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stuckonmain · 3 years

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Yellow Eyes (Dipper Pines x reader)

*******

Author's note:

So, this is for the prompt where the reader knows about the paranormal due to being with Wirt and Greg in the Unknown. It kinda evolved from the prompt, although I do have another oneshot I'm working on that's more faithful to the original idea.

If you've never seen Over the Garden Wall, this oneshot should hopefully still make sense. And buckle up, the word count is 5.4k...yeah, I don't even know how that happened. As per usual, there are no pronouns for (Y/N) other than (Y/N), so that as many people can relate to this as possible.

Well, you've been forewarned, now onto the fic! *******

I peered out the bus window to see my new town. Piedmont California, the sign had read when we drove in from the LAX…A ridiculously long drive, of course, but it was apparently also ridiculously hard to get a flight from Boston to San Francisco. Nevertheless, we’d managed it somehow, and now I was on my way to my first day of school.

I was a bit excited, although I missed my old home. There was still unfinished business I had there, regarding…well, an experience. I….I don’t know what happened really, but my view on reality drastically shifted after that….

….I stood in the forest with two brothers and a talking bird. The wind blew through my hair and a shiver ran down my spine…the Beast watched from the shadows….

….Ugh. I shook my head. That was life changing. My eyes still occasionally turn yellow, like they were when I was under his control, making me wonder if I ever truly escaped…..

But screw it, I was here now, wasn’t I? The bus pulled to a stop at North Hills High school. I took a deep breath….time for the first day of school. Well, for me. It was actually March, but y’know. Whatever.

Upon entering the school, I found myself in a hallway crowded with people. Kids standing by their lockers, kids walking with their arms linked, even a kid who seemed to be…licking the water fountain spout? Ew… I looked down the hall as far as I could, trying to find the office. But I couldn’t see much past the wall of people. I sighed. Looks like I need to ask for help….brilliant.

“Hey, ‘scuse me, would you mind telling me where the office is?” I said to a girl with brown hair.

“Oh, sure!”She smiled. “Are you new?”

“Yeah, this is my first day here. My name is (Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you (Y/N)! I’m Mabel!” She grinned.

“Hullo, Mabel! I like your sweater.” I smiled. It was pink and had a cute shooting star on it, and the colors all looked really nice together.

“Aw, thanks! I made it myself!”

“Woah, really? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, it’s fun. What’s your favorite color?”

“Oh, uh, (F/C)?” “Cool! That suits you.”

By the time we made it to the office, I found that I really liked Mabel. She was cool, and super sweet.

“Well, see you later, (Y/N)!”

“See ya!” I waved.

I picked up my schedule and tried to navigate to my first period, art.

*******

I stood in the lunchroom with my tray. I hate having no one to sit with….I scanned the room for empty tables, preferably in dark corners. Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, ‘going up to a group and starting a conversation in a normal, casual, way’ is not something I can do….

“(Y/N)! Hi! You should sit with my friends and I!”

“Oh! Mabel! I didn’t know we had the same lunch period,”

“Well, lucky surprise, then!”

We walked over to a table with a few other kids, who were talking and laughing. I sat by the one off to the side who looked like a boy version of Mabel, with matching brown hair, dark eyes, and a similar face. Although, unlike Mabel, his hair was slightly messy and he looked a bit tired.

“These guys are friends of mine, and this dummy is Dipper! He’s my twin.” She grinned, sitting on my other side.

“Oh, uh, hi! Nice to meet you,” I waved.

“H-hi! Ahem. Hello, Uh…” He said awkwardly.

“(Y/N)!” Mabel grinned. “This is (Y/N) from Massachussettes!”

“Hi, (Y/N), uh, yeah. I’m Dipper Pines. Welcome to Piedmont!”

“Thanks! What’s it like here?” I said, trying to make conversation. He shrugged and tilted his chair back.

“Eh, nice place for the most part, but…very boring. Not a lot to see here.”

Mabel shook her head. “Dipper just misses Oregon.”

“Oh, did you guys move here too?”

“Nah, we just spent our last few summers in the Pacific Northwest, and Dipper’s hung up about having to be back in California- but I’m glad we get to be here, because then we get the best of both worlds! Monster- I mean um- exploring the woods in Oregon, but getting California beaches! I mean, Oregon’s got a nice coast and all, but who wants to go on dates in the rain? Not Mabel!” She explained.

What was she going to say? About…monsters?

“Pfft, rain is underrated.” Dipper smiled.

“Gasp!” (and yeah, she said the actual word ‘Gasp’) “ You love sunny weather, Dip!” Mabel laughed.

“I do, I do, but I’m just saying-”

“No! It’s too late now, you’ve lost your chance…” Mabel added dramatically.

I smiled at their antics, when suddenly I felt a burning sensation behind my eyes. Shoot…this again…I hoped it was just normal pain, but I had a funny feeling….I slumped down in my chair, staring at the ground.

“Hey (Y/N), you okay?” Dipper frowned.

“Pfft, yeah, I’m fine,” I said, digging through my bag to avoid eye contact. I tried to let my hair fall over my eyes….I really don’t need to be interrogated right now.

“You sure?” Something about his voice sounds sharp…like he wasn’t concerned, but suspicious. Shoot.

“Yep! I just….smeared my eyeliner, that’s all, so…I’ll just run to the bathroom once I find my eyeliner pen!”

“Okay then…” He said, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, I can help you, if you want!” Mabel offered.

“That’s okay, I’ll figure it out. Thanks though!” I said, jumping out of my chair, still with my hair covering my face as much as possible.

*******

“Hmmm…something feels…off about that explanation.” Dipper frowned as he watched the new kid run off.

“Bro-Bro, you’re paranoid. Sometimes folks just need to fix their eyeliner!”

“Yeah, but…(Y/N) wasn’t wearing eyeliner.” He said, frowning.

“Hmm…I’m skeptical. Boop! Skepticals!” His sister chuckled, peering through her fingers.

Dipper sighed. “Why do I tell you things….”

But he had a funny feeling about that new kid….

No one you can trust.

*******

I winced. By the time I got to the mirror, my eyes weren’t just yellow,but they were even starting to turn blue around the sclera. Like the Beast’s eyes. Ugh.

I sighed and put on the eyeliner. I had wanted to do chiller makeup today, with only brown false lashes, concealer, and blush, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Luckily, by the time I finished with the second wing, my eyes had faded back to (E/C).

I stuck the pen in my pocket and headed back to the cafeteria, hoping this would be the last incident of the day.

*******

It wasn’t.

Although not quite as drastic as showing my peculiarity, no one wants to hear the teacher utter the words ‘group project’. Luckily, Mabel was in the class with me, and immediately invited me into her group. Unluckily, Dipper was in the class with me, and was by default in Mabel’s group.

Now, nothing wrong with Dipper so far, but he’s obviously suspicious of me already, and I didn’t want to deal with that. I mean, I kinda wish he had something to really be suspicious of me for….like if I were secretly a demon or witch or something, at least that’d be a cool secret….but no. Instead I get to be a mortal with no cool powers, whose eyes turn yellow at random times. At least I’m not the only one….I wonder how Wirt’s doing with his yellow eyes….but whatever. I’m just gonna have to pretend I don’t notice Dipper’s questions…

“So, (Y/N)...are you from Salem, Massachusetts?” Dipper asked as we worked on the art project. It was supposed to be a moodboard that combined the group member’s unique styles and interests.

“Oh, the old witch trial town, with all the cool urban legends and demon stories? Nah, I’m from Nowere.”

He frowned. “Hmm.”

I winced as my eyes flashed yellow, and tried to look away before Dipper noticed.

“Did your eyes just-”

“Hey Dipper! Look! Glitter claws!” Mabel interrupted and swatted at her brother with her newly made fake nails.

“Mabel, are those made out of cardboard?” I asked, chuckling.

“Yes, yes they are!” She laughed.

“Nice! Now I’ve gotta make some!” I grinned and began folding the cardboard sheet in front of me into stupid looking claws.

“Guys, we’re not gonna finish this on time….” Dipper groaned, staring at the mostly blank project.

Mabel frowned. “Isn’t it due on Monday?”

I paused. “Yeah, but since it’s Thursday, we won’t have a lot more time to work on it….”

“Unless…” Dipper hesitated, and slowly continued. “Unless we work on it outside of school this weekend. But that would mean-”

Mabel smirked. “Well Bro-Bro, I think that just might mean….a SLEEPOVER!!”

“With (Y/N)?!”

“W-with me?!”

“Well yeah, if you want to, it’d be perfect!” Mabel exclaimed.

Yes! That’d be so fun!

“Woah woah woah, Mabel, is that the best idea? I don’t know if….if…” Dipper argued.

Shut it, Dipper, it’s an awesome idea!

“It is! We’ll finish the project on time, we’ll get to stay up late and have fun, plus mom and dad are out of town, so we’ll have the house to ourselves! And we’ll get to hang out with our new friend!” Mabel said excitedly.

“I mean, if my parents are cool with it, then yeah! That sounds great.” I smiled.

“Awesome! Here’s our address, and me and Dipper’s phone numbers.” She scribbled the number out on my arm in colorful gel pens as the bell rang.

*******

“Mabel! What the heck?!” Dipper snapped.

“What?”

“I just…I don’t trust (Y/N), okay?”

“Wha-at? Why not?’

“I just…I think it might have something to do with…” his voice dropped to a whisper. “..Bill.”

“Oh, come on Dipper! (Y/N)’s a cool new kid who needs a few friends, why do you have to ruin it with your crazy conspiracies?!” Mabel exclaimed.

Dipper’s jaw dropped. “Y-you know they’re real! You were there in Gravity Falls-”

Mabel sighed angrily. “Dipper, this isn’t Gravity Falls. And trust me, I wish it were, but…but this is Piedmont. And Bill is dead.”

Dipper looked away. He wished he could just let his theorizing rest, like Mabel, but he was still sure…there was more to (Y/N) than meets the eye.

He watched the retreating silhouette…he could have sworn he saw those eyes turn yellow…

*******

Friday. Oh, thank goodness. I had only been in school for a day now, but I was already sick of it. So far the only friend I’ve made has been Mabel, and I have a funny feeling Dipper doesn’t like me very much. Speaking of which-

“Oh, hi Dipper.” I said, as I walked by his locker.

“Hey (Y/N).” He said flatly. His hair was even messier than it was yesterday under his pine tree hat, and he had dark circles under his eyes like a vampire. Jeez, did he get hit by a bus or something? He must not have slept last night.

“Listen, I don’t know who or what you are, or- or what you want, but you’d better stay away from my sister, got it?” He continued, glaring at me. What the heck is his problem?!

“Oh…wow. Are you like a detective or something? Well, you got me! I’m a…uh..werewolf! Nice job!” I said in a dumb voice.

“What’re you hiding, new kid?!” He snapped.

I rolled my eyes. “Mmm, the bodies in my basement, but we don’t talk about that.”

“UGH! You know EXACTLY what I mean, you-you- uh- Jerk!” He stuttered.

I nodded, irritated. “Smooth, Dip. And what a biting insult. ‘Uh-uh-uh- Jerk!’ Pure genius.”

“Oh no, is Dipstick scaring people again?” Smirked a girl with long dark hair. “I swear, starboy, you’ve fallen off the deep end! Ignore him, new kid, he’s totally delusional.”

“Back off, Victoria…” Dipper mumbled, eyes glued to the floor. The newly assembled crowd of kids giggled and pointed at him, and I felt a pang of guilt.

“BaCk ofF vICtOriA!” She mocked. “What’re you gonna do about it, use your noodle arms? Threaten me with your imaginary friends?”

Dipper stayed quiet, as if rendered frozen.

“Hmm. Not even gonna say anything…typical Dipper.” Victoria said, stauntering off.

The crowd slowly dispersed, the people had had their fun. I hovered by the still-frozen Dipper awkwardly.

“Hey…uh…Pines, you okay?” I said.

“Yeah, that…happens a lot.” He muttered.

“Well…sorry about that, that sucks.”

He looked up at me, looking grateful. But then his expression changed. “(Y/N),” He said, his voice slowly becoming a growl, “...Why are your eyes yellow?”

Oh no.

I stepped back with my hands in the air. “I-I can explain.”

“Oh yeah, BILL?” He yelled, looking both angry and terrified.

“Who? Pine-”

“Pinetree?! Tha-that’s what you were about to call me, huh?”

“No, kid, I was gonna call you ‘Pines’!” I exclaimed.

“You’re the same age as me! Why would you call me ‘kid’ if you weren’t-” He panicked..

“I call everyone ‘kid’!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US?!” Dipper yelled. The echo danced down the now empty hallway.

“Nothing! I just got possessed by a beast temporarily!” I tried to explain, painfully aware that it sounded unbelievable.

Dipper stared at me for a moment, and then he just lost it.

He lunged forwards and tackled me.

“I’m done letting you hurt my family, Cipher!” He snarled. I shoved him off pretty easily, but he was fast and immediately caught me again.

“Dipper, I have no clue who that is!” I snapped, shoving him off again.

“Pfft, right, like I’m believing that-” He growled, clambering back to his feet.

“Seriously! I’m a normal mortal just like you, I-I just have been through something!” I said, stepping back.

“Oh sure, you’re possessing a normal mortal, but we both know what you really are-” He said, stepping towards me.

“Don’t we have to get to class?” I quipped, dodging a punch he aimed.

“Yeah, but this is more important- how the heck did you leave Gravity Falls?!” He shouted, gripping my shoulder tightly.

“I’ve never even been there!” I yelled back. “Man, maybe Wirt was wrong-” I muttered, trying to rip his hand off, “Maybe we should’ve just stayed in the Unknown-”

Dipper froze, and his hand went limp. “The…the Unknown?” He said in an odd voice.

“PINES! (L/N)!” Yelled someone down the hall. A staff member walked towards us. “We do NOT tolerate fighting in this school! Now, show me your hall passes!”

Dipper and I looked at each other before glancing back at the security guard.

“So…um…funny story,” Dipper began.

“....We maybe…don’t have those?” I finished. “We…ah…might have not noticed the bell rang due to our dumb hormonal teenage fury. I- We’re sorry about that.”

Dipper nodded in agreement.

“And why were you two fighting?” She said, narrowing her eyes.

I shrugged. “Just…roughhousing and…stuff…I…we’re sorry, it won’t happen again….”

“I should hope not! I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but if it happens again…”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you.” I nodded.

“Alright, now get to class.” She growled.

