#i kinda drew his tail wrong in the coloured one

[bonkquartz]

man what the heck!!! i've been drawing mumbo since forever on this blog and the first coloured piece i post is JOEL SMALLISH BEANS???????????????? i did sneak in a little mumbo drawing (try find it, level impossible), but um ignore him he isn't relevant in this piece

close-ups under the cut

i was inspired to draw this because someone said something about how the fandom should make joel a watcher, and i somehow completely forgor to add in a drawing of watcher joel until the very end !!!!!

[managician]

Getting back into Sonic has reminded me of how much I love sontails... It's such a cute and fluffy ship, they just warm my heart so much. 

I’ve seen a lot of hate for it lately, though, so I ended up writing a whole essay (aka rambling) about why I think they’re great together. Figured I’d share that here for anyone that might need a pick-me-up :) 

(Or for people interested in learning the perspective of a shipper, ig. I’m open to discussion.)

“What’s so good about them?”

I know plenty of people hate it romantically, but I really adore their bond in any shape or form. The idea of this really cool hero that's just some guy and his nerdy life partner settling together feels so wholesome to me, with how much they appreciate each other.

There's a closeness and mutual understanding in their dynamic that is simply perfect. I can see them casually growing into a relationship once it hits them how much they need each other in their lives — and it'd be the mushiest thing known to man, I tell you. 

To Tails, Sonic is his light and source of inspiration, after saving him from bullies; to Sonic, Tails is the best buddy he could've asked for, someone loyal that will always keep up with him. They mean the world to each other. They're very attached, to the point the other character feels 'wrong' when they're alone (Sonic: Tails... it’s weird without you following me... [Frontiers], Tails' whole disappearance act after Sonic went missing [Forces]).

It isn't hard to imagine the adoration they hold for each other in a romantic light.

They're always together, through thick and thin. They were each other's first friend. Wanting to keep the other safe, wanting to support them… those are emotions just as powerful in friendships than in relationships, and very much present in their case. 

They're literally called the Unbreakable Bond. Their friendship has been put to the test before, but it always stays firm in the end — so how would their closeness work in case either of them developed feelings...? It's pretty cute, it can be drama-free if you want it to, but it can be kinda angsty and interesting all at the same time. 

With how important they are to each other, anything that alters or touches on their bond can make for great character development. That really drew me to them in the first place.

(Here's the point when someone would come in and say "You're a freak, please kys", to which I'd reply, I have to wonder what part of what I described is 'freaky' whatsoever. 

I see them as best friends, and their ship dynamic as an adorable, budding love born out of their dozen adventures together. I've clearly stated as such. If that's gross to you, I got nothing, to be honest.)

“Okay, but they’re brothers. You’re disgusting.”

Of course, I understand why people see it brotherly as well, and respect that vision. But I grew up with them in the 2010s, with them being strictly best friends, and with their bond always getting the spotlight in the titles I was initially familiar with [Colours, Lost World]. 

They complimented each other perfectly back then, and they still do now that I’m familiar with more of the Sonic franchise.

I feel the whole brother thing is prominent in English versions of the media, such as certain scripts having Sonic call him "lil' bro" as a term of endearment, or the old cartoons [AoSTH] where they are actual family. I never got that impression from them while playing the games in Spanish, and I think the fact it's a well-known ship in the fandom overall shows I'm not the only one.

Being "as close as family" is also a very popular trope for people into romances, whether you personally like it or not. It can stay like that, with the characters treating each other like the sibling they never had, or evolve into them seeing each other in a different light as time passes, thanks to their closeness. Both are good, healthy outcomes.

“They also have an age gap.”

Ah, yes, there's the matter of age difference as well. I didn't know about their ages when I was a kid, I found the discourse surrounding them absurd when I was a teenager, and I'm not gonna care about it now that SEGA removed them from their profiles, since it's obvious they didn't ever make much sense. What kind of 8 or 12 year olds drive planes and cars?

In the games I’ve played, Sonic and Tails have been consistently portrayed as best friends, first and foremost, by most writers. That's the media I care the most about, and the one that made me invested in the characters in the first place.

(Also, fun fact, official Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima has occasionally liked and retweeted sontails art. So I don’t think it’s “wrong” to their eyes in current canon.)

In conclusion: I see an endearing friends to lovers narrative in sontails. I see Tails thinking Sonic is the coolest person he's ever met, and Sonic thinking the same about him in return. I see them finding a perfect partner in each other, falling in love with the person that saved them from solitude.

They're cute as best friends, they're cute as bros, and they're also cute as a couple. I just love them. 💙💛

People are perfectly within their right to be uncomfortable with the ship or its fans. But if you dislike them and read this far, I hope I could make you understand, even if just a little bit, why they're not bad to my eyes. 

To any sontails fans out there, keep being awesome (and feel free to interact/add on to this post, I’d love to meet more people that like them too!)

[mirasolis]

My Star, Your Light

Punz x Reader

Tangled AU

Part One

★──────────★─────────★

This is just you and Punz thrown into the world of Tangled, as requested by @thequeenofuwu . We are both Punz simps, I know it.

This is going to be in several parts, and I will link each part when I finish them under here.

Part 1 Part 2

Enjoy!

★──────────★─────────★

This, is the story of how I was killed. But don’t worry, it’s a happy story, and truth be told, it’s not even mine. This is the story of a girl I met, named (Y/N). It all starts with the stars.

Years ago, a piece of the stars fell from the skies, and from it sprouted a magical, silver flower. Now this flower had the ability to give you your greatest heart’s desire, if you knew what to to say; or rather, if you knew what to sing. People had searched for the flower for centuries with goals of becoming rich or powerful.

But then one day, a man named Dream had stumbled upon it and decided to keep it hidden from the world so he could one day use it. He made it keep him alive, while he grew with power and became immortal, but he had no purpose for it yet.

Even more centuries passed, and a kingdom grew. It was bright and prosperous and happy. All except for the beloved King Phil and Queen Samantha, who had longed for a child of their own to have. Now, around this time, people get pretty desperate, and royal scholars had found research about the star flower, and decided that the whole kingdom was to search for this magic flower. The kingdom loved their rulers and respected them that they searched for days on end.

Now, back with the immortal Dream. He still had no proper way to use the power of the star flower, and continuously hid it. But by chance, he left it exposed to the naked eye when he heard that people were searching for it. When the people found the flower, they rejoiced, for their king and queen would smile once more. The monarchs conceived their first child, a beautiful baby girl. I’ll give you one guess. Yep, that’s (Y/N). To celebrate her birth, the kingdom released silver lanterns in the sky to represent the stars from which the flower had come from, all while shooting stars passed by. Later that year, the king and queen gave (Y/N) her younger brothers, Wilbur and Techno.

For a while, the kingdom was happy. But all that ended when (Y/N) was almost two years old.

Dream had plotted with his crew, men who went by the names George, Sapnap, Badboyhalo, and Callahan. They stormed the castle, sneaked in, and stole away the princess. The kingdom’s soldiers and people searched across the lands, but she was nowhere to be found. Deep within the woods, a magical barrier disguised the home of Dream and his crew from sight. Within that, there was a tower from which you could only enter through the window and a rope. There, the princess was hidden away, with her rapidly growing (H/C) hair coloured with silver streaks. There, (Y/N) was raised, never seeing the outside world again.

Dream, posing as her brother, was one day tending to (Y/N)’s hair when she asked a question. He hummed in response. “Why can’t I go outside?”

“Well (Y/N), the world outside is a dangerous place. I don’t want you to get hurt or used for horrible means. Keeping you here means you can be safe,” Dream responded.

(Y/N) nodded silently, humming a gentle tune.

But the king and queen never stopped hoping that their child would come back. And the barriers cutting (Y/N) from the rest of the world could not hide it all. Every year, they continued the tradition of releasing the star lanterns every year. They hoped that this could serve as a signal so that one day, their princess would return.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

17 years later…

A young girl snuck around, looking for her companion, a small multicoloured sheep named Puffy. Dream had given her the sheep not too long ago and they already bonded nicely. They were currently playing some hide and seek.

“Oh Puffy!! Where are you?” (Y/N) called out in a singsong tune. The sheep was currently hiding along the flower bed that was on the window sill of the tower entrance. (Y/N) looked around with wide eyes. “Well, I guess she’s back inside…

“…NOT!”

(Y/N) manoeuvered her hair to wrap around Puffy and pulled her from her hiding place, dangling her in the air. She laughed as she grabbed Puffy and held her in her arms, snuggling into her wool.

“Oh Puffy, I know you want to go outside, but I can’t bring you there. We just have to wait ‘til Dream gets back so you can get some grass. Besides, we’ve got plenty to do in here!”

(Y/N) danced around, her growing as long as the tower was tall, and tall it was. She bounced from activity to activity, bringing Puffy along for the ride. She finally slowed down when she gathered her paints and illustrated a beautiful depiction of her gazing at the stars.

“I wonder what they’re like…maybe Dream will let me see them this year…”

Meanwhile…

Three men were jumping along the tops of the castle, looking for the right building to infiltrate. One wore a mask coloured with red, yellow, and black, and was called Ponk. The next one wore a significant amount of purple clothing, such as his purple coat and shoes, and was appropriately called Purpled. The last man wore a white plain shirt with leather cuffs covering his forearms and keeping the sleeves in place, and over that he wore a very light grey vest on top. He had blonde hair and he went by the name Punz.

The three of them were a team of mercenaries and they were on their latest job, stealing the tiara of the first princess. While Purpled and Ponk were making sure they had found the Crown Room, Punz was holding onto a castle tower and looking at the view.

“Guys you gotta look at this view!” He exclaimed.

“Dude, we don’t care about the view, just get over here and grab the crown!” Purpled urged.

Ponk scoffed. “Dude, you can find another view like this when we get the money!”

Punz brushed them off and dropped down with the two men lowering him down an escape rope. He stepped down quietly, gazing at the beautiful crown adorned with jewels in front of him. Just as he had his hands on it, a guard sneezed. As common courtesy goes, Punz just naturally said bless you, grabbed the rope, then signalled Ponk and Purpled to pull him up. About halfway to the ceiling the guards turned around and looked up to face Punz who was waving the crown around triumphantly, smirking.

In a hurry, the guards organized themselves and searched for the mercenaries while they were long gone, running into the forest, away from the main city.

With (Y/N)…

(Y/N) could hear the calls of her brother asking her to let down her hair, as the tale goes. She bounded for the window, excitedly letting her hair down while looking at Puffy.

“Puffy! This is it! I’m going to ask Dream today!” She declared as she pulled Dream up to the tower room. As he entered, he pulled off his cloak and took off his mask, revealing some wounds on him. Dream set down his items, leaving a nice patch of grass for Puffy by the window.

Dream sat down in a chair, while (Y/N) rushed around to make everything comfortable for him. She hummed a song, healed Dream quick and got straight to the point.

“So, Dream, I was wondering…I turn 18 tomorrow, I become an adult and I was wondering…if I could see the special stars!!”

Dream looked in her direction in alarm. He was thinking to himself. His plan would soon come into fruition, but if she left now, it would all go south.

“Oh, (Y/N), I think you mean the regular stars,” Dream tried to sway her mind.

“But Dream, these stars are special! The patterns of these stars are not constant. These move in every which way every year, and they only appear on my birthday Dream! I want, no, need to see them up close, and understand what they are!”

“Oh please! (Y/N), you’re too fragile for the outside world! I keep you here because its to keep you safe! It’s a scary world out there! I do this to protect you, you’d be taken advantage of! And imagine what would happen if they found out what your hair could do! (Y/N), please promise me to never ask about leaving this tower again? You must understand!”

(Y/N) contemplated her choices in her mind before she agreed. “Okay…”

Dream picked up his cloak and headed for the window to leave. “I’ll be in the village talking with George and Sapnap. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As (Y/N) let her brother down to do business, she looked at the world below longingly.

In another part of the forest…

Punz, Purpled, and Ponk were running through the forest still, hopping over logs and lakes. Punz stopped to catch a breath when he looked at a wanted poster of him and began to panic.

“No no no no no. I can’t believe this! They drew my face wrong!” He showed the poster to his partners, and they saw that Punz’ nose was severely misshapen and his hair was too long.

“Dude, who cares?!” Purpled questioned.

Ponk urged the two of them along until they came upon a short cliff they had to climb. Punz turned around to face them and told them, “Okay, you guys launch me up there, and I can pull you up.”

Purpled and Ponk shook their heads. “Give the crown first,” Ponk demanded while gesturing to the bag that held the crown.

“Ouch, that kinda hurts. You guys don’t trust me? After all our escapades as fellow mercs?” Punz asked.

“The satchel. Now,” Purpled ordered.

Punz sighed, resigning the bag to them. He climbed the rock with their help, reaching the top.

“Now pull us up Punz,” Purpled requested.

Punz laughed. “Sorry, can’t carry any more!” He flashed the satchel before slinging it around his body and running off while hearing his partners’ screams.

Punz kept running, and the castle guard was on his tail. Even worse, they were accompanied by one of the Crown Princes, Technoblade. Punz grimaced and recalled Techno’s history as a renowned fighter, leading the kingdom’s army and winning every battle. He urged his legs to work harder, to run faster.

Punz hopped through a fallen tree’s branches, cutting off most of the palace guard. Technoblade made it through and continued giving chase to the white-clad mercenary.

“We have him now, Carl!” Techno declared to his faithful horse.

Punz kept running, grabbing a forlorn vine and swinging around a tree to knock Technoblade off his horse and taking his place. Punz grabbed the reigns and tries to ride Carl away from the guard, but the horse tries bucking him off. They go back and forth, between trying to ride forward and grabbing the crown, not noticing that they were heading for a cliff.

The satchel flew away from the fighting pair’s grasp and landed on a single branch on a tree dangling sideways on the cliff’s edge. They wasted no time in reaching for the bag, not knowing the tree was breaking until it was too late. They fell off the edge, the crown ending up in Punz’ hands.

