#i live in such a hot place .. the pain ! /lh

[loosesodamarble]

heyooo erika. congrats on 300+ followers. if it's alright, how about a yuno x reader scenario with prompt c9. “it would be selfish of me to want to be with you, right?”

Hello and thank you so very much, Anon! And don't worry. Your request is more than alright~! Ah, a tragic line for sweet little Yuno. Let's see where this goes.../lh

Summary: Yuno likes you. You like Yuno. But circumstances seem to be pulling the two of you apart. Genre: romance, slight angst Word count: ~1000

..........

It snowed that night. But Spade had snow every day of the year really.

Yuno blew on his mug of cocoa before taking a tentative sip of it. He flinched, realizing it was still too hot for his cat tongue. You sat beside him, simply holding your own mug and enjoying the warmth it spread to your hands.

“Couldn’t you just use your magic to cool it off a bit?” you asked with a quick laugh.

Yuno glanced at you before shrugging and muttering, “I could. But not now.” He blew on his drink again.

“Okay then.” You drank a bit of your cocoa before looking ahead of you.

The lights of a rebuilt Spade Kingdom glittered below the two of you, perched on the roof of the royal castle. Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine the world you lived in. One without the Dark Triad as a looming threat. Where peace was restored within Spade and between the kingdoms. With the long lost prince found and seated beside you. But there you were.

You smiled and did an excited wiggle. This was more than happiness. It was bliss.

“Hey.” Warmth wrapped around your shoulders and pressed against your side. “Getting cold? We can head inside,” suggested Yuno, suddenly side-by-side with you. He’d even tried to place his cloak around the both of you, though it wasn’t large enough to serve as a blanket.

“Of course not. I’m used to it,” you assured. Yet you leaned into Yuno’s touch.

“Your face is all red though…” Yuno tilted his head to rest it upon your crown. “But if you insist.”

You loved that, those little affections that Yuno showed to you. Kind and relaxed, like him you had insisted. Warm and inviting, like yourself according to Yuno.

Moments like the one you experienced weren’t all that exciting but you wouldn’t trade them for the world. Because you had Yuno. and he had you. The two of you and beautiful views and warm drinks—your mug was already almost empty you noticed—and so many things that replaced the years of strife you once knew.

But, this can’t last… you thought. You drummed your fingers against your mug. “Yuno, did I ever tell you that I like you?”

“Hm?” The arm Yuno had around your shoulders squeezed you closer. “Y-yeah. Yesterday. A few times last week.” He chuckled softly. “You’ve been telling me for the last five months.”

“I have, huh?” You smiled and hummed. A blissful five months.

“And don’t worry. I like you too.” Yuno spoke calmly but you could hear his unwavering conviction.

And that made the thoughts you were trying to say all the more painful.

“Would you say that we’re dating?” you asked.

“Would you?”

At his question, you pulled back and raised your head. Yuno looked at you, brows furrowed at your change in mood. In your heart you apologized and planned to say it aloud later.

“No. Because…” Your heart hurt to admit it. There were no tears; you couldn’t cry since what you were doing was for the best. “It would be selfish of me to want to be with you, right?”

“Not at all. If feel the same so it’s not—”

“But you’re going to return to Clover, aren’t you?” you asked which made Yuno stop. “If I start calling you my boyfriend then I’ll want you to stay here in Spade, away from all your friends and family. And away from your dream So… So we can’t be together.”

Yuno had his squad and family in Hage waiting for his return. It wouldn’t have been right for him to leave behind so many people that he’d known for years for the sake of two he’d only known for months.

“I like you, Yuno. So much. I might even love you” You stopped to inhale deeply, to tell yourself not to cry or shake. “And so I… I’m okay if we’re not together. For your sake.”

Yuno’s tense expression softened. He moved his arm from your shoulders and placed his hand over one of yours. You clutched your mug with one hand and held Yuno’s. His skin, cold due to the air, did little to comfort you.

“What if you came to Clover with me?” whispered Yuno. “I’m sure we can find you a job. Maybe even in the Gol…den…” His voice trailed off. He must’ve realized what he had almost done.

Yuno abruptly pulled away, taking his cloak off you with that motion. That was fine. You quietly set your empty mug aside on the ridge which was your seat. The silence between you two grew.

Longer. Tenser. Colder.

You clenched and relaxed your hands on your knees.

“What’s the plan then?” Yuno asked at last. You didn’t look up. Didn’t want to see whatever painful expression must’ve been on his face. “To cut things off now and give up?”

“Maybe. I doubt we could keep up a letter correspondence for long.”

“You don’t even want to try?”

I do. Your hands began to shake. By gods I don’t want this to end but he has so much going for him that he’ll probably just… “No. I’d rather not delay the disappointment. I’m sorry, Yuno.”

Again, silence. Usually Yuno’s quietness was comforting. But at that moment, you couldn’t stand it.

“I’m sorry too…”

After his footsteps had faded, you let yourself curl up and cry.

On that particular evening, you felt how cold Spade was.

…..

Forgetting Yuno was hard. Because Spade loved to announce news about the not-quite-their prince. Apparently he’d achieved the second-highest rank in the Magic Knights.

You smiled and cried when you heard. Because you had given up… He could achieve his dream.

Then, a few days after that news came, you received a letter… addressed from Clover.

[I want to be a little selfish. Would you be willing to visit Clover?]

You should’ve known better. Yuno really was determined.

[ember-owlet]

hii :] no idea if you have open requests or are even active but i saw u write for tlou and got so excited! do u have any agere!ellie and cg!joel hcs :3c?

a/c : eee i absolutely love this request!! i will take any and all excuse to write for my favorite media (/lh) unfortunately it was sent in while i had my requests closed but i appreciate your patience in this being answered! i'm not sure if you had a preference for the show or the game but i tried to keep it as ambiguous as possible. i hope you enjoy the headcanons firelight, some of the themes i plan on making into a fic of one day ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

dynamic: cg!joel x regressor!ellie

content warnings: since the hcs take place around this time in the game, heavy theme mentions of trauma flashbacks with david and ellie vent regresses as a result. ((stay safe little firelights, you can always come back to this when you're ready.))

once joel and ellie reached sanctuary in jackson, the pair had finally found time to rest and not live every day in fear for their safety and needs for survival

with all of this time ellie would sometimes find herself staring at the ceiling of her home, paralyzed with fear

she'd felt so helpless and weak; like a rabbit in the jaws of a hungry wolf. she hated when her mind would go back to that time, and the endless possibilities overflowed her brain with the worst. if she hadn't grabbed the knife, what then?

the hot tears flowed as a pained shriek emerged from her throat with everything that she had.

joel would burst through the doors, his adrenaline kicking in to find ellie's room a complete mess, papers scattered and torn aimlessly around the room, drawers and tables with deep serrated marks across the oak surface and a helpless shaking form holding herself together in the middle of all of it

springing into action joel would remove the switchblade with effort from her relentless grasp, approaching her with gentle repetition of her name.

"ellie, ellie. it's me. it's me."

he would wait until she had locked eyes with him to touch her arm with the lightest trace of his fingers, waiting for a response until pulling her into a tight embrace against his form, clenching onto her so she'd never have to slip from his grasp again. "oh, babygirl..." his breaths were unconfident and tattered but yet she felt so secure from the pressure of his embrace.

she would not know how to respond, buried into the warmth of him holding her; her mind was a jumbled mess that devolved into incoherent babbles and stutters, grasping at him in response as a desperate plea to never let her go.

in another overwhelming physical response she would wail into him, responding in battered pounding to his chest as she trembled.

she was mad at everything; how he left her to fend for herself, how scary the world was, and how much she had missed him in all of it. how could she even think that? it wasn't his fault, and he did the best that he could. back and forth she fought with herself which frustrated her further into the headspace. and despite how awful she's been why does he still continue to hold her so tight?

"i got you. i got you. i'm here and i'll never let you go again." his voice cutting through the sniffles and sobs.

after a minute when she would give in to the exhaustion and slump further into the floor joel swiftly lifted her off her feet and sitting atop her bed, his arm positioned across her body as she fell into the crook of his side.

he would hum to fill the silence, rocking her back and forth to their own tune. the feeling of the vibrations against her ear would help to soothe her. he would wait and hold her forever if that is what she needed.

when she mustered the strength to stand upright on her own he would help her to clean the mess, asking her the occasional yes or no questions to fill the silence and watching for the simple shake of her head.

he would make his best attempts to find a pun or a small joke to see if he could crack a smile from his kiddo, but wouldn't take it to heart if all he got in return was a shy grin.

for the rest of the day he'd be sure to dote on her, bringing her around with him on his errands, and doing everything he could to make it comfortable for her fragile state.

and lord help anyone who dares to give his kiddo even the slightest passive aggressive look. especially when he's in protective mode.

all that mattered to joel was ellie's safety and happiness, and he would do anything and everything to be there when she needed him.

[celestedoesarttm]

hihihihi omg i heard abt u from @kip-has-fleas it said we'd get along well so hi here i am now please tell me everything about red sun omg i NEED to hear about it /lh (i'll be able to see and respond to stuff on here when i'm home alone so probably... next wednesday (unless u happen to have Sky: CotL or fortnite :3 /nf)

anyways yeah hi u can call me vio btw

i have tumblr (obviously lol /silly) and pinterest although u might have to get an invite link from me for that also i'm cloud_of_corvids on duolingo i think so do what you will with that lol /silly sooooooo yeah :3

Hello Vio!! I’ve heard some lovely things about you as well, and if there’s one thing I love it’s talking about my OCs for extended periods of time! I’ll try to keep basic Red Sun synopsis rather short, though.

Red Sun is set on a planet covered in a vast desert and lit overhead by a burning hot crimson star. There’s a City set up in a valley, a City so large that hundreds of millions of people mill about in some hundreds of thousands of levels every day. And outside of the City is the Wastes—the desert where nobody wise lives and anybody who wants to get away from civilization goes. Our protagonist, Gunhilde, is neither particularly wise nor particularly in love with her fellow man.

That’s why she and her newlywed wife, Annie, settle down in a cabin in the Wastes. And life is good and happy and lovely until their money runs out, and they can’t exactly just plant something lush and tasty in the desert. Gunhilde’s far from a stranger to her sixgun, of course, so she starts taking trips into the City every so often to do odd jobs that stray too close to the wrong side of the law for Annie’s liking.