We walked down the hall in silence, apparently headed to the same wing,

“So. …Uh…thanks for not telling on me.” Dipper said awkwardly.

Thanks? THANKS?!

“Yeah, well, I kinda need you to help us finish the project, and you can’t do that in detention. It’s not personal, Dipstick.” I hissed. My adrenaline was still pumping from the fight, and I don't wanna deal with this dumbass any more than I have to right now.

“And for future reference, the correct words are actually ‘I’m sorry’.” I added, turning towards my first period classroom.

*******

I went to Mabel’s table at lunch, trying to ignore her brother. We talked and laughed, but I caught Dipper staring at me more than once….ugh.

The bell rang for our next class. I got up to leave when I noticed a piece of paper on my bag.

‘ I’m sorry, (Y/N). - Dipper’ It read. When I looked up, he was gone. I rolled my eyes and headed to the recycling bin. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. I sighed and shoved it into my bag. Stupid Dipper and his stupid apology….but then, I wasn’t expecting an apology at all, so that’s…something.

Well, onto the next class.

*******

“So, we still on for the sleepover tonight?” Mabel grinned as I entered the art room.

“Mabel….I don’t know if….if (Y/N) exactly wants to do that.” Dipper answered for me. He was staring at the ground, and wouldn’t meet my eyes..

She faltered, her grin fading fast.

“Dipper, what did you do?!” She growled.

“I…ah…it was…suspicious…” He mumbled, hiding under the brim of his hat.

“Dipper, we talked about this! That is not happening. He isn’t back!” She said angrily. …Who isn’t back?

She turned to me. “What did he do?”

I coughed, unsure of whether or not to tell the truth. I was pissed, yeah, but he kind of apologized…. “Nothing, nothing….” I frowned.

She sighed. “Don’t cover for him. It’s not convincing, (Y/N).”

I sighed. “Okay, yeah, he tried to tackle me in the hall.”

Ohhh…angry Mabel is scary.

She turned back to her brother, glowering.

“You. Did. What?! Dipper, what the hell?!”

He slumped down in his chair, eyes still to the ground.

“Kids in the back of the class, quiet down!” snapped the teacher.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, we’re totally still having a sleepover tonight.” I whispered.

She smiled at me, but looked away. “It does. But I don’t want you to come if my brother makes you feel unsafe. You should be in environments that make you happy, and if-”

I shook my head, smiling. “He doesn’t scare me, the guys got noodle arms!” I whisper-shouted.

She giggled. “(Y/N), you scallywag!”

*******

“So, welcome to our humble abode!” Mabel grinned as we stepped off the school bus.

The house was kinda pretty on the outside, with a cobblestone path that led to the front door. Nothing fancy, but it was nice nonetheless.

Dipper rolled his eyes and unlocked the door, immediately going upstairs.

“So, your parents aren’t here?”

“Yeah,” Mabel shrugged. “Our great-uncles were supposed to come stay with us, but….well, things came up….” She faltered, but then shook her head. “Right, you wanna try me and Dipper’s homemade attic- junk-mini-golf course? It has glitter on it!”

“Sounds good to me!”

*******

“How the heck are you this good at mini-golf?!” I exclaimed as Mabel shot another perfect hole-in-one.

“Aw, y’know…practice,” She chuckled. “One time, Dipper shot a ball through the window and hit our Grunkle Stan in the head!”

“Guys,” Said Dipper as he climbed into the attic, “Shouldn’t we start working on the project soon?”

“Mmmm…after dinner. But we’re not doing frozen food again tonight…what do you guys think of ordering pizza?” Mabel offered.

“Sure,” I shrugged.

“If you order it, then yeah,” Dipper answered.

“Cool. My phone is downstairs…Dipper, if you do anything, I’m gonna kill you.” She said as she clambered down the ladder.

I sat awkwardly in the silence with Dipper. He kept staring at me and looking away again.

“So…you gonna, like, shove me down the ladder or something?” I joked, trying to break the tension.

“No. O-of course not. I…just…well..” He fidgeted with his hands, not meeting my eyes. “Well, it’s just that….your eyes are yellow.

I frowned. “Again? Seriously? Dang, my colored contacts just had to arrive late, didn’t they.” “It’s just- how am I supposed to not think you’re…him,” Him again! “...Well, I guess you wouldn’t know about him obviously, but….you know things, and I….can’t trust you, okay?!” He snapped.

I stared at him, eyes wide. “I can’t trust you either! You attacked me, Pines!”

“Look, I…I really am sorry about that. Now that I know you aren’t who I thought you were, I….you didn’t deserve that.”

Dipper swallowed as if the words were hard to get out. “I just….I know you’re not…him,” I wondered who he was…I have a feeling Dipper is rambling, but I’m curious. Is ‘He’ that Bill guy?

“....and I know you mentioned the Unknown…” Wait, he knows about that?! “I’ve just….I’ve had bad experiences with...yellow-eyed people. Last time…well…” He tried to hide his shudder, but it was pretty obvious that whatever had happened had shook him to the core.

I frowned. “You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable…” Please tell me, your crypticness is intriguing! Ahhh, I’m so curious….

“Ha! Understatement of the century.” He laughed humorlessly.

“Okay, it’ll be here in like, ten miutes.” Mabel said, climbing up the ladder. “...You guys okay? You look all serious-y and stuff.” She added as she sat by Dipper.

I nodded slowly, unsure if we were actually okay or not.

“Yeah, we’re…we’re fine. I-I might just go back to my room now, though…for no reason! So, don’t worry.” Dipper said. He turned and descended down the ladder.

“What happened?” Mabel frowned.

I shrugged. I wasn’t really sure. “Well…he mentioned an awful experience with people with yellow eyes? I…don’t know.”

Mabel winced. “Oh yeah….that. He’s…seen some stuff these past few summers. You won’t believe me if I tell you though, no one here does.”

“I probably would, to be honest. Not that you have to tell me, but…let’s just say that I’ve seen some stuff too.”

Mabel froze. “B-Bill?” She said quietly, stepping away from me. Her eyes were wide. Shit.

“No! No, nothing like that!” I practically screamed.

“Oh, okay. Good.” She sighed in relief. “If you were Bill, I’d have to get you with my grappling hook, which would’ve sucked because you’re my new friend.”

I nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I really don’t wanna get in a fight with two Pines twins in one day. A-and keeping my limbs sounds nice.”

“Indeed it does! Now, wanna meet my pet pig?”

*******

I finished drawing the last touches to our project. Mabel’s side was practically dripping in colors, while Dipper’s looked like a conspiracy board. Mine suited me perfectly- with my favorite colors and pictures all together, it looked like my personal paradise.

We finished the pizza a while ago, and there wasn’t much left to do.

“...You guys wanna rewatch Ducktective?” Mabel offered as she flopped onto the couch.

“No….do you guys have any video games? Or board games?”

“Yeah, but… hmm.” Dipper said thoughtfully. “Mabel, do you think that one place we like is open this late?”

“Ooh, that place we went with Stan?”

“Yeah! Yeah, that one.” He nodded.

“I’ll check online…” She said, pulling her phone out.

“So…you ever had bubble tea, (Y/N)?” Dipper said lightly.

“Yeah, a few times… is that what we’re doing?” I smiled.

“Yeah. There’s a pretty good place not too far from here, if you don’t mind walking.”

“It is open! YES!” Mabel grinned, pumping her fist.

“Perfect!” Dipper smiled. The twins high-fived.

*******

It was chilly outside, I discovered. Of course, I had left my jacket at the Pines’ house, and by the time the cold set in, we were already halfway there. Luckily, we were only about a block away now.

Dipper had lagged behind at the start of the walk, but when Mabel and I started telling embarrassing stories, he couldn’t help but chime in.

I giggled as he described the time Mabel had a crush on Alexander Hamilton.

“To be fair, didn’t everyone in our generation have a Hamilton phase ‘cause of the musical?” I pointed out through my laughter.

“I dunno, I always preferred Angelica,” Dipper joked.

“That’s because Dipper likes people who could beat him up if they wanted to!” Mabel teased.

“Pfft, no I don’t! And anyways, you like people who are…uh….blonde stereotypes!” He retorted.

“Speaking of which, Pacifica just texted me…wonder what that’s about.” She said, checking her messages.

“Who’s that?” I asked Dipper.

“She’s our friend from Gravity Falls…she can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but is pretty cool for the most part… she doesn’t text us very often, though.” He frowned and read the messages over Mabel’s shoulder.

“Looks like she’s near Piedmont! She’s passing through on her way to L.A.!” Mabel grinned. “I-I’ve gotta go greet her! A-and show her around! Do you think she booked a hotel, or will she join our sleepover? This is awesome!” She added excitedly, before turning back to us.

“Oh…but I should probably stick with you guys, huh?” She sighed.

“No, you should go!” I encouraged. “You look so excited, I’d feel bad if you didn’t meet up with her!”

“Really? Dipper, are you good with that?”

“Yeah, you should go, Mabel! It’s not like Pacifica comes here often, might as well take advantage of it,”

“Thanks guys! I’ll take the bus to the airport, and I’ll try to be home by midnight?”

“You got it!” I grinned.

She waved and ran back up the street to the bus stop, leaving Dipper and I alone.

“Ha…yeah, blondes are definitely her type.” Dipper chuckled.

*******

We arrived at the shop right when it began to get dark out. I stared wide eyed at the decor…

Aliens, forests and polaroids, oh my! The whole cafe was decorated with all sorts of monstrous memorabilia. The place reminded me of movies like E.T., with an almost 80s feel to it. There was 80s music playing over the sound of whirring machinery, and a wall covered in neon stickers.

Dipper smiled. “Welcome to the Cryptid Cafe,”

“Woah…” I grinned.

“So,” He began as we waited to order, “I had a few questions, if you’re okay with that.”

I shrugged. “You mean like, supernatural questions?”

He looked away. “Yeah…”

“Well, okay, but only if you tell me about your paranormal experiences too.” And Bill. Mostly Bill.

He nodded slowly. “Fair enough, but you tell me first…Oh hey, we’re at the front of the line!”

I greeted the employee- a tall, blue haired guy who looked bored- and looked up to read the menu. Hmmm…I’ll get (F/F).

“The usual for you, Dipper, I assume?” Said the employee, whose name tag read ‘Finn’.

“Yeah. And (Y/N), what’ll you get?”

“Aw, you finally got a date, Pines! I thought we’d never see the day.” Finn teased.

“NO! No. No, (Y/N) is Mabel’s friend. Our friend. I don’t know.” Dipper stammered.

I stifled a laugh. “We’re just friends.” I assured Finn. “And I’ll get a (F/F) bubble tea, thank you!”

“Great, that’ll be a quick wait then. Thanks for stopping by!” Finn said, still chuckling to himself.

Dipper’s face was bright red as we sat at the table in the corner.

“Sorry about him,” He groaned. “That was really annoying.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know, the look on your face was pretty funny.”

He somehow blushed harder. “Hey, not as funny as yours when you first entered the cafeteria yesterday- you looked like a little kid who got lost in the mall!”

“Oh, so you mean like your resting face?” I smirked.

“He-ey! My resting face looks more like a…a dead fish than a lost kid!”

I snorted. “And that’s a good thing?”

He did a so-so hand motion.

“Dipper! Your drinks are ready!” Yelled Finn.

As Dipper came back with the drinks, he looked more serious.

“So, (Y/N), you mentioned the Unknown?” He said as he handed me my cup.

I took a long sip before answering. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

“So…are you from that dimension?”

“No, I’m from here….but first, how do you know about the Unknown?”

“...well, not too long ago, my great-uncle Ford had an….accident.” A shadow seemed to cross over his face as he described it. “After he got….well, mostly better, he said he’d been to a place called the Unknown, where ‘Long forgotten stories were revealed to those who traveled through the wood’. Or something like that. I don’t know what he saw there, but he seemed really shaken…”

I nodded. “Sounds like he encountered the Beast.”

Dipper nodded, eyes wide.

“The Beast…how to explain him. Well, I suppose I’d describe the Unknown as a purgatory, at least based on what I know. And if it’s like purgatory, then the Beast is like the devil- corrupting minds until they break, till they give up and surrender their souls to him.” I shivered at the memory. “That’s what happened to me. I gave up. It seemed…impossible to get home, impossible to carry on…the Beast had my soul for a bit there.” I paused and sipped my drink, trying not to remember the feeling…

Dipper reached for my hand, but pulled it back again.

“You….you okay, (Y/N)? You don’t need to tell me if it…hurts…”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Well, I am now. Anyways, somehow my friends saved me, and we all got home safe…”

I remembered that feeling of seeing Wirt’s dark eyes and Beatrice’s blue ones staring into mine as I woke up, free and safe at long last. I had hugged them and cried.

“....but every now and then, my eyes turn yellow. Mostly when I lose control of my emotions. So, yeah. There you go.” I finished.

“Wow…(Y/N), I…wow. That’s…awful.”

I nodded. “Yeah, yes, it’s pretty heavy. Anyways, now it’s your turn. Who’s Bill, and why’d you think I was him?”

“Well…” Dipper began, “It’s a long story. A couple years ago, when Mabel and I were twelve, we spent our first summer in Gravity Falls. I found an old journal in the woods full of stories, stories about encounters with cryptids and monsters. It was like a study, I guess. Well, pretty soon after that, we started having encounters of our own….”

He told me about all sorts of adventures he had there, although he still hadn't mentioned Bill.

“So how does this all connect to yellow eyes?” I asked.

“Okay. So, to back it up, earlier in the summer, we met this…demon. He called himself Bill Cipher, and we beat him pretty easily the first time we encountered him. The second time, though…well, he possessed me. He wanted to get his hands on the journal, so he tricked me into letting him use my body. When he was in my body, my eyes were yellow with slits for pupils. We defeated him again, but that wasn’t the last time…not too long ago, I met someone else whose eyes did that…” He shuddered. “Basically, if he were to be back again, it would be…bad, really, really bad. And you can tell he’s possessing someone if their eyes occasionally turn yellow. So…I thought….”

“You thought I was your demon. I was expecting a terrible explanation, but that…that makes perfect sense, actually.” I murmured.

*******

Dipper sighed with relief. He had honestly expected (Y/N) to stay mad. He felt awful about what happened that morning, especially now that he knew (Y/N)’s story. He understood how it felt to have lasting effects…he still couldn’t sleep without entering the mindscape, after all.

“Guys, it’s closing time,” Said Finn from behind the counter.

“Cool. See ya around, Finn!” (Y/N) waved.

“Yeah, see you next time,” Dipper added.

