes, of course there is. But it can be a bit finicky, especially if there are snowstorms. Which is practically all the time in winter. You usually have the best reception at the top of the staircase. The password is,” Aziraphale waggled his eyebrows, “Pri-fiAndPrejudice.” He looked immensely proud of that horrible pun. Crowley could not entirely suppress a snort of laughter. What a nerd.

“If there’s anything else you need, my room is the one next to yours. Don’t hesitate to knock.”

“Isn’t that annoying, always having strangers in your house?”

“Not at all. The house would be too big for just me. And anyway, I don’t have many guests and most of them are just lovely people, so I don’t really mind it.”

Crowley shrugged. He could not imagine living like that. But he also couldn’t imagine sleeping between dozens of tiny fluffy cushions and doing your dishes by hand. Suddenly his conscience got the better of him. It was way past midnight, this guy had offered him soup in his own kitchen – which was not usually included in a B&B – and was now doing the dishes. “Can I help you? I could dry the plates.”

“Absolutely not! You’re my guest and you deserve your vacation. Besides, I’m almost finished here.”

“Ah, well. I’ll leave you a five-star google review then.”

“Oh, really?”

Aziraphale smiled at him and – Crowley was momentarily taken aback. There was no reason to smile like that just because of the promise of a simple google review. Aziraphale’s smile was just like his Christmas decorations: blinding and completely over the top.

“Yeah, no problem,” Crowley said. “Well. Night then.”

Back in his room, Crowley typed in the password and waited for his phone to connect to the ridiculously slow wifi. Finally, it sent the text messages to Lucifer. While waiting for an answer, Crowley checked The Book Nook’s reviews on google. There were only two: one anonymous who had given it two stars and one who had given it three stars and an added comment “breakfast was good.” Crowley frowned. So did that mean the rest of the place was not good, just the breakfast? It felt oddly unfair. Obviously, this place did not meet Crowley’s taste but he could tell that the owner went out of his way to accommodate him. Crowley frowned again. What on earth was he doing here, pondering over google reviews while sitting on the floor because there was no socket next to the bed? It was cold and uncomfortable in spite of the room’s fluffy carpet. This was really absurd. On the spur of the moment, he decided to rearrange the furniture a bit. He pushed the bed closer to the wall with the socket – and almost tripped over the numerous boxes under the bed. Probably where the Easter decorations were stored…

There was a soft knock on the door. “Er, just wondering, is everything alright?”

“Yeah, just perfect,” Crowley grunted and then sneezed heartily because his activity had raised quite a bit of dust from under the bed. (He would have to rethink that five-star review.) He pushed the bed further towards the wall until he could sit comfortably on the bed with his charger cable still plugged in. Only to get a notification that his phone was not connected to the internet. Well, he was tired anyway. He removed a Santa figurine and eight wooden reindeers from the bedside table so he could place his glasses and a cup of water there. Then he sank back into the bed. It squeaked loudly.

“Fuck.”

[kagebros]

If I’m Being Honest (A Shockop Fic)

Summary: Could you love this? Will this one be right. Well if I’m being honest. I’m hoping it might.  Warnings: Self Harm Word Count: 1432

“I expect you shall try reasoning with me.”

“I fear that would make for a somewhat stilted conversation. After all. We’ve been strangers for the last four million years.” He paused. “The Shockwave I once knew - my Shockwave, was full of life. They’d laugh at the world one minute, throw punches at it the next. That Shockwave died when the senate took a pair of scissors to their brain and cut their personality into new shapes.” He stopped once more, emotion surging with him and he spoke again. “You died in an instant, one twist of a scalpel and it was over. But me? I bled to death slowly. A thousand battles, a thousand cuts, every Autobot fatality a reminder of my many failings as a leader.” He stepped forward towards them. “And when I sacrificed the Matrix to save Cybertron, only for the people to reject me. I realised I was spent, all I had left to give was my name.” The one you gave me, he wanted to say. “I owe my resurrection to someone who remembered me at my best. Let me do that for you, Shockwave. Let me remind you what you used to be. And what you can be again.”

Something in Shockwave’s processor twitched and came to life, at first pulsing weakly, as if it were a weak glow, barely able to be seen in the darkness. As Megatron and Orion attempted to appeal to them, that weak light soon began to grow brighter and brighter, until everything flooded into their mind and shone through like the brightest star in the sky, piercing through the darkness and forcing it to dissipate. 

“Urrgh! My brain!” They paused, emotions flooding into them as memories of the war began to overwhelm them. “What have I done? What happened to me?! What have they turned me into?!” 

Orion never thought he’d feel this feeling again but hearing Shockwave, HIS Shockwave, awakened something that he thought would never experience again.

“Fight it, Shockwave! Fight the shadowplay!” he encouraged. “Think of who you were.” He couldn’t find the words before they came to him naturally. “Think of us! Think of our bench, the Ark 1 Memorial Park, our bench by the inscription! Next to the energon bar that was never open. The bench with the broken leg! Remember? You’d say “Forget overthrowing the senate,-”

“I’d settle for a decent bench,” Shockwave finished. They wished they could smile. “And I fixed it myself in the end. Didn’t I?” they called out towards him. “My greatest achievement...  from fixing a bench to breaking the universe. How did that happen?” they said. They lifted their arm and tapped a few buttons on their forearm, the time drive powering off with a whirr. They threw the time drive down onto the ground before standing back and firing a powerful blast, destroying the device. “We’re going to have to run, the singularity is going to collapse on itself.“

The sounds of a ship were then heard from above. 

“Ahoy down there!” Rodimus’ voice called out. “Anyone order a last minute rescue?” 

The events of what just happened had left Shockwave’s mind going in a million different directions, they sat in an empty room of the Lost Light, after much debate had went on on whether or not Shockwave should have been thrown into the brig. After Rodimus had agreed to letting Shockwave stay in an empty berthroom until they got back to Cybertron where they would face trial. 

They sat in the dark of the berthroom on the edge of the berth, not having bothered to turn on the light, trying to make sense of everything, trying to… process millions of years of crimes and monstrosities they committed. All that manipulation, all that pain they had caused. The more they thought about it, the more everything began to feel numb. Their servos gripped their forearm, the other servos no longer there due to the cannon attached instead. Nonetheless, their servos gripped their forearm tightly, threatening to dent the metal there. 

“After all Shockwave did, not just now, with the ores and Nova and the Titan but throughout the war… Were you really able to look beyond all that and recognise them as your friend?” Shockwave could hear Megatron’s muffled voice asking someone this.

“Does it matter?” Orion’s voice then came next. 

“If it didn’t I wouldn’t ask,” Megatron replied. 

“Then you already know my answer,” Orion replied, the door opening, Megatron having walked off after hearing his reply. Shockwave didn’t bother to look up. They couldn’t bring themselves to. They simply stared forward, staring ahead as their servos continued to grip at their forearm, scratches beginning to develop. Regardless, they could feel Orion’s gaze on them and they heard him shuffle before joining them on the other edge of the berth, keeping his distance. He didn’t bother to turn on the lights in the berthroom. Instead he sat beside them from a distance, the two in complete silence. Orion was always patient. Shockwave knew that. And as much as they wanted to say something, the words always died in their throat before anything could come out. The silence was deafening and it only caused Shockwave to grow more and more anxious, their mind feeling like static, servos beginning to grip at their forearm even more, pain receptors beginning to go off but Shockwave ignored them. It was only when someone else’s servos grabbed theirs, gently prying them away from their self destructive state. As if the other person was familiar with how Shockwave got when they were anxious, as if he knew that Shockwave would wring their hands to the point it hurt when their anxiety got too much. Their golden optic blinked before meeting the soft blue gaze of Orion’s. Much to their surprise, his mask was off. Even in the dark lighting, they could see all the details. 

His appearance had changed drastically over the years. Scars from the war on his faceplate, usually hidden beneath his mask, one over the bridge of his nose, another above his dermas, one on his chin. Most importantly he looked tired. His young outlook on life, the one Shockwave was used to before being ripped away from him, no longer there. If Shockwave had a face, it would most likely be the same. They don’t realise when their servos goes to place itself on Orion’s cheek, their thumb tracing over one of his scars. Instead of Orion reacting negatively, his optics shut slowly, Shockwave feeling him press against their servos. Suddenly, Shockwave wants to cry. Their EM field feels scrambled with the amount of emotions they feel, it’s practically pouring out of them and it’s very easy for Orion to notice. It’s harder for Shockwave to identify how Orion is feeling, him being more in control of his EM field after having much more practice compared to them. Maybe they’re imagining it but they swear they can detect feelings of affection and… relief. Neither of them say anything. Instead, Orion rose slowly from his kneeling position and hugged Shockwave. And suddenly, his EM field is overwhelming as they detect everything he’s feeling, relief, affection, regret, heartache, love. Shockwave is awkward in the hug, their free servo frozen upward, unsure of what to do. He held them tightly, his helm nuzzling into their neck as they felt tears begin to drip down onto their chest plating. They knew it wasn’t theirs. They didn’t have the face to remotely be able to do that. No, it. It was Orion. Shockwave began to shake, realising what that meant. He still loved them. 

They shook within his grasp, attempting to pull away.

“I. I don’t want you to see me like this,” they finally said quietly. “Not after. Not after what I’ve done.” They can’t even look at him. But he doesn’t let go, moreso he can’t bring himself to.

“I can’t let go of you. Not when I finally have you back.”

“I don’t even look like me anymore. I. I’m a monster,” Shockwave replied quietly. “How can you love… this?”

“Because I never stopped loving you from the day I lost you.”

He kissed them. It was a gentle kiss, the feeling of static lacing the bottom of their optic as he held them close. His optics continued to stay shut tight, squeezing out years of tears as grief poured out of him. Shockwave shut offlined their optic as they hugged him back, letting grief overtake them. Even if Shockwave couldn’t cry, well. 

He’ll cry for the both of them.

[anime-alyssa]

Ok but like Poe Dameron pre TFA flirting with another CO. I feel like two ace pilots with maaajor sexual tension would need to blow off some steam ya know? 💕

oh thank you so much for being my first request! but oh yes. lets have them blow off a lot of steam, shall we? 

smut ahead, btw. cause my mind is always in the gutter. but there will also be like…. normal flirting. 

sorry if you didnt want this smutty skskskssks

smut below cut

——

blowing off steam.

——

You and your Squadron had just gotten back from yet another long, grueling mission to try and find the way to Luke Skywalker. It was yet again another failure and you and your fellow pilots in the Black Squadron were exhausted and irritated. The Resistance was jumping at absolutely any lead that was thrown their way and General Leia trusted the Black Squadron under the leadership of Poe Dameron and yourself over anything to get it done.

But boy, were you tired. Tired of the missions, tired of dealing with Poe’s anger afterwards, tired of your sexual desires for your fellow officer. But god damn it, he just looked so hot when he was angry. You couldn’t deny the attraction you felt towards Poe. He didn’t help with that either - the mindless flirting between you two was become sickening to everyone else around you. You yearned to get at least one chance to fuck him, to ease some of your tension. You were getting hot and bothered just thinking about the opportunity.

“Any other reports?” Leia asked the room. You shook your head at her and heard a few more mumbled ‘no’s before she dismissed the room. You had just gotten back from yet another unsuccessful mission on a planet from the Outer Rim and were debriefing with Leia once more. Poe was already aggravated with being unsuccessful yet again with this mission and he caught up to you quite quickly in the hallway.

“Hey! Wait up!” he called after you. You turned on your heel to face him as he ran to catch up with you.

“Yes, Commander Dameron?” you asked as you kept walking towards your quarters, ready for a long shower. It was going to be a cold one if he lost his temper again. He rolled his eyes at the formality.

“You wanna talk about what happened?” he asked you, walking alongside you now as you entered your quarters.

“I don’t see the need. We got there. We lost men. Dead lead. The usual, lately. Getting ridiculous.” you said, stripping of your flight jacket and discarding it on the floor. Poe whistled at you as you did so and you shot a glare his way. “Can it, Dameron.”

“We’re alone, you know. We can pretend we’re not flirting with each other accidentally and do it on purpose now.” Poe commented smugly, grinning at you nearly ear to ear.

“Dameron, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You said to him, walking up to him and tapping his chest gently. He scoffed in response as he put his hand on your cheek gently, his eyes looking into yours. You felt your knees weaken below you as his gaze met yours.

“Sure you do.” he said, quickly snaking an arm around your hip and pulling you close to him to kiss you. All the months of sexual tension between the two of you was finally fading away as you stood there in his embrace. Was this actually happening? Were you and your fellow Commander really doing this? “That’s what I thought.” he said on your lips.

“Don’t ruin this by speaking, Dameron.” you said to him.

“Fine. We don’t have to speak. Let’s just blow off steam.” he said back, kissing you again with much more force than before. You decided that if you really were going to do this, blow off steam, you might as well do it. This could be your one chance to fuck him and you weren’t going to get into your own head and ruin it. Poe’s hand traveled down to your ass and gave it a hard squeeze, a half-gasp half-moan coming out of your mouth. Using his other hand to grasp your hip he guided you over to the bed and pushed you flat on your back to the mattress. “Let me know if its to much.”

“Shut up and fuck me, Commander.” you said to him. Poe growled in pleasure as his hands messily worked towards stripping you of your jumpsuit and you worked towards getting his off him. Eventually after a few minutes the both of you were in just your undergarments and his lips were back on your body. He tore off your bra when his mouth reached the fabric and placed hard kisses on both your nipples, causing you to whine with pleasure. He smirked against your skin as he heard you whine, ego inflating and cock getting harder.

“God that was such a pretty little sound that came out of that mouth. I wonder what else your mouth can do…” Poe drawled.

“I’m sure you would love to find out.” And with that you took control, flipping the two of you over and laying him on his back. A glint of curiosity shone across his eyes before lust took over as you wedged his boxers down his legs, freeing him rock hard cock. Precum was glistening out of the tip and you licked your lips before placing a kiss over the tip, licking up the precum that was coming out of it.

“Oh god…” Poe moaned above you. You sent a quick smirk up his way as you took his length in your mouth, freehand grabbing at his balls and your spare hand pumping as you bobbed your head on his cock. You hollowed your cheeks out as you sucked and sucked, the pilot above you cussing and groaning in pleasure. Poe wasn’t going to last very long at this rate and would need to go down on you before getting inside you, but he didn’t care. Your mouth was giving him the best head he’s ever had in his life. You gave his balls a light squeeze and heard him let out a loud moan with one last suck. “Fuck!” he cursed as you felt him let out his ropes in your mouth. You kept sucking and made sure to swallow every drop he let out into your mouth and as soon as he was done.

You sat up, licking your lips in the process and staring back at him. Now more lustful than before Poe jumped up and grabbed you, going back to your first position with you under him. “Time to return the favor.” You gulped in anticipation as he slid your underwear down your legs and threw them next to his. His mouth idled over your bud for a moment before he decided to lick a singular stripe up your cunt.

