#i did a few missions earlier and it was like 13% of the way there? im getting distracted man sorry LMAO

[absolutelyzoned]

thoughts on the possibility of invading cyberstan soon enough?

when it happens, ill be there. not fighting for super earth though... :)

[persevereforahappyending]

No Man's Land |15 - Final|

Pairing: Sam Carpenter x Reader

Summary: Sam can’t help but be drawn to the cute stranger from her gym, even if everything about them makes them the perfect suspect, just when Ghostface has returned.

Warnings: None?

Word Count: 2.7k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Sam stood next to Tara as she got patched up in the ambulance. Sam couldn’t believe she made it out without another stab wound and that Tara only got stabbed in the shoulder. Her eyes drifted across the way to see you in the back of another ambulance, getting stitched up once again. It seemed you had been right; you tore open all of your stitches, again.

Chad was standing next to you, seeming to talk rather animatedly as he gestured around crazily with his arms. Sam was sure that when they got outside, they’d find Chad in a puddle of blood, but they didn’t, he had been completely fine. When Chad hadn’t been able to get ahold of Mindy, he said he went to go inside but the doors were all locked, so he ran to the nearest police station. By the time they were leaving the building police and medics were already waiting, a few minutes earlier and maybe Bailey and the others would have been arrested instead of dead.

“You know,” Tara said, interrupting Sam’s thoughts. She looked to see her sister was all patched up and now had a simple makeshift sling as she hopped down from the ambulance. “They’re not so bad,” she nodded in your direction. Sam followed her sister’s gaze and couldn’t help but smile. “I think you picked a good one.”

Sam let out a breathless laugh. She knew Tara was right, you were one of the good ones. They didn’t lose anyone with you by their side, you ended up getting the most hurt out of all of them in fact. Sam didn’t even want to know where they’d all be without you, she certainly didn’t think they’d make it out and she didn’t think she could handle losing any of them.

“I almost got them killed,” Sam said. She couldn’t see why you’d ever stick around; no one was crazy enough to put up with her after seeing her life. She figured you’d return to North Carolina and go back to your special ops missions; you were clearly quite good at it after all.

Tara scoffed and Sam looked back at her sister just in time to see her rolling her eyes. “You’re ridiculous,” Tara said. “They almost died for you!” She gestured at you. Sam furrowed her brow; Tara said the same exact thing she just did but in a different tone. Sam couldn’t figure out how it was any different, she was pretty sure you almost dying for her and her almost getting you killed meant the same thing.

“They’re still here,” Tara said slower as if that would make Sam understand better. Sam guessed it was obvious she was still confused because Tara threw her head back and let out an exaggerated groan. “They know everything,” she gestured widely. “And they still stayed.”

“They had a whole life before me.” Sam watched as the medic finished stitching up another one of your wounds.

“And you could be a part of it.”

“I don’t-”

“You deserve to be happy Sam.” Sam snapped her head towards her sister in shock, Tara sounded so confident when she said that. “You just got to take the chance:”

Sam sighed and looked back over at you. You stayed, you got hurt protecting her and her friends. Not to mention the fact that you also killed two people for her, probably would have done all three but you let her have Bailey. You didn’t need that kind of drama in your life, you could go back to your own life before you ever met her. Sam wasn’t even sure what a relationship with you would even look like. She worked two jobs to pay for the apartment and Tara would always be her priority. She would be stuck working dead end jobs because she never went to college, she barely got her high school diploma, but you were exceptional, you were smart and strong, you were a hero.

“Hey,” Chad said as he jogged up to the sisters. “I just got off the phone with Mindy.”

“Is she okay?” Tara asked. Sam watched Chad’s face with worry, they didn’t know anything besides the fact that Quinn apparently stabbed her. Chad had been asking for information on his sister since they got outside, several people said they’d learn what they could.

“Yeah,” Chad nodded. “She’s at the hospital, she said Gale also made it.” Sam couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, her and Gale may have had their differences, but she certainly didn’t want to see the woman die, Gale didn’t deserve that. “I was going to head down there now; did you want to come with?”

Sam opened her mouth to say yes, she wanted to see Mindy and even Gale for herself. She wanted to be able to tell Gale that they got them, that it was finally over. The words never came out though as her eyes drifted back over to you. Chad whipped his head back and forth looking between you and Sam, when she finally turned back to answer Chad he was giving her a knowing smile.

“They’re okay,” Chad said without even being asked. “Giving the medics a hard time.”

Sam couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle and roll her eyes. That definitely seemed accurate, they were probably trying to give you the best care possible while you insisted you were fine. Sam was sure the only reason they didn’t take you to the hospital was because you, once again, denied doing so.

“But you should talk to them,” Chad continued. Sam raised an eyebrow at that, she knew how much Chad liked you. Only one conversation and you had Chad vouching for you and had him telling you all about them, probably when you didn’t even ask. “They seem great!” He smiled innocently.

Sam rolled her eyes again; between Chad and her sister she didn’t know what she’d do. “We’ll meet you at the hospital in a bit,” Sam finally said. Chad nodded and ran off to a police officer who seemed willing to give him a ride.

Sam looked up just as you smiled and thanked the medic as she packed up her supplies. She looked back to her sister who gestured at her to go over to you. Sam sighed and made her way towards you. She had talked to you plenty of times, it wasn’t until you almost died trying to save her life, but since then it seemed like the two of you shared a lot. You talked about your past, Sam talked about hers, the two of you even shared a kiss when you spent the night. None of that meant you wanted anything more, if anything you’d probably want nothing to do with her.

“Hey,” you said as you hopped out of the ambulance.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. She looked you up and down, her eyes seemed to only go to the injuries she knew you had and a the blood covering your shirt. She knew most of the blood couldn’t have been yours, it was most likely from Quinn and Ethan.

“Yeah,” you shrugged as if everything that happened to you was no big deal. “What about you?” Your brow scrunched up as your eyes searched her face. Sam hadn’t even been stabbed and yet you were asking if she was okay. “And your sister,” you nodded at something behind her and Sam glanced back to see Tara watching the two of you.

Sam rolled her eyes; Tara was relentless when she made up her mind about something. “She’ll be okay, has to wear the sling for a few day.”

You let out a knowing hum. “And Chad said Mindy and Gale made it. Guess everyone made it out,” you smiled.

“Only thanks to you.” You scoffed and let out a little chuckle as if you didn’t actually believe Sam’s words. “I’m serious.” You rolled her eyes, still clearly not ready to accept what Sam was telling you. “Hey,” without thinking Sam reached out and caressed your cheek which you almost instinctively leaned into. “You saved us, there is no way all of us would have made it out, especially with most of us unscathed.”

You gave her a soft smile, finally seeming to accept the fact that you wouldn’t win this argument. The two of you fell into a comfortable silence and Sam couldn’t help but get lost in your eyes as they stared into her own. “Your sister is staring at us,” you whispered, never taking your eyes off of Sam.

Sam felt her face heat up at that, she should have known you’d notice, you proved to be rather observant. “She’s making sure I talk to you,” Sam admitted.

“About anything in particular?” Your mouth twitched up in a smirk, as if you knew what Tara wanted Sam to talk to you about.

“I just…” the words got caught in her throat as she stared into your eyes. She couldn’t believe the person who was looking at her with so much cared had just killed two people, had killed them for her.

“Just what?” you rasped out. Sam wasn’t sure when she got so close to you, she had heard you as if you were the only two in the world.

Sam shook her head and pushed out all the voices telling her this was a bad idea and that you could still hurt her. She didn’t hesitate as she shot forward, catching your lips in a surprising kiss. She felt you stiffen but before she could pull away you grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. Sam couldn’t help but smile into the kiss, it was even better than the first one and this time she didn’t intend on stopping you.

Eventually the two of you did have to breakaway because both of you needed to catch your breath. Sam couldn’t remember the last time she smiled so much, she bit her lip as she looked up at you shyly, as if she hadn’t just been to make the first move. She didn’t ask permission; she just went for it and the soft smile on your face was making her want to do it all over again.

“My life’s a mess,” Sam blurted out, but this time she was smiling as she spoke. “As you’ve seen,” she gestured to the chaos around them. “But, would you maybe,” Sam couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip as she was suddenly unable to look you in the eye. “Want to go out sometime?”

Sam glanced up through her lashes and was met with your soft smile. “I’d like that,” you said.

Sam smiled; it had been a long time since she asked someone out. She almost felt like she was back in high school, having her first crush. You gently put your finger under her chin and tilted her head up, so she was looking into your eyes again. Both of you couldn’t seem to help but smile as you leaned in for another kiss.

You broke the kiss quicker than Sam would like this time; she wanted to chase after your lips, but it was clear you had something you wanted to say. “Maybe I’m overthinking and rushing this,” you whispered. “Maybe our first date will go horrible, and you won’t want another.” Sam couldn’t help but silently chuckle at that, she didn’t think that was possible. “But I’m not easy to be with.” Sam furrowed her brow at that.

“I’m military, if I’m not deployed, I’m in North Carolina, I only get to come back home, to here, when I’m on leave, maybe a weekend, if I’m lucky,” you sighed, you seemed to really be stressing how little you would actually physically be able to be in the same place at Sam. “A lot of people don’t want to put up with that. You’re trying to lessen the complications in your life, I don’t want to add to it.”

Sam rested a hand on the side of your face, you closed your eyes as you leaned into her touch and Sam couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “I don’t think either of us can make any promises, or that we should,” Sam said. “But I’m willing to try.” You gave her what she could only describe as a relieved smile, as if you expected her to back down. “Let’s just live in the moment and take it day by day.”

“I like the sound of that.” You smiled and it seemed like you were about to lean in for another kiss, which Sam was more than happy to meet in the middle when the two of you were interrupted by someone calling out Sam’s name.

Sam furrowed her brow and turned to see Kirby being wheeled out on a gurney. “Oh my god,” Sam yelled and ran to Kirby’s side. “You’re alive!”

“I’m so glad while I was bleeding out, you two were making out,” Kirby mumbled, slightly drowsy from the drugs the medics gave her, or the blood loss.

“We weren’t the ones and who got ourselves shot,” you snarked.

“Hey,” Kirby pointed a finger at you, leaning up from the gurney slightly. “Remember who gave you that gun.” Sam’s eyes widened, she completely forgot you had a gun, one you didn’t tell her about. “And it seems it came in handy.”

“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes and waved her off. “We’ll stop by and visit in a bit.”

Kirby nodded, seeming to get more sleepy the longer she laid there. “You did good sergeant.” You smiled at that and nodded for the medics to continue on towards the ambulance.

Sam crossed her arms as she stepped in front of you. She raised an expectant eyebrow at you, and you just tilted your head, as you pretended to be confused. “You failed to mention Kirby gave you a weapon,” Sam said.

“The less people who knew the better,” you defended. Sam scoffed; she couldn’t believe you were trying that with her. “And look, your sister is coming over,” you gestured to the side, effectively changing the subject as Sam glanced over and saw Tara was indeed walking over.

“So, you two together now?” Tara asked as a greeting.

“No!” Sam denied, she was sure her face was bright red after that. “We’ve barely known each other three days.” It felt like she had known you a lot longer than that, even if she didn’t count the longing stares she gave you at the gym the last three months. “But, we are going on a first date.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Guess that’s something,” she mumbled. Sam smacked her sister in the arm and nodded towards you. Tara gave a dramatic roll of her eyes again. “You did good,” she nodded at you. “Total badass.” Sam closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, that wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. “And thanks for saving our lives,” Tara mumbled under her breath.

You took it well though and just quietly chuckled at her sister. “You weren’t so bad yourself,” you said.

“Come on,” Sam said, giving you and Tara a tired smile. “Let’s go check on Mindy and Gale.”

The three of you walked away from the flashing lights and the chaos all of you just survived. Sam couldn’t help but smile as her hand brushed against yours, until you took the initiative and took her hand within your own. She glanced at you out of the side of her eye and saw you looking ahead, the only evidence that you knew what you did was the smirk on your face.

“So,” Tara said, interrupting the peaceful silence. “How many dates do the two of you have to go on before I can meet the dog?”

Sam chuckled to herself; she should have known that would be a thing. The second Tara learned you had a dog her face lit up. Sam wasn’t sure she wanted to see your dog again; she was still a bit intimidated but based on the smile on your face and the way Tara was looking at her, she had a feeling she’d be seeing a lot more of the dog.

Taglist: @thatshyboy1998 @artrizzler19 @btay3115 @acutenobody @godamnityess

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[oh-no-its-bird]

Don't know if you've mentioned it and I've just missed it, if I have feel free to ignore this, but if not I wanted to ask: Since the Hatake clan has so few children and the ones that does exist and children overall are very much treasured, what was the WS era Hatake's view on sending children into war at a very young age? Do you HC that they do it just the same as other clans and it contributed to the dwindling number? Or did they do things differently?

OHHH THIS IS SUCH A GOOD QUESTION ACTUALLY ?? OK SO

I hc that obv, warring states era, pretty much all the clans are starting out teaching their kids a lot younger than in modern times. (Though there are some exceptions in modern w some clan kids, who gets the same education that they're clans have been giving for hundreds of years)

Now, modern village-era has a lot more to teach with stuff like techniques and jutsu, (with there having been a big boom not only in the invention of new jutsu when Konoha was founded but also in the sharing of them between clans + making them standard) but warring states held them to a much higher standard with the basics they were given

So a 13 year old from modern konoha may know a few more tricks and techniques than a 13 year old from the warring states— but the warring states kid is probably going to be at a higher standard of skill. Not just bc they had less to learn and was thus trained on their basics over and over again, but also bc the states were harder on their kids bc like. They faced constant danger from literally every single direction at all times.

The village may have industrialized the child soldier buisness but it did help some. It provided a place where they didn't have to begin training till they were older (unless family interfered ofc) where they could act as children without fear of eandering too far and getting caught by bloodline thieves or rival clans, where there was time and space for them to fail at being a "good shinobi" and hopefully learn to be better

The warring states did not have any of that.

Anyways with that said! I think different clans have different standards of at what age their kids are adults now and what age are they properly battle ready.

The consensus tho is usually about ~15/16 for them being an adult (though that's still in air quotes)

You'll notice that clans who have less conflicts/are in more secure positions, have higher standards for adulthood. Like Uzushio, who considers their kids to be adults at 17.

Similarly, clans have different standards for when their kids are battlefield ready! There's a big divide also between the children of the clan head and the other children of the clan— ofc the clan heads children will probably be considered battle ready much earlier than others might just bc the clan head wants to make sure their children really get that experience.

You don't not have to be an adult to be battle ready, and many children are given missions with older clan escorts to guide them. If a child can prove their skill, they'll possibly be given their own solo missions, but ofc the type of mission is considered.

There's also probably a big difference in clans like the senju (not at risk to bloodlime theieves bc of how rare the mokuton is) and the Uchiha (very fucking at risk) treat sending out their children on missions!

So like, a senju kid might get an easy, solo courier missiom after proving their skill

But there's no way in hell the Uchiha would send out a child of the same skill and age on a solo mission of any kind

SO. ANYWAYS. THE HATAKE.

Like you said, I hc that they're a very small clan, and have problems both with fertility and also in safely giving birth. Even if they do get pregnant, there's a lot of miscarriages, c sections, and the mother dying in birth. It's very unfortunate, and because of it they treasure their children greatly

Which means ofc that their views on kids are a bit different than other clans!

Now, they are still a shinobi clan in the middle of the warring states era.

They do however have an extra bonus of being based in Iron— which actually has very few other shinobi clans, and whos millitary is mostly made up of samurai. So they have no real worries about neighboring clans attacking.

They don't even really have any direct enemies among the clans? And they have a terrifying reputation, some earned and some pure rumor, so most who know of them hear their name and immediatley turn around to book it the other way.

Which is to say: it's a bit safer for them to venture out and about than other clans, like the Uchiha.

So anyways:

When a Hatake is around 14-16, they'll lead their first hunt and have the option of gaining their 'stripes'. Red tattoos painted onto their face by the clans spiritual leader (Tobirama, when visiting his mother's clan in the past, got his tattoos here)

Once they have stripes, they are technically considered an adult— but there are ofc stages of it and they tend to not be really seen as an adult adult till about 18

The Hatake's are a self sustaining tribe and only take missions if they need the coin or it interests them. And when they do, the missions tend to be either bloody or something along the lines of "please come stand next to me and look menacing xoxo thx"

They arent to take any missions, solo or otherwise, till they've lead their first hunt. There are occasional exceptions: if the kid begs hard enough/ if the missiom looks simple and easy enough/if the missiom actually requires someone around that age/and ofc it's never solo— but in general before they lead a hunt, they pretty much never ever leave the home of their woods.

Its very boring and does lead to lots of pent up energy and begging of PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME GO ON A MISSION PLEASE JUST ONE JUST ONE SINGLE MISSION ILL EVEN DELIVER MAIL IF I HAVE TO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Even once they've got their stripes, it usually takes them a bit to get their first solo mission— both bc of over protection and also bc Haruka, the clan head, is a bitch and thinks it's funny to see them cry about it.

And ofc, the clan head is the one who has final say in who gets what mission. Tho in general the matter is usually dealt with by her heir— she can just butt in at any time

SO. THEIR OPINION ON OTHER CLANS.

The kids themselves burn with jealousy with the knowledge that their peers got to see battlefields when they were 12 or whatever

The adults find it mildly distasteful, but again, they are shinobi clans in the middle of the warring states era (and also a shinobi clan with a well deserved reputation for being fucking maniacs who would tear the world apart for their family)

So they're ultimately typically kind of "damn that's crazy. I would never." (Judgmental side eye and quick retort towards their own child to not get any ideas)

I think it's hard to say specifically bc its a balance of them valuing children and all but also like. Shinobi. Yk. They are a culture built on the backs of blood and bone

There's also an interesting prospect of how coming to the village changed this— or would have, in the short years the Hatake had their before they got wiped the fuck out

Ofc, using my own ocs here, when they come to Konoha there's only one real kid left, Ichigo at ~10, and there's a few years of busy work with Konoha getting set up and all sorts of shiny new things and people to distract her before it becomes smthn she remembers to beg for again

Sakumo would be born a couple years later, and his clan would die before it became a relevant enough topic to really discuss

BUT YEAH THATS MY TAKE ON WARRING STATES CHILDREN CULTURE N STUFF THANK U FOR UR ASK

[onepiecereactions]

A normal sunday in the life of Monkey D Garp

Note: a funny little OS without romance. Only to try to make you smile a little ! Because we all love Garp !

A normal Sunday in the life of Monkey D Garp.

-Eat the file, good girl... Keep it up! Come on, one more for Uncle Garp!

11:50 am

Some will probably wonder, "Why is Monkey D Garp, the hero, in the chief admiral's office feeding the chief's goat the mission papers he had to fill out?"

This didn't surprise admirals Aokiji and Kizaru any more than that, who had just entered in the same office a few seconds earlier, preparing something strange... A blank followed.

A vice admiral, as old as their father, was feeding a goat while they were preparing a prank for the third admiral . Okay…

The three marines, embarrassed to be caught red-handed, looked at each other and, while the admirals closed the door gently to head to another office and continue their "post-mission reunion", Vice Admiral Garp turned to the goat to make her swallow the last papers.

-You're a good goat, Oh yes you're a good goat, go ahead and continue eating Uncle Garp's files!

12:13 pm

Sunday was synonymous with leave for every Marine. Indeed, almost no one worked on the Lord's day. Most of these soldiers left on Friday evening to join their families in the family village located not far from the main base and others, those who were not lucky enough to have a family to join or those for whom said family lived too far away, had the right to stay on the base.

This was the case for Monkey D Garp.

He had once tried to leave but the excuses "I'm going to join my son, you know the leader of the Revolutionaries for a little weekend between father and son" or "I'm going to join my grandson, you know the one who enjoys beating up each of our soldiers and who wants to become pirate's king" had not really been appreciated by the Admiral in Chief. In any case, he tried...

So it was with a light step and a huge smile on his face that Monkey D Garp walked towards his favorite place on the entire base: The kitchens!

At this time of day, all the marines present were walking one after the other towards the refectory in order to eat with colleagues.

Garp, after having raided the fridges sat down, still smiling on the table of the high-ranking officers which gathered each of the vice-admirals and admirals.

Garp sat down next to Akainu and in front of his dear friend Sengoku, at the end of the table. He felt a few glances on him but glared at Aokiji and Kizaru with his killer look like "I know you know, but I also know that I know, and you know that I could tell everything, so we'll pretend that no one knows".

The Vice Admiral bit into his bread, which was a mixture of light sauce, small pieces of tomato, and a little parsley. He began a casual conversation with Vice Admiral Tsuru, politely asking if she could take care of his laundry after the meal:

-With your devil fruit, it will go faster. While the whole table had become silent, the vice-admiral Tsuru stood up and punished, in her own way, the poor Garp. Thegrandpa, after having the feeling of going through a washing machine, wisely finished his meal in silence. The peas and the soft fish fillet did not inspire him much, that's when he decided to annoy his dear and tender friend Sengoku. As always.

So he used his spoon to throw peas in his friend's face, mumbling noises of explosions, catapults and orders of a certain vulgarity.

His neighbor at the table, the future admiral in chief Akainu did not seem to appreciate his neighbor's behaviour very much, receiving from time to time "attacks" of peas that had lost their way. His body quickly became lava, burning the bench where they were sitting, thus making Garp the Hero fall gracefully on his buttocks.