As the duo left the now-empty Cryptid Cafe, (Y/N) turned to him.

“Thanks for the bubble tea, Dip.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“You think Mabel will make it home tonight?”

“Oh, definitely not.” Dipper chuckled. “Honestly, at this point, her and Pacifica are probably on a plane to L.A., ready to spend the rest of their lives at Disneyland.”

“So…am I still spending the night?” (Y/N) asked.

“Oh, I mean, if you want! You can. If you want to. I didn’t think you wanted to…most of our friends in Piedmont only hang out with me because of Mabel, so I figured…”

*******

I shook my head.

“Dipper, we got off on the wrong foot, but we’re friends now. I trust you.”

He smiled softly. “Yeah, I trust you now, too…Thanks.”

We spent the rest of the night talking, and thank goodness we did…

*******

I stepped out of the bus, with the twins by my side.

“Well, welcome to Gravity Falls, (Y/N)!” Mabel grinned as she darted ahead of me.

I smiled and took in the sights and sounds of the Oregon forest. It was a lot like the Unknown, but not at all like the Unknown at the same time.

“C’mon, I have so much to show you!” Dipper beamed, grabbing my hand.

(I could hardly believe that he was the same guy who tackled me when we first met- Stan and Wendy laughed for hours when I told them that)

And together, we wandered back into the woods.

#dipper pines x reader #gravity falls #gravity falls dipper #dipper pines #dipper #gravity falls x reader #over the garden wall x gravity falls #over the garden wall #over the garden wall x reader #crossover #dipper x reader

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cursedcatboy · 2 years

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“I am what I am. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, for you have been kind to me. But I am a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer.” – Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn.

INTRODUCING : EZRAEL BINX

inspired by: KITTY MINX from LOVE IN HATE NATION. RACETRACK HIGGINS from NEWSIES. APOLLYON from HELLO FROM THE HALLOWOODS. RICHIE TOZIER from IT (2017) && IT: CHAPTER TWO. PUCK from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. HOBAN “WASH” WASHBURNE from FIREFLY. // with hints of: john amoroso from the black suits. taako from the adventure zone: balance. aubrey little from the adventure zone: amnesty. jamie taylor from the haunting of bly manor. portia devorak from the arcana. ted “theodore” logan from bill and ted’s excellent adventure. wirt from over the garden wall. sally owens from practical magic. as well as: — the good, comfy vibes you get from a stevie nicks song. — the crisp earthy-sweet smell of damp fallen leaves. — the fog that results from a warm day turning into a cool night. — old black and white monster movies && arsenic and old lace. — this specific color palette. — the warm scent of sandalwood incense burning.

GENERAL

name. ezrael lysander binx. nicknames. ez, ezzie ( to a very rare few ), rae, little cat ( a thackery exclusive ) date of birth. august 13th. age. twenty three. gender. nonbinary. pronouns. they / them. powers. quick reflexes, very good balance. sexuality. pansexual. place of birth. hallow falls. current residence. elias. occupation. bartender, aspiring musician. song. we all float down here - four year strong. emojis. 😈 🧡 🎸

APPEARANCE

height. 6′1″. build. athletic, lean. hair colour/style. shortish, just above shoulder-length & curly; naturally medium brown but they’ve been known to dye it black for funsies. eye colour. green. piercings. ears & septum. tattoos. small black lineart of a crescent moon on the inside of their left wrist, small black lineart of a star on the inside of their right wrist, more to come. notable markings. a few small scars on their fingers from their whittling phase, a scar just above the right side of their top lip, freckles. glasses/contacts? neither. faceclaim. fin argus. voiceclaim. n/a. but there is a lilt of an accent to their voice because of their growing up in thackery’s company.

HEALTH

allergies. dogs && mangoes. sleeping habits. 6-7 hours a night; sometimes little naps during the day. eating habits. pescatarian. dominant hand. left. drugs / smoke / alcohol? sometimes / yes / only in social situations.

PERSONALITY

tropes. lovable rogue, class clown, flirty bard. positive traits. patient, caring, loyal. negative traits. stubborn, loud, rash. likes. bright colors, learning new things, cats, magic, 70s/80s rock, black converse. dislikes. people who talk over them, being told what to do, tomatoes, most shades of brown. bad habits. smoking, being reckless.

RELATIONSHIPS

mother. unknown. father. thackery binx. siblings. n/a. children. none. significant others. n/a. closest friends. tba.

TESTS

zodiac sign. leo. mbti. enfp. temperament. sanguine. moral alignment. chaotic neutral. primary vice. pride. primary virtue. patience.

SKILLS & STATS

languages spoken. english, french, spanish, latin. drive? yes. jump start a car? yes. change a flat tire? yes. ride a bicycle? yes. swim? no. play an instrument? yes. guitar && piano. play chess? yes but they hate it. they find it boring. braid hair? yes. tie a tie? yes. pick a lock? yes. sew? yes.

here is a playlist for them !! :3

WANTED CONNECTIONS

;; all we are is dust in the wind, dude. | bandmates ! jam sesh buds !

ezrael can play a mean guitar but they can also play the keyboard & sing ! they just need someone ( or several someones! ) to jam with & talk music !! either this can be a Solid Band or just people jamming together & sometimes playing shows - ez is fine with either. music is their passion.

;; if we shadows have offended. | magic friends !

just people who have helped/can help ezrael earn more about magic! they've read books and done research but they've stayed more on the Book Knowledge side of things and they've been itching to try a spell or two - nothing major, just for funsies. their dad is thackery after all, they know not to mess with the Big Stuff.

;; the whiskey sure works && lordy i love it. | drinking buddies !

ezrael is a social drinker and while they do tend to actively make friends while drinking, they much prefer to go out with friends than go out to find friends.

;; people who build their houses in your heart. | close friends !

ezrael is very social & they have friends of all sorts. but i have a feeling that they only have a few close friends - the ones they trade secrets with and always think to text first. midnight slumber party besties y'know? the sort of friends you go stargazing & contemplate life with.

;; the way that i feel, don't try to say it isn't real | exes / flings !

ezrael is pansexual & can be right flirty when they want to. perhaps they parted ways happily & are still friends! perhaps they Didn't & are anything but friendly. ez doesn't like to burn bridges but they also aren't sure if they like being tied down for too long. their dad must've passed some of his feral cat energy on to them.

&& more, i’m sure!! if you have an idea for a connection feel free to reach out !! :3

#watask #;; peel your skin back to show what you're made of | ezrael #slam dunks this onto the dash!!!!!!#ez is very different from thackery but i think that's Fun tbh #& they have a good relationship nonetheless #drug mention tw #just in case !!

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k3rm1e · 3 years

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hiihi !! ive been loving all the stuuf yoube been wirting latley its so good :^D i ws wondering if i ciuld have some hcs ,or just a onrshot either or i dont mind, of reader geeting sick and mumza nd dadza take care of them ?? bc i lovr mr and mrs minecraft <33 liek like reader like "ahh im finr mr minecraft" and they have 102° fever Nd have a runny nose and mr minecatft is liek "mmm no i dont thnik so m8" nd yaeh !! they/them pronouns but i thnk uve benn doing that arleady - :^) anon

sickly

:^) anon my beloved;;;;; i love your brain. this could go two ways depending on whether you’re staying with phil or if you guys are online so i went with your staying with him. i also did a one shot but if you want hcs i hv no problem writing some :) i hope this is good!

cw: cursing

mumza and dadza take care of you:

it had finally happened. while covid wasn't fully over just yet, many had gotten the vaccine and conventions were opening up again. which meant two things: meetups and twitchcon. finally, you could meet some of your supporters and see your friends.

“mom, are we almost there?” your mom was driving you to the airbnb you’d be staying at with a few of the other dream smp members. at first, you assumed you’d all be staying in separate hotel rooms. but, this way, you could spend more time with friends, save money, and your mom wouldn’t have to be with you the whole time. there had already been many long conversations between philza and your mom to make sure you’d be safe staying with everyone.

“yes, sweetie. almost there. we’re just two minutes closter than when you asked earlier.” ok, sue you, maybe you were a bit excited. but really, who could blame you? making in person friends had never been easiest, so the majority of your friendship were with people online. not being able to see or meet anyone for so long had been excruciatingly painful.

within ten minutes, you had finally arrived at the airbnb. quickly jumping out you ran to the door, obnoxiously ringing the doorbell. through the door, you heard an accented voice yell out, “i’m coming, i’m coming!”. at this point you were springing up and down on your tippy-toes, ready to spring out of your skin.

the door opened and you were greeted by a very tired and annoyed looking wilbur, “hello?”.

` “WILBURRRR!!!” you were screaming in his face (unintentionally), waking him up from his drowsiness. you launched yourself in his arms, not paying attention to your mother’s bewildered expression. you quickly let go of him and shoved past him, “i’m gonna go say hi to everyone!” distantly you heard wilbur begin to talk to your mother, explaining what you guys were doing.

while running around you said hi to tommy, tubbo, ranboo, eret, fundy, niki, techno, phil and kristin. the others were either staying in another airbnb or in their own hotel rooms. after about thirty minutes, wilbur had finally stopped talking to your mom.

“yes, ma’am. i can promise you they’ll be completely safe. you have absolutely nothing to worry about.” wilbur was calmly talking with your mother, looking more and more tired by the minute.

“alright. thank you.” your mother called you over. “come give me a hug and say bye!” slowly dragging your limbs over, you let her hug you. behind you you could hear wilbur and phil laughing at you.

“bye mom…” she was holding onto you tightly, petting down your hair.

“oh, sweetie, i love you so much. i’m so happy you found something you're passionate about and made so many lovely friends while doing so.” as much as you loved your mom, the small snickers behind you were getting quite embarrassing. you could hear that tommy had joined in on the laughing.

“... i love you too, mom. can you let go now?” you tried pulling back, but all she did was pull you closer.

“oh, but i just don’t wanna let you go. i love you so much, you know that right?”

“i know, mom. i love you too. but you’ve gotta get home and i have to unpack and get ready for meeting with fans tomorrow.” you finally got her to pull away, “i love you mom, okay? thank you for letting me do this.”

“oh, i love you too, sweetie.” and with that, your mom left. after watching her pull out of the driveway and down the street, you whipped around.

“not. a. single. word.” you stared dead in the boy’s eyes, seeing just how much wilbur was about to burst out laughing.

“what? personally, i think it’s very sweet.” tommy was smiling, purposely pissing you off. “so sweet, how much your mom loves you.”

“shut your fucking mouth, tommy.” you stared deadpan at him and began walking inside and over to the kitchen.

“what? i didn’t say anything wrong! i was just simply commenting on your very, very sweet relationship with your mother.”

kristin moved forward to talk to you, “for what it’s worth, i do thing you hae a very sweet relationship with your mom.”

“thank you. you’re the only good one in this house, kristin minecraft.” with that she laughed, and you all continued on with your evening. after staying up late watching old youtube videos, you all went to bed. in the morning you would have your first day of three at twitchcon, meeting fans and other creators alike.

for around 10 hours, you stood in booths signing fanart, prints, notebooks, and the like. meeting so many different people was eye opening, just learning who supported you. at the end of the day everyone went to a restaurant to eat dinner after so long.

“this food… is so… fucking good.”

“agreed.” you and the rest of the so-called ‘bench trio’ were eating at what wilbur had deemed the ‘kiddy table’. after eating so much food you were all tired. the rest of your friends had already left, walking back to the airbnb. when it was finally time to leave the restaurant, it was pouring rain.

“WHY IS THE RAIN SO COLD IT’S LITERALLY SUMMER”

after running home you had gone to sleep while the others had changed and taken showers. after sleeping for around ten hours, you had finally woken up. frankly, you felt like dogshit. you could barely breathe out of your stuffy nose and your head felt like it had been shoved full of wet cotton balls.

instead of staying in bed, you got up and tried to get ready. on the way downstairs to get food and see who was making so much noise, you fell face first down the stairs. “owwwww…”

hearing a ruckus, phil and kristin left the kitchen, where they were making pancakes. “holy shit! are you alright, mate?”

pushing phil over, kristin walked over to you, “obviously they’re not okay phil! the poor kid is lying on the floor.”

slowly getting up, you try to reassure both of them that you’re okay. “no, no, no, don’t worry. i am perfectly okay.” while you don’t know exactly how you sound, based on the expression on phil’s face, you don't think you sound very good.

“uh, yeah, how about no. you sound like you’ve draken a whale bottle of vodka.” phil walked over to you and grabbed you by the arm, trying to hold you up.

“i’m fineeee”

“no, your fucking not. you’re burning up.” phil looked at you, angrily. “you need to go to bed.”

“but i don’t wannaaaaa. i feel fineeee.” you felt like crying, for absolutely no reason. with that, you passed out on the floor.

phil and kristin somehow managed to get you back up the stairs and into bed. once you were safely in your room, with no risk of cracking your skull open, phil took your temperature. “mate, your temperature is at nearly 102°. you’re lucky i don’t take you to a hospital.” he started at you, disapprovingly.

“i’m sorryyyyy dadza. are you mad at me?” in your deluded state you pouted at him, like a child.

“no, i’m not mad at you. just disappointed. you should’ve known not to do that. you’re old enough to know when you’re sick.” he stared at you with a disapproving look.

“but that’s even worseeeeee” you felt like balling your eyes out. out of embarrassment, you tried to hide under your blanket. “can you tell mumza i’m sorry for worrying her?”

above you, you heard phil laugh. “it’s not that big a deal, kid. i’m just upset. you could’ve seriously hurt yourself. i was worried.”

“you were worried about me? awwwww, i love you too dadza.” you moved your head out of the blankets, smiling at him with dried tears and sweat on your face.

“yeah, yeah. now shut up and go to bed.”

kristin walked in, hearing what he said. “phil, don’t bully the kid. they already feel like shit.” out of the corner of your eye, you saw her look over to phil and smile at him.

“i’m not doing anything, swear on my life!” he put his hands up in defense of himself, making you laugh.

turning away from him, she directed her next question towards you. “how you feeling, kid? took quite a tumble there.” she smiled at you and ushed your hair out of your face.

