#i say this cause i had something happen the other day that spooked the heck out of me

[playbarbies]

just your friendly neighborhood pigeon dropping in to say PLEASE remember to lock your doors and keep them locked! pls stay safe — no matter how safe / secure you feel your neighborhood or building is, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

[phantomphangphucker]

Phic Phight: [REDACTED] “Oh Goddamnit. DANNY!”

Prompt Creator: @mr-lancers-english-class

Even Danny’s school projects cause ghostly issues and Lancer really should have seen this coming.

Alright fine, Lancer knew this was a bad idea. He knew it. And yet... here they all are, with each of his students doing their self-chosen presentations. And as he should have expected, Every. Single. One. has been on Phantom. Sure at least there’s been some variety. Star’s piece on his fashion and how that reflects on his personality and the era he died was actually fairly interesting (if it wasn’t for the fact that Phantom spiced up his jumpsuit with t-shirts and whatnot sometimes then this would have been a very boring one). Kwan also surprised him some, apparently he’s spent the past year or so sneaking photos of Phantom eating and did a piece on Phantom’s rather peculiar food tastes (who dips their pickles in milkshakes???) as well as effectively providing proof for the existence of ectoplasmic food (there’s no way any earth apples are neon green on the inside). Dash’s wasn’t even correctly calculated, trying to figure out how far Phantom could throw footballs based on his known strength and if he could kill someone by tackling them (disturbingly the answer -regardless of Dash’s bad math- was decidedly yes. Daniel seemed particularly disturbed). And Paulina’s was quite literally a badly written self-insert ship fan fic; the added drawings of what their child would look like only made it worse (Daniel left, not that Lancer could blame him. Lancer’s also glad for the ghost fight interrupting the presentation). Emilie’s was... disturbingly about ghost hunger and purposed the thesis that Phantom, for the good of the town, should eat the aggressor ghosts (he actually had to cut her off for getting too graphic).

But the single most interesting thing was that a ghost apparently caught wind of this and literally Every. Single. Presentation so far had words that were permanently replaced with [REDACTED], which, needless to say, caused some chaos when Samantha gave the very first presentation.

-

Lancer clicked his pen, crossing his legs and resting the evaluation sheet on his thigh, “alright, Samantha. Feel free to start whenever you please, though soon would be preferred”, by ‘preferred’ he had meant required, but no need to be mean. He chooses to ignore the goth teen's eyeroll.

Predictably the projected screen doesn’t work when she opens her file so Lancer has to spend ten minutes fiddling with the outdated tech that they wouldn’t give the school funding to replace. Eventually, he does get it up and running showing Ms. Manson’s title screen reading ‘Phantom And Hate Crimes Against Blood Blossoms’. Lancer’s positive ‘blood blossoms’ are a type of flower, figures she would do something nature-focused. She’d make for a great herbalist or botanist someday. He does catch Daniel and Tucker giving her ‘death glares’, as the kids call it, though; Samatha doesn’t look any less smug. The second page has what he thinks was supposed to be a detailed drawing of a flower but it’s severely pixilated, almost as if it been blurred; Samantha looks visibly upset so he’s going to assume something when wrong with the file or pasting format. He’s not marking on artistic capabilities though, so effort is effort there.

She quickly clicks to the next page, where the actual writing of the assignment is and looks decidedly pissed; Lancer even quirks an eyebrow since at least two-thirds of the words are a very bold noticeable [REDACTED]. Lancer watches her yank out her physical copy while glaring with murderous intent at Daniel -Lancer will have to dock him marks if he messed with another student's project- before looking at the physical copy in bafflement for a few seconds. Half the class shrieking when she drops the papers and basically launches herself over the desks at Daniel, “OH YOU LITTLE FUCKER!!!! HOW THE FUCK!”.

Lancer’s sighs and stands, “language, Ms. Manson”, moving to pick up the papers and quirking an eyebrow over them looking the same. Sighing again and eyeing Daniel, who’s being choked -or throttled perhaps?- by Samantha yet is grinning innocently. “Daniel, messing with other students' work is against student policy”, sighing yet again, “and I’ll let Star go while Samantha fixes her document”, summoning up the blonde while glaring at Daniel. Some days that boy was more trouble than he was worth but he was also insanely bright and had a heart of gold. Lancer knows he’ll do good things someday, and that’s why he still tries with him.

Half the class is snickering or laughing now and Star is very clearly trying not to laugh as she sets up.

However, as soon as it opens up the class is met with a very familiar sight. [REDACTED] litters every single page; he checked. And Star’s physical copy was in the same state.

Kwan blinks, “okay seriously, what is going on”, before scrambling to grab out his own physical copy; the rest of the class going wide-eyed and following suit. Lancer just puts his head in his hands and sighs very audibly while shaking his head. Why could nothing go right? Sighing again as the class erupts into noise.

“Mines all weird too!”.

“Same here!”.

“Okay there is no way Fenturd messed up everyone’s work”.

“And I actually tried on mine! It was about the merits of Phantom getting armour!”.

“Oh damn do we just get auto hundreds now? Please please please say yes”.

“Oh damn, Phantom would actually look awesome in armour”.

“I know right”.

“Can we just skip class entirely now?”.

“Oh my Zone a ghost messed with or work”.

“Holy Shit”.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! You don’t think Phantom did do you?”.

“Why the heck would he do that? How would he even know??????”.

“Oh I hope Phantom was inside my computer. That would be so hot”.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe someone told him or he overheard shit. He’s a ghost, he can be invisible. Heck, he could be here, right now, invisible”.

“Invisible and laughing at us”.

“No! No! Hold up! What if he doesn’t want us writing about him or maybe someone wrote some sus shit and he just nerfed us all for good measure”.

“That would mean Phantom totally read my stuff, aw Hell yeah man. That was some boss shit”,

Lancer sighs and stands up, “alright that’s enough”, sighing again because why did this have to happen to him, “and I apologies for blaming you earlier, Daniel”.

Samantha snaps, “oh no, I still blame him”, and continues glaring at the teen. Lancer suspects Samantha would continue blaming the boy even if it was firmly proven he wasn’t at fault.

Addressing the class again, “here’s what we’re going to do, you’re going to read off what of your projects you actually can and allude to the rest. Please reframe from repeating what you know was there beforehand as I’d rather not have whatever ghost responsible -Phantom or otherwise- come here pissed off”, glaring at few students who look slightly encouraged rather than discouraged by that prospect, “anyone who does will receive automatic zeroes”, ah and the encouraged looks have deflated. Good. Gesturing at Star, “you’re already up here, so do continue”. Better to not bring the clearly infuriated Samantha back to the front until she’s had some time to calm down.

Star nods and clears her throat, thankfully everyone quiets down. “O-okay, well, um”, gesturing at the screen, “I did my piece on Phantom’s sense of fashion and the cover image was one with him dressed in one of the Spook Sense stores meme shirts....”.

-

Lancer shakes away the memory, he honestly slightly regrets giving this project. But regardless right now is Daniel’s turn and Lancer is honestly slightly fearful of what his file is going to look like. Thankfully all their files were saved to his computer before the [REDACTED] debacle, so no one could go back in and edit theirs to add [REDACTED]’s for an easy grade. Lancer’s still not exactly sure how he’s supposed to mark assignments that were anywhere from one-fifth to one-third [REDACTED]. That word will be burned into his head after this grading period.

Lancer moves to find the boys file, but stares when clicking it crashes the computer. Not once. Not twice. But thrice. The fourth time rebooting the computer he inspects the file and is a bit dumbfounded, “Daniel, your entire file’s corrupted. The file type has even been changed to redacted, which I’m fairly sure, isn’t actually any possible file designation”. Everyone’s silent for a bit before bursting out into laughter.

“Just what the Zone did you write, Danny!”.

“Oh we so have to know what this is now”.

“Danny has the forbidden knowledge! We haft found him! The keeper of things forbidden and Ghostly! Haza!”.

“Ha! It was probably so lame that Phantom wanted to save him the embarrassment”.

Lancer sighs, but Daniel gestures Tucker up, “hey Tuck, feel like trying to fix the file”. Tucker chuckles and walks up, though apparently glaring at the boy. Based on Daniel’s smirk he finds this quite amusing.

Tucker does manage to make the file viewable at least. Lancer nods and leans back in his seat, “thank you, Mr. Foley”, while the file loads on screen.

Tucker sits back down with a head shake while Daniel stands at the front and gestures to the screen, “aight, as you can see from my not redacted title-”, that earns a couple laughs, “I did mine on Phantom’s portfolio of crime. Every single time our dear Phantom broke ghost law. Including such wonderful things as, that time he caused not one, not two, not even three, but five, prison breaks in one day. Or that time he invalidated a Observant spectator duel by bringing an inflatable sword”. Samantha slams a hand on her desk, “IT IS YOUR FAULT YOU DICK!”.

Lancer has some serious questions as Daniel clicks for the next page, the entire class going dead silent as a screen comprising of almost nothing but the word [REDACTED] shows. Lancer sighs very audibly. Eventually the class starts up again.

“Fenton... actually has forbidden knowledge”.

“If it wasn’t for the teacher computer saved thing I’d think he was fucking with us”.

“I mean... he is a Fenton, right?”.

“Okay the fact that this entire presentation is on ghost crimes is concerning alone. But they’re forbidden ghost crimes at that”.

“Shit I wanted the tea. Damnit”.

“Better question, how does Danny know?”.

Daniel clicking the button to go forward is very audible. And, Chicken Soup For The Soul, every single page is [REDACTED] to the point of being completely and utterly unintelligible. There are occasional lines pointing out how Phantom apparently ate confetti at a ghosts third wedding (which is apparently illegal for some reason) or that time he beat someone up with a violin that had a pie inside it (Lancer can see this one, Lancer himself has smacked a ghost with stranger).  Literally the only photo that isn’t blurred beyond recognition is one of Phantom in a prison uniform (Paulina was very vocal about liking men in uniform here). Lancer is absolutely positive the end of his conclusion ‘[REDACTED] are a bunch of [REDACTED]’ is an insult.

Samantha chucks a boot at his smirking face, “YOU IDIOT. Of course they were going to block you from talking about them. Ancients, I can’t believe you”. Tucker’s busy laughing into his hand.

“Oh my Zone, they know too”.

“They’re really earning that weirdo trio title, huh”.

Daniel snickers as he sits back down, “they broke into my room and wrecked that epic puzzle I was working on. They shoulda seen this shit coming. Literally”. Tucker snorts, “they probably did but couldn’t do anything else about it. They can’t stop you and your endless bullshit”.

“Damn fucking straight”.

Lancer isn’t going to claim to know what exactly they’re talking about but apparently Daniel effectively orchestrated this entire fiasco just to annoy some ghost. Lancer is honestly more impressed than disturbed. A for effort but an A- for making everyone's work nigh unusable.

End.

Prompt: For the last project of their senior year in high school, Mr. Lancer is letting his class do presentations on literally whatever topic they want. He is very, /very/ sure that this is going to go poorly, but that's a problem for later...

[otnesse]

Commentary on Peace Walker’s lionization of Che Guevara

Well, guys, as I promised earlier, I’m going to do coverage on a particularly infamous aspect of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, and quite frankly if you ask me, one of its worst elements. Sorry for the delay, didn’t realize that Peace Walker was actually released on April 29 in Japan and not the 30th. I’m basically going to cover the game’s lionization of Che Guevara in the various briefing files, and in particular Big Boss and Kazuhira Miller’s lionizing of that monster. For a bit of background, Peace Walker was the second canon PSP entry into the Metal Gear series, after Portable Ops (yes, Portable Ops is in fact canon, and if you ask me was a superior game to Peace Walker in terms of story and characterizations at least, but I digress…). The game has some controversial elements, namely it being very overtly anti-American even by its usual standards, not to mention pushing left-wing values to a far greater degree. One of these values is in the blatant promotion of Che Guevara in the briefing files (in the main story itself, ie, strictly going by the actual missions you undergo, the Che love was at least limited to the Sandinistas and to Vladimir Zadornov, with it being left ambiguous as to whether Snake and Miller actually were fond of him, and while you could argue that the Sandinistas’ sympathetic portrayal could point toward a promotion, Zadornov’s promotion was definitely meant to be a negative since he was planning on having Big Boss reenact Che’s well deserved execution after successfully changing Peace Walker’s target to Cuba in a disinformation op. The Briefing Files, however, aside from obviously Amanda and Chico, members of the Sandinistas, they also had Big Boss and Miller singing praises for that jerk.).

My commentary is on how Big Boss and Miller’s promotion of the guy was a complete and total betrayal of their characters, and also a betrayal of the explicit themes of the game, and also how it’s just one sign of Kojima just being a hack writer, not to mention was extremely poorly done even if we were to assume Kojima intended for Big Boss and Miller to be seen as the villains.

Out of character

For the first part, I’ll cover how the gushing for Che Guevara was completely out of character for Big Boss, and especially for Kazuhira Miller, aka, Master Miller from MG2 and MGS, not just going by past entries, but even when taking into account Peace Walker itself and any supplementary materials. I’ll give separate sections for the two of them, since it’s going to be lengthy.

Big Boss

For Big Boss, I’ll acknowledge that he was meant to be the main villain in the MSX2 games, or at least the main antagonist. However, his singing praises for Che Guevara even knowing that tidbit still didn’t make any sense at all, for a variety of reasons. First off, the games, namely Metal Gear Solid 2, strongly implied that Big Boss adhered to a more, for lack of a better term, right wing outlook. For starters, the New York Mirror review for Nastasha Romanenko’s book gave brief coverage on the official reports of what went down on Shadow Moses. In particular, as you can see with the screencaps down below, they specifically called the Sons of Big Boss a “radical right-wing group”, and the group itself for all intents and purposes, was modeled after Big Boss (even Liquid, despite hating his father, nevertheless was influenced by his ideology).

And then we get into the character Solidus, who unlike Liquid, or even Solid Snake, practically idolized his “father” (I put it in quotes since Solidus is a clone of Big Boss, as are Liquid and Solid), to the extent that he was practically ecstatic that Raiden shot out his eye and made him look even MORE like his dad. Aside from that, as you can see below with these screencaps, he was also depicted as a proto-Tea Party type, heck, a proto-MAGA type even, basically wanting America to return to the way the Founding Fathers envisioned it. There’s definitely no way Solidus would have been the type to sing praises for a scumbag like Che Guevara, knowing that, and considering his idolization of Big Boss, it’s also unlikely Big Boss would have sang praises for that creep either.

There’s also the fact that in MGS3, he wasn’t fond of Communism at all, and had already interacted with a guy similar to Che in many respects (well, other than maybe in terms of sexuality), Colonel Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin, as both were renowned sadists, and even directly attempted to cause nuclear war. In fact, even before the torture, Big Boss, more accurately Naked Snake at that time, learned a bit about Volgin’s past, in particular his involvement in Katyn, and presumably Bykivnia and Kurapaty as well due to EVA’s references to similar massacres occurring in Western Belarus and the Ukraine, as you can see below:

His reaction in that conversation with EVA, in particular Volgin’s personal role in executing those guys, had him downright horrified. Bear in mind that Che Guevara actually DID do several of those things himself, shot innocent and unarmed people, and if anything, unlike Volgin who at least allowed Snake to have weapons on hand to fight him, Che outright dithers when confronted with people using guns, even if they’re his own allies based on his interaction with Jorges Sotus, and to a lesser extent Jesus Carreras. It says a lot when even someone like Volgin, a psychopathic mutant, had more honor than Che Guevara. Plus, in Peace Walker, Big Boss when recalling the Cuban Missile Crisis implied that he blamed that event for his ultimately having to kill The Boss (with Miller even noting it was uncharacteristic of him to get into hypotheticals), as you can see in these screencaps below.

The reason that ties in to Che Guevara is because, believe it or not, Che is the reason why the CMC nearly caused the Cold War to become hot. He and Castro even attempted to launch nukes at the United States, and it actually spooked Khrushchev enough that he had to muzzle Che and agree to end the standoff with the United States via the Turkey Deal (or retrieving Sokolov). Knowing that bit, it’s extremely unlikely Big Boss would have been particularly fond of the guy who essentially set the ground for Operation Snake Eater and his having to kill The Boss. And that’s not even getting into how he tried to stop a nuke being launched not just once in the game, but TWICE, and the second time was a perfect opportunity for him to emulate Che Guevara and succeed where Che failed. When Paz hijacked ZEKE, she revealed that she intended to nuke the Eastern Seaboard and pin the blame on MSF under Cipher’s orders, and yet Big Boss fought her in an attempt to stop her. That definitely wouldn’t have been something Che Guevara would have done, and if anything, he bragged to the London Daily Worker that he WOULD have launched the nukes at America preemptively had they been allowed to remain.

Heck, in Portable Ops and even Peace Walker, or at least the backstory for those games, Big Boss specifically served western interests after Operation Snake Eater. In the former, Big Boss was revealed to have participated in the Mozambique War of Independence, and a comment made by Null, aka, Gray Fox, aka, Frank Jaegar, after being bested the second time around, implied that Big Boss had fought alongside the Portugese during that time (Jaegar at that time was siding with FRELIMO), as you can see from the following screencaps:

And in the tape detailing how he and Miller met (not to mention the extended version included in the Peace and Harmony Blues drama tape that was later included in the Japanese version of Ground Zeroes, specifically chapters 1 and 2), it was mentioned that Kazuhira Miller at the time was a mercenary operating with an implied communist rebel group in Colombia, while Big Boss was clearly siding with the Western-backed government.

I think the events proper for Peace Walker was the first time Big Boss explicitly sided with Communists (not counting Portable Ops, since it’s implied the Russian soldiers renounced their Communism after being abandoned by the Soviet government), and even there, he did it more out of his own personal motives of getting closure regarding The Boss’s true motives after learning she may have somehow survived Snake Eater than out of any liking of Mena/Zadornov’s objectives.

Besides, Big Boss is former CIA, and grunt or not, he'd still need to have at least some degree of knowledge about Che, namely stuff like how Che tried to commit to the Cuban Missile Crisis and make it a hot war, among other things like his instituting gulags in Cuba. And let's not forget, when Gene in Portable Ops tried to pull a similar stunt, Big Boss was genuinely horrified by what he was planning to do.

Kazuhira Miller

Now we get to Kazuhira Miller, aka, Master McDonnell Benedict Miller. Unlike Big Boss, Miller was consistently up to that point depicted as a good guy (probably the closest he got to engaging in villainy was in MGS1 regarding manipulating Snake into arming REX, and even there, he was dead three days before the events of the game, and that had been Liquid who did so). He was also shown to be a huge Che fanboy, and if anything he was depicted as being an even bigger fanboy than Big Boss himself in that game. And Peace Walker also retconned his origins by revealing he was in fact born in Japan with bi-racial ancestry (Japanese and American Caucasian), as he originally was third-generation Japanese American. He was made clear to have more love for America than his own home country of Japan, and only recognized the meaning of peace when talking to his hospitalized mom. He also was mentioned to have been influenced to get into the mercenary business by Yukio Mishima’s suicide, though he does imply that he wasn’t on the same political spectrum as him. Him singing praises for Che Guevara doesn’t work well at all, especially considering that he repeatedly stressed that they not allow another Cuban Missile Crisis to happen, and going by his comments in these screencaps below (in the same briefing file as Big Boss’s uncharacteristically going into hypotheticals, and if anything happened immediately before then), he was fully aware about how Japan itself was almost nuked again thanks to that event (with the only difference being that the Soviets were more likely to nuke them), as you can see with the following screencaps.

Having him sing praises for Che Guevara, whom as I pointed out earlier actually attempted to launch nukes and jumpstart World War III, comes across as ESPECIALLY distasteful knowing that bit, since it comes across as him basically cheering for the guy who tried to wipe out his fellow Japanese, to say little about the Americans, whom back then, he idolized. It would be the same thing as a Holocaust survivor singing praises for Adolf Hitler after narrowly surviving being killed by him. It also doesn’t match up at all with his characterization in MG2 or even MGS1 (and believe me, Liquid posing as Miller or not, his statements to Snake would have been what Miller himself would have said since Snake didn’t seem suspicious at all about him.), the latter regarding the bit about Meryl after she was captured. Even his not being fond of Japan doesn’t cut it, especially when, ignoring that he put that to the side after his mom was hospitalized, the character Sokolov ALSO wasn’t fond of the Soviet Union at all, risked crossing the iron curtain alongside his family to get away from it, and would have been free as a bird had the CMC not happened, and almost got away again until The Boss interfered. Even THERE, however, he still retained at least some degree of love for Russia itself, as when Gene decided to try to nuke Russia (or at least, that’s what Gene led everyone to believe at the time), he secretly went against Gene and adopted the alias of Ghost to aid Big Boss specifically to prevent a nuke from being launched there, being THAT against harming Russia despite hating the Soviet policies. I would have expected Miller to not be fond of Che Guevara at all for that reason.

Overall

The whole thing also didn’t work since if they were meant to be seen as heroes, it ticks off a whole lot of players who are fully aware of some of the crap Che Guevara caused and know his true nature, and regarding painting them as a villain, the problem is that the story DOESN’T depict them as villains for that. Heck, they don’t even STATE any bad things Che did other than maybe dying, and if anything, the way everyone was talking, you’d think he’d walk on water. If Kojima wanted to depict Big Boss and Miller as villains by having him sing praises for Che, the very least he could have done was make sure to specifically reference Che Guevara’s role in nearly causing the Cold War to go Hot by the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis and his being upset at the nukes being removed.

Apparently, if Kojima’s secretary is of any indication, the reason the Che love was in the game was because Kojima himself tried to force in his socio-political views into the game in blatant disregard for the narrative and characterizations therein, as you can see below with links (screencaps will have to be in an addendum post since, unfortunately, I've hit my limit regarding screencap postings):

https://twitter.com/Kaizerkunkun/status/900937994143649792

https://twitter.com/Kaizerkunkun/status/1179860611297153038

https://twitter.com/Kaizerkunkun/status/1190763430497542144

Themes

The Che praise doesn’t work too well with the themes either, since he was not a peaceful man, even called himself the opposite of Christ, and tried to start a nuclear war. It definitely goes against the stated themes of the game, which was peace, not to mention the anti-nuke themes of the overall franchise. Heck, if anything, specifically referencing Che’s attempt at nuking the US and causing Nuclear War, and by extension outright condemning him for it would have worked much better with the themes of anti-nukes, especially considering that they made sure to reference Vasily Arkhipov’s actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis at one point, not to mention referenced both Katyn and the fact that the Turkey silos were already rendered obsolete even before the Turkey Deal made removing them required due to the advent of nuclear subs in Snake Eater earlier. And without the references to that, or any other bad stuff, you’re literally left thinking that he must be a good guy. I’d know because I fell for that myself, especially after getting the game (I didn’t follow the briefing files, but I did follow the cutscenes on YouTube back when it was still in Japan, and I also was baffled as to how people were talking about Big Boss and Miller were Che fanboys since the cutscenes never even pointed in either direction, and if anything, Big Boss nearly being killed by Zadornov would probably point to him NOT liking Che afterwards due to nearly being forced into Che’s fate).

The only thing it did was just have Kojima force in his political and social views, and I’ll be blunt, that kind of crap is something I have distaste in, I hate having propaganda pushed onto me. Ironically, Kojima or at least the Benson books for MGS1 and MGS2, instilled that view onto me. So my anger at Kojima doing that, after learning what Che was truly like in one of the Politically Incorrect Books (either Vietnam War or the 1960s one), is very much personal as well as political and social.

Aftermath

Well, as I said, I did buy into the narrative around the time Peace Walker was released, but then I learned I was being tricked by Kojima after reading the PIG books. I’d argue that event definitely was a watershed event for me. Not only did it have me lose any respect I might have had for Kojima, it also influenced my outlook on life, left me becoming distrustful the second I started picking up how they’re trying to push an agenda instead of, say, actually teaching the material in college. It also may have influenced my later views on Star Wars and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (specifically, George Luca’s open admission to basing the Ewoks/Rebels on the Vietcong, and especially modeling the Galactic Empire after American soldiers; and Linda Woolverton admitting that she was trying to push a radical feminist agenda in Beauty and the Beast, the same one she tried to push in that awful Maleficent movie. Though I also was becoming disturbed with Belle for reasons other than that bit due to researching the French Revolution, though I will acknowledge Big Boss and Kazuhira Miller’s fanboying of Che Guevara, and in particular their reference to Sartre and his infamously singing praises for Che as “the most complete human being of the century”, certainly worsened my views on Belle, thinking that she may turn out like Sartre and throw her lot with the Jacobins and other groups.). It also left me distrusting of whatever Metal Gear had to say, may have also led to my not liking Chris Redfield after Resident Evil 5, or heck, some of the more anti-American commentary in 5 and other games, and also Dead Rising. It also influenced my decision to become a Dead or Alive fan (especially when before, I wasn’t particularly fond of the game due to the fanservice stuff), and in particular a Tina and Bass fan. May have also influenced my later distaste of Greg Berlanti’s writing of Arrowverse shows, in particular Supergirl starting with Season 2 (though that also had Heroes Redemption as a factor, which predated Peace Walker, thanks to how it changed Claire Bennet).

[weallpartyatybcpatricksfuneral]

I'll be making this into a long fic, but for now I chose to keep it short. Hermitcraft x Dream SMP crossover

Title: button

Grian sat down at the oak wood table, brow furrowed. Another day, another failed attempt to reconnect to Hermitcraft. The strange glitch that had caused the border to fall in the first place must have been repaired, for the world border was back up and running. His communicator didn’t work outside of his home server, and Phil’s crows (who insisted on following the man everywhere, and who Phil had put up to the task of flying between the severs, trying to gather intel on the border glitch and if people were trying to find him) haven’t delivered any news. 

    The builder glanced out the window as the sun set over the horizon. Past that was Hermitcraft. His home. What was Mumbo doing? Scar? Iskall? Xisuma? How was the war progressing without him? Did anyone notice his absence? No, Grian, don’t get sad. Happy thoughts only...Happy thoughts. 

    “Grain!” 

    Torn away from his thoughts, Grian looked up to see Philza, his dark grey wings fluffed up in distress. “Wil’s sent a letter.” The avian said, holding up a piece of paper. 

    “Well, that’s good!” Phil had been under extreme stress these past couple of days since Wilbur hadn’t sent a letter in weeks and the past few he had sent were...concerning, to say the least. “What’s it say?” 

    Another letter should have been a relief, but from the look on Phil’s face, Grian concluded that this letter was everything except relief.

    “It’s just a date, time, and coordinates. November 16th, noon, with a set of coords in L’Manberg…” Phil’s voice trailed off as his dark emerald eyes scanned the page, over and over, as if he were looking for more writing than just a simple date. 

    “That’s tomorrow, innit?” Grian questioned, trying to distract the man from his distress. That’s how Grian ignored his. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. “I mean, you’ll be able to see your sons, check up on Wil?” 

    “Something doesn’t feel right about this, Grain.” Even after all this time together, Phil still called him Grain. Grian stifled a laugh, as it wasn’t the appropriate time to giggle. “His last few letters concerned me. He mentioned something in his last one about 11 and a half stacks of TNT.” Phil looked Grian dead in the eye and whispered, “Grain, I think Wilbur is going to blow L’Manberg!” 