After that nasty fall, Punz woke up and sighs in relief when he sees the crown is still in his possession. He hears the distant neighs of a familiar horse, and looks for a place to hide. He tries feeling for a hole big enough for him to fit it, when his hand passes through a tree, a green glow around the part where his hand entered. Taking a risk, he threw himself into the trees and ended up in a dark cave just as Carl passed by.

Punz let out a tense breath and walked along the cave’s path until he came into a clearing. A tall, majestic tower loomed over him, casting a shadow over the land. Behind it, he could see a few houses. But the tower piqued his interest more. Maybe there were more valuables inside. He smiled and got to work climbing the tower using the sturdy vines that lined its walls.

After a tedious while of climbing (thankfully, no one had spotted him), he burst through the window doors and entered the tower’s main room. He sighed, opened the satchel, and took a breath, looking at the crown. “Alone at last.”

Then he was knocked out. Simple as that.

(Y/N) held the cast iron frying pan in her hands, retracting it from its position from when it knocked out the intruding Punz. She shrieks and dashes away from Punz’ unconscious body, slowly creeping up on it to make sure it was safe. She checked to make sure he wasn’t dangerous, flipping away a piece of hair that covered his eyes. (Y/N) leaned in closer when he suddenly opened an eye. In a panic, (Y/N) smacked him in the head again, not considering the possibility of a concussion.

(Y/N) looked for a place to hide the man while saying to herself and to Puffy, “I knocked him out! All on my own! Holy! If this isn’t enough to convince Dream that I can be let out of here for one day, then I don’t know what will!!”

She ended up stuffing him in an empty closet, being successful after a few tries. She looked at the satchel the mysterious man dropped, paying attention to the small shine emanating from it. Curious, she opened the pouch, revealing a piece of metal embedded with several precious jewels. She looked at Puffy, trying it on like a bracelet. Puffy’s wool shook with her head in denial. She peeked through one of the jewels, but that didn’t seem to be the purpose. Finally, (Y/N) tried putting the piece on her head. It looked like it fit perfectly. Then Puffy shook her head again. Then a noise sounded from below.

The girl heard her brother’s calls and she grew excited. As per usual, she let down her hair, and pulled Dream up. (Y/N) was very eager to tell Dream about her surprise.

“Dream! Oh you won’t believe what I have to show you!! It’s a big surprise!” (Y/N) bragged.

“Oh? Well I bet mine is bigger than yours!” Dream chimed.

“Doubt it!”

“Well, I am going to be making you your favourite dinner tonight!”

“Well, Dream? There’s something I want to tell you…” (Y/N) began to segway the conversation into her being able to leave the tower.

“(Y/N), I hate leaving you after fights. Especially when I’ve been in the right the entire time,” Dream vocalized.

“Okay, so I was thinking about what you said earlier today…” (Y/N) began to speak, but was interrupted by Dream.

“I hope you’re still not set on seeing those stars.”

“I’ve told you! They aren’t stars!” (Y/N) insisted. “I’m leading up to that!”

“I thought we were gonna drop the issue (Y/N),” Dream said sternly.

“No, Dream! I’m just saying you think that I’m not strong enough to take care of myself.”

“I know you’re not strong enough, take it from me.”

“Would you just-“

“We are done.”

“Why can’t you just-“

“I SAID WE ARE DONE.”

(Y/N) shrunk away from her brother, never hearing Dream’s voice so loudly before.

“I…all I wanted to tell you is that, I know what I want for my birthday now…”

Dream, fed up with me, asked coldly, “What.”

“Umm, the paints that dissolve with water? And perhaps a canvas? No bigger than my torso.”

“You know that it’ll be a long trip? And I’ll need to take someone with me?”

“I just thought it would be better than, than the ‘stars’.”

“Will you be fine (Y/N)?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine right here.”

“…Okay. I’ll be back soon.” As Dream prepared to leave for the trip, he looked back at (Y/N) one more time. “Love you, sis.”

“Of course, brother.”

As Dream descended from the tower, he thought to himself. He needed to carry out his plan fast. He rushed to his house to discuss with George, his right hand man. They set off, not for paints, but for items needed to extract (Y/N)’s power from her.

(Y/N) wallowed in her pity in the tower, then remembered the whole ass human in her closet. Puffy hid behind (Y/N)’s legs while she opened the closet doors.

The man just slumped out. Like a limp noodle. It made her jump, but ultimately decided to tie him up in a chair with her hair while hiding in the shadows.

[emotionally-imbruised]

A Tail of Their Own II: You’re Welcome

“It’s nice to see that humans never change.”

Word Count: 7.7k

One of the first things Harry learned about Y/N, was that she was basically an open book. Any question he asked, she answered. Usually, her reply was with a sarcastic quip or sassy comment, but nonetheless, she would still tell him an answer to anything he was curious about. Sometimes he even felt he asked too much, but how could he not? She was a mermaid after all.

Their first week together had been interesting, to say the least. Y/N had taken up residence in one of the extra bedrooms down the hall from his own and had slowly been adapting to life on land, all with Harry’s help, of course.

She was extremely thankful for everything Harry had done for her within that week. He always gave her the space she needed, would check-in to see if there was anything she needed, and was just always there to make sure she was taken care of. He didn’t make her feel like a burden, and Y/N was convinced he’d never understand just how much she appreciated that.

The two of them had bonded much more than either was anticipating, which was shocking and exciting to both. Y/N always had a hard time trusting humans, but somehow this particular trip onto land changed that entirely. She was glad it was Mitch and Sarah who had found her on that beach because if it weren’t, who knows where she would have ended up? And who knows if she would have ever met Harry because of it. Now, that was a thought she didn’t like thinking about.

Harry found himself warming up to Y/N way faster than he expected too. He was still well aware that the entire situation of her just being there was not normal, but half the time it was so easy for him to forget.

She was magnetic. There was just something about her that not only drew Harry in but captivated everyone else too. Maybe it was the way she presented herself. Always calm, cool, collected, and very curious about the world around her. However, she was also completely unafraid to speak her mind if she felt so inclined, something which Harry learned the hard way on numerous occasions.

The first time was about two days after the two of them had met. Upon finding Y/N resting in his bed, Harry had been insanely busy with work. If he wasn’t at the studio, he was at a meeting, and if he wasn’t in a meeting, he was planning. Having a career in the music industry was stressful and overwhelming, so when the opportunity came for him to finally be able to go home, he took it and ran.

Y/N had only seen him in passing during those first two days. They’d spent her entire first night talking about, well, everything, but after that, she barely saw him. He had given her the rundown of how certain things in the house worked, told her to welcome herself to anything, and to call him if she needed to as well (leaving a cell phone at the house with only his personal number in it). It was simple enough, and Y/N made do, but that particular night was different.

Harry had arrived back at the house earlier than he had the other two nights, and with three large shopping bags. Having spent the last couple of days piecing together odd clothing items to make something that Y/N could wear, he got somewhat of an idea of what size she wore and what she liked. This was mainly so that she could actually wear something other than the clothes Sarah had given her as well as a couple different t-shirts of his own.

On his way home, he stopped at a nearby shop to gather a few different items. Unsure of what she’d like, Harry settled on what he assumed to be the basics. Some jeans, a couple pairs of shorts, two dresses, a handful of shirts, and a sweater. He was pretty proud of himself for picking everything out and only hoped that the items would fit, and that she would like them.

The way Y/N’s face lit up when he told her the bags were all for her, was something Harry knew he’d never forget. She was unable to form a proper sentence due to her excitement, which soon lead to her pleading with him in attempts to find a way she could possibly pay him back.

“S’alright, really,” Harry explained as he watched her excitement slowly fade into stress. It was apparent Y/N was not used to someone doing something like this for her and simply did not know how to address it. “I figured you could use a few other things to wear.”

“You really didn’t have to do that, Harry,” Y/N sighed. “I would have figured something out. That money you left me yesterday, I used it to go buy some underwear and a bra. You’ve done so much already, and all I’ve done is taken advantage of it.”

He couldn’t help but feel his cheeks burn in embarrassment about just how blunt she was, but nonetheless, he knew he had to stand his ground. “You haven’t, Y/N. Please, just take them. I’m not even sure if they’ll fit you or if you’ll like them, but they’re here for you anyways.”

“I’m sure I’ll love them,” she responded defeatedly, before hesitantly reaching for the first bag.

Y/N grinned widely while taking each item out so she could get a good look at them. Not once did that smile falter as she inspected every piece of clothing, explained how much she liked it and proceeded to thank Harry all over again.

A similar smile stayed planted on Harry’s mouth as he watched her do this, and before he knew it, she was about to pull out the last item. This one he knew would be her favourite, for the minute he saw it, he instantly thought of her.

Y/N felt her breath hitch when she pulled out the final item, a dress, and she couldn’t help but stare at it in awe. It was a sundress, one that wasn’t too long or too short, and could easily be worn casually or dressed up. The material felt soft and smooth between her fingertips, which she really liked, but what she loved, even more, was the design.

It was white and had an effortless yet stunning floral print covering most of it; and to make matters better, each flower outline was a different colour. Various shades of pink, purple, blue, and green were all delicately stitched into the white fabric, creating an effect that reminded Y/N of something completely different, yet very special. Her tail.

“It’s beautiful, Harry.”

“I thought you’d like that one best,” he replied. “If none of them fit, I’ll make sure to exchange them an-.”

His words were cut off when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him in for a tight hug. After a tense, unexpected moment, Harry eventually melted into her embrace and returned the gesture. “Thank you so much.”

“S’no problem at all,” he tells her as she moves away to look up at him again.

“You’re too nice to me,” Y/N then stated. Harry was about to ask what she meant by that but never got the chance once she started speaking up again. “I uh, I figured out how to make coffee. Can I at least pay you back with a cup of that?”

He thought about asking her still, curious as to why someone could have it in them to not be nice to her but decided to drop it. “That would be lovely.”

The two of them made way to the kitchen, and Y/N got right to work or tried to at least. She took a bit longer than the average person as she studied the machine for a moment while trying to remember which buttons she had to press. Harry couldn’t help but laugh when she jumped after pressing the wrong thing and caused hot water to start spewing all over the place. She recovered quickly though, Harry gave her that much, but he still burst into laughter when she managed to turn it off and scowl at him.

A few moments later, Y/N walked over to sit on the barstool beside him with two steaming hot mugs, focusing intently on trying not to spill anything. Once she was settled, they engaged in conversation. Harry explained how busy work was, to which she nodded in understanding before telling him how she really hadn’t gotten up to much without him there; having been a bit nervous about leaving the house on her own unless it was quick.

He wanted to know why she was nervous but hadn’t found it within himself to ask her about that yet. Although, he was still insanely curious as to why she ended up on land in the first place. However, his thoughts were interrupted when a loud gasp sounded from beside him, and a pair of hands gripped onto his left forearm.

“What! What’s the problem?”

“You!” Y/N replied with a shocked expression as she rotated his arm in her grasp. He watched what she was doing, and then he saw it. “You’re a hypocrite.”

His mermaid tattoo. He hadn’t even thought about that and had to internally smack himself when she looked up to him and waited for a response. “I uh, well.”

“You give me a hard time because,” she paused to hold up air quotations and mimic his voice, “‘mermaids aren’t real,’ but yet, here you are with one permanently on your arm!”

He couldn’t tell if she was actually upset or not, but as he observed the slightest of smiles tug at her lips after a moment passed, he knew she wasn’t. So naturally, he had to play along.

“You know, I was really hoping you wouldn’t notice,” he started dramatically. “Because the truth is, I’ve known about mermaids for years now. I was sworn to secrecy, though. The whole ‘me not knowing what to do when I found one in my bed’ thing? That was fake.”

“I hate you.”

“Ouch, hate is a strong word, Y/N.”

A small chuckle left her mouth although she tried really hard to cover it up. “So, you lied then? I don’t think I’ll be able to trust you after this, Harry. I may never forgive you.”

“No?”

“Nope,” Y/N shook her head before looking down at the tattoo again. “Also, I don’t know what other mermaids you’ve seen, but we’re usually not that… exposed.”

“Fair enough,” he laughed and looked down at the ink as well. “Guess I kinda left it open for interpretation.”

“Whatever you say,” she responded as she stood up with their now empty mugs and walked around the island to place them in the sink. “It’s still going to take me a while to forget this.”

Harry grinned at just how hard she was trying to act serious and thought of ways to break her facade; an idea springing to his mind when his gaze fell on the long retractable hose that was attached to the sink.

Suddenly, he leaned across the counter to grab ahold of the hose with one hand and pointed it in her direction.

“Oh, really?”

Y/N watched with a narrowed gaze as he placed his other hand on the tap in preparation to turn it on and spray water at her. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wanna bet?” Harry challenged, knowing full well what would happen if she got wet and was unable to dry herself fast enough. Just to mess around with her a little bit, he turned the water on and had to stifle another laugh when it hit her square on the arm.

“Harry!” The annoyance was clear in Y/N’s voice as she grabbed a nearby dish towel and wiped away the water from her skin.

“What?” He asked innocently before turning the water on again and watching as it soared past her and hit the stainless steel fridge on the other side of the room.

She turned to look at the mess he just created before slowly facing him again with wide eyes. “What are you, twelve?”

“On a scale of one to ten, yes,” Harry replied nonchalantly before spraying the water at her again, and laughing as she desperately tried to dodge it.

“Can you not? I’m not particularly feeling like growing a tail today.”

“Oh, but being a human is just so boring.”

Y/N went to sass him back but had to cut herself off when more water came flying her way, and she ducked behind the counter for cover. There was no way she was moving from her spot until she decided on an escape plan, so she desperately tried to come up with one. After a quick moment of viewing her surroundings, she decided that her best option was to just make a break for the doorway. Slowly, she got into position and was just about to go when she noticed how things were quiet, too quiet, and soon halted her actions.