“i’m sorry for worrying youuuuuu. i love you, mumza. promise.”

laughing, she leaned down to kiss you on the head. “love you too, kid. now, want me to sit with you and we can all watch some netflix or something?”

you silently nodded and the two of them joined you on the bed, not caring very much if they got sick. after not even an hour, you all passed out.

a few hours later, everyone returned back from the convention. let’s just say wilbur now had some very valuable blackmail.

hope you like it! this was so wholesome i- wfowcsjvri

i want parents like dadza and mumza now

#:^) anon #mcyt x reader #philza x reader #mumza x reader #is that a tag?#idk

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mothwingedmyths · 2 years

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✨ ALL MY WANDERSONG AUS ✨

Earth, Sky, and Storms. More like a fanmade sequel but I consider it an AU since I feel like Audrey died at the end in canon- I'm gonna put it on AO3 so I don't want to reveal too much about it

Unnamed Wandersong Flower AU. Pretty similar to canon Wandersong but also drastically different, and I'm also putting this one on AO3 (when I think of a hecking title, that is-) sooo

Over The Garden Wall AU. I actually thought of this just last night while playing Stray, but I really like it already- Kiwi is Greg, Miriam is Wirt, Audrey is Beatrice (except she's a woodpecker and not a bluebird), the Dream King is the Beast, Eyala... idk yet but her being Adelaide would be funny and with Audrey being Beatrice it might make a little sense, and Mask is the tavernkeeper for literally no reason except I felt like it kind of fits

Hollow Knight AU. These are literally my two favorite games and Kiwi loves bugs so it's perfect- Although this has basically no development except Kiwi is a grasshopper, Miriam is a moth, and Audrey is a vessel

D&D AU. This is pretty much just an excuse for Kiwi to get a mind flayer tadpole shoved in their eye because I love mind flayers but it exists and has a little bit of development- Also Kiwi is a bard (obviously), Miriam is a sorcerer, and Audrey is a paladin

The Owl House AU. Literally all I have of this is Kiwi joins the BATTs and Miriam's palisman is a kiwi bird

Vampire Kiwi and werewolf Miriam AU. This was actually my first Wandersong AU but that doesn't mean it's very developed and tbh I just use it to play around with lore for this kind of thing in my various fictional universes- Although basically Kiwi gets bitten by a vampire at some point and panics and tries to keep it a secret from Miriam but she figures it out at some point and then is like "dude you are literally my best (and only) friend why would something like this ruin that"

Spider-themed Audrey-centric AU. I came up with this while vibing to Hello, My Treacherous Friends by OK Go in the car and I genuinely don't know if it's a joke or not but Audrey with eight eyes/limbs and mandibles is super cool and Eyala as a floofy anthropomorphic rainbow tarantula is just plain what more could you want

Ice And Fire (the Minecraft mod) AU. Basically I remembered some old fanfics of mine and impulsively decided to make them but the Sad Pixel Trio instead

Thaumcraft AU. Same deal here (yes I have hyperfixated on Minecraft mods twice. I hyperfixate on random things)

WAIT I ALMOST FORGOT- That AU I posted art of that one time. I think that was my actual first Wandersong AU-

...yeah i have a lot

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lotusthekat · 3 years

Text

Still the haunted ruins of night call your name - Chapter 1

Fandoms: Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall

Rating: G

Relationships: Wirt & Greg, Wirt & Steven, Minor Wirt/Sara

Characters: Wirt, Greg Universe, Steven Quartz Universe; MINOR - Marty, Sara, Lars Barriga; more characters to be added

Summary: Years after his little brother left, Wirt finally has the chance to make things right. Problem is, he has no idea if Greg wants him in his life again.

An OTGW x SU crossover AU. Partially compliant with Steven Universe Future.

Word count: 6.785

Quotev / Fanfiction

A/N: It’s 2021 and I still love OTGW Greg = Greg Universe, sorry

TRIGGER WARNINGS - minor violence, mentions of abuse, strict parenting and emotional neglect

Chapter 1: You’re sinking like a stone

He’s reading the newspaper when the door rings.

“I’ll get it!” He stands before Sara beats him to it.

Maybe it’s just one of their sociable neighbors, like Mrs. Davis and her amazing apple pies. He’s really just expecting a friendly face.

Not the most dreadful that has ever haunted him.

Of all the things, all the people, this comes back like the Beast still infiltrating his mind.

“Nice to see you too, Moonchild,” Marty speaks up at the unnerving lack of response.

Marty looks as hideous as Wirt remembers. A creepy, no-good man wearing vomit-like green clothes. No, really, it’s so disgustingly green that Wirt might feel even more sick.

“Wirt, who’s there?”

He never gave Sara many details about Marty, wanting her to be safe from him as much as possible. Marty was not someone to be trusted, least of all remembered.

“Just… an old friend,” Wirt says against his will, to remain calm.

“Why, hello, miss,” Marty winks at Sara, much to his disgust.

“Uh, nice to meet you, I’m Sara.”

“Marty.”

“Want to come in?”

“He won’t stay for too long,” Wirt stands between his wife and that awful human being. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by, Moonchild. I travel the entire country like a true businessman. Though I didn’t expect to see your face around here.”

“I’d say the same for you.” Wirt crosses his arms. “Just spill it out, what do you want?”

“Hey, is that how you treat a family friend?”

“You’re not my friend. If you’re not going to say anything important, just go.”

Marty shrugs, “Sure, if that’s what you want.” As he turns around, however, the older man smirks maliciously. “Looks like you’re not worried about Starchild after all these years.”

Starchild…

“Wait, you mean…?” Sara mutters but falls quiet. From the corner of his eye, she’s looking at Wirt while he’s struggling not to break the door handle.

“So, you are interested,” Marty smirks. “Thought you’d be.”

“… Where is he?” Wirt asks simply yet trying to keep on a brave face.

“Oh, you know, Starchild crashed like every dumb little star that wants to shine too bright. Ended up in some washed up town, and just like that he owns a car wash. Heh,” he laughs at his own unfunny joke.

“He’s… not with you, then?”

“Hasn’t been in years,” Marty shrugs. “He even has a Starchild of his own. But it’s not like you’d be around to know,” the man bites.

Wirt clenches his fists, and Sara puts an arm in front of him.

“So, where is Greg?” She goes to the point.

“A place called ‘Beach City’. Some weird little town. Guess he belongs with the weirdos.” Marty glares at nowhere for a moment, but he’s soon back to being a jerk. “But bear with me, you shouldn’t bother looking for him.”

He approaches Wirt way too closely for his likening.

“Would Starchild ever want to go back to space? Would he explode like a supernova with so much pressure?”

Wirt can’t say words for his life’s sake. He wants to – and he could punch Marty on the face like he did before, but it reminds Wirt of the worst day of his life, and then he’s hopeless. Edelwoods would even grow and take over his body.

Thankfully, Sara steps up to Marty like Wirt would never.

“That’s enough info, thanks for stopping by!” She pushes her husband back to the house.

“Wait, don’t you want to hear about Guacola-?”

“I’m sure that’s lovely, but no thanks. Bye!”

Sara closes the door on Marty’s face, and a few curses later the guy walks away.

“He’s gone now,” she reassures.

Yet Wirt is far from reassured. He doesn’t have it in him to complain about Marty for hours to come. He’s claimed by the sofa, the newspaper abandoned.

“Wirt?”

He can’t help but find that old photograph on the wall, one he stares at every single day, for what feels like an eternity. The only picture he has of Greg that his family didn’t get their hands on. One of the few moments he had with his little brother before he left.

“… What if Marty is right?” Wirt fears.

Sara joins him. “Well, even if he’s a prick… that’d be a good thing, right? You’ll finally see Greg after all these years.”

Wirt sighs instead of talking.

“… Why wouldn’t it be good?” Sara wonders.

He gulps.

Would Starchild ever want to go back to space? Would he explode like a supernova with so much pressure?

“What if Greg doesn’t want to see me?”

“Wirt, I know he would want that.” Sara kisses his head. “Greg loved you more than anything.”

“But I let him down. I failed him, Sara.” Twice.

“Wirt…”

He shuts his eyes, avoiding the haunting photo.

I was never any good to him alive, either.

He wasn’t expecting the call. It’s not like he ever expected much from his parents.

They had plans to travel in winter like they did every year. Wirt was never around for it, but they never missed him, honestly. This time, though, it all went to shambles (in their words). That’s not what he’s concerned about.

Instead, it’s when they mentioned a creepy older man with his little brother.

Marty, the really weird guy that came after Greg like a parasite. Their parents had no idea who he is. Greg only talked about music with Wirt, who they ironically let go in the music area. But not in rock terms, much like the adults in Footloose.

Regardless, Wirt felt something was wrong about Marty the moment he stepped in the room. The way Marty as much as touched Greg, talked about going outside to prove the entire world how famous Greg would be…

Wirt knew Greg was capable and skilled, obviously, but Marty was the least trustworthy person to count on it.

For someone so careful, the eldest DeMayo got to his parents’ house in a mere five minutes, a trashcan likely flying to nothing in the way. Mom and Dad are yelling too much, complaining too much, but all Wirt sees is Greg’s van painted over with “Mr. Universe” and the many, countless boxes inside. Greg and Marty aren’t there yet though.

Maybe he still has time.

Wirt runs past his parents, finding out that his brother’s room isn’t empty just yet.

“We’re almost done, Starchild. You’ll rock on the entire world,” Marty motivates, the other taking a deep breath to keep it cool.

“Wirt?” Greg exclaims.

His hair is wilder than ever, his ears are pierced by earrings, and his black shirt has been ripped and customized with a yellow star on its center.

“W-What are you doing here?” Greg questions, conflicted.

“Oh, Moonchild! Here to congratulate your brother?”

Wirt ignores Marty. “Greg, we need to talk.”

His younger brother frowns. “Mom and Dad called you, didn’t they.”

“I didn’t come here for them; I came here for you.”

“No, I know where this is going. You’re going to tell me I’m being ‘crazy’, that I just need to overcome my ‘identity crisis’ and remain unhappy in college, and maybe just have music as a hobby.”

Wirt sighs, “Greg—”

“Why can’t none of you understand that this is what I want? That I want to go out there and- and live life, and not be stuck with curfews and being a lousy lawyer?!”

“You can’t just leave everything behind, Greg!”

“Yes, I can! I can do anything I want! I’m not a kid anymore!”

“You’re not thinking this through. What if it’s not like you expected it to be? What if you do something you’ll regret?”

“Hey there, Moonchild,” Marty invades, “Greg here will be just fine—”

Wirt slaps the nasty hand coming his way. “Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Whoa, buddy. Your brother sure is hotheaded, huh, Starchild?” Marty puts an arm around Greg, who remains angry.

“You stay away from my little brother,” Wirt threatens. “I know you’re just waiting to stab him in the back when you can!”

Marty barks a laugh, “You’re hilarious, Moonchild. But this is what Greg wants. You’re just being ignorant like your old folks.”

It goes like a flash, like a speeding train.

In the next second, Marty is on the floor cursing words Wirt never imagined existing up until now. His hand is curled up in a fist, and it’s burning and aching. It probably even has blood.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Greg screams at him.

“I’m—” Wirt regains his posture, “I’m doing you a favor, Greg! Don’t listen to him!”

“You leave Marty out of this,” Greg says, helping the older man stand. “I know what I’m doing.”

“No, you don’t!” Wirt snaps, “You’re leaving with no plan at all! No money, no safety, no- nothing! You’re leaving with nothing!”

“That’s my intention! At least I’ll be free!”

Wirt groans, “You haven’t changed at all! You keep acting stupid like a kid who cares more about his dumb music than the people around him!”

Greg’s eyes widen like something has broken. Like glass has shattered into millions of shards, blaring his ears. It’s so loud, that Greg doesn’t say anything.

But Wirt realizes his mistake too late.

“Oooooh,” Marty teases, but quickly resorts to pain.

“Greg…” Wirt shakes his head. “I-I didn’t—”

The younger DeMayo, with an arm around Marty, walks past Wirt and goes downstairs. Their parents are still yelling, but no one pays them any attention. Wirt can only hear Greg’s silence, his broken heart.

Marty is already on the driver’s seat despite the punch, waiting for Greg to join him. Wirt tries to stop him, but it’s useless.

He knows he should apologize. But nothing can make up for what he’s done.

Before Greg gets inside the van, though, he doesn’t yell at Wirt.

“I… I really thought I could count on you, Wirt. I thought I could be myself with you. But… you’re just like them,” he quivers quietly. “You just want to control me and blame me for everything. That’s what you always do, right? Why we got lost in the first place?”

Wirt is sure he’s crying right now.

“Greg…”

His brother lets out a deep, deep breath.

“But I know now, I’m my own leader. And I don’t need you,” Greg glares at him like he never has. Unlike Wirt, he doesn’t look like a mess despite all the pain.

Just like that, Greg closes the door and Wirt… watches.

Wirt lets him leave.

The van is gone within the horizon, and he doesn’t follow it.

He let Greg go again.

But this time, Wirt couldn’t save him.

He lost him for good.

And it was all his fault.

Again.

Next chapter

#over the garden wall #steven universe #wirt #otgw wirt #greg universe #otgw sara #su marty #abuse mention tw #blood mention tw #fanfiction

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clumsyclifford · 4 years

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Bella! Queen of wirting fic herself and recommending them! I have a question for you! The rilex slow burn au you recommend was just *chefs kiss* (also quite long, which I love) can you recommend me something else? the love of my life michael clifford has to be in it, but otherwise I don't care, I just am sad and want to read something cute 🥺

oh! hello!! i don’t know if you’re asking for specifically rilex fic recs (slim pickings i’m afraid) or just a fic rec in general ??? but i just went through my bookmarks and this made me realize i haven’t read a good long michael-centric fic in a hot sec, so i’ll have to get on that.

in the meantime, may i direct you to in a world of black and white, by the queen and love of my life @kaleidoscopeminds ?? it is a lashton fic but michael is in it, as requested, and also, i am extremely biased because it was written for me and i love it to death. but! background jalex. AND a jalex spin-off. the things you can achieve when you’re annoyingly persistent and won’t stop bothering your writer friends am i right

also a bunch of old recs of fics i like are in my unofficial fic rec tag, i don’t know if you’ve gone through that yet but it has a lot of good stuff. in my personal opinion

#i can give you some 1d fic recs i've been reading those lately #lmao #i like reading 1d fics because #theyre all from like 2015 or prior #and i don't know the authors and they're old works so i don't feel pressure to leave a comment #which is relaxing when you're me #that makes me seem like an asshole #i like leaving comments it just requires a different kind of energy you know #anyway. loadedgunn on ao3 has a great larry top model au if you're into that :)#anonymous #ask #answered

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platypan · 5 years

Text

Greg is a Chaos Fairy, Wirt needs to learn to Say No, and Sara's day just got Cursed With Being Interesting--complete!