    “But why?” Grian attempted to rationalize with the distraught Phil, who was now pacing across the room making stressed-out bird noises. “He won the election, shouldn’t he be content with that?” This type of stuff never happened on Hermitcraft. There were never serious talks of blowing up anyone’s builds, much less an entire country! The only time TNT is used is in pranks, and they always helped clean up after. 

    “You clearly don’t know Wilbur...He’s a force of chaos, I’ll tell you that. A creative little shit who always comes up with new ways to get what he wants. If he wants L’Manberg gone, then he’ll go to crazy lengths to achieve that goal.”

    Silence fell. 

    “We need to get to L’Manberg. Now. It’s about a day’s flight from here, and we need to leave now if we want to get there as fast as fucking possible.” Phil tucked the letter into the pocket of his dark green kimono and flexed his wings. Unlike Grian, who used the sleek and slim elytra to fly about, Philza had a pair of actual feathery wings. Upon arrival, Phil explained that he was a bird hybrid, also known as an avian. He had feathers on the sides of his face and neck with elfish ears. Back on Hermitcraft, every member of the server was human. 

Grian and Phil started out on their journey north, towards the world border of Dream SMP. The sun had risen, and the world border was in sight. Phil stated that Dream, the apparent Admin of the server, had agreed to let up the border for a few seconds to let Phil and Grian inside. Phil took a rest on a tree, breathing heavily after hours of non-stop flight.  

“You alright, Big P?” If Phil could nickname him Grain, Grian would nickname him as well. A smile twinged across Phil’s face. 

“Ahh...You sound so much like my youngest, Tommy. He says that to people too. You remind me of him so much. Right down to your red shirt and the aura of pure, unbridled chaos you emit.” 

Both men laughed. Grian really enjoyed Phil’s laugh, and despite how giggly and giddy the avian usually was, it had been a few days since he had last heard him laugh. Wilbur’s lack of letters had really spooked him. 

“Will you stay?” 

“Hmm?” 

“In L’Manberg. I mean, it’s closer to your sons.” 

Phil shrugged and drank a potion of strength, and stood. 

“I might, depending on what happens. If my theory is correct, and Wilbur is going to blow the place up, then I’ll probably stay. Just to help him out and help clean up y’know? Maybe I’ll be able to convince him to come home. Before you got here, I was...really lonely.” 

“Well, you won’t be lonely anymore! Since I can’t return home yet, I’ll be your friend so you don’t have to be lonely!” 

“Thanks, Grain.” 

“You’re welcome, Big P!” 

The two rose and started to fly towards the world border. Maybe Grian could make a new home on Dream SMP. The builder already started making plans for an epic build, having a vague idea in his head. However, he would have to inspect the landscapes available to see what his block palette would be and what style his build would be. Grian thought of his mansion back home and wanted to build something similar to remember it. 

“Oi! Grain! You there mate?” 

Grian shook his head as he was, again, dragged from his daydreams by Phil. They had arrived at the world border. “I’ve sent word to Dream, he should be letting us in soon.” 

“Alrighty! What kind of base do you want to build if you stay?”

    Phil just shrugged. “Eh. Don’t know just yet. Don’t want to start anything too ambitious, like a Hardcore project.” 

Grian kept forgetting that this man held the world record for the longest Hardcore run. Phil was only 5”4 and didn’t look that intimidating. He looked loving and fatherly, and Grian considered Phil to be like a father to him. But the man was a dedicated Hardcore player, and could easily take Grian down in a fight. It scared him, sometimes, about how little he actually knew about Phil. 

“Alright, mate, let’s go.” The blue striped border had been removed by the mysterious admin, and the two flew into Dream SMP. Grian felt a buzz from his communicator and pulled it from his pocket. 

<Grian joined the game>  

<Ph1LzA joined the game> 

Unlike in Hermitcraft, when a member joins the server (especially a new member), the entire chat would be flooded with ‘hello!’ messages. However, on the Dream SMP, there were one or two directed at Phil. How peculiar. Phil went silent as they flew over the woods and forest. In the distance, Grian could see what appeared to be a city. That must be L’Manberg. It wasn’t as big or as grand as some builds on Hermitcraft, heck his own base would have taken up over half of the area if he lived there. On a tall pole lay what Grian assumed was the flag of L’Manberg, inky black, with a fiery red arch and X. Interesting design. Phil didn’t go into the city, however, he flew towards the coordinates that Wilbur had written in his letter, his brow furrowed. Fireworks crackled and popped throughout L’Manberg. 

Grian landed with Phil, in front of a small tunnel that bore deep into a hill that was just outside the country. 

“It’s now or never. Grain, stay behind me.” Phil tucked the letter away and led Grian through the tunnel, and into a compact stone room. Carved into the wall were words. No, not just words. Lyrics. 

I heard there was a special place, 

where men could go and emancipate. 

From the brutality and tyranny of their rulers. 

Well, this place was real, you needn’t fret, 

With Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, fuck Eret. 

It’s a very big place, not blown up L’Manberg. 

MY L’MANBERG

MY L’MANBERG

MY L’MANBERG…

Those lyrics were carved all over the stone walls, and in the middle, was a stone button. In front of that button, was Philza’s eldest son, Wilbur. 

Grian had never actually seen Wilbur before, only in an old picture of when Phil, Wilbur, and Phil’s other two sons, Tommy and Technoblade, won MCC 4. In that picture, Wilbur wore a cute yellow sweater with a brown beanie, with a shimmering smile on his face. 

The man that stood before them now was not that person. It couldn’t be. Wilbur stood, hunched over a stone button, whispering to himself. He donned a brown trenchcoat and ditched the beanie. 

“What are you doing?” Phil asked.

Wilbur turned to face them. His eyes had no emotion in them, his smile no longer shimmered. Standing before them was an insane man. 

“I will admit,” Wilbur said. His voice sent a chill down Grian’s spine, “Do you know what this is? What this button is?” Phil’s speculations appeared to be true. Wilbur was trying to destroy L’Manberg. 

“Uh huh. I do.” How, how could Phil be so calm? 

“Have you heard the song? The song on the walls?” Wilbur’s fingers gently ran over the words ‘MY L’MANBERG’. His eye twitched, “I was just making a big point you know? About how there was a special place, it was a special place. But that's not there anymore.” Wil’s voice lowered to a hush. 

“It is there, Wil, it's out there.” 

“PHIL I’M ALWAYS SO CLOSE TO PRESSING THIS BUTTON! I’VE BEEN HERE LIKE SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES--” Voices from above cut Wilbur off. Grian could hear footsteps above them. Wilbur turned his eyes to the stone ceiling and lowered his voice. “Oh they're going to come…I need to block this off.” Wilbur hastily piled blackstone bricks in the doorway, which not only sealed whoever “they” were out, but also sealed Grian, Phil, and Wilbur in.

“Oh Phil...I’ve been here so many times.” 

Numerous fireworks exploded outside. 

<Tubbo_ went off with a bang due to a firework fired from [Rocket Launcher] by Technoblade> 

“Oh they’re fighting, they’re fighting…” WIlbur whispered, sounding tired. 

“And you just want to...to blow it all up? You fought so hard for this land, Wilbur, and you just want to...destroy it all?” Phil tried to reason.

“I don’t even know if the button works anymore, Phil, I could press it, and it might--”

“Do you want to risk it? There is a lot of TNT potentially connected to that button.” 

Wilbur seemed to hear him. His breathing got heavier as he returned to that hunched over position over the stone button. What was this place? Nothing serious ever happened on Hermitcraft. There were no seriously high stakes, there were no serious threats, no serious danger. It was all in good fun. 

“There...there was a saying, Phil...by, uh, by a traitor. Once part of L’Manberg, don’t know if you ever heard of Eret, but he had a saying.” 

Wilbur looked up at Phil. Grian could see the familiar resemblance between the two, they shared emerald green eyes. 

“It was never meant to be.” Wilbur whispered that phrase, and pressed the stone button. 

[polar534]

Jersey Stealing Pt. 4

Titan, this was a lot longer then I had ever planned on it being. I started writing Jersey Stealing I want to say MONTHS ago. You guys have only recently seen the parts that have been sitting done for ages. I guess it's just a side effect of this being my secondary, recovery project. Something fun I can write up while I'm at work.

Anyways, I'll stop babbling now and let y'all get to the well deserved end to this arc. This one is long. It's got a lot of loose threads tied up and it's also got my first instance of me ever typing out 'I love you' in any sort of writing... so that's a thing. Hopefully I did it alright.

(If you like this/want to read the other parts/want to figure out what the heck this Hockey AU is in the first place, consider checking out the MasterPost.)

***

Amity tapped her fingers, the sharp sound echoing loudly throughout the empty house. Sighing, she pushed her chair out and set aside the homework she was working on. The quiet nature of the house was almost physically bothering her as she walked to the window.Opening up to the sounds of the street below and woods behind, Amity took a deep breath and let the sounds comfort the growing restlessness creeping into her bones. Normally on the days she didn't have practice, both her and Luz would spend the evening in the Boiling Isles, visiting Lilith and Eda at the palace. There was always something to do, and Eda in particular was always looking for some excuse to sneak away from her duties even for just a little bit. It was something they both looked forward to. A time in which everyone could catch up, Gus and Willow included, outside of school or Willow and Amity's games.

However, today was different. Luz had a lot less shine in her eyes as Amity said goodbye to her at the portal, something that rarely happened. It only furthered Amity's resolve in her decision to stay behind and find some sort of resolution to the incident that now had been plaguing her girlfriend for almost a week.

The itching in her bones began to crawl into her skin as Amity felt her restlessness increase. Moving to the bed she grabbed some shoes and slid them on, making sure to grab her stick and jersey on the way out the door. Even if it was late, she knew Luz wouldn't be home anytime soon, and there was no telling when Camilla would be off of work. Equipment in hand, she moved down the street quickly, the daylight slowly fading behind her.

***

Crack!

The slam of the puck against the stick offered little resistance to Amity's swing as she continued the course she had designed for herself. Lapping the rink she crashed into the football training dummy she and the team had borrowed (stolen) from the local highschool. Feeling the weighted dummy barely move against the slick ice had her hitting the next lap even faster then the first.

Crack!

This time the swing was straight through the puck, almost as if Amity was merely cutting through the air with her motions. The puck flew through the air and pushed the netting of the goal to it's limit as the witch ducked her head down and lapped the rink a second time, building up speed to once again charge the dummy. Her chest heaved as her feet slowed in their steps, the ice now almost like water under her skates. There was no more traction to be gained and she instead allowed her body to continue it's momentum as she practically soared towards her goal. Her mind emptied as she plowed into the object in front of her, shoulder out, intending to cause as much damage as possible. This time, the metal sled holding the dummy up slid effortlessly through the ice as it flew backwards. The force of her impact wasn't clean though. Losing her balance and with too much speed to stop, Amity careened around the edge of where the dummy had stopped and she hit the ice hard. The green-haired girl barely registered the pain as her stick flew from her hand and she was left spinning out on the ice.

The witch panted heavily as she lay on the frozen rink, completely dazed, her heartbeat thudding so loudly in her ears that she could barely think.

As the pain of her fall caught up with her, so did the emotions she had tried to outrun for the past week. She wasn't aware of the first tear that slipped down the side of her cheek, but the many following after had her face almost bitterly cold in chilly temperature of the arena. A question repeated in her mind over and over.

Why?

The tears didn't bother her. Neither did the reason she was shedding them.

Why?

What bothered her most was Luz. Why was this the thing, this hope, this person, the one thing to break Luz like Amity had never seen? Why did this emotion, this defeat, seem to haunt Luz like a ghost that was all too familiar? Amity's heart broke for Luz, and maybe she was finally allowing herself to feel the pain, the burden she had tried carrying since she had seen it. Her mind raced to fill in the gaps and answer the questions as the adrenaline from her training began to crash and her body melted further into the ice.

She thought about all she knew and had learned about Luz's history in her own world. This world that Amity now had become a part of. It seemed like every day was a struggle for Luz, her wild and dangerous ideas being so obviously unappealing to others. Forcibly being isolated, even when you are trying to reach out was a lot different from how Amity grew up. She was always welcome, but never felt like she belonged… never wanted to.

'I think that’s why Luz held on to the hope that one day they could be friends'

It was Luz's connection to Amity that severed the last chance of her bonding to her past. It was the step over the line for Sasha, the person Luz had hung her last hopes on before she met Willow, before she met Gus, before she met Amity.

The adrenaline was gone. Her body aching, Amity crawled her way to her feet feeling more hollow then ever before. Slowly, she slid the training dummy off the ice, and grabbed her stick. Her eyes glanced to the puck that was still in the empty space of the goal as she packed the last of her equipment away. Glancing at her phone she saw that there were missed messages.

-I'm home now.

Missed Call from Luz

-Amity?

-Where are you?

-I hope you're ok.

Amity took one last look at the ice behind her before she tapped out a quick response, slinging her jersey off and over her shoulder as she walked out of the building.

-Sorry. I was practicing.

-I'll be home soon.

***

Amity crept up the stairs and to the bedroom. Peeking open the door slowly she saw that Luz was curled up on the bed, wrapped up snugly in a blanket and using a small lamp to read by. As soon as the door opened her eyes shot up and the ghost of a smile lit up her face in the relative darkness.

"Ahhh, there she is!"

Amity smiled back as she wormed her way further into the room and set her equipment down. Kicking off her shoes she sat down on the edge of the bed as Luz set her book down and clung onto her back, her head resting comfortably in the crook of the witch's neck.

"I'm sorry I was late." Amity mumbled quietly as she leaned her face into Luz's, enjoying her girlfriend's warmth as it chased away the bite of cold that still lingered from the rink.

"I am too." Luz rumbled back into her ear as she squeezed her arms tightly around the witch's torso and pulled her fully down onto the bed.

"Oh? Miss me much Noceda?" Amity teased as they both wrapped the blanket around them and settled in, Luz in Amity's arms.

Luz merely responded with a low growl as she snuggled further into the other's girls embrace, making sure her face was buried into Amity's chest. After a moment of enjoying being close and together again, Luz finally lifted her face. Her eyes were tired, but they held the shine of curiosity that Amity was used to. Deep in those wide brown eyes there was a flicker of the Luz she knew and loved.

Then that flicker faded.

"So… you were out pretty late."

Amity nodded. It wasn't an accusation, just a comment. It didn't stop the guilt from rushing in however.

"I know. I'm sorry. I was caught up in practicing and didn't realize the time."

"Lokte's brother stopped by earlier." Luz said calmly.

Amity's blood froze. It wasn't as if she wanted to hide what she had been up to for the last few days, but rather didn't want to worry Luz any more then she already was. It was too late now though.

"He wanted to apologize. For what happened at the game. He looked pretty spooked. Guess Lokte didn't go easy on him."

"I wouldn't either." Amity growled stiffly. It may have been a genuine mistake, but that didn't mean the threat didn't bother her. What was worse was that Luz still seemed completely calm. Amity didn't know what to expect. Would she be mad? Or just disappointed?

Silence fell between the pair.

"You talked with them today… didn't you?"

There was another moment of silence before Amity nodded. Luz continued to face away from her, but the witch knew that her girlfriend knew the answer before she had asked. After a few more agonizing seconds, Luz finally faced her. The smallest sliver of a smile crept it's way on her face, and the light in her eyes seemed to come back ever so slightly.

"Sooo… just how obnoxious is Bryce?" Luz asked, gently teasing. Her light voice instantly broke through the stiff air between them.

Amity let out a sigh of relief as she laughed a bit to herself.

"I have no idea how you put up with him at all. He's got to be one of the dullest people I have ever met. I told him multiple times I was your girlfriend and he still couldn't take the hint! He kept trying to ask me out." The witch growled lowly, unconsciously squeezing Luz tighter.

"Oh. Huh..." Luz hummed thoughtfully.

"Luz there was no way I was going to say yes. You know that right?"

Luz sat up and waved her hand as if dismissing Amity's thought.

"Yeah of course I know that." She assured the witch almost like an after thought, now looking curiously out the window. "It's just weird. Bryce isn't the type to ask girls out. He just hasn't ever been interested in dating before."

"Could've fooled me." Amity grumbled unhappily, Byrce's aggressive way of flirting still very much prevalent in her mind.

Luz turned back to her with another smile, this one supportive and warm.

"Oh Ami. He's still very much a trashbag." Luz said slowly, her distaste for Bryce very barely hidden. "You didn't have to go talk to them for me you know." She added after a pause, her voice growing quiet.

"Well. Let's see, they threatened you, called you a liar and then tried to go on with their life as if everything was ok. As if there wasn't any consequences." Amity listed as she stared at the ceiling and counted on her fingers. After thinking for awhile she stared hard at Luz. "Yeah. I wasn't about to let that happen."

Luz's smile grew a little more genuine as both girls looked at each other. She leaned back up against Amity as they settled back down into the bed. There wasn't anything more to say.

"So practicing huh? Did you use the football dummy?" Luz asked suddenly and excitedly.

Amity couldn't help but smile, it had been Luz's idea to use it (steal it) in the first place.

"It was a little weird to use, but honestly on the second try I sent it flying."

"Awesome." Luz breathed. "I demand you take me along next time."

Amity laughed. "You've been spending too much time with King." She teased gently as she sat up to lean against the bed frame. Luz promptly flopped across her lap and uncovered her book from earlier to flip open.

"Nonsense." The human girl dismissed as her eyes began to scan the pages again.

"What are you reading anyways?" Amity asked after a pause told her the conversation might be over.

"Shhhhhhh." Luz reached over and lazily flopped a hand against Amity's face in an attempt to gently shush her. "I'm almost done with this scene."

Raising an eyebrow, Amity patiently waited, unaware that she and Luz would soon spend the next 2 hours getting into the first book of a brand new series. After thoroughly researching to find out that yes, the rest of the series was available at the library, the two girls settled in for the night. As they were drifting off, Luz holding Amity tightly to her chest, the witch had almost completely forgotten about the trials they had both been through. The weight of their trauma seemed so far away, lost in the warmth of the blankets and her girlfriend's arms.

No matter what happened, if every day ended with Luz right beside her, Amity knew they could and they would survive anything that life threw at them.

Above her, Luz buried her face into her hair, breathing in deeply as sleep overtook her.

"…mity…" She mumbled sleepily.

Amity couldn't help but giggle a bit. Luz hated falling asleep, always clinging to her consciousness despite how exhausted she was. Always finding some excuse to stay up just a little longer.

"Yes?"

"… thanks."

Amity's ears twitched before a small smile appeared on her face. She snuggled into Luz further.

"Anytime." The witch reassured her as she heard her girlfriend sigh happily above her. The room grew quiet once again and Amity was almost fully asleep by the time Luz spoke next.

"I love you."

The heat rushed to Amity's cheeks, as it always did when she heard those 3 little words. Her heart skipped a bit as it beat faster in it's desperate attempt to return the affection.

"I love you too Luz."

***

Luz didn't return to normal right away, though the night clearly had an effect on her. However, it never took long for the unbreakable spirit of Luz Noceda to rear it's head again and soon enough, The Otter's hockey practice was once again filled with the sounds of rambunctious applause and cheering. The entire team seemed to be effected by the return of their number 1 fan as they all began to work harder, feeling the hope return. After all, they were 4-1 and were still riding high on their winning streak.

Amity and Lokte especially felt the effects of Luz's return to form, not only on a personal level, but also with the renewed gusto of their team.

Which is why, on the last practice before their big game, everything came to an almost halt as the door of the rink opened and a stranger appeared looking very lost.

It wasn't as if the majority of the team knew this new person, but they recognized the bad news this person brought as their star player completely froze. Amity recognized the figure immediately. She was already furiously skating off the ice as they started to approach Luz, Lokte quickly calling for a 5 minute break behind her. Up in the stands, Luz looked up, surprised to see a face beside her in the usually barren stands. She was even more surprised by just how familiar the face was.

Beside her, Sasha was clenching tightly to her arm, looking absolutely everywhere but at Luz herself. She looked like she was trying to form a sentence as the commotion on the ice finally caught up to them. Both girls turned to see Amity, desperately pulling off her skates in the players box, her face furious.

"Wait! Wait! I can explain!" Sasha called out as they watched Lokte skate up next to Amity who growled out a quick response. Now both players seemed set on heading up to the stands, completely uncaring about the former bullies cry.

Luz didn't know what to do. Her mind had frozen when she saw Sasha and not knowing what to think, she didn’t know what to say. Her eyes were locked on Lokte and Amity as they started climbing the stairs to where she was, feeling almost grateful that she would have some sort of backup in just a few moments.

It wasn't that she was scared, but her chest seemed to ache the same way it had the last couple of days and she was acutely aware that she seemed to shrink in Sasha's presence. Luz knew that she hadn't been herself in the days following her encounter with Sasha and Bryce before. It had taken a lot out of her, and although she always wanted to look for the best in people, she wasn't keen to repeat that experience.

Especially with how worried Amity had been.

"Ok. Well since it definitely seems like I'm about to be chased from this place," Sasha spoke up, interrupting Luz's fleeting thoughts and quickly turning to her with wide eyes. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Really. I'm not looking for any sort of forgiveness. I don't… I don't deserve that. Not yet. Maybe not ever. I just… I was hoping we could talk."

Luz merely blinked, her mind swirling. She was still very much aware of her girlfriend closing in on them, and Sasha's already flighty behavior. She knew she needed to make a move to stop something from happening but she couldn't think past the girl's words.

'I'm sorry'

"You… wanted to talk?" Luz finally choked out, finding some sort of sticking point to allow herself to speak again.

Sasha almost looked a little sheepish, her fearful eyes darting back and forth between the hockey players quickly coming up the stairs and the girl she had hurt.

"Yeah. For all the years I've known you… I realized I know absolutely nothing about you." The blonde haired girl laughed.

The laugh was so genuine that Luz couldn't help but laugh with her. After all, everything she said was true. They had known each other for a long time, but they were still practically complete strangers. It was Luz who had always wanted that to change, but Sasha had never made an attempt to fix anything between them before. Time was running out however as Sasha turned to leave, clearly afraid of the players coming up the steps.

She was quickly stopped by Luz's hand on her arm.

"Hey! I thought I told you not to go near her again!" Amity snarled, now being close enough to yell.

Luz could feel the shiver of fear that shot through Sasha as Amity bared her fangs. Again, she couldn't help but smile, after all, Amity was pretty terrifying when she wanted to be. Looking absolutely ready to bolt, Sasha turned to Luz with wide eyes, clearly praying that this wasn't some big trap. Luz only winked as a response.

Letting her arm go, Luz stood up and put herself between Amity and Sasha, holding her arms out to the side to fully block the girl behind her.

Amity froze as Lokte stopped on the steps below her, their arms crossing in frustration.

"Luz?" The witch asked tentatively. Her voice was full of concern and worry, all traces of anger almost completely fading as she stared at her girlfriend in confusion.

Luz took a deep breath.

"It's okay Ami. She just wants to talk."

Amity bristled in anger, but she did her best to remain calm. "Are you ok?"

Luz glanced behind her and took note of Sasha's wide, shocked eyes. Her face was blank as she turned back around to face her girlfriend.

"Give me a stick and I'll make sure she doesn't get too out of line." Luz smirked after a short pause.

A startled gasp from behind her had Lokte and Luz both laughing while Amity merely rolled her eyes. Taking a step forward she planted a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek.

"Let me know the moment she starts bothering you, ok?" Amity whispered. Luz caught her hand as she backed up again and held it tight as she flashed a confident smile.

"Of course." Luz grinned at her as she swung the witch's hand and let it go. "You just get back to practicing. No need to stop on my behalf."

"I could name several reasons." Lokte interjected, still looking rather distrustful of the girl tentatively peeking out from behind Luz.

Despite their reluctance, Amity nodded at Luz and dragged her friend back down to the rink. Luz watched them leave for just a bit before turning to Sasha with a grin.

"Alright. Crisis adverted." She laughed playfully. "Just be grateful she didn't jump at ya from the ceiling. I've seen it happen. It's not pretty."

Sasha laughed nervously. "So… does this mean we can talk?"

Luz laughed again as she fearlessly grabbed Sasha and forced her to sit next to her on the bleacher.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear you ask me that?"

…

Amity slid into the seat next to Luz as she watched her teammates wrap up on the ice. Sasha had left only a little while ago and the witch could see a noticeable slouch to her girlfriends shoulders. Despite that, Luz barely moved as Amity gently reached for her hand.

"How are you doing?" She asked quietly, weaving her fingers through Luz's own.

After a short pause, Luz squeezed her fingers back and looked up at her with watery brown eyes. Amity immediately tensed. She didn’t trust that look and if Sasha had hurt her again…

Well the girl hadn't left that long ago, if she hurried, there was still a definite chance that the witch could catch her. She was preparing to grab her stick and hurry out the door as Luz finally spoke.

"We aren't friends yet…" Luz stated slowly, the light in her eyes vibrantly bright as she spoke.

"But it's a start."

[passport-guardian-benrey]

How Comic met Fresh

Comic' backstory basically, throughout this Comic is refered to as Ralz, because the name change didn't happen yet

My friend helped with like half of this

Enjoy!

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

Ralz teleported away from his bullies, his skull bleeding from a crack they made, he looked around, panicked.

Fresh was wandering in Classic's AU just across the bridge near Snowdin looking for chaos to cause when the damaged skeleton teleported in.

"Hey yo you look like you're not from around here little homeskillet, wassup?!" Fresh grinned at Ralz for a moment then paused. "Yo, you know your sauce is leaking bro?"

Ralz looked at him and backed away. He's really scared, he looks like someone or even multiple people attacked him. His eyesockets are filled with tears.

Fresh halted, his glasses changed to read "woah," and held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Heyyyy. Yo, no need ta be spooked bro. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You uhh.. You hurt brah? Ya lookin' like you might need help or somethin my dude."

Ralz is shaking, he managed to slightly nod. Tears are running down his cheekbones alongside blood on one side.

"Uhhh ok ok umm... What do ya want me to do? I mean to be honest brah, I don't know how to help."

". . . h-head . . ." Ralz is in pain. He looks like a child, maybe 10 years old. He's small, weak and fragile, he's barely standing.

"Ok yeah.. Gotta stop that business from leakin. Hold up. I got this, check it."

Fresh takes his jacket off and starts tearing it into strips. he then approaches Ralz slowly, holding out the torn strips of fabric.

"Can I?"

Ralz slightly nodded, he's looking at Fresh.

Fresh used his ruined jacket to bandage up Ralz's head. It was oddly colorful for your usual bandages and a little tight but it definitely did the job.

Fresh looked Ralz up and down and let out a low whistle. "You got Jacked. Up. What even happened to you bro?"

" . . . b-bullies . . .th-they b-beat m-me up . . ." Ralz is trying to calm down, everything hurts him.

Fresh frowned and his glasses changed to "un-rad."

"Bullies? That's whaaaack bruh. ... So uhh what next? Wait, food helps you guys heal, right?" Fresh pulls out his inventory and rummages through it. Ralz is looking at him, waiting.