The tension between them silently grows until, one day, Annie decides that damn it, she’s had enough. She steals Gunhile’s sixgun secretly and announces to her wife that she’s leaving, picks up her packed bag and her banjo case, and heads out the door. Gunhilde follows, protesting and pleading with her. Annie pulls out the gun to make Gunhilde leave her alone. Shock makes the sudden pain in Gunhilde’s right shoulder dull, but she doesn’t quite know if it’s shock from her body or shock at her wife—ex-wife, now, she supposes.

Gunhilde spends a sad few days alone in the house with a hurting shoulder before she decides to follow Annie into the City to find her. She stops at a sleazy bar at the very edge of the City, where she meets an interesting figure by name of Ivain Ray. Ivain’s rather interested in Gunhilde’s sorry tale, and they decide to stick with her and help her in her search. They bring her to their, ah, business partner Eloise Deorwine, the matriarch of one of the richest families in the entire City. Eloise offers Gunhilde money and resources for her search, as well as a place to stay and friendship. The cowgirl stays there for a couple of months, befriending Eilos (Eloise’s younger brother) and going to Eloise’s elaborate balls in between searching for her lover with Ivain.

Those lovely months filled with anticipation come to an end when, one day, Ivain and Gunhilde walk through an alley by one of Ivain’s bars as a shortcut and stumble upon the dead body of Ivain’s little sister, Ialde ‘Moray’ Ray.

Ivain is absolutely heartbroken, but once Eloise urges them to resume their life and stay away from drink, their grief turns into a wild desire for vengeance for whomever decided it was a great idea to shoot their sister. They start their own search alongside Gunhilde’s, and eventually their research reveals that a certain group killed Moray (on accident, it seems. At the very least she wasn’t a purposeful target) and that Gunhilde has previously worked for that group in the past, back when she was doing odd jobs for money. And apparently she’s still got quite a pretty little bounty on her head. And Ivain has lots of debts to pay.

Ivain takes Gunhilde out on a walk through the City, disguising it as another research trip. The moment they’re alone together, they pulls a gun on her and turn her in to the police for a hefty profit. (When they return home, Eloise greets them sweetly, then asks where Gunhilde is. They promptly break into tears.)

And so Gunhilde spends about a year in jail with an bullet wound to her shoulder that never quite received the proper medical care it deserved. That’s how, when Eloise finally ordered Ivain to go back and bail her out, Ivain found her with a badly amputated arm and a look of loathing in her eyes. They paid her bail and then paid an additional large number on getting her a new arm. (She tested it out by beating the shit out of Ivain. Since the arm was made of steel, it worked quite well.)

That’s currently where the story leaves off—Gunhilde staying with the Deorwines again, still looking for her ex-wife and adjusting to a new arm and new strained relationships; Ivain making deals with Eloise, being dismissive of Eilos, and avoiding Gunhilde; Eloise running the place, dealing with her vampirism, and keeping Ivain in check; and Eilos still struggling with his mental state, ripping up his paintings, and trying to remain good friends with Gunhilde. And, of course, somewhere deep in the heart of the City, you can still hear Annie singing and playing her banjo, the sound drifting out among the streets and looking for a couple of dollars.

And if some of the stuff I mentioned in that last paragraph seemed a bit out of left field, that’s because this is the HEAVILY ABRIDGED version. I’ve had to breeze past some set dressing details, Ye Miserable Bastards, the finer points of the Deorwines, the Rays’ backstory, and I’ve completely dodged the whole sorry tale of Azalai Belle and the Circus. (In my defense, that one happened a good twenty years or so before the story began.) but yeah!!

(Two last bits of promotion: Red Sun has a WIP website that I’m currently trying (and failing) to make! I also have a youtube channel where I’ve posted several animatics and songs related to Red Sun. They’re in a playlist on my channel, and the links to both my YT channel and my Neocities Red Sun website are in my bio.)

Thank you for sending in this ask, again, I love talking about my little guys and the stage show that’s dancing through my mind, so thank you for giving met he opportunity to do so. If you (or anyone else 👁 👁) have any questions, feel free to shoot me an ask and I’ll elaborate!!! :D

[definitelynotshouting]

Idk if ur still doing writing prompts but even if ur not I would absolutely love to hear any crazy brain thoughts you might have to add onto this cus I’ve been brainrotting it hard and I have a great need to share: scarian forbidden love angst HEHE >:)

im not currently doing writing prompts atm but oh god oh fuck i have THOUGHTS about this one

So like obviously we have some well trodden routes we could take here.... but who am i if im not making shit crazyinsane for kicks. this is making me think HARD about my hologram au, actually, which is lowkey inspired by localwheel's desertduo buzzcut season pmv (for the love of GODS watch this if you havent already, im insane out here)

Hologram au is essentially my tribute to the concept that sometimes if you play games they can come with unexpectedly serious consequences /lh

Or, in plainer terms: the life games are just that-- games. Specifically, they're like VR but you're living inside the game for a brief period of time while you play¹. All the lives, all the deaths, all the damage taken and betrayals etc etc? Thats just the life participants hardcore larping for fun. They arent actually feeling pain or death, it's all a hologram. None of it is real.

Except during the first game, Grian ends up committing to the bit a little too hard and catches actual feelings for Scar. The games become a mask-- he can do things he wouldn't normally do under the pretense that these actions arent real and don't have actual meaning attached to them. And then it becomes a cage: the games become the only place Grian feels he can display his feelings, where he's allowed to act as hopelessly in love with Scar as he actually is. Something something the soulful ache of buzzcut season's i live in a hologram with you that makes me want to pour hot lead down my throat [insert discord crying emoji]

So while it's not a forbidden love, per se (no outside forces are stopping it from happening), it's still treated by Grian as one. In the games he can act out and channel all that helpless love into a narrative, where it's safer to contain. Outside the games, though, that safety net comes tumbling right back down, and Grian ends up trapped between his role as Scar's platonic friend and the very romantic feelings he's developed during something that, in his eyes, has no business being taken so seriously. Maybe not a ground-breaking dynamic but the circumstances around it are very funky to me (and also realistic. who hasnt² accidentally developed a crush on somebody for incredibly arbitrary reasons, yknow?)

¹ i have never seen ready player one

² exempting arospecs, ofc, who are the most powerful of us all

[reanimationstation]

Who the fuck sleeps in button downs and sweaters? /lh

Are you 90 years old and need to warm your freezing bones? We live in such a warm place, you madman. Is your dorm just set to Freeze Mode at night?

loooook,

its comfy and my body just acclimates to the temperature so i dont feel too hot

besides, my bones are that of a 90 year olds anyways, always in pain and all that /j

[cdroloisms]

i love all your super angsty stuff, but sometimes i want to see dream go apesht and be powerful and confident and frightening again, y'know? maybe a little unhinged still but making everyone realize that THEY made this monster by putting him in the vault O_O

OH YEAH ,, unhinged c!dream my beloved (/lh) 

c!dream when he’s a hot mess, ever so slightly (or not slightly) off the rails is SO much fun to write and read ,, he’s so messed up to himself and others and makes me go like >:D the entire time 

im not sure if this is what you wanted, exactly, but boy was it fun to write. c!sam,, is not having a good day lmao 

tw: blood, violence, implied torture, offscreen murder, death threats, mental instability, emotional distress, dark content, prison arc/pandora’s vault, c!sam critical (not really? But I digress)

Ranboo is in the wrong place in the wrong time.

He thinks, halfheartedly, that that could be the name of his autobiography. What To Do If The Universe Hates You, an Advice Book By Ranboo T. Beloved doesn’t sound too shabby, all things considered - it’s applicable, at the very least. It’d been true with George’s house, true for the Butcher Army, true when he’d been the one that Techno found in search for his armor back, true now, with sirens blaring from the prison that he’s coincidentally probably the closest to out of everyone on the server. Part of him wants to just ditch the place for Snowchester, as he was originally planning to do; unfortunately, caring about pretty much everyone means caring about what’s going on with their greatest enemy, especially now that Wilbur’s been revived.

Ranboo hurries towards the prison, dunking water by his feet to activate his trident. It only takes him a few Riptides (what can he say - he did say he was close to the prison) for the beach in front of the giant, dark-walled structure to come into sight, two figures stood in front of the smaller box containing the Nether Portal. One of them, standing tall and wearing glinting purple netherite, is clearly, unmistakably Sam, which means he other stranger- well, not stranger, exactly, must be Dream.

Ranboo skids to a stop on the hillside, not wanting to jump into the fray until he knows exactly what’s happening; Techno’s voice rings in his head (the element of surprise is one of your greatest weapons in battle) then Phil’s (what he means is don’t be an idiot, mate) and he settles, silent, to observe with an enderpearl readied in his hand.

It’s no wonder he didn’t recognize Dream, at first - he looks nothing like the man that Ranboo remembers, almost doesn’t look like a person at all. His hair is long and tangled, hanging in clumps around his face. Even from the distance, he looks like a wreck, all sharp edges and skinny, shaking limbs, a heavy netherite axe hefted in one hand. Ranboo shudders at the sight of the blood already on the blade, at the various injuries painting the orange of his prison uniform more red than orange, and looks to make sure his sword is close at hand.

“Prisoner,” Sam’s voice is gravelly, tight with stress. He sounds the same way he did that one time he confronted Ranboo about the prison books he didn’t remember signing, the pages filled with strange runes that he somehow could understand- “Stand down.”

“Sam-” Dream laughs, high-pitched and grating, and Ranboo’s tail lashes anxiously. Dream’s hand raises to his face, his shoulders shaking as the other hand tightens over the handle of his axe, “Awesam. Sammy- I told you, didn’t I? I fucking told you what would happen.”

“Dream-”

“Unless you want to end up like Quackity, I suggest you stop talking, Warden.”

It’s quite a sight to see someone in fully armored netherite cower from someone completely unarmored, looking more dead than alive, but well - it is Dream, and Ranboo finds himself cringing back at the words even though he’s not even in the area. He steals a look at his communicator; the rest of the server has noticed the sirens, it seems, but nobody seems to understand what exactly is going on, much less be ready for a potential fight, and a nervous shiver runs down his spine.

“Sammy,” Dream stalks forward, his axe braced in front of him, “Look at you. You’re so goddamn pathetic-” He spits the words like venom, back hunched, center of gravity pulled close to the ground - he looks more mob than human, watches Sam with the same wild-eyed desperation that Ranboo’s seen in a starving wolf chasing down prey, “Such a fucking coward that you couldn’t do shit yourself. Well- good for Quackity, isn’t it? It sure ended up well for him.”