Chapter 7: All's Well that Ends Well

To Sara’s right, in the darkness, the barely-visible phosphorescent bridge suddenly lit in a whirling column of green light. The darkness withdrew to show a black horse with a mane and tail of smoke, and coals for eyes--standing stiff as a plastic model--Wirt, half off the horse, some extra mysterious flailing appendages, and in the middle of everything, the goblin priest. Wirt and the appendages fell to the cobbles at the end of the bridge with a metallic clatter, and Sara began trying to inch around towards him.

“You dare much, Priest,” said an echoey voice.

“Jacqueline la Corriveau!” he laughed. “I have your cutlass, and your horse, and your love--”

The little pile of appendages and Wirt disentangled, and a very small person in a nun habit dodged around the priest’s arm and on to the bridge, the cutlass flailing in one hand behind her. “Oh, my darling,” she cried. “Jacqueline!”

“You do not have my love, it appears,” said the voice, and a dark arm, green-tinged, slapped over the edge of the bridge. Its knuckles whitened. The nun dropped the cutlass and ran to throw her tiny weight into helping, but washed back in a surge of river water that covered the bridge, and slapped them all with icy spray. When it ebbed, and they wiped their eyes, a woman in rags stood in the center of the bridge. She looked as though she’d been formed of black marble, her hair in a sweeping bun of dangling braids, her jaw defiant, and her every motion graceful. Sara’s spine straightened of its own accord.

“Are you well,” the nun threw her arms around the spirit’s waist.

“Well, I’m dead.” She held the nun, stroking the head of her habit. “Where have you been.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do,” the nun started to sob, and the spirit rocked her, eyes fixed on the priest. The whirlwind of green light whipped their clothes around.

“What do you do here, godless man of the church?”

“Even in death, you are indeed a beauti--”

“Do not continue,” she advised. “Why have you taken my old friend captive?”

Sara edged along the edge of the path, as far as possible from the bridge, the green windy light, and Deckenbrode. She crept around the front of the horse, having a vague idea about the danger of kicking hooves, and grabbed Wirt’s shoulder. “Are you alright?!”

“Are you? Where’s Greg?!” he whispered back, reaching out, and then yanking his hand back. “I--I think we both--” he oofed as Greg scuttled under the motionless horse to throw both arms around him. “Greg!”

“You guys have to stop wandering off,” Greg whispered, grabbing for Sara, and the three of them squeezed each other for a few seconds before Wirt and Sara leapt away, blushing hotly.

“What’s going on,” Sara jerked her thumb at the bridge. “I mean I’ve met Deckenbrode, but what.” Her hand accidentally brushed his, and they both jerked away.

Wirt pointed, shielding his mouth. “That’s the priest?!”

“Yeah, he attacked a witch,” Sara whispered back.

“She’s so much better than our witch, Wirt,” Greg sighed.

“Anway!” Wirt flapped his arms, quietly, to himself. “The priest is evil! He framed her--” here he pointed at the taller woman on the bridge, “--That’s Jacqueline, the ghost, la Corriveau--for murder, and now she haunts the bridge--”

“Oh, we’ve heard about her,” Greg nodded, holding his frog up to see over the bridge railing they were crouched behind.

Wirt pulled him back down. “Yeah, okay, the person hugging her is her ex-fiancee, the nun, Henriette-I-did-not-get-a-last-name, and this is her horse--friend--the orc is controlling it with some--some God thing--” he knocked on the statue-like leg they hid behind, “--and the orc priest’s trying to steal her pirate treasure, from when she was a pirate.”

“Pirates,” Greg bounced on his toes.

“What in heaven’s name,” Phoebe landed on Sara’s head. “He is rather an orc, isn’t he.”

“This is Phoebe,” Sara waved upwards.

“I am a ruby-crested kinglet,” Phoebe announced and Wirt’s eyes narrowed as he mouthed it, nodding.

“You will submit,” the priest was shouting, his tiny tail flicking back and forth in excitement.

“That orc’s tail’s got a blue bow on it,” Greg pointed out, fascinated, and Phoebe blinked.

“That it does.”

“Why are you even here,” Jacqueline la Corriveau called back, her rags and hair wafting around her.

He made a slavering noise around his tusks. “I won’t give your horse back until you tell me the secret.”

“What bloody secret,” the column of green light whipped faster.

“Sara,” Phoebe cheeped, flitting to land on the horse to see what was going on. “Wirt, also, sorry--I think we should either be on that side of the bridge, or we ought to leave now. Deckenbrode is worse than--”

“I know!” Sara whispered, leaning out between the bridge railing and the horse.

Wirt swallowed, eyeballing the middle of the bridge, “...that huge goblin man is taking up this whole end of the bridge. We could get a rock, and--” he set his jaw, swallowing.

“Okay!” Greg leapt to his feet, and Sara grabbed them both back.

“Calm down!”

“I got this,” said Phoebe, whipping in to scratch Deckenbrode’s face, and Sara grabbed Greg’s hand, he grabbed Wirt’s, and they dashed onto the bridge and across to where the nun was finally pulling away, wiping her eyes. She beckoned them close, and stood in front of them, holding the cutlass.

The priest roared, swiping the air with his four-inch claws, but Phoebe dodged his flailing, yanking hair out of his ear with her beak, and flitted over to land on Wirt’s hat. “It’s certainly a good thing kinglets are such agile fliers,” she panted, as he stomped around, shaking the stonework of the whole bridge. “Holy tomatoes.” She exchanged an indignant chirrupy noise with Sara’s fierce nod, turning in a little circle around Wirt’s hat to catalog Greg, Wirt, and Sara safely in the middle of the bridge. Jaqueline and Henriette stood before them, and there were at least a couple of yards of bridge between them and the roaring priest.

“The treasure, spirit,” he snarled, smacking the Cheval Gauvin on the shoulder. “Surrender it, or I order this demon to kill that disobedient sister.”

“There is no treasure,” Jacqueline le Corriveau screamed back, her eyes lighting with green fire from within, and her arms stretching toward him.

“I think there is,” said the nun, touching her shoulder, holding out the cutlass between her forefinger and thumb.

“Henriette,” Jacqueline paused. “My love. No. She sent me the Cheval Gauvin, and the cutlass.” She smelled of sulphur, but considering her state of being, thankfully nothing worse.

“There is more to the cutlass,” the nun sighed, pulling out a pair of glasses and squinting at the hilt, before tucking them away again.

“--don’t cut yourself--” Jacqueline reached out, and Henriette took her hand and held it.

“With this salt water I summon thee,” she rubbed the butt of the cutlass up her cheekbone, and then knelt, and slid it spinning along the ground at the goblin priest. He snatched it up, holding it over his head, as the edge of it burst into black flame.

Jacqueline yelled “Henry, what are you doing?!” --and the goblin priest screamed.

The flames flared up in lines over his arm, and body, then vanished in smoke. He smacked at his face as it distorted, choking and gagging, until a watermelon-sized glob of smoke bounced out and spun in place at the foot of the bridge, before forming into a sinuous column of smoke, vaguely-human shaped, with horns, or maybe antlers.

“Wowza Fudgesicles,” Greg whispered to Phoebe, who had beeped, startled.

“Let’s just step back a bit further,” she suggested, and Wirt and Sara hauled the struggling Greg back another few feet along the bridge.

“...hello, my Jacqueline,” the new horned smoke-creature hissed, its voice all gibbering echoes. Sara shuddered, suddenly nostalgic for Auntie Greenleaf’s calm chorus. “My love, my--”

“You,” Jacqueline stepped back. “I owe you nothing, you set me free with no--”

“I will have your heart one day,” the shadow grew, spreading. “Its brilliance shall burn me.”

“Why can’t these people keep their feelings off you,” Henriette frowned, stepping in front of her.

“She is really pretty,” Sara touched her curls, frowning, and Wirt closed his eyes, flailing his hand at hers a few times before successfully grasping it. He gave it a squeeze.

“Just as--you are--pretty as--” he tried. “Oh my god.”

“Do you think so?” she grinned, watching as Jacqueline la Corriveau stood shoulder to shoulder with her nun, holding hands.

“Where is my treasure,” the priest roared.

“Oh, that,” the smoke-creature sighed. “Are you prepared for the trade?”

“What,” Jacqueline frowned, raising her hand again.

“The trade, of course, I’m not a storage depot,” it sighed, and the breeze blew hot dry air enough to dry everyone’s eyes.

Jacqueline frowned behind her at Wirt, Phoebe, Greg, and Sara, drawing her nun forward, so the two of them were braced between the shadow-creature and the children. Phoebe flitted forward to land on the nun habit. “If we need to, I can distracted him again while you go for the cutlass.”

“We were not aware of a trade,” Jacqueline told him.

“And yet you are here, with my horse, and the cutlass on which I inscribed my sigil.” It sounded doubtful.

“...the Cheval Gauvin is yours?” she asked shakily, and Deckenbrode stepped in front of it.

“My shadows, in trade for precious matter of your world,” the smoke figure agreed. “I see it has not become any more of a conversationalist.”

“No, it has,” Jacqueline’s eyes shone. “It is only controlled, right now.”

“Take him back, and bring forth the treasure, I command you, spirit!” the orc-priest brandished his cross, and the shadow-creature focused on him without turning, growing to loom over his head.

“You command me,” it whispered, the strange echoes of its voice giggling and sobbing. “You, a--” the side facing Jacqueline leaned closer, separating from the rest. “What is it, actually?”

“A fallen priest,” breathed the nun. “A murderer, and a thief. Transformed to a goblin, for giving insult to Auntie Greenleaf.”

“Oh. She does tend to do that. Quite large,” the segment of shadow looming over Deckenbrode leaned closer, many of its echoes sounding pleased. “A fallen priest, you say. How interesting.”

“You can’t have Cheval Gauvin,” Jacqueline whispered, then took a deep breath. “You can’t. You can keep the treasure.”

“I demand you release the treasure!” Deckenbrode swung at the shadow, and passed through, and it wriggled.

“It would never do to inconvenience you, my sweet Jacqueline,” it giggled with a thousand voices. “I will take this befouled man of god in his place, he looks...delicious.” It whirled around Deckenbrode, who shrieked, before both vanished with the sound of a thunderclap. The Cheval Gauvin came out of its daze with a prance upon the cobbles, nearly sliding into the river as it shook itself thoroughly. Jacqueline ran to throw her arms around its neck, and it nuzzled her braids. Where Deckenbrode had stood were chests, and sacks, a pile of scrolls, and books with worked metal covers stacked high as Sara’s waist. Phoebe flitted over to investigate. “...there’s a bag of durian fruit here. I see why he gave it back. I say, your majesty--”

“Oh, don’t,” Jacqueline sighed.

Phoebe hopped around among the bags, and tugged at the buckle closing a book. “We were aided by Auntie Greenleaf, and aided you in turn. Could you speak to her? Offer her--something?”

“Certainly, I have no use for it,” Jacqueline hugged her horse friend tighter.

“The treasure.” It nosed at Jacqueline’s face, lipping at her hair. “I am...forfeit, then?”

“No,” she rested the flat of her hand against its nose, rubbing gently. “No, it--it took Deckenbrode.”

“...that was an option?”

“You knew there was treasure,” Henriette approached, frowning. “Why didn’t you--”

“I knew I had been traded,” it shook its head, snorting. “You overestimate the intelligence of a lopped-off pile of shadows. It took time for my queen to teach me speech.”

Henriette reached out to it, then patted Jacqueline’s shoulder instead. “You’d have been --absorbed?”

“The marvelous Cheval Gauvin would have been no more,” it hung its head. “Do not throw yourself off the bridge, however, for--”

“You are well,” Jacqueline stepped back, smiling. “You will remain well, for I do not believe you can take ill, and I doubt you’ll age.”

“Oh bells,” the nun sighed. “Neither of you two beauties will, but I certainly shall.”

The shadow-horse huffed, sidling restlessly, then butted her with its nose. “Of course I shall fetch you,” it said stiffly. “When you die. As I did my lady.”

“Oh!” Jacqueline and Henriette both started to cry, throwing their arms around its neck, and it flicked its tail.

Wirt rolled his eyes. “Look how self-satisfied it is.”

“Wirt, you were riding a horse,” Greg gasped. “We had to rub magic tiger juice on our feet and it didn’t even turn us into tigers--”

“And you met that orc, oh my god, I’m the worst brother ever--” he grabbed at his hair, yanked on the hand Sara was holding, looked at their clasped hands, and stalled out, eyes wide.

“I kept an eye on them,” Phoebe flitted over and bumped his cheek with her head.

“And I have not been introduced to all of you.” Jacqueline smiled, wiping her eyes, one arm around the Cheval Gauvin, one around Henriette the nun. “Are you four all right?”

“Don’t forget my frog. He’s named Sara,” Greg waved him overhead, and Sara punched his shoulder. “We are all fine!”

“I am Phoebe Snetsinger,” Phoebe poofed up again to twice her size, then fluttered her wings and tail, preening. “Thank you for your assistance.” She sidled along Wirt’s shoulder to see everyone.

“That one’s Wirt--” Henriette pointed.

“Hullo,” Wirt waved worriedly.

“I met him when your horse asked him to rob my church.”

The Cheval Gauvin snorted. “Just as well I did, Henry, or Deckenbrode would be here yelling at our pirate queen, and she’d be trying to tug him into the water--”

“He was so heavy,” Jacqueline sighed.

“Oh no,” Henriette sat down, abruptly, in the middle of the bridge. “He’s dead, or as good as, oh no!”

“Oh, she’s a nun now,” Cheval Gauvin leaned his head down, and Jacqueline sat next to her. “She feels bad about things like murder!”

“Not that, I mean, he was terrible, I wouldn’t have killed him, but--”

“I would,” muttered the horse. “I still think he publicised Jacqueline was hiding here, somehow. How did pirates keep finding her? Did he take out an advertisement? I’d certainly have killed him.”

“I tried my best, he weighed a ton, I couldn’t heft him over the edge--” Jacqueline told it, behind her hand. Phoebe chirped sympathetically.

“Not that--” Henriette rolled her eyes. “He was also blackmailing people--I’d almost gotten at his records, when he got thrown out of the church,” she sighed, waving her hand at the treasure pile. “Now there’s all this money, but I don’t know who to give it to, and they aren’t likely to tell me!”

“You were investigating him?!”