“Oh god Dameron…” you cried out under him, body writhing from the sensation. He stopped, pausing to look up at you.

“By the end of this you’ll be screaming my actual name, baby.” he said to you threateningly, going back down to start feasting on your wet cunt. You cried out as his mouth worked magic on you, licking in between your folds and sucking on your sensitive nub while he started to slowly pump his fingers in you. You felt no shame as you moaned loudly for probably the whole base to hear, heat starting to build up inside you. Grinding your hips into his face Poe’s tongue danced quickly on your cunt and his fingers pumped faster, curling on the inside and hitting just right.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck!” you shouted, orgasm nearing but not quite hitting. You could feel it coming though as your muscles started to tense and your cunt leaked onto his face. Poe smirked into your folds, licking and sucking as he went before suddenly pulling away, a whine escaping from you. “What the fuck Dameron?!” you cried, wanting nothing more than to reach your hand in between your legs and find your release.

“You’re gonna come on my cock and scream my name, I told you.” he said darkly, licking your juices off his lips before spreading your legs and coming up to meet you. “Now be good and scream for me.” he said deeply into your ear as he found your entrance and thrust inside of you roughly.

“Oh god…” you cried as he entered, filling you up tightly. He groaned too feeling how tight you were for him - he wasn’t going to last very long and he knew it so he had to make it count. Wasting no time Poe started to move in and out of you hard, the feeling of orgasm building in you again and crying out in pleasure. You always wanted to fuck him once and now here you were, being fucked by Poe Dameron and god was it good.

He moved hastily to get you to the edge, lips attaching themselves to one of your nipples and his other hand pulling at the opposite. You moaned loudly which only made him increase his pace, quickly repositioning you so he could hit you all the way up to your g-spot and fill you all the way to his balls. Skin slapped against skin as he managed to hit you in a spot where no one had ever hit you and you cried out for him.

“Oh my god Poe! Fuck Poe just like that, keep going!” you shouted as you felt your orgasm finally almost hitting you, body tensing and pussy tightening around his cock, making him moan out as well.

“Tell me who makes you - fuck - scream. Tell me!” He groaned, taking his mouth off of your nipple and bringing his gaze up to yours. He was sweating, you were sweating, more dangerously close to your highs. Your nails dug into his shoulders as you moaned loudly in pleasure at every move he made.

“You Poe, oh my god Poe! Poe, oh fuck!” you shouted as he plowed home inside of you, hitting the right spot every time and making you see stars above you.

“Come on me, come on - oh fuck…” he breathed down to you, thrusting into you quickly and hitting your g-spot once more. All it took was one more thrust into you before you screamed his name and your pussy clenched around his cock, orgasm taking over your body. As soon as your felt yours take over you heard him moan your name as his cock twitched inside of you, your convulsing cunt milking him as your back arched against his collapsing body, still moaning his name as he tensed above you.

Silently the two of you laid there coming down from your highs. The both of you panting, sweaty messes on your bed sheets. Slowly once he mustered up the strength, Poe slid out of you and collapsed once more on your bed next to you.

“I think we need to blow off steam more often.”

[andieperrie18]

if i die young (x reader)

WARNING: AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS!! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED! HAHAHA ENJOY.

Thanos's threat has ended. The population of the universe has been restored to its rightful place. There was finally peace and the Avengers had done it. But, all Good things comes at great costs.

Y/n Stark

The real hero. She fought Thanos with all she had along side her father. All her life, Tony had always vowed to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. He vowed to her, to Pepper and to himself. Even if it cost him his life. When the battle came to its peak, he remembered every moment of how it all happened.

The Thanos that came from the past had already had his hands at the new gauntlet that he had synthesized from the original. He casted his eyes over to a pair of orbs masked with worry. He gazed at her daughter as she did as well. Panting, he turned towards the new sorcerer supreme. The said magician stared back at him with small hope lingering hope in his eyes. He lifted his hand with a singular digit on it. Tony knew that he had to do something. For the sake of the people that he loved. For Pepper, Morgan and Y/n. For the last time, he gathered all the strength he had left as he lift himself from dirt. This was a sacrifice he was willing to take.

It was suppose to be him.

He tugged the gauntlet, he fought with all he had. He only had a few minutes to take the stones of the gauntlet. He had already of this before. Tony knew that if something would happened, he would need a contingency. If something were to occur along the way, he could easily removed the stones from the gauntlet.

Then Y/n threw himself on Thanos's hand and tugged it aswell. He thought he was helping him but what she did next was not what he had expected. She stared at him for a moment as her arm piled on his, her lips mouthed a phrased that had carve its way in his heart forever.

"I love you 3000"

She blasted him away with her own blasters. And she sneakily swiped all the stones as she was thrown off.

"I told you, I am inevitable"

Thanos smirked, as he raised his arm after Y/n rolled off. He prepped his middle finger and thumb together and snapped them. Tony stared in fear as he waited for another defeat. But none came, the giant purple foe waited but none came and he turned his attention to the synthetic gauntlet. This slapped a look of shock on his face and he lifted his eyes to the man clad in red and gold as the same look of confusion mirrored his.

"And I told you before,..."

The two turned towards Y/n figure as she had straddled in her knees. The gleam of six hues crawled from her palm to the back of her hand, conjoining all of its powers to her purple suit. Their grand unification process earned a grunt from the beholder. Tony stared at his daughter, as she stared back with a conveying message.

'this time, I'll protect you.'

She quickly turned to Thanos and gave a tired smirked.

"You talk too much."

Snap

Everything was enveloped with a bright light.....

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I die young bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh uh oh

"I knew you'd do something crazy. And mom has already tried to stop you from pulling off crazy stunt from the past."

Tony stared at Y/n's hologram. He sad with Pepper, Morgan, Rhodey, May, Peter (who is her boyfriend) and Happy. His daughter had actually left messages for everyone. Each of them got one one holo-messenger with an exception for Morgan who got two with the other being a sort of music box which confused them.

"You've been protecting me ever since we came back from Afghanistan. And I never felt in my life."

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when

She stands under my colours, oh and

Life ain't always what you think it oughta be, no

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well, I've had just enough time

They walked out of the cottage as they were greeted by friends. Tony held the a bouquet and in the middle was an arc reactor, Y/n's first reactor. He remembered how happy she was when she made it. He held Morgan's hand and his wife held the other as they made their way to the small wooden dock.

Peter followed swiftly behind them. Eyes glossy but a failing stoic expression. He watched the sad family stare at the drifting bouquet.

If I die young bury me in satin.

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well I've had just enough time

Peter spun to a certain corner, from a shore line of the lake stood Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds. The lone female who barely showed emotions was now sobbing a hell lot of tears with her breath hitching every few minutes. Then there was Ned, he would have laugh at his chubby best friend's crying but the weight of the loss was too great. They loved her, Y/n may have been the daughter of an seemingly arrogant Philanthropist but she manage stay level headed at all times. She knew all three of them like the back of her hand. She knew how to deal with Michelle's snobbiness, she knows how to roll with Ned's Star Wars fandom.

Then there was him, he loved the way she knew how to make him weak. She is supportive and helpful with his hero activities. He promised to treasure every kiss and hugs he had with her.

And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom

I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger

I've never known the lovin' of a man

But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand

There's a boy here in town says he'll love me forever

Who would have thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well I've had just enough time

The three sat by a small bench as they watched the bouquet. Morgan start fidgeting the music box. A beeping caught the attention of a few people including her parents. A hologram started to appear from the box. A sweet familiar voice echoed around the breezy air.

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls

What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar

They're worth so much more after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'

Funny when you're dead how people start listenin

"Hey Lil Em, sorry sis had to leave but don't worry I'm in a better place. You said you wanted me to make you music box with my voice cause you loved hearing me sing to you every time you go to sleep. We'll here it is."

Morgan smiled at the information as she looked at her sister's hologram that looked as if she was sitting at the edge of dock. The little girl inched down to sit beside the hologram of her sister who held a guitar as she singed.

Morgan felt complete. Her eyes slowly drift closed after finding comfort in the voice of her big sister's voice. Tony inched closer preparing to catch her but the next thing shocked her and everyone around him.

If I die young bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh oh)

The ballad of a dove

Go with peace and love

Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket

Save 'em for a time when your really gonna need 'em oh

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well I've had just enough time

So put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls

Y/n knew that Morgan was too young to remember her touch. The next thing she knew was her finding a key to put a solifying effect on her hologram. She manage to solidify the atoms of a holographic program.

Morgan slept on a familiar warmth. No tears left unshed that moment as every person on that place stared at the scene before them. Morgan slept on Y/n as the big girl wrapped her arm around her small figure.

Tony felt his wife's embrace as he turned to meet her. He found a teary eyed smile on Pepper's face, smiling back and returning her gesture as they stared at their daughters. Peter stared at them and slowly smiled. Even if it is a short moment, everything was perfect.

[kirastrations]

One by One, One after Another

Kaito drags a finger down the length of the glass in front of him, painting his fingertip a sickly shade of vermillion.

He leers into the mirror of the boy's bathroom, embellished with blotches of clotted red, and glares at the figure peering back at him through the misted glass.

The face of a goddamn coward stares back at him.

-

The five times Kaito Momota failed his classmates.

And the one time he didn't.

Read on ao3

Read on fanfic.net

I - Heaven

Kaito drags one hand through his hair in frustration.

When times are darkest, that's when a hero is born. A hero comes to be a spark, setting a fire in hearts that have become tinder dry. A hero will lead, he'll sacrifice and he'll inspire; then the torch of bravery will passed on to the next in line. They arise to wield the power of love and shun the love of power, they come to show us what we all are inside, heroes waiting to be reborn. The heroes that were born to show others that they are worthy of birthright, worthy of the love that rises under a gentle embrace of wings.

And for as long as he can remember, Kaito Momota, self-proclaimed 'Luminary of the Stars', had wanted to be a hero. A hero fighting for the greater good.

A cape rippling mockingly in the faces of those fallen before him, narrowed mauve eyes that scream for acceptance justice, and, most importantly, charisma. Kaito would be the first to tell anyone that charisma is important, and silently urge his sidekick - whoever was lucky enough to stand in the position at the time, to follow in his lead. After all, if a hero can't lead, are they really a hero...?

Kaito is certain that he fulfils all of the credentials of heroism. Of course! He wouldn't have been planted on this earth if he wasn't capable of something as simple as leading.

... Or maybe he just needs practice.

His other hand's grip on the AV room door slackens - it clearly has no plans on budging any time soon (thanks for that, Gonta). Kaito's eyes squeeze closed as various panicked voices bounce around the Game Room, melding together with the ear-splitting tune blasting out of the monitor.

"Hey," Kaito's eyes snap open again as a gentler voice just about reaches his ears over all the noise.

"I'm—" Rantaro pulls a face as the music goes up a few decibels, cups a hand over his mouth and steps closer to the spaceman. "I'm gonna take a little breather, that alright with you?"

"What?" Kaito frowns. "But what about the meet—"

"Listen," The amnesiac splays a jewelled palm against the coloured door. "I get that you mean well, but this—" His green eyes flit back to the chaotic scene before the pair. "This isn't working out."

"Hold on," Kaito says, "I know we haven't made much progress yet, but," He slams his fists together and forces a grin. "I'm sure we just gotta talk it out some more! We're bound to come up with something sooner or later—"

"You really think it's gonna be that simple?" The rest of Kaito's words die in his throat as Rantaro's eyes fly into him like a spear, normally green, gentle eyes clouding over with something Kaito can only describe as sinister. But it was gone as soon as it had come, and like a lightswitch, Rantaro had snapped back to normal.

"Sorry, I—" He runs a hand through fluffy green locks. "Nevermind. Forget it." He leans back against the AV door next to Kaito. "I just don't think this is going to get us anywhere." He says with a sigh, watching through half-lidded eyes as Angie continues to preach to the other three girls in the room.. "Besides," He chuckles, "I'm still not quite sure why you picked me of all people, y'know?" He shrugs. "I think Shuichi would have been a much better choice than a guy who can't even remember his own talent."

"Dude, that doesn't matter." Kaito grumbles. "You just have that kinda determined aura about you, I guess?" Kaito's lip twitches. "Besides I've always thought you were kinda cool, ever since I saw you—"

..........

...........

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

A memory drops out of Kaito's grasp, a singular leaf from a tree fluttering just beyond the spaceman's reach.

"Ever since you saw me what?" Rantaro tilts his head, pierced brow quirking skywards.

"I—" Kaito grimances, scratching his head. "...don't know where I was going with that," he confesses, "My bad."

"Right..." Rantaro watches him fumble over his words a little longer, before straightening himself up, and heading towards the exit. "Anyway, I'm just gonna run to the bathroom."

"Hey—" Kaito reaches out to Rantaro, but the boy walks out of his reach far too fast.

"Don't worry." Rantaro soothes with a wave of his hand. "I'll be right back, alright?"

The door gently shuts behind him.

Rantaro was gone.

Kaito finds his corpse fifteen minutes later.

"I'll be right back, I promise!" Kaede cheerfully assures him as she runs off to the girl's bathroom with Tsumugi. He doesn't dare ask why.

"I'll... be right back..." Kaito mumbles, rushing to the boy's bathroom to cough up what felt like more blood than what came out of Kaede's crushed form.

II - Star

Kaito drags a racket behind him as he treads across the tennis court floor.

Ryoma sighs. "You brought me up here to play tennis." It comes out as a statement rather than a question.

"No— well," Kaito's fingers curl around the racket's shaft. He turns to face the smaller man, cape jacket fanning out behind him. "Ryoma, I—" He crouches down to his level. "I want you to look me in the eye, and tell me head-on that you really don't want anything to do with tennis anymore."

"I know what you're tryna do, Momota." Ryoma quirks an eyebrow, eyes briefly flickering to the racket in Kaito's hand. "And it ain't gonna work. I swore after that day that I'd never touch a tennis racket again." He turns his back to him. "I threw my past away, and along with it, my talent, you already know that much."

"Yeah? Well," Kaito throws the racket down onto the floor, a bubble of frustration expands and pops in his chest. He glares at it as clatters to a standstill. "I still don't believe you."

Ryoma shrugs. "Believe what you want— it's only the truth."

"But it's not actually the truth, is it?" Triumph shoots through the astronaut as Ryoma stops in his tracks.

"Excuse me?" Ryoma spins back around. "You... think I'm lyin' to you?"

"Is it really the truth, or is that just something you've forced yourself to believe?" Kaito's hand flies to his neck. "Cuz, for someone who supposedly 'threw away his past', you spend most of your damn time here tellin' us about it."