From 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The rest of the vice admiral's day is not considered very interesting by the author, since the marine spent his day napping in order to "recover from this eventful morning".

The only notable moment: between two naps, Garp got up to go to the bathroom, he spent about half an hour there, the time for him to read the newspaper on the toilets, laughing at the last unforgivable action of Luffy.

6:31 PM

After yet another nap, Garp decided to get up. He grabbed a towel and got himself the necessary equipment to go take his bath.

However, he made a small detour to the women's baths, which earned him yet another trip to the washing machine by Vice admiral Tsuru.

6:35 PM

Garp has just tripped his foot on a stone. He is now sprawled out in the hallways on the floor and doesn't dare get up. He is dead of shame and therefore decides to stay like this, playing dead.

6:39 PM

Garp sighed. His entire body shivered with pleasure when he came into contact with the perfectly warm water of the baths.

A few of the soldiers were present, including Sengoku, Smoker and Kizaru who seemed to be keeping a low profile in the eyes of the old man.

Money D Garp sighed once again in happiness and let himself slide down to his chin, swimming slowly.

He realized that he was the only one moving like that. He noticed that the men present had all eaten a devil fruit... Quite a handicap, all that!

His smile widened, worthy of a D and he turned towards his friend Sengoku, once again. The buddha, his eyes closed and his head resting on the edge of the pool, had not noticed that his friend was heading towards him, his head half in the water, a sadistic smile on his face.

Unlike Smoker who had a movement of retreat, understanding that something stupid had entered the grandfather's mind and was going to happen. Kizaru just smiled like a fool, as usual.

The silence of the bath was disturbed by the sound of droplets hitting the ground. The vice-admiral had suddenly stood up and pressed as hard as he could on the head of the admiral in chief who found himself completely in the water, drowning. Proud of his joke, Garp burst out laughing before getting up and going to change, leaving the strongest man in the navy to drown.

Sengoku regained consciousness thanks to the generous help of a dismayed Smoker.

10:46 PM

Garp has just acquired a goldfish during his night fishing session. He places it in a bowl on his desk and decides to call it Bakainu.

11:58 PM

Garp had been, once again, forbidden to eat. A way for Sengoku to punish his ungrateful old friend.

So there he was, at almost midnight attacking the navy's fridges, his stomach screaming with hunger.

-Oh my darlings, I missed you so much! Said the vice-admiral, a tear running down his cheek.

Completely hypnotized by all this food, he did not hear the angry footsteps of the admiral in chief heading towards him. As he went to bite into some pickles, the scream of the Buddha froze him in place.

-GARP, IF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF THIS KITCHEN IMMEDIATELY I WILL DOWNGRADE YOU TO LATRINE CLEANER!

The end.

[she-elf4]

Tired

Klink looked in the mirror. The face that looked back at him looked exhausted, dark circles under dead eyes, sunken cheeks, pinched, joyless mouth. He could remember being full of life, once. What a horrid transformation. He'd tried to get out of Stalag 13 several times. Surely, someone as incomptent as he seemed to be should be forcibly retired? But no, no luck. He'd also tried to get out of this damn war. No luck there, either. Not even the Russian Front would have him! Before that had been the Great Depression, and the Great War before that. Even though his childhood had been difficult, he'd still been happy, full of joy. He'd had his younger brother and stepmother to lean on, people who loved him. Who did he have now? Nobody, everyone was gone. 

His musings were cut short by Hogan entering the room in his usual loud, complaining manner. For a momen, Klink hated the man. While he couldn't always keep up with Hogan's schemes, thanks to the Great War, he was well aware of the manipulations. Klink was so tired of being conned and tricked. Klink heard himself answering Hogan's latest complaint on a completely pre-recorded audio, without even needing to bother listening too closely. His attention thus free, he noticed that Hogan looked nearly as bad as he, himself, did. Klink found himself asking, "Hogan, are you alright?" Maybe he really should pay attention to what he was saying. 

That stopped whatever Hogan had been saying short. "What?" he asked, lapsing into silence. 

On the other hand, Klink considered, maybe he should try speaking without thinking more often. It wasn't very often he left Hogan speechless. "You look horribly tired. Are you getting enough sleep?" 

Hogan just stared at him for a second. "You don't look too good yourself." The perfect non-answere.

Klink rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you look half dead. Sit down, I'll make some coffee." Not waiting for an answere, he bustled around, getting the coffee pot and boiling the water on the stove. He came back a few minutes later, his fancy coffee set balanced on a tray. He set it down on the coffee table. Hogan gave a start out of a doze. 

"Jeez, didn't mean to doze off like that. I guess I really am tired," Hogan mused as he reached for a cup. "Must be all that late-night tunnel digging." 

Klink rolled his eyes again at the old non-joke as he settled beside Hogan on the couch. "No tunnel-digging, do not even think of it." Not that that had ever made a difference. They were both trapped here, all the same. 

"Wouldn't dream of it, Kommandant. If I escape, you'll be the first to know, I'll call you from the states." The old joke rolled off Hogan's tongue, sounding like he was on his own pre-recorded message. 

"Don't call me, just take me with you. I'm tired of this stupid war," Klink said, feeling the fatigue down to his bones. 

Hogan glanced over at him, a hint of his trademark mischievous smile on his face. "Aaaw, don't worry, Klink, I won't leave you behind." He threw an arm around Klink. Thirty seconds later, Klink felt Hogan's head hit his shoulder. As he settled in, he mused that maybe, things weren't so bad after all. Hogan might be a manipulative prick, but he did care about people. After all, they were in this together. 

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

Hogan slowly opened his eyes. He found himself under a blanket, laying on a particularly hard pillow. One wild moment later, he realised it was Klink. He stared, confused, for several long seconds before his brain finally sent over some vague memories of coming to the Kommandantur. Was it earlier today? Yesterday? He wasn't sure, couldn't see the window. He'd been on a particularly difficult mission, one that had taken three days. Three days of no sleep, though he'd switched out men half way through. No point in all of them dying from exhaustion. This was all on top of a grueling month. The war was heating up, and consequently, so was their operation. 

The last thing he clearly remembered was losing his temper at LeBeau and Newkirk, who'd been squabbling most of the day. Someone had given a teasing, "You're a monster." For whatever reason, that had hit home. Hogan had never wanted to be so manipulative, even though he had a knack for riling people up. He'd never wanted to be so loose with his morals. Thanks to this war, he'd transformed into a version of himself he couldn't recognise, and he hated it. He'd left with a vague excuse about Klink, stumbling across the compound to the Kommandantur. 

Finally, his sleep-addled brain supplied the rest of the sequence; Klink surprising Hogan with his perfectly genuine concern, and telling him he was tired of war. It was a good reminder, really, people like Klink was the reason he was doing all of this. He spent so much of his time taking care of Klink, it was nice to have it reciprocated once in a while. With that thought, Hogan settled back down and dosed off again.

[rainbowfey]

13 Attic, Cellar, Hidden Room

@flufftober

It all started with a single small knock on her door, a quiet one, timid even. Shinobu barely noticed it as she had buried herself into some of her most valuable books. It was only when a second knock came from the door that she looked up. She glanced at the still closed door, absentmindedly hoping that she had misheard the sound, that it was only a figment of her imagination. The book she had been trying to read for the past few hours was written in a very peculiar script and it had taken her a lot of time, patience, and a strong looking glass to finally make sense of the elegantly curved letters. She was not keen on having her focus interrupted and she – a third knock snapped her out of her thoughts.

Shinobu sighed. This time, the knock had sounded different, way less gentle and more like a certain someone she knew would open her door any moment now if she did not react to the knock. “I’m coming, Aoi,” she called out, giving the book a defeated look before carefully closing it.

When Shinobu opened the door, it was indeed Aoi who stood before her, raising her hand to knock another time. She froze when Shinobu appeared in front of her, her cheeks blushing. But before Aoi could say anything, she was shoved aside by three small figures pushing past her. All three of them had their hands on their hips when they looked up at Shinobu, determined looks on their small faces.

“It’s not Aoi’s fault,” Sumi said while Kiyo and Naho nodded emphatically. With their white dresses and dark hair, all three girls looked very similar. At times, Shinobu could only tell them apart by their different hairstyles and colored ribbons.

When she turned her focus back to the girls, Sumi’s face had taken on an almost accusing look. “You said you’d play with us, Shinobu-sama. But that’s been like ten hours ago and we don’t want to wait anymore!”

Shinobu quickly thought back. Ten hours was obviously an exaggeration but she did have the faint memory of having promised something like that to Sumi earlier this morning. She glanced at the window and blinked in confusion when she saw that the sun was already hanging low over the horizon. “How long have I been in there reading?” she muttered, more to herself than anything.

“Almost the whole day,” Aoi replied with a soft smile. “I asked the girls to let you read in peace but they just wouldn’t stop pestering me about us all playing together. I’m sorry.”

Shinobu quickly shook her head. “You’re fine, Aoi. I have to apologize; I should not have lost track of time.” She knelt down until she was almost at the same height as the three girls and smiled at them apologetically. “I’m sorry, girls. Of course, I’ll keep my promise.”

Naho’s face lit up and she blurted out, “Good. Can we play hide and seek then?”

Shinobu suppressed a sigh and nodded, forcing a smile to her face. When the girls erupted in cheers, she got up again and exchanged a glance with Aoi whose smile also looked kind of strained. While it had become a habit in the butterfly mansion to regularly take some time to play with the girls, hide and seek had been their favorite for weeks now. And while the mansion was big enough for the game itself to be fun, it had quickly gotten old to Aoi and Shinobu. However, they had silently agreed that it was worth it from time to time as the girls loved it more than anything else.

While Shinobu and Aoi followed the girls down to the entrance hall of the butterfly mansion, Shinobu absentmindedly thought that Kanao was lucky that she was on a mission and therefore excused for tonight. When they reached the hall, the girls were already happily discussing who would be the first seeker. But they all stopped dead in their tracks when suddenly, a soft knocking echoed through the hall. Shinobu and Aoi exchanged another look and they both shrugged. No visitor had announced themselves for today and Shinobu had no idea who would come here this late. Except of course someone who needed medical help – but those people usually did not knock politely but rather stumbled in if they were not carried in by the Kakushi.

But before she had the chance to react, Kiyo had already skipped to the door and opened it enthusiastically, only to squeal in delight when she recognized the figure standing behind it.

“Giyuu-sama,” Kiyo shouted gleefully and threw herself at him, followed closely by Sumi and Naho who also seemed to be over the moon at this unexpected visitor.

Giyuu stumbled backwards at the impact of three little girls all trying to hug him at once and he peered over their heads, shooting Shinobu and Aoi a slightly desperate look. While Shinobu only grinned at him, Aoi took pity on him and called the girls back. “Leave Tomioka-san some space to breathe, girls,” she said with a smile.

And while Sumi, Naho and Kiyo only giggled, they indeed let go of Giyuu and even took a step back so that he could enter the entrance hall. “Giyuu-sama?” Kiyo asked, looking up at him with puppy eyes. “Will you play hide and seek with us?”

“Pretty please?” Naho joined in and quickly pointed at Shinobu. “Aoi and Shinobu-sama are also playing!”

“You are?” Giyuu asked and looked at Shinobu, slightly raising one eyebrow. And when she nodded, he shrugged. “Uh, sure. I can join in I guess.”

The cheers of the girls rang in Shinobu’s ears and she absentmindedly thought to herself that Giyuu joining in at least reduced her chances of having to be the seeker. She followed Aoi when she walked towards the others who now formed a loose circle, the girls sticking their heads together and playing rock, paper, scissors before Kiyo emerged with a big grin on her face.

“Can I be the seeker?” she asked excitedly and without waiting for Aoi and Giyuu to say something, Shinobu nodded which evoked another squeal of glee. Shinobu knew very well that Aoi had the same feelings about being the seeker as she did and in Giyuu’s case, she did not even have to ask to know that he was more the type to slink into the shadows and hide instead of searching for other people.

“Close your eyes and count to one hundred,” Shinobu said and watched as Kiyo nodded empathically and scurried over to the corner of the hall, turning her little face towards the wall before loudly starting to count. Shinobu turned back to the others who looked back at her with varying degrees of excitement. “Okay, find your hiding spots.”

And with that, Sumi and Naho raced away, giggling while they chased each other up the stairs. Aoi smiled at Giyuu before she also vanished into one of the other rooms. And while he still stood there, looking a bit disoriented, Shinobu walked silently towards the staircase leading down to the cellar. She had the inkling that Aoi would hide in the attic again while Sumi and Naho would probably choose rooms on the first floor. And since she herself had never hidden in the cellar before, she might as well give it a try.

When Shinobu opened the door leading down, she turned the light on and to her dismay, it was more of a lone flicker of light than an actual lamp. It was barely enough to illuminate the stairs so that she would not fall down but the long hallway of the cellar was bathed in deep shadows. Shinobu sighed and regretted that she usually avoided the cellar and always sent Aoi if she needed something from down here. Aoi would probably know the layout but since Shinobu did not, she had to carefully feel her way in the dark whether she liked it or not. For a moment, she contemplated going back upstairs but since Kiyo was probably already at fifty, she would not have enough time to find another hiding place – and she did not have the heart to disappoint Kiyo by just standing there when she got done counting.

Thus, she shrugged and cautiously walked along the hallway, running her hands over the wall, hoping to find a door or some sort of alcove she could hide in. While walking through the dark, she thought to hear a faint rustling somewhere behind her and a shiver ran down her spine when rats appeared before her inner eye. She quickly shook off the thought and tried to ignore the occasional sounds, attributing them to her discomfort being down here in the dark.

Only a few second later, Shinobu found the first door. Full of hope, she tried the door handle but it was locked. With a sigh, she probed no further and instead followed the hallway. The second and third door also did not provide any success and by now, she was so far into the dark that she could not even see her own hands before her eyes anymore. She was about to just stay put, hoping that the darkness down here was enough to conceal her from Kiyo’s eyes when her hand grazed something weird.

Shinobu stopped dead in her tracks and carefully ran her hand over the wall again. The whole way here, she had felt the smooth stones that made up the cellar walls, each of them feeling exactly the same. But the one she touched right now somehow felt different. However, it was not the texture as the stone was of the same smooth material as the others. It took her a while to realize what had caught her attention and when she realized it, she held her breath. This stone was a bit elevated, creating sharp edges that had to be narrow enough not to be visible but were definitely noticeable by touch. Curious, Shinobu squinted and tried to make out the contours of the stone but her gaze was not able to pierce the darkness. With a frustrated sigh, she pressed her palm against the stone – and flinched when the stone slid away. A soft rumble made her jump and she gasped when she felt the vibration of a part of the wall moving aside.

“What on earth …?” she whispered, reaching out and reluctantly running her hands over the edges of the passage that had just opened up. “Is that … a hidden room?”

Her heart racing in her chest, she carefully felt her way into the room, keeping her hand pressed against the left wall so that she would not lose her orientation. She was so focused that she almost jumped out of her skin when she suddenly heard something behind her. She flinched violently and whirled around. And with a soft bump, her fist connected with something right behind her.

“Ouch,” a familiar voice said. “Who’s there?”

Shinobu sighed in relief as she recognized Giyuu’s voice. Just to be sure, she quickly moved her hand through the air where she expected Giyuu’s shoulders to be and when she felt the fabric of a haori under her fingers, she knew for sure it was him.

“It’s me,” she said. “What are you doing down here?”

Giyuu paused for a moment and she could vividly imagine his raised eyebrow at this question. “I’m hiding, of course,” he replied.

Shinobu shook her head and turned away, trying to find the wall again she had let go of when whirling around. “And you had to go exactly where I went?” she asked distractedly.

Only when Giyuu did not reply, she turned her attention back on him. “Uh,” he said after a pause, sounding a bit abashed. “I thought if anyone knew good hiding spots, it would be you.”

Shinobu laughed. “You’re wrong, Aoi is way better at hide and seek then I am. I didn’t even know this room existed.”

She heard Giyuu shuffling around a bit and he sounded equally as curious as she was when he spoke up again. “This is very interesting. I can’t even … oh, what’s that? That almost feels like a stone that’s out of place …”

And before Shinobu could yell out a warning, she heard the familiar click that had opened the door only a minute ago. With a curse, she jumped forward, bumping into Giyuu, but it was too late. With a rumble, the door to the hidden room closed, locking them in.

“Shit,” Giyuu muttered. “Wait, I’ll press the stone again.”

Shinobu held her breath when she heard Giyuu fumbling around. “Hurry,” she said urgently when he took longer than expected.

A small pause followed and when Giyuu spoke again, his voice sounded slightly concerned. “I found the stone but … it won’t move. It doesn’t even stand out anymore.”

“Oh no,” Shinobu whispered when the reality of the situation sank in. “Does that mean that we’re trapped?”

She heard Giyuu running his hands over the wall but after another moment, he sighed and quietly said, “Sure seems like it.”

And suddenly, Shinobu felt hysterical laughter bubbling up in her chest and she pressed a hand on her mouth, trying to drown it out. “Well, I guess I know who will win at hide and seek today,” she gasped, trying to suppress her giggle.

And just when she thought Giyuu would stay quiet, he laughed softly. “Let’s just hope they won’t be too mad at us for having to search the entire mansion.”

Shinobu chuckled to herself and shrugged. While she was not sure whether Kiyo, Sumi and Naho knew much about the cellar, Aoi would certainly search down here when Shinobu and Giyuu did not show up after the game ended. And until then, they did not have much of a choice than to relax and wait for Aoi to save them. With a sigh, Shinobu let herself sink down and leaned against the wall.

“So, how about a game of ‘I spy with my little eye’?” she asked, grinning to herself.

And when she heard Giyuu laugh, she knew that the wait would at least not be all too unpleasant.

[vonkarma2]

literally over a year ago I did a wolf 359 survey with a total 180 responses and then forgot to publish the results 😁 sorry everyone. but I thought I might as well post them now in case anyone is interested <3 spoiler warning also btw

question 1: who is your favorite character

solid mix as you can see, but Hera and Eiffel beat everyone else by a fairly decisive margin

question 2: who is your least favorite character

most people just chose the major villains, though it’s interesting hilbert and kepler also had quite a few people put them as their favorite. by this metric, hilbert is the most divisive character

question 3: which group of characters do you most enjoy to listening to?

I don’t have any commentary this is pretty expected. Fans of the podcast tend to enjoy listening to the group with by far the most screentime

question 4: which group do you find the most narratively compelling?

all the “side character” groups got a bit more attention, but the responses for lovelace’s hephaestus crew doubled. presumably, something about their offscreen tragedy had versus the relatively little of that that was shown in their episode intrigued people

question 5: which group do you think is the most well-written?

si-5’s time to shine, though of course the hephaestus crew was still more popular. it makes sense for 3 people introduced a cohesive team and handled as such for a long time

question 6: which characters do you like as a person? (not as in thinking they’re a good person, but as in feeling some amount of affection for them)

Eris wasn’t added for a while, so the results are skewed for her. Interestingly, Eiffel was more people’s favorite character, but Minkowski got slightly more votes by this metric.

question 7: which characters do you like in the sense that they are well-written and contribute to the podcast’s themes?

The “villain” characters got way more votes in this sense, especially Hilbert, but all the original Hephaestus mission characters except Eris had several fewer.

question 8: which characters do you think are funny?

Doug Eiffel crowned the king of comedy. That result would probably be different in-universe.

question 9: did rachel young killing kepler make you like her more or less?

strong plurality of survey respondents did not care. still, despite the frustrating nature of the death and the unpopularity of young’s character, more people approved of it than not.

question 10: who had the best monologue in Am I Alone Now?

makes sense based on how popular hera was earlier in the survey, especially when her monologue here pertains very strongly to the core of her character.

question 11: is minlace real?

sorry for putting this question on the survey. there were a lot of “yuri”/“ambiguous” or polyamory-based write-in answers

question 12: what is Kepler’s sexuality?

Even more sorry for this question. Pretty even split, but I really liked the 7 pages of write-in answers.

question 13: Did Miranda Pryce have girl power?

Despite being the most hated character, respect for women in stem remains strong among wolf 359 fans.

question 14: if you got to kill one wolf 359 character, who would it be?

basically just the most hated characters again, though seeing the difference between Cutter 23 responses and everyone after him is pretty funny.

so that’s how it panned out :) iirc there’s an image limit on posts, so I’ll do an addition with funny things people said on this in an rb 👍

[spartanguard]

sons of love and death, 7/13 {CSSNS 23}

Summary: After the Final Battle, Killian Jones had finally settled into his happily ever after with his wife and family. Until a new foe arrived in Storybrooke: the infamous Dorian Gray, who looks rather familiar—one might say identical—to the pirate, and he’s on a mission: to claim the powers of the Dark One for himself. There’s only one problem: the Dark One no longer exists. What follows is a journey of vengeance, revelations, magic, and finally facing down the darkness within himself that Killian thought he’d finally put to rest. [roughly canon divergent from 5B, though set post-canon] A/N: Greetings from band camp! But that won't stop me from updating my @cssns story! Hope everyone is having a great week! (As always, thanks to the best beta, @optomisticgirl​​​​ !) rated M | 5.1k words | AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Dorian hadn’t been seen since his encounter with Regina the previous morning, but Killian knew better than to let his guard down. Every time the bell rang in the library, Killian was alert, ready for the worst (even if logically he knew his twin wouldn’t announce his presence—though, they did share an affinity for melodrama…). And he’d put on his sword belt for the first time in ages, for both comfort and protection. 