Fresh pulls out a carton of eggs and holds it out for Ralz with a triumphant grin.

Ralz looks at him, confused.

Fresh looks at Ralz, confused too "Not a fan of eggs brah?"

" . . . r-raw eggs a-aren't g-good . . ."

"Oh... I thought they totes were super healthy." Fresh without warning drops the carton of eggs and begins sifting through his inventory again.

Ralz doesn't say anything, He's still not entirely calmed down.

"Hah!" Fresh pulls a box of gushers from his inventory. "This is food... It's good too." He rips open a packet and hands it to Ralz.

Ralz took the packet and quietly began to eat the gushers.

"Good, right?" Fresh smiled at Ralz. The small skeleton just nodded.

"Well that's as bout as much as I know how to help ya with on my own broski." He held out his hand for Ralz to take.

"Can you trust me?"

Ralz looked at him, thought for a second and took Fresh' hand. Fresh chuckled.

"Probably a bad choice bro." and suddenly they were teleported to a different AU. They arrived in a dimly lit workshop with beakers and blueprints scattered about haphazardly. There was a skeleton slumped over a worktable snoring softly.

Ralz looked around, curiously.

Fresh walked up to the slumped over skeleton and shook his shoulder. The skeleton woke up with a start and rubbed at his face "C'mon couldn't you let me slee- F-FUNK!"

Fresh chuckled "Yo mind your manners Sci, there's kids present."

"I thought I told you not to come in here again, last time you contaminated everything and broke- wait kids?" Sci looked around and spotted Ralz, his eyes widening in alarm.

Ralz is nervous, he looked at Sci. He's slightly shaking.

Sci looks to Fresh angrily "Did you do this?!"

"Nah man, nah. Dunno what happened 'zactly... They said somethin about bullies but that's all I got." Fresh flicked Sci's glasses "Take a chill pill dude I just want ya to help me fix this little homeslice up."

Sci ajusted his glasses and gave Ralz a nervous glance. He switched to a low whisper Ralz couldn't hear. "Why? So you ca-"

Fresh interrupted Sci leaning in close, a dark aura radiating off of him. "Don't worry about it bro."

Sci gulped and nodded. He looked to Ralz and stood up. "Hey. they call me Science Sans, Sci for short... You are?"

"R-Ralz"

"Nice to meet you Ralz." Sci smiled warmly at him.

"Lol I totes didn't think to ask their name."

Sci shot Fresh a look and approached Ralz slowly. "Can I check that head wound of yours?"

Ralz nodded slightly, He's hurt in many different places too.

Fresh distractedly picked at his braces and Sci pulled out a chair for Ralz to sit in.

"Sit, please."

Ralz sat down on the chair.

Sci carefully unwrapped the impromptu jacket bandage and visibly winced at the damage underneath. "Sh-SHIZZ, this is bad."

Fresh looked up at the two of them.

Ralz is still shaking, He's scared and cold, a tear rolled down his cheekbone. He's still looking at Sci.

Fresh frowned and started digging through his inventory again while Sci frantically pulled out some antibacterial wipes and began gently cleaning around Ralz's head injury.

"This might sting, I'm sorry..." Sci said.

Fresh blipped behind Ralz and draped something around his shoulders.

"You were lookin a little too chill there dude..."

It was a soft blanket with neon squiggles and shapes on a dark background.

Ralz wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, "Th-thank you"

"S'nothin..." Fresh turned to Sci who was now applying something to the cut to get the bleeding to subside.

"Yooooo can I do anything to help?"

Sci looked at Fresh distrustfully.

"Maybe, if you promise to listen. because last time I-"

"I got it, I got it. Seriously, take a chill pill dawg."

Sci gave Fresh one more sharp look and nodded. "Ok."

With Sci's instruction Fresh began cleaning up Ralz's other injuries while Sci used healing magic on his skull.

Ralz is silent, He's just looking between them, sometimes reacting to the stinging and pain, He's behaving well.

"You're doin so good kid, don't worry we're almost done patching ya up." Sci gave Ralz a sympathetic smile.

He handed Fresh bandages and instructed him on how to properly use them and turned back to Ralz.

"We're mostly done here, but your glasses look busted. I can fix you up a new pair if you'd like."

"y-you can do that? i don't w-want t-to c-cause problems . . . o-only if it's o-okay . . ." Ralz is mostly calm now.

Sci laughed "I've busted mine more times than i can count. Had to figure ways to easily replace them before. " He adjusted said glasses on his nasal ridge.

"I might be able to figure out your prescription with your broken ones, it really wouldn't be too much trouble."

"A-alright" Ralz looked around the workshop.

Sci took his glasses and left the room, leaving Fresh, who had been mostly silent besides the occasional question for Sci, to continue bandaging up what was left of the major damage on Ralz.

Fresh was diligently following Sci's instruction, carefully and firmly wrapping some major scrapes and cuts on Ralz's shin when he spoke up.

"Yo... So I've been wonderin... What happened exactly? And like... Why'd they go and funk you up like this brah?"

Fresh looked up at Ralz, his expression pensive and his glasses displaying "??????"

"b-because I'm weird . . . I look weird . . ." Ralz is sad, he curled up a bit

"i was going back home from school, it was the only day my parents couldn't pick me up . . . so I was going home alone . . . and this one older kid with his group of friends attacked me . . . just because of the way i look . . ." His eyesockets are filled with tears again.

"That's super whack bro. There's not a funking thing wrong with the way you look." Fresh's mouth was pressed in a displeased thin line.

"black isn't a normal color for skeletons . . ."

Fresh shook his head and moved on to bandaging up one of Ralz's ankles.

"There's nothing wrong with you, or what color ya are. Just 'cause it's not as common in that AU don't mean jack.... Diversity is a good thing yo, what if there was only one kind of skeletons? All carbon copies and junk. It'd be mad boring all up in here." Fresh looked up at Ralz the same dark aura from earlier emanating from him.

"I'd like to see them come at me for bein different bro. Show them what I think of bulling." Then as quick as a switch the aura was gone, Fresh beaming at Ralz.

"Don't worry little homeskillet, you don't gotta worry about them again."

"but I would have to see them again when I go back to school . . ."

"Nahhh man you got options, you could come live with me if ya wanted."

"Really?" Ralz looked at Fresh.

"Heck yeah brah!" Fresh flashes a charming grin at Ralz. "And if ya ever wanna go back, you just say the word my dude."

"alright" Ralz smiled at him.

"Nice! I needed a buddy." Fresh chuckles.

"hm?" Ralz slightly tilted his skull to the side.

Just then Sci entered holding a new pair of glasses for Ralz.

"Had to replace the frames... But lucky you I had a similar style as yours already. Why don't you try these on and tell me how they feel." Sci made his way over to the two and handed Ralz the glasses with a smile.

Ralz put on the glasses and looked around, "It's great! Thank you" He's smiling.

Fresh stood up, done bandaging, and Sci nodded.

"Perfect." Sci pulled a small medicine bottle from his lab coat and handed it to Ralz. "This should help expedite the healing process, just follow the instructions on the bottle aaaaand you should be good to go. I'm- I'm sorry though.. I don't know if that crack to your skull will ever heal properly.."

Fresh looked at Sci, surprised. "It won't?"

"I mean I'm not positive... But..." Sci trailed off into uncomfortable silence.

"it's okay i guess . . ."

"Pshhhh It'll just make ya look cooler, no worries brah." Fresh waved a dismissive hand.

"Before you go.." Sci raised a finger "Are you gonna be ok? If you're getting bullied I can-"

Fresh clapped him on the shoulder, interrupting Sci. "It's all good bro, I got 'im."

Sci looked nervously from Fresh to Ralz.

The small skeleton curiously tilted his head to the side.

"Well ok then..." Sci sweats "Guess I better get back to my nap. Oh! Wait first..."

Sci hurried over to his desk and messed around in a drawer, his back to them for a second.

He turned around holding a pill bottle and handed it to Ralz. "For pain, you probably can't feel it too much right now thanks to the healing but your headaches gonna be killer tomorrow..."

Ralz nodded and took the pill bottle.

Sci nervously looked at Fresh and hugged Ralz without warning. He stealthily slipped a note in Ralz's pocket. "It was nice meeting you... Be safe." Sci said a little intensely.

"it was nice meeting you too"

"Wow Sci, brah... You never hug me like that..."

"That's because you always destroy my lab!" Sci snapped at Fresh.

Fresh raised his hands in surrender with a chuckle "'Aight then." He turned to Ralz and held out his hand. "In that case, let's bounce."

Ralz took Fresh' hand with a slight smile.

Sci gave them a halfhearted wave and the two disappeared with a fresh poof, reappearing in an obnoxiously 90's disaster area of livingroom.

Furniture that were just large cushioned shapes, an overly fluffy neon rug on dark flooring loud colorful walls with skateboards, tastefully framed pictures of Furbies and such hung up. A cluttered coffee table with things like tamagotchis, worms on a string, and a spilled over container of slime.

The whole place was littered with various odds and ends and Furbies strewn about everywhere.

"Welcome to my crib" Fresh said with a grand wave. "Mi casa es su casa."

Ralz is looking around, curiously.

"First things first I'mma get you some fly new digs, because your wardrobe is looking heckin whack right now." Fresh looked Ralz up and down.

"You're kinda small... But I think I gotchu. Hold up, be right back my dude." Fresh backed out of the room shooting finger guns "Careful of the Furbies, they get weird around newcomers. But make yourself at home dawg."

Ralz sits down and just waits for Fresh.

There's a loud thud in the other room and a rubber duck noise.

Ralz ignored the noise and looked at the note he got from Sci.

In barely legible chicken scratch it read "He's not a normal skeleton kid. Not sure what exactly it is, but there's something weird about him. DON'T TRUST HIM."

Ralz frowned and put the note back into his pocket.

Fresh skidded into the room sporting a new jacket and an armful of clothes. "YO!" Fresh dumped the clothes in Ralz's lap "Try these on for size homedawg."

Ralz tried on the clothes, the size is good, a bit too loose but it's okay.

Fresh grinned at Ralz "Ayyyyy lookin good, baggy is in ya know." Fresh's glasses flashed the words "fly af" for a moment.

Ralz smiled at him "you didn't tell me your name"

"Oh! You're right." Fresh laughs. "Call me FRESH!" There's a little fanfare and confetti pops from out of nowhere. "And I can already tell we're gonna be the tightest homies."

Ralz giggled, he's smiling "Probably"

[dragoqueen]

Whoops! Wrong Way 3/8

Summary: Peter has been living at Avengers Tower for 2 years, known to the workers and Avengers as Peter Parker-Stark-Rogers.  When his teacher announces that they're going on a field trip to Avengers Tower, or SI,  he's going to have to attempt to survive a day of embarrassment and keeping a secret identity.

Words: 2023

And here it was, the day of his death. The day of his misery. The day all his worst nightmares would come true. Friday... the field trip.

He had done all he could to convince each and every avenger to not mess with him. He got positive answers from Bruce, Steve, and Thor. However, he was going to have to deal with the rest in any way he could. He had tried to figure out their plan, knowing that they stayed up at night to plan his demise. However, he couldn't figure out a single thing. He had the bright idea to try and figure out what they were doing when he arrived by asking FRIDAY but until then he was doomed.

Tony woke him up an extra 30 minutes earlier than he usually did, not wanting Peter to be late for the field trip. The only good thing he had gotten out of it was that Bucky and Steve had gotten up early too to cook him a smorgasbord of food. He quickly scarfed down enough food to last him the beginning of the day before changing into his outfit and meeting Happy downstairs to get a ride to school.

Somehow, despite getting up early and getting a ride with Happy instead of walking, he was almost late. Almost. He made sure to spend extra long eating his food in hope that he would miss the bus and the school would just make him attend normal classes. Unfortunately, he was just in time to get on the bus and clamber to the back where Ned and MJ were sitting. Sadly, Flash wasn't too far from them either which made the ride to the tower, which he had planned on spending sulking and dying inside, worse.

Flash spent the entirety of the bus ride making jokes of Peter and insulting him. Most of them were intern-related, reminding Peter how he "didn't have an actual internship at Stark Industries" and "wasn't even smart enough to get an internship even at McDonalds". Luckily, before Peter knew it, they had arrived at the tower and the teacher was trying to keep them quiet so he could go check them in and make sure everything was ready.

Then, he got them out of the bus and lined them up in the lobby of the tower for their tour guide to explain the rules to them and hand out their badges. "Alright everyone. I'm Mars and I'm going to be your tour guide today. First, I know you all signed NDA's so please remember anything that happens in this tower that could be secretive you will be forced not to tell anyone or risk getting sued and, let me tell you, we have some very good lawyers. Speaking of the NDA, we are also going to have to confiscate your phones so we don't have you taking pictures or recording things. So I'm going to come by and hold out a basket I expect you to all place your phones in." Mars began walking down the row of children, having them all drop their phones in. when he got to the back where Ned, Peter, and MJ were, he just smiled at them and walked away, having already recognized them and knew that they were authorized to have their phones. Then, he returned to the front of the line where he placed the basket on the counter of the security desk and resumed his place at the front of the line.

"Now, first up on our tour is the Avengers museum. There are all of the first, fails, and worthy achievements of the Avengers. Everything from suits to fun facts can be found there. You will have 45 minutes to wander around before we head up to the intern labs so no dilly-dallying. However, first you're going to have to go through these scanners and scan your badge. For example..." Mars walks to the metal archway and scans his lanyard on the scanner before stepping through. The voice of FRIDAY spooks everyone except for Mars, Peter, MJ, and Ned, "Mars Bars, level 4, access limited."

"What the heck was that?" Cindy asks.

"That was FRIDAY. She's an AI that Tony built, she basically runs this building. But, back on track. Who's next?"

"Me!" Flash shouts, pushing his way to the front and scanning his lanyard before walking through, smug and confident that he was first.

"Eugene Thompson, Level 1, access very limited."

Flash smirks at his name being said by something that Tony Stark created. He walks forward to stand next to Mars while his next classmate goes. One by one, each of the students scan and walk through for Friday to announce their name and the same level and access type. Up until it was MJ's turn. She did the same as all of her other classmates, scanning her lanyard and then stepping through the metal archway but this time FRIDAY announces, "Michelle Jones, "Boss Girl" level 9, full access. Should I alert Scary Girl or Ms. Potts of your arrival?"

"No, that's okay FRIDAY. I'm on a field trip."

"Okay, have a good time." FRIDAY responds, causing everyone to stare at MJ in surprise. She just smirked before returning to her normal glare and stepped into the cluster of kids. Next was Ned, "Ned Leeds, "that one annoying hacker kid" level 9, full access. Shall I alert Science Bro #2 of your arrival?"

"No, FRIDAY. Bruce knows I'm on a field trip. Thanks though."

"Enjoy your time." FRIDAY answers.

Same procedure. The entire class stares at Ned in wonder and confusion. He blushes in response to the sudden attention and takes his spot in the cluster next to MJ. Last in line was Peter. He had been fearing this moment, knowing that he had the highest level in the tower, next to the other Avengers. Plus his nickname from Tony and Clint was sure to cause some questions to arise. However, dutifully, he stepped up and scanned his lanyard and stepped through. "Peter Parker, "Mini-Stark" level 10, full access. Would you like me to alert Mr. Stark of your arrival?"

"No! I mean... no that's alright FRIDAY. He probably knows I'm here anyways."

"Enjoy your trip, Peter."

He inwardly groans at the fact that she called him Mini-Stark, but was happy she had called him Peter Parker, rather than Peter Parker-Stark-Rogers. Tony must have cared somewhat of Peter's confidentiality if he changed that. He ignores the stares from his classmates and the smirk from Mars as he joins MJ and Ned in the middle of the group. "Alright, continuing with the tour if you will all join me in this elevator we will go up to the Avengers museum,"

While they all walk over to the elevator and begin piling into the cramped space. When Peter's in, Mars asks FRIDAY to take them up to the 12th floor where the Avengers museum was. Flash leans over and whispers into Peter's ear, "hey, Penis, how'd you manage to hack the AI to make it seem like you and your nerd friends have such a high access? We all know you're lying so just give up." Peter sighs and doesn't say anything, opting to move out of reach of Flash so that MJ is blocking them.

A/N:

For the sake of my sanity let's assume it's a big and strong elevator that holds all like 25-30 of his class okay? Thanks y'all

The door opens to the museum and the class spills out and begins exploring all of the corners of the museum. Each section was dedicated to a specific Avenger. The kids who wanted a more in depth explanation of things stayed by Mars who was walking around and giving his little "tour guide spiel" about the museum. Peter, MJ, and Ned, who had already explored the museum many times, walked around leisurely to explore different things that appeared to have been updated since the last time they were here.

At one point, Ned dragged Peter excitedly to a new section where Tony had added in a Spider-Man section. Peter observed the information happily...

" 1. Spider-Man prefers hanging from the wall than standing on the floor

2. Spider-Man's favorite snack is gummies.

3. Spider-Man is deathly afraid of spiders. "

"Dude, you're afraid of spiders? How?"

"First of all, shut it. Second, just because I have spider-like powers doesn't mean I like the creature. They're freaky."

Ned just laughs and continues to explore the exhibit. Peter looks over the things and makes a mental note to thank his dads later. The things included in it were incredible, a plaque with the phrase, "with great power comes great responsibility." And referencing his Uncle Ben. His first suit was also in a display case along with some of his old web fluid and a physical design of his webs that wouldn't disintegrate.

Suddenly, he felt an eerie presence provided by his Spidey Sense. He looked around the room, trying to detect where the threat warning could be coming from. Flash and his goons were all in a different section so it definitely wasn't them. And no one else was really around that could be threatening. Just then, he got a warning that someone was going to be coming out of the vents in 3... 2... 1... he stepped out of the way just in time to watch Clint fall out of the vents and crumple onto the ground. Then he jumps right up as if nothing had happened and smiles at Peter. (A/N: Clint was the imposter)

"Clint what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to embarrass you. But also Bucky made cookies this morning and Morgan threatened to take away my venting privileges if I didn't bring any to you."

"And you got scared of a 6 year old because... why?"

"She's scary. Also she has Wanda and Pepper on her side."

"Ooh, yeah. You'd better watch out for that. But, Bucky made cookies? Gimme."

Clint grins and reaches into his pocket to grab a cookie that's wrapped in a plastic bag. It's a triple chocolate cookie with extra chocolate chunks. The cookie is still warm so Peter can only assume it came out of the oven moments before. He takes a bite into it and it almost melts in his mouth. He lets out a sigh of comfort and tucks the cookie, in the plastic bag, into his pocket.

By this time someone had noticed that The Hawkeye was here and had shouted to the rest of the group. A crowd had gathered around him and were all shouting questions.

"What's your favorite thing about being an Avenger?"

"Whos' the scariest Avenger?"

"How do you know Pen- Peter?"

Peter cringes at the last one. He's sure Clint hears it and his suspicions are only confirmed when Clint's casual smile disappears and he turns to glare at Flash. "What did you call Peter?"

"I- uh.. I called him Peter, sir."

"Is that right? Mmh... you better watch yourself kid. And you'll have time to ask questions at the Q & A at the end of the tour with some of the other Avengers."

"Uh... Q & A? That's not on the list of things to do." Mars comments, having migrated over to where the crowd of kids had formed.

"One of your co-workers will inform you of the change in schedule during lunch. Don't worry, it was pre-approved by Tony."

"Mr. Stark? Oh, well... okay cool. Anyways, I think it's time Mr. Barton has to go. After all, we have to continue on with our tour as our 45 minutes are up. Everyone say bye to him."

A majority of goodbyes are shouted out, along with quite a few phone numbers. Clint gives them a mock salute before jumping back in the vents and crawling off to who knows where. Peter only calms down when his heightened senses are no-longer able to hear Clint clambering through the vents. Mars leads them all into the elevator and the doors slide shut, taking them up to their next destination, the intern labs. 

[svnarintaro]

meeting the kids

authors note: OKAY LISTEN- i honestly need to learn how to write good imagines (especially about the aged up characters) so i’m about to get serious lol- but i hope that people give me some criticism on my imagines :’)  

synopsis: you and shota have been in a relationship for almost a year but you get the feeling he is hiding something from you, so you find out he has kids, and you just so happen to meet all 20 of them.. in the mall.. when one of them was hitting on you..

warnings: fluffy fluff :’)

word count: 1.6k words 

aizawa shota x !fem! reader

shota has been crazy busy ever since the new school year started, it was 1 am in the morning and he still had his face shoved in his laptop constantly typing away. the two of you moved in together a month ago and you understood that being a teacher was really hard but now it felt like he was barely in your shared apartment, heck he barely spoke now. you brought him a cup of water and he thanked you and got back to work, so you sighed and put your head down on his shoulder and proceeded to inhale his scent. “you've been at it for a while shota.. i think you need to take a break,” your voice was muffled by his neck. “kitten i really need to get the this report done, i’ll go to bed in a few minutes i promise i’ll be there soon,” he groaned out out of stress, and kissed your forehead and turned his attention back onto the unfinished report. you sighed and walked towards your shared bed and got comfortable underneath the blankets and checked the time once more.

“why does midoriya have to get into trouble 99% of the time, i just want to go to bed already..” complaint after complaint the report was almost finished, he turned back to you laughing at your cute bed head as you tossed and turned in your slumber, oh how he wished to just hold you and go to bed already but this group of first years were troublesome so he worked harder than ever to spend more time with you, his kitten.

you have been on edge for quite some time now. ‘is he really hiding something from me?’ for the past month your boyfriend has been undeniably busy with his job and you were 100% sure that there was something going on. as a secretary of fatgum’s agency you knew of only one U.A student and that was amajiki but he was a third year and you highly doubted that he knew anything about shota’s class. ‘what if it is a teacher?’ you really did hope it wasn’t that given scenario. nothing made you more sad than the fact you barely could see him at work. 

meanwhile at U.A the students were talking amongst themselves. “did you hear about how aizawa sensei might have a significant other?” ochaco whispered to tsu and jirou as they were walking through the halls. “all i know is that they have been together for about a year or so based off of his conversation with all might..” tsu and ochaco nodded at the given intel, the entire class was really curious on their teacher ever since the school year started. “but shouldn’t we be focusing more on training as of now? since we have to keep up bakugou.. ribbit” as the three girls got to the class they stopped at the door to see everyone making plans. 

“as class 1-A’s representative we as a class should become closer to form more unity between all of us, thus will make our group stronger,” everyone looked around to see each of the students nodding in agreement. “ohh let’s go to the mall! there is a karaoke place and a really good manga store at the one near the school,” the black haired girl had stars in her eyes at the thought of spending money, todoroki just wanted to waste his fathers money while everyone else was excited for karaoke. “that is a great idea momo! we can scope out all of the hotties” everyone took the time to stare down at mineta. “I’LL GO IF ONLY THAT GRAPE HEADED FREAK STAYS AWAY FROM ME.” “calm down bakubro.”

“thanks for coming with me shota i really need to get something for my friends birthday,” your boyfriend smiled at your thoughtfulness, you always had a generous demeanour so he couldn’t help but go with you to the nearby mall on his off day. “it’s okay kitty i worked out something with the ladies at the front desk to carry on my work for me, so you have my full attention.” an arm was lazily draped over your shoulder, “doesn’t one of them have a thing for you?” you asked, the feeling of guilt flooded you because doubting him was never something you would do but with how busy he was at work it felt weird to think about it; he could’ve given his co-workers his work and spend more time with you and this feeling in your gut made you feel so selfish. 

he stopped you from walking any further, and gently got you to face him and hooked his fingers under your chin to tilt you head to look up at him, “why would i dwell on that when i have you kitten.” you felt like you were on cloud nine and it made you feel safe and loved. you smiled and looked straight into his eyes, and kissed him on the lips to really show that you were happy in his arms and the two of you were on your merry way to the mall to pick up the items you needed. 

on the other side of the mall however was chaotic. the class 1-A gang, was charging towards the building, “please refrain from causing trouble, i will not have our school’s reputation be tainted by our outing!!” “iida calm down your yelling is creating a scene.” it was a sight to see 20 children together all at the same time. “how about this, since the boy’s are likely to whine about following the girls on a shopping trip it let’s split up and come to the food court at around 2 pm giving us two hours to get everything done and then we can spend one more hour after we eat to do karaoke.” toru asked the class in which they agreed. in full honesty everyone was trying to avoid bakugou’s rage in public. 

however mineta had other plans..

his plan was to follow the girls until they got to a bathing suit shop, for his own ‘research purposes’ that involved a camera. so he did everything he could to not get caught by the girls. so the moment he got to the shop he had a sickening look on his face. but what really sought his eye was a silhouette in the store that he couldn’t resit from taking a picture or two. unfortunately that lady was you..

the longer you took to choose the bathing suit you wanted to give to your best friends you felt an odd presence and you knew for a fact that it was not your boyfriend because you know he was getting you a drink from the food court. since you ‘ate too little at home.' you stopped what you were doing and you looked around, really got spooked, but there was no one watching you. the only other people in the store you saw was a group of girls that were engrossed in the variety of choices to choose from. 

all was good until you felt a breeze shoot up your skirt, and with your luck you weren’t wearing  any shorts underneath and you also heard a camera click. you looked down and screamed, “help t-theres a p-pervert!!” the store clerk looked in your direction, the girls in the store did nothing except face palm at the sight of the ‘pervert’ a few seconds later a bunch of high school boys ran into the store, “MINETA WHAT ARE YOU-” “sir, calm down please there are police officers are coming to handle this situation."

you couldn’t believe it, you were an adult and you were getting peeped on by a high school boy. you were trying to get as far away from the guy as possible and prayed that your boyfriend was coming soon.. “y/n are you okay?! i came as soon as i heard- MINETA WHAT IN WORLD ARE YOU THINKING HARASSING A WOMAN IN PUBLIC.” you were purely confused because you have never seen shota so angry, and most importantly you were confused on how he knew the pervert. 

“AIZAWA SENSEI?!”

“so you’re telling me you left mineta unsupervised, but you forced bakugou to go with an entire group?” “in our defence sensei, bakugou is technically a weapon of mass destruction.” you were amused at the sight of aizawa acting like a teacher was undeniably hot to you. “and you,” he snapped his head towards ‘mineta’ “you will have to be on class duty for the rest of the year for hitting on my girlfriend, do you understand me?” and thats when chaos ran loose with the girls. “THIS IS HIS SIGNIFICANT OTHER?!” “WOAH I THOUGHT THEY WERE FRIENDS” “ I THOUGHT HE WAS DATING PRES MIC” and thats when aizawa face palmed and you peeked behind aizawa, "you should introduce yourself y/n."

“u-um hi, my name is y/n l/n and yeah i’m dating your teacher.. you don’t have to call me sensei or anything and i forgive you mineta, i’ll make shota’s punishments lighter on you i promise.” you timidly say to the class and they were dumbfounded. “CAN YOU BE MY MOM?!” “AIZAWA SENSEI SHE’S THE ONE.” "MARRY THEM ALREADY." and you just stood there and smiled and interacted with them for a little while until you told them all to go home. 

as the two of you were walking back home you took shota’s hands to stop him from walking any further and let go of his hands to now cup his face, “so this is why you were being secretive, cause you have a pervert, a weapon, and a bunch of our shippers in your class. what an interesting group you got there,” and you proceeded to kiss his lips with a smile on both your faces. “yeah every time you asked me to go to bed i was writing baout my problem children.” he laughed and you were relieved. “sho can i tell you something?” “yes kitty you can tell me anything on you mind.” "have you thought of marrying me?" shota giggled,

"i wouldn't have it any other way."

