#i think it was like a museum visit for him. we were supposed to play videogames but he found his surroundings more entertaining i guess xD

[the-badger-mole]

Clouds, Fog and Mists

The scholars and archeologists that Aang had been working with had come out of their museum basements and dimly lit studies with a wealth of Air Nomad histories and artifacts that had been lost during the war. Aang now had access to recipes he hadn't tasted in years, scrolls that gave historical context to the things he had just begun learning at age 12, and objects he had never seen, but was excited to learn the use of. At 22, he was just now learning that the Air Nomads had a variety of subcultures and customs he'd never encountered, even though he had visited every Air Temple that existed back then.

"Did you know..." became as common to his vocabulary as "hello" and "custard tart". Every day, he approached his wife with some new bit of lore he'd learned.

"Did you know that the Southern Air Nomads had a Festival of Remembrance?" he'd excitedly asked as Katara was hanging the laundry out to try. She was only half listening while she tried to keep Bumi, their nearly three year old son out of the basket of wet sheets, but she gave a polite hum of encouragement.

"For a whole week," Aang continued needing no further prompting, "no one was allowed to play music or speak. They even wore velvet over their feet so their footsteps wouldn't be too loud. Then, at the end of it, there was a huge party! Loud as anything with music and plays and games. I think I remember going one of those ending parties, but I didn't know about the vow of silence before it."

"That's fascinating, sweetie," Katara said, rubbing her heavy belly with a look of discomfort. She was seven months along with their second child, and this one was very active. "Bumi, last warning. Do not touch the clean clothes!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Bumi said before swatting at one of the sheets Katara had hung on the line. She sighed and turned to her husband.

"Can you take him?" she asked. "I'm tired, and I'd like to take a nap after I finish this."

"Oh," Aang said reluctantly. "I was going to have an afternoon session with the Acolytes. I'm dying to tell them what I've been learning."

"Aang, please?" Katara sagged tiredly, taking Bumi's hand and pulling him away from all her hard work.

"Alright," Aang sighed. "I'll watch him for a bit. Come on, Bumi! Let's go practice some air katas! I want you to be ready when your airbending kicks in!"

-:-:-:-:-:-

All Air Nomads were airbenders. That's what Aang had always been taught. He had to account for late bloomers, of course, but at age four, going on five, if Bumi was going to be an airbender, there would've been signs by now. Kya was a lost cause. She had started waterbending just before her second birthday, and despite the fact that her father was the Avatar, there was no chance that she would inherit the ability to control more than one element.

"Well, maybe it's not true that all Air Nomads were benders," Katara said with a shrug. "After all, not every Water Tribesman is a waterbender, and not everyone in the Earth Kingdom is an earthbender."

"It's different," Aang insisted. "The monks told me that all Air Nomads were benders because we have a unique connection with our spirituality." Katara didn't quite manage to hide her annoyance from him.

"Then explain our kids," she said. "Unless you're the first Air Nomad in history to have children with a non-Air Nomad, someone somewhere got something wrong." Aang went quiet after that. He had no response.

"Just because the Air Nomads may have had children with people from other nations doesn't mean that their children were Air Nomads," an acolyte named Qiao said. She was one of the most apt and studious of Aang's Air Acolytes, and they had spent many hours together pouring over the newly discovered texts. Sometimes, Aang thought that she had a better grasp of Air Nomad culture than even he did.

"I suppose....I suppose that's true," Aang said thoughtfully, taking a sip of his tea.

"The Air Nomads were mostly not monogamous," Qiao pointed out. "I'm sure there were a lot of Nomads who had understandings with their lovers from other nations. Especially among the Air Acolytes of the day."

Aang pondered that for the rest of the day. Then the next. Then the rest of the week before he finally approached Katara. He found her by the fountain with Kya and Bumi. Kya was busy making imperfect little shapes with the water while Katara was teaching Bumi how to put his hair into a warrior's wolf tail.

"You look just like your uncle Sokka," she laughed, pressing a kiss on her son's cheek. "I bet you'll be a great warrior just like him, too." That twisted Aang's gut uncomfortably. He cleared his throat to get Katara's attention.

"Hey, sweetie," he said.

"Hey," Katara smiled at him. "We're just about to have story time. Do you want to stick around for How Umiak Rowed Her Boat to the Stars?"

"Oh, um..."Aang shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Sure. I was just...thinking of something."

"Yeah?" Katara raised her brow at him. "What?"

"I was just thinking of how all the Air Nomads were benders." Katara didn't bother trying to hide her disgusted snort or the rolling of her eyes.

"Okay, and?" she huffed. "Did you draw any new conclusions?"

"I can't have been the only Air Nomad to have children with someone from a different culture," he said. Katara stared at him blankly for a long moment.

"I told you that," she responded finally. "It's just now sinking in?'

"No, I understood you," Aang told her. He kicked at the ground. There was a loose pebble under his toe and he focused on rolling it back and forth. "It's just...well, the Air Nomads, they weren't strictly monogamous."

"Monogamous," Katara scoffed. "That's a big word for you." Aang bristled a bit at that, but he took a breath and let it go.

"I was just reading," Aang said with a shrug. "It occurred to me that maybe because the Air Nomads weren't monogamous, they just didn't bring their non-bending kids into the Air Nomad society." Katara looked up at Aang with her eyes wide.

"That's awful!" she said. "So because their kids didn't bend the right elements, they had to be cut off from one of their parents?"

"No, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that-" Aang started to protest.

"What exactly are you saying, Aang?" There was a dangerous edge to Katara's voice. A warning.

"Nothing, nothing!" he scrambled back, tripping over his tongue, trying to call back his words, and cursing himself for trying to bring up the subject without a plan. Katara eyed him coldly. She was angry and trying not to show it.

"It's time for lunch," she told her children. "Let's go inside and fix something to eat."

"But Mommy," Bumi protested. "I want to hear about Umiak!" Katara turned to him with a tight smile.

"That's okay, sweetie," she said. "I'll tell you while you help me fix lunch." With one last scowl at Aang, she took Bumi's hand and swung Kya up onto her hip and went inside.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Aang felt vindicated when it was discovered that he and Qiao were right. The Air Nomads would often leave non-airbending children with their non-Nomad parents. Sometimes the Air Nomad parent would stay with their non-Nomad partners and build a life with them and their children (something he made a note to tell Katara about). Then it was discovered that they were only partially right.

Some of the Air Nomads stayed and raised mixed heritage families. Some left their non-airbending children behind with their non-Nomad partners. That was expected. Reasonable, even. What Aang was not expecting, however, were the accounts of non-airbending children being given away. Some were adopted, and those adoptions were traceable through documents and letters. Others were sold. Those transactions were traceable, too. By most accounts, those children went into indentured servitude and many of them learned trades and were able to start businesses once their indenture was up. Aang tried to focus on the positives. Katara, however, was horrified.

"What right did they have to sell those children into...into slavery?" she demanded hotly while they were getting ready for bed.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Aang insisted. "After all, the Air Nomads wouldn't have put children into situations where they could've been hurt."

"Yes," Katara sneered. "I'm sure their new owners were very gentle with their exploitation."

"That isn't fair!" Aang protested. "Do you know how difficult it would've been for those kids to live among the Nomads?"

"Probably about as easy as it's been for our kids." Katara glared at Aang meaningly. He felt his cheeks heat as he looked away, pretending not to understand.

Bumi was going on eight now, and Kya was five. They were both old enough to ask questions about why it was so difficult for them to move around their own home. Katara and the Acolytes had an easier time being adults and able to maneuver obstacles that short legs and small hands couldn't without help, but it was still a regular challenge to get around the Air Temple for them. Aang was in the process of building a complex near Republic City where non-airbending Acolytes could live and learn with more ease, but it wouldn't be ready for anyone to move into for another year or so. It would be safer for children with no airbending ability, too. Aang glanced over at Katara from the corner of his eye, at the soft swell of her stomach, already showing signs of pregnancy at her second month.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Tenzin was the last of Aang's children with Katara, and the only airbender. When he was almost one, he airbent for the first time, and Aang couldn't stop celebrating for an entire week. When Tenzin was two, the first of the burial mounds were discovered.

Archaeologists working at the mostly restored Northern Air Temple found it at the base of the mountain. There were several layers to the grave, suggesting generations' worth of use. Most of the bones were small. Infant and toddler sized. The largest bones were about the size of an average eight year old. The bones were all jumbled together, as if they had been tossed in a heap. Some of them wore the clothes they were buried in, but most of the bones were too broken to hang on to any frabric. There were also no signs of any shrouds or anything indicating that they had been given any of the customary funeral rites of the Air Nomads. The fact that they were found at the base of the mountain in itself was unusual. All the different groups of Air Nomads had their own unique funeral customs, but one thing that remained the same was that they were laid to rest as close to the sky as possible.

When the first reports of how the children came to be at the base of the mountain came out, Aang was certain it was the rankest propaganda. None of the Air Nomads, no matter how stringent they were about non-airbenders living among them, would ever harm a child. For a while, he seemed to be right, as all the proof was from secondary and tertiary sources.

"Lies the Fire Nation used to justify genocide," Aang said confidently.

"But how did the children get there?" Katara asked. Aang had no answer for her. Yet. There must have been a good one, though. Maybe a plague had run through the Air Temple, forcing them to bury the bodies at the bottom of the mountain to prevent contamination, or something equally tragic. Aang began talking to the archaeologists about giving the bones a proper burial as soon as they could be sorted. The count at that time was 700 bodies in the pile and there were still so many more to go.

A few months after that, the oldest of the Air Nomad accounts were uncovered. It went back a good 300 years, and it spoke about a surplus of infants born without the gift of airbending. There were too many to be disposed of the normal ways, and many of the non-bending parents were unwilling or unable to raise the children themselves. The anonymous monk wrote of a meeting to discuss the crisis. They wouldn't be able to care for so many that couldn't get around the temple, or travel with the Nomads. There was a food shortage. A water shortage. An everything shortage. So the head monk suggested giving the children to the air. That had been the first time the practice had been recorded, near as anyone could tell. But some of the bones were older than that.

That's what they called it. It sounded lovely. Poetic even. In practice, though, the babies were carried to the edge of the temple grounds and held in the air. A short prayer was said for the souls of the children, and then they just...let go. They were so high up, they probably couldn't hear the children hit the ground.

The public began to call them the Fog Children. They were babies born to Air Nomad parents, but without airbending abilities themselves. People clung to the term and it soon spread all over the world in hushed whispers. Aang hated it. Katara hated it. It was the only thing they could agree on by that time.

"It isn't fair!" Aang bemoaned. "It's like people are using it to justify the Fire Nation killing all the Air Nomads."

"If it bothers you so much," Katara said after she'd put the kids to bed, "then speak up! Condemn what they did."

"I do!" Aang insisted. He had protested, loudly that all of the Air Nomads shouldn't be judged by what one fringe sect did.

"Not just them," Katara said. "All of it. It's just like with the Fire Nation. Remember what Zuko said? You can't expect to move forward without acknowledging the past. All of it was wrong. The Air Nomads treated their non-bending children as if they had no value. Condemn the adoptions and abandonings and the selling of the children!"

"How is it my responsibility to make up for all of that?" Aang demanded.

"You're the only one left," Katara reminded him, trying to be gentle. "I'm not saying you have to call the Air Nomads monsters. They did something wrong. They were human. You can acknowledge that and commit to being better than that."

"How?"

"Start with your children."

It had been a frequent argument between Katara and Aang how Aang treated their children. Bumi was 13 now, well on his way to becoming a man. Kya was 11 and Tenzin was five. Often, Katara would quiz Aang on his children- what Kya's favorite color was, or the name of Bumi's best friend. Aang could admit that he was correct about Tenzin more often than the others, but it was only because Aang had so much he had to teach his youngest. Katara should've understood that. After all, there were things she did with Kya that she couldn't do with Bumi or Tenzin.

"It's not the same," Katara told him. Aang could never remember why, though.

For the next year or so, Aang spent much of his time doing damage control. He did his best to separate the practices at the Northern Air Temple and the particular sect of Air Nomad culture that grew around it from the rest of the Air Nomads. Every criticism of the culture was met sharply by Aang's rebuttals and justifications. Penning article after article espousing the virtues of the Air Nomads at large became his full time job, and obsession. It took him two weeks to notice that Katara had left with all three of his children, and another month for him to find the letter Katara had left in his bedside table telling him she was seeking a divorce.

He got Tenzin three months of the year. It was all he could manage, being completely unused to parenting alone. Aang taught his son what he could of airbending and the Nomad philosophy he could in that time, and did his best to ignore the people whispering fog children in the same breath as his oldest children.

[luvvvivii]

tour guide — c.bc

pairing - bangchan x mom!reader

genre - fluff, imagine

wc - 1.3k (1,357)

warnings - not proofread (are we surprised), no pronouns used but reader has a kid and is called mommy/mom, mentions reader's ex-husband leaving her/cheating, lmk if more

a/n - late bday post for chan! hope you enjoy

synopsis - taking your five year old out to a museum was supposed to be educational, so why is the tour guide stealing your heart?

it was saturday, and you were out with your son visiting the museum for the latest dinosaur exhibition. he had always been fascinated by the extinct creatures, and had grown a keen liking to them. that was the reason why almost all his possessions were dinosaur-themed.

"mommy, mommy, look! that man has a dinosaur on his hand!" your 5 year old, hajoon, broke you from your daydream with a tug on your fingers, pointing towards a figure in front of you. the man, indeed, had a dinosaur puppet propped on his hand, playing with the kids that gathered around him. with urgent pulls from your little boy, you were suddenly standing in front of said man, with your hajoon looking up at him in awe.

"hi kids! and guardians," the man started, acknowledging all the adults with a smile. "my name is chan, and I'll be your museum guide for today. if all the little ones could go over there for a second whilst I talk to the adults, and then we can get started shortly!" chan pointed towards the large play area behind him, adorned with bright walls, plenty of equipment and, of course, dinosaur figures everywhere. you urged hajoon to go play, and even make some new friends, whilst you listened to what the tour guide — who you noticed was also quite good looking — had to say.

"so, as I mentioned, my name is chan. I've been working here a while, so trust me, I've got experience. and, I promise to make this a fun and educational experience for your little ones. you guys won't have to do much, basically just follow us around and take care of your kid while I do all the work. pretty laid-back for you guys." chan explained. you tried your hardest listening to what he was saying, but now that you were much closer, you were forced to take in all of his features. they were so defined, and beautiful, you couldn't help but stare. all of a sudden, he turned and made eye contact with you. it stayed like that for a bit, until you realised he was saying something directed towards you.

"erm, I think your kid's calling you?" he pointed to something behind you, and when you turned around you were met with hajoon's impatient whines. it was safe to say, you were completely embarrassed. "r-right…sorry!" you rushed over to your child, and looked after his needs straight away, before immediately entering a mode of shame. you hadn't seen it, but chan chuckled in seeing your embarrassment. "cute." he mumbled to himself impulsively.

soon enough, the museum tour was starting, and the kids were already riled up. they were running around, admiring all the exhibits, chatting amongst each other softly ; it was pretty obvious that they'd finally gotten to know one another. you glanced over at hajoon, and smiled to yourself at seeing him growing a close bond with one other girl, whose name you'd learn later on to be sumin. you had a feeling of guilt over taking you, however. despite coming here to have a great time with your little boy, all you could focus on was chan. your eyes always lingered on him a second longer than they should, and you felt your heart fluttering when your eyes met. despite all the promises you made to yourself when hajoon was born, you couldn't help but slightly fall for the cute tour guide in front of you.

when you were pregnant with your boy, a month before you'd gone into labour, your (ex-)husband had announced that he'd found another woman he was interested in, and therefore no longer wanted to stay with you. it broke your heart into too many pieces to count, but you knew you had to stay strong for hajoon. even if his biological father wouldn't be there to see it, you would look after hajoon as if you had no other care in the world, and you would execute it beautifully. you had also promised yourself that, unless you were 100% sure you were ready, you wouldn't get with another man. the obvious part was that you still felt the struggles of your ex-husband leaving you, and it tore your heart out every single day. the only problem was, were you sure you weren't ready to try to find someone new? someone who could love hajoon as much — if not, more — than you?

it took a while, but you had finally reached halfway through the exhibition. in all honesty, you had no idea what was going on half the time. but seeing hajoon's overjoyed face almost broke you to tears of happiness. you turned from hajoon's direction to behind you, where you were met with soft, loving eyes. chan's glance towards you felt…odd. not in a bad way, but it was still quite odd. it made you feel things you didn't think you'd ever feel in a while, but you weren't complaining anymore. this could be like your own little adventure, just like hajoon's.

but what if you were getting ahead of yourself? what if he always looked so caring to everyone? you were just getting tied up in something which wasn't even true.

"okay everyone! it's time to continue, up on your feet now." his sweet voice rung across the museum. you wondered, should I just give it a chance?

eventually, the museum tour eventually all came to an end. your five year old was dejected to have to leave, but immediately changed his mind when he saw they were giving out free dinosaur related toys. he rushed over, dismissing you with a quick "you can wait with the car mom!" with this, you took it as an opportunity to make small talk with the tour guide. eventually even lead it to a bigger picture.

"hi there, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was the mom of one of the kids from the tour? hajoon?" you were fidgeting a bit, rethinking the choices that you made.

"yes! I've definitely noticed you, don't worry! is there anything you need?" chan's face contorted into one of concern.