Ranboo shivers, looking at the blood staining the netherite blade with ice rising in his chest. No- he didn’t-

“You know how good it felt to plunge this axe into his neck?” Dream laughs, the sound raspy and unsettling, making Ranboo shrink back in his hiding spot, “You know how many times he threatened to do the same to me? You know how many times he’s used this exact fucking axe to cave my ribs in?” He hurls the blade down and Ranboo reaches out with a wordless shout, watching as the axe strikes the earth in a spray of sand, “HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES, SAM?”

“Dream-”

“Don’t- You don’t get to call me that,” Dream pulls the axe back, looks up with another round of breathless laughter. “You- don’t you fucking dare.”

Sam draws back- Ranboo can’t place the expression that flashes over his face, something a little like fear, something a little like guilt. He doesn’t seem to try and say anything, a sword appearing in his hand.

“So you want to try this too,” Dream’s voice pitches low, becoming something hysterical, almost amused, “Sure! We’ll play. Try to last a little longer than Quackity, will you?”

He flashes forward, much much faster than he should with the amount of injuries that claw over his arms and legs, brings the axe down in a heavy clang that is only barely met by Sam’s sword. Ranboo looks left and right, tries to find others coming to the Warden’s aid, finds none. Dream’s pace is ruthless, bringing down the axe again and again, hardly reacting when Sam catches him by the arm on his blade. Sam hisses in alarm as the axe handle is swung into the inside of his arm, loses his grip on the sword as the back end of the axe catches it at the base. Dream heaves in shuddering breaths, axe clanging against Sam’s armor and sending the creeper hybrid toppling to the ground with a sharp exhale of breath, presses the bloody blade beneath his chin.

“You know-” He smiles, pressing the axe forward further, making Sam lift his head as he falls back against the sand, “You were kind of useful, you know? You and Quackity, I mean.” Dream hisses angrily, words pitching lower, “Do you know what’s the easiest way to make someone hurt? Do you know where to hit someone for it to cause the most pain? Do you know how it feels to break every bone in your fucking body? Quackity said he’d make every fucking day of my life a living hell.” He raises his axe, foot ground down on Sam’s arm, “How about I return the favor?”

Ranboo throws his enderpearl.

He raises his sword, braces against the vibrations running up his arms as the axe crashes down on it with a grimace as he readies himself to fight. Dream draws back for a second- “‘Boo?’

“Ranboo, run,” Sam shouts behind him, pulling his arm to his chest as he moves to stand, “Get out of here-”

“No, no, I think he can stay,” Dream’s eyes flash, harden. “Figures that he’d play the traitor once again, doesn’t it Ranboo?”

“I was never your ally-”

“You and the rest of this damned server, ‘Boo,” He laughs dangerously, draws back as Sam gets to his feet. Ranboo watches as he kicks up Sam’s sword, catching it in his left hand. “Oh well. As much as I would’ve liked to take another life-”

A flash of blue-green, and there’s someone else standing there, a crossbow loosely held in one hand, smiling lazily through his hair.

“-it looks like my ride out is here.”

“You’ve made quite  the mess,” Wilbur drawls, rolling his eyes at the man beside him, “I have to say- I’m a little impressed.”

“Wil,” Dream breathes, shoulders visibly falling, looking at the other man with a sort of soft-edged reverence that makes Ranboo shift uncomfortably at the sight. It feels off, wrong, to see him go from a raging, frothing thing to someone docile, expression filled with a mockery of adoration.

“We’ll be off then, gentlemen,” Wilbur salutes with one hand, lips quirking up. “No hard feelings, Ranboo, Sam,” he nods at each of them with their names and tosses an enderpearl into the horizon, Dream doing so at the same time, “We’ll see you around.”

Ranboo watches, lungs heaving, as they disappear.

“...you know, Sam, I think we might be in a little bit of trouble.”

[halcyonstorm]

Ahhh my final submission for LH drabble week: Angst Monday (yes i posted it on a tuesday)! Please enjoy and comment your thoughts and feedback. @levihan-drabbles

Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman & Hange Zoë Characters: Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoë Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Shingeki no Kyojin Chapter 126: Pride Spoilers, Shingeki no Kyojin Chapter 126: Pride, Shingeki no Kyojin Chapter 132: Wings of Freedom Spoilers, Angst and Feels, right person wrong time, What-If Series: Part 8 of Short Fics Summary:

They just wanted an ending.

The sound of the shotgun rang in Hange’s ears as she shot two of her ex-soldiers dead, tears trickling down her face. She hated that it had to end up like this. She had known them personally, too. The whole world was against them. She took a deep sigh. After surveying the forest and deeming it safe, she returned back to Levi’s side. He was unconscious with Hange’s Survey Corps cloak wrapped around his face. Her heart ached when she started unraveling the cloak, exposing his injured, tainted face. The biggest scar ran from the top of his forehead, through his right eye, into his cheek. She felt herself get overwhelmed seeing him in this shape.

“The pursuers are all gone, Levi…” It’s safe, for now, she wanted to say. You’re safe with me. She knew this was temporary, though. They would never truly be safe again.

-

Hange had begun to set up camp. She pitched a tent, chopped at trees and gathered sticks to start a fire and was able to clean Levi’s wounds and body. He could develop an infection if she didn’t act fast. After all, she wasn’t sure how long he’d been face down in the mud unconscious. She started with his hand, using a wet cloth to clean the dirt as gently as she possibly could. Then, she wrapped his exposed wound, starting at his wrist and weaving the bandage around the empty space on his hand. She brought his hand to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on top. It broke her heart to see him in such critical condition.

After his hand, she tended to his face. She dampened her cloth in the basin of water, slowly and gently caressing his face to clean off the dirt and mud. She took this moment to indulge in admiring him. He looked peaceful, at least for that moment. She brushed his raven black hair out of his face, patting his gash with the cloth, blood crusted on the scar. His skin was smooth as she couldn’t resist the urge to touch his cheek with the back of her hand. His eyelashes were long and straight which she never noticed before. She had never been this close to him before. She made her way down his face to his lips. She dunked the cloth in the basin again, wringing it out, and then dabbed at his lips to cleanse them. As she cleaned him, she felt tears well up in her eyes. 

“The fact that you're still alive with these wounds is because you’re an Ackerman,” she determined, starting to sterilize her needles in the fire. She grabbed the thread and started to stitch his face. She was careful, making sure to only go as deep as she needed to avoid causing more pain. Her heart throbbed in her chest when she imagined how much pain he was in. I wish it were me instead. She thought. After carefully poking and prodding at his face, stitching him up as well as she could, she dumped her tools into a pot of boiling water to be cleansed. She ran a hand through her hair, gripping a chunk of it and squeezing, tempted to pull it out. She felt like she was going to explode. After everything her and Eren had been through, he still turned his back on her and her soldiers. Rage boiled up inside her, poisoning every cell in her body. 

Why couldn’t things be different? She’d ask herself.

“I’d rather the two of us just live here. Right, Levi?” She said softly aloud, turning to look at Levi’s unconscious face. Her selfish ideas spilled from her mouth and into the ears of her partner. She truly wanted to live with him. She wanted a life with him. She wanted to wake up with him every morning, make him tea, explore the forest, forget about the shitty world they were born into for even just a moment. She was grateful he was unconscious and couldn’t hear her. She allowed the tears to flow for just a brief period. No one was around, she was safe to let it go. Her exhale was shaky as her throat tightened. She blinked and hot tears came rushing down. She covered her face with her hands, allowing herself to cry. Not just cry… to sob. Her heart felt as if it was being torn apart strand by strand. Like someone physically shoved their hands inside her chest, pulling it apart. She felt a strong urge to scream, but she covered her mouth tightly with her hand, allowing a few moans to escape.

All she wanted was peace. She wanted all the suffering to end. She wanted Levi to be healthy and happy. She wanted to explore the world with him, try new things with him. There was so much she wanted to do couldn’t, and she knew that. When she joined the Survey Corps, she knew what she signed up for. She wasn’t afraid to die for the cause, but she just wanted Levi to be happy. She knew how deeply he had suffered. He lost his mother, Isabel, Farlan, Gunther, Eld, Petra, Oulo, Mike, Erwin, and countless more soldiers. She would do everything in her power to make him happy and not just survive but to truly live.

Later that evening, she began to work on building the cart to carry Levi. She contemplated carrying him on her back, but it was unrealistic. She was strong, but not strong enough to carry him for possibly days on end. She was working on hammering a nail into the wheel when there was a crash of lightning. Suddenly, she was knelt in soft, white sand. The sky shone turquoise behind her. She placed her makeshift hammer down, leaving an imprint on the sand. She put her hands on the ground to help her stand up. That is where she saw a familiar tall man with his dark brown hair tied in a knot. He was facing away from her, sitting in the sand with his knees to his chest. She slowly walked up to him, sand filling her shoes.

“Eren?” The man turned his head to face Hange. She is hesitant to sit down, but he waves her over to him.

“Hange-san,” he began. “I am sorry for everything.”

“Wh… What are you talking about?”

“You’re going to die soon,” he admitted, drawing circles in the sand. “Levi will try to stop you, but you can’t let him.”

“I don’t understand… how do you know all this?”

“This is all a part of my plan to eradicate the Titans…” he muttered. “But I am sorry it has to end this way. I know how much you and Levi care for each other. It will be painful, I will admit. But it is for a good cause.” 

Hange shook her head in confusion. “What the hell? What will happen to Levi? Isn’t there another way?”

“No… There's no other way. Levi will be survive in the end. Don’t worry about that.” He had already made up his mind. “I am sorry. Go inside. Levi is waiting for you.” As Eren spoke, he pointed into the distance. Suddenly, they weren’t in the sand staring at the turquoise sky anymore. They were in a similar forest with tall pine trees. There was a small cabin with smoke exiting through the chimney. The cabin looked like it was something Hange and Levi could’ve made themselves. She opened the door hesitantly to find Levi sitting in the rocking chair, a cup of hot tea in his hand. 