“Harry?”

Nothing. Just dead silence. Y/N waited for another minute and debated on peeking over the counter to see where he’d gone to, but there was no need for a second later he appeared around the corner with a full glass of water.

A small shriek left her mouth as she scrambled away from him. She eventually got to her feet in time without getting wet before booking it out of the room. Harry was right after her though and continued chasing after her for another fifteen minutes. He didn’t intend to actually soak her to the extent of her turning back into a mermaid, but the two of them were having fun. And it was a nice break from reality for both with everything else that was going on around them.

As the days went by, the two grew even closer. After that night of messing around in the kitchen, they started making it a routine to just simply be around one another whenever they could. They played cards, listened to music, watched movies, and talked about the day’s events whenever Harry returned home.

It was a good system, but Harry still had those lurking thoughts about not really knowing why Y/N ended up on land, or if she was planning on just up and leaving one day soon.

Soon enough, that day came. It was over a week since he’d first met her that Harry decided to address the topic just so he could have an idea of everything; specifically how she ended up on that beach. It wasn’t that she had become a bother to him or anything, that wasn’t the case at all. But after he helped her from the shower and talked to her for most of the night — getting the lowdown on mermaid history, until she eventually decided to go off to bed. As soon as she was gone, he called Sarah.  

Sarah explained to Harry how she and Mitch found Y/N, what had happened, and their process of bringing her back to his house. Other than the entire situation being completely abnormal, he didn’t really question anything. However, just before she was about to hang up, Sarah mentioned the way Y/N kept looking out at the water nervously, almost as though something, or someone, was watching her. She didn’t know what it was and told Harry he should try and figure it out.

He agreed but decided to give Y/N some time to maybe mention it to him herself. She never did, and that bugged Harry all week.

It wasn’t that he felt she was trying to hide it from him, it had just never really come up in conversation. So, Harry decided that he was going to make it a topic of discussion.

His plan was not to overwhelm her, because realistically, he just wanted to know if there really was something out in the water, or if it was something else entirely. He really didn’t know what he was getting into, but if there was a possibility of being able to help her in any way, he was all for it. She’d become somewhat of a friend at that point, and friends helped friends.

When he got home that afternoon, he was surprised to not find her roaming around the main floor. Usually, she was in the kitchen attempting to cook something, or curled up on the couch in the living room with one of the many books he’d already read. But that day, she wasn’t. In fact, there was no sign of her being downstairs at all.

Maybe she’d gone for a walk? Harry wasn’t too sure, and just when he thought about calling the cell phone he gave her, a small sneeze sounded from upstairs, and he knew there was no need.

After taking his shoes off, he gradually made his way up the staircase. Once he reached the top, he went to go left towards the bedroom Y/N was staying in only to find it the door wide open with no one inside. Confusion washed over him again, but then he heard the faint intro song of a tv show from down the hall. More specifically, his room.

Slowly, he turned on his heel and started walking towards his bedroom. Sure enough, when he got there, the door was partially opened while an episode of Queer Eye played on the huge television screen. He quietly pushed the door open to reveal Y/N wrapped up in a blanket and leaning against the headboard, not taking her eyes off the screen once to acknowledge his presence.

Her hair was in a lopsided bun, tied up loosely with a hair elastic she must’ve found laying around somewhere, which he could just barely notice beneath the sizeable black hood she had pulled over her head. She was wearing his hoodie and a pair of his track pants, and although he wasn’t exactly expecting to come home to that, he couldn’t help but notice how content she seemed to be.

Harry then leaned against the doorway, grinning as he observed just how focused she was on what was happening during that episode, all while mindlessly remaining curled up against his mountain of pillows. It was quite the scene, that was for sure.

“You cold?”

He knew that by speaking up he’d get some sort of reaction, and sure enough, as soon as he did, a loud gasp left Y/N’s mouth.

“Oh!” She started and began scrambling to stand up from her spot on the bed. “I uh, I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.”

“So you decided to watch Queer Eye?” He chuckled at how flustered she was becoming. “In my room.”

“Well, yeah,” Y/N responded, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I wanted to watch something and couldn’t figure out how to work the TV downstairs, so I came back up here, and your screen was on. So I just…”

“Made yourself at home?”

“Well if we’re being technical, you did tell me to do that,” she grumbled and looked away, not noticing just how hard Harry was trying to keep himself from laughing. “I’m sorry ok! Your bed is really comfy, and it was just easier that way. I also got pretty cold so I kind of, just, stole your clothes I guess.”

“M’not mad, Y/N,” Harry told her as he pushed away from the doorway and walked into the room. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Why do humans do that so much?”

He cocked his head to the side to look at her oddly. “What do you mean?”

“These jokes and teasing all the time,” she began to explain. “Mermaids don’t do that.”

“Oh, so mermaids don’t know how to have fun?”

“No, we do, I’m just saying we’re less childish. But at least it’s nice to see humans are still that way.”

“Still that way, huh?” Harry questioned while raising his eyebrows, knowing she was hinting at something. “Please do elaborate on that.”

Y/N hadn’t even realized what she let slip out until Harry called her out on it, but she was extremely casual in playing it off. “Well, I already told you how I was born on land. I’ve seen my fair share of humans and know enough to see how similar many of you act.”

“Ah yes, I know you did but you never actually explained that story to me,” he fired back, knowing that this was his chance to get some more information and only hoped that she’d share it. “That’s all I know is that you were born on land. You told me all about mermaids and how they work, but you never told me about yourself, Y/N. And, well, you’re the only mermaid I actually know.”

“I-,” Y/N started and stopped as she let her gaze fall down to where she was mindlessly twiddling her thumbs. Should she tell him? Would he even believe her backstory and how it tied into why she ended up on land, or how she was trying to avoid returning to the sea? She wasn’t sure, but as she slowly met his gaze again, she decided that he at least deserved the benefit of the doubt. “I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like I’m keeping things from you, that wasn’t my intention. But it’s a really long story, Harry.”

“Good thing I’ve got time then, yeah?” He asked while smiling warmly at her. “Only if you’re comfortable in sharing, I’d love to hear all of it. Was thinking we could go get some food and maybe chat there?”

Returning the smile and instantly feeling more relaxed at Harry’s reassuring words, Y/N nodded. “Lead the way.”

Y/N quickly ran to her room to change into something different, making sure to neatly fold up Harry’s clothes and leave them on the edge of her bed seeing as she was in no hurry to give them back. She then threw on the other dress Harry had purchased for her a few days prior. It was a soft blue colour, with sleeves that went to her elbows and a little black belt around the waist. It didn’t catch her eye as much as the other dress did, but it was still stunning in her opinion.

Once she was ready, she quickly took her hair out of its bun and let it fall down freely. She almost just left it the way it was, but after taking a look in the mirror, she decided on brushing it before finally rushing down the stairs to meet Harry.

It was hard for her to ignore the blush burning her cheeks when he said how nice she looked, but nonetheless, she returned the compliment (even though he was still wearing the same outfit as before) and the two of them soon headed out to Harry’s car.

“Can I drive?” Y/N asked as they approached his vintage model Jaguar.

“No.”

“Why not?” She continued to press, slightly offended by the fact that he didn’t even consider letting her.

“Do you know how to drive?”

“Well… no.”

“Exactly.”

He had a logical point, and she knew it, but driving was one thing Y/N had always wanted to try and thought that maybe Harry would let her eventually. But for the time being, she reluctantly climbed into the passenger side of the car and pouting for the whole ride to the restaurant.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to get seated by the host, and they both wasted no time in reaching for a menu to search for what they wanted to eat. By the time the waiter came to take their order, Harry had decided on ordering some pasta, but Y/N seemed to be struggling.

“I uh, I’ll just have the Margherita pizza, thank you.”

She was nervous, that much Harry could tell just by observing the way she kept looking at everything around them. So instinctively, he tried to diffuse the situation.

“It’s nice out today,” he started casually and leaned back into his chair, thinking a casual conversation might help. “Not too hot.”

“Yeah,” Y/N muttered as she glanced around yet again. “It’s great.”

There was no emotion in her voice whatsoever, and that was when Harry knew something was up. “Is everything alright, Y/N?”

“Yeah no, everything is fine,” she told him before finally making eye contact again. “It’s just, there’s a lot of people here, and they all seem to be staring at us.”

Harry then moved his gaze to take in their surroundings as well. Sure enough, there were at least three tables of people gawking at them while subtly trying to take pictures. This was something Harry was used to happening, but he felt bad for how it made Y/N uncomfortable. So again, he changed the topic.

“Right. Uhm, try to ignore them if you can. They-.”

“That’s easier said than done, Harry,” she cut him off. “I can hear what they’re saying. I just don’t know why us getting food is any of their business.”

The last part of her statement got unintentionally louder with each word, and Harry had to watch with wide eyes as she sent a glare at one of the people sitting close by. He hadn’t really explained the whole part of him being a celebrity to her quite yet. To be honest, he never felt the need to, but now he couldn’t help but think about how that may be a conversation they have sooner rather than later.

“You’re right,” he started calmly and waited for her to look at him again. “But all we can do is ignore it. They’re harmless, I promise.”

“If you say so.”

“I know so,” he responded before leaning onto his elbows. “Now that we’re here though, why don’t we talk about what you were saying back at the house.”

Y/N was surprised by his sudden change of topic, but she played along and eventually stopped thinking about the other people around her. It was just her and Harry. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about at the beginning?”

“Okay,” she nodded and got right into it.

The next ten minutes or so was spent by Y/N telling Harry a very detailed story. She started off by talking about a merman who spent quite a bit of time on land, more than the average mermaid. He loved exploring and was fascinated by the land itself and what it had to offer. Eventually, he met a woman, a human, and they fell madly in love. After that, the merman never returned to the ocean and made an entirely new life on land with his soulmate.

“That’s a lovely story, but what does it have to do with anything?” Harry asked, just as the waiter placed their food on the table in front of them.

“See, that couple I mentioned? Those were my parents,” Y/N explained, and Harry nodded in understanding. “A few years after they got married, they had me. And I was raised on land for the first seven years of my life, with so much love. I always knew I was different. My parents never kept the part of me that was indeed a mermaid hidden, and with that, we all learned how I differed from a regular mermaid as well.”

“And how is that?”

“Well, like I told you last week, mermaids can manipulate water. What I did was nothing compared to what a proper mermaid can do. I’m weaker when it comes to mermaid abilities; however, being on land is where I thrive. Water takes longer to affect me, and I tend to blend in with humans better.”

”Okay, interesting.” Harry hung onto every word that she said, but still going himself to be insanely curious about it all. “Where are your parents now?”

“I don’t know,” she told him with a shrug. “I got separated from them one night when I was seven. It was pretty disastrous, and I promise to tell you that story another day… but, yeah. I’ve been on my own since then. I ventured off by myself and never really felt a need to stay in one place for too long. I’ve explored every ocean on this earth, alone, and even got into a bit of trouble along the way. Especially recently.”

“Surely it couldn’t have been that bad,” he scoffed and looked at her amusedly. All she did was purse her lips in response, and Harry knew right away that something was up. “Unless it was…”

“You’ve seen or read Twilight, right?”

Harry looked at her skeptically, genuinely curious as to where this conversation was going now. “I have, yes. But please do explain how the hell you know what Twilight is.”

Y/N was insulted by what he said and made no effort to hide those feelings when she scoffed disapprovingly. “Just because I’ve lived underwater for most of my life doesn’t mean it was under a rock, Harry. Of course, I know what Twilight is.”

“How did you expect me to know that?” He argued defensively, not being able to hold back a few chuckles as Y/N let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest dramatically. “Ok, sorry, you were saying.”

“Oh, so now you're interested.”

“Y/N, just tell me the damn story.”

“Fine,” she grumbled and shifted in her seat. “Like on land, mermaids have laws and rules that are put in place to make everything run smoothly. They’re relatively easy rules to follow and don’t get broken often because mermaids are rather peaceful creatures. However, because of how dangerous it can be for us to get exposed, there are systems in effect that can enforce the rules if need be.”

“Ok,” Harry stated with pursed lips. “And how does Twilight play into all of this?”

“I’m getting there,” Y/N hissed and glared at him, letting him know just how badly he was getting on her nerves. “In Twilight, there’s the Volturi, the ones that enforce the vampire laws. Mermaids have the same type of thing, but we just call them the royals. They once had a leader who went missing quite a few years ago, but they’ve done a good job at keeping the peace since then and are greatly respected.”

“Are they as aggressive as the Volturi?”

“No. Well, as far as I know, no.”

Harry thought about Y/N’s explanation and really tried to wrap his head around it all, and what it all had to do with her. “Did something happen between you and these royals?”

Y/N fell silent as she used her fork to start picking at the pizza that remained on her plate, making sure to avoid Harry’s gaze as she did so. “I guess you could say that.”

“Well, what happened?”

She stayed quiet, causing Harry to start feeling a bit uneasy about it all. This time, he shifted in his chair before dropping his voice into a whisper and speaking up again.

“Y/N, what did you do?”

Another sigh left her mouth before she let go of the fork and finally made eye contact with him again. “I royally pissed them off, that’s what I did.”

So many questions ran through Harry’s mind as he processed what she said, however, he was only able to actually form one of them into a sentence. “Is that why you ended up on land?”

Y/N nodded.

“And I dug the hole I was already in even deeper when I let Mitch and Sarah help me. Humans aren’t supposed to know about mermaids. That’s the oldest law we have, and I broke it.”

“But your father,” Harry tried to reason. “Obviously, he did the same.”

“Yeah,” she laughed unemotionally and looked away from him so that he wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. “But there’s a reason I haven’t seen my parents since I was seven, Harry. I haven’t been able to trust anyone since then.”

And it was true, the day she lost her parents, Y/N also lost her ability to rely on others without assuming they had poor intentions.