"no no! I'm okay! I just…" you were doing it. you were actually doing it. you would be asking for the cute tour guide's number, but would he actually give it to you? that was when you looked up to finally meet chan's eyes. they were still wearing a hint of concern behind them, and his head was cocked slightly to the side.

"I just wanted to say thank you for making all the children so happy." you sighed, slightly annoyed at yourself for chickening out, although you did really mean what you said.

"of course! this is my job of course~ but in all seriousness, I really try to make them as happy as possible, how else would they enjoy it?" you giggled slightly at his response, before bidding him farewell and turning around to get hajoon.

"wait!" you paused and whipped your head back towards chan. "erm, don't take this in the wrong way but, are you a single mother? I mean, all the other kids had both their parents come, but with hajoon it was just you?" you nodded, to which he responded with a small "ah." and looked down.

"also, if you were cool with it — which if you're not, it's totally fine! I understand — but could I maybe get your number? just to keep in touch sometimes! because I think you're pretty cool, and hajoon's pretty cool! argh, this is totally not right, I'm so sorry. but—" you cut his trail of thought as you pulled out your phone and showed him your number. he looked relieved, running his hands through his dark brown locks. he typed in your number and saved it, sending you a small text so that you could do the same. you said your final goodbyes and promised to stay in contact with one another.

you never thought you'd be able to love another as much as you loved your ex-husband, but maybe when chan came along, fate decided to change that.

©@luvvvivii all rights reserved | do not repost or translate

[potatowithahat]

A doctor's notepad

A sdv Harvey fic

Winter 28th year 0

       Well I guess this is a thing. My psychiatrist in Zuzu city recommended keeping a journal to help with anxiety and loneliness. I guess I'll uh… see how this thing works out. It will probably be pretty short entries though. I'm a busy man after all. Why am I writing this like someone's expecting to read them? This is silly. I'm going to bed

                                              -Harvey, the doctor 

Spring 1, year 1

       Well Luis tells me there's a new farmer in town! Good for business,  I suppose. I need the extra money. And frankly that farm was a hazard either way. I can't even count anymore the amount of scrapes and bruises Jaz and Vincent have come in with from playing out there. Its practically part of the forest now. Whoever they are is going to have a hell of a time cleaning that mess up.

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Spring 7, year 1

       I guess I spoke too soon about that old farm. Seems the farmers got it fixed up nice enough. I was at Pierre's for groceries Friday and I overheard Pierre talking about how they've been buying lots of seeds. Then, when I went to the museum yesterday I found they have made a deal with Gunther to donate artifacts! I saw them on the way home but they walked passed me with there head down. I think they might be a bit shy. 

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Spring 8, Year 1

       The Farmer came in and brought me coffee this morning!!!! They apologized for being rude yesterday and said it was a good will gift. I told them it was no problem,  and how much I appreciated the coffee.  They just nodded and headed off, citing some chores they had back at the farm. They were very nice about it. I felt like they were in a hurry to leave though. 

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Spring 9, year 1

       The Farmer brought me another coffee today! I think Maru might have told her I liked it. Or maybe they still feel bad? I'm not quite sure. They just walked up to my desk, sat the coffee down and quickly walked out. It felt a little odd. Other then that George has a cough. I need to talk about it with him.

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Spring 13, year 1

The Farmers been bringing me coffee ever since the seventh. They're very quiet about it though, just setting it on my desk. I'm still not used to it. They sought me out at the egg Festival today however!!!! She was telling me how much they loved dieing and searching for eggs as a kid.  They got so animated about it but stopped themselves and apologized. They walked away before I could say how much I was enjoying the conversation. I'll have to talk to them later.

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Spring 24, year 1

       I almost asked the farmer to dance with me. Almost. I couldn't go through with it though. I didn't have the Nerve and I mean.. who am I to ask? I'm just the town doctor. I think she asked Shane,  but he must have turned her down because he was still dancing with Penny. I stayed with Maru,  as always. We had a good time. Couldn't help but notice the farmer glancing over at me now and then. Or maybe it was just because I was so focused on them? Not sure 

                                              -Harvey, the doctor

Don't you fret, there will be more in the near future!!!

Thank you so much for reading

Edit: part two is live!! Find it here!

If you'd like to read more of my stories, feel free to visit my Ao3, or check out my masterlist here on tumblr!!!

As always I'm a little gremlin when it comes to writing so if you have any fic ideas please feel free to drop an ask!!!!

Also I'd love to thank @minnieplier-blog for the idea from there lovely ask!!!!

[starwarsmum]

Maribat Mix & Match Monster Mash day 5, Has Anyone Told You How Creepy You Are? & Haunted

It was Halloween and Marinette wished she wasn't on duty on the Watchtower. She normally would be out with her friends, a bunch of them having decided to tour the Manoir de Paris, an old textile factory turned wax museum turned haunted house. It was supposed to be terrifying and Marinette had long since wanted to go.

But, unfortunately, as it was her first year at the Watchtower, she had to be on duty, which was easier if she was there. She sighed as she watched Chat Noir, her partner, chatted happily with the vigilante from Gotham, Nightwing. They were getting along like a house on fire, punning reflexively and it made Marinette want to shove her fist in her mouth and scream.

“What's up, Buginette?” Chat asked at last, when her latest meaningful sigh passed through his pun-contest bubble. She shrugged, not feeling like explaining her feeling of melancholy. But he understood anyway - they'd been partners for so long, it was hard not to have a sixth sense for what the other was thinking. “Ah, Halloween. C'mon Bug, it's just one year. Besides, look, Nightwing decorated up here too!”

“It's not the same, kitty. Not that I don't want to be here,” she said hastily, for Nightwing’s benefit. He chuckled, waving a dismissive hand for her to continue. “It's just that Halloween is so much fun and our friends are out tonight and we can't be.”

“Yeah, that does suck. Hey, why don't I tell you a ghost story from Gotham?” Nightwing said, perking up. Chat cheered and Marinette scooted closer, intrigued. “Okay, so, a long time ago, there lived a boy named Jason Todd. He was a street rat, raised by his mother until the age of twelve when a wealthy benefactor took him in.

“But the benefactor had a dark secret, and Jason found it out. He lived with the man for three years until Jason died, tragically, under mysterious circumstances. The man took in another child, but Jason’s spirit haunted the halls of their home. And one night, the new child was playing and found Jason's name scrawled in a book. He spoke it aloud, and his new home grew chill. He spoke it a second time and the lights flickered.

“Before he could say it a third time, his benefactor stopped him, demanding to know what was going on. The child was confused, but did as he was told. But he told others of the strange happenings, and they spread the word, as people do. And they say, if you say Jason's name three times, without interruption, his ghost will appear to haunt you, and take revenge against the man who killed him.”

There was a silence thick with tension that followed the end of the tale until Chat gave a low whistle and told Nightwing he would make an excellent performer. This made Nightwing very amused and he suggested that they could watch a scary movie to pass the time, if they wanted.

So when the next Halloween approached, and Marinette wasn't on guard duty at the Watchtower, she knew immediately what she wanted to do. She rang around all of her friends and suggested they take a trip to Gotham for Halloween, to find a gothic graveyard and tell horror stories.

It went better than she could have hoped, each of her friends sounding enthusiastic about the plans. She chose a Red Riding Hood costume template and got to work on it immediately. By the time Halloween actually arrived, she was pleased with the result and dressed herself eagerly. 

Once she was fully ready, she met up with the others at Chloé's penthouse and Max made them a portal so they could visit Gotham without dealing with long flights. She justified it to herself by saying that they would be going home before the morning, but she knew it was very on the edge of being responsible with the Miraculous.

She and Adrien had conspired to tell the Story of Jason Todd with a few flairs thrown in. Once everyone was settled, she suggested someone tell a story and the night passed slowly, with gruesome tales, some of them classics, like the White Lady of Chateau de Brissac, and some that were fabrications (Nino, notably told an excellently spooky one). When it was finally Marinette's turn, she told her story.

“...and they say, if you say his name three times in a row, his ghost appears. And on a night like tonight, when the veil is thinnest, he can appear any time, any place.” Marinette concluded her story and focused on not looking at Adrien.

“Jason Todd…” a voice crept through the graveyard, hissing low. The group fell into a dead silence, people glancing left and right nervously. It hissed again, “Jason Todd…” Alya was gripping tight to Nino’s wrist now, pale but scared to move. Fog began to creep along the ground as they heard, a third time, “Jason Todd…”

“What the fuck are you all doing out here?”

Pandemonium erupted, screams and sobbing all around. Marinette leapt to her feet, electrified. Standing in the shadows nearby was freaking Red Hood, his helmet glinting in the candlelight. He looked annoyed and slightly confused, if a person in a helmet could show emotions. 

Suddenly, a blur leaped at Red Hood, knocking him off his feet with a grunt. Standing above the helmeted vigilante was Alix, who had a scythe as part of her costume and was using it to smack said helmet repeatedly.

“Everyone freeze,” Marinette screeched, grabbing hold of the scythe and yanking it out of the smaller woman's grip. “Mon dieu, Hood, has anyone told you how creepy you can be? What on earth possessed you to crash a ghost story right at the climax?”

“You mean, why would I approach a bunch of people sitting in a graveyard, all in weird costumes with a fucking smoke machine? In Gotham?” Red Hood barked back, hauling himself into a sitting position. “Do you all have any idea how often I've had to stop a fucking sacrifice because creeps think it'll give them power?” 

“...I suppose that's warranted,” Marinette said sheepishly, twirling the scythe nervously. She had been so excited about the idea of suitably scaring her friends that she hadn't considered what the resident protectors of Gotham would think about their little party. “I'm sorry, Monsieur Hood.”

“Sure thing, you're clearly not from around here, so I'll let it slide this once, gorgeous,” he said, winking at her. Marinette flushed, dropping the scythe in her fluster. She had always thought that Red Hood was attractive, ever since she had first run into him on the Watchtower, but he had never tried to flirt with her as Ladybug. “But maybe you should-”

The speaker flared back into life, starting its ominous muttering again and Red Hood froze as if something was personally hunting him. Spluttering an apology, Marinette turned the speaker off and the second ‘Jason Todd' was cut short. His helmet stayed pointing towards her as she picked it up and glanced back at him sheepishly once more.

“It was just supposed to be some Halloween fun,” Marinette offered halfheartedly. She tugged nervously on her hood, hoping he would stop staring at her. If he even was, seriously, that helmet was very intimidating when she wasn't in a super suit.

“What story were you telling?” He seemed genuinely baffled, so Marinette launched into an explanation of how her colleague friend had told her the story the previous year, and that she had heard it originated from Gotham and she wanted to have a proper Halloween for a change. 

She was pretty sure she was rambling by the end, her heart in her throat but he didn't say anything about it all. He merely muttered something before reminding them to stay safe, and leaving. 

“Amazing party, Mari,” Kim said, giving her a thumbs up.

_ _ _

Jason sat on a roof, staring out at the city moodily. He was used to dealing with idiots on Halloween, but a whole bunch of young adults, telling ghost stories? And, apparently, telling a greatly edited story of his demise. He was still in a surly mood when Dick came and joined him.

“You alright Red Hood?” He said cheerily, sitting down next to him and swinging his feet. Jason shrugged and debated whether it was worth picking a fight with Dick over it. “Man, I wish I was on the Watchtower this year, I had so much fun telling the French heroes a ghost story.”

“Man, you wouldn't have told them the ‘ghost story’ about Jason Todd, would you?” He asked suspiciously, suddenly sure that that was how the cute French chick had ended up hearing about it. When Dick went silent, Jason knew he was right. “Dude, that spread to some civilians! And there was a super hot chick dressed as red riding hood telling it. So now, if I ever meet her as a civilian, I can't tell her my name! You suck.”

“Sorry man, I didn't think it would spread! Besides, I'm sure someone will work out that it's just a rip-off of Beetlejuice, I wasn't exactly subtle.” Dick was apologetic but it didn't help Jason at all. He sighed, thinking dejectedly about cute girls in pigtails and short skirts.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Francis Drake Main Story

This is a rough translation. I’ll edit this if I find the time. Expect mistakes.

Would it be a betrayal to carry on this love?

Like the shore of a calm sea, it clung to my heart and shattered my feelings like a raging storm.

(I...)

I tightly grasped the fate entrusted to my hands.

With a snap, colorful fireworks burst against the clear blue sky.

Mitsuki: "Wow! Even the fireworks in the daytime are beautiful."

Napoleon: "Yeah. The weather's good, and there's a lively crowd here again today."

Petals were dancing in the air, and everyone was smiling and having a good time as the mansion's residents visited the venue of the World Expo in Paris.

Leonardo: "Some acquaintances of mine have mentioned that there are people similar to us who have visited multiple times."

Napoleon: "Makes sense. There's so much to see that visiting only once wouldn't do it justice."

Arthur: "Mitsuki, how about coming here alone with me next time? You know, like a date?"

Mitsuki: "Hmm, I'm flattered by the invitation, but I'll think about it."

Theo: "It seems that frivolous writers only focus on flirting when they come to a place like this."

Theo: "Broer, let's take some time to admire the paintings. Hmm? Broer, where are you?"

Vincent: "Theo, over here! Let's try riding the moving walkway!"

(Hehe, it's rare for everyone to go out together. They all seem excited.)

(Hmm?)

I smiled and suddenly saw a couple wearing kimonos pass by me.

(Japan, huh?)

I felt a sense of nostalgia and remembered when I first arrived in this era.

I traveled from Japan to France for a vacation in the 21st century.

During this trip, I slipped through a mysterious door I found at the Louvre Museum and time-slipped to 19th-century Paris, where I met historical figures from different countries and eras who live as vampires at a mansion I arrived at.

Napoleon: "Hey, Mitsuki. Is something wrong?"

Mitsuki: "Sorry, I was just spacing out."

Napoleon: "Geez, you're supposed to enjoy yourself today. If you just sit there, we'll leave you behind."

Mitsuki: "Wait, Napoleon!"

I smiled and hurriedly chased after Napoleon, who laughed wickedly, leaving behind a nostalgic feeling that touched my heart.

A few days later一

Mitsuki: "I'm back! Huh?"

Charles: "Welcome back, Mitsuki! Do you want to take a bath? Eat something? Or me? It's me, right?"

Faust: "Stop being so shameless, Charles."

Among the faces that greeted me when I returned from shopping were Faust and Charles.

They live in an old castle and would occasionally visit like this.

Mitsuki: "Welcome, both of you. What brings you here today?"

Faust: "We accompanied Lord Vlad for some business. I thought I'd also give the butler some medicine."

Sebastian: "Thank you as always, Faust."

At one point, Sebastian fell ill, and Faust prescribed him a special medicine.

Since then, Faust has occasionally checked on his condition, and Sebastian no longer complains of discomfort.

(He said he was just the right test subject for the new drug, but I'm glad Sebastian is feeling better.)

Charles: "I have a souvenir for you, Dazai. The teacher at the orphanage wants you to create a children's story."

Dazai: "Oh dear, I thought you were going to give me some delicious sweets, but it's about work."

Isaac: "Shouldn't you be grateful? Even a flaky person like you can at least be somewhat useful."

Dazai and Charles seemed to run into each other often in town and had become quite friendly.

I even sometimes saw Isaac getting caught up in their shenanigans.

Jean: "I thought it was noisy, but I didn't realize you guys were here."

Mozart: "*sigh* Has this mansion become a gathering place for vampires?"

Shakespeare: "*chuckles* The number of residents and visitors has increased so much. It's completely different from when I lived here."

Jean, Mozart, and Shakespeare came to the dining room.

Mitsuki: "I didn't know you were here, too, Shakespeare. By the way, I heard you have a new play."

Shakespeare: "I'm honored that you remembered. I came here to deliver the tickets."

Shakespeare: "My business here is done. Mitsuki, Vlad, and Comte are asking for you."

Shakespeare: "They have something they want to talk about."

(Talk?)

In the dark, quiet hallway lined with paintings, sculptures, and various antiques from different countries and eras, the sound of footsteps echoed.

The man making those footsteps lightly stroked the handle of the knife hanging at his waist with his fingertips and grinned.

Mitsuki: "Phew. The night breeze feels good."

I stepped out onto the balcony and enjoyed the coolness of the air that soothed my slightly flushed skin after having some alcohol.

The impromptu dinner party that was hastily organized because everyone had gathered together ended when Faust and Charles took Vlad, who had drunk too much wine and collapsed, home.

(Another fun day, thanks to everyone being here.)

As I thought this, I remembered what Comte and Vlad had told me earlier.

------------Flashback------------

Comte: "I've been checking the status of that door, but the other side is still not stable."

Vlad: "The door at my old castle is the same."

Comte: “The hallway appears as it cycles between abnormal and normal, but sometimes the time and space beyond it are distorted. I don't think I can send you back to your original world.”

Vlad: "I'm sorry, Mitsuki. The cause of the anomaly might be us."

Mitsuki: "What do you mean?"

Vlad: "That hallway connects to various eras. The fact that the space is distorted means that distortions are occurring in history and the world."

Their love for this world drove them to revive eternal flowers and transform historical figures into vampires, contradicting the laws of the world.

They explained that this action might be influencing the proper course of history, resulting in a warping of time and space.

Mitsuki: “No, I’m grateful that you’re investigating. But isn’t there danger involved in checking the door?”

Mitsuki: “Please don’t push yourself too hard. It’d hurt me if something were to happen to the two of you.”

Vlad: “Mitsuki.”

(Also...)

Mitsuki: “As I met everyone and spent all those precious days with them, I began to feel like this 19th century is another place I belong.”

Mitsuki: “Even if I can’t return to the 21st century, I think living here might be my destiny.”