[minuteminx]

Revolutionary

Pairing: Preston Garvey/ Female Sole Survivor

Summary: In the aftermath of personal tragedies, Preston and Charlie both seek to make a difference in the Commonwealth and those around them. They could never anticipate the impact that they will have on eachother in the process.

Chapter Four: Sole Survivor

Chapter Summary:   Charlie tells Preston a long story. 

[First Chapter]

[Previous Chapter]

[AO3 Link]

“A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life started anew.”

― Aberjhani, Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry

Sanctuary  Hills, October 2287

The trek out of Concord, and up the road to a place called Sanctuary Hills was largely silent and uneventful. Preston took point, and Charlie offered to hang back in case there were any straggling raiders who decided to follow. He wasn’t so sure that she was in any condition to watch the rear, but he wasn’t about to argue with the woman who’d just turned a deathclaw inside out. It was more than alarming to see the bloody massacre Charlie’s tangle with the deathclaw had caused up close and personal as they passed by. He was just glad she’d survived, and that he didn’t have to fight the damn thing.

On the way to their hopeful home, Sturges spotted a largely intact Red Rocket on the side of the road, stacked with old tires and filled with useless junk that Sturges would scrape up a use for. Jun and Marcy walked together in somber silence and Mama Murphy hobbled along in the back, arm looped through Charlie’s, whose open hand gripped a 10mm so tightly her knuckles turned white. She had a hell of a poker face, he’d give her that much.

Nearing the old neighborhood, a statue of a lone guardian stood tall, musket in hand, holding his centuries-old post at the bridge where the American Revolution began. It was almost like some weird omen, Preston thought, observing the Minuteman and then the bridge. Maybe Mama’s visions had some truth to them after all. He did not realize he’d mused out loud until Sturges’ hand clapped him on the back.

“I don’t know what the heck you’re talkin’ about boss, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

Preston laughed. “Thanks, man.”

Crossing Old North Bridge into their hopeful home seemed monumental, the group propelled forward by the potential of a place to finally rest. There were more than a handful of homes that still had enough structural integrity to be tidied and boarded up for use as shelters. It was bittersweet to see the remnants of picket fences, lawn furniture, and pink, plastic birds that dotted the landscape. Skeletons of old cars littered spots where garages might have been. Preston imagined what the area might have been like back before the war, pictured neighbors talking to one another from their yards, children playing together in the streets. It was a way of life he knew he’d never get to have.

Before long, Preston had done a sweep of the entire cul de sac, making sure there wasn’t anything dangerous lurking inside any buildings. All he found were several dead rad roaches and bloatflies, as well as a high-strung Mr. Handy robot that called itself Codsworth.  It kept attempting to scrub the rust off the paneling outside one of the homes, muttering something about making sure it was in “tip-top” shape for when its family returned. He wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the thing, so he just left it to clean aimlessly in hopes that it’d be someone else’s problem later.

“Hey boss,” Sturges called out to him, waving him overs to where the others had congregated near the mechanic’s makeshift workstation, lamplight flickering on their exhausted faces, “Check out what we found in one of the fridges.”

Preston walked over, catching a glimpse of the round face of Button Gwinnett on a cardboard case of Southie Stouts. “Damn, and here I thought we’d used up all our luck for the day.”

“I’d prefer Beantown,” Marcy said as she brought her bottle to her lips, and Preston caught the briefest flash of a grin wrinkling at the corners of her mouth.

“C’mon Marcy,” Jun interjected, nudging her shoulder, “You know that’s not true.”

“I’m a Gwinnett guy, but I’d probably drink anything wet with a kick right about now,” Preston said, grabbing one of the dark brown bottles and examining it more closely. It had been forever since he’d actually gotten to enjoy a drink, long before Qunicy, that was for sure. Just as he placed his hand on the cap to pop it off, there was a bump at the back of his legs. He startled and turned around to see Dogmeat peering up at him expectantly, whining and wagging his tail. Preston knelt down and gave him a scratch behind the ears. “You a Gwinnett guy, too, boy?”

The dog let out a stern bark that sounded like a correction, and then turned toward the house across the street before looking back at him. Following Dogmeat’s instruction, Preston glanced over at the house, where Charlie stood alone, frozen and staring vacantly inside as if she wanted to enter but couldn’t.  Without hesitation, he grabbed another bottle and headed toward her

He cleared his throat as he approached to make sure he didn’t startle her.  It was neither polite nor smart to spook a lady who was already pretty shaken up.  She darted her head toward him, scrubbing at her face as if he wouldn’t notice her tear-stained cheeks and swollen nose. He pretended not to, anyway, instead holding up the bottles in his hands and smiling. “Thought you could use a drink.”

She perked up at the sight of the drinks, tilting her head and squinting at the label. “Are those--? Oh wow.”

“Yeah,” Preston said, popping the cap off of one of the bottles and handing it to her, “Stouts are harder to come by than the other stuff.”

Charlie shook her head and examined the bottle, running her thumb up and down across the label. “No… it’s just.  I’m surprised there are still any left after you know--” she swallowed hard-- “the bombs.”

She sounded harrowed, as if the bombs had just fallen yesterday or something. Maybe she was just harrowed in general.  God knew she had every right to be.

“Me too,” Preston said, opening his own drink and taking a swig, lukewarm and bitter.  It hit the spot. “It’s kinda crazy, you know, what survived.

She took a sip, sad smile at the corners of her mouth. “Like the lawn flamingos? Such a testament to pre-war vanity.”

“Those damn birds,” Preston replied, nodding and laughing.  He’d never thought much about the lawn ornaments before, other than thinking they were ridiculous.

The air between them fell silent as Charlie stared down at her bottle, picking at the label with a polished thumbnail. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but then closed it and sighed before glancing over at him. “Can I tell you something?  It’s going to sound really weird, but I’m going to lose my shit if I don’t talk to someone.”

“Is this that ‘long story’ you mentioned before?”

“Yeah.” Charlie walked toward the bright red door to the house in front of them, slightly ajar, knob and hinges specked with rust. She ran her hand along the wooden surface and took a deep breath.  “I used to live here.  In Sanctuary Hills.  In this house.”

“But,” Preston’s brows drew together, “That’s not possible.  This place hasn’t been settled since--”

“Before the bombs fell.” She spun back around to look at him, leaning back against the door frame. “I know.  That’s when I lived here.”

“Two-hundred and ten years ago?”

She nodded her head slowly. “2077.  I had the perfect life: a good career, the best husband, a beautiful baby boy, and a shiny new Mr. Handy unit that was much less neurotic than the one over there trying to clean the dirt off the ground.”

He blinked, attempting to figure out where he’d misheard the woman, because if he hadn’t then that would make her over two-hundred years old.  That couldn’t be possible, at least not without being a ghoul, although he wouldn’t mind if she could take Codsworth off his hands.  

Charlie frowned. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

“No, no,” Preston stammered out quickly,  “I believe you, but… how?”

“That might be a better question for Vault-Tec,” she remarked, looking down at her suit, “My husband and I signed up for a  spot, just as a precaution.  Nobody thought the Chinese military would actually drop those nukes. Not sure if it was arrogance or complacency, but either way, it happened.  My family and I were rushed to Vault 111 to shelter.  That’s all it was supposed to be: A shelter .”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t just a shelter?”

“No.” She laughed bitterly.  “They herded us, like lab rats, into these cryogenic chambers, and locked us in there.  Last thing I remembered before waking up was my limbs going numb and my vision going dark.”

“Damn.” Preston was stuck somewhere between horror and amazement.  “Did anyone else make it out with you?”

“No.”  Her answer was abrupt, eyes welling up visibly and he immediately felt bad for asking. “When I woke up, there were these people in weird lab coats and a man with this scar--” She traced a line with her little finger, vertically from her eyebrow down to her cheek-- “He opened up my husband’s chamber and took my baby.  Nate fought, but… they shot him.  After that, I think everyone else’s life support failed.  A whole damn town, and I’m the only one who survived.”

“I’m… so sorry.”  He didn’t know what else to say.  He knew how it felt, to be a sole survivor of a terrible tragedy, but he couldn’t bring up Quincy, even if it was just to show her he understood.  “If there’s anything I can do, or that the Minutemen can do…”

“I think the Minutemen have their own problems at the moment, hmm?”  She smirked, eyes twinkling with humor despite the tears.

Preston looked around and chuckled in exasperation. “Well, considering that I’m the only one left, I’d say yes. We have so many problems.  That doesn’t change the fact that I owe you.”

Charlie tilted her head back and finished off the rest of her stout, then looked decisively at Preston.  “You’re not the only one.”

“Pardon?”

“I never thought I’d get to say this in my lifetime, outside the context of some weird historical play, but... I’m joining the Minutemen.” She tossed her bottle to the ground. “I don’t have any survival skills, I couldn’t shoot dead fish in a barrell, and I’m a bit traumatized, but I figure it’s still better than nothing.”

“Are you serious?”  Preston could barely contain his excitement.  He didn’t care if he had to spend months teaching her how to shoot or get by in the Commonwealth.  He’d been without help for so long now, he would be glad to not be alone.

“I know it’s hard to believe that anyone could be that bad of a shot, but--”

“No, Charlie,” he interrupted, “Are you serious about joining up?”

Charlie grinned, playfully. “Hell yeah.”

“That’s... well.  Let’s just say that’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”

If Preston were a hugger, and if he’d known her longer than a few hours, he would have embraced the woman.  Maybe it wasn’t just the jet.  Maybe Mama Murphy was right all along.

[datawyrms]

Ectoplasmic Bonds

Dannymay2020 Day 30: Family

“AHA! I have found you, ghost child. You are no match for my peerless intellect!”

This was weird. Not the ranting and dramatic posing in midair, that was just Technus being the weird little boaster he was. The fact he was boasting at a park with no gadgets in sight was the confusing bit. He’d expected the Box ghost or some random animal when his ghost sense rudely interrupted his Saturday, not the tech crazed monologuer. 

“I didn’t know we were playing hide and seek!” His hands glowed green, ready to blast the second his foe made a move. “I know a great place you can hide though!”

“Playing? No, we are not playing hide and seek!” the ghost crossed his arms, almost looking insulted. “We are playing BASIC HEALTH EDUCATION, for your feeble mind is clearly LACKING THIS DATA”

“Uh. What.” Danny blinked, eyebrow raising in bafflement. Blasting the ghost would probably be best, but he hadn’t even taken advantage of his blank stare.

Technus shook his head and tisked at him. “Your cousin let us know about your RECKLESS BEHAVIOUR, ghost child! It is a wonder that you haven’t collapsed!”

“My cou-Dani? Wait why would Dani be buddies with you?” the green glow snuffed out, brain struggling to figure out what was going on. Was it April first? Was this a really complicated distraction plot?

The green skinned ghost tisked again. “By being as reckless as you! Young and thinking you are invincible!”

Well that answered approximately nothing at all. Yet the ghost did seem to be serious, he was getting the distinct impression Technus was scolding him. For something. Maybe he was just having a weird dream. “I still have no idea what you’re babbling about.”

“Your education is LACKLUSTER, child! How can you not know you are starving yourself? You are more a ghost baby than a ghost child!”

“Well excuse me for not getting the ‘ghosts for dummies’ book!” he snapped back, wondering if he should go after the ghost for that baby comment.

“Ah, ah, I am not fighting a half starved toothpick! You put those fists down, child and listen to your elders!”

He was totally scolding him, what the heck. “Ghosts don’t eat, what are you even on about?”

Technus put his face in his hands. “The youth of today! So uneducated!” Yet when he looked back up he just seemed more determined. “Fear is all well and good child, but it is no replacement for ectoplasm! The state of your cousin was appalling!” He seemed to notice how Danny tensed at the mention of ‘cousin’ and continued. “She is FINE thanks to our cardboard enthusiast!”

“Well uh. Thanks for helping her out?”

“It was AVOIDABLE! If you were not so reckless in hanging around over here all the time! Do you WANT to start falling apart from lack of ectoplasm? It is distinctly UNGROOVY”

...Was he actually worried about the two half ghosts? Weird. “Errr no, I would not like to do that, thanks.” He had enough nightmares from just seeing it happen to the other clones.

“Then you must stop AVOIDING returning to the ghost zone! You have not come in over a month! Perhaps exhaustion is a thrill to you, but you take it to RIDICULOUS levels! The cousin was quite WORRIED for you, ghost child!”

Dani had managed to set Technus on him for...not going into the ghost zone. What. That was important? “I don’t think I have to-”

“YOU DO! Do you think ectoplasm will rain from the sky for you here? NUH UH. IT DOES NOT.” He seemed larger,  looming over the teenager as he pointed at him. “You might have a big battery but it will still RUN OUT. Then no more RECKLESS ghost child!”

Why did he feel so embarrassed? Why was he even letting Technus of all people chew him out? “Okay, okay! I get it!”

“GOOD. Puddles are very BORING nemeses!” He glared at the jumpsuited teenager for a moment longer before vanishing, apparently planning to keep his word on a lack of fighting.

He really, really hoped all this was just a very dumb dream. People had definitely seen the encounter, it was pretty hard to overlook two ghosts yelling in a park in the middle of the day. Mom would probably call it proof that all his fights were staged, or something fun like that. Not that the truth of ‘he came to yell at me because I’m bad at being a ghost’ was much better.

Mom’s pondering at the table in the evening shot any hope square in the chest. “I suppose they do look similar, colour scheme wise. I’m not sure it’s any proof of a familial relation though, there’s no real reason for such relationships”

Jack nodded, scratching at his jaw before adding his thoughts. “Maybe new ghosts cling to older ones at first before separating off to do their own thing? Phantom’s got some electricity powers, doesn’t he?”

“He does, they do share the tendency to never stop talking as well, come to think of it.”

It was very difficult to not respond to that remark. He was not the kind of scenery chewer Technus was! This was going to be a looooong night.

“It’s just strange. They’ve never shown to have a friendly relationship before now. If they wanted to take the town for themselves it’d make more sense to let Phantom stay ill.”

“Even ghosts want to protect the young of their species?” Jack frowned “I didn’t think the spook was actually a young spirit though.”

“True. Technus might only call him a child because of his appearance. Yet it did look like a parent scolding a child, didn’t he complain about the youth?”

“Well if we can nab one of em, we can see if they share or have similar ectoplasmic signatures! It could be an instinctive thing if they’re ‘related’ that way.”

Danny worked to suppress a groan, rubbing at his forehead. Great. Now they thought Technus was his ghost dad. All his dated references were going to be way worse now! He so wasn’t like him! The second his friends found out it was going to be their new favourite joke.

-

He never did manage to figure out how to track Dani down, instead getting surprised by her with a tackling hello.

“Does this count as a ghost attack?” he asked, smirking as the the ghost snickered at the question.

“I dono, does it? You aren’t fleeing in terror.”

“Maybe I’m just an out of towner that doesn’t believe in ghosts“

Dani shrugged before landing, taking a few glances around before shifting back to her human form. “Then I guess I’m a ghost that doesn’t believe in ghosts either.”

“New outfit?”

“Yup! And it’s all mine,” her grin was infectious as she grabbed the edge of the thick purple hoodie, fiddling with the dark lining that seemed to have a scattering of stars. “I don’t even feel cold in the zone with this on.”

“You know you don’t have to live in the ghost zone, right? Jazz can probably make up some forgotten branch of the family you’re from, or something.”

“What, and join you in tip toeing around ghost hunters that love and hate you at the same time? No way cuz. If I wanted that, I’d be with Vlad.” she paused with a frown. “Well okay, it was fake love but you get it.”

“Too well.” he shrugged, trying to ignore the rush of irritation from his parents being compared to that absolute fruit loop. “What did you drop by for then? Seeing as you sent Technus after me last time. Which I’m still mad about.”

“Oh you know, catch up with Val, enjoy some sunlight. Nothing big.” she rolled her eyes “I didn’t send him after you! I just mentioned to Boxy how you don’t go to the ghost zone much and I guess he spread it around?”

“Well thanks to that people think Technus is my dad!”

“What, he’s not?” she burst out laughing from the other half ghost’s full body shudder, ducking the half hearted snowball thrown her way.

“Oh you think it’s funny now, just wait until they start saying it about you too.”

“Nope, still funny! Besides, I already got a ghost dad.”

“You what.” he stared, but she didn’t seem to be kidding. 

“Well after the whole Boxy making sure I didn’t drop dead from lack of ectoplasm thing a lot of ghosts kinda felt bad for me?” the dismissive wave of her hand seemed a bit forced. “Way easier to deal with over there than with humans. They knew I didn’t really have a place that was mine so they let me stick around for awhile.”

“I guess that was nice of them. You sure it isn’t some trick?”

“You worry too much cuz. You really think I wouldn’t have been super suspicious at first? Already did that once!” her glare made him blush, rubbing the back of his neck. Stupid question, of course she’d be careful after Vlad. “Being a clone with no papers is way easier in the ghost zone, so spending most of my time there just makes sense.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” He couldn’t imagine wanting to live in that green chaotic world, but he actually had a decent amount going for him on this side. Dani...didn’t.

“So yeah, basically got adopted by Nocturn. He helped me figure out the design, it’s reversible.”

“Wait wait NOCTURN? The guy who tried to put everyone to sleep to take over the world? That one?!” he sputtered, only causing his clone to laugh again.

“Yeah? Everyone likes to try and see how powerful they can be sometimes, did you take it personally?”

“Yeah a little! People could have been hurt! And he dumped me on a random rock in the ghost zone! Then tried to kill me!”

“Everyone tries to kill you.”

“Like that makes it better?! He’s a nutcase!”

“Or maybe you’ve only actually met him once? Everyone wants to try messing with Amity Park at one point. It’s just a thing to try, since you never really seriously hurt anyone.”

“Now you make it sound like the ghost attacks are my fault.” he muttered, quickly realizing Dani didn’t care if he wasn’t exactly a fan of the dream ghost.

“Well they’d come anyway because the human world is cool. Some of them are totally only coming to try stealing the town from you though, sorry cuz.” she shrugged again “Oh! Noc’s pretty impressed by your ice attacks by the way, but he’s still pretty sure Frostbite could help with a few things.”

She nicknamed him! “Noted. Uh. Maybe tell him not to do the whole take over the world and kill me thing again?”

“He won’t. One, I consider you family. Two, watching and learning from dreams is more his thing. The take over the world bit was more of a ‘sure why not give it a go’.”

She seemed so relaxed, even while his mind was yelling that she couldn’t be safe around a ghost like that. Yet she was the one who mostly lived in the ghost zone. She probably would know a lot of his foes better than he actually did...though it still rankled. “Well I’m glad you found more family over there. But I’m not inviting him for lunches.”

“You’ll have to be the one to come visit sometime! You have no idea how scared some ghosts are of you, it’s hilarious. They don’t know you’re a total dork.” She perked up when he stopped crossing his arms.

“Hey, that just makes you dork squared ya know.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Sure it does. Or not. I’d have to ask Tuck.” he managed to keep smiling, trying not to think too hard about why he’d be considered terrifying to ghosts.

“Or you could ask your daddy” her smirk was vicious as he let out an offended squawk, flinging another snowball after her.

“Don’t even joke about that!”

“Tooooo late! Bye cuz!” her laugh was warm and carefree as she fled from her flustered cousin, vanishing as she darted behind a large bush.

Probably off to go find Valerie now then before headed back home. Still, it was good to know she had a home to go to now. Even if it was with some ghosts he usually had to beat up. Family reunions would be a whole lot messier if she kept that up. Though really, she deserved any kindness she got.

He still wasn’t going to forgive her for the Technus thing though. He was going to need to brush up on dream and sleep puns for proper retaliation. 

[k-writer1998]

Black, White, Grey (???)

Having Bang Chan as your best friend is great cause he’s literally the best but not so much when you’ve had a crush on him for a majority of the friendship.

Angst/fluff???

w.c: 2.1k

Part 1      Part 2      Part 3

A/N: I tried to make it happier, I really did 😭 but with how I set this up this is the best I could do 😅 Hope you like this last part guys 😊

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      After landing in Incheon airport, my manager notified me that I would be getting a few weeks off to relax after enduring the intense schedules while in LA. The boys and I kept missing each other during my stay in the States so it’s been ages since we last caught up. Luckily my manager informed me that Stray Kids would be at the company building practicing and working in the studio for most of tomorrow as he gave me a knowing smile. Returning the smile, I couldn’t contain the excitement of meeting up with them and getting reacquainted with their rowdiness. The next day I made my way into the JYP building, being careful to not run into any of the boys in case anyone wanted to make an impromptu drink run or something. Once I reached their dance studio I peeked into the room through the small window on the door and caught sight of everyone minus my best friend. Slowly turning the handle, I popped in and my ears were bombarded with excited yells that echo throughout the room. With a laugh I went up to the boys, hugging and greeting all the members in turn.

“What the hell! When did you get back?” Felix exclaimed.

“I landed yesterday and wanted to surprise you guys. I missed you all,” I cooed.

“Disgusting,” Minho joked before adding, “Did you see Chan-hyung yet?”

“Not yet, I stopped by here first. I’m guessing he’s in the studio?”

“You should know better than us,” Hyunjin teased.

“But you’re the ones who are with him all the time so in this instance you guys know better.”

      I laughed and joked with the boys a bit more before heading out to catch my workaholic best friend. When I finally stood in front of the studio door, I lightly knocked, sticking in my head with a bright smile on my face, before entering the studio.

“Surprise! Guess who’s back?”

“What the heck?” He laughed as he got up and pulled me into a hug.

“I got in yesterday and my manager told me I could find Stray Kids at the company today if you were wondering how I knew where to find you.”

“What? You didn’t use your best friend telepathy?”

“Shut up,” I laugh.

      We pulled apart as I took a seat in one of the grey leather arm chairs and he reclaimed his desk chair. Giving him a proper once over, like always nothing had really changed with him except for the fact that the dark brown hair I left him with was now blonde. I shook my head as I reached to touch his hair, rolling his fringe between my fingers before I gave him a look.

“Really? Blonde again Christopher? This is why your fans say you’re going to go bald,” I teased.

“Whatever, I like it okay?” He laughed before adding, “It was so hard to catch you over there! How was LA?”

      I dove into my life in LA over the past six months, I didn’t do much else except for work so they were mostly just on-set stories. He updated me on how life has been on his side, telling weird anecdotes about the other members and what not until I heard something that shocked my ears.

“Oh yeah and about four months after you left Eunhye and I decided to end things…”

“What?! And you didn’t think to TELL ME?! How’d it happen? I thought… does it still hurt?” 

“It was just that she thought she could take on the idol life but down the road she couldn’t handle the burdens of it anymore. I mean in the beginning it did hurt but I don’t blame her. This career is my choice so I couldn’t ask her to make that sacrifice for me,” he gave me a reassuring smile.

      A pout formed on my lips, Chan was going through something and I wasn’t able to be there for him… some best friend I was. I stood up and brought Chan into a hug as a small sorry fell from my lips, my hand mindlessly playing with his hair. A chuckle escaped his lips as his arms wrapped around my waist. He moved his legs apart and pulled me closer, resting his head on me. Damn my stupid reflexes. Here it is again, the lines blurring together once more and making the grey area that was our friendship. I shouldn’t let the lines blur again, I needed them not to but I can’t stop the sweet kiss of the devil. Not after I’ve come to crave its taste every time it’s taken from me. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard his voice drift up to my ears.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I wasn’t there when you were hurting…”

“Neither was I, all the times you were.”

      My hand froze in his hair before I let out a soft breath. I have to remember he knows now… He pulled his head away and slid back a bit to look at my face clearly. I gave him a soft smile which he returned as his eyes softened at me as he held one of my hands in his own, lightly swinging it.

“It’s in the past so it’s fine. I’m better now and you seem happier too… are you happier?”

“I am happier than when I first left that’s for sure,” I chuckle.

“That’s good. I missed you.”

“Well I missed you too best friend.”

      A sad attempt at drawing a line between the black and white that was slowly bleeding together again, but a desperate one at that. My eyes scanned over Chan’s face more closely, drinking in every aspect of his face even though they were already engraved in my memory. Our eyes connected and it caused my eyebrows to furrow together, he was hiding something.

“There’s no more secrets anymore… right?”

“Well there’s one, but I’m not sure about it. I don’t know how you’ll feel when you hear it…”

“Okay you’re kind of freaking me out. Did something bad happen?”

“No nothing like that. I just… came to a realization.”

“Which is…”

“I- I like you… more than friends…”

      I immediately pulled my hand away as my eyes widened at the boy sitting in front of me. My eyes scanned his face as I tried to control my breathing, control the panic… My eyes couldn’t focus as they darted about the room until they caught Chan’s subtle movement. He slowly got up and tried to take a step closer so as to not spook me but I took a frantic step back.

“No Chan. you aren’t serious. I think you’re just confused because I’ve been away for so long,” I gave a shaky laugh as I shook my head in disbelief.

“I’m serious. My head’s been clearer then it's been in a long time actually and you know I don’t say these words lightly.”

“Five years… five years of getting my heart broken over and over again. Three years of wishing to have you, and two years of learning to accept the fact that it just won’t happen... I’ve spent a large part of our friendship seeing the love in your eyes for various girls that aren’t me. I would recognize that look in a heartbeat but I don’t see it in your eyes.”

“You said that if there was a chance for an “us” you would have caught it… but maybe neither of us caught it because we were comfortable in our grey area. Once we started separating things into black and white things got clearer and maybe neither of us liked it.”

“But there have been other girls and you never had this thought before! What’s different about this time?”

“You weren’t here anymore is what was different. For six years if we weren’t seeing each other we were face-timing, calling, or texting. We never had a chance to really be alone for that long. And when it finally happened I realized that I don’t like not having you here.”

“But that isn’t love Chan!” I screamed, running a frustrated hand through my hair, “I love you. You are the first person I think about when I wake up and the last I think about before I go to bed. Even if I’m not thinking about you, you somehow slip into my mind. If anything happens: good, bad, scary, interesting, funny; you are the first person I want to tell!”

“But that is how I feel-”

“No. It’s different,” I cut as tears started to stream down my face. My voice came out broken and weak just like how I felt, “Why are you doing this to me…” 

      This is the most my heart has hurt in the past six years of our friendship. I should be ecstatic hearing this but years of doubts and fears and just telling myself that this would never happen… I can’t trust this. It’s too good to be true and if I did accept this and things didn’t work I wouldn’t know how to live anymore so I’m not letting myself get to that point. Chan reached out to try and pull me into him but I stepped out of his reach as I wiped the tears from my face. Although it didn’t do much when new ones streaked down my cheeks in their place.

“I would never do that to you, I mean it when I say that I like you.”