He was reshelving a few books when the bell chimed again. He paused to listen, but was mildly surprised when Leroy’s voice rang out in the otherwise quiet library—and sounded more than grumpy. “What the hell, pirate?” 

Confused, Killian shoved the book in his hand on the shelf and quickly made his way to the lobby. “Watch the volume, mate,” he chastised. “What’s the problem?”

Leroy was glaring at him and huffing. “Don’t pretend you don’t know; I saw you! Taking a joyride on my boat this morning, using all my gas, and then you just left it adrift. It almost ran into the shipping lane!”

“Why would I take your dinghy when my ship is right there?” Killian countered. “It was probably my good-for-nothing brother.”

“Then why was he dressed like you? And I saw your hook!” 

He rolled his eyes; of course Dorian would find a new way to make trouble for him. “Well it wasn’t me! I’ve been here all day, and my wife can provide my alibi prior to that—in detail, if you’d like,” Killian threw back, biting back a smirk at the memory of what they’d gotten up to in bed that morning. 

“No thank you,” he responded, stepping back with his hands up. “Just—keep that asshole in check, okay?”

“He’s not my responsibility.”

“Whatever,” Leroy grumbled, and left as quickly as he’d arrived.

Killian was irked by the encounter. Not so much at Dorian’s antics, annoying though they were (and would probably need his attention at some point)—but he was somewhat perturbed by the fact that Leroy was so quick to assume it had been him. There was definitely a time he may have done that, but now? After everything in the past few years? Did the dwarf truly still think so little of him?

He shook his head; Leroy didn’t have much faith in anyone. It was just a stupid misunderstanding; perhaps he’d go down to the docks and see if he could use his powers, meager as they were, to tow the boat back into harbor. But it was nothing to be truly upset over, not on his end.

The day went on without further event and the encounter was nearly out of his mind when he ran into another dwarf outside the sheriff station. Sneezy was coming from the opposite direction and reached the door before he did, but then paused and faced him. 

“Uh, Captain,” he started, then characteristically sneezed. He went on after wiping his nose on his ever-present handkerchief. “I was about to report what happened earlier, but I’d be happy to settle now, if you want—if you’d rather Emma not know.”

“Know what?”

“About the rum you stole,” he said matter-of-factly. “You didn’t exactly hide it.”

Killian scoffed; he’d never been impressed by the rum selection at the pharmacy, nor was he desperate enough to shoplift subpar liquor. “I’ve been at the library all day, mate; you should hit up my lookalike for the cash. Or go ahead and report it; may as well add to his rap sheet.”

The dwarf tilted his head, confused. “But—your hook—and clothes—”

“—Are easy to replicate with magic like his,” Killian sighed. “Really, mate? I thought you knew me better.”

Sneezy at least looked a bit like his brother Bashful at that, then uttered a quick apology before nearly running back in the direction from which he’d come.

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose, again frustrated.

It didn’t stop there, though—on the entire walk from the station to Granny’s with Emma, he was on the receiving end of glares, muttering, and people keeping their distance. Granted, that was typical treatment from the gaggle of fairies they passed, given their history. 

But even mild-mannered Gepetto, upon his exit from the diner, turned suddenly angry at the sight of Killian and wasted no time getting in his face and yelling in his native tongue. Killian was skilled at languages but not well-studied in that one, save for a few curse words—all of which he heard in the tirade. 

The carpenter didn’t give Killian a chance to reply before storming off, leaving him fatigued and Emma confused. “What the hell was his problem?” she griped. 

“No clue—but I’m willing to bet it was my brother; that’s been happening all afternoon.”

“Ugh, that dick,” she cursed. “But can’t people tell the difference by now?”

“You’d think,” he sighed, knowing that didn’t mean a damn thing if a glamour spell was involved. 

“Sounds like he needs to be punched in his pretty nose to make sure it’s more obvious,” she suggested, stepping into Killian’s space and tapping his own nose.

“You think my nose is pretty?” he flirted back. 

“All of you is. Way more than him,” she assured him, then dragged him into the restaurant. 

He obviously knew he was innocent of the various misdemeanors he’d been accused of, and he was certainly no stranger to being a suspect. But that hurt feeling from earlier crept back up in him as he fielded side-eyed stares from his seat across from an oblivious Emma while they ate. 

Hadn’t he earned this town’s trust? Weren’t they well past any questioning of his actions? Yes, his history was rocky—but he’d literally died for the residents of Storybrooke. 

And it was no secret he had a doppelgänger running around. So the fact they were so quick to turn on him was far more painful than he’d like to admit.

“Babe? Your glass—are you okay?” Emma’s concerned voice pulled him from his morose thoughts, and he realized a whirlpool was threatening to spin out of his glass of water. 

“Sorry,” he answered quickly, and focused on calming the tiny maelstrom. “Just—thinking about everything,” he said, simplifying the truth. 

“I know.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Good thing you’ve got another magic lesson in the morning, huh?”

He groaned in response; she giggled. 

“Come on; let’s get you home. You’ll need your rest,” she said suggestively as she got to her feet, taking him with her, hinting that they would spend time not resting as well. 

The lascivious smirk Granny gave him as Emma paid their tab was less out of place than his other interactions today, but was at least positive. So he did still have some friends, it seemed. 

And as he and Emma finally collapsed in each other’s arms later, sweaty and sated, as long as she was still on his side, who else did he require?

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Though Dorian was no stranger to using a glamour spell, and had certainly used far more dramatic disguises in his life, this one was perhaps the most initially uncomfortable—mainly in how little changed. 

As it was, he and Killian were nearly mirror images to start with—what with their scars on opposing cheeks and the fact that they parted their hair on different sides. So to see such minor differences in his reflection was a somewhat out-of-body experience—this was close to what people actually saw when they looked at him. 

He allowed his minor existential crisis to persist for a minute before finishing the transformation; at least his brother had decent style, if a bit different than his own. (How could he stand these tight jeans?) The false hook over his left hand was awkward, but necessary. 

Anyways. It was time to see if he could pull this off; after all, he was far too wise not to do foolish things now and then. He headed down to the diner (after peeking around a corner to make sure neither Killian nor Emma were already there—though the fact that he’d slept in probably prevented that) and slipped onto a stool at the counter. 

This time, when Granny greeted him, it was much warmer. “Early lunch?”

“Aye; the usual, my dear,” he tested. “And I just couldn’t wait to see you,” he added with a wink. 

Granny blushed and chuckled, then shuffled off to the kitchen. Good; she was receptive to his flirting. If he was bold enough about it, surely that would stir up some ill will towards his brother; just what kind of man brashly flirted with a woman who wasn’t his wife? And there was a reasonable audience, even if mid-morning was somewhat slow. 

So hopefully someone noticed when he grabbed the bottle of whiskey sitting behind the counter and snuck it into his lap. 

A few minutes later, the older lady was back, sliding over a plate of fish and chips; predictable of his brother. “Fresh caught, extra vinegar on the chips—just how you like it.”

“Oh, you spoil me,” he replied, holding back a gag at the smell of the vinegar. He leaned across the counter, continuing, “If there’s anything I can do to repay you, you know where to find me,” then suggestively licking his lips. 

To his shock, she just laughed and patted his cheek. “You know you couldn’t handle me, sweetheart.” And went back to her business. 

Hm. Well, that wasn’t quite the response he expected. But he at least passed for Killian; that was a good sign. (Unfortunately, he had to sell it by actually eating this meal; thank the gods for the whiskey to wash it down.)

He headed down to the marina next, finding the easiest boat he could hotwire (which, with his magic, was all of them) and took a bit of a joyride, then poofed ashore when that got boring. 

After a trip through the pharmacy, where he got a five-finger discount on some mid-range rum, he relieved himself in the shrubs outside a convent, knocked over the displays outside the florist, pretended to need the services of the carpenter but just dumped wood stain over his wares, and dragged the tip of his hook along some parked cars. 

Briefly, he took a smoking break outside the elementary school and let the half-burnt cigarette fall into a bush outside a classroom, setting it alight. He was enjoying watching the slowly growing fire when the room’s window flew open and a petite woman with short, dark hair attacked it with a fire extinguisher. “Don’t you have anything better to do?” she snapped at him.

“No,” he answered succinctly, and transported away, hopefully leaving a scorch mark on the lawn, too.

He’d noticed a friendship between his brother and the librarian—the gorgeous woman who had seemingly questionable taste in men. He’d be shocked if the two of them had kept things purely platonic, despite their respective well-known relationships. And if they hadn’t…well, it was time for him to explore that, even if for his own enjoyment. 

The bell on the library rang as he entered. “You here, love?” he called out, suddenly realizing he’d never caught the lass’s name. 

“Right where you left me,” she shouted; shit, he forgot his brother worked here. That was a close call. He followed the sound of her voice to the next room, where he found her desperately trying to reach something on the top shelf. “Perfect timing; can you lend me a hand? Pun intended.”

“Ha,” he answered awkwardly, not sure if he should be acting offended or not. “But of course.”

He didn’t hesitate to grab the volumes she asked for, but rather than just hand them over, he took the opportunity to move into her space. “Oh, uh, thanks,” she said, trying to take a step back, but she didn’t get far before bumping into a cart. 

“That’s all my assistance is worth? ‘Thanks’?”

“Killian, you know I appreciate you—”

“So let me appreciate you, darling,” he said on a breath, leaning in close. “Don’t tell me you’ve never felt something…more…between us.” Subtly, he raised the blinds in the room so any passers by might see his attempted pursuit of someone who clearly wasn’t his brother’s wife. 

She looked up at him, lips parted, and he was aware of her heightened heart rate. She narrowed her gaze briefly. “No, I haven’t—Dorian.”

“Who’s Dorian?” he lied. 

Her knee found his crotch swiftly and strongly; she might be short and slight, but she was the perfect height to do optimum damage to his manhood. He stumbled back, dropping the books and holding his groin, groaning, with stars beginning to cloud his vision. 

“I can’t believe I almost fell for that,” she yelled. “You really thought I wouldn’t be able to tell?”

“Ah, but you almost did,” he countered, even though his voice was incredibly strained. 

He could see her blushing even through his squinted view. “Never,” she insisted, though it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as him. “I won’t do that, and I won’t help you.”

He scoffed as his breath started to come back. “What use are you to me? Just a silly librarian; even if you are married to the Dark One.”

She smirked. “I’m used to people underestimating me. I suggest you don’t again. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to that painting of yours, would you?”

“My painting?” He wasn’t surprised she knew of it—this was a library, obviously, if even the book he’d inspired was largely fabrication—but he’d left it behind in another realm, hoping the distance (and that particular realm’s timelessness) would prevent its aging, or at least slow it. 

But then—he felt it. A faint heartbeat in his ear, just a millisecond behind his own but the same tempo: the heart of his True Love, continuing to carry a rhythm for him even though it was shattered and locked in canvas. It seemed to be coming from above them; he glanced up, trying to locate it, but didn’t get very far before his gaze was forced away rather painfully.

Belle had slapped him—again, stronger than he expected, but he’d been hit so many times that it hardly stung. “Get the hell out of here, and leave us alone.”

“Alright, alright,” he replied, and immediately poofed away—right into the attic of the library. The drumbeat of the heart was even louder up here, and he was easily able to follow it—while stepping lightly enough to not make a sound—to one end of the cluttered storage room. 

And there it was: his iconic portrait. It…wasn’t pretty. Not that it had been when he’d stashed it in the Land of Untold Stories, but it had definitely continued to deteriorate, though thankfully less than it probably should have. There was part of his soul that certainly felt like the withered, grayed, gnarled mess of a man in the image before him, but only a small one.

Actually, it was a good thing the portrait had made its way here; perhaps, when he achieved his plan, he’d also be able to sever his tie to this in favor of the dagger. He’d leave it here for now—but he’d be back for it later.

He had at least one more stop to make. So he transported again to an alley by the sheriff station, knocked over a mailbox, and casually headed inside. While it would be fun to see how far he could take things with Emma, he had no doubt she’d be able to see through this disguise even quicker than the librarian had. But the other deputy, the blond one—he might be slower on the uptake.

“Hey, Hook,” the man said, barely glancing up from the paperwork he was filling out. “Emma’s doing rounds.”

“Aye; I’m aware,” he said, sauntering closer. “I was here to see you, anyway.”

“Yeah?” The man—David, judging by the name plate on the desk—looked up at him. “What’s up?”

Dorian wasted no time in taking a seat right in front of him on the desk, cupping his (rather handsome) face, and quickly finding his lips.

The ensuing chain of reactions was honestly hilarious: the other man stilled at first, then leaned into it, but then seemed to realize who he was kissing and pushed away, jumping to his feet.

“What the hell was that?” he spat, wiping off his mouth on the back of his hand.

Dorian hopped off the desk and moved closer to David. “I was always curious; you mean you weren’t?”

“No!” he shouted. “Not like—just, no!”

“Was I that bad?” Dorian flirted, tilting his head. 

“No, you were—not my son-in-law,” David sighed, realizing who he was talking to.

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” Dorian replied. “And you’re only a halfway decent kisser.”

“My wife thinks I’m just fine,” David threw back, somewhat offended. “And if you’re trying to turn people against Killian, you’re gonna have to try harder than that.”

“You almost bought it.”

“Please; Killian only has eyes for Emma. Not that you’d know anything about True Love, I bet.”

Dorian glowered. “You don’t know anything about me, pal. Maybe get off your high horse with your generalizations.”

David stepped closer and put his hands on his hips; Dorian couldn’t help but feel like he was about to get a lecture. “I don’t know everything about you, but I’ve known enough people like you. I actually had a twin, too.”

“Oh? More than one of you? Must have been terribly dull.”

“Actually, you’d probably have gotten along with him famously; he was a selfish cad, too.”

“And where’s this fellow now?”

“Oh, he’s dead,” David went on. “From what I heard, he got a little too cocky, a little sloppy, and it came back to bite him. Or, well, stab him through the chest.”

“Ouch,” Dorian deadpanned. “And your point is?”

“Maybe you should ease up on making enemies. Because you don’t know which one is going to finally take you out.”

“And what—make friends instead?”

David shrugged. “Can’t hurt. Though I also can’t say you have good odds of finding many here, after all the drama you’ve stirred up so far.”

“No thanks.”

“Hey,” David said, softer, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’ve spent a long time chasing one thing, and it seems like you have nothing else to live for. But I watched your brother change his path; it’s not too late for you.”

Dorian gingerly pushed David’s hand off, like it was something disgusting. “Look, I know you hero types, and I know you mean well and want what’s best for me, or whatever. But I also know this: you have to want to change. Clearly my brother did. Me, though? I find good advice rather annoying. So save your breath.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I will, thanks.” And he transported back to his pilfered room at Granny’s.

His conversation with David was already forgotten; the deputy had probably hoped his words would linger and Dorian would reconsider his entire life. But no—he knew what he wanted.

And now, he just had to wait to see what fallout his (mis)adventures today wrought.

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Late 1880s

Dorian stepped out of the portal onto a dirty cobblestone alley. Once the gateway closed behind him, he placed his second bean in his inner coat pocket for safekeeping, and sealed it with magic—which thankfully worked; he wasn’t sure what to expect as far as being able to normally access his powers in this so-called Land without Magic, but was glad to see they were so far unhindered.

Of course, the irony of this realm carrying that name was that he had come here seeking magic out. It wasn’t fully devoid, he could tell, but he’d heard that it was far-flung, infrequent, and hidden from the general populace.

Which was probably why it was so dark in this backstreet; what kind of uncivilized society hadn’t figured out proper outdoor lighting yet? He could see some primitive lanterns at the end of the way, on what looked to be a main street, but could smell the fuel in them from here.

As such, he conjured a fireball in his hand to get his bearings. He’d arrived in the corner of an alley that went between and behind buildings—great, grimy brick monstrosities. Some parchment sat atop abandoned crates along one side; he inspected closer, reading The Daily Telegraph across the top of the page, followed by a picture of a man identified as the Prince of Wales, which he had to assume was a meaningful title as no proper name was given.

He further studied the fashion of the man, then glanced down at his own clothes, which were decidedly not of this realm from what he could see. That was easy to fix, though, and with a wave of his hand, he was wearing a garment that closely resembled what he saw in the image: a coat with long-ish tails, slacks, and a waistcoat. He didn’t hate it, but the vest wasn’t quite his style. 

Anyways. That settled, he reached into a different pocket (he’d made sure the contents of those stayed the same regardless of what his jacket looked like) and pulled out a slip of paper with a name written on it: Basil Hallward. From what he’d been told, this man could help him find the magic he needed to get him one step closer to the Dark One’s powers.

(That Rumpelstiltskin bastard had placed so many protection spells over the Dark Castle, it was bordering on ridiculous. Didn’t he know it was once Dorian’s home? But no—the demon wouldn’t even grace him with a meeting to grant him access to his old quarters. Granted, he’d have been an idiot to, but one could hope. But perhaps here, in this land that seemed to reject magic, he’d find that which could break through those spells and reclaim his birthright.)

He glanced down both alleys in front of him. The one towards the street was empty—just brick walls and boarded-up windows—but going the other way, he could see a light glimmering outside an inconspicuous door. 

And if he wasn’t mistaken, the light in the lantern was not fueled by whatever oil illuminated the streets; no, this one was quite similar to the ball of fire in his hand. The portal had placed him in the right spot.

Before he headed to the door, he placed the slip of paper in his own flare, letting it fall to ashes on the stone pavement. Then he extinguished it with a shake of his hand and headed over.

Upon closer inspection, the lamp was indeed his variety of fire magic, though there seemed to be an object at the center of it that kept it burning. Clever, he thought; it meant less mental effort to keep it lit (not that he had to exert much anymore for such simple spells). 

The door itself was painted roughly to match the exterior wall—or it had been, once upon a time, and now was faded and flaking, but he could still make out where “B. Hallward” was written in yellowing letters.

He knocked, firmly and insistently, and then waited. He wasn’t naive enough to think he’d get an immediate answer, or even to think he’d be seen tonight, but there was also no sense waiting.

He listened close to the door for a minute or so, but if there was anything to hear, it was unnoticeable. Then he paced a bit, keenly aware of the sounds of his unfamiliar shoes tapping on the stones.

But after nearly 10 minutes, he had to concede that either Mr. Hallward was out for the evening, or didn’t wish to be disturbed. Well, surely a town of this size had a red-light district; it wouldn’t be the first time he’d spent a night in such an establishment (usually willingly). 

He began to walk towards the sounds of society, at the far end of this alley, when he paused; he thought he heard the turn of a deadbolt. He turned back to look at the door; it was still shut, but the color of the flame in the lantern had changed to blue. Curious.

He moved closer to it, and to his surprise, a small window appeared from nowhere. There was no glass inside it, but he could see nothing but blackness behind it. “Yes?” a voice called out from the void.

“Basil Hallward?” he asked.

“Who wants to know?” the voice replied.

“Someone who has traveled a great distance to seek you out.”

The voice cursed, probably realizing he’d revealed his identity without meaning to. “What for?” he finally came back with.

“A bit of magic,” he answered, then called forth his own fire again.

The window disappeared and the door swung open. “Come in,” the other man called out; Dorian didn’t hesitate to oblige.

Whatever he was expecting—this wasn’t it. Despite whatever spell lay on the entryway—and he could feel it as he stepped through—it was actually fairly light inside, with more enchanted lamps around the open space, which revealed the absolute clutter everywhere. And, to the back of the room, what appeared to be a painter’s studio. 

“You’re an artist?” he exclaimed, minorly disgusted. 

“That I am, sir,” the other man replied, and Dorian finally got a look at him: he seemed young—younger than him, at least—and the narrow mustache above his lip did nothing to make him appear older. He pushed his dark, curly hair out of his equally dark eyes. “What of it?”

“I came here looking for magic,” Dorian spat. “Not to sit for my portrait.”

“A pity; you’d make an excellent subject, with that profile. But I do both, actually.”

“Both?” He raised an eyebrow, skeptic.

“Aye; let me show you.” Basil beckoned Dorian towards his work bench; he hesitantly followed. The man picked up a vial of what Dorian assumed was pigment off the cluttered surface. He uncorked it and held it out. “Do you recognize it?”

Dorian narrowed his gaze and peered inside. It was just a black powder, but he recognized the smell. “Adder’s fork?”

“Good eye,” Basil commended. “And this?” he asked, holding out a small dish with a bluish powder. 

“Mermaid scale,” Dorian identified. “I don’t understand.”

“Magic works differently in this realm,” Basil explained. “No one here is born with it inherently, but what makes its way here usually requires a conduit—some physical tether. Me, I learned how to embed it in my paint, using these ingredients.”

“And then what?”

“Whatever you want,” Basil answered. “Within reason, of course.” He showed off a portrait of an expectant mother, explaining that the woman and her husband had been trying to have children for several years when he painted her; “Now, she has three children and another on the way.” Another painting displayed a vagabond sitting on a street curb. “His wife discovered he was cheating on her; now he’s destitute and she kept his wealth.”

“So you grant wishes?”

“In a sense. A fertility spell was embedded in this portrait, a curse of ill-luck in the other.”

Dorian glanced back at the work space and saw a good number of potion books—many of them he knew—across a bookshelf above it. “Ahhh,” he sighed in understanding. “Then you likely don’t have what I’m after.”