“Hange, you’re home,” Levi said, pleasantly surprised. She noticed his scar was present, clean and healed. He didn’t wear an eyepatch like she did. His right eye was white and cloudy. He stood up slowly, placed his tea cup in the tea dish, and walked towards her. She was able to admire his outfit. He wasn’t in his military gear, but in a beige sweater and grey trousers. He looked comfortable and at peace, which is what Hange always wanted for him. She was at a loss for words.

“What is this?” 

“This is the most I can give you, Hange-san. A life with Levi.” She felt tears well up in her eyes. “I can let you stay here a little while longer.” Eren disappeared when she looked back to where she heard his voice. She looked at Levi, placing her hands on his cheeks. Levi’s lips curled into a small, sad smile.

“Look at our house, Hange,” he said, gesturing towards the center of the room. She looked away from him to admire the house. Their house. It was very cozy: it had two large burgundy sofas against the back and right wall, a fireplace in the center of the living room which had fierce flames. Levi led her to the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen had off-white square tiles as the floor and wooden cabinets, as well as a stove. There was a wooden table with two chairs. It made Hange’s heart swell, even bringing tears to her eyes. They did get to live together in another life.

“Levi…” she whimpered, looking at him again. He grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers.

“We’ll be here again, one day…” Levi said. Suddenly, she felt a breeze flow through her hair. Then, the house started to fade into nothingness and blow away. Levi was the last to disappear. Hange felt herself reaching out and grasping for him, begging him to come back. 

Then, she was back to reality; hammer in hand, arm in the air, ready to swing.

What just happened? She asked herself. She felt as if she had taken a long nap, dreaming of a place so distant. She swore she had a dream, but it was long forgotten, deep in her unconscious mind. A tear was streaming down her face, her heart pounding in her chest, as if she just woke up from a nightmare.

“Don’t tell me… Eren… the world…” she muttered. The words came spewing out of her mouth for a reason unknown to her. “LEVI!” She turned to look at her partner only to find out he’d woken up. He was attempting to sit up.

“That damned beast titan…” he groaned, pain overwhelming him. 

“You don’t need to get up,” Hange insisted, placing her hands gently on his chest. He eased back to his previous supine position. “What happened?” He briefly explained what happened, how Zeke was prepared to die for the cause. Hange sighed. She could barely handle the thought of what happened. She did hear the thunder spear go off, after all… She felt guilt tug at her damaged heart. Maybe she could’ve prevented it.

“I know you’re full of regret, but for now…” She was interrupted.

“What's left if we run and hide like this?” Levi asked, looking her in the eyes so fiercely she couldn’t look away.  She felt her face turn red and hot.

“So, you heard my soliloquy, huh…” She mustered up the strength to look away. She was embarrassed, but then she realized he didn’t reject her. He said ‘what if we run away and hide like this?’ Him, her, together. He looked past her shoulder.

“What is that? Are you planning to pull me by horse? I know you, you aren’t able to stay out of the action…” She noticed his eyes were starting to appear wet… was he tearing up?

“That’s right. I can’t.” Hange sighed, looking into her lap.

The two knew what was to come; Hange and Levi knew what was coming from the moment they joined the Survey Corps. Duty first. Love second. They yearned to be together, but they knew that they had met each other at the worst time. Perhaps in another life, they would find peace. They would find freedom from this terrible world and find comfort in each other. They just wanted an ending. An ending to the war, an ending to the suppression of true emotions, an ending to the strain on their hearts since the first day of joining the military. They didn’t care where or how, as long as it was an ending together.

[soldrawss]

Ok, this morning I opened Tumblr, found your blog, started checking all your rottmnt tagged posts, found your big brother Mikey AU, CRIED FOR ALMOST AN HOUR as I red every post about it, drooled all over your gorgeous art, smiled like a crazy person reading all your Human AU posts, got up with the sun in my chest and more energy than I know what to do with and have been productive since then. I don’t know what to ask (or if you take asks) but I crave more infos about your big brother Mikey AU❤️

WOAH OK this was such an incredibly sweet ask and I’m SO HAPPY that my BBM au could bring you so much joy and ahhhh!!! Just thank you so much, this ask made my night <3 Here’s one of the many little stories I’ve written for the AU that I’ve sent to my friend @zacharandom (thanks for always reading my little emotional blurbs about these kiddos Zach~) Enjoy!

(I haven’t gotten into it yet (I will, it’s a separate ask I’m working on) But Leatherhead is a BIG part of the BBM au. Zach had asked if any of the kiddos had ever been to LH’s place, since LH always stays over at the Hamato’s, and I said yes, but only Donnie, and then this mini fic was born.)    Donnie and Mikey get into a 'fight'. And I say 'fight' because Donnie doesn't really know what else to call it. Because he doesn't pick fights, not really, not with Mikey. He doesn't go looking for them with Mikey like he does with Leo. Leo, who can take the worst of Donnie’s shitty teenage attitude and come out of it alright, wearing the worst of Donnie’s temper and anger like a bulletproof vest. Donnie can afford to hurt Leo cause Leo won't break because of it. He's safe to hurt. But it's different with Mikey. Mikey, who's so tired he can barely stand straight most days. Who has bags under his eyes like dark stickers, that not even doe-eyed and ever adoring Raph can peel away. And Donnie KNOWS better than to pick a fight with Mikey about it, it was mostly why he was trying to avoid the conversation altogether. Why he had hidden all the school letters and hacked into Mikey's phone to block all the emails and texts and phone calls from the school about it. He didn't expect Mikey to run into one of his teachers after work and basically blow everything Donnies worked so hard to avoid. He didn't want to skip a few grades. He didn't care what his teachers or his GPA said. He didn't CARE if they thought he was ‘wasting his potential’. He wasn't, and they had no right to complain about it to his big brother like they did. Donnie had TOLD Mikey that he didn't want to. Had gone all the extra lengths to take as many of the AP classes the adjacent high school offered, bargained and pleaded and BEGGED them. He’d do whatever it took, but he didn't want to move grades. He didn't want to quit the robotics club. He didn't want to go to school with a bunch of kids older than him and be the butt end of every baby freshmen joke in the book. He didn't want to be separated from Leo. He really, really, really didn't. And he had explained this all to Mikey. And he knew that Mikey KNEW this. But the teachers wouldn't stop hounding him, and Mikey was already so tired anyway, the weight of the world always seemed to be a weighted pressure on his shoulders that looked physical, with the way Mikey’s whole body sagged. Like every move he made was a conscious effort and pain. Donnie knew this, and he still yelled at Mikey about it anyway. And Mikey didn't yell back, cause Mikey never yelled back at them, but his voice was stern and tired and it just begged Donnie to at least consider talking about it. But Donnie’s 13, and the biggest jerk in the world because he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. And Mikey didn't deserve the one sided shouting match that was all Donnie, he didn't deserve the pointed "I can't believe you would take THEIR side, you NEVER listen to me!" And Mikey DEFINITELY didn't deserve the front door slamming in his face, the last words Donnie said hanging in the air behind him. "I HATE IT HERE!" It wasn't raining, but there was a misty cold hanging in the November air as Donnie sat at an empty park bench, somewhere in Flushing, feeling like the biggest loser in the world the second he ran away and oh,,, oh God. He ran AWAY. How could he run away? He didn't want to run away! He didn't want to run away from anything, especially if it was away from Mikey. Mikey, who deserved more than Donnie’s cold shoulder and heated words, but took it anyway, and he didn't even flinch as Donnie practically screamed at him. He just looked tired. More tired than ever. And accepted Donnie’s temper tantrum like he accepted every other bad thing that has ever happened to him. Like he thought he deserved it. And he was sad. Sad in a way that made Donnie want to throw up. Because he was one of the people who were NEVER supposed to hurt Mikey like that. But he did. He did and he ran away like a little kid and he felt so STUPID about it, jumping on the first bus he could and taking it to God knows what neighborhood and now he was sitting alone on some random park bench, the November cold sinking into his skin and thin shirt cause he didn't have the mind to grab a jacket on his way out and GOD what was he doing? He was cold and alone and probably lost and Mikey probably hated him and now- "Donatello?" Came a voice from behind Donnie, and Donnie whirled around on the park bench because he'd recognize that low and gentle voice anywhere and... Yup. There he was. Lieven Heather, or Leatherhead as Mikey always affectionately called him, standing tall and curious like. His long black hair pulled into a low bun, his green eyes leaf-like and bright, piercing through the dark park like fireflies, looking at Donnie like he was searching for an answer before he got the chance to ask the question and WOAH was Donnie not the emotional type, but he could have cried when he saw the familiar face.

Actually, he was already crying before, but crying because you’re happy to see someone and crying because you’re a jerk to your big brother are two completely different types of emotions, and Donnie tried to hide it either way by rubbing at his face with the back of his wrist. LH’s namesake leather jacket is HUGE on Donnie, but the 12 year old takes it without a fight because LH does NOT look like he's willing to negotiate, as he holds a bag of groceries in one hand and holds an umbrella over the both of them in the other, saying that his apartment is just a few blocks away, and it'd be best to get out of the cold. The tall man doesn't press Donnie for details, doesn't ask why his friend's kid brother is out at 8pm on a school night, all the way on the other side of the city, eyes red with something between tempered anger and grief and skin pale with November cold. Donnie is thankful for it. He doesn't feel like explaining himself quite yet. The second hand hurt from before is still raw in his chest, and even though he knows he's the one at fault, he can't really shake off the sinking black hole feeling in his chest. So the 10-minute walk is mostly silent. LH lives in a grey bricked building, on the third floor, and his apartment is exactly what Donnie would expect if he really thought hard about it. It was a simple studio, minimalist and uncluttered, but that seemed more because the place felt untouched rather than because LH was a particularly clean guy. All the electronics on in the kitchen where stainless steel and spotless, Donnie half suspected they were untouched because of the garbage can filled with dollar store Ramen noodle cups and forks in the sink. His grey walls were bare, and he didn't have a TV,  but there was a large bookshelf that covered the expanse of one wall, filled to the brim with thick books that looked like they belonged in the reference section of a library. There was a little queen-sized bed shoved in the corner, neatly made, and looked rarely slept in. The only sign of life in the little apartment that felt much too small for the nearly 7-foot man was the little desk that sat beside the bed, which was covered in astrophysics textbooks, notebooks filled with scribbled notes and a few orange study note cards that had Donnie's older brother written (metaphorically) all over them. Lh motioned to the chair at the desk with a nodded, "you can sit there if you want. I'll make some Valerian tea." "Valerian tea?" "Helps with stress." "I'm not stressed." "Right, of course not. Still tastes good." And Donnie doesn't really like tea, he'd much prefer coffee, or one of the energy drinks Leo sneaks him during school lunches because Mikey doesn’t buy them, but he knows better than to ask for that. He knew about LH’s anxiety disorder and underlying PTSD, from a past that Donnie didn't know any details about except from snippets he'd overhear here and there from the hushed late-night conversations LH and Mikey would have when they thought that Leo and Donnie and Raph were asleep, and he knew that caffeine wasn't something LH indulged in often because of it. The tea tastes fine though. It's hot, and burns his throat a little, but Donnie doesn't care enough to wait for it to cool down to enjoy it. Because it hurts, and Donnie figures he kinda deserves the pain. It's after a few quiet minutes, Donnie sitting at LH’s desk while LH leans against his kitchen counter, that Donnie reaches for a courage he doesn't usually possess and tells LH everything.