"Momota," Ryoma starts, "I'm not—"

"No," Kaito counters, "No. If you really threw away your past, you wouldn’t be actin’ like this. You would’ve moved on by now. Right now, you’re carryin’ your past with you everywhere you go. Day in, day out, you just constantly constantly constantly torture yourself with it, and you won’t let anyone in, won't let anyone understand why. All we get is 'don’t bother with me, I'm dangerous, I'm a liability'. If you were really done with the past, you wouldn't be constantly tellin' us to stay away from you!"

Kaito's expression softens. "We're all here for you, Ryoma. All you gotta do let us in." He stretches out his legs out on the court floor. "We're in a killing game, for god's sake - you really think we care about somethin' you did years ago?"

Silence slumps between the two men.

Ryoma silently walks to the exit, and Kaito feels defeat fill his aching chest.

"Momota."

Kaito's head snaps up.

Ryoma grunts. "I've still got a ways to go, but I'll keep that in mind." He says with a hint of hesitancy, and the door clicks shut.

Ryoma was gone.

Kaito finds his remains the following morning.

III - Angel

Kaito drags a finger down the length of the glass in front of him, painting his fingertip a sickly shade of vermillion.

He leers into the mirror of the boy's bathroom, embellished with blotches of clotted red, and glares at the figure peering back at him through the misted glass.

The face of a goddamn coward stares back at him. A coward who can't stomach the mere concept of the occult. A coward who can't show weakness in front of his friends. The mirror ripples, and he sees the faces of his sidekicks training without him. He can't let them down. He can't let them see him like this. He can't-

"HOLD IT, DEGENERATE!"

As Kaito leaves the washroom, he nearly keels back over as a sharp hand digs into the back of his neck. Bloody bile rumbles in the pit of his stomach. Tenko relaxes her stance as Kaito steadies himself against the wall.

"It's just me." Kaito hears himself rasp, and winces at how tired, how small, how weak it comes out sounding.

"Did—" Tenko furrows her brow as Kaito straightens his back. She stares at him, though not with the usual look of absolute disgust Kaito's grown so accustomed to. "Did... Tenko hit you too hard?" Kaito swears he sees genuine concern flash across her features.

"Nah." Kaito forces a chuckle and wipes the corner of his mouth with the back of his fist, taking care to conceal the red. "I'm fine, just had to go to the bathroom, nothin' out of the ordinary." A smile forces its way onto his face and he pumps his fists. "It'd take more than that to hurt the Luminary of the Stars!"

"Ah," Tenko's eye twitches. "Is that so...?" Her eyes flit to the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. "Non-council members aren't supposed to be out at nighttime, you know."

"The hell?" Kaito frowns. "Since when was that a thing?"

"Since," Tenko pauses, "Since this afternoon, Tenko thinks."

Kaito groans, lifting a weary hand to his neck "Can't you make an exception for a guy like m—" The words dissipate in his bloodstained throat as Tenko's expression contorts into one of... disgust, he thinks.

"Oh, what are ya doing Tenko?" Angie appears out of nowhere, siddles between them and gives Kaito a look that makes him want to wilt.

Much to the astronauts surprise (and confoundment), Tenko immediately opens her mouth and a waterfall of fiction pours from her lips, Angie lapping up every word, not unlike a little puppy.

Kaito's eyes glaze over, and his mind wanders elsewhere. It crawls out of his ear, saunters back out to the courtyard, and proceeds to cheer Shuichi and Maki-Roll on in their training in his steed.

The training he's too weak to do by himself.

"Angie sees." She idly twirls a paintbrush, "Well, if Kaito wasn't feeling well, Angie guesses that can't be helped." She beams at the taller man. "Atua forgives you, Kaito! Don't worry!"

"Huh?" Kaito's eyebrows fly into his hair. "Who the hell said I was—"

"Quiet, degenerate!" Tenko snaps at him, then turns to Angie. "So, Tenko will take Kaito back to his room to rest, and then she'll patrol the rest of the school, Angie."

With more optimism than Kaito deems necessary, Angie bids them both goodnight and with a twirl on her heel, she's bouncing back up the stairs from which she came, wispy-white pigtails flying out behind her and catching the artificial lighting. For a brief moment, Kaito sees two shooting stars fly out behind her.

Angie was gone.

"Tenko doesn't know why you're out so late," Tenko starts as soon as the artist's out of sight. "But she suggests that you go and rest before you strain yourself any more."

"W-wait a sec." Kaito pinches the bridge of his nose. "How— I mean, why the hell do you think I'm sick?"

Tenko's stiff expression falters. "Tenko..." She takes a few steps back, "Tenko... can tell a lot about a person when she..." She mimics the move used on him when she'd initially bumped into him.

"Huh." Kaito's eyebrows knit themselves into a scowl. "You can tell just from that?"

"Well," Tenko titters. "Aikido is not about competing for fun to see each other's strengths and weaknesses. By working together and using techniques that make full use of your mind, body, and breath... ...you can measure your physical and mental growth. That is the true purpose of Aikido. You do not compete for superiority in Aikido. In fact, in Aikido you do not compete at all. Aikido is not a martial art for inflicting harm, but a way to improve yourself!" She falls back into her Aikido stance.

"Furthermore, Kaito!" She jabs a finger at him. "Tenko definitely suggests that you take frequent breaks! And... and..." She averts her eyes. "Maybe don't... hide your feeling so much anymore..."

Kaito's mouth drops open, but before he can even formulate a response, Tenko is already halfway down the hall, and out in the courtyard.

Kaito moves to follow her, but his throat screams at him again, and he's pulled back into the bathroom against his will.

The sound of the door swinging shut is drowned out by manic, wet coughing.

He stumbles in on Angie's body the next day.

IV - Child

Kaito drags himself to the far-side of the Research Lab. Seeing effigies of hyper-realistic dead people wasn't something that was quelling his uneasiness of the fourth floor's general atmosphere.

"How are you feeling?" Tenko whispers to him, when everyone is busy either investigating or mourning the loss of their leader.

"Yeah," he says, "A little better." He pulls a face as his eyes flit to Angie's corpse. "Friggin' blood isn't helping though."

"Don't be rude." Tenko scowls at him. " But Tenko... might be able to help with that later."

"What?" Kaito blinks at her. "Seriously?"

Tenko wrings her hands. "Well, Tenko isn't entirely sure, but..." she grimaces. "Tenko's worried about you."

"What?" Kaito snorts in disbelief "You, worried about me? Please, I'll believe it when I see it."

"Shut up, degenerate! It's not like that, Tenko's just—"

She's cut off as Korekiyo calls for her to join him at the séance room.

Tenko gingerly obliges, and the anthropologist pulls the art room door shut after them.

Tenko was gone.

A second body discovery announcement rings out not even ten minutes later.

V - Rabbit

Kaito drags a chair across the computer room floor.

"This enough— enough chairs?" He asks with a splutter, harshly swallowing back the coughs snapping angrily in his throat.

"Should be." Miu collapses in the chair across from him and sighs loudly. "Fuckin' hell, that took forever..."

Kaito mirrors her actions, and relief immediately washes over his form like a sponge to a canvas. "You still haven't told me what these are for though, y'know."

"Keh!" A smirk works it's way across the inventor's lips, and she tosses her hair over her shoulder. "In just a few hours time, we're headin' off to a New World, Space-Face."

"A new world?" Kaito's gaze drops to the headset placed in front of him.

"Yeah," Miu's eyes glisten with deviltry, "A world with no Monokuma, none of his dumb-ass kids, none of that shit," She kicks her legs up and out onto the coffee table. "All you gotta do is follow my lead, do as I say, and we'll be free from this place in no time!"

"Uh—" Kaito politely averts his gaze from what he's now able to see from just under Miu's propped up legs. "So," He turns the headset around in his hands. "This some kinda virtual reality or something?"

"Well, duh." Miu rolls her eyes. "Can't fucking invent teleportation with the shitty tools they gave me here," When she doesn't get an immediate response from the astronaut, Miu practically explodes out of the chair.

"What, is that not fucking good enough for you?" She stomps over to Kaito's seat and snatches the headset from his grasp.

"Huh?" Kaito blinks at her. "No, that's not what I—"

"Well, I don't give two shits what you think!" Miu snaps, face crimson with fury. "I've spent fucking hours fixin' this thing so it's safe for us to dick around in, and you're saying it's not fucking good enough? This is the thanks I get for putting my blood, sweat nd' tears into fiddlin' with this fucking thing!? GOD, why do I even fucking bother with—"

"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Kaito yells back at her, shooting up and out of his chair. Miu scrambles back to her seat, not unlike a frightened kitten.

"I just fucking asked a question." Kaito inhales through his nose. "No need to be so insecure about it, Jesus."

"I-I'm nnot inse-secure, I j-just want to—" she snivels and in a smaller voice that not even Kaito hears, "... fucking escape..."

"What?" Kaito's forehead puckers, and a sigh escapes him. "Whatever, listen, I—" Nervous fingers run through heavily gelled hair. "I'm sure whatever you—" His eyes flicker to the looming computer, "—are planning on doing with us, the others will appreciate it, no doubt about it."

"R-really?" Miu peeks out from between her gloved fingers. "Y-you think so?"

"Hell yeah!" Kaito slams his fists together. "I haven't been in a simulation in years, so I'm super excited to try it out!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold the fuck up." Miu stops him. "You've... been in one of these things before?"

"Yeah," Kaito slumps back down in his seat. "We do 'em a lot for exams for astronaut training, since you can't exactly fly out to space any time we want." Sadly.

"O-oh." Miu twirls a lock of strawberry blonde around one finger. "S-so you like, know how they... work then?"

"Hmm?" Kaito cocks an eyebrow. "Not really, I've just used 'em before, but I wouldn't know what makes 'em tick or anything like you probably do."

"Good."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, just wanted to—" Miu pulls a face and gestures to the entrance. "Fuck. Okay, well your job is fuckin' done here, Space-Face."

"I thought we're going to the New Worl—"

"SOON!" Miu bellows at him. "Gotta prep some more shit before that. Plus I've got him comin' later on, so I gotta make sure I—"

"Him?" Kaito tilts his head. "Who's— hey!" He doesn't get to finish his sentence as he's forcefully yanked out of his chair.

"Your private session with this Gorgeous Girl Genius is over, dickcheese." She sneers, dragging him to the exit. "Though don't get too down in the dumps; I'll come give you a second helping of my beautiful brain later on when we're ready to head off. Oh and—"

Kaito turns back to face her.

"Thanks for... helping me c-carry the chairs up." She doesn't meet his eyes.

"That's all?" Kaito's lip twitches. "Moving chairs is nothing for the Luminary of the Stars!" He grins at her. "I'll even help you carry them back once we get out of that world."

"H-huh...?" Miu visibly stiffens. "Oh, r-right. So, I'll, uh, see you later then." She stutters, taking a wobbly steps back into the Computer Room, letting the automatic doors to slide themselves shut.

Miu was gone.

Kaito momentarily wonders why she suddenly got so nervy, but whittles it down to her... eccentric personality.

Six hours later, Kaito finds out he'd been framed for murder.

VI - King

Kaito drags a dying boy's body across the floor of the hangar, painting the path from bathroom to press a hue that he knows all too well.

But for once, it's not his blood.

For once, it's not his body he's dragging around the place.

Kaito tries his hardest not to stare at the blood-crusted arrow piercing Kokichi's spine as the Supreme Leader shakily steadies himself against the bottom of the stairs, skinny legs trembling, no doubt from the toxic substance rushing through his veins.

Kaito moves to wrap an arm around the smaller boy's waist as they prepare to climb what seemed like a mountain. Kokichi flinches at the sudden touch of a large, calloused warm hand. He's freezing. He's freezing. No, Kaito thinks, as they begin their ascent, he's dying.

Kokichi sidles out of his hold once they're at their destination, practically stumbling into the control panel. The arrows in his back and side bounce up and down like metallic springs, and Kaito's stomach curdles like lemon and milk at the gruesome sight.

Kokichi stands at the control panel, clumsily fiddling with the digital camera, eyes bleary, skin a sickly white. Kaito can't fathom the amount of absolute agony the smaller boy must be in, and he can't understand how he's... still standing.

Reading his mind, Kokichi glances up from his tinkering. A weak smile dangles from one corner of his mouth. "I'm— I'm fine." He rasps, and Kaito's chest twists with an emotion he can't quite place a finger on. Is this what it feels like to be grieve someone? Kaito doesn't know. He doesn't know.

"We need to start," Kokichi says, bringing Kaito back out of his thoughts. "Before I—" His face contorts into one of pain, and suddenly, Kokichi's on the floor.

"Kokichi!" Kaito rushes to his side, head throbbing. Lungs screaming. Heart aching.

"Shit..." Kokichi whimpers. "Not yet... not until—" His eyes clamp shut.

"You..." Kaito's mouth tightens into a straight line. "You're okay." He soothes, though the words are entirely hollow. He runs a hair through Kokichi's thin, sweaty black locks. "You've got this." he quietly says, the smaller boy clings to his jacket as he's re-positioned at his station. "You're okay."

"Go..." Kokichi murmurs, lidded eyes crinkling with what Kaito assumes to be pain, "We need to get this done." His eyes flit to the astronaut's. "I d-don't want m-my death to be for... for nothing."

"Kokichi..."

"Seriously—" Kokichi snarls and splutters on his words, and Kaito has to physically restrain himself from rushing back over. "If I... die... before our plan... I'm gon... c'me back and... haunt... you..."

...

Kaito very, very, very hesitantly proceeds back down the stairs, each step shaky, and more careful than the last. And yet... Kaito's eyes trail back over his tiny, paling frame as Kokichi slides the camera into place with absolute precision. And yet, he watches Kokichi stand tall at the controls, knuckles turning sheet-white as he grips the metal railing.

And yet, even when smiling in the face of death, Kokichi Ouma looks like a leader.

Kaito spreads his beloved jacket across the metal slab, grimacing as the glistening galaxy-print winks back at him, almost mockingly.

So much for the Luminary of the Stars, right?

Kaito swallows the blood (or was it bile this time? Maybe a mixture of both?) clambering up his trachea as he awkwardly shuffles under looming shadow of the press. He clenches every muscle in his body, curling in as small and as tightly as possible, muttering a silent prayer to that one god he never believed in.

"Kokichi?" Kaito calls out after a few minutes of silence. His voice echoes around the room. His chest tightens, and he starts to wonder if Kokichi had actually dropped dead up there. That... definitely wouldn't be good.

"Yeah," A tiny voice says back. Kaito only just barely hears it. "I'm... gonna... s-start it... now."

"A-all right." Kaito's eyes flutter closed, and he internally curses the tremor in his voice. A deafening screech reverberates around the hangar, and Kaito's eyes instinctively shoot back open. It's loud, so much louder than Kaito had expected, but his whizzing mind drowns out the sound. He feels the press shudder below him as the sandwiching slab slowly begins it's descent upon him. On the outside, Kaito's deathly silent, but on the inside, he's howling.