(So please don’t worry about me.)

I conveyed this, and both Comte and Vlad nodded as if they understood my feelings.

---------Flashback Ends---------

(I really mean what I said back then.)

(Staying in this world is also one way of living for me.)

I’m fortunate to have food, shelter, and clothing, all thanks to the help of everyone in the mansion. But even considering that gratitude, everyone I’ve met has become incredibly important to me.

(I love this world. It’s a precious place for me, but...)

My feet were naturally heading towards that door.

(The world I used to live in is beyond that door.)

Thoughts of family, friends, and work that had become distant crossed my mind, and a hazy mist spread across my chest.

(If the door’s anomaly doesn’t get fixed, I have no other choice but to choose to live here.)

I do feel that way, but I don’t think it’s right to choose to live here just because there’s no other choice.

(If I keep having these negative thoughts, everyone will worry again.)

I shook my head to dispel the negative thoughts and turned my back to the door.

At that moment, I heard a creaking sound from behind.

(Huh?)

I turned around, and the door, which no one had touched, slowly opened before me.

Mitsuki: “Kyaah!?”

Then something flew out of the gap.

(Was that a bird just now!?)

Although I couldn’t see it clearly, a vivid red bird crossed my field of vision.

I followed it with my eyes, but suddenly my body was forcefully pulled back, and something cold touched my neck.

It was a dull, gleaming knife.

(---!?)

???: “The woman of destiny.”

I heard a whisper up close and felt a hand grab me, along with the presence of someone behind me.

Fear swelled within me at this sudden situation, and I turned around cautiously to meet the gaze of clear aquamarine eyes.

???: “Don’t move. This thing can cut through anything.”

???: “I’m not going to take anything away from you. Where is this place, and who are you?”

Mitsuki: “This is a mansion in 19th-century Paris. I’m Mitsuki, one of the residents.”

Mitsuki: “Who are you?”

I spoke the words in a trembling voice, and the man restraining me stared at me with unreadable eyes.

Drake: "I'm Francis. Francis Drake."

(Francis?)

Even though I heard the name, I had no idea who he was, so I continued to tense up.

Suddenly, the man let out a sigh, easing the tension.

Drake: "You've been trembling this whole time. Well, given the situation, I guess that's understandable."

Drake: "I suddenly ended up in a place like this, so I'm also confused as hell."

Drake: "Don't be too scared, little fawn."

For some reason, he called me that and grinned mischievously.

【 Masterlist ╎ Next Part 】

[oigimi]

arthur’s sequel - chapter 1

Translation notes provided at the bottom. Any text in italics is from a flashback. This process takes awhile but I’m re-falling in love with Arthur cuz of this. Pls enjoy!

There was a crescent moon in the sky the night I traveled from the Louvre Museum to 19th century Paris. It’s as if it was laughing at destiny itself…

I reminisced about it, and about my visit. I had experienced the worst encounter with “him,” and also the best love.

Arthur: Ah, you’re a good girl, so don’t act violently. Don’t be so rude and indulge in me. I’ll take care of you if you do.

With his vampire fangs peeking through, he uttered a nastily sweet whisper.

The flirtatious playboy mystery author, Arthur Conan Doyle. Even though he was the one I should’ve been the most cautious of, I became naturally drawn to him. He was like a gentle breeze caressing my cheeks.

Arthur: Well, MC. Why don’t we wager?

MC: Wager…?

Arthur: Whoever is first to kiss the other loses. When I win, I plan to capture every part of you. Your body, your heart, and even your destiny.

When we were together, it was so much fun I felt my heart soar. But the game of love was so painful it tightened my chest. Before long, I got to know the Arthur behind his smile, and the dark past he hid.

Arthur: I won’t kiss you. I can’t. Because if I want you, you’ll be gone. Isn’t that right…?

I’ll always be here for him. I want to protect Arthur, who smiles fleetingly, and his heart that is truly so kind and beautiful, no matter what.

A strong, irresistible feeling overcame a cruel fate. And…

Arthur: I can’t think of anyone else who makes me as obsessed as you. You’re the only opponent I’d ever want to lose to.

MC: Then will you let me win our game of who can make the other happier?

Arthur: That’s…

Arthur: Sorry. I won’t lose there.

Beyond the time where we weren’t supposed to meet – we’re still playing these happy games, even now.

--------

Since choosing to live in this world, several seasons have passed. I saw my colleague in his butler uniform at our meeting place, and trotted over.

MC: Thanks for waiting, Sebastian. I bought everything!

Sebastian: Thanks for your help, MC. I’ll carry the heavy bags.

I thanked him for so casually offering, and walked alongside him. The Parisian streets were bathing in sunshine, and lively with working people and energetic children all coming and going. As I felt my mood and movements lighten in the atmosphere of it all, Sebastian looked at me and tilted his head.

Sebastian: You’re in a good mood. You’ve been smiling for a while now. Did something good happen?

MC: Actually, the owner of the produce shop gave me some really nice apples as a bonus because the other day we helped his child find a lost toy!

But it wasn’t just the apples that made me happy. The owner also said, “Please also say thank you to that detective gentleman.” I’m gonna tell him as soon as I get home. I’m sure he’ll be so happy. Just imagining his expression makes me joyful myself.

Sebastian: I see. Well that solves the mystery of the apples I didn’t intend for you to get. So it’s a gift for playing detective?

Sebastian: …No, it’s not even playing anymore. Our great detectives are just as good as Sherlock Holmes!

The chiming of the bell tower mixed with our laughter.

Sebastian: Oh, is that the time? We need to get back to the mansion. Shakespeare is coming over to visit Vincent today, so I want to show some hospitality.

MC: Oh, uh… Sorry, I realized I forgot to buy coffee beans. Please go ahead home, Sebastian.

Sebastian: Will you be okay by yourself?

MC: It’s still daylight. And things are different from when I first came here. Leave it to me!

With pride, I split from Sebastian…

(At the shop)

I’d fallen into quite the pinch.

Man: Well, well, well. I’ve defeated this young woman. Now how are you going to pay me?

Playing cards were scattered across the table, and the man sitting across me had a nasty grin on his face.

I was fooled!! He was just pretending to be a shopkeeper!! When I went to buy the coffee beans, he said, “If you can win now, you’ll get a bonus! Come on now!” He greeted me with a smile, and before I knew it, I was entrenched in a betting match. I was careless, but I’ve been getting better at deception…

MC: I don’t have money. But you were cheating, weren’t you?!

Man: Oh? You’re going to whine now? Ha!

MC: Ah!

I threw my hands up, scared of his furious expression. At that moment…

???: Hey, stop!

A voice light as wind hit my ears, and I looked up.

Are you coming to rescue me at a time like this?

Arthur: Yoohoo, MC~

-------

MC: Arthur!

Arthur slammed his hand down on the table to block the man, and an arc drew on his lips. When I saw his always-relaxed smile, my whole body, which had been stiffened, was relieved.

Arthur, I hadn’t expected you to come…

Arthur: It’s quite easy for you to get caught up in these situations, isn’t it?

MC: Sorry, I was trying to be careful, but…

Arthur: Don’t worry about that now. We need to get out of this pinch first.

As he said that, Arthur sat next to me. The man glared daggers at the sudden intrusion.

Man: Hey, man. What do you think you’re doing butting in like this?

Arthur: Alright, here’s my conditions. You and I are gonna play another round. If we win, we get the full amount offered. If not, we’ll pay ten times the amount.

Arthur: Well? Sound good?

Man: What?! Ten times is a lot! Alright, fine. Let’s do it.

With that grin on Arthur’s face, I could tell he had a trick up his sleeve.

MC: Arthur, please be careful. This guy’s a cheater.

Arthur: Mm~? Oh, there’s no problem here. I have a goddess of victory at my side, and she’s got your name.

MC: Joking at a time like this…

Arthur: Don’t worry, MC. Don’t you trust me?

His eyes were an unwavering blue, like a glass ball. They pierced right through me, and I...

[CHOICE OF 3: I picked “Arthur’s got this.”]

MC: Of course I do. You’ve got this.

Arthur: That’s what I thought. I can’t show you my lame side anyway!

Even through his joking words, I began to relax. Things were going to be okay. Arthur and I laughed a little bit as we locked gazes.

Encouraged by Arthur’s reassuring presence, I also looked at the man head-on.

Arthur: Well isn’t this quite the development! I’m getting a sense of deja vu.

Man: Huh-?

Arthur: Nothing to do with you. Alright, let’s start the game.

The battle finished in the blink of an eye.

MC: Pontoon!

Man: What?! You’ve gotta be kidding-!

Arthur: And just like that, we’ve won.

Just like in the past, we triumphed brilliantly.

---------

Free from that man, Arthur and I walked in the evening streets, side by side.

Arthur: The shopkeeper reported him, so I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.

MC: That’s good, it saves others from getting caught in their trap. Thank you so much for your help, Arthur…

MC: But I can’t believe you had such good timing. Did you happen to be stopping by the store?

Arthur: I suppose it just happened. I was on my way to the publisher to talk about my new book.

Even in this time, Arthur continues to write under a pen name. He gets more popular every time he releases a new book, and even has been getting requests for serialization.

Arthur: And then I remembered you were shopping in town, and decided to visit the store you frequent. Aaaand bingo. Everything was fine up until you got in trouble.

He remembered the store I always go to. There’s his keen observation for you. Seeing my impressed face, Arthur grinned and looked at me.

Arthur: It really was like old times. Remember? When you were trapped in a game of pontoon?

MC: Of course! Yeah, I remember too.

That was way back when I first fell into this world. Arthur helped me when I was in trouble then, and he did it again today.

Arthur: MC, do you need my help? If you ask for it, I’ll give it to you. What do you say?

MC: Arthur… please help me…

Arthur: Mm, okay! And if I win, you need to do what I say.

MC: I was so relieved when you came.

I still thought of Arthur as dangerous and flippant back then. But now, it’s a treasured memory.

MC: Well thank you again, Arthur. You really are my hero.

Arthur: Your hero? Well, that’s just the biggest compliment I could receive.

Uttering it so quietly, Arthur gave a soft smile.

Arthur: Well it’s a golden rule as a hero to rescue my love in need.

MC: Ah! Well from now on, I’m going to be a lot more careful. I need to be more vigilant, and a little more suspicious of other people.

As I reflected on my carelessness, Arthur raised his eyebrows.

Arthur: I wish you had a way to protect yourself. Your virtue lies in your ability to face people straight, because you don’t doubt others.

MC: You think so?

Arthur: I know so. I fell in love with your pure and beautiful heart.

My heart trembled a bit, presented with Arthur’s true and honest feelings like a surprise attack.

Arthur: You’re my one and only. The girl I want to protect more than anything. And that’s why I always will. So you can always smile, MC.

--------

Arthur… My cheeks, growing warm, must’ve been dyed even redder by the setting sun. As I failed to control my swelling emotions, a cold rain began to fall on my cheeks.

Arthur: Ah, I thought I could smell rain. It actually did start. Let’s go, MC.

He took out and umbrella and opened it. Holding out one hand, he invited me into a gentle embrace.

Arthur: My apologies, I only have one umbrella.

MC: Thank you Arthur! Ah, I’m remembering again. When you saved me the first time, it rained that night too, didn’t it?

Arthur: That’s right. Even the weather is the same! Today’s the day to stroll down memory lane!

That time, Arthur gave me his umbrella and we parted ways for the night. But today, we are lovers, walking shoulder-to-shoulder under the same umbrella.

MC: Ah, Arthur! Did you know in Japan we call this “ai ai gasa?”

Arthur: “Ai ai gasa?” What’s that? Is it like a lovey-dovey umbrella?

MC: Lovey-dovey? Pfft… Ahaha!!

Arthur: Hey, why is it you’re the only one who understands? Haha, you’re so cute.

MC: Sorry. It’s cuz it’s a silly conversation between lovers. The meaning of the words is a little different, but it means the same in the end.**

I looked up, and a soft kiss touched my lips instead of the cold rain.

Arthur: Then what’s a lovey-dovey umbrella?

I pretended to poke Arthur in the chest and couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. I wished days like this would last forever. With the man I love more than anything else in the world next to me, life is just so dazzling and dear to my heart.

But the destiny awaiting us was about to make a huge move...

-------

Translation notes:

**ai ai gasa (相合傘) is a trope in romance media where two people in love share an umbrella. I think the joke here comes from Arthur calling it “raburabu kasa” (ラブラブ傘), which isn’t really a term, and literally means “lovey dovey umbrella.” I think this will be better explained in the official eng translation lol

Most of this is stuff we’ve seen before (like damn MC, two times at the shop?). I tried my best to not do a literal translation of everything and give the characters their voices I pick up on in the jpn and eng versions, so I took some creative liberties so it’s nicer to read.

[hero-deserves-to-be-happy]

He isn't an oc but you said canon characters were okay too so can you do 22 and 24 for Hero? thx

Oh absolutely, Anon! We would be happy to answer any of the questions for Hero always! We love talking about him and actually have a lot of headcanons about #24 (his love language) so thank you for asking that! In fitting with the game though, we'll answer these questions in Hero's POV (or at least will try our best to). We hope you'll like what we come up with! Thank you and take care! 💙

(These are post-good ending and have some OMORI spoilers. We also added some game sprites because we thought it would be fun 😁)

HERO Answers:

22. What's the easiest way to flirt with you?

Oh...uh...do people flirt with me? I'd really rather they didn't...

It's very flattering, but um...honestly I haven't really been interested in any of that ever since Mari...

But I can still try to answer for you… Mari always said I wasn't very good at picking up her (apparently extremely obvious) signals, so I'm honestly not sure if I'd even recognize that someone was flirting with me. 😅 I was honestly pretty oblivious back then, and I think I still am. Apparently, my friend Brandi tried to flirt with me when Kel, Sunny, and I visited her house on the day before Sunny was supposed to move away, but I didn't notice that either. In that case though, I think that's just Brandi being Brandi haha and we're just good friends so she didn't really mean anything by that.

But in Mari's case...we really did care about each other in that way and were sweethearts so...I really probably should have picked up on her flirting a little bit more. She used to tease me a lot and compliment me. I'm not sure I really realized she was flirting until she was just really direct about it, though, like just flat-out calling me "good looking." She'd wink at me with this bright, teasing smile and get this sort of laughing look in her eyes before she'd just start giggling and I'd blush and get flustered which would just make her giggle even more.

Mari loved to tease to show affection. I think that's something we had in a common because I like to do that too, but in a bit of a dryer, more subtle way than Mari, I think. She was much more playful and giggly about it than I ever was, so it was a little different but still the same kind of thing.

I don't think that's just a romantic thing though. We both teased our siblings and our friends a lot too. I used to tease Kel all the time when we were closer, but...um...I'm not sure we have that kind of relationship anymore so I don't do too much of that these days.

Honestly, I don't think I tease anyone too much these days, not even in a friendly way but especially not in a romantic one. But I suppose I still like that sort of playful teasing as a way to show affection. I guess flirting would fall in that category too...maybe? I'm not sure.

24. What would you consider your main love language?

Definitely Acts of Service. I've always really loved doing things for people and taking care of them. It's one of the reasons I've always loved to cook for my friends and family!

I try to be mindful of other people's love languages too though, and try to figure out what my family and friends' love languages are so I can try my best to speak it for them.

Kel loves giving people things for instance. He gave me a cookbook just for coming home from college for the summer which was very thoughtful. I try to buy him thoughtful gifts too, and sometimes will pick fun little things up for him "just because," and he seems to really appreciate that.

Sunny's love language is definitely quality time, and now that he has moved to the City, I try to make a point to meet up with him and take him around to lots of my favorite spots around town. He loves going to my favorite coffee shop (probably because it's close to a mattress store haha), but I've taken him to a lot of parks and museums too or sometimes we just hang out at his apartment and watch tv or play games.

Mari's love language was quality time too, I think, but she also really liked physical touch. She was very cuddly--a lot more cuddly than me, I think, but I always tried to be more cuddly and affectionate with her because I knew how much it meant to her.

It's not always easy to receive love in the same way we give it away though. I always feel kind of awkward whenever someone wants to do things for me, even though that's how I would want to show love to them. I guess, I just don't want to be a burden on them or cause them any trouble. I'll admit that I always felt so loved whenever Mari would help me do the dishes though.

[squiishiichaos]

Nest Fellows Ch. 3

A KevRiko Collaboration with @noomyart, posted in 6 parts.

Summary: Kevin Day and Riko Moriyama have been the Sons of Exy for as long as they both can remember. They've always been one & two, King & Queen, master & pet, future founders of the perfect Court, but what if there's also something more hidden beneath the surface? What if, when push comes to shove, instead of veering down separate paths, they summed up their parts to fight the system meant to contain them?

Trigger Warnings for:

Graphic Depictions of Violence

Mentions of Jean's abuse

Sexual Content

Tetsuji Moriyama being the absolute piece of shit he is

(Credits to @noomyart for the Art in this chapter)

Chapter 3: San

Press tours might as well be wings as far as Kevin was concerned. They were the only excuse him and Riko ever got to leave the Nest, accompanied only by some handlers and the paparazzi. But outsiders were easy to deal with after several tense weeks of practice and the endless preparations around the upcoming banquets. Mid-season was always the hardest part of the year. New Ravens in September meant new indoctrination and learning curves to deal with.   Punishments punctuated any time new partners broke obvious rules. It was up to Riko and Kevin to keep the team in line and teach them the ropes, beating Edgar Allan ways into fresh minds. 