“Well, of course, I wasn’t called to love God, I was called to love you,” she bit her lips, then leaned up and kissed Jacqueline’s cheek. “He was hunting you! My mother did set me on course for the Church, but I...I waited by the window, hoping you’d ride by, ready for the evidence I had compiled. And then I hear you’re married-- ”

“Well,” Jacqueline ducked her head, clearing her throat. “That was actually…”

“He told her he was my queen’s second mate,” the horse’s face lowered into the conversation. “To share in the treasure, he needed only her name on a paper, he said.”

“Of course he comes to call and thinks I’m hiding it somewhere,” Jacqueline leaned her face in her hands. “He tore up my floor.”

“He threatened her with an axe,” the horse clacked its shoes against the cobbles, huffing. “And that priest kept lurking around--”

“You poor child,” Phoebe scuttled over to Jacqueline’s hand.

“We brought his records!” Sara clapped, and they all turned to stare at her, waving with one hand, the other rifling her bag. “I’m sorry, it sounds like you two have oh, just, so much to talk about! But--we do! Have it!” She held up the book they’d stolen from Auntie Greenleaf.

“How on earth,” Wirt blinked.

“We got sent to steal too,” Greg patted his leg. “We’re just a family of bandits.”

“So,” Wirt settled between Sara and Greg, blushing as Sara’s shoulder brushed his own.

Greg shivered. “I’m not cold,” he announced, but after Phoebe flitted up to the ear of the Cheval Gauvin, it huffed a snicker. Its hooves rang against the cobbles as it walked carefully over to them, and dropped its butt to sit just behind Greg, radiating heat like a hot coal. Wirt edged closer, and the horse leaned to nudge Sara after him.

“Thank you,” Wirt looked up, slowly reaching out to pat a mostly-substantial leg. “Uh, so,” he tried again, looking over at the ghost and the nun, who were leaning against each other. “Um, would--how did--we’re really confused.”

“Yeah, how did you lose your pirate treasure but your girlfriend knew where it was all along,” Greg’s lips firmed disapprovingly.

“I was never a pirate,” Jacqueline scoffed--the horse raised its head, and she narrowed her eyes at it. “I--I am, I admit, in a way...the Pirate Queen.”

Wirt opened his mouth, frowning, and met with a peck from Phoebe, and a swift elbow from Sara and Greg. “Hush, Wirt, she’s a queen.”

“I am hardly that, in reality,” Jacqueline sighed, and Henriette laid her hand over Jacqueline’s softly glowing one, as she continued. “This all started when I was born, at sea. My mother went into labour out of fear, they told me--there was a storm, at night, and she wasn’t used to the rock of the decks. And then the ship shuddered--we’d been boarded, and, we learned later--”

“I love this story,” said the demon horse. Its eyes flamed attentively, and Jacqueline reached up to rub its nose.

“We were boarded, as I say. The crew said the pirate captain walked across to us, stepping from chain to chain after the volleys of grappling hooks. Her coat flapped in the wind, her hair was shorn to her head like a prisoner--and that’s what she was, we were told, later. She began her career sinking a ship transporting slaves to the New World. They say she used her chains to tangle the former captain’s fine leather boots, and swung him so hard out to sea he skipped across the surface of the water for three whole days, until his clothes had been torn from his wrinkled white body, and the hot sun of the equator set him in flames.”

“What was her name?” Sara blinked eyes wide as Greg’s.

“She told my mother it was Jacqueline,” Jacqueline sighed, and used her torn sleeve to buff the edge of the cutlass. “As my mother laboured belowdecks, my cries drew the attention of the pirate captain--”

“Were they singing?” Greg asked.

“What? No,” she blinked, and the whole bridge went a little dimmer as her eyelids flicked over the flames in her sockets.

“They weren’t real pirates, then,” he put his hands on his hips. “I know a better pirate story--a cabin boy--”

“Greg, stop,” Wirt hissed out the side of his mouth.

“He drills the side of a ship and sinks it,” Greg glowered back.

“It’s a good idea,” Jacqueline sighed, leaning into her nun. “I almost wish your cabin boy had been there.”

“Oh, no!” cried the nun, clasping the damp, forest green glowing hand in her own. “I can’t wish that.”

“Sometimes, I have,” Jacqueline sighed, but squeezed her hand. “Their captain broke through the wall of my mother’s cabin with an axe, and her high heeled boots, and we were struck dumb with terror...until she bent to pinch my cheek, and I screamed with such force her large hat flew out of the porthole.”

“Oh, no, her hat,” Greg clasped his hands over his mouth.

“Then...she said she would let us go.”

“Whaaaat?” Greg and Sara gasped, Phoebe bounced in place, and the horse huffed.

“She said she had always wanted a child, except for the mess, and the noise, and the very long time it takes us to become reasonable.”

“That’s all so true,” Wirt nodded, and Greg frowned over.

“So she would not sever our screaming heads from our bodies, she said, provided--” here she laughed, leaning her head in her hand. Greg, Sara, Wirt, the Cheval Gauvin, and the nun leaned in, holding their collective breath. “--provided, she said, I became her daughter. I was to take her name, and captain her ship--”

“Holy moly,” Greg put in, and she nodded. Wirt and Sara, both observing the ghost and the nun’s interlocked fingers, glanced sidelong at each other, and then stared at the ground, cheeks flushed.

“Of course,” she sighed, “--my mother agreed. What was she to say, to the woman who cut off her own arm to commission one with knives for fingers and two muskets for bones? Who used a lead ball instead of a glass eye, so if she ran out of shot, she could pull one last deadly round from her face? She, who tied a string of fuse to her heel so her body could be set as a bomb to cover her ship’s retreat?”

“She sounds terrifying,” Wirt squeaked, grabbing at the shoulder of Sara’s coat, and she clasped his hand, swallowing.

“Oh, she was,” Jacqueline sighed. “Mother said the lace of her jacket was smoldering, and occasionally she’d glare down, and the flames would pause.”

“She kinda sounds like a pro wrestler,” said Phoebe, and Jacqueline’s flame-eyes shuttered again in a startled blink.

“I--I suppose. I pity her opponent, in that case.”

“Anyway,” the horse put in, blowing its lips.

“Anyway.” She nodded. “She obtained my mother’s family name, and town, and as she left, flung the smoldering coat at the head of our first mate. It flared into an inferno the moment it left her hands--”

“Was she a demon,” Sara frowned at the horse.

“--and my mother lived in fear of the day she would visit, and claim me for her own, unknowing whether it would be my fifth birthday, or my fifteenth, or a dying, bedside request--that I come, and be her pirate daughter, and do howsoever she willed.”

“I have a couple relatives like that,” Sara muttered, and Wirt glanced at her wide-eyed, then muffled a giggle. She turned red.

“Wirt’s girlfriend--” Greg put his hands on his waist, ignoring their sputters. “I want to hear about the Pirate Queen.”

“She died,” Jacqueline stared into the darkness behind them. “I understand she dueled a cannon.”

“A what,” Wirt blinked.

“Wow,” Greg breathed.

“We do meet the most interesting people,” Phoebe whispered to Sara, who covered a laugh.

“She had told everyone where to find me--” Jacqueline swallowed hard, and the nun gasped, pulling her into a hug. “--and they came looking.”

“That’s when she met me,” the Cheval Gauvin wriggled, marching its front hooves against the cobblestones of the bridge. Greg and Phoebe yelped, and it snorted.

“She bid her steed bring me her cutlass,” Jacqueline nodded. “How she rode a horse on a pirate ship I don’t know--”

“I am no common horse,” put in the horse. “She rode me along the chains, over to the ships they attacked, and bullets passed through me like smoke.”

“Also terrifying,” Wirt whispered, then swallowed as Sara squeezed his hand.

“While she fought, I kicked down doors, freeing prisoners and claiming treasure.”

“This treasure,” Jacqueline sniffed. “I received only the cutlass. I knew how to use it--my mother did that much, for her promise, she found me teachers, and made sure I could ride, fight, shoot, and do sums.”

“Oh!” Greg nodded. “For the treasure.”

She nodded back. “She was uncertain what a pirate queen would need. I had a great many singing lessons, of course, and chemistry, in case she made her explosives herself.”

“Talk about me again,” said the Cheval Gauvin, and she sighed.

“...she had told everyone I would inherit her empire. Her ship--”

“It sank,” the demon horse put in helpfully. “But we can steal a new one!”

“--her treasure, which she failed to include instructions for--”

“Mostly she freed slaves,” it flicked its ears.

“In the end, all I had were a cutlass, the Cheval Gauvin--” it edged away from its pile of children and pranced in a circle, “--and a whole lot of pirates who thought she’d somehow given me a massive pile of gold.”

“Oh no,” Sara breathed, as the horse carefully eased its way back between them.

“Indeed,” Jacqueline laughed, her smile as lit from within as her eye sockets, bright in her greeny-brown face. “They came in ones and twos at first, and sometimes they were polite. They tore my house apart, hurt my family--so I left that place, that none should be hurt for my sake, and came here. I was suspicious of everyone…”

“Understandably, my dear!” Phoebe cheeped.

“--and eventually, they found me again. I would see them following, and we would lead them to places where the bank of the river was weak, or out into the bogs, where a cart and four oxen can disappear from this world in the time it takes to draw breath to scream. Sometimes, I took up the cutlass, and fought them myself.”

“I want to learn the cutlass,” Greg announced.

“No, Greg,” Wirt said automatically, and Greg dropped to the ground with a long sigh.

“I met my love, when her mother saw me riding into town, and asked that I lure her from her novels--”

“I didn’t read so many novels,” the nun ducked her head, her cheeks already too dark to see a blush, but Jacqueline pretended to touch one and be burned.

“Oh, the heat!”

“Hush, you,” she hid her face in the rags of Jacqueline’s shoulder, not appearing to mind the sulphurous smell.

“I’m glad to see the pirates didn’t get your girl, at least,” Phoebe fluffed up, her tail twitching.

“They did not,” Henriette beamed up at Jacqueline. “And with your book--” she beamed at Sara, who was smiling vaguely at Jacqueline, “--we may pay back the people Deckenbrode has harmed, and make ready for the new priest. She should ride in in a few days--she was very concerned at my account of the people here.”

“We might rebuild my house,” Jacqueline sat her chin on her hands.

“But aren’t you a nun?” Greg frowned at Henriette. “Can you just--move out, like that?”

“I haven’t actually taken vows,” she shrugged. “But they can try and stop me.” She leaned into Jacqueline, who bent her head to kiss her cheek, then her mouth, then her forehead. Henriette giggled.

“Actually,” Phoebe fluttered to Wirt’s knee, the most central of leg options. “It’s about time for us to go.”

“But it’s dark,” Sara frowned around in the dim green light of the ghost lanterns.

“Yes,” said Phoebe, “But we’re nearly out of time.”

Wirt frowned at her, then blinked, and stood up, brushing himself off. Greg hopped amiably to his feet, and collected his frog--it had decided to stare at Jacqueline too, after she caught it a large fly with one swift wave of her hand, and held it out by the wings. Sara got up to shake hands with Henriette and Jacqueline, and accept a nuzzle from the Cheval Gauvin. His whuffed breath felt like she’d waved her hand under a broiler.

“Thank you,” Henriette told Wirt, and then Sara, and Greg, before drawing them all into a hug.

“From I also,” Jacqueline stepped close to Sara, narrowed her eyes, and then awkwardly patted her shoulder. “Thank you for obtaining the book. It will save Henry, and the people of this village, much heartache.”

Sara nodded, wide-eyed.

“Would you like to kiss my frog?” asked Greg, of Jacqueline, and Henriette dove between them, while Phoebe ji-ji-jeeted what sounded like cackling laughter.

“No! No kissing of frogs! I just got her back!”

“I do not...usually kiss frogs?” Jacqueline blinked as Henriette flexed her muscles at the frog. She was barely taller than Greg, when he had the kettle on his head.

“Well, he didn’t say he wanted to be a prince anyway,” Greg huffed off toward the end of the bridge.

The Cheval Gauvin nudged Wirt. “You were much more helpful than the other children I kidnapped. You may go home.” Wirt stared at it, tugging at Sara’s sleeve, and they backed away from Henriette, who was waving, with big tears running down her cheeks, and Jacqueline, who was hugging her, face buried in her hair. The Cheval Gauvin was nuzzling Henriette’s other side, and she hugged its face.

Phoebe flitted to Wirt’s head. “It isn’t actually that far,” she chirped, and Greg nodded, trundling along.

“I guess it’s just as well we came?” Sara glanced over at Wirt, grimacing. “I mean. They needed that book. People were being blackmailed.”

“I’m so glad you came,” Wirt beamed at her, stumbled, and turned the color of communion wine as she caught him around the waist.

“It’s dark, maybe we should, um,” she held out her hand, and he approached it with his own like her thumb had a mousetrap mechanism. When they finally connected, they both stumbled, and Phoebe hopped off to land on Greg.

“It’s okay, they’re just gross like that,” he told her.

Greg’s natural pace wasn’t hurtling, exactly, but they were making fairly good time when Phoebe’s feathers caught Sara’s attention. “Uh, Phoebe?” She held out her hand, and Phoebe fluttered to it. She was nearly weightless, the only reminder of her presence her tiny claws. “Um, are you--are you glowing?”

“It looks rather fetching, doesn’t it?” she preened, her quick motions leaving silvery afterimages as their eyes tried to adjust to the dark.

“It looks like some of you is floating away,” Greg squinted in, and she cocked her head.

“Well, yes, there is that. We should keep walking, before I’m gone.”

Wirt swallowed. “Are--are you the bluebird?”

“What a limited imagination that woman had!” Phoebe fluttered indignantly. “A kinglet, I told her. I grew up around kinglets, they make me think of home.”

“You’re dead?” Greg asked, catching up to proceedings, and she chirped.

“In life, I was an ornithologist. Phoebe Snetsinger. I was the first person to spot over 8,000 different bird species. When I found myself here, I--it was fascinating, being a bird. Even if wasn’t a kinglet.”

Sara kept walking, uncertain what else to do. “...I guess you really won’t perch on my head in class, or come to the window when I sing,” she laughed, sniffling.

Phoebe flitted to her shoulder, and fluffed, butting her cheek. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the entire truth, Sara. I thought it might--undo me, you know? I quite liked being a kinglet, and traveling with you.”

“Snetsinger’s a good name,” Greg whispered, wide-eyed.

“Wirt,” she flittered her tail. “Thank you for your help. I found your friends, and guided them, protected them, and gave them good counsel.”

“Thank you?” he swallowed.

“Yes, thank you, Phoebe,” Sara nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. Wirt smacked Greg in the kettle.

“Thank you, Phoebe. Say goodbye, Snetsinger.” Greg held up his frog, and said goodbye again, in a deeper voice.