He can't help but compare the events of the night with his own state of mind. Just like the arrows, the poison, this whole goddamn plan, his insides are in absolute dissarray. A mess. Both physically and metaphorically. For a split second, he wonders why he hasn't yet considered the prospect of Kokichi tricking him into going under the press. Then he remembers the gaunt, pale, poisoned, ghostly visage of what he'd once considered a pest, a villain, a mastermind, a thorn in his side, and guilt twists around his gut.

Kaito finally exhales when he hears the press screech to a halt just above him, breath fogging up the metal that just about grazes his nose. He stays there, paralyzed, waiting for Kokichi's signal to switch over, but it doesn't come.

It doesn't come.

Heart hammering in his ribcage and fearing the worst, Kaito shimmies out from under the press, ever careful so as to to not disrupt the carefully positioned jacket - if even one wrinkle is different he knows Shuichi will see it. He'll see it, and he'll scrutinise it to no end. He's just that amazing. Kaito's smile quickly dissipates as his eyes snap over to the control panel. "Kokichi...?"

Kokichi's not there.

Kokichi's not there.

Kaito's eyes dart around the hangar in a panic when clattering resounds from just off to the left. Kaito sees the tail end of Kokichi tumbling back down the stairs, landing flat on his back. All of the pain comes back to Kokichi in a choked, strangled squall.

"Kokichi!"

In an instant, Kaito's in hero mode, and on shaky legs, dashes to Kokichi's side. The smaller boy writhes in pain, as Maki's arrow digs further into his spine, reopening the clotted wound.

"Kokichi, can you hear me?" Kaito sits him upright on the bottom step. Kokichi doesn't answer. He merely sways, dazed, staring at the bloodied floor through glassy eyes.

"Koki—"

"Get it out."

"Huh?"

"It... hurts..." Kokichi mumbles, wincing as another spike of pain shoots down his spine. "Get... it.... out..."

Kaito pulls his mouth into a straight line, eyeing the protruding object with newfound anxiety brewing in his chest. He gently, gently, oh so gently, closes his hands around the shaft.

"I'm gonna pull on five." Kaito says. He feels Kokichi tense up in his hold, but manages to make out a nod from him.

One

Two

Three

Four

...

Five

Kokichi intakes a sharp breath through clenched teeth as Kaito yanks the arrow out, begrudgingly tossing it aside. He'll deal with it later.

"Hey, Kokichi." Kaito gags a little as the little hole punched clean into Kokichi's spine sparkles back to life with fresh blood. "Kokichi," he repeats himself, "you alright, dude?"

"Do the other one," Kokichi breaths out, and in a smaller voice, "please."

Kaito moves to oblige, but hesitates. "You'll lose more blood if I pull—"

He's cut short as Kokichi's hand flies to his own shoulder and with a muffled cry, the arrow is ripped from the smaller boy's bony limb. Kokichi's bleary eyes crinkle in agony as he collapses off the step and straight down into Kaito's chest.

"Kokichi! Hey, Kokichi, Kokichi!" Kaito pulls him up onto his lap. "You can't be friggin' dying on me now, man, we've still gotta—"

"SHUT UP!"

Kokichi rubs his bleeding lip with a sleeve. "It's... it's f-fine." He sighs. "It doesn't matter if I lose more blood," he growls through gritted teeth, "I'm gonna end up dying anyway, aren't I?" He inhales a shuddering breath, sweat droplets forming on skin as cold and as white as snow.

Death definitely wasn't beautiful, nor was it as blissfully peaceful as he'd probably once fantasised it to be, his stomach doing somersaults around the Strike-Nine eating away at his insides, shredding away at what little of his pathetic life remained.

Kokichi wills his tired, tired, tired eyes open, and lavender eyes meet mauve again. Kaito feels a pang of guilt hit him for the nth time when his eyes briefly flicker to Kokichi's cheek, still dusted with a tint of blue from when he struck him a couple days prior.

"I... I have...have to... to go to the... the pr... y-you know..." Kokichi trails off, not able to bring himself to say the word.

"R-right." Kaito swallows a lump in his throat, and gathers the smaller boy up into his arms, and stands up.

Kokichi's eyes go round. "What are you—"

"Shut up." Kaito doesn't take his eyes off the metallic machine. "Just— just let me do this for you, at least." Kokichi's purpling lips screw into a weak frown, but he doesn't argue back. Kaito just assumes that it's the poison preventing him from doing so.

"D-do... do you th-think... M-Maki w-would be... be j-jealous of me right n-ow?"

"Don't make it weird."

"Y-you're th-the one... w-who's c-carry-ing me like a... a bride... y'know."

"Sh-shut up. Don't talk if it's hurting."

"Neheh..."

The walk to the press is not unlike a funeral procession. Both boys know that they're going to be crushed. One physically, like an art assignment gone horrifically wrong. The other mentally, for the rest of his life. If he gets one.

In Kaito's arms, Kokichi begins to quiver, and Kaito's breath hitches.

"Hey," Kaito's surprised at how soft his voice comes out sounding. "You alright?" He lowers the leader down in front of the press.

Kokichi doesn't let go.

"T-two seconds," he rasps, "Gimme a s-sec to... to..."

"O-of course, take your time." Kaito stays still, as though he were lying back under the death machine looming a mere few feet away.

Silence falls through the hangar.

"H-hey..."

"You okay?"

"Well... I-I'm... ab-about... t-to d-die, idiot."

"Right, sorry..."

More silence.

"Are you, uh, scared...?" Kaito immediately regrets asking such a selfish selfish question to the boy he's about to murder.

Kokichi makes a small noise into Kaito's shirt. "It's... g-gonna be... be i-instant... so n-not rea-ll-y." He titters unconvincingly. "I think f-alli-ng on... on... on...  her a-rrow...  sped th-ings u-up a litt-le..." His eyes flutter closed. "At l-least, I-I h-ope... it does..." Kaito observes him, searching his closed eyes for answers  to all the lies he'll never admit to, all the questions Kaito has for him.

Kokichi's freezing.

Kokichi's still.

Kokichi's dead.

Kokichi's... dead...?

........

........

........

Kaito exhales. He's gone. He's at peace. Finally. He's at peace. Kaito moves to lift his body up onto the metal slab, to end this, to just end this once and for all, when Kokichi springs back up with a pained shriek. Kaito, quietly curses that god he doesn't believe in for continuing to make this poor kid suffer so goddamn much-

"I...  d-don't w... anna d-die... like thi-s" Kokichi croaks, curling little bony fingers around the astronaut's shirt.

The world turns into a bleary blur, as do all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything's gone. Kaito tries his hardest to hold back the strange feelings rumbling at his core, but he can't. He pulls the sniffling boy in closer, a foreign feeling of protectiveness filling his guilt-ridden chest. A feeling he thought he only possessed for his sidekicks. A lone tear trails the astronaut's cheek, and just like that, the floodgates open wide, wide, wide.

Kokichi starts to cry.  

He cries as though his brain is being torn into from the inside-out. Emotional pain flows out of both gaping wounds. From his mouth came a cry from so raw that even the eyes of the strangers around us were suddenly wet with tears. In an instant, he whole world vanishes from both of them - they're not Ultimates, they're not the hero and villain of their stories, they're not Killing Game fanboys. Just two weary souls that the world wants gone.

Eventually, silence blankets the hanger again.

But this time, Kokichi doesn't wake up.

---

When times are darkest, that's when a hero is born. A hero comes to be a spark, setting a fire in hearts that have become tinder dry. A hero will lead, he'll sacrifice and he'll inspire; then the torch of bravery will passed on to the next in line. They arise to wield the power of love and shun the love of power, they come to show us what we all are inside, heroes waiting to be reborn. The heroes that were born to show others that they are worthy of birthright, worthy of the love that rises under a gentle embrace of wings.

And for as long as he can remember, Kaito Momota, self-proclaimed 'Luminary of the Stars', had wanted to be a hero. A hero fighting for the greater good.

A hero fighting for a chance to beat the Mastermind.

A hero fighting for the sake of everyone else.

A hero fighting for a feeling much too strong to just ignore.

A hero fighting to commit a sacrifice that'll no doubt, end in tears.

A hero fighting for all sixteen of us, Kaito thinks to himself, knowing deep down that the end was nearing. Not once in his life had he ever felt so alone, so lost... So incapable of doing even such a minuscule thing as pushing two little buttons.

And this was only the beginning, the beginning of the pain, the beginning of the suffering and the beginning of the endless constellations of emotions that were in store for the the astronaut.

He clenches his teeth. Squeezes his eyes closed. And does just as he'd been instructed to.

I'm so fucking sorry.

The press slams shut.

Kokichi is gone.

And half a day later, Kaito is, too.

END

[averagedoctor]

Hi! Could you do a doctor (11th) x reader where he meets (y/n) and they become very close and they fool around the tardis and stuff? (after Ponds and before clara maybe?)

Heck yeah I can anon!! I’m gonna combine this and the other one I got from a different anon,, cuz they’re like the same thing,,, I swear you guys gotta be conspiring or something. I’m not too sure what you meant with this one, at least how they fooled around in the TARDIS so,, basically it’s just exploring and cleaning haha

Other anon: hi could you do a 11th doctor x reader where doctor and (y/n) just go fooling around in the tardis or something? P.s. love your writing!! (thank you!!!)

11th doctor x reader

Pronouns: gender neutral

Word count: 2,487

TWs: none

Tagging: @evyiione (if you’d like to be added to this list, shoot me a message! i also keep forgetting about this oops)

Summary: How you meet the Doctor and subsequently having to clean the TARDIS with him one day

[A/N]: Currently unedited cuz I’m tired :)

The air was brisk on your skin as you enjoyed the view in front of you, jacket tied around your waist. You were sat on a bench at your local park, and it just so happened to look over a small pond. Ducks and geese were common and you loved coming to feed them. A few turtles also lived in the lake, so there were plenty animals to feed with the bread you brought. You tossed a small bit over to the couple of ducks that had gathered and they excitedly quacked at the food landing before them. You threw out a couple more chunks towards them and made sure to aim some near the turtles too. There were no geese there today, which was a bit of a disappointment. Still, you soaked in all the time there that you could. It was calming, with the breeze rustling through the trees and the sounds of birds chirping, ducks quacking, squirrels rushing around, turtles splashing, and much more. If you had to put a name to it, you would say this was your happy place. A small smile snuck its way onto your face as you watched the animals around you. As you watched the surrounding area peacefully, a shadow fell over your still form. Turning around, you saw a man with kind, green eyes and a warm smile on his face.

“Oh, hi!” You said cheerfully, a little confused. Normally, no one bothered to approach you at the park, simply because no one was interested in interaction.

“Hello.” He nodded his head, fixing his eyes on the pond. “Ducks, huh?”

“Yeah, and turtles. There should be geese, but not today.” You chatted politely, looking over your shoulder at him. He was well dressed, with a tweed jacket, white button up,dress pants, a red bow tie, and even suspenders.

“Mind if I sit?”

“Er, not at all.” You said shifting over to the left so he could come over. He plopped down on the bench, staring intently at the ducks as they milled around.

“I’m  the Doctor, by the way.” He said, tearing his eyes away long enough to catch your eyes and extended his hand. His hands were warm and calloused and he had a firm grip at that.

“Y/N. Just the Doctor?”

“Good name, and yes, chose it myself.” He said proudly, turning his focus back to the lake. You chose not to comment on his choice of name. “You know, bread really isn’t healthy for them.”

“Well, they enjoy it. Why deprive them of that? It’s not like people will just stop.” You laughed, but oddly felt defensive. These ducks and turtles were the place you could escape to and you weren’t going to let one man ruin it for you.

“Fair point.” He held up his hands in surrender, eyes glimmering with mirth.

“Thank you.” The two of you lapsed into a silence, the Doctor clasping his hands together. He seemed flighty, as if part of him wanted to stay but the other part wanted to leave as fast as possible. His leg jittered up and down, the rustling of his pants disrupting the ducks that were treading closer to you, bread on their mind. You threw them the last piece and watched as they happily gobbled it up. He let out a small chuckle through his nose as they waddled away.

A few more minutes passed of neither of you saying anything and it was making you anxious. Gathering up the empty bread package, you crumpled it into a ball and shrugged your jacket back on.

“It was nice to meet you, Doctor.”

“Oh, yes, yes, it was nice to meet you too.” He startled, words jumbled up in his mouth. You nodded slowly, turning to walk away.

“Actually, Y/N, I have a question. Have you ever wished to go somewhere beyond your imagination?” You paused in your steps, revolving cautiously back around to face him.

“I… suppose so.” You finished after a pause. “Why?”

“Would you like to travel with me? Anywhere?” He blurted out, heat rising to his face.

“Uh, I’m not sure that’s so smart… that is how people get kidnapped.” You laughed halfheartedly, tugging on your sleeve. He was taken aback by your statement, as if that had never occurred to him.

“No! Oh no, I’m– it’s not–” He floundered, getting up. “Please, come with me, just for a moment.” He grasped your wrist, eyes pleading. Against your better judgement, you did follow him, and you weren’t sure why. He led you to a small blue police box that barely looked like it could hold him, let alone another person. “Come on.” He gestured as you lagged behind.

“Are- are you sure? I don’t think we’ll…” You were cut off by him tugging you and you squeezed your eyes tight, expecting to hit a wall. However, when that didn’t happen, you blinked and found yourself in a enormous room.

“I… woah… it’s…”

“Yep, bigger on the inside, I know.” He winked, straightening his bow tie. Star-struck, you spun in circles trying to take in the majesty of the situation. Wherever he had pulled you into was stunning and impossibly large.

“How?” Was all you could manage to get out when you looked back at him, questions in your eyes.

“TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Quite a beauty.” He said fondly, strolling up to the console. You trailed behind him, mouth agape. “This, however, is the real magic.” He grinned, pulling a lever and some knobs. The TARDIS began to shake and emit strange warbling sounds and soon the Doctor was grabbing your hand and pulling you outside. It couldn’t have been possible, but you were in a totally different place. You were at a loss for words, your hand covering your open mouth.

“1920s New Jersey. I haven’t been here before, that’s fun.” He said offhandedly, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking around.

“This  is… this is amazing.” You breathed, recovering from your shock. “Anywhere, yeah? You said anywhere?”

“I did.” The Doctor beamed. “Would you like to join me?”

“Yes.” You let out a laugh, gazing at the skyline before you.

That was how you met the Doctor. The start of the greatest chapter in your life. Everyday a new adventure, a new place, an entirely different time. It was thrilling and nothing like how you thought your life was going to go. This man saved your life on multiple occasions, just like you saved his. You were the perfect team, a match made in heaven, a match literally written in the stars. He was your best friend.