The sadness in her voice as she explained this, crushed Harry. It blew his mind that someone as carefree and sweet as Y/N had gone through so much, yet still somehow managed to have a smile on her face. And as he thought about it a bit more, he started understanding why she would be so reluctant to trust others.

The thing was, Y/N wasn’t afraid of the world, she was scared of the things it consisted of. Far too many times had she been burned simply by believing someone actually was looking out for her. Realistically, it had always been her against the world. What a lonely life to live.

Her story was a topic she tried extremely hard to avoid. It made her feel vulnerable and weak, two things she was not but, somehow, Harry managed to make her feel comfortable enough to open up about it. He was one of the few people, out of many mermaids and humans she’d come across in life who simply wants nothing but the best for everyone around them. It was an extremely rare feature for someone to have, Y/N realized but was something she greatly admired.

Harry's want to know about her, not as a mythical creature, but as a friend… as an equal was a concept Y/N had trouble wrapping her head around. But yet, here was with someone she’s only known for a week, feeling like she’d known him for so much longer. She could only hope that one day, Harry would know how much that meant to her, because thanks to him, she felt a little less alone.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” Harry finally spoke up after a few moments of silence. He wasn’t sure what to say but figured that could be a good start.

“It’s alright. Sorry to dump that all on you.”

“You didn’t dump anything on me,” he explained. “I was the one who asked, and I should be the one who is sorry for making you talk about it.”

“You know, it’s not something I do very often,” she explained. “But it is nice to open up every once in a while.”

“I could only imagine.”

“Yeah... But thank you for making me feel safe enough to do so.”

Harry just smiled warmly and couldn’t ignore the warm feeling that was bubbling inside of him. “You’re welcome, Y/N.”

The two then fell silent again when the waiter approached with their bills. Still, Y/N felt terrible for letting Harry pay for her meal, but decided not to express her feelings when Harry sent her a narrowed glance.

Once everything was paid for, they left the restaurant and made way to the parking lot again. Y/N expected them to start heading back to the house then, however, it seemed Harry had other plans.

As he was driving the highway, Harry made a last-minute decision to go to the beach instead of going home, and that left Y/N very confused.

“What are we doing here?” She asked as they pulled into an empty dirt parking lot.

“I thought some fresh air would do you some good seeing as you’ve been stuck in the house all week,” Harry answered as he put the car in park and started climbing out of the driver's side. “Unless you want to be lame and just sit here alone.”

“I am not lame,” she argued as he started walking away and she had to scramble out of her seat to go after him.

“Then let’s go.”

“The least you can do is wait!”

“Nah, you can catch up.”

He didn’t have to look back to know that Y/N was scowling at him, but just continued down one of the paths and smiled to himself when she eventually fell in step with him.

“You’re a lot to deal with.”

“Mhm,” he murmured while shaking his head. “Says the mermaid.”

Knowing it’d be a losing battle if she continued arguing with him, Y/N didn’t respond and decided to let him win this round and remained quiet for the rest of their walk.

When they reached the stretch of beach, Y/N couldn’t help but smile. Although she still had no desire to return to the ocean so soon, merely being near it made her feel relaxed. It was the only home she’d ever really known, and she hated the fact that she had basically been forced away from that.

The sun was just beginning to set, and it added a warm, peaceful glow to everything around them. There weren't very many people, which Y/N and Harry both appreciated. It was pretty much just them, a family attempting to build a sandcastle,  and a few surfers catching some waves in the distance. Even the food vendors to their left and a place to rent surfing gear on their right were utterly empty aside from the people working in them.

“I always wondered what it’d be like to surf,” Y/N spoke up first, cringing as she watched someone wipe out. “Looks pretty complicated though.”

“Do you want to try?” Harry asked and nodded towards the surf stand as they took a few steps onto the warm sand.

Y/N glanced at the massive waves that were further out and started shaking her head. “I know for a fact, that will not end well. Also, mermaid… remember?”

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t want anyone else to find out, huh?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“Alright, I guess I won’t give you a hard time about it then,” Harry sighed and looked over his shoulder at the stand. “But I’m going to do it.”

Without another word, he started walking away from her and towards the shack. Y/N watched with a raised eyebrow as he started talking to the person working, before walking over to the multiple surfboards laying in a row nearby and picking one up.

A chuckle left her mouth as she watched him struggle with carrying it, but Harry didn’t care as he walked right past her and continued towards the water. “I have an hour with this thing, so let’s see how it goes.”

Once he reached the water's edge, Harry shamelessly took off his shirt and tossed it on the sand, before picking up the board again and going into the water. He didn’t go as far out as the other surfers by any means, just far enough that when a wave came in he could attempt to stand up and let it take him back towards shore.

Y/N found a comfortable place on the sand, watching him and his many mishaps. Each time a wave came in, he’d try to stand on the board but would end up losing his balance and would fall into the water, causing her to laugh. In some weird way, every time he fell seemed funnier than the last, and Y/N thought she might lose her breath because of it.

After at least five tries, Harry finally found his footing and even made it all the way back to shore. He dramatically bowed as Y/N clapped and cheered, before deciding to back out, regardless of there not being much sunlight left at that point.

“Bet I can do it again.”

Y/N was sure he could too, but this time she thought maybe she’d mess with him a little. She watched as he swam back to the same spot and waited for another large enough wave. As soon as there was one, he stood up on the board again and sure enough, was able to keep his balance.

He had an arrogant grin on his mouth when he looked at her, and that when she decided to shake things up. By just looking at the water that was in front of him and nodding, Y/N was able to create a wave of her own that went entirely against the tide.

Harry hadn’t noticed what she was doing until it was too late. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when a wave started to form in front of him and seemed to be coming his way at full speed. Eventually, his board came in contact with that wave, and he was lurched forward off the surfboard, and into the water.

By the time he resurfaced, Y/N was laughing harder than she’d ever before. And it only grew more intense when she noticed him glaring at her disapprovingly.

“You think you’re so funny, yeah?” Harry called out as he began his trek back to shore. “Must be nice to make water do whatever you want it to.”

“Oh, don’t be such a grump,” she responded. “I had to bring that ego size down a notch somehow.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled while trudging onto shore with the surfboard in tow. “I have the right to have a big ego, doing that was hard work.”

“I think you made it seem a lot more complicated than it actually is, Harry.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he scoffed while plopping onto the sand next to her, thinking about how he really should’ve brought a towel.

“I’m not going all the way out there,” Y/N told him firmly. “But I’ll show you that I have better balance.”

Without another word, she stood up and started dragging the surfboard back to the water. The tide hadn’t come back yet, so Y/N used that to her advantage as a way to keep herself from getting wet. Once another wave came in, she set the board on the damp sand and pushed it as the tide started retreating again. With a quick breath, she kicked off her shoes before running over the wet sand after the surfboard and leaping onto it before it got too far.

Part of her was ready to face plant as she tried to gain her balance, but much to her (and Harry’s) surprise, she didn’t. Although she wobbled slightly after first getting on the board, Y/N quickly recovered and was able to glide along in ankle-deep water with ease.

Harry watched with a wide grin as she did this and noticed just how excited she got over sticking the landing. He then observed as she manipulated the waves again to change her direction so that she was moving sideways. Once they locked eye contact, she started mimicking a surfer's stance before beginning to dance as she continued gliding.

“Ok show off; we have to return that thing before it gets dark.”

Knowing he was right, Y/N listened to what Harry said and nodded before changing her course of direction again, and going back to shore. Once she came to a complete stop, she hopped off the board and started dragging it back towards Harry again. “Don’t be jealous because you know you wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“Whatever you say,” he replied while taking the surfboard from her hold and lifting it up, all while avoiding her gaze. “I’ll go return this. We uh, we don’t have to leave just yet if you don’t want. S’pretty cool here once the sun is down and the stars come out.”

His suggestion made Y/N smile. It was apparent he didn’t want their little outing just yet, and to be honest, neither did she. “I’d like that. I’ll um, I’ll wait right here.”

Harry returned the smile and nodded before going back to the surf shack. She watched him go before turning back around and making her way back towards the water.

Way off in the distance, the sun was just about to disappear over the horizon; leaving warm streams of pink and purple in its wake. The waves had calmed down, no surfers were out still trying to catch the biggest one, and the only sounds were that of the calm tide coming in momentarily before going right back out.

Y/N really liked viewing the ocean this way. It was one of the prettiest things she had ever seen. She hadn’t witnessed a sunset while on land since she was a child and to be there seeing it, with Harry, was more perfect than she could have ever imagined.

She heard someone approaching behind her and waited patiently for Harry to join where she was standing… but for some reason, the sound just stopped abruptly.

“It’s pretty here, isn’t it?” Y/N asked out loud without turning back around. However, he didn’t answer. She gave him a second, furrowing her eyebrows as to why he wouldn’t respond, but still nothing. “Harry?”

“Try again.”

A surprised gasp left Y/N’s mouth when instead of Harry, a female answered her, and she wasted no time in whipping around to see its source; her breath hitching once she did.

Standing behind her were a man and a woman. They were wearing regular human clothes, but Y/N knew they were far from being actual humans with their identical black hair, pale skin, and the familiar seashell clip that pinned the woman’s long hair away from her face. The same clip that matched the starfish one that rested in Y/N’s hair.

“Oh, no.”

“Oh no is right,” the merman who had spent an entire night chasing her replied as he stepped took a step forward, causing Y/N to take a step back.

She then looked at the mermaid, who just grinned maliciously as she too began stepping towards Y/N’s timid figure.

“You’re a long way from home, Y/N. I guess it’s time that we all go back there now, don’t you think?”

[thicctails]

Come Hell Or High Waters, I'll Stay By Your Side

Chapter 1: Escape

Dark clouds brewed in the dull olive sky, bubbling and churning as a sort of horrible rumble began to build on the ground below. Many voices began to chant as they migrated towards a single location, a great tree surrounded by an enormous steel cage. No movement could be seen from within the great gray bars, but the knowledge of life existing in that singular space was what was drawing the crowd in. They growled, all of their voices making an attempt to harmonize as they repeated a mantra comprised of one word.

"Trolls! Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!" The bergens' chanted, their eyes gleaming with hunger as they stood outside of the Troll Tree.

Today was a day that every bergen young or old looked forward to, the one day where they could taste happiness. Today was the 200th anniversary of Trollstice, and this one was going to be special, as it was the young prince Gristle's first Trollstice. The crowd watched as the Royal Chef's assistants lit the ceremonial barbecues, cheers of joy ringing out as the flames roared skyward. A caped figure stood proudly in front of the Troll Tree gate, a shining scepter clasped in her gnarled fist. She bared her yellowed teeth at the crowd in a frightful smile, her eyes flashing with a sort of hunger. Whether it was for trolls or for power, no one could quite say.

"This is a very special Trollstice, as there is one amongst us who has never tasted a troll." The Head Chef addressed the crowd, her voice carrying out across the town square.

Behind her, the slightest flicker of movement might have been seen if all eyes hadn’t been focused on Prince Gristle and Chef. A flash of unusually dark fur darted out of a pink, flower-like pod, a small object nestled into it’s chest.

Branch skidded to a stop, the young trolling’s precious passenger clinging tightly to his oddly fluffy ruff. Princess Poppy’s bright pink fur stuck out like a sore thumb against his dull grays and blacks, but she was far safer with him than any other troll, at least until they got under ground. He glanced down at the wide-eyed trolling in his arms.

“Don’t worry princess, I’ve got you.” He reassured her, causing the baby to smile.

His ears flicked towards the front gate of the enormous cage he, along with all other trolls, had been trapped in their whole lives, and paled when he saw two bergens enter. Luckily, his dark colours allowed them to blend into the shadows, and Branch took advantage of that fact as he sprinted towards the tunnel entrance. As soon as his paws hit the cool dirt, he let out a sigh of relief, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he navigated the dark passage way. While other trolls relied on torchlight to see in the dark, his eyes adjusted to the inky blackness naturally. Still, he felt a sense of safety roll over him as he spotted a light just up ahead.

“I’ve got Poppy!” He called out, running up to a silvery Glitter Troll. The adult, who he recognized to be Glitz Diamond, had his son, Guy, with him, a tiny little thing that could have only hatched a few months ago, and the nervous look on his face melted into one of relief as Branch and Poppy appeared.

“Oh thank the stars! Here, let me take the princess, we need to move quickly. Can you keep up, or do you want me to carry you as well?” Glitz asked, gently taking Poppy from Branch.

“I can keep up. Lets go.” Branch said, already starting to run.

Glitz nodded and, after making sure the two trollings in his arms were secure, ran after Branch, quickly passing him, but making sure not to run too far, lest the younger male be left behind. They managed to catch up to some of the other trolls without incident, and Glitz passed Poppy on so that she could reach her father. For a moment, Branch thought that their escape somehow went unnoticed. Unfortunately, he was about to be shown just how wrong that line of thinking was.

Just as they entered the halfway point in the tunnels, an enormous shovel blade crashed down and caused part of the tunnel to collapse. The nearby trolls screamed and scattered, sprinting through the tunnel and trying to dodge falling dirt and rocks. Glitz, who was half blind, tucked his son into his hair and stuck to one side, using the wall as a sort of guide. Branch chose to give Glitz more room and stuck to the middle part of the tunnel. Perhaps if he had stuck to the sides like his glimmering guardian, he might have avoided what happened next.

It happened so fast that Branch barely even had time to blink. There was a flash of silver, and then a splatter of bright, crimson red. Branch hit a root hard as he fell, his small form crumpling instantly as he let out a heart-stopping scream. His eyes were blown wide as the noise of the world faded into a harsh, unwavering ringing sound. Although he could see what was in front of him, he could comprehend what was happening, nor did he hear Glitz skidding to a stop behind him.