“I don’t trust what you are feeling right now, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

      I needed to get out of there, the room suddenly felt too small for the two people currently standing in it. As I tried to pull the door open, Chan’s hand came from behind me to close it once again. He held his hand there and I felt his gaze burning down on me as I shakily pulled at the door a few times to no avail. I turned to lean my back against the door in defeat, I was trapped between it and Chan anyways. There was nowhere to run anymore.

“You don’t have to accept my feeling but what’s going on in that head of yours? I don’t want things to get weird again, I think I did enough of that for the both of us,” he tried to joke.

      I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the door, taking a breath to center myself before I started to speak. I wanted to give him the same light-hearted tone back but my heart was too heavy under this turmoil that I couldn’t muster anything more than a tired sigh. As I looked him in the eye he realized I wouldn’t run anymore so he dropped his arm and gave me a bit of space which I was thankful for.

“Chan you know that I like you and that’s the problem. I don’t trust that your head isn’t messing with your heart right now telling you you like me because you don’t want to hurt me. I’m not having it blow up in my face after you figure out that you had it wrong. I just can’t handle the repercussions if that happens.”

“How can I convince you that this is real? Everything about this, about us, just feels right and I feel like I haven’t been more sure of anything else in my life.”

“I don’t know Chan… but right now I just can’t trust this… I need to protect my own heart.”

“I was a fool for not realizing it sooner and putting you through all that heartache but it's too late to regret it now. I’ll prove to you that I’m serious, even if I have to take the first step and every other step until you realize that my feelings are real.” 

      He smiled down at me and I never knew a smile could hold so much unspoken emotion. There was something cocky behind the usual warmth and I had a feeling that whatever Chan had planned to “prove” himself, it’s going to be a whole new storm more unpredictable than the grey areas in our friendship. There was fire burning in his gaze as it held mine captive, and for a split second I thought I saw the look in his eye that I so desperately wanted to be directed towards me one day. Even though I didn’t trust this, the fact that he could possibly like me back sent the butterflies into a frenzy as a single thought popped into my mind. Can I actually have hope in this dream I thought was dead?

[perspective-series]

Kingdom Perspective (1)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, kidnapping, keeping/treating people like pets, threats, and unwanted touching/grabbing

First Chapter (here) || Next Chapter

Summary: Roman has been pleading with his father for a pet human of his own ever since Logan received one a year ago. Now, the day has arrived that he’s worn his father out and agrees in giving him his own. Roman is far too excited about this new arrangement. Virgil, on the other hand, is less so.

—————————————————————————————————-

 Roman entered the throne room as the guard opened the door for him. His father sat atop his throne with a resigned and slightly annoyed expression. He already knew what Roman had come to ask. So, Roman didn’t waste any time. “Father, I feel as though I am responsible enough to take care of my own human.” The king sighed.

 “Roman-” He started but was cut off.

 “I am eighteen years old! I can take care of a simple creature!” Roman argued. The king ran a hand down his face.

 “Roman-” He was cut off once more.

 “Please, you gave Logan one!”

 “He is older than you.” The king spoke, trying not to out right glare at his son. Roman huffed.

 “But I’m still mature! You trusted me with being a knight, you can trust me with this too!” The king groaned, tired of having this conversation. It had been going on since Logan had gotten a human. 

 “Alright!” He finally said and Roman paused, blinking in confusion.

 “Wait, really?” As the king nodded, Roman grinned.

 “Thank you father! You won’t regret this, I’ll take good care of them!” Roman exclaimed, bouncing on the heels of his feet in sudden excitement. The king sighed once more.

 “I hope so. You will be in charge of training it after all.” Roman nodded and the king dismissed him, promising he would get his human in a few days. Once Roman left, he turned to a guard. “Send a message to Dee that we need a new human, as soon as possible.” The guard nodded and left to relay the message. 

Of course, Dee was not too happy to receive this message.

“Oh, get another human, Dee.” He mocked in a high-pitched tone, pulling spell books and ingredients off the shelves. “As if dimensional travel was as easy as a parlor trick. Hardly a worthy use of my powers, playing fetch for yet another stuck-up prince.”

Despite his grumbling, Dee got to work. He began to uncork bottles, pouring the contents into a large cauldron that sat in the middle of the room. With a puff of violet smoke the mixture began to bubble, the contents writhing around until all at once they stilled. Slowly, out of the darkness a vision emerged, the picture as clear as if Dee was looking through a window. Here was the human world, and the sorcerer could watch the little things scurry about their lives.

“Let’s see…” Dee drifted a finger through the image, causing the view to change as he swept over to another part of the human world. It was critical to find the right target, someone who wouldn’t put up much of a fight or alert others. Dee had made that mistake once. Good lord, the screeching was obnoxious. It was as though the tiny creatures had never seen magic before.

“Here we are.” Dee grinned, spotting a lone human past the edge of town. It was one wearing dark clothing, and seemed to be paying no attention to its surroundings. Perfect. 

Taking another vial in hand, Dee poured it on the surface of the image until the vision had a faint green glow. Having now opened the portal, Dee pushed up his sleeve and reached his arm into the depths.

For the human, of course, this was a very frightening sight. Virgil was just minding his business, walking home from class, when all of a sudden the sky above him seemed to glow green. 

“What the heck?” Virgil frowned up at the clouds, watching them twirl around the green glow in a circular formation. Had the aliens finally come for him? 

Virgil’s eyes widened when a giant hand began to appear out of the light, descending upon him.

“I was joking!” Virgil yelled, running away from it at top speed. He abandoned his backpack to try and gain speed, but with a whoosh Virgil felt himself get whisked up into the air. He screamed, watching the ground disappear beneath his feet as he rose 100 feet, 200, 300- 

Virgil blinked, momentarily blinded by the green light. As his vision came back, a giant humanoid face filled his vision, looking down at him with what was almost a predatory grin. Virgil opened his mouth to let out another scream, but just as he did the giant blew some red powder into his face.

“Shhh.” The Giant said, watching as Virgil began to choke down some of the powder on reflex. Whatever it was had to be some sort of drug, and within seconds Virgil passed out.

“There we go.” Dee purred, watching the human fall asleep. He placed it on his desk, closing the portal with another droplet from the vial and watching the contents turn back to their normal grey color. Satisfied, Dee placed the human into the cage that had been provided by the messenger and rang the bell for another servant boy.

“For Prince Roman.” Dee instructed, handing over the cage and noticing the way the boy gawked at the contents. “Don’t get any funny ideas.”

“Y-yes sir.” The servant boy nodded, hurrying down the hall.

 Roman paced back and forth in his chambers, wondering when his human would arrive. He was so excited. Finally, finally, he would get his own human! He had wanted one ever since the tiny race had been discovered by Dee and their father had given one to Logan. Roman, for whatever reason, had not been gifted one at the time. Making Roman angry and even more jealous of Logan.

 So not only will his brother be the king but he would be the only one with a pet human? Like Roman was going to let that happen. Thankfully, this last year of begging had finally gotten him what he had wanted. His own human.

 A knock on his door had him sprinting to open it. A servant boy appeared, holding out a cage towards him. Roman grinned as he spotted the tiny creature that lay within it. He took the cage, quickly thanked the servant boy and closed the door. He was much too excited to prolong this any longer.

 “My very own human!” Roman couldn’t help but say out loud. He set the cage on the desk, taking a closer look inside. It appeared the human was sound asleep, which Roman would have to fix here soon. But he also couldn’t help but notice the difference between this human and the one Logan had. The darker hair and clothes for one. He wondered if this human would act different?

 Well, only one way to find out.

 He opened the cage door and scooped the human up into his hand. He gently prodded its side. “Wakey wakey little human.”

Virgil let out a slight groan, his head pounding as though he had been drinking all weekend. The surface underneath him felt...strange, like some sort of weird heated leathery bed. The voice that had spoken vibrated through his head, sounding much too loud and only increasing his headache. 

Slowly Virgil sat up, cradling his head and feeling as though he had had a very strange dream. Something about aliens and giants. It was utterly ridiculous, and yet it had felt so...real.

Virgil opened his eyes, only to realize that it had been no dream. A different giant face filled his vision, looking much younger than the previous stranger.

“AHHH!” Virgil screamed, attempting to scramble backwards but finding he only bumped into fingers as large as himself.

 Roman frowned. “No, no, none of that.” Why was it screaming? Logan’s didn’t scream. Oh, wait, the poor little guy was probably a little spooked, waking up on his hand and all. Whoops. Roman gave his human a gentle smile. “It’s okay, you’re safe. There’s no reason to scream.” He pet the top of the human’s head with a finger.

Virgil ducked, feeling the Giant touch his head. “What? What the hell? What’s going on? Who the hell are you?” He felt his chest rising and falling rapidly as his breaths became shallower, his anxiety skyrocketing.

 Roman frowned at the human’s tone but grinned as he raised his free hand and did a little bow. “I am Prince Roman and you have the honor of being my human!” Roman grinned once more, unable to stop himself from looking over the human once more. These creatures were just so amazing. 

“I- your human?!” Virgil repeated incredulously, disbelief almost making it come out as a laugh.

 “Of course! My brother has his own pet human and now I have mine! You!” Roman explained. He pulled out his chair and sat at his desk, still holding his human in his hand. He used a finger to give the human a little poke in the side.

Virgil paled, feeling a bit ill at the idea of being this guy’s pet. 

“No!” Virgil exclaimed, flinching away from the poke. “No, you- you have no right to just rip me away from my home and- and imprison me like this! I don’t care how entitled you think you are, take me back!”

 Roman frowned, a bit shocked at how his human was talking to him. “Well, we’ll certainly have to work on that mouth of yours.” Roman said, they couldn’t have any of that while they were out and about. Training a human might be harder than he thought it was going to be.

 Roman placed the human in the cage and locked him in when he decided that getting food for the two of them would help. “I’ll be right back with some food, little guy. And then we can start training you.” Roman wanted to get training started right away, especially if it was going to take more work than he thought. He needed to prove he was responsible enough to keep this human. 

 He sent one last glance at the human before heading out of the room and towards the kitchen.

“NO!” Virgil screeched at the retreating figure. He wasn’t sure if the Giant could hear him, but it made himself feel better at least. Virgil ran over to the front of the cage, tugging on the lock as if it was going to make a difference. He tried sticking his hand in to pick the lock like he’s seen in movies, but all that happened was Virgil’s hand got scraped along the inner mechanisms. “Let me out of here, you stupid mother-!”

 Roman walked along the corridors happily. He was just so excited to spend time with his human, it was going to be great! Well, once they fixed the talking back problem at least. As he continued towards the kitchen, he noticed a familiar face walking in his direction. He grinned. Perfect, he had been wanting to gloat about this.

 “Why, hello there Logan.” Roman greeted, stopping him in the hall. 

“Roman.” Logan gave his brother a tert nod in greeting. “Where are you going this evening?”

 Roman smirked. “Just getting some food for me and my new human.” 

For once, Logan looked visibly startled by this news. “Your ...what?”

 Roman feigned surprise. “Oh, you haven’t heard? Father finally got me my own human.” Roman grinned smugly.

“I, no, I had not heard that.” Logan put a hand to his chin, concerned. “Are you quite certain you’re capable of caring for such a delicate creature? Subtlety has never been one of your strong suits.”

 Roman gasped in offense. “Of course I can! I am just as responsible as you, thank you very much.” Roman huffed, crossing his arms and turning his head. 

Logan gave his own huff, annoyed at Roman’s behavior. “Well, when you have any questions or concerns on the matter, my door is always open.” Logan pushed his glasses further up his nose. “After all, I am quite experienced in that department.”

 “I’m sure I won’t need any help.” Roman said but soon after he turned a little back towards his elder brother. “Though...just curious, did your human scream the first time you got him? Or talk back?”

“...oh no.” Logan groaned, shaking his head softly. “Roman, what did you do?”

 “I did nothing! He just started screaming as soon as he woke up! That’s hardly my fault.” Roman huffed once more. 

“Well, obviously you did.” Logan said, turning to leave. “Because mine certainly didn’t scream.”

 “I didn’t do anything!” Roman repeated. It was kind of disheartening to find out that Logan’s didn’t scream though. He’d have to figure that out on his own it looked like. “Whatever. You’ll see, my human will be so much better behaved than yours!”

“We shall see.” Logan’s reply was brief, the older brother not even sparing Roman one last glance before he disappeared behind the corner.

 Roman grumbled as he found his way to the kitchen. Stupid Logan, thinks he’s so much better than him. He’ll show him who’s really responsible. He grabbed a serving of dinner for himself and a smaller plate for his human before heading back up to his room.

 “I’m back!” Roman called out as he entered. The door shut behind him and he sent the human a smile as he placed the plates of food down on the desk next to the cage.

Virgil only glared at him, deciding to give him the silent treatment briefly since his voice still felt sore from all the screaming he had done in Roman’s absence. He looked at what the Giant had brought, noticing what seemed to be some kind of giant steaming bowl of rice and meat to accompany it. Virgil gulped, wondering how big a creature had to have been killed for that food. Certainly something far larger than Virgil.

 “Now, here is your portion.” He opened the cage and slid in the small saucer, full of a few pieces of rice and chicken that the cooks had made specifically for the human. “Eat up, you’re gonna need the energy.” Roman closed the cage door before digging into his own food.

Virgil shuddered at the noise of a Giant eating so close to him. Even if he were hungry, he wouldn’t be hungry now. Roman hadn’t even given him any silverware, just expecting him to eat out of the dish like a barn animal. With a grimace Virgil realized that was how he was currently being viewed. 

Virgil walked over to the provided dish, and with a slight grunt he pushed it over and spilled the contents on his cage floor. He turned to Roman with a glare. “I don’t want your stupid food, I just want to go home.”

 Roman’s eyes widened at what the human had done and he sighed, setting down his silverware. “Bad human.” He said, trying to sound harsh but not too harsh. “And you are home. Forget about wherever you came from, this is your new home now.” Roman spoke.

 He opened the cage door and picked up the fallen food to throw it away. He then filled up the plate once more with some food from his own plate before setting it back inside the cage. “Now eat. And if you do that again, I will have to resort to punishment.” Which Roman didn’t want to do but knew he would have to if his human kept acting like this.

Virgil’s eyes widened slightly, not exactly eager to find out what Roman meant by ‘punishment’. He remembered who he was talking to, and decided perhaps it might not be best to directly antagonize Roman. Still, if he just sat around being complacent there was no way he was getting out of here. Virgil vowed to be the worst ‘pet’ around.

“I’m not hungry.” Virgil insisted, stepping around the bowl and closer to the front of the cage. “And this will never be my home!”

 Roman sighed, rubbing his temples. This was definitely going to be harder than he thought. He turned towards the human, giving him a stern look. “Just eat.” He commanded.

“No.” Virgil stood strong, crossing his arms to hide the way his limbs had begun to tremble at the look Roman gave him. “I told you, I don’t want it. I don’t want any of this! I’m not just gonna let you sit there and try and treat me like some pet just because you’re some giant freak. I’m a human being, I have rights.”

 Roman slammed his hands against the table, the stern look now filled with annoyance. “Alright, we are setting up some ground rules. One, no talking back. You are not going back to your original world. This is your home now. And you have no rights here, seeing as you are a creature that is below my kind.” 

Virgil’s entire body shook when Roman hit the table, scaring him so profusely that he was startled back into silence.

 Roman was happy to see his scare tactic seemed to have worked. “Two, you are to listen to everything I say. I am your owner and therefore I know best.” Roman looked down at the human once more. “That being said, you need to eat.”

Almost mechanically Virgil reached down, plucking up one of the grains of rice in his hand. The entire thing was bigger than his palm. At the sight of such an abnormally large food Virgil’s stomach twisted even further, and he knew he couldn’t eat this. Virgil looked at Roman’s face, suddenly reminded of a school yard bully. Virgil’s grip around the rice tightened, his face twisting into a snarl.

I’m going to die for this. Virgil thought distantly, before disregarding this thought and flinging the grain of rice out of his cage at Roman.

 Roman sat there in shock as the grain of rice hit him in the face. He blinked and looked down at the human with disbelief. “Seriously?! What is wrong with you!?” Roman groaned, why was his human being so much more difficult than Logan’s!

 He suddenly sat up straight, looking at the human. “Fine, punishment it is then. I warned you.” He opened the cage door and grabbed the human within, taking him out.

Virgil’s eyes widened, his heart rate shooting through the roof as he began to imagine all the forms of torture Roman might have in mind for a ‘punishment’. Indeed, Roman’s grip was already tight around Virgil’s body, leaving it difficult to breathe as his elbow was crushed painfully into his side.

“Wait!” Virgil begged, all recklessness beginning to fade. “Wait, dude, I’m sorry, please I won’t do it again.”

 Roman paused, looking down at the human with narrowed eyes. “You won’t?” He knew he should probably just punish the human but he really didn’t want to do that. If he could get away with not, then Roman would count that as a win.

Virgil shook his head adamantly. “Promise.” He definitely didn’t plan on throwing rice at a Giant again any time soon.

 “...Alright. But this is your last chance. Next time there will be punishment.” The human wouldn’t learn any other way. He placed the human back in the cage, closing it once more. “Now, please eat something at the very least.”

Virgil sat down next to the dish, rolling another grain of rice in between his hands. It felt a bit sticky, and Virgil really didn’t want to put it in his mouth. Regardless, it seemed he didn’t have a choice. Roman wasn’t going to let him skip this meal. So, with a grimace, Virgil bit off a chunk. He felt the rubbery texture with his tongue, wincing as it sank like a rock into his stomach.

 Roman smiled, happy to actually see his human listening to him. Finally. “That’s a good human!” He praised and turned back to finally finish his own meal.

Virgil closed his eyes, trying to block it all out as he quickly scarfed down the rest of the rice. He tucked his knees into his chest, hugging them tightly as a terrible aftertaste was left in his mouth from everything that was happening.

 Roman finished up and took the plate from the cage, piling it on with his own dirty dishes. He set it off to the side, knowing a servant would come in later to grab it. He then turned his full attention onto the human.

 “So, I almost forgot to ask but do you have a name? Because if you don’t I could always give you one!”

“Yes I have a name.” Virgil spat, loathing the idea of Roman trying to give him a new one. It’d probably be something stupid, like Princey or Spot. Virgil shifted slightly, turning away from the Giant. “...it’s Virgil.”

 “Virgil…” Roman repeated, getting a feel for the name. “Hmm, yes, I think that suits you perfectly!” How fortunate that the human already had a well fitting name. “Now! I think it’s time to do a bit of training before we have to head to bed.”

Virgil frowned, thrown off by the mention of training. He had thought that training would just be getting him to shut up. Was he going to actually be expected to do something? Virgil hated to work hard under any circumstances.

 “We’ll start with something simple.” Roman opened the cage door but didn’t reach in to grab Virgil this time. Instead, he tapped on the table in front of him. “Come here Virgil.” 

Virgil winced, the thud of Roman’s tap feeling like the sound of a gavel at a trail where Virgil had just been declared a dead man. 

Virgil shook his head, curling in on himself more to try and hide the way his chest ached. “Leave me alone.” 

 Roman frowned. “Virgil. Come.” He tried again, tapping once more. He had seen Logan do this with his human many times. Logan didn’t even have to say anything for his human to understand what he meant and come to him. So why wasn’t Virgil doing it?

“I said leave me alone.” Virgil growled, his voice breaking slightly as he placed his head on his knees.

 Roman sighed. “Fine, we’ll save that one for later.” He reached in and grabbed Virgil, setting him down in front of him. 

Virgil gasped, falling onto his back. He propped himself up onto his elbows. “What is your problem? I said I wanted to be left alone.” Of course, it didn’t seem Roman cared what he wanted.

 “You’ll be left alone once it’s bedtime. But I want to get training started at the very least, since it’s clear you’re going to need a lot of work.” And he needed to be able to do this. For his own sake. Roman helped Virgil to stand up.

“Let go of me!” Virgil pushed away from Roman’s fingers, standing on his own. “I don’t need your help.”

 “Right.” Roman muttered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes but otherwise ignored him. Now that Virgil was standing, he could give his command. The simplest trick in the book. “Now, sit.”

“I’m not a dog.” Virgil’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Stop trying to treat me like one. I know English, you know. You don’t have to be so rude and brash about your stupid ‘training’.”

 “Well, how else am I supposed to do this in a way you would listen?” Roman asked as he raised an eyebrow. “And what did I say about talking back?” Roman narrowed his eyes slightly, moving his hand a bit closer to Virgil to try and scare him.

“I wasn’t talking back.” Virgil quickly stepped away from Roman’s hand, looking nervous as he quickly tried to justify his words. “I was suggesting.”

 Roman hummed, taking his hand back. “Well, maybe when you actually start to listen, I will be more inclined to speak less ‘brashly’. But as of right now…” Roman pointed down. “Sit.”

“Well, maybe if you spoke less brashly, I’d be inclined to listen.” Virgil raised his voice into a mocking tone to imitate Roman. “Oh Virgil, would you be ever so kind as to please have a seat over here? But of course.” Letting his voice drop to its normal octave, Virgil took a seat with a smirk. He hadn’t dared to disobey again, but he figured his point still stood.

 Roman gave Virgil a deadpan look. “Okay, for one, I don’t sound like that.” He had made his voice much too high. “Second, that is far too many words for a simple command. My brother can tell his human to do something without even speaking words! I want you to be able to do that eventually as well.” At least Virgil had sat down, though Roman didn’t feel very proud of that fact.

“Well your brother sounds like a jerk.” Virgil pointed out. “I mean, c’mon, I can understand you perfectly fine. It’s just rude to not use your words.” Not to mention demeaning. “Even kids know to ask for something when they want it.”

 “Well, you aren’t wrong about my brother. He can be pretty jerky sometimes.” Roman said, thinking back to all the times Logan was indeed a jerk. “But see, here is the thing you don’t seem to quite understand.” Roman leaned forward.

 “You, Virgil, are my pet. You were caught in that silly world of yours and given to me to prove my responsibility by training a creature as strange as you. If I fail, not only will I be a disappointment to my father but you will be taken away from me. And you do not want that.”

“I think you and I have different ideas of what I want.” Virgil sneered, although he couldn’t help but lean back slightly when Roman got closer.

 “Look, I can tell that you currently do not like me. But you will learn to soon enough and get used to how things are. What you can’t get used to is death, which is what my father will do to you if I fail. That, or some experiment for our court sorcerer. Either option is bad though.”

Virgil paled, spooked by what Roman had threatened. “I...you’re bluffing.” Virgil tried, but inside Virgil knew this was no bluff. His knees knocked together slightly.

 “I wish I was.” Roman said solemnly. “Now, if you want to have a full and good life, I suggest you actually do as I say. Because I promise, I will take good care of you.” 

“I…” Virgil clutched his head in his hands, overcome by an existential crisis. Was that what he wanted? To live a long life as some Giant’s pet?? Constantly looked down upon, commanded, scolded for having an opinion.

“No.” Virgil’s groaned, shaking his head back and forth. “No no no no-”

 Roman sighed, running a hand down his face. Apparently, this was not happening today. “Alright. Looks like we’ll continue this tomorrow. Time for bed.” He grabbed Virgil and placed him back inside the cage. He then took the cage and placed it on his bedside table. Just in case.

Virgil felt himself flung about as the cage moved, coming to rest once more. He clambered to his feet, once again feeling desperate enough to ask.

“Please, just let me go home.” Virgil begged, sitting near the front bars. “Find another human, one who’s better than me.” Silently Virgil scolded himself for even suggesting someone else take this torture for him, but he’d do anything to get out of this prison. 

 Roman just shook his head. He did feel a little bad about it when Virgil begged like that but he knew with enough training and time that Virgil would grow used to him. Would probably even like it here! Just like Logan’s human. “Get some rest Virgil, we have a busy day ahead of us.” And with that Roman quickly went into his closet to get dressed before sliding into bed, blowing out the last candle and plunging the room into darkness.

“I hate you.” Virgil muttered, making sure he was loud enough to be heard.

 Roman hummed into his pillow. “You won’t for long.” Was all Roman said before his breathing evened out.

No. Virgil shook his head, glaring at the source of Roman’s breathing in the darkness. He would always hate Roman. Even if he was here for years, even if Roman broke him, even if he became a shell of the person he was now…

He would always hate Roman.

[skeletonsloverockcandy]

When will my Reflection show who I am in Sides

Summary: Thomas gets home late after a day of recording videos with his friends. While walking up the stairs to his bedroom, he sees something strange in the hall mirror. Was that? No it couldn't be, he must be imagining things. He goes to bed only to find himself looking back in the mirror, only it isn't the Him he's supposed to see. Because Thomas isn't wearing glasses. Or an AU where the Sides only appear as Thomas's reflection, at what seems to be the most inconvenient times ever.

Warnings: Thomas fears he’s losing his sanity and Virgil causes him to be anxious but I think that’s it, Oh wait no, there’s some arguing too, but it’s pretty mild, also Remus and Janus are in this but I don’t know if they count as warnings or not.

Fandom: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders

Characters: Thomas Sanders/Character!Thomas, Logan/Logic Sanders, Patton/Morality Sanders, Roman “Princey”/Creativity Sanders, Janus/Deceit Sanders, Virgil/Anxiety Sanders, Remus “the Duke”/Dark Creativity Sanders

Word Count: 6,540

Author’s Note: I don’t generally do one shots, but this is getting me back in my writing groove, so I guess there’s a first time for everything. Also I don’t have a general writing taglist yet, so I’m just going to tag the people who are on my Hitchhiker taglist if that’s okay.

Ao3 Link

***

Thomas closed the door to his apartment, sighing as he set his keys down on the counter in the kitchen. He’d just had a long day of making videos with his friends. Gosh he loved his friends, he thought as he reminisced on the videos they were making today, remakes of old vines. It filled him with a sense of fondness and nostalgia that his little ragtag group of pals was willing to entertain his silly ideas even way back in the vine age.

He sighed again, good times.

He rubbed his eyes as he let out a yawn, it was well after dark by now and he was looking forward to going to sleep…which is what he’s going to tell himself as he gets in bed, opens up his laptop and plays video games until 2 AM. But, well, he’s working on it.

He slips off his jacket while dragging his feet towards the stairs, trying to kick off his shoes at the same time.

Now no longer encumbered by his laced nemeses, Thomas can feel confident that he’ll tooooootally put his pajamas on before just flopping into bed. Totally. Yep. Definitely won’t sleep in his clothes.

Not a chance, is what he tells himself as he climbs his way up the staircase towards his room.

He passes the mirror in his hallway between his bathroom and his bedroom, mid yawn when he sees it, just for a moment.

Thomas does a double take, looking back in the mirror, and…yep, it’s just him. 

He could’ve sworn for a moment there he saw scales, and a caplet. But no, it’s just him, Steven Universe shirt in all its glory, and not a hat to be found.

He got quite a jump there, wow his heart was beating fast, was he breathing heavy? It was just because he’s tired...he didn’t actually see...did he? No, no, that wasn’t possible. He just needed to make his way to bed, actually go to sleep on time for once, maybe not play video games until 2 AM. Yeah, that sounded good, he’d do that.

He opened the door to his room, very pointedly not looking at the hall mirror again, and set to go to sleep. Feeling that as long as he was actually going to sleep, he might as well put on some pajamas.