Stretching, you walked into the console room to see the Doctor staring intently at something that had popped up on his screen.

“What’s up for today?” You asked, bouncing around to his side. He started at your sudden movement, your head resting on his shoulder.

“Oh, the TARDIS just needs some maintenance done, no big deal. I can get that done quick and we’ll be on our way.” He smiled, knocking his head gently on yours.

“Ooooh, can we explore then? Since you already have to hunt around for maintenance?” Your eyes glimmered with excitement, hoping the answer was yes. You wanted nothing more than to get to venture into her deep areas, having only had the time to see a few specific areas between traveling and home.

“Alright, fine.” The Doctor caved, rather fast, sighing. He understood your want to go and see what other rooms she held, and your unrelenting requests to were finally getting to be annoying. He spun around, coattails flapping, and pointed at the far left corridor. “This way.” He said confidently, his mop of hair leading the way.

Soon after you entered, hallways began to twist and turn as you went further and further.

“Maintenance should be around here somewhere.” The Doctor called back as you lagged to look at the rooms you passed. You saw rooms full of souvenirs, rooms of pictures, paintings, a secondary library (you knew it wasn’t the main one due to lack of a pool), and one full of assorted lights. It was like the Doctor’s storage area. Some that you passed were empty or piled high with unused furniture. Guessing by the amount, you judged each companion got their own new set of furniture and didn’t even know it. As you walked, you drifted a hand along the walls, feeling the coolness and rivet bumps. The hallways seemed dim and bright at the same time, and you couldn’t figure out why it seemed like that.

“Hey, Doctor, how many rooms are there?” You asked after going by one that held a singular cube. “And why does this one only hold a cube?” You stopped and point at the window in the door that revealed its contents.

“I have no idea. There’s always just… more.” He chuckled, striding over to the cube room, gazing in. “Ah, yes, well, some things should remain unknown. Now, we’re almost there.” He winked, taking the lead again as you caught up to his side.

“You own a lot of things, have you ever thought of cleaning it all out?” You joked, poking his side.

“Oi! Don’t do that,” he grumbled, sticking his tongue out at you, “and sure, I’ve thought of it. Being alive for over a thousand years will get you in those moods sometimes. There’s just too much to fully go through… and some memories that I’d rather leave alone…” He trailed off, eyes drifting towards the ground. Mouth twitching into a frown, you coughed awkwardly and stared at the ground. You knew he had lost people close to him recently, ones that he traveled with, but you were never sure how many he’s had in the past. Based on this, you guessed a fair amount.

“I’m  sorry.” You said softly, bumping his elbow with yours in an attempt to lighten things up.

“No, no, it’s fine.” He smiled tightly and the two of you continued in relative silence until you reached the area needing maintenance.

The Doctor took a sharp right turn after traveling straight for so long, walking right up to a solid metal door.

“Where is this?” You asked as he used his sonic to open to door.

“Maintenance.” He said vaguely, pushing his way into the room. Inside, it was all steel with cords hanging from every possible edge in the wall and covering every inch on the floor.

“What the–”

“Think of these as… extension cords. Cords get tangled, so we’re here to untangle them.”

“Wha- untangle these? Where do they even come from? Why are they here?”

“These have all been a part of her in the past. Scraps from other TARDIS forms. Like, this.” He rummaged around in the pile of cords and pulled out a white sphere. “Blimey, this one is quite old. Anyway, she gets clogged up. This is like her overflow room where all the spare parts that can be used later go to. She’s not so great at keeping them clean though, so here we are.” He finished with a grand flourish and you bit your lip in worry.

“How are we supposed to clean this?”

“All we have to do, really, is relocate some parts. The problem isn’t so much the cords, it’s what’s under them that matters.”

“Ah.” You said dryly, wading over cautiously to the Doctor. “What happens if we just… don’t clean it?”

‘If we don’t, she’ll overheat, or become irritated, or both. Either way, that throws off her flying and that would be quite disastrous. I’ll grab what needs to be sorted and your job will be to take it out to the hall. We’ll deal with it there later.”

“Okay…” You said, swaying, taking the white orb from him and kicking a path to the hall. This process continued for about another hour after the Doctor found all the extra parts he could fish up.

“That’s all of it.” He grunted, placing the last piece unceremoniously on the floor.

“Now what?” You asked, hands on your hips as you looked over the pile at your feet.

“And now, we move it.” He smiled while you groaned, hanging your head before shuffling over. It took another thirty minutes until you got them all moved to another room. Lucky for you, there was an empty room a couple rooms past where you currently were. Having that there made life a lot easier.

“Thanks for dragging me along for that. Wasn’t as much exploring as I hoped, and didn’t think it would be cleaning.” You glanced over at him to see him shrugging.

“You never know with the TARDIS. Come on, I’ll show you something to make up for all that work.” He led you out the way you came in, somehow finding his way out of that maze and you couldn’t even remember what the previous corridor looked like. Blinking, your eyes adjusted to the lighting being thrown in the main console room, a stark difference from whatever dim-bright landscape you’d just been in. You were about to ask what he was leading you to when he took you down the middle hall towards the main library. Once in, he skirted around the edge and browsed the books, a finger trailing along each spine. Just when it seemed like  he wouldn’t be able to find it, he let out a satisfied exhale and plucked a book off the shelf.

“I know you’ve been curious about the people I’ve traveled with in the past. So, as a reward for helping me, here’s some pictures.” He flipped through the rather thick book to reveal all sorts of different pictures, even some in black and white. It was mainly women that filled the book, but there were some men sprinkled in.

“You really have a type, huh?” You laughed as the Doctor gave you a frustrated look.

“I most certainly do not.” He said, indignant, before nodding back at the book. You could tell he was getting to a more current time period when the pictures steadily became clearer and clearer. You caught a glimpse of a woman with red hair and a man beside her, but he promptly flipped the book shut.

“I think that’s enough for today, yeah?” He said quickly, exiting the library. You followed him, as always.

“Thank you, Doctor.” You called out as he stepped up to the console.

“Just a favor for a favor.” He smiled warmly, but you could detect a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Well, now that’s taken care of, off we go!” He sprung up, perky again. You climbed the stairs up to him, a smile on your face.

“Off we go indeed.” You placed a hand on top of his and you both pulled the lever down together, grinning as the TARDIS took flight.

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Of Blood and Roses*

Chapter One

Sequel to Balance on the head of a Pin

Pairing: Loki Odinson X Lauren   |  Word Count: 7590 Warnings: Fluff, smut, NSFW

There was a wrenching feeling like her stomach was trying to lead the way to wherever it was they were going. Pain from the blow to her head had Lauren moaning in distress.

“Almost there, darling. A few seconds more.”

The voice seemed to come from very far away, but she curled into it, desperate to keep her stomach from succeeding in leaving her body. When it all came to a halt, Lauren gave a hard gasp and prayed not to vomit.

Softness pressed to her lips, then cool, soothing magic slipped down her throat and settled everything, letting her stomach return to its original location.

When his mouth lifted, Lauren kept her eyes closed but smiled until the cut in her mouth pulled and murmured, “Loki…”

***

Knelt to a knee on the golden floor of the observatory dome, Loki cradled Lauren to him and gently touched her cheek. “Can you open your eyes, my love?”

“Head hurts,” she whimpered.

“I know, darling. I will take care of everything once were are in the palace. Once I know you are safe.” Still, he traced his fingers over the bruises, numbing her skin.

She relaxed again, slipping back into the semi-conscious state she’d been in when they left Midgard.

“Loki,” Thor murmured. “She would not want to be seen in such a state, and you have her blood on your face.”

Loki cared not about the blood on his face, but his brother was not wrong. Lauren would hate if the first impression people had of her was one of her less than immaculate. Not because she was vain, mind you, but because she would want to put her best foot forward. He pulled the cape from his back and draped it over her.

“Why not just use your magic and clean her up as you are want to?” Thor asked.

“Because,” Heimdall answered before Loki could, “he intends to take her to the pools.”

Loki only smirked at the observant Guardian, but Thor chuckled, patting Loki’s shoulder when he got to his feet. “Ah. I should have guessed. You are smart to do so.”

“I would have done so even had she not been injured. It will accelerate her conversion, bringing her further into our world and closer to her true self.” Loki made certain his cape covered her adequately, cradled her close, and brought her bruised cheek to his chest.

“I called for them to bring horses,” Heimdall murmured.

Loki glanced at the big male in the golden armour. There was compassion in his eyes and soft affection when he looked at Lauren. “Thank you, Guardian.”

“No poofing?” Thor waved his hand.

“You saw the trauma the magic of the Bifröst caused. Until she is fully healed, I dare not risk it.” Loki brushed her unmarked cheek. “He struck her so hard. I fear there is damage to her head I am not seeing. Until I can take her to the healing pools, I will not do more than primary care.”

Hoofbeats racing down the bridge had Loki’s head snapping up. There were far more than needed, and a low warning growl rumbled in his chest.

“Loki.” Thor held up his hand and peered at him quizzically. “We are home. There is no danger here.”

He relaxed but only a little when the four people strode into the observatory. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif. He should have suspected.

“My King!” they cried out together and rushed toward Thor only to jolt to a stop when Loki stepped back.

Holding Lauren tightly to him, he summoned his staff to his right hand. Edgy and defensive, Loki took a second step in retreat and brought the weapon to bear.

“Loki. Brother.” Thor let his hammer drop to the ground. “No one here wishes your Lady any harm.”

“There has been trouble,” Hogun murmured. “Should we call a healer?”

“I can heal my own,” Loki snarled.

“Of course, my prince,” Heimdall said softly, moving to stand with Loki. “Hogun meant no insult.”

Loki looked to Heimdall, to the golden eyes which saw much, and found understanding. “I am… uncertain,” he said so only Heimdall would hear him.

“You are bonded all of a day. That you are wary of those powerful enough to harm your Lady when she has, already, seen harm is not an oddity. Come.” Heimdall motioned toward the door with his sword. “I will see you to your horse. Then, you can see to your wife.”

The three warriors exchange a look of incredulity at the word wife.

“It’s not… possible,” whispered Fandral.

“The binding is finished? Already?” Volstagg asked, looking at Thor.

“Just. Last eve she took the final step,” Thor smiled fondly at Lauren. “She is a remarkable woman.”

Loki ignored them all, moving when Heimdall did, keeping the Guardian between himself and the others. Lauren whimpered, the pain in her side beginning to throb through their bond. Her brow furrowed, and she mewled a sound of distress.

“Thor!” Loki snapped, striding purposefully toward the doorway and vanishing his staff. “We must go!��

“Take my mount,” Sif said, appearing on the opposite side of Heimdall. “He has the smoothest gait and won’t jar the Lady Lauren.” She motioned to the chestnut with the four white socks.

With a nod, Loki transferred Lauren to Thor’s arms and stepped astride Sif’s gelding. The horse shifted restlessly, but Sif was there to keep him calm. Thor transferred her back, but Loki’s cape slipped, revealing the blood which had dried on her throat and caked the torque around her neck.

The four gasped, but it was Sif who placed her hand on his boot. “Tell me they are dead.”

“There was no other outcome for the ones who hurt her.” Loki gently tucked his cape around Lauren’s shoulder and brought her close to him.

Sif nodded before swinging into the saddle of a big white mare. The Warriors Three mounted around them, and Thor swung astride another gelding at his side.

Loki focused on Heimdall, the Guardian standing in the doorway, and gave him a nod of thanks. “Heimdall.”

“Welcome home, Prince,” Heimdall said and tilted his head.

“Sif,” Loki murmured, turning her gelding to face the city. “My Ástvinur has shown me the error of my youthful misdeeds. I sincerely apologize for taking your hair.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in shock, but she nodded slowly. “Thank you… prince.”

“My dear, Sif,” Loki smirked. “When have you ever called me prince?” Without waiting, he set his heels to the gelding’s sides and took off down the bridge at a gallop.

As expressed, he had quite a smooth gate, the gelding, but when each hoof connected with the ground, it sent vibration through the horse’s frame and caused Lauren to flinch.

Loki sent a wisp of green magic tumbling around the equine’s hooves and between one beat and the next, all sound ended as he began to run an inch above the surface.

The gelding’s ears flicked, and he snorted, a large dark eye rolling back to look at Loki.

“Easy. You are fine,” Loki murmured to the horse. “Just run for me.”

He snorted again and stretched out, his strides lengthening as they ate up the ground.

Loki released the reins, allowing the horse to do his job, and lifted his now free hand to Lauren’s cheek. “My heart,” he murmured, stroking her face. “Open your eyes, my heart.”

“Loki,” she whimpered.

“We are on the rainbow bridge, my darling. Do you not want to see it?”

Her lashes fluttered open, but before she could look down and likely grow dizzy from their speed, he turned her chin to look toward the city.

“Oh my… stars,” she whispered, the wind nearly stealing her words. “How beautiful.”

“Welcome home, beloved.” He gently kissed her temple and let the wind wisk the tears from his eyes long before they could fall.

Her head tilted back on his shoulder to peer up at the sky. “Amazin’. It’s just like you showed me.” A smile curled her lips but her lashes fluttered closed, and she drifted again.

“We are almost there, my heart. Soon you will be well, and then we can rest.” The sun had not yet crested the world, dawn a few hours yet from breaking, so when the gelding left the bridge to race through the streets of the city and climb his way toward the palace, there were few to see their arrival.

At one time, he would have been put out by such a homecoming. No fanfare. No pomp. No revelry. No joyful shouting or flowers spilled at his feet. At one time, nothing would have satisfied him more than returning home as the saviour of Asgard. As the prince worthy of both throne and exaltation.

Today, he could not have cared less that no one witnessed his return. His mind had a singular focus. A singular task. Nothing and no one mattered but seeing Lauren reached the healing pools beneath the palace.

The twisting maze of streets fell away behind him as his steed ran without flattering. Once the initial shock had worn off, it appeared Sif’s mount enjoyed the lack of sound created by his airborne hooves.

He put quite a bit of distance between himself and the others, leaving Thor to his escort. But Loki felt better without others too near.

Perhaps Heimdall was correct. Maybe it was the newness of the binding and the injuries Lauren had received which made him anxious. Still, he could not shake the feral feeling welling inside him. The need to protect, provide, and claim was overwhelming as if the instincts of the wolf he’d worn had not faded when his body had resumed its human shape.

Something about it seemed… different, but Loki could not put his finger on the how.

He pushed the thoughts aside when he arrived at the steps to the palace, and the gelding slowed to a halt, his feet gradually returning to the ground. The guards on duty came to attention, his helmet and horns hard to mistake.

Loki threw his leg over the horse’s neck and dropped lightly to the ground. “Thank you, swift one,” he murmured to the horse. It wickered and walked off toward the stables, blowing only a little.