About a foot away from where he now lay was a shovel blade, slightly embedded in the moist dirt. The lower edge of the blade was dripping with a scarlet liquid, the dim sunlight beaming through the freshly made hole in the tunnel making the liquid shine. It soaked into the tunnel floor and reeked of cherries and copper. Branch knew what it was, but couldn’t understand why he was seeing it. Suddenly, he was lifted upwards, his cheek now pressed into a fuzzy forearm. The movement made his right leg erupt with a pain unlike any he had never known. The ringing in his now flattened ears waned, and Branch could finally hear Glitz’s panicked voice as well as his own pained cries.

“Oh Ancestors! Just, just don’t look! Close your eyes, we’re almost there!” Glitz stuttered out, dashing to the side as another blade pierced the ceiling.

Fear and pain ruled Branch’s mind, so he ignored the Glitter Troll’s words and glanced down at his leg.

He immediately regretted his decision.

Branch could barley even recognize his leg due to the state of it. A gash that started at his hip and ended just before his knee was gushing blood, dark and matted fur sticking to the sides of the wound. His leg muscles were torn open and flecks of white were visible beneath the carnage. The sight of his mangled limb caused Branch’s stomach to flip, and he only managed to mewl a quick warning to Glitz before he vomited onto the ground, his minuscule breakfast coming back up with a vengeance. Glitz paused only long enough to let Branch finish, quickly picking up the pace after the poor gray trolling had finally emptied his stomach of all it’s contents.

Branch weakly wiped at his mouth, all the strength leaving his body as he panted, pained whines escaping him as he went limp. Vaguely, he was aware that he shouldn’t be feeling this numb, the pain in his leg now a series of sharp throbs as his breaths started to become shallow. He thought he heard Glitz swear, but he wasn’t sure, as sound was becoming kinda muffled. His flexible ears were now flopped downwards, his body not having the energy to keep them pinned tightly against his head. Glitz jolted to the left, startling Branch and rousing him slightly, fresh tears spilling from his eyes as he accidentally jostled his leg.

Suddenly, there was more voices, one in particular catching Branch’s attention. King Peppy’s voice rang out as he helped the slower trolls get out of the tunnel faster. Surprisingly, the ruler was nearly naked, and Branch might have snickered if he hadn’t felt like he was at death’s door. When Peppy spotted Glitz, he smiled, but his happy expression dropped like a rock once he saw Branch. The King’s orange fur seemed to pale as he registered what he was seeing. Immediately, he rushed forward and took the torch from Glitz, allowing the other adult to better support Branch.

“By the Ancestors, what happened?!” He asked as they ran.

“One of the shovel blades got him in the leg. I didn’t have time to warn him.” Glitz said, his ears pinned back as far as they could go.

“We need to get him to Plum. Quickly, this way!” Peppy called, sliding down a steep drop and using his hair to propel himself and a few others, including Glitz and Branch, up and over the large uphill section and twisty turns of the tunnel.

Branch mentally questioned why they had dug it that way, but he soon forgot his criticizing thoughts when a bright light came into view, every troll rushing towards it.

‘Freedom.’ Branch thought hopefully, his ears perking up slightly. A deep, primal need for sunlight and fresh air gripped him, and he felt himself struggling to raise himself up enough to get a good look at the outside world.

Glitz gently lifted his arm so that Branch could rest his head and still be able to see. As the light drew closer, he shut his eyes so that he didn’t get blinded by the sunlight. He slowly reopened them when a breeze blew through his downy coat, his tail swaying slightly. If it hadn’t agitated his leg beyond belief, he might have enjoyed it. Through gritted teeth he took in his new surroundings, enraptured by the colourful yet intimidating forest towering above them.

Around him were a few more injured trolls, many sporting cuts and bruises. One troll had a broken leg, much like his own, minus all the blood and mangled flesh. A purple troll with green hairs was putting a makeshift, non-permanent cast on the other troll’s broken leg. Branch recognized her to be the tribe’s doctor, and he winced at the thought of having someone touch his leg, even if it was to treat it. He instinctively shrunk back, flattening himself as much as he could, even if it was a useless endeavor.

“Plum! I need you over here, its urgent!” King Peppy called out, gesturing to Branch.

Dr. Plum quickly finished up with her current patient and hurried over. “Okay, what seems to be the OH MY GOODNESS!” She took a step back in surprise, her pupils flickering into slits momentarily. Her ears went back as she examined Branch’s leg, her hands hovering over the still heavily bleeding gash.

“This needs to be treated immediately or he’s going to go into shock. Branch, can you hear me?” She asked, gently tapping him on the arm. When Branch made a quiet noise of acknowledgement, she continued. “I need to give you some berries that will knock you out for a few hours, do you think you can sit up?”

The gray trolling huffed and managed to push himself up, baring his teeth and hissing as he adjusted himself, his limp leg flopping uselessly. Plum sucked in air through her teeth, now seeing that the bone had been badly broken. This would require surgery to fix, and the scar would never fully fade. She turned her attention back to her bag and retrieved a few small green berries. She handed them to Branch, who made a face but still ate them, his nose wrinkling at the bitter taste. After a few moments, his eyelids began to droop, and he slipped into unconsciousness. Plum took Branch from a now bloodstained Glitz, who pulled Guy out of his hair, the infant mewling fearfully as he clung to his father’s ruff. Glitz groomed his son’s puffed up fur, smoothing it down with his rough tongue.

Dr. Plum quickly wrapped Branch’s leg in what little leaf gauze she had left. She could make more later, and she would need it for when she actually finished operating on his leg, but this would have to do for now. They needed to move and find somewhere safe to rest before the sun went down. She shifted Branch in her arms and quickly rejoined the now moving group, Glitz and Guy following close behind her. Up ahead, she could see little princess Poppy waving and babbling at everyone, and the doctor couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face. The princess hadn’t been harmed, and they all had Branch to thank for that. Despite his dull colours and less than friendly attitude, he was a kind soul, and he truly did not deserve what had happened to him. She just hoped that she would be able to fix his leg, and that the injury wouldn’t permanently cripple him.

‘He’s strong.’ She thought to herself. ‘If anyone can survive a wound like that, it’s Branch.’

[ladyadalicialove]

Akumanettes ~ Part 1

So I’ve decided as a reward for finishing my exams to indulge in Akumatied Marinettes!! I love seeing people’s takes on what her form would be and so I decided to do a small series on some of those interpretations. 

This first part will be my own versions, one of which I’ve shown before. The next few parts will be a mix of my own and fanart of other akumanettes. 

These posts will show a song that I think fits with the akuma, the actual design with a quote, small explanation of the design/outfit, the story behind akumatisation and powers.

so go ahead read these first two and tell me what you think!!

.: Marionette :.

Song: The Puppet Song - SailorUrLove

The design/outfit is inspired by the puppet from the FNAF series. Personally I love the fact that many puppets have no expression or just a single expression. They are also symbolic of manipulation/control. Because of this I think that its a perfect base for an akumatised Marinette. 

I wanted to have a look that departed from everything that is her. Mainly the lack of colour with the obvious duo-chromatic palette. 

The long white hair is very ghostly, and so is the floating black coat. Along with her single expression, it makes her appear vacant. Which is what I want, because of my head canon that follows the story.

Story:

This is set in their last year of High-school, both of our favourite super heroes have been doing it for 4 years. Marinette has especially become good at stopping akumas reaching victims. She has thwarted Hawkmoth’s akumas from reaching their victims several times, enough that it has caused a severe decrease in his super villains. Since she actively seeks his victims and talks to them about their problems, thus preventing akumas it angers him. 

Hawkmoth has been waiting for the opportunity to akumatise Marinette for some time. He wants this girl to suffer, he wants his revenge against her. And he finally gets his chance when she graduates. 

The akumatised object is the red button on her coat. The button was Adrien’s. he gave it to her during their graduation. Why? Well Kagami told Adrien about how during graduation in Japan, certain buttons of a guys shirt mean things. She told him that the first button represents oneself, the second represents one’s most beloved person, the third one’s best friends and so on. She told him this in hopes that he give his second button to her, the one meant for a love confession.

Adrien however mixes the meanings of the buttons up and decides to give the second button to Marinette thinking it’s him telling her about them being best friends forever. 

He gives her his second button, the one meant for a love confession and he tells her all about how he wants to stay in touch after graduations. Marinette aware of the Japanese button tradition, thinks he confessing to her and she proceeds to confess her feelings. Marinette wants no regrets after graduation!!

Adrien however, realises his mistake and corrects himself, and rejects her.  Marinette of course says it okay and that she obviously got too excited. Adrien naively understands, but before he can get the button back she runs.

She takes her earrings off and instructs Tikki to go to Master Fu, believing she won’t have the will to fight Hawkmoth. Tikki tries to convince her otherwise but a purple butterfly entering the button interrupts them. Hawkmoth uses to opportunity to attempt to akumatise her, convincing her that Adrien manipulated her into her confession. He tells her she can control everyone she wants and never has to be manipulated by those she trust again (the irony lol). Thus Marionette is born.

Throughout the akumatisation, Marinette remains inside herself, aware of what is happening. Watching her akuma form create a web of white strings over Paris. Hawkmoth wants her to suffer from the damage and pain she will inflict onto Paris, since she has caused his mission to be extended and he is a bit salty.

I will leave the story there. 

Powers:

Marionette can control millions of the strings from her web that is strung across  Paris. Like a spider she can feel where her victims are and can snatch them. She cocoons them in her strings and they transform into horrifying little puppets that follow her command aka they just transform others into puppets. The puppet army is coming~

Marionette however remains in a giant ball of strings at the top of the Eiffel tower. Just imagine a giant white yarn ball on the tower. She sits there, limp and lifeless in the ball fighting Hawkmoth in her mind. 

The strings she makes are uncuttable but can be destroyed by Chat Noir’s Cataclysm. But he would have to Cataclysm a lot of her strings to untangle Paris, and I don’t Plagg is up for that. 

.: Ring Mistress :.

Song: Scooby doo! Big top - When the Circus Comes to Town 

So I have actually discussed this akumatised form in another post. But there was still loads of stuff I didn’t finalise til now. 

Her design is meant to be reminiscent of Circus Ring Leaders, with the red coat, top hat and cane. Her eyes are green because they look great in green and it implies her powers aka ability to change. They were purple before but I change it :p

I wanted her to look mature but not too sexy, hence why I changed her from the original concept. I had to scrap the whip it was too much lol. But the more simple design is more appropriate for her and she certainly looks evil now.

Story:

Another day, another lie from Lila. Marinette’s reputation had been crumbling since Lila had stepped into their classroom claiming she had Tinnitus in her left ear. Or was it the right ear? 

The final straw was not Lila cornering her in the bathroom for the third time that week. But Lila had told all her classmates that she had found a diary written by Marinette, it apparently detailed all the things she hated about her classmates.

Lila had ever so graciously read it out to her class, and they were furious. Alya wanted revenge and since Marinette had left to go to the bathroom. Alya grabbed Marinette’s school bag and proceeded to shred its contents with the help of the class. They laughed as they ripped apart her sketchbook and assignments. They cackled when they destroy her stuff.  

Marinette came back to see it unfold before her. Her heart sunk as she stood frozen in the doorway, fat streams of tears had come. Her sniffle caused the class to look at her. Alya thought when Marinette discovered their doings she would have yelled out them, pull a Chloe or something. Not a confused, scared and hurt pig-tailed girl. 

Marinette ran to the bathrooms. Passing Adrien who had finally arrived from a photoshoot. (sunshine boy has no clue)

Bursting through the doors, she crashed into the tiled wall. Marinette choked a sob.

Within a few minutes Tikki had taken the earrings, she couldn’t calm Marinette down.

- intermission~ I have written a good chunk of a fanficition based on this so I won’t give the whole story away I guess -

The akumatised object is a photo of her friends, it’s placed in her hat alongside a random card. Being a hero meant she knew how to prepare against Chat. By having a decoys such as fake earrings and the car, she has possibly increased her akuma longetivity especially if Chat grabs the wrong one to cataclysm. 

sis aint playing games

Powers

Ring Mistress of course has increased speed and agility, and that cane can do some damage. However her main ability is to turn people into circus performers based on that person’s sin. She transforms the whole class excluding Adrien (he gotta be a leather boi) into circus acts. So far this is list I’ve created based on the class:

Nino + Alya - Knife Throwing = How can these two trust each other not to hurt each other when they hurt Marinete? Ring Mistress would love to know.

Lila - Corntortionist = Lying means to twist words, might as well bend along with them, eh Lila? 

Sabrina + Chloe - Lion Tamer = Abusive and an exploitative relationship. I kinda want Chloe to be the Lion? I drew it up and its funny as. Uno reverse card biotch!

Kim - Strong Man = My dude is pretty vain when it comes to his athleticism, so gotta make him a strong man!! I imagine he is the only one having a good time during this akuma attack. 

Alix - Human Comet = A risk-taker or over confident? This cocky daredevil will give you an explosive time at this circus!

Rose + Juleka - Trapeze Act = This absolutely cute duo is terrified of losing each other! Ring Mistress hopes they don’t slip, after all there isn't a net to catch them~

Max - Juggler = So many projects, so little time! How does a human calculator calculate that? Juggle those robots Max! 

Nathaniel, Mylene and Ivan, are the ones I don’t know about. Maybe background clowns?? I need help to decide what is best for them.

Ring Mistress is desperately looking for Adrien to turn him into a clown though. After all only a clown would rather maintain complacency than help a friend in need. 

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

That’s it for this akumanette post! I would love to hear your thoughts on these head canons of mine!! I hope to write stories on them and add some illustrations of the puppets and the class as a circus over the next couple of days. 

Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Next part might be La Justice fanart >o<

[sonicrevival]

Reunions: Chapter 3 of 4: Regicide

Quite large one today.