He slipped on a sleep shirt and some pajama pants stretching his arms out a little before climbing under the covers.

He checked his alarm clock, 10:02 PM. Wow, he never usually goes to bed that early. It’d be fine though, he could actually be a functioning human being for once.

As he went to turn off his lamp, he caught sight of the full-length mirror on his now-closed door. And he saw him standing there, another him, one wearing a tie and glasses and looking approvingly back at Thomas instead of the Thomas in pajamas and about to turn out the light that was supposed to be there.

“Ah! What the heck!” Thomas shouted, completely calmly and reasonably, he told himself.

He, however, would not deny that he completely uncalmly and unreasonably fell off the bed and took all the blankets with him, as he now lay in a sprawl on the floor.

Consequences of getting spooked while half leaning out of his bed, he supposed.

He carefully peaked up over the edge of his bed and thankfully only saw a normal looking, if rattled him staring back at himself like he was supposed to.

Thomas gulped and took a deep breath to settle his nerves. He was either seeing things, or he was being haunted, and he wasn’t sure either of those two options made him feel any better. Well, at least if it was the first option, it might be remedied by getting some rest. Surely, if he was seeing delusions of different Hims in the mirror, it was a sign of sleep deprivation? Yeah, yeah, that sounded right. But just in case…

Thomas grabbed the thin sheet that went under the heavy blankets and draped it over the bedroom mirror, feeling himself relax a bit.

Now maybe he could finally get to sleep…

***

It had been a little over a week since Thomas’s little doppelgänger encounter of the third kind happened, and he had not had an incident since going to sleep that night. He kept the sheet on his bedroom mirror up for a couple of nights after, but eventually reasoned with himself that whatever had happened that made him hallucinate, or whatever that was, was clearly a fluke of his exhausted mind since it hadn’t happened again, so keeping the sheet up was unreasonable. He had woken up early the day after and had been now coping with a weirdly adjusted sleep schedule. It felt odd waking up early, but whatever he had done to trick his body into going to sleep early that one night had clearly had lasting impacts, because he had woken up early and gone to bed on time every day this week. Well, hard to complain that he was finally getting his body’s act together, and it was a good thing too. He had an audition coming up soon that he was really excited about, and though he knew it was cliché, and like, rookie theater kid mistake 101, he was looking forward to singing a Disney song.

He knew he could audition for pretty much any part, but Thomas had really debated on whether he wanted to audition for the hero or the villain, as that would determine which song he picked and the range of emotion he showed, though in the end it wouldn’t really matter because the director got final say in casting.

He had decided he would audition for the part of the love-struck hero, and was quietly singing the lyrics to “Won’t say I’m in love” as he grabbed a towel to dry off after taking a shower. He pulled back the shower curtain, toweling off his hair with a series of “No chance, no way”’s, before wrapping the towel around his waist and grabbing his hairbrush. He hummed while he fixed his still-wet hair with one hand and went to wipe the fog off the mirror with the other.

Then it happened again.

He had cleared off a big slice of fog from the mirror and went to run his brush through his hair more carefully, when Thomas realized he wasn’t looking at himself in the mirror.

They certainly looked like him, but he wasn’t wearing a prince outfit, nor was he jamming out and singing at full volume to “Won’t say I’m in love” because he had been humming. Humming.

But now he could hear his own voice with full bravado singing the lyrics back at him, head thrown back, eyes closed, and dramatically leaning on the wall opposite the mirror.

Thomas was also leaning against that wall, but more out of shock and fear than anything else.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. This wasn’t real. He was dreaming. Dreaming. This was just because he was spooked about what happened the other day, he was not seeing himself perform Disney songs in full prince regalia in the mirror because he wasn’t in prince regalia, and he is not singing at the top of his lungs in the mirror, so he couldn’t be seeing his reflection do that, because he wasn’t doing that.

He peaked open one of his squished shut eyelids, to confirm that he was definitely not seeing those things, only to discover prince him, definitely still doing those things and singing in place of where Thomas’s reflection should be.

The Other Thomas was mid-note, when he too opened his eyes, caught sight of Thomas and abruptly cut himself off with a small “eep”.

He looked awkward for a second before looking at Thomas and speaking, “Too much?”

Thomas stared back at the other Him who had just spoken to him. He felt lightheaded. His voice felt weak, but he managed to squeak out a small “...yeah, a bit”.

“Oh, well, I know you need to put a lot of passion into your performance in a few days, best to practice on the regular! Thanks for auditioning for the hero by the way, I don’t think Remus would have ever shut up about it if you had chosen to go for the villain, but brothers will be like that, am I right?”

Thomas was so very confused at the information being thrown at him right now, but, due to circumstances, he found himself feeling kind of out of it at that exact moment. So instead he just thought of his own brother and said “...yeah, brothers are like that.”

“Oh don’t I know it, he has no idea how hard it is being the hot, popular one, and all he talks about is gore and garbage and other gross stuff. You should’ve seen the time he filled our room with feral cats, I had to take care of them for weeks, and he knows we have a cat allergy, but he said the excess of snot and puffiness ‘added to our complexion’, said I could use a bit of mucus to ‘put us on an even playing field since he was the better looking one after all’, can you believe him! The indignity of it all! If he ever does that again I’ll...uh, Thomas, doing alright there, superstar?”

Thomas, who had been slowly sliding down the wall and clutching his head, was now sitting on the floor and very much not doing alright. “...yeah, great, never better, fantastic. Just…dandy. I just...need a moment.”

“Oh certainly, then by all means-” the reflection spoke before Thomas blinked and he was staring back at regular old him again. Thomas exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. His head was pounding with his heartbeat in his ears. His brain began trying to process the things he just saw and the words he just heard. Because he had heard words. His reflection had spoken to him. He must have finally cracked. There went his sanity, whoosh, out the metaphorical window. This just...this just didn’t make any sense.

What was the other him even talking about? None of what he said had made any sense. How could his reflection have a brother? Who was Remus? Scratch that, more importantly, how was his reflection talking to him?!

Thomas thought in that moment how he very much needed to lie down, and just as he was thinking that, he blinked and his reflection changed again to that of him in a prince costume, now very close to the glass and looking down at him on the floor.

“So like, how long is a moment for you because that felt pretty long to me, aaaaand you’re still on the floor. You sure you’re doing okay Tommy-Salami?”

Thomas jolted back again and banged his head on the back wall.

“Gah! Quit doing that! Also...ow.” He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

“You good amigo? That looked like that caused a bump large enough to knock out the dragon witch.”

“The what? Nevermind, just, how are you doing that?”

His reflection looked around, looked behind himself, even patted himself down before turning to Thomas with a puzzled look.

“Uhh...doing what?”

“That! All of that! You’re my reflection, how are you...not reflecting me? I’m not wearing a prince outfit, I didn’t say what you just said, and I’m not doing what you’re doing, so how are you?”

His reflection laughed, laughed, at that. Even shook his head a bit as if this was trivial and there was some big misunderstanding. As if it were funny.

“Oh Thomas, I’m sorry, I believe there may have been a bit of a misread of the situation. Of what’s going on here. See, one as beautiful and talented as myself can not be limited to a mere reflection, be contained in something so simple as a mirror. No, there are too many adoring fans, too many stages to perform on, too many lovers to woo and hearts to break,” he paused for a dramatic faux sob, “No, what would I be if I were a mere reflection. A mere copy, nay! A clone. Why, I would not be nearly as complete, not nearly as rich and interesting a person! No Thomas, I am not a reflection of you, I am you. A part of you anyway, and I embody your passion and creativity. It is I, Prince Roman, at your service!” He finished with a dramatic pose.

There was silence for a bit after that, where Thomas just stared at him blankly.

Roman dropped his pose somewhat and cleared his throat, “Eh hem. Thoughts?”

“So you’re...my creativity?”

“Part of it, yes.”

“How does that even work? And that still doesn’t explain why my creativity, I guess, can physically manifest in my mirror, as me in a prince costume. And don’t even get me started on the why part of that question!”

“Woah woah woah woah, what made you think I was physically manifesting, I can’t physically impact the world at all, aside from my dashing good looks that is.”

“So what? This is all just in my head? None of what’s happening right now is real? I’ve finally cracked?!” Thomas said standing up and clutching his towel for dear life.

Roman went still for a second, getting a serious look on his face before responding, “Of course this is all in your head, but why on earth would that mean this isn’t real?” before cracking into a wide giddy grin, “I have always wanted to say that! But seriously yeah, this is in your head, but you’re not going crazy, I’m just as real as you or any of the others.”

“The others?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t think I was the only one, did you? I’m part of your creativity, but you’ve got other sides to your personality: your morality, your logic, the...other ones, etc etc. I’m hardly the whole packaged deal. Though I totally could be if we were measuring in terms of charm. I mean, I am almost quite literally Prince Charming.”

“Right...sorry this is just, a lot to process. I’m still not sure I’m not going crazy, and...if we’re going to continue this conversation (which I seem to be having with the mental projection of a voice inside my head, wow), I would like to put some clothes on, please.”

“Oh shoot, right sorry, forgot about the whole ‘shower’ thing, go get dressed and I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”

Thomas gave him a strange look and blinked, expecting him to disappear like the last time that he ‘gave him a moment’. He didn’t.

“Uh...okaaaaay? I’ll just...go do that then.” Thomas said as he opened the bathroom door, checking behind him every couple of seconds to see if Roman was still there (he was) and sped into his bedroom, closing the door and throwing on a T-shirt and shorts as quickly as he could. Then he sat on his bed and waited. His full length mirror still had his normal reflection in it. Could Roman see him through it? Or was he still waiting at the other mirror? Was the fact that he could see himself in the mirror a sign that Roman had disappeared from the other mirror? Did...did he have to call out to him? Let him know he was dressed? It was worth a try.

“Um, is anyone there? Roman? One of the...others he mentioned? I’m-” well he wasn’t ready, but, “I’m dressed, if you still want to talk, and you know, explain to me what the heck is going on. I’m here.”

He expected it this time when he blinked and his reflection changed, but he didn’t expect someone that wasn’t Roman to show up.

“You! The guy in the tie! Teacher dude!”

“Yes, hello to you too Thomas. I overheard Roman giving you the ‘lowdown’, I believe is the correct terminology, and thought I should give my assistance in the explanation since this matter requires objective facts and knowledge, and I do encompass your logic.”

“Woah, slowdown, you’re my logical side? What were you doing last week with the whole ‘peering at me before I try to go to sleep’ gambit? And (I can’t believe I’m saying this because he’s probably just a figment of my imagination) where is Roman?”

The him with a tie and glasses, who Thomas was beginning to think of as the ‘Teacher Him’ in his head, sighed and adjusted his glasses.

“I...apologize for startling you last week, Thomas. I was just checking in because you finally, finally, had been planning on correcting your sleep schedule. Which is something that has been quite a lofty goal of mine for quite some time. I was proud to see you finally start to follow through, especially after a...discussion I had had with Janus regarding the situation. So I ‘slipped up’, if you will, and may have been an iota too excited to see you succeed, which, unfortunately resulted in your mental distress, but did conclude with the desired results. Though I apologize again Thomas. I did not intend to frighten you, that is not my primary function.”

“So...What is your ‘primary function’ then?”

“As I stated previously, I am your logical side. I am your common sense as well as everything you’ve ever learned. My main goal is for you to become a more functional, healthy, and productive human being. I have had...mixed success trying to complete these goals.”

Thomas let out a bitter laugh.

“You don’t say? ‘Healthy’ and ‘functional’ while I am seeing personified portions of my personality whenever I look in a mirror?! What part of any of this seems normal? Or okay!? Or remotely like sane human behavior?” He finished with a half shout, growing increasingly more distressed. The teacher him let out a slightly exasperated sigh before softening.

“Thomas, you need to breathe. You are going to be okay. I know it may not seem it right now, but you are perfectly sane. If a bit...eccentric at times. But I can tell you are-” he pulled out some notecards from his back pocket, “‘going through it’ right now, but I promise things will be-” he shuffled through the cards again, “‘5 by 5’ in the future.”

Thomas looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Do...do you have flashcards that have slang words on them?”

“Yes, I find it best to be informed on all modern advancements in the English language, and having a list of all new vocabulary helps me keep track of such advancements.”

Thomas blew a slow breath, “Wow, this is uh, this is a lot. That is ah, certainly something I didn’t know about myself. (Glad to know I’m a huge nerd in every iteration of me). But wait, can um...can, uh, other people...see you? In the mirror I mean. Or does this just look like I’m talking to myself?”

“As far as I am aware, I do not think other people can see us. I don’t know that for sure though, because you don’t know that for sure, and I’m your knowledge, Thomas. I only know what you know.”

“Right, great, so there’s no way to confirm I’m not crazy, great. Look, sorry, I keep calling you ‘Teacher Dude’ in my head, but like, the other guy had a name. Roman? He said he was in charge of my creativity. Do you also have a name? Just...What do I call you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Thomas, it completely slipped my mind. Yes, I have a name. You may call me Logan.”

“Logan...right. Thanks, I guess.”

“It’s no problem Thomas I simply-”

“Ah- Tah- Logan! I was going to explain things to Thomas!” Roman could be heard exclaiming before stepping into view behind Logan in the mirror. Logan let out a long, exasperated sigh before stepping back so there was room to view both of them within the frame of the mirror.

“If he wanted to hear from the Microsoft Nerd he would have asked for you.”

“I find that unlikely since until very recently he didn’t know our names or of our existence. Besides, Thomas only asked if anyone was there, including, and I quote, ‘One of the others mentioned’, and since I am in that category, as someone who is not you, I had full reason and responsibility to show up and explain things to Thomas. And! He clearly needed my assistance, because someone wasn’t doing a good job of explaining things.

“You. The someone is you.” Logan finished.

Roman gave an offended scoff, “Well I-! If anyone would be bad at explaining this to Thomas, it would be the person who scared him so bad in the first place! Guh huh yeah! Don’t think the rest of us have forgotten that little stunt you pulled the other day.” Roman said with a sneer.

“First of all, I already apologized for that, and Thomas understands now, don’t you Thomas?”

“I uh-”

“Great, see? And second of all, you’re one to talk, seeing as you just scared him in the shower just now. Or could your sonorous serenade of Disney lyrics not wait, hm?”

“Guys-”

“Oh I’m sorry, are my rehearsals not important to you? You know Thomas has a big audition coming up. His vocal cords need to be practiced and ready for when he’s on stage! Or did you forget to mark it down in your little calendar?”

“Uh guys-”

“Of course I didn’t forget to write it down in my calendar. I’m insulted you would even suggest such a thing. I just don’t know why we have to waste so much time preparing to prance around and play make believe on a stage when, historically, Thomas has done well on average for other auditions, but that is still no guarantee on whether or not we get the part. That is not up to us, it’s up to the director.”

“Guys!”

“Tch- guh- Prance around? No guarantee? Excuse you but Thomas has done well on those past auditions because he practiced! And while the final say may be in the hands of the director, that say is influenced by how well we perform! We cannot simply settle for letting ourselves be second best, Nay! We must strive to go beyond what we have before and reach new heights!’

“Well you’re just-”

“GUYS!”

“What?!” They both shouted back in unison.

“I get that you two are having what I’m sure is really important and serious discussion, but to me it just sounds like you’re arguing over something kinda dumb. And also I have, like, no idea what’s going here, so if you guys could stop for a moment that would be great, because along with everything that’s been going on, you two fighting is just making me more anxious.”

Roman looked up in alarm at that. “Wait, anxious? Then that means-”

“Sup guys.”

   “Gah! Virgil! You’re here! Heeeeeeey...”

   As soon as Thomas had blinked while Roman had been talking, another him, (apparently named Virgil) who was brooding, wearing dark eyeshadow, and donning a patched purple and black hoodie, had shown up. Thomas would be fooling himself if he thought he still had dignity left after falling off the bed for the second time, but at least he had only knocked loose a few pillows and didn’t bring the whole blanket with him this time. Logan was more composed, only flinching a small bit when the new mirror man appeared.

   “Ah, hello Virgil. What brings you here?”

   “Seriously? All this unease and unrest, you couldn’t not expect me to show up.”

   “Wellllll, I think you’ve made your point, Thomas is more than spooked about the situation, Sweeny Toddler, so I think you can be going now.” Roman interjected. Virgil gave him an unamused eyebrow raise before turning to address Thomas.

   “Are you sure you’re not going crazy Thomas? I mean Prince Stink Face and Teach here have already made it pretty clear this is all going on inside your head. How do you know this isn’t you just talking to yourself in the mirror right now, confirming your worst fears?” he said with a slight drawl of the lips.

   “Okay, Virgil, that’s enough, he already has enough anxiety as it is.” Logan cut him off before he could go further, “You know as well as any of us that Thomas is not going crazy.”

   “Do I know that Logan?” Virgil said in a low voice, still looking at Thomas, a slight smirk on his lips, “all I know is that we seem to be figments of some guy’s imagination, and those figments seem to be really stressing him out,” he said, finally breaking eye contact with Thomas (who had been backed up against his bed on the floor in fear) to look at the other two.

   “So I think I, as well as Thomas, would appreciate it if you two would cut it the heck out.”

   “Ugh, fiiiiiiiine. Sorry Thomas, and I guess sorry Logan. I got a little toooo...passionate? Back there, and I uh, didn’t mean to upset you Thomas, really.” Roman said while tugging on his sleeve. Virgil then turned to look at Logan, clearing his throat slightly and giving him a pointed look.

   “I...suppose I should apologize as well,” Logan said with some disdain in his voice, “Thomas. Roman. I am sorry.”

   “Anything else you wanna say Teach?” Virgil said under his breath.

   “No, I believe that covers it.”

   “Well, I tried, sorry Princey. Okay, well, I think my job here is done. Maybe next time don’t argue like babies and I won’t have to work so hard next time, okay? I’m gonna head out so one of you can explain to Thomas what’s going on, because honestly, being the productive one around here sounds exhausting. Oh and Thomas?” Virgil said, making eye contact with him again.

   Thomas looked up and gulped, he didn’t know what to think anymore, “Uh- Uh huh?”

   “See you in your nightmares.” and with a final wink, he was gone.

   “Ugh he’s so dramatic.” Roman declared with an eyeroll.

   “You’re one to talk, but yes, that last bit was rather unnecessary. I don’t think you have anything to worry about Thomas. Virgil is just like that sometimes.” Logan said with an adjustment of his glasses.

   “If by ‘like that’ you mean ‘completely terrifying’ then yeah, I can see that.” Thomas said with a shudder.

   “Well that does make sense seeing as he embodies your anxiety.” Logan supplied.

   “Oh,” Thomas said in a weak voice, “good. Nice to know I’m such a rich and complicated individual that even my anxiety becomes personified. That’s just...peachy.”

   “I’m not sure how the flavor of peaches has anything to do with-”

   “It’s an expression, Professor Literal,” Roman said exasperatedly.

   “Ah, I see.”

   Thomas took a moment to run a hand down his face and compose himself, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

   “So let’s review so I can get this straight,” Roman snorted at that but Thomas pressed on anyway, “You all embody facets of my personality? And for some reason that means looking like a bunch of different Me’s in costumes, and only appearing in my mirrors when I least expect it.”

   Logan cut in here, “Hmm, well yes and no. We do embody different sides of your personality, yes, but we hardly appear when least expected. Mirrors have somewhat intrinsic qualities to them that make it easier for us to appear in them, but whether that is due to unprecedented scientific phenomenon or simply to a mind’s long winded metaphor for ‘self reflection’ I can’t say. But I can say as to why we show up when we do.”

   “Okay then, why’s that?”

   “We are tied to certain parts of your personality, are we not? And what is a personality but a collection of feelings, thought processes, motivations, etc. So what happens when you feel particularly strongly about something or when your mind leads down a particular train of thought is that those things are linked to each of us. What I’m saying is, your mental state influences how we show up sometimes, and when we appear to you. Sort of like how you did with Virgil a minute ago. You were feeling very anxious, so then the embodiment of anxiety shows up. As straightforward as 1+1=2.” Logan finished.

   “So...when I am in a certain mentality I, what, summon one of you?”

   “Not quite. We are facets of your personality Thomas, we are always with you, so we cannot truly be summoned. However, when you enter these specific mental states, it makes it...I would say, ‘easier’ to show ourselves in a more visual manner. Sometimes even...unintentionally,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “but that’s neither here nor there.”

   Roman coughed a little in what sounded like “nerd” but Logan simply rolled his eyes. Thomas continued to ask questions about the other Sides to himself in the mirror (they had apparently taken to calling themselves that) while Logan and Roman tried their best to explain things.

   He still wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t lost his mind, but the more they talked and he was around them, the less freaked out he was by their presence there in the first place. He learned the names of the other Sides he had yet to properly meet as well as their functions. He learned that he had a Side named Patton who apparently encompassed his Morality and his Heart, so to speak, though Logan seemed to have some trepidation about him and Thomas meeting because of what Roman referred to as a ‘long suffering battle against an assault of Dad Jokes and puns’. He learned who Remus was, apparently being somewhat symbolically Roman’s ‘brother’, as he encompassed what Logan called the ‘dark side of his creativity’, and Thomas’s intrusive thoughts, (which he was not thrilled about) but Logan insisted it would be fine as there were easy ways to deal with him should he become a problem in the future. There was also Janus, which Thomas remembered having an encounter with before after Logan explained what he looked like, what with the snake aesthetic and all. He supposedly embodied Thomas’s self-preservation, deceitfulness, and denial, which...made sense given he had shown up before when Thomas had been lying to himself about when he was going to go to bed. Thomas still wasn’t sure if he could make heads or tails of what was happening to him, but he felt he now had a better understanding about what he was seeing, even if he still couldn’t grasp the why.

***

   It was a few days after his audition and Thomas thought he had done well. He saw Roman on the lobby mirror give him a thumbs up and mouthing the words ‘Let’s do this!’ before he went on stage, which weirdly enough helped in its own way, and now he felt pretty good about his performance. To make things better, he had gotten a call earlier today that confirmed he would be in the play, so he was just waiting to see if he got the roll he auditioned for. Feeling pretty happy and confident, Thomas decided to make himself some celebratory pancakes for dinner with lots of chocolate chips and a mountain of syrup.

   He was mixing the batter and looking at the recipe on his phone when the screen faded and turned to black before he could tap it to wake it up. He sighed as he sat down the bowl to pick up his phone and pull up the recipe again, when he saw his reflection wearing glasses.

   “Oh, uh, hi, Logan. What’re you doing here?”

   “Oh sorry Kiddo, not Logan! Though I get the mix up with the glasses,” he chucked, “I’m your happy pappy Pop, Patton! And yes, the title is...Patton Pending,” he said with a wink.

   “Oh right! You’re Patton, my morality right? I was warned about your dad jokes,” Thomas said with a laugh.

   “Yeeeah, Roman told me you all did introductions a while ago, but I was just checking in on my favorite Kiddo to see what you were cooking up! I’m so proud you’re learning how to cook Thomas, you batter believe it,” Patton said, grinning from ear to ear.

   Thomas snorted through his nose and shook his head at that.

   “Well, it was nice to meet you Patton. But speaking of batter, I really should get back to these pancakes.”

   “Of course Kiddo! I’ll be right here if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” he said with a smile.

   “Uh, sure. But uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how um, how could you help? You’re in my phone right now.”

   “Oh um,” Patton looked puzzled for a second, “I guess if you need help with the instructions or if you just need a friend to talk to, I’ll be right there to help with that,” he said, picking back up that same enthusiasm.

   “Okay Patton, thank you,” Thomas smiled in return, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

***

   Over the next several months Thomas continued to see the Sides of himself occasionally, usually in mirrors or other reflective surfaces. At first he was freaked out and would get a little jump every time he saw one, but eventually he grew used to them just popping in whenever he was doing or thinking about something that ‘summoned’ them, even though Logan didn’t like him referring to it as that. Thomas got used to seeing them while brushing his teeth, or making breakfast, or in his dressing room before going out on stage, and he wasn’t bothered by it anymore, not as much at least.

He would pass idle conversation with them on occasion, sometimes arguing with Logan about his health habits, brainstorming ideas with Roman, having a small debate with Patton in his computer screen about what was the best ‘nice dialogue’ option in a video game.

Virgil would show up pretty regularly when Thomas was feeling anxious, and it was kind of a mixed bag on how he would react to Thomas when he showed up. Sometimes he showed up and just made Thomas more anxious, but on a couple of times when Thomas had it really bad, Virgil actually helped him calm down a bit with a breathing technique Thomas remembered Talyn teaching him once. So he actually wasn’t so bad, though it was a bit annoying when he was trying to sleep and he would look in his bedroom mirror to see either Virgil or Remus.

The first time Remus showed up in person was not pleasant and Thomas had had some pretty vivid nightmares after, but thankfully the next morning, Logan had helped diffuse the situation and put Thomas more at ease.

Janus liked to show up in the reflection of his phone screen whenever his friends texted him wanting him to do something for them when he already had a prior commitment, or if he was particularly stressed out about a dilemma. He would tell Thomas that he would be busy that day, to which Thomas would often reply something along the lines of ‘busy with what? I’m not doing anything that day,’ to which Janus would say something sarcastic but which always led back to the central theme of self-care. Thomas was pretty wary to listen to Janus at first, given Logan had said that he encompassed Thomas’s deceitfulness, but after Janus had gotten him out of a couple of jams that had almost led to near mental health crises, he had given him a shot and started to listen to his advice on occasion. Not too much, because who knew where that would lead, but sometimes, on instances when Janus’s warnings and advice were too pertinent to ignore.

All in all, Thomas began to like his Sides, not minding talking to them and spending time with them. They helped him out in a lot of areas of his life, and hindered him in some others, but that only seemed to happen when he was either ignoring one of them or listening to another too much. Patton had started referring to all of them as a family, emphasis on the ILY, and it was he who suggested Thomas take a family portrait in front of the hall mirror with all his Sides. Thomas wasn’t sure how much that would work, given it would probably just look like a selfie in front of his mirror, but seeing how excited Patton was, he decided to humor him.

Patton had called everyone to meet in the hall mirror while Thomas sat up the tripod for the camera. He ended up standing in the middle while his Sides stood to the left and the right of him. Roman was posing dramatically with a dashing smile while Logan muttered about how unnecessary it was, what with the logistics of showing up on camera. Virgil pulled his hood up and got teased by Remus for being ‘camera shy’. Janus wore a mischievous smirk and was flourishing a cane he had gotten from somewhere, rivaling Roman in who could be the most dramatic. Remus was somehow hanging from the top of the mirror frame upside down and was making a crude gesture with his hands while sticking out his tongue, and Patton was nearest Thomas, debating whether to make a heart with his hands or give Thomas bunny ears, and ended up going with the heart after Logan had made an unintentional pun about it. Finally Thomas finished setting up the camera while all his Sides got ready behind him, and he set the timer. He moved to take his place in the middle and told everyone to say ‘Cheese’.

“Romano-” “Cheddar!” “Nooo-” “Fermented milk solids-” “Rat Bait!” “The worst salad topping, I’m sure-”

And with a Click and a bit of laughter from Thomas at everyone’s replacement for ‘Cheese’, it was done.