He could not wait for Lauren to be well. She would adore them, the horses of Asgard. They could run for hours and never tire. Jump heights unimagined by humans. He would take her to the barns and let her choose her own. A mare, perhaps. Something with spirit but without the bullheadedness of the males.

“Prince Loki.” The two approaching guards drew his attention. “We were not aware of your return.”

“Have things changed so much I am required to announce my comings and goings?” he snapped. “Remove yourselves from my path. My Ástvinur requires my attention.”

They had drawn close enough to catch sight of the blood on his face, but Lauren was well covered with her bruises hidden against his chest.

Still, they asked, “Do… you require a healer, highness?”

“I do not.” He walked past them, continuing up the stairs and through the high doors of the entrance hall.

A clatter behind him announced the arrival of the others, but he was already striding away through the Hall of the Ancients. A voice called to him from the shadows, but Loki paid it no heed, continuing on past the early risen servants when a familiar face caught his eye.

“Selvina,” he called out to the woman who had been housekeeper to the palace for as long as he could remember.

“Prince Loki!” she gasped and curtsied deeply. “We did not expect you back yet. The King was going to send word so we could prepare for your arrival.”

Loki stepped beyond the shadows yet blanketing the hall. “Expectations changed when they tried to take what is mine,” he growled softly.

She inhaled sharply, her eyes darting to the blood on his face, then down to the woman cradled in his arms. “I… I will see your rooms prepared at once.”

“Thank you, Selvina. Lauren and I will be in the caverns.”

“Oh, the poor dear. Will she be alright?”

Loki looked down at Lauren, at the dark bruises of fatigue beneath her eyes. “She will be. See food and mead are also waiting. We will return in one hour.”

“Yes, my lord.” She bowed again as he walked away, heading for the stairwell which would lead down into the caverns where the healing pools waited.

“Loki.”

He stopped. “Now is not a good time, Father.”

“How badly is she injured?” Odin asked, stepping into the corridor at Loki’s back.

“I have taken care of what I could be certain of. She took a blow to the head and when we travelled the Bifröst it… hurt her.”

“I see. You know which pool to use?” Odin asked, moving closer.

“I remember my lessons,” he snarled. “I am not some child.”

“You are still my child,” Odin murmured. “You have said so yourself.”

Loki looked at the ceiling and sighed in resignation. “I was a son of Odin for many years, but there are also many harsh words and harmful actions between us. This is not the time to discuss reconciliation, Father.”

“You are correct, of course. Might I at least… see her?”

Odin took another step closer, and Loki turned his head to see his father over his shoulder. “Not now. It would… distress her to have anyone see her so.”

“I care not for the nature of her dishevelment,” Odin scoffed. “I wish only to see the woman who will save my son.”

“And so you shall. After she is healed.” Loki walked on, avoiding any more arguments. He would not allow anything but the most favourable first impression. She was his wife and a Princess of Asgard. Already rumours would fly to become fodder for the masses of how he arrived here, bloodied, wearing his battle gear, with his unconscious Ástvinur in his arms and gone straight to the pools.

People would judge him for losing her, for having her stolen out from underneath his nose, but once they met her, saw her, grew to know her, they would see how special and lovely and unique she was. They would no longer be surprised someone had tried to take her from him. It should be no surprise they failed.

Two guards stood watch at the entrance to the caverns. They straightened but made no move to stop or question him. He was their prince once more and went where he wanted when he wanted.

Soft lights flared one by one as he descended into the moist heat of the cavern. While these pools, hot springs really, were for private use by the royal family, they did drain together into one giant mineral spring which was available for the public to use at will.

Bathing in the water of the combined pools would cure much of what ailed one, but the two pools beneath the palace were unique. Each worked in its own mysterious way. One healed the body. One restored magic. Both trickled over into a waterfall which drained out through stone, mixing and diluting the waters with runoff from the underground springs until they became the healing spring for the city.

His Father believed he was only here for the first, but he would lead Lauren through both before he took her to their chambers. Odin was not yet aware of Lauren’s state as his bonded or he would not have questioned Loki’s choice of pool. Had she still been of Midgard, allowing her to bathe in the waters of magic could have been dangerous, but as she was now of Asgard, the waters would only bring her closer to her true self.

Her radiant beauty would shine for all to see.

He paused at the base of the stairs and breathed deeply of the mineral scents and warmth, the musty cave smell which would last forever. A flick of his finger sealed the doorway to keep out would be intruders. Another shed him of his clothes. A third had a handful of candles flickering on a rock outcropping.

Loki let his cape fall to the rock and walked into the water with Lauren still fully clothed. She hissed when her feet came in contact with the warmth, then whimpered when he sank deeper still, making his way across the sandy bottom until he was chest deep and Lauren floated in his gentle hold.

He cupped and poured handfuls of the water over her damaged cheek, tenderly stroked wet fingers over her blackened eye, watching as the bruises faded away. He freed her hair and washed the blood from her throat. The water glowed softly, a milky white which hid much of her from view, and he continued to card his fingers through her hair, letting the water work until her lashes fluttered open.

“Loki?”

He smiled and cupped her cheek. “Welcome back, my heart.”

“Where… where are we?” she asked, allowing her feet to fall down until she found the sandy bottom. “What is this place?”

“The Pools of Neth,” he murmured, stroking her wet hair back from her face. “You were injured, my love. I feared more severely than I could fix. So I brought you home. To Asgard.”

“So… I didn’t dream the bridge or the city?” Her gaze dropped to his bare chest, and her hands soon followed.

“No, darling.” His body stirred with her tender touch.

“And the water is really glowin’ like a lit up milk bath?”

He chuckled at her description. “It is.”

“Is there a reason I’m still dressed?”

He waved his hand, and she wasn’t. “Your reaction to the magic of the Bifrost concerned me. Often, a head wound can be hard to detect, even for me, but can make one sick when such powerful magic is used. I would have had to take you to an actual healer or bring you here, to be certain of your recovery. I chose here.” He cupped her face and bent to kiss her hungrily before sweeping Lauren off her feet and heading for the pool’s edge.

“Loki,” she moaned and buried her face in his throat.

“I am only switching pools, my love. Then I will return to what I started.” He walked from the water and up a gentle incline to find the smaller of the two pools. Here the water was a soft lavender, warmer than the first, and at its deepest came to his shoulders. Stepping down into it, he felt the surge of renewing strength begin to flow through his veins.

Lauren groaned in delight and threw her head back. “Oh… wow…”

“The first pool was for healing the body. But this one renews magic and the heart of an Asgardian. Being in it will speed your conversion. You will grow stronger, faster, become harder to injure,” he whispered and delicately touched her throat. “You will heal with a swiftness not known to man. Your beauty will know no limits. You shall be a goddess. My goddess,” he crooned, pulling her out in the pool with him until she had to cling to him to stay afloat.

Her arms went around his neck. Her breasts flattened against his chest. Her thighs brushed against his, and he knew she could feel his arousal. “Once you are fully of Asgard, I will worry less about silly things like shoving at guns,” he scolded.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she muttered.

“Most definitely not,” Loki grumbled but kissed the tip of her nose. He took his hands over her back and down her side, trailing his fingertips over the place where she'd been wounded. “You terrified me today. Watching the blood soak into your dress.” He nuzzled his nose beneath her chin. “Watching it run down your throat… It was terrifying, Lauren.”

She tilted her chin back and tightened her hold, almost purring when he kissed a path along her jaw to suck lightly at her pulse. “I wasn't scared. I knew you'd come. I heard you howl and it was like all my fear melted away.”

“You were rather calm,” he murmured, nipping her ear. “Even bloodied and bruised you were...  magnificent. Still,” he sank his fingers into her hair and pulled her head back to see her heavy-lidded eyes, “I’d prefer you not do it again.”

“So would I. Loki… I feel…” She shuddered, and her eyes gleamed with his magic.

“How do you feel?” he whispered and bit at her jaw.

“Warm and… like somethin’ is strokin’ my nerves.”

He jacked her up to bring his mouth to her breasts and began to lap at them slowly, biting gently to make her nipples harden. “It’s the magic flowing through your veins. Exquisite, isn’t it?”

“Oh… god…” she moaned. Her legs lifted to wrap around his waist and her scorching hot core came to rest against his hard cock.

Loki growled and dropped her down to take her mouth, kissing her hungrily again as he moved them through the water to the edge where he pressed her back against the smooth basin and began to rock his hips into her. “The water enhances your senses. It sends its magic bubbling up inside you like a geyser until it crests and pours back out. Those who are truly powerful can spend much time soaking in the waters. Those whose magic is less need only minutes before it becomes too intense. Shall we test your limits, darling? Shall we see how strong you are?”

“Loki,” she whimpered, burying her hands in his hair. “It feels so good.”

He grinned at the flush forming on her face. “The water, pet?” He rocked his hips into her core and adored her shudder. “Or is it something else you are speaking of?”

She opened her eyes enough to show him the gleam of green emeralds. “Both.”

Loki growled excitedly. “My little minx. Are you trying to seduce me?”

Her lids lifted a little more, and she smiled a curl of lips so sultry it stole his breath. “I assure you, sir. I don’t need to try.”

“No. You certainly do not,” Loki murmured, nipping his teeth into her bottom lip before pulling her from the wall to lift her up and sit her on the ledge.

Her body gleamed, sheets of lavender water cascading back into the pool and splashing over Loki’s chest. Her hands were on his shoulders, his held her waist, gentle but firm. He stepped between her knees, nudging them apart, and brought his hand up to caress her side. The tender touch made her giggle, but he paid it little mind, needing to be assured she was whole from the wound she’d taken.

“Loki.” Lauren cupped his cheeks and lifted his chin. She smiled when their gazes locked. “I’m fine. I promise. I feel… really, really good actually. Really good.”

“Really good, darling?” He smirked up at her. “Are you certain you could not feel… better?”

Her feet and lower legs dangled in the water still, keeping her connected to the pool’s magic, but Loki pressed her knees further apart. The slow glide of his fingers up her thighs had her panting and quaking, her desire growing to connect them through his heart stone, the torque a shining adornment around her throat.

“I’m pretty sure I could feel better,” Lauren sighed, carding her fingers through his hair when he began to press sucking kisses to her abdomen.

“Oh, I know you could,” he chuckled and dragged his tongue over her serpents. He delved lower, licked and nipped and sucked at her thighs. Her scent flourished to mix with the minerals in the air, and it was heavenly. “You smell divine, my love.”

He looked up, watched her face as he nudged her closer to the edge of the pool, and slicked his tongue up her core. Her breath burst out on a moan and a shudder and her hands clenched in his hair, but Loki was lost to the taste of her. Too intent on forcing more of those sultry little moans from her lips, he paid the sharp tugging of his scalp no mind.

He licked at the ambrosia flowing from her, savouring every drop as her cries grew louder, and the tension of her core grew tighter. She moaned, and it echoed, making him chuckle when embarrassment fluttered in his heart stone.

“Don’t laugh!” she scolded only to jolt when he brought his hand to her slick folds and pressed his fingers deep.

“I like laughing with you, pet.” He stroked his fingers through her walls and curled them up into the special spot inside her. She gasped, and he grinned. “But I like making you moan as well. Will you come for me, love? Come apart on my fingers so that I can bring you back into this pool and have you come apart on my cock.”

“God, Loki!” she cried out, then mewled like a kitten when he caught the hard berry of her nipple between his lips and worried it with his teeth. “Enough!” she choked, dragging his head back by his hair. “I just want you, peaches!”

She kicked off the ledge, falling into his arms, and nearly sending them both under when he stumbled backward.

“Lauren,” he murmured, locking his arm around her waist to keep her still when she fought to bring her legs around him. “Wait.”

“No. I want you,” she whined and took her teeth to his throat.

“Dammit, woman! You'll have me in a moment! For one bloody second will you look at me?” he barked.

She jerked back in shock. “Loki!”

Hurt laced her voice. “I'm sorry, my love, but I need you to look at me,” he murmured and cupped her cheek.

What was that? He frowned as he peered into her eyes.

“What? What's wrong?” she asked.  

“There is a spark… or…. I thought there was,” he frowned and stroked her cheek. “Whatever was there is gone now.” But he was certain he’d seen something.

“A spark of… of what?” she asked, sounding concerned.

He smiled for he didn't want her to worry. “Of magic, darling.”

She gave a bark of disbelief. “Uh huh.”

Unwilling to argue with her, Loki changed the subject. “Perhaps we should take this back to our room where I can make love to you properly?”

“Because you're so concerned with proper,” Lauren teased and wrapped him in her thighs. “Please, Loki. Valhalla is callin’. The water feels… delicious. Take me now,” she whispered, licking his mouth before moving down to slick her tongue over the moisture on his chest.

“You're going to be the death of me, woman,” he growled but gave in, shifting his hold to her ass. He lifted her up, notched his head against her opening, and slowly sank her down his cock.

She moaned at the stretch, her forehead coming to rest against his. “God…  every time,” she whimpered. “I love it.”

“You fit me so well, my heart,” he murmured, beginning to rock her gently.

Gentle went out the window the moment she moaned, “Harder.”

Tight walls gripped him with every stroke, fluttered and quaked as he took her hard and fast, standing in the middle of the pool. The magic bubbling in his veins became an intoxicating counterpoint to the singing lust and desire.

Sweat beaded on his brow and dripped from his chin, the heat of the pool nothing compared to what was slamming through his body with every upward thrust of his cock.

Lauren wrapped her arms around him, bringing them as close as possible, causing their bodies to slide together. He could feel the hard points of her nipples drag on his chest. Her nails dug into his back when the pleasure became too much, and she screamed her release, the wave of ecstasy riding her body along with the magic from the pool.

Her body reacted so forcefully, Loki was helpless but to follow, roaring out his own climax when the magic surged back through him.

Gasping for air, he stumbled through the water to grab the pool’s edge and cling to it while Lauren hung limply against his chest.

“Damn…” she breathed against his throat and made him shiver

His body stirred with renewed life and the desire to have her again, causing her sheath to spasm and grip him, doing nothing but stirring the cycle all over. “Woman,” he growled softly when she snorted a giggle. “If you are so insatiable, I'd prefer to hold round two on a flat surface where I will not drown when you wear me out.”

“I wear you out?” she teased, her amusement practically humming on the air. “Who was the one comin’ here for recovery purposes, hm?”

Loki chuckled and grinned at her smile, but when her lashes lifted, his heart skipped a beat. The spark was back but had become a swirl of violet twisting with the green of his magic. She blinked, her lashes brushing the flush on her cheeks brought on by the heat of the pool. Then, they lifted and whatever had been there was gone.

“Loki?” she frowned up at him.

“I am simply astounded by your beauty,” he murmured and it was no lie. The pool had done exactly what he’d wanted it to. “Look at you sparkle.” He took her by the waist, swept her into his arms, and walked out of the pool.

Lauren laughed and threw her arms around him, bussing a kissed to his cheek. “Flirt.”