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18573268/chapters/44028367

Sonic: Revival- Reunions

Chapter 3 of 4: Regicide Morning in Mobotropolis, and a small figure walked the streets, heading nearer to the palace as she pushed through the crowds. None of them paid her any mind, but if they looked closer, they might’ve spotted the faint glow in her blue eyes, or the similarly-bright gemstone in her forehead, mostly covered by her messy ginger hair. Emerl grumbled slightly. Sneaking wasn’t remotely her style, and part of her wanted to be caught so that she could run back and chant “I told you so” at her new friends, in regards to sending her on a mission that didn’t involve fighting… and yet, she remained undetected. She supposed that it wasn’t much of a surprise. Nicole’s holograms and nanite form were both incredibly lifelike. Even she had been fooled when they first met. Of course her new nanite skin was helping… Even if she had no idea what to do with the tail. She just wished that it hadn’t been her that had to do it. *** One hour ago… With the two teams reassembled, and all parties caught up on each other’s conditions, Sally had stressed the need to find where Naugus was first. “Fortunately, we have a team who are experienced with stealth and espionage,” She looked over at Harvey. “Well… we kinda fought Naugus, so now he’s going to be on the lookout for us,” Silver sighed. “We could try disguises, but that won’t hide our energy…” “And we’re not exactly in a position to go in, either…” Sonic grumbled. “I may have a solution…” Nicole spoke up, before gesturing to Emerl. “Me? I don’t think I can help unless you want me to beat his location out of someone…” She recoiled, holding up her hands. “All you need to do is a little scouting. Naugus won’t recognise you because he’s never met you,” Nicole explained. “Still a robot.” “Ah, but I can hide that for you… I can’t do much with the nanites at the moment, but I can form a sort of ‘skin’ with them that will make you look like a Mobian, like this…” Nicole’s eyes flashed green, and nanites swarmed around Emerl’s body. Despite her misgivings, she trusted the lynx, and allowed her to work. Once it was finished, Nicole waved her hand, the wall beside Emerl shifting into a reflective surface. The Nanite skin looked startlingly real. Staring back at Emerl was a small feline girl, with sandy-yellow fur, covered in black spots, with a short tail growing from her backside. Her lower legs and feet were almost completely black, and she had a mop of ginger hair on her head. “Huh… that… looks really lifelike… weird,” She mused. “What am I?” “A black-footed cat,” Nicole replied with a slight smirk. “I thought it was appropriate.” “Alright then… I guess this’ll work.” *** Truth be told, the Gizoid didn’t quite have the heart to tell the lynx ‘No’. Especially after she called her new form ‘cute’. Now that had confused her. She wanted to snap back that she, as a powerful and dangerous robot, was in no way, shape, or form ‘cute’... but she didn’t. Not even when she let out a soft laugh as Emerl’s new face contorted in response. This would require further study, she decided. For now, she had her mission to focus on. Drawing near to the palace, she spotted the figure of a skunk walking down the steps, carrying a staff tipped with a Chaos Emerald. All of that fit the description of Geoffrey St. John, Naugus’ apprentice, and apparently a turncoat. What didn’t match was the enormous energy spike she felt as soon as she locked onto him. Ducking into an alleyway, she made sure her surroundings were clear, then leapt onto the rooftop, brushing the hair away from her forehead to take a deeper scan. The energy levels were off the scale, compared to the profile Nicole had given her. “Hey, Nicole, you seeing these measurements?” She opened a communication link to her friend. “Yes, I can...  I’m showing Sally now…” “Alright…” She nodded, keeping her focus on the skunk. “Hey, is red a natural eye colour for skunks now?” “I… no. And Geoffrey’s eyes aren’t red.” “Well, I’m looking at him right now, and those are definitely red…” She retorted. Nicole went quiet for a minute, before speaking up again, sounding alarmed. “Emerl, get to the Council chamber. That’s not Geoffrey, that’s Naugus!” “Uh, isn’t Naugus bigger and uglier than that?” “It’s Geoffrey’s body, Naugus is possessing him, but don’t worry, Sally has a plan already working. Just get the Council building, I’ll explain on the way.” “Right,” She nodded, vanishing in a burst of blue. *** Emerl lingered in the crowd outside the Council building, fingers gripping the heavy weight in her hands. Sir Charles had passed it to her when she arrived, and she had quickly hid herself in the throng of bodies. Apparently, ‘Geoffrey’ was due to make some kind of announcement, supposedly on Naugus’ behalf, explaining the large gathering of people. If all went smoothly, that announcement wouldn’t be made at all. She listened to the voices of her friends echoing inside her head- Silver’s team inside the Council chamber itself, protecting the city’s leaders. The main Freedom Fighter team, just below the street with Nicole ready to bring them up to the surface, and their secret weapon, lingering on the roof of the building itself, ready to make his appearance, all confirming that they were ready to move. The skunk’s approach drew mixed reactions from the crowd. Nicole had explained that, while Geoffrey was Naugus’ right-hand man, and thus received plenty of support from the wizard’s more ardent backers, to others, he was still considered a traitor after he was found guilty of betraying Elias and the Acorns. “Alright...” Sally’s voice cut through the chatter, the rest of the teams going quiet. “Phase one, go.” As Naugus began to climb the steps, a thin blue shape dropped from the roof of the building, crashing down in front of him. The stonework cracked beneath its weight, the possessed skunk leaping backwards as it rose. Several people in the crowd screamed, and began to run, as Metal Sonic rose to its feet, lunging at Geoffrey’s body. Emerl wasn’t sure what to make of this mechanical Sonic, compared to the last one she fought. Not as strong, by all appearances, but significantly faster. It shot forward with speed greater than Sonic’s own, punching Geoffrey’s face. The force of the first blow sent the skunk reeling, skidding across the ground in a heap. The staff slipped from his fingers, as the robot stalked toward him, its right hand restructuring into a drill. “Emerl, now!” Emerl grinned, racing out of the crowd with her cargo in-hand, lifting it over her head and gently throwing it toward the skunk as she called out to him. “Geoffrey, catch!” Instinctively, his hands snapped up, snatching at the blur of gold and steel. His eyes widened as he looked down at the pristine form of the Sword of Light. The empowered weapon let out a brilliant flash, and Geoffrey screamed in two voices as black fog poured from his mouth and nose. His body slumped to the ground, fingers still gripping the hilt, as the fog pooled nearby, Naugus’ hideous mutated form emerging from it, skin wrinkled and dark, lips pulled back to expose his teeth, barbs growing from his clawed hand, horn curving to a sharper point. Hurriedly, he snatched up his staff, glaring at both Geoffrey and Emerl herself, before noticing the civilians that hadn’t fled. Before he could open his mouth, however, Geoffrey rose and swung the sword at him. Naugus hissed in pain as the blade nicked his left hand. “Monster!” The skunk roared, wincing as the blade continued to glow, smoke rising from where his hands gripped the hilt. “It burns you too, my foolish apprentice!” The wizard fired back, black lightning blasting from his Emerald, knocking the skunk off of his feet. He lost his grip on the Sword of Light, which clattered to the ground nearby. “Alright, Phase Two, let’s move!” Sally’s voice cut in, as the ground nearby began to ripple. “Shard, how are you holding up?” “Not great, unfortunately,” ‘Metal Sonic’ spoke up, optics lighting up in green. “I’m almost out of power. Going to fall back.” “We’ll take it from here,” Emerl smiled over at him. Shard nodded, nanites flowing away from his body to expose his normal, if battered, body, and he fired his engines, launching away from the plaza. As Naugus prepared to strike the prone Geoffrey, Emerl broke into a run, launching herself at the two mages. Curling into a tight ball, she slammed herself into Naugus’ gut, knocking the air from his lungs and forcing him back. Unrolling, she slammed her fist into his face, breaking several of his fangs and sending him sprawling across the ground, before grabbing Geoffrey and launching herself back to the steps, just as the rest of the Freedom Fighters, with the exception of Sally, emerged from below the city. “Oh gods, what’s wrong with his face!?” Sonic yelled, as Naugus rose to his feet, glaring at the assembled team. “His… his body is decaying. Whatever that white flash that Eggman’s machine made was, it’s destabilised him, and he’s starting to de-fuse…” Geoffrey explained weakly. “Gross,” Amy winced. “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Tails nodded. “Well, doesn’t matter what he looks like. We’re still gonna take him down!” Sonic lowered himself, preparing to launch. “Don’t be so sure, Quickster…” Naugus rasped, leaning on his staff. “I’m not sure why you have returned from your excursion to find the former Princess, but you still need me… and I am still the King… call off your new friend, and I might not have you all arrested for treason…” “Oh, come off it, Naugus. We all know what you’re up to,” Bunnie groaned, preparing her arm cannon. “Doesn’t matter how many people you brainwash into electing you, yer still gonna lose in the end!” “Is that so?” His mouth split into a rictus grin as he raised his staff, black magic exploding out from it. For a moment, all of the organic Freedom Fighters felt something dark trying to worm into their minds, before a flicker of green light shielded them, Nicole’s eyes glowing brightly as she strained against the magic, forming a protective bubble around the team. The last dregs of the crowd weren’t so lucky, as their eyes turned black, and they began to lurch toward the Freedom Fighters, reaching out as they shambled forward. “Oh no!” “Not good!” “Dagnabbit, of course he did this…” “It would seem that I still have the support of the people!” Naugus cackled. “Although you are managing to resist, it will not be long before I break the computer’s shields and you too come to recognise my legitimacy! In fact, why not hurry the process along...” He pointed his staff at Nicole, only for Emerl to crash into it, grabbing hold of it and trying to wrench it from his grip. Yet, despite her strength, he managed to hold tight, power arcing along the shaft as both tried to wrench it free from the other. “Leave her alone!” Emerl growled, as her fingers closed around the Chaos Emerald itself. She felt its power flowing into her, felt the two stones already within her chest pulling it toward her. For a moment, her mind began to race again, another flash of the city, and she staggered, head swimming. That was all Naugus needed. The mad chimera wrenched his staff upward, dragging her with it, before she lost her grip and he flung her into the air. At the same moment, he unleashed the bolt of crystallising magic he had been aiming for Nicole, and it caught the Gizoid’s chest, propelling her into the Council building and entombing her within a chunk of green glass. “Emerl!” Nicole called out, but she received no response. Immediately, she remembered Bunnie’s comment in her Uncle’s office, about not wanting to share the fate of Titan Metal Sonic, and she thought back to the destruction of her own nanites at Naugus’ hand. “Emerl, please…” Nothing. “Nicole…” Sonic ventured, eyes fixed on a child, no older than Cream, scraping his hand blankly against their shield bubble. “You gotta stay focused, she’s gonna be-” Nicole looked up at Naugus, growling with barely contained rage, fists clenching. Green fire flooded her eyes, as she floated off the ground. “Are you going to attack me, Nicole?” Naugus jeered, spreading his arms, almost as if he were inviting her to strike. “You know that I will simply destroy any nanites you use against me, and leave your friends at the mercy of both my spell and my people!” “Nicole, listen to me-” Sally’s voice again, but this time, the lynx didn’t respond. The shield flickered and dropped, but before Naugus or his enslaved minions could capitalise in any way, all of them were thrown from their feet by a shockwave of unseen force, hurled backwards. As the civilians landed, the ground beneath them melted, first giving them a soft landing, then reducing to the consistency of mud as they tried to stand, causing them to sink until their legs were trapped, preventing them from moving. She thrust her hand forward, a tremor shaking through the plaza before the ground split open beneath Naugus’ feet, tendrils reaching up from within to drag him down. He recoiled, thrusting his staff down to shatter them as his cape expanded into a pair of huge wings, carrying him out of the gap. Snarling, she reached out for his mind, feeling the presence of four separate voices, all occupying his head, all in conflict. The destabilisation that Geoffrey mentioned.Zeroing in on the strongest voice, she struck, firing psionic lance directly into it. Everything he had taken from her, the people she protected, her friends, her home, and now Emerl, she packed it into her attack, forcing him to feel every last day of it, from the entire three month period, in an instant. Naugus screamed. The glow from the Emerald faded, and his spell died. Those that he had already enslaved remained in his control, but the Freedom Fighters stood firm, all free, as Nicole’s arms sagged and she sank to the floor. “I have the zombies trapped… tear him apart.” “It’s gonna be okay, Nicole. Promise.” Sonic placed a hand on her shoulder, before surging forward, as the rest of the team followed. “Our turn!” Still steadying himself, Naugus had no chance of avoiding the blasts from Bunnie and Rotor’s cannons, staggering him. He raised his staff to fire upon them, but was stopped short when Amy’s hammer slammed into his foot, then his gut, sending him reeling. Tails clubbed the back of his head with his namesakes, as Sonic crashed into his chest, bouncing away to loop around and strike his back. Growling, Naugus melted into his own shadow, reappearing behind them and taking to the air. Immediately, Tails caught up to him, lashing his namesakes at the wizard’s wings. Rather than slice through, however, he bounced off of the magic field flowing through them, recovering just in time to avoid a swipe from Naugus’ claw. Any attempt on the mutant’s part to press the attack ended in another hail of cannon fire, forcing him to wheel away from Bunnie and Rotor’s attacks. He raised his staff, taking aim at them once again, only to feel something wrap around his ankles- a coil of nanites, rising up from the ground to drag him back down toward it. Switching focus, he lowered his weapon instead, preparing to destroy the tendril, just as a second one enveloped it, and a third engulfed his claw. With a howl of rage, Naugus let out a blast of black fire, turning all three to glass. Shattering all three, he glared down at Nicole, the lynx having fallen to her knees, wracked pain from the damage to her city. “You have become a thorn in my side, computer. A once useful pawn, but no longer worth anything… so die…” He hissed, preparing to attack her once more. Below him, Bunnie circled slowly, Sonic hanging onto her arm as she lined up with the chimera. Spotting her chance, she drew her arm back, as Sonic flipped himself over to perch on the palm of her hand. “Ready, sugah?” She asked, flashing him a smirk. “Oh yeah!” He grinned back. Bunnie thrust her arm forward, extending it as she did so, and launching Sonic with all of her strength. At the same time, Sonic sprang away from her, accelerating himself even faster, the recoil from his jump forcing Bunnie back slightly. Sonic’s spinning form tore through the membrane of Naugus’ left wing, not slowing for a second as he uncurled and reached out to grab Tails’ arm. Letting the momentum shift him, Tails went into a tight spin and hurled Sonic back down, straight through the other wing. Just as Rotor caught Sonic, Naugus went into freefall. Spotting his shadow growing larger on the ground, he prepared to melt into it, body turning into black ichor as he fell. Before he could properly shadowmeld, however, the ground itself shifted, and suddenly a brilliant emerald light shone out of it, removing the shadow entirely, stinging Naugus’ dissolving form, and leaving him with nowhere to left softly. He thudded heavily against the ground, rising just in time for Amy to slam her hammer into his forehead, snapping his horn off at the base. “AWAY WITH YOU!” Naugus roared, a shockwave exploding from his staff that knocked all of them