Thomas was checking on the film to make sure everything had worked okay, and Logan was already preemptively warning him that it was likely Thomas had done nothing more than take a nice photo of himself in front of the mirror without the others being visible. Thomas turned and nodded at Logan saying he knew and he wouldn’t be too disappointed since that was what he thought was most likely.

Thomas continued to check the camera while the others chatted in the background. Then he scrolled through the photos to look at the most recent one taken. He reeled back in shock before breaking into the widest grin.

“Guys, I have the best news.”

“Ooo what is it Thomas?” Patton asked.

Thomas tried to bite back his excitement and his Sides turned to look at him with various levels of anticipation and curiosity.

“You all can show up on camera.”

***

Author’s Note: I'm not going to continue this, but after that ending imagine Thomas sets up a bunch of glass panes in his Livingroom with a great idea about what his new YouTube series will be. I guess could also be considered a "the sides are real but also actors for the Sander Sides series" AU if you want. Tag me if you write anything with this idea in the future because I'm interested in reading it.

Taglist: (sorry it’s the same one for A Hitchhiker’s Guide For Androids)

@enby-phoenix

@farflypants

@callboxkat

@skruffy901

@lefaystrent

@ianasha

@delimeful

@scared-ghosthunter

@equations-of-logan

@hiddendreamer67

@alexa-is-fangirl-trash

@momolinia

@thecipherfox

@sweet-razz-tea

@noah-shite

@mothdaemon

[blackicephantom]

The black dragon and the coward CH. 10

You won't believe this but it is done!

I have to say, covid is neither nice nor fun. It's ugly and exhausting as fuck. So please everyone, stay safe and healthy.

tagged: @patolemus - I hope you haven't given up on this *wink*

@runestarchild

- . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Tsuna closed the door behind himself slowly and gently. He had much to think about. But where to start? What was next?

So much to do and plan and just not enough time. With his eyes on the ground the boy didn't see the three others that were approaching him, at least until it was way too late.

The sound of multiple and heavy steps caught his attention but when he looked up he wished he didn't. His favorite tormentors were on their way towards him. And Tsuna knew that no one would help him. They would just get angry and ignore everything around them if he caused a scene now. And Nono wouldn't be fast enough to get to the door, or him for the matter. With a rather tired sigh the brunette surrendered to his very obvious fate. Hopefully they don't dump him in the forest, for their own sakes.

Just the next moment he was grabbed and everything went dark…

In the forest

Reborn and Fon had shared a small breakfast before the latter departed again. "I'll try finding two certain someones. Who knows? Maybe my dear nephew knows something." A dismissive snort was his answer and even the Stormdragon had to chuckle. His nephew was…… special, to say it simple. He knew almost everything but wasn't prone to share. With anyone…..

Well, almost. Sweet little Tsunayoshi got even the young and moody Clouddragon to trust him. He was the only one who would get straight answers from the youngling. It was truly fascinating.

It wasn't long after Fon had left that Reborn got a certain feeling of unease. He went to the entrance of his den and looked at the surrounding area. Sharp yellow eyes tracked the wildlife: spooked birds taking flight, scared bucks running through the underwood. Something wasn't right. That's when a familiar scent hit his nose. The smell of warmth and something sweet with vanilla….. 'Tsuna!'

Without a thought Reborn jumped down from his perch, right into the forest. He knew that his draconian form would be way too big and too noticeable. So he decided to stay human, at least for now. Just before hitting the treetops he opened his wings and took an easy glide down. Once on the ground he called for his most trusted and oldest companion, someone who was always at his side. His call was nothing more than a rumble, maybe a growl, but it was answered none the less.

A green chameleon crawled down from one of the trees, only to wander up the offered arm until he sat atop Reborn's fedora. "Keep your eyes open Leon. It seems we've got unwanted company. Again."

Blending with the shadows of the trees the dragon tried to follow the scent of his boy but it was more difficult than it should be. There was something else at play, he just couldn't explain it. It was like… like something was overriding Tsuna's smell. Something rather disgusting.

Rising his sensitive nose to scent the air again he almost gagged. Right there was foul magic in the air. Someone was trying to keep their presence a secret and doing a damn shit job.

A short tap on his hat made Reborn look up. It seems Leon found something interesting. There was a fresh trail on the ground. It looked like something was dragged around…. Or someone. A snarl ripped itself out of his throat. If this is what he thinks it is, then someone's gonna die today. "Please be my scout Leon. Try to find the intruders and give me their location."

Between one moment and the next the green chameleon turned into a sparrow and flew fast and agile through the forest. Reborn in the meantime hoped against hope that he's wrong. But what were the odds? With the last day still on his mind and the boys horrible luck it couldn't be anything else. 'Please be OK. For the love of god, please be alright!'

. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -

Tsuna awoke with a terrible headache and to the feeling of being dragged somewhere. 'Ahhhhh, kidnapping my old friend. How I didn't miss you.'

Loud laughter caught his attention and he tried to listen, but whatever Mochida was saying was lost to the sound of the animals around them. Trying to look around as supple as possible the brunette tried to get a general location or position. But some of his memories still hadn't returned, to his utter dismay. Which means he has absolutely no idea where these idiots were taking him. They were in the forbidden forest, that he knew. But they had to be past the regular path, because the trees were bigger and still looked healthy, unlike the ones closer to the village.

How the fuck are they even pulling him along? His hands were tied, OK. But he could see. Also OK. His head hurt aaaand, jep, he was gagged. 'Better job than last time.' was one of his rather stray thoughts. Sad enough that this happens often enough that he even has something to compare….. 'Wait…… if we're in the forest, away from the path, then there are just a few places they could take me to.'

Tsuna thought and thought even harder, trying to recall the map he had memorized, while still being dragged through the dirt.

Another look around showed him the mountain to their far left. Which means they're taking him somewhere else than usual. 'Just where the heck are we going?'

A bump in the road caused the boy to wince, which alerted his captors to the fact that he was awake. There went his cover.

"Hey boss. Looks like Dame-Tsuna is finally with us again." That's the only warning he had before he hit the ground. Groaning Tsuna slowly turned around and got on all fours. But before he could get up one of the others kicked him in the rips and then again in his stomach. It looks like they had a bad day or something. It's not often that they hit the valuable spots right from the start. Sooooo. Well, nothing more.

While still protecting his poor belly, the younger was suddenly grabbed by his hair and pulled up, only to come face to face with Mochida and his grimace of a face. The raven haired looked him up and down only to sneer. “I have no fucking idea how you got that dragon to spare you. But one thing’s for sure: it won't happen again.”

Tsuna would have loved to say something, but right before he could Mochida let go of him. With one last kick he was ordered to finally get up and to walk on his own. `Not my fault they kidnapped me.´ groaned Tsunayoshi in his mind.

They walked for quite some time, without a break. And the brunette had to say that he started to get tired. His legs felt like lead and his headache was also still present. And let’s not even start with his poor ribs….

Just behind the slowly thinning treeline came a cave into view. It gave off a feeling of dread and gave the young heir more than just the chills. `I believe this is one of the places we were warned about. But some of the Arcobaleno made sure that no human should ever arrive here…..´ Out of the corner of his eyes Tsuna saw a small and rather strangely colored sparrow. Instead of it’s usual brown and gray feathers it had green ones. And it didn’t sing either, not even a little chirp or trill or something similar. It just sat there and watched them….

Then Tsuna's eyes widened. `Of cause, how could I forget! That’s not a bird, that’s definitely Leon!´

Relief flooded his whole system and he could have cried from joy. Where Leon is, Reborn is not far away. He learned that the hard way back then. But this joy was short lived. Not only did Leon take to the sky, hopefully returning to his partner's side, but his intuition started to ring all and every alarm bell inside his head. Whatever lived in this cave, it wanted not only him for dinner…… That’s when he heard the growl and a rather nasty sounding hiss. A feline then. Next thing that came into view were big and ugly paws, perfect for ripping prey apart and slicing through more than just flesh and bone.

`Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.’ was all that came to mind. Tsuna didn’t need to see the redish looking fur or the big fangs to know what stood in front of them. It was a Subspecies of the sabretooth tiger, one native to their region and very VERY deadly.

There are very few who encountered one and got away safely, or at all.

`It won't happen again. I’ll make sure of it.´ Those were Mochidas exact words……

No. Nononononono. The madman wanted to feed him to the tiger, with no chance of defending himself. The closer they got to this cave the more he started to struggle. He tried to free his hands, but that caused much of a ruckus and his kidnappers noticed. The dumbass that most probably came up with that plan started to crackle until he was outright laughing. One of his goons came up to him, only to tie another rope around his hands which he uses to pull him along. But Tsuna leant in the opposite direction and tried to dig his heels in. No one and nothing would get him even close to this thing. Nope, No way. That was as much of a death sentence as being thrown into a dragons den.

The damn gag prevented him from screaming but he still tried. But that just earned him a slap to the face. The tiger started to salivate and didn't take his eyes off them.

Tsuna struggled again, harder than before. He pulled with all his might, always with sudden movements in the hopes that the one leading him would let go out of surprise. Hyper intuition and survival instincts kicked in, closely followed by a rush of panic. No teaching could keep this feeling away but they could suppress it. The rope started to rub his wrists raw and cut into his skin but Tsuna didn't care. He needed to leave, NOW! In a last minute effort to rip himself away he stumbled on purpose, crashing into the one walking in front of him. And then, when he finally let go of the makeshift leash, Tsuna turned around, grabbed the damned gag and ripped it out of his mouth and started running. The sabretooth tiger, scenting worthy prey, set off after him. The thud of the paws equaled the thundering of his heart. The young Vongola didn’t care what happened to the other three, he just wanted to get away.

Ducking around the trees Tsuna tried to lose the big predator but the beast was hot on his heels. Every once in a while the animal would try to sweep him off his feet, trying to take him down with his claws. But his intuition warned him just in time so that said claws hit nothing but thin air. The longer the chase went on, the more agitated the tiger got. With every hit that didn’t connect the beast growled louder, jumping farther, running even faster and Tsuna was reaching his limit. He tripped on a single root and the beast behind him took it’s chance. Jumping down right above him the poor boy just rolled away and struggled to his feet.

Then he remembered what Reborn told him just before leaving the village: ‘Should you ever get into trouble….’ He took a deep breath, his lungs struggling to comply due to the exercise ‘...... call out for me.’ and gave a shout. “REBORN!”

Just then his pursuer pounced and pinned the boy beneath it’s bulk. Sticky saliva dripped down its fangs and landed on his face. Still struggling writhing, winding anything to get away he couldn't hear the trilling of a sparrow, nor the growl of a predator way bigger then the fucking sabletooth tiger. The only thing soothing him were those familiar, gleaming scales.

With Reborn

Technically he knew that Leon traveled as fast as he could but somehow it was still too slow for him. Right that moment his friend darted through the trees, right towards him and flew frantic circles around him. It must be worse than anticipated. “Lead the way” was all he said and off they were. Upon noticing which way they were going, Reborn growled again. When he had Tsuna back he would fucking eat the idiots that dragged him here, no matter if he gets sick afterwards. He could hear a frantic heartbeat and the huffs of breath from the one chasing after the boy. Then there was a crash, the sound of someone falling and landing hard on the unforgiving ground. Next came something that would stay a long time in the dragon's mind. One yell, one call to him, his name screamed atop of exhausted lungs.

“REBORN!”

Changing while still running came naturally to him, crashing through the tree on all four was just as naturel. But when he saw that thing trying to bite the brunette's head off, he lost it. With a deep and mighty growl he lunged forward, catching the feline by surprise and throwing it off of the boy. When the tiger readied itself to jump again Reborn wound himself around his precious boy, his long neck and open maw just above the other, yellow flames flickering out between his fangs. Two predators, one on the hunt and one on the defense. The outcome of this was decided the moment the Sundragon arrived.

The sabertooth took its chance and tried to pounce again but Reborn had enough. He snatched it while it was still airborne, closing his maw around it, piercing though its skin and hide and then fucking incinerates it. Not even a small whine could be heard. The only thing that remained was the ashen corpse. Once sure that no other hunter was nearby, the dragon changed again and turned to Tsuna. Tsuna, who was still bound and struggling to breath properly. Tsuna, in whose eyes tears started welling up. Tsuna, who looked just like the little boy from so long ago. Without thinking about it Reborn cut through the rope with his sharp claw and then embraced the now crying boy as tight as he dared.

Tsuna was just so glad to be safe and to be held in the arms he had missed without knowing why.

_TBC_

I haven't beta read this, it's almost midnight and I'm tired. Please excuse me. I still hope you enjoy! *wave*

[galaxy-parker]

incomplete [1]

 Pairing: Peter Parker x Female!Reader ( a hate-to-love soulmate au)

Summary: Where you hate Peter Parker and you hate soulmates but maybe those two themes have more in common than you thought

Warnings: some bad words but that almost always happens

Word count: 4.5k A/N: here! it! is! my first multi chap, i am very excited about it and pretty hecking happy w the result :) i’m gonna try and keep to posting incomplete on thursdays! <3 

series masterlist // prologue  // chapter 1 // chapter 2

The sound of chatter presses against your mind, trying to force its way inside, but you’re preoccupied.

The soulmark on the back of your neck has been itching since the night before, a soft and irritating pulse that you can barely ignore, and your skin is nearly raw to the touch.

Absentmindedly, you let your fingers dance across it, across the tiny black words that foresee your future. The ones holding the key to finding your perfect match.

You can’t help but wonder if there’s a part of this that isn’t entirely true. How can someone have a perfect match? How can your perfect match be someone you’ve never met?

“-that your tattoo isn’t the first thing your soulmate says to you,” Liz is shaking her head and your eyes snap to hers, trying to focus your mind on the subject at hand but she isn’t looking at you. You push around your milk carton, eyes finding a white spot on your perfectly blue lunch tray. “She said it’s the first thing your soulmate says when you’re ready to find them.”

Her voice holds an excitement on the subject you couldn’t fake if you tried, but your eyebrows pinch at the words. The topic of soulmates isn’t exactly rare in your group of friends, but this theory is one that you’ve never heard and you can’t help it when you intervene.

“That can’t be right.”

Suddenly every pair of eyes at your table lands on you, and you find yourself wishing you’d said nothing at all.

Your gaze finds Nora’s, who’s sitting in front of you with a curious smile. She tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear before crossing her arms over the table. “What do you mean?”

There’s a tiny red line marking the inside skin of her elbow, the only proof that she had a tattoo to begin with. It’s rare for a teenager to find their soulmate, but she was over the moon once she got over the initial pain and shock of finding them so soon.

You were happy for her, of course, but something about soulmates made your skin crawl. The sheer powerlessness of it all.

“It just seems weird,” you shake your head. “How can you be ready? How do you know?”

“You ask way too many questions,” Liam buds in from beside Nora. There’s a crooked smile resting against his lips, suggesting the words a mere joke but you can feel the irritation beginning to course through your veins.

“Maybe you don’t ask enough,” you say. He shrugs and takes a long swig of his coke.

“Whatever you say,” he laughs around the can of sticky sugar.

“It’s an automatic thing,” Nora explains, something happy dancing in her green eyes. “It’s all predetermined.”

“Predetermined by who?” you ask, swiping your plastic fork from your plate and nibbling on the ends of it. The plastic bends easily beneath your teeth. “Isn’t it weird that you’re just supposed meet some random person who says the words you’ve been assigned and bam, you’re practically married?”

“Okay, you know that’s not how it works,” Nora says, shaking her head.

“Maybe it’s an exaggeration,” you admit, throwing down your plastic tupperware again. “But now, apparently, I might already know them? Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird?”

“Uh,” Liam shakes his head, a crooked smile on his face, and shoves a burnt french fry in his mouth. His expression twists into one of disgust a second later, but he swallows it down nonetheless. “Yeah, you are.”

Liz leans closer to you and nudges your arm softly. “Why is this so important to you?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” you say honestly. Nora furrows her brows and though it seems as if Liam is preoccupied with the manufactured food on his tray, you know his ears are trained on your words. “Don’t you want to be able to choose who you fall in love with?”

You watch their faces with a sudden desperation you didn’t know you possessed. Desperation to be heard, desperation to be understood. The crease between Nora’s brows deepens as she takes in your inquiry, Liam shakes his head and Liz just stares at you, as if you started spewing sentences in Dothraki.

“No,” she finally says. Her head tilts to the side, causing her midnight curls to fall over her shoulders in an ocean of black. “Not really.”

You suck on your teeth and push your greens around your tray with a plastic fork. “Just forget I said anything.”

“You’ll see it’s better this way,” Nora says, her voice soft as if she’s trying not to spook you. “When you meet your soulmate.”

You know she’s only trying to reassure you of your doubts, but her words stir something strange in your chest. You feel like you’re being brainwashed.

“Right,” you breathe out a laugh.

“I think it’s exciting,” Liz exclaims, clasping her hands together atop the table. “What if your soulmate is here right now?’

Her eyes shimmer with something hopeful, you can’t help but store away your own reservations, at least for the time being.

“Knowing you, you have at least thirty options as to who it could be,” Liam says with a smirk, once again an active participant of the conversation.

“Maybe Alex Smith?” she wonders, resting her chin on her palm. You snort, turning away when she shoots you a questioning glance. “What?”

“No, nothing,” you shake your head, worrying your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Alex Smith wears the same shirt, like, four out of five school days,” Liam reaches over Nora’s arms to snatch up her untouched bowl of fruit. She barely puts up a fight, knowing full well she’ll only pick at it until the bell rings, but doesn’t hesitate to clip him over his ear.

“You know you could ask,” she jokes, while Liz starts to sputter with protests.

“That is so not true,” she says, eyes already searching the crowded cafeteria to fact check her friend’s accusation. Her face falls when she does but she quickly recovers, flashing Liam a sarcastic smile and flicking a lock of hair behind her shoulder. “Okay well what do you think?”

“For you or for me?” he cards a hand through his dark hair, quirking an eyebrow when she shrugs. “I don’t think you’ve met yours yet,” he supplies.

Liz’s face morphs into an adorable pout before switching to a smirk just as easily. “What if one of your exes is your soulmate?”

He scoffs, eyes rolling upward and you share a knowing glance with Nora. 

Although most seem to wait for their soulmate to start dating, it’s not uncommon for romantic relationships to develop outside of the chosen, and Liam is no stranger to that way of living. 

It seems he has a new significant other every week, and you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor hearts he often breaks. Then again, he can’t be bothered to change and the boys and girls who are victim to his fleeting love seem to come out okay on the other side.

He shakes his head. “That’s never gonna happen,” he says, and then “I hope mine is Peter Parker.”

Your spine snaps into a rigid straight line and you reel back at the words like you’ve been slapped. Nora and Liz begin to laugh.

“Peter Parker?” you question. “Why on earth-?”

“He’s cute,” Liam laughs. “And he’s got a six pack you know.”

“Because that totally makes up for being an ass.”

“He’s got one of those too,” He shrugs with a smile when you screw up your face, then shakes his head. “I’m messing with you.”

“Thank go-”

“I think he’s yours.”

Nora laughs vehemently, throwing her head back and slapping the table with an open palm. Liz has the decency to try and hide her laughter between her fingers, but her giggles still slip through her skin and seep into your own.

“What the fuck,” you deadpan, unable to supress the curse from your lips and suddenly Liam is joining in on the snickers. You think you might explode.

“Wouldn’t that be something,” Nora licks her lips, trying to regain her composure.

“Yeah, I think I’d jump off of a cliff.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Liz pokes your cheek, just two short jabs, but your skin stings at her touch.

“It’s what I’m known for,” you say, rising from the rickety bench you’ve been uncomfortably perched on for twenty minutes. Liam and Nora watch you stand languidly, but Liz pushes herself up from the seat a moment later.

“Bathroom?” she asks and you nod, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

It’s a stringy grey thing given to you by your dad when you started middle school and despite the pleas of your friends to invest in a new one, and the fact that one Peter Parker teases you about it any chance he gets, you find comfort in the packet. Especially when your dad is away on work trips, which you find that he is more often than not.

“Yeah,” you step away from the stained lunch table, offering Nora and Liam a two fingered salute before Liz grabs your hand and pulls you from the cafeteria, but not before dragging you past Peter’s lunch table.

You stumble behind your friend, senselessly letting your eyes skitter over his figure- slouched over, smiling brightly at something his friends are saying- but his gaze meets your when you don’t turn away quick enough, and the fragile piece of Peter Parker that you’ve never known shatters before your eyes.

He glares at you, blankly somehow and the indifference harborded in your gut burns into a raging fury.

When you finally fall through the cafeteria doors, leading to a near empty hallway, you whirl around to face a simpering Liz.

“We could have used the other doors,” you say, arching a brow. “You know, the ones that were closer to our table and not in the direction of Parker’s.”

She bats her eyelashes to feign innocence, but her shit-eating grin and the glimmer in her eyes betray her too quickly. “Whatever do you mean?”

You groan, setting course for the bathroom again. “Why?”

“I like watching the sexual tension between the two of you,” she shrugs and you stick out your tongue in disgust. “Oh my god, imagine if the two of you were, like, actually soulmates.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to despise your soulmate, Lizzy,” you roll your eyes, watching a few of your peers mull around the halls. A few of them smile as you pass, and you return the gesture before focusing on the girl next to you again. She tucks a dark lock of hair behind her ear, the straightened piece losing its heat and starting to frizz again on the end.

“Don’t worry,” she says, cocking her head. “The odds are like, one-in-a-zillion.”

“That’s not a real number, how’d you get into this school again?”

She twists her face, her nose wrinkling at the words as she pushes open the grey bathroom door. It squeaks on its hinges, the sound echoing across tiled walls.

Liz walks in a straight line towards the dirty mirrors, running her delicate fingers through her hair while you walk into one of the empty, and horribly smelly, stalls.

When you step out again, Liz is still admiring her reflection, this time reapplying her lip balm and you can’t help the smile that eases onto your face. Even in the dingy bathroom mirrors she’s gorgeous, and she holds herself with a confidence you can only hope to one day possess.

She grins when she catches sight of you in the mirror, a pearly white smile lined with full lips.

You step forward, running your hands underneath the faucet and shaking your skin dry before nodding your head to the door again. Liz taps the back of your bag.

“Ready?” she asks.

You nod, sliding forwards on the damp tiled floor- no doubt from students opting to shake the drops of water from their hands rather than dry them on the less than sanitary towels, like you- and shove open the door again.

The hall is still halfway empty, and a quick glance at the clock on a far wall tells you that there are twenty minutes left until your lunch break ends.

You make a beeline for the cafeteria, and Liz trails behind you for a moment before her long legs are catching up to yours in easy strides.

Neither of you speaks for a moment, and you let your hand travel to your mark as you walk. It doesn’t take Liz long to catch on to the movement and she swipes up your hand as you let it fall, one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows arched.

“Okay, you’ve been messing with your tattoo all day. What’s up?”

She tries to turn you away from her, no doubt to inspect it, but you step out of her reach and pull away from her touch. “Nothing.”

“Oh please,” she rolls her eyes and takes a step forward just as easily as you took one back. Her dark eyes glimmer with curiosity, and you decide that she’ll never stop pressing if you don’t just tell her now. “Don’t lie.”

You shake your head, clenching your fist to keep yourself from reaching upwards again. “It just itches a little, it’s fine,” she’s staring at you like she doesn’t believe you, and you can’t exactly say that you blame her between your wincing and the redness of the skin around your mark. But she doesn’t need to know the extent of it, telling her the problem and detailing it are two very different things. “Probably just a mosquito bite.”

“Doesn’t look like one,” she sing-songs, but starts her trek through the school halls again.

That was close, you think to yourself.

You’re not sure why you’re lying to her. Maybe it’s your own concern taking the wheel, or the fact that you know she’ll make a bigger deal of it than it should be, but it’s too late to turn back now.

She’s a few steps ahead of you when a new thought pops into your head, this one more urgent.

“Oh wait,” your steps halt suddenly, and Liz shoots farther ahead before she turns her head and stops.

“What?” she asks, wearing a quizzical expression.

“I need to grab some books out of my locker,” you nod in the opposite direction, back down the way you came. “I’ll meet up with you in a second.”

She dips her head, a nod yes, before pushing through the cafeteria doors and leaving you to yourself. You start your trek towards your locker, nothing on your mind but seemingly useless things- the weather, your friends, your soulmark.

Your hand travels to the bumpy tattoo on your neck once more, as if called there and in the privacy of the empty halls you let your fingers roam the irritated skin. You know what it says, you’ve known since it appeared, but what it means… what elicits it is what confuses you, intrigues you and pisses you off.

You turn the corner, still lost in thought, but when you finally notice Peter Parker leaning against your locker, a smile pressed on his lips, your arm falls in surprise.

He isn’t looking at you; he probably doesn’t even know that yours is the locker he’s decided to block, but it is, leaving you in an uncomfortable situation that will surely end in a verbal brawl.

Ned is standing in front of him, animatedly telling a story that you know you’ll never hear— not that you’d want to— and you steel yourself at the sight of them before marching over to the pair, your shoulders set back in determination.

As if sensing your presence, Peter’s eyes dart from Ned’s face to yours. Just like every time he sees you, the smile that he was wearing vanishes from his lips. You think that in another world, it would hurt that you’re able to bring such displeasure to someone just by being in their line of sight, but with him it twists something like satisfaction in your gut.

Ned picks up on his sudden change of demeanor, but unlike Peter, when his eyes meet yours his face splits into an even bigger grin.

You’ve always liked Ned. He was always kind to you, even when Peter was cruel.

“Y/N!” he calls, and a smile pulls at your lips.

“Hey, Ned.”

Peter crosses his arms as you approach, head tilting upwards. You wouldn’t be surprised if the motion is only so that he can say that he’s literally looking down on you. You try not to laugh.

“You’re just who I was looking for,” Ned says, pulling your attention to him once more. You slow your pace, cocking your head in confusion.

“Oh?” you question, trying to block Peter in your peripheral, trying to block the stupid smirk that’s now replaced his frown.

“Liam said you needed the notes that we got in History?” your eyes flit to the notebook that Ned’s grasping in a hand, and to the letters adorning it. The words he’s written in a playful scrawl are highlighted with a spectrum of colors.

“Right,” you tuck a lock of hair behind your ear and roll your eyes. “Of course he couldn’t be bothered to do it himself. Sorry, Ned.”

Peter lets out a scoff at that, small and easy to miss, but you turn to him anyways.

“If you have something to say,” you press the heels of your hands into your hips. “Then say it.”

He shakes his head, eyeing you up and down. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Your stomach twists with irritation and you try not to fume as Ned takes a step forward, his smile pinched. “It’s no big deal, Y/N,” he says, tearing the papers from his book and handing them to you gently.

You turn away from Peter, letting the anger ease from your face when your eyes focus on Ned once more. “I owe you one.”

“We’re square,” he steps back again, cocking his head. “Last year, Physics?”

Your mind shoots back to the year prior, when both Ned and Peter were out sick and you took notes for the former unbeknownst that they would be passed on to the ladder afterwards. But you’re square.

“Right,” you nod. “Thanks.”