“Greg, and Sara, the funeral song was very nice. You were very good with that bottle, Sara. And Greg, I’d be honored to be the momentary namesake for your frog.”

“Maybe I should name him all the good names together,” Greg cocked his head in thought.

“Well, I’m not quite gone,” Phoebe fluttered her wings, checking. “How about that song, Greg?”

“I’ll finish singing it, then,” Greg glowered up at Wirt, and his frog started singing in harmony.

“There was a ship that sailed

all on the Lowland Sea,

and the name of our ship

was the Golden Vanity

and we feared she would be taken

by the Spanish enemy

as she sailed in the Lowland,

Lowland, low

as she sailed in the Lowland sea.

Then up stepped our cabin boy

and boldly outspoke he

and he said to our captain

"what would you give to me

If I would swim alongside

of the Spanish enemy

and sink her in the Lowland,

Lowland, low

and sink her in the Lowland, sea

"Oh, I would give you silver

and I would give you gold,

And my own fairest daughter

your bonny bride shall be,

If you will swim alongside

of the Spanish enemy

and sink her in the Lowland,

Lowland low

And sink her in the Lowland sea.

The boy he made him read

And overboard sprang he

and he swam alongside

of the Spanish enemy

And with his brace and auger

in her side he bored holes three,

And he sunk her in the Lowland,

Lowland Low,

And he sunk her in the Lowland Sea.

Then quickly he swam back

to the cheering of the crew

But the captain would not heed him

for his promise he did rue,

and he scorned his poor entreatings

when loudly he did sue,

And he left him in the Lowland,

Lowland, Low

And he left him in the Lowland Sea.

Then quickly he swam ‘round

to the port side

And up to his messmates

full bitterly he cried,

"Oh, messmates, draw me up

for I'm drifting with the tide,

And I'm sinking in the Lowland,

Lowland, Low

I'm sinking in the lowland sea."

Then his messmates drew him up,

But on the deck he died,

And they stitched him in his hammock

Which was so fair and wide,

And they lowered him overboard

And he drifted with the tide,

And he sank in the Lowland,

Lowland, low

And he sank in the Lowland sea.”

“Thank you for that entertainingly horrible song,” were Phoebe’s last words, as the faint breeze blew away the last of her glow.

“They did try to sink pirates,” Greg rolled his eyes.

“Goodbye, Phoebe!” Sara yelled.

When they crested the hill, they could see the parking lot of the school just over the ridge. Wirt and Sara boosted Greg and his frog up, and then Wirt quailed at Sara’s approach, so she hoisted him around the waist, and pushed up on his shoe as he scrambled. When he flailed his arms down for her, she felt her cheeks heating. She set her shoulders and took his hand, scrambling up. In her backpack, the gollywhopper egg cracked.

The first bell of the day was ringing.

#Over the Garden Wall #greg & frog #wirt #platypan #platypan fic #platypan FINISHED FIC #they didn't want to be here but they're doing their best #talking horses are sketchy #Adelaide had a weird obsession with bluebirds #Stop stealing everything y'all #not everyone is a pirate GREG

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transjudas · 5 years

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If you go in the garden, if you go over the garden wall, say hello to Spinel and Wirt. All tied up in vines, old friends from the fall.

When you leave the garden, again over the garden wall, say goodbye to Spinel and Wirt as they’ve been abandoned.

But goodbyes are not forever, and they will come home, as surely as the fall.

#over the garden wall #wirt #steven universe the movie #steven universe #spinel

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tcthinecwnself-a · 5 years

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After Old Corona was destroyed, almost all of its citizens moved into the island city, along with Wirt and his family. Wirt used to visit Varian in prison, even saying a kind ‘hello’ to his cellmate, Andrew, before going about his usual conversation with his friend. Once the Saporians took over Corona, Wirt was forced to mine minerals like everyone else.

When he first brought back his bucket to find it was Varian who wanted them. He dropped his bucket at his friend’s feet. Each day it continued like this, with Wirt shooting sassy remarks or just staring daggers at his friend.

He’s still rightfully pissed.

#Wirt | headcanons |#Wirt | Old Corona verse |

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little-drop-of-water · 6 years

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Will & Lady Tree Chapter 1

So, this is a story I’ve been attempting to to write since...forever and I finally managed to wirte something decent. I wrote it first in spanish, then translated it to english and I’m glad with how it turned out. So I’m posting it here in the hopes someone will read it, maybe even like it, I don’t know, here goes nothing.

Will ran towards the low wall in front of him, his next move was all he had in mind. He leaped forward, reached the wall with both hands and then pushed himself even further only with his arms.

He stretched his body in the air; then kept his arms fully extended in front of him while bending his legs up. He reached another low wall and placed both hands on top. Using the leap’s momentum, he moved his legs down, between his arms, without touching the wall and landed on grass. He kept running until he was able to stop a few feet away from the second wall.

As soon as he stopped, his friends greeted him with cheers and applause.

“That’s how you do a Double Kong!” exclaimed Andrew “Awesome!” He said as he pat Will’s back.

“Thanks, man.” Replied Will returning the pat on his friend’s back.

“How long did you take to master that?” asked Paul.

“Three to four days” answered Will “For the basic move, of course” added immediately. Then he spent a few moments humming and looking at the distance in thought. “I think it took me about a month in total,” he finally replied, “I started at the gym with mats and gradually increased the distance between obstacles until I reached ten feet. This is the first time I do it on grass and I still don’t dare to do it on concrete or asphalt.”

“Do you think I’ll be able to do it soon?” asked Paul.

“Bad idea,” said Andrew “you’ve been doing this parkour thing for barely two months.”

“You could break a bone” added Will “And how would you practice then?”

“Well, I could brag about getting a broken bone while attempting a Double Kong.” said Paul, and everyone laughed.

“That’s not how it works” answered Andrew, shaking his head while grinning.

“I would rather brag about the Double Kong instead of a failed attempt.” said Will, still giggling.

His phone rang then. There was an unknown number with Egeoworl’s area code on the screen. The only ones from that town that used to call him were his parents. The few friends he had there preferred to use more discrete methods to get in touch with him.

So it was probably mom or dad calling to let him know they changed their number. Will answered the phone, still smiling over what Paul said.

“Hello”

“William?” asked an old man’s voice at the other side of the line.

He wasn’t expecting that.

“Hugh? Hi. How are you?”

“Will I – have to talk to you.”

There was something different about Hugh’s voice, a kind of tiredness Will didn’t remember. The family’s former gardener was an old man, true, but his voice had always been strong and clear. This was the first time he sounded according to his age.

“It’s about your parents” he continued. His voice was not only tired, there was also sadness in it; suddenly, Will felt as if he had a hole in his stomach. When he was finally able to speak, his voice came out as nothing but a whisper.

“What is it?” he asked.

“They were coming back from visiting some friends” the old man answered “Their plane crashed against a cliff – I’m sorry” his voice was also a whisper at the end.

The call must have ended at some point, because he could no longer hear Hugh’s voice on the other side. He must look awful, since his friends approached him with concern and he should have told them something, because both of them hugged him tight. But he couldn’t quite tell what was going on. If human beings had an auto pilot, Will’s had turned on that very moment.

Paul and Andrew walked him to his apartment; they helped him contact the rest of his family to inform them what happened and made tea while Will booked the soonest flight available to Egeoworl. When they left, they told him he could count on them for anything.

Will could barely look at them in the face while muttering a husky “Thank you”. He tried to smile, but suddenly his face was too heavy to move, or so he felt.

He packed, had some dinner, tried to sleep and next morning took a taxi to the airport. He never cried, he never even sobbed. As far as Will knew, he was also dead.

Sounds came to him muffled, distant. And even if he couldn’t say he saw everything in shades of gray, colors did seem duller and shadows were darker and deeper. It was as if a veil covered him, separating him from the rest of the world.

Maybe that’s what mourning was. When a loved one dies, you die with them too and sooner or later you are reborn. While you remain “dead”, you are so numb you can’t feel anything; the pain actually comes when the rebirth begins, for now you understand you must continue your life without a loved one.

Will was still “dead” and didn’t know when he will be reborn. He wasn’t eagerly expecting it either. In that state he did things automatically and not being fully present, right. But that was better than being invaded by feelings, at least for the moment. Plus, it was convenient.

He had over thirty hours of journey ahead and three connection flights in two different continents. He would leave London on an autumn Thursday and arrive at Egeoworl on a spring Saturday. Being “dead” would at least allow him to think and not make stupid mistakes. It would also give him the chance to go unnoticed.

Inside Heathrow Airport his looks could easily mix with those of the thousands of sleep deprived and tired travelers wandering through the corridors and stores or sitting in waiting rooms until their flights took off. He would have more time than enough to cry in Egeoworl.

He took his first flight, listened some music, dozed, ate; he fell fully asleep at some point and when he woke up they were about to land. He waited a few hours in the second airport doing pretty much the same he did during the flight.

Every time he had to move he felt heavy, as if he was asleep or paralyzed and someone else was moving him like a string puppet. It was amidst the Indic Ocean, on his way to Australia that the rebirth began.

Will woke up from one of many naps and felt something forming deep inside him. It started in his mind, stomach and heart at the same time. He suddenly needed to scream. But things wouldn’t end up well if he did it in the middle of a flight, so he went back to sleep. The scream, or whatever that was, wouldn’t come out if he was unconscious… right?

That worked the first two or three times but the scream became more powerful as hours went by. It soon invaded him completely; it was all he could think of and all he could feel. He spent the rest of the flight writhing desperately on his seat.

As soon as he came out of the plane, he ran to the nearest bathroom and threw up. Than seemed to stop the rebirth process for a while. Back to his living dead state, Will carried on with the journey. He would remain that way until the end.

He waited God knows how many hours on that Australian airport and finally took his last international flight. After some more hours of flight and a couple of hours in yet another waiting room, Will was boarding the small aircraft that would take him to St. Nicholas Island, where Egeoworl was located. It was the same type of aircraft in which his parents died.

The aircraft started shaking as they flew over the ocean. Turbulence was common on that region, as well as storms and fog banks. Technology made flights and ferry trips safer but traveling to St. Nicholas Island had always been dangerous.

They were about to land when Will saw the island’s cliffs and the accident site: It was surrounded by police tape and the area’s vegetation was nothing but pieces of coal. The crash was so intense that chunks of cliff fell onto the ocean.

Will stared that cliff area from his window; he couldn’t take his eyes off it no matter how hard he tried. His parents died there and, by what he saw, it had been awful.

When the aircraft came to a full stop all passengers went down to the landing track. Will noticed immediately the typical salty scent in the island’s air and took a deep breath; he would get used to in within a few days and no longer perceive it.

Once inside the building, the passengers gathered around the only conveyor belt and waited for their luggage. It was then that Will was able to look at them in detail. They all looked just like him or worse: numb, exhausted and devastated. All of them wore black and none seemed to be fully present. They were all living dead, exactly like Will.

There was a woman in front of him at the other side of the belt; her eyes were teary and reddened. She looked almost like his high school History teacher, who, if he remembered correctly, had an identic twin living in Auckland – oh shit.

The woman looked at him and burst into tears. Will remained in silence and lowered his head; his eyes now stung as they filled with tears. They didn’t know each other but there was no need. The conveyor belt started working at that moment. The sound shook Will, making him blink, scaring the tears away, only if for a while.

Luckily, his luggage was the first to come out. As soon as he grabbed it, he left that room as fast as he could. Will noticed the board next to the main entrance door on his way out; it was normally used for unimportant notices but this was not the case. This time there was a text on the board which read:

The people of Egeoworl are deeply saddened by the event that took place on November 19th. Our condolences go to the families of the victims.

O’Connor

Jones

Turner

Wood

Arbor

Smith

Brown

Krueger

Ríos

He froze right there and then; his last name was not on the list. What was he expecting? He was in Egeoworl after all. Will started shaking from head to toe; he clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt; gripped his luggage tightly until his knuckles went white and began sobbing without shedding a tear until his face turned red.

“They are so inconsiderate” Said a woman behind him.

“I can think of a word worse than that” Answered Will; choking on anger.

“I’m sure you can think of several, in fact”

Will turned around and met a woman about seventy years old. The lady was tall and stood straight; she wore all black, her clothes were covered in cat’s hair and from her came a scent of fresh herbs that Will could smell from where he was standing.

“Hi Mrs. Smith” said Will “Who in your family –

“My grandson, Edward” the woman interrupted “He started college at Wellington and forgot some things while moving out. He was coming to pick them up” she finished with a trembling whisper.

“I’m sorry” was all Will could say.

“Thank you” answered Mrs. Smith with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes “Are you the only member of your family who’s coming?”

Will nodded in silence. Then Mrs. Smith rummaged in her purse and took some white plastic pieces from it, they were board letters.

“I have one just like this at home” she said, nodding towards the board “A smaller one, of course, but it comes with different sized letters.”

Will’s heart shattered like glass. Mrs. Smith handed him the letters and pointed her gaze to the board once more.

“Go ahead” she said “They won’t dare to take it off. I wanted to add your last name since I saw the notice yesterday, but it’s way better if you do it.”

Will clutched the letters in his hands and headed towards the board; there was an empty space right at the bottom. He began placing the letters one by one: C, I, L, T, H. There were tears in his eyes by the time he finished writing his last name. He stepped back to take a look at the notice; it seemed as if it had been written that way since the beginning.

He read the text once more. Then tears streamed down his face and there was nothing he could do to stop them; he began to sob again, so hard this time he stopped breathing at all and his heart pounded against his chest so violently it hurt. William Cilth was finally reborn and it didn’t feel as bad as he’d imagine. It was infinitely worse.

#My Stories #Will & Lady Tree

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advocatewrites-blog · 7 years

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Into the Unknown Part 1 Chapter 3

Into the Unknown

Fandom: Undertale, Coraline (book), Over the Garden Wall, Paranorman, Gravity Falls (season 2)

Characters: Frisk, Norman B., Dipper P., Mabel P., Coraline J., Wirt, Greg, the Cat, the Frog; Sans, Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore,; the Other Mother, the Beast, Agatha P., Bill Cipher, Asriel D., Chara D.,

Pairings: Not the focus. Alphys/Undyne, with mentions of Papyrus/Mettaton, sans/Toriel/Asgore, and Wirt/Sara. Due to the nature of Undertale and the dating segments, there is also interpretable Papyrus/Wirt, Undyne/Mabel, Alphys/Dipper, Napstablook/Norman, Mettaton/Norman, Mettaton/Mabel, Sans/Dipper, Sans/Norman, and Sans/Greg.