down, agony spiking through their bodies. Purple energy seethed within his eyes and the Emerald, his body bulking up. “You cannot take what is rightfully mine away from me!” Dark lightning sparked around his weapon as he held it up, clouds gathering overhead, flashes of the same electricity rippling within them. When the first bolt crashed down, it slammed against the shield dome, arcing out over it for a moment, before both the charge and the dome faded. Before he could call a second shock, however, the crystal stuck to the wall of the Council Building cracked, and then exploded outwards. Emerl clawed her way out of the remainder of the prison, body wreathed in blue fire, nanites sloughing away from her to expose her true form. “Emerl!” Nicole’s face lit up. “Oh, thank the Source…” “Everyone, move!” The Gizoid growled, as her chestplate split open, exposing the raging core within. The Freedom Fighters scattered, and she opened fire, the beam exploding out from within her. Gritting his fangs, Naugus responded in kind, a colossal blast of purple storming up to meet Emerl’s head-on. Both were pushed back by the force of the impact, Naugus’ boots scraping against the ground, sinking into the nanites slightly, while Emerl felt herself pressed against the wall of the building behind her. Bracing herself with her arms, she planted her feet against the wall. Panels on either side of her legs opened, metal rods extending from within to punch into the building, anchoring her in place. At the same time, Naugus felt his boots sinking further into the ground, and realised that he couldn’t move. He glared at Nicole for a moment, before focusing on Emerl once more, and, with a roar of fury, channelled more power into his attack. Slowly, Emerl felt her beam being pushed back toward her, spotting Naugus’ face splitting into a hideous grin. Straining against the force, she dug deep, trying to find more fuel for her fire. A little more rage, a little more fury, anything that could make her burn brighter. Then she spotted Sonic reaching for the fallen sword, and noticed Naugus’ feet sinking into the ground. She glanced down at Nicole, feeling her power surging up again. Something to fight for, and a shot at winning- that was all she needed. Chaos exploded from within her, driving Naugus’ attack back, much closer to him than before. She swelled as she watched his smile die, giving way to a pained grimace- Using that much power while literally coming apart at the seams couldn’t be comfortable, she mused. Then, Naugus let out a shocked gasp, followed by a roar of pain, as Sonic surged past him, slicing into his back with the glowing blade of the Sword of Light. For a moment, he whirled to face the hedgehog, blinded by hatred, then paused as he realised two very crucial facts. Firstly, the searing wound inflicted by the Sword of Light had caused him to lose focus on his clash with the robot. Secondly, he was currently not paying attention to said robot. Almost resigned, he turned back forward, just in time to see the oncoming ray of Chaos fill his vision. His arms raised to shield his face- Not that it was really worth shielding, Emerl decided, and the blast consumed his form, ravaging his body as it ripped him up from the ground and drove him back into it, cutting a furrow through the pavement, until finally the storm of untamed energy finally died down, leaving him embedded in a long crater, the Freedom Fighters slowly gathering around his unmoving body. Emerl peeled herself away from the wall, extracting her legs before dropping to the ground beside Nicole, landing on her knee with a crunch. “Sorry about the damage, Nicole,” She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “I was just trying to put him down for good.” “It’s alright…” She smiled back at her. “I already partially disconnected myself from the nanites when I realised the direction that this battle was going in. Didn’t feel a thing.” “Well, that’s good to know,” Emerl shrugged. “You alright?” “You scared me there…” She admitted, looking away. “I couldn’t feel you or hear you or anything. I thought you were dead.” “I couldn’t hear you either, the crystal must’ve blocked our signals out…” She murmured. “I’m glad you’re okay, though.” “I’m glad you’re unhurt too… Just, please don’t scare me like that again,” The lynx looked up at her. Emerl did her best to convey a smile with her eyes, and nodded. “Promise?” “Promise. Now, let’s go see how much damage I did to that ugly jerkwad!” She pointed over at the crevice her beam had dug into the city itself. Nicole laughed, and the two made their way over. The rest of the Freedom Fighters had approached the crater already, where the mad wizard lay, crumpled and still. “Is he dead?” Bunnie asked. “Nah… he’s breathing… Still, while we’re here.” Sonic planted the Sword of Light in the ground, and jumped into the pit, sliding down the ledge. He snatched up the fallen staff, turning it over for a moment before snapping it in half over his knee. It splintered with another flash of purple and black sparks, causing Sonic to leap back and drop both halves. At the same time, the black aura faded from the eyes of the remaining crowd, and they stumbled, most of them collapsing as they rubbed their heads. “W-what happened?” One of them asked, blinking rapidly. Freeing the crowd wasn’t the only effect of breaking the staff, however. Naugus’ eyes snapped open, hands flying to his chest and forehead, clutching at them as he writhed in place. “No… no no no… I can’t… you can’t take this from me…” He hissed, his claw snapping out to close around the fallen Chaos Emerald, plucking it from the ruined staff, pulling it close to his chest. “You’re not exactly in a position to bargain here, Horn-Head,” Sonic shrugged. “We’ve still got the Sword of Light, and you’re not looking so great after that attack. I mean, relatively. I don’t think you’ve ever looked great.” “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Quickster…” Naugus allowed himself a chuckle, a horrible rasping sound, looking up at the blue hedgehog with a twisted grin. “You need me.” “Oh, really?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he barely managed to keep his smile under control, leaning down a little. “How d’you figure?” “My power is the only thing that can save your precious Princess from her terrible, terrible fate!” He cackled, trying to stand. His leg gave out, and he slumped to his knee, laughter turning to a fit of coughs and splutters. “Your rabbit comrade has seen fit to reject my gift, but Robotnik’s cruel treatment of Miss Acorn requires my special touch. Kill me, imprison me, find any other way to punish me for my crimes… but it will cost you any chance of seeing her restored to normal!” “Is that so?” Naugus froze, as Sonic’s smile grew to truly smug proportions, as the ground split enough for Sally to walk up the flight of steps that Nicole had provided her with, drawing level with her friends, folding her arms as she looked down at him “No, impossible… he… how did you…?” “I had some very good doctors,” Sally replied. For a moment, Naugus stared up at her, jaw hanging open. He barely moved as Sonic sprang back out of the furrow to stand beside her. Then, his face contorted in rage, gritting his fangs, claw tightening around the Emerald. Purple fire ignited within his eyes, flooding out and engulfing his body. His hand slammed against the floor, rearing back up as his muscles swelled, his height growing massively. His wings, horn, and missing teeth regenerated, the former stretching outward to truly enormous lengths. He stood tall, form still silhouetted in the violent purple aura, the Chaos Emerald floating above his head. “All the time I spent scheming, waiting, kowtowing to your idiotic council, and you wretched fools try to take it from me… I will not allow that… you will die for your insolence!” Naugus’ aimed his claw down, lightning exploding out from it. The team scattered, Sonic grabbing Sally and leaping away. “How the heck is he doing that!?” Bunnie yelped, stabilising herself in the air. “It must be one of his new powers!” Tails called back. “That’s right, that form is mostly made of shadows…” Emerl added. “Nicole, give us a light from the floor, and make it big!” Sally commanded, standing up from Sonic’s arms. The lynx nodded, pressing her hands to the floor, beginning to morph the nanites into light-emitting forms once again. Spotting the change, Naugus’ wings opened, lifting him off the ground. As he went, black fog poured from his mouth, hugging the ground. The fog spread out from the landing point, blotting out the light before it could even touch him. Bunnie, Rotor, and Emerl all opened fire on Naugus’ form, but their shots failed to even flinch him. Naugus slammed himself back to the ground, a shock of dark power exploding from his claw toward the team, tearing up the nanite stonework as it went. As they scattered once again, Naugus grinned, releasing a violent burst of power from his torso, throwing all of them to the ground. “I want you to feel my agony… I want you all to feel what it’s like to be torn into three…” He rasped, fingers snapping. In that same moment, purple tendrils speared out from his feet, stabbing into the fallen Freedom Fighters’ foreheads. All of them fell to the ground, reeling in an indescribable pain, except for Nicole and Emerl. “Sally!” Nicole rushed to her best friend’s side, grabbing her hand, but the squirrel didn’t seem to notice the lynx’s presence. “Of course, you two do not feel pain, do you? Not in a way that my magic can trigger… but that does not mean I cannot destroy you…” “I beat you once already… I can do it again!” Emerl stood firm, wreathed in blue. “And if we work together, you don’t stand anything resembling a chance!” “Is that so…” “You bet it is!” She slammed her fist into her palm, rolling out her neck. “Come on, Nicole, let’s finish this!” “Right, right…” Nicole stood up, jumping into Emerl’s storage slot once more. “I admire your confidence… but can you stop me and save them?” Naugus jeered, raising his claw. He pointed at the remnants of the crowd, lightning surging from between the two pincers. “No!” Emerl yelled. In a flash, she was gone, reappearing in the path of the bolt. Thrusting her hands forward, a square barrier of jade light formed in front of her, catching it dead-on. Electricity spread out over the shield, forcing the Gizoid to brace against it. Glancing over her shoulder at the throng of terrified faces, staring up at her, she formed a second barrier as her first shattered, the lightning forcing its way through to the new shield. “You all need to run! Get outta here!” The few that hadn’t already started trying to disperse began to flee, but the size of the crowd was so large that progress was slow, hindered further by the news vans parked nearby, who had initially been there to cover another meeting, and now found themselves getting the scoop on the battle between Naugus and the returning Freedom Fighters. Across the plaza, Naugus chuckled to himself as he watched the two struggle against his new power. As the second shield came up, he diverted his attention to the Freedom Fighters, still wracked with pain at his feet. “Now… which of you shall I kill first?” To his surprise, Sonic stood up, shattering the tendril holding him with a ripple of green. The hedgehog rose slowly, breathing heavily as he glared up at the wizard. His eyes flickered to his fallen comrades, and for a moment, Naugus swore he saw a glimmer of red in them. “Ah, a volunteer.” He grinned, raising his free hand, power flowing between his fingers. Then Sonic vanished, a gale blasting in Naugus’ face. The wizard stumbled back, steadying himself with his wings, looking over his shoulder in time to see Sonic racing for the Sword of Light. Despite his initial burst of speed, the hedgehog was noticeably slower now, his injuries evidently taking their toll. Bolts of dark lightning slammed down from the sky, striking at him as he ran, drawn toward the faster target, even as Naugus spread his wings and lunged after him, more long leap than flight. But even with his body aching and sore from the battle, Sonic dodged, sidestepped, and evaded every bolt. For all his newfound power, the Sword of Light still presented an enormous threat to Naugus. Letting Sonic get to it meant game over, regardless of how strong he was able to make himself with his magic. His armour of shadows would give him no defence against the light. He reached out with his hand, stirring up the darkness coating the ruined floor. Wisps of black magic stirred up, reaching out for Sonic, trying to bind his legs, to trip him up, or pull him down into the dirt. Sonic stumbled for a moment, then leapt upwards, allowing his momentum to carry him forward, over the reach of the shadowy tendrils. That would cost him. Naugus grinned, thrusting his claw out, purple electricity surging out from it. With no traction in the air, there was nothing the blue hedgehog could do to dodge it. The bolt struck home, shocking him for a moment before he fell to the ground, scraping to a halt just shy of the blade. As Naugus loomed over him, Sonic growled, gritting his teeth as he reached out for the sword, but it lay just outside of his reach. The chimera’s claw closed sharply around his body, the serrations on the inside biting into his skin as he was hoisted into the air, face to face with him. “After all this, Quickster… do you have any last words?” Naugus jeered, pointing one sparking finger at Sonic’s head. “What, other than ‘You really need a breathmint’? Just the one…” Sonic spat, grinning back at him. “You really, really shouldn’t have lost focus.” As Naugus opened his mouth to ask what Sonic meant, he felt it. The power of the Chaos Emerald had vanished. Immediately, the spell brewing at his fingertip evaporated, the purple aura faded, and the cloak of shadows melted away to nothing, exposing his body, even more hideously mutated than before. “Missing something?” A mocking voice called behind him, and a glance over his shoulder only confirmed what he had already worked out: Emerl hovered there, throwing and catching the purple Chaos Emerald. Seizing his chance, Sonic forced the distracted wizard’s claw apart, perching on it for a second before slamming himself into his face. Stunned, and with his power finally ebbing away, Naugus stumbled, tipping back into the now-darkness-free ground. Sonic caught Emerl’s free hand, as she lowered them both back to the floor, watching the mutant mage shrink down to his normal size. Lying on the cobblestone plaza, Naugus’ broken horn, teeth, and wings had returned, staring up at Emerl in a state of shock, eyes wide, jaw hanging open. Nicole projected herself out of Emerl as they landed, leaving the slot and merging herself with the city once more. Sonic dropped to the floor, sitting down for a moment as he took several deep breaths. Then Naugus shifted, and all three were back on alert. The wizard rolled over, righting himself as he reached out toward Emerl, weakly grasping for the Chaos Emerald. Emerl stepped back, keeping it from his reach for a moment, before her chestplate opened and the gemstone evaporated, flowing inside her core.  She reeled back for a moment, optics turning purple as a matching aura ignited around her, but after a moment, she straightened, and the blue glow returned to her eyes. “Sorry, but that’s mine now,” She folded her arms. Naugus screamed in four voices. Sonic, Emerl, and Nicole all jumped back as the chimera rocked back on his knees, a dark crack forming across his forehead. Black energy floated out of it, as another crack appeared, then another, and then another. More and more cracks formed across his body, splitting wider and wider apart, until his form shattered, still screaming, into a chaotic spiral of magic and chaos, trying to force itself back together into one shape, then into three, then into one again, one mind fighting for control against three others, the former trying to hold their combined form together, the latter desperately trying to tear in apart. For a moment, Naugus’ silhouette was visible once more, the next, three distinct shapes, one with large wings and ears, one multi-limbed with clawed hands, and one with a large horn, clawing in an attempt to go their separate ways. “I guess this is what Geoff meant by de-stabilising…” Sonic mumbled. “What do we do?” Emerl asked, looking between her two more experienced friends. Just as Nicole opened her mouth to speak, a glowing blade tore through the centre of the magical aberration in front of them. The four voices- Naugus and his three components- screamed in agony for a long moment, before a brilliant flash of light tore them asunder, extinguishing their power in a violent conflagration of energy. As the glow faded, the Sword of Light fell to the ground, and Geoffrey St. John slumped down beside it, his right hand badly burnt. “Geoff!?” “I… I suppose you’ll all be wanting some answers, then?” The skunk wheezed, shifting to a sitting position. “I can explain everything.”