About the extra AP classes, and the nosey teachers, and the way it feels a bit too suffocating trying to be everything everyone wants him to be.

And how it all feels too lonely. He barely remembers his mom. He’s starting to forget dad. Mikey works all the time and Raph goes to a completely different school. If he moves up a few grades, then he loses Leo too. And he just can’t deal with that. He can’t deal with everyone, some way or another, leaving him. And how in some, backward, twisted way, it sometimes feels like people are trying to get rid of him. And he just can’t take it anymore. Donnie likes LH. He's smart and collective and cool and he's super nice to Mikey and he’s pretty much everything that Donnie wants to be when he grows up. And he's friends with LH. LH gives him pointers on his science projects and he teaches Leo how to punch a bully like its nothing and he's patient and understanding and helpful with Raph's temper and he's a godsend of a friend the Hamato clan didn't know they could afford after April had came into their lives and Donnie LIKES Lh. But he didn't think they were good enough friends for Donnie to deserve THIS. LH listened to him patiently and quietly. Nodding at the appropriate moments in Donnie’s tearful and half-hysterical rambling about his school and his GPA and how he didn't mean to take it out on Mikey and he didn't mean to run away but GOD he was so sick of everyone looking down on him like a little kid and like HE didn't know what was best for him and didn't have a choice in deciding HIS future. And he expects LH to get mad at him too, cause he was Mikey’s friend first before Donnie’s, and Donnie YELLED at Mikey, and Donnie WASNT going to sob like a child about it, but his head lowers and there's a stupid stinging in his eyes and he sniffs once or twice anyway when he mutters "God, I'm so stupid. Mikey probably hates me right now and is so mad at me." And he can hear LH sigh, and put his own cup of tea down, before walking over to where Donnie sat and crouching before his chair. "That's funny you think that, because when I texted him earlier, he sounded nothing short of scared out of his mind and relieved." "You texted him???" "Well yeah, of course. He called me shortly after you ran out, singing the same tune you are about how you're so mad at him and he didn’t mean to fight with you and that you probably hate him. That’s probably the only reason I even saw you, I wouldn't have known to look out for you if he hadn't told me to keep a lookout for you." And that, woah, Donnie felt a million times worse now because of COURSE, he didn't hate Mikey! Donnie wasn't even MAD at him. He was just being a stupid stubborn teen who took out all his frustrations and insecurities on the last person in the world who deserved it and boy oh boy, this whole thing was so stupid anyway.

“How about he finish our tea, wait for you to get a little bit warmed up first, and then get you back home so that you can tell everything you just told me to your brother. Because I think we both know how much he’d want to hear how you truly felt about this situation.”

And that... that sounded good. Because after his entire mini-rant, it felt like a shadow had been cleared from over Donnie’s heart, and now he wanted nothing more than to go home and hug his big brother for all his worth and apologize about a million and half times. Maybe more. Donnie hadn’t decided yet.

After they had finished their cup of tea, and LH had given Donnie one of his warmer college sweaters to wear before they took the subway back to the Hamato residence, where Mikey stood in front of the building, red-cheeked and shivering from the cold in a giant puff jacket and pajama bottoms, waiting for them.

Donnie didn't even wait, he ran the second he saw the familiar orange jacket that belonged to one of his favorite people on the planet and broke into a breakneck sprint, colliding into his older brother’s chest and waiting arms, and breaking into a choked cough when Mikey’s arms instantly wrapped around him like he always belonged there.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run away!" Donnie rushed to say because he didn't want a second to go by without Mikey knowing that, but Mikey was already running a gentle hand through his hair and hushing into the crown of his head.

"Shhhh, shhhh it's ok, buddy. I know. I'm just glad you're home." And Mikey still had bags like bruises under his eyes, and looked on the point of breaking if Donnie hugged him too tightly, but he still smiled at Donnie with all the affection and warmth of the world when they pulled away, and Donnie couldn't fight the urge to spit out, "I don't hate it here! And I don't hate you. Ever! I'm sorry I said that. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry Mikey." And Mikey replied with a soft smile and an "I know, kiddo. It’s ok." But there was relief like a balloon losing helium in his eyes and shoulders, like he would have believed differently if Donnie hadn't said anything, and Donnie made the promise there and then that he’d do everything in his power to make sure Mikey never thought that way, even for a second, again. LH hadn't stayed over for the pizza movie night that Mikey offered as a silent ‘thanks for bringing my kid home’, so Mikey and Donnie saw him off at the subway station, and made the few blocks back to their waiting apartment and waiting little brothers with their arms around each other in a side hug. Neither one of them wanting to let each other out of their grasps. And there had been a promise to talk about it later, because Donnie was feeling a little more up for negotiation even though Mikey swore up and down that he’d back whatever Donnie decided to do 110%, but it could wait till another day, when both of their nerves and hearts weren't so tender and raw with emotion. Tonight, they would just sink into the weathered old couch that was softened by a million quilts, and out on a Mothra vs Godzilla movie, and squeeze themselves between an over-excited Raph, who couldn't stay still and just HAD to act out all the Godzilla fight scenes, and a relaxed Leo, who sprawled his legs over Donnie's lap despite Donnie complaining about it, but Donnie didn't make any effort to push him away because Leo kept keeping a wary and watchful eye on his two older brothers, probably knowing more about both sides than either one of them, and keeping his legs over Donnie was half for familiarity and half to keep him from jumping up and running out again and huh, maybe he wasn’t so relaxed after all. Guess Donnie had more than a million and a half apologies to make. Better round it off to a good 2 million, just to be safe. Because Donnie couldn't rightly blame him for keeping a careful eye out, but Donnie had learned his lesson. He wasn't running away again. He wasn't running anywhere if it was away from his brothers. Away from the only family he’s ever had. Because donnie was stubborn and stuck in his ways. And he wasn't going to quit the robotics club, and he wasn't going to skip grades and he wasn't going to leave Leo behind and he wasn't going to be left behind. Donnie wasn’t going to run away. Because Donnie wasnt going anywhere.

(one of the doodles I did for this particular story)

[inctlife]

LMAO HI GEMMAAAAA

today, i got cleared 100% and am now free to play!!

funny story about my luck today, i stepped one foot out from the trainer's office and instantly got hit with a ball? thank god i still feel good, i think i got startled real bad tho

and yea, don't worry! i'll take care of myself. i'm not the best of taking care of myself (more of a "hey screw my body, time to exert all efforts and time to something that inflicts pain" type person) but my friends are just standing behind me and watching me like parents watching their toddler play for the first time on the playground and are worried for my sanity + how much pain i'm still currently going through, especially with my legs rn

i'm just wishing for no harsh fall? i'm really self-aware about my mental health most of the time, but all i'm wishing for is not to feel put down about my current situation. however, i really can't help it because i already feel really incompetent of staying on this tennis team bc everyone else is so much better than me right now :((

anyways, qotd:

favorite dream song? mine HAS to be either ridin', puzzle piece, fireflies, or WE YOUNG. WE YOUNG FOR SURE NVM DLKSDJFLKJDF (so what? we hot, we young)

or maybe like even drippin', stronger? or 1, 2, 3? (hey shawty)? or even like we go up- SMH I CAN'T CHOOSE i'll do like a ranking of all the nct songs in a few days just look out guys B)

running away to jam to "the moon" by moon x moon!!

this was eggy!!! BYE BYE HAVE A GOOD DAYYYY

HELLO!!! GOOD DAY!! i’ve had to say this to too many people recently but im SO SORRY IM JUST REALLY BAD AT REPLYING TO MESSAGES😭

you seem like a massive liability to be honest, eggy., TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF😠😠😭 you absolute twat (/lh) < btw im trying out using tone indicators,, what do we think?

but woohoo!!! have fun playing sports now you’re 100% cleared!!!!!!! safely😠 and i hope you’re okay mentally, love, remember you can take to me any time😚

okay SO favourite dream song: probably dear dream? though FIREFLIES gets an honourable mention BECAUSE (AND LISTEN CLOSELY!!!) THE CAMP THAT THEY CREATED THAT SONG FOR,, THE WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE??? MY FRIEND WAS THERE!! SHE WAS THERE!! IN AMERICA!! AT THAT CAMP!!

(though she didnt see them live, i showed her the bts clip afterwards she did say that she knew like 90% of the places where they were and i was like 😡lucia🤬) (jk) (kinda)

[my-funky-little-cowboy]

I live for lh Arthur and your writing tbh - I feel like low-honor Arthur's favorite type of fighting is a knife fight, so if it's not a bother may you please write something where he gets into a knife fight and goes back to camp cut up and one of the "parents" of the gang gets on him about it? ("Parents of the gang" would be like Dutch or Hosea or grimshaw or smthn) anyways,have a wonderful day friend~

Words: 1,647Interaction: Arthur with Kieran, Karen, and Grimshaw [no ship]Warnings: Arthur is hurt, SFW, Angst, and FluffLeave a Tip?

LH Arthur is such a brat in my head. It’s young Arthur and he is just trying so hard to prove himself, but yeah hand to hand and knives would be his favorite. More intimate and let’s him really feel the effects of life leaving his foe’s body.

Sorry this took a bit, but Grimshaw is here to mother a young idiot.**warning this gets a bit soft, because I say Arthur deserves it**

The blood oozed slowly from his side, the ride had been agonizing but the smell of firewood reached his nose through the trees. He felt the last of his strength draining as he pulled into the campsite. Slumping over the back of his horse as it came to stop near the outskirts of camp. A groan escaped him as the horse dipped it’s head to graze, seemingly unfazed by it’s passenger. It’s Kieran who finds him, moving against the darkness on his way to the scout fire.