Rated a high +K for violence, mild language, horrific elements that may be disturbing to younger readers, mentions of child abuse and bullying, character death that is sometimes permanent, and mentions of suicide that may be triggering. These elements remain relatively unchanged from their source material, which most all are for children, but discretion is advised nonetheless.

Disclaimer: Undertale was created and owned by Toby Fox. Coraline was created by Neil Gaiman and owned by Bloomsbury and Laika. Over the Garden Wall was created by Patrick McHale and owned by Cartoon Network. Paranorman was created by Sam Fell and Chris Butler and owned by Laika. Gravity Falls was created by Alex Hirsch and owned by Disney. Any other work mentioned or homage are property of their respective owners. This is a fan-made, nonprofit work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the original franchises.

Start from beginning / Previous chapter / Next chapter

Chapter 3

“NYOO HOO HOO…” Papyrus cried. “I CAN’T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD…AND…MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

Coraline watched the skeleton, unsure of what to do. Papyurs had been a much harder fight than she had anticipated, even with sans’ warning. If she lost, she may have never been able to see home again. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a stir of pity for Papyrus. It was the same kind of pity that stirred in her soul when she thought of Toriel. Toriel deserved a second chance. Maybe Papyrus did too.

“You know,” Coraline said. “When I get back to the Surface, I won’t be going back home.”

Papyrus stopped crying long enough to listen.

“I haven’t been to my real home in a long time,” said Coraline. “My family and I moved to a new home, the Pink Palace.”

“IS THAT NEAR THE KING’S HOUSE?” Papyrus asked.

“No. It’s like a set of houses,” said Coraline. “My family isn’t the only ones who live there. There’s Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, and Mr. Bobinski and the mice he’s training to sing.”

“ARE THEY ANY GOOD?”

“I’ve never heard them. But so far, they’re the only ones who’ve gotten my name right.” Coraline said. “I haven’t been able to make a single friend since I moved to the Pink Palace. Maybe…you would like to be my first?”

Papyrus turned back to her.

“REALLY!? YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME???” He asked. “WELL…I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE JUST FOR YOU! WOWIE! WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS…WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM??”

Something cold moved against Frisk’s cheeks, as gentle as moth’s wings. A voice, barely a whisper, spoke.

“Art thou—art thou alive?”

Frisk nodded.

“You poor child,” said another voice.

Frisk tilted their head in confusion.

“She left us here,” said yet another voice. “She stole our hearts and stole our souls. But she forgot about us in the dark. She has worked so hard to find a place to keep you that she has forgotten a place to keep us.”

“I walked through the scullery door,” said the first voice. “And I found myself in the parlor. But she was waiting for me. She called herself my other mamma, but I never saw my real mamma again.”

Frisk took a shaky breath as they realized what they were saying.

“It is the eyes that go first,” said the third voice. “She will steal your soul and she will take your life and all you cares’t for, and leave you in the mist and fog.”

“Flee!” said the second voice. “Flee, while there’s still air in your lungs and blood in your veins and warmth in your heart!”

The nothingness stopped. Hard stone began to form under Frisk’s feet, and Echo Flowers sprouted in the cracks. Lights, not quite stars, formed in the ceiling. A wooden bench formed in front of them. It almost looked like a room in Waterfall. Frisk wondered if it was supposed to be a room out of Waterfall that they never found.

“We must stay in the darkness,” said the first voice, their voice growing fainter than ever. “Flee while you can, but peradventure, you can find our souls…”

Frisk was alone again. They took a seat on the park bench that had formed, ignoring the rush of memories that came with it.

The Other Toriel was going to hurt them. There was no reason to doubt it.

So why did Frisk feel like the real monster?

Their foot collided with something. Frisk was shaken out of their reverie long enough to investigate. It was some kind of food, something like a quiche, somewhat burned and wrapped in foil.

“I just couldn’t handle the responsibility,” said the Echo Flower.

Frisk understood.

The shift from Snowdin Town to the Waterfall was abrupt. It was almost like Coraline had stepped into a different room. The snow quickly melted off and faded into cold earth beneath them. The cold air grew damp, and for the first time Coraline really felt like they were in the underground.

There was one thing familiar about the Waterfall, however. There was a wooden sentry station, the same kind sans had manned. It even smelled like sans’, Coraline realized, ketchup and grills.

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized the last thing she had to eat was some of Papyrus’ spaghetti. Maybe sans’ food was halfway edible.

She moved into the sentry station. True to her suspicious, it was filled with bottles of ketchup and boxes of buns. The hot dog itself, however, was…water sausage? Not something edible, at least.

The only other thing inside was a small journal, worn with use. Coraline flipped through it absently. The pages were filled, either in a language she couldn’t read or with formulas that made her head spin. She settled on one page. A drawing of a human child, detailed rather well for someone as lazy as sans. Underneath was scrawled don’t trust them, the don’t cross out heavily and the trust them underlined several times.

“heya kid.”

Coraline nearly jumped at sans’ voice. She hadn’t heard him approach again.

“though you might like your raincoat back. you won’t have much use for that sweater through waterfall.”

Coraline had nearly forgotten about the sweater. “Thanks for letting me use it. I think one of Papyrus’ attacks may have cut it a bit.”

“oh? you fought my bro?”

There was a tenseness in his voice, Coraline noticed. The kind that sounded like he didn’t know what to think. She looked up at him, and noticed his smile stretch ever so slightly.

“He challenged me so he could capture me,” Coraline said. “I convinced him that we could be friends.”

“ah,” sans said. “yeah. my bro’s pretty cool like that. hope he didn’t give you a bad time.”

Coraline grew silent for a minute as she watched sans. He un-tensed, but only slightly. His eyesockets were still firmly focused on Coraline, in a way that she could not read. She felt her sins crawling on her back.

“Say, sans, am I the first human in the Underground?” Coraline asked.

The lights in sans’ eyes flickered for only a moment.

“nah. not that many that i’ve heard of, though,” said sans. “not sure what happened to the others.”

“Did your brother capture them?” Coraline asked.

“no. paps was a baby bones the last time a human came through here,” said sans. “hey, humans get hungry, right? care to pry me from my work and go to Grillby’s with me?

“I think I ought to get going,” said Coraline.

“alright. just let me know if you change your mind,” said sans. “i’ll be slaving away here at my checkpoint.”

“I thought your checkpoint was in front of the Ruins?” Coraline asked.

“what? you’ve never seen a guy with two jobs before?” sans asked.

Coraline waited until he had sat down at his checkpoint before waving to him and leaving. She did not feel the eye sockets leave her until she was far away.

If sans had never seen another human before, then who had he drawn in the journal? Did Papyrus not being old enough to capture a human make him not old enough to capture a human? Had the other human been captured, and if so, what became of them?

Coraline was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly noticed herself wander into the thick grass until it encompassed her vision. Every blade was at least as tall as she was, and it was impossible to see around it. She took another step forward.

“HELLO UNDYNE. I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT,” said Papyrus.

Coraline froze. She could not hear who he was talking to, but it was impossible to mistake his voice.

“UHHH…REGARDING THAT HUMAN I INFORMED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VERY VALIANTLY! …WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…W-WELL, NO…I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END…I FAILED. W-WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO FIND THEM? BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTRYO THEM! YOU SEE…I SEE. I WILL HELP YOU OUT IN ANY WAY I CAN.”

Papyrus hadn’t helped her at all. She was still going to be captured. That is, unless she did something about it first.

Coraline dared not to move until she heard a set of footsteps fade off into the distance. Then she ran, as fast as she could. She did not slow down even as she heard a set of footsteps behind her.

“o�H<_�2�?"

Frisk jumped. ‘Voice’ was not quite the right word for it. It was a set of sounds, vaguely in a patter that sounded like human speech.

All of a sudden, Frisk was not alone. The new person towered over them, even taller than Toriel was. Its body was covered in a heavy black cloak, the inside in a constant state of motion that made Frisk’s head spin. His face looked more like a worn mask, with two holes pouring into an eye and mouth.

Somehow, the figure managed to convey an expression of mild embarrassment. It raised its hands, nothing but bone and with two holes coming out of its palms.

It moved its hands closer, and Frisk flinched away from it. It took them a minute to realize how the hands moved.

Child? It signed. Are you all right?

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They raised their hands to sign. To wipe away the tears that were threatening to burst from their eyes. To do anything.

How did you come about here, child? The monster asked.

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They settled for making a gesture that looked as if they dropped something.

Lost? The monster asked. How did you end up lost in this world?

Lost me, Frisk said.

The monster looked like they didn’t know what to say to that. Their hands trembled slightly as they signed again.

I am here for much the same reasons, they said.

Their face did not show expression, but somehow Frisk could tell they were stepping in sensitive territory. They decided to change the subject.

What’s your name? Frisk asked.

It has been a long time since I have needed a name. The monster answered.

Everyone needs a name, even if you have to make one up yourself, said Frisk. My name’s F-R-I-S-K, but I haven’t been using that one for very long.

The monster let out a set of noises that almost, almost, sounded like a chuckle.

In life, I was known as W-D G-A-S-T-E-R. You may call me that, if you wish, They signed.

Are you a skeleton monster, WD? They asked.

Gaster nodded.

I’ve met a few skeleton monsters. P-A-P-Y-R-U-S and S-A-N-S, Frisk said. You remind me a lot of S-A-N-S.

Gaster stopped his walking. He signed something, so quick and with so many unfamiliar signs that Frisk couldn’t catch it. He caught on to their confusion, and asked again.

You have met S-A-N-S? He asked, his movements slow and fluid.

Frisk’s hands were shaking too much to sign back, so they nodded.

He is well?

kids like you…should be burning in hell.

I think I hurt him, Frisk said, once they managed to get their hands to stop shaking.

I believe I have too, Gaster let out a noise like a sigh.

Coraline ran through the Waterfall. She ran past the waterfall carrying rocks she had to dodge, ran through the puzzles that were supposed to be solved with bridge flowers, and ran over the boarded piers that connected areas of Waterfall to others. She only stopped running when she caught a ferry ride on a monster’s face. She got three gold in return.

Undyne continued to chase her.

Waterfall grew dark, but Coraline continued to run. More piers awaited her in complex patterns, making makeshift walkways for the citizens of Waterfall to get from house to house. Spears shot from the ground under her.

Undyne was getting closer.

Coraline dodged the spears that blocked her path. She ran until she could not run anymore.

Undyne was right behind her.

Coraline hardly noticed the bridge stop until it broke, already far worn from the effect of dozens of spears. Then she fell.

I understand you are hurt, said Gaster, but this place is not safe. There are many things here that will not hesitate to hurt you.

I know, Frisk admitted. But I don’t know what else I can do anymore.

Gaster did not say anything after that.

WD? What do you do when you hurt someone, but want to fix it? Frisk asked.

Gaster thought for a long time.

You do everything you can to prove you are better than that, I suppose, said Gaster.

Coraline woke up to the sounds of the phone Toriel gave her. She answered, not thinking about who would be trying to contact.

“HELLO!!! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!”

Coraline remembered what happened the last time she saw Papyrus. “How did you get this number?”

“WELL, I DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!!! BUT THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW! I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!”

“Does it have anything to do with Undyne?” Coraline asked.

“YES!!!” Papyrus said. “YOU ARE QUITE ASTUTE FOR A HUMAN!!! HAVE YOU MET YET!?”

“No. But I did hear you talking to her about me,” said Coraline. “I thought you didn’t want to capture me anymore!”

“I DON’T! BUT YOU SEE…” said Papyrus. “UNDYNE’S OPINION OF YOU IS QUITE…MURDERY. I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEAD UNDYNE OFF YOUR TRAIL BY WORKING AGAINST HER!!! THAT WAY, YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT TO THE BARRIER WITHOUT DYING AND I WILL STILL HAVE MY FRIENDS!”

The anger in Coraline’s soul faded away. She couldn’t be mad at someone who was genuinely trying their best.

“It’s a little late for that,” said Coraline. “Undyne’s already spotted me.”

“DRAT. BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS HARD!” Papyrus said. “BUT DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ENDEAVOR TO COOK UP A PLAN TO GET YOU TWO ON BETTER TERMS! THAT WAY, MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL CONTINUE TO FLOURISH!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!”

He hung up before Coraline could answer back.

They found themself back in the Judgement Hall. A figure lay before them. The bells chimed.

So you finally made it.

If we were really friends, you wouldn’t come back.

Frisk shook away the bad feelings. They weren’t going to be judged. They were going to make everything better.

“heya kid. wow, you got tossed pretty far, didn’t ya?” the other sans asked. “you won’t tell your mother about this, would ya?”

Frisk shook their head and joined the other sans.

“yeah. let’s get home kiddo,” said the other sans. “say, let ya wear my jacket back for 5 gold.”

Frisk decided to decline. They didn’t say anything until they were firmly out of the New Home area of the Other World.

s-a-n-s, what do you think of other T-o-r-i-a-l? They asked.

The other sans slowed down. Sweat began to form on his skull.

“well, she’s great, y’know?” said the other sans. “she made all of this, just for you, after all.”

I think I need to go back to the Underground for a bit, and I want to know how to ask her, Frisk said.

“oh, is that all?” said the other sans. He didn’t sound relieved. “well, the best way to get her to do anything is to challenge her to a game. she won’t turn ya down.”

What kind of game? Frisk asked.

“well, you could always have a finding game,” said the other sans. “there are a lot of things here she kept hidden. just make sure you know what to look for. if you ever need a hint, i’ll be willing to give you some advice, on the house. think there are a few other monsters that’ll be willing to give you a hand if you can find them. say…past the Judgement Hall?”

Isn’t that cheating? Frisk asked.

“she ain’t above it,” said the other sans. Phalanges tapped on femur nervously. More sweat dripped from the top of his skull.

He was nervous, Frisk realized.

Thank you sans, they signed.

“no problem kiddo,” the other sans said. “i’m rooting for ya.”

They reached the home. The other sans kept his distance as Frisk entered the house, and didn’t turn to leave until they appeared in the window to sign thank you to him again.

Now came the hard part.

They found the Other Toriel in the kitchen again.

“Hello, my child. You were out for longer than I had anticipated,” said the Beldam. “Would you like to talk about it?”

How do I exit the Ruins?

#fic #Into the Unknown #undertale #coraline #Frisk #Coraline Jones #sans #Papyrus #Undyne #the Other Mother #Gaster #featured

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