[monstersandmaw]

kinda basic but a dragon shifter woman w scales and a tail and dragon eyes x vampire woman who fall in love, and nsfw if thats okay? the vampire is also queen of the vampire clan and the dragon is a cult escapee

also!! i forgot to add but the dragoness’s name is celant and the vampire queen’s name isviolet! thank you!! 

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Hope you actually remember sending this ask in!! Sorry it’s taken me so long to do. This was for the 10 free thank you stories in honour of the blog hitting 1000 followers. I’ve got two more left now, and you can find others here. Those requests are now closed.

Vampire Queen x Female Dragon Shifter (nsfw)

Violet laystretched out under an endless canopy of stars above. Her eyes, the irises sosubtly different from humans’, picked out colours of the spectrum no one elsehad access to, and she savoured – craved– these rare nights alone on the plain.

As far as even hereyes could see, the grasses blew, wafting and shifting, hissing, whispering thesecrets of the land and bringing with them the scents of the night. A haremoved quietly with barely a rustle; a fox stalked it. An owl glided on silentwings, seeking mice, and far enough away to maintain his respectful distance,her most faithful servant and bodyguard stood watch over her.

She had learned tobe alone with Endon in a way that she could with no one else.

Everyone assumedthat she would one day wed Endon, but she had no interest in men. Theirrelationship was closer to brother and sister, though he was ever deferentialto his queen.

As she lay on herback, Endon’s horse stamped a hoof and snorted, and the warder patted themare’s black neck. “Easy, Orchid,” he murmured, his voice deep and quiet as thenight itself.

Violet knew shewould have to return to the castle, to her duties, to her empire of the night,but just a few moments longer was all she could hope for.

Endon’s headsnapped around, his attention fixed on something to the east, and his sword wasout of its scabbard in a heartbeat, and Violet sat up, fingers pressing intothe grass.

Someone was coming.

The way thefootfalls staggered told Violet and Endon that this person was exhausted, andas they both strained through the darkness, their vampire senses heighteningthe sounds and scents, they waited until a figure lurched into view in thedistance.

Violet could justmake out that there were two pinpricks of light following behind this figure,and as they drew into better sight, she gasped. A thick, scaled tail hungbehind her, and as she ran, she cried out, the desperate sound faint on thebreeze. It was an unearthly call, but Violet knew it for what it was. The powerin this woman’s blood sang to her.

She was a dragonshifter.

“Endon,” Violethissed. “Kill those priests.”

“My Queen,” hesaid, shifting through the night like the shadows to which their kind clung.

Violet herselfshifted, feeling the landscape slide by as she moved outside of time itself,faster than any eye could follow save one of their kind, and she drew to a halta short way away from the exhausted woman.

When she saw her,she cried out again and staggered to a halt. “Help me, please…” she sobbed,swaying.

Violet approachedher slowly, eying the talons on the ends of her scaled, lizard-like fingers,and then let her gaze sweep back up her feminine body to the elegant curve ofher neck and up to her eyes. Her eyes were as unusual as Violet’s own. Theywere golden, with a slit pupil, and a blazing red ring around the iris. Longblack hair tumbled loose down her back, thick, and wild from her flight.

Before she had achance to react, the dragon shifter slumped forwards, exhausted, into Violet’sarms.

The vampire caughther easily, and knelt down in the grass, easing her body down. Endon dispatchedthe dragon priests with almost amusing ease, and returned to her, sinking toone knee and bowing his head.

“It is done, YourMajesty.” He raised his head then, and looked at the unconscious woman. “Who isshe?”

“I don’t know,”Violet said, trailing her fingers around the strong jaw of the beautiful woman.“But I will see to it that she is taken care of. Look at these clothes,” shesaid, eyeing the ragged dress she wore, stained and filthy. “I will take careof you,” she crooned. “Come, let us return to the castle with her. Can you takeher on Orchid?”

He nodded and lifted the woman up in his arms. She stirredand he smiled at her, the gesture a rare sight on his stony face, and a sectionof his long, dark hair fell forwards, partly masking his ice-grey eyes. “Youare safe now,” he said. “I’m going to put you on my horse. Do you think you canride?”

She exhaled in despair. “I… I don’t know…”

“Hold on,” he said, placing her into the saddle as thoughshe were a child, though with her tail she was a little more cumbersome thanshe looked. Once she was settled, he swung up easily onto the great war horse,and looked down at his queen.

“I will run straight home, old friend,” she said with a wrysmile, shifting again and streaking across the landscape in a blur. She wasold, and powerful, and few could rival her for speed or strength, and she wasat the castle gates in mere minutes.

The guards on duty bowed their heads, not taking their eyesoff the horizon, and as she swept through the outer courtyard, she summoned thehousekeeper to her side.

The older woman, who happened to be leaving the keep throughanother exit at that moment, scurried over and bowed her head. “My Queen?”

“Endon will be arriving soon with a guest. She is weak andinjured, and is to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Have roomsprepared for her in which to recuperate.”

The woman nodded, and left.

Violet could only wait now. There was no way she was goingto start dealing with any of the other tasks she had yet to accomplish thatnight, and so when Endon’s horse cantered into the courtyard, hooves ringing onthe flagstones, she crossed to the window of her chambers and looked out.

The arrival of the dragon shifter certainly caused a stir inthe castle, but by the queen’s decree, no one entered her rooms without expresspermission from the queen or her warder. Endon, as Captain of the Queensguard,had the final say in all matters to do with security.

The dragon lay on the bed and as Violet sat with her, hereyelids fluttered open for the first time. Sunlight now beat against the closedshutters, but the room itself was dark, lit only by a few candles.

“Where am I?” she croaked, trying to sit up.

“Shh, be easy,” the queen murmured. “You’ve been throughquite the ordeal. Rest. Regain your strength, and then we will talk. My name isViolet.”

“Celant,” the dragon smiled before slipping intounconsciousness once more.

Over the course of a few weeks, Celant’s strength returnedto her, and in time she was able to rise and walk with Violet through thecastle. On the first occasion this happened, upon seeing servants and vampirenobles drop to their knees and murmur their respects at their approach, Celantturned to Violet and gasped, “You’re… You’re the Queen…?”

Violet reached out an elegant hand and touched Celant underher chin as she made to bow her head. “I am the queen,” she confirmed, “But Iwould not have you treat me as they do. Please, you are my friend. Have we notspent the last fortnight sitting on the same bed discussing things as two younggirls do?”

“Yes, but… I had no idea…”

“And what of you?” she said, as they began to move off.

“What do you mean?”

Violet turned and stared pointedly at Celant’s beautifultail and eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Celant sighed. “I have been a prisoner in that cult forlonger than I care to remember. They call themselves priests of the dragon, butthere is nothing sacred about what they do. Please, I would prefer not to speakof my time there.”

“Very well,” Violet said. “I will not ask again.”

“Thank you.”

“Come, I would show you the castle gardens. I plantednight-blooming jasmine last year, and I am told the first flowers are beginningto show.”

As they moved through the halls, however, Celant couldn’tmiss the way that the nobles looked at her. She shuffled uncomfortably asViolet engaged one nobleman in polite discussion and his wife licked her lipshungrily, not taking her glowing eyes off Celant’s neck.

When they moved away, Violet turned back to Celant andfrowned. She placed a hand on her arm. “What is it? What’s wrong? Are youunwell?”

“No,” she said. “Why… Why do they look at me like that?Surely they know of dragon shifters…?”

Violet sighed. “Your kind are most definitely known to us.Unfortunately, the blood of a dragon shifter is considered a rare and potentdelight among my kind. Please, forgive me. You are unmarked, and therefore theyare beginning to hope that you might be available to be claimed.”

“I don’t want to be claimed by anyone,” she fired back.

Violet smiled. “Nor shall you be,” she said. “But you willprobably have to be marked in some way to dissuade the others.”

“Marked…?” she asked, gaze drifting to Violet’s mouth, whereher permanently-elongated fangs rested behind beautiful lips.

“Come,” she said instead. “Come to the garden. We candiscuss it there.”

The jasmine was indeed beginning to bloom, and they satbeneath the fragrant branches of the little climbing plant, staring up at thesky in companionable silence.

“I’ve never had the luxury of friendship with anyone,”Violet said after a while.

“What about Endon?”

She smiled fondly. “He is very dear to me, but he is andalways will be my servant. Most trusted, but still, we can never be friends. Not like you and I arebecoming.”

Violet turned to Celant and took her hand in hers. Sheraised it and into it she placed a ring.

“This is my family’s signet ring,” she said. “With this onyour hand, everyone will know that you are not to be touched, as surely asthough you bore the mark of my mouth on your neck.”

Celant stared at it, her dragon’s eyes flaring in the darkas she gazed on the delicate yet worn engraving on the gold ring. Then sheturned back to Violet and said, “Your mark?”

Violet smiled, revealing her long canines. “I assumed youwouldn’t want that after your comment about being claimed…”

Celant closed her fingers thoughtfully around the ring inone palm, and raised her fingertips to her throat. Her claws were black andhard in the night and she raked them gently across the delicate skin of herneck. “I never imagined I would want to be marked by anyone,” she said. “Not after…well…”

Violet nodded but remained silent, letting this beautifulwoman speak.

“But in the weeks I’ve been here, in the time I’ve got toknow you,” she said, turning her burning eyes on Violet’s face, “I have come tothink that perhaps it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I were to allowsomeone to claim me.” The humour in her eyes danced like tiny flames, andViolet’s chest swelled.

“That person would have to allow themselves to be claimed byyou in return,” the queen said, her voice insistent.

Celant smiled. “Indeed.” She opened her hand and looked oncemore at the glinting ring which lay there. “I will wear this, but I would likeyou to mark me in your own way.”

“You would let me drink from you?” Violet asked, amazed,unable to hide the way her eyes flared with excitement.

“I would. And maybe I’ll show you that dragon shifters haveteeth as well, vampire…”

Violet laughed, the sound filling the courtyard like thesoft tinkling of glass bell. “Very well,” she said, raising her hand to theback of Celant’s neck and caressing the hair there between her fingers, makingthe woman shudder with pleasure.

Celant slipped the ring on to her little finger, and turnedher head to expose her neck. The scales which melted into smooth skin at herthroat posed little obstacle to Violet’s sharp teeth, and as she tilted herback slightly, lovingly, the vampire lowered her lips to Celant’s skin andkissed her.

Celant moaned, eyes closing, taloned claws rumpling theskirts of the dress she wore as her fingers clenched in pleasure.

Violet kissed her over and over, and then, when Celant’sarousal reached her nose, Violet opened her mouth wider, feeling the venom ofthe royal line surge, and sank her canines into Celant’s neck.

The blood that coursed through her was like nothing she hadever tasted. The effect of the venom on Celant was intoxicating too. Where inhumans a vampire’s venom would provoke arousal, here, amid the swirling scentof the jasmine, Celant slipped into a euphoria like Violet had never seen inanother.

She cried out, and the heady scent of her arousal bloomedaround them. The blood slipping over her tongue was sweet and full of the powerof the dragon inside Celant. Violet had to pull back before she made herselfblood-drunk on the taste of her, and as she withdrew, Celant moaned.

“We are alone,” Violet purred. “Would you like me to takecare of you?”

“Yes,” she breathed, chest heaving, hips squirming.

Violet raised her hand up the inside of her leg, pushingback her skirts, and Celant opened her legs. The vampire’s sharp teeth madequick work of her underwear, and in no time, Violet’s tongue was teasingCelant’s swollen clit in tantalising circles.

She lapped and licked at her wet folds, until Celant wasshaking and even growling the deep, sonorous sounds of the dragon she couldbecome. The queen traced the soft scales on her legs with her hands, all thewhile edging Celant closer to her climax, before slipping first one fingerinside her, and then a second.

As she crooked them, pulling back to tease her clit with herthumb, Celant cried out, long and loud, and bucked against her. She clenchedhard around Violet, growling and snarling as she came, torso contracting underthe force of her orgasm.

When she finally slumped, still twitching, back against thebench, Violet licked her tongue over Celant once more, tasting her and makingher whimper, before joining her back on the bench.

Panting hard, Celant cracked an eye open and hissed, “Ican’t believe I just had the queen of all vampires between my legs…”

“Perhaps I can be there again some time,” she smiled. “Irather liked being on my knees for someone for a change.”

___________________________

| Masterlist | Patreon | Ko-fi | Writing Commissions |