“Which is?”

“A way to break into a heavily fortified castle?”

Basil shook his head. “Afraid not. But if you have something of its occupant’s, we could probably find a way to cast them out, or at least make them horridly uncomfortable.”

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t be here.”

“No, I suppose you wouldn’t. Hope you didn’t come far, then.”

“Only a few realms away.”

Basil whistled low. “Then I at least owe you a drink. What’s your poison?”

“Whiskey?”

He nodded and led him over to a sitting area, where they proceeded to chat over (some damn fine) liquor. Basil was curious about the magical realms—he had some acquaintances who passed through the other worlds who supplied him with his materials, but had never been himself. Dorian wondered how he’d fallen into this line of work, then. 

“The man I apprenticed with taught me; passed on all he knew.” Well, that sounded familiar. 

As such, they got on famously, to the point that Basil offered Dorian use of a spare bedroom in his home for as long as he was staying in this realm. 

What the hell, Dorian thought. The Dark One wasn’t going anywhere—he could enjoy himself for a bit. (It wasn’t like he ever needed an excuse to do so.)

For the next few weeks, Basil showed him about this curious town—London, it was called, and far larger than he realized—and introduced him to many interesting people (and vices; opium was a delight, though he saw enough of the strung-out folks addicted to it to use in moderation).

They went to countless parties, gatherings, concerts, sporting events. At one such dinner, he met a writer named Oscar who seemed to be infatuated with him; he couldn’t say he disliked the attention. The man became a regular fixture in their outings as well (and maybe a few private nights). 

Dorian did oblige Basil to pose for a portrait eventually; far be it for him to deny the world his beauty. “And what enchantment will you weave into this one?” he asked, peering over his friend’s shoulder; Basil had finished painting his face and form, but nothing else yet. 

“None,” Basil replied simply. “You have enough magic on your own. 

(There may also have been a few nights he spent in Basil’s room, as well. He was hardly a choosy lover, so long as someone caught his interest.)

He smirked cockily at the praise and admired his face and form on the canvas. Basil was truly a gifted artist and, in his personal opinion, had perfectly captured Dorian’s handsomeness, strength, and form, down to the color of his eyes. 

However, later that night as he readied for bed, he caught a glimpse of something new in his reflection in the looking glass: was that…a wrinkle?

He pulled at the flesh around his eyes, watching as it stretched and returned. Indeed, there was a fine line—a few, even—in that delicate skin. 

He was 30 years old; he knew it was inevitable he began to look it (even if he dare say he looked better than most men his age). But it was a sudden, stark reminder: the being he was chasing was immortal; he, however, was not. 

(There was probably some sage advice somewhere about avoiding vice to extend his longevity, but…where was the fun in that?)

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・🗡・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

thanks for reading! tagging some peeps (let me know if you do/don’t want a tag!) @kat2609 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @shireness-says @ohmightydevviepuu @wistfulcynic​ @pirateherokillian @colinoeyebrows​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug​ @thisonesatellite​ @killianmesmalls​ @thejollyroger-writer​ @ineffablecolors​ @ive-always-been-a-pirate @nfbagelperson @stubblesandwich @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet​ @kmomof4 @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells​ @idristardis​ @scientificapricot @searchingwardrobes​ @donteattheappleshook @jrob64​ @the-darkdragonfly​ @stahlop​ @klynn-stormz​ @resident-of-storybrooke @bluewildcatfanatic

[righoul]

[I]

Logan is on the road again. He's heading up to his home country, Canada, where he can be left alone from everything that was happening at the Xavier's School. If you came across Logan and asked him why he was leaving, he'll probably tell you to fuck off and mind your business. But on occasion, he might tell you that he needs to clear his mind. The others back at home might say that he was running away. Now, why is he running away, you asked? He lost Jean, and what was worse was she was never his to begin with. Her heart belonged to Scott Summers. Love stung him. He thought he could convince Jean that Logan was the right one for her, and not Scott. He thought he had her right where he wanted her, and things would be set right. But he learned that Scott and Jean married in secrecy. In fact, they've been married for a long time before Logan came into the picture. He felt betrayed, and he was hurt by her lies and seduction. That is why he's heading up to his little cabin, deep in the wilderness where no one can bother him.

Jean tried calling Logan since the moment he left the mansion. And just a few minutes ago, Logan looked down at his phone to another missed call from her. 13 missed calls and 4 voicemails from Jean. He didn't feel like talking to her right now. It would just make matters worse. There was so much Logan wanted to say to Jean. Even though now he hated her for what she did, but in some way, he still loved her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her feelings, but mostly he doesn't feel like going at it with Boy Scout for yelling at his wife.

Before Logan can reach his cabin, he made a pit stop at an abandoned facility. The same facility that gave him his adamantium claws. It was hard for him to come to this place, with all the pain and trauma that he had to endeared. But it made him the man that he is today. He no longer has the nightmares, and he finally learn how to let go. He took a deep breath of the harsh winter, inhaling the cold air and he exhale, seeing his own breath. Just when he was taking up the scenery, his phone was vibrating in his pocket again. It was Jean calling for the 14th time. He took his phone out and he look at the screen. Yep, it was Jean calling again. He took a minute to contemplate on answering the phone just to get it over with. Without a second thought, he chucks his phone across the way, landing in the now frigid lake with a little splash. He felt relieve to get away from the technology harassing him. So, this is what peace feels like? After taking another inhale and exhale, Logan almost trek back to his motorcycle until he saw something that caught his eyes. It was miles away, maybe about 80 yards, it was a small blob, but his eyes were not deceiving him. What he saw was a small speck of red. It was a bright red, like the color of blood. He doesn't understand why he was so damn curious about it, but he couldn't help himself. And so, he follows it.

␥ ✧ ␥ ✧ ␥

Logan treks along the snowy trail to the mystery red blur that he saw earlier. He is now 70 yards away. Could it possibly be a wounded animal? he thought. All he wanted was to be in his cabin, in his thoughts but this took a turn. Maybe this is a sign for him. But a sign of what? Every time he sees the color, he automatically thinks of Jean. The more he thinks about it, the more he has grown to hate the color. At this moment, Logan isn’t thinking about the mission at hand, but to learn to let Jean go. She’s married to Scott, and there’s nothing for him to do about it or change her mind. It will sting, for sure, but over time he’ll forget about her and maybe find a new girl. He scoffed at himself just thinking about it. Why would anyone want to be with him? He thinks of himself as a monster. There’s just no way anyone wants to be with a killing machine with claws that are indestructible. He can’t believe that’s thinking about this sappy love bullshit. He’s supposed to have a tough exterior. But to anyone who knows him well, he does have a soft spot, no matter how hard he tries to hide it.

He’s now 50 yards from the task at hand.

Sometimes Logan thinks about retiring from the X-Men and have a life of his own. He’s been through so much pain and suffering; he’s willing to give it all up. He even plays around the thought of having a wife and a few rascals in a little house, away from civilization. That put a small smile on his face. But that dream quickly dies. His enemies are still out there, plus this world isn’t too kind to mutants. Last thing he wants is to put them at risk, so he’s better off being alone. It hurts less that way. He lost so many people in his past; he can’t bear it anymore. But what if there was someone out there for him. Maybe that help forget— No! he thought to himself angrily. We’re not doing this shit again.

35 yards.

You need to let her go.

30 yards.

She doesn’t love you. She never has.

25 yards.

No one can love you.

20 yards.

No one will ever love you.

Logan snaps out of his train of thoughts and finally looks up. He goes speechless. That mystery red blob was not an injured animal as he thought. It was… a woman. He ran for 15 yards before he drops to his knees by her right side. He tilts his head, observing her, hesitating on touching her. She had long black straight hair and is wearing a red bandana that covers the top of her head and her forehead. She was also wearing a red one shoulder one piece that slits at both thighs, making it look like a dress with a red ribbon tied around the waist. She was also wearing red bands on both biceps and mid thighs, red arm bands and red boots that goes up to her mid calves. She was unconscious. He pats at the woman’s left cheek gently, trying to wake her up. Nothing. Logan grabs onto her shoulders and shakes her.

“Hey. Hey! Hey! You need to wake up!” he shouts.

Again, nothing.

Logan picks her up bridal style. There was no time to waste. Winter is here and if he leaves her out here any longer, then she might die. He treks back to his bike, but in a quicker pace than usual. This went from being a shitty day to a bizarre one. What the hell was she doing there? he asked himself. And she was so close to the abandoned facility. What was she trying to find? He looks down at her face. He must admit, she was very pretty. He can’t help himself and think about the color of her eyes. Are her eyes green? Maybe a dark brown? I bet they’re brown.

The sun was setting by the time Logan got to his bike. He thought to himself on how the hell he was going to put her in there while she’s unconscious. He took her red ribbon that was tied around her waist and carries her again. He wraps her legs around his hips, and her arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder.

“Sorry ‘bout this, doll.” Logan spoke to her softly, knowing full well she can’t hear him.

Logan hops on to his bike. He then he takes her waistband and wraps them both around the torsos, hoping this will prevent her from falling off. It’s only temporarily until he can find a vehicle where she will be safer. He revs up his motorcycle and he bolt out of there, away from that building that used to haunt his dreams.

[practically-an-x-man]

1, 6, 13, 21 for Katherine, I, K, L, Q for Quinn and Billy, and 💀🕷️🤖 for you

Thank you so much!!!

OC/Ship Ask Game: Firsts

Katherine:

First big aspiration (i.e. what did they want to be when they grew up?)

She knew since she was little that she wanted to be an artist, though what type of artist varied throughout different stages of her life. Being a comic artist was a big one for a while, at one point she thought about going into tattooing, and she never really recognized museum work as a venue until she was in it.

6. First time they realized their "calling" in life

Similar to the first answer, she'd wanted to be an artist since she was little and never really wavered in that being her "calling". Or, if you want to get more spiritual with it with the whole connection to the Egyptian pantheon, it was when she first learned that she could access the tablet's magic in ways the others (like Larry or the other night guards) couldn't, and she began to realize that she might have more of a connection to it than she knew.

13. First time being drunk/high

She's never been completely drunk or high in her life. She tends to be a little cautious about that sort of thing, and while she's been to a few parties with fellow art students that ended with her a little tipsy or a little buzzed, she's never done enough to be profoundly affected.

21. First major change in their life, and how they dealt with it

I think the first really dramatic change was her moving to NYC for art school - it was her first time living on her own, and she didn't have relatives nearby (though she quickly found a community of friends to support her), and there were a lot of things she had to adapt to that she'd never had to consider after living her whole life in the same town.

____

Four of Hearts (Quinn x Billy)

I. First time sleeping together (sexual)

It's actually mentioned in one of the Desert Song chapters, but it was the morning before the Oslo mission. This was about a week after the prior mission (and official confession of love between them), and really the main reason they hadn't done it earlier was because of Quinn's physical health - she had gotten injured during that prior mission and needed to heal up a bit.

K. First fight

First fight ever? Eh, who even knows. They're both pretty strong-willed people, and while most of the time they were able to talk things through without it turning into a fight, there were still plenty of times where they butted heads while planning their next gig.

First fight as a couple? Actually, that same morning before the Oslo mission - or, technically, the day after. I'll spare you the details of that because I'd rather you find out by reading the chapter itself (it's intense and very fun to read!), but a lot happened very quickly.

L. ....And the first time they had to make up

See above: after what happened with the Oslo mission. The good news is that they're pretty good about communicating with each other and were able to work through it instead of just simmering in resentment, but it was a hell of a fight.

Q. First act of non-sexual intimacy (e.g. washing the other's hair, taking a bath together, sharing food)

Speaking in general, they've patched each other up after gigs for years, long before they were ever officially in a relationship. But as a couple, Billy's very good about the non-sexual intimacy, especially when it's tied to caring for Quinn through her disabilities - that mission where she got injured? I mean, he stayed with her the whole way, helped her get comfortable, made sure she had food and painkillers and anything else she needed. Again, really fun, really lovely chapter, highly recommend.

____

💀 - First time writing character death, and how you felt about it

I feel like I've answered this one a few times before, but I think it was in a chapter of I'll Be Here to Catch You, my first fic! It was leading into the DOFP plot, a flash-forward to that "bad timeline" in which we see both Hank and Mira die incredibly painful, violent deaths. I really didn't hold back with the whump, since... I mean, anyone who's seen DOFP knows it'll all get reversed in the end, and I wasn't one for much canon divergence at the time.

I've never really been concerned about writing character death, you know I like whump and even as an inexperienced writer I liked trying to draw that strong emotion out of my writing. My only issue with character death is when it just doesn't make sense, either for the character themself or for the story they service, but I'm fine with character death when it has significant, logical impact.

🕷️ - First time writing something that scared you, and how it went

Idk, I really don't think there was anything about writing that really scared me. I love exploring new ideas, I always have, and if I was uncomfortable with something I knew the only way to get more comfortable was to practice.

Posting my writing, however, gave me a lot of anxiety for a while. I didn't have a very high opinion of my own skill or the stories I created, especially surrounded by so many more talented writers in the fandoms I wrote for, and I was worried someone might trash my story in some way or another. Nobody did, and gradually I got more comfortable with posting, but that was what really worried me rather than the act of writing itself.

🤖 - First nonhuman character you wrote

I mean, if mutants count as "nonhuman", my first OC EVER was nonhuman! And really, as mutants go, Mira's is more on the nonhuman side in general, given her mutations include a lot of various animal traits.

[clover-midori]

THE OCTONAUTS MERMAID AU

PACK YOUR BAGS

“Natquik?”

The critter spoke to him, with his voice… of such familiarity. It was… something Natquik would have heard before, but it didn’t hit him.

There's just no way, the fox thought, as he kept looking in front of him. Was this REALLY Barnacles, having come ashore like this? This POLAR BEAR with the tail of a BELUGA WHALE under his waist? Was THIS the one who fell into that ice cave in 2004? Was it? Who WAS this? WAS it REALLY the REAL Captain Barnacles Bear than so many adored across the Meomiverse, by critter AND creature?

Yes, it was.

“Oh, oh my GOODNESS!” Natquik cheered, running over to give the polar bear a hug. “It’s you! It’s REALLY you! BARNACLES! My BOY!”

Barnacles laughed, just as delighted to see his old friend once again. “Well, even if I’m confined to the sea, a good captain never leaves their walking crew behind!”

“…uhh, I do want to apologize for not showing up any earlier. It’s been hard maintaining the wreck site of the Octopod, so bear that in mind…”

Everyone could just TELL that the captain didn’t go even an INCH above the sea. These last few days, his fur went into contact with the water, and only the water, yet it was still nice and soft, even if the skin below was scarred. They weren’t bleeding, though, so they weren’t going to be a nuisance of any sort. Barnacles didn’t like thinking about his scars, even if they taught him lessons of all sorts.

“So THAT’s where you’ve been!” Marsh facepalmed in realization. “I guess it’s reasonable to stay there anyways… though when I came down there, it was an absolute mess-“

“Yes, yes,” Natquik joined back into the conversation. “Ranger and I took the GUP-A and drove down there to help Tunip and whoever else, but… well, there were… Hey, what happened?”

“Oh, uh, sorry,” Barnacles, having been shook by hearing that, snapped back to respond, a little confused by… them being down there. “I… had no idea you two were nearby earlier. When… was this?”

This went from awkward to straight up embarrassing. Did he make them impatient? He hoped not. He was getting hesitant. Not a whole lot but just enough to start losing words. Which took only a little bit of this concern. No wonder he wasn’t feeling absolutely abysmal through the week; for how much contact he had with the Octo-Agents, apart from that, he was entirely disconnected. Right now, if anything, the Octo-Alert would be going off for the 2nd or 3rd mission this week. How many things have happened this month? Just 1, on October 2nd. 2 days before the crash. Sure, it was just 5 to 6 days now, and usually that wouldn’t make so much of a difference, but he was CAPTAIN BARNACLES. The one who always stayed alert for any situation. And what was he doing? Not that. The moment he realized all of this, he could’ve sworn that his heart skipped TWO beats.

His mind was all over the place for one second, and then he put his paws in his face, ashamed that he failed to do his job he’d have been doing right for 13 years now. A streak of 13 WHOLE YEARS, and he finally broke it. Being the CAPTAIN, the LEADER of the Octonauts, you know that’s most certainly unacceptable.

But was it his fault? No, it couldn’t have been. Hurricane Selma was something beyond his control, and even if he and his crew nearly died, and even if it resulted in the almost complete destruction of the base he called home away from home for years, he DID try to make the most of their predicament.

Heck, why did he chew out Kwazii and Shellington in the past for all their mishaps with the GUPs, when he knew he was near NO better? Don’t even get him started on the fact that he called everyone to the HQ, no one came, the crash happened, and he ended up getting hurt pretty badly because the windows shattered. Everyone else was mostly fine because they didn’t follow his advice. They were thinking right in this situation, EVEN Peso and Dashi.

He was getting too used to being so perfect and overwhelmed all the time. Now that it finally hit him after more than a decade, it hit him SUPER HARD on the head, right between his eyes.

“Barnacles, I’m talking to you. We were there TODAY.” Natquik, worried, raised his voice, trying to get his attention by grabbing his pectoral fins.

“Oh dear… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…” The polar bear hyperventilated a bit, shaking his head in regret. He couldn’t stop going into deep thinking. “I’m just reflecting on what happened, and I think I was too hard on everyone, including myself…” he sighed, curving his tail around in the sand. “Just be honest, from the times you’ve seen me with my crew… have I been TOO critical?”

Natquik had to admit, for how long he spent working (mostly) alone with only Tracker sometimes, he still knew THIS bear very well… and yeah, Barnacles WAS kinda like what he asked. Not that he was absolutely terrible for it—he was a CAPTAIN, and probably the nicest one ever—but it WAS something he could work on. Shellington HAD told the arctic fox long ago about everyone’s shenanigans, and Barnacles was something he documented for days.

End of the day, though, Barnacles was just trying his best to take care of his friends and family as much as he could… even if it didn’t work out THAT well in the end.

It was a good thing everyone was alive and well.

Maybe Barnacles needed to think of something else. Enough with the existential crises. Fuck those. He knew there was a smaller, more closer issue. Somehow that helped more than something in the past… no, that actually made sense when he thought about it.

It started to click with him that while he’d have seen his sister, he hadn’t seen his cousins. That was ironic. Usually it was the other way around. He usually saw Orson and Ursa all by themselves, but Bianca was nowhere to be seen. Of course, during those times, Tracker was just looking after Bianca back at her den in the Northwest Territories, and that Orson and Ursa were… Well, Tracker didn’t know what they were up to, Bianca just let them go. It wasn’t awful parenting for a polar bear; matter of fact this was probably normal as these cubs were slowly growing up and would have to get used to it eventually…

However, this is MEXICO, not Canada. Bianca’s home was FAR away. And if Tracker was up here, and Bianca down in the Pacific, and if both were mermaids—Tracker had probably transformed TODAY while Bianca got turned about a few days ago—then that was probably a sign that maybe, just MAYBE, those two cubs came with either their mother or something like that…

"Uncle Barnacles! You’re here!"

Oh, just perfect timing, the captain thought. They’d have been hiding in the GUP-A the whole time. What a coincidence, wasn’t it…

“So is THAT why I heard breathing coming from the back of this thing?” Marsh laughed. “Oh me, oh my, I LOVE this job…”

Funnily enough, Orson and Ursa FULLY believed what Koshi said a while back, and they were INSANELY delighted to see their UNCLE like this. That was a GOOD sign, matter of fact. Mom was nearby, no denying that!

Periwinkle was a little shook as well, but not as much because he already saw that other polar bear not too long ago. Compared to Tracker, however, he could totally respect Barnacles. That man KNEW what he was doing most of the time. He was just trying to keep knots tight, trying to keep everyone safe after that disaster.

The older the otter pup got, the more he understood that. Sure, he got the basics at first, but now he could really express his gratitude. Maybe one of these days… as he went back to looking at this Samsung Galaxy S5 he got his hands on from a week ago.

Mum must be proud as well.

Everyone then overheard Yeshi’s flip phone going off. Barnacles didn’t even know he was here, but he enjoyed some company most of the time, so no sweat.

“Yeh, it’s Yeshi. Is that you, Shellington?” The dachshund spoke, having each of the crew, and Paani’s thighs, both on speed dial. “What’s up?”

“What? No way! These guys have to see this! Give us 5 seconds, alright?”

Uh oh? Maybe. Whatever that was, it was a good excuse to see what Marsh meant by "an absolute mess", which in and out of itself already sounded pretty freaky. And this was MARSH saying this. And that bunny had SEEN "an absolute mess" before, ESPECIALLY after Hurricane Elsa’s horrendous landfall in Florida 2 years ago, so you KNEW he KNEW what he was talking about. And you’d think Barnacles WAS aware of just HOW MUCH of a mess was left… even AFTER the crash. He wasn’t. Hopefully this quick trip back would help.

He just couldn’t handle the fact that his… DAD, if anything… was waiting here for nearly a whole week. Having left him behind after one call that didn’t explain much… that felt more than cruel, that felt TORTURING. It was a good thing he could see him at SOME point, even if it WAS over the… due date. Was there even a due date? No idea. Did he ever mention that? Nah, surely not. Definitely a good idea to STILL see Natquik before the end of the week, (well, THIS week, the crash was last week) that was for sure.