But the escape of a far away morning show meant that the Master was left to handle the Ravens on his own, allowing Riko and Kevin a rare amount of freedom. When he was young, Kevin was tempted to squander it–to convince Riko they could sneak away from their chaperones with just a couple practiced lines and quick feet. “We could go to Japan,” Kevin had once suggested, “back to the school where exy first started. I bet if we asked real nicely, the Master might even tell us where he first met Mom.”

Riko had scoffed at him from his place against his side. He had been in one of his rare docile moods–placated by a sleeping Jean on the couch and a subservient team doing as they were told. “We tried that before,” Riko had answered evenly, “he never told us. Besides,” he glanced up at Kevin and touched the number on his cheek, “we are the heirs of exy. Wherever we are is where exy thrives. The Nest is as good a home as any–better even. We both know you would die without a court within arm’s reach.”

That was supposed to be the end of it, but Kevin couldn’t stop thinking about it. The furthest they had ever traveled was for away games and talk shows, stopping for brief interviews between practices and classes–never where Kevin could visit historical sites or ancient monuments. It was enough for Riko–reading about these things in books and magazines–because he didn’t know any better, but Kevin did. His mother had taken him to castles and burial mounds during their time in Europe. Between her time spreading the good word of exy and getting new leagues set up, she had introduced him to ancient battlefields and taken him to museums housing all the artifacts his young self could have ever wanted to see. Now that he was under Tetsuji’s oppressive care, the closest he got to historical was the first edition Edgar Allan Poe collection stored in the Master’s library. 

It was suffocating and dreary–emphasized by every one of these press tours. He found himself asking, why doesn't Riko want more?   Why couldn’t he be angry at his shitty lot in life like Kevin and Jean? Why couldn’t he see how easy it could be to escape these goons and use the numbers on their faces to get cars or flights or shelter? “Wymack will take us in,” he stopped himself from saying because he knew exactly what Riko would tell him. 

“If he wanted you so bad, he would’ve fought for you. Face it, Kevin: I am the only one for you. I always was and I always will be.”

But Kevin now knew that wasn’t strictly true. He had Jean, even if their friendship was reliant on Kevin playing both sides of it to maintain its sharp lines. He couldn’t stop Riko and he couldn’t fix Jean, but he could be something for them both. Jean trusted him with his recovery and comfort after rough nights, and Kevin was well aware what keeping his favor meant in the long run. Especially now that they shared French between them–their own dirty little secret. It would definitely rock the boat if Riko ever found out, but he needed the insurance, just in case.

“Look, Kevin!" 

He was pulled from thoughts of conjugations and all the new vocabulary Jean had slipped him before the trip by Riko’s excitement. Glancing up, it took a moment to find him where he stood at the window of a Sporting Goods  boasting all the latest and greatest equipment. Exy racquet decals were plastered amongst hockey sticks and basketballs, surrounded by posters of baseball legends posed mid-swing, their signatures in marker-white just above their shoulders. Riko was in front of the latest batch of exy promotional posters plastered on the glass, staring starry eyed at the sight of himself and Kevin side by side, numbers on display and racquets in gloved hands. 

Kevin would never not be amazed by the power of editing. Whoever finished the gloss of this poster made sure to bring out the color of his eyes to something like a precious emerald, giving Riko’s dark eyes just a touch of ruby to better fit the red accents of their otherwise black Ravens jerseys. The Edgar Allan mascot flew menacingly overhead with the school’s banner hanging victoriously behind it. Their empty hands were clasped together by their hips around the shape of an exy ball, gloved fingertips laced just enough to keep the tiny thing from falling during the shoot.

He remembered posing for it and the brilliant flash of cameras going off in every direction, but he never thought it could amount to this. Not when the photographer had them switch through a dozen different poses, including their signature forehead touch reserved for the court.  And the pose where the two of them sat together on a throne–the Undefeated Kings of Exy, that one said. It featured Riko in the seat of his throne and Kevin on its right arm. Riko’s legs were crossed, his cheek in his hand and his piercing stare daring any would-be challengers to try their hand at his throne. Kevin wore the expression of a Knight–fierce and loyal to his King.

Riko touched his fingers to the glossy poster and ran them down the length of their visage, wonder in his bright eyes. “It’s us,” he said, glancing up at Kevin in awe, “we look so good .”

No matter how many times posters were printed of them, no matter how many times Riko looked at them with that same awe and adoration, Kevin would never get over how, for that brief instant–right when Riko saw the fruits of their labor on full display–every bruising practice and restricted diet could be worth it for the happiness in those eyes. “It will look even better on your wall,” Kevin said.

“We need to sign it,” Riko said, suddenly maneuvering for the door, leaving Kevin and their handlers no choice but to follow. It took only one look from the cashier at the desk for recognition to flare in her eyes and a blush across her cheeks. Riko put on his best cocksure grin and greeted, “I’d like to see your full supply of Raven posters.”

“Y-you’d like to–w-what?" She gasped, choking on a near hysterical laugh.

Riko leaned closer on the counter and smiled fondly. “And a marker, if you have one.”

“I, umm, haha–one moment, please–” She turned from them to presumably go call the manager of the store.

Kevin favored Riko with tired bemusement. In exhausted Japanese he admonished, “You could work on not blindsiding people.”

“It’s fine,” Riko answered with fluent ease, waving off his annoyance. His smile went crooked when the manager on duty came to the desk with two markers and a box of merchandise on his shoulder shortly thereafter. He placed them down on the counter, then offered a hand and a greeting. Riko shook first, greeting him, “thank you for stocking our posters here. We apologize for dropping in uninvited.”

“Nonsense,” the man boomed. “Not every day we get Riko Moriyama and Kevin Day in our store, let alone willing to sign things for us! You guys in town for business or pleasure?”

“Can’t it be both?" Riko drawled with trained ease. The man laughed and he clarified, “we have a show in the morning. Today is for sightseeing.”

“Oh, well, feel free to take a look around. Shirley,” he told the cashier, “store-wide discount on anything they buy–fifty percent!”

“Nonsense,” Riko dismissed, “we can afford a little purchase here and there. Besides,” he eyed the first poster in the box and said, “I’d be willing to compromise for a copy of each of these." Then he tapped the side of the desk to call Kevin to him and they went to work signing the posters, making sure their 1 and 2 were always right next to each other in that familiar marker-white.

Once they were done and Riko had a copy of each poster in his possession, they left the shop and went to the nearest convenience store to wait out the last hours before check-in for the hotel. As per tradition, Kevin waited for the appropriate foods and amenities to be purchased before he escaped to the rack of postcards and searched through the options, flicking through shots of landscapes and sunsets with a spot of annoyance at all the grainy stock images. He wanted something memorable to give Jean–something scenic–to go with the little magnet he already picked up from the bin by the registers.

Riko leaned in against his shoulder to glance at the various options, too, fingers gliding over a couple of the less appealing choices. His thumb and forefinger closed over the image of a mother duck and her ducklings wading across a lake beneath a beautifully cloudy sky. Kevin eyed it a moment in hesitation before Riko gave it a little shake and let it drop. Kevin caught it with clumsy hands and Riko turned as he said, “We both know he’ll at least appreciate that one. Now, hurry up–check-in starts in fifteen.”

Kevin took the card and appreciated what little privacy Riko allowed him while he jotted a message for Jean in mixed Japanese and English. He was too cautious to dare throw in what French he could manage, opting to keep their secret safe while they could. Knowing that his partner likely would read this, he also kept the message brief and cordial. ‘You would love it here’, he wrote, ‘Riko and I are having a fantastic time. Just wait until you see the new posters we acquired’. He signed off with his premier signature and put his usual number 2 into the mix. With a final ‘we’ll see you soon’ at the bottom, he went to the counter and purchased both the magnet and the card before pocketing them on his person and following their caretakers back to the hotel.

It was an eternity of signing papers and finalizing arrangements before Riko and Kevin were funneled off to their room amongst a horde of rabid fans who got wind of their stay in town. They were both offered markers to sign various autographs for the paparazzi before being carried away to their private room. Two bodyguards took up their post outside, staying there long after Riko shut and locked the door behind him. 

While Riko flopped onto a bed and sighed off his public persona in a huff of aggravation, Kevin found the remote for the TV and flicked it on to ESPN. The banner for the segment read, is it time for a showdown between the Kings of exy ? beneath a host of speakers gathered about a round table like the knights in Arthur's Court. Kevin’s blood went ice cold when the person speaking said, “...is just better! Based on height, stats, and unpredictability, Kevin has shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with! Riko is good–we can all agree on that–but the number on his cheek can’t determine his ranking forever!”

A man at the table, picked up, “They chose those numbers when they were, what? Eight? That was before they were looking at going Court in their late teens! Every pro team in the league is looking at the two of them and running numbers. Kevin is just behind Riko, but we know he has the potential to best him with a little more encouragement! What I don't understand is why Coach Moriyama doesn't just admit it already!”

A woman on the panel scoffed. “ I would think that part is pretty obvious,” she grunted. 

“ I think,” a third speaker argued, “ that we should stop debating stats and put them to the test! If Coach Moriyama is worth his salt, he’ll put them both in front of a net with a bucket of balls between them and we’ll see exactly who the better striker–”

Kevin didn't realize Riko was right next to him until the TV flipped from the news and onto a rerun of the most recent match between Penn State and the Trojans. He was grateful for the distraction, and scared by it. Especially when Riko sat on the comforter beside him and laced their dominant hands together. 

Right and left. One and two. The Kings of exy, bound to be the rulers of the Court one day. 

Kevin glanced at Riko and squeezed his hand. “Hey,” he tried as docilely as he could.

Riko kept his eyes on the TV and boredly muttered, “You must text Knox about his footwork against Saroninski. It's bad enough Wang stripped him of the ball three times.”

Kevin wasn't sure if Jeremy was a safer topic, but he latched onto it all the same. “I did–the day of.”

Riko hummed his approval and leaned in against his side. Kevin felt all the tension in him leak out against the affection in the head that rested light on his shoulder. “Good,” he commended. “I'm thinking he could make a good offensive dealer.”

Kevin glanced sidelong at him and said, “But he’s a Striker.”

“The Perfect Court already has two strikers,” Riko dismissed. Kevin’s heart stopped in his chest, choking silently on his next breath. Riko ignored the fear–the want –in his bright green eyes. “But we haven't secured a dealer yet. If anyone can teach him the ropes properly, it’s us.”

Kevin swallowed around his thick tongue and tried, “You’re not–”

“I see how you look at him,” Riko said with only a small amount of bitterness. “He is a good player–if not a little too soft for my tastes. My sources say he was quite the aggressive little thing in high school exy. If we can draw that out again, he will fit right in with our Court.”

“But–”

“I know,” Riko smiled at him, “the Trojans would not be your favorite team without him." Petting his cheek, he leaned in close and whispered against the flesh of his ear, “Biased.”

Kevin’s cheeks flared with color and Riko chuckled at that silent betrayal, nose ghosting against the flesh of his neck. “You can have him,” he said, “if we can convince him to join us. I know all the dirty little things you want to do to him. With him,” he enunciated, punctuating the words enough to brush his tongue against sensitive nerves. “I'll even let you have him all to yourself. Your own little pet.”

Kevin shakily released his breath and tried very hard to ignore how his heart rattled excitedly in his chest, rocketing blood away from his rational mind and down to his midsection. He shifted under the pooling heat between his legs, willing himself to ignore it until it went away.  Riko pressed his free hand to his thigh and gave the skin a hard squeeze. “You don't have to hide from me,” he whispered. “Didn't I tell you already? I know, Kevin.”

“I'm sorry,” Kevin breathed because he didn't know what else to say.

“Don’t be sorry,” Riko chided, fingers ghosting across his thigh, closer and closer to swollen flesh. Riko shifted so close he was almost in his lap. Kevin finally looked at him, taking in the dark hue of lust in his eyes and the slight crook of his lips. “Don’t hide from me, Kevin.”

“I'm not,” Kevin started, but Riko leaned in closer, breath mingling with his own. He was close enough that Kevin could probably purse his lips and feel the touch of skin on skin, but he didn't. Instead, he glanced at the door in silent worry. 

Riko touched his chin, fingers rising to his cheek, and said a quiet, “He’s not here to stop us." When Kevin still hesitated, his other hand crossed the barrier, fingers resting hot over the bulge between his legs. His lips brushed the corner of Kevin's own. “You wouldn't hesitate if it was Jeremy.”

Kevin tried to flinch back, but Riko’s grip was bruising. It forced him to look into that dark pit of jealousy where he couldn't hide the hurt those words brought him. He said, “Jeremy has nothing to do with this.”

“I bet,” Riko breathed, “you wish I was him. I said I could give him to you and it made you like this .” His fingers squeezed Kevin’s hard length to a bolt of pleasure. He nearly shoved away from it until Riko said, “You can pretend I’m him. Do all the dirty things to me until you have him.”

Kevin groaned and finally shifted to rest his forehead to Riko’s. It was different without their helmets on. He felt exposed, like Riko could see all his thoughts on a neon blinking sign. Amidst the worry flooding him and the fear of discovery–the reminder that the bodyguards were right there, just beyond that door–there was also a hot lance of need only growing with every second Riko kept hands on him. 

For the first time in a while, Kevin used his larger size to press into Riko, setting him back on his haunches, daring to rest a hand on his hip. “What if I don't want to pretend?”

Riko met his gaze, eyes only dipping to look at his lips once before he said a husky, commanding, “then fuck me .”

Kevin tightened his arm around his waist and tossed Riko back onto the bed, immediately pressing him back into the borrowed comforter. Their lips crashed together like magnets, forces drawn together by an unstoppable grip. As dominating as Riko could be on the court, his mouth opened submissively for Kevin’s tongue, a small sound slipping from him with their first taste of each other. Kevin growled at him in a bid to stay quiet, but he didn't dare part from Riko when his hands had such a tight grip on his hair and one leg was already wrapping around his hips to hold him in place.

As if Kevin needed a reason to stay. After all these years together, orbiting one another in some unending dance, it felt impossible to wander farther than even a room away. Riko was as much a tumor as he was an essential organ he needed to survive. His breath was Kevin’s. His every heartbeat was one of his own. They moved in perfect synchronicity–tied together by a fucked up fate that kept drawing them both back in with every new rise and fall. As much as they could hurt each other, there was something just as fierce in the way they kissed.  Like this moment could be their very last night on Earth. Like they needed each kiss to survive. And maybe they did. Kevin certainly felt like he did.

He couldn't get enough of the way Riko chased him, using his grip on his hair to draw him back in any time he tried to stray more than a breath apart. For his part, Kevin wanted to be free to leave marks. He wanted everyone to know that Riko was his. To hear the hitch of his breath when his teeth sank into the fragile skin of his neck, or his wanton moans when he sucked purple marks onto every inch of his collarbone. He couldn’t–he knew that–but it didn't stop him from ducking his hands beneath Riko’s shirt and pushing it up to his chest, raking his nails down his exposed skin in parallel lines of trailing red. 

Riko’s head tipped back with a moan at that one and Kevin immediately silenced him with a hand on his lips. “You have to be quiet,” he ordered him. He expected the King to be pissy and bite at his palm, but all he did was glare, breaths hot and moist on sensitive skin. Kevin favored his rare show of obedience with a soft kiss to the back of his hand. “Just like that,” he whispered, “ Riko.”

Riko moaned–quieter this time, and completely pliant beneath him. Kevin’s teeth barely grazed the skin of his cheek, right over his tattoo.  He trailed kisses down his jaw and further along to ghost more across his neck. Every brush of lips over skin made the man beneath him shiver, fingers tightening in his hair.  Riko’s body came alive with the press of Kevin’s arousal right against his thigh. Kevin shifted that tiny bit to rub their lengths together and nearly covered Riko’s throaty groan with one of his own.

“Fuck,” Kevin gasped, pushing himself up to hover with his dominant hand right by Riko’s head. His King willed him back in with what he could only call a whine, but Kevin ignored him to adjust himself into a better position. He pried the hand off Riko’s lips to encourage his other leg open around him and eagerly anticipated Riko’s needy:

“Why did you stop?”

“I didn't stop,” Kevin retorted, favoring him with a pointed stare. To answer the next question on his lips, even before he could ask it, he shifted his hips again and rocked them steadily against Riko’s own. This time, it was Riko's own hand that clamped tight over his traitorous mouth, stopping a cry before it could leak out and end everything before it could even truly begin. “You told me to fuck you,” Kevin said, “and I am.”  He rocked his hips again in emphasis.

Riko whined his disapproval of this new cocksure Kevin with a bitchy, “Don't you dare use semantics on me.”

“Why not?” Kevin lowered down to his ear, teeth light on the lobe of it, and whispered hotly, “I think you like it.”

“I-I do not,” Riko whined.

Kevin nosed at his cheek and moved his hips again, earning himself another of those breathy moans. This time, he really didn't stop. He was too high on pleasure to think when the friction of their bodies together was enough to light every one of his nerves up like a live wire. It only got better when Riko reached between them to undo their jeans, pulling them both out of their pants with remarkable ease. He held his hand up to Kevin’s mouth, who obediently licked a long stripe up the length of it, watching with rapt attention as Riko took hold of both their lengths and glanced at him expectantly.

Kevin didn't need words to see a greenlight when he got one. His hips moved faster now, more desperately, chasing each jolt of slick skin against slick skin. Riko’s hand moved in perfect time with him, cupping their heads together when Kevin drew back and stroking to their bases when he pressed in. Kevin wanted to watch how their bodies moved together so perfectly, but looking would make this too real and he already knew this could only ever happen once. Because once could be forgiven, but twice?