“Arthur? ARTHUR!” His voice grated against Arthur’s skull, panic laced his tone as he felt the hands grasp around his arm and begins to tug him down off the horse’s back. “Someone help! Arthur’s hurt!” Arthur felt himself slip, landing heavily on Kieran in the dirt. “Hey, stay with me, Arthur, can you hear me?” The camp came to life, Arthur’s side pulsed and his head swam, he groaned heavily.

“M’fine, just a scrape, just need to sleep it off.” Arthur attempted to roll off Kieran, his movement stopped as a sharp pain shot up his side, collapsing back onto Kieran’s chest.

“Mr. Morgan, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Kieran, take Mr. Morgan to his tent and get his shirt off so we can see what stupid thing he has done this time.” Susan’s voice left no room for argument. Kieran nodded and slowly carried the Arthur back to his tent lying him as gently as he could onto his cot.

The blood stuck to his union suit and as Kieran peeled off the layers of clothes causing Arthur to hiss with pain, bringing his fist down on a particularly painful tug.

“S-sorry. Almost done. This looks bad Arthur, what happened?” Kieran got up, pulling a kerchief from his pocket he soaked it in some water and came back to clean the wound. Arthur winced as Kieran gently cleaned around the wound, blood still oozing from it.

“Guess they thought I was cheatin’ at cards, took a cheap shot and caught me in the side.” Arthur chuckled darkly at Kieran between gritted teeth. “Last time though.”Susan walked into the tent, her scowl wiped the smirk off Arthur’s face.

“Kieran, how does it look, am I gonna need to stitch it up?” Her eyes burned into Arthur, her scowl made him shudder slightly. He really hoped she didn’t need to get at him with the needle, because she was spittin’ mad and she wasn’t going to be gentle.

“Most likely, ma’am. Seems the bleedin’ ain’t stoppin’. It’s deep, but seems like a clean cut.”

“Go get my supplies, the girls can help you.” Her eyes still trained on Arthur. Kieran got up and left leaving them alone.

“Now, I don’t wan–”

“Arthur, the hell is wrong with you lately. You’re being reckless, you could have been killed!” Her voice shaking with anger.

“I’ll live, I’ve had worse.” He sighed. “Plus, ain’t like I asked them to stab me. Feller thought I was cheatin’ at cards, stabbed me while I was playin’.” Susan bent over to inspect the wound, her hands pushing on the skin around the puncture, Arthur wincing.

“Were you?” Her voice still stern, but softer, picking up the kerchief she continued to prod and examine the wound.

“Ain’t my fault they had bad tells.” Arthur shrugged his shoulders slightly, sweat beading on his forehead, keeping himself awake against the fog in his mind. Susan stood up, arching a brow to him, she turned and yelled into the camp.

“Ain’t aiming to let him bleed out for his poor choices, hurry up with those supplies Kieran!” She turned back to Arthur. “Stay awake now, I need you awake.”

Kieran came running back, Karen in tow, both with bandages and Karen’s sewing kit.

“I couldn’t find yours, Karen’s got hers.” Kieran placed the cotton on the table and backed out of the tent. “What else you need?”

“Get Arthur some water, quickly. Karen, keep him awake.”

“Ma’am” Kieran jogged off to grab his canteen. Karen moved to Arthur’s side, earning a grumble from him.

“Ain’t that bad…” he muttered, “no need to be makin’ such a fuss.”

“Shut up, you’re being an idiot.” Karen quipped, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “You look like shit an’ you know it.”

Susan worked quickly, poking her fingers into the wound to make sure there wasn’t more damage deeper inside, Arthur’s grip on the cot tightened, his body stiffening. Confident as she could be there was nothing awful inside she started to stitch it closed, pulling the skin together tightly.

Karen grabbed for Arthur’s hand as he reached out his eyes pressed tightly closed, she squeezed his hand, picking up the canteen with the other.

“Hey, we’re almost done, here, have some water.” She pressed the canteen to his lips. The water trickled down his throat, the cool water like ice against his skin, he drifted out of consciousness.

—-

The sun was high in the sky when Arthur woke, his side stiff with pain and the taste of iron on his tongue. Susan sat beside him in the tent, silently reading. She glanced over as he stirred, he expression hard, she reached over and pulled the wet cloth from his forehead.

“You’re a damn fool Mr. Morgan. Reckless and hot-headed. You could’ve died last night. Over something as stupid as a card game.” Her tone cold and the words bit into him. “You’ve been acting a fool for weeks now, what’s got into you boy?” His voice croaked, his throat was dry and his body heavy as he tried to pull himself up onto his elbows.

“Ain’t trying to be, just seems that things have been more reckless the last few weeks.” Susan’s hand firmly pushing him back onto the cot. She shook her head, clear she didn’t believe a word he said.

“That ain’t what I mean, and you know it.” She glanced out at the camp, and sighed. “We both know you ain’t been acting like yourself. What are you tryin’ to prove?” Her voice was softer now, filled with concern, Arthur shifted uncomfortably, his voice low.

“I dunno, guess things just different since Marston came back. He comes back and we celebrate, we’re supposed to just get back to normal, like he didn’t abandon us. We just supposed to be happy he’s back? All if forgiven?” He closed his eyes again, exhaling slowly through his nose.

“‘Course we’re happy he’s back, boy! He’s family!” Her tone incredulous, jealousy was the cause of this? She never had seen the boy as jealous, but here she felt the insecurity. “We’d of done the same for you. You know that, right?” Her hand went out to him, grabbing softly onto his arm, coaxing him to look at her. Arthur chuckled darkly, his eyes not meeting hers.

“You ain’t gotta lie, I know I ain’t the golden boy, they’ve always like Johnny better.”

“Arthur Morgan.” Her tone chiding. “You really think this family don’t care about you?” She reached out and gently wiping the beading sweat from his forehead. She moved to check the bandages around his side. Cutting them slowly and gingerly unwrapping the cotton.

“Of course they care, for what I can do, who I can intimidate, what I can steal.” He paused, flinching slightly under Susan’ touch. “I know my role, what we need, and it ain’t some blushing daisy. So I do what needs doin’ even if that means killin’. To protect all of ya. That’s my job, my purpose, ain’t got the luxury to worry if it’s for love.” His voice was small and hollow, his eyes miles away.

Susan’s hands continued their work, she gently washed the wound the skin around it red and angry, but the heat was significantly less than last night. She thanked whatever deity watched over her idiot son, the man was reckless with his body, always had been, but listening to him now it all came together. He was so closed off from everyone, because he felt that no one cared. She gestured for him to sit up, her face neutral as she worked.

He was slow to rise, his face contorting with the pain and his side on fire with each movement, he rested his arms on his knees as Susan wrapped his torso with clean linen. She placed the supplies on the table before sitting down on the cot, she wrapped her arms around him gingerly pulling him to her chest.

“Now that just ain’t true, you’re loved. If by no one else, by me.” She pulled him back and gently turned his face to look at her. “But you act a fool again, and I’ll kill you myself.” She pulled him back into the hug, letting him break it off. “Get some rest Arthur, I’ll be back to check on you. You stay in this bed! You need anything you call someone.”

Arthur grunted a response as she helped him lie back, placing a fresh cool rag on his head. His chest tightened and he closed his eyes, Susan had been the closest thing to a mother since he joined the gang, and it had been a long time since she sat and had a private talk with him. He blinked against the harsh mid-day light and exhaled deeply, he stared at the canvas above him.

“I am loved.” He said to himself before closing his eyes again and letting the healing sleep take over. “Who could ever love a bastard like me?”

[choiceslife]

When Worlds Collide: Part Eight (Limited Series)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), and Taylor Reed (ES). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @ladynonsense @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @jlouise88 @thehonorarybeaumont @eileendannie @marshmallow-ortega @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you

***

La Huerta

“I’m worried about him, Aleister,” Grace said as she stepped beside her boyfriend. The two looked over to see Lucas meticulously pouring over data in an effort to verify his calculations for the Power Core alterations. “He’s been so focused the past three days and has barely spent any time with his friends.”

Aleister respected the drive. He didn’t understand Grace’s concern at all. Seeing Lucas’ determination reminded Aleister of himself. “I don’t see a problem Grace. He’s a hard worker and on a mission.”

“And he’s completely suppressing that he’s hurting inside. How can you not see it?” Grace watched Aleister stare at her blankly with a shrug. Her boyfriend may be intelligent, but when it came to picking up emotional cues, he was severely lacking in knowledge. “I’m gonna go talk to him.”

“Okay love.” Aleister knew better than to protest Grace when it came to these things. She had much more emotional depth than him.

Grace pulled up the stool beside Lucas as he ran his fingers through his uncharacteriscally unkempt hair. She was sure the frustration of the task before him felt insurmountable because of his unexpressed feelings. “You should take a break Lucas.”

“I can’t Grace. I’ve gotta figure this out.”

Her heart went out to him. Lucas was hurting and Grace could see it plain as day. Sure, he could try to bury himself in work and solving this problem to get the Power Core to calibrate properly, but she knew that until Lucas actually dealt with his pain that progress would come to a grinding halt. “Lucas?” Grace placed a comforting hand over the young man’s own hand. His eyes met hers. “Talk to me.”

Everything about Grace Hall was trustworthy and Lucas knew it with every fiber of his being. That’s all it took for him to let the flood gates open. “He doesn’t love me,” Lucas sobbed as he wrapped his arms around Grace and buried his head into her shoulder. Despite not having any children yet, Grace’s maternal instincts kicked into gear. She pat Lucas’ shoulder and gently caressed the back of his head as he sobbed into the softness of her orange sweater. “I waited too long to tell him how I felt.”

Grace gently rubbed Lucas’ back in soothing circles. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard when you have such intense feelings for someone, but they don’t feel the same way.” She really did. Grace instantly recalled the one summer in college that she spent in London visiting her mom, when she developed a crush on the one intern in her mom’s office. Paolo was cute beyond her wildest imagination, but his ambitions left little room for him to have feelings for anyone other than himself. It took some time for Grace to deal with her pain, but eventually she began to heal. “You might not think it now, but it will get better. One day you will find someone that loves everything about the man you are inside and out.”