“Is it flirting when it is the truth?” he asked, letting her body slide to the ground.

Once she was stable, Loki stepped back and waved his hand, producing a full-length mirror. “Look, my darling.” He glided around behind her and pressed himself to her spine. “You are stunning.”

She gave a soft gasp and brought a hand to her lips. “What…? How?”

He stroked his hand up her creamy, soft skin and cupped her breast. The light glow she’d had after finishing their bond had become a radiance, a golden luminescence. He’d dried her hair, and it fell in waves and curls down her back to her waist. Her face had thinned but only a little, sharpening her cheekbones and jawline even further.  

His fingers continued upward to circle around her throat and tilt her head for his lips to walk the line of her jaw. “You bathed in the Waters of Neth. Now, now you are much closer to your true self. You are as you would be had you been born of Asgard. Only a little different, an enhancement of your beauty.” He brushed his fingers on her thigh, needing to touch her for she was just so incredibly soft.

Lauren let her head fall back on his shoulder, nearly purring in pleasure. “Y’all keep touchin’ me like that, we may as well just get back in the water,” she teased, sliding her hands behind her to grip his hips.

“I am considering it,” he murmured, kissing her pulse point.

“Or…” she moaned, “you could show me a little of the palace. Like… the corridors which lead to your rooms?”

She pressed her ass back into his cock with a wiggle that had him gasping for breath. “Minx!” he groaned.

“Not sayin’ I don’t like it down here.” She took in the cavern with its soft glowing lights, luminescent waters, and sparkling roof full of silver flecks. “But… I would like to see somethin’ of the place you grew up in.”

“Would you, now?” he crooned before sinking his teeth gently into her shoulder. “You wish to sightsee instead of staying right here with me?”

“Well, I did say on the way to your room,” she snickered.

“Our. Our chambers, my heart. What is mine is now yours.” He released her slowly, moved around to stand before her and sighed. “Such a pity to cover such perfection.”

“Oh, hush!” she huffed and blushed.

Loki chuckled, but waved a hand and garbed himself in the long day coat he preferred, rather than the armour and cape he had been wearing. “Now you, my love. Whatever shall we put you in, hm?”

“You’re the fashionista, peaches. I’m just the mannequin.”

“And a most fetching mannequin you are.” He stepped forward, placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and let his magic flow, wrapping her in it until he was certain she would be utterly exquisite in the gown he’d created. “There,” he smiled. “Befitting the newest Princess of Asgard.”

Her eyes darted to his, but she made no protest, only glanced toward the mirror and froze. “Oh, my stars!”

She pressed her hands to her waist, to the white fabric and its wide golden belt. The dress, a simple v-neck which showed off her torque, was unadorned except for the belt bearing his symbol in twisted coils and knots, and the clusters of intricate flowers created in gold which capped her shoulders and held her cape in position. It descended in a v part way down her back where a small clasp appeared, both ornamental and to keep her cape from dragging too far behind her. He’d returned Frigga’s bracers to her wrists, the circlet to her brow, and highlighted her features with smoky eyes and her lush, wet mouth. He’d created tiny braids, wrapped them in beads of gold, and left them to catch in the curls he’d tightened in her hair, sweeping half up in her customary tail, while leaving the lower mass to rest on her shoulders and stream down her spine.  

“By the Norns, I want to kiss your mouth until all that shine is worn off,” he growled.

She smirked at him coyly. “When we get where we’re goin’, I just might let you.”

A rumble of hunger left him, and Loki collected her hand, leading her carefully toward the stairs out of the cavern. He flicked a finger at his cape, making it vanish, and a hand at the candles before assisting her up the stairs.

Winding they were, but they did not take long to climb in her enthusiasm. The toes of her boots were silent on the stones, but without hesitation until they reached the turn which showed the exit and she paused.

“I’m… really nervous,” she whispered when he frowned down at her.

He knew, of course, how could he not, but Loki cupped her cheeks. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You will do amazing here. I have complete faith in you,” he whispered and kissed the end of her nose instead of messing up her lips.  

With a little tug, she started forward again, and he led her out into the hall past the two guards on duty. Both snapped to attention, causing their armour and weapons to resound at her back, and sent Lauren scurrying forward to cling to his arm and turn to see what had made the noise.

“Goodness! Y’all gave me such a fright!” she half scolded, half laughed.

Loki watched the mouths of both men fall open in awe and just managed to contain his laughter. Collecting Lauren’s hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “As Thor has so recently reminded me, none who call the palace home would ever dare harm you, elskan min. Even if they do make a ruckus.” He smirked at the men as he tucked Lauren’s hand in his elbow and led her away. “Their current posting has them guarding the caves. A most boring posting to be sure as we rarely use it.”

“With how good I feel, I’d think y’all would be down there more often,” she murmured, but her attention was elsewhere, taking in the coffered ceilings, the detailed panelling on the walls, and the heavily carved doors and doorways. “Loki… this is incredible!”

She stopped before an open doorway, but only so she could reach out and touch the animals etched in the wood. “It’s so beautiful.”

“One could say the same of you, little sister,” Thor chuckled, appearing in the doorway. “White. Why am I not surprised?” Thor teased. “It is good to see you well. Come!” He clasped Loki by the shoulder and tugged. “Now that you are healed, there are introductions to be made.”

Loki resisted. “Thor, can this not wait? It was late when we left Midgard and dawn is but hours away. She is fresh from the pools but will grow weary soon enough.”

“You’re doin’ that thing again,” Lauren said.

“What thing, darling?” Loki asked.

“That thing where you talk about me like I’m not standin’ right here. Don’t make me tweak your ear again.”

It was not quite a glare she levelled his way, but it was close enough. “I simply do not wish to wear you out, my heart. It has been a long, emotional day. Introductions could wait.”

She smiled at him, that smile, the sweet one that always saw her getting her way. Then she brought her hand to his face and stroked his jaw, and he knew he was lost. She could have whatever she wanted.

“Elskan min,” she purred. “I wouldn’t want to be rude. Just a few minutes? Please?”

He sighed but nodded, glared at Thor, and stepped past his brother into the room, finding precisely who he’d expected to. Though it annoyed him, this deviation of his plans, Loki didn't feel the need to draw weapons to keep people away from her this time.

Volstagg smirked from where he was sat, bent over a half-finished carcass. “What happened to the unyielding God of Mischief? How easy you give in to your woman!” he laughed, causing Hogun to smile, while Fandral, lounging with one leg thrown over the arm of his chair, laughed along with him.

Sif only arched a brow, her demeanour stern but curious from her place beside the fire.

“Have a care how you speak to my brother, Volstagg. Especially as his bonded Ástvinur has been known to be quite vocal in his defense.”

“He’s not wrong,” Lauren said as she stepped out from behind Loki, allowing the four their first real look at the Princess of Asgard.

There was a beat of silence before the mad scramble began. Volstagg stood so swiftly, he nearly turned over the table. Hogun was quick to right it. Fandral tried to exit his chair only to come close to falling on his face in the process.

He was the first to cross the room, coming to a stop when he was a few feet away to offer Lauren a sweeping bow.

Her hand had wrapped around Loki’s elbow, and she’d stepped into him with the first explosion of movement, seeking safety in his shadow when their action disconcerted her.

“Highness,” Fandral crooned, glanced at Loki, and offered his hand. “You are fairer than the softest spring day. I dare say you are more radiant than the moon at its apex. I am honoured to make your acquaintance.”

Lauren blinked at him, a blush rising high in her cheeks when she looked up at Loki.

“Fandral, beloved. One of the Warrior’s Three and Thor’s companion,” Loki supplied.

“Oh!” Her eyes widened in understanding. Mischief blossomed in their green depths, and she smirked up at him for a moment before focusing her attention on Fandral and offering her hand.

He was quick to accept, but before he could actually kiss the back of her hand, she struck.

“Hm. The women of Asgard really are blind. Pretty enough, but I much prefer my brooding dark God,” she murmured softly, in a voice so sweet one could not take insult from it.

Fandral’s head whipped up in shock, his eyes enormous. He stared aghast at Lauren who continued to smile and blink at him with her big doe eyes until Fandral threw his head back and laughed.

“She is definitely a match for the God of Mischief!” he crowed, giving back her hand.

Lauren giggled, Thor’s laughter boomed, and the others joined in, leaving only Sif standing alone.

Loki magicked a cloth for Volstagg before he offered Lauren his hand, allowing Hogun to beat him to it.

“Hogun, highness.” He bowed over her hand.

“Hogun’s hound Ming is the mother of Usun,” Loki murmured, causing Lauren to look at him sharply.

“Really?” she whispered. When he nodded, she turned back to Hogun and threw her arms around the startled man. “Thank you! Thank you so much! Y’all don’t know how much they need him!”

“Lauren, darling. You’ve quite thrown poor Hogun off his game,” Loki chuckled as the man looked at him frantically. “She’s a bit of a hugger.”

“Hush, you!” Lauren huffed, pulling away, her cheeks now quite red. “Usun is a blessin’. You may have thought of him, and Thor may have brought him, but I’m sure Hogun had somethin’ to do with bringin’ him up! Until we can get the kids away from her, he’s their last line of defence!”

Worry instantly filled the heart stone, and Loki cupped her face between his palms. “They are alright, my heart. The others will inform Maria and she will be certain to keep an eye on them. Do you trust me, my love?”

“In everythin’, Loki,” she whispered.

“Then trust me now. I will let nothing happen to the children. Nothing!” he vowed.

“What children?” Volstagg asked.

“Lauren’s niece and nephew are… in an unpleasant situation,” Thor murmured. “One which would not stand on Asgard.”

“Rescue mission?” Volstagg’s eyes lit up.

“Not at this time,” Loki murmured, caressing Lauren’s cheek. “Breathe, my love. I promise they are protected.”

“Okay,” she sighed. “I just… worry.”

“I know. Let us continue the introductions so you can then rest. The portly one is Volstagg.”

“I beg your pardon!” Volstagg pounded a fist to his large midsection. “Tis all muscle!”

“A man with a hearty appetite is appreciated where I come from. Us southerners like to eat, after all,” Lauren offered kindly.

“You are as sweet on the inside as you are lovely on the outside, highness,” Volstagg said, his smile lifting the corners of his moustache.

Lauren blushed and tightened her hold on Loki's arm. “I wish y’all would just call me Lauren. If he can be Thor to everyone, can't I just be Lauren?”

“I'm afraid my love’s title is still a touch… unsettling to her,” Loki said smiling down at Lauren. “But if that is what you wish, darling, I see no harm in it amongst Thor's companions.”

“Because I need your permission to request such a thing?” she scoffed, and Volstagg snickered.

“Mm. I shall reserve the right not to answer loaded questions like that one.” Loki chuckled, collected Lauren’s arm, and moved past the three men and his brother to approach Sif before the fire. “Lady Sif,” Loki smirked. “Meet my Ástvinur, Lauren before I succeed in saying something else foolish.”

“See? You can teach an old dog new tricks,” Lauren teased before turning to Sif.

“I remember you,” Sif murmured and nodded her head. “We met once before.”

“Mostly in passin’, not really an introduction when Thor wanders by and points me out before carryin’ on without so much as a hello,” Lauren laughed. “But I’m ever so pleased to finally meet you. Thor talks about you so much, I can’t help but admire a woman like you.”

Sif looked taken aback before a rather shy smile spread. “He talks about you, too. The woman who tamed the God of Mischief.”

“I wouldn’t call him tame,” Lauren snickered, glancing up at Loki. “Housebroken, maybe?”

“Teasing wench!” Loki gasped and bared his teeth in a snarl. “Watch it, woman.”

“My what big teeth you have,” she quipped.

“I’ll show you teeth,” he growled, snaking his arm around her waist to pull her in and nip into her bottom lip.

Lauren smacked his chest. “Behave you big oaf!”

“Big oaf? I bring you all the way to Asgard, and this is the thanks I get,” he huffed, feigning hurt.

Her brow arched. “Mmm hmm. And what of Asgard have I seen? Caves, walls, and a single room.”

He pulled her in tighter and lowered his head. “Did I not show you the rainbow bridge? A view of the city? Pleasure unimaginable?”

“Loki!” Lauren gasped, her face flushing crimson. “Such a cad.”

“Ah, yes. But I am your cad,” he grinned, brushing their noses together.

“And a terrible tease,” she grumbled but buried her hands in his hair.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her lips. “But a fantastic flirt,” he whispered and kissed her deeply.

“Does this happen a lot?” Sif asked.

Thor snickered. “Yes. They lose themselves in each other, and the world disappears around them.”

“Incredible,” breathed Fandral.

“The bond is solid,” Hogun murmured.

“Have you tried this boar? I swear the meat is succulent as hell!” Volstagg stated.

Loki broke the kiss to lift his head and peer down into Lauren's eyes. A sea of green gazed back, and he smiled. “I swear, nothing here changes,” he murmured for her alone. “It is good to be home.”

Next Chapter

[swfanficbyjz]

SW Rey Theory - Legacy of Light - Chapter 17

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(After A New Hope)

             Vader fumed silently as he returned to his fortress. He’d warned the Imperials to not put so much faith in their monstrous weapon. Only the force was powerful enough to destroy what the rebellion fought for. They mocked the force though, believing that he and the Emperor were devoted to it like it was an ancient religion. They’d never witnessed its true power, but they would know it now. Tarkin couldn’t hold him back anymore. They feared him, but not enough. That would change.

            He had bigger problems right now though. The Emperor had not been pleased that he’d failed to stop the rebellion pilot that destroyed the death star. Worse than that, the pilot was strong in the force; a fledging Jedi that had survived too long. If that wasn’t bad enough, the boy had his name; Luke Skywalker. His son. How Obi wan had hid him from him for so long, he had no idea, but the boy had to die. He was too powerful to be left alive. Too much of a hero to the rebellion. He was the Empire’s biggest threat. If he wouldn’t join them, he would die. There was no other way. 

            He paced his chambers in agitation, trying to work through how to trap him. The rebellion would be celebrating their short-lived victory; they think they won. Though the death star had failed to destroy their base on Yavin Four, they had probably abandoned it by now. It was part of what made trying to squash them so difficult; even with Empire eyes and ears everywhere, they were elusive.

            His servants steered clear of his room, but it wasn’t long before Starkiller appeared. He felt a burst of fury at his so-called apprentice. Where had he been during the fight for the death star? He threw him against the wall with the force before he’d spoken. It had barely registered he was injured. “You’ve failed me, apprentice!” he spat. “The death star was destroyed, the rebels claimed a victory today. Where were you?”

            Starkiller staggered to his feet. “I’m sorry, master!” he groveled. “I was executing a plan that would have pleased you greatly.” He dropped to his knees, holding his side and grimacing in pain. 

            “Explain yourself!” Vader demanded.