The dachshund hung up, and approached everyone with a look that conveyed “this is gonna be so good yet it’s gonna be absolutely awful”.

“Oh, hey Captain Barnacles,” he gave a smile and a wave to the main mermaid, not really caring about him also being like this since he’d have witnessed Paani and Tracker earlier. “Uh, what’s the maximum speed of the GUP-A?” he then asked, making sure he’d be able to catch up.

“Are we really headed back there? Already?” Barnacles looked over at him and at the water in concern. It had only been about 25 minutes, so what was going on now?

“…it’s not you, it’s the Octopod,” Yeshi explained. “It’s not being destroyed. Matter of fact, it’s… completely fine. All I can say is, well…"

"Pack your bags."

Pack your bags.

Pack your bags.

PACK YOUR BAGS.

Eh, he probably just meant to get ready, the captain thought. No biggie. He could crawl his way back into the water. Paani and Tracker definitely, ESPECIALLY the former, needed some of that blue as well.

“Ah, just look at all of this,” Natquik chuckled. “Seems like we’re having a nice time, aren’t we?”

Captain Barnacles… had to admit it. He was NOT going to be sad in a time like this. Not during this… reunion. Sounded fun to be going on this little trip with them… And besides, Orson and Ursa could just see how graceful he was, now that he was a mermaid! It was wonderful! He wasn’t letting his past get in the way anymore. Nearly drowned? So what? That wasn’t a problem anymore. He was a MERMAID! A REAL MERMAID! And everyone was seeing this! Tracker and Paani were one thing, but the CAPTAIN himself?! That was EVERYTHING!

“C’moooon, Barnacles…” The macaque waved over to him, now half in the water. “We’re all a big pod here… aren’t we~?”

He was right. Everyone who'd been turned since day one really had to be in some kinda pod. Barnacles HAD seen H2O before, so he knew where this was going.

Heh. Octopod, more like Octo-POD…

“Paani, you bet I’m coming!” Barnacles shouted at him, as he prepared to swim as fast as he could, prideful of his form like he should be. Whatever this was all about…

HOW PERFECT, indeed.

The fact that, in retrospect, this was an endless loop of going back and forth between land and sea, the latter being where the captain slept in. Gosh, Midori, you’re a horrible writer…

You need to improve on this. Your grammar is good, your punctuation is good… but your storytelling falls short. Have these last few chapters been nothing but fillers? Maybe. Gosh, I’m pathetic…

That’s it. I need to let go. I need to go full throttle here. Or at least speed up a little more. I can’t just sit around and fall back into the flaws of my old fanfics. I have to do something.

Pack your bags, Midori. This HAS to work.

~~~~

What a complete mess, everyone thought, dumbfounded as could be. Their once abandoned base clearly went through something… And this? This wasn’t bad, but… WHY?

"I just… I just don’t believe it,” Dashi shook her head. “One minute, I look away, and… the whole HQ is full of… I’m sorry, I’m just amazed.”

“You could say that again,” replied Tweak. “It’s like a… well, it’s a FUCKING mess, is my best description…”

Within minutes, maybe even seconds, most of the main area, excluding the launch bay, had just… gone up in flourishes of all kinds of little sea creatures, like someone had spilled 5 or 10 bags of licorice allsorts in the laboratory. Of course, Shellington did that once and while he had to clean it up, nothing really happened after that…

…But now, where the FUCK did all of these fish AND coral AND WHATEVER THE ACTUAL FUCK come from? It wasn’t here this morning, right?! No, it couldn’t have been! This was NOT normal, that was for sure. Coral reefs don’t form THAT fast outta nowhere, and not in the LITERAL OCTOPOD!

Almost everyone had been outside of the site when this situation occurred, most of them collecting the broken off fragments of metal and glass from the trail left by the crash. Inkling, for one, was a big help, as he and Min were using each other’s unique bodies to get every single bit out of the sand. It may have been mere Planck units of this trash, but to the two it was quite the difference maker to get it out.

It sounded familiar to most of the crew. Hadn’t something similar happened back in… maybe 2012? No one could really remember, but oh well. Maybe it’ll hit everyone eventually. For now, though, all they could do was just… look at this thing. It was perplexing, to say the least. Still expected, however; the whole thing was flooded to the last corner… well, except for Kwazii’s room. He wasn’t letting that stay here once he figured something out.

Speaking of, where was he?

Damn, the bunny thought. It WAS pretty colorful there. She wondered if, maybe, just maybe, she and Dashi could go in there, check out the environment that took over… It didn’t have to be so worrying, did it? No, not at all. Tweak knew better than that. She learned a lot from her mistakes. All for Dashi. All for her crew.

All for everyone.

“…you’re thinking deep, mate,” Ryla looked over at her, the same idea on her mind. “You don’t wanna go in there… Do you?”

Just hearing that made the bunny’s ears twist like a doughnut. “You mean, like… Oh me, oh my, oh for cloud’s sake,” she laughed it off, “you know me too well… uh, Dashi?”

“What’s up?” The dachshund turned her head to face her. “You and Ryla seem to be discussing something. I like that…”

Oh boy, both the bunny AND the wombat thought. This WAS gonna be awkward… Perhaps they’d just swim off and let her find out herself… that wouldn’t be right, would it? No, absolutely not. They best ask her. That was the RIGHT thing to do, as the former learned at this very point. Heck, what was she doing being careless like this when she almost died so many times, ESPECIALLY on 3/30… This wasn’t being careless, though. She just wanted intel on this kind of thing. Make sure everything was alright in there. Where was Shellington anyways? Inside? Probably.

“We… wanna investigate,” Tweak smiled, blushing a little, “and I think you’d wanna join. I mean, it’s not like we should be SUPER scared; the Octopod already crashed anyways… you in~?”

No way Dashi would pass up some time with her 2 besties. She nodded almost immediately, revealing her camera which she stashed on her right.

“Race you!” the dachshund mermaid giggled, which made Tweak shudder a bit. Not in a bad way, she just needed to figure this out. Dashi AND Ryla were FAST, being dolphin and needlefish tailed, and the bunny was just an electric eel. Not like she was far slower than either; she was sure she could go fast like them… Whatever, it was time to stop overthinking so much. Besides, eels are… cool.

So, that’s when the 3 took off, heading right into the holes made in the windows of the HQ. Good thing those were already there when they got turned… well, for Dashi and Tweak to a further extent as they’d have been here longer.

Roughly a few seconds in here and they were already mesmerized just seeing what had happened up close and personal. Sure enough, that was REAL FLORA, and REAL FAUNA flourishing through here. Like, if every little coral and fish were lined up end to end, it’d extend from San Diego to BEYOND LA. Maybe up to Santa Maria even. And it was all shoved into here… the former base of such a wonderful crew for so many years…

Dashi’s notice went not to what was covered, but rather to what WASN’T covered. Chairs that had been knocked over, including Inkling’s, and the COMPUTERS. Ah, the COMPUTERS… The screens definitely suffered a few cracks and whatnot, and more than likely inoperable, but just seeing this, in what was once her home away from home? Fascinating.

“It feels like it’s been forever,” the dachshund chuckled, as she picked up the instruction manual for the system. “I can’t believe how fast things change…”

Not minding soggy paper, Dashi just looked through the pages. This kind of thing she’d have been reading a week ago to recap on troubleshooting some small errors Shellington had. Now, the ink was slowly fading away, off the surface.

Normally, it wouldn’t be much, but to the IT officer, it just felt so… odd. When she first saw Hurricane Selma on the radar, she didn’t think a whole lot about it other than “oh, we should take caution of that,” but now the image of that was part of some the last memories before she… died. Died? No, she’d have survived that. She just lost her legs… well, they weren’t amputated, she got turned into a mermaid of course, but… there was definitely more to that than she could chew. A WHOLE lot more.

Last week, she was just making sure the latest version of Octo-OS had been installed.

Last week, she was just getting photos of that one cool betta fish she saw.

Last week, she was just calling Koshi and Yeshi to say goodnight, and that she missed them so much.

Last week was so close yet so far away.

And now?

Last week was the past.

Yes, her life truly did change a lot.

Dashi… didn’t know how to feel about that. There was no denying that the same went for so many others here.

“Uhhh, guys…?” She turned around, a single tear floating up from her eyes. “Do you ever think about… YOUR past?”

Much to her surprise, they did. Tweak herself had wondered quite a lot. And, unfortunately, unlike the dachshund, her past was a little more turbulent.

“Well, y’know, Dash,” the bunny spoke up, “I don’t think I’ve EVER told you this, or maybe I did, I can’t remember… I just turned 7, when I first met Cap. He was 14; it was 2009. Inkling invited us two to Victoria, to take a ride on the first iteration of the Octopod. Inkling had known about Nat and my Pa for quite some time and he thought this would be nice… and then, for reasons I don’t think I’ll ever know, we crashed and we almost died. I’m glad the glass stayed intact, but I’m sure neither of us thought of going back, yet, we did…”

“I don’t think I’m proud.“

To her, using one brain cell to remember it, then letting it die, the first days of being like this—before apologizing to Barnacles—might as well have also been the past anyways.

“Oi, listen up,” Ryla, in a matter of milliseconds, swam up to her side. “I’m glad I met you as much as I am that I met Dashi. If I never did get the chance, I’d have no idea what I was missing out on… Mate, I’d wanna go back and tell my past self to TRULY join the Octonauts… not stay back as a silly little Octo-Agent more than 10 years later…”

Dashi excitedly nodded in agreement. Like if she and Ryla never met, if she NEVER joined this crew of “explore, rescue, protect,” she’d be left in the sand. And while not every past could be good at all, all critters like Tweak deserved some level of love.

“Y-yeah…” The bunny giggled. The fact that she’d have even come this far was memorable. Even if last week WAS the past, being something, being here, even by a single bit of stardust WAS something to be proud of.

“Thank you… thank you…”

The “core”, despite the HQ being the most likely spot for it, slept all the way down in the laboratory, exactly where the transformations spread out from. There was TRUE abundance. Like the eye of a hurricane, like Selma, but instead of being calm, it was where ALL the commotion was. For the little creatures that swim around here, it was their home, their downtown, their big city, their Vancouver, their EVERYTHING. If it had REALLY been a few half hours since this happened, then it was safe to say that this REALLY was spontaneous. That, or these creatures were hiding here the WHOLE time after the crash.

In the middle of it was the sleeping body of a sea otter. It was Shellington, obviously. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for Barnacles to come back and see all of this. He wasn’t scared, he was actually delighted by the eruption of life here. To the creatures who built their homes in the walls and counters and whatnot, he, ironically, wasn’t much of a disruption, even with his huge shark tail. That’s what happens when you’re so well known across the seas, so now all the creatures are getting up close and personal with his tail. Piss off, he’s Kwazii’s AND Paani’s.

Shellington could… kinda hear the conversation between the mermaids upstairs. He could make out what they were saying, and with the honesty in his otter brain, he could understand why this bloom was a little terrifying for some. Poor Peso would shit himself if this kind of thing happened right in front of his very eyes. That’s what happened for the scientist. He was IN here, questioning if he or anyone was REALLY gonna get anything done, just as the first coral popped up. It overtook nearly everything in here, and whilst Shellington didn’t mind, it was pretty bizarre seeing how things like these happen.

Perhaps now was a good time to get up. Kwazii had to be here as well, right? He’s probably in the launch bay gnawing on his tail right now.

5 more minutes of rest would be on his mind, but Paani and Barnacles were coming back and he had to be ready to explain all of this… as if he KNEW why this happened either.

And he could already hear the GUP-A approaching. Oh, jumping jellyfish. Time to get his mind on the right lane and speak up.

“Good thing… I could replenish that energy from swimming so fast,” he yawned, swimming up through the main area and admiring all the colors. It was quite dreamy for him. He’d have seen vast colors, but not in such a compact spot like here. Somehow that made this even better.

Hopefully, this was the LAST time they had to do this kind of thing. Going back and forth between the Pacific Ocean and Guadalupe was the most headache-inducing thing in MONTHS, and that was GOING to stop for sure. Just round up everyone, get them to shore, and… well, Natquik’s idea was pretty low in terms of detail. It was understandable, yes yes, but he’d probably have to go deeper.

“For your assurance, the water is safe for legs,” Barnacles said to the crew inside the GUP-A, as it came to a stop just in front of the wreck. “It seems like the site’s been cleared as well; I didn't detect any scattered debris around here!”

The 4 occupants of the ship (Yeshi stayed behind to look after the Octoray and check for any damages from earlier) all donned their gear and swam out without issue, all following the captain. Bianca had taught her cubs the essentials quite a long time ago and they were putting those learned lessons to good use. Maybe one day, they’d be just like her.

“Oh, now what’s all this about~?” Almost immediately, Barnacles had noticed the changes around here, just to be greeted with Shellington and Dashi.

“Hey, Captain!” The dachshund waved over, making way for him. “You were gone for a little while, so we just tidied up a little…”

“Ah, I see. Good to be here as always,” Barnacles liked the sound of that, as he turned around, beckoning Paani and Tracker inside. “I hope you don’t mind a little extra company… and somehow this is the SECOND narwhal I’m friends with.”

“The second?” Dashi tilted her head in confusion. Of course, she KNEW about Boris… but was the captain being serious? There was barely any way he knew TWO of these-

“H-hi, Dashi!”

Oh, of course it was Tracker. That was worth a few chuckles. What was he doing here anyways? Nevermind that, she was still intrigued on this place becoming a reef in so little time, as was Barnacles who circled around the coral floored area, trying to make sure his eyes were working properly. Being out of sea for 20 minutes after 5 days down here probably wasn’t a good idea, but it shouldn’t have harmed him at all, right?

Right. He was a beluga anyways. The only reason he could breathe underwater was…

Wait.

Barnacles was actually pretty shocked at this realization more than he should’ve. Beluga whales can’t breathe underwater! They’re sea mammals! Polar bears can’t breathe underwater either!

Sure, some of his crew made sense. Paani did, as did Kwazii, Shellington and Pearl. Also, Tweak and Min… AND obviously Ryla.

But others like himself, his sister, Peso, and Dashi? They’d be dead by now. And sure, Inkling could go on land, but that wasn’t the point. This was the opposite. Dolphins don’t breathe underwater. Neither do dachshunds. Or polar bears.

This whole kind of thing was an absolute clusterfuck. Mermaids shouldn’t be real, but now they are, and somehow those who are tailed with those of mammals can survive down here, and now the Octopod is like THIS?!

A random solution that Shellington made months ago simply can’t do this kind of thing. No, this was no workplace accident. This was SUPERNATURAL.

“Barnacles… stop overthinking so much,” he started telling himself. “You know you’ve gone through so much, you’ve put yourself down so much for this… you promised you’d stop… stop overthinking… a good captain NEVER does that!”

He slammed his paws on the computer.

“NEVER!”

Everyone stopped talking and just looked at Barnacles. He was visibly shaking a LOT. His flukes kept swishing up and down, and he kept breathing loudly.

“I… I don’t get it!” He shouted. “I don’t understand ANY OF THIS! WHY DID WE EVER END UP IN THIS SITUATION?! WHY DID WE END UP HERE OF ALL PLACES?! WHY IS THIS ALL HAPPENING TO BEGIN WITH?!”

“Hey! What’s all of this about?” Natquik tried to get his attention. “Barnacles, what’s wrong?”

“THIS ISN’T LOGICAL AT ALL! THAT’S WHAT!” The polar bear replied in panic that slowly turned to sadness. “I… I CAN’T TAKE ANY OF THIS!”

At that, he slowly approached the window in front of him, preparing to BOOK it out of here. He WAS DONE. If he was going to be trapped in a sea of psychological torture, he had to get used to it some way or another. Until then, he was NOT showing his face.

“Barnacles, wait!” Bianca called out. “Please, just stop for a moment… just explain to us what’s wrong!”

There she was. His sister. Seeing all of this unfold. Now THIS was too far. He wanted to feel sorry, but he'd have hit his breaking point, and it was too late.

“…Life makes no sense. I need time to think.”

And so, he lifted his tail, and…

SMASH!

…broke the window, and made a swim for it.

No one had EVER seen Barnacles so upset before, so this was easily quite heartbreaking. The fact that he went from all happy to absolutely broken in minutes… Peso, in particular, was willing to be that he was holding in ALL of this for a REALLY long time.

As for Tweak, though… What she once considered the past came back to mind. The times she had, when she would fall into fits of rage, just like her captain did right now. The times she had, when she even attacked her best friends. The times she had, when she hid away from everyone…

She was horrible.

When she looked back at that, it made her ears droop. It made her feel pathetic. Absolutely abysmal. The fact that she was like this in the past made her choke a bit.

But now? She had LEARNED from that. She learned from her mistakes. She learned what was right and what was wrong. And that? That was worth it in the end. She felt so much better about herself now.

Tweak wanted Barnacles to do the same. She knew his struggles. And he was behaving like she used to. What a pile of trash, right?

No, not at all. Barnacles was critter. Like humans, it was normal for critters to struggle, to stress, to cry, to hit rock bottom. He just needed to recognize it for once and maybe even get HELP. Tweak knew he could rebound from today, and become better than before.

“Uh, guys?” She looked around, until facing the other mermaids… yet she still didn’t see her Pa. “I’m gonna go talk to Cap. I just wanna make sure he’s alright. In the meantime… I guess… wait here.”

And yet, Ranger Marsh STILL didn’t get to see her. The odds were NOT in either of their favors.

Tweak went through the same hole in the windows Barnacles created, twitching her nose as she tried to memorize what path he took. Obviously he wanted to get away from here, so that was worth noting. Where would a polar bear hide, anyways? Would he have made some sort of den?

Now, Tweak… was knowledgeable about this area. Very knowledgeable, in fact. She could circle around the wreck about 2 times and she’d get an idea of where everything was. Together, with what was left of the external pods, even the only non-flooded part of the Octopod (that being Kwazii’s room, that lucky bastard), they formed a compass, became her compass, and with the Octopod having fallen flat on its “face” and northwards…

“He went between the HQ and the rec room,” she told herself. “That’s northwest. And from what I’ve seen…”

She gasped, having gotten the perfect idea. That same cave she and Dashi were in earlier? There’s no way he wouldn’t be in there! She nodded, just thinking about it, before swimming down and not noticing that her tail was starting to change color from a sickly yellow to an alright green, like a mood ring.

Maybe that was the whole point. Or maybe just because she was cool.

~~~~

Barnacles couldn’t get himself out of it. Everywhere he went, he kept remembering that he was like this, that he was in this situation, and to him it was really uncomfortable. Not that he wanted his legs back—that was impossible anyways, so he didn’t mind living with it at first—but he just wished he knew what any of this was caused by.

He hid himself in this cave. His face was down in the sand, making sure he would NOT get a glimpse of the Octopod. He wanted to be ALONE with his OWN thoughts, in hopes that he could calm himself down. Not that it was any easy, though.

It was REALLY embarrassing. He’d have just fallen into a panic attack all because he hadn’t seen Natquik in so long and now the logic was getting to him. If he was alone during so, this wouldn’t be that bad, but this was in front of HIS CREW, HIS SISTER, HIS COUSINS, and HIS FATHER.

…even though, logically, natquik was his step… father? no, he wasn’t even his father, moreso his brother, as his mother never remarried, but barnacles saw him as just his father regardless.

Tweak laid flat on the top of the cave, ears pulled back, staying as quiet as she could to see if she could hear him. Was Barnacles aware of this place as well, or was it just her and Dashi? It WAS still of some close proximity to the base, so it definitely could just be his first resort.

She took a quick peek in, looking for his easily identifiable bright blue suit and his fantastic white fur. And while it was night time, Tweak’s eyesight was… certainly better than most other bunnies her age, and she was 21!

“Well, this is when my tail comes in handy,” she whispered, using it like a bungee cord and swooping down with her whole body. Now, electric eels definitely don’t do this, but oh well. She looked left and right, up and down, side to side. Nothing, up until she looked up once more and saw…

“P-Peso?!” Tweak was surprised. “What… What are you doing here? I said wait at the Octopod, not…”

“S-sorry,” the medic sighed. “I figured if anyone else were to help, it was going to be me.” He and Tweak both swam up, still looking down at the cave. “I just hope he’s okay.”

Alright, thought the engineer. That was valid. Peso was such a good friend to the captain anyways. So trustworthy, so brave, so peaceful… sometimes, she aimed to be like that. The more she thought about it…

“Well, of course we can do this together.”

Tweak went back down again, going more closer in to see if Barnacles really was in there. Surely enough, he was just an inch from the left wall, having gone polar bear fall flat. Dead? No, he couldn’t be. He seemed mostly solid, so definitely nothing attacked him. Perhaps he was just asleep, which was the most likely case.

“Yep, he’s in here,” Tweak gave a thumbs up to Peso, who promptly swam down. “Just stay quiet.” Neither the orca nor the eel wanted to wake up the beluga whale. They just wanted to wait for him. Stay close, just don’t scare him.

How Barnacles ended up reminded Peso of himself. He’d once have been this self aware of all of this. Back in the first days when he was resting on the sands of Isla Guadalupe, he kept questioning how everything in his life led him to this kind of thing. Despite how messed up his childhood was, though, it didn’t really harm him. However, Barnacles was 8 years older, Peso being 20, so it wasn’t a huge surprise the captain reacted differently.