Lucas stepped back from the woman comforting him and nodded his appreciation for her assurances. “Thank you Grace. You’re right. I know you’re right. I just wish I had actually told Dan my feelings instead of making up a lie, but I saw how he looks at your friend and I knew I didn’t have a chance. Dan looks at Jake with the same passion and desire that I have when I look at him. And I think Jake might see that too.”

While Grace had a feeling that Lucas was crushing hard on Dan, the revelation that Dan had feelings for Jake came as quite a surprise. At some point, Grace knew she would have to have a conversation with her friend. Everyone was here for Jake so they could help bring Taylor home and Grace needed to know that his heart was all there. If what Jake had told them upon arriving back to the island was true; that everyone’s love is what kept Taylor from fading from existence, then Grace needed to know if he was having any doubts whatsoever. “Go rest up for a little Lucas. It’ll help you clear your head. You can come back fresh later to tackle the Power Core calibration.”

As soon as Lucas left for his room, Grace excused herself from the lab, intent on finding her pilot friend.

___

Jake stretched his arms in the air before folding them behind his head as he sat on one of the elongated poolside lounge chairs. He never imagined that he’d be relaxing at The Celestial once again, soaking up the sun’s warm rays, but that’s exactly what he’d been doing for the last few days while the brain trust toiled away in the laboratory. He certainly preferred being poolside compared to being stuck indoors. Jake enjoyed the energy soaking into his skin, hoping it would give him a much needed tan. He watched the others, in various groups, frolicking in the water or conversing at the tiki-style bar, while he just sat back enjoying some alone time.

“He’s quite fetching, isn’t he?” An all too familiar voice asked.

The shaggy haired pilot turned his haze, arms still folded behind his head, to see the most unexpected sight. “B-B-Boy Scout?” He stammered.

Taylor looked at Jake with a playful smile before nodding his head in the direction of the pool towards the subject of his question. Jake’s gaze shifted from his long lost love to the muscular figure extracting himself from the distant side of the pool. Dan’s back muscles flexed as he hoisted himself up. The water rolled down his body, highlighting every definition Sexy Mop Top earned from hard work in the gym. Jake’s eyes instantly traveled to Dan’s tapered waist and, once again, fixated on the lower back dimples situated just above his round bottom.

Forcing himself to break his objectification, Jake turned back to Taylor. “How are you here? We haven’t performed...”

“I’m always here Jake. With you. I’ve never left.”

“But you did Taylor,” Jake challenged. He dropped his hands to his lap and turned to face his husband. Sure, it was an unofficial hand-fasting, but that didn’t make it any less real to Jake. Taylor was his soulmate. The first person to capture his heart and make him want to be a better man. Jake blinked several times fighting back the tears he felt forming. “You left me alone. You made the decision to sacrifice yourself to save us all, but we never really got to talk about it first. One minute you’re with me and the next...” Jake’s voice cracked and he trailed off unable to finish his thought. He lost the battle with the tears as a steady stream rolled down his cheeks.

Taylor reached over and cupped Jake’s face in his hands. He gently ran his thumb across his sobbing husband’s cheek while turning Jake’s face up to look into the pilot’s blue eyes. “If I did Hotness, I never would’ve had the courage to go through with it. I couldn’t stay and let the world burn around us. Rourke had to be stopped. In time, I knew you’d find room in your heart to love again.” Taylor softly turned Jake’s face towards where Dan was sitting and laughing with his friends. “I know you’re feeling something for him Jake. It’s okay. If for some reason this plan with The Sisters doesn’t work; I want you to be happy.”

For a few moments, all Jake could do was look at Dan while pressing his face to Taylor’s palm. “How can I...” Jake began to say turning to face his love, but he was no longer there. “Taylor?” Jake looked around the pool area frantically, but Taylor was nowhere in sight.

Jake opened his eyes to find himself still outstretched and lounging poolside. His hands were still laced behind his head and he realized that he must have dozed off. Jake saw that the others were still enjoying themselves in the pool area. Stacy sat atop Ava’s shoulders in the pool, battling Cade who was perched upon Varyn’s shoulders. Dan sat on the pool’s edge with his feet in the water beside Sean and Craig, the latter of which was animatedly miming football moves during conversation. Michelle sat under a canopied table sipping drinks with Carissa, Abby, and Scarlett, while Raj stood behind a nearby grill, no doubt whipping up something delicious. Meanwhile, Estella and Zahra practiced grappling moves on the nearby beach.

It must have been a dream, but it felt so real, so vivid. Jake turned his head and was immediately startled to see Diego sitting on the lounger beside him just staring. “Jesus Short Stuff. You scared me. How long have you been sitting there?”

“Long enough to see that something bothered you in your sleep. Wanna talk about it?” Diego placed a comforting hand on Jake’s leg.

“It’s nothing Diego. Just... just go back and have fun with the others.” Jake quickly got up from his seat, not wanting to discuss his feelings. He appreciated Diego’s concern, but Jake just needed some alone time. “I’ll catch you later,” he said before walking off towards The Celestial lobby.

From across the pool area, Dan noticed Jake depart, appearing to be upset. He excused himself from Craig and Sean and the football conversation they were having; quickly jogging toward the hotel.

___

The lobby was empty, as was the bar. Jake wasn’t in The Celestial’s massive fitness center either. Rounding a corner into another long corridor, Dan finally spotted his friend through the windows of the grand hotel’s large game room. He watched as Jake’s shirtless form stretched while rolling billiard balls by hand across the velvet table rather forcefully. Dan couldn’t help involuntarily hitching his breath as his eyes roamed over the pilot’s attractive body. Dan leaned his strong frame against the doorway as he folded his arms across his bare chest. “Hey,” he said lowly, finally exhaling that held breath.

“Hey Dan,” Jake replied without looking up from the pool table. He rolled another billiard ball across the table, sinking it into a corner pocket. “You didn’t have to come find me. I’ll be fine. You can go back and have fun with the others.”

“You’re not fine now though Jake. You didn’t even call me by my nickname.”

Jake glanced up to see his new friend smiling from ear-to-ear. He wanted to be angry, but how could he be when Dan was standing right there looking so damn adorable? Although he tried to fight it, Jake felt the corners of his mouth curl upwards ever so slightly. And he was pretty sure Dan noticed. “Why’d you come looking for me?”

“I can’t sit back and watch someone I care about struggle to cope,” Dan replied. He ran a hand through his slightly damp hair; still wet from his earlier dip in the outdoor pool.

Jake slowly made his way towards where Dan was standing. He got within inches of the younger, taller man who made him have conflicting feelings inside. “Why do you care about me? We barely know each other,” Jake whispered, his hot breath rippling across Dan’s neck causing goose bumps.

“I... uh... I...” Dan swallowed hard causing his Adam’s apple to bob in his throat. He was unable to find the words to express how he felt, but that didn’t stop his body from giving away his lust for the pilot. Dan felt his manhood grow, pressing tightly against the waterproof fabric of his swim trunks as it yearned to be set free. He could practically feel the almost invisible tiny hairs on Jake’s pecs tickling his own smooth, bare chest as he finally found words. “I don’t know why exactly. Something inside me just feels drawn to you. I know it’s wrong. We’re here to get Taylor back, but I don’t know how to make a feeling stop.”

“I’m confused too,” Jake replied. He gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Dan’s forehead before drawing the back of his fingers down the young man’s cheek. Jake brought his lips dangerously close to Dan’s, desperately wanting a taste. “If this were any other time, I’d be bending you over that pool table Sexy Mop Top.” Jake’s finger traveled slowly down Dan’s neck to the muscular divide of his chest eliciting a slight gasp. And then he took a small step back. “But Taylor has my heart. I’m a different man because of him. I’ve waited for him to come back to me and I have to believe he will return.” Jake pulled Dan’s forehead to his own. “I’m sorry.”

The two men stood together, forehead-to-forehead, for a few moments before Dan finally retreated. “You have nothing to be sorry about Jake. I completely understand.” Dan ran his palms down the front of his swim trunks and took a deep breath to regain his composure. While he was disappointed, he also knew chances with Jake were a long shot. “Taylor is a lucky guy and we’re gonna get him back Jake.” Dan gave Jake’s shoulder a comforting squeeze before he exchanged one final nod with the shaggy haired pilot and turned on his heel back towards the pool area.

Standing around the corner, Grace had heard everything. “So Lucas was right. Dan does have feelings for you.” Grace said as she made her presence known after Dan’s departure and approached Jake in the game room doorway. “And you have some feelings for him too?”

Jake was stunned to see Grace appear. “It’s not like that...”

“Just listen Jake,” Grace said raising her hand and cutting him off. “I heard what you said. You really need to be sure, without a scintilla of doubt that Taylor is the one. Everyone is here because we know what losing him meant to you, but if you’re not sure...”

The pilot placed both of his hands onto his friend’s shoulders. “Grace. I’m sure. For a moment my mind tried to tell me that Taylor would want me to find happiness with someone else, but when I saw Dan up here, I realized that it was just my fear that this plan might not work causing me to have doubts. In that moment, I knew I had to stop thinking that way. You all came here and had faith in me and supported me. It’s time that I have that same faith. I love Taylor and I know he will be back.”

Grace wiped the single tear from her cheek, content that Jake’s words were true. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso. “Good cuz if you said something else I would have hurt you.”

The two friends shared a laugh as Grace linked an arm into Jake’s elbow, about to walk towards the lobby when Aleister came running down the hallway.

“Oh good! I found you both,” Aleister panted breathlessly. “I’ve got it. I found the error that Lucas mentioned. I’ll have the Power Core fully recalibrated tonight and we can finally perform the ritual tomorrow.”

***

(To Be Continued)

[choiceslife]

When Worlds Collide: Part Three (Limited Series)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @ladynonsense @kinkykingliam @jlouise88 @wescott-imogen @eileendannie @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you 

***

Penderghast University

“We have to do something now,” Beckett pleaded with the others. “The Learned One, while indeed smart for not being naturally born of magick, doesn’t know the potential consequences of her actions. If she convinces The Sisters to use their power, the floodgates of villainous and sinister beings could be upon them all in minutes.”

“Beckett’s right,” Shreya nodded. “We must get to them once they are all out of the main public space.”

“Stop disagreeing... Wait what? I’m right? First Griffin and now you?” Beckett looked confused. He wasn’t used to any of Donovan’s friends agreeing with him. “Are you both under some sort of enchantment?”