“ Kevin,” Riko moaned, drawing eyes to the black depths of his hooded stare. Kevin dipped down to kiss the man who caused him so much pain–who brought him so much life–and devoured him like he could somehow eat away all the decay between them and leave only this. He knew he couldn’t, but for tonight, he could at least pretend that everything could be okay. That this didn't have to be a one time deal.

“Are you close?” He rasped against his lips, “I want you to come for me, Riko–just for me.”

Riko actively tried not to obey his request, squeezing his eyes shut against the mounting pleasure, but Kevin wasn’t having it. He thrust against him with a purpose, rocking Riko into the covers with each one, pushing him closer and closer to the edge. He kissed him again when that voice threatened to sing his name, swallowing his every plea and praise and whine. He dropped his other hand to take over where Riko’s was getting sloppy, holding them together in a tight grip, trying to imagine it was only his cock fucking into his fist and failing. Because Riko was falling so sweetly apart for him and he didn't want it to be just him.

“Tell me,” Kevin whispered against his lips, “tell me I’m yours.”

“Y…you’re mine…”

“Tell me,” he ordered, “that you’re mine, too.”

“Always,” Riko gasped, “always yours…”

“Now come for me,” he ordered and felt a spark of pride when Riko’s head fell back against the pillows and his spine arched off the bed. He bit on his own fingers to silence the deep groan that wrestled from his chest. Kevin only made it that much harder to stifle when he once again ran his nails down Riko’s exposed abs, milking every spurt from him with every frantic and needy thrust of his hips. 

Riko didn't let him last long behind him, using the first of his strength to return just to reach beneath the cocks fucking into their fists and cup Kevin’s balls. “Now you, Kevin,” he gasped breathlessly, “do not deny me.”

Kevin couldn't even if he wanted to. As soon as that thumb ran over such sensitive skin, he ducked his head down against Riko’s neck and moaned into his flesh as he thrust three hard times against his partner and released every last drop of his strength onto his stomach.

They collapsed together, panting from exertion and feeling better than they ever possibly had. It was short lived before someone knocked on the door and ruined everything. 

Riko groaned his annoyance and yelled at the door, “We’re going to sleep!" He whispered for their ears only, “Leave us alone.”

“We’re still alone,” Kevin dared to mutter, glancing sheepishly at his King, “and we do need to shower…”

Riko’s smile was sharp and hungry. “Go get the water hot. I’ll be right in." And just as Kevin got up to do as he was told, Riko drew him back for one final kiss of the night and said, “this can never happen again.”

Kevin nodded against his forehead and muttered a disappointed, “We both know it won’t,” before he got up to get everything prepared in the bathroom.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Yuu can do it!

Part 56

First - Previous - Masterlist - Next

In the end, it was Enma who had pieced it all together.

Leona, who just so happened to have the exact antibiotics they needed, and had handed them over willingly, without asking for anything in return. Who had told them everything he knew, seemingly for no reason outside of wanting to help. Who had allowed them to stay in his dorm, instead of grabbing them by the scruffs of their necks and punting them through the mirror.

Leona, who, at some point, had made a deal with Azul.

But what did Azul get in return? Immunity from Leona’s plans? That felt far too little for the potion alone, not to mention buying Azul’s silence.

Leona was, simply, too compliant. Too content to follow along with their plans.

Sure, he was still a pain, but that was more of a token protest than anything.

“I think we can put Leona’s power to some good use,” Enma murmured, his voice slightly muffled against Ito’s hair.

Kuroki shrugged, nodding his agreement. “Should we confront him?”

There was no need, they all knew. The Yajugen — whose room was conveniently right above their own — could hear everything they said just fine. In fact, they were only repeating this conversation for Leona’s sake, they’d already discussed this yesterday, when Enma had had an epiphany while bandaging a bite on Ito’s hand.

But it would be easier to play Leona if he thought he still had some control over the situation.

Ito hummed, lightly, their eyes gleaming. “Nah. I think we should just have another fun little karaoke session. It’ll help prove that he’s just humoring us, too.”

There was the sound of several heavy items hitting their door.

Yajugen, it turns out, are extremely nosy and prone to listening in on conversations for fun.

Kuroki snickered and tiptoed out of bed to collect their winnings.

As he sifted through the items (mostly junk) in search of things he thought worth keeping, he found himself wondering, absently, if Yagujen were prone to eavesdropping because it was simply something they were basically forced to do.

Actually, maybe it was why Jack was so hesitant to be open about his emotions. What if someone overheard? Now that Kuroki thought about it, all of the Yajugen he knew were kind of closed off.

Then again, they were all teenagers. Really, this wasn’t the best sample population. Maybe they could visit the Savanna during their break? But the break wasn’t that long, and they were going to be spending it in the Queendom…

Over summer, then.

He found a bottle of soda among the trash and lit up, tugging it into his lap, peering at the label. To his disappointment, it wasn’t Coke. It was something called… Pep-si? Well, Ito might drink it in a pinch. It was the same color, after all, surely it would be fine!

He stood up, about to turn around and show his prize to his friend, only for his eyes to catch on Leona Kingscholar, speed walking towards their room, a man on a mission.

“Hi, senpai,” Enma said, smiling oh-so-innocently, yawning as he hugged Ito closer to his side, looking every bit like a teen about to turn in for the night. “What brings you here?”

Leona growled at him. Like a lame-ass love interest in a boring romance novel.

(Or a lion, Kuroki supposed, but let him have his fun.)

“Just. Tell me what your plan is.”

The Yuus’ eyes gleamed.

~

“Sucks that we don’t get to have that karaoke session, though,” Ito said, pouting lightly.

Kuroki grinned. “It’s our good deed for the week. No one should have to deal with you guys’ terrible singing.”

Kuroki did, because he cared for them, but no one else should.

“Well, not all of us can be in choir,” Enma said.

Kuroki snickered and pressed closer to them, closing his eyes.

~

The Leech twins were nowhere to be found the next day.

“Maybe Ashengrotto-senpai really is just screaming and crying back at the Lounge,” Ito said, an attempt at being lighthearted despite the tension that began to creep into the first years’ shoulders.

“The museum is closed today… apparently,” Kuroki said. He tacked on the ‘apparently’ in case the Leech twins were listening in, even though he knew that, logically, they wouldn’t be able to listen in on their conversation regardless thanks to them being hard of hearing. Gotta love paranoia. “Maybe they just don’t think we’ll be able to get in…?”

But, even as he said this, he didn’t really believe it.

After all, if they were willing to steal from a museum, it was safe to assume that they didn’t care about breaking the law.

Regardless of how rattled Azul may or may not be, he wouldn’t risk something like this.

The museum came into view, looming over them. There were guards at the gates. Kuroki’s eyes caught on the one who had abandoned him and Deuce the second Floyd Leech appeared. His lips curled into a scowl. He nudged Deuce, and they both pulled their hoods over their heads.

No one had looked at them twice – not for the hoodies, at least. Maybe the merfolk just assumed that it was in fashion on land, since every single one of them had opted for them. Maybe they were just too busy looking at the humans’ legs to notice what they were wearing.

“What’s it feel like being a delinquent again, Deuce?” Ace teased, but his eyes flicked over Deuce’s face to genuinely gauge how their friend was doing.

Deuce grimaced. “It’s not like we’re stealing anything important, but I guess that’s how it always starts.”

“Eh, we’re doing a good deed, it probably balances out,” said Enma, who had begun squinting at Jack’s tail, apparently curious.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

Enma’s face flushed. He held his hands up in a kind of surrender. “I just wanted to see what happened to your fur! Y’know, because Grim’s all smooth, now. I wasn’t staring at –.” He coughed, uncomfortably.

Luckily for him, Jack now seemed more concerned with his tail. He dragged it in front of himself, peering at it. It… was wet, which made it hard to tell. But there was fur, that much was clear.

Kuroki scowled. That was fucking unfair. He smoothed his hand over Grim’s not-furry head, mentally promising to make a potion to grow Grim’s fur back.

“Do you have to condition your fur?” Ito asked.

“Nah, I just use soap. My little sisters condition theirs, though. Always complain about how my tail looks better than theirs, but they don’t try out the soap for some reason? I don’t get it.”

Ito rolled their eyes, muttering something under their breath that made Jack bristle. Not that they seemed to care. Their eyes flicked to the guards at the gate, and they nudged Ace with their arm. Jerked their head towards the guards.

Ace scoffed. “Why do I have to do it? Why can’t one of you deal with it? What if I wanna enjoy the museum heist?”

“Sucks to suck,” Ito said. “Get going before the twins show up.”

Ace kicked them in the calf.

Ito hissed a curse.

Ace seemed satisfied with this. He groaned, loud enough for the mermen guards a ways away to hear. “This is so annoying!”

The guards’ shoulders jumped in mild surprise. They turned to look at their group with wide eyes, as if to say ‘are you talking to me’?

Ace, in fact, was: “And I was soooo looking forward to it, too!”

They all glanced at each other, rolling their eyes and giving vague shrugs, as if Ace complaining to strangers was something that happened so often that they had begun to tune him out.

“All that money, all that time saving up for some potions, all for this to happen?!”

They made motions as if to say, ugh, not again and fuck it, just leave him here and this is those guys’ problem now.

‘Those guys’ did not seem particularly happy with their newfound predicament.

“I mean, you guys know I've been interested in this shit since I was a kid,” Ace lamented, floating over to his unfortunately captive audience. And then he brightened up, as if realizing something. “Wait, you’re mermen, right? You had to learn everything in your history classes, right?”

The mermen grimaced, sending one last look at the group of teens, seemingly begging for help. Unfortunately for them, the teens were determinedly looking away, pretending not to know Ace.

So, reluctantly, for the sake of making Ace leave, they started answering their friend’s questions.

(Enma looked jealous. Kuroki tightened his grip on his friend’s hand to make sure he didn’t float over and start pestering the guards for information, too, in a far more genuine way.)

They waited until the merfolk were solidly distracted before making their way over to a staff door.

It was, of course, locked. Hence why there was no one guarding it.

Deuce crouched by the door. Glanced at Ito. “Do you have a hairpin?”

His hand was out, expectantly, so it seemed the question was more of a courtesy than anything.

And, in fact, Ito did have a hairpin. Several of them, actually. Their bun tumbled down into a slightly messy ponytail, which seemed to annoy them.

They weren’t alone in their misery. Apparently, lockpicking is a lot more complicated than movies like to suggest. And took way more people than expected. Sometimes, seemingly arbitrarily, Deuce would grab one of them by the wrist and force them to hold a bobby pin in place for him.

Eventually, though, Deuce was able to get the door open. He handed Ito their bobby pins back. They were bent wildly out of shape. Ito looked devastated as they worked to fix them.

One by one, they filed through the doorway.

Until –.

“Hey!”

Ito froze, their hand on the door.

Why were the guards suddenly good at their jobs?!

For a second, Ito looked at their friends, already inside.

And then they sighed, turning to look at the guards, their hand still on the knob. “Told you that it wouldn’t work, Puto,” they groaned.

“It was worth a shot, Yuu” Ace said. Kuroki noticed that Ace suddenly had an accent that was not unlike Ito’s. “Would’ve been a waste of all that money if we couldn’t even get some pictures of the place!”

“Get over here,” one of the guards called.

Kuroki could practically see the smug look that Ace would be sending Ito right now.

Ito closed the door, and Kuroki could hear them fiddling with the lock on the other side, pretending to put everything back into place.

Kuroki breathed a sigh of relief.

The teens, after a quick glance at each other, making shush-ing motions with their hands, made their way through the museum. Working their way back towards the entrance.

Jack ended up having to drag Enma along, because Enma stopped to gawk at every exhibit they passed.

“We have some potions left,” Kuroki hissed. “We can come back tomorrow after we pack or something.”

“Promise?” Enma sulked.

“Sure. Yeah. Whatever.”

Enma brightened up. As if he had never been upset at all. He allowed himself to be dragged along without further complaint.

Fucker. ‘I feel bad when I lie to you guys’ his ass!

Whatever. Kuroki still hadn’t apologized for the whole Deal With Azul thing, and his friends would surely realize this when the shock of ‘oh shit Kuroki had an anxiety attack’ wore off. And Kuroki had no intentions of apologizing, so his only choice was to make up for it in some way.

They made it to the front of the museum, hopping the turnstiles meant to force people to pay. It was even easier underwater, sweet.

Their eyes find their way to a wall of photos. There were, frankly, too many to count, each one labeled neatly with the name of whichever important person had come to visit this time. There were even a few repeats, like the fourth princess, who seemed to really love the place.

Grim was, surprisingly, the first one to find the one of Prince Rielle.

Kuroki plucked it off of the wall, and everyone crowded close, trying to figure out why Azul was interested in this picture in particular. It seemed to be a simple school trip… maybe it had something to do with Prince Rielle?

But then, Rielle was a prince, if this was blackmail then surely the prince could simply ask the museum to get rid of it. So, it was probably not that.

His eyes caught on a small grouping of mermen. They were different than the rest, less ‘human’ looking. Two of them seemed to be teal eels.

Blackmail against Floyd and Jade, then?

Kuroki couldn’t imagine Floyd and Jade were the type to be embarrassed by pictures of themselves as kids, though. Especially when they were, regrettably, kinda cute in a weird way. The chubby cheeks and wide, innocent smiles were surprisingly nice.

They were half-draped over another merman. This one was an octopus. Said merman looked annoyed about the entire situation.

He supposed that Jade and Floyd hadn’t been all that innocent at any point in their lives. This was, strangely, comforting.

Enma reached out and picked at the small label reading A visit from Prince Rielle and his schoolmates, until it was half-hanging off of the wall. By the time he was finished, it looked like the glue had gotten old, and the photo had been swept away by an absent-minded janitor, or perhaps the waves.

Kuroki turned to the other two friends. “Deuce, Jack, both of you take a quick picture of this. If it’s valuable, then it’s good to have a copy.”

Once they had done that, the group of teens left the same way they came.

Ace and Ito were still being lectured by the guards. They were very clearly not taking a word of their chastisement to heart, which was only pissing them off more.

“– coming to the age where this sort of thing will go on your permanent records,” the guard said.

Jack walked over and grabbed them both by their hoods. Lifting them off of the ground. It would have been more intimidating if they weren’t underwater. The two simply hung there limply, pouting.

“Sorry about them,” Jack said, not sounding sorry at all. “They’re a pain. I’ll take them home. I’m sure their mom will chastise them properly.”

The guards allowed the two to get dragged away, happy to not have to deal with the 'hooligans' any longer.

Enma rested an arm over Ito’s shoulders. “So, did you learn anything about memen, or…?”

“They age similarly to humans?” Ito offered.

Enma huffed. “That’s all?”

Ace shrugged. “They really weren’t interested in answering my questions once they realized I was just bait. I did learn that, apparently, not all mermen are good at singing? If that helps?”

It did not. Mostly because the Yuus hadn’t been aware that that was a thing, so they had assumed that that was the case anyway.

“Maybe I will chastise you,” Enma said.

Ace opened his mouth, clearly tempted to question whether Enma was finally accepting his status as Group Mom, but then thought better of it.

Ito fixed their hair as they walked, bobby pins poking out of their mouth.

“Did everything go alright on your end?” Ace asked.

“Yep,” said Kuroki, waving the photo.

Enma plucked it out of his hand, ignoring Kuroki’s protests in favor of handing the photo to Ito. “Can you hide this in your hair?”

After a moment’s thought, Ito curled up the photo and tucked it into their bun.

Kuroki blinked. Oh. That… actually made sense. Floyd had already proven that he would check Kuroki first, so giving it to someone else – as much as it pained him – was for the best. And Ito touched their hair all the time, constantly maintaining it to the best of their ability, no one would think twice if they kept checking their hair in the way they would narrow in on someone touching their pockets all the time.

“Are we splitting up?” Grim asked. He immediately clung to Kuroki’s side like a limpet. “I want to go with this henchman.”

Ace rolled his eyes, and then rested his arm around Ito’s shoulders. “I’ll take Ito, then. Wind magic doesn't work well underwater, so they won't see us as a threat.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll go with Enma.”

Enma grinned and bumped shoulders with Jack. “I’ve been wanting a rematch with Jade Leech-senpai for the past two days.”

“We’ll beat him, this time,” Jack agreed.

“I’ll stay with Kuroki, then!” Deuce said, his eyes narrowed in determination. “If Floyd Leech-senpai is going to target him, then having two mages around’ll be the best.”

“Does everyone have Kingscholar-senpai’s number?” Ito reminded them.

After checking their contact lists to be doubly sure, Ace and Deuce flashed a thumbs up.

“Alright, let’s head out.”

~

“Koebi-channnnnn,” Floyd called.

Kuroki groaned. If he was on land, he might have flopped on the floor. But this was underwater, and he felt that slowly floating down to the sand wouldn’t have the same effect.

Deuce shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling at the horizon. “If we don’t turn around, maybe they’ll go away.”

Kuroki knew this wasn’t how real life works, so he turned his head to glare at the twins. “I hate you guys. Please die in a freak accident.”

Jade pressed a hand to his chest, as if he were hurt. He was smiling too much for it to come across as anything near genuine. “You wound us.”

“Good,” sniffed Kuroki.

He’d had a long few days, okay? He deserved the right to call them bitches to their faces.

(He wouldn’t do that, he valued his life, but he deserved the right to.)

And, besides, the more Floyd and Jade concentrated on him, the further away Ito and Ace would be able to get.