But then, much to the surprise of the other two, the polar bear started to tilt his head upwards. As Peso and Tweak started to back up a little, he brushed away the sand on his face, full of tears.

“…T-Tweak?” He said in a raspy tone, just looking at the bunny in particular. “W-what are you doing here? I… I wanted to be alone right now.”

“…Sorry, Cap.. I…” the bunny started blushing in embarrassment, her tail slowly changing color back to yellow. “I just… wanna… help you.”

Bold words coming from someone who tried to leave him for dead, but Barnacles knew she meant it. Noticeably, throughout earlier today and yesterday, she HAD become a bit more sociable, which was definitely thanks to Dashi and Ryla.

“Well…” He sighed. “I… suppose you’ve changed for the better. I just… don’t get why I’m like this… why am I such a coward?”

Tweak sank to the seafloor, now sitting with her back against the cave wall next to Barnacles. She looked down at him, still laying down.

“It’s not you, Cap,” she calmly said. “You ain’t a coward. I don’t think ANY of us expected to become like this. It’s like how NO ONE crashed the Octopod… it just gave up. None of these changes are on us. It’s how we react to them, and, well… Ya know how I was on day one? AWFUL.” She wrapped an arm around him, making sure he was feeling even a tad better. “Needless to say? That was quite shameful of me, but it doesn’t DEFINE me… I’ve grown to learn that… Like my Pa did.”

“It doesn’t define me, Cap. It doesn’t define you either.”

Yeah, of course that was the case. Peso did. Dashi, too. Even Inkling. Tweak was NOT wrong at all. It didn’t help a lot, but he was understanding this, and that was helping a little already.

“I’d like to say something as well, Captain,” Another voice came from behind him, and almost immediately he looked around, and…

“Oh... oh dear,” Barnacles shook his head in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you earlier, Peso… right, what was that? Keep going.”

The penguin happily nodded. “Well, I think it has to be said for the future, especially now that we’re here. If you ever, EVER feel any sort of discomfort, like if you’re feeling annoyed or upset, or, like right now… please, Captain… talk to me, and tell me what’s the matter.” He calmly explained to his captain, flippers wrapped around the bear’s shoulders. “I may not be perfect at this—I’m a medic—but I’m trying my best with everyone here in mind, especially YOU. I’m willing to bet you’ve been holding in these feelings of anger and sadness for so long, and I think it’s safe to say that you need to let them out sometimes.”

Surrounded by two of his best crew, both who had been in his fins and went through similar issues… just wanting to look after him and wish him the best. Barnacles was fully believing this. This was valid, all of this was valid. It was like his father. They were all just trying their best to keep each other going, above AND below the surface.

“Thank you, Peso… now that I realize it,” he inhaled deeply. “I have to stop bottling this up. I make mistakes, and that’s normal. I just need to get up from them. It’s what everyone wants for me… It’s what I want for myself… so that’s what I’m going to do.”

He exhaled, slowly hovering over the sand and clearing out his face, making sure his fur was white enough. He was truly aware of his mishaps and his reactions. He wasn’t gonna let them kill him. The two other mermaids were delighted, hearing his words of acceptance and his wishes to move on. If his crew could learn their lessons, so could he. So why doesn’t he get going, starting now?

“That’s my Cap.”

~~~~

Above the surface, Yuma was frustrated in their own ways.

Standing and looking at the dark coast as they used to all the time probably didn’t click with their new friendship. Perhaps they needed a taste of what Koshi liked. Did they even ask? Surely THAT would REALLY break the already thinning ice.

“H-hey, Koshi.” They looked back at the puppy. “I’m sure you’re aware of what I do in my spare time… uh, what are your interests anyways?”

Now this was a question Koshi enjoyed getting. Sure, no one really asked her about it, but this coyote, who she'd been staying with for a little while now? THEY asked.

“One word, mate: Mystery! All of it, I tell you,” she gave a bright smile. “Don’t mind what kind, whether it be the disappearance of a kelp cake or the entire Octopod, I’m all in for it. I’ve read more than… 79 novels about this kind of thing. Maybe more, no one knows. See? THAT’s a mystery. And right now I’m in the middle of one!”

“Heh, I see, I see,” Yuma nodded. “You really are enthusiastic about that whole thing. Makes me wish I had something to enjoy myself…”

“Well, you’ve already got yourself,” the dachshund started to suggest, “and I think that’s already good enough… THOUGH, it looks like you want a taste of something else…”

To that, the coyote gave a nod. They DID want a bite out of… anything else, really, than just living this low life of theirs. Any gateway out of that, and they’d be free. Free from the burden that they left everything behind over in California. Sure, they liked their parents, but… holy smokes, Koshi meant SO MUCH to them. Why turn back to hiding away all the time… when she was here? An associate of a bunch of the coolest folks on this PLANET!

That’s when Yuma had an idea. They went inside, looked for the nearest pencil and paper, ran back out, and after trying to remember for a few seconds, sketched

“So, the other night, this little guy just WADDLED over to me while I was listening to music as always, and I have NO IDEA what the HECK it is-“

“Wait a minute-“

Within TWO seconds of seeing the drawing, Koshi proceeded to slowly put a paw to her face, only for both her and Yuma to realize…

How can I just adore the Octonauts like that, if I have no idea what…

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

Just the realization made the two laugh uncontrollably like they were the only ones on this island.

“Mate, I don’t believe it!” Koshi wheezed. “You’ve been honored to the point where Tunip visited you PERSONALLY! What kind of thing needs to happen, for THAT?”

The coyote shrugged with a smile, figuring it wasn’t a big deal after all. After all, that little guy could rebuild his literal flesh. Surely he’d be fine. Not like they told Koshi they caught him by accident, because they DIDN’T.

“I assume you don’t have to return to duty anytime soon, Kosh? I’m sure there are many others here, seeing as the…” Yuma then asked, pausing for a moment to then clarify a little something else.

“Sorry, I just don’t really know what’s been going on for the last few years. This Octoray, these Octo-Agents…”

“I only knew the Octonauts.”

Well, it wasn’t like the Octonauts were ALWAYS popular. Sure, their voices and GUPs were HEARD throughout the 2010s but that later fell down to East Asia for seemingly no reason at all.

The resurgence was fading back in, and now was a good time to truly thank them AND their fellow friends for their efforts, even if these last few years were off the beaten path—going above the surface? Oh, the irony. Koshi, who'd been on one of these pre-Octoray missions with her sis, understood exactly what the enby coyote meant. And who else to blame but… No, enough with the blaming. Koshi wasn’t involved in the Tweak-Barnacles debate and even she knew there was no time for chewing out anyone.

“Well, at least this Octo-Watch comes in handy,” she then replied late. “And no, I don’t think I’ll be needed back any time soon… They’ll find me themselves, unless they’ve had one too many hot cocoas!”

“One too many hot cocoas?” Yeshi chimed in, having stood before them just eavesdropping. “Koshi, where have you been?”

“And speak of the inner core,” the other dachshund looked back with surprise. “My brother, Yeshi! Didn’t think you’d come back, now…”

Meanwhile, the coyote just stopped in their tracks and took a moment to FULLY compose themselves. One other critter was totally fine, but two’s a crowd. So, what did this ‘yotey do?

“H-hi, I’m Yuma, and welcome to Jackass.” said in the fastest and most awkward way possible, finished with a blush, but at least they stayed put. That was a record, wasn’t it?

“…it’s nice to meet you.”

That was something to be proud of, actually. Having warmed up so much thanks to Koshi… none of Yuma’s previous “introductions” could match up… no, they’d have FAINTED before.

“Nice to meet you as well. What’s all of this about?” Yeshi then replied, eyes going to his sister in particular, who did feel just as awkward as the coyote.

“…I made a friend. I’m more than sure of that.” Koshi would proudly announce. “It’s been boring just waiting here for nothing, so I used nights like these to meet up with…”

At that, she walked over to Yuma, and gave them a hug. And despite the height difference, hugs are hugs, and that was something everyone could use. ESPECIALLY someone like this coyote.

“…yeaaaaah. I’m still warming up to it,” they said with an expression of innocent embarrassment. “I had NO idea about you guys… I don’t tend to leave my home a lot, or at all.”

“…scary, I know.”

Unsurprisingly, that WAS to be agreed with. How could someone live like that for so long? Maybe that happened with someone among the other Octo-Agents, but with some typical citizen like Yuma? Ouch.

It was encouraging all three of them… to DO something.

Would they be able to pull this off?

Maybe, even with this unknown dude. Did they know?

Of course they did.

~~~~

“Alright, Cap… just take some nice, deep breaths,” Tweak would continue comforting the polar bear. “Y’know, I was actually gonna tidy up the launch bay and move the GUPs to their designated spaces. If you wanna stay with me, go for it.”

This kind of thing had happened a lot now. Barnacles would definitely have a break under the company of the engineer, like most of his crew had, but everyone was on standby waiting for him, and knowing how they trusted him, he would HATE to keep them waiting.

He thanked the bunny for the offer, but shook his head and swam up to the HQ. The 4 Octo-Agents who remained walking were back in the GUP-A, as was Bianca just comforting her cubs like a good mama bear does, even after they’ve become a mermaid… We already know this stuff, so let’s move on.

“Shiver me whiskers, ye returned!” Kwazii eagerly shook his paw, noticing the much softer expression he took on his face. “Why’d you lose it like that?”

It wasn't something he wanted to talk about, but Tunip was right next to him, and that little guy already proved illogical for the real world. Kwazii couldn’t read minds, even if he believed he could, but as he and Barnacles both looked at the Vegimal, then at their own tails, he somewhat figured out what had happened.

“…I was just worried for all of us. It got too weird for me, and I had to leave. I’m sure it’s all safe, though…” the captain told the kitten, the concern in his eyes having become minuscule. “Best not to worry anymore.”

“…well, Captain,” Dashi looked over at him, with a gentle smile. “If that’s what you’re going for, that’s okay… I just think we should get this whole thing done with.”

“Yes yes… MY thoughts exactly,” Natquik would slowly nod in agreement. “I’ve had these plans for all of us to leave this place… Although I’m not sure about the Octopod.”

“Oh, so that’s what it’s called!” Came a little voice from near the computers, which definitely belonged to one of the hundreds, THOUSANDS of little creatures. “We just came upon this wreck, and we figured we’d make the most out of it!”

Indeed, they’d have made a CITY out of this place. From the HQ to the library, they were everywhere. These creatures of all sorts just took full advantage, within HOURS, and no one knew until this hour.

In retrospect, this was actually quite heartwarming. Even without intention to, the mermaids had been fixing up this place for these little guys, all this time.

The Octopod was inoperable. Lost to the seas for good. And yet, it served as a landmark, a symbol, a reminder, a memoir, a TRIBUTE… to honor what nearly every creature adored.

When it really came to mind, it made tears flow among the crew. Not of sadness, though. These were tears of JOY. Knowing they have REALLY accomplished something, even after this whole ordeal.

In the end, all that time didn’t go to waste after all.

Marsh wanted to enjoy this moment. He really did. Yet, he still felt uneasy. Like, something else was happening behind their backs. He didn’t know what, but it didn’t feel right.

He looked below his feet, and off the edge of the HQ’s remaining glass was the ocean floor… and it was FRACTURED.

Now, the bunny didn’t know a whole lot about these kinds of things. Tweak would—she WAS an Octonaut so she KNEW the sea—but she wasn’t here, and whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.

It was probably an earthquake. An aftershock of March 30? Maybe, but there hadn’t been many, if any earthquakes here during then. Not to mention, others didn’t seem to mind, and the Octopod was still stable, so there was that.

What was it, the ranger thought. Was he hallucinating? Oh no, was he running out of oxygen? Probably, but after checking his Octo-Watch for a moment, it became obvious he was doing entirely fine.

And yet, the ground was still cracking.

Things were gonna get BAD.

“Hey, Ranger!” Natquik looked at him, smiling broadly. “Are you seeing this~? It’s… it’s stunning!” He’d beckon once or twice, before seeing the bunny’s big ears droop, as he just kept looking down and away from the Arctic fox.

Now THAT was unusual. Mermaids were one thing, yes, but seeing Marsh this… quiet? Emotionless? He was a pretty fun guy to be around, but right now he just… floated there.

“What… What's wrong?” The professor swam over to him. “W-why are you just… Why so quiet?”

It then clicked in the bunny’s mind. “Nat! Sorry I scared you, heh…” he HIMSELF blushed in embarrassment, before returning to a fearful expression. “I’m scared. I REALLY AM.”

“Easy now,” the fox would hold his paw. “What’s this about? What is it you’re looking at, that’s making you feel this way…?”

“THAT…” Marsh worryingly pointed right at the ground. Of course, there could be ANYTHING in there, so Natquik didn’t really understand what the bunny meant at first. Maybe there was a little creature that tried to bite him, or whatever.

As he looked left and right real quick, however, it became more clear as to what had triggered the ranger’s fears. And even worse, this kinda thing was reminiscent of something HE HIMSELF had gone through.

This was surrounding the entire Octopod. Was a sinkhole about to open up? Once more, the two didn’t know, but it spelled IMMINENT DANGER.

Not to mention… that blue-purple glow it emitted, AND the increasing temperature REALLY weren’t reassuring at all.

It was like… A LASER.

“Oh NO.” Natquik’s eyes got big. “Wait, I know who can help… PAANI! Over here!” He immediately called over for the macaque, whose attention was easily drawn. He eagerly waved at them, unaware of the situation., before putting himself between the bunny and the fox, his fins blanketing them both.

“Listen up, pancake!” Marsh would tell the manta ray. “You see that sand? There’s some kinda… thing going on, and it’s ABOUT TO GO BAD!”

“NOW, that’s a SIGHT!” Paani was astounded by the internal light show, before being given an awkward look by the two land dwellers.

“I mean, what makes you think it’s so bad anyways? It’s probably just a tunnel where those creatures came from-”

This was when the ground started to pulse, like a heart. Slowly, but it could be heard, and if it didn’t look bad, it CERTAINLY was now.

“OKAY, THAT’S IT!” Natquik shouted. “EVERYONE EVACUATE!”

The others had all heard him, at first a bit confused. Like he himself was, they didn’t understand it, before ANOTHER pulse came from below.

“Uh… did anyone feel that?” Kwazii would ask, only to let out a “YEOW!” after being pulled away by Barnacles, who, despite having no idea why he was instructed, believed Natquik more than greatly as he did for all his life.

It was best for others to follow, especially when the ground pulsed a THIRD time and glowed even more, resulting in the Octopod getting jostled around as a result. Everybody had to catch their bearings, before realizing their base had been turned UPRIGHT. And not at any other angle, no, this was a PERFECT 90 DEGREES. Normally, this would be a good thing, and it WAS, but… this wasn’t right.

“Wait, but what about…?!” Shellington tried calling out to the others, pointing at all the creatures inside. “We can’t just leave them here!”

“I’m sure it’s just a false alarm,” Peso would reply as he swam past the scientist. “It shouldn’t be too long!”

It wasn’t any use. You knew Barnacles and you trusted Barnacles. But THIS didn’t make any sense. Wasn’t the whole point of the Octonauts to EXPLORE? RESCUE?! PROTECT?!?!

Where were they going?

The otter was NOT going anywhere. He wanted to look after these guys, even in the midst of… whatever the ordeal was. He DID feel sorry for the other mermaids, seeing as he was ESSENTIALLY leaving everyone behind, INCLUDING KWAZII.

As he kept close to the HQ’s floor, he could hear the whispers of these little things. All of them, seemingly chanting something… some kinda name. What was this about? They didn’t seem bothered at all, did they? Surely they’d be aware of the danger themselves as well, but no, they just kept standing there like nothing was going on… continuing with their… ritual…? What was this?

Shellington tried to lend a hand, in hopes they’d climb on or something. He did have quite a long and sturdy tail too, so there was plenty of room for some of these smaller creatures. And yet they still didn’t budge… except for ONE little guy, who went up to his ear.

“We’ll be okay,” was all it said to him. As worried as the otter still was, he figured he’d have to let them go. If this was how things would be, then so be it. Besides, he couldn’t just leave Tunip—who looked over him—in the danger zone either.

Meanwhile, Pearl found it unbearable to watch her brother like this, before he IMMEDIATELY dashed out of there with the vegimal in his paws, faster… than an electronic rabbit. It was humiliating. It really was, and yet, Shellington—as well as the rest of the pod—loved the company of everyone in that reef and he didn’t want them getting hurt. No, never. And whilst he risked his OWN life, it was for others to save THEIRS. He’d apologize the moment he was in his sister’s proximity.

“FASTER, everyone!” Marsh would call out, “before it… IT… Uh…” He stopped. Perhaps everyone should calm down a little. Was it really as bad as he feared? Maybe it was entirely unrelated, to just be something entirely normal down here and not harmful at all.

He should’ve asked someone who KNEW about this thing. Someone who had past experience with these tremors. Someone who worked hard, day and night. Someone who meant so much to him…

Or, he could just ask Kwazii-

“TWEAK!” He gasped. With all his senses HOT, he immediately swam back towards the Octopod. “Stay back, y’all! I’ve gotta FIND HER!”

“Ranger, wait!” Natquik grabbed his arm. “If you go down there…”

“…Let me go down with YOU!”

To that, the bunny gave a bit of a smile, before the two, using their (inferior) legs, made a swim for the LAUNCH BAY. That’s where she’d always be, making sure the GUPs were in shipshape… most likely so since Kwazii couldn’t operate any.

Through the holes left days ago, Marsh squeezed his way in, trying to look for his daughter with great speed, only to conclude that, once again… she wasn’t there.

“C’mon… What is it?” He sighed. “Why can’t I just get a SINGLE MOMENT TO SEE HER AGAIN?! There’s gotta be something, SOMETHING going on…”

First it was the crash. Then it was getting here. And now everything was about to blow up. And yet, through all of this… No Tweak. Everyone was here, EXCEPT for Tweak.

She wasn’t dead, right? No, if she was, Barnacles would LET HIM KNOW. Which, he didn’t say anything explicitly about such, so that WAS a good sign.

“Please, Tweak…” he put his paws to his steam-covered helmet in despair. “Where ARE you?”

“Right behind ya, Pa.”

And THERE SHE WAS. Exactly how Marsh expected, maybe BETTER than before.

He was just at a loss of words. He swam towards her and gave her a big hug, relieved that she was doing well as always. Probably not even aware of the inbound eruption. Just enjoying herself, as hinted by her dark green eel tail.

“Sorry I didn’t speak up any earlier,” the engineer said with a hint of awkwardness. “I’ve been working a LOT since, and that’s taken up quiiite a lot of my schedule…”

That was totally logical. Though, for how proud Marsh was of Tweak for all that hard work, she DESERVED a BIG break, now that she was like this, as he thought with all honesty.

“Well, uh, do you have more things to do… in here?” He’d kindly ask, just trying to ignore his impending doom, but Natquik was silently panicking in the background, and THAT was concerning his daughter a little.

“Can’t say I do, but no worries, Pa.” Tweak replied with a hug and without hesitation. “You’ve been on my mind the WHOLE time. MY mind~!”

Now that was something the ranger was happy to hear. Of course he was on her mind, but getting that reaffirmation was always comforting. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just like with his favorite Arctic fox.

But then, he remembered the whole thing going on around him. Natquik was outside, calling for him to “get out of there”, and the water wasn’t just warm—it was HOT, like a bowl of ramen!

“Hmm, my oxygen’s getting a little low now,” Marsh kept in a light mood, rubbing the fog off his helmet. “Why don’t head back to shore and talk all about it, alright?”

Tweak eagerly nodded, figuring it was all for the better anyways. To get to spend that long-awaited time was all she wanted at this very moment.

As the two would make their way out of the base, the ground below SLOWLY started to cave inwards, and the sand was getting everywhere. Tweak quickly covered her face until it settled, which was only a few seconds down, before rapidly looking back and seeing what had happened.

“Uh, is that supposed to happen?” Marsh also looked back with a chuckle, before catching sight of Natquik swimming towards him in panic. He was already following the bunnies, but he WAS caught off guard, despite being just as excellent in swimming as the ranger was.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be good!” The fox shouted out, as he tried doggy paddling his way to the coast. It wasn’t very effective, his arms and legs were getting tired, and he even feared he’d drown here. The panicking had drained his energy and in this kind of thing there was no time to replenish it.

Marsh was about to turn back to try and reach him, until another figure snatched Natquik by the paw and darted past the bunnies like nothing. Tweak, a little shocked, recognized who it was almost immediately.

“Oi! Ya think the coast is close~?” Ryla laughed joyously, giving the old fox a pat on the back. “C’mon, Tweak, let’s get these blokes some fresh air RIGHT NOW. Gotta take a breather, because I reckon we’ve all been flat out for SOME time now!”

Tweak was taken a little by surprise, but she eagerly accepted, grabbing Marsh by one hand and the wombat by the other. From there, they’d RAPIDLY breach the water, despite the heavy load from all 3 of the critters the former cave diver dealt with.

The 4 all floated on the surface, not sure what to do at this point. More than likely, the rest of the crew had already made it to Isla Guadalupe, or at least got MUCH closer than they were right now.

“So, uh, mates.” Ryla looked at the others, perplexed. “Is that it? Are we just stopping here?”

No answer. Just… just waiting here. Was anyone else aware? Definitely, but oh well.

“Well, uh, that’s what I wanna know,” Marsh shrugged. “Is it NOT happening, or are we, like, out of the blast radius?”