Donovan clasped a firm hand onto Beckett’s shoulder. “Relax buddy. When you’re right, you’re right. Griffin and Shreya are nothing if not honest.” He felt the tension release in Beckett’s shoulder and watched as his sour expression dissipated. “So, how do you think we should handle this?”

“Leave that to me,” Griffin replied before Beckett could answer, stepping through the mirror portal without warning.

The others stood dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly followed Griffin through, not sure of what to expect.

“Oh I guess we’re doing that,” Zeph commented before following his friends through the mirror.

___

New York City, New York - Manhattan

Carissa never experienced the swanky VIP rooms of New York nightclubs when she lived in the city. She never imagined that it would take her becoming Queen of a small kingdom to gain her access to one, nor did she expect her first time would be shared with two new siblings and a group of college-aged kids. However, her life was anything close to normal these days. Which made the pronouncement she just heard even more shocking. “You wanna tell me that again?”

“You’re a witch, Queen Carissa,” Ava said rather flatly. Typically, she would have eased into a truth bomb like that, but she sensed that the Queen was the type who preferred a direct approach. “And so are your two new sisters. And I don’t mean witch as a play on bitch. I’m talking legit spells and powers witch.”

“I don’t know what’s in these drinks at this place, but damn. Witches?” Abby said with a laugh. She had heard some far-fetched stories interviewing subjects before, but none as outlandish as being a witch. There was one interview subject that did come close though. He swore on his life that Raines Corporation CEO, Adrian Raines, was immortal. Abby didn’t believe him, but she looked into the story anyway. It was an excuse for her to meet the fetching billionaire. She managed to interview Adrian and, as she suspected, nothing ever panned out with the man’s claims. Abby managed to score few dates with Adrian, however, before moving to San Francisco. But being a witch? She very much doubted it. “Why couldn’t you find me in college? I would’ve put a curse on Amy to stop being a thunder...cat. Thundercat. You know what I’m saying.”

“I agree,” Scarlett added, highly doubtful of Ava’s sanity. “Three sisters. All witches. I’ve seen that show. It’s called Charmed. Is there a slayer named Buffy, a pair of hot brothers that roam the country hunting demons, and a group of attractive werewolves residing in Beacon Hills too?”

Ava opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, a voice from the shadows replied. Everyone spooked for a split second, before their attention turned towards the sound. Mara immediately drew her weapon and trained it in the general area of where the voice was emanating.

“All of that is indeed true,” the deep male voice said. His form was still obscured in darkness. “Buffy is a real person who secured a dimensional passageway in Sunnydale. The Winchester brothers are quite the skilled demon hunters, although the show takes some liberties with the number of times the two have averted the apocalypse. And Scott McCall is quite a dashing looking werewolf. Although, if you ask me, Deputy Jordan Parrish is the sexiest being in Beacon Hills.”

“Show yourself,” Mara demanded, her weapon ready for use should the situation escalate.

“The Queen should consider a new security detail,” Jake chuckled in a whisper as he lightly elbowed Dan in the ribs. “Everyone keeps getting the drop on Agent Scully over here.”

The figure slowly emerged from the shadows, followed by four others on his heel. “What better way to operate in the world undetected than to have pop culture depicting you as fiction?”

As his face came into view, Ava’s mouth hung agape, unable to believe her eyes. “Griffin?” she questioned curiously. “Is that really you?” Ava ran over and wrapped her arms around the broad shouldered teen who equaled her in height. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Damn you’ve grown!” She clamped her hands on both of Griffin’s muscular shoulders in complete awe of his size.

“Ma’am you know him?” Mara questioned, her weapon still drawn.

“Yes. He’s my cousin.”

___

Ava excused herself and Griffin from the group, finding a secluded corner while Mara holstered her weapon. “What are you doing in New York? Did you see me in the club? How the hell did you and your friends get in here? Does your mom know...” Ava cut herself off before pulling her cousin back into a second hug. It had been about a decade since she last saw the kid. Back then, he was an 8-year-old pain in the ass and she was a moody pre-teen still dealing with the trauma of her friend’s death. But time and friendship have helped to Ava cope, which allowed her to appreciate Griffin’s sudden appearance. “How are you?”

His megawatt smile could put even the most harden person at ease and Griffin flashed it proudly helping his cousin relax. “I’m here to help you Ava. My friends and I know why you’ve sought out The Sisters. You have to know there is danger involved with telling them.”

“Danger? What kind of danger?”

“Without getting into too much detail, I know that you’re a witch and able to conjure magic. You’re actually known as The Learned One in our realm.”

“Seriously? I’m famous?” Ava beamed with pride before the rest of Griffin’s comment sank into her mind. “Wait. Your realm?”

Griffin nodded. “Not you per se, but magical people are aware that there is a non-magical human with strong, learned powers developing. My friends and I are students at a magical university that helps us hone our naturally attuned abilities. It exists in a realm parallel to this one. Because of some of our research in trying to solve something else, I was able to sense your situation and danger. There are forces in my realm trying to seek out power tied to my friend Donovan.” Griffin motioned to the tall, blond guy that looked like he stepped off the pages of an Abercrombie ad.

“He’s cute. Just a friend?”

“Maybe something more. He’s close with Beckett too though. The guy in the blue blazer. So I dunno what will happen.” Griffin realized the conversation veered off track and he playfully tapped Ava on the arm for talking about his love life. “Anyway, I have a feeling that the power The Sister’s possess may be similar in nature to Donovan’s, only their power is tenfold.”

Worry and panic appeared in Ava’s eyes. “So you’re saying if I help them find their power in order to aid Taylor’s return to Earth, I’d be endangering the whole world?”

“It’s a possibility. You need to be prepared for the worst. Shreya, Zeph, and Beckett helped me prep a few things to assist with your mission.” Griffin pulled a talisman and two vials of potion from his pocket and passed it to his cousin. “The talisman will help obscure your location whenever you perform the ritual. The vile of red liquid will help bind The Sister’s power once more when you use it in conjunction with the incantation I know you have memorized. And finally, the blue liquid will help erase the memories related to the discussion of The Sister’s abilities and will replace them with a false memory of your creation. It will help to keep you all safe. If nobody remembers The Sister’s powers exist, then nobody can accidentally expose them to the world.”

“And what about you and your friends? You all know now.”

“I enchanted the portal we came through with the same power as the potion and already chose a memory of us dancing the night away in a New York nightclub. Once we return to our realm, we’ll have no recollection of ever being here with you.”

__

“Damn. Ava’s been holding out on the fact that she has a super-hot cousin,” Cade whispered to Lucas. “And his friends look good too.” He kept his voice low so Ava wouldn’t hear him, but it wasn’t low enough to avoid Stacy’s attention.

“You’re dating my brother,” Stacy barked before smacking Cade with a moderately hard backhand to the chest. “If he heard you...”

“I’m pretty sure he’d have the same thoughts,” Cade interrupted with a smile as he gently massaged the spot on his chest where she had hit him trying to alleviate the sting.

After meeting Griffin’s friends, Ava escorted her cousin and his group over towards the others in the room. She still had a ton of questions she wanted to ask him. How did he discover he was magically born? What was he talking about with Buffy being real? When was the last time he went to visit Grandma Mabel? But first, she just needed to introduce him to the group. “Your Majesty. I apologize for the interruption. This is my cousin. Griffin Langley. And these are his friends.”

As Griffin nodded to everyone assembled and introduced his friends, Jake sat back in one of the VIP room’s plush chairs. He had questions for Ava and was sure he wasn’t the only one. But he’d let Hermione have this moment of happiness with her long lost cousin.

“You’re over here contemplating nicknames aren’t you?” Dan asked as he pulled up a seat beside the pilot.

Jake smiled. The kid knew him too well, even though it’s only been a few days. “Guy Candy, Sabrina, Prep School, Golden Boy, and Zephyr.”

“Wait. That Zephyr guy gets to keep his name? And Sabrina? Like the teenage witch? You think Griffin and his friends are...”

“Yup. I do. And Zephyr is a cool fucking name,” Jake replied. He and Dan shared a laughed between themselves before they noticed Griffin about to address Queen Carissa.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Your Majesty. I wish it were under different circumstances of course,” Griffin said flashing his great big smile.

The Queen nodded her head. “Agreed Mr. Langley. Question though. How did you get in here? The door is locked and there is an armed member of The King’s Guard stationed outside.”

“Maybe they stuffed Eagle Eye into a closet like we did,” Jake snickered under his breath to Dan, who was barely able to contain an outburst.

“About that,” Griffin answered before doing a series of hand gestures causing the nearby plants and soil to twirl around in the air. They danced into a weave of intricate patterns, zipping back and forth across the room. It was extremely simple, and well below Griffin’s skill level, but still an impressive display of magic for those in the VIP Room to see. “Locked doors really aren’t a problem for us.” Apathy was all that met Griffin’s effort in return. “Really? That usually gets some kind of reaction.”

“We fought off a bunch of moss creatures in high school, so...” Lucas shrugged.

“Fought a giant crab and a three-headed sea monster in La Huerta,” Jake added.

“Well we’re impressed,” Abby remarked motioning to herself and two sisters. “The most magical experience I’ve had is my friend Brooke’s Sphere of Prettiness.” Abby immediately regretted doubting Ava earlier. “Sorry I didn’t believe you before,” she said to the tall woman standing beside Griffin.

Ava nodded her understanding to Abby. She got it. Skepticism was to be expected. Ava was still honing her craft and, if she could, she would have done some kind of demonstration to prove magic existed.

“Right. Great. Okay then. So magic and monsters exist and my sisters and I are powerful witches,” Carissa began trying to refocus the group’s conversation. “And our mother fits into all of this somewhere. So let’s start there.” Carissa sat down between Abby and Scarlett on one of the many large sofa’s the VIP Room had to offer as the others pulled up seats throughout the private area. Only Mara and Jake remained standing. Neither one wanted to be caught off guard a second time.

Ava cleared her throat once everyone had settled and she had command of the room. “Right. Okay Your Majesty. Scarlett. Abby.” Ava nodded with each name she spoke. As much as she had prepared for this conversation, she never expected to have an audience quite so large. Ava had expected that the Queen would ask to speak with her privately to discuss the matter. But regardless of the number of people present, it didn’t change the facts as Ava knew them to be. “Everything I know begins when your mother paid a visit to Cora Pritchard.”

***

(To Be Continued)