            “I set a trap for the rebels, and I caught one you might be interested in,” he breathed. “Ahsoka Tano.” 

            Now this was interesting. Her capture would definitely turn his day around. “Well, where is she?”

            “She got away,” he whispered reluctantly. Vader pulled his lightsaber from his belt and stopped it right by his neck. Starkiller looked up at him in fear, but didn’t move. 

            “I should kill you right now for your failure. Twice you’ve failed me today!” he growled at him, putting his lightsaber down and lifting him in a force choke. He dangled helplessly gasping for breath. “You are weak! You are not worthy to be my apprentice!”

            “I’m not worthy!” he repeated, hands reaching for his throat, mouth opening and closing trying to get air. Vader was about to put the final clamp of the force on him, but released him. Starkiller fell to the floor, coughing and rubbing his neck. “I know…” he gasped. “I know a way to stop her though, master! Give me another chance!” he begged. “She wanted me to give you a message.”

            “What?” he asked, momentarily distracted.

            “She said that Anakin Skywalker was stronger than you’d ever be…” Vader sent him flying across the room before he could finish his sentence. 

            “How dare you?” he yelled, throwing him against the wall again. “I never want to hear that name again!” He raised his lightsaber. “Fight me, you worthless worm!”

            Their battle barely lasted a couple of minutes. By the end of it, Starkiller could barely stand. He fled the fight as Vader yelled after him that he was no longer his apprentice. He should have killed him, but the condition he was in… he’d hardly last a few days. Perhaps he’d send an inquisitor after him later. The coward!

            As he immersed himself in the bacta tank to meditate, he hoped Ahsoka had the nerve to appear there tonight; like she’d done every other night since their meeting several years ago. He wanted to rage at her; sending her the hatred and anger that she deserved. She had humiliated him in every sense of the word. For awhile, he forgot about the death star and his son. His singular focus at the moment was on her. There was no way she was powerful enough to so easily defeat his apprentice. Starkiller had been meticulously trained in the dark side. Stronger than even himself in many ways. Not that he’d ever let him know that. Yet somehow Ahsoka continued to elude them, over and over again. 

            If he had to, he would tear the entire galaxy apart to find her. She could not be allowed to live. She knew too much. She was the only piece of his past he couldn’t kill. He sunk into the force, fueling his anger and hatred, preparing for her appearance. Tonight she’d get a storm like she’d never known. Maybe she’d finally give up on trying to save Skywalker. 

            The hours ticked by, but she never came; which only served to fuel his fire even more. How dare she not show? Starkiller said she’d escaped, but not that she’d been injured. Her abandoning him now meant only one thing, she couldn’t be trusted to keep her promises.

            He looked up excitedly ready to rage when someone appeared on the edges of his subconscious; only to be startled by a young girl he didn’t recognize. She panicked and was gone before he got a good look at her, but he stared at where she’d stood. Why did she seem familiar? Who was she and how did she get there? He’d felt her briefly in the force, which meant there was yet another Jedi threat that needed to be squashed. Ahsoka getting there was one thing; she was powerful and well trained. Had Ahsoka trained her?

            He felt his servants approach and reluctantly left his meditation behind. He was being summoned by the Emperor, and soon his thoughts were back on Luke and the next steps needed to crush the rebellion.

 ---

             The explosion damaged the escape pod, she'd waited too long to get away from Starkiller. She hadn't wanted to kill him, but she had wanted to send a message back to Vader. Not that it mattered now though; Starkiller probably wasn't stupid enough to give it to him, and Vader wasn't the type to see someone injured and ask them if they were okay or what happened. 

            She was headed directly at the surface of a nearby moon. It had been awhile since she'd crashed a ship. That was usually Anakin's trick. On her own and no longer backed by the Jedi order or the Republic, she'd had to be a lot more careful about her vehicles. 

            There wasn't anything she could do to fix this pod before it crashed though, so she just had to hang on tight. She scanned the planet below her; uninhabited, great. She was getting tired of being stranded places, but maybe it was a good enough excuse to not get involved again. She could still feel the deaths of the rebels around her; her daughter's pain and fear... Ahsoka had lost so many people over the years, she should be numb to it by now. She felt responsible for their deaths. Everyone in the rebellion knew what they were getting into and chose to fight anyways, but that didn’t make the losses any easier. 

            She braced herself as the pod hit the ground, sliding for awhile across the landscape before finally coming to a stop. The door controls no longer worked, so she cut through it with her lightsabers. She stumbled from the pod and looked around. Closing her eyes, she sunk into the force to get her bearings. If she headed to the right, she was certain she’d find some mountains and maybe some caves. That was the best chance for shelter. She didn’t feel like exploring; she was going to be here awhile. There’d be plenty of time for that later. 

            She trekked across the landscape feeling disheartened. She wasn’t afraid for her daughter, she knew Rex was with her; she’d be safe. Far safer with him than she’d ever be with her. Maybe if she’d thought to send Rex after her sooner, none of this would have happened. She sensed going to Vader tonight would be pointless. She could feel his anger burning across her mind. At least that meant Luke and the rebels succeeded in destroying the death star; a consolation, she supposed. Tonight… was about survival. 

            After finding a place to settle, along with food and water sources, she finally sat down feeling heavy. She looked around at the wilds. She’d seen so many different planets, so many different worlds, but… her heart felt tight. She never expected to be so tired at her age. She was thirty-eight now, but she might as well be an old woman. Most of her life had been consumed by fighting and war, pain and loss. She indulged in the need to reminisce. 

            The war had been awful, there was no denying that fact, but they’d also been the best years of her life. Why? Because she’d had friends then, a purpose, a home… Ever since she’d left the temple twenty years before, she’d been a drifter; twenty years of moving from one place to another, of not belonging. Would it ever stop? Would it ever change? She might as well start calling this place home, the chance of getting off it was pretty slim. Anybody that cared about her or knew she was out here was long gone. 

            For so long, fighting to protect her daughter was the only thing that kept her going, but now… The truth was, she didn’t want to fight anymore. Could she call up Rex and have them come back here? Live out the remainder of their lives on this forgotten planet? She smirked at nothing. The idea was appealing, but Ashla deserved a chance to have a future. She could fall in love, have a family, make a home. All the things she herself, had never been able to do. Well maybe that wasn’t true, after leaving the order, she could have done all those things. She could have traded her lightsabers for a wooden spoon and turned a blind eye to the terror happening all around her. She could have settled down, pretended to be normal and raised Ashla to deny her heritage and her powers. Would that have been better?

            It wouldn’t have been with the person she wanted. How long would the charade have lasted before the force pulled her back into something? What about the need to help others, or to right the wrongs? Could she have stood by and watched the daughter of the most powerful Jedi ever, never know her potential? She’d been raised to believe that undisciplined power in the force might as well have been a dark side sentence for life. Though admittedly that didn’t make sense, because plenty of disciplined force users fell to the dark side. She’d never come across an untrained one that was inherently evil or naturally turned evil simply because they didn’t understand what they could do.

            She shivered and gathered some wood for a fire, staring blankly at the dancing flames. Tears fell down her face before she could stop them. Once upon a time she’d been so sure about life. She’d known how to navigate it, known where she was going. She’d even once known who she was. She couldn’t say that anymore. She missed her old life. She missed the time when life was simple. Maybe it never was, but at least it had seemed that way. Of all the things she missed, she missed him the most. 

            Her and Anakin had failed miserably at not forming attachments. Both with each other and with others. She disagreed that attachments led to suffering. It wasn’t the attachment that made you suffer, it was the absence of those you were attached to that hurt. After all this time, he was the one she suffered over the most. His absence and consequently the discovery of why he was now absent, was probably what drove her to the brink of insanity every night. Without fail, she reached out to him daily, traversing the wild and painful path to his soul. Meditating there in the face of raging emotion and hatred, because well… Anakin was home to her. Even this violent and angry version of him, was more home to her than anywhere she could go now. He hated her presence there. She still went even though he threw everything into blocking her light. She still held out hope that if she persisted long enough, maybe he’d give in. Maybe he’d come back. Maybe he’d love her too. 

            She laid back on the hard ground, blinking the water out of her eyes as she stared at the starry sky. “I used to know exactly how my life would turn out. I was going to be the best padawan ever. I was going to pass my trials and become a Jedi knight. I would earn the rank of master, and maybe someday, I’d sit on the council. I had it all planned out and then… I didn’t follow it at all. How could I, after what happened?” she asked hoarsely out loud to the nothingness around her. “I miss when everything was black and white; Republic versus Separatist, good versus evil, Jedi versus Sith. To know where to go, I only had to remember what side I was on. It was never that way, not really. There were good people amongst the enemy and bad people amongst the Republic. Every choice now has to be weighed and explored and calculated. I miss when everything was a game. When the only thing that got me down was the pre-mission jitters. I miss the way you'd comfort me; the way you stood by my side. I miss the way it felt, to know that somehow we'd be okay, because you were there.”

            She rolled over, pulling herself tightly together. Her eyes stung from crying so hard. She’d never let herself think about regrets, because there was nothing she could do about them, but now they washed over her like a violent rain. If she’d known then what she knew now… she would have done a lot of things differently. It probably wouldn’t have stopped the war. It probably wouldn’t have fixed or changed anything about where she was now, but at least she’d be able to look back and have a few happier memories. 

            “I'm tired, Anakin. I never thought I'd feel this way.” she whispered, her throat tight. “I don't want to fight anymore. I just want you back. I want to feel like we'll get through it. That it will be over soon. I want to go home.”

  ---

             He listened to his master, bowing and nodding as necessary, but his mind kept wandering to her. Had it been her absence earlier that bothered him or something else? He stood when the holocall ended and he felt her reaching out to him. It was different than before however. It was a kind of buzzing in his head like a swarm of venomites. The more he struggled to ignore it, the louder it got. Something was off about it, or her…

            Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and marched to his air chamber so he could meditate. He sunk into the force, but he couldn't find her. It had felt like her. It had hurt like her. But she wasn't here. 

            He looked up and saw her walking towards the edge of his consciousness, materializing out of the darkness as she always did. Except that this time she didn't stop on the outskirts to shine her annoying light. She moved forward, pushing through the fire. He stared in surprise at her boldness and rallied his defenses, but she effortlessly waved them aside. She stopped in front of him, her shoulders were heavy either from her travel here or something else. Without a word, she knelt down by his feet. 

            "You wanted me, well here I am. Strike me down, I won't fight you."

            He wasn't sure how to respond to her, he'd never heard her so despondent. Perhaps his apprentice had scored a victory after all. Yet he felt a different kind of anger bubble to the surface; he'd trained her better than this. To give up now was to fly in the face of every lesson he'd ever taught her. "Why?" 

            "I'm tired of people dying so you can get to me. I'm here, do what you will." He studied her, wondering what had changed. Her light wasn't as bright tonight. The flames licked at her body, burning her flesh, but she didn't react.

            "Noble, but stupid." She shrugged her shoulders in response, dropping her gaze to the ground. He summoned the power and hatred surrounding them and let it course through him as he readied the death blow. It was time to end this once and for all. He raised his arms and she closed her eyes in acceptance. Just as he brought them down to strike, he froze. 

            He'd sought nothing but revenge against all those that had hurt him. It had been a long time before she'd been included in that category, but she made him weak. He could not fully embrace who he'd become until she was destroyed. He'd believed the very same thing about Obi wan, but his death had brought him no satisfaction. He'd felt none of the power and purpose and peace Darth Sidious had promised him. If anything, it had left him empty and drained, struggling to find purpose again. If he destroyed everything he desired to, what would there be left to strive for?

            "No." He dropped his hands to his side, releasing the unused power. "I won't kill you."

            She blinked slowly, her long lashes brushing across her cheeks. There was an emptiness in her normally vivid blue eyes; a sense of lackluster and hopelessness. "Then you truly are a Sith," she sighed and dropped her hands to the ground. "If you'd rather leave me alive to suffer than let me rest in peace."

            He felt something stir deep inside him and he squashed it out. He didn't want to feel compassion. It was too late now. This was a victorious moment; his sworn enemy broken at his feet begging for death. He should revel in it, but... "Peace is a lie..."

            "Don't quote the Sith code to me, Anakin. I know it." She raised a hand to stop him, interrupting his speech. He stared at her in surprise. How could she, the strong light-aligned force user that she was, know the Sith code? What else didn't he know about her journey? "You once told me that slavery was a state of mind, not a position you were in. Well, I think we’re all slaves. Doesn’t matter who the master is; a Hutt, the Jedi order, the Republic, the Emperor… the force… We live to serve it. Well you’d think if the force is as powerful as we’ve been told, it wouldn’t need us puny lifeforms to act out its will. The Sith code claims that through victory, you find freedom, but I disagree. There is no freedom in victory, because you still have to live with all that you did to achieve it. The only freedom is perhaps in death, but even that is only a false sense of freedom, because you won’t even get to be aware that you’re free."

            Was she right? He shifted uncomfortably. He served the Emperor religiously, but why? He'd never delivered on what he'd promised. He was stronger in the dark side than he'd ever felt in the light, but even that came at a cost. There was more power, but more limitations. His master dictated his every move and he allowed him to, because he didn't care. He let him use him in any way he saw fit. How could she know such an experience? "Who is your master?"

            "The force."

            "We're all slaves..." he murmured to himself as he mulled over her words. "I serve the Emperor because I don't have a choice. You serve the force, because you don't have a choice. But even if I didn't serve the Emperor, I'd still be bound to the force...” The concern bubbled to the surface before he could fight it. Seeing her like this hurt more than he wanted to admit. Her fire had been what he'd loved about her. She was now a husk of what she'd once been, and now that he thought about it, so was he. All the power in the universe was his to command and it couldn't satiate him now. Any sense of freedom he'd ever felt had faded. Victory meant nothing if you no longer cared about the outcome. “What happened to you?"

            "I'm tired, Anakin," she rocked back onto her heels and looked up at him. There were no tears in her eyes, just a cold vacant stare. "I want to go home." She wrapped her arms around herself as though she was cold and he looked around at all the fire and lava that lived inside him. What did she consider home? And why did he care? "I know it won't matter now, but I love you. I’ve always loved you. What we did all those years ago, I wanted it. I loved you even though I knew I couldn’t have you, and for one night I let myself pretend you were mine, and only mine.”

            “I was married to Padmé.” She didn't even flinch at the words. 

            “I know,” she stared off into space. “I knew it then too. That’s why I knew you’d never be mine. Didn’t stop me from wishing for it though," she sighed. "Goodbye, Anakin. I hope you find a reason to break your chains.” She stood up. “And if you change your mind about killing me… I’ll be here.” She gestured to their surroundings. Even as she said goodbye, she planned to come back. Did she mean what she said? Did it matter anymore? The flames parted to let her through and she disappeared from sight, him still staring after her. He felt cold now too. 

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