“…W-well,” Tweak stuttered a little. “I think we’re going to be completely okay, right guys?”

“Right, guys?”

BOOOOOOOM!

…And then, it all unfolded before their very eyes.

[teecupangel]

Hello my dearest writer. I just wanted you to know I am amused by your creative brain.

So I wanted to ask a senario that ezio (modern au) was kidnapped in his childhood by abstergo and became a templar instead of an assassin. And then desmond, altair and connor(in one team) wanted to bring him back because he is the prophet and an old friend from childhood.

(Sorry for my english friend)

I’m glad you’re enjoying the ideas I’m throwing out in the wilds but, let’s be clear, these ideas come into existence because of wonderful asks and submissions like yours so you guys are the ones feeding my plot bunny who… isn’t even my pet, they just appear in my backyard one day.

.

Okay, so for the three to count Ezio as their old friend from childhood, that would mean they would have met Ezio a few times. In this case, I propose we give Ezio a very similar childhood to his canon self where he was raised without knowing of his Assassin lineage.

Altaïr, Ratonhnhaké:ton and Desmond are of similar ages (although I kinda like the idea that Altaïr is the oldest by 1 year, Desmond and Ezio are the same age and Ratonhnhaké:ton is a year or two younger) but they were raised as Assassin. They know the whole Assassin vs Templar thing, but they’ve been told to not tell Ezio anything. As far as Ezio knows, he’s just visiting an out-of-the-way place where he can play with three boys near his age (we can add that Federico is there for a monthly sparring or so with the older kids and Ezio thought it was just like a club competition or something?)

Anyway, my initial thought was Ezio getting kidnapped during the Great Purge but, if he’s the same age as Desmond, he’d be 13 by then, and I think we should push for Ezio’s ‘indoctrination’ at an earlier age.

So let’s use Haytham’s age of 10 instead and Abstergo learned of the Auditores’ Assassin lineage by luck (and tenacity). They abduct Ezio while he was in school then made the poor child believe that his family left him when they showed him an empty house as the rest of the Auditores have fled to keep their other children safe. There were actually Assassins stationed near the house, just in case Ezio comes back or if Abstergo comes knocking, but they were killed by Abstergo before bringing Ezio there.

So, in this case, Ezio grows up believing he was abandoned. He would miss his family but also, either believes he hates or pretends to hate them for abandoning him. He would be indoctrinated into thinking the Assassins are killer deluding themselves into thinking they’re saving the world without understanding how their actions have only brought misery and destruction to the world.

Unorganized Notes:

Desmond doesn’t run away because Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton are on the Farm as well. (Although, Altaïr did say that if Desmond was running away, he was running away with him, and they’ll drag Ratonhnhaké:ton with them who just goes “you don’t need to drag me, I’ll come with you guys.”)

Ezio’s kidnapping is the cold water that made Desmond realize that Templars are real, and the three actually spent years believing that Ezio is already dead.

Umar is alive in this one (yey!). He’s Bill’s best friend and is one of the best Assassin in the fields, maybe there are even talks of him becoming the mentor’s successor. Because he’s usually being sent for dangerous missions, he left Altaïr on the Farm and Altaïr is Desmond’s childhood friend who may or may not be Bill’s ward. Of course, when the Great Purge hits, Umar dies (aww) for maximum angst!

Ratonhnhaké:ton’s mother is an Assassin, but he’s staying with his grandfather on the Farm as his mother goes to the field a lot. Maybe partner Kaniehtí:io with Desmond’s mother for field missions to give us a reason why Ratonhnhaké:ton and Desmond got close in the first place? Or, if you’d like, Edward is the cousin of William Miles’ grandfather, so they’re ‘distantly’ related. (Haytham either being an Assassin, dead ala Tyranny of King Washington, or still a goddamn Templar in this one is up to you)

They learn Ezio is alive because he starts appearing on cameras and public after he officially became a Templar. He was raised by Vidic and goes by Ezio Vidic instead.

Ezio and Cross don’t really see eye to eye. Ezio thinks Cross is too reckless and should get more medical aid and tests before being cleared for duty. Cross thinks Ezio acts too ‘nice’ and Cross is the only one who calls Ezio out and tells him straight that he knows Ezio still haven’t let go of his past.

Berg joins the Order for the same reason as the canon but, instead of being Cross’ equal/sorta-lackey, he becomes Ezio’s second-in-command. He is secretly ordered to kill Ezio if Ezio ever shows any hints of returning to the Assassins.

I think in this scenario, we should not add the Animus because that would complicate things too much (also, Ezio would be a descendant of Renaissance!Ezio and putting him into the Animus would mean that Abstergo would have access to the Apple sooner)

In this scenario, let’s make the ‘Prophet’ a title which means that Ezio alone can open a specific door that houses the most powerful Isu artifact (your call if that’s true, or it’s actually the final door to the Grand Temple, and we’re gonna kill Desmond again XD).

Abstergo doesn’t have the location, but they have the Prophet. The Assassins have the location but not the Prophet, so both sides want Ezio.

His three childhood friends just want their friend back.

(What about the other Auditores? I think it would really push the plot if Ezio actually shoots Federico, whether he doesn’t know it was Federico or he deliberately did it to show where his loyalty stands, Federico survives because Ezio miss his vital organs. Whether on purpose or not, they can’t be sure)

.

I have to admit, this scenario reminds me of an idea I have (which I was thinking of writing for Halloween… if time permits… probably won’t, idk) of a Canon Divergence AU where Ezio was raised by Berg and joined the Order and became part of Sigma Team. He knows he’s adopted, but he doesn’t know who his birth parents are, all he knows is that Berg adopted him when he was born.

Anyway, Sigma Team gets called in for an urgent mission because a secret Abstergo facility in Fairport, New York (which was pretending to be just a plastic surgery clinic) lost all communication and the entire place went dark.

The last camera footage they saw was two men entering the facility, they wore hoods but facial recognition from cameras providing other angles confirmed they are two known terrorists code-named ‘Altair’ and ‘Connor’.

And Abstergo knows what they’re there to get…

In the deepest part of the facility sleeps ‘Sample 17’.

(So the main idea is: Ezio is trying to take down Altaïr and Ratonhnhaké:ton while the two are trying to find ‘Sample 17’. And… uuhhh… it’s meant to be of more on the body horror side… kinda like… Dead Space type of body horror because ‘things are not as they seem’)

.

(Your English is fine, dear friend :))

[afterdarkprincess]

Aftershocks Part 13

Hello again!!

We're back to very cute mushy feelings <3 And some aftercare!

Thinking one more part/epilogue to round this out (which I'm working on now) and that'll be the end of this fic but I have so many more ideas for these two and I'm actually enjoying writing again so there will likely be more content soon!

Samijey Post-Summerslam

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Tags for @feelschicken @southerngirl41 and @jeyuwuso

Sami ducks around the corner into the bathroom, on a mission to return with a warm wet towel to clean Jey and himself off.

With this moment to himself, even after living everything thats transpired over the last few hours, he still has a hard time believing that all of this was real and not some liquor fueled fantasy he’d dreamed up for himself on a lonely night.

His dating history is shorter than most, what with living most of his life on the road, dedicating his life to his very first love of wrestling. The few times he’d dated women the relationships fizzled out pretty quickly, and the one man he’s been with?

Well he hadn’t lied to Jey earlier, at no point during the arranging of his travel did he expect to have one bed for Kevin and himself, and while he certainly loved his tag partner, it was truly the bond of brothers.

But all those years ago, when Sami had been questioning his sexuality, Kev had been an understanding ear and willing to help him out while he experimented.

It certainly hadn’t been good sex, and all of the sex he’s had in general has been firmly in the “vanilla” category.

Where had all of that come from?

The pet names, the spanking, calling the other man pretty? He knows those are things that probably should be discussed prior to being done in the moment, but it all felt so right and natural. Not to mention hot as hell.

Sami had felt so at home in his role in the bloodline, with his knack for taking care of others and his eagerness to please. It felt like an extension of that, caring for this man that he loves in a whole new way.

And Jey needed someone to take care of him, more than deserved it for the hell he’s gone through.

The thought brings him back to the moment, warm water cascading over the towel in his hand. He wrings it out, making sure its not going to drip everywhere, and heads back to the mini fridge to get a cold bottle of water before returning to bed.

Jey’s still in the same spot on the bed, cozy in the pillows and legs splayed, a pout on his face.

“Bout time,” He gripes.

Sami laughs in spite of himself, even when Jey’s irritated he’s so damn cute.

“Sorry, got distracted.” He kisses the wrinkle in Jey’s forehead as he puts the water on the side table.

He takes his time, slowly running the warm towel through the mess on Jey’s chest and abdomen, loving on his skin in a whole new way. Somehow its even more intimate, going back between Jey’s thighs and cleaning up the mess he left behind.

In hindsight, it probably would have been better to have used a condom. Sure he knows they’re both clean, they both get tested for anything and everything all the time, but it shows a level of commitment that’s showing his hand a little bit more than he intended.

After all things escalated pretty quickly tonight, and he’s in this for the long haul but he doesn’t want to scare Jey off.

He tosses the towel over to the corner of the room and gets back in on his side of the bed.

He spares a glance at the clock and its late. More morning now than night. And he’s tired for sure, body nice and relaxed from the orgasm if nothing else, but sleep is still far from his mind.

Sami settles on his back for a second, staring at the popcorn ceiling, silence stretching between them again.

Jey coughs and Sami looks over at him, and he smiles at the sight of another pout, with the addition of that beautiful flush dusting his cheeks.

“You jus’ done wit me now?”

He can only guess that this was meant as a joke, but there’s a bite of insecurity to the question that hurts Sami’s heart to hear.

He rolls over and takes Jey’s face in his hand. “Of course not,” He kisses Jey’s nose, so softly that its barely a brush of his lips. “You’re not getting rid of me now.”

Jey grins, responding “Good,” before kissing him on the lips. It’s just as sweet as the first time.

They exchange a few lazy kisses like this, unhurried and slow, their legs intertwined on the bed. It’s bliss, an earned reward for the literal trials and tribulations it took to arrive here together.

Sami pulls back a bit, licking his lips to savor the taste of Jey on his tongue. “We probably should uh, talk about what this means at some point.” Jey’s beautiful eyes bore into his, and its hard not to get lost in them. “I meant what I said, you’re stuck with me now.”

Jey nods, and takes one of Sami’s hands in his own. “Tomorrow, ‘kay? N’ uh, go easy on me. M’not so good at talkin’ ‘bout feelings.” He brings Sami’s hand to his lips, kisses each knuckle, gently. “S’important though. You’re important, Uce.”

It warms Sami’s heart but he can’t help but mirror the cringe that befalls Jey’s face when he realizes what he said.

“Shit, no more Uce for you, huh? S’gonna be a hard habit to break.” Jey’s fingers reach up to run through Sami’s hair absentmindedly, tucking a stray lock behind his ears. “Maybe somethin’ else, yeah? Pele? Manamea maybe?”

Sami’s grasp of the Samoan language isn’t the best, but Jey’s tone is unmistakable and the look in his eyes reassures him that they truly are on the same page here.

He kisses Jey again, for no other reason than that he wants to and can. It’s a treat to be able to do so, a gift that he’s never going to take for granted.

----

God I just love them so much 🥰

[holidayvisa]

13 March 2024 - Woke up at Elise's house. I talked to Catherine for two hours on the phone. Did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. Went for a walk on the beach.

Elise came home for a lunch break at noon. We cooked up some lunch, and I made us done smoothies. I received a text from Jimmy, thanking me for being there for him and thanking me for all that I do for him. And I thought to myself, "I didn't do much." It was interesting though, because Elise had thanked me earlier in the day for something similar, and my response was similar, "no, I don't feel like I did much of anything." After lunch, Elise had to do patrol of Mangaroa trail. I hiked up Mangaroa trail with Elise. After we finished, she headed back into work, and I ride the motorbike back to Henderson.

Talked with Fredianne over the office for two hours.

It was interesting that during my phone call with Fredianne, she also thanked me for being there for her. It was interesting to me that three different people, totally independently, had all thanked me for being there for them and listening to them; and my response to each of them was similar - that I didn't do much. I felt almost like I didn't deserve their thanks and didn't deserve their gratitude. But it kind of cemented in that there IS something special that I offer, after hearing three thank yous all on the same day. There is something special that I offer, even if I can't see what that special thing is. I've said this to Judah before, and it's kind of strange that now I'm saying that to myself. I've told Judah about his strengths, that he's patient, that he's good with working with people that require some patience. And Judah's response to me is always, "no, I don't have any special strengths, I'm just normal. But I can see it; I can see that he's patient with people and that he has respect for all people and that he shows compassion to all people and that he sees the inherent worth and dignity of every person. But Judah can't see that about himself; he thinks those are qualities that everyone has. But they're not. They're special. So, I think it's important that I try to understand what that special thing is that I offer, that special thing that Elise, Jimmy, and Fredianne see in me that I don't quite see. But I'm beginning to realize why Judah didn't see his own special strengths. I don't know, it's an interesting realization. I'll have a think about that some more.

After my phone call with Fredianne ended at 5:30, Jimmy and I drove to South Auckland. We picked up Thai food take-away and brought it to Joshy's house. On the way to Joshy's house, Jimmy's car ran completely out of petrol. Luckily, he has a Jerry can or petrol in the trunk, and we put some more fuel in his tank.

The car turned on, and we drove the rest of the way to Joshy's. We all had a few beers, and I scarfed down my dinner. I drove us back to Henderson, stopping to fill up Jimmy's tank at a petrol station.

I'm grateful for walks on Piha Beach. I'm grateful for Elise, Jimmy, and Fredianne. I'm grateful for long chats with good friends. I'm grateful to go on missions with Jimmy and to hang out with Joshy and Jimmy.

[seacee16]

when petals fall | bangchan

bang chan x original female character

warnings: mention of panic and family death, lots of angst

prev chapter // next chapter

!! FULL STORY ON AO3 !!

ch. 13 ~ when it hurts

“Keep up, old man!”

Seungmin raced passed the group from behind, leaving an invisible trail of smoke in his wake as Jeongin and Felix followed behind him in a fit of giggles. The leader could only scoff at the taunt, knowing well that no amount of reprimanding would get him to stop.

The Jeju sun beat down in strong rays, leaving their skin sticky and warm to the touch. They had risen extra early to get a start on the day’s missions; the first one having been relay breakfast making. The mission had gone significantly smoother than the previous meal, with zero eyes harmed. Once everyone had their share and was dressed and ready for the rest of the day, they divided themselves into three uneven groups – the two eldest males, the three youngest, and the three in the middle as their final group – for a scavenger hunt. The kids were instructed to find, and take photos of, various spots and iconic objects around the town without asking any of the locals for assistance.

They split up, each group venturing into different parts of town to begin their search. As the only pair, Sakura was told to stick with Chan and Lee Know as they explored. She stayed silent, focusing on keeping the camera angled towards them at all time in order to not miss anything. The trio made their way through the coastal area, making conversation in between filming. However, while the boys went about their hunting, Sakura couldn’t shake the pressure building in her chest whenever her eyes drifted to the sea. The chain around her neck forming a loose noose, slowly tightening with every passing minute. But then she’d hear her name being called and see Chan smiling at her, and for a moment, she was able to breathe again. Just a moment.

It had been like every other morning for the group, but to Sakura, it was far from normal. It was painful, everything bringing a new memory to the surface. She was grateful for the distraction the boys brought, having to focus on filming Lee Know and Chan as they ventured further into town. It was the small things that set her off. It always was. The smell of fresh lemon poppy muffins from one of the bakeries they had passed. The warm sea breeze on her skin. A ginger stray with dark copper stripes covering its furry body. Her wrist throbbed under the weight of the camera, her arms straining to keep it up for long periods of time.

 

It was around 4 when all eight members finally found their way back to their original meeting point, after a few hours of walking around. Each one raved about which objects from their lists they had managed to find. Crabs and local statues and even a dog that looked hauntingly similar to their own puppy member.

“Did Sakura-noona leave?” Chan opened his mouth to say ‘no’, but stopped when he noticed that the younger male was right. The girl was nowhere to be seen. He looked around, expecting her to jog into their line of sight at any moment, apologizing for getting lost or stepping away to take a phone call or coming back from the bathroom. But she didn’t. It shouldn’t have worried him as much as it did, but when her voicemail filled his ears instead of her cheery ‘hello’, he felt his stomach twist.

“Maybe she went back to the house? We did finish filming earlier than expected,” Felix reassured, seeing the worry in his leader’s eyes.

Chan forced a laugh, nodding along. “I guess so. After all, she isn’t used to following us around like this. She must have tired herself out with all the walking.” His words were unsure.

“But…”

“She would have told me if she was going back.”

Hyunjin stepped forward, placing a hand on Chan’s shoulder as he gave it a comforting squeeze. The dancer could feel how tense he was. They could all see it. He kept looking around and his fingers wouldn’t break away from his bracelets. “We have time. Let’s split up and look for her. We’ll find her in no time, hyung.” A bitter taste filled his mouth. Surely, she couldn’t be too far.

He wanted to be right, for the leader’s sake, and for his own.

<3      <3      <3

The pain in her chest was too great. Trigger unknown, Sakura had become desperate to get away from them. She should have told them. She knew that. But it was so sudden, all she could think about was finding a safe place where none of them would find her for a good while. That’s how she ended up at the beach. The exact one Sakura had sat by with her father so many moons ago.

Dragging her fingers through the sand, Sakura tried to think of what to say. The thought about the weight of the journal left behind in her room, filled with the events of the last year. Everything she had wished to tell him was buried in those pages. Every smile and tear and dream. And yet, she couldn’t think of what to say. The wind was gentle in her ears, caressing her hair as if he were reaching out from the next world, coaxing the words out of her.

“It was never this hard to think of things to speak to you about when you were here,” she finally admitted, eyes focused on the patterns she had created among the pale grains. Ripples and swirls and valleys. “So, this should be easy, right, otōsan?” The ocean gave no reply, the crash of its waves no more than a whisper in the distance.

“I wanted to come sooner. I kept telling myself that I was putting it off because Soo-yun and Lilli were never free, but I think that was just an excuse. I wasn’t ready to face you. But then,” she said, a hint of joy finding her face, “I met someone. Multiple someones, actually. They’re great. I think you’d like them. I know you always thought it was a little silly to find happiness in the people who make music instead of the music itself. But these boys, they’re special. In a good way. In the best way.” Sakura couldn’t stop the smile that made its way onto her face as she spoke about them. “They’re with me here. Chan wouldn’t let me travel alone, so he put together this elaborate plan to get his company to let them come with me. He’s a sly wolf, that one, but he has a heart with a capacity to love greater than I have ever seen. He is kind, and intelligent, and overflowing with talent. I thank the stars every day for knotting our strings, even if it’s just for a brief time.”

The ocean hummed, easing her on. With every rise and fall, Sakura found it easier to speak. Her index finger slipped through the ring at her neck, seeking comfort in its curves. She took a deep breath. “Are you disappointed in me? For leaving?” Her mind drifted to her family in Japan; the looks on their faces when she mentioned leaving. It broke her heart. Her sister had stormed off in the midst of her rage, but her mother had only offered a sad smile. She wouldn’t restrict her daughter to her four walls. Between the two, Sakura had always been closer to her father. And if her departure hurt her, she didn’t show it. Deep down, she knew that her mother understood. She always did, or tried to for her sake. “It didn’t feel right to be surrounded by you even in your absence. I felt you everywhere I went, and yet you were nowhere. I was gasping for breath in a place that couldn’t provide life to a match. You were haunting me, otōsan. Sadness followed me around like a cloud until I finally broke. I wanted to see the sun again. I wanted to breathe again. And I couldn’t do it there. I had to leave.” Her words hung in the air like a thick fog as she waited for a reply she would never get. It had grown dark, the night bringing a new sense of comfort and hiding to the girl.

“I miss you, otōsan.” There it was. The words she had failed to say since he left. The thought had always been there, but the words were never able to make it past her trembling lips. Her throat constricted, swallowing air as if it were tar. With one final gust, her walls collapsed around her.

That was when he spotted her.

The boy had been tasked with checking the shoreline for the missing girl after the group split up. The last half an hour had been nothing but bare dunes and cold whispers from the sea. However, his efforts were rewarded in the end. On the far side of the beach, under nothing but the moon’s protective gaze, sat Sakura. She looked smaller than usual; knees pulled up to her chest as her chin rested on crossed arms. Her eyes were focused on the water sparkling a few feet away.

Pulling out his phone, Hyunjin sent a quick message to the rest of the boys before pocketing his device and making his way to the lonely girl. He lowered himself to the sand besides her and stretched his legs out in front of him, hands tucked away neatly in the front pocket of his hoodie. He wanted to give Sakura her space, but the boy couldn’t help but turn to look at her. She had tied back her hair with the yellow band she never removed from her wrist, the metal sun on the elastic smiling up at the night sky. Small puffs of air would pass her lips every couple of seconds, slow and calm. To anyone else she may have seemed at peace. Simply enjoying the relaxing twilight. But he knew.

Hyunjin hadn’t expected her to be the first of the two to speak, but when she did, he could hear the hidden quiver in her voice.

“I made him worry, didn’t I.”

“We were all worried,” he responded truthfully. She sighed out an apology, chest deflating as she did.