“Now, unfortunately for you, we can’t let you get that back to Octavinelle so soon,” Jade said. He tipped his head to the side. “You’ve caused far too much trouble for Azul already.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Grim asked. “Distract us until sunset?”

“And then take the photo,” Floyd said, brightly. “Best of both worlds!”

Jade nodded easily. “Using minimal labor to achieve maximum profit is just good business sense.”

Deuce looked at Kuroki. “Do you have a plan? Please tell me you do.”

“I do!” Kuroki said, brightly. “Let’s try to kill them!”

“Does the water just make you Ramshackle people more pissed off than usual?” Floyd asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

Kuroki, who really didn’t want to go into his interpersonal conflicts with Floyd of all people, nodded. “I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.”

“Enough chatting!” Grim said. “Fight us!”

Grim tried to shoot a fireball. Underwater. It went about as well as you would think.

The secondhand embarrassment is real.

But whatever.

Time to lose another fight!

Kuroki hissed a curse as Floyd’s tail pulled him off-balance, dragging him upside down. Kuroki pushed his shirt up to hide his stomach.

“Ooooh, what’s this?” Floyd asked, pulling a vial from where Kuroki had hidden it in his waistband.

“A bioweapon that’ll kill us all if you release it,” Kuroki lied. That was still back at Ramshackle Dorm. No, what he had now was a health potion. But he’d rather not have it spill out into the water, thanks. He wasn’t sure it would heal his wounds if it did.

“Literally what is wrong with you,” Floyd asked.

Kuroki bit him in lieu of answer.

The teens grappled.

As long as Kuroki kept Floyd’s hands busy, the eel wouldn’t be able to search him. Or, at least, it would take him longer.

After an hour, where the twins had managed to even pull off Kuroki and Deuce’s shoes in search of the photo, and Kuroki began to fear that they might just abandon all niceties and strip them of their clothes…

Jade and Floyd went still. If Kuroki couldn’t feel the rise and fall of Floyd’s chest, pressed against his side, he might’ve thought they’d died.

Had they gotten a text? Kuroki still didn’t know where their phones were hidden, but it was possible that the twins had felt them vibrate.

“It seems Trappola-san and Ito-san have left the water,” Jade said, quietly, his mind running a mile a minute.

“How the fuck do you know that,” Grim asked, disturbed. “They’re my familiars, you can’t have them!”

He was ignored by everyone but Kuroki, who would have asked what the fuck that meant in any other scenario.

Right now, though, he was more concerned with whatever was going on with the Leech twins.

So, he supposed, Grim was ignored by everyone, in the end. Ouch.

Anyways.

“It could be a bluff,” Floyd said. “We already checked them for the photo, they don’t have it.”

Hm. So they had checked the others. Maybe they had anticipated that Kuroki wouldn’t have it on him this time, since they had openly indicated they would check him first. Fuck. It was a good thing that Ito had hidden it in the way they had.

Jade whipped out his phone, intent on sending a text, only to pause. “It seems that Savanaclaw is causing a problem back at the lounge.”

“What time is it?” Floyd demanded, glaring at Kuroki, as if expecting him to answer.

As if Kuroki fucking knew – he didn’t even have a phone!

“The sun sets in an hour,” Deuce said.

“They won’t be able to swim to the mirror in time,” Jade said. “Let’s go.”

They watched them leave.

Kuroki turned to Deuce, who looked exhausted. The mage hadn’t fired off any spells, since they wouldn’t work in Floyd’s presence, but fighting underwater was draining.

Still, he examined his pen, which was free of blot.

“Ready?” he asked, looping his arm around Kuroki’s waist. Kuroki made sure he had a firm hold of Grim, hugging the monster as tightly as he could. He nodded.

And then Deuce sent off water spell after water spell. The new water was impossible to see, as it melded with the ocean immediately, but that didn’t mean that nothing was happening. It increased the pressure in the nearby vicinity, which meant that it could be used to propel themselves through the water.

They reached the mirror within minutes. Deuce was panting, his pen dripping ink, but they would make it in time.

They dropped onto the tile, soaking wet, barely even pausing to wring their clothes out as they pushed themselves to their feet.

Enma and Jack were leaning against the wall. They looked mildly surprised to see them.

“We beat them?” Kuroki asked, with just a hint of vindictive glee.

Jack nodded.

Enma wordlessly tossed them all towels, then jerked his head for them to leave.

They didn’t need to be told twice.

They ran towards Octavinelle.

From the second they stepped through the mirror, their ears were assaulted. The dorm was in chaos. The newly-freed students were rushing towards the mirror, whooping and hollering, happy beyond belief. Whether this was because Ito had given Azul the photo or because Leona had followed through, Kuroki wasn’t yet sure, but it didn’t matter. They pushed their way through the crowds.

Leona stood in the middle of the Lounge, surrounded by a pile of sand. He smirked at Azul, who was kneeling on the floor, in shock. Azul didn’t seem to care that the sand was surely dirtying his pants, his eyes trained on the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks. In one hand, the photo that everyone had spent so long trying to recover was being crumpled to the point where it was nearly unrecognizable. The other hand gripped a handful of sand, tightly, as if he was trying to force the pieces of the contract to come back together by sheer force of will.

Ace, Ito, and Ruggie were laughing at him just a few feet away. Ito was nice enough to cover their mouth to hide their smile. Ace and Ruggie were not. Ruggie was bent over laughing, one hand on the bar to keep himself from falling over. Ace was making an ‘L’ shape with his hand, since he was unable to actually say it through the peals of laughter.

Azul didn’t even seem to see them. His eyes found their way to Leona.

“Why?” he said, his voice hoarse. “I would have cancelled our contract willingly, had you just given it all back. You gain nothing from helping everyone. I don’t get it!”

“You want the truth?” Leona asked.

Azul nodded.

Leona shrugged, helplessly. “If I don't help Team Ramshackle dispose of these contracts, they'll make a huge racket outside my room every day until morning.”

Azul’s mouth dropped open.

“Basically, if you take their dorm away from them, they take my good night's sleep away from me. I want them gone from Savanaclaw, so these things have gotta go.”

“That’s it?!” Azul said, incredulously.

Leona smirked. “Sorry, Cephalo-punk, but you just aren’t as evil as one of those Yuus. Let alone three of them.”

Wait.

Wait.

Leona was blaming them?!

Kuroki grimaced, backing up a step, glancing toward the door. He should really be going –.

He tripped over a fork, cursing as he hit the floor with a thud. Who left that there?!

But this was hardly what he cared about, in that moment.

Because Azul’s eyes locked on him. His face contorted into a truly ugly expression.

“You.”

[faint-kitten]

Never forget Marcus Fenix is bad at sex.

by Faint_Kitten

NOTE: I'm going to oversimplify a lot, because believe it or not Tumblr DOES have a character limit and if I write too much it will refuse to save it/post it.

Gears of War is an incredibly political series. The books are cannon. Each game has MASSIVE time jumps and introduces new characters as if we were already supposed to know them. And you would, if you read the books which form one long continuous story with the games. In fact, the original Trilogy almost doesn't make sense without them. They are functionally worse stories without Karen Traviss' novels fleshing out the characters and completing the story. One of the recurring things that gets glossed over by fans of the games who just like the multiplayer is the fact that everything is awful in Gears' universe. Humanity fucked itself. It fucked itself fighting a multigenerational war for (lets be blunt) oil. The lambancy is the result of mining and fucking with immulsion and it is literally destroying crops, making ground infertile, and seeping it's way into every animal and source of food. That's why they're on the ships in Gears of War 3. Its why you have the line "you fucked up my tomatoes asshole." They have to grow food on these ships, because it literally isn't safe to be on land anymore (as seen in Coalition's End). But the fucking lambancy (again, a mutation caused by a never ending war for fuel) is reaching the ocean it's consuming the planet. As seen by the leviathan fight at the start of Gears 3. Mining, and Refining immulsion which turned out to be a living organism sleeping, (a parasite) made Lambancy, drove the Locust out of hiding and into conflict with humanity. The resulting condition of immulsion (lambant being the parasite and lambency being the condition of succumbing to the parasite) is infecting everything. It's literally ending the world. The world is falling apart, because in an attempt to win a war for Imullsion (Oil) they experimented on miners with rustlung (Black lung) to create supersoldiers to win the war, which lead to the creation of the Locust in the game. Hmm. First Gears game came out in what, 2005? There didn't happen to be any sort of...THING happening around the 00's that bled into every facet of our popular culture coming out of the U.S. at the time. Did there? Hmm. Whatever. Game's aren't political amirite bros? My Point is: humanity is fighting the entire original trilogy for it's survival. And they're doing horrible things to do so. I don't have space to go into everything, but honestly the emotional core of Dom and Marcus is not nearly as interesting as Cliffy B thinks it is, compared to everything else going on in the world. The fact no one gives a shit about art and museums as they have shootouts because...what the fuck good is art when everything is dying? When Dom and Anya attempt to pay a lawyer they do not give him moeny, they give him government ration coupons, because food is more valuable than money. Characters outright call Marcus and friends "fascists" to their faces. It handles a lot of the logistics of "the world is ending, humanity is losing how do we fight a worldwide war that we're losing, and what does that look like, in the military, in politics, and civilian life?" One issue of the original comic deals with the fact there are breeding farms. Women who are forced to make as many babies as possible, because more babies is supposed to mean more soldiers. With Alex Brand declared barren when she couldn't make baby and being put into the cog army. When they visit one of these birthing centers in the comic, where the women (justifiably) have revolted and taken over the facility, one of the women tells Marcus he probably had his pick of women, a big strong guy like him. Now Mr Fenix is our big strong manly man. We cannot have hetro men playing our game thinking Mr Fenix would let a lady talk to him like that. He's gotta be noble, This is the 00's. There were no wokescolds in gaming yet. Gamergate was a blip in our future. Our hero has to be right, he has to pwn this woman. So Marcus Angrily defends himself: "Listen Lady, there are two ways to win this war, making soldiers, and killin' grubs, and I'm a hell of a lot better at one than the other."

I think Marcus Fenix admitted he's bad at fucking.

[jimbleswrites]

Nora, The Sole Survivor

Chapter 5: When Freedom Calls

I pushed open the doors to the museum, slowly looking inside. I had visited the museum a few times with Nate, but it was completely different now. The main room was ripped apart, with holes in the walls and collapsed floors from the other levels laying on the floor. There were a few raiders firing randomly at a room upstairs as we snuck inside and into a side door.

“How are we supposed to get up there?” Moe whispered, gripping his shotgun. I vaguely remembered the path from a tour I took years ago. I took the lead, moving into a dark room. I couldn’t see anything until the lights suddenly flashed to life. A patriotic jingle played over the speakers, apparently on the same sensor as the lights. Moe grabbed me and tucked us behind a weapon case. Sure enough, a raider came in to investigate. Once he was close enough, Moe jumped over the case, slamming the butt of his gun into the raiders face. The raider fell down, only for the dog to jump in and finish him off. I wasn’t as scared this time, but I was still getting used to the constant killing of this world. We continued on, eventually finding a staircase to the third floor with the other raiders outside a door.

“Come on out, minuteman! We’re gonna get inside sometime!” The raider leader was taunting the person inside. There were only 3 raiders there, which seemed to not notice us yet.

“Once one of them sees us, it becomes a firefight. Ready?” Moe quietly rallied as we readied our weapons. I nodded, and we turned the corner, blasting. I managed to shoot one in the chest, Moe’s shell flew into another, and the other quickly ducked out of sight. The dog ran forward, snarling and barking as he rushed the last one’s cover. I ran up to the dog, just in time to see the raider kick him to the side. Time seemed to slow as I raised my gun, quickly firing 3 bullets directly into his skull. The raider dropped to the floor, and the fight was over. There was a moment of silence, then the door opened. The man from the balcony beckoned us in, and we moved in the room. There was a small group of people inside, only 5 people in total, all in various states of paranoia.

“Man, I don't know who you are, but your timing is impeccable.” He lowered his weapon and felt out his hand. “Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen.” He introduced himself.

I shook his hand. “I’m Nora, and this is Moe.” The dog barked and ran further into the room. “And I'd assume this is your dog.” The dog ran right up to an older woman and laid down.

“You’d have to ask Mama Murphy about that, but I’m glad you helped with those raiders.” Preston sighed. “I’ll tell ya, it’s been a rough trip to say the least.”

“Minutemen, huh?” Moe looked over the 5 people in the room. “Not many of them around anymore.”

“I think I’m the last. Been helping these people since Quincy. We started with about 20 people and now it’s just us.” Preston explained. He began introducing the others. Sturges was a lanky guy in overalls, trying to hack into a terminal in the museum office. Mama Murphy was an older woman resting on the sofa, lazily petting the dog and looking at nothing with red eyes. Marcy and Jun Long were the middle-aged couple on the far side of the room, both of them muttering to themselves. I didn’t really understand what the minutemen did, but they seemed like decent people. “We were hoping to make it to Sanctuary to start a new settlement, but the raiders cut us off here. I know the boss is coming to finish us off, but we don’t have the firepower to fight them.”

“Well, now you have two more people. What’s the plan?” I cut in.

Preston pointed to Sturges, who turned around from his terminal. “There’s a vertibird on the roof. Pre-war. We can’t fix it, but there’s a set of genuine power armor and a mini-gun left behind. Figure if we can get it running, we can out-gun whatever the raider boss shows up with.”

Sturges put his hands on his overall straps, pausing for a moment. “But it’s out of juice. There’s a fusion core running the electricity in the building we could use, but the gate is locked. Was hoping to break through on the terminal here, but no luck.”

That was a solid plan. Power armor was the peak of military technology, and a mini-gun to back it up meant no one could stop us. “Where is the fusion core? Maybe there’s another way to get it.”

“Basement, just past the ruined stairs.” Sturges pointed, and I nodded. Moe followed me as we backtracked past the raider bodies. We found the stairs, completely rotted with a caged generator just in sight. I managed to find a ladder and placed it down as makeshift steps. I looked closer at the cage as we approached. It was a simple chain link, with another terminal here.

“You really want to help these people?” Moe finally spoke up, kneeling down next to the lock. He pulled out a bobby pin and a screwdriver from his bag as he spoke.

“I do. Maybe they can help find Shaun.” I looked closer as Moe started to pick the lock, slowly testing pressure.

“You don’t even know who the minutemen are. Trust me, they are not the force they used to be. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the last one.” Moe continued to poke and prod as he spoke.

“I know about the minutemen from way back.” I remembered the old statue next to the park in our neighborhood for the revolutionary era minutemen.

“Same concept, but they were the first to try to make a government out here. After the mutant attacks on Diamond City, they tried to branch all the little towns together. But apparently one of the reps went crazy, murdering the other reps during some hearing. Minutemen still tried to hold together but never really recovered. Latest fiasco was some Quincy shootout they had a hand in.” Moe finally opened the door as he wrapped up.

Mutants? Diamond City? I got the basic gist of it, but I’d have to ask about the details later. “Even if they aren’t as powerful, these people need help.” I pulled the core out of the generator, with it rattling to a stop as I did. “You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”

“No, not that. Just used to the normal wastelander attitude.” Moe smiled. “Reminds me of the days pre-war.”

We came back up to the museum office, with Preston sighing in relief as we showed him the core. “This is a great change of pace. Now we’ll get you set up and-.”

Preston was suddenly cut off by a loud yell from Mama Murphy. She grabbed her head as she caught her breath. “They’re coming… and they’re angry…” The group seemed to take this more seriously than Moe and I, quickly grabbing guns and scrambling around.

“Change of plan, you go get set up with the power armor, and we’ll set up on the balcony.” Preston took charge as he pushed us to the door. “The door there leads to the roof, hurry.” I was going to question what was happening until I heard thuds from outside. The raiders must be back already. Moe and I ran over the door, rushing up the stairs to see a ruined vertibird. Mangled metal scraps were scattered over the floor, with a power armor frame leaned against the wall. I had seen some test armor during a work trip with Nate, but never actually used one before.

“Just slam the core in the power slot on the back. The rest should be easy.” Moe grabbed a loose sniper rifle and an ammo bag from the vertibird. “I’ll cover you from here.” He set up a small stool as I approached the suit. The suit towered over me, easily about 7 feet tall. The armor pieces on the frame were rusted but still intact as a full set. I pushed the core into the slot, turning the wheel on the back to open it. The back hatch swung up as the frame moved into a standing position, suddenly able to support its own weight. I stepped up into the frame, with the hatch closing behind me. I put my arms into the sleeves, finding gloves near the end. The frame was a little too big, but I could make it work. The screen lit up, showing overlays as I looked through the eye holes. I moved my leg, the whole frame mirroring my movement. I raised my hand, and the metal arm outside raised in response. It was a bit bulky and I wouldn’t be able to move as quickly, but I felt safe inside. I stepped forward awkwardly, adjusting to the new balance as I looked into the vertibird. There was a mini-gun still strapped to the gunner seat, which broke off with a quick pull.

I held the mini-gun as I looked over the edge of the roof, seeing about 10 raiders running up with another behind in a similar power armor frame. However, their armor was quickly cobbled with scrap metal and no helmet. There was rebar across the shoulder and chest, with spiked knuckles on the fist. The raiding party came to a stop in the middle of town, with the armored one stepping to the front.