You take a new step forward, almost directly in front of Peter but all he does is stare at you, a single eyebrow arched. You tense your jaw.

“Can I help you?” to anybody who doesn’t know him, his voice would sound sincere and concerned, but you’ve learned to uncover the underlying sarcasm and bite of irritation that accompany the words.

You cross your arms, letting your eyes dart across his face. “You’re leaning against my locker.”

He grins, sarcastic and so obviously an attempt to rile you up that you can’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that it really does. “Sorry,” he says, sounding anything but sincere.

“I’m sure,” He doesn’t make any attempt to move, and you can see Ned fidgeting nervously next to you at his friends defiance. “I’d,” you breathe, clenching your teeth so hard you’re afraid they’ll shatter. “Appreciate it if you would get out of the way.”

Still, he doesn’t budge, but a new condescending smile pulls at his lips and he hums. “Would you?”

The expression he wears takes you back to when you were young and in elementary school. He used to stand behind you when you walked in straight lines around the school and he’d always pull at the end of your ponytail. Any time you’d turn to glare at him, to yell at him to stop he’d wear this same expression. Even years later it makes you want to break his jaw.

“I hate you,” your voice is set in a deadpan when the words leave your lips and your face is wiped of any emotion, but you’re quite sure you’ve never spoken a heavier truth.

He laughs at that, a silly and boyish thing but there’s an underlying harshness that tangles into the sound. “I’m flattered.”

Ned steps forward as Peter talks, and grabs his arm tightly. “Come on, man,” he pleads.

Peter glances at Ned and the cocky expression laid out on his face flickers for a moment, then he turns to you again, his face wiped completely. You cross your arms and wait.

It takes him a few seconds to heed Ned’s request, but when he does you don’t hesitate to occupy the spot where he stood and shove open your locker door.

Your fingers grapple for your textbooks, but when you turn around after cramming them into your bag, Peter is still standing behind you, something mischievous in his eyes.

“Don’t you have anyone else to piss off?” you ask, slinging your backpack over your shoulder again and closing your locker door. Peter cocks his head.

“I’m literally just standing here.”

“Your presence is more than enough,” you shift in place and suck on your teeth. A soft pressure begins to set on the back of your neck, but you write it off as nothing. It has to be. “Did you need something?”

He shakes his head, and a dark lock of hair falls away from its peers and curls over his forehead. If you didn’t hate him so much you’d think it might be beautiful.

“Why don’t you get a new bag?” he asks. There’s honest curiosity in his voice, and he looks like a child asking why the sky is blue, but the question stirs something deep inside of you.

Maybe you’re too protective over it, maybe the anger boiling in your gut is irrational and reckless but you can’t help it when the feeling transforms into words spilling over your lips.

“Why don’t you get a new personality?”

He purses his lips and releases the air lodged in his lungs, but his eyes hold his humor. It does nothing but anger you more.

Your skin itches and the hair on the back of your neck rises, and the pressure is on your tattoo, you realize.

“You thought hard on that one didn’t you?” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. His tone has changed from curious to halfway cruel.

Ned takes a step back now, his eyebrows still bumped together. For a moment you forgot he was even there to begin with, and though it does nothing to change the situation, you feel almost disappointed with his choice to stay out of the argument.

“Can you just leave me alone?” you bark, turning your gaze back to Peter. “Just once, mind your own buisness and fuck off?”

With every passing second the pressure on your soulmark grows more and more until you’re afraid it might burst, but you blame it on your anger rather than anything else. You blame it on the adrenaline coursing through your veins.

“You’re one to talk!” he yells, brandishing his hands in anger. You balk at his sudden change of tone.

“You don’t know anything about me!”

“Oh, you wanna bet?”

“What?” Your body goes rigid the second the words leave his lips, and suddenly you feel as if you’ve been dipped in liquid fire and thrown into an icy bath all at once. You’re left blubbering in confusion and for a second you think you’re going through early menopause- very early menopause- that it’s merely a coincidence that his question is the same one that’s printed on your skin; but then a searing pain shoots up your spine.

“Wait,” you gasp, right before your legs give out underneath you.

Peter’s arms are outstretched and he darts forwards to keep you from hitting the ground, but you yank your arm away before he can touch it, and your knees hit the tiled ground a moment later.

There’s no doubt in your mind that they’ll be colored with bruises in time, but that’s almost the least of your concerns.

You cup the back of your neck, as if you can shield it from the pain, but it only burns hotter. Tears gather in the corners of your eyes and Peter’s face begins to blur into an unrecognizable blob.

He doesn’t touch you, like he’s afraid you’ll crumble at the first brush of his fingers, but he does inch closer, hands hovering halfway through the air.

And then, as suddenly as it happened to you, he gasps and his face drains of color.

Maybe the same thing is happening to him, but what on earth is it?

He grapples for his ribs, keeling forward and bracing his hand on the tile next to yours. There’s sweat collecting on his brow and he’s close enough that you can make out every detail of his face as you blink away your tears.

“What’s going on?” he asks, panic lacing his gaze. You almost find it in yourself to roll your eyes.

“I don’t know,” you snap, squeezing your eyes shut to try and brave the sting, but it’s fading just as fast as it arrived.

The sound of Ned’s shuffling feet fills your ears, next to his mumbling and that of someone else. When you look up again, peeling your eyes open, you see Michelle Jones with a rare startled look on her face mirroring Ned’s surprise.

“Oh my god,” you hear her mumble, and then Peter’s sitting up and blocking her from view.

His face has regained its color, now a bright red and his brows are bumped together in a mix of confusion and concern. You stand up at the same time, but when you stumble and he doesn’t, he grabs your forearms to steady you.

His skin presses against yours, hard and soft and suddenly you find that you’re feeling better, you feel like nothing ever happened at all, so you pull away from him and throw up a shield.

“Uh,” his voice is low and timid. “You okay?”

Like you care, you want to say.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you say instead, trying to ignore the way your stomach drops at the complete lack of him. Of his skin against yours, because you’re not supposed to feel that at all. “Are you?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he scratches the back of his neck, but his eyes are foggy and it almost seems like he’s looking through you rather than at you. “I’m good.”

A cough sounds behind him, and when you glance over your shoulder you see his friends,  fidgeting nervously. Ned’s face is twisted into pity and concern, but MJ is smirking devilishly.

“Uh, guys,” Ned stutters weakly, scratching the back of his neck.

“What the hell was that?” Peter asks, his hand drifting to his ribs again, you wonder if that’s where his tattoo hides. And then you find yourself wondering why he would be reaching for it at all.

MJ huffs out a laugh, then smothers it with her palm and shakes her head. “You’re not gonna like it,” she says.

“Just say it,” you press. Your hand begins to drift upwards automatically, searching for the bumpy mark on your neck, but when your fingers brush over the surface you find nothing but smooth skin. Your blood runs cold.

“I think,” Ned swallows, visibly hesitant and MJ nudges his shoulder, prompting him to continue. “I think you guys are soulmates.” he finally says. It sounds forced and meek and he winces after the words clear the air. You think you might faint.

You don’t.

You want to scream and yell and curse at the sky, but when you open your mouth no words aid you. So Peter yells instead.  

“What?”

~

Permanent Taglist:

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Incomplete Taglist:

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strikethrough means i couldn’t tag you <3 

[themidnightfarmer]

A lake night chat || Skylar & Jared

Timing: This week?

Location: The lake.

Tagging: @theskyeandsea  & @themidnightfarmer

Description: Skylar can’t scare Jared away, and Jared accidentally spooks Skylar instead.

Triggers: none i think?

Breaching the calm surface of the lake, Skylar let out a small puff of air through her nostrils, blinking the water from her eyes. She… didn’t like this. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to be out here in the lake, but it was the only place she could think to go. She didn’t want Nic to see her in the pool, half panicked, and worrying if it would steal her voice. She didn’t dare go back to the river, in case the hunter who had shot her was back. And Ulfric had messaged her, warning her about the ocean. Even if she didn’t hate the ocean, she definitely couldn’t go there. Which meant she was here, in the lake. Which, until a month or so ago, had been the home of a giant squid monster. Letting out a huffing noise, Skylar slipped back under the water, her hind legs-- flippers-- propelled her through the lake. The water was refreshingly cold against her fur, especially compared to the warm summer air and the long sleeves she’d taken to wearing to hide the marks on her arms. As she swam, she felt reverberating ripples from along the shoreline pulse through the water, making the whiskers on her face tingle. Blinking, Skylar bobbed up at the surface, her dark eyes staring at the man by the water’s edge. 

Blanche wasn’t at the farm at the moment, and Nell still didn’t have any memories of their unresolved fight. Given these facts Jared had made himself scarce that day. He was taking the time to just think about things as he walked through town. A slow pace, just taking in all there was to see and that he had missed worrying about everything else. Drawing up on the shore of the lake he rid himself of his shoes and walked along, just barely splashing in the water. His peaceful wandering came to a halt when he spotted a backpack however. He drew closer to it and crouched down. His head tilted to the side and blue eyes scanned the water for a swimmer or something of the sort. Maybe a kayak in the distance even. But there was nothing to be seen. The nymph took the backpack into his hands as he doubled his efforts to look for anyone who might have left if in the area. It was so close to the water he worried it had been there some time. But he was coming up empty. There was no one around. A worried grimace crossed his face as he looked for a name written on it anywhere. 

Letting out a burble of confusion and concern, Skylar stared plaintively as the man began to rummage through her backpack. Oh no, no, no. She didn’t think he would know what to do with the small lock box that contained her hearing aids, but she also didn’t want him to just be going through her things. Her wallet was in there, her keys… She needed to make sure that he dropped them and left them alone. She let out a huff of concern before diving back underwater, making her way to the shoreline. Maybe… maybe she could scare him away? It was dark out and her teeth, they were scary right? She just needed him to go away so she could get out of her skin, grab her clothes, and leave. Clenching her jaw tightly, Skylar nodded to herself underwater. She came out of the water in a quick, powerful moment before letting out a loud barking noise as she surfaced and glared at the man.

Jared wasn't very far in investigating the backpack before he was heavily confused by it’s content. Was this the backpack of a runaway? The clothes on the very top spoke of the usual ‘spare change’ that someone might grab in a hurry. But they were folded and that’s where the mystery began. At least that’s where the mystery would have begun if he hadn’t been startled out of his thoughts. Clutching the backpack to his chest, he backed up a few paces from the water when a seal emerged. He held up one placating hand and just blinked at it. How on earth had a seal gotten to the lake? Surely no seal would have followed the watercourse this far away from the beach. Lowering his voice he spoke as he usually did with his more familiar animals. “Hey hey, woah. What’s going on. Did I bother you?” Jared did not expect a reply from the supposed animal so he carried on. “How’d you get here huh? Guess I don’t know that much about seals at all.”

When the man clung to her backpack, holding it tightly into his body, Skylar let out a dismayed snort. So much for scaring him away... she wasn't scary and seals most definitely weren't scary. In the back of her mind, she wondered if he was a hunter, if he would try to hurt her... but if that was the case, why hadn't he done that yet? Staring at him with wide eyes, she let out another barking noise and pointed with her nose at the backpack. She just needed him to leave her alone. Swimming up closer to the shoreline, Skylar let out a chattering noise of frustration as she tried to voice her worries at the man. Please leave, she tried to say, but all that came out was a high pitched whine. Letting out another huff of frustration, she looked at him with dark eyes, hoping that he would understand. 

The seal seemed aggravated by his presence. All Jared could hope was that whoever had lost the backpack hadn’t gone and done something dumb and caused all the unrest. He raised a hand in surrender, taking a few steps backwards, hoping to de-escalate the situation for the both of them. The seal pointed at him with its nose and he got further confused. Was it actually indicating him or was it indicating the backpack? “The uh...backpack?” he asked gently, holding it out to the side so that the animal could indicate it again if that’s what it had meant. It felt like such a surreal moment to Jared. Was this a similar moment from those movies where a dog lead someone to an injured child? Was the seal saying it knew where the owner was? “Do you know who it belongs to?” Jared sighed then, slightly grumpily. “I wish I could connect to you easier so I could tell what you wanted.” 

As the man took a few steps back, Skylar let out a barking sound of panic-- no! He couldn’t take her bag, it had her things, her wallet, her hearing aids, her keys. If she lost her backpack, if he took it and rummaged around inside, he’d know exactly who she was. And she’d be stuck out here without any of her belongings. Grimacing as she listened to him, she stared at him pointedly as he held out the backpack. It’s mine, please just leave it, please, Skylar pleaded. Again, nothing came out other than some huffing, half-hearted barks, and a long keening whine. But, when he said, “Connect with her” her eyes widened even more into a puzzled expression. What did he mean by that..? 

“You DO know who it belongs to?” Jared was trying his very best to interpret what the seal was trying to convey. Communicating with creatures he had no ties to always aggravated him a little. Not that he ever stopped trying, it was just so much harder than he was used to. “But you’re not vicious enough are you? Not quite what was meant for me...but we can try it out?” Jared gave the area a cagey look. A few quick glances to make sure there weren’t any other people around at this time in the evening. Holding his glamour weakened his connection potential. The concentration on it limited him. So with no one around, Jared allowed a little of himself to slip through the cracks. His horns were the first -always the first- to arrive. Followed by his eyes changing from Blue to a vibrant purple. Once this was done he looked up at the seal hopefully. He hoped for even a smidgen of the connection he felt with others, wanting to know what it wanted. But nothing came and he let his glamour slide back into place. “Not vicious enough, I’m sorry. I have no idea what you want.”

Bobbing awkwardly in the lake in front of him, Skylar tried to nod at his question, but only succeeded in sending more ripples across the surface of the water. She did know who’s backpack it was, it was hers. And she really needed to learn how to hide it better. Mmmmmmmmm. At his words about her being vicious… She tilted her head in confusion. What did he mean by “try it out”? She quickly had her answer when she watched in terror as horns sprouted from his head and his eyes flashed violet-- letting out a startled bark of terror, Skylar’s sharp teeth flashed as she tried to yell at him, Please just leave! Leave me alone! She didn’t think it would work-- how could she possibly try to scare off a demon?

Jared felt instantly guilty. Nymphs were supposed to take on characteristics that matched what they protected. He raised his hands in surrender, the backpack still swinging from his fingers. “I’m sorry, so sorry. That must have been scary. I forget that I match up with something that might have tried to do normal animals harm.” He bowed his head respectfully and whispered a few more apologies before growing frustrated. He couldn’t make out what the seal was trying to tell him, but maybe he was reading too much into this. Perhaps the seal thought he’d just gotten too close and was trying to ward him off. “Sorry little one. Sorry. I won’t bother you anymore.” He took steps backwards, not wanting to upset the creature any further than he already had. Wondering what the heck he was going to do about the backpack. 

Letting out another frustrated huff of concern, aggravation, and fear, Skylar stared at him as he continued to back away. She had to do something, she couldn’t just let him take off with her things. If that happened, who knows what he would do with her information. She had to get it back, had to make sure that he didn’t run off with her things… But. There was only one choice left. One last thing she could try. Maybe he wouldn’t listen to her, maybe he would try to attack her. But, she had to give it a shot. Swallowing, Skylar tried to focus on where the skin ended and she began, where her seal form gave way to human flesh. She tried to focus on the feeling of her human skin, the feeling of her cheekbones and her ears that stuck out from the side of her head. As she imagined this, she was able to do a shrugging motion with her shoulders, and felt the seal skin begin to slough off her head, falling back like a hood against her back. Her human face was now revealed, though the rest of her remained in the seal form. “Please don’t take my backpack.” She whispered, staring at the man intently.

He felt like he was on a trip of some kind as the head of the seal seemed to shift unnaturally. He stopped in his retreat to watch with concern as the head seemed to distort and fall away. The head of someone underneath had him lose his balance. He knew of selkies, he truly did. But he’d never seen one, and he most certainly had never expected the image he was looking at. “Your-” Jared cut himself off and instantly -without losing eye contact- put the backpack next to where he’d fallen on his backside in the sand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t. My brain- I didn't think - I didn’t know you weren’t a real seal.” He stumbled to apologize. I thought someone had left it here and gone swimmin- I mean I guess you did.” He trailed off in an awkward laugh. “Sorry there. I uh… fuck I really messed up there huh?” he cringed thinking about how he’d dropped his glamour. Stupid. Stupid move. 

Skylar squinted, her ears straining to hear as she tried to read his lips-- being stuck between forms was… uncomfortable. She could feel her body trying to use whiskers that were no longer on her face to sense the vibrations that had been sent through the water when he’d fallen backwards. Instead, she had the familiar muted dullness of sound that she’d lived with her entire life again. Swallowing, she shook her head. “It’s mine. Please don’t take it.” She repeated, though the words came out with a burbling sound. Clearing her throat, she spoke up clearer, hoping she was enunciating well. It was hard trying to act human while the rest of her was very much still an animal. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” She asked.

Jared leaned forward when she started to speak to him. Trying to catch the words she said more clearly. “I won’t, I won’t take it. I didn’t mean to try and steal it. It just seemed like someone had lost it!” he responded with an apologetic tone. He felt stupid to not have considered that the seal might be a selkie. He knew there were some in town, he knew they existed. And yet he’d been dumb and not conncted any of the dots. The nymph shook his head instantly when she asked if he’d hurt her. “No no! I won’t touch you! I pro- I really won’t.” he tried to insist. He really needed to get a better handle on promises lately. His brain was so readily trying to bind him to anything.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Skylar muttered to herself, “I should have hidden it better.” She said before blinking curiously at the way that he stumbled over his words. “You won’t hurt me?” She asked again, still a little wary. “Give me a second, okay? I don’t know if I can fully…” She did her best to gesture to herself with her chin. “I’ve never been stuck between like this before.” Skylar said before shrugging slightly, feeling her seal skin slide back on her face. In seal form once more, she dipped under the water. Her whiskers flicked out in the water as she swam up to the shoreline and flopped up onto the rocks. Her fur rubbed against the gravel as she focused on sliding up and out of her skin. Her limbs stretched, bones rearranged, her skin slipping free until it hung limp and lifeless around her shoulders. Though she was wearing a bathing suit, she kept her skin draped over her body like a towel. Shivering, more out of fear than from cold, she looked at the man. “What.. are you?” She asked cautiously.

Her face vanished and Jared wondered if he’d offended her so much that she was just going to leave him there and maybe swim to the other side of the lake to leave the water. If she even was going to at all. He wasn’t very well educated on selkies. But Instead he watched her travel out of the water and up onto the beach. He looked away when the whole of her body started to shift like her head had earlier. Looking back only when she spoke again. Standing up to respectfully offer her the backpack back. “Sorry about trying to take this.” he said again awkwardly before returning back to his spot a nice distance away and sitting back down. “I’m a nymph. You know, fae and all. I didn’t mean to, I know the horns are a little spooky.” He laughs lightly. 

Accepting the backpack with a cautious hand, Skylar kept her eyes on him and watched as he retreated away from her. Even if he wasn’t leaving, at least he had given her some space. Pulling on her shorts, she kept the skin wrapped around her as she fished her hearing aids out from their case. Skylar slipped them on and felt a slight amount of ease wash over her as the sound returned to her. “A nymph?” She said, tilting her head as she stared at him and slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Wait, you’re a fae? Not a de--” She cut herself off and swallowed. She didn’t really know how a Fae would feel about being compared to a demon. But, she’d had no idea that fae could even look like that.

He watched her curiously as she opened a little case from her bag and fiddled with them sliding onto her ears. His mouth formed a small o as he understood perhaps why they had been getting nowhere earlier. Maybe she hadn’t been able to hear him properly. But Jared didn’t comment. “Yeah, fae. Nymph of a natural aspect of the world. Just like google tells anyone who asks” he joked. “I am sorry for misinterpreting what you were trying to get across, and not realizing sooner what you were. I’m not very quick on the uptake a lot of the time, anyone could tell you.” he shrugs with a small laugh at himself. He was who he was, and he tended to find himself in these types of situations more often than the average person. Then again, he definitely wasn’t an average person, just like the girl he was sitting with who’d just shed her skin. 

“A natural aspect of..? What? I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean by that. Do you… Do you talk to animals?” Skylar asked, not entirely certain what to make of his words. There wasn’t anything about what he was saying that made sense to her, but she was going to try and figure this out. As he continued to apologize, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. Pulling the skin tighter around herself, she padded over and sat next to him on the ground. “It’s okay. I don’t really think I can communicate with people-- or nymphs-- when I’m like that. I um… don’t really know a lot about this sort of thing.” She said with a wince. 

Jared didn’t want to spook her any more than he already had. He knew how ‘vicious creatures’ sounded to other people. And even if he didn’t feel it was a bad thing to be vicious it was likely this girl wouldn’t be so fond of the idea. “Nymphs deal in nature. From tiny things to vast multiple areas. I personally deal with vicious creatures...you know...those critters in town that most class as ‘dangerous’. I can’t directly talk to them I suppose, it’s more a...soul connection and an understanding? It’s easier to make that connection when I don’t have the human suit on.” he jokes prodding himself in the cheek and then brushing his hand over his hair where horns had been before. He glanced at her when she sat down next to him and rewarded her with a smile. “So a selkie right? Can I ha- No. May I know your name?”

“Vicious creatures…” Skylar repeated, trying to wrap her head around what he meant by that. Did he control them? Or was he like a representative of them..? Kind of like an Avatar of creatures? Swallowing, she curled her knees into her chest as she stared at him. He looked like a normal guy, like any other White Crest resident that she might pass by on the street. But, the horns that had sprouted from his head, the flash of purple in his eyes-- she knew that wasn’t the case at all. “Human suit? Are you… do you come out of your skin?” She asked, eyes widening slightly. She shouldn’t be that surprised, mostly because she had no room to talk. She’d just done the same thing. But, she hadn’t ever thought of things being the other way around. Of putting on a human suit and walking around in it like that, all while knowing you weren’t human at all. “Oh… My name is Skylar.” She said with a nod. “What’s yours?”

“Yeah. Some of the least loved, but someone has to look out for them right? They’re part of nature just as much as everyone else.” Jared confirmed with a small shrug and a smile. “I call them my kids. They’re not all bad, they just tend to have learned that they are better off being vicious. Don’t get me wrong. Neither side of that debate is right or wrong. Protecting yourself and your kin is the same struggle from both them and the humans perspective. I’m just trying to help find the balance I guess?”  Maybe it was more explanation than she wanted, but he felt the need to explain, to make up for all the misinterpretation they’d struggled through moments before. Better to be clear from the start. “Not really, but sort of? Fae can do this thing called glamouring. It’s like a fake...illusion we can put on things. And I put it on myself to look human.” He explained further. “But it’s not like what you do with yours, which is awesome by the way I’ve always been intrigued by selkies. Never really met one before.” He smiled. “I’m Jared though, nice to meet you.” 

Though she wasn’t sure how she felt about that, Skylar could admit that he had a point. There were things out there that she might not entirely understand but, they were a part of nature. Just the same as she was. That thought made her face fall and she cast a look at the water's edge, looking at the reflection that was cast back at her. The memory of the desperate, crumpled form that had stared back at her sent a shiver down her spine and Skylar turned her gaze back to the strange man. “An illusion-- so you can hide how you look with magic?” She asked confused. Could Winston do something like that? “Oh. Um… thanks.” Skylar said awkwardly. She hated the way she transformed. She hated everything about it. The strange sensation of new appendages, of flippers and fur and whiskers. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d never really met another selkie before either, not properly. “Mhm. Nice to meet you too.” 

Skylar seemed lost in thought as he spoke and Jared didn’t want to overstep and ask her what she was thinking about that. He just let her look into the water, not prying like he wanted to. It wasn't his place, he was just a stranger after all. “Yeah sort of, not magic like uh...spellcaster magic. More like illusion, fae are known for tricks right? I suppose it’s like a trick of the light sort of thing maybe?” He wasn’t fully on top of how it was done himself, being raised human had really inhibited his understanding of his own kind. He was only just really coming around to all the terms and feelings he should have known since he arrived. Maybe he was talking absolute gibberish. “But how do you do what you do? Is it like a….sorta zipper situation or?” He was excited to know. He’d never had anyone to ask before. 

“Oh, okay.” Skylar nodded, trying to act as though all of this made sense, even though all of this was sending her head spinning. A trick of the light, and Fae played tricks… She remembered how the strange girl she’d met by the lake had said as much-- Mina. What was it about the lake that attracted Fae, she wondered. At his questions, Skylar flinched slightly, curling in further into herself. The warmth of the pelt around her did nothing to comfort her. If anything, it made her lack of understanding all the more obvious. She didn’t know how it worked. “I don’t really know. It’s not a zipper, though.” She said, thinking about the long slit that ran down the center of her skin. “It’s… I don’t know. I’ve never really talked about this before.”

“What does it feel like?” he asked curiously, however the look on her face and the tone of her voice had him back tracking quickly. Jared felt guilty as he spoke again, he’d overstepped like he’d been trying not to, or at least that’s how he perceived it. “You don’t have to answer that. It’s probably really personal. I don’t mean to pry I just know I have a lot to learn you know? All this great stuff around town to find out, you don’t often get to ask these sorts of things.”

If she could, Skylar would have willed the earth to swallow her up right then and there. All of this man-- nymph? Fae? All of Jared’s questions were weighing heavily on her in a way that reminded her all the more that she had no idea what she was doing. She might know what she was in name, but as far as living… existing as this thing? No. She didn’t know anything about it. She didn’t understand anything about what she was. “I’m really not the best person to ask.” She said miserably before looking at him with a pained expression. “I don’t know anything about this. Or about what I do.”

The look on her face was almost too much. “Maybe we have too much in common,” Jared said gently. He wanted to reach out and pat her arm, offer some comfort. But they were still only strangers. “Were you… did you not know for a long time? Laughably long for how obviously you were different?” He both wanted to be right, for the camaraderie that came with having a similar story. But he also wanted to be incredibly wrong, to have the pain in her eyes from something different, something he didn’t know the crashing feeling of.

How did he know that? How could he know that? Skylar stared at the smooth rocks that glinted in the moonlight, her eyes as blue and as unreadable as the sea. “Mhm. Something… something like that.” She said before clearing her throat. “I-- thank you for not running off with my backpack. Or hurting me,” Or selling me to Satan, because I’m still not sure that you’re not a demon. “I just, I need to go home. I can’t-- I can’t be out here for too long. It’s not safe for me.” She said, her fingers trailing down to touch the scar on the back of her leg instinctively. “But I… If you want to talk, somewhere else, when we’re not alone in the woods,” Skylar dug around in her backpack, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen to scrawl her number and online information down. “Let me know.” She said with a nod. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you like that, I didn’t mean to try and steal your backpack, and I really would not hurt you.” Jared responded to each snippet of thanks he received. He felt guilty still that he’d worried her enough to show herself like she had. It didn’t seem fair. Jared watched her write down her details and took the paper with what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “Maybe next time we talk I won’t scare you into next week, or steal anything from you.” He added on as she stood up and he did the same. “I can tell you about how I didn’t know I was fae until I was told...despite growing horns.” And with that he raised a hand and bowed his head backing away from her to carry on his walk. He had a little more to think about it. He  hadn’t considered there’d be more like him. He stood corrected.