Her words were haunting. “I can’t keep living like this. Nights like these make me not want to live without him besides me,” she mentioned. Whether it was to Hyunjin or the breeze or the crashing waves, he’d never know. But it was something that had to be said out loud. “It’s too much.”

“I think,” he started slowly. “He wouldn’t want you to forget how to live. It may not feel that way, but you don’t need him here to live. Your heart doesn’t need him to beat. And your lungs don’t need him to breathe. There was always going to be a day where he left this world to go to the next, it just came sooner than you had hoped, much sooner than what you were prepared to say goodbye.”

The sound of a sob broke through the rush of the wind, carried down the span of the beach. Hyunjin could feel the air around her trembling as she cried.

Tilting his head back, he looked up at the dark canvas hanging over them and exhales. His lips tilt.

“He’s up there, Sakura. Waiting for you to come back to him. But not today. And hopefully not tomorrow, or the next day, or even next year. There’s still so much you have to do and experience. You need to mix every paint colour perfectly, and perfect every art form known to you. You need to be there for our last comeback, and see Chan-hyung’s hair reach its peak health.” The latter earned a small, spluttered laugh from the girl. He smiled gently. “You need to live through all of the tomorrow’s that he never had, and you need to make them your own. New people. New adventures. New love. You need to do it all. And when you meet him again, years down the line, you tell him about it. Every single moment that he could only witness from a bird’s eye view. And you spend the rest of your new life telling him. But until then, stay.”

Sakura fell silent, her cries softening, but no words left her lips. So, instead of expecting a reply, Hyunjin shifted closer to his friend, reached over, and guided her head until it rested against his shoulder. And there they sat. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. An hour. Two figures in the sand. Underneath the very stars that waited for their inevitable return.

<3      <3      <3

The sound of the gate to the yard opening caused seven pairs of eyes to shoot up from their meal. The group of boys felt relief wash over them when they saw the girl following close behind Hyunjin as he approached them. However, when he went to take a seat with them, she stayed behind. Fingers locked together tightly in front of her, head hanging low.

Keeping her eyes on her sandy sneakers, Sakura took a deep bow. “I’m sorry for making you all worry.” With that, she walked away.

Chan’s stare followed her figure as she headed towards her own room, lingering on the door long after it shuts behind her. He felt his heart squeeze in his chest, remembering the date she had mentioned the night she had gotten drunk and cried. It’s today. The disposable wooden chopsticks strained under his grip as his hand fisted, all restraint disappearing like sand falling through an hourglass.

“Hyung.”

When Chan finally tore his gaze from the door, he was met by worried stares from each of his members. His eyes caught Hyunjin’s in particular. The leader watched as his head tilted subtly in the direction of Sakura’s room, followed by a small nod of assurance.

Go to her.

So, Chan put down the half-eaten meal and stood. “You guys finish up, try not to stay up too late. Be up and ready to head back before noon.” That was all he said before making his way to her bedroom.

He stopped himself from knocking, counting softly before slipping into the room. Once his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he found her lying awake with her eyes focused on the wooden beams exposed along the ceiling. Her fingers played with the ring that hung a little lower than her collarbones. Chan had noticed it before, but felt no need to question the item of jewelery. However, seeing the way her trembling fingers slid over the smooth curve of the gold band, he knew that there was something more to it. He lowered himself onto the open bedding next to her, laying down so that they were shoulder to shoulder.

There was silence. The pair laid side by side in the darkness. Arms touching.

“I’m okay.”

“I know.”

Cold fingers tugged at the gold ring resting against her heart, feeling the smooth metal slip onto her finger before tipping it off again. Too fine to feel beneath her fingertips, her mind drifted to the single word engraved into the inner surface of the band. Her father hadn’t had the chance to live out the forever her parents had planned to spend together. A mere 25 years was all that he got. He should have gotten more. He deserved every forever out there. Sakura couldn’t help but think back to her crying mother, with tears spilling from her content eyes as she thanked their god for those mere 25 years, because for her that was forever enough. Those 25 years were the exact forever that others prayed for. But the young girl was selfish, and she wanted more. More Star Wars marathons on his birthday, and headbutts right before bed. And if not that, then just one minute to hold him for the last time, and to whisper the final goodbye she wasn’t allowed to give.

She squeezed the ring a final time before slipping the chain under the neck of her shirt, tucking the memories away with it. Quietly, Sakura rolled onto her side, facing the watchful eyes of her sun.

“Hi.” Her voice was small, almost childlike. Her smile, the same.

Chan smiled back at her.

“Hello, petal.”

He watched the sad stars flicker in her eyes, trying not to plummet from their dark skies onto the pale cheeks waiting below. But when the two smiling crescents began to wane, and her lips starts to shake, Chan saw the true extent of her sorrow.

“Come here,” he breathed, wasting no time in pulling the girl to his chest.

Sakura made no attempt to fight him, hiding her face against his chest before any tears could spill. His embrace was warm. Her fingers tightened around the material of his sweater in silent desperation. Deep down, she was afraid that he would leave her too. The closer they got, the shorter their time left together felt. Like they were standing with their toes off the edge, the moment right before you tip and gravity drags you down.

She felt his hand trail up her back and into her hair, smoothing out any bumps and rubbing circles into the base of her neck. Sakura sighed before letting her eyes fall close. Soon, her breathing had fallen into rhythm with the movement of his chest beneath her head. Slow rises and steady drops.

Chan’s other hand reached out to her waist cautiously, waiting for any indication for him to stop. But there was none. So, he moved his hand to her hip, where her shirt had risen slightly over the band of her pants, exposing a strip of skin. Then, with feather-light touch, the boy grasped the hem of her shirt and tugged downwards until her skin was protected from the nippy air once more. Only then did he let it rest comfortably on her side, his thumb stroking soft lines where it lay.

When her breathing had evened out, Chan shifted to leave. He didn’t want to risk making her uncomfortable. But the hand on his chest tightened.

“Don’t go. Please.” Her words were soft, scared. So, he stayed.

Chan settled down once more, making sure to pull the thin blanket pooled at their feet over both of them. He felt the hand on his chest release his sweater, moving upwards to rest at the back of his neck. His eyes slipped closed as her fingers raked up into the hair at the back of his neck, stopping there.

“Thank you,” she whispered to him.

The boy simply hummed in return, relaxing into her touch. The hand that had been placed on her waist moved to trailed up her arm softly, coaxing away the cold felt on her skin. When it reached the hand tangled in his curls, he turned his head and placed a delicate kiss to her bare wrist before letting his head drop to the pillow. And that is how they stayed, until the rhythm of their heartbeats fell into sync and their dreams intertwined, both sharing a deep, uninterrupted sleep for the first time in what felt like weeks.

 

Familiar arms wrapped around her shoulders, the smell of home engulfing her. Once again, he’s presence blanketed her. But this was different. There was no chill to the air, no darkness, and no empty space where he should have been. Instead, she felt warm, a steady rhythm beating beneath her ear. Tears welled in her eyes as she held on tighter.

“You came,” he whispered. Sakura let out a pained noise. She had almost forgotten the sound of his voice. Her mouth opened to respond, but nothing came out. All she could do was nod against his chest, memorizing the melody of his heartbeat.

“How I’ve missed you, my flower.”

He looked healthy, full of colour and light. His eyes were bright and happy and he had more muscle mass than when she had said goodbye. He looked like himself again.

“I miss you,” she whimpered. “I’ve missed you every day since you left, and I will miss you every day until the next life reunites us.” The man smiled down at his eldest daughter with pride.

“You’ve grown.” Sakura felt his hand stroke her hair, reminding her of the night her anxiety kept her awake long into the night. When he would sit beside her until she drifted, the comforting feeling lulling her to sleep. “I’m okay, Sakura. You’ll be okay.”

 

When morning broke, they were still tangled together under the blanket. The cold had failed to get them, being kept out by body heat alone. Chan was the first to wake this time. His eyes found her face immediately, gaze soft as he noticed the tear streaks on her cheeks and the way her hands still clutched his shirt. He shifted closer to her, lips brushing against her temple affectionately. In that moment, looking down at her tired frame, Chan wanted nothing more than to keep her in his protected embrace for years to come. He wanted to carry her sky on his shoulders, no matter how dark or loaded. He wanted it to be him. For as long as she allowed it to be him.

She stirred against his side, face nuzzling into his chest as her eyes fluttered open. He saw the moment that their position registered in her sleep-hazy mind. Only, to his surprise, she seemed okay with it. There was no embarrassed blush to her cheeks or wide eyes. She didn’t rush to put a safer amount of distance between their connected bodies. No. Sakura just looked up at him through thick lashes, a content sigh floating past her lips. His heart squeezed in his chest. Something about the look in her eyes and the weight of her head on his chest and the way her arms stayed wrapped around him felt normal. Like their every morning began this way. And Chan couldn’t help but wish for that to be their future.

“How are you feeling?” Chan asked when her eyes focused on him.

“Drained.”

He frowned at her words. “Is there anything you need me to get for you? Water? Something to eat?”

Sakura just shook her head, turning her head so that her cheek was pressed to his chest. She felt the steady thumping of his heart beneath her ear, the combination of his heart’s song and the heat from his body wrapped around her own almost enough to lull her back to sleep. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, taking in the pure contentment she felt. The events of the previous day had left her painfully overstimulated, to the point where the thought of anything touching her made her skin crawl uncomfortably. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to be anything but in the safety of Chan’s arms. She would happily endure the suffering for a few moments longer if it meant listening to his heart sing beneath her ear.

“On any other day like this, I’d just curl into a ball and hibernate for the next day or two until I feel 100% again, but that’ll have to wait until I am back home and don’t have to worry about someone else hogging the covers.”

Chan scoffed playfully. “You surely weren’t complaining when you were wrapped around me stealing all of my body heat last night.” There was nothing sexual about what he said, but his words made her blush. Flustered, Sakura rolled over so that her back was towards him. She heard him laugh, deep and throaty.

Her heart spiked at the feeling of his arms winding around her from behind, his chest pressed to her back as he buried his face in her neck. “Don’t be shy now, Sakura.” When she tried to get out of his grasp, his hold on her tightened. He kissed her shoulder softly. “Ten more minutes, petal. I’m not done holding you yet.”

“Five,” she said softly, knowing well that she would say yes to any request he had.

In a low voice, he replied, “I wasn't asking, petal.” There was a moment of silence before Chan whispered something so gentle that she had almost missed it.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Sakura.”

[ms-rampage]

Sold Off (Part 2)

Lloyd Hansen x Fem!reader (Y/n)

Summary: After Lloyd kills your abusive father, Y/n inherits her father's business and other assets, but there will be a price to pay.

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: Language. Sorta soft Lloyd. Father figure Ari (not really a warning but still). Flashback.

Y/L/N = Your last name

Y/n = Your name

Cassandra is Y/n and Lloyd's infant daughter, named after Y/n's deceased mother.

After giving birth to your daughter Cassandra who is 8 almost 9 months old, you've been at your happiest. She's definitely the light in your life, Lloyd has been busy with his work, but that doesn't mean he isn't the light in your life. He's always gone on missions, you know it kills him to be away from you and your little pumpkin.

With your father being dead, you've felt free, Ari stuck around and kept you company whenever Lloyd was on his missions, it did worry you he'd get himself killed, it worried you a lot, and you're pretty sure little Cassandra can sense when you worry because she'd start crying.

Ari being Ari always comforted you, and helped take care of Cassandra whenever you needed time for yourself.

"Get some rest Y/n, I'll watch Cassie." he tells you, taking the infant from your arms, "You need sleep."

Rubbing your face, "Yeah, I know. Wake me up in a few hours, yeah?." you tell him, laying on the couch.

"Of course." he nods his head, leaving you in the living room to get some sleep that you desperately needed due to Lloyd not being home.

*13 years earlier*

“Where are we going?.” 9 year old you asked Ari, your father is away with his business, and Ari stayed behind to watch over you.

“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise.” he tells you, not looking away from the road.

“Dad doesn’t like when I go outside the manor.” you tell him, hint of nervousness in your young voice.

“Don’t worry about your father.” he consoles you, “You know your uncle Ari will protect you from him.”

Your father was too busy with his work to watch over you, leaving the maids, and butlers to watch over you. Overall your father doesn’t care about you, and Ari knew this, he despised him for it. How could someone hate their own child?.

Your childhood isn’t normal, not even close, Ari tries to shield you away from the talks of killing, guns, and violence, because you’re just a kid. You’re homeschooled, in a way, except for teachers or tutors. It's the maids, butlers and nannies reading to you, teaching you basic math and English, as well as common sense stuff, such as changing a light bulb, unclogging the kitchen sink, cleaning the oven, and how to do laundry.

Your father neglected you, and your mother died giving birth to you, but of course you didn’t know that.

About 3 miles away from the manor is an equestrian stable. One of the maids, Maggie, had given you a book called “Flambards” by K.M Peyton. She was there when your grandmother took you to an equestrian event a few years prior, when your father Willam lashed out at her, and told her the dangers she could’ve put himself into if they found out about his work.

Of course he only thought about himself, why she didn’t report him to children protective services is beyond your knowledge.

Pulling into the dirt parking lot, your eyes immediately lit up to the sounds of neighing, and the whinnies from horses.

Ari saw the look in your eyes, and smiled “I told you were gonna love it.” You both get out of the car, and approach the stables with a variety of horses, and other animals, goats, pigs and a few alpacas, it was somewhat of a petting zoo, but your main focus was on the horses.

One horse in particular caught your eye, it was running around the round pen to the right, looking like it was having the time of its life.

A blue eyed, Amber Champagne Thoroughbred named LaRae, she was beautiful, she seemed to be very social because the moment you, and Ari approached the pen she immediately came up to both of you.

You being a very small 9 year old, you couldn't reach her head to pet her. Ari lifted you so you’re sitting on his shoulder, now you’re able to get a better look at her.

“She's a beautiful one, ain’t she?.” he says, petting her mane.

“She is!.” you respond, unable to stop smiling at all this joy you have.

****

You wake up to the sound of footsteps approaching you. “Y/n?.” Ari gently taps your shoulder, you wake up completely, taking the blanket off of you. Rubbing your face, rubbing the crusts out of your eyes.

“Where’s Cassandra?” you ask him, stretching out your arms.

“She’s with Suzanne.” he tells you, you groan as you stand up. You’re not very fond of her, and Lloyd knows this, so does Ari. If Cassie could understand the basic concept of language, she would know this too.

You leave to the kitchen, where you see Cassandra in her high chair, eating some cut up fruit that you’re sure Ari had given her, since Suzanne doesn’t help out with her.

With Lloyd being gone 80% of the time, you felt like a single mother, but you did have Ari to help you.

“Suzanne.” you say as you walk into the kitchen, acknowledging her, but not looking at her.

“Y/n.” she responds, giving you a side glance before looking away. You pick up your daughter from her high-chair, and leave the kitchen.

You take her into the next room, and sit down on a chair with her on your lap, cleaning her mouth.

You were surprised when you heard the doors to the villa open, and Lloyd’s voice immediately followed shortly after. “Sunshine! Can you come here?”. Something about his tone, he sounds a bit off. You go to where he was at, daughter in your arms, Ari following behind you. The second you walk in, Lloyd’s eyes immediately go to your daughter.

“My little sunshine.”he says, as he takes her from you into his arms.

“What’s wrong?” you ask him, “Sounds like you...”. He cuts you off before you could finish you sentence.

“You’re in trouble.” he tells you.

Your eyes go wide. “W-what?.” you mutter. He switches arms with Cassandra, moving her from one arm to the other.

He sighs, “Turns out the business, or should I say the issues that your father had, are now your problems. He didn’t have a will, but you automatically inherit his business.”

“Is that a good thing?.” you ask, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Your father had a lot of enemies. Of course you wouldn't know that because he didn’t loop you into any of his business.”

Ari standing in the doorframe behind you, gives his few cents “William did have many enemies, but they wouldn't know of Y/n’s existence.”

“Actually, Mr. Levinson, that's where you’re wrong, at that auction. Some, or 90% of the men who were there had issues with William. That's why he sold her off, so he could pay them off.”

“Well I’m really glad that piece of shit is fucking dead!.” you growl, starting to feel angry. Lloyd covers one of Cassandra’s ears acting in shock to your slight outburst.

“Language!.” he says, showing that he is a dangerous sociopath that still has a sense of humor.

“Wait, why were you there at that auction?” you ask him, in his eyes you looked innocent, yet naive.

He chuckles, giving you a side smirk “C’mon pumpkin, you should know that.”

You connected the dots, “You had an issue with my dad??.” you look back at Ari, who is just as confused as you.

“Of course I did, I didn’t know of your existence until the auction, so that's where I’d got him, buying his daughter, but he didn’t get the money, only a swift death. I played him, a little too good though.”

You turn to Ari, “Ari, did you know about this??.”

Shaking his head, “I didn’t. I swear Y/n, I didn’t know about any of that.”

Turning back to Lloyd, “B-but if my father had a problem with you, why did he think it was a good idea to sell me off?!?.”

“He was desperate sweetheart.” Lloyd tells you, “He needed the money, and people auctions pay pretty good, but his enemies are my enemies now because you are to stay inside, and not to leave.”

You throw your shoulders back, “Great, it's like I’m back to living with my dad, not being able to leave the manor.”

Lloyd sees your disapproval, “Unlike your father, I actually love and care about you. Both of you.” he hands you back Cassandra.

“Since you inherited his business, assets and all that shit, his enemies will be coming for you, so that's where I come, and take care of them myself. You take care of our daughter, and be the best wife I’ve had.”

You have mixed emotions now, you love Lloyd, but he only got you so he can kill your father, and impregnated you before he could ever pay him. He got to keep the money and you. Cassandra was just a bonus that you two got. You still remember the look on your father’s face when you told him you were pregnant with Lloyd’s child, he looked angry, but a whole new level of anger, like he knew at that very moment what Lloyd was doing, planning and that's why he left in a hurry, but wasn't quick enough. Got his arm broken in the struggle, you saw the look in his eyes, and it was fear but at the time you didn't care at the time because a part of you wanted him to die because of all the pain he did to you.

His anger always got the best of him, and he couldn’t see that. Its been almost a year since Lloyd killed him.

You nod, and leave the room walking past Ari, taking yourself and your daughter to your room.

A few hours later, you’re still in yours and Lloyd’s bedroom, playing with your daughter.

Watching her attempt to take her first steps only to fall back down.

“C’mon you got this.” you tell her, encouraging, and watching her to try and stand up on her own, but she got jelly legs. She started crawling at 6 months, but it was more of a roll and crawl a few inches.

Cassandra coos, and makes her baby noises as she tries to walk to you. What you didn’t know is Lloyd was watching you two interact with one another, this wholesome moment between mother and daughter makes him smile, the only time he lets himself be open, and unarmed is when you three are together for family moments like these.

She tries again on standing up on her own, “You got this!.” you tell her. She takes a few steps towards you, and is able to walk without losing her balance.

“You got it!.” you praise her for walking without help. You've never smiled so much in life.

“She’s getting bigger everyday.” Lloyd finally speaks up after watching you two for about 5 minutes.

You jump to his voice, you look back. He approaches the both of you, and sits at the edge of your bed while you're still seated on the floor with your daughter sitting in your lap. He takes her from your arms again.

She looks like you, a splitting image, but has Lloyd's eyes. “It's a matter of time before you start talking back to us.” he starts telling her, as if she’ll grow up to be a rebellious teenager. “No boys will be allowed to come over, then you’ll rebel against us, and sneak out after dark.”

You can’t help but smile, seeing this side of him is very heartwarming, and you love it so much. A protective father. “I don’t think she’ll be that way when she gets older.” you tell him.

“You never know sweetheart. She will eventually, you know how strict I’ll be.” he continues, “Maybe if we have another that’ll prevent that from happening.”

Your eyes widened, “Another kid? You want to have another kid?.”

He shrugs, “Why not? I don’t mind having a Lloyd Jr.”.

“Maybe in a year, or so.” you respond, “I’m still recovering from having Cassandra.”

You were in labor for 14 hours, and it kicked your ass, you had her at the villa, Lloyd got doctors and nurses to come, and assist in the delivery of your daughter.

After 14 hours of pain and contractions, you pushed out your 7lbs daughter, and you already knew what you were gonna name her, and Lloyd agreed with the name Cassandra Lynne, named after your mother and grandmother respectively.

Some time later, you put Cassandra to bed. You head downstairs to the living room, where Lloyd is threatening one of his men.

"Well get the connection before I beat you to death with that keyboard." he threatens a man who's sitting at one of the computers.

Ari is standing away from them, standing in the doorframe a few feet in front of you.

"What's going on?." you ask him. He turns to you, "Lloyd is trying to track some of your father's enemies."

"Any luck?." you ask, standing next to him.

"Nope." he shakes his head, "Nothing. Yet at least."

“ Do you think they’ll find me?.” you ask him. Ari looks over at you, he immediately sees the fear in your eyes.

“I don’t think so. If they did, they’re in for one hell of a fight.” he tells you, and it convinces you.

The rest of the night you were scared for your life, but you were more scared for your daughter's life. You didn’t want her to grow up without a mother, or parentless for the matter.

You hoped Lloyd would get a lead on something. If all your father’s enemies are taken care of, then you’ll finally be at peace and can live a normal life. Well sorta of a normal life. With you, Lloyd, Cassandra, and maybe Lloyd Jr.