They pointed to the building. “LEAVE NO SURVIVORS!” they yelled, sending the others charging forward. No time to take the stairs back down. I jumped down to a lower fire escape, which crumbled under the weight. I fell for a second, then managed to push off the wall, redirecting me towards the front door of the museum. I landed with a loud thud, jostling the suit. I was shaken a bit, but otherwise fine. I stood up, hearing gunfire from behind as Moe and the others started to shoot. I pulled the trigger, feeling the gun spin before firing. Bullets flew out as the raiders realized they were outmatched. They tried to run off, but didn’t get too far before getting hit. I couldn’t really aim well, so I slowly walked forward as I aimed towards the biggest grouping of raiders. They shot back a bit, but they dinged off the power armor. Even the leader in their own power armor was retreating, jumping behind a car near some exposed sewer pipes. Soon enough the raiders all were dealt with, bodies littering over town as I approached the car. I continued to fire, hoping to hit them through their cover with enough firepower. But after that little shoot-out, my mini-gun began to click. Out of ammo. I tossed the gun to the ground as the leader stepped back out, loud thuds as he stepped.

“YOU FUCKER! I’LL KILL YOU!” The leader tried to punch me, but I dodged to the side. The thuds continued, even louder as we circled each other. It was trying to punch in slow-motion, with some hits on both sides. Suddenly, there was a loud roar as a giant lizard broke out from the pipes nearby. It had black scales all over, yellow eyes below curved horns, and sharp claws on all 4 limbs.

“DEATHCLAW!” The leader changed from fighting to running, clearly terrified. That only scared me more, if this beast was enough to scare raiders just by presence alone. The deathclaw snarled, charging past me and grabbing the raider. It roared in his face, before throwing him through a building nearby. It refocused on me, slowly walking towards me. I had no ammo, and my other weapons were stuck in my pack inside the armor. It suddenly charged again, swiping at my chest. It scratched the armor, with the overlay showing the chest integrity was almost broken. I ran back to one of the raider’s bodies, hoping to find a weapon. I heard gunfire continue as they tried to hold the monster back. I managed to find a few grenades on a belt and a revolver with one bullet. I had an idea, but I would have to be quick. I turned around to find the deathclaw swiping at me again, catching my arm and shattering some of the pieces off the frame. It suddenly bit my arm, crushing part of the frame. I managed to throw the grenades into the gap in its teeth, and shot the revolver. It rang out, hitting the grenades and exploding right at the base of its neck.

The explosion sent me flying, landing on my back. The power armor was not responding, and I managed to force the hatch open. I crawled out just to see the deathclaw, missing a head, dead on the ground. Blood was still pumping from the body, pooling near the hole in its neck. Just me standing on an empty road with a bunch of dead bodies. I started to turn, only to see the leader limping out of a building nearby. They were still in their armor, and immediately laughed on seeing the scene.

They took a step, only to suddenly stop with a loud bang. They fell forward, a hole in their skull. I looked up to see Moe, giving me a thumbs up. The fight had been won. The minutemen cheered, finally free to leave Concord.

I made my way inside, finding the other already coming down to greet me. Preston grabbed my hand and shook. “That was pretty amazing! I’m glad you’re on our side!” The others agreed, with Moe making his way next to me and grabbing my shoulder in a fatherly approving way. Preston held out a little bag. “It isn’t much, but we can’t let you go without pay.”

The bag clinked as I took it. I looked inside to see some caps and loose ammo. It wasn’t much, but I didn't even ask for a reward.

“Thanks. I was hoping for some information too, if you don’t mind.” I asked. Preston nodded. “I’m looking for my son, Shaun. I don’t have much to go on, but-”

“He’s alive.” Mama Murphy spoke up. “I can sense it.”

“Sense it?” I didn’t understand.

“Mama Murphy has the Sight. She can see the future.” Sturges explained.

I didn’t really understand, but remembered that she knew the raiders were coming before anyone. “I don’t really-”

“You’re lost in this new world.” Mama Murphy cut me off, her red eyes unfocused as she rambled. “You want to find your son, but you don’t know anything about who took him.”

She somehow knew. Whatever powers she had, she clearly could see more than just the future. “Mama Murphy…” I pleaded. “Whatever you can tell me-”

“It’s too muddled.” She interrupted me. “I see a neon heart in a big city. The man there can help you.” She suddenly slumped down, with Sturges grabbing her. She had passed out from something.

“She pushed herself too hard.” Sturges picked her up, putting her on his back. “Her Sight comes at a cost. She’ll be fine, just needs a few days to rest.”

“We should be heading out anyway. Sanctuary should be nearby. We should be able to reach it soon.” Preston added.

“I actually need to head back there anyway. Codsworth is probably worried. I can help lead the way.” I offered.

“Please, that would be great.” Preston smiled. “Finally, a good change of pace.” We packed up the last of their things, ready to head back home.

[thefantasticreader]

Warm Blood and Cold Hearts

This is Chapter One of my new story I am writing about a Vampire falling in love with a Human, Basic yes I know, but anyways I thought of this last night and am introducing chapter one today. Also Merry Christmas everyone

WARNINGS: THIS INCLUDES BLOOD, SUGGESTIVE NOTIONS, VAMPIRES, things that would be involved in a book like this

A happy four year old danced in the rain, pouring down in all directions as he jumped in the puddles left just for him. The child had not a care in the world, protected in his mother's arms. "Honey, I hope you do know that I am not cleaning that mud off of him." Graham Carter, her father revoked from his seat in the office overlooking the boy. "Oh heavens Graham he's only a child, I'll clean him up well. Or the pay will, I do suppose you wish for your afternoon to talk to clients?" Her father make a quick nod, "Yes dear, on thought I don't suppose meatloaf is alright for dinner. It'll spoil to quickly Anne." Anne, her mother, looked out at the boy. "I suppose we should run to the store." How happy the boy seemed to be in the moment, no care for what could happen later in the years.

"Mommy!" the small voice exclaimed as the boy was lifted from the tub. "Oh hello my dear." he giggled, "I played in the mud today mommy." Anna nodded, I saw my love. You had fun, Yes?" he nodded. "Are we going to the store later momma?" Anne nodded at the wide eyed child. "And if you are good, perhaps you can get a treat." he smiled "I'll be the best I can momma." she nodded and raised his chin, "What ever did I do to deserve you Athan."

The visit to the store was rather brisk in which involved the boy to get a treat of his own, in which whatever did he choose but a hat. "Why did he choose a hat." Graham asked his wife as she giggled at the boy holding it. "He believes it makes him look sophisticated and graceful." his father rolled his eyes, "Sometimes I think we raised a girl." "Come dear, the night is still young, let us light candles and cook together my little 'gentleman'. Father is indeed crazy isn't he?" giggled followed the room as they continued out of the room with Graham sitting there confused as to what had just happened. "Neither the boy's parents nor Athan had been prepared for the fire that would take everything from them that night. Shame really, he died four years after birth, and his parents were young as well."

The museum was in full swing as the new exhibit had just opened up, titled in favor, a capsule of the 18th century. Although the story never had been found until now, he knew better than to interject the woman on the podium. "Even 105 year's later and still they discuss your 'death'. You know if I didn't know any better, which I do, I would say you are upset about this. the futile attempt at controlling your anger has failed Athan." The black haired male turned to his elder. "Your call was disturbing to say the least, pardon me for turning away from you for all this time. You did end my life." the male chuckled. tucking the long blonde hair behind his fair skinned ear he shrugged "I could have let the fire burn you to death but I knew you were too good to save." A firery rage surged inside Athan's body as he glared down on the man. "Almost Twenty Eight years later after college?!" the male sushed him. "I saved your life, now your mine and deemed eternal life... I suggested to find a palace and lock yourself away, oh right you have no money. It was lost in a fire." the male chuckled and walked away. "If you weren't my uncle I would kill you." both males grumbled the entire time in the museum and now even still exiting it they argued over the truth. "Must these car's be so disturbing!" Athan yelled as he entered the short car his uncle owned. "This 'disturbing' thing is called an impala. AND in which is a classic." The black haired male rolled his eyes and looked out the window.

Was he truly doomed to live eternity alone, would he ever find a way out, or would he be stuck like this forever. "Oh and Athan," his uncle began from his spot in the car. "I found us a new assistant. I believe you will like... her."

[paleparearchive]

The Secret to Popularity Is... Rock!?

Delacroix's Valentine 3★ 1/2 ( 1 - 2 )

Location: museum hallway (morning) ; museum entrance (morning) ; reception (morning) | Characters: Delacroix, Raffaello, Jan, Hubert, Mucha, Aoi/MC

Aoi: Good job on the production, Delacroix-kun! You made the client very happy.

Delacroix: No wonder. It's a work of art that I put my soul into. The guy who commissioned it knew rock too, so I didn't get bored.

Aoi: Come to think of it, when you handed it over, you were both talking passionately about rock.

(They eventually exchanged firm handshakes, so I guess they must have been very much on the same page.)

You've got the whole day off tomorrow, so get some rest.

Delacroix: No, I'll help ya with the museum. Ya said we got more customers after the Valentine's Day live painting, right?

Aoi: Uh? But…

Delacroix: We're shorthanded anyway, right? The other guys seem to be on a schedule, too. Hell, you're even busier than usual, right? It's times like this when ya can count on me.

Aoi: Hm… Thank you. I guess I'll ask for it then.

Delacroix: Yeah, leave it to me.

Aoi: (Delacroix-kun tends to get passionate when it comes to rock… This is how he looks after people.)

???: RAFFAELLO-SAMAAAA!~

Delacroix: Huh? What's with those voices? Are they comin' from over there…?

—

Raffaello: Welcome. You girls… You have never been to the museum before, have you?

Raffaello's fan 2: Right! We all came to see your paintings, Raffaello-san!

Raffaello: I appreciate that. Since I have some time today, I can give you a tour.

Raffaello's fan 3: Kyaaaa!~ I can't believe Raffaello-sama is giving us a tour…!

Delacroix: … What, the heck?

Aoi: Since he has been the leader in the live painting, Raffaello-san's fan base has grown even more. Fans often visit the museum, too. However, it just seems to be a bit of a challenge with even more people calling out to him on the street…

Delacroix: Amazing…

Well, Raffaello's always been popular, no wonder he's got a growin' fanbase.

Aoi: Huh, didn't you know? The number of fans of everyone who was at the Valentine's Day live painting has increased.

Delacroix: Huh, for real!?

Aoi: You didn't realize it because you had a commission, Delacroix-kun. The truth is–

Mucha's fan 1: KYAAAA!!~ Mucha-saaan!~ Good morning!

Mucha: Good morning. Fufu, you are a very energetic group of customers. However, this is a museum. Once you are inside, please be quiet.

Mucha's fan 2: Alright, got it!

Jan's fan: Jan-kun, you're sooo cute!~ Look at meee!~

Jan: Coooming~♪ Did you call me, ladies? Do you wanna play together?

Hubert: No, Jan. We were supposed to work together today, remember? If you finish today's work properly, I'll play with you.

Jan: Hooraaay!~ I'm gonna play with Bert-niii!~

Aoi: (As expected from Hubert-kun, he was quick to intervene! As usual, his guard against Jan-kun is still up.)

Delacroix: You were serious 'bout the growing number of fans.

…

—

Delacroix: The flyer was... Here. Aight, that's it.

Still, there's a lotta customers today. At this rate, I wonder if the additional flyers're gonna run out soon. I'll see how it goes a lil' more, and then I'll add some more…

Delacroix's fan 1: E-Excuse me, are you Delacroix-kun?

Delacroix: Huh? Yeah, but…

Delacroix's fan 2: Kyaaa, so cooool!!~

Delacroix: …! The hell, you…

[alatusxiaoo]

✎ [ 17. ] get away with anything

you stare up at the sprawling sight in front of you with bewilderment.

massive cream-colored pillars towered proudly before the both of your comparably tinier frames, as the welcome banners strung across the museum’s open entrance fluttered delicately in the afternoon breeze — dancing to the background noises of the bustling city and chattering visitors.

truth be told, the unfathomed venue of your spontaneous date leaves you utterly speechless.

“you…”

“you probably don’t recall this yet…but you actually told me back then,” heizou hummed softly in response, staring up at the historical structure with an equal amount of adoration. “during the competition. after we wagered our bets and you said you’ve always wanted to visit a museum because it had free admission.”

he chuckles briefly at the interesting memory of your frugality, thinking to himself with a rather satisfied grin. “i remembered.”

your gaze flickers towards the surprisingly thoughtful boy standing next to you — at his loosely tied auburn hair and the strands framing his pale face, at his white button-up and arm rolled sleeves, at his awe-stricken smile and the enchanted gleam painting his eyes.

“shall we?” heizou beams, politely holding a hand out to you.

seems like feigning interest in him really wasn’t bound to be much of a challenge…

“we shall.” you smile without hesitation, lightly taking your fingers in his.

you leave your jackets by the entrance of the building before proceeding inside. heizou’s hands are cold as you tread through the museum with glittering gazes of curiosity. sad to say — neither of you were particularly knowledgeable when it came to the realm of historical events, so you and your date had spent the first couple of minutes merely wandering around the venue with an air of innocence and wonder, seemingly akin to two lost puppies.

despite the initial and obvious lack of expertise, you found yourself highly amused when heizou suddenly began to put on a play of passionate effort in pretending to be a well-informed tour guide — concocting awfully ridiculous yet humorous facts about each of the displays you happened to pass by.

you occasionally chimed in to make foolish jokes and took turns fabricating all sorts of tales on the history behind the exhibits. much to your dignity, you also successfully managed to return most of his flirty lines. though you tried to limit your voices and conversations to hushed whispers, you could often tell that you were both on the receiving end of disdained stares from other visitors.

in the midst of your conversation, heizou didn’t seem to be giving in too easily into your infrequently woven questions about what transpired at the party. you wanted to be confident in the fact that expressing interest was going to be enough, but he seemed to be able to see through your poor endeavors of forcing yourself to act flirty. his eluding behavior made it seem as though something strange did happen between the both of you that night — and you figured feigning attraction wasn’t simply going to be enough to pry for concrete answers.

“quick question, do you think i’d be able to get away with thieving run-down artifacts?” you randomly blurt in the middle of your journey around the building, suddenly catching sight of an artistic collection of jewelry flaunted behind a glass frame.

heizou pauses in his tracks, stunned by your words as he follows your gaze to the wall. “you want to steal…this?” he squints his eyes at the exhibited ornaments. “i didn’t realize you were into archival jewelry.”

“it’s a hypothetical question.” you snicker, rolling your eyes. “besides, you’re a criminology major, so i was curious.”

“i’m supposed to be a good guy, my darling watson.” he smirks, raising an eyebrow at you as if to prove a point.

“aw, entertain me for a bit here. just tell me if i’d get away with it.”

heizou falls into silence as his eyes flicker in hasty glances from you to the artifacts, legitimately contemplating the theoretical circumstance for a fleeting moment.

“i think you could.” he muses in response.

“seriously?”

“sure. i mean, if it was me at least, i’d let you get away with anything.” he laughs, winking over at you with a sly smile. “but why steal those shabby jewels when you can take my heart anytime?”

you wince at the flirtatious line, yet lift a hand to cover your face after failing to stifle the flush that blossoms across your cheeks. “ugh, that was definitely one of your better ones.”

“i see you blushing through the cracks, watson.”

“moving on, then!”

the true chaos only begins halfway through your museum date — when the both of you stumble perchance across a little kids’ area littered with dress up bins.

one mischievous look exchanged between one another was all it took to scramble towards the filed crates in suppressed laughter.

you managed to try on all the hats with heizou after rifling through them for several minutes, the sound of muffled snickers and hushed snapshots ringing through the half-deserted area. his arm firmly wrapped around your shoulder, your hand gently pressed against his chest, his fingers fumbling with the camera and breathing clumsy whispers, your mouth flowering into a sincere smile as you gaze at him before meeting the black lens.

albeit, your momentary bubble of happiness began to gradually deflate when much of the passerby who stared at you two with peculiar expressions presumed you were both creepy strangers who have been lounging around the kids area for a prolonged while now…

and it wasn’t even a surprise anymore when a pair of security guards eventually came approaching your huddled figures in long strides…almost certainly with the intent to kick suspicious visitors out.

but before you had even fully registered the situation, you were both already running off the opposite direction with gasps of childish laughter — hands instinctively intertwined as you began to make your great escape despite still sporting some of the hats on your heads.

it’s a dashing pursuit that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon with either side proclaiming defeat, no matter how many turns you take and how many diversion attempts you make.

heizou suddenly backs you into a tiny corner behind one of the colossal statues near the exit, your chests heaving in weighty breaths and sweat dripping down your temples out of exhaustion. his hand is against the wall, trapping your body in between — and you tilt your head slightly to peek over his shoulder to see whether your pursuers had managed to follow suit once more.

“are they there?” heizou asks through smothered pants.

“they’re here, but i don’t think they see us.” you whisper, leaning back to the wall once more to catch your breath.

you close your eyes to calm yourself, feeling the warmth of the bonnet wrapped around your head heat your feverish face even more.

heizou’s breaths tenderly tickle your cheeks more than you’d want them to. eyes softly fluttering open, you know it isn’t much of a revelation to find his head inching dangerously close to yours.

“sorry, just a little longer.” he breathes in reassurance, blinking a tad too rapidly as his eyes anxiously dart anywhere else but at your face. his top hat also starts to slide down his hair due to minor yet excessive movements.

why does it seem like he’s panicking a bit too much?

and then you catch a glimpse of it. through the shadows, a flush crawling from the tips of his ears and roseating the skin of his face.

“oh my god,” you whisper-shout with widened irises, clasping a hand against your mouth in astonishment at your discovery.

“heizou. you’re blushing.”

“what?” he audibly scoffs in disbelief, tilting his head to the side without being able to meet your mystified gaze. “i am not.”

“yes you are!”

“i am not.”

“you’ve never been this close to a girl before.” you piece together in amusement, desperately trying to stifle the laugh that threatens to escape your mouth.

“i—” heizou swallows thickly at your declaration. “…fine. maybe just a little.”

“and yet here you went, shamelessly flirting with every girl you saw.”

“so what if i’m blushing anyway?!” he snorts at your victorious expression, cheeks growing a further shade darker.

“i should use this as leverage.” you smile as you move closer, teeth sinking down on your lip at the devious thought of it.

“leverage..?” heizou barely registers your words, dazedly staring down at your mouth.

“yes! you promised to tell me what happened to me the night at the party.” you nod eagerly, beaming with delight. “and you kept dodging my questions like a fucking weasel. this is the perfect opportunity to get exactly what i want.”

“aha. that’s real cute, my watson.” he strains a proud smile, hardly managing to tear his eyes off your lips. “…fine, you got me. can’t have everyone randomly flustering me tomorrow.”

“it’s a promise.”

“hmm…the party,” heizou ponders, shifting his weight to lean on the arm pressed to the wall. he nudges his top hat to a more stable position on his head. “as far as i remember, we first ran into each other at around early nine. you were getting a drink and i happened to be doing the same as well, but we only shared a brief conversation before you went and left to find your friends.”

“we met later on again at approximately ten thirty, i believe we held our drinking competition by then. you suggested on wagering bets and chose a favor as your prize, and i chose taking you on a date as mine.” he winks triumphantly, and you ignore the slight blush painting your cheeks. “i’m certain that’s all i saw of you that evening.”

“…really?”

“mhm, that’s it.”

you narrow your eyes at him, feeling dubious about his rather brief answer. “are you sure?”

he shrugs with a roguish smile. “like i said. it really is a shame you still haven’t regained your memory from that evening.”

“i don’t trust you.” you frown, distancing yourself from him as you rest deeper into the wall — carefully processing the information previously surrendered.

“i’m a little offended.” he chuckles. “but i suppose it’s only natural that you think things aren’t always as they seem.”

“why do you say that?”

“because,” he gestures to the both of you with his other hand. “you believe i took you out on a date under the premise that i won a drinking competition.”

“well, did you not take me out because of just that?” you furrow your eyebrows, feeling even more confused.

“exactly.”

new questions only formulate at the back of your head. you’re about to open your mouth to push the matter and demand further answers, however you can already see from over his shoulder that the guards have finally disappeared.

“are they gone?”

“yeah. let’s get out of here.” you tap his arm, stepping out from the confined space of shadows. raising an arm to wipe the sweat off your brow, you exhale a sigh of relief knowing that you didn’t have to worry about those guards clamoring your way.

you hear your date shuffle and follow suit from behind, and you turn around to see his hands stuffed within his pockets. you’re ashamed to admit that you were enchanted with how attractive rolled up sleeves made him look.

“we should probably leave before they come back to find us again.” heizou sighs in disappointment. “just when it was getting even more interesting…”

“what about our hats?” you ask, slightly embarrassed by the bonnet still lingering upon your head like a crown.

“well we’re not exactly in a position to make another appearance back at the kids area,” he smiles sheepishly, slowly walking towards the exit of the museum. “we should keep it, i don’t think anyone will notice. think of it as a nice souvenir from our memorable date. besides, you look rather cute in it.”

you feel the corners of your lips raising in a knowing grin as you trail his footsteps. “oh? i thought you said you were supposed to be a good guy.”

“i am.” heizou simpers, stopping in his tracks as he turns back to offer his warm hand towards you for one last time.

“but i told you, didn’t i? as long as it’s me, i don’t mind letting you get away with anything. although i suppose we’ll have to save you whisking away my heart for another time ~ ”

I WISH YOU WERE SOBER — [ previous. masterlist. next ]

synopsis — in which you were never really one for spontaneity or precipitous decisions, until you got yourself drunk at your senior year university party and woke up the next morning with the most dreadful of hangovers…along with a painfully distorted memory of a stolen kiss on that hazy evening.

note — belated christmas everyone! <3 here’s a date with heizou as a gift hehehe

taglist — @tihgnari @ceylestia @eissaaaa @venyan @sohyuki @senjurro @bobaducky @dinoshimaaa @sharoshing @ioverjn @hey-comrade-hold-stil @skaramush @lesboluvs @clovcly @ventuswhat @zephestia @theother-victoria @neptun-es @ihaveahunterlisence @minyoungieee @astolary @wrenhyperfixates @heartonthemoon @goodthingimsam @capybara4lyfers @slvdsjjk @michelindu @kimiesstuff @itssoizzy @kazuzux @hiqhkey @layla240 @justrisahere @one-offmind @diaflower @liquor-kissez @tokanite @pooonyo @sweetstrawberrybabe @yeeden @nejibot @lcvez @rion-s @sakushoujo @koiir @lost-wicked-artist @q1ngx1n @yer1sdi4ry @bleedingwhiteroses222 @starglitterz @xdncrkay @uwak-uwak-uwak-uwak @apyrose @zanashair

[qqueenofhades]

Your Garcy dabbles are getting me through a rough patch, shooting you another prompt for them because they are my Happy Place 😊

"Come on, take my hand." (46) Garcy ❤

46. “Come on, take my hand.”

It's going on autumn in the tenth year since Lucy Preston-Flynn moved to this universe for good, and Oxford is always the most beautiful in the fall. The leaves turn gold and crackle underfoot, the aetherium shimmers in the sunrise and sunsets, the dreaming spires look their most romantic and haunted, and since the city still isn't quite electrified, shadowed streetlamps lead down cobbled lanes and turn the world just that bit strange and unknown, and the foggy chill stings Lucy's cheeks when she leaves for Somerville in the mornings. It's 1897, three years away from the twentieth century, but even when that arrives, it will still feel very far away. What is the twentieth century even going to look like, this time around? It's been one of her longest lingering questions. If all the world wars and political revolutions and genocides are still destined to play out just as they had back home, or if there was time for things to change, rivers to take different courses. She didn't know then. She still doesn't. Sometimes it threatens to drive her crazy, if she lets it. She tries not to.

Lucy and Flynn stroll arm-in-arm along the Thames towpath, as punts of enthusiastic collegiate rowers scull past at top speed; they have to keep in shape lest Cambridge shamefully beat them in the Boat Race, after all. Flynn is finally back from a long work trip of investigating rare magical artifacts in Austria-Hungary, many of which he discreetly slipped back to their rightful owners rather than turning over to the British Museum. Lucy hopes that he'll be home for a while now; he's been gone for most of the year, and while she's used to it, it's always nice to have him around for longer. The kids appreciate it too. And maybe Ada will visit this year at Christmas, the way she sometimes does but not always. Time is a very frangible concept in Faerie, after all, and it's been a while. Lucy hopes she hasn't forgotten entirely.

"Hey," Flynn says, picking up on her distraction. "Something wrong?"

"No. Not really." Lucy sighs. "I'm just thinking about everything again. The way I still don't know what's going to happen in this world's twentieth century, and if Mariah and Ethan are going to be okay if you're gone and I'm gone and we're both working all the time, and if Ada remembers who we are, and -- "

Flynn stops short, turns to her, and takes her face in both hands. Lucy's older than she used to be, of course; ten years does that in any universe, and she keeps finding silver hairs in her brush and faint lines around her eyes. It's different in a world without drugstore beauty treatments (though the Victorians have plenty of alternatives that they would like to offer, some more horrifying than others), and she's tried to accept it as aging gracefully. Flynn is in his mid-fifties by now, but of course the grey streaks just make him look more dignified and silver-fox than ever, and he's still plenty strong, vigorous, and far from the retirement home. Lucy has tried not to worry too much what could happen to her family without modern medicine. If it gets too bad, perhaps she could call Rufus on the Refractory-Glass and ask him to come get them, the option that Ada originally turned down. They still keep in touch, and Rufus and Jiya even visited last year, in person. Mariah and Ethan know vaguely about the alternate universe that their mother comes from, but it's still a delicate subject.

"Shh," Flynn says, speaking both to Lucy and all her swirling thoughts, the worries that never entirely go away. "It's going to be fine, I promise. We'll figure it out together, as always. Hear me?"

Lucy musters a smile. "You're right. I suppose it's a blessing that I don't know what's going to happen, not entirely. I can guess, and I can hope, and things were already different here before. After all." She shrugs self-deprecatingly. "You know. Magic."

"Magic is nice," Flynn agrees, "but it doesn't fix everything. And trust me, it can't do anything that we can't do for ourselves. Now come on, take my hand and let’s keep going. I think we're both in need of a good breakfast. When does Michaelmas term start again?"

"Monday." Lucy's lesson plans are ready, more or less, and she is looking forward to getting back. "Breakfast sounds good."

"I know." Flynn takes her hand and tucks it into the crook of her elbow, and Lucy adjusts the fashionable angle of her parasol with the other. They stroll out of Christ Church Meadow and find somewhere to come in from the cold, are served tea and pastries and steam up the windows as the city wakes up and rushes off to class, and yet again, whenever she is with him, her dear stupid best-beloved husband, Lucy can trust that it will continue to be happy-ever-after.

[fic prompts]

[honouredsatoru]

JJK Characters x You on a date

notes : I tried including Gojo's love for Digimon since I also grew up watching Digimon and loving the anime with all of my heart, also because Gojo's seiyuu, both Japanese and English versions, voiced for characters in Digimon, so I wanna pay homage to the both of them. other than that, I also included my love for arts and history, something I tried to incorporate into my writing, just to make it like.. lilith's style, ya know?

extra notes : also I wrote megumi for Elli, just because haha.

warnings : slight cussing. not proofread lol. other than that, none. 100% fluff!

characters : gojo satoru, fushiguro megumi, kugisaki nobara, nanami kento, itadori yuji.

Gojo Satoru - Arcades, vintage shops, especially collectors, especially Digimon, comic book/manga stores.

[Your name]! [Your name!]! Look, look! It's the Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 series! All 9 of them! Let's get in!"

"Ahh hold on. Towu! We're supposed to visit the cat cafe, you promised that you would go with me and take pictures with the cat hairband on! And I'm starving!"

You jokingly scowled at him, tapping your Doc Martens feet on the ground, arms folding.

"Fucking adorable. Let me see if I can tease her more, hah." A smirk soon appeared on this blue-eyed darling of yours.

"Let me get the manga and I promise, I'll go to this cat cafe with you, baby. Hm?"

"Oh alright."

"I love you, sweetheart. I know how much you wanted to go there but the manga. I- ahaaaa"

He started pouting as he kept pointing in the direction of the Digimon manga by the window. You quickly opened your camera, taking pictures of him sulking, emitting a soft giggle that actually made his heart squeezed with joy.

He presses his lips against your forehead, thumb circling your cheek, gently squishing them before opening the door, yanking you into the comic book store with him. You vowed to hide the comic books once he goes on a mission. After all, he made you wait a month before the two of you finally get to go to this cafe you always wanted to visit.

"Baby, I can read what you're thinking. Your face shows it too. Hehe. Watch me hide your panties."

Taking in a few gulps of air to deepen your breath, you opened your eyes, to meet the love of your life's own eyes, snickering at you, his large hands on the crown of your head before ruffling your already messy hair. There is no way you can stay mad at this man, as childish as he is, you know he loves you and deep down? He knows you love him too.

Itadori Yuji - Thrift stores, internet cafes to play online games with you, cinemas.

"Candy! [Your name] love! Don't! Make! Me! Ahhh cover up for me! I am gonna lose! I am gonna-"

He turns around to face you with soft eyes, his eyebrows slightly droopy before looking back at the computer, taking in the seconds in his head to register the fact that he lost in his mission with you in Inferno.

"Awww sorry babe. I mean.. you just started playing CSGO, so tell me, why- again- damn it- you wanna- AH. Damn it! Throw the fucking grenade! I mean why you wanna play this game, you need more practice- FUCK YOU."

Gentle chuckles were heard, emitted from his throat, his soft, peach toned lips landed on your cheek repeatedly as he rubbed soothing circles around your back.

"Breathe, bunny baby. You're so feisty whenever you start having online matches. Breathe. I love you, and I don't want you to get your blood pressure rising because of these dumbos, hm?"

Your lips curl into a faint and appreciative smile, nodding while your eyes are glued to the screen, ignoring the fading laughs and snickers from the people acknowledging your mini rage.

"I love you too. If I win, I'm getting us boba and chicken nuggets. So let me fight them, okie?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Megumi - Museums, art galleries, photo exhibitions, aesthetic cafes.

"Oh Gumi bear, look at that! That is the Raft of Medusa, it was done by Thèodore Géricault, he himself interviewed two survivors from the shipwreck."

He looks over your eyes that shine with excitement and pure happiness.

"Art"

Was what he thought every time he laid his sight onto you. God knows that he falls in love with you every single time he is blessed with your presence. Resting his arm around your waist, pulling you closer, inhaling the scent of mixed berries and wild roses, he swore he heard his heartbeat increasing every two seconds in a span of one minute.

"Oh really? What do you think this painting is all about?"

Glancing at him before returning to the painting, you puffed your cheeks, pressing your lips together with your index finger curled on your chin and your thumb under it.

"Lord, she is so cute whenever she does that. Can I kiss her? Should I? No wait, she's trying to tell me her own interpretation of this painting. To me. Oh wow. I'm gonna kiss her... later. I can't interrupt her." That is all he could think of. You. He is deeply, madly, beautifully in love with you.

"In my opinion, it tells me the ways of how men, or human beings, seek out in order to survive. When we are at the brink of desperation, insanity, happiness, greed, lust, desire, wrath, grief, don't we all do things unimaginable to help us go through the day? They even resolved to cannibalism. I think even I would commit to that if I was in an extremely dire situation."

You looked at him, a wide smile on your face, emitting a soft giggle that entered his right ear and stayed within the chambers of his mind. He closed the spaces between the both of you, sealing his lips onto yours, with the intention of making this very moment last a little longer heavy within his heart.

"Art."

Was what you thought of him.

Nanami Kento - Theatres, historical museums, fine dining restaurants.

You squealed, lightly clapping your hands as you ran to a block of marble, your foot tapping against the floor. He chuckles, hands in his pocket, taking fast strides towards you.

"Namnam! Look look! That's the Parthenon Sculptures! It was founded in hm... Athens, yes! If I am not mistaken, around 438 to 432 BC. These sculptures decorated the insides of the Parthenon, it is a temple located at the fortress of the Athenian Acropolis. It is said that this temple was built to appreciate and worship the Goddess Athena, she was the deity worship in Athens. Also, ah ah! Did you know that the word parthénos means "maiden", "girl" or ‘virgin"? And I-"

You look at him, your magnificent lover wearing a dark brown trench coat, with ecru brown trousers and a black turtleneck tucked in, his neck layered with white gold necklaces. Your hand unconsciously scratches your sideburns, giggling at the side of his stoic expression, eyes piercing yours beneath that yellow-green glasses he constantly has on his chiseled face.

"Oh... I am sorry... I didn't mean to bore you. I was just so excited because you know me! I love anything that is related to ancient greek history and mythology. I can't seem to get enough of it and it is absolut-

"I'm not bored, [your name]. I was just paying attention to every single word that pretty lips of yours uttered. It's magnificent that you knew all of this. It shows just how smart, curious, bright your mind and soul is. And darling?"

"Huh?"

"I am lucky to be blessed with someone like you. With Gojo constantly following me, there is no way I can read the books I bought for myself. However, having you around, breaking the ice with your random history tib bits, I feel like I am reading the pages, savouring each word, alphabet, sentence, thus expanding my quest and love for knowledge."

You looked down. Normally, you're not the type to tear up this easily but seeing how this man, this angel of a man, appreciates the little things you loved and adored, you can't help but let the waterworks out. You lifted your head up to meet his gaze, the tip of your nose slightly stuffy. You grabbed his arms, clinging onto him, the difference of height and size makes it sweet to the eyes of strangers surrounding you both.

"Oh Namnam. Thank you so much. This means the world to me. Shall we... go and see the best of Ramesses the Great? I've loads to tell you!"

Nobara - Shopping malls, ferry rides, beach dates, parks with cherry blossoms.

"Baby... tell me, have you ever seen anything as joyous as the ocean?"

You two stood by the seashore, fingers intertwined, your head resting on her shoulders, the sound of the seas splashing against the rocks and the warmth around your foot, it tingled but it feels good at the same time.

"I don't want this moment to end, [your name]."

"Why is that, pretty one?"

A faint sigh leaves her lips, you feeling her body loosen up.

"I just.. school is sort of stressful so my time spent with you liberates me from the pressure, fatigue, and image of curses embedded in my brain. Walking with you... through this airy womb of skies and clouds, don't you know it makes me happy?"

You leaned closer, pressing a soft peck on her cheeks, earning yourself a pair of scarlet cheeks with a gorgeous smile from the one next to you. You turned yourself to face her, hands on her shoulders, bringing her body closer to yours.

"Whenever and wherever you need me, I will be there. I might not be perfect, but I am gonna do my best to be the one you can always count on."

You pressed a kiss on her left cheek.

"I love you."

A kiss on her right cheek.

"I love you."

A kiss to the lips of the woman whom you shared your entire universe with.

"To the moon and back, I love you, Kugisaki Nobara."

The end.

tags : @tojisveryown @sookyshima @megumifushi @sixeyesgojo @sirthisisa-wendys @sasso-oda @fushigurocockslut @nkogneatho @kotarousgf @noritoshiikamo